The cashier at the Golden Sun Motel trembled as his latest, and cruelest, customer walked past him and towards her shared room. He noticed that she didn't have her usual glare on her face, instead, there was a sinister grin that twisted the meaning of the word 'Smile' into something that little foals should run away from.

Glamour Shot made her way up the stairs and into her motel room, which was as cheap as ever, and properly bucked the door open in her gleeful state. Press wasn't as glad about the whole situation he had gotten himself into as Glamour Shot, but he didn't voice any of his concerns to the bald mare, although he was a bit glad that his job with her was coming to a close. Still, he couldn't help but feel his chest twist and turn with guilt at his involvement in the murder of two innocent lives.

"It's a shame, you know that Press?" Glamour Shot promptly snapped the brown stallion out of his little guilt trance and back to his terrible reality in Equestria.

"Uhm...what is?" Press feared that he missed some of her dialogue while he was in thought, but relaxed slightly when her expression didn't change to one of annoyance.

"The fact that I didn't get to toy around with those two a little longer before I properly burned them to a crisp, or should I say, before we burned them to a crisp?" the mare knew exactly how her rhetorical question would affect her partner, and she enjoyed the traumatized look on his face before she continued speaking, "It was just too good of a opportunity to pass up, now we've got the heat off of our trail and we can head back to Canterlot when the next train arrives."

"B-back to Canterlot?! Are you insane, that's where the Royal Sisters are, they would be able to find us in no time if we were to go there! We should just run, run away into the woods, or Manehatten, anywhere but Canterlot!" Press was panicking completely as Glamour Shot spoke out the next step in their 'Journey', earning himself a whack on the head from the aforementioned mare's hoof.

"Two things Press. One, Celestia and her little sister will be too distracted here to ever think to look for us over at Canterlot, I know this because over the years I have seen how close she and Twilight have become, her student's death will absorb all of her available attention. Luna will come since she will feel the need to be more involved with her sister's job and personal life, not to mention the way she has grown attached to Twilight over all the times she visited the castle. Two, if you ever so much as hint at calling me insane again, I will skin you alive and feed you to a ravenous pack of timberwolves, do I make myself clear?" Glamour Shot's horn lit up in its blue aurora and locked its grip around the brown stallion's neck, pulling him forward slightly until he was staring directly at the unicorn's fiery golden eyes.

Press' pupils shrank to the size of pinpricks at the menacing mare's death threat since he knew she would have no problem in actually acting upon it, and he just nodded his head in a almost imperceptible fashion. Glamour Shot released his neck after his meek agreement, returning her attention to the motel room in order to seek out what few items she had there, mainly just bits and some spare clothing.

Press just sat at his usual spot, rubbing a hoof against a sore spot that was left on his neck after being choked as he began to look back at his life, what he had before he became involved with the horrendous actions that Glamour Shot brought about onto the world.

'At least this is almost over.'

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Spike watched the landscape around him change drastically as the steam train continued its journey across the iron clad path towards the capital of Equestria, Canterlot. As he basked in the warm orange glow of the morning sun, he reflected on how his life had changed recently, how his dreams had finally been remembered, and how they had found their way into becoming a part of reality. He remembered each step in the chain of events, Rarity rejecting him, realizing his true feelings, the trip to Canterlot that brought him and Twilight closer than ever, the passionate night of their return to Ponyville, facing off with Granny Smith and her group of bigots, and finally his mind wandered back to the current events.

"I wonder what they'll think."

"Mmm...what'll who think, Sweetheart?" Twilight awoke with a small yawn, adorable in Spike's eyes, and she found herself in a small 'Nest'. Said nest being composed of a little indentation in a pile of hay with her dragonfriend curled around her slightly, creating a comfortingly warm embrace for the two of them.

"Oh, morning Twilight," Spike leaned down and pecked his marefriend on the base of her horn, which hurt less than the night before, before he continued speaking, "I was just thinking on how things are going to go for us at Canterlot."

"Well I thin-...wait a minute, Canterlot?" Twilight's mind began to fully activate itself, taking in the fact that they were currently inside a boxcar on a moving train, "When did we get on a train?"

"About that, yesterday when Granny Smith blew up the library, a stake pierced your shoulder and you passed out from the magical exertion. Applejack, Fluttershy, Dash, Rarity, and Pinkie were all crying nearby the library, thinking that we were dead, so I took you over to them to heal your shoulder as best as we could at the moment." Spike gestured towards the bandage still wrapped around Twilight's shoulder, "After Fluttershy fixed you up, I ran towards the train station, barely jumping in here before it left us behind. I thought this would be the best next move since we are going to need help with our recent problems."

Twilight shuddered a bit at being reminded of the attack on them, and she was saddened by everything that was lost in the fire. She wasn't sad because of all the books, well maybe a little, but what really affected her was that the fire took Spike's basket and his diary, two priceless objects that were irreplaceable due to the amount of memories they carried. Her mind wasn't deterred from the conversation with the dragon she was laying down next to though, and she decided to praise her dragonfriend for his smart reactions, but something new entered her mind, something she had been ignoring for quite some time.

"That was some nice spot-on thinking Spikey, and you're right, we are going to need some help with all of this. It's just...I'm afraid." Twilight felt her partner hug her closer once she mentioned her fear, comforting her further.

"What of, Twilight?"

"It's just that all the ponies that have disapproved of us being together so far aren't even close to me, so it doesn't affect me as much as it could. Now, we're heading to Canterlot, home to my parents, my brother, and the princesses. I never put much thought to it, but now that I do, I'm afraid of their views on us. Sure, even if they were to disapprove, I wouldn't leave your side, but it doesn't change the fact that it'll hurt more than a couple of random ponies."

"Would you believe me if I told you I was just thinking about them when you woke up?"

"I probably would."

"Good, because I was, and you've got a point. I've never really spent much time with your parents. Twilight Velvet and Night Light were always a little more than reserved, guess that's where you got it from." Twilight tried her best to give Spike a playful shove, but it proved to be futile due to the way the two of them were laying down, "I was trying to guess how they would react to us being together, but at few times I've seen them they've never really shown much of their personalities."

"Yeah, ever since I left my parents' house in Canterlot to go attend Princess Celestia's School For Gifted Unicorns I haven't really kept in touch with them. It's just that with the studies and isolating myself I began to forget about most individuals in my life, besides my brother of course, he would swing by the castle's library every couple of days. Then, one day, Princess Celestia walks in with you on her back, saying you would help me learn how to socialize more and teach me about responsibility, and you know what happened from there on." Twilight smiled as she once again recalled her foalhood memories, mostly consisting of her being buried in a pile of books or playing a game with her current dragonfriend.

"Let's just not ponder on things we know nothing about, okay?" Spike had a feeling that the subject on Twilight's parents could, and very likely would, spiral into a disaster if not kept in check or cut-off.

"Fine, but this is gonna come back in the future in the worst possible scenario, you know that right?"

"That's future Twilight and Spike's problem, for now let's just enjoy the scenery."

"Since when did you get this little personality shift, enjoying scenery, eh mister tough dragon."

"About at the same time you decided to come out of your little anti-social shell."

"Hey!"

The lavender mare and the purple dragon continued their constant teasing for the next thirty minutes, watching the land around them shift drastically from softly rustling plains to a quickly ascending slope on the side of the mountain Canterlot was perched upon. A slightly uneasy feeling shook itself across the couple's spines, they knew things were about to change. The only question was, are they going to change for the better?

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"NO!"

"Come on Applejack, quit your fussin' and come back home."

"Ah already told you, Mac, Ah ain't going back to Sweet Apple Acres. Granny Smith made it perfectly clear yesterday that she didn't want me anywhere near her, heck, she shouted it in mah face!"

Red and orange siblings clashed in a verbal debate at Fluttershy's doorstep, and the house's owner was currently listening in on the conversation from her safe spot behind the couch. Big Mac had appeared about ten minutes earlier, and proved to be about as stubborn as Applejack when he wanted to. Fluttershy had never really heard the red stallion talk much, and she very much didn't want to continue listening to the tone the debate between the siblings had.

"Stop being so stubborn, Ah just told you that she wants you back at the farm, she misses you a lot. You should have seen the look on her face when she forgot you weren't home and she tried calling you for dinner, she's hurt Applejack, don't you see what it is you're doing to her?"

"Hurt? HURT?! You two, along with every other featherbrained idiot in your little mob, completely ignored the fact that you were HURTING two of mah best friends, you even tried to kill them. So if you expect me to go back to Sweet Apple Acres just because Granny misses having me there, you might as well turn tail and trot back to her and tell her to stick an apple in it." Fluttershy audibly gasped at Applejack's language towards her own grandmother, never having heard her orange friend say anything of the like.

"Applejack! What has gotten into you?!" Big Mac was, much like the cowering yellow mare inside the house, at a loss for words at his sister's allegation.

"Common Sense, Mac! We're talking about the mare who MURDERED our FATHER for Celestia's sake! She left our mom depressed and that depression is what killed her in the end! Don't you get it Mac, our own grandmother orphaned us!"

"A-Applejack please, just come home," the red farmer's resolve began to crumble under the iron-hard facts that his sister was berating him with, "I don't wanna have to carry you away from here..by...force." Big Mac's transparent threat slowly died away in his throat as the yellow veterinarian rose from behind the couch within the cottage, her blue eyes hardened to a point that had bested beasts in the past. The Stare was called forth to aid Fluttershy once the red farm pony hinted at taking Applejack against her will, and it wasn't happy.

"You will do no such thing, Big Macintosh. In fact, you're going to go back to Granny Smith and you're going to tell her that you won't try to take Applejack anymore. Now shoo." the animal enthusiast simply tapped her hoof against her wooden floor, yet the simple action caused the older of the Apple siblings to scramble away in fear. Fluttershy didn't enjoy having to use her ability against others, but when a situation presents itself, she doesn't back down.

Assured that the intruding stallion wouldn't return, the butterscotch mare's eyes lost their sharpened look and turned back into the gentle blue pools they were supposed to be. She mad her way over to her orange friend, pulling her into a hug with her fore hooves and her wings once she noticed that she was silently crying.

"H-how could he do that, after everything we've been through. Ah'v always known about the mean streak that was hidden inside of Granny Smith, but to have mah own brother go against me, that's taking it to a whole new level. He never said anything, but Ah know he already knew about what mah grandma did, but Ah never thought he would help her if Ah ever went against her."

"There-there Applejack, it'll be okay," Fluttershy had an absurdly high maternal instinct, and it showed in the way her voice quelled the ragged sobs the farm mare was producing, "you'll see, in a couple of weeks this will all just fade away and everypony will forget it ever happened."

"That's the problem Shy, Ah don't want to forget about what happened." Applejack separated from the pegasus' friendly embrace to speak face-to-face, "Ah'v lived most of mah life under Granny's hoof, and it was horrifying to know that she was the one responsible for my father's and, in a way, my mother's deaths. Ah'v stayed awake late every night trying to gather up the courage to confront her about it, and the nights Ah did sleep were full of nightmares that have haunted me since my foalhood. Now Twilight and Spike have given me the final push Ah needed to call out Granny on what she's done, but if Ah go back to her now, Ah'm scared that Ah'll lose mah will to go on, Ah'm afraid that Ah'll go back to being a cowardly mare that keeps her mouth shut in order to avoid her problems."

"It's okay Applejack, you're not alone, never forget that. You've got the rest of the girls and me at your side, and together we can get through this, you just have to be strong like you always are." Fluttershy's words brought out comfort in the despairing farm mare, ceasing her depressive thoughts of how things can go badly, and instead filing her with hope for the future.

"Thanks Fluttershy, it's nice to finally be able to get this stuff off of mah chest."

"That's what friends are for, Applejack. Uhm, do you want to make some tea, I could really use some right now."

"Yeah, that'd be mighty nice."

So with the melodrama left behind, the caring pegasus and the hardworking earth pony walked back inside the cozy cottage, where a kettle of raspberry tea soon whistled. Applejack reran all of the events that had happened recently and found her mind wandering over to what the ex-librarian and the purple dragon could be up to in Canterlot at the moment.

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"Just keep walking Spike, and don't look back at them."

"How can I not look back at them, Twilight? 'Them' are everywhere."

The odd couple moved swiftly through the cobblestone roads of Canterlot, which were full to the brim with onlooking ponies. As soon as they had been spotted after getting off of the train, news of their arrival spread quicker than they could move, mostly likely due to those snobbish gossip mares and their quick mouths. Many of the ponies looking at the couple wore looks of slight indignation, but nopony actually made a move against them or said anything since they very well knew how high up in society the lavender mare was. Still, their stares were more than a little unsettling to the two lovers. If a stare grew too nasty, or if a noblepony looked as if he was going to move towards them and block their path, Spike would effectively neutralize them with his own piercing gaze, and his new size was a great bonus to his intimidation factor.

"Come on we're, agh...we're almost there." Twilight began to shake her head from side to side, trying to regain the balance she had just lost. 'What was that all about?'

"Twilight, are you okay, why did you just grunt out like that?" Spike's worry on her medical condition hadn't died down at all since they left from Ponyville, and it was only made worse by any signs of pain his marefriend gave off.

"It's fine...It's just my headache acting up again, it must be the strain of running." the ex-librarian should have known what her response would cause, and before she knew it, she was cradled in Spike's arms again as he dashed through the thinning crowds of ponies and towards the gilded Canterlot Castle.

"Do you really have to do this every time I get a little tired?" in all honesty, Twilight thoroughly enjoyed being carried by her dragonfriend, it made her feel safe and pampered, but she just had to ask.

"If it keeps you from feeling worse, then yes, yes I do." Spike left the crowded business area of Canterlot and got onto the road leading towards the castle. In a couple of minutes the companions reached their destination, and they were greeted by a couple of gold-clad guards at the castle gates. Greeted was probably the wrong word to use, a better way to explain their reaction would be to say that one of them recoiled slightly in fear at the dragon in front of them, unsheathing his spear and pointing it at the 'Menace' before it got too close.

"Halt! What is the meaning of this intrusion." the guard on the left barked out at them, a rookie if his rank as private was any clue, while the one one the right, a master sergeant, simply looked on with amusement since he already knew how things would play out.

"What intrusion? We were called here by Princess Celestia to meet with her." Twilight thought she must have looked a bit funny speaking while being carried the way she was, but she spoke nonetheless.

"Do you have any proof of this meeting? And what of the dragon?" the guard on the right looked like if he was about to burst out laughing as his partner spoke.

"No, but you don't understand I'm Prin-" the lavender mare's explanation was cut-off by the left guard.

"Sorry mam, but if you don't have any proof on the matter, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"Quick Sheath, how much of a idiot are you?" the guard on the right spoke with a voice that leaked amusement.

"Why would you ask something like that that, huh Swift Blade?" the left guard, now known to be called Quick Sheath, spoke in a dumbfounded tone. Twilight's face lit up as she recognized the right guard's name.

"Because you're just telling Princess Celestia's personal student, Lady Twilight Sparkle, to leave a castle she has full access to, not to mention that you keep eyeing her romantic partner as if he was about to pounce on you." Swift's statement made Quick's face burn up in embarrassment, while at the same time it paled from the way his job could easily be put at peril.

"I-I'm sorry Lady Sparkle, I'm just new here p-please forgive my misunderstanding." Swift just laughed at Quick's reaction once he realized who exactly he was talking to.

"It's okay, mister Quick, you wouldn't be the first to forget who I am. As for you, Swift, why is it that you enjoy picking on the new recruits so much." Twilight smiled at the older guard.

"Aw, what happened to you Twilight, you get a boyfriend and then you can't stand my humor all of a sudden? I miss the little filly who would actually ask me to do a little teasing." Swift let a wave of nostalgia wash over him as he recalled the couple of times he interacted with Twilight and Spike during their baby years.

"Well this 'little filly' has some business to attend to here at the castle."

"Okay then Twilight, just let me unlock the gates, you have a good day now you hear?" Swift and Quick both inserted their keys into the corresponding locks on the golden gateway, pushing it open to give the couple entry.

Brief thanks were given to the guard ponies as the lavender mare and the purple dragon began to walk towards the entrance to the castle's lobby. Twilight asked Spike to put her down in front of the doorway leading to the main lobby since they would only be walking from there on.

The castle's lobby was exactly the same as the last time they had visited, except that instead of a creepy cloaked pony at the reception table, there was a caramel colored unicorn mare wearing a pair of bifocals. The mare at the desk stood upon seeing the new arrivals, a clipboard being levitated at her side, and trotted towards Twilight and Spike.

"Ah, Lady Sparkle and Spike I presume?" the only reason she wasn't scared out of the socks she wasn't wearing at the sight of the dragon was because she had been warned that she would be seeing him soon.

"Yes that would be us, Miss..?" Twilight let her question stretch out a bit, prompting a continuation from the accountant.

"Board, Miss Board. I never really liked my name, but hey, a name is a name. Anyway, there is a meeting scheduled to begin as soon as you arrived, please follow me." Board turned to her right and began to trot down the castle's decorated hallways.

The trio walked for a couple of minutes through the seemingly never ending until they walked up to a unlabeled door, most likely one of the many lounges in the castle as suggested by the simplicity of the room's entrance.

"So Princess Celestia is expecting us?" Spike asked the question that was about to escape Twilight's lips, something that had been happening a lot recently.

"Princess Celestia? No, she's holding Day Court at the moment, you two are meeting with another pair of ponies. Princess Celestia will meet with you once her duties are attended to."

"Uhm, okay, thank you Miss Board." Twilight had been so focused on seeing the princess that she overlooked another matter that had to be attended to at the castle, a matter that was impatiently pacing back and forth within the lounge.

Board nodded as she accepted the thanks she was given, turning around and walking down the hallway shortly after, leaving the couple to their meeting. Spike pushed the giant double doors open since Twilight's magic was severely weak at the moment, and both of the lovers stared at the Guard Captain and the Love Alicorn within. Shining Armour turned towards the door, his eyes set on the arrivals, eyes that held surprise at them arriving so early, not to mention that the dragon he was looking at was much bigger than the one he saw in the newspaper. His wife thought he was being a little paranoid when he suggested they stayed at the castle to be able to meet his sister sooner, now it seemed that his waiting was about to pay off.

"Hey Twiley, what's been going on?" his voice held no rage, no indignation, just confusion at seeing his sister in a new light due to the photograpghs.

"Heh, a lot more than you know Shining, and hello Cadance, how are you coming along?" Twilight felt only slightly disturbed at the lack of usual affection between her and her brother, maybe it was only slight because Spike stood at her side with a arm hooked around her shoulders.

"I'm doing great, Twilight, she's developing at a great pace." the Love Alicorn stood from the couch she was using, struggling only a little bit with the bulge in her underside. Seven months had passed since she was diagnosed with her pregnancy, and she could barely wait to cradle her little filly in her hooves.

"Yeah, she is." Shining Armor spoke in a distracted manor, as if he wasn't focusing on speaking on the subject of his unborn daughter at the moment, "Listen Twiley, I think you already know why I called you over here."

"Yes, I supposed that was what all of this was about." Twilight had to suppress the urge to roll her eyes in annoyance at the scandal being made out of her relationship.

"Sweetie, do we really have to talk to her about this?" Cadance obviously knew the whole reason behind the meeting her husband had prepared, and she didn't like the intrusion he was putting into action.

"Yes Cadance, this is something we have to discuss." Shining was driven with intent unknown to anyone other than himself, his resolve not crumbling in the slightest of forms.

"Uh, dude, I don't think Twilight wants to talk about it right now, we've both had a really harsh week." Spike didn't exactly know how to talk to his marefriend's brother, he didn't really speak to him much since he was always away for training, and there was also the fact that they didn't exactly like each other. It was nothing personal, they literally couldn't get along, no matter how much effort they put into the few times they met.

"I think Twilight can talk for herself, Spike." Shining had an involuntary edge to his voice, their bad tems didn't really help him rely on his sister's judgment.

"Whoa whoa, back down a bit Shining, there's no reason to start talking like that, especially not with Spike." the lavender mare leaned into the crook of her dragonfriend's arm, relishing the comfort it brought and the tension it melted away from her mind.

"But Twilight, don't you see what you're doing? All of Canterlot is gossiping about you, few good things as a fact, and the news has no doubt already reached other parts of Equestria! What would you do if a crowd suddenly began to insult you, how would you feel?" Shining Armor had no idea what the couple before him had endured, said couple refraining from releasing any information at the moment on the past days, saving it for a more tactical usage.

"Is that what bothers you Shining? That the ponies around me might be able to hurt me with foul language? If so, then you can already dump that argument into the waste bin because it isn't going to work."

"Why would you choose him over any other stallion? Twilight, I've seen things, horrible things that dragons have done to some of my best men. They've reduced an entire platoon into nothing but a puddle in a matter of minutes! How do you know Spike won't do the same to you?!" Shining Armor only had one second to register the fact that he had screwed up, big time, in his side of the debate. He didn't hate Spike, but he hated all of the attention it drew towards his sibling, all of the hate that she was sure to receive. Still, it didn't ease the fact that he had just, in a way, insulted his sister's romantic partner, a individual with the strength to easily take him and many more out, but he feared his lavender sibling much more at the moment.

Twilight's gaze had grown cold towards her brother, her emotional restraints beginning to break as the white unicorn insulted Spike. Her words weren't smothered in sisterly warmth, they seemed to be sapped of all emotions save fore resentment. "You know what Shining, shut up. Shut up about my relationship and who I chose to share it with, and let me just ask you this, who would you rather I chose?"

"I-I Uhm..."

"Exactly, Shiny, you can't think of anypony else, and do you know why? Because there isn't anypony better for me. You say that I risk being put in harm's way by being with Spike, and this assumption is based on some incidents with dragons that you most likely provoked." Twilight felt her head throb lightly as she talked down her brother.

"Now, let me tell you all of the reasons that I want to be, and am, his marefriend. How about we start off a while back, back to your wedding," Shining cringed at the memory of the barely avoided disaster that could've taken place at the time of his union with Cadance, "Remember what happened on that day, brother? Do you remember the way you tossed aside all of the trust you held for me just so that you could fulfill what you wanted?"

"I was under a spell Twilight! You know I wasn't in control of what I was doing!" cold fear trickled up Shining Armor's spine at his sister's accusations, fear of what his poorly chosen words had unleashed from within his sister.

"Yes, you were, but do you know what that spell exactly did?" the ex-librarian's forehead began to throb even harder than before as she searched her brain for anything to add to her argument.

"It stole my love and brainwashed me to neglect you."

"You're only half-correct, Shining. The spell Chrysalis was using on you did steal your emotions, but it didn't brainwash you to act the way you did towards me. The drain spell made you believe that Chrysalis was Cadance, no matter how she acted, it never diverted your mind from knowing that you were hurting your sister's feelings."

"That's n-not true!" the white unicorn had his voice raised slightly, desperation gripping him as his little sister incriminated him with evidence that was anything but false.

"Say what you wish, but you know the truth, but I'm getting sidetracked on the main point of my story. Do you recall that Spike was never really at the wedding much?" Headache turned to migraine inside of the lavender mare's head, but she never stopped her justifications.

"I wasn't there for the day because I went off and wandered into the streets of Canterlot with a bag full of bits, losing myself in arcades and anything I could really find to enjoy myself. Evidently I enjoyed myself too much since I managed to let the wedding completely slip my mind. After Twilight explained everything to me on the way back to Ponyville, I felt horrible, useless. I felt as if I had betrayed her trust in me, so for the next weeks I was at a moments notice from her command, never letting myself succumb to my urge to be lazy or to slack-off." Spike gained a lost look in his eyes as he mentally visited the past events, giving Twilight the window to pipe back into the conversation.

"And what did you do, Shining? A brief moment to 'Make up' with each other before you disappeared into the crowds, and for the following weeks I never even received a single letter from you." Cadance tried to subtly sneak in a spell to ease the situation, but Twilight's diamond-trap mind blocked her access off, using her overflowing emotions as a shield.

"I was busy, Twiley." Shining Armor sounded meek, a lot of his resolve had been crushed with the couples arguments. His quiet words would only earn him more from his sister in turn.

"Don't you dare say you were busy as an excuse, too busy to even send one lousy letter?" Twilight's vision began to darken a bit around the edges, but a shake from her head cleared it back up.

"Okay, I get it. Please, just no more." the guard captain lowered his horned head in shame, reflecting on how he had been neglecting his L.S.B.F.F. for quite some time.

"No, I've got one last point to add." Twilight unhooked herself from Spike's arm and slowly trotted closer to her brother to speak in a leveled voice, "Most recently, The Crystal Empire Incident, you have no idea what Spike and I discovered when trying to retrieve the Crystal Heart. Along the way we found something that told me a lot about my partner, a doorway enchanted to make you believe that your worst fear was a reality, and do you know what Spike's worst fear was?" the lavender mare's vision began to fade out again, not being shaken away this time.

Shining simply shook his head in response to his sister's question.

"His..his worst fear was that h-he would..lose...me." Twilight collapsed once she uttered out her final word, snapping Shining Armor out of his gloomy mood and back into big brother mode. As he was about to levitate his sister onto his back to help her, Spike rushed in and lifted her up into his arms once again, pure shock running through his mind.

"Hey, I'll help her!" the captain sounded nearly childish as he tried to get a grip on Twilight with his telekinesis, but Spike wouldn't let go. Having escaped the little tug-of-war with his marefriend's brother, the dragon stared directly into Shining's eyes, boring into the stallion with his slitted pupils.

"You've helped enough Shining Armor! She came here to escape the judgement they gave her back in Ponyville, and what does she find? Her own brother going against her, I swear to any deity listening that if Twilight is seriously hurt over this little discussion, you'd better start to carry a weapon around me." Puffing out green smoke through his nostrils, Spike turned tail and ran to the castle's medical ward, leaving behind the distraught captain and the mournful alicorn.

"I told you it would end badly." Cadance laid a hoof on her husband's shoulder, she honestly felt like she should have helped stop the argument since the beginning.

Shinning didn't answer, he simply stared at a point in the wall that bore nothing put the paint used to give it its blue color.