~19~
"Spontaneous."
Spike paused before the barn doors, his claw shy of reaching the handle. Doubt and fear laced his heart, as his mind raced to understand his feelings. Spike is a truly rememberable character, no? He matters to his friends and they would be sad to see him gone.
Applejack wanted him at this party, so that must mean Spike is a wanted character. That ponies are interested to hear his input, to wonder what he is wondering. When Spike talks, you want to listen to what he has to say, right?
No one ever finds Spike annoying. Sure, he may irritate others. But never dull. He just fools around a lot, shoots a couple of bad jokes, and throws out puns if his game is on point.
Spike is awesome. Spike is wanted– no, needed. Spike is funny. Spike is kind. Spike has so much potential, right down from his body to his soul. He could be so much, the future so bright. So, why then, does he feel like nothing now? Why does Spike the Dragon pause in front of the barn doors, worried that he may be an annoyance to those on the other side?
I'm just over thinking, Spike thought, bad thoughts trying to plaque me. Just go in, have some fun. He gripped the handle to the barn door and pushed it forward.
Inside, Spike was greeted with cheers, which fueled his smile. He chuckled and took a step inside.
“Why if it isn’t Spike!” Applejack called from across the room. Rushing afterward to go and greet the drake. Spike fell onto one knee so he could receive the hug. “I’m glad you could have made it!”
“As am I,” Spike said as he gave the hug for just a moment, ending it just afterward. He looked at the decorations around him, most already in ruin. “I see you girls started without me.”
I thought they would’ve… at least, waited for me, before starting the party.
Bah! How could I I forget who I was dealing with? These girls know nothing of patience. That’s why they started without me.
“And I see you came late,” a voice said, overhead. Spike craned his neck up, to the see the smirking face of Rainbow Dash. “What kept ya’?”
“Sorry I’m late, I’m afraid I got lost on the path of life.” The shot to Spike’s shoulder wasn’t a surprise to him. He rose to his full height, as the hovering Dash gave him a side hug.
“You gotta come up with better excuses, Spike my drag.”
Spike put an arm around her, enjoying the fur on his scales. Falcon was wrong, Spike thought, I do have good friends.
Spike opened his mouth to speak.
“Hey Dash!” a far-away voice called. “Come quick; we’re about to put the pie in the microwave!”
“Ohohoh!” Dash cheered, dashing out of the barn. Leaving only Spike and Applejack, who both chuckled at her antics. Well, Spike thought, we’re good friends most of the time. He put a claw on his lip as he continued to think. Dash is a good friend, after all. She has my back, no doubt about it.
A tug from his side brought Spike out from his trance. “Spike?” Applejack asked. “Now that you’re here, would ya care for some punch?”
“Sure.” The mare and the dragon made their way to the center of the barn, where a wooden table stood; covered with all kinds of treats. Spike didn’t realize he was drooling, and it wasn’t till the giggles of Applejack, that he wiped his mouth.
He went to work right away preparing himself a feast of sugar, while Applejack watched from across the table. “Say, Spike?” He hummed in return. “I know this is a bit abrupt, but I heard from someone in town, that, you’re not living with Twilight no more.”
“I wouldn’t trust rumors.”
“That mean to say I shouldn’t trust this one?”
“Not at all,” Spike replied, filling his plate with cupcakes, eyes focused only on them, “because it isn’t a rumor anymore. Twilight and I have gone our separate ways.”
“Ah.” Applejack pulled the front of her attention down, covering her eyes. “Sad to hear.”
“Life’s been great for me lately,” Spike said, claw still at work, “so I don’t think it's that sad.”
Applejack raised the hat from her eyes, a smile coming from her lips afterward. “As long as you’re happy, then I suppose it isn’t a mistake you made. But there is something I should warn you about, Spike.”
The eyes of Spike never left the table. As his claws picked up a cup and filled it with juice, he hummed once more, acknowledging that he was listening.
“Twilight is here, tonight.”
Spike scrunched his nose, as he placed the cup down on the table before it could reach his lips. “Why say she is here tonight?” Spike asked, speaking quickly afterward. “Why not that she is here? You can save yourself a word that way.”
“I… uh.” Applejack’s right brow flew up, while the left remained dormant. “I don’t know. I kinda just speak whatever words that come to me.”
“Huh.”
Applejack placed a hoof on Spike’s wrist, but he still refused to look away from the table. “Look, I don’t know the full story between you two, but I’m sure to hear of it soon. But tonight, I want to hear nothing of it.”
Spike raised a brow.
“We’ve all been so distant lately – working hard and keeping busy, that it feels like it’s becoming a routine. So I want to use tonight as in a way for us to connect again, to step plans again. Let’s just have some peace this evening, alright?”
“Sounds good to me,” Spike said, taking away his arm. “Though I’m kinda just here for the free food. Though, I suppose it should be fun finding out what everyone’s been up to.”
Applejack smiled. “There ya go. Get the spirit of friendship running, I say. Now, most of the girls, including Twilight, are in the kitchen. They were messing around with Granny’s old cookbook, and then they just started making whatever struck their fancy.”
Spike offered a chuckle.
“I tell ya, Spike. If you were to walk in there right now, you’d just see a group of fillies having some fun. No regard for how they act, or how stupid they look with batter over their faces. They’re just playing and having fun, with no worry about themselves or the world. It’s nice, Spike. To be a kid again.”
“ kid–” Spike rose his cup and drained the liquids past his lips “– yeah. I think the most fun comes from being a kid.”
“What are ya talking about,” Applejack asked, leaning onto the table. “Ya still are a kid! Though you tend to act more grown up now, I see. But hey, whenever you ready, come inside the house and play along with us.”
“I think I will,’ Spike said. “But first, I’m going to fill up on some sweats – that way, I can truly act like a kid.”
Applejack nodded and walked away from the table. She swayed with her steps, head wavering around slightly. She had left her cup on the table; the same one Spike hovered his nose over.
It smelt like pop; the scent was too strong for it to be just that. Spike looked back up at the mare, not quite sure what to say next.
“Oh, Spike?”
“Yes?”
“You had someone looking for you the other day.’
Spike chuckled. “I know. A gentlecolt was interested in dragons. I guess you’re the one who gave away my address?”
Applejack sheepishly smiled, turning around. “Not totally give it away. But he was able to piece the little I had said together.” She sighed, head dropping slightly, “Sorry.”
Spike shook his head. “No worries. Besides, he was an interesting pony.”
Applejack paused for a moment, eyes wandering past Spike. She shook her head and regained her focus, taking a step towards the drake. “He didn’t do any… harm to you, did he?”
Spike hummed and closed his eyes. “Not at all. Just a few questions and he was off. Though I’m not sure if we’re going to meet again.”
“Bummer.”
Spike flashed his eyes open. “What?”
“Bummer. I hoped that something bigger was going to come out of that, but I guess unfortunate is all we can call it now.”
I’m just more surprised you use the word bummer, Spike thought. Then something deeper within his conscious struck. If I do see Falcon, they will that be fortunate?
“Anyhow, partner. I’d best be off – gotta make sure they didn’t blow up the kitchen with that pie stunt.”
Spike raised a claw to stop her, but Applejack was already on her way out. He didn’t say anything to stop her, just watching as she left.
Spike exhaled, dropping his head. Something’s weird about Applejack. Heck, something's weird about me tonight. Even with these sweets, I don’t feel excited to see all my friends. I mean, I guess it would be interesting to see if Dash has made any interest with the Wonderbolts, but besides that, it feels like work to go and say hi to them all again.
Wait, Spike thought, does that make me rude? Not wanting to chat with old friends, and just to go home and sleep. Why is it that I don’t care about tonight, unlike Applejack? Why can’t I make myself get excited?
The barn vibrated the soil underneath, as a chill went up Spike’s spine. He darted his head around, trying to find the source of the nearby explosion. His eyes laid upon the house outside, with windows covered with the intestines of pie.
“Ah got you now!” Applejack cried, though her hoof slipped past a stairstep. “Oh, nelly.”
The falling pony collided with the three rushing down the stairs, and like one big ball, they rolled down to the bottom of the stairs. Each thrown in their direction.
Rainbow hit her head on the fridge; Twilight slammed against the wall, and Fluttershy face fell into batter left onto the ground. The resulting slam called all occupations to the kitchen, where Pinkie and Rarity found the mess, and couldn’t help but laugh.
They all couldn’t help but laugh. Laugh at the stupidity of it all, because it was all so funny!
The first one that turned their laughter into giggles was Applejack. “Oh boy, aren’t I glad to have conned the family to leave for the weekend. Otherwise, we’d all be toast!”
Rainbow Dash smirked, grabbing bread from a nearby cupboard, and presenting it before Fluttershy. Before she had anytime to retreat, Dash wiped the batter of her face with the bread, then presenting it before Applejack. “Kinda like this?”
The room erupted with laughter, with Fluttershy even giggling. Dash dropped the food and fell onto her back, hooves desperately pressing against her stomach.
The laughs soon turned into heavy breathing, though a giggle escaped now and then. Applejack managed to speak through both. “I’m glad… ya could of… made it tonight.” She took a moment to breathe. “I haven’t had this much fun, in gosh, I don’t know how long!”
“I understand perfectly what you mean,” Rarity said, still laying on the floor. “It feels like we’ve been all hard at work, that we’ve forgotten what fun is.”
“Sorta something like that,” Applejack replied, “but ain’t no point of fun unless ya’ll doin’ it with others.”
“You are right!” Pinkie exclaimed. “Like, when is the last time we’ve had a party?”
“Close again,” Applejack responded, “but not quite. I guess what I mean to say, is when’s the last time we’ve all just, hung out?”
“I’m afraid I don’t understand,” Twilight said, “what do you mean by that? Because we do visit each other, don’t we?”
“That we do,” Applejack said, internally groaning, “but not as often as we used to. Look, I guess what I'm trying to tell you, is that we don’t connect like we used to. Sure, we talk and catch up, but never connect. Like when Rarity and I had that sleepover at Twilight’s we learned a bit about each other. It doesn't seem like those type of things happen anymore.”
Leftover giggles died after that. The thought of a dying friendship struck at everyone’s heart, but that wasn’t the actual problem of the room.
“I mean,” Applejack began, unsure of her words, “we’re all still friends, right?”
“Even if we don’t hang out all the time,” Twilight said, eyes focused on the ground, “we’re still friends at heart, right?”
“Surely,” Rarity began, “distance is just a natural thing to happen when you’ve been friends for so long. It doesn’t mean that friendship isn’t becoming weaker,” she stopped for a moment, “does it?”
“Of course it doesn’t!” Rainbow shouted, rising to her hooves. “Just because we don’t hang out as we used to, doesn’t mean we’re no fewer friends. I think of you girls daily, and the adventures we’ve gone on always give me a laugh. I still want to be friends with you as much as you want to be friends with me.”
Everyone looked at each other, nodding their heads at the words. Not a smile sprung upon anyone's faces.
“I do think Applejack has a good point here,” the voice came from Fluttershy, who gained the courage to speak up, “and that some of us have grown distant. But I think all that means is that we need to hang out more.”
“Yeah!” Pinkie exclaimed. “We shouldn’t need a party or a big baddy to bring us together. If we want to visit each other, we should just do it.”
Finally, a smile sprung upon Applejack’s face, as she too rose. “I’m glad to hear ya feel the same way. I know we’re all busy more than usual, and stress of work demands us some alone time, but I think we’re all capable of carrying each other's burden.”
“Hmm-hmm!” Rainbow hummed in agreement. “So as long as we never stop hanging out, then our friendship shall never change!”
At that, everyone rose. Looking at each other, a natural feeling to put their hooves together came, and once all together, they dashed their hooves to the ceiling.
“To a never-changing friendship!”