> Corruption of Harmony
>  by Grimm
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Mundanity
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



Chapter 1


Mundanity


 


 

 
The entrance hall was dark, save for a single shaft of light from the open door behind me, sending my shadow stretching across the floor. My hooves clacked loudly against the marbled surface, echoing through the chamber as I advanced on the throne at the end of the hall. The door slammed shut behind me, submerging me in darkness. I couldn’t help but grin. Even now, she was still trying to intimidate me. I stood patiently, waiting in the dark. Soon enough, the torches mounted on the room’s side pillars flared into life, filling the area with a red, flickering glow.
 
Celestia stood by her throne, looking unusually bedraggled. I have to admit, the sight was rather uplifting. Clearly I’d been giving her some sleepless nights. Still, it wouldn’t do to be careless at this point; not with so much to lose. Rather than advancing down the chamber towards her, as she evidently desired, I remained in place and called out from where I stood.
 
“Celestia, how gracious of you to receive me!”
 
She recoiled as if bitten. When she spoke, her voice was strained and full of poisonous hatred.
 
“Princess Celestia. The least you could do would be to address me correctly.”
 
“Ah, but that would imply I felt you were worthy of the title. Calling me here for a ‘private audience’ is tantamount to surrender, and I assure you, that particular honour won’t be yours for much longer.”
 
My grin widening, I started the long walk up the hall. To her credit, Celestia held her pose, face as expressionless as possible, but her eyes gave her apprehension away. As I drew closer, the dark circles around them became even more obvious. It was almost humbling to see the effect I’d had on the monarch. I stopped at the foot of the steps beneath the throne. She stood over me, glaring. A lesser pony would have trembled under her ferocious stare, but a lesser pony could not have achieved what I had. Rest assured I was the one in control here. Fear shone through her gaze, despite her earlier show of bravado. Her final moments of power were upon her, and she was scared.
 
 
But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s go back to when and where it started, shall we?  It’s the journey that’s important, after all. Trust me; you don’t want to miss it.
 

***

 
I’ve always hated rain, and that evening’s was no exception. Icy cold water had soaked through my hood and was trickling slowly down my back. A muffled clinking from one of my saddlebags served as a constant reminder of my purpose in Ponyville, as well as the damage that a fall could do. Months of work dashed in an instant against the hard cobblestones. Unfortunately, staying on my feet was easier said than done, the water changing the road into a slick and treacherous sheet.
 
Wind whipped around my hooves and blasted the rain into my eyes as I moved up the deserted street. The shop windows were dark, shut tight against the elements. Of course the pegasi had to choose that night of all nights to organise a storm.
 
After an age, the library loomed into view. A great tree, hollowed out inside and made habitable. It seemed like a huge oversight in my opinion, choosing an extremely flammable construction (made out of, for example, wood) as the place to store a number of equally flammable books. Candle glow from the windows assured me that the resident was still awake, even at this late hour. I knew she would be.  Fighting the risky urge to pick up the pace, I trotted up to the door, stumbling only once. I took a moment to compose myself. Whilst being completely drenched may not make the best possible first impression, I didn’t have much choice. Tree branches had been bent into a makeshift porch but they dripped continuously, if anything making me even wetter. Shivering (and disgusted at that sign of weakness), I rapped urgently on the wood.

 


 


***


 

Twilight Sparkle wasn’t sure what to expect when she opened the door. The library had its share of late night visitors, but they usually called ahead. Greeting her on this particular evening was an unremarkable earth pony. He was soaked through, his cloak’s hood clinging to his face, masking his features. He was also loaded down with a ridiculous amount of saddlebags, each of them stuffed full until they were bulging at the seams.
 
“Can I help you?” she asked.
 
His hooves reached up to pull back his hood, revealing a handsome young stallion. His coat was light brown and his darker-coloured mane was plastered against his face from the rain. He brushed it aside casually and looked at her for the first time. Recognising her, his eyes widened and he fell down in a clumsy bow, bags shifting dangerously and threatening to send their contents spilling across the floor.
 
“Princess! Forgive me.”
 
Twilight sighed. Ever since she had got these damn wings it had been the same, no matter who came to see her. The only ponies who had shown any sign of getting used to it were her best friends, and even they sometimes bowed without thinking. It was just a matter of time, she told herself, as she had done so many times in the past. Soon enough everything would get back to normal, right? She shook herself back to the present. It was too easy to get lost on that particular train of thought. Right now she had a guest to deal with, and out in the rain no less. Twilight smiled warmly.
 
“Twilight Sparkle is fine. Twilight is easiest,” she told him cheerily.
 
The stallion struggled back to his feet, still avoiding eye contact.
 
“Of course Pri- Er… Twilight.”
 
Clearly it was going to take some time for him to get used to it as well.
 
“Well, come on in! Don’t just stand there!” she told him.
 
“Many thanks.”
 
Bowing his head, he stepped into the library.
 

***


 

With his bags piled in the corner and his cloak hung up to dry, Twilight levitated over a cup of freshly brewed tea. She had draped a blanket round his shoulders, which he’d gratefully accepted. Shortly after arriving he had dried himself with a spare towel, leaving his mane messy and matted. As he’d rubbed himself down, Twilight had observed his cutie mark with some curiosity: a single, white, five-pointed star, not dissimilar to her own. She’d looked up to see him staring at her with a confused expression. Twilight had muttered an inaudible apology and moved into the kitchen, blushing.
 
But now he appeared comfortable enough, and was taking in his surroundings. Twilight remembered when she had first arrived at the library, and how it’d seemed to her then. The central room was surrounded with shelves holding books of every description, covering virtually every subject. A large staircase circled the hollow trunk, running up to the second floor. Halfway up, a small alcove was cut into the tree, housing a writing desk. The scale was still impressive to her now. It was always surprising to newcomers, and he was no exception. He took the tea with a thankful smile, and sat expectantly. Oh, of course. She’d been so busy making sure he was alright she still had no idea who he was, or why he was even here.
 
“Um… excuse me for asking again, but… How can I help you?” she repeated.
 
“Ah, introductions, my apologies. I’m Starbright; the emissary from Celestia.”
 
Twilight gasped. That was today!? Oh no oh no oh no. The library was a total mess! She’d given Spike the day off after helping Pinkie with Derpy’s birthday party, and she hadn’t got around to sorting it out since. Books were strewn haphazardly about the room, along with various pieces of paper covered in hastily scribbled notes. Not to mention the dust starting to collect.
 
“Oh no, I’m so sorry! I completely forgot, I’ve just been so busy that I-“ Twilight stopped when she noticed his bemused smile and giggled nervously.  “Normally I’d have Spike here to clean up, but he had the day off. I wasn’t expecting a visitor, let alone the emissary from the Princess!”
 
Starbright chuckled.
 
“It’s quite alright,” he said. “And it’s Star, please.”
 
“Of course… Star. You want to see your room, right? It’s just upstairs, if you want to come up?”
 
Starbright glanced nervously at the mountain of saddlebags.
 
“Oh, don’t worry about them, I’ve got it,” she assured him.
 
Twilight focused her magic around them and floated them upstairs. Starbright’s relief was palpable. He followed her upstairs, leaving the now-cold tea on the table. He hadn’t drunk a drop.
 

***


 

Yes, I took the name Starbright. Awful, isn’t it? Needs must, and all that. I couldn’t risk any of them finding out my true identity, and I actually had permission from the princess for that particular falsehood. Oh, you thought I made that emissary spiel up? No, Celestia herself had ordered me to head to Ponyville. Not that I didn’t… guide her hoof a little. That bought me enough time.
 
As far as Twilight Sparkle was concerned, she was naïve, but powerful. Her magic was incredibly advanced, easily matching Luna and Celestia in terms of raw ability, a lack of experience being her only shortcoming. Alicorns are never anything to be taken lightly, and Twilight was no exception. I would have to tread carefully around her, but beginnings always are the most difficult.
 

***


 

Starbright awoke the following morning to a pair of green eyes staring into his own. The creature yelped in surprise and fell backwards, landing heavily and grunting in pain. Star rose, clearly alarmed.
 
“Are… Are you okay?”
 
The dragon (for that’s what it was) groaned from the floor.
 
“Owwww, I landed on my tail.”
 
“I can see that. Here.” Star held out his hoof, which the little dragon grabbed and used to hoist himself up. His tail was a little bent from the fall, and he rubbed it gently, wincing.
 
“Heh, sorry about that. I was just wondering what you were doing in my bed.”
 
“Oh, this is your bedroom? Twilight said I could stay here.”
 
“Well sure, I didn’t think you’d just crept in here in the night. That would be weird, dude.”
 
Starbright smiled in spite of himself. He found himself strangely liking the dragon.
 
“I’m Spike, Twilight’s assistant,” he told Star, puffing his chest out proudly. Unfortunately, the only effect was to make him look fairly ridiculous.
 
Starbright shook the proffered claw. “Starbright. Princess Celestia’s emissary.”
 
Spike’s eyes widened. “Oh snap, that was today!? Why does no-one tell me ANYTHING? So you got here last night? Even with all that rain?”
 
“Sadly, I can’t just drop everything because it’s a bit wet outside.”
 
“Ain’t that the truth.” agreed Spike. “Anyway, you should come down. Twilight’s making breakfast.” The purple dragon seemed nervous.
 
“Is that bad?” asked Star.
 
“No, no. Well, kinda…”
 

***


 

In Twilight’s defence, the cereal wasn’t burned. Unfortunately, everything else was. Starbright contented himself with just the cereal. He also seemed entirely oblivious to the awkward atmosphere at the table. The silence stretched out, punctuated by muffled crunching whenever Spike bit into a particularly burned slice of toast. Twilight poked mournfully at what apparently used to be waffles, but were now little more than piles of ash. You couldn’t fault her enthusiasm for the grill, at least. She caught Star’s eye and grinned, embarrassed.
 
“Sorry about breakfast. Spike normally makes it, and he only just got back. Speaking of which, where were you last night?” Her tone suggested that she was a lot angrier at Spike than her innocent question implied. The dragon fidgeted in his seat.
 
“Oh. That. Well, I was at Derpy’s party, and Pinkie… kept getting me to drink more and more punch. You know how she is. It all got a bit hazy for a while, and then I woke up there this morning…”
 
Spike gave what he thought was a winning smile. It didn’t work, and Twilight glared at him. It was a glare that Starbright did not want to be on the receiving end of, and if Spike’s expression was any indicator, he wasn’t particularly comfortable with it either. Eager to change the subject, Spike turned to Star. “So, why’d the Princess send you out here? It doesn’t seem like there’s anything big happening at the moment.”
 
“I’m afraid I can’t tell you,” replied Starbright. “It’s heavily classified. All I can say that it is very important to the future of Ponyville, and Twilight is one of few ponies who can assist me.”
 
Twilight blushed at the compliment. “But… how exactly can I help you?” she asked.
 
“Everything in good time, I need to go back to my room and organise my things. Um… thank you for the… breakfast.” Starbright did try to make his thanks sincere, he really did.
 

***


 

Back in the privacy of his room, Star flipped open one of the smallest bags with his teeth. Inside was a set of intricately crafted bottles, filled with liquids of various colours and consistencies. Each had a small label affixed to the glass. On them were written things such as “Jealousy”, “Fear” and “Greed”. He sorted through them meticulously, then, unhappy with the results, snapped the bag shut again with a contemptuous snort.
 
Not yet, he thought. There’s still more to learn before I end up jumping the gun. I have time yet, better to pace myself.
 
Scanning the room for a place to hide them, Starbright’s eyes settled on the bed, and he brushed the bag beneath it. He smiled. This was going perfectly.
 

***


 

The day passed uneventfully. Star busied himself with various books, most concerning Tartarus, and a few about transitioning through planes of reality. Twilight thought it best not to ask. It was clear they were important to his task from the princess, but he had already told her all he could. It seemed the “help that only Twilight could provide” was simply a means to find the books he needed. Hardly exciting. What concerned her was that all of the titles he asked for were easily available at the castle’s vast library. Why did he need to come to Ponyville for them? The only possible conclusion was that something was going to happen in or near Ponyville itself, and Starbright needed to be close by when it did. Given the subject matter in question, that was not a reassuring thought.
 
Several times, Twilight caught him staring at her pensively instead of reading. Each time she did he would scowl and look away, as if she had somehow interrupted his train of thought. Perhaps she was more important than a simple book repository after all, but there was no way to tell if that was the case. In the meantime, she had her own studies to contend with: various writings on the more subtle points of magic use. Boring reading at the best of times, but with a companion studying the depths of hell on the other side of the room, it was nigh on impossible to concentrate.
 
The hours drew on. The sun burned its slow path across the sky, deepening from orange to red as the evening closed in. At some point Spike made them both lunch. Other than that brief interruption and the occasional request from Starbright, they worked in silence. Twilight didn’t mind. In fact, it was a nice change from her usual company. Especially Pinkie. As the sky darkened and the first stars began to appear, Starbright declared himself finished for the day. After a quick meal, courtesy of Spike once again, he retired to his bedroom, locking the door behind him.
 

***

 
Later that evening, Twilight was studying by candlelight. It seemed she did so more and more these days; perhaps part of that was because she had spent so much time away from her friends. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to spend to time with them (in fact quite the opposite), but she was a princess now. Everywhere she went she was sure to turn heads, and slowly but surely it had started to form a divide between them. Her wings fluttered restlessly. Yeah, flying was great, but truth be told, she hadn’t left the library in days. Seclusion was her only respite from the crowds of ponies bowing and paying their respects and a whole host of other inane things they did to try to appease her. She just wanted things back the way they were. Before the wings and everything that came with them. Sometimes (though she would never admit it) she hated Celestia for this. The princess had never told her what it would be like, had never offered her a choice. She had just stuck wings on her and decreed her to be “Princess Twilight Sparkle”, and in doing so, had left her horribly, utterly alone.
 
What was the point, she sometimes mused, on making her learn the meaning of friendship purely to tear it away when she had? Was it so she could appreciate what she had lost? That seemed unnecessarily cruel. Had Twilight done something wrong? Was her slow separation from her friends somehow her fault? Either way, her inability to sleep was almost certainly caused by those thoughts. She could avoid them during the day, but at night, in the dark and the quiet, they rolled ceaselessly through her mind, inescapable. So here she was, sitting at her desk for the countless night running, staring at the candlelit pages and still thinking rather than reading.
 
“It’s late.”
 
Twilight jumped. She hadn’t heard Star at all. The wooden floors were normally as creaky as physically possible, or so it seemed. How was he so quiet?
 
“Ah, yeah, I guess it is. Sorry, it’s just… Busy study schedule.”.
 
Starbright nodded sagely. “Of course. It must be difficult content if you haven’t even turned the page in the last half hour.”
 
It wasn’t, but she hadn’t been reading a word of it. She frowned as she took in what he’d just said. As she opened her mouth to ask, he interrupted her.
 
“Oh, please don’t misunderstand. I haven’t been here long. I just went to the kitchen to get a drink. When I came back you were still here, still on that page. What is it, may I ask?”
 
Twilight slammed the book shut and shunted it off her desk. “It’s nothing! Don’t worry about it!”
 
“Okay…” Starbright remained understandably doubtful. “Hey, try to get some sleep.” His eyes showed genuine concern.
 
“I will,” she assured him. “I have a little more to do first.”
 
Starbright nodded and started up the stairs. As he neared the top, Twilight called out to him.
 
“Starbright?”
 
“Hm?”
 
“I… Thanks.”
 
He nodded again, and headed back to his room, closing the door softly behind him. Sighing, Twilight stared at the candle flame, slowly burning down the wick. It was sputtering by the time Twilight finally blew it out and headed to bed.
 

***

 
The next day passed much the same as the first. Starbright absorbed himself in his work and Twilight tried to do the same, with little success. Each time she tried to focus, the letters in front of her swam together and became unreadable. What was wrong with her? She never had this difficulty before. Studying had gotten more difficult recently; knowing that this was all there was for her. Previously she had enjoyed it, now it seemed like a way to waste her time until the next day, when she would do it all again. And now here was Starbright, showing up out of nowhere and effortlessly falling into his work, as she used to. On the other hoof, there was something a little… off about him that Twilight couldn’t quite place.
 
Perhaps it was him staring off into space every now and then, or even at her occasionally. Perhaps it was that he was reading the same titles over and over. Perhaps it was the way he sometimes spent a good hour on the same page without looking away. Perhaps it was that she recognised all of those as things she herself had done in order to pretend she was studying, when in reality her thoughts were a thousand miles away.
 
All this was conducted in silence; intermittent page turns the only noise in the otherwise still library. At least until Starbright broke the quietness, a little after noon.
 
“When I arrived, Spike was at a party. You weren’t?”
 
“Huh?” The question took Twilight aback somewhat.
 
“I was just wondering why. If you don’t want to talk about it, I won’t ask.”
 
“No, it’s fine.” She searched for an acceptable answer. “I was… busy.”
 
Star said nothing.
 
“With my work,” Twilight finished, lamely.
 
“Is that all?” asked Star. “You were just busy?”
 
After a pause, Twilight continued. “Well… no. The thing is… I’m a princess now. I have responsibilities. Duties. I can’t just go out to parties whenever I feel like it anymore. It’s not… regal.” She spat out the last word, as if it left a bad taste in her mouth. Twilight cast her eyes to the floor. “Not that they would have wanted me there anyway,” she added quietly.
 
Now it was Starbright’s turn to be surprised. “Why wouldn’t they want you there? Aren’t you their friend?”
 
“Well, yeah. I was, at least. Ponies treat you differently as a princess. It’s flattering, but also… difficult. They think more about me, about how I see them, my personal opinion of them. If I was there they’d be so worried about whether or not I was enjoying it that they wouldn’t be able to have a good time themselves.”
 
“You didn’t go because you were worried they wouldn’t enjoy having you there?”
 
“It’s not quite like that.”
 
“Then how is it?”
 
An awkward silence drew out between them, the afternoon sun shining on the dust motes floating lazily in the library air. Twilight shook herself and her expression hardened. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore. Aren’t you supposed to be busy anyway?”
 
Star realised he had gone too far. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked. Your affairs are your own.” He paused, lost in thought. “I’m just going to take a break.”
 
Twilight said nothing. She didn’t look round as he climbed the stairs.
 

***


 

Star’s mouth cracked into a malicious smirk the second the door shut behind him. It was so obvious, he had no idea how he hadn’t noticed it sooner. After her late night he’d decided to probe a bit, and it seemed his hunch had been spot on. He quickly locked the door and dragged the small saddlebag out from its hiding spot. Star dumped the contents onto his bedcovers and quickly began to sift through the bottles. It didn’t take too long to find the one he was looking for. He stuffed the remaining flasks back into the pack and pushed them under the bed. The bottle he’d selected was full of a dark red liquid, with the rough consistency of water. He placed it in an empty spot on his shelf, and began mumbling under his breath.
“….caution……mustn’t……..susceptible…….dragon…….get rid of……….”
 
There was one word on the small printed label affixed to the flask.
 
“Loneliness”
 

***


 

Spike didn’t trust Starbright. He did seem fairly dedicated to whatever assignment he had in Ponyville, spending virtually all his time in the library or his room. Then again, often his behaviour was more than a little worrying. Spike had noticed the surreptitious glances at Twilight, and the times he quietly stole away to his chambers. He’d listened at the door on one occasion, and had heard strange clinking sounds and muttering. Trying to open it surreptitiously, he discovered Star had locked it.
 
Whenever the earth pony had engaged him directly he had been nothing if not courteous, but sometimes there was an odd tightness to his voice, as if he was holding himself back for their benefit. Part of that probably came from being a higher-up in Canterlot society. In that sense, Star was well adjusted to the more casual tone used in Ponyville. Sometimes it seemed that there was more to it than that; a general disdain for whomever he happened to be talking to, be that Twilight or Spike. Twilight didn’t get out that much anymore, and as far as Spike knew she hadn’t told a single one of her friends that Starbright was even in town. He wasn’t quite sure why that worried him so much.
 
The more he thought about it, the odder the whole situation appeared. He had arrived in the middle of the night with no ceremony, despite obviously being thought of as very important by Celestia herself. His motive was unknown and he seemed perfectly content to sit in the library all day, accomplishing… well, just what, exactly? The books he chose all concerned Tartarus in some way, why was that important? Spike had studied the books himself a little after Star’s interest, but had no idea why it was relevant or significant to the Sun Princess. Tartarus had been kept well under control for thousands of years, and with the Cerberus guarding the entrance (from both intruders and potential escapees) there wasn’t any reason to suspect danger. Even if there had been, why Ponyville? Star had made it clear that the location was important, and yet after arriving he’d holed up in the library and had at one point directly refused an offer from Spike to tour the town.
 
Spike couldn’t help but shake the nagging suspicion that Twilight herself was heavily involved in all of this. She clearly had no idea (years of being her assistant meant Spike could read her like a book), but he couldn’t help remembering Star’s glances at her.
 
Perhaps he was overthinking it. Starbright was here on the order of Princess Celestia, that much was certain. Spike had received the letter himself, official seal and all.
 
To my faithful student Twilight Sparkle,
 
I’m writing to inform you of a visitor you will be receiving three days from now. He is on an important mission that I myself have given him, and I would ask you to offer him accommodation and full use of your library while he is in Ponyville.
 
His task must remain secret for now, but he may require your help. I request that you give him any aid he asks for.
 
I know I can count on you.
 
Princess Celestia
 
It was proof enough of Starbright’s reputation. Spike had even urged Twilight to write a letter to Celestia informing her of Star’s arrival. The princess’ reply had been curt and she’d sounded almost irritable, but hadn’t expressed any confusion or concern, so Spike decided that settled the matter. He was just jumping at shadows.
 

***


 

Pinkie Pie was having a good day. Most of her days were, but today was a super good day, because today she was going to see Twilight Sparkle. The pink pony hopped along, watching the birds soar across the sky. It had been too long, she thought. When had she last seen Twilight? She was definitely there at Applejack’s barn-raising last month, though come to think of it she had left pretty quickly. Pinkie’s smile faltered slightly. Had she seen Twilight since then? If she had done she couldn’t remember it, although she’d seen Spike at Sugarcube Corner pretty frequently.
 
In fact, Twilight hadn’t been at Derpy’s party the other night. That was strange, even for her, and none of Pinkie’s other friends had commented on her absence. That was super specially strange. Pinkie decided it didn’t matter. Twilight might be feeling a bit down, but that was exactly why she was going to cheer her up! The smell of freshly baked cupcakes wafted up from the basket she carried in her mouth, and Pinkie hummed happily.
 
Twilight didn’t open the door. Neither did Spike. Instead, Pinkie was greeted by a brown stallion she hadn’t seen before. “Can I help you?” he asked, cautiously.
 
“Mmmf! Mmmf mm fmmm mfff mmmmf!” Pinkie shouted at him, waving her forelegs manically.
 
Star’s eyes widened in alarm, and he glanced left and right, hoping he wasn’t alone with this clearly insane pony. “Um, is there any chance you could say that again? This time without the basket?”
 
Pinkie dropped it unceremoniously on the step, and began shouting excitedly at incredible pace. “Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh, it’s someone NEW! This is so exciting! We’re going to have to have a welcoming party! And then another party after that because we can’t just have one party because some ponies might feel left out… Oh! We could have a party for every pony in Ponyville! Can you imagine!? There’d be so many parties, wouldn’t that be awesome?! And everyone would get a chance to feel special for a day, which would be great, and everyone would get their own da- Oh, but then some ponies might feel left out because it wasn’t their day, so we should have a party for everypony all on the same day, but then you wouldn’t get your welcome party, so maybe if we have a party for everypony else after that one, but then what about you, you might feel left out on that day and-“ Pinkie stopped abruptly, as if coming to a sudden realisation. “Wait, who are you again?”
 
Star looked at her blankly. He could have been quicker answering her question if he wasn’t trying to process that entire speech at once. Pinkie just smiled patiently. This was something she was very used to. Once his brain caught up, Star finally spoke. “Um, I’m Starbright. Pleased to meet you.”
 
The instant Star finished his sentence, Pinkie launched into another incomprehensible monologue.
 
“Starbright! That’s a great name, but then I think everyone’s name is great because it’s who they are, y’know, and it even matches your cutie mark, which is also great by the way, and OH WAIT! I haven’t even introduced myself yet! I’m Pinkie Pie, though you probably already know all about me if you’re staying with Twilight. How long have you been here for? I don’t remember seeing you around, so it must be fairly recently, though Twilight hasn’t left her house in FOREVER! That’s actually why I came round today; I guess she must be pretty upset for some reason, so I brought her some cupcakes, because everybody loves cupcakes, right? And then Twilight will be all cheered up and she’ll start spending time with everyone again!”
 
Starbright took a deep breath. Pinkie was certainly a… unique character. Her mane bobbed crazily in his face and her grin was so wide it seemed to break all known laws of physics and anatomy. Before he had a chance to compose himself, she spoke up again.
 
“So, what’re you doing in Ponyville?” Pinkie asked.
 
That took Star more by surprise than her previous outbursts. Going from those speeches to a single innocuous sentence was a massive leap. He decided he would have to tread carefully to not provoke another explosion of madness.
 
“I’m here on orders of Celestia. I’m afraid I can’t tell you exactly why tho-“
 
“Oooooooh! Is it a surprise!? I love surprises!”
 
“Ah, yeah, sure. It’s a surprise,” Starbright said. Pinkie’s unrelenting enthusiasm had backed him into a corner.
 
“Fantastic! I can’t wait! Okay, coming in!”
 
Before Star could react, Pinkie lowered her head, clamped her teeth round the basket handle and charged forward, bowling him backwards into the library. So this is it, Star had time to think as the world spun in his vision.  I’m going to die. The floor rushed up to meet him and he smashed heavily onto the solid wood.
 

***


 

Pinkie bounded into the library, paying no heed to the pony lying insensible on the floor. She dropped her basket onto the table, and then screamed at the top of her lungs.
“TWILIGHT? HELLOOOOOO?” There was no answer.
 
Pinkie scratched her head in confusion. She was sure Twilight would be here. Sudden realisation dawned. She must be up at her desk! That would explain why she sent Starbright to open the door! Not that she could ask Star if that was indeed the case; the poor stallion was still far beyond answering any questions. Or basic movement. She pranced up the wooden stairs and a familiar purple pony rose into view.
 
“Twiliiiiiiight!” Pinkie yelled again.
Twilight’s head suddenly darted up, as if realising for the first time that someone else was actually in the library. The fact that she hadn’t heard Pinkie originally was rather surprising, as most of Ponyville were currently cowering from what they assumed to be an apocalypse.
 
“Oh, Pinkie, it’s you,” Twilight said, sounding strangely distant.
 
“Well of course it’s me, silly! Who else could it be?” Pinkie smiled cheerily at Twilight, who for some reason couldn’t keep eye contact with her. She kept looking into the corners of the room, or out of the window above her desk.
 
“I guess no one could make an entrance as loudly as you did…” Twilight conceded, causing Pinkie to break into a bashful grin. “But I still don’t know why you’re here…”
 
“Oh that’s easy! I’m here to cheer you up!”
 
Twilight cocked an eyebrow. “Cheer me up?”
 
“Well it’s obvious you’ve been down in the dumps lately, because you’ve been spending all your time in the library! So I said to myself, Pinkamena Diane Pie, what are you going to do about it? Because I mean, I can’t have one of my friends moping about all day and not getting anything done, so I-“
 
“Pinkie…” Twilight said, quietly.
 
“-and then I thought, well how long has it been? I mean, I definitely saw her at the barn-raising a while ago, but not for long, and she wasn’t at Derpy’s party at all, and that’s no fun whatsoever! So I decided that-“
 
“Pinkie.” Twilight said again, more firmly.
 
“-but then I realised I needed something more than just to turn up, so I started wondering what I could get you, and decided the best thing I could get you was CUPCAKES! Because I mean, well who doesn’t love cupcakes? CRAZY ponies, that’s who, so I got a load of cupcakes and put them in a basket, and then I met some weird pony in your library (who seemed nice, but he’s not very good at mid-air recoveries, you should get him to work on that) and then-“
 
“Pinkie!”
 
“-so afterwards we can go see everyone, and they can all stop worrying about you, and it can be like it was, right? So I brought you some cakes (they’re downstairs on the table by the way) and once we’ve eaten them-“
 
“PINKIE.” Twilight shouted, stopping Pinkie mid rant in surprise. She took a deep breath. “Look, I… I can’t talk to you right now.”
 
Pinkie’s face fell, hurt and confusion in her eyes. That didn’t make it easier for Twilight to say this to the one friend who still seemed to genuinely care about her, but she didn’t have a choice. She couldn’t stand going with Pinkie Pie out to some party where everyone would stare at her; judging her with scorn in their hushed words. Where even the ponies she had considered her best friends would glare at her with jealousy and hate in their eyes. And how could she explain that to the fun-loving pony in front of her? Better just to turn her away, to let Pinkie hate her. It was probably for the best in the long run anyway. “There’s nothing for you here,” Twilight muttered.
 
“But Twilight…”
 
That was the last straw. Twilight exploded, weeks of self-loathing and crushing isolation bursting free. “Don’t you get it? I don’t want to talk to you! I don’t want to see you! I don’t want you here! No one asked you to come! Did any of my “friends” say this was a good idea? Did you even ask them? No, of course you didn’t. Because you know they would have told you not to.” The bitterness in Twilight’s voice surprised even her. She felt drained. Empty. “Just go,” she told Pinkie quietly.
 
“But…”
 
“Go!” Twilight turned back to her desk. Her legs were shaking and she’d gritted her teeth. She forced herself not to look as she heard Pinkie slowly trudging back down the stairs. Promised herself not to cry as she heard a few muted words between Star and Pinkie, and then the sound of the library’s front door as Starbright closed it behind her. In the oppressive silence that followed, she broke that promise.
 

***


 

 
The minutes ticked by. Twilight replayed it over and over in her head, working out what she could have said, what she could have done differently. Nothing seemed right. She couldn’t see any way to avoid irreversibly hurting Pinkie in the way she did. Again, she cursed the day she was given these damn wings. A soft thump to her right broke her out of her thoughts.
 
“Hey.” Starbright sat down next to her after depositing the basket on her desk. He didn’t say anything else, waiting for her to talk of her own accord. The silence stretched out, until Twilight could bear it no longer.
 
“I shouldn’t have said it,” she told him.
 
“What exactly did you say?” asked Star.
 
“That I didn’t want her here. That I didn’t want to see her, or talk to her. I don’t even know why I said it; I was lying. I just… Ever since I became a princess, it’s been getting worse and worse. My friends don’t feel like my friends anymore. They whisper behind my back, thinking I can’t hear them, or that I can’t see them. I tried to ignore it at first, thinking- pretending it would all get better in time. Now I can see I was being stupid. Maybe all this is my fault.”
 
“Did you ask for those wings on your back?” Star asked.
 
“Of course not, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t happy when I got them. Celestia never told me it was going to be like this.”
 
“Then there is no one to blame but Celestia. You didn’t ask for those wings. You didn’t ask your friends to treat you differently.”
 
Twilight shook her head. “Except, to begin with, I… I liked it. I liked being treated as royalty, and having ponies showering me with compliments. It made me feel… powerful, like I was better than them. And that’s why I am where I am. I let them treat me like that, and now I can’t stop it.”
 
“That’s ridiculous. Why did Pinkie come here if not to show you she still wants to be your friend? She even brought these cupcakes, which happen to taste fantastic by the way, I tried one downstairs.” Starbright took one of the cakes from the basket and proffered it to her.
 
“Yeah, because right now I really feel like eating,” Twilight snorted derisively.
 
“Trust me, you’ll feel better afterwards.”
 
And trust Starbright she did, taking the cake and biting a large portion of it. In the end it was that trust that would be her undoing. Perhaps if she had seen Star secretly applying the blood-red potion to it before bringing them to her, she would have been more hesitant. Maybe if she had known Star had asked Spike to go after Pinkie, leaving them alone in the library, she may have had second thoughts. As it was, she ate it readily.
 
As she bit into the cake, the events of the past few days ran through her mind. Starbright’s arrival, Spike’s clear distrust, the late night talks, the quiet studying, Pinkie’s visit. The overwhelming sense of aloneness resonated in her thoughts. Everyone was against her. There wasn’t a single pony that would care if she was gone. Maybe she should just pack up her things and leave? Nopony would miss her.
 
Except one. The one pony that had stuck by her side through all this. The one that had never doubted her, never questioned her, never treated her any differently because of a mock title and crappy wings. Even now, despite her outburst, he was here with her, taking her side. Believing in her. She turned to Starbright and met his brown eyes. There was no pity in them, unlike so many of the others. No anger, no jealousy. For the first time in months, Twilight had found someone that didn’t make her feel even more alone. Suddenly, impulsively, wonderfully, she took hold of his head in her hooves and kissed him. Star tensed at first, taken by surprise, and then slowly relaxed into her embrace.
 

***


 

The thing about ponies… well, the most pertinent thing about ponies, is how easy they are to manipulate. There was no way my plan would have worked without that fact. Emotions are the key. They are nothing but weakness, and yet ponies hold them in such high-esteem. They care about what they feel, to the extent where a princess, one of the most powerful ponies in Equestria, can spend months holed up in a musty library.
 
The potion, as you may have guessed, was an amplifier, nothing more. It simply increases the extent a pony feels a particular emotion. In terms of its usefulness, I had to find the right weakness to exploit. You see, when anyone feels a negative emotion strongly enough, they reach out to whoever is there for them. Admittedly, I was lucky that Twilight Sparkle’s particular weakness was loneliness. Something like that is the easiest to corrupt. I was the centre of her entire world for those few days; her “knight in shining armour”.
 
The truth was that I had her wrapped around my foreleg, and the poor girl didn’t even know it.
 

***


 

Twilight fell backwards onto the bed, dragging Star with her, and pulling him in for another kiss. Star broke it and began moving down her body, kissing her all over, his warm breath tickling her fur and making her shiver in anticipation. Lower and lower he moved; kissing, licking, lightly nipping her skin. Twilight’s wings fanned out beneath her in excitement, and Star rubbed a hoof along one, forcing her to stifle a moan. Whether or not she wanted them, they were very sensitive.
 
Star had reached her hips, and began to move down one of her hind legs, avoiding the wetness that she so wished he would tend to. He reached her hoof, grazing it briefly with his lips, before roaming back up her leg towards her aching need. Twilight was lost to sensation, only feeling his warm mouth upon her, his breath on her skin. Starbright reached her hips again, and crossed over to the other leg. As he moved across, his hot breath passed over her lower lips for the shortest moment, eliciting a small squeak. Down her other leg he moved, all the way down to the hoof and back up to the waist. This was it, Twilight realised. There was nowhere left for him to go. Star reached her midriff and paused, drawing out his teasing for just a little longer, then his head darted forward and his tongue pressed against her.
 
It was enough for Twilight. She was done with teasing, she needed him now. Hooking her back legs around his neck, she pulled Star towards her. Star obliged her, pushing his tongue past her folds and caressing her sensitive insides. Twilight squirmed under this new assault. He seemed to reach everywhere; his muzzle was pushed against her, filling him with her scent. Every time Star exhaled, warm air brushed against her, exciting her further.
 
Twilight bucked her hips, desperate for his tongue to reach ever deeper. Instead, Starbright pulled back, and gently licked her clit. Her moans grew louder, close to her limit. She opened her eyes to see Star watching her attentively, playing on her reactions. All too quickly, Twilight climaxed: tensing and tightening her legs around Star’s neck. Her world vanished, replaced by waves of intense pleasure. Starbright gently continued as she rode out her orgasm, drawing it out even longer.
 
As Twilight shakily recovered, she found Star waiting, patient kindness in his eyes.
 
“Okay…hah...now it’s your turn,” she told him, breathlessly.
 
Star just had time to raise an eyebrow before her magic lifted him from the floor and held him in mid-air, his underside facing her with his hardness fully visible. “Twilight, what are you…?” his voice trailed off as she grinned mischievously.
 
“Just wait and see.”
 
Her magic had completely enveloped Star, holding him in place to the point where he couldn’t move his limbs. Twilight giggled as he struggled fruitlessly, her horn glowing in the dark bedroom. She scrunched her face up in concentration, and another layer of magic surrounded her horn. Star’s worry rapidly evaporated as he felt sudden warmth around his member, where Twilight had enveloped him in her spell. She looked up at his face with an innocent expression, as tendrils of magic began to stroke up his length, coiling around him.
 
Star swallowed as her magic began to stroke him. The tendril coiled around his shaft began rhythmically pumping while another flicked around the tip, squeezing out a drop of precum. Starbright tried to move, to push his cock further into her magic’s embrace, but she held him fast, leaving him able to do nothing but endure her teasing motions. Payback, he supposed, for his own teasing earlier. Twilight’s hoof dropped between her legs and began gently stroking herself, avoiding too much pressure after her earlier orgasm.
 
Star was not privy to the same luxury, her magic tightening around him, moving ever more quickly and roughly. He let out a harsh gasp from the treatment. Emboldened by his obvious enjoyment, Twilight stepped lightly off the bed and floated him down until his cock was in front of her. Held spread-eagled as he was, Star could do nothing but watch as she eyed his stallionhood. Now it was her hot breath on him, her in control, her teasing him. Grinning, Twilight pressed a hoof against his member, slowly rubbing him. Her horn glowed bright as ever while her magic continued its relentless assault. Star groaned low in his throat as she stroked him. She leaned forward and kissed the base of his cock, then slowly licked her way up to the tip, taking his head into her mouth and tasting him, salty on her tongue. Star whimpered, close now.
 
Releasing him from her mouth, Twilight turned and flicked her tail away from her rear, displaying herself to him. “Let it out,” she whispered over her shoulder. Her magic redoubled its efforts, frantically milking his cock, alternating between squeezing and relaxing. Coupled with Twilight baring herself before him, Star could take it no longer. With an animalistic roar, he came, sticky ropes blasting over Twilight’s back and wings. White rivulets ran between her feathers as Star slumped in her magical grip. His breathing came in shallow pants.
 
Twilight lowered him onto the bed and examined the mess on her back. With a quick spell she cleaned herself, and then turned to the exhausted stallion lying on her covers.
 
“Are you ready?” she asked him.
 
“Forgive me… I think… I think I might need a… minute…” Star replied between breaths.
 
Twilight chuckled. “You sure?” she queried, as magic enveloped her horn yet again. Star’s breathing calmed. His softening member hardened once more as the previously spent pony in front of her rapidly returned to a full-blooded stallion. Starbright stared at her incredulously.
 
“That was… amazing.”
 
Twilight smiled at the praise.
 
“Maybe, but it wasn’t just for you,” she told him, pointedly.
 
She lay down on the bed next to him, taking his face in her hooves and kissing him firmly. Star took the hint and rolled on top of her, taking control again. Twilight could feel his hardness pressing against her stomach, rubbing her wet slit. Aligning himself with her entrance, Star quickly checked Twilight’s face to see if she was ready. In response, she pushed her hips forward, driving him inside of her. Both of them gasped at the newfound sensation. With a roguish grin, Star began to slowly push further into her. Twilight bit her lip and ground her hoof against the bed sheets. Star was finally entirely inside her, leaving her feeling wonderfully full. He began to thrust, slowly at first, her tight inner walls clenching around him. Both ponies were breathing heavily, lost in the moment.
 
“Faster,” Twilight whispered.
 
Star responded by driving deeply into her, making her gasp at the sudden change in pace. He reached over and caressed her sensitive wings. She shivered as his hooves ran over them, stroking to the rhythm of his thrusts. They stuck out beneath her, fully extended, and yet still they strained against his gentle touch. Starbright grunted. Her wet tunnel hugged his member tightly, and he began to buck his hips harder and faster, pounding into her. Twilight’s moans spurred him onwards, bringing them both close to the edge. With a loud groan, Twilight orgasmed for the second time, clamping down on him, urging him to finish. It was too much for Starbright. A final thrust, as deep as possible, and he came inside her, his warmth filling her completely. She pulled him in for another kiss.
 
“Okay…” he panted. “This time… I really am… finished…”
 
Twilight merely smiled, as her horn began to glow…
 
 

***

 
Star collapsed on top of Twilight, breathing heavily. She sighed happily and hugged him against her. Perhaps this wouldn’t be so bad, she thought to herself. Finally she had found someone she could talk to, that she could spend time with, that could stop her feeling so alone. She opened her eyes to look at the pony that had saved her, and froze in horror. Where Starbright’s kindly brown eyes should have been were depthless dark voids. Black mist swirled in their emptiness, dissipating on contact with the air, and a nightmarish red glow emanated from the middle of his eye sockets where his pupils should have been.
 
Twilight wanted to scream, wanted to run, to struggle out of his grasp and escape, but she couldn’t. Even her magic seemed to be beyond her. Fear had sunk its cold talons into her, and she could do nothing but watch. The thing masquerading as Starbright spoke in a voice dry as paper. It seemed as if multiple voices were talking at once, echoing its words in quiet whispers.
“Twilight Sparkle, you are mine,” the thing said. It spoke flatly. There was no triumph in its voice, no joy in it’s words; it was simply stating the objective truth. Twilight couldn’t blink, couldn’t tear her eyes away from it. It spoke again, and a cold chill ran down her spine.
“As you have given your body to me, so give me your mind. Your soul.”
 
Twilight felt a sudden and unbearable sense of defeat. It was as if something was being wrenched from her body, torn from her very core. Darkness clouded the edges of her vision, and with a final sigh, the purple alicorn collapsed heavily onto the bed, unconscious.
 
Starbright smiled. The lights in his eye sockets briefly glowed bright purple before fading back into angry red. As Twilight slumped against him, he shut his eyes and shuddered violently. When he opened them again they had reverted back to his normal brown irises. Starbright hopped off the bed, tucked the cover over the inert princess, and headed for the door. He gave a final look into the room, his form briefly silhouetted against the candlelight in the hall. Star grinned happily, and then blew out the candle. His hoofsteps sounded down the hallway until he reached his own bedroom. Silence fell.
 

***


 

On the ground floor of the library was a display case. Inside, resting on silk, were five necklaces, each embedded with a different shaped jewel. In pride of place above the necklaces sat an ornately decorated crown, adorned with a huge pink crystal carved into the shape of a star. The same star, in fact, that rested on Twilight Sparkle’s flanks. As Starbright’s door shut quietly upstairs, the jewel began to darken around the edges. The corruption seeped through the gem, draining all colour from it. As the final dregs of hue blackened, the gem cracked through the middle with a loud snap, splitting in half. The element of magic had fallen.
 

***


 

And so the stage was set, and my plan was underway. It goes without saying that recruiting just one of the bearers of the elements of harmony would not be enough. If any of them remained uncorrupted, they could bring everything crashing down around me.
 
With Twilight’s fall, there were five remaining bearers. I would have to work quickly in order to avoid arousing Celestia’s suspicion. There was still much left to do, but I ended that night in high spirits. I had proved that my plan would work, provided I could execute it in time. Either way, I could tell that this was going to be fun.
 
 


> Lies
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 2


Lies

 
Night had fallen by the time Spike returned to the library. Pinkie was inconsolable, though if the pony’s usual disposition was anything to go by she’d be back to her cheery self before too long.  Spike had stayed with her until she’d fallen asleep, snoring loudly into her pillow. She’d blamed herself for Twilight’s outburst, and Spike had spent the majority of his time there convincing her otherwise. Hopefully he’d managed to get her to believe it.
 
As the tree came into view, Spike saw that the library windows were dark. Odd, he mused. He had been expecting the familiar candle glow, but it seemed that Twilight was having an early night. Perhaps that was to be expected; she must have been exhausted after the day’s events.
 
Twilight hadn’t gone to bed. When Spike pushed open the door and saw her sitting in the middle of the room, in the dark, head hung low, he realised something was terribly wrong.
 
“T-twilight?”
 
The alicorn slowly raised her head and stared at him blankly. Her eyes seemed to look through him, barely registering his presence.
 
“Oh. Spike. Hello.” Her voice was dull and emotionless.
 
“Are… are you alright?” Spike had no idea why he even bothered asking. She clearly wasn’t.
 
“I’m… I’m fine.”
 
Spike’s unease grew as she continued to stare at him. Through him. She hadn’t blinked once.
 
“Uh… maybe you should go to bed, Twilight… It’s pretty late, and you might feel better in the morning…”
 
“Late… Is it? I hadn’t noticed…” Twilight stood and climbed slowly up the stairs to her room, not even glancing in his direction. Spike was so busy watching her go he didn’t hear the footsteps behind him until Starbright grabbed him, covering his mouth with a hoof. Spike screamed into his captor’s leg, struggling fruitlessly against his grasp.
 
“Shut up, dragon! I’m not going to hurt you,” Starbright hissed at him. “When I let you go, I need you to be quiet. We can’t have her waking up again. Can you manage that?”
 
Spike nodded.
 
“Good. You’re not that stupid after all.” Star dropped him abruptly, sending Spike sprawling across the floor. The pony pulled up a chair and motioned for him to sit.
 
“What’s going on? Why was Twilight acting like that?” Spike was scared, and while right now Star was the pony he trusted the least, it seemed that he was the only one understood Twilight’s condition.
 
“Do you remember what I was studying, Spike? Tartarus: the lowest pit of hell. Do you have any idea why I would be studying Tartarus?” Star grunted condescendingly. “Of course you don’t. The truth of the matter is… something got out.”
 
Fear began to wrap icy cold coils around Spike’s mind.
 
“The reason I’m here in Ponyville in the first place is because this is where we tracked it to,” Star told him.
 
“So… Twilight’s… what? Possessed?”
 
Star sighed. “I don’t know. It’s clearly influencing her, but there’s none of the usual signs of possession. It would also explain her earlier outburst.”
 
“Oh man, this is bad. This is really bad.”
 
“Yes it is. And that’s just the start of it.” Star nodded towards the display case in the corner. When Spike saw the blackened and cracked jewel in Twilight’s crown, he began to realise just how big a problem this was going to be.
 

***


 

Spike paced back and forth whilst Star pondered over a large book.
 
“So what are we going to do?” the dragon asked, for the hundredth time.
 
“For the last time, Spike, I don’t know. But I know what we’re not going to do. We’re not going to tell anyone about this, not until we know what we’re up against.”
 
“But…”
 
“All that would do is cause useless panic. We can fix this ourselves.”
 
“What about the Princess? Surely she could-“
 
“Spike, do you have any idea what would happen if the Princess were to be corrupted by this thing? Why do you think she sent me in the first place? If she heard Twilight was in trouble she’d come running, and how do we know this isn’t a trap?”
 
Spike gulped, images of a demonic Celestia running through his mind.
 
“If Celestia were to fall, Equestria would burn,” said Star. “But for now, it seems it’s after the elements. There’s only one thing for it. Spike, you’re going to have to take me to meet the rest of the bearers.”
 
Spike shook his head vehemently. “I’m not leaving Twilight. She needs me.”
 
“If this thing gets to the rest of the elements it won’t matter. Nothing will matter. Once I’ve met with the other bearers, then you can come back here and keep watch over Twilight. That would help, in fact. I won’t be able to spend much time here, and you can come warn me if anything changes.”
 
Spike saw no other choice but to agree.
 
“Okay,” said Star. “Tomorrow you’ll introduce me to the other bearers. Hopefully we won’t be too late. Tonight, we’ll watch over Twilight.”
 
Spike looked troubled. “One last thing. What actually escaped? From Tartarus, I mean.”
 
Star’s expression darkened. “If you knew that, little dragon, you wouldn’t be asking.”
 

***

 
It was mostly my fault that I had to go to such extremes. I’d taken too much from Twilight, and nearly scuppered my plans in the meantime. It was only afterwards that I realised how lucky she was to still be alive; if she hadn’t been an alicorn, things would have ended very differently.
 
Pride comes before a fall, and that had almost proven the case here. Flushed with success, I had been… overenthusiastic, shall we say? I wouldn’t make the same mistake with the other bearers. It was fortunate Twilight was as reclusive as she was; her friends wouldn’t question her absence.
 
Spike, though… certainly a risk. I knew I had managed to convince him of my innocence, but not how much longer I could keep up the charade. At that point he was a valuable asset, a way for me to integrate with the rest of the bearers whilst avoiding suspicion.
 
If he caused trouble later, I’d just have to deal with him then.
 

***


 

The day dawned bright and warm. Spike would have found it difficult to believe what he had seen the previous night, were it not for Twilight’s empty expression haunting his thoughts.
 
“Remember,” said Star, stirring him from his reverie, “we have to at least act like nothing is wrong. If Twilight’s friends knew what state she was in, they might do something stupid.”
 
“Something stupid?”
 
“Bringing the Princess here? Trying to talk to Twilight? We don’t know what’s wrong with her, and I don’t want to risk the safety of the remaining bearers,” he chided. “Where are we going first?”
 
“You want to see all of them, right? If we go into town, we can see Pinkie and Rarity. Fluttershy lives on the outskirts, and Sweet Apple Acres is over that hill.” Spike pointed at a low mound. “Applejack’s probably in the orchards there. As for Rainbow Dash, she could be anywhere. We’ll probably run into her as we go.”
 
“Okay,” said Star. “Let’s go see Pinkie first, make sure she’s alright. From there we’ll go on to Rarity’s.”
 
“Gotcha.”
 

***


 

The smell inside Sugarcube Corner was mouth-watering. Mrs Cake bustled around the shop, arranging displays and icing various confectionaries. The motherly pony beamed at Spike as the pair entered. “Spike, honey, good to see you! Are you after the usual? I’ve just finished some cinnamon cookies, and I know Twilight likes those…”
 
Spike visibly jumped. “Um… h-hi Mrs Cake… No, Uh… we’re here to see Pinkie… Is she around?”
 
Starbright stifled a groan. Spike was terrible at this.
 
“And who’s this?” she asked, addressing Star. “Haven’t seen you round here before, new in town?”
 
“Ah, yes. I’m visiting for a few weeks, staying at the library. A pleasure to meet you,” Starbright replied. Spike marvelled at his calm demeanour.
 
“Ah, are you the one Pinkie was telling me about? Starshine, was it?”
 
“Starbright,” he corrected. “Pinkie told you about me?”
 
“Oh, she’s always excited to tell everyone about any new arrivals.”
 
A look flashed over Star’s face, quickly replaced by his usual, relaxed expression. Mrs Cake seemed oblivious, but Spike caught it out the corner of his eye. Concern? Irritation?
 
“Is she here now, do you know?” asked Starbright.
 
“No no, she went out early this morning. To see Applejack, I think she said,” replied the baker.
 
“Ah, well we’ll be off then. Thanks anyway.”
 
Mrs Cake smiled in acknowledgement and returned to the displays.
 
“Tell Twilight I said hi!” she called as they left the shop. Spike couldn’t help but wince.
 

***


 

“What the hell was that?” They were barely four steps out of the shop before Star began berating the dragon. “We’re supposed to be keeping this hidden. If you end up losing the plot every time somebody mentions her name, ponies are going to notice.”
 
“I’m sorry! It’s… Look, Twilight’s always been there for me. Ever since I hatched. And now… now she’s in serious trouble and I don’t know what I can do to stop it, and I can’t even tell anyone about it.”
 
Starbright sighed, and stopped walking.
 
“I appreciate that Spike, I really do, but if you want to help her you need to stop looking like you’ve murdered somepony whenever someone says ‘Twilight Sparkle’.”
 
Spike flinched reflexively, giving Star a guilty look. The pony simply shook his head and started down the road again. “Tell me about Rarity,” he said.
 
“What do you want to know?”
 
“For crying out loud, I’m not asking for an inquisition. What’s she like?”
 
“Um… Well, she’s the element of generosity, so she’s always helping others out, and thinking of everyone else…”
 
Spike launched into a wave of compliments about Rarity, and Starbright began to realise just how devoted to her the little dragon was. By the time the pair arrived at the Carousel Boutique, Star was pretty confident in what to expect.
 

***


 

Colours. The inside of Rarity’s store was filled with elegant dresses made with every colour of the rainbow, all tastefully arranged so none of them clashed with adjacent designs. Starbright was anything but an expert, but it was clear that Rarity put incredible care and attention into her work.
 
“Canterlot? Oh, I love Canterlot! The sights! The ponies! The culture! Isn’t it just wonderful, Starbright?” fawned the dressmaker. Since she’d learned about Star’s connection with Princess Celestia, he’d been unable to steer the conversation to anything else.
 
“Well, I spend pretty much my entire time in the castle, so I wouldn’t-“
 
Rarity gasped, cutting him off. “But the castle is the most incredible place there! Your life must be so glamorous!”
 
Starbright chuckled. “I’d hardly go that far. The castle library isn’t what I’d call glamorous, and I spend a lot of time away.”
 
“You’re a scholar, then?” she asked.
 
“Something like that.”
 
“And you’re staying with Twilight? She must be absolutely thrilled, having someone like you visiting.” Rarity’s smile faltered briefly and Star was thankful for her distraction. It meant she didn’t notice the small squeak from Spike at Twilight’s name, or the muffled thump as Star kicked him under the table. Recomposing herself, Rarity beamed at Starbright. “So, a mission from the Princess? Is that why you came to see me? I’m afraid unless that mission is to create her a new summer dress I can’t see how I’d be of much help. Although, if she does want a dress…” She squealed in sudden excitement. “Ooh, I know just the right shade of blue!”
 
Starbright laughed at her eagerness. “If only. All I’m here for is ask you to be careful. Tell me if there’s anything worrying you, or if anyone seems suspicious.”
 
“Someone suspicious? Is that likely?” Rarity asked.
 
Star’s silence didn’t reassure her.

“Why are you asking? Is… is Twilight alr-” Rarity never got to finish her question. The bell above the shop door tinkled, interrupting them as a couple of young ponies entered. “Ah, sorry, business calls.”
 
“Of course. Thank you for your hospitality. And as I said, if there’s anything unusual…”
 
“- and I’ll be sure to tell you,” she finished, waving him away impatiently. “And goodbye to you too, Spikey-wikey!” She leant and squeezed Spike’s cheeks in her hooves, leaving the little dragon looking positively ecstatic at her attention. Star couldn’t help but roll his eyes at the poor boy as they left.
 

***


 

“And ah’m tellin’ you, if ya miss you’ll end up a splatter on the side o’ the barn, and ah don’t much fancy wipin’ you off it.”
 
“Come on AJ, it’s just one measly loop the loop. I could do that in my SLEEP.”
 
“Normally ya ain’t tryin’ to do it through a barn door.”
 
“Pfffft, don’t sweat it. I’d find it difficult NOT to go through the doors.”
 
“Ah said no, and ah meant it.”
 
“Oh yeah? Try and stop me!”
 
The rainbow-maned pegasus launched into the air and soared off towards the barn. Or at least, she would have done if it weren’t for her tail being held fast between the other pony’s teeth.
 
“AH SAID NO!” yelled the farm pony around the tail in her mouth.
 
The pegasus thrashed in her grip for a while, before giving up, turning, and charging the earth pony into the dirt. They struggled on the ground, clouds of dust flying around them.
 
“These two are bearers?” asked Star, dubiously.
 
“Er… yeah…. They actually get along pretty well. Most of the time, anyway… I’m sure they’re just playing around.” Spike called out to the fighting ponies. “Hey, Applejack! Rainbow Dash!”
 
They froze, mid-scuffle, and looked for the source of the interruption. Spying the dragon and his companion, the ponies broke apart and clambered to their feet, Rainbow Dash flying slightly above the floor in an attempt to look taller than Applejack.
 
“Well howdy there Spike. Who’s yer friend?”
 
“This is Starbright. Starbright, Applejack.”
 
“A pleasure,” said Starbright, bowing his head courteously.
 
“Well shoot, we don’t really go in fer all that high-flying city stuff here, but it’s nice to meet ya.  This bad-tempered mule here is Rainbow Dash.”
 
“Who are you calling a mule?!” shouted the pegasus.
 
“You, ya dummy. Or was that a bit too much for yer poor brain?”
 
Rainbow Dash snorted and muttered something that sounded extremely offensive.
 
“So what’re ya here for Starbright? Cider ain’t ready ‘til next week m’afraid, if that’s what yer after.”
 
“No no, I’m actually here on behalf of Celestia,” Star explained.
 
“The princess? Ah guess that explains the Canterlot accent. In that case yer probably lookin’ for Twilight.”
 
Star threw a quick glance at Spike, but for once the dragon was keeping himself reasonably under control.
 
“I’ve actually been staying with her the past few days already,” he told them.
 
Applejack exchanged a meaningful look with Rainbow Dash.
 
“Hold on a minute; that was you?” asked the pegasus.
 
“Sorry, what?”
 
Both ponies were glaring at Star. Before either of them could answer him, a pink blur erupted from the nearby bushes and barrelled into Starbright, knocking him off his feet and sending him careering towards the ground.
 
“WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!” yelled Pinkie Pie, as the pair of them fell into the grass. “That was fun!”
 
“Darn it, Pinkie! Ya about scared the life outta me.” Judging by the big grin on her face, Applejack’s anger was mostly feigned. Pinkie’s indomitable cheeriness was as infectious as ever.
 
“Hey guys, this is the pony I was telling you about!” said Pinkie. “Starbright!”
 
“Good to see you again too, Pinkie, but would you kindly sit somewhere else?” wheezed Star, his ribs crushed underneath her. With the amount of sugar Pinkie Pie consumed on a daily basis, it was no surprise she was pretty damn heavy.
 
“Oh, whoopsie!” She hopped off his chest and pulled him upright.
 
“So this is the guy, huh?” asked Rainbow Dash, sizing him up. “Alright Star, what’d you do to Twilight?”
 
If Starbright was startled by her apparent insight, he didn’t show it.
 
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he said coolly.
 
Applejack snorted. “Pinkie was just tellin’ us that she went to visit Twilight, and ended up gettin’ yelled at, kicked out, and told never to come back. Now ah’ve known that unicorn fer a damn long time, and that ain’t somethin’ she’s likely to do. Then Pinkie told us a pony we’ve never heard of is stayin’ there, and it don’t take a genius to put two an’ two together. So we’re asking: what in the hay did you do?”
 
“I can assure you, I-”
 
“It wasn’t Starbright’s fault!” interrupted Pinkie. “Honestly, sometimes you guys are so SILLY! You know Twilight’s been a bit weird lately, right?”
 
“Ah still don’t think it’s somethin’ Twilight would-”
 
There was a small cough. Everyone turned to see Spike waiting for their attention.
 
“It’s Twilight you’re angry with, not Starbright,” he said quietly. “And right now that’s not going to help anypony.”
 
Starbright sighed at their confused expressions. “I think we need to talk.”
 

***

 
The barn was musty and filled with the strong smell of hay. Sunlight streamed in from an open window, warming the backs of the three ponies within.
 
“So, hold up. Princess Celestia sent you?” asked Dash. Starbright frowned in exasperation. This would take half as long if she didn’t stop to interrogate him after every titbit of information.
 
“She did indeed. I need to be in Ponyville, and the library allows me to continue my research while I’m here.”
 
“And just what exactly are y’all researching?” This time, Applejack jumped in to ask questions.
 
“Tartarus, if you must know.”
 
“And you needed to be in Ponyville to do that?”
 
“No, but I do need to be in Ponyville. Look, I’m skirting dangerously close to what I can and can’t tell you, here.”
 
“Sounds like all the books on Tartarus would be at the library in Canterlot. So how come y’all needed to be here?”
 
Starbright told them. For a while, there was silence in the barn, until eventually Applejack spoke again.
 
“Ah can see why ya asked Pinkie to wait outside.”
 

***


 

I didn’t want to have to tell them, I really didn’t. Spike’s foolish openness gave me no other choice. I was sure to impress upon them the importance of keeping quiet, but it was still two more ponies knowing too much. I should mention, of course, that obviously I only told them half-truths. Lies mixed in with facts are much easier to swallow.
 
So what did I say? The same as I told Spike. Some unnamed evil had escaped from Tartarus and was running rampant in Ponyville. I was acting as a vanguard, an impromptu exorcist under Celestia’s orders.
 
I neglected to mention Twilight’s current condition. That would have been a step too far. Instead I merely suggested that the alicorn was busy assisting me in my studies, and if she had been a little terse with Pinkie it was most likely due to the stress associated with saving the entirety of Equestria. That sort of thing tends to take a toll.
 
Both of them believed me unquestioningly. They verified with Spike, who was all too happy to mention the letter he had received from Celestia. Honestly, even I felt it was a bit too easy, but that’s the beauty in planning ahead. Everything was already set out, already in place. All I had to do was act at the appropriate times and everything would fall into my lap.
 
Maybe I was being cocky, but if anyone deserved to be, it was me.
 

***


 

Fluttershy’s cottage sat upon the crest of a small hill, its windows looking down on the pony and the dragon as they trudged up the path.
 
“I already said I’m sorry, what else do you want me to do?” whined Spike.
 
“It’s fine; they agreed to keep quiet. And remember, they still don’t know what’s happened to Twilight, let’s keep it that way.”
 
Spike nodded glumly as they reached the top of the hillock, and Star rapped his hoof against the door.
 
“Um… Uh… Just a minute!” called a quiet voice from inside.
 
Starbright scratched a hoof irritably against the step. Eventually the door opened, revealing a pale-yellow pegasus with a long, pink mane. On each flank rested a trio of butterflies, one of the vaguest cutie marks Starbright had ever seen.
 
“H-hello?” the pony stammered. Her head was bowed timidly as she cautiously regarded her visitor.
 
“Hey Fluttershy! Can we come in?” Spike chimed in from beside Starbright, and Fluttershy jumped.
 
“Oh, Spike, it’s you. Sorry, I didn’t see you there. Um… s-sure, come on in.” She opened the door wide.
 
The cottage was small and homely. In the centre sat a peculiarly angry looking rabbit, chewing idly on a carrot and eyeing the visitors warily.
 
“Don’t worry about Angel, he’s always like that,” explained Fluttershy, sensing Star’s discomfort.
 
The rabbit frowned and bit a particularly large chunk from the carrot, crushing it loudly between his teeth. Fluttershy hopped up onto an armchair and smiled warmly at her guests.
 
“So, you must be the pony staying with Twilight?” she asked.
 
Starbright groaned. “Pinkie told you too, huh?”
 
“Oh, um… no… No, I saw you the other night through the library windows.” Her eyes shot open in sudden panic. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to intrude or anything, but I just happened to glance that way…”
 
“No harm done. Yes, I’m staying with Twilight for a little while. I’m Starbright, but Star’s fine.”
 
As the two ponies chatted, Spike reflected on how much Fluttershy had changed in the time he’d known her. When he and Twilight had first arrived in Ponyville, she’d barely been able to whisper audibly with ponies she didn’t know. Her nervousness was still apparent, but here she was, holding a conversation with someone she’d never met before. It lifted his heart to see how much she’d improved, and with recent events that little bit of happiness was well and truly needed. Speaking of which…
 
“…so all I’m asking, is that if you see anything out of the ordinary, or anything that seems worrying, no matter how small, to come and tell me.”
 
“Um… I… I wouldn’t want to be wrong and waste your time or anything… Are you sure?”
 
“Being wrong about this would be much better than being right, believe me. Just come find me if anything happens, okay?”
 
“O-okay.”
 
Starbright smiled amiably. “You probably won’t see anything anyway, it’s just a precaution. Now, I have to get back. I’ve already taken up far too much of your time and I have a report to write for Celestia.”
 
“Oh no, no trouble at all,” said Fluttershy. “Thanks for coming by.”
 
“Any time,” Star replied, as him and the dragon left.
 
“Bye Spike!” called Fluttershy. Spike gave a cursory wave and the door shut quietly behind them.
 

***


 

“No, I can’t,” Spike told himself, staring at the letter in front of him. Starbright had written it as soon as they had returned, declining Spike’s offer of something to eat. Instead, he had spent some time scribbling this letter, asked Spike to send it the Princess and disappeared to his bedroom.
 
Twilight was fast asleep, which seemed to be all she was really capable of at the moment. She’d eaten a little, but other than that she was pretty much comatose. And now there was this letter. Spike had no business reading it, of course, but he still wasn’t entirely sure what Star was up to. There was more to it than Starbright had told him, he was sure of that, but was it worth breaching the Princess’ confidence?
 
Would they even find out if he did read it? Probably not. As long as there wasn’t some great secret within that Spike could let slip, there was no way they could ever know he’d opened it. Regret, though? It was entirely possible Spike would be unable to remain quiet about breaking their trust, and would tell them himself. What would they do to him then? And if they did find out somehow… Spike dreaded to think of the consequences.
 
He couldn’t do it, he concluded; the risks were too great. Five seconds later he was unfurling the letter and scanning the text within.
 
 
Celestia,
 
We were right, it’s here.
 
The bearers are safe.
 
I will send word when I know more.
 
S.
 
 
Spike couldn’t help but feel somewhat disappointed. He knew Star intended to keep Twilight’s situation hidden from the princess, but he had been hoping for… well, something more. All he gleaned from the letter was that Starbright was not averse to lying to Celestia, even though it was for her own benefit. Lies mixed in with truths.
 
There was also the informal way he addressed the Princess. Spike couldn’t think of anyone with the gall to call the sun princess by nothing but Celestia; not directly to her, at least. Starbright was either higher up in terms of social standing than he let on, or he just didn’t care. If it was the latter, he’d still have to be of considerable importance to get away with it.
 
Other than “it”, there was no reference to just what had escaped from Tartarus, and the letter gave no clue as to the thing’s identity. Dejected, Spike rerolled the letter, affixed a seal, and blasted it with flames. Sparkling green smoke flew up from his claw, winding its way out of the open window and towards Canterlot castle. Spike watched it go until it was out of sight, disappearing among the stars in the night sky.
 

***


 

WHAM.
 
The tree shook violently, raining down leaves as Applejack’s hooves smashed solidly into the bark. Apples dropped from their stems, landing in carefully positioned half-barrels. There were several already full to the brim.
 
WHAM.
 
As the leaves and apples fell around her, she wiped a drop of sweat from her forehead. It was always one of her favourite jobs. Nothing but birdsong and the soothing beat of her hooves against the wood.
 
WHAM.
 
 
And yet, her brow was creased, her mouth a hard line. Her thoughts were of Twilight, and the strange earth pony that had dropped in with so little fanfare to warn of demons and evil things. The fact that he was an earth pony was odd in itself. What exactly could he achieve assuming the monster did appear? Wouldn’t a unicorn have been more appropriate?
 
WHAM.
 
Applejack wasn’t the bearer of the Element of Honesty for nothing. She knew Star had been less than entirely truthful about his time in Ponyville, but she had no idea why, or what he stood to gain from his secrecy.
 
WHAM.
 
“I think you’ve got all of them.”
 
Star’s voice took her by surprise. He could really move quietly when he wanted to. She spared a glance behind her. Sure enough, the tree was completely bare of fruit, and had been so for quite a while.
 
“Ah don’t see you jumpin’ up with an offer to help. Not that ah expect a city slicker like y’all to be much use anyhow,” she said, not missing a beat.
 
Starbright cocked an eyebrow, and kicked a rear hoof into the tree behind him. Nothing happened.
 
“And what were ya tryin’ to prove there?”
 
Starbright held up a hoof, effortlessly caught the single apple that fell, and took a large bite out of it. He grinned at her shocked expression.
 
“Okay, ah ain’t gonna lie,” she said, “that’s mighty impressive. But shouldn’t ya be busy findin’ demons and the like?”
 
Starbright sighed. “I most certainly should, and if I knew where to even begin, believe me I would be.”
 
This was a drastic change from his previous, confident attitude, and it was rather disconcerting to Applejack. What in Equestria was he doing here if he had no idea what he was doing? She said as much, and he laughed.
 
“Even if I was the most well-read demonology scholar in Equestria (and many would say I am), it’s impossible to track them down once they’ve gone to ground. The only way to know where they are is when they manifest in some way. That’s what we’re looking out for. Until that happens, there’s not much we can do.”
 
“And what’s Twilight up to while yer busy runnin’ around Ponyville, meetin’ and greetin’?”
 
“Everything she can. Research, mostly.”
 
“Hmph.” Applejack moved to the next tree.
 
WHAM.
 
“While y’all are there, ya might as well give me a hoof.”
 
“Of course.” Star began dragging barrels underneath an adjacent tree.
 
WHAM.
 
“Are ya doin’ this with all the bearers?”
 
“Hm?”
 
WHAM.
 
“Y’know, shootin’ the breeze. Ah still don’t rightly know why yer here, after all.”
 
“Not exactly. We know it’s likely to target the bearers, so it makes sense to be nearby, just in case. Unfortunately, there’s only one of me, and it’s not like I can be in six places at once.”
 
“So it’s just my turn, huh?”
 
“Lucky you, eh?”
 
WHAM.
 
“How come there ain’t six ponies here, then?” she asked. “Would make sense to me.”
 
“This entire operation is being kept as secret as possible. The best case scenario is that nopony even realises there was ever anything wrong. A full complement of guards and scholars descending on Ponyville would rather disturb that image, no?”
 
Applejack grunted. As unhappy with that answer as she was, it did make sense.
 
“Similarly, if it’s just me it’s likely the demon won’t know I’m here. That means we can catch it by surprise. Again, a team following every bearer would completely destroy that illusion. If it knows we’re here, it won’t reveal itself, and we’ll never catch it.”
 
“Make’s y’all wonder how in the hay the Princesses caught them in the first place,” Applejack mused.
 
“You seem to be implying they caught them all,” he said.
 
“They didn’t?”
 
“Only the big ones. The dangerous ones. The ones so powerful they didn’t think they could possibly fall from their thrones. Of course, that means any escapees are exactly that; big and dangerous.”
 
WHAM.
 
“And this time,” he continued, “it’s being careful.”
 
Lies wrapped in truths.
 

***

 
The corridor leading to Celestia’s room was wide and spacious, adorned with tapestries depicting the years of peace that Equestria had been basking in. Luna hated them. In her opinion, the times of strife were far more important to remember.
 
“Remember the troubles you have overcome, so they may never repeat themselves.”
 
Celestia told her that shortly after Luna’s return from her thousand year banishment, and yet she was content to line her walls with self-congratulatory embroideries. And then every time she requested Luna’s company, the Princess of the night was forced to walk down the same damn hallway, covered in images of laughing and playing ponies. Ponies laughing and playing in the sunshine. Not a single one of the tapestries depicted a moon.
 
The two guards at the end of the hall bowed their heads respectfully as she passed them. There was that much, at least. Fear had been all but abolished as a means of maintaining order in the time she had been absent, and sometimes she missed that wide-eyed stare from her subordinates. The rush of power it brought was unrivalled. Whether Celestia had gone soft in those thousand years, or if that was simply the change in culture that peace brought, she couldn’t tell. Either way, she didn’t like it. A soldier more scared of their own commander than the enemy fights twice as hard. When failure is not an option, the only outcome is success.
 
Luna’s magic illuminated the door and flung it wide, causing it to strike the wall with a resounding crash. Dramatic things like that were some of the few pleasures she could take, and it was worth it purely for her sister’s reaction to the sudden sound.
 
“Luna, I’ve told you to stop doing that,” the Sun Princess scolded.
 
“I’ll stop doing it when you stop jumping.”
 
Celestia sighed. Why was her sister so difficult to deal with? In public she was fine, the epitome of a princess. In private she was a completely different pony entirely.
 
“So,” said Luna, “how goes the Ponyville situation?”
 
“It could be better. He sent a letter last night; you should have a look at it.”
 
Celestia motioned to the parchment on her table, and Luna scanned it quickly. When she’d finished, she let out an irate snort.
 
“I should be there,” said Luna. “How can he tame a demon on his own?”
 
“Patience, sister. Our presence would not go unnoticed, and that’s our greatest weapon. Let the beast believe he is completely hidden, and he will make a mistake. That is when we show him his folly.”
 
“I hope you’re right, Tia.”
 
Celestia’s nose wrinkled at the pet name. “So do I Luna. So do I.”
 

***


 

“Ah’ll be honest, ah didn’t think you had it in ya.”
 
Between the two of them they’d covered far more than a usual harvest day, and Applejack was struggling to hide how impressed she was. Starbright had easily kept pace with her throughout the day, only faltering towards the end.
 
“I can’t feel my legs.”
 
“That’s how ya know it’s a job well done! Hey, if ya ain’t doing anything tonight, yer welcome to come round for a bite to eat. Least ah can do after yer help.”
 
“While I appreciate the offer, I don’t think I’ll be standing up for a while.”
 
“Come on now, up ya get. You wouldn’t want me to carry you back now, would ya? Can’t imagine that’d look good for yer reputation, huh?”
 
With a pained groan, Starbright lurched shakily to his feet, leaning against a tree. The way back to the farm looked incredibly far indeed.
 
“Atta boy.” Applejack clapped him on the back, and he nearly fell over again. “Now, ah have to insist ya stay for dinner. Ain’t nothin’ like Granny’s cooking after a hard day of apple-buckin’.”
 
“That’s a double negative,” grumbled Star.
 
“Beggin’ yer pardon?”
 
“Nothing.”
 

***


 

The pair walked back through the evening streets, an awkward silence stretching out between them. Applejack stayed a couple of steps behind him, her head bowed in embarrassment.
 
“Uh… Star? Ah just wanted to apologise again.”
 
Starbright took a deep breath. “It’s fine.”
 
The meal had been… well, it had been a disaster. When they’d first arrived at the farmhouse, Starbright had collapsed into the nearest chair with exhaustion, where he’d been introduced to the remainder of the Apple family. First he’d met Granny Smith; a wizened old pony that had seemingly infinite anecdotes about “back in the day” (which, to hear her tell it, was the best time that had ever existed). Applejack’s brother, Big Macintosh, had sauntered in from the fields shortly after. A giant of a stallion, he’d seemed friendly enough, even if he mostly talked in single-word responses. Privately, Starbright thought he must be a little slow. Finally Applejack’s younger sister, Applebloom, had blasted in through the door, wearing a red cape that streamed behind her and yelling about the day’s adventures, most of which seemed to consist of trying outlandish activities to find her cutie mark. From the family’s complete and utter disinterest, this was obviously a daily occurrence.
 
It had started off well enough, Granny Smith serving them all a thick vegetable stew. To the famished Starbright, it had seemed like the best thing he’d ever eaten. And then Applebloom had gotten a little excited at her recounting of the day’s exploits. Frantic hoof waving had sent her half-eaten bowl flying. Star had been sitting directly opposite, and ended up drenched in the stodgy, dark-brown liquid. Applejack cringed remembering the awful quiet that followed. And of course the one to break it was Granny Smith. “Uh… Young’un? I think yer spilled some on yerself there…”
 
So here they were, trudging back in the dark, Applejack accompanying him by way of apology. Sure, they’d run him a bath to wash himself, but that didn’t change the fact that they’d coated an emissary of Princess Celestia in stew. The clack of their feet against the cobbles was the only sound in the night. Finally they arrived at the library.
 
“You didn’t have to come with me,” said Starbright.
 
“Least ah could do after... well…”
 
“Yeah. Let’s keep that between just us, huh?”
 
Applejack chuckled. “Ah reckon ah can manage that. No worries, sugarcube.” Her face took on a concerned look. “Ain’t no chance ah could have a word with Twilight, is there?”
 
“Sorry Applejack, I really don’t think that’s the best idea at the moment.”
 
“Alright, ah understand. But tell her ah want to talk to her, will ya?”
 
“Of course. Goodnight, Applejack.”
 
“Same to you, Star.”
 
Starbright waited until she was out of sight before entering the dark library.
 

***


 

Applejack was an enigma to me at that point. Nothing she had done had given any indication of a weakness I could exploit. After an entire day with her, “shootin’ the breeze” as she dubbed it, I was still no closer to finding a useful flaw. After my success with Twilight, this seemed like a kick in the teeth. To fall at the second hurdle was little better than falling at the first.
 
Still, I had good reason for choosing Applejack. The embodiment of Honesty knowing what I had told her (even if it wasn’t all true) was too dangerous. Her difficulty with dishonesty could end up being disastrous if left alone, and her perception for the lies of others was equally hazardous. Rainbow Dash was considerably less risky, and I had other reasons for waiting, as far as she was concerned.
 
So Applejack it was. Everybody has a weakness, something they’re scared of, something that keeps them up at night. Applejack would have one too, and my job was simply to find it, no matter how well she hid it, or how much she held onto it. Everybody has a weakness.
 

***


 

Cold air ran through the dark library, gliding over Star’s back and making him shiver. The only light came from the pale moon, poking its head through the windows. In their display cabinet the elements gleamed, the reflection off the coloured gems sending flittering patterns against the walls. Twilight’s gem did not glitter. It sat there, blackened and dead, contrasting with the brilliant shine of the polished crown it was embedded into. Starbright considered for a while, and then unhooked the catch of the cabinet. As he lifted the glass covering, a voice spoke up behind him, causing him to drop the lid in surprise.
 
“What are you doing?”
 
Star turned to see Spike at the foot of the stairs.
 
“Ah, Spike. I was about to examine the tainted element. Care to join me?”
 
Spike shrugged. Star lifted the case again and pulled out the crown, before taking a seat at the table in the middle of the room. The dragon sat across from him, watching Starbright poke at the jewellery, something clearly on his mind.
 
“Will she ever get better?” Spike asked.
 
“Hm?”
 
“Twilight. Will she ever get better?”
 
Starbright stopped his tinkering, and looked at the dragon. He seemed… small. His eyes were watery and dim; his shoulders were slumped in defeat. In a lot of ways, he was broken. Without answering, the pony returned to his scrutiny of the crown.
 
“I… I don’t know if I can do this much longer,” said Spike. Starbright gave no indication that he had heard.
 
“I’ve been Twilight’s assistant for… well for years now, and all that time, I thought I was taking care of her. Y’know, looking after her. But I wasn’t, not really. She was looking after me. And now she really does need me to look after her, and I don’t know if I can. I don’t know if I can keep going up to that room, seeing her with that… that nothingness behind her eyes. So, I need to know. If we beat this thing, will she come back?”
 
Star set the crown down on the table and took a deep breath.
 
“I don’t know,” he told Spike. At the dragon’s panicked expression, he took a hoof and rested it on Spike’s shoulder. “But I can tell you that if we succeed and Twilight does not return to us, then I will dedicate myself to bringing her back. I promise you that.”
 
Spike smiled gratefully. He sat up a little straighter. “Thanks, Starbright.” And then with a huge yawn, the dragon announced he was retiring to bed. Star nodded and returned his attention to the crown. The second Spike shut the door behind him Starbright stood, gathered the rest of the elements and returned to his room. He shoved them underneath the bed, next to the bottles.
 

***

Starbright was so concerned with working out an excuse to meet with Applejack again that when she turned up at the door the following morning, out of breath, he was caught rather off guard.
 
“What are-” he began, before she interrupted him.
 
“Timber Wolves,” she said, as if that explained everything. Star looked at her as if she was mad. “By the farm. We gotta head out there, sort ‘em out before they try anything.”
 
“Why are you telling me this?”
 
“Well, yesterday ya proved ya can keep up, and the best way o’ dealing with them is in pairs in case somethin’ goes wrong. Mac and Dash are already out there, but they ain’t gonna cover all that ground without another team.”
 
Starbright pretended to give it some thought.
 
“Okay,” he said. “Let’s go.”
 

***


 

For those of you who’ve never had the “pleasure” of visiting the Everfree forest, a short description is in order. Firstly, it’s dark. Dark dark. We were there in the middle of the day, but under the thick tree boughs, it was like night. Shadows creep and flitter between the trees, accompanied by strange, unearthly noises that chill you to the bone.
 
The second thing you notice is that it’s cold. With the lack of sunlight and the warmth it brings, that’s unsurprising. Bear in mind, though, we were only around the outskirts, maybe half a mile in. It seemed like that was almost irrelevant. At the edges the forest stops short, replaced by fertile farmland, but take three steps between the trees and it feels like you’re miles from civilisation. That wasn’t particularly reassuring given our quarry.
 
Timber Wolves: large quadrupeds with the appearance of regular wolves, except for the considerable difference in that they’re made from branches and logs. They’re constructs, formed by the residual magic energy present in any forest that’s old and bitter enough. Mean as a troll and twice as persistent, they won’t stop chasing you until either you’re dead or they’re broken. Certainly not the sort of thing you want running around by a farm, but I was hardly relishing hunting them down.
 

***


 

Star swore loudly as he disentangled himself from yet another bramble patch. Either Applejack was somehow resistant to their clawing thorns, or her skin was made of titanium. Given her performance in the fields yesterday, Starbright was inclined to believe the latter.
 
“Ah’ll bet yer glad you left yer saddlebag in the barn now, huh?” she joked.
 
“How many wolves are we dealing with here?” he asked, ignoring her jibe and pulling yet another branch out of his mane.
 
“Around four or five, by my count,” replied Applejack, picking her way through the undergrowth.
 
Starbright paled. “Five? With just the two of us?”
 
“You ain’t afraid of a bunch o’ twigs are ya?”
 
“That’s a pretty extreme understatement.”
 
Applejack laughed. The blackened trees pressed ever closer, their gnarled branches clutching at the ponies as they moved deeper into the forest. Neither of them talked much. Speaking felt awkward, as if they were pulling the attention of the entire wood towards them.
 
“Hey, did ya hear that?” whispered Applejack.
 
“What?”
 
“Shh, there it is again. Listen”
 
This time Starbright heard it. A high-pitched howl, some distance in front of them. It was hard to say how far, the noise masked by the tree trunks.
 
“Come on, we’re close now,” she said, before trotting forwards, not turning round to see if Starbright was keeping up.
 
He nearly lost her multiple times between the trees. Finally he stumbled out of a particularly thick bramble bush into a small clearing. Applejack was standing stock-still in the centre, staring at the rocks surrounding the far edge.
 
“Dammit Applejack, couldn’t you have slowed down? I nearly lost you there.”
 
“Starbright, shut up.”
 
“I beg your pardon?”
 
“Shut the hell up!” she hissed.
 
A loud growl punctuated the air. For the first time, Starbright looked at the boulders capturing Applejack’s attention. Standing atop them, hackles raised, were five timber wolves. They were huge, easily twice the size of any pony. Twisted branches met in crude limbs, joined to a body made from thick logs and sticks. Their jaws were filled with row upon row of enormous thorns, razor sharp and strong as stone. Claws covered with equally large points gouged large scratches into the rocks as they restlessly drew their paws against them, and malicious green eyes glowed at Starbright and Applejack from the depths of their skulls.
 
“Applejack…?” Starbright’s voice caught in his throat.
 
“Ah think we might be in a spot o’ trouble here Star.”
 
“What’s the plan?”
 
“Run.”
 
They turned as two of the wolves leapt clear over their heads, landing between them and the relative safety of the trees. Pinned from both sides, their only option was to fight. Without hesitation, Starbright charged the two wolves blocking their escape, smashing into them and rolling between the trees in a tornado of flailing limbs and gnashing jaws, disappearing into the bushes. Applejack pivoted to face the three remaining wolves as one of the more ambitious beasts lunged at her. She ducked underneath its wild jump and delivered a strong kick to its underbelly. The wolf howled in pain, sent rolling to the floor. The two still standing snapped at her, and she jumped back to avoid their teeth. With a snarl, the largest of the pair sprinted at her, claws scything through the air. Applejack dodged to the side, spun on her hooves and kicked with both hind legs simultaneously. The wolf splintered down the middle, shattering into a loose collection of twigs. The first wolf was back on its feet, and the pair of them circled Applejack warily, keen to avoid their comrade’s fate. Applejack tried to keep an eye on both of them, a task they made as difficult as possible, snapping at her heels whenever she lost sight of one. With no warning, the pair dove at her simultaneously. That was exactly what Applejack was waiting for. She dropped to the floor, covering her face with a foreleg as the two wolves crashed bodily into each other, tearing each other apart from the collision. As twigs and snapped logs rained down around her, Applejack couldn’t help but grin. Tough bastards they may be, but they sure were stupid.
 
The pony stood and dusted herself off. She warily eyed the patch of thorns where Star had disappeared.
 
“Starbright?” she called. There was no reply. “Hey, Starbright, don’t be messin’ with me now.”
 
From the leaves burst a flurry of teeth and hate, bowling into her and knocking her onto her back. Tears welled in her eyes as the wind was knocked out of her. The wolf’s claws stabbed into her leg, and it regarded her with a cold, merciless stare.
 
“Y’all think ah’m scared o’ you?” coughed the mare. The wolf cocked its head. Its breath was foul, and it made it even harder for her to breathe. Together with being winded and the wolf crushing her, she wouldn’t be surprised if the thing suffocated her.
 
“Ah ain’t afraid of dying, gimme yer best shot.”
 
With that, Applejack spat in the creature’s face. Its eyes flared in anger. The beast’s jaws opened wide. There was nothing but those teeth, lunging towards her. She closed her eyes.
 
CRUNCH.
 
Silence fell.
 

***


 

Twilight moaned quietly. She had barely stirred all day, except for the occasional whimper. It broke Spike’s heart every time. He pressed a wet cloth to her forehead, trying to cool her down. If it had been any other situation, her ailment would be easy to explain as the flu. Spike wished it was that simple.
 
Around midday, Twilight sat bolt upright in bed with a ragged gasp. Spike had been dozing in a chair, and he nearly fell off it in shock. She started whispering hoarsely, too quietly for Spike to hear.
 
“Twilight?” he asked, nervously.
 
Her head snapped round, fixing on him. Her eyes were glazed and unseeing. There was no recognition, and yet:
 
“Spiiiiiiiike.”
 
The word was drawn out, her voice harsh and strained.
 
“Don’t trust him,” she said.
 
“Who, Twilight? Starbright?”
 
“The one with holes for eyes.”
 
Twilight collapsed back onto the bed. She was fast asleep, and Spike wasn’t sure if she had ever been awake at all.
 

***


 

Starbright kicked the remains of the wolf off him. He didn’t know where the other one had gone. Struggling to his feet, he limped back into the clearing, and his blood ran cold. The wolf was standing above Applejack, pinning her to the floor.
 
“Ah ain’t afraid of dying, gimme yer best shot.”
 
He watched in horror as Applejack spat fearlessly into the wolf’s face.
NO.
Starbright broke into a sprint, charging across the dead grass. The wolf growled low in its throat and its jaw opened. Star wasn’t going to make it in time; he wasn’t going to reach them. The wolf lunged.
 
CRUNCH.
 
 
 
The wolf’s head exploded into splinters, its final expression one of confusion and disbelief. Applejack cracked an eye open, wondering why the inevitable hadn’t occurred, to find Star retracting the hind leg he’d used to smash the wolf’s skull to pieces. She let out a huge breath she hadn’t known she was holding in.
 
“Ah reckon y’all just saved my life there, sugarcube.”
 
Starbright grinned. “Yeah, I reckon I did.”
 

***


 

I feel like some things need clarifying; namely, why I saved Applejack. I’m sure you’re wondering why I didn’t just leave her at the mercy of the timber wolf. The bearer gone, the element destroyed, right? Unfortunately it’s not that simple. Firstly, losing a bearer does not destroy the element. It simply causes it to find a new carrier, and there’s no telling who that might be.
 
Of course, there are other difficulties Applejack’s demise would have caused. It would have made it exceedingly difficult to get close to the remaining bearers (if they knew I had been with her at the time, nigh on impossible). It would also have drawn suspicion from Celestia, something I certainly wished to avoid.
 
That’s not to say Applejack’s brush with death was a bad thing. In retrospect, it was the key to finding her weakness, and sealing her fate.
 

***


 

The warm water felt incredible against Applejack’s bruised and battered skin. In lieu of turning up at the farmhouse covered in scratches and scrapes, Starbright had suggested they clean up at the barn first. Applejack didn’t really have much say in the matter; she was leaning heavily against him, a deep gouge running down her foreleg where the timber wolf’s claw had dug in. A sudden sting from her wound made her hiss through her teeth, and Starbright tutted.
 
“Flinching won’t help.” He pressed the cloth back against her leg.
 
“Ah didn’t flinch!” she shouted indignantly.
 
He didn’t reply, gently cleaning her injury. An orange glow flickered on the side of the barn, a gas lantern, sending their shadows dancing across the walls.
 
“Did you mean what you said out there?” he asked.
 
“Beggin’ yer pardon?”
 
“About not being afraid to die.”
 
Applejack frowned.
 
“That’s a serious question there, sugarcube.”
 
“You didn’t answer it.”
 
“Ah guess ah didn’t.” Applejack sighed. “An’ what if I did mean it?”
 
“Nothing. I’ve just never met someone who did. I’ve heard it said before, but it’s normally just for show. Yours wasn’t.”
 
“How d’you know that?”
 
“Because by that point you had nothing left to prove.”
 
Applejack glanced at Star. He had stopped rubbing her leg and was watching her intently. She shook her head.
 
“When ah was younger, ah ran away from the farm. Yeah, it was stupid, but ah did it. At the time it was because ah felt that the country life was too quiet fer me, too sheltered. Manehattan, that’s where ah went. My Aunt and Uncle used to live out that way, and they were yer typical fancy-pants city-slickers. Ah came runnin’ home back to the farm after ah saw how ridiculous they were, acting like their farts stunk like roses. When ah got back, I realised: this was my home, and ah got my cutie mark. An apple, jus’ like all the Apple family before me. Ah never questioned it, not once. When we lost Ma and Pa, Granny Smith looked after us, and ah looked after Applebloom. Big Mac, he could take care of himself. Ah spent most o’ my time apple buckin’. That’s what ah was born to do, after all. I took over the farm, my responsibility after my parents died. Ah’ve gone out into those fields every day for the past few years, and it starts to get to ya, after a while. It’s not that ah’m not happy or anything, but… Applebloom’s grown up now, she doesn’t need me. For a long time, that was what kept me going; my purpose. To look after her, be a good sister to her. An’ now ah feel… like there ain’t much left for me. So maybe, maybe ah ain’t afraid of dying, cause ah don’t think the world is gonna miss me much. Ah’m just another cog in the machine; another Apple in a whole long line of ‘em.”
 
She paused.
 
“Ain’t no chance you could get a thirsty mare a drink, Star?”
 
“Double negative,” he joked quietly, before heading over to the hose. Applejack stepped out of the bath and dried herself, oblivious to Starbright pouring a bottle from his saddlebag into the jug of water. “Emptiness” read the label. Starbright couldn’t help but appreciate the beautiful inevitability of the answer. The weakness of a pony that has seemingly no worries? Nothing.
 
Applejack drained the flask greedily before sinking down into a pile of hay.
 
“Alright Star, ya got me spilling my guts, least you can do is share.”
 
“What, you want a life history?”
 
“Nah, nothing like that. Just, y’know: What makes you tick? Why’d ya do what ya do, what keeps ya going?”
 
Starbright lay down next to her in the hay.
 
“You’ll laugh,” he told her.
 
“Pinkie promise ah won’t.”
 
“What’s a pinkie promise?”
 
“An important one,” she told him.
 
“What keeps me going?” he mused. “I suppose the fact that everyone else is just as important in the grand scheme of things as I am. We’re all pretty insignificant, really, which means what we do is only important to our friends. I think that’s enough. We mean a lot to the ponies close to us, I don’t think we need more than that.”
 
Applejack turned towards the pony next to her. Starbright was staring at the ceiling, thinking. She recalled the timber wolf earlier, how unafraid she’d been. When she’d told it she wasn’t scared of dying, that had been entirely accurate. Now she was less sure. There was still that feeling of hollowness, the uselessness that had been building inside her for a while. If anything it felt more prevalent than before, but there was something new, something fighting that feeling. A warmth in her chest as Star’s words rang in her head.
 
“Perhaps we should be getting back,” he said.
 
“Ah’m sure we won’t be missed, not fer a while.”
 
Applejack stretched her limbs around him and pulled him in close, nuzzling against his neck, and Starbright reciprocated, running a hoof through her still damp mane. It smelt of apples and straw, lying long and untied over her shoulders. Her hooves moved down his back and she began pressing her hips insistently against his, slowly rubbing against him. They began to get caught up in the moment, one of Applejack’s hooves moving round to his front and stroking his hardening length. Starbright went to caress her nethers, but she knocked his hoof away.
 
“Hold on a minute there,” she reprimanded. “Ah have an idea.”
 
Disentangling from his embrace, she vanished into a dark corner of the barn.
 
“Applejack?” he called.
 
In response, a lasso came hurtling out of the darkness, wrapping with pinpoint accuracy around his forelegs and binding them together. Applejack strutted towards him, the rope held between her teeth. Looping it round a beam, she fastened it tight as Starbright looked on, understandably concerned. Ignoring his protests, she continued by tying each of his legs to separate posts, splaying them out.
 
“Come on now, sugarcube. Ain’t ya up for trying something a little… adventurous?”
 
“This is hardly…”
 
His voice trailed off as Applejack settled between his open legs. Her head lowered as she kissed her way up the length of his erection. Upon reaching the tip, she took him inside her warm mouth, tongue gently circling the head of his cock. Starbright gritted his teeth and she giggled at his reaction, the vibrations only adding to his pleasure. Applejack began to bob her head slowly, staring at him intensely with her apple-green eyes. Each time she lowered her head, she moved further down his length, until Star could feel himself pressing against her throat. Using what little freedom the ropes provided, Star bucked his hips towards her, settling into a rhythm as she moved her head faster. Her tongue swirled around him, dancing over the sensitive skin. Surprising him, Applejack dipped her head and kept going, taking him into her throat, clenching around him. The ropes around Star’s hooves tightened and stretched as he pulled against them, trying desperately to fight the rising pressure, to fully enjoy the sensation for as long as he could.
 
Applejack changed tactic. She pulled back, licking and sucking the head of his member, while her hooves came up to rub his shaft. Unable to bear it any longer, Starbright thrust forward, shooting into her mouth. Applejack moved her head back instinctively, and his final spurts landed on her face.
 
“Ah gotta say,” she commented, towelling herself clean, “ah’m kinda disappointed. Here ah was thinking you’d last longer than that. Guess you ain’t that much better than all the other stallions after all, huh?”
 
He frowned. “Let me out of these ropes and I’ll show you exactly what I’m capable of.”
 
“Is that so?” She smirked. “Well, what kind o’ mare would ah have to be to say no to an offer like that?”
 
She leaned over him to untie his forelegs, fully aware of her body against him, and then turned to untie his hindquarters, giving Starbright a clear view of her rear. This was no doubt an intentional gesture; he could smell her arousal in the air. With his bindings removed, Star rolled to his feet to find Applejack had braced herself against one of the opposite stalls. She looked back over her shoulder with lust-filled eyes, wiggling her rump enticingly, tail flicking from side to side.
 
“What’re y’all waiting for? Ain’t ya gonna ‘show me what ya can do’?”
 
Starbright stepped towards her, mounting her from behind. He took a moment to steady himself and she shifted beneath him, her growing need getting the better of her.
 
“In yer own time, sugarcube. We ain’t got all da-AH!”
 
Applejack cried out as Star pushed forward into her. She tightened around him, drawing him further inside. Star began to thrust roughly into her wet box, pounding against her. Her tongue lolled from her mouth as he rutted her, shaking the wooden partition she was leaning against from the force of his thrusts. It was raw and primal and wonderful, beads of sweat rolling down her thighs from the exertion and heat. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, feel the blood roaring in her veins, Starbright’s weight atop her as he fucked her. She felt brilliantly alive, more so than she had in months. All this, merely hours after she had stared death in its glowing green eyes. She had spat in its face then, more a final gesture of resentment for this callous world than anything. Given the same situation now, she would rip and tear and smash her way free of death’s iron grip to escape; to live. And Oh Celestia Star was good, varying his position just enough to rub against every part of her. It was a test of endurance, she quickly realised; neither wanting to be the first to submit to the other. Applejack began to slightly regret her choice in position. Starbright was in complete control: she could do nothing but take him inside her, leaving him to set the pace. Her legs shook with the effort of holding herself up against his unrelenting assault.
 
No, she told herself, not yet. I can hold out. I can- ohgod.
 
Pleasure soared through her, threatening to take her over completely. Her hooves dropped from the stall sides, incapable of keeping her there a second longer, and her head followed, lowering to the wooden floor. She kept her rear as high as possible and Starbright quickly adapted to the new position, placing his front hooves either side of her. No longer having to bear his weight, Applejack was able to give herself to the sensation even more, and with his added mobility Star was able to reach even deeper inside her, pressing deliciously against her innermost walls.
 
Her mind blanked as she reached a shuddering orgasm, rolling unstoppably through her. Almost simultaneously, Starbright fired deep inside her, clutching her against him. Through the pleasant, murky haze that descended on her thoughts, Applejack found herself thankful for mare heat cycles. They collapsed together, exhausted, and lay a while in an embrace, neither of them capable of movement even if they had wanted to.
 
Applejack recovered first, climbing to unsteady feet. She felt completely spent, but not in a bad way. She was going to ache quite severely in the morning, but with no regrets.
 
“Whew, ah’m gonna need another bath after that one. Care to join me?” she asked, a playful hint to her voice.
 
“I don’t think so.” A whisper from behind her.
 
“Don’t be like that. Ah reckon you need it just as much as…” Her words fell to nothingness as Starbright stepped out of the shadows.
 
His eyes. That was all she could think, the only thing she could focus on. The barn seemed to darken around her, leaving nothing but his face, and the cavernous abysses within it. What the hell happened to his eyes?
 
She couldn’t tear her vision from them, couldn’t look away; couldn’t run, couldn’t scream. And she was lost to them.
 

***

 
Beneath Starbright’s bed, there was another loud crack. If you had pulled out the necklaces strewn beneath it, you would find the coloured apple embedded into one of them had faded and shattered into three pieces. Another element had fallen. Four remained.



> Avarice
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 3


Avarice


 


 

Three Months Earlier
 
The gates that stand outside Tartarus are imposing behemoths of twisted metal, contorted and bent into vicious spikes that jut out in all directions. They are set into steep cliffs of black stone that stretch to the clouds, sharp crags and deep gouges in the rock ensuring the faces are insurmountable. The doorway to hell is not designed to be welcoming.
 
And yet it was up to those gates that the pony walked, slowly and deliberately. Alone.  Standing at their feet, he admired the craftsmanship in the wrought iron. The barbs stabbed into the sky, impressive but mostly aesthetic; if spears were enough to stop a demon, this place wouldn’t need to exist. Embedded into the cliff wall was a slab of smooth stone, a narrow slit carved into it. The pony drew a scroll from his bags and pressed it through the gap. After a brief pause, the gates shuddered open and he stepped lightly between them.
 
Starbright found himself inside a small chamber, hewn out of the rock centuries ago. Flaming torches mounted on the walls provided little light and even less warmth. The old pony across from him muttered under his breath, rereading the note Star had passed through.
 
“Been a while since we had anyone out this way,” said the gatekeeper. “You must have pissed someone off real good.”
 
“Clearly. Though not as much as you did, I wager.”
 
The old pony cackled. “You’re damn right.” He passed the scroll back to Starbright. “Well, I have no idea what the Princess wants him for, but I guess I don’t have much choice in it.” He pulled a key from his jacket and unlocked a side door, ushering Starbright through it into an even smaller room, with a rickety elevator in the centre. It was little more than a platform held up by four rusted chains, and when Starbright nudged it with a foot the whole thing clanked alarmingly.
 
“Surely this can’t be safe?” he asked.
 
The other pony shrugged. “It’s the only way down.”
 
After some mental preparation, Star stepped onto the platform, which swayed horribly. It felt as if it would fall apart if he so much as looked at it the wrong way.
 
“Hold on to something,” the old pony recommended.
 
“There’s nothing to hold on to.”
 
“Oh, in that case just stand really still.” The gatekeeper grinned with a mouth missing most of its teeth. “Play nice now. He won’t.”
 
He pulled a lever, and the elevator plummeted into the abyss below.
 

***

 
Starbright could remember little of the descent. Part of that was the pure, unbridled terror associated with dropping at near terminal velocity via an unstable platform. As the elevator rocketed its violent way down the chute, the floors of Tartarus whisked past him, each revealing some new horror, barely glimpsed in a fraction of a second. Shrieks and screams met with the whistling of the wind in a roaring cacophony of sound. Flames, ice and lightning; darkness and light; oppression and seduction. Nothing was beyond the denizens of Tartarus, and Starbright witnessed them all in equal measure as he plunged. Flying past one floor, a huge bat-like monstrosity screeched at him loud enough to make him cover his ears in pain. Another sent tendrils of crystal lancing towards him, only for them to shatter a second before impaling him, crashing against some imperceptible barrier. But the memory of all of them sought frantically to escape once they were out of sight, scratching their existence from the surface of his mind. When the elevator finally rattled to a stop, his ears were ringing, and he stumbled forward, half blind, onto a long marble bridge suspended above a fiery pit.
 
The sheer scale was incredible; the chamber was so wide Starbright could barely make out the edges from the end of the walkway.
 
“What’s this? A pony, so far from home, so deep under this world? Did you fall between the cracks, little one? Or are you some sacrificial lamb, roasting in the bowels of the inferno?”
 
As his vision adjusted to the bright light, Star could make out the gargantuan figure in front of him. An enormous Minotaur, formed from lava and wreathed in flames. White hot spheres burned in his face, regarding Star with a cruel gaze. His torso was submerged in the fires beneath him, wrists bound by manacles chained to the walls of the cavern, blue runes glowing on their surface. Starbright leant forward in an extravagant bow.
 
“Irdu.”
 
“You know who I am? Well well, this just got a lot more interesting. Why are you here, little pony? Surely you know what I’m capable of? What I could do to you?”
 
“With those on?” Star motioned at the demon’s chains. “Absolutely nothing.”
 
Unexpectedly, Irdu burst into raucous laughter.
 
“My, my. Brave and clever. You are a rarity… What is your name, pony?”
 
“Starbright.”
 
“I asked for your name, not what you’re calling yourself. Clever you may be, but I cannot abide arrogance. If you hide from me, we have nothing to discuss.”
 
Starbright told him. The demon’s eyes narrowed, seeing the truth in Star’s face.
 
“I thought you were dead.”
 
“And yet here I am.”
 
“And yet here you are,” concurred the demon. He contemplated for a second, and then bowed his head. “It has been too long.”
 
“Indeed it has,” agreed Star.
 
“That disguise of yours is uncanny, but why the need for deception? Am I untrustworthy in my incarceration?”
 
“Sparing you the details, it takes a great deal of work to assume this form. I’d rather not have to go through it all again.”
 
The demon nodded. “Understood. Still, you would not be here if it wasn’t for some ulterior goal. That, at least, is something we have in common.”
 
“Insightful as always. The aeons have failed to dull your senses, it seems.”
 
“I wouldn’t give Celestia the satisfaction.”
 
“In that case, I think you can help me.”
 
Irdu raised an eyebrow.
 
“I need your gift,” said Starbright.
 
Once again, the demon laughed, shaking the cavern with his bellows. Huge rocks crumbled from the walls and fell into the all-consuming heat below.
 
“You presumptuous bastard.”
 
“That’s not the first time you’ve called me that.”
 
“And knowing you, it won’t be the last. I don’t suppose you’d enlighten me as to why you need my help?”
 
“I intend to retake Equestria.”
 
“How bold. But even with an incubus’ gift, you’ll never get close enough to Celestia. She’ll strike you down, as she did with all the rest of us.”
 
“And therein lies the answer. Celestia no longer holds the Elements of Harmony.”
 
The beast’s eyes widened.
 
“Who are the new bearers?”
 
“Nobodies. Friends of Celestia’s pupil, and the student herself.”
 
“Celestia took on a student? How things have changed...”
 
“You don’t know the half of it,” said Star.
 
The incubus thought a while, digesting this new information.
 
“What are your terms?”
 
“Simple, you give me your power, here and now. In a couple of months, I shall return and free you.”
 
“Why the wait?”
 
“I need to grow accustomed to your gift. Your release is part of the plan, and I can’t rush that.”
 
The demon frowned.
 
“What are you keeping from me?”
 
“Pretty much everything.”
 
Irdu snorted. “To be expected. Very well, I will grant my gift to you. But break your word and I’ll tear hell apart to find you.”
 
“I would expect nothing less.”
 
The air filled with a heady scent as Irdu started a low chant, his voice reverberating through the chamber. A white orb burst free from his chest, spraying lava against the bridge which Star nimbly sidestepped. The sphere flashed brightly and darted towards Starbright, its light piercing his chest. He fell to the floor, writhing in agony. After an age, the pain subsided, leaving him shaking in a heap.
 
“When I am free, and the elements have fallen, this pathetic world will burn. I assure you of that. I will incinerate this abysmal excuse for a kingdom, and crush the embers that remain underfoot. Our wrath will be glorious to behold, just like old times.”
 
“Just like old times.”
 

***


 

I think that’s enough of that, don’t you? As (ahem) charming as Irdu can be, he does tend to become somewhat wearisome.
 
If there’s one thing demons are capable of, it’s holding a grudge, and that particular rancour had been festering for thousands of years. Bitterness and anger were a staple where Irdu was concerned, and as a result he’d required little convincing.
 
A demon’s power is not something given up lightly. If the contract is unfulfilled, they lose considerable strength, both magical and physical. Lesser demons and imps have less power to give, and much less to lose, so acquiring their help is easy. With stronger demons, the risks and rewards involved are far greater, and Irdu was very powerful indeed.
 
But for now, let’s return to Ponyville. My second visit to Tartarus can wait.
 

***


 

Applejack stirred, dark dreams fading beyond memory, slipping away as consciousness returned. The stars still shone outside the barn; she hadn’t been out for long. Starbright sat in the doorway, looking out at the sky, standing a vigil against the night. He barely reacted to Applejack wrapping herself around him, affectionately kissing his neck.
 
“How are you feeling?” he asked, without turning.
 
“Mighty fine, sugarcube.”
 
He smiled. “Thousands of years I’ve waited for this. That’s probably an inconceivable amount of time to you. There’s a commonly held view that for those of us living that long, like the princesses, years fly past in the blink of an eye. It’s not true. I had to bear every second.”
 
“Ain’t much longer to wait now,” she purred, stroking his chest. Her hooves traced their way down towards his groin, but he pushed them firmly away.
 
“Aw, you’re no fun,” she teased.
 
“What will you tell them? When you get back to the farm?”
 
“Clearin’ those Wolves took longer than we expected.”
 
“Nothing about the barn?”
 
“You think ah’m stupid?”
 
“Quite the contrary.” He finally faced her. Deep within her eyes, nearly impossible to see if you weren’t looking for it, was a tiny red glow. He stroked her cheek softly. “Do behave yourself, now.”
 
Applejack stuck her tongue out at him. “No promises.”
 

***


 

“They’re safe.”
 
“How was I supposed to know that!?” shouted Spike. “You disappear and then I find the elements are missing!”
 
“They’re not missing,” said Star. “I told you, I simply moved them to a securer location. Everypony knows that the elements are meant to be kept here. Isn’t that a little dangerous? Now they’re kept under lock and key, don’t worry about it.”
 
Spike laughed incredulously. “Don’t worry about it? Don’t WORRY about it!? There’s a demon rampaging through Ponyville. Twilight’s in what’s basically a coma, which I’m not even allowed to talk about. The princesses have no idea. I barely know who you are, and I’m meant to trust you blindly. And you tell me ‘don’t worry about it’?”
 
“I understand your frustration, but we can’t rush this. The elements are safe, and if you don’t know where they are, then you can’t give up their location.”
 
“You don’t trust me?”
 
“You think whether I trust you or not will matter if this thing comes after you, wanting answers? As strong as you are Spike, it will find ways to make you talk.”
 
Spike frowned. He wanted to protest, to believe it wasn’t true, but just what was this demon capable of? He dreaded to think.
 
“How was Twilight today?” asked Star, changing topic. “Same as usual?”
 
“Uh… yeah. Same as usual.” Don’t trust him. The one with holes for eyes.
 
“Disappointing. Hopefully we’ll see some improvement tomorrow.”
 
“Yeah… Hopefully…”
 

***


 

“Pssh, I don’t need your… Your permish… Permi… Perma… Whatever it is.” Rainbow Dash staggered slightly.
 
“I told you, you’re cut off. It’s the middle of the afternoon, and you can barely stand straight. Come back when you can remember what day of the week it is.”
 
Dash batted her eyelids in a pitiful attempt at seduction. “Come on, big guy. I could make it worth your… Your… Um… While. Worth your while.”
 
The barkeep shook his head before shutting the door in her face.
 
“Yeah!?” she yelled. “I didn’t want any anyway! So… joke’s on you!”
 
She stumbled into the road, swaying uneasily from side to side. She didn’t even see the passing unicorn until crashing into her, nearly knocking them over.
 
“Hey, watch where you’re going! I’m walking here!” shouted Dash, fluttering her wings indignantly. She was drawing a lot of attention, none of it good. The unicorn was glaring daggers at her, horn glowing threateningly, and the situation was very quickly starting to turn sour. If Starbright hadn’t chosen that moment to jump in, Rainbow Dash might have regretted that day even more than she did. As it was, he swooped through the gathering crowd, quickly hooking one of Dash’s hooves over his shoulders.
 
“Forgive me Madam,” said Star, with his usual charm. “My friend here has had rather a lot to drink, and isn’t herself at the moment. Please accept our humblest apologies.”
 
The unicorn, bewildered by Star’s complete sincerity, mumbled something and blushed, her horn’s glow winking out.
 
“Hey Starbright!” exclaimed Dash. “Slay any… any demons lately?”
 
Starbright grimaced. With a courteous nod to the thoroughly bemused Unicorn, he half-led, half-dragged Dash out of the crowd and came to a horrible realisation: he had no idea where he was going to take her. Not the library, not with Twilight. Or Spike, come to mention it. The dragon was suspicious enough already, this would just make things even worse. Sweet Apple Acres? Possibly. He could definitely count on Applejack’s compliance, but it was a long way out, and he wasn’t sure he could physically move Dash that far. Scanning the town skyline, Star spotted a familiar ornate roof. Rarity.
 

***


 

Rarity was less surprised than Starbright expected at the pair showing up on her doorstep. She quickly ushered them inside, flipped the sign to “closed”, and guided them to a sofa, which Dash promptly collapsed onto. Leaving her there, barely conscious, Starbright followed Rarity into the kitchen.
 
“I do hope she didn’t give you much trouble,” said Rarity.
 
“This is a regular thing, then?”
 
“Oh, I wouldn’t say regular. Occasional, perhaps? But it’s not completely unusual.”
 
“Why does she do it?” asked Star.
 
“I wish I knew. She’s hardly capable of holding conversation when she’s like this, and afterwards she refuses to acknowledge it even happened. Where did you find her?”
 
“Staggering around town, picking fights with Unicorns.”
 
Rarity laughed. “Still tenacious, even when she’s like this. Get me drunk and I’d rather curl up and go to sleep than get into a street brawl. I suppose that’s just the way she is.”
 
“Surely you must have some idea why, though? It’s not exactly common behaviour.”
 
“Really? Most ponies enjoy a drink every now and then.”
 
“Most ponies don’t do it in the middle of the day,” countered Star. “Or drink themselves into a stupor on their own.”
 
“If you’re implying she has a problem, I wouldn’t worry about it. As I said, it only happens on occasion.”
 
Starbright frowned. Rarity’s apathy towards Rainbow Dash’s actions was unusual to say the least.
 
“But I absolutely must make it up to you, putting you through all this,” she said. “Tell me, have you ever been to the spa here?”
 
“I can’t say I have.”
 
Rarity squeaked and clopped her hooves together excitedly. “Wonderful! How does tomorrow sound?”
 
“Tomorrow?”
 
“Of course! I’ll make the appointment right away; I have an arrangement with the management there, and naturally I’ll be paying for you.”
 
“I-” Star struggled to get a word in edgeways.
 
“Oh this is fantastic! I haven’t been for far too long; my shoulders are positively solid with stress!” And then, as if suddenly realising he was there: “So, tomorrow then?”
 
Star took a deep breath. “Tomorrow sounds fine.”
 

***


 

After Starbright had left, leaving Dash asleep on the couch, Rarity sat for a while, thinking. Rainbow’s hooves twitched occasionally, but other than those minute movements, the pegasus was utterly still. Rarity supposed she’d be staying the night again; there was no chance Dash would be able to fly straight before nightfall.
 
It wasn’t that she disliked the pegasus, Rarity considered her a very close friend, but she did hate being the “go to” where this was concerned. She hadn’t lied when she told Star it wasn’t a regular occurrence, but whenever Dash did do it, Rarity was always the one left picking up the pieces.
 
Was it too much to ask why? Why she’d get hell-bent on drinking to self-destruction every couple of months, and then act like it never happened? Any direct questions would either be dismissed or outright ignored, and god knew Rarity had asked enough times. But no, even the pony that always took care of Dash afterwards didn’t deserve an explanation, apparently.
 
Sometimes Rarity thought she was the only one of her friends who had any semblance of control over her life, with the possible exception of Applejack. Fluttershy had her incapacitating nervousness, Pinkie was, well… Pinkie, Twilight had had some kind of nervous breakdown a while back and turned into a recluse, and then there was Rainbow Dash, currently lying drunk out of her mind on Rarity’s couch.
 
Perhaps she should visit Applejack. Even with the farm pony’s often insufferable attitude, a talk with her might be worthwhile. Either way, it would have to wait; she had a spa treatment to book.
 

***

 
“We were right, it’s here.”
 
“Don’t trust him. The one with holes for eyes.”
 
“Something got out.”
 
“Spiiiiiike…”
 
Spike groaned. This was all too much. Too much to think about, too much of a burden to bear. Fragments of the past few days flashed through his head, through every waking moment. Twilight was a huddled mass under the covers, their soft rise and fall the only indication of life. A deep ache ran down his back as Spike levered himself from his seat. His every limb was stiff: the price for his brief snatches of restless sleep.
 
His eyes wandered about the room he had consigned himself to. Tucked away, down in the corner, was his old bed, the one he’d slept in until he’d outgrown it and Twilight gave him his own room. At the time he’d been overjoyed. A room all to himself? What wasn’t to love?
 
He’d spent the whole day methodically moving all his belongings down the hall, packing them into cupboards. The space had felt enormous after having to fit everything in Twilight’s already cramped room. As the moon rose that evening, Spike had lain awake, trying to ignore the creaks and rattles he couldn’t remember ever hearing before. Was that just the floorboards, or was something outside his door, waiting for him to go to sleep before creeping in? Was that the sound of branches scratching against the window, or hooves tapping and scraping? The wind, or a hushed voice whispering his name? The following morning Twilight had found him fast asleep at the foot of her bed.
 
In time, as everyone does, he’d adjusted to his new lodgings, but on seeing that old moth-eaten bed stashed almost out of sight, Spike found his vision beginning to blur with tears. He remembered Twilight’s understanding, how she’d comforted him, and gradually helped him overcome his childish fear. He wondered if he’d ever see that side of her again.
 
Guilt began to settle thickly in his stomach. She’d been so supportive of him, had got him through so much, but when she’d started to be overcome by her isolation, Spike hadn’t been able to save her. He had hidden away from it in the naive hope that everything would sort itself out in the end. He should have been there for her, and instead he’d pretended nothing had changed. And now it seemed he may not get the chance to set that right.
 
Spike did something he’d never done before. He climbed onto the bed and hugged himself tightly against Twilight. She shifted slightly, some tiny recognition of his presence deep in her subconscious. Spike stayed there for a long time, the tears drying slowly against his face. As long as he kept holding her, feeling her warmth against his scales, her heartbeat against his, he could pretend that this wasn’t happening. He could pretend that everything was okay.
 

***


 

Rainbow Dash’s head hurt. That was the first thing she noticed. The second was that she wasn’t in her bed. Her legs ached from her cramped position on the couch.
 
The couch… Shit. Rarity’s again.
 
She should really have some plan that stopped her ending up here. It’s not like she did it on purpose, and she couldn’t actually remember quite how she’d gotten here in the end. Her intention had been to crash at Pinkie’s place, but she must have got side-tracked somehow. Hopefully Rarity wasn’t as angry with her as she had been last time, though that was probably too much to ask for. It seemed like she wasn’t even here at the moment, and that struck Dash as the perfect time to make a discreet exit. She’d deal with the backlash when her head had stopped pounding.
 
With the confined space of the room, and her sight still a little fuzzy, Dash opted to stick at ground level until she got outside. She dropped quietly to the floor, in case Rarity was still around. Straining to hear the slightest stair creak, Dash tiptoed as silently as possible towards the front door, carefully avoiding scissors and rolls of fabric. Success! She allowed herself a triumphant grin as she pulled the door open, only for it to be replaced by an expression of instant regret. The bell above the door that she’d completely forgotten about rang out loudly, and Rainbow Dash winced as she heard a cough behind her.
 
“Er… Hey Rarity! How’s it going?”
 
“We need to talk.”
 
“Why does everyone keep saying that? And it’s never anything good, either. No one ever says: ‘Dash, we need to talk,’ and then goes on to chat about what they did last weekend. The last time someone said it to me they ended up talking about invasions from hell.”
 
“I... What?”
 
Way to keep that secret Rainbow, good job, thought Dash. “It’s nothing. Look, thanks for letting me stay the night, but I really gotta jet.”
 
“Dash, you’re never going to fix this, whatever it is, if you keep running whenever I or anyone else tries to help you.”
 
Rainbow let out an exasperated sigh. “You’re overreacting. Sometimes I like to party, that’s all. Maybe you should get Pinkie to give you a few tips; you could do with letting loose every once in a while. And now I mention it, I was meant to stay round her place last night… How’d I get here?”
 
Rarity rolled her eyes. “That pony staying with Twilight brought you here. Starbright?”
 
“The Canterlot egghead? Gotcha. Wait, what was he doing out so late?”
 
“Late? He brought you here last afternoon.”
 
“Last afternoon? I don’t…” Realisation dawned. “Oh man, I must’ve stayed out all night. Crap, I really have to go; the weather team’s gonna kick my ass over this.”
 
Before Rarity could so much as voice her disapproval, the pegasus launched through the door and up into the sky, rainbow trailing behind her.
 
“Thanks again!” Dash called back over her shoulder, as the Carousel Boutique rapidly dwindled into the distance.
 
With the wind running across her feathers, Rainbow Dash finally began to relax. It was nearly impossible to feel upset in the air; it was what she lived for. Except there was still the regret at the back of her mind.
 
It wasn’t like she’d outright lied to Rarity, it was just something the unicorn didn’t need to know about. It… it had to look like she was in control. For her own benefit as much as theirs.
 
She just wished she could forget the look on Rarity’s face as she’d flown off.
 

***


 

You’re probably starting to realise just how dire the situation was for the bearers. Disharmony and malcontent are catalysts for revolution, and naturally this could only work in my favour. The elements of harmony rely on strong bonds between the bearers. Previously that bond was shared by the sister princesses, broken irreversibly after Luna’s banishment.
 
With Nightmare Moon no longer a danger, the loss of the elements was no great disaster, especially as Celestia never revealed her newfound weakness. Nothing would be so bold, or stupid, as to attack Equestria whilst it was believed she still held that power.
 
And so the kingdom balanced on that false promise, that empty threat. It wasn’t until the new bearers were revealed that Celestia’s deception was uncovered, and by that point the window of opportunity had firmly closed.
 
It’s important to note that the new bearers were no weaker than Celestia and Luna had been. Not at first. If anything, they were even stronger. The attempts by Nightmare Moon and various other undesirables were proof enough of that, but the power of the elements of harmony reside in… well, harmony. And it was clear enough that their friendship was starting to break apart.
 
I suppose there should be a moral in that. “Rely on your friends for strength,” or some such rubbish. I think I serve as a reminder that standing alone can be far more rewarding.

 


***

 
“Isn’t it simply divine?”
 
Starbright grunted in response, the spa pony’s talented hooves digging deep into his shoulder blades.
 
“Honestly, I don’t know why I put it off so long this time; it’s just what I needed,” said Rarity, before addressing her own masseuse. “A little lower darling, if you’d be so kind.”
 
Lying face down on the massage tables made conversation a little strange, for Starbright at least. Rarity seemed unfazed.
 
“These visits used to be pretty regular then?” he asked.
 
“But of course! You don’t get VIP treatment from merely dropping in now and again. Fluttershy and I used to take a weekly trip here.”
 
“Used to? What changed?”
 
Rarity paused. “Oh, work mostly. I’ve been so busy lately I couldn’t really find time for it.”
 
And yet you’re able to invite me out at a moment’s notice, thought Star.
 
“And how was Rainbow Dash this morning?” he asked.
 
“As you’d expect. Woke up with a splitting headache and took off as soon as she could see straight. Again, I hope she didn’t trouble you too much.”
 
Starbright waved her concerns away with a hoof, forgetting she couldn’t see him. Conversation died as the masseuse’s hooves slid across his back, drawing him further into his own thoughts and away from the world around him. The tension bunched in his muscles slowly evaporated beneath her touch, and time passed unnoticed. All too soon, the hooves were lifted away. Star pushed himself upright to find Rarity smiling at him understandingly.
 
“Now you can see why I came here so much, hm?” she joked.
 
“I can indeed. It’s a shame you’ve been so busy.”
 
“Yes,” she said, looking away. “It is.”
 

***


 

He had been so close. So close to Rarity telling him everything. And then that bloody pegasus had ruined it. Starbright was still fuming, sleep evading him. The bed had never seemed less comfortable, although that was probably just a side-effect of his anger.
 
Obviously she hadn’t meant to screw up his plans. There was no way she could have known that he and Rarity were at the spa, or why, but she’d been there nonetheless. Star had taken it as the perfect opportunity to probe Rarity, to find possible avenues for his potions, and it had been going swimmingly. She had finally started opening up to him, midway through getting their hooves done (Starbright had no idea why that was so important, they’d only get messed up again minutes after leaving, but he had to play along) and then she had come sauntering in.
 
He shouldn’t get so angry; it would make it harder when Fluttershy’s time came around. He knew that, but it was still difficult. Mostly because it seemed that now it would be near impossible to coax that information out of Rarity, and possibly Fluttershy as well.
 
Apparently, the pegasus had decided that today had been the perfect day to visit the spa, for old time’s sake. And who did she happen to run into there? None other than Rarity, the pony who had been protesting that she was simply unimaginably busy, and had no time to spare. In the company of a stallion, no less. The implication was obvious, no matter how wrong.
 
Fluttershy was hardly the sort to blow up over that (Starbright doubted she’d ever even raised her voice in her entire life), but she’d converted into such scathing passive-aggressiveness that the poor spa attendants had been forced to cover the blushes on their faces.
 
“It’s fine, I completely understand that a pony that only came to town a couple of weeks ago is sooo important to you.”
 
“Oh no, naturally you were busy. I can see that.”
 
Rarity’s truthful denials of her relationship with Starbright were entirely ignored, and in a lot of ways Star didn’t blame Fluttershy for it. It was clear that there was at least some level of dishonesty on Rarity’s part, which didn’t make the situation any easier. It was unlikely either of the pair would want to see Star again, though Rarity had apologised to him after Fluttershy’s departure. Now he had to find another way to justify seeing her again. Fluttershy was a whole other story, and Starbright was not looking forward to reconciling with her (though arguably he was innocent of her particular accusations). One step at a time, though. He still had to deal with Rarity first, and he was now no closer than he had been days ago.
 
“Howdy, Sugarcube.”
 
Despite it being a low whisper in his ear, the voice took Starbright by surprise, and Applejack took advantage of that to hop up onto the bed, standing over him.
 
“Did ya miss me?” she asked, giving him a playful wink.
 
“Applejack!?” he hissed, wary of waking the dragon in the next room. “What are you doing here? How did you even get in?”
 
“Through the front door. Ain’t nothin’ to it, when ya know what yer doing.” She began to lightly stroke his chest, her weight holding him down.
 
“You can’t be here. What if Spike came in and saw us?”
 
“Aw, don’t be so quick to throw me out. You don’t know why ah’m here yet.”
 
“I fail to see what could be so important it warrants this risk.”
 
Applejack bent low and nuzzled against his ear.
 
“What about Rarity’s weakness? That worth it?” she whispered, almost too quietly to hear.
 
Starbright stared at her in surprise. “How in Equestria did you find that out?”
 
“She came to the farm, just after leavin’ the spa as far as ah could tell.”
 
“For what? What did she say?”
 
“Not so fast sugarcube. Ya gotta earn it.”
 
Starbright rubbed a hoof against his temple. “You know I could just command you to tell me? You’re mine, after all.”
 
“Well sure ya could.” She grinned. “But ya won’t, because where’s the fun in that?”
 
“Fine, what do you want?”
 
Her grin widened. “Ah reckon you can work it out.”
 
She pressed her mouth against his, lust-filled gaze never leaving his face, holding him down as her kisses grew more intense. He thrust against her, hardening beneath the bedsheets.
 
“Not so fast there,” she chided. “Yer trying to please me, remember?”
 
With that she slid slowly upwards, moving above him until her entrance rested in front of his face. Obediently, Starbright began to caress her with his tongue, long strokes running against her that made Applejack shudder. She ran a forehoof through his mane before pressing him into her, gasping under his ministrations. As Star drove his tongue further inside her, Applejack stifled a moan, clenching her teeth in an effort to supress the noise. Confident though she was, Spike bursting in on them would have serious consequences.
 
Still in control (if only by Starbright’s permission), she turned atop him, leaving her rear end by his head as he tended to her. In return, she drew the covers off his body. Without hesitation she began to suck in gentle, teasing motions, her tongue lightly flicking against him. Starbright breathed out deeply at the contact. Her lips around him, his against her, the pair toyed with each other, as they had done in the barn. A competition with no loser. And once again, Applejack came first, hot wetness splattering onto Starbright’s face as he slowed to a halt. Applejack redoubled her efforts and soon enough Star followed suit, spurting deep into her as she happily swallowed.
 
“Now,” said Star, hugging Applejack in the warm afterglow. “I think you owe me a story.”
 

***


 

For once Rarity didn’t mind the dust slowly gathering around her recently-tended hooves. She had far more pressing matters on her mind. The apple trees either side of the dirt road grew thicker as she continued towards the farmhouse, and towards the pony she’d come to see. She’d screwed up. She knew that, Starbright knew that, and Fluttershy certainly knew that. And Rarity had only herself to blame.
 
It started with the truth, at least. She really had been that caught up in her work to start with. There was a brief while where she hadn’t had time for anything else. And when that passed, Rarity had simply… continued to act as though she was swamped under. Fluttershy had called quite a few times, and each time Rarity had given the same response. “Not now darling, I’m frightfully behind.” She’d always offered to pay for Fluttershy to visit without her, but the pegasus wasn’t the sort to accept. It seemed Rarity had dug herself into a deeper and deeper hole with each passing day, and now the cat was well and truly out of the bag. She probably should have talked to Applejack sooner. The loud thump of hooves against bark swept Rarity out of her thoughts, and she looked up to find Applejack’s brother regarding her indifferently.
 
“Ah, Big Macintosh! I was looking for Applejack, you wouldn’t happen to know where she is, would you?”
 
Wordlessly, Big Mac lifted a hoof and pointed in the direction of the barn, where a small orange dot was moving back and forth.
 
Rarity gave a thankful smile. “Much obliged.”
 
Big Mac didn’t react, though that was to be expected. Applejack’s brother seemed to view speech as something to be avoided unless entirely necessary (and even then it was a stretch to get more than three words out of him).
 
Applejack was dragging unmarked sacks from a wagon into the barn. When she noticed Rarity coming over the crest of the hill, she dropped the bag she was carrying and wiped the sweat off her brow.
 
“Howdy there, Rarity! What brings ya out this way?”
 
“Oh, I was actually hoping I could have a word with you.”
 
“Sure thing, so long as ya don’t mind me workin’. What’s up?” asked Applejack, slightly puzzled. She wouldn’t have expected Rarity to come to her with a problem, even if she didn’t live a good way out of town.
 
“It’s about… It’s about our friends.”
 
“Yeah?” Applejack’s voice was slightly muffled through the burlap she had gripped between her teeth. “What about ‘em?”
 
Rarity grimaced. This was difficult. It was as if she hadn’t spent the entire journey over here mulling over what to say without sounding absolutely terrible, and Applejack’s nonchalance, speaking through the bags, wasn’t helping. Her horn glowed as she lifted the sack Applejack was carrying. She may not have quite the aptitude for magic that Twilight had, but what unicorn did? She was still more than competent, though her strengths with levitation normally resided in dexterity over brute force. These bags were easy for her at least, and Applejack could tell.
 
“Damn, sometimes ah forget y’all can do that. Would make my job a whole lot easier.” She smiled cheerily at Rarity, but the unicorn’s troubled expression made her falter. “Alright sugarcube, something’s clearly eatin’ ya. What’s the matter?”
 
“How do you do it?”
 
“Beggin’ yer pardon?”
 
“Well, you’re like me.”
 
Applejack raised an eyebrow, watching the glowing sacks float effortlessly through the air. “Ah wouldn’t say that…”
 
“No, not like that. You and me both, we... keep to ourselves. We don’t run out with our problems, shoving them into everypony’s face.”
 
“Ah’m afraid ah don’t really know where yer going with this.”
 
Rarity groaned and sat heavily on one of the sacks, likely filled with some sort of grain.
 
“Rainbow Dash stayed at my house again last night. Impromptu, of course. She’d been, out on the town, shall we say?”
 
Applejack nodded understandingly. Dash’s binges were nothing new.
 
“And then I ended up going to the spa with Starbright, that scholar from Canterlot.” Applejack’s ears perked up at the mention of Star’s name, which Rarity, lost in her outpouring, didn’t notice.
 
“…so who should walk in but Fluttershy of all ponies, purely by coincidence. And then there was a truly horrible moment where I tried my best to explain the situation to her, and understandably she was terribly offended, I would be too in that situation…”
 
Rarity was rambling, and Applejack laid a hoof on her shoulder, quieting her.
 
“Now hold on a minute, ‘cause ah’m struggling to keep up here. Why were ya avoiding Fluttershy in the first place?”
 
“That’s the whole point. I’m… I like helping ponies. But I feel like, I don’t know, like I’m being taken advantage of. Like the second anypony feels the slightest bit of unhappiness they come running to me. ‘Rarity will know how to help, let’s all visit Rarity. She never has any problems of her own, she never worries about anything, she’ll always drop everything at a moment’s notice.’ Every time Rainbow goes out on a drinking spree, it’s my job to clear everything up. Every time Pinkie has an emotional crisis, I’m the one calming her down. When Fluttershy loses her nerve, it’s me building up her confidence. And I’m. So. Sick of it.” Rarity spat out the last few words, tears already welling in her eyes. “Please don’t think I’m a monster or anything, I just wish someone else could be there for them sometimes. Or that they’d go to someone else themselves. So no, you are like me. Not once have you come to me, overreacting over the tiniest thing. It’s not you that’s making me feel so used.”
 
Applejack didn’t know what to say, or indeed if there was anything she could. She simply hugged her crying friend and wondered how quickly she’d be able to relay all this to Starbright.
 

***


 

“And then?” asked Star, tracing lazy circles on Applejack’s shoulders.
 
“Honestly, ah couldn’t think of what ah could say to help, so that’s what ah told her. She waved me off, something about just needin’ someone to listen, and that ah shouldn’t really worry about her. She didn’t stay much longer.”
 
“You didn’t try and give her advice? Help her out?”
 
“Ah thought that was better left to you.”
 
“Well done.” Star kissed her forehead before climbing briskly out of bed and dragging his satchel out from under it. He started pulling the flasks out one by one, checking the label, shaking his head and then passing it to Applejack, who eyed each container curiously before piling them next to her. Eventually he drew out the bottle he was looking for.
 
“I’ll go see her tomorrow.”
 
 Star passed it to Applejack for her appraisal. She turned the flask in her hooves, translucent green liquid rolling around the bottom.
 
“Resentment”
 

***


 

One Month Earlier
 
Starbright stepped out of the elevator and into Irdu’s chamber. The ride had been somewhat less of an ordeal this time, but not by much.
 
“And so he returns… I was beginning to believe you’d gone back on your word.”
 
Star pressed a hoof to his heart in a pantomime of anguish.
 
“Your cruel words wound me, Irdu.”
 
The incubus grinned.  “You still have a terrible sense of humour.”
 
“Apparently that’s something even time can’t fix.” Starbright breathed an exaggerated sigh. “Still, the wheels of change are turning, and I need an escaped demon to hunt.”
 
“It’s about time. I think these manacles are starting to chafe, and it’s only been a few millennia.”
 
“Let’s remedy that then, shall we?”
 
“And how exactly do you intend to release me? I assume you have a plan, though I’d feel a lot more comfortable knowing what it was.”
 
“Ah, yes. The idea is that Celestia discovers your manacles hanging empty, and sends me to solve the mystery.”
 
“And why would she trust you to do that?”
 
"She still doesn’t trust me entirely. She’ll probably consider this a test, and unfortunately I think I’m going to fail it.”
 
“What a pity. Alright, get me out of these things; it’ll be glorious to taste freedom again. Equestria won’t know what hit it.”
 
“About that… I need a less destructive distraction. A demon that goes into hiding, justifying a long search.”
 
“Me? Hide? Surely you understand that’s not quite what I have in mind? No, I’m going to rip the earth out from under those ponies’ feet. THAT’S a distraction.”
 
“I know, and I couldn’t ask you to go against your fundamental urges.”
 
A cloaked figure stepped out of the elevator behind Starbright, horn glowing.
 
“Which is why this is my only solution,” continued Star. “I’m sorry.”
 
“Who’s thi-”
 
A beam of energy blasted out of the pony’s horn, piercing Irdu’s manacles. His question broke into a scream of agony, shaking the entire cave, as the blue runes on surface of his shackles turned red. Large chunks of lava began sloughing off the demon’s form, falling into the roiling inferno below. Irdu’s scream grew thick as he began to collapse, inside and out. The white-hot orbs forming his eyes were quickly covered as his face lost its definition, and with a final pained roar, the demon’s arms disintegrated, sending his remains deep into the fires beneath him.
 
Starbright spared a glance into the flames, as if ensuring Irdu wasn’t about to burst out of them. With a shake of his head, he and his companion retreated back into the lift, which began its long and arduous ascent out of Tartarus. In the now empty chamber, Irdu’s empty manacles slowly swung back and forth, the runes nothing more than dead scratches on their metal surface.
 

***


 

He never really fit the bill of an incubus, did he? I promise he wasn’t always quite as formidable in appearance. That was his true form, what he was behind all the smoke and mirrors. When having his way with ponies, he used to appear far more presentable.
 
Naturally, an incubus’ power follows suit in that regard. When ponies make love, they reach a certain level of trust that’s normally unreachable without years of work. But in sex, there lies a shortcut. The mind’s defences are all but dropped, and that’s where I can get in.
 
I digress, where were we? Ah yes, Rarity’s. We’ll skip the rest of the evening at the library, nothing much happened. Applejack was able to sneak out without rousing Spike, and everything went beautifully to plan. It wasn’t until I was at Rarity’s that things started to go wrong, but we’ll deal with that once we get there. I don’t want to spoil it.
 

***


 

“You didn’t have to come, really,” said Rarity. She sniffed and took a sip from her mug (Starbright had declined the offer of hot chocolate). The room was surprisingly dark; Rarity had closed the blinds and was sitting in the dim light, mane frazzled and still wearing pyjamas. “I mean, honestly, what must you think of me, acting like this?”
 
“Not at all, I just wanted to make sure you’re okay. The spa was quite eventful, huh?” Star was gratified to see a flicker of a smile on Rarity’s face.
 
“That’s certainly one word for it. I’m sorry; it was hardly an appropriate thank you.”
 
Starbright shook his head. “Don’t be ridiculous, you can’t blame yourself for that.”
 
Rarity sighed. “I can, though. I just… needed some time away from them. Maybe I should have told them that.”
 
“You can mope in self-pity forever if you want, but you’re better than that.”
 
Rarity stared at Star in astonishment. His tone was so matter-of-fact, so sure of himself, she couldn’t help but believe it, even if only a little. With her stunned into silence, Starbright continued:
 
“There’s nothing you can do to change the past, so stop concerning yourself with what you should have done or could have said. Instead you should start thinking about what you can do now.”
 
“Yes… yes, you’re right, of course.” She sighed deeply. “Are you sure you don’t want a drink?”
 
Starbright certainly didn’t, not after pouring the entire potion he’d brought with him into it when Rarity’s back was turned. The empty bottle was now resting with all the others in his saddlebag, hung up on the hat stand by the door.
 
Rarity swirled the mixture in her cup around glumly, before downing it.
 
“I suppose you get a lot of attention at Canterlot?” she asked.
 
“Attention?” he asked, bemused.
 
“Of the female variety, I mean. Stallion like you, I imagine you have to fend off the mares.”
 
“Oh, I see.” He laughed. “Hardly, I tend to keep to myself.”
 
“You don’t… spend much alone time with them, then?” Rarity shot Starbright a sultry look.
 
“Um... Rarity, I’m flattered, but I’m not sure we should…”
 
That’s right, thought Starbright. One final faked resistance before “giving in”, and then everything will fall into pla-
 
“No, I guess we shouldn’t.”
 
Wait, what? Shit, I’ve blown it. This was the perfect opportunity, and I’ve-
 
“But we’re going to,” stated Rarity with an assured finality. “Wait for me upstairs, first room on your left. I have to get ready.” And with that she sauntered out of the room, fully aware of Star’s eyes on her. Starbright sat there for a good twenty seconds before managing to process what had just transpired. Upon the realisation that things were not in fact completely ruined, he headed upstairs, with some trepidation as to what she had in store.
 

***

 
You’re moving too fast, Rarity, you’re going to scare him off... But she couldn’t help it. She clopped her hooves together in excitement, levitating over a brush to deal with the mess on her head that had absolutely no right to call itself a mane, not in that state.
 
It seemed that all she really needed had been a change of scene. A change of friends. Nothing permanent, obviously, but with Starbright she was being treated as an actual pony, with needs and wants and desires, rather than the mare to shove all your problems onto without a minute’s thought.
 
It occurred to her that Starbright was virtually the only pony in months that had actually visited just to see if she was okay. And now she was far more than okay, and about to be even better.
 
The sliding door to her wardrobe opened, and she grinned at the contents.
 
Things were definitely more than okay.
 

***

 
“What do you think?”
 
Star looked up to see Rarity posing seductively in the doorframe. Stockings ran up her legs, falling just short of the lace underwear hugging her luscious curves. Around her abdomen was a tight-fitting corset, and her neck was adorned with a simple collar. All of these were jet black, contrasting beautifully with her pristine white fur.
 
“It’s such a shame more ponies don’t try these,” she mused. “Though I still do fairly well out of this particular line.”
 
Rarity slowly crossed the room, hips swaying with each step, the dark fabric accentuating her every movement.
 
“Don’t be shy,” she whispered, reaching Star. “Surely you want to see how it feels?”
 
She gently bit his ear and pushed him firmly down against the bed. His hooves came up against her waist, running down her corset and towards her rear, pressing against her through the thin material. As Star moved tantalisingly close to the skimpy clothing covering her, Rarity suddenly shifted to sit on his chest.
 
“If you’re so desperate to take them off, why don’t you?” she teased. When Star raised a hoof, a little confused, she sighed and pushed it away. “Surely you can be a little more inventive than that?”

Realisation struck, and he began to tease his way along the edge of the waistband, pulling it away with his teeth before letting it snap back against her. The little sting each time the elastic whipped back only increased Rarity’s growing anticipation.
Snap.
Against her hip.
Snap.
Moving inwards.
Snap.
Her leg now, Starbright eyeing her mischievously.
Snap.
The inside of her thigh. He was drawing them out intentionally, waiting longer each time before moving just a little closer.
Snap.
Closer.
Snap.
Closer.
Snap.
Oh so close.
 
Rarity waited for the final snap that never arrived. Instead Star began to pull slowly downwards, savouring every second of the build-up, the fabric whispering against her as it slid lower. His hot breath running over her skin, Star dragged the lace down, down, exposing her, wet and waiting. He pressed a hoof against her entrance, probing her, making her gasp in pleasure. She pushed back against his touch with a low moan, rubbing up against him with closed eyes. It was clear she was close to the edge, her excitement threatening to get the better of her. Instead of riding it out, Rarity pulled away, moving backwards until she was above his erection. She rubbed herself along his length, gyrating faster and faster, more and more insistently. Finally she could bear it no longer. She positioned herself above his cock and dropped. Starbright’s length slid easily into her depths, slick from her previous endeavours. Rarity kept going in one smooth movement, taking Star to the hilt, gently squeezing around him.
 
And like that, she began to fuck him, starting slowly. Little movements at first, a taste of what was to come. As the passion built, so did Rarity’s movements, until she was bouncing atop him, moving as far off him as she dared before dropping back down.
 
Star groaned, head tilting back as the beautiful mare above him maintained her quick, steady rhythm. Her weight pressed down on him, entirely in control, and Starbright couldn’t care less. For once someone else could do the hard work. He lay there and let Rarity ride him, taking as much pleasure from him as he was from her.
 
Rarity fully gave herself to the act. An escape from the trivialities of her life, nothing but Starbright and her, and the pleasure they shared. Each time she dropped, he seemed to reach a little further into her, rubbing her deeper and deeper. She was soaring above the clouds, but she could hold on. If there was one thing Rarity knew, it was sex, and she had learned to fly along the edge without crossing it. To enjoy and to wait, wait for that perfect moment of release, of pure intensity. Starbright had good stamina, but he was still fairly young, and already he was close. She could feel it, and that only made her speed up.
 
The smell of sweat and lust permeated the air, the couple’s moans of enjoyment echoing in the empty building. Starbright felt the rising pressure of his mounting orgasm, rushing through him.
 
“Rarity, I…”
 
That was all he could manage. He gripped her hips and drove her down onto him, pushing as deeply as possible into her before he came, pouring inside her. Rarity gasped at his sudden forcefulness, and as his seed filled her, she let her orgasm break free, mind blanking as she tensed around him, a final blissful cry bursting from between her lips. Shaking slightly, she fell on top of him, kissing him lovingly on the cheek.
 

***

 
Rarity was out of it for some time. The pleasure and exertion had taken a lot out of her, and she just wanted to lie against Starbright’s chest, listening to his heartbeat. She wondered what her friends would make of their tryst, if their relationship became anything more than just this afternoon. Twilight might feel a little put out, she supposed. The princess must have spent quite a bit of time with Star, and probably had eyes for him already. And Fluttershy would no doubt treat it as confirmation of her suspicions, but Rarity found she didn’t really care.
 
Something started to nag at her, but she couldn’t work out what. Something she wasn’t noticing, something important. Was it to do with Twilight? She didn’t see how that could be it, Rarity hadn’t seen her for weeks. In fact, she should probably ask Star how the alicorn was doing. She looked up to see empty eyes in front of her. The nightmarish pools stared at her, threatening to drag her into them, and all too late she knew what had been worrying her. She was lying on Starbright’s chest, and had been listening to his heart. She’d been so wrapped up in her thoughts she hadn’t noticed it had stopped beating.
 
“Rarity…” the thing whispered.
 
“Star...?” Her voice cracked in fear, a scream that she couldn’t, didn’t dare, to voice. To do so would give this thing credibility, make it real.
 
“You are mine,” it said.
 
And she was.
 

***


 

Spike wasn’t quite sure what he’d heard to start with. The snapping sound was so faint that if he hadn’t been walking past Star’s door he wouldn’t have heard it at all. Spike knew Starbright had gone out, probably to watch one of the bearers, so a noise coming from his room was ringing alarm bells. Spike tried the door handle half-heartedly, but for once Starbright had left the room unlocked. He’d seemed to be in a rush this morning, leaving almost immediately after breakfast, bag around his shoulders.
 
The room was almost unbearably warm; hot, stagnant air hanging thickly. The windows had been shut all day. Spike couldn’t see what had caused the cracking sound, not immediately. Star had barely changed anything about the place. Other than the pile of his belongings in the corner, it was virtually the same as it had been when Spike last stayed there. He was grateful for that. It felt normal.
 
Without any obvious cause of the sound, Spike turned to leave, which was when he noticed the small glint of metal, sticking out from underneath the bed frame. Curious, Spike reached underneath and pulled out the heavy object. Upon recognising it, he dropped it in shock, and it hit the floorboards with a heavy thunk. It was Twilight’s crown.
 
Frantically, Spike scrabbled around underneath the bed, pulling out anything he could find. Sure enough, the remaining elements were stashed away, out of sight.
 
No… no no no no no.
 
Applejack’s necklace had joined Twilight’s crown, the black, apple-shaped gem seeming to absorb surrounding light. The sound he heard must have been her gem breaking. That was his first thought, before he spotted Rarity’s element; dark mist creeping into the gem, seeping out of the new crack running down the centre.
 
Dread washed over him with the sickening revelation. It was Starbright, the whole time. Manipulating him, and his friends, and Spike was the one that had introduced them to him. He was almost as much to blame as Starbright. The demon had been living with him, here in this house, and Spike had let him get away with everything.  Had let him get away with doing that to Twilight.
 
His claws bunched into fists, the sharp points digging deep into his flesh. Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, and the rest of his friends too if Spike didn’t stop him. Spike was the only one who could end this, and he had every intention of doing just that.


> Betrayal
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 4


Betrayal


 

 
Spike stared at the door, his claws tapping restlessly on the table. Part of him wanted it to open right now, to get this over with and be done with the whole thing. Part of him wanted it to never open at all. In front of him lay the Elements of Harmony, carefully arranged so they were facing the doorway, the corrupted elements front and centre. He’d insisted that he wait downstairs; he wanted Starbright to see exactly what brought about his downfall. Exactly who had beaten him.
 
That’s what he’d said, but he wanted far more than that. He wanted to look into Starbright’s eyes, to watch as Star realised he’d been defeated. It was a selfish desire, he knew, but Spike was past caring. Starbright had taken so much from him, and the dragon felt he was owed that much.
 
He heard the footfalls outside first. Star moved quickly and quietly, assuming Spike would be asleep. He snuck through the door and moved towards the stairs, when Spike coughed loudly. Star’s head snapped round, making out the vague shape of the dragon in the gloom.
 
“Oh, Spike. I didn’t realise you were still awake. What are you-” He stopped dead as Spike lit a candle, revealing the elements sitting on the table, and lowered his head in pained realisation. “I left the door unlocked,” he said, more to himself than Spike. “I should have known it would be something stupid like that to tip you off.”
 
“You’re not even going to try to deny it?”
 
“Would there be any point? You already know the truth; I don’t see why I should give half-hearted lies. Right now the only question is why you’re confronting me over it without seeking help.”
 
“Who said I didn’t get help?”
 
Starbright sighed. He should have known Spike wouldn’t be foolish enough to not raise the alert. “The princess?” he asked.
 
Spike nodded. “She’s upstairs on the balcony. I wanted to talk to you first.”
 
Starbright stepped closer, his usually calm exterior finally beginning to crack. He shook a little as he took a seat at the table. “What do you want?”
 
“Answers.”
 
Starbright laughed callously. “And what makes you think you deserve them?”
 
“Because I’ve got nothing else left. You owe me that much.”
 
“I owe you nothing, dragon,” Star snarled. “If you’ll excuse me, it seems I have a meeting to attend.”
 
Star got up and started towards the stairs again, this time with a different destination in mind. Foiled, by this arrogant brat. He’d thought he would have more time if Spike found out. Careless, that’s what he’d been. And, though he hated to admit it, he’d underestimated Spike.
 
And apparently he underestimated him still; he wasn’t expecting Spike to leap at him. The dragon was small, but his claws were sharp as knives, and they dug deeply into Star’s side, the pony flailing in panic as pain stabbed through him. Spike hung on, losing his mind in anger after everything he’d endured. Finally Star managed to wrench him off with a well-placed kick, sending him flying into a book case. The heavy tomes rained down around Spike, burying him completely.
 
The dust settled, and the books lay still. Starbright was breathing heavily, deep gashes in his side sending blood trickling to the floor. He moved closer to the pile, and Spike burst from them with a yell, running on pure adrenaline. Ready for him, Star swatted him aside, and he crashed to floor. Before he could recover, Starbright pinned him under a hoof.
 
“This is the end of it, Spike.”
 
Spike looked frantically at the stairs. Where was the princess? Hadn’t she heard the noise?
 
“You wanted the truth?” asked Star. “Then let me show you.”
 
Star’s pupils began to expand, growing massively until they reached the sides of his eyes. He blinked, and red pinpoints deep within them began to glow angrily.
 
“This is the truth you sought,” said Star in a whisper. “Surrender to me and you may yet live.”
 
“Not a chance.”
 
Starbright’s face contorted in rage, but before he could act Spike lunged forward, sinking his teeth into Star’s leg. As the pony howled in pain, Spike bolted from underneath him, diving under the table and sprinting towards the door. The pony’s furious screams followed him as he left the library behind, running out into the night.
 

***


 

His power contained once more, Starbright surveyed the ruined library. He supposed it wasn’t really his problem. There was no way he could defeat Celestia in combat, even with Irdu’s gift, and Spike’s escape had denied him his final revenge. Despite that, he wasn’t going to go without a fight.
 
The night was cold, wind lancing deep into Star’s wounds. He limped onto the balcony, knowing any paltry resistance would be quickly demolished under Celestia’s assault.
 
“Did you hurt the dragon?”
 
Star’s eyes widened. It wasn’t Celestia.
 
“I asked you a question, Starbright. Did you hurt the dragon?” Luna repeated.
 
“No,” replied Star, bitterly.
 
“Good. There’s no need for bloodshed.”
 
“He ran.”
 
“We’ll find him.” Luna noticed the wounds on Starbright’s side, and shook her head. “You were careless.”
 
“Why are you here?” asked Star, ignoring her rebuke. “I thought Spike would send word straight to Celestia.”
 
“He did. I was fortunate enough to intercept it.”
 
Starbright grunted, examining his injuries.
 
“You really shouldn’t act so nonchalant,” said Luna. “This could have been the end of it tonight.” Her horn glowed, magic surrounding Star’s body and closing the lacerations. “And we’re only halfway there.”
 
Starbright stretched, testing the newly-healed skin. “You’re overreacting.”
 
“Overreacting? Spike’s message was headed for Celestia. If it had reached her, this rebellion would be over. I didn’t unbind a demon for you to simply throw everything away with your ill-placed priorities. You should have recruited Spike as early as possible.”
 
“It’s too late for that now, and you dealt with Irdu without breaking a sweat. Don’t treat it as some great risk.”
 
“And when he eventually regains his form? We’ll have to seal him again at some point, and that is going to be dangerous.”
 
“By that point we’ll rule Equestria,” said Starbright. “It will be a trifle to reseal him.”
 
“Sometimes your confidence borders on insanity.”
 
He grinned. “Would you have me any other way?”
 
“No, not at all.” Luna smiled warmly at him. “Now, what’s this I hear about Twilight Sparkle?”
 
“Ah. That. I was a little… overenthusiastic.”
 
The princess sighed. “I’ll rectify that before I leave. However, we still have Spike to deal with.”
 
“We do,” agreed Star. “But I think we can use this to our advantage.”
 

***


 

The baby dragon scrambled through the long grass, tears streaking down his face.
 
Coward. Coward. Coward.
 
Even Spike’s thoughts betrayed him. When it had come to it, he had run. Run like a coward. He’d left Twilight, left the library, left Ponyville, left everything. He hoped the Princess had been able to defeat Starbright, but why hadn’t she come to help? Luna must have heard the commotion, and yet she’d left him down there, to fight Star alone. It didn’t make any sense.
 
He wandered aimlessly through the fields, looking for somewhere he could bed down for the night. As a dragon, he wasn’t particularly picky; a nice dry cave would suit him just fine, and there was no way he was heading back to the library. Tomorrow he’d go back to Ponyville, for now he needed to be as far away as possible.
 

***

 
Twilight Sparkle opened her eyes. Her previously drained body felt… strong. Around her, the last vestiges of blue magic faded, sinking into her form with a pleasant tingle. Luna stood over her, gentle concern on her features. Twilight’s muscles ached as she lifted herself after their long period of disuse.
 
“Take it slowly, Twilight,” said Luna. “No need to rush.”
 
Twilight flexed her wings, relishing the feeling of stretching them after so long.
 
“How are you feeling?”
 
Twilight grimaced as she rubbed her neck. “Uncomfortable.”
 
Luna laughed. “I’m not surprised.”
 
Twilight finished stretching and looked around the room. When she spotted Starbright at the foot of her bed, she gasped in panic and jumped to the floor. Luna’s horn lit up, pre-empting anything Twilight might try if the night princesses’ healing had reversed the corruption, but to both Luna’s and Starbright’s surprise, Twilight prostrated herself in front of him, with the same respect she’d previously afforded only Celestia herself. Luna shot him a sideways look, and he shrugged.
 
“I really did overdo it,” he said.
 
“What is your command, master?” asked Twilight from the floor, head bowed almost to the wood.
 
Luna sighed, extinguishing her prepared magic. At least this was better than having to subdue her.
 
“Firstly,” said Star, “no more of that ‘master’ and bowing nonsense. Especially in public. Address me as you would before I recruited you. And secondly, I need your advice.”
 
Twilight raised her head. “Advice?”
 

***


 

As much as it pains me to admit it, I should have handled Spike better. When Luna reprimanded me about not corrupting him earlier, she was right. I avoided it because I wanted to focus on the bearers, and unfortunately that strategy had proved less than effective. It wouldn’t have taken more than a couple of days to break Spike’s will, and I had the relative safety of the library to do it in. But there was so little time. If Celestia got the slightest inkling something was off then that was the end of it.
 
And Luna had saved me. I thought her usefulness would probably extend beyond the dissolution of Irdu, and she’d proven that. I should stress that she was in no way under my command. It was merely her own anger towards Celestia that fuelled our alliance, and understandably so. To be banished for a thousand years is something I could painfully relate to. The problem with longevity and relative immortality is that the only way to truly defeat a foe is to imprison them, and that was something Celestia was very fond of doing. In many respects, we’d done Irdu a favour. If he was smart, he could live free for the rest of his days, though I’m sure you’ve realised that’s not really his method of dealing with things.
 
The problem with imprisonment is that inevitably we gain our freedom. And if you then allow those escapees around yourself, as Celestia had done with Luna and I, your reign is going to be very short lived indeed.
 

***


 

The warm light against Spike’s scales stirred him from sleep. The small hollow he’d found to bed down in was filthy, but dry, and that had been enough for him. He yawned, and as he did so he noticed the dark red on his claws. Star’s blood.
 
Spike wouldn’t deny the vindictive happiness that sight gave him. That bastard deserved everything he got, and more. Spike had no idea if Twilight would ever recover now, though; it depended on what exactly Starbright had done to her. With a heavy heart he made his way back to Ponyville.
 
The small houses on the edge of town were a welcoming sight after the chaos of last night. Spike was making his way between them, down an alley, when he spotted a rainbow coloured mane on the street. There was only one pony it could belong to, and Spike hurried towards the pegasus, when a very familiar purple alicorn alighted next to her. He immediately shrank back. Spike didn’t know why, he should have rushed to see her, but something in the back of his mind told him to wait. To hide behind something and watch. That unexplained feeling ended up saving him.
 
“I still can’t believe it,” said Dash, turning to Twilight. “I mean, he’s so… innocent.”
 
“It’s not Spike, though,” she replied. “It’s whatever’s possessed him we’re worried about.”
 
Spike pressed himself further into the side alley he’d hidden in. What the hell were they talking about?
 
“Yeah, but Spike? Really? Why would a demon even bother with him? Why not go for someone with a bit more… muscle? Upper body strength?”
 
“Doesn’t that make it the perfect disguise?” asked Twilight. “I mean, did you suspect Spike before we told you?”
 
“I guess not. Jeez, I saw him just the other day, too.”
 
“How do you think I feel? He’s been with me at the library pretty much all week.”
 
“Yeah, you had a lucky escape there, huh? And I guess that’s one bright side to this.”
 
“Me not being possessed?”
 
“No, I meant getting you out of the library. We… uh…” Rainbow rubbed her mane in embarrassment. “We missed you.”
 
Twilight blushed as Dash peered into the alley, pretending to ignore what she’d just said. She couldn’t see the dragon, hidden behind a wall.
 
“Hey,” said Dash. “Did you see how Rarity and Fluttershy were acting earlier?”
 
 Twilight frowned. “No?”
 
“Fluttershy kept staring daggers at her. Rarity was trying to ignore it, but you could tell she noticed. No one else even seemed to spot it, or if they did they didn’t care. Wonder what’s up with that.”
 
“No idea,” said Twilight. “I imagine it’s just some petty argument; I’m sure they’ll sort it out.”
 
“Yeah, you’re probably right.” Dash’s ears suddenly perked up. “Hey, did you hear that?”
 
“What?”
 
“Down there.” Dash pointed a hoof down the alley. “There’s something down there.”
 
Spike scowled at the can he’d kicked while shifting position.
 
“Can’t hurt to check it out, right?” Dash started down between the buildings, and Spike was running out of options. The side passage he was hiding in ended in a brick wall; there was no escape there. Closer and closer she drew, and Spike closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable shout as she found him.
 
“Agh!” yelled the pegasus.
 
“What!?”
 
Rainbow Dash chuckled nervously. “It’s just a rat. We’re good.”
 
“Alright, let’s keep going.”
 
The pair moved off and Spike sighed in relief, looking down at the squeaking bundle of fur by his feet.
 
“Thanks little buddy,” he whispered. “I’m pretty sure you just saved my life.”
 
The rat eyed him inquisitively before scampering away. With its departure, Spike was left to dwell on these latest revelations. Starbright had escaped, and somehow he’d defeated Luna. Everyone now thought he was a demon, and were trying to catch him to bring him to Starbright. Twilight was back, but was either corrupted or had fallen for Star’s ploy. And Spike had no idea what the hell he was going to do about it.
 

***

 
“Well?” Luna raised an eyebrow as Star entered the library.
 
“Hook, line and sinker. It helps that half of them are already devoted to our cause. What are you going to do about Celestia?”
 
“She doesn’t have to know anything about this, and she won’t. And this time try to keep it that way, will you?”
 
Star nodded solemnly. “This won’t happen again. And with the six of them scouring Ponyville, we’ll find Spike before long.”
 
Luna smiled, her icy expression melting into innocence. “This is really happening, isn’t it? We’re actually doing this.”
 
“You’re just realising this now?”
 
“No, well… It’s just setting in. We’re past the point of no return.”
 
“We are,” said Star. “Though I still wonder why you were so eager to join me.”
 
Luna laughed humourlessly. “Please. I’m supposedly one of the two ruling princesses, and yet even Twilight has more power than I do. If anything, I’m little more than an advisor to my sister, and it’s not as though she listens to me. Why do you think I rebelled originally?”
 
Starbright shrugged. “Sisters fight. I was a little preoccupied at the time.”
 
“Sisters may indeed fight. Sisters don’t often imprison the other for a millennium.”
 
“No, I grant you that your relationship with Celestia is somewhat… unique in that regard. But you shouldn’t hold on to the past. That anger will cause mistakes.”
 
The princess snorted. “Coming from you? Forgive me if I don’t think that means much.”
 
“There’s one big difference between my revenge and yours, Luna.”
 
“Which is?”
 
Starbright grinned at her, a dangerous glint in his eyes. “I’m enjoying it.”
 

***

“Hold on there, Spike, we ain’t gonna hurt ya!”
 
“Yeah, right” thought Spike, trying to control his breathing while running as fast as his little legs could carry him. Applejack’s lasso landed in the dust next to him, and he quickly sidestepped to stay as clear from it as possible. He could hear the farm pony curse loudly behind him as the rope came back empty. Pinkie zoomed past her, although her grasp on the situation was minimal at best.
 
“Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!”
 
“Pinkie! Y’all ain’t helpin’!”
 
“Well sorry. Gee, spoilsport.”
 
“Do ya even know why we’re trying to catch him? Were ya even listening to Star?”
 
“I was, at first. But then it started to get boring, so I was thinking about parties and fun stuff to try and keep myself from getting bored, and I must have missed the part where we had to play tag with Spike because…”
 
“Never mind, jus’ keep outta my way!” Applejack lowered her head and increased her speed.
 
When Spike glanced back and saw how much the pair was gaining on him he realised he needed to change tactic in order to escape. He’d been stupid in getting spotted in the first place, trying to sneak around the edges of Ponyville. He didn’t even know where he’d been going, he was just trying to find someone, anyone, that could help. Spike had proved that letters to the princess didn’t help; he had to try to find a way to get to Celestia personally. And then Applejack had seen him and everything had gone to hell.
 
“Ah’m tryin’ to help you Spike!”
 
“I know he got to you!” Spike yelled back.
 
Applejack gritted her teeth and kept silent.
 
“Who was Spike talking about?” asked Pinkie, bounding along next to her seemingly effortlessly. The farm pony didn’t reply.
 
Spike suddenly changed direction, tearing towards the thick trees of the Everfree forest. He was cutting it dangerously close, he knew. He could hear their hooves stamping the ground behind him, closer and closer. He could hear Applejack’s breath, quick but still strong and still ready to tackle him if she got just a little closer. Her hooves left the ground as she threw herself at him, but Spike nipped between the trees and into the coarse thickets just in time. Applejack fell short, landing in the bushes and tangling herself up completely. She looked up as Spike disappeared into the forest.
 
“So… did we lose?” asked Pinkie, watching her struggle free.
 
Applejack sighed, pulling the thorns out of her coat. “Yep, ah think we did.”
 

***


 

Starbright yanked on a barb. To Applejack’s credit, she barely winced. The library was dark, lit by a single candle. Rarity sat examining her hooves while Star tended to Applejack. Twilight was still out searching.
 
“Yes,” he said, “it could be worse. At least we know where he is. And how big can this forest be anyway?”
 
Applejack and Rarity gave each other a nervous glance.
 
“That big?” Starbright gently caressed Applejack’s now well-groomed back.  “And it’s dangerous?”
 
“Surely ya remember when we were last in there?”
 
Starbright beamed. “Then this is perfect! It’s most likely the situation with Spike will simply resolve itself. We keep up the idea that Spike is possessed and I can safely stay here until we’re ready. But we need somepony to make sure he doesn’t manage to get out.”
 
“Like a sentry?” asked Rarity.
 
“Exactly. Someone who can cover a large perimeter quickly. A pegasus.”
 
Applejack retrieved her hat and pressed it back on her head. Immediately she felt more comfortable. “What about Twilight?”
 
Star shook his head. “Too conspicuous. I’ll need to recruit someone else. Rarity, did you manage to reconcile with Fluttershy?”
 
“Hardly. She barely looked at me the entire time.”
 
Starbright had put them together in the vain hope that Rarity would be able to make some headway in improving Fluttershy’s attitude towards Star. He didn’t really expect a result there, so this outcome was unsurprising.
 
“She’s not the strongest of fliers, either,” said Applejack.
 
“Then Rainbow Dash it is,” replied Star. “As for you two, just be ready if I need you. Keep up appearances for the time being.”
 
The pair nodded.
 
“And if Spike escapes the forest in the meantime?” asked Rarity.
 
“If it’s as big as you say it is, that’s not an immediate possibility. He knows better than to come back to Ponyville, so he’ll probably be trying to get to Canterlot. I’ll have Rainbow Dash wait the other side when she’s ready.” Starbright ran a hoof through his mane. “Though with any luck, Spike won’t be leaving the forest at all.”

 


***

 
Every time a twig snapped underfoot, every time the wind rustled through the leaves, Spike jumped. You’d think he’d get used to it eventually, but he never did. It didn’t help that he was entirely lost, though that was probably to be expected; the Everfree forest was a maze even to those most acquainted with its twisting paths.
 
Between the trees, Spike could see the hunched over shapes following him. He didn’t know what they were, but they’d been chasing him for the last hour or so. They seemed to have actually grown in number, but Spike couldn’t be sure that wasn’t just paranoia. Either way, they hadn’t shown any signs of aggression. Not yet.
 
But as the day turned to night, and the forest darkened, the shadows drew closer. It was obvious they’d been waiting for that, for the perfect time to gather around him. Spike grew more and more agitated as they circled him, eventually breaking into a run. But it didn’t save him from the slow transition to night. The unknown creatures kept pace easily, and Spike was already numb from fatigue. Eventually he tripped, landing in the leaves. He’d given up, he just wanted it all to end. And end it did, though not in the way he was expecting.
 
The shadows flocked around him, ready to feast, when a torch flared in the darkness. Screeches and shrieks rose up as the denizens of the forest recoiled, disappearing into the woods.
 
“And just who is it that we have here? Young Spike, alone and cowering in fear?”
 
Spike felt himself pulled to his feet, face to face with the zebra that had saved him.
 
“Zecora?!” he gasped.
 
“You don’t have to react with such surprise; I’m not the one that’s a sight for sore eyes.” Zecora gave him a kind smile. “It’s a wonder I found you out here at all, the forest is no place for one so small.”
 
“Zecora, I need your help!”
 
“That at least is plain to see. Alright, little dragon, come home with me.”
 
“But…”
 
“After I’ve made sure you’re well, only then do you have a story to tell.”
 
Relieved simply to have found someone not trying to chase him, Spike wordlessly followed Zecora as she led the way back to her hut.
 

***

 
Fire. Black obsidian. Anarchy. Celestia’s face glowed orange, illuminated by the magic orb in front of her that displayed the dreadful landscape. Her face was drawn, a deep frown carved into her features. She barely glanced at her sister as she opened the door.
 
“You really ought to stop looking at that thing Tia, it just worries you.”
 
Luna’s indifference immediately annoyed Celestia, as she knew it would.
 
“I have to remind myself what will happen if we fail,” said Celestia, still unable to tear herself away from the orb. “I have to remind myself what Equestria was like when the demons ruled.”
 
“Sounds terribly boring.”
 
Celestia’s horn flashed and the orb dissipated, small sparkles floating slowly to the floor. “How was your excursion to Ponyville?”
 
For once, Luna looked surprised. “I… You knew I went?”
 
“I knew you’d gone somewhere. I had a hunch, and you’ve confirmed it.”
 
“You’re too smart for your own good,” said Luna.
 
“And what did you learn there?”
 
“Nothing much, unfortunately. He’s still tracking it down.”
 
“I hope the trip sated your curiosity. I don’t want you visiting there again until we know where Irdu is.”
 
Luna scowled. “You don’t control me.”
 
“Fine, I advise you not to visit again. The risks are too great.”
 
“You don’t think I can handle myself.”
 
“That’s not what I said.” Celestia rested a hoof on her sister’s shoulder, but Luna shied away from the contact. “I’m not going either. We can’t afford to be taken by surprise.”
 
“You always let your fear get the better of you,” snapped Luna.
 
“Your past recklessness has done far more damage than I ever have.”
 
Celestia immediately regretted her retort. Her sister never could take criticism, and the hurt in Luna’s eyes showed that she’d said too much. Without a word, Luna spun on her hooves and stormed out the room. Celestia wanted to follow her, to apologise, to say something, but she didn’t trust herself not to get angry with her again. Better to let Luna stew for a while, cool her head. Then she could apologise properly. Head bowed, her horn lit up, and the orb began to materialise once more.
 
Outside in the corridor, Luna was furious. How dare she? Why did Celestia always treat her as inferior? It was as if Luna was the only one capable of making mistakes, and the only one culpable for them when they arose. Did Tia not realise she’d been spending hours lost in that damn ball rather than actually doing anything?  She was too cautious.
 
What Luna would never admit, and especially not to Starbright, is that this whole thing had been a test. A test Luna had set up for Celestia. She wanted to give her sister one final chance to prove that she valued Luna as an equal. But Celestia had made it clear which side she was on: her own, as usual.
 
Well Tia, thought Luna, soon you’ll see that you should have listened to me. That I wasn’t to just be cast aside. That I’m not worthless. It was too late for Celestia to redeem herself now. She’d dismissed her sister too many times. Now it was Luna’s chance to show her that she deserved respect; the same respect she’d had in the past. And it was going to be wonderful.
 

***


 

Rainbow looked over at the earth pony beside her, his brown coat glossy in the sun. The street was lively for this early in the morning, considering most of the shops had only just opened. Privately, Dash thought this was a bit of a waste of time. It wasn’t likely that Spike would be hanging around Ponyville anymore, not after all that had happened. “What’s in this for you?” she asked.
 
“I’m sorry?”
 
“Why are you here? Ponies always have a reason.”
 
“I’m not sure I follow,” said Star. “Isn’t stopping the destruction of the world good enough?”
 
“Pfft.” Dash blew the hair out of her eyes. “I don’t get the ‘hero’ vibe from you. There’s gotta be something else that’s brought you out here.”
 
“I won’t deny Celestia promised me a large monetary incentive…”
 
“Nah, that’s not it either.”
 
“Oh?”
 
“You wanna know what I think?” asked Dash.
 
“I’m sure you’re going to tell me.”
 
“I think,” said Dash, ignoring his remark, “that you’re doing this because you love outsmarting ponies. And demons. You love proving you’re better than them.”
 
Starbright laughed in surprise. “You’re pretty sharp.”
 
“Eh, it was easy enough to figure out. I’m the same.” Dash floated beside him, lying on her back, seemingly defying gravity with lazy wing strokes. “I mean, I do it by just being generally awesome, but smarts are something, I guess. You’ve got nothing on Twilight though.”
 
Star thought back to the docile alicorn he’d shared his bed with last night. How she’d called him master, ready to serve him in any way he asked. “I’m sure,” he said.
 
“I’m serious,” insisted Dash. “No offense, but I wouldn’t have believed you about Spike if Twilight wasn’t backing you up.”
 
“I know it’s rather a lot to take in, but remember it’s not Spike we’re chasing, not really. He’s just an unfortunate victim in all this,” he said.
 
“Well, yeah. Spike’s hardly dangerous.”
 
Starbright glanced at the silvery scars on his leg, almost invisible under his hair, the only damage that Luna hadn’t been able to heal. Bite marks. An uncomfortable silence stretched out between them as other ponies wandered unconcernedly by.
 
“Hey, so-” began Dash.
“About the-” said Star, simultaneously.
 
Damn it. Starbright couldn’t help but be terribly aware of the lack of chemistry between him and Rainbow, at least compared to the other bearers. Perhaps he’d unwittingly saved the more difficult ponies until last. Fluttershy was certainly going to be a challenge.
 
“I just wanted to talk about the other day,” said Rainbow. “That’s… That’s not me.”
 
“What isn’t you?”
 
“Don’t act stupid. The drinking. It was just a mistake. A once-off.”
 
Star shrugged. “It’s not really any of my business.”
 
Rainbow dropped to the floor, confused. “Wait, you’re not going to ask about it?”
 
“Did you expect me to?”
 
“Well, yeah, actually. Most everyone does.”
 
“If you don’t want to talk about it, I can’t make you,” said Star. “After all, we barely know each other, and if you’re not going to tell your closest friends, you’re not going to tell me.”
 
Dash sighed. “You’ve been talking to Rarity, then?”
 
“As I said, it’s none of my business.”
 
“So you’re really not going to ask?”
 
“If you keep this up, I might have to.” Star grinned at her.
 
“Aha, funny.”
 
“I don’t see you laughing.” Starbright forged ahead, forcing Rainbow to trot to catch up.
 
“Hey, so what’s the deal with Twilight?” she asked. “You know, her holing up in the library all this time.”
 
“For someone who’s so desperate to keep their matters private, you really don’t have a problem with sticking your nose in other’s affairs.”
 
“I’m just asking!” protested Dash. “And… I just wanted to say thanks, for whatever you did.”
 
“I wasn’t aware I’d done anything.”
 
“I haven’t seen her for ages, but the last time I did she was completely out of it. Like she was somewhere else… it was weird. But now, even though everything’s kinda screwed, she looks so much better. I dunno, if you look at her, her eyes are happier now. It’s like they have this… glow.”
 
Star stopped in his tracks. “Her eyes are glowing?”
 
“Not literally. That’d be pretty strange.”
 
Star breathed out in relief. Unfortunately, Rainbow noticed.
 
“You alright?” she asked.
 
“Hm? Oh, yeah, I’m fine. Sorry, I zoned out.”
 
“Hey, no worries. I guess you got a lot on your mind, huh?”
 
Star nodded.
 
“Tell you what you need,” said Dash. “A drink. I know a great little place, nice and quiet. We could shoot down there after we’re done searching.”
 
“Are you sure that’s such a good idea?”
 
She chuckled. “I told you, it was a one off. And besides, I’ll have you there, right? Stop me if I start going overboard. Come on, first round’s on me.”
 
“Alright, you’ve got a deal.”
 

***

 
“You weren’t kidding when you said this place was quiet,” said Starbright. The bar was virtually empty, save for a couple of grizzled ponies at the counter, surrounded by a low haze of cigarette smoke. There was no music; the jukebox in the corner had evidently been out of order for some time, judging by the sizeable hole in the front where somepony had put a hoof through it.
 
“Yep, just the way I like it. You should see it late in the evenings though, totally crazy. Vinyl does a wicked set in here sometimes, it’s awesome.”
 
“I’ll bet.” Starbright had no idea who ‘Vinyl’ was, or why their sets were so wicked. He doubted if he’d enjoy it.
 
“I suppose it’s probably not your kind of deal,” said Rainbow, picking up on his lack of enthusiasm. “So come on then, what do you normally do to unwind?”
 
“To unwind?”
 
“You know, chill? Kick back? Jeez, you’re not easy to talk to, are you?”
 
Star said nothing, focusing on a point behind her.
 
“Hey, Star!” She waved a hoof in front of his face. “You there?”
 
“Huh? Oh, yeah, sorry. I…” Starbright’s eyes drifted back to over her shoulder. “Say, do you know that pony?”
 
“Whi- oh shit!” Dash spun back around and covered her face with a hoof, leaving Starbright to wonder if she honestly thought that would help. It wasn’t as though her mane was inconspicuous.
 
“Not a friend of yours, I take it?” he asked.
 
“Is… is he coming over?”
 
“No, just watching. Should he be?”
 
Dash whimpered a little. “This is bad, this is really bad.”
 
“Who is he?”
 
“Well, the other day, when I was…”
 
“Yes?”
 
“I have to fund that somehow, and I’m a crack shot at pool. I may have downplayed my abilities a little until there was some serious money on the table.”
 
Starbright sighed. “How much did you take him for?”
 
“Not much.”
 
“And how much is ‘not much’?”
 
Rainbow mumbled a figure.
 
“Didn’t quite catch that,” said Star.
 
“A couple of hundred.”
 
“Okay, that’s… quite a lot. I imagine he didn’t take too kindly to that.”
 
“I guess not. Is he still looking?” she asked.
 
Behind her, a voice spoke: “Yeah. I am.”
 
Dash winced, turning slowly to face the pony behind her. “H-hey… buddy… How’s it going?” There was an uncharacteristic waver in her voice. Not fear, she wasn’t scared of the guy, more an intense regret.
 
The stallion in question was a well-built earth pony, looming over her. “You vanished pretty quickly the other night,” he rumbled. “Didn’t even get to offer you a rematch.”
 
“Oh… yeah… Um, sorry about that. Had to jet.”
 
The pony nodded at Starbright. “Who’s your friend?”
 
“Just a friend, y’know. Staying in town for a few weeks, and…”
 
He interrupted her stammering. “I don’t appreciate being messed around, Dash. You played me the other night, and I want my money back.”
 
Rainbow shook her head indignantly. “I won it fair and square. It’s not my fault you couldn’t beat me, trying to take advantage of a drunk mare that could barely hold the cue the right way round. Call it instant karma.”
 
The corners of the pony’s mouth twitched. “I’ll call it what it was: a fucking scam.”
 
“Even if it was,” said Starbright, finally entering the conversation, “the fact remains you were only caught out because you tried to take Dash for everything she had. You have no one to blame but yourself.”
 
The earth pony’s head snapped round. “And who the hell do you think you are?”
 
Dash jumped to her feet, stepping between them before the situation got out of hand. Even though she was a fair bit smaller than the belligerent stallion, he stepped back a little.
 
“Walk away,” she said, a hard edge to her voice. “You’re not getting anything back; I spent it all anyway. So get out of here before we end up doing something both of us will regret.”
 
The stallion considered for a moment. Perhaps if Dash had been alone, he might have felt a bit more confident. Starbright wasn’t exactly a heavyweight, it was still two against one. “Bitch.” And with that he turned away, back to the counter to order a particularly heavy drink.
 
“He seems nice,” commented Starbright. “When’s the wedding?”
 
“Don’t do that,” said Dash, quietly.
 
“I suppose it was in poor taste…”
 
“I didn’t mean the joke. I meant back there, you jumping in. I don’t need you to fight my battles for me; I can handle myself. Probably better than you can.”
 
“I didn’t mean to-”
 
“Whatever,” said Rainbow, interrupting him. “I like standing up for myself, and I don’t want ponies feeling the need to come to my rescue. I… I need to take care of myself. To show I can handle it.”
 
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have-”
 
“No. Don’t apologise. It’s normal, I get that. But I’m different. I’ve always had to prove myself, y’know? Dunno why, Twilight says it’s ‘innate’, whatever that means. Like, when you stepped in there, immediately that guy changed focus to you. But really, who do you think would actually be the most threatening? So I can’t have ponies thinking I don’t stick up for myself, or they’ll start saying I’m a coward, or that I’m weak.” She paused. “And I’m not,” she finished lamely, before downing her cider. “Be right back.”
 
Dash stood and headed towards the toilets at the back of the bar. After ordering a couple more drinks at the bar, Star rummaged around in his satchel, pulling out a light blue mixture. With a cursory glance at the bar patrons and satisfied that none of them were watching, Starbright emptied the bottle into Dash’s drink. He dropped it back into his bag, where it landed with a soft clink, the label facing upwards.
 
Insecurity.
 

***

The inside of Zecora’s hut was small but comfortable. Glass jars lined the shelves, strange and unidentifiable things suspended in various mixtures. Hung up on hooks were wooden masks, faces carved and painted onto each one. In the centre of the room was Zecora’s cauldron, the thick fluid inside glowing a bright acid-green. Against the far wall was a wooden bench, a large object on top of it covered up by a sheet. It moved slightly as Spike got near, and when he went to lift up the corner of the covering, Zecora smacked his claw away with a hoof.
 
“Do not concern yourself with that,” she said. “Remember, curiosity killed the cat.”
 
She pulled him over a chair, and planted him into it.
 
“Now, what brought you out into this wood? I highly doubt it was anything good.”
 
Spike told her everything. Starbright’s arrival, Twilight’s sleep, finding the cracked elements, his confrontation with Star, how he’d escaped, Twilight’s recovery, and that he was being chased by the bearers, whether they were corrupted or not. He told her of his escape into the forest, right up until Zecora found him. He didn’t know how he’d expected her to react; disbelief, most likely. Perhaps anger, thinking he was lying. Or even for her to laugh at him, assuming he’d just made up his outlandish story, but she did none of those. Instead, she waited with patient understanding as he explained. She didn’t even show surprise, if she felt it, and that was exactly what Spike needed; someone to understand and believe him.
 
“That is indeed a disturbing tale. We cannot let the elements fail.”
 
“So… so you believe me?” Spike couldn’t quite allow himself to feel hope. Not just yet.
 
“I have reasons to believe what you say is true. The question right now is: what can we do?”
 
“It’s easy,” said Spike. Zecora shot him a questioning look. “We just have to get rid of Starbright.”
 
The zebra laughed. “And what exactly do you propose? Do you think you could enter Ponyville right under Star’s nose?”
 
“We have to do something! How can you be so calm about this?!”
 
“If we rush we may waste our only chance. Instead we should prepare a plan in advance.”
 
“Okay, so what now?”
 
“I believe I know a way to end this blight. For now, I suggest you stay the night.”
 
“Stay the night?!” yelled Spike. “We can’t wait, or he’ll win.”
 
“Do not fret Spike, we have time to spare. The bearers of the elements aren’t going anywhere.” She pointed to a small pile of cushions, clearly intended for him to sleep on. Spike couldn’t resist one last question.
 
“Zecora… Do you know what Starbright is?”
 
She sighed. “I have my suspicions, but I cannot say; Celestia’s rule caused plenty to stray. There are many beings that live in the dark, and the deep. Don’t waste your time worrying now, just try and sleep.”
 

***


 

Rainbow pressed Starbright against the wall, and her lips against his with such immediacy their teeth bumped lightly against each other. The moon shone brightly, but its light barely touched the street, and even if somebody had been out that late, no one would have seen them in the shadows.
 
Their kiss became more forceful, Rainbow Dash pushing herself up against him, her body intertwined with his. Starbright wasn’t used to standing on hind legs, and so he was grateful of the wall to rest his weight on. Not that he had much choice, Rainbow was holding him up as much as the wall was. Their hooves caressed each other; not gently, but with that fiery passion that pure lust inspires, roaming over curves with intense commitment, feeling every inch they could. And eventually tiring of adventuring across the more mundane areas, they both traced their way around to the front, to the far more interesting (and relevant) places. But as Star’s hoof drifted lower, Rainbow pushed herself away, breaking the kiss and stepping back.
 
“No,” she whispered.
 
Star panted slightly, such was the ferocity they’d been entwined at. “No?”
 
“No.” She shook her head. “It’s not… we can’t.”
 
Without waiting for a response, she turned and shot into the air, away between the clouds, leaving Starbright both confused and thoroughly unsatisfied.
 

***


 

My head may have been slightly lightened by the cider, but not enough for me to lose my judgement to any serious degree. I’d watched Rainbow drink the potion, there was no chance it hadn’t been affecting her. Her actions towards me were proof enough, which of course resulted in only one possible answer.
 
I’d done exactly what I said I wouldn’t. I’d rushed, and made a mistake.
 
Insecurity was a weakness, but not the weakness. Not the one that Rainbow Dash was most fearful of, not the one that controlled her, the one that occupied her every waking thought. That was something else, and at the time I thought I’d just ruined any chance of finding it.
 

***


 

Clouds can mean a lot of things. To some, they’re nothing more than random swirls in the sky, not even worth a glance. To others, they make shapes, but only because you’re looking for them. And to a rare few, the shapes are meaningful, some sort of preordination. Any pegasus could tell you it was a ridiculous notion, cloud structure was one of the most important lessons a fledgling learnt, and there was no part of them that “told the future”, but how can you explain that to an earth pony who has lived their life by the clouds?
 
To Rainbow Dash, clouds meant one thing and one thing only. Home. Even excluding Cloudsdale itself, they served as an escape. They were a known quantity, she knew how they worked, she had an affinity for them, and flight in general. She was the youngest of her class to start flying, and ever since then she’d sought to keep that advantage up, becoming the youngest pony to ever qualify from the Wonderbolts academy.
 
Unfortunately, being quite so advanced had its disadvantages as well. The most notable was the age requirement for the Wonderbolts. Obviously designed to keep inexperienced fliers from applying, it made no difference that Rainbow had proved herself more than capable. It was simply “how things were done”.
 
And so Dash kept her dead end job on the weather patrol, with no prospects or future, because she knew that as soon as possible, that spot on the Wonderbolts would be hers, no matter what.
 
Unlike the future, clouds could be anticipated. They could be controlled to some extent, but even where they couldn’t they were at least understood. They worked. The future was far less precise. She’d proven her worth over and over again, saving the Wonderbolts at the young flier’s competition, graduating from the academy with the best score ever seen, and yet she was still held back. There was always one more obstacle, one more arbitrary hoop to jump through. Clouds made sense, and all of that meant that her home in Cloudsdale was one of her favourite places in the world. The huge amount of snack foods in the fridge didn’t hurt either.
 
She did feel bad about Starbright. She knew he probably deserved an explanation, and Dash regretted leading him on like that. It wasn’t intentional; Rainbow hated the teases she’d been acquainted with so often. She preferred everything to be clear, in the open. But there was no way she could tell Starbright why she’d run, how would she even begin to explain it? She could just blame the cider, tell him she’d drunk too much the next time she saw him. With any luck they’d find Spike soon enough. Then Star could leave and she’d be able to put the whole thing behind her.
 
She was ready to spend the night wallowing on the sofa watching awful late night TV, when the knock came. It was late, far too late for anypony to be visiting her, and yet there it was again, more urgent this time and it didn’t stop, a barrage of unceasing sound that was becoming more and more frantic.
 
“Fine!” Dash yelled. “I’m coming, stop with the knocking already!”
 
Dash slammed the bolt back and threw the door open, a gesture that probably would have had more effect were it, and the wall it collided with, not made entirely out of soft, fluffy cloud. She was more than ready to give her late caller a piece of her mind, but the tirade died in her throat as Dash was presented with a rather nervous looking Starbright.

“What are… How… Huh?” Rainbow’s confusion somewhat hampered her ability to form coherent sentences.
 
“Twilight. Hot Air Balloon. Cloudwalking spell.” Starbright rattled through the answers, getting through them as quickly as he could with a wild look in his eyes. “Please can I come in? It’s both freezing and very, very high up.”
 
Speechless, Dash let him in, where he visibly relaxed. Sure, he was technically still in the same position he’d been in a few minutes before, but at least now he could PRETEND he wasn’t miles above the hard, unforgiving ground that would smash him to a pulp if he were to fall.
Don’t think about that; whatever you do stop thinking about that.
 
“Okay, I get the how,” said Dash, “but why are you all the way up here? I’m sorry about the bar thing, but I made it pretty clear that-”
 
“I know, but you were obviously upset and I’d hoped to talk about it. Purely platonically, of course.”
 
“Pla-whatnow?”
 
“Platonically. Not… intimate.”
 
“Oh!” Dash’s cheeks reddened. “Yeah, alright. Can I get you a drink or something? I think I have a couple of beers.”
 
“Don’t you think a clear head would be better?”
 
She shrugged. “Probably. I’m gonna grab something to eat at least.” Leaving Star alone, she vanished into the kitchen, various rummaging sounds making their way out to him. Rainbow clearly didn’t care much for housekeeping, old food packets and empty glasses lay everywhere. Starbright didn’t mind the disorganised mess; in some ways it was comforting.
 
Can you hear me? A voice in Star’s head.
 
Yes, thought Star. Was there really no other way to do this? It feels horribly… impersonal.
 
I know, responded Twilight. But a mind link spell was the only way you could be subtle about it, unless you wanted to bring all those fragile bottles up into the sky.
 
If the cloudwalking spell wears off, I have a feeling that smashing bottles will be the least of my worries. I mostly didn’t want to make Rainbow Dash suspicious; this is going to be hard enough as it is. Just be ready when I need it. You’ll probably have to be quick.
 
Not a problem.
 
Ugh. Starbright reeled as Twilight broke the connection. He hadn’t expected it to feel so unpleasant. Like something was slithering around in his mind. He wondered if it was as bad for Twilight as it had been for him.
 
“Hey, you want some of these?” asked Dash.
 
She held out a bowl of potato chips, which Star waved away, before dropping onto the sofa beside him.
 
“I appreciate you coming up here, but I think you might have wasted a trip. I don’t want to talk about it.”
 
Starbright shrugged. “Then don’t.”
 
“Huh?”
 
“You either want to talk about it or you don’t. And I’m not going to make you do something you don’t want to, but I couldn’t leave it the way you tried to. You’d probably just blame it on the drink.”
 
Rainbow winced.

“Yeah, I thought so,” said Star. “But there’s clearly something deeper there. If you’re not going to tell me what it is, then okay, but it’s something you need to get off your chest. I’m here to listen if you want. If not, I’ll leave right now.”
 
Rainbow was stunned, and not for the first time. Starbright had a sincerity in his statements that she hadn’t seen for a long time. It was one of the reasons she’d never told her friends. Especially Rarity. Rarity had asked a lot, but every time there had been that hint of regret. As if she was really hoping that Dash would once again shake off her question. Eventually it had become little more than a ritual between them; Rarity half-heartedly asking, purely to hear the “no” that Dash was expected to give. Sometimes Rainbow had toyed with the idea of actually talking about it, just to see the look on Rarity’s face when she said “Okay”. But it wasn’t worth it, not if the unicorn didn’t care about what she had to say. She just viewed it as her duty, and that was that.
 
Star though, he really did care, for some reason. She had no idea why, as far as he was concerned she was just a pony that might be targeted by a demon. But now they knew where the demon was, so that didn’t make sense any more either. Another possibility was that he was just in it for a quick lay, and thought that trying to connect with her would get him there. She’d dealt with those types before. But that didn’t fit with Star’s character, and he’d insisted he was only here to talk. She realised she’d been silent for quite some time, digesting all that.
 
“Okay,” she mumbled, unsure even herself. Star just waited for her to carry on, not rushing her. “I don’t know how much you know about me, but I’m a great flier. I’m not boasting there, it’s just something I’m good at. Always have been. It’d be like you saying you’re pretty clever. It’s not a boast, it just… is. And I knew it, even when I was younger. A filly, even. I was always the first to manage something new if it was to do with flying; I even made a Sonic Rainboom, something that hadn’t been done for so long people thought it was like an urban legend. Do you know what it’s like to be truly good at something, Star? To be so good at it, and for it to be such a big part of you, that you can’t imagine what you’d be like without it?”
 
“Yes.”
 
She laughed. “Then you know that I had to keep going with it. I couldn’t just stop flying when I got older. You know the Wonderbolts?”
 
Starbright nodded.
 
“Well, that’s the dream, and it always has been. It’s the highest point of flying. The top of the heap, only the best of the best.”
 
“Seems you’ll fit right in.”
 
“You’d think so, wouldn’t you? The thing is they seem to be trying to keep me out of it. Every time I get closer to it there’s some other thing getting in the way. I’ve done so much, far more than anypony has done before, and I’m still not in. I’ve gone through the academy with some of the best scores they ever recorded, better than any of the current Wonderbolts, and yet they still haven’t even shown the slightest bit of interest. What more can I do?”
 
“So what’s stopping you now?”
 
“I’m too young, supposedly, which doesn’t make any sense because I’ve proven I’m good enough.”
 
“Is that why you’ve been drinking?”
 
“Pretty much. Occasionally it gets to me that I’m stuck with a terrible job and maybe I won’t ever get out of it. That maybe this is all I have for pretty much the rest of my life. So yeah, sometimes I end up going out to drink and forget about all this crap.” She shrugged. “But it’s not like there’s much I can do about it. I just have to keep on going, even though I don’t think I’ll ever make it. There’ll always be one more thing I haven’t done.” She stood and stretched. “I need a drink, badly. You sure you don’t want one?”
 
“No, I’m good.”
 
I was so close, thought Star as Dash headed back to the kitchen. So close and yet so far. Rainbow’s insecurities weren’t the cause, but the result. She was scared of showing failure, not because it was her weakness, but because in her mind she already had. She thought she was covering up for mistakes already made, when of course no such problems existed.
 
A brief line of thought to Twilight, and a bottle filled with clear fluid winked into existence next to him.
 
Inadequacy.
 
Having a subservient alicorn really did have its benefits. Star drenched the potato chips in the potion, before the bottle vanished once again, just as Rainbow returned with her half-drunk bottle. She crashed back down onto the sofa next to him, before grabbing the bowl.
 
“You know what I think?” asked Star.
 
“Mmph?” Rainbow mumbled through a mouthful of chips.
 
“I think you’re so concerned you’re going to fail that you can’t see any other outcome. I think you really are going to be a Wonderbolt one day, but if you keep thinking they don’t want you then you’re going to be holding yourself back, because you’re torn between feeling like you deserve it… knowing you deserve it, and feeling that you’ll never be good enough, when the fact is you already are. You pick up on every little negativity, while overlooking the huge positives. I mean, I don’t pretend to be a master of pegasus custom, but I know even getting in to the academy in the first place is hard enough. To do as well as you did pretty much ensured they’ll grab you the second they can, and they probably already would before you did that. It’s not the Wonderbolts that are stopping you; it’s your own fear of not being good enough.”
 
There was a long silence. “That… that was quite a speech,” said Dash.
 
“You said it yourself: I’m pretty clever.” Starbright grinned.
 
For a while, Dash didn’t break eye contact, biting her lip as she gauged Star’s honesty. Just before it started to become uncomfortable, she threw herself at him, sending the half empty bowl flying.
 
Rainbow had never been one for subtleties when it came to courtship. To her, ponies always seemed to skirt around the matter at hand, holding their cards close to their chest. “Screw that,” was her sentiment. Everyone wasted so much time when they could be busy enjoying themselves.
 
Funnily enough, “Screw that” was also her attitude in this particular situation, grinding herself against Star. He shifted underneath her, and Dash assumed he was trying to get more comfortable, but then he hooked his front legs around her rear and lifted her up. Like all pegasi, Rainbow was fairly light for her size, but it still took some strength to actually lift a whole pony.
 
“Impressive,” she murmured, running kisses up his neck. Star pushed her against the wall in a perfect opposite to the alley earlier. Her hoof idly stroked his already erect member while he rubbed against her nethers, teasing along the sensitive folds and occasionally moving up just enough to lightly tease her clit, sending a burst of sensation up through her body each time. His hoof turned slick against her wet and ready opening, his length pressing against her, hot and insistent.
 
She gasped as he entered her; she couldn’t help it. It had been a long time since she’d rutted a stallion, longer still since there had been such a fiery intensity to it. Star held her in place against the wall, both hooves now under Dash’s rump, holding her up while fucking her in short, quick motions. Her hindlegs were wrapped around his waist, forelegs around his neck, clinging against him as his thrusts penetrated deep inside of her.
 
Toys were great, and Rainbow had her fair share of them, but there was something an aroused stallion brought to the table that they could never replace. Passion, closeness, the feeling of a warm body against her. And Rainbow liked the idea of someone else taking pleasure from her. Vibrators were so… impersonal. There was no give-and-take, no satisfaction for anyone other than herself. She’d always enjoyed making somepony else orgasm; there was something incredibly satisfying about giving that to someone.
 
Which was all well and good, except Rainbow had never lasted long. She supposed that might be a problem were she a stallion, but as a mare all it meant was that sex was always great, for both her and whoever her partner happened to be at the time. One of Star’s hooves had moved round to lightly caress her clit as he pumped in and out, and Dash felt herself reaching her peak. She pulled him in closer as she came, panting in short breaths over his shoulder. Her walls tightened in pulses around his cock as she moaned in bliss.
 
She didn’t really know how they made it into the bedroom, such was the state she was in, but she didn’t blame Starbright for wanting a break. Their previous position couldn’t have been easy for him to hold, as great as it had been for her. Dash must have taken the lead at some point, because now she was on top, holding him down as he sunk into the soft cloud that made up her bed. Riding him, she was able to set the pace, and did so with great enthusiasm, rocking rapidly back and forth and drawing as much stimulation from Star as she could. Not that he wasn’t enjoying it; his grunts joining her moans in that unmistakeable sound of lust being sated.
 
It took a while for them to realise Starbright was sinking. Unfamiliar with the makeup of clouds, he though it must just be the way pegasi beds were made, and Rainbow was too preoccupied to notice, her eyes tightly shut. And then he fell through it, disappearing from sight, and Rainbow would have been hard pressed not to notice that.
 
Starbright flailed in panic as he fell from the sky, plummeting towards the earth. The spell had worn off, and after mentally cursing Twilight, he realised he only had one choice. In order to survive, he would have to cast off the shackles of this form, which would cripple his chance to succeed here. Star mentally prepared himself, but moments before destroying his illusion, a bolt of blue smashed into him, stopping his deadly descent.
 
“Damn Star, warn me if that’s about to happen next time, will you?” Rainbow laughed, her bright mane streaming behind her.
 
“I can assure you it wasn’t intentional…” replied Star, trying to keep the tremor out of his voice. He’d been very close to ending any chance whatsoever of corrupting the remaining bearers. If Rainbow had seen him change, there’s no telling what would have happened. Surely nothing good.
 
“Man, and I was so close too…” Dash gave him a sidelong look. “Hey, I’ve got an idea.”
 
He frowned, realising her intentions. “You can’t be serious.”
 
“Why not? Pegasi do it all the time! It’s meant to be awesome, like the ultimate height of excitement.”
 
“In case you hadn’t noticed, I don’t have wings. How would even work?”
 
“Simple.” Dash flipped in the air, so Star was lying on top of her, his weight fully supported. “My wings’ll hold us up; you just do your thing.”
 
“I don’t…”
 
“Stop being such a wimp Star. Get to it!”
 
Star gripped her tightly, positioning his hindquarters so he could reach her. Having sex miles above the ground while holding on for dear life was something he could safely say he never anticipated doing, but there was a first time for everything, he supposed.
 
Thanks to the brevity of his fall, he’d managed to stay hard from before, which Star was grateful for. He doubted he’d be able to start again from scratch this high up. After taking a second to adjust himself and trying as hard as possible not to look down, Starbright thrust forward, penetrating her again. It was certainly a novel experience, and not an unpleasant one. Every time Rainbow beat her wings, her inner walls tightened around him, relaxing when they fanned open again.
 
The night air rushed past them, and if it hadn’t been such a pleasant evening it most likely would have been bitterly cold. As it was, it only served to cool the joined pair as they flew. Dash had reached a sudden understanding as to why pegasi spoke so highly of this. It was, speaking frankly, incredible. All of her nerves were heightened, far more responsive, and with every thrust she shuddered in bliss. Oh god she should have done this before, why had she not done this before? Starbright seemed to be getting into it too, his movements becoming faster and harder, driving wonderfully into her. She wrapped her hooves around him, holding him closer as yet another idea dawned on her.
 
Without warning, Dash’s wings suddenly snapped shut, sending the pair arcing downwards. Star froze as they fell, but her wings opened and brought them round in an enormous loop.
 
“What are you doing!?” exclaimed Star.
 
“Just keep going, let me worry about the flying!”
 
And, after a moment to recompose himself, he did. They zipped through the sky as Star finally managed to give himself fully to the experience. The wind whistling past his ears, Dash’s ecstatic cries, the wonderful feeling of her clenching around him, wanting nothing more than to keep going.
 
Dash herself felt better than she had in months. This was a pegasi mating ritual, sure, but she’d never heard of it done with an earth pony before. While it may not be the sort of thing she could put on her application to the Wonderbolts, there was still a sort of pride there. In a way it proved she was more than capable of doing anything the Wonderbolts could throw at her. And she certainly had to try this again.
 
Rainbow lived for the skies, and as they soared, spinning and diving against that starry backdrop, she wouldn’t have traded her situation for the world.
 
Starbright, on the other end of their tryst, was nearing his limit. He found himself strangely excited by the candidness of their public display (he briefly wondered if anypony has looked out at the night sky and seen a silhouette of a pair of fucking ponies, and had to stifle a laugh) and his pumps became more erratic. Those varied thrusts were enough to drive Rainbow to her second orgasm, Star following soon after. Rainbow felt his warm seed inside her, and let herself fall backwards, her wings closing, mind blanking and allowing her to just revel in sensation.
 
Recovering quickly, Star couldn’t help but feel a little panicked at their hasty descent.
 
“Uh, Rainbow?”
 
“Mmmmmmm…” Rainbow smiled blissfully, seemingly unable to hear him.
 
“Rainbow, seriously, why are we dropping so fast?”
 
She merely sighed happily in response.
 
“RAINBOW!” Star hated shouting. It always sounded so desperate, but that was exactly how he felt. “PULL UP!”
 
No answer. The fields beneath them were close now, far too close, and getting even closer, a vast green expanse ready to swat them against it. He shook Rainbow Dash’s shoulders frantically, to no avail. This was it; it was all going to be over because of this crazy pegasus. Star dreaded what Luna would make of his failure, though admittedly he’d be past caring.
 
And then, at the very last second, Dash’s head whipped up, giving Starbright a mischievous wink before her wings shot back out. Immediately their drop flattened out, so close to the ground that Star could actually feel the grass against his hooves. Rainbow let herself fall the final foot or so, and they tumbled gently to a stop, Starbright rolling a little further away from her.
 
“That. Was. AMAZING!” Dash yelled the last word to the sky. “Okay, we are gonna have to do that again sometime.”
 
Star climbed slowly to his feet, remarkably steady. He didn’t reply to her.
 
“Oh come on,” she said. “You’re not actually that annoyed about that trick, right? You kinda deserved it, it’s not like I wasn’t worried when you fell through my damn bed.”
 
Still nothing.
 
“Starbright?” A hint of concern in her voice. “You alright there?”
 
And then Star turned round.
 
Suddenly everything made sense. The demon had never been in Spike, it was Star. The empty holes where his eyes should be were proof of that. To her credit, Dash tried her very best to resist. She spun round and broke into a canter, preparing for take-off. But it was far too late to try and run.
 
“Rainbow Dash,” said Star.
 
She stopped in her tracks. Every part of her was urging her to move, to keep running, but she didn’t seem to be able to. Slowly, inexorably, she felt herself turn round, to face the thing in all its horror.
 
It smiled. A terrible smile, reaching from ear to ear. “You are mine,” it said.
 
She muttered some incomprehensible refusal, trying to pull away. If anything, it’s grin only widened as she struggled, shaking her head in an attempt to clear the dark clouds that had started rolling over her thoughts. Dash sank to her knees, feeling the cool dew against her body. As her vision finally completely faded, she was left with a last glimpse of Starbright, standing over her.
 

***


 

Spike was restless. It had been two days since he’d fled Ponyville, and in that time he’d achieved absolutely nothing. The hut that had felt so comforting to him when he’d first arrived now seemed like a prison. Yes, it kept him safe, but without Zecora’s assistance he couldn’t leave without risking the dangers of the forest. It was nearing a full moon, and the beasts were always wilder around that time.
 
“Zecora, when are we going to do something?”
 
“We will strike when the time is right. We’re waiting for our ally to be ready to fight.”
 
“You keep mentioning this ally of ours, but I’ve never even met them. Who are you talking about?”
 
“She’s talking about me.”
 
What Spike had taken for a sheet in the corner suddenly shifted, revealing the fact it was actually a flowing cloak. Underneath it, four black legs protruded, which could have been mistaken for pony limbs at a distance. Up close, it was clear they were made of nothing but curling shadows. Deep under the hood, a pair of white orbs shined, glowing malevolently at the dragon. They were the only features Spike could make out, but he doubted the hood would shroud that much. More likely they were the only features that actually existed. When it spoke, its voice was quiet and husky, but it seemed to reverberate through Spike’s skull.
 
“Hello Spike.” The thing stepped closer, and the air grew chill where it walked. “You may call me Irdu.”
 


> Sorrow
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 5


Sorrow








The heat wracked through him as he fell. A creature attuned to the flames for so long, this burning felt like an added betrayal. By now Irdu was virtually formless, little more than a disembodied sentience. And yet he could still feel it, that intense fire, penetrating the core of what passed for a demon’s soul. If he still had a voice he would have been screaming.

Down and down he fell, into the endless depths of Tartarus. The flames gave way to darkness and icy cold. It was there in that freezing pit that all his hatred, his complete and utter rage, began to fuel him. He lay against the hard stone at the very centre of the world, and there was nothing but his desire for revenge. That kept him there, held him together; kept him from simply allowing himself to fade apart for an aeon until natural forces brought him back.

That rage was all he had left, and he embraced it wholly. An unformed demon is impossible to cage, and one with as much purpose as Irdu now felt was inevitably going to escape that cold tomb. But he surprised even himself with how quickly he was able to begin. He couldn’t wait to see Starbright’s face, as well as that unicorn he’d brought with him, whoever they happened to be. As nothing but a mere shadow, Irdu started to climb out of hell.

The ascent took years mentally; that’s how driven Irdu was in his desires. But time is an illusion that only those with bodies can appropriate. If there is nothing for it to affect then it is meaningless. The result is that Irdu arrived on the surface mere moments after being destroyed by Luna.

His freedom was now an irrelevant factor. He didn’t care for it. All he wanted was to break Star completely, but to do that he would require at least some sort of body. Something he could work with. Being so weak, his only answer was to find a place filled with magic. Preferably magic that he could easily utilise without being detected. Somewhere with large reserves of evil magic that nobody visited. Really, is it any surprise that he ended up in the Everfree forest?


***




Starbright clicked his neck as he stirred, trying not to wake the alicorn beside him. Twilight’s breaths were quiet. Content. He didn’t really know why he slept next to the princess, other than it soothed him to have someone nearby. There was no emotional attachment there, or at least he didn’t think there was, so to be relying on her companionship at night was troubling.

Perhaps it was purely the enjoyment in his triumph. Having Twilight by his side was a constant reminder that he was getting close to his final victory. Only two ponies were left now; Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. He’d had little contact with either, and so far he had no idea as to any possible weaknesses, but he knew he’d get there with a little probing. And now with Twilight’s help he didn’t even have to carry bottles around with him. Star could leave them safely under Twilight’s protection, while avoiding suspicion even more. Indeed, things were working out fantastically well, better than he could have ever hoped. Starbright didn’t see any way it could go wrong.

Well, there was still the matter of Spike. After his night with Rainbow Dash, he could at least rest in the knowledge that the dragon would be unable to reach Canterlot. She’d never let Spike past without noticing him, and she’d be all too happy to catch him should he reveal himself. Spike was no longer even worth considering a threat. What exactly could he do? He was alone, no-one believed him, and there was no way he could contact Celestia. The forest had most likely claimed him for its own by now anyway.

Starbright allowed himself a smile as Twilight yawned next to him, waking to the sunlight. Everything was perfect.


***


“No. Seriously, no.”

Zecora sighed. “If we want to defeat Starbright, we need Irdu’s aid. He may even be able to save the ones that have strayed.”

“But a demon?” Spike was still incredulous at Zecora’s blind acceptance. “He’ll probably just make everything even worse!”

“Your distrust is not without reason; I understand that. But if you truly want to save your friends – nay, the entirety of Equestria – then you need my help. And I need yours.”


“But what’s in it for you? Surely if we defeat Star you’ll just become an even bigger problem?”

“Of course not. If I were to try and take Equestria, then Celestia would simply defeat me. As long as the elements still stand, there is no contest. On the other hand, if we let Starbright win here, he’ll simply bind me again the second I show myself. Now is the time to strike, and I have my personal agenda for wanting his downfall.”


“And what’s that?” asked Spike.

 “Where do you think Starbright got his power from?”


“I just assumed he was like you.”

“You have never been more wrong, dragon. Star is not a demon. In fact, that comparison would probably anger him to no end. The power he uses is my own, and I want it back.”


Spike shook his head in disbelief. “Why would you give that power to a pony?”

“It was a trade, for my freedom from Tartarus. I won’t deny I was looking forward to it, but it seems irrelevant now.” Irdu’s eyes lit up in a semblance of a grin.  “And I never said he was a pony.”


“Okay, then what is he?”

Irdu cocked his head, considering for a moment. “He’s-”


A loud slam silenced him. Zecora withdrew her hoof, leaving a small dent in the table. “That is not something I think we should know. Fear of him will serve to bring nothing but woe.”

Irdu shrugged under his cloak. “As you say.”


Spike glared at the zebra. “No, that’s stupid! Surely if we know what he is we can defeat him easier?”

“Forgive me Spike, but I hold Zecora in a little higher esteem than I do you. She was the one who assisted me in my reformation, and zebras have always been good to demons.”


“But you’re monsters!”

Irdu laughed. “According to who? Celestia? Why is she better than us? We ruled long before ponies even existed, and yet we’re the abominations? The ones who were driven from our homes and forced into imprisonment?”


“You kill ponies, or make them into slaves; I’ve read the history books, Twilight had tons of them at the library.”

“History is written by the winners. Is our own eternal imprisonment not worth mentioning? Why should we be considered a lesser species, and why is our primary nature considered evil? You may not like Manticores feeding off ponies, but you cannot call them evil because of it. It is simply their instinct, and it’s all too easy for prey to hate their hunters. The zebra worship us because we have as much right to call ourselves gods as your precious princess. Arguably as much right as Starbright does. Why should the ones that survive forever be forced to bow down to ponies that are as short-lived as a sputtering fire? Demons are the true rulers of Equestria, Spike, and one day we will be again.”



***


The butterfly’s wings flapped sporadically, fluttering through the town of Ponyville. Most ponies paid it no mind; it was little more than part of the background of their own, busy lives. It was hard for them to realise they fulfilled exactly the same role to the butterfly, their worries and hopes completely irrelevant to the small insect.

Past the street vendors, flying higher when ponies threatened to get a little too close for comfort, the butterfly danced. Its wings were a deep and beautiful red, speckled with white spots. It’s flight appeared aimless, erratic even, as it glided from one side of the road to the other, and back again. Finally it alighted on the nose of a pink pony leaving the bakery.

Pinkie crossed her eyes to stare at it resting lightly on her muzzle. It tickled, and she couldn’t hold back the sneeze. She giggled as the butterfly took off once more, and watched it meander back to its course down the street.

Pinkie had never had difficulty appreciating each individual creature. Perhaps it was part of her childlike naiveté, but she saw no reason to discount the importance of others, whomever they might be. It was something she shared with Fluttershy, and possibly one of the reasons they’d become such fast friends.

That was another thing she was good at: seeing and accepting everyone for who they were. Her relationship with each of her friends was different and unique, but she treasured each of them equally. And she could make any of them smile. That was important.

Or at least, she had been able to. But recently things had been changing. Pinkie had noticed it, even if no one else seemed to. As much as she hated to admit it to herself, her friends were falling apart. Pinkie had tried, tried so hard to keep them together, throwing even more parties, doing all she could, but it wasn’t working. Out of all of them, Pinkie had probably taken it the hardest. The rest had their own interests and responsibilities they could pursue without the others, but what was Pinkie supposed to do when the most important thing to her was the happiness of her friends?

Pinkie, lost in those thoughts which were happening more and more frequently, almost walked straight into Starbright. He’d actually spotted her not paying any attention, and positioned himself in the way hoping she’d collide with him. It was always a great excuse for conversation.

“Heya Starbright! How’s it going?” asked Pinkie chirpily, belying any of her previous thoughts.

“Ah, Pinkie. I was just looking for you, actually. No luck with Spike, I hear?”

“We still haven’t found him? He must be the greatest hide-and-seek player EVER.”

 “I-” Starbright stopped, unsure how to explain more clearly than he had done already.

“You’d think he’d have to come back soon anyway. I mean, he must be really hungry already! I once tried to see how long I could go without eating anything, and I thought I was doing really well, but then my stomach started growling and I just couldn’t take it any longer, because I thought I was going to starve away to nothing like you hear in those horror stories where they’re nothing but skinny skeletons, so I ate a WHOLE cake! I’d actually only lasted about two hours!” Pinkie fell into a fit of giggling. “Anyway, whatcha looking for me for?”

“Um…” Star had forgotten quite how incomprehensible Pinkie could be when she got going. It turned out she was very good at reminding him.

“Ooh! Let me guess!”

“Pinkie, I was just-”



Star sighed. This was going to be a pain in the-

“Got it!” cried Pinkie. “You’ve been so busy saving Equestria, you’ve had no time to just kick back and have fun! So you went looking for ol' Pinkie Pie to help you out, right?”

“Sure, let’s go with that.” Star couldn’t resist that last snide comment, but Pinkie was too excited to notice.

“Well why didn’t you say so?”

Starbright’s return glare would have crushed a pony any less oblivious than Pinkie. He took a deep breath to calm himself and shrugged off his anger. “Sorry, I should have said something earlier,” he said, voice clipped.

“No worries, Star; I’ve got an idea!” Pinkie grabbed his hoof and dragged him through the streets, back the way she had come.


***


“What in Equestria is this place?” Starbright stared at the doorway as Pinkie bounded past him.

The building’s windows were shuttered and barred, the door a heavy metal slab guarded on each side by two huge ponies wearing suits. Aside from the door (which wouldn’t have looked out of place attached to a fortress), the place resembled any of Ponyville’s houses, just a little larger. And yet outside was a long queue of ponies, waiting to pass the bouncers. Pinkie ignored the line and sauntered up to the door, trademark grin plastered on her face. “Heya Dandelion! How’s it going?”

‘Dandelion’, a pony easily twice the size of Star, smiled. It looked painful, as if he wasn’t used to moving his facial muscles that way. “Howdy Pinkie. Here for Scratch? She’s upstairs; I’ll buzz you through.”

He muttered into a microphone attached to his jacket, and the door clicked open. Pinkie hopped inside, but when Starbright tried to follow Dandelion thrust out a hoof, holding him back. “Back of the line buddy.”

“Daaaaaaaan...” Pinkie reappeared in the doorway. “He’s my plus one!”

Dandelion gave Star an appraising look, before snorting dismissively. “If you say so. Alright hotshot, guess you get in after all. Don’t be stupid in there, I ain’t got a problem with chucking your ass out if it comes to it.”

Star wasn’t entirely sure why the macho talk was necessary; Dandelion could have crushed him under one hoof if he had a mind to. He nodded meekly before stepping under his leg and following Pinkie inside.

“Don’t mind him,” she said, looking back over her shoulder. “He’s a nice guy, but sometimes he has too many of those ‘Asteroid’ things, the ones that make you all strong and stuff, and he gets a little cranky.”

Starbright didn’t want to explain the finer points of steroid use to Pinkie, but it didn’t come as a surprise that Dandelion was using them. On the other hand, if this place was happy to put someone like that on the front door, what was the rest of it going to be like?

“So, this is a nightclub? But one that’s open during the day?”

“It’s the Lock Up!” Pinkie led him past another couple of goons up a flight of stairs marked Staff Only, and into a long corridor. “It’s a party! And it never stops!”

“It... it never stops?”

“Nope! You’re not even allowed to know what time it is, there’s no clocks anywhere in here.”

Now Star could hear the thumping of a rapid bass through the walls. Did Pinkie really know what kind of ‘party’ this was? Starbright was finding it hard to believe a place like this even existed in the quaint town. There had been a stunning lack of night-life, though; perhaps this was where all the young and reckless souls ended up.

They stopped outside a plain door at the end of the hall, a silver star embedded into the wood. Pinkie rapped twice onto the wood, paused, then another three knocks. It swung open.

Purple lenses glinted in the dim hall light, staring out at them. The white unicorn wearing them gave Star and Pinkie a cursory glance.

“Yo.” She disappeared back inside, leaving the pair of them out in the hallway without even an invitation. Pinkie seemed to take it as one anyway, and lacking any other options Starbright followed.


***


Applejack kicked a can against the wall, producing a satisfying clang. “Ah’m sick of waiting,” she groaned, to no one in particular. “How much longer is this thing gonna take?”

“As long as it needs to. Stop getting all worked up about it.” Twilight flipped a page. It had been her suggestion to head out to the fields by the forest, keeping a watch for Spike. Starbright was sure that he wouldn’t come back this way, but Twilight thought it was better to be safe than sorry. They were currently reclining in the shade of a long-abandoned windmill, it’s rotted sails leaving empty frames that whistled quietly when the wind blew through them right. “There’s only Fluttershy and Pinkie left, it won’t take long.”

“Pinkie might not, sure, but ah’m worried about Fluttershy. After that damn Spa thing, y’all are crazy if you think she’s just gonna get cosy with Star.”

“And what do you suggest?”

“We do something about it.”

“Something?”

“Yeah, ya know...” Applejack adjusted her hat. “What about that spell ya used a year or so back? The one that got half the town chasin’ that old stuffed toy of yours?”

Twilight burst out laughing. “You want me to cast a want-it-need-it spell on Starbright? I can’t see how that could go wrong.”

“Ah’m not saying we have to use that one exactly, but maybe somethin’ like it. Like a... a persuasion spell or something. Just so we can convince Fluttershy that Starbright ain’t the demon she thinks he is.”

Twilight giggled at her choice of words.

“You know what ah mean,” said Applejack, smiling a little herself. “Ah don’t think ah can just sit around waitin’ for much longer; the anticipation is killing me. Let’s do somethin’ to help out. Hell, Star doesn’t even have to know.”

Twilight snapped the book shut; a determined fire in her eyes. “You know what, you’re right. Let’s do it.”

“Wait, really? Y’all are agreeing just like that?”

“It’s simple logic; we can help out Starbright from behind the scenes and make the whole thing go a lot smoother. It’s not like it could hurt, is it? What’s the worst that could happen?”

Applejack gulped. Twilight was incredibly worrying when she tried to rationalise. “For some reason, ah really wish ya hadn’t said that...”


***


The room Starbright and Pinkie found themselves in was cramped and dingy, though considering the Lock Up’s previous décor, that was probably to be expected. Their hostess sat slumped in an enormous leather chair, watching the pair of them. Or was she? It was hard to tell with her glasses. Her mane was comprised of electric-blue spikes, and she had a pair of bridged notes on her flank.

“Who’s the square?” she asked. Her voice was husky and quiet with little emotion.

“This is Starbright! He’s in town for…” Pinkie hesitated, unable to tell Scratch the real purpose of Star’s visit. “Um… reasons.”

“Yeah?”  She didn’t seem to be listening. “Name’s Vinyl,” she told Starbright. “Scratch to my friends. You might as well jump straight to that if you’re good with Pinkie.”

Starbright nodded. “Scratch it is. You’re the DJ here?”

“Joint owner, man. Pinkie and I set up this place a couple years back.”

“You and Pinkie?”

Pinkie beamed at him. “Yep!”

A ‘party’ that never stopped; no wonder Pinkie was involved. Vinyl cocked her head; the only display of emotion she’d given so far. “Pink, I think I left one of my records downstairs. Need it tonight; can you go have a look for it? Probably behind my mixer.”

“Uh... sure! Come on Star, I can show you the dance floor!”

Vinyl held up a hoof. “No need to bother; it won’t take you long to find it, and I need it quickly. I’m sure we won’t get bored while you’re out.”

“Well... okay... See you in a lickety-split!” Pinkie gave Star a slightly confused smile before leaving.

As soon as the door shut behind her, Vinyl leaned forward, resting her chin on her forehooves. “Alright, what’s the deal?”

“There isn’t a record, is there?”

“Answers, not more questions.”

“I don’t really know what you’re asking.”

Vinyl sniffed. “The deal. You’re the first pony Pink’s ever brought in here, and I want to know why she felt the need to.”

“Really? I got the impression that this was a pretty common gesture.”

“You reckon the guard outside would have stopped you if that was the case? From what I hear, Pink hasn’t even told most of her friends about this place. She tries to keep it under the radar, which I can dig.”

“She didn’t make a big deal of it, I had no idea.”

Vinyl shrugged, reclining back into her chair. “Who knows what that pony’s thinking? All I’m saying is she’s taken a shine to you. I can’t tell her to be careful, but I can tell you that if you fuck her over, I’ll ram my hoof so far up your ass you’ll be able to taste it.”

Starbright nodded curtly. “Understood.”

Vinyl grinned. “You don’t get flustered easy, do you?” She flicked her glasses up onto her head, showing her magenta irises for the first time. They were wide and alert, betraying her level voice.

“I try. I can assure you that I mean Pinkie no ill will, whatever her feelings towards me may be.”

“Quite the charmer, huh? I’d slow down; she’s not inviting you into bed or anything.” Scratch narrowed her eyes. “At least, I don’t think she is. Not quite yet.”

“You’re experienced with that sort of thing, then?” asked Star, a hint of a smile around the corners of his mouth.

“Hold up Casanova. You’re not my type.”

“Let me guess: you’d prefer someone like Dandelion out there?”

Vinyl gave him a long stare, before bursting into laughter. “Not quite. I go for ponies with a little less between the legs, if you catch my drift.”

“Oh.” It took Star a second to decipher that piece of information. “OH...”


***


I liked Vinyl. She was practical, but still managed not to take herself too seriously. A perfect counterpart to Pinkie Pie, who probably didn’t know the definition of practical. It was clear which of them the savvy business partner was.

She also had a commendable loyalty to her friend; a trait I admire, if not one I share. Scratch’s only concern when Pinkie brought me to the Lock Up was that I would be treating her fairly. I had no idea why Pinkie was showing me that level of her personal life, something she hadn’t told even her best friends, but it seemed to be a good sign at least.


***


“What are even looking for?” Applejack’s voice was hushed. The cottage was empty aside from her and Twilight, but she still remained as quiet as possible, as if that would somehow reduce her impact on Fluttershy’s living space.

“A diary, or something like that,” said Twilight. “Some way Fluttershy keeps her past recorded.”

“And then yer gonna do some fancy-pants magical nonsense, right?”

Twilight wasn’t sure whether she found Applejack’s ignorance annoying or cute. “Yes, I’m going to do some ‘fancy-pants magical nonsense’. With a written record, I can see how Fluttershy remembers that day. And knowing that, I can change it.”

“Y’all are gonna change the past!?”

Twilight smiled at Applejack’s reaction. “No, that would be impossible. I’m only changing how Fluttershy remembers it. It’s temporary, but it should be long enough for our needs.”

“Okay…” Earth ponies have an innate distrust of magic in all its forms, and this spell sounded particularly awful. Still, if it helped Starbright even slightly, it was worth it. “Ah still don’t know this is such a good idea.”

“It was your suggestion,” Twilight reminded her.

“Yeah, but ah thought you were gonna say no.”

The ponies continued their bickering as they sifted unceremoniously through Fluttershy’s belongings. Finally, Applejack pulled a small purple book form beneath her bedside cupboard.

“Gotcha.”



Applejack cracked the book open and started flipping through the pages.

Today I couldn’t get Angel to eat his carrots. I still don’t know why he hates them so much; bunnies normally LOVE carrots. Perhaps he’s allergic? I should buy him some of that nice rabbit feed he’s always pointing out to me. It’s expensive, but if I cut back on my own food I should be able to afford it. How important is lunch anyway?

Flip.

Rarity was busy again. It’s okay, I understand. If she’s so busy (and she sounded really distracted when she told me) then I can’t ask her to put it to one side. Maybe she’ll be free next week.

Flip.

There’s a new pony staying with Twilight, called Starbright. He and Spike came to visit me today. He seemed nice. I wish I could have asked him how Twilight was, but it never really came up. I’m worried about her. It’s not good for her to stay inside so much, especially now she’s royalty. I hope it wasn’t anything I did that upset her.

Flip.

Rarity can’t make tomorrow either. I miss our spa days, our conversations in the saunas. I say conversations. Mostly it was Rarity talking and me listening, but I didn’t mind. It was actually kind of nice, like I was helping her. I think a lot of ponies put pressure on her, and she’s so giving that she ends up helping out far more than she can actually manage. I liked being the pony she could defuse with. I only hope she’s not overdoing it if she’s not talking to me about anything. I’m feeling pretty bad about it. I might go to the spa myself tomorrow. If I’m feeling brave enough.

“Nearly. One more page,” said Twilight. Flip.

I’m trying not to be mad, I really am. But I’m so mad I just want to scream! I won’t, it’s far too noisy and I don’t think I could handle it, but I really WANT to. Rarity hasn’t been busy with work at all. I went to the Spa today (it took me the whole day to build up the courage), and RARITY was there. And guess who was with her? Starbright! He seemed so nice the other day, but it turns out he’s just parading around with Rarity behind my back, doing the things WE should be doing. The worst part is that Star has only been here for a week or so, but Rarity’s been avoiding me for months. How long has she been doing that just because she didn’t actually want to spend time with me?

She tried to claim there was nothing between them. I don’t believe her. When I caught them in the sauna together they were so busy in their own little world they didn’t even see me until I gasped. And even if she was telling the truth, it doesn’t really matter. I don’t mind her having a stallion she’d rather spend time with. I don’t mind even if she just doesn’t want to spend time with me any more for some reason, even though I think I helped her a lot. I mind that she lied. I mind that she and Star went behind my back with the excuse that she was too busy with work. I feel hurt. I said some mean things to Rarity, and I don’t know if I can take them back. I don’t know if I want to.

“Whew,” said Applejack when she finished reading. “Ah don’t think ah’ve ever seen Fluttershy that angry before. Ah’d heard their spa dust-up was pretty bad, but ah didn't realise quite how bad the poor girl was.”

Twilight, much quicker than Applejack, was putting the finishing touches on the memory spell: a glowing purple orb with yellow bolts of what looked like electricity running across the surface. “Which is why I have to change her memory of it. If she’s not angry then Star will be able to actually talk to her.”

“Something ah’m wonderin’. If y’all change her memory, won’t that mess with her future memories too?”

Twilight paused. Even with her country demeanour, Applejack often surprised her with how sharp she could be. “Yes, actually. It’s called recursion. The further along from the memory we’re changing, the worse it will be, but it was only the other day so there shouldn’t be too many memories built up. The ones that are irrelevant to her spa trip will stay as they are, and the ones that do stem from the spa will simply change as well. The exception is memories that rely too much on that original memory to exist, which will be forgotten entirely. On the bright side, she won’t remember she’s forgotten them, so it’s not a problem.”

She poured the last of the required magic into the memory orb, and it began to revolve, slowly gyrating in the air. “Stand back,” she warned, and Applejack dutifully shuffled away, staring at the spell as one might stare at a firework that could wrongly detonate at any time.

It lowered towards the book, sinking into the pages, not taking long to disappear in its entirety. The edges of Fluttershy’s diary flashed once, and then…

Nothing.

“Did… Did it work?” asked Applejack.

“We’ll soon find out.” Wrapping them both in magic, Twilight teleported the pair of them outside again. The act caused a small breeze to run over Fluttershy’s diary, flipping the pages to the final entry.

Still no word on finding little Spike. It sounds like Star is calling off the search, but that’s not good enough. I still haven’t forgiven him, and this is another thing to add to the list of ‘reasons to be angry at Starbright’. I have to find Spike, but I need help. There’s only one pony I can think of who knows a lot about demons, besides Star. Although technically, she’s not a pony, she’s a zebra. If I’m ever going to find Spike, I’m going to have to talk to Zecora.


***




Irdu looked over at Spike, who was staring wistfully through one of the hut’s windows, out of earshot.

“You know who Starbright is, don’t you?”


Zecora nodded.

“You can’t protect Spike forever. Our enemy may be strong, but you can't keep his identity hidden for much longer.”


“I will keep it from him as long as I can. Until the very end, if all goes to plan.”

“But why?” asked Irdu. “I respect your wisdom, but I find myself agreeing with Spike. He’s the only one who doesn’t know what we’re up against.”


“I do not wish to involve Spike at all. This battle is too great for a dragon that small.”

Irdu sighed. “He’ll make good bait, though. Starbright will be looking to tie up loose ends before he’s done with the bearers.”


Zecora nodded again, solemnly. “While I wish there was another way, Spike will lure Starbright to come out and play.”

The demon laughed. “You have an evil sense of humour Zecora. For now though, our plotting will have to wait. I need to get out and stretch my legs.”


Zecora glanced at the shadowy wisps underneath Irdu’s cloak.

“Metaphorically speaking. I’m not so good with confined spaces. Not after Tartarus.” He tutted. “Look at this pitiful form. A month ago I could have ransacked Ponyville alone, and the cell I considered cramped could hold thousands of ponies with room to spare. Now it requires all of my strength merely to maintain this weak presence. Pathetic.”


With those bitter words, Irdu stormed out the hut, the forest’s shadows melting around him.




***


“Sorry Pink. Could have sworn it was down there.”

“Not a problem!” Pinkie seemed entirely unperturbed by Scratch’s ‘mistake’.

The three of them stepped down the stairs, Pinkie bouncing alongside Vinyl, Starbright following behind. Scratch’s shades were firmly back in place; Starbright got the feeling her eyes rarely graced the outside world.

“Yo Star, you good for hanging around for a while? I’m about to light that dance-floor up!” Vinyl accompanied her exclamation with an exaggerated hoof-pump gesture.

Star looked to Pinkie, who gave him a little nod of encouragement.

“Sure,” he said. “I could do with a break.”

Vinyl laughed. “My sets aren’t going to give you a break.”

They passed a gaggle of young ponies in the main lobby, all of whom rushed excitedly over when Scratch drew near. Undaunted, she proceeded to bump hooves with the entire group, sharing jokes, meeting and greeting.

“Does this happen often?” asked Star, rather put out by the sudden end of conversation.

“Yeah, Scratch is SUPER famous!” Pinkie threw her forelegs out, to show exactly how much 'super' famous was. “Well, maybe not super famous, but really famous. Or… Is there word that’s just slightly less than really but a little bit more than kinda? It’s that one.”

“I see.”

“Yeah, she basically lives here now so that she’s not chased everywhere she goes. She loves the attention, just not all the time!”

Vinyl waved off the last of the crowd, and headed back over, a huge grin on her face. “Sorry about that, duty called.”

“I had no idea we were in the company of a celebrity,” said Star.

“Pink’s been talking again, huh? I wouldn’t go that far, but some ponies can’t wait to meet DJ-Pon3. The young ones like that probably just want bragging rights; not that I’d ever be interested.” Scratch stomped a hoof in a gesture of finality. “Alright, we’re already running twenty minutes late; any later and we go from being fashionable to keeping ponies waiting. Pink, take Star out on the floor, I’ll keep an eye out for you. Tonight’s gonna be wild.” Vinyl waltzed across the lobby with her confident gait, unhurried and calm as ever.

Star leaned over to Pinkie. “Does she realise it’s the middle of the day?”

Pinkie stared at him as if he’d gone mad. “It’s always night in the Lock Up! Why else would be called a nightclub?”

Once again driven to speechlessness by Pinkie’s logic, Star followed her through a pair of enormous double doors and into the dance hall.

Star had never seen anything like it. Lights. All kinds of lights; spotlights, neon strips, lasers, a few that resembled a traffic light, and an enormous silver ball suspended from the ceiling that reflected and amplified all the different colours that reached it. Beneath it was the dance floor; a mass of hot, sweaty bodies, trying to move as one to the music and failing, becoming jostling raucous chaos.

“It's a little over the top,” said Star, barely audible over the blaring music.

Pinkie clapped him on the back. “I know! Isn’t it great!?”

And in a lot of ways, it was. That frenzy, the pure energy of the ponies in front of them, even at this early hour was incredible to behold. Starbright found himself wanting to be a part of that unruly crowd, to let himself be swept up in it.

Just before they joined the growing throng, it reached new heights of excitement as a pony sporting a familiar shock of blue hair appeared on the stage, high above them. As the crowd screamed, Vinyl merely waited, revelling in their adoration.

“Yo.” One word, a meaningless greeting, and yet it whipped the ponies up even more. A low bass-line started to play. “Are you ready?” she asked, knowing the answer even before the returning roar that met her question. “It’s gonna be a long night, folks.” Vinyl grinned. “So make sure you go fucking wild.”

The arm dropped onto her decks, and the ‘night’ began.


***




Fluttershy was starting to regret her idea. The forest was really, really dark. And it was watching her. Oh, it pretended it wasn’t; you’d never see it looking at you, but that only confirmed her suspicions. And it was the forest as a whole, not a specific creature. It was acting as a single, giant organism, regarding its prey. Fluttershy wondered, not for the first time, why Zecora lived out here.

It was a terrible place, but for a zebra who knew so much about demons and other evil things, perhaps it was fitting. Which was of course why she’d come out all this way, into the terrifying Everfree forest. It was important that she knew about demons because…

Wait, why was it so important? There was a reason she had to know about… um…

What did she have to know about again? She was pretty sure it started with a P. Or maybe an S. Perhaps Rarity would know; she should go visit. It was at that moment, after Fluttershy’s memory stopped shifting, that the pegasus realised she was deep in the Everfree forest with no recollection as to why.

This was bad. This was very, very bad. The scariest part was that Fluttershy could clearly remember walking here, so at some point she must have meant to come out this far, but now when she tried to recall why her mind drew a blank.

“Calm down Fluttershy,” she whispered. “It’s okay. We’ll just leave, that’s all we have to do. One step at a time.”

She took a trembling hoof and planted it a few inches in front of her.

“Okay, so far so good. And again.”

The opposite back hoof.

“That’s it, slow and steady.”

Fluttershy was so absorbed in her steps she didn’t notice the dark shadows slithering out from the undergrowth.

“And another.” The leg refused to move. “And another.” More firmly this time, but still the obstinate limb refused to budge. Fluttershy spun to glare at her own leg, as if that would somehow get it to move, only to find the black tendril that had coiled up to her flank, holding her in place.

More shadows pinned her other legs, and a final one wrapped around her torso for good measure, binding her wings against her sides. Whatever it was couldn’t have known the pegasus it had chosen would be less likely to use its wings than to suddenly grow a horn and start casting magic.

A thinner wisp held her mouth closed, pre-empting a scream that Fluttershy would never give even if she could. Now, completely immobile, the creature finally revealed itself. A mass of shadow grew up from the ground in front of her, two predatory eyes glowing within it, a tattered cloak hanging off its side.

“Ah, a wonderful offering,” said Irdu. “Of all the things you could have run into in this forest, pony, I was probably the last you were expecting.”


Fluttershy gave a quiet squeak of fear.

“Don’t be like that. There are plenty of beasts in here that would do far worse than what I intend.”


Fluttershy felt a soft but insistent touch against the inside of her back legs.

“I merely ask for a few minutes of your time. I promise that you’ll enjoy it.”


The shadows drew close, surrounding Fluttershy completely, leaving her with nothing but the darkness.


***




Shooting pain coursed through Starbright’s head, the light blinding him as he cracked open his bleary eyes. A pony was lying on his lap, curled against him; a mare he’d never seen before with a spiky purple mane. Disentangling himself proved to be impossible, so he resorted to pushing her off as gently as he could. She didn’t even stir.

The room was filled with all manner of collapsed ponies, some snoring loudly, others just beginning to wake from their stupor, rubbing sleep from their eyes. A few were stumbling out the door, and Starbright followed. Vinyl and Pinkie were nowhere to be found.

The door led into the foyer, which looked the same as it had done last night. Last night? It had been the day, hadn’t it? Star couldn’t entirely remember, and the boarded up windows weren’t helping matters. It was impossible to gauge a rough estimate of the time when he couldn’t even tell whether it was night or day.

It was as busy as ever; a constant stream of ponies moving to and from the dance floor, loud music still reverberating through the building. Starbright headed for the stairs they’d come down earlier, marked ‘Staff Only’. The bouncer at the bottom let Star past after seeing his cutie mark, a provision most likely made by Vinyl. Down the hall and on the left, to the star-marked door where Starbright was gratified to hear the sounds of conversation.

“Well look who it isn’t.” Scratch greeted him with her typical indifferent attitude. She’d been chatting with another mare Star didn’t recognise. Also a musician, if the double clef on her flank was any indication. “Tavi, can you give us a minute? Need to have a word with Starbright here.”

‘Tavi’ nodded, slipping into what must have been Scratch’s bedroom and closing the door quietly behind her.

“How’s the head?” asked Vinyl, a smirk across her features.

“…sore.”

She cackled delightedly. “I’m amazed you’re already up. Pink didn’t think you’d be standing for at least another couple of hours. Which is why she’s not here to greet you herself. She said she was heading back to the bakery.”

“Alright, thanks Vinyl.” As he turned to leave she called out to him.

“Hold your horses, don’t go running off just yet. Want to talk to you.” Scratch gave the chair next to her a hefty kick, sending it wheeling over next to Starbright. “It’s about Pink.”

“What about her?”

Vinyl sniffed. “How much can you remember?”

“Less than I’d like,” admitted Star.

“Then here’s the abridged version. Pink digs you; fair enough. But as the night goes on, you find yourself distracted. Most notably by a cute little thing with funky hair that I wouldn’t have minded myself. Anyway, it put Pink out a lot, and while you danced and drunk yourself into oblivion, she spent most of the time watching you without being noticed. I said before that I don’t know why she’s giving you so much attention, but I don’t think it’s just ‘cause she wants to get you beneath the sheets. She’s not like that, and I’ve never seen her the way she was last night before.”

“I… I’m sorry.” Star was in disbelief. He’d actually ignored Pinkie in favour of some irrelevant tease. It was stupid, and quite possibly going to cost him.

“It’s not me you need to apologise to.” Seeing his face, Scratch’s expression softened. “I wouldn’t be too worried; she made sure that I’d tell you where she was. Just go smooth things over would you? An upset Pinkie Pie is not something I ever want to see.” She broke into a grin. “Gotta run, I have a prior engagement.” Scratch nodded towards the bedroom door.

In spite of himself, Star had to smile. “Have fun.”

“Don’t worry. We will.”


***




It was an idiotic mistake, I know that. But even I find it hard to resist base nature. I tried to restrain myself, at least until all this was done, but it was hard to keep everything as straight-laced as I had been. Perhaps that in itself was a mistake. Maybe I should have been more forgiving with my actions, rather than leaving them pent up.

I still can’t remember much of that night (or day, whichever it was), so I’m afraid my only source of information is Vinyl’s retelling. It’s not hugely important, at least; more a catalyst than anything. As it turned out, it wasn’t what I should have been worrying about.

The problem didn’t reside with me and Pinkie. It lay with Fluttershy, and what was happening in the Everfree Forest. That’s where the trouble really started.


***


The shadows curled around Fluttershy’s body, holding her so tightly but so softly, caressing as much as they restricted. Around her muzzle they ran; over her lips, light as a kiss, harsh as a knife. And all she could see in that swirling blackness was the pair of glowing eyes in front of her. As even they began to disappear and the shadows started to push into her mouth, she heard a dim voice.

“STOP! PLEASE!”

It wasn’t hers. She didn’t know who it was. By that point there was nothing but the shadows, and even they began to withdraw.

Spike fell to his knees, out of breath. “Irdu, stop! It’s Fluttershy!”

The demon paused. “Fluttershy? If she’s a friend of yours Spike, I’m afraid she’s better purposed as the start of my return to power.”


Desperate now, Spike screamed out the only thing that could have saved her. “She’s a bearer!”

Irdu’s eyes widened. “This is a bearer? Of what?”


“Kindness.”

“Figures,” said Irdu, with more than a hint of irritation.

To Spike’s immense relief, Irdu dropped the pegasus to the floor. Fluttershy lay limp and unmoving, taking deep, slow breaths. “What did you do to her!?”

Irdu slowly recollected himself, the dark shadows reforming into the vague pony-shape that he consisted of previously. He drew the cloak's hood over his head, eyes burning once more underneath. “Fortunately nothing. She’s merely unconscious.”


Spike sat down heavily, allowing himself a minute after nearly seeing Irdu do… whatever he was about to do. “How can you just attack a pony like that? I thought you said those things weren’t true.”

“No, I said that it’s only your history that has made our actions out to be inherently evil.” Irdu shook his head. “You’re very judgemental for a dragon.”


Spike was insistent. “I’ve never been treated badly by any of my friends.”

“Of course not; you’re small and cute. Manageable. You won’t be a baby forever, Spike. Do you think these ponies will treat you with the same kindness when you can eat three of them in a single mouthful?” Irdu moved over him, looking down at the little dragon. “Fear is a powerful motivator, Spike. Demons live without fear, and to them we are a threat. That makes us monsters in their eyes. One day you’ll appreciate that.” He held out a shadowy hoof. When Spike gripped it, his claws sank into it slightly. It was like grabbing a cushion, soft and pliable. “Let’s get Fluttershy to Zecora’s. We’ll work out what to do with her there.”


Tendrils once more curled around Fluttershy’s form, snaking out from underneath Irdu’s cloak. This time they treated her much more tenderly, and with the demon carrying her, the three melted between the trees.


***


“Closed” read the sign. Sugarcube Corner’s blinds were shut, keeping the late-afternoon outside at bay. And yet the smell of cooking pastries was strong. Fresh. When Starbright tried the door, it opened easily.

“Pinkie?” he called. There was no response. It seemed the Cakes were out, presumably leaving Pinkie in charge. Except she was nowhere to be seen. “Pinkie, are you here?” Still no answer. “Guess not.”

“Wait.” Pinkie’s voice was unusually subdued. “Don’t go.”

Hesitant, Star looked for the source of her voice. It sounded like it had come from behind the counter. His hooves were drum beats against the wooden floor, loud staccatos. When he rounded the counter he found Pinkie sitting hunched over on the floor, head hanging low. Even her mane seemed dejected, appearing to have lost a great deal of its usual volume and disarray.

“Are you alright?” Even as he said it, Star was aware of the question’s redundancy.

Pinkie looked up at him with a broken smile, tears brimming. “Not really.”

Star slumped down next to her, and for a minute or so they were silent, sitting in the warm kitchen without feeling the need to speak.

“How’s your head?” asked Pinkie eventually.

“Sore.” Starbright smiled, and was glad to see Pinkie smile too, if only for a moment. “Why haven’t you told your friends about that place?” he asked.

“How do you know I haven’t?”

“Scratch told me.”

Pinkie sighed. “Sometimes I’m a little too much for my friends to deal with. I don’t want to be a burden or anything, so when that happens I can spend time there and wait for things to calm down.”

“I see.”

“It wasn’t like that to start with!” insisted Pinkie. “I had a ton of bits saved up after working here for so long, and Vinyl convinced me to go fifty-fifty on her new idea. I don’t really deal with the confusing money side of things, but I’ve at least made my money back so far.”

“I was surprised you knew Vinyl so well. She doesn’t seem like the sort you’d be well-acquainted with.”

Pinkie jabbed him on the shoulder. “I know everypony in Ponyville. Vinyl was the DJ at some awesome parties; how could I not know her?”

“A fair point,” conceded Star. Another silence, finally broken by his apology. “I’m sorry about last night. Vinyl told me, and I acted like a bit of an ass it seems.”

“Oh no, I’m glad you had a good time!” Her words were sincere. “I just… wanted to talk to you about something. It probably wasn’t the best place, but I couldn’t think of anywhere else.”

“Perhaps the kitchen floor of a respected bakery? It seems as good a place as any.”

She giggled; a promising gesture. “Yeah, okay.” Pinkie took a deep breath. “What did you do to them?”

It’s amazing how so few words can mean so much. Starbright had no idea Pinkie had been about to say that, and as soon as he realised the full ramifications of her question, a chill ran down his back. How much did she know? Had she told anyone? And how the hell did she find out?

“W-who?” Star cursed the stutter the moment he spoke.

“Well, Twilight’s the most obvious one. AJ too. Rarity. I haven’t spoken to Dashie for a while, but you spent time with her so I guess her as well. Probably not Fluttershy yet.”

Starbright’s mouth was agape. How… What… When did… Unfinished questions with no possible answers. The worst part was how calm Pinkie was. While Star’s brain whirred with possibilities as to how she could know that much, Pinkie simply sat there, sad perhaps but not on edge. Not scared, as Starbright would have thought she would be.

“I tried for ages.” Pinkie’s latest announcement just made Star even more confused. “But no matter what I did, I couldn’t help,” she said.

Wait, what?

“And then just as I think it’s all about to break apart, you turn up.” Pinkie turned to face him. “Suddenly Twilight’s out and about, even after she yelled at me. Applejack’s not looking so gloomy about everything; even Rarity was smiling when you were telling us about those nasty demons and things. I mean, I hope she wasn’t smiling because of the demons; that would just be creepy.”

Star was beginning to realise this might not be the disaster he’d feared at first.

“I tried for ages to cheer my friends up,” said Pinkie, “and then you come along and manage it in just over a week. I guess I was hoping you’d be able to show me how.”

This had rapidly changed from utter catastrophe to fantastic. “Okay,” said Star, still not quite believing his luck. “What did you try?”

“Everything. I threw parties, gave them presents; I gave Twilight those cupcakes, remember? They were the tastiest, most amazing cupcakes ever and they still didn’t work!”

I wouldn’t say that, thought Star, remembering dousing them in his “Loneliness” potion.

“That’s your problem Pinkie.”

“What?”

“You did things that would cheer you up, not necessarily anyone else.”

“How could a party not cheer ponies up? Honestly, I think you might be a bit crazy, Star.”

He raised an eyebrow, and she mumbled a sheepish apology.

“What I did,” said Star with a mild scolding tone, “is listened to them. I talked with them until they were comfortable enough to open up to me. And then I helped them realise that the problems they thought they had were insignificant.” A true statement, though not perhaps in the way Pinkie thought he meant. He wasn’t going to tell her that the perceived happiness was merely a fortunate by-product of having very little to worry about other than to do what they were told.

“And it works, just like that?”

Star laughed. “Isn’t that exactly what we’ve been doing for the last few minutes?”

Pinkie tilted her head in thought. “Yeah… It is.”

“And you feel better, right?”

“Yeah. I just thought there might be something more to it than that.”

“I’m sorry it’s not all parties and cupcakes.”

Pinkie leapt up, a spring back in her step. “That’s what we’re missing! Cupcakes!”

“Pinkie…”

“No, you’re right, talking helps. But so do cupcakes! I just need to give them after talking!”

Starbright couldn’t deny that they’d form a useful vessel for the potion. He was just about ready to contact Twilight when Pinkie grabbed his hoof.

“Come on! I’ve got some nearly ready!” She tugged him over to the oven, pulling out a fresh batch of the pastries. “They need icing,” she explained, proffering a tube.

Starbright took it hesitantly. “I’m not really sure what I’m doing.”

“It’s easy!” A foreboding tunefulness crept into her voice, and Star was quick to intervene.

“Just tell me, please.”

“Aww, but I have a whole song ready and everything!”

“I think we can make do without it.”

“Fine,” she huffed.

When they were finished, Starbright wasn’t at all surprised to see that between the pair of them they’d managed to cover the kitchen in more icing than they had the cakes. Pinkie’s looked immeasurably better than his. Amid the chaos that surrounded them, they were downright pristine. Perfect. Star’s looked like they’d been run over. Twice. Part of him wanted to put them out of their misery.

Both he and Pinkie were covered in icing. He didn’t even know quite how it had go so messy. At one point the tube had self-destructed for apparently no reason, so that was a part of it. And then they’d had what amounted to nothing short of a food fight. That’d do it, he supposed. He had to admit, it had been enjoyable.

Pinkie, you’re a bad influence on me.

She turned to him. “Wasn’t that fun!?”

“Mm, though I don’t think mine came out quite as well as yours.”

Pinkie eyed the sad-looking cupcakes. “I’m sure they’re… okay?”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence. It makes me feel so much better.”

“Good. I just feel sticky.”

“That too,” agreed Star. “Do you have a bath or something?”

“Well, yeah…” Pinkie’s voice trailed off. “But I have a much better idea.”

Before Starbright could ask, Pinkie zipped towards him and licked the frosting off his muzzle. While the gesture was certainly appreciated, she displayed her usual ignorance of momentum and brought both of them to the floor. Again, Starbright found himself pressed down under Pinkie’s weight, but this time there were far more intimate connotations.

“Pinkie-”

“Shh.” She pressed a hoof against his lips. “Don’t talk.” A mischievous smile. “Clean me.”

Star was surprised at her uncharacteristic forcefulness, but when she leant back off his body, lying there and beckoning him towards her with her movements, he found himself compelled to do as she said.

For once, he was above her instead of the other way round, and he stole a quick kiss before moving to perform his task. Pinkie let herself drop back further as Star started to lap against her fur, sucking and nipping, drawing the sweet icing into his mouth.

He started with her chest, roaming slowly across the surface; a quick wander over her front legs before moving towards Pinkie’s lower abdomen.

Star was reminded of Twilight’s fall, and he mirrored his actions from then, running down and back up one leg before switching to the other, teasing but ignoring that very important place between them. They had all the time to get to that later. After finishing the other leg, Starbright ran over her navel, before starting his final course downwards. Pinkie, however, pulled away, not before her hind hoof pushed Starbright onto his back.

“Your turn,” she whispered, unable to keep the slight quiver of unsatisfied excitement out of her voice.

She set to work, her tongue gliding over Star in a mimicry of his earlier actions. He sighed at the sensation of her warm, wet ministrations, leaving no square inch untouched. When she moved lower she worked around his obvious and hardening length, but her frizzy mane brushed against it, not unpleasantly. Star thought she might have been doing it intentionally.

As her tongue traced its way across his body, Starbright felt his growing anticipation begin to get the better of him; his hips lightly bucking at each errant brush from Pinkie's hair. His eyes were closed, so he felt Pinkie's weight shift long before seeing what she was doing. When he felt her, warm and ready and rubbing against his muzzle, his instinctive reactions was to breathe in. Her scent was thick, and heavy.

He tasted her, and his tongue drove inside her, pushing past her sensitive folds. Pinkie responded by taking his head in her hooves, grinding against him and his talented mouth, riding his face for every bit of enjoyment she could.

Starbright, for his part, was accepting of his position. He ran his tongue across her lower lips, drawing a moan from the mare above him. A quick swirl around her clit before diving back into her depths. As he did so, Pinkie held him even more forcefully, pushing his snout against her. Star could barely breathe; the brief snatches of air he could get were full of her excitement, only making him want to spend even longer before going for his next gasp.

He tried to pull away for another breath but Pinkie, near her climax, held him fast, refusing to let him free until she'd achieved her own satisfaction. Faced with imminent asphyxiation, Star increased in speed, utilising every possible trick he knew to get Pinkie to finish. It worked; with a cry of joy Pinkie crested into her orgasm, her pussy clenching around the cock she wished was inside her, spurts of her own excitement splashing against Star's face. Finally she released him and Starbright collapsed, taking huge breaths that made his head spin.

“I think I might have overdone it...” Pinkie could have tried to  look a little more embarrassed, but in truth that had been some of the most fun she'd had in a while; Star's current condition aside. And judging from the hardness pressing against her tail bone, it wasn't like he hadn't enjoyed it at all.

While he recovered, Pinkie gently pressed herself against his member; running along it, teasing herself with the tip but never taking him inside. She had taken her pleasure, she wanted Starbright to take his this time.

Pinkie thought Star would have her right there, but once he was able he instead rose to his feet. Pinkie did the same, unsure of his motives until he bent her over the glass counter. After his earlier submissiveness, now Starbright was in charge he had every intention of making the most of it.

He held her forehooves down against the counter as he moved his weight above her. The side of her face was also pressed against the cool but quickly warming glass. His cock pushed up against her as he readied himself. Star pulled back, aligned himself, and then drove forward. He didn't need to ease in; she was already wet enough, instead pushing to the hilt in a single thrust.

Pinkie moaned, as Star fucked her with little regard for her own pleasure. She'd made it clear that it was up to him to take his own enjoyment out of it with her earlier actions, and that was exactly what he did, holding there as he pounded into her.

Even with that, restricted and used, Pinkie still found herself fantastically aroused. His thickness ran deep inside her on each thrust, nearly pulling the entire way out before slamming into her, Star's hips slapping against her rear each time he did so. Her tail was firmly upright, and Star had to hold that down as well, lest each time he press forwards he end up with a face-full of hair.

This was not 'making love'. This was 'fucking'. There was nothing to it but taking their respective enjoyment from it, and right now that was exactly what Pinkie needed. Star had proven himself receptive of her friends' needs, and when her own, more carnal desires had surfaced he'd been only too happy to oblige them. The thought that he might have done the same with the others never crossed her mind.

In some ways she treated this as a reward. Both for his earlier performance on the kitchen floor, and for succeeding where she had tried and failed. There were things other than cupcakes that could cheer a pony up, and it had been the perfect time to offer them.

Her mouth was open, tongue out as her mind started to blank. She felt him pulse inside her, and a loud grunt before his heat shot into her. Starbright thrust deeply a few more times, each one adding to the growing fullness inside of her before drawing out. A final spurt landed across her back.

She hadn't finished, but that was okay. She still felt satisfied, that tingly buzz from her earlier orgasm present, coupled with the warmth inside her. Starbright stepped back, leaning against the wall after the physical exertion.

Pinkie could only lie there, regaining her energy and trying to get her back legs to stop shaking. When she felt confident they'd be able to bear her weight, she pushed off the counter and turned to her new friend.

She was greeted by empty eyes.

“Oh.” It was all she could managed. It wasn't surprise. More a terrible resignation. Starbright, the stallion who she thought had saved her friends from themselves had simply destroyed them, and he was about to do the same to her. It was a final twist of the knife; she had failed her friends, and that failure had not only been their downfall, it was about to be hers as well. At least she wouldn't have to worry about it for much longer. That was her last thought that was truly her own.

“Pinkie Pie,” said Star. There was almost a hint of sadness in that dry, cracked whisper. “You are mine.”

Unseen, a butterfly flew skimmed past the bakery's windows. It's wings were red, and speckled with white spots. As Pinkie collapsed to the floor, it swerved in the air and began its flight out of Ponyville.


***




Honestly? Pinkie was the only one that I almost regret. The others fell to their own selfish 'problems'. It was their inability to talk to the ones they cared for with all their hearts that was their end, and if you ask me they almost deserved it.

Pinkie's weakness was that she never stopped caring. Even Fluttershy, the element of kindness, had done less. Perhaps that was due to her inherent nature, preferring to be alone. Perhaps it was that she was in need of as much ‘help’ as the others had been. Either way, Pinkie had fought to the bitter end, desperately trying to pull together the shreds that remained of their once strong friendship. She only stopped when she saw me in that kitchen, ready to take her for my own. Pinkie's fall was entirely because of her desire to see everybody happy again.

I didn't even have to use a potion.


***




Dark reds mixed with orange as the sun heaved itself behind the horizon. The butterfly continued its path. It reached the edge of the Everfree Forest, and began to skim along the grass there, looking for a place to rest its tired wings and finally alighting on a thin blade of green. No more than a minute later it found itself scooped up by a dark hoof.

Irdu regarded the creature he held, head tilted slightly as he looked past it, towards the slumbering town of Ponyville. The shadows from his hoof curled up, surrounding the little insect and trapping it. After a second or two, they retreated, leaving an empty husk. In a flash, Irdu spun his hoof round and slammed it down; crushing what remained against the hard earth.

His eyes burned that little bit brighter, expression indecipherable. With his cloak billowing behind him, Irdu returned to the welcoming darkness between the thick trunks.