[Present...]

Rainbow slammed through the shield like it was glass, slamming into Shining Armor and sending him flying down the hall before hitting the wall.

All the windows on the castle exploded, a rainbow shockwave destroying all in one go.

The Crystal Guards struggled to get back into formation as the mare stood before them.

No longer was she just a normal looking mare, her mane and tail seemed to defy gravity, her wings looked larger and her feathers held various colors, she gave a smile to them all as she held her shoulder as she swung her arm.

"Hey Shining Armor, how’s your wife? Oh wait, that’s right, she said dead!" Rainbow taunted him as he struggled to get up

“Fucking whore..."Shining growled. "Take her down!"

"Ha! You’re going to need more than this!" Rainbow laughed, her eyes filled with feral fury. "They can't take down shit if they move slow as snails! Let’s go losers!"

Rainbow rushed to the closest guard, spinning around his spear thrust and punching him the face, caving his skull in. “Come on, can’t you take on a mare?!” she laughed. “You’re big strong stallions, RIGHT?!” she ducked under a sword swing, punched another stallion in the groin, grabbing him by the leg before she swung his body like it was a large hammer.

Two guards were sent flying screaming, while the one in Rainbow’s grasp was slammed into a wall. She quickly kicked up a sword and impaled him on the wall through his skull.

“Come on, I’ve heard all that shit you call pillow talk! Don’t tell me you’re not hot seeing a mare kick your asses, RIGHT?!” she yelled, kicking a guard in the knee and shattering it, practically crushing his ACL. She grabbed him by the head, twisting it violently before throwing him out of the broken window. She turn to see three stallions rushing her, their swords out and screaming for her head.

She stood still as three stallions began to swipe at her, she barely moved from her spot as she ducked and weaved through their swings, laughing as she grabbed one sword arm and thrust the weapon into another throat, stepping aside from an overhead swipe, the sword cutting through the guard's arm. The guard screamed as he held his severed arm in agony, stepping away from the battle.

Rainbow quickly grabbed the dead guard’s sword and stabbed into the third guard's groin. The one missing his arm was screaming before she quickly snapped his neck and lashed out with a buck to the now balless guard behind her.

“Oh, so you’re not?!” she yelled, grabbing another guard from behind and bending over backwards, throwing him over her shoulders and into a wall. “THIS ALL YA GOT?!”

"Fucking useless!" Shining Armor growled as he lashed out with a spell, just missing Rainbow.

“You can’t hit meeeee!’” Rainbow taunted, dodging the blast. It wasn’t fire, or anything specific - just a blast of pure concussive force. “You know… I used to think you were kinda cute before the fall!” she taunted him.

Shining Armor blasted her again. It seemed like whatever had been done to him had weakened his control - this was just so poorly controlled, dissipating in all directions.

She dodged again, laughing madly. “You’re even worse with that horn than the one between your legs!” Rainbow laughed.

He blasted her again, breathing raggedly.

“You can do a lot, yeah, but you just don’t have the stamina!” Rainbow laughed. “That all you got? If you get tired so easily, I can’t imagine how Cadence put up with you!”

“You shut up about her!”

“Oh, so you care about her, huh?!” Rainbow asked, dodging a blast. “You remember her? I thought that wasn’t the stallion way!” she laughed. “Oh, no, it’s alright to treat mares like disposable condoms!”

“I’ll fucking kill you!"

"I also heard you overthrew Celestia to 'Protect Twilight' from anymore danger." Rainbow landed a far distance away, her eyes filled with anger. "Some protection! We couldn't save her, she was just too broken to resist any longer. The things they did to her…! We were able to save Spike though... And he is not happy at all."

“SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!” Shining Armor yelled.

Another blast. This one didn’t even seem to be aimed.

“I did what was best for my sister!” he yelled. “I wanted to help! She was in so much danger fighting them, and-

For a moment, Rainbow could have stopped. She could have asked “What the buck?!” She could have asked how in Celestia’s name that made anything even approaching sense. She could have argued.

But a verbal retort just didn’t seem to cover it.

“...I don’t know whether to pity you for what’s been done to you… or hate you for what you’ve done,” Rainbow said, suddenly behind Shining. “BUT I AM LEANING TOWARDS THE SECOND ONE!”

She spread her wings and shot faster than anypony can blink, grabbed Shining Armor and, using her wings for lift, flung him over her shoulder into the floor. There was a crack as several bones shattered on impact.

“‘I ‘ace!” Shining yelled. ‘ou’ve ‘o I ‘ace!”

“I’M GONNA BREAK A LOT MORE!” Rainbow yelled, stomping on his groin. There was a sensation of something giving under her heel. She wasn’t sure what, but Shining didn’t seem to have taken it well, screaming so loudly and for so very long it was as if he might burst.

Shining yelled things that might have been either curses or pleas for mercy.

“...You’ve heard that old story about how little you deserve that, haven’t you?” Rainbow yelled flying away, picking up speed. She turned in a loop, flying back at Shining, twisting upwards, and ramming both feet into his shoulderblades. He screamed, clutching them in pain, somehow managing to stand up as Rainbow flew up into the air, having used his shoulders for leverage.

She flipped upwards, and fell at him, knees first. “AND THUS YOU DIE THE WAY YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO, CRUSHED BETWEEN SOMEONE’S THIGHS!”

Her legs smashed into him, crushing everything between his jaw and the bottom of his ribcage. Like a hammer to a nail, they drove him into the ground. There were what sounded like sickening, unholy cracks, all in the space of a second, and his stomach felt not all that different from a bag of jelly.

She appeared to have pulped all his organs.

But given what he’d turned into, well… it was hard to say he didn’t deserve it.

Rainbow looked behind her, seeing the crystal guards ready to charge at her.

"DIE!" Rainbow raised an eyebrow as the purple scaled dragon barreled through their ranks with all the subtlety of a charging bull, or maybe a trainwreck.

The crystal guards… didn’t so much break formation much as they just broke. They flew up into the air as Spike barreled through them, shattering against his scales, being knocked into others.

The guards tried to defend themselves, but they were wearing armor made of food to a dragon. Spike roared as his claws shattered armor with a single swipe, his tail wrapping around a guard and crushing him, then using his corpse as a blunt weapon to knock through the guards, ramming him into their chests and knocking them down.

He jumped up, roaring and shooting fire from his mouth, and fell down on them, letting his considerable bulk crush them. He bit down on swords and shattered them with ease, ripped arms and legs off to beat them with the bloody appendages or other guards, impaling guards with his tail and sent their screaming bodies at the walls.

By the time he was done, the entire hall was a bloody mess.

“Aren’t even worth eating,” he sighed, picking himself up and dusting himself off. He looked at Shining Armor.

“Is he dead?” Spike asked.

“I’m pretty sure his organs are paste by now,” Rainbow said.

Spike looked at her for a moment. For that one moment, Rainbow expected a scene right out of one of those silly movies where people kissed in the rain or something, the ones she’d always ignored in favor of action movies. For him to say something like “I’m sorry, old friend,” as jazz music played, to express some sentimentality that this stallion was dead. Depending on how one looked at his relationship with Twilight, he could have been either a good friend, an uncle, or a brother.

But instead...

“Good,” he said, his voice steady, taking a deep breath and set his corpse aflame. Then, for good measure, he stomped the still flaming body into unrecognizability. He was immune to fire, so it wasn’t a big deal.

"Spikey!" a voice cried in anger.

“Oh..." Spike flinched, looking back to see the white unicorn mare storming past the ponies and Tirek with little care, wearing a stylish nurse uniform. She grimaced at the corpses but soldiered on and grabbed his green fringes, yanking it. "Ow!"

"I did not waste my magic just for you to undo all my hard work!" Rarity snapped at him, causing Spike to flinch. She gave a sigh as she hugged him. "I don't want to lose you either!"

“I know,” Spike said. “Me ei-”

"Fucking rape them!" The doors opened and a charge of caribou ran at them. Rainbow and Spike were set to fall back to the army, but apparently it wasn't the right move in the white unicorn's eyes.

"WE'RE HAVING A MOMENT YOU RUFFIANS!" Rarity yelled, her eyes filled with anger, her body glowed and her mane and tail shifted with additional colors such as yellow and blue. Her fur and mane grew in volume and diamonds dotted her pristine coat, tiny stars rising up from her hooves. The broken gem armor floated around her and unleashed at the horde of caribou, ripping them apart with ease. "Hmph! Come on before you rip your stitches, my strong dragon."

“We’re not… done…” whispered one caribou, clutching the broken crystal armor in his gut. “Need to-”

“Oh, I don’t care about that, you fashion victim,” Rarity said, before she telekinetically grabbed the scrapheap-like armor he was wearing and pushed it against his muscles, crushing him in a spray of gore. “Come along, Spike! Equestria’s liberation awaits!”

She trotted out the door, a smile on her face.

“Remind me never to get her mad,” Spike gulped out.

“Oh, don’t worry,” Rarity turned back to him, a bright smile on her face. “Nothing you do… could ever make me angrier than I am right now.”

There was a pause as Spike and Rainbow looked at each other with identical confused expressions on their faces. Something’s weird here, Rainbow’s face seemed to say. Is she in shock?

“...Thanks?” Spike said uncertainly.

[Seven months ago...]

Rarity swallowed as she walked towards the meeting point at Whitetail Woods, her finger on the red collar around her neck.

She was meeting Twilight, Fluttershy, and Spike for their weekly 'Suck and Fuck'. Ever since the disappearance of Applejack and Pinkie, Twilight had been clingy of the rest of her friends. Even going as far to ask her own 'Master' for Rarity to be traded for another mare.

She walked into the clearing, seeing Twilight and Fluttershy on their knees, gently licking the draconic cock with smiles.

Rarity gave a sad sigh, wondering if Sweetie was alright. Though last time she saw her baby sister, the Flim Flam Brothers dressed up her and Applebloom as superheroines, using the very clothes she was forced to make, and brutally rape them in newer and more depraved forms of “sexual entertainment”.

Every night, she wept silently, not wanting to incur her Master's wrath as he slept in her room...

No... the Master's room, she didn’t own anything anymore.

She slept on a pile of clothes, clothes she made before the Fall. She tried hard to keep them intact, but occasionally if she messed up, her Master would rip one of them apart.

She regretted ever agreeing to become a red collar. She thought as a red collar, she could protect Sweetie Belle from the caribou and stallions.

Turned out she was wrong.

Very, very wrong.

She had no power, no connections, nothing. And instead of paying for it, Sweetie did.

Her parents were in Zebrica on vacation when the Fall began. The Zebras were cowed by Dainn's power and sent dozens of ponies that fled to their lands for escape as payments, and lately, zebra mares began to appear in Equestria. She prayed that her father fought off any zebra that tried to capture them, to be that strong stallion she grew up seeing.

Speaking of Zebras...

Last she heard, Zecora willingly gave out information to Hunter groups of mares escaping into the Everfree, although lately the Hunters came out less and less, even Zecora no longer came into town to get her daily cum ration from the caribou in charge of the town.

"Rarity!" Twilight waved happily, scooting aside to give her room to kneel. "Spike misses you! We are trying very hard to get you under his care! We managed to get Fluttershy last week, a good cleaning and spell from the Master Doctor, and Spike is very happy with her body."

"That's... nice, dear."

"Although she still tries to go out and tend to the war beasts. I have been trying to train her to love Spike's cock only, but it’s a slow process." Twilight placed a finger in thought, while Rarity shuddered at what Fluttershy had to go through.

The mare in question was practically a purple collar, her eyes vacant and drooling, but somehow aware. She wasn’t sure what was wrong with the mare, only that she was different from other mares.

"Spike horny, pretty white pony suck Spike's cock." Spike grasped her head and rubbed his cock against her muzzle.

Rarity blushed at the cock, very impressive size compare to stallions and even caribou. Though she has taken note that compared to other mares Spike got his claws on, he was unusually gentle with her.

Rarity closed her eyes, daintily open her mouth and began to pleasure the dragon, Spike relaxing a good amount while he ran his claws through her mane. Rarity shuddered as she felt those claws run over body, her body enjoying the dragon's gentle touch.

She open her eyes, seeing the look of envy on Twilight's face. "He always treats you good! How do you do it?"

Rarity gave a long slurped, gently biting the cock before turning to Twilight. "It’s a mystery, Twilight."

Rarity mentally sighed as the former genius pouted and crossed her arms like a child. Twilight was a princess, a powerful being with all three races magic at her disposal, now she was nothing more than a toy that walked and talked.

She continued to suck before the cock was violently ripped from her mouth. "Wha-?!"

Her eyes wide in shock as she saw Spike fall backwards, collapsing from the blow of the a very familiar red Centaur. "T-tirek!"

Rarity felt herself move before she realized what she was doing. The red centaur raised an eyebrow as she stood in front of him, her arms spread as she looked up at him.

"Twilight! Take Fluttershy and run! I'll slow him down while you get the guards!" Rarity yelled as she rushed at Tirek and punched him in the gut. She yelped as she held her hand, then lashed out with a kick, only to stifle a cry as she hopped back.

Sadly Twilight continued to stay where she was at, Fluttershy stared at Tirek with drool dripping from her mouth.

"Twilight!"

"Enough," Tirek spoke causing Rarity to flinch, but remain firm.

Something in Rarity snapped, all the stress and abuse came to the forefront of her mind and the dam broke and all that plus her anger came along for the ride.

"No!" She shouted back at him, causing Tirek to stare at the mare in surprise. "I am tired of this stupid life! I saw how badly we lost to a bunch of horny sex-crazed savages! I gave up because all my friends either fell or vanished! I tried to be a good red collar to protect Sweetie Belle, but that bastard Dainn ruined any hope of that! I see my baby sister getting abused everyday as a SHOWPIECE! MY TALENTS ARE WASTED ON UGLY AND DISGUSTING CLOTHES THAT EVEN THE VILEST, GREASIEST, HORNIEST, CHEAPEST TRAIN STATION WHORE WOULD THINK WERE TOO SLUTTY! I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THE REST OF MY FAMILY! SO BY LUNA'S GOOD GRACES, IF I AM GOING TO DOWN, I WILL DIE BEFORE I LIVE A MINUTE LONGER AS A SLAVE!"

"Rarity!" Twilight shouted in anger, standing up to the mare. "How could you! The Master's will be angry to hear such words! I have to tell your-*slap*"

Twilight held her face, Rarity’s left eye twitching. "One more word, Twilight. Just say one more word so I can spare the agony of hearing your stupid, insipid, infantilized voice praise the so called 'Masters' so I can do your parents a favor and choke you until you stop breathing!"

"My mother is a good slave-ack!"

"RAGH!"

Tirek stared in utter confusion as Twilight defended herself the best she could from the furious mare. Applejack and Rainbow walked out from behind Tirek, staring in wonder at the white unicorn.

Rarity hand her grip around Twilight's throat, lifting her up, and began to shake her. "YOU! YOU WERE SO FUCKING SMART! LOOK AT YOU NOW! YOU MAKE THE SPECIAL PONIES LOOK SMART IN COMPARISON! HOW COULD YOU FALL TO THIS! YOU’RE AN ALICORN! PRACTICALLY A GODDESS IN ALL BUT NAME! WEAK! PATHETIC AND WEAK! YOU AND CELESTIA BOTH! YOU BOTH FELL IN MERE DAYS, IF NOT HOURS! I SHOULD HAVE KILLED YOU A LONG TIME AGO! DIE!"

"Rarity."

"YOU STUPID WEAK SLUT!"

"Rarity!"

"HOW CAN YOU DO THIS TO ME?! TO SPIKE?! TURN MY LOVELY SPIKEY WIKEY, YOUR LITTLE BROTHER, INTO A LUST CRAZED DRAKE WITH DAMN NEAR NO BRAIN!"

"RARITY!"

"WHAT?! I'M BUSY MURDERING SOMEPONY HERE!" Rarity rounded on the voice, her eyes filled with fury, only to be filled with surprise. "A-applejack?! Rainbow!? Girls!"

Rarity threw herself at them, crying her eyes out. She stepped back, looking over them. Applejack had what appeared to be her old clothes, even her Stetson she always wore, no doubt supplied by Big Mac. Although the bladed weapons attached to her hips and back was new.

Rainbow was wearing a mish-mash of clothes, apparently taken from guards or trash heaps and cleaned up the best she could. She was wearing heavy gauntlets and guard’s boots, but the most wonderful addition was the lack of wing binders, her wings full of feathers and strong once more.

"Wow Rares, I..." Rainbow scratched her head, unsure what to say.

Rarity sighed as she backed away, looking away in shame. "I suppose you girls hate me. For giving up."

"Sugercube, after what you just yelled out, Ah don't think Ah can stay mad at you. You did what you could to keep Sweetie safe." Applejack hugged the mare, gently patting her back.

"Fat lot that did." Rarity choked out as she felt her eyes began to tear up, feeling all the stress melting away as Applejack hugged her. "Oh Applejack, you're too kind."

"Where have you two been?!" Twilight yelled at Rainbow and Applejack. "Do you know Master Big Mac wasn't allowed to have more mares thanks to you running away, Applejack! Poor Master Big Mac has been so lonely."

Rainbow snorted at this while Applejack crossed her arms and stared at Twilight. "Mah brother barely owned slaves before Ah left, and he 'sold' the two he had because several stallions raped them until they couldn't even walk because their pelvises were broken in several places."

"As is their right as slaves pleasing a male," Twilight answered.

“...Dear Maker, does she have any of her mind LEFT?!” Applejack asked incredulously.

“No,” Rarity sighed.

"Well whatever, Tirek do your thing." Rainbow elbowed him, causing him to grunt. He shook his head.

"I will not."

"What?! Why not? With Twilight on board, we could overthrow Dainn." Rainbow looked up to Tirek, while Rarity was still trying to come to terms that the two mares was working with the centaur.

"Because she is a Fallen," Tirek responded, causing both mares to freeze up.

"Um... what is a Fallen?" Rarity asked as she saw the two mares pale at the word.

"Its... Its a word we use for ponies who willingly gave up and become corrupted by Dainn's magic," Applejack whispered. “They haven’t just given up resisting… they’ve grown to like it because it’s all they can know.”

"We tried to reverse it... but... there is nothing to save because they are just so broken..." Rainbow refused to look at Rarity. "And we have to put them down."

"W-what does that mean? Why...why are you..." Rarity eyes widen when she realized what they meant. "No! She is just brainwashed!"

"You were trying to kill her earlier," Tirek pointed out, only to blink as Rarity reached down and threw a rock at him.

"I was under a lot of stress!" Rarity cried out, "I was just going to knock her out! Plus I thought I was going to die since you are here! Fluttershy! Spike! No! I refuse to lose them too!"

Tirek looked at the two, his mouth opening as he drain the tainted magic from them. Fluttershy made a small whimper before she fell over while Spike shrank down somewhat, resembling more of his original self before the Fall. "They are fine."

"Awesome! Fluttershy! Wake up!" Rainbow said, walking over to her, and staring down at her friend.

She looked… dead. She was clearly still alive, as evidenced by her breathing, and her eyes were wide open.

"Flutters?" Rainbow kneeled next to her. "Flutters, get up... this isn't funny... come on... get up!"

Tears welled up in Fluttershy’s eyes. It seemed to be all she could do.

"Tirek! Did you do something?!"

"I only took the tainted magic, just like I have been doing for the past few months." Tirek defended himself. He leaned over her and looked at her. Her eyes focused on him before she gave a small whine, she never moved even as he stood over her. “She is… her mind broke before the magic could break it. She has not fallen… and yet she is lost. Her mind broke apart under the magic and what was happening to her. Perhaps she may come back some day.”

"But how was she moving and talking?" Rarity kneeled down next to her.

Tirek only shrugged, "The magic that broke her also forced her to function as a broken slave, just barely holding her together like… I don’t know, a framework, or something,” Tirek explained. “Remove the framework, all the pieces fall out. That is my best guess."

"Oh... my head." Spike groan out, sitting up and holding his head. He looked up, shock on his face as he saw Tirek and the girls before him, Rarity, Fluttershy, Twilight completely naked. "What-"

"Master Spike!" Twilight cried out as she threw herself onto him. "Stop them! They are slaves trying to escape!"

"What?!" Spike stared at the mare before him. "Wait... what happened to your horn?! Your wings!?"

"Master Spike, please stop them! I will suck your cock tonight! I'll even be your cocksleeve!" Twilight begged him, only to get shoved away from him in horror.

"What are talking about?! Why are you saying these things?! Twilight?! What’s wrong?! What’s happening!?" Spike cried out, looking at Twilight in disgust and horror. His eyes widened as his memories began to play back the last year and a half. “Oh…. no,” he whimpered.

His eyes darted from side to side as he remembered the things he wished he couldn’t.

The group watched as the drake held a claw to his mouth and crawled to the closest bush and began to vomit violently. The bush burst into flames - nobody was entirely sure what dragon vomit was made of, but it was definitely flammable.

"Master?"

"Stay away from me!" Spike screamed out in fear and disgust. "What did you do to me?!"

"Oh Master Spike is sick! I have the perfect cure!" Twilight reached into a picnic basket filled with toys and pulled a dark crystal and took aim at him. "Now stay still Master."

"Spikey!" Rarity tackled Spike to the ground, the blast of dark magic thankfully missing both of them as it flew above them.

"Rarity!" I'm trying to fix my master! Stop this at once! I know what I am doing because Master Spike always get sick and says weird things." Twilight said candidly, taking aim once more.

To everyone else, what she said had struck them in the most horrible moment of clarity. Spike was actively fighting the corruption and was winning.

But Twilight was forcing him back into a mindless, sex-crazed brute.

"Now Master. Hold still." Twilight took aim, only cry out as Tirek grabbed a hold of her head pulled her up. Tirek took the crystal from her grasp, a grimace on his face as he drain it before looking to the others.

"You must make a decision..." Tirek asked, holding the struggling alicorn. "Do we kill her or leave her without any magic?"

Applejack looked to the struggling mare before she lowered her hat. "End her. It seems crueler to let her live like this than to end the suffering."

"Applejack!" the others cried out in shock.

"We can't leave her like this! Look at her!" Applejack raised her hat, her face filled with misery with her decision as the tears rolled down her eyes. "Do you want to remember her like this?! Like some sex slave who eagerly corrupted her baby brother whenever he freed himself from her control? Who thought the best thing in the world was having herself jammed full of cocks in her holes?"

Applejack punched a tree, blood seeping from the cuts, sure that a finger or two were broken as well. "Well Ah don't! Ah want to remember Twilight who brought us together to defeat Nightmare Moon, Discord, this stubborn ass!"

Tirek gave a grunt, but said nothing.

"She helped us learn friendship! Gave it her all to know the ins and outs of the magic of Friendship!" Applejack wailed as she hit the tree several times. “And now she’s… this... thing! I don’t like it any more than any of y’all.”

“You’re absolutely sure there’s nothing you can do?!” Rainbow pleaded Tirek. “Positive?!”

Tirek gave her a long look before gently putting a hand on her shoulder. "If I did... I would have found it by now. No, magic cannot solve this problem. Magic is only part of the problem, it involves the mind... and that is something we can not fix if the mind doesn't wish to be fixed."

No one said anything as Tirek looked to them all, even Spike remained silent, tears falling onto the ground. Tirek slowly walked into the forest line, stopping next to Applejack.

"Are you sure... Applejack?" he whispered, Applejack nodded her head, not trusting herself to speak. Tirek nodded his head, quietly walking into the woods, his mouth open as he drain the alicorn magic from Twilight.

"Wait!" Twilight's voice echoed out, the girls and Spike finding themselves frozen as they heard her speak. "You don't have to kill me! I can be quiet! I can suck your impressive dick! I can be your toy if Master Spike doesn't want me! I can bend in any way you wa-"

Silence echoed out, no other words could be heard coming from Twilight. Applejack slumped to the ground, struggling to breathe, she looked up to see Pinkie walk out of the shadows, her own eyes filled with tears as she fell and held her cousin. They were soon joined by the others except Spike and Fluttershy, holding each other, crying as they lost a part of themselves.

Tirek had never seen anyone cry like these ponies and drake did.

Tirek remained in the shadows, the alicorn magic running through him, his form larger and more imposing than before. He laid the corpse gently on the ground, closing her eyes before he melted back into the forest.

He didn't need to be there.

Their friend's killer had no place in their mourning.

Rarity looked up from the group to see Spike sitting away from the others, staring off into space, tears streaming from his his eyes.

She got up from the group, gently sitting next to him as she tried to wipe away the tears.

“...Rarity?” Spike asked.

“Yes?” Rarity asked.

There was an awkward pause.

“I don’t know if I want to cry or throw up,” Spike whispered.

“Can… I come?” Rarity asked. “I feel much the same way.”

“No!” Spike said, a little too insistently. “Maybe sometime. But… I… I need to be alone for this.” Another pause. “Plus, if I throw up, that’s flammable-” he jerked a thumb at the bush he’d burnt while vomiting. “So…”

Rarity knew exactly what he was trying not to say. “....Yes. I think I understand.”

Rarity instead wrapped her arms around him, causing him to flinch, but she refused to remove her arms. For a few agonizing moments, they remembered what they’d been through. Who they had been forced to be.

"I don't care. We all need a friend to lean on... Even dragons." Rarity whispered as she held on to him tightly.

And as soon as those moments were done, Spike returned the embrace. After all, though their experiences made them terrified, and they’d likely never truly recover, it felt good to be hugged by someone who wanted him to feel better. Someone with feelings and emotions beyond sexual urges.

"Spike..." Rainbow croaked out, causing Spike to look up and see Rainbow holding Fluttershy in her arms. "I... I think we all need to be together..."

Spike held out his arms as Rainbow handed Fluttershy to him, before collapsing and holding him tightly. He was soon buried in arms and bodies as Applejack and Pinkie joined them, holding him as if their lives depended on it.

They may have lost a friend...

But Spike lost a sister.

Spike began to shake, his emotions beginning to get the better of him before he let loose an emotional wail at losing a pony he knew his entire life.

"Twilight..."