• Published 26th Mar 2014
  • 2,677 Views, 96 Comments

Grabby - Wise Cracker



Spike is stealing again. This calls for drastic measures, of a medicinal kind.

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7
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Spell Check

Spike glanced around the library. New books sat in boxes by the door, the bookcases had a thin layer of dust on them, and the air was thick with that familiar scent of dust and paper. The smell didn’t register as much as the taste, though: the air was a lot woodier in Ponyville’s library than it had been in Canterlot’s. Every day he’d wake up with just a hint of acorny bitterness on his tongue, but by now that had become the taste of home.

Still, the dust was something he couldn’t quite stomach.

Spike saluted the princess and stood to attention. “Okay, ready when you are, Twilight. Just tell me where you want the new books and they’re there.”

Twilight smiled at the little dragon. “Actually, Spike, I’ve been looking into more advanced household magic recently. You can sit this one out.” Twilight closed her eyes and concentrated. Purple light flowed forth from her horn to envelop every book in the room, including the ones in boxes that had arrived the past few days. Slowly, carefully, each book rose up from its resting place to circle around the pair.

Spike frowned. “Oh, so you’re using a spell for it. Didn’t you use this one before? I thought it took too long this way.”

Twilight opened her eyes and took a careful, controlled breath. “That one required me to check every single book on its own before I could put it in its place. This spell allows me to arrange the books without me needing to check them all one by one. And speaking of which, time to clean out the cases.”

Spike dashed off and returned with a feather duster. “I’m on it! Whoa!” He nearly got pulled off the ground when the duster rebelled against his grip and left to join its animated brethren. As one, feather dusters, brooms and dustbins moved over the floors of the bookcases, collecting dust and grime as they went. Before long, the wood of the cases had lost its thin layer of grey, and the air became a lot fresher as Twilight opened all the windows.

Spike checked Twilight for any signs of exertion. She didn’t need to squint, perk her ears, bunch up her wings, she was holding up just fine. Twilight’s smile turned to a grin once the last of the cleaning was done. “And now we just get every book in its place.”

She put her hooves to her temples. The purple glow around every book changed colour, seemingly at random. Some turned green, some turned red, some yellow. As far as Spike could tell, the spell Twilight had cast could read the covers enough to tell the difference by topic, maybe even arrange them by author.

With another calm breath and force of will, Twilight had the books settle into their new spaces. The boxes with new additions were empty, the library was clean. The job was done.

Spike scratched the back of his head. “Huh, that was pretty quick.”

“It was, wasn’t it? And so much easier.”

Spike grumbled as he walked to the door. “Yeah, a lot easier.”

Twilight came up behind him, fetching her saddlebags and grocery list with her magic. “Come on, let’s get you all the things you need for your cake.”

Spike licked his lips and rubbed his hands together. "Can't wait."


It was the kind of day that tended to cause arguments in Ponyville. On one end of the spectrum, there were normal ponies who appreciated the efforts of the Ponyville Weather Patrol in giving them a sunny morning. On the other end, there was the Ponyville Writer’s Club, who would send a letter every week, like clockwork, imploring the Weather Patrol to ‘Please provide some weather that makes for a more interesting and original intro, as editors are tired of hearing what a sunny morning it is every single day’. At which point the Weather Patrol captain would fly towards the Writer’s Club and deposit the most interesting raincloud she could find, open the sluices and just leave it there.

But Ponyville Market was, thankfully, far removed from the Writer’s Club headquarters, and as such it was a sunny morning there.

“Spike?”

Spike turned, unaware he’d zoned out. He’d been staring at the jars of honey at Mister Bumbles’ stand, but he couldn’t think of a reason why. Twilight didn’t particularly notice, as she had her eyes firmly on her grocery list.

Twilight held up the parchment and quill in her magic. “Okay, so that’s all the flour we needed, all the sugar, and now we need to get ourselves some tomatoes for a nice salad this week.”

Spike followed, fidgeting with his empty hands. He didn’t listen to Twilight talking to the mare selling tomatoes, or to the sound of bits hitting wood. His eyes were fixed on the cherry tomatoes right at eye height.

“Spike? Are you daydreaming about something?”

Spike quickly shook his head to clear it. “Huh? Uh, yeah, sorry. I think maybe I didn’t get enough sleep.”

Twilight frowned. “I don’t know, Spike, you hit the hay just as early as I do. Were you fantasising about your five-gem cake, maybe?”

Spike grumbled as they left the tomato stand. He licked his lips, though. “Yeah, that’s gonna be deliciousss…”

“Hey! Excuse me?”

Twilight and Spike turned. The mare at the tomato stand was gesturing to them. “Are you going to pay for that cherry tomato you took?”

Twilight frowned, her shopping list and quill still floating beside her. “I didn’t take any cherry tomatoes.”

“Not you, Your Highness, that dragon of yours. I saw him snatch it right out of the box as you left.”

Twilight looked down at Spike. He shrugged, empty-handed and with no juice on his lips. She turned back towards the beige mare with the brown mane. “I’m sorry, but I think you’re mistaken. Spike doesn’t take food that’s not his; he knows better. Come on, Spike.”

Spike turned away to follow Twilight. Even so, he could feel the glares of some ponies boring into his back, even catching a few murmurs amongst the crowds.

“Think he’s stealing again?”

“A sweet boy like him? Never, not after what happened last time.”

“Better batten down the hatches, just in case.”

Spike idly rubbed his arm, clenching and unclenching his fists as he went. He perked up once Applejack’s stand came into view. His eyes were drawn to a pie just out of his reach. His tongue slipped out, he could taste that sweetness even from afar.

He stopped himself and wriggled his tongue around in his mouth. Did my tongue just split? Feels normal now… must be nothing.

“Top of the morning to ya, Twilight,” Applejack greeted. “The usual?”

Twilight nodded. “The usual.”

Applejack already had a bag ready for the princess, Twilight had her bits ready. Applejack looked down at her stall, then at Spike. Twilight put her things away, scratched off another item from her list, then looked at Applejack. “Something wrong?”

Applejack scratched her head. “I don’t know. I could’ve sworn I had another apple pie standin’ here.”

Twilight looked at the baby dragon again. “Spike, did you just eat that pie?”

“What? No, honest!” He shook his head vehemently.

Twilight sighed and took out a few more bits from her purse. “Here, Applejack. I think Spike might be getting a case of the munchies.”

Applejack chuckled. “No worries, Twi. I’m sure Spike didn’t mean to.”

Spike held up his hands. “But I didn’t take the pie.”

“Come on, Spike.” Twilight led the way. “We just need to stop by Filthy Rich’s stall for some banana jam, so try to behave.”

Spike groaned. “I am behaving, Twilight. I don’t know what’s going on, but it’s not me.” Ponies were looking at them again. Spike grunted. “I’m not stealing anything, really.”

Twilight didn’t hear. She just put up her best smile for Filthy Rich and his assistant for the day. “Hello, Mister Rich, Diamond Tiara.”

The stallion smiled at the pair. “Hello, Your Highness, and Sir Dragon. What can I do for you?”

Spike barely felt the world slip out from under him again. He just stared at the jars of jam lined up in front of him. Everything else seemed distant, unimportant. For just a split second, he even forgot where he was.

“There he is!”

Spike was snapped out of his reverie. The mare selling tomatoes had rounded up some of her colleagues, apparently. Spike recognised the stallion who sold honey, the one at the fruit stand, even the one who sold pickled peppers.

Twilight packed her things, including her scroll and quill, before facing the crowd. “Is this about the cherry tomato? Seems a little zealous for just one bit, or two. I never can keep up with the prices around here.”

Diamond Tiara nudged her father. “Daddy?”

Mister Rich kept his voice low and calm. “Easy, darling, I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation.”

The tomato salespony stepped forward. “Listen, Princess Twilight. We’re all very grateful for the things you have done for Equestria, but that doesn’t give you the right to take what isn’t yours.”

Twilight flinched. “Umm, excuse me? I didn’t take anything, not without paying for it.”

The beige mare pointed an accusing hoof towards Spike. “You didn’t, but Spike there’s been stealing from every stall he’s passed today. He gulped up a jar of honey, he took one of my cherry tomatoes, and I saw him gobble up one of Applejack’s pies just now.”

Applejack left her stand and stepped in front of the crowd. “Now hold on there, Roma. Even if Spike took a few things, you can’t go gangin’ up on him like this. He’s only a child, and he’s a dragon to boot. This ain’t the time or the place to go accusin’ him of anything.”

Spike pointed right back at Roma with his claw. “Yeah! I’m not a thief, what proof do you have I took anything?”

Twilight sighed. “Spike, put the jar down.”

Spike looked at his hand. He had a jar of strawberry jam in his claws. He quickly put it back on the stand. “I didn’t take that. I know I didn’t. I don’t remember taking it.”

Roma, the tomato mare, pointed an accusing hoof to the little dragon. “See? He’s stealing, and he should be punished. I should think that dragon of yours knows it’s wrong to take stuff that doesn’t belong to him.”

“He does, don’t you, Spike?” Twilight looked down at him.

“Of course I know! I don’t know what happened.” Spike looked down at claws, clenching and unclenching his fists like he was expecting something to happen.

Rome scowled. “Well, obviously he hasn’t learned enough.”

Applejack pounded the ground angrily. “That’s enough out of you, Roma. Spike’s just as much a hero as me and Twilight, he’s helped save Equestria and the Crystal Empire, so you show some respect, ya hear?”

Much to everypony’s surprise, Roma lightened up at that. “Right. I’m sorry, that was out of line. It’s not his fault; he is only a baby, after all.”

This did not go down well with Spike. “What?!”

“Calm down, Spike.” Twilight put a hoof on his shoulder to try and calm him down.

Spike angrily pushed it off. “No, I don’t have to take that from you! I know who you are; you’re the same pony that ripped off Fluttershy. You helped turn her into a jerk when that Iron Will guy came around. Well, I’m not gonna let you stand there and badmouth me. I’m not just a baby, I’m a baby dragon. You can’t just pretend I’m like a pony baby; I was taught by Princess Celestia, I got my degree in Canterlot! Where did you go to school, huh?”

Roma took a step back when Spike approached her. “Okay, I get it. My mistake, Spike. No need to get all angry.”

Spike caught his breath. “Look, if I took all that stuff, I’m sorry. I didn’t realise it was happening, okay? But you don’t get to insult me for something that isn’t even my fault. And you definitely don’t get to call me things like that.”

Mister Bumbles, the tan stallion from the honey stand, frowned. “Princess Twilight, tell your son to calm down, would you?”

Twilight’s expression hardened. “He has every right to be outraged, at all of you. Look at you, ganging up on him just over some little things you barely even noticed he took. You didn't even bother to settle this in private, or give him the benefit of the doubt. And he is not my son; he is my friend, and my assistant. He works hard, just like any pony would. He’s not beneath you and he’s certainly not beneath me.”

Spike nodded. “That’s right. I’ve got a job to do, just like you.”

“Wow, a little kid slaving for a princess? No wonder he steals.”

Spike nearly bellowed out a flame. His eyes narrowed to mere dots. “Who said that? Who said that?!

Silence fell over the crowd of market ponies. The ones who’d been protesting took a careful step back, and the onlookers looked away in shame.

Spike gritted his teeth. “Which one of you said that?”

One by one, everypony he could see shook their heads.

Twilight shook hers at the crowd. “Go back to your stalls, everypony, your customers are waiting. Come on, Spike, we’re heading back home. Looks like the market’s fresh out of manners today.”

Spike was still fuming. “Not before they apologise.”

Applejack walked over to him and patted him on the head as the market ponies dispersed and got back to work. “It’s okay, Spike. Folks are just scared, is all.”

Spike looked up at Applejack, sobbing. “But… this isn’t fair. I can’t help it. Why do they get to say that about me? They’re not supposed to be allowed to do that.”

Applejack smiled down at him. “I know, sugarcube. They’ll come around.”

“Your Highness, if I may?” Filthy Rich tapped Twilight on the shoulder.

“I’m sorry about the jar, Mister Rich. I didn’t mean to.” Spike looked at the ground.

“I understand that, Spike. But, Princess, it seems to me that Spike’s stealing habit is related to his magic, correct?” Filthy Rich asked carefully.

Twilight solemnly nodded as Applejack walked off to tend to a customer. “Yes, it is. I still haven’t found anything on dragons, though, so I can’t be sure.”

Rich cleared his throat and lowered his voice. “But I take it his greed will feed his magic and possibly cause him to get a growth spurt again?”

Twilight bit her lip and sighed. “I sure hope not, but if this keeps up, maybe. I don’t think this is as bad as it was last time, though. What do you think, Spike?”

Spike shook his head, staring at his claws. “No, this is different. I’m still me this time, mostly.”

Rich nodded. “Look, Your Highness, um, Twilight, I’m not going to make a fuss over this one little thing. It’d be bad for business in the long run, after all, and I know Spike’s no thieving miscreant. But I still need to consider the safety of my family. Do you have any ways of stopping Spike from getting out of control? Did you find any way to calm him down after what happened last time?”

Twilight winced. “None I can think of, no. Why do you ask?”

Filthy looked away, carefully weighing his words. “Well, it just occurred to me that Spike, being a dragon, is a creature of magic, just like ponies are. So perhaps, if you don’t know what solutions exist for dragons, would it not be more useful to check what solutions exist for any creatures of magic?”

Twilight pondered it for a moment. “You know, you might have a point there. Do you have any experience in the matter?”

Filthy Rich blushed. “I have friends and relatives in the Royal Guard, Your Highness. I’ve met some very high-level unicorns in my day, and not all of them had your spotless record.”

“Well, I wouldn’t call it spotless, but… yeah, we did get some classes on magic ailments, and not all of it would be limited to ponies. I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to see a unicorn doctor. I think we will try that. Thank you, Mister Rich.”

“A pleasure to help. Good day to you, Your Highness, and Sir Dragon.”

“Yeah, bye, Princess Twilight, and Spike!” Diamond Tiara waved as they left. Wait ‘till Silver Spoon hears about this.


Spike hated the hospital. Not because the pillows on the examination table were so hard, not because of the medical posters everywhere that were really only interesting to ponies, but because of the taste, or lack thereof. If pressed, he’d say that hospitals weren’t so bad, but only as long as he could keep his mouth closed, which made visiting sick friends an awkward affair. The air in Ponyville Hospital always tasted of chemicals, since sanitation was not an easy feat for creatures that walked on all fours most of the time. The disinfectants that hung in the air were heavy-duty, enough to numb Spike’s tongue when he opened his mouth.

Nevertheless, it was a bit of a relief to taste the wood of a spatula on his tongue, even if the dark yellow unicorn inspecting him was somewhat intimidating to be around. Doctor Stable shone a penlight in Spike’s eyes after checking the dragon’s mouth. “No split tongue now. Your eyes aren’t slit and your eyelids haven’t morphed yet, so it’s not progressing, at least.”

Spike sat perfectly still on the examination table. “That’s good, right?”

Doctor Stable nodded. “It’s a good sign, certainly. Are you feeling hungry now, Spike?”

Spike shook his head. “Uh uh.”

Doctor Stable held up a lollipop in his magic. Before Twilight could even make a remark, Spike had gulped the whole thing down and spat out the stick. Stable furrowed his brow. “You’re absolutely sure you’re not feeling hungry right now?”

Spike nodded. “Sure I’m sure. I had a big breakfast, I eat healthy. Well, I think I eat healthy. It’s kinda hard to tell.”

The doctor turned to Twilight. “And he always eats regularly? No cramps, no regurgitation?”

Twilight shrugged. “He only gets cramps when he eats too much ice cream, and I haven’t seen him do that in a while. Have you, Spike?”

Spike shrugged. “Not that I noticed, but I guess I can’t tell anymore. I don’t think I ate any of the dough when I cleaned up at Sugarcube Corner, either.”

“Then no, doctor, no cramps. And he doesn’t throw up, either. He hasn’t even burped out a letter in weeks, and even if he had, it never bothered him when it was just one at a time.”

Doctor Stable nodded. “Lay back for me, Spike, I need to check something.” Spike obeyed. Stable leaned over the boy. “Let me know if it hurts at all.” Stable poked and prodded along Spike’s belly scales, checking for any swelling or blockages. “Nothing? No sudden jabs?”

“Nope. Nothing hurts.”

“What about here?” Stable prodded slightly higher up.

“Ow! Yeah, that hurts.”

Stable sat back and motioned for Spike to sit up again. “Okay, that rules out a tight diaphragm, then. And he’s only been taking food, you say?”

Twilight nodded. “Yes, just food so far, and only this morning. He’s not making any kind of hoard yet, but there’s no way of knowing if that’s all he’s going to keep taking, or if he’s going to grow again. And since last time, the paediatrician here couldn’t help because, you know, Spike’s a dragon and not exactly a child-”

“-unlike what some ponies think-” Spike folded his arms in front of his chest.

Twilight continued, undisturbed. “-somepony suggested we look into remedies regarding magic.”

The unicorn regarded the little dragon. “Well, as far as I can tell, you’re probably right: Spike looks healthy to me. There’s no wheezing on his lungs, no erratic heart rate, and from the sound of it, his digestive system is working fine, too. That does, indeed, only leave magic. But if you don’t mind me saying so, Your Highness, I was under the impression you know that field better than I do.”

“Yeah, you’re not the only one.” Twilight chuckled sheepishly. “The problem is that I only studied magic from a practical perspective, never a medical one. I was only taught about magical exhaustion, and basic things, nothing like this.”

Stable frowned, confused. “But surely Spike here’s been sick before, hasn’t he? Was his growth spurt really the first time you saw a doctor? He must have medical files back in Canterlot?”

Spike idly kicked his feet over the edge of the table. “I never really needed a doctor before that. When I get a cold or the flu or anything, I just rest up and Twilight takes care of me.”

Stable looked to Twilight again. “And he’s been with you all his life, I take it?”

Spike shook his head. “No, I was raised by Princess Celestia at first, but she showed Twilight how to take care of me. I don’t really remember much of that. I don’t think anypony ever thought to write down when I got sick or anything.”

Stable raised a hoof to chin, pondering. “So basically, Spike, any remedies you’ve had so far were generic ones, and only the mild ones at that? You’ve never had to take any hard medicine? No proper pills that require a prescription?”

Twilight’s ears perked. “Oh, he’s had medicine. We have some powder at the library for fever, a cream for respiratory problems, syrup for stomach pains, that kind of thing. He has medicine if he needs it, but nothing you need a doctor’s note for. So yes, all generic so far, and all mild ones, never prescribed.”

Stable nodded. “I see. And in terms of illness, has he ever had any specifically dragon-related diseases?”

Spike looked away, thinking. “Well, there was that one time all those letters came up, when Discord broke out the first time. Twilight just gave me some syrup for that, and it helped. Oh, and I did get this weird rash after I came back from the dragon migration, but that cleared up with some cream, too.”

Stable had a chart float over to take notes. “Oh, well, that’s good. If any dragons come near Ponyville in the future, healthy and non-aggressive ones, I’d recommend you take Spike to see them, too. He’ll probably get sick, but he needs to build up his immunity when he’s young. Wouldn’t want any opportunistic pathogens to get the better of him.”

Spike grimaced. “Upper tuna whatnow?”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “He means that young dragons need to get sick from some things, and sick it out, so their bodies can defend against it later. Some diseases are a lot worse if you catch them when you’re older or when you’re weakened by something. It doesn’t mean we’d let you go anywhere near a dragon who’s really sick, though.”

“Oh, right. That’s good to know.”

Stable jotted down some more lines on his chart. “Right then, I think it’d be best if we do start keeping records of when and if Spike gets sick, just to prevent any future problems. Next time he gets the flu or a cough, please bring him in, so we can keep track of it. As for the gluttony problem, if it is rooted in his magic then it’s his magic that needs treatment. The only generic medicine for his problem would be worrywort extract.”

Spike quirked an eyebrow. “Worrywort?”

Twilight nodded emphatically. “Of course. It’s a herbal tea ponies drink when their magic goes out of control. When unicorns have practised a single spell for too long, or when Pegasus ponies have been doing weather duty for too long, the magic sticks and it can make their bodies act weird. They can’t focus on what they’re doing, because their magic keeps acting up and distracting them. Worrywort tea numbs the awareness of magic without suppressing it. It makes you more focused on what you’re doing.”

Spike looked at the ceiling, thinking, before turning to the doctor again. “Soo… I could still do everything I normally do, then? It wouldn’t take my flame away?”

Stable nodded. “Exactly. It wouldn’t tamper with your growth, physical or magical, but it would affect your mental state. The only problem is one of dosage.”

Spike winced. “What do you mean?”

“If you were a unicorn who’d cast an electric skin spell and you were just under high voltage all the time, then the tea would help you switch it off. In small doses, it just numbs what your magic is telling you, so the magic itself becomes more of a conscious action and less of a continued reflex action. But in your case, it’s a compulsion caused by your magic. It’s not unusual, mind you: a lot of young ponies have difficulty concentrating when their talent first develops. But for those kids, the tea doesn’t do enough. They need the active ingredient in a concentrated form, which we do have. It’s called Cogitin, and it does work, but it’s… well, iffy, let’s say.” The doctor grimaced.

Spike gulped. “Iffy? How?”

Stable sighed. “Mostly there’s a debate about which children should take it and which ones shouldn’t. You have to understand, in the studies of magic there can be a lot of competition, and the best students don’t just get better grades, they get more powerful, as well as being easier to manage. Some parents, mostly unicorns, obviously, have been known to get false diagnoses or even illicitly feed their children with the stuff in order for them to be… well, ‘better’ kids, if you catch my drift. It’s a gross misuse of the medicine, of course.”

Twilight grimaced. “But is it bad for them? Would it be bad for Spike?”

“It depends on the patient. Basically, it makes the connection between your magic and your mind a one-way street: you can use magic, but your magic doesn’t affect you. There’s no feedback coming back to you. For some children, especially those with troublesome or unstable talents, that’s a good way to balance out a compulsion and help them mature. For children who don’t need it, it’s basically taking their talent away for no reason. For a dragon, we’d have to know what parts of you are driven by magic and what parts aren’t.”

Spike narrowed his eyes. “But it is safe, right? There aren’t any side effects?”

The doctor shrugged. “Every drug has side effects, Spike, and usually the side effect is the main effect. For Cogitin, the main effect is letting you be focused and not distracted by what your magic dictates. It would put you in full control and remove your compulsion towards greed, that I can tell for you for sure. The problem is that because there’s no record on dragons, there’s no telling what else it’ll take away.”

Spike fidgeted in place. “But I’d still be me, right? I’d still be the same dragon?”

Stable shook his head. “No, that’s the whole point; you’re trying to be a dragon who doesn’t feel the need to steal. And Cogitin will definitely do that, but without any prior tests there’s no way of knowing if your personality will change besides that. You might start some new habits as a result, possibly bad ones.”

Twilight looked to her friend. “Oh, I can keep track of that for him. He’s got more free time now, he can get new hobbies and habits. If it does change things, I can make sure it’s for the better. What do you think, Spike?”

Spike nodded. “Well, yeah. Twilight can make sure I don’t change too much, so… sounds great.”

Stable took some more notes. “Good. I’ll write you a prescription, then.”


Twilight took a look at the bottle, putting the dishes away with another magic field. “Okay, so it says to take one in the morning, after breakfast, and one after dinner. You’re absolutely sure you want to do this, Spike?”

Spike’s tongue snapped out and grabbed an apple from a nearby basket, landing it cleanly in his mouth. He looked up at Twilight and swallowed. “I’m gonna end up raiding the kitchen if I don’t. I’m sure.”

Twilight took one pill out and gave Spike a glass of water. He took the pill, downed the water, then looked down at himself to check for any changes. “I don’t feel any different.”

“Maybe you’ll only notice in the morning. Ready for another story?”

Spike squeed giddily. “Yup. Which one’s up tonight?”

Twilight walked up the stairs to their room, Spike in tow. She shuffled through some of her books with her magic, then settled down with Spike next to her. “It’s the story of Prince Willow, the Filly Who Wasn’t.”

Spike shrugged. “Sounds good to me.”

Twilight frowned as she opened the book. Spike kept his eyes on the book as Twilight read. He didn’t scowl when she told of how this prince made cupcakes for his friends like a girly girl, or when this Willow character shined up his crown to make it prettier, like a girl would. Spike didn’t even object when she got to the chapter where Willow’s parents decided he was better off as a princess instead of prince.

Even more surprisingly, Spike didn’t notice the time. Given Twilight’s propensity for long reading sessions, that meant she’d gone past his bedtime.

Twilight yawned. “I think we’ll leave this one here for tonight. Do you like the story, Spike?”

Spike nodded. “Yeah, but it’s pretty obvious what’s going to happen.”

“Oh?”

“Some faerie or a witch is going to come around and turn him into a girl, and then something’s going to happen that makes everyone wish they hadn’t made fun of him, or her, and then they’ll turn him back to normal.”

Twilight blinked, surprised. “Well, guess we’ll find out tomorrow. Good night, Spike.” She crawled into bed, leaving the dragon to do the same.

“Good night, Twilight.”

Twilight turned the lights off.

He’s more focused than before, that’s a plus. And he didn’t react to the idea of a girly boy at all, that’s kind of a surprise. Okay, not a big surprise, I guess: Spike knows he’s still got all his masculinity, nopony questions that. I suppose he could just be that mature by now.

She tossed and turned under the covers, before letting off a sigh.

Please, let this work out. I don’t want to lose him.

Author's Note:

Before anyone says "Well, that escalated quickly," I'd just like to point out that the fic is kind of, sort of, structured like an episode, and as such I need to put a lot of Stuff Happening in a very short timeslot. The next few chapters will be shorter and more to the point. Consider this commercial break one.

Mister Bumbles is indeed a carry-over from Changeling Blood, but only because I'm too lazy to come up with a new name.

I went with the name 'Roma' for the tomato pony who tried to rip off Fluttershy, but I did not come up with that. I took it from Closing Time by MalWinters, which is a criminally underrated fic I wholeheartedly recommend.

Originally, I was going to go with a suggestion by Cytotoxin and call the drug 'Rivetin', but as the story got fleshed out I found it's not really close enough to Ritalin to justify calling it something that close. So it got turned to Cogitin. The problem is related to the controversy regarding Ritalin, but it's not identical. There's a major but subtle difference, see if you can catch it.

Did I sneak in another reference to an older fic? Nah, I couldn't have.

Also, on a side note: I realise that quite frequently, I portray doctors as missing things or screwing up in some way or another. That's because so far, the stories relied on that to work. I have the utmost respect for doctors, and if I'd come up with it earlier I'd have written a story with a competent doctor way earlier. But this is a first, so there.

If you don't know who Willow the Filly is... just wait. That's what I have to do.