//------------------------------// // 9. Nightmare Night // Story: The cool children // by therandomone95 //------------------------------// Chapter 9: Nightmare Night ----------------------------------- Saturday Night ----------------------------------- "ALRIGHT! WHO IS READY FOR THE SICKEST NIGHTMARE NIGHT PARTY EVER?!" Shouted Snips at the top of his lungs. "YAY!!!" Shouted every guest in the room. Here it was, it was finally Nightmare Night, everypony that gathered around Snips' house the last time was there today, with some new faces too! Our boys, Button Mash and Spike had finally arrived at Snips' house, Spike wearing a Godzilla outfit and Button Mash wearing a Cyborg costume. When they met at the front door, they greeted each other and proceeded to compliment their costumes. "Hi, dude!" Said Spike. "Hello! Umm, that's a nice costume, but aren't you already a fire breathing dragon?" Asked Button when he saw Spike's costume. "Oh, well, what can I say? I like Godzilla. And yours?" "My mom made this for me a few days ago, I think it looks pretty sick, what do you think?" "I think it's nice..." Said Spike, trailing off, thinking about how nice it would've been sharing ideas for a costume with someone else, or making a costume together with Twilight. "Hey, are you still upset about... You know..." Said Button, not wanting to touch too much on the subject. "I'm still kinda angry at her for leaving without saying goodbye, but I'm better now, don't worry." Said Spike, putting on a big but fake smile on his face. Button noticed his smile was fake but decided not to dwell on the matter, as it would only hurt his friend. "Okay, let's just get in." Said Button. As Button entered the house, he saw an incredible sight, everypony in his class was invited, the house was decorated with Spider webs, bats and such, music was playing loudly through the speakers and everypony seemed like they were having a good time. What really surprised Button was that on a corner there were drugs resting on a small table, mainly hard cider and cigarettes. Even though there were some fillies and colts taking some of them, the table was pretty lonely 'Wait, are those legal?' Asked Button to his dad, who analyzed the drugs as soon as he appeared. "Those are very minor drugs, they are legal and won't cause any damage to anypony here unless their use is excessive." 'Why are those there? We're not even in seventh grade!' "What else did you expect? These ponies want to feel superior, and the best way they could think of doing it is by taking some grown pony stuff and consuming it in front of others. I suggest you do it too, by the way. Besides, now there are no adults nearby, there's freedom these guys have never seen before! So you'd expect some of these guys to do things here which they wouldn't do in front of their parents or at school" Button shrugged and took a cup of hard cider before aking a disgusted expression on his face; the taste of cider with more alcohol than apple juice was horrible to him, but as he was trying to get used to the taste he remembered, his dad would disappear with alcohol in a few moments! 'Oh no! What have I done?!' "Don't worry, kid, I had planned this to happen. Everything is going to be alright, just take a look around while I disappear, okay?" Button did as he was told; because it was Nightmare Night, each filly and colt had a very different and creative costume, Button could see Apple Bloom was eating some apple pie in the kitchen, she was wearing a very cute traditional witch costume with her bow decorating her black hat. Snips was wearing a leather jacket with some jeans and he had put fake blood on his entire body, he was only missing a hockey mask and a machete to complete his costume. He could see Silver Spoon at the other side of the room wearing a nurse costume which included its own first aid kit, and Diamond Tiara was talking with her, Diamond Tiara was wearing a very decorated Princess costume, which had many gemstones all over the tiara and accessories. There was no doubt her mother had paid Rarity an incredible amount for designing her costume. Button also saw Rumble wearing a Shadowbolt costume while Scootaloo was wearing a Wonderbolt costume, both of them were starting to kiss, so Button turned his head to not interrupt. Button saw that Snails had a Jedi costume which was complimented by a transparent sword which was lit up by his magic, and Snails was using it to swat a fly. Button was also very creeped out when he saw a full body suit of a clown resting on the couch, which was looking around all over the place. The thing came with a mask, which didn't let anypony see who was under it, Button shrugged it off and turned his head once more. What really caught Button's attention was Sweetie Belle's costume, she was wearing a Nightmare Moon costume which he just knew Rarity had worked tirelessly on; the costume was decorated with dark gemstones only on certain parts so the light that went through them would be darker, her crown and helmet were so perfectly decorated and worked to the most minimal detail. Sweetie's mane looked like it had been tugged fiercely by a brush, making it look a little bit like Rarity's mane and combining with her costume perfectly. Her shoes were practically shining because of the materials that were used on it, and her fake wings were so perfectly attached to her body they almost looked real. In Button's eyes, Sweetie Belle glistened like a dark angel. Button's jaw dropped, he had never seen such beauty before, even if it was just meant to be a Nightmare Night costume. "Well, what are you waiting for, sport?" Said Button's dad. 'D-do I just... Talk to her?' Asked Button to his dad, while he was starting to sweat. "Don't sweat, act perfectly normal, and just be calmed in general, got it?" Said his dad, reducing Button's sweat as he slowly vanished from Button's sight. 'Okay, I'll try.' Said Button as he approached Sweetie. 'Ooof boy, this night seems promising.' ----------------------------------- Outside ----------------------------------- Button Mash had just entered the party, leaving Spike thinking by himself. "Don't think about her too much, will you?" Said the fake Rarity, who had appeared in Spike's right side. 'I'm sorry, I can't help it, I never expected something like that from her...' Replied Spike with sadness. "Hey, this night is the one, this is a way to test how well you've done. Now get in there and don't let this affect you or this party will be a lot shorter than we had in mind." Said the fake Rarity, pushing Spike to the door. Spike shrugged and entered the party. He saw just about as much as Button saw, but his attention was more focused on Apple Bloom, her witch costume was really appealing to him; Spike had read some History books with paintings and Apple Bloom's costume matched with those paintings very well. Spike had also read that witch hunts were common among the Apple family, since it was really big and had many members across Equestria, so maybe Applejack, Big Macintosh and possibly Granny Smith had worked on her costume along with her. Spike's feelings sank, however, when he noticed that Apple Bloom was awfully close to Snails, he remembered his talk with Apple Bloom about who she had a crush on, but he did not expect it to be Snails. Spike had tried his best to man up and finally confess to Apple Bloom in the play rehearsals, but the fake Rarity had always stopped him, telling him that "he's still not good enough"; that was it, he was going to talk to her and confess, right there and then. Spike's legs moved almost automatically towards Apple Bloom and Snails, ready to step between the two of them and confess, but as soon as he was close to Apple Bloom, the fake Rarity stopped him in his tracks by appearing directly in front of him. "Hey, what do you think you're doing?" Asked the fake Rarity with an annoyed expression on her face. 'I'm going to talk to her, I think I'm ready.' Said Spike firmly. "Maybe you are, but we need to do some things first." Spike rolled his eyes at hearing this. 'Ugh, okay, what do we need to do first?' Asked Spike with no enthusiasm whatsoever. "We need to secure your status to show everypony here who is the boss, that way we'll raise our chances of Apple Bloom saying yes." 'And how do we do that?' The fake Rarity answered Spike's question by turning his head so he could see Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon directly. "I noticed that Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon have been avoiding you this week, you should go check on them, if they are angry with you and you're able to make amends, then you'll be able to check two things on our list with one action." Said the fake Rarity as she vanished. Spike sighed before walking over to where the fillies were talking; but as soon as Diamond Tiara noticed Spike was walking their way, she whispered something into Silver Spoon's ear before she ran into another room. Spike just shrugged it off and walked over to Silver Spoon's direction. "So... How are you, Silver Spoon?" Asked Spike. Silver Spoon just avoided making eye contact. "Hey, are you still mad at me for what happened at the other party?" "What do you think?" Said Silver Spoon coldly. "Look, Silver Spoon, I was an idiot for just leaving you there, but what did you want me to do? I actually had nowhere else to go. Diamond Tiara and Snips were going to totally tear me apart." "I know, I know, I'm sorry about that, but you could've at least showed that you cared about me." Said Silver Spoon, now looking at Spike. "Huh?" "Yeah, like, you could've returned the kiss or stayed for a little bit more." "I'm sorry Silver Spoon, but I was partly drunk that day." "Huh?" "Yeah, Rumble told me he spiked my drink for some weird experiment he did with me and Button." "Heh, 'spiked' your drink?" Said Silver Spoon with a weak smile. "Heh, sorry, no pun intended there." "Still, you kinda hurt me. You were one of the nicest guys I've met, I couldn't believe my eyes when you jumped out of that window." "I didn't know what else to do... I mean, I think I've made amends with Snips, but I don't think Diamond Tiara will ever forgive me for what we did." Said Spike, looking down. "I forgive you, Spike, and just give Tiara some time, I'm sure she'll forgive you too... Eventually." Said Silver Spoon, looking up at Spike. "Can we at least be friends again?" Asked Spike, raising his claw at her level. "I think I can allow that." Replied Silver Spoon, giving Spike a hoofbump. "So... What do you think of my costume?" Asked Silver Spoon, showing how her costume was decorated with fake blood on most parts. Spike was about to reply, but the fake Rarity appeared beside him. "Give her a vague compliment." "It's... Original." "Oh..." Said Silver Spoon, looking down. "I-I mean amazing! I think it's amazing! I can't believe I can still be the friend of somepony who looks so good!" Said Spike quickly, making Silver Spoon blush. "Really? Thank you, Spike! Diamond Tiara said it was dumb. Let me get you something to drink!" Said Silver Spoon before rushing over to the kitchen. 'Did you see the look on her face? She looked so sad when she thought I-' "Aaaand she looked so happy when she realized you didn't think of her costume like that. Ponies usually want what they don't have." Replied the fake Rarity. "Now go, there's another filly you need to talk to before making the big step." Spike's head moved on its own so his eyes were staring directly at Diamond Tiara, who had just come out of the bathroom. Spike breathed heavily and strolled over to her side, this could only go so well. "I really feel like we're not in sync right now." Said Scootaloo as she looked towards Apple Bloom with confusion on her eyes. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were standing next to the food table, just in the kitchen, and they had just started a disagreement because of the food Apple Bloom had brought for the party. "Oh, come on, Scootaloo, I like apples, you don't. What's the problem with that?" Asked Apple Bloom as she finished eating her slice of apple pie. "That you ALWAYS bring apple food! Why can't you bring cherries or blueberries for a change?" Asked Scootaloo. "Because I can't? Ugh, you're so stubborn sometimes." Said Apple Bloom, rubbing her forehead. "Whatever, Rumble likes me anyways. Besides, I'm the only one on the group with a coltfriend." Said Scootaloo with pride. "Not soon, you won't." Said Apple Bloom, pointing behind Scootaloo. Scootaloo turned around and she saw Button Mash talking with Sweetie Belle, both of them were blushing and avoiding eye contact. "Sweetie and Button? About time! I was starting to think neither of them would confess!" Said Scootaloo. "Wait, you knew they liked each other?" Asked Apple Bloom with curiosity. Scootaloo sweated for a second before the fake Rainbow Dash replied for her. "Oh, yeah, Button told me." "Really? When?" "At the end of the rehearsal." "Huh, I wonder why he didn't tell me about it." Said Apple Bloom, crossing her hooves. "But you and Dinky still don't have coltfriends, so hah!" Said Scootaloo, taking control of herself again. "Actually you might be wrong on that one again." "Huh?" "Yeah, I saw Dinky was starting to spend more and more time with that other colt... What was his name again?... Oh yeah! Pipsqueak!" "Speaking of her, what's up with Dinky? She has been avoiding us for some time now, do you think we did something to her that made her feel offended?" Asked Scootaloo, thinking about how Dinky hadn't talked with the Cutie Mark Crusaders for a week. Hay, she didn't even look excited to participate in their play! "I don't know, maybe she is just making Pipsqueak company." Said Apple Bloom, shrugging. "Which means YOU are the only one without a coltfriend!" Said Scootaloo, pointing at Apple Bloom. "O-Oh! I just don't like anypony in particular! See? They're all weird!" Said Apple Bloom, pointing at Snails, who was still trying to swat the fly; then he slapped his own face because the darn fly had stood in his nose for a second. "I get your point, but why are you sweating, then?" Asked Scootaloo, looking at Snails and then at Apple Bloom, who was so nervous her eye was twitching. Pretty much everypony in Ponyville could detect when an apple was lying; they were NOT good at lying, and Scootaloo was no exception, she could practically see Apple Bloom physically suffering from not being honest. "Well then! I guess we're done here!" Said Apple Bloom, trying to leave the conversation, but Scootaloo stepped in, blocking her path. "Oooh! So you DO like somepony! Who is it?" "Scoots, that's eno-" Stuttered Apple Bloom before Scootaloo interrupted again. "Is it Snips? Snails? Featherweight? or is it-" "Ugh! Fine! I'll tell you! Just come here for a second." Said Apple Bloom, trying to not raise her voice too much, while also inviting Scootaloo to step closer. "But first, you gotta promise me you won't laugh!" "Ugh, fine, I promise to not laugh." Said Scootaloo, rolling her eyes. Apple Bloom hesitated a bit before answering. "It's Spike, I like Spike. There! Just laugh already!" Said Apple Bloom before falling on her rump and covering her eyes with her hooves, waiting for her friend to start laughing. "Wait, did you say Spike?" Asked Scootaloo with a surprised expression on her face. "HA! I told you!" Said the fake Rainbow Dash, appearing before Scootaloo mockingly. 'Hey! Just because you were right about that doesn't mean I'm gonna-' "Trust me, you WILL." Said the fake Rainbow Dash, mocking Scootaloo before disappearing again. "Scoots?" She heard Apple Bloom in the ground calling her name, which snapped her out of her thoughts. "Huh? Oh! What is it, Apple Bloom?" Asked Scootaloo, trying to look as natural as possible. "You're not gonna make fun of me for liking Spike?" Asked Apple Bloom, starting to uncover her eyes. "Of course not! In fact, I'm glad you finally found someone you like!" Said Scootaloo, helping her friend get back on her hooves. "R-really? You don't think I'm weird?" Asked Apple Bloom with a hopeful expression on her eyes. "Of course not! But you gotta ask him out, though, because if you don't, you'll be left behind." Said Scootaloo, making Apple Bloom blush. "What?! I can't! Not yet!" Said Apple Bloom, covering her eyes with a paper plate. "Why not?" "I'm still trying to gather the courage I need to ask him out! But I'll ask him tomorrow after the play, I promise!" "You better." Said Scootaloo, making eye contact with her friend, who was still sweating. "SCOOTALOO!!!" She heard Rumble screaming her name, much louder than the music playing in the speakers. Rumble entered the kitchen and there, Scootaloo saw how damaged her coltfriend looked, his Shadowbolt costume was ripped in various parts and his eyes were glowing blue. "Oh my Celestia, what's wrong, Rumble?!" Asked Scootaloo with worry, now facing him. "WE HAVE TO GET SPIKE AND BUTTON AND GO NOW!" Said Rumble, running on the opposite direction, Scootaloo followed him, thinking he was drugged, which couldn't be farther from the truth. Apple Bloom shrugged, leaving the crazy couple to resolve things by themselves. "Heh, popular ponies are so weird." ----------------------------------- On the living room ----------------------------------- 'Come on, you can do it!' Button was starting to sweat again; his dad had just vanished and now he was standing like an idiot instead of talking to Sweetie Belle, who was standing near the window next to the door. 'Okay, just be chill, and don't be weird... er than usual.' Said Button to himself as he finally stepped closer to Sweetie with a cup of hard cider in his hoof. As he was getting closer, Sweetie turned her head and she saw Button Mash getting closer, she couldn't help but let out a small blush. "Oh! H-hello, Button!" Said Sweetie Belle, trying her best to fight back the blush on her face. "H-hi! Ummm... Can I... Talk to you for a second?" Asked Button, trying to look casual. Luckily, Sweetie just nodded,indicating that she didn't notice how nervous he was. "What did you want to talk to me about?" Said Sweetie in a hesitant but hopeful tone. "Well, I actually came to talk about you and me..." Said Button. "Oh?" "Yes, I mean, we've known each other for so long, it feels like forever sometimes." 'YOU IDIOT! WHAT KIND OF METAPHOR IS THAT?!' Button mentally slapped himself for using such a dumb metaphor. However, at hearing Sweetie Belle giggling made him feel a little bit better. "Yeah, I remember that day." Said Sweetie, recalling the first day they looked at each other's eyes. It was short, but beautiful. "W-well, I also wanted to ask you something..." "Uh-huh?" "...About me?" 'Oh, you ACTUAL coward. I bet a cat is braver than you!' Said Button, mentally slapping himself again; which he did again when he noticed Sweetie Belle's gaze was down. Speaking of Sweetie, when the words Button said had finally sunk in, she took a good look at him, he had changed a lot. He had a very different attitude towards everypony, he was wearing different clothes to school, now he was seen at the buckball field from time to time, he was drinking hard cider and he had ignored his friend along with Spike... What was his name again...? Oh, right, Pipsqueak, he had ignored Pipsqueak. How could he change so much in so little time? And how could he ignore one of his best friends? Maybe he had gotten more mature... But if that was the case, then what could be his opinion of her? Could it be possible that he now despises nerdy ponies like her? Maybe she is just not good enough for him now that he is mature, maybe he'd rather be with somepony like Diamond Tiara instead of her... Maybe they weren't meant to be... All these thoughts consumed Sweetie's mind, and left her with a forced smile in front of Button, and an underlapping feelng of sadness in her heart; he had moved on and she couldn't even earn her cutie mark, he had abandoned videogames just when she was starting to like them as much as he did, and he had abandoned Pipsqueak because he wasn't good enough anymore... What could be expected of her? "Sweetie Belle?" Button's words snapped Sweetie out of her train of thoughts, and she looked at him directly. His eyes were concerned for her, although Sweetie thought that they might as well express pity of some sort. "Y-yeah?" "I'm sorry I'm acting so weird, I honestly don't know what's wrong with me, but what's going on with you? You seem... distracted." "Me? Oh.. That's because I..." Sweetie stopped when she looked at Button again, she saw that his eyes were definitely not pitiful, but they were showing compassion and concern for her; so Sweetie sighed and decided to give in... But in a discrete manner, of course. "Okay, I'm actually thinking about the colt I like." "Oh?" Asked Button, not sure if he should laugh or cry. "Well, it's just that since I met him I've been trying to change myself to be closer to him, but now he has changed again, and I'm afraid he'll leave me behind." Said Sweetie, finally dropping her smile. "Oh, I totally understand that." "Huh?" "Yeah, ever since I entered school I've been the loser, but I'm tired of that, you know? A-and I also have been doing some changes to my life to be cooler; but most importantly, I've been changing who I am for the pony I like the most." Said Button, looking down to his drink. "I guess it sucks to be us, huh?" Asked Sweetie in a sarcastic tone. "But hey, at least you're popular! Which is more than some of us can say..." Said Sweetie, looking at the ground. "What? I'm not-" Said Button before Sweetie interrupted him. "Umm, hello? you're the guy who has been destroying his way up to the social levels of our school!" "But what about you? I mean, you and the other crusaders are like the most famous fillies in town." Said Button Mash, which earned a shrug from Sweetie Belle. "Meh, we're still pretty uncool, unlike your buddies Rumble, Scoots and Spike. Don't worry about me, though, I can live with it. Thanks for worrying, though." Said Sweetie with a little giggle. Button's heart skipped a beat at the sound of her giggles, if her voice was beautiful, her giggles were like heaven on Equestria. "I........................" Started Button, but nothing came out of his mouth other than his breath. "What?" Asked Sweetie Belle with curiosity. "I... just... don't know what I'm supposed to say right now..." "Just say what's on your mind, Button." Said Sweetie Belle, recomforting Button. So, Button did just as he was told. "PWOOOOOOOOOOOOOFFFFFFFFFFFTTTTTTTT" Button had just created the weirdest explosion sound effect with his mouth. Sweetie looked at him with a blank stare. 'Oof, nice going, idiot, now she-' Button started slapping himself up again before another sound snapped him out of his thoughts. "Ka-PEEEEEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWMMMMMMMMM" Sweetie had followed Button's example and did the second weirdest explosion sound effect ever before laughing her face off. Button followed suit and both of them laughed until Button started the sound effects again. "PRRRRRAAAAAAATATATATATATATATATA-" "PPPPPPPFFFFFFFFSSSSSSSSHHHHHHH-" "WOOOP-WOOOP-WOOOP." "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-" Sweetie Belle and Button Mash were laughing so hard that they had fell on their backs, Button's drink was spilled all over the floor and they were starting to tear up; the other fillies and colts were either starting to look at them with concern or turning their heads away. But they didn't care, they were so lost in their little... 'thing', that they didn't care about what others thought of them at that point. By the time they had calmed down, Button heard Snips yelling on the upper floor, which surprised both of them and decided to stop laughing. Afterwards, they saw Spike running through the living room until he reached the bathroom; in which he locked himself. Snips was following suit, but by the looks of it, he didn't see where Spike was; so Snips decided to look for him in the rest of the house. Sweetie Belle and Button finally got up on their hooves, and looked at each other with smiles on their faces. "Cool ponies, right?" Asked Button with a smile. "Couldn't have said it better myself." Replied Sweetie. There was a brief pause between the two of them, in which they looked at each other's eyes. Button just knew this was the moment, it was now or never. "You know..." Started Sweetie Belle, which snapped Button out of his thoughts. "Huh?" "...It's pretty killer to hang with you." Finished Sweetie Belle, smiling at Button, who finally gave himself a boost of courage before speaking. "Sweetie Belle..." The filly looked at him with curiosity. "W-w-will you go out with me?" Finally said Button with an air of confidence. Sweetie Belle was dumbfounded, not only did Button feel the same way she did, but HE asked HER out! This was one of the happiest feelings she'd ever felt. A part of her just wanted to shout YES!!! to his face, oblivious to the world around them, and finally kissing him to seal the deal. But the 'other' part of her brain struck, and it struck hard with the most powerful and hurtful arguments her mind could muster; she remembered how she'd changed almost entirely for him, and now he had changed again. She remembered being bullied by Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon for not having her cutie mark, and how Button seemed to hang out with them more now. And the finishing blow, Sweetie remembered all the times colts and stallions alike had almost never noticed her, instead, they focused on the beautiful, mature, savior of Equestria, successful business mare Rarity, who was unfortunately her sister. Why would anypony, let alone Button Mash, choose her over any other girl? She wasn't as beautiful as her sister, she was more recognized for almost destroying Ponyville than saving it, and she didn't even know her destiny yet! "I... can't." "What?" Button wasn't expecting that answer. "I... just can't." Said Sweetie Belle, supressing a tear. "But I thought..." "I'm sorry Button, but I need to know who I am before any of this. I know this is not what you wanted to hear... I just... I'm sorry." After that, Sweetie Belle ran out of Snips' house, now heading for her home, letting tears run down her face, now that they weren't visible to anyone. Button Mash was speechless, Was this his fault? Did he say something that offended her? Was he too sudden? All these and more questions wandered inside his head as he slowly slumped over, letting tears of his own fall. "BUTTON!!!" A scream snapped his eyes open and made him look over to his left side, and there, he saw Rumble and Scootaloo rushing over to him. "DUDE! WE HAVE TO GO!" Said Rumble, his eyes glowing blue and his body shaking. "What? Why?" Asked Button between little sobs. "THIS IS SERIOUS! WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE!" Said Scootaloo, her eyes glowing a slightly lighter shade of blue; almost like Rainbow Dash's fur color. Rumble tapped her on her shoulder, and pointed at the bathroom, where Spike was just coming out of. "WE'LL GET SPIKE, BUT YOU NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE!" Said Rumble before he and Scootaloo rushed over to Spike. Button was about to call the ponies and ask them what was up, but they were already gone. Button got up on his hooves and swallowed back his sadness; if he did something wrong with Sweetie, then it was up to him to fix it! Button took a step before stopping because of something appearing in front of him. The object took the form of a stallon and Button recognized his dad. 'You're back! What was the holdup?' Asked Button to his dad. "My absence was short, I don't think that was a very strong drink; just stand still while I review the information about this little time that I was out..." Said Button's dad before his eyes turned white, scanning Button's recent memories. Everything went well except for one oddity. "Oh no..." 'What's wrong?' Asked Button, worried that he might've been referring to his chat with Sweetie Belle. Button's dad looked to his side to confirm his suspicions; Button couldn't see it, but Button's dad earned a nod from the fake Rainbow Dash and Thunderlane. "We have to get you out of here." Said Button's dad, making Button stumble towards the exit. 'What? Why?' "Just go!" Demmanded Button's dad. Button shrugged and got out of the house with no hesitation. ----------------------------------- Minutes earlier ----------------------------------- Spike was walking over to Diamond Tiara when he noticed something a bit strange, Diamond Tiara was carrying a bottle of some weird liquid which she didn't have earlier. Spike decided to ignore it and at least try to make amends. "H-hey, Diamond Tiara." Said Spike, nervous to even look at her in the eye. "Hi, Spike!" Said Diamond Tiara cheerfully. Spike was numb, he expected her to insult him, ignore him, humilliate him or something like that, but she was instead awfully friendly. "Umm... Hey, I just wanted to-" "Say you're sorry about what happened at the last party? Yeah, I forgive you." She said, which left Spike speechless. "By the way, Silver Spoon told me to take you upstairs, she said she has a surprise for you." Spike hesitated for a moment, but the fake Rarity appeared behind Diamond Tiara and nodded at him, meaning that Spike had to agree. "Okay, let's go." Diamond Tiara smiled, everything was going accordingly to the plan. "Just follow me." A certain clown was watching the scene, and when he saw that Diamond Tiara was taking Spike upstairs, he took off his mask to see it with his own two eyes. "Woah, that's some good gossip right there." Said Featherweight as he rubbed his eyeballs to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him. Spike followed Diamond Tiara up to Snips' parents' room. The memories of that awful day came back, now taunting Spike as he entered the room. Diamond Tiara closed the door behind them, smiling at how the situation was developing for her. Once Spike turned around, he saw Diamond Tiara looking at him with her eyes half closed in a seductive manner. "Wait... Where's Silver Spoon?" Asked Spike, oblivious to the situation. "Oh my Celestia... You are SO FREAKING adorable." Said Diamond Tiara, stepping closer with each word that came out of her mouth. "Silver Spoon is not coming." "Then wha-" "Spike, do you wanna hang for a bit?" Asked Diamond Tiara, now closing the gap between their bodies. "Wha...I-ummm... You see..." Said Spike, getting nervous now that the events of the last party were starting to develop again. "Just the two of us... You know, talking about our feelings and shit like that." Said Diamond Tiara while pushing Spike over to the bed. "Diamond, I'm not sure about this..." Said Spike as he sat down on the bed with Diamond Tiara beside him. "Come on... I'm sure we can have fun while we're at it." Said Diamond Tiara, raising a hoof and touching Spike's chest. "Ohh I just remembered! I have to go!" Said Spike, trying to stand up but failing at moving his legs. 'I can't stand up.' "You're welcome." Said the fake Rarity, winking at him from the corner of the room. "You're less cute when you're talking, no offense." Said Diamond Tiara, taking her hoof off Spike's chest. "Non-taken, but seriously, I should really get back to-" "YOU KNOW... Silver Spoon is not all that innocent." Said Diamond Tiara, shutting him up. "When we're around other ponies we put on some really mean faces but she is lowkey acting like she's my second. She puts on that submissive face to attract more ponies, and it just makes me sick." "Why would that make you...? Oh... Are you jealous of Silver Spoon?" Asked Spike, to which Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes. "Uh, OBVIOUSLY... I'm not!" Said Diamond Tiara with an annoyed face. "But why would you be jealous of her? You're like, the most respected and hottest filly in school!" Said Spike, getting a very special look from Diamond Tiara. "Did I really just say that out loud?" The filly responded by pouncing on him and starting kissing him without his permission. Spike was NOT enjoying this, this was WRONG. The dragon tried to squirm his way out of the filly's grasp but the lack of his lower body made it impossible for him to do it. "Hey! Make it stop!" Said Spike out loud to the fake Rarity, who was playing innocent on the corner. "I don't understand your request, sorry." Said the fake Rarity, smiling and looking away mockingly. "Do you wanna stop? More like, Do you wanna stop being coy?" Said Diamond Tiara, pulling out the bottle Spike had seen earlier. "Here, this is not exactly apple juice, you know." "Oh, I'm not exactly a drinker so-" Said Spike before getting the bottle forcefully pressed up to his lips. 'Why are you not trying to stop this?!' Asked Spike to the fake Rarity. "You have to understand that this is a good chance for you to לתקן" Said the fake Rarity, her eyes turning white when she finished her sentence. 'Don't you realize that you'll disappear?' "Yes, but it's important! Just זכור על מה דיברנו!" Said the fake Rarity, her whole body beginning to twitch. 'But I'll be alone!' "That doesn't matter! Just remember what we talked about! You need to לנצל את ההזדמנות שלך ולילה טוב!" Said the fake Rarity before disappearing again, leaving Spike on his own. Diamond Tiara looked at Spike, he didn't look like he was interested in this, plus, he had been looking at a corner this entire time. Suddenly, her interest on him lowered, and Diamond Tiara stopped trying to force him to kiss her. "Whatever... I think this was enough." Said Diamond Tiara, starting to walk away. "Spike? Are you in there? Featherweight said he saw you come upstairs!" Both of them suddenly heard Snips knock on the door. "Yeah, and he usually doesn't lie." They heard Silver Spoon's voice next to his. "Featherweight?" Asked Spike, not remembering seeing him anywhere. "Featherweight should mind his own business, but this is perfect!" Said Diamond Tiara, grinning evily before going back to Spike's side. "NOW THE FUN REALLY REALLY BEGINS!!" Shouted Diamond Tiara, making sure that both of them heard her. "Wait, what are you doing?!" Asked Spike, the memories of his horrible first party flooding back at full force. "SILVER SPOON! ME AND SPIKE ARE MAKING OUT ON THIS BED!! HOW DOES IT FEEL, HUH?!?!" Shouted Diamond Tiara, making loud kissing noises. "WE ARE DEFINITELY NOT!!!" Shouted Spike, trying to find a different way to escape. While he was trying to find a way out that wasn't the window, the door opened, revealing a tearful Silver Spoon and a furious looking Snips. "EEK! Have you not heard of privacy before?!" Shrieked Diamond Tiara. "This time I had a spare key." Said Snips before turning his head to Spike. "Spike the damn dragon... I trusted you, I told you my situation, and you still did this again on THE SAME PLACE?! Well guess what?! Now you will be BALLESS!!!" Shouted Snips before pouncing at Spike. Luckily, Spike avoided Snips, who landed on the bed. The dragon desperately hid under the bed, hoping that Snips didn't see him; but he certainly did. Spike saw that Snips was trying to get under the bed, and Spike seized this opportunity to trap Snips under the bed with his own fat to escape the room. "YOU WILL NOT ESCAPE ME, DRAGON!" Shouted Snips, trying to get out of the bed. Spike didn't waste any time and he quickly ran out of the room, fearing for his life. He encountered Silver Spoon crying outside the room. "Silver Spoon, I..." Spike tried to say something, but a yell from the room made him turn his head. "I'M COMING!!!" Spike didn't know any better than run away, leaving behind Silver Spoon crying, Diamond Tiara frustrated and Snips angrier than a raging minotaur. Spike quickly ran down the stairs and looked to his surroundings. Where could he hide from Snips? Spike took a few steps back and he felt something round poke him in the back. He turned around and he saw that it was a knob, from the door that led to the bathroom, that is. 'The bathroom! That's it!' Said Spike to himself before running in and slamming the door shut. Once inside, Spike took a long breath full of anxiety and looked to his surroundings... It was a nice bathroom, the walls were nicely decorated with Nightmare Night designs and the bathtub looked like a nice place to sit on. Spike walked over there and he sat on the edge of the tub, thinking about the night thus far. All things considered, this night was... Certainly something he didn't expect. Curiously the events that had transpired were similar to the events of the last party, but now things were... weird. Was this his fault? Why did things turn out the same way? Maybe it was because he didn't have the fake Rarity with him both times... But does that mean things were better or worse? And could things have gone differently if he hadn't drink anything? These, and more questions that were bouncing on his head prevented him from looking to the tub, where he had failed to notice that there was someone laying down there. They were dressed as a garbage monster, but they had menacing claws. One of these claws raised over the level of the tub, slowly making its way over to Spike's arm. When it reached him, it grabbed Spike's arm, making him yell in surprise and fear. "AAAAAAHHHHH!" Shouted Spike as he jumped out of the edge of the tub. The monster showed its head to Spike, before taking off its mask; and there, Spike saw somepony very familiar. "Hey." Said the colt. "Pipsqueak?" Asked Spike in complete awe. "I didn't know you were invited to this party." "No, I wasn't. Which is why I'm wearing this... 'Clever' disguise." Said Pip before jumping out of the tub, showing Spike his costume. His costume was by far the worst one he had seen at this party so far, it was clearly a garbage monster, because it was mostly pieces of paper and plastic, which were clearly taken from a garbage bin and were stitched together in a barely attractive way. Pipsqueak decided to take off his costume, which wasn't neccesary because it ripped apart when Pip started taking it off. "You're speechless... What's the matter? That potion went down the wrong end?" Asked Pip coldly. "It's... Not active right now." Said Spike, still shocked by Pip's surprising appearance. "That would explain why you're talking to me." Replied Pip, still not showing any emotions. "And... What... How have you been?" Asked Spike, not sure of what else to say. "Oh, just great! Spending this week just with Dinky has been completely fine!" Said Pip now starting to show some emotions. Spike just looked down in shame. "You know..." Started Pip. "I've been thinking about this moment. What I was going to say to any of you two when I could finally talk to you. I wrote this... Really angry monologue going through our BIG time as friends..." Pip stopped when he saw Spike, he was starting to form a smile. "What?" "Nothing... It's just... I'm glad to see you, dude." Said Spike, relieved to see that Pip wasn't changed. "It won't be when you hear what I have to say to you about it." Said Pip, looking away with a mostly sad expression on his face. "About what?" Asked Spike. Pip just pointed at his brain. "How could you know anything about it? I thought this was a top secret-" "Which is weird, right?" Said Pipsqueak, knowing exactly where this was going. "With everything Equestria has gone through the years you would think there are not any secrets to uncover, right? So I started asking around if my parents knew anything about it; and they actually had a familiar in Trottingham who also drank what you guys drank." "Are you sure? Maybe they got confused and what he drank was something else! Maybe he drank-" "I thought that too! But when I was talking with Dinky about it-" "Wait, you told DINKY about this?!" Asked Spike, nervous about what Rumble had warned him. "Can you just LISTEN TO ME FOR ONE SECOND OF YOUR LIFE?!" Shouted Pip, which silenced Spike. "Apparently she had a cousin who drank a bottle of mysteriously dark liquid like my parents' familiar and they both had the same fate!" "'The same fate'?" "Yeah. Both of them attended Princess Celestia's school for gifted ponies! Do you know where they are now?" Spike rolled his eyes. "Really happy with powerful magic and lots of money?" Pip got ready to drop the bombshell. "They're dead." Spike was definitely NOT expecting that; he had to be lying, right? there was no way the fake Rarity could kill him, right? everything he had done up to this point was the right thing to do... RIGHT?! Spike tried to deny it. "Umm... I-I don't see what has to do with-" "JUST THINK, SPIKE! We're talking about a seriously unknown magic which some random stranger sold you, and you think the purpose of this magic is to get you some girls to flirt with?" Spike thought about it for a moment before denying it again. Pipsqueak continued. "Where did it come from? How did they end up in Ponyville? In hooves of kids like us? Of all the things you could do with such magic, have you ever wondered what is happening inside of YOU?" Pipsqueak was starting to lose it, but Spike was not convinced. "Pft, and I thought Diamond Tiara was jealous." "I'm asking honestly." "Oh, really?" "Yeah!" "'Cause I think you're just jealous we have one and YOU don't." "Come on, Spike!" "Maybe we got lucky for once, is that so weird? Because with our history, I'd say the world owed Button and I one! And I don't know about your contacts, but if you're saying that the magic killed them-" "The magic didn't kill them!" "Well there you-" "THEY KILLED THEMSELVES OUT OF DESESPERATION!!!" There was a brief silence before Spike asked again. "W-w-w-what did you say?" "First, they got arrested for 'treason against Celestia's kingdom' whatever that means, and then they went into a mental hospital trying to get the magic out of their bodies! With no other option left they killed themselves when no one was looking!" "Well... Then we've got nothing to worry about, why would we commit crimes? And why would I want to get it out of me?... I'll just go away and Button and I won't mess with you any-" Spike was walking towards the door, but he was stoped by Pipsqueak, who blocked his path. "Come on, dude, move!" "Or what?" Asked Pip with determination. "Get out of my way!... Fucking loser." After hearing his former friend say something like that, Pip felt his courage go away and stepped aside with hesitation. Spike just got out of the bathroom without looking back to Pip, not even giving him a side glare. He had just been ditched by his only friends. Now he was alone in the bathroom, where no one would ever notice him. Pipsqueak shortly went over to the door and locked it from the inside. Afterwards, Pipsqueak felt his legs giving away strength, and he slumped over on the floor, resting his head on the door. Nopony would come in there, since they will surely be ashamed of using the bathroom during a party... In which he wasn't invited. Pip reflected on his situation, he had come all this way and for what? Trying to help some guys who didn't even want help? Now he was at a party he wasn't even invited to, he could leave the party and nothing would change; in fact, he could go out there without his costume and nopony would even notice at all. Pip looked to the floor, letting a few tears form in his eyes as he remembered all the times he had together with Spike and Button Mash; he remembered the day when they failed at a hoofball match, and they laughed at themselves for being clumsy. He remembered when they dropped Snails' lunch on the floor, which DID get them into trouble, but they had fun for being so distracted. He remembered the day they sang a song for an art project, but they were mocked for not singing well... They still had fun, though. But then, the most recent memories came; he remembered how his friends had abandoned his side, now being focused on being popular. He remembered how he saw them work with every other popular filly and colt, who didn't even notice him standing there, watching them being happy. Pip knew things wouldn't be the same after this week, now he was alone... Both at school and right now at the bathroom. Maybe after today, Spike and Button would replace him with some other guy 'cooler' than him; but he had no one to replace them with. That was it, he was the last 'weirdo' at school, and now he was alone... Was he out of touch? Was he just not important? What did he do wrong? He had tried to help Spike, but he was just called a loser... Maybe that was the way to go! Maybe he just didn't have to worry about helping anyone ever again! Now it was decided! He would ask Rumble where to find that guy, he would buy a bottle and he would... He would... He wouldn't drink it, would he? No, he would probably find some way to get rid of the bottle and go with his life. Pipsqueak grunted. Why did he have to be this way? Why was he a goody four-shoes colt? Why was he so forgettable?! It's not fair! Simply not fair! Now, because of this attitude of his, he was alone in the bathroom. Suddenly, he heard sounds from behind the door that got his attention, it seemed like the fillies and colts were getting ready to sing karaoke. A filly got up and sang the new hit single from Songbird Serenade. Pip smiled, by the sounds she was making, Pip could tell the filly was either drunk or had some nasal disease. But Pip's happiness lasted no more than just a moment, because his mind remembered how he would usually make fun of things like this with his friends... Now there was nopony to laugh with anymore. Now Pip was alone in the bathroom, where he should stay for the rest of this party. Another sound woke Pip up, this time, it looked like somepony wanted to enter the bathroom! Knock, knock, knock, knock... Oh Celestia, please no... Knock, knock, knock, knock... If this keeps up, they will shout pretty soon. Knock, knock, knock, knock... Pip frantically looked around the bathroom for something to do, he was blank. Knock, knock, knock, knock... That was it, he had to do something right now. Clang, clang, clang, clang... Now they were reaching for the knob, things would escalate soon if he didn't open up the door. BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! Now they were angry. Pip was about to pass out. Pip looked to his side and he saw the sink. SPLASH! SPLASH Splash splash Pipsqueak had thrown some water on his face, and suddenly, he felt like a heavy weight had just been lifted off his back. Now he was ready, if whoever was behind the door thought he was a loser, then so be it. Pipsqueak took a breath and walked over to the door. He was about to turn the knob but he realized something... There was no knocking anymore. Pip breathed a sigh of relief and decided to stand still. What had just happened? Pip again went over to the sink, but he had the disgrace to look at himself in the mirror. There, he saw himself in full force: He saw a pitiful colt with red eyes and was soaked because he had just had a panic attack. But most importantly, he remembered the conclusion that had hit him before he heard the knocking at the door. He was alone. He remembered he wasn't invited, he remembered he was called a loser, he remembered how he was ignored, and he remembered how empty his life seemed without friends. Pipsqueak couldn't hold it it anymore. Pip let out lots of tears and he cried what he had been holding in for the last week. Perhaps this was the reason Spike and Button decided to take that potion; to not feel like this. But Pip just knew he wouldn't be capable of drinking that. His mind wanted a way out of his misery; he looked and he saw that Snips had left a dangeroulsly sharp pair of scissors on the corner... Perhaps it was time to go with his dear grandma. Nopony would notice, after all... ... ... ... No. Pip remembered that he wasn't completely alone in this world, there was another pony that completed him. Somepony who had stuck with him for the past week, even though he was left out of the play. Dinky. Pipsqueak remembered that Dinky was the reason he dragged himself to school every single day. If he didn't want to stay for himself, he would do it for her. No matter the cost. Pipsqueak looked around the bathroom and he saw that the window was facing the outside. Perhaps it was time for him to move on and find some less toxic friends... Perhaps it was finally time to grow up. It was decided, Pipsqueak cleaned his face with his hooves before jumping out of the window. Now he had a purpose: To find Dinky and spending the rest of his days making her happy. Now it was time to move on and perhaps he wouldn't be alone anymore... ... ... It was a nice party. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Spike had just gotten out of the bathroom, and he felt like complete scum. Maybe he was a little too harsh on Pipsqueak, maybe he should go back and apologize... No. Pipsqueak was against progress, and Spike had to make sure that he didn't lose what he had just earned. If the sacrifice for success was just not seeing Pipsqueak for a little while, then what could be so wrong about that? Spike's thoughts were interrupted when he saw two pegasus running towards him. "SPIIIIIIKEEEEEE!" Shouted Scootaloo and Rumble at the same time. "Guys? What's wrong with yo-?" "NO TIME! WE NEED TO GE...." Said Rumble, but found it quite difficult to finish his sentence. "What?" Asked Spike, clueless as to what was happening to them. "RUMBLE SAYS WE NEED TO GE...." Scootaloo also couldn't finish her sentence, there was something wrong with them, and Spike knew it. "Are you toying with me? That's not cool, guys." Said Spike with no emotion other than annoyance. "SPIKE, YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND, PLEASE! JUST TRY TO..." Said Rumble before the two pegasus' eyes glowed. Scootaloo's eyes glowed with a soft blue tone while Rumble's eyes were slightly darker. Both pegasus automatically started to walk over to the basement's door, which was just below the stairs. Spike just shrugged it off, maybe they were drugged or something like that, they would be better tomorrow in the morning. Then, out of nowhere, Spike saw that the fake Rarity appeared in front of him, dusting off non-existing dust. 'About time! What took you so long?' "My absence was not ideal, but it was necessary. Wait a moment while I check the information about this evening." Said the fake Rarity before her eyes turned white. There was a problem. "Oh my..." 'Is it that bad?' "We need to get you home." Said the fake Rarity, pushing Spike to the exit. 'What?' "Don't ask, just go!" And so, Spike obeyed the fake Rarity, who looked worried for some reason. התנגדות היא חסרת תועלת ההצלחה מובטחת התנגדות היא חסרת תועלת ההצלחה מובטחת התנגדות היא חסרת תועלת Rumble and Scootaloo had unwillingly locked themselves into the basement, and now they were on the floor squealing in pain. Rumble looked at Scootaloo, who stared at him back. They reached for each other's hoof and pulled each other closer. Now they were hugging in the darkness of Snips' basement. "RUMBLE, NOW WHAT?" Asked Scootaloo in despair. "We can't beat them or get them out of our brains... BUT WE CAN MAKE SURE THEY WON'T GET INSIDE ANYONE ELSE!" Shouted Rumble into the darkness. "And how exactly are you planning on stopping us?" Rumble pulled pulled out a gasoline bottle from the corner of the basement. Scootaloo saw what he was up to and nodded. "WITH THIS!!!"