//------------------------------// // Chapter 6: Between a Rock and a Donut Shop // Story: Back To The Future IV: The Return of Discord // by Dr Dash //------------------------------// Spike and Twilight wandered back into Ponyville, both extremely confused as to their next step. Twilight’s disguise pendant was active, and she walked amongst the crowds as Sally Scoop. “I still have no clue what a ‘Joe-nut’ is supposed to be,” she said to Spike. “And I don’t know where to look. It’s not like we’re going to find a sign advertising it.” Spike stopped walking and grabbed Twilight’s tail, causing her to turn and look at him. “Uh, Twilight...” he said, “Do you mean a sign like that?” He pointed down the street towards a brightly lit store. It was square, with several large windows across two sides, and a door situated at the corner between the two. Above the door rested a neon sign that read “Dunkin Joe-nuts.” To the left of the building was a metal pole with a rotating, diamond-shaped sign on top. As it spun, the two sides of the sign alternated between “Eat at Joe’s” and “Hot & Fresh Joe-Nuts.” A small apartment had been constructed on the roof of the shop. “Yes, Spike. Exactly like that.” They ran across the town square towards the store. As they got close, a pony walked out of the door, followed by the welcoming smell of fresh baked treats. A bell above the door jingled as Spike and Twilight entered. The interior of the shop was dominated by a large counter against one wall, behind which racks of donuts rested, waiting to be purchased. Multiple tables were arranged throughout the space, and a door to the left of the counter was labeled “Private.” Several ponies were seated, enjoying the tasty treats. Behind the counter, a familiar yellow stallion was placing fresh confections on the various shelves. He turned to face Twilight and Spike. “Welcome to Dunkin Joe-Nuts,” said Mr. Cake, “What can I get for you?” Twilight and Spike gasped simultaneously at the sight of their baker friend. Twilight forgot that she was trying to keep a low profile as they ran to the counter. “Mr. Cake?!” she exclaimed, “What are you doing here?” “And what happened to Sugarcube Corner?!” demanded Spike. Mr. Cake sighed. “How do you know about that?” he said. “I’ve never seen you before.” Twilight remembered her disguise, and stammered out an excuse. “I...um...I’ve been to Ponville before, but the last time I was in town you were at Sugarcube Corner.” Twilight looked around the shop. “What happened?” “Well,” began Mr. Cake, “We used to have our own bakery, as you remember. But, when this store showed up here in Ponyville, we fell on hard times. They could produce more food cheaper and faster than us. Eventually, we went out of business, and had to sell the store. It was demolished, and our house is all we have left. Rarity was nice enough to give us a job here to pay our bills.” He smiled slightly. “Rarity gave you a job?” asked Twilight. “Can we talk to her?” “Sure thing.” said Mr. Cake. He leaned through the door behind the counter. “Miss Rarity! There’s somepony here to see you!” A slight crash rang out, followed by a muffled “I’ll be right out!” Spike gasped as Rarity came out to meet them. Her highly maintained mane was unkempt and speckled with sprinkles. Her coat, usually so pristine and white, was messy, and clumped in places with various colors of icing, and her flank was devoid of any mark. “Well hello there, dearie!” she said. “It’s nice to meet you...er...” “Sally,” said Twilight. “Sally Scoop. And this is my associate, Spike.” “Sally and Spike!” declared Rarity. “Well, I’m Rarity, and this is my donut shop.” “I’m a traveling reporter,” said Twilight, “and I’m doing a story on the ponies of Ponyville. Is there somewhere we can chat for a little while?” “Sure thing, dearie!” Rarity pointed at the “Private” door. “My apartment’s right up thataway! Carrot, dear, can you and the Missus hold down the fort for a little while?” Mr. Cake nodded. “Okie dokie then! Right this way!” Rarity’s apartment was small and grey. A spindly table with a single chair stood in one corner, silhouetted by the light entering the dirty window, near a small refrigerator and sink. A creaky old bed sat to the left of the table, and a tiny nightstand with a single candle was on the right of the bed. The rest of the room was dominated by old flour crates full of rocks. Several empty crates were stacked in the corner, and a few of the stones had been placed on a shelf next to the other window. “I apologise for the lack of furniture,” said Rarity, “but I don’t often have visitors.” She pulled the lone chair over to the bed, and brought an empty crate next to it. Rarity sat on the bed, which squeaked loudly in protest. “Now, what can I do for ya?” Twilight removed the necklace, disengaging her disguise and showing Rarity her true self. Rarity jumped backwards in shock. “Rarity,” said Twilight, “My name is Twilight Sparkle. I know that you don’t recognise me, but that’s because I’m from a different universe. You’re one of my best friends, and I need your help to put things right.” Rarity was silent, but she slowly looked around her apartment and back to Twilight. Tears welled up in her eyes, and Spike shot across the room to comfort her. “I hate my life!” said Rarity. “Its never had any meaning, and I knew all along that this was not right! Ever since that stupid day with the rock I’ve never known what to do.” “The rock?” asked Twilight. “What do you mean by that?” She turned to Spike, who had an arm around his beloved Rarity. “Write this down.” “Well, it happened back when I was still a filly.” Rarity said, still somewhat upset. “I was in charge of making the costumes for the school play. I felt they needed something to make them stand out, but I didn’t know what. My horn lit up and began to pull me away. I allowed it to guide me, wondering where I was going to end up. It stopped at a large rock at the flats to the west of town. I stood by that rock for hours, wondering what it meant. I finally assumed that I was supposed to gather them, which I did. I’ve been collecting rocks as a hobby since then, but it’s never amounted to anything.” She sighed as she looked at the crates in her apartment. “What about this shop? How did you get here?” asked Twilight. “I originally had a clothing store here.” said Rarity. “But it never had much business and I barely made enough bits to scrape by. When I heard that Donut Joe was looking to open a franchise in Ponyville, I jumped at the opportunity. We remodeled my store into this bakery, and Joe let me live here above it and run the store. Unfortunately, we ended up running the Cakes out of business, so I hired them.” “Judging by your unhappiness,” said Twilight, “I would assume that you would much rather be doing something else.” Rarity nodded. “Well, in the correct timeline, you are Ponyville’s top fashion designer. You even made the dresses at the Royal Wedding!” Rarity’s eyes opened wide, and she began to smile. “But, to get time back to where it needs to be, I’m going to need help.” She extended her hoof to Rarity. “Can I count on you, friend?” Rarity nodded, and placed her hoof on Twilight’s. As she did so, the second white star appeared on Twilight’s flank. Spike yawned, and his stomach growled in response. “Okay, great.” he said. “Now, can we please get some food? I’m starving, Twilight!” Twilight and Rarity laughed. “Sure thing, dearie!” said Rarity. “I’ve got a few dragon specials you might enjoy.” She started to head towards the door, but Twilight stopped her. “One more question, Rarity.” Twilight pulled out the picture for the second time. “Do you know any pony in this picture?” Rarity glanced at the photo. She looked back at Twilight. “Well, I do know somepony who resembles the pink pony, but her hair is much different.” Twilight looked at Rarity, confused. “Her name is Pinkamena Diane. She runs the rock farm to the west of town. It’s where I get some of my best stones!” Twilight’s eyes widened and she nodded in recognition. However, Spike had a complaint. “Twiiiilighhht!” he whined, “I don’t wanna go find Pinkie until I’ve had something to eat.” Twilight sighed. He was right. The last time they had eaten was breakfast, and who knows if that even existed anymore with the way time had been shifted. She nodded, and Spike bounded down the stairs, followed by the two ponies. Spike munched happily on his gem-encrusted danish as he and Twilight sat in the bakery. Twilight’s disguise was back on, and she had barely touched her strawberry pastry, her mind still worrying about the problems at hand. Rarity had agreed to meet them back at Doctor Flutter’s lab, but that still left three of her friends unaccounted for. She was snapped from her thoughts as the door swung open, hitting the wall with a bang. Three adolescent dragons, each one easily three times Spike’s size, marched into the store. The trio of dragons wore dark metallic armor, the chest-plates emblazoned with a large D entwined with the likeness of Discord. The tallest dragon's armor was detailed with intricate gold accents, indicating a position of superiority. "These must be some of Discord's guards!" whispered Twilight to Spike. "This is worse than I thought! If Discord has guards, then he must've captured Canterlot!" The head dragon banged his claw on the counter, startling Twilight and cutting her frightened whispering short. “Hey! Cake-for-brains! Where’s your boss?” The other two dragons chuckled, and Mr. Cake shot into the back of the store. Rarity came out. “Hello boys!” she said, the fear audible in her voice. “What can I do for ya?” “You know why we’re here.” replied the red dragon. “Get the icing out of your ears and give us our protection money.” “Yeah!” said the dragon on the left, “and make it snappy, Donut Head!” Rarity whimpered, and went to the register. Spike stood, visibly upset, and walked over to the three dragons. The rest of the ponies in the store cowered in fear as Spike stormed across the room. He tapped the leader on the shoulder. “Um, excuse me,” began Spike, “but that Pony is my friend and I would appreciate it if you would not be mean to h-” Spike stopped in mid sentence as the three dragons laughed. “Get lost, runt.” said the leader as he turned back to the counter. Spike’s eyes flashed with green fire. Twilight noticed, and put her face in her hooves. Whatever was about to happen, It was not going to be good. Spike’s size tripled instantly, and he tapped the leader on the shoulder again. “I thought I told you to ge-” the dragon began, but his sentence was cut short. Spike’s claw connected with his face in a mean right hook, knocking one of the red dragon’s fangs out and sending him backwards over the countertop. “I don’t care if she didn’t remember me,” said Spike, “but NOPONY insults my friends.” He snapped back to his normal size, and the whole shop sat in stunned silence. The dragon stood up behind the counter, a donut ringing one of his horns and icing covering his face. “GET HIM!” he bellowed. Spike froze in fear. “Spike!” yelled Twilight, “RUN!” Spike shot out of the store, and glanced desperately around for a solution. He saw a familiar orange pegasus on a scooter. “Scootaloo!” he yelled as he ran, “Stop!” He ran up to Scootaloo, who did not recognise him as Twilight’s friend. She shrank back in fear from the tiny dragon. “I need your scooter. It’s an emergency!” She nodded. Spike pulled the handlebars off the scooter and handed them to her. He jumped onto the remaining board with wheels, and pushed off. The three dragons burst out of the donut shop, and the leader saw Spike rolling away. They began to chase him. Spike saw the enraged dragons barreling across the square, and looked around for a means of escape. A passing stagecoach caught his eye, and he spun around completely to grab the rear bumper. Spike waved at the dragons as he shot by them, the ponies pulling the stagecoach having been spooked into running. The lead dragon jumped into a nearby cart, and his two henchmen began to push it from behind, gaining on Spike. The front of the cart bumped into the back of the stagecoach, nearly crushing Spike. He swung out to the right, and hit an uneven stone, launching him into the air. Spike flew across the square, and ended up crashing face-first into the mayor. “Sorry, sorry!” he said. The three dragons rounded the corner and Spike jumped back onto his board. “No time to talk! Gotta go!” Spike came around the corner just ahead of the three dragons. He spun around and put his claws on the front of the cart, and the leader began to swipe at him. An evil grin appeared on the dragon’s face, and he turned back to his henchmen. “Hurry it up, you two! We’re gonna ram him!” Spike whirled around to see a large wagon full of rotten apples directly ahead of himself and the cart. A crazy idea sprang into his head, and he put it into action. The dragons watched in confusion as Spike jumped up onto the cart. He leapt over the leader and the two henchman, just in time to land back on the board as it came out from underneath the cart. He stopped, and turned to admire his handiwork. The three dragons bellowed with fear, and the two henchmen began to desperately turn the cart. They weren’t fast enough, and the cart slammed sideways into the apple wagon, covering the three in rancid fruit. A crowd of ponies gathered around Spike, cheering as he handed the board back to Scootaloo. Twilight jabbed him in the side with her hoof. “Nice job, show off.” she said, smirking. “But we really need to get going.” Spike nodded, and jumped onto Twilight’s back. She set off at a gallop to the west, towards the rock farm.