> Forever Lasting Bonds
>  by SonicSpeed Kaleb
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> The Magic of Friendship Part one
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Forever Lasting Bonds

Season one Episode one: The Magic of Friendship Part one





A female narrator's voice was heard as pages of a book were shown describing what was happening in them with the voice explaining what it ws all about.  "Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, there were two regal sisters who ruled together and created harmony for all the land. To do this, the eldest used her unicorn powers to raise the sun at dawn; the younger brought out the moon to begin the night. Thus, the two sisters maintained balance for their kingdom and their subjects, all the different types of ponies. But as time went on, the younger sister became resentful. The ponies relished and played in the day her elder sister brought forth, but shunned and slept through her beautiful night. One fateful day, the younger unicorn refused to lower the moon to make way for the dawn. The elder sister tried to reason with her, but the bitterness in the young one's heart had transformed her into a wicked mare of darkness: Nightmare Moon."

A lightning crack was heard as the narrator continued. "She vowed that she would shroud the land in eternal night. Reluctantly, the elder sister harnessed the most powerful magic known to ponydom: the Elements of Harmony. Using the magic of the Elements of Harmony, she defeated her younger sister, and banished her permanently in the moon. The elder sister took on responsibility for both..."

A young female voice was heard speaking alongside the narrator as it eventually changed to her, eventually revealing it to be a lavender unicorn. "Sun and moon...and harmony as maintained in Equestria for Generations since. Hmm...Elements of Harmony. I know I've heard of those before...but where?" The unicorn closed the book she was reading and ran off, hoping to find what she was looking for.





Inside a tower of sorts, a young dragon was just waking up, stretching his arms and yawning as he looked out the window. He saw Twilight turning down an offer to hang out with three fellow unicorns, leaving the dragon to sigh as he showed his disappointment. "Sis." The dragon looked at the Tv and saw a Pegasus in a blue costume throwing some kind of bomb at something, turning it off before he left his room. "At least she's not getting involved in those."

The dragon ran up to the stairs and jumped onto the handrail, sliding down it and doing a skid stop next to a table with a present on it. As he picked said present up, the door slammed open on his face with the unicorn walking in. "Spike! Spi-ike!" The unicorn saw Spike on the ground rubbing his head, helping him up with her magic. "Sorry about that. I was in a rush after I heard something I feel like I read before."

"Something world saving?" The unicorn nodded her head yes with a smile, despite Spike's playful snark, and he then got a look at the gift box as a teddy bear fell out, along with a picture of Twilight with a few unicorns. "Ya know, looking back, I think Moondancer would be more into a book on Equestrian spells." Twilight rolled her eyes as she went upstairs with Spike asking about it. "What do you think Twilight? Book on spells, or book on mythological creatures?"

"Spike, you know we don't have time for that. I have to find my book on Predictions and Prophecies." Twilight replied as she started tossing books around, but still took the time to answer his question. "But regardless, she prefers books on spells. Last time I showed her a mythological creature she freaked!" A slightly burnt book was shown with Spike rubbing his head with a chuckle as Twilight gave him a blunt look. "You're flawless at your job."

Spike walked over to a ladder and slid around on it, cheering with excitement as he found the book Twilight wanted, while Twilight was getting rather impatient. "Spike!"

"Hold yourself, I got it here." Spike replied, and then Twilight pulled the book while he was holding onto it with him thankfully stopping himself from hitting the ground. He then pulled out a quill and scroll with Twilight taking notice. "You're gonna tell Celestia about this, aren't you."

"And just how did you know that?" Twilight replied with a smile on her face, appreciating Spike's efficiency.

"Because I know you." Spike responded while playfully booping his older sister's muzzle, making her giggle as she looked at the book.

Twilight was looking through the book as she found exactly what she was looking for: Information on the Elements of Harmony. "Yes! This is what I need! The Mare in the Moon, myth from olden pony times. A powerful pony who wanted to rule Equestria, defeated by the Elements of Harmony and imprisoned in the moon. Legend has it that on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape, and she will bring about nighttime eternal!"

Spike found this to be quite interesting, getting a look at it and finding it intriguing. "Want me to write how awesome it'd sound to live in that time?"

"Yes, because living in the time where one of the royal sisters got banished is the best thing that could happen to us all." Twilight replied with sarcasm, giving Spike instructions on what to write. "Here's what you SHOULD tell her. (Spike starts writing) My dearest teacher, my continuing studies of pony magic have led me to discover that we are on the precipice of disaster!

Spike had trouble spelling one of the words, or pronouncing it for that matter. "Preci...preci..."

"Pice." Twilight finished, much to Spike's gratitude as he finished that part of the letter. "For you see, the mythical Mare in the Moon is in fact Nightmare Moon, and she's about to return to Equestria, and bring with her eternal night! Something must be done to make sure this terrible prophecy does not come true. I await your quick response. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle."

Spike had to admit he was a bit hesitant about sending it now. He knew what day it was tomorrow, and that Celestia was probably busy. "You sure you wanna send it now? She might be busy with the Summer Sun Celebration. Which is in like, two days."

"But that's just IT Spike." Twilight responded with confidence that the timing would be perfect. "The day after tomorrow is the thousandth year of the Summer Sun Celebration! It's imperative that the Queen is told right away!"

Spike shrugged and sent the letter, feeling like this was a bad idea. "I wouldn't hold your breath Twilight. Especially since I don't know what imperative means."

Spike suddenly burped out a letter, grabbing it and opening it up with Twilight telling him what imperative meant. "It means important."

"Thank you." Spike started reading the letter, clearly not taking it seriously. "My dearest, most faithful student Twilight, blah blah, blah, you know that I value your diligence and that I trust you completely, yadda yadda yadda." Twilight rolled her eyes while smiling at her brother's incompetence, knowing he was always excited to get to the 'good stuff' in his notes. "But you simply must stop reading those dusty old books! (Twilight flinches) Ooh, I like that one. I gotta send her a reply later today."





Spike and Twilight were in a chariot with Spike looking at the letter with a smile on his face. "Face it Twilight. Now you have to make friends." Twilight sighed, not being up for making friends now, or ever. "Don't worry, I'll help you. If I was attending the school in Canterlot I would be the most popular with little to no effort."

Twilight snorted as she and Spike landed, calling him out on his ego as they got off. "I doubt it. (To the chariot Pegasi) Thank you sirs. (Back to Spike) Loving video games, Tv, and skateboarding doesn't make you cool, it's just stuff you do."

"Cmon, there's more to me than that." Spike defended himself, and they saw a pink earth pony hopping over to them. "Just give it a shot with this one. She seems friendly."

Twilight shrugged and walked up to the pink earth pony to greet her. "Hello." The pink earth pony gasped and dashed off with Spike hopping onto Twilight's back with a joke in mind. "Guess she had cynicism repellent." Twilight rolled her eyes and walked off to check on the first of the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration.





Spike and Twilight were walking up to some kind of farm with Spike taking a liking to the country style scenery. "Ya know Twilight, we should consider moving out to the country sometime. There wouldn't be a lot of ponies around to disrupt your studies, and even then the residents that WOULD be around would be really friendly." Twilight found the opportunity intriguing with Spike announcing where they were. "Sweet Apple Acres. Also known as my buffet."

Just then, an orange earth pony ran past Spike and Twilight at high speeds, kicking a tree with her back hooves and making the apples from it fall into the baskets. Spike took a liking to this and was more than happy to ask Twilight about it. "Can I kick the trees here too?"

"No."

"No means yes."

"Not MY no."

"It does now."

Just then, the orange earth pony started shaking Spike's claw, much to his delight. "Well howdy do partners! A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Spike started laughing as Applejack stopped shaking with Twilight speaking up. "Yes, well thank you for giving my brother nausua. I'm Twilight Sparkle, and this is Spike. We're here to-"

Applejack started shaking Twilight's hoof, much to her surprise. "I'm Applejack. We here at Sweet Apple Acres sure do love makin' new friends!"

Spike snickered a bit at that last part, knowing this would be a fun one. "Good luck becoming Twilight's friend. She hates friends."

"I see." Applejack responded with skepticism, but then she put on a smile. "Well maybe I can change your mind." Twilight shrugged, seeing as they had business here anyway, and then Applejack went over to a bell and started ringing it. "Come on everypony!"

Just then, a bunch of ponies brought Spike and Twilight over to a big table with Spike taking quite a liking to it, especially after he saw the family. "I like this town already!"

Twilight smiled upon seeing Spike having a good time, feeling it wouldn't hurt to stay for a bit longer than intended. "We came from Canterlot to check on the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration. With all of these hooves helping out, I think it's safe to assume you're ready

"We sure as sugar are!" Applejack replied with proudness. "Care to sample some?" Spike nodded with excitement and Applejack started introducing everyone. "Great! Before that though, I think it's best you get to know everyone. (Multiple ponies are shown after the name is called, one at a time) This here's Apple Fritter. Apple Bumpkin. Red Gala. Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Caramel Apple, Apple Strudel, Apple Tart, Baked Apples, Apple Brioche, Apple Cinnamon Crisp... [deep breath] Big McIntosh, Apple Bloom and Granny Smith. Granny Smith, we got guests."

Granny Smith smiled and got up, walking over to them as best she could with Spike finding all the names to be hard to keep track of. "Not that I don't appreciate the warm welcome, but I'm not exactly familiar with some of these apple dishes."

"No problem. I'd be happy to tell you all about them." Applejack replied, leaving Twilight nervous about how long this will take.

Applebloom sat down next to Twilight, taking a sip out of some kind of apple beverage. "I know how ya feel. I barely got through the whole thing."





Spike and Twilight were walking through Ponyville with Twilight shown go have a big belly from all the food she ate. "Ugh...I ate too much pie."

"I can NEVER eat too much pie." Spike bragged as he patted his stomach, making Twilight roll her eyes with Spike looking at who's next on the list. "Ah, Rainbow Dash, I've met her before. She's cool. Funny she'd have a job as boring as weather patrol."

Twilight looked around and saw that the sky wasn't as clear as it should be. "Probably because she's too incompetent for anything else."

Just then, a cyan Pegasus landed right into Twilight, making her fall in the mud with the Pegasus getting up and noticing her. She chuckled a bit and helped her up. "Scuse me. Trying to show my brother some sick flight tricks." Rainbow Dash noticed Spike and walked up to him with a fist bump. "Great to see you again short stuff. How's life going?"

"Pretty well, thanks." Spike replied, still remembering when he first met Rainbow Dash. "You still have those goggles Spitfire autographed?"

"You know it." Rainbow dash answered with delight as Twilight walked up to them and wiped the mud off of her face. "Oh, right, sorry. Should probably wash you off." Rainbow Dash flew over to a cloud and put it over Twilight, kicking it and having it wash her off, with quite a bit of water in fact. "Whoops. Guess I overdid it."

"Yes. The intention certainly wasn't to splash me with water." Twilight responded with sarcasm as Rainbow Dash then started swirling around in a circle. While this was happening, a cyan Pegasus that was Spike's age walked flew right next to him. When the two noticed each other, they both smiled with the Pegasus rubbing his arm and Spike waving nervously.

When the mini tornado was done, Rainbow Dash landed and exclaimed what that was. "I call it the Rain-Blow Dry! No no, don't thank me. You're quite welcome."

"Thank you anyway. I've always wanted to look like a poofy haired party maniac." Twilight snarked, leading to Rainbow Dash laughing at how poofy she looked, leading to Spike doing the same with the other Pegasus snickering a bit. Twilight noticed the Pegasus standing next to Spike and addressed him. "You must be Rainbow Dash's brother."

"Yep." The Pegasus responded, and then he introduced himself. "My name's Lightspeed. Though, I don't exactly live up to that name yet."

"That's why I decided to train him." Rainbow Dash chimed in. "To help him realize his full potential."

Twilight giggled a bit, to Rainbow Dash's confusion as the Unicorn then brought up her actual occupation. "Sorry. But if you can't keep the sky clear for one messily day, which keep in mind is how you earn your living, then how can you expect to be the best teacher for Lightspeed over here?"

Rainbow dash took a liking to that and decided to make it into a challenge. "Hey now; I can clear this sky in ten seconds flat!" Lightspeed took out a stopwatch and started it, having Rainbow Dash kick all the clouds, except for the one she landed on in the end, after ten seconds. "Told ya. Ten. Seconds. Flat. I'd never leave Ponyville hanging." Twilight was astonished with Rainbow Dash chuckling a bit. "You should see the look on your face. You're a laugh whatever your name is."

Spike gestured Rainbow Dash with an impressed look with Lightspeed nodding in agreement as Twilight then introduced herself. "Twilight Sparkle. And you've already met my brother Spike."

"Your brothers with a dragon!? That's awesome!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, knowing Twilight would be a blast to hang around. "I can't wait to hang out some more Twilight. (Twilight flinches) But for now, I gotta train Lightspeed."

"Any chance I can join you after getting my wings?" Spike asked, and Lightspeed was more than happy to accept.

"Of course! You'd love my sister's training. And hopefully part of that is because I'm there." Lightspeed whispered the last part so Spike couldn't hear it, flying off with Rainbow Dash as the two waved goodbye. "See ya later!"

"Okay, bye; love you!" Spike realized what he finished with and did a face palm. "What did I say that for!?"

Twilight giggled at seeing Spike finding his first crush, walking with him as she commented on it. "I support whatever relationship you enter regardless of gender." Spike smiled upon hearing that, even though he already knew Twilight was okay with whatever gender he dated."





Spike and Twilight arrived at a gorgeous looking boutique with Spike sitting on Twilight's back and poking her poofy mane. "I think you look good with a poofy mane. It makes you look like a clown only you don't have the stupid costume."

"Why thank you Spike. I love being compared to circus freaks." Twilight deadpanned, and then she and Spike entered the boutique and looked around. "

Spike got a good look at something he liked with a white Unicorn shown to be looking over the ribbons for the Summer Sun Celebration. "No, no, no, oh! Goodness no."

Spike dashed up to the Unicorn and spoke with a flirtatious voice as he sat on the table next to the ribbons. "Hey baby. (The Unicorn looks with a bit of surprise) You free tonight?"

The Unicorn giggled a bit as Twilight walked up to the two of them. "Aren't you a charmer. But I'm looking for someone around the age of an adult."

"Fair enough." Spike replied as he stepped down, having had the thought he wasn't gonna win the Unicorn over. "I'll settle for snagging a soda from your fridge"

"Spike, what have I told you about asking strangers for soda?" Twilight asked, and Spike shrugged, indicating that he forgot with the Unicorn being shocked by her mane being all poofy. "You must be Rarity. We're just here to check on the decorations, and then I'll be out of your hair!"

"Out of MY hair? What about YOUR hair?!" Rarity started bringing Twilight with her to another room, much to her dismay.

"Wait! Where are we going?! Help!" Spike didn't hear Twilight's cry for help as he was pulling a cherry soda out of Rarity's fridge. When he saw that they were gone, he ran off to find them.





Spike was drinking his soda as Rarity was trying to make the perfect design for Twilight's mane. "No, no, uh-uh. Too green. Too yellow. Too poofy. Not poofy enough. Too frilly. Too... shiny." Rarity noticed that Spike was drinking a soda and giggled a bit. "So you actually got the soda."

"I never turn a soda down." Spike informed Rarity, and she took note of that as Spike started talking about where he and Twilight were from. "We can't stay forever though. We just came from Canterlot to check on the Summer Sun Celebration stuff."

Rarity was amazed to hear that, finding the thought of living in Canterlot to be amazing. "Canterlot?! Oh, I am so envious! The glamour, the sophistication! I have always dreamed of living there! I can't wait to hear all about it! We are gonna be the best of friends, you and I... Emeralds?! What was I thinking? Let me get you some rubies!"

When Rarity left, Twilight lifted Spike up and put him on her back before running off. "Hurry! Before she decides to dye my main a new color!"





Spike and Twilight were heading to the last stop with Spike shown to be writing a sketch of Lightspeed. Twilight took note of this with Spike explaining his sketch. "I was able to picture him in my mind well enough to justify making a decent sketch. Just in case it's a while before we come back, I wanna make sure I can look at him."

"Just be sure to focus Casanova Da Vinci." Twilight responded, taking a shot at both of the beings Spike was similar to at the moment. "We only have one last stop to do, and that's to check on the music."

"Ha! And next thing ya know, ponies will say you don't need me."

"Little do they know that couldn't be any farther from the truth."

Spike and Twilight arrived to find a yellow Pegasus orchestrating a flock of birds with Spike nodding to Twilight. While the Pegasus was orchestrating the birds, she saw one of them was a bit off and spoke with pure kindness when speaking to him. "Oh my. Um, stop please, everyone, umm. Excuse me, sir? I mean no offense, but your rhythm is just a teeny-tiny bit off. (The bird nods in understanding) Now, follow me, please. A-one, a-two, a-one two three-"

"Hello!" Twilight chimed in, surprising the Pegasus with the birds flying off. "Oh my, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to frighten your birds. I'm just here to check up on the music and it's sounding beautiful."

The Pegasus smiled softly at Twilight's compliment, flying down to her as she spoke to her. "Um...thank you."

"I'm Twilight Sparkle. What's your name?" Twilight asked, and the Pegasus didn't exactly know how to respond.

"Um...I'm Fluttershy." Fluttershy spoke quietly, and Twilight missed what she said.

"I'm sorry, what was that?"

"Um...my name is Fluttershy."

"Didn't quite catch that."

Fluttershy started squeaking with Spike popping up and resting his elbow on her head. "Her name's Fluttershy."

Fluttershy saw Spike and became amazed with Spike jumping over her head. "A baby dragon!" Fluttershy was amazed to see that Twilight had a baby dragon with her. "Oh, I've never seen a baby dragon before. He's sooo cute!"

"This is my brother Spike." Twilight introduced, putting Spike on his back and walking off as the birds returned. "Anyway, it looks like your birds are back. We'll leave you to your work."

Fluttershy signaled the birds to meet her later and they flew off, leaving her to walk up to Spike and Twilight. "If you don't mind, I'd like to get to know you two more. Just in case you come back."

"Sure thing." Spike replied instantly, making Twilight flinch with concern. "Let's talk about me first since I'm awesomer."

"That's not a word." Twilight snarked, not having the time for Spike to explain everything about himself.

"It is now." Spike insisted, and then he started telling Fluttershy about himself. "Okay. So I started out as a cute little purple and green egg. At least I THINK it was purple and green. I didn't get a good look at it after I was born..."





Spike was still telling Fluttershy about himself, having told her about everything he did up until today. "And that's the story of my whole life. Well, until today that is. And I'm lovin it here so far, so today's also awesome."

"Ooh, please tell." Fluttershy requested, and then Twilight lifted Spike off of her back and put him in front of a door of a library that looked like a tree.

Twilight really wasn't in the mood for more storytelling so she decided to get away without hurting Fluttershy's feelings. "I am so sorry, how did we get here so fast? This is where I'm staying while in Ponyville and my poor baby dragon needs his sleep."

"Twilight, I'm thirteen." Spike revealed, much to Fluttershy's surprise as Spike crossed his arms. "True I've got at least three years before I go into my true teenage body, but I still don't need sleep right now."

Twilight gave a blunt look and turned to Fluttershy, hoping she'd understand. "Sorry, I'm really not in the mood to hang out right now."

"Fair enough. I hope we can-" Twilight dashed inside with Spike, leaving Fluttershy with a blank expression. "Talk more later."

Spike and Twilight were in the library with the room shown to be pitch black. "Rude much? Not everyone has a baby dragon in their life."

Twilight sighed, knowing she had to focus on convincing Celestia that Nightmare Moon was coming "Sorry, Spike, but I have to convince the Queen that Nightmare Moon is coming, and we're running out of time! I just need to be alone so I can study without a bunch of crazy ponies trying to make friends all the time."

"You mean like what everyone who's normal does?" Spike snarked, and then when he turned the light on, pretty much everyone in Ponyville was there and they shouted 'Surprise!' with Spike dashing over to Twilight. "Even with the break in they're more socially advanced than you."

Twilight rolled her eyes as she walked over to the snack table with the pink pony from earlier popping up and jumping up and down as she walked with her. "Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie, and I threw this party just for you! Were you surprised? Were ya? Were ya? Huh huh huh?"

"Very surprised." Twilight replied, and then she deadpanned a bit. "Libraries are supposed to be quiet."

"Pardon my sister." Spike chimed in with a sly grin. "She's such a mood."

"Oh, I know my fair share of those." Pinkie pie assured Spike, jumping near Twilight as she continued talking. "Well quiet thing is silly! What kind of welcome party would this be if it were quiet? I mean, duh, bo-ring! Y'see, I saw you when you first got here, remember? You were all "hello" and I was all [deep gasp], remember? Y'see I've never saw you before and if I've never saw you before that means you're new, 'cause I know everypony, and I mean everypony in Ponyville!"

Twilight groaned in annoyance as Pinkie Pie kept talking. "And if you're new, that meant you haven't met anyone yet, and if you haven't met anyone yet, you must not have any friends, and if you don't have any friends then you must be lonely, and that made me so sad, then I had an idea, and that's why I went [deep gasp]! I must throw a great big ginormous super-duper spectacular welcome party and invite everyone in Ponyville! See? And now you have lots and lots of friends!"

Twilight squirt something on a cupcake and ended up burning her mouth, much to the concern of Applejack. "Are you all right sugarcube?"

Twilight dashed upstairs after a train whistle sound blew from her ears with Pinkie pie smiling. "Aww, she's so happy she's crying!"

Spike grabbed the hot sauce bottle and opened it up, pouring the whole thing in his mouth and everyone started cheering for him. "Heck yeah baby! (Smashes the bottle on the ground) Let's kick this party into high gear!"

Twilight was in her room with Spike opening the door while chugging down an extra large soda bottle. "Hey Twilight! Party's just getting started down here! (Loud belch) You gotta see Rarity's singing, it's sick!"

Twilight was quite annoyed by the party in her house, especially considering the circumstances. "All the ponies in this town are crazy! Do you know what time it is?!"

"Time for you to grow out of kindergarten and learn how to socialize?" Spike snarked with a smug grin as he then explained why everyone was here. "It's the eve of the Summer Sun Celebration. Everypony has to stay up, or they'll miss the chance to see Queen Celestia raise the sun! You really should lighten up, Twilight. It's a party! For us!" Twilight mocked Spike's words with Spike taking notice to how much focus she was putting on the moon. "Does this have something to do with the Nightmare Moon thing?"

Twilight was already annoyed at the thought of making friends, and this party wasn't helping, which Spike caught onto quickly. "Ugh, here I thought I'd have time to learn about the Elements of Harmony but, silly me, all this ridiculous friend-making has kept me from it! "Legend has it that on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape, and she will bring about everlasting night." I hope the Queen was right... I hope it really is just an old pony tale..."

Spike put a palm on Twilight's shoulder, making her smile as she looked back at him. "Look Twilight. I'm no therapist, but blocking yourself from everyone out there outside of your duties isn't healthy for you. This'll be a good change for you." Twilight scoffed with Spike shrugging as he jumped off of the bed. "Would it make you feel any better if we went to watch the sun rise?" Twilight smiled and nodded, liking the sound of that. "Heh. Sometimes it's like I'M the older sibling."

"Dream on lizard breath." Twilight shot as she hopped off the bed with Spike getting up on her back as she walked off.





Spike was chugging down a whole bowl of punch as he then heard Lightspeed laughing from behind. He found Spike's antics to be quite hilarious as Spike set the bowl down and let out a burp as he looked at Lightspeed. "That's me alright. Total party animal."

"I'm assuming you wanna upstage Celestia in a bit." Lightspeed responded with a chuckle, leading to Spike nodding proudly. "Well good luck. It's a rare chance anyone can do something more impressive than raising the sun."

Spike tossed a chocolate cupcake to Lightspeed, grabbing one for himself as well with Lightspeed biting into his. "Well okay, maybe I won't be able to do it THIS year, but one of these years I'll be able to do it." Lightspeed nodded with excitement, which Spike instantly caught onto. "I can tell I'm already getting myself an audience."

Just then, Pinkie pie popped up through the scene, walking up completely after she started talking. "Isn't this exciting? Are you excited, 'cause I'm excited, I've never been so excited— well, except for the time that I saw you walking into town and I went [deep gasp] but I mean really, who can top that?"

Just then, the mayor came onto a stand and spoke into the microphone to announce the Summer Sun Celebration. "Fillies and gentlecolts, as mayor of Ponyville, it is my great pleasure to announce the beginning of the Summer Sun Celebration!" Ponies were cheering as Spike took a step closer to Lightspeed and wrapped an arm around him, which he didn't mind at all. " In just a few moments, our town will witness the magic of the sunrise, and celebrate this, the longest day of the year! And now, it is my great honor to introduce to you the ruler of our land, the very pony who gives us the sun and the moon each and every day, the good, the wise, the bringer of harmony to all of Equestria..."

Suddenly, a dark coated Alicorn burst through the curtains, leading to everyone questioning who she was as she spoke with high authority. "Oh, my beloved subjects. It's been so long since I've seen your precious little sun-loving faces."

"What did you do with our queen!?" Rainbow Dash demanded to know, and Applejack held her back from flying up there.

"Take it easy girl." Applejack warned Rainbow Dash, feeling this was a threat that they couldn't handle so easily.

The Alicorn chuckled a bit as she then began talking. "Why, am I not royal enough for you? Don't you know who I am?"

"Ooh, ooh, guessing games!" Pinkie pie dashed up to the Alicorn's position with excitement. "Um, Hokey Smokes! How about... Queen Meanie! No! Black Snooty, Black Snooty-"

The Alicorn pushed Pinkie pie off of the balcony and demanded some answers. "Does my crown no longer count now that I have been imprisoned for a thousand years? Did you not recall the legend? Did you not see the signs?"

"I did." Twilight spoke up from the crowd, facing the Alicorn without an ounce of fear. "And I know who you are. You're the Mare in the Moon – Nightmare Moon!"

Everyone was shocked to hear that Nightmare Moon had returned with the Alicorn being delighted to know that someone remembered her. "Well well well, somepony who remembers me. Then you also know why I'm here."

"You're here to force the world into eternal night." Spike spoke up from the crowd, catching Nightmare Moon's attention in an instant. "Is that right? Ha! Well your plan's already in the sight of failure, as without the day, we'll all eventually die. You might as well just give up now, and since of a plan that shows some competence." Some of the ponies started laughing as Nightmare Moon blasted Spike with some sort of energy beam that made him levitate up to her, making him show concern. "Okay, not what I had in mind, but at least you're putting some effort into making yourself a threat."

Nightmare Moon started sending some sort of dark energy, causing Twilight to zap her. "Put my brother down!" Twilight blasted Nightmare Moon with her strongest magic beam, surprising her as she managed to damage her a bit. "I won't let you hurt him."

Nightmare Moon finished forcing the energy into Spike, throwing him to the ground with Lightspeed catching him. In a miracle's sense however, Spike wasn't hurt. This surprised Nightmare Moon as well. "Impressive. Your sister was able to harm me a little, and you're seeming to show a resistance to what that energy is supposed to do."

Spike got up, feeling a little wobbly as he smirked to Nightmare Moon. "Guess you're not so high and mighty after all. No wonder Celestia banished you to the moon. Your try-hard edgy plan is only going to hurt YOU in the end."

"We'll just see about that." Nightmare Moon declared with a cold voice, blasting the sky with a dark beam as Spike looked in horror, not wanting to see the day be banned for all eternity.

To be continued.
> The Magic of Friendship Part two
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spike popped up onto the screen as he explained what happened in the first part. "Previously, on Forever Lasting Bonds. Twilight and I got sent to Ponyville to check out the decorations for the Summer Sun Celebration, and Twilight was a total butt when it came to making friends."

"Spike, you can't just roast me in the recap." Twilight reminded Spike as she chimed in with a teleport. "Tell them about what happened at the Summer Sun Celebration, and what happened with that thing you got zapped with."

"I was getting to that." Spike assured Twilight, and then he finished the recap. "Nightmare Moon came along and zapped me with this weird beam that filled me with dark energy, and somehow I was able to survive it. I can't explain how, but I'm sure you'll find something that'll fit in this part. (Gives a peace sign) Let's do this!"





Everyone in the area was watching in fear at what Nightmare Moon was doing as Twilight headed off with Spike. As the mayor had some of the residents attack Nightmare Moon, she swatted their projectiles back at them with Rainbow Dash noticing Spike and Twilight heading off. Wanting to know what they were up to, she dashed after them with Lightspeed right behind her, hoping the two of them were okay.





Spike and Twilight arrived back at the library and started searching as Twilight told Spike what they needed to find. "Alright Spike. We have to find the book on the Elements of Harmony, and fast. No time to lose."

Spike nodded in response, looking for the book as Rainbow Dash burst through the door, seeming quite suspicious as Lightspeed walked behind her. "Easy Rainbow. They could be looking for something to help us out with."

"That's just it though. She knows something about this! Her AND her brother." Rainbow dash pointed out just as the others came along with Rainbow Dash pinning Twilight against a wall, which she wasn't too fond of. "Now. Just what are these Elements of Harmony I heard you mention when I got here? And how did you know about Nightmare Moon, huh? Are you a spy?"

Applejack pulled Rainbow Dash away by her tail, confirming that Twilight was perfectly safe to be around. "Simmer down, Sally. She ain't no spy." She had to admit however, she was just as curious about the Elements of Harmony as Rainbow Dash was. "But she sure knows what's going on. Don't you, Twilight?"

Twilight started the explanation, hoping she could get some help with this. "I read all about the prediction of Nightmare Moon. Some mysterious objects called the Elements of Harmony are the only things that can stop her."

"Problem is we don't know where to find them here." Spike chimed in, continuing the explanation and why they were so frantic about finding the book. "We left our copy in Canterlot, and now we're hoping there's one here."

"The Elements of Harmony. (Pinkie Pie is shown looking in the E section) A Reference Guide." Twilight instantly got the book from the shelf as Pinkie Pie spoke in a singsong voice where it lied. "It was under E!"

"Of course it was." Spike responded as Twilight then started reading the book to find out where the Elements of Harmony were.

"Okay. There are six Elements of Harmony, but only five are known;" As Twilight stated the elements, Fluttershy was shown first, then Pinkie Pie, then Rarity, then Applejack, and finally Rainbow Dash. "Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Honesty and Loyalty."

Spike snatched the book from Twilight, continuing the read in his own verse. "The sixth is too mysterious for the common eye. So you'd better hope you have a rare one on ya. Only once the last five are located can we see how awesome it truly is, if your eyes don't die from looking at it." Twilight rolled her eyes while smiling as Lightspeed laughed a bit at Spike's over the top phrasing. "There's only one location in all of Equestria we can find them in."





A dark and gloomy forest was shown with lightning flaring as Spike announced the location. "The Everfree, forest!" Spike was excited, leading the group as he spoke with confidence. "Keep haste new friends, and awesome elder sister, we have magical elements to find, and we won't give up until we find them."

Twilight wasn't exactly fond of being in a group like this with Lightspeed walking up to Spike to discuss it. "Your sister isn't much of a friend lover, is she."

"She's been beyond focused on her studies for years now. She barely interacts with her friends in Canterlot." Spike explained, hoping Twilight's interest in friendship sparked soon. "It's not like this'll last forever though."

"I sure hope not." Lightspeed agreed, knowing that friendship could help anyone in a dark place. "This trip could do her some good."

Twilight could overhear Spike and Lightspeed talking about her, rolling her eyes while smiling as Rainbow Dash started a conversation. "So Twilight. You know why no one knows how this place works, right?" Twilight gave a sly grin to Rainbow Dash, being quite familiar with the reasons with the cyan Pegasus whispering to her. "Because everyone who came here, died. On the spot."

Twilight was about to start laughing as the platform suddenly vanished, making her almost fall before Applejack caught her. She looked up at Applejack, being pretty well aware of how this place works now. "I think I have a good idea as to why no one made it out of here alive!"

Applejack saw Rainbow dash and Fluttershy waiting down below, looking at Twilight as she spoke up. "Let go." Twilight raised an eyebrow with Applejack assuring her that it was okay. "It'll be alright sugarcube. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy are right below you. Just let go, and you'll be fine."

Twilight took Applejack's word for it, letting go and getting caught by Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, just as expected. Fluttershy did struggle a bit, hoping to get her down safely. "Sorry. I'm not used to carrying more than a couple of bunnies." Just then, an animal was heard in the background, giving the group the indication that they should continue onward.





Rainbow Dash was talking hyperactively about how she saved the non-Pegasus ponies, excluding Applejack, since she got her own way down. "And once Pinkie and Rarity were saved, whoosh... Me and Fluttershy loop-de-loop around and WHAM! Caught you right in the nick of time."

"I couldn't be any more grateful for that." Twilight assured Rainbow Dash, and then she something that concerned her. "Guys, look out! Manticore!"

The manticore jumped out at everyone, roaring violently after they all dodged with Lightspeed helping Spike up, since he didn't get the best timing. The two smiled at each other just as Spike noticed Fluttershy trying to say something. "Um...guys? Can we stop for a moment?"

Everyone else was trying to fight off the manticore with Spike walking over to Fluttershy and assuring her that he's got this. "Everyone shut up!"

Everyone looked at Spike, Lightspeed, and Fluttershy with Fluttershy thanking Spike for his efforts. "Thank you Spike." Fluttershy walked over to the manticore with a calm, caring smile, leading to the manticore revealing the thorn that made him go berserk. She reached closely, startling the manticore a bit, but then she pulled it out slowly, which led to him smiling with gratitude. The manticore licked Fluttershy affectionately, leading to her giggling and then comforting him. "Aw you're just a little ol' baby kitty, aren't you? Yes you are, yes you are."

Twilight was astonished by how well Fluttershy was tending to the manticore with Rainbow Dash having expected it. "That's Fluttershy for ya." Twilight was starting to warm up to the group, glad they came along to help her.





Spike and Lightspeed were talking about the forest as Spike was shown to be getting exciting vibes. "And then when we meet Nightmare Moon for the final battle, I'm gonna go (Punches the air) wham; and she's gonna go (Mimics crying) wah; (Points to the sky) and we'll all be praised for having saved the world."

Twilight giggled a bit at her brother's love for adventure as she started talking about where they currently were. "That ancient ruin could be right in front of our faces and we wouldn't even know it. "

"So it's like a ghost?" Lightspeed asked with concern, not knowing if he would be able to go up against a ghost. "Not really my style."

"Relax Lightspeed. All you need to tame a ghost, is a bottle." Spike stated, leaving Twilight to scoff at his lack of knowledge with Spike then noticing a tree with a creepy face on it. "Hey, do ALL the trees here have faces, or is it just this one?"

Everyone looked to see the tree, only for it to growl and creep out Fluttershy, who hid behind Rainbow Dash. "Okay, this place is weird."

Pinkie Pie was right in the tree's face when it roared, laughing and surprising everyone with Spike laughing right alongside her. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy found Pinkie Pie's sudden laughter to be pretty hilarious and joined her, leaving Rarity to chime in as well, and even Fluttershy and Lightspeed started laughing with them. Twilight found this charming enough to start laughing herself, after a shrug anyway, and the trees saw them all laughing and joined in, leading to all of the faces vanishing with Pinkie pie wiping a laughter tear from her eye.

Everyone stopped laughing and continued walking with Pinkie pie bringing up the helpfulness of laughter. "Ya really never know when laughter is gonna lighten up a mood as scary as that." Twilight was glad to see Pinkie Pie keeping her spirits, knowing that in this place, it wasn't anywhere near as easy as she made it look.

Spike was quite impressed by this, knowing full well that Pinkie Pie wasn't showing an ounce of fear the whole way. "I never thought I'd find someone like you in Ponyville Pinkie Pie. You make laughing in the face of danger so easy. Well, I haven't gotten the chance to do that, so..."

Pinkie pie laughed a bit at Spike's words, knowing he would get his chance one day. "Everyone will get their chance at that someday Spike. They just have to know when the right time is."

Everyone then heard crying coming from nearby as they came across a giant river of sorts. Spike found the crying to be quite annoying, since it was coming from what sounded like an adult. "Okay. How do we cross the big baby?"

A sea serpent rose up, knowing that his random crying could annoy anyone out of context. "I'm terribly sorry to intrude upon your journey. I know it must be embarassing to see a grown up cry."

"Why are you crying anyway?" Spike asked, figuring he should at least know the cause of the sea serpent's tears.

"Well I was just sitting here, (Wipes eyes) minding my own business, and a purple smoke cloud just whisked past me, tearing half of my beloved mustache clean off!" The sea serpent explained, leaving Spike to give him a blunt look.

Rainbow Dash wasn't too impressed by this either. "Oh, give me a break."

And neither was Applejack. "That's what all the fuss is about?"

"Why of course it is. How can you be so insensitive?" Rarity asked in disgust, walking up to the sea serpent and ripping one of his scales off, much to his surprise as she explained her reasons. "There's no way that set of luminescent scales and expertly coiffed mane could match as well with a half beautiful mustache." Rarity cut most of her tail off, surprising everyone as she then handed it to the sea serpent. "Allow me to providde a substitute."

The sea serpent was incredibly grateful for the service, smiling as he put the tail on and found it to be perfect. "Oh, thank you!"

"You're quite welcome my dear." Rarity then saw the others looking at her with confusion. "Oh, tails are short this season. And it'll grow back anyway." The sea serpent looked over the river, knowing what he could do to repay Rarity.





The sea serpent was carrying Spike and the others over the river with Rarity thanking him after getting off. "Thank you good sir. I do hope your new mustache is treated right."

The sea serpent waved goodbye to Rarity and the others, heading off as Spike suddenly felt a burst of dark energy inside of him. This concerned Twilight greatly, having her look at where Spike was clenching, which was his heart. "Spike, maybe you should've stayed home. I don't think this is worth the risk."

"Relax Twilight, I'll be fine." Spike assured Twilight, actually taking somewhat of a liking to this power of his. "I...actually kinda like it. Makes me feel strong knowing that I survived it."

Lightspeed took out a bottle of painkillers and handed them to Spike. "Make sure to take these when you feel the need to, just in case. That blast from Nightmare Moon might've taken a huge toll on you, and I'm sure none of us would want to lose you now."

Spike appriciated the concern and put the painkillers into his bag, assuring Lightspeed that he'd be safe with them. "I can't promise anything, but I'll do what I can." Lightspeed nodded in understanding with everyone heading off and finding a giant cliff, making Spike feel more than daring. "This could be fun."

"I can guess what you're planning." Twilight assured Spike as she stopped him from jumping down. "You wanna jump down there, randomly grab until you get a rope, and then climb back up with the rope to climb across."

"And just how did you predict that?" Spike asked with his arms crossed and a grin.

"Because I know you." Twilight informed Spike as she rubbed his head, and then she became cautious. "But we have a couple pegasi on our team, so it's not mandatory. We should also see if there's a rope on the other side first."

"On it!" Rainbow Dash flew over to the other side and found the rope, getting ready to take it over to the others as she felt a bunch of dark energy around her with black clouds doing the same. "Who's there?"

Rainbow Dash set the rope down and saw a bunch of ponies appear from behind her, getting defensive as they all chuckled. The leader spoke up and walked up to her slowly. "Don't worry girl. We're just here to make you an offer." The leader put his hoof underneath Rainbow Dash and spoke to her seductively. "We want you to join our very special fliers team."

"Hmm. Does sound tempting." Rainbow Dash swatted the leader's hoof away, not getting into any sort of relationship with him. "And I'm into girls, so no dice in any romance."

"Fair enough." The leader continued to speak to her in an attempt to convince her to join them. "We heard you're the bravest, swiftist flier in all the land." Rainbow Dash nodded in response proudly with the leader continuing to speak to her. "The best flier in all of Equestria. (Gets close to Rainbow Dash) Just ditch your friends and join us. The Shadowbolts. (Whispers into Rainbow Dash's ear) Your life will be complete, and we'll even get you a wife to settle down with. Whatya say hot stuff?"

Rainbow Dash considered her options, but then shoved the leader to the side and scoffed at the idea of him trying to persuade her from saving her friends. "Sorry buddy, but not only did you act seductive again, knowing I'm gay, but you also tried to convince me to let those people over there die. I've been friends with Fluttershy for fifteen years now, and I'm not leaving her for anything. And I'm especially not leaving my brother."

Rainbow Dash picked up the rope with the Shadowbolt leader calling over to her. "You'll regret this Rainbow dash!"

The Shadowbolts vanished with Rainbow Dash rolling her eyes as she tied the rope on the other side. "Can you believe that creep? I told him I didn't like boys and he still acted all seductive."

Lightspeed consoled Rainbow Dash as Spike took a list out. "Tell me about it. (Spike writes down a name on a list of people out of his chance of dating) The world we LGBT members live in.





Spike and the others arrived at the tower with Spike noticing that his claw was glowing a dark shade of purple. Twilight noticed this and showed concern for him, hoping he wasn't giving into Nightmare Moon's magic. "You okay Spike?"

"I will be after we get those elements. Hopefully." Spike replied, and then they went to the top of the tower. When they got there, they spotted the Elements of Harmony and Spike got excited. "Yes! (Notices something) Wait. Guys, do the math."

Everyone counted how many Elements of Harmony there were with everyone being confused upon seeing this as Rainbow Dash commented on it. "Only five elements? Did someone forget to put the sixth one here?"

"I don't think so Rainbow Dash." Twilight took the book on the Elements of Harmony out as she re-read the page that mentioned the sixth element. "Only once the first five elements are located, shall the sixth one be revealed. (Puts the book away) Obviously something has to happen in order for the last element to appear.

Spike's claw started hurting a bit, causing him to clench it as he expressed how annoying the pain was to deal with. "Well whatever's supposed to happen, it better happen quick, cause I don't think the rest of my body is gonna wait."

Just then, maniacal laughter was heard with everyone looking in the direction of the elements upon hearing it. Nightmare Moon came down from the ceiling and spoke proudly about the failure of Spike and the others. "Did you really think finding the Elements of Harmony would be enough to stop me? Not even close!" Nightmare Moon shattered the Elements of Harmony, shocking the others as she then glared at them. "And now, it's time to kill you!"

Nightmare Moon charged a massive blast and launched it after five seconds with Spike refusing to let his friends get hurt. "Leave...them...alone!" After Spike finished his demand, he jumped in front of the blast and a massive shield appeared that blocked it. His eyes were closed when it spawned, but when he opened them, he was amazed by what he saw and whispered his word of awe. "Wow."

Spike touched the shield with everyone else looking at it until it vanished, leaving Nightmare Moon in amazement. 'Amazing. It seems as if the dragon was able to consume my powers rather than be harmed by the blast.' Nightmare Moon refused to back down, only for the elements to reform around her, stunning her in place by the flash. "What is the meaning of this!?"

Twilight saw everyone else stepping up and looked back to every moment they had in the Everfree Forest. From Applejack giving her the trust to let go on the ledge, to Fluttershy taming the beast, to Pinkie Pie literally laughing in the face of danger, to Rarity granting her tail to the sea serpent, to Rainbow Dash giving up a once in a life time opportunity to help them, all of these moments showed her that friendship did have meaning to it. "It IS worth something."

Twilight looked at Nightmare Moon with confidence as she spoke about the failure in her plan. "You think you can destroy The Elements of Harmony just like that? Well, you're wrong, because the spirits of The Elements of Harmony are right here."

The Elements of Harmony respawned, much to Spike and Lightspeed's amazement with Nightmare Moon looking in horror. "What!? Explain this!"

Twilight proudly did so, knowing they could win now as everyone she mentioned shined with their respective element. "Applejack, who reassured me when I was in doubt, represents the spirit of... honesty! Fluttershy, who tamed the manticore with her compassion, represents the spirit of... kindness! Pinkie Pie, who banished fear by giggling in the face of danger, represents the spirit of... laughter! Rarity, who calmed a sorrowful serpent with a meaningful gift represents the spirit of... generosity! And Rainbow Dash, who could not abandon her friends for her own heart's desire represents the spirit of... loyalty! The spirits of these five ponies got us through every challenge you threw at us."

Nightmare Moon was impressed by this and chuckled devilishly upon hearing it. "So you can. But you still lack the sixth element! And I doubt the dragon is capable of mastering that power of his yet!"

"Maybe not. But that's fine for now." Twilight responded, finishing her words with pride. "The spark that's happening now. I felt it the very moment I realized how happy I was to hear you, to see you, how much I cared about you. The spark ignited inside me when I realized that you all... are my friends! You see, Nightmare Moon, when those Elements are ignited by the... the spark, that resides in the heart of us all, it creates the sixth element: the element of... magic!"

A rainbow got ready as an instrumental version of Friends from My Little Pony Equestria Girls was heard in the background. Nightmare Moon tried to escape, but she was still trapped by the Elements' beam, causing her to take the rainbow head on. "NOOOOOO!" Nightmare Moon got hit directly with the rainbow with an explosion coming up and causing the night to turn back into day. When it vanished, everyone descended, and Rarity even had her tail back.

Fluttershy was the first to take notice to this and was more than happy to speak up in regards to it. "Rarity! Look!"

Rarity saw her tail and admired it while replying to Fluttershy's words. "I know. I'll never part with it again!"

"No. Your necklace! It's incredible!" Rarity took notice to her necklace, as did Rainbow Dash and Applejack when they finished rubbing their heads. Twilight and Pinkie Pie also noticed their necklaces with all of them being admired to a great deal.

Spike and Lightspeed walked up to Luna, who was waking up from her slumber as Spike reached his claw out. Luna took notice to this and also Spike's smile, making her amazed to see that such a young child was mature enough to forgive her for all of this. Lightspeed watched with a smile, glad that Spike wasn't holding any resentment towards Luna for what happened. Luna started crying tears of joy and hugged Spike, much to his surprise as she spoke up. "Thank you."

Spike smiled and wrapped his arms around Luna, knowing she needed all the comfort she can get. "No problem Luna."





As the screen faded to black, it rose to light again with the sun being shown and Pinkie Pie jumping up while playing a party horn. "The Summer Sun Celebration is back on everypony! LET'S PARTY!" Pinkie Pie blew the party horn again and everyone started socializing and having a blast with Spike walking up to Lightspeed as he looked at his claw.

Lightspeed saw Spike walking up to him and asked him about his claw as he noticed that it was still glowing. "Your claw's still glowing, huh? At least it's not as big as before."

"Yeah, but now it's got this symbol on it. It's cool, but kinda weird too." Spike showed Lightspeed the symbol, and it was shaped like a black heart, concerning Lightspeed as Spike commented on it again. "I guess we'll find out what the black heart thing means on a later date."

Twilight was sitting on a water fountain as she looked in despondence with Celestia flying down to her. "Something wrong Twilight?"

Twilight flinched and looked at her mentor, wondering where she was the whole time. "Where have YOU been?"

"Oh, I was watching from above." Celestia replied, making Twilight raise an eyebrow towards her as she chuckled a bit. "Don't worry Twilight, I didn't bring Nightmare Moon back myself. I just knew that if you did this yourself and discovered who the Elements of Harmony were, you would finally see the joy of friendship. So I decided to stay out of it."

Twilight snorted, finding Celestia's methods to be quite damaging. "Thanks for almost letting me die." Celestia noticed that Twilight's sarcasm wasn't as natural as usual, putting a hoof on her shoulder as she sighed and explained it. "It sucks that Spike and I are leaving tomorrow. I finally see the value of friendship, and now it's just taken away from me. I can always visit, but I doubt my friends in Canterlot are up to reconcile."

"I doubt that." Celestia assured Twilight, and then she thought for a moment and came up with an idea that she knew Twilight would love. "Ya know, you could always move here." Twilight was stunned by Celestia's suggestion, looking at her with shock as she went into more detail. "You'd be missed in Canterlot for sure, but I know we can make this work. I'll tell your friends that this is for the best, and you can send me one letter a week stating something new you learned about friendship."

Twilight thought about her chances, and looked around at all of her new friends. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie pie. And also Lightspeed, but he was more of a friend to Spike. She smiled as she made her response with full confidence that it was the correct decision. "Yeah. I'd like that."

Spike and Lightspeed were walking over to Twilight and Celestia as Spike spoke about something crazy that happened in Canterlot. "So then she turned back to normal, and she said she didn't wanna move because of how much fun she was having with me, and (Sees Twilight) oh, hey Twilight."

Twilight got down from the water fountain and walked over to Spike with a huge smile on her face. "Spike, I have amazing news. Celestia said we could move here, and that's exactly what we're gonna do! (Thinks for a bit) If you're okay with it that is."

"Are you kidding!? That'd be awesome!" Spike hugged Twilight, and then after a couple seconds, he pulled her away as he said something else. "Does that mean you're serious about this whole friendship learning thing?"

"You bet. And this is the best place I'll be able to do that." Twilight confirmed, making Lightspeed give a massive smile as he knew this would be his chance to continue hanging out with Spike. Twilight then realized that she'd have to make some arrangements. "We'll have to head back to Canterlot to pack up and bring all of our stuff here, but I just know we're going to fit right here in Ponyville."

Spike nodded in agreement, knowing that life in Ponyville was going to end up being some of the best times of his life. "This is gonna be the best time ever."





Spike and Twilight were moving their stuff into the Golden Oak Libary with the help of Queen Celestia and the recently returned Queen Luna. Luna was glad to see that Spike, Twilight, and their new friends forgave her for the crimes she's committed, and she was more than ready to atone for her actions. "I'm so glad Twilight and her friends were able to forgive me dear sister. I'm especially glad YOU were able to forgive me." Luna then sighed, knowing this wouldn't apply to everyone. "I just hope everyone else eventually feels the same way."

Celestia embraced her sister, looking at her with confidence as she spoke about what could happen. "I'm confident everypony will forgive you soon enough Luna. Even if it's not always as fast as we hope, everyone is capable of adaption." Luna smiled upon hearing those kind words with Celestia then giving a smug grin. "But if you turn into Nightmare Moon again, get ready to face the wrath of Daybreaker." Luna flinched, but then shared a laugh with Celestia at her cracking wise.

Spike was setting up a games console underneath a Tv with Twilight taking notice to the placement. "Ya know, it just occurred to me. This place is able to do everything it needs to with only the bare minimum of magic, unlike Canterlot, which was all about magic. I wonder how they'll react to seeing this kind of level of technology being used here."

"I don't think it'll be an issue." Spike assured Twilight, having high doubts that anyone here would go to the witch levels of calling out. "I think they'll even be okay with it if I open up a game store here." Twilight was glad to see Spike being so loving to the idea of moving to Ponyville, knowing the two of them were going to love it here without question.





Spike and Lightspeed were walking across a bridge in Ponyville as they talked about all that recently went down. Spike was still looking at his claw as he wondered what it was going to do to him. "What do you think the symbol on my claw means? (Lightspeed looks at Spike) I was able to protect all of us the other day by spawning that shield, but I didn't have any control of it. I just felt you guys getting hurt would be worse for me than myself getting hurt, and I jumped. I didn't even think about it, I just went in there and I made an awesome shield out of it. That can't just mean anything."

Lightspeed liked seeing Spike's loyal side, giving a soft smile as he started his reply. "The dragons need a representative like you." Spike smiled back with Lightspeed then stating what he thought about the symbol. "And I'm not sure what the symbol is about, or what your power is going to come to." Lightspeed took a step closer to Spike as they continued walking and assured him that he wouldn't leave him. "I know we only recently met Spike, but no matter what happens, I won't abandon you because of this."

Spike was grateful for that, wrapping his arm around Lightspeed while hoping it wasn't awkward for him, which it wasn't, much to his relief. He then saw a good looking pizza place, hoping they had some flavors that sufficed for both him and Lightspeed. "Hey, you wanna get some lunch at that pizza place? I'm not exactly vegan, but I don't think pepperoni is horse meat."

"It's not, and as long as we don't eat it in front of Applejack's pigs, I don't think we'll ever have any problems." Lightspeed assured Spike, going into the pizza place with him as both got ready for a good time.





Twilight was filing some papers as Spike and Lightspeed came into the house with an extra large pizza box. "Hey Twilight! We brought home lunchies! We've got all kinds of different flavors here, ready to go straight into your mouth!"

Twilight smelled the pizza and giggled a bit, knowing that Spike was one for his meats. "Spike, I've been a vegetarian for like, a month. (Spike hands her a vegan slice) Oh, thanks."

Twilight started eating her slice as Spike got a good look at what she was writing on, finding that it was an application to the school in Ponyville. Lightspeed took a liking to this while Spike was a bit skeptical on the matter. "School? I don't know Twilight. Seems like a target for boredom."

"Trust me Spike, you'll love our school!" Lightspeed assured Spike, having a massive fondness for it himself. "I won't spoil anything, but I WILL say that everything you do will feel like an adventure of a lifetime."

Spike looked at the sheet and then at the symbol on his claw, smiling as he figured he would be able to adapt. "As long as someone I know is attending, I guess I'll be fine." Spike wrapped his arm around Lightspeed with Twilight smiling at how close they were as a rainbow flew past the screen with an instrumental version of Friends playing during the credits.

The song then started playing the lyrics as Twilight's voice was heard singing them. "For every day, I look around me, for every time I see you near. I thank the stars, whose light surrounds me, I thank the earth that keeps you here. Cause I will only follow, my true heart. And I can see it clear now, right from the start. You were my little pony. I used to wonder what friendship could be; my little pony. Until you shared it's magic with me. My little pony. I used to wonder what friendship could be. My little pony. Until you shared it's magic, with me.





The song ended with a post credits scene with a defeated wasteland being shown as the footsteps of a black dragon child were walking on it. The dragon was revealed to not be wearing anything, or protecting his eyes from the sandstorm. He then felt something on his right claw, looking at it and finding what he found on it to be incredible. It was the same symbol Spike had gained, making the dragon clench his claw as he looked in the direction he was being led to. The dragon ran off with determination, ready to find out who had the matching symbol to his.
> Two Tickets, Five Whiners
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight and Applejack were walking around Sweet Apple Acres while bringing along apple carts with Spike on Twilight's back. Applejack was grateful for the help, since Big Mac was currently too hurt to provide it for her. "Thanks again for helpin me out Twilight. And, Spike too, since you're here." Spike gave a thumbs up with Twilight rolling her eyes while smiling as he went through the apples. "Big Mac worked himself out and he's gotta stay off it for about a week."

"Considering that he lives on a farm, he'd have to do that at least once." Spike pointed out, and he picked up the perfect apple as Twilight's stomach growled, looking at it with delight as he then saw that Twilight was hungry. Looking at the apple, he divided it in half and handed it to Twilight, who smiled as she started eating it. "Don't expect me to do this every time you skip breakfast."

Twilight finished her half quickly and was grateful to Spike for giving it to her. "Thanks Spike. You really knew the right one to eat." Spike shrugged and then burped out a letter, jumping up and taking it after eating his half of the apple. "Our first letter from Celestia in Ponyville!"

Spike opened up the letter and started reading it, doing so in his usual snarky, not caring manner. "Here yee here yee, blah blah blah, a bunch of boring words, (Twilight nods her head no while snickering) getting to the point." Spike grabbed two tickets that were attatched to the letter, getting excited as he heard what they were. "Twilight, we got party tickets!" Spike waved the tickets in front of Twilight, making her squee with a giant smile.





All kinds of moments from season one were shown as Twilight was heard singing the main theme of the show, My Little Pony Friends.  "For every day, I look around me, for every time I see you near. I thank the stars, whose light surrounds me, I thank the earth that keeps you here. Cause I will only follow, my true heart. And I can see it clear now, right from the start. You were my little pony. I used to wonder what friendship could be; my little pony. Until you shared it's magic with me. My little pony. I used to wonder what friendship could be. My little pony. Until you shared it's magic, with me.





Twilight was getting a good look at the tickets with Applejack showing her amazement regarding the situation. "You got two tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala!? That's the biggest party in all of Equestria!"

Twilight was just as excited with it showing quite well indeed. "You're telling me! I went once when I was a filly and was still taking care of Spike in his early years, but this is my first time going as an adult! It's going to be amazing!"

Applejack saw an opportunity and grabbed Twilight's shoulders with a big smile. "Twilight, you have to let me go to that party. I could make so much money selling Apple Family products!" Fantasies of everything Applejack had in mind were shown one by one. "I could fix Granny Smith's him...I could get better tools for the farm...I could pay off the rest of Applebloom's school tuition!"

The fantasies ended with Spike pushing the screen aside as he pointed something out. "You know you can just sell all that apple stuff here, right? There isn't exactly a law in Ponyville that prevents you from doing stuff for business."

"I know that Spike, but if people invited to the Gala buy our stuff then we'll get more business than ever before! It's a win-win!" Applejack explained, and Spike felt he couldn't argue with that, since Gala invitees buying her stuff could be a good help with that point of view.

Twilight was about to invite Applejack to the Gala, only for Rainbow Dash to land on both of them. She got up instantly and spoke up about what she heard. "I heard every bit of your conversation, and I want in. How many tickets are there?"

Twilight and Applejack got up with Applejack confronting Rainbow Dash on something. "Just two. And you said you were too busy to help me with the farm today. What were you busy doing?"

Rainbow dash pointed upward to a tree branch as she stated what she was doing. "Napping."

A blanket was shown on the tree branch as Applejack gave a blunt look. "Of course you were."

Rainbow Dash zipped over to Twilight and got a good look at the tickets. "You have to take me Twilight! If I went there, I could finally meet the Wonderbolts!" Rainbow Dash fantasized about meeting the Wonderbolts and shaking the leader's hoof. "They may not seem like much, but they're more than just a flight show. They're the military force of Equestria! I could help them fight all kinds of evil while doing so right alongside them!"

Rainbow Dash's fantasy ended with Spike popping it with his claw as he explained what just happened. "That sounds like a pretty stupid reason to go to the party if you ask me Rainbow. (Rainbow Dash flinches) They hold auditions for new members every year. You can just meet them then and try to convince them with your actual skills."

"That's the thing though. The tryouts aren't for eight whole months, and I missed the deadline for the last one, so this could help me get a head start." Rainbow Dash explained, and then she looked back at Applejack with a smirk. "Sorry AJ. Guess I got the ticket now."

Applejack dashed up to Rainbow Dash as she made a retort to her bold statement. "Now hold on a minute Rainbow Dash. I stated my reasons for wanting to attend the gala first."

"That doesn't automatically mean she'll give YOU the ticket."

"That doesn't mean she'll give it to you either."

"You're right. It means both of you are stupid, and you should think about what Twilight wants to do." Spike snarked as he sat on Twilight's head with Rainbow Dash and Applejack raising an eyebrow each at him as he explained his words. "Look, Twilight has five new friends she has to consider the reasons for wanting to attend the Gala. And while I'd like to have BOTH tickets so I could take someone special with me, I'm gonna play it smart, and not stoop to your levels of arrogance."

Twilight chuckled nervously as she put Spike on her back and decided to leave before Rainbow Dash and Applejack got violent. "I think it's best we head to lunch Spike. (Looks at Rainbow Dash and Applejack) I'll let you two know what my decision is as soon as I get it. (Gives stern look) So don't think I'll give it to you if you peer pressure me with your low income or lifelong dreams."

Twilight walked off with Rainbow Dash and Applejack nodding to each other, zipping over to a tree stump and putting their hooves down. They started hoof wrestling and were getting deep into it for about five seconds, only for Rainbow Dash to suddenly cut a loud fart that reeked of apples and let out a green cloud (PHHT). Rainbow Dash chuckled a bit with Applejack smirking as she wafted the fart away. "Sorry. Those apples you grow here make for a good snack, but aren't the best smelling when making the aftermath."





Spike and Twilight were walking around Ponyville as they discussed who was going to get the extra ticket. "So Twilight, who do you think you're most likely to give the extra ticket to?"

"I'm not sure Spike." Twilight admitted, feeling that everyone would have their reasons for wanting to go. "Applejack wants to help out her family, and Rainbow Dash wants to meet her idols. And the way they worded their reasons made them sound like logical reasons to attend a party as big as the Grand Galloping Gala."

Spike got an idea, feeilng that it would help Twilight with her problem. "Hey Twilight, why don't you just ask Celestia for six more tickets? That way I can ask Lightspeed, and you can bring all of our new friends. Everyone's happy, and you don't have to take a quarter of a year deciding it all."

Twilight considered the option, but then reached a conclusion regarding it. "I don't think it'll be that easy Spike. The Grand Galloping Gala is extremely hard to get invited to if you don't know Celestia personally. It's not like Celestia can just spawn tickets at random and give them to me." Twilight noticed that Spike was gone, and so were the tickets, leaving her to give a blunt look as she realized the reason.

Spike was walking with Lightspeed as he showed him the tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala. "And they're technically Twilight's tickets, but I figured she'd eventually get over us using them to attend the Gala together. Just think of how awesome it'll be."

"And just think of how (Snaps the tickets out of Spike's claw) grounded YOU would be if he agreed." Twilight replied with a smirk, leading to Spike trying to reach for the tickets with Twilight stopping him. "Sorry Lightspeed. The gala's a huge deal in Equestria."

Lightspeed laughed at the sight of Spike failing to get the tickets back as he made his response. "No problem. Rainbow Dash told me about the Gala the last time it happened and it sounds really cool. Too bad you only have two tickets."

Spike moved Twilight's hoof as she continued to give him a smug grin. "Look Twilight, our friends are gonna dogpile you for hte tickets anyway. Just think of it as me stopping their attack for you."

"That's one interpretation." Lightspeed admitted, and then he saw a bunny running over to them. "Hey, who's bunny is that?"

The bunny tried to snatch the tickets, only for Spike to stop him by grabbing him and pinning him to the ground, making sure he was unharmed. "Back off little dude. Stealing Twilight's stuff is MY job."

"Angel!" Spike let the rabbit up upon hearing Fluttershy's voice and allowed him to hop over to her. "Good, he's not hurt. Sorry about that. Angel has a knack for taking stuff that-" Fluttershy noticed the gala tickets and gasped upon sight of them. "Tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala!?"

"Of course she notices." Spike snarked, and then Fluttershy dashed past him and made him spin around a bit, having Lightspeed stop him from falling. "Thanks. (Looks at Fluttershy) Spill Fluttershy. Why do YOU want to go to that party?"

Fluttershy was about to start speaking as Spike pulled down a screen that showed what she was describing. "The most rare animals in all of Equastria can be seen in the Canterlot Garden! It would be amazing to get to add all of that knowledge to my animal library, and maybe I could even bring an animal home for Angel to play with."

Spike pulled on the screen and sent it into the air as he commented on how dumb he thought Fluttershy's idea was. "And there we have it, the dumbest idea I've ever heard to attend a party. Twilight's the star pupil of Queen Celestia herself Fluttershy; we can just ASK to see the animals."

Fluttershy considered Spike's words as Lightspeed then asked with curiosity as to why Spike wanted to go. "Why do YOU wanna go Spike?"

Spike flinched, not wanting to reveal his feelings for Lightspeed just yet. "Me? Um...no reason. (Scratches the back of his head) I just wanna have a blast I guess."

Lightspeed was suspicious, but he didn't want to force the answer out on Spike. "You don't have to tell me yet. I just know you're not into acting all super fancy."

Spike sighed of relief with Rarity then heard to be walking up to them from afar. "You'll nail that interview Sweetjaw! I just know it!" An earth pony was waving to Rarity and catching the interest of everyone else as she explained what it was. "I got a homeless pony spiffied up and ready for a job interview. Cupcake stand's don't make much, but we both agreed she had to start somewhere."

Rarity then caught sight of the tickets with Twilight putting them away as soon as she opened her mouth. "No."

"At least let me explain why I want to go." Rarity asked, and Twilight sighed with Spike snapping his fingers and bringing the screen down. "Prince Blueblood himself is attending the Gala this year, and I'm on the top of his list for ponies to attend the gala with." Spike moved the screen to the side as Rarity finished her words. "Only problem is that I don't have a ticket yet. I guess he never informed Queen Celestia on this matter."

Spike snickered a bit at something with Twilight catching onto what it was as she spoke up. "As much as I want for all of my friends to find that special somepony Rarity, assuming this is talking about the friends of mine that are into romance, I can't just give you the ticket. I haven't even heard Pinkie's reason yet."

Spike's stomach started growling, indicating that he was getting hungry. "Twilight. The dump truck's calling."

Twilight giggled a bit as she put Spike on his back and headed off as the two waved goodbye to the others. "I'll see you guys later."

Lightspeed could see that Fluttershy and Rarity wanted to go to that gala badly as Pinkie Pie popped out of his sack and whispered to him. "No special reason for me. I just wanna party." Lightspeed gave Pinkie Pie a sly grin, feeling like she had the best idea out of the ones he's heard so far.





Spike and Twilight were at some kind of restaurant as Spike explained the reason he wanted to attend the gala. "Alright. So we both know that the reason I wanna go to the gala is so I can start dating Lightspeed, right?"

"Right." Twilight replied, and then he saw a poster Rainbow Dash was holding while in the air saying 'I won; give me that ticket!' and then one Applejack was holding that said 'She's lying; I won!' and then the two started fighting with Twilight rolling her eyes and sighing in annoyance, which Spike thankfully knew wasn't directed at him. "You could just ask him out on a date. You know that, right?"

"I want our dating start time to be as memorable as it can be." Spike explained, feeling that the gala was the best chance he had at convincing Lightspeed that they were the best match. "I just hope we end up together in the future."

Twilight nodded in understanding as a waiter came up to their table and spoke in a phony male voice. "Why hello there madam. May I take the orders of you and your brother?"

Twilight wasn't buying this disguise and instantly took the mask off, revealing it to be Pinkie Pie as Spike happily snarked towards her. "I'd like a plate of cancelled parties with a side order of get lost on the side, thanks."

"Coming right up!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed in her normal voice, and then she dashed off before dashing back over with a suspicious look. "Hey, wait a minute."

Pinkie Pie dashed off again with the real waiter, a white stallion, coming over to their table with confusion. "Was that a friend of yours?"

"Yes, and she's currently being a nuisance." Spike stated, and he got a good look at the menu and instantly found what he wanted. "Don't flip, but I want (Points to what he wants) this one."

The waiter was a bit shocked by what Spike ordered, but decided not to say anything yet. "A rare dish to be ordered here. Although, we did prepare for when dragons would come to visit." Spike nodded his head yes with approval as the waiter looked at Twilight. "And what would you like madam?"

"I'll have the hayburger, thank you. Extra everything." Twilight stated, and then she said the drinks she and Spike wanted. "And my brother's favorite drink is cherry soda, and I'll have a lemonade. (Waiter opens his mouth) Pink."

The waiter nodded in response with Spike pointing out the concern he showed over his order. "And don't take my order personally either. Dragons eat meat all the time; it's just a part of my heritage."

"Fair enough." The waiter replied as he set the menus on his back before walking off. "At least you're not eating a pony."

Spike and Twilight continued talking about what Spike was feeling about asking out Lightspeed. "It can't be easy just asking someone out on a simple date for the first time Twilight. The introduction has to be something worth remembering for one reason or another, and the Gala is the perfect place for that to happen."

"I guess true love is the best reason to have these tickets." Twilight admitted, and Spike became surprised when he heard that. "Just don't get your hopes up. If I give you both tickets then they others will be on my case for weeks. Maybe months."

"Is that why Rainbow Dash is moving those clouds over the restaurant?" Spike asked as he pointed up to the sky, leading to Twilight looking up and seeing the clouds with the sunlight going right over her. Spike was more than willing to call Rainbow Dash out on her little stunt. "We know it's you Rainbow Dash! You're literally the leader of the weather ponies; it couldn't be anyone else! Other than some punk kid, but you're both, so whatever!"

Rainbow Dash peeked out of the hole as she explained her reasons for doing this. "Okay, so it's not actually a good deed, but look around you. I'm not doing this for anyone else right now." 

A bunch of ponies were shown to be running around as the waiter brought Spike and Twilight their food as Spike snarked to Rainbow Dash. "That so makes this better. Bravo Dashie."

Twilight sighed, starting to get tired of the childish behavior her friends were showing. "You can't make me promise you the ticket Rainbow Dash. You might as well just give up."

Rainbow Dash scoffed, knowing she was gonna have to try something else. "Fine." Rainbow Dash vanished with the waiter setting down an umbrella as soon as the hole closed, rushing back inside to get back to work right after and allowing Spike and Twilight to enjoy their food.





Spike and Twilight were headed home as they passed by the Boutique with Rarity noticing them. She dashed outside with a beautiful dress that she had Twilight put on. "Perfect timing Twilight! I made you this dress for the gala. It matches the one I made for myself perfectly."

Twilight raised an eyebrow with a blunt expression, making Rarity chuckle nervously as Twilight spoke up. "I was gonna ask you to make this after choosing who to take with me anyway Rarity. All you did was help me prepare."

Rarity was about to tear the dress up, only for Spike to stop her and push her back. "Sorry sweetheart. You can destroy this thing AFTER it's been used, and has no purpose being in our possession."

Rarity growled with Applejack zipping up to Spike and Twilight with a wheelbarrow full of deserts. "Howdy do Twilight; Spike." Spike and Twilight saw the tray of deserts with Applejack explaining what it was all about. "I figured you might still be hungry, so I made you a bunch of apple baked goods. (Grabs an apple brown betty) Even the family's famous apple brown betty, freshly made with the most refined ingredients. (Leans in closer) The food, not my nanny."

Eating sounds were heard with Applejack seeing Spike and raising an eyebrow to him, and he got in her face with a blunt look. "Oh, sorry. Was I supposed to eat before, or after your bribe to Twilight totally bombed? I forget." 

Spike walked off with Twilight clarifying that he was right in saying that the bribe bombed. "Word of advice Applejack. (Looks at Rarity) Listen up Rarity, this is for you too. (Looks at Applejack) I don't give in to bribes." Twilight walked off with Spike as the latter took the wheelbarrow with them, indicating that he was still hungry as Twilight brought it up. "Well, at least you stopped trying to get the tickets. For now anyway." Spike shrugged, implying that he might try again later.





Spike and Twilight were walking around town with the wheelbarrow as Twilight commented on the fact that they still had it. "You know we're gonna have to return the wheelbarrow to Applejack, right?"

"I don't care about that." Spike revealed, and then he saw a pink hair in the wheelbarrow, pulling it up and revealing Pinkie Pie. "Oh, hey Pinkie. You got a bribe too?"

"No, I just felt like riding in here." Pinkie Pie replied with a smile, and then she sat on the edge as she spoke up. "So I heard you two got some Gala tickets in a letter from Celestia earlier. Seems like the others are putting you on edge about it."

Twilight groaned in annoyance, knowing that the others were going to keep at it for a while now. "I've been trying so hard to keep my cool about the whole thing. These nice gestures would actually be acceptable to me if it weren't for the scummy reason of trying to get the second ticket off of me."

"Can I still talk about why I wanna go to the party?" Pinkie Pie asked, and Twilight shrugged, feeling it'd be better than boring silence. "Thanks. So it's not for any real reason, I just wanna have a good time."





Spike and Twilight were heading home with Pinkie Pie sitting on the wheelbarrow as she talked about why she wanted to go to the party. "So really, I just wanna help liven the place up if things start to feel stale."

"Luckily for you Pinkie, out of all of our friends, I'd say you're the closest to getting the ticket, since you haven't done anything childish to get it yet." Twilight entered the house with Spike and Pinkie pie as Twilight offered Pinkie Pie something. "Wanna try out this new potion I recently learned about?"

Spike, Twilight, and Pinkie Pie saw Fluttershy cleaning the inside of the library with a bunch of animals, making Spike snicker as he joked about it. "Finally Twilight, you got the funds we needed to get a maid."

Fluttershy saw Spike, Twilight, and Pinkie Pie before flying down to them and clarifying her reason for doing this. "Since it's obvious enough as it is, yes, I'm doing this to increase my chances of getting the ticket."

"Yeah, because breaking and entering will definitely help with that." Spike snarked, walking over to the fridge to get a drink. "I'm gonna get a soda."

Rainbow Dash was outside the library as she popped out of a bush with a mask on as Twilight spoke up. "What's ironic is that you're being more honest than the actual Element of Honesty."

Rainbow Dash suddenly pinned Twilight to the wall at supersonic speeds and held a fake knife to her neck. "Gimme the tickets or I'll-"

Twilight slammed Rainbow Dash to the ground with her powers, leaving Spike to look down at her while drinking his soda. "Hey Rainbow."

Twilight used her unicorn powers and sensed Applejack and Rarity in her basement. "I know you're there!" Applejack and Rarity came out with a sign that said 'Choose now!', leaving Twilight to speak up. "Look, I get it. The gala is a huge deal and you're all desperate to get the extra ticket; I'd be desperate too. But these bribes and childish actions aren't going to get you anywhere, and I'm honestly astonished that I haven't flipped out from all of the stuff you've been pulling yet. And now you're breaking into my house and pretending to mug me!? Show some restraint!"

Everyone started to show some regret, except for Pinkie since she hadn't actually done anything, and then Pinkie spoke up. "Ya know what surprises me? The fact that you haven't given the ticket to Spike yet."

"Oh, I tried to take both of them at one point to get Lightspeed to go with me." Spike explained, leaving Pinkie Pie to nod with intrigue. "Didn't work out as planned."

Rainbow Dash was the first to speak up as Spike took out a scroll and started writing something. "I guess now that you actually had it hammered into my skull. I could add a couple moves into my showcase for the Wonderbolts to see."

"And Spike did have a good point about me doing business for the Apple family here in town." Applejack pointed out, leaving Spike to smile as he continued writing.

"And I should probably get to know Blueblood first before we start dating." Rarity chimed in, revealing that she didn't know a thing about Blueblood yet. "I still have quite a bit of mystery in him due to not knowing what I'm up against.

"And I suppose I'd have to learn about the animals in the Canterlot royal garden to know what makes them feel safe." Fluttershy finished off, leaving Twilight relieved that all of them learned their lesson.

Pinkie Pie then popped out of Twilight's mane as she spoke up. "So, does that mean I get the ticket, or what do you plan on doing?"

Twilight shrugged with Spike putting the tickets in the letter here as he wrote the final words 'P.S. Can you send an extra one for Rainbow's brother Lightspeed? Thanks.' before sending them off. "I'll tell you what I plan on doing once the plan's in full effect." Spike was glad to see that everyone was over the ticket, especially since his plan was now about to go into full swing. "Just you wait. In the next half minute, you're all gonna look so dumb over how you didn't think of this sooner."

Spike laughed a bit before feeling the need to burp, punching his stomach to do so and letting the letter out. He grabbed it instantly and read it aloud, very proud of what he said. "Dear Spike. Thank you for notifying me of this event. Here's six extra tickets." Spike proudly showed everyone the tickets, leaving Twilight amazed that he thought of that before she did. "When someone has you for a sister, they're bound to have the ability to think ahead."

Twilight giggled a bit with everyone else cheering at the thought of going to the gala, and even having Twilight rub Spike's head. "Thanks Spike. Here's to the gala being a night to remember."

Spike gave a thumbs up to Twilight with Lightspeed heading inside, much to Spike's joy. "Oh, Lightspeed. (Runs over to Lightspeed) Perfect timing." Lightspeed gave Spike his full attention with Spike showing him the tickets. "I was able to get some more tickets for the gala, and I was wondering if maybe (Scratches the back of his head) you'd like to be my date."

Lightspeed smiled and happily accepted his ticket, making Spike smile upon seeing it. "Yeah, I'd love to. I'm glad you asked me out first too. I'm not good with this stuff."

Spike laughed a bit at that statement, looking back at Twilight to find that she was giving him a magical thumbs up. He gave a thumbs up to her as well before turning back to Lightspeed and speaking up. "What made you come over here by the way? I don't think any of us were expecting you to drop by."

"Well I got bored, so I decided to see if Rainbow Dash could give me a flying lesson."

"I think she'd be more than happy to with the ticket barrage we faced not even a minute ago."

Rainbow Dash zipped over to Twilight, smiling at how their brothers were getting a long so well. She was also glad to see that their first date was finally going to happen. "They'd definitely make a cute couple." Twilight nodded her head yes in agreement, being fully on board with Spike and Lightspeed dating.





Twilight was shown to be writing a letter to Celestia as she thought to herself about her day. 'Dear Queen Celestia. Today I learned that sometimes, friends can get pushy when they really want something, and that it's okay to speak up if it's annoying you, and to tell them to stop. And I think my friends learned that bribing and peer pressuring isn't the best way to get what you want. Oh, and thanks for the tickets. I know we'll have a blast at the Gala."

Spike was downstairs as he opened the freezer and spotted a tub of chocolate ice cream. "Hey Twilight; can I have some ice cream!?" Spike didn't get a response and grinned happily as he took the tub out, closing the freezer before walking off. "Silence is the best yes." Spike got ready to start eating the ice cream as the screen faded to black, ending the episode off.





A title card that said 'FLB Public Service Announcement: Don't Steal!' came up after the episode ended.





Two male fillies, one yellow and one green, about Spike and Lightspeed's age saw a carriage nearby. The yellow one was quite mischievous and spoke up when he and his friend walked up to it. "Nice carriage. Should we 'borrow' it?"

"Nah. That's stealing." The green filly pointed out, knowing what his friend was getting at.

"Pssh. Cmon; I'll ask for permission later." The yellow filly stated, taking out some kind of stick to fiddle with the lock.

Just as the carriage opened, Spike was shown standing inside with his arms crossed and giving a stern look. "Looks more like you're asking for trouble now."

"Spike!" The yellow filly spoke up with shock. "I figured I wouldn't get caught."

"That still wouldn't make it right." Spike pointed out, knowing a thing or two about what happens if you steal. "How would YOU feel if someone took something of yours that was this valuable?"

The yellow filly chuckled a bit, having an idea as to how bummed out he would be. "Pretty lousy."

"That's right." Spike stated, and then he got to the main reason he stopped the fillies. "And if you get caught with a stolen item, you'd get punished big time. Especially for taking someone else's mode of transportation."

The green filly spoke up, knowing a good chunk about what would happen as well. "And some crimes are so bad that they could ruin your reputation if you get caught."

"If the place you live in arrests children, then yes." Spike chimed in, and then he spoke to the yellow filly with a smile. "Remember. Just because something looks fun to use,"

"Doesn't mean we should take it without asking first." The yellow filly finished, and then he smiled as he looked at Spike. "Now I know."

"And knowing is half the battle." Spike finished as he winked to the camera and snapped his fingers when pointing to the audience, and then a screen came up that said 'Forever Lasting bonds!' while also singing the words, ending the public service announcement right there.





An instrumental version of the main theme played during the credits.
> Dark Dragon Magic
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spike was in his bed sleeping as he heard an alarm clock blaring, turning to the right and punching it off of his nightstand. When he opened his eyes, he realized what today was and got up, hoping that it wouldn't be as boring as he felt it would. "Don't worry Spike. (Walks over to a mirror) If what Lightspeed said was true, this school won't be a borefest." Spike yawned and rubbed his eye with his right claw, only to feel a slight pain as he did so. "Ow." Spike looked at his claw and saw the same mark from before, only it was even bigger.

Twilight was downstairs preparing breakfast as she heard a blast of energy coming from upstairs, rushing up after turning the stove off to see what was wrong. "Spike! (Goes upstairs) Are you alright!?" Twilight saw that Spike was holding his claw down, rushing over to him and having him reveal it. "Let me see your claw." 

Spike suddenly unleashed a beam at the ceiling, breaking through it and leaving a hole into it. Spike and Twilight looked through it with Spike seeing a positive to what just happened. "Well on the bright side, we don't need to pay as much as someone normally would to make a sunroof."

Twilight saw the mark on Spike's claw and recognized it from when they were collecting the Elements of Harmony. "This is the same mark from when we were looking for the Elements of Harmony. I had a feeling it'd come back soon."

Spike felt another blast coming on, clenching his claw and barely managing to suppress the blast. "Did your thought include it happening right before my first day of attending the school in Ponyville? Cause if so, don't do the same with your kids." Twilight rolled her eyes while smiling at Spike's snark, knowing full well that her thinking it wasn't what caused the mark to come back.





All kinds of moments from season one were shown as Twilight was heard singing the main theme of the show, My Little Pony Friends. "For every day, I look around me, for every time I see you near. I thank the stars, whose light surrounds me, I thank the earth that keeps you here. Cause I will only follow, my true heart. And I can see it clear now, right from the start. You were my little pony. I used to wonder what friendship could be; my little pony. Until you shared it's magic with me. My little pony. I used to wonder what friendship could be. My little pony. Until you shared it's magic, with me.





Spike and Twilight were in Canterlot as Queen Celestia and Queen Luna got a good look at the mark on Spike's claw. They weren't sure of what to make of it, but they knew where it came from, and Celestia spoke up on the matter. "It could've come from that time Nightmare Moon blasted you and you managed to absorb the magic somehow. The only question is why it came back now."

"That's what I wanna know." Spike admitted, trying to conceal another blast but failing, leading to Celestia bringing the blast to a halt and crushing it without any effort. "Now that I think about it, when I jumped in front of Nightmare Moon's blast to save my friends, this giant shield popped up right in front of it. And I had no control of that either."

Twilight got an idea of what the power was about and was proud to present it. "Maybe it's a sign that you inherited the powers of Nightmare Moon." Spike looked at his claw with indifference to the idea as Twilight explained why she took a liking to it. "If you learn to control this power, and also learn to control when it comes up, you could end up using it for good. "

Spike took a liking to the idea, rubbing his paws together as he thought about how awesome having these powers would be. "Seems like a good enough trade when you think about how you're an Element of Harmony." Spike noticed Luna showing a hint of remorse, not wanting her to feel bad about what happened. "Something wrong Luna?"

Luna sighed, knowing she couldn't keep her emotions hidden from someone like Spike, who deep down, was as pure as could be. "I'm just sorry to have placed this burden on you. I wish I'd never turned into Nightmare Moon."

"Pssh. Don't be sorry Luna. This is awesome!" Spike exclaimed, and then he suddenly launched a beam at the ground, going right by Luna's feet and sending her back a bit. "It will be anyway."





Spike and Twilight teleported right in front of the Ponyville Middle School with Spike being worried about what could happen. "Are you sure I should still go to school today Twilight? I'm worried I'll end up hurting someone."

"That's why I got (Takes out a glove) this from the magic items room from the Canterlot school." Twilight put the glove on Spike's claw, assuring him that it'll be okay. "Don't worry Spike. We'll figure this power out together. One way, or another."

Spike hugged Twilight before pulling her away and smiling. "Thanks Twilight. Just as a heads up though, you might wanna check what your insurance covers." Twilight laughed a bit before teleporting off, leaving Spike to walk into the school and get a good look as he checked around the place. The school was full of students and lockers, while having all kinds of stuff like a drinking fountain, and even a second floor. Spike breathed in through his nose and out from his mouth, ready for whatever came his way.

Spike was walking down the hallway as he heard Lightspeed's voice coming from the right end of the hallway. "Hey Spike!" Spike saw Lightspeed walking up to him and smiled upon seeing him. "You're finally having your first day of the Middle School here, aren't you. You're gonna love it here, trust me."

"Well I'll give ya this much, the school looks packed." Spike responded, and then he walked off with Lightspeed so he could show him around the school.

Lightspeed got to the first room of the highlights he had in mind for Spike, knowing he'd love the ones he picked out. "So this right here is the cafeteria. This is where most of the students hang out, and obviously, where we eat lunch." Lightspeed opened the doors to the cafeteria with Spike taking a liking to what he saw. "Seeing as you loved food so much, I figured you'd wanna see this place first."

"You were right about that!" Spike dashed into the kitchen, instantly forgetting about his claw for a bit and speaking to the lunch lady. "Hey baby. Whatya say you give me all the food I can eat later for free?"

"Yeah. I think we both know how well this is gonna go." The lunch lady stated with a smug grin, making Lightspeed snicker a bit at the sight of it.

The second highlight Lightspeed had in mind for Spike was a room he figured he'd get a kick out of. "You mentioned you like skateboarding, right? Well here's the room just for that." 

Lightspeed opened the door to what looked like a skate park, much to the amazement of Spike. He looked around in awe as he saw all of the other students having a blast with what they were doing. He then saw an orange pegasus about his and Lightspeed's age doing sick scooter tricks, and she looked quite familiar to him, leaving Spike to walk up to her when she stopped scooting. "Scootaloo?"

Scootaloo saw Spike and instantly smiled upon seeing him, running up to him and hugging him tightly. "Spike!"

Spike and Scootaloo started laughing with Lightspeed walking up to the two of them. "You two know each other?"

"We dated for a bit about two years before I moved here to Ponyville." Spike explained, and then he explained why they didn't stay together. "After about two months, we realized we were better as friends, so we decided to break up."

Lightspeed nodded in understanding with Scootaloo smirking as she brought something up. "Hey, what gives? You never wrote to me after the move."

"I thought you were gonna send the first letter." Spike answered, leaving Scootaloo to nod in understanding as he then expressed his joy to see Scootaloo again. "Regardless, you have no idea how glad I am to see you." Lightspeed took an instant notice to something glowing under Spike's claw, making him worried that Spike was hiding something.





Spike, Lightspeed, and Scootaloo arrived in class with Spike feeling an itch on his claw. Lightspeed got worried for him with Scootaloo also taking notice as Spike covered it up. "It's probably nothing. Just an itch."

Lightspeed felt something was off with Scootaloo not thinking much of it, since Spike had that glove on. "It's probably the glove. (Heads over to her seat) Anyway, it was great seeing you again Spike. See ya Lightspeed."

Lightspeed was worried about Spike, but decided to leave him be for now as the two of them went to their seats. Spike found that he was sitting next to Lightspeed, making him even more excited. "Dude, we're desk mates. This is gonna be so super awesome."

Lightspeed nodded his head yes in agreement as the teacher then came in. The teacher was a dark magenta earth pony who noticed Spike instantly. "Oh, you must be our new student; Spike Sparkle." Spike gave a thumbs up with the teacher speaking up again. "My name's Cheerilee, and I'm more than happy to welcome you to our classroom. Would you like to tell us a few things about yourself?"

"Why not? (Walks up to the front of the class) The class should knew the best before they know the worst." Lightspeed checked Spike out a bit, getting a good view of his butt with a smile on his face before Spike turned around and spoke up. "As you all heard Cheerilee state, I'm Spike Sparkle, and I'm your new student, who's ready to pawn all those who prove that they're stuck up, or just flat out suck."

Scootaloo snickered a bit, instantly seeing that Spike hasn't changed a bit as the dragon spoke up about himself. "I love video games, skateboarding, eating, and flexing on the crowd. I'm also bisexual, so if you have any questions for me involving straight or gay romance, let me know and I should be able to help, and expect me to not be afraid of farting in class."

"I'll take note of that last one." Cheerilee informed Spike, and then he went back to his seat as Cheerilee started the lesson. "Now then, let's start off today's math lesson."

Spike got into his seat as he whispered to Lightspeed about how boring the start of class was. "Seems more like a ten year long bath lesson." Lightspeed snickered a bit with Spike feeling his stomach growl, making him snicker a bit as he thought about what could be causing it. "Guess my breakfast was a little too big for my stomach's liking."

"It seems like your entire posture is to your body's DISliking." Spike looked behind him to find a light blue earth point wearing a tiara and looking as snobby and stuck up as could be as she spoke to Spike. "You may be the new kid here, but I know a loser when I see one, and you're a total loser."

Spike's butt was shown as he lifted it up, grunting and ripping a loud and bassy fart right onto the earth pony (BRRRRRRRRRRUUUUUUUUUUP). He hit the earth pony with a dark red flame that reeked of rotten eggs, burning the earth pony's mane with Spike rubbing his butt a bit as he sat down, ignoring the fact that the rest of the class was watching him. "A little rougher than I intended, but my butt seemed to like it at least."

Cheerilee felt it would be best to advise Spike to get that checked. "I suggest you get that checked Spike. We have a nurse's office next to the cafeteria. I trust you know where that is?"

"Yep. Thanks to Lightspeed." Spike got up with Lightspeed smiling as Spike winked to him, heading out of the classroom after turning back and saying this. "Don't worry everyone. I'll make my grand return." Spike headed off to the nurse's office, wondering what was going to happen after he got there.





Spike was lying down on the bed as he saw his claw glowing again, continuing to try and avoid worrying about it as he started talking to the nurse. "If I was in the mood for anal play during class, the timing for that fart burn would've been perfect."

The nurse burst out into laughter after hearing Spike say that with Twilight coming in and running over to him. "Spike!" Twilight showed a heavy amount of concern for Spike and hoped he wasn't seriously hurt. "That fart didn't hurt, did it?"

"A little, but I pretty much command fire, so it's nothing I can't handle." Spike saw that the nurse was still laughing and showed Twilight his claw to see if she could help with it. "Something I actually can't handle though is my claw glowing even harder. I feel like the glove's gonna stop working soon."

Twilight looked at the glove and saw that a bit of it was already gone. It was as small of a piece as could be, but it was still enough to keep her alerted. "Well I don't know if I can take you out of school for this, since I don't see any signs of an injury. I'll ask the Queens if there's anything else we can try."

"You do that." Spike replied with a nod, and he got up as soon as Twilight teleported off and saw that the nurse calmed down. She handed him some burning cream for his butt to make sure it wouldn't keep hurting later on. "Thanks."

Spike put the burning cream away as the nurse told him what to do. "Make sure you apply that stuff every time you feel a burn there." Spike nodded in understanding with the nurse laughing again after he left, still unable to believe that a kid his age would think of something like that. "Anal play. Did that kid grow up in a strip club?"

Spike walked down the hallway as he looked at his claw, noticing that the glowing had gotten a bit worse. "It's almost as if a part of me WANTS me to use these powers. For what purpose though?" Spike hoped he would be able to control these powers soon, not wanting to hurt anyone he cared about.





Spike was in the gym with everyone else, joining Lightspeed and Scootaloo, who were both glad to see him all better. Lightspeed saw Spike's hand glowing and decided to wait before he commented on it, wanting to show that he was glad Spike was okay. "I'm glad it wasn't anything too serious. Makes sense too since you're a dragon and all."

"Tell me about it." Everyone overheard the whistle as a bright red Pegasus in blue flying gear signaled Spike to head over to him. When he did, he instantly recognized her. "No way. You're Spitfire, leader of the Wonderbolts! You teach here?"

"That's right." Spitfire then got serious, instructing Spike on what she wanted her to do. "Now sit tight kid. You're gonna go through this obstacle course, and I wanna see you do the best job you can. I'd better not find you slacking off."

Spike looked at the obstacle course and found that it was a bit much for someone like him. "Not really my forte."

"You don't have to finish, you just have to get as far as you can." Spitfire assured Spike, and then she stated something else. "This time anyway." Spike gave a thumbs up, running through the course and climbing up the beginning ladder. Spitfire noticed that his claw was causing sizzles on the ladder, making her suspicious, but she decided to wait until he was done to comment on it. Spike arrived at the top, going down the slide and clenching his claw, which started to rumble a bit. He grabbed onto a rope with one of his claws and arrived on the other side.

Spike continued running, and then as soon as a shark came up, he randomly launched a dark beam right at it. This sent the shark straight into the wall, making Spike look at his claw in awe at what he just did. "No way."

Spitfire ran over to Spike, calling up to him to tell him he could hop down. "Alright kid, you can stop now! Let me get a look at your claw!"

Spike did as Spitfire instructed and then she got a good look at his claw, making him cautious as she looked into it. "You may not wanna take that glove off."

"Seems like it's already being damaged enough by that mark; but I'll take your word for it." Spitfire told Spike, and then she asked him how he got the seal. "How'd you get that mark though? Doesn't look like anything I've ever seen."

"I think I got it after I found the Elements of Harmony with my friends and sister." Spike explained, and then he stated how that relates to his mark. "I got blasted by Nightmare Moon's magic (Spitfire flinches with amazement) right before we started searching, and then when I jumped in front of another beam to protect my friends after we found the elements, I spawned this giant shield that was the exact same color as Nightmare Moon. But the mark vanished after that. I don't know why it came back, but it did, and now my sister and I are trying to learn how I can control it."

Spitfire didn't get what Spike was saying, but decided to roll with it while chuckling lightly. "Whatever you say kid." Spike was glad Spitfire believed him, since he obviously didn't lie about what happened.





Spike was at lunch with Lightspeed and Scootaloo with Scootaloo getting a good look at the mark on his claw. "I wish I had a cool mark like that. Minus the dark beams shooting out of my hoof for no reason."

Spike wondered why the mark was on his claw to begin with, knowing that it had to have something to do with that shield. "I don't think it's for no reason Scootaloo. Like I said, I spawned a shield at random when I jumped in front of that other Nightmare Moon blast. I think the mark is showing off another power I gained from the first one."

"There's a thought." Lightspeed chimed in, getting a good look at the glove and finding that Spike's claw started vibrating from under it, making all three of them worried. "That doesn't look good."

Spike held his arm tightly, only for another blast to come out of it and break the glove, striking through the roof right after. Everyone saw this and looked at Spike, who looked around before making his comment. "For the record, I did NOT have any control in doing that."

"Oh great, another reason to hate you." The earth pony from before walked up to Spike with a gray earth pony wearing glasses walking beside her. "You have a lot of nerve farting fire on me you spoiled brat! (Spike gives a blunt look) I'm suing you for everything you own, and you'll live on the streets and have to eat your own sh-"

Spike aimed his claw at Diamond Tiara after letting go of his arm, blasting her across the room and making her friend chase after her. He then looked back at Lightspeed and Scootaloo to confirm what just happened there. "Okay, that one was kind of in my control." Spike suddenly blasted the table, going right to the floor, leaving him to face palm himself and then blast his forehead, sending him onto the ground.





Spike was being bandaged up by the nurse, looking quite annoyed at how his claw was treating him today. "This, sucks."

Lightspeed and Scootaloo came into the room with Lightspeed coming in and pulling up his phone. "I just texted Twilight the news. She's looking for an answer on how to control this."

"Well that's good." Spike then realized something about his mark that he never did. "Hey, I just realized I never apologized to you guys for lying about this."

"Nah, you were just looking out for us. We get it; I would've lied too." Scootaloo assured Spike, and then she got another look at the claw. "Right now we should worry about whether or not this can be dealt with. And also if Diamond Tiara plans on making you and Twilight pay her medical bills."

Spike looked at his claw and got concerned, hoping that this wouldn't be something out of his control. He didn't want to hurt anyone with this new power of his, especially since he just got it this morning. "Well if I can't, she'll hopefully have a new way to supress this power.





Spike was walking home with Lightspeed and Scootaloo as Spike was revealed to have his claw inside of a steel glove. "Well this thing is working better than I expected. Not as well as the glove from earlier (Blasts an energy beam inside the glove)...but still pretty well."

Spike arrived home with Lightspeed and Scootaloo hoping he would be able to figure this out sometime soon. Lightspeed gave him this knowledge before he went inside. "Good luck Spike. We're rooting for you."

Spike nodded and went inside as he waved goodbye to Lightspeed and Scootaloo, seeing Twilight reading a book on the couch as he closed the door. He got a closer look and saw that it was a book on mythical powers, walking over to Twilight and sitting down next to her. "You trying to find out which power my claw keeps forcing out of me?"

"Sure am." Twilight assured Spike, and as she kept turning the pages while speed reading, she spoke about how hard it was to keep everything in check. "I can't seem to find out which power yours happens to be. There's no data on here regarding Nightmare Moon's power, or anything relating to it."

Spike was confused as to why that was, knowing that there had to be at least some kind of intel on what his power meant. "That doesn't make any sense. Queen Luna was trapped on the moon as Nightmare Moon for centuries. Didn't anyone take the time to describe her power as a warning sign or something?"

Twilight turned to a page that seemed to describe a bit of Spike's power. "Actually it looks like something WAS explained about this power. (Turns the book to Spike) Read the third paragraph right here."

Spike did as Twilight requested, reading the line aloud and becoming intrigued as he did. "Apparently this power can also be attained from others if Nightmare Moon blasts them, and also has a habit of coming out at random to cause havoc unless the one who bares this power works to control it." 

Spike was feeling hopeful as he continued to read the paragraph, smiling as he got further and further. "It's been said that the first who inherited this power from one of Nightmare Moon's darkness blasts ended up mastering this power, and was able to protect the world form the horrible beings known as the sirens. The method he used for controlling this power that worked the most out of all of them seemed to be listening to the power, and what it wanted from him."

Spike wasn't so sure about being able to listen to his power with Twilight speaking up about it. "I know it might sound crazy, but think about it. Nightmare Moon was able to use HER powers without going haywire, right? It just might work." Spike thought for a moment and saw Twilight's point, even if said point involved the one who gave birth to the power being able to control it.





Spike was in his room as he sat down on his bed and waited quietly to make sure his claw wasn't making any beam blasts. He didn't exactly know what to do, so he decided to just speak to his claw, looking at the mark so he could do so. "So. I didn't expect you to come to me today. I don't know WHY you came to me today. I'm not sure if this is a good or bad thing. But I'll do everything I can to stay positive and make sure this works out. I know I can use you for good, and I wanna know what you think of the situation."

Spike looked at the mark and saw it glow a bit, showing that it understood what he was saying. "Okay, good. I also want you to know that we're lucky I didn't get expelled from school on the first day. That would've been the worst." Suddenly, the mark made some kind of telepathic speaking portal, showing Spike what seemed to be a dark, shadowy place. This confused him, and he didn't know exactly what to make of it. "Is this a cave or your uncle's attic?"





The black dragon child from the end credits scene of the second part of the season premiere was shown to be looking over a cliff while clenching one of his claws. He felt it glowing a bit and opened it up, seeing Spike and being alerted by his presence. "Who are you?"

Spike was also alerted by the presence of the black dragon child, hoping he wasn't being called by him for evil purposes. "I'm Spike Sparkle. Who the heck are you?"

The black dragon child felt there wasn't much reason to hide his identity from Spike, especially since the mark specifically led to their meeting. "My name is Ryu. I see you're also home to the mark of Nightmare Moon's powers. Question is, how did you get it?"

"Nightmare Moon came back after a bunch of centuries and blasted me with a beam that I ended up absorbing." Ryu raised an eyebrow at that explanation with Spike laughing a bit as he made his continuing statement. "I know, right? And to think I'd end up meeting a dragon who looked almost exactly like me because of it. But why are you in the desert?"

Ryu didn't feel that he had to explain to Spike why he was on his own yet, feeling that he could hide it for now without much shame. "It's complicated." 

Spike nodded in understanding with Ryu looking conflicted on something, leaving Spike to change the subject to avoid things getting awkward. "You've had this mark for a lot longer than I have, right? Do you know how I can keep it from making me go haywire with this power?"

"Well it's definitely not you can prevent 24/7 right after you first get it." Ryu informed Spike, leaving him to know that this would happen sometimes. "Once you've had it for a while though, you'll be able to adapt to these new powers and keep them from exploding. One method I used for suppressing it after I first acquired it is thinking calm thoughts. Don't think about too many things that make you mad though. That'll set it off."

"That should help. Hopefully we can meet in person sometime too so we can see how well it pays off." Ryu took a liking to that with Spike deciding to end the call. "Well, see ya later dude."

"You too." Ryu replied, and then he said something that made Spike even more glad. "Maybe I'll stop by where you live by some chance."

Spike smiled and hung up the call with a wave goodbye before taking out a quill and paper to write to Celestia. He thought to himself as he wrote, hoping he was okay with this power of his. 'Dear Queen Celestia. This is Spike. I just talked to this dude named Ryu who looked a lot like me, but his skin was black. Apparently he's a holder of the same mark as me, and he's off in the desert, I guess traveling the world or something. He gave me some advice on how I could suppress my power, and I hope it works. Just wanted to update you on the situation. Yours truly, Spike. P.S. Tell Luna there's no hard feelings. For now anyway."

Spike sent the letter to Celestia before looking at his claw and showing a highly conflicted look on the situation. He clenched his claw and sighed, knowing he would have to find a way to protect his friends with this mark on his claw now stuck with him. He lied down on his bed and looked back on when he got blasted by that beam, and also when he spawned that shield. He knew that he had the chance to control those powers one day, but he looked up to the ceiling with his conflicted look regardless, hoping that the worst wouldn't come as the screen faded to black, ending the episode off.





A title card that said 'FLB Public Service Announcement: Don't Lie!' came up after the episode ended.





One gray earth pony and one orange unicorn, both Spike's age, were playing a game that involved them tossing a ball back and forth. The gray one was about to send it back, doing so and sending it straight into someone's house, making them both concerned with the gray one speaking up as he saw a somewhat skinny earth pony and getting an idea. "Let's tell mom it was Pipsqueak's mistake."

"You're making the mistake."

Both ponies looked behind them to see Applejack looking quite stern about the situation as the orange unicorn spoke up. "Applejack! You weren't even in this episode."

"That's besides the point." Applejack then insisted that the two boys were doing the wrong thing. "Doing something that breaks someone's property is bad, but lyin about it will only make it worse."

"But our mom will be upset." The gray pony pointed out, not wanting to get in trouble.

"She'll be even more upset if ya lie." Applejack stated, and then she brought up how unfair it'd be to Pisqueak. "Plus, how'd you feel if Pipsqueak got punished for something he wasn't involved in?"

The gray pony spoke up again, seeing the mistake he and his brother almost made. "Pretty bad now that I think about it."

"Exactly. And it'd be even worse for ya if you got caught." Applejack reminded the boys. telling them what the right decision would be. "Remember. Always tell the truth whenever you make a mistake. Don't take the easy way out, cause it'll never work in your favor."

"We'll tell her we did it." The orange pony chimed in. "Cause lying won't get us anywhere."

"Now we know." The gray pony added, leaving Applejack to smile as she looked at the camera.

"And knowin is half the (Tilts hat upward a bit) battle." A screen came up that said 'Forever Lasting bonds!' while also singing the words, ending the public service announcement right there.





An instrumental version of the main theme played during the credits.





Ryu was walking over the desert horizon as he saw a group of dragon soldiers charging at him. He spawned a sword from his claw with the mark on it and blocked the first one's slash before kicking him back, jumping back from the second soldier and slicing at his leg, sending him to the ground. He then low swept the third soldier after dodging his double slash attack and kicked him to the side before knocking the sword out of the fourth guard's claws and deflecting the strike from it. Ryu jumped up and smashed the fourth dragon soldier with his tail, walking off and putting the sword away. Ryu was shown to be walking off with the defeated soldiers lying on the ground in utter defeat.
> When Friends Turn Bad
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rainbow Dash was chilling on a cloud while wearing shades with Pinkie Pie randomly jumping up to her from very far down. "Hi Rainbow Dash!" Rainbow Dash didn't move in the slightest as Pinkie Pie jumped up once again to speak to her. "You wanna go on a-" Pinkie Pie fell down once again, jumping back up as Rainbow Dash took a sip of her soda before she came back up. "Pranking spree with me!?"

Rainbow Dash set her soda down and waited for Pinkie Pie to come back up before she spoke again. "You're the pranking master Pinkie." Pinkie Pie fell down again with Rainbow Dash speaking up again while adjusting her mane once she came back up. "Do you really need me to come with?" Rainbow Dash grabbed Pinkie by her hoof before she fell down again. "That was getting annoying."

Pinkie Pie giggled a bit about what Rainbow Dash said before catching her. "Silly Rainbow Dash. It's not that I NEED you to come with me. It's that I WANT you to come with me. I've done a pranking spree with all of our friends, except for you."

Rainbow Dash thought for a moment and felt she could use a break from her relaxation time. "Why the buck not? I was getting bored up here anyway, not having work today and all that. Plus we haven't hung out much since we first became friends."

Pinkie Pie squeed, knowing that Rainbow Dash's answer was a yes. "This is going to be so fun!" Rainbow Dash had an intrigued look on her face, curious to see what Pinkie Pie had in store.





All kinds of moments from season one were shown as Twilight was heard singing the main theme of the show, My Little Pony Friends. "For every day, I look around me, for every time I see you near. I thank the stars, whose light surrounds me, I thank the earth that keeps you here. Cause I will only follow, my true heart. And I can see it clear now, right from the start. You were my little pony. I used to wonder what friendship could be; my little pony. Until you shared it's magic with me. My little pony. I used to wonder what friendship could be. My little pony. Until you shared it's magic, with me.





Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were currently at Sweet Apple Acres, painting all of the apples on the farm. When Applejack came out and noticed what was going on, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie started laughing after she started chucking apples at them. She then realized that they were still normal apples after some of them fell into a bucket of water, and this lead to her laughing as well, realizing that Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were just having fun.

The next stop was Rarity's Boutique, and Rarity was sneezing like crazy as Rainbow Dash put some kind of powder on her doorstep. It floated up in the air a bit and hit Rarity in the face when she went out the door, making her sneeze again as she then noticed Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie holding in their laughter. She then saw a container of sneezing powder, making her start laughing as well while also being relieved that it wasn't some kind of allergy making her sneeze.

For the third stop, Twilight was in the library writing some kind of letter, only for the ink to fade out when she wrote something down. She tried again and again, but it continued to vanish, up until she heard a knock on her window. When she looked, she saw Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie laughing as they revealed a bottle of vanishing ink to her, making her roll her eyes while smiling as she pulled out a bottle of real ink.





Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie had set up something by the pond with Fluttershy shown to be feeding ducks on the other side. Pinkie Pie was excited and couldn't help but ask Rainbow dash, who was looking into the telescope. "Is someone there? Who're we gonna squirt, who're we gonna squirt?"

Rainbow Dash snickered a bit before she confirmed who the victim was gonna be. "Fluttershy. This is gonna be good."

"Fluttershy?" Pinkie Pie started acting as if she wasn't on board with this prank. "I'm not so sure about that Rainbow Dash. You know how sensitive Fluttershy is. We might hurt her feelings."

Rainbow Dash thought for a moment and figured that Pinkie Pie was right. "Yeah, good point. Last thing I want is for my best friend to start crying." Rainbow Dash backed up from the telescope as she thought of who to replace her with. "Who should we prank instead?"

Pinkie Pie started giggling, pointing to Rainbow Dash as she spoke up. "Oh, I have someone in mind."

Rainbow Dash saw Pinkie Pie pointing to her and got confused, looking into the pond and seeing that there was a black circle around her eye. This made Pinkie Pie start laughing as Rainbow Dash looked at her with a proud grin. "Well played." Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie walked off with Fluttershy poking their decoy duck, wondering if it was real or not.





Pinkie Pie was heading on over to Rainbow Dash's house as she saw someone in front of it that surprised her. She saw before her a female griffin, who looked like an extremely cool gal to be around. Pinkie Pie dashed up to said griffin and greeted her. "Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie. What's your name?"

The griffin didn't care much for Pinkie Pie but decided to introduce herself anyway. "Name's Gilda. Does Rainbow Dash live here?"

"She sure does." Pinkie Pie then started explaining what she was planning on doing with Rainbow Dash. "We had a great time pranking our friends yesterday, so we decided to take it to the next level today by-"

Gilda started to get annoyed with Rainbow Dash coming out and yawning, catching the Griffin's attention and making Rainbow Dash surprised. "Gilda?"

"Yep." Gilda responded, and Rainbow Dash got excited and flew down to her as fast as she could.

Rainbow Dash made sure she had a safe landing as to not risk blowing Gilda and Pinkie Pie away from the house. "It's really you!" Rainbow Dash and Gilda fist bumped and then hi fixed and low fived, leaving Pinkie Pie to understand what was going on as Rainbow Dash then introduced Gilda. "Pinkie Pie, this is my old griffin friend Gilda. We went to the same flight school together before I dropped out, so about fifteen years ago."

"Nice to meet you Gilda." Pinkie Pie shook Gilda's claw, which Gilda then used to crush her hoof, which she didn't show any sort of pain towards. "Wait. Why did Rainbow Dash drop out of flight school? Was her instructor homophobic!?"

Rainbow Dash laughed a bit, being well aware of how some people still weren't okay with gay ponies like her. "Well that was before I came out to my parents, so I doubt that was it. I just got bored of it and decided to move onto the next big thing in my life."

Gilda started to get bored and felt it wouldn't hurt to have a little race with Rainbow Dash. "Hey Dash. How about a race to the clouds for old time's sake?"

"You're on." Rainbow Dash and Gilda flew up as fast as they could with Rainbow Dash being the clear victor, which Gilda pretty much saw coming. "Still the champ baby."

Pinkie Pie then came up in some crazy contraption that weirded out Gilda and made Rainbow Dash laugh. "Hey guys. Where to now?"

Rainbow Dash failed to see that Gilda was annoyed and hoped Pinkie Pie would understand what she wanted. "Actually, if it's alright with you Pinkie, I'd like to spend some time to catch up with Gilda. It's been at least a decade and a half since we last saw each other so I'm hoping we can make up for lost time."

"No problem. I'd wanna do that too." Pinkie Pie replied with an understanding tone, much to Rainbow Dash's relief.

"Thanks for understanding. Not that I thought you wouldn't." Rainbow Dash flew up into the air and signaled Gilda to follow her. "Cmon Gilda! I know you couldn't have gotten over parkour just yet!"

"You go on ahead! I'll catch up!" Rainbow Dash flew off with Gilda turning to Pinkie Pie and grabbing the propellor with her claw. "Look whatever your name is. Rainbow Dash is MY friend, and if you try to take her from me, I'll turn you into scrap!" Gilda threw Pinkie Pie's contraption to the ground, flying off as Pinkie Pie jumped out of said contraption and landed in a bush. She seemed puzzled as to why Gilda was so hostile towards her and hoped she could get some confirmation.





Pinkie Pie was at the Golden Oak Library, lying down on the couch as she explained the situation to Twilight. "And then she just threw my contraption onto the ground! It wasn't exactly easy teleporting it out of thin air and then using it to fly up to them. Why do you think she did that?"

Twilight thought for a moment and figured that Pinkie Pie was experiencing something she'd seen before. "Maybe she's jealous. Old friends tend to act hostile whenever the one they're friends with is revealed to have new friends."

Pinkie Pie took Twilight's words into consideration, hoping Gilda didn't see her as a threat. "Do you think Gilda sees me as a threat?"

"It's a possibility." Twilight then explained what she thought she could have Pinkie Pie do with Gilda. "I suggest showing an interest in Gilda's tastes. After that, you can safely confirm that you're not a threat to her friendship with Rainbow Dash, and you could even become a friend to her as well."

Pinkie Pie felt that would work, but knew she would have to wait for now. "I'll do it tomorrow if Gilda's still in town. Rainbow Dash wanted to spend some alone time with her and I wanna respect her wishes."

"Good call. It's important to keep both friends feelings into account." Twilight assured Pinkie Pie, who was happy to hear that.





Pinkie Pie was walking around Ponyville with Spike riding on his board next to her as they talked about the Gilda thing. "Gilda could also have feelings for Rainbow Dash, and maybe that's where the jealousy comes from. You know my friend Scootaloo?"

"Is she the pegasus that's having trouble flying?" Pinkie Pie asked, trying not to be offensive to Scootaloo's condition.

Spike nodded his head yes for confirmation as he then explained his own case of jealousy. "Well we used to date when we lived in Canterlot, and before we found out we weren't meant to be, I always got anxious whenever she was talking to some dude who seemed out of my league. And when we broke up, she also admitted that she was worried every time I talked to a girl who seemed out of her league."

Pinkie Pie understood what Spike was saying as she set up five bits and ordered them their milkshakes. "One chocolate and one birthday cake please." The pony in the stand got onto the milkshakes as Pinkie Pie responded to Spike's words. "I'm glad you and Scootaloo are still friends after that. Most friendships find it hard to survive after a break up."

"That actually almost happened after we stopped keeping in touch." Spike revealed as he grabbed their milkshakes and kicked up his board when Pinkie grabbed her change. "Thanks for the milkshake btw." Pinkie Pie nodded as she and Spike sat down with Spike sipping his chocolate milkshake happily before continuing his statement. "I'm not surprised we were both so excited to reunite though. We're both awesome. Especially me."

Pinkie Pie took a sip of her milkshake and saw Gilda walking around Ponyville by herself, not seeming to lonely about it. "There she is." Spike looked and saw Gilda with Pinkie Pie bringing up something else. "I hope she doesn't think I'm a racist. It's just so rare to see a griffin in Ponyville."

"I doubt she cares about that." Spike assured Pinkie Pie, and then he had a clear opinion of her after seeing her squeezing a tomato and sending that it was out of date. She threw it at the vendor's face with Spike not hesitating to comment on it. "Wow, what a ditch."

Pinkie Pie gasped so hard at Spike's language that she fell out of her chair, warning him about it as soon as she got back up. "Don't use that language about her Spike. She might hear you."

"She DIDN'T hear me." Spike stated bluntly, and then he observed Gilda further and saw her walking in the same direction as Fluttershy, who was guiding a family of ducks. "Looks like Fluttershy's about to get a taste of the Gilda wrath. (Takes phone out with a smug grin) I'll just get this ready."

Fluttershy was backing up while guiding the baby ducks so they knew where to guide her, not seeing Gilda as she was looking around. She ended up backing into Gilda by accident, turning around with a friendly smile as she spoke up. "Oh, sorry about that."

"Yeah, maybe you wanna watch where you're goin short stuff?" Gilda asked, being heavily annoyed by the fact that she was just bumped into.

Fluttershy could see the intimidation in Gilda's look, backing up a bit as she tried to speak up. 'I-I'm sorry, I-"

Gilda mocked Fluttershy's fear and showed how annoyed she was with her next line. "Hey, if you're gonna stand up for yourself then at least put some effort into it. A baby could throw you off guard with one touch. Case in point." Gilda roared at Fluttershy at the top of her lungs, making her start sobbing as she started running off, eventually flying away with Gilda walking past Spike and Pinkie Pie with the latter being shocked. "Ugh, these softie ponies are lame. I'm bailing."

Spike intentionally spilled his milkshake on the ground, making Gilda slip on it and fall on her back. He then poured the rest on Gilda, dropping the glass on her and hitting her head with it. This made Gilda furious, leading to her standing up and shouting at Spike at the top of her lungs. "YOU WANNA RUMBLE YA SNOT NOSED BRAT!?"

"No, not really." Spike admitted while he started reading his comic book, unfazed by Gilda's enormous shout. "Fighting psychotic flock rejects doesn't interest me."

Gilda started turning red, flying off after shouting at the top of her lungs again. Spike remained unfazed with Pinkie Pie still thinking about what happened with Fluttershy. "Can you believe it Spike?" Spike shrugged, being indifferent to Gilda's mood now that he got to flex on her. "She's a grump, and a thief, and a bully! The meanest kind of mean meanie-pants there is! I can take it, but no one treats Fluttershy like that. No. One."

Spike closed his comic and put it away as he offered a suggestion. "Maybe we should do something about it. I'm down for whatever you have in mind."

"I'm glad to hear that Spike." Pinkie Pie then gave a look of determination, which Spike took a liking to. "This calls for extreme measures, Pinkie Pie style!"





Pinkie Pie was standing at the entrance of Sugarcube Corner, allowing everyone from Ponyville to enter as Spike snuck himself some of the sweets at the party table. As Pinkie Pie was allowing everyone inside, Applejack and Rarity were discussing Gilda, since they haven't met her yet. "Who's this Gilda feller Pinkie Pie's goin on about now?"

"I heard she's an old friend of Rainbow Dash." Rarity explained, indicating that she'd heard a bit about Gilda already while showing her fascination for her species. "She's also a griffon; so rare."

Twilight could tell that Fluttershy was anxious about going to Gilda's party, hoping that she was okay. "You okay Fluttershy? You look a little anxious. More than usual anyway."

Fluttershy knew how understanding Twilight was, feeling that it wouldn't hurt to be honest with her. "It's just that I met Gilda earlier today. She's not exactly the nicest person."

"She was probably just in a bad mood earlier. "Twilight assured Fluttershy, knowing that Rainbow Dash would never be friends with a bad person, at least not with the knowledge of them being a bad person. "You should've seen how snappy Spike was the first time I confiscated his game console."

Fluttershy saw Spike talking to Applejack about something, showing his clear snark as Fluttershy giggled in response. "I think I have an idea."

Rainbow Dash arrived with Gilda to Sugarcube Corner as the latter was blindfolded with the former talking about the party. "You're seriously gonna love this party Gilda. Pinkie Pie throws the best parties in all of Equestria!"

"Is Pinkie Pie the one with ADHD?"

"No, she's pretty good at listening."

Rainbow Dash took Gilda's blindfold off, with Pinkie Pie jumping in front of Gilda with immense excitement. "Surprise!" Gilda had to admit that she was impressed with how far Pinkie Pie went with this bash. Pinkie Pie took notice to this and immediately took action. "Alright Gilda. What do you wanna do first?"

Gilda was feeling a little parched so she walked over to the party table to get some punch. "I could go for a drink right about now." Gilda went for the punch and poured herself a cup, only for the cup to dribble as she tried pouring said punch into her mouth. This made everyone start laughing with Gilda being confused. "What the heck is this thing?"

"Dribble cup dude." Spike explained, getting a real cup and pouring some punch into it as he spoke up about the dribble cup before drinking his punch portion. "It's basically the cup's annoying younger cousin that's always pulling pranks to stand out."

Gilda got a bit of what Spike said as Pinkie Pie expressed her intrigue about the prank. "Now I wonder who could've planned that one."

"Yeah. I wonder." Gilda responded as she glared at Pinkie Pie, who was oblivious to how angry Gilda was getting with her.

Gilda decided to drop the whole party for now with Pinkie Pie deciding to show her the cake she made. "You know what you need to go with that punch? Cake. And I made you one!"

Gilda liked the sound of cake with everyone gathering around to see it, leaving Spike to look at it with extreme delight. "Twilight, if you love me, let me blow out those candles and eat the cake in one bite!"

"Spike, you know that trick isn't gonna work on me." Twilight had Spike back up so Gilda could do her thing with the cake. "Besides, it's Gilda's party so she should get to blow out the candles."

Gilda elbowed Spike to the side, much to his annoyance as Gilda spoke up and Twilight started counting down the numbers to the audience with her magic. "Step aside kid. I've got some-" Spike blew fire right into Gilda's face just as the timer hit zero, enraging Gilda as she gritted her teeth and whispered to Spike. "Are you just ASKING for a beating today?"

"Tch. Please. You couldn't give me anything satisfying." Spike shot back, leaving Twilight to snicker and ignore Gilda's glare.

Gilda sighed, knowing that this wasn't worth fighting about, at least not yet. "Whatever kid. Just remember the rule of three."

Gilda walked over to the cake and blew out the candles, only for them to light back up almost immediately after. This confused her, and she kept doing it over and over again to try and blow them out, to no avail, leaving everyone to start laughing as Spike stated his love for the prank they all saw. "Relighting birthday candles; I love that prank! What a classic!"

Pinkie Pie started to act intrigued as she commented on who could've done the prank. "Now I wonder who could've done that."

"Yeah. I wonder." Gilda growled, and then she heard eating and looked at the cake to find Spike climbing inside.

"Who cares?" Spike climbed up to the top of the cake while eating the inside of it, loving every last bite, which was to be expected from one of Pinkie Pie's dishes. "This cake is amazing! If I were a critic Pinkie, you'd get a perfect score for this alone."

Pinkie Pie smiled with Twilight being slightly annoyed by what Spike was doing with the cake. "Spike."

"What? It's good; try some." Spike ate some more of the cake with Gilda getting infuriated, only for Spike to take notice. "Come on, it's not like I farted on it."

Spike tossed some of the cake to Gilda, who caught it in her mouth as Rainbow Dash brought up the relighting candles. "You're not gonna let some silly candles get you down, are you Gilda?"

"Pssh. No way." Gilda stated, but when Pinkie Pie was at the cake, she pulled her behind it and glared into her eyes. "Listen up Pink. I'm watching you, like a hawk."

"Why? Can't you watch me like a griffin?" Pinkie Pie asked obliviously, making Gilda give a blunt look in response.

Just then, Applejack called over from the other side of the room to get everyone else over to where she was. "Hey every pony! It's pin the tail on the pony time! Let's play."

Everyone went over to where Applejack was with Rarity being excited for this one. "Oh, my sister loves this one. Can I go first? I wanna get a picture for her?"

"Well I'M the guest of honor, so I'll do the honor of giving you her picture." Gilda snatched the tail from Rarity and signaled someone to get their phone out, which they did out of fear.

Pinkie Pie suddenly blindfolded Gilda and spoke up as she gave her the instructions. "Alright, now I'm gonna make you super dizzy." Pinkie Pie spun Gilda around three times super quickly, making her dizzy as she then looked forward in the direction of the poster, unable to see it that is. "Now walk forward and you'll see the pony."

"I know how to play the game you idiot, I've had birthdays before." Gilda walked forward and scoffed, feeling that this was another prank. 'Hang on. This could be another prank. Maybe I should go in the other direction to shoe Pinkie Pie that she lacks all common sense.'

Gilda turned around, confusing everyone as Spike gladly pointed out how dumb she was being when eating some more of the cake. "You're an idiot."

"Shut up kid." Gilda then tripped on a piece of cake someone else dropped, slipping over to the table and crashing into it while making the all the presents and food on it fly everywhere. Twilight was able to keep them from scattering with her magic and set them down gently on a different table.

Pinkie Pie walked up to Gilda, who took her blindfold off as Pinkie Pie spoke up. "Um, Gilda? You pinned the tail on the wrong end."

Everyone started laughing with Gilda getting furious, deciding to lash out as she soared up and roared at everyone in the room. "This is your idea of a good time!? I've never met a more uncool bunch of dweebs in all my life!" Gilda then turned her attention to Pinkie Pie, being especially furious with her. "And Pinkie Pie, you! You are queen lame-o with your weak little party pranks!" Pinkie Pie was surprised to hear Gilda accusing her like this with Gilda continuing her tantrum. "Did you really think you could make me lose my cool? Well, Dash and I have ten times as much cool as the rest of you put together!"

Rainbow Dash was stunned by this with Gilda walking up to her and declaring their departure. "Cmon Dash. We're outta this trash heap." Rainbow Dash stayed behind with Gilda turning around as her anger continued to flare. "RD, what did I just say?"

Rainbow Dash stepped forward, refusing to let anyone push around her friends like that, even old friends. "Ya wanna know some hilarious irony Gilda? I'M the one who pulled all those pranks." Gilda was shocked to hear this with Pinkie Pie being impressed as Rainbow Dash continued. "So I guess that means I'M queen lame-o, which by the way, is a terrible insult."

Gilda tried to catch Rainbow Dash bluffing, not seeing her as the type to pull all these pranks. "Cmon Dash. You're joshing me, right?"

Rainbow Dash nodded her head no, much to Gilda's surprise as Rainbow Dash lamented a bit about her reaction. "They weren't all meant for you specifically. It was just dumb luck that you set them all off. Except for the pony tail thing. That was mainly on you."

"I should've known." Pinkie Pie looked at Spike as she expressed her amazement. "That dribble cup had Rainbow Dash written all over it."

"Did it really?" Spike asked, not knowing as much about Rainbow Dash's pranking hobbies as Pinkie Pie did. "I mean, we've only known each other for like, a month or two, but I don't remember her mentioning anything about a dribble cup."

Gilda wasn't buying this and kept trying to blame Pinkie Pie for the whole fiasco. "No way! I-it was Pinkie Pie! She set up this party to trip me up, to make a fool of me."

"Me? I threw this party to improve your attitude." Pinkie Pie explained, finding Gilda's accusations to be a bit hurtful, but not to where they made her sad. "I thought this would help turn that sad face into a smiley face."

"And you sure didn't need any help making a fool of yourself." Rainbow Dash then declared her friendship with Gilda over without a second thought, seeing that she became a toxic influence in her life, and someone she didn't need to come back into it. "Ya know Gilda, this is not how I thought my old friends would treat my new friends. And if being cool is all you care about, maybe you should go find some new cool friends, someplace else."

Gilda scoffed, now seeing Rainbow Dash as a total loser and not wanting anything to do with her. Luckily for her, Rainbow Dash didn't want anything to do with her anymore either. "Fine. You wanna support these prissy wannabe wimps then do as you wish." Gilda turned around, looking back at Rainbow Dash right before she left. "And if you change your mind, give me a call. You know my digits." As Gilda left the building, she summered something that Rainbow Dash caught full ear shot of, confirming to her that Gilda wasn't worth her time at all. "Lesbians."

"I heard that!" Rainbow Dash shouted, catching clear signs of Gilda's homophobic slur and seeing that she probably should've ditched her a lot sooner. "Not, cool."

Spike walked up to Rainbow Dash and hi fixed her, proud of her for saying what she said and doing what she did. "Tell me about it. And that slur wasn't needed. I take it you didn't know she was a homophobe?"

"Not at all. Hence why I didn't ditch her sooner. Or notice sooner for that matter." Rainbow Dash scoffed, turning to everyone else as she expressed her regret over Gilda's behavior. "I'm sorry for all the drap Gilda pulled everyone. I just wish I noticed sooner how much of a ditch. (Walks up to Pinkie Pie) Especially to you Pinkie. I should've known something was off a lot sooner."

Pinkie Pie didn't feel an resentment towards Rainbow Dash about the situation, knowing that it wasn't entirely in her control. "You don't have to apologize to me Rainbow Dash. You're not Gilda. Plus, she WAS a childhood friend of yours. I would've missed the signs too." Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie shook hooves, only for both of them to be shocked. The two of them then started laughing and revealed that they were both wearing joy buzzers.

Spike then dashed onto Pinkie Pie's back, feeling that he could make some use out of her pranking skills. "If it's not a bad time Pinkie, you think you could give me some pranking tips in time for April Fools?"

"It's never a bad time to ask for pranking tips Spike." Pinkie Pie assured him, always being ready to give a friend help with their jokester side. "And I sort of expected you to ask that." Spike shrugged with Rainbow Dash being glad that she realized how nasty Gilda was, glad that she left before she caused any major damage.





Rainbow Dash was lying down in her bed as she thought about what happened earlier with Gilda as someone knocked on her door. "It's open!" Lightspeed entered the room with Rainbow Dash looking at him and seeing that he came in with some dinner. "Oh, hey Lightspeed. (Sits up) Just set it down next to me." Lightspeed did as Rainbow Dash asked, and her dinner was shown to be a spinach and mushroom pizza. "Good thing they make kinds for ponies, am I right?"

"Heh heh. Yeah." Lightspeed could tell that Rainbow Dash was conflicted about her falling out with Gilda, sitting down with her as he had the same kind of pizza in hoof, and wanted to comfort his sister. "Hey, you did the right thing telling Gilda to get lost like that. She was way out of line in her outburst. I mean, I'd be upset too if I kept getting pranked over and again for little reason, but I wouldn't just lash out at an entire room."

Rainbow Dash agreed with what Lightspeed said, but still felt it could've been different. "I know Lightspeed, but I wish things were different. I wish she wasn't such a huge jerk and we could stay friends for as long as we wanted."

Lightspeed put a hoof on his sister's shoulder, glad that she didn't regret doing what she did. "Well you still have the friends you made here in Ponyville. And if you ask me, our friends are the best we could ask for." Rainbow Dash smiled, glad she had such a supportive brother on her side.





Spike was writing down a letter to Queen Celestia, finding what he was writing to be nothing different from the truth. Though, he did have to question why Rainbow Dash couldn't be the one to tell the story. After all, it was a personal event that she had to deal with, so Spike thought it was only fair for the letter to be from her rather than from a friend. "I'm glad we got to tell Celestia about this Twilight, but why couldn't Rainbow Dash just do it?"

"Because Spike, these letters are about what I learned, not about what the others learned." Twilight explained, and then she went into a little more detail. "And thanks to Rainbow Dash, I learned that some friends are outright toxic. So in a way, we have the same moral down." Spike saw Twilight's point, seeing that the message would get through regardless of who sent it.





Celestia was currently in her castle as she read the letter from Twilight, being quite glad to see that she was learning lots of valuable lessons in Ponyville. "There's the third letter down." Celestia took out a quill that was in some ink and began to write something, only for it to vanish as soon as she got done with the first sentence. This confused her, so she looked at the ink and tore off the label on it, revealing that it was in fact vanishing ink. This made her laugh as she got the real ink, knowing exactly who did this prank. "Luna." Celestia wrote the real letter with a smile as the screen faded to black, ending the episode off.





An instrumental version of the main theme played during the credits.
> Lazy Dragon
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fluttershy was walking in front of her cottage home with a carrot basket, walking up to Angel, who was playing by himself. "Alright Angel. Time for your lunch." Fluttershy set down a basket of carrots for Angel to chow down on with Angel being indifferent as Fluttershy remembered something. "Oh, right." Fluttershy then pulled out some lettuce for Angel to eat, much to his joy. "Sorry, I had to help Rainbow Dash today and I almost forgot."

Angel started eating with Fluttershy taking notice to a big black cloud of smoke in the sky. She became cautious when she saw it, hoping it wasn't anything too serious. "Oh boy." Angel saw Fluttershy looking up and looked up as well to find the same cloud she saw. "Do you know what that means Angel? There's a chance that there's a dragon living near Ponyville!"

Angel liked the sound of that with Fluttershy picking him up, as well as his food, as she rushed inside. "If Ponyville gets engulfed in that smoke cloud there's no telling how fast it'll be before we all suffocate." Fluttershy set Angel down with his food and got ready to head into town. "I have to warn the town residents Angel. Be good, and I MIGHT have something for you when I get back." Fluttershy rushed off to warn everyone in Ponyville about the smoke cloud, leaving Angel to continue eating his food while looking for the tv remote.





All kinds of moments from season one were shown as Twilight was heard singing the main theme of the show, My Little Pony Friends. "For every day, I look around me, for every time I see you near. I thank the stars, whose light surrounds me, I thank the earth that keeps you here. Cause I will only follow, my true heart. And I can see it clear now, right from the start. You were my little pony. I used to wonder what friendship could be; my little pony. Until you shared it's magic with me. My little pony. I used to wonder what friendship could be. My little pony. Until you shared it's magic, with me.





Twilight was walking around town as she took notice to the flowers that a yellow earth pony was watering. "Looking great Bon Bon. These will really lighten up the town."

"Thanks Twilight." Bon Bon responded, and then she saw Fluttershy struggling to get everyone's attention. "Hey, isn't that your friend Fluttershy?"

Twilight saw Fluttershy and nodded to Bon Bon, who nodded back as Twilight walked up to the struggling pegasus. "You okay Fluttershy? You look scared about something." Fluttershy pointed up to the smoke cloud with Twilight taking charge when Fluttershy tried again but failed to speak up. "Everypony, stop what you're doing and listen!" Everyone put their eyes on Twilight with Fluttershy being glad that Twilight was speaking up. "There's a dragon smoke cloud up in the sky at this very moment. If it reaches Ponyville then we could all be suffocated by it!"

Everyone nearby ran past Twilight and Fluttershy with the latter being grateful for the former's support. "Thanks Twilight."

"Anytime. Now let's get the others and investigate this cloud of black smoke." Twilight suggested, leaving Fluttershy frightened at the thought of what could happen up in that cave.





Twilight was telling the others about the situation with every one of them paying attention to what she had to say. "And so, I think it'd be best if we all went up there to investigate and see if we can get the dragon to make a compromise on how to deal with his smoke. Or convince him to move. Whichever one works."

Spike saw the chance for adventure and immediately stood up, being ready for whatever came his way. "Sounds like a blast. You're taking me with you."

"Whoa, the dragon kid decided to grow some balls." Rainbow Dash joked, though she didn't mind Spike's company at all. "I like that. (Looks at Twilight) Let him come Twilight; he could prove useful, especially if that mark thing helps us out again."

Twilight looked down to see Spike giving a thumbs up and confident smile, smiling as she obliged to his request. "Fine. But I'm teleporting you home as soon as you get too badly hurt."

"That's barely a restriction; you're just using common sense." Spike noticed Fluttershy hiding in a tree outside when everyone headed out, running over to it and peeking inside. Everyone else stayed behind to make sure she was doing okay. "Fluttershy, if you have to fart then I doubt half of us will care."

Rainbow Dash sighed, flying over to Spike and Fluttershy as she clarified the situation. "It's not gas Spike. She's been scared of pretty much everything since we met, and I've always had to drag her into whatever she wanted to try out but couldn't. Or stuff like this."

Spike caught onto what Rainbow Dash was saying as he spoke to Fluttershy himself. "Cmon Fluttershy, we'll all have your back."

Fluttershy started to come out, but was still scared with Rainbow Dash speaking up. "I'll get you closer to making that animal sanctuary." Fluttershy squeed and dashed over to the others with Spike being impressed. "We've been friends for way too long for me not to know that one."





Spike and the others arrived at the mountain with Fluttershy trembling with each step she took. Rainbow Dash made sure she stayed stable, knowing she would need help to get up there. "Take it easy Flutters. It's gonna be okay in the end."

Rarity looked up at the smoke cloud and found it quite annoying that it was headed right for Ponyville. "Honestly. Does this dragon have to have manners so bad that he gets an entire town poisoned? What's he doing anyway to cause that smoke anyway?"

"Masturbating?" Spike chimed in, leaving Rarity unamused as Spike stated an actual possible cause of the smoke. "Kidding. He could be sleeping. I don't know if that makes smoke, but dragons are as capable of breathing out of their nostrils as ponies are."

"Well the least he could do is close his windows so he doesn't cover any major areas in the world." Rarity pointed out, not being fond of the dragon's lifestyle. "I know some caves in this world have windows too. I looked it up when researching what dragons like to wear so I could get your preferred fashion choices for the gala."

Spike took appreciation to what Rarity just revealed as a loud thump was heard from the inside of the cave from above.  "Let's hope your research goes beyond that, cause it looks like this dude hates visitors." Just then, a rockslide went down to the others, leaving Spike to view it as not far from what his best was, jumping off of Rarity and onto the first rock. As he jumped on them, Rainbow Dash and Lightspeed flew over the rockslide with Twilight blasting the rocks she could get past, making sure not to hit the others with the debre.

Applejack slid under the rocks she could evade and kicked the ones she could break, leaving Rarity and Pinkie Pie to defend Fluttershy, which they did as Pinkie Pie took out a massive shield and blocked the rocks with it as Rarity comforted Fluttershy the best she could. Once everyone was at the top, Spike jumped off of the last rock and landed safely on the ground while also insulting the rockslide. "Ha! Eat that rockslide! I don't even have my wings yet and you're nothing more than a bucket of pebbles to me."

"Save it Shara Croft." Twilight joked around as Spike walked over to them. "We still have to save Ponyville from this dragon's smoke, so let's take our comebacks to said dragon if you don't mind." Spike was cool with that as everyone took notice to how terrified Fluttershy was about the situation. "Fluttershy, if you need to-"

"I'm scared of dragons!" Fluttershy blurted out, leaving Spike to snicker a bit as Fluttershy continued. "And I know, I'm friends with Spike and all that, but this dragon is way bigger, way nastier, and way more likely to eat us alive! (Spike walks up to Fluttershy) I can't-"

Spike slapped Fluttershy across the face twice and snapped her out of her panic attack. "Get it together Fluttershy! This is for Ponyville, remember that. Use it as your motivator to get this done." Fluttershy understood what Spike meant and nodded, doing her best to calm down as Spike and the others walked on ahead.

Lightspeed had to admit he was indifferent to Spike's method, but he was glad to see that it worked. "That was...less than ideal. But it worked."

"I try." Spike responded, and the others continued climbing to get to where the dragon was sleeping.





Spike and the others had arrived at the top of the mountain with Spike looking inside and seeing a big gray dragon in there. He could barely see past the smoke however, and he'd hoped that he and the others would be able to convince this dragon to get lost. Feeling that he should go first since he's also a dragon, he looked at the others as he explained his plan. "Alright. I'm gonna go in there and talk to this dude, dragon to dragon, and I'll see what he's like so we can decide how to get him to leave and not endanger Ponyville."

Twilight handed Spike some kind of energy capsule, and he put it away to make sure he meant peace. As he went into the cave, the dragon was right there, and he woke him up by knocking gently on his jaw. "Alright buddy. Let's talk dragon to dragon for a bit."

The dragon looked down at Spike, who wasn't scared by his structure, since he'd faced worse before. The dragon laughed as he tuanted Spike for his size. "You're a dragon!? You look like an anthropamorphic turtle!"

"I'm thirteen dude. Dragon puberty isn't exactly an easy process." The dragon had to agree with that, but he still attempted to crush Spike, who dodged his finger slam and started shouting. "Hey, watch it dude! You're breathing smoke over Ponyville and I'm only here to convince you to move somewhere you won't cause us any damage!"

"And why should I listen to a teenage brat like you?"

"If you want an adult my sister's twenty two."

"Don't get smart with me!"

The dragon attempted to smash the ground with the dragon breathing fire at him, only for an energy blast to deflect the fire. This was Twilight, who aimed her horn right at the dragon. "I don't care who you are, or what level of importance you have to Equestria! Attack my brother again and I'll blow your brain out of your head!"

The dragon looked at Spike with confusion as he then explained the story. "She hatched me from my egg as her first lesson at Canterlot's magic school. I didn't exactly say I lived with other dragons, and the fact that I live in Ponyville should've clarified that."

The dragon was indifferent to this and slammed both of his claws on the ground as he let out a massive roar that threw Spike and Twilight out of the cave. Spike took the energy capsule out and threw it at the dragon just before he and Twilight got sent out, hitting him with some firecrackers that blinded him for a bit. "Hey! Who attacks someone with firecrackers!?"

Spike and Twilight got sent out with Spike skidding on the landing, but managing to make it, and Twilight using her powers to land safely. Spike walked over to the others as he expressed how badly the plan failed. "Well. That was a bust."

Lightspeed got an idea himself, and he looked at Pinkie Pie to see if he could have her help with it. "Pinkie Pie. How would you like to help me out with MY idea on getting the dragon to leave?"

"I say you've got the right pony for the job! Assuming it involves baked goods." Lightspeed chuckled a bit before he decided to work with Pinkie Pie on what the plan was really about.





Lightspeed had just finished making a sound making machine with Pinkie Pie that he was sure would work. "I don't have a name for this thing, but that won't matter in a few seconds to a few minutes. Once the dragon starts hearing all of this noise, he'll leave the cave and go somewhere else. Preferably a cave that's not near any towns or cities."

"Sounds like it'll work to me Lightspeed." Pinkie Pie assured Lightspeed, being completely on board with his plan, and excited to execute it. "It's a good thing I had my instruments with me."

"From what I've seen from you so far, you have EVERYTHING with you at all times." Lightspeed turned on the device with the drums banging and Pinkie Pie blowing into it, causing the trumpets and trombones to start blowing as she walked into the cave. When she did, the dragon immediately smashed her out of the cave, leading to her dragging on the ground as the device broke down as Lightspeed expressed concern about the situation. "Maybe I should've considered whether or not the dragon was no nonsense."

Everyone was thinking long and hard about this one as Rainbow Dash then remembered something about Fluttershy. "Hey Flutters. You have that stare thing, right? Why not try that out on him?"

Fluttershy looked into the cave and didn't think she could pull it off, deciding to go against it for now. "I think we should save it for a last resort."

Rainbow Dash shrugged with a grin as Rarity then got an idea, pulling out her laptop and opening a tab of the best dragon caves. "I think it's time I go for MY method. Wish me luck." Rarity went into the cave and showed the dragon her laptop as she started talking about the caves she had on it. "Excuse me Mr. dragon." The dragon gave Rarity his full attention as she started talking about how she could move him to a better cave. "I'd like to show you what could prove to be much more suitable caves than this dump of a cavern you call home."

Just then, the dragon breathed fire on Rarity, and when she walked out, she brought up the flaw she'd just realized in her planning. "Perhaps insulting his current home wasn't the best way to convince him to move out."

"Ya think?" Spike snarked, and then he looked back into the cave and called over to the dragon. "The sooner you move out buddy, the sooner we'll get out of your life! Just sayin!" The dragon roared with Spike scoffing as he then turned to Fluttershy, who was stunned with fear. "You know we're not gonna let him eat you, right?"

"That doesn't change the fact that he COULD eat me." Fluttershy replied, and then she started breathing heavily before Rainbow Dash flew over to her and calmly stroked her mane, calming her down a bit, although she was still worried about the dragon. "Thanks." Rainbow Dash nodded in response with Fluttershy then turning to Applejack to see what she had in store. "You're good at dealing with vicious animals Applejack. (Looks at Spike) No offense Spike. (Spike shrugged with Fluttershy turning back to Applejack) Maybe you could get him to leave."

Applejack tried to think of something from her experiences of dealing with dangerous animals that could help with the dragon. "Well it's not Timberwolves, but it shouldn't be too hard for me to handle." Applejack rushed into the cave and faced the dragon head on without fear, dodging his flame blasts and tail smacks before launching a rope at his mouth. She managed to get it around his mouth, only for the rope to snap as soon as he opened it. He then breathed fire at Applejack and used his tail to smack her out of the room.

Applejack skidded across the ground with Spike and Lightspeed helping her up as Rainbow Dash then got fed up. "Alright, I've had it with this guy! I'm goin in!" Rainbow Dash flew into the cave and without hesitation, kicked the dragon right on the snout, flying against his roar and shouting at him right after he was done. "Get, lost!"

The dragon looked into Rainbow Dash's eyes as she then stood on top of his snout with him beginning to talk. "Why should I listen to you runts!?"

"Because if you don't, I can personally assure you that you're gonna get a major butt kicking from me!" Rainbow Dash promised the dragon, pointing to the outside of the cave as she spoke up. "So either beat it, or answer to my hoof, in your face!"

"How about my tail in YOUR face!?" The dragon tried to slam Rainbow Dash into the top of the cave, only to hit his head as Rainbow Dash then taunted the dragon, who then breathed fire at her, which she dodged before immediately getting hit with the dragon's tail.

Rainbow Dash was able to regain her balance and land solidly on the ground with the dragon walking over to Spike and the others as Fluttershy felt an urge of bravery coming from within her and glared at the dragon. Spike took notice to this and got Lightspeed's attention before bringing it up. "It's gonna happen dude! Fluttershy's about to go ditch mode!"

Fluttershy flew up to the dragon and yelled at him to stop whatever he was planning to do. "STOP!" Fluttershy's shout echoed through the sky with Twilight wearing ear muffs to read her book while watching Fluttershy do her thing. "I'm sorry we disturbed your nap, and making someone leave their home is the last thing I want to do! But you've shown absolutely no care in the world about what your nap smoke is doing to our town, and I'm now tired of it!"

The dragon started to point fingers, pointing at Rainbow Dash as he spoke up. "But that rainbow one kicked me."

Rainbow Dash was sitting on a high up rock as she made a gesture to the dragon that indicated flipping him off. Fluttershy continued her words, showing barely any sympathy towards the dragon. "Well maybe if you didn't start attacking us, she wouldn't have tried to hurt YOU herself. Did you ever think about that? I will happily help you find a new cave, and I'll make sure you're left alone since it'll be away from any nearby towns that could disturb you. But I will NOT allow you to get away with attacking all of my friends! Especially, not, Rainbow Dash!"

Rainbow Dash flew down to Applejack to fill her in on why Fluttershy said what she said. "We dated for a bit back in Cloudsdale before deciding to be best friends again."

"No one was doin the math, but I'm glad Cloudsdale understands being into your own gender is normal too."

The dragon saw that Fluttershy was serious and decided to do what she wanted him to do. "Well...I guess you have a point. If I'd just left when your dragon friend asked me to we could've avoided all of this."

Fluttershy smiled, glad to see that the dragon stopped putting up such resistance. "That's what I like to hear. Now come with me, and let's go cave hunting." The dragon allowed Fluttershy to sit on his head with Spike giving her a thumbs up of respect. This made Fluttershy proud of herself for managing to overcome her anxiety a bit.





Fluttershy was flying on the dragons head as he commented on the fact that she was a Pegasus. "Ya know, you don't HAVE to ride on my back. You have wings."

"I know. I'm just doing it to show that I'm not scared of you. I mean, I'm still scared of dragons, but standing up to you is helping me get over it." Fluttershy explained, making the dragon smile as the two of them landed by the cave they were flying over to. "Here's the cave Rarity mentioned. And not a town in sight, so you won't be able to cause any harm."

"Well that's good." The dragon responded, being glad that he would be able to sleep peacefully with his horde of stuff now. "Now I can guard my gems with every town and city being safe. Why didn't I do this sooner?"

Fluttershy wasn't sure how to answer that, and as the two were looking around the castle, she thought about how they would get the dragon's treasure horde here. "I know most dragons have treasure hordes. Do you want Twilight to bring yours her with her magic?"

The dragon took a liking to the cave and found that it'd be perfect for him to stay in. "That would be just perfect. I'm moving in!"

Fluttershy was glad to hear that and flew up to the dragon as she let him know that she would get what he needed soon. "I'll let Twilight know right away. Sit tight." The dragon nodded in understanding with Fluttershy flying off to find Twilight and have her teleport the gem horde into the cave.





The dragon was happily making himself at home in his new cave with the gem horde surrounding him like it did in the previous cave. He was taking quite a liking to his new home as he had everything arranged the way he wanted it to be while also making sure that he was comfortable when he was sleeping. He did hope that he would be able to see Fluttershy again though. He wouldn't mind seeing her friends again, but he had a special liking to her now. As a friend anyway. He wasn't really into romance and all that.





Spike and the others were at Sugarcube Corner with Twilight writing out her friendship letter as she told Fluttershy about what she taught her. "I still can't believe we didn't consider if he had another place to go. You really thought ahead of us today Fluttershy. Even me believe it or not."

Flutterhsy giggled a bit as she brought up why she offered to help the dragon. "I just got tired of his nonsense and couldn't hold back my anger anymore. I'm glad I was still able to consider what his circumstances were."

"Eh, I would've called him out for the fact that he held back on telling us why he wouldn't leave." Spike pointed out as he was lying down on Twilight's back, feeling that he could've fixed the problem a lot faster with some context. "I could've fixed the issue if he decided to think for forty five seconds."

Twilight rolled her eyes while smiling as she brought up Spike's words. "Not everyone is as willing to explain their issues as we are Spike. You're right, but it's pretty clear that dragon is an introvert."

Spike saw Twilight's point, taking her letter and sending it to Celestia before making his reply. "That's true. Still, I would've at least considered it before breathing fire on us and smacking us with his body. (Looks at Fluttershy) Good on ya though Fluttershy. Your method certainly worked the best." Fluttershy was glad to hear that, knowing that she did a great thing for herself and her friends today.





Fluttershy was trying to get Angel to eat his vegetables again when dinnertime hit, and as always, he wasn't really up for it. "Cmon Angel, I know you wanna get to your desert, but I can't just give it to you. You have to earn it." Angel turned his head away from the vegetables with Fluttershy deciding to use the same tactic she used on the dragon to get him to move out of his cave. "Angel, if you just try it then you'll see if you actually like it or not. And if you end up not liking it, I'll find something that'll help you like it without ruining your health."

Angel found Fluttershy's argument to be compelling and grabbed some lettuce, biting into it and taking quite a liking to it. When he shoved his face into it and continued eating it, Fluttershy sat down in front of Angel and smiled as she told him an important life lesson. "You should always try something before deciding you don't like it Angel. It's smarter, and helps you balance out what you eat." Angel gave a thumbs up to Fluttershy as he continued eating with Fluttershy then getting a phone call. "One sec Angel."

Fluttershy answered the call with the dragon being shown on the other end, surprising Fluttershy a bit as he spoke up. "The unicorn that helped us find this place managed to find a phone that I could hold without breaking. I wonder why I didn't start using one of these things sooner."

Fluttershy was glad to see that the dragon was enjoying his live at the cave, which she could tell from his cheerful voice. "I'm glad things are working out for you. And that we can keep in touch. What's your name anyway?"

"Limestone." The dragon answered, and then he asked Fluttershy if he remembered her name correctly. "You're Fluttershy, right?"

"That's right." Fluttershy stated happily, and then when Angel started gagging, she giggled a bit before correcting his thought. "He's a friend Angel, don't worry."





Spike and Twilight were at the Golden Oak Library as Twilight was explaining to Spike what she learned from Fluttershy about friendship. "So basically I learned that not everyone is willing to ask for help, and that you have to offer it to them in the hopes that they accept."

Spike shrugged, feeling like the lesson Twilight learned could use some work. "I mean, I guess that works for some, but others might just keep resisting. I'd personally accept the help eventually, but some may just not want it."

Twilight saw Spike's point and then brought up his mark thing, noticing that it wasn't acting up yet. "So...if I asked if you needed help dealing with your mark, what would you do?"

Spike looked at his mark and smiled as he looked at Twilight, knowing that she would like what he had to say in response. "I'd happily accept and see what you had in mind. My point though is that it's not the choice everyone will go for. I like the message; it shows that you shouldn't instantly abandon people who have trouble asking, but you also have to take into account whether or not they want it, or they just can't ask." Twilight saw what Spike was getting at as he then ran off into the kitchen. "Example, I'm about to help myself to some ice cream!"

Spike ran over to the fridge with Twilight rolling her eyes while smiling as she took the ice cream from Spike as he got it from the freezer. "Nice try." Spike jumped at the ice cream, grabbing it and causing the freezer door to close as the screen went to black due to the door closing, ending the episode off.





A title card that said 'FLB Public Service Announcement: Accepting Help Is Okay!' came up after the episode ended.





Rainbow Dash was hanging out with Applejack, who was clearly tired from bucking apples out of Sweet Apple Acres' trees. She was clearly worried about the Earth pony, not wanting her to take another kick at these trees. "Cmon AJ, you're exhausted. And you would've been done by now if you'd just take the help and move on."

"I already told you Rainbow Dash, this is an Apple Family responsibility." Applejack was getting tired of being offered help she didn't need, or didn't want I should say, as she clearly needed assistance with this apple bucking thing. "I told Big Mac I'd cover his fields since he was injured, and I plan to do that myself."

Applejack went to buck another tree, sending down only one apple, which Rainbow Dash caught in her hoof and took a bite out of before talking to Applejack. "AJ, you've clearly forgotten what Fluttershy did for the dragon last week. He kept throwing us out of his cave because he didn't wanna ask for help in finding one where he wouldn't hurt anyone, and he got it." Applejack remembered that day with Rainbow Dash pulling out her cellphone to give her the impression that she was about to call the others. "It'll be worth it."

Applejack didn't see that she had any options left, looking around and seeing that there were still hundreds of trees to buck. She looked at Rainbow Dash with a sigh of defeat, knowing that she was just doing what she thought was best. "If you say so." 

Rainbow Dash happily called the others in a group chat and spoke up when they came online. "Guys, she's on board!"





Everyone was helping Applejack with the apple trees with Twilight levitating them out of the trees, Fluttershy having the critters bring them out of them, Rarity holding the buckets in place, and Pinkie Pie shaking them out of the trees to have them fall into the buckets. Rainbow Dash and Applejack were taking a break as they saw Spike eating what looked like worm filled cupcakes, catching Applejack's attention as she asked about it. "Where'd you get those cupcakes Spike, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Pinkie Pie's trash can." Rainbow Dash and Applejack gave shocked looks of disgust with Spike defending why he was eating them. "Hey, dragons eat gross things compared to ponies. At least I think they do. Let's hope I don't have to wait until season two this time to figure it out."

Rainbow Dash and Applejack brushed off what Spike was doing as he walked off, leaving Rainbow Dash to speak up. "See Applejack? Accepting help from others isn't gonna ruin your reputation or anything dangerous."

"You're right Rainbow Dash. Even though I had to learn that lesson again." Applejack chuckled a bit before admitting that she learned her lesson. "But now I know."

"And knowing is (Whips mane stylishly) half the battle." A screen came up that said 'Forever Lasting bonds!' while also singing the words, ending the public service announcement right there.





An instrumental version of the main theme played during the credits.
> An Evil Enchantress
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spike was riding his skateboard through Ponyville as he made a grind on one of the house roof railings and jumped off to grab a lamppost. As he slid down it while spinning on it, he let go when he reached the bottom and continued to skate on. He saw two ponies carrying a long tray of food up ahead and ducked under it, snagging himself a cupcake and eating it. After taking the wrapper off of course. He saw some weird wagon outside of his school and walked up to it with curiosity. "This better not be a horror movie wagon."

Just then, a light blue unicorn in a magician's outfit resembling stars jumped out and greeted the dragon. "Not at all my dragon friend." The unicorn moved her mane upward a bit before announcing who she was. "The great, and powerful, (Raises hoof) Trixie! (Puts hoof down) Wants to get a peanut butter shake before getting ready for her show."

Spike could tell that Trixie saw highly of herself, walking up to her and asking a question. "So you're a traveling magician pony? My sister told me about travelers. What's it like making money off of your performances?"

"I am indeed, I bet she did, and it's a lot of fun." Trixie responded, answering all three of Spike's questions as she then gave him two tickets to her show. "If you have a special someone, feel free to take them to my show."

Spike looked at the tickets and shrugged, putting them away as he spoke up. "I guess it'd be fun for us to laugh at how bad you are compared to Twilight." Spike laughed a bit with Trixie giving a blunt look, leaving Spike to further discuss his statement. "Seriously though. Twilight could totally flex on you."

"Very few can flex on Trixie herself." Trixie stated, brushing off Spike's words as she walked off to get her shake. "She might need to get training from Zecora. Talk to me after my show if you want more details." Spike was intrigued by this mention for some reason, wanting to know if Zecora was worth knowing about.





All kinds of moments from season one were shown as Twilight was heard singing the main theme of the show, My Little Pony Friends. "For every day, I look around me, for every time I see you near. I thank the stars, whose light surrounds me, I thank the earth that keeps you here. Cause I will only follow, my true heart. And I can see it clear now, right from the start. You were my little pony. I used to wonder what friendship could be; my little pony. Until you shared it's magic with me. My little pony. I used to wonder what friendship could be. My little pony. Until you shared it's magic, with me.





Applejack was with Applebloom at Sugarcube Corner after school as she got a good look at a piece of paper she gave her. "Vandalizing the lunch room!? Applebloom, we've talked about this. If you keep tagging stuff then you'll go down the wrong path. And you could get expelled if you started beating up students."

"That's why I wait until AFTER school to floor Diamond Tiara and her slave." Applebloom snarked, making Applejack flinch as Applebloom then clarified what she meant. "Relax, I only do it if they taunt me by calling me 'blank flank' or whatever. It's not like I'm doing this unprovoked Applejack. I have SOME common sense."

Applejack sighed and put the paper away, hoping Applebloom would stop acting so rebellious soon. "I just don't want you turning into a thug Applebloom. And don't forget that-"

"Diamond Tiara's daddy is the reason our farm is able to stay afloat, and he's only helping us because he hasn't found out it's me yet." Applebloom was starting to get annoyed, as seen by her interruption of Applejack. "I get it Applejack, I'm a wreck and bullying is better than responding to it. What're you gonna do now, reference that movie everyone's so obsessed with that they memorized every single lyric in the most iconic song FROM said movie?"

Applejack was about to retort as Spike and Twilight then entered Sugarcube Corner as Spike spoke up. "And she said she'd tell me more if I met her after the show."

"I guess it couldn't hurt." Twilight admitted, seeing as she was always ready to improve upon her magic skills. "This Zecora sure does sound interesting."

Pinkie Pie suddenly dashed up to Spike and Twilight after hearing the name 'Zecora' being said. "Zecora!?" The shouting of Zecora's name is what shook Applejack, making Applebloom roll her eyes as she saw what was coming. "You mean the witch from the Everfree Forest who's seriously peeved off at Ponyville Zecora!?"

Spike and Twilight were confused as Applejack ran up to them and grabbed Twilight's chest. "You can't learn her magic Twilight! She's too dangerous!"

Applebloom walked up to her sister and saw that Pinkie Pie was about to sing before she put her hoof up. "Save it Candy Queen. Why's this chick such a big deal?"

"I'm just about to tell you." Pinkie Pie responded happily, and then she stood on her hind legs as she started singing. "She's an evil enchantress, (Jumps in front of Spike and Twilight) who does evil dances, (Pinkie Pie's eyes move forward a bit and then move back, repeating a couple times before stopping) She'll trap you in the forest and hit you with her trances!"

Applejack was shivering when holding Applebloom as she gave a blunt look to the audience. "You'll never forget the fear, she brought up from your rear, (Spike and Twilight look at each other and nod) and she'll turn your confidence into something you'll never go near! (Pinkie Pie jumps onto the table on all fours) So, watch out!"

Applebloom made her sister let go of her as Spike then expressed how interested he was now. "Well that Trixie girl said she'd give me more info after her performance tonight, so that might decide whether or not I go."

"Can I come with?" Applebloom asked, being excited to see if this Zecora was for real. "I love mythological things, and any sort of rumor that could relate to them! If Applejack wasn't hugging me like a five year old, I'd be squeeing like a baby."

Spike took his tickets out and handed the other one to Applebloom, much to Applejack's fear as Spike spoke up. "I was gonna go with Lightspeed, but Rainbow Dash said he's sick, so I don't see why not. You seem cool."

Twilight saw Applejack hyperventalating as she then comforted her in regards to this mission. "Don't worry too hard on this Applejack. Spike managed to defend all of us from a giant laser once. If he goes through with this mission then I think he'll be capable of protecting Applebloom. (Whispers to Applejack with a sly grin) Plus I can spy on them and teleport us to them whenever you like."

Applejack was put at ease with that as she then looked at Applebloom with concern. "Just be careful, okay sis?"

"That should be easy with dark dragon over here as my bodyguard." Spike took a liking to that nickname, fist bumping Applebloom as the two thought about how tonight would go.





Spike and Applebloom were currently watching Trixie's show as the two of them found what she was doing to be fun to watch. Spike had to admit though, he felt that Twilight could easily flex on Trixie if she wanted to. "We gotta put this chick up against Twilight sometime. It'd be fun to see the two of them have a magic duel."

Applebloom liked the sound of that, but she was still unable to resist her excitement about what would be happening after the show. "I still can't believe we're going after the Zecora myth. It's gonna be so cool!" Some of the audience members were alerted by Applebloom's mention of Zecora, making her and Spike nervous as Applebloom whispered to Spike. "For the sake of everyone's sanity, let's make extra sure Trixie's the only one in earshell when we talk to her."

"Good call." Spike whispered back, and the two of them continued to watch the show, enjoying what they saw and glad they were able to check it out.





Ten minutes after Trixie's performance, Spike and Applebloom were behind her wagon as she went out the back door to see them. She wasn't surprised that Spike decided to come, since she knew he was the type who suck out danger. "So you came."

Spike gave a thumbs up with a confident smile as Trixie gave him a letter stating that she sent them on this mission. "So Zecora's in the Everfree forest, huh? So she's not actually an evil enchantress like Pinkie Pie said?"

"Nah, she's pretty cool." Trixie assured Spike and Applebloom, much to Applebloom's disappointment as Trixie then said something that could raise her spirits. "Oh, don't worry. She IS an enchantress, she's just not as sadistic and dictator-like as the ponies here think she is."

Applebloom got excited again as she asked about how the letter was going to find her, being curious as to how words on a piece of paper could do that. "How's this letter gonna help us track her down though? It's not exactly a map." Trixie signaled Spike to turn the paper over, which he did, revealing a map to Zecora's place from Ponyville. "Oh yeah, that makes sense."

Spike put the letter away so he and Applebloom wouldn't get caught by anyone passing by. "Thanks Trixie. And I'll be sure to check in with my sister to see if she's okay with a magic duel."

"If she is, let her know I'm not one to underestimate, if my show said anything about it." Trixie informed Spike, who nodded as she started to feel a bit parched. "Ugh, I'd kill for a smoothie. Where's that Sugarcube corner place I heard about?"

Applebloom signaled Spike to hurry up, being way more into this mythological stuff compared to him and starting to get annoyed as Spike gave quick directions to Sugarcube corner. "Keep going right from the entrance of your wagon, and it's the building with a big cupcake on it. Ya can't miss it."

"Thanks. (Runs off) Good luck with your quest!" Spike nodded to Applebloom another with the latter squeeing with excitement as she ran off with Spike.





Spike and Applebloom were at the entrance of the Everfree Forest with Applebloom being so excited to meet Zecora herself. "This is gonna be so cool! Applejack would NEVER let me do something like this on my own."

"Do you have any magical powers that could save your life?" Spike asked with a smug grin, leaving Applebloom to nod her head no as Spike then made his reply. "That's probably why." Spike and Applebloom entered the Everfree forest with Spike expressing his indifference to mythological creatures. "I can't say this mythological srap interests me, but a creature rivaling Twilight's magic is cool in my book."

Applebloom already knew Spike was here for the thrill seeking, figuring it wouldn't hurt to comment on it with a smirk as Spike took the map out. "You're mostly coming because of how insanely dangerous it's gonna be, aren't you."

"What can I say; I'm a thrill seeker." Spike replied, being ready for whatever came their way as the two of them noticed the trees making faces. "Don't worry, just think happy thoughts and they'll buck off." Applebloom did as Spike said and the tree faces started to vanish, leaving Applebloom impressed as the two continued onward.

Spike and Applebloom were going in the direction of the map as Applebloom remembered what Spike did when he started going to the Ponyville middle school. "So. Regarding that flame fart you did on Diamond Tiara the first day you came to school. Can you...fart, on cue?"

Spike was quite proud of this little talent of his that Applebloom asked about, being more than ready to confirm it for her. He handed her the map as he then got ready to demonstrate his talent of on cue farting. "You're about to wish you didn't ask." Applebloom gave Spike a look that was practically daring him to try her, leading Spike to lean forward casually a bit while clenching his fists and cutting a loud and bassy thirty second fart, letting out a yellow cloud of rotten eggs that made at least a dozen of the trees behind his butt wither and die, stunning Applebloom with just how powerful his farts were (PHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHT).

Applebloom was stunned by how toxic Spike's fart was as he then whiffed it a bit before responding to her expression. "And I doubt that's even a hundred thousandth of a percentage of how long I can fart for."

Applebloom laughed at Spike's flatulence as the two of them continued onward with Spike taking the map. "Applejack could learn a thing or two from you." Spike and Applebloom laughed about how good he was at farting with Spike being more than glad to have shown it off.

Twilight and Applejack were watching Spike and Applebloom through a crystal ball as Twilight commented on Spike's toxic fart. "Still no sign of danger that they can't handle Applejack. (Applejack is shown to be drinking cider nervously) I'll let you know if they get into a situation that looks like they won't be able to handle."

Applejack looked at the crystal ball with Spike and Applebloom coming across a vulture, only for Spike to punch it as it came down. Applebloom fist bumped him upon seeing this with Applejack calming down a bit from the vision. "Well...I guess as long as it's not anything Spike can't face off against that stops them." Applejack saw a bunch of wolves that looked like trees and started to panic. "Are those timberwolves!? Spike is NOT gonna be able to punch those without any effort!"

"I take it this is where you want us to go into spy on them and wait to do something while looking cool mode." Applejack nodded her head yes desperately with Twilight starting to cast the spell. "This should give us a chance to see Spike's powers in person again if they activate."





Spike was telling Applebloom about the mark on his claw that caused him to use his Nightmare Moon esc powers. "Yeah, I don't know much about it. All I know is that it can spawn giant shields if I jump in front of a death beam ray to protect my friends and also give calls to this dude who has a similar mark. I forgot what he said, but I think he's coming over to Ponyville."

Spike and Applebloom saw Twilight and Applejack appear before them with Applebloom giving a blunt look with pure sarcasm dripping from her tone of voice. "I'd adore it if he was an overprotective nut like my sister."

"Be as indifferent to us coming as you want Applebloom, but I'm not letting you go through the Everfree forest without me, with or without protection." Applejack stated sternly, making Applebloom roll her eyes as Applejack spoke up. "And as far as I'm concerned, you shouldn't be seeing Zecora at all. Do you know how dangerous she is?"

Applebloom was about to speak up as Spike chimed in with his own words to say to Applejack. "Do you have any evidence to justify thinking that besides rumors and Pinkie Pie's dumb song?" Applejack paused for a bit as Spike finished his retort. "Stick to farm work Applejack. You're more of a peasant than a witch."

Applebloom started laughing with Applejack starting to get mad before Twilight stepped up and scolded Spike. "Spike, what have I told you about roasting people?"

"I forgot." Spike admitted, and then he walked on after Applebloom finished laughing as he spoke up when looking behind him. "You can come if you want, but I doubt it'll be an easy ride."

Applejack was anxious with Twilight letting her know about the kinds of magic practice she's been doing. "I've been practicing my magic strength and durability for at least a week. I'll stop anything that looks like too much of a threat." Applejack trusted Twilight, walking with her to catch up with Spike and Applebloom.





Spike and the others were walking through the Everfree Forest as they came upon a field of some suspicious looking flowers. They had thorns on their stems, and there were seven petals on them, one red, one orange, one yellow, one green, one blue, one purple, and one pink. Twilight and Applejack stepped forward to make sure Spike and Applebloom didn't get hurt, seeing the flowers up close with Twilight explaining what they were. "These look like Flowers of Randomization. If they spray you, pretty much anything can happen."

Spike and the others tried to look for a way around the flowers as Twilight got an idea. "I think our best bet is for me to levitate is over the flowers."

"Sounds good to me." Applebloom stated, looking at the flowers and getting a sinister plan in mind. "Hopefully none of us get sprayed when landing." Spike nodded to Twilight, who levitated the others over the flowers first, making sure they were all over safely before her. First Spike, then Applebloom, and then Applejack, and then she got herself over there. "Ya know, Spike's right. You could totally flex on Trixie in a Magic Duel."

Twilight giggled a bit, being flattered that Applebloom felt that way. "Thanks Applebloom, but I'm not interested in using my magic for competitive sport."

Spike hopped onto Twilight's back as he commented on what he thought her reasons were. "Probably because you'd flex on the entire competition."

Twilight rolled her eyes while smiling with Applebloom sitting in front of the flowers, leading to Applejack freaking out and dashing in front of her. "Applebloom, careful!" Applejack unwittingly sat on a flower without noticing, being more concerned with keeping Applebloom safe. Twilight was about to alert Applejack, but she'd already started talking before she could. "Twilight said these flowers could do-" Applejack suddenly started shrinking, making her give a blunt look as she finished her sentence "...anything to us."

Applejack ended up growing down to the size of a bee, making her concerned as Applebloom playfully taunted her as Spike started snickering. "Look who needs to be careful now. It's one thing for a kid to sit on a flower knowing it's dangerous, but it's even more hilarious for an adult to do it."

Applebloom laughed a bit more as she turned around, leaving Applejack to jump onto her tail. "This isn't funny Applebloom. (Applebloom turns her butt in an upward right position away from the flowers) We gotta find out how to reverse this and hope-" Applebloom ended up cutting a five second fart in Applejack's face, letting out a green apple cloud that made her fall off her tail and onto the ground, where she coughed from the scent and compared to her current size, giant cloud (phhhhhhhhhht). "Never, do that again!"

"You're not the boss of me." Applebloom stated bluntly as she sat down on Applejack, making her scream in horror as Applebloom grunted, ripping a loud and bassy ten second fart onto her sister, hitting her with a big green cloud of rotten apples (BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUP). Spike was laughing at the scenario with Twilight covering her nose as Applebloom continued to let out rancid farts onto her sister (phhhhht) (pfffft) (brat) (blllllaaaaarrrrrp).

Applebloom started laughing as the green fart gas surrounded her, only for Applejack to bite her butt as hard as she could. "Ow!" Applebloom got up and saw Applejack biting her butt, jumping and landing on her butt to get back at her. She then released a loud and bassy fifteen minute fart, making her butt vibrate as she let out a fifteen second cloud of rotten eggs that got so close to Spike and Twilight, that the latter ended up using her magic to push the fart gas back (PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFT).

Applebloom smiled proudly, wafting the fart downward towards her older sister's muzzle, unaware that she'd passed out until she picked her up. She laughed a bit as she walked off with Twilight and Spike, putting her sister onto her mane as she spoke up. "At least she's not nagging me to get a bath." Spike fist bumped Applebloom, being proud of her for how good she was at farting.





Spike and Applebloom were currently farting up a trail with Twilight wearing a nose plug to ignore the smell the best she could. (PHHHHHT) (PFFFFFT) (BLLLLLAAAAARRRRRP) (BRRRRRAAAAAT) (PFFFFFT) (PHHHHHT). Twilight was starting to get annoyed as she called out her younger brother and his friend on their gas. "Do you two mind? You're making the Everfree forest even more nasty than it already is."

Spike and Applebloom looked at each other and then back at Twilight with Spike speaking up. "Isn't that why you're wearing the nose plug?"

"Yeah, but when Applejack wakes up, she's gonna start complaining about it too." Twilight pointed out, and she was only met with shrugs from Spike and Applebloom, leading to Spike cutting a massive fifteen second fart, giving a look of relief as his butt was shown vibrating while letting out the yellow eggy cloud, much to Applebloom's laughter and Twilight's annoyance (PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFT).

Applejack woke up, only to smell the nasty farts Spike and Applebloom had been letting out as the four friends continued onward. "What's going on? And why are we surrounded by green smoke that smells real bad?"

"You can figure it out." Applebloom replied, leaving Applejack to groan in annoyance as she realized what Spike and Applejack were doing the whole time. "Honestly, you should smell your own from my body. What do you et every day, an egg factory?"

Spike got a good look at the map as Applejack and Applebloom were bickering, finding that they were close to Zecora's house. "Looks like we're close Twilight. Try not to let Applejack have a heart attack when we're right at the door."

Twilight looked back to find Applebloom singing poorly on purpose to drown out Applejack's scolding, being well aware of how unlikely that'd be. "I don't think that'll be an issue."

Spike and the others stopped when they saw they were a few feet away from a small house. Spike got a good look at the map and saw that the house was right ahead, indicating that they were in front of the right place. "Yep. This is the place." Spike and the others walked up to the house with Applejack quivering in fear, much to Applebloom's annoyance as she rolled her eyes. When Zecora opened the door, she was revealed to be a zebra. Just a normal zebra. No mysterious danger or anything. "You Zecora?"

Zecora smiled in response, glad to see that she wasn't being feared by those who came to her doorstep. For the most part anyway. "You search for Zecora, that is me, to which I answer your question with glee." Spike and Applebloom weren't exactly on board with Zecora's talking methods as she allowed them to come in.  "I don't get many visitors in my home. It is a rather lonely dome."

Spike got a good look at the place and decided to play along with Zecora's way of speaking. "The legends we've heard about you make you sound scary, but I don't really see any reason for me to be wary."

Zecora caught onto Spike's sense of humor and responded to it happily. "It must be fun to have a friend to joke with. As you can tell, I lack them due to that horrendous myth."

Applejack stood on top of Applebloom's head as she asked Zecora about fixing her current state. "Um...excuse me Zecora. (Zecora gives Applejack her full attention) If it's not too much trouble, could you please reverse this state I'm in? My sister tricked me into sitting on one of those Flowers of Randomization, and I-"

"Oh, I'm sorry; since when did I make you sit on those flowers?" Applebloom interrupted, demanding to know what Applejack was getting at here. "You're right, but you SITTING on the flower was your move. I just wanted to get you sprayed by it."

Zecora intervened before the banter between Applejack and Applebloom could escalate too far. "Regardless of who this situation was caused by, I shall send you back to your normal size on the fly." Zecora went over to one of her shelves and took one of the potions off of it, taking it to Applejack and she started growing back to her normal size, leading to her sitting on Applebloom's head as she looked down and smirked.

Applebloom grunted, struggling to get Applejack off of her, since behind Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash, she had the biggest and most weight on her butt out of everyone in the mane six. "Get your butt off of me!"

"Sure. (Stomach growls a bit) Oh. (Smirks) You guys may wanna take cover." Applebloom flinched with Applejack's butt shown over her horrified face as she grunted, ripping a loud and bassy twenty minute fart that made her butt vibrate as she unleashed a massive green cloud that reeked of moldy apples, making Applebloom gag and go close to puking. (BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUP).

Applejack got off of her younger sister as she gagged and glared at Applejack with seething rage. "If you weren't big again, I would sit on you over and over again until you passed out again."

Applejack smiled proudly with Twilight wafting the fart away as Spike explained to Zecora what Applejack beef stewing Applebloom was about. "Applebloom beef stewed Applejack like crazy right after she turned small and that was her method of getting her back. Honestly though, Applebloom and I were really gassy during this mission."

Zecora nodded in understanding as she opened up a window to allow the fart cloud to go out of her house. "Regardless of your flatulence inside of my cottage, I hope your visiting time isn't facing a shortage."

"Ah. Loneliness from being alone for a long time, right?" Spike asked, and Zecora nodded her head yes with Spike seeing how excited Zecora was to have visitors in so long. "I can feel that. Tell ya what. Applebloom was all about that whole visiting you thing, so maybe I can have her come over to visit from time to time, and maybe sometimes I can join her."

Applebloom looked at Applejack with excitement, leaving Applejack to think for a moment and eventually decide that it was fine. "Oh alright. My butt gave you enough punishment anyway."

"Don't remind me." Applebloom snarked, and then she dashed over to Zecora, hoping she would say yes. "So do we have a deal?"

Zecora took a liking to this, knowing that it would benefit both her and Applebloom by a great deal. "I don't see how I could decline the company, as I see us growing a bond involving harmony."

Applebloom was happy to hear that as she dashed up to Zecora's face and grabbed her chest. "I don't know what you said but I'm gonna say that's yes!" 

Applebloom started jumping around excitedly, making sure not to break the potions as Twilight walked up to Zecora with a statement in mind. "And just so you know, I'm not interested in a magic duel. Not yet anyway." Zecora nodded in understanding, not wanting to force Twilight to participate in something she didn't want to partake in.





Spike and the others were heading home as Zecora noticed the mark on Spike's claw, grabbing it just before he could leave the house. "This mark on your claw to me is quite new. It holds quite a massive power, is that true?"

Spike saw that Zecora was catching onto what his mark was all about, feeling comfortable with confirming her belief. "Yeah, it's got a lot of power inside. I can't find out how to control it though. Sometimes it goes berserk and sometimes it doesn't really do anything at all."

Zecora found this fact quite interesting with Twilight, Applejack, and Applebloom taking notice to the conversation as Zecora spoke up. "I hope you manage to control this mark someday, as the last thing I want is for all life to decay."

Spike shrugged, not really sure how powerful the mark itself would be. "Well I don't think it's that powerful, but yeah, I hope I can gain full control over it myself one day. I met this one dude who has the same mark as me when it spawned something that let us communicate and see each other. I think his name was Ryu."

Zecora was concerned from this fact, but decided to wait before she made her move on Spike's claw mark. "Perhaps you should let me see this when you return. I feel we both look at this mark with immense concern."

"Well you're not wrong." Spike admitted, feeling that it wouldn't hurt to at least give it a shot. "I'll think about it. (Walks off) Catch ya later Zecora." Spin walked off with the others as Spike looked at his claw mark again, but then stated that he liked Zecora so far. "She's cool from what I've seen so far."

Applebloom was still rubbing her muzzle from Applejack's beef stew as she stated something on Zecora of her own. "She's way cooler than my spiteful, overprotective sister." Applejack rolled her eyes as Applebloom leaned in towards Spike to whisper her own two cents on sibling-hood. "You're SO lucky your sister lets you do whatever you want."

"With SOME restrictions." Spike whispered back, knowing that Twilight wasn't the type to just let a kid do whatever they wanted.





Spike was at Sugarcube Corner with Applebloom the next day as the two of them were waiting for their orders to come. As the two of them were sitting at their booth, Pinkie Pie came over to them with some chocolate milkshakes, setting them down as she asked about last night. "So what was Zecora like? Was she as evil as the legends told?"

Spike and Applebloom looked at each other and nodded with Spike giving the response. "She was actually pretty cool. Only thing about her that was creepy was how lonely she was, but she managed to restrain herself when we arrived."

"Apparently those bogus rumors led to no one visiting her." Applebloom added, wondering who started the rumors to begin with. "Now I wanna know who made them up so I can pound them into the floor."

Pinkie Pie didn't seem entirely on board with this revelation, but she was also accepting to it, and glad that Zecora wasn't evil. "Sounds sketchy, but I'll take your word for it. If I'm lucky she can give me ideas for a cake recipe. (Skates off) Enjoy your shakes!"

Spike and Applebloom started drinking their shakes as Applebloom asked about what Twilight was like. "So what's Twilight like? Ya know, how does she treat you and is she fun?"

"Twilight can be fun, yeah." Spike answered, glad he had as good of a relationship with Twilight as he did. "She's a total nerd, and before she moved to Ponyville she was a friend atheist. She just abstained from it out of complete disinterest."

"Heh. Sounds like a code 101 introvert to me." Applebloom responded, and then she brought up how close Spike was with Twilight. "You seem to be a lot closer with Twilight than I am with Applejack. Ever since our parents died it's been hard to bond over much at all. Big Mac spent most of the past ten years responding with 'yep' and 'nope' to pretty much everything."

Spike started to think about who his parents were, and then he brushed it off to express sympathy over Applebloom's loss. "I'm sorry you had to go through that. I can't imagine what it's like to lose a loved one, let alone two. (Smirks) Though I'm interested to know how they died."

"Maybe in the future edge lord." Applebloom responded with a surprised laugh, and then the two of them went back to drinking their milkshakes as the screen faded to black, ending the episode off.





An instrumental version of the main theme played during the credits.
> Winter Wrap Up Shenanigans
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight was sleeping in her room at the Golden Oak Library as the morning sun shone in her bedroom window. When she woke up, she realized what day it was and got out of bed, putting on a winter coat and walking out of her room. She then went into Spike's room with a cheerful smile, "Morning Spike!" only to realize that her younger brother was still sleeping. She went over to him to wake him up, hoping he would participate in today's event. "You awake sleepyhead?"

Spike woke up and rubbed his eyes, being irritated that Twilight stopped him from sleeping. "If it makes you leave me alone the fastest."

"It's Winter Wrap up." Twilight revealed, making Spike give a look of realization, but then he gave a look of indifference as he got off of his bed and left the room with Twilight. "This is going to be different from how we do it in Canterlot. The residents of Ponyville do everything without magic."

"Sounds thrilling enough to kill me." Spike stated sarcastically, opening the fridge and pulling out a bottle of cherry, chocolate soda. "Can we talk about this later Twilight? You know I hate everyone until I've had my favorite drink. At least on days where I wake up earlier than seven A.M."

Spike started drinking his soda as Twilight pointed out just how unhealthy that was for him. "Spike, you know that stuff isn't a healthy morning drink. You've gotta stop drinking it as soon as you wake up."

Spike finished his first bottle as he then let out a loud burp and also farted at the same time, letting out two green clouds that let out a chocolaty, cherry flavored scent (PHHHHHT). Twilight rolled her eyes as Spike give his usual smug grin that came with his farts. "Do, not, care."

Twilight sighed, knowing that this was going to be a rough morning. "I should also point out how gassy it makes you."

"That's why I love it." Spike reminded Twilight as she levitated him onto her back, and the two left the house with Spike pulling out another bottle of his soda before the door closed.





All kinds of moments from season one were shown as Twilight was heard singing the main theme of the show, My Little Pony Friends. "For every day, I look around me, for every time I see you near. I thank the stars, whose light surrounds me, I thank the earth that keeps you here. Cause I will only follow, my true heart. And I can see it clear now, right from the start. You were my little pony. I used to wonder what friendship could be; my little pony. Until you shared it's magic with me. My little pony. I used to wonder what friendship could be. My little pony. Until you shared it's magic, with me.





Spike was drinking his soda as he continued to let out quick farts that annoyed Twilight, since he was still on her back at the time (pfft) (brat) (blarp) (phht). "Spike, can you please stop farting? I don't wanna smell like chocolate when I'm helping with Winter Wrap up."

Spike finished his bottle and put it in the recycling bin before letting out a big burp that knocked out a few birds with how big the noxious cloud was, giving a smug grin when he was done. "Why do you think I usually let this all out in the library? If you didn't forget that then we wouldn't have this problem."

Twilight sighed with Spike lying down on her back as she looked around to see how everyone was contributing to Winter Wrap up. She saw that Pinkie Pie was just having fun ice skating, and that Rainbow Dash and Lightspeed were on the whether team. Twilight decided to troll Spike for a bit, since he had feelings for the latter of the Pegasi siblings, gaining a smirk as she did. "Ya know, Lightspeed probably won't like it if you fart in front of him too often."

Spike flinched, wondering if he'd be able to get away with doing it silently. "Do Pegasi have hyper hearing?" Twilight giggled as she nodded her head no, much to Spike's relief as he wiped his head. "Good. I'll just hold in the burps and do the farts SBD."

Twilight nodded in response as she went over to the others with Spike as Lightspeed noticed him while he and Rainbow Dash were arranging the clouds and got excited. "Spike!" Lightspeed rushed down to Spike and Twilight since he and Rainbow Dash had just finished up the cloud, leading to Spike jumping off of Twilight's back and being happy to see him. "I was wondering when you and Twilight were gonna arrive. What are you guys gonna do for Winter Wrap up?"

"Hate to break it to ya Lightspeed, but I'm not really in the helpful mood right now." Spike explained as he then went into detail on it. "Twilight woke me up early today and I had to drink my favorite soda to get me going."

Spike's stomach suddenly growled loudly with Lightspeed instantly catching onto it and laughing a bit. "You know I live with Rainbow Dash, right? Let it out." Spike was relieved to hear that and released a loud and bassy ten second fart into the air, causing a bunch of birds to pass out from the yellow rotten egg cloud (PHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHT).

Rainbow Dash saw Spike and Lightspeed laughing together, smiling as she flew down to them and wafted the cloud away with her wings before landing next to Lightspeed. "You go ahead and take some time off Lightspeed. I'll take whether patrol from here."

"You sure?" Lightspeed asked, wanting to make sure Rainbow Dash was confident about this.

"Yeah, I won't be too bombarded with chores today." Rainbow Dash assured Lightspeed, making him happy as he walked off with Spike.

"Thanks Rainbow Dash! I'll be back as soon as I can!" Spike and Lightspeed walked off with Lightspeed wondering how Spike's gas could be put to use."

Twilight walked over to a lake of ice and watched Pinkie Pie ice skating before the earth pony noticed her and skated over to her with a wide smile. "Hi Twilight! Welcome to your first ever Winter Wrap Up in Ponyville!"

"Thanks Pinkie." Twilight responded, seeing that Pinkie Pie was having a blast showing off her skating skills. "I'm glad to see you're having as much fun as ever, but I don't see how this helps with he wrap up."

"Oh, it doesn't." Pinkie Pie confirmed, and thens he explained why she was out here. "See, I was baking the sweets and making all the sugary drinks for the ponies to have at Sugarcube Corner, and I made so many that Mrs. Cake let me go out and have some fun while she finished with the decorations."

Twilight appreciated good work ethic, even if not as much as Applejack, and she was open to trying out figure skating. "You have an extra set of skates? Figure skating looks like fun." Pinkie Pie pulled out an extra pair of figure skates for Twilight and she put them on, making sure not to use her magic to keep up with tradition. She struggled a little, but she was eventually able to put them on. "Thanks."

"No problem. It may take you some time to get the hang of things, but I think you should be able to get it down." Pinkie Pie helped Twilight onto the ice rink, and although Twilight was struggling to stay up, Pinkie Pie was able to stop her from landing on her private area as she cracked a joke about it. "Good thing we're both girls."

After a few more seconds, Pinkie Pie allowed Twilight to try and skate on her own. However, she ended up falling flat on her face, leading to her rubbing her head as Pinkie Pie helped her up. "You made it look so easy."

"That's because I've been doing it for years. Just stay calm and collected. That should help." Twilight did as Pinkie Pie said, and although she wasn't going that fast, she was glad to be getting the hang of it. Pinkie Pie was glad to see this herself, knowing that Twilight could become a figure skating master yet.





Spike and Lightspeed were walking around Ponyville while looking around and seeing how beautiful the snow made everything. Lightspeed loved every inch that the snow had to offer, at least when it wasn't causing anyone harm. There was just something about the beauty and softness that it had to offer for him, and everyone else in the world. He was admittedly bummed out that winter was ending. "Sometimes I wish Winter could last forever."

Spike knew how Lightspeed felt, even if he preferred Summer over Winter himself. "I know the feeling. Every time Summer ends I feel like the best part of the year is over. (Smiles as he looks at Lightspeed) I can see why some people don't like it though. (Snickers a bit) Sometimes it feels like the sun's throwing a tantrum for three months."

Lightspeed laughed a bit at Spike's joke towards the sun as he then spoke up about the four seasons. "When you think about it, every season has at least one disaster going against them. For Summer it's the drought, for Winter it's the blizzards, for Fall it's the wind, and for Spring it's the risk of bees when the flowers start to bloom."

Spike saw where Lightspeed was coming from there, knowing that every season had it's pros and cons. He had to admit though, that the Summer disaster was least annoying for him. "The problems with each season really depend on who you're talking to. (Looks ahead) Since dragons are cold blooded, it makes me a lot easier to handle the droughts. And event hen, we still have cold drinks and umbrellas to hold the ponies over. When the world doesn't feel like a volcano that is."

Lightspeed saw a snow pile just outside of town and looked at Spike with a hopeful smile. "Can dragons still play in the snow?"

"I've been out here without any winter attire for at least an hour!" Spike exclaimed as he ran towards the snow pile, and he jumped in right before Lightspeed, leading to the two of them laughing as this happened, along with the two of them just relaxing in the snow before Spike shuddered a bit, catching Lightspeed's attention as Spike then chuckled a bit. "Though I probably should at least put a scarf on at least."





Twilight was looking around to see how she could help with Winter Wrap up as Pinkie Pie walked with her, since she was done with her break. "You did great Twilight! We'll have a lot more time to practice next winter, and you'll have the chance to become as good as me."

Twilight giggled a little, glad to see that Pinkie Pie was willing to help her become a figure skating pro. "Thanks Pinkie. Also, do you know if anyone else could use my help for Winter Wrap up? I wanna know if there's a way I can contribute to the end of winter."

Pinkie Pie thought for a moment and came up with something that could work for Twilight. "Well now that you mention it, one of Fluttershy's helper ponies got sick with the flu the other day. Maybe you could help her with the animals."

Twilight felt that helping Fluttershy could be something she's capable of doing. "Yeah, I could see myself helping with the animals. (Gives a smug grin) I kept Spike after all." Pinkie Pie ended up bursting with laughter at what Twilight just said with the unicorn walking off to find Fluttershy when Pinkie Pie pointed in the direction she was in. "Thanks Pinkie."

"No problem. (Snickers) Kept Spike." Pinkie Pie continued to laugh as she made her way back to Sugarcube Corner.

Twilight was looking for Fluttershy and eventually found her in the part of the forest near town making some sweaters for the animals. She went over to her and made sure not to startle her, waiting until she noticed her to say anything. "Hi Fluttershy."

"Hi Twilight." Fluttershy walked over to Twilight and brought her a sweater that perfectly matched her color, albeit, sounding a bit muffled when saying the first few words. "It's your first Winter Wrap up in ponyville, right? (Twilight puts on the sweater) I knitted this for you when I first realized that a week ago. It's not perfect, but I think it gets the job done."

Twilight loved how warm the sweater felt, unable to believe she didn't have this on until now. "Thanks Fluttershy. It feels like I'm hugging a thousand bunnies."

Fluttershy smiled upon hearing that, glad to see that Twilight was enjoying her gift for her. "I know Pinkie Pie's usually the one who gives gifts at random, but I figured it'd be fitting for your first Winter Wrap up here. Plus I noticed you didn't have any winter attire on."

Twilight realized that too and giggled a bit, wondering why that was at first. "Yeah, I don't know why I came out without any protective wear for me or Spike. (A snake is shown to be slithering) I'm usually as prepared as can be. Maybe I'm just excited because-" Just then, the snake hissed, startling Twilight and making her fall back and land on a skunk with her butt landing on his face. "Well, as you said, it's my first Winter Wrap Up in Ponyville."

Twilight giggled a bit with Fluttershy showing concern for the skunk as Twilight's butt was then shown as she cut a loud and bassy ten second fart, hitting the skunk with a yellow cloud of rotten eggs that made Twilight's butt vibrate, as well as making Twilight flinch and look down as she saw the gas cloud leave her rear end (PHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHT). Twilight looked back at Fluttershy, blushing as the latter covered her muzzle. "Sorry about that. Spike's gassiness from earlier must've rubbed off on me."

Fluttershy noticed that the animals were walking away from Twilight due to her fart, wondering what else she could do as she then smiled and remembered that Rarity was with her. "I think it'd be best if you helped Rarity with the Winter Wrap up baskets. She's nearby, and the animals might not come back for a while."

"Good call. (Walks over to Rarity) Thanks Fluttershy." Twilight went over to where Rarity was as Fluttershy then noticed the skunk Twilight farted on had been knocked out, making Fluttershy surprised by how powerful Twilight's gas was as she started tending to the skunk.





Spike and Lightspeed were making a snowman with Spike pushing up the snow ball they were using for the head. When it was finished, Spike put it on top and Lightspeed put the carrot in the middle, and then put the top hat on top. When the two were done, they backed up a bit and got a good look at the snowman with Lightspeed asking Spike about Canterlot. "Did you do this a lot in Canterlot too?"

"Eh, not really." Spike answered, feeling that life in Canterlot could be kind of boring at times. "Believe it or not, Canterlot wasn't the type of place where anyone was expected to play. It wasn't a prison, but most of the time it felt like you made an impact, or died trying."

Lightspeed didn't know what to say when he heard that. He couldn't imagine himself living in a place that didn't know how to have fun. "It couldn't have been THAT bad, right? I know you dated Scootaloo when you both lived there."

Spike suddenly realized what he was unintentionally implying and quickly corrected himself. "Oh-no, don't get me wrong; it wasn't a prison or anything like that. I had loving parents, Twilight, and our older brother, and we all got along great. It's just that...success seemed to be the top priority for most people in Canterlot. Not like Manehattan, where the ponies were already making their names mean something. It was more like them starting to make their lives matter, and at least eighty percent of ponies were focused on that."

Lightspeed already knew that there was more to Spike than being upbeat and confident in his skills, but he was starting to see something deeper inside of him. "Is that why you tried to convince Twilight to have friends?"

"Yep. And that's actually kinda why I like Ponyville now that I think about it. They know there's more to life than having your name known." Lightspeed smiled at Spike's response with Spike taking notice and laughing a bit as he started talking. "What're you so flattered about? You and Rainbow Dash were born in Cloudsdale." Lightspeed saw Spike's point, and then the two of them looked at the snowman again, glad that the two of them could just enjoy the day together. "Speaking of Rainbow Dash, we should probably head back before we go over your break limit."

"Good call. Want me to fly you back?"

"Okay. But fair warning, I might randomly get soda gas on the way back."

"Noted. That could actually make this a little easier." Lightspeed let Spike get on his back anyway, and although he struggled a bit, he was able to fly him over Ponyville just fine, leaving the two of them to smile at the sight of it.





Twilight was walking over to Rarity as she inspected that she was making the baskets with her magic rather than her hooves like she expected. She walked over to her and greeted her as she finished up a small basket. "Hi Rarity. If you don't mind me asking, why're you using your hooves to make the baskets? I thought Ponyville didn't use magic for Winter Wrap up."

"We used to neglect using magic ourselves, but some of the unicorns struggled so much a few years back that we decided to let them use it when needed." Rarity explained, and then she noticed Twilight's odor and pulled out some perfume, sounding more disgusted and worried than enraged and distant as she spoke. "Oh heavens, that smell! It's almost as if you took a bath in rotten eggs this morning."

Twilight blushed a bit, but didn't put her head down in shame as she bluntly stated what the smell was from. "I farted while talking to Fluttershy."

Rarity wasn't one to be the biggest fan of natural gas, but she also couldn't deny that it was something that was hard to control at times. "Well it's better than letting it build up inside of you and then come out like scorching fire." Rarity sprayed Twilight up, leaving her to smell good as new, with a scent of roses added in on it, and then Rarity demonstrated to her how to make the proper basket. "I assume you're here to help me. One demonstration, and you'll be ready to dazzle everyone with your raw talent."

Rarity was estatic to show off her craftsmanship when it came to baskets, having plenty of experience alongside making clothes. She instantly started demonstrating her grace to Twilight, perfectly crafting a small basket and allowing her to see how much detail she puts into the pattern, which is green, then yellow, then red. "The green of the grass, the yellow of the sun, and the red of roses. The perfect pattern for Springtime in my opinion. Feel free to make any pattern you like."

Twilight decided to give it a whirl, deciding to start off simple with red, pink, and yellow, catching Rarity's eye. "Ooh, nice touch. Pink also does a good job at showing what flowers can do." Twilight was happy to hear that, and appeared to be struggling with her design, having not been used to using her powers for crafting before. Rarity decided to give her some advice when she saw this, smiling patiently as she did. "Try calming yourself of any nerves you might have. A calm designer is always the best at their job. Unless they work well under pressure that is."

Twilight took Rarity's words into account and calmed herself down completely, breathing in through her nose, and out from her mouth. She found that she was able to craft much easier that way, and went at a slower pace just to make sure of it. When she finished the basket, Rarity smiled proudly along with her, leaving the two of them to do a hoof bump as they continued to make baskets for everyone in Ponyville as Twilight spoke up. "At this rate I just might be able to get to the big baskets."

"Good luck keeping up with me." Rarity replied jokingly with a sly grin before giggling, leaving the two of them to continue crafting their baskets as Twilight did her best to catch up to Rarity. Rarity usually wasn't one for competition, but if Twilight felt she could catch up to her, she was more than willing to see it happen.





Spike and Lightspeed arrived back to where Rainbow Dash was as Lightspeed landed on a cloud she was guiding to rest. Rainbow Dash was surprised by how tired Lightspeed was, giving a smirk to Spike as she spoke up. "Geez Spike. Did you eat a whole grown up dragon before getting on Lightspeed?"

"Beats me, I don't know any other dragons." Spike jokingly replied as he went to step off Lightspeed. "Well except for the one Fluttershy helped-"  Just then, Spike fell off the cloud and continued talking as Rainbow Dash flew down to him. "find a new home!" After Rainbow Dash caught Spike, he laughed a bit and thanked her for the save. "Thanks. Totally forgot cloud walking was exclusive to Pegasi."

Rainbow Dash flew Spike back up to Lightspeed as she commented on his lack of winter clothes. "I'd also recommend putting on a scarf or something. As far as I know you dragons are supposed to be cold blooded."

"Oh, right!" Lightspeed grabbed another scarf from his bag and gave it to Spike. It was red, just like his, and when Spike put it on, he felt all kinds of warm, fuzzy feelings surrounding him as Lightspeed chuckled a bit. "Believe it or not, I took knitting class back in Elementary school. (Blushes a bit) Turns out I'm crazy good at it for a Pegasus."

Spike was glad to be wearing something that Lightspeed himself made, and the two looked at each other with smiles that showed just how the two felt about one another. "Well I'd say it paid off." Rainbow Dash winked to the audience as she allowed Spike and Lightspeed to gawk it up.





Twilight had mastered the basket crafting, having made at least ten baskets after finishing the first one with style. Rarity was impressed, but she had to admit that she might've been a little TOO impressed, since she was well aware of how skilled Twilight was with her magic. "I must say Twilight, you've more than shown me how good you are with your magic. It's no wonder you used to be Celestia's pupil."

"Well I still have a lot to learn if I wanna be a magic teacher, but I think I can make it to the top as long as I keep learning more spells." Twilight stated proudly, and then she went into detail on what she meant. "To think I used to abstain from friendship. If it wasn't for Spike's support and also the pilot, I would've never discovered that I was so good at basket making."

Rarity was glad to see that Twilight was accepting to friendship now, and that she could participate in Winter Wrap Up with her. "It would admittedly be interesting to see what you would be like if Celestia never sent you and Spike to Ponyville."

"Pssh. I'd still be buried in my books thinking that everything else lacks purpose." Twilight snarked, and then she started to think about Applejack after realizing that she never saw what she does for Winter Wrap Up. "Hey. Do you know what Applejack does for Winter Wrap Up? She's the only one I haven't seen today."

"I could show you where she is. I could use a break. And one of Pinkie Pie's vanilla milkshakes." Twilight happily agreed to that and walked off with Rarity, organizing the baskets by color combinations before they headed off so they looked just right for their station.





Rainbow Dash and Lightspeed were guiding clouds as Spike sat on Rainbow Dash's back and watched. Lightspeed didn't mind this too much since he still got to hang out with Spike, but Rainbow Dash felt he could at least try to help out. "It's not that I don't like your company Spike, but you could at least go down there and see if there's anything you can do to help with Winter Wrap Up."

Spike sat up and looked down at everyone in Ponyville, finding that there wasn't really much he could do by this point. "Looks like the town's almost done with the cleanup where I'm looking. Same with you two. I think this is your last cloud."

Rainbow Dash looked at the clouds and saw Spike's point, finding that just about everything looked perfect for Springtime to come in. "Hey, you're right. Heh. Guess I was working so hard I forgot how little we had left to do." Rainbow Dash and Lightspeed put the last cloud into place with Rainbow Dash cracking a joke about when Spike and Lightpeed were hanging out together. "So. Did you to get...close, while you were gone?"

Spike and Lightspeed instantly caught onto what Twilight meant and instantly started blushing with Spike speaking up as they looked at each other. "I mean..."

As Spike started scratching his head, Lightspeed said what he could to finish his comment. "We DID lie down in the snow for a bit."

Rainbow Dash could tell that Spike and Lightspeed were still struggling to express their feelings for one another, deciding that it'd probably be best if she talked to Twilight about it. "Hey Spike, let's go find your sister. She can't be too far from here."

"Yeah, I have been wondering what Twilight's been up to." Spike admitted, hopping onto Rainbow Dash's back as she and Lightspeed flew off to find out where Twilight was.





Twilight and Rarity were heading over to the snow plowing field where Applejack had just finished plowing the last of the snow in her assigned area. Twilight took notice to all the hard work Applejack did and found her job to be quite fitting for someone with her work ethic. "Sure looks like a fitting job for Applejack. And just look at how big this field is."

Applejack unhooked herself from the snow plowing machine and walked over to Twilight and Rarity when see them. "Howdy Twilight, howdy Rarity. How're ya'll doin' today?"

"We're doing pretty good, thanks." Twilight answered, being glad that she was as good as she was at basket crafting, and that Rarity had a good time as well. "I can see you put a lot of work into your station. Plowing all the snow out of an area must be a lot of hard work."

Applejack couldn't argue with that, but she was proud of herself for putting in as much work as she did. "The way I see it, the ways I help the town are just as important as helping the farm. I always give it a hundred and ten percent."

"And that's why the town loves ya!" Rainbow Dash and Lightspeed landed with Spike getting off of Rainbow Dash and walking over to Twilight with Rainbow Dash whipping her mane. "Of course, thanks to yours truly and the coolest little brother in the world, the sun will be shining as bright as can be tomorrow for the first day of Spring."

Applejack got a good look at the sky had to admit that she could see what Rainbow Dash was getting at there. "And I know we'll all love the feeling of the sun on our skins with that perfect Springtime heat."

Just then, Spike's stomach growled and he asked Twilight if he had any plans for food. "Hey Twilight, you know if you have any lunch plans today? Cause I don't want my stomach to start eating itself."

"I think I can get us a thing or two at Hayburger." Twilight responded, and then she looked at the others to see if they wanted to join. "You guys wanna come? You'll be buying your own food, but we could all use the treat I bet." Everyone was in agreement on that plan and they all headed off to Hayburger to see what they could chow down on.





Spike and the others were at Hayburger while talking about life as Rainbow Dash got a little flirtatious with Applejack at the booth. "Ya know Applejack, you must've broken a sweat today when you were plowing that snow. As hard working as you are, (Scoots a little closer to Applejack) that must've been nothing compared to what you do on the farm. Just imagine how much energy one would have to be able to put that much work in every day of their life."

Applejack decided to get flirty with Rainbow Dash too, even though she wasn't as good at it. "Well there's no denying the hard work you do yourself. I'm surprised your not tired of clouds already with how high your work ethic is when on the job."

Rarity could see what was going on and looked at Twilight when speaking quietly about it. "I think it's quite obvious those two will be a thing in the future."

"Oh yeah, definitely." Twilight responded before noticing that Spike and Lightspeed were sitting quite close to each other, leading to a smirk from his older sister. "Seems like there's plenty of room there for you two to relax." Spike and Lightspeed caught onto what Twilight was saying and blushed lightly before sitting up and going back to their food, leaving Twilight to speak to Rarity telepathically with her unicorn magic. "I think Spike and Lightspeed would be even cuter though." Rarity squeed telepathically at the idea, wanting to see what Spike and Lightspeed would be like as a couple.





The next day, Spike was writing the letter to Celestia as Twilight told him what to write down. "And so, our first Spring in Ponyville is looking like it'll be a great start. Sincerily, your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle."

Spike decided to add in a little something extra when giving a smug grin. "P.S. Give Spike and Lightspeed special privladges when the Gala comes around next month." Spike sent the letter with Twilight giving him a blunt look about that last line, which he ignored. "So. Two month time skip. How's it feel that the Gala's coming closer because of it?"

Twilight smiled after hearing that, having to admit she was excited for the Gala. "Believe it or not, I'm still really excited for it. And now that it's Spring, it'll finally be an appropriate time to ask Rarity about all our dresses. And (Playfully boops Spike's snout) your tux."

"In one of the few occasions I'll actually bother to wear one." Spike informed Twilight, and then he started to think about how he and Lightspeed would interact with one another at the Gala. "I'm so glad Lightspeed can come with us. Hopefully Celestia will let the two of us swim in the chocolate fountain, and if she does, I swear I won't fart in it." Twilight rubbed her younger brother's head, which he liked the feeling of as the screen faded to black, ending the episode off.





Celestia was reading in her room as she got the message Spike and Twilight sent, reading it and being impressed with it, before she got to Spike's little message where she scoffed and grinned upon seeing it. "Sorry Spike. (Sets the letter down) I'm not getting involved in your little romance story." Celestia continued to read with the screen fading to black and ending the episode off again.





An instrumental version of the main theme plays during the credits.
> Cutie Marks
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cheerilee was teaching her class as Applebloom expressed boredom, wanting something fun to happen before it was too late. She was never very fond of whenever Cheerilee, or any of her teachers, went into 'boring lecture about useless garbage we'll probably never use in the future' mode. Though, the mention of one thing did catch her attention. "Anyway, now on to Cutie Marks." Applebloom perked up with Cheerliee continuing her lecture. "Some of you may think Cutie Marks define your future. But in reality, they show what you're talented in, and something you could find yourself enjoying."

Applebloom was actually enjoying the lecture for once as Cheerilee went into more detail on it. "The thought of Cutie Marks defining your future isn't completely irrelevant, but it's not one hundred percent accurate. You could be talented in sewing but have a career in cooking. The only difference is that you'd have to practice a lot in the cooking, where as your talent in sewing is natural. Think of it as...you being a prodigy in something, but you're still normal like everyone else. We all have our skills we excel in after all."

Applebloom was still listening to the lecture Diamond Tiara, who sat by her left, coughed and held a note over to her as Applebloom whispered to her. "What? I'm actually interested in class for once." Diamond Tiara waved the note around, leaving Applebloom annoyed before she took it. "Fine."

Applebloom accepted the note and then heard Cheerilee's voice from the front of the class right as she did. "Applebloom." Applebloom set the note down with Cheerilee walking up to her desk. "Are you passing notes again?"

"Pssh, yeah. Because be taking the note out of someone else's mouth indicates that I'M the one who wrote it." Applebloom deadpanned, with Cheerilee not appreciating the sarcasm. "Brilliant deduction Ms. Cheerilee; you really earned your GED or your degree in boring your students or whatever it takes to become a teacher."

"And I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't be sarcastic when speaking to me." Cheerilee requested, and then Applebloom scoffed.

"Fine. I'll put it in stupid pony terms for you." Applebloom then pretended to be stupid, which made some of the other kids laugh. "Duh! I'm stupid, duh! I can't speak properly, duh!" Applebloom was unfazed by Cheerilee's stern look as she opened up the letter and was surprised by the fact that it was empty, and then gave a deadpan look to her teacher. "And even if I WAS passing this note, I'm pretty sure that unlike Diamond Tiara, I wouldn't lack the mental capacity to bother writing something in said note before passing it to someone."

Diamond Tiara was shocked by Applebloom's roast with the students who were laughing earlier laughing even harder. This led to Diamond Tiara growling at Applebloom, who gave her a smug grin as she ignored Cheerilee's lecture.





All kinds of moments from season one were shown as Twilight was heard  singing the main theme of the show, My Little Pony Friends. "For  every day, I look around me, for every time I see you near. I thank the  stars, whose light surrounds me, I thank the earth that keeps you here.  Cause I will only follow, my true heart. And I can see it clear now,  right from the start. You were my little pony. I used to wonder what  friendship could be; my little pony. Until you shared it's magic with  me. My little pony. I used to wonder what friendship could be. My little  pony. Until you shared it's magic, with me.





Spike and Applebloom were talking outside of the school as they talked about the punishment Applebloom got. "Three days of detention for backsass. The things teachers will do to make themselves seem dominant."

Applebloom was currently texting Applejack with her phone, which was shown to have a hoof pad on the back so it'd stick to her hoof. As she sent the text regarding her punishment, she complained about what happened. "And obviously I'm just gonna lie to Applejack and say I don't have to go. How was I supposed to know refusing to suck up to the school bully was illegal?"

"Applebloom!" Spike and Applebloom looked to see Diamond Tiara and her best friend/sidekick/slave Silver Spoon walking up to her with anger in their eyes. "You're lucky I didn't sock you in front of the teacher for roasting me like that! Spike might've gotten away with farting fire on me, but I will NOT let a blank flank like you get away with what you pulled today!"

Applebloom punched Diamond Tiara in the face, walking off as she put her phone in her backpack and said goodbye to Spike. "I'm gonna go do whatever now. Later Spike. Later try-hard tough girls."

Silver Spoon helped Diamond Tiara up with Spike commenting on her behavior as the bell rang. "Maybe you should consider going to an anti-ditch class." Spike walked off with Diamond Tiara being appalled, shouting out profanity as Spike called Twilight. "Hey Twilight, you'll never guess what happened today."

Applebloom was walking into town as she noticed a white furred unicorn with a light blue and white mane trying to balance on a unicycle. This made Applebloom giggle as she walked up to her and started a conversation. "Hey, you're Rarity's sister Sweetie Belle, right? That weirdo who's always doing weird things? Scootaloo but without the danger? (Looks at the audience) Don't worry, we'll show it eventually."

"Yeah, you could say that." Sweetie Belle fell off the unicycle with Applebloom helping her up after she fell flat on her face. "Thanks. And if you're wondering why I do all of those weird things, I'm trying to figure out what my talent is so I can have a cutie mark. (Gasps lightly) Maybe my talent is skydiving!"

Applebloom was baffled at what Sweetie Bell was doing, being indifferent to her quest to find her talent. "Well good luck with that weirdo. (Walks off) Maybe there's a talent for being weird and you haven't discovered it yet." Sweetie Belle got to thinking about that as Applebloom then started to wonder about Sweetie Belle's method, finding that it could have some potential now that she gave it deeper thought.





Applebloom was on the farm as she talked to Applejack about what happened in school today, since Applejack found out about her assigned detention. Applebloom was doing her best not to groan in annoyance as Applejack scolded her for what happened. "And then you go out of your way and lie to me about getting detention? For Celestia's sake Applebloom, you're not gonna get anywhere if you keep acting like this."

"Well I didn't know it was illegal to make people laugh." Applebloom replied sarcastically, finding her reason for getting detention to be stupid. "All I did wrong was explain to Cheerilee that she needed to lighten up and that me grabbing a note from someone else couldn't possibly mean I'm the one who passed it."

"And you skipped detention." Applejack reminded Applebloom, who rolled her eyes as Applejack spoke up about her punishment. "And you can help me with my chores on the farm until dinner."

Applebloom instantly found a loophole to the scenario, leaning down by a tree and pulling out her phone and headphones as Applejack started smashing the apples in a bucket, giving a smug grin as she spoke up. "If I were you, I wouldn't have made ignoring your request an option."

Applejack sighed with annoyance as Applebloom was looking for a good song to listen to, taking her younger sister's headphones off as she asked her something. "Don't you wanna find out what you'll do with your life?"

"Everyone does." Applebloom answered, and then she brought up the encounter she made earlier today. "Now that you mention it though, that weirdo Sweetie Belle was trying to see if unicycling was her talent. Tch, as if a unicorn could master it without cheating. Yeah, she's always doing weird stuff to get her cutie mark."

Applejack felt that scolding Applebloom from this point onward wouldn't work, so she decided to try encouraging her to try new things as she smiled and sat down in front of her. "Maybe you could try that yourself. It couldn't hurt to find something else you really like."

Applebloom thought for a moment and tried to think of a good start, thinking about the cutie marks of her family as she then looked at Applejack's. "Apple pie for Granny Smith, Apple half for Big Mac, three apples for you..." Applejack liked where this was going as Applebloom gave her what looked like a positive vibing expression. "You're selling apples in town later, right? Consider your pathetic attempt at authority accepted."

Applejack was a little put off by how Applebloom worded that, but was glad that she was on board. "I don't like the way you worded that, (Smiles) but I'm glad to have some help in my sales. We've been really slow lately." Applebloom gave Applejack a hoof bump, feeling that this could be an interesting experience.





Applejack and Applebloom were in town as Applebloom was starting to get bored due to the lack of sales as Applejack occasionally called out to the ponies in town to find anyone who might want some. She yawned a bit before complaining to Applejack about how low sales were. "I can see what you meant by us being slow lately. The only person who bought any apples so far was some green unicorn."

Applejack sighed, knowing she couldn't argue with Applebloom in that regard. "Yeah, it can get pretty boring doing this. But it's worth it if it's to help Sweet Apple Acres."

"Well we've only had one sale so far, so I doubt we're gonna make much progress today." Applebloom saw a male, orange earth pony who was looking around all confused, getting an idea as she walked over to him to get his attention. "Unless..." Applejack observed what Applebloom was doing as she then spoke up to the earth pony. "Ya lose someone bub?"

The earth pony looked at Applebloom, seeing her sly grin and hoping she could help. "I'm just looking for my girlfriend. She said she'd meet me in town but I can't find her."

"Maybe an apple can help you calm down and actually look for her." Applebloom stated bluntly, bringing the earth pony over to the apple stand as she gave him an apple and he gave her a bit after seeing the one bit sign. "These things make doctors buck off for a reason."

The earth pony walked off with gratitude as Applejack called out Applebloom's foul language, but praised her sale's ability. "Language Applebloom. (Gives a sly grin) But that was impressive."

Applebloom grinned as she then walked over to another male, white unicorn who's mouth was open from yawning and slingshot it into his mouth, forcing him to swallow it as she then dashed up to him and pulled him down to her level. "No free eats buddy. Pay up."

The unicorn paid up with one bit as Applejack looked around, surprised that no one was staying wary of them. She was about to scold Applebloom for her treachery before seeing her do something else. "Applebloom! You can't just-"

Applebloom shushed Applejack as she finished dumping an entire barrel of apples into a female, yellow earth pony's bag, which she noticed as soon as Applebloom held her hoof out. "Forty apples means forty bits!"

The earth pony wasn't very happy with that one, sternly looking at Applebloom as she spoke up. "I didn't put those in my bag!"

"So pay up anyway." Applebloom suggested, and the earth pony raised her eyebrow as she continued. "See, my grandma's hip is busted and could really-"

Applejack pulled Applebloom to the side and helped the earth pony put her apples back as she apologized. "Sorry about my sister. She can be pretty...cunning."

"Believe me, I've heard of her. (Walks off) I hope she learns to behave."

Applejack turned to Applebloom, who gave a deadpan look as the two of them went back to the apple stand. "Force-selling people to buy our products is not the way to do things. Not with us anyway."

Applejack took Applebloom's apron off as Applebloom questioned Applejack's way of business. "Well how else are you supposed to do it? No one's buying them fairly right now, so extortion just sounds like the go-to option right now."

"Who do you think we are, Filthy Rich?" Applejack asked, and Applebloom shrugged as the former then tried to help her in her Cutie Mark quest. "I don't think this is for you Applebloom. Maybe something else will be your prized talent."

Applebloom thought for a moment and felt that selling apples was kinda boring anyway. "As long as it's more fun than this, I guess I can live with that." Applebloom walked off with Applejack setting her apron down before Applebloom dashed back up to it and grabbed it. "I'm taking this though. It looks cool." Applebloom dashed off with Applejack sighing as she tried to get some more sales with her apples. She also hoped that Applebloom's attempts at getting bits off of people wouldn't ruin her sales. "Come and get some juicy Apples! Fresh apples from Sweet Apple Acres."





Applebloom was trying to think of what else she could do, not really having many ideas for her second attempt. She didn't have too many hobbies outside of making potions with Zecora and getting lost in her phone, so she didn't feel she had a lot of options to work with. She then started to hear music nearby and ran over to where it was coming from, finding Sweetie Belle jumping onto a trampoline while playing the flute. Applebloom got a good look at this and saw that Sweetie Belle was trying to play the flute and trampoline at the same time.

Applebloom watched Sweetie Belle do her thing as the latter then lost her focus with a bounce that was a little to hard, causing her to jump off and shout as she fell towards Applebloom, who stepped out of the way with Sweetie Belle landing smack on her face. As Sweetie Belle got up and shook her head to get the dirt off, she saw Applebloom and smiled as she greeted her. "Hi Applebloom!"

"Hi to you as well Sweetie Belle." Applebloom replied, finding Sweetie Belle's attempt at finding her Cutie Mark talent to be even more ridiculous than the last. "Playing music while trampolining? Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't acrobatic ponies need all four hooves in over to successfully and consistently pull off every skill in the book?"

"Maybe, but if I can pull this off then my talent could be acrobatics or music." Sweetie Belle explained, and then she realized how badly she did with both of them combined. "Or...maybe not. I'm pretty sure face-planting isn't part of the picture." Applebloom snickered a bit with Sweetie Belle brushing off how she found her screw up funny. "Hey. Pinkie Pie's having a party at Sugarcube Corner for the students and the second semester of school. You wanna come?"

Applebloom did find a party tempting, but then she heard the obnoxious voice of Diamond Tiara from behind. "Two lame blank flanks, sitting in a tree;"

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon then started speaking in sync as they continued to mock Applebloom. "K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

Applebloom was starting to get annoyed with Sweetie Belle being confused by this taunt. "But I'm straight."

"It's meant to be mocking." Applebloom explained, and then she walked up to Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, starting to find their presence even more annoying. "Since the party is for students, I guess it wouldn't hurt for me to attend. Applejack forgot to ground me anyway."

"Tch. Obviously an orphan like yourself would be able to avoid a grounding." Applebloom gave a blunt look as Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon laughed in response to the former's taunt. They were about to get it. And they did. Applebloom shoved them both into trash cans and then walked off with Sweetie Belle shouting out to her. "You're gonna get it Applebloom!"

"Yeah, put your ego into it!" Applebloom shouted back, sighing as Sweetie Belle joined her and she spoke up. "Wanna get a milkshake?"





Applebloom and Sweetie Belle were at Sugarcube Corner as the two of them discussed Cutie Marks. "So this whole Cutie Mark thing. Do you think what Cheerilee said about them being linked to our talents rather than our careers was true, or that it was total dog phit?"

"I could see it going either way." Sweetie Belle admitted, having put a bunch of attempts in today already and having had none of them succeed. "But if we're lucky, our talents will just be something we find out about at random."

"Isn't that how they're supposed to be found out?" Applebloom asked, and that got Sweetie Belle thinking as Applebloom started venting about the world. "Thing is, I don't wanna just sit around and wait all the time. I know I'm usually zoned into my phone and falling asleep in class, but if I could, I'd leave Ponyville right now and go on an adventure. I wanna travel, see places I've never seen before, maybe discover a new species I could grow an attachment to. But instead I'm (Pounds hoof on table) stuck here for four and a half more years."

Applebloom sighed as she put her elbows on the table and continued to vent about the world. "And even if the road was hard, it'd be a lot better than getting a high estate job only to get jicked over by some scumbag who scams you out of everything you own."

Sweetie Belle was listening to what Applebloom had to say, but then she brought up something from her point of view. "Well when you think about it, getting scammed is something that you can come back from if you have the right mindset."

Applebloom saw what Sweetie Belle was getting at, finding her short, but valid point to be uplifting. "How come we've never had a conversation until now? You're actually...cool today." Sweetie Belle smiled as she took a sip of her strawberry shake with Applebloom realizing a setback to traveling. "Now that I think about it though, I'd have to learn how to cook in order to survive if I travel." Applebloom saw Pinkie Pie baking in the kitchen and got an idea that gave her joy.

As Pinkie Pie cooked in the kitchen, Applebloom went back there and saw that Pinkie Pie had quite the big derriere on her. It was the size of at least two normal pony butts, and as she moved it around, Applebloom couldn't help but get caught up in it. She naturally had a thing for butts and stuff, being that she was in her early teens. Pinkie Pie turned around and saw her, closing the oven with her butt as she did. "Hi Applebloom! You need something?"

Applebloom snapped out of her trance and decided to ask Pinkie Pie the question she had for her. "Okay, here's the deal Pinkie Pie. I wanna travel one day, maybe the whole world, and I'll need to know how to cook in order to get by. How are you at training people to make sweets?"

Pinkie Pie was glad to see that Applebloom required her services, knowing that she could help her with her problem. Assuming you could call it one anyway. "I'm glad you asked! I taught myself everything I know, but with a little help from Mrs. Cake, I perfected my baking skill and I think I can teach you a thing or two."

"You THINK, or you know? Baking is pretty straightforward." Applebloom asked, and Pinkie Pie brought her over to the oven, making sure she didn't get burned and she gave her a look at the book of baking recipes she had in mind. Applebloom was thankful that Pinkie Pie offered to help her, and she didn't wanna go overboard right away, so she found a chocolate chip cookie recipe that should work like a charm. "Have you made any cookies yet? They look like you'd have to TRY to mess them up."

Pinkie Pie felt that Applebloom made the best choice, getting the ingredients out so the two could get to work. "Let's do it! I'll make a baker out of you yet!" Applebloom always did like Pinkie Pie's enthusiasm, even if she found it kind of annoying with those who didn't earn it.





Applebloom and Pinkie Pie were waiting for the cookies to be done with Applebloom sitting by Pinkie's already made snacks and snagging herself a chocolate cupcake. As she was waiting for the cookies to get done, she felt that she and Pinkie Pie could use some humor to lighten up the mood. "Waiting. Definitely the most fun game in the world. I never feel like dying when I'm forced into it." Pinkie Pie's giggle showed that Applebloom's sarcastic words did the trick.

Just then, the timer dinged, indicating that the cookies were done as Pinkie Pie dashed up to the oven. "Cookies are done!" Applebloom opened up the oven and Pinkie Pie pulled the cookies out, making sure she had a hoof shaped oven mitt on to get them out with. She set them on the counter and got a good look with Applebloom as they admired their work. "These sure do look good."

"Dang straight. Thanks for helping me make them Pinkie." Applebloom responded, even though she was technically at Pinkie Pie's. "I know it's your bakery, but I'm glad you let me do most of the work."

"It was no problem." Pinkie Pie assured Applebloom, and then she rubbed her head as she finished what she was saying. "Maybe next time we can get to cake." Just then, a bunch of chattering was heard outside with Pinkie Pie remembering what was going on. "Oh-no, the party! (Runs outside with the snacks) I'll bring our cookies out when they're done cooling off!"

Applebloom wasn't too worried about attending the party, going into the dining area as Pinkie Pie was shown putting on her roller skates. Applebloom had to admit that she was curious as to why Pinkie Pie wore them while on the clock. "Why do you serve people in roller skates anyway?"

"It adds the fun factor to the waitress part of this job." Pinkie Pie explained, putting her roller skates into walk mode as she got ready to serve whoever needed her food.

Applebloom went over to Sweetie Belle, finding that she was sipping her milkshake as she tried to get the cherry through the straw. Applebloom quickly took notice of this and gave a deadpan look as she sat down next to Sweetie Belle. "Sweetie, stop that; it won't any further into the straw." Sweetie Belle took the straw out of her mouth and ate the cherry from the bottom, making sure to spit the stem back into the cup. "Yo Pinkie, we got a cleanup job over here!"

Pinkie Pie retrieved the milkshake glasses from Applebloom as Spike and Scootaloo entered Sugarcube Corner. They seemed to be discussing a show that the two of them were currently watching as Scootaloo expressed her feelings on one scene. "I'm just saying Spike. I think it could've been really interesting to see what would've happened if Orion actually left."

"Maybe, but there's no guarantee he and Andy would've survived out there. They're strong, yeah, but they'd have to resort to wild dog methods to survive." Just then, Spike and Scootaloo heard nasty giggling, leaving them to look to their right and spot Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. "Oh great, it's Princess Spoiled and her royal suck up."

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon arrived at Applebloom and Sweetie Bell's booth with Diamond Tiara speaking up. "So farm blank flank. You actually bothered to show up. (Gets enraged) You're lucky my maid knows how to speed wash me, or you'd be sued for everything you own."

Applebloom was indifferent to Diamond Tiara's taunt as she then made one of her own after getting a good look at the matching dresses of bright blue and white lines with diamonds on them. "Am I supposed to be threatened by a spoiled brat who emphasizes on her clothes just to show off how rich she is?"

"Oh, now you're gonna get it!" Diamond Tiara demanded, and then she turned to Silver Spoon. "Silver spoon, pull out my knife collection."

Applebloom and Sweetie Belle were stunned as Silver Spoon took out a knife box and showed it to Diamond Tiara. "You wanna use the swift kill?"

Diamond Tiara liked the sound of that and figured it'd be best for this situation. "I would like this to end quickly."

Just then, a claw slammed down on the box, leaving Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon stunned before they looked and saw Spike and Scootaloo glaring at them. She already knew not to mess with Spike, but that didn't stop her from targeting Scootaloo. "Really? The only kid in the school who flexed on me, with a fart no less, is teaming up with THIS loser blank flank? (Scootaloo starts to get mad as Spike puts a claw on her shoulder for support) I thought you'd be with your stupid adult friends or something."

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon snickered as Applebloom and Sweetie Belle saw that they were being stood up for by Spike and Scootaloo, deciding to do the same, despite knowing they could hold their own. Applebloom was the first to speak up as she turned Diamond Tiara over to her. "Um, yeah. one of those 'stupid adult friends', is my sister. And yeah she's boring, but at least she has common sense." Diamond Tiara gave a nervous grin, one that Applebloom gave a sly grin towards.

Just then, Applebloom threw Diamond Tiara out of the window, leaving Spike to give a deadpan look to Silver Spoon. This instantly told Silver Spoon to run, which she did, leaving some of the other kids to cheer, as they overheard what'd just happened. Spike then saw that Scootaloo, Applebloom, and Sweetie Belle all lacked cutie marks, feeling that they could bond over that. "You three have two things in common. You lack cutie marks, for now anyway, and you're also targets for Diamond Tiara. Maybe you could make that work."

The three fillies looked at each other with Scootaloo liking the sight of Applebloom and Sweetie Belle, Applebloom looking intrigued, and Sweetie Belle being excited as Spike then rubbed his claws together before walking off. "I should probably be leaving the group for a bit anyway. (Walks off) Lightspeed and I might get closer if I play my cards right."

The three fillies sat down together with Sweetie Belle being confused about something. "I thought Spike and Lightspeed were a thing already."

"Apparently he's waiting until the gala to ask him out." Scootaloo explained in reference to Spike's wording of the scenario. "I mean, he already did, but they're gonna become a couple if Lightspeed says yes."

Sweetie Belle understood the scenario better now with Applebloom taking a better liking to being friends with her and Scootaloo. "Spike's right though. Maybe the three of us COULD be a group. And we could all find our Cutie Marks together and learn what our talents are."

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle liked the idea, leaving Scootaloo to be on board as she gave a smile to the idea. "That could be great!"

"And maybe we'll find some other things we have in common too." Sweetie Belle pointed out, hoping that this friend group could last. "What should we call ourselves? Our group has to have a cool name to stand out."

The three thought for a moment with Scootaloo coming up with a name quickly. "The Cutie Three?"

Applebloom and Sweetie Belle didn't like that one, leaving Sweetie Belle to come up with one of her own. "Maybe...The Cutie Markers?"

Scootaloo didn't like that one either, and Applebloom outright hated it, even making a buzzing sound to indicate how bad she thought it was. The three continued to think with Applebloom coming up with a name that she felt would work great with all three of them. "I got it! How about, the Cutie Mark Crusaders?"

All three of the fillies really liked that one, so they stuck with it, putting their hooves over the table as they all spoke up. "Cutie Mark Crusaders, (Raise their hooves) formed!"

The Cutie Mark Crusaders were surprised with their fast friendship, but were also glad that they had other blank flanks to talk to. This led to Applebloom getting a thought in mind about where they could hang out. "First order of business, meet me at my place after the party."





Applebloom was explaining what was going on to Applejack, hoping she would happily oblige with her request without any hesitation. "So, yeah. Long story short, I have two new friends now and I plan to hang out with them as much as possible, so we need you to build us a treehouse so we have somewhere to hang out."

Applejack did like the idea of making the CMC a treehouse, feeling that it wouldn't hurt to help. "That's not a bad idea Applebloom. I'll see if I have the supplies in the barn and you three can decide what you want your treehouse to look like."

Applejack headed into the farm with the CMC nodding to each other, walking into the house as they started discussing it as Applebloom spoke up first. "Obviously we have to make sure it's big, but not too big. What do you guys say to a one story tree house that has all kinds of cool stuff for us to try out?"

"Why not a two story house with a slide on the second floor?" Scootaloo suggested, leaving Applebloom impressed by her unique idea as the Pegasus then went into daredevil mode. "Then I can slide down it at max speed with my scooter and (Eyes start flaming with intensity) totally shred through the air!"

Applebloom liked this feisty attitude with Sweetie Belle being a bit surprised by it before she had a thought of her own. "Maybe I could have Rarity make some streamers for us to put around the treehouse for decorations."

"That would make it look more lively." Applebloom thought out loud, and then she had another idea herself. "And maybe we can have a mini-fridge in case we get hungry and we don't wanna go all the way home to get some food." The CMC continued talking about their ideas with Applejack then shown to be gathering the supplies to make the treehouse, hoping that it wouldn't be anything too complex.





One week later, Applejack had just finished building the treehouse with the CMC admiring what she'd done with it. It had everything they were talking about yesterday from the second floor with a slide shooting out the window, the streamers Sweetie Belle asked Rarity to make, and even the mini-fridge to keep them from getting hungry without leaving the treehouse. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were impressed with Applebloom giving a proud smile as the Pegasus spoke up. "This is so wicked!"

Sweetie Belle squeed with excitement, only being able to imagine what kinds of cutie mark quests she and her friends could do. "We're gonna have so much fun in here!"

"I think we can all agree on that." Applebloom confidently replied, and then she got a look at the streamers, all of them being pink, and gained a deadpan look to Sweetie Belle. "I have to ask though. Did you have to make ALL the streamers pink?" Sweetie Belle giggled while rubbing her the back of her head, and Applebloom quickly smiled and spoke happily about the future. "Whatever. This is gonna work out just fine." The CMC's Treehouse was shown in all it's glory as the screen faded to black, ending the chapter off.





An instrumental version of the main theme played during the credits.
> The Spring Leaves Falling
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Applejack was polishing some kind of trophy in the barn while humming to herself in a happy-go-lucky mood. As she was doing this, she suddenly heard the door to the barn slam open, causing her to look over and see Rainbow Dash standing there with a confident grin, leaving Applejack annoyed at what Rainbow Dash did to the door. "Ya know, ya could've just knocked."

"That's nice." Rainbow Dash flew over to Applejack and started talking about how bored she was. "My boss gave me a week off from whether patrol yesterday because I haven't taken a vacation since I started my job, and I spent my day off yesterday practicing for the Wonderbolts, and I don't want that to be the only thing I do on my time off, and I'm also super bored and don't know what to do. You have any ideas? (Sees the trophy) And how come I've never seen that trophy before?"

Applejack was glad that Rainbow Dash noticed the trophy, humbly pointing out what she got it for. "This is for the Iron Pony competition I competed in last year. (Rainbow Dash and Applejack's reflections are shown in the trophy's shine) I won it back when I took a vacation with my family in Manhattan. Don't ask why they were doing it; all I know is that I participated in it, and got this trophy."

Rainbow Dash gave a further inspection to the trophy and figured that it had to be super valuable to Applejack. "And this is for first place, right?" Applejack nodded her head yes in response, leaving Rainbow Dash to get an idea for what she could do as she then gave a competitive gaze to Applejack. "How can we have one?" Applejack saw where Rainbow Dash was going with this, feeling that this could actually be rather fun.





All kinds of moments from season one were shown as Twilight was heard singing the main theme of the show, My Little Pony Friends. "For every day, I look around me, for every time I see you near. I thank the stars, whose light surrounds me, I thank the earth that keeps you here. Cause I will only follow, my true heart. And I can see it clear now, right from the start. You were my little pony. I used to wonder what friendship could be; my little pony. Until you shared it's magic with me. My little pony. I used to wonder what friendship could be. My little pony. Until you shared it's magic, with me.





Rainbow Dash and Applejack were by the gates as all of the Iron Pony courses were set up for them. There were three things currently set up, those being zig-zag lined barrels, a tug of war section, and a section that looked as if it was for lifting as many stacks of hay as possible. As the two were inspecting this, Twilight came along with Spike on her back as the former spoke up. "Hi girls. What did you call us over here for?"

"We're gonna have an Iron Pony competition, and we want you two to be the judges!" Spike was shown to be reading a comic with Rainbow Dash poking him, making him look at her with a deadpan expression as she explained what he had to do. "All you have to do is watch us do our thing and rank who does it better."

Spike sat up, leaving his comic placement marked as he responded. "Fine. (Gives a grin) On one condition though. (The girls look at Spike) Pinkie Pie's in charge of running this Spring Leaves Running thing, and she wants me to help her, for some reason. If you two put on your little act as a starting point to hype it up and then participate in the running, we'll judge which one of you would be the boss in bed."

Rainbow Dash and Applejack flinched at that phrasing and looked at each other while blushing softly, but then smiled softly as well, leaving Twilight to call Spike out on this. "Spike, I know you're joking, but you can't just assume they're gonna sleep together. They aren't even dating."

"Nah, it's fine." Applejack assured Twilight, seeming to be more flattered than annoyed at Spike's joke. "Actually, that sounds like a pretty fair offer. I have been meaning to see how well Rainbow Dash moves on the ground."

"And the Spring Leaves Running is tomorrow, so it'd be a perfect hype moment for everyone." Rainbow Dash pointed out, pumping her fist as she started to get more excited. "Let's do it!"





Rainbow Dash and Applejack were getting ready for the Iron Pony competition as Applejack lined up by the zig-zag barrels. Rainbow Dash was interested to see what she had in store as Applejack braced herself, scraping the ground roughly with her front right hoof as Spike then started the watch. "Go!" Applejack started running and successfully zig-zagged around all of the barrels, not hitting a single one during her run.  Rainbow Dash saw her running fast and strong and even doing a humble bow at the end when she was done.

Applejack walked over to Spike, who stopped the timer as soon as Applejack was finished with Spike liking what he saw. "Seventeen seconds. Nice work AJ."

Applejack raised her hat as she nodded her head with Rainbow Dash lining up with Applejack giving a thorough watch of her behavior. Rainbow Dash scraped the ground with her right hoof like she did, and then she gave a confident grin as she winked to Applejack, who laughed a bit when she did, leaving Spike to hit the watch timer right then and there. "Go!" Rainbow Dash went through the zig-zag barrels as fast as she could, managing to excel in speed as she went os fast that a rainbow speed wave appeared behind her.

Rainbow Dash arrived at the end with grace and gave a quick skid before zipping over to Spike, who announced her time with surprise. "Thirteen seconds! (Applejack looks amazed) You just might win the Spring Leaves Falling."

"You definitely showed us that you have the speed for it." Applejack walked over to Rainbow Dash and playfully jabbed at her superspeed. "You sure you ain't secretly a rodeo pony?"

"If I was that trophy would've been mine."

"Oh really. I'd like to see your prove it."

As Rainbow Dash and Applejack kept their competitive smiles, Twilight spoke up about their next event. "As fun as it is to see you two have your playful bickering, you still have two more events to conquer before you can prove who's better. I suggest you prepare yourselves to see who's better at raw strength before your brawn overpowers your brain for real."

Rainbow Dash and Applejack went over to the tug of war section as they joked about how Twilight worded that with Applejack speaking up. "I think it's easy to see where Spike got his snarky tongue from."

"Or where Twilight got HER snark from, give or take." Rainbow Dash suggested, knowing all too well that Spike's snark was hard to match for most Ponyville residents. Even though Spike and Twilight weren't born in Ponyville. After the casual banter, Rainbow Dash and Applejack stood on opposite ends of the tug of war line and then observed the mud pit in the middle. "Get ready AJ. You're about to thank Celestia that you don't have Rarity's life."

Applejack scoffed and gave a confident smirk to Rainbow Dash as she playfully taunted her after that. "Not if I make YOU thank her first." Rainbow Dash and Applejack picked up the rope with their mouths and bit down hard on it before they started tugging. Spike got right in front of the action and framed it the perfect shot to capture both of them, starting to record right as Rainbow Dash started to struggle. She put her hooves as hard on the ground as she could, making extra sure she could beat Applejack.

Rainbow Dash then got an idea and put her wings out straight for balance, something that Applejack took notice to with Rainbow Dash then winking to her. Applejack wasn't giving up though and started pulling with all of her strength, leading to Rainbow Dash eventually giving out and falling into the mud pit. Applejack walked over to Rainbow Dash with confidence and humbleness as she saw her Pegasus friend trying to get past her loss. "Clever move puttin' your wings out like that, but it wasn't enough to match me."

"Ha! Joke's on you!" Rainbow Dash taunted as she flew up and crossed her hooves with a confident grin on her face, being more than confident that she could defeat Applejack in the next challenge. "Now you'll have less strength to prepare for the last challenge." Applejack saw what Rainbow Dash was trying to get at and the two put their heads together while giving grinning glares at each other, being confident in their chances at beating the other in the last event.





Rainbow Dash and Applejack were currently doing the last event with both of them currently having five hay stacks carried while standing on their hind hooves. Their butts were also pointed out when this was happening as Twilight put up the sixth hay stacks, which is where the two of them started to sweat from the adrenaline. As they continued doing this, Applejack felt her stomach growl with her big butt being shown as she and Rainbow Dash looked at each other with Rainbow Dash's butt being shown as well.

Rainbow Dash's butt was shown to be the biggest of the group with Applejack's being the third biggest right behind Pinkie Pie's, and Rainbow Dash laughed a bit as she figured out what was about to happen, being prepared to join in herself. "Do NOT tell me you're about to fart. Two contests for the price of one!" Applejack laughed a bit herself as she and Rainbow Dash both started farting with yellow clouds of rotten eggs being unleashed as their butts vibrated from the warm, streamy feeling (PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF...) (PHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH...).

As Rainbow Dash and Applejack were farting, it was starting to rain with both of them failing to realize it as Applejack spoke to Twilight. "Twilight, throw the last eight hay stacks up here, four each! This might be it!"

Twilight obliged with her and Spike being relieved that they weren't in the face of the farts with Rainbow Dash and Applejack's farting continuing (FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF...) (HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH...). Twilight then started to notice the rain as Rainbow Dash then let out a loud and nasty burp while farting, hitting a bird that passed by and sending him into a tree, where he died from the burp and fell to the ground upon impact.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack noticed that the sky was starting to cloud Ponyville as it began raining with Rainbow Dash speaking up about that (FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF...) (HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH...). "Oh yeah! I have the power to cause rain, thunderstorms, tornados, and hurricanes if I fart hard enough. (Looks back at her massive butt) My butt just can't help that." Rainbow Dash laughed a bit as the rain started to get harsh with her and Applejack looking at each other with confident grins while still farting.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack's fart continued with their thicc, steamy butts being shown with Applejack's fart clocking in at a solid minute (FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFT), where as Rainbow Dash's kept going (HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH...), with Applejack being disappointed in her lack of fart power compared to Rainbow Dash. "Drat! Guess we know who the better farter is."

Rainbow Dash laughed some more as her fart continued, only for her to struggle with the hay stack holding as her fart continued for about thirty more seconds (HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH...), and after the last ten seconds of her fart started, she set the hay stacks down, unable to carry them anymore as she finished her fart (HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHT). Rainbow Dash accepted her loss in the challenge humbly with Applejack setting down her hay stacks too. "Okay. You're a little stronger. I'll admit that."

Applejack felt she could do more than she did, and having admitted to it as she boasted to Rainbow Dash. "Just a little? Heh. I carried twenty of those things one time before."

"No way! I gotta see that!" Rainbow Dash insisted, and then the two got a look around the barn and saw all of the fart gas with the two of them giggling sheepishly as Twilight and Spike were shown trying to withstand the fart. "Maybe we can check it out inside."





Everyone was inside the Apple Family home with all four of them sitting on the couch as Apple Bloom and Big Mac worked to get the fart scent out of them. Apple Bloom wasn't particularly fond of this either, seeing as she had to wash out her sister's fart scent, and the fart scent of Rainbow Dash, who's farts smelt even worse. "I'm seriously hoping that Gala baked goods sale thing you had planned works out Applejack. If we can fix Granny's hip, we can have HER do this instead."

"Elderly slave labor. Sounds fascinating." Rainbow Dash responded sarcastically, taking a whiff of one of her hooves and finding that the fart scent was almost gone. "You're doing pretty good though Applebloom. I smell almost as awesome as I am myself."

"Well just as a warning, you'll be doing this for me and my friends if we ever do something like this for some reason." Applebloom warned Rainbow Dash, who shrugged as Applebloom then turned her attention to Big Mac, who was getting Spike and Twilight, while she had Rainbow Dash and Applejack. "You almost got them Big M?"

"Eeyep." Big Mac replied, getting done with Twilight's made just as he finished up with Spike, managing to get the scent off of the both of them at the same time Applebloom did.

Spike was glad the fart scent was off of him, taking out a bit and flicking it to Big Mac, who caught it as Spike stood up and announced his departure. "Well, I'm gonna bounce and see if I can beat this boss I'm struggling with in this game I'm playing. Expect me to be there with Pinkie Pie at the Spring Leaves Falling tomorrow to judge the race."

Spike walked off with Applebloom gazing upon the fact that Big Mac got a bit for his efforts, giving an innocent smile as she spoke to Applejack. "Hey AJ; have I ever told you how cool you are?"

"No." Applejack bluntly responded, knowing that Applebloom was trying to get money off of her.

Just then, Applebloom pulled out Applejack's wallet, shocking her as she gave a cheerful look. "Well I am now!"

Applebloom ran off with Applejack chasing her upstairs in an attempt to get her wallet back. "Applebloom, give me my wallet back this instant! And don't even THINK of pulling that magic word MP with me!" Rainbow Dash got up and nodded to Big Mac, who nodded back as the former left the house and flew off to prepare for tomorrow.





Rainbow Dash was running as fast as she could to Sweet Apple Acres and found Applejack training on the farm. Applejack saw Rainbow Dash running over to her and was surprised by it with Rainbow Dash running up to her as she commented on it. "I never took you for the runnin' type Rainbow. Then again, I see most Pegasi as the flyin' type."

"I decided to train my legs for the Spring Leaves Falling." Rainbow Dash explained, knowing that she wouldn't be allowed to fly in the Spring Leaves Falling race. It sounded like a setback for a Pegasus like her, but she was more than ready to prove that she could own this race. "You're gonna be eating more than one kind of dust from me."

Applejack was more than ready to accept that challenge, walking up to Rainbow Dash as the two gave determined and competitive glares towards each other. "So I see. Well I hope you don't throw a tantrum if you end up eating more than one type of dust from me."

Rainbow Dash had a bet in mind to see who was better, being more than ready to flex on Applejack in this race. "Maybe we should give ourselves a little bet. Winner gets to do whatever they want to the loser. Between you and me I mean."

Applejack didn't see any harm in that, spitting in her hoof as she got ready to accept. "I like the sound of that." Rainbow Dash spit in her hoof as well, and then she and Applejack pressed them together, being ready for whatever challenge this race threw at them.





Pinkie Pie was currently flying her hot air balloon with Spike sitting on her mane as she looked at the race track with her binoculars. Spike was currently drinking his favorite soda as he got a look at the racers with his own binoculars, leaving Pinkie Pie to bring one of them up when her eye was caught. "I didn't take Twilight for the athlete type Spike. You think she's trying out some new hobbies?"

"Nah, she told me yesterday that she was gonna participate for research." Spike explained right before finishing his soda can and letting out a small burp before tossing the can behind him, only for Pinkie Pie's big butt to be shown as she let out a loud and bassy five second cake scented fart, one that let out a green cloud and made her butt vibrate as she sent the can flying (BLLLLLLLLLLAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRP). Spike was impressed by the power of Pinkie's farts and the two laughed as he commented on it. "Nice one Pinkie."

"Thanks." Pinkie Pie replied, and then Spike gave a smirk to the audience as he lifted his leg and released a loud and bassy ten second fart onto Pinkie Pie's face with a yellow cloud of rotten eggs, letting out a burp at the same that let out a green cloud, and both of them being for ten seconds (PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFT). Spike grinned proudly as Pinkie Pie laughed hysterically at his gassy antics while also wafting the fart away. "Pee-yew Spike! Whatever you had for breakfast this morning, Don't tell me until after the race."

"That, I can promise." Spike assured Pinkie Pie, hopping down to the ledge of the balloon while also timing himself on his watch to make sure he didn't sit there for too long. "Actually, that was from my favorite soda. One of the reasons I love it so much is because it makes me gassy."

Pinkie Pie nodded in understanding, wondering how a soda could make someone so gassy that they burped and farted at the same time. "Sounds kinda like Rainbow Dash with hayburgers." Spike snickered a bit at Pinkie Pie's joke with the latter taking out her megaphone as the racers started lining up.

Down at the starting line, Rainbow Dash and Applejack stood right next to each other with Twilight standing next to Rainbow Dash. The Pegasus instantly took notice to this and commented on the unlikeliness of Twilight competing. "Funny to see ya here Twilight. Next to Fluttershy, you're the last of the ponies I know that I expected to see in a race."

"I wanted to see how the Spring Leaves Falling would benefit the athleticism of the ponies who participated, as well as if it did so as well as the falling of the Spring Leaves." Twilight explained, and it didn't make much sense to Rainbow Dash or Applejack, making Twilight giggle a bit as she commented on it. "Yeah, Spike didn't get it too easily either. Long story short, I saw an opportunity for observation, and I took it with the best method possible."

Rainbow Dash looked to Applejack, who shrugged in response, and then she realized that Rainbow Dash's wings were still out. "Hang on a sec." Applejack took a rope out and tied Rainbow's wings to her body, making sure they weren't too tight so she didn't feel any pain. As she did this, she then noticed how close she was to Rainbow Dash's flank, quickly pulling away as she finished and started blushing softly. "Sorry. Didn't mean to get so close."

Rainbow Dash playfully toasted Applejack's current state, knowing that she could get a reaction out of it. "Is this the Strong and Honest Applejack feeling nervous?" Applejack chuckled nervously for a bit, leaving Rainbow Dash to look ahead as she responded. "Thanks for the wing tie down. No point in flying when it's a 'running' event."

Applejack nodded and looked forward herself, leaving Spike and Pinkie Pie to begin announcing as Pinkie Pie pulled out her  megaphone. "Alright everypony! It's almost time for Ponyville's yearly Spring Leaves Falling race!"

Spike snatched the megaphone, putting his own two cents into the announcement. "We hope you've all got the stamina of an athlete, because anything less will leave you face planting into the leaves instead of running with them! Being lazy during the race will only lead to a face full of dirt!"

Pinkie Pie took the megaphone back when Spike was done and finished the announcement. "On your marks...(The ponies put their hooves firmly on the ground)get set...GO!!!!!"

The ponies took off with Rainbow Dash and Applejack shown to have quickly taken the lead as the dust cleared. It seemed as if Rainbow Dash deciding to run to Sweet Apple Acres today paid off, as even with the lack of wing speed, she was still doing a great job in the race, which Applejack took notice to. Despite her friendly rivalry with Rainbow Dash, she was glad to see that the Pegasus still made for a worthy opponent, and the two of them gave competitive gazes as they ran as fast as they could through the spring trees.

The leaves were starting to fall, some of them from Rainbow Dash and Applejack, but a good chunk of them from the ponies that were in the middle and the back of the race. Twilight was taking mental notes of the race track, finding that the larger the group was, the more leaves fell from the trees. She nodded confidently as she noted that she expected this while thinking to herself. 'Just as I expected.' She then advanced with the rest of the racers to make it to the end at a reasonable pace.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack on the other hand were still running as hard as possible, as well as the fastest that they could, putting in as much effort as possible to win this race, as well as their bet. As Spike and Pinkie Pie were watching from above, Spike commented on something he thought would've been cool. "Too bad this isn't a REAL race. If it was we could've added some cool booby traps. (Smirks) Then again, we'd also need the toxic fanbases for Rainbow Dash and Applejack to show the whole thing worldwide.

Pinkie Pie got a good look at where Rainbow Dash and Applejack were placed, having a good feeling that Applejack was about to win. "Five bits says that Applejack wins."

"You're on." Spike replied, shaking Pinkie Pie's hoof as he got ready for the race's climax. "Now Rainbow Dash has another excuse to win this."

Rainbow Dash and Applejack were nearing the end of the race, being about four fifths done with it as they started to see the finish line. As the two gazed at each other, they nodded with determined grins on their faces, running at their maximum speed to find out which one of them would win the Spring Falling Leaves race. The two were closing in on the finish line. As they got closer to the end of it all, their speed was neck and neck, and they refused to lose to the other. This was it. The winner of the race was now as the both dived for the finish line.

As the smoke cleared, it was revealed that Rainbow Dash and Applejack were right next to each other, leaving them to wonder who won as they both stood up and looked at the trail of dirt. As Spike and Pinkie Pie descended from the hot air balloon, they were also questioning who won with Spike capturing the moment point blank on his phone. He showed it to Pinkie Pie, who zoomed in as much as she had to, which was about seven hundred times the photo's zoom level, and saw that Rainbow Dash was mere millisecond ahead of Applejack.

Spike gave a smug grin as Pinkie Pie happily gave him the five bits, leaving Pinkie Pie to announce the winner. "Rainbow Dash wins the race!" Rainbow Dash pumped her fist with Applejack putting her head up a little higher with honor, glad to dee that she and Rainbow Dash did so well in the race. "We'll have your medals after the other participants arrive at the finish line. I can't wait to see how many leaves you all were able to make fall this year!" Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie hoof bumped, showing that they truly did respect one another as a rival.





All of the participants for the Spring Leaves Falling were lined up for their rewards with Pinkie Pie handing them out. Most of the participants got, well...participation medals, due to them not getting a significant podium placement. Twilight and the other twelve who got these didn't mind, since they weren't really in it to win it. Well, none of them were, but still. One earth pony who looked quite muscular, but not over the top, got the bronze medal, since he arrived at the finish line before the ones who got participation medals.

Applejack received the silver medal, and Rainbow Dash received the gold, and the two looked at their medals with Pinkie Pie speaking up about their participation. "You guys all did great! I'm hoping to see you all run again next year!" Pinkie Pie pulled out some kind of party cannon and launched a bunch of confetti into the sky, allowing everyone to leave as Spike got a look at the cannon after walking over to Pinkie Pie as she explained what it was all about. "I just shoved a bunch of confetti into a cannon."

Spike found this to be quite cool with Rainbow Dash and Applejack talking about what Rainbow Dash wanted to do to Applejack now that she won as Applejack jokingly made some suggestions. "So Rainbow. Whatya wanna do to me? Beef stew me until my house melts? Or is set on lightning? Spin me around until I'm nauseous? Something else humiliating I should know about?"

Rainbow Dash wasn't about to miss this opportunity, stopping Applejack and looking into her eyes as she sat down and looked into them as deeply as she could. "Actually, since I have your consent to do ANYTHING I want to you..." Rainbow Dash kissed Applejack without hesitation, catching Applejack off guard, which Spike and Twilight took notice to when they were walking over to the two of them. Applejack felt amazing in that moment, as if any butterflies she otherwise would've had in her stomach escaped from her mouth with grace and beauty.

Rainbow Dash also had her own feeling about the situation. She felt as if she'd just overcome a million obstacles all at the same time in one minute, and that this one action was going to change the course of her life in the best way possible. Their hearts were racing, and Applejack couldn't believe what just happened. The kiss lasted for at least fifteen seconds, and when Rainbow Dash pulled Applejack away, she gave a smug grin as she made her response. "I've always wanted to do that. (Walks off) I'll catch ya later guys."

Rainbow Dash flew off with Spike and Twilight walking up to Applejack as she thought about what just happened. "That was...the last thing I expected from Rainbow Dash. At least in THIS instance." Spike and Twilight looked at each other and nodded, being well aware of what was going on.





Applejack was entering her room while it was late at night, walking over to her bed and lying down as she thought about what happened earlier today with Rainbow Dash. While she was doing this, Applebloom came into her room and asked about the event. "So. Spike texted me and told me about the kiss." Applejack hopped onto Applejack's bed and gave her a sly grin, hoping she had some juicy thoughts to share. "How'd it feel? Did your entire world flash before your existence?"

Applejack shoved Applebloom off of her and had her lie down next to her, trying to hid the fact that she felt anything. "Cmon sis, it was just Rainbow bein' Rainbow; it didn't mean anything." Applebloom could tell Applejack was lying, but she also knew she could have some fun with this if she wanted to, so she decided to stay quiet and let her speak. "Still, if it DID mean somethin' then I hope Rainbow doesn't take it the wrong way. (Looks confused) Actually, I still don't know if this'll be a good thing, or a bad thing."

Applebloom scoffed, sitting up as she brought up what Applejack has currently achieved. "Sis, you run this farm almost single handedly, AND you've won dozens of rodeo awards, AND you own that Iron Pony trophy. And you're worried about what a kiss from your friend, who's a total horn dog, will do to your friendship?"

"This is different from those other times Applebloom." Applejack argued, knowing that romance and athleticism were to completely different things. "And I know you're just startin' to understand romance, but once you have YOUR first kiss, you'll understand. (Applebloom opens her mouth) And to clarify, yes, I DID have a boyfriend that one time. (Puts her head down to cover her eyes) I got royally screwed over on that one." Applebloom wasn't quite sure why Applejack was taking this so seriously, but she then started to think about it herself, wondering if her gawking over Pinkie Pie's butt meant anything.





Spike and Twilight were at the Golden Oak Library as Spike was preparing dinner, which looked like some kind of burger. As he got it to just the right temperature, medium rare in his case, he flipped it over again and put it on a plate to let it sizzle just as Twilight came down and got a whiff of what he was cooking. "Making your specialty there Spike?"

"You bet Twilight." Spike handed Twilight a hayburger as she walked over to the table, and she grabbed the plate and sat down with it. "So do you think Rainbow Dash meant anything with that kiss, or do you think she was just trying to mess with Applejack?"

Twilight thought for a moment as Spike watched his burger get to just the right amount of juice to put on a bun. "Hard to say. Rainbow Dash doesn't seem like the type to manipulate her friends, but she IS one of the bigger jokesters in our friend group." Spike put his burger on a patty as Twilight commented on the hayburger he made for her after taking a bit out of it. "Thanks for the hayburger by the way. As always, on point."

"You know I always give the best." Spike put his toppings and stuff onto his burger, which was everything, and then he went over to the table and sat down next to Twilight as he gave his two cents. "And if it WAS genuine, I think they'd make a cute couple." Spike started eating with Twilight as the two of them thought about Rainbow Dash and Applejack as a couple as the screen faded to black, ending the episode off.





An instrumental version of the main theme played during the credits.
> Ryu Arrives in Ponyville
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The entrance to Ponyville was shown with a black teenage dragon foot shown to step on the ground and take over the show. The camera then showed the full body of this dragon, revealing it to be Ryu, the dragon Spike spoke to two months ago regarding the mark on his palm. He looked at the village and thought to himself about what would go down while looking a little anxious. 'Alright Ryu. You've lacked direct conversations with one being for years, but that shouldn't hurt you. Just be as normal as you can possibly be.'

Ryu went into town with some of the ponies noticing him and having their attention caught by him. Pretty soon, everyone in the entrance plaza started to see him and wonder what he was up to. It wasn't that they were against dragons, since Spike was a well known resident by now, but they wondered if Ryu was good like Spike, or bad like some other dragons may be. Ryu hid his concern fairly well, but he still had to keep his cool. 'They're just cautious Ryu. Don't attack unless you have to.'

Ryu continued to walk around as he then realized that he had no idea where Spike lived and got a little annoyed by that. 'The kid could've at least given me an idea as to where he was. And none of these ponies seem as if they'd be owning a dragon judging by how they're still gazing at me. Guess I'll have to ask questions.' Ryu saw Lightspeed looking into a mirror, seemingly rehearsing for something and heading over to him in the hopes that he wouldn't be disturbing him too much.

Lightspeed was heard rehearsing by the mirror, trying to find the right words to say at the Gala. "Perhaps you'd like to see one of my gadgets sometime? I haven't shown many of them off yet, so it'd mean a lot to see the Queen enjoying them. (Flinches) Wait, there's no guarantee they'll like it." 

Lightspeed then noticed Ryu walking over to him, and Ryu jumped right to the point. "Do you know Spike?"

Lightspeed was concerned after hearing this, hoping his response wouldn't put Spike in danger. "Why do you ask?" Ryu showed Lightspeed the mark on his paw, hoping it would be a good explination, and then Lightspeed looked in awe before giving a look of determination and speaking up. "Yeah. (Nods his head yes) I can take you to him."





All kinds of moments from season one were shown as Twilight was heard singing the main theme of the show, My Little Pony Friends. "For every day, I look around me, for every time I see you near. I thank the stars, whose light surrounds me, I thank the earth that keeps you here. Cause I will only follow, my true heart. And I can see it clear now, right from the start. You were my little pony. I used to wonder what friendship could be; my little pony. Until you shared it's magic with me. My little pony. I used to wonder what friendship could be. My little pony. Until you shared it's magic, with me.





The Golden Oak Library was shown with Lightspeed and Ryu walking over to it as Lightspeed showed concern for Spike. He didn't know what Ryu was planning on doing with him, but he also didn't want to assume that he was up to anything dangerous. Ryu saw his concern and assured him that he wasn't going to hurt Spike. "Relax. I'm just responding to this call Spike made to me a while back." Lightspeed was surprised to hear that, but at the same time, he was glad that no one was going to hurt Spike.

Spike was in his room playing video games as someone then rang the doorbell. "Hey Twilight, can you get the door please!? I'm on the penn-ultimate boss of Angel May Die 5 and I've been stuck on him for days!" Spike continued to face off against the boss he was stuck on, managing to bring him back down to his last dosage of HP while being as invested as he could possibly be. "Cmon, cmon, cmon." Spike managed to lay the final sword stab on the boss he was on, cheering as he threw his controller into the air as he jumped up without noticing. "Yes!" Someone knocked on Spike's door and the dragon caught his controller just as he heard. "It's open!"

Twilight entered Spike's room as he saved his game, knowing that he was going to be excited for who came over. "Lightspeed's here. (Spike's face perks) He's with-"

"Lightspeed!?" Spike dashed out of the room after pausing his game, going at super high speeds and arrived at the door all excited, making Lightspeed laugh a bit as he talked all happily and without a care. "Lightspeed; I didn't know you were comin' over! Perfect timing though. I finally beat that-' Spike stopped talking once he noticed Ryu, who gave an awkward smile and wave to Spike, showing his lack of social interaction as Spike put his thumb and index finger under his chin. "Do I recognize you?"

"We might've met once before." Ryu answered, having realized that he recognized Spike a lot more than Spike recognized him. "Let's say...last fall, you called me with your darkness mark." Spike looked at the mark on his palm and started to remember who Ryu was, knowing why he was here and hoping he could give him the answers he sought out. "If you don't mind, I'd prefer we discuss this in your home. I haven't been in a crowd in years."

Spike had to admit that he found Ryu to be a little awkward, but he also knew that he was well intended with his request, and also his reason for coming to ponyville. He gave his usual carefree smile and obliged with his request. "I don't see why not. You came all this way just to answer a few of my questions after all. That can't mean nothing." Ryu was glad Spike respected his wishes with Lightspeed seeing that Ryu was one of the less violent dragons present in the world.





Spike, Lightspeed, and Ryu were in his room with Ryu questioning what Lightspeed was doing there. He didn't want to sound rude, but he felt this was something that he and Spike had to do alone. "I hate to be the rude one, but does the Pegasus need to be here for this?"

"Well I still don't know for sure what you're planning yet." Lightspeed pointed out, not wanting to sound harsh when saying what he said next. "And I can't just blindly believe you when you say you come in peace."

Ryu understood that Lightspeed was just being cautious and felt that he wouldn't be much of a threat even if he fought back. He decided that he could stay, but he wouldn't hesitate to fight back. "Fair enough." Ryu walked up to Spike and gently grabbed his left claw, looking at the mark and finding that it wasn't that new anymore. "How long have you had the mark for?"

"I wanna say...four months?" Spike answered, having to admit that he never actually kept track of how long the mark has been there for. "It was just randomly going off the day I met you but it's been quiet almost every other day ever since. We met with Zecora and she tried to help us, but I forgot part of what she said about it. Something about destiny?"

Ryu inspected the mark and put his right claw over Spike's left claw, which caused the two of them to glow together. Lightspeed was alerted by this, stepping closer as he asked what was about to happen. "This isn't gonna hurt Spike, is it?"

Spike didn't feel hurt by what Ryu was doing, indicating that this was just a reaction of two marks being close to one another. "We must be connected somehow."

Ryu pulled his claw away from Spike's as he backed up, aiming his mark into the air and spawning some darkness orbs that flew around the room. None of them damaged anything, but some of them did phase through Spike's stuff, and one of them even went through Lightspeed, giving him chills. This caught Ryu's attention as he assured him that it was an accident. "Sorry. It's been years since I've been around other beings for longer than a few minutes, so I never got to controlling this power around them too often."

Lightspeed nodded in underrstanding as Spike got a good look at the power, leaving him and Lightspeed to look around in amazement as every angle of the room was shown. The darkness orbs, despite their presence of dark magic, were beautiful to look at, and they flew around with grace and brilliant formation. Ryu put his claw down as he then explained what the power was about, catching notice to Spike's desire to know more. "You can pull this off too."

"I can!?" Spike answered after turning to Ryu in amazement, causing Ryu to flinch as he snapped his fingers and caused the darkness orbs to vanish. This led to Spike stepping over to Ryu, looking at him with a look of amazement as he made a request. "Tell me more!"

Ryu saw that Spike was more fond of this power than he himself was, not wanting to hurt him, but still telling him some more stuff about this power. He took a couple steps back and started with the origin of the mark for anyone who has one, feeling that it was the best place to start. "You probably already know this, but this mark is given to someone who experiences a large amount of dark energy, and instead of getting hurt by it, they absorb it."

Spike thought for a moment and then looked surprised as he flashed back to when Luna blasted him with her magic when she was Nightmare Moon. He remembered absorbing the magic and taking the hit as opposed to being harmed by it like most others would be. When the flashback ended, he explained this scenario to Ryu. "My friends and I managed to revert Queen Luna back to her former self. When she was still Nightmare Moon, she blasted me with the dark magic she still had in her."

"And you weren't as hurt as you should've been." Ryu finished, having put two and two together with Spike nodding his head yes with Ryu then wanting to know more. "Then what happened?"

Another flashback came to Spike as he explained another part of the story. "Then when she tried to attack my friends after we got all the Elements of Harmony in check, I jumped in front of them and this giant shield spawned." The flashback ended with Spike looking at his mark, wondering if he could ever make it happen again. "I haven't been able to do that since. Actually, I'm pretty sure I already pointed this out, but it's been months since anything happened at all."

"Then the day you called me must've meant your magic was acting up." Ryu suggested, leaving Spike and Lightspeed to remember when Spike started attending the Ponyville middle school. "My mark was a lot more active than yours after I had MY acting up day. I hate to leave it at that, but I don't remember how mine came to be. It just...happened, and that was that."

Lightspeed had a question in mind regarding this power, wondering if something could cause Spike's mark to act up again. "Is there anything that could cause Spike's mark to act up again? (Spike and Ryu look at Lightspeed) Like if someone dangerous came to Ponyville and started attacking everyone. Would his mark come back to full power then?"

Ryu considered the possibility, liking the theory that Lightspeed was making in his mind. "It's not out of the question. Too bad it'd be wreckless to test it out on anyone." Spike clenched the claw with his mark on it, hoping that he could get this power down someday. And by someday, he meant before it forced him to cause armageddon.





A wasteland was shown with a blue skinned dragon with an orange cloak surrounding him looking into it. He was looking into a crystal ball, and it showed that he was currently watching Spike, Lightspeed, and Ryu as they discussed the mark on Spike's claw. As the dragon continued to watch this conversation, a cold female voice was heard from behind them. "Is it him?"

The dragon turned around, making sure not to knock the crystal over as they confirmed that it was who the other one sought out. "Yes, it's him. It has to be. He's the same color as the egg."

A purple dragon foot stepped forward in a menacing way, leading to a slender, elegant looking, female purple dragon emerging from the darkness. She had the same color pallet as Spike and had blood red scaled going from her chest to the tip of her tail, and she had a calm, but menacing look on her face, walking up to the crystal ball and getting a look at Spike. She was at first unimpressed by his design, but then she saw the mark on his claw and gained a look of rage. "Just as I suspected. He has Nightmare Moon's darkness in him."

The blue dragon tried to convince the purple one not to go through with her plan, hoping that she could be convinced to go down a lighter path. "Please Queen Claws. Perhaps we could find a peaceful way to spare your son? (Claws glares at her minion, making them flinch) It just seems cruel to kill your own Kin!"

Claws grabbed the blue dragon by their chest as she then told them why peaceful solutions wouldn't work in her mind. "Listen closely Rumble. My husband was killed by the same magic that Nightmare Moon carried inside of her. I refuse to let anyone whom holds said magic live. "Claws dropped her Rumble, informing them that objecting to her plan was a bad idea. "And if you ever object to my methods, you won't live to see the outcome of my victory."

Rumble nodded, backing up a bit as Claws looked into the crystal ball, knowing that her time to attack would come soon, and that it would be a glorious moment for her while giving a cold, sinister grin. "Two kills for the price of one. Brilliant."





Spike, Lightspeed, and Ryu were still in Spike's room as Ryu's stomach growled, leading to him holding it as he asked Spike a question. "You have food, right? I skipped breakfast."

"Yep. Kitchen's downstairs, same room as the living room." Spike guided Ryu, who went downstairs to get something to eat as Spike then turned to Lightspeed, knowing that he was concerned about the situation regarding Ryu. "Cmon Lightspeed. We both know you've got something to say."

Lightspeed sighed knowing he couldn't bring himself to lie to Spike about anything, so he decided to just say what he wanted to say. "I just don't know if we can trust him. Yeah he hasn't done anything yet, but what if the mark affects those who have it in different ways? What if it turned him into a master manipulator who's out for blood and chaos or something? (Spike starts to look concerned) I don't want him to hurt you Spike. It'd destroy me if that happened."

Spike was touched by the fact that Lightspeed was looking out for him, but he couldn't sense any evil in Ryu. He didn't know how he could say that, he just felt that Ryu had good intentions."I think we can trust him. (Smiles) And if he IS a bad guy, I'll just (Punches palm) black him out." Lightspeed always admired Spike's confidence as Spike then got real with Lightspeed. "Listen dude. You don't have to LIKE Ryu, but the only other source of info I have is Queen Luna, and she'd get torn up if we told her about this. So ignoring Ryu isn't an option for me."

"I get that." Lightspeed responded with a nod, putting a hoof on Spike's shoulder as he expressed concern for his well being. "I just want you to be careful. We just met this guy and we don't know what he's capable of. And, I hope this doesn't come out wrong, but I heard that dragons are pretty vicious creatures."

Spike thought about what Lightspeed just said and realized that he didn't really know much about his own kind. "Well let's hope your source was reliable, because I don't have the knowledge to confirm or debunk it." Lightspeed felt Spike having a sense of ignorance with that one in regards to what he knew about dragons, heading downstairs with him when he walked off. "Cmon. Let's check on Ryu. Maybe he's cookin' us some grub."

Spike and Lightspeed went downstairs to find Ryu and Twilight in the kitchen as Twilight was heard giggling in response to something. "You can stop apologizing now. Trust me; this is child's play compared to Spike's baby messes."

Spike and Lightspeed nodded to each other with Lightspeed still being worried about what Ryu planned to do, but Spike put on a smile as he spoke up when they walked over to Ryu and Twilight. "You and my sister havin' a fun little conversation about how gross I am?"

"Spike, come on." Twilight responded, assuring Ryu that it wasn't out of spite. "He just does this to be funny. Don't take it to heart."

"I don't see why I would." Ryu replied, feeling that Spike's comment went through with him perfectly fine. "It's not like we were talking about ourselves earlier."

Twilight shrugged, finding that everyone had their own ways of responding to Spike's methods of wit. "Well anyway, I'm gonna go finish up the pasta sauce. (Walks over to the kitchen) You'd love the recipe Spike made for it."

Twilight went back to making the pasta sauce with Ryu looking at Spike and Lightspeed with a comment on his mind. "I know you're struggling to trust me Lightspeed. (Spike and Lightspeed become surprised) I guess I would be too under the same circumstances."

Spike and Lightspeed looked at each other with Lightspeed wondering how Ryu was able to tell what he was thinking. "How did you know what I thought about you?"

"Not sure. I just felt it." Ryu admitted, and then he started talking about training Spike with his magic. "Anyway, I still have some basic stuff to tell Spike about the mark on his palm, and after that, I was thinking of training him in the power of darkness to use it for pure actions." Spike was ready for whatever came his way, finding that Ryu could become a useful ally if he stayed after training.





Twilight was serving all four of them the spaghetti and tofu balls she made with Twilight commenting on Spike's sauce recipe again. "He was able to find a kind of vegetable that tasted exactly like the kind of meat that could work perfectly with this stuff! It's amazing too, since we don't have a lot of knowledge on dragons. (Beams a bit) Ooh, we'll have to research that."

"That'd be cool." Spike admitted, finding that the vegan sausages were mixing in as perfectly as he'd hoped with the spaghetti, and making him even more happy than what Twilight said made him. "Getting to learn about my culture would definitely help us if we ended up meeting with some of them at some point."

Ryu felt that he could be of use in the regard of dragon knowledge, seeing as he was a dragon himself. "Maybe I could help. (Spike, Lightspeed, and Twilight look at Ryu) I'm a dragon myself, and I could fill you in on some of the things we typically do when we're not domesticated."

Spike snickered a bit, finding that wording to be quite funny as Ryu then looked at Twilight and Lightspeed with confusion as the latter explained the scenario. "The way you worded that made it sound like Spike was Twilight's pet as opposed to the family member that he actually is. (Ryu flinches) Wait, pets are family too."

"No, I get it." Ryu assured Lightspeed, giving the spaghetti a try and falling in love with it, particularly the sauce, which oozed in his mouth like a mixture of immortality goo. "I apologize for what I'm about to do!" Ryu started gobbling down on the food with the others laughing at the sight of it, finding the moment of Ryu going from polite and shy to not caring what anyone thinks about his eating methods to be rather charming.





Spike and Ryu were in Spike's front yard as Ryu was explaining to Spike how spawning a dark orb from his mark was supposed to work. "The idea behind forming a darkness orb from your mark is that you're spawning just enough darkness magic to be able to defend yourself, but not too much, so you don't use any more than you intend to. Try forming as much darkness magic as you think you need to create an orb."

Spike got a good look at his mark and tried to channel his energy, focusing as hard as he could to bring up just enough for an orb. He found himself struggling however, and as he could only spawn a little bit fo darkness magic from him, and not enough for an orb at that. Ryu could tell he was struggling and when Spike stopped focusing, he spoke up about it. "It'd be a little easier if my mark wasn't the closeted type."

Spike knew that he'd get better with time, but he didn't know how much time it would take before he could control his mark. "This isn't gonna take me a super long time now, is it? Cause I have a life, and I'd prefer if this were simply a PART of that rather than the whole thing."

"Don't worry, it won't take over." Ryu quickly assured Spike as he laughed casually at his remark, standing up to show him how it was done. "Watch me." Ryu focused his dark magic and quickly spawned the darkness orb, leaving Spike impressed as Ryu then gave him another instruction. "Now try it again. Maybe seeing an example will help your progress."

Spike attempted to focus his dark magic again, doing a little better than last time, but still failing to spawn a darkness orb. He then felt himself become a bit overwhelmed in power as he then felt to his knees and breathed a little heavily as Ryu checked to see if he was okay. Spike looked at Ryu with determination, willing to do anything to master this power. "If it's me that's the problem, you can look inside of me to find what's going on."

Ryu scratched his head nervously, not sure that his best method was really the best for a beginner like Spike. "Well body searching is kind of dangerous, especially on beginners, but I'll see what I can do if that's the case." Spike nodded in understanding, holding his claw out for a fist bump due to him respecting Ryu. Ryu was surprised by this, and when Spike smiled, he knew it was for real. Ryu smiled back and happily fist bumped Spike, having a feeling that they were going to be good friends in the future.





Lightspeed was in Spike's room, getting a look at his things and noticing a teddy bear that was lying beside his pillow. He'd never seen this before, but that could be because he hadn't been in Spike's room that often. At least not by himself. As he picked the teddy bear up, Spike and Ryu entered the room with Spike taking notice to the teddy bear and walking over casually before grabbing it gently out of Lightspeed's hooves. "I see you met Berry Nice. (Holds Berry tightly and gives a blunt look) To be clear, Twilight surprised me with him as a baby."

Lightspeed laughed a bit at Spike's attempt to hide his soft side, finding that it didn't take away from how he saw him. "You can cut the act Spike. There's nothing wrong with having a comfort toy." Spike was glad to hear that, but still held Berry tightly as Lightspeed decided to change the subject, not wanting to make Spike feel nervous. "So where's Ryu?"

"He'll be staying on our couch for the time being." Spike explained, feeling that having Ryu as a roommate could be nice. "I offered him to sleep in my room since I have bunk beds, but he felt he'd be better sleeping by himself."

Lightspeed found that to be interesting, and then he looked at his watch and realized how late it was, starting to panic as he started to rush home. "Oh crap, it's almost ten! (Rushes past Spike) I gotta get home!"

"Lightspeed, wait!" Lightspeed stopped and looked at Spike, who was trying to find the right words to say what he wanted to say, while still making sure he saved his confession for when the gala came. "Do you...wanna spend the night here? I'm sure Rainbow Dash wouldn't mind." Lightspeed smiled instantly, not even needing to think about how much he loved that idea.





Lightspeed was talking to Rainbow Dash on the phone (Making sure Spike wasn't in the same room of course) as he explained his plans for tonight while hiding his excitement. "And if we ever become a couple in the future than it'll be important that we get used to being in the same room."

"Save the explanations dude, I get it." Rainbow Dash responded in a chill manner as she got a soda from the fridge and slammed the door with her butt. "Go make out with your future dragon boyfriend."

Lightspeed chuckled a little nervously at Rainbow Dash's joke despite knowing she wasn't being serious. "It wasn't a date, but thanks. Love ya sis."

"Love you too." Rainbow Dash hung up and cracked open her soda before giving a smug grin to the audience. "Yeah; I made my cameo in this episode. (Points to the screen) Pay me."

Lightspeed went into Spike's room as the latter was looking at his mark, and Lightspeed instantly took notice to his determined expression. He walked over to Spike, who noticed him instantly and asked him what he thought about the situation. "What do you think Lightspeed? Do you think I've got a good chance at getting good at using this power?"

"Of course!" Lightspeed enthusiastically assured Spike, knowing that he would find a way to master the power of his darkness mark one way or another. "I think it also makes sense that it's not working right away. Big things like this take time to master."

"Can't argue with that." Spike admitted, still wishing that he could master his powers faster. "I just hope it doesn't take TOO long and I end up getting my friends killed."

Lightspeed put a hoof on Spike's shoulder, looking into his eyes as he comforted him in the regard to what he just said. "That's not gonna happen Spike. I know that when the time is right, you'll find what you need to find to use this power in the way that you need to." 

Spike was grateful for Lightspeed's support, and was also ecstatic to find that they were making contact in a way. He wanted to hold Lightspeed's hoof, but he hesitated, feeling that it'd be too soon as he then smiled and made his response. "Thanks dude. Let's hope the training pays off." Lightspeed smiled back, knowing that the training would in fact pay off.





The next morning...

Twilight's bedroom was shown as Spike then knocked on it, waiting patiently as Twilight then answered seconds later. She noticed Spike's nervous expression as the young teen dragon tried to do what he came to do without messing it up. "Hey Twilight. I need some older sibling advice. Preferably before Lightspeed and Ryu wake up."

Twilight understood Spike's request and knew that he needed help with whatever was bothering him. "Of course. Come into my room. It'll be more private in here."

"Thanks." Spike entered Twilight's room and she closed the door before turning to Spike to see what he wanted to say. "Okay Twilight. So I know you're Asexual, but I could really use some help with showing Lightspeed how I feel about him, since as you already know, I'm hoping to ask him to officially be my boyfriend at the Grand Galloping Gala next month."

Twilight understood what Spike was getting at, feeling that she could be of some use to him in that regard. "Are you trying to figure out how to behave around him so he gets the right idea when you ask if he wants to start dating you?"

"Yeah; you got it!" Spike responded happily, glad to see that Twilight was on the same page as him, but then he scratched the back of his head nervously as he continued his explanation. "I hesitated when I saw a chance to hold his hoof last night, (Puts arm down and rubs paw) and I'm worried that I'll screw something up and he won't wanna see me anymore."

Twilight knew that what Spike was feeling right now was genuine worry, so she decided to give him the best advice she could. She probably wasn't the most fitting help, but being that Spike was her younger brother, she felt she could still have some good word to share. "Just don't overthink it. You'll both start when you're ready, and that should hopefully be the night of the Gala." Spike felt that Twilight's advice could work for him, since he was used to not overthinking things. He was still unsure if Lightspeed was an exception though.





Claws was looking into the crystal ball again as she gave a cold smile in regards to what she just learned. "So the young dragon has a love interest, does he? (Walks off) This should make things more interesting." Claws went into her cave with delight, knowing that her plans were going to be far more interesting now. She wasn't just interested in overpowering those who opposed her. She was also interested in messing with them mentally. As she went inside, she stood over a ledge and looked down at her subjects. "Subjects, stand!"

An army of dragons rushed over to the area under the ledge Claws stood over, giving her their full attention as they allowed her to explain what she had to explain. Claws always enjoyed this, making her subjects look towards her with fear and forced loyalty. She knew she'd love this until the day she died. "I just found out that Spike is interested in a male Pegasus who's the same age as him. We will use that to catch him off guard so we can kill him and expel his darkness from this world, further purifying it to no end!"

Some of the dragons were skeptical with Claws instantly taking notice, looking down at her army with a cold, ruthless stare that made them stand up and charge towards those who were skeptical. The skeptical dragons became surrounded and were overtaken with fear, leaving Claws to announce another part of her plan. "Anyone who opposes me will die. We have one month to prepare, (Holds up claw) so use it...(Clenches claw) wisely." The dragons who weren't surrounded all cheered for Claws, who gave a cold grin to the audience as the screen faded to black, ending the episode off.





An instrumental version of the main theme played during the credits.
> Dresses for the Gala
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rarity's bedroom door was shown with her humming being heard from the inside in a rather cheerful way. When Sweetie Belle was walking down the hall as she overheard the humming, peeking into her room and saw Rarity designing some kind of dress that looked rather fancy and high class. As Rarity was shown to be sewing, she heard knocking and continued working to avoid mishaps. "Rarity! I'm respecting your privacy by knocking but showing my nosiness as your sister by coming in anyway!"

Sweetie Belle then broke the door down with a mallet and then threw it aside as she entered the room and looked at what Rarity was doing. "I heard humming and wanted to see what you were doing in here. And from the looks of it, I'd say you have an important client coming up."

"Not quite." Rarity chimed in, seeming rather calm and was shown to be used to this kind of behavior by now. "Actually, this is a dress for one of my friends to take to the gala. The one I'm designing right now is for Applejack."

Sweetie Belle got a good look at the rest of the dresses, finding that Rarity was almost done with them. Twilight got a purple dress with Rainbow Dash getting a blue one, Fluttershy getting a green one, Pinkie Pie getting a pink one, and from the looks of it, Applejack was getting a red one. This made her curious, as she knew that Applejack and Fluttershy weren't red and green. "But none of your friends are red or green."

"The green one is for Fluttershy; she looks dashing in that color." Rarity responded, and then she finished up the red one and set it down. "And red is Applejack's favorite color, so that's the one I went with for her dress."

Sweetie Belle was starting to understand that more now as she then noticed that Rarity hadn't put the gems on the dresses yet, squeeing as she looked at her with a wide and bright smile in the hopes that she would say yes to what she had to say. "Can I ultra pleeeeease put the gems on the dresses!?" Rarity giggled a bit, knowing that this was Sweetie Belle's favorite part of dress making. She also knew she was hit or miss with this, but did say she could, so long as she was careful.





All kinds of moments from season one were shown as Twilight was heard singing the main theme of the show, My Little Pony Friends. "For every day, I look around me, for every time I see you near. I thank the stars, whose light surrounds me, I thank the earth that keeps you here. Cause I will only follow, my true heart. And I can see it clear now, right from the start. You were my little pony. I used to wonder what friendship could be; my little pony. Until you shared it's magic with me. My little pony. I used to wonder what friendship could be. My little pony. Until you shared it's magic, with me.





Rarity was bringing her friends over to her room as she kept talking about how great the dresses looked. "I think you'll also be glad to know that you each had your favorite color in the design of your dresses. Well, except you Fluttershy. I know you love yellow, but you just look so dashing in green and I knew you'd stand out."

"That won't be a problem." Fluttershy assured Rarity, knowing that she was right about that. "I still have my high school prom picture."

"The one from before, or AFTER our last dance?" Rainbow Dash asked, causing her to blush as she then told the others about how that made sense. "Her date stood her up so I took her to the prom after pounding said date. (Winks to Applejack) Still single though."

Applejack smiled and blushed softly at the sound of that as Rarity was getting one of the dresses as she then noticed Sweetie Belle struggling to bedazzle Twilight's with Rarity stepping in to help her as she commented on Rainbow Dash's story. "Honestly, that was probably for the best. (Walks over to her friends) If that were me in her hooves, I would've given him the worst makeup ever and caused the entire school to laugh at him about it." Everyone else was shocked by that with Rarity giggling in response. "Don't mess with me."

Rarity handed Rainbow Dash her dress for the gala, taking notice to how it was the color she wanted, but not the design she was hoping for, which caught Rarity's eye. "Don't worry, this isn't the finished product."

"Okay good." Rainbow Dash replied, being stoked to add the designs of this thing as she then pointed out one of the flaws. "The main thing that caught MY eye though is that...(Gives a smug grin) I doubt my butt would fit in this average sized back end."

Rarity took notice to how big Rainbow Dash's butt was, unsure of how she could've missed that. "Of course, how could I have missed that? Yours will need to be at least twice as big on this end. Strange how I managed to get everyone else's dresses the appropriate size."

"Um...Rarity?" Rarity looked to where Twilight was and Rainbow Dash started snickering upon sight of this with Twilight shown to be giving a sly grin as Sweetie Belle was shown to have covered her dress in gems. Twilight didn't seem too bothered by this however, and gave a little sarcastic comment in regards to it to lighten up the mood. "Your sister clearly owns the place."

Rarity sighed as she went over to Sweetie Belle as she then decided to save this one for later. "Maybe this could work for a female dragon."

Sweetie Belle was glad to hear that as Twilight made her an offer. "Maybe we can help you remake the dresses in our liking and fitting sizes. Spike is training with a new friend of ours at the moment, so I have plenty of time before he expects me to be back." The other ponies nodded in agreement as they spoke up about it, leaving Rarity to smile and nod with determination as soft but somewhat fast guitar music played with the scene then changing as Rarity pulled the dress over the screen.

Rarity then got back to designing the dresses as her sewing needle was shown going into the fabric as she began singing The Art of One's Dress. "Stitching it together, thread by thread. (Rarity starts cutting some fabric for the patter to make for the dress) Cutting up a pattern, snip by snip." Twilight is shown helping with the dress as Rarity sings over the scene while making a dark purple dress to Twilight's liking. "Getting the color right for my friends, (Twilight smiles) doesn't matter if it's not hip."

Rarity put the finishing touches on the dress, and it was shown to be a dark purple dress with a galaxy pattern on the bottom. "Twilight's dress has been finished, and it's time to see if she'll approve." Twilight gave a nod yes to Rarity, making her smile with the knowledge that she liked the dress. "I didn't know you were into space."

"I dabble." Twilight responded, and then she brought up an upcoming event regarding space. "Actually, there's a meteor shower happening later this month if you and the others are interested."

Rarity showed interest in the meteor shower as the scene then showed her making Applejack's dress with her as Applejack picked out the decor she wanted. "Making Applejack's dress next, it needs to be something that can inspire. (Applejack picks out an apple ascot she really likes) That is, although she hates formal attire. (Applejack laughs a bit) With two minds working together, we should be able to make what she'll desire."

Rarity put the finishing touches on the dress and then it was revealed to be a red farm-style dress with green tassels on the bottom. "Applejack's dress has been finished, and it's time to see if she'll approve. Rarity showed the dress to Applejack, who seemed to be in deep thought as Rarity took quick notice to it. "Too much, or too little?"

"Actually, I was thinking that maybe some new boots could work with this thing too." Applejack suggested, and Rarity felt that it wouldn't be too much trouble.

"I'll design those after the dresses are done." Rarity informed Applejack, who smiled in response as the scene then changed to Rarity designing a pink candy themed dress as she continued singing. "For Pinkie Pie, a candy themed dress, (Pinkie Pie starts licking the dress with Rarity seeming confused and then shrugs it off) it's not exactly ideal, but I could care less. (Scene changes to Fluttershy's dress being made with a green, garden theme to it) Fluttershy's dress is next on the list," Fluttershy was shown to be inspecting the dress to find if it's her liking, much to Rarirty's gratitude. "and the beauty's so clear you could see through the thickest mist.

Rarity was then shown designing Rainbow Dash's dress, finishing up the song as she made sure everything was in line with a rainbow theme. "The last dress down, hope to get it done sooner, (Rainbow Dash is shown to be leaning on a wall with her back while her hooves were crossed) and my goal is to make this... How exactly did you want this again? Rainbow pattern, right? Is there anything I can do to make it more authentic to your liking?"

"The design is fine, but it could be cooler."

"How so? Did I forget to ask a specific kind of shade for one of the colors."

"Nah, you got it there, just make it...cooler." Rarity looked confused as Rainbow Dash then went into a bit more detail with the music stopping for a moment. "It needs to be about twenty percent cooler."

"Oooookay. (Gets back to sewing as the music continues) I guess twenty percent cooler!" Rarity was then shown walking past reflections of all of her friends' dresses as she sang about how much detail she put into them. "Thread by thread, snip by snip, these dresses will be great, even if they're not hip. (Stops in the middle of it) I work well under pressure and can sew through any mess, (Spins for a bit in the dress world) and I can guaranteeeeeee... (Stops spinning and finishes the last dress) that I've mastered the art of one's dress."

Rarity finished sewing and was more than excited to show Rainbow Dash, who walked over to it and took an immense liking to the rainbow pattern. It matched her perfectly, and this time, Rarity got the correct size for her butt, which she knew was going to make her stand out in Canterlot as she then joked about it. "You'd think people would start to understand how disruptive big body parts can be by now."

Rainbow Dash and Rarity laughed as Rarity then realized that it was almost nightfall and she still needed to make her own dress, as well as Applejack's boots for her dress, along with a couple other things. "Oh my, it's nearing bedtime. I'll have to work on the rest of the gala stuff in private."

"Yeah, and Lightspeed always struggles at picking what kind of desert he wants." Rainbow Dash went over to the window and climbed out of it before looking back in while flying and speaking up to Rarity about the dresses. "Thanks for doing this Rare. I probably won't be able to trick Applejack into playing Seven Minutes in Heaven with me anytime soon, but we can still at least gaze at each other in your naturally beautiful attire."

"One's craftsmanship, or, woman's craftsmanship in my case, takes a very elegant care to master Rainbow Dash." Rarity assured Rainbow Dash, who got what she was getting at as Rarity knew that her dresses would stand out. "Now I just have to hope Sweetie Belle isn't doing something dangerous to avoid boring herself to death downstairs." Rainbow Dash snickered at that as she and Rarity bid each other farewell with Rainbow Dash flying off as Rarity closed the window.

As Rarity looked around her room, she found that she had the perfect idea for her dress and instantly got as much white fabric as she could to make it happen. "My dress first, the extra accessories later."





Rarity was well into the night with her dress, dawning at almost midnight as she kept working to get everyone's dress accessories ready by tomorrow. She was focusing entirely on that and was trying her best to ignore how tired she was, making sure that everything with the bonus accessories was on point. She was much better at keeping her stress under control when she had proper rest however, and now she was desperately trying to meet the deadline she'd set for herself to set for her friends.

Rarity then noticed that while making the fake wings for Rainbow Dash's costume, she accidentally made them the same rainbow color, as opposed to the cyan color she was hoping for. "No, no, no! Now I'll have to start it all over again!" Rarity's stress was continuing to build with this mistake, and built even more when she noticed that she was nearing midnight and was starting to worry if her going to bed would stop her from finishing the accessories in time.

As Rarity gave a look of concern and panic, she suddenly released a loud and bassy thirty second fart, letting out a nasty yellow cloud of rotten eggs that made her butt vibrate as the toxic fumes surrounded her entire room and got on her stuff (PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFT). Rarity snapped out her stress trance as soon as the fart began and twitched a bit before looking around, finding that her fart had surrounded the entire room and she panicked when she saw this.

Her panicking wasn't because of whether or not she'd worry if anyone would notice however, although, that was ONE reason. Her main reason was because she knew this would affect the fate of her friends' dresses if she didn't do something about it. She quickly opened the window and got some air freshener, spraying a summer breeze scent on her friends' dresses after the fart cloud cleared and sighed of relief as she made her decision. "Maybe I should get some rest now. I'd simply hate forcing a last minute moral."





Rarity was sleeping peacefully in her bed as she got a phone call right at seven thirty in the morning, much to her surprise. She picked up her phone as it started playing an elegant classical piece for a ringtone and she then saw that it was Fluttershy, and Rarity accepted the call with Fluttershy starting it up. "Hi Rarity. I just wanted to see how-" Fluttershy then noticed that Rarity was a little exhausted from last night and hoped it wouldn't hurt to ask. "Did I call at a bad time?"

"No, my morning alarm was close to going off." Rarity admitted, and then she explained a bit of what happened. "I had a bit of a creator's panic last night and set a false deadline for myself. I'm going to take a mental health day to make sure I finish the dresses at an appropriate time and with the right mindset."

Fluttershy was glad that Rarity was looking after her mental health, having an idea in mind for that. "It always helps to take care of yourself. Feel free to meet me at my cottage. I might be able to help you." Rarity did take a liking to that idea since she and Fluttershy rarely spent quality friend time alone together. And the setting was fairly relaxing as well.





Rarity was in Fluttershy's living room as she sprayed herself with some perfume, which quickly caught Fluttershy's attention. She knew Rarity was one for looking, and smelling, fabulous, but she didn't know how far that needed to go. As she offered her some blueberry pancakes, since it was breakfast time, she decided to ask about what could've happened as they ate their breakfast. "That's the fifth coat you've put on since you got here Rarity. Did something happen?"

Rarity finished her fifth perfume spraying and set the bottle in her purse as she answered Fluttershy's question. "I'd prefer not to go into details. I'll just say that it happened last night, and was NOT, pretty." Fluttershy respected that. Some moments were just worth keeping under the rug. Instead she just sat down next to Rarity as the latter contemplated the Gala. "I will say this however; it was simply exhausting working that late at night. I've done it before, but it felt more personal this time."

Fluttershy instantly knew what Rarity was talking about, starting to worry for her, but then smiling as she spoke up about the Gala. "You don't have to rush this Rarity. We still have plenty of time to get the rest of our Gala clothes done."

"I suppose so." Rarity admitted, starting to wonder if she worked herself a little too hard last night. The fact that she got a massive stress fart from it wasn't exactly a subtle indicator either. "I actually haven't even finished my own dress yet. I think you'd all love it when the product is finished. The color will scream fancy royal party, and the design will be almost impossible to keep from gazing upon!"

Fluttershy was glad to see that Rarity didn't lose her creative spark, knowing that it would take a lot to bring her from doing what she loves most. "Let me know if you need any help with finishing my gala clothing. I may have to tend to the animals in my cottage first, but I'm always happy to help if you need it."

"Thank you Fluttershy. Hopefully I'm right about being almost done with yours." Rarity replied, leaving Fluttershy to smile gratefully at how much Rarity was doing for herself and her friends. Rarity knew that this gala would be something worth remembering, and that her friends looking just right would be an incredible benefit to the night they'd have.





Rarity was heading back to the Boutique and opened the front door to find that Sweetie Belle was watching Tv. However, she was also trying to mimic something that was on the Tv, this being the roar a griffin could do when they were mad. When Rarity got a closer look at what she was watching, it was revealed that she was watching a documentary on griffins. This surprised Rarity, and then when one griffin in particular came up, Sweetie Belle pointed it out. "Hey. Isn't that the rude not friend of Rainbow Dash's that you told me about?"

"Yes, that was Gilda." Rarity confirmed, and then she lied down on the couch with Sweetie Belle then pointing her butt out while standing on her hind hooves as she scrunched her face to mimic a griffin's angry face. She grunted in her attempt to get it right, and during thes attempt, Rarity realized that she was right behind Sweetie Belle's butt...a little too late, as Sweetie Belle's butt was shown with it then vibrating as she accidentally released a loud and bassy five second fart into her sister's face, hitting her with a yellow cloud of rotten eggs that made her look back when she released it (PFFFFFFFFFFT).

She then flinched when she saw that Rarity had been farting on with her older sister coughing and gagging from the fart as Sweetie Belle wafted it away. The young filly felt bad about farting on Rarity, knowing how much she hated this uncouth behavior. "Sorry Rarity."

Rarity quickly brushed the face blast off, knowing that she wasn't one to talk after her butt burst last night, and instead gave a sly grin to her sister. "Oh that's quite alright dear sister. At least after the explosion from my room last night." Sweetie Belle giggled a bit after hearing that, knowing that her sister's farts were not something to be ignored, even if the mare didn't always admit to when they happened.





The next day.





Rarity was hard at work on her dress and managed to get most of it done before eleven o clock, much to her glee. Her dress was revealed to be a clear white dress with a diamond trail that went over the top right, bottom right, top left, and bottom left of the dress. She made sure that everything was sewn in perfectly, and that no detail was left without care and finesse put into it. She put this amount of detail into the rest of her friends' dresses and accessories as well, but she also wanted to make sure she looked her best in addition to that.

In fact, Rarity was almost done with her dress, and just needed to put the last finishing touches on the part around the neck. She decided to coat this with a red velvet wrapping, making sure that it aligned perfectly with fitting on the dress, as well as matching the color perfectly. As she put the finishing touches on it, she grinned and then put it on, excited to see how she looked. Much to her delight, her mirror was still in working condition, even after last night.

Rarity admired herself in the mirror and had to say that she was more than impressed. She felt this way with the rest of what she made for herself and her friends regarding the gala, but she was still quite proud of what she managed to do with her own dress, and knew that she would impress. She then took out her phone as she looked at the audience to explain something. "I don't think there's a clear moral here. Just life happening." Rarity then started giving calls to her friends, starting with Applejack. "Applejack, get everyone in group call. They're ready!"





Rarity was taking a look at how everyone else was looking and feeling in their dresses and gala accessories. Twilight was the first to admire her dress, and she found that the color perfectly bounced off of the color of her skin. The galaxy pattern was also an amazing touch, one that would make her want to wear this dress forever. To fancy parties anyway. "It's almost as if I'm a part of the galaxy as we speak!"

"When we discussed how you dabble in space knowledge, I knew the design was just perfect." Rarity replied, knowing that she made the right choice from he start. "No pun intended, but I think you'll be out of this world at the gala." Twilight giggled a bit when she heard that. She always liked when someone took care in her interests.

Applejack was also getting a kick out of her dress. Although she wasn't that fond of fancy clothing, she WAS fond of what Rarity did with her dress and tassels, and to her new boots that went with it. Rarity took notice to this and couldn't help but comment on it. "I take it I made a rare exception to your distaste of formal attire."

"Ya sure as sunshine did Rarity!" Applejack exclaimed, knowing that this dress would give a good idea as to what she was like at the Gala. "This'll also be good advertisement for Sweet Apple Acres stock." Rarity gave a bit of a surprised look, having forgotten the reason Applejack wanted to attend the Gala, but smiled nonetheless. Regardless of the reason for it, or the outcome, she was glad to find her hard work appreciated.

Rainbow Dash was then shown to be admiring her dress, with this one actually going over her butt successfully. That would've been enough to make her say it was an improvement, but she was also glad to see that Rarity went out of her way to match her Rainbow tail and mane pattern on the dress as well. "Forget 20% cooler. I think you made this at least 50% cooler!"

Rarity rolled her eyes while smiling, still not being fond of the way Rainbow Dash worded that, but being glad that she liked her dress design for her nevertheless. "I knew you'd like it. You'll definitely be noticed in more ways than one." Rarity's jab at the size of Rainbow Dash's butt made Rainbow Dash laugh. She was always open to jabbing at how big her butt was.

Pinkie Pie admired her dress next, and found the candy theme of said dress to be very appealing. As much as she wanted to eat the dress however, she knew the candy decorations on it weren't actually edible, which started to make her stomach growl. Not because she skipped any meals, but because the candy theme on her dress was starting to make her hungry. "Hehe. I just might skip dinner and go straight to desert tonight!"

Rarity giggled at the joke Pinkie Pie just told, knowing that her love for sweets was anything but average. She just knew it was the perfect touch to guarantee a positive review on the dress. Not that Pinkie Pie would've given her a negative one mind you. "I knew you'd love it. I just know it'll help you stand out at the Gala." Pinkie Pie didn't care about whether or not she stood out, but she was still excited for the gala nevertheless.

Fluttershy got a good look at her dress next, and as she admired herself in it, it was revealed to be a green nature themed dress that she just loved the outside feel of. It was almost as if she was relaxing in nature while being indoors. Of course, there were indoor gardens, but she was actually wearing it from the feel of the dress. "Thank you so much Rarity. It feels like I'm wearing a garden."

Rarity couldn't help but smile at that comparison. The description fitted Fluttershy's love for nature perfectly, and it made Rarity glad that she could capture it so well in her Gala clothing. "As soon as we became friends, I knew green would be the perfect color to match your love for nature. And if you still want to see Queen Celestia's royal garden, the animals will simply adore it." Fluttershy was even more excited for the Gala after hearing that, wanting to make sure the animals were as happy and excited as she was.

Rarity was glad that she was able to satisfy her friends in terms of their dresses, and their accessories. Even though Fluttershy was the only one who outright thanked her for the dress, she knew her friends were doing that as much as she was. Rainbow Dash then flew up to Rarity, hoping that she wouldn't mind making two more possible things for the Gala. "Oh, and before we shut down the Gala dress committee or, whatever it's called for however long, (Hands Rarity two designs) Spike and Lightspeed have some requests."

"Not a problem." Rarity assured Rainbow Dash, and then she got a look at the designs and found that she should be able to manage. Especially since she knew not to work for too long on them like she did with the dresses.





Rarity was working on the tuxedos for Spike and Lightspeed and doing her best to replicate the designs Rainbow Dash gave her. Thankfully they weren't all that complex, since that meant she could finish them without having to work overnight. As much as she loved a challenge, she couldn't go out of her way to mess up her mental health just to get a couple tuxedos done. She made absolute sure to get a good design for Spike's especially, since he was the first dragon she'd ever went out of her way to make clothing for.

For Lightspeed's, it wasn't that hard to make a tuxedo for a colt, especially one who was in his early teens. As she made sure to consider Lightspeed's body size and weight, she stitched his accordingly, just like she did with Spike's. She was quite proud of what she was doing with this one as well, knowing that it would come out an amazing work of art. She wasn't quite sure when she would be able to see them wear said tuxedos, but she was still excited to hear their thoughts after they tried them on.





Rarity was sleeping in her bed as her morning alarm went off at seven thirty exactly with Rarity waking up and turning it off. She stretched as she sat up and felt incredibly relaxed, glad that she was able to do so without overworking herself again. As she got up, she made her bed with her magic and then got a look at the tuxedos she made for Spike and Lightspeed. She felt she could let them know about it later, feeling that showing them too early would reveal them being in a bad mood. "I'll show them after breakfast."

Rarity left her room and went downstairs to find Sweetie Belle struggling to make breakfast again, leaving Sweetie Belle dismayed as she noticed Rarity downstairs. "You ruined the surprise! I was gonna make you breakfast in bed!"

Rarity chuckled a bit as she went over to Sweetie Belle, having to point out what she did wrong, again. "Perhaps you would've been successful if you remembered I wake up at seven thirty, AND how to properly prepare a breakfast meal." Rarity fixed the mess Sweetie Belle made, which consisted of burnt eggs, messy bacon scatterings, and something she couldn't identify as she then got started on a new one. "Come now. Let's prepare a new batch together."

"Okay!" Sweetie Belle excitedly joined in with Rarity guiding her on what to do as she listened extra carefully to make sure she got it right this time. Rarity was glad to have finished everything needed for the Gala now, knowing that she had to look after her younger sister the best she could as the screen faded to black, ending the episode off.

An instrumental version of the main theme played during the credits.





Celestia and Luna were in the castle as the two of them were discussing decorations for the Grand Galloping Gala. As they got to what color the ribbons in each room should be, they both decided that the ribbon in the main hall should be purple, as to fit with the sophisticated tone of the party that most of the guests would be accustomed to. There would be different colored ribbons in the other rooms, but the two sisters smiled at each other as they thought about how good the gala was going to turn out this year.
> The Sonic Rainboom
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Disclaimer: In regards to a comment I got on the previous chapter regarding this story turning into a fetish fit, I have to stress; this story having farts in it doesn't make it a fetish fic. There's nothing wrong with writing farts in your story, and I have every right to add them into my story. The only chapters that are debatably fart fetish material are chapters seven, eight, and ten. Chapter twelve only had two farts in it, and most of it was about Rarity making the dresses and accessories for her friends for when the Gala comes. If you don't like farts or fart jokes then that's fine, but please understand that it's not the only thing to look for in my story, and that Forever Lasting Bonds has other things to read it for. This is a fantasy slice of life story that does have dark and/or serious moments, but isn't afraid to have gross out humor, and I would appreciate it not being labeled as a fetish story, when anyone who reads it, would understand the difference between this, and actual fetish work.

And I realize the irony in me saying this considering what's about to come up, but if you're going to read my story, please see that the farts aren't the only thing in it, and that there are other things about it that could be worth looking into.





Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were out in an open field as Rainbow Dash was trying to prepare something with Fluttershy's help. As she got ready, she made sure that Fluttershy was prepared, wanting to make sure that everything went well. "Alright Flutters. I'm gonna go for the Sonic Rainboom again. You ready?"

"I'm ready." Fluttershy was currently cheering for Rainbow Dash as she prepared for something that was coming up. She wanted to be ready for it, as she wanted to give Rainbow Dash everything she had. "I just hope I'm loud enough this time."

"I don't expect you to be perfect right away; that's why we're working on this now." Rainbow Dash reminded Fluttershy, and then she got into a takeoff position and instructed Fluttershy to stay ready. "You say you're ready, prove it." Fluttershy nodded in response as Rainbow Dash then took off, flying up as high as she had to before flying back down, high enough for her reflection to be shown in the sun. She then dashed down at mach speed, seemingly trying to do something with her speed, but after three seconds of struggling to break the sound barrier, she got knocked back before she could pull it off.

Rainbow Dash managed to regain her balance but was frustrated by her struggle, and then took it out on Fluttershy when she realized she wasn't cheering. "Fluttershy, what gives?"

"Did I not cheer loud enough?" Fluttershy asked innocently, leaving Rainbow Dash to give her a deadpan look as she nervously backed up her statement. "I'll take that as a yes."

"You SHOULD take it as a yes." Rainbow Dash informed Fluttershy, reminding her what she was preparing for and how important it was to her. "If I'm gonna pull off a Sonic Rainboom to win the Best Young Flyer competition, one important key factor I'll need is a good cheer squad. And I know you're aware of the element of a good cheer." Fluttershy nodded her head yes as Rainbow Dash then went through things again. "Remember. Loud, proud, and encouraging. If I'm gonna get this right, I need you to be on point."

Fluttershy made an attempt to show her cheer for Rainbow Dash, but it was quite obviously, too quiet. "Yay."

"Louder."

"Yay."

"Louder!"

"Yay."

"LOUDER!"

Fluttershy gave a deep breath for her last one, but all she could let out was a slightly louder version of the last one "Yay." Rainbow Dash then groaned as she sat down and put a hoof on her forehead. This made Fluttershy wonder if she was doing it right. "Too loud?" Rainbow Dash gave her another deadpan look, and that was enough to tell Fluttershy that it was in fact the opposite of too loud. The last thing Rainbow Dash needed was a quiet cheer, especially since she was still struggling with the Sonic Rainboom.





All kinds of moments from season one were shown as Twilight was heard singing the main theme of the show, My Little Pony Friends. "For every day, I look around me, for every time I see you near. I thank the stars, whose light surrounds me, I thank the earth that keeps you here. Cause I will only follow, my true heart. And I can see it clear now, right from the start. You were my little pony. I used to wonder what friendship could be; my little pony. Until you shared it's magic with me. My little pony. I used to wonder what friendship could be. My little pony. Until you shared it's magic, with me.





Spike and Lightspeed were admiring their tuxedos with Spike especially getting a kick out of his. He couldn't help but admire how fancy he looked in his tux, even if he wasn't going to be all stuck up and fancy at the Gala. "Rarity really knows her stuff. I just might pick up the entire party next month in Canterlot with how good I look."

Lightspeed laughed at what Spike just joked about, knowing for a fact that said joke would never happen in real life. "All the teenagers, maybe, if more will be there. The adult, not so much."

Spike shrugged with a confident smile just as Rainbow Dash crashed through the living room window, leaving her to struggle with regaining her vision as Lightspeed helped her up with concern as Spike called up to Twilight. "Twilight! Rainbow Dash just crashed through our window and I refuse to clean it up! Instead I'll just get her an ice pack!"

"No need Spike, but thanks. You too lil' bro." Rainbow Dash was grateful for seeing how quickly Spike and Lightspeed were to give her aid, but all she really needed was to sit down and relax her impact off. "Sorry about the window by the way. I'm training for the Best Young Flyer's competition in Cloudsdale, but I can't get this technique I'm trying to redo down."

Spike took his tuxedo off and set it to the side along with Lightspeed and spoke up as they both set them on the coffee table. "Like I said; I'm not cleaning it up. Good thing you and LS have wings."

"Hey, LS. I like that." Lightspeed chimed in, leaving Spike to blush softly and smile while scratching the back of his head, glad to see that Lightspeed was fond of the nickname he made for him, even if it was mostly just an abbreviation.

Just then, Fluttershy came in from the window and flew over to Rainbow Dash, hoping that she was okay after that impact. "Rainbow Dash! Are you okay? I got here as fast as I could!"

"And you're as good at speed as you are at cheering." Rainbow Dash snarked, leaving Fluttershy stunned by her sudden bitterness. Rainbow Dash instantly regretted it though, and knew that Fluttershy didn't deserve that, so she quickly tried to fix it. "I'm sorry Fluttershy, I know you don't deserve that. I'm just so peeved off about the lack of progress I'm making. (Punches couch cushion) I've been practicing this Sonic Rainboom for three weeks now and I still can't recreate the one I made from when I was a filly. It sucks!"

Fluttershy understood Rainbow Dash's struggle and sat down next to her, putting a hoof on her shoulder as she tried her best to comfort her. "I know you'll get it when the moment counts Rainbow Dash. When we head up to Cloudsdale tomorrow, you'll see. You'll have more than enough determination to use the Sonic Rainboom then, and you'll get it that time."

Lightspeed flew next to her sister, letting her know that she would be there to support her. "Plus you'll have your shining motivation, named by yourself, there to help you. You've been trying to help me unlock my true potential since I was born, and now it's my turn to help you." Rainbow Dash was grateful for the support, but she still wasn't quite sure, and then Lightspeed got an idea and gained a confident look on his face. "I think I know someone else who can help too.





The next day...





Rainbow Dash, Lightspeed, and Fluttershy were flying up to Cloudsdale, and Spike was on Lightspeed's back as they went up. Spike got a good view of Cloudsdale from a distance and was excited to see what it was all about. "My first time in Cloudsdale. Well, second time actually. I came here once for that Wonderbolt convention last year for a Wonderbolts convention, so this is my first time as a visitor."

"How did you stand on Cloudsdale the first time anyway? You don't even have your wings yet." Spike pulled out a potion Twilight made for him that allowed him to stand on clouds, leaving Rainbow Dash to laugh a bit at how she didn't consider that herself. "Of course Twilight had a hand in it." Rainbow Dash and everyone else landed on Cloudsdale with Spike hopping off of Lightspeed's back as they headed off to where the Best Young Flyers competition is being held. "They're holding it at the Coliseum. Let's hurry!

On the way to the coliseum, Fluttershy spoke to Rainbow Dash about her cheering skills. "I did some private training with Angel yesterday to improve my cheering skills. I think I've managed to increase my volume output by a decent amount."

"I should hope so." Rainbow Dash replied, being glad to see that Fluttershy was taking this as seriously as she does. "And even if you flop again, at least Spike and Lightspeed will be able to reach their own levels of max volume." Rainbow Dash then looked back to Spike to confirm that he was there to support her. "You did come to support me, right?"

"Yeah; that, and so I could get a better idea of what's in Cloudsdale." Spike informed Rainbow Dash, which she could get behind. Spike had only been there once and that was for a convention, so he likely didn't get to see much of Cloudsdale. "Honestly, I'm not even THAT big of a Wonderbolts fan; I just used the convention as an excuse to check this place out."

Rainbow Dash snickered a bit, finding Spike's methods of checking out Cloudsdale to be funny. "Well if you're not into the Wonderbolts Spike, that's fine. But I can give you at least three dozen better excuses to come to Cloudsdale."

Spike nodded and took note of that with Lightspeed getting an idea and spoke to Rainbow Dash about it. "Hey Rainbow, is it okay if I show Spike around before the show?" Rainbow Dash nodded her head yes and Lightspeed got excited and grabbed Spike's claw as the two of them happily ran off. "Thanks! We'll be there in time for your performance!" Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy continued walking to the Coliseum, being ready for what was to come with the show.





Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were at the coliseum with Rainbow Dash instantly recognizing someone ahead of her. "Oh my God it's her!" Ahead of Rainbow Dash and Spitfire was an orange Pegasus with a fiery red mane wearing a full Wonderbolt body suit. It was all blue with a Wonderbolt logo on the chest of it, and it seemed to look rather tight, but she didn't seem to mind. Rainbow Dash was starting to gain hearts in her eyes but quickly snapped out of it and spoke to herslef ."No rainbow! You can't crush on Spitfire after you kissed Applejack!"

Rainbow Dash suddenly cut a loud and bassy nervous fart that was so loud the entire room heard it, making her big butt vibrate as the scent of burnt bacon started to linger (PHHT). Usually Rainbow Dash was okay with farting, but she was desperate to not do so in front of her idol, and after Fluttershy wafted the fart away, she tried to calm Rainbow Dash down. "Just go over there and talk to her Rainbow Dash. If she gets to know you first then it could help you feel better about your performance."

Rainbow Dash sighed and had to admit that Fluttershy's plan did sound useful. She could only hope that she could keep her nervous gas under control for that, although, it was proving to be a struggle (PFFT) (BRUP) (BLARP). "Let's hope you're right Flutters."

Rainbow Dash went over to Spitfire with Spitfire noticing her and hoping she wasn't here for an autograph. "Sorry ma'am. I'm waiting until after the competition to sign anymore autographs." Rainbow Dash's stomach started growling hard with Spitfire taking notice and hoping that Rainbow Dash was okay as the latter held her stomach. "You alright there?"

"Yep. Just trying not to fart in front of you is all." Rainbow Dash tried with all of her might to avoid farting in front of Spitfire, only for her butt to be shown as she let out an incredibly loud and bassy ten second fart in the room, causing Rainbow Dash's butt to vibrate violently as she unleashed a massive yellow cloud of rotten eggs that instantly started clearing out the coliseum (PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFT) Rainbow Dash instantly started blushing like crazy as Spitfire held her nose with Rainbow Dash apologizing as she noticed her surprised face. "Sorry will NEVER be enough to explain how embarrassed I am right now."

Rainbow Dash continued to fart without being unable to stop as most of the other ponies started panicking from her constant nervous farting (BRRRRRAAAAAT) (BLLLLLAAAAARRRRRP), and even after she started trying to waft her farts away by getting on her hind hooves, which pointed her butt out as the farts continued (PHHHHHHHHHHT), it was no use, causing Rainbow Dash to blush a crimson red with the thought of her farting in front of her idol (PFFFFFFFFFFT) (BRRRRRUUUUUP) (PHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHT).

Spitfire then made a choice to leave, hoping that she wasn't crushing Rainbow Dash's spirits as she tried to let her off easy as Rainbow Dash continued farting (PFFFFFFFFFFT) (PHHHHHHHHHHT). "Hey, um...I think we should continue this when you feel less...this."

"Good call." Rainbow Dash suddenly started letting out another loud and bassy fart as Spitfire left, one that made the entire coliseum shake as her big butt vibrated violently from the impact (PHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.... Fluttershy then went over to her and put a hoof on her shoulder while covering her nose, showing that she was more used to Rainbow Dash's gas than most (HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH... Rainbow Dash couldn't be more embarrassed if she tried however. "Today. Officially. Sucks."





A full two hours after Rainbow Dash started her last fart, she was finally able to stop with the last minute making Cloudsdale shake when it happened (HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHT.

Rainbow Dash couldn't help but still feel humiliated about what happened with her and Spitfire as Fluttershy went in to comfort her again. "I understand if you wanna leave. You'll have plenty of time to impress Spitfire, and when you do, you'll look amazing."

"Thanks, but I'd prefer a milkshake, and maybe a super long shower instead." Rainbow Dash spoke while trying to avoid showing any hint of lingering embarrassment. Though, Fluttershy could easily tell through the crack in Rainbow Dash's voice that this moment hit her, leaving her to hope that she could help her feel better in time for the competition.





Meanwhile, Spike and Lightspeed were getting a look around Cloudsdale with Lightspeed commenting on what happened as he and Spike arrived at a waterfall. When Spike got a look at it, he became amazed, as the waterfall was seemingly going right through a rainbow. Lightspeed saw his interest and decided to give him some context on the waterfall. "This waterfall is the start of every rainbow in Equestria. Depending on which place is scheduled for a rainbow, we have the guys who make rainbows send one over there from it."

"What, like some sort of rainbow factory?" Spike asked with curiosity, and Lightspeed happily nodded his head yes with Spike finding that to sound very cool. "Hehe, nice. So Pegasi even make their own rainbows, huh?"

"Pretty much, yeah." Lightspeed response, and then he and Spike leaned on the hoofrail that kept them from falling off the ledge. The two of them got a look downward at the pool the waterfall was descending to with Lightspeed pointing out its purpose. "That pool is so we don't accidentally send rainbows to EVERY location at once. Too many rainbows could mean a lack of power soon after, and we can't risk that."

Spike started to wonder what it felt like to touch the pool and gave a sly grin to Lightspeed. "Any chance we're allowed to go swimming in this pool?"

Lightspeed chuckled a bit before making his reply. "I doubt it. Rainbow Dash tried that once before I was born and as far as I know, they haven't changed the rule not to do it."

"Noted." Spike responded, and then Lightspeed's watch started beeping as Spike pointed out what time it was. "Ah crap, we gotta get back to support Rainbow!"

"Hop on!" Lightspeed allowed Spike to hop onto his back as he then flew as fast as he could, making sure they got to the Young Fliers competition in time without hurting any of the other Pegasi in the area.





Spike and Lightspeed arrived safely at the coliseum and hi five just as they overheard something when walking in. And that was Rainbow Dash's voice. "This mocha really does help Fluttershy," Spike and Lightspeed saw Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy at the cafe in the coliseum and wondered what they were talking about. "but I still can't shake the thought of bombing it in front of the Wonderbolts out of my head. What if I choke and start farting on the entire crowd, including them?"

Spike and Lightspeed took notice to Rainbow Dash's rare showing of insecureness and nodded to each other, heading off to develop a plan that could guarantee Rainbow dash pulls off a successful Rainboom. As they did this, Fluttershy continued to try and lift Rainbow Dash's spirits. "Just give it your all Rainbow Dash. I'm sure Spitfire would want that more than you quoting because of what happened earlier."

Rainbow Dash thought about Fluttershy's point and felt that she was right about that. Spitfire didn't like quitters, so the best possible outcome could only happen if she stayed to continue competing. "Yeah, you're right! Okay. I'll do it. But I'll still need you to deal with these butterflies when I'm done."

"Gladly." Fluttershy said while giggling softly, and Rainbow Dash left some cash for the mocha before the two of them headed off to the coliseum, since the competition was about to begin.





The Best Young Fliers Competition was currently ongoing with the third of many performances to come taking place. This one showed four mares doing some kind of flag show, and Rainbow Dash was currently giving herself a mental pep talk to keep herself in line. 'Okay RD, you got this. Or at least you hope you do. Just remember what not to do and you'll be fine. Don't choke, don't fart, don't freeze, and don't make the Wonderbolts think less of you in any way. And also pray to Celestia that Spitfire isn't disgusted by you from earlier's incident.'

The third performance was finishing up with Spike and Lightspeed shown at the top of the coliseum roof as they went over the plan again with Lightspeed seeming skeptical. "Spike, are you sure about this? There's only a fifty fifty chance that you won't lose your life over this."

"Technically it's a third of a chance." Spike then pointed out what he meant by that, since he felt that Lightspeed would be confused. "Maybe my mark will save me if I reach the bottom. Plus (Pulls out a potion and shakes it a little), Twilight gave me this levitation potion right before the competition in case the cloud walking, which she also sent me a second one for, wore off. I'll find a way to pay her back for the extra weight one."

Lightspeed gave a deadpan look regarding Spike stealing from his sister as he then sighed and showed a look of concern for Spike's safety. "Look, just be careful. And we only get one shot."

"That's all I need." Spike stated confidently, knowing that this would be a success no matter what. "Rainbow Dash is gonna come flying for me so fast that the Wonderbolts can't keep up. Hopefully this is what activates that Rainboom along with that."





After the sixth performance, Rainbow Dash was up as the seventh contestant, and she breathed in and out to avoid any stress following her. She didn't want to screw this up. She had to make sure that Spitfire didn't see her as some walking fart bomb, if what happened earlier was anything to go by. Actually, she wanted the Wonderbolts in general to see her as more than that. Little did she know that Spike and Lightspeed were already planning on helping her out.

Spike was getting ready as he positioned himself in just the right place for the plan to work. Lightspeed was able to get him up to one of the balloons that was floating above the Cloudsdale coliseum, and he was about to take advantage of that for his plan. "Okay. Jump right before Rainbow dash spots me, and then execute the plan. If it fails, I've got backup plans to keep me safe."

Rainbow Dash was preparing for her Sonic Rainboom and was starting to get nervous again. She flew above the crowd high enough to fly through the crowd and not hurt them with the Rainboom. As she was preparing this however, she got a text that showed Spike about to execute his plan, as he gave her a peace sign and she looked down to find him pulling off his 'stunt', much to her fear, as he'd already fallen through the clouds of Cloudsdale. "Spike!"

Rainbow Dash started diving down at max speed in an attempt to save Spike, who'd already fallen through the clouds, and right now, she didn't care about her performance. She knew that Spike's life was more important than that. If only she knew it was a setup. Lightspeed got a good look at the action and saw Rainbow Dash fly down to Spike at a speed so great that the unexpected happened. A rainbow boom wave formed right above the Coliseum as Rainbow Dash raced towards Spike, going so fast that even the Wonderbolts were impressed.

Rainbow Dash caught Spike when he was at least twenty feet above ground and was relieved that she saved him, flying back up to Cloudsdale as he took out another potion. Rainbow Dash was confused by this as she then looked up and saw the Rainboom before seeing that the potion Spike was drinking was a potion for being able to stand on clouds. Rainbow Dash couldn't help but chuckle. "I see what ya did there. Just don't think I'm gonna lie to the press for you."

Spike shrugged as she and Rainbow Dash arrived back up at the top and Rainbow Dash set Spike down. "Well if they do interview you, make sure you mention that you pulled off the Sonic Rainboom. Ya never know; they could be suckers for that." Rainbow Dash took note of that as the crowd started cheering in regards to her accomplishment. She just had to smile in that moment. She was skeptical about the act that Spike set this whole thing up to help her, but she was glad she could still do the Sonic Rainboom.





Rainbow Dash was currently on the news with Spike, Lightspeed, and Fluttershy watching from the Tv in the Coliseum cafe. "Believe it or not, I was totally oblivious to the plan until I saw my friend drinking that potion to help him stand on the clouds again. I knew it was underhanded, but I was so stoked about still being able to pull off a Sonic Rainboom that I couldn't be mad."

The news anchor, who was a red Pegasus with a silver mane, was a little skeptical about Rainbow Dash's attitude. He couldn't exactly get behind how the rescue she performed was fake, and that she wasn't upset about it. "So, you're not bothered by the fact that you're not a hero."

"Dude; I helped save the entire world and reawaken the Elements of Harmony." Rainbow Dash pointed out, revealing that this whole event was basically worldwide news by this point. "That's enough confirmation for anyone to believe they're a hero. Yeah I don't agree with what happened today, but honestly, the only thing I'm worried about is how the Wonderbolts will take this."

Rainbow Dash laughed a bit with Fluttershy speaking up about what happened. "You could've gotten seriously hurt Spike. I hope you're really okay from the fall."

"I'll be fine Fluttershy." Spike assured Fluttershy, knowing that this was the least of his troubles. "Like Rainbow Dash, I'm more concerned about other things, like how Twilight will react when she finds out I stole some of her potions."

"Let me know if you need help lying to her about that." Lightspeed joked, leaving Spike to laugh a little as he said that. He knew Lightspeed would never stoop to the level of rebellion he went to today.





Rainbow Dash was heading out of the News tower as she was greeted by none other than Spitfire, much to her surprise. She wasn't sure how to respond, since she didn't exactly prepare for if Spitfire went to her. There were two possible outcomes she could think of right now. Either Spitfire was impressed with her Sonic Rainboom, or she WASN'T impressed by what led to the Sonic Rainboom happening. All she could do was greet Spitfire and hope for the best. "Oh. Hey Spitfire. (Blushes softly) I guess you heard what happened."

"I did. That dragon friend of yours sure is crazy." Spitfire responded, and then Rainbow Dash was about to speak up, before Spitfire started laughing. Rainbow Dash didn't expect that. Not that she didn't think Spitfire had a sense of humor. "It's just a miracle you dove in to save him when you did. I was about to dive in before I saw you dashing down." Spitfire laughed a bit more as she then walked up to Rainbow Dash and whispered into her ear. "Also. Guess what."

Rainbow Dash was about to reply, only for Spitfire to rip a loud and bassy ten second fart, letting out a green cloud of protein shake gas as her butt vibrated in her track suit (BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUP). Rainbow Dash laughed upon hearing that and then lifted her leg and released her own gas on cue, letting out a loud and bassy twenty second fart that made her big butt vibrate as well (PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFT). "That one was on purpose."

"I can tell." Spitfire responded, and then when she was about to kiss Rainbow Dash, Rainbow Dash flinched and backed up a bit. This confused Spitfire, but then again, she couldn't blame Rainbow Dash since they'd only just met. "I get it. You need more time, right?"

"No, believe it or not." Rainbow Dash admitted, still being conflicted about something she did last month. "You see, I kissed a friend of mine last month after we participated in this event back in Ponyville, and I don't think it's fair to hook up with you knowing she could be expecting me to take her to the Gala."

Spitfire was aware of the Grand Galloping Gala, since the Wonderbolts, like all celebrities, had tickets to go there. She understood what Rainbow Dash was getting at and smiled towards her loyalty to her friends. "You said you revived the Elements of Harmony with your friends, right?" Rainbow Dash nodded her head yes with Spitfire putting a hoof on her shoulder as she walked up to her. "I think I know which element you are. And I could use a lot of it if you join the Wonderbolts one day."

Rainbow Dash was stoked, but held back her fangirl attitude and smiled confidently at what Spitfire just said. "Thanks Spitfire. Both for being so understanding, and for what you just said." Spitfire nodded in response. She knew that Rainbow Dash would be nothing more than a valuable asset to the Wonderbolts team, whether it was performing in shows, or helping to defend Equestria as their military force.





Rainbow Dash was getting ready to leave with everyone else while remaining conflicted over her feelings for Applejack and Spitfire. She'd known Applejack personally for a lot longer than Spitfire, especially since she and Spitfire only had two interactions, with one of them ending rather poorly. Coming out wasn't easy, but committing to one pony wasn't much better. It's not that Rainbow Dash had never dated before, but rather, she could never seem to figure out who her special somepony was.

Spike, Lightspeed, and Fluttershy were walking over to Rainbow Dash with Spike seemingly holding some to-go boxes of their dinner. As they were walking over to Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy instantly noticed her conflicted look and felt it was best to help her. "Are you okay?"

Rainbow Dash flinched and instantly tried to think of a good way to hide what she was going through. "Yeah; I'm fine. Still stoked that I can still pull off a Sonic Rainboom after all these years." Fluttershy gave a concerned look and Rainbow Dash sighed, knowing that she couldn't hide this as she spoke to Spike and Lightspeed. "You two can meet us at the entrance of Cloudsdale. We won't be long." Spike and Lightspeed nodded and headed off as they started talking about life, leaving Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy to talk in private. "How'd you know?"

"Rainbow Dash, we used to date." Fluttershy reminded Rainbow Dash concernedly. "I should know when you're conflicted about your romantic life."

Rainbow Dash then started explaining her situation, hoping that she wouldn't come off the wrong way about it. "Spitfire and I talked after my interview, and things got a little...intimate." Fluttershy looked surprised as Rainbow Dash continued. "We almost kissed, and it was tempting, but I knew it wouldn't be right after I kissed Applejack. And I'm not Polyamorous or anything; I can settle down with one mare. I just don't know what to do right now."

Fluttershy gave a caring smile to Rainbow Dash as she offered her own advice about her best friend's situation. "I can't say I've ever been in your hooves before, but you did only just meet Spitfire." Rainbow Dash saw Fluttershy's point as she then listened to the rest of what she had to say. "Maybe you should try asking Applejack out first and seeing how it goes. You two already know each other really well, so you'll have a lot to talk about."

Rainbow Dash felt that Fluttershy's advice was sound. Applejack sounded much easier to hold a relationship with than her idol that she just met in person. "I can't argue with that. Thanks Flutters." Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy heads off to where Spike and Lightspeed were as Rainbow Dash laughed about something from the past. "I'd ask why we broke up, but I think it's pretty obvious we weren't meant to be." Fluttershy giggled a bit, knowing that Rainbow Dash's comment pretty much was spot on.





Spike and the others arrived back in Ponyville with Spike being excited to tell their friends about his Cloudsdale trip. "I don't know how Scootaloo feels about Cloudsdale, but she's gonna lose her mind when we tell her we went there!"

Lightspeed laughed a bit as he commented on how he thought Scootaloo would react. He, didn't think it would be pretty. "Just don't try to rub it in. Remember, Scootaloo can't fly."

"Got ya." Spike and Lightspeed continued talking with Spike bringing up an idea for a revisit to Cloudsdale. "So I was thinking that maybe after I get my wings we could..."

While Spike and Lightspeed were talking, Rainbow Dash took her phone out and got a good look at it with Fluttershy putting her hoof on her shoulder for support. The look on Fluttershy's face said to only do this if Rainbow Dash knew she was ready. After thinking for a few seconds, going through a couple of different emotions from conflicted, to concerned, to scared, she eventually breathed in through her nose, and out from her mouth, as she made her decision. She was going to spend her entire life simping over two mares.

Rainbow Dash went to her contacts, chose Applejack's number, and gave her a call. After a couple rings, she started to worry about how she would respond, but she knew she couldn't back out of this now. When the third ring hit, Applejack answered the call. "Howdy Rainbow. What can I do ya for?"

Rainbow Dash gave a smile as she made request, hoping that the outcome wasn't unfitting. "Hey AJ. I know it's not ideal to hear this over the phone, but..." Rainbow Dash closed her eyes with the screen cutting to black as soon as she finished her sentence. "You wanna go out with me next Friday?"





An instrumental version of the main theme played during the credits.





Spike popped up after the credits were finished rolling as he explained the couple situation. "Also, for anyone who's wondering why this isn't going the same way mine and Lightspeed's relationship is developing, I think we both know that the romance in this story would be at a risk of being boring if all the couples had the same amount of pacing. Just sayin'." Spike gave a peace sign as he then left the screen on his skateboard.
> Learning the Darkness
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spike and Ryu were doing their usual darkness power training, this time being outside of Ponyville. That's because this time, they were doing offensive training, and they didn't want anyone in Ponyville to get hurt. "Try and channel your dark energy into a beam that you can launch into the sky. Then make sure nothing is above you and fire."

Spike nodded in response and started attempting to channel his energy. He was a little nervous, since this was his first offensive lesson. Even so, he had to at least try. As he channeled his energy, he looked up and saw that nothing was above him. When he raised his claw into the air, he announced his attempt to fire the beam. "FIRE!"

Spike wasn't able to fire anything significant however; it was just a small pellet that went into the sky and broke at a hundred feet up. Spike was disappointed that he couldn't do better, but Ryu smiled and assured him that he'd improve. "It's a start."

"I guess. But the first time I made a shield, it was huge; and that was without control." Spike explained, but then he thought for a moment and figured that he was stronger in defense than offense. It made sense considering how much power he had when defending his friends. "Maybe I improve faster in defense. (Looks at Ryu) Blast me as hard as you can." Ryu flinched and then hesitated. He didn't want to hurt Spike, as confident as he was to test his theory. "Cmon dude. I have to see if I can spawn that shield back up."

Luckily, Spike's stomach growled and he felt that he was starting to get hungry. He was a little annoyed by this, but was at least happy he'd get to eat some food soon. "You up for a visit to Sugarcube Corner?" Ryu nodded his head yes in response and walked off with Spike. He felt it'd be helpful to get to know his friends while he was here.





All kinds of moments from season one were shown as Twilight was heard singing the main theme of the show, My Little Pony Friends. "For every day, I look around me, for every time I see you near. I thank the stars, whose light surrounds me, I thank the earth that keeps you here. Cause I will only follow, my true heart. And I can see it clear now, right from the start. You were my little pony. I used to wonder what friendship could be; my little pony. Until you shared it's magic with me. My little pony. I used to wonder what friendship could be. My little pony. Until you shared it's magic, with me.





Lightspeed was currently showing off one of his inventions to Spike and Ryu; and it looked like a waiter robot pony. "And I know Pinkie Pie can handle this bakery on her own, but let's say there's that one day that ends up being an exception, like Hearth's Warming Eve or something. This can help her get finished quickly enough to spend time with the people she cares about."

Spike got a good look at the waiter robot and made him what sounded like a complicated command before giving a smug grin. "Robot waiter dude. I want a neapolitan milkshake with whipped cream and in a cup the shape of a dragon's den."

The waiter took off to fulfill Spike's command with Lightspeed letting him know that the robot has limitations. "I should mention that it's not supposed to make impossible orders." Spike nodded in response, and Lightspeed took notice to how he was conflicted on something and spoke up with concern. "Something about your powers?"

"You could say that." Spike responded, and then he showed Lightspeed how he was channeling his dark energy. When he was finished, he launched a small beam outside, making sure not to hit anything, and it went out at a hundred feet, just like the last one. He then explained why that got to him. "I was expecting my controlled offense to go as smoothly, if not better than, the shield I spawned after I first got this mark. I'm still struggling to pull off a darkness orb too."

Lightspeed was listening closely and felt that he could make something to help Spike get better. "Maybe I can invent some kind of dark power to help you improve more quickly?" Just then, Spike got his order and impressed Lightspeed. "Oh hey, he pulled it off! (Gets back on topic) If I can't do that then I get it. Just know I'm willing to help in any way I can."

"The device does sound useful, but there's no guarantee the improvements made with said device would affect Spike's powers if it got broken." Ryu brought up, feeling that it would be best to save something like that for the future. "Perhaps however, it could be useful for after Spike has gotten more used to his powers. I can see that being used as a possible last resort tactic for him when in battle."

Spike and Lightspeed both felt that sounded better, and then the two of them started thinking about what they could do to help Spike with his magic. Spike then beamed as he remembered something and made it clear with one word what his plan was. "Luna!"





The royal castle was shown in the background as Spike was then explaining his situation to Queen Celestia and Luna. "And today Ryu and I were doing an offensive lesson, but it didn't turn out the way I thought it would, which worried me since the shield I spawned in the battle with Nightmare Moon came up perfectly."

Celestia gave Luna a sly grin in response to that, leaving Luna to chuckle with a nervous smile, and then the two got serious again before Luna spoke up. "Perhaps this could be a sign that your darkness mark is superior in defensive magic."

"That's what I'm thinking." Spike admitted, and then he brought up the possibility of his magic failing him when he needs to be offensive. "But I still need to improve it in the offensive area for when I'm in battle so I can shift to one or the other on a dime. Ryu's been helping me greatly so far, but I figured if anyone could help me, it was the source." Spike looked directly at Luna, who was aware of what Spike was about to ask her before he even did it. "Queen Luna, I know this may seem like a lot to ask, but... can you help me figure this out?"

Luna didn't see any reason to deny Spike's request for assistance. After all, she was the one who gave him this power in the first place. She looked to Celestia, who nodded her head yes for approval, and then Luna flew down to Spike to give her answer. "I suppose it would be a good way to atone for my past sins."

"I don't care about that." Spike admitted bluntly, finding that Luna helping Celestia with the sun and moon stuff again was atonement enough already. "I just wanna get full control of my magic. To be honest, I don't even know if my defensive magic was what had to do with that shield, or if it was just a fluke."

"Even so, this is better atonement than torturing myself in my sleep." Luna admitted, leaving Spike worried as Luna realized the implication she just made and got to it. "Not that I do that anyway."





Spike was on the Canterlot castle roof with Lightspeed, Ryu, and Luna, and he was currently writing a letter to someone. It was then revealed to be Twilight, as the writing depicted he was telling her what was going on. "And I didn't tell you right away because I knew you'd be stop be if I tried. Believe me; I know what I'm doing. If you wanna see my training in action, you know where to find me. Love ya sis. Spike." Spike sent the letter to Twilight, but not before giving a cheeky grin. "P.S. That last ice cream sandwich is mine."

After Spike sent the letter, Lightspeed walked up to him and wondered what he meant by what Twilight said. "Why do you think Twilight wouldn't expect you to take this cautiously? You've been all about mastering this power since Ryu came."

"Something just clicked in me and told me to let Twilight know I'd be fine." Spike answered, concernedly. He knew he had his moments of general impatience and lack of care for the boring stuff. "Before we arrived in Ponyville, and even after we moved, I never really took my assistant duties seriously. I always skimmed through Celestia's letters and tried to take the fast route. And I also have a knack for getting into dangerous stuff, as you probably know from that time I snuck into the Everfree Forest with Applebloom. And also the thing in Cloudsdale "

Lightspeed saw what Spike was getting at with him not wanting to be treated like he wasn't taking this seriously. "Imagine if I told her about this when leaving and she thought I was trying to 'get ahead' or something. It's not like I blame her. I just don't want her to stop me from doing something I wanna do, or something that feels important to me." Spike crossed his arms as he showed concern for the bad stuff that could happen. "I also sometimes feel like... some people just see me as some rebel teen."

Lightspeed got a glimpse of some of Spike's inner depth and walked up to him while putting a hoof on his shoulder. He was quick to let him know that he didn't see Spike that way. "Well you can be reckless at times, but I don't see you the way. And I know our friends would agree." Spike was glad to hear that, and then Lightspeed smiled as he finished what he had to say. "Just remember why you came here. That should show them you're taking this seriously."

Spike nodded in response and smiled upon hearing Lightspeed's support. The two of them couldn't help but feel... warmer, when they were near each other. "Thanks LS." Lightspeed nodded in response as Spike then got ready to train.

Luna was now ready to start Spike's training as the dragon walked up to the targets and got ready to begin his training. When Spike showed determination, Luna explained what Spike had to do. "These targets are meant to test you using the bare minimum of your offensive dark magic. I want you to attempt to break them yourself so I can see how good you are."

Spike nodded in response and tried to spawn a small darkness beam, but when he attempted to launch it... all that came out was a small poof from his claw. Luna was surprised by this as Spike then chuckled and explained why while scratching his head. "Yeah, I should've let you know HOW little offensive magic I could use."

"No problem. We can make this work." Luna responded with worry. She was clearly more worrying than her older sister. Then again, who wouldn't be after being stuck on the moon for a thousand years? She walked over to Spike and gave him some advice on how to attack. "You must be firing with a defensive mindset. Try setting your feelings to a blaze of fire."

"My emotions affect how good I am at which one?" Spike asked with confusion, and Luna nodded her head yes, making him roll his eyes at how hard that'd be for him. "Yeah; that makes things better." Spike tried to think of something that set a fire to his emotions. The first thing that came to mind was Twilight getting hurt by a bad guy. That immediately set him off, and he launched what looked like a small beam at one of the targets. It only broke off a piece of it, but the result still impressed Spike quite a bit. "That worked."

Luna was glad to see Spike improving and was just as glad that her help was useful so far. "It's a small start, but small starts can grow into even bigger finishes. Perhaps we should take into account your ability to control your anger or will to fight while also controlling your powers."

Spike looked at his mark and was ready to continue his training as he spoke with determination. "Whatever it takes, I'll do it. Even if it takes me years to master this power." Spike then realized what he just said and made it clear to Luna that he wasn't dedicating every minute of his time to this. "But I still wanna do other stuff in between our lessons." Luna laughed a bit and nodded her head yes, assuring Spike that he was good in that category. Now Spike just had to wonder how long it would actually take to be able to use his powers to fight.





Spike was currently eating with Lightspeed and Ryu, where they got a face-full of Celestia's solid cooking skills in her macaroni salad. Spike still felt he could do better, but he was glad to finally taste some of the royal Queen of Day's cooking. Lightspeed could tell that Spike was glad to be eating delicious food, as he always was. Eating seemed to always bring a smile to his face. "I bet you'd love to see what you could add to this recipe."

Spike laughed at Lightspeed's response, finding it funny how on point he was with that statement. "No kidding. As good as this is, I can totally master the recipe." Spike continued to eat and managed to keep a smile, despite Ryu's next words.

"I can sense your feelings thanks to us sharing Nightmare Moon's darkness magic."

Spike was a little creeped out by that, as was Lightspeed, and the two looked to Ryu to figure out what he meant by that with the former speaking up. "I hope you're only using it for business purposes."

Ryu simply laughed with his mouth closed as he smiled to Spike. "Don't worry, I am." He seemed much more relaxed now that he'd gotten to know Spike, and also Lightspeed to a similar extent. It seemed all that training was helping him improve his social skills in a way. "I think there are some things you wish to get off your chest. Do you want me to hear as well, or do you just want to deliver them to Lightspeed?"

Spike thought for a moment and figured that it was okay to help both of them. After all, Ryu was partially responsible for helping him overcome these feelings. "Don't tell anyone else. Especially not Twilight."

"My lips are sealed." Lightspeed assured Spike, and then he backed it up with something else. "I promise with the right to smash all of my inventions if I break it. Unless I'm given an ultimatum between telling the truth and the life of someone I care about, I won't tell anyone."

Spike took Lightspeed's word for that as he then leaned against the tower of the castle the three were sitting on. He showed a more conflicted and scared look, one that Lightspeed rarely ever saw from him. It certainly shocked the Pegasus. "Ever since I got this mark, I felt like I had to learn more about it to protect everyone. Of course I didn't actually act upon it until it gave me no other options, but I didn't know what to do about it at the time. And to be honest, I still don't."

Spike held back any tears of sadness he may otherwise be having as he continued to vent his frustrations. "I still thought that shield I spawned was really cool and super useful, but after we saved Luna, I couldn't help but feel like I was expected to do something after that. Like... ponies had expectations for me." Spike looked at his mark as Lightspeed put a hoof on his shoulder to comfort him. "And what if I lose control of it completely, like I almost did when I started attending Ponyville Middle school? Then I could REALLY be responsible for our demise."

Lightspeed was shocked to hear those final words. Did Spike actually see himself as a burden? The dragon wasn't done yet however. "I've been having these weird thoughts lately. Like... if I fail... will I cause the destruction of Equestria? And if I succeed... will everyone in Ponyville fear me? There are so many thoughts wrapping around my head and I can't stick to one of them. (Clenches fists) I think I'm even starting to hate myself because I don't know if I can protect anyone." Spike's last words were what hit Lightspeed them most.

"Or if I'll be worth anything to the world if I do."

Lightspeed had never seen this side of Spike, and he couldn't feel anything but concern for him. He'd never seen him express emotions like this in the time he's known him before, and that's almost seven months! "So that's why you skipped on telling Twilight about this."

Spike nodded his head yes, and then he started to feel and for lying about it in the first place. "Yeah. I'm sorry I lied about it. I knew if I told you the truth you'd get all worried and that things would get awkward."

"Well of course I'm worried!" Lightspeed exclaimed with immense care in his voice. "My best friend besides Rainbow Dash is carrying burdens so heavy that Applejack would struggle to lift it up. What kind of good pony wouldn't worry about that?" Spike saw Lightspeed's point, and then Lightspeed wrapped his arm around Spike and assured him that he would always be there for him. "If it helps though, I'll always be there for you. No matter what." Lightspeed then gives a genuine smile. "And I know our friends feel that way too."

Spike was relieved to hear that and hugged Lightspeed, who wrapped his other arm around him. Spike had almost kissed him, and his thoughts told him that he should've gone for it 'I should've gone for the kiss.', with Ryu giving him a supportive nod. This made Spike a little more relieved, as eh knew that waiting until the Gala to make his move would lead to the perfect opportunity for him and Lightspeed to get together at last.





The next day, Spike, Lightspeed, and Ryu woke up in Spike's old house, since they were staying at the castle for Spike's weekend training. As Spike getting up to cook breakfast, Lightspeed was revealed to already be awake, tinkering with the stove and making it more powerful. Spike was surprised to see this and ran down to see what he was up to. "Getting to your gadgetry practice, huh? More firepower for me to work with?"

"That's right!" Lightspeed finished putting the wires together as he finished what he had in store and turned it on. The burner wasn't only working perfectly, but it also had more firepower to it, something that Spike loved to work with. "Just wait. You're gonna be cooking at Griffin kitchen speed before you know it." Spike was grateful for this, since he had a practicing method for cooking while at Celestia's castle. While he was mostly focused on his weekend training, he was glad Lightspeed had his hobbies at heart as well.





Spike was taking another crack at the targets and managed to break off more from the first target in one shot after an hour of practice. He pumped his fist with glee at the fact that he was improving, and felt that he was getting closer to being able to officially use his powers in battle. Luna could see the improvements clear as day, and smiled upon the progress Spike was making. "It could still be bigger and do more damage, but you're making progress. That proves you can use your power for both offense, and defense."

Spike was glad to hear that and clapped his palms together as he then got an idea. "Speaking of which, let's see if I can spawn that shield again." Luna didn't quite get what Spike was getting at and Spike then looked at her with a determined smile. "Strike me with one of your horn blasts. (Luna becomes surprised) Not a big one, just one big enough to send me to the ground."

Luna was hesitate, but she felt that as long as she only used a small fraction of her power, Spike would be okay. Perhaps... just five percent, would be enough. When she started charging her beam to five percent however, Twilight teleported to the castle and saw what was going on. She gasped when she saw this, but as Luna blasted Spike with the laser he failed to spawn his shield and got spawned to the ground. This, naturally, horrified Twilight. "Spike!"

Twilight ran over to Spike, who got up and failed to notice his sister as he started getting frustrated about his shield not coming out. "Darn it! I forgot to get into a defensive mood!"

"It was just one attempt Spike. You should be able to balance your offensive and defensive actions with time." Luna assured Spike, who then noticed Twilight, looking concerned for Spike. "Oh; hello Twilight. Don't worry. This was just a part of the training."

"And this certainly would've looked like that if Spike didn't send me that letter yesterday." Twilight responded with sarcasm, which Luna thankfully found a tad humorous. and she then changed her tone to concern for Spike once again. "Just please tell me Queen Luna didn't use TOO much of your power."

"It was only five percent." Spike responded as he wiped his chest, having only been slightly harmed by the blast. "And it was to spawn my shield so I could keep you and the others from more massive blasts, like last time."

Twilight was hoping that Spike was right about knowing what he was doing. She wanted to at least talk to him about this before she continued. "With all do respect Queen Luna, I'd like to speak with Spike alone."

"As you wish Twilight." Luna went up to her room for the time being to allow Spike and Twilight to talk alone.

Spike and Twilight were by themselves on the castle roof, where Twilight looked at Spike concernedly, and Spike sighed as he started the conversation. "Twilight, I know it may not seem like I know what I'm doing, but I'm not just blindly letting Luna hurt me. I told her myself to only use a fraction of her power to see if my shield would activate."

Twilight knew that this was important to Spike, so she refrained from getting too strict with him. She still couldn't help but worry about his safety though. "I know why this is bothering you. You're worried that your powers will be vital to stopping any evil forces that attack Equestria, right?"

"I can't keep anything from you, can I?" Spike said while laughing. Twilight then nodded her head no in response as Spike went on to explain why he felt that way. "There are plenty of reasons I have for why I wanted this training to be done Twilight. I think the biggest one is that I don't wanna let anyone down."

Twilight understood what Spike was feeling and didn't want him to beat himself up. She knew how it felt to be afraid of failure. And she knew that failure was something Spike would be determined beyond all belief to avoid. She didn't want him to go overboard, but she was more than ready to help him succeed at mastering his powers. Not before smirking in response to his letter, of course. "Did you really think I would stop you from doing this?"

Spike didn't expect that kind of response, but he was glad to hear it. It meant that Lightspeed was right about his friends wanting to help him. Even though Twilight was his sister, he was glad to get some true confirmation, and he smiled proudly in response to it. "So that means I can continue my training with Queen Luna?"

"That's not all." Twilight put a hoof on Spike's shoulder and looked at him directly as she announced a new part of his plan. "I'm gonna help you master your power. (Spike gives a look of amazement) I may not have your powers, but I DO have my own. So I can help you control them." Spike was enlightened to hear this and held out his fist for a hoof bump. Twilight happily accepted, and this cemented their desire to help Spike master his powers to protect his friends.





Spike was continuing his training with Twilight and Luna as a montage through the day began, starting with Spike blasting the targets once again. He was able to blast off at least three thirds of the first target, and even had enough for a second blast. It was much smaller, but it was still able to deplete the rest of the target, much to Spike's joy. The next part of his training involved him hitting moving targets. Spike wasn't as good at this, but he launched three small blasts, and managed to hit the target once.

Despite it not being completely awful, Spike was disappointed that he couldn't do better. Twilight was quick to encourage him however, and that got him motivated again. Luna then put Spike to the test with his defensive powers again, and Spike thought about defending himself, something he forgot to do before. This time, he was able to spawn a shield, much to his glee! It was only a third the size of the first one, and it almost broke upon contact, but it was still an improvement.

Spike was glad to see that he was improving. Even thought he montage was short, and he only really did three things, one of them having a lackluster outcome, he was still glad to be improving the best he could. Lightspeed was watching from close by as Spike was shown to be smiling about how much better he was doing. Lightspeed couldn't help but smile upon seeing this himself. He knew that with enough time and dedication, Spike would be able to master this power and achieve his goal of being able to defend Equestria from evil.





Spike was lying on the Golden Library oak as nighttime rolled around and he looked up at the stars and thought about his powers. He was still a long way from being able to master them, but he was at least glad that he managed to get a decent hold of what emotions to use for offense and defense. That alone was a big jump, and it made him confident that he could one day, protect his friends, family, and all of Equestria, the way he wanted. He didn't see any reason to use his powers for anything else. Well... other than a prank or two.

But in all seriousness, as Spike continued to look at the stars, he thought about how long it would take for him to master his powers. He was certainly glad to be making some progress, but he still couldn't shake this one feeling off his mind. The feeling that he could fail, and let everyone down. Failing others who cared about him was really Spike's biggest fear; it was something he was horrified of. And he knew it wasn't something he would always be able to prevent.

Twilight teleported up to the balcony, since she knew Spike was up there and wanted to check on him. She knew how hard he was trying to live up to the expectations of his powers. She was proud of him for accepting some responsibility, and would've been crushed if Spike's powers caused hi to go rouge. As she sat down next to him, she looked down at him and tickled his tummy, as that was his ticklish spot. That caused Spike to start laughing and put a big smile on his face, which was exactly what Twilight was looking for.

Spike was grateful for the support of his sister. He knew that the two of them would be close, even after death. He scooted closer to Twilight and let her wrap an arm around him, since he was too small to do the same as the start. He still put a claw on her back however, and the two looked at each other with bright smiles as they looked up at the stars. As the stars were shown in the sky, Spike and Twilight both prepared themselves to look forward and prepare for what dangers they'd have to face.





The next day at school, Spike was with Lightspeed and the CMC at their lunch table as Applebloom was talking about her latest encounter with Diamond Tiara. "And while she's bragging about her family's new carriage and disrespecting my 'revolting' farm life, I simply call her a self entitled ditch and 'accidentally' push her into the ground."

Spike and Scootaloo laughed at this knowledge, while Lightspeed and Sweetie Belle showed concern as the latter spoke up. "But isn't that mean?"

"Of course it's mean; that's the point." Applebloom explained, and then she gave some more details on it. "I'm not gonna suck up to that rich snob just because she thinks she owns Sweet Apple Acres. I don't have to take that from anyone!"

Scootaloo noticed that Applebloom was starting to get worked up and quickly changed the subject. "So Spike, I heard from an (Gives a smirk) anonymous source (Gives a casual smile) that you started training with Queen Luna herself to work on your powers?"

Spike instantly knew who told the CMC about his powers. He wasn't mad, but he did take the opportunity to give a sly grin to Lightspeed, who was already chuckling nervously. The Pegasus then chuckled nervously as he scratched the back of his head. He never was the best at keeping secrets. "Sorry Spike."

"Not a problem. I was gonna tell them later anyway." Spike revealed, and then he explained some extra details on the situation itself. "I plan on heading back to Canterlot on Saturday to start training over the weekend. I don't know if Queen Celestia and Queen Luna will let me take more than three creatures, but I'll ask them, and maybe you guys can see me in action."

Applebloom became psyched when she heard about that and slammed her hooves onto the table as she stood up and looked at Spike. "You darn well better ask! There's no way I'd miss out on an opportunity to see dark magic in action!"

Scootaloo laughed nervously as she started to get Applebloom to sit back down "Let's not go overboard AB.", and then she reminded her that this was Spike's call to make if the Queens said yes. "As cool as that would be, even if the Queens say yes, it's Spike's call how many times he takes us. And we still have to plan visits in between our normal lives."

Spike snickered a bit, seeing a bit of Twilight in Scootaloo from that sentence alone. "You still have a bit of Twilight in you."

Scootaloo giggled a bit upon hearing that, and then Lightspeed spoke up to Scootaloo while trying his best to be vague about it. "So. Scootaloo. Hypothetically... what would the biggest challenge one of would have if we started dating Spike?"

Scootaloo started to think about what her biggest challenge from dating Spike was, and she came up with it pretty quickly. "Probably the parts where he's overprotective. Not being protective in general, but sometimes he went a little too far." Spike chuckled nervously in response to that and continued eating with Scootaloo wondering why Lightspeed asked her that question. "Why do you ask?"

Lightspeed then blushed crimson red as he tried to hide his feelings for Spike from his friends. "No reason! I just thought it'd be interesting to know if dating Spike had any downsides." Lightspeed's exclamation thankfully didn't draw much attention; it was mostly just the laughter from everyone around the table. Spike couldn't help but have a more heartfelt laugh than the CMC. He had a feeling he knew what Lightspeed was getting at, and looked at him with a smile as the screen faded to black, ending the chapter off.

An instrumental version of the main theme played during the credits.





A red dragon from the wastelands Claws lived in was currently pounding their gavel on a sword. When he was finished, Claws came over to him and got a look at the finished project. She inspected the sword, and found it to be on point in every way. The sword was silver, as sharp as could be, and had a crimson red handle for blood. And on the handle, it said 'Kill Your Target!', and Claws looked into the sword with a cold and ruthless glare as she complimented the craftsmanship. "Perfect."
> A Pegasus and an Earth Pony
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rainbow Dash was getting ready for her very first date with Applejack. She had to admit that she was worried about how this would go down. She hadn't really gone out with anyone since Fluttershy, and she was worried this would end the same way, if not worse, than that. As she admired herself in her dark blue gown, someone knocked on her door, and she allowed them to come in. "It's open!"

Lightspeed opened up the door and saw Rainbow Dash getting ready, much to his surprise. It was rare he'd ever seen Rainbow Dash get all fancy. It also made him happy though, as it was proof that Rainbow Dash really cared for Applejack. He also noticed a little something she put in on her tail to give it a fancy look. “Hey; that’s the tail braid I made for you!”

Rainbow Dash nodded her head yea as she then complimented the design choice. “You did a good job with it. And you also made a right call with a Rainbow color. Can barely tell it’s there.”

Lightspeed was flattered to see Rainbow Dash taking his knitting hobby seriously. He put as much love into that tail braid as the scarf he gave to Spike last winter. This fact didn't stop him from joking about her former conflict however. "You just might've made the right choice between Applejack and Spitfire. If you picked Spitfire then you'd probably already have a room full of plans on how to not look like a doofus."

"I'd never make myself look THAT stupid." Rainbow Dash bluntly replied with an eye roll, and then she finished making her mane look right as she looked at Lightspeed for advice. "I know you're into dudes lil' bro, but I feel like I'll need some tips on how to impress Applejack. Are there any subtle hints to something she's interested in that I never picked up on?"

Lightspeed thought for a moment and couldn't think of anything like that. The way he saw it, Applejack always came off as a hard working, farm girl tomboy, who was stubborn, but a hard worker, who loved helping her family the best she could, and friendly competition, while also hating cheaters and letting other ponies down. Okay; I haven't shown that last one yet, but I think we all knew it was there. "Nope. Nothing hidden. And as always, the main thing she has in common with Spike is hating to let others down."

Rainbow Dash was glad to hear that and figured she could make sure to avoid any bridge burning drama. "Good to know. Then I should have a clearer head on how to make all of this work out." Lightspeed hoof bumped her sister as she headed out to get to her date. "Thanks Lightspeed. Later!"

"See ya later!" Lightspeed called out, and then he looked at Rainbow Dash's bed to find a photo of her and Applejack. He picked it up and smiled as he set it back down, knowing that Rainbow Dash really cared about this date going well.





All kinds of moments from season one were shown as Twilight was heard singing the main theme of the show, My Little Pony Friends. "For every day, I look around me, for every time I see you near. I thank the stars, whose light surrounds me, I thank the earth that keeps you here. Cause I will only follow, my true heart. And I can see it clear now, right from the start. You were my little pony. I used to wonder what friendship could be; my little pony. Until you shared it's magic with me. My little pony. I used to wonder what friendship could be. My little pony. Until you shared it's magic, with me.





That evening at Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack was taking the family chariot, which Big Mac offered to ride, off to the restaurant she and Rainbow Dash were going to dine at. Applebloom was walking with her to the chariot as she asked what she saw in Rainbow Dash. "What exactly do you see in Rainbow Dash, AJ? From what I've seen from her, she's sporty, brash, confident in her abilities even when she shouldn't be," Applejack laughed a bit as Applebloom finished her explanation on her view of Rainbow Dash. "blunt, impatient, and is occasionally horny."

"Believe it or not, that's kind of what I like to have in my significant other." Applejack explained, and then she gave a bit more detail as she told Applebloom the traits she meant. "Ah' don't like it when someone beats around the bush on somethin' or tries to deceive me or someone I care about like a mouse on a bad day. Rainbow Dash never struck me as someone who's lie to me, or hide her feelings. She may not be the most polite, but she's sure as sunshine honest."

Applebloom guessed she couldn't argue with that. Honesty was a huge part in whether or not relationships worked out. "Can't argue with that logic. Just remember that there's such a thing as being TOO honest; like let's say, hypothetically, if you admitted on the first date that you used to mud wrestle with the pigs."

"Which even if that were true, Rainbow Dash also isn't easily disgusted by mud or farm work." Applejack reminded her younger sister, bringing up another point to dating her. "That's probably why I find myself matching with her more than Rarity." Applejack hoof bumped her sister as she got into the carriage, giving Big Mac the go send off as she thanked him for the help. "I'm awful grateful for this Big Mac. Thanks a bunch."

"Eyup." Big Mac smiled with a proud nod as he carried the carriage off. Luckily, even though it was just him, Big Mac was a strong and bulky stallion, so he was strong enough to support the chariot, along with Applejack's weight, when pulling. Applejack then looked at her dress, which was orange with apples on it; not the same one Rarity made, but one she got a while before the Gala was announced. Good thing she still fit in it.





Rainbow Dash was waiting by the restaurant she and Applejack were supposed to dine at as she noticed Applejack's chariot coming up. She was glad to see that she still came, especially since she hated liars and fakers. Applejack got out of the chariot and smiled to Big Mac, thanking him again. "Thanks again Big Mac."

"Eyup."

Applejack walked over to Rainbow Dash, who spoke in a flirtatious tone as she addressed her. "Why hello Applejack. (Offers her hoof) Shall we?"

"We shall." Applejack answered, and she and Rainbow Dash then went into the restaurant as Applejack made a request. "Let's try not to get all too gassy tonight. Don't wanna disturb the patrons." 

Rainbow Dash nodded in agreement and allowed the host to greet the two of them with a smile. "Why hello there. How may I help you two tonight?"

"Table for two please. It's under the Apple name." Applejack informed the host politely.

The host, who was a male light green earth pony, looked for Applejack's reservation and was glad to see that she was there. "Right this way.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack walked by with the host guiding them to their table as Rainbow Dash thought about how well this was going. 'All I have to do is not fart too much and this date will be a success! Lightspeed might've been right. Maybe I DID make the right call asking Applejack out.'

The host guided Rainbow Dash and Applejack to their tables, which was on the right side of the restaurant, and pulled out two menus for them. As he handed the menus to them, he spoke proudly of their specials. "For our specials tonight, we have an oat crusted sea bass with an asparagus garnish, an eggplant parmesan, and broiled lobster tale. If you don't like fish then I recommend the second one."

Rainbow Dash didn't mind the menu choices, but decided to start off with a drink for now. "Expect me to order that last one. For now though, I'll start of with a Pellegrino."

Applejack looked at the menu and saw that they had apple cider, much to her delight. "I'll have the apple cider please."

"Excellent choices. I'll bring them right away."

The waiter walked off with Rainbow Dash cracking a little joke about Applejack's order. "Even in a fancy restaurant, apples find their way to your heart." Applejack laughed at the joke and snorted a bit during that. Thankfully, Rainbow Dash found it to be kind of cute and snickered upon seeing it herself.





Rainbow Dash and Applejack had just finished their appetizers, which were mushroom risottos, and they were currently talking about their families with Rainbow Dash currently talking about her parents. "And I'm at least glad they accepted the fact that I'm gay, but I don't need them getting all mushy and overly supportive whenever I compete in anything. It's like an abusive relationship between daughter and parents except in reverse of the tactics."

Applejack got where Rainbow Dash was coming from with that. Parents could be incredibly overbearing. She still wished her parents were still around though. "Yeah, parents can be awful annoyin'. Ya love em more than anythin', but you also wanna push them in the pig pen sometimes." Rainbow Dash laughed a bit at Applejack's pig pen comment, which made her smile a bit, despite what she said next. "I wish my parents were still around. They died soon after Applebloom was born."

Rainbow Dash could tell that there was some sorrow in Applejack's voice, and she felt that a joke would help. "How many times have I heard of THAT trope?" Applejack was confused and raised an eyebrow to show it, making Rainbow Dash flinch before she explained it. "The dead parents cliche. Almost every fantasy story I've seen has a dead parent."

"Ah." Applejack chuckled a bit in response to that, and then she spoke a little more about her current regrets. "I was thirteen when they died, so I never did get a chance to come out to them. I know they would've accepted me no matter what."

Rainbow Dash was glad to hear that; specifically the part about Applejack believing her parents would've accepted her. Being accepted for who you are is the most gratifying thing in the world, and they both knew that. They also sounded like great ponies to her from that alone. "I wish I could've gotten to meet them. They sound awesome."

Applejack was incredibly glad to hear that. She knew Rainbow Dash was someone she could open up to about this kinda thing. Just then, the waiter came around with their entrees, broiled lobster tail for Rainbow Dash, and eggplant parmesan for Applejack. "Here are the entrees for you lovely ladies tonight. I hope you enjoy. (Looks at Rainbow Dash) Bold move getting the broiled lobster tale if you don't mind me saying. Most ponies are scared to order something like that in public."

"I'm a bold girl." Rainbow Dash replied bluntly, and she then assured the waiter that he was all good. "And trust me; you should see me clearing out the ballroom on a Friday night."

Applejack couldn't help but snicker at that joke with the waiter nodding and walking off. "I'll make sure to steer clear on those days."

Rainbow Dash couldn't be offended by the addition to her joke. If anything, it made her start laughing too. "I was hoping he'd be a Jean-Pierre." Rainbow Dash and Applejack laughed a little more before they started digging into their entrees, which the both of them loved immensely. They knew they'd made a good choice for the both of them, even if Rainbow Dash ordered something that horses normally wouldn't eat in real life. "I don't care what anyone says; this stuff is awesome!"

"I can get behind that." Applejack admitted, having her own reasons for not ordering the broiled lobster tail herself. "I just stuck with the eggplant parmesan because I went vegan after I started helping out on the farm."

"I already know you're vegan, thanks." Rainbow Dash replied bluntly, and then she smiled as she made a comment on how sweet Applejack was being to the farm animals. "You made a good call though. I doubt the animals on your farm would like someone who eats bacon and all that." Applejack nodded her head yes, proving Rainbow Dash's point exactly. The two then continued talking as they ate their entrees together. "If we get married, should I go vegan too?"

"Most likely. But it's still your decision." Applejack assured Rainbow Dash, who nodded in response as the two continued eating.





Rainbow Dash and Applejack were leaving the restaurant with both of them being stuffed from what they'd eaten. Rainbow Dash was incredibly satisfied with what she'd eaten, as was Applejack, and she just had to point out how good the food was. "I don't think we could've had a better pick for our first dinner together. That place was so good that I almost ordered a desert despite being full."

"Same if I'm being honest." Applejack admitted, and the two of them then looked at each other and smiled as Applejack spoke up about how much time they have. "We still have a lot of time on our hooves. Anything else you had in mind?"

Rainbow Dash tried to think of something she and Applejack could do, and she instantly had an idea on what they could do. "Maybe we could head to the arcade and kill some time. There's this new dancing game I wanna try."

Applejack did find the idea to be tempting to try with Rainbow Dash, but had to admit that she probably wouldn't be the best at it. "I never was a gamer myself."

"Maybe tonight can be the night you give them a shot." Rainbow Dash suggested, having a feeling that Applejack would have a lot of fun with video games if she tried them with a friend. "Even if you don't like the new dancing game, we may find another one you're into. Plus, gaming is always more fun with a friend. At least if you're into multiplayer games."

Applejack did like the sound of gaming with Rainbow Dash, despite not playing video games herself. Plus, it was better than not knowing what to do. "What the hay. Lead the way."

"Gladly." Rainbow Dash responded proudly, and the two set off with Rainbow Dash flirting a bit with Applejack as she looked back at her. "Feel free to check me out on the way there." Applejack started blushing and smiled softly upon hearing that. Was Rainbow Dash really making flirty jokes like that the same night they started dating? She didn't hold back one bit.





Rainbow Dash and Applejack were at the arcade trying out the new dancing game with Rainbow Dash killing it with her score. Applejack wasn't doing so well herself; not due to lack of dancing talent, though that didn't help too much, but more so because she wasn't used to gaming herself. She wasn't having a bad time at all however, and could tell that Rainbow Dash was having a blast. The carefree laughter from the Pegasus was a delight to see, and Applejack smiled as the two continued their match to the very end.

When the match was over, Rainbow Dash and Applejack got a look at their scores. Rainbow Dash destroyed the scoreboard with Applejack... not really doing so well herself. There were definitely worse scores out there, but her's still wasn't up to par. Rainbow Dash couldn't resist giving a cheeky grin to Applejack as she pointed it out. "Let me guess. Four left hooves?"

Applejack blushed a bit while smiling as she replied to the obvious teasing Rainbow Dash was doing. "Somethin' like that. Believe it or not, I've always wanted to get better at dancin'."

"It's really a lot like running, except you don't do it in a straight line for a race, and you also have to perform a bunch of fancy moves to impress the crowd." Rainbow Dash explained briefly, and then she got an idea. "Hey! Maybe I could help you improve your skills sometime. And I know Pinkie Pie has some moves she'd love to share."

Applejack took a liking to that and stepped off the dance pad with Rainbow Dash after putting in their initials so the next duo could play. "That could be mighty fun." Rainbow Dash and Applejack walked off with Applejack having an idea in mind for what she and Rainbow Dash could do next. "Whatya say we do one more thing before we call it a night? You up for some bowling?"

"I'm totally down for some bowling!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, being glad to have another thing she and Applejack would enjoy together. "And if I end up sucking at it, then there's something you can teach ME how to get better at besides framework. You get those two, and I get video games and dancing." Applejack laughed a bit, but she did like the sound of that. Two for two sounded like a fair trade in her eyes.





Rainbow Dash and Applejack were at the bowling alley with Applejack aiming her shot for exact precision. Rainbow Dash was quick to take notice of this and as she was drinking an orange soda, since her last turn was up, Applejack made her roll and managed to get the last two pins down, earning her a spare. Rainbow Dash then got a good look at the scorecard. It was clear that Applejack had won, and that Rainbow dash wasn't too bad herself, having lost with seven strikes and three spares to nine strikes and one spare.

Applejack then walked over to Rainbow Dash to get a look and was impressed by how close the two of them were. "Well now! You sure are a fast learner. Maybe I CAN teach you how to run a farm."

"By some miracle, maybe." Rainbow Dash admitted while laughing a bit, not being fully confident in her abilities of running a farm. "I don't think I'm anywhere near ready to give up meat yet, so if we do get started on training for that sort of thing, hopefully it won't be the first step."

"It won't." Applejack assured Rainbow Dash, knowing that there was more important stuff than not eating meat.

Speaking of the farm by the way... "Wanna take me back to Sweet Apple Acres for some fun?" Applejack found the idea Rainbow Dash just gave her to be incredibly alluring.





Rainbow Dash and Applejack were back at Sweet Apple Acres as Rainbow Dash got a good look around the house the Apples lived in. She'd already been there before, but she was never there at night, and wanted to make sure she wouldn't wake any of Applejack's family up when they got up to her room. Luckily, the only one she saw was Granny Smith, who was sleeping in her chair as Applejack laughed silently a bit before pointing out the convenience. "This is part of why I was hoping we'd do more in town than dinner."

Rainbow Dash nodded in understanding and made her way up to Applejack's room. When they got there, Rainbow Dash got a good look at what Applejack was into, particularly her trophies and achievements when it came to farm activities. She had all kinds of trophies in Iron Pony competitions, rodeos, and even pig lassoing contests. She couldn't help but be impressed. "Funny. I always thought I was the only one who kept track of my awesomeness achievements."

"Glad I could surprise you at least once in this relationship." Applejack cheekily replied, and then she sat down on her bed as she spoke up about what her family was doing. "Since Big Mac's probably gonna head off to bed after setting the carriage back up, we should be able to fool around all we want without disturbing anyone. Applebloom's also at a sleepover with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle up in Fluttershy's cottage."

Rainbow Dash liked the sound of that and happily sat down on Applejack's bed next to her as the two got ready for their first night together. "I was hoping we'd move as fast as me with this relationship. I'm really not a fan of holding stuff like this off until date number three; it just never felt right to hold the urges back."

"Believe me, I know you'd hate that." Applejack admitted, still having the memory of Rainbow Dash kissing her inside her brain. And then the two of them looked at each other with alluring smiles as they put their hooves up to each other's faces. As they two gazed for a few seconds, saucy and sexy music played as they both thought the same thing. Applejack was about to speak, but Rainbow Dash shushed her and said two words with a loving smile and whisper.

"Don't speak."

Rainbow Dash then kissed Applejack, and the two of them instantly started making out. As they did this, they started getting out of their dresses so they didn't get any sweat on them. The two then lied down on the bed and started getting rough with one another as their kissing got even more wild. Rainbow Dash then decided to take it up a notch by getting on top of Applejack as she then started kissing her chest and waist. She then started licking Applejack's chest, and Applejack loved every second of Rainbow's tongue on her.

It didn't matter what Rainbow Dash and Applejack had at that restaurant; it was nothing compared to this. From the sexy kisses to the heavy breathing from the romantic tension, these two were having the best night of their life, and they wouldn't trade it for anything. Neither of them said a word to avoid risk of spoiling the moment. The delight of what they were doing was so much for both of them, and both were horny and satisfied in that instance for all the right reasons.





The next morning, Sweet Apple Acres was shown with Rainbow Dash and Applejack then shown to be sleeping together in Applejack's bed, all snuggled up and cozy. Rainbow Dash was cuddled up to Applejack and had her hooves wrapped around her as the two laid on their sides. Rainbow Dash woke up after a few seconds and smiled as she saw Applejack. She instantly looked back fondly upon last night. She wanted a bit more fun however, and she blew into Applejack's right ear, which woke her up and made her laugh.

Applejack looked back at Rainbow Dash, who gave her a loving smile as the two of them sat up and thought about how last night went. Rainbow Dash could only think of three words that explained how amazed she was. "Three. Hours. Straight." Applejack was completely speechless upon hearing Rainbow Dash's reminder, but she was also amazed. Was the stamina she and Rainbow Dash had really good enough to go on for that long in the night? Incredible.

As badly as Rainbow Dash and Applejack wanted to have a second round, their stomachs growled in sync, indicating that the two of them were incredibly hungry. This made them laugh as Rainbow Dash whispered a plan into Applejack's ear that she took a liking to. Even if it wasn't as steamy and wild as what they did last night, she knew the two of them would still have a great time with it. The Pegasus and Earth Pony then got out of bed and got ready to prepare for the day. The start of said preparations, came with a long, very shampoo heavy shower.





Rainbow Dash and Applejack had finished their shower together, and had managed to get themselves clean from last night. The two of them then started talking about life plans with Applejack bringing up the question of children. "So. If we get married at some point, would you be open to having a family?"

Rainbow Dash thought for a moment and had to admit that she'd never really considered whether or not she wanted kids before. She felt it could be fun though. She loved kids as much as Applejack did. "Yeah, I can see us raising a couple little tykes. Maybe two or three at max though. I doubt either of us would have enough free time to raise half a dozen kids."

Applejack nodded in understanding with a small laugh as she then brought up the Gala. "So I guess we'll be going to the Gala as a couple now."

"Sounds about right to me." Rainbow Dash answered, and then she caught something else on her mind, specifically someone who she knew was gonna be there: Spitfire. She had to find out how to explain this to her. "AJ, there's something I should let you know about." Applejack gave Rainbow Dash her full attention as she then explained what she and Spitfire almost did in Cloudsdale. "When I went to the Best Young Fliers competition, I had a one on one talk with Spitfire. Before I found out I won, we almost... kissed."

Applejack was surprised to hear this, at least due to the context behind it. Rainbow Dash almost got to kiss the leader of her idols. Why did it not happen though? "I only turned it down because I remembered that I kissed you after we ran through the Spring leaves falling together. I didn't wanna play either of you, but I also didn't know which one of you I wanted more. So I asked Fluttershy, and she said to pick you." Applejack put a hoof on Rainbow Dash's shoulder as the cyan Pegasus then gave a small smile. "For what it's worth... (Looks at Applejack) I think you were the right call."

Applejack smiled back upon hearing that, and then she and Rainbow Dash shared a long, passionate kiss for about seven seconds. They then gave each other loving eyes as Applejack responded to what Rainbow Dash said to her. "And you're also the right one for me." Rainbow Dash and Applejack knew from that moment onward, that the two of them would be loving to each other until the day they passed on.





Applebloom entered the Sweet Apple Acres home as she spotted Rainbow Dash and Applejack watching Tv while cuddling on the couch. From that image alone, she could tell that the two of them had the time of their lives. "From the looks of you two lovebirds, I think it's save to assume you didn't spend your night going through Everfree Forest (Applejack becomes concerned) looking for your babysitter while your friends tried to play leader or say that our cutie marks could be for arguing; both of which were stupid."

Rainbow Dash stroked Applejack's mane to keep her from panicking too hard as the latter then spoke to her sister about what she said. "You went to Everfree forest again? You didn't get attacked out there, did you?"

"Nah; we were fine." Applebloom assured her sister, and then she saw what they were watching and sat down to watch it with them. "So what're you two watching?"

"Um, a movie that's not for fillies, for one." Applejack informed Applebloom, who started to get annoyed when Applejack gestured her to stop watching. "This is a movie full of all kinds of things that aren't meant for kids your age, from gore to some things that you probably shouldn't even be thinkin' about yet."

Applebloom groaned in annoyance as she made sure Applejack knew that she wasn't that easily scared. "I'm thirteen Applejack. And if I can survive the Everfree forest twice without a plan, and a bunch of times after that to do potion stuff with Zecora, then I can totally sit through an R rated movie."

"Even so, this is me and Rainbow Dash time." Applebloom informed her younger sister, who then got the gist when she spoke up.

"Dude; why didn't you just LEAD with that?" Applebloom left the room, but not before giving a warning to Rainbow Dash. "Take good care of her Rainbow. She isn't someone you wanna mess around with."

Rainbow Dash couldn't help laughing a bit as Applebloom then left the room. "Don't worry Applebloom. I will." Applebloom took note of that as she left the room, and then Rainbow Dash and Applejack got back to watching their movie.

While Rainbow Dash and Applejack were watching their movie, Applejack had a question in mind for Rainbow Dash. "I don't wanna sound too invasive, but it's obvious that Spike and Lightspeed are into each other, right?"

"It's be fham near impossible to avoid noticing Lightspeed's side." Rainbow Dash admitted with a chuckle. "He talks to me about how much he wants Spike to get together all the time. He's just not confident enough to make the first move himself."

Applejack found that interesting to know about, since she knew that they were going to the Gala together. "Didn't they agree to go to the Gala though?"

Rainbow Dash wasn't entirely sure how to answer that one without giving Applejack the wrong idea. "I think it's complicated for them. As far as I know, Spike has only just discovered that he's Bisexual the day he arrived in Ponyville. That's what Twilight told me anyway. They're probably still trying to figure out how to handle feelings for the same gender."

Applejack then sat up and put her hooves on Rainbow Dash's shoulders as she looked at her with loving eyes. "We seem to be doin' it pretty well so far."

"Hehe. Yeah, but they're still in their first years of teenhood." Rainbow Dash pointed out, knowing that these feelings could be easier to handle with age. "Let's give em time. Maybe they'll become an item at the Gala."

Applejack did find that to be a fitting time for them to get together. Either way, she had to admit that she'd be happy for them. It was always rewarding when someone you knew and were on good terms with found love. "I don't think I could name a better time for it if I tried." Applebloom was heard to be listening in on what Rainbow Dash and Applejack were talking about and became intrigued. She couldn't focus on that however. She had to focus on another plan she had as she took her phone out to call Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle.





Scootaloo was talking to Sweetie Belle as the two of them were designing costumes in Rarity's room. While they were doing this, Scootaloo got a call from Applebloom and signaled Sweetie Belle to take over, which she did. Scootaloo answered the call and made sure Applebloom knew what she was doing. "Hey AB. You making sure Applejack has the props ready?"

"Not right now. She and Rainbow Dash are having some alone time right now." Applebloom informed Scootaloo, who got what Applebloom meant as she then spoke up about the plan. "This talent show is gonna be super epic. And imagine if we actually got our cutie marks in theatre!"

"That'd be super awesome." Scootaloo replied, knowing that theatre cutie marks would keep the trio busy for a long time to come. "Hopefully we can put on a good enough show to make that happen. I really wanna make a good impact."

"We all do!" Sweetie Belle chimed in, making extra sure to focus on the dress she was crafting as she reminded Scootaloo of one important thing. "Oh, and remember; none of us can fart into the microphone. That won't get the kind of laughter we want."

Scootaloo snickered a bit after Sweetie Belle started blushing as she then let Applebloom know when they'd be done. "At this rate, we'll most likely be ready in about two days. So, right before the talent show."

"Awesome! Hopefully we can finish the props by then too." Applebloom looked out into the living room and saw Rainbow Dash and Applejack snuggling, deciding that they could use a few more minutes together. "She can take her time though, so long as she's on time." Applejack gave a smile look to Applejack as the screen faded to black, ending the episode off.





An instrumental version of the main theme played during the credits.
> CMC Showstoppers
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Applebloom, wearing a locket that was seemingly new, was walking over to the barn to see how Applejack was handling the props for the talent show. When she went in, she saw that the set was nearing completion. The props were all finished, and they seemed to be showing off some kind of demon themed action setting. This was a setting that Applebloom was more than pleased with. "Nice work AJ. As always, you've proven why you run this place."

Applejack was glad to hear that as she then got a look at the banner Applebloom gave her. "It's the least I could do." Applebloom walked over to Applejack as she pointed out the name of the thing Applebloom was doing with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. "How'd you get permission to do this anyway? The name 'Let's Buck Up Sombra' alone is alarming."

"That's the best part. Cheerilee thinks we're doing a soft baby idea!" Applebloom revealed with a laugh, and then Applejack raised an eyebrow towards her with Applebloom sighing as she then explained some more details on that. "Okay, the word switching technically wasn't THAT severe. I just told her I wanted to do a play on Sombra and that I wouldn't put in anything unfitting. I let her figure out what I meant by that."

Applejack got a look at the banner, and then looked back at Applebloom, who hoped Applejack would allow her to do this. Applejack knew she was probably gonna do it anyway, and sighed as she conceded. "Fine. If this is what it takes for you and your friends to discover whether or not your talent is acting, I'll let you go through with this."

Applebloom pumped her hoof with glee at that response "Yes!", and then took her cell out to give the others a call. "I'll let Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle know where we can hide our props!" Applebloom started the call with Applejack looking at the title and wondering what exactly the story her sister was trying to tell with it would be.





All kinds of moments from season one were shown as Twilight was heard singing the main theme of the show, My Little Pony Friends. "For every day, I look around me, for every time I see you near. I thank the stars, whose light surrounds me, I thank the earth that keeps you here. Cause I will only follow, my true heart. And I can see it clear now, right from the start. You were my little pony. I used to wonder what friendship could be; my little pony. Until you shared it's magic with me. My little pony. I used to wonder what friendship could be. My little pony. Until you shared it's magic, with me.





The treehouse Applejack made for the CMC was shown with Scootaloo riding her scooter down the slide from the top floor's window. As she jumped out of it, she did a triple front flip and used what little energy in her tiny wings had in to stop herself from flipping again and landed safely on a giant mattress. She looked to Sweetie Belle in the hopes that she was able to get the recording for all of that. "That was epic! Did you get that Sweetie Belle?"

"Sure did!" Sweetie Belle answered, and then she turned the recording button on the camera she was using off before taking it over to Scootaloo. "There's no WAY anyone can say this isn't cool."

"I sure hope not." Scootaloo responded, seeming concerned about how well this would do. "On top of our performance at the talent show coming up, there's always a chance we could get one upped."

Sweetie Belle was about to speak up before Applebloom got their attention. "Scootaloo! Sweetie Belle!" The other two teenage ponies looked over to where Applebloom was as she ran over to the two of them with an excited look on her face. "We've got the props we need! Now we just gotta hide them at the school theatre until it's our turn to shine!"

"Why would we have to hide them though?" Sweetie Belle asked, wanting to know what could be so bad about props being shown too early. "It's not like Cheerilee said we can't do the play about Sombra."

"Yeah, but we have some props with some pretty graphic stuff happening for storytelling reasons." Applebloom explained, and Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle started to get behind hiding the props more as Applebloom then brought something else up. "And you know how teachers are; they always but safety first, life second, and fun last. We gotta make sure we can put all three of those into this play, and I'm not about to let us be stopped by a bunch of softies who can't handle a little darkness in their lives."

Scootaloo laughed a bit in response to that. Applebloom never did like authority that much. "I think they just wanna make sure we don't go too far with this."

"I guess. But sometimes, you gotta go all the way." Applebloom replied, showing that she wasn't gonna hold back just because someone told her to do so.

Scootaloo then noticed the locket Applebloom was wearing and decided to point it out. "That locket's new."

Applebloom looked down to the locket and held it for a bit, smiling as she looked at it. "Oh yeah. Applejack gave it to me for my last birthday and I decided to finally start wearing it. Not sure why I chose today though." Applebloom looked at her locket and gained a somewhat somber look, which made Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle concerned when they saw it.





The next day, the CMC were hiding their props in a spot backstage where no one else could find them too soon. There was this big red coating that no one was using, which was perfect camouflage for their props, and they were confident that no one would bother looking underneath it before they got the chance to use their props. The trio then went off to leave the stage area as they then noticed Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon mocking another pony for their design nearby, which disgusted them all, especially Applebloom. "Oh nlap."

Applebloom went to walk over to the situation, only for Scootaloo to stop her before she did anything crazy. "Hold on there Applebloom. It's one thing to get messy with Diamond Tiara on your own time, but stuff like this isn't our business. And your reputation could give her even more of a reason to play the victim card if you get involved."

"Scoots, that's BP, and you know it." Applebloom stated, and Scootaloo was about to reply before she walked on ahead. "Some things, you just have to get involved in." 

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle watched Applebloom do her thing as Diamond Tiara then kept bullying a cream skinned Pegasus with a light brown mane and tail. "Like, what are you even gonna DO for the talent show anyway? Hide on the sidelines in an attempt to spy on everyone?"

The Pegasus was about to speak up before Applebloom chimed in from only a few inches away from them by throwing mud at Diamond Tiara. This made her scream as she then opened her mouth to scream, leaving Applebloom to speak first as she turned to the Pegasus. "Beat it Featherweight. This is MY battle now."

Despite the rude way Applebloom said it, Featherweight was grateful for the save. "Yeah! Thank you!"

Featherweight ran off with Diamond Tiara then getting in Applebloom's face to tell her off. "You just made my body dirty; say you're sorry!"

Applebloom wasn't about to be pushed around however, and instantly shot Diamond Tiara with the first insult that came to her mind. "Go suck your father's gick."

"At least I HAVE a father." Diamond Tiara, causing Applebloom's face to go into sudden despondence and shock as Diamond gave her a smug grin. "Your parents died because they didn't wanna see your ugly face anymore." In that instance, something snapped inside of Applebloom. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle could tell that something hit her hard and went over to her to comfort her, and as they did, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon walked off and laughed smugly. 

Applebloom's seething rage overtook her and she instantly snapped back at Diamond. "Hey Diamond!" Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon then looked back as Applebloom said what she had to say. "I hope Sombra breaks into your house, kills your dad, comes to the funeral and phits in the hole," All four of the other fillies started to become shocked as Applebloom then started making a sexual picture with her hooves. "and then bucks your mom in the grave, and your mom is all like "Ooooh! That's the best grave phit bucking I've ever had Sombra! Whatya doin' Thursday!?"

Applebloom then started panting as Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon then walked away quickly. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle then put their hooves on Applebloom's shoulders with Applebloom holding her tears back as she held her locket with a sad look on her face. When she opened it, it was revealed to be a picture of her parents when they held her as a baby. As she looked at the picture, her voice cracked when she stated her loyalty to her parents. "I won't let her say that about you."

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle got a good look at the picture with Scootaloo asking about it, hoping it wouldn't be a bad time. "Is that you right before your parents died?" Applebloom nodded her head yes, and while she was still able to avoid outright crying, she still shed a single tear into the locket. It landed on the exact spot she was on as well, setting a metaphor for how she felt whenever someone got on her case over the fact that her parents were dead. The worst part was that... she never got to know them.





The CMC were talking at their Treehouse with Sweetie Belle hanging the costumes up as Scootaloo and Applebloom were playing darts. Scootaloo clenched her hoof down to her wrist and made her aim as she threw a dart at the board while trying to check on Applebloom. "So. Ya feeling any better about earlier?"

"Well, if by 'better', you mean I want to throw Diamond Tiara into a pack of hungry Timberwolves, then yes." Applebloom responded, and then she threw a dart at the board herself linking it right next to Scootaloo, who was able to hit a bullseye.

Scootaloo picked up another dart herself and got ready to throw it as she assured Applebloom that she was there for her. "If you need someone to talk to, Sweetie Belle and I have your back." 

Scootaloo threw the dart at the board with Applebloom picking up a dart and getting ready to throw it herself. "Thanks Scoots, but I really, really don't wanna talk about this." Applebloom threw her dart right at the bullseye mark after imagining it as Diamond Tiara's face, and then she made it clear what she was focused on. "All I wanna do, is flex on Diamond Tiara in the talent show. It's the next best thing to making her bleed."

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle became worried when they heard that and Sweetie Belle walked over to Applebloom to see if she was really okay herself. "You sure you're okay? Diamond's comment on your parents hit you pretty hard."

Applebloom crossed her hooves as she tried to shove any dark thoughts out of her head to focus on the talent show. Scootaloo could see that she was currently struggling emotionally, and decided to make her another offer. "If you can't afford a therapist, we'll be that for you."

Applebloom felt calmer after hearing that and smiled. Spike was right to have her become friends with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. If only they knew how much that meant to her. "Thanks. You have no idea how much that means to me. Or... anything regarding your company." Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle hugged Applebloom, who then wrapped her arms around them with a bright smile on her face.





The CMC were arriving at school with Spike and Lightspeed as Scootaloo explained their show plan. "It's pretty much a super dark version of the story of Sombra, with demons, and not completely accurate. Applebloom had to twist the description of it a little just to get us to show it."

Spike was definitely engaged in this with Lightspeed seeming concerned about it with the former speaking up. "I'm down for that. Maybe we'll even get to see some demonic carnage." Spike then started talking about what he and Lightspeed were gonna do for the talent show. "Lightspeed and I found out that my powers can also be used as a heat source, so I'm gonna use what I learned about said powers so far, along with my natural dragon fire breath, to spruce up some food kebabs in our own unique way."

"That sounds awesome!" Scootaloo exclaimed, and then Sweetie Belle, who noticed Applebloom still seeming a little conflicted on what happened yesterday, put a hoof on her shoulder. She then smiled as Applebloom looked at her with Applebloom smiling back in response. "So you're not trying to hide your powers anymore then?"

"Nah, it's better they find out through a more constructive way than me fighting evil, where someone could get hurt." Spike explained, and then he looked to Lightspeed as he pointed out his own skills. "Though, that can be fixed with this genius' hooves making an even greater version of Twilight's magic stopping glove."

Lightspeed blushed softly and smiled at Spike's compliment. He always loved getting positivity from him. "You really think I could be capable of that?"

Spike nodded his head yes in response with Scootaloo then joking about something else. "I can see your powers aren't the ONLY thing you've moved on from."

Spike was surprised by that jab with Lightspeed starting to get extra nervous upon it. "What do you mean!? We aren't dating! Are we? I don't know!" Spike snickered a bit at how Lightspeed was acting as he then apologized for it when he realized how crazy he was getting. "Sorry. That was unexpected."

"Unexpected can be good." Spike responded, playfully punching Lightspeed's shoulder as the Pegasus smiled with Spike looking onward. 'Just two more weeks Spike. Then you can seal the deal.' All he had to do was wait, and hopefully, he and Lightspeed would finally become an official item.





At the Ponyville middle school, Spike and Lightspeed were doing their act as Spike spawned a dark magic orb in his palm with Lightspeed holding some kebabs. As the audience watched, Lightspeed threw the kebabs into the air with Spike breathing fire on the dark magic orb and hit the kebabs perfectly, causing them to cook in an instant. This amazed the crowd with Spike catching the kebabs gracefully as he handed one to Lightspeed, and the both of them ate them proudly. They also shared a fist bump and smile as they did.

Applebloom was watching from behind the curtains as Spike and Lightspeed got a lot of applause and cheering. She was impressed, mostly because of how good Spike was with his power now. He definitely had a chance at defending Equestria now. She then looked back to see how Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were doing, since they were watching the props. "You two see anyone try to mess with our stuff?"

"We're all good from here." Scootaloo assured Applebloom, and then she saw Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon entering the room. This made her anxious for a couple of reasons that you could probably figure out on your own. "Great; it's Princess Bratty and Princess Brattier."

Sweetie Belle then came down from a rope while questioning who was who. "Which one is which?"

"I'll let YOU figure that out." Scootaloo answered, and Sweetie Belle then hopped down from the rope as the two earth ponies walked over to them.

Diamond Tiara, still scorned with Applebloom over yesterday's incident, decided to mess with her a little before her performance. She was subtle about it however, and even put on a phony smile to show a sense of falkse compassion. "Hello Cutie Mark Crusaders." The CMC were thrown off over the friendly introduction as Diamond Tiara then spoke to Applebloom directly. "Hello Applebloom. As an apology for what happened the other day, Silver Spoon and I will be dedicating this performance, to you."

Applebloom was suspicious, and made that perfectly clear as she gave a deadpan look and stared directly at Diamond Tiara. "I don't buy it."

"Then just watch. There's still plenty of time after Spike and Lightspeed finish their...whatever their show is." Diamond Tiara suggested, and then she and Silver Spoon walked away with Applebloom rolling her eyes at the existance of them.

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle quickly went to Applebloom's support with Sweetie Belle giving her an idea she could use. "Maybe when they come by next time you can think about puppies!"

Applebloom started thinking, and she had to admit; she found the idea quite appealing. "I DO love puppies. And dogs in general. Great; now I wanna hug Winona."





It was time for Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon to perform, and since Spike and Lightspeed were done, they decided to watch from the crowd with the Mane Six. The two of them were seen enjoying each other's company as usual, and Twilight showed how impressed she was with the progress Spike was making. "You really have made a significant amount of progress Spike. I can only imagine what you could do in battle."

"Let's hope I don't find out too early." Spike replied hopefully, wanting to save his battle powers for when the time was right. "The last thing I wanna do is scorch a regular pony in a costume, thinking they're a monster."

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon had a bunch of props on stage, and they seemed to be in the form of a nursery. This made the audience intrigued, and it made Applebloom confused as she watched from backstage. And when Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon dressed up as Applebloom's parents, that instantly made Applejack catch on. "Oh no."

Twilight quickly took notice to this and hoped everything was gonna be okay. "What's wrong Applejack?"

"I think I know what those two are about to do. Believe it or not, they have a bit of a fued with Applebloom." Twilight caught on with Applejack starting to look around for the Principal. "I should tell Principal Shorelilly."

Diamond Tiara was playing the mother, and Silver Spoon was playing the father, and she picked up a doll that resembled what looked like a baby Applebloom. "Look at this Bright Mac! It's our new baby!"

Silver Spoon was quick to look shocked as she expressed disgust towards the baby's gender. "Oh, but just look at it! The very sight of it is absolutely repulsive!"

Applejack was talking to a nearby Pegasus about the play as she then pointed out why she was doing so. "That's what I'm talkin' about. I think they're doin' this to mess with my sister."

Applebloom was behind the curtains looking shocked at what was going on as Diamond Tiara spoke up. "You're right! It IS an ugly baby! I can't tell if it's a girl or a boy, or non-binary or what!" Diamond Tiara then threw the baby back into the fake crib and started getting aggressive. "I never wanna see this baby's ugly face again!"

Applebloom was doing her best to hold everything in as Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle rubbed her shoulders to help calm her down as Scootaloo spoke to her with support. "Don't let it get to you AB. You still have a chance to flex on them."

Just then, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon had two ropes that they hung over hooks as Diamond Tiara spoke up. "I can't bare to see my youngest child's ugly face anymore! We must end it all!"

Applebloom was furious and heartbroken upon seeing this as she quietly exclaimed what was going on. "My parents did not die like that!"

As Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were about to fake hang themselves, Principal Shorelilly sternly came on stage. "Diamond Tiara! Silver Spoon! Stop this at once!" Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon got down from their fake ropes with Principal Shorelilly walking up to them with a furious looking Applejack. "I was informed by Applejack that you were doing this as an insult to her family to mess with Applebloom. And based on what you presented, I'm obligated to believe her."

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon started to look worried now that they've been caught with Applebloom then shown to be messing with one of the statues, catching the attention of Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle with the latter speaking up. "Applebloom, we don't have time for renovations! We're on in ten minutes!"

"It'll be quick Sweetie! Just don't let them see beforehand!" Applebloom was shown to be making what looked like a bridal statue look like Diamond Tiara in mare form, and she had a vengeful look in her eyes. "She's gonna wish she never knew about me not getting enough time to bond with my late parents."

Scootaloo didn't know if this was the best approach, seeing as Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were currently being chewed out by the Principal. "I'm not so sure about this Applebloom. It's risky enough to be doing this about Sombra."

"They can do whatever they want to me Scootaloo!" Applebloom assured Scootaloo, showing that she didn't care about any kind of punishment she'd get for whatever it was she was now planning on doing with her play. "You don't have to take the fall with me either. If they call us out for the fact that we're insulting Diamond Tiara now, tell them it was all my idea. I'm used to being punished for fighting back."

Scootaloo wasn't sure about letting Applebloom get in trouble, but she didn't know how much arguing about this could help. She decided to just role with it for now while also trying to convince her of another way. "Just try not to go overboard. Diamond Tiara may be a ditch, but there's still a limit." Applebloom took note of that and looked at the bridal statue. She knew that if this didn't get to Diamond Tiara, or if Scootaloo suggesting a better method would, nothing was going to.





The CMC were getting ready to perform with Diamond Tiara being scolded by her father, Filthy Rich, a  brown earth pony with a black mane, for her's and Silver Spoon's stunt. Diamond Tiara was not a fan of what was happening. "And it's a miracle that her family didn't have to give her up for adoption, so you'd best-"

Just then, the CMC's show came on and caught everyone's attention with Scootaloo, Applebloom, and Sweetie Belle coming out in their punk rock attire. Sweetie Belle was doing some vocalizing in a dark and menacing way, or at least the best that someone like her could, with Scootaloo doing some stunts to showcase the hand to hand combat done on some of the statues showing Sombra's dark forces while Applebloom started telling the story of what happened when Sombra died in a bombastic and proud tone. 

"Long ago... there was an evil, and also powerful creature, known as the King of Shadows: Sombra!" The adults were all shocked when they started seeing the statues of dead and bleeding out ponies, which caused Cheerilee to start moving forward. Applebloom then nodded to Spike and Lightspeed, who were in the front row with everyone else, and they nodded to each other. As they ran off to stop Cheerilee, Applebloom continued. "The world was violence and chaos when he lived. Almost every pony wanted nothing more than to see him fall, and fought for ten years to make it happen!"

Applebloom then stomped her hoof on the ground and brought out the statues of Sombra, and the newly updated bridal statue. "His mistress was an exception." Applebloom picked up some kind of sword and clenched it in her hoof as she then walked over to the bridal statue while faking a limp. "She was on her last legs the day before Sombra fell. She could barely move when she was killed." As Applebloom was about to slice off the head of the bridal statue, she gave a cold glare to Diamond Tiara from across the room.

"They both lost their heads on that day."

Applebloom sliced the head of the bridal statue off with it falling onto the floor and leaving Diamond Tiara horrified. Cheerilee, who was being held back by Spike and Lightspeed (They didn't see what Applebloom did with the statue), demanded that they stop. "Stop this play at once!"

"It was pointless to stop the carnage." Applebloom continued, and the vocalizing reached it's end when Appleboom stabbed the Sombra statue in the neck. As soon as she did that, the room reached silence. Applebloom left the statue there and walked up to the front of the stage as she spoke proudly to the audience. "It's been ten and a half centuries since that fateful day. Fifty years later, we would get Nightmare Moon's banishment to the moon. On that day, everyone learned one valuable lesson from the Sombra attack."

Applebloom then gave a menacing glare to the audience along with a proud smile. "Darkness doesn't die."

The CMC all lined up together with the audience being so impressed yet freaked out that most didn't know how to respond. The Principal DID know how to respond however, and as she walked over to them, she expressed her horror over one particular thing. "Whilst I praise the design on these statues and your costumes, like Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoons display, I find your play involving the slaying of a creature that shares a student's facial features to be far too disturbing for this district!"

"Then maybe we should call Diamond Tiara out on her behavior for once instead of trying to project some of it onto me to avoid getting sued!" Applebloom suggested, and then Diamond Tiara, who was running up to the stage, got onto said stage and lunged at Applebloom without warning. The two of them then started fighting with Applebloom punching Diamond Tiara smack in the jaw. "Get off of me Broken Gem!" Just then, Diamond Tiara snatched Applebloom's locket. "Hey!"

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle then stepped in and grabbed Diamond Tiara, pinning her to the ground as she then threw the locket. Applebloom ran after the locket with Applejack catching it from the stage and giving it back to her, much to her gratitude. "Thanks AJ."

Applebloom put the locket back on and smiled upon seeing it around her neck again with Applejack speaking up. "Just remember to talk to me next time you're having trouble in school. Believe it or not, I have the power to do something about it. Just not involving the actual school."

"Does that mean I get to pelt apples at Diamond Tiara nonstop?" Applebloom asked with a wide smile, leaving Applejack to nod her head no with with a casual one as Applebloom then shrugged. "Eh. Worth a shot."





Applebloom and Diamond Tiara were in the Principal's office as Principal Shorelilly expressed immense disappointment in them both. "Both of you showed an awful amount of distaste in tonight's talent show. I know you haven't gotten along since you started attending this school, but never in my life have I ever considered the possibility of one of you displaying sadistic intent with one another, let alone both of you doing it the same night!"

Principal Shorelilly seemed to be done speaking, and Applebloom then spoke up before Diamond Tiara could say anything. "This dusty, worthless jewel bag told me yesterday that my parents died because they didn't wanna see me anymore! And then she puts on that, thing, if it could even classify as a show, basically showing what WOULD'VE happened if she were right!"

"Well you made it look like Sombra's wife looked like me so it looked like I got killed before I even existed!" Diamond Tiara stated, clearly playing the victim card, and acting like she wasn't provoking Applebloom into doing what she did. "And if I DID do that, then why didn't you just go to the authorities like a normal filly? Why would ANY of my alleged stunts be true you I didn't do that!?"

"Because I knew they would've believed you!"

"You have no proof of that!"

"Both of you; stop at once!" Applebloom and Diamond Tiara sat still, but gave each other a quick glare before getting back on topic as Principal Shorelilly spoke up. "Diamond Tiara, since you're the clear instigator of this situation, you're suspended for two weeks. And I expect you to write a sincere apology to Applebloom." Diamond Tiara scoffed as Principal Shorelilly then looked to Applebloom. "And Applebloom, I know you were provoked into doing what you did, but I can't let your involvement slide. I'm suspending you for three days. I'm sorry."

Applebloom didn't mind though. She was just glad to have won for once. "This is more of a reward than a punishment. I don't have to see the brat next to me for a while."

Principal Shorelilly then started to speak about Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, much to Applebloom's shock. "I should be speaking to Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle next." Diamond Tiara gave a smug grin to Applebloom, who glared at her as she then gave a remorseful look when looking away from her. "The two of them may have been trying to help, but-"

"They shouldn't be punished!" Applebloom interrupted, explaining what she meant before Principal Shorelilly could speak up. "With all do respect Principal Shorelilly, they weren't even on board with the statue thing. They even tried to talk me out of it. It was all me." This didn't surprise Principal Shorelilly, but Applebloom's plead after that did. "I know I'm not the ideal role model, but please; don't punish them. You can suspend me for the rest of the school year if you want to; just don't punish them for my actions!"

Principal Shorelilly had to admire Applebloom's actions in this moment. She was still disappointed in her actions tonight, but she could tell that she wasn't a bad kid. She just needed the right help, and Diamond Tiara's behavior being ignored was clearly affecting that. She smiled, surprising the two teen fillies, as she then spoke up about the situation. "No additional punishment time will be needed Applebloom. If you say it, it must be so."

Applebloom smiled upon hearing that, knowing that she made the right call speaking up for Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. "Thank you. I promise you, they don't need to be punished." Diamond Tiara had to admit that she was shocked by what she just heard. Mostly for how Applebloom behaved. Did she actually show loyalty? She didn't even have friends until Spike introduced her to Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. Maybe she was more than just a simple farm girl after all. At least this meeting made it seem that way.





Applebloom was heading home with her family as she then saw Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle waiting for her outside the school. The two of them were smiling at her with Applejack seeing that she wanted to go and thank them for helping her with Diamond Tiara. She nodded to her sister before rubbing her head, making Applebloom smile as she then hugged Applejack, who was glad to see Applebloom in a happier state than usual. She then headed off with Big Mac and Granny Smith, who smiled to Applebloom while waving to her.

Applebloom then walked over to her friends, and the two of them were glad to see that she was feeling better. She held back her tears and simply gave the both of them a hug; one arm around Scootaloo, and one arm around Sweetie Belle. The two of them wrapped their arms around her as well with the three embracing the warmth they broguht to one another. Applebloom's genuine smile was then shown as the screen faded to black, ending the episode off.





An instrumental version of the main theme played during the credits.
> Spike's Mother
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spike and Lightspeed were currently at the Golden Oak Library as Spike was admiring himself in his bottomless tux while Lightspeed tinkered with the couch. He was adding some kind of heating source to it that would allow the couch to head up the rear ends of whoever sat on it, while also making sure that it wasn't too hot, or too cold. While he was doing this, Spike turned around and started admiring his butt in the tux. While he did this, he gave a smug grin before clenching his fists and closing his eyes, letting out...

PHHHHHHHHHHT

...A five second, rotten egg fart with a yelow cloud right onto the mirror, making it shatter and startling Lightspeed with the commotion. As Lightspeed got a whiff of the substance that was going on. He then looked to Spike who was smiling proudly as he let the smell sink in. Lightspeed then cracked a joke about the fact that Spike ended up breaking a mirror while giving a sly grin to match said joke. "You know that's seven years bad luck, right?"

Spike and Lightspeed laughed as Spike walked back over to the couch and taking his tuxedo off. "Good thing neither of us are addicted to that superstition crap." Spike and Lightspeed laughed together as Spike then heard a knock on the door. "I got it!" 

Spike hopped over the couch and answered the door, being shocked to find Claws standing at his residence. "Hello little dragon. You wouldn't happen to be Spike Sparkle, would you?"

Spike was amazed by what he saw, and he couldn't help but smile. He'd actually met another dragon just like him, only an adult, and a female. He was more than happy to answer that question. "Don't wear it out."





All kinds of moments from season one were shown as Twilight was heard  singing the main theme of the show, My Little Pony Friends. "For every day, I look around me, for every time I see you near. I thank the  stars, whose light surrounds me, I thank the earth that keeps you here.  Cause I will only follow, my true heart. And I can see it clear now,  right from the start. You were my little pony. I used to wonder what  friendship could be; my little pony. Until you shared it's magic with  me. My little pony. I used to wonder what friendship could be. My little  pony. Until you shared it's magic, with me.





Claws gave a friendly smile to Spike as he stood in amazement at the sight of another dragon at his doorstep. He had no idea what to say, other than, oh, I don't know; a bunch of questions he had on his mind "I have so many questions! First off, why was my egg abandoned!? if you know why anyway! Second, do dragons live in caves, or do they live houses like the rest of us!? Third question, is Ryu helping all dragons or just me with my powers!? (Claw flinches) Oh, wait; that was a dumb question. Do you even know Ryu?"

'I always questioned whether or not Ryu had betrayed me. Executing him will go on the list.' Claws looked down to Spyro, kneeling down to him and being willing to answer all of his questions. "I actually came here looking for you Spike." Claws put on a nice and sweet act to give Spike a false sense of security, and Lightspeed went over to meet her for himself. Claws paid no attention to him as she looked into Spike's eyes with fake love. "Believe it or not... I'm your mother."

Spike gained a look of astonishment upon hearing those words. He couldn't believe it. Claws was his mother? The same mother who conceived him and lost his egg along with his father? He had no idea how to take this in. Claws then made him an offer, knowing that he couldn't decline now that he could learn more about his kind. "Perhaps you would like to see more of your kind? I'm sure the other dragons would love to meet the lost egg." Spike liked the sound of that. He didn't even think before shaking her claw to accept the offer, much to Lightspeed's concern.





Spike was writing a letter to Twilight in his room as Lightspeed tried to talk him into thinking this over. "This could be a trap Spike. I mean, random dragon comes to your house and offers to take you to your fellow dragons? That's a red flag for something's up."

Spike showed a look of dismay as he set the letter down and explained to Lightspeed why he was doing this. "This could be my only chance to learn more about my species Lightspeed. My whole life, I've never lived amongst ponies, and I never got a chance to learn more about dragons. If Claws is right, then-"

Just then, Ryu teleported into the room from the roof, being horrified as he heard Claws' name. "CLAWS IS HERE!?" Spike and Lightspeed looked to Ryu, who ran over to Spike and grabbed his shoulders with immense fear in his eyes. "You can't trust her Spike! She's a dictator; a mad woman! A psycho! If you find yourself alone with her in the wrong room, she'll kill you without a second thought!"

Spike found Ryu's words to be alarming, but he still wanted to learn more about his species. He removed Ryu's claws and gave him an extra detail to his plan. "You two are more than welcome to come with me. But my mind is made up."

"We shouldn't go at all!" Ryu shouted, knowing what Claws was capable of more than anyone. "How do you know she won't rip your head off!?"

"How do you know she WILL do that!?" Spike shouted back, and then he and Ryu stared into each others eyes with Lightspeed unsure of what to say. Spike breathed in through his nose and out from his mouth, giving Ryu an ultimatum as he made his next words come out. "My mind is made up Ryu. You either come with me, or stay here. Your call." Ryu was clearly frustrated. He knew Spike couldn't be persuaded, and it annoyed him greatly. But he knew he couldn't let him go with Claws all on his own.





In the same wasteland Claws resided, she used her powers to teleport herself, Spike, Lightspeed, and Claws there, and they appeared at the entrance. Claws was more than happy to guide Spike there, but not for the reasons he expected. He was excited to be meeting more dragons himself, with Lightspeed still being concerned, and Ryu being filled with fear. The four of them went into the cave, and showed them the base inside as she spoke. "Behold! The home of the dragons!"

Spike was amazed with Lightspeed suddenly becoming astonished at everything he saw. The cave was full of all kinds of amazing tech, and they still had some of the dragons in there crafting weapons and cooking food. He was mostly interested in the tech that was in there however, unable to contain his love for it as he gazed upon it's features. "How did you get all of this high tech stuff!?"

"Dragons can adapt to new life as well as ponies can." Claws responded, kneeling down to Lightspeed as she stated how exactly the dragons have adapted. "We did some less than ideal methods, but they were still more than effective enough."

Lightspeed wasn't sure about that however, and then he noticed that Spike was heading down the steps to greet the other dragons and chased after him. "Spike; wait up!"

Spike quickly ran over to a blue teenage dragon who was playing guitar and leaning on the wall. "Hi there!" The dragon looked at Spike, who held out his claw for a fist bump. "My name's Spike!"

The blue dragon looked at Spike's claw, and seemed indifferent towards him as she spoke up. "Never seen you around here before. You here to join the army?"

Spike was caught off guard by that remark; not because of the refusal of a fist bump, but because of the mention of an army. "Can't say I am." Spike then laughed a bit as he explained what he was actually doing there, and made sure to be somewhat vague. "Believe it or not, I'm Claws' son. (The dragon flinches) She brought me here after she found me in the town I live in."

The dragon was astonished by the information she'd just learned with Lightspeed walking over to them as he spoke up. "We came here so he could learn more about dragons. (Pulls out a tool and grins) Got anything that needs tinkering?"

"Feel free to look around. Claws won't care." The dragon spoke up, and then she shook Spike's claw and let him know a little something about herself, while also making sure to be vague. "I can't say for sure Spike, but I think we could work together if we-"

"Ember!" Claws called from above, causing Ember to go into a straight, tall standing stance as Claws descended to her and spoke to her strictly. "I suggest you remember what I told all of the dragons about Spike's arrival. Don't even consider acting out of order with him during his visit."

"Yes mom!" Claws raised an eyebrow, making Ember flinch as she corrected herself, and Spike gained a look of surprise. "I mean ma'am! Something about professionalism!"

Claws sighed in disappointment as she went over to her soldiers as Spike then looked to Ember and smiled excitedly. "I have a BLOOD sister too!?" Ember chuckled a bit while scratching her head with a nervous smile. She never expected to have a  blood sibling; let alone one who was alive.

Ryu was still cautious about Claws, and made that clear as he watched her giving orders to her lead soldiers. While Spike and Ember were talking, Lightspeed saw that Ryu was sitting beside a power module and decided to head on over to see if he could help with that. When he saw Ryu's look of distrust however, he had to ask about it. "Is she really that bad?"

"If by 'that bad' you mean the reason I was shunned since birth, then yes." Ryu answered bitterly, and then he saw that some of the dragons were avoiding gaze at Ryu with one of them giving him a harsh glare. "I'd rather not exactly say what she did."

"Okay. Let me know if you wanna talk about it." Lightspeed offered, and then he opened up the power module, which led to Ryu grabbing his arm and making sure not to be too rough. "Hey; if I'm gonna become an inventor one day, then I might as well learn if I can work with power modules."

"Can you at least wait until you're working with a GOOD dragon?" Ryu asked while trying to be patient, and then he saw that this could backfire and gave a supportive smile as he patted Lightspeed's back. "Actually, go right ahead." Lightspeed was confused by the sudden turn around, but shrugged and got to working on the power module anyway.

Spike was still speaking to Ember as the two of them got to know what they were like and what they enjoyed doing. "I never thought I'd have a sister other than Twilight before! She's the unicorn who adopted me after hatching my egg."

Ember found it fascinating that Spike was being cared for by a Unicorn. She'd always wanted to meet ponies to see what they were like. "What's Twilight like? She's gotta be something great if you consider her a sister."

"She is, but she's also a total nerd." Spike stated before laughing a bit, leaving Ember to allow him to elaborate on that. "Before we moved to Ponyville, the only thing she liked about the trip was the fact that we were staying in the library. We still live there now too! When we're not hanging out with our friends, you'll usually find her reading or testing out some fancy new spell she's working on, often having an all nighter just to get it done."

Ember laughed a bit upon hearing that last one. She knew what all nighters were like. "I can relate to that. I've tried writing songs before, and sometimes I would spend until breakfast time trying to get them done."

Spike couldn't help but snicker at that, and then he remembered another case of an all nighter. "Actually, Twilight isn't the only one who can relate to that level of dedication. Lightspeed once told me that if it weren't for school, he would've worked an endless week on inventing mechanical wings for earth ponies and unicorns to use to fly around and stuff."

Ember thought that sounded awesome and couldn't help but exclaim it to Spike. "That would be epic!"

"I know, right!?" Spike obviously loved the idea too. Though, he did have to admit that there was something else about Lightspeed being setback that he didn't know about. "Though, I do have a feeling there's more to it than that. I'd ask Lightspeed myself, but it sounds like a touchy subject."

Ember took note of that as Lightspeed was then shown to be almost done with the power module he was tinkering with. He managed to upgrade it a little, and when he did, Ryu pointed out how this could contrast from actually inventing. "Ya know, this could classify more as 'engineering' rather than actually inventing stuff."

"It's an introduction to dragon technology for me." Lightspeed explained with the dragons all noticing the upgraded power and that everything was working a little faster than normal. "If I want to invent a dragon related device or machine, then I have to know what kind of technology they use so I can learn how to adjust it to the appropriate level for each invention I make with it."

Claws found herself impressed and walked over to Lightspeed as she saw a benefit to her plan right in front of her. "A Pegasus who can work with technology. You must be talented young one." Lightspeed chuckled a bit and blushed as Claws then noticed that his cutie mark wasn't there yet. "Odd. I thought ponies had cutie marks by this age."

"During their teen years, yes. I'm thirteen." Lightspeed explained, and Claws took note of that as Lightspeed continued to speak about his passion for inventing stuff. "I've always found the idea of inventing stuff to be amazing, and I hope to become a professional in that field someday."

Spike saw an opportunity to help Lightspeed and told Ember to come with him, which he did. He went up to Lightspeed and made a suggestion for some stuff he could do. "You just improved their power module, right? Maybe you can help make some more stuff to help them (Ryu flinches) improve their craft."

Ryu teleported in front of Spike, grabbing him by his chest and pulling him up to his face with his teeth clenched and whispering to Spike. "Help Claws wipe out the universe, and you'll be my pick for a sacrifice."

Spike gave a deadpan look as he then requested that Ryu let go of him. "Will that be more likely if I DON'T burp in your face to make you let go of me?" Ryu sighed, letting go of Spike as he then looked to his mother nervously, still being blinded by the revelation of his mother, and the fact that he's finally in contact with other dragons. "Don't let him get to you. He's just being a (Glares at Ryu with teeth clenched) pain in the butt today."

Ryu gave Spike a serious glare as Claws then made a suggestion of her own for how Lightspeed could help. "Perhaps you'd be interested in developing a dragon exclusive weapon for us. I'm sure the blueprints you come up with will be phenominal for a Pegasus." Lightspeed squeed with Ryu clearly shown to be baffled by this. Was this really happening despite his clear fear and warnings? He then gave a deadpan look to the audience that said 'I'm surrounded by idiots'.





Lightspeed was currently working out blueprints in the weapons room with Spike, Ember, and Ryu talking nearby. Ryu was still against the idea of helping Claws and made it clear while Spike was talking to Ember. "It'll be a huge setback if you let Lightspeed finish those blueprints Spike. If that weapon's as good as the upgrade he made, then Claws will most likely destroy all of Equestria."

"Most likely, or definitely?" Spike asked with his arms crossed, starting to get tired of Ryu's panicking.

Ember was confused about what Ryu meant and felt it wouldn't hurt if she asked why. "Wait. Ryu, is it?" Ryu nodded his head yes and Ember asked her question about her mother. "What do you mean about my mom destroying all of Equestria?"

Ryu then gained a conflicted look in regards to that. He hadn't even considered that this whole time, he was talking about Spike's mother of all dragons. And to make matters worse, now it's known that he had a sister as well. He didn't even take the time to consider how Spike would feel about this. He knew he couldn't avoid this now, so he decided to go ahead and explain what he could. "Ember, this may be hard for you and Spike to hear, but... Claws is the one who got me shunned by all the other dragons here."

Spike and Ember were shocked to hear this, darting their eyes at each other before darting them back at Ryu. "She did WHAT!?"

"After she found out I was connected to Nightmare Moon, she got me banished." Ryu explained, and then he had a flashback to when he found this meteorite near the Dragon Cave. "I was ten years old, and I was right outside of Dragon's Cave when it happened. This meteorite fell from the sky and had a dark glow to it." Ryu went down to the meteorite and touched it, causing it to explode and send him into a wall. "I made the mistake of touching it." Ryu then saw his mark on his claw when it started glowing and panicked. "That's how I got my mark."

Ryu was showing Spike and Ember his mark as Ember then took the time to make a joke about it. "Sounds like you found a meteowrong on that day."

Spike couldn't help but laugh a little as he then pointed out the bad pun. "Meteor pun."

Ryu smiled at the corniness of the joke while rolling his eyes, and then frowned again as Lightspeed spoke up while walking over to them. "Hey guys; check out my blueprints!" Lightspeed showed what looked like a flamethrower that also doubled as a laser shooter. "It's a flamethrower that doubles as a laser shooter. The more dragon fire inserted into the fuel tank, the more powerful the attacks!" Lightspeed noticed the tension as he set his blueprints down and started to get worried. "Hey. Are you guys okay?"

Spike looked to Ryu, who nodded just before Spike told Lightspeed what Ryu told him and Ember. "Ryu got his Nightmare Moon mark three years ago, and Claws used that as an excuse to try and get him shunned, which he succeeded at."

Lightspeed was shocked to hear about this, and then he looked at his blueprints in remorse. He couldn't believe who he was helping with this kind of stuff. "And I'M designing weapons to make for them?"

"It's my fault Lightspeed." Spike assured Lightspeed, finally out of his delusion that Claws had his best interests at heart. "Claws revealing herself as my mother messed with my head so much that I couldn't think rationally enough to notice the obvious signs that she was using me. I'm the reason we're even here."

Lightspeed couldn't deny that, even though he didn't blame Spike. He couldn't deny how excited he was though. "I still did it willingly. I'm as much to blame." Lightspeed sighed as he then opened up to Spike about something else. "Believe it or not, I didn't even tell Rainbow Dash that I wanted to become an inventor. She's so excited about me reaching my name's potential that I never had the courage to tell her." Spike and Ryu started to feel bad for Lightspeed with Ember being a little confused. "I don't want to let her down."

"Is Rainbow Dash your sister or something?" Ember asked, and Lightspeed nodded his head yes in response with Ember having a follow up to that. "Does she need to be scorched in the face?"

"No no no; definitely not!" Lightspeed assured Ember, still loving his sister more than just about anything. "She's the best older sister I could ask for." Lightspeed then folded his blueprints up and held them tightly as he expressed his worry of letting Rainbow Dash down. "That's why I'm worried about telling her I don't want to train to the point where I can go at light speed. If I tell her she can't have the super fast younger brother she's always wanted, she could get crushed. I can't let her down when her hopes are so high."

Spike knew exactly what to do and stepped closer to Lightspeed. He then put both of his palms on his shoulders as he spoke up. "Look at me dude." Lightspeed looked at Spike, who gave him a sincere, honest, compassionate look as he assured him that he would be okay. "I know how you feel, worrying about how someone will feel about you if you reveal something about yourself you've kept hidden out of fear. Regardless of what it is, that feeling can be scary. Believe it or not, I came out to Twilight by her catching me gawking at a guy."

Lightspeed had to admit that he was surprised to hear that. Spike seemed so confident compared to him. He couldn't ever see Spike being unable to confess something that anyone could feel. The only thing he's ever seen him worried about regarding himself was his Nightmare Moon powers. "That's unexpected. With how confident you are, I could've sworn you did it without having to worry about how Twilight would feel about you afterwards."

"You don't have to worry about that either Lightspeed. I'm not saying nervousness and fear aren't stuff you're allowed to feel, but I know Rainbow Dash will be fine with this." Lightspeed saw the comfort in Spike's voice as he continued to assure him that it'd all be fine. "I've seen how well you and Rainbow Dash get along. I know she'll understand how you feel. You just have to tell her yourself if you want to make any progress." Spike then smiled, which made Lightspeed feel more secure. "And the progress, will be knowing your sister loves you, no matter what."

Lightspeed smiled gratefully as he felt a huge weight being lifted off of his shoulders. He was still worried about confessing to Rainbow Dash, but he saw every point Spike was making. Ryu and Ember were smiling, knowing that the two of them had calmed down, and they looked at each other and nodded in response to show this. Spike and Lightspeed's feelings for one another started to intensify in the moment, and the two closed their eyes as they leaned in close...

"I'm back everyone!"

...only for the door to slam open and for Claws to come in with a fake friendly smile on her face. The others were cautious, especially Ryu, and Claws could tell. She decided to get to the point and snatched the blueprints from Lightspeed, knowing his caution could lead to him keeping the blueprints from her. She inspected it, and she was certainly impressed. "Quite impressive young Pegasus. (Looks at Lightspeed) Just gather the materials to test this and you've proven your worth."

Lightspeed chuckled nervously and tried to think of an excuse to not help Claws find the parts she needed. "I'd love to Claws, but I... have to get home for dinner soon. My sister gets worried if I'm not home by then."

"Then perhaps I should visit her as well." Claws suggested, and then she gave a stern glare to Lightspeed, one that made fear shiver down his spine with Spike stepping in front of him as Claws spoke. "Unless you're having second thoughts."

Spike got his dark powers ready and Claws lost it when she saw his mark, snapping and grabbing Spike violently. "YOU KILLED MY HUSBAND YOU DISGRACEFUL TYRANT!"

"What!?" Spike exclaimed, unable to believe the words that just came out of Claws' mouth "What are you talking about!?"

"You have Nightmare Moon's magic inside of you now!" Claws shouted, pointing to Spike's mark and explaining to him exactly what happened as she threw him to the ground. "Nightmare Moon's magic killed my husband long ago!" Lightspeed helped Spike get up as Claws continued. "He was also your father!"

Spike flinched when he heard that and tried not to let it get to him. Ember then stepped up, refusing to let Claws talk to her own son, let along HER own brother, like that. "Don't talk to your son like that mom!" Ember's words caused Ember to glare at her, but Ember didn't care. She just wanted confirmation on one thing. "Is it true what you did to Ryu? (Ryu steps up) That you had him shunned by everyone because some of Nightmare Moon's magic courses through his veins now?"

"What's he doing, screaming it to anyone who'll listen?" Claws asked with incredible annoyance, and then she sighed as she spoke up about the situation. "Yes; I had him shunned by everyone, but are you really surprised? He holds Nightmare Moon's magic! Nightmare Moon must be perished from all light for what she did to me!"

"That wasn't Ryu's fault!" Spike shouted, tired of listening to this nonsense and walking off while signaling the others to follow him. "Regardless of what killed my father, I'm not listening to this. Cmon guys." Lightspeed and Ryu went to leave with Spike, and Ember stayed where she was, leaving Spike to look back after chuckling a bit and smiling. "That's fair. We've only known each other for one day."

Claws then pinned Spike to the ground and was about to slash him before Ryu slammed her into the wall with his magic. He managed to pin her there as well, using his magic to form a strong tape of some kind that held Nightmare Moon's magic inside of it. He then snapped his fingers, teleporting himself, along with Spike, Lightspeed, and Ember out of there. The four of them arrived at the entrance with Spike being relieved about what he just avoided. "Thanks Ryu. Now I know why my mom gave me up for adoption."

Ember walked over to Spike, Lightspeed, and Ryu, while expressing regret for what she was about to do. She didn't want to leave her brother after one day, but she knew it wouldn't help to leave her mother unattended to. Someone had to keep an eye on her after all. "I'm sorry Spike. Believe it or not, I wanna go back with you guys. But someone has to watch over our mother, and it clearly isn't safe for that to be you."

"I get that. That's why I took it so well." Spike admitted, and then he looked at the mark on his claw. It made him disgusted and the others could tell with Spike clenching his fist in anger as he then put his palm down and spoke to Ember again. "I just hope you can join us one day. (Smiles) Twilight's handled ME for this long; one more dragon won't be too much."

Ember smiled upon hearing that warm welcome as Spike laughed a bit, but Ember knew she had to stay, at least for now. She then expressed empathy as she frowned and spoke about her intentions some more. "Our mother was hit with a tragic event that scarred her for life Spike. That much is true. I'm hoping that there's still some goodness left in her, knowing that the turn to evil wasn't a choice she made for no reason. If there's a chance we can save her, then I have to take it."

Spike had to respect that. Ember was clearly a loyal dragon, and one that he would hope to be true sisters with one day. The two weren't sure how to embrace, starting with a hug, but then stopping, and then feeling a claw shake was too formal. The two of them settled for a fist bump as Spike asked Ember a question. "So you're gonna look for a way to help Claws then?"

Ember nodded her head yes, and then she said something that stuck with Spike in a good way. "Let's hope I can. Whether it's with a song, or with a slap in the face." 

Spike snickered a bit at that last part, and then he headed over to where Ryu was with Lightspeed as the two waved goodbye to her. "See you around Ember!"

Ryu got ready to teleport away, and he looked at Ember, who gave a genuine smile to him, letting him know that there were no grudges. "Yes." Ryu then smiled back, glad to see that he and Ember were on good terms. "See you." Ryu then snapped his fingers, and he, Spike, and Lightspeed were off. Ember then looked back at the cave and gave a determined look. She walked over to the cave, and she knew what she was about to face. She had one goal in mind; and that was to find a way to save her mother.





Spike, Lightspeed, and Ryu were back home as they explained the situation to Twilight, who was horrified by what she'd just heard. "Your mother is actually that crazy!?" Spike nodded his head yes with Twilight hugging him instantly, knowing this had to have been hard on him. "Spike, you have no idea how sorry I am. (Pulls Spike away) Both because you almost died, and because of who your blood mother turned out to be. That must've been horrible for you to bare."

"Can't say it was easy." Spike answered, and Twilight continued to show concern as Spike looked at Ryu, feeling bad about ignoring his warnings. "Ryu. I'm sorry I didn't listen to you about Claws. If I wasn't so blinded by getting to know my blood family and more about my species, I would've listened to you sooner and that whole mess could've been avoided."

Ryu sighed with discomfort. He knew that he was partially responsible for why things went as bad as they did. "I can't act like I was completely innocent. The way I handled things was far too insensitive towards your perspective." Spike was surprised to hear that. He didn't blame Ryu one bit for what happened today. "I should've considered that we were talking about your birth mother when telling you not to go."

Lightspeed was quick to chime in, bringing up a good thing about this whole event. "Look at it this way Spike. If we didn't go, you wouldn't have met Ember."

Spike had to smile a bit upon hearing that, and Twilight then became curious as to who Ember was. "Who's Ember?"

"She's my blood sister." Spike explained, and then she assured Twilight that she was much nicer than Claws. "Don't worry, she's way nicer than Claws. Actually, she stood up to her after we all found out what happened to Ryu before."

Twilight looked at Ryu, who she felt bad for as well. She obviously cared more about what happened to Spike since he's her brother, but she still wanted Ryu to know that he cared. "That must've been terrible for you Ryu. I can personally assure you that won't happen to you here."

Ryu could already believe that and smiled in response. He only believed it more now, that coming to help Spike was the right call. "Thank you. I'll remember that."

Spike then turned the couch heater on and loved the feel of it on his butt, leaving Lightspeed and Ryu to smile as they enjoyed it as well. Just not as much as Spike. "Okay, seriously Lightspeed. You'd better give the family you make in the future stuff that's as cool as this." Lightspeed laughed a bit and blushed softly at Spike's words as the screen faded to black, ending the episode off.





An instrumental version of the main theme played during the credits.
> Bad Owl Pun
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spike and Twilight were currently walking up a hill with Twilight contemplating how a certain book in the library disappeared. "I could've sworn I put it backed where it belonged. Maybe we should do a thorough search tomorrow."

"That won't be necessary." Spike insisted, seeming a little more skittish than usual. Which was, at all. "I checked the shelf three times over, and there was nothing there. If it turns up, I'll let you know." Twilight decided to take Spike's words for it, despite her suspicions. She knew she could trust her little brother.

Spike was carrying up some kind of wagon with a bunch of stuff in it, and as they got up to the hill where all their friends were, Lightspeed saw him and went over to him. "Spike; you made it!"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world." Spike responded confidently, and he let Twilight take the stuff out, which was then revealed to be a telescope and some food. "A centennial meteor shower isn't something I'd wanna miss out on. I'm way too cool for that!" Lightspeed laughed a bit with Spike asking him a question. "Did you talk to Rainbow Dash yet?"

"I did. She took it super well and even promised to get me something related to science for my birthday." Lightspeed answered, being glad that his sister was so supportive of his passion. "Now all she has to do is look for a new sidekick."

Scootaloo was listening in on the conversation and dashed up to Rainbow Dash with a look of admiration. "A new sidekick!? Can that be me!? Please Rainbow Dash!? I promise I'll be totally awesome!"

Rainbow Dash liked Scootaloo's eagerness, and decided to give her something small to start her off. "I guess an audition couldn't do too much damage. I'm in squirt. How about takin' out the trash?"

Rainbow dash asked, and then she finished a soda she was drinking before tossing it to Scootaloo, who caught it on her head. "You got it RD! Oh; is it okay if I call you that?" Rainbow Dash nodded her head yes with a smile, making Scootaloo glad before she ran off. "Sweet! Thanks!" Spike and Lightspeed watched Scootaloo run off before looking at each other with smirks while nodding their heads no. They then laughed off what just happened and decided to join the others.





All kinds of moments from season one were shown as Twilight was heard   singing the main theme of the show, My Little Pony Friends. "For  every day, I look around me, for every time I see you near. I thank the   stars, whose light surrounds me, I thank the earth that keeps you here.   Cause I will only follow, my true heart. And I can see it clear now,   right from the start. You were my little pony. I used to wonder what   friendship could be; my little pony. Until you shared it's magic with   me. My little pony. I used to wonder what friendship could be. My little pony. Until you shared it's magic, with me.





Spike was currently talking to the others as he brought up something embarrassing about Twilight that made her flinch. "You should definitely get a whiff of Twilight's room when she wakes up. It's nasty."

Twilight gave a baffled look and smirked to Spike as she nudged her younger brother playfully. "Spike Universal Sparkle; you are not one to speak about that!"

Spike laughed a bit as Applejack then pointed out how weird Spike's initials sounded out of context. "Spike Universal Sparkle? Doesn't that spell 'sus' if we're using initials?"

"We didn't think it through." Twilight admitted, and then the meteor shower started, catching her attention as she looked through the telescope. "It's starting! Get ready everyone!" Everyone else watched the meteor shower together, and they all let the moment sink in as meteors started soaring through the sky. The sight was truly one to behold with it's beauty and grace. It was no wonder that this event always took one hundred years to happen. Spike also took the time to scoot closer to Lightspeed, who smiled upon noticing.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack also started snuggling as they watched the shower, and the CMC had their arms wrapped around each other as they did as well. Rarity and Pinkie Pie were also watching, and smiled to each other as they thought about how great this moment was. Spike also took the time to take his phone out and record the end of the meteor shower, which was shown to be a big explosion that overtook the sky, and thankfully wasn't too bright.

After Spike finished recording, he saw how in awe everyone was and went over to the wagon to get the food for everyone. "Alright everyone. I know we mainly just came up here for the meteor shower, but I planned something for this occasion after Twilight told me about it." Spike pulled out some meteor themed cookies and brought them over to the others. They were all in awe, and Spike was happy to explain what they were all about. "Special space cookies. Your color is the cookie that was made for you."

Spike then handed out the cookies one by one, with Rainbow Dash getting the rainbow one, Pinkie Pie getting the cupcake one, Sweetie Belle getting white chocolate, and so-on (I'm too lazy to list off every flavor). Once they were all passed out, Pinkie Pie was more than happy to point out how good the cookies were. "Thanks Spike. These cookies are super duper yummy! I'm always glad to know someone who takes baking as seriously as I do."

"Baking and cooking in general for me." Spike corrected, happily eating his chocolate chip cookie, which he made for himself because it's his favorite flavor. "Still, glad to know my skills aren't half-baked." The others laughed at Spike's bad pun with Spike being glad that he was able to make this already magical night even better. He really can be one smart cookie. Pun intended.





Later that night, Spike was sound asleep with Twilight in her room, sitting at her desk while studying late at night. She was so engrossed in her research that she didn't notice the breeze that was in her room. And as she was writing something down, she failed to notice the owl coming into her room after catching a floating paper that flew out. He made sure not to break it, and flew over to Twilight to return it. Since the window was behind Twilight however, that meant the owl was as well. And as the owl flew over to Twilight, what emerged from Twilight was...

PFFFFFFFFFFT

...a five second fart that reeked of rotten eggs, making Twilight's butt vibrate as the yellow cloud hit the owl and sent him towards Twilight's bed. Twilight failed to notice her flatulence, but she DID hear the thud on her bed and stopped writing to investiage. As she turned around, she observed what happened and quickly deducted that she'd hit the owl with her gas. She giggled a bit while blushing, walking over to the owl to apologize. "Sorry about that. I sometimes fart on my brother without noticing when I'm engrossed in my studies as well."

The owl hooted with forgiveness and handed Twilight the paper it caught, leaving Twilight to gag at the scent of it. "Thank you. I'll have to get rid of the scent, though." Twilight then got an idea and hoped that the owl wouldn't mind what she was about to suggest. "Ya know, my brother can't stay awake 24/7, and I do need help at night sometimes. If you don't mind, would you like to be my nighttime assistant?"

The owl thought for a few moments, and despite the smelly introduction he got to Twilight, he felt it wouldn't hurt to accept. After all, he would have a guaranteed home now, and that would give him plenty of benefits. He hooted happily, and Twilight was glad to see that he was on board. "Great! Welcome aboard. (Starts thinking) Now what should I name you?"





Spike was wide awake the next morning, and as he left his room, he called to Twilight regarding breakfast. "Hey Twilight! I'm gonna start making breakfast soon! What're you hungry for right now!?" Spike didn't get a response and figured that Twilight was still sleeping. He shrugged and went downstairs, deciding to just make the most common kind. "Bacon and eggs with a side of toast it is." As Spike went downstairs, he saw the owl from last night eating some seeds from the pantry and laughed upon sight. "Oh yeah, this is good."

Spike walked over to the owl and decided to call him out on what he was doing as he did. "Not very subtle there buddy. Twilight's not gonna like seeing a mess this early." The owl addressed Spike and hooted, leaving Spike to comment on what he thought the owl was saying. "My sister." The owl hooted again, and Spike wasn't entirely sure what it was saying. "Dude. My owl, isn't very strong." Twilight was leaving her room as she overheard this conversation. "You speak Ponish?"

The owl hooted again, and Twilight saw what was going on, being glad that Spike had met the owl on his own terms. "Morning Spike. Morning Owlowiscious." Spike was confused by that name as Twilight came down and spoke with a smile. "I'm glad the two of you could meet without my intervention."

"Yeah, that's great Twilight." Spike responded, and then he felt the need to ask what Owlowiscious living here was all about. "Since when do we have an owl living here, and since when are owls awake during the day?"

"Since last night, and I'll let you know when I figure out why he's awake during day hours." Twilight answered, and then she explained why she adopted Owlowiscious when Spike started getting what he needed to make breakfast. "He stopped this paper from flying out of my bedroom window, and him helping me without a second thought made me realize that I could use some assistance during the night as well. And I could never ask you to stay up twenty four hours a day."

"Unless it were a challenge, of course." Spike assured Twilight, being ready for it if she decided to go through with something like that. "But yeah, this could be a good thing. Now I won't have to worry about you waking me up at night with one of your midnight spell explosions." Spike then started thinking about what would happen if an owl who was awake 24/7 lived here. 'I can totally see him getting me ready for a late night date with Lightspeed. Well, after we get together that is."

Twilight was secretly reading Spike's mind, surprising him as she called out his little thought. "And he's not for helping you out as a matchmaker."

Spike flinched and turned the stove off before putting the bacon on and then called Twilight out for her mind reading. "Well now he owes me one of those nights because a certain unicorn decided to play psychic!" Twilight snickered a bit at her brother's reaction, having been familiar with it when she read his mind for a while now.





Spike was currently practicing his moves in the mirror for Lightspeed, since the gala was nearing it's arrival. "Come on Lightspeed. It's pretty easy to see that the two of us are into each other. Let's just, make it happen." Spike then felt that was too flirtatious and sighed as he tried to think of another one. "Too flirtatious. Maybe I should try being more casual. We are capable of talking to people like normal creatures."

"Spike!? Could you get me my blue potion please!?" Twilight called from the basement, leaving Spike to head on over to see what it was about. "I can't move or this potion will explode!" Spike went into the basement, only to find Owlowiscious dropping the potion in for him, much to his confusion. "Never mind. Turns out Owlowiscious was already down here."

Spike walked over to Owlowiscious, still wondering why he was helping Twilight during the daytime. He knew it was just a coincidence, but he still wanted to be sure. "And he's supposed to be the one helping you during nighttime, right?" Twilight wasn't quite sure what Spike was getting at, but then Owlowiscious saw him giving a warning look before he left. "Just don't let it happen too often Owlowiscious. Believe it or not, I like helping Twilight while I'm at home."

Spike left the basement with Twilight assuring Owlowiscious that it wasn't anything serious after she settled the potion down. "Don't worry. He's probably just anxious since you're helping during the day when he's supposed to. (Smiles and looks at Owlowiscious) Although, you don't have to do it when he's awake." Owlowiscious hooted, showing that he didn't mind helping Twilight whenever she needed it.

Spike was in the living room contemplating what'd just happened, unsure of what to make of the situation after what he just saw. "He knows he's only supposed to help during nighttime, right? So why did he go to Twilight's aid during the daytime without her asking to?" Spike thought for a little longer, but then decided to brush it off and continue enjoying his day.





Spike was playing video games later that day, and Twilight was writing a letter of some kind as she went down the stairs. When she set her quill and paper down on a bedside table, she started writing a little too hard and snapped the tip of her quill off. "Shoot! That was my last quill." Spike had just finished the latest level in his game with Twilight hoping that he could get her a new quill. "Spike, could you please get me a new set of quills?"

"Sure thing." Spike answered as he saved his game, making sure he put his console into rest mode before heading out. He then had a question in mind before he headed out. "Before I forget, Owlowiscious knows he has mornings off, right?"

Twilight was a little confused by that question, "He should." but then had an idea as to what was going on and assured Spike otherwise. "Don't worry Spike. He won't be replacing you anytime soon. I'm waiting until you get married and move out for THAT to happen."

Spike laughed a bit in response to that, knowing that Twilight would at least look out for him well enough to give him a place to stay. "Good to know. (Runs off) I'll be right back!" Spike headed out of the library with Twilight then noticing his messy game area. She rolled her eyes while smiling as she cleaned up the snacks he'd left there and put his still half full soda in the fridge for him. That's ironic. He can't clean up after himself, and yet he's so willing to do it for others.





Spike was currently at the quill and sofa store as he was having a conversation with the owner about something he found ridiculous. "You've gotta be kidding me dude. You're out, of quills?" The salespony nodded his head yes as Spike then pointed out the obvious flaw with that. "And yet you're called 'Quills and Sofas'. You sell two things!"

"Sorry kid. We aren't expecting any quills until Monday." The salespony informed Spike, who wasn't having it.

"The person writing this story wrote this exchange on a Monday. Does that count?" Spike snarked, leaving the salespony to nod his head no as Spike then sighed and vented a little. "Well here's hoping you get your quills soon. Because right now, (Points to the sign) you're just sofas." Spike walked off with an annoyed look in this face, leaving the Salespony to feel bad that he couldn't help him.





Spike's next stop was Pinkie Pie's place, since it was nearby, so he went over to Sugarcube Corner and went up to the counter. "Yo Pinkie!"

Pinkie Pie skated on over to Spike, excited to see how she could help him. "Hiya Spike! How can I help you today?"

"Well since I'm here, I'll take a peppermint and chocolate shake combo." Spike ordered, and then he let Pinkie Pie know what else he needed as she was getting it ready. "Also, I need a quill. I was hoping you'd have one."

Pinkie Pie skated back on over to Spike with a milkshake, and also a quiche, which he was confused by. "Here ya go buddy!"

Spike ate the quiche, and then clarified to Pinkie Pie that it wasn't what he needed. "Thanks, but I meant a quill. Q-u-i-l-l. Also, you're a little short on cheese."

"Oh, a quill!" Pinkie Pie gave Spike the bill for his food and let him know she didn't have any quills on her. "Sorry Spike. No quills here. I gotta get one too."

"Eh, no worries. I'll look somewhere else. Thanks anyway." Pinkie Pie gave a salute before skating off to her next customer, and as she did, Spike paid for the milkshake and left. 'At least I didn't have to pay for the quiche.'





Spike was currently talking to Lightspeed, who was looking through his bag for a quill. "I could've sworn I left my spare in here. Did I get it mixed up with that scrap metal I found on the way home yesterday?" Spike was waiting patiently with Lightspeed then pulling out his spare quill. "Yes! Here it is!" 

Spike saw that the quill was super high tech, much to his amazement as he pointed it out. "Dang; that looks super high tech! Did you make this!?"

"Sure did." Lightspeed confirmed, going into intense detail as to how he put everything together. "I took one of Rainbow Dash's ordinary quills and added some leg enhancements into this one, hence the nanomachines surrounding it. Now the quill can stand on two legs and write stuff on it's own! I call it, the Senti-Quill!"

Spike was impressed by what he saw and let Lightspeed know as he spoke up about it. "You really pulled through with this Lightspeed. You prove you've got that inventor's magic in you every day you try!" Lightspeed gave a bashful laugh and blushed as he scratched the back of his head. He was always flattered whenever someone complimented his work.





Spike arrived home with the Senti-Quill, knowing that Twilight would be stoked to have it in her possession. "Twilight! Lightspeed made this totally sick looking quill that can move and write on it's own!"

"That sounds great Spike, but I'm all good right now." Twilight informed Spike, showing him a quill she'd found earlier. "I tried to call you earlier to tell you that Owlowiscious gave me one of his feathers to use."

Spike checked his phone and found that it was on silent, so he turned it off before responding. "I thought you said he knew he only had to help at night."

"He does. For some reason though, he doesn't sleep during the day like most owls do." Owlowiscious was shown looking through the lower part of the library as Twilight explained what she thought Owlowiscious was all about to Spike. "I think he might be a rare species of owl that can stay up for as long as they like, but I'll have to do more research to be sure." Owlowiscious found a burnt up book in one of the shelves and inspected it. He had a feeling that it would be beneficial to show this to Twilight.





Spike was testing out the Senti-Quill by having it write a book report for school, and he was amazed by it's efficiency. It'd already finished most of the ten page essay he had to finish, and he knew he was gonna love having it around. "Lightspeed, you beautiful flying genius; you've come through once again!" As Spike was looking at the Senti-Quill's work, Twilight burst into his room, startling him as he called her out on it. "Sheesh Twilight! At least KNOCK before you break my door!"

Twilight did so, and when she finished, she revealed a burnt book to Spike, who was confused as she set it down on his desk. Thankfully, she made sure the essay wasn't in the way when she set it down, so it was still perfectly fine. When she set the book down, she spoke sternly to her younger brother. "Spike. What, is this?"

Spike looked at the book, and not really understanding what Twilight was getting at, he responded. "Pssh. Duh; it's a burnt up book." Twilight raised an eyebrow, leaving Spike to realize what happened. "Oh, right. Now I gotya."

"Yep. It's the Astronomer's Guide to Space and Comets." Twilight responded, and then she called Spike out for the little fib he made regarding it. "You said this book went missing, and funnily enough, Owlowiscious found it right where it belonged, and in far worse condition than it was ever in before. How did it get this way?"

Spike thought for a moment on how to explain this, clearly being worried about how things turned out. "Well ya see Twilight, I was looking for it in the library's lower floor, and it was super dusty, and I didn't wanna disappoint you, so um..." He then decided to ask her directly. "Have you ever seen a dragon sneeze?"

"I've seen a dragon lie!"

"Wouldn't be the first time either."

Twilight rolled her eyes in annoyance as she let Spike know how she felt about this. "I'm very disappointed in you Spike. Luckily, I should be able to get another copy." As Twilight left the room, she looked back at a concerned Spike to comment on the Senti-Quill. "You were right about that quill though. It's sentient writing is remarkable!"

"I know, right?" Twilight then left the room, leaving Spike to plan on how to get back at Owlowiscious for what happened just now.





Spike was talking to Fluttershy as he explained why he needed to borrow something from her. "And I know this place would be the perfect place for bird feathers, and that you basically take care of birds all the time, and I was hoping you'd have at least one owl."

Fluttershy wasn't sure she should be helping Spike with this, but then he slipped into her house and went into the kitchen when he heard an owl hoot in there. "Um, Spike? I don't think you should be getting back at Owlowiscious for an accident."

"How do YOU know it was an accident?" Spike asked, and then he saw the owl and grabbed it gently, moving it out of the pantry as he noticed all of the food in there. "Vegan pie recipes? Ah; so THAT'S how Applejack was able to go vegan. Wait. Aren't most ponies vegan already?"

"Technically yes, but some take it more seriously than others. Like me." Fluttershy explained as she went into the kitchen, and then she found that Spike was brushing off the owl's feathers, causing them to fall off. "Um..."

Spike then put the feathers in his backpack before explaining to Fluttershy what that was all about. "I read somewhere that if you just brush the owl's feathers off, you won't cause them pain." Fluttershy was concerned at first, but then she saw that the owl wasn't in any harm. She was at least glad to see him still flying around without a care.





Spike was now looking around for something in Rarity's house with the unicorn asking what exactly that was. Rarity was watching as Spike pulled a mouse toy out from under her bed and asked about it. "Please do remind me Spike. How exactly is a mouse toy going to help you get back at Owlowiscious?"

"Simple. I make it look like he ripped a mouse to shreds on Twilight's carpet, and he looks bad enough to scold." Rarity raised an eyebrow in confusion with Spike then admitting he could've done better. "Okay, I admit; I thought this up on the spot. I'm only using a fake mouse because I don't wanna kill a real animal just to get back at someone I don't like."

Rarity could at least get behind that. She did have to question if this would work however. "Even so, I imagine Twilight would be smart enough to see past your little shenanigan."

"Maybe. But I'm not going down without a fight." Spike declared, and then he walked past Rarity while thanking her for her time. "Thanks for letting me in." Rarity watched Spike head out of the Boutique, being worried for how he was handling the situation.





Spike was currently putting his plan into motion, setting down the owl feathers after making sure Twilight and Owlowiscious weren't home. Once he finished setting the feathers down, he ripped up the mouse toy and put it's skin all over the place. He made sure to leave out any fluff before taking out a bottle of some kind of fake blood and splattering it in a believable enough size. Once he was finished with his plotting, he put his fake blood away and ran upstairs to make it look like he didn't have anything to do with it.

Twilight then came upstairs in with Twilight being relieved by what she discovered. "So he's a rare breed of Infinite Energy Owl! That explains why you're awake during the day!" Twilight then noticed everything that was on the floor just as Owlowiscious came in from the bottom room of the book area in the library. When he arrived, he saw Twilight contemplating the mess on the floor. "How did this happen!? Did something happen while I was in the basement!?"

Spike then came out of his room and pretended to be ignorant to the situation as he went downstairs. "What's going on Twilight?" Spike then gave a fake gasp when he 'noticed' what happened, and he dashed downstairs while putting on a show about it. "That poor little field mouse! There was so much life left in him. Or her, or them; I don't judge. And it was taken away just like (Snaps fingers) that." Twilight raised an eyebrow in suspicion as Spike continued the act. "Who could've done such a terrible, terrible thing?"

Owlowiscious couldn't help but snicker at what was going on as Spike then turned his gaze to him. "It must have been Owlowiscious! (Looks at Twilight) Ya know; cause owls eat mice, therefore it's the only logical solution." Twilight gave a deadpan look as Spike tried to lay the finishing blow to get Owlowiscious in trouble. "Such a tragedy. Caused by someone we thought we could trust. If only we knew beforehand that he would do something so heinous."

Twilight looked at the audience with her deadpan expression as Spike then dramatically looked at Owlowiscious. "He must, be, (Pointed to Owlowiscious dramatically) punished!" Lightning cracked as Spike finished that statement, confusing Twilight for a moment before Spike then dashed up to her and held his claws together while putting on a cutsy face. "Right?"

Twilight wasn't having it though, and was quick to point out Spike's plan as dumb. "Spike, if you're going to set someone up, then at least put some effort into it." Spike gave an annoyed look as Twilight then expressed how upset this made her. "I wish I knew what was worse. The fact that you desperately tried to set up Owlowiscious, or the fact that you couldn't come up with a better scheme than trying to pass off a toy mouse as a formerly alive one."

"Hey, if I didn't care about life I would've used a REAL mouse." Spike told Twilight, who sighed as Spike then defended his actions regarding the setup. "Besides. I wasn't just gonna sit there and let myself get busted without a fight." Twilight heard a sense of concern in Spike's voice, and that led her to believing that she needed to talk about this with him. She didn't want him thinking that Owlowiscious moving in was going to end badly for him.





Spike and Twilight were in the dragon's room as Spike was explaining to Twilight how he felt about this. "And I didn't even mind it at first. Obviously you need some help during the night, and Owlowiscious, being an owl, seemed like the perfect candidate. And then he starts helping you when he's not supposed to, and then he gets me busted for that burnt book, which now that I think about it I would've gotten busted for anyway, and I was starting to get worried he was gonna get me kicked out."

Twilight couldn't help but laugh a bit at how silly that thought was as she assured Spike that it wasn't the case. "Spike, I don't keep you around because you help me around the library. That's just a bonus." Spike already knew that much, but Twilight still knew he needed to be reminded of it. "I keep you around because I love you, and your company." Twilight scooted closer to Spike and wrapped her arm around him for comfort. "I wouldn't make you leave unless you wanted to."

Spike was definitely glad to hear that, and he started to realize how dumb he was being. "I can't believe I actually needed a reminder of that."

"Sometimes, that's the case for someone. Even if it's something they took to heart." Twilight assured Spike, knowing that this wasn't only a him problem. "Everyone has those moments in life where they forget the obvious things, and they start to think stuff that isn't going to happen or something like that. Hehe. Believe me. I've needed a couple reminders that I earned my position as Queen Celestia's star pupil."

Spike was definitely glad to be hearing this from Twilight. Now he'd only wished he didn't try to set up Owlowiscious. "I guess that makes sense. I just wish mine didn't ruin my chance to make a new friend."

"There's still time." Twilight assured Spike, knowing that Owlowiscious wouldn't hold a grudge over this. Spike smiled in response to that, glad that he still had time to make things right.





Spike was playing video games as Owlowiscious watched and let Spike explain what he was doing. "So now Jake can stay in his Angel Breaker form for even longer. That's the benefit of doing the side stuff." As Owlowiscious payed attention to what Spike was doing, Spike finished the level and pumped his fist before speaking up. "Ya know Owlowicious, I had my moments of suspicion, but now I'm really glad we're working in the same boat." Owlowiscious happily accepted Spike's claw shake with the two accepting each other as friends.

Spike then noticed the time and saved his game as he let Owlosicious know. "Your shift's about to start dude. Twilight should be in the basement." Owlowicious hooted as a thanks to Spike, and he went down into the basement to see how Twilight was doing. When he went down there, he noticed that she was incredibly invested in a potion she was making. It was some kind of monster creating potion, something she was clearly testing for the sake of science.

Owlowiscious flew over to one of the shelves to see if he could find something that Twilight could use just as the potion spawned a monster. "Just as I expected!" Twilight then started looking through the book while backing up, looking for a way to take the monster out, and she failed to notice Owlowiscious right behind her as she did. "Noxious fumes, huh?" She pinned Owlowiscious to the wall with her butt without noticing, "Too bad Spike is probably getting ready for bed right now." and this led to...

PFFFFFFFFFF...

...Twilight unleashing a loud and bassy fart into Owlowiscious' face, letting out a yellow cloud of rotten eggs that made her butt vibrate while also making the monster gag in response...

FFFFFFFFFFT

When the monster left, Twilight was confused as she saw it go back into it's flask. She then realized her surroundings and turned around while blushing, realizing that he'd farted on Owlowiscious again, this time with it being a pin fart. She felt even worse about this one than the last. "Sorry Owlowiscious. I know that couldn't have been a pleasent start to a shift." Owlowiscious brushed it off as he wafted the fart away and got ready to actually start his shift. His hoot to Twilight showed his determination as the screen faded to black, ending the episode off.





An instrumental version of the main theme played during the credits.
> The Grand Galloping Gala Part One
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spike and the others were allwearing their fancy clothing while getting ready to head off to Canterlot for the Gala with Spike shown to be looking into a mirror. He thought he looked quite handsome in his tux, and it made him more confident about asking Lightspeed an important question. Twilight saw him admiring himself and giggled a bit as she walked up to him. "Someone's ready for the Gala."

"You bet I am Twilight." Spike responded, and then he turned to Twilight as he filled her in on his plans. "Tonight's the night. after almost a year of getting to know him, I'm finally gonna make the step." Spike gained a look of courage as he finished his statement. "I'm gonna ask Lightspeed to officially be my boyfriend."

Twilight affectionately rubbed Spike's head as she encouraged his love for Lightspeed. "You two will be a perfect couple Spike. And since two males can't conceive a baby, I'll also help you find a suitable infant or child to adopt."

Spike was grateful for that, and Lightspeed called over to them from the carriage. "Spike! Twilight! We're almost ready!" Rarity was shown to be looking flirtatious and beautiful as she led two stallions to the carriage. "Let's not stallion too long!"

Spike couldn't help snickering at the bad pun Twilight rolled her eyes while smiling when the two walked over. Rainbow Dash and Applejack were getting quite cuddly in the carriage with Fluttershy easily taking notice. "And when I get in with the Wonderbolts, I'm gonna make sure they get as much of your stock as they can afford.

Fluttershy couldn't help but giggle softly as she warned Applejack about something. "Be careful Applejack. Dating Rainbow Dash has it's benefits, and it's struggles."

"Thanks Fluttershy, but I think I can handle her." Applejack assured Fluttershy, gently nuzzling Rainbow Dash as she finished her sentiment. "Just wait until we walk into that castle together."

Everyone else got into the carriage, sans Spike and Lightspeed, with Rarity expressing her excitement for the Gala. "This is going to be a magical night girls. Let's make it the best night it can possibly be!" The girls all cheered in response to that, and Spike and Lightspeed showed their excitement as well. Their way was a little more subtle though, as they looked to each other and blushed softly, but nodded to show that their excitement was mutual. The group then took off in the carriage to get to the Gala in style.





All kinds of moments from season one were shown as Twilight was heard singing the main theme of the show, My Little Pony Friends. "For every day, I look around me, for every time I see you near. I thank the stars, whose light surrounds me, I thank the earth that keeps you here. Cause I will only follow, my true heart. And I can see it clear now, right from the start. You were my little pony. I used to wonder what friendship could be; my little pony. Until you shared it's magic with me. My little pony. I used to wonder what friendship could be. My little pony. Until you shared it's magic, with me.





Spike was riding everyone to the Gala, and as he rode the chariot, he made some suggestions on what to do before they got there. "We could also visit my favorite donut shop in Canterlot. They have some of the best sweets in all of Equestria, and I know Pinkie Pie would love giving them baking tips."

The girls however, were so busy chatting, that they didn't hear what Spike was suggesting. Lightspeed was quick to inform him that he was down for whatever he wanted to do. "Anything you like has to be a fun time for all of us, right?"

"Good enough for me." Spike then felt like speeding up, so he grabbed the reins and signaled the stallions to move faster. "Hyah!"

The light brown stallion then got in Spike's face while clenching his fist angrily. "Excuse me?"

Spike then raised his right palm with a deadpan grin and slapped the stallion, making him rub his cheek in frustration. "I said, 'hyah'. Not get in my face and try to dunk on me to impress a unicorn you probably don't have a shot with because you think threatening to beat up a thirteen year old makes you look sexy."

The stallion was clearly crushed by what Spike said and simply sped up for him, as did the light blue stallion, who called Spike out. "If you weren't friends with Rarity."

"And if YOU weren't our ride." Spike shot back, leaving Lightspeed stunned at how easily he was able to shut down the stallions. It was clear that Spike was not someone to mess with.





Everyone arrived at the Gala, and as Spike and Lightspeed got off, they opened the carriage door for the girls. As they all got out, Twilight thanked Spike and Lightspeed for taking them to the Gala. "Thanks for riding us here you two. Who knew you could ride a carriage so easily?"

"It wasn't all fun and games." Spike admitted, and then he gave Lightspeed a flirtatious look as he explained what went down. "I had to ditch slap one of the stallions for thinking beating on a teenager was gonna win him babes."

Lightspeed wasn't exactly sure if that was worth looking flirtatious about, whereas Twlight just looked worried. "Ooo-kaaay." She then decided to brush it off and head into the castle with the others. "As long as it was in self defense." She then walked inside with the others as she explained her plans for the Gala. "Queen Celestia asked me to talk to her about something yesterday, so I'm gonna see what she wants to talk about before I start socializing. Then I'll probably find my older brother and see what he's been up to in life."

The others seemed okay with that, and a white stallion who was standing guard at the front entrance by the bridge noticed his siblings as Rainbow Dash spoke up. "My plan's the same as it was before. Wonderbolts, then sweet time with Applejack."

Applejack was about to flirt with Rainbow Dash as the stallion called down to his sister and brother. "Twily! Spike!" The stallion slid down the wall of the castle after jumping off and arrived on the bridge to happily greet Spike and Twilight. "It's been ages; I missed you two!"

"Yeah, it's been a real busy life since we moved to Ponyville." Spike admitted, and then he showed that he was excited to see the stallion again as he hugged Twilight. "We missed you too Shining Armor! We were hoping we'd find you at some point tonight."

"You have no idea." Twilight chimed in, and then she introduced Shining Armor to the other girls and Lightspeed. "Girls, Lightspeed, this is our brother, Shining Armor. Before we moved to Ponyville, he was the only pony I could genuinely consider a friend."

Spike then whispered something to Lightspeed in response to that phrasing. "And that's not supposed to be totally sad."

Lightspeed couldn't help but snicker in surprise as Twilight then brought something else up. "And he just so happens to be the captain of the royal guards, so he's the stallion to count on in Canterlot if you run into trouble." Twilight then introduced Shining Armor to the others, and they were happy to meet each other. The others even made poses showing off their personalities "Shining Armor, these are the friends Spike and I made in Ponyville. Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Lightspeed, Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy."

Rarity couldn't help but admire Shining Armor's stature. It just screamed that he took his job seriously. She admired a pony who was committed to their work, and she couldn't help but get a little flirtatious as she stepped forward. "Any chance you're open to slow dancing tonight? My date stood me up for a Manehattan girl, and I could use a night killer."

Shining Armor chuckled nervously, not wanting to upset Rarity with what he had to say next. "Believe it or not, I'm taken. I plan on slow dancing with HER later tonight."

"Oooh, someone who's committed to work, AND makes time for their lover." Rarity couldn't help admiring Shining Armor even more, despite backing up so he could feel more comfortable. "You must be a real lady killer."

Shining Armor was admittedly flattered by Rarity's words. Lightspeed couldn't help asking about Rarity's date as Shining Armor escorted them inside however. "You were stood up? I find that pretty hard to believe Rarity."

"I get that." Rarity admitted, knowing that she wasn't someone who you would normally want to turn down. "Still; that just goes to show that the two of us weren't meant to be. I'll find my Prince Charming one day." Spike then started holding Lightspeed's hoof tenderly when he saw Rainbow Dash and Applejack doing it as well. Lightspeed was a little surprised, but he still smiled, glad that he was at the Gala with Spike tonight.

Pinkie Pie was quick to chime in, believing that they could all still have a good time. "Just remember Rarity. Even by yourself, it's still possible to have a super duper fun time wheerever you go!"

Shining Armor led everyone inside and showed them what the Gala had to offer upon first glance. "Take a look everyone! This is what the Gala looks like on the inside!" The Mane six, Spike, and Lightspeed looked around, and they were a little... less than impressed. It was certainly a big party, but it was mostly just ponies talking and having a good time. Nothing too disappointing, but it felt like something they could get anywhere in Ponyville as well. Shining Armor could tell and spoke up when he did. "It's definitely... a party."

The others were determined to have a good time though, and Spike was quick to gesture Lightspeed to the dance floor. "Maybe we can see how well you can tear down the dance floor. Then we won't have to miss each other's funeral to to deadly boredom."

Lightspeed burst out laughing at Spike's jab at the party with the two walking off with Pinkie Pie following as well. "Ooh! I wanna go dancing too!"

As the dragon and two ponies headed for the dance floor, Fluttershy tried to ask Shining Armor a question. "Shining Armor, would it be... um..."

Rainbow Dash then chimed in, knowing that Fluttershy was struggling to ask the question, since she just met Shining Armor. "She wants to see the animals in the Royal Garden."

"Odd reason to go to a party." Shining Armor admitted, and then he directed Fluttershy to where it was as she silently mouthed a thank you Rainbow Dash. "It's through that door over there."

Fluttershy was grateful for the help, and smiled as she headed over to the door. "Thank you."

Rainbow Dash then took Applejack and went to where she saw the Wonderbolts, surprising Applejack and making her laugh a little. "Slow down there RD! I still gotta sell my Sweet Apple Acres stock later!"

Rainbow Dash and Applejack talked about that on the way over there as Rarity stated her new plans. "Well there's no point in sulking while the rest of you can still handle your plans just fine. (Smiles confidently) I'm off to find a way to enjoy myself, or my name isn't Rarity Gemicorn!"

Rarity rushed off to go have a good time with Shining Armor pointing out how quirky some of them were. "Your friends are definitely... diverse."

"I know. That would've certainly annoyed me before I moved to Ponyville." Twilight playfully snarked, and then she and Shining Armor headed off to where Celestia was, as Twilight had filled Shining in on her plans before coming here.





Rainbow Dash and Applejack were on there way over to the Wonderbolts with Spitfire instantly recognizing her. She was excited to see her, even when she noticed the mare walking with her. She let her friends know as she headed over to them. "Rainbow Dash! I was hoping you'd show up here!"

"It's a good thing I was awesome enough to get a ticket to this place." Rainbow Dash bragged, and then she introduced Applejack to Spitfire. She hoped that would clear things up from the last time she went to Cloudsdale. "Spitfire, this is my girlfriend Applejack. Applejack, this is Spitfire; the leader of the Wonderbolts, and I guess a... friend?"

Spitfire nodded her head yes, being cool with being a friend to Rainbow Dash. She couldn't help but admire Applejack however. It was clear that Rainbow Dash made a good choice, as she looked exactly like a hard working mare. "She's a lucky lady. Especially if you become a Wonderbolt one day."

"It's not a matter of IF Spitfire." Rainbow Dash corrected confidently, being sure that she would become a Wonderbolt one day. "It's a matter of when."

Spitfire admired that confidence and happily shook Applejack's hoof, having her claim about her being lucky further amplified. "It's a pleasure to meet ya Spitfire. Any friend of Rainbow Dash's is a friend of mine." Spitfire was glad to hear that with Applejack speaking to Rainbow Dash tenderly. "I hate to leave so soon sweetheart, but I gotta get to sellin' my Sweet Apple Acres stock for the party now."

"Sell em like crazy." Rainbow Dash kissed Applejack on her cheek, making her smile as she walked off. Rainbow Dash hoped she could hang out with the Wonderbolts all evening, and dove in swiftly to ask. "So. Any chance you wanna hear about my epic moves?" Spitfire couldn't help but be tempted. Especially if the Sonic Rainboom was anything to go by.





Pinkie Pie was currently tearing up the dance floor, having the time of her life and being the spotlight in the party. "Oh yeah! Shake it everypony! Let's make this the best Grand Galloping Gala ever!"

As Pinkie Pie caught everyone else's attention on the dance floor, Spike and Lightspeed were laughing at the sight of it all. They should've known Pinkie Pie was gonna be the life of the party as soon as everyone walked in. Spike was still determined to ask Lightspeed to be his boyfriend however, and knew he had to act as much as he could to make it happen. "Any chance you're open to a dance when they start playing slow songs?"

"I would love that." Lightspeed answered, knowing that even if they were both bad at it, he would have a great time dancing with Spike. "Just promise me you won't step on my hooves too many times." Spike laughed a bit at Lightspeed's joke and decided to keep it in mind for real. He certainly didn't want to be responsible for an accident involving Lightspeed's hooves.





Fluttershy was currently out in the royal garden as she got a peek through the gate, and when she did, she couldn't help gasping in awe. She saw all kinds of wondrous and beautiful animals from a meadowlark, monkeys, bears, and all kinds of animals roaming around and relaxing in the garden. She loved the sight of it, and as she opened the gate, she made sure not to startle the animals as she went in. She wasn't sure which animal she wanted to approach first. Even if there were some rabbits, like Angel back home.

Fluttershy saw the meadowlark and slowly walked up to it, and at first, the meadowlark was startled upon seeing her. She was quick to assure her that she was a friend when she noticed. "It's okay little birdie. I'm just here to see you and the other garden animals. That's all." Fluttershy laid out her hoof for the meadowlark to land on, and sensing Fluttershy's kind and trustworthy nature, it flew down to her and landed on her hoof. That was one animal down, plenty of others to go.

Fluttershy was glad to see herself doing so well at first. If there was one thing she could do, it was work with animals. She softly hummed to the meadowlark's tweeting and gathered everyone else around with her incredible singing skills. They couldn't help but gather around to listen. Fluttershy was at first nervous by the large crowd of animals, but then she remembered that they were animals and calmed down. She just had to smile as she spoke up about how peaceful this was. "It's just like some of the animals I look after back home."





Meanwhile with Applejack, she'd just gotten set up and started waiting for some customers to come on by. She also made sure to announce her stand being at the gala to get some attention. "Come on down everypony! If you want some Apple family goods made from the heart, I'm more than willin' to provide!"

The result was... less than ideal. Not a lot of ponies went by, but a very pale cornflower blue Pegasus in Wonderbolt attire did come over to place an order. "Apple family goods, huh?" As the Pegasus got a look around, he got a good look at the apple pie and just had to purchase it. "I'll take an apple pie please. My grandma made the best before she passed away."

Applejack could always respect a decision based on family. She was still happy to get the bits though. After making sure it was all there, she handed the Pegasus his apple pie. "Here's hoping this brings back some good times. Mighty thanks for the patronage."

"Not a problem." The Pegasus happily picked up the apple pie and headed back to where the rest of the Wonterbolts were supposedly at.

Applejack got a good look around and couldn't seem to find many other customers who were willing to try her goods. "Not as much business as I'd like." Applejack was determined to get some sales however, deciding to go ahead and make her her cart mobile. She kicked the wheels out and got ready to help business boom. "Good thing I came prepared!"





Rainbow Dash was currently talking to Spitfire and the other Wonderbolts, including the one who was eating his apple pie. She was currently learning from Spitfire, some of the stuff they did as Wonderbolts. "We mostly just do performances for the people of Equestria, but we do actual military stuff when it comes up for us."

"I should know. I saw all of your missions on TV from when I was a filly." Rainbow Dash replied, being more than stoked to do some actual military stuff with the Wonderbolts. "And I actually managed to turn in my tryout letter this time, so starting this summer, you'll be seeing my awesome moves up close!"

The pegasus with the apple pie, despite listening, was loving his pie so much that he just had to start gobbling it down. Spitfire snickered a bit before commenting on it as the other Wonderbolts started laughing. "Cmon Soarin. We're at a party."

Rainbow Dash laughed a little too. She was glad to confirm that the Wonderbolts had personality. "I like Soarin already."

Spitfire then noticed something that she felt would have Rainbow Dash's attention. "Hey Rainbow. Isn't that your girlfriend over there?"

Rainbow Dash and the other Wonderbolts caught sight of where Spitfire was pointing with Rainbow Dash smiling as she saw her commitment. "Yep. That's Applejack alright. Always determined to help her family." Rainbow Dash then eyed Soarin, letting him know what would happen if he was faking his love for that pie. "And she's observant, (Glares) so don't think you can throw that out behind her back."

Soarin chuckled a bit before assuring Rainbow Dash that this wasn't the case. "Not a problem. Her baking skills are amazing!" Soarin continued to gobble down on his apple pie with Rainbow Dash then looking satisfied. She knew how important this was to Applejack, and she didn't want her to be let down after all her hard work.





Twilight and Shining Armor headed into the throne room with Celestia, Luna, and to Twilight's surprise, Ryu, waiting for them. She wasn't sure why he was there, and hoped that it wasn't anything too much for her and the others to handle. "Ryu? I didn't know you were invited to the Gala."

"You could say that." Ryu responded, and then he spawned a dark energy orb that revealed what looked like Claws and her army coming for Canterlot. This shocked Twilight, as she knew what that meant as soon as she saw what it was. "This is the army of Claws, aka, Spike's birth mother. They're coming to Canterlot right now in an attempt to kill him and me."

Twilight was furious when she heard about Claws wanting to kill Spike. What kind of crazy mother would want to kill their own son for any reason? "She's coming to do what!?" Shining Armor was also angry when he found out about this, not wanting anything dangerous to happen to Spike. Twilight then got down to business, refusing to let anyone her her younger brother. "Let me know what I can do to stop them."

Celestia thankfully had plans for what Twilight could do, along with her friends and siblings. "For starters, we should warn your friends about this oncoming attack. Then we'll all be prepared to fend off against Claws when she comes in an attempt to kill Spike and Ryu."

Shining Armor then put a hoof on Twilight's shoulder as he showed his determination to protect Spike. "And I've already got the army on lookout for Claws' army. They'll alert the Kingdom as soon as the army gets here."

"Perfect." Twilight responded, and she then looked into the orb again with pure disgust towards Claws. She couldn't believe that anyone would want to kill their own child, no matter what the reason was. "Just you wait, Claws."





Meanwhile with Rarity, she was currently looking for a pony who looked like they could use someone to have a good time with. She wasn't having much luck in finding a stallion who was by himself, and she hopes she could find someone before the night was over. "Well in a party this crowded, I suppose it makes sense that everyone has someone to hang out with." Rarity then found a Pegasus with with a dark grey coat seemingly eyeing Rainbow Dash and went over to see what it was about. "Does my friend interest you in some way?"

The Pegasus turned to Rarity, hoping that he wouldn't come off the wrong way after he explained himself. "Oh, no. I just noticed that she seemed tight with the Wonderbolts, and I was hoping to find the time to talk to her and figure out how she did it." The Pegasus then chuckled a bit as he finished his explination. "Maybe I can do it myself too and increase my own chances of becoming a Wonderbolt."

"Ah, I see." Rarity responded, and she felt it was important to give the Pegasus a helping hoof there. "Well Rainbow Dash and I don't have solo hangout time that often, but I'm sure I can convince her to give you some tips."

The Pegasus was surprised to hear that. He'd only just met Rarity. Why was she so willing to help him? "Really? But why?"

Rarity then giggled a bit as she then brought up her own reason for helping the Pegasus. "To be honest, my date stood me up and my friends have plans, so I'm struggling to find something to replace that." Rarity then whipped her mane as she flirted with the Pegasus a bit. "And even without your dashing looks, you seem like somepony I'd enjoy the company of."

The Pegasus smiled softly upon hearing that and then blushed a bit. It was clear that he wasn't used to mares this beautiful speaking to him. "Thanks. Oh; my name is Thunderlane by the way."

"A pleasure to meet you Thunderlane." Rarity happily shook Thunderlane's hoof as she introduced herself. "My name is Rarity." Rarity got a look at Rainbow Dash talking to Spitfire and started thinking of a way to help Thunderlane without being a bother. "Perhaps we should wait until Rainbow Dash isn't having a conversation." Thunderlane felt that was fair. The Wonderbolts clearly enjoyed her company.





Spike and Lightspeed were talking to each other at the Gala as Lightspeed expressed how great it felt to be in Canterlot that night. "It's just so crazy to think that I was able to attend a royal event in Canterlot! In all thirteen years I've been around for, I never could've concluded that I'd have such an honor!"

"Hehe. Yeah, it's one of the perks of being tight with Queen Celestia." Spike boasted modestly, and seeing as no one else was watching, he decided to go ahead and ask him the big question. If there was any good opportunity, it was one where they were alone. "Lightspeed. I gotta get something off my chest." Lightspeed gave Spike his full attention as he then expressed how great having Lightspeed in his life was. "After Scootaloo and I broke up, I spent some time wondering if I was the type who could hold down a relationship."

Considering what Spike told Lightspeed about that breakup, Lightspeed could get that. "Yeah, that's understandable."

Spike then went into detail on how safe and loving he felt with Lightspeed beside him. "And then we met when Twilight and I came to Ponyville, and I didn't know for sure at the time, but... I think I felt something there. And I'm hoping you felt it too." Lightspeed felt he was catching on as Spike gently grabbed his hooves. "Spending time with you... getting to learn more about you... believing that this could work... these past eight months we've known each other for have been some of the best times of my life."

Lightspeed smiled brightly as Spike then breathed through his nose, and out from his mouth. He was really about to do it. He was about to ask Lightspeed something he'd been hoping to do for almost every moment they've known each other for. His sincere smile, and soft tone, made it clear that he wanted this to be perfect. And as he asked the question, Lightspeed could see the sincerity in his eyes. "Lightspeed Speedbreaker... will you be my boyfriend?"

Lightspeed was so excited to hear that question come from Spike's mouth that he couldn't contain himself as he beamed and made his answer. "Yes! A thousand times yes!" Spike was ecstatic to hear that, but before the two could act upon it, Spike got a text from Twilight. When he checked it, it was revealed that it was urgent. As much as he hated to leave the moment he officially became a couple with Lightspeed on hold, the two knew this was important. The two nodded to each other and set off to the throne room, knowing Twilight was there.





Spike and the others were all gathered in the throne room with the situation already having been explained to them. Spike was horrified for two reasons in particular; one because it was his mother who was after them, and two because it was his visit to Claws' lair, along with Lightspeed and Ryu, that led to them tracking him down and figuring out where to attack. He couldn't bare the thought of anyone dying here and now. "You're sure it's her? She can't be the only bad dragon out there."

"The details matched perfectly Spike." Ryu informed Spike, sighing as he teleported in front of Spike and put a claw on his shoulder for support. "I know it's hard, and that this is coming on such short notice... but you have to be ready to fight." Spike still wasn't sure if he could bring himself to fight his own mother, even if she WAS evil. "I'll keep you from fighting Claws directly as much as I can."

It was clear to everyone in the room that this was a huge burden for Spike to bare. He finally learned about one of his parents, and they were setting out to kill him. He then looked at the Nightmare Moon mark on his claw, and it started glowing violently, as if to show that the danger was growing close. Luna instantly showed remorse for what she gave to Spike and was about to make him an offer. "I can take the power back Spike. It's only a minor amount and-"

"No." Spike interrupted, surprising Luna as he then looked at her with determination, giving it his all to not show how big of a dilemma he was under right now. "Thank you Queen Luna, for giving me the choice of whether or not I keep this power. But I started training with it to protect my friends in Ponyville, Canterlot, and wherever else I make friends in." Spike clenched his fists as he fought through his hidden emotions to fight for his friends. "It may be my mother... but I'm not gonna stand by and do nothing, knowing I can help!"

Everyone else admired Spike's determination, but Twilight was quick to notice how he really felt. Rainbow Dash noticed quickly as well, and whispered something to Spike as a means of helping him. "Take it from me Spike. Fluttershy could totally become a therapist if she chose to." Spike looked to Fluttershy, who smiled happily to him as she caught onto what Rainbow Dash was doing. Spike smiled in response, glad that he had friends who were always willing to help.

Just then, Spike's mark started glowing even more violently, and the shout from Claws quickly revealed the reason. "SPIKE!" Spike and the others quickly ran over to the nearest window, and surely enough, Claws was right outside with her army, ready to attack. "I know you're in there! You can either face your death gracefully, or brutally! Regardless of whether or not you decide to run, I will kill you!"

Spike wasn't ready to give in to Claws' demands however and made his response as soon as he opened up the window. "How about neither!?" Claws wasn't happy about that however, and Ryu nodded to Spike, who jumped out of the way and let Ryu take the lead. Ryu managed to block Claws' strike as she dove into the castle, only to get knocked into the wall. "Ryu!"

Claws set her sights to Spike, but Ryu started holding her back with his own Nightmare Moon magic. His glare towards her screamed that he wasn't going to let her touch Spike, and Claws couldn't help smiling with admiration. "So you finally got the balls to stand up to me."

Claws charged at Ryu, leaving Celestia to guide the others on what they could do. "Ryu will most likely need some help, so Luna and I will stay up here to assist him! The rest of you should head back down to the first floor and fight back against the dragons!"

"We're on it Queen Celestia!" Twilight assured Celestia, knowing that everyone was going to give it their all in order to help defend Canterlot. "We won't let you down!" Everyone then rushed downstairs to help defend Canterlot with Celestia and Luna aiming their magic at Claws to help hold her off. As they did with Ryu backing up to let them do their work, they stared Claws down in an attempt to make her reason with them to leave. Claws grinned evilly however, possibly having planned for Alicorn magic being involved.





The ponies who were attending the Grand Galloping Gala were all running away from the dragons in fear as the guards fought them off. The guards were able to hold their own in one on one matches, and some even managed to take two dragons down on their own. But it wasn't until the dragons started attacking them in groups of four or five where they started to struggle. The guards then got the idea to do the same thing, and they had a better chance at fighting them then, but the dragon army was noticeably large.

The Wonderbolts also helped out with the battle, and they were all dealing with one on one battles. Spitfire in particular was doing a great job fending her dragons off, and she noticed her teammates doing a good job too and called out to them. "Keep it up team! We've got lives to save!" She then knocked out the dragon she was fighting to keep up the momentum.

Spike and the others made it to the first floor with all of them being shocked by all the chaos that was going on. They never thought it would ever get THIS bad at the Gala. But they didn't have time to waste. They all took their fancy attire off so it wouldn't get hurt during battle, and Rarity put it all away in her bag. Spike then stepped forward as he looked on at the battle. As messed up as his emotions were in the moment, he showed all of the determination he could to protect everyone in the castle. "Let's, get, ruthless."

To be continued.





An instrumental version of the main theme played during the credits.
> The Grand Galloping Gala Part Two
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Celestia and Luna were still holding Claws down with her magic as Celestia made an effort to reason with her into leaving. "It doesn't have to end badly for anyone Claws. Take your army and leave now, and we won't follow."

Luna wasn't quite sure about that one. Claws could come back another time for revenge. "That might not be wise my sister. Sparing Claws now could lead to immense danger later."

"Perhaps. But the first step to guiding someone away from the wrong path is compassion." Celestia reminded Luna, and then she looked at Claws and saw that she still looked incredibly vicious and bloodthirsty. She started to wonder if she knew when to actually show compassion to the villain. "Then again. it doesn't work ALL the time."

Claws pulled out the device Lightspeed made for the dragons and got it ready for a counter attack. When the Queens and Ryu saw this, the latter was quick to warn them. "Get back!" The three did just that upon Ryu's command, only for Claws to aim the machine right at Celestia and Luna. It launched just before they landed, and they were able to fly up and dodge it, only for it to hit a mirror right behind them. They noticed too little too late, and got zapped with the device, which started to short circuit as Ryu called out. "Queens!"

Claws threw the device at Celestia and Luna, which Celestia swatted away as she descended with Luna. The device exploded with Claws growling as she pointed out how easily it shorted out. "Buck! Using it on two Alicorns at once must have been too much to handle!"

Ryu attempted to dash and slash at Claws, who dodged just before Ryu reminded her of the Queens' power. "The Queens fatigue won't last long Claws! A full day for us is like an hour for Alicorns!"

"As if the one who DIDN'T build that would know if it worked like that." Claws snarkily pointed out, and then she held out her claw as she gathered some fire magic and glared at Ryu with immense rage in her eyes. "Besides. Even the best hardware can overheat overtime." Claws them aimed her claw at Ryu as she finished her sentiment. "Allow me to demonstrate further."





All kinds of moments from season one were shown as Twilight was heard singing the main theme of the show, My Little Pony Friends. "For every day, I look around me, for every time I see you near. I thank the stars, whose light surrounds me, I thank the earth that keeps you here. Cause I will only follow, my true heart. And I can see it clear now, right from the start. You were my little pony. I used to wonder what friendship could be; my little pony. Until you shared it's magic with me. My little pony. I used to wonder what friendship could be. My little pony. Until you shared it's magic, with me.





Spike and the others were currently making an effort to fend off against the dragon army down on first floor of the castle. Spike was making sure Lightspeed was safe while holding up a barrier, which he got from his training with Queen Luna. He made sure to fight some of the dragons off as well, managing to blast two of them back with some blasts he launched through the barrier. When one tried to take advantage of the hole, Lightspeed knocked him out with a nearby food tray. This earned him a thumbs up from Spike that made him smile.

Twilight was with Shining Armor, and the two were able to take out a dozen dragons already. The two of them did a duo unicorn blast on one who was charging down at them, sending him into the ceiling before doing a hoof bump. Rainbow Dash was helping the Wonderbolts fend off with Applejack, and the two of them did a butt crush on one of the dragons, knocking him out. The two of them then knocked out two more dragons as Rainbow Dash jumped over Applejack and kicked one, and the Earth Pony ground punched the other.

Fluttershy was hiding behind a table to avoid the fighting, but then she saw how brave all of her friends were being and decided to at least try to stand up. She saw a dragon spot her and lift up the table, causing her to panic and rip the table leg off. She then smashed him over the head with it, causing him to move faintly before falling on the ground. Fluttershy checked to see if he was okay, but then she remembered where she was and rushed off to help.

Rarity was fending off against three dragons herself, and she kicked off one of her high heels to hold with her right hoof. She smashed a dragon who was about to strike her with it, and she then called the dragons out on their intrusion of the Gala. "You ruffians have no right to ruin this night for everyone!" As the dragons tried to hold Rarity down, she kicked one of them on the shin and stabbed another one in the head with her hoof. She then kicked the other one to the side as she finished her statement. "Next time, receive an invite, or stay out of it!"

Pinkie Pie was blasting some of the dragons with her party cannon, and she then saw one of them holding a pony hostage. She picked up some cupcakes and started flinging them at the dragon while calling out to him. "Let him go you meanie dragon beast!" The dragon grabbed one of the cupcakes and ate it up, only to get hit in the back of the head with Pinkie Pie's party cannon. It's best not to question how she did that so fast. Pinkie Pie then helped the pony up, and he thanked her for the help before rushing off.

The guards were doing their best job at defending the castle with Twilight and Shining Armor soon joining them as Twilight snarkily joked about the lack of female guards. "I sense a heavy case of masculine support in this army. (Zaps a guard) Don't worry; I won't judge if it's intimate." Some of the guards laughed at Twilight's joke as they continued taking out the dragons one by one as a team.

Spike was shown keeping the barrier up as Lightspeed spoke up about how Spike might be feeling. "Spike, I know this isn't the best time, but if you wanna talk about this, I'm all ears!"

"Thanks Lightspeed, but let's wait until after we win to schedule a therapy session!" Spike responded, holding the barrier up the best he could while also taking out the dragons. "I'll say this much about the matter right now! Claws definitely knows how to pick her soldiers!"

Just then, Ryu crashed through the floor and onto the ground of the first floor, leaving Claws to attempt to smash him with her knee. He managed to dodge, only for him to get kicked to the side of the room. Ryu regained his balance and blocked another one of Claws' strikes before blasting her back with his dark magic. Spike knew he had to help, so he looked to Lightspeed in the hopes that he'd listen. "Lightspeed! I gotta go help Ryu! Get out of here once I put the barrier down!"

"What!?" Lightspeed exclaimed, refusing to leave Spike, or any of his friends, behind in the battle. "That's crazy! I'm not leaving you here!"

"You won't!" Spike insisted, leaving Lightspeed to hatch an idea based on those words. As Spike began to put the barrier down, he made his request to Lightspeed one more time. "Now hurry!"

Lightspeed nodded in response, and as soon as Spike blasted the dragons away with the barrier, he rushed off. Spike went through the dragons to get to Ryu, doing a spiral spin through two of them and jumping off of one who flew right in front of him. He then slid underneath a dragon who was fighting Rainbow Dash and made his way to Ryu, who was holding off Claws' attack as she started to taunt him. "You were foolish to try and get help after your exile Ryu. You can't honestly think that-"

Spike managed to blast Claws with his dark magic from behind, leading to Claws looking back at him with a glare. Spike then clarified her statement as he gazed at her with anger. "He only came to Ponyville because I somehow called him with my mark." Claws got ready to fight off Spike as well, smacking Ryu to the side with her tail before he could strike her again. This led to Spike going into a combat stance. "Now it's time I repay him for the help."

Claws dashed at Spike, who dodged her claw strike and smacked her in the face with his tail after jumping. This was followed up by a darkness blast to the face, which Claws dodged and pinned Spike to the ground with her other palm to counter. She then threw him across the ground and caused him to drag through the floor. When Spike looked towards Claws, she'd launched a powerful fire wave at him, which he blocked, thankfully managing to survive. If he weren't a dragon, the attack probably would have injured him, rather than just scorch him.

Spike and Claws dashed at each other, colliding claw strikes with Spike then dodging one of Claws' slashes to punch her in the jaw. He then grabbed her face and front flipped over her head to slide down her back and hit her spine with a darkness blast. Claws used her palms to stop herself from hitting the ground, using her tail to fling Spike into the air. Since Spike didn't have his wings yet, it was a lot harder for him to recover, giving Claws just enough time to strike him again.

Claws flew quickly towards Spike, hitting him with multiple dashing claw strikes before ground pounding him into the floor. After Spike hit the ground, she attempted to dive down at him and knee him in the stomach. As she did this however, she was stopped by a lasso of dark magic, causing her to look and find Ryu keeping her from finishing her assault. This made her furious, and she grabbed the lasso and began spinning Ryu around with it before throwing him at the wall. He managed to regain his balance just in time, thankfully.

Ryu launched a powerful darkness beam at Claws, who blocked it with her arms before kicking it through the ceiling. After she did, with Spike slowly struggling to get up, she taunted the black skinned dragon with this. "I've put myself through years of enduring the toughest of training for the very moment I could avenge my husband." Claws extended her claws as she got ready to finish Spike before she took out Ryu for getting in the way. "No one who gets in my way is going to live."

Once Ryu landed on the ground, he rushed to Spike, calling out to his friend in an attempt to save his life. "Spike!" Spike saw Ryu coming for him, and he instantly looked up afterwards to find Claws diving down at him. He managed to get up after that, and when Ryu attempted to get in the way, Spike did his best to spawn his dark magic to save them.

"No!" Spike shouted, refusing to let him or Ryu die. He held his palms up in a desperate attempt to defend them both. Claws found this pitiful, and went in for the strike, despite the dark magic from Spike's claws glowing. Just before Claws could strike the two dragons, the exact same shield Spike spawned in the battle with Nightmare Moon appeared. This shocked Claws, and Ryu was amazed by what he saw. Spike didn't know what to think. He finally spawned the shield after all this time, and he couldn't find the right words to say.

Claws landed on the ground in front of Spike and Ryu after that, and Spike's shield vanished as he and Ryu were gazing upon it. Spike was trying to think about how his shield spawned then and there, and then he realized another side to Nightmare Moon's magic. "It's not just about dark magic." Spike looked to Ryu, feeling that he would get it too. "Part of this magic... is about using it to do what's right. At least, that's what I THINK it is." Ryu thought that sentiment was the most fitting one out of all of them, and he smiled in response to it.

Claws then hatched an idea to use Spike's blood connection with her to her advantage. "Or perhaps it could be about doing what you THINK is right." Spike and Ryu looked at Claws, who walked over to Spike while putting on a smile and a loving tone. Everyone else in the room watched as she shamelessly tried to manipulate Spike. "You must think about this my son." Hearing that made Spike want to cringe. "Your powers can be used for so much more than running away from the consequences Nightmare Moon ran from for ten centuries."

Spike was doing his best to contain himself, knowing full well that Claws could defeat him in an instant. She continued when she felt that she was starting to get somewhere. "You could save all of Equestria by assisting me in wiping out all of Nightmare Moon's magic. Perhaps we could even find a way to get rid of your magic without killing you, and you could join my army." Spike's mark started glowing violently, alerting Ryu as Claws gave her palm to Spike. "It would be an honor to have you."

Spike instantly grabbed Claws' palm, but not in the way you would expect. While this decision did shock everyone, and Claws did give a devious grin, she started to feel a burn on her palm. It was revealed right after that the rage Spike was feeling made his mark burn so strongly that it could burn and harm dragon skin. Claws tried to let go, but Spike wouldn't let her. As she looked in horror at what she was seeing, and what everyone else was seeing with fear in their eyes, it was then revealed that Spike wasn't himself in that moment.

Spike was revealed to have a darker coat than before with it having changed from purple to black. His pupils were gone, and his eyes were completely white. His expression was full of rage and his teeth and claws were sharp. His aura filled the room with fear and the feeling of darkness. Spike then began to crush Claws' palm, causing her to cry out in pain as she fell to her knees. Once Spike was at view level with her, he spoke in a cold and ruthless tone that made Claws' spine chill to an extent she never thought possible.

"I'd rather die... than be the pawn... of a monster like you.

The look of horror in Claws' eyes was barely noticeable as Spike then struck her with a powerful uppercut to the jaw. Claws' jaw bones could be heard cracking as she was then sent through the the ceiling. She was barely able to regain her balance, looking down in horror as the seemingly almost corrupt Spike gave one word of warning to Ryu. "Run." And Spike dashed up at max speed, grabbing Claws by her foot and slamming her into the roof. Lightspeed, who was with Celestia and Luna, had already taken notice and watched in awe at what was going on. 

Spike threw Claws directly towards the ground, and he dashed at her at max speed, causing her to drag across the floor as he shoved her body into it. Claws tried to counter, but Spike refused to let her, grabbing the claw she tried to strike with and crushing it with his palm. Claws cried out in pain upon feeling this, only for her cracked jaw to hurt her even more. Spike then punched her in the face, causing her head to smash into the ground. Spike simply looked with a cold gaze.

Spike grabbed Claws by the neck and began choking her, leaving her to attempt to stop him as she aimed her claws at his face. She blasted him with a powerful fire strike, using blue fire to avoid burning the castle down, since it wasn't part of her goal. Claws was sure her strike did something, only to look in horror as the blue fire cleared, and Spike was unharmed. It was almost as if the fire only made him angrier. He strangled her harder, leaving Lightspeed horrified as he saw the life being choked out of Claws... by her own son.

Claws tried to beg for her life, but Spike refused to let her get another word out of her mouth. Spike simply let her know just how badly she'd messed up, looking into her eyes as she was losing the last of her breath and saying the words that really helped her see just how badly she'd messed up. "All you had to do was move on. You could have had a decent life with your daughter, and even bring your long lost son back into your life. But you couldn't even do that. You became a tyrant. And it deprived you of who you were."

Spike then put his thumbs up to Claws' windpipe before jabbing into just how forcefully she brought herself into Spike's vision. "Just be glad there wasn't a character arc of content to rub it in your face with."

Spike, in that moment, pressed against Claws' windpipe, and with the last second of her breath... he let go of the lifeless dragon.

Claws had been killed... at the hands of her own son.

Spike felt the rage consuming him, and Lightspeed, feeling the urge to do something, rushed into battle, ignoring Celestia's fearful command. "Lightspeed; stay back!"

Lightspeed didn't even hesitate in rushing up to Spike. His love for him was simply too great. Spike became surprised when Lightspeed hugged him, looking to find his warm touch to be rather soothing. His magic told him to let go, but he was resisting the urge to make Lightspeed let go of him. Lightspeed felt his struggle, and he knew that he was doing something right. He refused to let Spike out of his grasp, and Spike knew why. Somehow, Lightspeed's love and affection was causing Spike's dark magic to die down.

Spike slowly, but surely, started returning back to normal thanks to the touch of Lightspeed. With his eyes closed as he turned back to his usual state, and his mark changing back to normal, he felt more love than he'd ever felt in his life. As he opened his eyes however, which were revealed to have turned back to normal, he saw what he'd done to Claws. The sight of her lifeless body horrified Spike, who'd finally realized what his dark magic caused him to do.

Lightspeed could sense this and let go of Spike, who walked over to Claws and checked for her pulse. The amount of horror and regret he felt was unreal. He looked to Lightspeed to know for sure. "Did I do this?" 

Lightspeed didn't answer. That was all the proof Spike needed. Spike couldn't believe it. Did he actually kill his own mother? How was he going to explain this to Ember? She stayed behind to try and help her, and he took that away from her. And what did this mean for him? Was his dark magic taking over? How much time did he have left in that case? Was he a danger to his friends? So many questions clouded the young dragon's mind, but one question came up the most often over every last one of them.

How could he kill his own mother?





Spike, his friends, and the guards were helping Celestia and Luna clean up the castle and tend to the wounded ponies. Rainbow Dash and Applejack were helping with the heavy lifting on the debris while also occasionally flirting with each other. Fluttershy was tending to the wounded ponies with the Canterlot nurses while humming them soft tunes. Rarity was brainstorming with Celestia on ideas for new castle decor, and Twilight was powering up one of Lightspeed's inventions, a magic powered broom, to get the cleaning done faster.

As the super-speedy-sweeper (That's what Lightspeed called his invention) got to work, Lightspeed and Twilight couldn't help but look at Spike. He was currently helping one of the guards replace one of the broken castle windows... and Spike looked broken himself. Twilight knew Lightspeed knew more about the moment than she did. "You saw what happened Lightspeed. What did Spike's new form look like up close?"

"It looked... scary." Lightspeed admitted, not really knowing if he had the best words to describe it. "Like every bit of purity left his body just left, and filled him with coldness and rage." Twilight felt horrible for Spike when hearing this. She couldn't imagine what that feeling was like. "I'm just lucky it wasn't all gone, or I'd be dead... and Spike would be gone."

Twilight looked over to her brother, and she looked back at Lightspeed with an idea. "He needs as much support as he can get right now. I think it's safe to assume we're on the same page about this." Lightspeed nodded his head yes in response, and the two went over to Spike to try and help him.

As Spike finished up the window, Luna's hoof was shown being placed on his shoulder, making him flinch as he stepped away. Chills were sent down his spine in that moment, and Luna had a feeling as to why. She did care for Spike, so she felt she should wait until he was ready. "Apologies Spike. I will leave you be."

Luna walked off with Spike looking remorseful for his reaction before sighing and sitting down beside the window. Twilight stepped up first, knowing that Spike needed to be reminded that this wasn't his fault. "Spike. You are not to blame for what Claws did here tonight." Spike looked at Twilight, who showed genuine concern and care for her younger brother. "She had no business coming to Canterlot and attacking us; let alone to kill her own son. And you shouldn't feel like you deserve anything bad to happen to you because of that."

Spike wasn't sure what to say to that. He wanted to believe it, but could he really manage that? Twilight was quick to remind him of everything he'd been working for since he found out about his powers. "And these powers aren't anything to be ashamed of. I've seen the efforts you've been making to learn how to control them. Use them for good." Twilight smiled as she finished what she had to say. "If mom and dad weren't out of town during the Gala, I know they'd be proud."

Spike was grateful for the support, but he wasn't entirely sure if what Twilight was saying was true. No one could tell what was going to come up as a result of his power. "I do want to believe that Twilight." Spike looked at his mark, unsure if he could consider himself worth having around with his powers. "I just wish I wasn't at risk of being a danger to you guys."

After hearing that, Lightspeed stepped closer to Spike and spoke with pure empathy and love. "Look at me Spike." Spike looked at Lightspeed, who was genuine in his efforts to make Spike feel better. "What you did up there was in self defense. Claws came to this castle and tried to kill you, attacking the ponies in the castle, as a result of her own actions and delusion." Lightspeed took hold of Spike's palms as he stated how proud he was of Spike. "And you came back after your magic took over. You showed me you can control it."

Spike looked to Twilight, who nodded her head yes with a smile, and then Lightspeed continued what he had to say. "I don't care how hard it gets." Spike and Lightspeed looked into each other's eyes with Lightspeed showing just how much he loved Spike. "I'll climb every mountain... I'll brave every catastrophe... I'll conquer all odds..." Lightspeed hugged Spike and gave a comforting smile. Spike was surprised, but loved the affection. "Just to keep you safe."

Spike pulled Lightspeed away, which surprised him at first, but then Spike smiled lovingly due to what he was about to do next. "If you really mean that, then you won't mind if I do this." Spike kissed Lightspeed passionately, something that Twilight, despite being Asexual, was proud to see from him. Their friends also took notice with all of them being happy for the duo, and Rainbow Dash nodding in a way that said 'it's about time'. Spike and Lightspeed kissed for fifteen seconds, and then they pulled apart with loving smiles.

Spike then responded to what Lightspeed said to him, knowing full well that his words were sincere. "I would do nothing less for you than what you said you'd do for me." Spike held Lightspeed's hooves as he told him just how hard he was willing to work for him. "I'll master these powers, and learn to control my dark form." Lightspeed could tell his words struck a cord with Spike. He and Twilight knew all he needed in that moment was love. "I promise. With all of my heart."

Lightspeed knew Spike would be able to keep that promise too. Twilight spoke up again to assure him that he would be helping with that. "If you're interested... I could get you a therapist when we get back to Ponyville."  Spike had to admit; that sounded like a great idea. Professional help was never something to turn down. And he was always willing to accept help that came from his friends.





Back in Ponyville, Spike was speaking to a therapist as Twilight suggested, feeling he would need it to cope with his struggles. As the therapist, who was a green unicorn, wrote down what he was saying. "And it's not every day you just get dark powers from a Queen of Equestria, right? There has to be some reason, besides chaos, that these powers were given to me." Spike then sighed as he lied down on the patient bed and expressed the obvious part of that. "I mean, I know HOW I got these powers, but I wish I knew why it happened to me."

The therapist finished writing down what Spike was thinking, since he'd finished talking for the time being. She decided to ask him a question about how he felt about himself. "Let's reach a more empathetic phase. How does having these powers make you view yourself?"

"I don't know. Weird?" Spike questioned his self-opinion quite a bit in that moment. He didn't know if he liked himself when he knew he could be a danger to the others. "My sister and recent boyfriend told me it's not my fault, but I don't know how true that is. No one does. And I don't know what to do about it."

The therapist wrote that down, seemingly finding that Spike was struggling with his self worth. "Yes. The accuracy of words is always random." The therapist set her clipboard and quill down as she suggested something for Spike. "You said you had loved ones who told you that you weren't to blame. Perhaps if you consider what they think of you, it will lead you closer to your answer."

Spike felt that made sense. His loved ones knew him best after all. "That does make sense. It's been at least three days since the incident, and my friends and family haven't actually treated me any differently." Spike sighed as he stated the bad side of that situation. "Problem is, that makes it harder to tell if the attack affected them or not."

The therapist, while writing this down, gave Spike another tip that could help him. "Communication if everything Spike. If you wish to learn how they feel after the attack, and perhaps even see if they emphasize with your pain, you can always ask."

Spike saw his therapist's point, despite how hard the advice might be to take. His session time ended then and there with the clock hitting forty five minutes. As he hopped off the bed and gave the therapist her bits, he thanked her for her help. "Thanks doc. See ya next week?"

"Of course! I'm always happy to help." The therapist responded with a smile, and as Spike left, the therapist saw that Spike had left an extra bit, as opposed to the five she usually charged per ten minutes. She smiled at the dragon's generosity and put the bits in her jar. It was clear to her that she was working with someone who just needed guidance to make themselves feel good again.





Spike was heading home from his therapy session and saw Lightspeed waiting on his porch, much to his surprise. He didn't remember inviting Lightspeed over. But then again, he didn't mind a surprise visit from him, or any of his friends. He instead smiled as he walked over to the Pegasus. "Lightspeed. What're you doing here?"

"Can't a Pegasus visit his handsome lover for when he gets home from therapy?" Lightspeed asked with a grin, and Spike laughed a bit as he and Lightspeed entered the library. "I just wanted to see how you were holding up. Twilight wasn't home either, so I figured I'd wait for you outside."

"She's probably practicing a new spell in private or something." Spike suggested, and then he and Lightspeed went into the kitchen as Spike remembered what his therapist said. He knew this would be hard to do, but he had to at least try. "Speaking of holding up, the attack last week didn't affect YOU in any negative ways, did it?"

Lightspeed tried to think of a good example of what Spike was talking about, and found himself unable to think of one. "Does general disbelief about how something as crazy as how that night went from amazing to chaotic got count?" Spike thought for a moment and nodded his head no after he was finished. He figured everyone was feeling that after it went down. "Okay good. Then I guess I'm holding up okay."

Spike was glad to hear that, and he went over to the fridge and grabbed a cherry chocolate soda bottle. As he poured himself and Lightspeed some glasses, Lightspeed reminded him of what it did to him. "Doesn't that stuff make you gassy?"

"If it's that big of a deal then Twilight should stop buying it." Spike playfully snarked, and then he expressed how much that night messed him up as Lightspeed took a sip of his glass. "It's still so surreal to me. What my dark magic did to me; and the fact that I killed my own mother is just... horrifying." Lightspeed looked at Spike with genuine concern as he further elaborated on that. "I know she was a horrible creature, but she was still my mother. The one who brought me into the world. I can't just pretend that's not the case."

Lightspeed placed a hoof over Spike's palm to comfort him, and Spike saw his comforting smile for reassurance that he would always be there for him. This made Spike smile back. He knew that Lightspeed was the right one for him. The two of them looked into each other's eyes and kissed once again, this time for only three seconds, but when they were done, they got back to looking at each other lovingly. And one thing was certain in both of their minds.

Their love for each other... was eternal.





In the old home Claws used to run, Ember was shown lying down on her bed with tear marks stroked down her cheeks. She was clearly struggling to mourn her mother's death, and as she sat up, she opened up a drawer and took out a notepad. On the front page, it said 'Fix my mother's mistakes', indicating that she wanted to do better than her mother. Did this mean she was going to be good instead? Or was she going to do even worse deeds than she did? All that was certain was that Ember was determined with whatever goals she had in mind.

Ember put her notepad away and walked out of the room with a look of determination that made it clear she wasn't going to let anyone stop her so easily. Whatever she had planned, she was ready for whatever stood in her way.





The adventure continues in season two.