//------------------------------//
// Zero Hour: Part 19 
// Story: Spike of All Trades 
// by Ariamaki 
//------------------------------//

Spike had just under sixteen hours of his 'double-stats double-training' buff remaining as he crested the first hill out of the barrens. Ponyville was dark but beginning to wake in the pre-dawn glow, and a thin drizzle of rain covered everything out to the horizon. He wasn't an expert in weather control but he had a feeling this storm would last well into the afternoon if not the entire day.

Normally he'd spend a rainy day like this playing around with the Crusaders or tucked inside at the Library doing some reading... ‘Normally’. There was a word that had changed meanings lately. 'Day' was pretty weird too: He'd last seen Twilight two days ago, spent that time cooking and fighting and doing stranger things alongside near-total strangers... It was a lot.

He'd put himself through the wringer by most standards, and if he was still 'the old Spike' his plan now would be 'sleep for the better part of a week'. Whether it was pride and excitement over growing stronger and more capable, his Gamer's aspects, or something else entirely? Spike didn’t feel like he needed a rest. He felt energized and driven. He faced the rain head-up on the walk into town, long strides giving way to shorter steps as he returned back to his 'new normal' for height and scale.

There had been plenty of time during his last few hours at the warrens for Spike to figure out the way forward from here: Letting everypony know he had succeeded would be the first step.

He flamed off a quick note to Twilight giving her the rundown, but didn't bother sending the samples just yet. Not only was he a little unsure how well they'd travel by flame, it would be rude to give her busywork without being able to see her reaction. The Ammos already knew he was doing fine since they had stopped in. That also meant they'd reported back to Luna about his status, which just left Rarity out of all the ponies who knew he'd been gone.

Rather than send her unexpected and unexplained dragon-mail, Spike figured it would be better (and more befitting her style) to drop off a claw-written note at the door of the Boutique. That was the plan-

Well that was the plan for all of eighty feet, until he rounded a hilltop and saw her home over the horizon. On the outside of the Boutique, built around the front door? Somepony had draped bolts of dark cloth across a series of poles to create an impromptu porch. 

The makeshift extension was revealed to be even more ornate as he got closer, complete with lawn furniture. The awning itself even had one sheet of clear material that allowed the ponies underneath to watch the rain pattering down from above. Seated on the lawn furniture, the actual ponies under the awning were... Rarity and Princess Luna, sharing cups of tea and dainty cakes to match.

Spike tried not to feel weird as he watched from a distance, and eventually decided that even if they were out in public it was kinda rude to keep staring at whatever-this-was. Perhaps the two of them were discussing classical fashion? He knew Rarity had made off-hoof comments about her interest in the subject before, and that they'd last really spoken during the Tantabus incident. 

He had to guess that they'd started talking on that and other topics while waiting together in the AAAArcade to get back news about his trip to the Diamond Dogs. Arcane had said something about the two of them being bothersome to spend time around, so he could only imagine how dry or frou-frou the topics had gotten to drive Rarity's aunt away to that degree. Of course if Princess Luna had met up with Rarity again afterwards? That also meant she likely already told Rarity about his status when he’d updated her, which made his idea of a note redundant.

That cinched the need for a change of plans: Rather than interrupt their (quite pleasant) breakfast hangout, he'd go spend as much of his remaining 'double up' time training instead. They could get in touch again later after all: No sense bothering them or spending his time inefficiently. Given how Rarity told stories, it would probably be a lot more fun hearing about this from her afterwards!

Even with that set aside, Spike still had a lot on his mind and his plate (his mind-plate if you will): Unanswered questions about his new attacks and the related systems, the stalled progress of his Internal Alchemy, his general skill growth, the Crusaders, Pinkie, Twilight... One by one Spike took a methodical look and pruned the list for the moment. Too early for the Crusaders, he'd already ruled out Twilight, Pinkie was working. He needed information to move forward with IA and his skills overall included the last remaining option: Combat Disciplines.

That left him with the hunch from earlier: The idea that Lyra (Heartstrings, apparently) would have a pretty good idea how to help. He didn't know the unicorn terribly well, just the same level of passing facts he had about anypony in Ponyville. She lived with the confection-crafting Bon Bon (Sweetie Drops?) above the other mare's candy shop. Played music for a living as far as he knew, although Rainbow Dash had mentioned seeing her at a few athletic competitions. She had been involved in the Changeling-invasion-slash-wedding debacle a few years ago, but recovered well afterwards.

Of course there was the biggest note, which he and Twilight knew well from her many visits to Golden Oaks: The mare had a fascination with 'humans', a race of (probably) fictional bipedal creatures. These beings appeared in everything from conspiracy-fueled screeds to completely, achingly mundane stories of life in a world without magic. Spike wondered if his own grasping claw-hands and two-footed stance made her consider him in a new light? Previously he'd been so small that it would be easy to overlook, but with his new height and proportions he did resemble one of those creatures. According to the covers of crudely mimeographed magazines, anyway.

I could go and research this all in the Library, actually... But I've got the buff timer to think about. Even if Lyra can't give me any information on this topic after all, she can probably give me general advice that I can use. Researching at home just leaves me back at square one if it fails.

With that decision made, Spike started heading out to find the minty mare: From what he knew and what she'd said, the first place to check was Bon Bon's eponymous candy shop. They made sure to stay well away from baked goods to avoid stepping over any boundaries with Sugarcube Corner, and vice versa. That didn't stop them from collaborating from time to time, filling samplers with enrobed cakes and studding rhubarb muffins with glistening sour raspberry crackle.

Surprisingly the proprietor herself was already out front this early, curled up on a bench under the awning and looking into the clouds with an expression that... There was honestly no other way to put it: Bon Bon seemed really angry... Angry at the sky.


[Conspicuous Chocolatier]
Bon Bon
LV 21


The fact that this time her title actually matched the name he expected didn't even take Spike by surprise: He was getting used to the irregularities (more like semi-regularities at this point) of his engine. He did hesitate a bit before interrupting the obviously-annoyed pony, but eventually just went for it.

"Uh, hey Bon Bon! Rough morning?"

She whipped her head around to look at him, and when the curls stopped bouncing he saw that the mare was grimacing ferociously.
"You have no idea."

Spike decided it would be way funnier to be honest than to pass up the chance.
"I just spent the entire night fighting and killing bugs bigger than my entire body. Try me!"

He figured a 'joke' like that would have gotten a lot of possible responses, depending on the pony: Derision, a joke in return, sarcasm, genuine curiosity or empathy... All possibilities! What hadn't been on his list was the sheer dark hatred that rolled across her face, accompanied by a flicker overhead. By the time Spike realized her title changed, looking up to check revealed that it had already turned back... and by the time he looked down again? Her expression had also reverted, to a degree where she could let out a very natural-sounding laugh.

"Haha, good one Spike! Not like a Bugbear or anything, right?"

"...No, definitely not."

Probably better to just go along as opposed to asking the big obvious "uh what" right now.

Bon Bon (relatively) smoothly transitioned back onto their original topic.
"Sorry that I'm being moody: The featherbrains at the weather brigade gave me the wrong freaking schedule again, and this rain ruined my entire day."

"Oh. Did you and Lyra have plans, or-"

"HAH. Hah. No, it was a work thing. I'd been all set up to work on taffy, fudge, and hard candy."

He nodded sagely: While he might not be a candy-maker himself, he liked it and knew a fair bit.
"Humidity, huh?

"Yeah, I didn't expect to be living in a swamp today!"

Bon Bon directed that last bit directly at the air above them, as if a passing pegasus would realize their error and immediately begin changing the entire weather pattern. Since that didn't happen, Spike eventually had to awkwardly continue back onto the original train of thought.

"I, uh, saw Lyra the other day at the Library and we ended up talking a bit: She said to ask here first if I wanted to meet up with her again? Either that or go find her in the woods, but I think I've had my fill of exploring for a bit."

"Good thing too: She's not in the woods today. Should be out at the dojo."

He'd thought that was weird when Lyra had first mentioned it, but now it really stuck out.
"Ponyville has a dojo?"

"Sure! Little place on the veeery edge of town: Head down the main road until you're nearly to the train station, hang a hard right, and just keep going until you're almost into the hills. Can't miss it."

"Huh. Fair enough! Thanks a lot, and I hope your candy plans can get unjammed."

"...Jam, huh? That actually gives me an idea. Thanks to you too, Spike! Oh, and if you're going to see Lyra? Tell her I'm mad and expecting an apology present before she gets home."

Well that was kind of a big ask. Spike frowned and went to turn away.
"Um. I'd rather not get in the middle of-"

The mare shook her head rapidly, trying to correct herself and only sort of succeeding.
"No, no, it's a joke thing! Sort of a code phrase. Not that we're in the habit of using code phrases or anything! That would be a needlessly complicated way for a musician and a candy maker to keep in touch, right? Right."

"...Riiiight. I'll be going now!"

After a conversation that awkward, they both ended up keeping eye contact for a good five or six seconds while he slowly backed away from the shop. Eventually Bon Bon was the first to crack, and they both started laughing uproariously. Spike turned and picked up the pace as he walked away, waving back over his shoulder with one claw.

Shouldn't have been any surprise that the mare Lyra lived with was just as weird as her, but... still, good to confirm.