“Oops!” There was a crash as a dragon tripped and fell over into a row of mannequins. Rarity quickly turned around to see her husband lying in a pile of fabric and mannequins.
“Dear me, are you alright darling?” Rarity urgently asked as Spike untangled himself from the heap of sheets, fabric, and pony shaped models.
“Yeah, I'm okay,” he responded as he rose up from the heap of sowing material on the floor. He brushed himself off and bent down to pick up the load of fabric he was carrying that he dropped. “I'm having trouble keeping my balance...Whoa!”
The dragon flailed his arms about in attempt to remain upright, but his body wobbled and he toppled over again. After landing on his face, Spike grumbled and tried to get up again. Ever since his growth spurt, he had been having a hard time walking on his hind legs. In his youth, he had been able to walk in either a bipedal or quadrupedal stance, but now his body's proportions had changed. His torso had grown longer, his neck had stretched out, and even his snout extended into a maw, making him too top heavy. Rarity giggled in amusement then offered her hoof to help him up. He accepted the outstretched hoof and stood on all fours.
“This is going to take some time to get used to,” Spike muttered as he did his best to clean the mess with only one claw. Rarity's horn glowed light blue and she levitated the rest of fabric from the floor and straightened the mannequins.
“It isn't so bad, darling. Why, I've only been able to walk on four legs my entire life,” she told him in effort to cheer him up. He had been rather moody the past few days. Not only did he grow during his growth spurt, but his hoarding instincts kicked and he took Rarity and Amethyst hostage. His inability to walk on his hind legs like he used to and the fact that he could barely fit in his own home anymore wasn't helping to improve his attitude. Every time he would turn, he would knock something over with his wings or tail or scratch the walls or the door-frames with his spines when he would enter a room. It was obvious that they would have to renovate the Boutique.
Spike continued to grumble to himself as he did his best to help clean up the mess he had made. When his large tail knocked over a rack of clothes he nearly roared in frustration. He stopped himself from shouting when he heard the sound of giggling. He turned around to see his daughter, Amethyst, off to the side.
“Daddy funny,” the kirin toddler merrily laughed. The sound of his daughter's laughter softened Spike's scowl and a small smile crept onto his maw. He lowered his head down to his Amethyst's level and she giggled as she clasped onto the sides of his face with her little claws. She pushed up on the corners of his mouth to make his smile bigger. As his daughter laughed and gave the tip of his snout a kiss, his heart melted from the overwhelming sweetness of the child's unconditional love. Just the other day, he had her and Rarity held up against his side as he sat atop of pile of treasure while his friends tried to talk him out of his instinct fueled rampage. Rarity had been frightened, for she feared that her husband might had been lost forever to an uncontrollable monster that dwelt within him. However, she noticed that even while in hoarding mode, he was being careful and protective of her and their daughter. In a strange way, it was comforting to know that even while he was not in control of himself he would never harm them. After all, a dragon will jealously guard its treasure.
Fortunately, Amethyst didn't seem to be frightened during the entire ordeal. She made have been confused as to why her daddy was make loud noises at his friends, but he eventually stopped and everypony calmed down. She didn't understand why, but her daddy had been sad ever since. She didn't like her daddy being sad and wanted to make him smile. It seemed to be working.
The bell over the front door rang and Fluttershy walked into the Boutique. Following the Pegasus was a little filly who was just a little older than Amethyst.
“Good morning, Fluttershy,” Rarity greeted her friend.
“Good morning, Rarity. Good morning, Spike,” the butterscotch yellow mare greeted in return. She walked over to Amethyst, who was still hugging her father's maw. “Good morning, Amethsyt. I've brought somepony for you to meet. Say hello, Posey.”
The filly took a peak out from behind her mother to look at the white scaled figure before her. She had seen other foals, but never one that looked like her. Amethyst tilted her head to the side curiously as she saw a teal eye staring at her. Slowly, a little face came into view as Amethyst let go of her father to look behind Fluttershy. The filly immediately hid behind her mother's long tail, but Fluttershy stepped to the side, exposing her to everyone's view. She was an Earth Pony with long, spindly legs. The foal looked up at the dragon that was behind the kirin and quickly darted back behind her mother.
“It's okay, Posey,” Fluttershy reassured her. It was common for foals to panic when they first meet Spike. Anypony would be intimidated by a large, scaly beast with razor sharp fangs towering over them. “This is Spike.”
“Hey there, Posey,” Spike said softly in order not to frighten the filly. Posey's eyes appeared in Fluttershy's tail as she stared up at the dragon from the safety her makeshift hiding place. Though she was still afraid, the dragon's warm smile helped to put her nerves at ease. Eventually, her head emerged from the protective barrier made from light pink hair.
“Hi,” a tiny voice whispered quickly before the head disappeared back into Fluttershy's long tail.
*****
Apple Seed sat at a table in Sugarcube Corner. The confectionery shaped liked a gingerbread house was one of the popular hang out spots for her friends and family and they would often gather either there or Princess Twilight's Castle. At her side was her best friend, Cherry Pie. She was pink Earth Pony that was the same age as her. Her eyes were yellow and her mane was red. Unlike her parents, Pinkie Pie or Cheese Sandwich, her mane was straight like her aunts, Maud, Marble, and Limestone. Pinkie's mane used to look like it did when she was very young, but then she discovered fun and laughter and it poofed out. Now it only straightened when she was deeply upset. Even though her mane was straight and lifeless like her aunts, she was just as lively as her mother. Currently, she was blowing bubbles in her chocolate milk. It was a rule; you had to blow bubbles in your chocolate milk for no less than five minutes before drinking. However, Apple Seed only stared at her glass while propping up her chin with a hoof. Cherry took notice of this and came up with an idea.
“Hey Apple Seed, check this out!” Apple Seed looked up to see that her friend a had two straws stuck up her nostrils. She then stuck the straws into the glass and Cherry inhaled. The chocolate milk shot up through the straws and her face twisted and her eyes crossed as the drink entered her nose. “A-A-A-Achoo! Oops...Sorry, Apple Seed.”
Apple Seed gave her a deadpan look and then grabbed a napkin to wipe the chocolate milk that had been sneezed onto her face.
“I thought that would work for sure,” Cherry sheepishly said.
“Ah'm not sure snot flavored milk would've tasted good anyway,” Apple Seed told her. As the two fillies cleaned up the mess, a mare with a yellow coat walked into the bakery. Hearing the door open, Cup Cake came to the counter. Her coat was blue and her mane was pink and swirly, resembling her namesake.
“Hello there, Flutterhsy,” the middle aged mare greeted.
“Posey,” the yellow mare corrected. Cup Cake did a double take and realized who she was addressing.
“Oh, I'm so sorry, dearie,” she apologized. “You look so much like your mother that you could pass for twins.”
“It's okay, Mrs. Cake. I get that a lot,” Posey said as she smiled, brushing off the misunderstanding. She did take after Fluttershy a lot. She had the same teal eyes, the same soft yellow coat, and the same light pink mane. They even shared the same manecut. The only difference was that she was an Earth Pony like her father, Big Macintosh, and her cutie mark was three pink flowers. Her special talent was helping things grow. She learned how to tend to baby animals from her mother and how to grow plants from her father. When her parents were married, the grounds surrounding Fluttershy's cottage were converted into a large animal sanctuary complete with shelters and homes for all sorts of critters. Posey worked at the sanctuary's nursery and she also tended the gardens.
Though Fluttershy had everything she wanted, her daughter was actually living out a dream of hers. Fluttershy always wanted to be an Earth Pony. That way, she would be more in tune with nature. However, she more than made up for it with her unique talent of being able to communicate with animals on a level nopony else could and being a Pegasus meant she could fly in the air with the birds and the butterflies she loved so much.
“What can I do for you today?” Mrs. Cake asked Posey.
“Oh, just something light like a strawberry tart.” As Cup Cake went to retrieve the pastry, Posey turned to see the two girls at the table. When she saw the troubled look on Apple Seed's face, her empathy kicked in and she approached them. “Apple Seed, are you alright?”
“Ah'm okay,” the light orange filly halfheartedly replied. Posey frowned with concern and sat down beside Apple Seed, knowing her younger cousin was definitely not “okay.”
“Apple Seed, you know that I'm always here for you, right?” she asked while placing a hoof on hers. The filly nodded. “And you know you can tell me anything.”
“She's upset because...” Cherry Pie started to explain.
“Hush, Cherry. It's up to her. If she wants to talk about it or not, it's up to her.”
“It's okay, Posey,” Apple Seed told her and then took a deep breath. “Ma told me what really happened on the day that Ah was born.”
“Oh dear.”
“Yeah, Ah know.”
“What happened? How did that discussion get brought up?”
“Ah kinda brought it up,” she meekly explained. “Ah asked Sour how he got his cutie mark and he got mad and yelled at me.”
“Oh my!” Posey knew it was a touchy subject to bring up around Sour Apple. She remembered hearing about it the following day when everypony heard that Cider Barrel was arrested. Even though she wouldn't hear all the details until sometime later, Posey and everypony else had a good idea on what happened. Posey was shocked when she learned that her Uncle Cider was cheating on Aunt Applejack. Infidelity was almost unheard of in the Apple Family, of which Posey is proud to be a member. Though her circle of friends were respectful and never mentioned it to Sour, they all talked about what they thought about the events leading up to Cider Barrel's arrest.
The official report Prince Flash Sentry made after he brought the abusive stallion in was that he and Spike, Cheese Sandwich, Soarin, and Big Macintosh found him outside the home of a mare when they went to arrest him. Apparently, he had “accidentally” caught himself on fire and “jumped” through the window on the second floor of the house, explaining his bruises and burnt hair. Posey's friend Thunderbolt believes that Spike was the dragon that the mare claimed she saw drag Cider from her bed and her friends all agreed, even Amethyst. However, none of them had the nerve to ask their fathers if they really were involved. But what did it matter? Applejack and Apple Seed were okay and Cider Barrel was brought to justice. If their mothers and even Princess Celestia and Princess Luna didn't press the issue, why should they?
As Apple Seed finished explaining her story to her cousin, Sour Apple entered Sugarcube Corner. He looked winded, as though he had ran the entire way there from Sweet Apple Acres. When Apple Seed looked up to see her brother standing in the doorway, she got up from her chair, ran up to him, and wrapped her fore legs around his chest.
“Ah'm sorry for yellin', Apple Seed,” he apologized as he ran a hoof through her mane.
“A-Ah'm sorry too,” she also said.
“No, you have nothin' to apologize for,” he told her sternly. He raised her chin with a hoof so that she would look him in the eye. “You didn't know and what happened back then wasn't your fault. Ah'm your big brother and it's mah job to make sure that you're okay. Got it?”
Apple Seed's green eyes were brimming with tears and she buried her face into his chest again.
“Ah love you,” she sobbed into his chest. Applejack had told her how he had saved them from Cider Barrel and how he vowed to take care of them. She also told her how it was Sour who had delivered her. She owed her very life to him.
“Ah love you too,” Sour replied. Posey, Cherry Pie, and a cream colored Pegasus with a curly golden mane sniffled as they watched the touching scene.
“That was beautiful!” the Pegasus mare exclaimed as she wiped her eyes with a handkerchief. Posey's head snapped to look at the Pegasus that had suddenly popped up beside her.
“Surprise? Where did you come from?” she asked the Pegasus.
“You see, when a stallion loves a mare...” Surprise started to say.
“That's not what I meant,” Posey said with a roll of her eyes.
“I know, silly. I was just teasing,” Surprise laughed. “I work today. Hey, Mrs. Cake.”
“Hello there, Surprise,” Cup Cake called back from the kitchen. “I'm just finished making Posey's strawberry tart. Could you come take it out to her?”
“Sure thing, Mrs. Cake!” She then disappeared in cream and gold flash and reappeared a moment later with a plate with the pastry on top of it. “Here you go, Posey!”
“Thanks, Surprise.” She paid the bill and took the plate from her friend. As she took a bite from her breakfast, she looked over the two Apples. They had sat down at the table across from her and Cherry Pie and Apple Seed's mood had vastly improved. On the other hoof, Sour's face had returned to its default stoic state. Posey was a little disappointed. She had thought Sour Apple had finally come out of his shell for good. He was smiling and expressing true emotion when he was holding his baby sister. Though it was ten years ago, Posey remembered how he was back then and how he used to be before the incident. He smiled, laughed, and even talked. She missed that Sour Apple. Taking another bite out of her breakfast, she thought of ways to bring her cousin out of his shell for good. She then noticed that he was wearing her Aunt Applejack's Stetson.
“Is that your mother's hat?” Posey asked, hoping to spark a conversation.
“Mhmm,” he gave his usual answer.
“It looks good on you,” she tried to complement him.
“Hmm,” he grunted with a nod. It was as she feared. He came out of shell just a little, but then retreated back in just like Rainbow Dash's pet tortoise, Tank. She needed a new plan. She needed somepony that could loosen him up and teach him how to have fun again. She needed somepony that was full of life and energy. She needed...
Posey's eyes widened with a revelation as a light bulb lit up over her head.
“There, that's better,” Surprise said as she floated down from the ceiling after she had finished replacing a burnt out ceiling light. After discarding the old light bulb, she happily trotted back to the kitchen.
“Surprise, may I speak to you for a moment?”
*****
In the Macintosh Hills, an old castle stood atop a rocky mountain. In the old days, it was a fort used to defend Equestria from invaders. After the Great Celestia/Luna Rift, Princess Celestia ushered in a new era of peace and it wasn't long before the old fort wasn't needed anymore. In light of the minotaurs' declaration of war, Princess Celestia commissioned for it be restored. To her surprise, Prince Narcissus volunteered to oversee the project and to lead the soldiers that were to be stationed there. Deciding to give her distant nephew a chance to prove himself, she approved his request.
Prince Narcissus walked up the trail up to the fort followed by two royal guards. Stopping at the drawbridge, Narcissus looked up at the castle before them. A triumphant smirk appeared on his face.
“Look at it,” the blue maned stallion said aloud. “It's mine. All mine. Soon, our plans shall unfold.”
The two guards gave each confused looks before one of them said, “Excuse me, Your Highness, but what are you talking about?”
The front gate of the castle opened and a pink Unicorn mare with a golden mane sauntered out to Prince Narcissus. She gave the prince a kiss before turning her attention to the guards with devilish smile on her lips. She strutted up to the stallions and said with a sultry voice, “Ah, my dear stallions. I'm so glad you could join us here today.”
The pair of stallions sweated nervously as the attractive mare circled them, looking up and down their bodies. She would giggle as they gulped when she would flick her tail teasingly in their faces.
“Oh yes, you two will do nicely,” she whispered in their ears. “There is something I would like to show you. Would you be interested in seeing it?”
The two guards' professionalism flew out of the metaphorical window and they quickly nodded the heads excitedly.
“Good, then please follow me,” she seductively instructed them as she walked back to the castle, her hips swaying side to side. The pair of stallions gave each other a quick look before darting after the temptress. Narcissus snickered as he followed after them.
The soldiers rushed to the opened gate and went inside. Once inside, they froze in shock at what they saw. Their eyes looked all about the great hall hardly believing what they saw. The droning hum of buzzing and the sickly sound of scuttling was all they could hear. Then they heard a mocking chuckle and they looked forward at the mare that had lured them in. Before they could react, a bolt of green magic struck their heads, causing their eyes to roll dizzily about. After the spell had ended, the two stallions stood there with absentminded grins on their faces as their eyes glowed green.
“Take them away. I'll have need for them later,” the mare said to her minions, her eyes flashing green again. Her partner-in-crime joined her at her side and they shared a malicious laugh. As she thought about their plan which would unfold in a few days, a song came to mind. “This day is going to be perfect...”