At the Ponyville Train Station...

Spike looked to the billboard as he tried to think of a way to get to Canterlot after he saw the latest bit of news in regards to the traveling schedule. It stated that any trains which were originally slated to run through the city were cancelled until further notice. He let out a defeated groan as the other ponies commenced to reading the reason why they had to cancel many of their trips to the city. He knew that Nondis' story would eventually be brought up further in the explanation of the events two days past.

The last thing he wanted to hear about was how Nondis did something else to pad his resume, from saving passengers on a train to slaying changelings in the streets. Even the news of the human's promotion left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Facing away from the board, he turned his attention to the incoming train from Appleloosa. When the ponies stepped off the train, some of them complained about the delay of service due to a recent reroute being implemented for those who were on their way towards the northwestern region. Whispers and rumors of the situation in Canterlot started to infect the ears of every pony at the station. Spike, spiteful of hearing the human's name so often, closed his eyes, held his ears shut and walked away as quickly as possible.

His mind continued to ponder about ways to get to Canterlot. It seemed that balloon wound be the best way to get to the city, but then he remembered that Shining had to ride it back to the city while his wife and sister flew alongside him. And Canterlot, despite it's relatively close location, wasn't exactly a stroll down the street. Spike shook his head and felt anger take over as his ideas were shot down one by one.

It didn't take him long to realize that he was stuck in Ponyville with no way of reaching Twilight.

He needed to inform her what his situation was and why he would no longer be staying with Rarity. And the longer he sat at the train station, the quicker he found his solutions disappearing into thin air.

"Spike?"

The young dragon turned back around to see a familiar stallion; a burnt-orange stallion with a dark-brown, puffy mane similar to that of Pinkie Pie. Spike waved back to acknowledge Cheese Sandwich as he walked up to the young dragon.

"Thank goodness you're here! Look, I heard about the situation that happened in Ponyville just yesterday. I came here as quick as I could."

"Nah, it wasn't much. Just some changelings." Spike said, trying to downplay the events of yesterday while choosing to disregard the accomplishments of the human that saved both him and Sweetie Belle, gaining even more favor with Rarity.

"Well, I just came in today. Can you believe that they cancelled all the trains going towards Ponyville from Baltimare? I even had to ride my party balloon just to get here."

Spike seemed to perk up at Cheese's words. "You rode your party balloon here?"

"Well, not exactly." Cheese admitted. "I tried to ride it here, but then I had gotten caught in this thunderstorm just south of Foal Mountain. And after that, I found myself somehow carted off towards Dodge Junction. So I took the outbound line from Appleloosa to get here."

Spike didn't seem to care all that much about how he got here. He had only one concern at that moment. "Do you still have your balloon?"

"Well of course I do!" The party stallion decreed. "It's in the luggage cart. I'm pretty sure nothing else should've happened outside of that weird thunderstorm."

Spike had began to realize that there was much more hope for him after all. In fact, Cheese's arrival couldn't have come at a better time. "Do you think I could borrow it?"

"Well sure! What for?" The stallion questioned.

A smirk formed on the dragon's lips. "I need it to get to Canterlot, I need to tell Twilight something important!"

Cheese took a brief moment to ponder over the thought of loaning his balloon to the young dragon, but also took into consideration that he was also Pinkie's friend. And any friend of hers was a friend of him. "Really? I guess could let you borrow it for a short while. How long do you need it for?"

Spike's lips formed into a devilish smile, curling from ear to ear. "Just for a little while."

I couldn't seem to find out what was really going on with Rarity ever since Spike had left the boutique, but it seems that he was definitely a lingering thought. It was almost to the point where having him gone had left a hole in the fabric of the home. And throughout the rest of the afternoon, she spoke only about how she felt some form or regret for kicking him out of the house.

However, I myself had mixed thoughts in relation to the situation.

I suppose that was to be expected. After all I saved his life and he politely told me to 'fuck off'. In seeing his reaction, Rarity had one of her own. It was just one gigantic smorgasbord of emotions oozing from the cracks of the walls. But it seems that Sweetie Belle didn't let it disturb her, whatever she was doing upstairs. Since we came from the castle, she's hasn't come back down or said anything. Maybe it was because of my actions from yesterday. Sure I did save her, but I ended up having to show a side of me that wasn't meant for her.

Perhaps I needed to apologize to her about it.

"Hey Rarity, do you mind if I-"

I turned back to Rarity, who was too busy sweeping the floor in one spot to notice that I had called out to her. Yeah, she seemed pretty devastated over the situation that occurred just half-an-hour ago. Accepting that she was too far out of it to even acknowledge me, I took it upon myself to walk upstairs and pay the young foal a visit. Slowly, I walked up the stairs, remembering the times I had stayed here myself.

It wasn't too long ago where I was resting in the room Rarity once took for herself, waking up to the smell of something burning downstairs. Ultimately, I had to run down these very stairs to prevent whatever was threatening to burn down the house from doing just that. And of course, the very thing we'd often have to stop was Sweetie Belle as she was cooking breakfast.

To this day, I never could recall us having dinner here at the house. Instead, we were always ordering out or going someplace else to share a meal. And even when Rarity got a new stove, which was every three or four days, Sweetie would start cooking again to prove to me that she could make me breakfast. And honestly I'm thankful to every stove that broke down, may their sacrifices not be in vain.

No seriously, how in fresh hell do you set milk on fire by pouring it on cereal? Between Pinkie and Sweetie, those two have a knack for breaking the laws of physics and defying all logic.

As I finally reached the top of the stairs, I could hear Sweetie giggling further down the hall. It seemed as if she was having herself a good time playing with something, I guess it must've been a doll or something. Walking towards the room she hid in, I leaned my ear against the door.

"Of course, mister Nondis! You can have as much tea as you like."

I stifled a chuckle as I knocked on the door.

"Yes?" The young filly called out.

"Um... could I get in on this tea party?"

There didn't seem to be an immediate response from her, but she did seem to have some sort of answer. "...Uh..."

I guess she didn't want to be disturbed. "Nevermind, then. Sorry for dis-"

"Wait!" She shouted. Suddenly, I heard the rumbling of hooves against the floor as she scrambled to the door. The door opened to reveal the young filly with a pink apron that had Spike's name on it.

You know, I'm starting to find that Spike was into some really weird shit, or perhaps he was some sort of maid.

Anywho, I started to walk inside of the room when Sweetie levitated a small broom in front of me, pretending as if it was a spear.

So... how many brooms does Rarity have?

"You're not authorized to come in here without the password!" She stated sternly, holding the broom's handle towards my chin.

"Um... Is it 'please'?" I guessed.

"Nope! Try again!"

"Is it 'I'm a big doodoo-head'?" I asked with a deadpan expression.

"NO! One last time!" She said, this time pressing the broom against my throat. "And get it right this time!"

I rolled my eyes and thought of a password that I would know for certain. "Cutie Mark Crusaders forever?"

Sweetie bonked me on the head with the broom, expressing her disgust in me. "No no no! The password is 'password'! How could you get that one wrong?"

Of course. The word I'd least expect to be a password... except for when I'm typing into someone's computer. "Right... Sorry."

"So what's the password?"

"Password." I answered flatly.

Sweetie pulled the broom to the side, allowing me passage as she placed it to her side and giving me a salute. "You may enter!"

I shook my head, chuckling to myself as I walked in to see a brown teddy bear sitting at the table with a set of purple plastic tea cups. She closed the door behind her and started to make her way towards the table, instructing me to sit down.

"So... what are you doing up here?" I questioned the filly.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm having a tea party with Mr. Nondis."

"But I thought my name was Nondis, and his was Button." I questioned, looking puzzled.

"Nope! His name is Mister Nondis! You're just plain old Nondis."

...I'm not confused in any manner whatsoever. Nope, not at all. "Ohhh... kay?"

"So, what kind of tea do you want today?"

A tea that breaks all the rules. "A frappuchino, if you please."

"That's not a tea." Sweetie stated bluntly with a bit of a scowl on her face.

I guess I couldn't pull a fast one on Rarity's little sister. "Okay, then just get me a tea."

"What would you like?" She asked holding up an empty purple, plastic pitcher. "Black? White? Earl Grey? Green?"

Normally, I'd be a smartass and say 'Arizona', but I figured that I played that card already. "Green please."

"One green tea coming up!" She shouted as she walked towards another part of the room.

While she did, I stared back at the teddy bear, somewhat offended that she called me 'plain-old Nondis' while the inanimate object gets the formalities. But kids do as they would, and Sweetie Belle is no exception. It's quite obvious that she might see me in a more positive light than what I had originally anticipated, considering the random name-change for the bear.

I looked back over to where Sweetie had wandered off to, finding out that she was at a toy stove mixing away at her imaginary tea. I wouldn't mind playing along, especially with her. Finishing up her 'brew', she happily trotted her way towards the table and 'poured' me a cup of freshly-brewed green tea. I blew into the cup, trying to play as if I was trying to avoid burning my tongue. Afterwards, I took a sip and smiled.

"This is some really good tea! What did you put in it?"

Sweetie grinned from ear to ear, squeeing as she bounced up and down. "He likes it! He likes it! He likes-" She stopped chanting and took a deep breath. After releasing her kiddish nature, she mellowed out for a bit. "Well, a good brewer never reveals her secrets."

It's quite obvious that she had taken after her sister's charm. No point in denying that the classy snark and touted muzzle was a trademark of Rarity's. She even tried her best impersonation of her voice. I wonder if Rarity is as devastating in the kitchen as her younger sister is.

Uh oh... I can imagine Sweetie burning down a kitchen, Rarity would be an entire neighborhood. Yikes!

Sweetie then turned her attention to 'Mister Nondis'. "Here, Mister Nondis. I would gladly give you some more tea."

I decided to continue playing along. "So, how did you and Mister Nondis come to meet?"

"Oh, well Mister Nondis and I met at a concert! It was one of my very best performances, a sold-out crowd! You would've loved it!"

For a pony who really didn't want her vocal talent to be revealed, she seems to be really invested into her musical career. "Oh, so do you have an agent?"

"Yup! Mister Nondis is my agent! He and I go on tours and sing for everypony! I remember this one show where I sang in front of the entire crowd of over thirty thousand ponies in the Equestria Games!"

"Wow! Did you rock the house?" I asked.

"Yeah, I did!"

"And I guess it was all thanks to your producer for getting you there!"

"Well... Mister Nondis does a lot for me as it is. He does my booking, the management of the treasury, the production of the music, the writing of the lyrics, the mixing for the song, and he's even my musician!"

Wow, that's a lot of multitasking. But then again, she's playing pretend, despite her apparent knowledge of the industry. Perhaps she's a little more vested into the ordeal of singing than she leads on to be. "So... Have you two been close?"

Sweetie seemed to blush at my question, unsteadily looking at me and the teddy bear in an attempt to search for an answer. "Well... You see... He's kinda also my special somepony."

No surpris-hold on a sec. If she calls the teddy bear by my name and considers it/him to be her special somepony... Uh oh. "Really?" I asked, somewhat intrigued by her answer. "So how long have you two been going at it?"

"Maybe nine months."

"Is it serious?" I don't know why I'm so invested into playing pretend. She's really got me going along for the ride. But then again, the teddy bear is supposed to be a representation of me as her renaissance man. So I guess I would kinda be interested in her thoughts.

I wonder how I could go about this without hurting her feelings.

"Of course it is! He and I do have aspirations to get married, after all!" She answered.

I smiled, finally setting down the purple toy to speak with her on a more personal level. "So, you really wanna do this thing for real, huh?"

...NO NOT THE RELATIONSHIP PART! Don't even think about it.

"What do you mean?"

"Well I do play piano a little. Maybe I could be your musician too."

Sweetie squeaked as she held her hooves to her mouth. "N-no thanks! I already have one!"

"I'm not talking about pretend anymore, Sweetie."

The young filly began to shake at the thought of me being her musician for real. Instead of looking at her bear, she struggled to look me in the eye. "You'd... really be my musician?"

"Of course I'd have to fit you into the schedule, with my duties as a guard and what-not."

"OOOH! WOULD YOU DO SECURITY TOO!?" She hollered, jumping up and down.

"I'm not sure why you would need-"

"So you can kick Diamond Tiara out of every single show she tries to ruin. Please!?"

Figures. "She's still bullying you and the girls?"

"We haven't gotten our cutie marks yet. So no."

I thought I had talked her into submission. But I guess her tears was nothing more than a showcase of how she wanted to get out of the conversation quickly before I'd really hit a sensitive spot. Either way... "Okay, I could maybe see if I could arrange a patrol for one of your shows. How does that sound?"

"That would be a fantastic idea!" She exclaimed, bouncing up and down before coming back down to earth. Reality had came rushing back to her. "Oh. Right, I don't have a show."

"We can make you one." I offered, trying to cheer her up.

"Really?"

"It won't be real big. It'll be something really small, like you could sing for the old ponies across the way."

Her serious frown was more than an indication of her disapproval. I guess that's not a good venue for her.

"Okay, then let's go for a talent show!"

Her stern expression then faded into a fearful one. "I... well... um..."

Perhaps I needed to take this in baby steps. "Okay. Then let's do it for just everyone you know."

"Like who?"

"Um... Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Twilight, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and me. We can probably set you up at Sugarcube Corner. How's that? Your first big show!"

I knew that it wasn't really going to be that big, but for her that start would be something enormous. She warmed up to the idea and smiled back at me. "Okay. But you have to be my musician!"

"Right."

"And no Diamond Tiaras!"

"Done and done!"

"And you have to hug me!"

Okay, that was a little out of left-field. "Huh?"

She held out her hooves and turned beet red as she spoke. "To finalize the deal, we have to hug! I wanna hug to signify that you would keep your end of the bargain!"

Hugs are nothing to give away. "Okay. I'll hug you, but under one condition."

"What's that?"

"When you finish, you would promise me that you would become a little more open about your singing."

She nearly pulled back her hooves altogether. "What!?"

"I'm not saying that you have to show it to the whole world. I just want you to kinda acknowledge it more often. After all, that's one thing you haven't tried in getting your cutie mark."

A nervousness filled her mind, but was suddenly overcome with hope. "Wait, are you saying that I could get my cutie mark in singing?"

"Well, there's only one way to find out!"

The young filly seemed ready to explode, trying to bottle up her excitement as she tacked me for a hug. Her small hooves tried their best to reach around me, but they fell short of accomplishing their goal. Instead, I wrapped my arms around her. She broke off of me and climbed on top of my shoulders and screamed out loud. "CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS: SINGING SUPERSTARS!"

"D'ooh!" I yelped out, still feeling the pain from yesterdays battle in my right shoulder, now amplified by her climbing on top of them. "Yeah! Let's go!" I hollered out trying my best to feign off the pain.

I didn't want to turn her down on what could be her special talent, as well as an opportunity for her to shine. But I didn't want to lead her along, to let her think that I had some weird fetish for girls way younger than me. I could already assume that she has a pretty big crush on me, she's practically holding up a neon sign so bright it would put Las Vegas to shame. No doubt about it, but I am more than certain that her liking me is only a phase, as most crushes usually are.

As she happily rode on top of me, she giggled and expressed her excitement. Meanwhile, the door opened to reveal a serious-looking Rarity.

"Nondis, I could really-OH MY WORD!"

Both she and I looked at the fashionista as if we were a pair of deer staring at an incoming truck. She looked back at Sweetie Belle and proceeded to scold her.

"Sweetie Belle, you know that Nondis is injured! How dare you find it appropriate to climb all over him as if he was a jungle-gym!"

Immediately, the young filly jumped off of me, apologizing to both me and her older sister. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt him!"

"His shoulder doesn't need you climbing all over it! I'd figure that you would know better than that!"

Sweetie's ears folded back as she spoke in a solemn tone. "I'm sorry."

"Hey, Rarity." I began to interject. "Sweetie and I are going to be working together on a little project! Isn't that exciting-"

"And you mister!" She said sharply, turning her attention to me. "You know that the doctors have said that you weren't supposed to put any significant load on your shoulder! I've convinced Twilight to let you out of the castle so that you could mingle with everypony and you're already trying to put yourself back in that dreaded hospital! Do you honestly think I would want you going back into that place!?"

"Rarity, I'm fine!" I argued, but to no avail.

"No, you are hurt. You have come here to help me and Spike clean up. Now I know that Spike will not be assisting us..." It seems that Rarity finally started to break down again. "But please try to remain outside of that hospital. It was not easy trying to get you in there. And I won't explain to Twilight that your recklessness had managed to get you back in. I won't let your injuries fall back on me for a second day in a row!"

*Sigh* "I get it."

"Good." She said with a tremble. "Now get downstairs and help me get these things from out of the cabinet."

"Cabinet" I asked.

"I don't expect you to do much around the house now that I've taken care of the big stuff, so it would be best that you'd assist me in the kitchen. Dinner doesn't just magically jump out of the shelves and cook itself."

...I had a bad feeling about this.

Sweetie Belle continued to carry on with her tea party. Meanwhile, Rarity silently escorted me downstairs. Though I was intending to hurry back down to help, she seemed to have taken more time with each step. Eventually she stopped altogether and looked back to me. As she did, she wore a soft smile that glowed with a dim, but warm light.

"You know, It's been awfully long since I've seen you here, walking down my stairs without a moment's delay. And often I'd tell you to slow down out of fear of seeing you trip."

I slipped and fell once in the short period of time I lived here. I only wanted to see what the hell was burning downstairs, and that was the first encounter I had with Sweetie Belle trying to play Gordon Ramsey, but instead inadvertently playing out the hit song by Bloodhound Gang. Thankfully, the roof didn't have a chance to be on fire.

But it was a slip and I recovered from it, albeit with a bruised noggin.

"Rarity I told you that I was going to be okay."

She gave me a playful bump of her hind leg. "You need to learn how to slow down sometimes, dear. You can't get anywhere by running at full-speed all the time."

"I thought that you'd go a lot further if you ran faster." I stated, being literal with my response.

"Yes, but you can't say you've been somewhere if you're constantly running around aimlessly. You'll only be running in circles, and then you'll eventually find yourself going nowhere." She stated with a low voice.

"But what happens to you if you run in a straight line?" I questioned sarcastically.

Rarity rolled her eyes and gave me her full attention. "Nondis, do you know why a line that's consider infinite is also destined for nowhere?"

"Because it's never-ending."

"And do you think that if you continue to move along that linear path, you'd find the answers you're looking for?"

"Well, it's the only direction I know where if I'd turn around, I'd arrive back to where I came from. That way I'd never be lost."

She gave me a smirk and used her magic to pull on my shirt to bring me closer. "And that exact way of thinking gets you nowhere."

"Are you saying that I'm not taking any risks?"

"That's not what I'm saying."

"Then what are you trying to get at?" I questioned, just seconds before Rarity booped me on the nose.

"You need to expand your horizons. You'll never get the answers you seek if you're constantly running in a straight line."

If that was some sort of sign from fate telling me to search for the answers of my being here, then I guess I needed to take another route. I think I got where she's going with this.

Sophisticated conversations and thought-provoking statements, that's Rarity alright.

She turned back around, continuing to make her way towards the kitchen. "Now, let's get you fed. I don't usually carry any meat so I hope that you wouldn't mind if your meal was a bit vegan."

I wouldn't mind, but I'm seeing that Sweetie Belle takes a lot from her. And if Sweetie's burning down a house to cook, then I would have some concerns over my well-being in this case. Taking a moment to breathe, I took my first steps into the kitchen.

When we had walked inside, I could see Rarity already pacing back and forth from the fridge to the counter beside the stove. I also took notice that the stove seemed relatively new. I giggled a bit at the sight. "So what happened to the last one?"

"Sweetie's cooking lessons with Spike didn't go too well. At the very least, the stove managed to live three more fiery attempts thanks to the little guy." Suddenly, Rarity's head dropped. Obviously she was still thinking about what happened earlier.

"I'm sure he's gonna be alright." I said, trying to comfort her.

"He already doesn't like staying at the castle. I mean at first he was so excited to be there, but as time progressed with your being here, he grew to dislike it. Eventually, he moved out and stayed here with me." Rarity pulled out a few carrots and cabbages as she started to use her magic to pin her mane back, curling it into a bun.

"Really? So how long was he living here?"

"Immediately after you moved out. He wanted to stay in my room, but I offered him the room you stayed in previously."

"And how did he take it?"

The seamstress summoned an apron and tied it around her neck. Finally, she began to prep the food. "Not too well. But he did take the pleasure of realizing that the room was next to mine. Annnd then he became frustrated again."

"So did he try to switch rooms?"

"No. But he did manage to come by in the wee hours of the morning to let me know he's been having nightmares. He'd come knocking on my door, telling me the vivid horrors of his experiences and urging me to allow him to make a small cot on the floor beside me."

"Me thinks you've been had." I said, scratching my head.

"I know it. But to say no to those cute, emerald eyes and that adorable smile... To think that he had harbored such a disgust for you to such a degree. I didn't know that he was so..."

"Obsessed?" I finished for her.

"Interested, but for lack of a better word, yes. I knew that he was infatuated with me. I just never thought that he was the type to harbor such feelings of discontent."

I guess I would feel that way too if I had seen Twilight take interest in another dude after she kicked me out a few months back. I'd be absolutely livid. So yeah, I guess I could see where Spike was coming from, being that I was once in his position. The little bastard might be disrespectful as fuck, but he and I share a lot of the same qualities.

Like-charges repel, I suppose. "I guess. I kinda see where he comes from."

"How so?" Rarity asked.

"I had a friend back in high school. She and I did everything together, from going to the movies to even playing video games. We'd talk about anything that wasn't nailed to the floor. And overtime I grew to like her, not just as a friend but as something more. But she had long-since established that we were 'just friends'. But obviously I wasn't getting the point through my dense skull and continued to hold out hope, thinking that one day she'd see me as what she wanted."

Rarity seemed to become saddened at the sudden revelation of my past with Melanie. Unfortunately, it seemed to show quite obviously on her face. "Oh... So what happened between you two? Are you still holding out hope?"

"Not really." I answered. "No need of chasing down something that you can't have."

"Well that's a ridiculous way of thinking!" She exclaimed out of nowhere. "Whatever happened to the thrill of a chase, the feeling of earning one's heart through honest intentions and-" She paused for a moment, thinking about what had occurred with Spike earlier. "...Oh. Now I see why."

"Of course, my main difference was that I did have some ulterior motives when it came to getting her." I admitted, lowing my head in shame.

Rarity held a hoof to my chin, forcing me to look to her. "But you learned your lesson?"

"Yeah. I've moved on. And in doing so I found someone better, or rather she found me."

"Yes, she has..." Her words to me came out as an incoherent mess of mumbles.

"Did you say something?"

Rarity pulled out a knife and began to cut the vegetables in small slices. "I said that she probably did. And I'm sure she loves you for it. After all, Twilight... is a very well-raised mare. She seems to be very astute, outgoing, kind-"

"Beautiful, incredible, imperfection perfected."

"Could you go get me some salt out of the cabinet?" She asked, almost seeming as if she wanted to get off of the subject. Not wanting to make her wait I walked over to the cabinet on the far end of the stove, trying to scan the labels for something that resembled salt. Finally coming across something labeled as 'sea salt' I pulled it out and handed the item to her. She levitated the object from me and placed it on the counter.

But that got me thinking, why would she need that if she didn't have any water boiling? "Um... do you want me to get a pot running?"

"That would be greatly appreciated." She answered as she pointed towards the cabinet just beneath her.

As I leaned down and opened the cabinet, I pulled out a giant pot and showed it to her. "Too big?"

"Go smaller dear."

Digging around for one that was on the small side, I pulled at one that seemed to be her size. But I also brushed my hand against the handle of one that seemed to be a rather small sauce pan. Chuckling to myself, I pulled out the small pot and showed it to her. "Like this?"

"Now you're just doing this on purpose."

Finally placing the jokes aside, I pulled out the pan that I thought would be the best fit for the job. As I came crawling out, I could see nothing but a white, furry canvas with blue diamonds imbued onto it crashing into my face. I stumbled and fell back on the floor, earning a chuckle from the seamstress.

"Now you did that on purpose!"

"You get what you dish out, darling." She sang-sung as she started to place a blind eye to the vegetables she chopped with her magic. It seemed that she didn't really need me for much at all.

In fact, she didn't need me at all throughout the course of the day. It had me thinking to myself, what was my real reason for being here? I guess I felt entitled to know the answer to that question. "Hey Rarity."

"Yes?"

"I've noticed that you've been trying to prevent me from working because of my shoulder. But be honest, did you really need me to come here today?"

She stopped chopping and turned to me. "Why of course I do."

"But I haven't done anything all day." I stated.

"Exactly. You haven't done anything that would require you to stress that injury in your shoulder."

So... She brought me here, under what I understood to be the premise of performing a few chores, to prevent me from working? What? "Look, I'm not completely incompetent. I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed either, but come on."

"Well if you have any issues with my keeping you here, then you should speak about it to Twilight."

"Wait a sec, she put you up to this?" I asked, completely baffled.

"Frankly, it was my idea to have you over. But she wanted you to stay at the castle so you could heal up while she was away. But seeing that you would probably sneak out of the palace and do something else that could get you hurt, Twilight and I thought of a little plan to keep you entertained long enough to keep you from working in town."

So, I just got duped into essentially doing jack-shit for a whole day. "And let me guess, Twilight needed someone to watch over me closely to make sure that I wouldn't leave?"

"That's right. She placed you in the care of someone who does not have to follow your every order, or succumb to your rank every time you try to convince them to let you through."

That plan was very well thought-of. But really, I don't think that I would be that irresponsible. I couldn't be so careless to the point where I'd put myself in a high-risk situation where I could get hurt again... Oh wait, I already did that yesterday.

Okay, I might have had aspirations to walk around and help some of the locals with some of the repairs. Okay, they got me this time but I'm not gonna let them know that. "Whatever."

"Now, could you so kindly run some water into that pot?" She asked, turning her attention to the oven.

I obeyed her request without comment. After filling up the pot with water, I placed it on one of the eyes on the stove. She moved towards the cabinet where the baking pans were and pulled out a moderate-sized pan. She also pulled out another pot and placed it on the counter. "Fill this one up too."

"What do you need the second pot for?" I questioned, unsure why she didn't have me grab another for her just moments earlier.

"To boil my pasta in. We're having a nice broccoli casserole with fresh, creamy Alfredo sauce made by yours truly."

Um... that sounds like a five-alarm fire in Sweetie Belle's case. Then again, toast would be a three. Hell, she'd burn toast until it was no longer identifiable as bread... and would proceed to cook until it enters a different state of matter. At least Rarity sounds like she knows what she's doing.

I can only hope that she's just as good in the kitchen as she is in the sewing room.

After about forty-five minutes later, she called Sweetie from upstairs and began to lay the food out as I finished setting the table. When Sweetie entered into the dining room, she held on tightly to that brown bear she so lovingly called 'Mister Nondis'. Of course, she'd talk with the bear as if it was a living being. Meanwhile, Rarity sat the final dish at the center of the table. She gave the entire display a glance, squinting to make sure that everything was perfect. And with the laying of a single plate I laid down, she smiled and clopped her hooves together in approval.

"Just absolutely perfect. A dinner with my favorite client and my dearest younger sister."

I knew that she wanted there to be one more, it was evident in how the table was set up. She actually set up everything for a party of four rather than just three.

I get it, she's still trying to adjust to Spike's absence. Realistically speaking, she's gonna be like this for at least a few days before she snaps out of it. But it's as if she's holding out hope that things would work out between the two of them, that he'd come walking back through the door and picking up the pieces of their shattered friendship in an attempt to make things work.

More than likely, it would happen when I leave.

Sweetie looked at her older sister, seeing that she had wore a gentle smile on her face. But even she saw right through that facade as easily as I did. Hell, she probably heard everything that went on earlier today with Spike, as loud as those two were.

Rarity looked at the clock, letting loose a sigh before turning her attention back to us. And in between every little thing, including when she and I were cooking the food earlier, she'd look towards that clock and sigh as she just did. She seemed as if she longed for his return. It's almost as if Spike and her actually broke up.

And in a way, they did.

"Rarity, you gonna sit with us or are we gonna have to let you dine with your friends in la-la-land?" I asked her as I pulled up my chair and sat across from 'Mister Nondis'.

She jumped at the question, snapping herself back into reality. "Excuse me, what did you say?"

"You eating or what?"

She rolled her eyes and bit her lip as she sighed once more. "Well I should, being that I did work hard to make this meal."

"We worked hard." I corrected her.

"You kept trying to sample the dishes, despite my explicit instruction that you would taste my food when everypony was at the table."

I actually wanna know if I'm gonna die just from eating this stuff. I just thought of it as a preliminary toxicology exam. At the very least the food looks pretty delicious. It smells astounding as well, but even a bar of soap can smell wonderful and taste awful at the same time.

The white unicorn mare instructed me to keep my arms away from my plate as she levitated the saucer towards her. As she fixed my plate she gave me a quick wink. "Of course, the guest of honor does receive his meal first. You shall be the one to taste my work, knowing that it was also your participation that helped make it possible."

"Aw! I wanted to help!" Sweetie moaned in disappointment.

Rarity and I glanced quickly back at one another and we could see the blooming horror on each of our faces. I was the first to speak. "Um... maybe next time."

Rarity lowered the plate in front of me. As I was presented with my meal, I could smell the wonderful scents of her cooking. The warm steam rose eagerly from the broccoli casserole as her magic parted ways from it. Slices of glazed carrots mounded atop of one corner alongside with a mountain of steamed cabbage on the other. The casserole was rich with mozzarella and creamy Alfredo sauce. Though not exactly vegan, but very vegetarian.

She levitated the fork beside me and stuck it inside of my slice of the casserole and hummed cheerfully. "Eat as much as you like. I don't like having leftovers congest my fridge."

"Thanks." I think... I mean, the food smells good and it looks pretty decent. But how does it taste?

With caution, I grabbed the fork and used it to slice off a small portion of the casserole and hold it towards my mouth. My lips had second thoughts about allowing the food to pass through. But I proceeded to find courage within myself and took the first bite...

...Why the hell didn't I eat this earlier?

No seriously. I literally hurdled over the table and started to chomp away at the meal in front of me. I didn't know Rarity had this much talent in food! The casserole was creamy and cheesy, no too much of the Alfredo sauce to drown out the vegetables. The broccoli still had some of it's texture as well as flavor. The pasta held together nicely, packaging in flavors I didn't know existed outside of the realm of meat, or existed for that matter.

"I trust my making you wait was worthwhile then?" The fashionista asked with a cocky grin.

Finally finding my lungs again, I stopped chewing and briefly spoke. "Yes! So much!" And after those three words, I commenced to destroying all traces of food on my plate. Yet it seemed that my dining habits were a bit over the top, as Sweetie and Rarity both stared at me wide-eyed. Pausing for a moment to look back, I cleared my mouth out of some of the food to speak. "...What?"

Rarity started to show that same optimism that her younger sister had a little while back. "I've always wanted to see your reaction to my cooking. I guess I could say that your first meal with me was a resounding success?"

"How much of this is left?" I asked greedily, scarfing down more of my meal.

"Well, I could share some of mine with you." She joked.

She won't have shit to share if she does that. "Seriously?"

"No, but there will be some left over when everypony gets some."

While Sweetie fixed her plate and shared hers with her teddy bear, I reached out to fill my plate with as much casserole my eyes could take.

My eyes and appetite was definitely bigger than my stomach right now.

Meanwhile in Canterlot...

"If the changelings are in charge of the attacks, then we should respond with an attack of our own!"

"But it was a rebel faction! They acted on their own account!"

"But those gross creatures have made a mockery of our military! Not only have they killed many of our officers, they have invaded Canterlot twice now and caused millions of bits in damages! We must act accordingly!"

"By sending our guards to die!?"

"They will protect us on the lines of battle! We have already incurred losses, many civilian and guard alike! Let's take the killing away from our families and bring it back to their front porch!"

"Hear-hear!"

The voices of the politicians continue to travel back and forth between the two sides of the Parliament Chamber. Either side disagreed with certain aspects of one side's proposal. One called for an investigation of the matter, a hunting down of the commander in question that lead the changelings to attack Canterlot and Ponyville.

Meanwhile, Spike walked into the room, making his way towards Twilight. He was greeted harshly, as the purple alicorn was still upset with him from earlier that morning as well as far too invested in the debate. The three other princesses also stood to preside over the quarrel. Shining and Blueblood stood on either side of the royal tetrarchy. Cadance even got in on the conversation, showing her displeasure of fighting a war.

"So send our young and lively to the front lines, have their numbers die off a bit, and let our seasoned veterans come in from behind to knock back the enemy lines. That's your strategy?" Cadance inquired angrily.

"Well I'd see nothing wrong with it! It worked for countless centuries and not once has it changed! The changelings have been in need of a good talking-to for quite some time, unless you have forgotten that major debacle on the day of your wedding, princess!" A voice from the congregation called back out to her.

Twilight offered to speak in defense of her sister-in-law, but she was held of by Celestia, who offered her own words instead.

"I can understand that many of you wish to commence the shedding of blood. But is it to the point where we need to send our stallions, which are already so few, to fight in place of a more peaceful solution?"

"With an investigation, we could easily track down the commander in question and bring him to justice. We cannot give in to the option that would cause a drastic shift in our economy. And it won't be for the better." Luna further explained.

"So say we conducted this 'investigation'!" Another stallion from the far-right side of the room called out. "Would that mean you would be sending out your 'esteemed student' to diffuse of the matters once more? If there's anything she does, it's clean up after your messes."

Twilight took the podium and shouted back to the stallion. "And I'd gladly do it again! As a princess, it is my duty to-"

The same stallion refused to budge, even going so far as to cut her off. "With all-due respect, your highness, that would be a bad move to play, especially at this time of great peril! It is your duty, princess, to remain in touch with the dignitaries from the other lands and play your pawns! You are an invaluable piece that cannot be moved! So sending you would also be sending a foul signal to those dignitaries that you're supposed to be seeing, not in your name, but in the name of the princess who presides over you!"

Twilight looked back at her mentor, starting to feel hopeless of the situation. But Celestia's steeled composure remained, giving her former student strength in turn. The purple princess took another step forward. "I understand that it sends a bad signal to others. But I won't allow a war to be called as long as I hold my crown! It is my duty to see those dignitaries, but it is also my duty to protect my citizens from dangers seen and unseen! I may be an piece of great value, but that is all the more reason why I will move!"

The words of the young princess caused a stir amongst the rows of politicians. Many of them started to speak amongst themselves, trying to come up with a compromise. The stallion that heckled the young princess, after speaking briefly with his peers, continued to trade his words with Twilight.

"Very well then, if you insist in moving valuable pieces, then might I recommend to the parliament that we move our 'esteemed' captain of the royal guard to uphold his duties as a protector of the realm. Being that it was his responsibility to protect us from any threat, we shall hold him responsible of this unparalleled breakdown in security. As stated in the case of Equuis v. Canterlot, any pony who holds the rank of captain while enlisted in the royal guard shall be made accountable and will be punished... accordingly."

The stallion smiled as he glanced to Shining Armor, causing the stallion to bear his teeth back at him. Murmurs filtered through the room, causing an ambiance of words. Meanwhile, Twilight started to grow terrified of what was to come. Spike, on the other hand, started to take pleasure in hearing what would become of the captain's fate. Shining Armor remained silent as the room started to warm up to the idea of sending their captain out to do the dirty work. Twilight looked to her older brother, wanting him to say something.

"Shining, what are you doing? Make them stop!" She whispered to her brother.

Shining didn't say anything, but Cadance did speak. "Twilight, just let this one go."

"But why!? If they call out the captain-"

"Who, as far as they're concerned, is still your brother." Cadance explained in Twilight's ear.

Her words, however, didn't comfort the younger princess. "But that's still-"

"Twily, I got this." Shining whispered back to his younger sister.

The purple mare felt even more anxious than before as she watched the politicians continue to debate amongst themselves over if they would send him to hunt down the changeling commander or if they would call for war. Either way, Twilight was not going to like the outcome. Spike was more concerned over what the three ponies had been whispering about while the discussion was starting to wind to a close.

After the mutterings and whispers came to a halt, the head representative stepped towards a sole podium that sat directly in front of the princesses. As he cleared his voice, he took in a deep breath and announced loudly.

"Shining Armor, the parliament has decided to hold you accountable for the failed security measures of both Canterlot and Ponyville. As such, you will hereby be punished to take up the responsibility of leading a search party to locate and capture the changeling commander responsible."

Shining looked back to his younger sister and gave her a quick smirk before facing back towards the crowd of politicians that sought to condemn him. He politely bowed his head and spoke loudly. "I, Shining Armor, accept this responsibility. It was under my tenure that we were attacked, and it was under my command when we lost so many of our officers. So as a means of atonement, I will uphold my duties as captain of the guard and lead the search-."

"Captain? But I thought you were a brigadier general now!" Spike blurted out loudly.

The chamber became spattered with awes and gasps. The stallion who stood at the desk turned to the dragon. Cadance and Twilight looked at the dragon, horrified that he broke word of what had transpired in the ranks. Cadance was mixed with shock and disappointment, Twilight had gone completely limp. Her hooves barely supported the purple princess, shaking under the weight of, what felt like to her, the entire world. She slowly turned to Spike. "What are you doing, Spike?" She asked with tremolo.

"So, Shining Armor is not the current captain of the guard?" One of the representatives asked.

Spike ignored Twilight's expressions and turned to the confused politician. "Of course not! Nondis is the new captain!"

"Spike!" Cadance screamed at him.

"Since when was this transaction established?" Another one of the politicians asked.

"Yesterday afternoon."

"Spike!" Shining shouted.

"What? I was just telling them that you recently promoted him yesterday." The dragon asked innocently.

Shining held a hoof to his face in disbelief. "You do realize that we were trying to prevent him from going on this assignment?" The armored stallion asked.

Spike knew what he did would probably send Nondis a one-way ticket to the badlands. Deep inside, he was smiling while outside, he appeared to be naive. The young dragon continued to feign his ignorance and took a moment to 'think'.

"Wait, you mean... you and he were gonna... oops."

In the word of a certain announcer: BETRAYAL

So the question is what would happen next? Obviously, Spike is still bitter towards Nondis. But will he understand the consequences of his actions? All of this come next chapter.