Trebleheart and Crescendo ended their final number with a huge fermata, both of their voices mixing beautifully as the audience cheered for them. Everyone sat in the front row and cheered, Twilight hooking her arm inside Spike’s as they stood, Rainbow and Pinkie sitting down and applauding as they leaned against each other tiredly, neither of them were ever good at sitting still for long periods of time. After the concert hall cleared out, Spike, Mac and Pip led Bulk and the girls backstage, and the group was greeted by the two musicians with warm smiles. Spike walked up to Crescendo and smiled back. “Thank you so much for letting us into your concert, Crescendo. You really didn’t have to do that, though; We’d gladly have paid for tickets to see you guys perform.”

The small young man shook his head, still wearing a giddy smile, his adrenaline still pumping from the exhilarating thrill that performing gave him. “Nonsense, Spike. We wanted to let you guys in for free. After what you did for Treble and I, we couldn’t let your heroism go unrewarded. Getting you and your friends into the show was the very least we could do to show our gratitude.”

His partner’s deeper voice then sounded out, as Trebleheart also spoke to the group. “‘Shen is right. When he saw you three do that for us, I could tell he was already thinking about how to repay you. He’s always been generous.” He planted a chaste kiss on his boyfriend’s cheek, making him blush and drawing some ‘awws’ from the girls and approving smiles from the guys before continuing, “I’m just glad we found you guys yesterday, before our show. It would’ve been unfortunate to see you guys again, only to tell you that we wish we could get you in to see our show for free, but that it was already over. That would really be a shame.”

Crescendo nodded before lightly nuzzling his partner. “We would really love to stay and talk, but Trebby and I have a show in the next city over tomorrow, and we can’t be late. I’m really sorry everybody, but I’ll give you our contact info, Spike. Feel free to message either one of us, and after our tour ends next month, we should be free for a few months. We should be able to schedule some time and place to meet up and talk over some drinks.”

Spike nodded with a smile. “That sounds great!” he felt Twilight tap his shoulder and looked back at her. “What’s up, Twi?”

“Me and the girls are gonna go look around the shopping district. Rarity wants to go shopping again, and Bulk and Fluttershy want to go to the bookstore with me. We’ll meet you back at the hotel, okay?” Spike nodded back and gave her a kiss. She blushed a bit and smiled at him before walking off with the girls and Bulk, saying goodbye to the two performers as they took their leave.

Crescendo giggled lightly, “Spike, you and your girlfriend are really cute together.”

“Heh, thanks.” Spike smiled back at him before they quickly traded contact info. A few minutes later the trio said their goodbyes to the couple, walking out of the hall with smiles on their faces.

“That was really nice of those blokes to comp us front row sets to their show. And I must say, they’ve got talent.” Pip said, as his friends nodded in agreement. After a few minutes of walking, they noticed that the streets became practically empty, and there were no longer lights on the buildings or cars honking. The buildings, most of which were run-down tenements or hotels, were decorated only by dirty or shattered windows. “Uh-oh.” Pip said quietly. “Uh, I hate to say it, blokes, but I think we accidentally wandered into east L.P. Stay on your toes.” The other two nodded, but were quickly taken by surprise, as Spike, walking in front, got pulled into an alley by a silhouetted figure. Pip and Mac quickly ran in the alley to rescue their friend, but stopped running when a heavily-accented voice sounded out.

“Don’t move another step, putos cochinos!” The attacker was all turfed up, from head to toe. He had on a black snapback, covering his dark forehead along with a red bandana concealing his lower face. He was shirtless, with tattoos covering every inch of his ripped torso and back. He sagged his oversized jeans, a belt holding them below his white boxers. He was sporting a pair of worn-down work boots, one of them splattered with what appeared to be dried blood. His left hand had Spike pressed against the wall by his throat, his right held a 9mm pistol to his head. “Gimme all the cash ya got, camarónes; or I’ll put a bala in this blanco’s head.”

Spike’s face was frozen in fear, but the hand wrapping around his neck prevented him from crying out in pain or terror. Big Mac tensed as he knew he had to act fast. Without thinking of a backup plan, he swiftly closed the space between him and the gangster choking his friend, too fast for the thug to fire a round into Spike’s skull. Without hesitation, he pawed the firearm out of his hand before grabbing his skull and brutally smashing it against the wall hard enough to make a resonating knocking sound as their attacker’s eyes rolled into his likely cracked cranium and he fell to the ground unconscious. Spike was on the ground as well, still conscious but gasping in large mouthfuls of air. Pip deftly swiped the pistol off the ground and stowed it inside the hidden pocket in his jacket without anyone seeing before helping Spike up. “You alright, mate?”

“Yeah…” Spike shuddered in fear as he refilled his lungs with oxygen. After a few seconds his face returned to a normal hue and he had regained his composure. “Let’s get the fuck out of here; I don’t wanna get held ransom again.” His friends nodded in agreement, and they managed to make it back to the hotel without any further complications. They arrived at the penthouse floor and tiredly made their way to the large couch in front of the TV. The three of them lounged and made idle chat for a while. After about an hour, the rest of the group piled into the penthouse, Rarity leading the group with a smile on her face and multiple bags hanging off each of her arms, the others dragged their feet in fatigue as they filed in behind her. Applejack fanning her face with her Stetson as she huffed, “Rarity, did we really have to walk t’all 35 stores? We coulda gotten a cab or somethin’.”

“Oh, come now, darling! I’m sure you’ve walked farther making your way from one side of your farm to the other. You can’t be that tired, surely.” Rarity said as she reapplied her lipstick.

Applejack gave a half-hearted chuckle. “Heh. Well, Ah hate t’break it to ya, Rarity, but Sweet Apple Acres ain’t no Las Pegasus. We must’ve looped around the whole shoppin’ district at least ten times!”

“Well, in any case, we’re back here now, aren’t we?” Rarity said before heading for the girls’ room. “Fluttershy, dear: come and try on the things I bought for you, would you? I simply can’t wait any longer to see you in them!” She called from the room in a singsong voice. Fluttershy blushed a bit, as she knew the outfits were probably going to be much more revealing than what she usually wore, but followed her nonetheless. The rest of the group joined the boys on the couch, none of them able to stop themselves from cracking a smile or giggling when they heard Fluttershy talk to Rarity from behind the bedroom door.

“Oh… my… Rarity… I can’t wear this!”

“Why not, darling, you’ll look absolutely stunning in it! All eyes in the city will be on you!”

“B-But that’s exactly what I don’t want!”

“Oh, Fluttershy, dear, just put it on. Please, for me?”

There was a long pause before the timid girl’s voice sounded out, almost inaudible through the wall. “A-Alright, Rarity… But do I have to show everyone?”

“Yes, dear, that’s the whole point.”

“O-Oh, my… I don’t think I can, Rarity...”

After a few more minutes, Rarity was finally able to convince Fluttershy to come out in the revealing outfit she had picked for her. “Okay, dear; we’re all waiting to see it! Come on out!” Rarity called from the couch to Fluttershy, who was hiding behind the bedroom door.

“Okay… here I come…” Her timid voice barely carried to the ears of her audience, being nothing more than what could barely be described as a whisper. She slowly opened the door, at first only peeking her head out, showing her reddened cheeks. After a nod of encouragement from Rarity, Fluttershy steeled herself and stepped into full view, standing motionless in a timid and anxious posture. As the girls complemented her, Fluttershy’s blush only grew to a deeper hue.

None of the guys could even manage a word, Mac’s cheeks reddened as he instantly looked away, trying his best to clear his mind of the amount of cleavage and leg the barely appropriate dress showed off. Bulk’s face grew even redder than Fluttershy’s, and he coughed awkwardly as his eyes desperately tried and failed multiple times to stay away from his crush’s exposed cleavage, legs, and abdomen; and eventually he was able to look up at her face with an approving smile through scarlet cheeks. Pip and Spike both stared dumbly at the specimen before them, and their minds nearly turned to mush as they drolled over the sight of Fluttershy’s barely covered assets. Twilight saw Spike ogling Fluttershy, making her face redden in jealousy. She slapped Spike hard on the arm, grabbing his attention. He mumbled an apology while he rubbed his stinging bicep. Everyone then began to take turns complimenting the timid girl.

“Darling, didn’t I tell you that it would look fabulous on you?” Rarity chirped happily as she dramatically flipped her hair, smiling at her friend.

“Yeah, Rarity’s right!” Pinkie chipped in as she hopped in her seat. Dash nodded with a grin.

“Mhmm, you go, girl! Soon you’ll have dudes lining up around the corner to see you! Heh. You could even turn straight chicks into lesbians; trust me, I am one!” The athletic girl’s comment drew laughs from the entire room, relieving some of Fluttershy’s anxiety.

Applejack chuckled before putting in her thoughts as well. “Ah’ll say! Fellers’ll wanna be takin’ bites outta you like you was one of Granny Smith’s apple pies!”

Big Mac stared in silence for a moment before getting nudged by his sister. “Big Mac, doesn’t she look nice?”

“...Eeyup.” he stated simply, not saying any more out of the fear of AJ might take it the wrong way and accuse him of eyeing up her shy friend.

Spike looked at Twilight, receiving a warning glare from her before he cautiously commented. “Yeah! You look, um, really nice Fluttershy.” Twilight smiled, showing her boyfriend that this was, indeed, the proper way to pay a compliment to a pretty girl while your girlfriend was sitting right next to you.

“No doubt about that.” Twilight agreed happily. “I’m jealous, Fluttershy; I wish I had the body for an outfit like that.”

Pip, still somewhat in a trance by the barely-clothed girl in front of him, put in his two cents. “Oi, they look-” His eyes went wide and he paused momentarily before revising his statement. “I-I mean, you look dishy, love; absolutely dishy.”

The last, but undisputably the most meaningful comment, came from Bulk. He smiled brightly at the girl he secretly admired and said, “Everyone’s right. You look beautiful, Fluttershy.” He was no longer going to hide how pretty he thought- no, he KNEW- she was. Though Fluttershy was still blushing, she began to smile shyly from behind her mane.

“Thank you, everyone… I-I guess if you all say it looks good, I won’t cover up so much all the time anymore.”

“Heh, trust me, Flutters, I think I speak for everyone here when I say I would LOVE that.” Rainbow said, eliciting raucous laughter. “You’ve got a rack and a half, you shouldn’t keep all that boob to yourself.”

The inappropriate comment resulted in nervous and awkward laughter from everybody, save for Pinkie, who was looking at her girlfriend with an uncharacteristically irritated expression. Her left eye twitched spastically, while she audibly grinded her teeth together. Twilight noticed this and a memory within her sparked a pang of panic as she assumed the worst. She looked at a just as cautious Spike, and quietly instructed him. “Take the boys and go downstairs for a few hours. Go to the casino or the bar or whatever, I don’t care; just get them out.” Spike nodded, understanding the urgency in her words.

Spike stood up and spoke loud enough for the whole group to hear him. “Well, me and the guys are gonna go hang out in the casino for a while. See you girls in a few hours.”

“Oi, mate, when did you ask us-” Pip began to interject, but the look on Spike’s face silenced him. “Let’s go, then, blokes.” He said as he glanced at both Mac and Bulk, who followed Spike and Pip out of the penthouse, looks of confusion apparent on both of their faces.

Rainbow gave a chuckle at this and continued her sexualized comments, not noticing Pinkie’s face like twilight had. “I guess those boys can’t handle tits and ass like yours, Flutters; Oh well, more for me.” She then burst into laughter at her own joke, only stopping because she didn’t hear anybody else laughing. “Nobody? Come on, that was funny! Get it? I’m a lesbian, it’s funny!”

“Uh…” Applejack muttered, taking her Stetson off her has and clutching the brim nervously. Rainbow was about to ask AJ what was wrong, but got her answer quickly as she heard Pinkie growl. She slowly looked over at her girlfriend, and immediately dropped her comedy act as she saw the cold void of her girlfriend’s eyes and her dark magenta straight hair, hanging over one of her eyes.

“Uh.. P-Pinkie?” Rainbow asked cautiously, slowly scooting away from her. Pinkie didn’t respond, instead panting heavily, her chest heaving with anger, her twitches becoming more violent. Rainbow gulped nervously and sat there with bated breath before trying to get her girlfriend’s attention again. “Uh… Pink-”

“AAAAAAAAAGH!!!!!!” Pinkie yelled suddenly before tackling Rainbow to the ground and continuing to scream as she shook her by the shoulders, her head slamming against the carpet with each shake. Rainbow was too shocked to move, her face frozen in fear as her skull bounced against the floor repeatedly. The girls quickly moved to get her off of Rainbow. As Applejack and Twilight held her back she screamed and thrashed about. As this was happening, Fluttershy and Rarity helped the stunned prismatic-haired girl to her feet. She stared at her girlfriend in confusion and fear.

Pinkie began to laugh hysterically while staring at Rainbow. “Why don’t you just go out with Fluttershy then, huh? That’ll make you happy, won’t it?” She screamed at Rainbow, tears falling from her eyes as her laughter grew louder and more hysteric.

Rainbow frowned and stepped toward Pinkie. “Babe, I was just playing around.”

“Then how come you were saying all of that stuff, huh?! You want her because she’s prettier than me, right?!” She accused, her shoulders rising and falling with each angry breath.

“What? N-No, I-”

*SLAP*

Pinkie had managed to break free and deliver a staggering slap to her girlfriend’s face. Everyone around her stood in silent shock as the sound echoed through the room. Rainbow stepped back and held her cheek, burning with pain. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at Pinkie with horror. “Y-You…”

Pinkie realized what she had done an was no longer mad at Dash, but at herself. “D-Dashie, I-”

“DON’T YOU DARE SLAP ME AND THEN CALL ME THAT!” She screamed back as tears rolled down her cheeks. “You said you’d protect me… but you’re just like my dad… You’re just like him!”

“N-No… I’m not… I didn’t mean to…” Pinkie plopped herself down on the floor and began to weep, her sorrowful sighs softening the hearts of everyone but Rainbow, who was crying just as much, her face buried in the couch while Fluttershy and Rarity were trying to comfort her. Meanwhile, Twilight and Applejack were doing their best to counsel Pinkie, all four of them trying to keep the two lovers away from each other.

“Rainbow, dear, I’m certain Pinkie just wasn’t thinking straight.” Rarity said as she rubbed Rainbow’s back.

Fluttershy nodded, checking over Rainbow’s cheek to make sure it wasn’t in bad shape from the slap. “Pinkie would never intentionally hurt you, Rainbow. She loves you too much, you know that.”

“That’s bullshit, she just slapped me! How can you call that unintentional?!” Rainbow fired back at Fluttershy before stuffing her face back into the cushions on the couch and crying harder than before.

“Rainbow’s just mad right now, sugarcube.” Applejack offered in a sagely tone. “Give her a little while to cool off, okay?”

Pinkie shook her head, tears streaming down her face. “I just slapped her! I’m a horrible girlfriend, she hates me now!”

“Pinkie… You have told Rainbow about your… Condition, right?” Twilight asked carefully.

Pinkie flinched when she heard that word, but shook her head, slowly this time. “N-No, I haven’t… I-I never had any reason to… Until now… I tried to hide it from her, I never wanted to show it to her… I never wanted to show any of you… I’m sorry..” Pinkie said as she weeped. “I’m so, so sorry…”

Twilight and Applejack held their friend as she wept. “It’s alright, Pinkie; we know you wouldn’t ever want to hurt anybody. It’s not your fault.” Twilight whispered into Pinkie’s ear as she rubbed her back, trying to soothe her. “Maybe you should tell her. It might help her understand why what happened, happened.” Pinkie sniffled and nodded, and the three walked over to Rainbow. Rainbow flinched, but Twilight’s voice, assuring her she was fine, relaxed her. “It’s alright, Rainbow; she won’t hurt you. There’s actually something that she needs to tell you.” Rainbow cautiously eyed her girlfriend up and down before giving a slow nod and turning her body to face her, pulling her knees to her chest as she sat on the couch.

Pinkie sat down next to Rainbow, her cheeks stained with tears. She put a comforting hand on Rainbow’s knee before she took a deep breath and spoke. “Dashie… There’s s-something I’ve been hiding from you… Because I was afraid you’d see me differently, and might not love me anymore… I have Multiple Personality Disorder… When I lived on my family’s rock farm as a little kid, not even Marble or Limestone had time to play with me. So I made up another version of myself in my head to keep me company. But she started becoming mean, and violent, and hurtful… And I couldn’t think her away, so she became a part of me… Another me… Doctors said that I’d become so attached to Pinkamena that I subconsciously attached her to certain emotions, more specifically most negative emotions, including sadness, jealousy, anger, and anxiety. Additionally, they said that my depression as a child lowered my thresholds for chemicals associated with negative emotions, and when I experience negative emotions, I pass that threshold, and my second persona surfaces when that happens… I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you, I was just afraid that if you knew I’m a psychopath that you wouldn’t want to be my friend anymore, let alone my girlfriend… I had that fear about all of the girls… but you were the only one that hasn’t seen that part of me until now…”

The room was silent for several seconds, maybe a minute, before Rainbow spoke, barely above a whisper. “Pinkie… I… I didn’t know… I’m sorry for getting so angry…” She said before leaning towards Pinkie and hugging her tightly. “I should’ve know that you would never hurt me… I’m sorry for saying that you’re just like my dad… Can you forgive me?” She asked with tears in her eyes as she looked at Pinkie.

Pinkie hugged Rainbow tightly, apologizing over and over again into Dash’s ear as she did so. “I’m sorry… I’m so sorry, Dashie, I’m sorry I hit you, and I should’ve told you about this sooner… I’m so sorry…”

The two lovers laid there in each other’s arms, reunited after their emotional bout. The rest of the girls stood back and watched them whisper sweet nothings to each other and cuddle. Rarity was the first to speak, only talking loud enough for Applejack, Fluttershy, and Twilight to hear. “They really are meant for each other, aren’t they? Oh, this is so romantic!” She said, the tears in her eyes threatening to spill over and ruin her eyeliner and mascara. Sensing this, she frantically fanned her eyes, eventually regaining her composure. The girls all laughed at Rarity’s melodramatic disposition and they all settled down to watch a movie, Rainbow and Pinkie electing to kiss and cuddle each other instead of paying attention to the romantic film that Rarity would no doubt cry over several times before the credits rolled.

While this was going on, Twilight and Applejack were sitting on the couch,away from the rest of the girls. Twilight turned to her friend with a smile, speaking quietly. “I’m glad you and Mac came with us on this trip. I haven’t been able to talk with you a lot lately.”

Applejack smiled back. “Aw, shucks, Twi. If’n ya ever wanna talk, just stop by the farm, we won’t say no t’good company.”

“I haven’t visited Sweet Apple Acres in so long! How’s everything been over there recently?” Twilight asked with a smile.

Applejack replied with a small sigh. “Well, it hasn’t been that great, actually. Ya didn’t hear this from me, sugarcube, but Mac’s been under a lot of stress. Ah tried tellin’ him to take it easier with the farm work, but you know him; always workin’. An’ you can bet yer bottom dollar he’d never admit to overworkin’ himself.” Applejack gave another sigh, this time holding a tone of helplessness. “Ah’ve been tryin’ to get’em to go out with some gals, but he ain’t never been with a gal before. Ah don’t rightly know if he’s scared or what, but he jest don’t ever take a rest. Ah downright had t’beg him to come on this trip with us, good Lord above knows he needs a break like this, but Ah know this week away from the farm jest means he’s gonna work himself twice as hard as ever once we get back.”

Twilight’s face fell a bit upon hearing this. “I’m really sorry to hear that, Applejack… Mac will come around at some point, I’m sure.” She replied, wrapping her friend in a comfortable hug, which the cowgirl returned with a small smile.

“Thanks, Twi. Ah appreciate that. Ah know everythang’ll turn out right in the end, but sometimes Ah just need a reminder o’that; that’s why Ah’m lucky to have friends like you.” Applejack said with a grateful smile. “Anyways, how’re you an’ Spike?”

Twilight blushed a bit at this, thinking back to when she ‘punished’ him for getting a tattoo. “Well… We’ve been good. Although I was a little irked at him for getting that tattoo without asking me first, I admit it looks nice. And he’s not a little kid anymore. Pretty soon he’ll be a sophomore, on the varsity team…” She sighed, giving a tired smile. “I guess I’m worried that I won’t be able to control him at some point.” She gave a small laugh at this. “Heh… I guess I’m saying that I hope that I can still be both his girlfriend and his sister.”

Applejack’s smile turned to a smirk as Twilight spoke. “A little irked at him? Sugarcube, Ah hate to be the one to tell you, but everyone in the hotel could hear what you two were doin’ that night. If that was only bein’ ‘a little irked,’ Ah’d hate t’see what you’d do to that feller if you were flamin’ angry with’em.” Her smirk then grew as she decided to add a little to her statement at Twilight’s expense. “...Ah’m sure he’d love it, though.” Twilight’s face was now tinted a dark red and warm to the touch.

At that moment, the guys walked in the door, Spike leading the group. “Knock knock.” He chuckled and kissed Twilight on the cheek. “Miss me?”

Twilight’s face reddened exponentially at the gesture, and she let out a cute squeak before speaking in a nervous, high-pitched tone. “Yes, Spike, of course I missed you…” She then stood, her legs almost shaking in embarrassment. “W-Well, I’m pretty tired, so I’m gonna hit the hay… Goodnight, everyone!” And with that, she dashed into the girls’ bedroom and shut the door promptly behind her. All the girls looked at eachother, Applejack giving them all a knowing wink, and they all began chuckling as they bid a good night to the guys and all simultaneously went to their bedroom.

The boys froze in confusion at the girls’ strange demeanor, trying to decipher their sudden laughter and migration to their room. Spike was the first to speak. “Huh.” he said before plopping down on the couch next to Pip and Mac. “I think it’s safe to say that I speak for all of us when I say that women make no sense whatsoever.”

“Oi, I’m with you, mate.”

“Yeah.”

“Eeyup.”

Author's Notes:

I really hope you guys enjoyed my different take on Pinkamena, actually making it a condition and all. It probably won't hold much plot significance, but I just figured that it would have to be addressed sooner or later. Anyways, as always, big ups to Ringmaster for being an awesome co-author; as always leave a like if you enjoyed. The next chapter is coming soon!

Deuces, guys!