• Published 29th Nov 2012
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Geoverse Part Six: A Season Of Adventure - GeodesicDragon



Geo and Twilight deal with more stuff in Equestria β€” all of it leading to a big surprise for both of them...

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Guys Night Out

CHAPTER SEVEN

Guys Night Out

"So I was thinking," John said to the stallion and dragon in front of him, "that since our respective special someponies are away camping, we should have a guy's night. You know, go out drinking, bowling, whatever. Have some fucking fun!"

"I like the sound of that." Spark Plug replied with an enthusiastic nod. "Count me in."

"Yeah," Spike added, "me too. What about you, Geo?"

Geo looked up from his two foals and shook his head.

"Sorry guys," he said before glaring at John, "but I really want to spend some time with these two. Maybe I'll teach them some words that don't begin with 'F' and have a 'K' at the end or in the middle."

"Ahh, lighten up man!" John snorted. "They're just foals, they won't pick up on that for a few years at least."

"Still," Geo replied, "I'd rather be safe than sorry. And Twilight would kill me if she knew I was letting you swear in front of them."

"Suit yourself," John waved a hand dismissively, "the three of us can have fun without you."

He grinned devilishly.

"And if we can find more guys, I know just where we can go..."

***

"Laser Tag?" Spike asked. "I remember seeing you play this before with Ace and Geo. But I thought that was just for the three of you, and not anypony else?"

"That's where you're wrong Spike," Ace said as he walked out of the arena, "it's been redesigned since we played. I have also developed equipment which can be used by our Equestrian friends."

Excited chatter bubbled up from the small group. John, Spark Plug and Spike had been joined on their night out by Doctor Haywick, Big Macintosh, Worthy Cause, Dusk Wind and Shining Armour.

"This will give me a chance to test the new gamemode I've been working on," Ace said proudly, "Team Deathmatch. And since there are eight of us, that means two teams of four. Or, if you're feeling adventurous, four teams of two."

"Two teams of four sounds fine by me." Spark said. The others nodded in agreement.

"Very well," Ace replied, "there will be two teams, red and blue. Captain Armour will lead the blue team and John will lead the red team. I'll sit this one out so I can oversee the match and note down any problems that might arise. That, and there is somepony whom I need to keep an eye on."

He grinned as the others rolled their eyes before motioning for them to follow him. The group trooped down the stairs, where the happy giggling of a foal could be heard. Ace walked over to the foal, who was a pink pegasus with a curly brown mane.

"How's Chocolate doing?" John asked of Ace who was rubbing his nose against his daughter's, much to her delight. "I'm guessing this is whom you have to keep an eye on."

"She's fine," he replied as he tickled her stomach, "thanks for asking. And she is. I can't exactly watch her if I'm straight up owning all you noobs. You know John, when are you and Applejack going to join the parenting club?"

John blushed and mumbled an incoherent response as Ace resumed playing with Chocolate.

"Daddy loves you Chocolate," he said in a baby voice, "yes he does, yes he does!" The foal responded by laughing loudly, and buzzing her tiny wings.

"I heard that you and Pinkie had a kid," Spark Plug asked, "but how come this is the first I've ever seen her?"

Ace finally ceased his tickle assault on the foal who yawned and immediately went back to sleep. A goofy smile spread across Ace's lips before his stern demeanour came back and he addressed the assorted men, stallions and dragon.

"Okay boys," he said, "let's get you geared up, and then I will explain the equipment and the rules."

***

Half an hour later, the group were in the middle of the arena. John, Spike, Spark Plug and Big Macintosh were on the red team while Shining Armour, Dusk Wind, Worthy Cause and Doctor Haywick were on the blue team.

"Two Royal Guards," John said with a smile, "versus the MI6 man and Big Mac. This will be a victory of legendary proportions!"

"Confidence won't get you anywhere John," Shining Armour said smugly, "but skill and determination will. We're both soldiers, so we know about using tactics. And I assure you that if I was wearing any, all my tactics would be up my sleeves."

John grinned as Ace's voice boomed out over the speakers.

"My Laser Tag game has evolved since I introduced it to Geo and John." he said, "Now unicorns, casting a spell through your horn that isn't Telekinesis will turn your spell into a harmless Laser Tag laser while that ring is on. You can still pick up and use weapons but if you want to use magic during the match, then this is how you can do it."

Each of the assorted unicorns touched the ring around their horn.

"As John already knows," Ace continued, "there are now weapons on the field, and we all start with pistols. If you find a new weapon, you can pick it up and attach it to one of the two weapon cables on your vest. John, could you demonstrate?"

John nodded.

"If you want to switch out a weapon then all you need to do is pull the cord out of the magazine, like so." he demonstrated on his weapon, "And pop the cord into the new weapon's outlet. The outlet is always on the magazine. Keep this in mind when switching out your weapons. That's pretty much it."

"Thank you John." Ace said, "Now since we're doing Team Battles, our lights will indicate what team we're on. Red lights are Red team, Blue lights are Blue team. If you die in the game, find a spawn point that corresponds to your team's colour. Now, does anypony have any questions?"

"No." came the response.

"Okay good. Get to your spawn points, the match will begin in thirty seconds. Good luck, and have fun!"

The two teams dashed to their respective spawn point. Once there, the team captains got them into a huddle.

***

"Stealth." John said flatly. "Stealth is the key to victory here. If they can't see you, then you have the upper hoof. So stay low, make use of cover, and we'll get those kills rolling in. Thankfully, we have a secret weapon in Spike here."

"Me?" Spike looked perplexed. "Why me?"

"Because you're the smallest one here." John grinned. "And I've seen the way you sneak around when you're trying to hide ice cream from Twilight. You're a natural born stealther."

Spike nodded.

"Okay," he said, "I'll do my best."

***

"Since John is a former spy," Shining Armour said, "I can only assume that he's going to use stealth tactics against us. But stealth will only get them so far. If we use stealth as well, then it will make their team complacent. And if they get complacent, then they'll become careless and start making mistakes."

"So," Worthy Cause said, "we're going to fight stealth with stealth?"

Shining Armour nodded.

"I think it's a good idea," Dusk Wind quickly saluted, "er, sir."

"There's no need for that Dusk," Shining replied, "we're both off duty, and this isn't a real battle."

"COMBAT START!" Ace yelled over the speakers.

"Okay gentlecolts," Shining said, "let's take them to school."

***

"First blood goes to Spike!"

Thirty seconds into the battle and Doctor Haywick had been the first casualty, shot by Spike as he attempted to move from one piece of cover to another.

"Blast," Haywick muttered as he moved back to the spawn point, "I'm more used to treating pain, not causing it."

"You'll get me next time." Spike said with a laugh before disappearing around a corner.

"Headshot!"

"I told you confidence wouldn't get you anywhere," Shining Armour taunted, "only skill and tactics! And right now, your tactics are letting you down!"

"It's rather hard to use stealth," John said flatly, "when the arena is lit up like a Hearth's Warming tree."

The sound of a shotgun blast tore through the air.

"Nice shot, Mac!" Dusk shouted, "You sure as hay got me!"

"Eeyup." Mac replied.

"Red team leads by two kills to one!" Ace's voice boomed. "Come on guys, there are plenty more weapons out there!"

"You mean like this one?" Worthy Cause chimed in, before releasing a volley of shots towards Spark Plug.

"Uh oh guys," Ace said in mock horror, "Worthy Cause has found the AK-47! That's Geo's favourite weapon right there!"

Another shot rang out, followed by John laughing triumphantly.

"It's my favourite weapon too!" he said. "Come to daddy!"

"Oh well," Worthy mused as he trotted to the spawn point, "it was fun while it lasted. Human technology is wonderful... and a little bit scary, if I'm honest."

"You guys are aware of the fact I've developed laser grenades as well, right?" Ace asked. "Somepony go and grab thβ€”"

BOOM!

"You mean these things?" Dusk Wind yelled. "They're great, especially for taking out dragons!"

Spike muttered something incomprehensible as he trudged back to the red team spawn point. Dusk grinned and set off looking for his next victim.

"Headshot!" Ace yelled frantically.

"Wow Spark," Shining Armour said, "I'm impressed. I honestly didn't see you there."

"Well," Spark Plug replied, "spending time with Dash has made me conscious of how much noise I make. She hates it when I interrupt her training routines."

Big Macintosh chuckled.

"Well Doc," he said, "looks like y'all are gonna be the one who kills me. Ah hope yer ready fer it."

"Oh but I am, my dear Macintosh." Haywick replied.

BOOM!

"These grenades are also good for taking out large stallions as well as dragons, wouldn't you agree?"

Mac grinned.

"Eeyup." he said, and walked back to the spawn point.

***

The next two hours blazed by in a hail of gunfire, explosions and shouting. Eventually both teams conceded a draw and left the arena tired and panting, but closer together.

"That was fucking brilliant!" John said eagerly. "We've got to do this again some time. Hell, let's make a tournament out of it and invite the whole town to take part!"

"It still needs a bit more work before we're ready for that," Ace said, "but I'll bear it in mind. Thank you very much, gentlecolts, for testing out the new game mode. I need to make some adjustments, especially to those grenades."

"We're going to hit the bar now Ace," Spark Plug said, "make this a proper guy's night out. You coming?"

"I'd love to," Ace replied, "but I can't. Somepony needs to keep an eye on Chocolate, and Pinkie would kill me if I took her anywhere near a bar, unless it was made of her namesake that is."

The guys laughed and said their goodbyes to Ace before walking into Ponyville. Big Mac and Shining Armour both departed, the former saying he needed to work on the harvest the next day and couldn't do that while hungover, while the latter had guard duty.

John, Spike, Spark Plug, Worthy Cause, Dusk Wind and Doctor Haywick soon arrived at the bar. John ordered their drinks and then they all got a table in the corner.

"So guys," John said, "what do we talk about now?"

Silence fell as each one of them scratched the back of their head in thought. Eventually, Spike got an idea and snapped his fingers.

"Why don't we talk about mares?" he said. "We've all got one, so that's something we have in common."

"I'm game," John replied, "and it just so happens that two of our guests are dating Princesses. I've always wondered what that would be like... and now you two can tell us. Worthy, old chap, why don't you start off by telling us about the wonderful Princess Celestia?"

Worthy Cause took a swig of his drink and placed his forehooves on the table before letting out a contented sigh.

"What can I say?" he said. "Other than I still can't get over the fact that a Princess has returned my feelings towards her. Nor can I get over the fact that of all the stallions in Equestria, she chose me."

He looked at the others across the table.

"Did I ever tell you how it all came out?" he asked.

Everyone present shook their heads.

"Well as you all know, Geo served his house arrest at the castle. He and the Princesses were talking, and Celestia told him that I had been continually asking her to dinner. However, she refused because she thought I was just doing it to advance my career."

He let out a small chuckle.

"So imagine my surprise when one day she summons me to the castle for a meeting. She told me to explain myself, so I did. I told her that I wasn't asking her to dinner because I wanted to advance my career. I told her that I was doing it because I loved her. Next thing I know, she's kissing me."

Raucous male laughter filled the air as the others laughed.

"I love Celestia with all my heart," Worthy concluded, "and that's not about to change. Her caring heart and almost maternal approach to her subjects appeal to me. She's also funny and beautiful and calm yet commanding."

"That's great, Worthy." John said. "What about you Dusk? How did you and Luna hook up?"

Dusk Wind clopped his forehooves together nervously as his face turned a bright shade of red.

"I've spent a lot of my life in orphanages and children's homes," he said, "and most of my nights were spent looking at the sky. Once Princess Luna came back to us, she began decorating it like she had before she was banished. It was spectacular."

He sighed wistfully.

"I soon found myself gazing up at her night, admiring it for all it was worth. Beautiful, like her. As soon as I was able, I joined the Lunar guard. I was on duty one night when Luna herself approaches me and engages me in conversation. She brings her face closer to mine... and I just planted one on her."

The others took in a sharp intake of breath.

"I know it was stupid," Dusk said, "so I tried blaming alcohol. Luna summons me to her chambers a few days later and tells me that she knew I was lying because she didn't smell anything on me... nor did she taste anything. She asks me to tell her how I feel, so I do. That's when she tackled me to the ground and kissed me back."

"That's sweet," John said as he wiped an eye, "very sweet indeed. Now what about you Sparky? How did you and Dash get together?"

"Well," he replied, "I always did have a thing for her. You know, because she's so awesome. But I didn't think that she would feel the same way about me. Hell, if I'm honest, I didn't expect her to feel at all. You know how she is about that sort of stuff. But I digress. I had just finished locking up my store when she came up to me and asked me out. Needless to say I accepted and it was a wonderful night, made into a perfect night when she gave me a goodbye kiss on my doorstep."

His eyes misted over as he spoke. Wiping them with a hoof, he continued talking.

"Sure there are times when she snaps at me, but she always apologises afterwards. She's always there for me and I'm always there for her. Just like I was the other day..."

***

The bell above the shop jingled as the door opened. Rainbow Dash walked inside with a sullen look on her face. Underneath one of her wings, a small slip of paper peeked out from behind the feathers. She walked up to the counter as Spark Plug came through from the back room. He smiled when he saw his special somepony but when he saw the look on her face, his changed to match it.

"What's up Dash?" he asked as he gave her a peck on the nose. "You look like somepony has just told you that there aren't going to be any more Daring Doo books."

Dash let out a small chuckle.

"Don't say that," she said, "because that would suck. I've got an application form, but I'm too afraid to fill it in."

"Application form?" Spark parroted. "An application form for what?"

Dash removed the paper from her wing and placed it on the counter, pushing it under Spark's muzzle. He picked it up in his magical aura and looked at it. The familiar Wonderbolts logo was emblazoned across the top, along with the words 'ACADEMY APPLICATION FORM' in a large bold font.

"Oh wow," he said as he put it down, "this is quite good. But why are you so worried about filling it in?"

Dash hung her head.

"I dunno," she said, "I guess I'm just afraid that I'll make a foal out of myself. I know I put myself across as 'the best flier in Equestria', but what if I'm wrong? What if there's somepony out there who is better than me? What if the Wonderbolts think I'm just a cocky show off who isn't worthy to be a part of their team?"

Spark Plug sighed.

"I have seen what you are capable of," he told her firmly, "and they would be fools not to accept you. You have given everything to be as good as you are. And besides, can any of the Wonderbolts pull off a Sonic Rainboom on command?"

Dash giggled and shook her head.

"When you put it like that," she replied, "I guess you're right. But still, what if I'm not cut out to be a Wonderbolt? What if my future is just in weather management?"

Spark trotted out from behind the counter and walked over to Dash. He put a hoof under her chin and raised her head so that they were looking into each other's eyes.

"Listen to me Dash," he said, "I believe in you. Your friends believe in you. And after everything you've done for Equestria, I'm sure everypony else believes in you too. But the question is... do you believe in yourself?"

"I... I guess I do." she replied hesitantly.

Spark shook his head firmly.

"Not good enough." he replied. So I'll ask you again... do you believe in yourself?"

A steely determination flashed across Dash's face as she nodded.

"Yeah," she said firmly, "I do believe in myself. This is my dream, and I'm not gonna let anything stop me from chasing it!"

"That's what I want to hear!" Spark cheered and passed her a quill, "Now you're gonna fill that form in, and then you're gonna go to that Academy and show those ponies how it's done!"

Dash nodded feverishly as she began filling in the form. Once it was complete, she tucked it back under her wing.

"Okay, I'm going to the post office." she said. "Thanks for listening, Spark. And thanks for believing in me."

She gave him a loving kiss and left, once again leaving a smitten stallion in her wake.

***

"That was a few weeks ago," Spark said as he finished his story, "and she's yet to hear back from them. But as I said, they'd be fools not to accept her."

"Damn straight." John muttered. "That was a fine tale, Spark. It's good to know that we all care so much about our marefriends. Or wife, in my case. Now what about you, Doc? How did you end up with Fluttershy?"

Haywick looked surprised to have been placed on the spot, but he eventually composed himself and cleared his throat.

"As one of the Elements of Harmony," he began, "I always knew who she was. But in every one of the photos, she was hiding in the edges, too timid to be in the spotlight. She reminded me of me. When she was admitted to the hospital after a flying accident, I was assigned to care for her. We got talking, and I told her about my past. Of how I was bullied at school and the day I got my cutie mark. She told me that she too was bullied, and that the two of us were both caring individuals."

"You are." Spark said. "You're a doctor and she's a vet. Different patients, but same principles."

Haywick nodded.

"I spent a lot of time with her. We'd have lunch together, and I'd visit while I was off-duty. I realised on her last day in the hospital that I loved her. So I went to tell her, but she was asleep. I poured my heart out to her anyway and turned to leave."

He laughed.

"As I did so, she grabbed my leg. It turned out that she was pretending to be asleep and had actually heard every word I had said to her. So she kissed me, and I kissed her back."

"Yeah, she seemed really eager to do that when I stopped by." Spike interjected. "At least now I know the story behind it."

"You were there?" Haywick said. "Hmm, I never saw you. But yes, that's the story of how Fluttershy and I got together. And quite frankly, I'm damn proud of us. Sure, she can be a bit shy at times, but that just makes me love her more."

"So much sweetness," John said tearfully, "I can't take it. But we're not done yet. Spike, how about you and Rarity then?"

"There's not much to tell," Spike replied, "you all know that I've loved Rarity since I first laid eyes on her. Well one day I just swallowed my fears, went the Boutique and kissed her. I thought she was mad at me when she blocked me from leaving, when in fact she was angry that I was going to leave without letting her return the kiss."

"And given your age," John smirked, "there's no point in asking you for any more details."

Spike thought about this for a moment before the realisation hit him, causing his cheeks to turn red.

"Now what about you John?" Haywick said. "Shining Armour tells us that you used to be a spy. Is that true?"

"The question is," John replied, "how the hell did he find out? Then again, this is a small town. Secrets don't stay hidden for long. Either that or Pinkie Pie let it slip, since nopony was told to keep it a secret."

"So it's true then?" Haywick asked.

John nodded.

"Yes, I was a spy. I worked for MI6, which is the intelligence wing of the British government. I was assigned to a team which was responsible for finding out what Ace was up to. He had applied for permission to build something which people don't normally build, which was enough for the government to treat him as a potential security threat. We had been detecting small pockets of energy in various areas of the town I was living in, which were Ace's portals opening and closing because he hadn't stabilised them yet."

He sighed as he finished the sentence.

"One day my partner Mick and I were watching a location where an energy pocket had been detected. Nothing happened for a few hours, so we prepared to leave. That's when Geo turned up. We thought he was Ace's assistant sent to check on the results, so we stayed and watched him. Needless to say, we saw his scuffle with Derek. That was actually the first time I've seen someone getting shot. It wasn't pretty."

He grimaced but continued speaking.

"As he lay there on the ground, Derek got in his car and drove off. Suddenly, there was a flash of light underneath him and he was gone. A portal had opened right where he was lying. Mick and I looked on in amazement. But then a few minutes later, there was another flash of light and Geo was back. So Mick and I called an ambulance and left the area to report to our superiors."

John wiped his eyes with a napkin.

"I was given the task of gaining Geo's trust in the hope that he would tell me all he knew about Ace, since we still thought he worked for him. It turned out that he didn't, but he still told me about his time here in Equestria. When he got that necklace in the mail, I resolved to help him find a way back. As luck would have it, we met Ace and helped him build his stabiliser. Once we arrived in Equestria, I waited until later that evening before slipping out of Sweet Apple Acres and going back through the portal. I reported to my superiors what I had seen. Naturally, they didn't believe me so I gave them the address of Ace's lab and invited them to see for themselves. A few months later, the Prime Minister had deployed the army to the area and they went through the portal."

His hands began shaking as he related the story. The others could see the pain in his eyes.

"My mission was over, and so I revealed myself to Geo. Needless to say he wasn't happy about it and tried to hit me. But then he told me about how I had let down not only him, but everypony else as well. And I knew... that he was right. For the first time in my life I had proper friends... and I had just been using them for my own nefarious deeds. Geo gave me one chance to explain myself, and I did. I was forgiven, but I still wanted to prove myself. When Derek came back, I got my chance. Of course, this Derek would just happen to be my own brother."

The rest of the table gasped in shock.

"Yeah... that's what I was thinking," John continued, "that my own brother was responsible for me being sent to Equestria. It was because of him that I got my new life. So when he told Geo he was going to kill him, I stepped in. I knew that this would let me redeem myself for what I did to everypony. I took a beating to prove that I valued my friendship with Geo... who then killed Derek to save my life."

"That's quite a harrowing tale," Spark Plug said with a nervous cough, "but where does your relationship with Applejack fit in?"

"I always admired AJ," John said dreamily, "she was a good friend and a hard worker. Always willing to help you out. But I kept telling myself that she wouldn't love me. After all, she is the Element of Honesty, and I was a no-good lying toerag."

He let out a small chuckle.

"But Twilight reminded me that I used to be a spy. That everything I had said since the day I was forgiven had been the honest truth. So, I decided that I would act on my feelings for AJ. I helped her load some apple pies and then she gave me a cider in return. She told me that word around town was that I had a crush on somepony. I confirmed that this was true. When she asked me who it was, that was all I needed to hear. I planted one on her lips right then and there. At first she scared me by making me think she wasn't going to return my feelings. But she did."

"At Derek's funeral, I tried to imagine what it would be like if he was a different person. But AJ reminded me that if he was, he wouldn't have shot Geo... which means he wouldn't have been sent to Equestria, which in turn means I would never have been assigned to gain his trust."

"Which means you wouldn't have met her." Spike offered.

John nodded.

"Exactly." he replied. "So in a way, my brother being the way he was... it was a blessing in disguise. And ever since that day, I have been visiting his grave to thank him for it."

The table grew silent as the assorted males looked around. Eventually John slammed his fist on the table.

"I want to propose a toast," he said, "to our other halves. Without them, we're nothing. They complete us, and I for one am both grateful and lucky to have mine."

Everyone raised their glasses in the air and brought them together. A loud clink filled the air.

"To our other halves!" they chorused.

"I know this is supposed to be a guy's night out," John said, "but... I kinda wish AJ was here."

The others agreed with him, voicing how much they'd like to be in the company of their own special somepony.

"Oh, how sweet," a female voice suddenly squealed, "Ah never knew that y'all were capable of such feelings!"

Applejack's face appeared from behind a wall separating the two booths. Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Celestia and Luna sitting in the booth with her, and all six mares had smiles on their faces and tears staining their cheeks.

"The campin' was a nightmare," Applejack said, "so we came back here ta get some drinks down us. Fluttershy an' the Princesses were here ta pick up their own special someponies, but decided ta join us. We've been listenin' to ya talk for a few minutes now, and we've loved every word."

"Well," John said, "I meant it. All of it."

"Me too." Spark Plug said.

"And me." Worthy Cause added.

Dusk Wind nodded, Spike grinned and Haywick smiled meekly.

"Ah think Ah love ya more right now than Ah ever thought possible." Applejack said, her eyes glistening. "C'mere, you!"

She leapt off her chair and latched onto John's face. Each mare soon followed suit, and soon the air was filled with quiet moaning.

Each couple broke off and stared into each other's eyes. All at once, they spoke a single word.

"Home?"

They all grinned, and soon there was a rush for the exit.

Author's Note:

Hooray for character development!* It's about time Lord Sabre's OC (Spark Plug) got some more dialogue.

Also, did you spot the reference I made to an old game during the Laser Tag scene?

Oh, and if you're confused at to who Chocolate Pie is, you'll need to wait until Crimson Star has finished with To Test Is Science!, since all will be revealed there in time.

* Please Note: Your idea of 'character development' may differ from mine.