//------------------------------// // Viva La Stampede! // Story: The Whisper in My Ears // by FlashFoward //------------------------------// “Come on Fluttershy!” Spike begged. “No, I couldn’t do such a thing!” Spike tried his best to make puppy eyes at her to get his way. Fluttershy had to look away from Spike as he did this. Fluttershy knew if she looked she was bounded to be suckered into helping Spike. Frustration started to build up for Spike. How in the world was it so HARD to convince Fluttershy of something? The one time she had to stand her ground is with him, which made Spike feel less macho. “Alright, I’ll stop asking.” Spike said, finally giving in. “Good, now if you don’t mind Spike I’ll be looking at the animals.” Fluttershy said with a smile, she walked off. You give up quick. “I can’t force her into it. Besides, Fluttershy is just to…” Spike tried to finish his sentence, but had no idea how to wrap it up. Soft? “No not that.” Spike dismissed. Ah, you don’t want to make her upset. She isn’t the soft one, you are. “Me? Please, I am a dragon!” Spike said, puffing out his chest to make him look intimidating. Correction, you’re a baby dragon. And who can’t be a little soft when it comes to her? She is just to kind and sensitive. “That’s the word I was looking for. You’re right; almost no one can bare making Fluttershy upset.” Spike replied dully. Got a backup plan? “I thought you would know me by now?” Spike said, in an amused tone. No backup then. “There we go.” Spike replied. Well, I can teach you how to have a…stronger presence in your voice. “Really, mind teaching me?” Spike said, barely holding back his excitement. Not a lot of ponies can do it… “Do I look like a pony?” Spike joked. No, fine, let training start now… Spike was going to be in a world of yelling and ear popping didn’t he wasn’t really warned about. The whisper didn’t really mined Spike doing so bad at the start, but when an hour rolled by you can tell the whisper was growing fed up with Spike’s lack of productivity. WHY MUST THOU FAIL AT THIS SO MUCH? "QUIT BEING SO HYSTERIC, YOU’RE WORSE THEN AN OLD HAG!” Spike snapped back angrily. The power behind Spike’s uproar snapped tree bark and made birds grow hushed in horror. In the distance there was an audible yelp, probably Fluttershy no doubt. Anger is the best motivator. Spike just grumbled in reply “Yeah.” I dare say you’re louder than I am. Perhaps, it was just your temper though. Anyway, time to scare off some animals, yes? “I’ll give it a try.” Spike replied sheepishly Spike let out a cough and followed up with some “throat exercises”. We don’t have all day you know! “Can’t rush perfection, you know.” Spike teased. “Anyway, RUN COWARDS! OR THOU SHALL PERISH!” Spike bellowed. Tree barked snapped and animals of various kinds yelped and shrieked of horror. Spike could hear the thundering stomping of the running animals. You done it now. “Run?” Spike asked nervously. Let me see, a stampede of animals ready to run you over at any moment…YES RUN! Spike ran as fast as he could but the speed of the stampede was proving too much. A deer ran up to Spike and knocked him straight into the air, making Spike land right on its back. The deer was running up to the solid glass window of the Gala. Spike covered his face and prepared himself for the collision. The glass cracked and the stampede rushed into the ballroom. Spike rode the deer to the middle of the ballroom and Spike couldn’t help but laugh when so many ponies were running from even the smallest of the animals, like a squirrel. “Not this again!” a mare screamed as a fox ran past her. “Spike, what are you doing?” Spike looked down and saw…Celestia and Luna glaring at him. If Spike wasn’t scared of his life, he would have sworn both the princesses were smiling a bit. “Oh hey Princess Celestia and Luna, how are you doing?” Spike asked sheepishly. “I was going to ask the same thing. And why are you on a deer?” Celestia asked, bemused that Spike was riding a deer. “Huh? About the deer, yeah I got nothing.” Spike shrugged. “If making a commotion is what you planned, you obviously found success.” Luna said, giggling that Spike’s deer started to chew on a stallion’s tail without his notice. “Seems like mayhem follows me around worse than Discord.” Spike groaned. His deer successfully chewed off a chunk of the stallion’s tail by now. “Don’t beat up yourself up to bad Spike. In fact, I find this rather comical.” Luna said with a rare smile. “You sound familiar…” Spike suddenly wondered. “Me? I would hope so, we have met before.” Luna said in reply. “You know what I mean.” Spike said. For a moment, Luna looked surprised and taken aback by Spike’s questions. “I guess it’s time to tell him?” Luna said, looking up at her sister. “Spike, we were the whispers in your ear.” Celestia said promptly. “Wait what!” Spike said in mild surprise. “Yep, we have been coaching you through the entire night.” Luna said, giving Spike a knowing wink. “So wait, you taught me the Royal Canterlot voice?” Spike said in shock. “You really taught him that?” Celestia said, offering a light hearted smile to Luna. “How was he going to terrify the animals without Fluttershy scaring them off? It was either teaching him this or this would never happen.” Luna answered. “Well, at least now no one can fun of my growl.” Spike shrugged, remembering the bird pecking his nose after he bared his teeth at it. “I must say, Spike are you sure you haven’t been taking lessons from Discord?” Celestia joked. “Not funny. I don’t use my pranks to cause chaos.” Spike said in a hurt voice. “I don’t know, sure are a lot of animals running around.” Celestia said, eyeing Spike’s deer. Spike didn’t smile and dismounted from his deer. He somewhat regretted doing this because he felt so much smaller next to the princesses now without the help of his deer giving him some height. “Looks like your friends are coming over.” Luna said. Spike turned around and saw Fluttershy, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity coming ever closer. Feeling panic creep into his chest, Spike almost decided to make a run for it. But Luna magically rooted Spike to the spot. “Oh come on!” Spike hissed at Luna. “What ever happen to the big bad dragon?” Luna teased. “Don’t remind me.” Spike growled. “Spike, how could you ruin the Gala and…Oh my gosh, the princesses!” Twilight said. “Do not scrutinize Spike for this only my faithful student. Luna and I have been giving Spike ideas and got him here from the start.” Celestia said, trying to spare Spike the roasting he was going to receive. It seemed like Twilight could not handle that her mentor would do something so out of her image. Shortly after Celestia told Twilight about her involvement in Spike’s pranks, she fainted. “I guess Twilight never thought that even I need a good laugh from time to time.” Celestia said. Spike walked over to Twilight, “WAKE UP TWILIGHT.” “Making good use of your new talent I see.” Luna said. Twilight jerked her eyes open, obviously taken aback by Spike’s powerful voice. “Spike, where in Equestria did yall learn how talk that way?” Applejack said in mild surprise. “I learned from the best.” Spike said, giving Luna a knowing wink. It seemed like Applejack caught on to what Spike was trying to say because she didn’t say anything more on the subject. Pinkie trotted up to Spike, and for some reason looked angry. “You promised me a song Spike.” Pinkie whined. “Uhh…” Spike groaned. “I think we can still play a song or two.” Octavia suddenly said. Spike noticed Octavia and her fellow musicians sneaked up right behind him. “Don’t you have the best timing?” “I try my hardest.” Octavia teased. “So what do you say Pinkie?” Octavia asked. “But of course!” Pinkie said with such eagerness it made it sound like yes was the only option. “You know the Pony Pokey, right?” Pinkie asked Octavia. “Simple enough let me make the band aware of the song though. And Spike, I still need a piano player.” Octavia replied. “I don’t know if my claws are up to it.” Spike said, gingerly holding up his bruised claws to show Octavia. “You can still sing with me Spike! You don’t need claws for that!” Pinkie added. “Got a mic?” Spike asked. Pinkie replied with giving Spike a purple one. “Do you just carry these around or something?” Spike asked obviously bemused how Pinkie is able to carry anything. “I have no idea!” Pinkie replied with her usual enthusiasm, holding a pink microphone of her own. Before the song started, Spike walked toward Octavia, who was practicing on her cello. You would think that pranking ponies all night would worry somepony of being caught, but not Spike. But here he was, nervous that he was trying to talk to Octavia. “Hey Octavia, I got something for you.” Spike sheepishly said. “Huh?” Octavia said in surprise, trying to hide her excitement from Spike. Spike handed her his rose from his pocket. Octavia stared at the rose for a while, the longer she did the more nervous Spike would become. “I know it’s not much but-“ Spike started to babble but was cut short when Octavia give him a kiss on the check. “It’s perfect.” Octavia whispered into his ear. She placed it on her mane and Spike thought she looked just wonderful.