Chapter 17: Stare Master (S1:E17)
My Little Pony: Nine Elements
Written by Brandon Nell and Blake Hawkins
Additional suggestions by Rachel Ravens
Chapter 17: Stare Master
It had been three days since the Young Flyer’s Competition. In that time, Rainbow paid Rarity for the repairs to her roof and Rarity received an order that she was frantically working on. At that time as well, her young sister, Sweetie Belle, was over. She was waiting for her friends to come over.
"Ooh, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, where are you?" she wondered.
“Where did I put that?” Rarity panted as she looked for supplies. “Ooh, I thought I already-” She accidentally knocks over some things causing them to noisily clatter. “Oh, I can’t forget to- oh, how am I going to get this done?!”
“Are you sure I can’t help?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“I’m sure,” Rarity said frantically.
“Then, what’s the point in letting me in?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“It’s so you aren’t unsupervised,” Rarity said. “You are waiting here for your friends to arrive, but, you’re still my sister and I can’t leave you all alone.”
Sweetie Belle became a little disgruntled. “Is this because of that one time I tried making a doll out of your fabrics?*”
“And the time you tried to get a Cutie Mark in tie-dying**,” Rarity said, still focused on her project. “Face it, if you were left to your own devices, you’d just leave a mess.”
Sweetie Belle sighed and went back to staring out the window. She waited impatiently for her friends. At that moment, Spike entered the room. “I got that ribbon you asked for, Rarity,” he said.
“Ah, thank you, Spike,” Rarity smiled. “Place it on my desk please and I’ll take care of it. There should be some emerald shards waiting for you.”
Spike licked his lips eagerly. Sweetie Belle wasn’t pleased. “You let him help!” she said. “What about me?!”
“This was a task I had him do for me earlier today,” Rarity said as she was working. “Now, I don’t need any extra assistance.”
“I could try keeping Sweetie Belle entertained until her friends get here,” Spike offered. “At least she’ll be out of your hair.”
“Thank you, Spike,” Rarity smiled.
“Come on, Sweetie Belle,” Spike said.
Sweetie Belle groaned and went with Spike. “It’s just not fair,” the filly complained.
“It’s okay, Sweetie Belle,” Spike said kindly. “I know it can seem like you don’t have a place, but, you do have things to offer. You just need the right moment. That’s how it was for me anyway.” He gently stroked her mane.
Sweetie Belle did feel a bit better after that. “Thanks, Spike,” she said. “You’re pretty nice for a dragon.”
“What’s that supposed to mean,” Spike said, giving Sweetie Belle a little bit of a stink-eye. “Are you distrusting of me because I'm a dragon?”
Sweetie Belle quickly realized what she said and tried to correct herself. “I meant that you’re a very nice dragon,” she said. “I didn’t hear a lot of stories about good dragons.”
“That’s because they’re just stories,” Spike said. “Not a lot of ponies got to know about real dragons, so, the authors play with their imaginations when writing about them.” He muttered grumpily, “And so many ponies took those stories at face value.”
Sweetie Belle heard this and she comforted Spike. “I’m glad to have met you, though.” She nuzzled his left cheek. “I’ve seen Rarity, Twilight, and Fluttershy rub your left cheek a lot. Rarity said you like it. Am I doing it right?”
“Yeah,” Spike said with a wrinkly smile. They suddenly heard a deep gurgling noise.
“What was that?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“My stomach,” Spike said in embarrassment. “I haven’t eaten the emerald shards yet.”
“You eat gems?” Sweetie asked with fascination. “That’s amazing!”
Spike felt rather incredulous. “Me and Twilight have been living here for months,” he said. “How do you not know by now?”
“I typically live with my mom and dad in a different part of Ponyville,” Sweetie Belle said. “I didn’t visit Rarity’s house long enough to learn about that until now. Plus, this is our first time having an actual heart-to-heart conversation. Not counting Diamond Tiara’s cute-cenera.”
“Guess that’s fair,” Spike shrugged as he began to eat his pieces of emerald. He noticed Sweetie Belle looking at his stomach with curiosity. “Uh, can I help you with something?”
“You must have a pretty strong stomach to digest gems, which are basically shiny rocks,” Sweetie Belle observed.
“It’s really about how much I chew the gems,” Spike explained. “I once swallowed a gem whole, big mistake. It gave me a stomachache.”
Sweetie Belle winced a little. “My tummy hurts just thinking about it.” She shifted to a more pleasant topic. “Your teeth must be pretty strong to bite through gems.”
“Considerably,” Spike said. “Although, I’m not going to risk biting through diamonds again since they’re much tougher. I broke my teeth trying.”
“Ouch!” Sweetie Belle winced. “Sorry about that.”
“It’s okay,” Spike said. “Princess Celestia fixed them up.”
“That’s good,” Sweetie Belle smiled. “What do gems taste like?”
“The flavor is really based on the gem and it’s a lot like rock candy to me,” Spike explained. “Here are just a few examples. Rubies taste like cherry. Sapphires taste like blue raspberry. Emeralds, my personal favorite, taste like green apple. Citrines taste like lemon. Topaz, regardless of the color, tastes like orange. Peridots taste like lime. Amethyst tastes like grape. Quartz tastes like vanilla. And onyx tastes like black licorice.”
“Are there gems that taste like chocolate?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“Andalusite,” Spike said.
“Neat,” Sweetie Belle said, fascinated. “I heard in some stories that a dragon’s underbelly is their weak spot.”
“That’s actually a lucky guess,” Spike said. “I never actually experienced a hard enough hit to my stomach, though, I do know it’s sensitive.”
“I see,” Sweetie Belle said.
They suddenly heard the doorbell ring. Sweetie Belle gasped excitedly.
“Ooh!” Sweetie Belle squeaked. “That must be the girls!”
“I’ll get it,” Spike said.
Spike answered the door. But, it wasn’t Sweetie Belle’s friends. It was Fluttershy, who had a cat carrier on her back.
“Oh, hello, Spike,” Fluttershy said. “Is Rarity home?”
“She is,” Spike said. “She’s working on a big order for a client, but, I’ll see if she’s available to say hello.”
“I was actually bringing Opal back from her grooming,” the pegasus explained.
“Ah, that’s good,” Spike said. “I’ll make sure to let Rarity know. Wait here please.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Rarity’s voice said. “I heard everything.”
“Hello, Rarity,” Fluttershy said. “I hope I haven’t disturbed you.”
“I’ll take you interrupting my work over Sweetie Belle making a mess of things,” Rarity said.
“Hey~!” Sweetie Belle said indignantly.
“You know, Rarity,” Spike said. “Maybe if you taught her how to do certain things properly, she wouldn’t make as many messes.”
“Perhaps,” Rarity said, considering the idea. “I’ll see if I can sort out a schedule in between my work and relaxing. Would you like that, Sweetie?”
“Were you talking to me or Spike?” Sweetie Belle asked. “I heard you call Spike that on a few occasions.”
“I mean you, Sweetie Belle,” Rarity said. “Spike already has his own lessons with his own tutor.”
“You know something?” Sweetie Belle said. “I’ve never seen Spike go to school on the weekdays.”
“That’s because I’m not enrolled,” Spike said. “I can’t get into a pony school because I’m not a pony.” He muttered bitterly, “The only way I can enroll is in my dreams.”
Sweetie Belle heard this and comforted Spike. “Even if you aren’t in school, you’re one of the smartest folks I know in Ponyville.”
“Besides,” Rarity added. “You and Twilight are from Canterlot, a predominantly unicorn city. Ponyville was founded by earth ponies. Naturally, Canterlot’s academic standards are much higher than Ponyville’s and Twilight’s been teaching you everything you know. By Ponyville’s academic standards, you simply don’t need to enroll. You’d be too smart for the curriculum to keep up with.”
And with that, Rarity gently rubbed Spike’s left cheek and he felt much better.
“If it makes you feel any better,” Rarity continued. “The unicorn students at the Ponyville Schoolhouse tend to be a bit ahead of the curriculum, too. Well, except for Snips and Snails.”
Sweetie Belle couldn’t help but giggle at Rarity’s tidbit. She knew Snips and Snails from school and knew she was right. Their discussion was interrupted by Opalescence’s angered hissing inside the carrier.
“Oh, right,” Rarity said as she levitated the carrier down. “Opal didn’t give you any trouble, did she, Fluttershy?”
“None whatsoever,” Fluttershy honestly answered.
“You are the Critter Whisperer after all,” Rarity said. “Whenever I try to get close to her for an appointment, she would hiss and claw at me. Gasp! You didn’t use…” She looked to the left and right of her before she whispered. “The Stare on her, did you?”
“You know how Fluttershy feels about using the Stare and what it does to her eyes, Rarity,” Spike calmly scolded.
“She knows, Spike,” Fluttershy said warmly. “It was only an honest question, that’s all. But, no, I didn’t need to use it this time.” She gently stroked Opal, who purred happily. “As a Critter Whisperer, I’m just naturally good with animals.”
“Wait,” Spike said. “Something just occurred to me.”
“What’s that?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“Rarity said that she can’t get near Opal without getting clawed at,” Spike said. “But, when she was making her Gala dress, she was able to get near Opal just fine.”
“Because I wasn’t trying to get her to a grooming or veterinarian appointment,” Rarity clarified. “Any other time, she’s very tame.”
“Oh,” Spike said. “That makes sense.” Opal then jumped onto Spike’s back. Sweetie Belle and Fluttershy yelped at the sight of this. To their surprise, Opal began playfully pawing at the spines running down Spike’s back.
“I see you discovered Spike’s incredible scale strength,” Rarity said. “I found out about this in a similar manner.”
“What do you mean?” Fluttershy asked.
“When Spike was helping me at one point,” Rarity explained. “He and I were talking and Opal latched her claws into Spike’s back. I was so worried because I thought she hurt Spike, but, as it turned out, he hadn’t felt it.”
Fluttershy gasped and quickly inspected Spike. Opal didn’t have her claws out, but, the pegasus found the incisions in the scales that Opal got her claws in once.
“I’m seriously okay, Fluttershy,” Spike said comfortingly. “Her claws are sharp, but, they don’t sink into my scales far enough. She ended up getting them stuck before hurting me.”
“All the same,” Fluttershy said. “I don’t like the idea of another creature attempting to hurt you.”
“I appreciate that, Fluttershy,” Spike said. The pegasus hugged him close.
Just then, the front door knocked again. “Were you expecting somepony, Rarity?” Spike asked.
Spike opened the door and Apple Bloom and Scootaloo scampered excitedly inside. In their excited state, they accidentally tackled Spike. Sweetie Belle excitedly greeted her friends.
“You made it!” she squealed.
Fluttershy comforted Spike and dressed his wounds, if any. After inspection, she didn’t find any.
“What do ya think, Crusaders?” Apple Bloom asked excitedly. “Is this goin’ ta be the best Cutie Mark Crusader sleepover ever er what?!”
“What is the meaning of this?!” Rarity demanded.
“This is why you have me over, remember?” Sweetie Belle said. “You agreed to watch my friends and myself so that we can have our sleepover.”
“I don’t remember consenting to that,” Rarity said.
“You were focusing on your work,” Spike said. “You must’ve agreed without realizing it.”
“That’s why I was in your workroom waiting for my friends to come over,” Sweetie Belle said.
“What’s wrong with me?” Rarity asked. “With my order to fill, I don’t have the time to foalsit the three of you.”
Fluttershy saw the predicament before her. With her element of Kindness, Fluttershy made a decision.
“Rarity,” Fluttershy said. “You do have a lot on your plate. Since getting Opal to her pet appointment and back was the only thing I needed to do today, my schedule is open. So, do you think I can look after the fillies tonight?”
“Oh, I couldn’t ask you to do that,” Rarity said.
“Are you sure?” Fluttershy asked. “Because it’s really no trouble for me. I used to look after my brother when my parents were busy.”
“You have a brother?” Spike asked.
“Zephyr Breeze,” Fluttershy said. “I mentioned him back in Cloudsdale.”
“Oh, right,” Spike said. “Sorry, it’s because I haven't met him yet.” He then remembered something. “Wait, was he the one stupid enough to taste the rainbow?”
“Mm-hmm,” Fluttershy nodded.
“Wow,” Spike said. “Sounds like he was a real pain in the–”
“SPIKE!” Rarity scolded.
“What?” Spike asked. “I was going to say ‘neck.’”
“Yeah,” Scootaloo said. “What did you think he was going to say? Ass?”
“Scootaloo!” Rarity scolded. “Where did you hear such language?”
“From Rainbow Dash,” Scootaloo said.
“Oh…” Rarity said in realization. “That would explain it.”
“Anyway,” Fluttershy said, blushing from the crass language. “I’m sure I can look after three fillies. If I can look after all sorts of animals, then, certainly I can handle them.”
“Cutie Mark Crusaders,” Apple Bloom said. “Huddle.”
The three fillies huddle together for a private chit-chat. Afterwards, they turned their attention to Spike. “Spike,” Sweetie Belle said. “Can you come over here?”
Spike looked confused, but, he obliged and got closer to them. Sweetie Belle then gave him a red cape with a blue shield patch depicting a yellow pony silhouette.
“What’s this?” he asked.
“A cape I designed,” Sweetie Belle explained. “I used Rarity’s notes on your measurements to make this one for you.”
“Wow, thank you,” Spike said. “That was very nice of you.” He then noticed the patch. “What’s with the patch?”
“It stands for our group,” Sweetie Belle said. “The Cutie Mark Crusaders!”
“We’re making you an honorary member,” Scootaloo said.
“Me, an honorary Cutie Mark Crusader?” Spike asked with amazement in his voice.
“We’ve heard that ya didn’t get ta be included much growin’ up,” Apple Bloom said. “We figgered bein’ included by ponies ‘round yer age would be a good start.”
“I’m ten pony years old,” Spike said.
“Ah had mah ninth birthday last Friday,” Apple Bloom said.
“My ninth birthday was two days ago,” Scootaloo said.
“My eighth birthday is next week,” Sweetie Belle said.
“So,” Apple Bloom said. “Startin’ today, Spike, yer an honorary Cutie Mark Crusader!”
“Welcome aboard,” Scootaloo said, giving him a noogie.
Spike laughed happily. In his head though, he thought, I just don’t have the heart to tell them that I can’t get a Cutie Mark.
“That’s very sweet girls,” Rarity said. “But, Spike can’t exactly…”
“We know he can’t get one himself,” Sweetie Belle said. “But, we want to include him anyway. Even if it’s just honorary.”
“Thanks, guys,” Spike said.
“This is actually perfect,” Fluttershy said. “Twilight asked me to look after you while she’s at Canterlot for the night, Spike.”
“Thanks, Fluttershy,” Spike smiled. “So, Rarity, did you put some thought into Fluttershy looking after your sister and her friends?”
“Well,” Rarity said. “Alright. It would make filling the order easier.” She then got a look at the inside of Spike’s cape and noticed the golden silk. “Sweetie Belle, what did you use to make these capes?”
“Well, I found this golden silk laying around in your room,” Sweetie Belle said. “You weren’t using it.”
“I needed that silk for my order!” Rarity scolded.
“Something tells me you were so busy with this order that you didn’t tell her that, either,” Spike said.
Rarity facehoofed, annoyed with her lack of attention. She then took a deep breath. “Very well, Fluttershy,” she said. “You may look after them. I’ll have to work all night to make more golden silk. I can’t afford any distractions.”
Sweetie Belle heard this and she couldn’t help but feel guilty. But, her friends were there to comfort her.
Later, Fluttershy’s leading the fillies to her cottage with Spike on her back. Fluttershy was expressing her excitement and ideas of what they could do there.
“Oh, we’re going to have such a wonderful time,” Fluttershy chirped. “We could have a nice little tea party, sit around and color, and tell each other breezy tales, and-” She then noticed that the fillies were being unusually quiet. “Why are they being so quiet?”
“I don’t know,” Spike said. “Hopefully, they’re not up to too much trouble.”
They looked back and saw the Crusaders inspecting a cart full of milk cans being pulled by Ash.
“Girls,” Fluttershy called. “My cottage is this way.”
The fillies barely heard her as they were a few hooves away and Fluttershy’s voice was just barely above a whisper.
“Don’t worry, Fluttershy,” Spike said. “I got this.” He cleared his throat and gave a loud whistle. “HEY! Cutie Mark Crusader meet-up starts in 5 minutes!”
The fillies quickly regrouped with him and Fluttershy.
“Be careful, Spike,” Fluttershy said. “I don’t want you straining your throat.”
“Thanks, Fluttershy,” Spike said at a more normal volume. “But, I’ll be fine. If I need to brew some tea or gargle with warm salt water, I will.”
“Oh, that reminds me,” Fluttershy said. “There’s some andalusite shard cookies left over from our last tea party if you want some.”
“Sounds great,” Spike smiled.
Soon, they arrived at Fluttershy’s cottage. By that time, the sun was starting to set.
The fillies wasted no time exploring the pegasus’ home.
“Wow, look at this place!” Sweetie Belle said excitedly.
They began dashing around. Spike looked around, still close to Fluttershy. All his tea parties with her had been held outside.
“So, this is what the inside of your cottage looks like,” he said calmly but still enamored. “It’s so you.” He carefully climbed down the yellow pegasus.
“Thank you,” Fluttershy smiled. “So, now that we’re all here, what should we do first?”
“I’ll get my mark first!” Scootaloo said.
“No way!” Sweetie Belle said eagerly. “I’m going to!”
“Uh, girls,” Fluttershy said. “Maybe—”
“Ah am!” Apple Bloom piped up.
“Girls!” Fluttershy said.
“I’m going to stay up all night!” Scootaloo chuckled.
“Me, too,” Apple Bloom said.
“Me, three!” Sweetie Belle squeaked.
“That’s not a good idea,” Spike said.
“I know you girls are excited,” Fluttershy said. “But, please be careful. Perhaps we can play a nice game?”
“We’re the Cutie Mark Crusaders,” Scootaloo said.
“N’ we’re crusadin’ fer our Cutie Marks!” Apple Bloom announced gloriously.
Sweetie Belle struggled to say a follow-up. “Uh… what they said,” she ended up saying.
Fluttershy grew rather hesitant.
“I don't know about that,” Fluttershy said. “How about a nice quiet little tea party?”
Scootaloo looked out the window. “Or… we could go exploring in the Everfree Forest!”
“Absolutely not!” Spike interjected.
“Spike’s right,” Fluttershy said. “Apple Bloom, you know that the Everfree Forest is dangerous to go into alone, even if you did go in during the day. It’s much more dangerous to travel through there at night because of the creatures that make their homes there.”
“And the Whomping Willow,” Spike said.
“You guys could go in with us!” Sweetie Belle said. “This way we can catch the creatures and trim that Whomping Willow! We could be… um… creature catchers!”
The other fillies liked the idea.
“Yay!” The Cutie Mark Crusaders shouted excitedly. “Cutie Mark Crusader Creature Catchers!”
“The CMCCC!” Apple Bloom added.
“No!” Spike insisted.
“Oh, right,” Scootaloo said. “I guess it wouldn’t really work. I mean, I can probably handle it with my mom and dad being creature handlers in Austailia***, but, you guys don’t have the same experience.”
“And neither do you!” Spike said.
“Um,” Fluttershy said, trying to calm the situation down. “Maybe we can all sit down, relax, and do some nice coloring.”
The fillies looked to each other.
“Ooh!” Sweetie Belle thought. “We can be carpenters!”
“Carpenters?” Spike said. “But, everything’s—”
“We can take that table over yonder n’ add ta it!” Apple Bloom smiled. “Ah learned a thang er two ‘bout usin’ tools on the farm.”
The three fillies grabbed hammers and they got to “work” on Fluttershy’s table, which really was just smashing it with the hammers. The end results looked more like an abstract art piece than a table.
“That doesn’t look like a table,” Sweetie Belle observed.
“That thing needs to be put out if its misery,” Apple Bloom noted.
“Guess we’re not really cut out to be carpenters,” Scootaloo said.
“Well, now that that’s out of the way,” Fluttershy said. “How about a game?”
“What kind?” Apple Bloom asked.
“A fun one,” Fluttershy answered. “It’s called ‘Shhh.’”
“What’s that?” Scootaloo asked.
“Well,” Fluttershy explained. “It’s a game about who can be quiet the longest.”
The fillies knew at once they couldn’t win and Spike gave them a smug grin.
“Fluttershy is great at this game,” Spike said. “I’ll start us off. Ready, set, go.” He then made a mouth-zipping gesture with his claws.
Fluttershy smiled. Three seconds later, the CMCs piped up.
“I lose!” Scootaloo said.
“Me, too!” Sweetie Belle said.
“Me, three!” Apple Bloom said.
Spike signed that the game was still on since he and Fluttershy were still being quiet.
“Now,” Scootaloo said. “We can focus on other ways we can get our Cutie Marks.”
“Yeah!” Apple Bloom smiled. “Like coal minin’!” In her excitement, she jumped up and landed on top of Spike, who didn’t even grunt in pain. “Oops! Ah’m so sorry, Spike. Ah didn’t mean ta do that. Are ya okay?”
He nodded, but, Fluttershy became concerned right away.
“You can talk now, Spike,” Fluttershy said. “The game’s over.”
“Spike won a quiet game against Fluttershy?!” Apple Bloom said in disbelief.
“Guess there’s a first time for everything,” Sweetie Belle said.
“I think it’s time that we all turned in,” Fluttershy said.
“Fine by me,” Spike said, drowsily. “I’m starting to get a little cold.”
“Are you ready, fillies?” Fluttershy offered kindly. “Are you ready to get all cozy and comfy in my snuggly-wuggly bed?”
“Snuggly-wuggly?” Apple Bloom said as Spike started to yawn. “Uh, is Spike okay?”
“He may be ten in pony years,” Fluttershy explained softly as she gently cradled Spike in her front hooves. “But, he is still a baby dragon and he needs his sleep. Besides, he’s not warm-blooded like us, so, he can’t generate his own heat. He’s more sensitive to the cold. The colder it is, the sleepier he gets.”
“He can breathe fire, but, he can’t generate his own heat?” Scootaloo asked in confusion.
“I know it sounds confusing at first,” Fluttershy said. “But, over time, we’ll all understand more of him.” She allowed him to get on her back. “Come on. Let’s get settled in.” With that, she and the fillies marched upstairs.
A short time later, Spike was tucked in nice and warm in a spare basket bed that Fluttershy had. He was sound asleep as he drifted to Dreamland. Fluttershy allowed the fillies to use her own bed and she was tucking them in gently.
“How’ll we find our special talents in our sleep?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Maybe you each will have a dream about your special talents,” Fluttershy considered kindly. “Now for a lullaby.”
The Cutie Mark Crusaders settled in as Fluttershy gently cleared her throat. Then, she began to sing.
“Hush now, quiet now
It’s time to lay your sleepy head
Hush now, quiet now
It’s time to go to bed~”
Spike gently shifted under his blanket. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were soothed by Fluttershy’s soft singing. Sweetie Belle, however, recognized the lullaby that Fluttershy was singing and seemed more excited than sleepy.
“I know this one!” Sweetie Belle squeaked happily.
“How wonderful,” Fluttershy said. “Why don’t you sing it with me?”
Sweetie Belle smiled at this and seeing this as a chance to mess with Fluttershy, she cleared her throat. She gave her friends a mischievous little smile. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo gave knowing smiles and covered their ears. At that moment, Sweetie Belle belted out her version. Instead of it sounding like a lullaby, it was more like a gospel rendition.
“HUSH now, quiet now
Cuz’ it’s time to lay your sleepy head
Said, hush now, quiet now
Cuz’ it’s time to go to bed~!”
This woke Spike up instantly. Fluttershy was caught off guard by Sweetie Belle’s beautiful, yet very loud, singing.
“Oh, that’s very nice, Sweetie, but-” Fluttershy said softly, but, she was promptly interrupted by Sweetie Belle’s rendition.
“Driftin’ off to sleep,
The exciting day behind you
Driftin’ off to sleep
Let the joy of Dreamland FIND YOU~!”
Fluttershy noticed a grumpy Spike waddling towards the bed and tried to warn Sweetie Belle.
“Um, Sweetie?” Fluttershy said. “You might want to-”
“Hush now, quiet now
Lay your sleepy head~
Said, hush now, quiet now
Cuz’ it’s time to go to BEEEEEEEEEEEEEED
OW!”
Spike grabbed Sweetie Belle’s tail and yanked her off the bed before forcing her to look him in the bloodshot eyes. “WHAT HAVE YOU GOT AGAINST THE CONCEPT OF A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP, HUH?!”
Immediately, Sweetie Belle regretted her decision to mess with Fluttershy. “I’m sorry, Spike,” Sweetie Belle said. “I meant to be loud, but, I didn’t realize I was going to be that loud.”
“YOU ONLY MADE ENOUGH NOISE TO WAKE THE DEAD!!!” Spike said.
Sweetie Belle sighed sadly. At that moment, they heard a commotion coming from outside. Sweetie Belle’s singing not only woke up Spike, but, it also woke the flock of chickens in Fluttershy’s roost.
“I don’t think that’s the dead, but, it definitely sound like you woke something up,” Scootaloo said.
“It’s my chickens!” Fluttershy gasped worriedly. “Wait in here, everyone, while I calm them down and help them back to their roost.”
“I’LL KEEP AN EYE ON THEM SO THEY DON’T SCREW UP MORE!” Spike said.
“Please stop yelling, Spike,” Fluttershy said.
“I’M TRYING, BUT, I’M IN SUCH A BAD MOOD FROM BEING WOKEN UP I CAN’T STOP!” Spike said.
Sweetie Belle gave Spike a sorrowful hug and she rubbed his left cheek. She still felt bad for what she did, but, she could at least try to soothe Spike’s nerves. Spike took a deep breath and looked at Sweetie Belle. “Sweetie Belle,” he said.
“Yes?” Sweetie Belle said, wincing and preparing for anything.
“Life lesson #1,” Spike said. “If you’re looking for a good time, don’t. Wake. A sleeping. Dragon.”
“Believe me, I know now,” Sweetie Belle said. “And I’m never going to do that again.”
“Good,” Spike said. “You’re lucky you’re younger than me so I held back. When Rainbow woke me up, I spat embers in her mane. You dig me?”
“Oh, I dig you,” Sweetie Belle said. “And I understand, too.”
“Hey, ah wonder how Fluttershy’s doin’ with her chickens,” Apple Bloom said.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders looked out the still open bedroom window. She had managed to coax the chickens towards the entrance of the roost, but, they seemed hesitant to go back inside for fear that the noise they heard might be an approaching predator.
“Don’t even think about going outside,” Spike said.
“We’re not,” Scootaloo said. “We can see from here.”
“If Fluttershy says she needs help,” Apple Bloom said. “We’ll help her. But, she don’t.”
“I don’t blame her,” Spike said. “You ruined her table and left her chickens fearing a predator’s coming.”
“What’s a predator?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“An animal that kills lesser animals for food,” Spike said.
Sweetie Belle now felt even worse for her loud singing before. But, before she could wallow in self-pity, they heard Fluttershy talk to the chickens.
“It’s okay, chickens,” Fluttershy said. “Go on inside. Everything’s alright now.”
But, the chickens were still too frightened. When this happened, Fluttershy’s eyes began to glow. The chickens gazed into them and hastened back into their roost. Fluttershy’s eyes suddenly stopped glowing and blinked to bring moisture back into them.
“Pleasant dreams, little ones,” Fluttershy said with a smile. She then flew back up towards her bedroom window. The Cutie Mark Crusaders saw her approach and backed up so that there wasn't a collision.
“Are you okay, Fluttershy?” Spike asked when he noticed her blinking a bit.
“Yes, I’m alright,” Fluttershy said.
“You used the Stare, didn’t you?” Spike asked.
“I did,” Fluttershy admitted. “Thankfully, not too long, though. Nothing some eye drops won’t cure.”
She left the room while Spike had a worried look that the Crusaders noticed.
“What’s wrong?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“Fluttershy just damaged her eyes a bit,” Spike said.
“How?” Apple Bloom asked in a worried yet confused tone.
“Well, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle,” Spike said. “You know how your sisters have Mystic Eyes?” The two mentioned fillies nod yes. “Well, Fluttershy has a set of her own, the Mystic Eyes of Submission.”
“Whoa~” Scootaloo said. “We didn’t know that.”
“She doesn’t use them very often for two reasons,” Spike said. “First, she has to keep her eyes open when they’re active. Even blinking can turn them off. The longer she keeps them open, the drier her eyes get. If her eyes get too dry, she can’t see for a while.”
Sweetie Belle felt even worse than before. Hearing Spike talk about this and how she set everything into motion made her feel terrible. Now, she wished she was never at Fluttershy’s cottage. She crawled into Fluttershy’s bed and wrapped herself in the comforter like a sad burrito. Spike looked out the window and saw a hole in the fence of the chicken pen and chicken footprints leading out. The footprints continued into the forest.
“Oh, boy,” Spike said worriedly. “This isn’t good.”
“What is it, Spike?” Scootaloo asked.
“One of Fluttershy’s chickens ran into the Everfree Forest,” Spike said.
Hearing that, Sweetie Belle and the other Crusaders donned their capes.
“Well,” Sweetie Belle said. “Since it was my fault that she’s awake and out there, I’m responsible for retrieving her and bringing her safely back.”
“And,” Scootaloo said triumphantly. “We’re going, too, to make sure you’re not alone. Cutie Mark Crusaders stick together no matter what!”
“Are you crazy?!” Spike asked. “The Everfree Forest is dangerous!”
“We know that,” Apple Bloom said. “But, that chicken needs our help. Shouldn’t somepony rescue her?”
“Zecora lives in the Everfree Forest,” Spike said. “Let her deal with it.”
“Rarity said I need to take responsibility for my actions,” Sweetie Belle said.
“There’s a world of difference between taking responsibility and something like this,” Spike said.
“How exactly?” Sweetie Belle said. “That chicken is out there scared and alone and I’m the one who caused her to feel that way. I got her into trouble, so now, I’m going to get her out of it.”
“The Everfree Forest is full of creatures too dangerous to live anywhere else in Equestria,” Spike said. “There might even be at least one of the creatures that eats dragons.”
“That chicken could be dead meat by now!” Apple Bloom said. “Come on, y’all!”
Spike sighed in defeat, seeing that he won’t be able to change the fillies’ minds. “Fine,” he said. “But, I’m going with you.”
“That’s the CMC spirit!” Scootaloo smiled. “Cutie Mark Crusaders Chicken Rescuers, let’s go!”
Spike and the fillies quietly snuck past Fluttershy. By this time, her eyes had healed and she was drifting to sleep on her chaise lounge. Once Spike and the fillies were outside, Spike reached into the loose scales and pulled out his sword, which he used as a torch.
“I can still see her tracks,” Spike said. He noticed the fillies looking at Spike in surprise. “What?”
“Where did you get that thing?” Scootaloo asked. “Where were you even holding it?”
“I figured out a while ago that I have some loose scales on my sides that I can use as pockets,” Spike explained. “As for where I got this, I made it out of sticks, duct tape, and a scale given to me by a river serpent.”
“This wouldn’t happen to be the same one you met on your way to stop Nightmare Moon?” asked Sweetie Belle.
“I wasn’t alone,” Spike said. “I was mostly a distraction while Twilight and the others used the Elements of Harmony.”
“What’s all this Elements of Harmony stuff?” Scootaloo asked.
“Maybe wait until after we find the missing chicken to hear the story?” Spike said, reminding them why they were out in the first place.
“Right,” said Apple Bloom. “Now… where can that chicken be?”
“Call it a hunch,” Spike quipped. “But, I believe these footprints give a good idea.” He pointed his glowing sword at the chicken footprints in the ground.
The quartet started to follow the chicken tracks. Spike dragged his tail on the ground to make a trail. “What’s that for?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“I’m leaving a trail for us to follow so we don’t get lost,” Spike explained.
So, the four younglings ventured deep into the forest.
Back with Fluttershy in her cottage, she was drifting to sleep on her chaise lounge.
“Hmm, peace and quiet.” Fluttershy sighed softly. However, her eyes popped open when she realized what she said. “Too quiet! Something’s wrong!”
She flew up the stairs into her room. She gasped when she saw not only her bed empty, but, also saw the spare basket bed empty.
“Oh, no!” Fluttershy gasped worriedly. “Where are they?!”
She flew out of her cottage. She saw her lost chicken’s footprints and Spike’s tail path.
“Elizabeak!” Fluttershy exclaimed. “Oh no! Spike and the fillies must’ve gone looking for her in…” She followed the tracks.
“The Everfree Forest…” Fluttershy gulped. “Those fillies have bitten off more than they can chew this time. So have Spike and myself.”
Fluttershy was afraid, but, she knew she couldn’t leave the younglings to venture in the forest alone. She had to go in to rescue them and Elizabeak with them. So, she slowly made her way in, picking up her pace along the way.
Meanwhile, Spike and the crusaders ventured deeper into the forest. Apple Bloom was trying to lure the chicken closer to them with a chicken call.
“Here, chick chick chick chick chick,” Apple Bloom called. “Bawk, bawk bawk bawk bawk.”
“What are you doing?” Scootaloo asked.
“What’dya think Ah’m doin’?” Apple Bloom asked. “Ah’m callin’ fer the chicken.”
“That’s not how you call a chicken,” Scootaloo commented.
“Oh, ah’m sorry,” Apple Bloom said sarcastically. “Ah didn’t know ya lived on a farm, too.****”
Scootaloo was about to retort, but, she remembered that she herself didn’t live on a farm like Apple Bloom did.
“Carry on,” Scootaloo said.
“That’s what ah thought, ya city slicker,” Apple Bloom said.
“Okay, maybe we can get back to the chicken search instead of mudslinging,” Spike said.
“Good idea,” Sweetie Belle said. “That wouldn’t make a good Cutie Mark anyway.”
While Spike and the crusaders resumed their search, Fluttershy was looking for them.
“Spike~?” Fluttershy called. “Apple Bloom~? Sweetie Belle~? Scootaloo~? Where are you?”
She suddenly stepped on a branch. She yelped in surprise, but, she continued on anyway. She looked ahead and saw the silhouette of a familiar townspony.
“Shoeshine?*****” she asked.
Shoeshine didn’t seem to respond, however. Fluttershy approached her cautiously. In the low lighting, Fluttershy could only make out the earth mare’s shape.
“What are you doing here?” Fluttershy asked. “Are you learning to walk through the forest so you won’t be as afraid of it as other ponies are?”
No answer came.
“Shoeshine, what’s wrong?” Fluttershy grew increasingly nervous.
The clouds parted and moonlight shone on Shoeshine, revealing why she couldn’t speak. She was frozen solid encased in stone. Fluttershy gasped. She came to understand why this was the case. “I have to find them quick!”
With a new sense of determination, or at least, what she thought was determination, Fluttershy ventured deeper into the forest, following the trails.
With Spike and the crusaders, Spike was growing increasingly nervous. Sweetie Belle took notice.
“Spike,” Sweetie Belle asked. “Are you okay?”
“I wouldn’t exactly say that,” Spike admitted. “I’m mostly afraid of running into a Whomping Willow.”
“Ya mentioned that before,” Apple Bloom said. “What is it?”
“A tree that you REALLY don’t want to get close to,” Spike said. “I saw one use one of its branches to slam a bird into the ground.”
“That’s terrible!” Sweetie Belle gasped.
“How can a tree do that?” Scootaloo asked. “Seriously. It’s a tree.”
“A tree growing in the one place in Equestria where magic works differently from the rest of it,” Spike pointed out.
“Yeah,” Apple Bloom said. “Applejack did have a point ‘bout trees growin’ on their own here.”
“Well,” Spike said. “If you really think about it, there’s trees that grow far away from any pony influence. And not just here.”
“Like what?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Uncharted islands,” Spike said. “And there’s also jungles inhabited by only wild animals. Besides, earth ponies have no control over how fast or slow trees grow anyway. So, pony influence ultimately doesn’t really change anything in the long run.******”
“Wow,” Sweetie Belle said, amazed. “Rarity was right. You really are smart.”
“As much as I appreciate the compliment,” Spike said. “We have a chicken to find.”
“Spike~” called a familiar voice from afar. “Girls~!”
“Fluttershy?” Sweetie Belle said.
Fluttershy ran to meet up with them and she stopped, panting with both worry and exhaustion. “We have to get out of here and back to my cottage, please!”
“But, we haven’t found the chicken,” Scootaloo said.
“We can’t worry about that now,” Fluttershy said. “There is a cockatrice on the loose!”
“Cocka-what now?” Apple Bloom asked.
“I think I read about those,” Spike said. “They were the result of a crossbreed between a dragon and a rooster.*******”
“That’s right,” Fluttershy said. “But, they’re not frightening because they’re part dragon. They’re frightening because they can turn any creature that looks into their eyes into stone in a matter of seconds!”
“I read that their eyes originally only had the power to stun,********” Spike said. “Over several generations, their eyes mutated to have the power of petrification.”
Just then, they heard the sound of a chicken clucking. They turned their attention to a nearby bush and saw a white chicken peck innocently out of it.
“There’s the chicken!” Sweetie Belle said.
“Elizabeak, it’s okay,” Fluttershy said gently. “Girls, be careful.”
Spike noticed another chicken head in the bush. “I don’t like the look of this.”
“Well, well, well,” said the other chicken head with a scratchy voice. “It seems that a pure dragon has wandered into my territory.”
The Cutie Mark Crusaders heard the creature’s voice and they stopped running excitedly towards Elizabeak.
“Did that chicken head just talk?” Scootaloo asked.
“That’s the Cockatrice,” Fluttershy said, terror in her voice. “Girls, Spike, come behind me, please.”
The cockatrice simply gazed into Elizabeak’s eyes with his own red glowing eyes. In a flash of light, the little hen was turned into stone. The Cutie Mark Crusaders saw this ordeal and did the only thing they could think of at that moment: Scream with terror and run around. The cockatrice laughed in a manner reminiscent of both a rooster crowing and a dragon roaring. Seeing Elizabeak turned to stone and hearing the cockatrice’s malicious laughter, something snapped inside Fluttershy and she had a very brave face on.
“GIRLS!” Fluttershy said firmly. “Behind me, NOW!”
The Crusaders obediently got behind Fluttershy.
“Isn’t that cute,” the cockatrice laughed. “The pegasus thinks she’s a threat. I’ll just turn you into stone, too.” He looked into Fluttershy’s eyes, but, to his surprise, she didn’t turn to stone right away, but, slowly did so, starting with her back hooves. “What?! Another Mystic Eye user?!*********”
“That’s right,” Fluttershy said sternly. “Just who do you think you are, turning those who haven’t even thought of hurting you into stone?!”
“The world has rejected my race since our conception,” the cockatrice asserted. “Besides, who are you to judge how I use my powers? What good is it to have such powers if they’re never used?”
“Yes, you do have such power,” Fluttershy said as her eyes started glowing. “But, if you just go around turning everything and everyone into stone without so much as a chance to reason with you, that can lead to a lot of trouble! Excess of such a power can also hurt and even damage your eyes if you’re not careful! In fact, you could run out and then when you meet a creature that actually does try to hurt you, then what will happen?”
“Why should I listen to a pony?” the cockatrice challenged. “Ponies banished my species to this forsaken forest.”
“And I am very sorry to hear that,” Fluttershy said. “But, you should still know better! You’re being very irresponsible right now! I have a mind to find your mother and tell her what you’ve been doing! Now, you go over there to turn Elizabeak and Shoeshine back to normal. And don’t ever let me catch you doing this without a justifiable reason again! Do you understand me?!”
Though the cockatrice put up resistance, his eye began to wane from being open so long, making him susceptible to Fluttershy's Mystic Eyes of Submission.
“Y-yes, ma’am!” The cockatrice stammered. He closed his eyes and the petrification effect stopped. The developing cocoon of stone on Fluttershy shattered. The cockatrice ran off deeper into the forest. Spike and the Cutie Mark Crusaders saw everything and were both relieved and surprised.
Elizabeak reverted to normal as well. Fluttershy turned her attention to her friends, her eyes no longer aglow, but, a bit shrunken and bloodshot.
“Are you alright?” she asked kindly. “I was so worried.”
“We’re fine,” Spike said. “But, what about you?”
“I’m alright, Spike,” Fluttershy said. “My eyes are sore, but, they’re not as sore as when I talked to Razer.” She shut them. “I still won’t be able to see for a while, though.”
“I can act as your Seeing Eye Dragon and lead you back with the path,” Spike said.
“Thank you, Spike,” Fluttershy said. She nuzzled the top of his head.
“Thank ya, too, Fluttershy,” Apple Bloom smiled gratefully.
“We’re sorry for causing so much trouble,” Sweetie Belle apologized.
“We promise to listen to you from now on,” Scootaloo said.
“Good idea,” Spike said. “Let’s follow my trail back.”
As they followed Spike’s trail, they saw Shoeshine. She was somewhat discombobulated from being turned to stone and back again.
“Hi, everyone,” she said. “What’s going on?”
“It’s kind of a long story, Shoeshine,” Spike said. “But, would you mind if we told you later? It’s getting late and we’ve got to get to bed.”
“Well, okay,” Shoeshine said. “Hopefully, there’s some good gossip.”
The next morning, Twilight had arrived and was writing a letter while Spike tried to ask if he could do it.
“Please, Twilight?” Spike begged.
“I told you, I can handle this, Spike,” Twilight said. “After what you’ve been through last night, I want to give you a break.”
“Fair enough,” Spike said. “But, I get to write the next letter, right?”
“If you’re around, yes,” Twilight said. “I might learn something when you’re away on your next therapy session.”
“Alright,” Spike said.
“You can go play with the fillies in the meantime,” Twilight said.
“Sure thing,” Spike smiled.
Fluttershy finished up her story after he left.
“Thanks again for looking after Spike, Fluttershy,” Twilight said. “I know you had a lot to do last night looking after the Cutie Mark Crusaders, but, I appreciate you looking after him, too.”
“Spike was very well behaved,” Fluttershy said. “Until Sweetie Belle woke him up.”
“Hopefully,” Twilight said. “She’ll at least know now not to do so again in the future. I see you managed to handle them well.”
“It, um, didn’t start off so well, honestly,” Fluttershy admitted. “I learned the hard way that I shouldn’t bite off more than I could chew.”
“Sounds like something Rarity could learn,” Twilight said.
At that moment, the fashionista unicorn herself arrived to pick up Sweetie Belle. She had a much more relaxed look on her face.
“Hello, Rarity,” Fluttershy greeted politely. “How did it go with the capes?”
“Just had them delivered,” Rarity said.
“That’s good,” Fluttershy smiled. “And you look much better, too.”
“I certainly feel it,” Rarity said. “I also wanted to apologize to Sweetie Belle for my behavior towards her yesterday, so, I’m going to take her to her favorite ice cream shop********** on the way home.”
She saw the crusaders playfully tackling Spike. Spike was laughing happily since the tackling was more like tickling. Especially with Sweetie Belle rubbing her hooves on his stomach. Rarity couldn’t help but coo at the adorableness.
“Looks like they found his tickle spot,” Twilight said.
“So it seems,” Rarity smiled. “I may just have to remember that in case he’s feeling down during a gem hunt.”
“Sounds good,” Twilight said. “Whenever Spike’s feeling grumpy, a good tickle perks him up.”
“Good to know,” Rarity said with a smile. “Now, girls, pack your things.”
But, the three fillies were too caught up in their playing to heed Rarity’s words. Not that they were being mean, they were just fillies being fillies. Plus, Spike’s laughter drowned out a bit of Rarity’s voice.
“Uh, girls?” Rarity called a bit louder. “Girls~?!”
“Here, Rarity,” Fluttershy said. She gently cleared her throat. “Girls?”
The fillies immediately stopped what they were doing and turned their attention to Fluttershy. Spike was grateful for this distraction as it meant he could catch his breath.
“Yeah, Fluttershy?” Apple Bloom asked politely.
“Pick up your things,” Fluttershy said. “Rarity’s going to escort you home.”
“Already done,” Sweetie Belle said. “We only brought our capes.”
“That’s good,” Rarity smiled. “And Sweetie Belle? I do apologize for any hardships I put on you yesterday.”
“It’s okay,” the white filly said. “I’m the one who put them on you. You had an order to fill and I was just in the way.”
“It’s alright, Sweetie Belle,” Rarity said. “I’m still going to treat you to ice cream at your favorite ice cream shop to make things up to you.”
Sweetie Belle’s eyes twinkled.
“Rarity, you’re the best!” Sweetie Belle squeaked happily.
At that moment, Spike got up. He walked over to Fluttershy and hugged her. “Thanks, Fluttershy,” he said.
“You’re welcome, Spike,” Fluttershy smiled, reciprocating the hug. She even gave him a motherly kiss on the forehead.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders then followed Rarity. As they passed by Fluttershy, they said, “Thanks, Fluttershy!”
End of chapter.
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Who’s the voice of the Cockatrice?
11547291
Phil Hayes.
Hey there. Thanks immensely for getting this next chapter up. Again, you did a very wonderful job on the exchanges, characterizations, action, general wrap-up and future chapter set-up. Definitely appreciated Spike trying to help out both Rarity AND Fluttershy as well as the dialogue Spike and Sweetie Belle shared before the sleepover AND all the mentions of future family members. Yeah, makes sense that Rainbow would be less mindful of her language around children than the rest of the Mane Six (Fluttershy especially, who famously felt ashamed for saying "peeved"). REALLY liked the Crusaders making Spike an Honorary Member even though they KNOW he CAN'T get a Cutie Mark. And yeah, Sweetie, waking a sleeping dragon IS a VERY bad idea (just ask the Japanese in the early-1940s). You're lucky that the worst Spike did was some admitted grouchiness. Of course, the carpentry fiasco was more of a case of Too Many Cooks (as Apple Bloom DOES have a pretty good talent with tools as well as potions, so if Apple Bloom did it on her own, it would have probably turned out all right). Also liked how the Crusaders' desire to help recover Fluttershy's animals was because of Sweetie taking responsibility for her mistake in singing MUCH too loudly. REALLY liked the Mythology notes concerning the Cockatrice as well as Spike admitting some of things he learned about geography from Twilight. Also appreciated Twilight NOT being the one turned to stone by the Cockatrice, though Twilight and Fluttershy's dialogue at the end was great.
Definitely looking forward to more of this.
11547313
Thanks. How about Spike getting tickled?
Great chapter! This was well done. And we have another CMC episode coming up next to! Can’t wait to see how that will go
11547291
I like to imagine him as Australian British
Who the buck is Shoeshine?
11547323
Thanks.
11547328
This pony.
11547327
I gave him a voice.
11547331
You’re welcome
11547339
Me and the co-writers cut it close this time.
11547342
Really?
11547343
Yeah. We started last Tuesday, barely worked on it over the weekend, and had to wrap up today.
11547345
Ah I see
11547347
Hopefully, production for the next chapter will be smoother.
11547352
Hopefully
11454599
Seeing this argument, I had to look at the chapter - I do have plans on reading the story - and...feel like he jumped right into commenting without finishing the chapter after reading...
And I'll admit, I'd probably have a similar impulsive line of thought...but reading Fluttershy's attempt to apologize and more...that thought is let go of.
11547367
Thank you. Spike was very emotionally hurt by Fluttershy insinuating that being a dragon is a problem in her eyes because she was the nicest pony to him outside of Twilight. It made him afraid that when he grew up, she wouldn't consider him a friend anymore and that terrified him.
This new chapter is great, I like it! Can't wait for another CMC chapter. Also, my birthday is on a Saturday April 8. Don't forget to pop by to say happy birthday to me.
11547377
Okay.
11547378
Thanks
11547380
You're welcome.
"*****This was to prevent the Thomas The Tank Engine-itis Twilight suffered in season 1."
The what? hehe
It was nice the cockatrice could speak. More of the Equestrian beasts should have more sentience like the dragons, and even the chimera has
Thomas The Tank Engine-itis?
11547415
Basically, Twilight appearing when any pony would do.
11547435
Basically, Twilight appearing when any pony would do.
11547424
At least the mythological ones. The more mundane ones, we don't care about.
11547456
Okay, that makes sense, just caught me off guard with that reference, lol
Great chapter!
Loved the dialogue between Spike and Sweetie! Spike being made an honorary CMC was unexpected for me but great! Seems like Emperor Grogar didn't just make his monstrous creations to be dangerous but also gave some of them the ability to speak!
11547545
Some of them. In the case of the cockatrice, that’s the dragon DNA. Grogar had no part in the creation of dragons.
I like the idea of Spike being a CMC member.
11547547
Still, Grogar may not have created dragons but since he used different animals and creatures to create the monsters of mythology, he still used dragons with other things to create monsters, right?
Just so you know, as shown in School Raze, the cockatrice is a chicken and cobra snake combined, so I don't think a dragon would be used in its creation.
I see a certain Lion King 1/2 Shout out and I commend you for it
11547321
I liked that too. (as well as Scootaloo getting shut down in that argument by Apple Bloom pointing out that SHE is the one raised on a farm. I didn't mention that earlier, but I enjoyed THAT too).
11547589
Honorary.
11547604
They have dragon wings.
11547632
Thanks.
11547654
Okay.
11547725
Right, sorry. Sometimes I forget to add some words to what I say sometimes.
11547862
It's okay.
Heh
Careful girls
You might meet someone named Sonata Gloom
No she's not related to dusk!
(EOJ)
11581277
Okay…
Pretty good team up of Spike with the CMC, considering he only interacted with them once in canon in Just for Sidekicks.
11619057
They’ve had other interactions.
11619060
True, that was just the only one from canon that came to mind at the time.
Wonder since Applejack is a living lie detector, Pinkie has Pinkie Sense, Rarity has Mystic Eyes, and Fluttershy has the Stare, do the other Mane Nine like Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Sunset, Starlight, and Trixie have some unique powers like that?
Ok, finally got around to reading this chapter.
I liked The CMC making Spike an honorary member, I really wish that had been a thing in the actual show. And the scene with the four of them playing together after the whole ordeal was very cute.
The Cockatrice being a sapient, talking creature was a bit of a surprise. As was you giving it a little bit of backstory. Most people just portray it as just a random monster like the show did.
I also kind of like switching out Twilight for a background pony. I think it reflects kind of badly on her, that she went into a potentially dangerous situation with no back up and got herself stoned.
One question I do have though, is the "FORESHADOWING" Involving Sweetie's favorite ice cream shop, foreshadowing of "Forever Filly". I know that episode's a long ways off, but it's only episode I can think of that that would relevant to.
11836915
Yes.