//------------------------------// // Chapter 48 (Just for Sidekicks and Games Ponies Play) // Story: Spike The Brony Dragon // by red4567 //------------------------------// “Okay...a little more frosting there...complete with more gems...should I use an amethyst or topaz? Meh, I’ll use both. And...done!” After what seemed like hours of mixing, baking, and decorating, I was able to craft that jewel cake like in the show. It wasn’t that difficult to be honest. All I had to do was resist eating some of the gems. I didn’t know why the old Spike kept failing. I quickly grabbed the camera and took a few pictures of the finished cake. Twilight came down the stairs looking rather surprised. “Wow, Spike,” Twilight said. “You made that all by yourself? Good job.” “Thank you,” I replied as I pulled out the cake slicer. “Want a slice?” “You do realize I’m not a dragon, right?” “That’s fine, just pick out the gem pieces that you can’t eat. I’ll be sure to take them.” I cut out a slice for myself. “Maybe when the girls and I get back.” “Get back from where?” I secretly knew where, considering this was when the events of “Just for Sidekicks” and “Games Ponies Play” took place. “The Crystal Empire, of course. Princess Cadance invited the girls and I to help with welcoming the Games Inspector for the upcoming Equestria Games.” “That sounds nice...wait, why wasn’t I invited?” “That’s...what I liked to know. Cadence said to bring the girls, but she never mentioned you. You’d think after what you’ve done to save the empire, she’d ask you to come along as well.” I sighed. “Be sure to ask her when you get the chance.” “You can tag along, Spike. It’s not like she’s forbidding you to come.” I then look at Owlowiscious. “Actually, why don’t I pet-sit Owlowiscious and the others while you’re all away?” “You think you can handle that Spike?” “I took care of Fluttershy’s animals once. If I could do that, I can handle domesticated pets.” I couldn’t think of anypony else to take care of the pets, and I actually wanted to interact with some of them. At the very least, I could try to give more attention to Angel. A short while later, the other girls came along with their pets. They each instructed me how to take care of their respective pets. Rainbow Dash told me while Tank didn’t need much attention, I should keep an eye on him in case he flies away. “You also might wanna think about a helmet,” Rainbow added. “You only want to get hit in the head by a flying turtle once.” “Tortoise. And I’m way ahead of you,” I said as I put on a hard hat. Applejack said I needed to make sure I had enough time to play with Winona. Otherwise, she’ll get wild without any exercise. Gummy just needs somepony to talk to. I already knew how to take care of Owlowiscious. Rarity gave me a long list of demands needed to take care of Opal. Fluttershy reminded me how important it was to primp Angel, especially his tail. I took note of everything. “Are you absolutely sure you can do this, Spike?” Twilight asked me. “Of course,” I replied as I put some books away. “I can assure you these pets are in good hands. All you need to do is relax and make sure Ms. Harshwhinny approves of using the Crystal Empire for the Equestria Games.” “Ms. Who?”  “Harshwhinny. That’s the name of the inspector, at least from what I’ve heard. Just make sure you ask so you don’t get the wrong pony.” “We’ll be sure to do that.” After I finished critter-proofing the library, I bid the girls goodbye as they did the same for their pets. Once the front door closed, I quickly got to work. I noticed Opal and Winona hissing and barking at each other. “Hey! Hey! Be nice!” I shouted as I pulled them apart. “I know you two don’t get along, but you’re not fighting while I’m here.” Bang! “Oof!” I readjusted my hard hat as Tank flew over me. “I’m glad I was wearing this. Be careful where you’re flying, Tank.” I picked up Angel’s brush and quickly headed over to him.  “Alright, where do you want it the most, and which direction this time?” I asked. Angel rolled his eyes and pointed to his head. He motioned his other paw to go from front to back. “Got it.” I brushed gently across his head. Angel kept the same scowl on his face, but his thumping foot suggested a different story. “I know I don’t brush as good as Fluttershy, but you’ll have to make do with me until she gets back.” Suddenly, I felt something squeezing my tail. I turned my head around to see Gummy biting my tail. I was lucky he didn't have any teeth yet. “I’ll get to you soon, Gummy. Angel’s a higher priority right now.” As soon I finished removing the curlers on Angel’s tail and fluffed it, Angel hopped away. I then quickly removed Gummy from my tail. “Okay, so what do you need?” I asked as I carried Gummy down the stairs. “Pinkie told me that you liked to be talked to.” Gummy blinked slowly. “I’m not sure what you’d like to talk about, to be honest. Weather? Baking? Philosophy?” “Hoo.” Owlowiscious hooted. I scratched Owlowiscious’s head. “I haven’t forgotten about you. I just have more pets to take care of.” I then turned to Gummy. “I just wish Pinkie was more specific about what I should discuss with you.” That’s when I noticed Tank approaching. I quickly ducked my head as he flew past me. “Easy, Tank.” That’s when I noticed where he was heading. “Watch out for that table!” But it was too late. Tank bumped right into the edge of the table, and the gem cake I spent hours on wobbled like a house of cards. “Oh, no!” I put Gummy down, grabbed a big plate, and rushed to the collapsing confection. Ker-splat! The cake toppled into the ground. I was only able to save the top three layers. “Dang it! I spent all morning on that cake!” I sighed. “At least I can fit this part in the fridge now.” I looked at the clock and noticed it was time for lunch. It was a good thing the girls provided some food for the pets. I quickly filled the bowls for Opal, Winona, and Tank. I gave Owlowiscious some food from my hand, since he doesn’t eat from a bowl. I also gave Angel a bowl of salad. Angel took one look at the salad and pushed the bowl away. “Eat, Angel,” I said sternly. “You’re a growing bunny. You need your nutrition.” Angel shook his head. I snorted. That’s when I had an idea. “Angel...” Angel turned his head to me. With quick thinking, I glared as hard I could right into his black, beady eyes. Angel looked around awkwardly and tilted his head. I groaned. “I’m trying to do Fluttershy’s stare thing! Look, just eat the salad before I have her show up and do the real deal!” Angel sighed and reluctantly ate his salad. I nodded in approval. That’s when I noticed two more pets weren’t eating their food. “Come on, Opal and Winona. I already struggled with getting Angel to eat. I don’t need anymore pets refusing.” The cat and the dog sniffed their respective bowls and pushed them away in disgust. I rubbed my forehead in frustration. “Give me a...wait.”  I took both of their bowls and sniffed them. I then swapped their bowls around. Opal and Winona took one whiff and instantly started eating. “Sorry about that. I didn’t know I gave you both the wrong foods.” While the pets were eating, I took the liberty of cleaning up the cake that didn’t make it to the plate. I was able to pick out most of the gems from the cake so I could eat later. “At least I took some pictures of it.” I munched on some of the gems as part of my lunch. Once we were all fed, I went to wash up the bowls. That’s when I heard the front door banging. Winona ran over to the door barking as loud as she could. “Augh! Twilight never told us there was a dog in there!” Sweetie Belle’s voice shouted. The Cutie Mark Crusaders! “Wait, Sweetie Belle! I know that bark. It’s Winona!” Applebloom called out. I put the dishes in the sink and hurried to open the front door. Instantly, Winona jumped out and pounced on Applebloom. “Heh, heh. It’s good to see ya too, Winona,” Applebloom said as Winona licked her face. “What’s Winona doing in the library?” Scootaloo asked. “I’ve been tasked with keeping the girls’ pets company while they are away at the Crystal Empire,” I replied. “They left already?!” Sweetie Belle squeaked. “Ugh! I was going to tell Rarity to get me a souvenir from the Crystal Empire, like one of those snow globes if they had some!” “I’ll be sure to get you one when we visit for the Equestria Games.” “If that place is hosting this time,” Scootaloo reminded. “Rainbow Dash told me they’re really picky about choosing a location, and the Crystal Empire had just appeared not too long ago.” “Trust me, I know the girls. They’re probably doing whatever they can to make sure the Empire gets chosen to host. Anyway, what are you girls doing?” “Well, we were gonna try to get our cutie marks in skydiving...” Sweetie Belle said. “...but that instructor won’t let us,” Scootaloo snarled. “Says we’re too young and all that. Can’t he see that we’re trying to get our cutie marks?” “Why don’t you get your cutie marks in something else? Like...dog walking? Winona does need her exercise, and I can’t walk her around Ponyville while the other critters run rampant throughout the library.” “Good idea, Spike,” Applebloom said. I handed Applebloom a leash, and she attached it to Winona’s collar. “CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS DOG WALKERS!! YAY!!” The CMC hurried away with Winona. “Just make sure to bring her back before the girls return,” I called out. At least I won’t have to worry about Opal and Winona fighting for now. I went back inside and continued taking care of the other five pets. I brushed Opal a bit while making sure I gave plenty of attention to Angel, which was easier said than done. It was like he was trying to ignore me. I wonder if he was jealous of my relationship with Fluttershy. I wanted to ask him, but I thought it was best if I asked Fluttershy first. Besides, I didn’t speak bunny. That’s when I noticed Tank was flying into another room. “Uh, oh.” I handed the brush to Angel. “Here. Take over. Head to toe very softly.” I got up and ran into the other room. I quickly grabbed Tank and turned off his propeller. “Sorry, Tank,” I said. “I know Dashie said you have a strict flying regime, but you need to be where I can see you.” I returned to the main room and closed the door. I then switched Tank’s copter back on. “There. Now, you can fly again.” As I returned to the two brushing white-colored pets, I heard a scratching sound on the door followed by a few barks. They’re back already? That was fast. I opened the door to see Winona running in place with Applebloom showing up out of breath. “You...can have...Winona...back...Spike...” Applebloom panted. “We’re not...gettin’...our cutie marks...in dog walkin’...anytime soon.” She then collapsed to the ground. “Applebloom, what happened?” I asked. “Where’s Winona’s leash? And where are Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo?” Applebloom lifted her head. “We were...taking turns...walking Winona. When Scootaloo got a turn, Winona took off runnin’ and dragged Scootaloo along with her all across Ponyville. Sweetie Belle and I tried to chase after her.” Applebloom slowly sat up. “But now both Sweetie and Scoots are tied up against a tree by the leash, and Zecora’s tryin’ to get ‘em untied.” “Didn’t Applejack tell you how wild Winona would get without her exercise?” “She did, but I didn't think she’d be this wild.” Applebloom stood up. “I gotta get back to see if those two got out yet.” I let Winona back into the library and resumed my pet-sitting duties. After hours of keeping everything in order, I heard the front door knocking once again. Winona ran up to it and barked again. “See? Winona always knows when I’m knockin’ on the door,” Applejack’s voice said. I went to open the door. The Mane 6 came in to collect their pets. “So how did it go?” I asked. “Did you find the right pony?” “Well...not exactly...” Twilight rubbed the back of her head. “I tried to ask what we initially assumed was the inspector for her name, but she kept dodging the question. It wasn’t until much later that we found out that she wasn’t actually the inspector.” “Seriously?” I groaned. “Look, I tried to ask her, alright? It’s hard to keep up with somepony when she’s running all over the place.” “Tell him about the outcome! Tell him about the outcome!” Pinkie erratically shouted as she hugged Gummy. “Oh, right.” Twilight turned to me. “Thankfully, the real inspector was tired of all the other cities giving her a welcoming show, and after hearing what the fake inspector experienced, she allowed the Crystal Empire to host this year’s Equestria Games.” “That’s great!” I exclaimed. “Too bad I couldn’t be there to witness it. I still don’t understand how Cadance never invited me.” “I asked Cadance the same thing. She said she was aware of that, and that you shouldn’t worry about it.” “‘Shouldn’t worry about it’ my tail! I saved the Crystal Empire. The Crystal folks there should be grateful that I saved their sorry flanks.” I actually knew what the Empire was planning, but I still pretended to be upset anyway. “Relax, Spike. She said that because she had something planned for you. She wouldn’t tell us what it is, though. I’m sure the ponies there wouldn’t cast you aside after all you’ve done, Spike.” “I sure hope not.”  It was good that I was able to take care of the Mane 6’s pets. At least it went less chaotic than in the show. And while Angel was rather bitter with me, it was better than him hopping on the train and forcing the other pets, the CMC, and me to ride along to the Crystal Empire and back. Also, I was able to make that gem cake. “Hey, what happened to your cake?” Twilight asked. “I’m afraid most of it could no longer be with us,” I somberly replied. “I put the three uppermost layers in the fridge.” “Sheesh, Spike,” Rainbow said. “I know how much you love gems and all, but your appetite could rival Pinkie’s sometimes.” “That’s not what I meant...”