//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 - Tension and Experimentation // Story: Little You switcharoo // by Yosh-E-O //------------------------------// Spike clutched the edges of his latest Power Ponies comic and rolled his eyes. Yeah, I barely get any time to goof off, Twi, he thought bitterly. He flipped a few pages, but found that his eyes would skim the words without actually comprehending their meaning. He sighed and set it aside and began looking around his room. Its meager decorations consisted of a few framed photos depicting him hanging out with Twilight and her friends. There were also some decorative carvings strewn among the walls of multi-colored ponies and dragons of various types and colors. He had his very own bed, albeit a small basket to sleep in, and a small chest where he kept his things. “Huh, I really should talk to Twilight about my room,” he said, surveying the bare environment for the first time in ages. Feels… lonely, he thought. He smiled just slightly, however, upon noticing the one framed trophy that hung just above his bed. Spike picked it up and smiled at the golden plaque with the tiny etched in text. Number One Assistant to Twilight Sparkle “I guess she really does count on me a lot, huh?” he said to himself while hanging it back up. He fell a spike of pride sweep through him as he completely forgot about his bare room. “Well, I’m gonna show her what a real assistant can do!” He exclaimed and darted away from his room as he swept his way downstairs. He spotted the mare in question who appeared to be examining a large shiny rock of some kind. Every once ina while she would scribble down some notes with her levitated quill, but otherwise didn't look away to acknowledge the baby dragon. “Hey Twilight!” Spike roared out, eager to rectify her lapse in perception. Twilight yelped in surprise as her head was conked forward, knocking the strange rock off its case. Spike dived forward and caught the thing before it so much as touched a millimeter of wooden floor. “I’m sorry, Twilight! I just got kind of excited and-” “Spike! What have I told you about interrupting me when I’m working on my experiments? You could have damaged it!” “I’m sorry, alright?” He placed it back on its case rather carefully and looked up to her with a hopeful; smile. “I just came running down because I wanted to help you with, uh, whatever this is.” She scoffed with yet another roll of her eyes. “Oh really? Sure you don’t want to go read more comics?” She asked in a half-teasing tone. He shook his head. “C’mon, Twi. Aren’t I your number one assistant? Let me help!” He held up his claws in a pleading gesture and Twilight silently giggled. “...Maybe, Spike this is a very delicate artifact that Princess Celestia--” “You ever wonder why she has so many weird or rare artifacts to send you?” Spike suddenly asked over her. “Uh… I- I’m not sure how to answer that, Spike. She’s… very old and has acquired a large assortment of weird and strange items over the years. Anyway, this,” she said, still eyeing the black surface, “is the “’i]Dragon Vessel’. Celestia claims it could unify the friendship of dragon and ponykind through-” “The magic of friendship?” Spike quipped. She snorted. “No. Well… maybe, she only had a small number of notes on it. But Spike, this draconic artifact could finally prove that Dragons and Ponies lived together in harmony! This is so exciting!” Spike idly poked the thing, watching it tip from side to side. “Uh, but it’s just a rock?” He then sniffed the air and shrugged. “Doesn’t even smell appetising.” “It’s not a gem, Spike. It’s proof, proof of a time before our race’s separation and bitterness.” “I’m not bitter…” he muttered and was immediately brought in for a hug while Twilight pushed him forward with just a hint of her magic. “No, never you, Spike. But I can’t say the same for other dragons.” Spike snorted. “Yeah,” he said, giggling a bit. “Just ask Rainbow Dash. Heh, teach her to kick a dragon in the snout.” Twilight went to respond, but the words died in her throat. She paused to examine Spike and gently wiped her right front hoof along the back of his spines, smiling slightly. The drake took the message and smiled back. “You know, Spike, maybe you can help me out,” she said rather slowly. The drake beamed and wriggled his way out of her hug and struck a pose with his claws pointed upwards and a powerful smirk on his face. “Spike, Number One Assistant ready to help!” She smirked. “Right, I’m not certain if this next experiment will actually yield any results, but I need a dragon for it.” Spike puffed out his chest while still smiling and rubbed his claws along it. “Well, luckily you have this handsome gentledrake to work with,” he said. “Yeah, so lucky,” she said in a deadpan tone. “Ahem, now, according to Princess Celestia’s notes on the matter, the vessel can be activated if an equine, such as myself, and a certain baby dragon both touch it in unison!” “Uni what?” he asked, scratching his head. She giggled. “It means at the same time.” He smacked his head and nodded. “Right, are you ready?” she asked and placed her front hoof on the top of the rock. He saluted her comically and nodded. “Ready!” He then slowly reached out to place his right claw just below where Twilight had her hoof. His claws tingled with anticipation until he finally felt the cool feeling of the odd artifact. They waited and waited, until Twilight sighed. “Nothing,” she said, shaking her head. Spike shrugged. “Maybe you need to use magic on it- oh! Or maybe I need to, like, breath my magic dragon fire on the rock. Oh… that would burn your hoof, huh?” He asked, blushing at her deadpan glare. She sighed. “She did warn that it would require quite a bit of tinkering to activate, but it should have done something. Hmm…” she hummed while narrowing her eyes at the baby drake. “What?” Is there something on my face? he thought, feeling around. “Spike, I think you may have been onto something,” she said, slowly removing her hoof and setting it down. “But first, have you been practicing your fire aiming?” This again? “Yes, Twilight. I know how to use my fire, thank you,” he said, clicking his teeth in annoyance. “Us dragons are are exceptionally well tuned for handling our flames,” he stated with supreme confidence while puffing out his chest. She blinked. “Uh, but what about the time when you were working with Rarity on that dress and--” Spike lurched forward, his eyes widening and he covered her muzzles, making a shushing noise. “She’ll hear you! She still thinks, that- that it was… Sweetie Belle,” he said in a hushed whisper. “You Pinkie Promised not to say!” Calmly she removed his claws and nodded. “Okay, if you're sure you can aim. Just be careful; we live in a tree you know.” “Right,” he said, nodding in agreement. Twilight knows how to put out fires, right? he thought, eyeing the mare nervously. He shrugged and, without thinking at all, aimed his flame directly to the rock. A strong orange jet of flames washed over the the black substance, turning it a dull glow. “Okay, stop right there, Spike!” She said while holding up her hoof. “Did it work?” “I don’t know, hmm,” she hummed again, carefully examining the rock at merely a few inches away. Noticing a thin trail of dust along it, she blew forward harshly and coughed a few times. “This looks like a… hoof print? Why didn’t I notice this before?” “Hey, Twi, there’s a space where my claw looks like it could go. See!” He exclaimed, while pressing his claw over the claw shaped insignia which was also dully glowing along the rock. “Spike! That could be very hot, don’t touch that!” Spike snorted. “Uh, dragon, remember? Plus it’s pretty cold. Go on, try yours!” He said, pointing to the odd hoof print which had mysteriously shown up on her side. She eyed it wearily. “This is highly unusual, Spike. Perhaps I should check those notes and maybe send the princess a letter first…” she muttered while trailing off at the end. Spike rolled his eyes. “What’s the harm in trying? I bet it’s what we’re supposed to do,” he argued. “I guess,” she relented. “Okay, let’s try.” And she pressed her hoof onto the surface while Spike had his claw on the opposite side. Almost immediately the rock began to glow even brighter until it was practically blinding to the both of them; it also began to pulse quite loudly. “What now?” Spike asked, yelling over the near deafening sound. “What? I don’t-” Twilight began, but suddenly breathed in a large quantity of dust through her nostrils. “Oh no, not now.” Twilight tried to get away from the rock, but the insides of her nostrils had began to tickle and, without much warning at all, she sneezed. A sudden burst of energy flared out from her horn, striking the glowing artifact dead center and, in an instant, the light and horrible static sound had vanished. Twilight blinked in confusion, but then the rock exploded in a lavender colored light. Spike’s body was thrown backwards from the shock and he felt the back of his head land hard on the wooden floor. “Spike!” Twilight called out, but her voice was drowned away from the pulsing rock. She then felt her entire body lift off the ground and saw a dance of magic swirl around her, pulsing and growing brighter and brighter. “Spike!” she called out hopelessly through the chaotic magic, and then the light exploded again. Spike, through his haze heard a loud thump. “Tw-Twilight?” He muttered, his brain feeling foggy and his eyes spinning. He glanced up and saw a blinding light quickly descending down upon him. He then felt a painful bang as the rock swiftly landed on his head with one final magical pulse. Spike felt himself black out before his head and even reached the ground.