The train reached its destination to the gorgeous Crystal Empire station. The moon rises high, causing the crystal buildings of the empire to sparkle bright. The ride was the most...awkward train ride the young couple had ever experienced.

For Spike, he has no clue that Rachel actually knows what he did. He asked many times if something was wrong but Rachel kept changing the subjects.

For Rachel...well if you learn that your boyfriend had murdered three ponies on your behalf, she's just having a hard time trying to find words to talk to Spike about this.

Spike carried Rachel's bags as they got off the train and nudged her with his tail. "Well, Rachel, here we are."

Rachel looked up at him and giggled, "feel at home, hero?"

Right, the Hero of the Crystal Empire...

Spike shrugged. "Where I'm with you, I'm always at home."

Oh gods, the words Spike sometimes says aches his girlfriend's heart. Even though he has some explaining to do with Bouncer and his bros, Rachel can't help but swoon by his choice of words.

"Still, home either way." coming from around the corner was a tiny ten year old alicorn. Princess Flurry Heart giggled as her wings beat in the air with a big grin on her face. "Hi Uncle Spike!"

"Hey Flurry!" Spike greeted with a grin. Rachel took her bags from him so he could grab his niece and gave her the biggest hug he could give.

The little alicorn had her arms around Spike's neck.

With a grin, he picked up his little niece and threw her in the air before catching her midair and spun her around. "Oh watch it."

"Weeee!" Flurry squealed in joy as she and Spike played around.

Rachel watched them, she felt like her chest was gonna explode. Making this baby news more heart wrenching.

What's worse? Confronting her mate about the murders or telling him that she wasn't pregnant.

Both needed to happen, the longer she keeps this in, the harder it is to talk to him.

After playing around, Spike and Flurry ended up gaining attention to other crystal ponies, one of them shouted.

"Oh my sweet Celestia, there's Spike!"

"I can't believe he's actually here!" Another fan pony squealed.

"Oh shit." Spike muttered.

The difference between this mob and the one he and Rachel endured back in Ponyville, these ponies are fans.

And like both mobs, Spike and Rachel, along with Flurry Heart, took off running away from them.

Approaching the castle slowly, Rarity had a tall 60 ounce cup of soda, Spice bean vanilla. Spike's favorite soft drink on the market. Her eyes were a dull green from the botch potion wearing off, but her obsession with the purple dragon was still strong.

So strong that she spike Spike's drink with the said botched potion in hopes he drinks it and gets to be with her.

She freely opened the castle door and waltz inside. "Hello? Is anypony home?" Rarity called out.

"Oh, hey Rarity." Twilight's voice called out from the map room. "In here."

Rarity followed the Princess's voice. Twilight was hovering over the large table. Photos of various humans and ponies were scattered all around. The logo of the White Mantle also was there, right smack at the middle. Behind them was a tack board that was currently empty.

In the princess's hands was a thing of red string as she tried to piece all of this together.

"What are you doing?" Rarity asked Twilight.

"Before Spike and Rachel left~"

"Spikie left?" Rarity cut off. That one word caused her to cut Twilight in mid sentence. "Where did he go?"

"He went to the Crystal Empire with Rachel for the Gala." Twilight said, focusing on the task at hand. "Before they left, Rachel mentioned to me that the human attacks were somehow connected to the disappearances and random murders they caused. They say this group the White Mantel is connected."

"They left, knowing the dangers it is to have a human out in the open?" Rarity asked. "Isn't it dangerous?"

"It's the Crystal Empire, Spike is what they worship wherever he's in town. They won't hurt Rachel." Twilight said as she used her magic to place the white mantle logo on the board.

Drat, he won't be home for a few days… Rarity thought as she mindlessly took a sip of the botched soda.

Her face turned green when she tasted it. The potion made the drink taste horribly.

"Yeah, I don't get why Spike likes that soda anyway. It's nasty." Twilight said. She assumed that the large cup was for Spike and thought that Rarity didn't like the soda either.

"I'm just gonna...put this in the fridge." Rarity said quickly before she quickly ran into the kitchen and threw up in the sink.

"Oh my goddesses, that is worse than the first batch." Rarity groaned before the potion took effect again. Her eyes glowing brightly green.

With a mad giggle, Rarity grabbed the large soda and placed it in the fridge. "Spike is going to~"

"Spike is going to do what?"

Rarity yelped and jumped out of fright, bumping her head as she pulled herself out of the fridge and turned to see Starlight with her arms crossed and her eyes glaring down at the white unicorn's damned soul.

"Spike is...going to appreciate the fact that he has a tall soda waiting for him." Rarity said.

Raising a hand, Starlight's horn activated and the large drink appeared in her hand and the cup was thrown in the garbage. Rarity's eyes widened.

"What are you doing?!" She snapped at the powerful unicorn.

"That question should be directed to you." Starlight said, not in the mood to play games with this bitch. Shifting her weight, she then asked. "What were you doing in my room?"

Rarity froze at that. It took her a second to respond. "I was never in your room. How dare you accuse me?"

Starlight chuckled humorlessly. "Oh? So a week ago, you didn't set my traps off? Rarity, I found a strand of your mane among the mess."

"How can you tell what's mine from that homemake explosive you made."

"Rarity."

"What?"

"I never mentioned anything about any explosives in my room. And it was a spell."

Fuck Celestia's holy ass.

"What did you steal?" Starlight asked her.

Rarity glared at her. "I did nothing wrong. I was never in your room."

"The fuck you were." Starlight approached her. Noticing her green eyes. "Rarity, what the actual fuck did you do?"

"I'm not going to sit around and be accused by the likes of you." Rarity hissed. She walked by Starlight before the powerful unicorn grabbed Rarity's wrist in a tight vice.

"Get your hands off of me!"

"Do you know what I used to do back in my old village, when I took over, how I squeeze any information?" Starlight asked her, her tone dark and serious.

"You steal their cutie marks, throw them in a lock room, play mind control recordings till we become one and the same?"

"That was just my nice way of handling insubordination." Starlight said, her eyes turning green, purple smoke seeped from the corner of her eyes that scared Rarity. "I may dabble in the arcane dark arts from time to time."

"What's going on?" Twilight poked in.

Before Twilight saw, Starlight's eyes were back to normal, her hand moved to grabbing Rarity's hand and smiled. "Just having some girl talk."

"Yes…" Rarity said before getting her hand back from Starlight. "Will you excuse me, I need to go home." She said before rushing out.

"Huh," Twilight looks at Starlight. "You notice anything different about Rarity?"

"Oh I can tell you a lot of things that are different." Starlight said with a smirk.

"Do ponies always chase you like that?" Rachel asked Spike after the two and the young princess hid behind a building after losing the mob of ponies.

"More or less." Spike said with a smirk.

"It happens all the time." Flurry Heart giggled, clinging onto the dragon's tail.

Spike chuckled as he lifted his tail up and swished it around with her on it. "Whee!" she squealed in laughter.

As the child swung, she looked at Rachel. "So, are you Aunt Rachel?"

Rachel giggled before looking at Spike who was blushing pure red. "Aunt Rachel?" She smirked.

"I-i may have told my bro and Flurry here things about you." Spike said nervously with a smile.

"You are having sex with him, aren't you?" Flurry asked, which caused the young couple to look at her. She lets go of Spike's tail and giggled. "If you are, then you are his mate, therefore, my aunty!" She latched onto Rachel's waist. She was right at the human's ribs.

"...her mother is the Princess of Love….so…" Spike awkwardly coughed. It was weird hearing that one word coming out of the ten year old's mouth.

"That reminds me, mama wants to know if you can return her novels now?"

Rachel raised a brow. "What novels?"

"Ero~"

"Okay let's not go there." Spike said while picking up the princess and throwing her over his shoulders. His entire body was cherry red by the little girl. He grabbed his and Rachel's bags and left.

Rachel watched him and before chuckling. "What the actual fuck am I going to do with him…"

Prince Blueblood's levitating carriage pulled up to the Crystal castle in the Empire. He didn't mean to come by at such a late hour but he might as well get a good shut eye before the Gala the following night.

He gazed up at the castle with a stone cold stare. Dark feelings swelled up just staring at the sight of this place.

There was a lot of history in this place. Memories from long ago plagued his mind.

"Cadence never deserved this Empire." Blueblood grumbled before adjusting his suit. He looked at the stagecoach. "Make sure my bags are taking care-"

There was a change of wind. This sweet scent carried, catching the prince's attention. His ears stood in attention.

"What is that smell…?" He muttered.