A horse is a horse, of course, of course.

by Angel

A horse is a horse.

From deep within the Everfree forest, there was a bright flash of light. Magic, maybe? Not many ponies could tell, because it was so far away. And most ponies can't use magic, anyway. But this wasn't ordinary, anyway. It would be the start of something different, something much, much more than ordinary. But it looked ordinary. Sort of. But looks aren't everything, now are they?

Twilight Sparkle was standing on the library balcony, gazing at the stars through a home-made telescope. Suddenly, something caught her eye. Not in the sky, but on the horizon. She observed it came from the Everfree forest. It looked like someone was using magic.

"Who's using magic at this hour?" She said to nopony in particular.

She was debating with herself whether to go and investigate or not, when she yawned loudly.

"Forget this, I'll do it in the morning..." She drawled.

Spike was already curled up in his bed, so she snuck into bed ninja-like and pulled the sheets over her head. Her dreams were of her entering the Everfree forest and seeing for herself what the source of the magic flash was. She was at the location of the blast, examining the vast quantities of nothing that came from it, when another one happened. And from that magic, came herself. And army of Twilight Sparkle clones, each one more identical than the last.

"We are your servants. What is your command? They said in unison.

"Me?" She asked, dumbfounded.

They all frowned together.

"Yes. We just said that."

And before she could reply, the dream ended. She was at home, in the library, wrapped in her sheets. It was dawn, and the sun had just reared its ugly head. She smelled pancakes, and she heard a sizzling sound coming from the kitchen.

Who the hell puts a kitchen in a library? it's not like you hear stories about how people torch a library because they wanted the home insurance they took out on it everyday. More importantly, why would you want to live in a library? So you can stare at the millions of books on the shelves before you go to bed? Is there no such things as motels in Equestria? Is Celestia really that much of a cheapskate, that she can't set up a decent home for her most faithful student?

Twilight made her way down the stairs like she had a hangover, and into the kitchen. Spike was at the hotplate, preparing pancakes for breakfast.

"Spike? What are you doing at this hour of the morning?"

"Oh, hey Twilight! I woke up really early and I couldn't get back to sleep, so I'd thought I'd cook myself up some pancakes. Want some?"

"No thanks, there's something I need to do."

"Remember what Celestia said the last time you did that?"

"Oh yeah... I suppose I could have one..."

"Great! There're just about done."

Spike expertly flipped the pancakes out from the pan and onto a plate in the middle of the table. Twilight took one pancake from the top and started munching on it absent-mindedly. Spike picked up the plate and swallowed the rest whole.

"Twilight. What is so important that you have to skip breakfast?"

"Last night. I saw something in the Everfree Forest."

"Well, good luck with that! I'm off to Rarity's!"

And with that, Spike walked out the door and slammed it behind him.

"What is with Spike and turning up at Rarity's at the crack of dawn?" She thought to herself.

"Oh well, I have more important things to attend to.

She magicked on a coat and trotted out the door. She was about to enter the Everfree forest, when she heard a scream. She turned, and noticed it was coming from Rarity's boutique

"I hope Spike hasn't made any moves or anything..."

She galloped over to the boutique, and she noticed the door was ajar.

"EEK! SPIKE! GET THAT WIERDO OUT OF HERE!"

"I'll save you, Rarity!"

It was Rarity. Twilight was glad Spike hadn't done anything they'd all regret, but she was worried as to why she was screaming so loud. She cautiously walked into the door, and her jaw almost hit the floor.

Spike had a frying pan in his hand, and an upside down cooking pot on his head. Rarity was standing on two legs behind him, one hoof on his shoulder and the other pointing at the source of the confusion.

There was a pony in the middle of the room. But he wasn't any ordinary pony. He was as big as a princess, but lacking a horn or wings of any kind. He had a brown coat, dark brown mane and tail. And most noticeably, he had no cutie mark of any kind.

He was standing in the middle of the boutique, eating one of Rarity's dresses.

"STOP EATING MY DRESS, YOU RUFFIAN!"

And with that, she picked up a nearby pot plant, and threw it at the unexpected guest. It narrowly missed him. Rarity screamed in frustration.

How about we call him, Mr. Ed? Yeah, let's call him Mr. Ed.

"Chaarge!" Spike cried.

He ran towards Mr Ed, jumped into the air, and hit him on the head with his frying pan of choice. Mr Ed neighed loudly in pain, did that thing where he stands on his two back legs and flops his front one about aimlessly for a second, and then rushed out the door.

"Oh my strong, brave Spikey-Wikey!" Rarity teased.

"Oh Rarity..." Spike teased back.

"Who was that?" Twilight asked herself.

"Someone with no respect what so ever!" Rarity huffed.

"And why was he eating a dress?"

Rarity noticed the dress was was completely and utterly missing. She shrieked.

"HE ATE THE WHOLE DRESS! RUBIES AND ALL!"

Rarity was fuming by now.

"ALL FOR NOTHING! NOTHIIIIING!!"

Twilight and Spike noticed Rarity's mane was starting to get frazzled. Clumps of hair from her mane and tail were everywhere. Rarity didn't even notice. She simply charged out the door, looking to avenge the loss of her poor, unfortunate dress at the hands of the silent marauder.

"GET BACK HERE! I'LL TEACH YOU NOT TO EAT ONE OF MY DRESSES!" She screamed as she rushed out the door.

"I think we better follow her." Twilight said with a worried look on her face.

'Yeah, let's go."