Somepony to Love

by Jet Storm

Chapter 13: Stalker

20 minutes earlier.

“Come on Apple Bloom! We need to hurry,” shouted Scootaloo as she gritted her teeth, galloping as fast as she could. “We need to warn Ponyville!”

“Ah’m hurrin! Ah’m hurrin!” replied Apple Bloom. Although she was trailing just behind Scootaloo, her mind was elsewhere. She couldn’t stop herself from thinking about the bizarre scene that had happened only moments ago.

A unicorn hugging a ferocious dragon.

It was weird. Not only because the dragon itself appeared taken aback but also appeared as though it had blushed by this display of gratitude. It didn’t make sense. She wouldn’t have believed it if she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes. And of course, there was Discord, which only added further chaos and confusion to the mix.

Unfortunately, the two fillies didn’t even get a minute to process the scene when all of a sudden the dragon decided to follow the purple unicorn as he galloped towards Ponyville. Without a second thought, Scootaloo leaped forward, beckoning Apple Bloom to follow.

Apple Bloom knew they were somehow connected, but she just couldn’t put it together. It was as if a dark shade clouded her mind. She started to slow down, which did not go unnoticed by Scootaloo.

“Hurry up, Apple Bloom, we’re losing them,” Scootaloo shouted again.

Apple Bloom didn’t respond this time. She shook these thoughts out of her head and picked up the pace. They were getting dangerously close to Ponyville, and whatever thoughts she had would have to wait … for now at least.

They continued their pursuit but were just a bit too slow to keep up. The dragon also seemed to notice them following her, and changed its course hoping to throw the girls off her track.

“It’s going into the forest!” shouted Scootaloo.

“What do we do now?” asked Apple Bloom at the sudden fork in the road.

“We follow the dragon!”

“THE DRAGON!” blurted out Apple Bloom. “Are you crazy? We should tell Applejack-”

“There’s not enough time!” asserted Scootaloo. “We need to make sure it’s not heading towards Ponyville.”

Apple Bloom groaned. She didn’t like this plan one bit, but had no time to argue as Scootaloo was already running straight into the forest. The two fillies continued to gallop as fast as they could against the thick leaves and branches hampering their way. Despite their best efforts and its massive size, the dragon had managed to successfully escape their grasp. The two fillies stopped and looked around, hoping to get relocate the dragon’s tracks, but it was to no avail. It was gone.

“Oh, horse apples! We lost it,” Scootaloo spat angrily as she continued to look around for any sign of the dragon.

Apple Bloom took the chance to quickly catch her breath and think about the next course of action. Truthfully she was relieved knowing that the two friends had no chance against it. “Let’s head back to Ponyville. We need to tell Applejack and the others. They’ll know what to do.”

Scootaloo contemplated Apple Bloom’s proposal and nodded in agreement. “You’re right. We need to warn them!”

“Let’s head back the way we came. It’s probably the quickest way back.” Scootaloo nodded once more, and without another word the two fillies were off, galloping in the opposite direction in which they came.

A few minutes had passed when the large dragon emerged from her hiding spot. “Whew, they’re gone,” she sighed with a breath of relief. “I thought I’d never lose them.”

Unbeknownst to Scootaloo and Apple Bloom, the dragon they had been chasing was in fact Sweetie Belle who had been hiding in the canopy of the tall trees. Once her friends were out of sight, Sweetie Belle began to beat her new wings, quickly gaining altitude. Her newfound dragon instincts took over as she flew high above the forest. Using the clouds as cover, she hovered just over Ponyville as she scanned the town, searching high and low for the purple unicorn.

“Okay Spike, where did you go?” she said to herself. She was looking westward, when a sudden crash near the market square caught her attention. “Huh? What was that?”

---

“What happened?” wondered Sweetie Belle as she began her descent. Landing, she started following the trail of destruction that had been left behind. There were hardly any ponies around. The few she could see were cursing angrily as they congregated into a large crowd. It looked as though they had gathered around what appeared to be her sister, Twilight, Applejack and - (gasp) “Spike”.

Wasting no time, Sweetie Belle landed quickly and quietly behind an old alleyway. She creeped as best she could through the wide, empty streets. Thankfully the ponies were all distracted which allowed her to get nice and close. She peeked over one of the roof tops, just behind Spike and the others watching the scene unfold below.

“THAT PONY HAS SOME EXPLAINING TO DO!”

“And he will. He has already apologised and has already agreed to pay for any damages that he has caused.”

“But Princess-”

Twilight raised in the hoof in the air ceasing any further protests from the crowd. “Everypony, I understand your anger, but clearly this was an accident,” she began to explain with a stern but gentle voice. “Let us handle this. In the meantime, please send me a letter with your details, any damage he caused and estimated repair costs. Once this is done, he’ll be sure to repay each of you in kind.”

“We’ll guarantee it,” added Rarity smiling to the crowd reassuringly before throwing a venomous glare at the apologetic stallion.

Sweetie Belle glared silently at her sister with seething rage. If it was an accident, like Twilight said, what gave Rarity the right to act like that towards him. “If only she knew how Spike truly felt,” she muttered under her breath.

“Come on y’all,” called Applejack, beckoning the crowd to reason. “Y’all, this is the best way to deal with this mess. So long as nopony got hurt then the rest can be settled easily.”

Sweetie Belle watched on helplessly with a mixture of worry, anger and frustration. She restrained herself as the crowd murmured to themselves, hoping that they would all calm down and accept Twilight’s offer of compensation. But her prayers went unanswered as tempers flared once again with the more disgruntled ponies becoming more vocal.

Twilight responded by glaring back at the crowd, beckoning her friends to do the same. The crowd seemed unmoved by their stern gazes or display of defiance. Twilight’s horn started to glow as she prepared herself to take more drastic action.

Sweetie Belle bit her lip in vexation. She couldn’t just leap out, scales and all, and ask them to stop … or could she?

Just as all hell was about to break loose, and Twilight was ready to unleash her magic, the mood of the crowd suddenly changed. Fear replaced anger as their faces turned ghost white. The three girls were surprised by the change of events as the angry mob became submissive sheep.

Unbeknownst to the group of four ponies however, Sweetie Belle stood strikingly fierce at the meek crowd below. She had strategically placed herself just behind Twilight and the others, giving the illusion that the crowd was looking at the Princess of Friendship, and not some fire breathing monster. She glared and snarled at them silently, bearing her white fangs for all to see.

Taking advantage of the situation, Twilight stood forward. “Please everypony,” she said gently to the crowd. “We ask you to be reasonable. We promise to get this sorted. And so does he,” said Twilight whilst pointing to stallion who lay stunned at the sudden change.

Applejack impatiently nudged the stallion who snapped to attention. He stood up quickly, brushing the dirt off his coat, and hung his head shamefully. “I’m sorry everypony. I didn’t mean to cause any harm. Will you please forgive me?”

Sweetie Belle shot her eyes wide open, pulling the upper corners of her lips causing them to tremble dangerously and allowing a little smoke to escape from the sides. The crowd remained still for a few seconds as though waiting for their orders. Slowly she nods her head and points at the apologetic stallion, threatening the crowd to do the same, which they do so vigorously.

“Great!” beamed Twilight, pleased with her mediations skills and none the wiser to Sweetie Belle standing behind her. Knowing that her presence was no longer required, Sweetie Belle sleeks away, returning to the shadows once more and flicking her tail to dismiss the crowd, “now that everything has been settled, how about you all go home -” before she could finish her sentence however the crowd disappeared“- and begin writing those letters.”

“Wow Twilight, you can be scary,” said Rarity with a sigh of relief. “I didn’t know you had it in you.”

“Those ponies ran off faster then a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs,” commented Applejack.

“Hmmm,” pondered Twilight as she wondered about their suspicious behaviour.

From behind a dark alley, Sweetie Belle snickered to herself. She couldn’t believe how effective that was. Now that the situation had been defused, Sweetie Belle watched the four closely, unwittingly wagging her tail openly in sight of everypony.

---

Elsewhere, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo made it back to Ponyville. They were tired and exhausted, having gotten lost a few times as they tried to make their way out of the forest. They had finally gotten back on track however, and were more eager to complete their mission.

“What should we do?” asked Scootaloo.

“We need to find Applejack and the others,” answered Apple Bloom with hopeful determination, “we need to warn them about the -.

“DRAGON!”

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo came to a grinding halt as the abrupt screams pierced the otherwise calm streets. Color drained from Apple Bloom’s face as she came to a stark realization.

They were too late.

And now Ponyville was in danger. A mix of tears and sweat began pouring down her face as she too began to panic.

“Snap out of it, Apple Bloom,” shouted Scootaloo shaking her shoulders vigorously. “We need to find Twilight and the others.”

Apple Bloom shook her head. Scootaloo was right. Now was not the time to panic. If there was any group of ponies that could save Ponyville, it would be her big sister and her friends. With a newfound sense of hope and determination Apple Bloom swallowed her fear and regained her composure. “You’re right,” she said simply. “You’re right.”

“Listen, we can cover more ground if we split up,” said Scootaloo. Apple Bloom nodded in agreement and waited for further instructions. “I’ll go find Rainbow Dash and Twilight. You see if you can find Applejack and Rarity.”

And with that Scootaloo sped off, leaving Apple Bloom behind. Truthfully, Scootaloo was scared beyond belief but she couldn’t let her fear get to her. She headed towards the park where Rainbow Dash was sure to be napping.

Scootaloo galloped at full speed, in between buildings and along the side streets but tripped as she tried to turned a sharp corner. Rubbing her aching head she turned to see a stampede of frightened ponies come barrelling towards her. Scared, hurt and alone, Scootaloo could do nothing but wait to be trodden on.

Just then however, at the last possible second, a blur of colors came dashing past, saving the orange filly from the thunderous hooves of the panicked ponies.

“Hey!” shouted a raspy voice whilst throwing an angry hoof at the group of ponies, “why don’t you watch where you’re going. Geez, what’s with everypony?”

Tears of relief began to swell in Scootaloo’s eyes as she looked up at her savior. “Rainbow Dash.”

The multi-colored pegasus cocked her head and threw back a proud smile, “Hey, squirt, what’s up?”

---

“A date?” repeated Twilight with disbelief.

“A date,” smiled Spyro, winking at the unsuspecting white mare. Instead of being moved this romantic gesture, however Rarity felt repulsed. She managed to contain her displeasure however behind a wide smile.

Applejack was even less impressed and made no efforts to hide her annoyance. “You’ve got some nerve,” glared Applejack. Before she could go any further however, Twilight lifted her wing stopping Applejack in her tracks. Applejack looked at Twilight confused, but said nothing. Twilight however remained silent observing the new stallion ever still suspiciously. Applejack started to catch on that something was amiss though she couldn’t quite put a hoof to it.

“Umm.. yes well as flattering as that is,” Rarity replied slowly, “I have to decline.”

“But I just got changed -”

“Yes, well you see,” interrupted Rarity. “I have made plans already and we must be on our way.”

“Can I come along? After all, I’m a strong dr- pony,” he said. “I can carry your bags.”

“It’s quite alright you don’t need to really.”

“Please my lady,” persisted Spyro hoping to come off as romantic. “I insist”.

“Rarity, it’s alright, you go ahead and have fun,” Applejack insisted.

Rarity was shocked. She had hoped her friends would back her up, not throw her in the deep end. “Wait, but-” she began to protest.

“It’s fine, Rarity, we can handle things here,” reassured Twilight.

“Let’s go Rarity,” beamed the oblivious stallion.

“Are you quite sure?” asked Rarity with pleading eyes to her friends begging them to save her.

“Go!” prompted Applejack. “Go have fun.”

“My lady,” grinned Sypro.

Rarity rolled her eyes and groaned. “Well if you must insist.”

“Don’t stay out too late,” joked Applejack.

“You kids behave yourselves,” smiled Twilight.

Rarity threw a venomous glare at her friend’s betrayal. Defeated however, she sighed as Spyro continued to lead the way. Applejack and Twilight waved the two ponies goodbye until they were no longer within earshot.

Applejack gravitated her head towards Twilight’s, whilst keeping her grin and asked, “you don’t suppose?”

“APPLEJACK!”

“Apple Bloom, what in the-”

At that moment, Apple Bloom leaped onto her sister with her forelegs held out wide and latching onto her leg. “You have to come help quick!” Apple Bloom shouted hastily as she pulled on Applejack’s leg frantically, beckoning her sister to come.

Twilight and Applejack looked at the frightened filly confused. “Woah, slow down there nelly,” comforted Applejack. “What in the hay has got you so worked up, Sugarcube?”

“There’s a dragon on the loose in Ponyville,” she screamed. “It just scared a whole bunch of ponies.”

“Wait, what dragon?” blurted out Twilight.

“A big white dragon,” replied Apple Bloom. “Scootaloo and Ah were following the dragon. It was heading to Ponyville but then disappeared and it reappeared again.”

“What in tarnation were you thinking?” chastised Applejack.

“We didn’t want to originally,” said Apple Bloom defensively. “We went to get some snacks then we saw Spike and Sweetie Belle chase after Discord and then we saw the unicorn hugging the dragon and then -”

“Discord,” shouted Applejack in surprise.

“Wait a minute,” said Twilight, “back up, you said you saw a unicorn hugging a dragon?”

“Yep,” answered Apple Bloom with a quick nod, “a purple unicorn with a green mane.”

Twilight’s eyes began to widen. It all started to make sense now. “Applejack, are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“Ah sure do, Twilight,” said Applejack without a doubt. “We better get to Fluttershy’s post haste.”

---

Sweetie Belle tried not to struggle too much as she slithered across the sparse forest of bushes along the path that Rarity, and Spyro were walking. She couldn't help but flinch as she felt her new wings get snagged on a few of the nasty branches of the treacherous bushes. Her large body felt so contorted and scrunched up as she compacted herself as close to the ground as she could without emptying her lungs of all air. In some ways it felt like the time she'd tried to stow away in one of Rarity's bags... In hindsight, the fashion show hadn't even been that interesting after all.

It'll be worth it, Sweetie Belle reminded herself as she watched Spyro and Rarity.

The two had been aimlessly trotting in awkward silence. Nerves got the better of Spyro (aka Spike) who looked around hopelessly for some sort of conversation starter, whereas Rarity was disinterested, frustrated, and bored.

Come on Spike, talk to her, Sweetie Belle silently coached Spyro as she watched him choke on his own words, and Rarity barely suppress the urge to scowl back.

“So where are we going?” asked Spyro in a childish manner. Realising his mistake, he quickly cleared his throat and repeated himself. This time with a thick Canterlot accent. “Pardon my ignorance, Rarity, but where are you taking us?”

Rarity rolled her eyes incredulously. “My dear, Spyro, given your desperate pleas to take me along this little outing of yours, I had assumed you had a plan already in mind.”

“O-o-of course I have,” he spluttered. Her words pierced his heart as his mind began to race to think of a romantic destination. “I thought I’d take you to the Ponyville Theatre. According to the Canterlot Chronicle, there is meant to be a delightful and truly magnificent play on this weekend.”

“And which playing you are referring to,” asked Rarity sharply.

“I was referring to-

“The only reason I ask,” she said interrupting the stallion in mid sentence, “is because the Theatre has been closed for renovations for the past fortnight.”

Spyro’s jaw dropped but he quickly recovered with a new plan. “Well how about the lunch? I heard-”

“I just ate,” Rarity interrupted again as she looked over her hoof.

Spyro's stomach fell as Sweetie Belle’s temper began to rise. What is with Rarity, she scowled at her sister. Why is she being so mean?

“Dessert then?” he begged, his voice slightly cracking.

“Not hungry,” she said as she snapped her head away.

Spyro sunk his head in agony. He couldn’t believe it. Was he not the perfect looking stallion that Rarity had wanted? The beautiful seamstress was rejecting every possible romantic gesture and proposal. His heart began to whimper as he failed to understand why she was being so blunt.

Puffs of smoke came bellowing from the flared nostrils of the dragon lurking in the shadows. Sweetie Belle was doing her best to remain calm and hidden, but she was fuming with malicious rage. Why doesn’t she give him a chance? After everything he’s done for her, she spat inwardly, her tail knocking over a nearby flower pot and causing it to smash into the ground. Sweetie Belle froze in place hoping that she hadn’t been noticed.

Unfortunately the smashed pot did catch Rarity’s attention as she searched curiously to find the source of the noise. Failing to do so however, she quickly gave up and instead looked at the dejected unicorn before her. Rarity’s felt a tinge of guilt as she reflected upon her behavior. “Listen, Spyro … I’m terribly sorry for having taken my frustrations out on you. It's that I just have a lot going on at the moment and now is really not a good time. Maybe we can meet again some other time under different circumstances, but for now I really must be going,” and with that she slowly backed away. If she was quick enough, maybe she could catch up with Twilight and the others.

Still feeling vexed however, Spyro muttered venomously underneath his breath, “where are you going?”

Rarity was taken back at the tone of question, but understood why he was behaving so. She decided to forgive him, given the morning the unicorn just had. “If you must know, my friends and I are throwing a party for a very special pony."

Wait! What's going on? What party? Sweetie Belle thought in complete confusion.

"Special pony?" Spyro asked jealously as his accent slipped for a second or two. "Like a special somepony?" Spyro pressed earning a noticeable disapproving scowl from Rarity, and a flinch from Sweetie Belle.

She doesn't have a special somepony! Sweetie Belle silently insisted. I know she doesn’t. Her large body rustling the bushes she lay in as she almost sprang out of them like a coiled snake.

"No," Rarity corrected him as she turned to look the bitter purple stallion in the eyes, losing whatever patience she had. "He is a far more special friend to me than a meager stallion-friend," Rarity chastised the inconsiderate purple stallion. Her hoof waved back and forth in the air in a bitter combination of pointing, and a chastising wag.

“Hmph. If this pony is so special, why aren’t you with him?” Spyro muttered.

That was the last straw for Rarity. She'd tried to humor him at first and was even able to forgive his transgressions in light of her later blunt refusals, but this was unacceptable.

“How dare you!” she growled between gritted teeth.

Alarmed by her sudden anger, Spyro tumbled a few steps backwards falling hard on his flank. Rarity walked slowly towards him, slamming each hoof in the ground, glaring at him with murderous intent. “I will have you know that the pony I speak of is a dragon!”

“What? Dragon?” spluttered Spike, leaving Sweetie Belle absolutely perplexed.

“And he happens to be a very dear friend of mine, and more a gentle colt then you will ever be!”

Oh no! Sweetie Belle silently screamed in horror as she watched the whole scene unroll.

“But I thought-”

“Well you thought wrong!” shrieked Rarity. “Now leave!”

Spike, quick! Tell her everything! Sweetie Belle pleaded, even though she knew her thoughts were unheard by Spyro.

“But-” Spyro stuttered as he looked at the white mare in complete confusion, and a hint of horror.

“Leave!” Rarity commanded as she pointed a hoof sternly back down the path.

Spyro looked at her dejected and confused more than ever. He sunk his head low and retreated slowly. In the nearby distance, a certain dragon was watching and glared at the fashionista. She scorned the ground and slipped away.

---

Rarity had just made it home. She had never been so furious at any pony. “That pompous nincompoop,” she began muttering to herself as she grabbed her keys. “Such a rude, inconsiderate brute.”

She stomps towards her chair, and uses her magic to grab a bowl of ice cream. Taking a large scoop, she stuffed her face, her thoughts wondering about the events of the day. The image of the stallion and their interactions were still raw in her mind. “I can’t believe him. Can’t he take a hint! What a persistent, egotistical, narcissistic jerk !”

Knock, knock, knock

“Oh, Sweet Celestia,” groaned Rarity. “Who in the world could that be?”

She leaped off the couch and stomped towards the door, still bitter and annoyed. “I’m sorry but we are closed,” she said aloud but politely.

The pony behind the door seemed to have ignored her and responded by knocking harder on the door.

“Hmph, how rude!” scoffed Rarity. “I’m going to give that pony a piece of my mind!”

Rarity closed her eyes and sighed as she attempted to regain her composure. But the knocking persisted louder and harder than before, and she became increasingly frustrated. Swearing underneath her breath, she hurried to unlock the door.

Knock, knock, knock

“I’M OPENING IT!” she snapped.

Rarity slammed the door open, huffing and puffing on the spot. She quickly took a deep breath, straining not to throttle this disrespectful individual.

In her politest business voice, she fixed her mane. “Excuse me but we are clos-ed-dah-dah-dah-dah” stammered Rarity as her jaw dropped and eyes widened.

“You,” hissed the monster as its reptilian eyes glared on the stupefied and terrified unicorn.

“EEEEEEK!” shrieked Rarity as she shivered in fear.

“You have a lot to answer for!” the beast growled as it moved forward; smoke fumed out of its nostrils.

“Wh-wh-what can I do for you m-m-m-mister dragon?” stammered Rarity as she stumbled backwards.

“Huh?” escaped Sweetie Belle’s lips. She caught her reflection in a nearby mirror. Her ferocious spiked tail continued to wave around behind her. Discord’s spell hadn’t broken. She was still a dragon.

“M-m-m-mister dragon?”

Sweetie Belle glanced at her sister who was still cowering beneath her intimidating figure. She clenched one of her claws, licked her lips and grinned sinisterly.

Oh, this is going to be fun

Comments

[Fluffy-Boi]

Ooooo. I feel bad for Spike.

[OmniFox]

The Magic of Guilt. Coma