My Little Pony: Royals, Friends and Lovers - DISCONTINUED

Greetings, everybrony. Some of you may not have noticed, but I decided to keep all chapters of Royals, Friends and Lovers in one place, that way, my userpage isn't clogged up and it'll be more organized that way. Plus, in between chapters, there will be the occasional one-shot, taking place in between stories and episodes from the actual show.

Now that I've cleared everything up, just sit back and enjoy...

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Royals, Friends and Lovers

Written by Zack Wanzer, et al

Prologue

Equestria; a magical land populated by three races of ponies – unicorns, Pegasi, and Earth ponies. There are also other creatures like griffons and dragons living in Equestria. It is a kingdom ruled by the two princesses Celestia and Luna.

Princess Celestia is the older sister, a pure white winged unicorn (known as an alicorn) with light magenta eyes, her mane and tail pale pink streaked with light cerulean, light turquoise, and very light cobalt blue, a stylized sun for a cutie mark, and she wore very pale gold shoes on her hooves and had a pale gold crown with a purple gem on her head. Wise and kind, she controls the raising of the sun.

Princess Luna is the younger sister, a dark blue alicorn with cyan eyes, her mane and tail moderate sapphire blue with grayish Persian blue aura surrounding, light sapphire blue eyeshadow, a crescent moon on a dark purple background for a cutie mark, and she wore pale sapphire shoes on her hooves and had a small black tiara on her head. She controls the raising of the moon.

Over a thousand years ago, Equestria was in utter chaos, ruled by a draconequus named Discord; his head is horse-like, has a deer antler and goat horn on his head, one long fang, different sized pupils, a snake tongue, a goat beard, and white bushy eyebrows. He had the right arm of a lion, the left claw of an eagle, the right leg of a lizard, the left leg of a goat, a bat's right wing, a Pegasus' left wing, a horse's mane and a dragon-like snake's tail with a white tail tuft.

In his reign of chaos across Equestria, Princesses Celestia and Luna used the most powerful magic down to ponydom – the Elements of Harmony – against Discord, turning him into stone, and restoring order to the land.

However, all was not well, as years went by, Princess Luna became bitter and resentful. The ponies relished and plated in the day Celestia brought forth, but shunned and slept through Luna's beautiful night. One fateful day, Luna refused to lower the moon to make way for the sawn. Celestia attempted to reason with her, but the bitterness growing in Luna's heart transformed her into a wicked mare of darkness – Nightmare Moon!

Nightmare Moon made a vendetta to shroud Equestria in eternal night, and Celestia had no choice but to harness the Elements of Harmony to banish her on the moon, leaving her to take on responsibility for both the sun and moon for a thousand years. The day of Nightmare Moon's defeat became known as the Summer Sun Celebration, celebrated at summer solstice, the longest day of the year, where everypony would witness Princess Celestia raising the sun. Despite the happiness and harmony in Equestria, Celestia knew the Summer Sun Celebration was a painful reminder that she had to banish her sister to the moon, only it wasn't her sister, but Nightmare Moon…

One thousand years later, Princess Celestia sent a light purple unicorn named Twilight Sparkle to Ponyville to oversee the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration. Twilight also had purple eyes, a sapphire blue mane and rail with violet and rose streaks, and her cutie mark is a six-pointed pink sparkle surrounded by five small white sparkles. She was aided by her dragon friend and assistant Spike, a light purple baby dragon with green eyes and spikes, lime green ears and a very light gray underbelly.

As they oversaw the preparations, Twilight and Spike met with five other mares about her age; two Pegasi named Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, two Earth ponies named Applejack and Pinkie Pie, and a unicorn named Rarity, who Spike fell in love with.

Applejack is light gamboge with green eyes, pale blond mane and tail, freckles, wore a Stetson hat, and her cutie mark is three red apples. She lives and works at Sweet Apple Acres with her grandmother Granny Smith, older bigger Big Macintosh, younger sister Apple Bloom, and pet dog Winona.

Fluttershy is light yellow with cyan eyes, light pink mane and tail, and her cutie mark is three pink butterflies. She lives in a small cottage near the Everfree Forest and is an animal caretaker, most notably to her pet bunny Angel.

Pinkie Pie is light pink with light cerulean eyes, brilliant raspberry mane and tail, and her cutie mark is two blue balloons with yellow strings and one yellow balloon with a blue string. Her full name is Pinkamena Diane Pie, and she works at Sugarcube Corner for Mr. Carrot and Mrs. Cup Cake, living on the bakery's second floor with her pet baby alligator Gummy.

Rarity is pure white with azure eyes, indigo mane and tail, light cornflower blue eyeshadow, and her cutie mark is three lozenge diamonds. She is a fashion designer and seamstress for the Carousel Boutique, her residence in Ponyville, with her little sister Sweetie Belle and pet cat Opalescence.

Rainbow Dash is light cerulean with cerise eyes, her mane and tail red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple, and her cutie mark is a blue-yellow-red lightning bolt with a white cloud. She is responsible for maintaining the weather and clearing the skies in Ponyville, and is a huge fan of the Wonderbolts.

At the actual Summer Sun Celebration, Nightmare Moon made her return after a thousand years of banishment, decreeing eternal darkness and capturing Princess Celestia. Not willing to live in darkness, Twilight and the other five mares set off to find the mythical Elements of Harmony – Honesty, Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Loyalty, and the unknown sixth element.

The elements were found as six stones at the castle ruins where the two Princesses once lived, and upon confronting Nightmare Moon, Twilight realized she and her new friends were the bearers of the Elements of Harmony; Applejack for Honesty, Fluttershy Kindness, Pinkie Pie Laughter, Rarity Generosity, Rainbow Dash Loyalty, and Twilight herself had the sixth Element, ignited by the spark residing in the hearts of all six – Magic. Twilight's Element was represented by a tiara, while everypony else's was a necklace.

Nightmare Moon was transformed back into Princess Luna, abiet younger looking prior to transformation; grayish blue with light azure mane and tail, but her eyes and cutie mark remained the same. Reunited with Princess Celestia, Luna once again controlled the rising of the moon, and Twilight's new mission, decreed by Princess Celestia, was to make findings about friendship in Ponyville.

Since then, Twilight, Spike, and their friends, collectively known as the Mane Six, have had many misadventures, all learning a lesson in friendship along the way, two of their biggest capers being Discord's return and the recent marriage of Twilight's older brother Shining Armor and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza "Cadance". Not long afterward, there was the return of the Crystal Empire, where the Mane Six went to restore the empire by filling it with love and hope.

However, during their visit to the Crystal Empire, a newcomer had arrived in Ponyville; he was a bright yellow Pegasus with blue hooves, mane and tail, dark green eyes, glasses, and a paintbrush and palette for a cutie mark. What nopony would know, not even Twilight Sparkle herself, this stallion would one day have his name well-known throughout all of Equestria…

And can you guess who this stallion is? If you've paid attention, I'm sure you can! This chapter mostly summarizes the events and flashbacks of the Friendship is Magic, Return of Harmony, Canterlot Wedding, Crystal Empire and Princess Twilight Sparkle duologies. In between the season two finale and the season three premiere is pretty much where the stories begin...

2. The Pegasus Artist Part 1

Okay, so here's the first part of chapter one, The Pegasus Artist. To those who reviewed when I originally posted it in January, make sure you review here as well, okay? Thanks. Plus, I changed Fillis' name to Fictionary.

Chapter I: The Pegasus Artist

Written by Zack Wanzer and James Riddle

Part 1: Meeting Vincent

Our story begins in the city of Liverhoof, one of the busiest in all of Equestria, and it is well-known for being the birthplace to perhaps the land's most famous music group, the Beatrots; John Gallop, Paul McHoofney, George Mareison, and Ringo Joggs (with two G's).

One February morning, the winter winds were blowing fiercely in the streets of Liverhoof. Everypony who was outside was struggling to keep warm as they went about their lives.

In a flat at the Liverhoof City Center, a unicorn filly and a Pegasus stallion were doing their best to keep warm. The filly was light blue with freckles, a light gold and pink mane and tail with magenta eyes, a red bow in her mane, and no cutie mark. Her name is Fictionary. Her older brother is the yellow Pegasus with the blue mane and tail, blue hooves, dark green eyes, glasses, and paint brush and palette for a cutie mark. This stallion is our protagonist, Vincent van Colt.

Now, some would think it's strange that two ponies of different species could be siblings, but there is a reason for it; their mother was a Pegasus, and their father was a unicorn. Vincent and Fictionary were born in Fillydelphia, but their mother came from Cloudsdale, and she was a single parent pregnant with Vincent. She married a unicorn stallion, who would eventually become Fictionary's father.

At a young age, about four years old, Vincent was first in his class to obtain a cutie mark, but many other foals were quite jealous of him. As he got older, Vincent was either ignored or teased by other colts and had very few friends. He and Fictionary were disheartened upon hearing their parents got involved in a cart crash, and thought they had been killed. To cope with his pain, Vincent moved away from Fillydelphia with Fictionary joining him, and traveled Equestria to find a newfound life, eventually ending up in Liverhoof.

Vincent is a good sort, but he's very sensitive and doesn't like bringing up "certain topics". Despite being a Pegasus, he is ironically afraid of heights! Fictionary, however, is more of a joker, is brave, independent, and she doesn't care what others think about her.

Back to the story; for this morning, Fictionary's job was to keep the fire burning brightly whilst her older brother was wearing a blanket, reading the Liverhoof Daily Post.

"Oh, why can't it be warmer?" Fictionary moaned as she used her magic to put a fresh lump of coal into the fireplace, "It makes me wish it was summer already! Why don't you join other Pegasi in controlling the weather?"

"Even if I wanted to," scoffed Vincent, rolling his eyes, "there's no way I'm going more than ten feet in the air!" He knew Fictionary was only teasing him, but didn't say so.

"Do you think there's anywhere else we can go that's hopefully warmer?" asked Fictionary, continuing to stoke the fire.

Vincent looked into the newspaper. His eyes scanned the pages until something caught his eye.

"Hmm? What's this? 'Help Wanted: Ponyville in Search of Artist…'" Vincent read on, absorbed. After a few minutes of reading, he put down the paper with a hopeful smile on his face.

"Pack your bags, Fictionary!" he declared, "Next stop; Ponyville!"

A few days later, Vincent and Fictionary stood on the platform of Liverhoof Central railway station. They had filled a cart hauled by Vincent with about six bags of their stuff, food, clothes, and his art supplies; blank canvases, easel, paint brushes, paint palettes, paint bottles, you name it.

"Let's hope Ponyville's full of friendly faces like in Liverhoof," Fictionary said eagerly.

"The Liverhoofians are nice ponyfolk," said Vincent, "but it'll be a shame to leave them. One day, we might return."

There was a crackle as the announcements came on.

"Attention, passengers! The 10:15 service from Liverhoof to Ponyville shall be departing in ten minutes from platform three! Please mind the gap between the train and the platform when boarding."

The siblings quickly got to platform three where the porters loaded their luggage into the luggage car. They then got their tickets, boarded one of the carriages and got their seats.

As the clock struck the quarter-hour, the conductor's whistle blew and the train departed for Ponyville. For Vincent and Fictionary, there was no going back now.

Around the same time at Canterlot railway station, Twilight Sparkle sadly walked onto the station platform, shortly followed by Spike.

"Uh, prepared for what, exactly?" the baby dragon asked, puzzled. Earlier, Twilight had a word with Princess Celestia at the castle, and the pure white alicorn had assigned Twilight and her friends to help save the Crystal Empire, which was far north of Ponyville in the snow. Twilight looked back sadly at Spike until a voice called out for her.

"Twilight! Uh, did you pass?"

Twilight gave a slight grunt, receiving a hug from Applejack. She and the other four mares were anxious to know what Princess Celestia had assigned Twilight. Spike stood where he was until he was knocked aside by Pinkie Pie. With her was what she called her "party cannon." It was bright blue with pink wheels.

"Are we gonna celebrate your awesomeness with Princess Celestia?!" Pinkie exclaimed as her party cannon set off, blowing confetti into the air. She jumped in excitement as it did so.

"Not quite," said Twilight. Pinkie landed back to the platform on her bottom and the confetti went back into its cannon. The pink Earth pony looked at Twilight, confused.

"We're going to the Crystal Empire!" Twilight declared. Her friends looked at each other, confused.

"Crystal what?" asked Rainbow Dash.

Back to Vincent; he was in his coach with Fictionary. Right now, he had out his easel, palette, paint bottles and brush and was painting on the canvas with the brush in his mouth. He was an extremely talented painter; he could even paint with his hooves and wings! Right now, his painting was of the train he and Fictionary were aboard right now. Vincent always had a fascination of trains since he was a colt. He thought steam locomotives were beautiful machines and a sight to behold. Sometimes he'd talk about trains to anypony who would listen; some were interested, others weren't.

"According to the paper," said Fictionary, who'd brought the newspaper with them, "anypony who's willing to volunteer as an artist must have a word with Mayor Mare at Ponyville Town Hall in the Town Square."

"Should be easy," said Vincent, applying the finishing touches to his newest painting, "we do have a map with us, right?"

"Got it right here with me!" said Fictionary, producing the map with her magic.

"Excellent; soon we'll be starting a new life before you can say 'Summer Sun Celebration'!"

About two hours later, the train steamed to a halt at Ponyville railway station. Vincent and Fictionary's luggage was unloaded – by now, Vincent's newest painting was complete – and they set off to find the Town Square.

"We've just arrived at the station," said Fictionary, looking at the map, "now we need to find the Town Square."

"It should be easy, given we have this map with us," said Vincent, "how hard could it be to find it?"

That was easier said than done. After about an hour, they couldn't find the Town Square.

"Me and my sense of direction," Vincent groaned, facehoofing in embarrassment.

"Can't you just fly?" teased Fictionary.

"Out of the question," her brother retorted, "we'll ask for directions."

As if by coincidence, he noticed a light amber stallion walk by.

"Excuse me, sir," called Vincent, "can you direct us to the Town Square?"

"It's to your left," the stallion replied, and pointed. Vincent and Fictionary looked; there was the Town Square.

"Right, thank you, sir," said Vincent gratefully, and he and his sister unicorn walked over to where the stallion pointed.

"You really could've just flown us over there yourself," Fictionary joked again. Vincent rolled his eyes and didn't reply.

Mayor Mare is a pale, light grayish amber Earth mare with a light bluish gray mane and tail, phthalo blue eyes, yellow glasses, a white collar with a greenish-blue tuft, and her cutie mark was a tan scroll tied with blue ribbon. She was in her office at the Town Square when somepony knocked on the door.

"Come in," said the Mayor, and the door opened to reveal her deputy mayor.

"Good day, Mayor," he greeted, "a Mr. Vincent van Colt is here to speak with you, to volunteer as the town's local artist since Stalliono da Vinci's left for Canterlot."

"Oh, a volunteer!" gasped the Mayor, "How splendid! Send him in!"

The deputy mayor nodded, and then called in for the blue-haired Pegasus to enter the Mayor's office.

"Good afternoon, Mayor," said Vincent politely.

"Mr. van Colt, I presume?" said the Mayor.

"That's me name."

Outside the office, Fictionary sat waiting while the Mayor interviewed her older brother. She didn't mind the wait – it was grown-up pony stuff, after all – but after half an hour, she began to feel bored.

"When's the interview done?" she moaned to nopony in particular. She was just about to fall asleep, when a voice called out to her.

"Come on, Fictionary!" called Vincent, "Hitch me up to our cart; the Mayor's going to lead us to our new home!"

Fictionary stood up in an instant, an eager look on her face.

"Did ya get the job?!" she exclaimed.

"We'll explain everything on the way," said Vincent, "the Mayor's leading us to our new home."

"Oh, okay!"

"This shall be your new home," Mayor Mare was saying to Vincent and Fictionary, "Stalliono da Vinci left this place about two months ago when he was hired as a painter in Canterlot. The building's a little dirty on the inside, but some touch ups will restore it to former glory."

"Did Stalliono run a business here?" Fictionary asked.

"Suppose you could say that," the Mayor shrugged, "but either way, this place is yours now."

"Thank you, madam," said Vincent, shaking hooves with the Mayor, "we'll take great care of it as well!"

He was true to his word; over the next two days, he and Fictionary first cleaned up the building's interior, and once that was done, they began to unload their luggage and had brought in their furniture they had from their Liverhoof flat.

After two weeks, Vincent and Fictionary had finished transferring all their furniture from Liverhoof to their new Ponyville domicile.

"That's it, our job is done," smiled Fictionary.

"And it's the start of a new life," Vincent agreed, "now Vincent van Colt's 'Metrostallion House of Art' is open for business!"

"Metrostallion House?"

"It's a good name, I thought."

"Pretty catchy; I like it!"

"Glad you think so. Now I wonder where we should start…?"

Two days later, Vincent was out in a grassy field. He was now painting still life, his painting itself consisting of a lake, some trees, and birds flying in the sky with clouds in the background.

"What a peaceful morning," he was saying to nopony in particular, "the sky's clear, and you're deep in your thoughts, wondering about the mysteries of the world today… Today's got perfect weather for painting! Better than about a week ago with crazy pink mares jumping around all over town saying 'fun, fun, fun' all the time…"

Not too long ago, Pinkie Pie used a magic mirror pond to clone herself after being overwhelmed with having to choose one friend to spend time with, but Vincent had yet to understand this.

He was so focused on his painting he didn't notice a light purple unicorn standing right next to him.

"Oh my, that's such a lovely painting!"

Vincent jumped in surprise, his wing dropping the paintbrush.

"Ah! Who said that?!" he exclaimed in surprise.

"I did, to your right!"

Vincent turned to his right, and he noticed the voice came from Twilight. She was out to run some errands whilst Spike was looking after Golden Oak Library.

"Oh," Vincent exclaimed, "sorry, didn't see you there."

"It's alright," said Twilight, "I was just saying your painting looks very lovely."

Vincent gave a small smile; it was the first time in a while that somepony had complimented his artwork.

"Thank you, miss," he said at last, "my name's Vincent van Colt, but you can call me Vincent for short." He held out his right hoof.

"I'm Twilight Sparkle," said the light purple unicorn, and she shook Vincent's hoof, "but mostly everypony calls me Twilight. I don't think I've seen you before; have we met?"

"No, actually," said Vincent, "I arrived from Liverhoof to Ponyville two weeks ago with my sister Fictionary."

"Two weeks ago?" exclaimed Twilight, then had a realization, but didn't say it out loud.

"What, is there a problem with that?"

"Er, no; my friends and I were at the Crystal Empire two weeks ago too," Twilight admitted.

"Huh, what a coincidence, I- Wait a minute... Crystal Empire?" Vincent looked at her with a puzzled look.

"It's in the arctic north of Equestria," explained Twilight, "vanished for a thousand years by a curse placed by King Sombra, defeated by Princesses Celestia and Luna. My brother Shining Armor and Princess Cadence lead the empire together now."

"Oh, I see," said Vincent, "it makes sense. I never heard of such place until now."

"I'm not surprised," said Twilight, "hardly anypony's heard of it up to two weeks ago."

"Well, anyway," said Vincent, "I've just finished up my painting of some still life. I'll just pack up me supplies and head back to the Metrostallion House. Wanna come with?"

"I don't see why not," smiled Twilight, "I've just finished up with my errands for the day and I've got some time to kill before I'm due back at the library."

Vincent van Colt's name is inspired by the Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh. Liverhoof is the Equestrian variant of Liverpool; it also spoofs the real-life British city's Center, Daily Post newspaper, and Central railway station. The Beatrots is a reference to the Beatles. The Metrostallion House of Art references the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

So here's the first edited part of The Pegasus Artist. Keep an eye out for the next five chapters!

3. The Pegasus Artist Part 2

Here's the edited chapter two. Now, you might recall I adapted James' "The Jokester and the Bore" for two chapters, but I decided to cut it from the new version as I wanted the first chapter to focus primarily on Vincent and Fictionary. So you're keeping track of the timeline, this takes place between "One Bad Apple" and "Magic Duel".

Part 2: New Friends in Ponyville

Twilight and Vincent were soon walking back to Ponyville. The two were already chatting like old friends and knowing more about one another. Well, Twilight told more about herself, but Vincent didn't mind.

It's best she don't know about what I've been through, he though anxiously to himself. Vincent was so deep in thought, he didn't look where he was going.

"D'oh!"

"Oops. Careful!"

"Oh, s-sorry, miss! I was in my thoughts…!"

Vincent and Twilight helped the mare he'd run into back on her hooves; it was Pinkie Pie.

"Oh, hey Twilight!" she said, "How's things doing today?"

"Doing great, actually," the light purple unicorn replied, "I've just been speaking with my new friend Vincent here."

Pinkie turned to the yellow Pegasus.

"I say, miss," Vincent began, "are you one of the pink ponies I saw several days ago-?"

Before he finished, Pinkie gave a deep gasp of surprise, and then quickly ran off. Vincent looked at Twilight, a confused look on his face.

"What was that all about?" he asked.

"Oh, that's Pinkie Pie," Twilight shrugged, "she acts like that when she meets someone new in Ponyville. I know what it's like, believe me."

"Oh-kay," said Vincent, after a slight pause, "now, that was Pinkie, one of the Elements of Harmony, right?"

"Yep, that's her," said Twilight, "I represent Magic, as you already know."

"What of the other four?"

"Rainbow Dash is Loyalty, Applejack is Honesty, Fluttershy is Kindness, and Rarity is Generosity. Oh, and we can't forget my pet dragon Spike."

"My gosh," remarked Vincent, "I've only just met you an hour ago, Twilight, and I've already learned a lot about you. Anyway, onto the Metrostallion House, shall we?"

"Right," said Twilight, "let's go; lead the way, Vincent!"

About a quarter of an hour later, the two ponies made it to the Metrostallion House of Art.

"That's my domicile," said Vincent, "it's not much, but Fictionary and I like to call it our new home." He opened the door with his hoof.

"Fillies first," he called to Twilight.

"Thank you, Vincent," she said politely, and entered the house.

"It's quite dark," Twilight remarked.

"Hang on, Twi," said Vincent, getting into the house, "I'll get that switch." He flipped the switch, turning on the lights…

"SURPRISE!"

"Oh! A party!" exclaimed Vincent, "What's the occasion?"

"It's your 'welcome to Ponyville' party!" squeaked Pinkie, who appeared from behind Vincent, "It's always great to make new friends!"

"That's really nice of you, Pinkie Pie," said Vincent, "but to be honest, I actually arrived two weeks ago."

"Oh, it was noth- Wait, you arrived TWO WEEKS AGO?!"

Pinkie stared at the yellow Pegasus stallion, a stunned look on her face.

"Yes, you heard me; I was busy for the last two weeks getting my new home ready to prepare for being Ponyville's new arist."

"It seems he moved to Ponyville around the time we were at the Crystal Empire," Twilight explained to Pinkie.

"Ohhh," said Pinkie, understanding, "and wait; how did you know my name?"

"Twilight told me," said Vincent, "and yes, we did meet today."

"Ohhh."

"Sheesh, Twilight, we held a party for somepony who's arrived two weeks ago and didn't tell any of us about it?"

"Spike, Vincent couldn't have helped it he was busy," Twilight called out to the baby dragon, "some ponies do put work first after all."

"So that's Spike?" Vincent asked Twilight, pointing at the baby dragon, "Name's Vincent van Colt, by the way." Then he spotted a familiar light blue unicorn filly trotting over to him.

"Hey, big brother," Fictionary said in excitement, "I've just met some of the ponies who have come for our belated-'welcome to Ponyville' party, and they really are that friendly!"

"She's your sister?" Twilight asked, confused.

"Our mother's a Pegasus, and our father's a unicorn," Vincent explained, "I suppose you could say I'm part-unicorn."

"Oh, that makes sense," said Twilight, "surprised you didn't mention your parents earlier, Vincent."

"Ah, yes, I suppose I forgot," Vincent admitted, feeling a little sheepish. Inside he didn't want to be reminded of his parents' unfortunate death, but didn't say so in front of everypony.

Nopony must know, he thought, it's best Fictionary and I only kept it to ourselves only.

Once again, Vincent was deep in thought, and didn't watch where he was walking. This time, he bumped into a purple Earth pony mare with green eyes, a bright pink and white mane and three flowers for her cutie mark.

"Oh, careful!" she called, "Almost spilled my cider."

"Sorry, miss," said Vincent, "it's been happening to me a lot today. Anyway, I'm Vincent van Colt, and here," he pulled Fictionary towards him, "is my younger sister, Fictionary. Our mother's a Pegasus and our dad's a unicorn, just so you know."

"I see," said the mare, shaking hooves with Vincent, "I'm Miss Cheerilee. I teach young colts and fillies at the Ponyville Schoolhouse. Is Fictionary educated?"

"She was mostly home-schooled when we lived in Liverhoof," Vincent explained, "our parents were very busy, so she's my biggest responsibility, and I care for her deeply like a big brother should. It's very stressful for me, considering my new position as Ponyville artist, but somepony's gotta take care of her."

"Perhaps I could enroll Fictionary at the schoolhouse and teach her," suggested Miss Cheerilee, "then it can be much less stressful for you."

Vincent thought about it for a moment; he looked over to Fictionary, who smiled big.

"Don't worry about me," she said, "I'm sure I'll make lots of friends at the school, but you'll always be my best friend, Vinny."

Vincent smiled, and then turned back to Miss Cheerilee.

"I don't see the problem with it," he said, "she'd be more than happy to come."

"Excellent!" said Miss Cheerilee happily, and then looked down to Fictionary, "School starts for you first thing on Monday. Don't be late!"

"Oh, wow!" said Fictionary, "I get to go to school! This'll be great fun for me!"

Vincent smiled again, chuckling quietly at his younger sister's excitement. Normally young foals would hate going to school, at least from his experience, but Fictionary loved the idea and he couldn't blame her.

"Make sure you make the right choices," he told her kindly, but firmly, "I don't want to make a visit just because my only sister got into a fight!"

"Oh, you," Fictionary giggled, playfully punching him on the foreleg.

Within the following week, Fictionary had gotten supplies she needed for school and was more than ready to start learning when Monday morning came.

"Off to the schoolhouse, off to the schoolhouse," she sang, "and I'm going to learn stuff and make some new friends!"

She arrived at the Ponyville Schoolhouse, a small dark pink building with a dark red roof. Eagerly, Fictionary skipped inside, a big smile on her face.

"Good morning, Miss Cheerilee," she called.

"Oh, good morning, Fictionary," her new teacher replied, "you're looking especially cheery, and I'm hardly surprised."

"I really am," Fictionary smiled, "it's my first day and I can hardly wait to learn!"

"Well, class starts in a few minutes, so you won't have to wait long."

Soon enough, young colts and fillies were at their seats, except Fictionary, who stood by Miss Cheerilee's desk.

"Everypony," said Miss Cheerilee, "we have a new student in our class today. Why don't you introduce yourself?"

"Name's Fictionary van Colt," said Fictionary without hesitation, "my older brother Vincent runs the Metrostallion House of Art. Feel free to come there any time you like!"

As she talked, the other foals got very interested, except for two, who acted like she wasn't there at all.

Later that day, Fictionary and the other foals were outside on the playground. She walked over to three fillies. One of them was a light yellow Earth pony with amber eyes, a light red mane and tail, and a pink bow; her name is Apple Bloom. Another was an orange Pegasus with lavender eyes and a purple mane and tail; her name is Scootaloo. The third was a white unicorn filly with green eyes a purple and pink mane and tail; her name is Sweetie Belle. Like Fictionary, none of the three fillies had cutie marks.

"Hey girls," Fictionary called to them, "what's happenin'?"

"Oh, hi Fictionary," said Sweetie Belle. She and Fictionary had met at Vincent's "welcome to Ponyville" party, but she hadn't introduced her friends properly. "These are my friends Apple Bloom and Scootaloo."

"Nice to meet ya both."

"Gee golly," said Apple Bloom, "ya haven't got a cutie mark!"

"Not yet, but I don't mind," Fictionary smiled.

"Gee, you should be our fifth Cutie Mark Crusader!" said Scootaloo.

"Fifth?" Fictionary was puzzled. "But there's three of you… four if you count me."

"Naw, my cousin Babs Seed from Manehattan's the fourth member of the Cutie Mark Crusaders," Apple Bloom explained, "we had a bit of a run in with her at first, but now we're one anothers' favorite cousin! Right now, she's startin' her own branch of the Cutie Mark Crusaders in Manehattan."

"Oh, I see," said Fictionary, "that makes sense. But anyway, what's this Cutie Mark Crusader thing?"

"It's our organization for colts and fillies who've yet to obtain their cutie marks," said Scootaloo, "wanna join? We can lead you to our clubhouse after school."

"Yeah, sure, why not?" Fictionary grinned, "I'm all up for it!"

"The new filly's first day, and she's already friends with the three blank flank losers? Puh-leaze!"

Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo groaned; they knew one of those voices all to well. Two earth ponies walked up to the quartet with smug looks on their faces. One of them was light pink with light blue eyes, a purple and white mane and tail, she wore a crown on her head, and her cutie mark was of said headgear; her name is Diamond Tiara.

Her acquaintance was light gray with purple eyes, had a pale gray mane and tail with a pink hairbraid, wore a pearl necklace and blue glasses, and her cutie mark was a silver spoon with a pink heart on the handle; her name is Silver Spoon. It was Diamond Tiara who said the insult.

"Yeah, these 'blank flanks' are my new friends," Fictionary said to them, "you have a problem with that?"

"Oh, yes, our problem is why you'd want to be friends with those losers," snapped Diamond Tiara.

"Cause, personally, I don't care what you say about me or my friends," said Fictionary bravely, "if you don't like others for what they are or how they look, I suggest you don't talk to me or them ever again. Comprende?"

Colts and fillies who were watching looked at each other in surprise; somepony with no cutie mark was standing up to somepony rotten as Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon? Last time the Cutie March Crusaders saw it happen was when Babs Seed stood up to them before she went back to Manehattan, and the snobs ended up in a mud puddle with a pig.

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon scowled, but backed off.

"Whatever," scoffed Silver Spoon, "but have it your way." She and Diamond Tiara walked off. Shortly after, there was high praise for Fictionary.

"Way to go, Fictionary!" cheered one called Dinky Doo.

"You certainly stood up to them good," praised another called Noi.

"You're an example to us all," commended a third called Aura.

"Gee, thanks for defendin' us against Diamond Tiara an' Silver Spoon," said Apple Bloom.

"Ah, it was nothin'," Fictionary smiled modestly, "you'd think I'd sit there and let them torment you? No way!"

"You're a real great pal to be around," said Scootaloo.

"I really like how brave you are," agreed Sweetie Belle.

"Ya know, girls, you three and I are gonna get along just fine," smiled Fictionary.

So now Vincent's met up with the Mane Six (he did meet with Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Applejack; you just didn't see it!) and Spike, as well as a few others. And now Fictionary's made fast friends with the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and stood up to Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon! I know this chapter and the last had more dialogue than action, but trust me; there'll be more action to come. :)

4. The Pegasus Artist Part 3

Here's the edited third chapter to Vincent's story. Between this and the last chapter did several events occur in a period of roughly six weeks, and this chapter takes place after "Spike at Your Service". Plus, for those of you who've watched Thomas the Tank Engine, you can guess what story this chapter's based off of.

Part 3: Undesired Consequences

For the next several weeks, Fictionary hung out with her new friends Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. With her as the newest Cutie Mark Crusader, the quartet did whatever they could to obtain their cutie marks. Well, three of them did, but Fictionary was a bit more laid back compared to the others, but not one of them questioned it; it was merely who Fictionary was.

During that time, there had been the return of The Great and Powerful Trixie, Rainbow Dash's enlistment into Wonderbolts Academy, the latest Apple family reunion at Sweet Apple Acres, and just a few days ago, Spike had saved Applejack from a horde of Timberwolves.

However, through all this, something was bound to go wrong for Vincent van Colt…

It had been about six weeks, but for Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, they still hadn't forgotten Fictionary standing up to them in front of the other foals.

"How dare a blank flank insult us in front of everypony else!" Diamond Tiara scowled, "Now look at us, Silver Spoon; we're a laughingstock no thanks to Fictionary van Loser!"

"I know; utterly humiliating!" agreed Silver Spoon, "What can we do to teach her not to mess with us?"

Neither of the school-age Earth ponies had a clue. They stood in silence until Diamond Tiara spoke up.

"What if instead of humiliating her directly," she suggested, "we humiliate somepony she's close to? Say, her brother?"

"Those Cutie Mark Crusaders have big siblings too," Silver Spoon pointed out, "well, not Scootaloo, for she and Rainbow Dash aren't sisters, but whatever."

"Yeah," said her friend, "are you going anywhere with this?"

"What if we made up stories about their big siblings," Silver Spoon explained, "and we blame it on Fictionary' big brother, Vincent or Victor, whatever his name is?"

"Silver Spoon, you're a genius!"

"I am? I mean, I am."

"If we plan this carefully," said Diamond Tiara, "we'll make an example out of Fictionary, and show everypony else we can't be messed with! Ending up in that mud puddle with a pig was embarrassing enough, but being shown up by one – no, two – blank flanks is something else! So here's what we're gonna do…"

The two Earth pony fillies snickered quietly.

The following morning at Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack and Apple Bloom were helping to harvest apples alongside their older brother Big Macintosh, a large red stallion with light green eyes, a light orange mane and tail, freckles, tan hooves, a brown saddle around his neck, and his cutie mark was a green apple sliced in half.

"We've got plenty o' apples to harvest," said Applejack as her hind legs were kicked against a tree, causing apples to fall off into buckets. "Prob'ly a lot since our family reunion!"

"Eeyup," said Big Macintosh, his hind legs kicking against another tree.

"How many d'you think we're gonna sell?" asked Apple Bloom, checking apples to see if they were good for selling before tossing them into buckets.

"Ah'm thinkin' 'bout a thousand, maybe two thousand," said Applejack.

"Sounds like a lot," said Apple Bloom, "but we're Apples and nuthin' can hold us off, right?"

"Eeyup."

Unfortunately, whilst Applejack went about bucking another tree, a branch had fallen off the tree, with an apple attached to it, and it landed right on Applejack's flank!

"Ouch!" she cried, rubbing her flank. Apple Bloom heard her sister's cry of pain, and ran over to her.

"You okay, Applejack?"

"Kinda," groaned Applejack, "ow, those trees do know how to bite back, don't they?"

"But trees aren't like dogs?" asked Apple Bloom, confused.

"It's a figure of speech, Apple Bloom. It's only a bruise, after all; little harm done!" Applejack wiped her forehead, some sweat flying into an empty bucket.

Not one of the three siblings noticed Diamond Tiara watching the whole scene from a distance away behind a bush. The pink Earth filly snickered quietly to herself, trotting away before anypony could see her.

"Rarity? Are you in there?"

Sweetie Belle and Spike stood outside of the bathroom door of Carousel Boutique.

"Um, not now, Sweetie Belle!" a voice called from inside, "I'm brushing my teeth!"

"I don't hear the tap running," said Spike, confused.

"Rarity, why can't we come in?" asked Sweetie Belle innocently, "It's okay, you can tell us."

Rarity sighed, and then reluctantly opened the door. Spike and Sweetie Belle gasped in shock; Rarity's mane was a terrible mess!

"Oh, sweet Luna!" cried Spike.

"How did that happen?!" exclaimed Sweetie Belle.

"I don't know," moaned Rarity, "last night, my mane was perfectly fine, and this morning, it's all in utter tangles! And of all the worst things that could happen, this is the. WORST. POSSIBLE. THING!"

The pure white unicorn broke down in tears. This was nothing new to either Spike or Sweetie Belle; they'd heard this from Rarity before.

"So… do you need our help?" asked Spike.

"Actually," sniffed Rarity, "I do. I can't be seen in public like this! I'd be a laughingstock! Do be dears and get me some hair products, won't you?"

Spike and Sweetie Belle agreed to, and once Rarity had given them a list, the two set off for their shopping. They hadn't noticed a certain light gray filly with glasses spying on them and Rarity…

After leaving Sweet Apple Acres unnoticed, Diamond Tiara hid behind a bush and spotted Rainbow Dash in the sky, clearing away the clouds.

Rainbow Dash had just finished her job and was flying about in the air, doing stunts which she hoped would impress the Wonderbolts, Equestria's best flyers.

All of a sudden, an advertisement flew into Rainbow Dash's face, taking her by surprise. She pulled it off her face and her eyes lit up when she saw what it was for.

"Aw yeah!" she cried in excitement, "The Wonderbolts are performing live at Cloudsdale in ten days! I can't miss this!"

Unfortunately, the light blue Pegasus was so caught up about seeing her idols perform (again) that she didn't look where she was flying, and went smack into a wall!

"Oh, my nose!" she cried. Before she could react, Rainbow Dash fell and landed right on top a very light aquamarine unicorn mare, their faces almost meeting by the lips!

"Agh!" Rainbow yelped in surprise, "Sorry, Lyra! I didn't see where I was flying!"

"Well, please be more careful," Lyra Heartstrings sighed, standing up, "I wasn't expecting somepony to fall on me!" And she walked away; Diamond Tiara saw everything and smirked to herself.

"Hey, D.T.!"

The pink earth pony turned and saw Silver Spoon trotting towards her.

"So what'd you get from Sweetie Belle's big sister?" asked Diamond Tiara.

"She was flipping out because, from what I saw, her mane was a tangled mess! She also sent for her blank flank sister and that lizard to get her hair products."

"Oh, really?" said Diamond Tiara, "I saw Apple Bloom's big sister get smacked by a tree branch, and mopped some of her own sweat into a barrel! And just now, I saw Rainbow Dash crash into a wall and almost kiss another mare! Could you believe it?!"

"I wouldn't believe it without seeing it," chuckled Silver Spoon, "but it might've been funny."

"It was. Now we got to come up with names and find somepony gullible enough to believe them!"

"Yeah, but who?"

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon's answer came sooner than expected when they came across two unicorn colts. One of them was short and fat, had grayish blue fur, a moderate orange mane and tail, brown eyes and eyebrows, had buckteeth, and his cutie mark was a pair of open scissors; his name is Snips. His friend was tall and skinny, had amber fur, a turquoise mane and tail, black eyes, freckles, and his cutie mark was a frowning snail; his name is Snails.

"Hey look, Snails," said Snips in a high, scratchy voice, "it's those fillies Fictionary stood up to weeks ago!"

"Oh, eh, yeah!" Snails giggled in a low, slow voice.

"Ha, that's a good one boys," said Diamond Tiara sarcastically, "and now that you think about it, we was talking to our good friend Fictionary the other day, and she told us about what her older brother, Vincent, I think his name was, thought about Rarity, Applejack and Rainbow Dash."

"What did he say?" asked Snails.

"We heard that Applejack had an accident with a slapping branch," said Silver Spoon, "and we heard her family's cider comes from sweat!"

"And can you guess what he called her?" asked Diamond Tiara.

"No, what?" asked Snips.

"He called her 'Applesmack!'" the fillies declared together.

"Rarity's also had a bad mane day today," continued Diamond Tiara, "and she sent off her sister and that lizard Spike to buy hair products for her! How lazy is she?"

"I know," said Silver Soon, "and he calls her 'Hairity!' Isn't that awful of him?"

"It really is!" exclaimed Snips.

"And you two know Rainbow Dash, right?" asked Diamond Tiara.

"The greatest flier of all of Ponyville?!" remarked Snips excitedly.

"Not today, she wasn't," explained Silver Spoon, "she crashed into a wall and not long after, she kissed a mare!"

"Old Vincent's name for her was 'Rainbow Crash!'" finished Diamond Tiara.

"Applesmack, Hairity, and Rainbow Crash?!" the two colts exclaimed together.

"Oh, yes," said Silver Spoon, "Fictionary' big brother is nasty, isn't he?"

"But don't tell those three mares we told you," added Diamond Tiara, and the two fillies walked away, snickering to each other. Snips and Snails looked at each other awkwardly.

The next morning, Snips and Snails had told ponyfolk who'd listen about what they were told, neither mentioning Diamond Tiara nor Silver Spoon, which was probably lucky for the two fillies.

In a few days' time, everypony who saw them was laughing at Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Applejack.

"Hey, Applesmack! Your cider's a real workout, isn't it?!"

"Where's your little helpers, Hairity? Can I help you out?"

"Find any good mares lately, Rainbow Crash? Give my sister a call!"

The three mares were furious, and they had an indignation meeting at Carousel Boutique after finding out why.

"Outrageous!" declared Rainbow Dash.

"Nefarious and evil!" put in Rarity.

"Absolutely disgustin'!" finished Applejack, "We're not lettin' him get 'way with it, are we?!"

They consulted together.

"Right, since he did it to us…"

"We'll darn well do it to him…"

"And see how that uncool guy likes it!"

Vincent van Colt had a good day; the skies had been clear for him, and he was making his way back to the Metrostallion House. He was looking forward for tea when he came across the three angry mares blocking his path.

"Oh, hi, girls," Vincent smiled, "what's happening?"

"Don't play dumb with us, van Colt!" snapped Applejack.

"Excuse me?"

"You're telling tales about us to the public, aren't you?!" exclaimed Rarity.

"What?! No I'm not!"

"Yes you are, don't lie to us!" Rainbow Dash scowled angrily. The four of them continued to argue until Twilight broke up the argument. She then asked the three mares why they were angry with Vincent.

"Vincent called me Lazy Hairity!" the white unicorn spluttered.

"No, I never-"

"Sweatin' Cider Applesmack!" the orange Earth pony fumed.

"Now, wait just a minute-"

"And I'm Mare-Kissin' Rainbow Crash!" the blue Pegasus hissed.

"If I may say so, Twilight," protested Vincent, "I'd only wish of coming up with those names myself… if the hooves fit…!"

"Really?"

"He's made everypony in Ponyville laugh at us!" accused Rarity.

Twilight wasn't sure how to respond, until she found her voice. "Did you, Vincent?"

"Certainly not!" Vincent declared in defense, "I'd never be as mean as that! Why would I insult mares?! I'm a respectful stallion!"

"Of course you are," said Rainbow Dash sarcastically.

"That'll do," said Twilight firmly, before turning to Vincent. The yellow Pegasus looked anxious.

"I don't know where these names are coming from," she said, "but I'm getting to the bottom of this, one way or another. Why don't you stay with Fluttershy until this matter is resolved?"

"But what about Fictionary?" asked Vincent, "She needs somepony to watch over her."

"She can join you if you like."

"Thanks, Twilight… I guess…"

Vincent walked away with a tear forming in eye; he wanted to get away from the angry mares who accused him of treachery. Not long after the yellow Pegasus left, Twilight spoke to Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Applejack.

"What's the big idea about jumping to conclusions about others before knowing the truth?" she scolded angrily, "You three, of all ponies, know better than that!"

"But Twilight…" Applejack began.

"I'm not hearing any of it," said Twilight firmly, "when I get to the bottom of this, I expect you three to apologize to him for false accusations!"

She walked away, leaving three stunned mares behind. Unknown to all five, (which included Vincent) Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon had been watching from behind the bushes.

"It seems our work here's done," Diamond Tiara smirked, "that'll teach Fictionary not to mess with us; now her brother's a complete fool!"

"I don't know," said Silver Spoon, slightly worried, "I think Twilight's suspicious…"

"Does it really matter?" scoffed Diamond Tiara, "I mean, when we meet with this Fictionary next, even if we're not at school, we'll make her wish she never messed with us!"

The two Earth fillies then walked off, but Silver Spoon was still unsure of her friend's plan right now…

Uh oh... How is Twilight going to prove Vincent innocent? And what is going to happen to our yellow Pegasus friend now? Wait and see for the fourth edited chapter!

5. The Pegasus Artist Part 4

Here's the edited chapter four, and I must warn you; there are some darker tones in this chapter, so reader discretion is advised! Plus, this and the previous chapter take place before "Keep Calm and Flutter On".

Part 4: Instant Karma

Fluttershy was feeding her animal friends outside her cottage when she spotted a yellow Pegasus and light blue unicorn approaching.

"Oh, hi, Vincent. Fictionary," greeted Fluttershy.

"Hi Fluttershy," Vincent mumbled under his breath, still upset.

"Um, if you don't mind me saying, Vincent," said Fluttershy, "but you seem upset about something."

"Somepony's been telling lies about me," moaned Vincent, "and now Twilight and her friends think I'm a nasty pony!"

"What?!" Fluttershy's eyes widened in surprise.

"Rarity and Applejack don't want me to be around Sweetie Belle or Apple Bloom anymore," Fictionary sulked, "and as for Scootaloo, well, she doesn't want to be 'round me in case Rainbow Dash is with her as well…"

"Trust issues," Vincent explained.

"But that's not who you are, surely?" said Fluttershy, "You're one of the nicest stallions I've ever come across, and I'm sure Twilight thinks so as well. Oh, I'd go out with you if I wasn't with Big Macintosh."

Vincent smiled slightly, but was still upset deep inside. "Twilight said Fictionary and I could stay with you for the time being…"

"Oh, I love the idea!" said Fluttershy. After feeding her animal friends, she led Vincent and Fictionary inside her cottage. The Pegasus stallion already felt better, but he couldn't shake off the accusations Rarity, Applejack and Rainbow Dash said towards him.

All of that was about to unexpectedly change for the worse. Two days later, Twilight (with Spike's help) was asking around Ponyville where the name-calling originated. Sometimes, she and Spike got answers from one pony who got it from another pony, but not one of them, so far, had mentioned Snips and Snails.

Twilight and Spike were at Sugarcube Corner, deep in thought when Pinkie bounced up to them in her usual, excited way.

"Hey Twilight and Spike!" she said, "What are you asking everypony around for?"

"We're asking to find out where the name-calling started," Twilight explained.

"Name calling?" Pinkie was confused, but then realized what her friend was on about. "Oh, you mean the ponies laughing at Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Rarity?"

"That's them," said Spike, "and we don't know where they got it from, but they claim it came from Vincent."

"From Vincent?" gasped Pinkie, "But he's a nice guy; he'd never insult a filly!"

"That's what we think too," said Twilight, "for now, he and Fictionary are with Fluttershy until I find the pony responsible for framing him."

Snips and Snails were also at Sugarcube Corner at the time eating their slices of carrot cake when they overheard the two mares' conversation. Both colts knew what Twilight was talking about, and couldn't help feeling a bit guilty.

"D'you think it was a bad idea to trust in them?" asked Snips to Snails.

"Eh, I guess," said Snails, "what do we do?"

"Tell them the truth, I guess," Snips shrugged.

Meanwhile, outside on the streets of Ponyville, a cloaked yellow stallion with blue hooves was walking past several ponyfolk. The stallion in question was Vincent, wearing a disguise under Fluttershy's suggestion.

"I'm gonna get my canvases and art tools," he told himself, "and then head on back to Fluttershy's. I haven't done any paintings for about three days and hopefully I'm not too rusty."

Unknown to him, as he walked to the Metrostallion House, Fictionary was following shortly behind him.

"It's good to get out every now and then," said Fictionary, "even if I don't have to go to school."

"It sure is… blank flank!"

A frown crossed the light blue unicorn filly's face; she could guess who it was and didn't even turn around.

"Let me guess… Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, I presume?"

"You guessed right, Fictionary," the pink earth filly smirked, walking up alongside, "where's your big, bad brother gone off to?"

"He's headed for the Metrostallion House to get some supplies," Fictionary said firmly, unwilling to take in their nonsense, "you two don't scare me!"

"I bet your brother does," Silver Spoon giggled rudely.

"Leave Vincent out of this!" snapped Fictionary, "He's not mean; what did he ever do to you?!"

"We're not saying," said Diamond Tiara, and before Fictionary could respond, she got kicked in the side by Silver Spoon!

"OW!" cried Fictionary, "What was that for?!"

"That was for making us look like fools!" Diamond Tiara sneered, before kicking Fictionary in the leg.

Unfortunately for the two Earth fillies, who should spot them but Vincent! Suddenly, everything appeared to happen at once…

Applejack, Apple Bloom and Big Macintosh had brought in two cartloads of apples when they heard an angry yell.

Twilight, Pinkie, Spike, Snips and Snails were just exiting Sugarcube Corner when they heard two shrieks of horror.

Rainbow Dash was in the sky relaxing on a cloud when she heard a pair of thuds.

Rarity and Sweetie Belle had bought some fabrics for new dresses when they saw a commotion not far from where they stood.

"What do you two think you're doing to my sister?!" Spike and the five mares cringed; they knew that screech all to well.

Vincent had pinned down Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon to the ground; the yellow Pegasus had an angry look on his face, and the two Earth fillies looked frightened.

"Please don't hurt us!" Silver Spoon begged in fear.

"Wasn't calling your 'friends' names bad enough?!" added Diamond Tiara.

"And how do you know about all this, eh?!"

"We're not saying!" snapped Diamond Tiara, "Like we're not saying how we made up stories about you-"

Diamond Tiara gasped and covered her mouth in shock; she had blurted out everything!

"Oh, nice going," Silver Spoon muttered sarcastically.

"You WHAT?!" Vincent roared furiously, taking everypony in the vicinity by shock. They'd never seen him angry like that before. "First you bully my sister, and now THIS! Why, you ignorant little brats! I ought to-"

"Don't hurt them!" shouted Apple Bloom, "They might be bullies, but it doesn't give ya any right to beat them up!"

Her little statement took most of the others by surprise; a few years ago, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon bullied Apple Bloom for being a "blank flank", but since then, Apple Bloom had slowly been moving on, as were Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo.

"Apple Bloom's right," her older sister agreed, "just let them go already, Vincent; we now know everything!"

Vincent did so, but was still angry. He then turned his attention to Applejack, quietly snarling in anger.

"Oh, and that's coming from somepony who refused to listen to me?!"

"Vincent, none of us-" Applejack tried to explain, but Vincent wouldn't listen.

"Understand the pain I had to go through?!" he yelled in anger, "How can you lot be so selfish?! I work hard to raise one member of my family, and yet I get no credit or respect at all for it! I came here to start fresh, and then my life turns upside down no thanks to two little brats! Do any of you have any idea on what it's like to be all by yourself in this forsaken land, AND NO PARENTS ARE THERE TO SUPPORT YOU?! IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR?!"

Vincent flew quickly away before anypony could reply. Fictionary stood up, slightly in pain, and ran after her brother, leaving behind a stunned crowd. After a few moments of stunned silence, everypony was now glaring angrily at Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.

"What in Celestia's name were you two thinking?!" Twilight said angrily, "Telling lies to get back at somepony!"

"But Fictionary-"

"We don't care for yer reasonin'!" snapped Applejack, "Now look at the damage you two have caused!"

"Yeah, even blackmailin' us for the Foal Free Press paper wasn't as bad as this!" added Apple Bloom. She and Sweetie Belle cringed slightly at the memory.

"Of all the worst things you had to do," Rarity almost screamed, "this is the! Worst! POSSIBLE! THING!" Everypony else looked at her. "What? I really mean it."

"You're a real pair of meanies!" Even Pinkie Pie was angry with them.

"Pinkie," said Twilight firmly, before turning her attention back to the two Earth fillies, "and I managed to get some dirt off you two from them…"

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon looked over and saw Snips and Snails next to Twilight.

"You ratted us out, didn't ya?!" Silver Spoon growled, shaking a fist.

"And good thing we did too!" retorted Snips, "At least we came clean without somepony yelling in our faces!"

Before more arguments could break out, a very frantic-looking Fictionary ran up to the group, gasping for breath.

"Everypony!" she gasped, "It's Vincent! I tried explaining everything to him, but he yelled in my face, I think he locked himself in his room and now I think he's trying to end his life!"

That brought out a collective gasp from everypony, except Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.

"We've no time to lose," said Twilight, and then turned to the two Earth fillies, "I'll personally have a talk with Miss Cheerilee about you two…" Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon gulped nervously, until the latter spoke quietly up.

"I told you somepony'd be suspicious…"

"Quiet! We're in enough trouble as it is…!"

Quickly, Fictionary, Spike, Twilight, Rarity, Applejack and Rainbow Dash arrived at the Metrostallion House and entered the building. Fictionary went to get a particular book while Spike and the four mares went upstairs to Vincent's room.

"Vincent!" called Twilight, knocking on the door, "It's just us! We promise not to hurt you!"

After no reply, and without hesitation, Rainbow Dash, kicked the door open, nearly smashing it to splinters, to what they could describe as horrifying!

There was Vincent, lying on the floor; he was barely breathing, a razor was next to him, part of his right ear was cut off, his glasses were stained red, and amongst it all, he was lying on a small puddle of red liquid. They knew it wasn't paint.

"Oh my stars!" gasped Rarity, looking pale in fright, but it was hard to tell.

"What in tarnation has he done to himself?!" gasped Applejack.

"Looks like he could have…" Rainbow Dash couldn't finish her sentence.

"Well, don't just stand there!" said Twilight, lifting up Vincent with Spike's help, "We need to get him to hospital and fast! No time to waste!"

In a matter of minutes, the fivesome – along with Fictionary – rushed Vincent to Ponyville Hospital as fast as their hooves (feet in Spike's case) could carry them. Fictionary had also brought a book with her, but nopony was sure why, but she promised to tell them when they arrived.

They quickly burst through the doors and went up to the reception desk. The receptionist was startled by the commotion.

"My brother's ear got cut off," gasped Fictionary, explaining to her, "he's bleeding and I'm scared that he'll die!"

"I see," the receptionist replied calmly, looking at the unconscious Vincent on Twilight's back and the yellow Pegasus' ear in an ice bag in Spike's hand.

"Code Red at the front desk," the receptionist said through the intercom, "recovery unit ASAP!"

Quickly, several pony doctors brought out a stretcher, then they took Vincent off Twilight's back, accepted the ice bag Spike handed to them, and they lay the unconscious stallion on the stretcher. Everyone could watch as Vincent was taken away to the recovery unit.

"Please be okay," panted Fictionary to her brother, "I don't wanna lose you like our parents…"

"What happened to your parents, dear?" asked Rarity.

Without a word, Fictionary used her magic to pull out the book from her bag and set it on a nearby table. She motioned for Spike and the four mares to sit down with her as she opened the book. Just then, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy burst in.

"Where's Vincent?" asked Pinkie, "Is he okay? Huh? Huh? I brought him some flowers, but I didn't know his favorite kind, so I brought every kind of flower I could!"

She paused, noticing their solemn expressions. "What?"

"What did happen?" asked Fluttershy quietly, "Somepony told me he was in trouble."

"He cut off part of his right ear," said Rainbow Dash, "and thank goodness you didn't see it, Fluttershy; it was bloody, so to speak." Fluttershy cringed at the thought, but quickly shook a mental image of Vincent in a pool of blood out of her head.

"Hey, what's with the book you brought with ya?" asked Pinkie.

"That's our family album," Fictionary explained, "there's more to Vincent than many of you think; up until now, only I was aware of his secrets and past.

"When he was a young colt, even before I was born, he was susceptible to bullying from his peers. He tried to ignore them, but they kept teasing him until one day, Vincent lost his temper and beat up one of the bullies. It resulted in him getting into trouble, as well as the bully… I forget his name."

"So that's why he got mad at Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon," said Applejack.

"Seeing anypony getting bullied sets him off, yes," said Fictionary, "then a few years before we came to Ponyville, we heard that our parents were killed in a cart accident in Fillydelphia, our first home town."

"Wait a minute," said Rainbow Dash, "you two came from Liverhoof, but you're also from Fillydelphia?"

"It's the town we were born in both, yes," said Fictionary, "we left a week later after we got the tragic news, because Vincent was suffering from painful memories about our parents and bullying. We lived in Manehattan, Canterlot, and Las Pegasus, all each for a brief period before we moved to Liverhoof, where we lived up until February this year. That's where he picked up his accent.

"So you see, my brother suffers from painful memories, and other than me, only his therapist knew as well. He was doing what he could to support me and himself, for I'm the last of his family, since we lost connection with other members."

There was dead silence. Not one of the six mares, not even Spike, could say a word; they were all shocked by Fictionary's story about her brother. Fluttershy was weeping quietly, Pinkie's mane slightly deflated in sadness, Twilight and Spike stood in silence, and Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Rarity felt terribly guilty.

"I don't believe it," said Rainbow Dash after what felt like eternity, "we were angry with someone who worked hard for his sister…"

"All because of a dumb pack o' lies," put in Applejack glumly, "Ah feel like a bad apple, ah, no pun intended."

"The poor fellow," said Rarity, "I, too, feel bad for what I've done…"

"All he wanted was some friends, and it seems like we'll never speak to him again!" added Pinkie, almost ready to cry.

"I'm sure we will," said Twilight, "but for now, we need to give him some time considering what he went through today. We should try to carry on with our lives and give Vincent a chance to calm down."

Everypony agreed with Twilight, and they hoped that would be the case.

The title comes from the John Lennon single of the same name, "Instant Karma!" Vincent cutting his right ear off is based on what actually happened to van Gogh. The painting depicts van Gogh with his right ear cut off, but in reality, it was a mirror painting, and he cut off his left ear. Vincent van Colt cutting his right ear off loosely pokes fun at the "mirrored" painting.

Oh dear... what's Vincent going to do when he wakes up? Wait and see!

6. The Pegasus Artist Part 5

Here's the edited chapter five; this and the next chapter both take place after "Keep Calm and Flutter On", but before the events of "Just for Sidekicks" and "Games Ponies Play", as both the latter two occur at the same time. Oh, and the italicized section is told in Vincent's POV, just so you know. ;)

Part 5: Luna's Theory in the Starry Night

The Ponyville residents had been heavily affected since Vincent's public outburst. Twilight first quickly informed Princess Celestia through letter about what had happened, who was involved, and how they were going to try and cope. Twilight knew her mentor would understand, and hopefully Vincent would listen to reason, if he spoke to anypony ever again.

A few days after Vincent was taken to hospital, Princess Celestia assigned Twilight and her friends to reform the former Spirit of Chaos, Discord, to see if his magic could be used for good. It was Fluttershy's friendship that Discord valued, and made it his vow to use magic for good… most of the time.

While their assignment distracted their thoughts from Vincent, he still stuck in the Mane Six's respective minds.

Applejack, Rarity and Rainbow Dash went on their normal lives shortly after Discord's redemption, but still couldn't help feeling bad for blaming him for something he didn't do. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie were also shaken up; they'd never known Vincent to get angry at them once. Fluttershy, for one, was fortunate enough not to witness his anger.

Out of them, Twilight was the most optimistic, and she and Spike were certain he'd speak to them. Vincent's ear was reattached – fortunately, he cut off his earlobe and not the whole ear – but he stayed at Ponyville Hospital until he was deemed stable enough to leave. Vincent didn't mind this, nor did he care, but he didn't expect visitors.

Meanwhile, Fictionary couldn't help feeling terrible over what had happened; how could somepony cruel like Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon make her brother look mean to everypony else?

Speaking of, the two Earth fillies were serving six weeks all-recess detention while Snips and Snails (after confessing their role) served two weeks. The two unicorn colts accepted their punishment, but Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon found this unfair, yet they didn't say so… just in case.

"Hey Fictionary!" called Scootaloo, trotting over to the miserable light blue unicorn.

"Oh, hey, Scoots," sighed Fictionary.

"Y'all lookin' down in the dumps," observed Apple Bloom.

"Wanna come to our next Cutie Mark Crusaders meeting?" asked Sweetie Belle.

"Not really," sighed Fictionary. Getting her cutie mark was the last thing on her mind right now. "I just wish I'd known the consequences of my actions earlier…"

"We understand where you're goin' with this," said Apple Bloom.

"We've all had days when our friends don't listen to us," said Sweetie Belle, "like when Rarity didn't want to join me for the Sisterhooves Social."

"It's not that," Fictionary moped, "I miss Vincent so much. I don't mind living with Twilight, but still…"

For the time being, Fictionary was staying at Golden Oak Library with Twilight until Vincent was discharged from the hospital.

"I can understand how your brother feels, Fictionary," said a voice. Fictionary looked up to see Miss Cheerilee had been listening to the whole conversation.

"You do?" asked Scootaloo.

"When I was about your age," Miss Cheerilee explained, "I got into a fight with some other foals just for mocking me because I didn't have my cutie mark. My parents weren't pleased with me, of course, and I got into trouble for it."

"Oh," Fictionary said sadly, "I guess I repeated your mistakes, Miss Cheerilee, didn't I?"

"Oh, I don't think so," her teacher chuckled, "you were trying to stand up for others, and I understand that. But be aware that it can have consequences, and if those bothering you don't stop, ignore them."

Fictionary nodded slowly; it meant she completely understood. She felt better after hearing her teacher's wise words.

After school, Fictionary arrived at Golden Oak Library. There, she told Twilight about what Miss Cheerilee had told her.

"And just thinking about what she's said made me realize I shouldn't be quick to jump the gun," she said, "but even so, I still can't believe I got my big brother in this mess." She sniffed sadly, her eyes welling up with tears. "I think he hates me now and won't ever speak to me ever again!"

Fictionary began to cry, but Twilight held her close.

"I know," she said solemnly, "I'm proud of you for now understanding the consequences of your actions, but there was nothing we could have done about it. Like Miss Cheerilee told you, you were only trying to do the right thing by standing up for your new friends, and yourself as well; Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon weren't using their common sense."

Fictionary didn't reply for a few moments, and then looked up at Twilight, smiling sadly.

"You know something?" she asked, wiping away her tears, "Even though Vincent's my brother, I've always wanted a sister. Right now, I almost feel like you're already a sister to me."

Twilight looked in surprise. "I do?"

"You do," Fictionary replied, hugging Twilight's foreleg. The light purple unicorn smiled and returned the hug.

"Thanks, Fictionary," she said quietly.

About two weeks later, Vincent was discharged from Ponyville Hospital. His condition was stable and his ear's stitches had begun to heal. Despite this, he was still unhappy, and didn't take notice of anypony as he walked to the Metrostallion House of Art, which had been closed in his absence.

Fictionary was walking along the streets getting some fresh air when she spotted her older brother.

"Hey Vincent!" she exclaimed with hope in her voice, "Are you alright?"

"Physically, yes," grunted Vincent, "never been better!"

"You're not still mad, are you?" asked Fictionary worryingly, "What's wrong?"

Vincent gave a deep sigh. "First thing in the morning," he said, "we're leaving Ponyville."

"What?!" Fictionary couldn't believe what she was hearing. "But why?"

"You know why," snapped Vincent, "everypony accused me of being a massive liar, nopony stood up for me-"

"Wait just a minute!" retorted Fictionary, "Twilight defended you and Fluttershy understood you! Why would you turn your back on them now? And besides, I like it here in Ponyville!"

"So you're saying you'd rather live with them than me?!"

"Erm… basically, yeah."

Vincent scowled before replying. "Then I don't expect any visits from you or your so-called 'friends'…" And he walked bitterly away, leaving Fictionary where she was, shocked and disappointed.

At least he didn't yell in my face, she thought, but how can I convince him to change his mind?

Fictionary thought about it for a moment or two, and then a light bulb flickered on in her head.

"I know just what to do!" she exclaimed, and ran off to find the pony she was thinking of…

That night, as the moon shone brightly in the night sky, Vincent was fast asleep in bed, tossing and turning, muttering in his sleep.

"Ohh…" he muttered, "Leave me alone, please…!"

Nopony knows what's up ahead, but I run as fast as my legs can carry me.

Why am I running? Well, a group of ponies are chasing me, insulting me, and throwing stuff at me; rocks, sticks, balls, you name it. I can't tell you what they're calling me. Trust me; they're not pleasant.

Suddenly, I come across a cliff face. It's a dead end! I have wings, but I'm scared of heights. I see the mean ponies chasing me, but what do I do? Fly and be scared, or jump off and die? I just can't decide which seems bearable!

I shut my eyes, awaiting my fate, but after half a minute… nothing's happened to me?

"Open your eyes, Vincent…"

That voice; it sounds regal and feminine… Who's calling my name…? Wait, how does she know my name?

Cautiously, I open one eye, then the other. I see a mare right in front of me. She's taller and skinnier than me, and she has wings and a horn! A winged unicorn, is it? Her fur is dark blue, her mane and tail are moderate sapphire blue with a grayish Persian blue aura surrounding, and her cutie mark's a crescent moon on a dark purple background. She wears a dark purple corset around her chest, silver shoes, and a black crown. Royalty, perhaps?

"Do not fear them, Vincent," she tells me, "I have sent them off. They can not bother you no longer."

Out of curiosity, I slowly walk forward and face this mysterious winged unicorn. I see her corset as a crescent moon similar to her cutie mark, and her eyes are moderate cyan in color, with light sapphire blue eyeshadow!

After what feels like ages, I find my voice. "May I ask, your Highness, who are you…?"

"I am Princess Luna," says the winged unicorn, "princess of the night, and one of my many duties is to come into your dreams."

Princess Luna? I know I heard that name somewhere, but where? I ask slowly, "How… do you know my name…?"

"As a princess," Luna explains, "I know the names of everypony in Equestria along with my older sister Celestia."

"Oh." I don't know what to say next; how does somepony speak with a celebrity figure, let alone a princess? The first thing that comes to my mind is, "What… what do you… want with me?" I ask in a shaky voice. I feel scared inside; I don't if I should stay or run, but then, angering a celebrity was out of the question.

Princess Luna slowly walks towards me, and then places a hoof on my shoulder. Her smile makes her seem kind and gentle. I feel less scared and give a small smile.

"By looking at your dreams," she tells me, "I could sense you were troubled. Care to share?"

I breathe a sigh. Where do I begin?

"There was this dream," I start explaining, "where two school-age ponies were hurting my sister Fictionary, and I tried to save her, but others held me back. They were stronger than me, mind, and I tried fighting back, but couldn't bear watching as she was beaten to a pulp and…"

I couldn't say any more; I knew what it led to, so did Luna, I believe.

"And then there's this other dream, regarding my parents. I'm with them in a bus, and suddenly, it goes out of control, and before anypony can stop us, we crash into a mountain and…" Again, I knew what it led to.

"But they pale in comparison to this third, horrible nightmare of mine; my parents and a beautiful mare I was dating had been killed, and it looked like it had been fault. Then some nasty ponies kept bullying me, calling me a murderer, until I snapped – I cut one of them in half, but another immediately respawned, and so I ran.

"It didn't stop there; I ran into a town – I don't know of its name – where just about everypony accused me for… many things I can't describe, but they were horrible, mind. I could handle the pain no longer…" By this point, tears were welling up in my eyes and my voice started to crack. "Th-then I feel something j-jerk at my neck… a hangpony's noose! That's when everypony who di-didn't believe me forced me off the cliff…" I couldn't take it any more. "And it gave away and I fell to my death…!"

That was when I broke down in tears. I sat down with my forehooves covering my face. I was crying in front of a Princess, but I didn't care; the painful memories were too much for me to bear. Tears leaking out of my eyes, I let out a sniffle.

All of a sudden, I feel a pair of forelegs wrapped around me. I stop crying and open my eyes, still teary, and notice Luna is hugging me. Why is that, I wonder to myself?

"Princess Luna…" I find my voice, "I don't… Why…?"

"It's okay, Vincent," she tells me in a kind tone, "you must be suffering from anxieties of the past… just like me."

"Like you?" I ask with curiosity.

"About a thousand years ago, I refused to lower the moon to make way for a new dawn. I was bitter and jealous of my older sister Celestia, and it turned me into Nightmare Moon." At this point, I can see a tear in her eye.

"Forgive me, but is it a painful reminder?" I ask.

"Very. I was banished for a thousand years, and had it not been for Twilight and her new friends, Equestria would've been in eternal darkness and I would never have reunited with Celestia." I had a pained expression on my face when Luna said "Twilight and her new friends," but tried not to show it.

"I see…" I said slowly, "do my dreams, like the one we're in, reflect on the pain I had been through three weeks ago? I mean, I was so mad I didn't know what I was thinking… I was out there, ponies treating me like a monster – you know what it's like, right? – and I couldn't defend myself. I just wanted to scream and run away. Even with Fluttershy giving me shelter in my darkest hour, I thought nopony was looking out for me… ever."

"There are many in Equestria who have dark and bitter pasts," Luna says calmly, "but I believe you've the one thing they don't – heart."

I stare at her in confusion. "I do? I mean, I wish I did…"

There was silence before Luna spoke again. "You'll need to forgive them…"

"But my anger got in the way, didn't it? Was I too focused on the negatives to even take the tiniest glance at the positives? I've had dark days, but none as cloudy as what I went through very recently…"

"In a way, yes," said Luna, "I could tell that Twilight and her friends were trying to make amends with you, Vincent."

"I really, really want to forgive them all, particularly Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack…"

"…and your sister Fictionary too," Luna finished, "she didn't know where her actions would lead to, and neither did Twilight nor her friends. Do not focus on your past too much, young Vincent, because you then feel more pain on the inside."

I don't know what to say next. But bit by bit, Luna's words sunk into my brain.

"You're right," I said at last, "I can't hide from the past any longer. I had been scared back then, but I must face them and win the battle…"

Suddenly, the sky is getting brighter, and I see the moon is lowering to make way for the sun. Then I feel the ground slowly crumbling before me and Luna!

"What…?"

"Morning has come, Vincent," says Luna, "you are waking up!"

"Wait…!" But my voice is barely heard over the ground's crumbling.

"Remember what I've said; you must put the past behind you, because the more you focus on it, the more pain you will feel…"

The title has two references; "Luna's Theory" is a pun on "lunar theory", and "Starry Night" is a reference to van Gogh's painting of the same name.

Kind of a deep chapter, wasn't it? Will Vincent stay in Ponyville? Read the next chapter and find out.

7. The Pegasus Artist Part 6

Here's the final edited chapter to The Pegasus Artist, and it will determine what's gonna happen to Vincent van Colt...

Part 6: Forgive and Forget

Vincent groaned as he got himself out of bed. That dream he had last night with Princess Luna stuck in his mind as he went downstairs; he had plenty to think about and thought of what to do. After a quick shower and drying off, he brewed himself some tea. All this time, he hadn't said so much as one word, apart from the occasional breathing.

As he sipped his tea, Vincent heard the sound of knocking on the front door. Setting his cup down, he stood up and walked over to the door. The door had lock chain maze, and since the pin was at the starting point of the maze, Vincent easily opened the door just wide enough only to find none other than…

"Twilight? What are you doing here?"

"Erm, hi, Vincent," said Twilight, feeling slightly nervous, "I know you're probably still angry over what went on a few weeks ago, if you know what I mean, but all of us gathered here to speak with you."

Vincent raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What do you mean, 'all of us'? I only see you."

"If you open the door a bit wider, you'll see for yourself."

"Hmm..." Vincent looked away for a few seconds, and then he turned back to Twilight.

"Just hold on a minute, Twilight," he said, before closing the door. Vincent turned to the lock chain, and began shifting the peg across the maze.

"Ah, come on," he groaned in annoyance, when he got lost after a minute or two, "gotta get it replaced with something that isn't complicated…!"

At last, Vincent removed the peg, and opened the door.

"Sorry I took so long, Twilight," he said, "just had a bit of complications with my door… lock… chain…"

Vincent's mouth was agape with awe; it wasn't just Twilight who was in front of the Metrostallion House of Art – there was Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershsy, Pinkie Pie, Spike, Fictionary, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Snips, Snails, Miss Cheerilee, and even Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon!

"How is it-?" he began, unable to come up with anything to say.

"It was for your own good, big brother," said Fictionary, and explained everything, "I know you might be upset, but when you got sent to the hospital, I brought our family photo album with me to tell Twilight and the others about you and your troubled past."

"You what?!"

"I didn't want to hide your secrets any longer, and like I said, for your own good."

"I see… Now how the hay did you rally up everypony here?"

"Not long after you… ahem, 'abandoned' me, quote-unquote," continued Fictionary, "I went to Golden Oak Library and told Twilight about what you were planning to do."

"The first thing I did," Twilight added, picking up where Fictionary left off, "was to tell everypony you were familiar with here in Ponyville, along with those involved in your almost-downfall, to meet up outside here."

"I see, and how did Princess Luna knew of my troubles?" asked Vincent. There was silence before Twilight spoke up again.

"Let's just say we met her in our dreams and explained everything," the light purple unicorn shrugged.

"Her duty, I presume? And before you ask, yes, she told me." Vincent paused, in case anypony else wanted to speak up. "I assume you're all here for a particular reason…"

"We just didn't know why you never told us about your secrets in the first place," said Rainbow Dash.

"Well, Rainbow, it's because I was worried about what others would think," admitted Vincent, "I did try to move on, but the memories were way too painful to ignore, and that's why I, erm, lost it."

"As we'd seen, all too well," agreed Pinkie.

"I'm sorry I got angry at you all," continued Vincent, "especially at Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, and of course, Fictionary. It wasn't right of me, I see now, and I should have listened to what you were trying to tell me."

There was a pause, and then Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Rarity walked up to Vincent, the three mares standing next to Twilight and Fictionary.

"Vincent van Colt," Rarity began, "I speak for the three us, and it is with most regret that we apologize for accusing you for making up stories about us."

"What Rarity's tryin' to say," said Applejack, "we're sorry for jumping to conclusions."

"That was really twenty percent less cooler from all three of us," said Rainbow Dash, "especially from me!"

"It's all right, you three," Vincent gave a small smile, "I get the message and I forgive you."

"And me?" Fictionary asked hopefully, "I revealed your secrets, I nearly caused you to kill yourself, and I betrayed you… sort of…"

"How can I not forgive my sister?" asked Vincent indignantly, bringing his sister closer to him, "Fictionary, you're still my only family left even if you've done crazy things and tease me about my fear of heights…"

"You're a Pegasus that's afraid of heights?" asked Spike, "That's-"

"Ironic, I know," finished Vincent, "I don't know why, but they freak me out, even if I'm only, say, ten feet in the air."

"I know what that's like," said Fluttershy.

"With me 'round, you probably won't have to fear heights anymore!" said Rainbow Dash.

"Oh, we'll see, Dashie," Vincent scoffed, chuckling. This was met with a few giggles.

"A few of my students, too, have some apologizes to make as well," said Miss Cheerilee, giving a "hinting" look towards Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.

Snips and Snails went up to Vincent. "Snails and I are sorry for being involved with spreading those lies about you," said Snips, "neither of us knew we were being used as pawns that nearly brought you down."

"But we don't look anything like chess pieces," said Snails, confused.

"He means somepony used to further the purposes of another," said Twilight.

"She's right, and of course, I understand, boys," Vincent told them, "I'm not mad at you, but I am cross with them," he added, glaring at Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. "I expect you won't be telling lies about me after you nearly got me to a sticky end?"

Everypony else was also glaring at the two Earth fillies (and that included Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie too).

"What's everypony staring at us for?" grumbled Diamond Tiara.

"Don't ya have anythin' to say to Fictionary's big brother?" asked Apple Bloom.

"If you say it, we'll stop staring at you," said Scootaloo.

"Even I think they mean it," Silver Spoon whispered to her friend.

Diamond Tiara sighed in annoyance before speaking again. "We're sorry that we made up those false lies about you," she said to Vincent, through her teeth.

"And we will never, ever do it again," finished Silver Spoon.

"That's what we wanted to hear," said Sweetie Belle, "and I hope you two will stick true to your word."

"Given it's only towards Vincent," Apple Bloom noted, "you know how they can be."

Vincent smiled again; although she was blunt to him, Diamond Tiara apologizing was good enough for him.

"Well, it looks like all's well that ends well," he said to the small crowd, "and it looks like it won't be necessary for me to pack out my suitcases."

"You mean…?" asked Fictionary hopefully.

For the first time in years, Vincent had a big smile on his face. "I'm staying here in Ponyville from now on!"

This was met with cheers from everypony else, apart from Diamond Tiara; even Silver Spoon quietly applauded.

"This calls for a PAR-TAY!"

Vincent flew up in surprise; Pinkie Pie had popped from out of nowhere behind him.

"That's one thing I need to get used to," he chuckled.

Later in the day at Golden Oak Library, Vincent was writing a friendship report to Princess Celestia. Next to him was a canvas wrapped up in brown paper and strings.

"Dear Princess Celestia,

This is Vincent van Colt, a new friend to Twilight Sparkle. Over the last few months I'd been in Ponyville, I've learned three extremely important lessons in friendship; first being is that what bullies think about you doesn't matter. It's what you think about yourself that's really important.

A second lesson I also learned to put the past behind me, because, as your sister Luna put it, the more I thought about it, the more pain I felt in my heart.

The third and final friendship lesson, to me, is that you should always depend on your friends to help you even in your darkest days. I have Twilight to thank for showing me that, and without her, who knows what I'd be doing now?

Your humble subject,

Vincent van Colt.

P.S.: I've attached this letter to a package I've sent you as well. See for yourself for what it is; I bet you'll love it!"

Vincent put down the pencil he held in his hoof, and handed Spike the letter. The baby dragon scrolled up the letter and wrapped it in red ribbon with a gold button that bore the letter C for "Celestia".

"Attach this to the package, and its next stop is Canterlot castle," said Vincent proudly.

"Given your art skills," said Twilight, "I'm more than certain she'll love what you've made for her and Luna."

"Years ago, I was unappreciated for my skills," agreed Vincent, "hopefully years from now, I will be appreciated!"

Apart from Twilight, Vincent, and Spike, also inside the library were Rarity, Sweetie Belle, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Fictionary. They were all glad to have a friend in Vincent (brother in Fictionary's case) and were happy he was choosing to stay in Ponyville.

Like Vincent hoped for, his package and letter to Princess Celestia arrived at Canterlot castle. She stood at her throne room with Princess Luna at her side, and two gray unicorn guards stood in front of them. Suddenly, the doors opened, and a third guard walked up to them followed by a fourth bringing in a thin, light brown package in strings with a scroll attached.

"Your Highnesses," said the third guard, "a package from Ponyville by a Mr. Vincent van Colt."

"Let us see what he's brought us," said Princess Celestia as she took the letter, letting her sister deal with the package.

As Princess Celestia had finished reading the latest friendship report, Princess Luna had unwrapped the package and gaped in awe; it was an extremely accurate painting of her and Princess Celestia! The princesses in the painting stood on a grassy field, both smiling. Luna's side had a night sky and moon, while Celestia's had a day sky and sun. Both princesses were smiling happily at one another.

"Oh my," Princess Celestia said in delight, "Twilight's new friend Vincent does have wonderful talent!"

"It looks so like us," agreed Princess Luna, "where should we hang it, dear sister?"

Princess Celestia smiled broadly. "I think I know just the place," she replied, looking at a wall of portraits.

Some time later, Princess Celestia thanked Vincent for the painting he done for her and Luna, and he was grateful that somepony of royalty appreciated his talents. To him, living in Liverhoof was a little dull, even with the friends he had there, and although Vincent put much of his past behind him, he was still touchy on a few certain subjects.

Fictionary has changed as well; she was quite cheeky and mischevious at times, but has matured and become wiser since her brother flipped out, and she often spends some sisterly time with Twilight. She and Vincent long to join the Mane Six on an adventure someday, but little did they know they would get their chance...

And now we've reached the finale of the edited version of The Pegasus Artist! I feel that I've invoked the three basic emotions perfectly; anger, sadness and joy. Of course, Vincent's story is far from over, for it's only just beginning, as he said. Risky Romance is next, but before that, there will be two one-shots; one about Vincent, the other about Fictionary.

Look out for more of Royals, Friends and Lovers very soon!

8. Monkey Business

What'd I tell ya? After three weeks, I'm finally posting the first one-shot of RF&L! There are a few mature themes here, I should state, in this story and the next, such as off-color humor and innuendo.

Right, now that it's out of the way, here's the first of two one-shots of the van Colt siblings. They take place at the same time, similar to Just for Sidekicks and Games Ponies Play, and these stories James and I wrote take place after the two official episodes, but before Magical Mystery Cure.

Monkey Business

Written by Zack Wanzer and James Riddle

It was a warm, spring day in Ponyville, and everypony was bustling about their usual business. Fictionary was busy writing a story. There was going to be a story reading later that day and she wanted to participate.

"The only problem is to decide what my story will be about," she said to herself.

While she was thinking, Vincent was doing some thinking of his own.

"If Fictionary and I are away at the same time, who will look after things?" he wondered. As Vincent pondered, he passed Fictionary's room and saw her working.

"Hey little sis," he called, "what're you up to?"

"Just story writin'," she replied, "nothing's come to me thus far."

"I see," said Vincent.

"What's up for you?" Fictionary asked.

"I was thinking about maybe getting a pet," replied Vincent.

"Why's that?"

"To put it in perspective," explained Vincent, "if the both of us were away at the same time, we would need someone to watch over things."

"Is that all?" asked Fictionary, unconvinced, "It's not like our home's gonna be on fire by the time one of us comes back, right? Surely it can manage by itself?"

"And what if, for some reason, Pinkie Pie comes in and draws mustaches on my paintings?" Vincent retorted, "You know how silly and random that mare can be."

"Eeyup, that's a good point," said Fictionary.

"You've been talking with Big Macintosh lately, haven't you?"

"Eeyup," Fictionary repeated, giggling at her impersonation of the large red stallion.

What next? Vincent thought, She could end up taking flying lessons from Rainbow Dash!

"So what pet are you going to get?" asked Fictionary.

"I don't really know yet," said Vincent.

"How about a parrot?" suggested Fictionary, "That way, he can talk to any guests."

"Out of the question," said Vincent, "parrots can be very annoying and bothersome; sticking their beaks where they shouldn't and talking back."

"Well, how about a cat then?"

"Rarity already has a cat. Why would I need one? And before you ask, the same goes for an owl, a tortoise, an alligator, a dog, and a bunny."

"Okay then, how does an eagle sound?"

"They'd try and peck at me."

"A hamster?"

"Too small and cute."

"What about a skunk?"

Vincent gave Fictionary an unamused look.

"Okay, maybe not… A snake, perhaps?"

"Come on, Fictionary, be serious!"

"A shark?"

"Why would I want a shark?!"

"To scare away those who tormented you in the past?"

"Tempting, but how would I be able to hold him inside? He'd be too big."

"Oh yeah… Well, I'm out of ideas," Fictionary said at last.

As Vincent began to leave, he had an idea. "I think I've come up with an ideal pet," he said.

"What is it?"

"A monkey!"

Fictionary stared in confusion for a moment or two, and then she burst into a fit of giggles.

"What's so funny?"

"I'm sorry," said Fictionary through giggles, "but really – you, looking after a monkey?"

"Are you saying I can't do it?" Vincent asked, sounding insulted.

"It just sounds silly," said Fictionary.

"Well, I'm gonna show you otherwise," said Vincent.

"Maybe you should ask Fluttershy for help," suggested Fictionary, "she's the best when it comes to animals!"

But Vincent didn't want to ask for help. "I'm sure I know how to look after a pet," he said, "just you watch; it'll be a piece of cake!"

"Sure it will," Fictionary said, rolling her eyes.

"You'll see," said Vincent modestly.

Before long, Vincent was on his way to find a pet monkey.

"Maybe Fluttershy will have one," he said to himself. When he arrived at Fluttershy's cottage, he knocked on the door.

"Um, you can come in, the door is unlocked," a quiet voice called.

Vincent gently opened the door.

"Hello, Fluttershy," he said.

"Oh, hi there, Vincent," the pale yellow Pegasus mare replied, "what brings you here?"

"I've decided to get a pet monkey," Vincent said.

"A pet monkey?"

"Y'know, to have someone look after the Metrostallion House if me and Fictionary were away at the same time."

"Oh, I see. But why a monkey?"

"I couldn't agree on the other options Fictionary suggested to me," explained Vincent, "besides, monkeys are known to be intelligent, and if I covered his bum with clothing and trained him to be respectful and polite, he could be a useful butler."

"That sounds like a fun idea," said Fluttershy, "but there are a few things you may need to know about monkeys."

"Rubbish," scoffed Vincent, "I can manage. It can't be that hard, surely?"

"Well, alright," Fluttershy said in an unsure way, "if you insist." I have a feeling he'll need it eventually, she thought to herself.

"So, got any monkeys?"

"Of course. Follow me."

Fluttershy took Vincent outside to see the animals. The yellow Pegasus stallion felt a little uneasy being around many animals, as he was not used to their presence.

"So… where's the monkeys?"

"Right over… there!"

Vincent looked in the direction Fluttershy was pointing; right in front of them was a cage of five monkeys.

"Which one would you like?" Fluttershy asked.

Vincent looked at the cage until one monkey caught his eye.

"Ah, that's the one!" he said.

Fluttershy opened the cage and took out the monkey Vincent pointed to.

"Hello, little guy," Vincent said to the monkey, "what's his name?"

"I call him Archibald," said Fluttershy.

"I like that name; it sounds intelligent."

Soon Vincent was heading off with Archibald.

"Be careful!" Fluttershy called as the two departed.

"Don't worry, Fluttershy," Vincent called back, "I'm sure nothing could possibly go wrong!"

"I hope he knows what he's doing," Fluttershy said to herself, watching the yellow Pegasus stallion walk away with the monkey on his back.

"You and I are gonna get along fine, right Archie?" Vincent asked. But he got no response, and suddenly realized his back felt light.

"Archie? Where are you?!"

He then noticed the monkey in a nearby tree swinging on a branch.

"Oi! What are you doing up there?" Vincent asked in annoyance.

Archibald just kept swinging and making monkey noises.

"Get down!" snapped Vincent, "I'm here to take you home, alright?"

But Archibald refused to come down.

"Right, if you won't come down," groaned Vincent, "I'll come up and get you then!"

So he began flying towards the tree, but as he got closer, Archibald jumped onto another tree branch.

"Come back here!" Vincent called, but Archibald kept swinging. "Oh, this is just ridiculous," the Pegasus stallion said with annoyance.

Eventually, however, Vincent caught up to the monkey.

"Having fun, are we?" he gasped breathlessly. Archibald hooted in response.

"I thought as much," Vincent groaned, "now come along."

Archibald got down and back on the yellow Pegasus' back.

"That's better," he smiled, and with that, Vincent and Archibald soon on his way once again. As the duo got closer to Ponyville, an Earth pony mare named Bon Bon was holding a cupcake. Bon Bon had a pigment blue mane and tail with a rose pink streak, cerulean eyes, and three candies wrapped in blue with yellow stripes for a cutie mark.

Suddenly, Archibald jumped off Vincent and began to head towards Bon Bon!

"Aaah!" Bon Bon shrieked in fright, "Back away from me!"

"Archibald, no!" cried Vincent, "Don't hurt Bon Bon!"

The terrified beige mare raced away past a surprised Lyra.

"What's gotten her in a tizzy?" the light aquamarine unicorn asked. She got her answer when Archibald raced past, shortly followed by Vincent.

"Come back, Archibald!" Vincent cried again.

At last, Archibald caught up with Bon Bon and swiped her cupcake.

"Give it back to her!" Vincent shouted crossly, "What bad manners; taking something from a mare without asking!"

But the monkey didn't listen. Lyra then used her magic to separate Archibald from the cupcake.

"Oh thanks, Lyra," gasped Bon Bon, hugging her best friend and nuzzling up on her.

"Is this animal yours?" Lyra asked Vincent sternly.

"Yes, he is," the Pegasus stallion replied in embarrassment, "I'm terribly sorry; this is my first time ever dealing with a pet."

"Please keep that chimp under control next time," said Bon Bon.

"He's not a chimp, he's a monkey," explained Vincent, "you see, monkeys have tails, while chimpanzees don't—"

"Is that really important?" Lyra interrupted.

"No need to be rude, I was just explaining the differences is all."

Vincent put Archibald back on his back and headed off once more.

"Who'd be that shallow to have a monkey as a pet?" remarked Lyra. Vincent had heard her, but said nothing.

After a mostly uneventful trip, Vincent and Archibald finally came back to the Metrostallion House of Art.

"Well, Archibald," said Vincent, "here's your new home." When he opened the door, he saw Fictionary was still there.

"What took you so long?" was the first thing the unicorn filly said. Vincent explained what had happened.

"So that's why you got branches and leaves in your mane," remarked Fictionary.

"Oh yeah, that," said Vincent. While he'd been chasing Archibald up in the tree, some branches broke off and stuck to his mane. "But still, at least we have our own pet."

"Are you sure you know how to take care of him?" asked Fictionary.

"There were a couple of missteps," admitted Vincent, "but I'm sure I'll handle it. Anyway, how's your story coming?"

"I just finished it," Fictionary said proudly.

"That's great," said Vincent, "what's it about?"

"Erm… it's a secret."

"You're not gonna even tell your own brother?"

"Nnope," said Fictionary, imitating Big Macintosh's second favorite saying.

Vincent chuckled. "I think Big Mac's a silly influence on you."

Suddenly, Archibald pounced on Fictionary and started tickling her.

"Hey!" she giggled, "That tickles!"

"Archibald!" Vincent scolded, "That was not very polite."

"Ah, lighten up," said Fictionary, "he's funny!"

"I want him to be more polite and mature," said Vincent.

"Aw, you're no fun…"

"Come along, Archibald; it's time to learn how to act responsibly."

But Archibald wasn't interested as Vincent led him to the bathroom to practice brushing his teeth.

"Okay, Archie, now watch me closely…"

Vincent put toothpaste on his brush and began scrubbing his teeth with it. After one or two minutes, he rinsed the brush and put it up.

"There," he said, "now you try it."

Archibald took the tube of toothpaste and started squirting it on the mirror.

"Not on the mirror!" cried Vincent, "On the brush!"

Then the monkey squirted the toothpaste on Vincent's head.

"Ugh, not on me! Toothpaste on the brush!"

Archibald then started scrubbing the toothpaste in Vincent's mane with the toothbrush.

"That's not how you use a toothbrush!"

But the monkey simply laughed. By this point, Vincent was beginning to lose his patience, but he tried not to show it.

"Just calm down," he told himself, "you can do this…"

Archibald then began to scrub the toothpaste on the mirror with the brush, causing his new master to facehoof.

Vincent's next step was to get Archibald dressed like a butler. He went over to the Carousel Boutique to see if Rarity could make a suit for Archibald.

"Afternoon, Rarity," he called as he opened the door.

"Hello, Vincent," the white unicorn mare said, surprisingly not taking notice of the mess the Pegasus stallion was in, "what brings you here today?"

"I was wondering if you had any suits fit for a monkey."

"Why, of course," said Rarity, "what did you have in mind?"

Vincent explained how he needed someone to look after the Metrostallion House if he and Fictionary were away at the same time.

"I see. But are you sure you know how to look after a monkey?"

Vincent groaned and rolled his eyes. "Yes…"

So Rarity got a butler suit for Vincent to use on Archibald. As the Pegasus stallion was getting ready to leave, Sweetie Belle came inside.

"Hi Rarity," the unicorn filly said, "wanna send time with me?"

"Uh, actually," Rarity faltered, "I'm rather busy."

"Do I have to use the puppy eyes?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Puppy eyes?" asked Vincent.

"It's when Sweetie Belle makes a super adorable face," Rarity explained, "sometimes if she's not careful, it could give somepony a heart attack."

"Hey, that only happened once!" Sweetie Belle objected. Then suddenly, Archibald tackled her like he did with Fictionary.

"Not again!"

"Monkey!" Sweetie Belle cried cheerfully as Archibald tickled her. She then gave the monkey a hug.

"Come on, mister," Vincent said to Archibald, "we're coming home to continue your house training."

"Fictionary already left for the competition," said Sweetie Belle, "she looked a bit nervous, though."

"I'd be there to support her," sighed Vincent, "but I've a monkey to house train… given I can earn his trust."

Archibald made monkey noises and jumped around.

"If that mammal makes a mess of my dresses…" began Rarity.

"Just relax, fussy hooves," Sweetie Belle chuckled.

"I heard that!"

Sweetie Belle just smiled innocently. While she, Rarity, and Vincent were distracted, Archibald snuck out.

"Come along, Archibald," said Vincent, but Archibald wasn't there. "Archie? Oh, don't tell me-!"

Suddenly, they heard monkey noises outside.

"Oh, for pony's sake!" Vincent groaned in frustration, and flew outside to the source of the noise, leaving behind two surprised unicorn sisters.

"What was that about?" asked Sweetie Belle.

Vincent raced towards the source of the monkey noises and found Archibald on top of a nearby stand.

"Archibald!" said Vincent, "Come down here!"

Suddenly, as if from nowhere… PLOP! …he was hit on the head by a lump of you-know-what!

"Uggghhh!" he shouted, "That's disgusting!"

Nearby, some ponies began to laugh at his predicament.

"Get back here!" Vincent shouted to Archibald, ignoring the crowd laughing at him. But the monkey just started laughing at him.

"You think this is funny?!" snapped Vincent.

By this point, he had lost his patience. He jumped into the air giving chase after the monkey. Vincent chased Archibald all around Ponyville, even right at the Reading Competition was underway. Lots of ponyfolk found it very entertaining to see a Pegasus chasing after a monkey, of all creatures.

"Stop! Stop!" Vincent cried. But Archibald was having too much fun to stop.

At last, he did, only for Vincent to crash head first into a banana stand, much to the crowd's amusement.

"Where has my life gone wrong?!"

Thankfully, he wasn't hurt badly, beside a few scrapes, but he felt very silly. Vincent looked around at the mess, not taking much notice of the laughing crowd, and remembered all the trouble he had gone through. It was at that moment, he realized that he should have asked for help in training Archibald.

"I've got to find Fluttershy," he said.

"Hey! You gotta pay for all those bananas!"

"Oh, for the love of apples…!"

After paying for the wasted bananas, Vincent and Archibald finally came back to Fluttershy's cottage. The Pegasus stallion was unhappy; his mane was a mess, he was smothered in toothpaste and you-know-what, and he had a banana peel on his head.

Vincent knocked on the door and Fluttershy answered.

"Oh my goodness!" she exclaimed upon first glance, "Whatever has happened?!"

"It's a long story," groaned Vincent, "I guess looking after a monkey without help was much more difficult than originally thought."

"I'd be more than happy to help you train Archibald, Vincent," said Fluttershy, "although you could've asked for help earlier."

"I know…" sighed Vincent, "all I wanted to do was prove I could be able to manage pets without help…"

"Even something simple like taking care of pets can be tricky," said Fluttershy. So she helped in taming Archibald. If he misbehaved, she would use The Stare on him.

After an hour, Archibald became a well-behaved monkey. Vincent brought him home again, feeling better that he had asked for help instead of letting the problem get worse.

"I just feel so dumb for not asking for help in the beginning," he told himself, "now I wonder how Fictionary is getting on?"

And his question is answered in the next story!

To be honest, it was probably not my strongest writing for MLP; it felt like a three-strikes episode from S9-16 of Thomas and Friends, only without the rhyming, alliteration, idiotic behavior, and there's ponies instead of trains. Hopefully I did okay on that...

9. To Tell a Tale

Here's the second part! Yes, I am aware some dialogue is repeated from the last story, but deal with it, okay?

To Tell a Tale

Written by Zack Wanzer and James Riddle

"I'm sure I know how to look after a pet. Just you watch; it'll be a piece of cake!"

"Sure it will…"

"You'll see!"

Fictionary just rolled her eyes at her brother's claim, and with that, she went back to work on her story. After a few minutes of thinking, she finally came up with what she would write about.

"I know what to write!" she cried at last, and began to write.

Fictionary had finished her story when Vincent came home with the monkey he'd brought from Fluttershy's.

"Well, Archibald, here's your new home."

"What took you so long?"

"It's a bit of a long story," explained Vincent, and he told Fictionary what had happened with him and Archibald the monkey.

"This monkey was very troublesome; he went nuts, climbed up trees and chased Bon Bon just to get her cupcake."

"So that's why you got branches and leaves in your mane," remarked Fictionary.

"Oh yeah, that…" Vincent looked at his mane and saw some branches and leaves. Apparently, he had gotten them while chasing Archibald through the trees.

"But still," the Pegasus stallion said, "at least we have our own pet."

"Are you sure you know how to take care of him?" asked Fictionary, unconvinced.

"There were a couple of missteps," admitted Vincent, "but I'm sure I'll handle it. Anyway, how's your story coming?"

"I just finished it," Fictionary said proudly.

"That's great," said Vincent, "what's it about?"

"Erm… it's a secret."

"You're not gonna even tell your own brother?"

"Nnope."

"I think Big Mac's a silly influence on you," chuckled Vincent, noting Big Macintosh's usual responses "eeyup" and "nnope".

Suddenly, the monkey dove at Fictionary and started tickling her playfully.

"Hey, that tickles!" she giggled.

"Archibald! That was not very polite," Vincent scolded.

"Ah, lighten up; he's funny!"

"I want him to be more polite and mature," said Vincent.

"Aw, you're no fun," Fictionary pouted.

"Come along, Archibald," said Vincent, "time to learn how to act responsibly." And he led the monkey into the bathroom.

"I have a feeling this will not end well," Fictionary said to herself, watching them go upstairs. Not long after they'd left, she began to feel a little nervous.

"I've never read in front of a large crowd before," she said to herself, "let alone make a performance in front of any crowd. What if they laugh at me?"

As she thought, she heard a noise that sounded like it came from the bathroom.

"Ugh! Not on me!" she heard Vincent exclaim, "Toothpaste on the brush!"

Fictionary just chuckled. "Sounds like somepony's having troubles."

Vincent then came out of the bathroom, his mane covered with toothpaste.

"Is that a new mane shampoo you're using?" asked Fictionary innocently.

"Ha, ha, ha," said Vincent sarcastically, rolling his eyes, "very funny. Anyway, I'm off to Carousel Boutique to see if Rarity can make a suit for Archibald."

"Playing dress-up with the mares, are we?" Fictionary teased.

"Oh, behave yourself," said Vincent, as he playfully gave his sister a noogie. Archibald followed suit by squirting toothpaste in his mane and giving his new master a noogie.

"Oi!"

"Silly monkey," giggled Fictionary.

"But not for long!" declared Vincent, "Just you wait!"

And on that note, he and Archibald departed.

"Maybe you can suggest toothpaste shampoo to Rarity?" Fictionary teased.

"Cheeky little filly," Vincent said to himself as he closed the door behind him.

After her brother and Archibald had left, Fictionary went to the kitchen.

"Writing a story is thirsty work," she said, pouring herself a glass of water. She then looked at the clock.

"The competition will be starting soon!" she cried, and Fictionary raced out the door with her story.

On the way to the competition, Fictionary ran into her fellow Cutie Mark Crusaders, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle.

"Hiya, Fictionary," said Apple Bloom.

"Hi girls," replied Fictionary, "I'm on my way to the reading competition."

"Have you written up your entry?" asked Sweetie Belle.

"Yes I have," said Fictionary.

"What is it?" asked Scootaloo.

"It's a secret."

"But can't y'all at least tell us the title of yer story?" asked Apple Bloom.

"If I told ya, it wouldn't be a secret, would it?"

"Good point," said Sweetie Belle.

"So are ya excited to be in the competition, Fictionary?" asked Apple Bloom.

"To be honest," said Fictionary, "I'm a bit nervous. I've never stood in front of any crowd of any size before!"

"I've been there before," said Sweetie Belle.

"So don't worry a thing," said Scootaloo, "you'll be fine."

"Well, I'm gonna go see Rarity for a bit," said Sweetie Belle, "see you at the competition." And she trotted off in the direction of Carousel Boutique.

Fictionary felt better, but deep down inside, she was still a little scared.

I couldn't bear Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon mocking me again if I look like a fool in front of the crowd, she thought, if that were so when I reach marehood, I'd be the laughingstock in all of Ponyville!

A short while later, the fillies arrived at the competition.

"Well, this is it," said Fictionary.

"Good luck, Fictionary," said Apple Bloom.

"Don't you mean, break a leg?" asked Scootaloo.

"Oh, right," Apple Bloom corrected herself, "break a leg."

"Why would I need to injure myself?" asked Fictionary.

"It's a figure of speech," explained Scootaloo.

"Oh," said Fictionary, "now I feel like those witches from Macbray…"

"Don't mention his name!" cried Apple Bloom.

"Why?"

"Sayin' the title of the Scolttish Play out loud is considered bad luck!"

"Sorry," said Fictionary, "I just didn't know that saying that would be a bad thing."

"Well, now you do," said Scootaloo. They had just arrived as Dinky Doo was finishing her story.

"The end," the light grayish violet unicorn filly said proudly. The story she'd written was about a tough stallion named Fluffy. It sounded really silly, as who would take anypony with a name like Fluffy seriously?

Most of the audience found the story to be rather amusing; the only ones who didn't were – of course – Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.

"I can't believe they hated my story," Diamond Tiara sniffed.

"To be honest," said Silver Spoon, "all you did was write a list of hurtful things to say to blank flanks."

"Whose side are you on?"

"I'm just saying."

Just then, somepony from the audience pointed outside.

"Look!" he laughed, "Some fool's chasing a monkey!"

The fool turned out to be Vincent van Colt, still chasing after Archibald.

"Come back here!" the Pegasus stallion shouted. This made the other ponies laugh at his predicament, but Vincent was unconcerned about the other ponyfolk laughing at him.

Fictionary had seen what the crowd was laughing at and chuckled to herself.

"I warned him," she said. The light blue unicorn filly was so busy laughing at her brother's expense she'd forgotten about being nervous.

Suddenly, there was a crash; Vincent had run head first into a banana stand, which caused bananas to go everywhere!

"Where has my life gone wrong?!"

The crowd continued laughing, but some ponies were concerned if Vincent was alright. He was, and very foolish too.

"I've got to find Fluttershy," he moaned.

"Hey! You gotta pay for all those bananas!" the banana salespony remarked.

"Oh, for the love of apples…!"

Cheerilee addressed the audience. "And now," she said, "our next reader is Fictionary van Colt."

"Oh my, that's me!" Fictionary had nearly forgotten she was partaking in the competition. Quickly, she grabbed her story and ran up to the stage.

"My story," she said, "is called A Colt's Guardian."

"Sounds like a boring story," sniffed Diamond Tiara.

"Oh, be quiet!" snapped a light gray Pegasus colt named Rumble, "I want to hear the story."

Diamond Tiara hated it when she was told to shut up, so she just sat and pouted. Onstage, Fictionary began her story…

Once upon a time, there was a small kingdom ruled peacefully by two sisters. One day, a stallion nopony knew came to this kingdom, hoping for a better life. At first, he got along well with the villagers, but a pair of mean-spirited mares didn't like him. So they decided to spread lies about him to the other villagers.

When they heard the lies, they thought the stallion had told them and wanted to chase him out of town. Angry and upset that they would accuse him of a crime he didn't commit, he attempted to take his life with a bottle of poison. But what he didn't know was that the pages of the potion book he read were stuck together, and he ended up with a sleeping potion instead, falling right to sleep.

The sisters had heard what was going on and were very angry with the villagers. The elder sister scolded them severely.

"You should know better than to jump to conclusions before knowing the truth!" she snapped at them, "When this mess is cleared, you will apologize for false accusations. And if this happens again, then you will all spend a week in the dungeon!"

The younger sister decided to visit the colt in his dreams to try and make him feel better.

That night, she used her magic to enter the stallion's dreams and ask him what the matter was.

"I've had a very tragic past," he said sadly, "my parents died when I was a colt, my previous home was destroyed, and my fiancé was poisoned the night before our wedding. All I wanted was to find a new home to start over."

"I understand," said the younger sister, "but you must know that you have to let your past go; the more you dwell on the pain you felt, the more it will hurt."

The stallion understood this and promised he would. The following morning, the villagers apologized to him one by one for turning against him.

When the two mares were found to be the culprits, the elder sister sentenced them to death, but their mothers pleaded that their lives be spared. So the younger sister instead banished them to the moon.

"Let this be a reminder," said the elder sister, "of what happens when you spread lies about others."

And from that day onwards, no more lies were spread about the stallion ever again, and he was able to let go of his tragic past. Shortly after, he married the younger sister, and they all lived happily ever after.

When Fictionary finished her story, the crowd roared with applause… all expect for Diamond Tiara.

"How dare they almost sentence those mares to death," said Diamond Tiara, "right, Silver Spoon?"

But even the light gray Earth filly was clapping.

"It looks like we have a winner for our competition," said Cheerilee.

Just as Fictionary was accepting her award, there was a flash behind her. Turning around, she noticed there was something on her flank – a book with a pencil writing in it!

"I don't believe it!" gasped Fictionary, "I got my cutie mark!"

"This calls for a PARTY!" cried Pinkie Pie, who suddenly burst from the audience.

Later at the Metrostallion House, there was a huge cute–ceañera party for Fictionary. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were there too, but they seemed sad.

"We're happy for ya, Fictionary," said Apple Bloom.

"But now that you've got your cutie mark," Sweetie Belle added, "I guess you don't wanna be our friends anymore."

"Why would I think that?" asked Fictionary, "At least I'm not a mean-spirited snob like a certain filly I could mention…"

"So we'll still be friends?" asked Scootaloo.

"Of course," smiled Fictionary, "cutie marks or no cutie marks, you're still my friends."

"Hey, where's Vincent?" asked Applejack.

"Surely he'd be here for his own sister's party," agreed Rainbow Dash.

At that moment, Vincent arrived with Archibald, shortly followed by Fluttershy.

"Oh, hey everypony," said Vincent, "what's the occasion?"

"Dontcha know?!" asked Pinkie, "Fictionary just got her cutie mark!"

"She what?"

"I got my cutie mark after winning the reading competition with my story," said Fictionary proudly, "A Colt's Guardian was inspired by a real incident to somepony I know…"

"Who?"

"You, silly," Fictionary chuckled.

"Me?" Vincent was surprised. "You wrote a story based on me?"

"Yes, I have," said Fictionary, sounding a little nervous, "is that a bad thing?"

"Actually, no," said Vincent, "I just never knew what I went through weeks ago would be made into a story."

"Well, let's not get our hopes up that it'll become a movie one of these days," Fictionary said as a joke.

"You never know," chuckled Vincent.

"Heard you had a bit of an incident with a monkey," snickered Rainbow Dash, "I bet you went bananas."

Her joke resulted in a few laughs.

"Well, at least I don't have crushes on a certain Wonderbolt," Vincent retorted.

His snaky comment was met with "oohs". Rainbow Dash's cheeks went bright red and her wings became fully extended.

"At least I didn't get hit in the face by something!"

Suddenly a pie shot out of nowhere and hit her in the face.

"You were saying?"

Rainbow Dash didn't reply; she just sulked and went to get her face cleaned.

"I hate poetic justice…" she muttered.

"Well, no offense, Vincent, but yer not a pretty sight at the moment," said Applejack, before holding her nose, "sheesh, and ya smell so bad!"

"You think?" Vincent deadpanned.

"Eeyup," replied Applejack, "what've y'all been rollin' in?"

"Well," said Vincent sheepishy, "let's just say it wasn't exactly chocolate the monkey threw at me."

Archibald just giggled and made monkey noises, but he stopped when Fluttershy briefly gave him The Stare.

"I can't believe he threw bum candy at you," laughed Fictionary, "I was right when I said you should have asked for help."

Vincent didn't reply; the stink did all the talking for him. Silently, he gave Fluttershy a wink, who performed the stare on Fictionary, who stopped laughing.

"Perhaps it would be best if I gave you a wash?" suggested Rarity.

"Second best news I've heard all day," smiled Vincent.

What nopony knew was that far on the outskirts of Ponyville, two unknown unicorn mares were watching. One of them was a very pale blue and the other was yellow-orange.

"There it is, Icy Heart," the yellow-orange unicorn said in a moderate Scolttish accent, "Ponyville; the home to that van Colt I told you about."

"I see," said Icy Heart, not sounding very impressed, "and you are sure he is here?"

"Yes," the other unicorn replied, "once I'm through with Vincent, he'll regret the day he ever broke up with Golden Lass!"

"The last plan you had at getting back at him was convincing those two brats to spread lies about him," Icy Heart butted in.

"That was a minor setback," countered Golden Lass, "never work with foals or animals, I suppose."

"Any reason why I am here?" came a third voice. It sounded like two voices slightly out of sync, as if it were an echo.

The voice came from a very dark gray pony-like creature with a dark cerulean mane and tail, harlequin eyes, and very deep opal eyeshadow. She had a twisted unicorn horn, tattered insectoid wings, sharp fangs, blue-green chitinous plating over her midsection, and wore a small black crown tipped with blue orbs. Her legs, wings, mane and tail were full of holes, and she had no cutie mark.

"Patience, Chrysalis," said Golden Lass.

"The sooner I have my vengeance on Twilight Sparkle and her friends, the better," said Chrysalis.

Golden Lass stared out at Ponyville again.

"Brace yourself, Vincent van Colt," she declared, "you'll pay for breaking up with me, I swear it!"

"And when I'm through with you, Twilight Sparkle," said Chrysalis, "you'll wish you never intervened with my plans at the Royal Wedding!"

"If my daughter is around here," said Icy Heart, "then I think I'll pay her a visit."

"And soon, the three of us shall rise and take over all of Equestria!" finished Golden Lass, "Then no one will ever say no to me ever again!"

Uh-oh! Never expected Queen Chrysalis to return, did ya? She, Golden Lass and Icy Heart will play bigger roles in future chapters to come, and to let you know, Golden Lass' objective is to make Vincent's life miserable as possible, Queen Chrysalis' is to get revenge on the Mane Six, and Icy Heart's will be revealed in time.

Expect an edited version of Risky Romance very soon!

10. Risky Romance Part 1

Okay, now we're getting to the edited version of Risky Romance. I still admit to have enjoyed Equestria Girls; it was, to be honest, a flawed movie, there were mistakes done here and there, but nonetheless, I loved it, and one of the things I liked (other than Sunset Shimmer) was the love between Twilight and Flash Sentry. Yeah, okay, Twilight fell for human Flash, and not pony Flash, but so what? Maybe pony Flash had feelings for Twilight as well? Hopefully, this story will expose Flash more as a character than the movie did, which was one of several disappointing aspects of the movie on my part.

The first part of the chapter is largely based off the scenes of Equestria Girls featuring pony Flash, with extra bits featuring him and the Crystal Empire guards for a few laughs. The second part was originally part of the original chapter two. If you liked the original, I bet you'll love the new and improved Risky Romance as well!

Chapter II: Risky Romance

Written by Zack Wanzer and James Riddle

Part 1: The Princess and the Guard

It was a calm afternoon at the Crystal Empire, an empire within the arctic north of Equestria. With the recent coronation of Princess Twilight Sparkle a few weeks ago, extra security was required to insure her safety at the empire, so more guards were transferred here.

Among these guards was a light orange Pegasus named Flash Sentry; he had a two-tone blue mane and tail, bright blue eyes, and a two-tone sapphire blue shield behind a yellow lightning bolt for a cutie mark. He was very eager to have been chosen to come to the Crystal Empire.

"It's great to have a change of scenery every now and then," he said to himself.

Upon arrival to the Crystal Empire, Princess Cadance informed him that Twilight was coming for her first summit. Cadance was light pink with a purple, rose and white mane and tail, her wings were tinted purple at the tips, had purple eyes, and her cutie mark was a teal crystal heart within gold lace. Her full name is Mi Amore Cadenza, but she prefers Cadance for short.

"Princess Twilight?" Flash asked. "The newest princess?"

"Shining Armor would normally be here too," said Cadance, "but he's busy training some more new members."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"So is he," said Cadance, "he was really looking forward to seeing his sister."

Flash felt a bit nervous inside; this was his first time meeting with Twilight Sparkle and he wanted to make a good impression.

"I hope I don't do anything silly and cause her to make fun of me," he said to himself.

Later that evening, it was time for Princess Twilight's arrival. At the throne room of the Crystal Empire, Princesses Celestia, Luna, and Cadance stood in place with Flash Sentry next to them. There were three Crystal Empire guards on either side of the carpet, and all six blew horn fanfares to signal Twilight's arrival the moment the doors opened.

Twilight walked down the alley towards the three older princesses, Spike and the rest of the Mane Six behind her. The light purple alicorn looked around curiously, but didn't watch where she was going and bumped straight into Flash! Both looked at one another in surprise, but quickly shrugged it off.

"Her Highness," declared Flash, "Princess Twilight Sparkle!"

Princess Cadance giggled as she and the Royal Sisters walked towards Twilight.

"Twilight!" said Cadance happily, hugging her sister-in-law, "I haven't seen you since the coronation."

"We have so much to discuss," said Princess Celestia, "but it can wait until tomorrow. You all look tired from your journey. Now, off to bed, all of you."

Earlier, Twilight, Spike and their friends had arrived at the Crystal Empire on a train from Ponyville, and evening was starting to fall.

There was excited chatter as Spike and the six mares walked away to their rooms. (Twilight and Spike shared a room together.) Shortly after, the three elder Princesses left as well. Now the seven guards stood alone in the halls. Flash looked towards the doors.

"Hmm," he thought out loud to nopony in particular, "now where have I met Princess Twilight before?"

"You hear him, boys?" asked a guard.

"What's with Sentry here?" asked another.

"I think the new guy Flash Sentry's got a crush on the Princess!" remarked the first guard, and he and he other five Crystal Empire guards broke into laughter. Flash felt his cheeks go hot. He barely even knew Twilight, and already the guards were teasing him about it.

"No I don't," he protested in his defense, "I don't even know her…"

"Course ya don't, lover boy," teased a third guard, "are you gonna be her Prince Charming now?"

"Better make it Prince Flashy," joked the second guard, and they broke into laughter again.

Flash just said nothing and rolled his eyes. Boys…

About three days passed; a former student of Princess Celestia, Sunset Shimmer, had stolen Twilight's Element and took it through the Crystal Mirror, a gateway that opened once every thirty moons, into another world through a house statue in front of Canterlot High. On the third day, when the moon reaches the peak of the night sky, the portal would close, not to open again for another thirty moons.

Fortunately, Twilight and Spike (who decided to join her) had retrieved her Element safely after she won the title for Princess of the Fall Formal, and they made it back to Equestria just before the portal closed, with confidence boosted about her title as a Princess.

Flash Sentry stood in place in front of a door, minding his own business. He could barely hear Twilight's friends bombarding her with many questions about the other world.

"I wanna tell you all everything," sighed Twilight in exhaustion, "I do, but I'm just so exhausted from all the dancing."

"Dancing?!" Cadance, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Fluttershy and Rarity all asked in confusion.

Once again, Twilight wasn't watching where she was going, and bumped straight into Flash!

"Oh!"

Twilight fell to the floor on her rear end, and then looked up to see Flash smiling kindly at her. She blushed bright pink as he helped her back on her hooves.

"We've got to stop bumping into each other like this," Flash chuckled, before walking off, passing Spike and the other six mares, who all watched as he went about his duties.

"Who was that?" asked Twilight.

"He's a new member of the castle guard," Cadance explained, "Flash Sentry, I think. Why? Do you know him?"

"Not exactly," Twilight said, turning away, blushing slightly.

As she walked away, Applejack "oohed".

"Somepony's got a crush on the new guy!" she teased.

"No, no, I don't," protested Twilight.

"She does!" gasped Rarity, "She absolutely does!"

"Don't be ridiculous," Twilight scoffed, still trying to hide her blush, "I don't even know him. He just…"

"Totally reminds you of a guy you met in the other world who played guitar, was in a band, and helped prove you didn't destroy all the decorations for a big dance, so you could still run for princess of the big dance, and then asked you to dance at that dance?!" Pinkie gave a big, deep breath before saying, "Right?"

Twilight looked at Spike, before looking back at the pink Earth pony in surprise. "How did you know that?"

"Just a hunch!" Pinkie gave a big, silly grin, and hopped about her merry way.

Twilight just rolled her eyes and placed her hoof over Spike's shoulder, holding him close as she looked up to the ceiling.

Elsewhere, Flash was in his thoughts as well. This was the second time Twilight had bumped into him. When he helped her up, Flash could swear he saw a hint of blush on Twilight's cheeks. Maybe she was embarrassed, or maybe she was tired from dancing, who knew?

"Why do we bump into each other like that?" Flash was saying to himself, "Is this a kinda habit, or is it something else all together…?"

He wasn't paying attention to where he was going and ran right into a door!

"D'oh!" he cried, shaking his head after the impact.

"Watch where you're going, Crash Sentry!" a guard called in a teasing way.

"Couldn't help myself if I was in my thoughts," groaned Flash. He put a hoof to his mouth in shock at what he just said. Darn it, Sentry! Why in Tartarus did you say that?!

"Oh, I see," the other guard joked, "what was in your thick, metal head?"

"Let's just say me and Princess Twilight bumped into each other, so to speak…"

"You really love her, don't ya?"

"I do not," argued Flash, getting annoyed, "we don't even know one another! Okay?"

"Oh, alright, Flashy boy," the other guard conceded. He paused before saying, "is that Princess Twilight Sparkle looking out a window?"

"Where?!"

The other guard broke into hysterical fits of laughter. Flash scowled crossly at him.

"Oh, real mature," he said sarcastically, and sulked off, leaving the other guard to laugh in his spot. Although he tried to hide it, Flash knew the other guard did have a point. Again, he felt his face flush red as an apple.

Oh my Celestia, he thought anxiously, I must be falling in love!

About two weeks later, back in Ponyville, little had changed in Equestria after the Tree of Harmony was rediscovered in the Everfree Forest. Her caper with the old castle of Celestia and Luna had taken its toll on Twilight Sparkle, and she was lying on her bed at Golden Oak Library. She was so deep in thought she hadn't noticed Spike come up to her with a cup of lemon tea.

"Twilight?" the baby dragon asked with concern, "I got your tea ready!"

But the light purple alicorn princess didn't reply, so Spike had to shout to get her attention.

"TWILIGHT!"

"Ah! Oh, yes, I would love to go out with you!"

"On a date?!"

Twilight snapped back to reality, and realized where she was. She turned her attention to a puzzled Spike.

"Oh, sorry, Spike," she said with embarrassment, "was in my thoughts… again." She nervously chuckled, but not without taking the cup from Spike's hands. "Oh, and thanks for the tea, Spike."

"Hey, what are friends for?" her dragon assistant smiled, but then Spike remembered what he was going to say. "But you've been acting strange since we came back from the other world, even when we were at Princess Celestia's and Luna's old castle. Is something wrong, Twilight?"

Twilight looked up after taking a sip from her cup; something was wrong, and she thought how to explain it to Spike, but didn't know how.

"Is it your crush on that Flash Sentry guy?" Spike asked innocently. Twilight's face flushed red the moment the words "crush" and "Flash Sentry" left Spike's mouth.

"You-!" she spluttered, but couldn't finish her sentence.

Spike gave a huge grin. "Aha!" he declared, "You do like him!"

Twilight scoffed. "So what?" she sighed, rolling her eyes.

"So what? At least admit your feelings like I did with Rarity… well, kind of." Spike remembered shortly after his birthday that he let his greed get the best of him, causing him to capture Rarity, and to nearly destroy Ponyville, possibly all of Equestria. It was only when Rarity shown the then-grown up Spike the fire ruby he gave her, causing Spike to shrink back to his normal age. As they fell down to earth, Spike was about to tell Rarity his crush on her, but she covered his mouth and smiled happy tears in understanding, as if she knew all along.

"I don't know, Spike," Twilight sighed again, "I barely know Flash from this world, and he barely knows me. I live here in Ponyville, and he lives at the Crystal Empire, like Cadance and Shining Armor."

Then Twilight had a sudden thought; Shining Armor, her older brother, ruled the Crystal Empire alongside Cadance, and Flash was a royal guard, therefore, Shining Armor was more or less his boss.

"Uh, Twilight?" asked Spike, "You okay?"

"Oh, no," exclaimed Twilight, "I'm close to my brother and I've got a crush on Flash! If I end up in love with Flash, Shining Armor might fire him, and if Flash is fired, he may never speak to me or any of our friends again… and it'll be my entire fault!"

Spike didn't even bat an eyelid; he had heard this kind of talk before when Twilight freaked out over not sending a letter to Princess Celestia weekly, afraid of being tardy.

"Twilight, relax," he said, chuckling, "I'm sure your brother will understand. He's your B.B.B.F.F., or Big Brother Best Friend Forever as you call him, right? Maybe if you just started with simple conversations and hangouts with this Flash guy…"

"You're right, Spike! You're a genius!"

"Huh?"

"If I keep my feelings down to a minimum, Shining Armor won't know I'm in love with Flash," Twilight explained, "that way, I could keep a good relationship with him and keep friendship with Flash!"

"Uh, okay…" Spike wasn't so sure about where Twilight was going with her plan, but didn't object to it.

Alrighty! The original Risky Romance was ten chapters (nine if you exclude the epilogue), but I hope to shorten it to eight chapters, and keep them in roughly equal length, give or take a few paragraphs.

Next chapter will feature our anti-villain Comet Tail, and there'll be more background to him, just wait and see!

11. Risky Romance Part 2

Here's the next part to the edited Risky Romance. For those keeping track of the timeline, this takes place after Castle Mane-ia. Now, there's just three more episodes of season 4 to go, and I'm a little worried about the timeline. I'll have to ask Rachel (MLPRWSandPowerpuffgirlsfan) for her own thoughts. Given that Twilight didn't appear in Flight to the Finish, there's a chance that episode may have happened sometime before or after Magical Mystery Cure.

Anyway, enjoy part two!

Part 2: Enter the Comet Tail

The following Saturday morning, Twilight booked a train to the Crystal Empire. Hopefully, she believed, she'd meet up with Flash and they'd get to know each other a little more.

She opened the door to Golden Oak Library, and jumped in surprise. Her exclamation also took the stallion in front of the door by surprise as well, and he dropped the books he was carrying.

"Oh, Twilight!" cried the stallion, "You gave me quite a scare!"

"Oh, sorry, Vincent!" apologized Twilight, "I didn't know you were at the door!"

"And I thought it was Pinkie Pie who gave surprises," a young filly teased.

"That'll do, Fictionary," Vincent scolded his younger sister, "and Twilight, that's okay, it could happen to anypony. Anyway, we were just returning those we borrowed about magic spells for her to study."

"I've made leaps and bounds since we came to Ponyville," added Fictionary, "I hope Vincent gets me enrolled to Princess Celesta's School for Gifted Unicorns faster than you can say 'Equestria Games'!"

Fictionary was referring to the upcoming Euqestria Games to be held at the Crystal Empire. Not too long ago, her friends Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo had been selected as flag carriers for the games.

"All right, calm down, sis," chuckled Vincent, rubbing the top of her head.

"Glad to hear it," said Twilight, "anyway, I was off to the train station for the Crystal Empire."

"What for?" asked Fictionary.

"Oh, just to get some fresh air every now and then." But we know why she was headed there, don't we?

"Good enough for us," said Vincent, "just like how we left Liverhoof to open up to a new environment and we hardly left since." By now, he'd just picked up the scattered books when all of a sudden, Vincent felt himself fall off his hooves and hit the ground, scattering his books again.

"Oi! Pay attention to where you're runnin', mate!"

"Who was that?" gasped Fictionary.

The pony in question who crashed into him was a light yellow unicorn stallion with a grayish blue mane and tail with matching grayish blue blues, and his cutie mark was a shooting star.

"Good morning, Princess," the stallion said in a smooth tone, completely ignoring Vincent.

"Oh, hello there, Comet Tail," sighed Twilight, "and for the record, I prefer going by Twilight, okay?"

"Whatever you say, Princess Twilight," Comet Tail grinned cheekily. The light purple alicorn rolled her eyes.

"At least respect my friend's wish, will ya?" Vincent groaned; by now, he had gotten the books stacked up once again.

"Who's that pony with the bizarre accent?" asked Comet Tail.

"That's my big brother Vincent van Colt," said the light blue unicorn filly, "and I'm his little sister Fictionary! We came from Fillydelphia but we lived in Liverhoof for the last few years before moving here."

"How can a unicorn and a Pegasus be siblings?" asked Comet Tail, not understanding, "And how can you live in two places at once?"

"Let's just say our mother was a Pegasus, and our father a unicorn," sighed Vincent, rolling his eyes, "Fictionary and I were born in Fillydelphia, grew up there, and then moved to Liverhoof where we stayed for a few years before coming here to Ponyville. I picked up the accent during my time in Liverhoof."

"Ah, I see," said the light yellow unicorn stallion, "the same place where the Beatrots were born?"

"Yes it is, mate. They're well known for singles and albums such as 'I Wanna Hold Your Hoof', 'Nowhere Mare', 'Day Trotter', 'Pony Road', 'Sgt. Pony's Cutie Mark Club Band', 'Magical History'-"

"You know something, mate?" Comet Tail interrupted, "I've just learned something new about you."

"What would that be?"

"Those glasses you wear – they really make you look like a geek, don't they?!"

Comet Tail laughed at his own wit; Vincent scowled with an irritated look on his face.

"How rude!" exclaimed Fictionary.

"Let me tell you-!" began Vincent.

"Don't bother with him, you two," sighed Twilight, "it isn't even worth it."

"Hey, thanks, girl," said Comet Tail, taking Twilight's hoof in his, "so, d'you wanna watch the stars with me tonight? Y'know, one on one chat?"

Twilight took her hoof back with an indignant look. "I'm sorry, but I'm booked for the day. Perhaps another day…?"

"But I insist!" protested Comet Tail, "You know how much you love memorizing all the constellations in Luna's night sky…"

"She said she was busy!" snapped Vincent with a firm tone in his voice, "Either you stop bothering her or I'll have to use force!"

Vincent and Comet Tail both glared at one another for what seemed like ages.

"Have it your way, van Colt," the unicorn stallion sniffed, and he walked away, knocking over the books Vincent had just stacked.

"What a plonker," Vincent frowned, re-stacking the books for the third time.

"You're telling me," agreed Fictionary, "do you know him, Twilight?"

"I knew him years ago as a filly," Twilight explained, "it was back when I was a student for Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns..."

This was some weeks after Spike was hatched and after Twilight's successful entrance to Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. A young filly Twilight was walking in the courtyard, when she saw a light yellow unicorn colt being picked on.

"You see that loser?" one of the older colts taunted, "Look at him, he can't even defend himself!"

"Where's your mommy, Comet Fail?" another colt sneered.

"Hey!" snapped Twilight, "Leave him alone!"

The bullying colts turned to the light purple filly and scowled.

"Mind your own business," one of them sniffed.

"Yeah, we don't need a little filly like you butting in on stallions like us!" another colt agreed.

"Then how about me?" came a stern voice.

The colts turned around and noticed Princess Celestia. They went from acting tough to cowering in fear at her sudden presence.

"What is the meaning of this?" Princess Celestia demanded.

"Ah, we were just... erm, foolin' around?" one of the tough colts lied.

"No you weren't!" said Twilight, "You were bullying that colt."

"You know that I do not approve of bullying," Princess Celestia said sternly, "you three are in big trouble."

The bullying colts gulped nervously, and they soon followed Princess Celestia inside.

"Thanks for standing up for me," said the colt they had been bullying.

"You're welcome," said Twilight, "I'm Twilight Sparkle, by the way. What's your name?"

"It's Comet Tail," the unicorn colt replied.

"It's nice to meet you," said Twilight, "why were those bullies picking on you?"

"I'm the youngest of seven siblings," explained Comet Tail, "my six older brothers and sisters and father never noticed me. Only my mother did, but she died last year."

"I'm sorry to hear that," said Twilight.

"The only real reason I got in here was because my oldest brother Shooting Star is one of Celestia's guards," Comet Tail added.

Just then a large dark yellow unicorn stallion appeared. He had a long, flowing blue mane and tail, purple eyes, and a shooting star for a cutie mark.

"I heard that some colts were giving you a hard time, Comet," he said, "you alright?"

"I am now," said Comet Tail, "oh, and this is..."

"Not now, brother," interrupted Shooting Star, "I've got to head back to work."

With that, he strode away.

"That wasn't very nice," said Twilight.

"Yeah, but that's what older siblings do," Comet Tail shrugged, "you look up to them, but they overlook you completely."

"Not Shining Armor," said Twilight, "he always had time for me."

"Lucky," muttered Comet Tail, "I wish I had a sibling like that..."

"I'd better get going," said Twilight, "it was nice meeting you, Comet Tail." With that, Twilight headed back into the castle.

"Wow," said Fictionary, "kinda feel bad for the guy. So what happened afterward?"

"We became friends, even if I wasn't interested back then as I am today," said Twilight, "but then he dropped out for reasons I'm not sure of, and we didn't meet again until the Hearth's Warming Eve play me, Spike and the others put on, and he then moved to Ponyville days before Applejack was to compete in the Equestria Rodeo in Canterlot. He's done the occasional flirt I usually dismiss, but Comet Tail's done it more since hanging around with other stallions, and especially after I became a princess a couple of months ago.

"I just don't know what changed in him," she continued, "he used to be nice and quiet, but all of a sudden, he's become cocky and arrogant."

"It's probably a stallion thing," shrugged Fictionary.

"He'd better watch himself," said Vincent.

"Why's that, big brother?"

"Because if he thinks he's gonna win Twilight by acting the way he is, he's got another thing coming!"

"I just hope he doesn't do something insane," said Fictionary.

"Well," said Twilight, "I'd better be off for Flash Sent-whoops!" She covered her mouth in embarrassment, her face blushing redder than Big Macintosh's fur.

"Flash who?" asked Vincent.

"You're in love with another stallion, are you?" Fictionary asked cheekily.

"I d-don't know what you're talking about," Twilight stuttered.

"Twilight's got a coltfriend! Twilight's got a coltfriend!" Fictionary sang in a cheeky way.

"Oh, real mature," groaned Vincent, rolling his eyes.

"I do not!" objected Twilight, "I barely know Flash."

"Who is this Flash bloke?" asked Vincent.

"He's a new member of the Crystal Empire Royal Guard," explained Twilight. Then she suddenly realized that she had spilled the beans about who she was going to visit.

"Is that why you're heading to the train station?" asked Fictionary innocently.

"...yes," Twilight sighed in defeat. She mentally cursed herself for spilling the beans.

"Why are you acting like it's a big deal?" asked Vincent.

"Well, it's like this," said Twilight, "my big brother Shining Armor is in charge of the Crystal Empire alongside Cadance. So he's Flash Sentry's boss. If Shining would see me and Flash dating, he might be cross."

"Is that a bad thing?" Vincent didn't sound convinced, "I mean, I've heard of employees dating their bosses' daughters, after all."

"I just don't want to risk my B.B.B.F.F. getting mad and Flash getting fired."

"Talk about a lose-lose scenario..." remarked Fictionary, "I'm sorry, but what is a B.B.B.F.F.?"

"Big Brother Best Friend Forever," Twilight explained.

Just then, Spike looked out from the door. "Hey Twilight," he called, "aren't you supposed to be at the train station by now?"

"Oh my!" gasped Twilight. She'd spent so much time speaking with Vincent and Fictionary she lost track of time.

"I've got to go," she said, racing off towards the station.

"Have fun, Twilight," called Fictionary, waving, "but not too much fun with the royal guards!"

"Behave yourself, young filly," said Vincent.

"What?" asked Fictionary innocently.

"Ugh... never mind."

"Well, anyway, love triangles aren't a good thing, are they?" asked Fictionary.

"Why do you bring that up, Fictionary?" asked Spike, picking up the books Vincent had re-stacked yet again.

"If two ponies fight over the same one, then there might be trouble," explained Fictionary.

"We best hope that's not the case," said Vincent, "otherwise, he'll have me to talk to!"

Spike had brought the books Vincent and Fictionary borrowed back inside Golden Oak Library, and the siblings were on their way once more. Inside, Vincent wanted to help Twilight and Flash, even though he hadn't met the latter for himself yet, but he decided to take the backseat and allow love and nature to run their course.

Twilight had managed to catch her train to the Crystal Empire just in time, and she was now in her coach, mulling over what to say to Flash when they met. The journey lasted many miles, which gave Twilight plenty of time to think.

"Come on, Sparkle," she was saying to herself, "what to say to Flash when I run into him? Er, bump into him, I suppose? 'Hi, Flash, how are you…?' No, that's no good. Ah… 'Have you seen Celestia's sun today…?' Oh, that won't work either! What can I say to him when we meet?!"

Twilight hit her head against the table in frustration. Fortunately, and rather surprisingly, none of the passengers seemed to take notice of the frustrated light purple alicorn princess. Then the announcements came on, causing Twilight to sit up in surprise.

"Attention passengers – the service from Ponyville to the Crystal Empire is now arriving at the station. Please mind the gap between the train and the platform when boarding or departing."

"Ah!" gasped Twilight, "I haven't even thought of what to say-" She then mentally told herself to pull it together. "It's no big deal, Twilight; just keep your cool, and whatever you do – do NOT freak out…!"

Calmly, Twilight got out of the coach onto the station platform. All she had to do was find a light orange Pegasus with a blue mane and tail; how hard could it be?

Unfortunately, as Twilight was yet again not paying attention to where she was going, she bumped – you guessed it – into the stallion she was thinking of. Flash was not wearing his armor, exposing his cutie mark.

"Careful, miss," he said, helping the light purple alicorn back onto her hooves, "why is it we're bumping into each other all of a sudden?"

"Sorry," Twilight giggled nervously, "I was, you know, just in my thoughts."

"So was I," said Flash, brushing himself off, "I'm Flash Sentry, and you're Princess Twilight Sparkle, I presume?"

"Twilight would be fine," replied the light purple alicorn modestly, "even if I'm a princess now, I still prefer going by Twilight, you know."

"I see," said Flash, "so, do you wanna have a walk around the empire? It's my day off."

"Oh, my gosh, what a coincidence!" remarked Twilight, "I was gonna ask you the same thing!"

"I guess great minds think alike," Flash chuckled, "so where do we start?"

The songs and albums Vincent lists are all based off Beatle titles. See if you can guess what they are. ;)

Oh my Celestia; a love triangle is already beginning to bloom in Equestria! What will happen when Comet Tail and Flash Sentry cross paths? You can pretty much guess what happened if you read the original draft!

12. Risky Romance Part 3

Here's chapter three to the edited version of my TwiSentry love story. Again, the flashbacks take place before Twilight's entrance exam in "The Cutie Mark Chronicles", and gives some background to Flash and Sunset Shimmer. I strongly wish to note this is a Flashlight story, not a SunsetSentry story, okay? I don't hate SunsetSentry, I'm more or less neutral towards it.

Part 3: All Those Years Ago

As they walked around the Crystal Empire, Flash and Twilight were talking about her adventures up to becoming a princess alicorn, and she was telling him about her few days in the human world.

"…so this other Flash Sentry from this other world," said Flash, "he was a very kind sort, wasn't he?"

"He was, a real gentlecolt, and treated me like a princess… no pun intended," replied Twilight, "but Rarity from the other world disapproved since the other Flash was ex-boyfriend – or coltfriend here – to Sunset Shimmer."

Twilight noticed Flash cringe at the name she mentioned.

"Sunset… Shimmer?" he asked with unease.

"Erm, yes. Why?"

"Sunset Shimmer," Flash slowly began, "was my fillyfriend from my youth."

"What did happen between you two? And how did you meet her?"

"It's a bit of a long story," said Flash, "it was years ago as a colt, before I became a royal guard…"

A young Flash Sentry lived with his parents in Cloudsdale. His father was a royal guard and wanted Flash to be just like him. The father, Flame Barrier, was a dark orange Pegasus whose cutie mark was a blue shield with a fireball behind it. His eyes were green and his mane and tail were a solid dark sapphire. Flash's mother, Lullaby Strings, was also a Pegasus with light yellow fur, blue eyes, a blue mane and tail with pink stripes, and her cutie mark was a guitar next to a music note.

Flame Barrier wanted Flash to be a Royal Guard just like him.

"It'll be very exciting and put your courage to the test," he would say.

"Yeah, it will," said Flash, but inside, he doubted his father's words.

Lullaby Strings, on the other hoof, disagreed.

"That kind of lifestyle is risky and dangerous," she said, "I don't want my son to end up getting hurt or worse."

The two Pegasi argued and argued until they decided to just divorce. On the day Flash and his father were leaving, his mother had begun to feel rather ill, and it was unfortunate they never knew why...

A few hours later, Flame Barrier and young Flash made their way to Canterlot. After a couple of months, Flame went off to some Royal Duty, but never came back. Unfortunately, he'd carelessly forgotten to ask somepony to look after young Flash, and the Pegasus colt began to fear the worst.

What if mom was right and he was killed in battle? he thought. Flash wondered what had happened and ran off, looking for his father. No matter where he went, he couldn't find the dark orange Pegasus stallion.

"I'll never find him," he said sadly, and then looked around him. He had no idea where he was at all!

"Not only have I lost my dad, but now I've lost myself," he whimpered.

Flash looked up and noticed that it was beginning to rain. Quickly, he ran for the nearest shelter, Canterlot Castle.

"Hopefully I can keep safe and dry here," he said to himself. A pair of guards nearby noticed him alone and sad.

"What're you doing out here in the rain, boy?" one of them asked, "You'll catch a cold!"

"I'm lost and I don't know where my father is," Flash replied.

"Oh my," said the other guard, "we better get you to Princess Celestia immediately!"

The two guards quickly took the freezing colt to Princess Celestia.

Princess Celestia stood at the throne room with a young filly. She was a light amber unicorn with a crimson mane and tail streaked with yellow and had cyan eyes. At this point, she didn't have a cutie mark.

"Sorry to interrupt, your majesty," said one of the guards, "but we found a young colt in the rain, and it seems his father isn't with him."

"Oh dear," said Celestia, "bring him here."

The two guards moved and Flash stepped forwards.

"Y-your Highness," he said, nervously bowing.

"What is your name, young one?" asked Celestia.

"Flash Sentry," the young colt replied, "I can't find my father, Flame Barrier. He's been gone for a long time, and I'm afraid I may never see him again!"

Celestia felt sympathy for the young colt. "I am sorry to hear of your loss, young Flash."

"What can we do for him?" asked one of the guards, "We can't have him grow up without a parent. Surely he has a mother?"

"My mom's in Cloudsdale," said Flash.

"How would you like to stay here in the castle?" Celestia offered. Flash looked at her in surprise.

"Really?"

"Of course," the princess smiled, and then she notioned the filly next to her. "This is Sunset Shimmer," Celestia said, "she is my top student."

While Flash was making himself at home, Princess Celestia sent some of her guards to find Flash's mother. However, by the time they reached Cloudsdale, they couldn't find a light yellow Pegasus mare which matched Flash's depiction of her. They returned with the unhappy news.

"We couldn't find the mare Flash described, your majesty," said one.

"Sh... she's not there...?"

"I'm afraid not," said another, "we're sorry... truly, we are."

Flash lowered his head in sadness. Not only was his father gone, but now his mother was too.

"Whatever shall I do?" he said, on the verge of crying. One of the guards spoke up.

"I could take you under my wing like a foster father," he offered. Flash liked that idea, and so it was arranged for the guard to be his foster father. He also began studying so he could become a Royal Guard too.

During that time, Flash even began to build a friendship with Sunset Shimmer, and before long, it would begin to blossom into something more; however, not every love story has the happy ending...

Several years later, Flash and Sunset were teenage ponies, both having obtained their respective cutie marks, Sunset's being a red and yellow shimmering sun. About three weeks ago, she was dropped as Celestia's student as she had become cruel and dishonest over the last several months, and didn't become a princess as quickly as she wanted.

"How could you act this way?" asked Flash angrily, "When we met a few years ago, you were sweet and innocent, and now you've turned into… into… a spiteful mare!"

"It's Celestia's fault I didn't get my dreams quickly as I wanted," growled Sunset, "and she thinks I'm the one who's selfish!"

"She kicked you out for the right reasons, Sunset."

"Well then," she growled, "we're leaving Canterlot."

"No, Sunset, there's no 'we'!"

"What do you mean, there's no 'we'?!" Sunset asked in anger.

"I refuse to help you just to get even with Princess Celestia," said Flash firmly, "it's not the right thing to do!"

"I can't do this alone, you know!"

"Forget it! We're through!"

Sunset stared at Flash, an appalled look on her face, and then scowled before turning on her heel.

"Have it your way, Sentry," she growled, "you're just like her – kind and foolish! One day, you will be sorry!"

Flash just stood in silence, watching his now ex-fillyfriend run off. He'd never had that much anger in him before, and he almost wanted to cry. After a few minutes, he felt something bump into him on the foreleg, and a young female voice cry out in surprise.

Flash looked down to see a young light purple unicorn filly with a dark blue mane and tail with purple and pink streaks, big purple eyes and no cutie mark.

"Hang on a second," said Flash, "Twilight… were you that filly who bumped into me after I broke up with Sunset?"

"Oh, yeah, I was," said Twilight, blushing, "must be a small land, Equestria is. It must have slipped my mind."

"What were you doing back then?" asked Flash.

"Well," Twilight began, "I had just gotten prepared for my entrance exam into Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, and I was so eager that I got lost from my parents."

"How'd that happen?"

"Well… let's say I got a little distracted by a stowaway balloon and wanted to catch it. As you can guess, it did have consequences…"

Little Twilight had finally caught the balloon, but by now, she realized that her parents weren't around.

"Mommy?! Daddy!" she cried, "Where are you?!"

Twilight ran fast as her little legs could carry her. She didn't notice where she was going and ran into a light orange teenage Pegasus stallion with a blue mane and tail with lighter streaks, matching blue eyes, and his cutie mark was a two-tone sapphire blue shield behind a yellow lightning bolt.

The teenage stallion looked down at Twilight with surprise and confusion.

"Are you alright, kid?" he asked, lending a hoof to help her back on her hooves.

"I think so," said Twilight, sadness clear in her voice.

"What's the matter?" asked the teenage Pegasus, "Are you lost?"

Twilight gave a sad nod. "I'm on my way to try out for Princess Celestia's School of Talented Unicorns, but I got distracted and I can't find my parents!"

She fell to the ground and began to cry. The teenage Pegasus felt upset seeing a filly cry, so he gave her a comforting hug, helping to wipe her tears out of her eyes.

"Do you feel better?" he asked gently.

"I do, a little," sniffed Twilight, "I'm Twilight."

"I'm Flash," said the teenage Pegasus, "you know, Twilight, I think it'd be easy to find your parents if we were in the air."

"In the air?!" gasped Twilight in shock, "I-I-I've never been in the air before!"

"Why not?" asked Flash.

"I get a little jumpy," Twilight admitted sheepishly.

"Don't be afraid," said Flash, "you can ride on my back or I can hold you, whichever is good for you. Either way, I'm helping you find your parents."

Twilight thought about it for a moment or two, and without thinking twice, she jumped onto Flash's back.

"What are we waiting for?!" she cried excitedly, "Let's fly! Or rather, you're the one flying and I'm riding…"

In a flash, the teenage Pegasus flew into the sky, Twilight clinging onto his back.

"I should tell you what my parents look like," said Twilight, "my mommy is light gray with a purple and gray mane, three purple stars for her cutie mark."

"Right," said Flash, "and is she…?"

"Unicorn? Yes. She should be with my daddy, who's grayish blue with a dark blue mane and two crescent moons for a cutie mark."

Flash and Twilight looked all around Canterlot in the skies; then...

"Is that my mommy and daddy?!" Twilight pointed down to earth, and she and Flash could see Twilight's parents – the exact description she gave them – talking to a mare.

"If you've seen our daughter," said Twilight's mother, Twilight Velvet, "oh please let us know!"

"I've found her, Missus!"

The three adult ponies looked up, and saw Flash landing down with Twilight on his back. The little unicorn filly got off and ran to her parents excitedly.

"Mommy! Daddy!"

Twilight's parents were so overwhelmed with joy that they hugged their daughter tightly.

"Oh, thank Celestia you're okay, sweetie!" said her mother.

"Don't you run off like that again," her father, Night Light, said sternly, "you nearly gave your mother a heart attack!"

"I'm sorry, daddy," said Twilight sadly, "I'd have been stuck if it wasn't for Flash."

The two parents looked at Flash, who gulped nervously; how would they have reacted to a stranger helping their daughter?

To his surprise, they were smiling!

"Thank you, young Flash," said Twilight Velvet, "if it wasn't for you, goodness knows what would've happened to our daughter!"

"Oh, it was nothing, Mrs… ah, what's your last name?"

"Sparkle."

"Mrs. Sparkle," finished Flash, "just couldn't leave a filly by her own, could I?"

Twilight walked over to Flash, asked him to lean down towards her, and kissed his cheek, causing him to blush red as an apple.

"This is my thanks from you," smiled Twilight, "you're my hero."

"Ah, th-thanks," said Flash shyly. Twilight then walked off with her parents to Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, leaving the teenage Pegasus standing there, blushing.

"…and when it came for my entrance exam," continued Twilight, "I must have been so wrapped up in you helping me find my parents that I was unable to hatch the egg Spike was in. That was when all of a sudden, as if by coincidence, it was a young Rainbow Dash's sonic rainboom that hatched Spike, caused me to lose control of my magic until Princess Celestia intervened, and obtain my cutie mark!"

"A sonic rainboom?" asked Flash, and then quickly realized. "I think I can remember seeing one of them not long after we found your parents; it was real loud and scary, I thought."

There was a pause before Twilight spoke up again.

"Now that I'm thinking about it," she said, "we met the same day you and Sunset broke up, the day Spike hatched, and the day me and my friends all got our cutie marks! How often does that happen?"

"Must be destiny, I suppose," Flash shrugged, "or pure coincidence. So what did happen after you passed your entrance exam?"

"Princess Celestia made me her own personal protégé at the school not long after I passed," said Twilight, "and since then, I've been studying magic, and eventually friendship, right up to my coronation. Even so, my friends and I still learn more about friendship every day.

"When I told my older brother, Shining Armor, about how you helped me, he said, 'I'm glad you're okay, Twily, and although I'm not fond of strangers, I'd like to meet this Flash pony and thank him for what he's done.'"

"Hold on," Flash interrupted, "did you say Shining Armor?"

"Yes, I did," said Twilight, "why?"

"Oh, nothing," said Flash, a little hastily, "I was just asking, is all."

"Oh, okay," said Twilight, understanding, "I guess he probably forgotten about it and assumed you were another random pony named 'Flash'. Must be a common name in Equestria."

"I guess so," Flash chuckled, and then he went silent. Oh, jeez, he thought, Shining Armor's my boss and Twilight's brother. What's he gonna think if he finds out one of his soldiers is dating his sister?! No, come on, Flash – pull yourself together!

"Oh, my gosh, does time fly?!" exclaimed Flash, "Well, it was nice finding out more about one another, and hope to see you soon!" And he quickly flew off.

"Wouldn't you like to visit me sometime in Ponyville?!" called Twilight, but she got no reply. "I guess it's a 'maybe', then!"

Twilight was a little disappointed, but nonetheless glad she at least got to speak with Flash in pony. As she walked back to the station to catch the next train to Ponyville, Twilight thought something was up, but couldn't put her hoof on it…

In my own headcanon of MLP, Flash Sentry is older than Twilight, but younger than Shining Armor. My theory is that Sunset Shimmer is about a few years older than the Mane Six, journeyed Equestria before escaping through the Crystal Mirror where she stayed in the human world for thirty moons, learning to adjust to her new form, and then the movie takes place.

There's still more to come!

13. Risky Romance Part 4

Here's chapter four! Now this one's more comedy rather than romance, but you'll get a laugh out of it, especially since a certain cross-eyed pony is here! The opening scene with Comet Tail and his buds was originally meant for chapter three, but it was long enough, so it's now part of the new and improved chapter four!

Part 4: Race to Disaster

Back in Ponyville, Comet Tail was still sulking about being rejected by Twilight.

"It's not fair," he complained, "I would've gotten my one chance to be with Twilight, but then that Vincent, Vernon or whatever-his-name-is, and his silly little sister; they had to go and tell me off! The nerve of it all!"

"Oh, what are you moaning about now?" said a voice.

Comet Tail sighed and turned to face the light amber Earth stallion who asked him the question. He had a light brown mane and tail, moderate blue eyes, and three blue horseshoes for his cutie mark; his name is Caramel, a next-door neighbor to Rarity and Sweetie Belle, and a friend of the Apple family.

With Caramel were two other stallions – one of them was a dark gray Pegasus with a light cyan gray mane and tail with lighter streaks, light gold eyes, and his cutie mark was a lightning bolt from a cloud; his name is Thunderlane, a student at Wonderbolts Academy alongside Rainbow Dash. The other was a grayish amber Earth pony with a dark amber mane and tail, light grayish-blue eyes, and his cutie mark was an hourglass; his name is Time Turner, often nicknamed "Dr. Hooves," but he goes by either name.

"I guess Twilight's turned him down… again," Time Turner suggested in a moderate Scolttish accent.

"Yeah, how do you even know of this, Doc?" snapped Comet Tail.

"What Time Turner's trying to say is," said Thunderlane, "you've been getting obsessed over Twilight since she was coronated as a princess."

"So?" Comet Tail scoffed indignantly, "I think she's pretty. How can a princess like her reject someone cool like myself?"

"You sound like Rainbow Dash when she shows off," chuckled Thunderlane.

"I heard that! But at least I admit my feelings to a filly unlike somepony…" He gave a "knowing" glare at Caramel, causing his face to flush red as an apple.

"Hey, at least I don't show off in front of Applejack!" the light amber stallion retorted.

"All right, you two," said Time Turner, standing in between them, "now I presume you're planning to think of a way to impress her, right, Comet Tail?"

"You wait and see!" said Comet Tail, "Twilight will be my fillyfriend in no time!"

"Uh, yeah, good luck with that," said Thunderlane sarcastically, but Comet Tail didn't take much notice.

"You'll see, boys," the light yellow unicorn muttered to himself, "you'll see…"

Meanwhile, the rest of the Mane Six were having a chat when they noticed Twilight was missing.

"Has anypony seen Twilight at all today?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"I'm afraid not," said Fluttershy.

"Not since yesterday afternoon," said Applejack.

"I hope that nothing bad has happened to her," said Rarity.

"Maybe she's throwing a super special party for us!" Pinkie Pie said excitedly.

At that moment, Vincent was walking by.

"Yo, Vincent," called Rainbow Dash, "have you seen Twilight?"

"Yes, Rainbow," said Vincent, "Fictionary and I saw her this morning. Why?"

"We haven't seen her all day," said Fluttershy.

"Is this a problem, Fluttershy?"

"Well, we're worried that something bad might have happened."

"She said she was going to the Crystal Empire," explained Vincent, "apparently to meet with some bloke I don't even know, Flash Sentry."

"Flash Sentry?" asked Applejack, "Now does that name sound familiar, girls?"

"I think that was that one guard Twilight met before going through that mirror," said Fluttershy.

"And after she and Spike returned," Rarity put in.

"She acted like she had a crush on him," said Rainbow Dash.

"Just like you and one of the Wonderbolts," Vincent teased, "what was his name again, Soarin?"

Rainbow Dash's cheeks turned bright red and her wings extended.

"You-!" she spluttered indignantly, "I don't-! How-?! Ohhh!" She gave a flustered groan; this made the others laugh.

Suddenly, at that moment, who should sneak his way in but Comet Tail.

"What's this I hear about Princess Twilight falling in love with a stallion that isn't me?" he asked.

"Ugh, not that irritating bugger again," muttered Vincent.

"What do ya want, Comet Tail?" asked Applejack.

"I am on a quest to win the heart of Princess Twilight," said Comet Tail.

"Uh, yeah, good luck in that," said Rainbow Dash sarcastically.

"Are you saying that you doubt me?" asked Comet Tail.

"Yes we are," said Vincent firmly, "what makes you think Twilight would fall for some arrogant fool like you?"

"How dare you call me an arrogant fool!" snapped Comet Tail.

"Oh, and that's coming from somepony who called me a geek!" retorted Vincent.

"Looks like something needs to be settled," said Rainbow Dash, "what do you say about a race, Vincent? If you win, then Comet Tail can leave Twilight alone."

"But what if I win?" asked Comet Tail.

"Doesn't really matter," said Rainbow Dash, "so, interested or not?"

"Well..." Vincent began, "if it'll get Comet Tail to leave Twilight alone, then I accept."

"I knew you'd see it my way!" cheered Rainbow Dash.

Later that afternoon, Vincent and Comet Tail stood at the starting line outside Sweet Apple Acres. Both stallions were determined not to let the other one win.

"This shall be a one lap race, boys," said Applejack, "there shall be no tail bitin', no shortcuts, no rammin' one another off course, no greasin' anypony's hooves, no-"

"Sorry to interrupt, but can we get on with it?" demanded Comet Tail.

"Fine," sighed Applejack, and then said quickly, "most importantly, have fun. Ready, set, and go." And with a wave of the flag from Caramel, Vincent and Comet Tail were off! The rest of the Mane Six cheered for Vincent.

Caramel, however, was worried. "I've got a feeling this is only going to lead to trouble…"

Vincent and Comet Tail were racing through Ponyville. Vincent was in front, but Comet Tail began to pass by using his magic to speed up,

"They don't call me Comet Tail for nothing," he grinned.

"Show off," snapped Vincent, "wings, don't fail me now!"

At that moment, Twilight had just left the train station. No sooner had she stepped off the platform, she could see the race.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Twilight! Watch out!" shouted Vincent. The yellow Pegasus stallion came to a stop before crashing into Twilight. Before the light purple alicorn could ask what was going on, Comet Tail saw Twilight ahead but was too late to stop, and crashed into her!

"Aaaahhh!"

"Oh bugger!" cried Vincent, racing off after them, "Hang on, Twilight!"

Comet Tail and Twilight crashed into a nearby Lyra, who was knocked into a nearby Bon Bon. Out of surprise, the beige Earth pony shrieked and crashed into a light grayish-mulberry Earth pony with moderate cerise eyes, mane and tail, and a bunch of grapes and a strawberry for a cutie mark. This was Berry Punch, everypony's idea of a town drunk, holding a bottle of cider. Her bottle flew in the air towards a light bluish-gray Pegasus with a pale blond mane and tail, yellow wall-eyes, and two large bubbles surrounded by five smaller ones for a cutie mark. This was Derpy Hooves, hovering a few feet off the ground and holding onto a muffin.

"Mmm," she said, unaware of what was going on, "muffins."

The bottle conked Derpy in the head, causing her to drop her muffin.

"My muffin!" she cried, and chased after her beloved little muffin.

At that moment, the Cutie Mark Crusaders were walking along planning on how - you guessed it - to obtain their cutie marks.

"Alright y'all," said Apple Bloom, "what are we gonna try today?"

"I got it!" said Scootaloo, "We can obtain our cutie marks by..."

"That muffin?" asked Sweetie Belle, confused.

"No, that wasn't what I was gonna say!" But before Scootaloo could correct herself, ("Stop that muffin!") Derpy came charging in.

"How about we make like a banana and split?" asked Apple Bloom.

So that's what they did. However, as Derpy claimed her muffin once again, Scootaloo was headed straight towards Big Macintosh with a cartload of apples!

"Look out!" cried Apple Bloom.

Big Macintosh could see Scootaloo headed towards him and quickly swerved to the left, a few apples spilling out of his cart, but he didn't see Vincent was now right in front of him!

"Ooohh, get outta mah way!" the large red stallion cried.

Too late, the two stallions crashed into each other, causing more apples to spill. They crashed right into Time Turner, who was at a nearby banana stand. Apples and bananas flew everywhere! It was a terrible mess, but surprisingly, nopony had been seriously injured. What was even more surprising was that Derpy was completely oblivious to the chaos that had just taken place; she flew away with her muffin in her hooves.

"Is everpony okay?" asked Twilight.

"Oh, yes," said Vincent, "other than a few bruises, I'm perfectly okay."

"You're one to talk," grumbled Bon Bon.

Just then, Spike, Thunderlane, Caramel, and the rest of the Mane Six ran up (flew in the case of Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Thunderlane) to the scene of splattered apples and bananas and piled up ponies.

"Holy moly!" cried Caramel.

"What happened?" asked Thunderlane.

"Ask Comet Tail," groaned Vincent, "ah, that really hurt..."

Everyone glared at Comet Tail.

"What? What's everypony looking at me for?"

"You crashed into me!" snapped Twilight.

"Nopony told me you were in my way!" retorted Comet Tail.

"You should have watched where you were going!" added Lyra.

"But you didn't because of how busy you were boasting about yourself," Vincent added.

"Boasting?! Ha! You're one to talk, four eyes!"

"I'd rather be four eyes than zero brain," retorted Vincent.

"Are you saying I'm stupid?!"

"Eeyup," added Big Macintosh.

"Well, blame Rainbow Dash," said Comet Tail, "she's the one who suggested the race from the get go."

"I'm right here, you know!" the cyan colored Pegasus shouted.

"Well, it's true," sniffed Comet Tail, "at least I'm not a Wonderbolt lover!"

Rainbow Dash's face went redder than the streaks in her mane, and seethed in anger. "At least I pay attention to where I'm going, Comet Fail!" she snapped back.

Her insult was met with gasps, and some ponies backed a little away.

"Comet Fail?!" the light yellow unicorn said furiously, calmly at first, then getting angrier and angrier, "I hate that name. I hate it, you hear?! Nopony calls me Comet Fail! Especially not some speed-obsessed air-head!"

"Air-head... AIR-HEAD?!"

Rainbow Dash was so furious she wanted to tear Comet Tail a new flank, when Applejack held her back.

"Whoa, there, Nelly! Not in front of the foals!"

"Let me at 'im! LET ME AT 'IM!"

"Rainbow Dash!" Twilight said, standing between her and Comet Tail, "While it was wrong for Comet Tail to crash into me, you were the one who suggested this race. Now apologize."

The cyan Pegasus could see everypony who'd been involved in the random crashes - bar Derpy - were glaring at her, even Big Macintosh and Scootaloo.

"Alright, I get the picture," she groaned, "by hindsight, I shouldn't have suggested such a race."

"Yeah, no kidding," retorted Vincent, "I could've been killed!"

"A lot of us would've," muttered Bon Bon, rolling her eyes.

"I want my cider!" cried Berry Punch. Everypony just stared awkwardly at her. "...what?"

"Now that Berry's brought it up," said Applejack, "Big Mac, weren't these apples gonna be used to make some cider?"

"Eeyup," replied Big Macintosh, "but now they're ruined, and ya can't make business or quality cider with ruined apples."

"All too well," agreed Applejack, recalling the Flim Flam brothers.

"And I'm covered with Bananas that I could have eaten," grumbled Time Turner, "still, at least they're not pears... can't stand them..."

"Alright, Comet Tail," said Vincent, "since this race didn't have a good conclusion, we'll have to think of something else." He looked around; Comet Tail had gone! While everypony else had been complaining, he had slipped away and nopony noticed.

"Where's he gone?" asked Thunderlane.

"Ooh! Maybe he's making plans to attempt at winning Twilight's heart?" asked Pinkie Pie.

"What?" asked Twilight in confusion, "Why would Comet Tail want to win my heart?"

"I'm not sure," said Pinkie, "maybe it has to do with you and Flash?"

"Pinkie!" Vincent and the rest of the Mane Six shouted.

"Oopsie," said Pinkie.

Before Twilight knew it, the ponies who weren't aware of what was going on crowded around her.

"Who is this Flash pony that's got something to do with you?" asked Thunderlane.

"What does he look like?" asked Berry Punch.

"What are his favorite foods?" asked Derpy, "Is muffins among them?"

"Is he handsome?" asked Lyra.

"What does he do fer a livin'?" asked Apple Bloom.

Twilight brought a hoof to her head as more questions were asked. This was going to take a very long time to answer them all.

"Pinkie..."

"Yes, Vincent?"

"Do you ever not blurt out important things?!"

"Sometimes I just can't help it," Pinkie shrugged.

"Of course you can't," muttered Vincent, rolling his eyes yet again.

"Oh dear," said Fluttershy, "things are starting to get out of hoof."

"Indeed," agreed Rarity, "I just hope things don't get worse."

"Who's gonna clean up this mess?" asked Caramel.

"Guess we all should," said Time Turner.

As they set to work cleaning up the mess, a mysterious stallion wearing a cloak and hat watched them.

"He won't get away with what he's doing," he said quietly to himself, "he shall not harm Twilight and her friends, not while I'm around..."

Well, who is the mysterious stallion, and what does he have that relates to Twilight and her friends? Only I know what's going to happen. There'll be one or two stories as an intermission, and then we move onto chapter five of the edited Risky Romance.

14. A Flash in the Sunset

Right, now before we continue the new and improved Risky Romance, time for a little history lesson, shall we? This takes place a few days after Vincent and Comet Tail's race, and is set completely outside of Ponyville.

A Flash in the Sunset

Written by Zack Wanzer and James Riddle

One afternoon at the Crystal Empire, Flash Sentry was strolling around while he had some free time.

"It feels nice to get out every now and then and just do some exploring about my surroundings," he said to nopony in particular.

As he looked around, he happened to spot a pair of Crystal Ponies, one of them a stallion and the other a mare, talking together like good friends.

"They sure do seem happy," Flash smiled; seeing them together that way reminded him of a time years ago before he met Twilight.

It was back when he was merely a young colt without his cutie mark, his parents divorced and he went to live with his father Flame Barrier, a Royal Guard for Princess Celestia, in Canterlot. When he was called away on duty, Flame Barrier went missing and Flash tried looking for him, but ended up outside of Canterlot Castle and a pair of Royal Guards found him, then took him to see Princess Celestia.

Now, do you remember at the time, Princess Celestia's star pupil was an amber unicorn named Sunset Shimmer?

You do? Then we can continue...

"This is Sunset Shimmer. She is my top student."

While Flash waited at the castle for the guards to find his mother Lullaby Strings, who lived in Cloudsdale, he got the chance to meet Sunset Shimmer.

"Uh, hi," Flash said nervously. He had never been inside a castle before talking to a princess's star pupil before and was worried about how Sunset would think of him.

"Hi," the young filly replied. She seemed a bit friendly, which made Flash sigh with relief.

"So," Flash asked, nervously swaying his front hoof back and forth, "how'd you become Celestia's star pupil?"

"My daddy helped me with it," said Sunset, "he's an Earth pony, you see, and my mother's a unicorn."

"Do your parents care about you?" Flash asked.

Sunset lowered her head. "My daddy does," she said sadly, "but my mom thinks of me as a servant."

"Oh, I'm sorry! I hope I didn't upset you," Flash said hastily.

"I'm actually used to it," Sunset admitted, "but I still wish mommy would love me. So," she continued, "why not tell me a little bit about yourself?"

"Well," Flash began, "when I was a baby, my mom would play the guitar while she sang me a lullaby. It was rather soothing."

"That's so cute!"

"Thanks," Flash smiled, "she even wanted me to take up playing the guitar when I grew up. But my dad wanted me to be a Royal Guard like him. It was because of their argument that they eventually got divorced."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Sunset said sympathetically.

After one or two hours went by, the guards returned with bad news.

"We've searched all over Cloudsdale," said one, "but we couldn't find the mare Flash described, your majesty."

"Sh... she's not there...?" Flash's heart sank. It was bad enough he had lost his father, but now his mother was gone too.

"I'm afraid not," another guard said sadly, "we're sorry... truly, we are."

"It wasn't your fault," Flash said, sadly lowering his head and on the verge of tears, "but whatever shall I do?"

"You can't live without someone to look after you, young one," Celestia said to Flash, "but don't worry; everything will be alright."

"I could take you under my wing like a foster father," one of the guards spoke up.

Flash raised his head. "Really?" The guard nodded and smiled. Soon, it was arranged for the guard to become Flash Sentry's foster father.

"I can't believe it was still so long ago," Flash said to himself, "how can I ever forget when my foster father took me in?"

A little while later, Flash was continuing his rounds when he spotted a different pair of Crystal Ponies. One of them was a light spring greenish-gray Earth Crystal Pony stallion named Crystal Arrow. He had a navy blue mane and tail, purple eyes, and his cutie mark was an archer's bow and arrow. The other was a light Persian bluish-gray Earth Crystal Pony mare named Amber Waves. She had a brilliant amber mane and tail, grayish rose eyes, and her cutie mark was a grain of wheat.

"Amber Waves," Crystal Arrow said, holding a box of flowers in his left hoof, "would you do me the honors of being my special somepony?" He seemed a bit bashful saying that last bit.

"Of course I will," Amber Waves smiled, taking the flowers.

Flash could see how happy the two looked. This resulted in him having another memory...

A day or so after Flash had been adopted by one of Celestia's guards, he was strolling along when he bumped into Sunset. He noticed something different about her.

"What is that sun doing on your flank?" he asked.

True to Flash's words, on Sunset Shimmer's flank was what looked like a sun. The top part was yellow and the bottom half was red. In the middle was what looked like a shape of an "S".

"I just obtained my cutie mark!" she said proudly, "And it looks like you done so too, by the looks of it."

"You're joking, right?"

"No, really, look!"

Flash looked at his own flank, and on it was a two-tone sapphire blue shield behind a yellow bolt; Sunset wasn't joking.

"Well, what do you know?" he said in amazement.

"So, what brings you around?" Sunset asked.

"Well, I was going to go by the lake for a bit," said Flash. "Would you care to go with me?"

"Ooh, I'd love to!" And with that, the two headed off towards the lake.

The lake was in a quiet spot a little bit away from the royal city and closer to the countryside, nestled under some trees. Flash had just brought Sunset to the spot.

"Thanks for bringing me out here, Flash," said Sunset.

"Ah, it was nothing," he replied.

The two sat down in the shade and enjoyed the cooling breeze.

"Sure feels nice out here in the breeze, doesn't it?" Flash asked.

"You can say that again," Sunset replied, "just relaxing in peace; it's good to get out here once in a while. What about you, Flash?" But she got no reply.

"Um, Flash?" Still, no answer.

Sunset looked and realized Flash wasn't there.

"Where's he gone?" Suddenly, she noticed bubbles coming from the water, and before she could react, Flash popped out of the water roaring cheekily.

"Aaah!" Sunset jumped back in surprise. Flash just stood there laughing.

"You should have seen your face!" he snickered.

"That wasn't funny!" Sunset snapped, "I was worried something had happened to you."

"Oh, come on," chuckled Flash, "you know you thought it was funny."

Sunset just turned around and looked like she would head for home. Flash started swimming to the ends of the lake, feeling upset, when suddenly...

"Cannonball!"

Sunset jumped into the lake with a huge splash.

"Woah!"

"Surprised you, didn't I?" chuckled Sunset.

"Trying to challenge the Splash King, are we?" Flash asked cheekily.

"Splash King, huh?" Sunset narrowed her eyes. "Not for long."

Before long, the two were splashing and playing around in the lake, having a great time. Soon it was time for them to get out.

"Uh, Sunset?"

"Yes, Flash?"

"I was just wondering, erm..."

"Wondering what?"

"Would you mind being my special somepony?"

In a split second, Sunset grabbed Flash and gave him a tight hug.

"Tight!" he cried, "Can't... breathe!"

"Sorry," said Sunset sheepishly, "of course I'll be your special somepony."

Flash smiled as he looked up in the direction of the Crystal Empire.

"She used to be so nice back then," he said to himself, "Twilight kinda reminds me of the old Sunset."

He recalled the day out they had a few days prior, and remembered the day he and Twilight - who was back then a young filly unicorn without her cutie mark - first met; the same day of his and Sunset's sad breakup when she turned ruthless.

This thought triggered another flashback, but this one was much sadder than the previous two...

Sunset could not believe what she'd heard.

"My father's been killed?" She felt like her heart had been crushed to dust.

"I'm afraid so," said the Royal Guard who had told her the news. This was also the same guard who had become Flash's foster father.

Sunset just stood there for a few seconds before racing away in tears.

"Sunset? Where are you headed too?" asked Flash, and began to run after her.

Sunset ran out of the castle and didn't stop until she came under a tree. There she curled into a ball and cried.

"It's not fair!" she sobbed, "Why did this have to happen?"

Flash soon came up.

"Are you alright, Sunset?" he asked. Sunset looked up at him; tears were still leaking from her eyes.

"No, I'm not alright!" she snapped. "My dad is gone, and now I've only my mother to look after me! And she doesn't even love me!"

"But I love you," Flash persisted gently as he could, "and I care for you. I know what it's like not having a parent around anymore, and that was when we first met, remember?"

Sunset wiped her tears and looked at Flash again.

"Yes," she said, "I remember."

Flash took his hooves around Sunset and pulled her into a tight but gentle hug.

"It'll be alright in the end," he said softly.

"I hope so," said Sunset, "I really do."

After thinking about that tragic day of Sunset's father's unfortunate death, Flash snapped back to reality.

"But unfortunately," he said to himself, "that wasn't the only case..."

Then Flash heard what sounded like fighting. He looked over and noticed another pair of Crystal Ponies arguing.

"So I'm not allowed to spend five bits on a new mane style," argued the mare, "yet you get to spend ten on mug of cider?"

"You're being ridiculous," objected the stallion.

"Sometimes I think you care more about money than me," the mare grumbled.

"I do not!"

"You do so!"

"Don't!"

"Do!"

As Flash watched the couple argue, yet another flashback began seeping into his mind. Just like the last one, this wasn't a happy one...

Over the next few years since her father's death, changes began to occur with Sunset. Her mother would often beat her up until it got so far out of hoof, she was arrested for foal abuse.

"I can't have you tormenting my student in such an unacceptable manner," Princess Celestia said crossly.

"You haven't seen the last of me!" snapped the mare as the guards took her away, "I'll be back, and one of these days, you're going to be sorry!"

Princess Celestia watched as the mare was taken away to prison.

"She's lucky I didn't banish her to the moon," the princess said quietly, "just like Nightmare Moon..."

For a few months afterward, Sunset had become more cruel towards other ponies and also acted like she was better than them. This was assumed to have spurned from the abuse from her mother. The changes had also begun to worry both Celestia and Flash.

Not too long after Sunset's mother was arrested, Celestia spoke with Flash.

"I'm worried," she said, "Sunset Shimmer seems to be getting worse."

"Does it have to do with her mother?" asked Flash.

"Yes," said Celestia, "she was a very cruel bully and would beat her up until I had her arrested."

"That's terrible!" cried Flash, "Why would she do something so cruel?"

"Nopony knows, Flash."

One day, however, Sunset's behavior went too far. Princess Celestia was talking to Sunset near a crystal mirror. As the white alicorn princess spoke, the teenage amber unicorn mare started to peek at the mirror. In the mirror, Sunset could see a vision of herself as an alicorn princess. Celestia noticed this and quickly led Sunset away from the mirror.

"Wait, what was that?" she asked, "I thought I saw..."

"It is best you forgot what you saw," Celestia said.

But Sunset wouldn't forget it. She talked endlessly to Celestia about the mirror. And each time, Celestia refused to let her learn more about it. When Flash was informed of this, he became even more worried. One afternoon, he decided to try and talk Sunset out of it.

"Sunset," he said, "I'm really worried about you. You have to stop obsessing over that mirror."

"Why?" she scoffed, "It's not like it's any ordinary mirror, right?"

"Obsession can only lead to trouble," said Flash, "you better take care or bad things can effect those around you."

"I can take care of myself," sniffed Sunset.

"Famous last words..."

Flash was right about his warning. Before long, Sunset's obsession with the mirror and becoming a princess resulted in her being dropped as Celestia's student, and for the next three weeks, Flash continued to lecture her on her mistakes. This made her more and more frustrated.

"I can take care of myself!" she shouted one day, "I don't need to be watched over by a fussy wings like you!"

Soon enough on that fateful day, Sunset was still grumbling about what had happened.

"I still can't believe Celestia had the nerve to drop me as her student!" she grumbled, "I deserve to be a princess! If not, then better than her!"

By this point, Flash's patience had finally run out.

"How could you act this way?" he snapped angrily, "When we met a few years ago, you were sweet and innocent, and now you've turned into… into… a spiteful mare!"

"It's Celestia's fault I didn't get my dreams quickly as I wanted," growled Sunset, "and she thinks I'm the one who's selfish!"

"She kicked you out for the right reasons, Sunset."

"Well then," she growled, "we're leaving Canterlot."

"No, Sunset, there's no 'we'!"

"What do you mean, there's no 'we'?!" Sunset asked angrily.

"I refuse to help you just to get even with Princess Celestia," said Flash firmly, "it's not the right thing to do!"

"I can't do this alone, you know!"

"Forget it! We're through!"

Sunset couldn't believe what she'd heard; Flash was actually breaking up with her? Her shock faded away to an angry scowl and turned on her heel.

"Have it your way, Sentry," she growled, "you're just like her – kind and foolish! One day, you will be sorry!"

The only one who'll be sorry is you, Flash thought as Sunset walked into the distance.

As soon as the flashback ended, Flash looked over and noticed Princess Cadance approaching the still-arguing couple. And without a word, she cast a spell on them, which made them stop arguing.

"Too bad Princess Cadance wasn't around to fix Sunset Shimmer," Flash said to himself.

At that moment, Cadance looked over and noticed Flash.

"Is something wrong, Flash?"

"I've been thinking about my past all afternoon," he replied, "you know, how my relationship with Sunset Shimmer ended quite sadly..."

"I'm rather sorry to hear that," said Cadance.

"I guess there's nothing you could have done," said Flash, "she chose her path..."

"And you chose yours," added Cadance, "the past is in the past, and no matter how much we want to, you can't change it."

Flash looked down at his hooves, then looked up with a small smile. "You're right," he said at last. With that, Flash continued with his duties while Cadance did some thinking.

Twilight seemed rather shy around Flash when she came back from that other world, she thought, they would make a rather cute couple...

Well, that does it for possibly the only FlashShimmer story you'll see in RF&L. Hopefully it gives them background that makes you sympathize with them, and that you all liked it, even if some of you may not be a fan of the pairing. There's five parts of the edited Risky Romance to go, so look out for them!

15. Risky Romance Part 5

Alright, now here's the edited chapter five to Risky Romance, and as of now, this is my favorite chapter of the story, because it's an idea I've had since watching "Three's a Crowd" when Flash Sentry made a cameo. And interestingly enough, this chapter takes place during said episode, and we're finally introduced to Shining Armor as well.

Part 5: Cadance Learns the Truth

About two months had gone by since the race between Comet Tail and Vincent ended in disaster, and things returned to normal in Ponyville at this point. Not long afterward, Ponyville had qualified for the Equestria Games at Rainbow Falls, and the actual event had taken place at the Crystal Empire, with Ponyville narrowly beating Cloudsdale by one medal.

During that time, Comet Tail had been doing what he could to get Twilight to go out with him, but every time, she rejected him, and he got more and more frustrated. One such case was when he was tripped over and fell flat on his face.

"Who the hay just tripped me over?" he grumbled as he stood up on his hooves once again.

Because of Pinkie's outburst about Twilight's crush on Flash Sentry being exposed, Spike and the Mane Six wanted to help their alicorn friend by getting them to fall in love, and most other ponyfolk supported them all the way, except for one other stallion...

"This is just a ludicrous idea," Vincent was saying, "it's completely pointless and it won't make things any better!"

He, Fictionary, Spike and the rest of the Mane Six were at Sugarcube Corner discussing the Twilight and Flash issue.

"Now, yer just complain' fer absolutely no reason at all, Vince," said Applejack, "after all, Ah spend lots o' time with Caramel and Big Macintosh is alright with it, since he and Fluttershy are going out. Why should it make a difference for Twilight and Flash?" The light yellow Pegasus blushed upon hearing Applejack's comment about her and Big Macintosh.

"There's obviously a difference between running a farm and ruling an empire whilst commanding royal guards," said Vincent.

"Why not try and set up a romantic atmosphere?" suggested Pinkie, "We can invite Flash and let him and Twilight have fun together!"

"No, no, no! Absolutely not!" snapped Vincent, shaking his head, "It is simply out of the question; besides, Flash could end up getting the sack if he was shirking his duties. I say we ought to leave them be and allow their feelings to blossom naturally, y'know."

"But what if something were to go wrong?" asked Fluttershy.

"Fluttershy's got a point," said Rainbow Dash, "Comet Tail would try and tear them apart. We're not letting it happen, are we?"

Spike, Fictionary and the other three mares agreed with Rainbow Dash.

"Well, don't count your chickens before they hatched just yet," said Vincent firmly, "Twilight would never approve if she knew you were forcing her and Flash to fall in love in the first place."

"Don't be ridiculous, big brother," said Fictionary, "they're only trying to help her and Flash."

"I'm not being ridiculous!" argued Vincent, "I'm being realistic… and safe!"

"Ah, come on, Vince," said Spike, "what's the worst that could happen?"

"Please don't say that!" groaned Vincent, "But either way, your silly idea isn't going to work."

"It's better than not trying at all, Vincent dear," insisted Rarity.

At Golden Oak Library, Twilight had been feeling bored and lay on the bed for about an hour. Soon, she was walking around anxiously in circles on the floor, deep in thought. Her pet owl, Owlowiscious, sat fast asleep on his perch.

"What can I do?" she thought anxiously, "I'm afraid to tell Shining Armor about my feelings towards Flash; goodness knows how he'll react since everypony in Ponyville's talking about it! Only Vincent understands what I'm going through, but Cadance…"

Then she stopped dead in her tracks, and an idea flew into her head.

"Perhaps I can spend a day with Cadance to soothe my nerves!" Twilight squealed in delight, "What does my calendar say?"

She looked at her calendar and saw that the Star Swirl the Bearded Traveling Museum was coming to Ponyville in about two weeks' time.

"Excellent," she told herself, "there's plenty of time to prepare for Cadance's visit… given that she agrees to it, of course." Twilight then set off to make plans.

A few days later, at the Crystal Empire, Shining Armor stood in front of the Crystal Empire royal guards, and that included Flash Sentry.

Shining Armor was a pure white unicorn stallion with sapphire blue hooves, a sapphire blue mane and tail with lighter and darker streaks, light cerulean eyes, and his cutie mark was a pink six-pointed star over a purple shield with three small light blue stars above.

"Right boys," he said, "I shall be giving you lot your usual inspections."

Come on, Flash, the light orange Pegasus thought to himself, pull yourself together! Keep Twilight out of your thoughts, and he won't notice. You're good at keeping a straight, poker face.

Inside, Flash hoped his boss wasn't a mind reader and knew what was happening. Celestia knows how Shining Armor would react!

"Hey you!"

Flash jumped in surprise, and then gulped. Ah, jeez, this is it!

"I don't mean to sound rude, but… yeech! What a pong!" remarked Shining Armor, plugging his nose in disgust. Flash looked and saw he was talking to the guard next to him.

"It's not my fault," the guard sulked, "those guys hid my armor near a nest of skunks, and I didn't have time to find tomato juice!"

The two guards in question were snickering and pointing at one another. They stopped snickering when Shining Armor gave them a glare.

"I shall talk to you two later," he said sternly, and then when he inspected Flash, he gave a nod and moved on to the next guard. Flash breathed a sigh of relief.

That was a close one, he thought gratefully as Shining Armor inspected the next few guards.

"Right, boys, your inspections are complete," the white unicorn stallion declared, "you are all dismissed, except for you two," he said sternly to the two guards who played their tricks on the guard with now-smelly armor. They gulped nervously.

"I'll need a word with you in my office," Shining Armor continued, and he headed off in the direction to his office, the two guards following behind him.

"Now where can I find tomato juice?" asked the guard with smelly armor.

In the throne room, Princess Cadance was reading a letter that she had just received from Twilight. Just then, Shining Armor came in after having a talk with the two cheeky guards. He had punished them into performing kitchen patrol duties for a month.

"What'd you get, Cadance?" he asked.

"It's from Twilight," his wife explained, "she's asking me to spend the day with her at the Star Swirl the Bearded Traveling Museum!"

"Oh, I'm glad my little sister wants to spend time with you," Shining Armor smiled, "it has been a while after all."

"Why don't you come as well?" Cadance suggested, "You and Twilight don't spend much time together these days."

"That's true," said Shining Armor, "but an empire doesn't rule itself, you know. Although it might be a little lonely, I admit, but even a Princess needs to broaden her horizons every now and then."

Cadance nodded in understanding, and then kissed her husband's cheek before setting off to write her reply to Twilight. "Dear Twilight..."

Several days later, it was the day the Star Swirl the Bearded Traveling Museum was to arrive in Ponyville. Cadance kissed Shining Armor goodbye, and boarded the train with Flash and another guard behind. The light orange Pegasus felt nervous about seeing Twilight again, even if it was for a moment or two. The best plan, he thought, would be to confine in Cadance about his problem. Hopefully, he thought, she would understand, being the princess of love after all.

After the train departed from Canterlot and steamed towards Ponyville, Flash made his move.

"Princess Cadance," said Flash, "pardon me, but could I have a private word with you?"

"Of course, Flash," Cadance smiled, "what was it you wanted to me?"

Flash thought over what he was going to say. "It's got something to do with your sister-in-law, Twilight Sparkle," he began.

"You don't have any issues with her, do you?" asked Cadance, slightly concerned, "I mean, with her bumping into you a few times before, and all?"

"No, no problems with her at all, Princess," explained Flash, "it's just… well… I have a crush on Twilight…" He paused to let his confession sink into Cadance's mind.

"Oh… you're in love with Twilight?" she asked curiously. Flash nodded silently.

"Oh, that's wonderful to hear!"

"Not for me," muttered Flash.

"Why ever not?"

Flash took a big breath and explained his worries to Princess Cadence regarding Shining Armor.

"…and if her were to catch wind of this, I'd be sacked quicker than you can say 'Princess Celestia'."

"Oh," said Cadance, "I understand now."

"Please don't mention it to him," begged Flash, "otherwise, if he fires me, I may never get a chance to see Twilight ever again."

Cadance thought the idea of Twilight having a coltfriend sounded wonderful and was willing to tell Shining Armor, but even she knew it sounded risky, and began to get a little worried.

"Don't worry, Flash," she said kindly, "I won't tell him." Their conversation was interrupted by the announcements.

"The morning service from the Crystal Empire to Ponyville shall be arriving shortly."

"That's our stop," said Cadance, "you better get ready."

Flash nodded in understanding and bowed, then walked out of her compartment.

The Crystal Empire locomotive's whistle sounded as it steamed into the station, coming to a stop at the platform, where Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash stood.

The horns sounded, then Flash and the other guard walked out of the coach, and the red carpet rolled out. Twilight felt her heart skip a beat the moment she saw Flash. Then walking out of the coach was Princess Cadance herself. Twilight's mouth opened wide the moment she saw her sister-in-law.

"Your Highness," said Cadance, bowing before Twilight. The light purple alicorn and her friends thought they should do the same.

"Your Highness," Twilight replied in kind, bowing. Rainbow, Pinkie, Rarity and Applejack followed suit by bowing before Cadance. There was a pause before anypony spoke up again.

"I'm teasing, Twilight," Cadance giggled, standing up again, "we're sisters-in-law. We don't have to be so formal."

She turned to the two guards and nodded. Flash gave a small smile before following the other guard into the coach. The red carpet was rolled up, and the train quickly departed.

"Hey Flashy," the other guard teased, "you had one chance to talk to your fillyfriend and you missed it completely!"

"Oh, be quiet," Flash muttered. I should've mentioned that to Princess Cadance as well… Darn it…

After a few minutes of silence, something colored dark blue sped past the train in the opposite direction.

"Did you see that?" asked Flash.

"See what?" replied the other guard.

"Something blue just flew right past our train," remarked Flash.

"Ah, don't worry about it," said the other guard, "I'm sure, whatever it is, it's not gonna mess up the Princesses' day out, right?"

"I guess," sighed Flash. Little did they know that Twilight and Cadance's day out hadn't gone according to the former's plan...

Meanwhile, later in the evening, Twilight and Cadance finally had some time to themselves after Discord, the former spirit of chaos, faked an illness to have somepony attend to him in Fluttershy's absence, the light yellow Pegasus being away to observe rare, magical creatures known as Breezies.

"Erm, Cadance?"

"Yes, Twilight? What is it?"

"There's something I should tell you," the light purple alicorn said nervously. She paused to gather her thoughts. "Do you remember when I came back from the other world a few months ago?"

"Yes, Twilight, I do. Was it when you bumped into the new guard, Flash Sentry?"

"Hit the nail on the head," said Twilight, "a few weeks afterward, he and I talked at the Crystal Empire, and since then… well…"

"Take your time," Cadance soothed.

"I… I think I'm falling in love with him!"

Cadance squealed in delight. "I just knew it!" she cried in excitement, "You two would make a really sweet couple."

"Please don't tell Shining Armor about this, though," Twilight begged, "I don't want my B.B.B.F.F. to get angry at Flash."

"Don't worry, Twilight," smiled Cadance, "I'm won't tell him. Sisters-in-law don't rat out each other." She had nearly told Twilight about what Flash said, and decided not to… just in case.

The following morning, Cadance departed for the Crystal Empire, and after biddng Twilight and her friends goodbye, she boarded her coach, followed by two Crystal Empire guards. (Flash wasn't one of them.)

Unknown to the two princess alicorns, a certain light yellow unicorn was also aboard the train.

"I'm not letting this Flash Sentry take her away from me," Comet Tail said angrily to himself, "I won't! No matter what it takes or what I do, Twilight Sparkle will be mine!"

You'd think after his foolish race with Vincent that Comet Tail would've given up, right? Nope! He's not gonna give up without a fight, but what intentions does he have at the Crystal Empire? Wait and find out!

16. Risky Romance Part 6

Here's the the new and improved sixth chapter; now to be completely honest - I feel the writing wasn't very strong in this chapter, but it is very important! Intrestingly, this features more of Comet Tail than Twilight, who's completely absent in the chapter apart from a few mentions. This continues from chapter five, not long after the events of "Three's a Crowd".

Part 6: A Sneaky, Dangerous Plan

After what felt like an eternity to Comet Tail, the train steamed to a halt at the Crystal Empire railway station. The guards were first to get out of the train, shortly followed by Cadance. Then Comet Tail got out of his coach and looked around in wonderment.

"This must be what the Crystal Empire looks like," he said to himself in amazement, "I'm impressed; much better than I thought it would be."

Unknown to him, the mysterious stallion was also on the train, but didn't make his presence known to Comet Tail.

"Whatever you're planning here," he said quietly, "you're not getting away with it."

Comet Tail quietly followed Cadance and the two guards to the castle of the Crystal Empire. The mysterious stallion was quietly on his tail, observing his every move and action.

Comet Tail was completely oblivious, getting to know his surroundings, cheerfully greeting any Crystal ponies who walked right by him.

"Your Highness," said one of the guards, "I feel somepony might be following us for reasons I do not know."

"You sure you're not imagining things?" asked the other guard.

"Positive."

Comet Tail noticed the three stop, and quickly went into hiding. By the time Princess Cadance had turned around to see if anypony had been following her and the guards, he was nowhere to be seen.

"Hmm," she said, "there's nopony following us."

"Sorry about that," said the first guard sheepishly, "must've been my imagination after all..."

"That's quite alright," smiled Cadance, "carry on you two."

Once they were on their way again, Comet Tail came out of his hiding spot, right behind a few Crystal bushes.

Phew, that was a close one, he thought, I must keep myself hidden as possible so they don't notice a thing...

Eventually, as Comet Tail wished, Cadance and the two guards finally arrived at the entrance of the castle. The guards opened the doors for Cadance, who walked gracefully in, and they shortly followed her afterwards, the doors closing behind them. Comet Tail looked around to ensure nopony was watching him, and after waiting a few more minutes, he slowly and quietly opened one of the doors.

"Right," he told himself quietly, "I'm one step closer to Twilight's heart."

"More like a step closer to trouble," muttered the mysterious stallion, who stayed outside.

"Now where can I find a unicorn guard?" Comet Tail said to himself. He was now in the hallways, looking around with curiosity. As if by coincidence, he spotted a Crystal Empire guard coming his way. To Comet Tail's expectations, he was a unicorn.

"Perfect."

Quickly, the light yellow unicorn stallion hid behind a pillar, waiting to pounce like a lion watching its prey in silence. Timing his move just right, Comet Tail zoomed in front of the guard, startling him.

"Who goes there?!" demanded the guard, and before he knew it… ZOOM!

"What was that?!" ZOOM!

"No, 'who was that' would be the correct question, my friend!"

The guard stood there in utter confusion as he kept seeing streaks of yellow zip past him. After a moment or two, he felt something tap his shoulder. Cautiously, the guard turned his head only to face Comet Tail, grinning widely.

"What are you doing there?!" the guard demanded crossly.

"Wanna know why they call me Comet Tail?"

"Huh? I don't know-" PUNCH!

"...sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen..."

Shining Armor looked worried and concerned; he was supposed to have twenty guards, not nineteen.

"Where's Vanguard?" he asked, "He hasn't returned yet."

The guards talked amongst themselves; they too were worried. "Let's hope nothing bad has happened to him," said Flash.

Suddenly, the doors burst open and Vanguard stepped in.

"Where have you been, Vanguard?" asked Shining Armor.

"Sorry I'm late, sir," replied Vanguard, "I was minding my own business, but I got distracted and bonked me head into a wall. I was out cold for a few moments, but I soon woke up."

"I see," said Shining Armor, "well, no matter; you're alright now Vanguard, so I'll let it slide. Carry on."

The Crystal Empire unicorn guard made his way past the other guards, and then noticed the light orange Pegasus.

"So this is the Flash Sentry they're talking about," he muttered to himself. Vanguard faked a cheerful look and turned to Flash.

"You must be Flash Sentry," he said, acting somewhat polite and excited, "I've heard a lot about you and it is such an honor to meet you," he added, shaking his hoof.

"Why, yes, that's my name," said Flash, a little awkwardly, "I never knew I had a bit of fame outside of the Crystal Empire, to be honest."

"Well, surprise, surprise," said Vanguard.

"So… what did you want to speak with me about?" asked Flash.

"Nothing much," replied Vanguard, "just the usual day's events and such, y'know… and your friends from outside the Empire."

Flash gulped nervously. "Erm… what friends?" he asked, "The only friends I have around here are the other guards."

"And what do you and your guard friends do together, eh?"

"N-not much; we just get together, share stories about ourselves, pull the occasional prank on each other…"

Vanguard could see that Flash was getting anxious. "Nervous, are we?"

"Who-who said anything about being nervous?!" Flash spluttered hastily, "I, ah, have… duties to perform! For Shining Armor… yeah."

"Do you anypony by the name of Twilight Sparkle?"

Flash's eyes widened, for he almost paled at the mention of the newest princess' name; Vanguard could tell.

"I-I-I m-met her once… m-many years ago," admitted a stuttering Flash, "b-but I hadn't seen her since until she became a princess."

"Is there anything you like about her?" Vanguard asked.

"Erm… her intelligence, her kindness, her bravery… and her beauty… I like her for who she is…" Flash was hoping Vanguard would stop bothering him, for he was beginning to feel uncomfortable.

"Good to hear," said the Crystal unicorn guard, "well, I best be off now."

And with that, he trotted away to find Shining Armor.

"Phew," said Flash, "that was a relief – he was starting to creep me out a little."

Then a nasty thought came to him. Wait a minute… I just told Vanguard that I'm in love with Twilight! Well, sort of. What can I do now?!

Meanwhile, Vanguard made his way down the hall, thinking over what he got from Flash. Then suddenly, an idea flew into his head.

"I'd better get it approved by Shining Armor though," he said craftily.

Vanguard walked down the halls hoping to find Shining Armor or his office. As if by luck he found the white stallion unicorn heading back to the castle.

"Pardon me, sir," he called, "if you don't mind, but could we have a private word?"

"I don't see why not, Vanguard," replied Shining Armor, "follow me to the office."

The Crystal guard smirked silently to himself as he followed Twilight's older brother. Wonderful…

"Now, what was it you wanted to tell me?" asked Shining Armor once they were inside. The office wasn't anything special; it was decorated with flags of the Crystal Empire, and flags with Shining Armor's cutie mark. He and Vanguard stood at opposite sides of a brown desk, the former sat on a leather chair whilst the latter was on a cushion.

"If you don't mind me making a special request, sir," said Vanguard, "given your permission, of course."

"Permission granted."

"Would it be fine with you if I were to request a week's leave to Ponyville, as long as it's fine with you, of course?"

Shining Armor seemed curious at the guard's request. "For what purpose would this visit be?" he asked.

"Ah, I just feel like going out into the country for some fresh air and excitement," admitted Vanguard, hoping Shining Armor would accept it as an excuse.

"Very well," he conceded, "you may have the week off in Ponyville."

"Thank you, sir," said Vanguard. Brilliant, he thought, it's all coming in place. As he left to go to the train station, neither he nor Shining Armor knew that Cadance had been eavesdropping.

Why is Vanguard so keen on going to Ponyville? she thought to herself, and walked off in worry, and then she spotted Flash.

"Oh, Flash," she said, "thank goodness I found you."

"What's the matter, your Highness?" he asked, concerned.

"I'd hate to inform you about this," Cadance replied, "but Vanguard is headed for Ponyville for the week."

"Ponyville?" asked Flash, and then a nasty thought came to him. "Oh no…"

"What?"

"I was forced to tell him about my love for Twilight, and I think he's headed to Ponyville to tell her! Oh, this is really bad! What can we do?!"

"I don't know for sure," said Cadance, "but you're right; this is bad. If word of this gets around, then Shining Armor will be furious!"

"Your Highness," said Flash, "I request permission to go after him. Something isn't right about him…"

"Permission granted."

Flash bowed to the princess, and then quickly departed after Vanguard.

"I hope you know what you're doing, Lieutenant," said Cadance quietly, "good luck..."

Meanwhile, Vanguard was hiding outside the train station. He didn't know that Flash had been following him the whole time in the air. Neither was aware about the mysterious stallion quietly spying on them.

Now what's he up to? Flash thought to himself, a look of suspicion on his face.

When he thought nopony was watching him, Vanguard took off his armor, and in a quick flash of green light, he turned into Comet Tail! Flash could not believe what he was seeing and gasped quietly.

An impostor! he thought, I must get a closer look, but not too close, just in case I accidentally get spotted…

"Excellent," Comet Tail told himself, "I'm even closer than I thought! Ah, Comet Tail, you're a real genius!"

Comet Tail? How dare he do such a deceitful thing! Flash thought angrily, Pretending to be a guard is a very serious crime!

Afraid of being spotted, Flash made sure he was out of Comet Tail's range, and then he bought a ticket to Ponyville. A few moments later, Comet Tail done the same thing, and then both stallions boarded separate coaches. The mysterious stallion also boarded the same coach Flash was aboard.

"Not long now," Comet Tail grinned to himself, "soon, Twilight Sparkle will see I'm the only stallion she'll want, not that pathetic Flash Sentry!"

In the other coach, Flash had a look of determination across his face.

"I'm not letting Comet Tail ruin my chance for happiness and love," he said to himself, "he's a traitorous liar and is not getting away with this!"

"But if he tries to stop me…" Comet Tail was saying.

"…I don't care what it takes…" Flash was saying.

"…to win Twilight's heart!"

"Like the old saying goes…"

At this point, both Comet Tail and Flash Sentry were not willing to let one another steal Twilight's heart from them.

"THIS MEANS WAR!" they both shouted.

"I believe in you, sir," said a voice in Flash's coach, "Twilight is certainly the mare for you."

Flash looked around, puzzled. "Who the hay said that?"

"Over there!"

Flash turned and noticed the mysterious stallion was reading a newspaper in his hooves, covering his face.

"Who are you, and how do you know about Twilight?" asked Flash suspiciously.

"Let's just say I'm an old friend of hers," said the mysterious stallion, "just trust me on this."

"Say no more," conceded Flash, "I'll take your word for it." But he still had suspicion deep inside...

Meanwhile, back in Ponyville, Spike, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie were getting ready for their plan while Fluttershy took care of a sickly Discord.

"Don't tell me you five are still trying to force them to fall in love," Vincent groaned, "this seriously isn't gonna work."

Rainbow Dash was quick to object with him. "Ah, lighten up and stop bein' so negative," she said.

"I agree with Rainbow Dash here," put in Rarity, "at least be more positively on these types of situations, Vincent darling. If it works in the end, think of how happy Twilight and Flash will be!"

"Shining Armor wouldn't be happy," muttered Vincent.

"But if he sees how happy Twilight is, he'll have to be okay with it!" squeaked Pinkie.

"If he ever understands…"

Some hours later at the train station, the train from the Crystal Empire had pulled in.

"Ah, back in good ol' Ponyville," Comet Tail smiled as he stepped out of his coach, "now where's my fillyfriend-to-be?"

Not long after, Flash Sentry walked out of his coach. "Somewhere where you won't get your dirty hooves on her," he muttered.

Comet Tail hadn't seen or heard him, and the light yellow unicorn trotted off, shortly followed by Flash, who made sure he wasn't spotted. The mysterious stallion stepped out of his coach and watched Flash fly away.

"Good luck, my friend," he said, "make sure he doesn't harm Twilight!"

Well now, things are really heating up! Will it all end in tears? Who will Twilight choose, how will Shining Armor react, if he finds out, and what is the identity to the mysterious stallion? The next couple of chapters will be the judge of that.

17. Risky Romance Part 7

Here's the new and improved chapter seven; now this one invokes many feelings as you read along. It will also determine who Twilight will choose; Flash Sentry or Comet Tail? Read the chapter to find out!

Part 7: Operation – Romance

Back at Sugarcube Corner, Spike and the four mares were getting their plan ready. Vincent stood in the background, still believing – you guessed it – that their plan was pointless.

"It's too bad Fluttershy's taking care of Discord," said Pinkie Pie, "she'll be missing out on a whole lot of fun!"

"Well, it did serve 'im right for fakin' that blu flu of his," said Applejack, "not to mention for sneezin' on me and Rarity and getting' us 'sick'."

"Still, at least Twilight and Cadance had fun together a couple of days ago," Rarity pointed out.

Then Spike looked out the door and noticed a familiar light yellow unicorn trotting past.

"Uh oh…"

"What's the matter, Spike?" asked Applejack.

"It's Comet Tail!"

"Comet Tail?" exclaimed Rainbow Dash, "What in Equestria is he up to?"

"I'm not sure," said Spike, and then he, Vincent and the four mares noticed a light orange Pegasus with a blue mane not far behind Comet Tail.

"Who was that mysterious pony?" asked Pinkie.

"I don't think we've seen him before," added Rarity.

"I've never seen him before," said Vincent.

Spike had just enough time to get a glance at the Pegasus' cutie mark.

"That's Flash Sentry!" he exclaimed.

"Well, what in tarnation is he doin' withou' his armor?" asked Applejack.

"I don't know," said Rainbow Dash, "but I suspect this may have something to do with Twilight and Comet Tail."

"If Comet Tail's around, then this means trouble," said Vincent.

"Before I go and take her hoof, I need to get Twilight some sweets," Comet Tail was saying to himself. So he went to the next sweet shop in Ponyville.

"Good day," he said to the clerk, "I'm here to purchase chocolate daisies for Twilight Sparkle."

"Oh, her favorites," said the clerk, "right away, sir."

Soon, Comet Tail was given a small box of chocolate daisies, paid for his purchase, and he headed off.

"Ah, yes, the quickest way to a mare's heart is a hidden secret," he told himself, "but chocolate will make it a whole lot easier."

Comet Tail then trotted on towards Golden Oak Library.

"And now," he grinned to himself, "to claim my future bride."

Future bride? What's he talking about? Flash thought to himself. He hid in the shadows, waiting to see what would happen next. Unknown to him, the same mysterious stallion had been following after him the whole time.

Comet Tail, after looking to see if nopony was watching, knocked on the door. Within seconds, Twilight answered it, surprised to see Comet Tail.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"A good day to you, fair Princess Twilight Sparkle," Comet Tail said as smoothly as he could, "I have brought you some confections I hope you find to your taste."

"I appreciate your offer for the chocolates, Comet Tail," said Twilight, trying not to sound rude, "now would you please go already? I'm kind of busy."

"Oh, but surely somepony as smart and beautiful as yourself can offer but a few minutes for a chat?" Comet Tail insisted.

Twilight rolled her eyes and thought for a moment, unaware she had a part in the light yellow unicorn's sneaky plan.

Don't let him in, Twilight, the mysterious stallion thought, he's a lying impostor!

"Very well, but not too long," she said at last, "come on in…"

"Excellent," Comet Tail grinned, and he followed Twilight inside. Flash looked upset as he observed the scene; he almost wanted to cry, but he knew guards do not cry in public. Then a bad feeling came to him.

Twilight doesn't love me, he thought sadly, she's better off with that jerk than me! And Flash ran off, tears in his eyes.

"The poor fella," the mysterious stallion sad sadly, "and poor Twilight... if only you knew how much he cares for you like you cared for me in our youth..."

Inside Golden Oak Library, Comet Tail felt proud inside. One step closer, he thought with triumph, play my cards right, and she'll forget Flash Sentry.

"So," said Twilight as Comet Tail made himself comfortable, "what was it you wanted to talk about?"

"Why, you, of course," said Comet Tail.

"Why me?" asked Twilight, "Doesn't everypony know what there is to know?"

"Not exactly," said Comet Tail, "and while I'm at it, maybe you can learn some things about me as well?"

Meanwhile, Spike, Vincent, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie, Rarity and Applejack were making their way to Golden Oak Library.

"I still think this is a crazy idea," Vincent was saying.

"Look, we've heard it about a thousand times, and we tell you to stop being so negative!" snapped Rainbow Dash.

"Actually, it was twenty three times, last time Ah counted," said Applejack.

"Never mind that, but we gotta get Twilight to fall in love with Flash!" Rainbow Dash retorted.

Then suddenly, the sextet saw Flash running in their direction, an upset look on his face.

"Hey, what's the rush?" asked Pinkie.

"She's better off with that Comet Tail!" Flash said brokenheartedly, "She's invited Comet Tail inside to talk and it now looks like she's falling for him over me!" And then he kept on running.

"What?!" Spike and the four mares said in shock.

"I knew it would end in tears," said Vincent.

"Oh, shut it, Vincent," snapped Rainbow Dash, "c'mon everypony; let's get to the library!"

At the Crystal Empire, Shining Armor was concerned that one of his guards was missing.

"Flash Sentry appears to have vanished," he declared, "he must have a good reason for leaving his post."

Cadance winced silently, hoping her husband wouldn't suspect her for having involvement. Suddenly, the doors flew open, and in stumbled a Crystal Pony unicorn with the same grayish indigo fur as the royal guards.

"Vanguard?" asked Shining Armor, puzzled, "Back so soon from Ponyville, are we?"

"Me, in Ponyville?" the real Vanguard asked, confused, "sir, whatever do you mean?"

"Didn't you request that I let you spend a week in Ponyville?" asked Shining Armor, just as confused.

"I made no such request!" Vanguard replied indignantly.

"But if it wasn't you… then who did I talk to?"

"Let me explain – so here I was, minding my own my business, then from out of nowhere, a yellow unicorn zips in front of me, asked me why they call him Comet Tail, and next thing I knew, I was stuck in a closet without my armor!"

"He's come out of the closet, hasn't he?" a few guards snickered, before getting a glare from Shining Armor and Cadance.

"So this Comet Tail ambushed you and pretended to me you just to get to Ponyville?" asked Cadance.

"Yes, he did."

"Then Flash was right to go after the impostor," said Cadance.

"And that's why he left his post?" Shining Armor asked in surprise.

"I gave him permission," explained Cadance as calmly as she could, "he knew something wasn't right about Vanguard – or, the impostor Vanguard, I suppose – and so did I."

"An impostor! How could I have been such a fool?" Shining Armor groaned.

"It wasn't your fault, dear," his wife comforted, "but we must find Comet Tail and Flash. Goodness knows where they could be!"

"Shall I alert the rest of the guards?" asked Vanguard.

"On the double," commanded Shining Armor, "we must search all of Equestria, and leave no stone unturned!"

Oh, I hope nothing bad happens to Twilight, Cadance thought with worry.

"…and that's how I got my cutie mark," said Comet Tail.

Before Twilight could speak up, Spike, Vincent, and the four mares burst through the door, almost ripping it off its hinges.

"What the hay is this all about?!" Comet Tail demanded angrily, "Can't you see we're talking?!"

Vincent scowled and pointed an accusing hoof at him. "I thought we told you to stay away from Twilight!" he shouted furiously.

"What is going on here?" asked Twilight.

"Flash saw you and Comet Tail, and he believes that you don't like him!" squeaked Pinkie.

"What?!" Twilight was aghast. "Oh no…"

"Who cares?" scoffed Comet Tail, "Nopony needs a guard like him. You need me, don't you, my little Princess?"

No sooner had he said that, Twilight slapped him hard in the face!

"YOU KNEW, DIDN'T YOU?!" she screamed, tears in her eyes, "You knew I was in love with Flash and tried to force me to pick you over him, didn't you?!"

"But Princess…"

"BUT NOTHING!" yelled Twilight, "You're the biggest jerk I've ever met, and so take your so-called feelings back and STAY OUT OF MY LIFE!"

The light purple alicorn ran out of the library, angry and crying. The remaining group glared furiously at Comet Tail.

"Ya nasty varmint!" snapped Applejack, "Don't ya see what ya've gone and dun?!"

"You're an even bigger meanie pants than I thought!" said Pinkie Pie.

Then they all headed off after Twilight, but not Comet Tail. He stood up, rubbing his face where Twilight punched him, scowling in fury.

"Have it your way, Twilight," he snarled crossly, "if I can't have you… then nopony will!"

Vincent heard Comet Tail's dark comment, and he felt a shiver run down his spine. Without thinking, he let Spike and the four mares get ahead of him, and then flew away in another direction.

"I know Twilight'll probably get mad at me, but so what?" he said, "I must get help, no matter what!"

The mysterious stallion had seen and heard everything. "I hope that new friend of yours knows what he's doing, Twilight," he said as Vincent flew away, "you're lucky to have a friend like him, Spike and the other five mares." And he ran off after Comet Tail.

The Everfree Forest is a mysterious place outside of Ponyville where many strange creatures live, such as timberwolves, parasprites, Ursas, and a cockatrice. Twilight and her friends once went through the forest to find the then-missing Elements of Harmony.

Flash had ended up in the Everfree Forest, tears still pouring from his eyes, and he had no idea where he was.

"What a fool I've been," he said sadly, "how could I think Twilight would ever fall in love me?"

Flash buried his face and began to cry; he didn't really care if somepony was watching him, for he wanted to be alone.

"But you're not foolish, Flash."

The light orange Pegasus looked up and noticed Twilight approaching him.

"Twilight? What are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here?" asked Twilight.

"I thought you'd be with Comet Tail," Flash sulked.

Twilight was indignant. "I never had interest in him," she replied, "I thought he was nice when we first met at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, but now he has become an arrogant, dishonest jerk. I don't care for Comet Tail. I care for you…"

"Do… do you really mean it?" Flash asked hopefully.

"I do," Twilight smiled, tears forming in her eyes. "I… I love you…!"

She couldn't contain herself any longer; Twilight leaned on Flash, crying softly.

"It's okay," Flash smiled as he gently stroked her mane, "at least now we know the truth."

"Hooray!" shouted Pinkie as she jumped ten feet into the air, "I knew you two would fall in love!"

"Ah guess Vincent was right," said Applejack, "we didn't need to make them fall in love; they can fall in love themselves!"

"But you didn't listen to him," objected Rainbow Dash.

"Hey, neither did you," retorted Applejack.

"Oh, what can possibly ruin this beautiful moment?" asked Rarity.

"Keep your dirty hooves off of her, Flash Sentry!"

Everypony turned only to face...

"Comet Tail!" exclaimed Spike.

"What are you doing here?" Twilight snapped angrily, "Can't you see Flash and I are busy?"

"You really thought I would sit idly by while that pathetic excuse of a guard took my chance of happiness?" Comet Tail asked.

"Your chance of happiness?" retorted Flash angrily, "You forced the truth out of me, didn't you?!"

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't," Comet Tail sniffed, "but either way, there's only room for one stallion perfect for Twilight's heart – and that stallion… WILL BE ME!"

Comet Tail's yell echoed throughout the Everfree Forest.

"No it won't!" said a voice.

Everypony looked to see where the voice came from, and to their surprise, it was…

"Shining Armor?!" exclaimed Twilight. Flash gulped nervously, and hoped Shining Armor wouldn't spot him. Luckily, Shining didn't take any notice of him.

"Comet Tail," said Shining Armor sternly, "I am placing you under arrest for impersonating an officer of the Royal Guard." Standing next to him was the true Vanguard, an angry look on his face.

"I've got a score to settle with you," he scowled at Comet Tail.

"Hold up a minute, everypony!" a male voice called out. Everyone turned to face the mysterious stallion.

"He is not who he says he is."

"He isn't?" asked Pinkie.

"You are correct, Pinkie," said the mysterious stallion, "that pony you see before you is a fraud!"

"Wait a minute," said Twilight, and then she gasped when the mysterious stallion lifted up his head, revealing his face. "Can you possibly be...?"

"Exactly, Twilight." The stallion took off his hat, revealing his grayish blue eyes and mane, and light yellow fur, and that he was a unicorn!

"I am the real Comet Tail!"

Wow! You never saw that coming, did ya? Interesting plot twist cliche! :P

So Twilight and Flash have begun to fall in love, but how will Shining Armor take the news? And who was impersonating Comet Tail all this time? Only one more chapter to go!

18. Risky Romance Part 8

Here we go with the new and improved chapter eight! Like the last two chapters before it, this continues after "Three's a Crowd". When the Changeling's dialogue it italicized, it's his regular speech. When his dialogue is normal, he is disguised as Comet Tail, if it makes sense.

Part 8: Now or Never

"Wait a minute," said Pinkie, "if you're Comet Tail, then who's this?"

"That Comet Tail is an impostor," said the real Comet Tail, "a Changeling disguised as me!"

The fake Comet Tail gave a sinister chuckle. "You don't actually believe this fool, do you?" he smirked.

"So you're the one who impersonated Vanguard and tried to get information out of me!" remarked Flash.

"Indeed I am," said the impostor smugly. Suddenly, his eyes glowed green, and a circle of green magic surrounded the impostor as he began to change form. His mane turned a dark arctic bluish gray, his coat a sea greenish black, and his eyes a moderate arctic blue. He also had fangs, holes in his legs, and a pair of tattered insectoid wings. He gave an evil laugh; everypony except the real Comet Tail was in shock.

"Surprise!" the Changeling cackled.

"But how?!" gasped Twilight, "You, other Changelings and Queen Chrysalis were blasted away by Cadance's love!"

"I was one of the lucky ones to escape before the blast," said the Changeling, "and now that I'm here, Queen Chrysalis would love to have a word with you, Princess Twilight!"

Flash stepped in front of Twilight. "If you want to harm her, you'll have to get through me," he said firmly.

"Hey, look over there!" the Changeling pointed. While everyone was distracted, a flash of light went off, temporarily blinding everypony. Once the light had faded away, two ponies were missing...

"Where'd that varmint Changeling go?" asked Applejack.

"But more importantly, where's Twilight?" cried Rainbow Dash.

"Darn it!" cried Vanguard, "He got away with the princess!"

"Calm down, Vanguard," said Shining Armor, "but we must catch him and save Twilight! If that Changeling harms so much as one hair, he'll be sorry he ever messed with the wrong stallion!"

"He won't get away with it," said Spike crossly.

"I think I've an idea!" said Comet Tail.

Meanwhile, the Changeling was getting away and had Twilight bound in strong magic ropes. He had also used a disabling spell to prevent Twilight from using her magic.

"Let me go!" Twilight shouted as she struggled to get free.

"And let you fly away with your lover-colt?" the Changeling sneered, "not a chance! I tried to reason with you, Princess, but you instead kept forcing me to take extreme measures!"

"I'm not interested in an impostor like you!" snapped Twilight, "Not now, not ever!"

"Big mistake, Princess," said the Changeling, "if I could not have you, why should anypony?"

"I would not hurt her if I was you!"

Suddenly, as if from nowhere, a streak of yellow whizzed in front of the Changeling!

"Who's there?" the Changeling demanded. Suddenly, he found himself being circled by the same yellow streak. Twilight and the Changeling were surprised at this. When the streak faded, there glaring at the Changeling was Comet Tail.

"Put her down and nopony gets hurt," he said firmly, horn glowing blue.

"Make me," sneered the Changeling.

While Comet Tail was distracting the Changeling, Flash quietly crept up and took Twilight.

"It's okay," he whispered, "you're safe now." And he flew away with her before the Changeling could notice.

"You!" the Changeling snapped at Comet Tail, "You distracted me!"

"And for the right reasons too," Comet Tail smirked.

The Changeling angrily chased after Flash and Twilight, transforming himself into Comet Tail. The Changeling was about to fire a blast at the two, but was stopped by the real Comet Tail.

"Don't even think about it!" he snapped, "I know what you're trying to do- Aaahh!"

The Changeling angrily shoved Comet Tail out of the way and chased after them.

"Come back here!" he shouted.

"Not on your life," Comet Tail groaned, ruefully rubbing where he'd been hit by the Changeling and chased after him, followed by everypony else who'd witnessed Changeling's transformation.

At Fluttershy's cottage, the pale yellow Pegasus was still looking after the sickly Discord.

"I hope you're beginning to feel better, Discord," Fluttershy said sympathetically.

The former spirit of chaos sniffled. "Oh, yes, Fluttershy," he said.

Suddenly, the Changeling burst through the door - literally - almost blowing it to splinters, and then he ran through the window, shattering it to pieces.

"You can fly, but you can't hide, Sentry!" he shouted.

"What was that?!" cried Fluttershy.

Suddenly, the real Comet Tail charged through, much to Fluttershy and Discord's confusion.

"Excuse me!" he said, "Can't stop! Twilight and Flash are in trouble!"

"Trouble?!" gasped Fluttershy.

"No time to explain, Fluttershy," said Spike, "but that other Comet Tail you saw was actually a Changeling!"

"A Changeling?!" squeaked Fluttershy.

"Yes, you heard Spike correctly," said Comet Tail, "no time to lose! We must stop him from harming Twilight and Flash!" And they gave chase once more.

"But I thought they'd all been blown away..." Then Fluttershy had a look of anger on her face that was rarely shown. "How dare that Changeling try to hurt my friends!" After explaining everything to Discord, she joined the others in the pursuit.

"Don't worry about me!" Discord called, "I'll be- be- ATISHOO! …alright," he finished weakly.

Meanwhile, Flash and Twilight raced through the streets of Ponyville with the Changeling hot on their tail. Lots of ponyfolk were shocked to see their resident princess being carried by somepony they didn't know, even more when they saw somepony they knew firing at them... or so they thought.

At that moment, the real Comet Tail raced past, much to their confusion.

"Why are there two Comet Tails?" asked a mare named Carrot Top.

"Sorry I can't stop!" the real Comet Tail, "I've an impostor to stop!"

"Keep still, will ya?!" the Changeling shouted.

"You're never setting hoof on her as long as I'm around!" Flash shouted back.

"What's going on here?" asked Thunderlane.

"I'll explain everything!" gasped Comet Tail, "But we got to keep that impostor away from Twilight!"

"We got to keep that impostor away from Twilight!" the Changeling repeated.

Caramel, Time Turner and Thunderlane were surprised by this.

"So that would explain Comet Tail's behavior," said Caramel.

"I think I recall something similar to this last year," remarked Time Turner.

"What do you mean?" asked Thunderlane.

Before Time Turner could explain, Rainbow Dash called out to the three stallions.

"Cut the chit-chat you three!" she called, "We must stop that Changeling from hurting Twilight or possibly worse!"

"RD's right!" added Applejack, "C'mon, boys!"

So the three stallions joined the rescue chase.

Up the lane, Ficitonary and the Cutie Mark Crusaders were playing with a beachball. Suddenly, Fictionary saw the chase heading straight towards them!

"Look out!" she cried. Quickly, the four fillies dropped their ball and scampered away just in time!

Not too far ahead was Big Macintosh with a cartload of apples.

"Watch out, Big Macintosh!" Twilight shouted, and the big red stallion saw them heading straight towards him!

"Ah! Not again!" he cried, and quickly got out of the way… just in time! Everypony (dragon, in Spike's case) sped past behind his cart, not an apple was spilled.

"Phew," remarked Big Macintosh, "that was a close one. But why are there two Comet Tails?"

"That's what we're thinkin'!" said Apple Bloom.

"Whatever it is," said Scootaloo, "it can't be good."

"Maybe we should follow them," suggested Sweetie Belle.

The chase continued on all the way to the Ghastly Gorge, where Rainbow Dash once held a contest to see who would be her pet. Throughout all the enduring chaos, Twilight had managed to slip out of her ropes and the disabling spell the Changeling had put on her had started to wear off.

As they were nearing the edge, Flash began to fly himself and Twilight towards the other side. The Changeling looked back towards Comet Tail and shot a spell from his horn, causing Comet Tail's hooves to get stuck in green goop.

"No!" he cried.

"It's over, Sentry!" the Changeling snarled, "Twilight is MINE!"

"Twilight, be careful!" shouted Comet Tail.

Flash could see the Changeling about to fire at both of them. Fearing for their lives, he knew what to do.

"Twilight," he said, "I'm going to toss you into the air. That way, you won't get hurt."

"Are you sure about this? I mean, what if-"

"Don't worry about me!" insisted Flash. "I'll be fine."

Twilight smiled meekly, and then everything seemed to happen at once…

Just as the Changeling shot a bolt of green magic at them, Flash tossed the light purple alicorn into the air and the bolt hit him on the wing.

"Aaagh!" he cried in pain, and the injury to his wing caused Flash to fall from the sky. At that moment, the pursuers arrive, shocked to see Flash falling from the sky.

"He's falling!" cried Fluttershy.

"Flash! No!" cried Twilight, and flew after the falling royal guard. By this point, she had gained control of her wings.

There was a big splash, and Flash had fallen into the river! The river flowed very fast; Twilight's heart was racing as she flew to save Flash from possibly certain doom. Unfortunately, they were getting closer to a waterfall!

"What is she doin'?!" gasped Apple Bloom, "She might get hurt or worse...!"

"She's following her heart, if you ask me," said Comet Tail, still struggling to get free.

"Oh, I can't bear to watch!" squeaked Sweetie Belle, covering her eyes.

"Twilight!" cried Flash, gasping for breath, "Help me!"

"I'm coming!" the light purple alicorn shouted, and just as Flash was about to fall over the waterfall, Twilight grasped on tightly to his forehooves!

"I got you!"

With all her strength, Twilight carried Flash gently to safety.

"Thanks, Princess," smiled Flash.

"Eh, any time, Lieutenant," said Twilight.

Everypony and Spike cheered loudly, but the Changeling snarled in anger.

"Twily! Thank goodness you're safe!"

Shining Armor was so overwhelmed with joy that his sister was safe he hugged Twilight tightly, crying. He couldn't bear the thought of losing his sister, nor had he been so terrified in his life.

"It's okay now," Twilight smiled with tears running down her face.

"Not for long!" snapped the Changeling. He then charged towards Twilight, trying to attack her again when...

"Get away from my sister-in-law!"

WHAM!

The Changeling was knocked to the ground by none other than...

"Cadance!" cried Twilight in happiness. As she embraced her sister-in-law with a hug, Princess Celestia arrived with a tall dark yellow unicorn stallion only Comet Tail recognized.

"Shooting Star, brother," he exclaimed, "this is a surprise!"

"Comet Tail, you are under arrest for the kidnapping of Princess Twilight Sparkle, and for impersonating a member of the Royal Guard," said Shooting Star.

"Wait!" cried Twilight, breaking off from the hug, "He didn't do it. It was that Changeling!" And she pointed to the Changeling who was trying to sneak off. Twilight blasted a spell from her horn at the Changeling, revealing his true form.

"Curses!" said the Changeling, "Foiled by a princess!"

"Has anypony noticed a 'change' in me?" asked Comet Tail, "Now, please be honest with me; would I ever go far to try and take somepony as my own, and would I really want to hurt a fly, let alone anypony?"

Everypony thought.

"He's my brother," said Shooting Star, "sure, we may have not spent as much time with him as we should have when we were young, but I still care for him."

Comet Tail's eyes widened. "R-really?" he said softly.

"Yes," said Shooting Star, "I know you'd never act this cruel, and I'm sorry we've been neglecting you, Comet Tail."

Comet Tail gave a small smile at his older brother. The Changeling was soon apprehended and taken away to await his punishment.

"Serves that Changeling right if you ask me," Comet Tail smirked as the Changeling was taken away by Vanguard and another royal guard.

"But Princess Celestia," said Spike, "how did you know about this?"

"I told her."

Suddenly, Vincent van Colt appeared from behind Celestia.

"You're the one who told Princess Celestia what was going on?" asked Rarity.

"Yes I am," replied Vincent.

"You were at Twilight's coronation and made the painting of her, right?" asked Cadance.

"Yes, I have," the yellow Pegasus stallion replied modestly. Then he noticed Flash.

"You must be that Flash Sentry bloke I heard about," said Vincent.

"Indeed I am," said Flash.

"Say, what happened to your wing?" asked Vincent.

"A Changeling impersonated me and fired a blast at his wing," said Comet Tail.

"A Changeling?" Vincent looked closely at Comet Tail. "So you must be the real Comet Tail..."

"Yes I am," said Comet Tail.

"If that's the case, then what had actually happened to you?" asked Vincent.

"Some time after Twilight's coronation," Comet Tail began, "I was lured away by a mysterious pony. But it turned out to be a Changeling; he captured me and turned into me. After he left, I freed myself and tracked him down, and the rest I'm sure you can pretty much guess."

"So all this time," finished Twilight, "a Changeling was disguised as you, and none of us, even me, knew about this?"

"Pretty much."

"What in Equestria is a Changeling?" asked Fictionary.

"They are creatures that have the ability to take the form of anypony it chooses," explained Celestia, "you see, during the Royal Wedding at Canterlot, Queen of the Changelings, Chrysalis, disguised herself as Cadance so she could feed off Shining Armor's love and weaken him so the Changelings could invade."

"I was the only one to suspect something was off about 'Cadance', quote-unquote," said Twilight, continuing from where her former mentor left off, "but, due to everypony's excitement over the wedding, nopony listened to me, even if I had all my facts together. Then she trapped me in some cave where I found the real Cadance. Together we escaped and confronted the impostor."

"I was among the guests at the wedding when Chrysalis revealed herself," Comet Tail added.

"How do you remember that?" asked Shining Armor.

"Well, I rarely forget a face," said Comet Tail with a shrug, "must be a knack, I suppose."

"But anyway, thanks to Twilight," said Cadance, "Shining Armor and I were able to combine our magic and blast the Changelings away."

"They were made for one another," finished Twilight, "just like me and Flash-" She quickly clammed her mouth shut, realizing what she had blurted out.

"What was that?" asked Shining Armor.

"Should we tell him and Princess Celestia?" Cadance whispered to Twilight.

"I think now's the appropriate time," Twilight agreed. She turned to Shining Armor and Celestia, and then said bravely as she could, "Flash Sentry and I are in love."

Apologies that it isn't the final chapter, I kinda lied. :P The next chapter, I promise, will determine if Twilight and Flash will finally fall in love, or if it ends in heartbreak. On the plus side, at least the Changeling's going to prison.

19. Risky Romance Part 9

Here we go with the last chapter of the new and improved Risky Romance!

Part 9: Love is in Bloom

Shining Armor looked at his sister in confusion. "You and Lieutenant Flash Sentry are in love?" he asked after what felt like an eternity.

"Yes, we are," Twilight said, worrying how he would take the news.

"Did you know about this?" Shining Armor asked Cadance.

"Yes, I did," his wife admitted sadly.

"Why didn't either of you tell me?" asked Shining Armor.

"Well, we were afraid you'd be angry," replied Twilight.

"Why would I be angry?" asked Shining Armor.

"Because Twilight's your sister and you're my boss," said Flash, "plus it would be like dating your boss' daughter."

He turned to Princess Celestia and Shooting Star, wanting to know their opinion on the matter at hoof.

"When Shining Armor married my niece Cadance," said Celestia, "at a time, I was considered his superior, but I was alright with it."

"That sort of thing is perfectly natural," added Shooting Star, "it's not the first time a royal guard's dated a Princess, but it definitely won't be the last."

"How could I have forgotten about Shining and Cadance's case?" remarked Twilight, feeling embarrassed.

"That's okay, Twilight," said Cadance reassuringly, "sometimes we forget the little things."

"And yes, I do care very much for my little sister," said Shining Armor, "and I'd get upset if anything bad were to happen to her, not to mention that Changeling nearly done so. And to be fair, you did leave your post without my acknowledgement…"

"Yeah, sorry about that," Flash said sheepishly.

"But you helped in saving my sister from getting hurt, and you stood up for Twilight as well, so I'm letting it slide."

"Oh, thank you, sir."

"First things first," said Shining Armor, "I suggest you take some time off till your wing's better."

Flash looked at his right wing; the damage the Changeling had done to it looked pretty bad. He knew better than to argue against his superior's orders.

"What mares want from a stallion," Princess Celestia said wisely, "is their honesty, bravery, kindness, and their will to put the needs of others ahead of their own. That Changeling relied on his selfish ways to get what he wanted."

"Not to mention he tried to make me look bad," added Comet Tail.

"Why don't you stay in Ponyville while you heal, Flash?" suggested Twilight.

"That's a nice idea," said Flash, "and it would give me the chance to get to know your friends."

"I love that idea!" Pinkie squeaked excitedly, "I should tell you about when Twilight and I first met, or maybe our fun time at the Grand Galloping Gala! Ooh! How about when Rainbow Dash pulled off that sonic rainboom?!"

"Easy there, sugarcube," said Applejack, "there's gonna be plenty of time to do that later."

"For now, let's just go home," said Rainbow Dash, and soon everypony headed towards Ponyville.

As they made their way back to Ponyville, Comet Tail trotted closer to Twilight and Flash.

"Sorry about what went on," he said.

"It wasn't your fault," said Twilight, "it was that Changeling."

"Yeah, he deceived us all," added Flash.

"Indeed," agreed Comet Tail, "and to be honest, I once had a foalhood crush on Twilight."

"Is that true?" Twilight seemed rather surprised.

"Yes," said Comet Tail, not looking at Flash for fear of how he'd react, "but I eventually grew out of it. I can see that Flash is the perfect stallion for you."

"Well, thank you, Comet Tail," said Flash.

"Besides, I don't think I'd stand much chance against a royal guard." The trio chuckled.

Let's hope he doesn't go crazy like Sunset Shimmer did, Flash thought to himself.

"I hope you'll take it easy on both of them," Cadance told Shining Armor, "after all, you are their superior."

"Oh, we'll see about that," Shining Armor smirked, "just because he's with my sister doesn't mean I'll be less hard on him."

When they got back to Ponyville, Pinkie Pie had already set up a huge party.

"Three cheers for the new couple!" the pink Earth pony cheered.

"Did you really throw us a party?" asked Twilight.

"Do I giggle in the face of danger?" asked Pinkie. Twilight said nothing.

Before long, everypony was partying. During the party, Comet Tail accidentally bumped into Berry Punch.

"Hey! Watch it, dude!" she snapped.

"Oh! Sorry," Comet Tail replied sheepishly. Then Berry Punch turned to face him, coming closer to him as he backed nervously up. "Uh, why are you walking towards me?"

"Anypony ever tell you you have a cute face?" Berry Punch's expression left little doubt that she'd had a bit too much cider.

"Uh, B-Berry Punch?" Comet Tail asked in a bit of surprise, "W-what are you doing?"

Suddenly, Berry Punch pounced on Comet Tail and began kissing him.

"Uh, guys?! Help?!"

"Ah, come on, Comet Tail," chuckled Caramel, "just be glad you've got a mare that wants you."

Comet Tail just rolled his eyes. Celestia help me... he thought with dismay.

While Comet Tail was being kissed by Berry Punch, Shining Armor arrived at the party with Cadance.

"I hope they're doing alright," Shining Armor said to himself.

"Oh relax," said Cadance, "look, they're having a great time."

"Hi, B.B.B.F.F.," Twilight smiled.

"B.B.B.F.F.?" Flash asked, confused.

"Big Brother Best Friend Forever," Twilight explained, before turning back to Shining Armor, "what brings you two here?"

"Just wanted to see how you're getting along," Cadance smiled.

"If you're asking, my wing's much better than it was before," said Flash, "a bit of pain, but not as serious."

"Glad to hear," said Shining Armor, "also, I wanted to thank you for saving my sister."

"Not the first time I've done it," said Flash modestly. Shining Armor looked confused.

"Do you remember when I ended up lost and you wanted to thank the colt for helping me find my parents?" asked Twilight.

"Yes, I do," answered Shining Armor, "You said somepony helped you."

"Well," said Twilight, "that somepony who helped me is right in front you." She gestured to Flash.

"You mean," Shining Armor began to ask Flash, "that you're the one who helped Twilight all those years ago?"

"The same," replied Flash, feeling a little nervous inside. Oh jeez, I didn't say anything to upset him again, did I?

But to his relief, Shining Armor just smiled.

"Well, I guess that's two things I ought to thank you for, one of them many years overdue," he added with a chuckle.

"Just doing my job," smiled Flash.

Twilight had asked Spike to fetch the journal she and the rest of the group wrote friendship reports in to the party so she could write down what had been learnt through this latest adventure.

"Over the last few weeks," she wrote, "I've learned a very strong lesson not just about friendship, but more importantly, love. While it's true that jumping right into a relationship with somepony you've just met isn't the smartest thing to do, if you take the time to get to know one another and bond, then it'll be worth all the time in the world.

However, jealously from others is very serious for it can affect your relationship in terrible ways. But thankfully, one's jealously can lead to his or her downfall. I'm sure that Changeling learned his lesson about that the hard way.

But what he hadn't learned, and Princess Celestia summed that up perfectly, 'what mares want from a stallion is their honesty, bravery, kindness, and their will to put the needs of others ahead of their own.'"

"Uh, Twilight?" asked Flash once the princess had finished writing, "Would you mind watching the stars with me?"

"I'd love to go with you, Flash," said Twilight.

The two trotted peacefully along until they came across Vincent and the rest of the Mane Six.

"Evening, everypony," Twilight waved.

"Hiya Twilight!" Pinkie bounced in excitement, "Whatcha doin'?"

"We're just taking a stroll," said Flash.

"We're absolutely proud that you two are together now," said Rarity.

"As am I," said Shining Armor, walking up to them, "my little sister, she grows up so fast…" Twilight noticed a tear running down her brother's face.

"Are you crying?" she asked innocently.

"Ah, no," he replied hastily, wiping his eye, "just liquid pride is all; totally different thing!"

Twilight just chuckled; she'd heard that before.

"It's a good thing you two were able to work things out naturally and without our help," smiled Vincent, "I did suggest it to five certain mares, but they didn't listen…"

He gave a knowing look to Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie, Rarity and Fluttershy.

"We only wanted to help," Fluttershy said sheepishly, and then noticed Twilight and Flash walking off.

"They're just having a bit of quiet time together," Shining Armor told them.

"I see. Well, anyway," said Vincent, before giving a cheeky grin to the five mares, "I'm sure four of you would be in the same situation with your crushes, right?"

"Er, what crushes?" asked Rainbow Dash, looking a little nervous.

"Hmm, let's see – a Wonderbolt, a baby dragon, Applejack's big brother, and some bloke named Caramel, if I'm not mistaken?"

This caused four mares to blush and groan in embarrassment while Pinkie just giggled in her silly way.

"Caramel's a sweet guy and all," Applejack admitted, "but-"

"I told you, I don't have a crush on any Wonderbolts!" Rainbow Dash protested.

"Spike's cute for a dragon," said Rarity, "but-" She couldn't finish her sentence. Fluttershy just squeaked out of shyness. Twilight, Pinkie, and the two stallions had a laugh.

"Oh, he's just teasing," said Twilight.

"Or am I?" Vincent commented in a mischievous way.

"Fluttershy," said Rarity, "weren't you supposed to tend to Discord?"

"Oh!" the light yellow Pegasus cried, "I almost forgot about him!"

And she flew away quicker than you could say Nightmare Moon.

Pretty soon, Twilight and Flash were along watching the stars in the nighttime sky.

"Beautiful tonight, isn't it?" asked Flash.

"It sure is," smiled Twilight.

"But not as beautiful as your eyes," Flash smiled as he held her hoof. Twilight's cheeks flushed as red as an apple.

"Oh, Flash," she giggled bashfully. Before Flash could say anything else, Twilight reached over and kissed him right on the lips.

Their kiss lasted about fifteen seconds before Twilight pulled away.

"I know you're watching us!" she called to a nearby bush. Within seconds, four small fillies, two unicorns, one earth, and one Pegasus popped out from behind.

"How'd ya know it was us?" asked Apple Bloom.

"Cause I know you all too well?"

"Got us there," said Scootaloo, and then made a gagging noise, as if in disgust.

"Oh, lighten up, Scoots," said Fictionary, and said cheekily, "anyway, we just wanted to see you and your coltfriend kiss."

"Just some harmless fun," added Sweetie Belle. The four trotted away, but then Twilight spoke up again.

"You too, Pinkie," she said. About three seconds later, the pink Earth pony mare bounced out of the bush.

"Aww, you're no fun!" she moaned.

"What a silly mare, that Pinkie," said Flash.

"Yeah, but she's still my friend," Twilight chuckled. She and Flash smiled as they continued watching the stars. This was a night they hoped would last forever…

Meanwhile, at Canterlot, the Changeling was being led to his prison cell.

"Hmm, strange," said one of the guards.

"What is it?" asked the other.

"There's something not right about this cell," said the guard.

"Like what?"

"Well, this one looks a lot roomier than the other cells."

As the two guards inspected the inside of the cell, they were suddenly encased in ice. The chains that kept the Changeling from escaping also froze, giving him the chance to break free. At that moment, Queen Chrysalis and Golden Lass appeared from behind them.

"Good work, Icy Heart," said Golden Lass.

The blue unicorn mare stepped out of hiding.

"I cannot believe you failed your mission," Chrysalis hissed at the Changeling.

"It was hardly my fault!" protested the Changeling, "That yellow Pegasus stallion-!"

"No tales!" snapped Chrysalis angrily.

"Yes, your majesty," the Changeling sighed in defeat.

Golden Lass was not happy. "Curse that Vincent Van Colt," she mumbled, "curse him for spoiling my plans! No matter - we'll have to think of something craftier. When I'm through with Vincent, his life will be so miserable he'll wish he never existed!"

Good news; a happy ending for Flash and Twilight. YAY! Bad news; two royal guards have gone "missing". Oh no!

Well, that's the ending to the new and improved Risky Romance! A pretty suspenseful one, to be honest, but the epilogue will serve a role in future RF&L chapters and stories; I might even feature King Sombra at some point!

Spoiler alert: The third chapter will feature Fluttershy, Fictionary, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, and four new characters playing major roles.

20. Meet the Princess' Parents

Here's the latest RF&L oneshot! This takes place after the events of Risky Romance, and there's some references to pop-culture I think you'll laugh at.

Meet the Princess' Parents

Written by Zack Wanzer and James Riddle

It had been about two weeks since Princess Twilight Sparkle and Lieutenant Flash Sentry had officially become a couple. Things were running rather well for them, especially when Flash's wing had almost healed.

One day, Twilight was reading when there was a knock at the door. She stood up and walked over to the door, revealing…

"Special delivery!"

It was Derpy with a mailbag around her neck. She dug through it and pulled out a letter, handing it to Twilight. Then the light gray Pegasus mare flew off to her next destination, only to run into a beehive.

"Bees!" she cried, and flew away, a beehive on her head and angry bees buzzing after her.

"That silly Derpy," sighed Twilight, "I'm surprised she hasn't been sacked from her job yet. Or rather, at all."

The light purple alicorn opened the letter and read what was inside:

"Our dearest Twilight Sparkle,

We hope that you accept this invitation for a little dinner tomorrow. We rarely get to spend time with our daughter even more now since you're a princess and we have a lot of catching up to do.

Signed,

Your loving parents Twilight Velvet and Night Light (a.k.a. Mom and Dad)"

"Ooh, my parents want to see me and Shining Armor!" Twilight cried excitedly. The last time she saw her parents was at her coronation and she was excited. "Flash! Come out here, quick!"

"On my way!"

Flash came into the library, wondering what Twilight was so excited about.

"My parents are inviting us to dinner!" she squealed.

"Oh, that's great, Twilight," said Flash, but his excitement didn't really last.

"What's the matter?"

"Your parents might not remember me all those years ago," said Flash, "what will they think of me, especially since I'm now among the Royal Guard?"

"I'm sure they would love to meet you again, Flash," said Twilight reassuringly.

"They would?"

"Of course," Twilight smiled, "you're not just my coltfriend – you're my hero." And she gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Meanwhile at the Crystal Empire, Shining Armor had just received a letter as well.

"Our dear son Shining Armor,

We hope you'll accept this invitation to dinner tomorrow night so we can spend some time with our son and daughter-in-law.

Your loving parents, Twilight Velvet and Night Light."

"Cadance," Shining Armor called to his wife, "would you mind coming here, please?"

"What is it, honey?" asked Princess Cadance.

"We've been invited by my parents for a dinner tomorrow."

"Really?" Cadance asked in surprise.

"Indeed. It'll be great to see them again."

"I wonder if Twilight and Flash will be coming as well?"

"I hope so," said Shining Armor, "it's been ages since the whole family's been together."

The following morning, a train pulled in at Canterlot railway station. Twilight and Flash were the first ones off.

Flash was wearing a dark blue tuxedo and Twilight wore a dress similar to hers at the Grand Galloping Gala a couple of years back, only it was modified to accommodate her wings. Both were designed by Rarity for tonight's occasion.

"You look lovely, Twilight," Flash complemented.

Twilight blushed red as Big Macintosh's fur. "Why, thank you," she giggled, "and you look dashingly handsome."

Flash blushed a bit as well, but said his thanks.

Minutes later, another train pulled in, and from one of the coaches stepped out Shining Armor and Cadance. Shining Armor had on his suit from his wedding with Cadance the year before, while his wife had her blue gown from when Ms. Harshwhinny made her visit to the Crystal Empire when it was chosen to host the Equestria Games.

"Well, look who's come too," said Shining Armor, motioning to Twilight and Flash.

"Hi, B.B.B.F.F.!" Twilight called, waving excitedly.

Then she and Cadance ran up and hugged each other, and then did their special little dance.

"Sunshine, sunshine, ladybug's awake!" they sang, "Clap your hooves and do a little shake!"

It was their secret tailshake from when Twilight was a unicorn filly and Cadance was her foalsitter. It was still funny to them even after all these years, even though Flash watched in confusion; he'd never known the two composed princesses to act so silly.

"So, Flash," said Shining Armor, "how's your wing doing?"

"Huh? Oh, yes," the light orange Pegasus replied, breaking out from his confusion, "much better than it was two weeks before."

"Glad to hear that," said Shining Armor, "and by the looks of it, you'll be back to work in a few days. Good thing you'll get to join in this reunion."

"I'm glad too," said Flash, "but I'm worried about what yours and Twilight's parents will think of me."

"Don't worry about it," said Shining Armor, "I bet they'll be glad to meet the one who helped their daughter all those years ago again."

Flash felt a little better.

Before long, the quartet arrived at the house of Twilight and Shining Armor's parents.

"Woah!" exclaimed Flash, marveling at the size of the house, "You must be very rich to live in a mansion like that!"

"Got that right," said Shining Armor. Twilight then knocked on the door. After a second or two, the door opened.

"Yes, how can I help you?" a male voice asked.

Twilight and Shining Armor knew that voice very well. Standing on the doorway was a light gray unicorn stallion with a black mane and tail with light brown streaks, brownish-green eyes, and his cutie mark was a serving tray. He also wore a neat back suit with a bowtie.

"Hello, Serving Platter," said Twilight. Serving Platter was the Sparkle family's butler.

"Is that you, Twilight Sparkle and Shining Armor?" the butler asked.

"It is indeed, Platty," Shining Armor said as a friendly tease. Cadance resisted the urge to break out in giggles.

"Your parents have been expecting you," said Serving Platter, "please come in."

The interior of the house looked very fancy. Flash was very amazed at what he was seeing; so amazed, he nearly knocked over a vase. Luckily, Twilight used her magic to prevent it from being shattered.

"Sorry," Flash said sheepishly.

"Don't worry about it, Flash," smiled Twilight, "it happens."

At that moment, two unicorns entered the room. One of them was a light gray mare with a moderate purple mane and tail with light gray streaks, light arctic blue eyes, and her cutie mark was three purple stars. Her husband was a grayish azure stallion with a dark monastral blue mane and tail, moderate amber eyes, and his cutie mark was a yellow waxing crescent moon with a smaller white waning crescent moon inside.

"Mom! Dad!" Twilight ran to the two unicorns and they embraced her in a hug.

"How's daddy's little princess?" Night Light said affectionately.

"I'm doing great," Twilight beamed, "I also brought somepony I'd like you to meet." She motioned for Flash to come forwards.

"Mom, dad, I'd like you to meet my coltfriend, Flash Sentry."

"Erm, hi." Flash felt nervous as he waved to Twilight's parents.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Flash," said Twilight Velvet.

"Thank you, sir- Ah! I mean, madam!" Flash hastily corrected himself.

Twilight quietly chuckled a little at Flash's goof.

"You might not remember," she said, "but Flash was the one who helped me find you when I was lost."

"Well, in that case, it's good to see you again, Flash," said Night Light.

"Likewise, Mr. Sparkle."

The six ponies were soon headed towards the dining room. Flash held the door open.

"After you," he said to Twilight.

The light purple blushed, said her thanks and walked in. As soon as Shining Armor ad Cadance walked in as well, Flash followed in, only to smack his face into the doorframe.

"D'oh!"

Twilight tried her best to stifle a giggle; she'd seen this before.

"Are you alright, Flash?" Shining Armor asked.

"Oh yeah," the light orange Pegaus replied, "I've had worse."

Soon the six were sat at the table, waiting for the food to be brought out.

"So," said Shining Armor, hoping to strike up conversation so he wouldn't eat the table out of boredom, "what's new with you, mother and father?"

"Nothing, really," said Twilight Velvet, "although last month, Serving Platter's mother passed away."

"Oh no," said Cadance, "how'd she pass on?"

"Breast cancer from what he told us," said Night Light.

"That's terrible," said Twilight.

"But still, it's not too late to prevent breast cancer," Night Light continued.

"Yeah, but it's dreadful losing someone you're close to," said Flash, and with a quiet mutter, he added, "I know how that feels…"

"So," said Twilight Velvet, "when will we be expecting some grandfoals?"

The four guests looked at her with shock and embarrassment; Flash nearly choked on his soup, Twilight's face flushed red as an apple, and Shining Armor nearly fainted.

"Isn't it much too early to be thinking about that?" asked a sheepish Cadance.

"Agreed," said Flash, "and besides, Twilight and I have been dating for only two weeks."

"Sorry about scaring you like that," said Twilight Velvet, "I just get curious and impatient sometimes."

"That… that's fine, mother," Shining Armor moaned, still feeling slightly disoriented.

"Well, anyway, Flash," said Night Light, "why not tell us a little bit about yourself?"

"Well," Flash began, "when I was a colt, my parents got divorced and I went to live with my dad in Canterlot."

"Oh, that's really sad," Twilight Velvet said sympathetically.

"How did that happen?" asked Night Light.

"Dad wanted me to be a Royal Guard like him," explained Flash, "but mom thought that kind of life was too dangerous. They kept on arguing until they divorced because of it."

"Well, I wouldn't say a Royal Guard's life is dangerous," said Shining Armor, "however, there are some risky moments. You remember when the Changelings invaded mine and Cadance's wedding, right?"

"I remember," said Twilight, "at the time, you had the Royal Guard protecting Canterlot from the threat of Chrysalis, and yet, she was living under our noses disguised as Cadance."

"Not to mention she tricked everyone and turned Twilight's own friends, as well as Shining and Princess Celestia, against her," added Cadance.

Twilight squirmed at that memory; even though her friends, brother and then-mentor had apologized for not believing her, it still struck her as a painful memory. Flash put a hoof around the light purple alicorn in comfort.

"It's alright," he said comfortingly.

"Thanks, Flash," Twilight smiled before hugging her coltfriend.

"Dessert is ready," Serving Platter announced later that evening. Behind him was a cart with some chocolate ice cream cake.

"Let me help you with that," offered Flash.

Then there was trouble; Flash got up a little too quickly, and tripped on the back of Shining Armor's chair.

"Whoa!" cried Flash as he tumbled straight towards Serving Platter, causing the tray to go flying into the air…

"Incoming!"

…all over the Sparkle family at the table! No one had been injured, but the family was covered in chocolate ice cream cake, and so were Serving Platter and Flash.

"Whoops," Flash said sheepishly, "sorry…"

"Sorry?! You utter klutz!" Night Light snapped, "Do you have any idea how hard the chefs worked to prepare this cake?!"

"Night Light, please…" Twilight Velvet muttered quietly.

"Not only that," her husband continued, "but you've ruined our new tablecloth and my best suit! Next time, try to watch where you're going!"

He stormed off in a sulk.

Oh dear, thought Flash, I must've touched a nerve, and I didn't mean to!

Before Shining or any of the three mares could say anything else, Flash raced off.

"I'll have a word with father," said Shining Armor, getting out of his seat.

"Poor Flash," said Twilight sadly, also leaving her seat.

Not wanting to sit and wait for two conflicts to be resolved, Cadance and Twilight Velvet decided to clean up however much of the mess they could.

Twilight caught up with Flash in the hallway.

"Are you alright?" she was with concern.

"No," Flash said sadly, "I messed everything up, and now your parents probably have a bad outlook on me now."

"It wasn't your fault," said Twilight, "it was an accident that could've happened to anypony."

"I'm really sorry about this, Twilight," said Flash, "I just wanted this night to be perfect for you, but I messed it up so badly."

Then to his surprise, Twilight licked his face.

"You had a bit of frosting on you," she said with a slight giggle, "but you taste delicious, I could eat you up. Of course, that'd be cannibalism, which is highly frowned upon in society."

Flash gave a chuckle; already, Twilight's cheeky comment had cheered him right up.

Soon the young couple made their way back to the table.

"How did it go?" asked Twilight Velvet.

"I still feel bad about what happened," said Flash, "but at least Twilight cheered me up."

"I just hope dad still isn't too upset with him," said Twilight.

"I wonder how Shining Armor is getting on with talking to him," added Cadance.

At that moment, Shining Armor and Night Light came back in.

"So… how'd it go?" asked Twilight. She was hoping her father was not still angry at Flash, even if it had been an accident.

"I told father that he had no right to snap at Flash even if things got messy," said Shining Armor, "and I told him that it was an accident and he admits he got a little bit carried away."

"I just wanted everything to go right," Night Light confessed.

"I know what that's like," said Twilight, looking over at Cadance.

Night Light turned to Flash. "I'm sorry for calling you a klutz, Flash," he said, "I just wanted tonight to go without any problems."

"It's quite alright, sir," said Flash, "I was just as upset."

"Why don't we make another cake?" suggested Twilight.

And so the six ponies set to work preparing a second cake. They had given the chefs the rest of the night off so they could do it as a family.

Before long, the cake was ready.

"This is a very delicious cake," said Flash, "I'm glad I got to help make it."

"And I'm glad we had the pleasure to meet you again, Flash," said Night Light, "despite a few… erm, missteps, of course."

After dessert, the group retired to the living room and began looking through a family album. Some of the pictures showed Twilight and Shining Armor when they were younger.

"Is that Shining Armor when he was a baby?" Cadance giggled.

"Huh? Who was a baby again?" asked Shining Armor, acting like he didn't know.

"That was him," Night Light chuckled, pointing to the picture Cadance was talking about. The picture showed a baby Shining Armor playing with his food, a bowl of spaghetti.

"I never knew he was like that when he was little," said Flash, trying to stifle his laughter.

"Aww, widdle Shinig Awmow beating the big, bad spaghetti monstew," Twilight said in a teasing manner.

"Oh yeah? Well, who's that?" grinned Shining Armor, pointing at another picture. The picture he was pointing to had a filly Twilight (without a cutie mark) dancing on a table singing into a wooden spoon with a lampshade on her head.

Flash gave a snort of laughter. "Really?" he said with a snicker, "What was she thinking back then?"

Twilight's cheeks flushed red with embarrassment as she glared at her B.B.B.F.F.

"What?" he said with a chuckle. Twilight just rolled her eyes.

Before long, it was time to go. The two couples stood outside the door saying their goodbyes to the parents.

"We had a great time tonight," said Shining Armor.

"I hope we can do it again sometime," added Cadance.

"It was also lovely to see you once again, Flash," said Twilight Velvet.

"Thank you," said Flash.

With a last wave of goodbye to the parents, the two groups set off for the train station.

Our recent family get-together didn't end as expected, but even when things seemed like they'd be going nowhere, our family bonds came through and we still enjoyed ourselves.

That does it for the latest MLP: RF&L story. Look out for chapter three, as well as future Thomas and Homestar Runner stories as well!

21. A Thirst for Appreciation Part 1

We are back with the first part of the third chapter to RF&L! This time, Fictionary's in the spotlight with the Cutie Mark Crusaders and two new characters! If you're wondering who First Base is, he's the colt seen in Pinkie Pride and Twilight Time. He was popularized a character by dm29 on DeviantArt. At this point, Flash and First Base do not know either of them are brothers.

Okay, so let's get reading!

Chapter III: A Thirst for Appreciation

Written by Zack Wanzer and James Riddle

Part 1: Start of a New School Year

Autumn had come to Equestria. The leaves on trees were turning from green to shades of orange and yellow, and at Sweet Apple Acres, apples were bucked off of their trees to prepare for a cold, harsh winter. The autumn season meant the Running of the Leaves was soon take place and school was starting once again.

On that particular September morning, Fictionary was walking towards the Ponyville schoolhouse with the Cutie Mark Crusaders and a colt they'd never met before. He was a light brilliant orange Earth pony with a moderate azure mane and tail and moderate cornflower blue eyes, a color scheme not dissimilar to Flash Sentry. His cutie mark was a baseball bat and ball.

At the moment, the orange colt – his name First Base – was telling the four fillies how he came to Ponyville with his mother.

"…we used to live in Manehattan," he said, "but after mom lost her job, we had to move here."

"If you live with your mom," said Sweetie Belle, "then what happened to your dad?"

"I dunno," said First Base, "I never asked her. She'd probably get upset if I do. It's a question that's bugged me since I was a baby."

"Ah'm sorry to hear that," said Apple Bloom.

"It's fine," said First Base, "still, it's nice to change your scenery every now and then."

"I can agree with that," said Fictionary, "I mean, I've been living with my big brother for the past few years; we traveled Equestria before winding up in Liverhoof, and then six to eight months later, here we are!"

"Sometimes I wish I could go to different places," said Scootaloo, "but then, I'd miss my friends here in Ponyville."

"We went to the Crystal Empire a few times," Sweetie Belle pointed out, "don't you remember?"

"Oh yeah," said Scootaloo, "but we were still together."

Presently, the five foals arrived at the schoolhouse. They could see their teacher Miss Cheerilee waiting to greet them.

"Hi, Miss Cheerilee," the Cutie Mark Crusaders called, waving.

"Morning, Miss Cheerilee," said Fictionary.

"Morning, girls," Cheerilee said in a sunny voice. Then she spotted First Base. "You're First Base, correct?"

"Yes I am, Miss Cheerilee," the light orange colt replied.

"Then wonderful. Welcome, First Base."

The foals followed Cheerilee into the schoolhouse and took their seats.

"Good morning, students," she said, going behind her desk, "and welcome to another school year. We've got three new students who'll be attending this year."

"Three?" asked Apple Bloom in confusion.

"We thought it was just First Base," added Scootaloo.

"Yes, he is one of the new students," explained Cheerilee, "but the other two come from Trottingham. Would you two come forward please?"

From the back of the classroom stepped two young Pegasi colts that nopony had seen before. The older of the two was dark orange with a green mane and tail, deep yellow eyes, and his cutie mark was a storm cloud. The younger one was a very pale yellow with an orange mane and tail, and his cutie mark was three butterscotch sweets. His right eye was a light green, and his left eye a very pale shade of blue, almost white.

What was very startling about the younger Pegasi was that he had a scar over his left eye, his left wing was partly missing, as was part of his left ear, but the most shocking about his appearance was that his right hind leg seemed to end below the hock, the left had half a gaskin, and he was on a wheelchair.

A lot of the students were in shock and surprise by this colt's appearance.

"Class," Cheerilee went on, "say hello to Boomer and Butterscotch."

"Um, hi," Butterscotch said in a soft voice.

"How's it going?" said Boomer.

"Well, hello there, handsome," Diamond Tiara said, scooting closer to Boomer. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were shocked; was this Diamond Tiara? Why was she, of all ponies, going from bullying "blank flanks" to flirting with a new student?

"Would you like to sit in the seat next to me?" Diamond Tiara continued.

"Don't mind if I do," said Boomer, taking his seat.

"So who can I sit next to?" asked Butterscotch.

No one said a word for a moment or two.

"You can sit by me," Fictionary spoke up.

Butterscotch wheeled himself over to the desk next to the light blue filly's.

"Thanks," he said quietly, but loud enough so she could hear him.

"Oh, and by the way, I'm Fictionary."

"Nice to meet you," muttered Butterscotch. But before Fictionary could say more, the class began.

"Okay, class, our first lesson for the day…"

Some time later, it was time for recess.

"Hey, DT," said Silver Spoon, "wanna play hopscotch?"

But the pink earth filly was too busy talking to Boomer to notice her one and only best friend.

"Hello?" Silver Spoon waved her front hooves around, hoping to get her friend's attention, but it didn't work.

"So Boomer," said Diamond Tiara, still fixated on the colt, "why don't you tell me a little about yourself?"

"Well, when I was little," began Boomer, "my mother died giving birth to Butterscotch, my little brother. Tragically, he was born half-formed which explains his appearance to this day. He obtained the scar after startling our neighbor's cat."

Unknown to them, Fictionary had been listening in on the conversation.

"Did that really happen?" she said to herself, "Poor Butterscotch."

Speaking of whom, the pale yellow colt sat by himself staring sadly at the ground in front of him. Upon seeing his sad state, Fictionary decided to go up to him.

"Hi, there," she said cheerfully.

"Oh, hi," Butterscotch looked up in surprise.

"What are you doing out here all by yourself?" asked Fictionary.

"Nopony else wants to hang out with me," said Butterscotch sadly, "so I thought I'd sit around by myself."

"Well, would it feel better if I hung out with you?" asked Fictionary.

"No thanks," said Butterscotch, "I prefer to be alone."

"Oh, okay."

Disappointed, Fictionary decided to talk to the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

"What do you think is wrong with Butterscotch?" she asked.

"I don't know," said Sweetie Belle.

"Why don't you three talk to him?"

"I'm not sure," said Scootaloo.

"Why ever not?" Fictionary couldn't understand why her best friends were reluctant to meet him in pony.

"It's nothing personal," said Apple Bloom, "but he's just… well, different."

"Differences aren't everything," said Fictionary, "he's a foal like you and me. Plus, you don't like it when Diamond Tiara thinks you're, ahem, 'different' just for not having cutie marks. Why should it be any different, so to speak?"

Without a word, but understanding where their friend was coming from, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle went over to Butterscotch to see if they could talk to him.

"Uh, hi there," said Apple Bloom.

"It's… nice to meet you," added Scootaloo. Seeing that Sweetie Belle hadn't said anything, the orange Pegaus filly elbowed her friend to get her to speak.

"How's it going?" the white unicorn filly squeaked.

"Hi," Butterscotch said in a quiet voice.

"So," asked Apple Bloom, "do you wanna play?"

"N-no thanks," said Butterscotch shyly.

"Why not?" asked Sweetie Belle.

"I… just feel like being by myself," said Butterscotch.

"Alright then," said Scootaloo. She, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle went back to Fictionary.

"He just wants to be by himself for some reason," said Sweetie Belle.

"Hmm," said Fictionary, "maybe he's just shy. Maybe give him a few days; perhaps his confidence will grow."

"What if it doesn't?" asked Apple Bloom.

"I… don't know how to answer that," said Fictionary. She could feel that something wasn't right about Butterscotch. She wanted to know what it was so she could help.

Meanwhile, at the same time, First Base was playing kickball with three other colts. One of them was a very skinny light yellowish gray Pegasus with a moderate orange mane and tail with a lighter streak, moderate gamboge eyes, and a feather for a cutie mark; his name is Featherweight. The other Pegasus colt was light bluish gray with his mane and tail in two shades of dark grayish sapphire blue, grayish purple eyes, and no cutie mark; his name is Rumble, Thunderlane's younger brother. The last colt was a tiny white Earth pony with grayish brown spots (making him a pinto pony), a dark tangelo mane and tail with lighter streaks, and very deep reddish brown eyes; his name is Pipsqueak.

"Thanks for inviting me to play, guys," said First Base.

"Hey, no sweat," said Rumble.

"It's not very often that I get invited to play in games," the orange colt continued.

"Why not?" Pipsqueak asked in his youthful, Coltney accent.

"Well, I didn't really have anypony to play with," replied First Base.

"Well, you do now," said Featherweight.

At that moment, Pipsqueak rolled the ball down the lane and Rumble kicked it a little too hard, causing the ball to fly high into the air.

"I'll get it!" cried First Base.

"Look out!" cried Featherweight.

"Why?" asked First Base, racing in the ball's direction.

CRASH!

When the dust settled, First Base looked and saw he bumped into a pale, light grayish violet unicorn filly named Dinky Doo.

"Sorry about that," he said, helping Dinky up, "I'm First Base."

"Name's Dinky Doo," replied the unicorn filly, "but call me Dinky for short."

"Wanna play, Dinky?" asked First Base.

"Sure," said Dinky.

Meanwhile, Silver Spoon was still trying to get Diamond Tiara's attention.

Maybe falling from this tree will help, she thought. So she began to climb up the tree, not an easy task if you're a pony. At that moment, Scootaloo spotted her.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Not that it's any of your business," said Silver Spoon, "but I'm trying to get Diamond's attention."

Scootaloo didn't understand; usually Silver Spoon would be mocking her, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle just for being "blank flanks" alongside Diamond Tiara. It was not very often that one of hem would be without the other, and this was one of those cases.

"This has got to do with one of the new students, Boomer, doesn't it?" asked Fictionary, walking up.

"Well, duh," the light gray filly retorted, pointing to the two foals.

"And by the way," Diamond Tiara was saying, "I'm so rich I have a pool and a butler to do my bidding. Ever want to come over some time?"

"That would be a fun idea," said Boomer.

"You see what I mean?" said Silver Spoon.

"I suppose we do," said Scootaloo.

"Why were y'all climbin' that tree?" asked Apple Bloom.

"I was trying to get Diamond Tiara's attention," said Silver Spoon, sighing with exasperation.

"But you haven't got wings," said Sweetie Belle, "I don't think you'd do good at flying."

"Well, neither do you or Apple Bloom," retorted Silver Spoon.

"Plus you could have gotten yourself hurt," added Fictionary.

"You want us to help you?" offered Sweetie Belle.

Scootaloo and Apple Bloom looked at their friend with indignation; helping one of the fillies who often mocked them for not having cutie marks? How absurd! Even Fictionary could not believe her ears.

"Oh, alright," Silver Spoon said with reluctance.

Back with First Base, he and his group were still in a game of kickball.

"So all your life, you've lived with a single mother?" asked Dinky.

"Yep," replied First Base.

"Did you ask her about your dad?" Dinky asked.

"Not once," replied First Base.

"Why not? You have a right to know who he was."

"Maybe, but then, mom would be upset if I asked her."

"How do you know?" asked Dinky.

"I dunno, I just do," First Base shrugged, "anyway, why don't you tell me about yourself?"

"I live with my parents Golden Harvest and Written Script," began Dinky, "dad's a playwright and mommy runs her own carrot farm."

"Do you have any siblings?" asked First Base.

"Two sisters," replied Dinky, "Tootsie Flute is my twin; she was born minutes before I was from what mommy told me. Amethyst Star is our oldest sister. What about you? Do you have any siblings?"

"Nope, none," said First Base, "I'm an only foal."

"Doesn't it bother you?" asked Dinky.

"A little," First Base admitted, "but I at least get to spend more time with mom. Plus, being an only foal saves her a lot of stress, if you take my meaning."

Before Dinky or any of the three colts could respond, the school's bell began ringing, indicating it was time for classes to resume.

"Back inside, everypony," called Cheerilee.

The foals began going back inside the schoolhouse. Some were rather in a hurry as to not be late, which caused Fictionary and First Base to bump into each other.

"Oof! Sorry," groaned First Base, getting back on his hooves.

"That's alright," said Fictionary.

Before either could continue to the schoolhouse, they heard a cry, and then a thud. They turned to see Butterscotch off his wheelchair.

"Butterscotch!" Fictionary ran over to him. "What happened?"

"Someone kicked at my wheelchair and I fell off," he sulked.

Must've been Diamond Tiara, Fictionary thought grimly, doesn't she know to respect the disabled?

The blue unicorn filly turn turned around and could swear she barely saw Boomer looking back and giving a mean-spirited smirk.

Then again, thought Fictionary, it might as well be Boomer. Either way, I'll be confronting that prissy pink ball of fur later.

She then snapped out of her thoughts and helped First Base in getting Butterscotch back on his wheelchair once again.

"Thanks," said Butterscotch, "although I may need help getting up the stairs."

Fictionary got one side of Butterscotch and First Base on the other. Both of them lifted the wheelchair up and got over the steps, with Butterscotch using his front hooves to climb over them.

"Thanks again," said Butterscotch.

"Oh, it's no problem," smiled Fictionary. As they went inside, the light blue unicorn filly thought she could see Boomer giving an annoyed look at the sight of his brother being helped…

Well, it looks like things are starting to slowly heat up. Golden Harvest and Written Script are Dinky's parents as Derpy being her mother is really overdone. The First Base and Dinky scenes might seem like filler, but there's more to them than what meets the eye.

Expect the next parts soon!

22. A Thirst for Appreciation Part 2

It's been nearly two weeks since last update, hasn't it? Apologies for the long wait - James and I had a little bit of trouble figuring out what goes on in this chapter, but hopefully the wait has been worth it!

Part 2: Forging Plans

A few hours later, the bell rang, indicating that the school's day had ended. All the foals began making their ways home.

Fictionary saw Butterscotch trotting home and ran up to him.

"Hey, Butterscotch," she said, "maybe you can come to my place and meet my big brother Vincent?"

But before Butterscotch could utter a word, Boomer called out to him.

"Hey, Butterscotch!" he called, "Come over here for a second, will you?"

"Erm, just a minute, Fictionary."

And Butterscotch wheeled over to his older brother.

"I saw how those two helped you up," Boomer snorted.

"At least they offered to help," snapped Butterscotch.

"Don't you dare talk back to me like that!" snarled Boomer, grabbing his brother by the collar.

"I-I'm s-s-sorry!" Butterscotch whimpered with a stutter, "I d-didn't mean it!"

"That's more like it," Boomer grinned deviously. He then let go of Butterscotch's collar and trotted off. The younger Pegasus just stood there, still shaken from his brother's threat. Once he'd calmed down, he wheeled over to look for Fictionary.

Butterscotch found Fictionary confronting Diamond Tiara.

"What do you think you're playing at?" the light blue unicorn filly was saying, "Don't you have any respect for the disabled?"

"What are you talking about?" Diamond Tiara asked with a pained look on her face.

"Don't play the innocent, Tiara," Fictionary scowled, "mocking 'blank flanks' – as you so rudely put them – is one thing, but pushing an innocent colt off his wheelchair? That crosses the line, and I've a good mind to tell Miss Cheerilee about this!"

"I didn't do it," Diamond Tiara protested, "not even I would go that far. Besides, I was too busy being distracted by Boomer." She sighed dreamingly as she said his name.

Ugh, thought Fictionary disgustedly, tell me she's not swooning for her so-called prince!

"I guess I'll let you off this time," she said firmly, "but if you so much as harm one hair on that poor Pegasus, it'll be the last thing you do!"

"Okay, okay, I get the picture!"

Just then, Fictionary noticed Butterscotch.

"Oh, hi, Butterscotch," she waved.

"Was that Diamond Tiara you were talking to?" asked Butterscotch.

"Yes, it was," said Fictionary, "I thought she pushed you off your wheelchair but she claims not to."

Butterscotch then explained to her about how Boomer had threatened him. Fictionary could not believe her ears! It was probably fortunate for her that Diamond Tiara had left.

"Why would your own brother threaten you like that?" Ficitonary asked in disbelief.

"He mocked me for needing help," Butterscotch said sadly.

"That's horrible!" gasped Fictionary, "If I were you, I wouldn't let that bully get away with it. You should tell Miss Cheerilee."

"I-I can't!" squeaked Butterscotch.

"Why not?" asked Fictionary, not understanding.

"I'm too scared," Butterscotch said quietly.

"Scared? What for?"

"If I tell Miss Cheerilee, Boomer will beat me up," Butterscotch explained.

"Well, you can't let Boomer bully you forever," advised Fictionary, "you've got to tell somepony before it gets worse."

"I guess you're right," said Butterscotch, "but what if Boomer beats me up?"

"He'll have me to answer to," said Fictionary.

Butterscotch felt better, but deep down inside, he was still a bit worried.

Meanwhile, First Base was hanging out with Dinky after getting permission from his mother. With First Base and Dinky was her twin sister Tootsie Flute. She was a light opalish gray unicorn filly with a moderate purple mane and tail with pale, light grayish purple streaks, and moderate heliotrope eyes. Like Dinky, Tootsie had no cutie mark.

"So, how did your parents meet?" asked First Base.

"From what we were told," Dinky began, "daddy was a single father raising Amethyst on his own."

"One rainy day, he twisted his hoof and fell," added Tootsie, "luckily, he fell near mommy's carrot farm and she took him in."

"Before long, they fell in love and got married," finished Dinky, "some time after they married, we were born."

"Wow," said First Base, "never knew anything like that before."

"So what about you?" asked Tootsie.

"He's lived with his mom for years," explained Dinky, "he doesn't know anything about his dad and he's afraid of asking her out of fear of upsetting her."

"Oh, that's so sad," Tootsie sympathized.

"Yeah, but I don't mind it as much now," said First Base.

Meanwhile, the Cutie Mark Crusaders were making their way to their treehouse.

"Isn't it weird?" asked Sweetie Belle, "one minute, Silver Spoon is mocking us along with Diamond Tiara, and the next, she wants us to help her get Diamond Tiara's attention."

"I know my brain is hurting just thinking about it," agreed Scootaloo.

"I'm not so sure if we should help her," added Apple Bloom.

"Yes, but she seemed really upset that her one friend just ignored her," Sweetie Belle pointed out.

"This must be about her new coltfriend Boomer, isn't it?" a voice asked from behind them.

The three turned around and saw Fictionary behind them, and right next to her was Butterscotch.

"Oh, hi, Fictionary," said Scootaloo. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were kind of surprised to see Butterscotch next to the light blue filly.

"What's Butterscotch doing here?" asked Sweetie Belle, a bit surprised, "I thought he wanted to be by himself."

"I kind of changed my mind," said Butterscotch quietly.

"That's good to hear," said Apple Bloom.

"He'd been threatened by Boomer," explained Fictionary.

"You mean his own brother?" gasped Scootaloo. Butterscotch frowned and nodded.

"He has no right bullying his own brother," said Sweetie Belle crossly.

"We ought to tell Miss Cheerilee," added Apple Bloom.

"No way!" said Butterscotch, "If we tell her, not only would he beat me up, he could harm you as well. You don't wanna see him when he's angry."

"But you can't let it get worse," said Fictionary.

"She's got a point," added Apple Bloom, "when mah cousin Babs Seed came and started bullying us, we didn't tell anypony and the situation got worse."

"Really?" Butterscotch asked in surprise, "How did you finally deal with her?"

"We planned to get even with her by humiliating her at the parade," said Sweetie Belle, "but then we found out that she was just trying to keep herself from getting bullied."

"She then apologized after we saved her," finished Apple Bloom.

"Granted, but I don't think Boomer is going to apologize like Babs did," said Fictionary, "and then again, nor would Diamond Tiara. I mean, really, what is her problem?"

"She's just a rich snob," said Scootaloo, "they tend to act that way."

"Fair play, Scootaloo," said Sweetie Belle, "but some rich ponies are actually well-mannered from what Rarity says; look at Fancy Pants and Fleur Dis Lee."

"Well, anyway, you were talking about helping Silver Spoon in splitting up Diamond Tiara and Boomer, right?" asked Fictionary.

"Uh-huh," said Apple Bloom. The other two Crusaders nodded.

"Well, I wish to help," said Fictionary, "how about you, Butterscotch?"

"I… I don't know," said Butterscotch.

"It'd serve him right for being a right bully to you," added Scootaloo.

"Well… then again, it would be nice to teach him a lesson," Butterscotch admitted.

"Now that's the spirit we're lookin' for!" said Apple Bloom.

The five foals trotted off and soon found Silver Spoon. They could see that Diamond Tiara was still not with her.

"Alright," said Apple Bloom, "we're gonna help ya'll break up Diamond Tiara and Boomer."

"Just beware that after this, we go back to being enemies to a certain degree," Fictionary pointed out.

"Hmph, whatever," said Silver Spoon. Then she noticed Butterscotch. "What's he doing here?"

"To teach my brother a lesson," was all he said.

"Now, how are we going to split them up?"

"Why don't we write letters to them saying insulting things about them and make them think it was from one another?" suggested Scootaloo.

"Maybe we should think up another plan just in case your idea fails, Scoots," said Fictionary, "what if we sabotage them on a date?"

"Foals have dates at a young age?" remarked Butterscotch.

"Not exactly," said Sweetie Belle, "they mostly just hang out and have fun."

"Oh, I see," said Butterscotch.

"How about we give Diamond Tiara hot sauce instead of lemonade and tell her it's from Boomer?" suggested Apple Bloom.

"This wouldn't be the first time that happened," said Scootaloo.

"How d'you know?" asked Fictionary.

"Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon did that to us one April Fool's Day," Scootaloo explained.

"Did you?" Fictionary remarked, giving Silver Spoon a glare.

"We thought it would be funny," the light gray filly said with a nervous laugh.

Meanwhile, First Base had accompanied Dinky Doo and Tootsie Flute to their home.

"I've had a nice day with you two," he told the twin fillies.

"We're glad to hear," said Dinky, and before First Base could say anything, she gave him a kiss on the cheek. The orange colt blushed red as a beetroot.

Realizing what she'd done, Dinky blushed red as well as raced inside.

"What was that all about?" asked Tootsie.

"I'm just as surprised as you," said First Base.

The orange colt looked in the direction Dinky had raced off. He felt rather confused; why did she kiss him?

Inside the house, Dinky was in her room, covering her face with a pillow in embarrassment.

"I kissed a colt, I kissed a colt, I kissed a colt," she kept muttering under her breath.

Just then, she heard a knock at her door.

"Who is it?" she asked.

"Dinky," said a female voice, "are you alright?"

"I'm fine, mommy," the light purple-grayish filly replied.

"Can I come in?"

"If you want," Dinky muttered.

The door opened revealing a pale, light grayish olive Earth pony mare with a brilliant gamboge mane and tail (at some point, it was moderate spring bud before she dyed it gamboge), and moderate pistachio eyes. Her cutie mark was three carrots; this was Dinky's mother, Golden Harvest.

"Are you sure you're alright, sweetie?" she asked her daughter.

"Not really," said Dinky.

"Well, what's the matter?" her mother asked.

"Well," Dinky began nervously, "I met a colt at school named First Base. He was really friendly, and when we came to the front door… I… kissed him."

"It's perfectly normal for foals to develop crushes at a young age," said Golden Harvest.

"It is?"

"Of course it is," said Golden Harvest.

"Thanks, mommy," said Dinky, "I think I feel a little better."

The light purple-grayish filly wrapped her hooves around her mother and gave her a hug.

"But what am I going to do? Should I tell First Base how I feel?"

"You do whatever you feel is right, sweetie," said Golden Harvest.

Dinky gave a small smile. "Thanks, mommy."

A couple of days later, Dinky was in the park when she saw Fictionary and the Cutie Mark Crusaders. She decided to tell them what had happened.

"Hey girls," she said, going over to the group.

"Oh, hi, Dinky," said Apple Bloom.

"Is something bothering you?" asked Sweetie Belle.

"Actually, there sort of is," Dinky admitted, and she explained what had happened with her and First Base.

"So you gave him a kiss on the cheek?" remarked Fictionary. Scootaloo looked as though she wanted to throw up.

"Yes," said Dinky, "and now I'm worried about what he's going to be thinking of me."

"Why don't you write him a letter?" suggested Apple Bloom.

"And if I write the wrong things by mistake?" asked Dinky.

"Just make it so that he doesn't know it was you," said Sweetie Belle, "it'll be like a secret admirer."

"Anything you'd like to suggest, Scoots?" asked Fictionary.

"Don't look at me," the orange Pegasus filly scoffed, "I don't know anything on that mushy stuff."

"I think I might try that letter idea," said Dinky, "it's worth a try."

"Or, if that doesn't work," suggested Apple Bloom, "we could help you and First Base get together!"

"Not that mushy matchmaking stuff again," Scootaloo groaned.

"Why, whatever happened?" asked Fictionary.

"Oh, we didn't tell you about what happened last winter, have we?" asked Sweetie Belle.

"No, I don't think you have," said Fictionary, "but what did actually happen?"

"Well," began Apple Bloom, "we wanted Miss Cheerilee and Big Macintosh to be one another's special somepony so we made a love potion so they'd fall in love."

"But it turned out to be a love poison instead," continued Sweetie Belle, "and we felt we may have caused ponies to starve and become unintelligent, so we tried keeping them separate for at least one whole hour."

Fictionary stifled a laugh. "That must have been funny," she said, giggling slightly.

"Not from where we stood, it wasn't," Scootaloo deadpanned.

"No, but seriously," said Fictionary, "getting your teacher to fall in love with your older sibling? I mean, come on!"

"I remember that all to well," said Dinky, "the day after the incident, Miss Cheerilee's behavior made me feel a bit confused."

"Don't worry, Dinky," said Apple Bloom, "we'll help ya. Right, gals?"

"As long as we don't use that love poison, I'm all for it," said Sweetie Belle.

"I guess I'm in too," muttered Scootaloo.

"Me three," said Fictionary. Secretly, she was a little worried that somepony would get hurt, especially since she and the Cutie Mark Crusaders were also helping Silver Spoon in breaking up Diamond Tiara and Boomer. Nothing could surely go wrong, right? Right.

Uh-oh... Fictionary and the Cutie Mark Crusaders are now involved in two conflicts - splitting up Diamond Tiara and Boomer and getting Dinky and First Base to fall in love. This can't end well, can it? Next part should determine the answer.

23. A Thirst for Appreciation Part 3

Here's the long awaited third part to chapter three!

Part 3: A Flaw in the Plans

While the four fillies were talking, Butterscotch wheeled into view. Fictionary was shocked to see that his front leg looked bruised.

"Gee, Butterscotch," she exclaimed, "what happened to your leg?"

"I-I tripped," stuttered Butterscotch.

"And that caused you to get a bruise?" Scootaloo asked, unconvinced.

"I landed on a-a rock after I tripped," Butterscotch added, hoping they would believe it. They didn't.

"Did Boomer have anything to do with this?" asked Fictionary in a firm tone.

Butterscotch gulped, but reluctantly nodded.

"Why do you let him pick on you like that?" asked Fictionary, "You're not his personal punching bag, you know."

"But he's bigger than I am," said Butterscotch.

"That's no excuse," hissed Scootaloo.

"Scootaloo's right," said Sweetie Belle, "families are supposed to look out for each other, not make them feel unappreciated!"

"Well, that's not what Boomer thinks," Butterscotch said sadly, "to him, siblings are just there to get in the way of attention."

"Nonsense," scoffed Apple Bloom.

"Rarity has never seen me as a threat to her attention," added Sweetie Belle.

"Ah'll admit Applejack kinda felt a little jealous of me when I was born," said Apple Bloom, "but we bonded quickly after our parents died."

"Your parents died? That's awful!" cried Butterscotch.

"She's not the only one," said Fictionary, "my parents died too a few years ago, so it's just been me and Vincent. But we turned out alright."

"Not Boomer and I," muttered Butterscotch.

"What was that?" asked Fictionary.

"Er, nothing," said Butterscotch.

"Can we just focus on the plan?" interrupted Dinky.

"Oh, yes, sorry about that," said Fictionary, "must've been a little sidetracked."

"So what are the plans?" asked Butterscotch.

Meanwhile, First Base was trotting down by the park. He was still thinking about what had happened with him and Dinky.

"The way she acted around me," he was saying to nopony in particular, "it's almost as if she's got a crush on me or something…"

Then he saw Featherweight, Pipsqueak and Rumble in the distance.

"Hey guys!" First Base waved.

"Hiya, First Base," Pipsqueak called.

"How's it going?" called Rumble.

"You're not gonna believe what happened to me," said First Base, and told the other three colts about Dinky kissing him on the cheek.

"Aw, isn't that cute," said Featherweight.

"Sounds like somepony's got a crush," said Rumble.

"What?! No, I don't," protested First Base, "I barely even know her!"

"Doesn't mean you don't have to like her," said Pipsqueak.

"He has a point," said Featherweight.

"How do you know?"

"Er, nothing," muttered Featherweight. Rumble gave his skinny friend a poke in the ribs, as if he was telling him to say something.

"You've got a crush on somepony, don't you?" he asked cheekily.

"What are you talkin' about?" protested Featherweight, "Nopony would date someone as skinny as me!"

"Not even Apple Bloom?" giggled Pipsqueak. Featherweight's little wings sprung open and he blushed red.

"Featherweight likes Apple Bloom!" laughed Rumble. Even First Base found it funny.

"It's not funny," protested Featherweight.

"Ah, come on, pal," said Rumble, "we're just joking with ya."

"Yeah, all in good fun," added Pipsqueak.

"Could we please stop this silliness?" asked First Base.

Meanwhile, the Cutie Mark Crusaders and Fictionary had just finished discussing their plans.

"So everypony knows what to do, right?" asked Fictionary.

"I guess," said Sweetie Belle.

"So let's do this," said Scootaloo.

The friends decided to split into two teams so both situations would be taken care of; Fictionary and Scootaloo both volunteered to work with Silver Spoon to split Diamond Tiara and Boomer, leaving Butterscotch, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom in helping Dinky and First Base fall in love.

"To make sure we remember what we're supposed to do," said Scootaloo, "I've written the plans on two pieces of paper."

"That makes it much easier to follow our respective plans step by step," said Fictionary.

"What are we waiting for?" said Dinky, "Let's do this thing!"

That was where trouble began – you see, in her impatience, Silver Spoon grabbed a piece of paper without looking at it to see which list it was.

The two groups then headed out for their jobs, unaware of one little mistake…

Silver Spoon, Fictionary and Scootaloo soon found Boomer by himself at the park.

"There he is," said Silver Spoon. Then she began to act like nothing was going on. "Oh, hey there, Boomer," she said casually.

"Hey, you're Silver Spoon, aren't you?" asked Boomer.

"Yes, I am," replied the light gray filly, "and you, I suppose, are Boomer. I've heard of you."

"And I've heard of you from Diamond Tiara," said Boomer, "she says you're her best friend or something."

"That I am," said Silver Spoon, before muttering, "Until you replaced me…"

"Well, what is it you want?" asked Boomer.

"Diamond Tiara said she wanted to see you over by the lake," said Silver Spoon.

"She is?" Boomer asked in a pleased manner.

"That's what I heard, but yeah."

"Great," said Boomer, "tell her I'll gladly see her there soon." And he trotted off.

The group eventually found Diamond Tiara and told her Boomer wanted to meet her by the lake.

"He wants to see me by the lake?!" she squealed in excitement, "How romantic!" Scootaloo gave a gag of disgust, but Diamond Tiara didn't care about that.

"I shall be there at once," she said, and skipped happily off.

"Hang on a minute," said Fictionary, "was this part of the plan?"

"I'm not sure," said Silver Spoon, "maybe the real plan will be shown after letting them think nothing is wrong."

"I think we might have grabbed the wrong list," said Fictionary.

"How can you be so sure?" asked Scootaloo.

"How can we sabotage Boomer if we're getting him and Diamond Tiara on a date?" asked Fictionary.

Meanwhile, Dinky and her group were working on their own plan involving First Base.

"I really hope this works," Dinky said in a worried sort of tone.

"Me too," said Butterscotch, "I've never helped anypony fall in love before."

As it said to on the list, Apple Bloom fetched a glass of lemonade and poured hot sauce into it.

"Is this part of the plan?" asked Sweetie Belle.

"Ah guess so," shrugged Apple Bloom, "that's what the list says."

"Then maybe while he's gasping for water," said Dinky, "I can save the day with some and convince him it was Diamond Tiara's trick."

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle looked at her in disbelief.

"What?" asked Dinky.

"You sure that's gonna work?" asked Sweetie Belle.

"Why wouldn't it?" asked Dinky, "Let's do this."

As if by coincidence, they spotted First Base trotting into view. Dinky went over to greet him with the "lemonade" in her magic.

"Oh, hi, girls. Butterscotch," said First Base.

"Er, hi, First Base," said Dinky bashfully, "I got you some lemonade," she added, giving First Base the glass of hot sauce.

"Oh," said First Base, "thanks."

He accepted the glass, and began drinking from it.

"Wait a moment!" exclaimed Apple Bloom, "We weren't meant to give First Base the hot sau- er, Ah mean, lemonade!"

But it was already too late. No sooner had First Base drank from the glass, his mouth started burning. His face became red and sweating. In fact, steam was blowing out of his ears!

"Aaaaaahhhh!" he yelled, "My mouth is on fire! MY MOUTH IS ON FIRE!"

"Don't worry!" cried Dinky, "I'll get some water!"

Quickly, she brought in a glass of water (why she didn't use the glass which had hot sauce was anypony's guess), and offered it to First Base.

"Wait!" exclaimed Butterscotch, "Water can't cure a hot mouth!"

But it was too late… again. First Base guzzled the water in a single gulp, but…

"My mouth's still burning!" he cried.

"Oh no! I'm so sorry!" cried Dinky frantically.

"I told you so," muttered Butterscotch, shaking his head sadly.

"We better get help!" exclaimed Apple Bloom. She and Sweetie Belle raced off to find help, and came across Applejack.

"Whoa there, Nelly!" she exclaimed, "What's got ya'll racin' round in this heat?"

"First Base drank a glass of hot sauce and he's burnin' up!" cried Apple Bloom, trying to catch her breath.

"Ya didn't use water, did ya?"

"Dinky did," said Sweetie Belle.

"Don't worry," said Applejack, "ya'll just need to give him some milk and he'll be fine."

The trio then went into town with Butterscotch, Dinky and First Base – whose mouth was still on fire – to see if they could buy some milk.

"One bottle of milk, please," said Applejack to a nearby salespony.

With a quick glance at First Base, and understanding the situation, the salespony handled Applejack the milk bottle, who in turn paid him two bits.

"Here, drink this," said Applejack, offering the bottle to First Base. He grabbed the bottled and guzzled the milk down as if there was no tomorrow. In a single gulp, it went down his throat and he put down the bottle, sighing in relief. Then he burped. A cloud of steam came out of his mouth.

"Thanks," he said in relief.

"Think nothin' of it, little partner," said Applejack, "although ya'll should stay away from hot sauce; it's too darn hot fer yer little mouths."

First Base gave Butterscotch and the three fillies a glare.

"What's the big idea of giving me hot sauce?" he said angrily, "Were you trying to play so cruel a trick on me or something?"

"No! It's really not what ya think!" protested Apple Bloom.

"Of course it isn't," scoffed First Base, "when you decide to not act foolish like that, let me know." And on that note, he stormed off.

"Wait a moment," said Apple Bloom, "we did get the wrong list!"

"Oh, what have we done?!" cried Sweetie Belle.

"I was afraid this would happen," said Dinky sadly, "now First Base hates me!" And she ran off crying.

"Oh, of all the worst things that had to happen," continued Sweetie Belle, "this is the worst possible THING!"

"Sounds like Rarity's been rubbin' off on ya," chuckled Applejack.

Unfortunately for the Cutie Mark Crusaders, there was much worse to come. Silver Spoon and her group had ended up setting Boomer and Diamond Tiara up on a fun little get together at the lake while Scootaloo tried her best not to barf.

"Something tells me you need a bag every time a couple kisses," Fictionary teased.

"Oh, be quiet, you."

"I've really enjoyed our time together, Boomer," sighed Diamond Tiara.

"As have I… my precious Diamond," the dark orange colt replied.

Diamond Tiara giggled bashfully at what Boomer had called her. At that point, Scootaloo went behind a bush and retching sounds were heard.

"Ew," Fictionary groaned in disgust.

"Would you ever want to come by my place sometime?" Diamond Tiara offered.

"Please say no, please say no," Silver Spoon was whispering.

"Of course I would," said Boomer. Silver Spoon groaned quietly.

"I'll see you tomorrow, maybe?" asked Diamond Tiara.

"I guarantee it."

"Please, can we go?" groaned Scootaloo, after puking, "I've seen quite enough!"

"Me too," agreed Fictionary, and the three fillies took off.

"Let me get this straight," said Fictionary, "you gave First Base the hot sauce, and he thought you were playing a cruel trick on him and Dinky thinks he hates her?!"

"Eeyup," Apple Bloom said sadly.

"I was right!" Scootaloo snapped at Silver Spoon, "You grabbed the wrong list!"

"So that's why it didn't make sense," muttered the light gray filly.

"And," added Fictionary, "not only did you cause a couple we meant to split up to become closer, you've ruined the chances of another couple working out!"

"You're just acting as though it was on purpose," sniffed Silver Spoon.

"The plans were all well and good," argued Fictionary, "but you were the weakest link in the chain!"

"I, the weakest link in the chain?" Silver Spoon was most indignant.

"Yes, you heard me – it your impatience that caused this mess."

"Well, you didn't do anything about it in the first place, did you?!"

"Are you calling me ignorant?!"

"Hey, break it up!" interrupted Sweetie Belle, "Fighting is not going to solve anything."

"Sweetie's right," said Apple Bloom, "Ah think we ought to go for Plan B to fix Dinky's and First Base's relationship."

"Plan B?" asked Dinky, "I'm not so sure…"

"Whatever is the matter?" asked Fictionary.

"What if Plan B goes wrong as well?" Dinky asked, "It could make things even worse and First Base will never forgive me!" The poor light grayish-purple filly felt like crying.

"I'm sure we'll get it right this time," Fictionary comforted.

"Could I possibly help?" offered Silver Spoon.

"No, thank you, I think you've helped quite enough!" snapped Fictionary.

Before Silver Spoon could respond, Butterscotch and the five fillies walked away.

"I didn't mean to mess things up," she muttered to herself.

As Fictionary, Butterscotch, Dinky and the Cutie Mark Crusaders trotted along, they were talking about ideas on how to help Dinky.

"Alright," said Fictionary, "we need to come up with a plan to get First Base and Dinky together without anything going wrong. Any ideas?"

"Why don't we just tell him there was a mix-up and be done with the whole thing?" Scootaloo asked sarcastically.

"Er, any ideas that do not involve continuing with our lives as if nothing happened?"

"Do you want the situation to get worse?" asked Scootaloo.

Before Fictionary could respond, they saw Fluttershy up ahead. The yellow Pegasus was tending to some squirrels.

"Hi, Fluttershy," called Apple Bloom.

"Oh! Hello, girls," said Fluttershy, "what are you all doing out here?"

Then she noticed Butterscotch among them. The pale yellow colt noticed her as well.

"Is that you, Butterscotch?" asked Fluttershy.

"Wait, you know him?" asked Fictionary.

"Of course I do," replied Fluttershy, "he's my nephew."

What a twist! Butterscotch and Boomer are the nephews of Fluttershy. The question is, who's their father? Next chapter will reveal everything. Also, DO NOT use water to cure a hot mouth. Ask the MythBusters.

24. A Thirst for Appreciation Part 4

Here's chapter four, and quite a lengthy one at that!

Part 4: Fluttershy's Secret

"He's your nephew?!" Fictionary, Dinky and the Cutie Mark Crusaders could not believe what they were hearing.

"Yes," Fluttershy said.

"W-why didn't either of you say anything earlier?" exclaimed Fictionary, still in shock.

"I think it would be best if you told the rest of the gang to come to my cottage," said Fluttershy, "I'll explain everything."

"Can I have Vincent come too?" asked Fictionary.

"He's more than welcome to."

And with that, the five fillies set off to do what Fluttershy had told them.

Scootaloo found Rainbow Dash taking a nap on a cloud.

"Hey, Rainbow Dash!"

Rainbow Dash woke up and looked down at the orange Pegasus filly below her.

"Oh, hey kiddo," she said, "what's up?"

"Fluttershy said she wanted you to come over to her cottage," said Scootaloo, "she said it was important."

"I hope she doesn't expect me to look after her butterflies," muttered Rainbow Dash.

At Sweet Apple Acres, Apple Bloom was telling Applejack and Big Macintosh.

"So Fluttershy wants us to come to her cottage for some reason, right?" asked Applejack.

"Eeyup," said Apple Bloom.

"That's my catchphrase!" said Big Macintosh indignantly.

"Ya snooze, ya lose," Applejack teased.

Dinky found Pinkie Pie at Sugarcube Corner and told her to go to Fluttershy's cottage as well.

"Is she throwing us all a party with her animal friends?" Pinkie asked eagerly.

"Not exactly," said Dinky, "just come to Fluttershy's cottage."

"Okey-dokey-lokey!"

Sweetie Belle had just made her way to Carousel Boutique to find Rarity inside with Spike.

"Hey, you two!" she called, "Quit flirting and come on over to Fluttershy's."

"Flirting?!" gasped Spike, blushing bright red, "Who said we were flirting?"

"Sweetie Belle, you'd best have a good explanation for barging in like that," said Rarity.

"Fluttershy wants you to come to her cottage," said the little unicorn filly.

Fictionary found Twilight at Golden Oak Library. Vincent was also there borrowing a book.

"Oh, hey, sis," he said, "what's up?"

"Fluttershy wants you two to come to her cottage," said Fictionary.

"Ooh! What for?" asked Twilight.

"She didn't say," said Fictionary, "but it must be important."

Before long, everypony (and dragon, in Spike's case) was all gathered at Fluttershy's cottage.

"Hello, everypony," said Fluttershy, "I bet you're all wondering why I had the fillies call you here."

"This better not involve me looking after butterflies," groaned Rainbow Dash.

"Oh, nothing of the sort, Rainbow Dash," said Fluttershy. The cyan Pegasus sighed in relief.

"Besides, we don't have enough time. There is somepony I'd like you all to meet. Butterscotch?"

The pale yellow colt wheeled into view.

"Everypony," said Fluttershy, "meet my nephew Butterscotch."

"H-h-hi," he said, obviously nervous around the presence of adult mares and stallions in the case of Vincent and Big Macintosh.

"You never told any of us you had a nephew," said Rarity.

"What's with keeping it a secret from your closest friends?" asked Rainbow Dash, "Especially me?"

"I'm sorry," said Fluttershy, "but I felt uncomfortable about you finding out what happened."

"You mean like why Butterscotch looks like that?" asked Vincent.

"Boomer said he was born that way and their mother died giving birth to him," said Fictionary, "plus, he said the scar was from an attack by a neighbor's cat."

It was then that Butterscotch spoke up.

"He's lying," he said, "he's always been lying."

Everypony except Fluttershy looked at Butterscotch in surprise.

"Then what really happened?" asked Scootaloo.

"Allow me to explain," said Fluttershy, and this is what she told her friends…

It was the year before Twilight and Spike arrived in Ponyville. I was at Trottingham for a while to visit my brother Scattered Marbles. His color scheme was darker than mine – dark yellow and an equally dark purple mane and tail. His eyes were also a dark blue, his hooves were blue, and his cutie mark was three marbles going in different directions.

The reason he was called Scattered Marbles was because he was a bit crazy, but back in those days, he was still nice. He was also married to a beautiful Pegasus mare – orange fur, green mane and tail, light green eyes, and a plant for her cutie mark. Her name was Ivy, and he loved her more than anything in Equestria.

The two of them had two sons; Boomer the elder son, and Butterscotch the younger. Back then, Butterscotch was a normal Pegasus colt. He had two strong wings, both of his ears, all four legs, and the cutest light green eyes you'd ever set your own eyes on.

Unfortunately, all of that was soon to change…

One day, Ivy was near a forest doing some research on rare plants with Butterscotch. He had been warned to stay on the forest path or he would be in danger, but the colt's curiosity got the better of him.

While Ivy wasn't looking, he snuck into a thick part of the forest. Then, from out of nowhere, came a Timberwolf!

Butterscotch was scared and cried out for help. Ivy heard her son's screaming and raced to the rescue. She found the Timberwolf attacking Butterscotch and in a fit of rage, charged at it. Unfortunately, it was much stronger than her.

It was at that moment I came by to look after a lonely little bird. I heard the noise and raced to help as fast as I could. When I got to the scene, I shooed the Timberwolf away with my "Stare", but I was horrified to see what I was too late to prevent. Butterscotch had been seriously injured; his left eye had been scratched, and was bleeding a lot. His left ear and wing had been mostly bitten off, and his hind legs had also been damaged. Sadly, Ivy didn't make it – the Timberwolf had mauled her to death.

"M-m-mom!" Butterscotch managed to cry out in horror. The poor colt couldn't believe what had happened. I held him closely and tried to calm him down. At the same time, I was trying to calm my own nerves as well.

When we finally made it home, we broke the news to Scattered Marbles on what had happened. He was so angry that the only mare he loved was gone, he blamed Butterscotch for not listening to her and beat him.

"Leave him alone!" I shouted, "It wasn't his fault!"

"You're right," said Scattered Marbles, "it's your fault too, Fluttershy! If you had been quicker, she could've been saved!"

"Please leave aunt Fluttershy out of this!" sobbed Butterscotch, "It was my fault! I shouldn't have let my curiosity get the best of me! I'm sorry!"

"You should have thought about that before you caused your mother to get mauled to death!" snapped Scatted Marbles.

Scattered Marbles never forgave Butterscotch for what happened. And he's been hurting him ever since. Boomer, who had up to that point gotten used to having a brother, refused to help him.

Spike and the ponies could not believe what they had heard.

"Wait a minute," said Rainbow Dash, "you knew this whole time that your nephew was being beaten up by your brother, and yet you did nothing to stop him?! You should have told the police and had him arrested for foal abuse!"

"I wanted to," said Fluttershy, "but when I told him what I was going to do…"

"You what?!" Scattered Marbles snarled.

"I'm telling the police," I said, "this abusiveness towards Butterscotch is going to stop!"

That was when he slammed me against the wall and shouted in my face.

"Listen to me, you pathetic, crybaby sister of mine!" he shouted, "I can beat up that worthless son of mine whenever I want! He deserves to suffer for what he's done. And if I were you, I'd mind my own business!"

"How long are you going to keep bullying him?" I demanded.

"Until I am satisfied with my revenge," he answered in a tone that I took as threatening, "and unless you want Butterscotch's suffering to be even worse, you'll be a good sister and stay out of my way! Got it?"

I whimpered, but slowly nodded.

"Good," said Scattered Marbles darkly, "I think it is best you get to the station before you miss your train."

He was no longer my brother who cared for his family; he had become a bully and a monster. I was so worried about Butterscotch's safety I didn't have the courage to contact the authorities and put an end to his father's abusive nature.

"Why did Boomer lie if he knew what was happening?" asked Fictionary.

"Because he's selfish," said Butterscotch, "he's making sure no one finds out what dad is doing so that nopony calls him a horrible brother."

"Fluttershy," said Twilight, "you have to tell the police before Scattered Marbles goes too far and possibly kills somepony."

"But I can't!" cried Fluttershy, "I'm too scared that he might kill Butterscotch if I do!"

Normally, Rainbow Dash was not the type of pony to get all soppy, but this was Fluttershy, her foalhood friend, who was telling everypony – including Rainbow Dash herself – about what she was afraid to tell them.

"That jerk is going to pay for what he's done, Fluttershy," she said with determination, "and if he tries to hurt you or Butterscotch, then he'll have to answer to us. Tell us where he lives so we can punch his lights out."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" said Vincent, flying up in front of the cyan Pegasus, "We are not resorting to violence! It doesn't solve anything. If Scattered Marbles is to be taught a lesson, he'll have to face the authorities. I reckon we let Twilight handle this herself."

"But that stallion is a monster!" objected Rainbow Dash, "He's making his son's life a living nightmare and threatened Fluttershy. Nopony threatens my friends and gets away with it!"

"I'm as angry as you are, Rainbow, but still!" argued Vincent, "Let Twilight have a word with him; the Princess knows what she's doing, after all!"

"And what if he threatens her too?" Rainbow Dash countered, "He's crazy enough to try it."

"Alright, break it up!" shouted Twilight, "Arguing about this isn't going to solve the issue with Fluttershy and Butterscotch."

"Then what do you suggest?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"We will confront Scattered Marbles ourselves," said Twilight, "if he tries to harm Fluttershy or Butterscotch, then we will report him to the authorities."

"Alright," said Rainbow Dash, "where does that stallion live?"

"I'll show you where," said Fluttershy.

"Should we go with?" asked Fictionary.

"No," said Twilight, "I don't want to risk him trying to hurt any of you foals. You six will stay here with a guardian so we know you're safe."

"Big Macintosh, would you please stay here and look after them until we get back?" asked Fluttershy.

"Eeyup."

So Vincent, Spike and the mares set off to find Scattered Marbles while Big Macintosh stayed with the foals.

"Be careful," called Butterscotch sounding worried.

Farther from Ponyville, Twilight and the gang came across a cottage.

"This is where he lives," said Fluttershy.

"Sheesh," remarked Vincent, "Scattered Marbles needs to do a lot of work on the place."

Twilight trotted up closer and knocked on the door.

"Is anypony home?" she called.

"Who is it?!" a male voice shouted. Fluttershy squeaked in fright and hid behind Rainbow Dash.

"This is Princess Twilight Sparkle," the light purple alicorn said firmly, "am I speaking to a stallion by the name of Scattered Marbles?"

The door slowly opened and the ponies could see it was indeed Fluttershy's brother – Scattered Marbles. Fluttershy gave a squeak of fright; Rainbow Dash stood protectively in front of her friend.

"Well, what do you want?" demanded Scattered Marbles.

"For one thing, partner, if Ah may call you that" said Applejack, "we want to know why you enjoy abusing that son of yours named Butterscotch. That is a very serious crime!"

"Who told you about that?!" snapped Scattered Marbles. Then he peered through the group and spotted Fluttershy. "Well, well," he sneered calmly, "it's been years, hasn't it?" Then he shouted, "You told them all, didn't you?!"

"So what if she did?" snapped Rainbow Dash, glaring face to face with him, "If you mess with our friend, then you mess with all of us!"

"You're Rainbow Dash, aren't you?" Scattered Marbles smirked, "Yes, I've heard all about you. You're the one that they all called 'Rainbow Crash' back in Cloudsdale, and last I heard, you kissed a mare according to one stallion. What was his name again – Vector von Klutz?"

Vincent took insult to that, and flew up alongside Rainbow Dash, and also glared crossly at him. "The name," he said sternly, "is Vincent van Colt, thank you very much!"

"Are you going to insult us or are you going to answer why you enjoy abusing Butterscotch?" demanded Rarity.

"That's only for me to know, and you to find out Ms. Prissy Hooves!" retorted Scattered Marbles.

"Ms. Prissy Hooves?!"

"How dare you speak to a mare like that!" snapped Spike, "She happens to have a name, and would so appreciate it if you called her Rarity!"

"Yeah, well, what's an irritating lizard like you gonna do to stop me?" said Scattered Marbles rudely.

"Oh, that is it!" snapped Rainbow Dash, "No more Miss Nice Mare!" Before Applejack could bite her tail, Rainbow Dash charged at Scattered Marbles, punching him in the face and sending him crashing into a wall.

"Rainbow Dash!" gasped Twilight.

"Well, he deserved it!" said the cyan Pegasus.

"And I thought I had anger issues," Vincent muttered.

Scattered Marbles slowly got back onto his hooves. He now had a large black eye from where Rainbow Dash had punched him.

"Right," he snarled, "you asked for it!"

He prepared to charge towards Rainbow Dash, who was ready to counter when suddenly, he was made immobile by a lavender aura.

"Scattered Marbles," said Twilight sternly, "we need to have a little talk. Why do you enjoy abusing your son?"

"It was Butterscotch's fault Ivy was mauled to death by a Timberwolf!" snapped Scattered Marbles.

"It wasn't his fault at all!" snapped Fluttershy. Up to that point, she'd been quiet while her brother insulted her friends, but accusing Butterscotch once again for his mother's death was the last straw.

"It was nopony's fault, and you know it! If Ivy was still alive and heard what you had been doing to poor Butterscotch, she would be as disgusted with you as we all are!"

"He was the reason she's dead!"

"No, he wasn't!" shouted Fluttershy angrily, "I am sick of you bullying a defenseless colt for something that wasn't his fault! You used to be a caring stallion who loved his family, but now, you're a bully and a monster!"

Everyone else stared at Fluttershy in shock.

"Yeah… I still go with what I said earlier," said Vincent quietly.

Rarity and Pinkie knew she'd been angry at them before, and that one time at the Grand Galloping Gala as well. However, this was anger from Fluttershy they'd never seen before. The pale yellow Pegasus just trotted to Spike and asked him to send a message to Princess Celestia.

"What are you doing?" snapped Scattered Marbles.

"Something I should have done four years ago," said Fluttershy firmly, "I'm reporting your crimes to the highest authority in all of Equestria – Princess Celestia!"

"We'll see about that!"

Using all his strength, Scattered Marbles broke free from the aura.

"Stop him!" cried Twilight

"You'll never take me alive!" Scattered Marbles shouted as he took to the air and raced off.

"You're not getting away!" shouted Rainbow Dash, and took off after him, only to be stopped by Applejack.

"Easy there, sugarcube," she said.

"What did you do that for?" snapped Rainbow Dash, "He's getting away!"

"Not for long," said Twilight, "I'll inform Celestia about this and send in a staillion-hunt. Spike, take a letter."

"Right away, Princess Twilight," said the purple dragon.

Oh no! Scattered Marbles is on the loose! How will the Mane Six and Vincent stop him? Will Dinky and First Base ever get together? Does Boomer truly love Diamond Tiara? What will become of Butterscotch now? Why am I asking all these questions?!

Well... wait and see!

25. A Thirst for Appreciation Part 5

Wow, that was quick! It was written and uploaded within two days! Here's the next part to chapter three, and keep an eye out for a Disney reference thrown in there.

Part 5: The Hunt Begins

Back at Fluttershy's cottage, Butterscotch was feeling worried for Fluttershy and the rest.

"What if dad tries to hurt them?" he asked.

"Try not to worry about it," said Fictionary, "try doing what I do – think happy thoughts."

"Okay," said Butterscotch, but he still felt worried inside.

Fictionary could feel that Butterscotch was still upset, so she scooted closer to him and gently gave him a hug. The pale yellow colt blushed a bit.

"Wh-what are you doing?" he squeaked in surprise.

"Making you feel better," Fictionary replied.

"Thank you," said Butterscotch, a small smile forming on his face. This was the first time since he'd been in Ponyville that Butterscotch felt loved.

Suddenly there was a knock at the front door. Then came an angry male voice.

"Open up in there!"

Big Macintosh looked through the window and could barely see an angry dark yellow stallion with a black eye. This, he assumed, must have been Scattered Marbles.

"Who is it, Big Mac?" asked Apple Bloom.

"No… it can't be," Butterscotch whispered quietly.

"You're not getting in here, Scattered Marbles!" Big Macintosh shouted at the door. He turned to the foals and said, "Ya'll best get outta here in case things get ugly. Use the back door."

"But what about you?" asked Fictionary.

"Ah'll be fine," said Big Macintosh, "now go, hurry!"

So the foals did as the large red stallion said. As they made their way to the back door, Butterscotch spotted Fluttershy's pet bunny Angel.

"Angel!" Butterscotch said, "Find aunt Fluttershy and tell her what's happening!"

The little white bunny understood and hopped out of an open window.

After making sure he was alone, Big Macintosh opened the front door to confront Scattered Marbles.

"Why are you here?" he demanded.

"To finish the job," sneered Scattered Marbles, "now where's that pathetic waste of fur and flesh?!"

"Ah'm sorry, partner," said Big Macintosh calmly, "but Ah do not appreciate the tone of yer attitude."

"Who asked you, Red Neck?!" snarled Scattered Marbles, "Now where is he?!"

"Even if Ah knew, Ah'd never tell ya. Besides," Big Macintosh continued, "why should Ah let a monster like ya beat up an innocent colt?"

"He caused my sweet Ivy to get mauled by a Timberwolf!" snapped Scattered Marbles, "I want him to suffer for it!"

"No, he doesn't!" snapped Big Macintosh, "Now unless ya'll leave him alone, Ah could give you a second black eye or worse!"

Scattered Marbles scowled, but reluctantly backed off.

"Very well then," he sneered. Secretly, he was intimidated by Big Macintosh's size, but Scattered Marbles used his anger to mask his fear.

Meanwhile, Boomer found his way to Diamond Tiara's mansion and knocked on the door. After a second or two, the door opened.

"Can I help you?" said a male voice.

"Is Diamond Tiara here?" asked Boomer.

"Yes, she is," came the voice, "who, may I ask, is wanting to know?"

"Her coltfriend Boomer," replied the colt.

"Ah, Miss Tiara said you might come by," said the voice, "come in."

The door opened, allowing Boomer in. The elderly stallion who opened the door was light purplish-gray with a very pale gray balding mane, short tail, and big eyebrows, blue eyes, and a duster for a cutie mark. He wore a white shirt, dark gray vest, and a bluish-green bow tie. This was Diamond Tiara's butler, Randolph.

"Miss Tiara," he called down the hall, "your coltfriend is here."

The pink Earth filly came down the hallway and her face lit up when she saw Boomer. In fact, she was so pleased to see him she ran up and pinned him to the ground.

"Boomer!" she cried, "I'm so glad you could make it."

"As am I," the Pegasus colt replied.

"So," said Diamond Tiara, getting back up, "would you like me to show you around?"

"I'd love to," smiled Boomer.

And with that, Diamond Tiara led Boomer on a little tour around her mansion.

"You must be very rich to live in a place like this," commented Boomer.

"Indeed," said Diamond Tiara, "it's better to be rich than a blank flank. By the way, you never told me about your father. What's he like?"

"Well, he's a bit loopy for a stallion of his age, but he also cares for me and Butterscotch," lied Boomer.

Out on the streets of Ponyville, Butterscotch and the five fillies had made a successful escape from Scattered Marbles.

"I'm glad we got away when we did," said Fictionary.

"Ya'll can say that again," agreed Apple Bloom.

"He'll never find us now," said Scootaloo.

Up ahead, they could see First Base trotting home.

"Hey, First Base!" shouted Dinky.

"Dinky, don't forget," said Fictionary, "he still could be mad at us."

"Actually, I'm not as mad," said First Base, "I'm just upset that you would give me hot sauce instead of lemonade. I thought I could trust you."

"That wasn't her fault," said Scootaloo. Before she could explain everything, an angry voice shouted out to them.

"Aha! There you are!"

"Oh no!" cried Butterscotch. Quickly, he wheeled away as fast as he could, the five fillies following suit.

"What are you all running for?" asked First Base.

"Butterscotch's father is a foal abuser!" cried Sweetie Belle.

"Wait for me, girls!" exclaimed First Base, and he ran off after them.

The seven foals eventually ran into Twilight's group. Angel was on the Fluttershy's back.

"Thank goodness we found you!" the pale yellow Pegasus mare cried in relief.

"We can say the same with you," said Fictionary.

"I've just reported Scattered Marbles to Princess Celestia," said Twilight, "she's told me that she's sent in a stallion-hunt to capture him. After that, he'll never harm Butterscotch again."

"We hope they catch him," gasped Scootaloo, "we haven't much time!"

"Don't worry," said Rainbow Dash, "if he tries to hurt any of you or Butterscotch, I'll make him wish he was never born."

"But wouldn't that mean Butterscotch wouldn't have been born either?" asked Pinkie.

"Good point," grumbled Rainbow Dash, "then I'll just make him wish he never started hurting Butterscotch."

"I think it's best we go to the library," said Twilight, "you'll be safer there."

Twilight concentrated her magic and teleported the entire group to Golden Oak Library.

"Mother of Paul McHoofney," groaned Vincent once they materialized; clearly, he was not used to teleportation.

"We'll be safe here," said Twilight, "but just in case, I'll cast a protecting barrier around the library to make sure he can't come in."

"Didn't ya use that magic shield to keep us out when we wrote embarrassing articles of you in the Foal Free Press?" asked Apple Bloom.

"Well… yes, but this is different," said Twilight, and with that, she used her spell to form a large magic bubble around the library.

"That'll do it," said Spike, "let's see that monster get through there!"

At that moment, a large group of royal guards had arrived on the outskirts of Ponyville. They had been sent by Princess Celestia to find Scattered Marbles. Leading them was Comet Tail's older brother Shooting Star.

"Alright lads," he said to the rest, "let's find this criminal and bring him to justice."

"Yes, sir," the guards said, saluting. Then they set off all over Ponyville in search for Scattered Marbles. They were not going to stop until they found him.

Back at Fluttershy's cottage, Big Macintosh was just getting ready to love.

"Ah hope those foals got to somewhere safe," he said to himself. Just then, he spotted two royal guards coming up to him.

"Excuse me, sir," said one of them, "have you a moment?"

"Eeyup," said Big Macintosh.

"Ah, good," said the other guard, "we've been ordered by Princess Celestia to apprehend a stallion by the name of Scattered Marbles for the crime of foal abuse. Have you seen him?"

"Eeyup. He came by earlier demanding that Ah tell him where Butterscotch was, but Ah refused and told him to leave, or else Ah'd have to use force."

"I see," said the first guard, "any idea where he might've gone?"

"Ah think he headed into town," said Big Macintosh, pointing in said direction.

"Thank you for your co-operation," said the second guard, and on that note, the two raced off.

"This Scattered Marbles ought to be lucky if Whiplash didn't get to him first," one of the guards told the other, "he hates foal abusers!"

"You're telling me," agreed his friend, "he's actually willing to kill them himself despite the Princess' objections. The last foal abuser we caught barely escaped with her life from him!"

Whiplash was the prison guard in Canterlot in charge of punishing criminals. Most of the royal guards tended to avoid him for his sadistic hatred for foal abusers.

Meanwhile, another pair of guards arrived at Diamond Tiara's mansion and knocked on the door.

"I'll get it," said a voice. This didn't sound like Randolph; it was much younger and more like a business stallion.

The door opened revealing a grayish amber Earth stallion with a dark gray mane and tail with lighter highlights, light azure eyes, and his cutie mark consisted of three sacks of money. He also wore a red necktie with a pale gold dollar sign on it. This was Diamond Tiara's father, Filthy Rich.

"Can I help you?" he asked the Royal Guards.

"We're looking for this stallion," said one guard, holding up a picture of Scattered Marbles, "he is wanted for the crime of foal abuse and we've been ordered to capture him. Have you seen him?"

"Erm, no, I'm afraid I haven't," admitted Filthy Rich.

"Well then, if you see him, signal us with this," said the second guard, giving the rich stallion a flare gun.

"If I see him, I'll be sure to notify you," said Filthy Rich.

As soon as the guards had left, Diamond Tiara and Boomer came up.

"Who was that, daddy?" asked Diamond Tiara.

"There's a foal abuser named Scattered Marbles on the loose," said Filthy Rich, "it's best you two stay here until he's been captured by the authorities."

Boomer's eyes widened in horror; his father was being hunted down for his crimes, and now he would also be exposed for his lying.

Think fast, Boomer! he thought to himself, Cover your tracks like you've always done!

"Er, Diamond," he said at last, "can we go somewhere else so I don't have to hear anymore of this foal abuser?"

"Um, sure, okay," she replied. The two foals then quickly set off upstairs.

"Hard to believe, isn't it?" said Boomer, "Something as terrible as a foal abuser roaming free. It's almost as bad as the time my mother was killed by a Timberwolf."

No sooner had he said that, Boomer gasped and covered his mouth.

"Your mother what?" asked Diamond Tiara, raising an eyebrow suspiciously.

"Er, nothing," Boomer chuckled nervously. He was hoping Diamond Tiara would believe him, but she wasn't fooled.

"You said your mother died giving birth to Butterscotch," she said firmly, "if that were true, then how could she have been killed by a Timberwolf?"

Boomer found himself being backed into a corner by the stern looking filly.

"Well?" she demanded, "Tell me the truth, Boomer!"

"Oh, fine!" confessed Boomer, "Mother didn't die giving birth to my brother; she was mauled to death by a Timberwolf while trying to save him. That's also how he ended up looking the way he does!"

"So all this time, you've been lying to me?!" Diamond Tiara shrieked with fury.

"Got that right, toots," said Boomer, "and not only that, but Scattered Marbles happens to be my father."

"You mean that foal abuser is your father?!" Diamond Tiara asked in surprise.

"Correct again," Boomer grinned deviously, his nice personality completely shunted aside for his true colors, "he blamed Butterscotch along with aunt Fluttershy for mother's death and has been beating him up ever since. He's saved me the trouble of beating the little twerp up myself."

"So you were the one who pushed Butterscotch out of his wheelchair!" snarled Diamond Tiara, "Fictionary blamed that on me!"

"Oh, that blue brat?" Boomer sneered, "she's just pathetic – going around town being everypony's friend when she's nothing more than a nuisance!"

"You're not going to get away with this!" snapped Diamond Tiara, "I'm telling daddy on you!"

"Oh, really?"

As Diamond Tiara ran for the stairs, Boomer beat her there and kicked her away from them hard, causing her to cry out in pain.

"Oh, Diamond Tiara," Boomer chuckled maliciously, "if only there was somepony out there who loved you."

"But I thought you did!" objected Diamond Tiara, "How could you act like this, you… you… you monster?!"

"I was only pretending to be interested in you just so I could be popular," sniffed Boomer, "not only that, but I also planned to sneak myself into your wealth if we'd ever marry in about fifteen years. I knew that if anypony found out what father had been doing to Butterscotch, they'd see me as his accomplice and want nothing to do with me."

Then Boomer picked up a broom and threw it handle first towards a nearby window, causing it to shatter.

"Well, it's been fun," he said deviously, "but I gotta fly. So long, sucker!" And he flew off laughing rudely.

At another part of Ponyville, Amethyst Star was looking for Dinky. She was a pale, light grayish magenta teenage unicorn mare with a moderate violet mane and tail with light purple highlights, moderate purple eyes, and her cutie mark consisted of three diamonds.

"I hope nothing bad's happened to her," she said to herself, "mom and dad would kill me if-" She was interrupted by bumping into Big Macintosh.

"Whoa there," he said, "you alright, Amethyst?"

"Oh, yes, I am, Big Macintosh," she replied, "I was looking for Dinky. Have you seen her?"

"Eeyup," the large red stallion replied, and he explained the situation.

"So Fluttershy's brother is a foal abuser wanting to harm his son for something that wasn't his fault?" Amethyst Star gasped.

"Eeyup."

"We have to stop him!"

"Let's head to the library," suggested Big Macintosh, "maybe they're safe there."

And with that, the two headed off towards Golden Oak Library.

The hunt's on for Scattered Marbles, but now Boomer has betrayed Diamond Tiara, and for once, she was totally innocent, if not a little shallow. I did say there'd be one more chapter following this, but now, this chapter will be seven parts total, and there'll be an epilogue. Let's hope the group makes it out unscathed!

26. A Thirst for Appreciation Part 6

Hmm, it seems like these parts are being uploaded in half the time as the last one was. :P Ah well, here's the penultimate part to chapter three!

Part 6: An Unexpected Rescue

Big Macintosh and Amethyst Star eventually arrived at Golden Oak Library. They could see the magic shield.

"Twilight must've been expectin' Scattered Marbles to show up," observed Big Macintosh. They walked up to the shield and he knocked on it.

"Who goes there?" said Pinkie, oddly dressed like a general, also wearing sunglasses and a mustache.

"Pinkie, it's us," sighed Big Macintosh.

"Can we come in?" asked Amethyst Star.

"Oh, why didn't ya say so?" asked Pinkie, "Twilight, you can let them in! It's Big Mac and Amethyst!"

"You mean my big sister's here?" asked Dinky eagerly.

"Got that right," grinned Pinkie Pie. Twilight undid the shield so Big Macintosh and Amethyst Star could be let in.

"Hi, big sis!" Dinky cried, running up to hug her sister.

"Thank Celestia you're safe," smiled Amethyst.

Unknown to the group, Boomer had found Scattered Marbles and the two secretly followed Big Macintosh and Amethyst inside the library.

"Aha!" Scattered Marbles shouted as soon as they were in and the barrier was back up, "Found you again, Butterscotch!"

The pale yellow colt gasped and hid behind Applejack in fright.

"How did you get in?" snapped Vincent.

"We followed your two friends in," said Boomer.

"Now onto business," said Scattered Marbles, "give us Butterscotch, and we'll let you go."

"Never!" snapped Rainbow Dash, "You'll have to kill us first!"

The adult ponies stood defiantly in Scattered Marbles' way, refusing to move.

"That's just like you to let other ponies fight your battles for you, Butterscotch," sneered Boomer, "weak and pathetic."

Before Fictionary could shout at Boomer and tell him how selfish he was, somepony else did the talking for her…

"Shut up, Boomer!" snapped Butterscotch, "Just shut up! I am sick and tired of being pushed around by you. You call yourself my brother! Ha! Brothers are meant to look out for each other, not make each other feel unappreciated. You're nothing but a bully and a liar!"

The library was dead silent; nopony had ever seen Butterscotch so angry before.

"Well… you've got guts after all," Boomer grinned in a devious way.

"Alright, Butterscotch!" cheered Fictionary, hugging the colt in a wheelchair.

"Oh, isn't that right!" snarled Boomer, "Cheer for the weakling!"

Before anypony could say anything, Boomer shot past the grown-ups, grabbed Fictionary and raced out the door.

"Let's see how you manage without your fillyfriend, Butterscotch!" he cackled.

"You bring my sister back here this instant!" shouted Vincent.

"Attaboy, Boomer!" called Scattered Marbles, "Make that brother of yours suffer!"

Then he felt somepony smack him on the back of the head.

"You irresponsible, pathetic excuse of a father!" snarled Vincent, slamming him against the book shelves, "How dare you encourage that idiot son of yours Boomer to harm my sister! If Butterscotch was my own son, I would show him all the love and care in the world he deserves!"

I wish you were my father too, Vincent, thought Butterscotch.

"We've gotta save her!" cried First Base.

"You four come with me," said Vincent, pointing to Butterscotch, Dinky, First Base and Amethyst, "the rest of you make sure Scattered Marbles doesn't follow."

And with that, Vincent, Amethyst and the three foals raced off to the rescue.

"Get something to hold him," said Twilight as Scattered Marbles began to pick himself up.

"Where do ya think yer goin', huh?" asked Applejack, twirling a rope around with her tail.

"Oh, pooh," groaned Scattered Marbles. He tried to make an escape, but Applejack's rope tied his wings down to his torso and he was pony-piled by Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie, and Big Macintosh.

"You're not going anywhere, you freak!" said Rainbow Dash.

"Oh, yes, I will," Scattered Marbles snapped, "once I break free, I'll-"

"Shut up!" snapped Applejack, smacking his face.

Meanwhile, Boomer was racing through town with Fictionary on his back.

"Put me down you bully!" she snapped.

"Shut up, girly!" snapped Boomer, "Keep squirming and you might end up with a rather unpleasant fall!"

Suddenly, Boomer heard the sounds of wings flapping other than his own. He looked back and saw Vincent, Dinky, First Base, Amethyst and Butterscotch chasing him.

"You give back my little sister, you stupid brat!" shouted Vincent.

"Not a chance, four eyes!" snapped Boomer.

Just when Vincent was about to grab hold of him, Boomer kicked him in the face, causing his glasses to fall off and hit the ground.

"Oh! I can't see!" groaned Vincent. From his point of view, everything looked blurry. He flew down to the ground and started looking for his glasses.

"I'll stop that brat," said Amethyst Star as her unicorn horn began to glow with a brilliant raspberry magic aura.

"No, Amethyst!" cried Dinky, "You could hurt Fictionary too!"

At that moment, Boomer kicked a flowerpot down from a windowsill heading for Dinky, but First Base jumped in front of her, taking the hit. The pot hit First Base on the head, knocking him out cold.

"First Base!" cried Dinky.

She and Amethyst stayed behind to see if he was okay. Now it was only Butterscotch left.

"Keep going, Butterscotch!" called Amethyst, "Fictionary needs your help!"

Butterscotch didn't need telling twice; he wheeled after Boomer fast as wheels and front legs could let him. He was determined not to lose the filly who'd made a difference in his life.

"Not giving up, eh?" said Boomer, "Fine. You want her so badly, go get her!" And he threw Fictionary into the air with all his might.

"Fictionary!" cried Butterscotch.

With every ounce of strength he had, Butterscotch jumped out of his wheelchair and started flapping his good wing, determined to save his friend. It was dreadfully difficult, but he refused to let it stop him.

Just as Fictionary was about to hit the ground, Butterscotch threw out his front hooves and caught her.

"I gotcha!" he gasped.

However, with the extra weight she put on him, Butterscotch found himself falling and the two foals landed right in a bush! Luckily, they weren't harmed except for a couple of scratches.

"Thanks for saving me, Butterscotch," said Fictionary, "that was very brave of you."

Without warning, she kissed his face, causing Butterscotch to blush red and his wing to spring open. Boomer was most outraged.

"I can't believe it!" he snapped. He was just about to attack them when…

"Where do you think you're going?"

…Boomer found himself hit by a blast of magic. He fell to the ground with a thud, and scowled.

"I'm gonna pound whoever did this to me!" he snarled.

"Guess again, you little brat," sad Amethyst Star, trotting into view.

Vincent followed close behind, having found his glasses. They were slightly scratched and dirty, but otherwise undamaged. He was furious at Boomer.

"How dare you foalnap my little sister!" he snapped.

"Oh, she was your sister?" Boomer said rudely. He was still trying to act like he knew better, but the others could see past that.

"Yes, she's my sister, you little worm!" snarled Vincent, now face to face with Boomer, "Nopony harms my sister and gets away with it!"

Boomer scooted himself into a corner to avoid anymore of Vincent's anger. At that moment, Filthy Rich trotted up with a rather angry Diamond Tiara beside him.

"There he is, daddy!" she said angrily, pointing to Boomer.

"Uh oh…"

"My daughter says that Scattered Marbles is your father and that you've been allowing him to beat up your brother," said Filthy Rich firmly.

"And he lied about loving me just because he wanted my money!" added Diamond Tiara.

"Ah, well, erm…" Boomer was too intimidated to lie.

"I will inform Miss Cheerilee about this," continued Filthy Rich, "I don't think she'll be happy with you, Boomer."

Back at the library, Scattered Marbles was still struggling to get free. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

"I'll get it," said Twilight, trotting over to the door. When she opened it, standing there was a rather tough looking reddish-brown unicorn stallion with a dark brown mane and dark green eyes. He wore a royal uniform, but it looked rather rugged and scraped. Instead of a helmet like the other guards, this one had what looked like a hunter's cap.

"'ello, Princess Twilight," he said with an Coltney accent, "name's Whiplash – royal prison guard, executioner, and bounty hunter at your service."

"Er, pleasure to meet you," Twilight said with a nervous tone.

"Heard you had a foal abuser around," said Whiplash, giving a fierce glare at Scattered Marbles, "hope you won't mind me taking him off your hooves for you."

"Please take him as far away from Ponyville as possible," said Rainbow Dash, "and can you make sure he never harms Butterscotch again?"

"Exactly what I had in mind!" said Whiplash darkly, "Come on, you!" He used his unicorn magic to take away the still tied-up Scattered Marbles and dragged him away, closing the door behind him."

"Ya know that guy, Twilight?" asked Applejack.

"I've heard of him from Shining Armor," explained Twilight, "Whiplash loathes foal abusers with a burning passion. Some say he was bullied in his youth that made him who he is. He's even willing to kill criminals despite Princess Celestia's objections."

"Gee golly!" remarked Apple Bloom, "Ah've heard of ponies who won't tolerate bullyin', but that's just beyond ridiculous!"

Then suddenly came a cry of pain from outside. The grown ups looked out the window and saw Whiplash using his magic to bend Scattered Marbles' wings.

"Stop it!" the dark yellow stallion cried, "That hurts!"

"Good!" shouted Whiplash in a sadistic tone, "I want it to hurt! I want you to feel the same pain you inflicted on your son, you worthless freak!"

Whiplash then used his magic to throw Scattered Marbles against a nearby wall over and over. Fluttershy squealed in fright and looked away; as much as she hated her brother now for bullying Butterscotch, even seeing somepony cruel like Scattered Marbles being tormented was painful to watch.

"You think he's going to kill him?" asked Scootaloo.

"Spare me the thought," groaned Sweetie Belle.

Once Whiplash was done slamming Scattered Marbles into the wall, he dropped him to the ground.

"Is… is it over yet?" Scattered Marbles groaned weakly.

"Far from it," came the sadistic reply. Whiplash then charged up his horn and was just about to fire it at Scattered Marbles when…

"Whiplash, stop!"

The reddish-brown stallion turned and saw Shooting Star along with the rest of the guards, and standing among them was none other than Princess Celestia herself. It was her presence that made Whiplash stop what he was doing.

"Princess Celestia," he said, bowing in respect, "what brings you here?"

"Whiplash," said Princess Celestia sternly as she trotted over to him, "may I ask what you were doing to this stallion?"

"I, er, was teaching him what happens if you abuse foals," he chuckled nervously.

Princess Celestia didn't respond; she simply raised an eyebrow.

"Eh, why am I the only one laughing here?" Whiplash asked in confusion.

"Whiplash, it is unacceptable behavior to physically harm anypony in public no matter what they have done," said Celestia firmly, "do you remember me telling you that with the last foal abuser that was arrested?"

"Y… yes, I do. My apologies."

"Try to keep it under control next time," said the Princess.

"Scattered Marbles," said Shooting Star as he approached, "by order of Princess Celestia, you are under arrest for the crime of foal abuse."

As the guards dealt with the weakened stallion, Celestia went to the library to speak with Fluttershy.

"I'm so sorry I didn't tell you sooner," Fluttershy immediately burst out, "I was too afraid of the consequences… Oh, I didn't know better…!"

"Fluttershy," said Celestia kindly, "you should never be afraid to report abusive activities. The sooner you do, the less likely it will be worse."

Fluttershy felt better after hearing this. Then she spotted Vincent, Amethyst, Dinky, First Base, Fictionary and Butterscotch coming into view.

"Oh, thank goodness you're all safe," Fluttershy gasped in relief, "what happened?"

"Ya should have seen this!" remarked Fictionary, surprisingly upbeat despite narrowly avoiding what could've been a gruesome end for her, "Butterscotch saved me at the last moment, and he was only on one good wing!"

"He did?" asked Sweetie Belle.

"It's no joke, Sweetie Belle; Boomer let go of me while he was in the air, and I thought I was done for. But Butterscotch jumped off his wheelchair and saved me from certain doom!"

"Your nephew is a hero, Fluttershy," said Amethyst Star.

"Yes, indeed," agreed Vincent, "he proved that despite his disability, Butterscotch knew to confront the face of danger and risk his life to save my sister, and for that, I'll always be grateful." He even tousled the young colt's mane as he said that last bit.

"Where's Boomer?" asked Scootaloo.

"Diamond Tiara's chewing him out for lying," said Dinky, giggling slightly, "I also hear that her father told Miss Cheerilee about what he's done; Boomer's going to be expelled."

"Good riddance, that's what Ah say," said Apple Bloom.

"Oh, and First Base?" Dinky said, "I'm really sorry about the hot sauce incident. We never meant to burn your mouth on purpose; it was just that some plans we had got mixed up by accident. I know you probably wouldn't want to speak us again, but at least, will you forgive us?"

Will First Base forgive the fillies for giving him hot sauce? What will become of Boomer and Scattered Marbles? Where will Butterscotch go? Only one more part of chapter three to find out!

Also, if you haven't heard, Robin Williams has recently passed away, suspected to be a suicide. Let's now take a moment of silence for another recently departed famous figure... (How many people are dying this year, honestly?)

27. A Thirst for Appreciation Part 7

Here we go for the final chapter of part three! Plus, if you're a fan of TUGS, Thomas' sister show, you might find a reference there! Oh, and the character of Watermelody is based on the background human seen in Equestria Girls at various times.

Part 7: Tying Up Loose Ends

"Of course I forgive you," smiled First Base, "it does no good staying mad at somepony forever."

"Y… you really mean that?" asked Dinky hopefully.

"Of course," replied First Base, "why else do you think I took the hit for you when Boomer threw that flower pot at you?"

Remembering the incident, Dinky threw her hooves around First Base for a hug, which he gladly returned.

"Oh, give me a break," groaned Scootaloo.

A few days later, Scattered Marbles had been taken to Canterlot High Court for his trial. He had been chained up to make sure he didn't try to escape. Princess Celestia herself was the judge.

"Scattered Marbles," she said sternly, "you are being charged for the crimes of foal abuse and trespassing. How do you plead?"

"It's a free country!" snapped Scattered Marbles, "I should be allowed to beat up whoever I want!"

"Shut up, worm!" snarled Whiplash, whacking him on the back of the head, "Sass back at the princess again and I'll carve you like a jack-o-lantern!"

"That will do, Whiplash," said Celestia firmly.

"Sorry," said Whiplash, "force of habit."

"Anyway," the princess continued, "are they any witnesses for the defense?"

"I am," said a timid voice. Everypony looked as Fluttershy trotted forwards.

"Fluttershy, what are you doing?" Vincent hissed quietly.

"Scattered Marbles has been beating up his son Butterscotch for four years after blaming him for his mother Ivy's death," Fluttershy said to the crowd, "I tried to call the authorities, but I was too scared that he would kill Butterscotch. So out of shame, I stayed quiet."

The crowd gasped.

"But what's even worse," the yellow Pegasus mare continued, "is that one time, I almost became a monster just like him."

Then she explained about the time weeks prior to Twilight and Spike's arrival regarding Iron Will the minotaur's arrival in to Ponyville and how he got Fluttershy to stand up for herself by becoming a brute.

"Thank you for your speech, Fluttershy," said Celestia once the yellow Pegasus mare finished, "has the jury reached a verdict?"

"Yes, your majesty," said a mare on the jury, "we find Scattered Marbles guilty."

Needless to say, Scattered Marbles – you guessed it – did not take the verdict well.

"Guilty?!" he snapped, "How dare you!"

"Silence, Scattered Marbles," said Princess Celestia, "I hereby sentence you to fifty years in prison. Whiplash, take him away."

"Yes, your majesty," said Whiplash, who gave a sadistic chuckle to Scattered Marbles, "fitting since it's my job to give freaks like him a taste of their own medicine!"

Scattered Marbles gave a quiet whimper.

"And no over-the-top punishment either," ordered the Princess.

"I'll do my best, your majesty," said Whiplash, He then violently dragged Scattered Marbles away with him.

"No! Please have mercy on me!" he begged as he was taken away.

"It's finally over," said Fluttershy quietly. She felt somewhat sorry for Scattered Marbles being taken by Whiplash, but she was relieved that he would never harm Butterscotch ever again.

As for Boomer, he was sent to Canterlot Military School in disgrace.

"I can't believe it!" he cried, "Me, going to military school!"

"And hopefully when you return," grinned Fictionary innocently, "maybe you'll learn to be a well-mannered colt?"

As for Butterscotch, Vincent had invited him to stay with him and Fictionary until they found somepony to raise him as their son. Not only that, but he was being given prosthetics for his hind legs and left wing.

"Your left hind leg is merely a stump," explained the doctor, "but there's no amputation that we can't fix."

"What about my wing, doc?" asked Butterscotch.

"Well, we'll see what we can do about that," the doctor replied.

While Butterscotch was having his prosthetics, Vincent was having a word with Fluttershy and Twilight.

"Is something wrong, Vincent?" asked Fluttershy.

"Not exactly," said Vincent, "it's just that Butterscotch doesn't have a parent looking after him."

"Fluttershy could look after him," suggested Twilight, "she's the only true family he has left, after all."

"But she'll be too busy tending to the animals," explained Vincent.

"He's got a point," said Fluttershy, "tending to them will take a lot of work and I might not have enough time for Butterscotch."

"But I know somepony who might," said Vincent, "I've written to an old friend of mine and Fictionary from Liverhoof. Her name is Watermelody and she's really good with foals. I should see if she'll be willing to raise Butterscotch."

"You mean you want Butterscotch to go away to Liverhoof?" Fluttershy asked, sounding heartbroken. Her nephew was finally feeling better about himself now that Scattered Marbles and Boomer were gone, and now it sounded like Vincent was having him sent to his old hometown.

"No, no, no," said Vincent, "I didn't mean it like that. Y'see, Watermelody told me through letter that she's been having troubles of her own back in Liverhoof and lost her job at Hoofover Café. Because of that, she's lost money and could be under threat of eviction."

"That's terrible," said Twilight, "we're very sorry to hear that."

"So I talked her into coming to Ponyville," Vincent continued, "and asked if she'd be willing to look after Butterscotch."

Just then, one of the doctors came out.

"The operation is finished," he said proudly, "you can now see him if you want."

Vincent, Fluttershy, and Twilight entered the room and could not believe what they saw. Butterscotch almost looked exactly the way he did before the Timberwolf incident, apart from his ear and eye.

"Well?" he asked timidly, "How do I look?"

"You look great," said Vincent.

"Better than ever before," said Twilight.

"Yay!" Fluttershy cheered quietly.

"How does it feel standing on four hooves again?" asked Vincent.

"It feels great!" said Butterscotch excitedly, "Although, I am a bit nervous on flying after what happened weeks ago."

"I suggest you don't do any real flying until you've gotten used to your new wing," suggested the doctor, "you see, when Pegasi first get wing prosthetics, they are restricted to start out flying only a few feet in the air. As they get more used to them, they progress a little higher at a time until they can properly and safely fly like a normal Pegasus."

"That makes sense," said Butterscotch.

"Butterscotch," said Vincent, "a friend of mine and Fictionary's is coming to Ponyville. Her name is Watermelody and she's great with foals. I wrote to her asking if she would be willing to adopt you. Would you like that?"

"That'd be great," smiled Butterscotch. He loved the idea of being with a new family; one that would treat him with kindness and love.

A few days later, Fictionary, Butterscotch, Spike and three adults stood at Ponyville railway station.

"She should be here any minute," said Vincent. After he said that, a loud, shrill whistle sounded in the distance.

"Feels more like any second," said Fictionary.

Coming into view was a large red Equestrian Railroad "Princess" Class 4-6-4 tender locomotive, No. 2012 Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.

"Wow," exclaimed Butterscotch, "I've never seen an engine like that before."

Then the doors to the coaches opened and the passengers got off. One of them was the mare the gang had been waiting for. The mare in question was a pinkish gray Pegasus with a light green mane and tail with pale highlights, grayish fuchsia eyes, and her cute mark was a treble clef with a watermelon slice. She also wore a dark red beret on her head.

"Good to see you again, Watermelody," smiled Vincent, giving the mare a hug.

"Hello again, Vincent," said Watermelody happily. Then she saw Butterscotch. "Aw, is this the colt you wanted me to adopt? He's adorable!"

Butterscotch couldn't help but blush at this compliment.

"That's not what Scattered Marbles thought," said Fluttershy, and explained about the recent ordeals.

"That's dreadful," remarked Watermelody, "no foal deserves to be treated like dirt!"

"That's what we all said," said Vincent, "but that fool Scattered Marbles was too stubborn to admit he was in the wrong."

"Don't you worry, Butterscotch," said Watermelody, giving the young colt a comforting hug, "I'll see to it that you're treated with the love and care that you deserve."

A few days later, Butterscotch showed his new look to the other foals.

"You look a whole lot better," commented Scootaloo.

"Certainly stronger than before," agreed Apple Bloom.

"Yay!" cheered Sweetie Belle.

"I'm glad you're feeling better now, Butterscotch," Fictionary smiled.

"So am I," said Butterscotch, "and thanks for being my friend and never giving up on me when I first came here."

With that, he threw himself onto Fictionary giving her hug and a kiss on her face. The light blue unicorn filly blushed bright red, but also returned the hug.

"Oh, give me a break!" remarked Scootaloo, "One mushy moment too many!"

"Actually, it was three 'mushy moments', as you so put them," said Apple Bloom.

Butterscotch simply smiled; for the first time in four years, he felt proud of himself. He was finally being accepted by those around him not for his looks, but for his kindness and undying courage to stand up for his friends.

At that moment, Diamond Tiara came trotting by with Silver Spoon once again by her side.

"I can't believe Boomer lied to you," she said, trying to comfort her friend.

"Well, well, Diamond Tiara," said Fictionary, "I hope you've learned your lesson."

"I sure have," said the pink earth filly, "never fall in love with somepony you've first met."

"Just a thought," said Sweetie Belle, "but what if you two actually became friends with us for once?"

"What? You're crazy," scoffed Diamond Tiara, "this incident was this incident, okay?"

"It was just a thought," said Apple Bloom.

"Yeah, well you think too much."

"Ah, well," said Fictionary, "one of these days…"

Butterscotch just gave a quiet laugh. He then noticed Fluttershy writing in the journal she shared with her friends.

"In the last few weeks, I learned that you should never be afraid of reporting abusive activities. If you let your fear get in the way, it will only make things worse not only for the victim, but for you as well. Also, just because somepony has a certain disability doesn't mean they can't help their friends, as my nephew Butterscotch has learned."

She closed the book happily and watched Butterscotch playing with his new friends. At that moment, Dinky and First Base arrived.

"Hey, Butterscotch," said First Base, "wanna play kick ball with us?"

"You bet, First Base," said Butterscotch, "how are you and Dinky getting on?"

"Pretty good," smiled Dinky as she nuzzled First Base.

"Her parents and sisters are okay with it," added First Base, "and so is mom. She figured it was about time I found my special somepony."

Butterscotch just chuckled.

"Can I join too?" asked Fictionary.

"Sure, why not?" smiled First Base.

With that, the four friends trotted off to play kickball.

At last, the day came when Butterscotch officially became under Watermelody's care. Very recently, the pinkish gray Pegasus had moved into a cottage close by the Metrostallion House and got a new job as waitress at a local restaurant called The Hayburger.

Fluttershy was rather upset to let Butterscotch go, but she knew it was for the best and that he would be happier.

"I promise to visit you whenever I have the chance," Butterscotch said.

"Take care, Butterscotch," said Fluttershy softly, giving her nephew a hug. Big Macintosh was passing by with a cart full of apples.

"Take care, young 'un," he called.

"I will, Uncle Macintosh," Butterscotch called back cheekily. The large red stallion stopped in surprise and Fluttershy blushed, her wings springing open.

"How do ya'll know about our relationship?" he asked.

"You just mentioned it," chuckled Butterscotch. The three adults had a laugh at his little joke as well.

Fluttershy could see they weren't alone as their friends had also come to see Butterscotch with his new family. Fictionary jumped through the crowd as hugged him happily.

"Oh! Hey, Fictionary," said Butterscotch.

"Hi, Butterscotch," said Fictionary in a cheeky tone.

"Aren't ya gonna give yer new fillyfriend a kiss?" Apple Bloom asked teasingly. The two foals blushed with embarrassment at Apple Bloom's remark.

Fictionary stopped blushing when a cheeky grin came on her face.

"At least I'm not too shy to show affection to somepony," she said teasingly to Apple Bloom, "like how you are with Featherweight?"

Now it was Apple Bloom's turn to feel embarrassment.

"A-Ah've no clue to what yer talkin' 'bout!" she spluttered as her cheeks blushed as red as her mane. This made everypony – even Big Macintosh and Scootaloo – have a slight laugh.

"Aww, Apple Bloom has a crush too," giggled Sweetie Belle.

"Ah do not!" Apple Bloom shouted in embarrassment.

"Nopony would see me crushing on anyone," Scootaloo mumbled.

"Would you lot stop being silly?" interrupted Vincent.

"Sorry, Vincent," said the foals.

"He's right," said Fluttershy, "we should at least be thankful Scattered Marbles is finally behind bars where he belongs."

Everypony else could not have agreed more.

"Good luck with your new life, Butterscotch," said Spike, giving a thumbs up.

"You should come by to Sugarcube Corner sometime for a 'Butterscotch' sundae!" giggled Pinkie, "Get it? Your name is Butterscotch, and Butterscotch is a topping for ice cream!"

"Can't wait til you're flying properly," said Rainbow Dash, messing with Butterscoth's mane, "when that time comes, I'm gonna teach you how to be a great flyer!"

"Just like your coltfriend from the Wonderbolts, I presume?" said Watermelody with a smirk.

Rainbow Dash's face blushed bright red and her wings extended.

"How do-?! I don't-! Who told you?!" she spluttered.

"Oh, a little yellow birdie told me," said Watermelody innocently. Vincent tried his best not to laugh.

"Ah look forwards ta havin' ya visitin' Sweet Apple Acres," said Applejack, "feel free to come by and try some tasty apples."

"Eeyup," agreed Big Macintosh.

"Butterscotch," said Rarity, "as a little present for your new life, I've taken the liberty of making this rather fabulous looking sweater for you."

"It's terrific!" he said excitedly, "I hear your sister was talented, Sweetie Belle, but I didn't realize she was this talented."

"And feel free to come to Golden Oak Library," said Twilight, "you'll be sure to find interesting books that can be of use to you."

At this point, Fluttershy's eyes began to fill with tears again.

"Aunt Fluttershy?" asked Butterscotch softly, "Are you okay?"

"Of course," she replied softly, "these are just tears of joy. If only Ivy could see you today…"

"I'm sure she'd be just as proud as we all are," said Twilight.

In Butterscotch's eyes, Watermelody almost reminded him of Ivy in so many ways. It almost felt as if she had been resurrected to take care of him once again.

"Yer doin' the right thing, Fluttershy," said Applejack.

"Eeyup," agreed Big Macintosh, giving his fillyfriend a gentle, comforting hug.

"Thanks," said Fluttershy softly.

While nopony was watching, the specter of an orange Pegasus mare appeared, watching them.

"I'm sorry, Ivy," said Fluttershy quietly, "I'm unable to watch over your youngest son while watching over all my animal friends, but I hope you'll understand that I'm leaving him in good hooves."

The specter heard her and gave a small smile.

"I understand, Fluttershy," she said gently, "and thank you for finding the courage to stop Scattered Marbles from causing Butterscotch anymore harm."

She then looked at Butterscotch. "I will always be with you, my little Butterscotch," she said before slowly fading away.

For Butterscotch and Watermelody, it was the beginning of a new life; Watermelody would treat Butterscotch with the same love and care that Ivy treated him with, and Butterscotch would do as she told him because he didn't want to lose her the way he lost his own mother. But no matter what happened, the two would have a perfectly happy future.

And that's the happy ending to Butterscotch's story. Quite a lengthy finale I thought too. Following this will be a one-shot featuring Watermelody and how she became friends with Vincent and Fictionary, so look out for that!

Next Chapter: Liverhoof Eight Estimated time remaining: 0 Minutes

My Little Pony: Royals, Friends and Lovers

by Shimmering Sparkles

Chapters

1. Volume I Prologue

2. The Pegasus Artist Part 1

3. The Pegasus Artist Part 2

4. The Pegasus Artist Part 3

5. The Pegasus Artist Part 4

6. The Pegasus Artist Part 5

7. The Pegasus Artist Part 6

8. Monkey Business

9. To Tell a Tale

10. Risky Romance Part 1

11. Risky Romance Part 2

12. Risky Romance Part 3

13. Risky Romance Part 4

14. A Flash in the Sunset

15. Risky Romance Part 5

16. Risky Romance Part 6

17. Risky Romance Part 7

18. Risky Romance Part 8

19. Risky Romance Part 9

20. Meet the Princess' Parents

21. A Thirst for Appreciation Part 1

22. A Thirst for Appreciation Part 2

23. A Thirst for Appreciation Part 3

24. A Thirst for Appreciation Part 4

25. A Thirst for Appreciation Part 5

26. A Thirst for Appreciation Part 6

27. A Thirst for Appreciation Part 7

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