“TWILIGHT SPARKLE!” Rarity yelled, bursting through the door.
“Rarity! Spike is sick! Please keep it down,” Twilight said annoyed.
“Oh dear, I’m sorry. Is he going to be okay?” Rarity spoke in a whisper.
“Yes. Zecora made some medicine…turns out the little guy ate too many gems. He will be fine. It’s a bit of a tummy ache, and a bit of sickness that happens to come with eating too many gems. I never heard of it, but Zecora had it in a dragon book. I’m glad I didn’t take him to that incompetent pediatrician who told me he was a dragon. Now what did you want? You sounded scared.” Twilight approached Rarity briskly.
“Well, Sweetie Belle…” Rarity trailed off as Spike crawled slowly down the stairs.
“Spike! I thought I told you to stay in bed.” Twilight scolded, gently picking him up.
“But I wanted to see Rarity! She sounded scared and I want to save her from whatever it is!” Spike protested weakly.
“Spike,” Rarity said, trying to hide her amusement behind her hoof, “it’s okay. Twilight can help me with this situation. It’s adorable that you want to be a little knight in shining armour, but you’re sick and besides, this is a problem we adults need to figure out. We’ll keep you posted, okay?”
“Okay,” Spike said, disappointed. But he was back asleep soon.
“So what about Sweetie Belle?” Twilight asked after she returned to Rarity.
“Well, she…helped break Rainbow Dash out of jail.” Rarity started to say.
“What! That’s terrible!” Twilight was shocked.
“But that’s not the worst of it. I’m worried about Rainbow Dash. She’s been acting very…uncouth lately. Even by her standards.” Rarity was pacing around.
“Hmm. Pinkie said something about that, too. I was so busy studying…and then Spike got sick…” Twilight tapped her chin in thought. Just then there was a knock at the door.
“Oh hello, Zecora,” Twilight said pleasantly, opening the door. “Come on in.”
“Hello, Twilight, Rarity. I just brought some soothing tea for Spike. When he’s a little better, he can drink it. But I would recommend he not eat gems for a while. Maybe a week or so.” Zecora started to unpack the box of tea
“NOOOO!” shouted a voice. The three of them looked up, and there was a little green face poking over the edge where Twilight and Spike slept.
“Spike, I thought you were asleep,” Twilight said crossly.
“I wanted to see what was going on,” Spike responded sulkily. “Can you read me a bedtime story?”
“Oh, fine. Just a minute.” Twilight rolled her eyes. “I’ll be back down in a minute. Meanwhile, why don’t you tell Zecora what’s going on? Maybe she can help.” Twilight went up the stairs.
“Well, as it happens, Rainbow Dash has been acting very strange lately. She has been calling ponies names like ‘Derpy’. She also framed Fluttershy for a crime!” Rarity told Zecora.
“How unusual,” Zecora responded.
“Do you… I know you have a lot of books. But do you happen to have any books about ponies acting like jerks for no reason?” Rarity asked.
“No, but I wish I did. That Rainbow Dash came by a few days ago and demanded I speak in rhymes. I told her that was the result of a potion mishap, that only recently went away but she said it made me more mystical, I believe. She seemed rather angry when she flew off.” Zecora put the box of tea in the kitchen cabinet as she spoke. Rarity politely magicically opened the cabinet door for her.
“That Spike!” Twilight said, walking into the kitchen. “Look at the book he wanted me to read him!” She held up a book with a sinister-looking Alicorn on the cover. The title read ‘Brony: Why Ponies Act Like Jerks For No Reason.’ This is way too scary for a little dragon to…what are you staring at me like that for?”
Zecora and Rarity stared at her blankly. “Twilight,” Zecora said. “what is it with you and ignoring the answer all along?”