//------------------------------// // 17- Feier // Story: The Chalk Prince and the Clover // by FrostTheWolf //------------------------------// Out of all the things that Spike had to go through in his life, nothing could be more difficult than the kind of task he had to do now. For a dragon that had taken part in The Gauntlet of Fire, saved the Crystal Empire from a mad king and even fought against a Roc, he found that having to watch over Klee while the cutie mark crusaders were giving her an impromptu tour of Ponyville to be tougher than his previous feats combined. What made matters a bit more difficult was that they did not know about what exactly Klee was capable of. Something that he found out yesterday from Twilight when he asked her about their trip to the Tree of Harmony. However, despite any attempt he made in order to try and tell Sweetie Belle and her friends what he knew, things did not exactly go so well. Not only because the dragon didn’t want to outright say to them that Klee likes to play with bombs and cause a panic, but because he had a difficult time trying to keep up with the little burny girl. Klee’s energy was off the charts and even when Scootaloo eventually caught up to her on her scooter, she went in a completely different direction and almost had the pegasus crash into a stall at the marketplace. The only time that Klee was not running around the place was when Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were showing her some particular locations around town such as their school, Quills & Sofas, and the mayor’s office. Though, one particular location happened to catch Klee’s attention the most as they gasped and looked at it with sparkles in their eyes, “A giant gingerbread house!! Can we go over there? Pleeease?!” “What, Sugarcube Corner?” Apple Bloom then asked, “Ah guess we can… Hey, Sweetie Belle, are they open right around now?” “Pretty sure that they are, Apple Bloom. I mean, when is Sugarcube Corner ever closed?” the unicorn replied back, before turning to see that both Scootaloo and Spike were slowly catching up, “Besides, I think this might be the best chance to take a break. We haven’t even shown her most of Ponyville and yet they look like they were taking part in the Running of the Leaves .” “That might be a good idea. Hey Klee, can ya-” Yet, as Apple Bloom turned around, that was when she realized that the young girl was already racing towards the cafe. Leaving all of them behind, “Ah hay-” “We lost her again?!” Scootaloo panted, finally catching up with the rest of her friends, “Just how much energy does she even have!?” “Way more than any of us,” Spike now spoke up, “Come on, let’s catch up before she ends up causing any trouble-” “Wait, trouble?” Sweetie Belle now asked, puzzled by spike’s words, “What do you mean by-?” “I’ll tell you once we get there,” Spike promised, before stretching out his wings as he took off towards Sugarcube Corner, with the rest of the girls falling not that far behind him. It was not just the concern of Klee potentially doing something dangerous that made the dragon worry, but the possibility of meeting a pony that had practically just as much energy as she did. Unfortunately for him, the moment that the doors of the cafe opened, such a meeting was playing out right in front of him, “Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!! Oh my GOSH!!! You look so adorable!!” “Hehehe, you’re so pink and fluffy!! Can you be friends with Klee?” “Oh dear Celestia, help me,” Spike cursed, personally thinking that this was NOT going to end well at all for anypony involved. Klee had just come face to face with none other than Pinkie Pie. Residential party pony, full time employee of Sugarcube Corner and the Element of Laughter. She was also one of Twilight’s closest friends and has been (in)famously known for her boundless energy and the smile that she always has on her face. “EEEE!! She’s so cute,” Pinkie said before wrapping her hooves around Klee in a tight hug, only to realize Spike and the rest of his friends were by the door, “Oh hey there, Spike! When did you and your friends get here?” At first, the dragon thought of some way to respond to that statement. Though Spike decided not to follow through on it because he had a feeling that whatever he would say to Pinkie would just go in through one ear and out the other. “We were just showing our friend here around Ponyville and… well, she immediately came here when she first saw Sugarcube Corner.” “I love Gingerbread houses! But Klee didn’t think that she would find anything this big!” For a moment, Scootaloo snickered to herself. Though, before she could say anything, Sweetie Belle gave her a friendly gut check to her chest in order to prevent the pegasus from saying anything stupid. All the while, Pinkie Pie had freed the young girl from her tight grasp as Klee straightened up her skirt and backpack. “So, what would everypony like? Milkshakes? Cupcakes? Maybe some cookies, because I have a batch in the oven that’s almost done-!” “Can you make something like this for Klee?” Much to the fear of Spike, Klee was quick to put down her backpack and pull out something from it. Though, when he actually looked at what she was holding, the dragon couldn’t help but feel a bit confused. Mainly since what she was holding did not look anything close to a bomb. If anything, it looked more like a stuffed animal. A small spherical rabbit with the symbol of a clover underneath. “Ooooh, what’s that? A stuffed animal?” Pinkie Pie asked. “No, it’s one of my treasures!” Klee proudly proclaimed, “I always love to play with them, even if Master Jean grounds me for it afterwards! Can you make something sweet and tasty based on them? Pleeeease?” By now, all three of the Cutie Mark Crusaders were equally confused by what Klee was saying. After all, why would someone ground her just for playing? The only creature in Sugarcube Corner that had a clear idea of what Klee was possibly talking about was Spike. Though, he wasn’t sure if describing what Klee meant was the best possible idea. Especially since he didn’t want to cause a panic among everypony that was present at the bakery. “Oh! OH! I have an idea,” Pinkie proudly declared, “I bet that I can make some special treats that look just like your special treasures!! This will be perfect!!” “Really, you can!? Thanks, you’re the best!!” Pinkie Pie just let out a small giggle, but before she could get started, something popped into her head and she had one last question for her, “Oh, silly me but I forgot to ask, is this your first time here?” “Yup! My brother and I arrived here yesterday. Though, he’s busy with that light bright lady-” “You mean Twilight?” Sweetie Belle asked, which only resulted in a nod from Klee. At this point though, that’s when Pinkie Pie let out a loud gasp. “You know what this calls for? A PARTY!!” By the time that Albedo and Twilight were done with their discussion, the two of them were already beginning to put a plan in place. From the Alchemist’s sketches and ideas, the princess was putting together a list of materials that they would need that could potentially withstand the magic from the seed of harmony. The only thing that would be left to do is to get those materials and build it for themselves. Which in itself was not exactly a small task, but one that they could be prepared for. However, what they weren’t prepared for was what they found when they left Twilight’s study. The main chamber of the castle was decorated with party streamers, balloons and a giant banner that said ‘WELCOME TO PONYVILLE ALBEDO AND KLEE!!’. The cutie map was covered in various different treats and snacks, with some resembling Klee’s bombs and Jumpy Dumpty’s as they noticed that none other than Pinkie Pie was standing in the room along with Klee, Spike and also The Cutie Mark Crusaders. Not only that, but it appeared that Klee had been given a Cutie Mark Crusader cape, which she had tied to the straps of her backpack. “W-what’s going on?” Twilight then asked, before she looked towards Spike. Who had a rather exhausted look on his face as he asked one question. “Remember when you told me there was somepony that Klee shouldn’t meet under any circumstances?”