The cool children

by therandomone95

10. The truth

Chapter 10: The truth.

Twilight and the rest of her friends were going back to Ponyville, it was a very busy week for Twilight, but there was still more work to be done, and next Twilight would finally be able to rest. However, now they had a chore the princess had given them, and there was no time to rest for now.

"I still don't see how we'll be able to do such a thing. It looks like a mighty hard job, even for us." Said Applejack.

"Oh, I'm sure that, if we stick together, there's nothing that we can't do. Umm... If anypony thinks that's right." Said Fluttershy timidly from her seat, trying to hide under her mane.

"Yeah! We can have fun doing this!!!" Remarked Pinkie Pie, always as optimistic as ever.

"What could be fun about checking every single pony in Ponyville? Where's the action in that?" Said Rainbow Dash, not looking forward to their arrival.

"I must say, even though I'm not looking forward to this task, I'm sure it will all be worth it." Said Rarity, trying to be optimistic too. "What is your opinion, Twilight?"

"My opinion is that I want to rest and go back with Spike. It's been forever since I saw him. " Replied Twilight, who was almost falling asleep on her seat.

"But this could be fun! Like, maybe we can catch another suspicious guy with cool glasses!" Said Pinkie Pie, remembering the events in Canterlot.

"He was still pretty slow to me." Grunted Rainbow Dash.

"Well, we still have to do what the princess said, whether we have fun or not." Remarked Applejack.

"I agree with Applejack, this situation sounds simply horrendous! And to think our sisters' presentation is tomorrow!" Said Rarity, looking at Applejack with concern for the fillies.

"Meh, I think the princess is making a big deal out of this just because she wants us to take it seriously. It can't be THAT bad." Said Rainbow Dash, thinking this was going to be a total waste of time.

"WHAT?!" Everypony's heads turned to Twilight, who was looking at Rainbow Dash with a death glare. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?!"

"Jeez, calm down, Twilight, I was just saying that-"

"That it can't be that bad?! Did you even hear what she told us back there?!" Asked Twilight.

"Oooh! Oooh! Try me! Try me!" Exclaiimed Pinkie Pie, jumping on her seat.

"You realize what you've done, right, Twilight?" Asked Rainbow Dash, looking at Twilight with annoyance, while Twilight's eyes slowly widened when she realized what was going to happen next.

"Oh boy, here we go again." Said Applejack while covering her face with her hat, getting ready to sleep while the shenanigans ensued.

"IT'S FLASHBACK TIME!"

---

Twilight and her friends had finally arrived to the princess' throne room with a stallion, who was handed to the guards as soon as they arrived. The princess smiled at the mares, indicating that they had done a good job, while she glared at the stallion afterwards.

"Is this the stallion you were looking for, princess?" Asked Twilight, looking over to the stallion, who glared back at her.

"Indeed." Replied the princess, approaching the stallion.

"This was fun! We should totally catch spied more often!" Said Pinkie Pie, which earned a look from her friends.

"Pinkie Pie, why would you assume this scoundrel is a spy?" Asked Rarity.

"Uh, duh! Because of his spy outfit?!" Asked Pinkie, pointing at the stallion's clothes. He was wearing a black trench coat, which hid his dark clothes, a hoodie to disguise his mane and a pair of sunglasses.

"He is not wearing these clothes because he is a spy." Said Princess Celestia before her horn started to glow. She aimed at the stallion's clothes and teleported them elsewhere with a little blast of magic. "He was wearing them to not be recognized."

The stallion had lost his clothes, now his grey fur was exposed, and his horn was inmediately controlled by the guards, who put a ring to supress his magic. The guards stepped behind him and to his sides to prevent him from running away.

"Umm... Princess?" Asked Fluttershy timidly.

"Yes, Fluttershy?"

"I would perhaps like to ask... If you don't mind, that is... Umm... Why did you want us to capture this stallion? He seems nice." Said Fluttershy, looking at the stallion with a compassive stare.

"Yes, they indeed 'seem nice' at first, but don't let his looks fool you, he is not what he seems." Said the princess, looking at the stallion with disgust; the stallion looked back at her with the same amount of disrespect.

"Same goes for you, sunbutt!" Said the stallion mockingly, getting a slap on the back of his head by one of the guards.

"HEY! Don't talk like that to the princess, prisoner!" Exclaimed the guard.

"It's true! You don't care about our happiness! You just care about your own wealth! You're trying to separate us all!" Exclaimed the stallion; the guard was raising his hoof, ready to slap him again, but the princess raised her own hoof, which made the guard stand down.

"Don't worry, it is fine. He was forced to say that."

"What?" Exclaimed Twilight and her friends. The princess stepped in front of the stallion with an unamused look on her face.

"I almost feel bad for having to put you behind prison bars. You could perfectly have been a great pony. If you only didn't listen to him..."

"He knows what's right for us! Not you!" Said the stallion with anger.

"'He'? Who is 'he'?" Asked Twilight, which made the princess step away from him.

"Please take this stallion to the court, I need to explain the situation to these mares." The guards nodded at the princess' order and began pushing the stallion back through the doors.

"You can't stop us! There are more of us than you think! A surprise waits for you in Ponyville now! WE'LL TAKE BACK OUR HAPPINESS SOMEDAY AND THERE WON'T BE ANYTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT! HAHAHAHAHA!!!" Shouted the stallion as he was taken away.

The princess was taken back by one of his sentences... Could it be true? Could there be more of them in Ponyville? If so, there had to be something done about it.

"Uh... Princess?" Asked Twilight, which brought Princess Celestia back to reality.

"Oh... Pardon me. Let me tell you all some details you didn't know about Equestrian history..."

A long time ago, Discord, the spirit of chaos and disharmony reigned supreme in Equestria, making the lives of everypony miserable. My sister and I were lost in this world of chaos, and we took too long to find the elements of harmony. It was only natural for ponies to find a way to make their reality bearable while Discord was in power.

A very talented group of unicorns, alchemists and other ponies experienced in the making of potions gathered to create something incredible. They spent long periods of time experimenting with new materials, creating and re-making formulas and searching for new members to join their group to make a new kind of brew which was never seen before.

One day, they were victorious, and the potion was finally complete. They had invented a magical purple potion which would create a permanent companion inside their minds. This potion had many uses: their companion could help them socialize, it could modify their bodies to not feel pain or increase their abilities, it could help them memorize things they had forgotten long ago. Saying that this new potion made their lives happier would've been a total understatement, because it did so much more for them...

Unluckily for them, Discord found out about this potion one day, and he decided to toy with these ponies for his own amusement. He dropped a dark straw of chaotic magic in the cauldron in which they were making the potion and suddenly, their salvation would be their doom.

Discord's magic modified the potion so that it would turn dark, now, instead of getting a friendly companion, the ponies who drank it would get an evil manipulative boss with no empathy or real feelings, who would be determined to make their lives better at all cost; even if that meant taking control of everypony in Equestria and enslaving them with the dark magic taking control of every being in the world.

When my sister and me finally defeated Discord, it was too late for these ponies; now the magic had evolved beyond chaos magic, and it did not disappear with Discord. Somehow, the ponies who drank the potion gathered, creating a being made entirely of magic which now was controlling all of them. It doesn't have a specific name, but many of the ponies we've caught called him "The Puppeteer" for his manipulative acts.

This being also knew we would try to destroy any kind of dark magic left after Discord's defeat; so he ordered the ponies he controlled to lay low. Now, they would try to make this potion in mass so that everypony in Equestria would be under its control. They mostly offer these bottles to ponies with personal issues so that they could be easier to manipulate.

Some ponies under its magic try to fight back; but most of these cases end up on their death or disappearance. On the other hand, some ponies actually believe in its logic, and they will do absolutely anything it asks of them to be happy. This is the group we are mainly focused on, because these ponies are the ones producing more potions and making acts that could affect Equestria.

Nowadays, there are not many ponies left, since most of them have been captured. We discovered their hideout some time ago and we assaulted them with the force of the royal guard and the Wonderbolts; but some of these ponies escaped with bottles. The stallion you brought to me earlier was one of the last ponies under its control. But his statement worries me; I'm afraid the magic could've found its way into Ponyville.

The mane six were speechless after the princess' story, if this magic was now in Ponyville, how could their families be?

"Oh my gosh! How could Discord do this?" They heard Fluttershy say from the back.

"That jerk! He's gonna get it when I see him!" Said Rainbow Dash with a furious face.

"Curiously enough, when I set Discord free from his stone prison I asked him about this issue; but he said that he didn't remember any of it." The mane six' faces showed various emotions, from puzzlement to anger. "Whether he is telling the truth or not, you must return to Ponyville now. I have a task for all of you."

Twilight was the first one to react, stepping closer to the princess. "A task for us?"

The princess responded by opening a hidden compartment next to her throne with her magic. The mane six showed impression at what was inside. The princess levitated out a bottle of white liquid, which was beautifully decorated with gemstones at certain spots.

"Ooooh, when we're done with this, I'll keep the bottle!" Said Rarity, trying to contain herself.

"This potion has been saved for a long time, since we've recently discovered that the potion's magic is vulnerable to certain substances. This brew is a mix of those substances and magic from me and my sister." Said the princess, levitating the bottle into Twilight's hooves.

"But there's just one! What if there's more ponies under its control?" Asked Twilight with worry.

"The task I ask of you is to return to Ponyville with this brew; if you find anypony suspicious of being under its control please don't do anything right away. Follow them and find out if they have another hideout. Once there, you have to make one of them drink this brew, and all of the magic will cease to exist." Replied the princess.

"I don't mean to question you, princess, but how are you sure that all evil magic will just disappear?" Asked Applejack, taking off her hat for a moment to show respect.

"Oh, that's easy, Applejack, because-"

"PRINCESS!" A guard suddenly barged into the throne room, interrupting the princess.

"What is the matter?"

"The prisoner has escaped!"

"What?!" The princess asked in shock before turning to the ponies one last time. "I have to attend this. I count on you and I know you won't let me down. Now go, Equestria is counting on you once more." Said the princess before teleporting away.

---

"AAAAAAAAND, End of flashback!" Said Pinkie Pie before taking her seat again.

"Wait a minute, if that was a flashback, how come I could see it?" Asked Rainbow Dash, rubbing her eyes.

"Pinkie Pie." Remarked Applejack, to which Rainbow Dash just rolled her eyes and nodded.

"Twilight, darling, we understand you want to see Spike, I also want to see him and my precious little sister, but... Twilight?" Rarity looked at Twilight only to see that she had fallen asleep.

"Don't wake her up yet, she's had a mighty busy week, maybe we should just wake her up when we get to Ponyville." Said Applejack, with everypony agreeing... Except one.

"TWIIIIILIIIIGHT!" Yelled Pinkie into Twilight's ear.

"WWWWHAAAAAAAAAA-OOOOFFFF!" Yelled Twilight as she fell from her seat.

"Miss Pie, what is the matter with you? We agreed to wake up Twilight-"

"I know! That's what I was doing!" Said Pinkie, getting odd looks from her friends. "Just look outside!"

Everypony looked outside the window, and they saw that they were about to arrive to Ponyville's train station. "What?" Asked Applejack in surprise.

"Aww, man! Her flashback lasted so long we just arrived!" Grunted Rainbow Dash, everypony sighed except Pinkie, who kept smiling.

Once everypony got off the train, they began wondering what they had missed in the time they were out. "Wonder if the baby cakes missed me. 'Cus I missed them!" Exclaimed Pinkie as she got out of the train.

Fluttershy followed suit, taking a look at a newspaper cabin when she finally got off. "Hey, girls..." She said, barely loud enough for an ant to hear her.

"I hope my sis and her friends haven't destroyed Ponyville while we were out." Said Applejack, getting a chuckle from Rarity and Rainbow Dash.

"Girls." Said Fluttershy a bit louder than before.

"I just wanna sleep." Said Twilight, lazily walking behind her friends.

"Girls!" Said Fluttershy, without any affects yet.

"And I hope my designs still are in trend today!" Said Rarity.

"Rarity, we were just out for a week, I don't think that's enough time to-"

"NONSENSE, DARLING!" Exclaimed Rarity to Applejack, putting a hoof in her mouth. "You don't understand the world of fashion! It's serious business, darling... Very serious business."

"GIRLS!" Shouted Fluttershy, stopping her friends on their tracks and making them look back at her with surprised stares. "Umm... Sorry for interrupting, but I think you should see this." Said Fluttershy calmly, pointing at the newspaper.

Twilight and her friends gathered around it, and when they read the front page, they were shocked; they thought no thing of this sort could happen in Ponyville.

"Local house party burned down to the ground yesterday?! ... Nightmare Night turns into a tragedy night in a matter of minutes... Witnesses estimate the fire was made from inside the building... The guests of the party mainly consisted of foals... Many foals ran away scared from the fire while other unfortunate foals suffered severe damage?! What the actual hay did we miss?!" Asked Twilight, reading the article aloud.

"Mainly of foals?! Oh, my poor Sweetie Belle!" Said Rarity, about to pass out.

"Who could do such a thing?! I hope Squirt didn't go to that party." Asked Rainbow Dash, her thoughts turning to Scootaloo with worry.

"Well... I guess you could say..." Started Pinkie.

"Please, Pinkie, don't." Said Applejack.

"There were no more questions ASHed?" Finished Pinkie. Absolutely no one laughed and everypony looked at her with deadpan expressions on their faces.

"Pinkie."

"Yes, Twilight?"

"Go home."

------------------------------ Ponyville's hospital ------------------------------

Scootaloo was just waking up, what happened? She could've sworn she was dead... Scootaloo's eyes adjusted to the lighting of the room and she saw that she was in a bed, and there were machines around her. This had to be the hospital. Scootaloo tried to get up and see what had happened, but suddenly, she felt pain coming up her body and she let out a little yell. Scootaloo looked at herself and realized her forehooves were bandaged as were her wings. Not only that, but her lower legs had to be suspended.

Scootaloo heard a small grunt beside her and she turned her head to the right. There, she saw that Rumble was in a similar position, only his neck appeared to be damaged as well. When Rumble looked to his surroundings, he saw Scootaloo looking at him with a small smile to comfort him; he smiled back at her and both of them shared a brief but peaceful silence.

"So..." Started Rumble.

"Hmm?"

"You don't remember what happened either?"

"Nope. Just remember the fire and a lot of pain. After that, I just woke up here like you." Replied Scootaloo.

"Sigh, I guess now I'll have to go to jail."

"What? Why would you say that? Nopony knows it was us." Asked Scootaloo with worry.

"Scoots, first of all, it wasn't 'us', it was me. Second, they don't have to investigate, I'll turn myself in." Said Rumble, smiling at her.

"Rumble, but what will you tell them when they ask you why you did it?"

"I'll make some excuse... Don't worry, I'll be fine."

"Rumble. Why on Equestria are you going to-"

"Because it's my fault." He said, dropping his smile. "I was the one who gave you and the guys those stupid bottles. You wouldn't be here if it wasn't for me. Snips' house would still be fine if it wasn't for me."

"Rumble... You gave me the bottle, but I decided to drink it. It's my fault too." Said Scootaloo, trying to lighten up his mood.

"Why?"

"What?"

"Why did you drink it?"

Scootaloo went silent for a minute after Rumble asked her that question. "Because of you." She finally said with a blush.

"Oh..."

"No! Not like that!" Said Scootaloo, trying to find the right words. "I noticed you since the very first day; I saw how cute you were, how good of a pony you are and how awesome you were in general... But when I tried to ask you out, all of my insecurities started to kick in... I started thinking how you couldn't ever like me because of how I am; I was a pegasus who couldn't even fly, I have no cutie mark and I started to think how I didn't 'fit' anywhere. Most fillies are focused on girly things, like ribbons, makeup and mushy stuff, but I thought that hanging out with colts wasn't exactly my style..."

Rumble started thinking, and suddenly, everything made sense inside his head. "So that day..."

"Hmm?"

"That day when we talked for the first time, and you asked me on how to fly..."

"Yeah, I was trying to be like you. That was the day you talked to me about the bottle."

"Scootaloo, that's the other reason I think I'm total garbage."

"What?" Scootaloo wasn't sure if she should be laughing or angry at Rumble or thinking of himself like that.

"I talked to you about the bottle and I told you it could make you fly better because he convinced me that it was the only way we could connect. I bought you a bottle, you drank it and we were connected. If I wasn't so selfish you wouldn't be in this mess." Said Rumble, looking down.

"You still don't understand, do you?" Said Scootaloo, annoyed.

"What?"

"That it's also my fault!" Said Scootaloo, now getting Rumble's full attention. "When I drank the thing, I could've talked to you about this, but I didn't, because I also thought it was the only way to get your attention!"

There was silence in the room for a couple of moments; neither of the pegasi knew what to say. Minutes passed before Rumble said the only rational thing at the moment.

"I don't know if I should be laughing or crying right now."

"Why?"

"If we had talked to each other before drinking that stuff we would've been a pair without having to drink it. Dear Celestia, if I had known you liked me I would've talked to you from the very first moment I saw you."

"Yeah... I guess me too..." Said Scootaloo, prefering to show a weak smile.

"But you know what's the positive thing about this?"

"What?"

"That at least I know we like each other." Said Rumble, making Scootaloo blush.

"Yeah, you're pretty cute and awesome even in bandages." Said Scootaloo, making Rumble blush this time.

"And you're still the best filly around."

"Oh, stop it, you-" Said Scootaloo before both of them felt a familiar headache, they grunted for a minute before the fake Thunderlane appeared in front of Rumble and the fake Rainbow Dash appeared in front of Scootaloo.

"What a way to ruin the party for everypony, squirt." Said the fake Rainbow Dash, annoyed.

"You're the worst little brother I could've asked for." Said the fake Thunderlane with an angry expression on his face.

'I don't care what you think of me! You're not my brother!' Said Rumble angrily to the fake Thunderlane.

"Maybe, but the real one will be VERY disappointed." Said the fake Thunderlane, making Rumble look down in shame.

"Squirt, my capacities are not enough to heal all your wounds, but don't worry, I'm sure your friends will take care of things perfectly." Said the fake Rainbow Dash, which put a surprised expression on Scootaloo's face.

'What? What do you mean?' Asked Scootaloo in fear.

"Don't worry about that; soon, everypony will be connected and we'll finally be happy!" Said the fake Rainbow Dash, making Scootaloo angry. "I can see that I am not capable of making this situation better for anyone, so instead, I'll disappear and hope for the best. I wish you the best recovery!" Said the fake Rainbow Dash before disappearing.

"Rumble! What did he say to you?" Asked Scootaloo with concern.

"That our friends will take care of things." Replied Rumble with a scared expression on his face.

"Oh no, what do we do?" Asked Scootaloo, trying to think of a way to get out of the hospital.

"Scoots, I don't think we can do anything right now." Said Rumble. His words slowly sunk inside Scootaloo's brain and she finally stopped tiring herself for nothing. "Let's just hope Spike and Button don't make a stupid decision like we did."

------------------------------ At Twilight's castle ------------------------------

"A fire?! A FIRE?!" Asked Spike.

The dragon had done his daily routine since Twilight had left for Canterlot; he woke up and made himself some cereal, after that, he went over to the mailbox to see the latest news, but the first article only sunk in when Spike was inside the castle again.

"Oh my Celestia, here's a photo of Rumble and Scootaloo being taken to the hospital! ... And they're saying that Snips broke his back legs trying to escape? This is horrible! This must be why they were so altered at the party... Why didn't their magic...?" Said Spike before taking suspicion of the magical potion. Suddenly, the fake Rarity appeared in front of him and began making an explanation for Scootaloo and Rumble's behavior.

"Rumble was in a lot of pressure at home, and with his magic disabled because of his drinking, it's probable that his raw emotions pushed him to do something... extreme. Same case could apply for Scootaloo." The fake Rarity noticed that Spike was staring at her with disbelief. "What?"

'Did you know?'

"Excuse me?"

'You told me to leave the party.'

"I was aware of a certain probability that-"

'Did you know ponies were going to get hurt?'

"I'm getting the impression that you're starting to lose trust in me again, Spike."

There was a brief silence in the room, Spike remembered Pipsqueak's words at the party. Gaining a little more confidence, Spike asked something he had been curious about for some time: 'Why me?'

"Uh... I don't understand your question."

'You could be inside famous ponies, bosses, governors. What are you doing inside of me? What do you want?'

"I promise you, my purpose is to improve your life!"

'Yeah, well awesome job, then! One of my best friends since forever thinks I'm a jerk, I really hurt Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, Snips hates me now and Apple Bloom... Dear Celestia, you were supposed to make her like me!'

"And I will! In fact, come here." Said the fake Rarity, taking control of Spike's legs and making him walk outside the Crystal castle.

'What are you doing?' Asked Spike to the fake Rarity, who was not letting him go.

"I'm taking you somewhere special."

'Somewhere special'? What does that even mean?'

"Just follow me."

Spike shrugged and decided to follow the fake Rarity; Spike was curious to where she was leading him, because she seemed pretty determined by the looks of it. The fake Rarity guided Spike to a place outside of town, just by the hills. Once there, the fake Rarity made Spike grab the grass; oddly enough, this grass was on top of something heavy, like iron. Spike had to use both of his claws to raise whatever it was.

Spike took notice that it was a hidden trap door, and the fake Rarity was increasing his muslce resistance to help him open it. Once Spike fully opened the door, he saw that there were stairs that went down into the dark.

'What is this place?' Asked Spike to the fake Rarity with fear.

"Go down, this is the road to happiness." Said the fake Rarity before taking control of Spike's legs again and making him go down.

The stairs led to a big room, it wasn't very bright but there was enough light for Spike to admire the whole thing. The room was filled with papers everywhere with ingredients written over them, and the papers were scattered around the room. There was a map of Equestria with many spots marked with a red 'X', this location was the only one with a circle in it. In the middle there was an empty cauldron, and there were many opened boxes. It seemed like whoever was here abandoned this place in a hurry.

However, one box wasn't open. This particular box caught the attention of the fake Rarity, who made Spike approach it and take off the box lid. Spike was in awe, inside the box there were many bottles filled to the brim with the same dark liquid he and Button had taken some time ago. By the looks of it, these were the last ones.

'Wow, how did you know this was here?' Asked Spike to the fake Rarity.

"I guess you could say I'm part of something bigger, and as such, I can sense my type of magic." Said the fake Rarity with a smile.

'And what do you want me to do with this?' Asked Spike.

"Take it outside."

Spike did just as he was told, and he carried the box outside; Spike placed down the box and closed the door behind him. 'Now what?'

"Now we talk."

'What?'

"Spike, as I see it, you're beginning to not trust me-"

'Of course I am! You make most things better, but now everyone thinks I am a jerk because of you!' Said Spike, snapping back at the fake Rarity and surprising her.

"You can't blame me for everything."

'Why not? It seems everything is different since I got you.'

"But that's not my fault or yours, Spike." Spike wasn't expecting that answer, so he looked at her with a confused expression. "Sit down."

Spike sat down on the grass next to the box, expecting what the fake Rarity had to say. "Spike, I was created to make lives better, and I promise you that I will in time. But I must account for some pony errors along the way."

'What's that supposed to mean? ... You were supposed to make everything better... So why... It isn't...'

"Look at yourself." Instructed the fake Rarity, which Spike did unconsciously. "Your attitude is better in every way, now your aesthetic is overall better, you are ninety three percent more attractive. You've had more experience with the opposite gender... Which is to say you HAD experience with the opposite gender before. But what you haven't understood is that social activity is a matter of giving as well as receiving."

'And what does that mean EXACTLY?'

"It means the fault... Is in your peers."

'Huh?'

"Before my arrival you were the pariah of your school, you and your friends were so sad you were willing to do anything to change your lives. Now that I am inside you you have gotten better at social interactions. You can solidify my argument with Rumble and Scootaloo; now that they are connected to you, you've been their best friend! But that doesn't really apply to the rest of your companions, right?"

Spike thought about the fake Rarity's words, and she was right; Spike was getting along better with Rumble and Scootaloo, but the rest of his class weren't exactly keen on him.

"Plus, along the way we've learned that they have a lot of issues they're trying to get over: Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, Snips, Featherweight, and many more. Maybe you can't see it but I see their pain! They are calling for help and we can provide it! Their social interaction is bad, since they don't know what life is all about, but we can reverse that in a second."

Spike nodded his head, knowing what the fake Rarity was implying. "Do you get what I am saying? Help these poor ponies to help you."

'I... I don't know... This doesn't seem like the right thing to do.' Said Spike, not really comfortable with what the fake Rarity was asking him to do.

"Oh, you'll change your mind soon." The fake Rarity smiled and pointed behind Spike.

Spike turned around and saw that Featherweight was walking up to him without realizing it. Spike decided to wave at Featherweight.

"Hey, Featherweight!" Shouted Spike; Featherweight looked up and saw Spike inviting him to come over. Once Featherweight was there, Spike noticed that the colt seemed down. "What's wrong?"

"I come here when I'm down... This place has a nice atmosphere... It's pretty good for photos."

"You're down? What's the problem?"

"I just... I always take it up to me to know everypony else's business; but does anypony want to know mine? Ever? No..." Said Featherweight, looking down.

"Ugh, this is so sad... But you can help him, can't you?" Said the fake Rarity, and before Spike even noticed it, he had a magical potion in his claw.

"What is that? Is that like, one of the drugs the guys brought last night?" Asked Featherweight with curiosity.

"Noooooo..." The fake Rarity said shook her head. "oooooouuuuuuuuhhhhh, maybe, yes."

"Whatever." Said Featherweight, taking the bottle almost instantly out of Spike's claw.

"Hey... Are you sure?" Asked Spike with concern.

"Yeah, I might as well spend a happy afternoon rather than a boring weekend." Afterwards, Featherweight swallowed the content of the bottle with a single move. At first, Featherweight thought this was fake; but when the magic found its way onto Featherweight's brain and recognized itself in Spike's body, the pain began.

"AAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!" Featherweight screamed at the top of his lungs. Spike was scared for a second, thinking he might've hurt Featherweight; but his fear was replaced by confusion when he saw the colt stand up.

"F-Featherweight? Are you okay?"

"Spike, I don't know wha-"

בואו נצטרף עכשיו

"OW!" Spike and Featherweight yelped in pain together.

"Featherweight, are you okay?" Asked Spike with concern.

"Spike... This feels awesome! Tell me, do you want a photo of us? Or maybe I can do something for you tomorrow at your play?"

Spike was in awe; not only did Featherweight not seem affected by the way events have been developing, he was glad to be his friend! The fake Rarity closed Spike's mouth and proceeded to continue talking to him.

"See? Now he is happy. Wouldn't it be nice if every mare, stallion and foal would get along like this? Every problem society would have would be terminated and fixed! Every single pony would be perfect! Nopony would feel sad anymore and everything about ponies would be wonderful!"

Spike was convinced, maybe this was the way to go! Featherweight was smiling at him and was willing to be his friend; and Spike practically didn't even know the guy until now! But there was still one problem... In the box Spike had picked up from the hidden room didn't have nearly enough bottles for all ponies in his class.

'Hey, I know what you mean, but I think we should be taking this a bit slow. There aren't many bottles in there, who shoul-?'

"To answer that predictable question, I agree with you, we should just start with one pony. But first, you must ask yourself, who do you want to be connected with first? Who have you been chasing this whole time? And who still is in search for their destiny?"

Spike thought about the questions the fake Rarity threw at him, he could make the mayor drink it and have power! Nah, Spike wasn't even remotely interested in power... Maybe he could have Twilight drink it! Nope, she is too smart and would never agree to it... Maybe he could have Miss Cheerilee drink it! Meh, it would mostly just affect his grades but Spike was already doing not too bad. Spike thought about it, and eventually, the answer was clearer than water...

Apple Bloom.

Of course! How come he didn't think about her? 'I'm going to help Apple Bloom!' Said Spike to the fake Rarity, who grinned at his response.

"Great! Then let's go! Pick a bottle and get ready for the play tomorrow! Don't forget it's on the morning!" Said the fake Rarity with excitement.

"Featherweight, thanks for the offer but I have to go, see ya tomorrow!" Said Spike to the colt before running towards Ponyville.

"No problem! Goodbye!" Replied Featherweight from behind him.

As Spike ran through Ponyville, he smiled to himself. Tomorrow, he would finally get together with Apple Bloom and he would perform for most of Ponyville! And it would all be thanks to the fake Rarity, seriously, what would he do without her?

As for the fake Rarity, she was grinning to herself while Spike ran to Ponyville; the fake Rarity chuckled to herself as Featherweight picked up the box Spike had left behind and was taking it for other purposes.

"Indeed, Spike, let's save these pitiful ponies."