Shisno Chronicles: Friendship is Magic

by nightelf37

Secret of My Excess

Secret of My Excess

Dreamscape…

Chronicle looked like he was meditating again, but instead of clearing his mind or reminiscing, he was thinking of possible activities he can do with Fluttershy on a date that does not involve animals. She seriously has to start leaving her comfort zone more often, and not just when in a pinch.

Just then, thanks to previous 'surprise visits' from his relatives (and Princess Luna), he sensed intruders in his dream. Seven of them. In front of him were four ponies, one dragon, and one griffon.

Two of the ponies were pegasi. One was relatively small, with short platinum blond hair, a white coat, black irises in his eyes, a cutie mark depicting a rabbit about to box, and an intimidating expression. The other was a bit stocky though otherwise average, dark green coat, similarly-colored hair, eyes of a lighter shade, an abstract cutie mark describing his 'slow and steady' outlook in life, which was also shown in his face.

The other two ponies were the only females in the group. One was an elegant white unicorn with purple eyeshadow, green eyes, purple hair with lighter shadings, a bow on the base of her tail, a cutie mark depicting a particular gem, and she held her head high. The other was a deep brown earth pony with white freckles and splotches (kinda like Pipsqueak in that regard), ruffled hair of a lighter shade, hazel eyes, a red neckerchief, a cutie mark pertaining to herding, and a happy-go-lucky demeanor.

What he thought was a dragon was actually a kirin; a dragon-pony hybrid, the type of child that would be born if Spike successfully managed to win Rarity's heart and they actually… well, he didn't need to say it. This kirin evidently had an earth pony mother. His coat/scales was light green, his hair were a lighter shade and a little curly, his eyes were purple with slight slits, his cutie mark was so abstract Chronicle couldn't figure out its meaning, and looked both expressionless and quirky.

The griffon looked like an intellectual, of which Chronicle had met very few of in his travels. He had pince-nez glasses on the bridge of his beak, dark brown eyes, fur of a similar shade in his lion half, plumage of a lighter shade in his bird half (which markedly didn't look eagle-like), huge bushy eyebrows, and his talons had the feel of magic-use.

The sight of these six were almost enough for the seventh intruder to attack him from behind. Almost. The blue unicorn leaped in a back-flip… dodging (and seeing) a pony-sized ball of iron roll under him. As he landed, the ball turned around and made to charge him again. Chronicle drew his "horn blade", then flash-sidestepped just as the ball reached him—and he phase-slashed through it. He could slice the ball in half, but if this was one of his relatives, that would be a terrible idea, even if that relative would simply wake up in their dreamscape.

The six vanished as if they were an illusion, and the ball flashed and in its place was an earth pony stallion. His coat was dusty brown, his hair very short and of a darker shade, his eyes choco brown, his hooves and snout colored like that of skin (under a pony's coat), and the trademark Story Crew emblem as his cutie mark.

"Your instincts haven't dulled, cousin," he coughed.

"Actually, they have. I just resharpened them."

"I see." The earth pony got up, and Chronicle finally noticed the pieces of armor he had…and they were seemingly familiar. The visitor noticed. "Oh, in case you don't know, this is my Armadillo Armor. Turns me into a sphere I can manipulate and move around in."

"Let me guess… Those six are your world's Spirits of Harmony."

"Um, yes?"

"Would the Princess of that their world be named Philomena by any chance?"

"Um, yes."

"Is your name Rock?"

"Actually, its's Rokuban, but Rock is the name I go by."

What happened next was unexpected from both of them; Chronicle laughed a laugh that seemed to imply he wanted to groan. "Oh, I can't believe it! I think I can already guess your friends' names! Owlowiscious, Winona, Tank, Opalescence, Angel, and Gummy."

It surprised Rock. "That's…spot-on, although it's actually Aloysius, pronounced allo-wishus. Close enough, though. And what's with that laugh? I'm confused."

The mirth was just passing from the unicorn's face. "It's just that those are the names of my friends' pets. And the name you go by happens to be the name of my pet armadillo!" And then it came back as he started to laugh again.

A drop of sweat went down Rock's head. "Oh. That's a very freaky coincidence."

"I think my twin sister and I said as much."

"Okay. I'm guessing you want to know the pets of my friends?"

"Don't give me the names. I'm sure I can tell."

"All right. Aloysius has an owl with purple plumage, Winona has a very dependable farm dog, Gummy has this hyper baby alligator with pink scales, Opal has a slender-looking white cat, Angel has a sweet and shy bunny, and Tank's just got a very unique flying squirrel."

Chronicle raised an eyebrow at the mention of the flying squirrel, but thought it understandable. He also finally stopped laughing. "And have you got a pet yet?" 'Cause you'll probably get one someday and name it after me. It'll be freaky when that happens.

"No. Anyway…" Rock's face turned serious. "I came to tell you about a big situation. Some of our cousins (second onwards) have made a Contract, became an P-Magum: Type QB-Con and were pulled out."

"Darn it. Should've seen it the moment I saw that A-E Incubator in my world."

"No use worrying about it now."

P-Magum was the Story Crew's designation for what their client worlds call 'magical girl', although the designation qualifies for boys too. P-Magum: Type QB-Con stands for those who made a Contract with an A-E Incubator, who are regarded as top threats. At least when target worlds are involved, anyway.

(Turns out, Chronicle was actually a little outdated on how the Story Crew dealt with A-E Incubators, as 'seen' during his conversation with one (as was that Incubator). They no longer/never really stopped the little ███████ every step of the way. In fact, some divisions of the Story Crew make do with any of their members who are about to/have become P-Magum: Type QB-Cons by a series of rules ad regulations; the A-E Incubators ultimately mean well after all, and the Story Crew always compromise when certain inevitabilities arise.)

Chronicle's mother and sister are magic-users, but they lack some unidentified traits that would make them count as P-Magum. On the other hoof, all bearers of the Elements of Harmony and other parallels of them are regarded as P-Magum as well; P-Magum: Type EOH, so named after the Elements of Harmony.

A few other P-Magum known to them are Type LinkR-C, which Bright Pact of Lyrical Equestria has become as well as its resident Twilight Sparkle(-15), Type Trink-F, who need to transform using special trinkets to fight (which Type QB-Con is a subcategory of), Type IS, which are used by those who just wish to be idol singers (and is another subcategory of Type Trink-F), Type I-Temu, who already have the power within but need a trinket to use it (which Type EOH is a subcategory of), and Type In-8, where they are naturally able to use their magic powers. The difference between a Type In-8 and a standard magic-user is that for the former, either their species or those they're 'living' with has to normally be non-magic users.

Chronicle bonked himself at the side of his head; now was not the time to be thinking of such things.

"The Incubators have been spreading to this cluster, though Record has managed to keep them out of the 'main' worlds, which ours, your siblings, and my siblings thankfully fall under. Mainly, this means extreme measures like 'forced recruitment' of P-Magum: Type QB-Cons, covert termination of their…evolved forms, and Incubator hunting. And let me tell you that the last of them is really difficult as few can even see them unaided."

Rock lowered his head at the mention of 'forced recruitment'; that was something the Story Crew never want to do to increase their number. Their usual methods for that are their standard recruitment procedure, and childbirth between two of its members. 'Forced recruitment' involves arranging the 'departure' of the recruited that ends in an unsolved missing persons case or a "never found the body" accident, all of which still have a chance of somebody getting suspicious, more so than in a standard recruitment. There'll be a lot of therapy, mind alterations, and is a general headache for those who have to clean up after, not to mention the temptation to keep doing it.

"All right. Is there anything I can do about it?" Chronicle finally asked. "Because this burden is not really the type to share with someone who's helpless to it."

"We Field Operatives have been granted a new device for dealing with A-E Incubators. You'll find them in your hammerspace pocket. They will help you in our new additional task; prevent the Incubators from making Puella Magi out of the Spirits of Harmony at all costs." Rock procured a sphere akin to a Surveillance camera, but green. "This is a Proxi-Turret, currently programmed to stealth-kill any nearby Incubators and nothing else. Install it just like you would Surveillance. There is also an item that will install the Radar feature in it. Right now, it's set to find any and all Incubators in a radius that would encompass Ponyville if you were in the center."

"Got it."

"In addition, you can now check Surveillance without taking out the monitor. An item to install that feature is also provided, complete with quick guide. If you have the experience, you can try fiddling with Surveillance to suit your other needs, but if it gets damaged, you'll be held responible. "

"All right, all right. Anything else?"

"Nope. That'll be it." Rock then saluted and urged his cousin to do the same. "Best of luck to us all."

"Likewise."

SCFIM—SCFIM—SCFIM—SCFIM—SCFIM—SCFIM

-Now Playing: Shining Days (TV Size) by Minami Kuribayashi-

{fade from white to four quick shots in succession; split scene of Twilight Sparkle and Rarity in their respective workplaces with Spike in the middle of the split looking cool, then of Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash flying together (with Skyla peeking behind a cloud), then of Applejack and Pinkie Pie baking dishes baked in pastry-lined pans together, then of Mystic Shield and Chronicle in battle stances together}

{cut to a white background, after which the Elements of Harmony appear; slow pan to the right as silhouettes of its bearers colored in their coats appear in reverse order of their 'realizing'}

{(Twilight's cutie mark) star wipe to a shot of Ponyville, with the show's title in front, which has an added yellow box above reading "Shisno Chronicles"; after a few seconds, the title begins to fade; cut to a short shot of the midday sky}

aozora ippai ni watashitachi no omoi ga

{slow pan to the right to a lone tree in the part as it shows Twilight reading a book underneath it}

chiribame rarete yuku

{cut to an overhead shot of the clearing, which not only has the tree, but the rest of Twilight's friends and their friends doing miscellaneous activities}

unmei no hito ga

{background is of a Ponyville street, a 'box' showing Pinkie Pie is at the left side and Twilight is at the right looking befuddled; pony in 'box' changes to Applejack, and Twilight's expression changes to one of trust}

anata nara ii no ni

{Spike is now in the 'box', and Twilight's expression turns to loving; and then the 'box' has Chronicle, and her expression is now an "I'm counting on you" smile}

genjitsu wa

{cut to Pinkie somehow catching up to a speeding Rainbow with her flying contraption, then to Rarity fitting a dress on Applejack}

umaku yukanai

{cut to Skyla talking with Mystic Shield as they walk down a street, then to Moonbow Peek looking through her crystal ball; then to Fluttershy using the Stare towards the 'camera', cut to a front view of Chronicle reeling back and falling over, then of the two at the edge of the Everfree Forest as she (who has just followed through a punch!) quickly apologizes as he gets up}

hikaru kaze no naka

{slow pan right at Sweet Apple Acres, where Granny Smith is sleeping at a rocking chair with a resting Big Macintosh; fade to inside Zecora's hut, where the zebra is mixing up a (non-glowing!) brew in her cauldron}

yume no hane maioriru yo

{fade to a split scene of the Cakes at work and their twin children sleeping together; fade again to Cheerilee teaching class; a flurry of spinning daisies coming from the left serve as the screen transition}

yuuki dashite mirai e

{at their treehouse, the Cutie Mark Crusaders to a high hoof as they prepare for their next escapade}

sou utsukushiku

{two hooves join together, then the Gemini twins converge as they cast a blinding spell; spell fades to show them and some of Mystic's students, among them Dinky, Pokey Pierce, Lyra Heartstrings, Written Script, Twinkleshine, and Morpheus}

{a rainbow forms in the sky as it shifts from day to night then day again}

ugokida su

{zoom out from Spike's face as it reveals him looking straight ahead on a cliff-side with Rarity and Twilight on either side}

atsui kodou ga

{fade to Rainbow and Applejack in horizontal split-screen as they both perform their jobs (weather managing and applebucking)}

ano hi to onaji

{fade to the afternoon in the Forest's edge as Chronicle shields against a yellow hoof, then gives a smile of pride to Fluttershy as she smiles and blushes}

hayasa wo kizamu yo

{cut to a rose red backdrop as Pinkie dances like a ballerina as "chibi" versions of her appear near the four corners of the screen and do cartoon stuff (wobble legs mid-air, inflate self, zip from one side of the screen to the other and wave at the camera}

massugu na

{cut to a starry background, then zoom out to reveal it as Princess Luna's mane as she stands beside her sister Celestia}

manazashi ga suki

{cut to the following 'snippets'; a glimpse of the Elements of Harmony in their accessory forms, Chronicle summoning magical clones at either side of him, Pinkie firing her party cannon, then Rainbow successfully pulling off her Sonic Rainboom, flash to white}

zutto mite itai

{fade to a zoom out of Twilight, her assistant, and her bodyguard, then cut to the rest of her and Chronicle's friends, then cut and quick-zoom out to reveal some of Ponyville's 'notables' plus the Princesses and the Wonderbolts}

{flash to instant shots of each of the Elements being worn by their Bearers in order of their 'realizing', ending with the honorary Element; then switch to the main characters standing together behind a white backdrop}

End Song

SCFIM—SCFIM—SCFIM—SCFIM—SCFIM—SCFIM

"Author! Is this another opening?"

Yes. In the style of an animé titled Mai-HiME. I kinda regret not being able to describe your contraption, which has only had one sighting in the show that featured Gilda. In my story, Chronicle was meeting up with Mystic Shield for the first time. I plan to use this same format in my KHR series, so this'll be a time-saver.

"Okay…"

I planned on doing a pan-down on Ponyville's citizens at the part where I decided to put Mystic's students instead, but that was before I even wrote "Suited For Success", in which I was hoping I could request a commission for someone to draw a Gala suit for Chronicle before I decided to make it a Tuxedo Mask expy, but I already said that at the end notes of that chapter, didn't I?

"You did."

And it just felt…unnecessary. Then again, so is this opening. And now I'll proceed with the standard story. After all, you readers aren't after my Story Crew exposition crap, but Chronicle's cover life as self-proclaimed guardian of the Elements… and coltfriend of one of them.

SCFIM—SCFIM—SCFIM—SCFIM—SCFIM—SCFIM

A few days later…

It was difficult juggling his 'normal life' with his Field Operative duties, and so Chronicle was glad nothing of interest happened during the interim. His worry unfortunately did distract him in his thoughts, and it resulted in a few complications between him and Fluttershy. He went a bit too far in one of his bravery sessions with her and got a full-on Stare for it. Both of them regretted it and he put their sessions on hold as a result for a few days.

At present, he was just waking up from bed. Letting out a yawn, he walked over to Twilight's vanity and began brushing his mane. Once he was done with that, he went to the bathroom to wash his face, lifting the water with telekinesis. He then took a bath, brushed his teeth, the usual morning stuff. He also noticed Spike take out a red gem from a stash somewhere as he got his coffee, giggling as he went down the stairs.

It still boggled Chronicle a bit that every single house in Equestria was bigger on the inside, just like Doctor Whooves's—sorry, Time Turner's—oh wait, it's actually Doctor Whooves's—TARDIS. Twilight explained to him that a tesseract spell is involved in the construction of houses. She also said they're actually quite easy to perform, but he doesn't plan on learning it.

And then he heard a crash of sorts downstairs. He immediately went down, and saw that every single book was down on the floor of the reading room, all in a mess. There were unlit candles in the area and the curtains were closed. His charge Twilight Sparkle popped out of one of the piles, one book impaled on her horn. Luckily, it wasn't anything that couldn't be replaced at the book shop.

She was obviously doing her bi-weekly re-shelving day. Usually, during this day, either Spike is preoccupied with something else (be it an errand or trying to advance on Rarity) or is being forced to behave by Chronicle, who knows not to disturb her. This wasn't one of those times.

The bodyguard was now standing next to said dragon, and he got a good look at what he was holding. The red gem was heart-shaped. And judging by its other distinct features he couldn't name, it was an elemental-type gem, few of which existed in Equestria. Chronicle had one such gem as well; a thunder topaz, which he had forged (not personally, of course, but with the services of a smith) into an elemental Thunder ring when he was in Canterlot with Rarity during the week before Twilight's birthday.

"Spike, what are you laughing at?" his charge demanded.

"This little beauty is my birthday present to myself!" Spike said as he looked at his reflection in one of the gem's facets. "It’s a fire ruby!" He then held out a tuning fork. "I’ve been aging it for months, and it’s almost ripe!"

A tap of the fork against the gem caused both to sound off at exactly the same frequency and he giggled at the result. When he started downstairs, one foot slipped on an open tome and he dropped all the way down, losing both items. Up came the end of his tail to balance the fire ruby upside-down on its point. Once he uncovered his eyes and found disaster averted, he looked happily around the mess.

"Hey! You took my advice!" He stood up and chuckled. "Just use the whole floor as one big shelf."

As Twilight looked daggers across the room and snarled threateningly at her self-satisfied assistant, Chronicle said, "Bad idea, especially for a public library, let's not forget that little detail." He went down the stairs and proceeded with fixing up the books into piles to make it easier for her to re-shelf. He didn't know which shelves they belonged to, and Twilight still hadn't worked on using a card catalog system. Just what will it take to convince her?

A few seconds later, as he noticed Spike busy himself polish his fire ruby, he then heard a familiar voice. "Helloooo?" It was Rarity, and she opened the front door far enough to fit her head in. "Anypony home? Twilight?" Her eyes then popped and she sucked in a sharp gasp while throwing the door fully open, looking at Spike.

"Is that a fire ruby?" She rushed over and leaned in close enough to be reflected in its surface, and gave a delighted sigh. "That must be at least twenty carats! No inclusions…pristine facets…"

"And totally delicious!" Spike finished.

Meanwhile, Twilight was floating books around, some from the piled Chronicle made. She had since removed the one from her horn and had given it to her bodyguard for his practice range; it was already broken beyond repair. "Uh, if you guys don’t mind?" she said in mild annoyance.

"Oh! Uh…of course." Rarity walked across the room. Uh, I just came by to see if you had any books on historical fashion." As she said that, Spike ran a claw over the gem’s surface and licked it to gauge the taste. And then she realized what Spike had said and was very puzzled. "Did you say “delicious”?"

"Sure did! Next week’s my birthday—" The baby dragon began to walk off. "—and this is my birthday dinner."

Twilight walked over, floating books and sending one to Rarity. "Start with this one."

It was promptly opened. "Thanks, Twilight."

The violet unicorn returned to bringing up other tomes and filing them away. Chronicle on the other hoof was done with making neat piles out of the book and took out his elemental Thunder ring, which is meant to be worn on his horn.

"I’ve got a feeling ruffled taffeta capes are going to make a huge comeback this season—" She was now flipping pages and reading the book intently. "—and I want to be ahead of the game." She lost a bit of steam on the end of this, having glanced enviously back to find Spike cradling his prize ruby. As she clamped her teeth onto her foreleg to hold herself in check, she looked behind her to see an open box that sat next to the birthday-next-week dragon. This box was filled with padding that had a cutout to hold the ruby, and he nestled it in place. "I hope it’s as tasty as it is beautiful, Spike," she said. "I have never seen anything quite so stunning before."

Poise and grace won against covetousness, but disappointment started to creep over her face as he lifted the ruby back out and eyed it. "Gosh. You really like it, huh?" he said.

"Like it? It’s…magnificent!"

The lovestruck baby dragon looked at her as she lowered her eyelids and gave a gentle smile. After a bit of eyelash-batting on her part, reality reasserted itself in the library and he sighed heavily, eyeing his pride and joy. "Then you should have it." He pulled up one of her front hooves gently toward himself and set the ruby on it. "This beautiful gem was meant to be with you."

The white unicorn lifted it wonderingly, then floated it up with shining eyes. "I don’t know what to say!" Spike cringed a bit as she circled around him. "This is so thoughtful. Oh, my little Spikey-wikey!" She leaned in to plant a kiss on his left cheek, leaving a prominent lipstick print and snapping him upright. He toppled backward to the floor as if he were a two-by-four, hearts floating up from the spot where he fell.

Meanwhile, Twilight kept inspecting books, while Chronicle wondered what kind of lipstick Rarity was wearing, since he saw none. And since it left a smudge, it couldn't be high quality, and he can't imagine Rarity settling for anything less whenever possible.

Said unicorn hopped across with ruby as she said, "Thank you so much!"

Twilight and her bodyguard had witnessed the scene and she commended, "Wow, Spike! That’s one of the kindest, most generous things you’ve ever done. I’ve never seen Rarity so happy."

Spike wasn't listening as he dreamily touched his face. "I will never wash this cheek again."

"I hope you don't really mean that," said Chronicle as the dragon went limp with a blissful little chuckle.

C—TS—S—R—C—TS—S—R—C—TS—S—R

Next week…

It was Spike's birthday today, and the ground floor was decorated accordingly. The unicorn head bust on the center table had a party hat set on the horn, and a cake, among many goodies, rested next to it. Naturally, the shelves behind the table have since been fixed and filled with books.

Twilight was levitating a table across the confetti/streamer-strewn floor to the wall. A full punchbowl and several cups were brought down onto this. She gave the bowl’s ladle a tweak to place it just so, then looked across the room to look at more streamers strung up over the bookshelves. Chronicle was currently on his way back from…somewhere, bringing his present for Spike.

"Just about finished, Spike?" she asked. Said birthday dragon was on the bookshelf ladder’s top rung and tacking up more decorations. "Everypony will be here soon."

"There! Perfect!" By then, they were finished; plenty of balloons, streamers, and side tables loaded with sweet stuff. "Everything looks perfect!" Spike began to climb down.

"Not quite everything," his 'boss' corrected as he reached the bottom. As she neared him, she levitated and passed him—

"A washcloth? I don’t get it." She just gave him a hard, cocked-eyebrow glare and leaned her face down into his. He dropped the cloth and backed off a few steps. "Aw, no way, Twilight! I said I wasn’t gonna wash the cheek that Rarity kissed, and I meant it!" He turned his head defiantly away, showing his other cheek. It did still bear the print from Rarity’s kiss, but a considerable amount of grunge had since accumulated.

Twilight responded with a determined smile, floating the cloth up and pawing the floor. He flicked one unsettled eye her way and broke into a run. "It’s over, Spike! I’m cleaning that cheek!" she said as she sent the cloth ahead. She followed up with a teleport spell on Spike, bringing her to him. However, his still running (and yelling crazily) prevented her from wiping his cheek. To minimize obstructions, she banished all the tables for the time being.

"It’s mine! Stop it!"

"Never!"

"Twilight…!"

The next teleport brought her a genuine surprise. Instead of Spike as usual, the one who emerged was Pinkie Pie, who had a party horn in her mouth, which she blew loudly before zipping away to stop near where Spike reappeared. "Happy birthday!" she said as she threw confetti and streamers. As soon as she backed off, Twilight seized the opportunity and plied the washcloth on Spike’s cheek, scrubbing the crud off in a heartbeat. "Party time! Woo-hoo! Woo-hoo!"

By then, everybody else was now inside the library. Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Chronicle. All but Rainbow held wrapped presents in their teeth by the ribbons, while the last carried a dumbbell tied with a bow.

"Are those…for me?" Spike asked.

"Duh," said the only stallion as he rolled his eyes.

Applejack walked by, tossing her gift into his arms. "You bet they are, birthday boy."

Fluttershy also walked by, setting hers on top. "Happy birthday, Spike."

Rarity’s present was next on the stack, followed by one from Pinkie, the one from Chronicle, and finally Rainbow’s dumbbell. This last item was the one that overloaded his arms and sent him to the floor. Spike then regarded the now-slightly-crushed boxes with some confusion. Applejack and Fluttershy traded an equally puzzled shrug as Pinkie looked on, Chronicle waited expectantly, and Rainbow descended to the quartet.

"Don’t you know you get presents on your birthday?" asked the Spirit of Loyalty as her 'temporary substitute' (as Chronicle amusingly saw through Surveillance) stood up.

"Well, actually, this is my first birthday in Ponyville." He then added a bit grumpily, "I usually just get one present—from Twilight—a book. At least Chronicle gave me a haul of gems."

Right on cue, down the stairs she came, floating a beribboned manuscript. Surprised at his words, she hid it behind herself and backed off with a blush and a sheepish grin. Literally, in this case, as a sheep’s bleat was heard as she did so. Chronicle would later find out that one of the sheep in Applejack's farm made her way to his training range and was eating some of his hay bales there.

At this time, Rarity put on a gold necklace set with the fire ruby he gave her, which was now positioned as a right-side-up heart. "Speaking of presents…" She levitated a bright pink cape out from behind herself. It had a ruffled collar in dark magenta, with lighter accents and a silver clasp. "…this is from my new line of taffeta capes. I’m gonna make one for each of you." Everypony voiced their appreciation for the garment in response to that. "I’ve been inspired by the generosity of my little Spikey-wikey, who gave me this beautiful fire ruby—one of the kindest acts I’ve ever experienced."

Spike went a bit limp on his feet and let a goofy, tongue-hanging smile steal across his face. Rarity nuzzled his cheek with a blissful little sigh, and then everypony had party hats placed on their heads by Pinkie as the birthday celebration began.

C—TS—S—A—RD—R—F—PP—C—TS—S—A—RD—R—F—PP

Later…

The reading room floor was now littered with presents, discarded boxes, and scraps of wrapping paper as Spike poked his head through the bottom of one box and pulled out a green checked blanket with an apple pattern; the same gift Chronicle received from Applejack during his birthday.

"Applejack, I can’t thank you enough for this great blanket." Said pony was eating an apple as he jumped up to hug her. "I really needed a new one."

"Come on, Spike. You already thanked me fifteen times." She pushed him off gently. "I’m startin’ to get a little embarrassed."

"I know I keep thanking you guys, but I’m just so grateful. I wish this party could last forever."

During this sentence, Pinkie was jumping on a balloon and she popped it, a party favor in her mouth. "Duh!" she said as the party favor fell off. She then knocked Twilight and Applejack aside on her way to him. "The party can’t last forever ’cause you have to go to Sugarcube Corner, ’cause the Cakes said they have a special surprise for you, ’cause it’s your birthday!" At the end of this, she had leaned a bit too far over the pile of gifts and ended up on the floor.

"No way!" Spike bolted for the open door.

"I said the party couldn’t last forever, but it doesn’t need to end right now!"

Paying no mind at all, he ran off then shut the door behind himself.

Why do I get the feeling something's gonna happen? Chronicle mused, then recalled a fortune Moonbow Peek read to him on his way back to Ponyville with his present for Spike.

F—L—A—S—H—B—A—C—K

"One of your friends' acts of generosity will lead to fueling their own greed," she had said as they sat inside her fortunetelling tent. "And it will reach a gargantuan level before it is finally quelled by one act of defiance."

"That fortune's obscure and a little confusing," he had commented after hearing it.

"The perils of being a fortuneteller."

"You didn't even specify a gender."

"That'll be fifteen bits."

E—N—D—F—L—A—S—H—B—A—C—K

I wonder if Spike is who she meant? But if the fortune's right, I can't stop it early. But what can I do?

"Hey, Chronicle! No sad faces!" He then realized that Pinkie was now in front of him and immediately shrugged off his pondering.

"Sorry, Pinkie. It's just that…I visited a fortuneteller friend of mine before Spike's birthday."

"Aw, come on! You really believe in those phonies?"

"She never gave reason to doubt, and even turns away those who just want to hear something good when she has none for them. Also, you are kind of a fortune teller with that Pinkie Sense of yours."

"I don't get it, but… point taken."

"Besides, she already predicted two great things correctly. Like the Thousandth Summer Sun Celebration, and even Discord's release. It was only when I reflected back on them did I realize she really was on the level."

"Really? Let us see!"

"Oh, all right."

Pinkie turned to the others. "Come on, girls! Chronicle has something to show us!"

He wasn't going for that, but decided it wasn't a bad thing. "…okay."

C—TS—S—A—RD—R—F—PP—C—TS—S—A—RD—R—F—PP

After he finished showing via Surveillance the fortunes Moonbow read to him…

"I don't believe it. There was another prophecy?" gasped Twilight.

"I know, right? I didn't give it that much thought either." Chronicle then quoted Moonbow's fortune. "…she must accept the one thing she has been constantly shoving away."

"She was talking about me making friends."

"Mm-hmm."

"And to think she managed to predict Discord's release, too, huh?"

"Yup. Down to my vendetta."

"Come to think of it, I did see her before," commented Rarity. "You introduced me to her, right?"

"Right."

"When was that?" asked Fluttershy.

"The week before Twilight's birthday. When Rarity and I went to Canterlot. For different reasons, of course."

"Now that I remember, her name was Moonbow Peek," said Rarity. "And judging from her cloak, I think she's—"

The stallion immediately cut her off by planting a hoof in her mouth. "—actually a bona fide seer and not some charlatan like so many fortunetellers." He knows Rarity's critical eye might easily tell somepony's race, no matter their garb. And he doesn't want anyone to know that Moonbow's not a unicorn at all, which most fortunetellers are. Well, there was the earth pony Pinkie Pie, but she has an excuse; she's Pinkie Pie.

"Is there somethin' you're not tellin' us about this Moonbow?" suspected Rainbow.

"Why, yes. I respect her secret, and I won't betray it by telling others about it or letting others who figured it out on their own tell about it."

"It's okay," said Pinkie. "We all understand the importance of a secret." She then pointedly stared at the others. "Right, girls?" Everypony nodded their heads vigorously.

Rarity then approached Chronicle, leaned her head towards him, and whispered, "So, is Moonbow a pegasus or an earth pony?"

"I'll let Moonbow reveal that when she wants to, but only then."

"But why does she hide who she is?"

"Haven't asked her. Never thought it important to know." Actually, he knew why, but he promised not to tell.

C—TS—A—RD—R—F—PP—C—TS—A—RD—R—F—PP

I think I want to skip ahead to the next day.

"Why?"

Got no good filler to fit in the story. Sorry.

"Yeah. I think you put in too much in the dreamscape segment. Are all of your chapters from this point on gonna start with one?"

I can't say for sure. And I don't want to guarantee it either.

SCFIM—SCFIM—SCFIM—SCFIM—SCFIM—SCFIM

The next day…

At the crow of the rooster, Twilight shifted position a bit to get away from the brightening sunbeams before finally deciding to get up from bed, stretching as she did so. "Wow. What a rough night’s sleep, Spike." She leaned over the hoofboard, laughing a bit. "I had the weirdest drea—" Her eyes bugged out as she looked at where Spike's bed was located, which was currently between her own and Chronicle's, having usually been set next to the latter.

Understandably, she was needled at this as she began to levitate the items away. "I can’t believe you! Where'd you get all this—" She cut herself off with a sharp gasp, letting everything crash back down as she looked at the baby dragon’s basket. The problem was that the dragon was no longer a baby; Spike had grown to perhaps twice his length, his arms and legs much longer than before and hanging over the sides. He was wearing a white hat with a red feather, and he sat up with a hissing yawn to look Twilight straight in the eye.

"What happened?" he asked as he rubbed his head as her face rearranged itself into a genuinely horrified grimace. She would shortly wake Chronicle, who normally woke an hour or three after sunrise. He was still a bit of a late riser.

TS—S—TS—S—TS—S—TS—S—TS—S—TS—S

Eyecatch (picture-type) - Spike's hoard on the left, and Twilight Sparkle in bed on the right. The show's logo is seen on the bottom right.

TS—S—TS—S—TS—S—TS—S—TS—S—TS—S

The gangly Spike was now standing up and regarding himself with justifiable trepidation, now down from the loft.

"What’s happening to me, Twilight?" he asked as she read frantically at the other side of the room, while he started trying to pull the now-too-small fedora off his head. As for Chronicle, he just stood away from his bed and looked at Spike, wondering to himself what he could do in this situation.

"I don’t know! Think back to last night. Did something happen?"

After pulling off the hat, he inspected himself, flexed the fingers of one hand, then let his mind roam free as he looked around the room in a daze, his tongue lolled out. Twilight managed to notice and went to his face.

"Spike? What did you do after I saw you?"

The dragon immediately clapped his head. "Well, I went to talk to…" He trailed off as he looked at a large globe sitting across the room and moved dreamily toward this.

"Spike!" She yanked it away after seeing him toy with it instead of listening, making him fall over.

"Huh?"

"You went to talk to who?"

Spike got up. "Oh, um…I don’t remember. Hey, can I have that globe? You’re not using it, right?" Without asking, he reached up and grabbed it.

"Huh?"

He then forwent the stairs in favor of climbing up over the loft’s edge, the globe held by its support in his tail, and added it to his stash. He then took a book from the shelves. "What about this book?"

Twilight teleported up atop the globe and levitated the book toward the ceiling while he kept his grip on it. "Spike, I’m worried about you. You’re usually not so…grabby." The book was yanked free, but he pulled it down again.

"My arms aren’t usually this long, either." His voice deepened considerably on the second half of this sentence, prompting him to clap both hands over his mouth. Two purple eyes send a very hard glare down toward him, while two brown eyes sent a look of concern and worry. "What’s happening to me?"

As Twilight rubbed her chin, thinking hard, her bodyguard was thinking, Could this be…

C—TS—S—C—TS—S—C—TS—S—C—TS—S

Option 1…

The three went to Ponyville's pediatrician, which was run by a pony named Doc Top. At present, they were inside the examination room, which had a butterfly wallpaper. There was also a bowl of lollipops for the foals.

Spike sat on the elevated table, Twilight on her haunches by its end, and Chronicle standing next to his charge. The dragon reached for the candy, only to get his hand slapped away before Doc Top arrived. Khaki earth pony stallion, fluffy orange hair, green eyes, a cutie mark depicting a white doctor’s bag and stethoscope, dressed in a white coat, a reflector around his forehead, a stethoscope around his neck, and small round glasses.

"Well, now, what seems to be the problem?" Doc Top asked as Spike reached toward a jar of tongue depressors.

"This is Spike," Twilight answered as she slapped her assistant's hand. "And something’s wrong with him." Another slap. "He used to be half this size, and he keeps trying to take things that aren’t…" Yet another slap. "…his!"

"All right, then, let’s just have a look-see, shall we?" Doc Top approached Spike and started with baby talk. "Wi’l guy not feewing too good?" He then flexed Spike’s arm. "Who’s the brave wi’l boy, huh?" Spike then tried to bite his nose. "Who’s the brave one?" He then tapped a knee as if testing the growing dragon’s reflexes, and got a flaming green belch in the face that left him singed and slightly miffed.

"So? What do you think, Doctor?" Twilight asked.

"Well, I think I know what the problem is. He’s a dragon!" Chronicle resisted the urge to do a facehoof.

"That’s not the problem. He’s always been a dragon!"

"Oh, well, that would explain it." The doctor said as he cleaned himself up at the sink. "Listen, I don’t know anything about dragons." On the end of this, the one in question grabbed a handful of lollipops. "I know about baby ponies. Maybe you should try a vet."

Spike seized more sugary treats as Twilight's face fell and she groaned. "Okay. Thank you, Doctor."

C—TS—S—DT—C—TS—S—DT—C—TS—S—DT

Option 2…

Spike was now at the veterinarian's clinic, run by a pony named Mane Goodall, who was a light yellow-brown earth pony mare with two-tone light blue hair tied back, dark green eyes, a cutie mark showing dog and cat heads and a white bird, and a white lab coat with a thermometer in the pocket. She spoke in a clipped, no-nonsense manner.

"Hmph. Well, I’m flummoxed," she said. "You bring me a dog, I’ve got it diagnosed in seconds. A snake, even faster. But, to be honest, I’ve never seen a real live dragon before."

Spike was now standing on the table on all fours, then proceeded to angrily snorts black smoke out of his nose.

The vet patted his head as she baby-talked to him. "Who’s a good boy? Who’s a good boy?" He smiled and drools as she then picked up a jar of dog biscuits. "Sit."

He did so on his hindquarters, panting and begging like Winona might if she were here, and she tossed him a biscuit. Instead of eating it, he eyed it craftily and dropped it into the bowl of lollipops from the doctor’s office—having taken the whole thing, much to the vet's confusion.

"Thanks anyway," Twilight said as she walked out. "Come on, Spike."

As the dragon followed, Chronicle then spoke to the vet. "Dr. Goodall, I have a curious question."

"What is it?"

"My friend Fluttershy's very good with animals, but I don't understand how she isn't a vet like you. I was wondering if you'd know, 'cause I can't coax out the answer."

"Ah." Mane smiled. "From what she's told me, she lacks ambition for that, although she does do part-time work here from time to time as an assistant vet. Besides, on top of a stipend from her parents (or so she tells me, at least) she also charges for her animal care services. Payment is arranged between her and the client."

"Really? I can imagine…unscrupulous figures attempting to skimp out of paying or threaten her to discount or even render the service free."

"I don't know about that. You'll have to ask her yourself."

"All right."

C—TS—S—MG—C—TS—S—MG—C—TS—S—MG

Option 3…

The three were now at Zecora's hut, with the herbalist poking and prodding at Spike's head from various angles. She then swung a gold pocket watch before his eyes, which he eyed hungrily and tried to snatch, but it bounced away on its chain and he only got a handful of air. Followig that, she got one hand in her teeth and flopped its arm around as the two unicorns observed, one anxiously and one cautiously. In response, Spike's other arm flipped up and smacked Twilight across the face.

"Ooh, he is starting to mature. Of this fact I am quite sure," was Zecora's evaluation as Spike scratched himself.

"Mature? So he’s just growing up?" Twilight asked as her assistant picked up a pot. "But that doesn’t explain why he keeps grabbing things." She levitated the pot away from him as Zecora approached her steaming caldron.

"A dragon’s heart is prone to greed, a steady diet to make growth speed." The zebra began to add powder as the two unicorns walked up to her. "Then, the resulting bigger size only makes their hunger rise." The contents proceeded to glow. If this trait should go unchecked, if Spike continues to collect, more growth will certainly occur. He is going to turn into a monster!"

At the the liquid surface, they had seen a glowing green silhouette of baby Spike. It had then grew a notch, collected several items into itself, and became a fearsome apparition before bursting into phosphorescent wisps.

Twilight let out a gasp, then said, "You mean, the more things a dragon collects, the bigger and greedier he gets? But how do we stop him before he’s completely out of control?"

As she and Zecora conversed, Chronicle saw Spike looting every item in the hut faster than a kleptomaniac adventurer. He even took the caldron they were standing over without them noticing and he decided to take it upon himself to stop Spike.

As he saw the dragon take more stuff, he decided to intercept him by teleporting outside.

"If his monstrous ways you wish to impede, you must prevent him from practicing greed," he heard the herbalist say.

And then the door opened to reveal a speeding dragon, who bowled over the stallion, sending him flying to a tree branch, but Chronicle was already back to pursuing, jumping on another branch before descending on the forest floor in a roll. Catching sight of Spike, he cast the tether spell and hurled the free end onto the growing dragon.

It latched on, but Spike's momentum and unrelenting run dragged the unicorn right behind him. Chronicle attempted to cast a binding circle right below, but the dragon was already out of its range before its effect could set in. And when he tried casting it in anticipation of Spike's path, the dragon just swerved out of the way. He even tried casting it on himself, but while Spike's strength was able to pull him out of the circle, it 'snapped' the tether spell, and his end snapped right into his head while the other simply dissipated.

"Oww…" he groaned as he rubbed his head. "How does that even work?"

"Come on! I need your help!" he heard his charge call out.

"I got it, I got it."

C—TS—S—Z—C—TS—S—Z—C—TS—S—Z

In Ponyville…

As the two unicorns galloped back and forth across a street, they were brought up short by a familiar young voice not far off.

"Get away from her, you brute!" it came from Apple Bloom. As it turns out, she and the rest of the Cutie Mark Crusaders were engaged in a vicious tug-of-war with Spike over Scootaloo's wheels. And it was a minor testament to the earth pony's inherent racial strength that they weren't being dragged already.

"Spike want!" Also turns out that his voice has dropped a few more notes.

Scootaloo was insistent in keeping her ride. "You’re not getting my scooter!"

Spike grunted before repeating, "Spike want!"

Chronicle entered a battle stance, but a hoof on his shoulder pleaded him not to carry on with what he was planning to do. Even so, Twilight seemed frantic as she looked around for an alternative solution. She quickly found one in the form of a broom propped against a wall.

"Hey, Spike!" she called as she floated the broom over to him and made it do a few un-broom-like acrobatics. "Check out this amazing broom!" It distracted him from the Crusaders so that they can bail out, scooter and all.

"SPIKE WANT!!" A new growth spurt hit right about now, increasing his size by perhaps half, and he hissed and dropped to all fours in order to chase the broom.

Immediately, the two unicorns zipped down a side street, and into the library, opening the front door in the process as they galloped in, broom in tow, which 'stopped' for a while. "Come on, big boy. Look at this incredible broom."

She then zipped it ahead, and he lunged partway in after it but came up empty-handed, getting stuck in the doorway for good measure. However, a bit of straining popped him loose so that he tumbled across the reading room.

"SPIKE WANT!!" he cried out as he chased the broom. The run took him into an adjoining room (which Chronicle had miraculously never noticed until now), whose door she slammed shut behind him and braced with her back, assisted by her bodyguard. The force of Spike's impacts against it that nearly threw them loose was so strong even the Surveillance cameras on them shook.

"Fight all you want. I am not letting you out!"

"I seriously don't think this is gonna work!"

"I won't let you hurt him, Chronicle!"

"Do you really think I could at this point, even if I tried?"

"Yes!"

"You seriously underestimate a dragon's durability and—" He immediately stopped uon realizing that the door stopped doing the cha-cha, to Twilight's very great surprise. He however knew something was up.

His charge 'opened' the door and walked in…on Spike having swept clean the shelves and all the books and furniture gathered into one giant pile, with him draped over the top of it all.

Twilight let off a groan— "Spike…" —as she levitated the pile away as he was unceremoniously dumped on his back in the process. "…I just re-shelved this room!" She brought the lot back out into the main reading room and kicked the door shut again. However, the two barely had time to catch their breath before a new, louder, longer crash shook the entire building. "What now?" she let off a weary moan.

Chronicle opened the door this time…and saw that Spike smashed through the wall. And not only that, as he went over to the hole, he also saw that his training range had been ransacked of everything that wasn't a fence. He now knew that he had to step up his game.

"Twilight, I'm getting Mystic Shield," he said as he turned to face her. "You get the rest of our friends. Spike has to be stopped." The look on his face also conveyed that he'll go all-out short of any crippling wounds. Before she could get anything out in reply, he jumped out of the hole to fetch his friend.

C—TS—S—AB—S—SB—C—TS—S—AB—S—SB

At Mystic Shield's Self-Defense Academy For Unicorns…

Mystic was thankful he didn't have many students in today. Some large dragon (though nowhere near Basil's size) came in out of the blue, plowed through everypony, shrugged off shots, plowed through or climbed around barriers, entered his living quarters, and stole all his things (but thankfully not his mentor Aegis's last possessions, that was kept very well hidden), and left (also taking the tatami mat right under his students' feet).

What's more, the dragon's colors were worryingly eerie. Could that be Spike? But why is he like that?

And it proved to be an embarrassing scenario when Chronicle entered the dojo and took witness of the mess. "Mystic! I need your help!"

"Does it have something to do with a dragon?" Mystic asked as he got up and rubbed his head. He also noticed Chronicle react in restrained surprise. "I'm in, but let's call in Nurse Redheart on the way."

"I'll do it," offered one of them.

"All right, then. I'm counting on you." With that the two co-teachers took off. The ascot-wearing one then said, "Something happened to Spike, didn't it?"

"Yeah. Something about a dragon's greed-induced growth. I worry he might get too big by the time we reach him."

"So we're not going to contact Sensei?"

"I seriously don't think the Martial Arts Group can do much against a dragon, given that so little is known about them."

"True." Mystic then saw Chronicle summon a magical clone, which went off somewhere else. "Where's he going?"

"Calling another friend." I don't know what the Wonderbolts can do, given they failed to save Rarity that one time and needed saving themselves from Rainbow Dash, but I'll have Skyla try and contact them if possible.

C—MS—C—MS—C—MS—C—MS—C—MS—C—MS

The two were en route to Fluttershy's cottage when a larger Spike bowled over the two as he went past, a chicken coop in his claws filled with his new hoard, apples among them, which meant he likely stole from Applejack's orchards. But that wasn't what worried Chronicle; what worried him was that Spike had come from the cottage. Thankfully, Spike didn't seem to have hurt her, or else the Harmony Link would've told him immediately.

The two approached the cottage, but as they ran around to the backyard, they ran into Twilight, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash. After a few quick greetings, they entered the backyard and stopped near the large tree that was reserved for the birds and squirrels when they weren't being treated inside the house. The girls said they came here after hearing Fluttershy scream. The boys just happened to be headed here (and forgot to mention that they encountered Spike on the way). Both of them proceeded to call out for their friend, who was nowhere to be seen.

And then they heard her. "I’m up here!" She was on top of one of the branches of the tree, terrified and hanging on for dear life along with a few squirrels.

"What happened?" Rainbow asked.

"I was helping my squirrel friends with a dance step, and all of a sudden, a giant rampaging dragon stormed through!" came the stammered answer.

"That was Spike!" Twilight explained.

"Spike? But why would Spike steal my chicken coop?" Indeed, nothing is left within the fence of the chicken yard but a few fowl and the coop’s entrance ramp and board floor, the latter studded with nails that had secured the rest of the structure. "He just pulled it out of the ground and filled it with a bunch of apples and stuff!"

Then came a different scream.

"That sounded like Pinkie Pie!" Rainbow deduced.

"Really?" Mystic argued. "Sounds more like Rarity to me."

"In any case, one of our friends is in trouble!" finished Applejack before it could become an argument.

"Come on, girls!" Twilight ordered.

"Hey!" Mystic was a little offended when they forget there are males in the group. Again. Understandable with Chronicle given his mare-face, but with Mystic there's no real excuse. But they were already on the move.

C—TS—A—RD—F—MS—C—TS—A—RD—F—MS

Sugarcube Corner…

"Back! Get back!"

At an unoccupied bit of Sugarcube Corner, a boiling-mad Pinkie stood on a loaded display rack, a cake on each front hoof. She hurled them at Spike, who was near the stairs. He dodged her throws, holding on to the missing coop he was using as a container for the rest of his loot, and snatched one cake out of the air. This one went in the coop as Twilight's party came in and Pinkie unleashed another salvo.

"Pinkie Pie, stop giving him cake!" reprimanded the 'leader'.

"I’m not giving him cake! I’m assaulting him with cake!"

"Same thing!" Chronicle told the earth pony, who let fly with two more and reached down to reload, but one set of jumbo purple claws darted in and grabbed up all the ammo, resulting in her going over the edge and hit the floor face first before gets up alongside the others.

"How dare you take the cake!"

A roar was Spike's reply, and he started to grow once more, breaking loose the entire upper section of the roof and one side wall in the process. He then left, his tail wrapped around the upended coop and tearing out part of what remained of the roof.

'Fortunately' for the Cakes, they were at the hospital where Pumpkin Cake and Pound Cake were being treated for sore tummies. As For Gummy, he was at Fluttershy's cottage, standing and doing nothing.

"He’s completely out of control!" Twilight said as she galloped off, followed by her bodyguard, the two pegasi, and Mystic. "Who knows where he’ll go next!"

Skyla, I hope you managed to get their help, Chronicle thought to himself as Applejack grabbed Pinkie’s tail in her teeth and began to drag the limp, shell-shocked baker away. He then accessed Surveillance (without taking it out) and checked on Rarity. Thankfully for him, the 'screen' only 'occupies' a quarter of his ocular vision, allowing him to still see normally. Kinda like a "holographic screen" except only he can see it.

Rarity was in her upper-story workroom/living quarters in Carousel Boutique. She had put on the pink/magenta cape she showed off during Spike’s party and was looking herself over in the mirror while humming happily. "Hmm…perhaps some more ruffle," she mused to herself. She also happened to be wearing her fire-ruby necklace, which was underneath the clasp holding the cape on.

One huge green eye with a slitted pupil suddenly looked in through the window this way, then that, then fixes on her. Upon turning away from the mirror, she let her face turn into a slack-muscled caricature of itself, and cut loose with a high-intensity scream of unmixed terror as Spike reached in through the window, his palm incidentally—

He lost concentration as the Harmony Link kicked in. His eyes began to burn, and while it didn't hurt so much to make him scream, the grunt he failed to keep in caught his friends' attention.

"What is it?" Mystic asked.

"Is it the Harmony Link?" Twilight. She was answered with a nod. "It's Rarity, isn't it?"

"How can you tell?" Rainbow queried.

"Well, she's the only one who isn't with us, and the Harmony Link doesn't activate if its targets (that is, us) are near him and he knows it."

And then what sounded like an air raid siren rang throughout the town. "Looks like the town is on high alert." It was swiftly cut off as the group saw Spike, who was now bigger than ever… and Rarity was wrapped around his tail.

"…Well, ████," said the mare-faced stallion as they took in the problem they had to solve.

C—TS—S—A—RD—F—PP—MS

Eyecatch (picture-type) - The show's logo is seen in the center. However, its color scheme is now akin to Spike's; green and dark purple.

C—TS—S—A—RD—F—PP—MS

"What."

Sorry! I'm running out of ideas for eyecatches!

"Then why not do away with them altogether?"

Because some of the future chapters have eyecatches I want to put in.

SCFIM—SCFIM—SCFIM—SCFIM—SCFIM—SCFIM

A few seconds ago…

A pair of red loudspeakers mounted on a yellow/black-striped pole sounded off, alerting Ponyville of danger. Until it was yanked out of the ground by Spike, who has grown yet again since taking out Sugarcube Corner. Pandemonium raged up and down the block. Minuette and Cherry Berry ran into each other and barely got clear before one colossal foot slammed down where they were standing. Rarity was wrapped in his tail (and screaming and pounding her front hooves against the scaly purple coils), and the coop was shifted to one hand. His roar was now a bellowing screech that gave no hint of the sweet little guy he used to be, and the babyish contours of his head and face were gone.

The now giant dragon picked up a cart, realized that it won't fit in the coop, then gat an idea and ran off. The town’s water tower was swiftly yanked off its base in his mouth, the contents gushing down as a tidal wave that sent ponies galloping for cover. As Spike dropped his previous haul into the emptied shell, Rarity’s voice is heard and he lifted her into view.

"Put me down, you brute!" she screamed. His deep-set eyes stared against her indignant ones and he uncorked a deafening roar that left her entire mane blown straight back from her head. "How rude."

And then her two pegasi friends flew past, ready to confront Spike.

"Don’t worry, Rarity! We’ll save you!" Fluttershy said as she and Rainbow approached each of Spike’s ears.

"Put her down right now!" Rainbow demanded, and the situation quickly became a 'good cop, bad cop' routine.

"I-If you wouldn’t mind, that is."

"I mean it, dragon boy!"

"Uh, we’ll be ever so grateful if you’d be so kind as to possibly consider—"

"Drop her, scaly!"

“Scaly” just backed up a bit and lashed his tail at them. Rarity was not happy, but her mane was back to normal. "Hey!…Now I’m not some…sort of common…flyswatter!" she complained during swings.

The next one took her so close to the two pegasi that they got tangled up in her cape, which ripped loose and plunged them screaming into the stream running near Ponyville. The torn pink fabric floated to the surface, followed by a pair of sodden and very puzzled heads.

"Girls!…My cape!" Rarity put hooves to mouth as Spike cranked off another bellow, after which the "cavalry" arrived.

Looks like Skyla's call was a success, Chronicle thought as he, Mystic, and members of the Martial Arts Group were working on evacuating the villagers to safety.

Rainbow looked up with a smile. "Look! The Wonderbolts!"

One by one, three elite flyers peeled off and swoop toward the large-scale wreckage Spike had caused, flying straight up the length of his neck and past his head. Another close pass sent him into full “protect” mode. He growled after the trio, then shiftd his attention to a not-too-distant mountain.

A small part of Chronicle wanted to join in on the action, and the logical part found itself agreeing. "I'm stopping Spike!" he declared, then began to take off.

"Don't hurt him, Chronicle!" Twilight pleaded.

"At this point, I couldn't even if I went all-out!" He then teleported so she wouldn't be able to continue arguing.

He emerged in front of the dragon, then let loose with the Small Burn Trail spell (which he would normally use for writing on the ground or the air), aiming at Spike. He knew all too well that dragons were impervious to heat, but he wanted the dragon's attention.

He got it, and he already had magical clones deployed to attempt to rescue Rarity. Spike put down his hoard and swiped at the unicorn, but a flash-step made it a miss. The dragon then let loose a…roar that caught Chronicle off guard even as he set up his barrier. While it can block attacks, a point-blank loud roar is still very deafening.

While the barrier prevented Chronicle from being blown back, the intense sound rendered his senses extremely out of whack. And left him vulnerable to Spike's next move. Which was to pick him up, then send him rolling right underneath him as the dragon picked up his hoard. As for the unicorn, he found himself rolling back to Ponyville, stopping short of the stream.

He wanted to get back up, but the experience of a close-range roar was something even he couldn't endure.

Now that the pesky blue unicorn was out of the way, Spike held the water tower with his mouth as he used all his claws to scale the mountain, the screaming, terror-stricken Rarity still in his tail.

The Wonderbolts, who were circling above the area for a way to rescue the hostage when Chronicle was trying to stop the dragon, did another pass, one of them zooming past so close that Spike got the tips of his head spines shaved off by a razor wing 'spell', which was an skill pegasi can learn. A quick pat apprised him of the extreme trim and annoyed him all over again. He climbed further up and reached a cave, where he swiftly dumped his ill-gotten goodies just before the three flyers swooped past his head again.

Flipping onto his back, he plastered himself over the cave and narrowed his eyes with sudden animal cunning. Up went the three pegasi, silhouetting themselves against the sun and then going into a screaming dive. Spike just held his position. When they are almost on top of him, he lifted the water tower and held it with the open end toward them. All three clanged neatly into the vessel, and he jammed it into the rock face, open end first. A nasty grin toward the imprisoned heroes was followed by a triumphant bellow.

"Oh, be quiet!" Rarity told him as he lifts her up. "You’ve got nothing to be proud of!" Bored, he mimicked her scolding with his hand. "You steal everypony’s things, terrorize the town, and use me as a weapon against my own friends—which, as horrible as it is, I can almost understand because you’re a dragon and all." She then indicated her cape. "But this!" She ripped the ruined garment off, fully exposing her necklace, and levitated the scraps in front of herself. "This is a crime against fashion!"

The dragon hoisted her up to the level of his eyes, which widened in time with his surprised grunt. His jaw then hung slightly open at the sight of such riches, the riches being the necklace.

Rarity took notice and covered it with her hooves. "Oh, no. You are not getting this gemstone!" There came a puzzled grunt. "This was given to me by my dear friend Spikey-wikey—the kindest, sweetest, most generous dragon ever. And it is too precious to me to give to a greedy old beast like you!"

On the end of this, the narrowed green eyes, registered surprise at these last words, and then began to waver. He then spaced out for ten full seconds before his face became saturated with regret. He shook his head clear and put a hand to his left cheek.

"Oh, what now?" Rarity said as the dragon started to tremble. "I suppose you’ll be eating me or something."

One full-body spasm caused him to release his grip on her, and a split-second later he shrunk back to his original size. The laws of physics chose this moment to "take five", leaving both suspended in midair as Rarity shortly noticed the reversed metamorphosis.

"Spike? You’re the rampaging dragon?" Gravity then "returned to its post" and both dropped screaming.

At the bridge over the stream, Pinkie peering through a set of binoculars, Twilight and Applejack behind her, with the still-disoriented Chronicle pulled over to their location. The lenses were lowered and Applejack covered her face with her hat.

"Somepony do something!" the pink earth pony cried out as she fell on her back.

Rainbow, already recovered, flew up. "On it!"

Prior to the current incident, she had been doing unspecified test runs for Mystic Shield's First Four, and Tricky Books had given her a potion that would enable her to stretch her forelegs to grab things quickly. And she used that to drag in Fluttershy. They swooped down toward the stream and retrieved the torn section of Rarity’s cape, then flew ahead at full speed with opposite ends clamped in their teeth. Fluttershy began to drop back slightly, but caught up with an embarrassed little smile as Rainbow glared over at her.

And as Spike and Rarity continued to fall, the former said, "Rarity, I need to tell you something, just in case we don’t make it!" Their two pegasi friends continued their approach. "I’ve always sort of had a crush—"

A white hoof placed gently over his mouth cut him off, and Rarity gave him a tender smile as her eyes well up with tears. This was her first full acknowledgment of the way he felt about her, and he smiled behind her hoof in reply. Meanwhile, the rescue mission continued at full throttle, and Fluttershy and Rainbow flashed across to pick off the pair with only a few yards to spare. The four descended to the bridge, with Rarity and Spike cradled in the fabric, and were met by the ones on the bridge. Applejack had her hat back in its proper place.

There came a surprised, happy gasp from Fluttershy. "We did it! I can’t believe we did it!"

Chronicle head slowly cleared itself of the headache from his ringing ears and he managed to say, "Yes you did." with a smile.

Up on the mountain, the water tower came loose and tumbled downhill, exposing three scared Wonderbolts huddling together. Once it crashed down, they came out of their panic, looked around, and snapped to hovering attention as if their botched takedown attempt was business as usual. They proceeded to vacate the premises as fast as their wings can carry them. As it was, those three were…the least experienced ones in the entire team.

"All in a day’s work," said Rainbow.

Rarity glanced down at her necklace and what used to be a fine cape, then over toward the rail, where Spike was sitting on and staring glumly out over the devastation he had inflicted on Ponyville. He held one of his own hands out so that its image was superimposed over one gargantuan footprint. His eyes quivered a bit at the thought that he could have turned his home inside out.

"Spike, I just have to tell you how absolutely proud I am of you," Rarity told him, happy despite the situation.

"Proud of me?"

"Yes. It was you who stopped…well, you…from destroying Ponyville. You are my hero, Spikey-wikey."

Now it was his turn to tear up and smile, and she gave him a kiss on the left cheek as during the birthday party.

Thankfully for Ponyville, Mayor Mare got disaster insurance for every building in town (twice) as part of her initial election campaign. Apparently, insurance companies in Equestria are rather easy to manipulate to the average pony’s advantage. So in the end, the damage cost wasn't as bad as it could've been.

C—TS—S—A—AB—RD—R—F—PP—MS—S—SB—S—MP

During the town repairing process…

Everypony was at Carousel Boutique, where Rarity has finished the taffeta capes she was making. All of her friends were there, as was two of Chronicles, Mystic and Skyla. She wanted to give to them too as a further example of her generosity and was levitating eight capes in different colors and styles, five around herself and three behind those five.

Presently, she had donned a fresh cape, identical to the one that had been ruined from the earlier incident. This time, the fire ruby was on display as a gold-framed brooch.

Twilight's cape was a blue one with white fur trim, gold cord collar ties, and stars on the back.

Pinkie received a lighter blue cape with fluffy white trim and a pink heart brooch.

Fluttershy's was light blue with white trim, a white bow at the neckline, and a daisy on the lowered hood.

Rainbow's was blue with yellow hem and a red collar secured by a gold star brooch, the hem and collar styled to resemble flames.

Applejack's was red, with a green collar and brown leather shoulder trim, held by a black bolo tie with a red-jeweled gold brooch.

Chronicle got a simple dark blue one with black accents, suited for hiding in dark alleys and easily removable. Just the way he likes it.

Mystic got a light purple cape (shade identical to Twilight's own coat) with accents colored the same way as a Royal Guard's armor.

Skyla's was a blue cape with yellow zigzag line accents, suspiciously akin to a Wonderbolt pattern.

There was also a ninth cape that was packaged for sending as a gift. Chronicle planned to gift it to Moonbow Peek.

Meanwhile, Spike was writing his own friendship report to you-know-who.

“Dear Princess Celestia: Today I learned a great lesson about friendship. Well, you might think that it would feel good to get lots and lots of stuff, but it doesn’t feel nearly as good as giving something special to somepony you really care about. But I learned that it truly is better to give than to receive and that kindness and generosity are what lead to true friendship. And that’s more valuable than anything in the world.”

After he has signed it… "Well…" He noted his lipstick print from Rarity’s second kiss—with a little picture frame stuck around it. "…almost anything."

SCFIM—SCFIM—SCFIM—SCFIM—SCFIM—SCFIM

Author's Note:

Thankfully, you will have footnotes here because the only thing that would be at the top is the disclaimer, which is already applied in almost every chapter anyway.

1. I was originally going to introduce Moonbow Peek to the rest of the cast in The Last Roundup, but I needed to fill in text while Spike was busy taking gifts all over Ponyville. I wouldn't want to make the chapters too short.

2. Sorry about how I had Spike quickly 'dispose' of Chronicle, but I felt putting a short fight scene wasn't a good idea. Still, a point-blank roar is sure to be a serious debilitating effect, except perhaps on the deaf.

3. I felt I needed some kind of hand-wave (again) for some toon physics in effect on ponies who aren't Pinkie Pie, because personally I'd prefer only she do the toon antics. And so I recycled Tricky Books, who I also used for Twilight's toon durability in "Feeling Pinkie Keen".

See ya on Third!