An Unexpected Reunion

“Thank you all for coming out here! I Iove you all!”

The audience roared in response to Sweetie Belle’s closing statement as she turned and strutted off the stage. Once she was backstage, her smile vanished and was replaced with an expression of exhaustion. She rubbed her temples in an attempt to quell the headache that all of the day’s planning and work had brought on.

She loved her work, honest. It was just very tiring sometimes.

“Miss Belle!”

Sweetie looked up to see her manager, a unicorn mare with the distinctly prench sounding name of Charge d’Affaires, running toward her with an excited look.

“Tonight’s show was a smashing success! The turnout was fantastic, and…”

Sweetie Belle tuned her out as she listed off the various statistics on the clipboard she held in her telekinetic grip. While she would normally listen attentively while Charge spoke, she was more tired than she usually was after a performance like this, and simply wanted to get some sleep.

“Charge?” Sweetie interrupted her abruptly. “Can all of that wait till tomorrow? I’m really tired, and I feel another headache forming, so can we just talk business later?”

“But wouldn’t you like to go back--”

“No thank you. The show is finished, and I’d just really like to get some rest.”

Charge nodded in understanding. “Of course. The motor carriage should be waiting out back for you already.”

“Thanks.” Sweetie weaved her way through the hallways of the stadium she had performed in, muttering barely audible responses to all of the workers who congratulated her on another successful show. After a little more walking, she arrived at a door which would lead outside.

She paused, taking a moment to smooth the black skirt that extended to just above her knees before forcing the same smile she had worn on stage prior to pushing the door open.

Waiting just outside the door were two suited stallions, who followed her to the motorized carriage that awaited her.

She continued to smile, waving to all of her fans, who shouted praises and words of admiration at her as she passed by them. She was almost at her carriage before she heard a familiar voice call out to her over the screams of the other fans.

“Sweetie! Sweetie! Over here!”

Sweetie Belle paused for a moment before spinning around to see a group of ponies she hadn’t seen in a good while.

Standing before her were Applebloom and Scootaloo, her childhood friends and former Cutie Mark Crusaders. And beside them were Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, the two mares that had once bullied her, but now proved to be good friends now that they had matured.

Sweetie rushed over to them and took time to hug each of them ( much to the envy of some of her more dedicated fans ).

“Girls! What are you doing here?!”

“We’re here to see you, silly!” Scootaloo answered. “We wanted to surprise you!”

Sweetie laughed joyously. “Well consider me surprised! I’m so happy to see you all!” She felt a tap on her shoulder, and saw one of the suited stallions was beckoning her over to the carriage. She frowned and turned back to them. “I’d love to stay and chat, but I have to go! Here,” she shouted something at one of the stallions, who rushed over and brought her a slip of paper and a pen. She then scribbled a short message down and handed it to Applebloom.

“Meet me at the place and time on the note tomorrow! I’ll see you then!” Her friends and fans shouted goodbyes at her as she hopped in the carriage, which sped her away from the stadium and in the direction of her hotel.

She took a deep breath and took in the beautiful cityscape that was Canterlot. She was so glad that her tour of Equestria was finally over, and she could finally have some time away from the stage. And now that her friends were here, she already had something to look forward to tomorrow.

So caught up in the sights of Canterlot and the thoughts of her friends that she almost didn’t notice when she arrived at her hotel. She got out and entered the resort, and was guided to the penthouse by her bodyguards. She walked in and flopped down on her bed, allowing the comforting embrace of sleep to overtake her.

A day later and Sweetie’s motor carriage stopped next to the sidewalk of the cafe she had told her old, dear friends to meet her at. She entered and was approached by a waitress.

“Miss Belle? Your friends informed me that you would be sitting with them. Follow me right this way, please.”

Sweetie complied and was led to a rather spacious booth where she found not only her friends, or even Scootaloo’s and Applebloom’s respective husbands, but her breakfast waiting for her too. For some reason, though, snips and snails were there. That was weird, but she was too hungry to ask any question right off the bat.

“So nice of you to join us, Sweetie Belle,” Diamond Tiara said, motioning to the plate of pancakes waiting for the popstar. “Sit down and eat.”

When Sweetie noticed that the pancakes seemed to be covered in a dark red syrup she thought was strawberry or raspberry… well, let’s just say Diamond Tiara didn’t need to tell her twice. She plumped her rump next to Applebloom, grabbed a hold of a nearby fork and butter knife, and proceeded to rip and tear into the delectable, sweet rain drizzled, golden tower of deliciousness as though she hadn’t eaten for days. Much to her pleasant surprise, the syrup was neither strawberry or raspberry, but cherry.

“Dang girl! Chew with your mouth closed!” Applebloom said, getting out bits of pancake and syrup that had spread forth from the hurricane of Sweetie’s voraciousness out from her fur and mane as the others laughed at Sweetie’s pigging out and Applebloom’s misfortune.

“What do you mean the cafe’s full? This place is never packed!” a voice that was vaguely familiar to the ponies sitting at the table said, frustration evident in his voice.

“I’m sorry, sir, but a rather large group checked in today, and it was already a busy morning. I’d love to help you, but there is nowhere to sit right now,” one of the waitresses responded.

Sweetie froze. Despite it having been a while, she recognized that voice. “Oh sweet Faust, no! Don’t be him!” She, along with the others, turned around to see a familiar purple and green dragon standing in front of a waitress, the one who had informed him that the cafe was full.

Sweetie looked down at herself, seeing that in her hunger-crazed state, she had gotten cherry syrup and bits of pancakes on her magenta skirt, purple top, white fur, and mulberry mane. Seeing the sorry state of her exterior, she internally panicked. “I can’t let him see me like this!”

She was about to make a mad dash to the bathroom when Scootaloo called out to him. “Hey Spike! Over here!”

Sweetie’s blood ran cold as Spike turned his attention towards the table, and subsequently, her. He smiled that giant, toothy smile that she had grown to love over her later teenage years, and waved at them. Everypony waved back at him, minus Sweetie, who was frozen in place.

“It’s ok, lady, he’s with us,” Scootaloo said to the waitress, who nodded and allowed Spike to walk over and sit down in the only remaining chair, which was, to her horror, right beside her.

He brushed some imaginary dust off of his jeans, and glanced over at Sweetie Belle. He looked at the mess Sweetie had made of herself and chuckled.

“Hungry I’m guessing?”

Sweetie’s face lit up like a Hearth’s Warming Tree as she began stuttering. She was torn between sprinting to the bathroom and cleaning herself up, or running out of the cafe. Thankfully, she had enough common sense not to act on either of those ideas, and instead, calmly excused herself to go clean up. As soon as the door to the mare’s room shut closed behind her and she was out of the others’ sights, she began hitting herself repeatedly on the head.

“Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid!, STUPID!” she berated herself over and over. She had allowed her hunger to make a mess of her appearance not only in front of her friends and their spouses, but also in front of the dragon she had fallen for years earlier. Sure she hadn’t expected him to show up, but she should have been dignified enough to not eat like she did in private.

After berating herself a little more, she gathered some paper towels, and used that along with the water from the sink to clean herself up as best as she could. As she did this, she began reminiscing about how she had first come to love Spike. How, after countless visits to Rarity’s house and long nights of him tutoring her, she and him had become close friends. It was only years later, when she visited him during his first year as a Royal Guard, that she realized that she had indeed fallen for him.

Once she was as presentable as she could make herself, she trotted back over to her seat and sat down, ready to try and salvage as much of the situation as she could.

“Sorry about that. I was very hungry and… well… I’m used to eating alone.”

Spike shrugged. “It’s alright, Sweets, I’ve seen a lot worse than that.”

Sweetie blushed profusely at the mention of the nickname he had made for her, and a quick glance around the table showed her that the others had heard it too.

“Great. Scootaloo is never going to let me hear the end of this, is she?”

The orange pegasi’s face confirmed her suspicions. “Yeah, Sweets, chill. The stallion… errr… dragon… whatever, said he’s seen a lot worse than that, so relax. Take it easy. Have some more pancakes,” Scootaloo said with a cheeky grin, kicking up her hind hooves on the table and resting her head on her forelegs.

“But please, take my advice this time and shut your piehole while you’re munchin,” Applebloom said, still trying to rub out out some stains on her clothes with a napkin. “Come on, darn you. Get out!”

Spike chuckled and looked around at the others seated at the table. “So, how have you guys been lately?”

And so they launched into a discussion about what they had done since parting ways in Ponyville. Applebloom had gone on to become a professional engineer while her husband, Featherweight, had become a renowned journalist. Scootaloo’s profession was obvious, for she had made a name for herself as a Daredevil that was in the same weight class of fame as Sweetie, while Pipsqueak had chosen to write a series of novels about pirates which had become very popular. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon had become successful business mares like their parents had before them. Meanwhile, their boyfriends (which REALLY threw Sweetie and Spike for a loop) Snips and Snails had become traveling comedians, who regularly drew in large crowds of ponies who were looking for a good laugh.

And Spike was, well, to hear him say it, one of Celestia’s guards, as well as bored on a continual, daily basis. “...And after yet another mind-numbing meeting, we finally got to return to the castle. Her highness was nice enough to give my squad a week and a half off for our hard work. And I’m probably going to spend it like I have the others: visit Ponyville before returning to my house and lounging around like a lazy bum.” He sighed, finishing off the remainder of the banana syrup drenched pancakes he had ordered. “What about you guys, huh? What are you planning on doing?”

“Well,” Sweetie Belle began, “I recently bought a cabin that’s up on a mountain from an old stallion called Dusty Hooves. I’ve got to do a little bit of work to do today, but tomorrow, I’m going to spend a little while up there.”

“That sounds nice. Wish I could take a vacation to a place like that. Unfortunately, I just don’t have the bits or the time for one,” Spike lamented. “Heh, maybe you could take me with you.”

While Spike had meant for those words to be a joke, Sweetie’s mind interpreted them in a different way. “Of course!” The words had exited her lips before she could stop them. Yet again, she felt her face heat up as Spike gave her a surprised look.

“Really? I mean, I was trying to make a joke, but I’m fully willing. I mean, as long as I’m not a burden or anything,” Spike said.

Sweetie had to think of something fast, otherwise she would be forever tormented by the jokes the now-smirking Scootaloo would throw at her if she didn’t re-word herself.

“Y-Yeah. It’s been so long since we’ve hung out like old times. In fact, why don’t the rest of you come too? There’s plenty of room, and the view is amazing! Why don’t we take this chance to get together and catch up. I mean, we’re all friends here, right?”

The others contemplated the idea. They did like the idea of a vacation, and the thought of a week-long reunion between friends wasn’t something they opposed.

“I’m definitely coming,” Spike answered eagerly, excited that he was finally going to take a real vacation, which brought a smile to Sweetie’s face. “We’re going to have to leave by train, right? What time will I need to be at the train station in the morning? And where will it be taking us?”

Sweetie wracked her brain for the name of the town and the time her train was scheduled to leave. “The train leaves at 11:00 A.M., so you should probably be there by 10: 50 at the latest, and it’s taking us to a town called Nowhere.”

Spike raised an eyebrow. “Nowhere? What a weird na-” Spike’s words caught in his throat as he spied a nearby clock. “Crap! My train to Ponyville leaves in fifteen minutes! Sorry guys, I have to leave now! It was fun catching up! See-the-rest-of-you-tomorrow-here’s-some-bits-to-pay-for-breakfast!” Spike tossed a small bag of bits onto the table before sprinting out of the cafe and flying off in the direction of his house, where his luggage still was.

“Wow. Spike sure has gotten a lot speedier since the last time I saw him, that’s for darn sure,” Applebloom said, staring at the dragon shaped dust cloud that even then still lingered along his path out of the cafe.

“Yeah. He’s also gotten a lot bigger and stronger too. Last time I saw him he was just starting to grow. I’m sure our good friend Sweetie Belle appreciates that change, right Sweets?” Scootaloo said, nudging the flustered unicorn’s side.

“W-What are you--?”

“Don’t try and spew that crap,” Diamond Tiara interrupted. She dragged Sweetie and the others outside, where none of the cafe’s customers could overhear them. “I’ve seen enough by now to know when a mare’s fallen hard for someone. So, spill it.”

Seeing that they had caught onto her, she decided that she had no choice but to tell them. “Besides,” she thought, “These are my friends. I can trust them.” And so she recounted the tale of how she had become friends with, and eventually fallen, for Spike. By the time she had finished, Scootaloo and Applebloom had wide smiles of glee adorning their faces.

“Why didn’t you tell us sooner?!” Applebloom demanded to know.

“Well, I figured Spike would have too much work and that you girls would be too busy to--”

“Are you kidding?! A little work won’t keep us from helping our old friend win the heart of the drake she adores! We’re going on this trip of yours.” Scootaloo spun around and grabbed Pipsqueak by the arm. “C’mon, Pip! We’ve got a vacation to pack for!” And with that, she took off into the air, dragging her screaming spouse with her.

The group watched the two lovers fade out of sight before returning their attention to each other.

“Scootaloo hasn’t changed very much,” Sweetie Belle started, gaining a nod from the others.

“Welp, ah’ve been planning on taking a break anyway, and I’m sure Featherweight can afford to miss work for a week. So you can expect to see us at the train station tomorrow.”

“Well, actually, I have this big scoop I’ve been working on for a while and--” Featherweight turned when he felt a nudge from his wife to find Applebloom glaring daggers at him. An enormous smile then plastered itself on his face and, as he loosened up his collar nervously, he turned back to Sweetie and said, “Uhhh… sure. Yeah. I can miss work for a week. And you can expect to see the both of us at the train station tomorrow. Just like my dear, sweet, adorable wife said.”

Applebloom’s sweet smile returned. “See ya tomorrow, Sweetie!” She and her husband walked away, leaving Diamond and Silver, along with their boyfriends, with Sweetie.

“We’ll see if we can get off work, and we’ll meet you and the others tomorrow if we can,” Diamond Tiara said.

“And we’ll be sure to assist you. Spike’ll be fawning over you before the week is over,” Silver Spoon said before winking. “Trust us.”

With a chorus of ‘see ya’s’ exchanged between her and Diamond and Silver and Snips and Snails, Sweetie Belle was on her own once again. For a while she stood there as the four of them disappeared around a corner, warm thoughts of home and childhood playing through her mind like a film reel. When she finally returned back to the hustling and bustling of Canterlot during lunch hour, she sighed and walked with foot-falls heavier and more melancholy than usual as she trudged along and hopped into her motorized carriage.

As she drove away from the cafe, she tried to decide whether or not the following week was going to be amazing or stressful. Probably both. Whatever this unexpected vacation was going to hold in store, however, she could at least tell that it would be anything but ordinary and memorable for years to come, if nothing else.

She had no idea just how right she was as she parked the carriage back at the hotel...

Vacation

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“Did you remember to pack everything, Pip?” Scootaloo asked as she waited impatiently for their train to arrive, rapping her hind hooves against the marble floor.

“Yes honey,” Pipsqueak responded, that having been the third time in the last five minutes that she’d asked the same series of questions since they had arrived at the station. “I was very thorough before we left the hotel this morning... as always… unlike you...”

Scootaloo’s ears perked up and she turned to fix her husband with a glare. “What was that last part?”

“Nothing,” Pip said quickly, looking around innocently and whistling a light pirate shanty.

Scootaloo narrowed her eyes at her husband for a brief moment, before turning to see if their train was on its way yet.

A short distance away, on the other end of the wooden bench, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle chuckled at the couple’s banter along with Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, Snips, and Snails.

“Scoots hasn’t changed one bit,” Applebloom said, turning to the others to see if they agreed with her.

“Well, she certainly is as impatient as ever,” Diamond Tiara commented, eliciting several chuckles from her childhood friend, Silver Spoon.

Applebloom shrugged. “Well, ah’d be lyin if I said it wasn’t true.”

Scootaloo turned back toward the group. “What are you guys talkin’ about?”

Diamond Tiara smirked, “Oh, nothing that concerns you.” The group snickered, with the exception of Scootaloo, who merely raised an eyebrow at the remark and suspected some grand conspiracy against her that her dearly beloved was somehow in on too.

The laughing stopped, and Sweetie peered over at the entrance of the Canterlot Train Station, looking for any sign of her final guest. She frowned, having not seen her draconic friend anywhere. She felt a hoof on her shoulder and looked over to see Applebloom giving her an encouraging smile.

“Don’t worry, Spike’ll be here any minute now. He’d never miss this trip judging by how excited he looked yesterday,” she said.

“Yeah, Sweetie, you’ll have plenty of time to spend with your crush!” Scootaloo jeered, getting the wanted effect out of the now blushing mare.

“C’mon, Scoots, no need to make fun of Sweetie anymore,” Pip said. “She is our host, and we ought to show some respect.” A devilish smirk spread from either of his ears. “Plus, you have no right to make fun of her when you acted the same way when I took you on our first date.”

Scootaloo sputtered, a light blush coming to her cheeks. “Th-That was different!”

“Really? How so?” he asked in a smooth voice, his smirk still present.

While Scootaloo wracked her brain for an answer to her husband’s question as to not appear foolish, Snips noticed a familiar figure sprinting toward them.

“Hey guys! Looks like Spike is here!” he announced, drawing everybody’s attention to the dragon that was running over to them as fast as he could.

Sweetie felt a smile break out across her face at the sight of him, and fought the urge to run over and meet him then and there. She felt someone nudge her, and then heard Applebloom whisper, “Ready to lay on the charm, lover girl?” Sweetie gulped before nodding.

Spike came to a stop in front of them, breathing heavily as he dropped his suitcase to the ground in front of him. “Sorry I’m late,” he apologized in between breaths. “It’s just that *pant* I had to tell Mo-- I mean the Princess and inform her of my trip, and then I forgot my luggage, and traffic was terrible by the time I left, so, I ran here. *Pant* It’s been a rough morning.”

“Don’t worry, the train hasn’t arrived yet. You aren’t late,” Sweetie said quickly.

Spike looked confused. “But it's 10:59, weren’t we all supposed to be here nine minutes ag--”

“Oh please!” Sweetie cut him off before he could continue, perhaps a bit too hastily. “That was just a suggestion. You’re fine as long as you arrive before the train does, which you did!”

He was silent for a brief moment before he shrugged. “Okay then, whatever you say.” He stepped over and plopped down on the bench beside Sweetie Belle (much to her pleasure and anxiety), throwing his head back and resting his eyes during his brief respite from running.

Sweetie bit her lip and began humming a tune to try and distract herself from the drake beside her, for she had not expected to be in such close proximity to him so soon. She felt a tap on her shoulder, and looked to see Scootaloo kneeling beside her with the same smirk she always wore. ‘Go get him, tiger,’ she whispered before dashing back to her seat, right as Spike lowered his head and opened his eyes.

“What was that?” he looked around before his eyes fell on Sweetie Belle, who was trying her best not to appear nervous. “Did you hear that?”

“What are you talking about?” she answered, just barely keeping herself composed.

Spike was silent for a moment more before he shrugged again. “Maybe my lack of sleep is getting to me. Maybe I’ll take a nap on the train. So, Sweetie, what’s with you?”

“W-What do you mean?” she asked nervously.

“I mean, how’s it been. Being on the road and singing and stuff, ya know? We didn’t talk about it much yesterday.”

“Oh! Well… errr.... it’s exciting, and I get to go a lot of cool places, and meet ponies who love my songs. How about you? I didn’t ask yesterday, and I’m like really sorry about that, like, REALLY sorry, but, what’s it like being a guard? Aside from the awful meetings you mentioned,” Sweetie said, sweating like a pig, her response causing all of the females in the group to silently face-palm.

Spike sighed. “It’s nice, I guess. I mean, training some of the recruits are fun, and I’ve made some friends, but it’s still very boring. There’s been little to no action, lately. The most exciting thing that’s gone down is when the Princesses got in a prank war last week,” he saw the confused faces of the group and spoke again. “Don’t ask. It’s a whole lot more life-threatening than any monster I’ve fought. Let’s just leave it at that.”

“... Okay then,” Sweetie said. “What about Ponyville? You said you were going to visit yesterday before you left.”

Spike smiled. “Oh yeah, it was nice. I scared the town half to death when I first arrived, but it was pretty relaxing after that. Twilight and Starlight are doing alright. Starlight is progressing extraordinarily in her studies, and I think Twi and that orange guy, Flash Sentinel or whatever, are still dating. She didn’t say, but I can only imagine how frustrated she is that he hasn’t proposed yet… Rainbow wasn’t in town. I think she was helping pegasi control a storm a few towns over. Fluttershy and Big Mac came over for a while to visit, and we even watched a hoofball game! Though… Fluttershy sort of worked herself up into a mini-coma after one of the balls accidentally beaned her on the noggin.”

Sweetie flinched. “Is she alright?”

“Don’t worry. This isn’t the first time that’s happened… though it was one of the longer ones... Anyway, Applejack came by as well and visited with me, and even gave me a few bottles of cider before she had to get back to work.”

Applebloom huffed. “‘E’yup. That sounds like big sis, alright.”

Spike raised an eyebrow before continuing. “Pinkie and Cheese Sandwich invited me to Sugarcube Corner and treated me to some sweets. Everything was going fine before…” he shuddered, “... the spawns of Discord appeared.”

“Who?” Snails asked, while Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon shuddered as well.

“Their foals,” Spike answered. “This may be just me, but I’m pretty sure they warped reality and broke physics in ways I didn’t even think possible. Needless to say, I drank all of Applejack’s cider that night.”

“Awww… pony-feathers. I was hoping you saved some.” Scootaloo lamented, putting her arms over her chest and sulking.

After taking a moment to recover from the wartime flashbacks the mention of the two foals gave him, he went on to talk about the final Element of Harmony. “And lastly, I talked to your sister yesterday, Sweetie.”

She smiled. “Oh really? How are things with her and that stallion she’s dating?”

Spike frowned. “He broke up with her. And ran off with fifty thousand of her bits.”

If the jaws of everypony else could have dropped any lower, they would have pierced the inky depths of tartarus.

“Yeah, she was pretty torn up about it. It happened a couple of hours before I got there and she literally cried me a river. Had to tell her I’d keep an eye and ear out for the jerk to get her down to a small creek. I spent a lot of time with her, trying to calm her down. It was probably an hour or two before she finally stopped crying, and even then, she kept hugged me and kept thanking me for being there in her “time of need.”” Spike explained.

Despite her sympathy for her sibling, Sweetie Belle couldn’t help but feel a little jealous at the mention of her older sister having Spike to herself for that amount of time. But she forced herself to shove those thoughts aside. She knew Rarity wasn’t going to try and flirt with him.

… right?

She slapped herself in the face for even thinking that. Her sister had just gone through another terrible breakup, and here she was thinking the worst about her and Spike rather than feeling like dirt that that had happened to her again.

“Uh, Sweetie?” Spike said, confused.

“Yes?” she questioned, looking over to see him with a concerned expression.

“Why did you just slap yourself in the face?” Spike asked.

Sweetie mentally berated herself for her stupidity before answering, “Nothing, nothing. Just… I was really hoping Rarity could finally get lucky at finding that ‘stallion of her dreams’ she’s been wanting since… well… ever. Even before she got her cutiemark, I think.”

Spike nodded slowly. “Yeah, me too… But is that really a reason to slap yourself in the face?”

Sweetie Belle opened her mouth to answer, but was cut off by the sound of a train whistle.

Spike perked up. “Looks like the train is here!”

Sweetie Belle took a breather inside her head. “Oh thank God,” she thought.

“Let’s hurry so we can get a good seat!” Spike picked up his luggage and raced over to help Snips and Snails carry their girlfriends’ heavy luggage.

Sweetie went to pick up her luggage when she felt herself being spun around, and came face to face with the other mares.

‘What were you thinking?!’ Diamond Tiara hissed over the sound of the train station’s crowds. “If you were looking to make him infatuated with you, then you failed miserably! Why did you go and slap yourself in the face?!”

“I don’t know! I was mad at myself for feeling jealous of my sister and I didn’t know how to react!” Sweetie blurted out, feeling tears of frustration well up in her eyes.

Applebloom patted her on the shoulder. “It’s alright, Sweetie. Just try to remain casual and think things through before you act next time. Otherwise, he might get weirded out and keep his distance. Then again…” she looked over at Spike, who was carrying his luggage to the luggage car along with the other males. “He seems kind of oblivious, so being subtle about yer affections may not be the best route to take. Just don’t do a repeat of the previous conversation.”

Sweetie Belle nodded, taking every word her friend said to heart.

“But if you can’t handle it, then we’ll have to step in and get things moving ourselves. Got it?” Scootaloo said.

Sweetie Belle’s face scrunched up. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’ll see. If you keep tap dancing around the issue, that is,” Scootaloo said with a hint of diabolical laughter.

From over where he stood, Pipsqueak stood straight up and spun around, shivering at the sound of his wife’s diabolical laughter, a laugh he hadn’t heard since… “I better stop whatever is going on before she hatches another one of her schemes.” He walked straight over to Scootaloo, grabbed her by the arm, and dragged her over to the train despite her protests.

The mares watched the orange pegasus get dragged away by her husband before returning their focus to Sweetie Belle.

“Remember, Sweetie Belle. Calm and casual,” Applebloom reminded.

“And like Scootaloo said, if you crash and burn, we’ll help you get with him ourselves,” Silver Spoon threatened before she and Diamond turned and walked over to the train.

Looking on, Sweetie Belle sighed. “Well, this trip is off to a good start…”

Applebloom patted her on the shoulder. “There, there. They mean well. Don’t worry. He’ll be swooning over you in no time.”

“Thanks…” Sweetie Belle muttered, following the others onto the train.

Once everyone was on board, they went to their car and sat down, and it wasn’t long before the train rolled out of the station.

After the train departed, they began to chat again. About their lives. About personal experiences. Pretty much everything was discussed as the train roared down the tracks in the direction of their destination.

Everyone, that is, except for Spike, who had acted on his words and dozed off in his seat.

The others were so focused on their conversation, that it was a while before any of them noticed that the dragon was not participating.

“Looks like ol’ Spike is out like a light. I guess he wasn’t lying when he said he hasn’t gotten much sleep lately,” Featherweight said.

“Well, his job as a guard must be very difficult sometimes. Remember that he and his squad just returned from the Dragon La--!” Sweetie Belle took a sharp intake of air as a sharp turn made by the train caused Spike to tilt to the side, where his head now rested on the poor unicorn’s shoulder.

The others chuckled at Sweetie’s combination of luck and misfortune as she wriggled in her seat nervously.

She sighed, and looked over at Spike with a small smile, before returning her gaze to the others.

“This is just the beginning, isn’t it?”

The train arrived at their station after a five hour ride. As soon as the train came to a stop and the whistle blew, Spike awoke from his slumber. After seeing where his head had rested for the duration of the ride, he blushed and apologized profusely.

After Sweetie assured him that it was alright, the group exited the train and began the trek to the center of the town which sat at the base of the mountain, where there was a motel where the owner of the cabin agreed to meet with them. At the exit of the train station was a sign that read: Welcome to Nowhere, Home of Vanish Mountain! Go on and lose yourself in nature!

As they approached the motel, they took in the sights and sounds of the place.

It was a small town, even a bit smaller than Ponyville, and was built in the same architectural style of their home town. The streets were lined with wooden houses and shops, with the inhabitants of the town milling about and shooting the breeze with one another. They even spied a market similar to that of Ponyville’s. And, just like Ponyville, the air was filled with the sound of foals playing and friends laughing.

However, there were a few odd things about the town.

Each of the buildings were clad with strange decorum, which looked primitive in design, and each had the same, strange symbol carved into the front doors.

But the most noticeable thing about the town was the mountain which stood behind it. It was massive, not as high as Canterlot Mountain, but certainly nothing to sneeze at. The entire formation was covered with thousands of trees, making it somewhat picturesque from where they stood. And, to top it off, it seemed to emanate a welcoming aura, the type you feel after coming home from a long trip.

“Wow,” Diamond Tiara breathed. “That mountain looks so beautiful.”

“You got that right,” Sweetie Belle said in awe.

“Well ah for one can’t wait to get on up to that cabin!” Applebloom said.

“I can’t… either,” Spike’s smile fell as he tore his eyes away from the view and saw several of the townsponies looking at them with expressions of… pity? Remorse? They noticed him looking back and turned away, going back to what they had previously been doing. While anyone else would have felt suspicion at the looks that the townsfolk gave them, his profession had taken him to places where the citizens did much odder things than that, and they never amounted to anything. So he was not phased.

“What is it, Spike?” Scootaloo asked, having noticed the tone of his voice changing.

Spike shook his head. “Nothing, Scoots. Let’s just go to the Motel.”

She nodded, and she and the others resumed their walk to the motel.

Before he followed after them, he looked back at the townsfolk and snorted. “Frickin’ weirdos. Why can’t I ever go someplace normal?” He then followed his friends, leaving the townsfolk behind.

After a bit more walking, they arrived at the motel, taking a moment to examine its exterior.

It was a two story building that looked about as wide as The Carousel Boutique and was made out of neatly carved wood. The words: Nowhere Inn were emblazoned across the front of the building.

“Still think the name’s stupid,” Scootaloo muttered under her breath before the group entered the front doors.

The inside of the motel was simple like the outside was. An older looking mare sat at the front desk, eyeing them out of the corner of her eyes as they passed her and went over to an area that housed several tables, which was where several townsponies sat and chatted amongst each other.

“So, where is the guy who sold you the cabin?” Pipsqueak asked, looking around at the admittedly bland interior.

Sweetie was about to answer Pip’s question when she noticed an older looking stallion walking over to them.

He looked to be in his late fifties or early sixties, with a grey mane and beard to show for it. His fur was a light brown color, and his yellow eyes gleamed with wisdom acquired through years of experience. He wore blue overalls, with an orange plaid shirt underneath.

“Are you Dusty Hooves, by any chance?” Sweetie Belle asked with a polite smile.

“That would be me,” Dusty Hooves said. “I’m assuming you are Miss Belle?”

Sweetie nodded. “That would be me.”

Dusty looked behind Sweetie at the others. “And who might these… fine fellows be?”

“These are my friends. They’re coming to the cabin with me.”

Dusty examined the others, his eyes resting on Spike for a moment before he smiled. “Well, what is a vacation without some friends, eh? Now, do you have everything you’ll need for a week on the mountain?”

“Yes!” Pip answered. “I triple checked then triple checked the checklist before leaving, unlike my wife, so I’m positive we have everything we need.”

Scootaloo narrowed her eyes at her husband. “What was that?”

“What? I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Pip said, feigning innocence.

Dusty Hooves smiled. “You two remind me of how my wife and I used to act.” He looked up, as if remembering an old memory. This lasted only a moment before he snapped out of his daze and focused his gaze back on them. “Now, if you’d like to go on up to the cabin, I can probably have you up there by sundown if we hurry. But it’s a long trek up Vanish Mountain, if you want to stay around town for the remainder of the day, we can depart tomorrow and have you up there by noon. Which’ll it be?”

“We’re on a tight schedule in terms of how long we can hang around here, so we need you to take us up there today, if you please,” Sweetie responded.

Dusty Hooves nodded, “Alright, missy, let me gather a few belongings and then we can get right up the mountain.” He stood up and hurried into a back room before coming out wearing a backpack. “Saddle up, fellas! We’re pushing off!”

They followed the elderly stallion as he lead them toward the edge of the town, where the trees opened up to reveal a path that climbed up the mountain, not noticing the stares of the townsponies as they departed.

“Ah! Here we are!” Dusty exclaimed as he pushed some low-hanging branches out of the way, revealing the three-story log cabin that was visible only by the faint light of the lantern that Dusty carried, and the pale moonlight which descended from the night sky.

“Finally,” Diamond Tiara moaned. “I can’t wait to get off my aching legs.”

“You can say that again,” Silver Spoon agreed. The others muttered similar words of agreement with the pink earth pony.

They trudged up to the door, where Dusty pulled out a ring with several keys from one of his pockets and used one to unlock the door before handing the keyring to a groggy Sweetie Belle.

“Now,” Dusty began, “the key to the front door is labeled, as well as the others. Your rooms are on the second floor. There are only five, so some of you will have to bunk together. The kitchen already contains a few supplies that I left here for you, and the third floor is the attic, which is a storage area, so there’s really no need to go up there. Also, same for the basement. Nothing really of interest down there. And finally,” Dusty looked around at the old house before looking back at them. “I’ve got to take care of something real quick, ya’ll go on up.” He walked down one of the hallways and quickly vanished from sight.

None of them paid any mind to the old stallion’s actions, and went on up to their rooms.

Soon, everyone had chosen a place to sleep. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon slept in the master bedroom. Scootaloo and Pip shared a bed in their room. Applebloom and Featherweight also shared a bed in their room. Snips and Snails slept separately, each one sleeping in one of two twin beds provided in their room. Sweetie and Spike, much to the embarrassment of the two, had to share a room. Luckily, their room provided twin beds, and didn’t force them to share one.

They all laid down and fell asleep almost instantly, resting from the long journey up the mountain, their dreams filled with possibilities of the fun activities they would do on their trip with old, dear friends.

The front door swung open, and Dusty stepped through, closing it behind him and locking it with a spare key he had. He then bolted down the path, galloping far faster than a stallion of his age should be able.

As he sprinted, trying to get out of the forest before midnight, he pretended not to hear the footfalls that followed him, or the animalistic eyes that watched him, only slightly seen at the edge of his vision.

And most of all, he desperately tried to block out the noises made by the thing that haunted his dreams. And as he ran, he silently sent a prayer up to whatever deity was listening and requested that the souls of the poor ponies he had just led to their deaths would find peace.