Chapter 23 (Sisterhooves Social and Cutie Pox)
I was browsing around the marketplace when I noticed a flyer on one of the trees. The purple paper announced that the Sisterhooves Social at Sweet Apple Acres was gonna take place tomorrow. It was then I remembered that this was the episode where Sweetie Belle and Rarity would have a fight and temporarily separate. I didn’t need to change anything here, but it would be nice to participate in the social. I quickly dashed home with the flyer in my hand.
I showed Twilight the flyer and said, “We should try this event out. You’ve been wanting to learn about Ponyville traditions.”
Twilight scratched her head. “I don’t know, Spike. I mean, it looks like it’s for sisters only, and you’re clearly a boy...and a dragon.”
“Oh relax, Twilight. I checked and they said that there’s a loose definition of the word ‘sister’. I’m allowed to join. Please?” I didn't actually check, but I didn't need to because it was the truth.
“Well...okay. But I never thought you’d be interested in stuff like this.”
“Seeing you participate in the Running of the Leaves made me want to try out some Ponyville events as well. And what better way than to do them together? I mean, we are practically siblings, right?”
“Uh...I think...I actually don’t know what our relationship is. I was the one who hatched you, and yet you’ve felt more like a brother to me rather than a son. It’s rather complicated.”
“That’s fine. Like I said, the staff at the Social won’t care if we're official siblings or not. As long as we play by the rules, we should be fine.”
We’ve checked to see which events will be held this year, and which one we should sign up for. We also checked on what the final race will have. I know Twilight isn’t the most athletic pony, but I didn’t care about winning. As long as we both had fun, that’s fine by me.
The day of the Sisterhooves Social arrived in a flash. Twilight and I went to Sweet Apple Acres to sign up. We decided that we should just do the race this year. The attendant handed us red matching bandanas.
“Just remember not to use your magic during the race at any time or you’re both disqualified,” she explained. “We can’t have ponies win due to an unfair advantage.”
“So it’s just like the Running of the Leaves.” Twilight tied her bandana around her neck. “Got it. Thank you.”
Since there was still time before the big race, so Twilight and I watched as the other ponies did other events, like cheering, singing, pie-eating, and so much more. That’s when I noticed three familiar ponies.
“Hey look.” I pointed to the group. “It’s AJ, Applebloom, and Sweetie Belle. I guess they’re here for the Social as well.”
Twilight said, “Applejack told me that she and Applebloom participate at this festival every year. I guess Rarity and Sweetie Belle wanted in on the action as well.”
“I didn’t think Rarity of all ponies would want to join the Social. She’s not really fond of farm activities.”
“Speaking of which, I wonder where is she? I haven’t seen her around yet.”
“I have no clue.” But truth be told, I did. Rarity and Sweetie Belle had a fight yesterday and decided to no longer be sisters. It was later that Sweetie Belle wanted Applejack as her big sister instead. So, for the Sisterhooves Social, Applejack and Sweetie Belle would be sisters for only one day.
The blaring sound of trumpets indicated that it was time for the race. Twilight and I headed to the starting line.
“I don’t know if you’re allowed to ride on my back, Spike,” said Twilight, “but I think it’s best if you don’t.”
“That’s fine,” I said. “I can run pretty far on my own.”
Applejack and Sweetie Belle stood on the other side of the starting line. They were both wearing green bandanas.
Twilight widened her eyes. “Wait...I assumed Applejack and Applebloom were going together. What happened to Rarity?”
“I don’t know,” I lied. “Maybe Rarity changed her mind about joining?”
“What kind of pony would ditch her own little sister? We’ll need to talk to her after this.”
After Granny Smith counted down, we all took off running. Twilight and I were able to leap over the mud pit with ease. We struggled a bit on the barrels, and it took us a while to climb the crates, but we bounced back after the pie-eating section. Twilight ate the entire pan like it was a giant hayburger while I was only half-way done. The pushing of the hay bales was the most difficult, but we were able to pass it.
“We really gotta do this more often,” I said as we ran to the next event.
“I know,” said Twilight. “Remind me to sign us up next year!”
At the grape-stomping event, Twilight boosted me up the barrel. I quickly stomped on the grapes as hard as I could.
“Okay, you’re good!” Twilight called out. She quickly picked up the jar of grape juice with her hoof as I hopped down, and we both ran to the next event.
After Twilight placed the jar down on the stool, I grabbed the basket and caught every apple Twilight threw at me. It didn’t take a genius to see how bad Twilight threw without her magic. “Applejack” and Sweetie Belle went right past us.
“Nice to see those two are having a good time,” Twilight said as she threw the last apple. “Though, I wished Applejack cleaned herself a bit.”
I nodded. “Yeah. The only thing that isn’t muddy is her hat and blue eyes.”
“Blue eyes? Spike, Applejack has green eyes.”
“What? But I swear that muddy figure had...never mind. Let’s keep going.”
We hurried to the chicken coop and tried our best to balance an egg on our nose. It was hard, but we managed to get them in the basket. Finally, we jumped over the hurdles as we sprinted towards the finish line. We saw “Applejack” and Sweetie Belle up ahead and two other ponies nearing the finish line. Sadly, like in the show, our friends only came in second place. Twilight and I managed to grab third, which wasn’t too bad.
“Oh, so close!” Applebloom said to “Applejack” and Sweetie Belle. “You almost won!” She then noticed Twilight and me. “I didn’t expect you two to be in this race, but ya still put on a good show. I’m surprised they’d let you in, Spike.”
“Well, it didn’t say it had to be sisters or ponies only, so Twilight and I decided to give it a try,” I said.
“Thank you, Applejack! You were amazing!” Sweetie Belle squeaked.
“We’re so sorry about Rarity, Sweetie Belle,” Twilight said. “If only she was here to see you and Applejack race. Perhaps she could’ve at least given you support. We’ll have to talk to her the next time we see her.”
“That doesn’t matter. I don't even care that we didn't win. This was so much fun!” Sweetie Belle quickly hugged “Applejack” so much, her hat fell off, which revealed a white horn.
Twilight’s pupils dilated. “What the?!”
Sweetie Belle wiped the mud off “Applejack’s” flank to reveal that she was really…
“Rarity?!”
Rarity shook all of the mud off to reveal she took Applejack’s place for the Sisterhooves Social. Applejack had been hiding in the mud pit throughout the entire race, which meant Rarity and Sweetie finished the race together. It was all planned by Rarity, Applejack and Applebloom.
“You did this for me?” Sweetie asked. Tears of joy were welling in her eyes.
“Us,” Rarity replied. “I did it for us. You see? We are apple pie!”
Sweetie and Twilight gave her confused looks.
“I’ll explain later.”
After our “celebration,” which was actually going to the spa, I wrote the friendship letter for Rarity and Sweetie Belle.
“Having a sister is just about the bestest thing in the world,” said Sweetie Belle. “But it sure isn't the easiest.”
“I agree that being sisters is a wonderful thing,” Rarity added, “but it takes teamwork. Sometimes it's about compromising. Sometimes it's about accepting each others' differences. But mostly, it's about having fun together. Even if it means getting your hooves a little bit dirty.”
“A lot dirty.”
“A little bit dirty.”
“A lot dirty!”
“A little bit dirty!”
“That’s enough, girls!” I shouted. Then I cleared my throat. “How about ‘just a medium bit dirty’?”
“Deal,” the girls said as they hugged each other.
It’s been about a week since the Sisterhooves Social. Even though it was mid-fall, there were still some trees that still had their leaves. I asked Twilight about this.
“Some trees lose leaves sooner than others,” Twilight answered. “It takes more than just ponies running past them to get them to shed.”
“So then...how do the rest of the leaves fall off?”
“Well, it sometimes occurs when the gravitational pull is more than the leaf’s ability to stay on the tree, then...”
“Okay, okay, I get it. They just fall on their own. Thank you. I don’t need an entire science lecture.”
“Hey, you asked.”
Twilight and I were cleaning the library when Sweetie Belle came busting in.
“TWILIGHTSPIKEYOUGOTTACOMESEEAPPLEBLOOMHASFINALLYGOTTENHERCUTIEMARKONLYITSNOTONEBUTTWOCUTIEMARKSANDITSAMAZINGANDWONDERFULANDSPETACULARANDAND—”
“Sweetie Belle! Sweetie Belle! Slow down!” Twilight commanded. “You sound like Pinkie Pie after drinking a double espresso. Say slowly what’s going on.”
“Applebloom...has...a...cutie...mark!” Sweetie squeaked.
“Really?!” Twilight gasped.
Oh, no! It’s the Cutie Pox episode! I should’ve seen this coming!
We all hurried to the center of town. My worst fear came true. Applebloom had two cutie marks on her flank: a hula hoop and two spinning plates. She was doing those respective talents.
How could I not prevent this from happening? I really gotta figure out when certain events are gonna happen sooner.
Applebloom threw the hoop right past us, causing Twilight’s mane to look just like Rarity’s. Despite everything, I chuckled at that.
“Wow, you look like Rarity’s twin,” I said.
“Very funny,” Twilight said as she used her magic to straighten her mane.
Everypony was amazed at seeing Applebloom’s double marks, but I knew better. Soon, Applebloom will end up getting more and more cutie marks, and will be forced to do each one of them.
Twilight and I headed home after seeing Applebloom’s performance. It was clear that Twilight knew I was worried about something. The distressed look on my face betrayed me.
“Is something wrong, Spike?” Twilight asked.
“I’m worried about Applebloom,” I replied. “I mean, getting more than one cutie mark? Doesn't that sound concerning?”
“Spike, having a cutie mark is a wonderful thing. She’s lucky to have two of them. How can you be so negative? Are you jealous because you don’t have one?”
“Of course not! I know dragons can’t get cutie marks. I’m just saying seeing a pony with two cutie marks doesn’t sound good to me. Has that ever happened before?”
“Well...not from my knowledge. We’ll have to check it out tomorrow.”
We both got ready for bed. The next morning, we were awakened very early by a loud banging on the door.
“Ugh...who could that be?” Twilight yawned. “It’s only five in the morning.”
“Twilight!” A muffled voice shouted on the other side of the door. “Open up! It’s Applejack! We’ve got a problem!”
Twilight and I quickly sprung from our beds and dashed down the stairs. Twilight swung the front door open.
“What is it, Applejack?!” Twilight asked. “What’s wrong?!”
“It's Applebloom! She’s gotten another cutie mark! But it’s makin’ her tap nonstop! Look!”
Applejack and Applebloom came into the library. Applebloom now had a tapping shoe on her flank, which is forcing her to tap uncontrollably.
“Three cutie marks! Three talents! I’ve never seen anything like it!” Twilight said.
“See? I told you it wasn’t a good sign,” I said. “My gut feeling never lies.”
“Okay, okay. Now, let’s focus on how to cure Applebloom.”
“How did this happen?” I asked Applebloom. “Did you eat or drink anything unusual? Perhaps something you had earlier messed up that cutie mark magic?”
“There was that extra mug of cider she had last night at dinnertime,” Applejack said. “But it’s usually a family tradition at Sweet Apple Acres to get extra cider after gettin’ yer cutie mark. Big Macintosh and I had lots more when we got ours, and this never happened to us.”
“There had to have been something else,” I said. “Applebloom, are you sure you didn’t drink anything else out of the ordinary?”
Applebloom darted her eyes. “There was that potion Zecora gave me...but it was just to restore my teeth!”
Twilight shook her head. “That couldn’t have been it. Zecora is always careful with her potions. Besides, even if she made a mistake, it would’ve resulted in your teeth growing out of control.”
I scratched my chin. “Wait...Applebloom, when you were at Zecora’s to repair your teeth, did you ask her if there was a potion that could get you a cutie mark?”
Before Applebloom could say anything, another cutie mark in the shape of a fleur-de-lis appeared on her flank.
“Sacré bleu! Plus de marques de cutie!” Applebloom gasped. “Qu'est-ce c'est?! Je parle Français?!”
“Ugh! My sister’s speakin’ in fancy!” Applejack yelled. “We gotta find a cure for this!”
“We need to get her to Zecora’s!” I commanded. “If she’s got a potion to replace teeth, she must have something to remove cutie marks!”
“Good idea, Spike!” Twilight shouted. “Let’s go!”
We all hurried out of the library, but Applebloom’s tapping hooves slowed her down to a snail’s pace.
“Hurry, Applebloom!” Applejack barked.
“J'essaye, Applejack! J’essaye!” Applebloom cried.
“Applejack! Your rope!” I yelled. “Where’s your rope?!”
“Why do ya need—?”
“Just give me it!”
Applejack pulled a rope out of her hat and handed it to me. I quickly lassoed Applebloom’s legs together and tied a hard knot so they wouldn’t escape.
“There. Now unless her next cutie mark is a snapping rope, we should be fine.”
Applejack placed Appleboom on her back as we galloped to Zecora’s house.
“It was a good thing you taught me how to lasso a couple days ago,” I said to Applejack as I rode on Twilight’s back. “Thanks for that.”
“Yer welcome. I didn’t know why ya showed up out of the blue askin’ me to teach ya.”
“I had my reasons.”
The cutie marks kept popping up on Applebloom’s body, and the rope struggled to keep the squirming body from breaking free. Most of the ponies were shocked at seeing Applebloom like this.
“Not to worry, everypony!” Twilight announced. “She’ll be back to normal in no time! Look! It’s Zecora!” Twilight waved at the zebra approaching us. “Zecora! Help us!”
“Is there something wrong, my dear Twilight?” Zecora asked. She then noticed Applebloom. “My goodness, is Applebloom alright?”
“Something happened to Applebloom, and now cutie marks are spawning all over her body!” Twilight cried. “We were just on our way to see if you had a cure!”
“But magically you're here!” Applejack said. “Was your zebra sense a-tinglin'?”
“My 'zebra sense' did not bring me round,” Zecora replied. “It was a special flower that I needed found. I thought I picked enough to fix all the potions I had to mix, but after my visit from Apple Bloom, some had mysteriously left my room.”
Applebloom nervously sweated.
“A cure for this ailment I have forsooth.” Zecora reached into her bag. “For healing power is in the Seeds of Truth.” She pulled out three yellow seeds. “These seeds must be planted in the ground. With the truth, they'll grow, and the cure is found.”
“Come again?” Applejack asked.
“Plant the seeds, and then tell the truth,” I said. “Simple as that.”
“Then let’s get to it!” Applejack grabbed the seeds and planted them right into the ground. “There! Now, somepony tell the truth!”
“Let’s start with Applebloom,” I said as I grabbed the filly from Applejack’s back. “Give it to us straight, Applebloom. How did you really get your cutie mark?”
Applebloom opened her mouth to speak, but a cutie mark in the shape of a tornado suddenly appeared.
Oh, no!
Applebloom spun around like a giant top, and I was holding on to her for dear life. She was still tied up as well.
“YAHH!! Help!” I shouted. “Twilight! Stop this crazy thing!”
I heard Twilight say, “Okay...uh...I actually liked Daring Do’s fourth book! I didn’t care if it was too unrealistic, the plot was very sound and compelling.”
Applebloom kept spinning faster and faster. Soon, I slipped off and landed right next to Twilight.
“I’m okay!” I groaned.
“That didn’t work,” Twilight said. “Applejack, you try! You’re the Element of Honestly!”
“Uhm...geez...okay…I was a bit suspicious when Applebloom got two cutie marks, but I thought nothin’ of it when I saw how happy Applebloom was. I didn’t know she would end up like this!”
Once again the ground stayed bare.
I brushed myself off and cleared my throat. “My name is Spike, and I’m a purple dragon who lives with a unicorn.” Still, there was nothing. “Thought that would work. It was an obvious truth.”
“I can't stand it any more!” Applebloom screamed. “I admit it! I didn't earn my cutie mark! They're all fake! I figured the Heart's Desire would help me get what I wanted most! So when Zecora left her hut, I mixed up a special potion and put the rest of the Heart's Desire in it!”
Sure enough, the flower popped up from the ground. Applebloom quickly munched it up. Soon, all the cutie marks and their respective talents disappeared from her body. By the time it was all finished, Applebloom was back to being a blank flank.
“Applebloom! Are you okay?” Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo called out.
“I'm great, and I've never been happier to be a blank flank,” Applebloom replied.
Later, Applebloom apologized for stealing the flowers and for rushing to get a cutie mark. I sent her letter to Princess Celestia, and then Twilight and I headed back to the library. There, Twilight searched for a book and flipped through its pages.
“Spike, look!” Twilight gasped. “It was possible to get more than one cutie mark, but not in a good way.”
“What do you mean?” I approached Twilight.
“There’s this disease called Cutie Pox. According to the book, this puzzling pony plague afflicted a population of ponies back in the Paleopony Period!”
Say that ten times fast.
“When somepony gets cutie pox, random cutie marks appear all over their body, causing them to perform all the talents that came with them. That must’ve been similar to what Applebloom was experiencing.” Twilight continued reading. “Oh, no! It says there was no known cure! The cause of the breakout was never discovered, and the cutie pox disappeared as mysteriously as it arrived!”
“But what about that flower Applebloom ate? It cured her, didn’t it? Maybe that book’s outdated.”
“Applebloom’s cutie marks were fake, remember? The potion she made must’ve been too strong, which caused it to give her cutie-pox-like symptoms.”
“It’s stuff like this that makes me glad I can’t get a cutie mark.”
Twilight nodded as she continued reading. I went to bed and read some of my comic books.
To be honest...I did feel a little jealous that Applebloom got a cutie mark. Fake or not.
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Man, if you ever change the events of Season 9 in this story, that would make me a happy camper. X3
I mean, I would love it if Spike stepped in and does a full blown rant at the Princesses, berating them their retirement is beyond stupid and being selfish at passing it down to Twilight Sparkle only who has no ruling an entire nation experience whatsoever.
10317993
exactly! I can understand Celestia wanting a vacation considering she ruled for over 1000 years but Luna only started ruling for like 8 years so after her banishment. A combination of her and Twilight for a year as Celestia takes a vacation would be a better alternative in my opinion
For that ending, I’m starting to get the idea that you might want to bright back the Cutie Pox, if that’s the case, I’m very interested, since that episode aired I always wanted to know more about the sickness, mostly because I wanted to see Celestia and Luna go out of control like Applebloom did, also, I always thought the return of the sickness will be a good reason to visit Zecora home land for more Seeds of Truth, and considering how in this fic Spike is being the biggest lair, it will be a good way to finally get the truth out of him, but that’s just an idea of mine, any way, good chapter keep it going, also, can’t wait for the season 2 finale
oooohhhh!
Sounds like Spike wants to turn into a pony!!!! NEW CHAPTER IDEA INBOUND!!!!!!
Good work, keep it up!
This always makes me think of friendship is witchcraft. Sweeties race.
Ace Ventura: “HE’S NOT SPIKE! HE’S DAVID SMITH! He’s a brony!
(*snort*) "Loose definition" my flank. Can't you Sisterhooves managers cut the wishy-washy non-answers andjust say you allow brother-sister teams?(Edit: Dude? Whatever was I bellyaching for? What I suggested here was the very definition of "loose definitions"!)
"Unfair advantage", you mean like the one having passive magic that makes you stronger than normal would give? Or having hand when others do not? Or being a quadruped in a race against a biped? That whole point was moot from the start.
"It was an obvious truth" except it was not. It was actually a lie since his name is not Spike and he is not a dragon (though he is in the body of a dragon that is known as Spike).
10318106
8 years?
Luna has been back for 2 years at best at the end of the show.
Why would he say that? That’s a one way Ticket to getting found out!
i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/019/457/a8c.jpg
10318994
Either way there is no reason she could easiltake command for a little bit
10319348
True.
I was giving more valid to your point by saying she was back for even less time than you said.
10318766
Could change it to the Sibling Social/Showdown
10319649
yeah, I agreed with you
Accurate.
Actually Cutie Mark in French is pronounced « Marque de Beauté! »
Why not both?
10345699
Also possible, but that doesn't make it any better for David to so blithely ignore the potential of Spike's death.
So unicorns can't do magic, and pegasi can't fly, but earth ponies can still use their superior strength and stuff?
Horse hockey! That's bias! That's discrimination!
10418207
Uhh... Okay?
10418207
i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/877/997/621.png
Applebloom
I hoped for something more
Just good she don't get a Assasination or Canibal Cutie Mark 
Applebloom
honesty