• Published 28th Jul 2017
  • 1,942 Views, 263 Comments

Roll for Initiative - David Silver



The girls are out of town, again. Spike and Big Mac are left behind. All the farm chores are handled, but there's little to do. Spike has an idea that he's willing to try, if Big Mac is up for it.

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25 - Challenges

Big Mac struggled as he pulled the cart up the hill. The slant was sharp, too sharp. Each step was a small victory against the powers of gravity. There was a road, of sorts. It was where there was the last grass from what few other heavy things had dared ascend to the flat ground above.

"That looks hard." Big Mac looked over his shoulder to see a large snake coiled on his cart. "Oh, don't worry about me. I'm a vegetarian," assured the male-sounding snake. "You don't mind if I have an apple, do you? Just the one'd suffice."

Now, Big Mac hadn't heard of a snake that didn't eat meat on one level or another. Heck, the idea of one chomping an apple was a curious one. "Ayup. Just one." One wouldn't hurt things.

"You're a kind one." The snake nosed open the canvas that hid the apples. "Mmm, a quality batch! Did you grow these yourself? They smell different than wild apples." He slithered inside, vanishing from view.

Big Mac kept an ear trained back on him as he struggled up the hill. The snake's weight didn't make it easier, but it wasn't making it too much harder either. The freeloader was a mild nuisance, he decided. The sounds faded away. Was the snake already done? Big Mac glanced back and saw nothing but an untouched cart. It hadn't even said thanks, and he didn't get to see a snake eat an apple.

He snorted softly and continued struggling against gravity. Not a single pony said the trip would be easy.


Pinkie peered at the paper, filled with its strange, arcane, marks. It was like a magic spell! It summoned music. That was a spell, wasn't it? She nodded to herself, satisfied with her logic.

"Begin," spoke Octavia.

Pinkie's eyes followed the notes as her hooves played them with her beloved instrument. Her voice could not help but follow right along. "Mary had a little lamb..." It helped keep her hooves at the right pace to the song. Every time she said a syllable, she struck a note, with a nice long one at the end. "snow!"

Octavia smiled gently. "You are learning. That song, as I'm sure you are aware, has many more verses than just the starting one." She reached out and tapped the stand that held the music. "But there is only one sheet of music. What does a pony do?"

Pinkie frowned thoughtfully. "Do we just... play it again?"

"That is one method, perfectly valid. The song is a repeat of sounds. However, I should imagine that sounds terribly boring to you. Do you sing all those verses with exactly the same notes?" Pinkie shook her head quickly. "I thought not. You will need to vary it a little, to match the words that are sung."

Pinkie had to break the rules a little? That hardly sounded too worrying. Pinkie sat up as she strummed out the song of Mary and her lamb with a little variation that sounded just a bit more playful to her ears. "Sure to go," she finished the last line out loud, giggling softly. "Can you imagine that, having a lamb just following you everywhere?"

Octavia nodded softly. "Quite troublesome, but I am not an animal caretaker. I feel certain, should Fluttershy suffer such a setback, she would find such a thing endearing."

"Are lambs animals?" Pinkie tilted her head. "They talk."

Octavia shook her head. "That is neither here nor there. I want you to practice that song. Being a song, you may perform it as often as you please. If you wish, perform for an audience.

Pinkie lifted her lute up. "Am I good enough?"

"More than sufficient." Octavia nodded. "You will have your missteps. Learn from them. Having an audience can make you more aware of them and you can focus on eliminating them. Vinyl serves as my audience whenever I can talk her into ceasing her 'electronic' music for a time. You are no master, Pinkie, yet, but you are on the right path."

Pinkie felt a dismissal had been given. She tucked her instrument away and bounced to her hooves. "Maybe I'll play for the Cake Twins, they love silly songs." Confident, she bounced away.

Octavia watched her go, shaking her head slightly. "However does she 'walk' like that? That looks so very tiring."


Rarity opened the door to discover a small dragon had come to visit. "Spike, darling, wonderful to see you." She smiled at her friend warmly. "Do come in! The shop's open, dear, you could have come in without knocking."

Spike advanced awkwardly. "I thought about that, but it didn't feel right, you know?"

"Don't be silly, darling. You're a friend, and if I can tolerate random strangers wandering in, why would I be upset at seeing my little Spikey-Wikey." She put her hooves on Spike's cheeks and rubbed them affectionately. "You're looking better."

Spike warmed fiercely. "About that--"

"--I'm sorry." Rarity moved a hoof to her own chest. "I should have considered things before putting such a dreadful shock on you. I do hope you're alright, Spike dear?"

Spike nodded rapidly. "I'm fine, really. Uh, I mean, you didn't do anything wrong!" As if Rarity could do many things that were outright 'wrong'. Madness. "It was Discord that talked you into it."

"That isn't true, dear." Rarity trotted back towards a ponyquin that held her latest work. "When I heard what you were doing, I very much insisted on being part. Why, I was fairly certain Discord didn't even want me there, but since when did I worry too long on his thoughts?" She lifted some fabric and began comparing one to the other against the dress in progress, considering colors. "But you're a whole other matter, and I messed up. I'm sorry, Spike."

It hadn't been Discord's idea? "Oh, uh... it's alright, really..." Rarity had set up a plan that ended with her smooching him? She had wanted to be his damsel in distress? Spike could feel heat radiating off of him powerfully. "I... mean..." Talking was hard. Why hadn't Discord just said that she wanted to be there?

Rarity turned and set a hoof on his shoulder. "Spike, I didn't forget. When I was waylaid by those brutish Diamond Dogs, ugh." She shook her head. "You were ready to come running in, to save me. Sure, I saved myself, I've grown quite skilled at that, but you were ready to do it, and that does mean something, Spikey-Wikey." She moved that hoof to rub at his fiercely burning cheek. "You are a dear friend, and would do anything to keep me happy and safe. Thank you."

Spike wanted to say a dozen things. He had so many words in his head they all crashed into one another and none of them got through the narrow door instead of jostling on each other. "I mean..."

Rarity gently kissed his head. "That one's between two friends, not a princess and her knight. I feel certain, darling, there will come times when I save you. There will be times where you save me." She turned back to her work. "That is what friends do, and I'm glad to have you as one of them."

Spike felt the world spin, but he shook it off, angrily determining to stay in the moment. "T-thanks! I mean, yeah! We're friends." A small part of him gave the rest a nudge. They were friends. His hands hung limply at his sides. They were friends. Good friends. Precious friends. Friends.

"Shame you aren't tall enough to model this one." Rarity tapped at her chin as she considered her work gravely. "I'd love to see it on a living pony instead of a statue. There's a certain... gravitas you only get with a real pony." She looked over her shoulder and saw the thoughtful Spike. "Is everything alright, Spike dear?"

"Oh yeah! What could be wrong?" He forced a big smile at Rarity. Rarity who loved him. Like a brother. Rarity who admired him, as a friend. Would he ever get closer than that? Was he selfish to even think he should? "What are you... working on?"

"I'm so glad you asked." Her head turned back to it. "Photo Finish needs a piece that screams 'Spring has arrived!'." She waved a hoof over the unfinished product."What does this say to you, Spike dear?"

Spike imagined the suit telling him he was Spikey-Wikey, with love, forever. "It's... great."

"Mmm." Rarity ran a hoof along the soft material. "I..." she continued speaking about her dress and her plans for it, but Spike was barely paying attention, dealing with the tumultuous thoughts in his own mind.


Twilight thrust her quill down in her magic, dotting the last i on the page. "And... done." She clapped the book shut with her magic. "Finally, I get to take a break." Her eyes wandered over the room. "Hmm, wonder if Spike's back already?"

She rose to her hooves and began walking through the castle. "Spike?" But Spike did not respond. Instead, she heard a knocking from the front door. "Did he forget his keys?" Did they ever use their keys? It was a rare occasion. Twilight trotted easily down the steps and approached the door. "Spike, is that you?" She pulled open the door with her magic to reveal a pony, not a dragon. It was Lyra.

"Hey, buddy!" She clapped her hooves together. "Did you know Spike's playing some kinda game that has Pinkie learning to play an instrument?"

Twilight quirked an ear at Lyra. "Is that so? It wouldn't be the first instrument Pinkie has shown aptitude for playing."

"This is a special one." Lyra shook her head firmly. "This one's a string instrument, and only really dedicated earth ponies can learn how to play those."

Twilight had never even considered what went into an earth pony playing a string instrument. "Doesn't Octavia do it?"

"Oh, sure, call out the one best example." Lyra rolled her eyes. "In case you didn't notice, earth ponies have hooves, and no magic. Hay, even pegasi have their wings that are better for that kind of thing than hooves are. Speaking of Octavia, she's the one giving Pinkie lessons!"

Twilight imagined Pinkie being tutored by Octavia, or tried. "Have... either of them gone insane yet?"

Lyra flashed a big grin. "Even better! I saw Pinkie playing a sweet little foal's song in front of the bakery! I mean, she's not perfect, but she's not bad!" She clip-clopped her hooves excitedly. "So! What is Spike playing? If it can put that fire under Pinkie, I gotta know!"

Twilight thought back to her own miserable time that Lyra had caused, and knew that Spike was having his own troubles already. "Oh, just a silly little game. That's exactly the kind of thing--"

Lyra crossed her hooves and crashed to her haunches. "Twilight, you are an awful liar."

"W-what? I mean, what?" Her eyes darted around the area. "What do you mean?"

"You just said what three times in less than a second." Lyra quirked a grin at Twilight. "You're a darling, but lying is not your strong suit. Seriously, what is he doing? Is it some kind of crazy voodoo spell? Zap me!"

Twilight sank to her own haunches. She would have to face the matter head on. "Lyra... I have to admit something."

Lyra leaned forward a little. "Yeah? Well, go on. We're friends. Friends tell each other stuff."

"Yeah... I mean... remember when we were foals?" Lyra kept looking at her. "We used to play this game... O&O?"

"O&O! Oh wow, now that brings back memories." She clapped her hooves together and swayed back and forth. "The action, the excitement! The bad rolls right when you wanted anything but!"

"Y-yes, that game. I... did not appreciate how you entered my game."

Lyra looked baffled entirely a moment before she hopped up to her hooves. "Are you saying I'm the reason you quit?!"

Author's Note:

Admissions of feelings are given.

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