//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 // Story: Boast Backers // by Bed Head //------------------------------// Ignoring fireworks was easy. That fact was still surprising to the tan stallion. It had just been a few minutes ago that it felt that world outside his office were conspiring to interrupt his work. Every few seconds brought either the incredibly loud voice of a mare, or a burst of color and noise practically right outside his window. And each one did a fine job of either shaking the room or causing the earth pony to jump in shock. It was impossible to keep track of how many times he'd nearly ruined the paperwork he'd spent two hours completing with sudden quill jerks. Shockingly enough, it was drawing the blinds over his window that had worked best in settling the matter. While doing so had the unfortunate drawback of blocking his view of the lovely day outside, it also did the same to the sight of the multi-hued explosions. And he could swear the fabric was absorbing the sound somehow. The unnecessarily loud voices outside seemed to drop in volume dramatically. He'd even been able to realign the few pictures framed on his wall. So the time had flown by. The tan pony humming happily to himself to drown out the few noises that still carried from the plaza outside. The occasional gasp or pop could do nothing to pierce the simple joy of his quill scratching away. The same could not be said for the ink vial that had smashed through his window after a few minutes. He stood still, panting for breath as his blue eyes looked over the crazed bottle's trail of destruction. Huge splotches of black splattered across the floor, walls, and even ceiling marked where the vial had ricocheted. All of them connected by streaks of ink that it had sprayed as it went. Only a single, pony-shaped patch on the desk was clean, the freshly completed paperwork sitting quietly in the center of it. The stallion twitched as he felt something squirm under his ink-stained hoof. He quickly stomped harder on the glass fragments under it. Cautiously, he lifted his leg, just in time to see the last sparks of pink and green sputter from the former ink container. Heaving a sigh of relief, the ink-covered pony glanced toward the window. His ears swiveled as he did. Without the racket of the rogue vial he could hear shouts coming from below. As well as several high-pitched whistles and more than one unnerving CRASH. His hooves quickly set off at a brisk trot, making sure to carefully close the door as he exited from his Town Hall office. Not even sparing a glance back to his name on the door like he usually did... Office of Time Turner Mayor's Aide Element of Generosity "Now what in the world is going on out there?" Time Turner wondered as he trotted down the hall, leaving a trail of inky hoofprints. Chapter 4 Spike's lungs burned as he tried to catch his breath. The aura around his horn fizzled out, sending the last of his rogue writing supplies falling to the ground. One hoof wiped across his brow, picking up a streak of black from the ink spilled over his head as it went. His skin still tingled under his stained coat, remnants of his own quills scratching unflattering words onto it. "Spike!" Cheerilee's shocked voice rose from behind him. All his pain paled to the satisfied smile on his muzzle. Somewhere behind him he could almost hear Cheerilee trying to voice her disapproval. Noise that he was happy to ignore as he watched red liquid drip down Trixie's stunned face. "Hey!" a new, unfamiliar voice broke in. "You have to pay for those!" Spike's head turned to find a cream-colored mare glaring at him. One whose cutie mark sported three bright red tomatoes. His brief happiness faded as he realized she must have been the owner of the fruits he'd just thrown. The ones whose seeds Trixie was spitting out as she wiped the juice from her muzzle. Spike rolled his eyes as his horn sparked, a single golden bit flipping from his still-open saddlebags to the mare. "Had enou—" Spike said, turning his attention back to the other unicorn. "It's two bits for three tomatoes!" the vendor's voice suddenly cut him off. The stallion's eye twitched, his head snapping back to the mare. From the corner of his vision he could see even Cheerilee had stopped trying to speak, instead staring at the tomato seller. Although the rest of the crowd seemed to have run to a much safer distance, the cream mare in question simply tapped one hoof impatiently. Her eyes continuing to glare up at Spike. "They were only one bit yesterday!" Spike protested. "Demand skyrocketed," the salespony argued back. With a loud jingle of clashing coins, a brown sack fell to the ground in front of the mare. Before Spike could even raise an eyebrow in confusion, something dripped onto the end of his nose. His eyes crossed, focusing on a single drop of crimson sitting at the tip of his muzzle. "Keep the change!" Trixie shouted as Spike spun back toward her. Her horn was shimmering pink, along with something over Spike's head. He had just enough time to look up and feel his eyes shrink to pinpricks. His horn sparked with green light just a second too late. The remainder of the cart's inventory tumbled upon him. Spike could hear triumphant laughter as his whole world turned red. He could only manage a growl in response as he spat out a mouthful of splattered tomato. His horn lit again, his magic wiping the larger chunks of fruity flesh from his eyes. "Spike!" another voice suddenly called out. "Are you okay?" The stallion managed to tear his eyes away from Trixie as the words cut through her laughter. Twilight stood by his side, already working on removing tomato from his coat. His growl stifled as he felt the trembling of her claws picking their way over him. One hoof reached down, words of reassurance trying to form in his throat. "Ah, ah, ah," Trixie's voice cut in. "No help this time!" Pink light flared around Twilight. The little dragon froze, her eyes widening in horror right before she was yanked to the side. "Twilight!" Spike gasped, his head snapping upward to follow her flight. His hoof rose, still reaching for her, before his body locked in place. Twilight was just across the stage, hovering in midair before Trixie. Though he couldn't understand just how the other unicorn could hold someone that was trembling so much. "Especially not from you again," he could hear Trixie growl. Twilight cringed. That was all Spike's mind recognized before all other thoughts were thrown out. "Leave her alone!" He hadn't heard his voice so angry before, but it certainly didn't bother him. Spike could feel heat surge through him, deadening any other sensation. Green light flared to life around Trixie's hat and cape, causing both to immediately shove themselves over the mare's head. The pink aura around Twilight flickered out, the dragon hitting the ground running to a mare Spike vaguely recognized as Ditzy Doo. Before Spike could even begin to recognize the sense of relief filling him, the starry cloth around Trixie was swelling. With a furious burst of pink light, both cape and wizard hat exploded from their owner, flying off to the side. The mare's pink eyes were glaring solely at him, her horn blazing like a torch. "That does it!" Trixie shouted, scraping the ground with one hoof. "It. Is. On!" He barely stepped back in time to avoid the blast of magic she fired. An oddly-shaped blotch of vibrant orange colored the stage where his leg had been a second ago. Spike took a deep breath, trying to focus on his target through the red haze filling his vision. He could feel spells of his own flying out, splashing against the ground and the curtains, and exploding into clouds of sparkling light as they collided with Trixie's. "N... hol..." Somewhere it sounded like somepony was trying to get his attention. Spike could almost see a hoof waving out of the corner of his vision. A sight that did little to distract him from his latest green blast missing Trixie by mere inches. "Spi...! M...s Sp...kl...!" The voice was insistent even as Spike ducked another shot from Trixie. He pulled himself back to his full height, smiling as his horn lined up perfectly. The blue mare seemed to notice as well, hurriedly charging a blast of her own. Everything was moving slowly as the magical energy reached the tip of his horn, Trixie's just managing to catch up. The same determination was in her eyes as both of them willed their spells forward. In the split-second between thought and action though, something brown suddenly leapt between them. Something brown and familiar. Time Turner!? Somepony a split-second too late to keep the magic from firing. "Alright, enough!" Time Turner shouted, his forehooves slamming the ground for emphasis. Spike's jaw dropped as his blast struck the earth pony at the same moment as Trixie's. A startled cry echoed through the plaza as the stallion vanished into a crackling cloud of pink and green sparks. The red was suddenly stripped from Spike's vision, a chill sweeping through his body at the scream. "Time Turner!" Spike shouted, his mind racing to recall just what spell he'd thrown. His hooves were already racing toward the cloud as it faded. His ears flattened, trying to block out the sudden silence that had befallen the other ponies. He barely even noticed that Trixie's spells had stopped. All that he could see was the fading cloud, details slowly filling out Time Turner's silhouette as the magical cover faded away. Spike stopped dead in his tracks as the last of the cloud vanished. The reporter could barely keep his eyes in his head, suddenly realizing just what magic he'd used. One hoof shot to his mouth as he winced away from the sight before him. "Oh... um..." Trixie muttered, her voice clear over the lack of other sounds. "Oops." "Aaah... huh," Time Turner's scream trailed off, Spike's ears twitching toward his voice. "That actually wasn't so bad." The young stallion kept his eyes firmly on the wooden floor. He could hear the sound of hooves on the stage as the other stallion moved to look from him to Trixie and back. Accompanying it in the background, he could just make out a few soft chuckles in the distance. "Now then," Time Turner went on in a remarkably calm tone. "What seems to be the problem out here?" Spike had to wonder how the bureaucrat could sound so casual during the brief silence that followed the question. It was almost as though he hadn't wandered into the middle of a freak magical duel. A chain of thought that the reporter quickly shook from his head. He took a deep breath as he began to raise his head to answer. "It was all his fault, sir!" Trixie's voice broke in. "What?!" Spike shouted, eyes flying wide. The purple stallion snapped his head up, ignoring his hat as it tumbled to the ground. Trixie had one hoof leveled accusingly at him, a smirk lighting her features. Worse though, was the quizzical look Time Turner was giving him. The one causing Spike's heart to leap up to his throat. "That mad-stallion just jumped on stage in the middle of my show!" Trixie continued, stamping her hoof on the ground. "He started atta—" "She's lying!" Spike interrupted, his own voice fighting with the mare's as he tried to shout over her. "Time Turner, she's—" Something pressed over Spike's muzzle, bringing an end to his shouting as well as Trixie's. Somehow, Time Turner had a forehoof over each of their muzzles. The earth stallion stood, precariously balancing on just his hindlegs. Spike's eyes couldn't help but widen at the impressive feat of agility. "Right... er..." Time Turner said, his eyes moving between the two unicorns. "Perhaps one at a time... hang on..." Were it not for the blockage over his mouth, Spike would have gasped. Inside, he delivered himself a mental facehoof as he recalled just why he'd looked away from Time Turner before. His eyes crossed, coming to rest on the hoof over his muzzle. The bright yellow hoof, speckled with blue and pink dots. Suddenly the chuckles in the audience were audible again. And much louder. "What happened... to..." Time Turner stammered, his eyes going wide as his forelegs lowered to the ground. "AH!" The shock was understandable. Spike couldn't even think of the last time he'd tried a color-change spell. Though he was reasonably certain it hadn't dyed anypony's coat the same speckled yellow that Time Turner now sported. Or turned their mane and tail lime-green. Only the other stallion's hourglass cutie mark seemed to have been spared from the misfired magic. "Oh gosh... Time Turner, I'm so sorry!" Spike said quickly as his horn began to glow. "I-I can fix it, I promise!" The purple stallion's ear twitched, picking up a derisive snort. "Yeah, right," Trixie muttered, just a little too loudly to avoid notice. Spike clenched his teeth, a retort already halfway to his muzzle as he glared at the blue mare. Both the words and his magic halted as a yellow hoof was raised in front of his face again. He took a step back, watching as Time Turner drew in a deep breath, lowering his limb slowly as he did. "Now, now. Let's not start that again," Time Turner said, his voice somehow measured and calm once more. "Miss... er, Sparkler, was it?" "Yes?" Trixie asked, an eager smile crossing her face. Spike started to open his mouth again as the yellow earth pony turned away from him. His jaw shut itself, however, at the next words that came from Time Turner. "As much as Ponyville appreciates your... enthusiastic show," he said, running a hoof through his dyed mane. "Perhaps it would be best if you moved it to a different venue?" "What?!" Trixie protested. Spike felt an odd tugging in his chest. Almost as though the frustration of his offer to help being ignored were wrestling with his amusement at the look on Trixie's face. The showmare's jaw was hanging open, anger burning in her eyes. All the while, Time Turner remained between her and Spike with a patient smile on his face. "Tri-er, Sparkler has as much right as anypony to perform here!" Trixie stammered out, stomping one hoof. "Ah, yes," Time Turner agreed as he gestured out to the plaza. "That was before your show became disruptive to local businesses." The emotional tug-of-war stopped as Spike followed the wave. His fledgling smile fell as he looked out over the plaza for the first time since reaching the stage. For a moment he wondered when a tornado had torn through Town Square. One sighting of blue-stained cobblestones, however, quickly told the story. The realization of just where most of his and Trixie's spells had wound up struck so hard it almost left him dizzy. Though not nearly as bad off as the ponies trying to scour color-changing spells from nearby buildings, picking up various flung fruits and vegetables, or in the worst cases fixing damaged carts. That still left more than a few simply glaring up at the stage, however. More specifically at both Trixie and him. All of them seeming to have put their chuckling at Time Turner aside. Spike swallowed hard, taking the smallest solace in hearing the same sound from the other unicorn. "Um, right..." Trixie said with a nervous little chuckle. "Excellent. I dare say Ponyville Park might be a better spot?" Time Turner's voice suggested. "Somepony will come by to collect a statement after you're settled." Spike managed a sheepish grin to the ponies still looking up at him. Most of them, thankfully, merely turned away and joined the clean-up efforts. A hoof fell over his shoulders, turning him away from the few spectators that remained. "Spike? Maybe we can discuss what happened?" Time Turner went on, gently pushing the unicorn toward the far end of the stage. "Inside, perhaps?" "Oh, uh, yeah," Spike agreed, his horn sparking. His hat floated back from the ground, Spike doing his best to ignore the squelch of a stray bit of tomato sliding off. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Trixie's own hat and cape floating back to their master. Up ahead he could see the entrance to Town Hall, Ditzy Doo and Cheerilee waiting just inside the door, with Twilight still clinging to the school teacher's mane. His body tensed as he left the stage though. He could hear four simple words floating after him. "This isn't over, Spike..." "Awww, the show's over?" a voice drawled out. Snips grumbled as he stuck his orange-maned head from his shared hiding spot. "Darn," the pudgy, blue colt said. "Just when it was getting good!" Kicking his stubby legs, the shorter colt struggled his way out from under the empty tomato cart. His scissor-marked flank jerked free with an audible pop just in time to join his lankier companion. "Maybe Sparkler..." the other unicorn trailed off, his half-lidded eyes turning upward in thought. "Oh wait... uh, Trixie? Maybe she'll do another show in the park?" "Nah, the grown-ups probably won't let her now," Snips complained as he started walking. Looking around he could see the truth of his own words. The face of practically every other pony in the plaza was creased with a deep frown as they worked. Most armed with buckets and brooms as they cleaned up splattered vegetables and patches of brightly colored road and cottage. Only the taller, orange colt striding along next to him was smiling. More than the usual, dopey grin that Snips was used to seeing on his snail-marked friend. "But her spells were so coool!" Snails said, his long limbs nearly tangling in a short hop as he walked. "I know!" Snips agreed, his buck-toothed grin spinning up to his friend. "Did you see what that one did to Mr. Davenport's front door?" The two burst into a fit of chuckling as they dodged around another pony dragging a cart away. Snips pointed toward a nearby building as they did, one with a display window full of sofas and a front door covered in golden polka-dots. A rather unhappy looking stallion was glaring at the dots as he applied another coat of fresh paint over them. "Oh, oh!" Snails spoke up as they trotted along. "What about Miss Russet's stand?" Snips chuckled, his laughter joined by his friend's. He could easily remember the pink blast that struck one of the stands. The sight of dozens of potatoes suddenly rolling of their own accord and performing some strange dance on their farmer's back. The two hardly noticed as they walked their way out of the plaza, away from the various adults and their work. Snips grinned, picking up his pace to get in front of Snails as they entered a short alley between two shops. Not an easy feat considering one of the taller colt's steps was equal to three of his. Still, he managed to get in front of the orange unicorn, spinning to walk backwards as he kept talking. "No, no, no. You know which was best?" Snips gushed, only half-focused on his hooves. "That spell that hit the fountain! With all the sparks and stuff?" "Yeah, uh..." Snails responded, slowly lifting his eyes from Snips to the path ahead. Snips raised an eyebrow as the other colt's eyes suddenly widened. "Uh... uh..." Snails stammered, his hooves locking in place. "Snails?" Snips asked, his pace still moving backwards. "What's wro-nggh!" The stocky colt's voice cut out as he nearly bit his tongue. His rear had collided with something, sending Snips bouncing forward. He grunted from his new position on the ground, his legs scrambling to pick himself back up. "Ze... ze..." Snails was continuing to attempt to speak. Whatever he had to say though, was lost on Snips as he got to his hooves and spun around. "Hey!" Snips chastised as he glared at the source of new scrapes. "Why don't you watch... where..." Snips felt his voice die in his throat. Suddenly the short colt felt much, much smaller as he stared up at a full-grown mare. One wearing a brown cloak, the hood of which had fallen back off her head. No doubt from the contact with him. What had suddenly caused the schoolboy's heart to stop was the face that had been revealed. White with black stripes, her mane standing up in a Mohawk. Her dark-blue eyes glared down at Snips, his brain freezing under their watch. His legs moved automatically, struggling to back-up while somehow remaining glued in place. An effort that only resulted in him falling on his rear. "Ze... ze..." he joined in stammering alongside Snails. "Zecora!"