• Published 21st Nov 2014
  • 927 Views, 1 Comments

Pony's Best Friend - Brass Polish



Winona sucums to a potion meant for stray dogs and Applejack can't help but hate the kind of naughty pet she has become.

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1 Marewolf

“Ow, my tail!” cried Spike. “I think I crushed it!”

Twilight jumped out of bed and looked around in a daze. Spike was curled up in his basket holding his tail and wincing in pain.

“Did you fall asleep on your tail?” asked Twilight.

“Yeah,” Spike groaned. “I bent it the wrong way.”

Twilight flinched a bit. “Ooh, lying on it like that for three hours? That must really hurt.”

“You got that right. Got any potions I could take?”

Twilight hurried off downstairs to grab an anti-inflammatory draught.

“I hope it’ll be strong enough,” she said when she came back and Spike took a few spoonfuls. “It’s meant for ponies. Dragon muscles are a lot tougher to sooth.”

Sure enough, Spike was still in agony hours later. Neither he nor Twilight could sleep as a result.

In the end, they decided that even though it was very late, they would go to the Everfree Forest and visit Zecora.

“Worry not for waking me,” Zecora said as she produced a bottle of a yellowy sort of liquid. “Of service, I am glad to be.”

“Thank you, Zecora,” said Twilight, paying the herbalist five bits. “Spike really needs to be able to sleep. We’ve been working hard on a project for the mayor all day.”

“Curiosity compels me to ask,” said Zecora. “Please tell me about this task.”

“Well, Ponyville’s got a bit of a stray dog problem,” Twilight explained. “They’re a bit out of control. And Fluttershy can’t accommodate all of them. So I’m…”

Bash!

“Oh, no! I forgot to close the door!” cried Twilight.

Zecora had once told Twilight and her friends about a marewolf that wanders around the house when there was a full moon out, but it never left the Everfree Forest. At this moment, as the marewolf advanced on them with its teeth bared and claws raised, Twilight wished she’d put dealing with the marewolf higher on her to-do list.

“Take my hoof!” Twilight shouted to Zecora as Spike climbed onto her back.

Before the marewolf could reach them, Twilight had flown them up to the ceiling. They had just flown out of the door when Twilight suddenly felt herself getting heavier. She was seeing a greenish fog everywhere she looked. Then she realised that it was magic forcing her, Zecora and Spike back down to the ground.

“It’s got a horn on its head!” Spike pointed at the marewolf as it came out of Zecora’s house. “It was a unicorn when it got bitten!”

“This is bad!” said Twilight. “Unicorn marewolves have an almost unbreakable magic ability!”

The marewolf stomped towards them with an open, hungry mouth, while Twilight tried in vain to teleport them all away from it. Spike stood up on Twilight’s back, took a deep breath, and belched a huge flurry of green fire at the marewolf. It backed off for a moment, and when it took another step towards them, Spike shot flames at it again.

“Careful, Spike! Don’t hurt yourself even more!” Twilight warned.

But Spike carried on firing at the marewolf every time it tried to get them. His throat started to go, but he didn’t give up until the marewolf finally backed away, lifted the entrapment spell off the trio, and left them alone completely.

“Ah, the monster has taken a hike,” Zecora smiled, letting go of Twilight. “Very well done to you, Spike.”

“No, problem.”

Spike jumped. His voice had almost gone out. He went a bit red when Twilight and Zecora chuckled at his odd squeak.

“Sorry, Spike,” said Twilight. “Um, could we trouble you again, Zecora?”

“Please Princess Twilight, hold onto your money,” insisted the zebra. “By midday, Spike’s voice should not sound funny.”

“Well, if you’re sure,” said Twilight, “We better get outta here.”

And so, Zecora ran into her house and shut the door, and, with much wobbling, Twilight flew Spike up into the air and over the Everfree Forest far away from any marewolves.

Zecora’s medicine worked well on Spike’s tail, so he and Twilight slept the rest of the night away after they’d returned to the Library. But in in the morning, the baby dragon’s tail was still a little sore, and his voice was still squeaky. Twilight felt bad about giggling, but Spike understood.

Later, Twilight and Spike were visited by Applejack and Winona.

“Howdy, Twilight. I heard you had some kinda dog project going on,” said Applejack. “Wanted to know if we could help ya out.”

Winona wagged her tail enthusiastically.

“Thanks Applejack, but my project is for stray, out of control dogs,” Twilight told her. “And Winona here is the best behaved dog I know.”

“That’s not how I remember it,” said Spike, recalling his pet-sitting misadventure.

Applejack suddenly exploded with laughter.

“Wha- what’s up with…” she could hardly even speak.

Twilight tried to tell her about Spike saving her and Zecora from the marewolf, but Applejack didn’t hear a thing over her own manic laughter.

“Say… say something else!” Applejack started crying.

Spike frowned and turned back toward the Library.

“Come on! Just one more time!”

“Please, Applejack. Spike’s had a rough night,” said Twilight.

“Hey Winona, there’s Spike! Go on! Go play with Spike!” shouted Applejack.

“What?! No!” shouted Spike in his squeaky voice.

Winona loved to pester Spike whenever she got the chance, and this was the first time Applejack allowed her to do it. She began chasing Spike around the Library and every time he squeaked at her to leave him alone, Applejack let out another jet of laughter.

“Jeez! At least Pinkie Pie knows where to draw the line!” Spike squealed provoking more laughter from Applejack.

At last, Twilight got her attention. “Applejack, as princess of Ponyville, I order you to stop laughing!”

Applejack did her best, and soon she’d stopped laughing completely even though Spike was still squeaking at Winona to go away.

“What’d ya have to pull rank for, Twi?” Applejack asked.

By this point, Spike was furious. Winona wouldn’t stop running all around him pawing at him and barking happily. He hadn’t realised that Applejack had stopped laughing because his angry eyes had spotted Twilight’s beaker of fresh behaviour modification potion.

“Thirsty, Winona?” he growled squeakily.

“That’s why his voice is messed up,” Twilight finished her story about the events of the previous night.

“A marewolf?” Applejack blanched. “Sorry, I had no idea.”

“Don’t apologise to me,” said Twilight.

“Right.” Applejack looked into the Library. “Winona, come…”

Winona was still barking and running around, but not just around Spike. The two ponies were surprised to see her knocking furniture over and shredding books.

“Whoa there, girl! Don’t go bananas!” cried Applejack.

Twilight groaned. “Spike, tell me you didn’t…”

Spike, a look of lividity on his face, was tossing the empty beaker up and down. Winona quickly snatched it in her mouth and ran around the room with it.

Twilight considered. “I can’t say I blame you, Spike.”

“What did he do?” asked a very concerned Applejack.

“That potion was supposed to give mischievous dogs self-control,” explained Twilight, “But if you use it on a dog that is already well behaved…”

Winona had abandoned the empty beaker. She jumped up, grabbed Applejack’s hat and ran away from the Library so fast, she was practically a blur.

Applejack gave chase and by the looks of it, Winona was running back to Sweet Apple Acres.

“Hope she doesn’t bug Big McIntosh while he’s working,” panted Applejack.

The first thing she saw when she reached the front gate was upset trash cans. Then she heard a commotion from the orchard. Big McIntosh had been applebucking, but Winona got in the way and he’d accidentally knocked over his basket. When Applejack caught up, bruised red galas were all over the ground.

“Who pulled Winona’s ears?” asked Big McIntosh.

Applejack went as red as the spilt galas. “Let’s just say I paid the price for laughing at someone with a funny voice.”

Big McIntosh raised an eyebrow. “Me?”

“No, not you big brother.”

Winona still had Applejack’s hat in her mouth as she was running around the trees.

Applejack whistled at her. “Come, Winona!”

Winona ran up to her wagging her tail profusely.

“Put my hat down, now.”

She did, but as soon as Applejack tried to take it back, she grabbed it and ran off again.

“Hey! Get back here!”

Applejack lost sight of Winona as she made her way towards the barn, but eventually she found her hat lying on the ground beneath some trees.

“Where’s that crazy dog, now?” groaned Applejack.

The next time Applejack saw Winona was minutes later running around with Apple Bloom’s bow in her mouth. Applejack looked around and saw her little sister further away running in the wrong direction.

“She over here, Apple Bloom!” Applejack called.

Apple Bloom turned around and ran towards Applejack and the wild Winona.

“What’s got into Winona?” she panted as she passed.

“Could ya just keep her busy for a bit?” asked Applejack, putting her bite-marked hat back on. “I’ve got work to do.”

Applejack and Big McIntosh were trying to finish bucking the red gala trees, but Apple Bloom couldn’t keep Winona in check and so they were constantly being interrupted by loud barking, upturned baskets and brownish blurs getting between their hind legs and the trees. Finally, Applejack decided to give up and get Apple Bloom and Granny Smith to finish her work while she tried to get Winona under control.

“I’d love to go applebucking!” Apple Bloom said enthusiastically. “I’m sure Granny Smith will be happy to give it a go too as soon as she gets her teeth back from Winona.”

Author's Note:

Inspired by Jeff Allen's bit about puberty, and waking up one morning with my shoulder in agony.