Champion of Equestria

by Buddy Hooves

Chapter 12: Festival fun with friends

"Spike, are you almost ready?" Twilight asked, her patience was wearing thin.

"Just a minute!" He hollered back, from behind their door.

Today was the big festival. The one they were having to celebrate peace in Equestria, especially after the events since Tirek tried to take over. From what I heard from Twilight, not just Ponyville was celebrating today, but every major city and Kingdom, which included Canterlot and the Crystal Empire. So while Twilight was handling everything here in Ponyville, the other princesses where back at their kingdoms handling things as well. At first, they thought nopony would be crazy enough to try anything during the festival, but after the event with the golem and my arrival in Equestria, the princesses were being cautious. Which is why they were at their kingdoms while Twilight was here. But they weren't too worried about twilight's safety, seeing how the other elements of harmony were in Ponyville and guards were posted to protect her and the castle.

"Okay, I'm coming." Spike yelled as he finally started coming out of the room.

"That's it? That's what took you so long to get ready?" I asked, confused. even by Twilight's expression, I could tell she agreed with me. Spike looked just the same as he did half an hour ago. Nothing had changed.

"You didn't even shine your scales or fixed your spikes, Spike." Twilight said to him, almost the same way a mother would complain to their kid for not fixing their hair or wearing proper clothes for church or something.

"It wasn't for me." Spike exclaimed, holding up a small box in his claws for us to see. "It's for THIS!" Holding it on the top of one of his hands, he used his other hand to grab the the top of the lid. Slowly pulling the lid off the box, he tilted the box slightly so we could get a better look inside. In the box, was a Purple jewel shaped liked a diamond, connected on a small gold chain.

"Ohhhh.... Spike, it's so pretty!" Twilight, said, as she used her magic to lift it out of the box and hold it up infront of us. "So this is that secret project you've been working on."

"Yep. This is my gift for Rarity. You think she'll like it?" He asked nerviously.

"I'm sure she'll love it." She said with a smile. She then placed the jewelry back into the box, and Spike placed the lid back on top of it. "Alright guys, now let's get going."

It was about ten in the morning when we finally started making our way out of the castle to head into Ponyville. Twilight was up at the crack of dawn, getting ready and trying to wake me and Spike up to get ready as well. I don't know about Spike, but it took me about two hours to get up, take a shower, get some breakfast and get woke up enough to get ready for the day. After wearing myself out yesterday by trying to use magic for the first time, my body was still feeling a little weak. So I decided to take it easy for today. No way I was going to try to use magic again any time soon.

Now that we was finally ready for the day, Twilight wanted to get to Ponyville as early as possible to make sure everything was running smoothly. As we exited the castle, a small group of guards were waiting for us outside. The leader, a pegasus in gold armor was standing in the front, clearly he was the leader of this little squad. He was a light orange color, with blue eyes. His mane, tail and the pomfy thing that was sticking out of his helmet (Which reminded me of a Roman helmet) was all blue. From the look of him, he almost seemed like one of those guys that tried to act cool, like a trend following bro, but he stood at us attentively. So at least he looked like he took his job seriously.

"My lady, everything is going just as you have asked." He said, his chest all puffed out like he was trying to act all tough. "My men are posted at different points of the town and ready for anything. I'm happy to report that no suspicious activity has been spotted yet."

"Good job, Flash. Keep me posted on any new updates." Twilight said with a smile.

"As you wish, my lady." He said, and I could swear I saw a quick smirk on his face. "Come men. Let's move out!" He command to the other guards. They turned around before walking off in a military type formation.

"What..... was that all about?" I asked, puzzled by what I had just seen.

"I had the guards posted across town to keep an eye on things." Twilight said matter of factly. "That way we'll be ready incase another monster decides to attack."

"I..... see." I said hesitantly. I understood that, but that wasn't what I was focused on. No, I was reading between the lines. That Flash guy had a thing for Twilight. I could tell, by his body movement, and the little smirks he gave. But what surprised me even more was that Twilight blushed a little when we first came up to him. She was able to brush it off, and acted normal afterword, but I could still tell.

"Alright guys, let's get going." Twilight said, snapping me out of my thoughts. "We have alot of things to cover, and I want to make sure everythings going smoothly before everypony shows up."

"Sure twilight." Spike answered, as he walked beside her as she walked off. I just rolled my eyes, before walking off after them.

Twilight was thorough, if anything else. Since her & Mayor Mare was running everything today, she wanted to check and make sure everything was ready for today. First she wanted to check the food section. Yes, the food section. Mr & Mrs cake had several long tables together, filled to the brim with baked goods. Even the apple family was working with them today, sending out some of their apple dishes for them to put on the table as well. The thing that surprised me though, was the fact that all this food was free to all. Back on earth, stalls of food during festival was always charging you for some. Especially in big towns. But here, it only cost a few bits or was free. Another thing I loved about Equestria.

As we walked up to the tables of food we saw Mr & Mrs cake busy placing trays of food on the table. We also saw Pinkie Pie there, playing happily with two little babies by the table while they were working.

"Hi guys!" pinkie said as she waved at us.

"Hi Pinkie." I said as I walked up to her. While I did that, Twilight and Spike walked up to Mr & Mrs Cake.

"Everything okay on your end?" Twilight asked as she looked at the food trays on the table.

"Yes your highness." Mr Cake said with a reassuring nod. "Everything's running smoothly and we've got even more ready to display when we start to run low."

"That's great to hear." Twilight said with a smile. "But please, just call me Twilight. You knew me long before I became a princess."

"So these are Mr & Mrs Cakes' kids?" I asked, while Twilight was talking to them.

"Yep. This is Pound Cake & Pumpkin Cake." Pinkie said as she pointed at the two babies sitting on the ground.

"They sure are cute." I said with a smile. I couldn't deny that they were cute beyond belief, as I watched Pinkie play with them. One was a light cream color with a brown mane & tail, and was a pegasus. This one was Pound Cake, the boy. The other one was a light yellow with a orange mane & tail, as well as a small horn on it's head. This unicorn was Pumpkin Cake, the girl. How could two earth ponies give birth to a pegasus and unicorn? I thought as I watched the small foals pile on Pinkie Pie.

"So, have the Apple family already brought their goods for the festival?" Twilight asked as she studied the tables. Sure enough, off on it's own side of the table was apple type snacks.

"Oh yes." Mrs Cake said as she finished arranging some trays on the table. "Applejack and her brother Big Mac already brought a big wagon full of apple made goods for us to place on the table."

"I see. So where are they now?" Twilight asked curiously.

"Big Mac already went to get ready for the preformance for later today." Mr Cake said.

"What about Applejack?" I asked, now joining their conversation.

"She and her sister Applebloom went to go enjoy themselves for today." Mrs Cake said, nodding at how the tables were full of tasty goods. "We don't mind, though. They brought plenty of treats to help out for the day, and we always do business with them." I thought for a second on that, but then realized they must have bought apples from them to use.

"That's good to hear. Spike?" Twilight asked, with a hint of a command to her tone.

"Right." He replied before taking a quill and checking off a list.

"Alright, well you guys keep up the great work. Bye." Twilight said, before she turned around and started walking away. Spike right behind her.

"Bye. Have fun at the festival today!" The Cakes called out before returning to work.

Before dashing off to catch up to them, I took a cookie from one of the trays and ate it greedily. As I started to try to catch up to Twilight & Spike, I heard Pinkie Pie call out, "Bye Mark! Have fun!" Followed by a "OUCH" and the sound of little foals laughing.

As we walked further into town, we soon came upon a small preforming type stage not far in the main part of town. It was big, easily able to fit at least ten or twelve ponies on it no problem. It had big blue curtains and a light purple backdrop curtain on it. I don't know what that thing is really called, so I'm just going with that. Anyway, as we neared the stage, we saw a group of ponies talking just in front of it. There was a female earth pony with a cream color coat but red/purple mane & tail in buns, she was a little chunky, but damn if she wasn't pretty. There was also a male earth pony that was all blue, and he was tall and skinny. I noticed that both of them were wearing green type sweaters. I also noticed that among them was Rarity, Big Mac and Fluttershy. While Fluttershy didn't wear one of those green sweaters, Rarity & Big Mac did, which made me realize they must be part of today's proformance.

"Hi guys. Is everything ready for the show?" Twilight asked as we walked up to them.

"Of course darling." Rarity said as she brushed her hair with a hoof. "We were just rehearsing our songs for today."

"You look stunning today Rarity." Spike said, in an almost tranced like state. I've seen that look before.

"Thank you Spike. Although I must admit I feel a touch tacky in this thing." She said in an almost snuddy tone.

"Hi Mark. Nice to see you today." Fluttershy said to me in her cute shy voice.

"Hi Fluttershy. It's good to see you too." I replied. "So what's with the get ups? You guys a band or something?"

"Why, as a matter of fact, we are." Rarity answered me.

"Yep." Big Mac simply said.

"This is the Ponytones." Twilight said, pointing at the group. "Their an acapella type band that's really starting to get famous across Equestria. They just formed this year, and already have done proformaces for big events and charities."

"There's even been offers for us to make a record deal!" Rarity said, almost excitedly. But a quick glance from Fluttershy & Big Mac made her clam back down. "but, of course we're not worried about the money or fame. It's about the music, and helping ponies in needs." She stated, earning an aproving nod from the group.

"Well, anyway, I'm glad to hear everything's good on your end." Twilight smiled. "We'll go ahead and let you rehearse. We still got other things to check on." She said, giving Spike a quick look. Without a word, he pulled out the quill & scroll to check off the list.

But before we started to moved on, a sudden look of realization hit Spike all at once.

"Wait!" He cried out, earning a look from all of us. He then walked over to Rarity and pulled out the small jewelry box. Seriously, how do they keep doing that?! They have no pockets! "Here Rarity, I got this for you."

Using her magic, she opened the lid and pulled the gift out of the box. Her eyes gleamed as she looked at the custom necklace in awe. Happy at the gift. "Why.... thank you Spike! This is positively beautiful!"

"Aww, your welecome Rarity." Spike said bashfully.

"You're so sweet, Spikey-wikey." She said before leaning over and giving him a small kiss on the cheek. The kid just melted. Hell, so would have I! "You're a good friend."

OUCH! That hurt! In my many times of being rejected by girls in highschool, the one thing i've heard many times was the classic "Let's just be friends" line. Followed by "I like you like a brother" or "I'm not ready for a relationship right now". In extreme cases, I even heard "You must be joking" or "Get away from me you freak". Needless to say, after almost asking out half the girls in my school and getting shot down, I decided to not ask another girl out ever again. But Spike didn't seem to care what Rarity had said. If anything, he looked happy as hell. That, or he was still enjoying the kiss.

"Spike, hurry up! We still have things to do." Twilight called back at him, as she was further away from the group then we were.

"Coming!" He yelled back. "Bye Rarity. See you later."

"Bye Spike." She chuckled, as she placed the necklace on her neck with her magic.

"Good luck you guys." I waved at the others before joining Twilight & Spike.

"Bye Mark." Fluttershy and Rarity said as they and the others waved back.

As we continued down our way, I noticed that me and Spike was further behind Twilight. So I figured I use the chance to talk to him, and find out what his thought were about Rarity's reaction to the gift. He seemed pleased about the whole deal, but I wasn't sure. Being hit by the friend status would have upseted me, even after a kiss on the cheek.

"So what do you think?" I asked Spike, keeping my voice low enough so it was just between the two of us.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"I mean, the way Rarity reacted to your gift." I explained.

"What are you talking about? She loved it!" He exclaimed. "See?" He pointed at his cheek which still had a kiss mark on it. "Loved it."

"Okay, I get that. But what about her just saying your a good friend? I mean, you worked on that gift for awhile and was hoping for a big payoff. Sure you got a kiss on the cheek, but don't you want something more? Pretty obvious to me that you think of her more then just a friend."

He paused for a moment, thinking hard on what I just said. then he finally looked up at me.

"Okay, it's true. I DO like Rarity more then just a friend." He said reluctantly, keeping his head hung low.

"Then why don't you tell her how you feel?"

"Because I'm afraid of what she might say!" Spike exclaimed, loud enough for Twilight to glance back at us for a second. Once she turned her head away from us, he continued. "I mean, get it. I'm a dragon and she's a pony. Not to mention I'm still a baby dragon. I know it could never work out."

"Do you love her?"

"Well, she's my best friend and..."

"Do. You. Love. Her?" I asked again more seriously.

"Of course I do!" He answered.

"Then tell you how you feel." I said with a smile.

"But how?" Spike asked.

"Don't worry. I might have an idea." I told him with a smirk. "We'll talk more about it later."

While Twilight & Spike finished talking with Rainbow Dash and some other pegasi about weather, before heading to city hall to check things over with Mayor Mare, I decided to hang back and relax for a bit. Not only was I still worn out from my magic stunt yesterday, but all this checking things out stuff was WAY boring. I mean, this was supposed to be a festival! Just because Twilight was a princess and had to check everything and make sure everything was just so, didn't mean I had to as well. So with that, I decided to park my butt on a nearby bench. Sitting there, I decided to take some time to enjoy the view and bask in the warmth of sure a great day.

As Noon approached, I noticed more and more ponies were now buzzing around town, enjoying the festival. Parents and children walked happily together as they decided which game stall they wanted to go to. Kids ran happily up and down the street as they took everything in. I even saw the CMC running with them, having a blast. I smiled at that. Couples walked close together as they enjoyed the day and each other's company. Even elder looking ponies looked to be having the time of their life. Ponyville still amazed me. It was such a friendly and great place to live, that I almost started to think ponies might be one step ahead of us humans. We were hardwired with hatred and a lust for war, while they were a kind and more peaceful race.

As I thought about the differences between humans & ponies, I noticed I was being watched out of the corner of my eye. Two mares were standing there, staring at me like I was the alien that I really was. Yeah.... I think I worded that right. Well, to be honest, one was staring, while the other was trying to get her friend to stop. The one staring was a unicorn with a green colored coat with a green mane & tail that had a white streak running down it. The other mare was an earth pony with a cream colored coat and swirling mane & tail that was half purple and pink. As I watched them, I tried to figure out why they were acting the way they were. Maybe my mane is messy or something.

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Lyra Just stared in awe as she watched the blue stallion sit on the bench, enjoying the day. He was the new pony who moved to Ponyville last week and saved the town from a rock golem. Mark Less Stevens, was his name, at least from what she had heard at Pinkie's surprise party the other day. She also heard that he was from a land far from Equestria, and was now staying with princess Twilight in the new castle in Ponyville. She had to admit, she found him a little curious, being an earth pony who was able to cast magic. But based on looks, he didn't seem like nothing special. That was, until today.

For today, she saw him sitting on a bench, just like a human would. The same way she always sat on them.

"Bon Bon, come here. You have to come see this." Lyra called over to her friend, never taking her eyes off of Mark.

"What is it, Lyra?" Bon Bon asked as she walked over to her friend. After playing a quick game of throwing a ball in some small cups.

"Look right there!" Lyra said as she pointed over at the bench. It was at this point that Mark turned his head just enough to look at her with one eye.

"Yeah, I see him. It's that new pony, Mark." Bon Bon said plainly, clearly not seeing what her friend was.

"No, not just that!" Lyra exclaimed, waving her arms frantically. "See the way he's sitting on the bench?"

"Yeah.... it's the same way you do. What about it?"

"Don't you see? He's sitting just like a human!" Lyra concluded.

"Oh Lyra, not this again." Bon Bon said, as she rolled her eyes. As long as she knew her friend, Lyra was always going on and on about humans, the extinct species that were wiped out ages ago and now lived only in stories & legends.

"Come on, Bon Bon! He might know something about humans!"

"Lyra, please. Just because he's from another land, doesn't mean he'd know anything about humans."

"But...."

"Come on. Let's go before you make another scene." Bon Bon said, before trying to pull her friend away before she got herself in trouble again. Lyra's obsession with humans have gotten her in big trouble before, even to the point of being put in a clinic for a few weeks. Bon Bon didn't want that to happen to her friend again.

"But Bon Bon! You don't understand!" Lyra protested as she tried to fight her way over to the stallion.

As Bon Bon continued to pull her friend away, while she fought madly to pull herself free, Mark just sat there watching them. A confused look plastered on his face.

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"Hey there, Mark!" A familiar country toned voice pulled me away from the two mares acting strangely.

"Applejack!" I said happily, as she walked over to me. "Great to see you."

"Same ta you as well." She said with a smile. "How ya enjoying the fair so far?"

"It's okay..." I began. "But so far I was following Twilight around while her & Spike walked around checking things off and making sure everything's running smooth." I explained while rolling my eyes. AJ just giggled at me. "I understand that's her job, and it's very important and it's part of her role and all.... but it's so LAME!"

"So I see." She laughed. "Just walking around and not enjoying everything a festival has ta offer, is no way to have fun."

"I agree." I said, as I crossed my arms. So far the day was slow and not very festive.

"Say Mark, how would ya like ta hang out and enjoy the fair today?" Applejack asked. Thoughts of being left at the fair by my ex flashed in my head.

"I don't know..."

"Oh come on. It'll be fun!" She said as she grabbed both my arms and pulled me off the bench.

"Okay. But if you leave me, I'm drowning my sorrows in cotton candy and milkshakes." I said, honest about it since that's what I did with my ex.

"Mark.... you're so random!" She laughed, before taking a hoof and tapping my forehead lightly. "Come on, let's go enjoy ourselfs."

And with that, I began my spend the day with Applejack.

This is the best festival ever! I thought as I walked next to Applejack, Rainbow Dash, the CMC, Ditzy & Dinky, Zecora and Pinkie Pie. We was now making our way to the stage to watch the Ponytones begin their proformance. Applejack and me had enjoyed the last two hours doing and seeing everything the Festival had to offer. First we just walked around and talked, about everything and nothing as we watched other ponies going about their business. Apparently my visit at Sweet Apple acres the other day had made quite an impact on the Apple family. Granny Smith went on and on about how glad she was that AJ had landed herself such a fine catch, much to mine and Applejack's embarrassment. Big Mac remained silent on the subject, but Applebloom was happy with the idea of her sister being with me. Applejack tried to explain that we were just friends, but Granny and Applebloom teased he by calling me her 'special somepony'.

Continuing to enjoy the festival, we soon made our way to the game stalls were we spotted the CMC playing. AJ suggested we play some games, and once she explained they were free to play, I quickly agreed. There were tons of games to play, from bobbing for apples to throwing a ball at a pile of empty milk bottles. The CMC watched as we played a few games, betting who could beat who in what game. While I struggled on a few games, and bombed on others (much to the CMC's amusement), Applejack smoked me. She scored so high in one game that the pony running the game gave her a stuffed bear. She just smiled and gave me the stuffed animal, calling it my second place prize. I thanked her, but had no intention of keeping it, so I gave it to applebloom.

We (by which I mean AJ, me & the CMC) then made our way to the food section for some snacks. It was then we ran into Ditzy Doo & Dinky Doo, eating muffins while talking to Pinkie Pie. We joined them and had a great time. Talking, laughing and just having a good old time. With Pinkie Pie now free to enjoy the festival herself, she decided to spend the rest of the day hanging with her friends. And since the more the marrier was the way with these ponies, I knew she would be hanging out with us as well. Not that minded, she was a blast to hang with. They all were. Not to sound all mushy, but I was glad I had friends like them.

It was when we started to make our way to the stage did we run into Zecora. I was happy to see her again, and she was glad to know I was doing well. I explained the events since we parted ways, as we all continued to make our way to the stage. Rainbow Dash soon joined us as well as she dropped out of the sky and landed next to us, scaring the hell out of me. That got a few laughs outta everypony, myself included. As we finally arrived at the stage and made our way to the front of the crowd, we saw Twilight, Spike and Fluttershy waiting for us. We all made small talk until the Ponetones walked up the stage, then we all got quiet.

"Welcome ever pony! Are you ready for a show?" Rarity asked the crowd. Earning applause, cheers and whistles from them.

It stayed that way for a few seconds before the crowd died down, allowing the group to finally preform. Silence fell over the crowd before Big Mac cleared his voice. Best festival ever. I thought as they began to sing.

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Meanwhile, far off the north, just past Neighagra Falls and near the Crystal Mountains, three griffons flew high in the air. Staying in close formation, they circled around in the air a few times, before finally making a discent to the mountains. Landing near the top of one of the cold mountains, they found themselves standing in front of a massive, dark cave.

"You sure this is the place?" One asked. Her eagle head was white, while the rest of her body was brown.

"Positive. This is where he said to meet us." The bigger male of the group answered. His head was a light gray, while the rest of his body was pure black. On his face across his left cheek was a huge scar. "Don't worry guys. He said he'd even pay us up front."

"Man it's cold up here." The other male, all white, said with a shiver. "I'm gonna freeze my feathers off out here.

"Don't worry, there's a cave right there for us to keep warm." The female said. "So, is he supposed to be in there?"

"Yeah. Wanted to make sure we weren't spotted either. This guys paraniod if you ask me." The black male said.

"In t-there?" The white one asked. "I don't know. Seems a liitle spooky, if you ask me."

"Aww, quit being a baby, Snow Feather." The female said before walking into the cave without looking back.

"Ha! See that? That's why Gilda here became my right hand." The black one said before following. "Keep this up, and I'll throw you out of the group like the last one!"

"Y-y-yes sir!" Snow Feather gulped before dashing to catch up.

They walked into the cave until it became too dark for them to see. They stopped as they looked around in the darkness, trying to find their employer.

"Uhh.... you sure he's here Dark Claw? It's too dark to see anyone." Gilda said.

"Trust me, he's here. This guy likes to stay in the dark. Gets off on it or something." Dark Claw answered.

"Sounds a little creepy." Snow Feather replied.

Well, well, well. What do we have here. Three little birdies ready to follow orders. A loud voice boomed out of the darkness. Causing the three griffons to jump in surprise.

"Who is that?!" Snow Feather yelled, as he looked ready to fall from a heart attack.

"Where is that coming from?" Gilda asked in surprise, looking all around. "That sounded like it came from everywhere!"

Dark Claw kept his cool, as he glared in the shadows with look of purpose. "State your business." He demanded.

To the point, I like that about you griffons. Always ready to see the job done, no matter what. And I heard many good things about you mercenaries. About how to get in and out in no time. Doing anything to achieve your goals. The voice said.

"We're the best." Death Claw proclaimed, puffing his chest out proudly. "And we're also expensive. Do you have the bits we talked about?" He asked in a serious tone.

Without a word, a large sack full of gold bits floated from the shadows in a green aura, before falling by their feet. This made the griffons smile greedily.

"Good. Now then, on to business." Dark Claw said with a smirk.

In Ponyville there is a blue stallion by the name of Mark Less Stevens. He has something of mine, and I want it back. Find and bring him back to me. The Voice ordered. A pair of fangs showed through the darkness.

"No offense, but how are we supposed to find him in a hic town full of ponies?" Gilda asked.

Don't worry. He'll be easy to spot. He's the only male adult stallion without a cutie mark. The voice chuckled. Now green glowing eyes appeared with the fangs, the irises of them blood red.

"And what do you want us to do once we find him?" Dark Claw asked.

Like I said, bring him back to me. Alive... or dead.

Author's Note:

Holy baked muffins, batman! It took me awhile to finish this one. But now that I finished this chapter, I can start to move on with the plot. Anyway, hope you all enjoy the story and continue to read more as I finish them.
In the words of Stan Lee: "You keep reading them, I'll keep writing them."
P.S: I also finally added Lyra & Bon Bon for their fans, so that's cool. Hope I can use them more in the future.

Comments

[PinkiePieFox]

aslo = also

*****

aproving = approving

*****

Seriously, how do the keep doing that?!

how does he keep doing that?!
OR
how do they keep doing that?!

*****

Hell, so would have I

(This just sounds off to me, But it could just be me.)

*****

ove = over

*****

Mark just just sat there watching them

to many just

*****

fave = have

*****

liitle = little

****

They stopped as the looked around in the darkness, trying to find their employer.

the = they

****

fromthe

Needs to be a space here...

*****

Ctrl + F will open a little window at the top of the screen, Place words copyed from this list into it to find swiftly. It helps with finding and editing.

[PinkiePieFox]

On another note... Great chapter! I liked it! I cant wait to see what happens with the assassins! And Gilda. And the crazyness that is bound to come with it!

[Aerigim]

4523885 also needs to watch the use of was and were

[the blazing tiger]

I noticed that me and Spike was further behind Twilight.

It should be "Spike and I were"

"Then tell you how you feel." I said with a smile.

Her.