Chapter 4: Apples, Pies, and Everything Shy Pt. 1
“Ah, Ponyville, it’s good to be back!” Spike exclaimed as he exited the train station carrying with himself a small duffle bag containing his meager traveling belongings. He grinned once more thanking to be a dragon and not worry about any kind of clothing since they were, at best, a nuisance to him (except during formal events).
Taking a deep inhale his nostrils were bombarded by the scent of the village he loved. With a long-drawn exhale mixed with a pleased sigh he began moving into the town.
“Oh, looks like the election campaigns are beginning. Money is on Mayor Mare winning again!” He exclaimed to himself. Honestly, not many ponies had what was needed to delve into the realm of politics, so the experienced mare was a blessing for Ponyville all-round. “Mr. Davenport is having a buy one get one free on quills sale? Twilight is surely going to raid him sometime---”
“Hi, Spike!” Twilight half-yelled appearing right in front of him making the dragon do a jump back in surprise; unconsciously taking a low-guard stance whilst simulating a Sixte.
It took Spike half a second to recognize Twilight but before he could say anything the purple alicorn threw herself at Quills and Sofas, grabbing every quill available with a speed that would make Rainbow Dash proud, teleported a hefty bag of bits on the counter, and flew once more in front of him
“Bye, Spike!” Twilight once again half-yelled before teleporting away.
Spike couldn’t help but smile. “Glad to see some things never change,” he said watching Mr. Davenport take off the sale sign with a beaming smile on his face.
Continuing his walk towards the castle, Spike greeted and was welcomed back by several old friends and town inhabitants; Cheerilee, Ms. Cake and the Twins, Matilda, Filthy Rich, Bulk Biceps, Rumble, Button Mash, amongst many others who were quick to point out both his absence and his visible change in appearance.
Eventually, he arrived at the castle where he was greeted and hugged tightly by Starlight and an apologetic Twilight after their previous, and short-lived, encounter. They spent the next two hours catching up, even though it was Spike who spoke the most. Twilight was genuinely surprised and astonished that her B.B.B.F.F. would be capable of such brutal, borderline sadistic behaviour when commanding his training regime. Starlight on the hand was glad he came out of it not only in one piece, but also better than ever.
The two mares both agreed that his training with Fleur, Fancy Pants, and Blueblood were nothing like they were expecting; more so in the case of Blueblood, of whom they barely knew anything about.
When they were done chatting Spike excused himself to grab a quick shower before leaving to visit Applejack and ask her what she had in mind for him.
“Probably apple bucking,” he whispered to himself in a mirthful tone as he arrived at Sweet Apple Acres. It didn’t take long to find a member of the Apple Family and so it happened to be the one he had come to see in the first place. “Hey there, Applejack!”
The country mare put down the basket of apples she was carrying after hearing Spike calling her name. She wiped her brow as she smiled at him while her free hand tugged at her overalls.
“Howdy there, partner!” Applejack walked up to meet the dragon and hugged him tight managing to lift him off the ground for a few seconds. “Well, would you look at that! Lil’ ol’ Spike ain’t so little anymore! You’re now packing some muscles under these ‘ere scales, ain'tcha?” She said playfully slapping his chest, forearms, and shoulders.
“Yup! I can actually flex now!” He replied before doing that exact same thing in front of one of his dearest friends. “Looking good, Spike! Looking reeeeeal gooood!”
“You ain’t lacking confidence, that’s fer sure!” Applejack said with a little laugh. “Honestly, Spike, it’s good to see you again. We have been missing you like crazy around ‘ere. But Ah guess the results speak for themselves.”
“Thank, Applejack. Gotta admit though, it was murder when I started,” Spike shuddered. “So, need any help around here?”
“Nah, we are about done ‘ere as it is. Why don’tcha come tomorrow morning so we can start working the east fields you an I?”
“Oh, alright then. See you tomorrow then, AJ,” Spike turned to leave but was stopped by the orange mare.
“Wait a second, Spike. Have you seen Pinkie or Fluttershy yet?” She asked.
Spike turned to face her again. “Not yet, though I was planning on visiting them, Rarity and Dash too during the following days. Why do you ask?”
“Spike, didn’t Prince Blueblood tell you Pinkie, Fluttershy and I would be training you at the same time?” Applejack asked back.
“What!? He didn’t mention any of that! He told me you were going to be the next one training me, and I quote, “Teachin’ Spike what Apple Family Tree Buckin’ is all ‘bout’” Spike explained, surprised and confused at the same time.
Applejack gritted her teeth. “That good fer nothin’ scoundrel!” Applejack remarked angrily taking off her stetson hat. “And here I thought involving Fluttershy into the mix would make Discord behave, but no! Dang vermin, Ah outta…” Applejack took a deep breath before putting back her stetson. “Ah reckon that’s mah own damn fault. Shouldn’t have trusted that buffoon in the first place. Sorry, Spike.”
Spike smiled, placing a hand on her shoulder to help her calm down. “I mean, it’s Discord, you know? Hoping to get anything out of him without some chaos is like asking Pinkie to not eat cupcakes.”
“Ah reckon so,” Applejack sighed in defeat. “Anyway, Spike, since we have some pretty tight schedules, we decided to train you all at once: Ah’ll do the morning, Pinkie the afternoon, and Fluttershy the evening.”
“Oh, right, yeah, that makes sense. Soooo if I hurry I might catch up with Pinkie?”
“Why don’t you take the day off, partner? We can start in full tomorrow morning!” Applejack said crouching to pick up the basket.
“In that case, I’ll go visit the rest of the girls and see you tomorrow? To be honest, AJ, I wanted a day off,” Spike confessed scratching the back of his head. “Well, cya tomorrow!”
“Go to bed early, yah hear!” Applejack called back at the departing dragon gaining a waving arm from him.
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Dew covering the grass. A fresh breeze blowing all around. The warming rays of the sun barely peeking on the horizon.
All in all, that is your typical Ponyville morning. Fighting rampaging monsters, solving some sort of problem, joining a town-wide musical number, or dealing with general shenanigans and chaos was just a plus on a morning that was close to being perfect.
With that said, Spike was not expecting to see Applejack doing dynamic stretching. Not that there was anything wrong with that, he simply thought she didn’t know about them since it was Fleur who taught them to him given they were a relatively new concept.
“Howdy partner, mighty fine day we havin’, am I right? Whaddaya you say, ready for some buckin’?” Applejack called while doing a side shuffle.
“You bet I am!” Spike replied stopping near her; wordlessly starting to do his own dynamic stretching. “How many fields are we going to clear out, AJ? I’m ready for anything!”
“Ah like that spirit, Spike, that could’ve helped us a lot during harvest season!” Applejack giggled. “We only need to buck one hundred trees clean and that’s it for today. We can take care of the rest ourselves,” Applejack explained offhandedly.
Spike nodded. “Whatever you say, boss,” he replied while continuing his stretching. Another small advantage dragons had over other species was that their muscles were in a permanent pre-warm up mode. While it made it a bit harder for them to properly relax when not sleeping (or swimming in molten lava), and was the main reason they were the bane of all masseurs, it also meant they required less time to be properly warmed up and could act on the spot if need be.
So it was no surprise Spike finished warming up moments before Applejack.
“Whenever you are ready, AJ,” Spike smirked.
“Don’t get cocky now, Spikey,” Applejack smirked back. For five entire seconds, they kept their silent contest going until both broke it with their chuckles. “Alright, alright, enough fun for now. Say, Spike, do you know the Buckin’ Stance?”
Spike immediately took the firm position of the Apple Family for bucking trees. It was somewhat like a squat but it had major differences; with his legs spread apart just wide enough to maintain a perfect balance and give him the room needed to deliver a powerful kick when needed. The upright position of the back was also a key factor as it allowed the kicker to put more power behind the kick and also help regulate said power.
“Wow, this is the first time I’ve done this since my training began… I don’t feel out of balance anymore,” Spike noted.
Applejack hummed in agreement. “Ah’ll say. You don’t look like a twig anymore.”
“Har har, Miss Stubborn,” Spike replied at her slight jest.
“Now, buck that tree good!” Applejack said pointing at a nearby tree full of apples with baskets already placed around it.
Spike nodded heading for the tree. Assuming the position again, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It amazed him how different doing the stance felt compared to before; it was the same feeling he got when he tried it after his growth spurt.
Gotta admit that I looked kinda cute and silly trying to do this stance with my then short limbs and round body! Spike thought with mirth.
Opening his eyes he focused on the tree before him. One breath. Two breaths. Three breaths. Spike huffed as he delivered a powerful but measured kick against the tree. Traditionally, the kick had to be delivered using the bottom of the hoof, but since he didn’t have hooves tradition was out the window. He could hit it with his sole, though it would be uncomfortable and given his strength he would damage the tree no doubt. So, he opted to choose the side-kick to the trunk Applejack and Big Mac sometimes used.
The bridge of his right foot hit the trunk of the tree with a mighty thud that made it shake for a couple of seconds.
Out of the twenty or so apples attached to the tree, only four had fallen.
“W-What?” Spike blurted out not believing what he was seeing. He turned to Applejack and saw her wearing a smug expression on her face.
“Ain’t as easy as it looks, huh?” Applejack smirked.
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As Spike made his way to Sugarcube Corner his mind was submerged in the morning events. Try as he might, he was unable to clear a single tree with one kick. His best record stood at eight apples. Once, out of pure frustration, he delivered a solid kick putting most of his strength behind it; snapping the tree in half and sending the top side of that same tree flying a few meters away.
I know she said she wasn’t angry, but I am so paying her back for that, Spike thought giving out a defeated sigh. “I don’t get it… I’m stronger than ever before but I can’t clear a single apple tree? What the hay is wrong with me?” He asked himself looking at his arms. “But what did Applejack mean by ‘knowing the tree as you know yourself’?” Spike questioned out loud as he grabbed the handle of Ponyville’s most famous pastry shop’s entrance.
“I don’t know!” Pinkie Pie yelped behind Spike.
“Gaaaahhhhh!” Spike yelped in surprise and jumping a full two meters high, flailing all of his limbs around. When he landed a second later he placed his hands on his knees and bent forward, helping himself to regain his breath after the surprise scare.
“Hiiiyah, Spike!” Pinkie greeted in her trademark Pinkiness.
“H-hey there, Pinkie,” Spike said in between breaths. In front of his face appeared a pink hand that caused him to smile and accept it. With a pull, he was standing upright once more and this time facing his favorite party mare. Before he could say anything more, Spike noticed that Pinkie wasn’t wearing her usual dress, which consisted of a cupcake printed shirt and blue pants, nor her baking dress; instead she was wearing her workout outfit. “Oh… what’s with the getup, Pinkie?”
“Whhaaaaaat? Were you expecting me to teach you how to bake gem-shard cupcakes? Sorry! That’s my secret recipeee~” Pinkie sang putting her face an inch away from Spike’s. “No stalling, mister! Come on, Spike! Time for your super-duper special workout with auntie Pinkie Pie! Open Sesame!”
“I’m only three years younger than youuuuuuuuoaaaaahahhhhh~” Spike tried to protest but the ground suddenly gave way to a trap door right below his feet. He landed tail first on a slide followed by a surprisingly lightweight something landing on top of his head. The sweet smell of sugar and cheerfulness filled his lungs instantly after; as if more evidence was needed for him to discover that the ‘something’ currently latched to his head was Pinkie Pie, the pink mare began to cheer and keen in her typical high-pitched manner.
After a short-lived ride down the slide, Spike landed on top of dozens of pastry shaped cushions: cakes, cupcakes, cookies, various types of bread, and many more. He felt Pinkie press a single finger against his forehead, light as a caress, and then she was airborne, did an admittedly fancy twirl and then landed in a perfect form. Spike clapped, idly noticing they were in her Party Cave.
“Thank you, thank you, oh, you are such a lovely audience!” Pinkie bowed towards Spike as he clapped. “Right, dragon boy, no time to stall!” Out of nowhere, she pulled a box three times broader than her body and placed it in front of Spike. “Tadaaaaa!” Lifting off the covering lid, the box revealed an assortment of party supplies. “Whaddaya think, huuuh, huuuuuuuuuuuuuhhh?”
Spike stared at the box for several seconds. Using a finger, he pointed at the box and looked at Pinkie in confusion. “Pinkie… what are we going to do with these supplies? I thought we were going to work out… or something?”
“Preparing for upcoming parties is working out, Spike! Or working in, since we are in my secret Party Cave, after all! Or is it working cave? Cave working! Out caving!” She giggled as she grabbed a rather long balloon, took a big breath, and in a single blow the balloon was filled, with Pinkie looking no worse for wear.
“But I thought--- you know what? Nevermind. Pass me one of those balloon boxes, please,” Spike said a bit disappointed, though he didn’t show it in his voice. Helping any of his friends was always worth it in the end, no matter what they needed or the situation.
The duo worked hard and long blowing up balloons, cutting up and packaging streamers, loading party cannons, testing party joke toys. Nearing the bottom of the box, Spike found, to his surprise, that he was tired but not in the same way he felt when bucking apple trees or from his previous exercises.
What the hay is going on? This is nowhere near as bad or difficult as the other stuff, but I’m still getting tired, Spike thought while filling up another balloon. Looking at his side he saw Pinkie, her short fur covered by a light film of sweat, yet she didn’t try at all; not when she blew another balloon twice her size in a single breath yet again.
“How do you do that?” Spike asked dumbfounded. He could easily chalk it up to Pinkie being Pinkie Pie, but this was neither random nor physics-defying; this was her being constant and un-Pinkie. It was only now that he realized they had spoken maybe a few words during… How long have we been down here in the cave anyway? Spike thought.
“Silly billy, that’s easy! I take a big breath,” she did just that. “Fhen I poosh out my cheeks fike dis!” Pinkie explained showing Spike how she did it. “Fhen!” She then pushed her lips against the opening of a new balloon and it was filled in less than two seconds. “I blow out the air and tadaaaa~! The balloon is ready to rock the parteeeehhhhh! Get it? Because it’s shaped like a rock!”
“...And you don’t feel tired or dizzy after filling up that balloon, like, at all?” Spike asked eyeing his own barely started balloon.
“Nope!” Pinkie cheered and giggled. “I have pretty big lungs!”
“No kidding,” Spike chuckled. “But aren’t you tired after everything we’ve done?”
“Ehhh, a little. But all I need is a quick chocolate milk glass to keep this pink train going strong!” She giggled. “Besides, I can control my stamina however I want!”
“You seriously love choco-- Wait, what? You can do what!?” Spike blurted out, forgetting the balloon he was blowing.
“I can do many things, silly, you should know! I can play ten instruments at the same time, makes the bestest parties in Ponyville, bake the most delicious triple-pudding-chocolate-moka cake ever! Princess Celestia orders one every week! Oh! And I can touch my tummy with my tongue--”
“That’s very good and all, Pinkie, but you can control your stamina!?” Spike asked pushing the box aside.
“Well, duuuhh~ I grew up in a Rock Farm, Spikey!” Pinkie replied cheerfully.
“Please teach me how to do that!” Spike threw himself to the ground and resting his face on Pinkie’s thighs; looking up to her with his best puppy eyes.
“Of course! The Party Maker training I had planned can wait!” She replied, patting the crest of her dragon friend.
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“I love Pinkie to bits, but trying to get her to explain anything without her getting distracted is near impossible,” Spike said as he walked down the path leading to Fluttershy’s cottage. “Though, to her credit, she did her best to show me how to do it. I just need to focus and manipulate the flow of my energy and strength at the same time… somehow,” Spike sighed in defeat, even with Pinkie showing him how it was meant to be done, he barely understood anything.
After another sigh, the dragon finally saw Fluttershy’s cottage once reaching the small wooden bridge that separated Ponyville from her home. Spike felt a gratifying calm surge from within him as he approached; after two spectacular failures in a single day, he was more than ready for an easy lesson.
“Hiiiiyyaaaahhhh!”
“Huh?” Spike stopped when he heard the battle cry. “Hey, Shy, you okay?” Spike called reaching the front door of her cottage. What answered him was a rumbling roar of defiance. “Fluttershy!” Spike rushed around the cottage in the blink of an eye, the roar coming from Fluttershy’s private garden/animal hospital.
Spike didn’t feel tired nor he was able to register jumping over a fence and nearly colliding against a fully grown lion’s back.
The lion didn’t even notice him as it was busy roaring at something else. It’s roar turned into a panicked cry an instant before it was flung across the garden. Immediately after, Fluttershy came into view wearing a green sundress and under them a pair of khaki shorts.
“Oh, hi Spike!” Fluttershy greeted the dragon with a beaming smile. Then she launched herself up in the air with a bat of her wings and dove straight towards the lion. She performed a frontal spin midair, ending with her pointing a hoof at the lion.
The lion was rubbing its head when it noticed the incoming yellow and green missile, but it was too late for it to do anything about her. Her hoof made contact with its forehead, sending it to the ground with a loud *thud*.
Fluttershy landed on top of the lion’s exposed belly with her characteristic grace. Then she dropped to her knees to pat its stomach; following it with a quick and soft push. The lion’s eyes went wide instantly, and a moment later it burped a giant ball of fur.
“There you go, Alexander, doesn’t that feel much better now?” Fluttershy asked rubbing its tummy.
“Grrrrrooooooogggggg!” The lion purred agreement.
“Now, be a good boy and make sure to clean yourself, okay?” Fluttershy asked jumping off of the lion. The lion, Alexander, got up and waved a paw before running off to the Sanctuary.
“That was amazing, Fluttershy!” Spike finally reacted after getting a first-row view of the entire display. He ran up to his shy friend, who was doing her best to hide a blush behind her mane. “I always forget you can kick serious butt if you want to!” Spike praised.
“I-It was nothing special, Spike. Alexander needed some help but he was a teeny, tiny, tinsy bit scared. I only did everything I could to end his tummy ache,” Fluttershy said smiling at the dragon.
“I’ll say,” Spike replied looking at the barfed up ball of fur. “The animals here sure are lucky to have you around, Shy,” Spike smiled at the shy mare causing her to blush a little more.
“Dr. Fauna says the same every time we work together, but she’s so much more knowledgeable than I could ever be. She’s a true professional and loves animals as much as I do!” Fluttershy said, sidestepping the compliment.
“Don’t sell yourself short, Shy. You can talk to animals, how cool is that?” Spike hugged Fluttershy closed with one arm across her back. “And you can wrestle down bears, lions, manticores. Heck, you even took down a hydra that one time! Not many can claim to do half as much as you do, Shy,” Spike tightened the hug until he was gently rubbing his cheek against her.
Fluttershy giggled, returning the gesture with gusto. “In that case, Spike, I accept your sincere compliments.” Pulling a brave and forward act of her own, she leaned her head to the side and planted a chaste kiss on Spike’s cheek. Pulling back, Fluttershy smiled mirroring Spike’s blushing face. “Enough silliness for now, Spike. I cleared my afternoon schedule, so we can practice in peace and tranquility,” she explained gently guiding Spike to a small clear area of her garden.
“Soooo… are you going to teach me how to do those moves you did back there?” Spike asked, hope and excitement clear in his tone.
“Not quite, I’m afraid,” Fluttershy replied, coming to a halt. Turning around to face Spike, she took a deep breath and began to hum, clapping her hands together as she did. “Repeat after me, Spike.”
Spike blinked. Fluttershy rarely said anything in a serious tone, except when a situation needed it. Deciding to obey the shy mare, Spike began imitating her despite not knowing what he was doing.
After several minutes of relative silence, Fluttershy’s sweet, melodic, and calming voice reached his fins.
“Spike, do you know how to control your own strength?” She asked gently.
“Of course, Fluttershy. If I didn’t know how to, I'd break every glass I grab and hurt everyone I hug,” Spike answered.
“How do you do it?” Fluttershy asked in that same gentle tone.
“I just use less strength when I do something delicate or don’t put much effort into it. I know I can be dangerous to those around me,” Spike replied in a weaker, hushed tone.
“I’m happy to hear you know how to limit yourself, Spike. But limiting oneself and knowing how to control one’s strength isn’t the same thing. I may be weak, even for a regular pegasus, but my hooves can break bones and if I’m not careful, I could seriously harm any of my animal friends,” she explained before placing a hand over Spike’s heart.
“What are you…” Spike was cut off when he felt Fluttershy’s palm push back against his chest with the softness of a feather... and then shove him back. Spike landed on his ass, his surprised palpable as he stared at Fluttershy. “H-How did you do that? I didn’t even feel you pushing me back.”
“That’s because I know how to use my strength, Spike, and use it when I need it the most,” she extended to him the same hand she used to shove him down.
Spike accepted the aiding hand and was quickly on his feet again. “Wait, is that the reason why you can take down much bigger and stronger animals without using The Stare?”
Fluttershy nodded. “Exactly. Though, it’s not that simple.”
Spike raised an ‘eyebrow’. “There’s more to it? Like… ohhh… ohhhhh!” Spike suddenly realized something. “Y-you don’t hurt them, at all! I mean, now that I think of it, Harry never showed a single bruise before, right?”
Fluttershy nodded again. “I have to control my strength to do what I want to do without harming anyone or anything.”
“You truly are the Element of Kindness, Fluttershy. Never change!” Spike cheered with a laugh. “But there’s one thing I still don’t understand,” Spike said crossing his arms.
“What would that be, Spike?”
“What is this training for, exactly? There must be a bottom line to it, no?” Spike asked rolling a hand.
Fluttershy giggled. “I already told you, Spike. I’m going to teach you how to control your strength,” she then resumed her humming and clapping technique, with Spike imitating her soon after. “To control your strength, you first need to restrain it.”
“Restrain, huh?” Spike mumbled as the two of them continued their calming exercises.
Part 1 End.