Words couldn't even BEGIN to explain the discombobulation I was experiencing as Twilight kissed me. I kept my eyes wide open to register that this was really happening...

"She... isn't mad?"

"It would seem that way. Don't really get it myself, either... But considerin' she's bein' so affectionate all of a sudden... I wouldn't complain."

"Oh my..." I heard what sounded like Rarity's voice from behind me. Unable (and admittedly unwilling) to break Twilight's kiss, I simply disregarded my urge to turn around as I allowed my eyelids to close, accepting my filly-friend's affection and giving back some of my own. After what felt like forever, Twilight finally pulled away from the lip-lock, albeit very slowly. When she reopened her eyes, however, she bore a look of glassy-eyed sadness that hurt to see. She was still weeping.

"I... I'm sorry, Ty..." she shakily began, much to my surprise. "I... I shouldn't have hit you. I shouldn't have accused you of cheating on me... I-if I didn't, then... *sniffle* you wouldn't have had to be tortured by those two... I wouldn't be surprised if you wanted to *sniffle* leave me..." she managed to choke out before letting her remorse overcome her as she planted her face into my chest and wept some more.

"Aww, Twi..." Feeling nothing but empathy and affection for the unicorn, I did my best to comfort her by hugging her as best I could while my hands were still tied together with rope. When I lifted up my arms, however, I noticed the rope was ragged and damaged from my perilous aerial adventure with Rainbow. I managed to, with a strong tug, slip my left hand out of the knot holding my wrists together and wrapped the mourning mare up in my arms.

"Twilight... I... I don't want to leave you," I began, feeling guilty for Twilight's despondent demeanor. "I already forgive you for hittin' me. I'ss my fault for not tellin' you straight up what happened on that balcony. I'ss my fault for leavin' when your pet owl told me t' go back an' talk t' you. You don't gotta feel guilty for me bein' captured..." Twilight heard this and pulled her adorable little head up, bringing her tear-stained eyes to meet mine.

"B-but you wouldn't have even had a reason to leave if I didn't give you such a hard time last night... the argument, the accusation, the--!" I interrupted her when I pressed two fingers against her lips.

"It's okay. I understand. You were under stress, an' I did nothin' t' help you... I'm sorry about that." She moved a hoof to gently take my hand away from her mouth. Rather than place the hand down, however, she held it.

"It's still my fault for not taking control of my emotions, though... It was wrong of me to take my aggression out on you. If I didn't hit you, you wouldn't have left and from there, you wouldn't have gotten so beaten up by those two troublemakers..."

"Beaten up...? OH! I guess she got that from how I look right now... can't say I wouldn't make the assumption..."

"What, this?" I asked, understanding her misconception. "Nah, this wasn't from them... well, most of it, anyway..."

"What? If they didn't do this, then... what happened to you?" she asked, understandably confused.

"Rainbow rescued me. I'ss jus' that she got hurt on the way here, which caused us t' crash-land. I made sure she was okay durin' the crash, but I didn't take int' consideration my own physical safety..."

"That's why you huddled over me?" asked Rainbow, seeming to be astonished by the confession.

"Yea. I thought you knew that already."

"No. I thought you were holding me because you were scared."

"Heh, believe me, I WAS. But I still didn't want you t' get hurt savin' me."

"Oh. Well I've been through worse, so you didn't have to do that. But... Thanks."

"Anytime... NOT literally, though. I feel like I got hit by a moving truck..." I quipped before turning my attention back to Twilight. "*Ahem* The worst those two did t' me was tie me up an' drag me t' their hideout... And make me eat a mango..."

"That won't be the case when I'M through with you!" Another voice shouted, alarming all of us as we turned to face none other than a thoroughly infuriated Gillian, who'd not received treatment for the scratches across his body from when I kicked him earlier. His horn was already glowing brightly, reflecting his ferocious temper. He was accompanied by Comet, who surprisingly didn't seem so angry. If I didn't know better, she seemed... worried. Whatever the case, everyone moved into defensive stances, bracing for a possible fight. I managed to pick myself up and take my own readied stance, despite all of the physical anguish I'd had to fight through to do so.

"You won't get away with anything you've been doing!" announced Lyra. "Whatever evil plans you've had up till now are foiled at this point, so there's no use in making things worse for yourself!"

"Just what are you talking about?" the stallion asked, seeming not to understand the specifics of Lyra's proclamation.

"The Princess has already been warned about you and your nefarious plot!" Rarity added. That didn't seem to sit well with the stallion, as he gritted his teeth in frustration and growled.

"Is that right? Well then I'd better give her a grand welcome show! Starting with YOU!" he threatened, pointing a hoof at me.

"Oh boy..."

"Bring it!" I boldly shouted back, bracing myself.

"Gladly...!" he growled. In a flash, he made the first move by casting a teleportation spell. In an instant, he appeared directly in front of me and shot a blast of magic at me.

*POP* I was quick to block it by crossing my arms over my chest, but the force of the attack had me stumbling back a bit. My arms had gone limp at my sides and were tingling from the blast as if they'd fallen asleep on me. I'd temporarily lost most of the function of them.

"Damn, that hurt! My arms are on fire right now! And they won't move...!" He was ready to charge at me again before Applejack and Rainbow stepped in between us.

"If y'all think yer gonna just mosey on int' our town an' beat up our friends, then y'all got another think comin'!" the farm pony barked.

"Yeah! Your little scheme ends here!" Before anything else could be said, the two mares charged into action simultaneously. Gillian, however, didn't seem worried. Right as the two of them reached their target and tried to take swings, he transported himself behind them. Thinking nothing of it, A.J. and Dash tried again, only for him to pull the same trick.

"C'mon, you coward! You asked for a fight, and now you're getting one!" Rainbow prodded.

"I'm not concerned with either of you two. You are simply nuisances," the stallion coldly shot back. "You're insignificant at this point."

"I reckon y'all don't even know whatcha got yourself into," Applejack calmly retorted, keeping her cool.

"Please, I know EXACTLY what I'm up against! It's funny you in particular are even talking right now, considering that pitiful display you put on last time." I was expecting the farm pony to lose it right there. However, she instead coolly nodded, took a deep breath, and adjusted her hat.

"Okay, it's about time somepony shut that trash-talkin' trap o' yers for ya. C'mon, Rainbow! Let's show this joker who 'e's tanglin' with!"

"Aww yeah!" Rainbow replied, readying herself yet again. Rather than sit and watch these two fight alone, I stepped up beside them, ready to help in whatever way I could.

"*Yawn* Oh dear. THREE of you. What EVER shall I do?" the stallion taunted.

"Don't worry, Ty! We've got this!" Rainbow confidently assured, looking at me from the corner of her eye. An instant later, she and A.J. nodded toward one another before launching into action yet again.

"No, wait!" I called to them, desperately hoping they'd stop and listen to me. My plea fell on deaf ears unfortunately, as they continued their assault. Their efforts expectantly fell well-short of successful, as Gillian, still wearing that smug grin, placed a barrier between himself and the two mares. They stopped when they saw him materialize it and paused for a moment before taking it upon themselves to try and break it with sheer force. Each of them turned around to face me, apparently preparing to simultaneously buck the barrier into oblivion.

"A.J.! Rainbow! I don't think i'ss a good idea t' try an' break it!" I plead again, fearing that Gillian may have had a trick up his sleeve.

"Why not?" asked Dash.

"I feel... I feel like he might be tryin' somethin' sneaky."

"Jus' standin' here hidin' behind a magic shield?" inquired a skeptical Applejack, still preparing to try and buck the shield to break it. "I hardly count that as 'sneaky,' 'Sides, There ain't no way in Equestria this guy's barrier's strong enough t' block bucks from both of us!"

"Even so, I don't think that--!" *TZZZZT* The instant the mares touched the barrier, their bodies rattled and flashed, seeming to have been fed a neutralizing electrical current. Both of them went down, paralyzed."...'s a good idea..." I trailed off, as my warning had just become completely irrelevant.

"Dashie! Applejack!" Pinkie called to her friends in worry, rushing over to them. I didn't even have to glance at the others to know their expressions of worry.

"Aw shit...!" I cursed, clenching my fists as the magic that paralyzed my arms steadily wore off.

"Like I said! Nuisances!" The stallion triumphantly shouted.

"Yer a... crafty varmint... nrgh... Ain't ya...?" A.J. groaned, unable to move or stand as the effects of touching that barrier made themselves apparent.

"That I am. Now if you'll excuse me..." He trailed off as he stepped past the mares he'd just incapacitated and trotted towards me. In that moment, I saw the two aforementioned mares being enshrouded in a magenta glow and taken away from the area. "You and I have a score to settle." He lowered his head and powered up his horn, glaring at me with intense enmity.

"A score? What, are you still mad about gettin' what you deserved back there?"

"I don't get mad, I get even."

"Nyeh-ow Git Merr, I git e-- the fuck up..." I coldly mocked, taking amusement in his misery.

"Oh, I am going to enjoy tearing you apart, you disrespectful cockroach...!" he growled.

"Humph. Well if i'ss a fight you want, i'ss a fight you get..." I did my best to try and kick my tired, weary body into gear.

"Come on, body...! Just power through the pain!"

"Not so fast!" shouted Twilight as she, Pinkie, Lyra, and Zecora stepped in the way, all looking determined to defend me. I looked around in surprise to see that Fluttershy, Rarity, and Spike were tending to the injured mares on the side before observing the four mares lined up in front of me.

"You'll have to get through US to get to him, Meanie McBullyPants!" Pinkie added in my defense.

"I appreciate the gesture, girls, but I--!" I tried to reason.

"You won't DARE lay another hoof on him!" Twilight threatened, much to my surprise yet again. "And you're going to regret what you've done to my friends!" Gillian merely chuckled at their boldness.

"Gathering a bunch of mares to do your fighting for you, Mr. Memoir?" He taunted me. "How spineless..."

"I don't need anyone t' do my fightin' for me," I shot back, quickly letting frustration take me over. "I'm jus' lucky enough t' have friends who are nice enough t' offer t' do so. Besides, without your magic tricks, you prolly couldn't beat even ONE of us!"

"You REALLY think you could beat me in a f--!"

"ENOUGH! Put up or shut up!"

"My my, how brash... very well, then. All five of you, all at once. Oh, what the hell... how about six of you? I can take you all on..."

"Your foolish words, whether false or true, serve a fair chance of dooming you," warned Zecora. "Overconfidence breeds incompetence."

"Heh. Don't think I forgot about YOU, zebra," the stallion vindictively threatened, narrowing his eyes at her. "I'll make sure to give you AND the human special treatment."

"Goin' offa what she said, you mus' think you REAL tough, huh?" I added.

"No. I just know that I can soundly defeat all of you without any assistance. I'm only even suggesting six because I've already dealt with the two hotheads, the yellow one seems too frail and weak, and the dragon's a baby. That charming little white mare seems to want in on the action, though. Isn't that right, Rarity?" I turned to look at the alabaster mare. She hardly seemed like she wanted to participate. She actually seemed alarmed at his sudden shift of focus over to her.

"Moi? O-ho, no nonononono no..." she respectfully declined. "I'm above such... boorish shows of brute strength. Fighting is simply unladylike."

"What? Afraid you'll mess up that already-ugly hairdo of yours?" he goaded, much to the offense of everyone; especially Rarity.

"*GASP*! How DARE you cast such foalish insults at me!? And with no provocation, at that!"

"Yeah!" Spike added, equally as angry as the mare he was defending. "Rarity's the most beautiful pony in Equestria! Leave her alone, you bully!" Out of that, Gillian got some sort of twisted laugh.

"Bully? I'm just telling the truth, little man!" He replied to the dragon before turning his attention back to Rarity. "Come on and join your friends as I hand their flanks to them! I'll be sure to give that hideous mane of yours a makeover as I do so!"

"My word! What kind of stallion ARE you!? Such... such spiteful, unmitigated rudeness! Such shameless indifference towards a mare!" Rarity ranted, seeming to be on the brink of tears at his words, further driving my frustration level up.

"That's ENOUGH out of you!" Twilight shouted, clearly fed up with him.

"Leave her out of it!" I added.

"Says the coward who has a bunch of girls fighting for him... Unless you're going to fight your own battles, I suggest you keep that filthy mouth of yours shut." That statement set me off like a bomb, I was so pissed off...

"I am going to TEAR 'IM IN HALF!!"

"*sigh* Y'know what? I'm sick o' you, I'm sick o' ya mouth, and quite frankly, I'm done bein' bothered with you. You want me? You got me!" I angrily offered, limping past the mares trying to protect me.

"What??" Twilight questioned in total astonishment. "Ty, you can't!"

"I can, and I will." I sternly rebutted. "This guy's been a thorn in ALL of our sides all weekend, an' I'm not toleratin' it no more! He's done!"

"Nice to see you finally showing some backbone... Since you've finally come out of your shell, how's about we make things interesting?"

"I don't know about this... I feel like he's got somethin' up his sleeve..."

"I know... But accordin' t' Rarity, Celestia already knows about all this. At this point, it should be a matter o' time before she shows up... I hope..."

"Name ya terms."

"No outside assistance, no magic. Just you and me. Human vs. Pony. You game?"

"There some sorta reason for this, if I might ask?" I inquired, very much skeptical of this conniving trickster.

"Reason? Yes, two of them, actually..." the stallion calmly replied. "One reason is that I'd like to prove how wrong you are to think you'd stand a chance against me by yourself. The other is that I'd... like to make a wager."

"I bet there's a third reason, too... He's prolly holdin' a pretty mean grudge against me that he thinks he's gonna settle right now."

"An' that is...?"

"How about this?: If I win, you, your mare, AND your friends submit to me and whenever Celestia arrives, you help me in my goal..."

"Even IF I lose, that shit ain't gonna fly..."

"If I win?" At that, Gillian got an expectantly cocky little chortle.

"In the HORRIBLY low chance of you winning... Hmm... I will own up to everything that's gone down this past couple days, and even promise to abandon my plans forever."

"Sounds about fair t' me... But when you lose, you're PINKIE Promisin' not t' pull any convoluted schemes like this ever again," I agreed, getting into as readied a stance as I could muster.

"Not sure what the deal with that is, but I accept..."

"Wait!" Twilight called.

"What's up?" I asked, turning to face the seemingly-distraught mare as the others stepped back.

"I can't let you go through with this!" Twilight ranted. "You're severely injured as it is! Besides, we already know he can't be trusted! Why would you put yourself in harm's way like this!? It's foolish! It's unnecessary! It's--!" I interrupted her by kneeling down and placing two fingers over her mouth yet again. I ran my other hand through her mane and down her back.

"Twi..." I whispered as I brought her face close to mine. "I know... but if I heard right, Celestia's already been warned. This is more or less a way o' keepin' him occupied until she gets here..." I informed before removing my hand from her mouth."...that is, implyin' she actually comes."

"Plus, I could use the stress relief..."

"I'm not entirely sure she WILL show up. She's an extraordinarily busy mare, Ty..." she argued.

"True. But, I'm guessin' you had Spike send a letter t' warn her, no?"

"Yeah...?"

"And if you were a Princess and YOUR most faithful student sent you a letter warnin' about a possible attack aimed at you, wouldn't you want to investigate?"

"I... I guess I see your point, but... still, we don't know how busy she is or if she'd even gotten that letter yet. And even if she does get the letter... What about me? What will I do if you go through with this and you lose? Or worse...? For all we know, he probably wants to... to..." she trailed off, seeming afraid to finish stating her premonition. However, I had a pretty solid idea of what she was going to finish with, given the distraught look she'd been giving me.

"What? Kill me? I don't see that happenin'..."

"Trust me: I won't lose. And as for that, I know he wouldn't... There's no way he would go that far."

"How can you be sure? We know the lengths to which he'll go in order to get to Celestia..."

"He... actually told me hisself that he wasn't plannin' on bein' so brutal... But... in the extremely unlikely case o' that happenin'... I just want you t' know that I... I..." I suddenly got a case of cold feet as I hesitated to finish my statement.

"Spit it out!"

"...I love you, Twilight," I finally gathered the courage to say, "With all my heart... This is the first time in our time together I've said this, and it ain't exactly the best time, but... I love you." My confession seemed to have swept her off of her proverbial hooves, as she only stared at me in a breathless daze of anxious happiness.

"Whelp, the 'L' bomb has been dropped. But... it's true. It's necessary for her t' know at this point, anyway. Better late than never..."

"Ty..."

"I'm Waaaaiiiitiiiing..." Gillian impatiently goaded me, but no one listened. However, the atmosphere became silent for a brief moment.

"I... I know what you've been goin' through this past few days, an' I want you t' know that I'm here t' help, Twi... in any way I can." Her eyes widened in surprise and her jaw hung slightly open as she gazed into my eyes.

"Emphasis on 'ANY.'"

"So... you know I'm...?"

"Yes. We'll talk later, though. The sooner I knock some sense int' him, the sooner we can sort this out... okay, hon?" I asked, placing a hand on her cheek and gently stroking it.

"...If you really ARE dead-set on going through with this... wouldn't you at least want me to heal you first?" I thought about her question for a second, turning to glance at the smirking unicorn stallion out the corner of my eye before returning my focus on Twilight.

"I... don't think he'll let that slide. But between you an' me... he's a weak fighter anyway," I assured with a smile and a wink. "Without magic helpin' 'im, he's pathetic. I know from experience. He'll need the advantage." At that, I managed to get a small smile out of the adorable little mare, although I knew she was still disapproving of my course of action.

"You seem confident, so I trust you. But, I seriously don't think this is the best idea you've come up with, Ty... I hardly even think you doing anything as unorthodox and unnecessarily risky as fighting a unicorn; especially one of HIS level, is a good idea in the first place." Rather than argue, I simply nodded in agreement with her.

"I understand, an' you might be right... but... if anything, I'll try my hardest not t' strain myself or hurt 'im more than I need to. I'mma jus' hold him off until Celestia HOPEFULLY gets here. If she doesn't show up, then... then I suppose I'll jus' do my best t' win an' from there, we'll be done with him. I'ss a huge gamble t' bet on, but I think i'ss worth it at this point. Plus, HE came here lookin' for a fight, not me. That AND he even agreed not t' use his magic, which I personally think is dumb on his part."

"My goodness, are you DONE?" Gillian interrupted again, growing steadily more antsy.

"Shut up!" I turned and shouted back. "I'mma be there in a minute. I'm busy," I finished before turning back to Twilight.

"You KNOW he can't be trusted, though... don't you?" the purple unicorn inquired.

"I know... tha'ss why I'll try t' keep him close enough that he won't have time t' come up with some trick. That way, if I even THINK I see his horn glowin', I'mma flick it so he won't be tempted to use it." She seemed alarmed by the strategy I presented to her.

"How'd you know about that??"

"Kinda figured from what Rarity told me about unicorn horns an' their sensitivity when magic's runnin' through 'em..."

"I see... Well, I.... I believe in you... but... a little luck doesn't count as 'outside assistance,' does it?"

"I don't think so... why?"

"Would... would you like a... kiss for good luck?" she bashfully asked, blushing and lowering her head a little.

"She's so cute... But why am I gettin' that 'Deja Vu' feelin' all of a sudden?"

"Sure..." I agreed, smiling warmly at her. I lifted her chin up before closing the distance between us as our lips met one more time.

"Aww, so romantic..." I heard Rarity comment. A few seconds later, Twi and I separated.

"Good luck..." she gracefully wished.

"Thank you..." I replied with a bolstered will.

"And given how I feel right now... I might need it..."

"I promise you, this will be over in no time at all," I assured. With that, Twilight and the others stepped back, clearing the area as I stepped forward.

"Wait!" Fluttershy called.

"Yea?" I answered, only looking at her from the corner of my eye.

"Don't you think there's... some other way you could settle this? Fighting doesn't solve anything..."

"Trust me, if there was another way, I'd go for it..."

"And at this point, there isn't! Come on already so I can mop the floor with you!" Gillian interrupted, eager for the upcoming battle.

"There's your answer, I guess. If it's a whuppin' he's a-wantin', them I'mma gladly deliver. No charge."

"I... I don't agree with you..."

"Not surprisin'..."

"Nopony else should have to get hurt. Applejack and Rainbow Dash are hurt already. I... I don't want to see you get hurt, too..." Caught off guard, I made the mistake of giving her my full attention to see those large, adorable, glimmering, pleading blue-green eyes of hers as she gave me the most poignant look of friendly apprehension I'd ever seen. That stare of hers sent waves of frightful hesitation crashing around my entire body as I froze, captivated by her gaze that just BEGGED me to reconsider.

"Okay... THAT'S a little surprisin'... Dang it, Fluttershy...!"

"Oh, don't try to talk him out of this!" Gillian interrupted once again, snapping our attention back to him. "I've waited TOO long for this plan of mine to be completely F.U.B.A.R.'ed by you and your annoying friends, and I will NOT have this pathetic, spineless cretin back out of a fight all because one of his cutesy-wootsy wittle girlfriends wants to give him a morality boost. You should've seen how hard he kicked me earlier!"

"Okay, I better stop him before he says somethin' else t' her that he might regret..."

"I'd stop right there before you said anything else t' her. You're already down three strikes for puttin' ya hooves on my girlfriend, kidnappin' me twice, and messin' with everybody here!"

"And YOU'RE going to do something about it, as weary and fatigued as you are? Ha! You'd be better off sending the dragon to fight me."

"You bet I AM gonna do somethin' about it! I sure hope you're ready for a well-deserved ass-whuppin', Gillian, cuz I'm about ready t' give you one!" I taunted, taking a battle stance akin to a professional boxer.

"Big talk coming from a beaten-down human I've had the liberty of defeating in battle twice."

"With the help of Ms. Comet Gazer over there..." I pointed a finger at the mare who'd been sitting quietly, watching everything going on, but looking far from content with what she'd seen thus far. "...AND your magic. But now the battlefield's even. Talk is cheap, actions speak louder than words, blah blah blah, Le'ss get ready t' rumble!"

"On that, we agree..." he replied as he readied himself. "Ready when you are."

"Fine... Oh, and one more thing t' clarify: If I so much as HEAR that horn o' yours powerin' up, this little sparrin' match ends with YOUR forfeit."

"Hmph. I could say the same about you if even ONE of your little friends tries to interfere on your behalf." I didn't verbally respond to that; I merely nodded in understanding.

"Here goes nothin'...! For Twilight and our friends!"

"Ding, ding..." I quipped as I gestured an index finger in the "come hither" motion, imitating a fight bell before both of us launched into action...

I joined my friends on the sideline as Ty began his vicious entanglement with Gillian. I was INCREDIBLY uneasy about his decision to fight him alone, and it was beginning to have an effect on my stomach as sharp, stabbing pangs of anguish began to manifest from my anxiety. What struck me as curious, however, was the fact that Gillian's companion hadn't said or done anything since they arrived to confront us. I glanced over at the mare known as Comet to see her staring intently at the stallion and human as they wrestled around on the ground with a look that gave off a strong vibe of... dare I say, regret.

"She seems even more upset than I am... maybe I should talk to her...?"

"She's his accomplice, though. Who knows what she might do if anyone other than her colt-friend approaches her...?"

"Twilight..." I heard a strained voice call, rattling me out of my train of thought. I turned to my right to see Rainbow was still awake, but in pain.

"Oh! I should probably fix you two up... Sorry..." I apologized before gathering magic into my horn to cast healing spells on Rainbow and Applejack. In a moment's time, the two were back in shape.

"Thanks, Twi," Rainbow began, stretching the lingering effects of her injuries away. "...but, are you sure Ty can handle himself alone against that guy?"

"Good question..."

"I... don't know for sure, to be honest..." I uneasily replied. "But he said he could do it, and I trust him enough that I don't think he would charge into a situation he couldn't handle..."

"Yea! Look atchu now! I'm a lot stronger than I look, huh!?" I heard a voice shout. I quickly turned my attention to the battle to see Ty actually holding his own against Gillian. The two of them were on the ground with Ty's arms wrapped tightly around Gillian's jawline. I also took note of a small gathering of spectators across from us, watching in shock as the fight carried on.

"I'll... take that as a 'yes...'" Rainbow answered her own question.

"Twilight...?" called Fluttershy, seeming very worried.

"Yes?" I replied, turning my attention to her.

"I... I don't think he should be doing this..." she began. "He looks tired as it is... And before he left last night, he already said he was still hurt from everything that happened since he came here... I don't know if he can do this..." Her words struck a chord with me, as I instantly felt my heart sink a little.

"Oh no... she might be right. He hasn't exactly gotten a good night's rest at all since Friday... And considering everything that's happened to him since then..." My stomach steadily began to cramp up more frequently as I became a bit more worried for the safety of my possibly-endangered colt-friend.

"Maybe he feels... mmph! Like he can power through it?" I hopefully assumed, wincing as I did so.

"Even if that IS the case, I feel like we should still help him if things get out of hoof..."

"Much as I'd like to, you heard the wager they... ah! Made... didn't you?"

"Yes... Are you okay, Twilight? You don't look so well..." Fluttershy asked, taking note of my loss of composure.

"I... I could be better, to be honest..."

"What's wrong?"

"It has to do with... with what I was about to tell you earlier...! I'm... I'm in--!"

"Go Ty! Yeah, show him who's boss!" Rainbow cheered, directing my attention to the fight. It relieved me a little that Ty seemed to be in control of things as he followed through with the strategy he'd told me about. He was keeping Gillian within his grasp, seeming to be putting the stallion into submission holds to keep from doing too much damage to himself or his opponent. I also took note of the growing crowd of spectators watching the fight.

"Whoo doggie, that Ty's got more in 'im than I thought!" commented Applejack.

"Show that jerk what happens when he insults a lady!! Give him what he deserves!!" Rarity shouted, uncharacteristically enthusiastic about the fight. The rest of the group, myself included, turned toward her in total astonishment at her sudden change in demeanor. She took note of it and looked back at all of us in wide-eyed embarrassment. "*Ahem* My, where did that come from?" she asked, flustered about her most recent display. "What I meant to say was... er... I'm rooting for our friend. H-He can do it." she finished her statement with a sheepish, blushing giggle before quickly returning her gaze to the brawl.

Gillian and I were going at it, each of us trying our hardest to best the other. I'd gotten an early advantage when I managed to grab him by his tail and pull him into a sitting headlock, as well as a few other miscellaneous submission holds he'd actually had trouble breaking free of. Still, it wasn't very easy to keep him locked in a specific hold for very long, as wrestling against a pony was nothing like doing so against another human being. Plus, what he lacked in strength, he made up for in raw determination as he wildly threw his hooves around, sporadically hitting me and forcing me to let him go and try again.

At one point, I managed to catch him in another headlock as I sat down. He got out of it when he threw one of his forelegs back and hit me in a tender area on my side. I let go of him, flinching in agony. He took it as an opportunity to pounce on me, bucking me in the chest. I fell back, lying on the ground when he jumped on me and tried to take a swing at my face.

*clap* I managed to block his attack by raising a hand to catch his hoof mid-swing, but that didn't stop him. He stomped on my belly with one of his hind legs, causing me to involuntarily lower my guard around my face, which he took advantage of by taking another swing at me.

*SMACK* "Ooh!" He landed a pretty good haymaker on my right cheek. An explosion of pain went ripping through my already-aching head as I brought a hand to cover my face. It felt like I'd been hit with a brick.

"Playin' dirty, are we? Two can play at THAT game!"

"Doesn't feel so good, does it, human?" He taunted, standing triumphantly over me. "There's a LOT more where that came from for you...!"

"Please, I wouldn't... hah... be talkin' trash if I was you. I'm jus' gettin' started!" with that, I swiftly threw an elbow that caught him square in his snout, sending him stumbling back. Out of breath, I climbed back to my feet, fighting through waves of physical torment to do so.

"Damn...! Everything hurts even more now...! I need t' wrap this up quickly...!" I heard some of the girls cheering for me as this grueling altercation carried on. I also noticed that there was a small crowd gathered around the area, looking on in collective shock at what had been transpiring as of yet. What surprised me more was that no one seemed to want to step in the middle. Instead, I'd heard clamoring among the spectators regarding the sight they beheld, whether it be about seeing an 'alien' in Ponyville, seeing a physical confrontation in the fair town, or about said alien attacking a unicorn stallion they'd never seen around before. I thought about saying something to ease their possible fears, but then I noticed a certain stallion already preparing for another assault.

"What a dirty way to get out of a dire situation..." he bitterly spat.

"You're one t' talk... but we ain't done yet. Get over here!" I shouted. Without another word, I charged at him, ready to subdue him in whatever non-lethal way I could, just to get things over with. Right when I reached him, however, he turned around and bucked my left leg out from under me. "Ah!!" I shouted as I almost tumbled over. Gillian quickly moved out of the way and pulled my other leg off the ground.

*FLOP* "Oh! Oww...!" I fell face down, but caught myself by placing my hands out to stop the fall before I really got hurt. Before I could get up, however, I felt a weight come crashing down on my back, flattening me on the ground. An instant later, a pair of legs wrapped themselves around my jaw and forcefully pulled upward. "Aaaack...!"

"Hahahahaaa... And for you to think you could actually defeat me..." the stallion menacingly whispered in my ear as he strengthened his grip, further choking me.

"Come on...! I can't... lose!"

I watched in absolute horror as Gillian managed to turn the tables of the battle. It pained me to see that... that CREEP strangling him like that...

"Come on, Ty! Get out of there! Don't let him beat you!" Spike shouted toward the human.

"Yeah! This guy's got nothing on you!" Rainbow added. "I know you're stronger than that!"

"Twilight, we have to do something!" Fluttershy pleaded, grabbing onto me and shaking me a little. "He's losing!"

"Jeez, she's even more on-edge than I am..."

"But could she have good reason...?"

"Fluttershy, relax... It might not look good, but you have to have faith in him..." I reasoned, although I had trouble believing those words myself. "Besides, if we go in there before it's over, he automatically loses this ridiculous wager of his..."

"OUCH!" I heard a scream come from what sounded like Gillian. I turned to see that the stallion had let go of Ty and was holding his foreleg as if something were wrong with it. "You bastard! You bit me!"

"Oh, thank Celestia he managed to get out of that...!" I observed Ty to see that he looked completely exhausted, but was still willing to go on. He picked himself back up again, and didn't hesitate to reengage the stallion in combat. Happy as I was to see that he hadn't lost yet, I was still vehemently afraid for his safety. That fear manifested in the form of an especially strong cramp that hit me with the force of a geyser.

"Oww! Mmph!" The pain was so unbearable... so sudden... I fell back on my haunches, clutching my gut in writhing anguish as the cramp refused to subside. My friends noticed this, and immediately rushed over to me.

"Twilight! What's wrong!?" asked Pinkie, totally distraught. "Did something hit you?"

"No...! I--! Owww...! My stomach...! It's cramping...! Oooooh...!" I could barely THINK, much less talk. The pain was intense. It was like I'd been caught in the ruthless grasp of a dragon's tail by my midsection.

"Cramping?" Fluttershy asked. "Is that what you were telling me about before?"

"Y-yes...! I... I... Ow! Applejack, please! Tell them!" I couldn't get it out, I was in so much pain... I was on the brink of tears, it hurt so much...

"Are ya sure? I mean... Do ya want--?"

"Yes! Ple-he-hease!!"

"Tell us what??" Lyra asked, as confused as she was worried.

"Twi's uh... in heat..." Applejack confessed, much to the surprise of everyone as they collectively gasped.

"Yeah...!" I admitted. "A-and healing spells don't--! Ooh! Help in the slightest...!"

"Heat??? Darling, why didn't you tell us sooner!?" Rarity inquired.

"It isn't really... something I'd like everypony to know...! Plus, I was more focused on telling him...! Oooh!"

"You should have told him! Then you two could've... could've..." she trailed off. "Spike, could you please step a few feet away and tell us how Ty's doing?"

"What? Why? What's going on??" Spike asked, expectantly confused about the white mare's request.

"It's a mare thing, dear. Now please, go and spectate the fight!" she commanded.

"But... what about--?"

"Spike... p-please, listen to her...!" I choked out as another cramp twisted my insides like a pretzel.

"O-okay..." the dragon sadly agreed, as dejected as he was bewildered by my condition. He slowly stepped out of the circle and walked away, looking back with severe apprehension before turning back to the fight.

"Poor little guy... You'll understand someday..."

"You must consult with him, and soon. Or else, more physical torment will loom..." Zecora warned.

"But... he's not a pony...!"

"Who cares at this point, Twi!?" Rainbow interrupted, almost as if she'd expected me to say that. "That's better than you being in pain like this! I mean, yeah it'll probably be weird, but if you two are happy together, then that shouldn't be a problem."

"Rainbow Dash giving love advice? Heh, there's a first for everything..."

"Yeah, but... ow...! I don't want you all to think I'm... I'm disgusting or weird because of it...! Especially since you all know what he really is now..."

"Twilight... no matter what, we'll always be there for you," Fluttershy consoled.

"Yeah! We're all best friends, silly!" Pinkie added. "And Ty's our friend, too! We're all here to help and support you, not judge you because of something you do! Especially if you might NEED to do it!"

"...Thank you, girls..." I tearfully said, an emotional lump welling up in my throat. "I don't know what I'd do without you... Owwwwwwww!!" Another cramp hit me, much worse than the last two as I fell over on the ground, writhing in aggregate abdominal torture.

"We need to get him! Now!" Fluttershy announced. She took flight away from the circle, presumably about to call an early end to the fight...

After I'd broken free of Gillian's headlock, I put in what was left of my strength to end this fight as soon as possible. At first, he put up some resistance, but as we kept going at it, his fatigue eventually made itself as apparent as mine. After a bout of rolling around, trying to gain dominance, I FINALLY managed to catch him in a position identical to the one he'd caught me in. The only difference was that he'd been lying on his back with me kneeling on top of him with one hand pinning him to the ground by his upper chest.

"Give up!" I ordered, thoroughly exhausted at this point. "I don't wanna hafta beat you even worse than you already are!"

"No...! I've come too far for this!" He refused despite being just as tired as I was. "I won't let my plot be foiled! Not by you, not by your friends, not by any--!"

*SMACK* Unwilling to hear his rambling, I gave him an open-handed smack to the face.

"Don't you know when t' quit!? You're beaten! Celestia knows about you an' your plan AND you've just about lost this fight! Just stop!"

"Make me...!" he spat.

"*sigh* Well, you asked for it...!"

"Fine..." I agreed, nodding. With that, I clenched my free hand into a fist and raised it up high, ready to send the stallion on an all expense-paid trip to dreamland. "Jus' know that you brought this on yaself...!"

"STOP!" I heard a voice call before I delivered the final blow. I looked up to see Comet, completely disheveled and crying. "Please! No more! Don't do it!" she begged. "You win! We give up! Please, just don't hurt him anymore...!"

"Well then... if that don't say that this is finally over, I don't know what will... I jus' feel awful about upsettin' Comet like this..." I nodded in agreement to the mare and let go of her colt-friend, bringing myself to a stand.

"Hm. You better thank that girl, Gillian," I suggested, looking down at the defeated stallion who did nothing but glare hot, seething wrath at me as he lay there.

"Ty! Please, come quick!" Another voice called to me. I turned to my right to see Fluttershy, who looked really worried about something, flying towards me.

"Hey! Wha'ss wrong?" I asked, taking the urgency of her beckoning very seriously.

"I-it's Twilight! She needs your help!"

"Aw, no...!" I was quick to follow my comrade a few steps toward the group before something caught my ear. A twinkling sound... coming from behind me... "He... wouldn't...!" Frightfully, I turned around to see Gillian, angry to the point of a vein popping out of his forehead, his horn glowing brightly with his gaze fixated on me. I froze in fear at the stallion, but I knew exactly what he was planning to do...

"Don't you do it...!" I shakily murmured.

"Ty... what--? *GASP*" Fluttershy was equally as shocked to see the irrationally livid unicorn. Before either of us could get another word out, he glanced slightly to his right and shot an enormous blast of magic... at Fluttershy.

"That bastard!!"

"Move!!" I hollered, pushing the intended target out of the way, but dooming myself to absorb the vengeful blow...

*ZAP* *CRACKLE* "RAAAAAAAGGH!!!" I was flung back, a horrific magical electric current ripping through my body with an intensity akin to lightning. I fell flat on my back, in unbelievable pain and completely disoriented.

"TY!!" someone called. Everything was such a blur... my entire body went numb, but my head was throbbing like I'd been hit with a hammer. Every sound was muffled as my ears were ringing like I'd been the victim of a terrible sound grenade. I opened my eyes to look up at the sky, but everything looked so blurry and distorted. Despite that, I slowly turned to my left side and, with what little coordination I had at the moment, placed both of my arms on the ground beside me. I laid there for a few seconds, wherein the ringing in my ears ceased and my vision, for the most-part, returned to me. However, before I was able to fully recover, I heard a *POOF* come from my right. I slowly turned to see the dark, vindictive sneer of the stallion I'd just defeated in a fight as he raised his left foreleg high across his body before taking a quick back-hoofed swing.

*THUMP* "AAHAGH!" I went back to the ground with a newly explosive, rattling pain shooting through my right side. The son of a bitch had kicked me while I was down, winding me as he struck me in an area close to my lung. I clasped my side tightly as I struggled to draw in some air to re-inflate my respiratory system.

"Ty!!" someone else yelled. "What did you do to him!?" From the sound of it, it was a clearly unhappy Twilight.

"That is ENOUGH!!" the first voice shouted. I opened my eyes a little and looked past Gillian to see Fluttershy, who looked VERY upset. "How could you do something like that!?" she ranted, getting up in his face. "There's no reason for you to be a sore loser! And there's definitely no reason for you to take your aggression out on others! That ISN'T nice! You should feel ashamed of yourself! Would YOU like it if someone hit YOU like that!?" I'd only ever HEARD about Fluttershy getting pissed off, but to actually see it? It... frightened me. She'd even given him what I could guess was "The Stare," as the angry glare she was giving him sent inexplicable waves of paralyzing fear racing through my body.

"N...n-no," Gillian meekly replied, seeming to actually be afraid of this new Fluttershy I'd never had the chance to see up until this point. "But... he kicked me before when I wasn't expecting it. Doesn't that count as taking out aggression on others?"

"Yes, and I'm sure he feels really bad for it, but that is NO reason for you to retaliate like you've done! Two wrongs don't make a right!"

*POOF* "Back off, sister!" Comet commanded, pushing Fluttershy away from her colt-friend.

"Well... Thanks, Com--!" *SMACK*

"Save your thanks! What in Tartarus were you THINKING!?" the cerulean mare scolded after slapping some sense into her special somepony. "I've been behind you one hundred percent on just about everything we've done thus far, but THAT! THAT is just unacceptable! It's one thing for you to try and bet the success of our entire plan on something as neanderthal as a fight, but it's a whole different thing when you risk being knocked senseless rather than quitting while you were behind! And to watch you do THAT!? How does that make us look, Gillian!? Ponies will think we're crazy!"

"Honey, I--?"

"No! No excuses! Weren't you thinking about US when you went through with that foolish display!? I love you, Gillian, but we seriously need to evaluate things..." As Comet continued to scold Gillian, Fluttershy walked up to me, worried beyond reason as she stared down at me.

"Are you okay?"

"Honestly, 'Shy... I've... mmph! Seen better days...!" I painfully rasped as I smiled back at her. "Sorry for not listenin' t' you..." I slowly raised a hand, having it unceremoniously, yet softly plop onto her head.

"It's... sort of okay... umm... Thank you for saving me..."

"No problemo... How's Twilight...?" Before giving her answer, she looked up and over to her left, then back at me.

"She still looks like she's in pain because of her stomach cramps, but... it looks more like she's really angry... She's crying because of what just happened to you, but the others are there, trying to calm her down..."

"Awwww, damn..."

"Faaaantastic... I know I won't hear the end o' this... If it ain't too much trouble, could you please... tell her t' come here?" Before the yellow mare could give a response, the sky suddenly turned dark save for a luminous, blinding light that housed the opaque silhouette of a pony that sported both a lengthy horn and large, widespread wings...

"What in Equestria is going on here!?" shouted a serene, yet HIGHLY displeased voice. I squinted my eyes to see into the light. What I saw both relieved, and scared me. Equestria's ruler herself, looking downright pissed as she descended toward the ground.

"Princess Celestia... About goddamn time...!"