Chapter 5: No Chance
What was it about Sugarcube Corner that caught Pokey Pierce’s undeniable attention? He wasn't quite sure about the whole matter of it all, himself. He'd always been a fan of sweets, of course, and the atmosphere is quite inviting; however, he never fancied himself in public domain very long and he dreaded interaction. However, maybe it wasn't Sugarcube Corner that was the inviting element in the equation, but its denizens.
As a matter of fact, he wouldn't have even thought about attending a party with so many ponies if it weren't Pinkie Pie inviting him, and he wouldn't spend his free time sitting at the Sugarcube Corner tables if he didn't enjoy smalltalk with the owners and the adorable sight of two toddlers buzzing around. It wasn't the building that felt like home, but the ponies within that made him feel welcome.
As Pinkie Pie left his house that night, he sighed a sigh of questionable origins. Was it relief that he was finally alone again? Or was it something else? Whatever it was, he took the tray of cupcakes that she had readily delivered to his house and slid it into the fridge's lower shelf.
“Pokey?” A lighthearted voice echoed from around the corner.
Tootsie Flute bobbed her tiny filly head out from behind the wall divider and pleaded up towards Pokey with her eyes.
“Oh, Tootsie, you are awake?” He asked, taking a few careful steps through the dimly lit kitchen. Tootsie remained expressionless, peering upwards.
The stature of Tootsie Flute was smaller than the average filly her age. Her eyes were large, painted with a deep amethyst that matched her frazzled mane. As her small tail whipped behind her, she slowly let down a nod, still not breaking her neutral expression.
Her mannerisms were similar to a cat, her ears perked upwards in interest, her tail wavering slowly back and forth, all tied together with her large, pensive eyes. She stayed planted in her spot, staring down her older brother until he broke and answered the question that he knew was on her mind.
“I finally got your cupcakes for your party.” He said nervously, chuckling lightly. “You shouldn't look at them until it's time though, it'll ruin the surprise even more.”
Finally, the small filly smiled, a reward greatly appreciated by Pokey. As her eyes lightened and her cheeks plumped up, her teeth and eyes got a glint of the only light in the room. They sparkled for a second, warming up Pokey's heart.
“Come on now, let's get you to bed.” He said gently, harvesting the smile as his own. He nudged her to the side with his foreleg and began to walk down to her room. She followed behind him, hardly willingly, but refrained from speaking any complaints although they clearly were considered.
As she squirmed under her covers, she looked up to her older brother, pleading for a goodnight kiss. Blushing, Pokey turned his face away. That was a clear “no.”
-----
“Rarity, um, about my question...”
“Not right now, Spikey-wikey, I must gather my things!”
“B-but Rarity...”
Spike's knees felt weak as he followed the white unicorn around the library. Her grace as she handled her luggage was untouchable, even by Spike himself. He eventually froze, realizing that following her around was a futile effort. Taking a seat on the floor, he stared at the clean hardwood, drawing a circle with the claw of his hand.
His mind traced back to the first time he tried to ask. It was the same sad pattern. She avoided his glance, choosing to focus on almost anything else.
He was older than he was when they'd met. Had he not grown any bigger in her eyes? He looked from his invisible drawing on the ground back to Rarity, surprised to see her eyes were on him as well. She jerked in surprise as their eyes met and she pulled away, using her magic to stack a few bags on top of each other.
It seemed like she had finished packing three times over, just messing with her bags to pass time. Twilight had already arranged the train ride into Canterlot and was off collecting Rainbow Dash. With the seconds ticking away, the silence signaled that Rarity's packing had crossed the finish line.
Spike's scales set on edge. He brushed them back and shivered with anticipation as he took to his feet. His nervous habit of rubbing his arms caught up to him and he took a moment to gather the courage he needed for the third time.
As he turned towards Rarity, she avoided his eyes cautiously, lifting a foreleg from the ground. With a toss of her head, her long indigo hair tossed up and then down again, followed by a flutter of eyelashes that looked in the opposite direction of their admirer.
Letting out a sigh, he opened his mouth to speak. However, no words left his mouth before Rarity interjected.
“Listen Spike...” Rarity said delicately, deciding that it was time to look directly at him. “I understand how you feel, I really do.”
Naivety was stronger than Spike's nerve, causing his silence to break with an enthusiastic and relieved, “thank goodness! So... you'll go with me?”
Judging by the pained look in Rarity's eyes, the excited wag in Spike's tail was too much for her to stomach and she looked at the ground, desperately trying to look away. “Well, you see, Spikey. That's – well – that's precisely why we needed to talk.”
She met his eyes once more, unnerved by the intense focus, the admiring gaze. She approached him and delicately set her hoof next to him.
“What do you mean?”
“You are a wonderful little dragon, and I love you ever so dearly. You are so kind to me and so faithful to me and our friends.”
Spike's face dyed plumb with blush, and he took a moment to look away to hide his smile and his cheeks. When he looked back, he pulled himself into a more serious face, attempting to give off the mature, manly vibe he had hoped to have. “So what's the problem? I don't understand.”
“You see, I love you so very much, but not in the same way, I'm afraid. Spikey, you are one of my very best friends, darling, and I don't want you to forget that. But right now, I want to take somepony else to the gala.”
The sound of the door opening marked the end of the conversation. Twilight arrived, followed by Rainbow Dash. In comparison to Rarity's mass of packing, Dash was carrying hardly anything at all. The luggage cases were sloppily closed over overstuffed packing, in a clear attempt to fit as much into one bag as possible.
Having no capacity to respond, Spike stood frozen in his spot, staring at nothing in particular.
“Okay, Rarity, is everything ready?” Twilight asked. Rarity looked towards her friends enthusiastically.
“Oh yes, absolutely.” Noticing the lack of luggage on her stronger friend, Rarity smiled. “Dash, could you be a darling and help me carry some of these bags? I'm not strong enough to carry them all.”
“Seriously?!” Dash yelped, setting her bag down. “Why did you even pack more than you can carry?!”
“Now really, Rainbow Dash, I'm going to be designing dresses while I am there. Did you expect me to pack light?”
Rainbow groaned, “no way, I'm not carrying all those bags.”
Seeing the oncoming conflict, Twilight briskly rolled her eyes and used her magic to heave some of Rarity's massive bags into the air. While the two ponies bickered without noticing the bags were already covered, Twilight looked to spike. “Spike, are you coming with to see Rarity and Rainbow off?”
“U-um...” Spike said, still half-way within a trance. “N-no, I think I'm gonna stay here. Some of the books upstairs... need reorganizing...”
Lost in the chaotic atmosphere, Twilight was eager to leave, and in doing so disregarded the strange behavior of her assistant. She broke up the useless banter between the bickering friends among her and urged them to go. Rarity, now noticing that Twilight had some of her things, refreshingly thanked her and grabbed her two lightest bags. The three ponies, one after the other, evacuated the building, leaving Spike in his silence.
A worried glance back from Rarity before the door closed sealed the deal. His chance with Rarity was really gone. For real. This wasn't a lie.
He sat down against the ground again, moving slowly, almost as if moving fast would rattle him more than he needed. Now upon the hardwood itself, he glanced at his open palm. The sight of his hand inches from his face brought upon the memory of that day months ago.
The sight of his massive footprint. The distant imprint memory of ripping Rarity from her room and climbing a mountain. The gift of the delicious fire ruby. The kiss.
He was suddenly pushed too far into his realization. As the physical memory of her soft lips against his cheeks crested his flesh, a droplet of salty tears slid from his bottom eyelid. Placing his hand over what once was his most favorite memory, he felt a deep, uninviting moan escape from the base of his throat. Memories flashing before his eyes of all the times he thought he stood a chance with Rarity, he pulled his legs to his chest and sobbed loudly, unafraid of being heard. Nopony would be coming home for him anytime soon.
Knock, knock, knock.
The sound of the tapping against the wooden library door startled Spike. The shock distracted him from his tears long enough for his heart beat to lower to a slower pace. His jaw was slightly ajar as he stared at the door.
“Hello? Twi, it's me.” There was an unmistakable southern slur in the voice. In response, Spike fumbled to his feet and sputtered the best response he could manage.
“O-oh, uh, coming!” As he rushed towards the door, he rubs his scaly arms under his eyes, scraping away any evidence of tears that was readily available. The door opened with a creak and on the other side of the door stood a very under slept earth pony.
Applejack's usual tied back style was frazzled, her eyes sunken and dark. She smiled earnestly down at Spike.
“'Mornin' Spike. Have ya'll seen Twilight around?”
“Oh, no. Um... Twilight took, you know – they left this morning.”
“Oh, shoot! Y'know where I could find them? I need their help for some stuff around the farm.” She put a hoof up against her face in thought, rubbing the sweat from her brow while it was there. After a moment she looked down to Spike as he was hesitant to respond. “You alright sugarcube?”
“What? Oh, uh, Twilight's going shopping at the square.” He responded, looking at the ground intently. He kicked a rock hesitantly.
The rock bounced off the ground once and hit Applejack in the knee. She looked at it, and then back at Spike. “Right. Okay, thank ya kindly. If ya see her before me, can ya ask her to stop by my farm? Thanks!”
-----
As Applejack left the library, she noticed the door slam relatively hard behind her. Not bothering to turn around and look, she continued her journey to find her various friends. In her mind she reeled through her options. First, Sugarcube Corner. Then, Twilight if she appears to be in the area. After that, Carousel Boutique. Then Rainbow Dash's house until finally last, Fluttershy's cottage.
The journey from the library to the town square was a short one. Ponyville was always lively with scenery and bright with smiles at every turn. Because of this, Applejack found most walks around town refreshing, even if she enjoyed the high she got from hard work at home.
At the moment, however, any high from working that would usually bless her with adrenaline and sweat was replaced with the sweeping tiredness from working all night. Her back hooves were sore and her eyes were tired, but she got a decent sized bite out of the farm work. Enough so for her to feel comfortable enough to enlist her friends.
Upon her arrival of Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie had opened the door before Applejack could even knock.
“Hi there AJ! I knew somepony was at the door! What are you here for?” She chirped excitedly. Her legs appeared to hover above the ground as she hopped up.
“Aw, nothin' much. I just wanted to ask a favor of ya, if ya'd let me.” Restraining from making a shocked face from the erratic behavior of her pink friend, Applejack simply smiled and laughed at the welcoming antics.
“Sure! What do you need? A party? How about a cupcake? I have cupcakes! But you'll have to pay me a bit for one. Sorry, if I don't make you pay I might get fired and that would be really, really bad because I'm pretty sure working in a bakery is the only thing that I could do that I would be really good at, you know what I mean?”
“Uh, no thanks. I don't need a cupcake or a party. I was just wonderin' if ya would be willing to come by the farm sometime and give me a hoof with some of the work.” Applejack made a nervous chuckle and shook her tired head to bring her senses back into check. “Big Mac has gone and hurt himself again and I need to get ready for the farmer's market that's comin' up.”
“Sure! Okie dokie lokie! Have you asked Twilight yet?”
“I don't know where she is, sugarcube. Do you have any good ideas?”
“Easy! She's right behind you!”
Applejack readily turned around and much to her delight, Pinkie was right. She was trotting by on the other side of the square, a bag strapped onto her back.
“Thank ya kindly, Pinkie. Could ya stop by tomorrow mornin'?”
“Posalutely, absotively AJ!”
Choosing not to think too hard about the conversation she just had, Applejack hurried over to where her lavender friend was before she was out of sight. It was an easy feat to manage when Applejack's eyesight was so strained.
“Twi!” She called, now choosing to slow her pace and call for Twilight's attention instead. It appeared to work, because as she was called, Twilight was startled and stopped in her place. She looked every which way before noticing Applejack standing where she was.
Twilight happily approached her caller, a warm smile on her face. “Hello, Applejack. What brings you here?”
“Well actually, Twi, I came to ask ya if ya'll would help me with some of my work. Big Mac has gone and hurt himself again, and I could really use the help. Have ya seen Rarity around? She's next on my list.”
“Actually, Rarity and Rainbow Dash have gone on a little vacation to Canterlot.” Twilight said with a slight chuckle. “I guess they needed a change of scenery.”
“Well shoot, I guess I won't ask them for help.” Applejack sighed in disappointment. “I suppose I'm gonna hafta ask some of Big Mac's friends to help. They offered but I turned them down because I had you guys.”
“I'm very sorry, Applejack. I didn't know.”
“Aw, don't worry Twi. I don't mind askin' them either. So you'll help?”
“Of course. When do you need me?”
“Tomorrow mornin' would be great, if ya don't mind.”
“Okay. Well, I'll see you then!”
“See ya, Twi!”
As the two ponies separated ways, Applejack began to head towards Fluttershy's cottage.
-----
It was no secret that Fluttershy's cottage was the farthest out of the way, but the travel seemed especially hard today. It wasn't long before Applejack was forced to walk around large tree that seems to have fallen on the path.
Fluttershy just so happened to be outside near the path that Applejack was taking. The earth pony called and waved her friend over, where Fluttershy quickly responded with a startled squee!
As she noticed who called her, she opened up her shell a little and smiled. “Oh, hello Applejack...”
“Hi there Fluttershy. I was wonderin' if ya could offer me some help with farm work tomorrow mornin'.”
“Absolutely. I saw Big Mac a few days ago. He had a nasty limp... is that why you need help?”
The concern in Fluttershy's voice was clear.
“Actually, yeah. But he'll be okay. We are forcing him to get some bedrest.”
“Okay, that is good. He needs it.”
After a conversation littered with small talk, Applejack decided to ascend back to her farm for some well deserved rest. Making her way around the downed tree, she cast a concerned look at it and decided to try and push it off the path. Somepony could get hurt with a fallen tree around.
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542748
Or if spike can find a little girl dragon...*wink+grin*
SPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIKE! - Sincerely, A concerned reader.
785934
Yes, there's some character developing to be done in Spike, and there will be some stuff that ties in later.
543070 So do I.
At least Rarity understands the age difference. I wonder if Spike'll ever be able to find a dragon girl in one of these stories besides It Takes a Village.
785899>>786099
http://www.fimfiction.net/story/29448/Love%27s-A-Dragon is it what you're looking for?
Ugh RariPants, really?
How could you do this to spiwawawaawake?!
Ok, sure, I'm doing pretty much the same in my fic, but still!
Anyhow, doing great and, the fallen tree? I see what you did there....
786259
Warlock seems you show your face every time a story with Spike is involved ^_^ I do like some of your stories as well. Also nice story here btw. I dont know about everything happening but i do hope this works out well for everyone at least for the most part
786136
I meant in this story, but that story's good too.
Aww, poor Spike.
Intriguing... highly intriguing.
hmmm... I think it was spike who kinda... topled that tree... spike in his grown version that is
keep up the good work! really liking this!
I reckon the mysterious gift for Fluttershy and the broken tree are because of Gilda. She secretly fell in love with her on first sight but didn't know how to react properly. Now she's to shy herself to approach Fluttershy and took her anger out on a nearby tree before delivering that box and leaving...
..or I just somehow imagined that whole scenario
Either way, glad to see this story update. It's nice to speculate
I do believe I just discovered how Big Mac hurt himself.... Damn tree!
Certainly an original idea, and I'm interested in how it's going to happen.
@Spike
i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/107/432/i_hug_that_feel.png?1318992465
I'm hoping for a TwixMac. FlutterxMac is overdone and in reality, could it even work? The shyest pony paired with a pony who rarely talks, not something I see working out
I kinda hope they hit this note in S3.Since they've gone over friendship S1,small life lessons S2,I wanna see them try and hit slightly bigger lesson for kids in S3. In this case it would be getting over a pointless crush. I mean almost every little kid at some point gets a little crush on someone far to old for them.
A cute young teacher,friend of their parents/older siblings,or some famous new singer/actor/actress.
Its not healthy for a kid to keep a crush like that for to long and its best like in the way your story did let reality tell the kid its just not gonna happen.
Maybe well get an actual female baby dragon in S3 that will show spike the light.
That aside I really love this story so far and its nice you gave pokey pierce a bit more background.
Hmmm...that fallen tree seems like a hint of sorts...
Poor, poor, Spike.
I guess I can take a hint that Twilight might be striking up a conversation with one of Big Mac's friends?
Thanks for updating so quickly, this is getting to be pretty fun.
"...harvesting the smile as his own."
POKEY'S A CHANGELING!
786595 You imagined that scenario. All the roadsigns point to FlutterMac.
Having just read "Lost Time", I noticed Tootsie's appearance. And now I want to throw her off a Ferris wheel while bitch-slapping her.
She ruined Sweetie Belle's future, and I can't forgive... oh wait.
DIFFERENT STORY, MORE HAPPY!
790136
Yeah...but still, Gilda would be more interesting...
Rarity: “You are a wonderful little dragon, and I love you ever so dearly. You are so kind to me and so faithful to me and our friends.”
“You see, I love you so very much, but not in the same way, I'm afraid. Spikey, you are one of my very best friends, darling, and I don't want you to forget that. But right now, I want to take somepony else to the gala.”
F-F-FRIENDZONED!
It's refreshing to read a story where Rarity actually takes the responsible approach to Spike's crush on her. It really hurt the little guy, but it's for the best. I also really feel for Pinkie's worry that delving into romance will split up her friends.
I would like to thank everypony for their positive feedback and constructive criticism. I know I'm no ace writer and I'm certainly not the most creative bean in the can, but you guys really are keeping the fanfiction going with your positive comments, I've never been one to be motivated to continue. My plans for this fanfiction were not for it to get as popular as it has, so I'm very grateful.
Please continue to do what you've been doing. Your enjoyment is a very active motivator for me!
790204
Sorry bro. I agree, but this is straight only.
I can't stand Fluttershy. She is like a big piece of caramel that you try to eat but it is so sickly sweet that you choke and die. Macintosh is a pony of action, stout of heart and noble in character. He deserves better than a weak, helpless worm with deep psychological issues and a willingness to resort to force to get what she wants.
I must inform you, the feeling you give your writing is spot on. When Rarity rejected Spike, it physically hurt me to read that.
Seriously, it felt like somepony gut punched me.
It stung to see Spike's reaction after getting rejected... it really did. Knowing that your love's unrequited and she wants to be with someone else....
FUCK.
792679 Maybe Fluttershy doesn't like you either
At any rate, I feel bad that NO ONE has acknowledged Spike's feelings. They're all preoccupied, which seems very OOC for them. Regardless, I am eager to read more.
I wanted to hug Spike so bad! Poor guy! I hope he has a happy ending...like an Applebloom ending? *wink**wink*
I wanted to hug Spike so bad! Poor guy! I hope he has a happy ending...like an Applebloom ending? *wink**wink*
788325 THANK YOU!!! TWIMAC FOREVER!!! but if it did wind up being fluttermac, the story would still be good
Poor Spike...
Spike, it's time we had a talk. From one bro to another. As you already know, friendship is magic. Like magic, most of it does good things: Makes you happy, gives you a shoulder to cry on, etc. However, like magic it can also do bad things the worst of this is the dreaded friend zone. So, in conclusion, drink your ovaltine or something I don't care.
I'm treating this with the same slight wariness I had for ITAV when I saw that Spike was in a shipfic. I hope you're careful about that.
I like it a lot so far, though nothing super dramatic or super cute has really happened yet. The pairings are pretty clear as soon as they're hinted at, so it's not really a "guess the ship"-fic either.
This seems like your standard shipfic.
The main gripe I have is that there are a few things that haven't been very subtle. Most of all: "I've been thinking, though, Twilight, that I feel it would be appropriate this time that you should all invite dates." The motivation for sudden romance feels a little contrived, which is a common problem for shipping, but still a big one. If you rephrase the letter, that problem would basically disappear.
The premise - taking dates to the GGG, causing time pressure - is solid, and your writing style works well. Your grammar's great. Basically, it's a good light read, but I haven't really gotten a sense where you're going with this at all, as a story.
So far, solid 4 stars / 5.
Pleading for a good night kiss from her older brother? F*****G D'AWWWWWWWWW SO CUTE!
deviantart.com/download/285088156/tootsie_flute_by_rildraw-d4pqffg.png
Tootsie Flute and Pokey Pierce are brother and sister?
media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m71fp1zGYe1qj63jg.gif
Poor spike...24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m8eau6PF9T1rxmai6o6_500.gif
the soarin dash is what i came for, so DAMN IT I WANT SOARIN DASH!!!
here's my theory.
Big Mac is being all secret admirer on Fluttershy and he gets hurt while doing that
Pokey has big crush on Pinkie
Applejack asks Big Mac's friend Caramel to help and they crush on each other
Rarity is a bitch
Twilight is non-sociable
2136861
Is it because of the whole spike thing?
2136861 What about rainbow dash? :3
I feel your pain brother.
2136861 You must have a PhD in logic or something. I bet NO ONE would see that coming.
I love how this chapter ended. Applejack always thinking of other ponies.
2136861 I think Twilight just needs a lot of time to think about this. She is rather cautious and analytical. She'll want to observe first most likely and analyze some possible Stallions. Rarity isn't that bad, she just thinks of Spike as a friend rather than as a lover and she did it in a gentle manner.