Chapter 1
HEROES OF HARMONY SAVE EQUESTRIA
The headline was attention-getting, if nothing else.
Printed in bold font across the very front page of The Canterlot Sun, the header led into the single most literal "front page" article ever conceived. All told the entirety of it seemed dedicated to exactly the article advertised. The tiny letters crowding for room spoke a story almost too fantastic to be believed.
A story of a long lost princess, returned for revenge. About the horrid curse she laid on the foals of a small village. And, most notably, it spoke of the six brave ponies that had stood against her.
If not for being in an international newspaper, most readers would have thought it a delightful bedtime story for their foals.
Even with the page beginning to yellow after a couple weeks of general existence (such was the fate of newspapers), the ink still remained comfortably legible. The words almost seemed to glisten in the light-pink glow of magic around it. Purple eyes scanned over the headline, narrowing to laser-tight focus.
"Heroes?" grumbled the unicorn as she glared at the newsprint. "Hmmph..."
She didn't need to read the article again. She had, in fact, lost track of just how many times she'd lifted the paper up. Most times had simply ended with her rolling it back up and tossing it into the wagon house that clattered along the road behind her. This time, however, she allowed herself to drift over it. For the last several days it had simply sat amongst her various other knick-knacks.
Now she wanted to let her eyes travel the page, allowing them to naturally gravitate to the full-color photograph that accompanied the words.
In the picture stood six ponies, four stallions and two mares, bunched together for purposes of fitting in the frame. Not surprising considering the earth stallion in the center seemed large enough to count as two ponies by himself. Even the two pegasi hovering overhead had given them just enough room to get them all in the shot. The reader's eyes shot down to the caption beneath the photo, her frown growing as she did.
The bearers of the Elements of Harmony (from top-left)...
She snorted derisively, her gaze washing over the two pegasus ponies and three earth ponies in the picture. Whatever the article claimed of them, they were of no consequence.
Her glare was directed solely at the lone unicorn, standing at the far right of the line-up. A purple stallion with a green, spiky mane covered somewhat by the fedora he wore. He was turned just far enough that she could see his feather-quill cutie mark, causing the mare to grit her teeth.
She read the caption again, continuing along to the names of those in the photograph. Only the last name mattered.
Spike "Purple Prose" Flail (Element of Magic)
The broad grin on his face shone with pride and joy. It matched perfectly with the laughter that she could feel him repressing. Mocking and ringing out of the page, directed solely at her...
The purple stallion was quickly turning red in her vision, heat rushing to her face. In a flash of bright flames, the weeks-old newspaper was gone. Collapsed to a pile of ash at her hooves.
With the paper no longer hovering before her, the unicorn mare looked down the road that she had been travelling. Down the hill that she stood atop, she could make out clusters of houses and buildings spreading below. Highlighted by the rising sun, she could just make out ponies bustling about the village.
Her horn shimmered pink, adjusted the star-patterned wizard hat on her head. Despite the anger that had flared, her scowl was turning to a smile.
"Hero of Equestria, huh Spike?" she asked as her starry cape fluttered in a light breeze. "We'll just see about that."
My Little Pony: Flip-verse
Boast Backers
By Bed Head
Chapter 1
Were the article capable of feeling so, it would have been proud.
Most newspapers found themselves recorded in libraries in one way or another. This particular copy, however, held a place of honor within Ponyville's Golden Oak Library. Rather than yellowing in some box in the basement of the massive tree building, it was set into a glorious frame. A large, elaborate looking one; the sort that most ponies would save for treasured portraits.
Seated within the oversized frame, the picture in the full page article was visible to almost the entire room. One would almost think the six ponies in it were watching over the two-tiered chamber that once served as a private study room.
Not that they had much to watch. The bottom level was quiet, lined with books as one would expect in a library. The top level lacked even that, though it did sport a significant addition other than the framed paper itself.
Namely the bed in which the article's author was peacefully snoring away. His green-maned head snuggled against his pillows, completely blind and deaf to the world around him. A drowsy grin spread across his purple muzzle as he dozed under the gaze of his writing.
Behind his eyelids, everything was dark and quiet. Nothing but the softness of his mattress. The pleasant warmth of his sheets. The slow, easy sound of his own breathing. All around his barely-conscious senses there was nothing but peace and stillness.
A stillness that one patch of sun had decided wouldn't last. For some time it had been streaming through the window next to the article. Slowly it had been growing as the sun ascended, climbing the covers that hung from the bed. Finally it was large enough to reach the unicorn's face. Now it was only seconds away from its destiny.
Suddenly, the darkness was stripped away.
Spike grunted, feeling his green irises contract in shock. The red haze of light filtering through his eyelids filled his vision. Half-remembered dreams and thoughts whirled through his waking mind in a confusing whirlwind. His senses were in agony, a distant tapping noise echoing through his ears as his eyes sought some refuge from the illumination.
Warmth flowed into his horn, and he could feel the green energy spark to life around it. Instinct drove the spell as he reached out for something familiar. Something that would stop the light and end his torment. The telekinetic grip sealed and gave a sharp yank down—
There was a crackling noise and a brief scent of ozone as the spell found only empty air. Spike gasped as his entire body suddenly jerked, the backlash of a failed spell trembling through his mind. His eyes flew open with the sudden shock, a blob of brilliant sunlight dazzling them as he feebly lifted one hoof to try and block its path.
For a few seconds, he panted for breath as the light-induced pain in his eyes subsided. With one final, slow exhalation he shifted his hoof to the side; squinting at the blob of warm light that made up the far wall. The former Canterlot resident's vision slowly cleared, and his green eye traced over the scene before him. Travelling from his own likeness in the framed article on the wall, to the picture window that had let in the cruel sunlight.
A picture window, he now recalled, that lacked any blinds and (consequently) lacked the drawstring he'd reached for.
A disgruntled noise rose from his throat at the faultiness of his half-sleeping memory. He kicked out his legs, his heavy body beginning to turn over to carry his face from the light. Spike yawned as his eyes started to drift shut, sealing out the world to find a few more minutes of peaceful rest.
As he landed on his other side, his eyes suddenly widened in shock. His brain halted as he found himself facing a pair of violet eyes, narrowed in agitation.
"Finally awake, I see," a frustrated voice spoke.
"GAAH!"
With a startled cry, the unicorn tried to push away. His limbs failed wildly as he felt his rear slip over the edge of the bed. With a painful thud he found himself dumped to the floor in a tangle of purple limbs and linen sheets.
A low groan came from the muzzle of Spike "Purple Prose" Flail as he lay very still on the floor. Some manner of purple blob leered down from his bed as his vision swam from the fresh backache. A shake of his head sent the spikes of his mane flopping, his eyes swirling as his sight tried to pull itself back together.
"Twilight?" he grunted, his voice croaking with the remnants of sleep.
The purple blob had come into focus, revealing the decidedly un-amused face of a baby dragoness. Despite the fact that the pain was already fading, Spike still winced at the sight of her. An irritated sigh reached his ears as she jumped down from his bed. The darker violet spines on her head were sent bobbing as she landed next to him.
"Do you have any idea what time it is?" she asked, her claws hooking under his side.
Spike grunted as he was rolled back to his hooves. Bleary-eyed, he glanced toward the sunlight-filled window. His awakening brain whirred, trying to find an answer to appease its new reptilian taskmaster.
" Um..." he groaned, barely managing to stifle a yawn. "About seven?"
Another glare directed itself at him. Spike swallowed back another budding yawn as his mind continued its sluggish thoughts.
"Seven-thirty?" he corrected, giving a lopsided grin.
"Try eight o'clock," Twilight admonished as she crossed her arms.
The unicorn's hoof rubbed the back of his head as he bit back another groan. Twilight simply rolled her eyes as she turned toward his bed. Her claws set to work, gathering up the fallen sheets and setting them back into place.
"Eight o'clock isn't late..." Spike found himself muttering.
"But think of all the stuff you could be getting done!" Twilight responded, not even glancing back as she worked on the bed. "All the scoops you might have missed out on, or helping clean this place up..."
Spike winced, his ears flattening as the dragon went on. He could feel half his mind trying to tune Twilight out. An encouraging urge pulled from inside for him to just drift off again. An urge he pointedly ignored as he reminded himself Twilight was still standing within claw-pinch distance.
"... I mean I already reorganized the shelves downstairs," Twilight hadn't missed a beat as she spoke, smoothing out the sheets one final time. "Plus I swept, dusted, made breakfast—"
"Whoa, did you even sleep last night?" Spike asked, his eyes going wide.
Rather unexpectedly, Twilight suddenly froze in place. A few seconds of silence followed, the truth slowly dawning on Spike's waking brain. He could feel a grin crawl across his muzzle at the dragon's silence. His body began gently shake, trying to hold back as Twilight wavered a bit on her claws.
"Well..." she stammered, knitting her claws as she turned around. "I... maybe I..."
"You were up all night with some homecare book," Spike guessed, covering his mouth before anything more could slip loose.
Even under the scales, he could just make out small bags under Twilight's eyes. Her gaze was turned to the floor, slowly lifting to finally meet his.
"It was just a cookbook," she admitted, letting out a nervous chuckle. "By the time I was done it was almost sunrise and... well, those recipes would be a waste if I didn't try them, right?"
Her tone sounded almost as proud as it did embarrassed. Silence hung between Spike and Twilight for a brief moment before he finally couldn't hold it in any longer. The laughter finally found his voice, almost sending him rolling to the floor again. Twilight's own giggle quickly joined, her scaly body leaning against him as the two shook with laughter.
"So, I heard breakfast in all that?" Spike finally said as his chuckles slowed.
Twilight's claw patted his side as she flashed him a fanged grin.
"Cranberry-orange muffins," Twilight said as she plodded toward the steps down. "They're waiting downstairs when you're ready."
Spike smiled as he started after her, down to the lower tier of the bed room. His magic reignited as Twilight quickly disappeared into the stairwell down to the library's main floor. He turned his focus back to the room around him, willing his green light onto several objects nearby.
With a quick jerk of his head, a pair of saddlebags swirled through the air onto his back, covering his quill-shaped cutie mark. A handful of spare quills darted after them, along with several notepads and ink vials that loaded themselves into the pouches. Following the parade of writing utensils came a brown fedora, a white quill stuck into its black band, which settled between his ears with practiced flourish.
The young stallion turned to a nearby mirror, flashing his reflection a grin. His horn gave one final spark, tilting his hat to a jaunty angle before he gave a nod of approval. Humming a bit, Spike started toward the stairwell. He could already smell the warm scent of fresh muffins wafting from the floor below.
"SPECIAL DELIV—"
CRASH
The burst of noise from below sent him stumbling to a halt before he'd even made it three steps down. A few last, lonely thuds echoed up the stairwell as Spike stood stock still. He knew the voice hadn't been Twilight's, but was still one that rang with familiarity. His hoof met his face as the recognition quickly worked its way past the shock.
"Oh boy..." he muttered as he began racing down the stairs once more.
The purple pony couldn't recall the last time he'd reached the ground floor so quickly. Walls lined with books and a few small reading tables were the first things to greet him as he skidded to a halt. His gaze passed right over them, seeking the source of the voice he'd heard.
He didn't get far before his wandering eyes stopped. An entire wall of the room seemed to have ejected every book it housed to the floor. Cowering near the pile with a muffin tray over her head was Twilight. The dragon didn't seem to care in the slightest about the bits of food stuck in her spines as she trembled next to the large pile of fallen books. Spike trotted to her side, his magic levitating pieces of pastry from her.
"You alright, Twi?" Spike asked, carefully levitating his assistant back to her feet.
"I-I think so..." Twilight stammered as she wavered in place.
Spike let out a quick sigh of relief, his eyes returning to the room. A frown began to crease his features as he failed to find anypony else present though.
"So where's—" he started to ask.
The sound of tumbling books cut him off. The unicorn and dragon both stumbled back from the pile of tomes nearby, barely avoiding the ones that cascaded from the top. Spike's heart leapt to his throat as the entire heap began to tremble, his horn frantically lighting as he realized what was coming.
Just in the nick of time, a translucent dome of green light appeared around the purple duo and the books. The entire stack suddenly burst outward, multiple tomes bouncing off Spike's shield. The commotion died out quickly as the last of the books fell, leaving the far side of the barrier a scattered mess.
And standing in the middle of it all was a gray pegasus, a blue mailbag slung over her side. Despite the multitude of books that had covered her, she still had a huge grin on her muzzle. In fact, only one of her yellow eyes even seemed to be looking at the mess she had shrugged off. The other was focused directly on the young stallion across the shield from her.
"Morning Spike!" she said in a remarkably cheerful voice. "Hi Twilight!"
The shield rippled and fell away. Spike had one hoof over his mouth, jaw clamped firmly on his tongue. He couldn't help the grin crawling over his face but the heavy sigh Twilight had let out made laughing seem like a dangerous prospect this time.
"Oh Ditzy Doo, not again..." the purple reptile lamented as she rubbed at her temples.
Despite his assistance's stress, Spike couldn't help one thought that ran through his mind.
Just another morning in Ponyville...
Some way to start the day.
"Ow," the blue unicorn spoke in agreement with her own thought.
Seated in the back of her wagon, she winced as a cool, damp cloth pressed against her head. Her pointed hat sat to the side of the vanity mirror while she parted her white mane, searching for any further damage. She breathed a thankful sigh as the light of her horn revealed none.
"Talk about a fitting name..." she grumbled, her magic pressing a bit harder on her compress.
A sharp intake of breath whistled through her teeth. Jumbled pictures of gray wings and yellow eyes rolled over her. Just thinking about the moment caused her head to throb afresh, in spite of how lucky she had felt at the time.
Ditzy Doo (Element of Laughter)
That had been how the article's caption had labeled the gray mare. The unicorn remembered thinking that clearly when she saw her flying overhead. Somehow the coincidence had seemed so fortunate.
All up to the point of Ditzy's "landing."
"Ugh," grumbled the unicorn as she gingerly removed the cloth. "Why anypony would let her fly unsupervised—"
The blue mare cut herself off with a final gasp of pain as her hat settled on her head. She looked her reflection over again, nodding in satisfaction. The hat did a fine job covering the small bump, and already she could hear something outside her little wagon that was easing the rest of the pain.
Walking to the far wall, she clambered onto the bunk mounted there. One eye pressed against the nearly imperceptible hole, peering to the outside world. A smile grew on her muzzle as she saw the beginnings of a crowd of ponies. Not very many, but each of them holding a colorful poster via hoof, wing, or magic aura.
"Well, she got the job done," the mare told herself as she flopped down onto her bed. "That's the important thing."
Still smiling to herself, the mare's horn flared to life once more. From the nightstand nearby, a small picture frame floated toward her. She grasped it between blue hooves, her manic grin reducing to a nostalgic smirk as she gazed upon the photograph within.
A blue filly smiled back at her, a pointed wizard hat almost covering her eyes. A tiny, purple dragoness sat along her back; chewing away on the end of the filly's starry cape and exposing the star-shaped magic wand that made up her new cutie mark. A few other foals were visible, spread in the background, but what truly drew the eye was the colorful banner overhead.
CONGRATULATIONS TRIXIE!!!
Trixie's eyes gleamed as she put the picture back into place. She could still almost hear the music and chatter coming from it. Echoing back from within her memories. The chatter slowly mixed with jeering and laughter, and images of a certain purple stallion humiliated before the crowd.
She closed her eyes as the picture on her dresser watched on. A lone image of the happiest moment of her life.
Soon to be the second happiest.
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I'M BACK EVERYPONY!
Here it is at last, my (apparently) long awaited follow-up to Flipside! A big welcome to all new readers, who might want to go read my first story so they at least know the world. And a bigger welcome back to returning readers!
As before, I can't promise much in way of a schedule... especially seeing as I just had wisdom tooth removal done less than 8 hours ago. But the story is here, it's started, and it's gonna be fun!
Enjoy and leave comments! I promise I'll be receptive to criticism once the pain-killers wear off
Yes! So happy this is continuing!!!
You kow, I don;t think I ever told you how much I loved the first one. I love the idea of those two being swapped but still maintaining the same personalities. Most would have just swapped the names and nothing else. Good job.
I'm VERY excited because it seems we will be learning how Spike and Twilight got together. Past drama with a certain Great and Powerful one, eh?
I am so eagerly awaiting more. Thank you for continuing.
Also:
I... sincerely HOPE it's not Twilight's butt that rings familiar...
Faved before i even read it. I've been waiting for this for a while.
3019245
Even with a beta, typos slip through. Thanks for catching that and just PM me anymore you find
Really happy to finally to see this sequel.
But you should remember to add a note you're last story to let everyone know the sequel is out. I only found this story by scrolling through the what's hot.
AWESOME!!
Also something I meant to ask in the last story, does Ditzy Doo have a thing for Spike?
I think you have an extra word here:
Otherwise, it's a fun story and I can't wait to see more! :)
3023775
I thank you for catching that. Feel free to PM anymore typos or mistakes you spot directly to me
It's here... it's finally here!
Hmm... the picture seems to be inferring that Trixie is the one who hatched Twilight... interesting.
3024912
If I find anymore I will, for now just keep up the great story :)
Oh, boy. Watching this idiot turn into Blue Sunset Shimmer should prove.....entertaining.
no way in, no way out,... no way in, no way out... great chapter, keep goin and stay golden^^
Huh, Spike and Trixie kinda have the same expression in the character tags.
3071934 yeah but Spike is more of snarky/sarcastic/ and can be a bit smug but twilight, the other mane 6 or himself brings his ego back down. Trixie is as of the last we saw her smug/over-confident/ and holds a grudge. then again it occurs to me you might not have been implying anything and were simply pointing out an interesting fact.... so yeah. if its the second then mah bad
3073032
Yeah, just pointing out an interesting coincidence.
Finally starting this after way too long. :D Anyway, gonna be interesting in a good way to see Trixie as a full antagonist/possibly villainous role. ;) Then again I proofread My Little Avengers, which had Trixie as Loki's evil apprentice and ended with her becoming Trixie Von DOOM!
Anyway, love your Spike. I love Twilight and Ditzy, here. Hopefully I can get caught up soon.
It's amazing how even though their personalities are not changed in the slightest, the maturity levels of the two being swapped makes it a completely different, yet recognizable experience. I could totally see a filly Twilight doing that. In that, that's my headcanon. This actually happened at some point when Twilight was a filly. Replace Spike with Shining Armor, and I'm convinced this happened at some point in canon of the show, word for word.
I'm half hoping that when they go downstairs, Ditzy is there just finishing the last one.
...
Meh, close enough.
That image is just to cute!
THUMP
(And that's how King Cocoon died from diabetic shock.)
3019245
It may not be Twilight's, but it is a mare that is known to have "buns of steel".
3019674
Probably not. But I personally like the idea that she might hang around him for an excuse to hang around Twilight. Being a mother could cause her motherly instincts to respond to Twilight. Two legal guardians hanging out with the intent of letting the children interact as a playdate.
3026089
If you've read Flipside, you'd realize that it's not just an inference.