//------------------------------// // Out With Friends (Edit) // Story: Firebreather // by TAD2 //------------------------------// "Uh... Twi, is he going to be alright?" Asked Applejack as she looked at the shocked boy. Twilight turned to the farmer and responded. “Yeah, he’ll be just fine, I think the shock of finding out that he has met all of my friends already, just shocked his brain and it’s taking some time for him to process the news.” Twilight shrugged. “He should be back with us in a few minutes. So, until then, what do you guys want to go do?” Asked Twilight. Big Mac shrugged. "Well I got to get back to the farm, I got a date with Sugar Belle tonight.” Said Big Mac. Twilight nodded. "Ok Big Mac, I’ll tell Spike that you had to leave, have a nice day.” Said Twilight. Big Mac turned around and walked off as he waved goodbye to the group. "So, any suggestions on what to do girls?" Asked Sunset. "Well, I wanted to see if we could all show Spike around town since he just moved and all, what do you say girls?” Asked Twilight, she was hoping that the others wouldn't mind showing Spike around town. "What a wonderful idea.” Said Rarity. Rainbow shrugged. "I’m game.” "That sounds nice, if he is ok with it, that is." Said Fluttershy. "Sure, Sugar Cube." Said Applejack. "I know exactly where we can go!" Exclaimed Pinkie. "Why not, sounds fun." Said Sunset as she shrugged. Spike shook his head to focus. "Oh hey, sorry about that.” Said Spike. “Twilight how long was I out?" Asked the now coherent Spike. Twilight smiled at seeing that Spike was back. "About five or six minutes." Said Twilight simply. Spike shrugged. "Well, not the longest I’ve been out, and I hope Big Macs date goes well.” Said Spike. "How did you know about that, you were unresponsive?” Asked Rainbow, she was wondering how Spike knew about the date. "Oh, I can place myself in a trance-like state, where I can still see and listen to everything while I just get more sleep, but when I’m shocked, it can trigger itself." Said Spike like it was nothing special. All the girls were shocked to hear this, that was until the multicolored haired girl of the group, dropped to her knees and began to beg. "Pleeeeease teach me that!" Rainbow Dash begged. She thought of all the things she could accomplish with this holy power bestowed upon this boy by the god of laziness. Spike shook his head. "Sorry Rainbow, but I promised my uncle to use this great power for good." Said Spike. “Because with great power, comes great responsibility, and there is no greater power than the one of naps. At least, that’s what my uncle says." Rainbow just pouted, while the rest of the girls just giggled at the sight of a pouting Rainbow. Spiked then turned to Twilight. “Also, seeing the town sounds fun, but I need to be home in a few hours. So, whatever we don’t get to today, maybe we can do this weekend?” Twilight smiled. "No problem Spike." Spike nodded. "So, where to first?" Asked Spike. As the group walked down the streets of Canterlot, Spike was learning about the area, and listening to what the girls had to say. Well it was mostly Pinkie who was talking, but the sentiment was still there. "Over there is the movie theater, and across the street is the supermarket, and further down the street is the best bakery ever!" Rambled Pinkie as she pointed to all three buildings. "What makes that bakery so special? Aren’t most bakeries the same?" Asked Spike. Pinkie shook her head. “Nope, that one is special because I live and work there!" Pinkie excitedly exclaimed. Spike was a little confused. "So, your family owns the bakery?" Asked Spike. Pinkie shook her head again. "Nope." "No? Then who do you live with?" Asked Spike, he was now really confused. "Do you remember Mrs. Cake?" Asked Pinkie. Spike nodded. "Of course, but how is that relevant?" Asked Spike, becoming more confused. Pinkie shrugged. "Well, her husband, Mr. Cake, runs the shop during the week while me and Mrs. Cake go to school, and we all work together on the weekends." Said Pinkie. ‘Ok, that answers that question.’ Thought Spike. "But what about your family, where are they?" Asked Spike. Pinkie hummed in thought. "Well, my family owns, lives, and works at a rock quarry five miles outside of town, and they supply rocks for the whole area.” Said Pinkie. "My dad, mom, and my sisters, Maud, Limestone, and Marble all help the family business, but I found out that my passion is throwing parties, so I came to Canterlot and found a job as a baker for the Cakes. They let me have an empty room above the store, and in exchange, I get to help bake so many delicious treats and develop my own party plans.” Spike was a little shocked to hear this news, but he was happy to know that he has such an outgoing friend. Spike smiled. "That’s great that you’re able to display your talents so often, Pinkie. It makes me want to see what you have planned for my ‘Welcome to Town’ party." Said Spike with a smile on his face. Then he realized that he really didn’t know much about the girls. Sure, he had talked with them, but he didn’t know them, not really. Spike turned to the rest of the girls. "What about you girls? Do you guys know what makes you happy?” AJ shrugged. “Well, you already know about my story, to some degree, but when I was a little, I was kinda unhappy living my life on the family farm." Applejack admitted. "So, I asked my ma to let me stay with my uncle and aunt and Manhattan for a while to see if I could find my calling in life. They agreed, so I packed my bags and left for the big city, but after I arrived, I quickly found out that I was nothing like all those big city folk, so I asked my aunt to send me back home because I missed my family. I missed them so much that I finally understood that my passion in life is my family, and to this day, I haven’t had a single thought of leaving it ever again.” Said AJ. Spike smiled at hearing that one of his friends was so rooted with her family. “Just from what I’ve heard you say and look in your eyes, I know that’s all true. It makes me happy to know that there is still someone that values family more than anything." Said Spike, his comment took Applejack by surprise and she couldn’t help but blush, but she hid it well. Spike looked at Rainbow. “What about you Rainbow?" Asked Spike. Rainbow shrugged. “Well, I dream of becoming a fighter pilot so I can experience what true speed is." Responded Rainbow. "So, I constantly train myself with all the sports, and I know that one day, I will fly just like my grandfather.” Said Rainbow Dash as she wiped away a tear from the corners of her eyes. “Your grandfather?" Asked Spike. She nodded. “Yeah, my grandpa, Capitan Speeding Arrow. He was the fastest pilot in the Air Force, that was until he was killed during the first wave of dragons at the start of the war.” Said Rainbow sadly. Spike pulled her into a tight hug. “I’m so sorry." Said Spike, he knew that both sides took losses, and nothing could bring those loved ones back. Rainbow Dash was shocked but gladly accepted the gesture. "Thanks, it helps to talk about it sometimes, even if I didn’t know him, he will always be my hero." It took Rainbow a moment to process what she was doing, and when she did, she blushed. She then pushed Spike away from her. She crossed her arms over her chest. “It was getting too mushy for me.” Said Rainbow as she looked away from Spike. Spike chuckled. “Whatever you say Dash.” Said Spike, accepting that was her way of showing she is thankful for the support. “Three down, four to go." Spike looked at Sunset. "What about you Sunset, what drives you to be your best?“ Sunset sighed, this was not a real answer and it was slightly uncomfortable for her to talk about. “Honestly, I don’t know right now, but I do know that every day I strive to be a better person than the day before, and when I do find my passion, I think it will be a goal that will help me continue on that path.“ Spike nodded. There was a lot that he couldn't talk about with others and after learning about Sunset during class, it was clear that she was in a similar boat. "Wow, that was super deep Sunset, but let me tell you something." Said Spike. “What?" Asked Sunset. “The you I met today, is already pretty great.“ Said Spike with a smile. This made Sunset blush so hard, that her face was the same shade as a tomato. Spike then turned to the very timid Fluttershy. “What about you Fluttershy? What are you passionate about?“ Asked Spike. Fluttershy started to shake. “I like animals, and I volunteer at the local animal shelter, helping take care of all the sick and injured animals there.” Said the timid girl, but she said it so softly that only Spike heard what she said, thanks to his dragon powers. Twilight sighed. “I’m sorry Spike, she gets like this around new people, when she gets to know you better, she'll open up more.“ Said Twilight, assuring Spike that Fluttershy was trying to answer, but what Twilight didn't know, was that Spike was able to hear her response. Spike smiled. “It’s fine Twi.” Said Spike, he walked over to Fluttershy. “Fluttershy, when I met you this morning, I knew that you had a very kind soul, and the fact that you spend your time caring for sick and injured animals at the shelter, just reinforces my thoughts on you.” Said Spike in the most honest tone he could. “MEEP!” Exclaimed Fluttershy before she promptly passed out, with a giant blush on her face. “Oh God! Fluttershy wake up, I'm so sorry!" Spike exclaimed as he was trying to get the unconscious girl to respond. “Oh dear.” Said Rarity as she looked over at her now unconscious friend. She then looked over to Spike. “Spike be a dear and carry Fluttershy for a moment, we are near my house, we'll stop there for the day. She can get some rest in my bed as we continue our talk." Spike nodded. “No problem.“ Said Spike as he picked up Fluttershy and carried her princess style around the corner. There, he quickly saw a large circular building. The building looked to be designed to look like a carousel, with mannequins in various positions adorned in beautifully designed suits and dresses stationed in the windows. As the group approached the front door of the shop, Rarity turned to Spike. “Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where everything is Chic, Unique and Magnifique!" Cheered Rarity, she then pulled out a key from her purse and opened the front door to the shop. "Now Spike, could you please follow me to my room so we can put Fluttershy to bed?" Asked Rarity. Spike nodded. "Girls, if you would be so kind as to start the kettle for some tea, so we can continue on our conversation about ourselves to Spike?“ “No problem, Rarity.” They all said in union. Spike followed Rarity through the shop and up a flight of stairs that led to a hallway with a set of doors on either side. Rarity then motioned for Spike to follow her into the first door on the left. As Spike entered the room, he was met with what he could only assume was Rarity's room, it had a large queen sized bed, a large vanity makeup desk, a large bookshelf full of what appeared to be high-quality fabrics and next to the bookshelf was a counter with a sewing machine on it, but there was also what appeared to be a cat bed in the corner of the room, on it had the name Opal embroidered on it. Spike was lost in thought as he was looking at Rarity's room until she snapped him out of his thoughts. "Spike, can you please lay Fluttershy down on my bed, the poor dear needs her rest?“ Spike nodded. "Sure, no problem." Said Spike as he is placed the sleeping Fluttershy down on the bed. He then turned to the room's owner. “So, your family owns the boutique?” “Nope, I do." Rarity responded. “What?!" Asked Spike in shock. Rarity nodded. “Yep, I own and operate the entirety of Carousel Boutique.“ Said Rarity. “How?“ Asked Spike, Rarity was only 16, she was going to school, and she somehow was running a shop of this scale, at the same time. Spike was a dragon, but this girl was something completely different. “I’ll tell you downstairs with the rest of the girls. Fluttershy needs her rest and it’s best that we let her rest in silence." Said Rarity before leading Spike back downstairs. When Spike and Rarity got to the kitchen, he was handed a cup of tea, and took a seat at the table. “So, let me get this straight, you opened this shop two years ago, all by yourself. You designed and made all the outfits in this whole shop by hand, and during the week you put together the designs, while on the weekends you sell your wares to customers?” Asked Spike, shocked to learn how much Rarity does. She nodded. “Yes, that’s about the sum of it, but I also look after my little sister, Sweetie Belle, while our parents are traveling. She should be home any minute now.“ Said Rarity. Just then, the front door's bell sounded and the sound of three different voices could be heard approaching the kitchen. The voices grew louder as three middle schoolers walked into the kitchen where the rest of the group was sitting and drinking tea. The first to enter the kitchen was a little girl with light pink and purple curled hair. She had light green eyes and she was wearing a set of pink boots with two yellow straps on each, a yellow skirt with a white and pink striped shirt and a large pink jacket over it all. The other two girls that came in looked to be the same age as the first. The girl on her left, had red hair tied together with a large pink bow, she was wearing a light green shirt and rolled up jeans with a pair of orange boots that had a flower bloom design on each side, and this all complemented her orange eyes. The last of the three had a head of purple hair, wore a pair of dark cargo shorts and a hoodie over what appeared to be an aqua marine shirt as well as a pair of dark gray boots. “Hey Rarity, can Scootaloo and Apple Bloom stay over tonight?“ Asked the green-eyed girl. Rarity nodded. “Of course, Sweetie Belle, but first I want to introduce you three to a friend of mine.“ Said Rarity as she motioned to Spike, she then introduced the three girls to him. “Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, this is Spike, he is an old friend of Twilight's, and he recently moved to town, we are enjoying a nice cup of tea as we talk about ourselves, so we can get to know each other better.“ Sweetie Belle nodded, as she looked at Spike. "Hello, my name is Sweetie Belle, it’s very nice to meet you, Spike.“ Sweetie said. “Howdy, my name is Apple Bloom, it’s nice to meet you, Spike, I’m glad to see a new face around here.“ Said Apple Bloom in a southern tone. “Sup, the name's Scootaloo, and I’m the coolest middle schooler around.“ Said Scootaloo with a boastful smirk. Spike smiled. “It’s nice to meet you too, girls. Would you like to join us?“ Asked Spike. All three shook their heads. “Sorry, but we just came by to drop off our stuff, but thanks for the offer.” Said Sweetie Bell. “Oh yeah, before we go.” Apple Bloom turned to Applejack. “Sis, is it okay for me to sleep over?“ “Sure." Applejack said. “Scoots, have you asked your aunts?" Rainbow Dash asked. She nodded. “Yes, and they said it’s okay.“ Scootaloo responded. Rainbow smiled. “Then have fun girls and be careful." Rainbow Dash said. “You too Apple bloom." Applejack said. “You as well Sweetie Belle." Said Rarity . "We will.“ The trio said in unison as they walked out of the kitchen and out of the shop. “Let me guess, those two were your sisters.“ Said Spike as he pointed at both Applejack and Rainbow Dash. “You’re right on the money, Apple Bloom is my little sister and Scootaloo is Rainbow's, in every way but blood." Applejack said “Even so, they all seem very nice." Said Spike before the group. “So aside from the classes we all had together, how was the rest of your day?“ The group talked for another hour or so until Spike noticed that it was almost 5 o’clock and he still needed to start dinner for his mom and aunt. “Well, this has been fun girls, but I need to get going." Said Spike. “Why?“ Asked Pinkie in a sad tone. "Because without me, my mom and aunt would be the ones cooking, and they're so horrible, that I swear that my mom burnt toast so bad, it turned to soup, and that is something I do not want to experience ever again." Said Spike before shuddering at the memory. Rarity groaned. "I know exactly where you’re coming from darling." Said Rarity. "Sweetie Belle is also a ‘unique’ chef in the kitchen. In fact, she is so ‘unique’ that I have banned her from cooking in this house ever again." Said Rarity. Spike got up from his chair, he turned to Rarity. "Rarity, thanks for the tea and being a wonderful host." "No problem darling, I’m glad you enjoyed our company, it was wonderful to get to know you, Have a good night." Said Rarity . "Have a good night girl, I'll see you guys tomorrow." Said Spike as he grabbed his stuff and exited the shop. But as soon as he closed the door, his phone rang. Taking his phone out of his pocket, he tapped the accept button before putting it against his head. "Hello?" "Spike, it’s Luna. Me and Tia are on our way home, can you set the table for one more, Discord is going to join us for dinner tonight. He said something about needing to talk to you." "No problem, I’ll set another spot for him when I get home." Said Spike. "Good, see you when you get home, love you Spike." Said Luna. "Love you too Aunt Lulu." Said Spike before he hung up the phone and thought to himself. 'Ok, the house is on the other side of town and I need to be home in a half an hour, and I don’t have a car, crap.' Thought Spike. Spike looked up to the sky and noticed that it was very cloudy outside, since there was no other way to make it in time, Spike dashed to the closest alleyway and ducked behind a dumpster. He removed his T-shirt and placed it in his backpack. He then closed his eyes and imagined a pair of Wings sprouting out of his back, and as he was doing this, two large protrusions started to grow out of his back, with his the skin of his back started to darken with a purple tint to it. After a few minutes of the protrusions growing, they reached down to his ankles, then once they stopped growing, a small film of leather like skin then started to spread across from his back to the tips of the protrusions and began to turn a light shade of green. Spike opened his eyes and started panting from the experience of growing wings. He then thought to himself. 'Man, it’s been a while since I brought my wings out. Let’s just hope I can still fly.' Spike then spread his wings which had a span of nearly 9 feet and slowly flapped them, creating a large amount of wind being blown across the alley as he was slowly starting to lift off the ground. After a few seconds of hovering, Spike flew up to the clouds and made his way back home.