//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: It's Not Easy Being a Pony // Story: Spike's Pony Chronicles // by Golden Age //------------------------------// "Well so much for trying to get a mariachi band cutie mark yesterday! I mean, they needed three members to perform and only us two showed up!", Scootaloo stammered to her fellow crusader Apple Bloom in their desks at the schoolhouse. They were waiting for Miss Cheerilee to arrive for the school day to start. "Take it easy, Scootaloo! Something could've happened to Sweetie Belle that made her have to miss out! Maybe she got in a doozy in the woods after our lil' tree climbing incident, I mean, she could need some serious help right now fer all we know!", Apple Bloom worryingly replied. "Now who's idea was it again to split off in the forest once we were off the tree? Oh, yeah, that one filly with the big bow!", said Scootaloo assertively. Apple Bloom lowered her head and ears in remorse. "Okay, ah guess, it's kinda my fault Sweetie Belle's missing, but we gotta get somepony to help her!" "Are you two talking about Thweetie Belle?", asked Twist who was leaning far in her desk to talk with Scootaloo and Apple Bloom. "Yeah, we are.", Scootaloo frustratingly replied. "Have ya seen her?", worryingly asked Apple Bloom. "Have I theen her? Thee wath all over town doing choreth with Thpike yethterday! I didn't expect to thee that! I, uh, gueth you didn't expect to hear that either." She was right. The two crusaders stared blankly at each other. They were used to their friend being kind and considerate towards everypony in town, but she never missed out on a crusade to do their chores. She also never was with Spike. "Man, Twilight and Rarity must've been mad at them or something, I mean, they must've made them do everypony's chores yesterday as some kind of punishment!", said Scootaloo. "But what could Sweetie Belle have done to get her in trouble? She wouldn't hurt a flea!", replied Apple Bloom. "Maybe she used Rarity's fabrics or hairbrush or something dopey like that. You know how angry Rarity gets at that stuff. Maybe that's why Sweetie Belle's not even here yet.", suggested Scootaloo. "(Gasp) You're probably right! Sweetie Belle's never usually this late ta school! Who knows what Rarity's doin' ta punish her right now!", said the yellow filly. "Man now I really feel bad for her, I mean, Rarity could be using her as a slave for punishment!" "Oh, poor Sweetie Belle! She's too young!" Just then, the unicorn they were just theorizing about graciously walked through the door. "Sweetie Belle!", Apple Bloom and Scootaloo happily shouted in unison once they saw Sweetie enter the schoolhouse. They were relieved to see her with a grin. "Hey, girls! I'm really sorry I had to miss the crusaders meeting yesterday, I was kinda busy.", said Sweetie Belle. "With chores, from what I heard!", said Scootaloo. "What did you do to Rarity to make you have to do all of those?" "Huh? Oh, um, no, Spike and I just, um, wanted to, you know, just help around the town! I never got in any trouble." The girls were relieved to hear that out of her. "Well you can't have been doin' chores all day! Didja do anything else?", asked Apple Bloom. "Oh yeah, that reminds me! Girls, let me introduce you to my special some-pony!", excitingly said Sweetie Belle. The two other crusaders were shocked. Their jaws dropped as they stared at each other in surprise. They then smiled and became excited for their unicorn friend. "Ya have a special some-pony?", eagerly asked Apple Bloom. "Congratulations! Oh man, you must feel so lucky!" "Yeah, way to go, Sweets! Now hmmm, who is it? Is he in this class?", asked Scootaloo. "Well, he's not technically in our class, but he's in the classroom right now!", replied Sweetie. Her two friends darted their heads around the room in search of anypony they did not recognize from their class. They seemed to catch their eyes on Spike at the exact same time. Their smiles grew wider as they turned back towards Sweetie. They were clueless to the fact that the colt was Twilight Sparkle's dragon assistant. "It's the purple guy, ain't it?", asked the yellow filly. "Yep!", replied the white unicorn. "Do we, um, know him? Like, what's his name?", asked Scootaloo. "Oh, of course you know him!" The two other crusaders stared at each other in confusion. They had never seen the colt in their life. "Spike! Come over here! My friends think they've never met you before!" "Did you juss call him, uh, 'Spike'?", asked Apple Bloom. "She sure did!" Apple Bloom and Scootaloo froze once they heard the colt's voice. It sounded identical to the only other Spike that they knew. The colt and the dragon also shared a striking resemblance. "Hey, girls! It's me, Spike!" "Um, Spike? As in Spike the dragon? As in, like, Spikey Wikey?", asked Scootaloo. "Yep, it's just me! Spike the drag-err, no, I mean Spike the pony!" "Huh?", loudly said Apple Bloom as she stared at Sweetie Belle in disbelief. "Oh, you know Twilight and all her magic mess-ups. She made me a pony by mistake, but boy I couldn't me happier! Especially now that I can be in love with Sweetie Belle as her-", Spike turned to Sweetie, "-special some-pony." Apple Bloom and Scootaloo didn't have enough time to question their friend any further as their teacher, Miss Cheerilee walked into the schoolhouse. The two fillies were used to having Twilight experimenting and messing around with her magic, so they decided to shrug it off until recess. The purple pony teacher had her usual grin on her face. Her students rushed back to their seats to make it appear as if they patiently waited for her in their desks the entire time. An extra seat for Spike proved hard to find, however, and he found himself awkwardly standing in the middle of the room. "Sweetie Belle, what do I do?", he frantically asked his crush. "Oh, uhh,", she quickly looked around to find a place Spike could go. "Howww, um, how about you go behind my poster in my cubbyhole?" "You kidding me? I can't even fit into that thing! Besides I wouldn't be able to breathe right. Wait a minute,", Spike saw that everypony else was in their seats but there was one empty one in the back, "um, who's the absent kid?" "Oh, that's Cotton Cloudy's seat. She must be absent or something. Now, hurry! Takeit takeit takeit!", she quickly said as Spike rushed to the absent filly's desk. Being homeschooled by Twilight Sparkle for his whole life, Spike had no experience in an actual school before. "Oh no, this is gonna be bad. I'm not sitting anywhere near Sweetie Belle! And I barely know any of these ponies! I've never been to a real school before, what if they don't think I'm cool? What if they bully me? What if they steal my non-existent lunch money? But worst of all, (gasp).", Spike thought as he stared at his flank. "I have no cutie mark! Well, just play it cool, yeah, you can do this Spikey Wikey! You've come far enough as a pony, no backing down now! It's time to go through what real ponies go through! But what if Cheerilee kicks me out since I'm not really in her class? Do I pass off as a good Clotted Candy or whatever her name was that sits here?" "Good morning, pupils!", Cheerilee happily said to her students while behind her desk. "Good morning Miss Cheerilee.", the students all slowly groaned in unison. "Thank, you everypony! I hope that you're all as excited as I am for class today!", she spoke. The fillies all stared at her with unamused and tired faces. All except for Sweetie Belle who was still jubilant from her surprise from her new special some-pony, and for Spike who looked very worried and fearful. Cheerilee noticed that a different pony was in Cotton Cloudy's seat, but she dismissed it since she had so many kids to keep track of with all her classes. "Well I see that you're all eager and ready to put pencils-to-paper, so let's hop to it!" As Cheerilee was lecturing to her class about simple arithmetic, Spike found himself on his first school day to be very bored during her lessons. Looking around him at the other students, he could see that he wasn't alone on that one. He started to fiddle with his pencil in tedium as the pony to his right turned his head towards him. "Hi.", the colt whispered. He could tell that Spike was a new student. "My name's Snails." "Tsss c'mon, I know you! You're that one guy that worked for 'The Great and Pitiful Trixie'!", Spike whispered in response. "I like snails.", the colt told him. Spike stared at him in annoyance. "You don't say.", Spike lyrically replied as he turned to face the front chalkboard. He was trying to get a grasp of the fractions the mare was going over. "Do you like snails?", Snails asked in a whisper. "Wha?" "I like snails." Spike had it. He frustratingly turned back towards the front of the room. "And that's how you divide fractions! Now don't forget to write your math homework down in your notebooks, kids, because it's time to move on to history!" "Oh thank Celestia that was over. History sounds way better than math! I hope we learn about the Great Magic War, oh ho, now THAT is what I call a fight!", Spike thought to himself. "Today we'll continue presenting our projects!" The class moaned as Cheerilee said this. "Let's see here, who's up today, um, Snips and Snails! You're project on the Summer Sun Celebration needs to be presented right now.", she said as the project's respective workers looked up in surprise. "T-today? Miss Cheerilee, I thought you said tomorrow!", Snips worryingly made up. "Oh, really? I'm sorry Snips, you can present tomorrow in that case." "I can't present tomorrow either! I'm gonna, um, be sick tomorrow!" "Likely story." At that, Cheerilee could now tell that this was clearly an excuse. "Well, I know that Snails was you're partner, so maybe he can present what he's done for your Summer Sun Celebration project." "The Summer Sun Celebration? I thought it was about snails.", said Snails as Snips gave him a stern dirty look. "Well since neither of you are prepared, I'm afraid you and your grade will have to suffer the consequences. Now, let's see here, who else was scheduled to present today, hmm, Sweetie Belle! You're up.", Cheerilee spoke. "Okay, Miss Cheerilee!", she enthusiastically replied as she turned and winked at Spike. Sweetie walked over to her cubbyhole and pulled out her poster. Bringing it up to the front, she stood side by side with Spike. Cheerilee then confirmed that she had never seen that colt in her life. "Excuse me, young stallion, um, I don't believe that you're in my class. What is your name, dear?", asked the teacher. "Oh, oh, sorry Miss Cheerilee! This here is Spike, and he's here to help me present my project! Sorry it was on such short notice, but I really need his help!", spoke Sweetie Belle. "Oh, well, in that case, hello, Spike! Welcome to my classroom! Where are you from?" "Hey, Cheerilee! Howdya do?", said Spike as he waved. Cheerilee was getting a reaction similar to Apple Bloom and Scootaloo's when they first saw him as a pony. The rest of the class caught on too, as the sound of whispers started to become audible. Spike noticed this and sighed. "Yes, I'm Spike, as in Spike the dragon." The class stared at him. The students were not entirely sure if they should laugh if it was a joke or to accept because it seemed logical since he lived with the magical Twilight Sparkle. "Okay, Twilight accidentally turned me into a pony! I wonder how many times I'll have to say that today.", said Spike as Sweetie laughed in response. Scanning the audience sitting before them, they could see Apple Bloom and Scootaloo giggling in excitement, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon whispering probably nasty things to each other and laughing, and the other students just generally acting concussed and surprised. The couple in the front of the room turned to each other with smiles and nodded. Spike went behind Sweetie's poster and stood still with it leaning on his side. Sweetie giggled at the sight and cleared her throat to gain the kids' attention. "Attention, everypony! Umm, I'm Sweetie Belle, -" "We know!", interrupted Snips. The class was too excited from Spike's change to remain still and obedient. "-annnd here is 'Pegasus Aviation', by Sweetie Belle.", the unicorn filly continued. "Class, calm down! I know it's significant that Spike has turned into a colt, but let's turn our attention towards Sweetie Belle and her assignment now!", said Cheerilee. She was genuinely looking forward to Sweetie Belle's project since she usually put more effort and care into her schoolwork than her peers did. Sweetie decently presented and Spike did a good job keeping her poster propped up. She was done presenting in no time. "Wonderful job, Sweetie Belle! There were so many wonderful facts and artistic touches! Class, don't leave me praising Sweetie Belle all by myself!", Cheerilee said as her class started to applaud. "And kudos to, well, Spike, for holding up the marvelous poster!". The students gave Spike a round of applause with their hooves on the ground in response. Spike went up to the front and bowed and waved in response as if he were a king. "Thank you all, thank you very much! Thanks to all you out there", he dramatically said. Spike then turned to Sweetie Belle who was waving her forehooves in front of her and rapidly shaking her head, signaling that he was not supposed to do that when the class was cheering for him. Turning back towards the pupils, Spike nervously gulped and became afraid as to how the class would react to his inexperienced school behavior. However, he was met with the students laughing with him rather than at him. Sweetie Belle even started to laugh. Spike wiped the sweat off his forehead. And just at that moment, the school bell started to ring. "Oh, would you just look at the time! Students, it's time for recess! Ahem, Spike, if you want, you have my permission to stay for the rest of class today. How does that sound?" Spike turned towards Sweetie who was joyfully nodding to him. "Why, Miss, that sounds fantastic! Thank you so much!" And with that, Spike was galloping out the door with Sweetie Belle. ~ Spike's first recess was going a whole lot better than he had called for. He had never expected that his first day of school would find him with a crowd of students all around him excitingly asking him questions. Sweetie Belle and the other Cutie Mark Crusaders were sitting next to him. The class was amazed that the boy they had once known as a dragon was now one of them. The ponies had a handful of questions for Spike. "Was the potion painful?" "Can you still breath fire?" "Are you upset that you weren't turned into anything else?" "No, nope, and nu-uh!", Spike replied. "Why would Spike even want to be anything else? Being a pony is all he's wanted!", his crush added. The two turned to each other and rubbed their nuzzles together. Comotion rose from the crowd as they did this. Even Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were left with their jaws hitting the ground. "Why'd you even want to be a pony, though?", asked Rumble. "Dragons are awesome!" "Simply because of this unicorn in front of me!", Spike replied. "But, wait,", Apple Bloom started. Then a sly grin appeared on her face as she leaned towards Spike. "I thought you liked Raaari-" "No!", Spike and Sweetie both said in unison. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were, yet again, left shocked. They knew Spike would lose his love for Rarity eventually, but not so soon or quickly as it seemed. "Um, why not?", Scootaloo asked. "Because I found somepony waaaay better.", Spike added. Commotion started to rise again. "Ooooh, how cuuute! Two blank flanks in loooove! Never thought I'd see the day!", sarcastically said the rich but snobby Diamond Tiara as she shoved her way thought the crowd with her partner-in-crime, Silver Spoon, next to her. Spike tried his best to defend him and Sweetie. "Stay out of this Diamond Tiara and Silver Shoot!" "Spoon.", Sweetie Belle corrected. "Silver Spoon, my bad!" "We couldn't help ourselves! Just the sight of two blank flanks in love is something I've never ever thought of!", said Silver Spoon. Spike and Sweetie stared at their flanks and sighed in despair. "Oh, I also never thought that Sweetie Belle of all fillies would get a coltfriend! I thought she'd be single, oh, and blank, forever!" "She was probably so desperate for a special some-pony that she had to resort to a reptile to woo. Who knows? Maybe she forced the potion on him!", said Diamond Tiara, depressing the couple furthermore. "Hey, get outta here, you two!", yelled Scootaloo in Spike and Sweetie's defense. "Hmm, you know what's reeaally threatening about this pegasus in front of me? Those cutesy-wootsey wittle wings and that flank with nothing on it!", sarcastically said Diamond as she and her partner kept laughing. "Diamond Tiara, ah ain't never seen these two happier in mah whole life! Even after you're bullyin' they still seem a lil' glad! So couldja just butt outta this any make fun of yourselves instead?", Apple Bloom asserted. "Well-", Silver Spoon started but was cut off by the ringing of the school bell. "Hmph, better get along back to class. We don't wanna lose our precious window seats, now do we, Diamond Tiara?" "Now, why would we ever want to lose those? Scandalous! Well, ahem, I guess we'll meet again, blank flanks. Ah, nothing beats having more than only three blanks to make fun of!", said Diamond Tiara as she and her partner galloped towards the building. The other students started to gather their items and return to class. Spike and the crusaders stayed put. "Well she and her little compadre can go burry their heads in- err, um, sorry about those two, Spike and Sweetie.", spoke Scootaloo. "Yeah! Oh boy, when I get mah hooves on her neck she'll be really sorry!", Apple Bloom started. "Thanks for trying to help us, girls!", thanked Spike. "It's okay, Sweetie Belle, Spikey's here. What's the matter? Still upset?" "No, I was just thinking, um, hey I have an idea!", Sweetie suddenly said. The other three looked up in anticipation. "As long as Spike is a 'blank flank', why don't we make him the newest Cutie Mark Crusader? I know he'd love to, right Spikey Wikey?" Scootaloo and Apple Bloom smiled wide and eagerly turned towards Spike. "A new crusader?", asked the pegasus. "That's a great idea! Whatya think, Spike?", excitingly asked Apple Bloom. "Hmm, I've never really thought of that before. Me, Spike, a Cutie Mark Crusader?" Spike turned towards the fillies and saw that they all were giving him pleading and gleeful looks. "Well, I don't know, especially after all you did when I pet-sat for Twilight and her friends and all." "We're sorry we tickled you!", Apple Bloom blabbered out. "And took your gem!", Scootaloo briskly added. "And took bad care of the pets and wasted the gem and left the train an-", Sweetie Belle quickly added with lots of remorse in her voice. "Okay! Okay, I'll join your little club.", Spike finally said. The fillies' reaction was like nothing he had ever seen before. The three fillies ensued in jumping in place and chasing their tails while cheering. "A new crusader! Awwww yeah! He's our newest member since cousin Babs from way back when! Who'da thought our next member would wind up bein' Spike of all ponies?", Apple Bloom enthusiastically said. "Don't forget that he's also the first boy Cutie Mark Crusader! That's more groundbreaking than Twilight becoming a princess!", said Scootaloo. Sweetie Belle jumped towards and wrapped her forehooves around Spike and squealed. "My special some-pony is also a Crusader! This is the best day ever!" Spike couldn't have asked for anything better. As long as Sweetie Belle was happy, he was happy. The rest of the school day flew by and the final bell rang before Spike knew it. As the class was dismissed, the crusaders thrillingly rushed Spike towards their clubhouse. The fresh smell of apples filled Spike's pony nostrils as they approached Sweet Apple Acres. After going through a seemingly endless maze of apple trees, the four ponies approached a masterfully built treehouse in a small tree clearing. After practically being shoved inside, the filly trio stood in front of the colt and cleared their throats. "Allow us to give ya a tour of our Cutie Mark Crusaders clubhouse!", said Apple Bloom. "Umm, alright. You can go ahead.", Spike replied. The crusaders hadn't given a tour since Babs Seed, but they didn't want to risk not impressing their newest member. "Well, um, here is the, uh, Cutie Mark Crusaders table!", said Sweetie Belle. "Yeeaah, and here's the Cutie Mark Crusaders window!", Scootaloo continued. "Here's the Cutie Mark Crusaders paper!", said Apple Bloom. "And is this the Cutie Mark Crusaders daisy sandwich?", asked Spike as he picked up a daisy sandwich while licking his lips in hunger. "No, that's my lunch!", Scootaloo snapped as she grabbed the sandwich from his hoof. "This is the Cutie Mark Crusaders daisy sandwich!", she said as she pointed at a daisy sandwich in a glass display case with a plaque that read "Cutie Mark Crusaders Daisy Sandwich". Spike was confused by it, but still decided to stay and see what else they had in store. "We come up with all our ideas for what to do to get our cutie marks here!", added Sweetie Belle. "We, um, haven't really been that successful, but, hey, at least we try! A for effort, am ah right?", said Apple Bloom. "So what's the verdict, Spike? Ya joinin' us or leavin'?" The three ponies leaned towards the colt in excitement and anticipation. "Okay, I'm in! Now do your little baptism or whatever you do to welcome new members." In response, the Cutie Mark Crusaders all rapidly and hectically started to organize a ceremony to swear Spike in as a member. "Ready positions?", Sweetie Belle asked as she stood behind a tall podium. Apple Bloom nodded and Scootaloo turned towards her drums. "And I'm gonna read all the titles we have here for new members just because our newest member is my Spikey Wikey!" The two other fillies groaned in response. "Wow, thanks, um, Sweetie Beetie?" Spike got a confused stare from his special some-pony. "Um, how about Selle Belle? Okay, I'll stop with the nicknames. Thanks Sweetie Belle!" Spike had no idea how long this was going to take him, but he was completely up to it. ~ "I just don't get it. How in Equestria was I supposed to know Spike wanted to be a pony? I really need to try to at least attempt to take better care of him.", Twilight said to her friend, Rarity, as they were walking to Rarity's parents' home. They were expected to have returned from their weekend trip by then. "You think you need to become a better caretaker? Well I believe that I need to improve on being a good sister! Do you know how much I have to go through to satisfy Sweetie Belle? And on top of that I found her upset from when she returned from doing chores with Spike yesterday.", Rarity spoke. "Wait, what? That's what Spike was doing for all of yesterday? Wha- why in the world would he do that? That's really the last thing I would've expected him to do on his day off." "I haven't the slightest clue! And Sweetie Belle deliberately refuses to tell me what's on her mind, can you believe that? How can I ever help her like the wonderful big sister that I am if she keeps her issues all to herself?" "Hmm, Spike did chores with Sweetie Belle yesterday, wow, I didn't even know that they were friends! And, now, Rarity, I've been meaning to ask you. Is that story about the picnic with Spike true?" "Twilight Sparkle, would I ever lie to one of my best friends? Would I ever lie to royalty, for that matter? It is completely true!" "Well then why was he skipping for joy when we were at Sugarcube Corner yesterday, yet very upset when he came home, but was happy when he became a pony because he wanted to an- oh boy, my brain hurts again." "Well at least Spike is finally glad! It may take awhile for Sweetie Belle to get over her little problem, if I remember correctly from my experiences at that age." "Well, in that case, why were you upset as a filly like she is? Maybe that will help you figure out why Sweetie Belle is upset." "Hmm, oh, ah yes, it was because my first special some-pony in middle school left me for another filly. Humph, darn Caramel, but anyways, he broke my heart and it seemed as if I'd never, ever, get over it. Could it be that-" Rarity paused for a moment as her eyes widened. "Oh my." A sly yet excited smile then came across her face as she squealed and started briskly tapping her hooves on the ground. "Um, Rarity?" "Twilight, don't you know what this means?" "That, um, uhh, Caramel is a cold-hearted star spider?" "No! Well, yes that's very true, but it's not that!" "Is it that, um, oh, I know, haha, you must've just figured out Pinkie Pie's riddle from last week about brownies and quicksand! Even I still haven-" "Twilight I think it's that Sweetie Belle just went through her first breakup with a colt!" "Huh? Now, Rarity, let's not jump to conclusions or-" "Well she's acting just like I did when I broke up with Careless-mel at her age! I believe jumping to conclusions here is a capital idea. Oooh, my very own sister had a special-somepony! And she was in denial with me! Oh ho, just like her big sister! She's sure on her way up there! Oh, Sweetie Belle just had her first breakup!" Rarity was jumping around in excitement as Twilight simply chose to stay put and stare. Although Rarity seemed as if she could burst, she suddenly stopped in her tracks and a rather sorrowful look came across her face. "Sweetie Belle just went through her first breakup.", she said in a more upset tone. "Oh, that poor filly! It's okay, I know what it feels like, I've been there and done that quite a couple of times! I could be her mentor or coach, here. Oh, she must be simply heartbroken!" The two ponies stopped in their tracks as they finally approached the home of Rarity's parents. Rarity sighed. "Well it looks like I'll have to break it to Mother and Father." "Don't tell them about the breakup. Remember we still aren't even sure if it's happened yet.", Twilight replied. "Okay Twilight. I will only tell them about Sweetie's sadness." "I sure hope they won't take it too hard!" "Oh, trust me when I say that you'll never know with my parents.", Rarity knocked on the door as she spoke with Twilight. Though Rarity never particularly looked forward to a visit to her parents' home, she felt that it was her duty to inform them about their youngest daughter's issue. As the front door swung open in response to the knock, the atmosphere of everything Rarity grew up with and everything that her family had that contradicted Rarity's interests filled her senses. Rarity's mother, a middle aged pink unicorn with a questionable fashion sense that frustrated Rarity, opened the door. "Rarity, girl, my, what a delight!" "Um, hello, mother." "Oh, and who is, wait. Oh my, Princess Twilight Sparkle! It's quite an honor to have you on my doorstep!", she said as she bowed to the princess. "Why, um, thank you, miss! I'm Rarity's friend an-", the alicorn replied. "Oh of course, how could I forget? Rarity's friends with the princess! Ooh boy, I can't believe all those quests you've all been on!" "Um, mother, can we please talk? This is kind of important.", Rarity spoke up. "Oh, please do come on in, Angel-face, I'll make ya some tea! We can catch up and bond like a mom and girl should! Oh, and Princess Twilight, be sure to make yourself feel at home! Yeah, we know it's no Canterlot royal suite here, but it's the best we can offer!" Rarity groaned at her mother's nickname for her: "Angel-face". It has angered her since she was a child. The two trotted inside and their eyes met with the sights of the interior of Rarity's parents' house. Though not as sophisticated or spotless as Rarity's shop, it was still organized and decently clean. As her mother walked into the kitchen, Rarity and Twilight laid eyes on the father of the family, a white stallion with a mustache and an even more queer fashion sense than his wife. He was eating out of a bag filled with burnt and crispy, well, nopony knows exactly what he was eating. The bag had "To Daddy, Love Sweetie Belle" written on it in marker. That explained the quality of the food he was eating. He let the ornate and uptight eating patterns of his eldest daughter slip for this meal as he stuffed his face with Sweetie's monstrosity of a snack. "Rarity, how ya doin', hun?", he excitingly asked when he saw his daughter. "(Gasp) Princess Twili-" "Yes, it's a honor to meet you, I'm Rarity's friend." "Oh please, of course I know you're chums! I love hearin' about your little adventures. Now, Rarity, hun, what brings ya here? You haven't us visited in weeks!" "Oh I, um, have not?", Rarity guilty asked. "Well, um, you see, business is, well, picking up a lot at the shop! It's, you see, um, hat season! Yes, how about that?", Rarity quickly made up. Rarity was as different from her parents as apples are from oranges, and visiting them only rubbed it in. "Oh ho, don't you worry yourself, Angel-face! As long as you're happy to see us, we're happy to see you!", Rarity's mother said as she was preparing tea. "Want some?", Rarity's father generously asked as he held the bag of Sweetie's food towards his daughter. "No thank you.", the fashionista quickly replied. "So, how was your weekend vacation to Las Pegasus?" "My oh my, what a vacay it was! We had loads of fun, wouldn't you agree sugar?", the mother happily replied. "Boy, I was on fire in the casinos! Hey hey, in fact, we might have enough money now to buy that Equestiran sports carriage I've always been dreamin' of!" "Please, hun, we are not wasting our money on a Corlett!" "Hun, you know I've waited to get my hooves behind the harness of a Chevroneigh Corlett since I was a colt!" "We could at least put the money towards somethin' reasonable, like a purse or two!" "Hun, you have enough purses in your closet to supply everypony in Equestria with one! Not to mention, you haven't even worn any of them in public! Are even more necessary?" "Well, I don't mean to brag, but I like to brag about my collection of designer purses to my friends! A large amount of purses like I have is a marehood dream, and I wouldn't stop expanding for the world." "You go, mother!", Rarity cheered. "Well there's no point in collecting if nopony else'll ever see them! On the other hoof, with a Corlett in our driveway, we won't have to take a cab anywhere anymore. We'll arrive everywhere in speedy, Equestrian style!" "Talk about a mid-life crisis! I am not letting my husband become a racecarriage driver!" "Mmm, these are pretty good.", Rarity's father said with some of Sweetie's burnt food in his mouth. "Pardon me, Mr. and Mrs., well, um, friends, but your daughter has something to tell you.", Twilight started speaking. "Oh? Go on, Rare!", Rarity's mother said. "Thank you, Twilight! Um, you see, it's about Sweetie Belle.", Rarity spoke. "Oh yeah, how'd the foalsittin' treat ya?", her father asked. "Nay, hun, don't say 'foal'sitting! Our daughter's no foal and she's growin' up rapidly before our eyes!", the mother quickly replied. "Okay, okay, how'd the maresitting go?", the father corrected. "Well, I believe I did quite an adequate job of watching her, on my part. But I've come to realize that she's going through some rough times." Rarity's parents' persona changed as they heard this and they became curious as to what could have possibly happened to their beloved daughter. "So yesterday roughly around four, she came home all depressed. I tried to make her feel better, but I guess whatever was bothering Sweetie was too overwhelming for her. She ran up to her guest room and I heard her sobbing from behind the door. Oh, you don't know how emotion-tickling it was to hear her crying like that." "That's odd, she was nothing like that when we left her.", Rarity's father spoke. "I, too, thought it to be rather peculiar! But she started screaming 'Why, why, why, why' and then said some other things that were, however, inaudible from outside her room. And I have no knowledge as to why she'd feel like this! She's being rather quiet towards it." "Sounds a lot like my case with Spike right now! He's also having all sorts of ups and downs and he just won't tell me anything!", the alicorn princess said. "Hmm, well I suppose it's the new trend for young ones that age.", Rarity said lightly to try to raise the mood. She then seriously turned back towards her parents to speak. "So, Mother and Father, if you confront an upset Sweetie Belle, please be easy on her! She looked like she needed lots of love and attention when I watched her yesterday. So, I ask of you, please do not get angry or at all frustrated with her! The poor filly needs attention and I can't stand seeing her so upset. The sight's simply depressing.", Rarity finished. They were saddened by the time Rarity ended her spiel. They grew worried and baffled as to what would drive their daughter to feel this way. At that moment, Twilight looked out of the house's window and was, once more, shocked. She saw Sweetie Belle skipping for joy as she neared the front door. She was all by herself, and Twilight could tell that her smile was completely natural and authentic. Rarity and her parents also seemed to catch the gleeful filly jumping for joy as she neared the door. Although the mother and father looked at Rarity with confused looks, Twilight frustratingly looked at the white unicorn. Rarity just had another story proven wrong. However Rarity herself was, once more, even more surprised than everypony else around her. Only yesterday and that morning, the unicorn filly seemed more upset than she had ever been. She now seemed to be happier than Fluttershy meeting butterflies for the first time. The front door swung open as Sweetie Belle entered the house. "Mom and Dad, you're home! I've missed you sooo much!", the filly excitingly said with a cracked voice as she ran up and hugged and kissed both of her parents. "We've missed ya too, youngin'!", confusingly said her father. "Hello, Sweetie dear! Oh boy, has Mommy missed her little bunny!", her mother said. "How was the trip? Anything exciting? Oh oh oh, anything you bring home?" "Oh, yeah, I got you and your sister souvenirs! The bag's up in me and your father's room if you wanna get a peek." "No way, thank you guys soooo much! I love both of you! Hey Rarity!", she said as she hugged her older sister tightly. "Oh, well, hello, Sweetie Belle! How was school? You seem rather jubilant today." "School was wonderful! Thanks for watching me over the weekend, sis! Hey, Princess Twilight!" "Hi there, Sweetie Belle!", said the princess. Sweetie Belle made her way to the stairs and started for her parent's room for her souvenirs. The ponies in the kitchen could hear her happily saying things to herself as she went off. "Well, I don't ever recall seeing the girl this excited to see us return from a trip!", the mother started speaking. "Something's telling me that it's not about your return.", Twilight said. She then turned to Rarity who looked as if she was confused, shocked, and guilty at the same time. "Rarity, you either have a bad case of jinxing others into being happy or you're just making all your stories up. First: Spike and the picnic. Now: Sweetie Belle and her sadness. Why are you doing this, Rarity?" "Princess Twilight Sparkle! I swear to Celestia and Luna that I'm telling the truth, the truth, and nothing but the truth! I wouldn't dare fib! Especially with my parents right in front of me!" "Well then, why's she so happy? Here, I'll let you guys talk about it. I'm going to try and find Spike just to make sure he didn't become depressed all of a sudden or anything like he has.", Twilight said. "Oh, do whatcha gotta do, sugar! Don't you worry, we'll put your cup away!", the mother said. "It's an honor to have such, such a prestigious pony in our establishment of residence!", the father said as he bowed down to Twilight. "Okay okay, you don't have to go overboard on the whole 'Twilight Sparkle is royalty' thing. I'd honestly prefer if you just treat me like everypony else did before my promotion.", Twilight replied. "Well, then, sorry about that, um, Twily, but do have a good day!", Rarity's father said. "Yes, thank you so much for stoppin' by! We love havin' visitors. Feel free to drop in anytime ya want to, Princes- err, Twilight Sparkle!" "Thank you.", Twilight replied as she hugged both parents. "Farewell, Twilight! Best regards with Spike!", Rarity spoke as Twilight turned to her and chuckled. "Okay, Rarity. I'll need all the luck I can get! Just don't make stories up anymore." "Oh I am not, I told you that already!" "Alrighty then, Rare, I'm off!", Twilight gladly said as she left the building. "Either a miracle happened or Rarity's just lying, here.", the father said. Rarity at this point was baffled and frustrated beyond belief, but she was a natural at not showing it. She knew she wasn't going insane, but two stories she's told within the last two days were just disproven in front of her and her friends 'very own eyes. Not long after Twilight left, Sweetie Belle came down the stairs with a saddle-back and rushed towards her parents. "Mom, Dad, thank you sooo much for the ribbon and the little stuffed bear from Las Pegasus! I love them!", she excitingly said. "Don't mention it, sugar!", the mother replied. "I mean, seriously, don't mention it! You're too adorable for me to handle right now!", she joked. "Oh, Mom and Dad, can I please ask you something?", Sweetie asked in a more serious and quiet tone. The couple and Rarity figured that she was ready to talk about her sadness and they leaned towards the filly in anticipation, eager to find out what her issue was. "Yes!", the father said. "Please do!", the mother said right after. "Carry on!", Rarity said immediately after. However, Sweetie's tone then changed to the happier one from earlier as she asked, "The crusaders wanna meet up with me in town! Can I please please go? We won't be out late, I promise!" Her family sighed and all said "Oh." The parents rarely see their daughter so happy, so they decided to just let her have fun if it makes her happy. "Okay, Sweetie!", the mother said. Sweetie hugged her parents and her sister and then ran out of the house with her saddle-bag. She and her fellow Cutie Mark Crusaders agreed to try to get a surfing cutie mark at the lake. On her way to there, she passed by the library. "Hmmm, I might as well see if Spikey Wikey's there so we can walk out to the lake together!", she said to herself as she walked towards the door. ~ The unbelievable and miraculous events of the day continuously played through Spike's pony head as he was prepping himself in the library to go surfing. He constantly sighed with happiness. Sometimes, he even had to pause all he was doing just to catch his excited breath so he could carry on. He had arrived at the library not too long beforehand, and was with his special some-pony and the two other club members for the duration beforehand. At the Cutie Mark Crusaders initiation ceremony, Spike sat through every single name on the list Sweetie Belle had read for him. As tedious as it may have seemed, Spike was glad to have participated. Spike would never want to miss hearing Sweetie Belle's lovely voice reading a list of titles for two and a half hours straight. As Sweetie finally rounded up the list, grasping for breath in between every last syllable, Spike had officially become the newest member of Ponyville's own Cutie Mark Crusaders. He was amongst the few, the proud, and the blank. Spike recalled many times seeing the three girls around town trying different activities ranging from simple tasks to death-defying stunts to try to discover their special talent and therefore receive a cutie mark doing so. Throughout his time seeing them experiencing these activities together, Spike always had somewhat of a desire to join them in their "crusades". He definitely would have taken hanging out with them over working for Twilight Sparkle and fulfilling her every command. His crush was just as happy, if not happier than he was for joining. The other two fillies were overjoyed as well. Spike was rather surprised that Apple Bloom and Scootaloo took his relationship easily, but he did not want to concentrate on that at the moment. All he needed to focus on now was getting ready to meet up with them again at the lake. The other students thought he was a cool kid at school, and he wanted to keep that reputation up with the crusaders. He trotted up to the mirror he always passed and saw the same colt looking back at him as earlier, only this time around with sunglasses, a visor, and a Hoofwaiian shirt on. He was self-assured that surfing would come easy to him and that he would look good on the board when Sweetie watched him. "Alright, duuuuude!", Spike jokingly said to himself. "I'm ready to hang four on those gnarrrly ripples! Ahahahaha!" Just as he finished testing his surfer talk, Twilight Sparkle walked into her library. She had earlier used the potion she had found to change Owlicious into a music CD and had gone over to disk jokey Vinyl Scratch to try out the CD with her wubs. All that played were continuous "Who's", and Twilight wanted to change her pet back as soon as she could. "Spike! Are you home?", she asked. "Look up here, dudette!", he replied as he ran up to the railing overlooking the main room. "Please don't call me that. And why in Equestria are you dressed like a kooky grandpa from Ponyville Retirement Village?" Spike stared at Twilight, unamused. "Touché, Princess. Touché. But no, I've got this getup on cause I'm goin' surrrrfin', wahine! You know, three-sixtying with my gnarrrly new tribe!" "Please, just do not talk like that. At all. Now, why are you even surfing, and, I mean, when? Who are you even going with?" "Okay, okay, I'll cut the surfer slang. I'm just going with the Cutie Mark Crusaders." Twilight's eyes widened. "Wait, no, you are not a-" "I'm they're newest member! I'm so excited cause of that!" "Wait, hold your hooves, you never had my approval of this!" "Okay, honestly? I need your permission to join a little club?" "Spike, I'm not letting you do this!" "Well exuuuuuse me, Princess! Can you give me one reason as to why I can't be a crusader?" "Yes! Because you are not going to be a pony for the rest of your life! You are going to be a dragon forever as soon as I change you back!" Spike's voice rose as his pony ears lowered. "Well, what's wrong with me being a pony? You know you don't need me to send letters to Celestia anymore cause you know the spell to do it on your own now!" "Because I'm your owner, and what I want from you, I get." "Owner? We're more like siblings! C'mon, Twilight, I have just as much authority over you as you do over me." "Really, is that the case now? Last time I checked, I was the one who's a ruler of Equestria, and has the ability to turn dragons into ponies, and has the ability to fly an-" "To fly? Pffff, in your dreams.", Spike slyly said. "Hush! You have until the end of the day as a pony. I'm turning you back into a dragon when you come home. Oh, and if you avoid coming home, trust me. I will find you." "But Twilight, why are you-" "No buts! You're lucky I'm still letting you even go surfing! You're going to have to break it to your crusader friends that you'll no longer be in their club." "You know what Twilight, I- I don't wanna talk about this. Besides, if you turn me back into a hideous dragon, I'll just find that little book of spells and make the potion myself to become a pony!" "We'll just see about that!", Twilight angrily said. "But Twilight, I'm happy as a colt! Happier than I've ever been in my life! Do you just, not want me to be happy, is that what you're saying?" "Spike, I don't care if your happy or not. You have always been a dragon, and you always will be!" "Well maybe I don't want that! I'm leaving.", Spike frustratingly spoke as he marched down the stairs towards the door. As he was about to leave, he turned and bowed to Twilight. "Farewell, Princess, m'lady.", he frustratingly said as he turned and left towards the lake, slamming the door in the process. Twilight angrily stood in the center of the room. She grunted as made the angriest face she could while thinking of Spike refusing to be changed. However, immediately after, she started to regret her actions. She sighed and stared at the wooden floor of her home. "Oh, Spike. I wish you understood." Just then, rapid knocks were heard front the front door. Twilight looked up and walked over. Opening the door, she saw the last pony she expected; Sweetie Belle. "Hi again, Twilight!", she happily said. "Why, hello Sweetie Belle! Long time no see, huh?", she replied. "Oh yeah! It hasn't really been long, has it? Well, I was wondering, is Spike home?" "Spike? Oh, you just missed him, he just left to the lake." "Oh, man, I'm too late to walk there with him." "Yeah, (sigh), Spike Spike Spike.", Twilight said sadly. "What's the matter, Princess Twilight?" "Oh, nothing, it's just, oh, Sweetie Belle, I wish Spike was a dragon again!", the alicorn whined. Sweetie was surprised at this. "Why? I like him as a pony much better than dragon!" "Well, I, really, um, don't." Twilight walked over to a shelf with old picture frames on it. She motioned her hoof so that Sweetie would walk over towards her and the shelf. The young unicorn saw that these pictures on the shelf were ones of Twilight and Spike throughout the years. Sweetie showed no hesitation in viewing them. The first one showed Twilight as a filly with a newly hatched Spike at her entrance exam for Celestia's magic school. Filly Twilight had a smile from ear to ear, as she was just personally accepted by Princess Celestia herself to be in her magic class, she had just earned her cutie mark, and because she had just gained a new young sibling. Baby Spike was sucking on his tail. The next picture showed filly Twilight giving baby Spike a bath in the bathtub. Spike was splashing the bath bubbles as filly Twilight was laughing in response and covering her face with her hoof. The next picture was a family portrait in a Canterlot garden. Twilight's parents were standing in the back, filly Twilight and colt Shining Armor were in front of them, and baby Spike was sitting in between them smiling and waving both hands towards the photographer. The next one was a long frame with three pictures in it. The first one showed a somewhat older Twilight reading a big book to a somewhat older Spike on a couch. Older Spike was very amused by the book that they were reading. The book made older Twilight happy as well. The next picture in the frame was on the same couch from the previous picture as an older Spike was not as amused by the book they were reading. An older Twilight had the same smile she had from the last picture. The third picture in the frame showed the two not long before they had moved to Ponyville. Though unicorn Twilight in the picture was still glad as she was in the last two, Spike was shown resting his frustrated head on the couch's armrest in complete boredom from the book. The next picture on the shelf showed the two sitting next to each other at a table in Sugarcube Corner drinking milkshakes and laughing together. The next was a picture of a blushing emotional Spike returning the infant phoenix they briefly owned, Peewee, to his parents in his nest. The last picture showed Twilight and Spike smiling together, laughing and enjoying themselves at a Ponyville fair that Sweetie remembered happening at least a month beforehand. The two had paused for a picture. The Twilight in the picture was making a silly face as the Spike had his arm around her looking like he was having the time of his life. Sweetie Belle got a warm and fuzzy feeling when looking at these pictures Twilight Sparkle had on display. She chuckled at them and enjoyed viewing these heartfelt images, some even sending goosebumps throughout her body. The two were just like a brother and sister should be. She could tell by these pictures that these two truly loved each other like siblings. Beside the last frame was a folded piece of paper. Sweetie picked it up and saw a crayon illustration of Spike and Twilight smiling on the cover. She opened it up and read the message inside. Dear Twily, Happy birthday, Princess! Boy I can't believe how old you're getting. Don't get too old now, hold your hooves, girl! I just want to thank you now for being a great owner, nay, not owner, being a great big sister! You've always been there for me, and I believe that I'm always there for you (that's for you to decide on, not me!). Egghead or not, you're an amazing sister. Don't let anypony tell you different. Here's to hoping that I'll get many more years of your love and support! Love, Little Bro Spike Sweetie Belle had bittersweet tears by the time she finished reading. This was the most adorable sibling relationship she had ever seen, next to her and Rarity, in her mind. She looked up to Twilight, expecting a similar reaction. However, Twilight seemed more upset than touched. "This is adorable, Twilight!", Sweetie said. Twilight chuckled a little in response to the filly. "Thanks, Sweetie." The princess sighed in morose. "You see, I've been raising Spike like a brother for many years now. These last thirteen years or so contain some of the happiest and most nostalgic memories of my life thanks to Spike. He's been that little dragon we all know for years now, and, and,", she said as she started to shed some tears, "I don't want him to change. I just want him to be the same dragon he's always been! I can't handle a change like this! It's too much for me. I've been really hard on him for being so reluctant. I've also been kinda hard on him in general recently. (Sigh), I don't know what brought this kind of change in me, I mean, I jus-, I, I guess I've been overlooking him. I can't just take a little sibling for granted like that. I guess I really needed a little awakening like this to help me see." Sweetie Belle was surprised by the time Twilight had finished. She had never thought of Spike's transformation that way before. Sure it looked like a dream come true in her eyes, but in other ponies' eyes it was an entirely different story. "Twilight, I-", she started. "Oh, Sweetie, you're on your way to surf with him, right?" "Yes bu-" "Can you please convince him to hear me out and to not get a cutie mark?" The unicorn filly became quite confused "Not get a cutie mark? But why?" "Because according to my book from Princess Celestia, he will remain a pony forever if he gets a cutie mark. If he remains blank, he'll be changeable." "R-remain a pony forever if he gets a c-cutie mark?!?!", Sweetie nervously asked. "Yes. Please convince to stay blank. For his older sister. I can't handle this kind of change anymore." Twilight said. "I'll um, okay Twilight.", Sweetie sadly replied. Twilight then tightly hugged the filly. "Thank you, Sweetie! I thought you'd understand." Sweetie was once more nervous and upset as she left the library. Dragging her hooves as she walked, she was wondering whether or not it was right to do such a thing to her one and only love.