Off in the distance, far away from the festivities of the welcome party, in the unwelcoming planes on the far side of the Everfree forest, Rainbow Dash and Starlight ready themselves to put an end to their feud.

"It is on!" Rainbow Dash shouted.

Starlight fired the first shot. A blue bolt of light fired from her horn, barely missing Rainbow Dash as she veered hard to the left and started to zero in on her target. Another long blast shot off, and Rainbow Dash led on its stream, always just a few feet from its glowing beam and circling around it.

Rainbow Dash was getting too close, and Starlight couldn't believe that Rainbow Dash could move this fast. She switched tactics, changing from a solid beam to rapid shots. Every blast ended the same, flying off into the midday sky, barely missing Rainbow Dash.

"Too slow!" Rainbow Dash taunted as she flipped to deliver a dive kick.

Starlight reared back, seeing how her first attempt wasn't going to stop this mare. She channeled her magic and a light built up just as Rainbow Dash made contact, throwing dirt and dust into the air.

Rainbow Dash hopped back and retook her stance.

"Had enough? Or you hungry for more?" She called out, waiting to see Starlight begging for mercy as the dust started to settle.

In the small gouge of dirt lay an empty hole.

"Hungry?" Starlight shouted down from above, hovering in the air with her flight spell activated. "You couldn't fill a snack tray, sweetheart."

"What!?" Rainbow Dash turned to the sky, forgetting Starlight could levitate herself.

Starlight unleashed a blast from her horn, drilling down into the earth below. "Try eating this!"

Rainbow Dash was quick to jump out of the way but did not expect the ray to create an explosion upon impact. A burst of dirt and smoke charged with the dispersion of unicorn magic engulfed her. A scream of pain faded fast as the eruption reached its height. Only the sound of falling debris and shifting sand that drifted through the smoke could be heard.

"Alright, Rainbow Dash," Starlight called out through the smoke as she descended, her voice firm and authoritative. "As much as I'd love to spend the rest of the day beating some manners into you, I think you've had enough, and I intend to undo the damage you and Becky did.”

Starlight came to a stop above the smoke and dust.

“I'm going to make sure Chris can enjoy the rest of this party." She waited for a reply from Rainbow Dash, but no response came, and a creeping fear settled in that perhaps she went too far. "Dash?"

A burst of air disrupted the drifting smoke, and Rainbow Dash hurled herself out, driving her shoulder as hard as she could into Starlight's gut. The gut check knocked the wind out of Starlight and broke the spell that gave her flight. The two careened through the air out until Rainbow Dash steered Starlight down into the ground, slamming her into the dirt hard enough to tear up the grass.

Rainbow Dash straddled over Starlight's waist, screaming as she rose up.

"No more jokes!" She forced her left hoof down on Starlight's chest while drawing back her right and delivered a right cross to her face. "No more puns!"

She struck Starlight again.

"I'm just gonna keep beating the crap out of you until you realize just what a terrible pony you are and that you need to stay out of me and Becky's business!"

A dome of violet-colored light bloomed out from Starlight with a crack, knocking Rainbow Dash off and tumbling away.

Starlight rose to all fours with a burning anger in her eyes.

"You were going to hurt Chris! Chris is my business, you idiot!"

Rainbow Dash picked herself up. Whatever that last attack was, it felt like getting slapped by a massive sheet of plywood, the way it hit with a dull and hollow thud. Not enough to keep her down, but certainly hurt. She hunkered down and jumped to take the fight back in flight, but something grabbed her back leg and pulled her back to the ground. She landed chest first, feeling something grip tighter around her ankle and pulling her back. She turned back as she felt whatever it was sliding up and grabbing her other leg, crawling up even farther.

The same vines she had dodged earlier were coiling around her. She flapped her wings, trying to break free.

"Oh, no, you don't," Starlight snapped, flexing her magic into the vines, strengthening their hold.

Not content just to hold her opponent in place, Starlight erected the vines upright and then forced them down, slamming Rainbow Dash into the ground. She swung Rainbow Dash again, slamming the trapped pegasus on her back. Not nearly enough, as far as Starlight could imagine; she flexed her magic and slammed Rainbow Dash on her chest just for good measure.

Feeling content, she raised the vines with a woozy Rainbow Dash still in their hold, dangling upside down.

Rainbow Dash shook her head.

"I know I said no more puns, but do you plan on making me hang out with you all day? Then again, with you foalsitting me, I'm sure Chris might stay sober enough to make it to the dance tonight. Wouldn't be much of a dancer with you there to make him sick again."

"Why, you little—" Starlight's anger spiked, drawing her attention away from the vines.

Rainbow Dash felt the tension in the vines give slack.

"Ha!"

Her distraction worked just as planned. With the added slack, she rocked her neck and shifted her weight to the base of the vines holding her up. Bearing her teeth, she chomped down, separating them and releasing the hold on her, freeing her instantly.

"No!" Starlight shouted, catching the drop in her concentration too late, and Rainbow Dash was already on top of her.

Rainbow Dash leaped with a sidekick, forcing Starlight to scurry back. She pushed forward, overwhelming Starlight with kicks and punches, never landing but preventing any magical counterassault.

A high jab had Starlight duck in an awkward position, and Rainbow Dash took advantage by poking Starlight in the eye with the wrist of her wing.

The surge of pain overwhelmed Starlight, making her recoil and close both eyes involuntarily. She braced for the pummeling she was sure was about to come down on her head. As she waited, she felt the breeze pick up, and she heard the sound of wings flapping. The light breeze quickly turned to gale-force winds that didn't blow past her but rose up from underneath. Aside from the pain of being punched in the eye, the wind and the debris blinded her. She couldn't see it, but she knew Rainbow Dash was using her wings to try and lift her off the ground with the winds she could summon.

"I'm gonna kick your butt on my turf," Rainbow Dash shouted, threatening Starlight of what was to come.

The force of the wind proved too great, and indeed Starlight found herself losing grip of the ground below. Hurting and mostly blind, she was lifted and spun out of control as she continued to rise. She had no idea where she was being raised to or how far up she was at this point.

Another strong gust forced Starlight out of the whirlwind, and she started to fall. Her one working eye opened to see Rainbow Dash flying down to her with a rear leg extended.

Starlight drew in her magic, but Rainbow Dash struck first. The rainbow mare screamed as she delivered a series of bicycle kicks to Starlight's chest. The parade of hooves stomping over Starlight left her defenseless.

As soon as the flurry of kicks stopped, Rainbow Dash let Starlight fall away, but only far enough to deliver a final roundhouse kick to the skull.

Rainbow Dash twirled and extended her leg, landing a blow against a blue crystal-shaped shield of the unicorn’s magic. The connection of her hoof rang like a large bell. She pulled her leg back, cradling it as it throbbed and ached.

"OwwOwwOwwOww! Dirty rotten cheat'n... Uh-oh."

Starlight floated inside her crystal shield. Her eyes were clenched tightly, and a magical current flowing within tossed and tasseled her hair. She opened her eyes, setting her sights on her rival again. Her silent glare was a deafening cry of the pending retaliation.

A grunt from within her private chamber erupted into a yell as the crystal shattered with the burst of magic she released. The eruption boomed out with a shrill cry as it rushed toward Rainbow Dash.

The sphere of light expanded rapidly, chasing Rainbow Dash higher into the clouds. She was finally getting into her groove, ready to speed out of its reach.

Not fast enough, the expanding light peaked and erupted with an explosion. The blast was no different than the last one she took. Her body was struck with a concussion blast that she felt rip through her body like a fist of an angry god punching past her very being.

Hot on her trail and her flight spell restored, Starlight followed Rainbow, rushing up to the cloud she vanished into.

The white collection of sky puff stained itself darker as she came closer, another pegasus form of magic being brought into play.

Knowing what was about to happen, Starlight slowed her speed and raised her shield again. Inside, she braced herself as a bolt of lightning shot out, hitting its mark.

Her shield rang again and again as Rainbow Dash took aim and stomped out bolts from the cloud. Over and over; Clang! Clang! Clang! Her shield held but was fracturing under the lightning strikes. It could only take so many more hits.

Rainbow Dash placed all four hooves back down on the cloud and concentrated on pooling the electricity together for one large discharge to finish Starlight off. Quickly, the charge hit its prime, and she dropped both rear hooves down.

Starlight held steady in her shield and prepared for the worst.

The bolt struck with a marksmen's precision, hitting the weakest point and creating an explosion of sparks and fizzling magic. It left behind smoke and dust that were quickly carried away in the stronger winds at this elevation, but Starlight was still there. Amazingly, Starlight opened her eyes; only fragments of her shield remained, but they disintegrated and were carried away with the rest of the smoke and dust.

"Better luck next time, kiddo," Rainbow mocked as she raised a rear leg to drop another bolt on the shieldless unicorn.

A thump on the cloud from her hoof discharged all of the remaining power within, releasing an arc big enough to power an entire light bulb.

"What?"

Rainbow Dash could feel the pitiful discharge of what remained, not realizing how much power it took to break Starlight's shield. She rushed over to the edge of the cloud, looking down at Starlight, untouched.

"Awe, come on!" She stomped the cloud three more times, but it was drained. "Really?"

Starlight teleported near Rainbow Dash, casting another spell to let her walk amongst the clouds. They eyed each other, evaluating the matted patches of fur and charred marks they had left on each other. Both knew this fight had moved far beyond what they had intended, but their loyalties and commitments bound them to stay.

"I gotta give you credit, Dash," Starlight took a moment to use conversation to catch her breath and let her horn cool down. "I always thought you were all ego and bluster. But you actually put up a better fight than Twilight. And you know what? For as much as your friends talk you up, they really underestimated you."

Rainbow Dash couldn't tell if this was an olive branch, and she was giving an honest compliment or some ploy to distract her. At the same time, she had to give her own respect where respect was due.

"Well, if we're gonna start blowing kisses to each others' flanks, you're nowhere near the pushover I thought you'd be. Tougher than most pegasi or earth ponies I've tangled with even."

That was just enough time Starlight needed to let her horn cool down without giving Rainbow Dash too much recovery time as well. She changed her stance, ready to fight again.

"Don't imagine any of this has convinced you to leave Chris alone, has it?"

Rainbow Dash hunkered down into a sprinter's ready position, laughing lowly as she planned her next attack.

"Ha, ha, ha... Nope. But if it's any constellation, I'll be as nice as possible to Chris while you're recovering after this."

"Consolation."

"What?"

"It's consolation, not constellation," Starlight emphasized the correction. "A constellation is a group of sta...Gah! Never mind. If you're not too bent out of shape after I school you here, I can teach you how words are supposed to be used."

Rainbow Dash grinned, a little insulted at the correction but also respecting her spunk.

"Just can't drop the superiority act, can ya?"

Starlight smiled back smugly.

"Big Mac was impressed that you knew what the word vocabulary was. Who isn't your superior?"

"Shut up, and let's finish this!"

"Gladly."

Starlight started the fight again with a beam of magic firing out and slicing its way to Rainbow Dash.

Nimble as ever after their short recovery, Rainbow Dash easily avoided the attack, leaping to the side and moving to close the distance.

The two continued on, neither making much ground on the other. Rainbow Dash would dodge the small volleys of magic attacks Starlight would fire off, and Starlight would teleport randomly around their skyward arena as soon as Rainbow Dash was in striking distance. But as they continued this dangerous dance, Rainbow Dash started to notice the pattern of each new position Starlight would take.

Another teleportation from Starlight flashed her out as soon as she was in the danger zone. She reappeared high to the right of where she was facing just prior. Only now, the surface of the cloud was empty. A trail of displaced vapors showed where Rainbow Dash had driven through.

Starlight flew above the center of the cloud, waiting and watching for where Rainbow Dash would try to attack from.

A blaze of light tore up through the cloud. It crackled and buzzed, both stunning and burning Starlight. This unknown power struck her down to the cloud. Her skin and muscles stung with enough pain that she barely had time to react to Rainbow Dash diving down on her.

Rainbow Dash went for a diving punch but had her blow blocked a second time by a magic shield. The strike landed with a crack.

It was a wonder no bones were broken, not that she could tell.

"Ah! Son of a—"

Starlight, tired of having to focus on defense this close, altered the purpose of her magic shield and struck it down on Rainbow Dash's head. She swung it wildly, bashing Rainbow Dash over her legs, back, and even jabbed it into her gut.

Rainbow Dash raised her forehooves and blocked the last thrust of the blunt weapon that would have had her face smashed in.

They pushed against either side of the shield, a struggle to see who would overtake the other. Starlight felt the shield give and pushed in, thinking she had one out, but Rainbow Dash was running low on strength and let the shield slip past her.

Rainbow Dash sidestepped and reached out to grab Starlight behind the head. With a firm hold, Rainbow Dash quickly overpowered Starlight, slamming her face against her own shield.

Starlight stumbled back and blindly fired off three rapid shots from her horn. Shots one and two missed, but number three connected and launched Rainbow Dash back, and they both crumpled down on the cloud.

"Why won't you just leave Chris alone?" Starlight pleaded as she rolled herself over. "You don't know him like I do. What he's been through or just how many ways you both hurt him today."

She slowly came back up to all fours, suffering a daze that wasn't fading.

Starlight wondered just how badly she was hit, having the odd sensation of drool building up in her mouth. She hoped it wasn't an early sign of needing to puke again. She spat out the salty fluid, keeping her eyes locked on Rainbow Dash, who was having just as much trouble getting up.

"Why can't you both just let him meet ponies on his own terms?"

Rainbow Dash did a double take from Starlight down to the painted cloud fluff below her.

"Woah! Woah! Time out! Truce! Truce!"

Starlight could make out just enough to see Rainbow Dash waving her hooves in a sign of caution. "You're joking, right?" Starlight asked, confused why Rainbow Dash was giving up so suddenly.

"You're bleeding," Rainbow Dash sounded off with honest concern, hoping Starlight would acknowledge her call to alarm. "Seriously. Truce. Just look in front of you."

Cautious that Rainbow Dash was leading her on, she took a quick glimpse down. Before her eyes could return to Rainbow Dash, the red splattered on the cloud registered in her brain.

"Oh, no."

She brought her hoof to her lips and gave them a gentle dab. It was painful to the touch and felt warmer and wetter than normal. Pulling back the pads of her hoof, there it was. Just like with Trixie, she didn't know how to respond to the blood she saw.

"Hold on a second," Rainbow Dash requested as she trotted over. "Lemme see."

Starlight took a step back and charged her horn, still unsure of Rainbow Dash's intent.

"Hey! I said I—" Rainbow Dash grunted, trying to think of how to convince Starlight that their fight was over. "Okay. Fine! I won't bother Chris. You can tell him that Becky is sorry and wants to know what she can do to make it up to him."

Starlight's heart about dropped in her stomach.

"That's what this was about?" She asked, a little embarrassed for taking things this far and accidentally stopping an apology from happening. "Oh, my gosh. Rainbow, I am so sorry. I thought that you were going to threaten Chris again or even hurt him. And, and-and he was just so angry and—"

"Starlight, please," Rainbow Dash interjected. "It's not like I gave you any reason not to think I wasn't going to go do that."

"Wow." Starlight looked down in defeat. "We took things way too far. I should have just asked what you needed him for instead of teleporting you away and saying all those mean things about you."

"No, you were right about my ego. It doesn't take much to talk me into a fight," Rainbow Dash rationed to offer her role in this scenario. "So, what happened was Becky felt terrible after she realized what she did to Chris. She explained some things to me about Chris that I didn't know and how uncomfortable he must feel because of how we forced everything on him. So, I thought that if I told him that she wanted to apologize, they could talk it out, and she'd be happy again."

"So why not just tell me that?"

"Well—" Rainbow Dash thought it best to come clean at this point. "After the first time we met, and you got away, I felt cheated. You just disappeared, and right after I got my speed back. Then after you came back and did the whole time travel battle with Twilight and all that drama... You almost ruined us. Not just Equestria, you almost ruined everything me and my friends have together. My friends mean so much to me, and you almost took that away. And I guess I've been holding onto that."

Starlight couldn't even be mad.

"Rainbow, I know I made mistakes—"

"And the Wonderbolts..." Rainbow Dash added.

"What? What about the Wonderbolts?"

Rainbow Dash cringed at her pride corrupting her.

"A few days before the humans showed up, you asked me about how to make a friend..."

"Seriously? You're still mad at me for not knowing what a Wonderbolt is?"

"Yes!" Rainbow Dash painfully admitted. "I know it's petty. But now I know you're trying to be a better pony. More than just trying. I mean... look at us." She gave Starlight time to examine the injuries they sustained. "You were willing to fight me because you thought I was going to hurt Chris. And honestly, if I was you... I probably would have thought the arrogant and stubborn hot-headed Rainbow Dash was going to do exactly what you thought I was going to do."

"Especially after you said you'd drag him out kicking and screaming," Starlight added.

"Yeah," Rainbow Dash rubbed the back of her head "Oww!" She pulled her hoof back, too sore to pull that expression off. "Heh... not the best choice of words, huh? But if you care about Chris like I care about Becky or any of our other friends, I probably would have tried to kick my flank, too."

Starlight was seeing a different side of Rainbow Dash.

"You... really care a lot about Becky, don't you?"

Rainbow Dash's eyes suddenly had a special glow about them.

"Becky is amazing. She's so smart and talented. And she’s, like, a living fountain of information. Not boring nerdy stuff like Twilight. But real-life stuff. There are so many things she knows about and can just point to and explain to me in a way I've never thought of before. - " She suddenly sighed and sulked - "And while today isn't a great example. She has both inspires me and helps to guide me to being a better pony... So I'm probably a little overprotective of her. Not just because of how bad her health is, but because of what she means to me... What I mean to her."

"I know what you mean," Starlight said softly, laying a hoof gently on Rainbow Dash's shoulder.

"Maybe not for the health reasons, but with Chris, he and I... I can't believe it."

The sudden detraction from the conversation threw Rainbow Dash off.

"Can't believe what?"

Starlight started laughing uncontrollably. For a moment, it was as if she had lost her mind.

"Unbelievable... When I was trying to patch things up with Chris, it started off super bad. We were both butting heads, and then he did the strangest thing." Starlight recalled how they hashed it out. "He asked me if I knew why he was mad at me. But he didn't let me answer. He just opened up to me. And he didn't just let me have it; he was brutally honest about how he felt and why he was hurt."

"Really? That fast?"

"That was his intention," Starlight chuckled. "He said if he was brutally honest with me, it would force a conflict resolution. Because that's how it works here with us."

"Pft!" Rainbow Dash laughed at such a childish notion. "Oh, come on. You didn't believe him, did you?"

Starlight frowned hard.

"Rainbow... seriously?"

"What?" Rainbow asked, still in an excess of glee from laughing off his explanation. "You think two ponies bumping heads just open up about their emotions and junk, and they'll... Oh... No!... But... Ah, fuck! How could he have known!"

Starlight was relieved that Rainbow Dash was finally catching on.

"I know, right?"

"No!" Rainbow Dash just had a revelation. "How could we not have known? We live here. We—"

She shook her head in frustration.

" We were chosen by the tree of harmony to teach other ponies this stuff. How could he— I mean—He's not even... Oh, my gosh! He's just like Becky. If I ask her something, she can usually just explain it right off the bat."

"Rainbow," Starlight had a question itching at her now. "Is Becky lonely or looking for love?

"Looking for love?" Rainbow Dash repeated it back to her. "No. I don't think so. I'd say she's mostly scared and sad. Why? Is Chris like that?

"Incredibly so."

"How bad was it?"

"Oh, Rainbow... Looking back, I don't even think we scratched the surface. And it's only been made worse by— " Starlight had to stop herself, knowing Chris wouldn't want others to know about his secret. Especially Rainbow Dash at this point. "Sorry... I don't want to say too much. Chris doesn't want others to know about a lot of what he's dealing with."

"Say no more," Rainbow Dash proudly answered. "I'm way ahead of you on that part. If you have his trust and he wants to share something with you that private or intimate—"

"Intimate?" Starlight reeled back on that comment. "I never said—"

"Not like that," Rainbow Dash snapped. "You wouldn't even know what that looks like."

"What do you mean—"

"I mean him telling you something that makes him feel vulnerable," Rainbow Dash exclaimed, sounding deeply serious. "It takes a lot of trust for them to think that they'll be accepted. And maybe that's the reason Chris feels so lonely or looks so sad when he thinks he's alone and nopony is watching."

Those words rang true in Starlight's mind. There were a lot of things Chris confided to her that were vulnerabilities. For Celestia's sake, even she saw the value of being accepted for who she was by Chris. She didn't realize what a precious commodity her relationship with Chris was.

"Thank you," Starlight spoke up graciously. "I don't think I would have been able to see all that if you hadn't told me."

"Don't mention it."

Starlight spit again. The inside of her lip was still bleeding a little, but at least seemed to be stopping on its own.

Rainbow Dash glanced her eyes back and forth a few times between the blood and Starlight, finally ready to address the next big issue.

"But are you okay? I didn't think I would hurt you this bad. Never enough to make you bleed... or that you even could."

"I think I'll be fine?" She didn't sound so sure. "Trixie was fine... Outside of everything else she went through. And I think I just cut my lip on my teeth."

She shot Rainbow Dash an inappropriate grin.

"You hit really hard. You know that?"

"Me!?" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "I thought it hurt hitting your magic shields. I didn't even know you could use those things as a weapon and hit me back with it."

"Me either," Starlight huffed, on the verge of laughing. "I just saw an opening and went with it. And what was the explosion thing you did?"

"When I came through the cloud? That's my trademark, Buccaneer Blaze, move." Rainbow Dash drew into herself and blushed. "I never actually used it on anypony before. I had no idea what it would actually do."

Starlight looked up, trying to recall the experience.

"I'd say that it felt like getting punched by a lightning bolt the size of a yak... made of fire."

"Ouch..."

They stared silently at each other for a moment, and Rainbow Dash thought about what such a thing would look like.

"Poor yak."

That statement was just the right kind of stupid that led the two from a few snorts and snickers to a full-on laugh.

Starlight gave a rather relieved sigh.

"Thank you, though. For this."

"For what?" Rainbow Dash smiled, still a little giddy from their laugh.

"I know when you and everypony else treated me nice, and you all shared your passions and hobbies with me when I was first welcomed into Ponyville... But you're the first to treat me like a real friend."

Rainbow Dash leaned in, grinning with the return of her inflated ego.

"Are you telling me that I'm a better friend to you than Twilight?"

"Stop," Starlight playfully knocked Rainbow Dash away, making both of them wince in pain as they have to shift their weight. "Oww... Sorry. And no, I'm not doing that thing where friends say which friend is the better friend. But... Twilight is more focused on teaching me how to be a friend. She's the Princess of Friendship. It's what she does... But you... you had every reason to let me flounder on this. Twilight gave me a chance because she saw the danger of allowing a single friendship die. You just did it because, I guess, you trust me to be a good friend and only want me to be better?"

"Glimmy, you took me head-on, knowing I was going to be tough to beat, all because you wanted to protect a friend. Even after I said all those mean things and tried way too hard to hurt you, you tried to walk away so you could fix my mistake. Theeeeeeeen, after I got some pretty good shots in on ya, you didn't back down for a second or think about giving up on him. And at the very end, where I'm pretty sure I would of had you."

"I dunno about that," Starlight replied with a coy voice.

"Fine, it was anypony's fight at that point," Rainbow Dash conceded. "But still, bleeding and battered, the only thing you cared about was protecting Chris... Starlight, you're exactly the kind of friend Chris needs right now, and definitely the sort of friend I'd want to have my back."

"Awe... Dashy," Starlight couldn't believe how fast their friendship had changed, and because of a fight, of all things.

"Glimmy," Rainbow Dash moved over and into a side hug - "Oww."

"Oww."

"Sorry."

"It's okay."

"Heh... Glimmy, you're a good pony. And if anyone says otherwise, they'll have to answer to me."

"You, too, Dashy... But we should really get back to the party and help those two patch things up."

"Oh, yeah," Rainbow Dash just realized how long they'd been gone. "I told Becky I was going to the bathroom."

"I left Chris searching the castle for Cerb."

"Okay," Rainbow Dash was starting to put a plan together. "We go back. Find Chris. Find Cerb. Help those to patch things up. And maybe grab some more alcohol. Because I don't know about you, but everything pretty much hurts right now."

"Ugh," Starlight groaned. "I hope I don't get drunk again. I don't think I'd survive another hangover after a beating like this."

Focusing her magic, Starlight teleported them back to the spot in the castle from where they departed.

"Okay," Starlight sighed in relief, getting her bearings back. "First things first. Find Cerb."

"You're looking for Cerb?" Princess Cadence asked, standing right behind the two. "We've been looking for you."

The pink princess quickly noticed the state they were in.

"What in Equestria happened to you two?"

The realization hit the two battered mares that they probably should have cleaned themselves up before returning.

"Oh," Rainbow Dash quickly tried searching for a cover story to pacify the Princess. "You see, what happened was—"

"We had a disagreement," Starlight quickly answered over Rainbow Dash. "And it was one we didn't want to settle it around everypony else."

Cadance didn't know if she should be upset at the two or concerned for her sister inlaw.

"From the looks of things, I'd say you both had more than just a disagreement. I don't think Twilight is going to like hearing about this."

"No," Starlight answered with a sad tone as she bowed her head. "Fighting with your friends is never the answer. Even if you're fighting with good intentions, honesty and a cool head can fix the problems a lot faster."

Rainbow Dash rubbed the top of her head.

"Probably hurt a lot less, too."

Straight raised her head, looking and speaking with more conviction in her voice suddenly.

"Could you wait here for one moment, Princess?"

It was a moot question to ask, as Starlight didn't wait for a response and teleported out of the hallway. Rainbow Dash and Cadence stared wide-eyed at the vacant spot Starlight left behind, wondering where she teleported to. Another pop and flash came in, and Starlight returned with Twilight, who was getting low and dancing on her rear legs and mumbling noises to the tune of the Wobble song.

Twilight turned and opened her eyes as she slid into the next dance step.

"And then you turn and—" She finally noticed she wasn't demonstrating the dance to a group of local ponies anymore. "What am I doing back here?"

Finally, Twilight looked over to see Starlight and Rainbow Dash looking rather disheveled.

"What happened to you two?"

Starlight lowered her head again, ready to apologize and explain what happened.

"Twilight, I thought it would be best if we just came forward and told you what happened so you didn't have to hear it from somepony else. Rainbow Dash and I had a fight... and we both took our anger out on each other for problems we thought the other was causing."

Rather abruptly, Rainbow Dash jumped between Starlight and Twilight.

"It's not her fault, Twilight. I started this problem and instigated the fight. Even when she tried to stop it, I wouldn't let her."

"Rainbow," Twilight couldn't believe what she was hearing, from one of her best friends nonetheless. "Starlight is our friend. I expected so much better from—"

"Twilight, please," Starlight interjected. "As terrible as it sounds, I think we both kind of needed this to happen."

"What!" Twilight and Cadance shouted together.

"Yeah," Rainbow Dash stepped up and put a foreleg around Starlight. "We had a lot of issues to work out, and some pretty good reasons to be at odds with each other."

"It's true," Starlight agreed with an excited smile. "I don't think we really knew where we stood with each other. And we both had some misconceptions about the kind of ponies we really are."

"Exactly," Rainbow Dash jumped in again. "I used to think that Starlight didn't take our friendship stuff seriously and was doing more harm than good."

Starlight nodded.

"And I thought Rainbow Dash was arrogant and too aggressive and was going to end up hurting others."

Twilight was at her wit's end.

"No. No. No. Stop. Both of you, stop."

Here in front of her was her pupil with one of her best friends, confessing the things they detested about each other after duking it out, and were smiling and hugging it out?

"Are you both telling me that the problems between you two got so bad because of things you couldn't stand about each other, that you beat the snot out of each other... and now you're closer than ever?"

The two battered mares looked at each other, realizing just how ludicrous it sounded.

"Yeah."

"Pretty much."

"There's no doubt about it."

"She beat me with a magic shield. How cool is that?"

"Enough!" Twilight silenced the two and started pacing back and forth. "This is unbelievable. This is beyond unbelievable. Yes. There are fewer things in the world that are believable now because of how unbelievable this is. You've managed to make this world less believable."

"Look, Twilight," Rainbow Dash pleaded, pulling away from Starlight and trying her best to clear things up. "We both know what we did was wrong. And we know we let you down. Probably in more ways than one. But, to be honest, I'm glad she knocked me around."

Twilight looked blankly forward into her friend's eyes before running her hoof through the matted rainbow-colored mane in front of her.

"Rainbow Dash, I'm going to get Nurse Redheart. Starlight must have hit you in the head too hard. You're delirious."

"No!" Rainbow Dash knocked Twilight's hoof away. "This is exactly how Starlight and I started fighting in the first place."

Twilight thought she must have missed something.

"Run that by me again?"

Rainbow Dash fanned out her wings in a sudden fit of anger, despite the pain it caused.

"We've been talking to you," She pointed the tip of her feathers right in Twilight's face. "But you're not listening to what we're trying to tell you or ask why we thought we had to do this. You're just assuming the worst and shutting us down before you even understand what happened."

"Twilight," Cadence walked around to her fellow Princess and sat beside her. "Maybe we should hear them out before jumping to conclusions."

Twilight looked to Starlight, who shrugged with a smile, silently agreeing.

"You're right," Twilight said with a sigh as she took a seat in the hall next to Cadance. "Okay, let's hear it."

Rainbow Dash ran through the series of events between Chris and Becky, how she was pulled into it, where Starlight came to Chris's aid, but was pretty vague on what Becky told her about Chris. Starlight left much of her conversation with Chris open to interpretation but became more specific when Rainbow Dash crossed paths with her. Then both of them swapped turns describing the violent blows and tactics they used on each other.

"And then Starlight brought us back," Rainbow Dash wrapped up the story.

Starlight butted back in.

"That's when Cadence heard us talking and saw how messed up we were. So, I brought you here, and now you know."

"Oye," Twilight facehoofed. "All these years, learning how friendship is magic, only to have my first student tell me that fighting is magic... and that it works. And you even cut the inside of your lips and were bleeding. You're not freaking out over that?"

Starlight ran her tongue against the inside of her lip.

"I dunno. At first, I did. But we both freaked out over Trixie bleeding, and that turned out to be nothing. And this is nowhere nearly as bad as... Okay, that would be a bad comparison. But I'm fine now."

"Well, I'm very proud of both of you," Cadence announced, to everypony’s surprise. "You took something that could have been very destructive and turned it into a stronger friendship. You both have a lot of love to share and now you both have each other to help take care of your new friends."

Twilight sighed, seeing how more good than bad had developed from the pair sorting things out the way they did. Although, not without having to burst their bubble about the great discovery they made with each other.

"I'm happy for both of you, too. Truly, I am. But now I feel bad telling you that Becky and Chris already made up."

Rainbow Dash's wings dropped to her sides.

"You're joking, right?"

"But how?" Starlight asked, desperate to know. "Becky could barely move, I thought? And then, Chris. He was so mad that he couldn't even talk to her."

"Well, I can explain that part," Cadence was tickled to explain what they missed out on. "Chris found Cerb, along with Rarity, Fluttershy, and myself. He wanted to talk to Cerb alone, but I—"

She gave a forced cough, looking suspiciously nervous, if not embarrassed.

"insisted I help. Since I could sense this was a problem of the heart, of course. Ahem... Cerb convinced Chris that he could trust us, and so he explained just what you both told us, and how angry he was about it." She turned her attention to Twilight. "Apparently, Chris has confidence issues that make him nervous around new ponies."

She turned back perplexed in a thought.

"Although he called us people at first. But, that's beside the point. He felt trapped and angry that the wonderful thing he could have done lost all its meaning. Both to him and whichever pony he would dance with tonight."

Twilight started to fill in the next part.

"And that's when Becky came back inside looking for you, Rainbow. Shining had come back to check up on her and was kind enough to help her look for you. Shining was searching downstairs when Becky found Chris and the others looking for Starlight. I was still outside and noticed Chris had been away from the party for a while, and Bon Bon told me she saw Shining head in with Becky, so I came in to see what was happening. What I found was Cerb scolding both of them and making them apologize to each other."

"Yes," Cadence jumped in again. "It was very impressive to see Cerb lecture them both the way that he did. So in control over the situation. So angry, yet letting his compassion guide him."

Twilight nodded, sounding equally pleased.

"I came in at the point where he told them there would be no more of his friends coercing each other into doing something with a pony they couldn't ask to do on their own."

"Ah, yes," Cadence happily sighed, almost seeming to fawn over the memory. "He told them having pleasantries forced onto us ponies out of obligations is wrong and hurtful. He said that the ponies here have been too kind and gracious to treat us with anything but sincere gratitude. That the relationships we all were forming were too valuable, and that we deserve only the best we have to offer from them."

"Cerb said all that?" Rainbow Dash asked, somehow surprised, given his first impression of her and Applejack.

"He most certainly did," Cadence beamed. "Justin has such a big heart under that rough exterior."

Twilight raised an eyebrow.

"You're calling him Justin, now?"

Cadence must have slipped with that.

"Did I? Oh. Well, Cerb. I guess I just remembered his real name and let it slip."

"Hey!" A shout came from the far end of the hall from Cerb. "Where you two been? We've been looking all over for ya!"

"Right," Twilight stood up again. "After that all was settled, Cadance and Cerb stayed behind to look for you two."

"Woah," Cerb didn't expect to see the two missing mares to show up looking so ragged. "What the hell happened? You two been falling down stairs this whole time you've been gone?"

"It's a long story," Starlight answered. "One probably best told over a few drinks."

"Hey, I'm down," Cerb wasn't going to fight that open invite. "Hopefully, Kelly and Mac are back already."

"They have been gone a while," Twilight agreed, acknowledging the length of their absence. "Maybe if Fluttershy and Rarity get back before they do, we should send some pony to go check up on them."

"Fluttershy and Rarity?" Rainbow Dash was confused why they hadn't stayed behind with Cerb and the others. "Where did they run off to?"

"Oh," Twilight turned back to the group. "They both ran back to each others' houses. They were in such a rush to get here this morning that Fluttershy didn't finish her laundry, and Rarity forgot to grab the new clothes for every human. They'll be back once they finish helping each other."

Big Mac was lying in the grass, waiting for Kelly to load him up.

"You sure it's okay for you to be up and lifting all that?"

Kelly strained her arms to hook another bag of booze onto Big Mac's collar, sighing with great relief to be done with even a task as light as lifting only a few bottles.

"Probably not," she said with an exhausted grin. "But I can't be letting you do all the heavy lifting."

It was so nice for Big Mac to see Kelly try so hard with him, even if she didn't need to.

"Awe, shucks, Miss Kelly. It ain't no thang to carry two bags. And besides, as light as I feel after that game of show and tell, I feel like I could carry the whole world on my shoulders."

"Psh," Kelly playfully scoffed as she straddled his back. "If you feel this good from that, wait until I can carry you on my shoulders."

That got a good laugh out of Big Mac.

"As amazing as you are, Miss Kelly, I don't think you'd be carrying me all too far."

"Oh, poor silly innocent, Mackie."

Kelly settled herself on his back and tapped him twice to let him know she was ready. As he rose up, she held onto his collar and waited till he was up all the way to continue.

"I won't be walking you around on my shoulders." She leaned forward and took her comfortable position of laying down on him and resting her arms around his neck. "That's just where your hooves will be holding onto while you take me from behind."

That got his ears perked and brought on a shutter that ran his lips to his tail.

"Pony style," Kelly cooed with a giggle.

After a little shake, Big Mac started back to the castle.

"Come on now, Kelly. Even I think we should take things nice and slow down with all of this... Not that I'm already looking forward ta do'n it again, or even a little more if you're up to it."

"Mmm," Kelly moaned while she gently stroked her fingers around Big Mac's chest and shoulders. "You know, when I came on the couch, and I said 'Oh, fuck. Mac. Come,' really loud?"

Big Mac giggled.

"Euyup. What about it?"

"Well, I didn't mean cum as in I wanted you to blow your load for me. I was going to tell you to come over and eat me out while I came."

"Wha? But I thought you didn't want me to do that yet?"

"Well," Kelly cracked a smile too strong to let her speak and had to take a moment to get ahold of herself. "Okay, I did say that when I knew I couldn't control myself. But then, at the end, when I was about to cum, and watching you was just so hot, I kind of lost control and gave in. But I gave in too late and came too hard to talk. So I guess we both missed out."

"Oh," Big Mac groaned, sad to hear how close he was to pleasing Kelly like he wanted to.

Kelly heard his disappointment and looked up enough to see his ears droop.

"Don't be sad, baby. I'm kinda glad we didn't take things that far just yet. And besides, I doubt you could have stumbled your way over to me in time for as hard as you came, too. I mean, even after you stopped cumming, you could barely walk."

"Heh." Hearing that took some of the letdown away from Big Mac, and he could see how silly it was to get hung up on it. "I guess yer right about that, Miss Kelly."

"Heh... yeah." Kelly had another thought she couldn't let go of, something she never had with another guy. "Do you think any differently about me now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well." This was a hard question for her to convey to him, given how different their cultures and understanding of sex were. "Usually, after a guy gets this far with a girl, they either got lost in the pursuit of getting laid, or start seeing her as just a warm place to keep his cock."

She could feel his posture change, becoming more attentive.

"That's what starts them looking for someone else or no longer caring."

"Miss Kelly," Big Mac spoke up, worried of what doubts he hadn't quashed about his intent with her. "You are, without a doubt, the most amazing thing that has ever come into my life. You're funny, smart, loving, and you know full well how you drive me wild. And beyond that, like you kept on bringing up, I love being with you and getting closer, even if you're not a pony."

She had brought that up more than a few times, but even she betrayed her own instincts and had largely moved past all her concerns of differences about physical being with him. Was she holding her previous insecurities and projecting them on him instead? Or maybe she was fooling herself and couldn't tell the difference anymore.

"I think everything different about you is beautiful. From your face that's as pretty as the night sky, to all yer cute little fingers and toes. Even everything you like to keep covered up just makes me want to look at you more. And if yer worried about what other ponies would think... Well... Granny Smith knows how I feel about you and risked her life to make sure I kept you safe. And even Applejack kept yer friends busy the morning you woke up after getting hurt."

"What do you mean she distracted my friends?"

"I guess she knew something was up between us and must have been watching. She didn't tell me what all she did, or when, but we could'a been caught by your friends when we were getting close, and sneaking kisses had she not stepped in."

"Damn." She suddenly felt stupid for how careless she was that day but grateful that Applejack bothered to cover for them. "I guess I owe her a big thank you."

"Euyup."

"Wait, what does she think about humans? Besides you and me, I mean? She's been all over Lumberman since we got here."

Big Mac reactively laughed out loud.

"Oy wee, sorry bout that, Miss Kelly. I just remembered her reaction when I asked if she was getting sweet on ‘ol' Woody."

"Was she embarrassed or something?"

"Heh. Nah. She got mad and hit with her hat because I thought the same thing, too. But I don't think she's hiding any feelings for Lumberman. She's just hurting inside like I was after you were hurt. Feeling responsible or that she failed at saving you just like the others her friends do."

Big Mac thought that would have drawn some response out of her, but perhaps she was trying to make sense of it all.

"I know we failed you on account of what all happened, but I don't think I could ever make you understand how crushed they all felt when they used the Elements, and you didn't wake up. That they couldn't even heal the wound in your side all the way. How hard they fought to try again, even if meant they wouldn't live through a second go at it."

"I owe them all a big thank you."

"We can worry about that when you're back on yer feet."

"Yeah... So, what does that have to do about Lumberman and AJ? Jesus," Kelly had a crazy thought. "They didn't fuck around with each other in the bath or something, did they?"

"No... Not that I know of, anyhow... She didn't have anyone to turn to with everypony knocked out and then me and everypony else taking care of you and the rest of AJ's friends. So... Lumberman took care of her. And he's been taking care of her since then... She can't seem to get over her guilt, and I think she's even still scared. Certainly lost a little faith in herself on top of all that."

"Oh," Kelly softly answered back, feeling sad for Applejack. "So, AJ's been using Lumberman as a shoulder to lean on."

"Euyup."

"She made the right call. He's really great for that." Kelly thought back to when she would rely on him. "I did the same thing when we found out Cerb almost died. Then, when he came back, he was so messed up, but he wouldn't talk to us or let us help him... And I know it's not supposed to be easy to go through, but watching him and feeling so useless, I ended up crying a lot. Benny knew something, but wouldn't tell me... So when I got sick of their shit, I went to Lumberman."

"He's that good, huh?"

"James was the only one smart enough to walk away from his fucked-up family. After that, we were his family. I mean, we all call each other friends... but he's really the one that made us all more than that... Probably the reason we all stuck together, too. He's always been there to take care of us, no matter how bad we fuck up or the risk that comes with it. I think we all need him as badly as he needs us."

"You think he's getting sweet on my sister?"

Kelly snorted out a laugh.

"No. Which is sad for AJ, I guess... He's probably the best of us, or at least the most put-together... But whatever, let's hurry up and get back to the party."

Rainbow Dash and Starlight were lounging in reclining lawn chairs, covered in ice packs with chilled drinks of vodka and soda. They both laid back, their rear legs crossed over each other, resting their joints on the bags to ease the swelling.

A sympathetic Becky gently tapped Rainbow Dash's hoof that wasn't throbbing.

"You sure you don't want me to stay behind with you?"

"For Pete's sake, girl," Rainbow whined, pulling up a dark pair of shades. "This is your party, and we already did a bunch of games and took some goofy pictures. Get out there and meet some ponies. I won't be lying down here all day. We got all night left, remember?."

Starlight lowered her drink and moved an ice pack off from her snout.

"You too, Chris. Everypony here is excited to meet you."

"Yeah, yeah," Chris nodded and waved her off. "Cowboy Cake has to rebuild his public image."

The two recovering mares chuckled.

"Awe, come on Chris," Sniff came up from behind and patted Chris on the back - "Cowboy Cake was a hit. And that name is marketable as fuck. It totally fits the whole name scheme of the ponies here. It's like you’re practically already one of them. Just don't do the whole nudist colony thing."

"Knock it off, Sniff. - " Becky shoulder-checked him to get his attention as she started walking past him. "We all know if anyone us is gonna be caught with their pants down in Ponyville, it's you."

"Hey, maybe I want to take part in a little cultural exchange," Sniff spouted off, following Becky back out to the festivities. "You ever think of that?"

"I don't think VD counts as a cultural exchange," Chris called out before turning back to Starlight and trying not to laugh as he shook his head. "Thanks for sticking up for me, Starlight. And sorry for not telling you that we tend to get over these things pretty quickly."

"Egh," Starlight shrugged it off. "It all worked out for the best, anyhow."

She levitated the top ice pack on her right ankle, sat it down on the other side of the leg rest of the chair, and alternated which leg was on top, inadvertently flashing Chris her crotch in the process.

"If you're up for it, maybe we can do some dancing together tonight? I bet you got some killer moves. You show me yours, and I'll show you mine, and who knows? Maybe this could be the big opening you need."

"Right," Chris quickly agreed but had to shake that image out of his mind if he didn't want to start walking around pitching a tent in his pants. "I'll tell ya how things go when I get back."

"Okay, have fun," Starlight called out as she waved him off.

Once far enough away, she sighed in relief.

"I'm glad they worked things out. Oh, and we need to pick out a dance partner for— Oh, wait. It's just you that needs to pick out a dance partner for Becky, still. You got any ideas?"

She took another sip and waited for Rainbow Dash to start rattling off some ideas, but all she heard was some snickering. More than a little interested, she looked over to see Rainbow Dash red in the face, quietly laughing to herself.

"What's so funny all of a sudden?" She asked, wanting in on the joke.

Rainbow Dash shot a quick glance to Starlight, which only made her snicker even harder.

"Sorry. It's just... " She felt terrible how badly she wanted to burst out laughing. "I just remembered something Becky told me. Private stuff. It just—"

Another snicker came out, forcing more restraint from newly befriended pegisus.

"Oh, wow. Sorry. I just remembered it. That's all."

"Oh," Starlight happily replied, smiled, and let Rainbow Dash keep her secrets. "You're lucky that you and Becky were able to hit it off so fast. It's crazy how close you two are already."

"Yep," Rainbow Dash answered as lowered her shades and readjusted the ice pack on her head finally gaining control herself. "She sure is awesome... And Chris is cool in his own way, too. Like he how taught you to push past all the wordplay and shenanigans and get right to the conflict resolution. Good save, by the way. I don't know what kind of crazy story I would have tried to come up with if you didn't stop me."

"Yeah, well, I had to change this up a bit from how Chris showed me."

"How so?"

"Chris said he embellished a little when he opened up to me and helped me understand him better. I had to water the story down by not telling her just how much I appreciate having you as a friend."

Rainbow Dash gave a questionable gaze to Starlight.

"What?" Starlight grinned. "Twilight knew my shortcomings and that you had trust issues with me. Everypony here does. We would have been there a lot longer if I opened up with that."

"Yeah... I guess you're right," Rainbow Dash replied before she took a long drink through her straw. "I didn't embellish either. I feel like I know you a lot better now, and I like what I learned. But I also want to offer my help with Chris—if you ever think you could use it, I mean."

Having Rainbow Dash as a legit trusted friend was certainly new to Starlight, so she didn't know how to take that last offer or the sudden change in tone.

"Help with Chris? What are you talking about?"

"Well, you already said you would help in whatever way you can with Becky, even though I'm taking care of her. And it looks like you'll be taking care of Chris from here on out. But his problems are kind of all over the place. He's self-conscious, shy, doesn't seem to know how to deal with large crowds or big social events. And if he really does have the hots for mares, he needs to stop talking about ponies and Equestria like he does from the show he watches. It can make ponies really uncomfortable to have a stranger know so much about them when they've never even met him before. He needs to be able to talk about himself in a way that isn’t sad. Just act like he does with his friends."

That was a loaded observation Starlight just took in. "He does need some help with all that, but mostly, he needs to believe in himself. Once he loosens up and starts being himself, he's a really great guy. If you get the chance to talk to him, you'll see that he's love-starved. The poor guy can’t even live a dream come true. So far, his experiences here have been nothing more than the everyday life he left behind and the hurtful memories that he can’t escape. Only, more tragedy and ponies involved."

Rainbow Dash finished off her drink and was already feeling better. More accurately, buzzed, but that was still better than achy and throbbing. "Well, look at it this way. If they're not here for a reason, we're here for a reason. And helping others and making friends is what we do best."

Starlight poured Rainbow Dash another drink and floated it over to her.

"Even if it hurts."

Rainbow Dash took the glass in her wing and offered it up.

"Cheers to that."

"Cheers," Starlight returned the salute.

After some chill relaxing downtime, and the vodka numbing their senses, they eventually dozed off.

“Hey,” Kelly’s voice came with a nudge to Starlight’s leg. “Starlight… you alright?”

“Huh?” Starlight popped up out of her nap. “Wha? Who’s it.“ Her vision adjusted to Kelly sitting on the grass next to her. “Oh. Welcome back… How long was I out?”

“I dunno, I just got here,” Kelly answered like she thought Starlight should have known that was a stupid question. " But you said I should bring these to you?"

Starlight noticed the two bags of bottles. "Wow. Okay. This should be fun. Could you follow me inside?"

"Mac has to carry me in, but sure," Kelly nodded to Big Mac standing on the other side of her.

"Oh. Well, I was hoping that it could be just you and—"

"Whatever it is that's going down with this magic bottle trick of yours. Mac can keep a secret. Right, Big Mac?"

"Euyup"

Maybe it was sloppy on Starlight's part, but she was too tired to try and fight it.

"Alright. Let's go."

Kelly pointed to Rainbow Dash, still snoring in her lounge chair.

"What about her?"

Starlight didn't want too many ponies knowing about this exchange nor discuss it with so many others still around.

"We'll wake her up when this is done. Be a nice little surprise when she wakes up."

With that agreed too, Starlight took the bags, and Big Mac carried in Kelly.

Once inside, Starlight went to task on preparing for the spells.

"Just spread the bottles out on the table, and be ready to catch them if they fall. I can't always keep control of the replicas when they materialize. And don't mix up the original with the doubles. Making doubles of duplicates don't always turn out right."

Kelly started spreading out the bottles, curious as to how this was going to work.

"Okay, so how close do they need to be together?"

"Not too close. I can only do one bottle at a time."

Big Mac sat back, trying to catch up on what was happening in front of him.

Starlight stood at the center of the table, sizing up the amount of magic she was going to need.

"This kind of magic has its limits. The more complex the makeup of the item, the harder it is to recreate, fluids especially. Making more than one at a time usually ends with two incomplete items or an explosion."

"Oh, shit," Kelly scooted back a little. "Yeah, definitely don't do that. Most of these drinks are flammable anyway."

"Really?" Starlight looked over the bottles again. "That would have been good to know the first time I tried this. Alcohol isn't very easy to recreate as it is, and even the paint of the bottle adds another layer of complexity to the spell."

With all these concerns, Kelly wasn't so sure about what she had gotten herself into. "Umm... So is this even safe?"

"Sure it is," Starlight offered her vote of confidence. "I've never botched this spell."

"Oh, good," Kelly was granted a sigh of relief.

Big Mac, however, wasn't so quickly sold on the idea. He didn't fully understand what all was going on, but he also wasn't sold on the idea.

"Uh... How long have you been using these dangerous spells?"

Starlight raised the first bottle of Jack Danielle's, powering up the magic to create another half gallon.

"I started yesterday. I'm a solid four for four. Now get ready, Kelly. This bottle is heavy."

Kelly started to remove herself from the table.

"Mac!"

Well, there it is. RD and Glimmy fought it out without interruption, with neither really coming out on top of the other. But what a fight, right? Makes ya wonder how things would have gone down between them if they actually had the chance to duke it out in cannon. However, that busted lip should be a cause for concern. Almost kind of out of the blue for her to start bleeding like that. Something to be explored more in the future, I guess. Yes, I know why she's able to bleed, and already have it written out. Be patient.

Also, that forced conflict resolution can be so easily exploited. Twilight didn't know what hit her. Just like how poor Starlight and RD ended up fighting so hard over something that resolved itself in their absence. Figures, right?

Kinda makes ya feel bad for Fluttershy and Rarity losing control so often now. The same goes for Kelly. At least she knows what she can be looking forward to now.

As for the rest of them, now that Starlight has been granted access to a wider selection of bottles, the booze... they will be aplenty.

Up next will be an interlude of sorts. Yes, it will take place in the story, but I'm not really considering it as an official chapter. It doesn't really help to move the story forward but does give some insight into what goes on during some of the off-screen/cutaways scenes.

Coming up as the next submission: 33.5: Between Temptation & Progression, Is A Little Help.

Also, another big thank you to KittyWoofers, who did an amazing piece of Rainbow Dash and Starlight getting ready to throw down. Check her out here:
kittydrawz
KittyWoofers