My Little House Guests

by Spazzy Jamz

Spike and Tristan's "Boy Day"

Tristan woke up the next morning to the same screeching of the alarm clock. He slapped the alarm clock, groaning and rolled over, hoping he could get maybe a few more minutes of shut eye. Unfortunately for him, something purple and green wasn't about to let that happen. His eyes shot open to the sight of an overly-excited Spike bouncing next to him on the bed.

"Oh, boy! You're up!" he cheered. "I'm so psyched for our day out!"

Tristan sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes. He watched the baby dragon bounce about a few more seconds before he had the energy to move his mouth. "We can't go right now, Spike. I have to g-"

"Oh! I almost forgot. Here!" Spike interrupted, handing Tristan a small piece of parchment. "Someone called a few hours ago. I was up getting something to drink when I heard your phone ringing in the living room. I took a message for you."

Tristan rubbed his head, not sure if he was more confused about why someone was calling him so early in the morning, or why Spike took it upon himself to talk to someone from the outside. He decided he would get on him about that later. He instead took the parchment from Spike's hands and read it. Tristan was shocked awake by what he read.

Tristan's Boss called.

Factory bought out by larger company.

Workers laid off until further notice.

Tristan rubbed his head, letting the paper fall. Spike stopped bouncing to gauge a reaction. When he saw that the reaction wasn't good, he walked over and sat down next to him.

"Tristan," Spike asked solemnly, "what does 'laid off' mean?"

Tristan sighed deeply, not lifting his head to answer Spike. "It means that as of right now, I don't have a job."

The two of them just sat on the bed, Tristan staring off into space and Spike staring at the note he took. Spike looked up at Tristan apologetically. "I'm really sorry." he said.

Tristan looked at him and faked the best half-smile he could. "Don't worry about it." he said, "I'll figure something out. After all, this isn't the worst situation I've been in." Spike thought back to his first night in the house and Tristan's short, yet painful backstory. Tristan got out of bed and proceeded to the bathroom for his morning shower, trying not to let Spike see the nervous panic in his eyes. What am I gonna do? he thought.

---

Wrapped up in a towel, Tristan emerged from the steamy bathroom and walked quickly through the hallway and back into his room. If Spike was already up, then that means some of the ponies were, and this was the absolute last way he needed them to see him.

As he shut the door to his room, he turned to find that his room had been cleaned spotlessly. The dirty clothes were no longer scattered among the floor and even the dormant bag of chips that laid next to his bed were no more. Tristan looked around for a culprit. Instead, he found Spike, who had just popped his head out from underneath the bed. Tristan jumped a little. "What are you doing under there?" he asked.

Spike climbed out and brushed himself off. "Do you know how dusty it is under there?" he asked. "I had to do something."

Tristan kept a hold of his towel and walked across his perfectly clean hardwood floor to his perfectly clean dresser and opened the top drawer. All his socks and boxers that were currently clean had been organized and folded quite nicely. He looked back at the baby dragon, who stood rocking on his heels. "You didn't have to do all this, you know." Tristan explained.

Spike let out a chuckle. "Well, I had to thank you somehow for the awesome day we're about to have!" he said. "Plus, I clean up after Twilight all the time. This was nothing compared to her normal messes."

They shared a laugh before Tristan escorted Spike out the door and changed into his clothes for the day, which involved a red t-shirt, black denim shorts, and black sneakers. Tousled his hair around and stepped out of his newly clean room, wondering just how long it was going to stay clean. He also wondered about what he was going to do for a job.

---

Tristan made his way into the living room, seeing that all the other were indeed awake. They all appeared to be down in the dumps about something. Tristan tried to give a cheery "good morning" to them, but instead of it being returned, Pinkie Pie burst out in tears. She ran up to Tristan and put him in an embrace that could break bone.

"I'M SO SORRY!!" she whined, sobbing into the bottom of Tristan's shirt. Tristan managed to push her away a little and Pinkie sniffed and wiped her snout. "S-Spike told us about how you lost your job! It wasn't any of us, was it?!"

Tristan immediately knelt down next to the pink mare, holding her head up by her chin. "Don't worry, it wasn't any of you. It was forces beyond anyone's control," he assured her, "I'm sure everything will work out in due time." His fake optimism must have worked, because Pinkie by that time had quit crying and perked up a small smile. The others had seemed to cheer up a bit, too.

"But, darling," Rarity intervened, "How will you be able to live with no income?"

"Well, I guess I'll have to file for unemployment," Tristan sighed, "At least until I can get another job. But let's not worry about all that right now. Who's hungry?"

Six hooves and a claw shot into the air, causing a small giggle in some. They all went into the kitchen and enjoyed pancakes for their breakfast. Twilight Sparkle figured out how to use the coffee maker and brewed a pot, making sure it was out of reach of a certain pink pony. She poured cups for herself, Tristan, and Applejack, and the rest opted for Fluttershy-made tea.

Spike ate as quickly as he could and dropped his dishes in the sink. He ran into the living room and, copying Applejack, stood underneath one of the sheets from the fold-out bed, showing only his face. "C'mon, Twi!" he shouted, "Let's get this show on the road!"

The ponies finished up and Rarity used her magic to move the remaining dishes into the sink. Tristan walked back to his closet, pulling a box from the top shelf. From it, he removed a small, purple t-shirt and a dark pair of jeans, clothes that his younger brother forgot in Tristan's laundry the day that they left. The shirt brought a bittersweet smile to his face as he closed the box and placed it back in its spot on the shelf.

While he was walking back, he saw a flash of light come from the living room. As he stepped in, he saw that Spike had been transformed from a two-foot tall dragon to a five-foot-one boy with green hair in a faux-hawk. Spike, careful not to drop the blanket that was wrapped around him, looked at his brand new skin and ran his fingers through his hair. He never felt so cuddly in all his life. Rarity will just have to have him now!

Spike opened the blanket to himself and looked down, finding something else that was different about him. He instantly blushed and cowered in the blanket. The girls giggled at him and his face only grew redder. He looked over at Tristan. "Mind helping a guy out?" he asked, part annoyed and part embarrassed. Tristan chuckled to himself and handed him his little brother's clothes. Already having experience walking on two legs, Spike ran nimbly through the living room and into the bathroom to change.

After a few minutes, Spike came back into the living room. The clothes fit perfectly on him. The girls "oohed" at the newly clothed Spike, especially Rarity, who couldn't help herself but stare. Twilight saw this and managed to contain a giggle.

Spike walked over to Tristan, looking up at him, but not as much as before. "Well?" he asked, "What are we waiting for?" Tristan nodded and waved goodbye to the others. He let Spike borrow a pair of his shoes until they got to the discount clothing store he was at the day before with Applejack.

"Go have a great 'Boy Day', you two!" Twilight called after them.

---

After leaving the store with some boxers and a slightly used pair of sneakers, Spike felt ready to take on the world. "What are we gonna do first?" he beamed, practically throwing himself in the passenger seat of Tristan's car.

"I don't know," Tristan replied, "you didn't find anything interesting on the web last night?"

Spike thought for a second. "I heard the mall is a cool place to hang out," he said finally.

Tristan threw the car in reverse and looked back. "Okay, then," he said. "To the mall."

Spike did the same wiggly dance that AJ did the entire way to Valleyside Mall. It was closer to them than the city, but might as well be its own city. The parking lot could have its own zip code if it wanted it. Spike couldn't help but to press his hands and face to the glass as they pulled in and searched for a place to park. It wasn't hard to nab a spot close to the door, seeing how most of its occupants were either in school or at work. The thought of being at a mall at nine in the morning kinda made Tristan feel bad for not being a contributing member of society at the moment.

Spike's jaw dropped when they entered the mall. It was everything he could imagine and probably more. He started getting giddy all over again from the sight of so many shops, eateries, and attractions. Tristan looked down at Spike, smiling slightly at how excited he was. It didn't take long before Spike grabbed Tristan's arm and started dragging him up and down the mall, through the many stores the mall had to offer. He stopped and took extra time at the jewelry stores, eyeballing the encased diamonds and gemstones. At one of the stores, a saleswoman walked up to the two and tried to lay on some saleswoman charm.

"Is there a certain young lady you're shopping for, darling?" she asked Spike. He looked up incredulously at her.

"Are you kidding? I want these for myself!" he said, his tongue hanging out. Tristan apologized to the woman and pulled him away.

They were about halfway through the mall when they decided it was about time for lunch. Tristan took Spike to the food court, where they decided on soft pretzels and ice cream. As they took a seat next to the fountain that sat in the middle of the food court, Spike started to blush a bit. Tristan noticed and figured he would ask about it.

"Something up?" Tristan questioned the green-haired boy. Spike looked at him, shaking his head in silence. Tristan smirked a bit. "Ya know," he started, "If there's something you wanna talk about, like I don't know, girl issues..."

Spike's head snapped up immediately. "You know?!" he asked, panicky.

Tristan laughed a little. "Of course I do. Anyone with eyes can see you have the hots for Rarity," he said with a grin, prideful of his keen observational skills.

Spike lowered his head and took a bite of his pretzel. "Yeah, everyone but her," he groaned.

Tristan pulled his chair around next to his. "Well, the only advice I can honestly give you is to tell her, man," he said, placing an arm on Spike's shoulder. "She won't know unless you say something. Given, she's probably a tad old for you..."

Spike glared at him a bit.

Tristan chuckled and continued. "But as far as I'm concerned, age is just a number if two people truly love each other. You just gotta find out if she feels the same way. You can do it. I have all the confidence in the world in you."

Spike let a small smile form on his face before he wrapped his arms around Tristan. "Thanks, Tris," he said into Tristan's side, "That means a lot."

Tristan returned the embrace and closed his eyes. For a second, Spike was gone and his little brother was in his place. A small tear started to form in his eye when he was broke from it by Spike's voice.

"Are you okay, Tristan?" Spike asked, "Did I do something wrong?"

Tristan wiped the tear away quickly. "No, no," he lied. "I'm fine, really."

"It's your brother, isn't it?" Spike said, seeing through the lie. Tristan gave a nod.

Spike smiled a bit. "Well, I grew up without any siblings. Twilight is the closest thing I have to family. She's taken care of me ever since she hatched me."

Tristan looked confused. "She hatched you?"

Spike nodded. "Yeah, long story. Anyways, I never had a brother myself, but I feel like after the awesome day we've had so far, that I kind of look up to you like one."

"Thanks, kid," he said, hugging Spike again. Tristan pulled away and gave him a smile. "Let's get that ice cream and finish up our mall day, huh?" Spike cheered and pulled Tristan towards the ice cream vendor.

---

Tristan and Spike arrived home from the mall with about half an hour to spare before the spell wore off. Hoping Pinkie Pie hadn't gotten into any more caffeine, Tristan carefully opened the front door to find that everything was actually quite normal. Twilight was doing more research, Rainbow Dash and Applejack were talking about the next Running of the Leaves, and Rarity was brushing a very relaxed Fluttershy's hair.

"Should I be concerned about where Pinkie is?" Tristan asked.

"Oh, no, deary," Rarity answered, "She's just in the bathroom, I'm sure she'll be right out."

Tristan sighed in relief and walked to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Spike hung out in the living room with everyone else until dinner was ready. He decided that tonight was a good night for spaghetti. He broke out the pasta, listening to the conversation that went on in the next room. The ponies were asking Spike for details about his day out, which Spike was more than excited to give long-winded answers to. Twilight Sparkle looked over at Tristan and gave him a warm smile, watching him work for a bit before turning her attention back to her number one assistant.

The ponies seemed to rather enjoy dinner that night. Spike, who had returned back to his dragon form, kept talking about their trip to the mall between bites. They all ate their dinner rather quickly and Tristan collected the dishes. The ponies returned to the living room to prepare for bed, while Tristan stepped back out onto the back porch, sitting on the top step and lighting another cigarette.

Tristan managed to only take a few drags before it flew from his mouth and disappeared. He looked back to find Twilight standing in the door frame with a stern look on her face. "What did I tell you about those things?" she said, not breaking her gaze.

Tristan shrugged. "It's an addiction. I'm trying, ya know?" he replied. Twilight shook her head and sat next to him. After a little bit, she looked over at Tristan and smiled. "Thank you for being so nice to Spike." she said, using a much softer tone, "He's really had it rough."

Tristan looked over at Twilight. "It's no big deal," he said. "He deserves it. He's a good kid."

Twilight observed Tristan's face. It appeared like he was in deep thought, mixed with sadness. She scooted over and nuzzled him. "I know." she said. She got up and proceeded back into the house. "Don't be out too late."

Tristan looked back at her and smiled. "Don't worry, I won't."

---

AUTHOR'S NOTES

Wow. This chapter took forever to write. Super sorry about that. I wanted to include some meaningful dialogue in here about Spike's crush on Rarity and Tristan missing his younger brother, but still keep the story light and fun. Hopefully I accomplished that. But you guys tell me! Thanks for reading this and I'll see you in the next chapter!

Comments

[the space marine brony]

a man gotta do what he gotta do, FIRST!
now...
loving this story so far, cant wait for more

[Spazzy Jamz]

1096953
Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying the story!

[Thunderscratch]

Dammit Twilight quite taking his smokes! Those are expensive!!!!!!!!

[TinyHadronCollider]

Still the exact same issue as the chapter before; The amount of stuff they get done in an entire day is just way too small. There's simply no way you can spend eight hours in a mall, especially when all you do there seems to be looking at jewelry and eating icecream. It just really doesn't add up at all, and that ruins the immersion.

[KarlGaks]

I just now realized that over the course of the past few chapters that I myself got a nosebleed. :P

[Boss_Hoss1]

Just started reading yesterday. Man, I know the feeling Tristan had with his badly timed message. Hopefully I will soon read in the next chapters that somepony will figure out the value of their pocket change is.. significantly magnified on Earth... (Gold = $1,600/ounce last I checked.. Each Bit looks to be about an ounce. )

[Robobrony]

1226263 I have to agree that they aren't doing a whole lot in one day, I think it would have been interesting if Spike got to see the arcade and play a few video games.

[Therisinghero]

Twilight Sparkle figured out how to use the coffee maker and brewed a pot, making sure it was out of reach of a certain pink pony.

twilight be sure to keep it away from this guy too

[GMD]

3757818 You just made me fall out of my chair. literally laughing until my bones cracked.