Equestria Girls Spikebelle 3: Summer Vacation Part 2

by Chaos04

Chapter 8: The sleepover

Friday had come. Rainbow Dash drove down the road. The night of the sleepover had arrived, and she was racing to Applejack’s house with Scootaloo riding passenger, and Sweetie Belle in the back.

Spike had also come along after arrangements were made with his parents. They didn’t even bother to arrange with Granny Smith, knowing she was two steps from senility.

The two passengers in the back held hands, grateful for the opportunity to spend time with one another again. Only, this time it was special. This time, they would be spending the night together like at Pharynx’s house.

The ride was spent mostly in silence, when they finally reached the dirt road that led to Applejack’s house.

“Okay. This is it: the last stretch. Let’s go over the checklist one last time,” Rainbow Dash said. “Marshmallows?”

“Check,” Scootaloo said.

“Graham crackers?”

“Check.”

“Chocolate bars?”

“Check,” Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Spike and Dash all said in unison.

“Sleeping bags and pillows. I know for a fact that’s a check,” Dash said, having seen each of her passengers carrying them to the car. “Popcorn?”

“Check,” Sweetie Belle said.

“Video games and system?”

“Got it,” Spike said.

“Obscenely violent movie you kids shouldn’t be watching at your age?”

“I brought two,” Spike answered.

“A choice. Nice,” Dash said, before finishing the final item on the list, “List of slumber party games?”

“Check,” Sweetie answered, producing the list from her pocket.

“What do we need that for?” Spike wondered.

“Haven’t you ever been to a slumber party before? There’s always a game that you can play at one that you can’t anywhere else,” Scootaloo said.

“Truth or dare and spin the bottle are staples. It’s a rule that you have to play those at slumber parties,” Sweetie Belle said, as she batted her eyelashes at Spike.

“Only at a kid’s party. I think you guys are old enough to see what happens at a big girl party tonight,” Dash said.

That was a bit of an odd thing to say. The minds of the children whirled with ideas of what could change, or how much it would.

After what seemed like an extra mile of driving on a bumpy road, they found themselves pulling up to the great, red house.

Dash and her young passengers all disembarked the vehicle, and walked to the front door. With a rapid knock, Dash alerted the residents to their presence.

“I’m-a comin’. Keep yer skirt on,” called a voice from inside.

Dash, Scootaloo, Spike and Sweetie all waited for what felt like a minute, as they could hear footsteps slowly hobbling toward them.

Just as Dash was about to open the door herself, the door opened to reveal the stout, elderly form of Granny Smith.

“Rainbow Dash? An’ all the little seedlings? Ain’t this a pleasant surprise,” Granny greeted them.

“It’s no surprise, Granny. We’re here for the sleepover,” Scootaloo said.

“Sleepover? Naw, that ain’t ‘til Friday,” Granny answered.

“It is Friday,” Dash said.

“You sure? Aint’ it the ninth today?”

“Yes. It’s Friday the ninth,” Dash said.

Granny was silent a moment, as she processed the information she was given.

“So it is,” Granny said, before calling to somewhere in the other rooms, “Applejack! Apple Bloom! Yer company’s here!”

Like a pair of dogs called to dinner, Granny’s younger grandchildren came bounding into the room to greet their guests.

“Ya finally came!” Apple Bloom greeted her friends.

“Who here’s ready fer a ding-dang of a hodown?” Applejack added.

“Right here!” Dash said, as she and the others walked in to begin the festivities.

---

In the light of the setting sun, Capper sat in the last rays of the day in one of Canterlot’s many pizzerias.

“Everything was supposed to be perfect,” Capper said, as he placed a slice of bell peppers and chicken on his plate. “I don’t know how all of it could have gone so wrong. One minute, we were talking to each other. The next, she wants to go home early. Girls are so weird like that.”

Capper took a bite of his pizza as he mulled over his date.

“I know I could have made it go right. If only I had the means to do it. I could have taken her to a better restaurant. I could have shown her a really good time at my parent’s private harbor. If they still had that harbor…”

With a shake of his head, Capper began idly tapping his pizza to his plate.

“I guess that’s just one of those things that couldn’t have been prevented. Mom and dad never were exactly frugal. Now, this whole extravagant lifestyle they’ve bought for us all is coming back to bite us,” Capper muttered.

His thoughts traveled back to the date with Rarity. How the girl didn’t seem as impressed with his exorbitant money and wealthy upbringing as he hoped she’d have been.

“I guess there are some things you can’t get with money. But, what is it about people that draws them to people with money? Sure, it’s great to have your own yacht, a house staff, and a front lawn the size of a city part. But, now that I don’t have any of that, I’m starting to wonder what the point of it all is? Status? Sure, it’s nice to have that beacon thrown up. But, besides that, it doesn’t do you any good.”

Capper thoughtfully stirred his drink with his finger, and sighed quietly.

“It’s like they say: you don’t know what you have until it’s gone. Then again, I guess I just didn’t know what I was missing because of everything that I had...Crap.”

Across the table he was sitting at, the juggler from the park juggled his side of meatballs that he ordered for himself.

“Why are you telling me this?” Nobody asked, as he played with his food.

“Because, you’re the only one dumb enough to listen,” Capper answered.

“Oh. Okay,” Nobody said, before he threw all three meatballs into the air, and let them land neatly on his plate. “Do you think girls like jugglers?”

“No. Why?” Capper wondered.

“Because a lot of girls stop to watch me on my corner. Maybe your date would have liked you if you were more like me,” Nobody said, before he stuffed all three fist-sized meatballs into his mouth at once.

Capper watched his dinner companion with dismay. If he were anything like this buffoon, he may well have keeled over on the spot.

Still, the juggler did have a point. If he was going to win over Rarity, he would have to try something different.

---

Things were much sunnier on Sweet Apple Acres, even with the encroaching darkness of the night. At the moment, Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash were both shouting loudly as they raced the final lap around the circuit in their video game. Behind them, Applejack, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were all driving backseat (so to speak).

“Left turn! Power slide!”

“Did you not see the speed booster!?”

“Bring them blue sparks!!”

“Wrong game, Apple Bloom!” Scootaloo said, as she focused her mind on the race track.

Unfortunately, she was not focused enough, as she was blown off the track, leaving Rainbow Dash to cross the finish line.

“And the cup is mine!” Dash victoriously declared.

“Yeah, only ever in the game,” Scootaloo said, knowing what would make Dash tick.

“What’s that mean?” Dash said.

“She means that if you tried racecar drivin’ in real life, the only cup you’d get is the one fer a dopin’ test,” Applejack chuckled.

“Oh yeah! You want to try it now?” Dash challenged.

“In what racecar?”

That was a good point. Without a racecar, there was no way for Dash to prove herself as a competent driver.

“One of these days, AJ, you’re going to regret this challenge,” Dash said.

“Sure thing, sugarcube. Meantime, it’s my turn to play winner,” Applejack said.

The three younger kids sat back, having already established the turns for each round. After Applejack, it would be Apple Bloom’s turn, and then Spike’s.

Sweetie Belle then wondered in that moment: where was Spike. After a quick look around, she couldn’t see him anywhere in the room.

Not wanting her boyfriend to miss his turn at the game, she decided to go looking for him.

It wasn’t long before she noticed him outside on the front porch, staring into space.

“Here you are,” Sweetie Belle said, as she stepped outside. “Come on in. It’s your turn next.”

Spike didn’t answer her.

“Spike? Did you hear me?”

In truth, Spike was lost in thought about the day he had first met Sweetie Belle. The way that it had happened before he had magically altered the world around him.

It still haunted him to that moment. When he and Garble were simply meandering around, looking for trouble. And they found an opportunity to start some.

Three girls had been wandering through the alleyway they were in at the time. Garble had goaded Spike into confronting them. In his misguided youth, Spike readily jumped at the chance.

He recalled how he had demanded their money, and how the girls wouldn’t comply. Not wanting to let Garble down, Spike decided to up the ante. He pulled a rusty exhaust pipe from a wall and swung it at one of the girls.

Had he known what would have happened next. Had he know he would one day be so close to the girl he assaulted, Spike would never have done so.

Spike remembered how the rusted pipe burst into jagged metal, and embedded deep into the girl’s arm.

In that moment, Spike was filled with dread and regret, especially when he heard the girl screaming.

“Spike?”

Spike was snapped out of his thoughts, and quickly turned to face Sweetie Belle.

“Jeez, why so jumpy? And what are you doing out here?” Sweetie Belle asked.

Spike tried to think of an answer. His eyes traveled to Sweetie Belle’s arm, bared by her tank top. There was no trace of the wound he had inflicted on her at all. However they had met in this reality, Spike could only think it was on better terms than before.

“Nothing. Just thinking,” Spike said.

“Yeah? About what?” Sweetie wondered.

“Nothing in particular. Just...It seems like kind of a dull summer.”

“Dull how?”

“Nothing’s really happened. Sure, there was my birthday. Then we’ve gone out a lot. Then Twilight’s been going out with Thorax. Discord’s been going out with Fluttershy. Even Rarity had a date. It just seems like a lot of people are going on a lot of dates,” Spike explained, grasping for any reason not to tell Sweetie Belle what he was actually thinking.

“It’s probably just a part of things changing. I don’t really know why, but a lot goes on as we grow up,” Sweetie said. “Now, come on back inside. Apple Bloom’s about to lose to Dash, then it’s your turn next.”

“Great. Sure,” Spike said, as Sweetie Belle led him back inside.

Comments

[LightningChaser04]

“I guess there are some things you can’t get with money. But, what is it about people that draws them to people with money? Sure, it’s great to have your own yacht, a house staff, and a front lawn the size of a city part. But, now that I don’t have any of that, I’m starting to wonder what the point of it all is? Status? Sure, it’s nice to have that beacon thrown up. But, besides that, it doesn’t do you any good.”

Money doesn’t buy happiness. Or Rarities.