//------------------------------// // Chapter 76 (The Hooffields and McColts) // Story: Spike The Brony Dragon // by red4567 //------------------------------// Twilight and I were watching a plumber tightening the last sprinkler on the castle wall. “And that should about do it,” said the plumber as he climbed down. “There are shutoff switches at both ends of each hall, so you can turn these off when the fire’s put out. I’d also recommend getting fire extinguishers for some of the rooms as well.” “Thank you, sir,” Twilight said as she paid him. “Have a good day.” The plumber took his tools and left the castle. “Well, now this castle’s a bit safer.” I said. “I agree.” Twilight then noticed the strange book I was holding. “What’s that?” “Huh? Oh, this is a manga.” I showed it to Twilight. “Gesundheit.” “No, that’s what this book is called: a manga. It’s like a Japonese comic book.” I said that region correctly. There is actually a pony version of Japan called “Japone.” “I knew you were into comics, but I never thought you’d be into comics from other places,” said Twilight. “Well, I’ve been dabbling in manga ever since I learned Fluttershy was a…big fan.” “Is it any good?” “She told me this one is. The only problem I have with it is that I keep reading it the wrong way.” “What do you mean, ‘the wrong way’?” “When you read a manga, you have to read from right to left. I keep going the other way out of habit.” I handed Twilight the book, and she read a few pages. “Oh, I see what you mean,” she said. “You know, I’ve read that some old Japonese scrolls were written the same way. I guess some things never change.” We entered the library. The selves have been filled up a lot more since we moved into the castle. Twilight had gotten the last of the books from the ruins at the Everfree Forest, and she had been trying to translate and restore them. Speaking of the ruins, the construction ponies had already begun working on the walls and ceiling there. The cost wasn’t as expensive as we thought, though we were going to reduce our budget for Hearth’s Warming Eve gifts this year. “Starlight’s lessons are coming up soon,” said Twilight. “I really hope I’m being a good teacher to her.” “She’s not questioning your methods,” I replied as I continued reading my book. “That’s a start.” That’s when a faint glow caught my eye. I looked over my manga and widened my eyes. “Twilight!” I shouted. “Your cutie mark! It’s glowing!” “What?!” Twilight checked her flank to confirm it. Her smile grew wide. “Yes! Finally!” She snatched a bunch of books and dashed out of the library. I knew what this episode was. In the episode, “The Hooffields and McColts”, Twilight and Fluttershy visit a valley to solve a dispute between two feuding families. Once again, there was nothing I could change since it was a map episode. I bookmarked my manga and headed over to the throne room. Once I opened the double doors, my eyes were feasted with books, scrolls, and blackboards cluttering all over the room. I knew Twilight works fast, but all this could make Rainbow Dash look like a Slowpoke. “Geeze, Twilight,” I said. “You must’ve really been waiting for this moment to happen.” “Of course!” Twilight exclaimed. “After hearing what Rainbow, Pinkie, Rarity, and Applejack have done for their journeys, I’ve been anxious to get my friendship problem!” To be honest, when I first watched Season 5, I thought the map was going to call everypony but Twilight for the sake of comedy. I pushed some books away to see Twilight’s cutie mark swirling around the Smokey Mountains. But hers wasn’t the only one present. “Looks like Fluttershy—” “—will be joining me!” Twilight finished my sentence. “In fact, she should be coming right about now!” Twilight lit up her horn and vanished in a shower of sparkles. Within a few minutes, Twilight returned with Fluttershy. “Ever since the map called us, I've been doing a ton of research,” Twilight said to Fluttershy. “Testing out potential friendship problems, diversifying my solution portfolio…” “Ever since the map called us?” Fluttershy repeated. “But…that happened five minutes ago.” “You’re forgetting that Twilight was really looking forward to this,” I pointed out. Just like in the show, Twilight told Fluttershy that they would be heading to the Smokey Mountains. Twilight couldn’t find much information about the place other than from an old book. Fluttershy lightly clapped her hooves in delight over to the possibility of finding cute animals there. “I can't wait to get started!” Twilight squealed. “I'm a little nervous since that's all I could find. I usually like to be a bit more prepared.” Fluttershy looked at the stack of books. “You seem pretty prepared to me.” That’s when she noticed the overstuffed saddlebags. “Are those...for us?” “Yep, I've prepared our things. Snacks, books, blankets, books...” “You said ‘books’ twice.” “There are a lot of books.” “If you ask me, Twilight, you’re overdoing it.” I patted one of the bags. “The rest of the girls went with almost nothing for their friendship problems.” “Luck favors the prepared, Spike. You know that.” Twilight put her bags on and levitated the other bags to Fluttershy. The latter almost collapsed. “I hope you girls aren’t flying all the way there.” I helped Fluttershy up. “We’ll rent the balloon for most of the trip,” Twilight said. I followed Twilight and Fluttershy to the front door. “What do you think our friendship problem's gonna be?” Twilight asked. “I don’t know,” Fluttershy grunted. “But I'm sure we'll figure it out.” “Good luck, you two,” I said. I watched as the two ponies left the castle and trotted down the road to the balloon. I wonder what I should do today. Maybe I can take care of Fluttershy’s animals while she’s— Crash! The sound of stuff falling grabbed my attention. I dashed down the hall and found Starlight covered in sports equipment. “Starlight! Are you okay?” I asked as I removed the skis and hockey sticks. “Yeah, I’m fine. I forgot Rainbow Dash gave us all this stuff.” She removed the tennis ball from her horn with her hoof. “Did Twilight leave already?” “Yep. She and Fluttershy headed to the Smokey Mountains.” “I don’t think I’ve heard of that place.” “Well, there wasn’t much written about it. Say, since Fluttershy is going to be away for a while, why don’t you come help me take care of her animals?” “I was supposed to study for Twilight’s next lessons, but since she’s not here, I guess I can join you.” “Great.” Starlight and I left the castle and headed over to Fluttershy’s cottage. When I knocked on the door, Angel answered immediately. He exhaled in disappointment. “I’m sorry, Angel,” I said. “Your owner’s away on a friendship quest. But don’t worry. Starlight and I are here to help take care of you and the other creatures until she gets back.” Angel rolled his eyes. “Hey, come on. I did a good job feeding you last time. Fluttershy said so herself.” Starlight and I entered the cottage. I got out all the food bags, and Starlight and I filled up the bowls and feeders. “How much food am I supposed to give each critter?” Starlight asked. “Just enough to fill the containers,” I said. After we fed Fluttershy’s furry critters, we both had a cup of tea while Angel reluctantly ate the salad I gave him. It was the same kind of salad Fluttershy would make for him, so I didn’t know why he was acting so sour. “I never seen a grumpy bunny, to be honest,” said Starlight. “Is he always like this?” “Probably. It’s hard to tell whether or not he’s jealous because I’m in a relationship with Fluttershy,” I said right before being pelted by a cucumber skin. “Say, I’ve been thinking about you and Fluttershy…and…well…” Starlight rubbed the back of your head. “I really don’t want to say this…but…I’m a bit worried.” “About what? We’re doing well.” “I meant…you’re a dragon…and Fluttershy’s a pony…” “You got something against interspecies relationships? Wow, Glimmer. Maybe Twilight should’ve taught you how not to be…” “I’m not against interspecies couples!” Starlight quickly denied. “I’m all for them! Honestly! What I’m trying to say is dragons tend to live longer than most ponies. I'm worried about what will happen when Fluttershy...won't be with you anymore.” I looked at my teacup. I knew what Starlight was implying, but her sentence worked the other way as well. I wasn't sure how long I was going to be in Equestria, whether it was until the series finale or for the rest of my new draconic life.  “Our life spans may be different, but that’s not going to stop Fluttershy and me from being together,” I said calmly. “We’ll still have tea and hang out. And when the time comes, I’ll still have the memories of us together. Sure, I’ll be mourning and grieving over my loss initially, but it can’t be worse than if we never started our relationship at all. As Twilight once told me, don’t be sad because it’s over; be glad that it happened. It's just like you and Sunburst. Even though your departures were sudden, you both still cherish the memories you have.” “Well, that’s different, Spike. I can simply visit Sunburst if I wanted to. I just…need to find the right time…” Gee, I thought she’d be more confident this time. Come to think of it, despite the fact that Starlight was introduced early, not much has changed with her. I honestly expected some Season 6 episodes to start sooner than in the show, but that wasn’t the case. Of course, I would have to give that more time. I didn’t know how long it was between the ending of Season 5 and the beginning of Season 6, and for all I know it might’ve been a few days at least. After every animal, especially Angel, was done with their meal, Starlight and I checked that every critter was taken care of before we left the cottage. Starlight sighed. “I’m sorry for what I said back there. I didn’t mean to upset you.” “Don’t be,” I replied. “You did bring up a valid point. Fluttershy may not live as long as me, but we can’t let that keep us apart. Maybe when my time comes, I’ll see her again. Who knows?” “There’s something else that’s kinda bothering me. Um…how old are you?” “Pony years or dragon years?” “Uh…pony?” “Twelve.” “Yeah, that’s what I’m also concerned about. Fluttershy seems old enough to be your…” Starlight muttered a bit. “...big sister.” “Oh, don’t worry about that. In dragon years, Fluttershy and I are practically the same age, more or less. Even then, we keep things mild for both our sakes,” I replied. “The most we've ever done is hug and hold hooves.” “Ew.” “What? You ponies are Amish or something?” “Oh, I wasn’t referring to the hoof-holding. I was reading that.” Starlight pointed to a poster on one of Sugarcube Corner’s windows. “‘New Cupcake Flavor: Spinach and Raspberry Flavor!’” I read. “Ew indeed. Must be Pinkie’s idea. She always comes up with ideas like that.” “Figured as much.” We returned and waited for Twilight and Fluttershy to return. While Starlight was fixing one of her kites, I continued reading my manga. The manga itself was about a school-pony who had a special spirit with her, and they would travel around the world fighting other ponies with special spirits. I had no idea if this was based on one anime, a combination of a few anime shows, or a new series altogether. “Come on, Mesu-chan!” The spirit in the manga whined. He looked like the hybrid of a mouse and dragon. “I wanna fight other spirits! Not waste time drawing numbers and shapes!” “It’s called ‘geometry, ’” Mesu said as she adjusted her oversized glasses with her magic. “I may be away from school, but I still need to keep my education in check, Iki-kun.” “But if you stay here and read all the time, we’ll never find ponies to battle!” Iki slithered his yellow transparent form around Mesu like a garden snake. A thought bubble appeared above Mesu’s annoyed face. “Maybe this is what it’s like to have a younger sibling.” I was so entranced in the manga, that I didn’t notice Twilight and Fluttershy returning until the former opened the library doors. “Spike?” Twilight asked. “Oh, there you are.” I looked up from my manga. “Twilight! You’re back already?” “What do you mean already? It’s almost nighttime.” Twilight pointed at a nearby clock. Both hands were on the 6. “Oh, oops. Guess this manga really makes time fly.” “Did you spend all day reading it?” Twilight took a book off one of the shelves and sat down at a nearby table. “And I thought I was the only pony who can be so hooked on books.” “I didn’t spend the entire day. Starlight and I fed Fluttershy’s animals during lunchtime. We also chatted a bit before heading back.” I closed the manga book. “So how were the Smokey Mountains?” “Well, as it turns out, two families had settled on top of those mountains, and they’ve been feuding with each other for a very long time. There were a few complications, but we found out that both families had ancestors who wanted to preserve the valley, but due to creative differences, they kept fighting each other instead. Thankfully, we were able to sort things out, and soon both families started working together to restore the place for all the animals.” “That’s good. I’m glad you two could solve the problem.” Twilight nodded. “You know, the map called for all of us except you. I wonder what your friendship problem would be? Or better yet, how would the map call you? You don’t have a cutie mark.” I shrugged. “We’ll have to wait and see.” I don’t know if I will get called to the map anytime soon. Once the changelings get reformed, I would purposely get them and the dragons unified and hopefully avoid the events of “Triple Threat” altogether. But for now, I continued reading my manga. I needed to know the outcome of Mesu and Iki's first battle!