Spike trades places with his Equestria girls counterpart as a way to take a short vacation. What could go wrong?
Spike felt so overworked and in desperate need of a vacation. With him and Twilight making return trips back and forth through the portal to the other world of their doubles, he comes up with a plan that he is sure will give him a few days off. His plan was simple, swap places with his dog counterpart. Assuming they can keep up the act, what could possibly go wrong?
Spike the dragon hummed in thought , Standing in front of the glittering horseshoe mirror that lead to the other world populated by humans. He twiddled his claws for a moment, staring at the list in his grasp with a hint of both responsibility and hesitation. It wasn’t as if he didn’t mind being left at the castle alone or doing the chores, but boy did it feel like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. The old library felt like a closet compared to their new castle. There were just so many rooms that needed to be checked, and shelves upon shelves to be dusted. It wasn’t anything new to him, but the little dragon sure did feel exhausted from such a workload. He was thankful that he had Starlight to assist him with such chores, Twilight’s new student had to do something to do her part for room and board.
Spike let out a sigh, as his pen checked off the dusting for the very room he currently occupied. Just as he turned to leave, Starlight happened to peek in with a smile upon her face. “Oh there you are, Spike,” She greeted, her gaze soon falling upon the mirror. This was the first time she had actually seen this room and thus the new artifact was instantly in her crosshairs. Her hoof pointed to it with a curious intent. “Hey, what’s that thing?”
Spike looked back over his shoulder at the portal’s silver surface. “Oh that? It’s just a portal made by Starswirl the Bearded that connects two worlds together,” He moved to the pedestal, putting the fiery star cover journal. “Using this here book as a key.”
Starlight’s pupils grew to the size of dinner plates, quickly approaching said artifact. “Starswirl himself built a trans-dimensional gateway?! Wow, that’s pretty cool. Where did Twilight even get it?”
Spike walked up next to the unicorn mare. “Well the short version is, an ex-student of Celestia fled to the world beyond this mirror, came back and stole Twilight’s Element of harmony. We followed said student, saved the day, and then had to go back again to save said world, and now we can go between worlds whenever we need to thanks to the journal. Got all that so far?”
Starlight blinked as she took in the information. She felt the smooth surface of the portal. “So what’s it like?”
“Probably easier to show you then tell,” Spike replied, as he moved over to a bookshelf, scanning the tomes until he pulled out a photo album, setting it down on the small table in the middle of the room. He flipped it open, stopping at a particular page. He pointed, as Starlight looked down at the six creatures that Spike knew as humans. “These are Twilight's friends on the other side. Seem there are duplicates of everypony there as far as we have seen. Well expect I’m a dog,” He mumbled.
“A dog?” Starlight raised an eyebrow. “Really?”
“Yeah really,” Spike replied, as he flipped the page and pointed to another image, this one at a small park. “You’re not seeing double that's literally both me and myself, side by side.”
The gifted mare stared at the image that at first glance would appear almost mirrored, if not for the tree on the left side of the frame. There standing on top a small hill, stood a Twilight on either side, one wearing glasses while the other looked more regal somehow, while still in a something she had seen Rarity make. The dogs however appeared to be clones of each other for lack of a better term. After a few blinks Starlight looked at Spike, seeing him blush. “I guess you could say that it is ‘ruff’ to tell you apart,” She snickered, causing Spike to groan. “Oh come on, Pinkie’s made far worse puns then that.”
“I guess so,” Spike shrugged as he closed up the book, sliding it back into the shelf. “Still would love a break from all of this for a while,.” He gestured, pointing towards the door leading out to the rest of the castle..
“I don’t see why you can’t just ask Twilight to give you a day off. It’s not like you can’t do that,.” Starlight supportively. suggested
Spike rubbed the back of his neck, looking away for a second. “Yeah, I could, but Twilight is always busy. Probably needs me a lot. I’m her number one assistant for a reason.” He looked again at the portal, rubbing his claw on his chin, as he suddenly got an idea. “Although, there might be a way to have some fun.”
Starlight raised an eyebrow once again. “What do you mean?” She asked, as she watched as Spike grinned, rubbing his claws together.
Spike walked over and sat down at the table. ‘Well…”
The sun was beating down upon the park in Canterlot City, a few clouds lazily driving through the sky. The scheduled visit to the human world was going just as Twilight had planned and of course Spike had attended for other reasons, not that he had a choice. But regardless of the circumstances, he had a plan.
The human Twilight was talking with Princess Twilight across the way at a picnic table, while her dog was barking up a tree at a squirrel. Spike the dragon didn’t get why the other Spike liked chasing them so much, he assumed it must be a breed thing. The dragon walked over to his counterpart, clearing his throat. “Hey Spike, I want to talk to you about something,” The dragon turned dog spoke, nudging his natural dog counterpart enough to snap him out of his territorial dispute with the squirrel
After a few more barks, the dog got bored and turned wagging his tail .”Oh what about? Does Twilight have treats?” He asked, his tail wagging happily. “Is there a ball to fetch?” He panted a little with a carefree smile.
Spike looked over at the two Twilights who seemed to be deep in discussion. Knowing his Twilight was distracted, the dragon Spike spoke. “So what would you say to having some fun?” He asked, and saw how peppy his counterpart reacted to such a question
“Fun? Oh, I like fun! What do you have in mind?” The dog asked innocently, only thinking of the moment.
The dragon felt a small amount of jealousy directed at his dog self. What kind of freedom came with such a mindset? Although Spike was pretty sure whatever magic had zapped his counterpart had made the dog smarter, his new found speech notwithstanding. “Well,” The dragon started making sure to phrase his words right. “I was thinking, what if we swapped places for a bit? I mean that I stay with your Twilight, and you can go to Equestria with mine?” The dog titled his head silently.
“Wow, so I’d be a dragon?! What is that like?” The dog ears were perked up with a child like wonderment.
The dragon counterpart smiled, his plan was working so far. “Oh, it’s pretty neat. You’ll have fire breath and scales. Oh and you get to hang out with my other friends. Not to mention you can try eating gemstones.”
“That sounds kind of fun. Seeing a whole new world, and all. Did I mention I love exploring?!” The dog Spike panted.
“See, that’s the spirit. While I’m here I can just sit back and relax. I mean it’s not like your Twilight makes you do all that much.” The dragon Spike commented.
The dog Spike raised his eyebrow. “Wait, you just want to switch with me so you can have a break?”
The dragon counterpart tapped his paws together. “Well y-yeah, pretty much, but hey you can act like me, we are the same after all. Don’t worry I’ve got a friend on the other side that can help you keep up the act.” Seeing the brief hesitation from his dog counterpart, Spike spoke again. “There will be squirrels.“
That seemed to be the icing on the cake as Spike the dog ran around a bit. “Oh boy, why didn’t you say so?! This does sound like fun! I should go tell Twilight.”
Spike’s dragon counterpart jumped in front of him, holding up his paws. “No, no, no! I mean, I don’t want them to know about the switch.”
“Wouldn't that make this vacation thing easier if they did?” The dog Spike wondered
“No, Twilight would just want me to go back anyway. She doesn't realize that a simple claw massage isn’t enough to count as a break.” Dragon Spike complained. He really didn’t like talking bad about the pony who had hatched and raised him, but it seemed like more often than not she didn’t appreciate everything he did for her as much as she should.
The dog Spike tilted his head. “It’s starting to sound like I’m getting the short end of the stick here.”
“What? No! Of course not. You get to experience something no other dog will ever be able to. Plus Starlight can give you a hand er hoof er...oh, whatever! Are you in or not?” Dragon Spike groaned, as he grunted through his teeth.
The dog Spike took a few steps back, instinctively a little intimidated by the action his dragon counterpart had taken. “Y-yeah, I am, just ease up on the growling!”
The dragon Spike soon realized his posture and stood back up, maintaining a neutral pose. It was a good thing he’d read up on dog behavior or else the idea he’d been showing a dominant kind of gesture would have flown over his head. “Sorry, just really want this vacation.”
The dog counterpart wandered over and licked Spike’s face. “Okay, I won’t tell either Twilight, but I still say it's a bad idea not to do so.”
“Just trust me, okay?” Dragon Spike asked, to which dog Spike nodded.
The two Spikes looked up from their talk as Fluttershy suddenly came over with treats for the two. “Hello Spike, and Spike,” Even she can’t help giggle at the sight (despite having seen it a few times already).
“Oh, I smell bacon!” The dog Spike barked, wagging his tail and going up on his hind paws to beg. “Gimmie!”
Fluttershy patted the dog Spike’s head before tossing treats to both Spikes. “You two are just so adorable.” She soon gave them both tummy scratches, enjoying the smiles that came across their muzzles.
Spike the dragon was smiling more, imaging all the relaxing and playtime he would get to have while doing his little trick. Sure it relied on his other dimensional self filling in for him, but at least he’d get a day or two out of the deal, right? Some part of him stuffed within the corner of his mind knew this wasn’t right. but at the same time he really wanted those few days off. He’d apologize to his Twilight later when it all blew over.
“Spike, time to go!” Princess Twilight called out moments later, causing both dogs to jump to their paws. Being a mirror image of each other, they glanced for a moment at one another before one winked, causing the former to run towards the princess. Twilight clipped the leash on the doppleganger, patting his head. The two Twilight shook hands before the princess headed off.
Spike smiled and rolled over for Fluttershy. “Can I have another, Fluttershy?” He panted happily up at the buttery colored human, smelling the sweet delight in her pocket.
Fluttershy smiled as she reached into her skirt pocket. “Oh okay, beg Spike!” She held out the bacon smelling treat, while Twilight watched.
Spike happily stood up on his hind legs, pressing his forelegs in. He was quickly rewarded with the treat as he jumped for it, snatching it in mid air! The Equestrian was always surprised how such things tasted in his dog form. It sure didn’t have much of a taste when he’d tried one of Winona treats on a weekend at Applejack’s. Of course the smell was what mattered and boy did everything smell amazing! After devouring the delightful treat he ran over to Twilight, nuzzling into her leg with all the compassion any pet would. Twilight’s smile was comforting as he got a pat on the head as reward, and soon the leash was attached to his purple collar.
“Let’s get home, Spike, I need to finish my homework.” Twilight adjusted her glasses before leading the way through the park. The wind blew softly as they took a calm stroll and soon reached the parking lot meeting upwith Sunset Shimmer who waved at them once in sight. Given that they didn’t let dogs on the bus the two had to resort to walking, which wasn’t so bad for Spike.
“Hey Sunset.” Spike greeted, wagging his tail. He couldn’t help but smell the perfume Sunset had tried on, a tropical orange if his senses were to be accurate. He tilted his head to the side as the girl with locks of crimson and yellow hair scratched behind his ear in just the right spot.
“Hello again, Spike,” Sunset greeted, as she kept up the ear scratching, watching as Spike foot thumped on the concrete. ‘Did you enjoy your time with your other self?” She asked, getting a chuckle out of Twilight.
“Oh yeah, loads,” Spike nodded acting nonchalantly. "Got a good game of tug of war in too.”
The two girls then lead Spike along down the street, taking their time to chat while strolling down block after block. The dog couldn’t help but sniff about, always amazed at how much more he could smell when he was a dog. After several blocks, Sunset broke off down another block towards her own home.
The rest of the walk home was pretty relaxing overall for Spike, a steady pat of his paws along the sidewalk felt quite nice actually. The front of human Twilight’s house looked very well cared for, having a few flower beds along the edge, and finely cut grass. Spike took in the smells of the various flora while observing the details of the other Twilight’s domain. It wasn’t exactly like the home Twilight had lived with her family back in Equestria, but it was pretty close in spite of the different styles.
Twilight opened the front door, walking inside. “Hey Mom, I’m home.” She called unclipping the leash on Spike’s collar.
Spike watched as Twilight Velvet poked her head out from the kitchen (which was just past the living room), the sweet smell of soup wafting through the house. Spike moved to the kitchen sniffing around the new environment. He meeped softly as Velvet petted his head before pouring some brown dog chow into the silver bowl with his name on it. Despite how it looked, the food did smell pretty good. The dragon turned dog moved to his food bowl opening his mouth to give a thank you, but hesitated.
Did Twilight parent’s know he could talk? Was it a secret? Frankly such a question had never crossed Spike mind until now. Asking this world’s Twilight such a question would probably raise an eyebrow or two, or worse she’d figure out on the spot who he really was. No matter what world Twilight was in, she was no dummy. Spike lightly facepalmed as he realized how flimsy his vacation plan was but let it be for now. “I’m sure my counterpart can at least try to act normal,” He thought, taking a few pieces of the chow into his mouth and chewing. “Mmm not bad.” He moved his jaw around, almost swearing he tasted gravy as he ate the dog food. It wasn’t so different from those delicious dog biscuits Fluttershy fed him.
After noisily devouring his dinner Spike made his way up the stairs. It didn’t take him long to find Twilight’s room since the door was open. The room itself had various posters lining the walls, a soft purple coat of paint giving the bedroom a nice touch. Spike looked at the desk near the window Twilight idly working on a laptop typing up her project with steel focus. She hadn’t even noticed he had walked in, but he didn’t mind much as he soon found his basket bed, a soft blue blanket inside, and a red bone chew toy. The thought of hopping on top of the bed came to mind, but he put it aside not wanting to raise any suspicions so soon.
With a wag of his tail, the dragon turned dog settled into the pillow inside and curled up, feeling warm and at home, able to feel the warmth of the furnace as it flew through the vent near by. Now able to relax after his long walk, the canine stretched, letting out a yawn before closing his eyes ,hardly able to wait for what could come next. “Mmm, this is nice.” He mumbled to himself.
Spike the Dog patted alongside Twilight looking around more as they approached the familiar highschool of Canterlot High. The statue base stood in the middle of the courtyard, forever missing its elegant horse figure which had been destroyed during the Friendship Games. It now looked a little bland without anything on top, but the school could not find anyone willing to replace only the head. Spike shivered for a moment, remembering the demon his owner had become. If not for his adorable puppy dog plea, he was certain things would have been a lot worse. A wave of anxiety came over the canine as they got closer to the courtyard. “You can do this Spike, you’re a good dog.” He thought, once more staring up at Twilight as she unhooked the leash.
“Let’s go, Spike, I’ve got a craving for a hay burger.” The princess said, before passing through the barrier.
Spike watched the glass surface ripple like waves on water, before approaching it proper. His paw sank into it without resistant, a tingle of magic running down his spine. A second passed as he left his paw there, hesitating at first at the unknown. Every instinct he had was telling him this wasn’t right, but his curiosity soon took hold as he pushed himself into the portal. The transition itself felt like being on a rollercoaster. His body felt like it was twisting and turning, descending down a rabbit hole. The only sound he could hear was his own cheeks, as vibrant colors that he had never seen before assaulted his eyes. Vibrant reds and green, startling purples of Twilight’s bending form, and most of all the bright yellows straight out of a crayon box. The whole experience had only lasted a second in reality as with a sensation similar to breaking the surface of a pound, he emerged out of the mirror. Despite still being on all fours his next step felt off causing him to stumble, roll down the small pedestal the mirror sat on, and fall flat on his face.
“Spike, are you okay?” Twilight asked, her horn glowing. Spike felt tingly as Twilight magic picked him up and stood him on his hind legs. His tail felt ridged, yet still swayed a bit, operating on some instinct to help keep this bipedal form upright. He quickly grabbed the table nearby to steady himself, giving off the appearance of a baby learning to walk. The statement itself wasn’t too far from the truth though. Once stable he glanced back at Twilight, not recognizing her at first. The quadruped Twilight had the same kind of hairstyle her human counterpart did, but there were wings on her back similar to ones that had been on her at the camp. He hadn’t actually seen an image of the pony Twilight till this very moment, and the new colour spectrum was mind blowing enough as it was. The dog now turned dragon rubbed his eyes as they felt sore already from all the crystals around.
“Y-yeah, I’m fine, Twilight, just a little dizzy.” Spike answered, he held onto the table some more, his tail twitching. He sure hoped that Twilight didn’t notice how oddly he was walking. It would take some time to get used to it but thankfully his hind legs were almost like paws. Thankfully the princess never had time to ask about his dizziness as his stomach growled in protest.
Twilight chuckled patting his head. “Well, that makes two of us that are starving. Hey, how about I go fetch Starlight and we go out for dinner?”
Spike nodded eagerly, always loving the tiny bits of burger he got from Twilight when fast food was brought home. “Sure!” His tail wagged by accident, thumping on the table leg, thankfully pony Twilight didn’t seem to notice as she trotted out of the room. Spike sighed and let go of the table taking a few more steps around the room. His movements were still wobbly at first, but eventually, after rounding the table for the third time, he got used to how his tail helped him balance on two legs. He dropped to all fours once again, walking in a circle. Oddly enough both ways felt natural, but if he was to play Spike the Dragon he needed to walk on two legs. The dog chuckled a little remember something that Twilight had once mentioned about two legs bad or something. He couldn’t really recall due to him being too focused on his chew toy at the time. “Hmm, chew toy,” He used the long tongue he had to feel his molars and sharp front teeth. Spike growled a little into the reflective surface of the table and stopped for a second. Looking at his new body sent a chill down his spine. as he felt his arms and the scales that covered him from head to toe. The cool air of the castle brushed against it, making him feel a little chilly without fur. “I miss my fur already.” He mumbled, soon startled when he heard hoof steps as two ponies entered the room.
“Hey, Spike,” Spike turned to see who had spoken spotting another horned pony with a blue and purple mane that flowed over one side of her face. This must have been that other pony his counterpart had mentioned. “Ready to go?” The pony asked him.
“Yeah... uh, you?” Spike mentally facepalmed having forgotten the name his dragon counterpart had mentioned. On the plus side at least it gave the pony an idea of which Spike it was. Twilight turned and began to lead, as Spike approached the light pink unicorn and sniffed her scent. He frowned soon after finding his nose wasn't nearly as strong as before, but still pretty sensitive.
Starlight glanced at Twilight ahead and back at Spike. “So I take it you’re the dog?” she asked in a hushed tone once they were in the lobby.
Spike’s eyes darted all over the place, looking at the funny architecture the new place had. The dog turned dragon nodded quietly, watching Twilight use her magic to open the door for them. The evening sun cast an orange glow on everything, like a roaring fireplace. Spike the Dog sure felt like he was missing out back home, despite seeing everything through new eyes.
Starlight smiled, making sure Twilight was not paying attention before speaking again. “Don’t worry, I’ll help you however I can.”
Spike felt much better now, knowing that any slip up he might make could be covered up by his new ally. His exploratory instructs nagged at him as they walked through the town. Every small detail from how the flowerbeds were arranged to how the stands were set up was fascinating to the dog brain of his. His nose twitched as he smelt around as incognito as he could manage. This world was just chock full of so many new things for him to discover, that he couldn’t wait for an opportunity to wander around more. After a few minutes of following the two mares, they reached the burger place and headed inside. Being dinner time the place was packed with other ponies eating burgers that apparently had hay instead of meat. Made sense really they were horses. That did raise a question however, what would he eat? Did dragons eat hay? Dragon Spike had mentioned something about gems.
Twilight nudged Spike’s shoulder lightly, getting his attention. “Spike, I asked you what would you like to have?”
It was only now that Spike realized they had strolled up to the counter. He twiddled his claws, staring up at the menu. The dog wasn’t sure why, but that magic that had zapped him just a few months ago had allowed him to at least understand how to read English to some capacity. Despite this boost to his dog IQ though, the way the words were written made it kind of hard to make out. “Uh...a salad, I guess.” He looked at the teenage pony (she looked to be teenage but Spike couldn’t be sure) at the cash register with a shy grin.
The red-coated earth pony colt nodded “Oh, the Celestia salad. Alright.”
Spike looked up at Twilight, watching as her horn glowed, passing the cashier gold coins or so it seemed. As he turned to follow them to the table he tripped over his feet, losing his balance, and pushing on some pink coated pegasus mare as he fell. He let out a yelp as his face hit the floor while simultaneously sticky soda and a burger spilled on top of him. Sniffing the fries he slowly rose up and snatched one off the floor with his mouth, chewing it quickly.
Twilight gasped and pulled Spike from the mess on the floor .”Ew Spike, don’t do that!” She scolded seeing his ears flatten. She glanced at the mare. “Sorry about your meal, Spike is just a little clumsy today it seems,” The princess quickly got some napkins, trying to wipe off the mayo from Spike’s head. When her attempts failed she sighed. “Go wash it off in the washroom, Spike, I’ll find a table.”
Spike groaned at his slip up with a little blush. It wasn’t his fault that table scraps were so tasty, was it? As a thin trail of condiment ran down his face, he made his way to the bathroom thankfully able to figure out which door was which thanks to seeing another stallion exit though. After cleaning himself off he made his way back to the group staring up at Twilight with a shy grin. “Sorry about that thing, Twilight,” He apologized upon sitting down. He then tried to pick up the fork, only for it to slip out of his claw. He noticed Twilight’s silent eyebrow raise. “Uh hehe, seems I’m all thumbs today.” He chuckled. If the princess had noticed his word usage she wasn’t showing it.
The entire dinner felt like it took forever as Spike ate, spearing his caesar salad.
Half way through the meal, Twilight reached into the saddle bag she brought “Oh, almost forgot,” She set a few gemstones in front of Spike. “For being such a great helper today.”
The dog turned dragon looked at the gemstones for a second, unsure of what to do with them. His counterpart had mentioned something about eating gems, but he hadn’t mentioned all the details. Slowly, he picked up a ruby, twiddling it in his left claw, and observing how the light shined off its perfectly cut edges. With a slight hesitation he stuck out his lizard tongue and licked it. Surprisingly, to the dog’s changed taste buds the flawless surface had a sweet flavor to it, much like honey. He soon suckled on it, smiling at the delightful taste. His previous instincts were waving warning signs in his mind, reminding him that biting into solid objects usually ended with a sore jaw. It took but a moment for him to hesitate, before biting down on the rock with a loud crack sound, the noise echoing in his head. He coughed, bits of the ruby falling to the table as he had a moment of panic! The bits that did stay in his mouth however went down easily enough, and tasted delicious.
The sight got Twilight’s full attention, driving her into mother mode. “Wow, Spike, are you okay?” She offered him her glass of water, watching Spike wave it away as he calmed down.
“Y-yeah, fine. Just went down the wrong pipe,” Spike replied, another shy grin followed as he picked up the half eaten ruby, staring at the bite marks and gawking at how much power this dragon’s jaw had. He hadn’t even had to bite that hard to make it break, the gemstone having the toughness of dry bark almost. After calming down he quickly began to chow down on the few gemstone, scattering tiny bits like crumbs as he devoured the gemstones as if they were dog treats. After the last one was gone, he rubbed his tummy with a grin upon his face. “Mmmm, so good,” He smiled at Twilight, before letting out a burp. “Thanks, Twilight.”
“Spike, you’re supposed to say excuse me when you burp,” Twilight scolded. “Where are your manners.”
Spike blushed. “Sorry, guess I forgot. Excuse me.” After that, he was careful to avoid any further slip ups. Least Twilight find out he wasn’t the Spike native to this world.
On the way back home from the restuarant, Spike got to ride on Twilight’s back, getting a chance to feel the pony’s soft mane. He petted and brushed it with his claws, watching the hairs move. At some point Twilight notice and turned her neck. “Uh Spike, what are you doing?” She asked, puzzled.
“Uh,” Spike began and blushed, quickly withdrawing his claws. “I just noticed your hair smells like berries.” He sniffed the locks again, enjoy the aroma.
The alicorn princess let out a chuckle. “Oh, you noticed? I borrowed some shampoo from Rarity.”
Spike knew his Rarity. She was always nice, although also always too worried that his coat would shed onto her pants. “Yeah she always smells nice,” He sniffed again. “And Starlight has a cotton candy smell to her.”
This caused Starlight to sniff herself just now noticing. “I guess my baking with Pinkie Pie the other day didn’t wash out completely.” The group chuckled together, soon reaching the castle as the sun was about to vanish from the horizon.
Spike slid off Twilight’s back watching the alicorn ascend the main staircase. “Don’t stay up too late, Spike.” She called in a motherly soon vanishing down a hallway.
The dog turned dragon let out a sigh of relief, finally having a moment of peace. But his glance soon fell upon Starlight, and he rubbed his neck. “Uh, I assume dragon Spike has a room, right?” He asked, to which Starlight nodded. “Can you show me the way?” He felt a little embarrassed asking such a question, but let it slide due to the fat fatigue setting in.
Starlight led Spike down a few hallways that all seemed to look the same, until coming to his door. He observed the little green fire stickers on the wooden doorframe giving it a little charm. Starlight smiled, opening the door. “So what being a dragon like so far?” She asked heading into the room with him.
Spike admired the bedroom, seeing many of dragon Spike’s belongings, including a stack of comics by the bed. A pity he never got to read them. “It’s different, I’ll give you that,” He told Starlight. “But there’s just so much to check out, it’s thrilling!” He jumped into the air once with joy. “This is awesome!” But his cheer was cut short as he felt a sudden pain in his gut, and held his stomach. “Oh, what going on? My stomach hurts,” The pressure quickly built up, soon rushing up his throat, and with a might puff of his cheeks he belched, watching green flame explode out of his mouth, followed by something hitting the floor with a soft thump! He took a moment to steady himself, before he looked down and saw a scroll. “W-what just happened?” He asked, feeling a bit disoriented.
Starlight picked up the scroll with her magic. “Oh, Twilight can get letters from Princess Celestia through Spike. Enchanted dragon fire if I’m not mistaken.” She explained.
Spike rubbed his tummy, letting out a groan. “Ugh, how does he put up with that? That’s worse than vomiting up bad chicken.” But the sensation of a sore stomach soon faded, while a steady warmth like a furnace remained.
Starlight just shrugged. “Don’t worry, it doesn’t happen that often. Just try not to breath out fire and you should be okay.” She patted his head, before heading out and closing the door.
With quiet now returned, Spike strolled over to the bed and climbed in, the shape reminding him of his doggy beg only bigger. “Hehe, I guess that’s one thing we share,” He thought, staring up at the ceiling. The more he had time to think, the more worries of failing came to mind. He couldn’t write or read this world’s writing very well, so how would he do dragon Spike’s chores without that? He was sure tasks like cleaning he could handle, but being Twilight’s secretary?! That wouldn’t end well. He clenched the Rarity plushie close to his naturally warm scales. “I won’t fail you, Spike. No matter what it takes. I can do this.” He said to himself, and with that the dog turned dragon closed his eyes, putting his worries aside till morning at least. Spike had a feeling it was going to be a long day indeed.
The sun rose into the sky as another glorious day began in Equestria. Spike stretched much like he always did, stretched out on all fours as he let out a yawn. Despite the alien environment, he slept quite well, the Rarity plushie proving to be a comfort during the night. Using the time he had to be alone, he moved across the room on all fours exploring around the dragon’s bedroom. “Wow, Spike’s sure got a nice collection.” He said, as he took a gem out of a basket and munched on it while moving to the window to look out at the town below. Inhaling a deep breath of the fresh air, he took a moment to let his mind wake up more, but before he could think about anything else on his mind a soft knock was heard at his door. He turned around and walked over, quickly pulling it open seeing Starlight.
Starlight looked down with a smile. “Morning, Spike, I thought I would lead you to the kitchen, ‘cause this place can be pretty confusing to navigate. Did you sleep well?”
“Yeah, the bed’s pretty soft to sleep on,” Spike replied, as he looked back at the bed and the plushie. “Why does Spike have a plush pony of Rarity?” He asked.
Starlight snickered as they entered the hall. “Your counterpart has a little crush on her,” She kept an ear out for Twilight just in case, as they strolled down the corridor. While guiding him along the unicorn had a thought come to her mind. ‘You know, I always wanted a dog when I was growing up.”
“Oh did you ever get one? Twilight has had me since I was a puppy.” Spike explained.
“Oh, that’s nice. But no, I never got to have one, my parents were allergic.” Starlight replied.
Spike tilted his head. “Ponies can get allergic to pet hair?”
“Apparently, but I managed to get a fish tank instead and named this small yellow one Sunny,” Starlight said in reply, she blushed a little as if leaving something out. Just as she was about to speak again Twilight darted from a side room and rushed up to Spike a scroll wrapped in a ribbon.
“Good morning Spike. Here, send this to Celestia right away okay,” She dropped the scroll unceremoniously into his hand before moving past him and Starlight while mumbling. “I need to find that book on Ancient Pony artifacts.” She soon disappeared around a corner.
Spike watched her go, looking nervously at Starlight. “What does she mean to send it, do I eat it?” He asked.
“Spike usually just blows enchanted fire on it and it flies straight to her.” Starlight replied as they move to the kitchen.
“How do I do that?” Spike asked, his claw squeezing the parchment. He hastily huffed on the scroll a few times till he got a bit light headed, but not even a spark of fire had come out of his mouth.
“I don’t know, Spike is a dragon he just does it,” Starlight told Spike, and got out waffles to make the group breakfast. “Just keep trying, I’m sure you’ll get it eventually.”
Spike gulped and kept watching the hallway as he blew on the scroll over and over each time with more force. He ended up panting, staring at the scroll. “Ugh, this isn’t working! What am I-” He was cut off as he hiccuped causing a burst of flame to abrupted exit his mouth. Unfortunately, it wasn't the magical kind and thus ended up turning the paper to ash. He meeped as he looked at the small pile on the floor! ‘O-oh no,” His ears fell and he gulped hard while his foot nudged the ash. “Twilight is going to be mad.”
Starlight turned around biting her lip. “Okay, I’m sure there a way to fix this?” Before she could say more, however, Twilight entered the room her mane now properly brushed. Needless to say, she quickly saw the remains of the burnt up scroll. Her gaze looked at Spike with a slight scowl. “Spike, why did you do that? I needed to respond as soon as possible.” She frowned.
Spike took a step back, twiddling his claws. “W-was an accident, I meant to send it but it burnt instead.” He shifted on his feet, avoiding direct eye contact much like any nervous child. This may not have been his Twilight, but the scolding felt all the same. He muttered under his breath about his dragon counterpart leaving out those specific details.
Twilight moved along to the coffee machine with a sigh. “It’s fine, I did kind of spring it on you without much-advanced notice. I’ll just quickly write it up after breakfast,” She quickly looked at Spike once again, before pouring herself some morning goodness.
Spike faceclawed again, before taking a seat at the table staring up at the cave-like ceiling. Needless to say, he felt like he was in way over his head at the moment. He just hoped his dragon counterpart would be doing a good enough job. Still, with so much to see, the dog turned dragon was still very hyper to see more things to come.
---//---
The morning for dragon Spike had gone pretty well all things considering. Doing one’s business in the backyard was a little embarrassing, but he’s done it a few other times while being a dog so that wasn’t too much of a problem. But he never understood why his dog counterpart could stand the collar. It did look nice, he supposed, but it just felt odd around his neck. He was sure the other Spike had gotten used to wearing it, those tags jingling whenever he would move.
Twilight so far hadn’t noticed any changes as she munched down her cereal, looking into some rectangular device occasionally, pausing her meal to pat her fingers on it. He remotely recalled Sunset referring to it as “Texting” whatever that meant (the only texting Spike knew of was a typewriter). Despite that, he still had plenty of time to look at like the screen that played video in the living room, which had been featuring the news and weather channel for the last few minutes.
The dragon turned dog dug into the bowl of kibble, wondering what he could get up to today. There wasn’t all that much for him unless he was taken out on a walk. The thought of digging in the back yard crossed his mind for a second and he mentally put it on his things to try checklist, along with tug of war of course.
The day had just started and Spike already felt relaxed. As a pet, he didn’t have chores to do, or needed to go out to the store ‘cause a certain princess had her nose stuck in a book. All he had to do was play, or cuddle up on warm blankets. He did feel a little bad for his dog counterpart, who to be honest, would have the more difficult time being himself.
After eating the last of the meaty chow, Spike pawed his way to the living room, tail wagging as Velvet petted his head. Twilight’s mom proceeded to scratch his ear, sending a very pleasant sensation down his spine. His hind leg twitched on reflex. The scratching only lasted for a few seconds but it felt longer by how nice it felt. Once the delightful ear massage was over, he tried hopping up on the couch only for Velvet to clap at him.
“No. Down Spike, off the couch.” Velvet scolded.
Spike flinched and quickly hopped down not wanting to press his luck. He looked up at her, giving the puppy eyes. He still didn’t see what was the deal about a little dog hair on the furniture. His attempt, however, was fruitless it seemed as Velvet didn’t react and just picked up a squeak toy, his ears perking up as she made it squeak. He spun in a circle and barked chasing it across the room as it was tossed. He grabbed the red bone from under the chair and bit on it making it squeak. Playing with such toys was always fun whenever he got the chance.
He teethed on the toy for a few minutes, losing himself in the sounds when suddenly his super sensitive dog ears heard the sound of someone approaching the front door. He dropped the toy in an instant, racing to the door! Eager to see who was there, but making sure not to be too close of course.
Twilight, after hearing the knock, opened the door. Fluttershy came in with her backpack. “Oh, hey Fluttershy, is it time already?” She asked.
Fluttershy nodded. “Yeah, just wanted to check on Spike,” She smiled, petting Spike’s head when he came up. “You ready for the park, Spike?”
Spike nodded sniffing about her socks and smelling another dog’s scents. He always liked how sensitive his little nose could be as a dog. He let Twilight clip on the leash and followed along tail wagging. “How hard could this be? It should be fun to just run around.” He thought. Once he was sure they were far enough away from the house he looked up at Fluttershy. “You smell like other dogs.” He commented before trying to pull ahead to smell more. He just felt so much energy while walking, taking in the fresh summer air as they soon reached the park he had swapped places with the other Spike just hours ago.
To Spike surprise, he saw that Applejack was there in her usual blue jeans and top, and had brought Winona along as well. She looked exactly like the Equestrian version, being just as hyper and fit as he knew her. Winona, upon spotting Spike wagged her tail and ran over wasting no time in sniffing his butt.
Spike, of course, was not really used to such ways of saying hello and meeped, moving away a little. Such an odd reaction did seem to make Fluttershy tilt her head a little, and Twilight adjusted her classes watching him hesitantly sniff the female’s behind. The dragon turned dog blushed a little.while doing so, and soon pulled back, letting out a happy bark to at least appease the other dog. To his satisfaction, Winona barked back, her tail wagging before bowing in a playful stance. Spike eased up a little and did the same soon, giving chase. They ran up the hill and around a nearby tree heading for the picnic tables soon afterward. Spike panted happily at his plan working well. Although he was still worried he might mess up.
---\\---
Meanwhile back in Equestria, Spike had just finished washing up the dishes despite occasionally dropping a dish into the water when it slipped out of his newly gained appendages. Thankfully, Twilight had gone to check on something so she wasn’t present to see him screw up. Starlight was there too, drying the plates and giving occasional tips.
Double checking to make sure Twilight was out of range, Spike looked towards Starlight, scratching his ear. “What do I do, Starlight? I can’t send that letter like she wants.” He nervously told her.
“Well you could pretend to send it and I can hide it away I suppose,” Starlight offered. “Unless this letter’s super crucial, but I could alway peek at it.”
“What if she asks me to write stuff down for her? I don’t know how to write.”Spike once again glanced back at the doors, his claws feeling his bare neck again.
“Okay, so our Spike couldn’t prepare for all the possibilities, but he did ask me to try and cover for you. Although I have a feeling that will just end up making you more suspicious.” Starlight said in reply.
The dog turned dragon groaned, firmly planting his claws on his face. “This sounded like so much fun when the other Spike explained it,” He felt Starlight put her hoof on his shoulder which did help calm him a little. “I need some fresh air.”
“That’s great to hear Spike because I found the shopping list.” The dragon jumped a little when Twilight came back into the room giving him the scroll.
“W-what oh uh right,” He squinted as he looked at the writing. “Man, Twilight you’ve got some odd handwriting.” He hadn’t realized his wording till it was too late and meeped silently. Twilight's raised eyebrow didn’t help matters.
“Uh, you wrote that list, remember?” Twilight asked him.
“Y-yeah right was just um a joke.” Spike gulped, mostly because he had no idea how Equestrian money worked, and because of his screw up.
As Twilight tried to retort, Starlight cut her off. “How about we all just go down to the park to relax? It’s a wonderful day and we have been working an awful lot.” She watched Twilight tap her chin “You’re just going to take a book to the park, aren’t you?” She deadpanned.
“N-no, okay yes, but reading outdoors is nice,” Twilight looked away and blushed, causing Starlight to chuckle a bit. “Sure some fresh air would do us all some good.” Twilight floated another scroll into Spike’s hand before moving down the hall to pick out a book to take with her.
Spike sighed with relief, but his eyes locked onto the letter. Whatever its importance was, it would have to wait and hopefully wouldn’t come back to bite him. He swiftly handed it to Starlight, before heading out of the kitchen and running to the front lobby which thankfully was easy to find. It wasn’t a walk persay but he still felt just as anxious to go outside and run around a bit. He did his best to stay on two legs but the temptation was so hard to resist, as he hopped from one leg to the other, even as the two came down the stairs.
“Wow Spike, you sure are eager,” Twilight mentioned, but Spike hardly noticed. She had her adventure book in her saddlebag and blinked when Spike barked, or at least seemed mimic one, before covering his mouth.
“Haha, good one Spike,” Starlight said with a sly look. “Does Spike want to go on a walk?” She teased, hoping Twilight would think it was a joke.
“H-hey.” Spike blushed, before pulling the door open for the two ponies.
Twilight giggled lightly and ruffled Spike scales as she passed. “Thanks, Spike, maybe later we’ll get ice cream, how’s that sound?” The princess trotted out followed shortly by Starlight.
Spike followed right behind the two, smiling. “Sounds great, Twilight,” He licked his lips, imaging a full cone to eat instead of licking remains out of a bowl. His Twilight sure knew how to spoil him, that was for sure.
Along the way he sniffed at random flower beds again, looking at the pony with a rose on her flank, watering her flower bed. He waved at her as they passed and got a happy wave in reply. The dog turned dragon chuckled, liking how nice all the town folk were. Overall the walk to the park was wonderful as he took in breaths of fresh air. He didn’t notice his tail wagging a bit, although Twilight sure saw it wagging about. She didn’t comment though.
The lush playground looked wonderful to Spike’s new eyes, never knowing how green grass could get. Just as he was about to run around for a little while, he heard a filly call his name.
“Oh hey Spike,” Apple Bloom called coming over with other two fillies. They looked somewhat familiar to him. It took Spike a second but realized these were the pony counterparts of the three little kids from school. “Hey,” He waved at them, finding he was about their height now. “Nice day, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, best Saturday ever,” Scootaloo commented, moments before a brown coated dog barked, approaching Spike.
Spike looked down at Winona as she growled at him. He reacted by doing his best growl back, his legs moving to a more defensive stance. Apple Bloom tugged on the leash, gasping! “Winona, stop that! It’s just Spike!” She tugged more as the dog barked at him.
Twilight tilted her head observing Spike acting very dog like and quite naturally in fact. It was even odder than the other dog like behaviors she had seen today.
Soon, Apple Bloom got Winona to calm down by using a treat. “Sorry, Spike, I don’t know what came over her.” The farm filly apologized.
“Maybe because I don’t smell like your Spike.” He thought sniffing himself a little. He looked back down at Winona, relaxed his muscles and tilted his head. Without even a woof, Winona calmed down more and wagged her tail in delight.
The three fillies were once more amazed. “How did you do that Spike?” Apple Bloom asked, taking the leash off of Winona, while Sweetie Belle got a yellow frisbee.
“Um I just did, dogs are easy to understand.” Spike hastily replied. He saw Twilight had already dug into her book by the big oak tree and had not noticed the event that had just happened. The dragon dog looked at the frisbee as Sweetie tossed it, causing Winona to go chasing after it. The dog returned with it soon after, and as it tossed once more, Spike’s hands twitched. He watched the toy flew through the air over and over for the next few minutes. Suddenly, without even a thought, he run after it and jumped into the air, snatching it in his mouth! It hurt a little but he managed to land. Moments passed before his eyes went wide at the fillies staring at him. He took the frisbee out of his mouth and blushed.
Twilight had just looked up from her book, having seen the activity occurs. Yet another strike against Spike cover. He gulped as Twilight trotted over to him. “You sure you don’t miss being a dog?” She teased, patting his head He faked a light laugh while twiddling his claws.
“N-no, just uh thought it’d be a neat trick.” Before Spike could comment any further, he observed the fillies from before staring into the horizon behind him at something approaching. He turned to see for himself, only for a tall blue scaled teenage dragoness to land in front of him with a cheerful smile. Had Spike mentioned his female to him, were they friends? He was a complete lose for words.
He had no idea what to think of this other dragon as she leaned on her obsidian staff nonchalant. “Hey Spike, what’s up?” She greeted.
Back in the human world, Spike had just finished a pretty fun game of fetch, panting happily as he took a breather while laying under the shade of an oak tree. Fluttershy sat next to him, petting his back while giving him a nice bone treat to gnaw on. The last hour or so had been a blast, playing with Twilight and tug of war with Winona. Judging by the sun, Spike guessed it was about an hour past noon by now. He let out another sigh as his tail wagged with joy. The morning had been as perfect as ever. After enjoying his treat, he went to Twilight and nuzzled into her leg.
Twilight was leaning against the tree, petting his back while turning to the next page of her book. She took a moment to check her watch, before clipping the leash back on him. Fluttershy came up the hill, smiling as she patted his head. “Okay Fluttershy, he’s all yours,” Twilight said, as she patted Spike’s head again.
“Huh, what do you mean, Twilight?” Spike asked, tilting his head up at her.
Fluttershy blinked. “Don’t you remember? I offered to let you see the other dogs at the shelter.”
Spike wagged his tail to keep up his act while trying his best to cover up the slip-up. “Oh yeah, how could I forget that?” He had a fun idea and ran around Fluttershy’s legs, quickly binding her up in the leash. As predicted the animal lover squeaked and fall over.
“Spike!” She frowned, apparently not finding the joke very funny, as she untangled herself from the leash’s hold.
“Sorry.” Spike apologized, before following behind Fluttershy as they headed along the path. The route they took went through the other side of the park, allowing Spike to sniff around and bark at a few critters along. Along the way, he was stopped by a girl and her mother, Fluttershy letting the red-headed girl pet Spike’s head. The dog panted and licked his paw, before going wide eyed as Fluttershy got out another bacon dog treat.
“Okay Spike, speak,” Fluttershy held up the treat, smiling. Spike of course barked and jumped for it when it was tossed over his head. “Good boy.” She praised, before quickly taking him along.
The rest of the walk to the shelter took no time at all, as Spike could see the fenced off pen next to the shelter itself, with a few dogs wondering about or playing with toys. As Fluttershy approached, all the dogs stopped to look in her direction, tails wagging. Fluttershy of course, baby talked to them, as they barked and sniffed her jacket from the other side. Spike felt a little intimidated by the various dogs that were much bigger than he was, hoping he wouldn't have to go into that yard with them.
Upon entering the front lobby of the shelter, Spike saw a red haired male he hadn’t really seen before. HIs soft blue eyes looked down at him with a smile that had the animal lover feel to it. Spike barked happily to him, smelling the dog treats in his pocket.
Fluttershy closed the door before taking Spike’s leash off. “Hello Breeze, how are things?” She greeted.
“Oh, things are going just great, Fluttershy. Spot has just had her litter of pups,” Breeze explained, as he pulled out a bacon treat from his pocket, tossing it to Spike, and watching as the dog snatched it quickly and scarfed it down. “I’m sure Spike would love to say hello.”
Spike wagged his tail, as Fluttershy opened the door leading into the main kennel area. He followed her inside, seeing the row of open top kennels. The room filled with barking, Spike jumping a bit at the sudden loud noises. He’d never really been to a shelter before (mostly cause Ponyville had Fluttershy, which helped a lot when it came to pets). Regardless, he kept following Fluttershy, as she grabbed a scoop of dog food and went into a kennel next to the one which had the fresh litter of pups. Spike was a little hesitant at following, but his rumbling tummy had other ideas, as he ran forward and dug his muzzle into the bowl, chowing away. Moments later, he heard the sound of the gate closing shut, causing him to turn around and gasp! “H-hey!” He whined, putting his paws up on the fence, looking at Fluttershy.
“Sorry Spike, I’ll just go check if the veterinarian is back yet,” Fluttershy replied, moving down the row of cages to the back door.
“Vet?!” Spike’s eyes went wide, as he realized that meant a whole number of things could happen to him. Shots? Nail trimming? He shuddered to think of the other, more harsh possibilities, like neutering. His body shivered as he let his worry build up. A few soft barks from the puppies in the pen were able to distract him as he moved to the fence and sniffed at them. The puppies yipped and played, pawing at his snout a bit. He giggled a bit at the playful nature of the pups and pawed back as the motherly brown dog watched.
Spike kept playing with them until the sound of the door at the far end opened, and a woman with soft blue hair and light yellow skin walked out, wearing the usual veterinarian’s outfit. She approached Spike’s kennel and smiled down at him. The question of whether or not to speak came to mind once again, so the dog held his tongue, as the vet opened the gate and reached down, clipping the leash to his collar. “Hello, Spike, nice to see you again. Come on, let’s take a look at you.” The vet cooed, and with a gentle tug she lead him down the aisle and into the back room. Surprisingly enough, it was a spacious workroom with an examination table in the center, and various cupboards full of all kind of medications and equipment lining the walls. The sheer presence of it all made the room feel more sterile and cold.
An involuntary shiver ran down Spike’s spine, as he was lifted up onto the table. He whimpered a bit, as he sat there, staring all around the room as he awaited whatever fate was about to happen to him.
“Let’s check your neck shall we?” The women cooed, as she reached behind his head and unlatched the collar. The loose feeling was odd now that he didn't have that small weight on him. The vet began to feel around his neck making hmm’s and such. Spike gulped when she stopped and felt a certain spot a few times. “Hmm, that’s odd.”
Spike shifted about in worry, as Fluttershy came in. The vet called her over, as the gloved hand kept feeling his neck. “Um, is there a problem?” Fluttershy asked, walking up the table as Spike glanced away.
“Well, I’m not sure. That scratch it has been healing but now it is just gone.” The vet explained, and kept Spike still as he wiggled.
Spike meeped upon hearing that! “Oh no, he never told me about that. I”m found out for sure!” He gulped.
The two humans pondered, as they stared at him with confused looks. Fluttershy was the first to speak again, the tension feeling as tense as a stretched rubber band. ”What do you mean gone?”
“Well, I didn’t expect a full recovery for at least two weeks but there no sign of it at all. I don’t even see loose hairs. It’s like it never happened.” The vet explained, and scratched her head again, looking just as puzzled as Spike was.
Back in Equestria, The dog turned dragon looked up at the tall, slender, cyan dragoness unsure of what to even say. Did dragons even have customs for greeting each other? Could he sniff her butt? He mumbled a bit as Ember titled her head at him. “Come on, think of something, just act natural.” He thought.
Ember, along with the others present, watched as Spike sniffed her tummy. Confused, Ember moved back. “Uh, nice to see you too, Spike. Is this a normal thing he does?” She put her claw, out pushing Spike away gently.
“Eep, oh no! That’s not right, uh..” Spike thought, then he coughed. “Uh h-hey, how are things?”
Twilight approached from behind, giving Spike an inquisitive look. “Sorry about Spike, he’s been acting a little odd since yesterday. Wasn’t expecting you till later, did something happen?”
“Well yeah,” Ember replied, sounding a bit impatient. “Your letter never arrived, so I got tired of waiting and flew down here myself. Hope you don’t mind,” She started at the ponies looking at her as she held her staff, then stared back at Spike, seeing the blush. Her wings adjusted as the dragon lord shook Twilight’s hoof. “So, want to hang out, Spike? That’s what ponies do, right?” She asked him.
Spike jumped a bit, twiddling his claws. He hadn’t been expecting a response. “O-oh yeah, totally,” He looked all around the park for an activity to do with her. He doubted just running around was going to be very fun for her. All he did know, is that he had to think fast, or the ponies would get really suspicious. “Uh..how about we swim?” He suggested, pointing to the lake on the far side of the hill.
Ember glanced behind her, spotting the lake, and she shrugged. “Sure, why not? Swimming sounds pretty fun. Not as cool as lava though.”
“But isn’t lava hot?” Spike asked while following her, watching as her tail swayed. Starlight facehoofed from the rear of the group.
Ember blinked, rather puzzled by his reply. “Uh, yeah it is, but it’s just a phrase. Are you feeling okay?” Even if she’d only seen him that one time during their first encounter, she had a pretty good feel for how Spike should act. Was he always this skittish? She took a glance at Twilight, who had decided that a little swim would be nice, and thus was following right behind.
“Yes, I’m fine, why is everyone asking me that today?” Spike asked, as he looked at his reflection in the smooth, clean lake, flopping his ears about. He stared for so long, that he was only broken from his thoughts by a happy cheer, as Twilight swung off the tire swing, and plunged into the water like a cannonball.
“Woo! Beat that!” She challenged, peering up at Ember as she held the tire in her claws.
Ember smirked opening her wings wide as she flexed. “Oh, it’s on, princess!” She pulled back and swung, getting a good arc before letting go. Curling her tail inward, she tucked into a ball before hitting the water. The splash was big enough to even hit Spike, who hadn’t yet stepped into the water. It wasn’t as if Spike didn’t like water, more the fact that his way of swimming would surely draw unwanted attention.
“Come on, Spike, the water’s great,” Twilight called, staring as Spike took a few steps into the water cautiously. It was no secret that Spike liked to swim, so his hesitation was quite the glaring sign that something was off with him.
Ember splashed a little and climbed out, fluttering her wings. “Come on, Spike, let’s see what you’ve got!” She called, floating on her back.
“S-sure, no problem.” Spike tried to not tremble, as he made his way around the lake and up the path where the tire swing was hung. He started at the two, trying to stay cool. “Come on, can’t be that bad. Just got to not mess up more.” He thought, as his claws clung to the rope and pulled it back, as Twilight watched him carefully. A second ticked by as the dragon took a breath and jumped. The tire arched out over the water, reaching its apex quickly! At the last second, Spike’s grip slipped, causing him to fall and promptly belly flop into the water! He panicked as he sank, squirming about before surfacing! HIs hands spanked the water rapidly, his dog paddle instinct overriding the fact that he was in a different body! His flopping about like a flounder soon ended, when Twilight’s magic surrounded him and floated him out of the water.
“Spike, calm down.” Twilight mothered, watching him wiggle for only a moment, before blushing as he moved to the shallower water.
“That was odd,” Ember blinked, before giving a thumbs up. “That was a sick belly flop though,” She swam over to Spike, patting him on the back. “What was that you were doing with your front legs anyway?”
“Um, well…. it was a doggy paddle,” Spike replied, while glancing at the female dragon’s elegant body.. He tried to imagine what she’d look like as a dog, almost falling in love with the image itself. The daydream ended abruptly, however, as Ember pushed him back lightly. It only took him a second to realize he had been sniffing her again His tried to give his best naive smile as Ember titled her head. “You smell nice.” He commented.
“Err okay then,” Ember raised an eyebrow, before going back to the swing once again, failing to see Starlight facehoof once more. Luck seemed on Spike’s side however, as the next fifteen minutes or so of swimming went alright (Spike doing his best to avoid any strange behaviour).
After what felt like ages, the group decided to head back into town for sweets. The prospect of ice cream did perk up Spike's mood, despite all the underlying stress of keeping a cover. He loved getting the chance to lick up the remnants of vanilla when Twilight let him. He couldn’t do chocolate, of course, even he knew that would harm him. The sudden reminder that he was in fact at this moment a dragon got him to smile wide. Now was his chance to have a big chocolate sunday, and by the time he had to go back it would be safely out of his system. He began to skip along with eager glee, following right behind Twilight. Ember from behind noted Spike’s tail oddly wagging. It was slight, but still noticeable enough for her to raise an eyebrow. The dog turned dragon hardly noticed his instinctual happy moments, as he followed Twilight, along waving at ponies as they passed by.
In no time at all, the group reached Supercube Corner, and Spike was hyper as ever. Any thoughts of blowing his cover, were swept away by the sweet aromas his nose was picking up. “Mmm smell good in here.” He commented, staring up at Twilight. He could also spot the Crusaders at a far off table, chatting amongst themselves. The familiar faces were helping his mood a lot.
Twilight took a glance at the clock, before nodding .“Yeah, I think it’s cinnamon buns.” She commented.
Before either the dragons or Twilight could comment further, Pinkie Pie popped out from a potted plant, smiling. “Sure is, Twilight, I just got done making a fresh batch. Mmm, so melt in your mouth good,” She turned to Spike and in a split second gave a light wink at him before continuing “I take it you three would like one?”
Spike took a step back after seeing the wink, fearing the power of the pink pony. Her human counterpart was weird enough, but could she possibly know? She seemed to know a lot of things ahead of time despite just finding out about stuff herself. The dragon gulped. “Y-yes, I’d love one.”
“Count me in,” Ember added, before sliding into the booth nearby, leaning her staff on the inner wall. Twilight nodded as well, as she slid in, letting Spike take the outside seat. Ember’s attention once more fell upon the younger drake as she smiled. “So Spike, how’s life? Twilight’s letters mentioned something about you having comic books. Those sound kind of cool”
Spike tensed up for a split second.“Oh no! What do I do now?!” He thought nervously. Everything up til now seemed so easy, but having to answer such questions when Twilight was right there? It wouldn’t be easy. He rubbed his neck, trying to recall what the comics looked like when he had glanced briefly at them the other night. “Y-yeah heroes in outfits and magic powers. It’s pretty cool.”
“Any dragon superheroes?” Ember leaned forward, smiling and seeming interested.
With a quick glance at Twilight, Spike tried again to vaguely remember one of the comics on top. “Yeah, there’s this green one with a purple vest and yellow flames decorating it.” Twilight didn't seem to give any indication that he messed up, while Ember seemed interested in other things.
“Jacket, hmm? Always wondered what clothes were like, but hey, can’t hurt to try right? That’s what ponies do, isn’t it?” Ember asked.
Twilight smiled as Starlight finally came back with their coffee. “Well, it varies. Clothes are mostly for fancy events,” She looked up at Starlight, smiling. “What took you so long?”
“Pinkie wanted to talk to me and it took a while,” Starlight explained, as she watched Spike lean back into his seat with her around. While setting the small plate of cupcakes on the table, Starlight looked at Ember’s scepter and reached out to touch it. “This looks amazing.” She commented.
Ember turned her head and slapped Starlight hoof. “No touching!” She scolded, clasping the staff in her right claw.
Spike ended up snickering at the sight, it reminded him of dogs and their favorite toys or bones. He’d often do the same thing with his squirrel chew toy if Winona wanted it. The distraction alone was enough for him to relax a bit more. “So, Ember, what is your favorite gemstone?” He asked, and licked his lips a bit, recalling the sweet taste that ruby had had. He’d sort of miss that when he got back to being a dog.
Ember tapped her chin. “Hmm, that’s a tough choice, but I’d say diamonds.” She replied, taking a cupcake with blue frosting into her claw.
“Well, don’t eat Rarity.” Spike joked remembering the symbol she always had. Twilight broke into a snicker as the Dragon Lord just blinked.
“Huh, I don’t eat ponies. What are you talking...oooh,” Ember realized, and blushed upon finally getting the joke as she giggled. “Good one, Spike.”
Starlight, after recovering from her snickers, looked back at Ember. “I just wanted to look at the staff, I love artifacts.”
“No,” Ember swatted at her hoof again. “Dragons only!” She scowled, seeing Starlight give an adorable pout. She chuckled, looking around some more. “Can’t wait to start negotiations.”
“Oh, I bet the Dragon Lands have lots that we can benefit from,” Twilight commented, smiling at Spike. “And my number one assistant will be right by my side.”
“Y-yeah, sure thing, Twilight,” Spike gave the best grin he could manage while enjoying a cupcake with pink frosting. When he’d finish the treat he took a look around, before staring at Twilight, sighing.
After their snack, the group headed back to the castle, Spike riding upon Twilight’s back and hugging her neck as she walked. The Dragon Lord followed behind, smiling at him the whole time. The dog turned dragon thought about what to do next, attempting to not think about the worries still floating around. He licked his lips, enjoying the taste of the loose gemstone in his teeth as they entered the castle. “Uh, any chores left to do, Twilight?” He asked. “I could sweep if you want.”
Twilight looked back at her little dragon and tapped her chin. “Nah, Spike, you can hang with Ember while she’s here. Let’s go head up the throne room so we can discuss a few things.”
Spike slid off Twilight’s back seeing an opportunity. “Hey want to help me make some drinks, Starlight?” He asked and headed for the hallway, wanting to talk with the unicorn in private.
Starlight nodded. “Sure, Spike, no problem. We’ll be right up, Twilight,” She trotted after the dragon, soon leaving earshot of the other two. She looked at Spike as he twitched a bit. “Are you alright, Spike?” She asked, patting his head.
“Y-yeah, mostly, but Twilight’s going to want me to write,” Spike replied, his ears fell flat against his face. “I can’t write anything, I don’t know how.”
“I could do that for you, Spike.” Starlight suggested.
“But Twilight is bound to notice that. From what I was told, Twilight usually has her Spike dictate for him.” Spike explained.
“Well, you’ll just have to go to the meeting and see what happens, otherwise you’ll just draw more attention,” Starlight explained, as she helped find the cups and mix up the tea. “If you can remember the details I can probably write them down afterward. But yeah, I think Spike left you at a major disadvantage.” With a quick use of her magic, the unicorn quickly added some sugar to the tea.
“Yeah, a bit. But I’m having fun nonetheless. Going to miss all these colors though.” Spike commented.
The duo soon made their way down the hall, and into the throne room. Spike immediately looked upward at the large tree roots that hung from the ceiling. The room itself felt massive with the large, smooth crystal table in the center. The scope of this place was still amazing. He was shaken out of his stupor, upon noticing that Ember wasn’t at the table. He blinked and looked around. “Hey, where’s Ember?” He asked.
A flutter of wings got him to look up, as Ember poked out from one of the large roots. “Man, this room is huge!” She cheered, soon descending to land back at the table. “This place is pretty cool!” She slumped into Rarity’s throne, waving the two over.
Spike took his seat next to Twilight on a smaller throne made of the same material as the table. The cold feeling caused him to shiver a bit as he barely managed a smile. “Yeah, I know right?” A quick glance at Twilight made him ease a bit, the smile was always nice to see. He watched Twilight set some papers down and gulped.
“Well, now that admiring my castle is done, shall we get to work?” Twilight asked, and with a round of nods, Twilight’s glance focused squarely on Spike, wearing her serious face. “So? Mind telling me why you never sent my letter to Ember?”
Spike tried to keep a straight face, as Twilight's beady eyes judged him silently. “Sorry, I forgot.” He blurted, his glance moving towards Starlight in the hopes that she could save him.
“Forgot? I gave it right to you when you weren’t busy. You’re normally on top of these things for me.” Twilight commented, her tone of voice indicating she didn’t buy Spike’s excuse.
“I just got excited about our day out and put it down. It happens.” Spike insisted.
Twilight remained silent, never breaking her stern, judging stare at him. There was something about his tone that was off, but she wasn’t sure why that was just yet. Spike’s flat ears were an odd sight, as were his claws twitching in his lap. “It takes you two seconds to send them. And then there was when you were swimming earlier,” She went on. “Spike, I’m worried that something’s wrong with you. Maybe I should run a scan?”
“No!” Spike yelped. “T-that’s not necessary!” He could see the eyes of both Twilight and Ember questioning his every move, as Starlight moved over.
“I”ve been with him all day, Twilight.” Starlight spoke up, trying to stay calm.
“Yes, and you saw how he’s been acting. Something is not right, Starlight,” Twilight replied, pointing his hoof at Spike. “He was sniffing Ember’s butt for Celestia’s sake,” Said dragon blushed a little, feeling lost at what was going on. Starlight’s foreleg twitched as she hesitated to answer, giving Twilight all the proof she needed, reading Starlight’s expression like an open book “What is it you’re not telling me, Starlight?” Twilight insisted.
Spike's ears went flat as he shook a bit. All the emotion in the room was making him stressed out and for good reason. He’d promised his counterpart he wouldn’t tell, but he couldn’t take it anymore. He put his claws to his head and whimpered. “I'm sorry!” Before looking down at the floor.
“Spike?” Twilight looked down at him as he cowered. Her voice softened as she reached out her hoof and patted his head. “Spike, what’s going on?”
Spike's fists clenched, as he curled up into a ball on the throne. “I’m not your Spike.” He peeked out from behind his claws, seeing Twilight's shocked expression. She was a smart girl, she’d figure it out in a second. As he guessed, that smarty pants brain of hers connected the dots.
Twilight frowned. “So, you’re Spike from the human world?” The dog turned dragon nodded as she continued. “I'm guessing my Spike is over there then?” Another silent nod followed. “But why?”
The dragon looked up, staring up at the group and feeling a little bad for the confused Dragoness sitting across from him. “He just wanted a break and he said I’d really enjoy the experience of being a dragon. I-I mean it is pretty cool.” He explained, but still felt terrible, like he’d betrayed a best friend
“I see,” Twilight commented and turned to face Starlight. “And you were in on it too?”
“Yes, but I thought-” Starlight began.
“You thought you could go behind my back?” Twilight flared her wings. “Why didn’t you I mean he just tell me?!” She turned back to the Spike, and upon seeing how scared he looked her anger faded quickly. She closed her wings and moved over, giving the poor thing a hug.
“He didn’t think you would let him have a break,” Spike explained, looking away. “His offer just sounded so tempting, I’m sorry,” The dragon continued to avoid eye contact, his body shaking much like a dog during a storm. What would happen next? Spike didn’t know but whatever would come, Twilight’s trust in him would be in question. No matter what world, it felt terrible.
Twilight’s wing wrapped around the drake, trying to comfort Spike as she considered her next words carefully. The dragon braced himself but her voice was soft. “Spike, I won’t blame you for wanting to see our world. I was just as curious when I first saw yours,” She pet his back gently. “We can deal with my Spike later,” She reluctantly sighed. “Right now, I have the meeting with Ember to attend too.”
Ember blinked, staring at Spike with a new sense of understanding. “Oh, you’re a dog? That explains the butt sniffing.”
As Spike blushed, Starlight let out a breath. “I”m sorry, Twilight, I didn’t mean to make you upset. I just thought Spike wanted a break. Didn’t seem like a big deal really.”
Twilight took a moment to think, petting Spike along his back. “While I may be still upset at Spike. But for now, I just hope he’s doing okay. “
The dog turned dragon looked up at Twilight shrugging. “Probably with Fluttershy I think. I mean what trouble could he get into at the pound?” Upon explaining, he failed to notice Twilight’s eyes go wide as she squeezed the dragon in her hooves. “Eep, was it something I said?!” He wondered.
“The pound?! What if Spike ends up getting shots, he’s not really a dog?! Who knows what that would do to him?!” Twilight exclaimed.
“But I got my shots just last week,” Spike replied, as he instinctively rubbed his hips. Seeing Twilight’s panic fade he looked back up. “Um, can I have some more gems?” He asked.
Twilight shook her head picking up the dragon. “No, I can’t take a risk. I need to go get him.” Her motherly instincts were on full alert as she rushed down the hall forgetting her meeting her mind made up. Spike meeped wiggling like a ragdoll and moments later was blinded as the princes ran head first into the portal
Twilight’s panic attack was momentarily brought to a pause as the disorientation that normally followed the transition from the pony world to human world occurred. Without properly bracing herself, the princess ended up toppling over her own feet, tumbling to the ground once on the other side. Spike (or rather Dog Spike), who had been in Twilight’s magic at the time of entry was sent flying upon exiting, skidding across the pavement. Twilight quickly got up and gasped. “Spike, are you okay?!” She hurried over, checking him for any cuts or bruises and relieved when she found he was no worse for wear. He may not be her Spike, but that was no reason to not care about him. “Sorry, I wasn’t thinking what would happen with an object in flight through the portal.” She apologized.
Spike shook the dirt off himself, wagging his tail a bit. “I’m fine, really. Besides, it’s not like you opened the door on my face.”
“That was one time!” Twilight blushed, realizing that said event had happened to both Spikes somehow. Upon seeing Spike roll his eyes she spoke. “Um, hehe, long story,” She looked around at the high school, the realization that she hadn’t thought her plan through sinking in. She wasn’t even sure where her Spike would be. “Oh, Spike could be in danger, and I don’t know where to start!”
Spike face pawed before putting his paws to her leg and standing up. “Twilight, he’ll be fine, trust me. Would your Fluttershy ever put him in danger?”
“Well, no, but this is different.” Twilight protested.
Before Spike could counter that logic, a peppy voice broke their focus. Both turned to look, soon noticing none other than Pinkie Pie skipping up to them. “Hey, Twilight, I thought you were going to pick up Spike,” Pinkie blinked, taking a second look at the princess.. “Oopsie, my mistake. What are you doing here, Princess Twilight?”
Twilight ignored the formalities, adrenaline still rushing through her system. “I’m looking for Spike!” She blurted out.
Pinkie tilted her head. “But, he’s right at your feet. I mean, thinking you lost your glasses or fumbling around for a pencil only to realize you already put them on or have one happens all the time. But a dog is kind of hard to forget about.” She giggled, leaning down to pet Spike’s back.
“No, I mean my Spike.” Twilight corrected.
Spike wagged his tail, before he explained. “It’s a long story, can you help us?”
Pinkie giggled. “Oh, you did a switcharoo? Neat! Why didn’t I think of that?!” She stood up and looked around for a moment before continuing. “But yeah, I can help, that’s what friends are for. What do you need, princess?”
“Well I wanted to go after my Spike and check if he’s okay, but,” She blushed, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. “I don’t know any place, other than this school and your house.”
“Oh, I see. I’ll just text our Twilight, easy peasy.” Upon hearing that Twilight slumped slightly in relief. If anyone would know where dragon Spike was at the moment, it would be her.
The Equestrian Spike felt nervous as he was walked back to Twilight’s place. After the strange event at the pound, Fluttershy had been keeping an eye on him, even as she moved down the street. “Maybe you ran into something magical.” She turned back to look at the dog, as if that would magically make the mark appear.
“I don’t know,” Spike shrugged. He tried his best to stay calm, but lying still felt awful to him. Applejack’s habits must be rubbing off on him. “I feel fine, okay.” He protested.
“If you say so,” Fluttershy replied, but she sounded unsure as they crossed through the yard, and stepped onto the porch. Spike did his best to stay calm, as Fluttershy knocked on the door. Moments later, Twilight Velvet opened the door, smiling.
Spike wagged his tail, keeping up the innocent act as he ran inside, spotting Twilight on the couch with a book in her lap. Twilight smiled as he came in and reached her hand down to scratch behind his ear. The momentary distraction made him forget about the worries at hand, as he found himself going limp at the sensation. If only the feeling was this good as a dragon. Although knowing his Twilight, she’d use it to get her way more often (not that she was one to abuse such things intentionally).
“Hey, Spike, did you enjoy your time with the other dogs?” Twilight asked and kept up the ear scratch, as Spike’s feet thumped the floor. He smiled and nodded.
Fluttershy watched for a moment before coughing. “Um ,Twilight, can we talk in private?” She asked.
Twilight blinked but got up. “Oh, is something wrong?” She lead Fluttershy and Spike to her bedroom. She didn’t notice Spike letting out a noticeable gulp as he slugged behind. Once in the bedroom, she sat down on her bed. “Please tell me Spike didn’t get himself in trouble.” She pleaded, worried that perhaps Spike might have accidentally talked to some stranger instead of just barking.
“Well, the veterinarian, Dr. Fauna, was looking him over. and you know that one cut that’s been healing?” Fluttershy asked, to which Twilight nodded. “Well, it’s gone.”
“Gone?! “ Twilight tilted her head, looking down at Spike who had broken eye contact with her. “What do you mean ‘Gone’?!”
“Like it never happened.” Fluttershy rubbed her neck. “The vet said there weren’t even scars.”
Twilight’s eyebrow raised ever so slightly, as she looked down at Spike. “Maybe he got exposed to more Equestrian magic somehow?”
Spike hopped up onto the bed. “Yeah, maybe it’s from my other self.” He gulped, hoping that Twilight would buy it.
“I don’t know, Spike-” Twilight began, but was suddenly cut off as her phone buzzed nearby. She was quick to reach for it. She stared at the text confused. This of course, only made Spike gulp again as he worried about everything around him, as the dominos fell one by one to his eventual discovery, Twilight’s gaze wasn’t helping matters.
The room was silent for a moment as Twilight texted back, tilting her head. Spike gulped. “What is it, Twilight? Did Sunset find some magical artifact or something?” He asked, hopefully.
“No, but Princess Twilight is coming over. Pinkie said something about Spike’s double.” Twilight responded and her eyes narrowed at Spike, as he smiled awkwardly
“Uh, hehe, I can explain?” He nervously answered.
Pinkie and Princess Twilight arrived minutes later, the group deciding the best place to talk would be the basement. The Princess eyed the bookshelf that ran across the far wall, filled with all kind of books. She was impressed by the organization skills of her human world counterpart. “Wow, looks a lot like my study at home.”
“Great minds think alike,” The other Twilight said, glancing down at the two Spikes. “So, what’s going on?”
The princess looked at her Spike and crossed her arms. “Spike apparently wanted a vacation and thought swapping places with his twin would work.”
Both dogs shuffled their paws around as the Equestrian one spoke. “I”m sorry, Twilight, I just wanted some time off. I didn’t mean to make you worry.”
The other one looked back. “I enjoyed the other world though, gems are actually pretty tasty.”
“I know, right?” Equestrian Spike responded. “Did you get a chance to try the blue ones?”
“More important things to talk about, you two,” The princess scolded, taking a seat on the couch. “Spike, you could have just told me, I would've said yes. I'm disappointed that you thought this would work out.”
Spike’s ears went flat as he whimpered. “Sorry, I just thought you would need me too much to let me take a long break. I mean, we’re always doing something.” The dog looked away again.
The princess sighed, gently petting her number one assistant. She thought back to when she would work herself to the bone, only for Spike to suggest taking a break. “Spike, I appreciate that you always want to help, but why would you think you don’t get to have breaks as well? You scared me half to death when I first found out about the switch. How do you think that made me feel?”
“I don’t know, I just…” Spike thought for a moment, and upon thinking back he really couldn’t think of a very solid reason why. Starlight had been supportive of the idea though, being a good friend and all. “I’m sorry, I should have talked to you first.” He apologized as best he could.
The princess held her Spike close, giving him a soft hug. “I’m just glad you’re okay, Spike. Didn’t think you would ever think of such a scheme.”
“Oh actually did! It once, I forgot,” Pinkie bluted out, as everyone looked at her. She shrugged and answered. “What? I wanted to see the Sonic Rainboom.”
“Well, that explains why you forgot about Muffin Monday,” The human world Spike commented. “Am I in trouble?” He asked a moment later, worried he’d done something wrong.
Human Twilight adjusted her glasses, as she petted her dog. “I really don’t see how you did anything wrong, Spike. You got an adventure out of it.”
Spike nodded. “Yeah, and got to sniff a dragon’s butt.”
“You did what?!” The other Spike gasped, blushing.
“Yeah, this blue dragon showed up and uh, I wasn't sure how to greet her.” The other dog just sank his face into his paws, lamenting that he’d never live that down, even if it had been his other self doing it. The girls all seemed to get a laugh out of it regardless.
When everyone had calmed down. Equestrian Spike leaned on the princess and spoke again. “So what now, Twilight, you taking me home?”
“I should ground you for lying to me like you did,” The princess sternly commented. “But, now that I know what’s going on, I think I can let you stay for a few more days. You do deserve a vacation after all.”
The other Spike ran around in place. “Oh boy! I get to explore and eat gems and all kind of things right?!” The now hyperactive dog looked up at his owner with puppy eyes. Much like a dog asking to be taken on a walk, it was hard to say no to that sort of thing.
The two Twilights look at their respective Spikes, before nodding in agreement with each other. The dogs high pawed each other, dancing around in excitement. The princess, however, stopped them mid celebration. “However, Spike, I want a friendship letter from you in return when you get back.” She smirked.
“Seriously?” Spike looked up in confusion, only to see a nod from Twilight in response. However the princess soon broke into laughter upon seeing Spike’s expression.
“Well, I have to make sure you learn your lesson so you don’t think to do this again,” Twilight explained. “You scared me and my human world counterpart quite a bit with this switch-up. And what if I’d needed you for something important? Next time, please ask before you think of doing this, okay?”
“I’m sure you are, Spike,” Princess Twilight got up, and motioned for human world Spike to follow her. “Just stay out of trouble for the rest of your vacation.”
“Same goes for you, Spike,” Human Twilight warned. “No sniffing any other creature’s butts. It’s not polite, and you don’t know where they’ve been.”
“Relax, I know now that’s not how you greet others in the pony world.” Dog Spike replied, then set off with Princess Twilight.
Equestrian Spike just sighed, glad that things had worked out okay in the end. Well, aside from having to explain to Dr. Fauna why she wasn’t imaging things over the disappearing cut.
