Rune......was screwed. There's no better nor lighter way of saying it. Looking at the crystal on his desk, he saw everything. From the moment each mare took their Dusk, to the moment each mare decided they were going to kill him....except Rainbow Dash, she knew how to take a joke.

What was Rune to do? He was too weak to straight up run and he wasn't going to try to hold Dusk hostage....This isn't some crappy action movie.

"Maybe I can use this." Rune said, grabbing the crystal. "As long as I have this, I can buy my safety....." Then he faced reality. "Or they'll completely ignore my plea and beat the crap out of me....maybe they'll listen to reason."

When Rune finally struggled out the room, he shut the door. Only to have the front door fly off its hinges, embedding itself on the wall next to him. Rune looked and saw the hind legs of Applejack after they just bucked the door across the room.

'And I'm dead.' Rune thought to himself, he was ready to accept his fate but knew it will hurt.

After Applejack lowered her legs, first Trixie walked into the room, then Pinkamena, followed by Applejack and Rarity. Only Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash kinda wondered in. Rainbow Dash still kinda laughing over what happened. In this situation, Rune would be, most likely, killed on the spot. But some wanted to hear his explanation...then kill him.

"So...." Rune said cautiously. "How were your dates?"

Pinkamena quickly grabbed Rune by the throat, smacking him against the wall.

"Listen you little shit!" She threatened Rune. "You have five seconds to tell me why you interrupted my fun."

"Now now dear." Rarity said. Interrupting the rest of Pinkamena's threat, practically throwing her across the room with her magic. "Now." Turning towards Rune. "You have less that two seconds to tell me why you ruined my date with my darling......or I'll break of your horn....impale you on a large rock.....AND THROW YOU OFF A CLIFF!!"

"Now hold on Sugercube." Applejack stopped Rarity, gently moving her out of the way. "I'm sure Rune will explain everything." Then she turned around, and with one thrust, bucked Rune through the wall. "When he gets up."

Rune staggered and tried to get to his feet. "Did you have to kick me through a wall?!" He shouted. "There was a door, not even a foot away from me, I could of opened the door if you asked!"

Applejack, Trixie, Rarity and Pinkamena walked through the hole in the wall. While Fluttershy and Dash were nice enough to open the door and walk through it. The mares then saw an unconscious, bond and gagged Dusk on Rune's bed. Untouched, unspoiled, just knocked out.

"What have you done to Dusk?!" All the mares shouted.

"I can explain." Rune said, trying to plead his case. But it wasn't working too well.

The Applejack, Trixie, Rarity and Pinkamena slowly began moving closer to Rune. This is the end.

Or not. Rune quickly grabbed the crystal that landed next to him.

"Wait!" Rune said, showing the crystal. "Dusk has no idea that you six went on dates and what happened during those dates. Its all been recorded in this crystal. How about I give this crystal to you ponies and we forget all this ever-"

"ZUN-HAAL-VIIK" Fluttershy shouted. The crystal flying out of Rune's hoofs and Fluttershy catching it with her mouth. Before the others could react, Fluttershy bolted out of the room and out of the library.

"Wait....Fluttershy!" Rainbow Dash shouted, chasing after her.

"Wait up partner!" Applejack replied, following Rainbow Dash.

There was a few seconds of an awkward pause.

"Well....." Rune said, terrified. "Let's talk about this."

Trixie walked over and smacked Rune across the face. "Okay." Rune accepted. "I deserved that."

Rarity used her magic and threw a chunk of the wall at Rune, knocking him hard on his back. "I might have deserved that." He said. Rune looked up to see the twisted grin of Pinkamena staring him in the face.

In one hard stomp. Pinkamena smashed her front hoofs onto Rune's balls. "AAGGGHHH." Rune howled in pain. "I did not deserve THAT!"

Slightly recovering from the last strike, his balls in a lot of pain. He looked up to see the angry Trixie, Rarity and Pinkamena. "M-mercy?" Rune struggled to beg.

But he would have none. The mare began repeatedly stomping all over Rune.

"Oww...owww....Trampling.....Trampling..hurts.....Why...tramping.....ow...ow...losing....losing..consciousness....." Rune said and he was being beaten by the mares. "Losing conscious- I'm out." Rune was knocked out. That's when the mares stopped their assault.

Applejack and Dash didn't take long to retrieve Fluttershy. When they walked in, they saw a half-dead Rune bowing in front of everypony. Rune's face was covered in bruises and small scars. He was tied up and his fur was slightly covered in his own blood. Around the room, there were more holes in the wall. They must of kept knocking Rune through the walls.

"I'm sowwy I wied to wu." Rune's speech was kinda stifled from the beating.

"Now how bad did you beat the poor boy?" Applejack asked.

"Not enough." Trixie, Rarity and Pinkamena said at once, very apathetically.

"But now he's gonna explain." Pinkamena said. "He gets one chance to tell us."

"Okay." Rune said, his speech more clarified. "Now first off, I the dates were all fake. They were illusions, the town, the Dusks, the events....everything was an illusion. You were experiencing what you wanted to, but really weren't."

"So all that time I spent with Dusk?" Fluttershy asked.

"Never happened." Rune replied.

"That awesome Sonic Rainboom I pulled off?" Dash implied.

"Happened but what followed after didn't. And that Rainboom nearly made my horn explode!" Rune answered.

"All the 'FUN' I had?" Pinkamena asked.

"Never happened and what you did was very disturbing." Rune said. "Everything you all experienced with Dusk never happened. The illusion simply deceived all your senses, so it felt like you were on the perfect date with Dusk."

"So why is the real Dusk tied up in your room?" Trixie asked.

Rune pointed his horn at Trixie. "Not what you're thinking." Then he pointed his horn and Rarity and Pinkamena. "DEFINITELY NOT what you two were thinking. I needed the real Dusk out of the way. If he was awake, he might of interfered. Casting an illusion this strong took a lot out of me, so I wouldn't be able to stop Dusk from stopping me."

"Okay I think I understand." Applejack said. "One more question. Why did you do all this?"

Rune spent a couple moments to gather his thoughts. "I was tired of Dusk being so shy about dating any of you mares. So I wanted to know what he would do during his time alone with each of you. Five of you took the opportunity to wrap your legs around him. One of you didn't." Rune then smiled at Fluttershy. "Good girl."

"But why would you do all this for Dusk? There's something you're leaving out." Rainbow Dash pestered.

"That's kinda personal." Rune stubbornly replied.

"It was because of Princess Luna." Pinkie Pie explained, now in control over her body.

Rune was........speechless. How did she know? Damn that fourth wall power of hers.

"What does Princess Luna have anything to do with this?" Rarity asked.

Rune was silent. But Rarity simply stomped her hoof in front of Rune's face. Her eye were still angry and fiery.

"Tell me." Rarity assertively stated.

"Okay okay I'll tell you." Rune cracked under the pressure. "I've been Princess Luna's student for close to a year now and I have worked my butt off to make her happy and proud. But almost every day all I heard was Dusk this, 'Royal Husband' that. It was maddening. So when I heard that Dusk had other mares after him, I figure, if I got just one of them to claim him, then I could have Princess Luna for myself." At this point Rune realized he said a little too much. His face was becoming red.

"Oh I see." Fluttershy said. "You like Princess Luna."

Rune tried to bury his face in the floor. This was so embarrassing.

"So can you let me go now?" Rune asked.

"I suppose so." Rarity said, using her magic to untie Rune. Before getting up, Rarity moved close to Rune's ear. "If all you wanted was Dusk to have someone other that Princess Luna, you should of just told me." Rarity whispered into Rune's ear.

"And we should probably help clean up." Applejack looked around, seeing that there were scattered books, a few broken doors and holes in the walls.

By the time the cleaning was done, it was night.

*Yawn*"The Great and Tired Trixie will go to bed now." Trixie exclaimed, heading to her room.

"Ya, we should all hit the hay." Applejack said.

Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack and Pinkie Pie left as a group. Fluttershy was slow to leave.

"Something on your mind?" Rune asked.

"Well...." Fluttershy pondered. "Where was Spike all this time?"

"Oh ya." Rune said. "I kinda forgot about him. Before all this, I gave him a large gem. I put a strong sleeping charm on it. So he should be asleep in his bed until morning."

"Oh good." Fluttershy smiled. "I was worried, since I didn't see him today. Well goodnight."

And Fluttershy left, Rune waving goodbye. Using his magic to untie Dusk, he sat down by his desk and waited for Dusk to wake up.

Despite all the loud banging, shouting and trampling, Dusk woke up all on his own.

*Yawn*"Hey Rune." Dusk yawned, then realized it was now night. "Did I sleep all day? And what happened to your face?"

"Ya well nothing to interesting happened today." Rune lied, picking up the crystal that Fluttershy returned. "Hey wanna watch a movie?" Rune then showed the crystal to Dusk. "Its a good one!"