A great silence befell the grounds of the homestead. The light evening breeze was charming and crisp, as it swam past with a slight, biting chill. An unknown amount of time passed as everyone stared at each other across the threshold of the main doorway, all wide-eyed and nervous, with or without respective clothing.

“Ss…suh…soooooo, Sunset Shimmer, ahehehh…wh-what brings you to my humble abode, this time of night? Ahehehehhh…” Rarity timidly scratched behind her head as she spoke, wanting to cover up, yet…honestly…what was the point?

“Umm…yeah…I just came along for the ride.” Sunset began, “’Cause…I wanted to see the tower and, um, Vinyl wanted to drop by and pick up Octavia’s recital gown?”

Rarity immediately smacked her forehead in penance for her forgetfulness.

“And Trixie’s, well…”

“Aaaaand, the Great and Powerful TRRRIXIEEEEE demands audience with Grand Mistress Luna to receive magical instruction.” Trixie barged into the conversation.

Miss Luna advanced herself from the crowd, her irate, blushing, bountiful body huffing as she confronted the presumptuous little girl. “How dare you make demands of me! Why, I’m of a good mind to teach you a lesson, you ignorant fledgling!”

“Like YOU’RE in any position to argue.” Trixie crossed her arms, contented in feeling that she backed Miss Luna into a corner. “One word of refusal and I’ll report your…compromising situation here to the nearest authority that will give heed.”

“Alright, fine and dandy, Trixie, but, one more threat out of you and you’ll be walking home!” Sunset Shimmer growled.

“Hmmph!” Trixie huffed and turned her nose up and away from Sunset. Miss Luna smirked at her reaction. The rest of them giggled, quietly.

“Mmm, now, all bickering aside, girls,” Rarity pressed into the conversation…forgetting, especially after that much needed disciplinary outburst from Sunset Shimmer, that she wasn’t wearing a stitch of clothing, “What brings you to my humble abode?”

“Well, like I said, Vinyl came to get Octavia’s dress, I came along to finally see your…legendary house and hall, and Trixie…well, as you heard, Trixie is seeking Miss Luna to teach her magic of some kind.” Trixie and Sunset shared a momentary glare towards each other, before Trixie turned away again. “But…um…that’s enough about me.” she started, finally beginning to push the obvious line of questioning, “I’m already afraid to ask, but, it can’t be helped. What’s with the…full monty act, guys?”

Rarity was suddenly aware of her nudity again. “Oh, heheh…we…um…” Rarity started up, struggling to find a reasonable reason, with a few droplets of sweat escaping her forehead, “W…we decided to try a little…nudist…party…you know…just to see…what it was…like…going all…natural…and such…heh.”

‘Yeah…let’s go with that…’ everyone thought as a silent sigh of relief escaped everyone’s shoulders. A reasonable reason…that it was.

“A…ahyee seeee…” Sunset replied, mostly buying it, but, accepting that the situation was a bit more complicated than that.

“Arrre you guys, like, gonna let us in ‘n stuff?! These freakin’ pizzas are totally scorchin’ my palms.” Vinyl suddenly speared the awkward conversation.

“Oh, my! Of course, darling! Please, do come inside!” Rarity finally answered and fluttered them in with a hand, as she opened the grand door of the hall wide enough to receive them.

The click and gentle roar of the closing door seemed to seal the outside world away for the newcomers and immerse them in the grandeur of the main hallway. Rarity had decided to light the lineup of beautiful chandeliers that hung high in the vaulted hallway, to help chase away the gloom of night. After all, the feeling just before night came was rather warm and cozy, especially after Spike’s doom breaking pep talk. The glow of the candlelight only echoed and accentuated that. It made everyone feel greatly welcome, including the new arrivals.

“Yohhhhhh…” Vinyl commented, nearly whistling her awe.

“Yeaahhh…that’s…somethin’ else!” Sunset Shimmer quietly sang her amazement as her eyes wandered across the woodwork and the various bits and pieces of framed artistry.

“It’s…sooooo…pretty!” Trixie even said, despite her previous thought of snubbing the house’s keeper.

“Why, thank you, ladies. We doo love it here, nhehe.” Rarity giggled as a happy hostess. For a moment, she indulged the thought of wearing a large, southern belle type dress…or a cute maid uniform. “This way, if you would, Vinyl. You simply muust give those limbs of yours a rest. And do help yourselves to the refreshments. I believe you will find them quite satisfying.”

The three girls were ushered into the grand lounge, inciting even more ‘ooh’s and ‘ahh’s as they beheld the largest of the golden, crystal gilded chandeliers and a protected yet uninhibited view of the night sky and the surrounding terrain. It was a strange, poetic atmosphere, as the ladies and gentleman, some clothed some not, shuffled into the quiet of the exquisite room, with the feeling of being on the threshold of a happening, a private social party of sorts, for all present to remember but for none to speak of for years to come.

Vinyl Scratch laid the four boxes onto the large refreshment table and took her ease by stepping back and wiping the slight trickle of sweat from her brow. They weren’t heavy but they were still fresh and hot.

“Oh yeah…the punch.” Spike suddenly butted into the various bits of conversation that loosely connected between this girl and that. “I’ll be right back. I’m sure it’s nice ‘n cool by now.” he said as he began making his way towards the kitchen.

“Yohhh…did you say punch?” Vinyl suddenly asked, clamoring after him.

“Yeah. Fresh and special, Pinkie Pie style, hehe.”

“Ehee, lemme give you a hand with that.” Vinyl smiled.

“Sure! This way.” Spike replied, not reading deep enough into this smile that the odd party girl had, nor her ‘affinity’ for punch.

Spike and Vinyl had broken off from the group and slipped themselves into the kitchen, where Spike helped coax a humungous clamshell bowl of punch out from off its shelf. Within moments, Vinyl was there to lend a helping hand, as they carefully toted the large, heavy drink to the nearby dining table.

“Aghh…whew!” Spike huffed his relief before returning to the refrigerator to close it. “Thanks a lot, Vinyl.” he said as he turned his back.

“Nooo problem…heheheh…” she half whispered.

Just as Spike finished closing the door, he thought he spied Vinyl emptying what looked like the contents of a sugar packet into the punch, but, when he got back to the giant bowl, he saw no such evidence, neither grain nor packet.

Vinyl placed her forearms on the sides of the giant bowl. “Arright, buddy. Ya ready?”

Spike did the same from his side. “Yyyeup!” he said, and they carried the impressive thing off to the lounge.

Gasps, oohs, and ahhs were all but sung as the two triumphant heroes emerged from the doorway, the liquid treasure in their arms. Soon after they set it upon the refreshment table and all the pieces of the evening meal were set in place, the pizza boxes were set side by side and opened. To the far right, the smallest of the four was presented. It was a twelve incher with a label sitting at the back of the box, saying “The Big Kahuna”. It boasted a true Hawaiian topping of pineapple and Kalua pork. The heavy scent of smokey, roasted pork and sweet, succulent pineapple simply attacked their senses. Eyes widened, nostrils flared with deeply taken breaths, and then mouths and eyes closed with the impending ‘mmmmmmmm’ sound that was, at this point, an instinctive reaction. The second box was opened. It was a twenty one inch pie, toting a simple label of “Veggie Supreme” in the rear. It was a savory, colorful, vegetable blend: a deep, beautiful, gooey mess of white and yellow cheeses in which was sprinkled into its delicious grain a chaotic arrangement of olives, bell peppers, mushrooms, and artichokes, over which was arranged circle within circle of bright, potent, and appetizing dices of deep, rich, sun dried tomato. The clouds of steam that wafted from this one nearly warmed and caressed their faces, making them all drool and gasp as they drank it all in. Then, the third box was opened. The oddity of this box was that it was by far the tallest, boasting some five inches in HEIGHT, separating its girth from the rest. Nestled within was a tall, deep, almost cake like pie, with an oozing, nearly still bubbling, caldron like arrangement of cheese, rich red sauce, and bits upon bits of meat, including the obligatory slices of pepperoni, visiting party crashers of sausage and the rarer linguica, and spiked with the ever welcome stripey chips of crisp, tasty, smokey bacon. The label hidden in the rear was a simple notation. “The Carnivore Supreme” was what it said, silently heralding the presence of a pizza king. Amidst a few gasps and jaws dropping open in sheer awe and respect of this gooey, golden idol, a reverent silence seemed to shroud the room. But the end was not yet. There was still one pie left to go. They breached the box of this final frontier, noting that it was a near thirty inches in diameter. Resting within the confines of this thin, wide landscape was a surprise, a true shocker that seemed to push the envelope of what a pizza truly was. It was a large, wide, circular object whose crust was composed of a deep golden toasted, highly gooey chocolate chip cookie crust. Amidst its marshmallow ‘mozzarella’ and drizzle of chocolate sauce ‘maranra’ was a quadrant composed composition: one fourth had a tiny pitchfork sign stabbed into its crust, saying ‘coconut confetti’, consisting of a course to fine shred of coconut ‘pecarino’; another fourth had a simple, standing label of ‘S’more Safari’, with a chunky crumbling of gram cracker bits and large chunks of milk chocolate; another fourth had the label of ‘Mutt Nutt Rocky Road’ and presented a chunky, crunchy assortment of cashews, walnuts, almonds, and hazelnuts; and, finally, stood a quadrant labeled ‘Minty Mountain Hop’, with a sprinkling of white chocolate and peppermint chips.

“Reh…remind me to get thehh…milkhh…” Spike huffed in a drunk, sensory overloaded stupor.

“…Chocolate’s bad for dogs.” Rarity commented.

“I’m a magical dog, okay…ih…it doesn’t count.”

“Oohkayhh…”

With a large, transparent bowl of bright, pink, dazzling punch, with pretty pieces of apple, cherry, and orange slices dancing in its depths, sitting behind the universe of pizza before them, there was now nothing to it but to do it.

Sunset Shimmer stepped forward, reluctantly. “We…are gonna get sooo fat…” she mumbled, as the gravity of the moment left them with nearly no recourse to the fact. Everyone simply giggled in reply.

To initiate the gorge-fest before them, Spike took a gentlemanly stance and a royal position, as he was used to it. “Ahem…” he cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention, as he stepped off to the side of the table. He then began to bow, with his right paw to his belly and the other behind his back. “Ladies first.” he declared with a deep, gentlemanly tone, making the girls smile…and then they all stepped in and began tearing it all up.

The girls ravaged a small stack of plastic plates beside the pizzas and then did their best to get one slice of pie from each of the boxes. And, although there was no real reason to shove, some still had some wrestling issues, bumping elbows and shoving through each other, but, in the end, everyone walked away, giggling playfully, with a decent share of the load…everyone except Spike, that was. He took a look into the first box…gone. The veggie pizza reasonably had a piece or two left for him, but, the one that he really wanted to dive into, the meaty, deep dish pizza, was utterly decimated. Not even a crumb remained. Spike nearly pursed his lips together and tears began to well in his eyes, but, just when he nearly lost all hope…

“…Spiiike!” Rarity’s sweet, sing song, siren tune called to him as she rested her smooth, gorgeous rump upon the couch. She patted the empty cushions beside her and then did a seductive, ‘come hither’ pull and point with her finger, as she smiled warmly towards him. When he noticed that she carried a double load of pizza upon her plate…and was surprised that it didn’t crack or buckle under the sheer weight of it all, he knew that she had planned a sweet, sweet rendezvous for them both…over gourmet pizza, no less. “Ayeeeehhh…ehum…need to reward you for…preparing…my…punch…mmheheh, earlier.” She blushed deeply and shined a bright yet timid smile.

Although it was fairly unbecoming of him, especially for his size, Spike got down on all fours, galloped, and then leapt toward Rarity, giving her quite a confused fright and causing her to raise the plate above her head. Spike did an amazing corkscrew twist in mid air that not only made him land perfectly across the cushions of the couch but also planted him just right, belly side up, with his head across Rarity’s lap. He playfully licked the underside of one of her large breasts with his heaving, flapping tongue and curled his legs and paws up with sheer joy.

The sensation of him licking her under-boob nearly made her drop the plate. She slid it onto the fingertips of one hand, like a waitress, and then gently swatted Spike’s nose in reply. “Goodness, Spike! Manners!” she scolded…and then whispered, “…not in front of the…new guests.”

“Oh, heh…sorry.” Spike quietly agreed.

A smile then returned to her lips, especially after they both noticed everyone giggling at them. “Soo then, Spikey-poo, where shall we start?”

For a sweet, decent while, the crowd was fairly entertained, watching Rarity feed Spike slices of pizza and watching him react, with wonder, in funny, typical doggie ways. However, reasonably so, the majority of giggling schoolgirls began conversing amongst themselves around the refreshment table, leaving Rarity and Spike to their own devices, while Miss Luna sat away in her lazy chair, reading a random book and occasionally looking over everyone.

Although it seemed that Spike hadn’t a single care or notice for the world around him, he did occasionally see, out the corner of his eye, that Trixie wasn’t exactly enjoying herself to the fullest. She did her best to be a part of the jubilations, but, Spike saw that she had no ‘in’ to the group, only laughed when the jokes were particularly funny, and, for the most part, only hovered near Sunset Shimmer, looking like a loose thread in relation to the sisterhood sail. His concerns mounted such that even Rarity became troubled at his behavior.

“Spike? Is something wrong?” she finally asked, as it seemed he was even losing his appetite over the matter.

“Huh? Uh, n…well…it’s just…Trixie, there.” Spike replied, immersed in thought and talking at a bare minimum of understandability.

“Indeed. Quite the party crasher, isn’t she?”

“Well, yeah, but…look at her. She’s…she seems…”

Rarity took a moment away from her reasonably hostile attitude towards Trixie and observed. “…Odd?”

“…Alone, Rarity. I…I don’t like it.” Spike realigned her notice, although he did recognize that her tone was on the right train of thought. This was illustrated more in the fact that she agreed with what Spike was saying.

“Yes. She does seem the ‘odd man out’, as it were.”

Spike seemed helpless at the conundrum, lost in thought a moment. Then, “Um…could you do us a favor?” he said, turning to Rarity after a short while.

“…?”

“I need you to, uh…get us some punch…I guess…but, while you’re there, tug Sunset aside? I wanna ask her ‘bout Trixie.”

“Malright. I do hope you’re not planning something messy, Spikey-poo.”

“Aw, don’t worry. Just a friendly chat is all.” he said, smiling and wagging his tail.

Rarity was slightly consoled by his attitude, but, finding his request a bit strange, to say the least, she couldn’t help but be at least a little anxious.

Spike settled into the couch, settling cross-legged on the cushions, and grabbed a slice of pizza from Rarity’s plate, holding it between his paws, after Rarity had gone to get them some punch.

“That…is too weird, heheh.” Sunset Shimmer spoke, half giggling, as she watched the odd, young dog-man play and tear at the remaining crust like a chew toy.

“Oh, heh…hi.” Spike said to the puzzled young lady before him. He quickly stuffed the sweet, chewy bit of puffy pizza crust into his mouth and juggle-chewed the living daylights out of it, just like regular dogs do, gnawing and gnawing, until it was gone.

Sunset giggled, watching on. “That is just too darn weird, hehehe.”

Rarity agreed, amused at Sunset’s reactions, herself.

“So…what’s up, li’l guy…you really are Twilight’s pet, by the way, right?” Sunset asked as she settled on the couch beside him, with Rarity sitting on his opposite side. Sunset playfully scratched behind one of Spike’s big, adorable, floppy ears, giving him a rush of ticklish pleasure and making one of his legs nearly vibrate in reply…at least that was ‘till he noticed a problem in Sunset Shimmer’s choice of words.

“I am so NOT her pet. I am her noble assistant.” he pouted, proudly crossing his arms. His voice was stern and a bit fiery.

Sunset Shimmer recoiled a bit. “Oh…heh, sorry. It’s ju…uhm…dogs are usually pets in this world.”

“…Yeah, I noticed.”

The slightly tense mood died down as Sunset asked, “So…what’d’ya wanna talk to me about?”

“Oh, right, um…it’s about…Trixie.” Spike began.

“Yeah? What about her?”

“Well, so, I was just wondering why she came along or how she…uh…came to come along. She’s not exactly the best of friends with us and all.”

Sunset took a moment to recollect the few bothersome moments before she and Trixie ended up tagging along with Vinyl. “Ohhh…I was actually over at Vinyl and Octavia’s first, just hangin’ out and running over some tunes she had, when Trixie came over and asked if she could do a remix of ‘Tricks Up My Sleeve’. Vinyl said that it reminded her to pick up Octavia’s dress from Rarity and then Trixie started getting all hyper and all half-beggy and half-demanding over coming with. Vinyl and me were about to tell her no, but…I dunno. I kinda saw some kind of…longing, in her eyes, for something.” Rarity and Spike were listening quite intently, at this point, and, Sunset Shimmer seemed to get lost within herself. She fidgeted with her cup as she looked towards the floor. She sounded very, very sympathetic, even sad, when she mentioned, “…She reminded me of…me…you know…before the Fall Formal? Something tells me…told me, then…she needed…help.”

Rarity almost teared up at that moment. “…My. I almost want to go and give her a big hug, but, I really don’t think it’d be well received…just out of the blue like that.”

“Yeah.” Spike replied.

Sunset smiled weakly then, turning towards Spike and Rarity. “Oh, I don’t know. I may be looking too deep into it.”

“No, really, I think you’re right. She seems so…lost, you know? If only there were a way, at least for the party, to just…Iunno…welcome her?” Spike’s voiced trailed into a ramble. He wasn’t really talking to the girls now, so much as talking to himself. He wandered off into a somewhat Mr. Fixit mindset, seemingly determined to help out Trixie at all costs, when, suddenly, he noticed that he had sipped his cup dry of punch. His eyes suddenly lit up then, filled with inspiration, coming from a grace of serendipity. “I know…” was all he said, as he stood and made his way from the puzzled pair of girls, sitting upon the couch. He looked ahead, hoping for another piece of his puzzle to present itself. And there it was: Trixie was as he hoped, standing alone, anxious, with no one to talk to…and her hands empty of a friendly glass of punch. Spike modestly stepped around the chattering girls, took a clean glass and placed it alongside his, and proceeded to fill them up with a comfortable amount of sloshing room, near the brim. He then turned about, stepped casually before Trixie, and offered her a drink. “Uh, hey.” he said, somewhat clumsily, “You looked like you could use a drink.”

Trixie looked suspiciously at the…dog-boy, before her. “Hmmph.” she huffed and turned her face away, crossing her arms as well, “The Great and Powerful Trixie has no interest in…um…getting hit on by…a…whatever, like you.”

“A dog…you can say it.” Spike joked, a touch of weariness over the matter spoken in his voice. “C’mohhn, Trixie. I just thought, I dunno, you could use a little company for a while.”

Trixie didn’t turn her head, but, she looked Spike over out the corner of her eye. He seemed genuinely sympathetic, carrying a sense of honesty in his worried little smile, as he gave a friendly urge, swaying the cup gently before her and encouraging her to step into his welcome zone. She bashfully took it in good will, an embarrassed, little smile crossing her lips and a sweet, gentle blush coloring her cool, dimpled cheeks. “Thanks.” was all she said, a spirit of coyness and fidgeting spilling over her.

Spike did his best to refrain from admitting to himself that…she looked absolutely adorable.

Trixie nervously stared Spike up and down a moment. “Th…that’s not a costume…is it.” she asked.

“Nope.” Spike replied with a bit of a nervous smile himself.

“Uh, so…you’re really…Twilight Sparkles…dog?” Trixie asked. Apparently, the looming question was driving her downright jittery.

“Yeeeup.” Spike replied. He looked away for a bit, nervously sipping his punch, not knowing where this string of conversation was going.

Then, Trixie finally asked, “…So how did you become…like…that?”

Spike’s body seemed to slump about a quarter foot, as if the puppet master holding his body relaxed their hand. He wearily nudged his nose and lazily swung a finger up towards Miss Luna. “Don’t ask.” he said. “Let’s just say…we didn’t plan on this.”

Trixie’s eyes widened: a bit of shock, a bit of amazement riddled within. “Really…”

“Yeah.” Spike replied. “I hope you’re sure of what you’re askin’ for, asking her to teach you and all that. I’m just glad she’s on OUR side.” Spike smirked a bit, smooshing his lips together, at the thought of what other things she might be able to do, given the right provocation.

Trixie suddenly felt a little troubled. “…Maybe it was a bad idea to ask…the way I did.”

Spike took notice of her sudden sinking feeling. “Yeah, heh. But, hey, maybe I can put in a good word for you, to sorta…take the edge off, ya know?”

Trixie smiled, weak and appreciatively. “I’d…appreciate that, nheh.” she giggled.

They both felt, then, that the storm clouds of uncertainty had parted from them and they had a genuine opportunity to understand each other. “So,” Spike began, in a certain start of casual conversation, “why’re you so into magic, anyway?”

“Why?” Trixie’s brow suddenly beamed with a bit of her arrogance and trademark pride, “Because, the Great and Powerful Trrrrixie, is destined for greatness and the stage, uhvv course.”

Spike winced a moment at her reply, feeling as though he hadn’t made a dent in her armor.

But, after a few moments of holding a ‘mighty’ fist against her chest and proudly looking away, displaying a proud profile shot of her face with haughtily closed eyes…she opened an eye towards him and smiled, even beginning to giggle, to show that she meant no slight towards him.

Spike giggled as well in a reply of good will.

They both knew, somewhere across the tiny void that parted them, that this was all a gimmick, not to be taken seriously. Trixie calmed down a bit then. She took a solemn sort of display and looked down into her cup, cutely holding it and revolving it playfully within her fingertips.

“I’m…trying to finish…what my parents started.” she finally said.

Spike was a little blown away by her answer. “…Yeah? So your parents were…”

“They were stage performers, in a real up and coming magic show.”

Spike’s eyebrows raised and his eyes lit up with childlike wonder. “…Cooool.” was what he said in reply.

From a few feet away, Rairty and Sunset Shimmer observed what was unfolding before them. Their jaws even dropped a bit in amazement.

“I…I can’t believe he got her to…open up like that!” Sunset half exclaimed to Rarity, barely able to contain her shock.

“Indeed. I wouldn’t have been able to get over myself enough to even begin to talk to her.” Rarity replied.

Sunset was a little frustrated then. “C’mon.” she said as she gently pulled Rarity up off the couch.

“Why? What ever is the matter?” Rarity replied as she was guided in Spike and Trixie’s direction.

“We’re, uhm, ‘getting some punch’.” she said, giving a wink to Rarity, as she took her place beside the punch bowl…and nodded towards Spike and Trixie who were now right beside them…conversation and all.

As Rarity and Sunset ‘fake’ filled their cups with punch, they began hearing the fascinating tale of a man and a woman in love, a magician and his lovely assistant, traveling the world and doing some of the most amazing magic tricks the stage had ever born.

“So, they even started getting shows in Las Pegasus?” Spike excitedly asked.

“Exactly. My parents were gaining crowds in the thousands…Las what?” Trixie’s proud speech died down when she heard Spike’s slip of lip.

“Ehh, nothing.” Spike replied.

Sunset shimmer giggled behind them, as she was from Equestria.

“So they were really on their way, weren’t they?” Spike urged Trixie to continue.

“Absolutely. Heheh. My parents were on their way to becoming the greatest performing pair the world had ever seen!”

“Awesuhummm! So then what happened?”

…

The question seemed to deflate Trixie’s moment like an untied balloon. Her face soured a bit and she looked as though she shrank a size.

“Well…” she began, “…Well then…they had me.”

“Cool!” Spike said, trying to pick up the mood again, but, this time, he took notice of the fact that the depressing atmosphere around Trixie could not be broken. “…What’s wrong?” Spike finally asked. “I woulda thought that you being born would’ve been one of the greatest moments of their lives!”

Trixie seemed to sink even deeper into her hole. “You would think that, but…they started to see that life on the road wasn’t something healthy for a woman who’s pregnant…and…they felt that, having a family and all…they needed to put down their roots somewhere and be solid in one place.”

Spike took a moment to process what she was telling him, as it didn’t seem particularly sad.

Sunset and Rarity, behind them, suddenly got the idea and looked towards each other. Their frowns and looks of sheer sympathy were in agreement.

Spike then took an understanding. “…Oh…” was all he could say then. “…They…gave it up.”

Trixie nodded in reply.

Suddenly, Rarity, Sunset, and Spike focused into view the enormous rock upon Trixie’s shoulders. It would be agreed, opinions between the witnesses being, Atlas would be impressed at Trixie’s feat.

“…So what’d they decide to do instead?”

“My dad’s a lawyer now and my mom’s his secretary. Who woulda thought they’d end up being that, ya know? Heheh.” Trixie managed a weak giggle, lightening up the mood. Spike giggled too, trying to uphold the break within the clouds.

“…So that’s why you…you’re so driven.” Spike said, after a long pause.

“…Yeah.” was all she could say.

As Trixie was looking down into her cup again, Spike placed two friendly paws upon her shoulders, garnering her attention. As she looked up, he looked warmly into her eyes, and, as a great, generous, welcoming smile crossed his lips, he spoke, “Ya know what? I think that’s…awesome.”

Trixie smiled, ashamed a bit, as a blush crossed her cheek. “…Thanks, Spike.” she said in return.

“…Here, here.” Rarity responded from the rear, shocking the both of them.

Trixie was really embarrassed then. “You were!...”

“Eavesdropping, yeah…sorry.” Sunset pushed into the conversation. “…And I gotta say…that’s…pretty noble of you.” she continued with a warm smile, proud of her.

“Ahh’ll say.” Applejack spoke from their side, and, suddenly, Trixie took notice of how silent the room was. Vinyl and Rainbow Dash were beaming with pride as well. Trixie was a sure center of love and affection now. She had rarely experienced this before, within the annals of her entire life.

“Indeed.” another voice came from farther off: from the cushions of the large lounge chair, where a certain, blue maned individual was observing from afar. “That is quite the cause you fight for, child…and a heavy mantle to bear. Are you certain that you wish to mix the real into your illusions? You might not like what you find…”

Trixie took a deep breath, bracing herself, as if she was about to receive a strike from a fastball. “I am, Miss Luna. I wish to know all, in order to restore the glory of my family trade.”

Luna smirked a smile, acknowledging her naivety, yet, undenying of her drive. “Very well, oh foolish but noble one…I shall teach you.”

Suddenly, everyone cheered, even beginning to jump in place. Trixie, herself, was tearing with joy.

“Ah, but, not tonight, so, do calm down. Consider this your…initiation party.” Luna spoke to slightly quell the explosion before her.

“Oahvvcourse!” Trixie replied. “And thank you so much, Miss…tress Luna.”

Luna giggled at the sudden yet appropriate title given her. “Surely. Now…do enjoy yourselves.”

The small sisterhood…plus Spike…then continued their little soiree, this time with an unyielding spirit of warmth and friendship. However, before Trixie joined the general chatter and happiness of the crowd, she took Spike aside and discretely gave him a warm, appreciative hug.

“…Thank you, Spike…so much.” she said, knowing that, if it wasn’t for his human acceptance of her, this path would be far from open and welcome.

“Awwhh, was nothin’.” Spike replied. “Anytime.”

The crowd broke up into shifting groups of dangling conversation. The small cores of girls…plus Spike, spun like atoms, flittering about with giggles and chatter, loosely loosing and gaining bodies at will, whenever the situation demanded it. All went this way…until Miss Luna noticed something.

“…Rarity, dear,” she spoke casually to somewhat disguise her motives yet loud enough for the room to hear her.

“Eh, yes, Miss Luna?” Rarity promptly replied, just as the laughter seemed to squash itself. All eyes calmly turned to the figure in the big chair.

“Did you not mention that this is a…nudist party?” Luna completed her sentence, only her eyes visible above her book. She didn’t look deterred from what she was reading.

Rarity was puzzled and certainly embarrassed about it, but, she indeed remembered. “Why, yes, Miss Luna…I…heheh, certainly did.”

Miss Luna grinned and raised a brow. She then lowered her book, revealing her devious smile and her burning eyes, as she turned them towards the new additions to the group. “Well I see…one…two…THREE…non-nudists…”

…

Shock befell them. It was such that you could almost see the lightning pass through the crowd.

And reluctance was certain, yet, they could all agree…it was only fair.