Old vs New

by Fernin

Chapter 04: Puppet Show

Chapter Four: Puppet Show
Quick Author's Note to readers who started reading this story before I put up this chapter-- initially I had Discord make Spike into a girl as part of a setup for a joke. As of this chapter I retconned it all so he's a guy still. See the full A/N at the bottom of this chapter for details.

Spike yawned again as he locked the door to the library behind him. He’d put this off for as long as he could manage in the hopes that something would turn up. It hadn’t, of course. A half hour of cleaning the kitchen and doing various necessary chores around the library had delayed the inevitable, but the draco-pegasus’ sense of responsibility had finally launched a surprise attack and emerged victorious. He turned away from the comforting safety of his home, finally ready to make the first step of what would hopefully be a very short journey. Well, not ready exactly, but with no more excuses close at hand... “Okay Spike, here goes.”

The streets of Ponyville bustled. It was Saturday—market day—and ponies of every kind and color trotted through the streets. Spike strode briskly down a few side streets, hoping to avoid notice for as long as possible. He still remembered all the looks and attention he’d gotten the first month or two when he had first shown up in Ponyville before the Summer Sun Celebration. But now the ex-dragon wasn’t presenting the citizens of Ponyville with the rather unusual yet unthreatening sight of a diminutive baby dragon. Instead, he towered a full head taller than most of the stallions and trotted through the street on his hind legs as the one and only draco-pegasus in existence. Just like in the hall in Canterlot, he was sure he could feel every eye on him.

Thankfully, just as before, there were no angry mobs or shouted insults—although at one point Spike could have sworn he heard a faint and quickly hushed cry of, ‘the horror!’ In fact, Spike was just beginning to think that he might get all the way to the Everfree Forest without facing any torches, pitchforks, or awkward conversations when...

“Hey, Spike! Is that you?” called a squeakily cheerful voice.

Spike whirled around, hands already rising to defend his face from any burning brands or brandished farming implements—and relaxed. “Oh! H-hey, Sweetie Belle…”

“Wow, you’re really tall now! Have you had a growth spurt?” the little curly-haired unicorn asked, grinning up at Spike.

The draco-pegasus found himself hunting the shadows for signs of Sweetie Belle’s two best friends. Spike’s new form seemed durable enough, but was it sturdy enough to survive the Crusaders? That wasn’t something he wanted to put to the test if he didn’t have to. “…Sort of, I guess.”

“Really? ‘Cos Rarity said… Um… What was it again? Uh…” Sweetie Belle scratched her chin with one hoof, biting her lip slightly with the effort of remembering her sister’s exact words.

The absolute last thing Spike wanted to hear about at this point was what crushingly unflattering things Rarity probably thought of the ex-dragon’s bizarre new body. He glanced around for an escape route. Left? No, that was back the way he’d just come. Right? Eh… that led straight to the Quill and Sofa, not in the direction he needed to go. Forward? That would require running over Sweetie Belle, and the little filly certainly hadn’t done anything to deserve that kind of treatment.

Spike’s eyes widened in panic as Sweetie Belle’s face broke into a grin. The little unicorn continued, “Oh right, I remember what she said! She said, ‘It’s so dreadful for poor Spike, what that awful Discord did—’”

There was a sudden explosion of dust and wind. Sweetie Belle’s eyes snapped shut automatically but with her mind already in full recitation mode, she kept speaking. She was equally oblivious to a sudden crash and the scrabbling sounds coming from a nearby rooftop.

“‘…But at least his new form is absolutely stunning. I hope I can convince him to do some modeling for me once Twilight lets him out of that dusty lab.’ So if you…” Sweetie Belle’s eyes reopened as the dust settled, showing her an empty unpopulated side street. “Spike? Spike? Gone. Hmph.”

Spike’s heart was pounding in his chest as he clung desperately to the roof and waited for Sweetie Belle to wander off. Thankfully the little filly only took a few moments to lose interest, allowing the draco-pegasus to slide back down the roof and tumble gratefully onto solid ground. First flight, successful—assuming that one defined success as ‘attempt to fly away; crash into roof; cling to roof until pony you were escaping from goes somewhere else.’ Why, at this rate he’d be doing sonic rainbooms around the town within a month.

Fortunately for Spike’s still-exhausted body and now overtaxed heart, the remainder of the trip out to Fluttershy’s was uneventful. Still, by the time he reached the little cottage, the draco-pegasus was once again stifling yawns left and right. He raised one clawed hand and knocked gently on the door. “Fluttershy? Hey, Fluttershy? It’s me… Spike.”

Much to Spike’s surprise, the door opened without a moment’s hesitation. He found himself reining in the urge to jump backward with a shocked yelp as the welcoming committee stuck its small, white, and above all aggressive head out the door. Two black, beady eyes peered suspiciously up at this tall purple-and-green newcomer. It was Angel, the white rabbit who was practically Fluttershy’s second-in-command (or perhaps she was his) over the pegasus’ informal veterinary clinic.

Angel stared at the towering form of the draco-pegasus. At first the little creature seemed almost as flummoxed by Spike as Spike was by the rabbit—but soon the diminutive bunny recovered his usual demeanor of barely-restrained contempt.

Spike felt moved to explain himself. “Angel. Hello. Don’t freak out or anything; I’m Spike. You remember? Spike the dragon? Twilight’s test subj—er, assistant? I’m here to see—”

Before the ex-dragon was even halfway through his explanation, Angel waved one paw impatiently. Spike could almost hear the furry little beast say something like, Yeah yeah, whatever. Fluttershy’s inside, come on in. But make any trouble and I’ll be mounting your wings over the fireplace, got it? …Something like that, anyway.

Spike blinked. The rabbit hadn’t just..? Angel stared at him, tapping one oversized foot impatiently. Sighing, Spike trotted inside. Augh, what was wrong with his imagination lately? Perhaps having the wrong body was super-stimulating his brain. More likely it was just the fatigue of the past few days building up to blur the line between dreams and reality. The draco-pegasus briefly considered asking Twilight about it, but the poor unicorn probably already had enough to worry about.

Shaking his green-maned head in a vain attempt to clear it, Spike started to make his way through the foyer to look for Fluttershy. He didn’t have to go far—almost as soon as Angel closed the front door, eager hoofbeats rang on the floor and Fluttershy cantered out of the kitchen with an excited smile on her face. “Hello..? The little birdies told me we had a visitor coming! I was wondering when you would—oh! Spike! H-hello!”

Fluttershy and Spike stared at each other for a moment. Left hanging in the air was the unasked question, ‘expecting someone else, Fluttershy?’ Spike glanced around to see Angel staring meaningfully and shaking his head. The draco-pegasus didn’t need to imagine words coming out of the rabbit’s mouth to know what that meant. Instead, he forged ahead with his original mission. “Fluttershy, I was wondering if you, uh… If you knew where Rainbow Dash might be…”

“Oh… I don’t think I can help you there, Spike. S-sorry…” Fluttershy drooped slightly but brightened again with, “But I just made some tea and a fresh plate of cookies, if you’d like some!”

The nervous yellow mare’s rapid transformation to gracious hostess was nothing short of remarkable. Spike opened his mouth to ask about it, and to blazes with tiny threatening rabbits, but instead all he could manage was a yawn. The draco-pegasus quickly covered his gaping muzzle—no need for the excitable Fluttershy to see all those sharp teeth in one place—and reconsidered. “Actually, Fluttershy, some tea would be great right now, thank you.”

In a moment Fluttershy was back, tea tray balanced on her wings. Spike helped slide the assortment of cups and spoons onto the low table and took a seat opposite the pegasus pony, teacup in hand. He stifled another yawn. “Sorry about that. Haven’t been sleeping well lately. It’s the wings.”

Fluttershy simply poured her unexpected guest some tea. Quiet by nature, she could tell when somepony had something to talk about. She sat, smiling faintly, and waited. The poor little dragon… well not so little any more, or so dragon-y… was probably just worried about the effects his condition was having on Twilight Sparkle.

After a few seconds Spike found himself drawn to fill the silence. The draco-pegasus sighed and admitted, “Okay it’s not just the wings. I’ve been having these awful dreams about Rainbow Dash.”

The metal spoon in Fluttershy’s mouth paused in its quiet clinking against the china of the teacup. Undissolved sugar swirled in the tea as the pegasus stared at Spike. She tried to speak and managed only a faint, “W-what?”

“Um. Well. Nopony has seen Rainbow Dash. For some reason I keep dreaming that… that she’s angry with me and she’s going to attack me when she sees me,” Spike explained lamely. Sitting awkwardly, the ex-dragon settled back deeper onto the soft cushions of the couch.

Now the spoon had dropped completely out of Fluttershy’s mouth as she stared in horror. Her voice was barely audible. “R-rainbow what? She wouldn’t—I mean, she may seem violent sometimes, but…”

“It’s probably silly,” Spike agreed, ears drooping. He broke off for a moment to yawn hugely. Despite the tea, sitting on the comfortable couch was making it difficult to keep his eyelids open.

Sighing in relief, Fluttershy felt her spirits rise a bit along with the volume of her voice. “Oh, yes. Rainbow Dash wouldn’t do something like that, Spike.”

“…Dash might just tell me to go away and never come back,” continued the draco-pegasus, oblivious to the mortified reaction from his host. Spike yawned again, settling back into the cushions of the couch. “I guess that wouldn’t be as… bad…”

“N-no! I don’t think… I mean, Rainbow Dash isn’t like that… I’m sorry you feel that way, but…” Once again Fluttershy’s voice trailed into inaudibility. “Spike? Spike..? Oh, he’s asleep.”

* * *

Spike awoke with a start. At first he didn’t realize where he was, but a quick glance around told the draco-pegasus that he had somehow dozed off in Fluttershy’s cottage. He looked down. A soft blue blanket was draped over his purple-furred form and several soft pillows behind his back and both wings told the still-groggy creature that Fluttershy had been content to let him rest after he’d fallen asleep. His teacup was resting on the table, the beverage inside having long since cooled to room temperature. The room was quiet, save for the soft ticking of a clock.

Speaking of clocks, what time was it? A quick glance at the dial told Spike that it was about 4:00 PM. Oh, that wasn’t so bad, he—wait. Four o’clock?! He’d slept nearly the entire day! Rainbow Dash was still nowhere to be found! Twilight would be… well, honestly, Twilight Sparkle was hopefully still sleeping off several days’ worth of fatigue and wouldn’t notice. But still.

With an effort Spike managed to tear himself away from the wonderful softness of Fluttershy’s couch. He cleared his throat and called, “Fluttershy? Uh, hey, Fluttershy?”

Spike waited a few heartbeats, but there was no answer. Maybe his hostess was out taking care of her animals? Regardless, he needed to go. Heading for the door, the draco-pegasus said his goodbyes to the apparently empty cottage. “Um, thanks a lot for the tea and for letting me sleep on your couch, Fluttershy! I’d better get going. See you around!”

The ex-dragon broke into a jog as he headed up the path back to Ponyville. After a few paces he transitioned from an awkward half-run into a series of short, fluttering hops, trying to get his wings to speed him along instead of simply making ground movement difficult. It took Spike a few tries, but he finally managed to get into a semi-fluid rhythm. Step step step hop… glide. Step step step hop… glide. He wasn’t exactly flying, but at least the odd gait was helping him making good time back to Ponyville.

Spike began to concentrate on the immediate future. Who should he talk to next? It was getting late, so Pinkie Pie would be getting off work at Sugarcube Corner soon. That might be a good bet… and the draco-pegasus totally wasn’t thinking that just because his stomach was starting to feel a bit empty.

With visions of cupcakes and pastry strudels dancing before the draco-pegasus’ eyes, he barely had time to react to the net. It dropped without warning from a low-hanging branch as he glided underneath. Wings and arms flailed as Spike collided with the sudden obstacle, its thick webbing enveloping him.

Spike grunted as he tumbled to the ground, sliding a few feet down the dirt path. What was going on?! As though in answer to the unspoken question, three jubilant young voices rose in unison. “CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS CHAOS-CATCHERS!”

Oh, no, it was the Crusaders. Wait. ‘Chaos-Catchers?!’

“We got him! Help me hold on, Scootaloo!” Sweetie Belle squeaked as she galloped forward to grab a corner of the net. Apple Bloom followed close behind with Scootaloo fluttering down from the tree limb from which the net had come.

Spike struggled vainly against the net as the three fillies tried to use their combined weight against the captured draco-pegasus. He fought his way to his knees, whining, “Girls, stop that!”

“We gotcha now, ya Discord-pegasus!” cried Apple Bloom as she hauled on her edge of the net. The move sent Spike tumbling back onto his side with a grunt.

“That’s draco-pegasus!” the definitely-not-a-Discord-pegasus protested.

“Oooh, Rainbow Dash is going to be so proud!” Scootaloo was practically beside herself with excitement, her wide grin easily visible even through the close mesh of the netting.

“Rainbow Dash?!” Spike bolted upright, a sudden surge of adrenaline giving him wings—well, more energy at least—as he leaped to his feet. A quick burst of green flame from Spike’s muzzle vaporized a draco-pegasus-sized hole in the net. In an instant the ex-dragon was free, smoldering remnants of the net falling off him as his would-be captors tumbled away.

Spike looked around the miniature circle of devastation his struggle had caused. Absent-mindedly he brushed some smoking bits of rope out of his mane and eyed his defeated foes. It seemed the Cutie Mark Crusaders weren’t getting their Cutie Marks in chaos-catching after all.

Picking up Scootaloo, Spike set the dazed little pegasus the right way up. He helped dust Sweetie Belle off and tugged Apple Bloom out of the grasp of an especially prickly briar patch. The three CMCs seemed more bewildered by the sudden reversal of fortunes than actually hurt by the draco-pegasus’ sudden eruption of strength.

Once Spike had returned the Cutie Mark Crusaders to some semblance of order, he speared them with an irritated glare. Before the three fillies could finish recovering from their sudden defeat, the draco-pegasus was already interrogating them. “Are you okay? And what’s this about Rainbow Dash? Has anypony seen her?”

The unsuccessful chaos catchers remained silent for a moment, exchanging nervous glances. Spike crossed his arms and watched his would-be captors expectantly. “…Well?”

Coughing uncomfortably into one hoof, Apple Bloom started, “Well, we—whoah!”

The little earth pony broke off her explanation and shied back as an angry Scootaloo darted forward. The orange filly’s hackles were up and her little wings flared in a vain attempt to make the diminutive pegasus pony seem larger than she was. “Don’t tell that poser anything, Apple Bloom!”

“‘Poser?!’” Spike managed, staring down at the incensed little filly.

Scootaloo was practically vibrating with rage. She spread her wings further as though to shield her friends from the looming draco-pegasus. “Yeah! Nopony is more loyal than Rainbow Dash, you poser! The real Rainbow Dash told us all about you! Friend stealer!”

‘Friend stealer.’ The insult echoed in Spike’s brain, bringing up stomach-churning images from his earlier nightmares. Despite the draco-pegasus’ best efforts, the memories rose to fill his mind’s eye with images of cyan pegasus ponies with glowing red eyes and the multi-colored annihilation of unending sonic rainbombs.

When Spike tried to respond, the words caught in his throat. Was this really how they saw him, now? He looked from Scootaloo, who was now practically frothing at the mouth, to her two companions.

Sweetie Belle was shaking like a leaf. She wasn’t scared of Spike, was she? She’d seemed completely oblivious to the weirdness of the draco-pegasus’ form the last time they’d talked…

With his heart sinking, Spike turned to Apple Bloom. Even the dependable, happy earth pony filly seemed unsure as she shifted from hoof to hoof. Spike turned back to Scootaloo as she finished, “So why don’t you just go back to where you came from and leave us alone!”

“I’m not… I’m not a friend stealer,” Spike managed. He bent down to the Cutie Mark Crusaders’ level, trying to marshal his thoughts into something that would bring the three fillies back around. Maybe if the draco-pegasus didn’t look so tall to them, he wouldn’t seem so threatening. That seemed to be working. Spike opened his mouth to continue… but suddenly he felt a sick feeling in his gut and—oh no.

All three Crusaders jerked back in surprise as Spike belched loudly. Verdant light illuminated the clearing as a massive gout of green flame burst forth from the ex-dragon’s mostly equine muzzle. Moving on automatic, he managed to snatch the little scroll out of the air before it dropped to the ground. The draco-pegasus looked up to continue speaking in his own defense… and paused.

Sweetie Belle was shaking even more, looking for all the world as if she was caught up in a very localized earthquake. Apple Bloom seemed no better—being nearly on the receiving end of a fireball can turn one’s head in funny ways. Scootaloo was simply staring in shock at the singed tip of her mane. A little tongue of green fire danced on the end where Spike’s flames had touched it, sending up wisps of foul-smelling smoke.

Spike groaned. Of all the miserable timing… Moving very carefully, the draco-pegasus reached out and pinched out the small flame on Scootaloo’s mane. The little pegasus filly looked up at Spike’s clawed purple hand, inches from the end of her muzzle. She screamed and bolted, her friends quickly following suit.

“No! Wait! I—oh, ponyfeathers,” Spike swore as he watched the three crusaders beat a hasty and erratic retreat. He glared down at the newly arrived scroll, mentally cursing its poor timing. Who the hay would be sending a letter now, anyway? Slicing open the seal with a deft flick of his claws, the draco-pegasus unrolled the letter and began to read.

“Spike—” The letter was for him? That was odd… Just as strangely, it wasn’t in the elegant, flowing script that the ex-dragon was used to seeing in letters from Princess Celestia. Instead, the tight yet neat writing looked more like Twi’s research notes. He read on, mumbling aloud as he did so.

“Not much time. RD is back. Not happy—must have gotten bad version of story from somepony. Will try to calm RD. Write more soon. Hope this spell works to send to you! –TS.

“P.S. Don’t come back to Ponyville yet. Bad here. Sorry.”

This was the most succinct letter Spike had ever seen from Twilight Sparkle. The draco-pegasus momentarily considered getting it framed and hanging it up in the library to point to as proof the next time the unicorn mare told him there was no way to summarize her thoughts for the sake of her Number One Assistant’s poor overworked claws… But little jokes couldn’t distract him for very long from the note’s actual content. “Don’t come back to Ponyville?”

Don’t come back to Ponyville. Right. Spike sank to the ground, landing with a dejected thump. Great. Well here he was. Being told to stay out in the Everfree Forest. Like all the other monsters. He coughed into his clawed hand. He certainly wasn’t choking back a sob.

“Spike?” Apple Bloom’s slight accent gave the ex-dragon’s name a certain twang as she trotted back into the clearing.

Looking up, the draco-pegasus tried to smile nonthreateningly. He quickly stopped as he realized he was baring a significant number of disturbingly sharp teeth. Instead Spike settled for, “H-hey Apple Bloom.”

“What’s wrong?” The little filly came closer and sat down on her haunches, well within arm’s reach for Spike.

Spike blinked. The earth pony had to be sitting so close on purpose. “You’re not scared of me now?”

“Hmph! Ah was jest startled, is all.” Apple Bloom glared at Spike as if to dare him to contradict her. After a moment her expression softened as she added, “So ya can’t go back to Ponyville?”

“…Not right now. Don’t know why, but Twilight thinks I shouldn’t.” Spike felt his hand clench involuntarily around the curled paper of the letter, squeezing it into a crumpled mess.

“Huh. Ain’t that a thing.” Earth pony and draco-pegasus sat silently for a moment. Apple Bloom smiled as a thought occurred to her. “Well why don’tcha come back to Sweet Apple Acres then? That ain’t Ponyville!”

“I guess,” Spike replied slowly, trying not to seem too eager. Relief flooded through him as he climbed to his hooves. Of course he was being silly. Twilight was just overreacting in her letter. She was probably still out of it from her latest marathon research session. He’d take Apple Bloom up on her offer, and be back at the library before sundown. Right? Right! “Okay, Apple Bloom. That sounds great.”

Apple Bloom grinned and scampered off down the path. She looked back and called, “This way! C’mon, ya Discord-pegasus! Ya moved faster as a little dragon!”

“That’s draco-pegasus,” Spike corrected with a sigh. Well. Things were looking up. He wondered vaguely what he and Twilight would be having for dinner this evening as he followed the little earth pony back to her home.

* * *

Spike wiped the nervous sweat from his brow and thought about the events of the past week. Heh. Wondering what he and Twi would be having for dinner… Wow, had he been over-optimistic. Now here he was, the pariah of Ponyville, leaning on the fence at the edge of Sweet Apple Acres and wondering how things had gone so wrong so quickly.

The road to Ponyville was dark with the determined mass of ponies approaching for another try at evicting Spike. They’d come back. That hadn’t taken long. The ex-dragon turned to the mare who seemed like one of the only friends he had left: Applejack. “Well, here they are, A.J. What are we going to do?”

“Ah jest can’t believe it,” the farm pony growled, shaking her head. “Ah can’t believe they’d be like—like this.”

Applejack looked even more tired and dejected than Spike—and the draco-pegasus knew exactly why. Sweet Apple Acres wasn’t doing so well since it’d taken on its latest resident and part-time farm laborer. Profits were down and sales were practically nonexistent. The only reason anypony came by the place now was to glare at Spike and to tell the Apples that she was sheltering something unnatural. Something evil. Something… chaotic.

Pushing his elbows off the fence, Spike straightened to his full height and glanced back over the farm that had been his second home since his banishment-in-all-but-name from Ponyville. He looked back at the crowd. Some of the ponies were brandishing signs. This time a few even had—of course—torches and pitchforks. “You know, Applejack, maybe I should just go.”

“Consarnit Spike, ya crazy loon, Ah’m not throwin’ ya to those timberwolves!” Frowning, Applejack glared up at her friend. It was almost enough to bring Spike to tears. He’d seen the earth pony coming back from the market in town the past few days, her cart just as full as when she’d left. Nopony was buying her wares because the draco-pegasus had helped pick them. It seemed like everypony in Ponyville had anti-chaos fever. Thanks for that, Rainbow Dash.

Spike shook his head. “Applejack, I’ve been getting letters from Twilight. You know how everypony is about this back in town… They— Oh, they’re stopping.”

The crowd halted a few stones’ throw away. A small group split off, advancing towards the farm in a line while the remaining multitude of ponies stood uneasily where they were, muttering to one another in hushed voices. It was easy for both Spike and Applejack to identify the small delegation even from a distance—after all, who wouldn’t recognize their friends, the bearers of the elements of harmony?

As usual Twilight led the way, but she seemed less sure of herself than usual. Lavender eyes glanced at Spike and Applejack, flicked to her other friends, and drifted back to the draco-pegasus and orange earth pony again as the mares approached. Most of the others seemed no better. Pinkie Pie’s mane had lost much of its usual happy frizz and it was difficult even to see Fluttershy as she hung back, trying to hide from everypony at once. Rarity’s mouth was turned down in a slight frown of contempt at the unruly near-mob to her rear. But then… Then there was Rainbow Dash.

Vying with Twilight Sparkle for the lead, Rainbow Dash floated above the small group while sending angry glares Spike’s way. If looks were sonic rainbombs, the megatonnage lobbed in the draco-pegasus’ direction would have melted Sweet Apple Acres all the way to the bedrock. A week ago, Spike might have been happy to see the cyan pegasus. He might have waved a nervous hello. But that was before Rainbow Dash had done all… this. Now only the presence of Rarity kept the ex-dragon from using some of the gestures he’d learned during the educational afternoon he and Twilight had spent leafing through The Egghead’s Guide to Gryphon Non-Verbal Communication. Applejack noticed her friend’s agitation and prodded him in the ribs with one hoof. “Easy there, Sugarcube. Let’s hear what they’ve got tah say.”

“Howdy there, Twi… Girls,” Applejack called to the delegation with a tip of her hat. “What can Ah do ya for?”

“Applejack, Mayor Mare has asked us to bring Ponyville’s concerns to you,” Twilight started.

Rainbow Dash interrupted, zooming ahead and hovering in front of Applejack while shooting angry looks in Spike’s direction. “Why are you keeping that lame-o chaos jerk here on your farm, A.J?”

“Ah think Ah can have just about anypony I please on this here land, Rainbow,” snapped the farm pony, matching Rainbow Dash glare for glare. “Not everypony is as un-neighborly as some Ah could mention.”

“Girls!” Twilight broke in, her voice nearly a shout as she tried to make herself heard over the rising sound of the crowd. A lot of ponies at the edge of the farm obviously agreed with Rainbow Dash. Spike ducked as a rock lobbed by some unicorn whizzed by his ear.

When Twilight had gotten everypony’s attention she continued, “Girls. We’re here for an important reason. Remember?”

Spike leaned forward on the fence again even though he felt like more cowering behind it. The gathering of ponies on the road was looking a bit less like a demonstration and more like a mob-to-be as they started creeping closer in disorganized clumps. There wasn’t time to waste beating around the bush. “You here because want me to leave, aren’t you?”

“Yes!” cried Rainbow Dash. A cheer rose from the massed citizens of Ponyville, drowning Twilight’s attempted retort. The cyan pegasus continued, “We do! You’re obviously some kind of I don’t know, trick from Discord! How do we know you’re even really Spike? The real Spike wouldn’t—”

“ENOUGH!” Twilight snarled, shocking the pegasus out of her rant and quieting the growing mob’s roar to a quiet murmur. “Enough. As I was saying. We’re here to discuss these… concerns. About Spike. And about the Element of Loyalty.”

“My element,” Rainbow broke in before another look from Twilight silenced her.

Applejack shrugged. “Well. Do y’all want to come in for a glass of cider while we discuss it?”

Glancing back at the milling ponies behind her, Twilight Sparkle shook her head and sighed. “No, I think we’d better do it out here, A.J. Thanks for the offer.”

“So, all this is just about that stupid necklace thing?!” Spike asked incredulously. Rainbow Dash was ruining Sweet Apple Acres’ business over a piece of jewelry? “But Twilight still has it! It’s not like it’s bonded to me or something, right? I mean, I was able to use it when somepony had abandoned her friends…”

“Look you little—! Wait… what? So Twilight has it? Interesting,” Rainbow Dash grated. Whoops. Spike knew that his comment had hit home, but hadn’t realized that there was going to be some collateral damage.

Twilight looked stricken. “I… uh… I had it for safekeeping. I wasn’t sure what we should do with it so I, um… Yes.”

“Forever…” Pinkie Pie mumbled into her mane, half to herself. Spike spared the pink earth pony a glance. Her vibrant pelt had dimmed nearly to gray and her mane was drooping almost as much as the time she’d thought nopony liked her anymore… What had been going on back in Ponyville? Twilight’s letters had only mentioned Rainbow’s efforts to stir up support and Twilight’s increasingly desperate attempts to calm the cyan pegasus.

Rainbow Dash had turned from Spike now and was focusing entirely on Twilight as she shrilled, “And yet you let me assume that Spike had it. Why is that? Do you think he’s a better fit for the Element of Loyalty? You think I’m disloyal?”

“Oh no, Rainbow Dash… nopony is saying that,” Fluttershy assured her friend in a voice smaller than the tiniest ant. Nopony heard her. The crowd started to get restless again.

“Ah think yer getting a mite bit worked up there, Rainbow,” Applejack commented. “Why don’tcha let Twi have her say?”

“Thank you, Applejack. Ahem. Er…” Twilight faltered for a moment, trying to collect her scattered thoughts.

“Why is everything so complicated with you, Egghead? Argh.” Rainbow Dash’s voice nearly cracked as she let her emotions run wild. “Look, everypony. You all know me. I’m Rainbow Dash. The fastest, bestest—”

“Most stuck up,” muttered Rarity.

“Most loyal pony of them all,” Rainbow Dash continued, ignoring the white unicorn’s interruption. “Spike here—if that is your real name—isn’t. Twilight told us he’s got some sort of chaos whatsits, right?”

“Well yes,” agreed a flummoxed Twilight, trying desperately to regain control. “But that doesn’t mean that he’s evil! Rainbow, I can’t believe you’re being like this, we agreed—”

Rainbow Dash simply rolled over the purple mare’s objections with, “So it’s like this. ‘Spike’ here is trying to take my place. And you’re going to let him? I may be the real bearer for the Element of Loyalty, but so what? Because of that you’re just going to take me for granted? Who’re you going to pick? Your friendly neighborhood Rainbow Dash? Or him? I vote for me!”

“Rainbow,” Twilight whined, “This isn’t supposed to be a popularity contest! This is serious!”

“And I want all of your support so that we can go get our elements and friendship beam ‘Spike’ there!” Rainbow shouted, leveling one accusing hoof at Spike.

“We’re not going to do that! That could kill Spike! Or turn him into a statue!” Twilight protested.

“In which case we’d know he wasn’t the real Spike!” concluded Rainbow Dash with a nod. “So what’ll it be, girls?”

This was insane. Spike was speechless. He’d guessed Rainbow Dash was mad at him from the minute things had gone downhill in Ponyville, but this? This wasn’t like Dash at all. The ex-dragon watched her as she tried to rally their mutual friends against him. He looked closer and saw it. She was scared.

Rainbow Dash was honestly scared that their friends would pick Spike over her. What a stupid little foal. She was trying to make Spike’s life a living nightmare just because she was frightened. And most importantly, the cyan pegasus was tearing apart everything Twilight and Applejack and Rarity and… and everypony had all worked to put together. Because she didn’t feel secure in herself.

Spike ground his teeth and felt his claws biting into the wood of the fence. The draco-pegasus couldn’t let this happen. He wouldn’t let that happen.

“Now look, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight pleaded, “We can’t just put something like this to a vote.”

“Yes we can!” yelled Spike. His voice echoed, bouncing off the barn and the distant hills. Even the milling crowd in the background seemed to freeze. “And I agree with Rainbow Dash. This is stupid, but if she wants to be stupid, then fine. Let’s vote on it.”

The look on Rainbow Dash’s face was worth it. Spike allowed himself a small, toothy smile. Had the pegasus honestly thought she’d be able to bluff him into giving up everything like that? Yeah, right.

“Well then, Ah pick Spike,” Applejack offered. “Ain’t nopony friendship beamin’ one of my guests, and Rainbow Dash is wronger than a pear on an apple tree if she thinks bein’ an element bearer is what makes somepony my friend.”

“I should have known he’d get to you somehow!” Rainbow snarled. But the vote was picking up speed now.

“I’ll side with Spike too,” announced Rarity. “I can’t believe you, Rainbow Dash. You should be ashamed of yourself and I hope Spike finds it in his heart to forgive you.”

Dash stammered for a moment, almost dropping out of the air in her shock before she managed to recover. “F-fine! Well, Pinkie Pie? What about you?”

Pinkie Pie remained silent for once, staring back and forth between Spike and the orbiting Rainbow Dash. Tears slid down her cheeks, cutting dark rivulets across her pink face. After an uncomfortable moment the earth pony simply turned away, her withers shaking as she sobbed quietly and muttered the same word over and over to herself. “Forever… forever…”

“What about you, Fluttershy? You’re not going to pick a dragon-thing over your oldest friend. Right?!” cried an increasingly desperate Dash. The little pegasus didn’t answer. She was huddled against the ground, wings practically welded to her side as she tried to make herself as small as possible.

Twilight Sparkle’s expression hardened. “Rainbow Dash! Stop this. This is serious and you’re not going to turn it into some kind of stupid contest over a necklace and a title! This is about our friendship! What is wrong with you?!”

“Of course you’d take that thing’s side!” Dash exclaimed, her voice rising to new and shriller heights as she turned on the purple unicorn. “What, you think I’ll just stay by your side no matter what? Good ol’ trusty Rainbow Dash, nopony more loyal than her. She’ll just let me walk all over her because she’s too dumb to leave when she’s obviously not wanted! If I wasn’t as loyal as I am, I would already be gone!”

“That’s not what I meant!” Twilight cried, trying to break in on the angry pegasus’ tirade. “It’s how you’re attacking Spike that’s the problem! If you’re the ‘real Element of Loyalty’ you should remember that being loyal means giving your friends the benefit of the doubt!”

Rainbow Dash threw up her forehooves in exasperation as she snarled, “‘Benefit of the doubt?!’ And who are you to talk to me about loyalty and the benefit of the doubt, little Miss Hide-the-Element? Little Miss ‘You’re-the-new-Rainbow-Dash-now?’ How can I be loyal to you if you won’t be loyal to me when it counts? You didn’t even try to find me in the fight with Discord! You just picked somepony—something convenient!”

“We didn’t have time!” Twilight was almost begging now, barely making herself heard over a crowd roaring its agreement with the impassioned pegasus.

Rainbow Dash turned and flapped back to Fluttershy’s side. The yellow pony was practically burrowing into the ground as her agitated friend leaned close. “Come on, Fluttershy. Pinkie Pie and Twilight aren’t voting. But you’ll vote, won’t you? Come on, ‘Shy. You know me. Can’t you back up your friend? Fluttershy?”

“Meep,” squeaked Fluttershy, her voice barely audible as the cyan speedster prodded her with one hoof.

Spike felt cold as he split his attention between Twilight Sparkle’s attempts to calm the crowd and Rainbow Dash’s increasingly desperate pleas to the nearly catatonic Fluttershy. Was all this his fault? All the draco-pegasus had done was help his friends, hadn’t he? Why was this happening?

“Come on, Fluttershy,” urged Dash. “You like me, don’t you? You’ll support me, right? Hey. Hey! Come on, ‘Shy!”

“Y’all better leave that poor pony alone!” An orange blur leaped the fence next to Spike and made a beeline for the two pegasus mares. Applejack’s hooves met only air as Rainbow Dash took to the sky an instant before the earth pony reached her.

Rainbow Dash glared at the farmer, hovering just out of reach. “What the buck is wrong with you, AJ?! Oh right, I forgot. Apparently you like ‘Spike’ more than me, you interfering hick!”

Rarity shrieked as a crazed Pinkie Pie whirled and grabbed her, hissing, “We have to stop them, Rarity! If we don’t get them to stop fighting now we might lose our friends! FOREVER!”

The white unicorn pushed back against her friend, trying to regain lost personal space. “Pinkie! Really! And ponies say I’m melodramatic—let go of me this instant!”

Twilight looked lost at the center of the growing storm. She waved her forehooves uncertainly, trying to attract everypony’s attention with calming words that had long since lost any effect. “Look! Don’t just-- If everypony could just-- No, Rainbow, DON’T get into a fight with A.J., you—argh!”

“You want to come up here and say that to my face?” Rainbow shouted, her hackles raised as she hovered inches away from Applejack’s muzzle.

“Why don’t YOU come down here and say what ya jest said to MY face?!” Applejack hollered up at the blue mare. She circled this way and that, trying to follow Rainbow Dash as the pegasus orbited her warily. The two mares watched each other, trading increasingly nasty insults.

Spike climbed the fence and headed forward. Somepony had to stop this. But at the same time, he felt the twisting hot coils of anger tightening around his chest. Where did Rainbow Dash get off, acting like this? What was wrong with that mare? His claws flexed as he stepped towards the orange farm pony and her flying blue antagonist. Maybe somepony should take Rainbow down a peg for her own good. For everypony’s good.

“Girls, stop it! I mean it!” Twilight darted forward, trying to interpose herself between Applejack and Rainbow Dash.

“After what she jus’ said about my brother an’ me? Ah think not!” Applejack reared up, front hooves pawing at the air in a vain attempt to reach Rainbow Dash’s leering face.

The draco-pegasus’ body was moving almost on its own now as he stalked towards Rainbow Dash, picking up speed. All Spike wanted to do was to shut her up. It was so simple. He’d swat her down and yell at her a bit about what stupid little filly she was being. She’d see reason. They could all make up and be friends again. He could go home. Twilight Sparkle could fix this and everything would be fine. But the first step, the first step was unquestionably to smack the cocky blue pegasus right out of the air and shake some sense into her. He raised one clawed hand and—

“N-no Spike! Don’t!” Moving faster than Spike had ever seen Fluttershy move before, the yellow pegasus was in the air and flying to clutch at his raised arm. But the ex-dragon’s claws were already in a rapid, scything arc even as he strained to stop them. Purple-furred arm and pink-maned pegasus collided… and the arm won. Fluttershy hit the ground with a quiet thump.

Rainbow Dash didn’t notice. Twilight Sparkle didn’t notice. Applejack didn’t notice, nor did almost anypony else—but for Spike, it was all he could see. The ex-dragon’s horrified green eyes stared at his still-raised arm, then at the crumpled form of the yellow pony. He dropped to his knees, hastening to check the pegasus for any injuries.

“Fluttershy?! Fluttershy! Oh, Celestia,” Spike groaned. The pegasus was completely and perfectly still, her pastel yellow fur tinged with a faint patina of gray. She wasn’t breathing. Tears filling his eyes, the draco-pegasus looked up expecting to see everypony glaring daggers at him for what he’d done. They would tear him apart. He would deserve it.

Everything was as still and cold as the little pink-maned pegasus. The crowd of demonstrators-turned-rioters was motionless, each pony’s dull eyes flashing with fear and anger. Applejack’s silent mouth was open mid-scream, her muzzle inches away from Rainbow Dash’s own howling visage. Twilight Sparkle had a hoof on both mares, trying to force them apart. Light was blazing from the unicorn’s eyes and horn, yet somehow even the glowing energy itself seemed frozen. What was going on?

Spike became aware of a slow, repetitive sound gradually increasing in volume as it intruded on his shocked consciousness. It was the sound of clapping. The draco-pegasus turned around—and jerked back in dread. Two yellow eyes sparkled with amusement as they met his disbelieving stare. The apparition hung in the air with a body that coiled sinuously like the tail of some venomous snake. Still the clapping continued, the only sound in the otherwise silent and unmoving world.

The creature’s heavy leonine paw slapped against the yellowed talons of its other hand, producing another near-thunderclap as the grinning draconequus kept up his slow, mocking applause. Discord chuckled. “Oh, bravo. Bravo, my little draco-pegasus friend. Attacking the innocent? I didn’t think you had it in you!”

“I didn’t mean… I wasn’t trying to—” Spike quavered, looking down at his clawed hands. He hadn’t meant to hurt Fluttershy. He had just been trying to stop a stupid fight and to protect his friends… hadn’t he?

“Oh, I know! I know! But you did it anyway. I would say this was all part of my plan, but hah! You know me. Plans are so organized,” Discord commented, rolling his eyes in disgust.

Before Spike could even think of reacting, the draconequus vanished in a flash and reappeared above the dumbfounded ex-dragon. Discord conjured up a wide blue sheet of paper covered with tiny scribbles and diagrams, examining it and chortling gleefully. Rubbing his paws together in delight the spirit of chaos continued, “Still if I had planned this, my but how well it worked. Just look at them all. It’s been simply ages since I’ve seen ponies so full of hate for each other as your ‘friends’ there.”

Spike looked. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were snarling at each other, frozen seconds away from being locked in mortal combat. The pegasus’ wings were flared out, making her loom over the earth pony. The farmer pawed at the air with flint-hard hooves inches from striking at Rainbow’s chest.

The orange mare and weather pegasus weren’t the only element bearers tainted by animosity. Rarity was cringing in contempt as Pinkie Pie gestured wildly, foam flecked on her lips. Even Twilight’s face was twisted with rage as she tried desperately to stop A.J. and Dash from trying to kill one another.

“But the elements—we defeated you!” wailed Spike. How was this even happening?!

Discord shrugged and grinned, waving a paw demonstrably at the angry ponies. “You did, ‘Spikebow Dash.’ You did indeed. And let me tell you that was a surprise! But that was then. And this is now. The power of the elements is broken. Their bearers are filled with fear and anger, pony jelly donuts with delicious hate filling, mmmm…”

A shudder ran down Spike’s spine. The spirit of chaos was right. “You—you did this somehow. You turned them against each other, like you did before!”

“Moi?” Discord waved his arms, covering his forehead in a wild gesture of dismay. “I think you’ll find I was a bit too turned to stone at the time to do that. Give credit where credit’s due.”

The snakelike draconequus slithered through the air to the frozen shapes of Twilight and her feuding friends. Discord’s heavy feline paw tousled Twilght’s mane. He pushed Applejack’s hat to a slightly more rakish angle and grinned. The grin faded for a moment as the spirit of chaos turned back to Spike with a mournful shake of his goat-like head. “Oh, my silly little ponies. They do so well when everything’s nice and samey and predictable, yes, but give them something a little different and… well. Zebras are almost identical to ponies, and look how Ponyville treated Zecora! So of course with something as extraordinary as you…”

Spike looked down at his strange shape and knew that the dragonequus was right. But giving the dejected ex-dragon no time to contemplate it, Discord continued his rant. The creature of chaos started to grin again as he poured his poison into the draco-pegasus’ ear. “Really, that’s the best thing about you mortals. Everything’s perfect forever and ever, but just let somepony like me introduce a little… heh heh… discord into their so-called harmony. Give them a little bit of time, and they’ll do what they do best… mess everything up for themselves. Can’t have anything that isn’t the same, now can we? That might be interesting. Ewwwww. And that’s why I’ll always win. It’s like a natural law! Ooh… Note to self: abolish natural laws.”

It was almost a struggle for Spike to remain upright as the gravity of his situation weighed down on him. Had he played right into Discord’s clutches this entire time? All his efforts, all his attempts to be loyal to his friends and family had all led to… to this.

A sharp claw pricked at the patch of leathery hide under Spike’s chin. Discord lifted the drooping draco-pegasus’ head until the two creatures were eye to eye. The snaggle-toothed monster smiled almost tenderly. “You know. There’s one thing the ponies invented that I’ve always loved: puppet shows. It’s so delightful to watch the marionettes dance around on their little strings as though they have free will even though you know it’s really all thanks to the puppeteer. But you know how you can tell the amateur puppeteers from the best?”

Vanishing in a flash, Discord reappeared right at Spike’s side. He leaned in close, tugging at the draco-pegasus’ long equine ear as he whispered, “A really skilled puppeteer gets the puppets to pull their own strings.”

Suddenly Discord was high above Sweet Apple Acres, his convoluted shape barely more than a small speck. Somehow, Spike could still hear him as the sprit of chaos called, “And now I think it’s time to unfreeze everypony. No reason for you to miss out on the fun. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure Fluttershy survives. I never got to mess with her properly, you know. Now that I have more time, she’ll be… fun.”

Spike roared despairingly as the world came alive around him—alive with hatred. He rocketed away from the howling mob as they rushed forward. With one massive flap of his wings, the draco-pegasus shot towards Discord with his claws outstretched and smoke pouring from his flared nostrils. Just before Spike reached his target, the dragonequus laughed and vanished—along with everything else.

* * *

Spike woke with a scream on his lips and his racing pulse thundering in his ears. He was lying back on a couch in Fluttershy’s cottage. A soft blue blanket was draped over him and downy pillows tucked behind his head and back. If not for the mind-numbing horror of his dream, this would have been the most comfortable he’d been in days.

Unfortunately, physical comfort didn’t do anything to calm Spike’s pounding heart or to dispel the awful sense of déjà vu. It had been a dream. But what a dream. Somehow it had been worse than that awful, nightmarish daydream back in Canterlot. The ex-dragon wiped cold sweat off his brow and tried desperately to slow down his ragged breathing. He sincerely hoped that this dream wouldn’t have encores like the previous one had…

Groaning, Spike pushed himself up onto rubbery legs. The silence of the otherwise empty room was oppressive, broken only by the faint ticking of Fluttershy’s clock. He needed some fresh air. He needed to walk. He needed to get out of here, because everything he’d seen since waking up reminded him strongly of just how real the nightmare had been. “F-fluttershy? I’m… thanks for letting me sleep but I’ve got to get going. I have to go… see… I have to go.”

Not even waiting for a response from his absent hostess, the draco-pegasus hurried out the door and back towards the outskirts of Ponyville. He trotted as fast as he could, hoping that physical exertion would at least give a down-to-earth reason for the way his heart was thudding against his ribcage. Without thinking about it, Spike transitioned from a jog into the same series of hopping glides that had worked so well in his dream. He nearly tripped over his own hooves when he realized what he was doing and quickly switched back to a brisk jog.

All right. It had been a dream, right? Spike just had to keep reminding himself of that. Maybe if he focused on the next stop in his quest… perhaps Pinkie Pie? She would be getting off work at Sugarcube Corner soon. That might be a good bet. After all, the pink mare had an almost uncanny way of finding ponies—especially Rainbow Dash.

Spike’s ears twitched as he heard a trio of raised voices ahead. Who was coming? The speakers seemed familiar… “Ah told ya, Sweetie Belle, stop usin’ words the rest of us don’t understand!”

That was Apple Bloom. The ex-dragon’s heart jumped into his throat as a horrible, wrenching feeling of déjà vu once again washed over him. Any minute now the Crusaders were going to try to jump him, just like in the dream! The conviction was silly, but all the same… Spike quickened his pace and leaped.

“‘Rendezvous’ isn’t that big of a word,” Sweetie Belle retorted hotly, scowling a bit at her vocabulary-challenged friends. Scootaloo rolled her eyes. Apple Bloom sighed theatrically. The little unicorn’s frown deepened. “Well it’s not…”

“What was that noise?” asked Scootaloo, eager to change the subject. “I heard some kind of crash. Did anypony else hear it?”

“Ah heard something,” Apple Bloom agreed as the three fillies trotted on, looking around carefully. The way to Fluttershy’s house was usually clear of dangerous creatures, but there was always a first time. Maybe if they were lucky they could get their ‘capturing animals’ cutie marks before even getting to the cottage!

Sweetie Belle was about to concur as well when a falling leaf nearly poked her in the eye. Yelping, she jerked back and looked up to glower at the cause of the—“Spike?! What’re you doing up there?”

“Heh heh… Oh, nothing,” Spike said with a nervous laugh. The ex-dragon certainly wasn’t hiding from three little fillies less than half his size because of a scary dream he’d had. Oh no. Not that at all. He waved from his awkward perch on a low-hanging branch. So much for going unnoticed. “Er… what are you three doing?”

“We’re trying for our animal catcher Cutie Marks!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed excitedly. “Show him the net, Scootaloo!”

“Yeah, it’s—” Scootaloo’s explanation was interrupted by a sudden scream from Spike. The draco-pegasus fell out of the tree and hit the ground running. Soon the receding purple blur was out of sight in the thick trees.

The pegasus pony was left with the small butterfly net dangling from her mouth, looking in puzzlement at the other two Crusaders. And to think Spike was supposedly a replacement for the fastest, bestest, and most awesome pony in all of Equestria. Yeah, right. Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “Geeze, what’s his problem?”

* * *

“Spike? Spike? I brought you some—oh, he’s gone.” Fluttershy sighed and put the tray of cookies down on the living room table. The pegasus had heard her guest moving around a bit, but it was still a surprise to find he’d simply left while she was out tending to some of her birds.

“Did Spike say anything before he left, Angel?” asked the yellow mare. Her rabbit assistant shrugged. Who cared what happened to weird dragon-pony things? Spike looked like he could take care of himself.

A knock at the door interrupted any further conversation. Fluttershy squeaked and hurried to answer. “H-hello? Who—Oh!”

There on the doorstep was the most ragged, dejected-looking pony Fluttershy had ever seen. The newcomer glanced around as if worried she’d be spotted and cleared her throat. “Hey, Fluttershy. Uh… can I come in?”

“Of course you can!” Suddenly Fluttershy was in full friendly hostess mode once more. As with Spike, she could tell when somepony needed her attentions. “Come right in, Rainbow Dash.”

---

A/N: Don’t worry, this is as dark as it gets. If you haven’t noticed, this and chapter 2 kind of set the stage for how the remainder of this story will run (three more chapters to go! …I think). I’m doing chapter-by-chapter examination of the different ways that RD might receive the news that Spike is the new Rainbow Dash. The next one’s Pinkie Pie’s. I hope you’re ready for some… well. Some Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie.

As you can see, I’ve switched Spike back to being a guy and edited all the other chapters accordingly. Initially Discord making Spike into a girl was going to be part of a joke for Rarity’s chapter, but it was really awkward and honestly never really felt right. Oh, and Spike-as-a-girl made it absolutely murderous to write some scenes because everyone was female and I had to do a bunch of cheetah flips to avoid pronoun reference confusion. ARGH. That’s all fixed now though and I feel good about it. Someone let me know if I missed a “Spike-as-girl” bit in this or one of the previous chapters.

I know this took a while but hopefully it’s worth the wait. Oh, and look, everyone! Illustrations! I’ve got an artist I know doing up one per chapter, yay. I’ve edited in illustrations for all the previous chapters, so go check it out if you haven’t already. Artist is the same one as in the author’s notes on the cover so I won’t re-link here.

Comments

[Azarune]

Question, so Spike is a stallion draco-pegasus? Because in one line it says turned to mare. Just mention it is all. Great work and I CANNOT wait for the next epic installment!

[Suomibrony]

Phew. I feared this one had turned into a dead fic. I'm very glad it didn't!

[Niklashg]

161587 yes he is female

[Necrovore]

Well, the gender retcon was a surprise as there was no warning when reading the new chapter. Other then that, a possible suggestion to the artist, square the snout a bit more in the images as that seems to be one of the main methods to determine gender visually in the show besides mane style, which unless it was retconned as well is a bit long on Spike and not quite clear in the image either way.

[Fernin]

161587
161714
Gah, I spent like a week going over the chapters and reading them aloud to myself and sending them to pre-readers to try to make sure I found all those. I'll go over it again, but I would be very grateful if you would assist in pointing out where precisely where I missed changing 'em.

161858
Ha ha, fortunately not. I'm just excruciatingly slow as a writer most of the time.

[nemryn]

I hope you kept a copy of the original version somewhere. For, uh, archival purposes.

[Fernin]

162736
What, of Spike-as-a-girl? Only the first chapter. It's on my FA. Other than that, nope nope nope

[FanOfMostEverything]

The real beauty here is that I honestly can't tell if Discord instigated that dream, or if it was all just Spike's tortured psyche. In any case, I'm looking forward to Pinkie shenanigans and Dash hopefully being a mildly more mature mare than Spike is cutting her out to be.

[Fizzy Orange]

Discord be trollin'! For a minute there I thought the whole thing from the transformation to now was just a dream and that in effect the Elements had failed and THEN Spike would wake up still himself

But guess not. Can't wait to see what happens with Rainbow Dash