My Heart's Content

by Doctor Disco

11 - Let The Games Begin!

Yeah.

I was right.

“Come on, Melody!” Rainbow cries as she and the others move forwards and towards someplace I’m reluctant to go.

“If you really want to, that is,” Fluttershy assures me as she and Spike are walking beside me. I smile gratefully at Fluttershy.

“Are your friends always like this?” I ask Fluttershy.

“Well, not always…” Fluttershy begins, “Only when they really want to make friends with somepony. In this case, I guess it’s you.”

“Well, why aren’t you as ecstatic as they are in trying to befriend me?” I inquire, and Fluttershy eeps a little.

“Oh, um, you don’t seem like the kind of pony who enjoys things happening all of a sudden. Like us wanting to make sure you feel belonged… You don’t look to comfortable with the idea.”

“You also seem tense, like, really tense,” Spike says to my right, and I furrow my brows at him.

“Well, you’re both not wrong, but…” I begin, “There’s just… something happened. And I don’t know if… if making new friends is the way to get past it…”

“Well, as Twilight always likes to say,” Spike began, clearing his throat before setting his voice to a high pitch, “‘Friendship is magic’!”

I glance between, Spike, Twilight who is ahead of us, and Fluttershy. “Does she actually say that?”

“Er, yes?” Fluttershy whispers and I face her with a smirk. I begin to giggle at the thought.

“Heh, ‘Friendship is magic’. Wow. That… that is way over-the-top cheesy. Seriously.”

“Well, we do use the magic of friendship to defeat evil demons and corrupted rulers,” Fluttershy relates, and I turn to look at her once more quizzically.

“...What?” I ask, and Fluttershy widens her eyes at what she had said.

“Oh, uh…” Fluttershy begins to shrink under my gaze and I frown. Huh. Her shyness seems so sporadic. Like one moment, she’s okay with casual conversation, and the next, she’s clamming up. Weird.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to answer. I’ll just ask one of your friends when we get to wherever it is we’re going.”

We begin to walk in silence once more. As Fluttershy and I silently watch the group ahead energetically discuss what they’re going to do with me (saying the words in that order sends a shiver down my spine), Spike seems to be munching on gems that he’s pulling from… somewhere.

“If you don’t mind me asking,” I begin, addressing Spike, “May I ask what you are?”

Spike seems to be caught a little off guard by the question as he coughs and sputters a little before settling down. “Oh, what?”

“What are you?” I ask. “Because you’re purple and green, and you have claws and a tail, you walk on two legs, and you have scales and sharp teeth. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were a dragon.”

“That’s because I am a dragon! Or more specifically, a drake, since I don’t have my wings yet.”

That makes me stop in my tracks. “There… there are dragons here too?”

“Oh, yes!” Fluttershy says, her wings suddenly fluttering as the topic begins to excite her. “Spike’s just a baby dragon. There are all kinds of dragons and flying reptiles all over Equestria! They can all breathe fire and most can fly, but Spike can’t yet, because he’s just a baby, and did I mention Spike’s a baby dragon? He’s so cute!”

“You know, in relation to you girls, I’m more a teen than anything,” Spike grumbled as Fluttershy continued to rave on about Spike. “I was Dragon Lord for like, three hours too you know.”

I chuckle at Spike’s schadenfreude. “So what, you’re like, thirteen?” I ask.

“Mmm, more like 14,” Spike says.

“Oh,” I mutter, making a ‘not bad’ expression. “Are they all as nice as you are?”

“Oh, not a chance,” Spike says, kicking a pebble that was in his path. “I knew this one guy, Garble, in the dragon lands. He was a real bully, but I think I got him to come around. Also, the previous Dragon Lord was HUGE.” Spike emphasises by widening his eyes, puffing his cheeks and spreading his arms as far as they could go. “Like, the whole hive could’ve bonded together and he would still be at least two times bigger than us.”

“What?!” I ask him, not believing him. “But didn’t you say you were Dragon Lord?”

“Yeah. But that was only a short time, like I also said. I gave the sceptre thing to Ember, so she’s Dragon Lord now. She’s pretty cool.”

“Whoa,” I shiver, “Something feels weird about that. As if what you just said happened before it should’ve.”

“What?” Spike asks but I can’t help shake the feeling that something is wrong.

“I don’t know… just… feels odd. Like something happened out of turn.”

“Well, now that you mention it,” Spike murmurs to himself, thinking about it. “It does feel weird…”

“It’s like reverse deja vu,” I say, and Spike nods his head.

“Hey, Melody,” Fluttershy interrupts, and I turn my attention back to Fluttershy. “I think we’re here…”

I face forward and find everypony is grinning at me, at the head of what looks to be an obstacle course. “So, uh, what’s up with the… thing?” I say vaguely, mentioning the course behind them.

“Oh, this?” Rainbow smiles, “It’s an obstacle course! What’s better than a team-building game to get to know your friends, huh?”

“Writing songs and singing them together?” I suggest and Rainbow frowns.

“Uh, I don’t know about that. Anyways, you’ll be partnered with me, Twilight will be with Spike, Rarity with Applejack, and Fluttershy... well, she can participate if she wants. That way, I can show you my awesomeness!”

“Uh, sorry to burst your bubble, Rainbow, but you said this here was a team-building activity? Not the ‘Rainbow gets to show off her skills’ game?” Applejack points out, and Rainbow laughs embarrassingly.

“Oh, right,” Rainbow mutters, rubbing the back of her neck. “That.”

Meanwhile, I glance over at Fluttershy and see her growing expression of horror, while I look over at Spike and see his tired disapproval. I then see Fluttershy take a step back, opting to just watch things unfold. Sighing myself, I walk up to Rainbow. “Alright, fine. Looks like I have no other choice anyways, so let’s go.”

“I would’ve preferred you choose something more… graceful and elegant, Rainbow,” Rarity pipes in as she and Applejack met up, “But if it means Melody’s participation, I’ll live with it. Besides, with what I have in mind for us later, getting a little dirty won’t be a problem.”

Rainbow groans as she lands beside me on the ground. “Come on, Rarity. The spa? Really?”

“But of course!” Rarity chimes, “You can get one of those wing massages to get all those kinks and cramps out after our little competition here.”

Looking at Rainbow’s reaction to the thought, I can’t help but fail at stifling a giggle. Rainbow’s face has now reddened, and Rainbow grumbles with an overabundance of enthusiasm (sarcasm is great). “You like those wing massages, eh?” I say and Rainbow glares at me.

“Shut it. They’re… surprisingly good, okay?” Rainbow whispers threateningly before allowing. “No more talking, just racing.”

“How else am I supposed to communicate, then?” I ask as we all begin to get pumped up. “Through hoof massages?” I say with a smirk.

“Zip it, or I’ll hit you with the magic of friendship so hard you’ll be sent to the moon.”

“Is that where you get your wing massages?” I tease and Rainbow sighs with hatred, dropping her head.

“You know what, Melody?” Rainbow narrows her eyes at me, and I give my best dirt-eating grin I could.

“Don’t look at me, look at Rarity.”

Rainbow stares at me for a few seconds longer, before snorting. “Whatever.”

“Best friends, Rainbow!” I say in mirth and Rainbow shakes her head.

“Yeah yeah, let’s get over with this already.”

“You’re the one who wanted it.”

“That was before I knew you would be roasting me all day long!”

“Only because Rarity mentioned it.”

“3, 2, 1, GO!”

“Whatever you say, Rainbow.”

Author's Note:

Yep.

Chapter 3/3. Enjoy!

Comments

[Samellan]

There will be payback!

[Chrome Masquerade]

“You know, in relation to you girls, I’m more a teen than anything,” Spike grumbled as Fluttershy continued to rave on about Spike. “I was Dragon Lord for like, three hours too you know.”

I chuckle at Spike’s schadenfreude. “So what, you’re like, thirteen?” I ask.

“Mmm, more like 14,” Spike says.

“Oh,” I mutter, making a ‘not bad’ expression. “Are they all as nice as you are?”

“Oh, not a chance,” Spike says, kicking a pebble that was in his path. “I knew this one guy, Garble, in the dragon lands. He was a real bully, but I think I got him to come around. Also, the previous Dragon Lord was HUGE.” Spike emphasises by widening his eyes, puffing his cheeks and spreading his arms as far as they could go. “Like, the whole hive could’ve bonded together and he would still be at least two times bigger than us.”

“What?!” I ask him, not believing him. “But didn’t you say you were Dragon Lord?”

“Yeah. But that was only a short time, like I also said. I gave the sceptre thing to Ember, so she’s Dragon Lord now. She’s pretty cool.”

Also,

[Texus]

Nice chapter, but all the time they shake their head at something dissaprovingly, I think that someone is going to talk about stuff like "Fluttershy not wanting to do that", or just actually doing something against what they believe is a problem.