Diamond Tiara led her compatriots with a broad smile and a dignified pose. "We will show everypony just how prepared we are. We started with business, now we'll show up Twilight Dorkle and her fumbling attempts to adventure."

Silver Spoon tilted her head. "She didn't do anything wrong, Diamond. We'll do our best though, and everypony will be proud of us."

Gneech bobbed his head. "You have good magic, protect us from danger."

Before Silver could finish replying to Gneech, Diamond stomped on the ground. "I didn't forget my promise! I will have magic, I will!"

Silver reached for Diamond, but her hoof was swatted away. "No! I don't need comfort. I need magic. If you get to have magic, than I should too, and it should be better."

Gneech scratched behind his head with some confusion. "Are you going to pray to big gods like Silver Spoon does?"

Diamond huffed. "I think not! No. I'll get my magic my way. No stupid books. No stupid gods." She pulled out her axe from her loop and swung it around dangerously, causing ponies that were going past to offer a much wider clearance. "I have everything you do, Silver. I can feel it, right here." She thumped herself in the chest. "I just have to get it out."

Silver Spoon spread her hooves wide. "Calm down, please. Neither of us think there's anything wrong with you, Diamond."

Her face contorted with further frustration. "It's not good enough to think I'm not broken. I. Am. The. Leader." She brought down the axe and embedded it into the ground. She marched towards Silver, staring her in the eyes. Suddenly, Silver felt paralyzed with fear. Her heart thumped in her chest as her friend towered over her, at least mentally.

"You are my right-hand mare. I am supposed to be in charge, that means I should get magic if you do, and it should be good! That's how this works!" The sensation of dread spread through Silver Spoon as the words kept coming. "If I can't use magic, then you can't either!"

Silver felt the subtle presence of her god vanish, and all the words to her prayers, simple as they were, went with her. She was abandoned and alone. She began to sniffle and cry, which broke Diamond Tiara out of her raging fit.

Gneech was silent, unsure what to do or say, until inspiration hit him. "Alpha horse is still alpha horse, no matter what magic she has. Gneech knows."

Diamond nodded mutely at Gneech even as she reached for Silver and gently shook her, only to feel an intense stabbing pain run up her leg, only to be echoed by her other legs. She squealed in pain and fell over in front of Silver Spoon.

Silver's pain was quickly forgotten. Her spells returned to her and she hardly noticed in favor of checking her friend. "Oh my gosh, are you alright?"

Diamond began to bleed from the same place in all four of her legs, and the placement bothered Silver Spoon. The memory of the spot came to her and she recoiled with a loud gasp. They were like the injury she had drawn from Diamond all that time ago. "P-please! Don't punish her like this! She didn't mean it, she really didn't!"

Miss Tiara struggled to her hooves with a low grunt of pain. "Don't beg, Silver Spoon, you're above that." She fought to an upright position, sitting on her haunches. "I'm fine. Just a little cramp, that's all..."

Gneech shook his head in the negative. "Not look like any cramp Gneech see before. Means most respect for alpha horse, but not sure she is alright."

Tiara gave a nasty glare at Gneech and he felt his will crumbling before it. When had Diamond gained such a terribly withering look? He bowed his head quickly. "Gneech is sorry, alpha horse."

Diamond nodded with a satisfied look before she pulled herself fully upright. "I'm fine, and I mean it. A little cut like these won't slow me down." She turned away from her friends and began guiding them to the magic store she intended in the first place. She snatched up the axe on the way and tucked it in her loop.

Gneech moved beside Silver Spoon. "Gneech thinks alpha horse has changed. Big nasty glare, not normal nasty glare. Did Silver see it?"

Silver nodded in quick agreement. "I saw that, and those cuts... They're exactly what I healed when I joined Luminace, and now they're back. I think she really made her angry, maybe for attacking me?"

Gneech frowned and whispered, trying to keep quiet as they moved behind Diamond Tiara. "Your god is nice god, Gneech doubt do for naughty alone. What if lesson? Maybe... Maybe she have nasty glare, but her way of saying she Luminace friend still?"

Diamond suddenly spun on them. "I'm not deaf, you know." She thrust a hoof at Silver Spoon. "Is that really what happened? Tell your god to stop trying to slow me down."

Silver looked befuddled. "Are you still hurt? Stay still." She moved to touch the outstretched hoof and prayer for her friend's health. The gentle prayer eased the mild bleeding, but Diamond was just as hindered, and angered by it.

"It doesn't hurt anymore, but I just can't move them as fast as I should be able to." Diamond clopped the ground. "Whatever! I'm not going to stress out over some stupid book god and her spastic needs. This way." She started to step away then stopped. "I look like a mess." She shook a leg, then glared at it. The stain seemed to retreat from her stare, which made her break into one of confusion. "What the?"

Gneech pointed. "See! Alpha horse has magic!"

Diamond burst into a giggle before she lowered that hoof and raised another. A nasty glare sent the blood stain there scurrying away to vanish as well and her giggles broke out into a full on cackle of delight. Ponies in a wide circle found better places to be or walk, leaving the filly to laugh her maniacal laugh.

Silver Spoon rubbed behind her head before adjusting her glasses, quite unsure what was going on. "Do you... Do you feel alright, Diamond Tiara?"

Diamond grabbed her at the shoulders. "Alright? I feel fantastic! I told you I'd get magic of my own. I just had to have the right amount of confidence." She stood up with a certain grin. She stared at Silver Spoon a moment, grunting with futile effort before she found what she could move with her mind. She grabbed Silver Spoon's spectacles right off her snout and floated them over to atop her own head, working behind her ears with a huge grin.

Silver Spoon squeaked in dismay. "P-please give those back. I can barely see anything!"

The glasses floated serenely through the air before landing back on the nose of their owner. "There you go. Now who's the best spellcaster here?"

Gneech clapped his scaled hands excitedly. "Alpha horse is full of tricks."

Silver gave a less certain smile. "That's very good, but no tricks on each other. We're a team, right?"

Diamond nodded. "Right right, of course. I was just seeing what I could do. This is amazing! In fact... I bet my magic can beat out your stupid god's work." She closed her eyes and focused intently before opening them with a new gleam. "I can feel it. Race you!" And she dashed off with supernatural speed, rushing through the crowds with a trailing laughter coming back to greet them.

Gneech and Silver shared a look at one another before they moved to catch up with her, but not breaking into a run to do so. They arrived at the shop of curiosities well after Diamond Tiara, who sat there in front of it with a gleeful expression. "Beat you!"

Silver Spoon gave a tolerating smile. "You sure did. Your magic's working really well. Do you feel better?"

Diamond quickly bobbed her head. "I do! I really do! Even if I get a bit sore when it wears off, I don't care! I did it!" She approached Silver Spoon with a bit of a hobble that worried Silver, but the worry was nudged aside with a gentle and sincere hug. "I'm sorry for getting worked up before. Bump bump?"

They did their little dance, and all was forgiven between them. Gneech held out his arms for a hug of his own and Diamond peered at him. "You haven't quite earned that, Gneech." She smiled. "But keep it up."

With the promise of future rewards, all three proceeded inside to start shopping for their future venture.

Back at the Drowsy Mare, Pinkie was getting to know Blue. "Oh, wow, so you met Twilight? She's totally one of my best friends in the whole world! Um, two worlds now, I guess? That totally makes you a friend too!"

Blue smiled with building warmth. "It's nice to meet another friend of hers. She's mentioned you before, and said you could manage almost anything if you put your heart to it. Is this something you're ready for, Miss Pie?"

Pinkie gave a single firm nod. "You betcha! I'm not going to let those meanies get away with what they did." She crossed her forehooves a moment before she grabbed a cupcake and offered it to Blue. "Want another? Mommies have to keep their bellies filled with good and yummy things."

Blue felt content, but not full. Not wanting to dissapoint her new friend, she accepted the treat and nibbled at it. Pinkie's treats were specially good. "You were a baker before you came here?"

Pink tilted her head. "I'm still a baker, I'm just not baking right this very moment, just like I'm still a party planner. You don't stop being something just because you're not doing it right then, that'd be silly. You're still a priest, right?"

"Cleric," explained Blue. "But I understand what you mean. I'm one of Luminace's even if I do something else for a short or long while." She set the cupcake aside, half-eaten. "Are you sure the girls are alright? They had money... But do they have any experience? I mean, I guess I'm one to talk... I'm not the most experienced around, but they were so fast. They might get into trouble?"

Pinkie shook her head. "Nah! They're just shopping anyway. What do you think will happen? One of them will spontaneously develop psychic powers and be marked by the gods or something?"

Blue blinked softly. "That was awfully specific, but no, I suppose that's not terribly likely."

They exchanged some tea and shared news of the empire and the road that laid between them and changeling city. There was no rail going that way, though they could get partway at least, but the hike would be considerable and potentially dangerous, not that Pinkie seemed at all worried about it.

Author's Notes:

I suck, even at dropping things. Welcome back to the story, typos and all!