Author's Notes:

Be forewarned, ever so slightly darker themes in this chapter.

The normally well-trimmed, pristine white stallion was a lot tattier and ragged than she remembered. His fur was unkempt, his normally carefully-styled mane and tail a tangled mess. He even had a scary bruise around one eye. But it was still very much the stallion that haunted her nightmares. “You look like you’re having fun,” he murred in his usual oily voice. She felt sick and disgusted by it. She couldn’t believe she thought it suave and charming once upon a time.

She took a step back from him.

“Ah, ah, have you forgotten your old Master?” He growled, pulling out a familiar old black collar. It had been hers. She had once looked upon the black band with awe and adoration. Now the very reminder of having once been his only repulsed her.

“Y-you’re not my Master,” she managed to say, her voice trembling, “N-not anymore!”

“Oh, perhaps you need a little reminder?” His amber eyes glinted dangerously in the dark. “I’m the one who made you a mare, a star! What are you without me? Surely you’ve let your career slide enough over the past few months. The only way it could get worse is if somepony were to, say, let your little secret slip." He smirked with satisfaction as the colour drained from Coloratura's face. "You know how Equestria is, how the world is. They won't stop at ruining your career, they will run you out of every town in Equestria. Just like they did before Cadence and Genderwise scooped you out of the gutter."

Coloratura choked, old bitter memories rushing up like black sewer water. She stumbled backwards, her legs swaying. She didn't want to go back there. By Celestia, by Harmony, she didn't want to end up in that place ever again.

"That won't happen." Svengallop licked his lips. "Because I'm here for you. I'm always here for you. You know that. Because you need me. You always have, you always will. Need. Me.”

She bit her lip, her eyes tearing up, her knees threatening to give way beneath her. She felt weak, oh so very weak, like that confused creature he once took and made into a mare. Without him….without him…

She gasped as she felt somepony step up next to her, placing a warm, comforting hoof on her withers. She gasped as she looked up. Her heart leapt in joy at the sight. Donut Joe stood next to her, his jaw set, his gaze firm.

“Y-you–!” Svengallop flinched. “Stay out of this!”

Donut Joe didn’t say anything, resolving to simply stand by her side.

“This is none of your business!” Svengallop barked at him.

Donut Joe remained stoically silent, placing an encouraging hoof on her withers, just as he always did when he got her to speak to other ponies.

“This is between us two!” Svengallop practically shrieked.

“Yes, it is.” Coloratura finally found her voice, feeling her courage gather from his presence alone. “Because I make my own way now.” She declared. “I am my own mare, Svengallop!” She gave him a furiously defiant glare, one that sent him staggering back in sudden terror. “I do not need you. I will never need you.” she finished, her tone cold and final.

“Grrr–” Svengallop growled. “You foalish filly! You don’t understand how many bits I owe–!” He roared as he made a desperate lunge for her.

There was a loud WHAM.

Coloratura winced, watching Svengallop bounce away across the flagstones as if he had ran straight into a stone wall. In fact he had run straight into something far more painful – Donut Joe’s steel-wire abs – as the stallion planted himself in front of her.

“Gah, you!” Svengallop was just about to cry out when he was suddenly pinned to the ground, his hooves locked in a painful disarming royal guard lock. “AAAAAAAARGH!” He screamed.

“Ex-royal guard.” Donut Joe spat down at him, pinning the earth pony with ridiculous ease. “Ex Torch Legionnaire Special Forces to be exact. You know what that means.”

“N-no–” What was left of Svengallop’s colour drained from his face. “Y-you’re–you’re a Clocktower Guard?!”

“Ex-Major. Honourable discharge.” Donut Joe snapped. “Rara, do you have your Clocktower badge?”

Coloratura’s front hoof instinctively flew to her jacket pocket where she always kept her Clocktower Society badge out of habit. “I do.” She replied, pulling it out.

“Can’t let this pony go so I’ll leave it to you.” Donut Joe nodded at her, “Invoke your safeword on the badge.”

“No!” Svengallop pleaded. “Please, Rara!”

Coloratura hadn’t had to use her safeword in a long, long time. But despite that the words were still familiar to her. She remembered being warned to never use it outside Clocktower Society unless she was well and truly in danger.

She decided that this probably qualified.

“Towertop.” She invoked her safeword.

She gasped, shielding her eyes as the badge suddenly lit up a brilliant magenta, firing a bright purple flare into the night sky above. It erupted high above them into a miniature flaming heart, lighting up the courtyard like a torch. The badge shook in her grip, letting out seven crystal clear bell tolls that echoed across the night. Tendrils of purple light flew out of the badge’s glow, coiling and weaving themselves into a protective spherical shield around Coloratura.

‘I probably should have done that sooner,’ she thought sheepishly.

“NO!” Svengallop cried, shielding his face from the light as despair truly set in his face. The collar he had held in his hooves clicked as its emergency release catch responded to the safeword, splitting the band into two useless halves. The two halves proceeded to disintegrate into a mist of sparkles.

“You’re not going to prison, you know that.” Donut Joe growled down at him. “You’re going to Torch Legionnaire HQ. Princess Cadence and Princess Luna themselves will judge you.”

“N-no!” Svengallop’s eyes widened in shock and horror, “No! Please! Don’t! Don’t take me to them! NO! You don’t understand! There are these really big bad ponies! I owe them a lot of bits! I–” The stallion almost bit his tongue on seeing the cold unforgiving fury in the larger stallion's eyes.

“And so you sold her out, is that it?!” Donut Joe barked furiously, twisting his hoof, forcing him to bite down a screech.

Coloratura gasped as the shadows of six royal guards, both Celestial and Lunar pegasi and thestrals, swooped in a wide arc around the flare above in tight formation. Two remained airborne while four dropped down to form a perimeter around the courtyard, their guard armour clanking heavily as they touched down. Another six earth pony and unicorn guards rushed through the courtyard gates, quickly reinforcing the perimeter. Coloratura could just about make out the Torch Legionnaire special forces emblems emblazoned on their pauldrons gleaming in the flare light.

“Major!” Two of the guards, a mare and a stallion, rushed up to Donut Joe. “Lieutenant Hot Fuzz of the Canterlot Torch Legionnaires.” The mare saluted sharply. “We saw the flare from the palace and rushed here as fast as we could. We’re all from different units around Canterlot so I’m acting ranking officer for now. There’s probably more on the way. Speak of the Nightmare!” She looked around as at least another dozen guards arrived with two crystal guards still tying their chestplates on and at least four Wonderbolts, one of whom was still trying to put on his flight-mask.

“Uh, sorry, we’re here on vacation. Just saw the flare,” the crystal guard mare reported, “Sergeant Bright Emerald of the Crystal Torch Legionnaires, reporting.”

“Captain Spitfire, Wonderbolt, Cloudsdale Torch Legionnaires,” one of the Wonderbolts stepped up at head of her group of three. “Rushed over from the Wonderbolt derby stadium when we caught your signal. Haven’t seen a safeword flare in ages. This had better be worth the flockin’ fuss, Joe.” She eyed the stallion Joe had pinned to the ground.

“Got a rogue here. Possibly a sell-out and a fleshmonger too.” Donut Joe grunted, roughly pulling the whimpering stallion up. “Dunno if there are buyers. They might’ve been watching. Might have scared’em with the noise. Could be well on their way out of town if that’s the case.”

“We’ll have him talking in six hours, we’ll have the buyers by dawn.” Spitfire grinned sinisterly. “As ranking officer, I’m assuming command of this adhoc Torch Legionnaire task force,” she announced to the rest of guards, “Our mission is to contain this clusterbuck.” She pointed at Svengallop. “Take him.”

“N-no! Please! I don’t know anything! I swear! Please, Rara, tell them! Tell them I’m innocent! Please!” He pleaded Coloratura as four of the guards took hold of him, locking his hooves in irons.

“Y-You just came b-back to me to settle a debt?” Coloratura trembled in both horror and fury. She felt so betrayed, so violated. “I–I actually trusted you with my life once!” She shrieked, watching as hope died on his face. “I don’t want to see you ever again!”

“You won’t. He’ll be lucky to see the light of day again. Princess Cadence and Princess Luna will make sure of that,” Spitfire growled at Svengallop, nodding for her guards to take the pathetically quivering stallion away. “Joe, I think you two are going to need a few guards, at least until we know what we're up against. By Discord's tits, I thought we already crushed all the big players.”

“Would appreciate that, Captain,” Donut Joe nodded at the Wonderbolt. “Kept in shape, but I’m no guard no more.”

“You’re Special Forces, Major. We Torch Legionnaires are guards for life.” Spitfire gave him a light punch in the withers. “Fuzz, Grey, Light, Gleam, you four are assigned to the Major. I’ll send a relief squad at dawn.”

“Yes, ma’am!” The four appointed guards saluted sharply. They remained as the rest of the soldiers filtered out of the courtyard, all listening raptly as Spitfire barked her orders.

“Uh, Rara?” Donut Joe brought her attention back. “It’s alright, we’re safe now. Though good to see they still make these emergency shields nice and sturdy,” he said, tapping on the magical force field still glowing around her. “You can drop the shield now.”

“Oh, yes, sure.” Coloratura nodded, fumbling with her badge shakily. “Uh? How do I do that?”

“Did you even pay attention at the Society induction?” Lieutenant Hot Fuzz, the palace guard, rolled her eyes.

“Can it, Hot Fuzz.” Donut Joe waved off the liuetenant. “Just re-invoke the safeword, Rara.”

“Oh, sure.” Coloratura nodded. “Towertop.” The badge’s glow blinked out. The shield and flare above them dissolved away in a mist of sparkles. She marvelled at the badge. Even here, far from the Society, Princess Cadence and Clocktower were still looking out for her.

“Where to, Major?” Hot Fuzz asked Donut Joe. “Somewhere easy to watch would be good. This hotel’s probably compromised.” She nodded at the hotel.

“I agree,” Donut Joe nodded, “Rara, sorry about all this. Would you mind staying with my mom tonight?” His voice turned soft as he turned to her.

Coloratura found herself still trembling from mane to tail. Her mind was reeling in denial, unable to parse everything that just happened. If it weren’t for Donut Joe–

If it weren’t for Donut Joe–

“Yes, Joe, I’d like that,” she quickly nodded.

“Then let’s go. Lead on, lieutenant.” Donut Joe nodded at Hot Fuzz. The mare waved her guards forwards into a steady march around them.

Coloratura couldn’t help but notice Donut Joe glueing himself to her side all the way back to his house. While the other guards kept their heads on a swivel, eyeing their surroundings, his eyes were constantly on her. She didn’t mind it. In fact, despite her harrowing ordeal, she had never felt safer her entire life.

“Uh,” She finally gathered the courage to ask, “Is he going to be alright? Svengallop, I mean?”

Donut Joe looked down at her, an expression of stunned surprise on his face. It quickly melted into one of endearment. “Even after all that, you can still worry for his wellbeing. You truly are something else, Rara,” he chuckled softly as she once again turned the colour of an overripe tomato, “Don’t worry. He’ll make it to Princess Cadence and Princess Luna in one piece.”

She gave a teeny nod. She felt a sniffle well up. Tears slowly overwhelmed her as she finally wept and mourned the kind, gentle stallion that used to love her. There was none of him left in that crazed pony the guards dragged away. Her first love was well and truly gone.

She gasped as she felt the warmth of what could only be a denim jacket wrap around her, their sleeves magically knotting themselves about her. “Not gonna let anything else happen to you. Promise.” She heard him growl protectively as he threw a front hoof around her, hugging her close against him.

She smiled softly through her tears as she pulled the jacket closer around her, basking in its warmth. “Thank you,” she whispered softly, earning her a bright brush from the colt.