Found

by Nurse Bedpan

I

Ponyville isn’t the safest of places to settle in. Why Princess Celestia ever recommended it to the first Apples will always be a mystery for the ages. Between manic spirits of chaos and the insane menagerie of the neighboring Everfree, excitement and danger are only a horseshoe toss away.

Still, it boasts some of the nicer things Equestria has to offer: lip-smackingly good Apple cider, immense hospitality (more than Manehattan or Canterlot have to offer), and even their own fire-breathing dragon!

Okay, so the last part might be just an exaggeration. Still, Twilight Sparkle called Ponyville home, and that was good enough for her number one assistant.

Amazingly enough, things seemed to have quieted down lately. After the whole incident at the Empire, nothing ground-shaking had happened for a while. The only recent development Spike could remember off the top of his spines was that new trick Pinkie Pie had been using to jostle the kids out of a rut.

“Jeez, I didn’t know she could make a face like that!”

The excitement had boiled down to such an extent that Twilight had given Spike the day off from his chores. “You really ought to stretch your legs, Spike. A growing dragon needs exercise just as much as his next gem!,” she laughed as she gave him a magical nudge towards the door.

“But…!,” he protested, only to be cut off with a concerned, if quick “No buts, Spike. I think you deserve a proper rest – one that doesn’t involve any fancy dress balls or you just lying in your basket with your mouth agape.”

Unable to argue, Spike left the library with a small smile… and absolutely no idea what to do with his day.

The answer came to him soon enough, as it is wont to do in most kids. “I guess I’ll check out some of the sites. It has been a while since I got out of the library without a checklist.”

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As it turned out, Spike knew Ponyville better than he gave himself credit for. With a good amount of daylight to spare, he had covered almost all of Ponyville.

He spent a sizeable span of time going to, from, and doubling away from Carousel Boutique in hopes of getting some “alone time’ with Rarity, but his bashfulness did not permit him to do much beyond reaching his claw up to her door to knock. After his ninth time of stopping cold on the welcome mat, Spike thought “Maybe when I’m more ready,” and resumed his search for fun-filled frolic.

He also devoted a few hours to watching the schoolfoals spend their bit allowances over at the open air arcade. One colt was even gracious enough to share his bit stash with him for a few games of Smash-It Stallion; regrettably, he was not gracious enough to go easy on the young librarian. “I’ll get you next time, Mash! You’ll see what thumbs can do in an arcade!,” Spike intoned jovially as the latter was led home by his mother. Fun as it was, the pudgy little dragon was once again left with nothing but time on his claws. The sun continued to shine high above, confirming that his curfew was still a longways off.

With little else to do and an increasingly vacant stomach, he headed for Sweet Apple Acres in hopes of chatting up Applejack (and probably getting a free snack for his efforts).

Instead of the familiar orange mare, he was greeted by a smaller yellow filly; in addition to her pink bow, she wore two small baskets at the sides of her barrel. Apple Bloom seemed to be in high spirits, given her energetic skip and ever-present beam.

“Howdy, Spike! What brings ya ‘round th’ farm? Big Mac asked me to work some o’ th’ fields today! Ah feel like a right apple farmer now!,” she said cheerfully.

“Uh, AB, don’t you always do this? I mean, you DO live here.” Spike was quite nonplussed by his friend’s giddiness for manual labor.

“Not by mahself, Ah don’t! Mah brother n’ sister are awful busy cleanin’ up all the Acres for the family reunion comin’ up, so they finally let me pull some more weight ‘round here. It’s the best!”

“Well, there goes that quick snack I was hoping for,” Spike mumbled to himself. While he didn’t particularly dislike talking to Apple Bloom, he knew that he had better things to do than talk about cutie marks. Conversations with any of the Crusaders often lead to discussions about very long and overly involved methods to acquire the ever elusive flank symbols.

Not one to forsake his manners, Spike flashed a winning smile at the little Apple, wished her luck on her work, and turned around to make his way back to the town proper. Before he could even make five steps away, his stomach betrayed him with a mighty growl.

*guuuuuuuurrggggllee*

“Oh, horseapples.”

“Ha ha! Somehow, Ah knew that was gonna happen. No shame in getting’ a little famished, Spike. Here – Ah’ll just tell Applejack I needed a snack.” Apple Bloom went ahead and grabbed one of the red fruits from her saddle basket and tossed it towards her friend.

Spike wasn’t sure what happened next; it was difficult to process. Apple Bloom swung her head to toss him the apple; he assumed she was at least aiming at his chest, but she hit him square in the face instead.

“Hey! What’s the big ide-…?!”

He was unable to finish the thought, as his would-be assailant had vanished through a filly-sized hole in the ground. Only a plume of black dust had been where she was standing.

Spike was frozen in place. The last time he saw a pony get dragged down into an earthen abyss was two years ago when he had been helping Rarity find gems in the woods…

He was brought back to reality by Winona’s mad barking, a distraught “What in tarnation is goin’ on here?” from Applejack, and the thundering hooves of a feverishly digging Big Macintosh. A gentle shake from Granny Smith restored his ability to speak. He rushed to Applejack, all but blubbering “Apple Bloom, apple, face, ground, gone, dogs! Applejack, it’s the Diamond Dogs! THEY’RE BACK!”