Late summertime in Ponyville. There’s really no mistaking it. The sun beating down, the temperatures rising, and cloud coverage so sparse that the town’s few weather ponies for once found themselves overstaffed. Still, a job’s a job, and so they flew along, three to a cloud, trying to move some extra shade around town.
This work eventually arrived at the center of the town square, where the great tree of Ponyville Library rose high above the nearby rooftops. As moved the shade, so moved the light, and as that cloud was pushed by and even with the shade drawn, a sunbeam still managed to find its way through the window of a certain teenage dragon and hit him square in the face.
Spike groaned and flopped over in his bed. Groggily, his head still weary from a 16 hour train ride and a nap that barely got started before it ended, he opened his eyes. He blinked a few times. The thought came to try and fall back asleep, but loud shouts and the louder eruption of a stereo speaker downstairs quickly put an end to that.
Well, guess Pinkie formally started Twilight’s welcome back party.
The teenager grabbed a pillow over his head and curled back up. His t-shirt was lightly soaked in sweat from the heat, though that didn’t bother him. Heat never got to him. The noise was a bit much, but he was still too tired to do much more than lie there and try to let his mind once more drift off to-
BZZZZZZZZ
Spike’s phone, foolishly left on the hardwood nightstand, vibrated with a flurry of incoming texts that sent the sound of burrowing hornets right into his head. He jolted upright. Now much more alert than he cared to be, he rubbed his eyes a few times and reached for his phone, quickly flipping it over to see what was up. Button Mash’s name flashed across the screen, followed by his texts.
Button:
[Spike!!!]
[Dude!!!!]
[R you back?]
[I think yes!]
Spike snorted while his thumbs worked the tiny keyboard:
[WHO TOLD]
Button:
[I can here the music from my house! Pinkies being super loud! My walls are shaking!!!]
Spike:
[HOW UNUSUAL FOR HER]
[ALSO YEAH GOT BACK A FEW HOURS AGO]
Button:
[:D]
[Come hang out! Missed u dude!!]
Spike smiled. He had missed his best friend a lot over the past few months, and even though they frequently exchanged texts and emails, nothing really replaces being face-to-face. Still, his weariness was doing an excellent job of anchoring him squarely to his bed, and besides, there was still two weeks until school started. Plenty of time left for socializing.
Spike:
[DUNNO, KINDA TIRED.]
[REAL LONG TRIP]
Button:
[boooooooooo]
[Spike u been gone all summer, itching to hang again]
[Im bout to hang out with Featherweight and others]
[Everypony will wanna see you!!!]
A loud blast from downstairs briefly drew Spike’s attention. By the sound of things, and especially Twilight’s sudden shouts, Pinkie was getting a little excited with the fireworks again.
Guess I won’t be getting much sleep here anyway.
He looked back to his phone.
Spike:
[MAYBE]
[NOT A HUGE THING?]
[DON’T WANNA GET MORE WORN OUT]
Before Button’s response came through, Spike heard a knock at the door.
“Spike?” Twilight’s voice carried remarkably well over the sound of the party. “Can I come in?”
“It’s open,” Spike replied.
With a gentle push, the door swung forward. Twilight Sparkle peeked her head inside, fingers of one hand resting on the knob. Her hoof nudged against the doorframe, idly kicking a loose sock towards his hamper. She smiled as her eyes traveled the room: starting at Spike, drifting over his desk overflowing with papers, past the somewhat extensive collection of horror movie posters that crowded the walls, and finishing on the small pile of bulging suitcases blocking his closet door.
“Hey Spike,” she said gently. Spike noticed a small glow in her horn. The room abruptly got a lot quieter. “How are you doing up here?”
“I’m okay. Was kinda trying to nap, but I think Pinkie’s gonna make me take a rain check on that one.”
“You know the girls, they missed me pretty good.” Twilight grinned and pointed at the teen. “They missed you almost as much, you know. Feel up for coming down to make an appearance?”
Spike politely rolled his eyes. “Well, I am so very awake now, it might be rude not to make a token appearance.”
“Not if you don’t feel like it, of course.”
“Maybe I don’t feel like it.”
“You could stay here, start unpacking your suitcases, putting all those clothes away.”
“Actually, maybe I do feel like it.”
“Could even, you know, organize all your papers for your teacher conferences next week.”
Spike groaned internally. He’d nearly forgotten that he was gonna be back at school earlier than the rest of his class. Cutting out the end of his junior year a month early has some drawbacks, to be sure, even if it was for, as Twilight put it at the time, important academic work that would further service his studies and life beyond school.
She’s the one who said it, but he’s the one who’s got to go back and prove it to them.
Spike’s phone buzzed again. His eyes flickered down to meet the message.
Button:
[small thing, totally chill]
[real intimate]
[Few good friends]
[Youll have fun]
[Come now!]
“Spike! We know you’re up there! Git down here an’ give your auntie Applejack a hug!”
“Me first Spike! I called dibs!”
Applejack’s holler carried well even through Twilight’s quiet spell, while Pinkie’s shout seemed to ignore it entirely. The unicorn giggled before looking down at the phone in Spike’s hand.
“Button saying hi? He was pretty quick about it.”
Spike tapped a rapid reply before snapping his phone shut and slipping it into his pocket.
“What can I say, folks missed me.”
He stood up slowly, stretching his arms over his head, then legs out each way. His wings were up next, and he extended them out as far as they could go to really give them a necessary flex. They’d managed to grow even bigger over the break and he had to be careful not to knock the lamp off his desk. Body finally limbered up, he walked over to the door, looking carefully at Twilight.
“So, uh, Twilight,” he said, somewhat quieter than he meant. “I know they are all waiting for me down there and I wanna see them too, but, uh, well…”
Twilight’s eyes narrowed and her grin sharpened. “But, it’s been a really long trip, and you don’t think you can handle the whole gang right now.”
Spike smiled. “Yeah, that.”
“And I can just tell them you’re resting comfortably up here,” Twilight went on. “Whereas whether you’re here or, say, sneaking out the window to go see a friend of yours on a nice summer day in the last part of your break before school starts again… well, who’s to say and who’s to know?”
Spike smiled even wider. “Thanks, Twilight.”
Twilight leaned fully through the door with her arms out, and the two shared a tight hug.
“Whatever happens today, tomorrow: bags unpacked, papers ready.” Twilight’s voice hit the right balance between kindness and firmness. Spike recognized it, and knew not to disappoint it.
“Yup, you got it.”
“That’s my dragon. Love you. Fly safe out there.” With a small kiss on his head that she knew Spike pretended to hate, Twilight backed off and shut the door. The muted shimmer remained around the room, though Spike was still able to hear Twilight as she shouted down the stairs on her return to the festivities below.
“Sorry girls, Spike is taking a much needed nap. So I guess we’ll have to just party on without him and Pinkie I said no lighting those fireworks in the kitchen the fire crew was very specific last time!”
Spike moved with a purpose. He swapped shirts into something less covered in sleep drool, briefly smelled his pits, found them acceptable, then headed for his window. He yanked the cord. The shade quickly rolled back to the top and he was nearly blinded by the amount of sunlight that poured into his room.
Retinas… fused… dumb dumb dragon…
Spike shook his head until the spots in his eyes faded. Pushing against the window pane until it opened good and wide, he carefully eased his body onto the ledge. The library was just a tree, but it was a very tall tree, and his room was high enough up that he had a good view of the whole area.
With a snap his wings unfurled and he was in the air. A little shaky at first, still stiff from the long train journey, but after a few flaps he righted himself and carried his way up over the town for the short trip over to Button’s house a mere seven blocks away.
Okay, nice little get together, see Button, have some laughs, relax, sneak back here after AJ’s dragged Dash home. Good plan, good plan.
This was not the plan.
The party raged around them at a scale Spike didn’t think was possible. At least two hundred teenagers were milling about the grand estate, most in or near the pool at the center of the rear promenade. More filtered out onto the back lawns, or into the dancing throng by the DJ booth set up near the far gazebo. A few frenzied waiters wandered around the food tent, though most of the hungry guests paid them no mind. Everyone was too busy partying the day away.
How can this place be so big?
Spike couldn’t recall ever actually going to Diamond Tiara’s house. He’d flown by it once or twice, but they didn’t exactly share social circles, so he never felt the need to land. Still, it looked plenty big from the air, and somehow bigger from the ground.
Spike was standing somewhat awkwardly along the wide stone terrace directly by the mansion’s rear doors. It faced a patio area the size of a convenience store and was the only area around not totally packed, everyone else content to move closer to the buzz elsewhere. Button stood next to him, red cup already in hand, happily taking in all the sights.
“Button,” Spike said sternly.
“Spike, you made it this far, and that’s good for you.” Button took a quick drink to finish off his soda. “You’ve been gone a while and I think the best thing for you is to just leap back into the social deep end.”
“Button,” Spike repeated. “A small gathering. An intimate get together. A few close friends. These are the words in the texts.”
“You’re misremembering.”
“I can pull them up now.”
“Diamond Tiara’s End Of Summer Spectacular is a special event, a time for everypony to get together and relish each other’s company, to get in one last great party before the weight of school drags us down for yet another nine months.”
“A chill time, that’s what I was promised. What I dragged my tired bones out of bed for.”
“We had to sneak back to your place, grab your bike, take another half hour ride to get here. Why waste the journey?”
“I have wings. I can abandon my bike, live the rest of my life in the sky. It’s quiet up there. Peaceful.”
“Did you know this is the first year she’s really opened up invites? Doubled the party size in the process. Look how happy everypony is about that. She even got K4sp3r to DJ, and they’re still real hip. Or so I keep hearing. Are they? I don’t, uh, listen to the right music, I think.”
“Just the sheer magnitude of this event, it blinds me. Staggers, even. I’d try to find a bush to pass out in for a nap but I’d worry about falling over someone already in there.”
“Spike, look.” Button turned and looked Spike in the eyes. “You have been gone for more than three months. You ditched out of the school year early. We have all missed you and we all are happy that you’re back and wanna start making up for that lost time. Plus, you could definitely hear the party for a while before we even got here. Lots of chances to turn back, and you didn’t, which says that least part of you does want to be here. So why not relax and at least try to enjoy yourself?”
Spike grimaced, though he knew his friend had a point.
“I’ve just… I’ve never really been to a party before.” He looked around again, eyes sweeping the crowd. “What does one… do?”
“Like I know?” Button laughed. “We’re the geeks here. But then, so is at least a quarter of the crowd. As I said, she really loosened the invite requirements. Just, you know… mingle. High five friends, smile and wave, that sort of thing.”
Spike looked over the multitude of colorful faces. Teenagers of all varieties littered the grounds. A hodgepodge of earth ponies wandered around starting impromptu games of unknown rules that always seemed to end with someone getting pushed into the enormous pool. Unicorns floating their drinks in front of them, a few more daring ones even showing off their burgeoning abilities by levitating a pitcher to pour their friend’s drink, often to limited success. Overhead packs of pegisi swooped back and forth, kept in check mainly by their desire to not stray too far from the fun of the crowd. Despite the heat everyone seemed to be having a wonderful time, and the steady supply of light food and soda kept the energy levels at the right amount to sustain things without boiling over.
Spike took it all in. “Geeze, it looks like our whole high school is here. Diamond’s parents out of town or something?”
Button shook his head. “Word is they’re inside somewhere; house is locked down so they don’t really care. As for out here, it’s just about a third of our school, I think. Featherweight is helping at the gate and he crunched the numbers earlier. What we got here is all of the incoming Junior class, such as yours truly, and a good portion of the new Seniors, which would include you. Plus a few batches of randos from Canterlot High, Sunnyview Prep, St. Saddleton’s, uh… I think I saw somepony with a Cloudsdale United jacket but I’m betting that’s mostly some pegasi up there.”
The size of it all was getting to Spike. He’d been in plenty of crowds and events all his life, but suddenly felt himself adrift in a strange new sea. He shifted awkwardly backwards, one hand fidgeting deep in his pocket. Button picked up on his friend’s discomfort and leaned in.
“Look, we don’t gotta stay if you don’t want to. Say the word and we can head back to my place and play video games.We got a couple hundred rounds of Sharko Racer we’re overdue to play, so it’s really no biggie. It actually will be a quiet time, just the two of us, no pressure at all. I’m truly good with whatever.”
Spike considered this for a moment, then shook his head. The urge to stay had won out over his hermit side, bolstered by so much time away from friends. “Nope. I’m here, and you’re right, I gotta… well, I gotta start making an effort.”
“That’s the spirit.” Button patted the dragon on the back. “So let’s wander in and see who we see.”
He took a deep breath and before Spike could say anything else, marched defiantly towards the crowd, politely pushing the dragon alongside.
It didn’t take long for them to get completely lost in the mix. The ocean of teens was in constant flow, currents bouncing off each other in every direction, and it was all Spike could do to keep his head above water. Still, most of the faces were friendly ones, and every few moments he got at least a quick hello from someone he sorta remembered from last year or the year before that, or sometimes even further back. Button got much farther in the conversations, stopping and chatting every few meters while Spike hung back, hands in his pockets and trying not to look too out of place.
The scale of time wobbled, and it seemed to him only a few moments had gone by before he realized it had been over an hour. Spike kept smiling and nodding, smiling and nodding.
Wow, I gotta keep up with everyone’s names better. That’s like the fourth pony who knew me and I have no idea who they are. Huh, party like this, I wonder where-
“Spike! Spike Sparkle!”
It was an unmistakable voice. Spike hardly had time to turn around before a white and pink blur rushed into him, giving him a great big hug that took his breath away. Button jumped in surprise.
“Spike! It’s been so long, we missed you so much, how did it go? What did you do? Why didn’t you message us more? Did you just get back? How are you!?”
“Uh, hey Sweetie Belle,” Spike said between forced breaths. Sweetie’s hug strength had improved over the years. “Yeah, uh, Twilight and I got back-”
“Spike! You’re back already! All right!”
This attack came from behind, now a yellow and red force that doubled the hug and nearly knocked Spike all the way down.
“Apple Bloom, always a-” Spike had to gasp “-pleasure.”
After another moment the two teens finally released their grip, letting Spike get a hold of himself. Sweetie Belle, dressed in what Spike assumed was a very fashionable summer outfit of breezy shorts, a light top, and some kind of wide-brimmed hat, and Apple Bloom, dressed in her more down-to-Earth jean shorts and farm-branded t-shirt, stood before him. Their facial expressions seemed to alternate between ecstatic joy and mild annoyance.
“Oh, uh, hi girls, uh…” Button started nervously, before trailing off. The two didn’t seem to notice him.
“It’s so so good to see you again,” Sweetie started, patting Spike on the arm.
“Why the heck didn’t you message us more!” Apple Bloom demanded with a smile, pointing a finger at his chest.
“That’s what I said!” Sweetie noted.
“Practically left us out of the blue an’ never said a word about it. Up an’ vanished!” Apple Bloom continued.
“A few emails here and there, the odd text, sure, but not nearly enough, not for good friends like you and us.”
“He texted me plenty!” Button chimed in, putting up a finger. The girls turned and looked, finally taking in the fact that he was there.
“Oh! Hey Button, how’s it going?” Apple Bloom said brightly. “Ain’t seen you since fireworks back in July.”
“Well, you know, been a busy time for me, lots to do inside,” Button said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Um…, hello Sweetie Belle, how, uh, how are, um, you, uh…”
Sweetie raised an eyebrow. “Button, come on: full words please.”
Button gaped a few times, but nothing came out. Sweetie rolled her eyes while Apple Bloom returned her attention to Spike.
“So what’s up!” She practically shouted. “What’s goin’ on! What’s the word already! Just what the heck have you been up to all summer? Nopony seems to know!”
“He told me, and I know I told a bunch of you guys,” Button said to nobody in particular. “Spike, was I the only one you were messaging all summer?”
“I said stuff to them!” Spike protested. “I mean, sometimes, when I had the time, since, you know, I was busy…”
“I barely got anythin’ from anypony, includin’ you Button, an’ the same goes for most all of us,” Apple Bloom said. “So just give us the whole rundown Spike, lay it out for us.”
The two girls leaned in expectedly, eyes wide. Even Button joined in on this. Spike stared and rubbed his head, mind still catching up to the present. He realized they’d found a small pocket in the crowd, the living wall of bodies around them not paying them any mind but not crushing them either. The overall hum and chatter of the crowd remained a steady buzz from every direction, and Spike had to strain to really make his voice heard even with the others so close.
“Well, uh…” He started, putting all the events in order. “Twilight and me, well, back at the end of April she got this big request from Vanhoofer University’s Magic Department, since their chair there knows her pretty well, and I guess they really needed a complete overhaul of their archives department, and it’s full of a lot of artifacts that nobody’s really done anything with in years, and some of it was maybe kinda dangerous-”
“What, like, might put a curse on everypony you know or blow up the world, that kind of dangerous?” Sweetie asked with alarm. “I’m getting flashbacks already here.”
“Anything dangerous, Twilight could figure it out, no problem,” Button said with a grin. “Best magic in the world in her horn, ain’t that right Spike?”
Spike shrugged. “So I keep hearing. And Sweetie, they didn’t know, but they figured Twilight was the best one to ask. She’s kinda… well, yeah, like Button said. Anyway, it would be a big job that would take a few months, and so Twilight figured it would actually be a real good academic excursion for me to come along, so she convinced the high school to let me take some exams early and go with her back in early May and help her out and count the whole thing as, like, a home learning course. Something I could put on a transcript later, a ‘unique extracurricular activity’ as she put it. Had a few professors over there monitoring me the whole time and everything.”
“Like your grades really need any more boosting,” Button muttered under his breath.
“Whoa, that’s a lot.” Apple Bloom leaned in even further. “Well? Any crazy magic? Any wild adventures you two got into to contain things?”
That got a small chuckle from Spike. “By our standards? No, nothing too weird or wild at all. Just a whole lotta sorting and cataloging and testing and more sorting and more cataloging and more testing and rinse and repeat all that in a big university basement for three months and now I’m here. Don’t think I even saw the sun for the whole month of June. Sometimes we had to go out and chase down some, uh, historical lead, but nothing ever really happened.”
The girls leaned back and glanced at each other with a frown.
“Spike, that just sounds like a downright dull way to spend your summer break.” Sweetie said.
“Well what did you guys do for summer?” Spike asked. His friends glanced at each other and then back to him.
“Farm work mostly,” Apple Bloom said. “But you know me, I dig doin’ that.”
“Same for me helping out in Rarity’s shop,” Sweetie said. “But I still got to hang out with the girls pretty much every night.”
“Game tournaments, Spike!” Button’s eyes shined. “You know that, I’ve been telling you as much in every text. Been a real good summer there.”
Spike grinned and gave Button a quick fist bump. “Yeah, yeah, I know. How’d the Titan’s Arc event last week in Canterlot go? Make it past the semis?”
“Nah, trounced by some local dude with a Dex build.”
“I keep telling you, you gotta move away from Pure Strength, speed is where it’s at.”
“You just keep hanging back and Healing and let me do all the thinking, alright?”
“ANYWAY…” Apple Bloom’s voice forcefully cut off the geek talk. “Spike, this is your last real summer break of high school! An’ you’ve been spendin’ it just doin’ schoolwork for months an’ not even gettin’ a chance to see any of your friends?”
“Not even done with that stuff yet, actually.” Spike groaned as he thought about it. “Next week I gotta go into school early to do some more make-up exams. And also give a little presentation to the principal and my academic advisor to prove that the whole thing wasn’t just a big time waste and I don’t need to, like, repeat Junior year or anything.”
Sweetie Belle shook her head. “Mmm mmm mmm, Spike, we simply must rescue you from yourself here, you are going to fall into an educational black hole and never emerge at this rate.”
Hands in his pockets, Spike could only shrug.
“Buuuuut luckily…” Apple Bloom swooped her hand under one of Spike’s arms and started steering him through the mob. “You are in the right place today. You got months of socializing to make up for, after all.”
“More than that, really.” Sweetie suddenly materialized on Spike’s other side, her hand through Spike’s free arm. “Spike, we love you, but you were pretty MIA even before you ditched Ponyville to go a thousand miles away-”
“Actually, Vanhoover is closer to two thousand,” Spike tried to add to nobody’s notice.
“You were a ghost all of junior year!” Sweetie admonished. “And we shan’t be letting you do that again, not our beloved dragon. So we’re gonna get you up to speed on everypony and everything that you need to know, and you can start the new year with the attitude and pep to really seize the term!”
“Heck yeah!” Apple Bloom grinned. “So let’s start with the ins and outs of all our lovely friends and acquaintances here at this party.”
Button put up a hand in protest. “Hey hey! That’s my best friend you’re trying to cart off here, and I’m the one who got him to this party. Who says you can steal him so quick?”
“Relax, Button, we’ll get him back in one piece, safe and sound and socially updated,” Sweetie said with a wide grin.
“Ya know, Button…” Apple Bloom leaned in close to Button’s ear, glancing both ways conspiratorially. “Diamond Tiara’s dad is supposed to have one of the largest private arcades in the country inside that house.”
Button scoffed. “The legendary Filthy Rich stash? Everypony knows about that. But it’s not like he’d let any of us go use it.”
“Very true,” Apple Bloom nodded, “But here we are at the most crowded event of the season and all eyes drawn away from the house. Sure it wouldn’t take much to sneak into a little rec room, especially one that’s supposed to be just through that unlocked door right over there.”
Apple Bloom pointed to the far end of the house, where a door could barely be seen over the crowd. It was hard to make out but it did indeed seem to be slightly ajar.
Button fidgeted in place. “Look, I’m not gonna just up and ditch Spike like that… for very long… uh… Spike I’ll be right back don’t go anywhere okay thanks.”
At a rapidly accelerating pace Button vanished into the crowd in the direction of the house.
Understandable. Good luck to him.
“Nice guy, Button.” Apple Bloom said.
“He really is,” Sweetie replied, “Though his priorities still need work. As for you, Spike my dear… let’s take a stroll.”
Spike could only nod and move. He suddenly found himself propelled with very little of his own power involved. The girls expertly navigated him around the party, pausing every few moments to say hi to someone they knew or point out someone across the way and deliver a few quick lines. It was like an advanced version of what he had done with Button. A verbal barrage started hitting him from both sides, and it was all he could do to alternate who he was listening to.
“So Spring Step over there,” Sweetie said, pointing to a light green unicorn Spike was certain he’d once been chemistry partners with, “Lovely boy, real sweet, dated him for six months in Freshman year but it just wasn’t going to work out so now I think he’s joined the legion trying to ask Jazzy out and more power to him there but he’ll need a lot more than luck and charm to get anywhere there.”
“Babs is back on the farm now,” Apple Bloom said in Spike’s other ear. “She got out of juvie around when you left, an’ AJ got her set up in the spare room in the barn. She’s doing real good, workin’ hard, just gettin’ her life together, an’ I’m glad she’s there. Gonna get you out there to say hi real soon, just you wait.”
“See her over there, Peachy Pie? I know she had a thing for Tender Taps for a while after they did that last play together, but I have no idea what’s on that boy’s mind these days and I get the feeling she’s barking up the wrong tree, as it were. But you didn’t hear that from me.”
“Those griffins over there, Grenada, Gabe, an’ Gerald? Nopony could ever prove it but we’re pretty sure they’re the ones who completely filled Mrs. Polly’s classroom with tennis balls on the last day of class. You shoulda been there, she opened his door in the mornin’ an’ there was just this green avalanche. Swamped the whole second floor, really clogged up the stairs. It was great! Really changed my feelin’s towards them, they’re pretty cool.”
“Okay, so, Tornado Bolt there, he’s got a thing for Sunny Daze, but Sunny is thinking about asking out Water Swirl, but he’s been secretly dating Questfire for a few months now, and she doesn’t want to tell anypony because she had only just broken up with Ricochet and didn’t want anypony to know it’s because he had hooked up with Daisy -that’s Summer Daisy, not Daisy Chain- at Brookstone’s party last winter and she doesn’t want to get embarrassed by that, except now she doesn’t know that Goldenrod totally knows and that jerk is gonna tell everypony, but he’s being kept in line because he also knows that-”
The names buzzed in one ear and out the other. Most sounded wholly unfamiliar. Spike just let his eyes glaze and his friends do the talking.
It really is nice to see them again. Feel like this is the most we’ve hung out since… sophomore year? Wow, I really have been out of it for a while.
Abruptly the trio came to a halt at the edge of the pool. Had to be the largest pool Spike had ever seen. He was certain the entire library could fit inside it with room to spare for at least one of Twilight’s book basements. And even at that scale it was plenty crowded, teens jumping into the water, swimming around, tossing each other around, pushing each other around, and splashing so much the water level was likely to drop a solid meter by sundown.
At the center of the pool, floating on a pony-made island of inflatable rafts, Diamond Tiara lay spread out and relaxed. Two drinks floated near her head, kept afloat by some unknown sycophant. A cherry red two-piece and dark sunglasses marked her body out in the crowd, setting her aside even from her similarly-dressed entourage of other preppy ponies that floated nearby. It probably helped that her swimsuit was probably about a size smaller than good taste would’ve recommended.
Certainly one to keep herself at the center of attention. Not often I see anyone’s cutie mark that clearly in public.
“You know, I don’t think I’ve even seen her since middle school,” Spike said, eyes drifting from Diamond’s bare thighs and midsection to the gaggle of boys sitting at the edge of the pool. Their attention was drawn to a number of parts of Diamond’s barely-covered anatomy, and they were making a great show of pretending not to be intently staring at her. Her swimsuit might not leave much to the imagination, but there’s no imagination more boundless than that of the teenage boy.
“Yes, she’s really developed since then,” Apple Bloom said, rolling her eyes. She playfully nudged Spike in the chest. “If you wanna have a try, you’ll have to get in line.”
“She’s not a personality I care to be around. Though you’re welcome to take a crack.” Spike smiled and nudged Apple Bloom back. “Wasn’t she, like, really really mean to you when you were little? Why’d she even let you come to this?”
“Oh, she’s lightened way up since then,” Sweetie Belle said. “At some point in Freshman year she realized that it’s a lot cooler to just chill out and act like you don’t care instead of trying to constantly be a real frosty bi- Hi! Diamond Tiara! Over here!”
Sweetie cut herself off as a small gust of wind briefly pushed Diamond’s raft towards their edge. Barely tilting her head, Diamond’s shades swung around until Spike could see himself in their reflection. She gave the most idle flick of her wrist, a few fingers wiggling in their general direction, and then a new puff sent her right back to the middle of the pool.
“See, that’s pretty friendly by her standards these days,” Apple Bloom said. “Couple years ago she mighta just hurled a drink at us. By college she may even say hello.”
“Though really I think we’re here because she’s got a real crush on a certain somepony.” Sweetie grinned and directed Spike’s attention back towards the house. A red giant sprouted among the teens, standing out like a redwood in a prairie.
Big Mac, despite his lumbering gait, moved with a certain grace. His bulging muscles all had a rhythm to them, and they didn’t seem to mind the black t-shirt he was wearing being about two sizes too small. Large letters spelling SECURITY were stenciled onto the backside, giving him an extra authoritative boost. He weaved his muscular form with precision and ease past all the bodies he towered over.
Mac was scarcely a decade older than anyone there, though that didn’t seem to bother anyone. Every girl he walked past shot him a look, and every boy he walked past pretended not to notice.
Spike looked back poolside. Even behind her dark glasses he could tell that Diamond’s eyes were drilling holes into Mac’s backside, or possibly a spot somewhat lower on his body. She even licked her lips once or twice.
“Ugh, don’t remind me.” Apple Bloom shuddered and crossed her arms. “Seems like every time my bro comes out he starts turnin’ heads. Diamond practically forced her daddy to hire him on here, an’ he says he only did it to ‘keep an eye on me’ but I know he’s doin’ it just to embarrass me. Just struts right through the crowd without even thinkin’ about it.”
“Also, uh, does Diamond know that he’s, you know…” Spike put a hand up and made a wishy-washy motion.
“In fact she does not,” Sweetie said with a sly smile. “I don’t think anypony here does. Nor is Mac in a great hurry to tell them.”
“Mac’s personal life is Mac’s personal business, an’ it’s gonna stay that way,” Apple Bloom said firmly, staring directly at Sweetie. The unicorn put her hands up, ceding the moment to her friend without a struggle.
Spike glanced between them, an eyebrow cocked.
I guess there’s some other stuff I should really catch up on with these two… wait, duh, hang on…
“Where’s Scootaloo?”
Spike’s question had an immediate effect. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom forgot all about big brothers and old bullies and whisked Spike away, carrying him all the way to the party’s end at the edge of one of the large grass fields that circled the house. A small stone wall made for a divider, one just tall enough to lean on and presently coated in hundreds of red cups. The noise of the party lessened over here and gave way to the silence of nature beyond. It finally gave Spike a chance to catch his breath.
“Why Spike, we thought you’d never ask.” Apple Bloom pointed to a cluster of figures only a few dozen yards away by the nearest treeline. Spike squinted in the afternoon light.
It was a ballgame in progress. At least, it was the skeleton of a game. A few ponies made a large semicircle, one in the middle, and a figure at bat. After a moment Spike began to recognize most of the jocks in the outfield, as well as the red pegasus acting as pitcher.
The batter was unmistakable. Lean, focused, and hooves set in a solid stance, Scootaloo stood at the ready. She tightened her grip and narrowed her eyes at the pitcher.
“Come on Star, give me something worth swinging at already,” she shouted.
The pitcher tensed up. Lightly gripping the ball in his hand, he paused, took a slight turn, then reared back and let fly a rapid fire pitch. The ball hurled towards the young pegasus like a rocket-
CRACK
A solid connection with her bat and that ball was history, disappearing off into the far reaches of the field.
Scootaloo laughed, slumping the bat over her shoulder. “Again with the warm up throws? I think I’m as worked up as I’m gonna get, fellas! Where’s the heat here?”
The ponies in the field laughed, as did the few along the sidelines. Spike recognized a few of the girls standing there as other members of the school softball team. Really looking at the outfield now, Spike saw that all the outlying jocks were a mixture of ballplayers and various other sports. Nobody seemed to be taking things particularly seriously, and Scootaloo didn’t even bother to run to a base, instead getting back into stance for another pitch.
Likewise, the pitcher reached into a bucket by his hooves and grabbed another ball. As he did his head briefly turned in Spike’s direction. Spike couldn’t be sure, but he thought he saw the pegasus smirk at him before shaking his head and looking back towards the batter.
“That girl’s been like this all summer,” Sweetie Belle said, leaning on the wall on Spike’s left. “Came so close to league MVP after last season, and quite frankly should’ve gotten it, but their last game of the quarter-finals dashed that hope. Just a brutal affair, it was.”
“Mmm-hmm,” Apple Bloom nodded, coming in to flank Spike’s right. “She was pretty upset over that, really lost her focus at the end of the season. Though I think she’s mostly gotten over it now. Mostly.”
Spike barely responded, just watching Scootaloo play. She struck the next ball as hard as the first, though only clipped the third one. This got a round of jeers from the boys, finally glad to have something new to say.
“She’s gonna go harder than ever this year,” Apple Bloom said. “Count on it.”
“Doesn’t softball season start in like 6 months?” Spike asked. “That’s a long time to go.”
“Yes, well, focus is focus. Though we’ll do our best to make sure her grades stay up to snuff in the meanwhile,” Sweetie said. “Don’t need her crashing at finals again.”
“Well, Rumble can help her out there, too.” Spike said. “He’s gonna be in at least one of my AP classes again this year, and it seems like a smart boyfriend should be a good study aid.”
There was a sudden lull in the conversation. Sweetie and Apple Bloom glanced at each other behind Spike’s back and stifled a few giggles.
“Wow, Spike, you have been gone a long time,” Apple Bloom said.
“Hmm? What? Did something happen?”
“Welllllllll…” Apple Bloom trailed off and looked at the sky, a hand passing things off to Sweetie.
“It’s more than we can sum up right here, but suffice to say…” The unicorn searched for the words. “Rumble and Scootaloo are currently good friends but they are not that kind of friend anymore.”
“...so they broke up?” Spike tilted his head. “Huh. Thought they were doing well.”
“Yes, well, like I said, more than I can sum up now-” Sweetie started, before Apple Bloom walked over and grabbed her shoulders.
“Aaaaan’ more than needs to be said already,” Apple Bloom concluded. “Spike, we did miss you, but it’s high time Sweetie an’ I headed off to see some ponies at the DJ booth. I haven’t danced all day, an’ I’ll be damned if I go through this party without dancin’.”
With that, she was off, tugging Sweetie along in tow. She could only shrug and wave to Spike, and it wasn’t long before they had disappeared again into the celebrating mass.
Spike watched them leave, then turned back and faced the game. His eyes lingered on Scootaloo as she lined up to take another pitch.
Dang, and I haven’t texted Rumble in… ages. I need to see how he’s doing… Scootaloo, too.
He gulped. The next ball went into a high pop fly in Spike’s direction, and this time, the pitcher took flight to go after it. It was a real fast takeoff, practically popping off the ground and into the air, all to the cheers of those around him. He flapped as fast as he could manage and with a dramatic flourish, swooped down to grab the ball just before it hit the ground.
“Yer out!” he shouted over his shoulder. Without bothering to hear a reply, he righted himself and stood up on the other side of the wall, right in front of Spike.
“Well well, the prodigal dragon returns at last,” he said.
Spike looked him up and down. He was taller than Spike by a good head and a half, with vibrant red skin and a goldenrod mane that was deep into its fuzzy summer phase. He had on what looked like the t-shirt equivalent of a flight team letterman jacket, complete with the small captain’s C on the chest. He was the sort who would stand out in any crowd.
“Star Rush, right?” Spike asked, pointing and half-closing one eye. “One of those fast flyers, always doing laps around the school at lunch?”
“Setting records is what I’m doing,” Star replied. He flexed his wings a few times, casting a long shadow behind him. “Best flyer in school’s gotta put the work in to stay the best, after all. Keep the competition on their hooftips.”
Spike idly wiggled his toes “Don’t think I’d know anything about that.”
Star narrowed his eyes. “Don’t think I was talking about you, scaley.”
The wind shifted, and the mood soured. Spike involuntarily tightened his grip on the stone wall while the larger pegasus loomed over him.
Suddenly, the tip of a bat found itself on Star’s shoulder.
“Hey. Buddy.” Scootaloo’s voice was friendly yet firm. “You’re up in the box.”
Star blinked and shook his head, seemingly caught off guard in the moment. He glanced over his shoulder and saw the rest of the group waving for him to come back.
“Come on,” Scootaloo went on, “everypony’s waiting. What are you doing?”
“Nothing at all,” Star replied. He popped the bat up with a small nudge and quickly snatched it from Scootaloo’s weakened grasp before taking a few flaps and flying away. “Get back there soon, Scoots! Time to see how weak your pitching game has gotten!”
“You wish!” Scootaloo yelled at the retreating figure. She watched him for a moment before turning back to the dragon on the other side of the wall.
“Renewing old friendships there, Spike?” she said with a grin.
Spike sighed. “I barely spoke to that guy last year. No idea what his problem is with me.”
“Well, you kinda beat him in the State Flying Exam scores without really trying, for one.” Scootaloo eyed Spike’s wings, which stuck out impressively even when he had them neatly folded behind his back. “Doesn’t take a lot to keep boys like that real insecure.”
It took Spike a moment to remember what Scootaloo was talking about. “What, that thing we had to do in PE last Fall? That was something that mattered?”
“It definitely did to him.”
“I just got bigger wings is all, and there’s not much I can do about that.”
“Yeah, he hates that, too.” Scootaloo raised her arms overhead in a big stretch, arching her back and flexing her head on her neck. Fingers cracked and wiggled as she limbered up. “Anyway, Spike…”
With a flash Scootaloo was over the wall and crushing Spike in his tightest hug of the day. Once again the breath was squeezed right out of his chest, his arms trapped on his sides by his friend’s unwavering grip.
“SPIKE! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!” Scootaloo all but shouted into his ear as she embraced him. “Dude, I missed you! We have all missed you so much!”
Getting only muffled gasps in response, Scootaloo finally relented and released the teen, who took a moment to collect himself and refill his lungs.
“That’s the impression I’ve been getting, yeah,” he said between gasps. “You girls really worked on your hug strength since last I saw you all.”
Scootaloo hopped up on the wall, legs straddling either side and hands set in front of her. Spike shook his head again and looked at her, his first proper look of the whole party. She was a little sweaty from the game, but didn’t even seem flushed, nor was she breathing particularly hard. She had on a black tank top featuring a graphic design of the masked killer Blank Shape from the Nightmare Night movies, complete with his trademark butcher knife. Down below, a studded belt and dusty torn jeans. Her wings, as always noticeably undersized compared to any of her peers, tucked in so smoothly behind her that he could barely see them at all, even this close.
Her eyes shimmered. Spike caught his reflection and felt a sudden self-conscious pang.
Scootaloo leaned forward to get a good vantage on Spike. “So? Whaddaya think of this party? Got something for everypony, yeah?”
Spike took a turn to see it all once more. He’d somehow been there for most of the afternoon and could scarcely tell if any time had really passed at all.
“It’s… a lot? Are all parties like this?”
Scootaloo could only laugh. “Well, most are smaller than this one by a factor of about a hundred, but the good vibes are about right. I’m just glad you’re here, ya know? You never seemed to wanna hang out at stuff like this before, or at least not real often.”
“I don’t know how often folks asked me.”
“We tried, I’m sure we did. But really… well, anyway. Spike… where have you been?”
Spike sighed and got his story together once more. “Well, back in April Twilight got a message from-”
Scootaloo shook her head and waved a hand in Spike’s face. “No, no, I got the gist of the summer from Button already, I text him plenty.”
Huh, so he did tell someone else. Credit to Button on that one.
“Spike, I’m asking where have you, like, been?” Scootaloo moved forward, closing the gap between herself and Spike. “It really feels like we’ve all barely seen you at all over the last year. We pass you in school, get a little chatter, but don’t really hang out anymore, don’t see you at events or parties or anything, hardly see you around town. Only one you hang out with a lot is Button, and from what he tells me you two mostly just play a lot of video games.”
“Well, Apple Bloom joins us for that, too, sometimes.”
“Yeah, but still though…”
Scootaloo looked at Spike. For a moment he caught the worry in her eyes, or perhaps it was something else he couldn’t put his finger on. “Uh… I feel like this is becoming kinda heavy for party talk.”
“Like you’d know.” Scootaloo laughed and slapped Spike on the shoulder. “I get concerned for my friends, and I get more concerned for my quiet friends. Us active types gotta look out for the rest of you.”
“Clearly.” Spike rubbed his shoulder. The girl packed a lot of strength into that hand. “I guess I’ve just been… well, really distracted by school. Like, more than everyone seems to realize.”
“You are Twilight Sparkle’s kid,” Scootaloo conceded. “Academics are probably a bit on the important side in your household.”
“Maybe a smidge.” Spike smiled, which led to a laugh, one soon copied by Scootaloo. “You know, I guess you’re onto something about-”
“HEY SCOOTALOO, LET’S GO ALREADY!”
Star’s booming shout pierced through the moment like a shot. They looked back to the field, where a very impatient looking pegasus was pacing back and forth, bat in hand and eyes locked on the wall.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming!” Scootaloo shouted back. “Never seen nopony in such a hurry to strike out!”
Ignoring Star’s rude hand gesture response, Scootaloo hopped off the wall and glanced back at Spike.
“I’m glad you’re back,” she said with a small smile. “Don’t be a stranger this year, yeah? Try to relax like the rest of the seniors, enjoy your last gasp of youth and all that.”
Spike held his hands up and shrugged. “I’ll look into it. See if it, uh, strikes my fancy.”
Scootaloo stuck her tongue out and moved toward the field. After a few steps, she suddenly stopped and turned around. “Oh, and answer your damn texts more often! I sent you a birthday greeting last month and you were 17 for a week before you noticed! Where’s the love already?”
Spike opened his mouth to respond, but Scootaloo had already turned back around and was off to rejoin the game.
His mind drifted.
…huh
The party swirled and flowed all around him, a social vortex pulling in everyone within striking distance, but Spike remained at the wall. He watched Scootaloo walk away.
He suddenly wished she would turn back to look at him. Just one look.
Scootaloo continued straight to the mound. She took her stance and let fly with heater after heater. Star never had a chance.
The sun neared the horizon, though the party was hardly winding down. Temperatures cooled remarkably in the later hours of the day, chasing teens from the pool, out of swimsuits and back into real clothes, and over to the ever-growing dance mob at the DJ booth. The booming sounds of electronica and hip-hop remixes echoed across the whole estate. The windows of the upper floors could be seen rattling from the bass. If Diamond’s parents really were home, as the rumors kept insisting, they really had themselves cooped up good and tight.
On a small outcropping off of a second floor landing, perched like a living gargoyle, Spike sat back and watched. After exhausting his social battery for the day, he’d snagged a plate of food and flown up about an hour prior. Nobody seemed to notice. A few pegasi were bouncing around overhead but they were much more concerned about dive-bombing their friends with water balloons than watching for any errant dragons.
The dance was the main source of party activity now, and certainly where the bulk of the herd was located, though there were still plenty of offshoot groups scattered about. A few die-hards remained floating in the pool. The hot tubs were filled past capacity. The food was picked down to chips and cookies but still had plenty of takers. A few extra foolhardy trouble makers had snuck some firecrackers out into the field and were going to town on them. All around, friends clustered, gossiped, laughed, chatted, and generally rang out the end of summer in cheerful fashion.
Spike noticed little of that. Ever since he’d found his roost, his attention had been drawn to one table in particular, one not terribly far away but still far enough that he couldn’t make out a word or really risk being seen. A table with a unicorn, an earth pony, and a pegasus; three very familiar teenage girls in deep and boundless conversation.
He wasn’t actually sure how long his eyes had been on the table. He was a little more sure why he was watching. And he definitely had some ideas why he was keeping his eyes primarily on the orange pegasus in the tank top. His head was warm, and in the fading heat he found it hard to convince himself it was for any other reason.
Some feelings really don’t fade away, do they?
A sudden commotion directly below finally snapped Spike’s mind out of its fixed state. Looking down, the unmistakable figure that was Big Mac was exiting a side door in the house. Tossed over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, Spike also recognized a certain brown Earth Pony.
“Oh come on Mac, just… just lemme finish up the level!” Button cried in protest. He thrashed to and fro, but it amounted to nothing in Mac’s iron grip.
“Nnnnope.”
“Mac, it’s Steel Fist III. Do you know how few working cabinets are left in the country? Do you see what a waste it is for it to just sit there in a corner gathering dust?”
“Nnnope.”
“Even the Pac Pony machine is getting used more! I can see it in the dust! This is burying history! The wealthy hoarding art! A travesty of all that is good and holy and pure in this crapsack world of oh, hey Spike!” Button had managed to wiggle his torso to an angle that he could look up, and he waved at the dragon sitting up above. “Having a good time? It’s a great party!”
Big Mac paused mid-step and turned, careful not to swing Button’s legs into any passing partygoers. He glanced upward until his perpetually blank face found the green dragon looking back.
“Uh, hey Mac.” Spike gave a small wave. “Having a good shift?”
“Eeyup.”
“Anything you can’t handle?”
“Nnnope.”
“Cool with me hanging out here? I’m gonna take off home real soon anyway.”
“Eeyup.”
“Cool. Thanks dude.”
“Oh come on, why does he get to stay there and I can’t just take one little peek inside!” Button’s objections fell on deaf ears, at least so far as the ones carrying him were concerned. Several groups around him were giggling at his predicament. He wasn’t the first pony Mac had to cart off that day for some minor trespassing, nor would he be the last.
“This isn't over, Mac! I know ponies who will fight for justice! Don’t think your sisters won’t hear of this! Spike I’ll text you later I hope you had fun see you soooooooon!” Button’s shouts shrank as Big Mac carried him around to the front of the house, likely to be deposited at the front gate.
Spike smiled as he watched him leave, then glanced back to the table. His smile faded to a frown: the table was empty, and Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo were nowhere to be found.
Spike scanned the crowd a few times, trying to pick them out, but the light just wasn’t on his side. There were plenty of outdoor lamps down at floor level, but from up above it all blended together into an indiscernible technicolor splatter with a constant hum of blended voices.
The hour was late, and his time had come. He stood up, careful not to lose his balance on the ledge, and flexed out his wings. With a small sigh, he popped up into the air in a casual take-off that quickly arced him high over the party. A few out-of-town pegasi flying nearby, caught off-guard by the dragon’s rapid ascent, shrank back as he took flight in a moment of reflexive anxiety, though Spike paid them no mind. Some ponies always got nervous when a dragon was flying near them. He figures his pointy wings just got on their nerves.
He did a large figure eight overhead, just once. One final lap around the party in search of someone he felt the need to see one last time. One last jab at feelings he wasn’t sure he wanted to define. Then a quick turn at the main house, another past the large driveway currently overstuffed with parked bicycles, a fast pickup towards town, and before long the library was a clear sight on the dark horizon.
His bed awaited, as did some badly-needed sleep and some very ambitious dreams.