Twilight Sparkle was all smiles as she arrived in the dining room for breakfast. Trixie looked up at her from a plate of pancakes she was in the process of demolishing. "What has you in such a good mood so early in the morning, Twilight Sparkle?"
"Oh...just some good news I just received," Twilight said. "It's...well...I'll tell you later." She tilted her head. "You're not still scrubbing the castle?"
"Your minion saw fit to discharge Trixie from her punishment," Trixie said. "On the condition that Trixie performs...'community service', as he put it."
"Community service, huh?" Twilight asked, sitting down and pouring herself a glass of orange juice. "And what exactly would that entail?"
Spike walked in, carrying a huge platter of pancakes. "It means she's going to try to learn useful spells and help some of the ponies in town with them," he said. "Starting with Rarity's gem finding spell. Since Rarity's not likely to be in any shape to go gem-hunting for a while..." Spike glared at Trixie. "Somepony needs to take her place."
"Hmm. I dunno, Spike. That spell's awfully complicated."
Trixie tossed her mane. "If Rarity can cast it, so can Trixie."
"But that spell is Rarity's signature spell," Twilight said. "It's even hard for me to cast." She levitated several pancakes onto her plate and drowned them in syrup. "Maybe you should start with something a little easier?" She brightened suddenly. "Hey! I've got a perfect idea!" She teleported away, then reappeared a moment later holding a scroll, which she levitated over to Trixie. "Bon Bon asked for my help with something. Maybe you can take care of it."
Trixie unrolled the scroll and looked at it. "The Hours And Hours Of Flavor Spell?"
"It's a spell created by Golden Ticket, the legendary candymaker from Canterlot," Twilight said. "It makes hard candies last longer and change flavors over and over again. Only unicorn candy makers can use it, obviously, but Bon Bon heard about this spell and wanted to add it to her inventory. The only problem is, she's an earth pony, and her friend Lyra isn't as, well...versatile as she'd like to be."
Trixie studied the spell. "Well, it seems simple enough." She rolled the scroll up and tucked it under her hat. "Very well! Trixie will assist your candymaker friend! And then Trixie will go gem hunting for Rarity."
Twilight smiled. "Good luck," she said.
* * * * *
Spike led Trixie to the candy shop. The bell over the door jingled merrily as they walked in.
A cream-colored earth pony mare with a curly pink-and-blue mane looked up. "Welcome," she said. Then she recognized Trixie, and her eyes narrowed. "Uh-uh. NO WAY. After all the trouble you've caused? Out."
Trixie sniffed daintily, turning up her nose. "Well!"
"Bon Bon," Spike said, "Twilight sent Trixie to help you with that spell you wanted. You know, the candy flavor spell?"
Bon Bon frowned. "Are you serious?"
"Look...Trixie's trying to do right by Ponyville, okay? She's still obnoxious and still screws up a lot, but she wants to help. Give her a break, alright?" Spike pleaded. Trixie blinked at him.
Bon Bon stared at Trixie uncertainly. After a moment, she sighed. "Alright. Come on back, we'll...we'll try this." She glanced at Spike. "Can I trust you to mind the store while we're in the back?"
Spike nodded and saluted. "You got it!"
"And keep your claws out of the jars," Bon Bon admonished.
Trixie followed Bon Bon into the candy kitchen. She led Trixie over to a metal table where dozens of jawbreakers in different colors were spread out in neat rows. "See those green ones? Nopony likes those. Move those over to that counter."
Trixie frowned. "If nopony likes the green ones, why do you make them?"
"Whenever you make hard candy or jellybeans or gumdrops or whatever, there's always one flavor nopony likes, but you make it anyway." Bon Bon shrugged. "It's just tradition. If you stopped making that flavor, everypony would notice and wonder what happened to it."
"That seems...counterintuitive," Trixie said.
"Yeah, I said that to my dad when he taught me how to make candy. He said he told his mom the same thing. It's just one of those things."
Trixie shrugged and levitated the indicated candies to a wooden countertop. She pulled out the scroll and studied it, her horn shimmering as she read it aloud.
For a candy you can savor
With hours and hours of flavor
Use this spell if you are clever
It'll change your world forever
Apples, lemons, cherries, grapes
Cinnamon and sugar crepes
Flavors sweet and flavors tart
Every treat's a work of art!
A shimmery pinkish-grey mist spread out from Trixie's horn, enveloping the twenty-odd green jawbreakers on the counter. They started to shimmer, various colors of the rainbow washing over them. Each candy twinkled with a bright white gleam, then the magic faded.
"Did it work?"
"Only one way to find out," Trixie said. She picked one up and put it in her mouth.
Bon Bon did likewise. After a moment, she frowned. "It still tastes like..."
"Wait for it," Trixie said.
After a couple of minutes, Bon Bon' eyes widened. "It changed! It tastes like cinnamon now!"
"This one tastes like sour cherries," Trixie said.
They stood around for a while, sucking on the jawbreakers and commenting on each flavor change. They returned to the front to take over running the shop from Spike, all the while sucking on the enchanted candies.
After over an hour and a half, the candies finally completely dissolved, having undergone more than a dozen flavor changes each, and none of them repeating or following the same pattern. Bon Bon tilted her head with a smile. "You know, I think this might actually work!" She dipped her head to Trixie. "Thank you."
"Trixie is only too happy to help."
They went into the back, where Trixie enchanted the rest of the jawbreakers on the cooling table. When she left with Spike, Trixie was all smiles. "Trixie must admit...it feels good to help ponies."
"I'm impressed you managed a helpful spell that didn't backfire," Spike said.
Trixie stopped. "Trixie will have you know that very few of her spells backfire! Trixie's magic is not so weak and useless as you are so fond of believing!"
"Yeah yeah," Spike said, waving a claw. "So, you still wanna give that gem-finding spell a try?"
"Why not? Trixie feels lucky today!"
* * * * *
"Trixie cannot get this stupid spell to work!"
Spike and Trixie stood on a barren plain an hour's walk from Ponyville. Spike had an old red wagon next to him that was depressingly empty. Trixie's brow furrowed and her eyes squinted as she concentrated. Her horn pulsed, a weak pinkish-grey shimmer surrounding it...then faded.
Trixie sagged, barrel heaving. "Trixie gives up," she moaned.
Spike patted her awkwardly on the shoulder. "It's okay," he said. "You did more to help Ponyville today than you've ever done." He stretched. "Wanna call it a day?"
Trixie frowned. "Trixie will make one more try," she said. "Let us try a different area." Spike grabbed the handle of the wagon, and the pair walked for another ten minutes, coming to a stop at the edge of a narrow but treacherous ravine.
Trixie's horn began to glow as she concentrated. A bright flash lit her horn; her eyes flew open. "Whooooaaaaa!" she cried as she was pulled in the direction of the ravine.
"Gah!" Spike snagged her around one back hoof and dug hard into the ground with his toes and tail, pulling with all his might. Trixie teetered on the edge, but managed to recover as she extinguished her horn.
Trixie panted for a moment. "Thank you," she said. "Trixie was almost a goner."
"What just happened?"
"There are GEMS down there!" Trixie said excitedly. "Perhaps a great many!"
"Huh," Spike said, scratching his chin. "Well, let's have a look."
Trixie and Spike leaned over the edge of the ravine. Spike's eyes widened. "Whoa."
Down below, by the bank of a thin river, a massive pile of gems sparkled in the light of the sun.
Trixie's eyes gleamed with greed. Her horn glowed, and a steady stream of gems floated up from the pile, pouring into the wagon. Once it was full, she eased up. "Whew. Mission accomplished."
Spike frowned. "Wait a second. I know there's gems all over this area, but they don't just pile themselves up like tha—"
"HEY! WHO'S THE DEAD JERKFACE THAT'S STEALIN' FROM OUR HOARD?!"
Three teenage dragons, one red with a yellow belly and an orange fin on his head, one light purple with long, twisted white horns and a crest of lavender spikes, and one royal purple with two spikes sticking up out of a shaggy mop of golden hair that covered his eyes, flew up out of the ravine, fury in their eyes.
"Oh crap, it's THOSE guys!" Spike muttered.
"Well, well, well," Garble said. "If it isn't Spike the Pony. Long time no see, Spike. You got a lotta nerve, stealin' from our hoard."
Spike scowled. "Yeah? Well the way I see it, I'm just collecting JERK TAX!" He paused. "Y'know, 'cause you guys are a bunch of jerks."
"Ha ha," Garble laughed derisively. "Well you still owe some PAIN TAX from the LAST time!"
"BACK, foul dragons!" Trixie exclaimed, planting her hooves. "The Great and Powerful TRRRRIXIE will NOT tolerate your interference!"
The dragons blinked at her. "Uhh...you just stole from us," Garble pointed out. "And anyway, what's some prissy PONY gonna do to the three of US?"
"Why don't you ask the dreaded Ursa Major?" Trixie asked. "Oh. That's right. You can't. Because Trixie vanquished it."
The purple dragon laughed. "Haw haw, that's a load!"
Spike grinned. "Wanna bet?"
The dragons glanced at one another uncertainly.
Trixie's horn began to glow.
"Uhh...this pony seriously...vanquished an Ursa Major?" Garble asked.
"Yep, she sure did," Spike said, buffing his claws on his chest.
"Uhh...Garble?" the shaggy-headed dragon said. "It's...it's just one little wagon full of gems. And, well...Spike DID do that righteous belly flop. I mean, yeah, we hate the little turd for bein' more pony than dragon and that whole thing with the phoenixes, but..." He gulped. "Maybe we let this one go?"
"There's no WAY we're lettin' them steal even ONE little gem!" Garble said. "Prepare to get HURT!"
A tiny blue ball sped out of Trixie's saddlebag, exploding right in the dragons' faces and unleashing a cloud of glittering blue dust.
"Ahh! My eyes!"
"It burns!"
"I'm gonna...ahh...ahh...AAAAACHOOO!" A gout of flame erupted from the cloud.
"Hey! Watch where you snuhee...hee...HEECHA!"
Trixie grabbed Spike, threw him on her back, took hold of the wagon, and ran for her life.
* * * * *
"You did WHAT?!" Twilight yelled.
"Uhh...we might've...stolen some gems from those jerky teenage dragons?" Spike offered hesitantly.
Twilight shook her head in disbelief. "Spike, that was STUPID! Both of you could've gotten killed!"
"We didn't MEAN to steal them! We just...didn't know they belonged to anyone..."
"And if we'd given the gems back, the dragons would have done something horrible to us anyway," Trixie said. "Trixie knows a bully when she sees one."
Twilight frowned. "Well...that's a valid point..."
"And it's not like we could've outrun them, and Trixie can't teleport," Spike pointed out.
"Also true." Twilight sighed. "Alright, fine. But now we know never to go anywhere near that ravine again, right?" She looked them both over. "Did you deliver the gems to Carousel Boutique?"
"We sure did," Spike said. "Except...heh...one or two I...y'know..."
Twilight rolled her eyes. "Of course."
"Trixie needs a bath," Trixie announced, trotting off to her suite.
Once Trixie was safely behind the doors of her present home, she shed her saddlebags and floated a handful of assorted gems out. She smiled. "It's fine for Trixie to have kept a few for herself," she said. "After all, Trixie needs money to live on, even if Twilight Sparkle is a gracious host." She studied one large, perfect emerald which she had kept.
She frowned.
"Without Spike's help, that...situation...might have ended badly for Trixie." She worried at her lip. "Trixie really should thank him..."
As she pondered this moral quandary, the scroll with the candy spell fell out of her saddlebag. Her eyes lit up. "Trixie has a splendid idea!" With a grin, she began weaving the spell around the emerald...
* * * * *
The next morning, a smiling Trixie breezed into the dining room at breakfast. "Good morning, Twilight Sparkle! Good morning, Spike!"
"Morning, Trixie," Twilight said over the brim of her coffee mug. "Sleep well?"
"Trixie slept wonderfully!" Trixie sat down at the table. "Trixie is fresh, perky, and ready for another day of proving her worth to the denizens of Ponyville!"
"Good to hear it," Twilight said.
As Spike plopped a plate of scrambled eggs in front of Trixie, Trixie levitated a large, flawless emerald from her cape. "Trixie has a present for you, Spike. A thank-you gift, as it were, for yesterday...as well as an apology gift for some of the, ahem, inconveniences Trixie has caused you."
Spike's eyes lit up as he beheld the emerald. He started to drool.
"Wow, that's...really nice of you, Trixie," Twilight said.
As Spike reached for it, Trixie pulled it away. "Before you accept it, Trixie must tell you that she has enchanted it."
Spike blinked. "Enchanted?"
"You recall that candy-making spell Trixie so expertly and flawlessly employed yesterday? Well, Trixie has cast it on this emerald. Trixie hopes you will enjoy it."
"A candy-making spell on an emerald?" Twilight asked, tilting her head. "That's...unconventional..."
Trixie tilted her nose up. "Trixie prides herself on being unconventional!" She floated the emerald over to Spike, who took hold of it, licking his lips.
"I think I'll save this for my mid-morning snack," Spike said. "Thanks, Trixie!" With that, the three of them sat down to breakfast, the emerald gleaming on the table.
* * * * *
As the morning wore on, Twilight and Trixie sequestered themselves in the library, where Trixie was busy learning new spells to help out around Ponyville. Spike began his daily cleaning of the more frequented areas of the castle.
Spike put down his feather duster and wiped his brow. "Whew," he muttered. "Time for a break." He pulled out the emerald Trixie had given him, studying it critically. "Candy-making spell, huh? I wonder." With a shrug, he popped the emerald in his mouth and, instead of crunching it down, sucked on it. After a few minutes, the cool, refreshing green taste of emerald changed to the crisp, spicy tang of aged fire ruby. "Oh, wow," he mumbled around the gem. "Trixie came through again! Who'd have thunk it?"
He let the gem pass through several more flavor changes before crushing it into dust in his jaws and swallowing it. Patting his belly and belching, he wandered up to the library. "Hey, Twilight? I think I'm gonna go check on Rarity."
"Okay, Spike. Hey, mind doing some shopping while you're out?" Twilight replied.
"Sure."
As he left the castle, Spike was oblivious to the fact that his scales were gradually changing color from purple to red...
* * * * *
Spike knocked on Rarity's bedroom door. "It's me!" he called.
"Oh...err...come in," Rarity replied hesitantly.
Spike opened the door and stepped inside. Rarity lay on her bed, looking miserable. She'd already lost a tremendous amount of the weight she'd put on from the Indulgence spell, but she was still far huskier than normal, and her face had the sunken, unhealthy look of somepony who had been violently ill for days.
"Ahem...I hate that you have to see me in such a deplorable condition, Spikey-boo," Rarity said. She blinked. "Err, Spike? Is...is everything alright?"
Spike's eyes narrowed. "No, everything's not alright," he hissed. "I can't believe I actually forgave that BITCH Trixie for doing this to you! Why, I oughtta storm right back to the castle and burn her to ashes right this—"
"Spike...stop." Rarity grunted as she heaved herself off the bed and waddled over to him. "That doesn't sound like you. And...and are you aware that you're red?"
"Red? What the hell are you talkin' about?"
Rarity seized a mirror from her dresser and levitated it over to Spike. He blinked at his reflection. His scales had turned from purple to a vivid, angry red; his belly and spines had turned black. "What the...?" Spike's eyes narrowed. "Trixie," he snarled.
"Now, Spike," Rarity said. "You...you can't just assume..."
"It's gotta be her! She's nothing but a walking disaster area!"
"I thought you yourself said she was trying—"
"Oh, she's trying alright," Spike snarled, clenching his fists. "Tryin' my patience." He waved a claw at Rarity. "Look at what she did to you! You used to be the hottest mare in town, now you look like you belong out with the cows!"
"SPIKE!" Rarity yelled, drawing back.
"And while we're on the subject, how could you let somepony that ridiculous get the drop on you? I thought you were better than that!" Spike began to pace and rant. "Are you really that weak-minded that you'd just fall right into whatever trap Trixie set?"
"Really, Spike!" Rarity said. "Where is this coming from?"
"AND ANOTHER THING!" Spike yelled, rounding on Rarity. "Don't think I don't know how you've been using me all these years! With your batting eyelashes and cooing voice and 'oh please, Spikey-wikey?' and...and..."
Spike's scales turned mustard yellow and his spines turned brown.
"...and I wish I had the guts to accept the truth, that you'll never feel the same way about me, and...and maybe I don't really even feel that way anymore either and I'm just...not ready to face it..." Spike slumped, tears gathering in his eyes.
Rarity sat down, concern in her own eyes. "Spike," she said softly. "I think...I think you're not quite yourself at the moment." She held up her mirror again.
Spike peered at his reflection. He blinked. "Huh? Now I'm yellow? What gives?"
"I don't know, darling, but...perhaps you had better return to the castle. Let Twilight have a look at you."
"Y-yeah," Spike said. "Umm...get better soon, Rarity." He turned to leave.
Rarity watched him, a contemplative frown on her face.
* * * * *
Pinkie Pie was busy gathering supplies for the Cake twins' "You're Potty Trained Now!" party when she heard the sounds of uncontrollable sobbing from around the corner. She followed the sound and found Spike sitting against a wall, bawling his eyes out. She blinked; for some reason, Spike was blue, and his spines were a deep purple.
"Hey Spike! Why so blue?"
Spike sniffled. "I duh-duh-don't knoh-ho-ho-hoooooow!" he wailed. "I just...started cuh-crying, and I cuh-cuh-can't s-sto-hooooop!"
Pinkie sat down next to him. "Aww," she said, wrapping a hoof around him and hugging him. "Poor Spike! But I meant why are you literally so blue?"
Spike looked up at her, snot dangling from his nose. "Huh?"
"Your scales are all blue!"
Spike sniffed, pulling the snot back in. "I...I changed...I changed colors again?"
"Again?" Pinkie tilted her head.
Spike nodded. "It's...it's..."
His scales suddenly turned from blue to pink, and his belly and spines turned bright red. He stood up, all traces of sadness gone. "Hey. Hey!"
"What?" Pinkie asked, visibly alarmed.
"I wanna do something fun!" Spike said.
"Ooh! I love fun things!" Pinkie frowned. "But maybe you should go see Twilight. Something's...not quite right with you..."
"Yeah, what's not right is I'm sitting here feeling sorry for myself when I should be having FUN!" Spike started bouncing around like a rubber ball, then darted off into Ponyville.
"Spike! Wait!" Pinkie called after him. She pranced in place on her hooves. "Oh. Oh man! This is NOT good!" She chased after Spike, forgetting all about her party planning.
* * * * *
Spike spotted Fluttershy in the marketplace, buying vegetables. Not far away, Angel was sitting on top of a barrel, looking bored. A devious smirk crossed his pink scaly lips. He crept up behind the rabbit, hiding behind the barrel.
Slowly, Spike raised his head above the top of the barrel. As quietly as he could, he drew in a deep breath. Then, he unleashed a terrifying ROAR! Angel shot straight up in the air, bolted towards Fluttershy, and hid in her mane.
"Oh my goodness! Angel, what happened? Are you alright?" Fluttershy asked.
"Heheh," Spike snickered, sinking out of sight.
"That wasn't very nice!" Pinkie said from behind him.
"Eh, it was a harmless prank," Spike said. "Besides, that rabbit had it comin'."
Pinkie paused, rubbing her muzzle with a hoof. "Well...yeah...I can see that..." She shook her head. "But still! Spike, I think you really need to go see Twilight! You're not yourself today!"
Spike abruptly turned black; his spines turned gold. "Oh yeah?" he sneered. "Whadda YOU know about it, Pinkie PUNK?" He shoved her roughly aside. "Get lost. I got stuff to do."
"Spike, wait—"
Spike turned and blew a cloud of fire, warding her off, then swaggered off. Ponies watched, wide-eyed, whispering in shock.
Shaking soot from her mane, Pinkie took off for the castle as fast as she could run.
* * * * *
Spike grimaced in annoyance as the screeching voices of fillies reached his ears. Following the sound, he found the Cutie Mark Crusaders squaring off against Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. The latter two were circling them like sharks, taunting and tormenting them. The Crusaders stood their ground, shouting back at the pair of rich fillies.
"Ugh," Spike muttered. He stomped up to them. "Oi! You lot!"
The taunting and shouting subsided as the five fillies turned to look at Spike. "What do YOU want?" Diamond Tiara said disdainfully.
"Spike? You okay there?" Apple Bloom asked, blinking.
"Yeah, you...wow. What happened?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"What happened is I was having a perfectly shit day, and then I heard the five most useless, annoying fillies in Ponyville screeching their heads off, giving ME a bloody headache!" Spike narrowed his eyes at the group of fillies. "You ALL need to be taught a lesson. Foals should be seen and not heard."
"S-Spike?" Scootaloo asked, eyes wide. "Wha...what's wrong with you?"
"You've got SOME NERVE insulting US!" Diamond Tiara said.
"Yeah! Get a life, you creep!" Silver Spoon said.
"Oh, that tears it," Spike snarled. He took a deep breath and exhaled a massive blast of fire at the suddenly terrified fillies...