The Hungry Scout Scores
The Hungry Scout Scores
The following days had been a strain on Spike, as Twilight and Applejack would each vie for his attention and company every day. Their behavior had become very suspicious to the young dragon as well as mentally exhausting; he hardly got time to himself. One minute, he would be dining out with Twilight, the next Applejack would be dragging him off to calm stroll around the scenic lands of Sweet Apple Acres. Then he would suddenly be whisked away by Twilight to get a treat from Sugarcube Corner only to be lassoed by Applejack as she gave him a private show of all her best rodeo tricks. But even before he could start enjoying the show, he found himself teleported back into the library.
“Oh, hey there, Spike!” Twilight said, pretending she had nothing to do with his sudden transportation into their home. “How about a good book?”
“Actually, Rarity’s supposed to come back from her trip today,” Spike answered, fearfully backing away from the unicorn. “I was kind of hoping to meet her when she got off her train.”
“Rarity’s… coming back…?” Twilight asked herself quietly as her magical hold on a book she held broke. With the stiff competition from Applejack, Twilight had forgotten all about Rarity, and her return would bring with it a whole plethora of new problems and challenges. The good news was that she doubted Rarity would be ready for unforeseen opposition from two new ponies after the dragon’s heart. She kept in mind that she was still at a disadvantage against the other two but she could hedge her bet with Spike’s possible journals. However, competing with Applejack had thrown Twilight’s search off. She could not afford to lose so much ground to her friend, but those journals could be the table turner that she needed.
Another factor came into play when she saw her assistant’s face; he seemed to be a bit scared of her. He refused to turn his back to her, he was breaking out into a cold sweat, and he stared at her with eyes wide open and shrunken pupils. Twilight knew saying he was “scared” was an understatement, he looked terrified. Looking back, she and Applejack were smothering him a bit, but she had not intended to. It was not like her to be so clingy, nor was it like Applejack, but neither could help themselves. They barely gave the poor dragon time to breathe between their outings with him, and perhaps she should let him do what he wants rather than dragging him off in an attempt to woo him.
“So can I go… you know… alone?” the little dragon asked timidly.
“Of course, I’m sorry about dragging you everywhere lately,” Twilight shook off herself back into reality. “You go ahead and give Rarity her welcome back.”
“It’s not that I don’t like hanging out with you or anything Twilight…” Spike explained himself, feeling a little guilty for asking to be left alone. “I mean, it was fun but…”
“I understand, Spike,” the unicorn gave the dragon a reassuring smile. “Now go, or you’ll miss her train!”
“Thanks, Twilight!” Spike told her, giving a sigh of relief as he left.
Not one to waste time, Twilight began looking for her assistant’s personal journals. However, it would not be an easy task, having grown accustomed to Spike being able to fetch anything she required. The task would be even more daunting knowing how her scaly friend did not like to organize his things as herself, and so the location of these mythical journals could be anywhere in the library, or even back in Canterlot, if they existed at all.
Spike had finally gotten some time away from the two mares that were apparently losing their minds. Just a while ago, it was challenge to get some attention from anypony but now he wished nothing more than to be invisible or ignored. At first, Spike had thought perhaps they were giving him the “hero’s treatment” for having saved Sweetie Belle and Applebloom, but now, he was not too sure. He would understand if they gave him such a treatment for a day, what with how much he actually enjoyed the attention and gifts, but all their attention soon turned into something very familiar.
As he traveled the Ponyville Train Station, he thought about why their treatment seemed so familiar. Attempts to impress him, gifts, lavish attention, the more and more he thought about it, the more he realized it was the same way he was towards Rarity and Applejack. But he could not believe it, he was always the one doing the chasing and crushing on the mares. For it to be the opposite was incomprehensible to the little dragon, he did always dream of being a mare-killer, but to him, that was all it was, a dream. He shook off the thought as wishful thinking as he took a seat on a nearby bench.
It was not long before he heard the bellowing whistle of the approaching. It was still very far, a mere speck in the distance, but Spike was still excited to see it. He had sorely missed his “Lady Rarity,” partly because of his crush on her and partly because he knew she would not drown him with attention like two other mares he knew. Spending some time away from Twilight and Applejack’s evidently romantic advances to help Rarity with whatever she needed sounded like a vacation to the dragon at this point. The brightly colorful train slowed to a halt at the station and opened its door, revealing an exhausted Rarity carrying a great deal of bags along with her cat.
“Need some help, Rarity?” the dragon greeted the tired unicorn.
“Thank you, Spike! It has been a long week for me,” Rarity said, levitating some of the bags she held into his arms. “First, the mare who wanted a dress demonstration hated the color of the dress, though I thought it looked perfect on her, but the client is always right. So I had to stay in Canterlot an extra day for her to choose the color of her dress. She was a very fussy mare, I can’t imagine how her husband deals with her. Then I missed my train to the Crystal Empire and it was a four hour wait for the next. On top of it all, I had wait for a restock on some of the material I needed from the Crystal Empire, which took two whole days, but I had no choice, their ewes’ wool is so exotic and comfortable, it would give my dresses a unique flare like no others in all of Canterlot!”
“Sounds like you had it rough,” Spike commented as he followed the unicorn back to her boutique.
“Ugh… Enough of that. How have you been, Spike?” the dress maker asked. “Anything interesting happen while I was gone?”
“Well… There was this one thing…” the little dragon said, holding out with a cocky smile, being more than happy to toot his own horn.
“Go on!” Rarity playfully prodded him to continue.
“I did manage to save Sweetie Belle and Applebloom from a hungry pack of Timberwolves,” Spike said casually as he polished his knuckles.
“Really?” the unicorn asked a bit in disbelief.
“Yup! The Apples even gave me my own tree over at Sweet Apple Acres!” the dragon answered excitedly.
“Wow, Spike… that’s amazing… I must thank you properly,” Rarity told the dragon, who lost all the color in his face after hearing that. “Spike, are you alright?”
“Uh… umm… yeah…” Spike lied, swallowing hard as he did.
“Spike, I can tell you are lying to me…” the white unicorn pouted.
“I-it’s nothing, really…” the nervous dragon told her. “It’s just… Twilight and Applejack have been acting… well… very nice to me… more than usual. And it’s kind of freaking me out…”
“What do you mean by ‘very nice’?” Rarity asked, her suspicions aroused.
“Well, they’ve been taking me out a lot lately and giving lots of presents and food… and… they’ve been basically fighting to have me with them…” Spike said, trying to convince more himself than Rarity that it was simply friendly gestures.
“Oh really…” the mare commented, quickly catching on to what was happening. “Have they… tried anything else with you?”
“L-like what?” Spike asked as a deep blush formed on his face, having some ideas of what she meant already in mind.
“Nevermind…” Rarity excused him from answering her, not really wanting to hear the wrong answer.
“I don’t know… it was fun at first, having all their attention, but…” the dragon said with a long face. “It’s too much for me…”
“Hmm…” the white unicorn hummed, pondering her next move. The rest of their walk was left in silence until they arrived at the door of the unicorn’s shop.
“Thank you for the help, Spike,” Rarity said. “If you want, you can stay here with me for a while and take a break from the rush. I’m sure you need the break from what it sounds like.”
That sounded like a dream come true to Spike. Nodding his head vigorously, the dragon headed inside the boutique, ready for his peaceful retreat from the unicorn and earth pony.
Even before she began her search for the journals that she hoped existed, something gnawed at her in the back of her mind. Twilight had found herself feeling a bit guilty for even thinking of opening up a journal that contained the most intimate thoughts of her long-time friend. Of course, the first time was a mistake of curiosity, when she did not know that the journal belonged to the little dragon. This... invading Spike’s personal space, it was an act so obtrusive, so out of character for her, she hated the fact that she even considered it.
Respect for each others’ privacy was something the two had developed over their many years together. But for some reason, all that flew out the window when it came to losing Spike to either one of her friends. Having this time to think clearly and reflect finally reminded her of wrong she was about to commit against him and their friendship, and brought her back to her senses. A sudden knock at the door thrusted the unicorn back reality.
To almost no surprise, it was Applejack, ready with her lasso to continue their ongoing game of “Steal the Dragon.”
“Oh hey, Applejack,” Twilight said.
“Oh, I thought that Spike would be with ya here…” Applejack said as she put away her rope.
“Oh no… he’s over with Rarity. She came back today and he wanted to see her, so I let him go,” the purple unicorn replied.
“Ya said Spike’s over wit’ Rarity, huh?” Applejack asked her friend.
“Uh-huh…” the princess’s protégée answered.
“Thanks. I’ll talk to ya later, Twilight,” her friend said, taking her leave.
“Wait!” Twilight called out to her friend. “I… I think we all need to talk. I’ll come with you.”
“So… Spike… how do you feel about Applejack and Twilight?” Rarity asked inquisitively.
“Well…” Spike paused nervously, not really knowing what to say, what answer to give the unicorn. She might take offense of he told her about his feelings for Applejack, and Twilight... she was an entirely different case altogether. It was difficult position he was put in, but fortunately, or maybe not so much, a knock at the boutique’s door gave the dragon a much need distraction.
The very mares that Rarity had been asking about were now at her door. A long, awkward silence followed as the three mares merely exchanged looks.
“So… it seems that I wasn’t the only one harboring feelings for our little helper…” Rarity said, neither in an angry or sad tone, rather, in a matter-of-factly one.
“Ya mean that…” Applejack began her question, only to be cut off by the answer.
“Yes, Applejack… I do have feelings for Spike as well,” the white unicorn said. “I suppose Twilight hadn’t told you.”
“Who was it, Ra… oh…” Spike said, entering the awkward aura around the group trio of mares. “Hi, Twilight, Applejack…”
Again, silence ensued. The dragon was sweating from the anxiousness in the air. He was there for mere minutes, but it seemed like an eternity as no words were spoken for the entire length, and without them, he was clueless as to the current situation.
“I think we owe Spike an explanation,” Twilight finally broke the silence.
“It’s only right…” Applejack added.
“Agreed,” Rarity nodded.
“About what… exactly?” Spike asked with a gulp.
“Spike…” the three mares said simultaneously.
However, it seemed that not one of them had noticed a new observer who was eavesdropping just outside the window, a very literal fly on the wall. The deliciously amorous event was too much for the shape-shifting bug to resist. The rapid and numerous public displays of affection of the mares to the dragon had attracted the hungry metamorph to their small town, like a fly drawn to the strong scent of garbage. The Changeling was no fighter, merely a scout in search of feed for the Hive. This overt display of affection was not enough to feed the Hive, but it did involve half of the six ponies that had helped foil their Queen’s plans in Canterlot. He listened in silence as the mares continued their confession.
“Spike… there’s no easier way to tell you…” Twilight said, stepping a bit closer to him.
“Spike… I know you’ve noticed the way they’ve been acting, but I also have same confession to make,” Rarity said as the dragon eyes widened.
“Spike… Ya know that I don’ like to beat around the bush…” Applejack told him as he began sweating bullets.
The moment was whetting the Changeling’s appetite, who nearly allowed his saliva to give away his location outside, but the dragon on the inside was nearly having a heart-attack as it pounded painfully in his chest. He knew what they were about to say, just as the Changeling did, but, unlike the shape-shifter, he was not sure if he wanted to hear it. Spike could not possibly imagine what would come with what was about to be said and the fear of the unknown seeped into him, like venom from a snake that paralyzed him where he stood.
“I love you, Spike,” each confessed simultaneously, causing the nervous-wreck of a dragon to faint.
They crowded around the unconscious dragon as the Changeling outside the boutique beat his wings, signaling his satisfaction from the lovely feast he just had. His mind clear from hunger, he realized what he needed to do. This turn of events needed to be reported to the Queen immediately. Surely she would have good use for the situation and information he had found. Quickly taking the appearance of an unsuspecting, unremarkable Pegasus, he took off to find his leader.
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Ha! Poor Spike he is now target for the Changlings. Great job with the story.
Chapter feels a bit clunky, mostly because the narration and dialogue come across as overly stiff and formal a lot of the time. I really don't remember that being a problem in previous chapters, so either I've forgotten the problems with the story since reading the last chapter or your scheduling problems affected the overall quality of the chapter.
Damn Changelings. They all deserve to be exterminated.
Umm... Wasn't the main cause of this Rarity's rejection of Spike? Or did I forget when she made up with him? Well that aside... I couldn't help but feel that this was very Japanese anime style at the end. The girls directly confessing their feelings and the lecherous subordinate that would try and ultimately fail to seduce the main protagonist. I'm so hoping for the second part to be true.
Awesome!
. Now all that stalking he was doing make perfect sense.
Why do I keep forgetting about the changelings
2439221 She didn't really reject him, she just kind of pretended not to know him. Which she then felt horrible about and set out to apologize for right away. Which caused our little tumbleweed of events here.
The only solution to all of Spike's problems, HAREM!
Excellent so far, looking forward to seeing how the changelings work in
woooow great JOB !! poor Spike he forgot to turn off his swag xD !!
damn!! i forget bout changelings excellente chap !!!!!!!!
Allright, this is no longer a love square...
It's a *BEEP*ING LOVE SQUIGILY LINE
-Kiryu
Changelngs? Sooo did not see that coming. I sooo look forward to seeing what happens next, especially with the confessions of all 3 now out on the proverbial table. Most excellent chapter!
Ok... So apparently I have A LOT of explaining to do with this chapter. Ugh... This chapter has to have been the most problematic out of any I've written...
2437195
First things first... The Harem Ending that people seem to be demanding might be too out of reach. I'll explain a bit more in a response to another comment.
2438751
Not a target, merely a means to an end.
2438885
The answer... maybe... not because of any pressures or anything like that. I've changed quite a bit of the plot points around and, even before the first chapter of the story was even written, I changed who Spike would end up with. In one early version of the story he actually ended up with Flutters, but I decided to scrap the idea, seeing Applejack as a new lover having more potential in the story. So the answer is a bit hazy at the moment and I still want to go through with the semi-original ending, but it does have a good chance to change. There might even an alternate solution to this whole problem but, again, I still have iron out the details and see where this goes.
2438949
I thought my narration was always a bit formal... I tried to make it my trademark. But the dialogue... hmm... I'll have to look into it. It might have been due to the revisions I had to make. I might have screwed up the dialogue while fixing the problem with a character and not noticed. I'll probably reread the chapter and edit it a little later. Thanks for pointing it out.
2439177
Well... technically, they still haven't done anything wrong... Also, if they're killed off, who would be a constant villain? With Discord reformed and Sombra blown to oblivion, Chrysalis is really all we got left.
2439221
The ending Japanese style might have been a subconscious decision of my ex-anime-loving part of myself. I probably read way too much manga and watched to much anime for my own good. But as for the Rarity thing, I think "Path_of_Cloud" answered it pretty well. She has apologized and is trying to fix her attitude when it comes to Spike. And as for the last part, no spoilers allowed.
2439312
Yup, a little subplot action always manages to keep readers on their toes. Don't want to go too crazy with the twist and become the next M. Night Shyamalan.
2439545
Exactly. Like a single drop of water eventually creating a tsunami.
2439552
Someone really wants a harem ending. Personally, I think I could only handle one girl (and even that might be overestimating my abilities). I have no clue how anyone could handle anything above two. Anyways, like I already mentioned, it's totally outrageous at the moment. We all will just have to wait and see (including me).
2439602
DAT DRAGON SWAG. It might not even have an "off" button.
2439778
Of course, we should have never confined ourselves to just shapes!
2440168
Yup, decided to add a little subplot to keep the interest going. As Aristotle once wrote, a plot must be complex for story (play) to be good.
2440456 She only acts toward him like a mother as often as an overbearing sister would, and she treats him like a friend just as often as a brother. And if Lauren Faust's headcanon turns out to be true, they only met socially when Spike was old enough to work, meaning it was past the point at which they would've developed a sibling bond. If you ask me, she acts far too dismissively toward him for there to be much of a brother/sister bond.
2440569 FIguring out as you go, hmm? Respect.
Well, that's the beauty of fantasy and fiction
2440569
Wait, a Changeling ? What's up with that ?
Soon, Spike knight in hive-battle for your mares.
Poor spike lol
This seems interesting.
I'm routing for
. Or maybe 
.
any body know if there is going to be an update?
2440615
2440629
I agree with you, Swashbucklist, on this one. Twilight seems to treat him much more like a friend than anything else. At times she does seem like a sister who likes to tease her brother and may act, as Swashbucklist said, "overbearing," but she more relies on him to keep her on track and organized. And she returns the favor by looking out him when he overestimates himself, like him staying up past his bedtime or trying to spare his feelings by telling him he has no chance with Rarity (though she could play it a bit more sensitive). I don't see much proof that she treats him like a son, other than reminding him of his bedtime. It's kind of canon that he knows how to cook for himself, as well as the ponies, and he minds the library by himself a lot, so he knows how to be at least a bit independent. I don't really think he has has very close bond with Twilight, but it doesn't go so far as to think of her as mother, maybe a sister but that might be pushing it. But this is just my own head-canon, take it or leave it.
2440718
Can't be so inflexible that when a plan veers off course, I can't adapt. So yeah, if things in the story must change, then I won't hesitate to change them, if it means keeping the story going well and making sense.
2441148
The next chapter will explain the Changeling's scout presence a bit. Also, a good story must have a villain and Chrysalis only seems appropriate with the whole "love triangle/rectangle/ pyramid/ unidentifiable squiggly line" theme.
2443554
Hmm... Tempting but... no... no spoilers.
2446724
Yes, poor Spike indeed. Let's see if the situation gets better for him.
2450585
Thank you! There is already a "Team Twilight." And like I said, the ending pairing may change from my original announcement, so feel free to root for whomever you want. I might also be taking notes from you guys to see which pairing will win, a convincing argument might just be enough to change my mind.
2479728
Yes, I won't abandon this story any time soon. You can count on me finishing this fic. I'm still working on the next chapter. Sorry for the wait guys, but schoolwork has been demanding my attention and it's slowed my progress a bit. And along with that, I have also been working finishing my first fic and starting my next. So please, just be a little patient with me and I'll try to get this new chapter out as soon as possible.
2484286 An excellent attitude to have. I try not to think of it so much as a change as a evolution
2484286
I forgot about this. I just hope Team Twilight doesn't win. (Don't like that ship)
I'm Team AppleSpike, BTW.
2486402
While I respect your AppleSpike, I however root "Its that how you say it?" for Team TwiSpike !!
Changelings??? Really???
I don't like the way this is going....
2490496 If you say so
Well! I have finally gotten around to reading past the first chapter and wow, I think you have improved greatly.
Oh SHIT, as if they did not have enough problems, now a Goddess is going to enter into the fray.....I'm IN!!!
PICK TWILIGHT, SPIKE!!! 
He gonna get a crush on the changling queen... love Pentagon!!
I shall Now Piss of, The TwiSpike
, AppleSpike
and Sparity
teams
In Chapter One
What if Spike Completely misunderstood Pinkie's Actions here.
NEW CHALLENGER: TEAM SPIKEYPIE
MWAHAHAHA Take That Shippers!!
(I am Not being serious, although it would explain why Pinkie gets a tag)