Spike, Button Mash and Pipsqueak are the losers of their school, and when some dark and ancient magic bottle of liquid helps them to stand out, Ponyville, or even Equestria itself, is in danger.
Button Mash, Spike and Pipsqueak are the big dorks at their school, not even the fillies of their dreams pay any attention to them and they are often made fun of, they just survive the classes to finally be set free to play videogames all afternoon at Button's; that's the way it's been and it's the way it'll always be.
That, however, changes when Rumble felt pity towards these poor children, and he tells them about a potion that's guaranteed to make them cooler and make their dreams come true, only he missed the part that nobody tells well...
Do any of these guys know what they're messing with? Does Rumble know what he's doing to them? Is Equestria itself in danger?
Let's find out together, should we?
Teen rating mainly for some profanity at some points and some pretty real moments in some chapters. You'll see when you get there.
Contains SHIPPING, be warned. The orthography may not be perfect. In this story Spike has gone to school with every other filly and colt since he arrived with Twilight in Ponyville, but I don't know if that would be worthy of the AU tag. Yep, this was inspired by "Be More Chill, the musical", but I'll try to make my own thing. But just in case you haven't seen it, please be warned of some spoilers.
It was a lovely morning in Ponyville, and Spike was just opening one eye at a time since that was how energetic he felt when it was a school day, he looked at the clock, and he realized he was going to be late to his first class.
"What the-! Twilight! Have you looked at the time?! Why didn't you wake me up?!" Shouted Spike as he was looking for his backpack.
"Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz- Wha?!" He heard from down the stairs, when Spike found his backpack and put his notebooks in it, he rushed down to see a lavender alicorn almost passed out on top of a pile of books and scrolls. "Sorry, Spike! I was up all night researching about this magic potion the princesses told me about and I guess I oversle-"
"Yeah, yeah, don't worry about it." Spike interrupted as he rushed to the kitchen. "I know that since you became a princess you don't have as much time as you had before, but I think you should still try and take it slow."
"Says the dragon who is literally rushing to school." Replied Twilight with a small smile on her face.
"Oh, man. Twilight! Is there any cereal left in here?" Asked Spike from the kitchen.
"Nope, you ate it all when you came back the other day and-"
"And I didn't even realize because I was really tired, right?" Spike poked his head out of the kitchen to see Twilight nodding slowly. "UGHHH! Why is it so hard to be in time for class?!"
"Calm down, Spike, I'm sure Miss Cheerilee will understand." Reassured Twilight.
"You don't understand, if I'm late again she will lower down my grades!"
"Aren't you always on time though?"
"No! This my third time!"
"Oh wow, then I guess you should just get going while I research this thing the princesses asked me to. See you after 2!" Said Twilight while she walked to the library with a noticeable laziness in her posture.
'Great, now if you're late you'll probably get expelled; maybe I can run to the school? Nah, if I do that then I'll reek when I arrive, or maybe I can ask some pegasus for a ride! No, they'll think I'm just taking advantage of them. Gosh, why can't I just be more chilled out?! I can already feel my face getting red and my stomach revolting. I'll just run to the school, I think I can make it in time.' Thought Spike as he was leaving the castle. 'I wonder how Button and Pipsqueak are doing right now.'
The brown colt known as Button Mash jumped out of his bed when he heard his mom yelling from his door. "WAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!" Button shouted when he fell from the bed. "Wha- what's going on?!"
"You're going to be late, that's 'what's going on' mister." He heard his mother reply with annoyance on her voice. "And for the record, if you're late again, then I'll have to-"
"Take away my consoles?! Okay, okay!!! I'm going!" Button Mash cut her off as he searched for his saddlebags in his room; and when he found them he rushed to the door not even checking if his stuff was in the bags. "See you later, mom!"
"I was going to say 'cancel cookie fridays' but I guess that sounds better." Said Button's mom to herself as she went over to the kitchen to eat all the cookies by herself.
'Button, you've done it now, if you're late you'll bring dishonor to your kingdom, and your mom will kick your butt like Chun-li when she finds out. But that's fine because you're not late, right?' Button thought to himself before looking at the clock tower. 'I'm so dead... No! I can make it if I run like Sonic!' And with that, Button dashed off to the school as fast as his legs could carry him. 'I wonder if the guys have as much problem waking up as me.'
Spike was just arriving at the school, and to his surprise the door was still open like if someone was waiting for him, and when he fully processed it, he made one final sprint towards the school. When he was at the door, he saw a brown-ish blur pass in front of him before crashing straight into it; when Spike recovered from the initial crash and he got his head straight he realized he had just bumped into Button Mash, who was also recovering from the collision.
"Whoah! Sorry, Button! I was just..."
"Late?" Interrupted Button, "Yeah, I know that feeling..." Button said with no amusement in his facial features. When the two kids got up and entered the school they saw that everypony was already in there, and there was a little white colt with brown spots waving at them and motioning for them to sit at his sides.
"Pip? How did he get here so fast?" Asked Button to no one in particular. As they approached their seats they gave each other a subtle brohoof.
"What took you guys so long? I was afraid I was gonna be alone again." Said Pipsqueak with a small glare.
"Waking up." Said Spike and Button at the same time. Just as they were taking their seats Miss Cheerilee walked in with a couple of saddlebags that looked stocked.
"Uh-oh, you guys recognize those saddlebags?" Asked Button quietly to his friends.
"Those saddlebags can only mean one thing." Followed Spike with fear in his voice.
"May Princess Celestia have mercy on our souls." Said Pipsqueak trying to remain calm.
"It's a Pop quiz." Said the three of them at the same time with dread in their voices...
It was lunch time, meaning that it was finally time for these poor kids to relax and at last put their minds at ease from their morning, which almost cost them their grades. Button Mash, Pipsqueak and Spike all were used to hang together when it was recess, even if it was just to discuss on music, girls and their mutual love for videogames and comic books. All three of them gathered in their usual place; just below the shade of a tree in the playground.
"Whoah, I can't believe we did it." Said Spike with a noticeable weariness in his voice.
"Hah! Was it really hard for you?" Asked Button Mash with a sarcastic tone in his voice.
"Yeah! Don't you live with the princess of friendship? Who also happened to own a library before? Who also is OBSESSED with books?!" Asked Pipsqueak, who also was tired.
"Well yes, but just because I live with Twilight Sparkle doesn't mean that I can't still be afraid of a Pop quiz!" Replied Spike, embarassed.
"Spike, you usually get an A+ in Pop quizes, the lowest grade I've seen you get in one of those is a B-, and that day you were almost dying because you were sick!" Said Button, jealous of his friend. "Besides, I didn't even get a chance to study! I was up all night completing Majora's mask!"
"Wait, didn't you complete it like 3 times already?" Asked Pip.
"Well... Yes but those times I wasn't trying to speedrun it!" Replied Button.
"Oh come on, Button, don't be so angry at me. Believe me, living with Twilight can be a royal pain sometimes, and because of it sometimes I don't even get to sleep, or even worse, a new villain may be coming for us!" Said Spike, only getting raised eyebrows from his friends. "Okay, maybe it's not as bad but you get the point."
"I'm not angry at you, I'm more mad at myself for not preparing for something like this. I don't want to be like you, but I wish I wasn't so unprepared." Said Button, calming down to speak.
"Well, at least you and me have an excuse; we overslept, unlike another colt we know." Said Spike, to which both him and Button looked at Pipsqueak with a small glare.
"Don't look at me! I always sleep on time to be awake early! But I have a lot of trouble studying, some of the stuff we are learning just doesn't stick to me." Said Pipsqueak, trying to not get all the attention.
"Man, we are a bit lame, aren't we?" Said Spike, to which no one replied and the three of them stayed quiet for some moments, all lost on their own thoughts.
"Well, yes, but does it matter?" Button said finally, Spike and Pip looked at him. "We are a team, right, guys?"
"Yes!" Said the three of them in unison. "To the end."
"Yeah..." They heard Spike reply with not much excitement in his voice.
"Hey, what's wrong, Spike?" Pip asked, noticing that Spike was looking somewhere else.
"Oh, nothing, I was just looking at Rumble over there."
"Rumble? What's with him?" Asked back Button Mash genuinely curious.
"Well, just look at him! He is like the most popular guy in the whole school! He is always looking like he owns the world, he has a girlfriend, lots and lots of friends and he could disappear from school for an entire week and Miss Cheerilee would think that it's okay!" Said Spike, pointing at Rumble. Spike wasn't wrong, Rumble was always talking with someone. he always had company and everypony wouldn't be the same if he left for a single day.
"So? We are true friends! Who needs all that when you can have a squad like us and videogames to play?" Replied Button Mash, with lots of pride in his voice.
"Yes, I know, but just think about our situation for a minute, okay? We just come here everyday to pass the tests, hope that no one akes fun of us and basically just survive school while it lasts. I just thought that maybe we can do more than just stay alive." Said Spike witha dreamy tone in the last part of his statement.
"But what do you mean exactly? We already have friendship, we got each other to count on, what else do you want?" Asked Pipsqueak, confused by Spike's sudden outburst of emotions.
"We could have girlfriends for one." The instant Spike said that his friends blushed and looked everywhere avoiding eye contact.
"W-w-what are you talking about? I don't have a crush and I'm perfectly fine the way that I am, so thanks!" Said Button, still avoiding eye contact.
"Y-yeah, what he said!" Reaffirmed Pip.
"Guys, you're just as terrible at hiding it as I was when I had that crush on Rarity." Said Spike, unamused.
"Heh, you're right. It's still kinda hard to believe you're not crazy over her anymore." Said Button, to which Spike rolled his eyes.
"What happened to that crush of yours, by the way?" Asked Pip.
"Well, I just realized that it was more of a childish crush than love, and I guess I just grew out of it." Answered Spike, shrugging.
"Well, if you know so much about 'love' why don't you tell me who I'm-"
"Sweetie Belle." Spike cut off Button Mash in the middle of his sentence, who just blushed and looked away at the mention of his crush's name.
"WHAT?! HOW?!" Asked Button, looking very nervous.
"It's very simple, really; you get really sweaty and red when she is around, you can't say her name without smiling and I can practically see the hearts in your eyes when you look at her! I don't know how that's scientifically possible but you're all kinds of special, just like me when I fell for Rarity." Replied Spike smugly.
"That's not true, look: Sweetie Belle." Said Button, his cheeks turning pink and his frown turned into a smile when he said her name. "Dang it!"
"Well, you're practically an open book Button, but Spike can't guess who I-"
"Dinky Hooves." Spike interrupted Pipsqueak this time, who also blushed and looked away.
"HOW IN THE-?!"
"You're not that different from Button, you also get all red and nervous when she is around, and you practically drew your wedding in that creative homework he had last week!" Exclaimed Spike.
"Th-that's not true!" Pip tried to explain himself but Spike interrupted him again.
"Oh really? Then why did that mare look a lot like her? And why did you drew you two on an altar? And how do you explain the fancy clothes you were wearing? And what about-?"
"Alright, alright I get it!" Exclaimed Pipsqueak with a softer voice. "Just don't be so loud! We're in public!"
"How did you figure all that out anyway, dude?" Asked Button.
"As you said, I live with freakin' Twilight Sparkle. But also because anyone with common sense can see it in your faces." Replied Spike with a small smile.
"Uh-huh." Replied Pipsqueak and Button completely not amused.
"Well, are you gunna tell us yours?" Asked Pip.
"Fine, it's Apple Bloom."
"WHAT?!" His friends exclaimed surprised.
"Not so loud!" Said Spike, trying to calm them down.
"Really? You like Apple Bloom now? Why?" Asked Button Mash, very curious about his friend's motives.
"Well... She is not like Rarity at all; she is not a drama queen who wants to be treated like a princess, she tries very hard to help her sister and family with whatever they need, she is pretty much the leading voice of the CMC when they search for their cutie marks! Also she is a hard-working pony with a good attitude, she likes challenges and she is just the best looking filly in Ponyville! She has this cowgirl-like charm that is just everything, her accent, the way she behaves, the way she treats her friends, not to mention that bow! It's gorgeous." Said Spike, getting more and more lost in his own thoughts as he kept thinking about Apple Bloom.
"Equestria to Spike! Are you with us or not?" Asked Button Mash, waving his hoof in front of Spike's face.
"Wha-? Oh! Right!" Said Spike, snapping back to reality. "And why do you guys like them??" Asked the nervous dragon, trying to get out of the spolight.
"I like Sweetie Belle because she is just the most beautiful filly in Equestria! She has the voice of an angel and she is the light of the party. Also she is a ton of fun to be around with, she was the first filly I met when we entered school and since then I knew that she was also the nicest filly out of every girl in here! Also, the other day I saw her inside the comic book store, so maybe she is a little bit nerdy like me! She is always the one that doesn't laugh at things that hurt others and helps whoever needs it. " Said Button, also getting lost in his thoughts.
"Ooo-kay..." Said Spike, who snapped his fingers to bring Button back to reality. "And what about you, Pip? Why do you like Dinky?" Spike asked to their third member, who suddenly froze for an instant before starting.
"W-w-well, when I first met Dinky she was really nice to me, so I started to see who she really was, and I saw the most perfect girl in tha whole universe! She is a strong, sensitive, smart and kind girl! I mean, her mom is always in some trouble but she has tha best intentions despite of the trouble, I guess she got that from Derpy! She is always looking to brighten up someone's day! I just wish she was into me." Said Pipsqueak who was just as lost as his friends when they described their crushes, but they noticed he lost his dreamy tone at the end of his speech.
"Hey, buddy, don't be sad! I'm sure she is into you just as much as you're into her!" Reassured Button, putting a hoof in his friend's shoulder.
"Is she, though? Spike is right, just look at us! We can barely survive in here! We're like the invisible ones or the laughing stock of the whole school!" Replied Pipsqueak, with sadness in his voice.
"Yes, but we're still a team, right? I'm sure that as long as we stick together we can find a way to become popular!" Said Spike, trying to cheer up his friend.
"Well, I guess you're right." Pipsqueak nodded slowly.
"No! I'm Spike!" That pun got a laugh out of the three of them. Just as they stopped laughing, the school bell ringed, signalling for all the students to get back inside. Pipsqueak and Button Mash got up and rushed to the door, but when Spike was about to do the same, he was pushed aside to a nearby bush.
"Hey! What are you-" When Spike saw who pushed him, he was shocked. "Rumble? Why did you push me over here?"
"You and your friends really need to learn to not be so loud." Said Rumble, letting Spike get back on his feet. "Look, man, we need to talk after school."
"About what?" Replied Spike.
"Doesn't matter right now, just see me at the back of the school at the exit, and don't let anypony, specially Miss Cheerilee follow you. Got it?" Asked Rumble, looking unsure about something.
"Umm, okay." And with that, Rumble nodded and rushed to the school, Spike followed him shortly wondering about what Rumble wanted to talk to him about.
Everyone was now inside the classroom, and Miss Cheerilee had just entered the classroom, this time with wat seemed to be a poster of some kind in her hoof. Once she reached her desk, she made a gesture with her hoof so that the class would listen to her:
"Okay class, look what I have here with me, can you guess what it is?" Asked Cheerilee, to which nopony answered, of course. "This is a sign up sheet for the talent show!" This time, the entire class flipped over, some fillies were excited, some were scared, and some were disgusted. "Now, now, I know that not everypony here likes the idea, but don't worry about it! The talent show will be just two days after Nightmare Night, and it's not something mandatory! But if you decide to sign up, you'll get some extra credits! It would be a total salvation for some of you, and maybe the time to shine for some others! But just remember that if you're doing this then just do something that you like."
Afterwards, Miss Cheerilee posted the signup sheet next to the door, and much to her surprise, a lot of her students got up from their seats with pencils to write their names on it. In this situation, Spike asked his friends:
"Guys! I think this could be it! With this we could prove to everyone that we are not losers!"
"No way, dude! If we sign up and we fail it'll be the ultimate form of embarassment!"
"But maybe this way tha girls will like us! Look! They're signing up too!" Said Pipsqueak, pointing at the line so his friends could see that Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Dinky were going to sign up for the show.
"Okay, I'm going to sign up, if you guys feel like it you can do it too." Said Spike before standing up, grabbing a pen and getting in line to sign his name.
"Well I'm going ta sign up too. Are you sure you don't want to do it too?" Said Pipsqueak, standing up.
"Nah, I'm completely fine this way." Said Button as Pip nodded and joined Spike in the line. 'Maybe I could've done it for Math... Nah, I'll be fine.' Thought Button as he internally rolled his eyes.
------------------------------ Four hours later ------------------------------
It was finally time to leave the school, and our three boys were exhausted from today's pressure. Luckily for them it was Friday, meaning that there was no pressure about going home early or prepare something for tomorrow, and Button knew this fact too well.
"Hey, Spike, Pip, wanna go to my place? We'll play some Smash to forget about today's horrible Pop quiz!" Said Button with a smile, but he knew that he and his friends were dead inside.
"Of course I'll go! What about you, Spike?" Said Pipsqueak.
"Well, Rumble said that he wanted to talk to me about something and he didn't want anyone around... But after that I'll crash your place!" Said Spike.
"Oh, okay! See ya later, then!" Replied Pipsqueak, and he turned around with Button Mash, who waved goodbye at Spike. Spike made his way back to the school, and he made sure that there was nopony following him just like Rumble said. When Spike reached the back of the school, he saw that Rumble was waiting for him just next to a tree. Spike approached Rumble, who didn't move from his position.
"Were you followed?" Asked Rumble without hesitation.
"No, why?" Replied Spike.
"Because no one must know about this." Replied Rumble.
"What are you talking about?"
"Well, I heard your little conversation earlier today."
"What? Were you eavesdropping?"
"It's not my fault you guys can't be quiet."
"And what did you hear?"
"Basically everything, it was really easy to sneak up behind the tree you guys were sitting under, you were just so focused on your crushes to notice."
"What?!"
"Calm down, Spike, I'm not going to make fun of you."
"And what does that have to do with this?"
"Well, I wanted to say to you that I can help you guys with your troubles." Said Rumble, his eyes had a little glow, but Spike hadn't noticed it.
"Huh, yeah, how can you help some hopeless cases like us? And more importantly, why?"
"Because you remind me of myself." Rumble looked away when he said that, Spike noticed that Rumble looked like he was remembering something.
"What do you mean? You're like the best colt in school! No one makes fun of you, you have tons of friends, Miss Cheerilee thinks you're cool. Heck! You're even hooked up with Scootaloo!" Replied Spike, not believing Rumble.
"But I wasn't always like this. Spike, do you remember when we entered school?"
"Me and Twilight came to Ponyville a long time ago, but you weren't there when I entered this school."
"Hah! You're wrong! I WAS in here since day one! You just didn't notice! Nopony did!" Exclaimed Rumble suddenly, startling Spike.
"What? Really?"
"Yes, you see, I was the shyest, nastiest, worst looking colt in Equestria back then; I didn't even try to talk to Scootaloo because I knew that she wouldn't like me. Believe me, I was really starting to consider some REALLY BAD stuff to end the pain of going to school everyday." Explained Rumble, Spike was surprised that Rumble would have a phase like that. It sounded like a completely different colt than Rumble, the complete opposite, actually.
"And how did you become so popular?"
"Simple, I took a Super Helpful Intervening Potion." Said Rumble calmly, looking directly at Spike, who had absolutely no idea what Rumble was talking about.
"Wait... So... You basically took a-" Spike sarted to say, between wheezes, but was cut off by Rumble.
"You don't have the right to say its acronym!" Yelled Rumble before calming down again.
"Sorry, sorry, I've just never heard of something like that before." Replied Spike, also calming down.
"That's the whole point, nopony in school, or even Ponyville knows about it, and you're not supposed to reveal it to anypony! Ever! Okay?"
"Okay, but what exactly is that?"
"It's a potion that has existed since practically forever, a dark-colored liquid that contains the most amazing magic in Equestria. Its magic will flow through your entire body until it reaches your brain. Then you'll have the most loyal servant ever alongside you! And it will give you advice to be the best version of yourself you can be." Spike now noticed the small glow in Rumble's eyes, but he decided not to dwell on the matter.
"Wait, so it's like a drug?"
"Drugs are stupid and pointless! This is a hundred times better than drugs. This is from ponies who actually care about us! They care about pitiful kids like us and it helps us be... cool guys!" Said Rumble with pride.
"Uh-huh, and how do you make the potion?" Asked Spike.
"You don't make it. The potion is so complicated to create that the producers can only make so many per year and sell them."
"Sell them? And how much do they cost?"
"One bottle for one pony costs 100 bits."
"100 bits?! I could buy myself some good gemstones with that!" Replied Spike, thinking about his gemstones and how much money he had to spend to buy some.
"Trust me, it will be completely worth it. I know a guy who sells them at the back of Sugarcube Corner, I'll tell him to be there tomorrow, just bring the money and your whole life will change when you buy one." With that said, Rumble started to walk away, but he stopped when he heard Spike call out behind him.
"Wait! Can you ask your friend if he could bring three bottles?"
"You're going to tell your friends about it?" Spike simply nodded. "Can you promise me that none of you will EVER, EVER, EVER say anything about it to anyone?" Asked Rumble in a completely serious tone.
"I promise you Rumble, we won't tell anyone about this or our heads will roll." Said Spike firmly.
"Fine, but if you DO tell someone, I'll have your heads for sure." Said Rumble before walking away.
Spike also left to see Button Mash and Pipsqueak, and as he went to their place, his mind had many thoughts about it. 'Huh, I never would've guessed Rumble felt pity towards us, or maybe it's just me. That would explain the fact that he only wanted to see me. But why would he tell me about something THIS big? Ugh, you know what? I'll just go to Button's place and discuss this with them.' And so, Spike ran off to Button's house to tell his friends about it and see what they had to say about it.
After Spike talked with Rumble and headed to Button's, he was greeted with Button's mom, who was kind enough to let him enter even though it was getting late. Once he was inside, Spike saw his friends playing Smash Brawl, and he happily joined them playing as Sonic.
"Dude, are you really so bad at videogames you have to spam special moves all day long?" Asked Button to Pipsqueak, who was playing as Game & Watch.
"Says the guy playing as the character with the most braindead final smash." Replied Pipsqueak to Button, who was playing as Marth.
"So, Spike? What did Rumble want to talk to you about?" Asked Button Mash, trying to change the subject.
"It's a funny story." Said Spike with a nervous smile, afterwards, he told his friends about the magical potion Rumble told him about and he told them about Rumble's embarassing past and how he got through it. "So? What do you say? I already told Rumble to prepare for us three of those things and sell them to us tomorrow."
"I don't know, Spike, it looks like a scam to me." Replied Button, still focused in the game.
"But what if he is right? What if this thing actually exists and it works?" Said Spike in a hopeful tone.
"Didn't we already have a solution to our problem though? Why did we sign up for the talent show, then?" Asked Pipsqueak with a small glare at Spike.
"Then this will be even better! Maybe this potion can help us prepare for the talent show! Just think of it as a small help!" Replied Spike with a smile that didn't go unnoticed.
"Wow, you REALLY want this thing to be real and to work." Said Button in a serious tone while he attacked Spike in the game.
"Well I'm sorry for being tired of being a loser!" Said Spike as he knocked Button off the stage.
"ALRIGHT, PAUSE!" Shouted Pip as he paused the game.
"What's going on in here?" Asked Button's mom who suddenly entered the room, and breaking whatever tension that seemed to be growing in the room.
"Oh, nothing, mom, we were just arguing about something about school." Said Button, dropping his controller.
"Well then you have to stop arguing and settle this like what you three really are!"
"And what's that?"
"A team." The three of them looked at her when she said that and then looked at each other, smiling afterwards.
"You're right, mom, thanks." Said Button, reaching for his mom's cheek and kissing her there. Button's mom smiled and left them to solve whatever they needed to solve in peace.
"Look, Spike, I'm sorry for whatever happened there, I was just-" Started Button before Spike interrupted him.
"No, I'm the one that should be sorry. I'm just REALLY tired of just trying to survive school. Look, I'll go tomorrow and I'll see if I can get Twilight to give me those 100 bits. What do you guys say?" Said Spike, already sounding better.
"I'm sorry, but I won't." Said Pipsqueak, both of his friends' eyes turned to him as he said that.
"Why not?" Asked Spike.
"Look, this whole thing sounds way too weird. I already told you that we have a plan, I'll just stick to it. Aside from that, I think I can figure out a way to become popular without letting some weird potion doing it for me." Replied Pip, to which Spike looked down. "Besides, what if it actually works? Would you be too cool for us?" Asked Pipsqueak.
"Hey, I never said anything about leaving you, you heard what Button's mom said, we are a team! And we will always be a team! No matter what!" Replied Spike with confidence and pride in his voice.
"You know what? I'll go with you. Someone has to save your butt just in case something goes wrong, right?" Said Button, to which the three of them laughed. "And Spike is right, if you don't want to do it then don't. We are still cool, right?"
"I still don't agree, but yes, we're cool." Replied Pipsqueak, Button gave him a brohoof afterwards.
"Alright, now that's out of the way, can we get back to me kicking your butts?" Spike and Pipsqueak put on their gaming faces and continued to play for the rest of the afternoon.
---------------------------------------- The next morning ----------------------------------------
Spike and Button Mash just got out of their homes, and they had previously agreed to see each other in front of Sugarcube Corner. Once both of them got there, they reunited and casually strolled to the back of the building.
"So Rumble said that you were supposed to meet this guy in the back of a building? With no one looking?" Asked Button silently to Spike.
"I know, it sounds weird even to me, but we have to at least verify it's real." Replied Spike before stopping in the corner that went to the back of the building.
Spike and Button Mash took a small glance out of the corner, and all they saw was a grey stallion unicorn that had a similar body structure to Big Mac, he was wearing black clothes and sunglasses, and the jacket he was wearing had a hoodie that covered his mane almost completely. He was standing next to a box, Spike and Button assumed that inside it were the so-called potions. Taking in one final breath of anxiety, they walked slowly to the stallion.
"Uh... I like your outfit. Very 'Terminator', right?" Said Button, trying to break the tension in the air.
"My little friend said that there were going to be three of you for the product." Replied the stallion with no outstanding emotions in his voice.
"Uh, yes, he couldn't make it. We'll just have two." Replied Spike before asking again. "Wait, and how do you know we are the ones you were waiting for?"
"I have to admit, I had doubts, but when this one spoke I knew you were the ones." Said the stallion, pointing at Button, who just frowned. "And where is the money?"
"Oh, yes, it's right here." Said Spike, giving the unicorn a bag full of bits.
"Are they 80 for each of you?" Asked the stallion.
"80 bits for one?!" Replied Spike and Button at the same time.
"Is that a problem?!" Replied the stallion menacingly.
"Oh no, there's just this guy in my school that..." Started Spike before Button acted.
"COUGH COUGH" Button motioned to Spike, bringing him back to reality.
"Oh, nevermind, if you insist in 80 then that's completely fine." Stuttered Spike.
The stallion teleported the bag away and he levitated the box closer to them. "Just take one for yourselves. Listen kids, I would like to stay and chat but I'm actually running out of time, so just take it and I'll leave you." Said the stallion with some nervousness in his voice.
Spike and Button noticed a red glow in the stallion's eyes, just behind his sunglasses, but they knew they would be dumb if they actually said anything about it to a guy like this. They took one bottle each, and the stallion closed the box before teleporting it away as well. Spike and Button Mash looked at the bottles, they looked like regular water bottles but when they opened them, they realized that the outside of the bottle was painted so that it would seem that it's regular water. The liquid that was inside actually had a shade of dark purple, plus they could feel warm coming from it, almost like energy or... magic.
"Just so we are clear, this is a potion that 's not exactly well tested and the princesses don't know anything about it; or at least they haven't found out that we're selling them, that's the reason you are paying it personally at the back of a building. I take no responsability to its effects on you or your life." Said the stallion, the glow in his eyes sometimes faded away and sometimes it became stronger and more noticeable.
"Wait... The effects on our lives? What do you mean by-?" Started Spike before being cut off.
"Just drink it and it should be doing its thing instantly, but it varies depending on the pony. And you're a dragon, so I don't exactly know how long it will take on you." Said the stallion more directly to Spike. "OH! And this is very important, don't by any reason, motive or circumstance attempt to-" Before the stallion could finish his sentence, an alarm rang nearby, causing the stallion to flinch. "Oh, that's my cue to leave. Good luck kiddos!" And with that, the stallion teleported away leaving behind a very confused Spike and a concerned Button Mash.
----------------------------- Ten minutes later ------------------------------
Button and Spike walked to the park and sat in a bench that was located a bit farther away from the rest of the park, both of them lost in their own thoughts. They remained silent for what seemed like an eternity until Spike broke the silence.
"Wow, so we really are speechless."
"Yeah. But I'm just thinking about the price, didn't you say Rumble told you it was 100 bits?" Asked Button.
"Yes, so I guess either that guy just felt pity towards us or Rumble tried to scam us by bringing him the money and making him pay for us." Replied Spike.
"Or maybe he just got confused." Said Button, trying to lighten up the situation.
"Yeah. Anyway, do you want to do it at the same time?" Asked Spike, looking at Button.
"Yes, we're in this together and we will do this together." Stated Button, lifting his bottle, inviting Spike to do the same.
"Do you know what this could mean if it works?" Asked Spike to Button.
"That maybe we'll know if we just got scammed?"
"No, dude, if this works out, our lives will be completely different. Maybe nothing will be the same anymore."
"Holy guacamole, you're right."
There was a brief pause before Spike lifted his bottle. "Here goes... Everything, I guess."
"To us, to the team and to be popular." Said Button.
"To us, to the team and to be popular." Repeated Spike with a smile.
After saying it, both of them drank the content of the bottle in one zip. After emptying the bottle, they threw the bottle away and they looked at the floor, waiting for something to happen.
'It's salty, it has a bitter taste. It stings to the gums, warm in the tongue... Dear Celestia, please make this work.' Thought Spike as he swallowed the potion.
'I kinda like it. It's warm, though it's a bit salty. Mmm.. That's weird, why do I feel heat throughout my body?' Thought Button as he did the same.
"Do you feel anything yet?" Asked Spike to Button, who looked bored.
"Well, not anything special, what do you feel like right now?" Asked Button back.
"I feel like we just wasted our money on some weird energy drink." Replied Spike.
"WHAT?! Aw man, I just wasted all that money for nothing?!" Yelled Button.
"Tell me about it! I had to sacrifice that one favor Twilight owed me to get that money!" Replied Spike, noticeably angry.
"And I just sacrificed two months' worth of the money my mom gives me for this garbage!" Said Button, raging really hard.
"Oh, what a disappointment!" Said Spike, kicking the grass.
"Well, see ya Spike!" Said Button before stomping off in the direction of his home.
"What? Where are you going?" Asked back Spike.
"I'm going home, now I have to sweep and to the dishes for free!" Replied Button as he trotted angrily towards his home quite visibly annoyed.
"Oh, ok then. I have to go home too. I have to re-shelf the library again." Said Spike before stomping off to see Twilight.
------------------------------- Fifteen minutes later, in Twilight's crystal castle -------------------------------
Twilight was inside her castle walking towards the library when she heard the doors open. Twilight looked at them and she saw a very annoyed looking dragon walk right through them. "Oh! You're back already, Spike? I didn't think you would be back so soon!" Said Twilight as Spike entered the crystal castle.
"Yeah, I didn't think so too." Said Spike in a tone that was both irritated and sad.
"Hey, what happened? Are you alright, Spike?" Asked Twilight, getting closer to Spike, who just passed by.
"I'm fine Twilight, I just wasted money and time. I'll just go and re-shelf the library and pretend that the last hour didn't happen." Said Spike before heading off to the library.
"Spike, if you are really that sad then just go to your room and try to relax, I'll take care of the library myself." Said Twilight, pike just looked back at her when she said those words.
"Really? You would do that for me?" Asked Spike, to which Twilight nodded and Spike ran towards her to give her a hug. "You're the best pony in Equestria."
"Oh, it's nothing, really. You know how much I like books and re-shelving." Said Twilight blushing with a sheepish smile on her face.
"Thank you, Twilight." Said Spike before turning away from her and going to his room.
------------------------------ At Button's house ------------------------------
"Mom! I'm here!" Shouted Button Mash when he arrived at his house.
"Already? Huh, I thought you wouldn't be back so soon. Did something happen?" Asked Button's mom from the kitchen.
"Oh, nothing special, I just wasted a lot of money and time!" Said Button, grunting.
"Well, however much it was I'm sure that it's not the end of the world." Said Button's mom, coming out of the kitchen. She saw Button on the couch, so she sat beside him; before Button realized it, he was resting on his mom's side and she hugged him shortly after.
"Mom, I'm talking about two months of the money you give me each week." Said Button, looking up to his mom.
"Don't worry Button, It's not so bad. Look, if it makes you feel better, I'll let you play until the food is done, alright?" Said Button's mom, booping his nose.
"Heh, okay mom." Replied Button Mash before hugging his mom and kissing her on the cheek. And with that, he left to his room.
Button Mash lazily strolled into his room, he plugged on his console and sat down on the floor. "Maybe if I get an A on Equish she will give me a little bit more." Button whispered to no one in particular.
"What's this? Various consoles? Comic books? Dirty clothes spread thrpughout the floor? Unf, this will be hard." Button Mash heard a mysterious male voice come from nowhere, though it seemed familiar to him for some reason.
"Huh? Who's that?! Show yourself!" Shouted Button, afraid that some stranger might've come to his room.
Spike suddenly felt like someone struck a bunch of needles and knives inside his brain, and he threw himself to the floor in pain. "OW! What is this?!" Asked Spike.
"You'll feel some mild discomfort in certain parts of your brain while I enter it. Please try and keep calm." He heard the voice say.
"Ow! Please! Just stop!" Button said to this mysterious voice.
"Alright, I've entered your brain, now this pain will stop." And so it did. When his brain stopped hurting, Button tried to get up.
"Oh, Celestia, I'm glad it's ov-"
"And it will be replaced by another type of pain." Said the voice.
"WHAT?!" Asked Button before dropping down again, this time he felt like his whole body was in fire, Button rolled in the ground but it didn't help. "WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?!"
Spike wasn't used to the feeling of being burned, since his scales protected him from hot temperatures, he was even able to swim in a pool of lave like it was hot water. So when this pain arrived, he was far from prepared, and he screamed like he never had done before.
"Alright, I've accessed to your muscles and you neural memory, I think we are done here." After the voice said that, Spike felt the pain go away, and he saw the figure of a mare appear in front of him. A mare who he recognized too well...
"If I'm correct, this should be done right about... Now!" Said the voice, Button Mash felt better suddenly, he felt like he could actually move, and when he looked up, he saw the figure of a tall stallion in front of him.
Spike was trying to get his senses back, and when he got his vision clear, he saw Rarity, though she had a slightly darker shade of fur and mane, she was about the same size of him and she had the heart gemstone Spike gave her on his birthday as a necklace.
Button Mash stood under the figure of his father, a handsome stallion in a pink suit with a matching hat, a cane and a small but attractive moustache, Button hadn't seen him since forever, but he always imagined him to be like that, or he would envision his father looking something like that in his dreams.
It was a lovely afternoon in Ponyville, and now everypony was starting to relax since it was an authentic Friday afternoon; specially the fillies and colts started to get excited since this was the last stressful day of the week. We now will follow four specific fillies in their school day. These four fillies were just going out of the school and they agroupped next to the door to chat about their day and about that horrible Pop quiz.
"Ugh! I still can't believe Miss Cheerilee thought about a Pop quiz today of all days!" Said the orange filly named Scootaloo.
"Yeah, no kidding, I think my think hurts from braining too hard." Replied a purple filly named Dinky Hooves, rubbing her forehead with her front hoof.
"What are you girls talking about? I'm the one that should be worried." Pointed out a yellow filly with a pink bow on her mane, named Apple Bloom.
"Yeah, you never fail a Pop quiz, Dinky, and I don't know how but you almost never fail too, Scoots." Said the white filly named Sweetie Belle.
"Yeah, but did she have to do it in a Friday of all days?" Exclaimed Scootaloo.
"I would be worried for you, but you always somehow manage to get a good grade. Besides, this was mostly about Math, and you're almost flawless in Math." Said Apple Bloom bluntly while raising her eyebrow.
"W-well, I study really hard?" Said Scootaloo shrugging with a nervous smile on her face. "Hey, why don't we just go to the club house to chat there?" Said a nervous looking Scootaloo.
"That's fine, I don't think Rarity will mind if I arrive an hour or so later." Said Sweetie Belle with a smile.
"Well, I was planning on doing some of my chores right now, but I guess they can wait a tic." Said Apple Bloom with a small shrug.
"I just want to relax, I don't think my mom will mind; I bet she must still be delivering something right now." Finished Dinky before all four of them started to walk towards Sweet Apple Acres.
------------------------------ Fifteen minutes later ------------------------------
Now the sun was starting to set in, meaning that Princess Celestia was starting to lower it and Princess Luna was starting to raise the moon. There was still a bit of time before it was dark though, so that meant that the four fillies still had a fair amount of time to chat in their club house, which now they were in.
"I still can't thank you girls enough for letting me in the Cutie Mark Crusaders." Said Dinky with a big grin on her face.
"Aw shucks, don't speak of it, the Cutie Mark Crusaders are always looking for new members!" Replied Apple Bloom.
"Yeah! And we could use some help getting our cutie marks too." Said Sweetie Belle from the other side of the room.
"Girls, I think we should start focusing on the talent show, we all signed and we should at least know what we're going to do." Said Scootaloo, who afterwards put a thinking pose, just like Sweetie and Apple Bloom. The three of them thought about the possibilities of what to do in a talent show, but they were fresh out of ideas.
"Am I the only one who isn't getting anything?" Asked Sweetie Belle, to which Apple Bloom and Scootaloo looked at each other, and then looked back at Sweetie.
"Nope, I think that Pop quiz took our brains out of us." Said Apple Bloom.
"Ugh, should we just do what we did the first time?" Asked Scootaloo, to which Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle looked at her with a raised eyebrow."But this time it will be actually good." Said Scootaloo, making Apple Bloom remember how it went last time.
She remembered perfectly how it went last time; she had decided to dance in her performance but she actually ended up destroying half the stage while "dancing", she also remembered Sweetie Belle doing the costumes and the props for their performance, but they were more like dawings of a three year old in badly cut cardboard. She specially remembered Scootaloo singing, which for some miracle didn't left anyone deaf. But all of this remembered her that now they had Dinky with them, so now things could very well be different this time.
Speaking of which, Apple Bloom noticed that their new fourth member had been unusually quiet, which wasn't very normal for Dinky. Apple Bloom remembered how Dinky was the first one to sign the sheet for the show, so she thought that Dinky would've been more excited or at least, she'd be paying more attention to the matter. Apple Bloom looked towards Dinky and she saw that Dinky was looking outside the window, perhaps she didn't even hear any part of the conversation at all.
"Dinky? What the hay are you thinking? Are you even listening to us?" Asked Apple Bloom, to which Dinky turned around and blushed when she saw that her three friends were staring at her.
"Oh sorry, I was just distracted, that's all." Replied Dinky, still distracted.
"Distracted with what?" Asked Apple Bloom with the apple-characteristic raised eyebrow.
"Oh, she's just thinking about boys, that's what." Teased Sweetie Belle with a giggle. Dinky's blush became stronger.
"Hey! That's not true!" Replied Dinky with a frown. The three other filies laughed a bit afterwards. "W-w-well you wouldn't understand either way! I'm starting to think none of you actually care about love!" Blurted out Dinky, not quite realizing what she said.
After Dinky blurted out those words, silence reigned over the club house, the four fillies had a blank stare for a couple of moments which seemed like an awkward eternity for them. Luckily for them Scootaloo broke the silence first:
"Oh crap! I just remembered!" With that said, Scootaloo put on her saddlebags and rushed to the door. "I was supposed to meet Rumble after school! I hope he's not too mad at me! See ya girls later!" Said Scootaloo before trotting off to see her coltfriend, her friends looking at her as she ran away.
"See? She gets it." Said Dinky with a smug smile.
Apple Bloom groaned. "Look, I think we're busy enough to think about that right now, don't ya think, Dinky?"
"Oh come on, Don't tell me neither of you have thought about having a coltfriend! Not even once?" Said Dinky, loking at Apple Bloom and then at Sweetie Belle.
Said fillies refused to make eye contact with anyone, instead, Apple Bloom looked at the wall in silence with a small blush she hoped her friends didn't notice. Sweetie Belle just looked away, rolling her eyes and whistled a little tune, hoping to look as innocent as possible.
"Oh my Celestia. You HAVE thought about it." Said Dinky giggling, to which her friends blushed even more and turned towards her with frowns.
"Pffft, whatever. So what if we have? There's more important stuff we have to-"
"Apple Bloom, I think it's fine if we talk about it, even if it's just for today." Dinky interrupted Apple Bloom, who just looked down.
"Well, if it makes you comfortable we can all say who we like and maybe things won't be so awkward." Said Sweetie Belle, putting a hoof on her friend's shoulder.
Apple Bloom sighed. "Okay, let's get it over with. Who wants to start?" Said Apple Bloom with a small smile.
"Oh! I'll start!" Said Dinky clapping her hooves. "I like Pipsqueak!"
"You like Pip?" Asked Sweetie Belle, surprised.
"Yep."
"Huh, since when?" Asked Apple Bloom, very curious about it.
I remember it was a sunny day, and we were just tiny foals getting ready to meet new friends, I was specially excited to see just how many friends I could get in the first day. But when I arrived at school I was really nervous, I felt like I couldn't talk to anyone because I would ruin it, but then I saw him, all on his own. Pipsqueak was just wandering around the school yard; he looked really cute, I swear he looked like he was just born then. So I went to talk to him and see how he was like.
"Hi, my name is Dinky Hooves, and what's yours?"
"M-my name is Pipsqueak."
"That's a cute name. Do you wanna hang for a bit?"
"O-okay."
After that we started hanging out in recess and after school, and I just knew we had something special; I really like everything about him! He is kind, gentle, smart and a cinnamon roll who must not be harmed. But after a while he started to hang out more with guys like him, and I started hanging out with you, so we kinda parted ways there; I still like him though, I wish he paid more attention to me.
I met him when we entered school like you, Dinky, but unlike you, I wasn't excited to go to school, I was actually worried, I thought that maybe I would be forever alone; I never thought I could make friends. But my sister and my parents kinda forced me to go anyways. The first day was awkward as heck, I remember that Miss Cheerilee forced us to introduce ourselves in front of everyone, and it was horrible because I almost froze up. I think I still embarassed myself in front of everypony there.
But then I saw him, he introduced himself like no one did; he looked so sure of himself, like he was the ruler of the world and he didn't care what others thought of him. Anyways, when it was time to go home we all walked out of the school at the same time, he and I were the last ones to leave that day, but just when I was leaving the classroom behind Button, he tripped and he fell hard to the floor. So I hurried to help him get up.
"Oh my, that must have hurt."
"Yeah, ow, that was just my face."
"Are you okay? Do you want me to get help?"
"No, no, I'm fine. My name is Button Mash by the way, and yours?"
"My name is Sweetie Belle."
"That's a beautiful name."
I guess I had a thing for him since day one, and I'm pretty sure he likes me too! But one can never be sure with guys these days. His gamer side is bittersweet though, because he pays more attention to videogames than anything else; but on the bright side, when he is playing he shows the side of him I really like! It displays his tenacity and optimism in the face of adversity, not to mention how handsome he is.
And you know what's funny to me? I tried to get into videogames to spend dome more time with him, I even went into the comic store! And to this day I still like buying comics every now and then. If it wasn't for him I wouldn't have discovered how much I love reading Supermare or Iron-mare, I owe him that.
"Wait, you really like comic books and videogames that much because of him?" Asked Apple Bloom to Sweetie Belle, who blushed and turned away.
"It's embarassing! Please don't tell anyone!" Said Sweetie frantically.
"Don't worry, Sweetie, nopony will know our friend is a nerd." Replied Dinky while supressing her laughter. Sweetie Belle just frowned with a deep blush on her white cheeks.
Apple Bloom put her hoof on her friends's shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile. "Oh, don't worry Sweetie, we think it's actuallt really sweet that you discovered something you like because of him. And we won't tell anyone you like comics and videogames if you don't want us to, right Dinky?" Apple Bloom said that last part glaring at Dinky.
"Of course we won't! We're friends and friends don't do that." After Dinky finished, Sweetie Belle looked at her friends and turned her frown into a small but true smile.
"Thank you girls, it means a lot to me." Said Sweetie Belle, hugging her friends tightly.
"Well, it's just you now, Apple Bloom. Who do you like?" Asked Dinky to her friend who hadn't spilled the beans.
"I... would rather keep it to myself." Said Apple Bloom, turning away.
"What? Why? We said who we liked, now it's YOUR turn." Said Sweetie Belle.
"Yes, this doesn't seem fair to me!" Exclaimed Dinky.
"It don't gotta be fair." Replied Apple Bloom, still turning away.
"What?! But why-?"
"Because you wouldn't understand!" Apple Bloom snapped back at her Sweetie, who was surprised at Apple Bloom's reaction.
"Why do you think we wouldn't understand?" Asked Dinky.
"Because... I... kinda like someone who isn't a colt." Said Apple Bloom, blushing and looking down.
"Wait, you like a girl then?" Asked Sweetie Belle.
"No! It's just that... well... this guy.... Ugh, this is more complicated than I thought." Said Apple Bloom, trying to come clean to her friends.
Dinky started to connect the pieces, Apple Bloom definitely likes someone given her blushes, and she just said that it isn't a girl, but she also had said that it isn't a colt, and Apple Bloom surely wouldn't be in love with a plant or some genderless pony, besides, it has to be someone they know. It all suddenly clicked inside Dinky's mind.
"Wait, do you mean you like...?" Started Dinky.
Apple Bloom sighed, knowing that there was nowhere to hide. "Alright, I confess, I like Spike."
"You like Spike?!" Asked both of her friends in unison. Apple Bloom cringed at their response.
"See? I told you you wouldn't understand! Just go ahead and laugh!" Apple Bloom dropped to the floor and waited for the laughter to start; but she was surprised when she heard no laughter coming from her friends. She looked up and she saw Sweetie Belle and Dinky with reassuring smiles on their faces.
"Apple Bloom, how can you possibly think we would laugh at you? We're your friends!" Said Sweetie Belle, stepping closer to her friend and putting her hoof on her left shoulder.
"Yeah, we were just surprised, I never imagined you would like Spike, but I think you guys would make a cute couple!" Said Dinky, who also stepped closer and put her hoof on her friend's right shoulder.
Apple Bloom sniffed back the tears that were starting to come to her eyes as she stepped up. "Thank you, girls, I mean it." The three of them hugged afterwards.
"So, what's your story with Spike? Did you also meet him when we entered school?" Asked Sweetie, paying attention to whatever Apple Bloom had to say.
"Don't you remember? Spike came along with Miss Twilight to Ponyville some time after we entered school." Replied Apple Bloom.
"Then tell us what happened." Said Dinky, also paying attention to her.
When I first met Spike I was a bit afraid of him, my family had told me some pretty graphic stories about dragons terrorizing their villages, destroying their crops and taking their treasures, so I was afraid he was going to be the same. But all that changed one day at the school.
I was just on my lonesome, Sweetie and Scoots were absent, I hadn't met Dinky yet and it was recess time, meaning I was alone and I had nothing to do; it was just my luck that two very special brats were passing by.
"Oh, look who it is!" Said Silver Spoon.
"Looks like the blank flank is all on her own this time!" Said Diamond Tiara.
"I don't have to put up with ya'll today, just leave me alone." I tried to get away from them but they just kept following me.
"Oh look! The blank flank turns out to be a crybaby too!"
"I guess now she has no friends, no cutie mark and no guts!"
Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon kept laughing at me, and I could feel myself actually about to start crying, but in that moment Spike stepped in.
"Hey! What are you doing to her?"
"You mind taking care of your own business?"
"Look, Diamond Tiara, if you and your little minion don't step away from Apple Bloom I'm gonna have to tell Miss Cheerilee or your parents about it!"
After Spike said that, Diamond Tiara just turned away indignated, nodding for Silver Spoon to do the same, but before they left, they took one final low blow at Spike.
"Fine, but just remember; just because you live with Princess Celestia's apprentice doesn't mean you're anything special!"
"Yeah, I mean, just look at yourself! You're like a horrible lizard thing in a cage full of cute bunnies!"
"I'm pretty sure you'll die alone. I mean, who would wanna hang out with a monster like you?"
"Oh, I'll tell you who: Losers like him!"
With that, they walked away, leaving me with Spike. "H-hey, Spike, are you okay?"
"Y-yeah, I-I'm fine." Spike was turning away from me but I could definitely tell he was starting to tear up. After that, he walked away. I don't know about you, but I feel like since that day Spike was not the same, like he was dragging himself to school everyday.
I felt really guilty after that, I misjudged Spike, he is not a monster like the dragons my family told me about, he has a very kind soul and he is very loyal to his friends. I always see him running errands for Twilight or doing something to help his other friends, he is very strong to carry all of those books and things Miss Twilight asks, he is always very optimistic, and no matter in what sort of issue he or his friends are in, he will find a way to help! Besides, he's gotten more handsome since I met him.
But there are just little things that keep me from asking him out, like my family's prejudice on dragons, I don't know what I would do if they don't accept us! Or maybe what if he doesn't like me? He used to have a crush on Rarity, maybe I'm not beautiful enough for him...
"...And I think that's waaay more than you needed to hear."
Apple Bloom got out of her own thoughts to look at her friends; they looked really sad, but Apple Bloom couldn't tell for who or why, that is, until Sweetie spoke:
"Apple Bloom, that's so sad! You need to have more confidence and faith in yourself!" Said Sweetie.
"Yeah, I'm sure Spike likes you too." Reassured Dinky.
"I'm just not sure, for now I'll just stay back, I don't wanna ruin my friendship with him." Said Apple Bloom.
"You know, I would recommend that you just come clean with him; but if it's so important to you then I guess you're right." Said Sweetie Belle.
"Yeah, I would also say that you should confess, but you do what you think it's right." Said Dinky, nodding in agreement.
"Thanks, girls, you're the best." The three of them looked like they were about tonhug, but Sweetie Belle didn't join in because she had taken notice of something important.
"Oh my Celestia, girls! It's getting dark!" Said Sweetie Belle, pointing out of the window.
"How did time go by so fast?" Asked Dinky, also freaking out.
"I don't know, but I'm more worried about you, I live around here!" Remarked Apple Bloom.
"Rarity is going to kill me!" Said Sweetie Belle before putting on her saddlebags and trotting out of the door, waving goodbye to her friends as she was leaving.
"Well, I guess I'll see you around, then." Said Dinky before grabbing her saddlebags.
"Yeah, I guess so." Said Apple Bloom. Just before Dinky left the club house Apple Bloom stopped her. "Hey, Dinky!"
Dinky turned around to see Apple Bloom looking at her with a relieved face. "Thank you and Sweetie for listening, I needed to get that out of my chest."
"No problem, what are friends for, right?" Said Dinky before waving goodbye to Apple Bloom and leaving the club house.
Rumble was just leaving the spot where he had talked with Spike, before remembering his date with Scootaloo, then he turned to the entrance to the school, where he patiently waited for his fillyfriend to arrive. He waited for what seemed like an eternity, he was starting to consider leaving since Scootaloo wasn't arriving. But just when Rumble was about to leave, he saw an orange filly trotting towards him.
Rumble was quite happy that Scootaloo didn't cancel on him, once Scootaloo reached Rumble, they hugged before Rumble gave Scootaloo a small glare.
"What took you so long? I thought you cancelled." Asked Rumble, raising his eyebrow.
"I'm sorry, I just had a lot in my mind and I accidentally went to Sweet Apple Acres." Replied Scootaloo, still catching her breath.
"And why didn't you just use your scooter to get here faster?" Asked Rumble, wondering how Scootaloo was apart from her most preciated object.
"Oh, I kinda popped two of its wheels yesterday, I was trying to jump over five meters of trash cans. It didn't go well. I'll have it back tomorrow in the morning." Replied Scootaloo, giggling at her own clumsiness doing stunts like those.
"Whatever, it doesn't matter anyway, you're here and that's all that matters to me." He replied. They sat in the grass in silence for what seemed like an instant, but were actually whole minutes, both of them being really comfortable with each other. It wasn't an awkward silence, but rather a loving one.
"You know, it's funny." Said Rumble softly, hoping to not ruin the mood, he was relieved when Scootaloo smiled back at him before asking back:
"What?"
"We've been a thing for so long, yet I still haven't asked you."
"Asked me what?"
"Who does yours look like?" Asked Rumble, his eyes glowing in the softer glow of the afternoon. Scootaloo looked away with a small blush before answering.
"Rainbow Dash. It's embarassing, I know." Scootaloo's eyes also had a strong glow.
"No, no, I think it's a good one." Reassured Rumble.
"And yours?" Asked back Scootaloo.
"A cooler version of my brother."
"Thunderlane?" Scootaloo didn't imagine that Rumble's vision would be of his own brother, she despised the guy for being a general jerk most of the time with everyone.
"I know, he can be a complete piece of crap sometimes, but I still love and respect him." Said Rumble while shrugging.
"Well, and what does he say we should do?" Asked Scootaloo.
"He says I should invite you to get something to eat." Replied Rumble.
"Oooh, he is very perspective." She said with an arousing voice.
"Hey, don't get too cocky, I'm the one that got you one." Said Rumble with pride. "By the way, have you talked to your friends about it? Do you want me to get them one of their own?"
"Nah, I don't think they would ever accept it. Can we go now? I'm starving." Replied Scootaloo while rubbing her stomach. Afterwards they both got up and finally they went to get something to eat. it was going to be a very interesting afternoon indeed.
"Woah, you look like Rarity, only cuter." Said Spike to the little unicorn that had appeared in front of him.
"This? This is only the form I took because your brain told me to." Said the fake Rarity.
"My brain told you to be Rarity?" Asked Spike, touching his forehead.
"Not exactly; when I entered your brain I analyzed its memories and experiences and I realized this would be the perfect form to take, since you're very familiar with this pony or you would gladly take advice from her. I believe she is called Rarity, isn't she?"
"Yeah, she is." Said Spike.
"But if you're not comfortable with me being her, I can also take other forms!" Said the fake Rarity before changing appearance.
"I can change into your mother-sister-guardian-whatever, Twilight Sparkle." Said the pony who now looked like Twilight before she had gotten wings.
"Or I can be Humdrum! I know how much you liked being a superhero." Said Humdrum, appearing before Spike.
"Or maybe you would like me to be one of your friends, like Button Mash?" Suddenly Button Mash appeared, waving at Spike.
"Uh no, no, Rarity is fine." Said Spike, causing Button Mash to turn back to the little Rarity. "So you're like a chengeling?"
"Do not insult me! Changelings are horrible creatures with various weaknesses. I am so much more than them. And by the way, you need to stop talking to me." Said the fake Rarity before placing a hoof in his mouth.
"What? Why?" Asked Spike, removing her hoof from his mouth.
"Because I'm not actually here and there's nopony who can hear me other than you. If somepony were to walk in they would only see you talking to the air around you, just... try thinking at me, like you have psychic powers or something!" Said the fake Rarity with a small glare.
'Is this better?' Thought Spike, looking at her.
"Yes, that's much better." Said the fake Rarity, smiling at him. "Now, look at the door and act as casual as possible."
'Why?'
"Just do it, don't ask me why." Said the fake Rarity before standing next to the door. Before Spike could protest, the door suddenly bust open and Twilight was standing there with a first-aid kit and a scared expression on her face.
"SPIKE! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?! Did you scream like that?!" Asked Twilight with dread in her voice.
"Uh... Yes, Twilight, I'm fine." Replied Spike with a reassuring smile.
"Then what was that scream? It sounded like somepony was dying!" Asked Twilight, still nervous about the scream from earlier.
"Tell her that you did it, and if she asks why, just tell her that you were practicing for the talent show." Said the fake Rarity with a smug expression on her face.
"Ah, yes, that was also me." Said Spike, trying to look normal.
"Really? And are you sure that you're okay? I've never heard you scream like that!" Said Twilight, still levitating the first-aid kit just in case.
"Yes, I was just practicing for the talent show."
"The talent show? And what kind of thing would need you to scream your lungs out?!"
Spike looked over to the fake Rarity, and he saw that she was levitating a couple of masks with different expressions on them. 'That's it!'
"I was trying to practice my screaming because me and the guys will do a scene from a theatre play!" Said Spike, trying not to sweat.
Twilight looked surprised, what she heard was such an emotion-filled scream that she could've sworn it was real. "Oh, then I guess you did a marvelous job! Wow, Spike, if you can do that in the show, you'll surely get the first place for sure!" Said Twilight before turning away from him. "I'm sorry if I interrupted you, I just wanted to see if you were alright. I need to keep researching, so I'll be in the library if you need me, keep it up!"
And with that, Twilight left the room, leaving Spike alone with his thoughts spread without any order; it wasn't until the fake Rarity spoke that Spike stopped overthinking the situation.
"Hey there, you can stop hyperventilating now."
'I don't get it, how did you know she was going to walk in just now?'
"It's pure logic, really, judging from your scream it was obvious that Twilight would rush in and check on you; but I also knew that she wouldn't come instantly because she most likely would assume that you would be hurt, so it's logical that she would arrive a bit later because she would get a first-aid kit in case you were hurt. And finally I knew she would bust through the door because in a state of panic ponies don't usually think straight, and in this case, Twilight would have too much going through her head to think about teleporting over here."
Spike was dumbfounded, just how smart was she? he thought about the situation he was in before the fake Rarity spoke again. "Hey, I know you have a lot going through your head as well, but for now let's get out of this castle; the day is still young and we have A LOT to do if we want to improve your life." And with that, the fake Rarity walked through the wall over to the corridor as if there was no wall at all; Spike followed her, if this was how things would turn out of he listened to her, then maybe he made the right call after all.
"Dad? Is that you?" Asked Button to the stallion in front of him.
"Well, yes but actually no, this is just the form I thought would be more appropiate to show you." Said Button's dad, brushing off his pink suit.
"What? What do you mean?" Asked Button, finally getting off the ground.
"I live inside your brain, and when I first got here, I analyzed it and I saw who would you respect the most, and I'm actually surprised that your dad looks like this." Said Button's dad before taking a better look at himself.
"Oh, I haven't seen him in forever, but I always thought he would look like that." Said Button before getting closer to him.
"But don't worry, if you don't want me to look like your father I can be someone else!" Said the stallion before changing his appearence.
"Maybe I can be a friend you truly love and respect!" Said Spike, appearing before Button, surprising him.
"Or maybe I can be one of your heroes!" Said a pony who he knew his whole life; it was a fat plumber with a red hat.
"Or perhaps you would preffer a cute anime girl with seductive eyes?" Said now a pony with cute and fluffy (but fake) rabbit ears and an adorable formal outfit before letting out a soft giggle that sent shivers down Button's spine.
"Uh, I think I'd preffer my dad, thank you very much." Said Button, causing the pony to turn back into Button's dad.
"Now, on the next matter of business, stop talking to me; if you talk to me using your mouth the ponies around you would see a colt talking to the air, so don't do that." Said Button's dad while covering his own mouth with his hoof.
"Then how am I supposed to communicate with you?"
"Just think at me, like you're telepathic."
"Oh boy! Like I'm professor Xavier?!" Asked Button with excitement. Button's dad facehoofed.
"I can see this is going to be difficult." Said Button's dad with a small glare. "May I ask you something?"
'Sure, what is it?' Asked back Button, now in his thoughts.
"Why is this room soundproof?" Asked Button's dad while looking at Button's room.
'Oh, that's because I used to rage a lot when I played rage games; so my mom made my room this way because she didn't want me to bother her if I screamed again. Also because when I reach some pretty difficult levels in some games I'd preffer to have peace and quiet because I get distracted easily. Why do you ask?'
"Because I wanted to see if your mother would come to check on you or not, I mean, that was a pretty loud scream." Said Button's dad, looking over to the walls, that were indeed, soundproof.
'Hey! Now that I remember, what was that all about?' Asked Button, remembering all the pain he went through as the stallion entered his brain and his body.
"I'm sorry, but I needed to have access to your muscles as well as your brain in case of an emergency."
'In case of an emergency? Like what?'
"In case that you find yourself in a situation in which you don't know what to say or do and I have to take action."
'What?' Asked Button, worried about what the stallion was capable of making him do.
"Button, I promise you that my sole objective is to improve your life, and right now I'm seeing that this won't be easy." Said Button's dad, taking a closer look at Button.
'What do you mean?' Asked Button, with a hint of pride in his voice.
"Just look at yourself! If we are going to make you better, then we have to change a lot of things in here. Starting with that." Said Button's dad, while pointing at Button's helicopter hat.
'My...My hat? But this was a gift from my mom!' Protested Button, remembering the day when his mom had given him the hat at an amusement park.
"Button, those types of hats are worn by kids, and ponies your age don't wear those anymore! If you want to keep it, then do it where no one will find it, but you're not allowed to wear it again in public." Said Button's dad firmly. Button grabbed his hat and looked at it for a couple of moments; he remembered how much that hat meant to him, he remembered that he practically lived with it. But if this was what he needed to do to not suck anymore then Button would do it.
With a sadness that no one would understand, Button tossed his hat under his bed, where no one, not even his mom would find it. "That's my boy, now let me take a good look at you." Button turned around to let his dad look at him, after a couple of seconds, Button's dad spoke again:
"No, that's not going to be enough. Let's go, we still have the rest of the day to try and improve your aesthetic." Said Button's dad before turning away from Button and walking throught the door as if it didn't even exist. Button followed him before taking one last look at his bed. He wanted to rush over and take his hat only to never take it off again, but if that was preventing him from being cool, then Button would never turn back again.
"There, here we are!" Said the fake Rarity, she had taken Spike to some clothing store he hadn't seen in Ponyville yet.
"What are we doing here?" Asked Spike, looking at the place he was in.
"My job is to improve your life, but if you're expecting me to do it without changing your aesthetic then you're not thinking clearly." Said the fake Rarity, pointing at Spike.
'Wha-? What's wrong with me?' Said Spike, looking at himself.
"Well, for one, you're a dragon. We need to make you look more friendly but at the same time make you look like you're worthy of being respected. There." Said the fake Rarity before pointing at a particular shirt. "Grab that one."
Spike looked at said shirt, it was a grey shirt but it had Cheese Sandwich in its center. That was really all that Spike needed to see. 'Really? I need to wear that?'
"If you're so sure, why do you need me for?"
'Do ponies take Cheese Sandwich seriously?'
"That's irrelevant, as a being made of a very distinctive kind of magic I can see probable futures, and right now I'm seeing a future in which you wear that shirt and everything ends up well for everyone." Said the fake Rarity, her eyes turning white.
'But what if Pinkie Pie asks me anything about him?' Asked Spike, grabbing the shirt.
"Don't worry about that, it's highly unlikely; but in case that happens I have my ways of getting information quickly." Said the fake Rarity, her eyes turning back to normal.
'I'm still not sure about this.' Said Spike, looking back at the fake Rarity.
"Spike, just look around you, everypony here thinks you're horrible. And honestly I can see why."
Spike looked at the ponies around him, and it was just as Rarity said, everypony there was staring at him with faces of disgust, fear or anger; though Spike noticed that there was something odd about everypony, like they were in sync or something like that, and their eyes were weird, like they had a glow in them. But Spike decided not to think too much about it since he was too afraid of them to ask anything.
"Aren't you tired of being the freak of the town? Just listen to me and everything will be fine. Now let's see if you have learned anything about your presentation." The fake Rarity made Spike walk over to a part of the store where there were various models of jackets. "Now you try to pick a jacket that combines with that shirt."
Spike didn't think about it too much and he grabbed the first jacket he saw. "Really? Are you serious?" Asked the fake Rarity with an eyeroll.
'Yes, I'm sure I can make this wo-'
"That's a jacket designed for a girl." Interrupted the fake Rarity. Spike looked at the jacket and he saw that it was mostly pink and it had some purple jewels in some areas. While it was black in the most visible parts Spike couldn't help but feel embarassed for picking that jacket.
"Ugh, what is he doing here?" Spike heard a voice from behind him. When he turned around and he recognized the ponies in front of him he had mixed feelings; one part of him wanted to explode in rage while the other wanted to run away and never return to that store.
"Oh, so those must be Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, right?" Asked the fake Rarity to Spike, who was visibly nervous.
'Yes, now what the frick do I say to them now?!' Asked Spike, getting even more nervous by the second.
"First, you need to change your language around them, in other terms, you need to say some more curse words. If you don't then they'll think you're a coward or a saint. But if you say too many then they'll think you're either a pervert or a guy not worth tallking to. Second, you need to tell them that you were just passing by and decided to come in."
"Oh, hi Diamond Tiara, I was just passing by and I decided to come in." Said Spike to the pink filly, who just stared at him with judging eyes.
"Don't forget her minion."
'Her minion? Who-?' "Hey, Silver Spoon."
"Tell her that she looks hot."
'I can't say that to them! Wha-'
"Don's smile at them, speak clearly and secure of yourself, speak like you don't care about your own death."
"Lookin' pretty hot, Silver Spoon." Said Spike in a deep tone, looking intensely at Silver Spoon, who gladly took the compliment.
"Thanks, Spike." Replied Silver Spoon with a blush and a sheepish smile on her face.
"What is that? Is that a jacket for a girl?" Asked Diamond Tiara.
"Oh, this? Nah-"
"Yes." Corrected the fake Rarity.
"I mean yes."
"Just repeat after me." Said the fake Rarity before clearing her throat.
"IsawitfromtheoutsideandIcouldn'tignoreit.Iwasseeingagirlandshehadajacketlikethis.Itstillhurtstorememberher." Said the fake Rarity and Spike, which surprised the two fillies.
"And who were you dating, exactly?" Asked Diamond Tiara with a half-closed eye.
"Oh, you probably never saw me date-"
"Berry Pinch" Suggested the fake Rarity.
"Berry Pinch." Said Spike after a brief pause.
"WHAT?!" Said the fillies in surprise, Diamond Tiara looking legit angry and Silver Spoon looking very surprised.
"Yes, she is very sweet." Said Spike with a thumb up.
"No, she is not! She is only sweet when she is not drunk like her mom!" Said Diamond Tiara with a glare.
"Wait, you were dating Berry Pinch and she broke up with you?" Asked Silver Spoon.
"Umm ye-" "NO!" Said the fake Rarity, almost slapping Spike. "Uh, I mean..."
"Ibrokeupwithher'causeshewascheatingonme!" Spike again repeated what the fake Rarity said, which seemed to work.
"Oh my Celestia. What did I tell you? She is the worst!" Said Diamond Tiara to Silver Spoon.
"Yes, you're better off without her, Spike." Said Silver Spoon.
"Duh, obviously. I mean, who does she think she is?" Repeated Diamond Tiara, now looking at Spike. "Hey, now that I think about it, why are you here in the first place?"
"Me? Well... My mother is so unbearable sometimes, you know how it goes. I just want to stay away from her." Spike said, his words not quite sinking in his mind.
"Yeah, fucking moms, right?" Said Diamond Tiara, even though it came more like a spat than a sentence. Spike was surprised by what Diamond Tiara just said, and he looked at the fake Rarity, who was just smiling at the scene.
'Did you just make me say that about Twilight?' Asked Spike to the fake Rarity.
"Yes, you didn't know what to say so I took the liberty to save you from an awkward silence." Said the fake Rarity with a grin.
'But I don't see Twilight as my mom!' Protested Spike, to which the fake Rarity rolled her eyes.
"And yet she is the closest thing you have to a real mother, besides, wether you think of her like that or not is irrelevant now. I just made you say that to make you more compatible with that filly since I know you don't exactly like each other." Said the fake Rarity.
'What do you mean by that?' Asked Spike, to which Rarity pointed at Diamond Tiara.
"By the way, are you going to buy that? That looks expensive, here, let me help you with that. At least I'm better than bErRy PiNcH." Diamond Tiara said that last part with venom in her voice. Afterwards she grabbed Spike's shirt and jacket and proceeded to go pay for them.
'What just happened?' Asked Spike to the fake Rarity.
"Over time, I learned that the fastest way to bond with someone is to share a negative opinion about something or somepony. Now you and Diamond Tiara are starting to get along." Said the fake Rarity before being interrupted by Silver Spoon.
"Spike, are you okay? Why are you staring at that wall?" Asked Silver Spoon to Spike, who was visibly staring at nothing.
"Oh, nothing. Hey, can I ask you a question, Silver Spoon?" Said Spike to the grey filly, who nodded in response. "Why does Diamond Tiara hate Berry Pinch?"
"It's a couple of weird stories, you see, a couple of years ago, in Heart's warming eve, Diamond Tiara was really excited to go to the Crystal Empire because she heard that the snow and the landscape were the most beautiful thing in Equestria, but her mom got into a big fight with Berry Pinch's mother and her. She said that the fight was because Diamond's mom wouldn't let Berry's mom buy drinks after the store had closed and she decided to see Spoiled Rich. The fight was so bad that they punched each other a lot."
"Wow, was it really that bad?" Asked Spike with concern.
"Yes, and Diamond Tiara's mom was in such a bad mood that not only they didn't get to go there, she made Diamond Tiara be alone all week because her dad was taking care of her in the hospital." Said Silver Spoon with sadness in her voice.
"That's horrible! But you say there was more?" Asked Spike, who was almost biting his nails even though he didn't have those.
"Oh yes, since that day Diamond Tiara was a bit apathetic towards Berry Pinch, but after Hearts and Hooves day Diamond Tiara definitely hated Berry Pinch."
"What happened?!"
"You see how in Hearts and Hooves day you're supposed to spend the day with your very very special somepony?" Spike just nodded. "Well, Diamond Tiara was hoping to spend the day with a colt that was special to her. (I won't tell you who because she would kill me) but when she went to confess her feelings for him she saw him with Berry Pinch kissing each other." Spike was surprised to the point where he was just speechless. "So that's pretty much it, she was just apathetic towards her before Hearts and Hooves day, now Diamond Tiara definitely hates Berry Pinch."
'Did you know about this?' Asked Spike to the fake Rarity.
"Of course not." Said the fake Rarity, looking away.
'So everything that has happened have been just coincidences?'
"Of course not!" Repeated the fake Rarity looking in another direction.
'What? Then how-?'
"It's just like I told you, thanks to my magic I can envision probable futures, so I didn't know all that happened to Diamond Tiara, but I knew things would turn out well if you said those things. Now, Diamond Tiara is about to come back, if I'm not wrong she will make some sort of offer to you; you better accept it." Said the fake Rarity before fading away.
"Spike, I'm kinda surprised, actually." Said Silver Spoon again.
"What? Why?"
"You said something to Diamond Tiara and she didn't even look at you with a glare or something like that, and she is even paying for your stuff! She doesn't do things like this for pretty much anypony. I don't know how but you knew just what to say to her." Said Silver Spoon with a small smile.
And, just as Rarity predicted, Diamond Tiara was coming back with Spike's clothes in a bag. When she was in front of Spike, he grabbed the bag and he thanked her. "Thanks."
"Oh, don't mention it, what are friends for, right?" Said Diamond Tiara, which surprised Spike. "What? After what you said I think we have more in common than I thought. You might not be such a loser."
"Spike, by the way, do you wanna come with us? We're going to get some ice cream." Said Silver Spoon.
"Yes, and we can get you home after that." Said Diamond Tiara.
'Umm, I don't know, should I go with them? I mean, I don't think we're such big friends after just a conversation.' Said Spike to the fake Rarity who reappeared besides him.
"Spike, don't you see this is the opportunity we are looking for? To improve your status you need to get popular, and these are popular girls who just invited you to get something nice to eat. Just accept it and go with them, I can warn you in case anything goes wrong." Said the fake Rarity, scooting closer to the two fillies who were waiting for an answer.
Spike thought about his situation before thinking to himself. 'Well, I guess if Rarity comes with me things can't go wrong, right? I'll go, how bad can this be?'
"Sure, I'll go with you!" Said Spike to the fillies, who smiled at him and started to walk with him out of the store and directly to the nearest ice cream source.
As Spike walked through Ponyville with his new friends and his assistant Rarity behind him, he smiled to himself. This day was starting to finish, and despite how much the potion made him scream when he drank it, things were finally starting to look up for him. Maybe he and Button made the right choice after all.
If Spike had looked back he would've seen a spotted colt with a distingushed accent yelling at him, trying to get his attention, but Spike didn't seem to notice him, and he happily ignored him as he went to get that delicious ice cream with his new and upgraded friends.
"Okay, here we are." Said Button's dad as he took Button to the playfields.
'What are we doing here?' Asked Button to his dad while checking his surroundings.
"We are making my job easier, that's what we're doing here." Said Button's dad as he analyzed the place.
'Hey, you're supposed to make my life better, like helping me get better grades or get Sweetie Belle to like me. So why are we-?'
"I am sorry but that filly does not see you as a potential coltfriend."
'What?'
"At least not yet. Becoming the type of pony that can impress her is going to require more than just... Making you look better." Said Button's dad as he finished examining his surroundings. "I brought you here because you also need to work on your physical appearance and stamina; when I entered your body I analyzed your stamina as the supposed "Earth pony" that you are and I have to say, you're dangerously close to being overweight."
'Wait, really? My mom says I'm fine.' Said Button as he took a good look at himself with sad eyes.
"That's because your mother tries to protect you in every way possible, physically as well as emotionally, and I'm not her so I can be as honest as I want to." Said Button's dad before clearing his throat. "You looked like an overweight kid with an infantile hat that does nothing else than play videogames all day; and if something happened to you you would just go running to your mommy. How does that sound?"
Button just stared at him while trying to process what his dad just said. At first he tried to deny it, thinking to himself that there was no way his situation was THAT bad. And yet the longer he thought about it the more he realized...
His dad was right.
He thought about his life, he thought about his grades, which of course wouldn't impress Sweetie Belle. Button thought about his habit of playing videogames for entire days in some cases, which would just make Sweetie Belle leave him if they somehow became a couple. He thought about his physical appearance, and even if Button didn't think that he was fat probably others would, and Sweetie Belle would be disgusted if he got any fatter. And the final nail in the coffin was his attitude, Button still cried for his mom if something happened to him, if Sweetie Belle ever found out about that she would just stay as far away from him as she could. There was no denying it now; Button needed help in a hurry.
'Wow, I AM a bit of a loser.' Button thought as he looked down.
"Now you're starting to see my point. Very well. I took you here because you don't have any other friends; you need to socialize as well as try to improve your skills in physical activities."
'What?'
"You need to get into a game of buckball and make more friends." Said Button's dad with an unamused expression on his face.
Before giving his dad a sheepish grin, Button walked over to the colts playing, and he noticed a couple of colts that he recognized almost instantly.
'Snips? Snails? What are those guys doing here?' Asked Button to his dad, who just shrugged.
Button approached the two colts who were resting on a bench. "Uh, hey guys." Said Button when he was close enough to them.
"Button Mash? What are you doing here?" Asked Snips, looking at him with a surprised expression on his face.
"I was going to ask the same thing to you." Said Button to Snips, both still in surprise.
"Oh, well, my buddy here got me into buckball because he showed me that this game is the most exciting thing ever! Besides, working and getting together with your team is just so wholesome to me." Even Button without the help of his dad clearly saw that this was a lie, and he gave Snips a questioning look. "What? I'm being honest." Button's questioning look turned into Applejack's famous eyebrow stare. "I just really love the excitement." Button's eyebrow raised; knowing he had nowhere to run, Snips sighed and finally told the truth. "Aw, alright, Snails got me into buckball because I heard that lots of players are stinking rich if they're good enough, but that's a secret!"
Button stopped glaring at Snips, but Snips instantly asked back. "And why are YOU here? I hope you're not trying to steal my money!"
"I, Uh... I come here quite often, and I would like to play against you just this once." Said Button automatically.
"Oh yeah? You're on!" Said Snips while he stood up. "Let's go, Snails!" Snips looked to his friend, who was distracted the entire time. "SNAILS! Did you hear anything we just said?!" Asked Snips, which briefly frightened Snails, snapping him out of whatever he was thinking.
"Oh, sorry! I was just looking at how pretty this ladybug looks." Said Snails, showing his friend the bug that was below the bench they were sitting on.
"I don't know how you're so good at buckball if you do stuff like this." Said Snips, grabbing Snails and dragging him to the playground.
'Did you just make me accept a match of buckball against those guys?!' Asked Button to his dad, who appeared in front of him.
"Yes I did, what's the problem with that?" Replied Button's dad with a smirk.
'It doesn't matter if those guys are good or not, I haven't played buckball! Never in my life! And I don't even have a team!!' Said Button, looking visibly nervous.
"Relax, Button, you can't be that bad, besides, I don't think you should worry too much about the team thing."
'Why not?'
"Look who is over there." Button's dad pointed at a certain part of the playground, and there, Button saw Rumble. Button didn't waste any time and he quickly rushed over to where Rumble was.
Rumble was taking a break when he saw somepony approaching him. When he took a better glance at them he saw that it was Button Mash trotting towards him. When Button stopped before Rumble, Rumble asked:
"Hey, Button, why are you here? I never thought you'd be the sporty type of pony."
'Oh crap, now what do I say to him?' Asked Button to his dad, and he saw that his eyes turned white.
בואו נצטרף עכשיו
"OW!" Said Button and Rumble at the same time, feeling a sudden burst of sharp pain in their brains. "Wait, you got one?" Asked Rumble with surprise in his eyes.
"Um... I... Uhh..." Button tried to anwer but he didn't know what to say.
"Button... This is awesome!" He heard Rumble say, and before Button could ask what was awesome about having a sudden pain in their brains, Rumble kept going. "So you want me to be on your team? Of course! I'll help you get started with your buckball game! Just wait a minute here, I'll go and search for a unicorn to be with us."
Button was dumbfounded, first there was this pain that he felt inside his brain. But not only did he feel it, Rumble also felt it; and now Rumble had acted like they were best friends forever when they hadn't spoken to each other for years! Button was starting to hyperventilate but his dad appeared in front of him, snapping him out of his thoughts.
'What was that all about?' Asked Button to his dad.
"That was just me getting you another friend." Said Button's dad smugly, to which Button just stared at him. "You see, I am made of a very distinctive type of magic, and I can sense it when I'm around it. You remember when your friend Spike told you that Rumble had taken the same potion you bought? Well, since his "assistant" is made of the same type of magic as me, we joined forces, making you two friends instantly."
'So now he will act like he is my friend?' Asked Button, getting intrigued by this situation.
"Well what is friendship but a bond between two ponies, really? Now you and Rumble have a bond, it's just magical." Button was about to question this but his dad faded away as he saw Rumble coming back.
"Okay, we're ready to play, and you?"
"Oh yeah, pffft, there's no way those guys can beat me!"
One painfully bad match later...
"Okay, they might've beaten me but I wasn't that bad, right?"
"Dude, we literally lost 50-0, I have never seen anyone play so bad; have you ever played buckball, or even played something like this?" Asked Rumble with no amusement whatsoever.
"No?"
"I'm amazed, even with my help you're uncapable of being sporty. This is going to be harder than I thought." Said Button's dad with a frown.
"HA! I told you this was going to be easy!" Button heard Snips say as he approached with Snails.
"Yeah, yeah, don't mention it." Replied Button with a grunt.
"You know what? Maybe you lost big time to us, but I appreciate the effort; so I, Snips, will let you hang out with me and my buddy Snails. And for no additional charge we'll help you get better in Buckball! How's that sound?"
Button looked over to his dad who shrugged. "Just say yes."
"Yes, thank you!" Exclaimed Button with a smile.
"And something else, we have planned a little party tomorrow at my place, and we didn't think we should invite you. But you know, maybe you won't be so bad. What do you say?"
"Yes. I'll go!"
"Good, we have to go now, but we'll see you there!" Said Snips, waving goodbye at Button. Snips looked at Snails who was levitating the hoofball baskets around him in a completely zen-like controlled motion. "Hey! We gotta go!"
"Oh yeah, right!" Said Snails, dropping the baskets and rushing to his friend's side. As soon as the two colts left the playground, Rumble approached Button.
"Hey, you know what? Maybe I can teach you sports! Not only buckball, what about hoofball or Basketball?" Said Rumble automatically.
"Oh, yes, and maybe you can come to my place sometime to play with me? With our "special friends" we only need our minds to play." Replied Button, not quite realizing what he said.
"Great! Then I'll see you at the party tomorrow!" Said Rumble as he turned around.
"Wait, you're gonna go too?" Asked Button, to which Rumble turned his head to look at him.
"Well duh, everypony in our class will go!"
"And around what time it'll be?"
"Around two o' clock. You better be there!" Said Rumble as he finally trotted away. Button was trying to process what had happened in the last minutes; he got three new friends, he was invited to a party he didn't even know about and now he was closer to Rumble than anyone else before! Button stopped his train of thoughts when he saw his dad appear in front of him.
'Wait, what just happened?' Asked Button to his dad, who looked rather proud of himself and Button.
"We are progressing, that's what just happened." Said Button's dad, giving himself a pat on the back.
'Wait, but how-?'
"It looks like I'm gonna have to explain it to you again. I am more than just a little help, I can save you! I can see right through the attitudes of everypony to reveal who they really are! And I can use it to our advantage, for example; when I saw Snips I could definitely tell he was very selfish, and he would use every advantage he has available to boost his status, his finantial situation, or anything, really. And the other colt? You shouldn't need to worry so much about him, Snails has potential but Snips pretty much thinks in his place."
Button thought about it and he saw that his dad was right, even if Snips was disgusted by him, he would try to be his friend to gain something out of it. And Snails never really struck Button as the leading type, but he was always around Snips, maybe because they compliment each other in a way.
'And also, what about that party?'
"It's curious, most of us just have to help with a stammering problem or with physical appearance, but this is going to require more work than ever. You don't need to worry, we're going to find you something nice to wear and you'll be ready to go."
Button was about to question him, but his dad was already trotting off downtown. Button saw no other choice but to follow him and see what was going to happen from here on forward.
As Button walked through Ponyville he dotted upon the events of the afternoon, he had made three new friends, he was starting to gain ground and he would probably be handsome by the end of the day. He hated to admit it, but Spike was right, they made the right call after all. He was still far from being the cool guy, but maybe now he wouldn't be so left out. He felt lonely before, because his mom couldn't come with him to school, but now someone else would help him out! Even if he had lost big time at that buckball match things turned out well! It wasn't such a bad day after all.
Button suddenly felt strange when he was almost downtown, like if there was somepony trying to talk to him. Button looked around but he saw nothing, so Button just shrugged it off, not giving it much importance, so Button turned and headed for a clothing store. Such a shame he couldn't see or hear a certain spotted colt, who was waving at him and yelling, trying to get his attention. Eventually, said colt stopped waving at him, having been ignored twice in a day he decided to go home and do something else for the rest of the day.
"That ice cream was delicious! Thank you, girls!" Said Spike as he walked through Ponyville with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.
"It's nothing, Spike." Replied Diamond Tiara.
"Yeah, I'm just glad you guys could make a truce." Said Silver Spoon, looking at her two friends.
Spike had been conversating with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon for a while at the ice cream parlor, and he discovered that they actually weren't such bad fillies, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon had to put on a dominant look and a matching attitude mostly because they needed it so that some other rich pony doesn't take advantage of them for being so young. And they were relieved that they had found someone who could understand them and not judge them.
Eventually the fillies and the dragon had to leave since the day was almost over and Luna would soon decorate the sky with its characteristic dark glow and beautiful stars. Their walk together eventually stopped when they reached the point where they had to part ways.
"Well, this is where I have to go." Said Silver Spoon with a small smile.
"I'll see you tomorrow!" Said Diamond Tiara, waving goodbye at her friend.
"Yes, I'll see you too! Bye, Silver Spoon!" Said Spike, also waving at her.
"Goodbye, Tiara, and goodbye to you, Spike." Said Silver Spoon, her last part with a seductive tone while batting her eyes at Spike, its message reached Spike, since he seemed to blush slightly. Silver Spoon looked at Diamond Tiara and she was relieved when she saw that she was distracted thinking about something, meaning that she didn't notice it.
Silver Spoon parted to her home, leaving Spike alone with Diamond Tiara.
"Hey, Spike, can I tell you something?" Said Diamond Tiara.
"You can tell me anything." Said the fake Rarity, appearing besides Spike, suggesting him to say the same words.
"You can tell me anything." Said Spike, repeating her words.
"Tomorrow around two o' clock there will be a party at Snips' place, do you want to come... with me?" Asked Diamond Tiara with a bit of hesitation.
"Umm... I..." Said Spike, looking at the fake Rarity who looked like she was starting to lose her patience.
"I'D LOVE TO! JUST SAY IT!" Said the fake Rarity, trying to keep calm.
"I'd love to!" Finally said Spike.
"Oh! Thank you!" Said Diamond Tiara, looking relieved.
"So I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" Said Spike, ready to go home.
"Y-yes, of course!" Said Diamond Tiara.
Suddenly, without any warning, Diamond Tiara approached Spike and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. The kiss lasted for about one or two seconds at most, but it was enough to leave Spike completely dumbfounded.
"I'll see you tomorrow!" Said Diamond Tiara, trotting away with a blush she hoped nopony would notice.
Spike was completely shocked, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were the main reason Spike dragged himself to school with no excitement whatsoever, and now Diamond Tiara gave him a kiss on the cheek?! Not to mention the looks Silver Spoon gave him just moments ago. Spike looked at the fake Rarity, and he saw that not only did she look calmed, she looked thrilled to see that!
'What was that?!' Asked Spike to the fake Rarity, who looked pleased with her work.
"That was progress! I have to admit, I didn't think you had it in you for a moment, but now-"
'But now Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon like me a bit more than I wanted!' Spike cut her off, trying to stay calm but failing, since he was now hyperventilating.
"Hey! Listen to me!" Tried to say the fake Rarity, but Spike remained firm.
'No, you listen to me!' Exclaimed Spike. 'You were supposed to make me better so that APPLE BLOOM likes me! Not freaking Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon!'
"But this is necessary!" Said the fake Rarity, now being the firm one.
'Oh yeah? How?'
The fake Rarity sighed. "Look, when I entered your brain I had access to your memories, and I took a good look at your life and the ponies around you. Most of us just have to deal with simple problems like stuttering problems or looks, but you are going to be the toughest job yet."
'What do you mean by that? And what does that have to do with my question?' Replied Spike, while his pride was taking a punch and his attitude softening.
"For starters, you're a dragon, and ponies have a natural fear of dragons since they are greedy creatures who have the power to destroy entire villages. I need to change that fear into some emotion like love or respect. Second, to solve this we're going to require more than just... working out a few things. You need to reboot your reputation and supercharge your social standing."
'Huh?'
"You need to get popular, and those were popular girls who like you, whether you have the same feelings for them or not doesn't matter, this is the chance to be the most popular and respected guy in your area! You just need to go where they lead." Said the fake Rarity while making a photo appear from nowhere. "Or tell me, do you want to stay like this forever?"
Spike looked at the photo the fake Rarity showed him, it was the picture from the yearbook. Spike saw Apple Bloom standing at the front and he smiled, she was always looking so sure of herself. He also saw Rumble at the center, he certainly wished he could be like that. But when he saw himself, he was sad when he realized how pitiful his life had been thus far. He was standing with Button Mash and Pipsqueak on the very edge of the photo, they were almost cut off.
"Spike, if this is going to work you need to do as I instruct, we have a plan and all you need to do is follow it. You start with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, and then we progress, you become the guy who could impress Apple Bloom and you pull off a gesture to show her how much you love her, what do you say?"
Spike was in an ethical dilemma, one part of him was telling him to not do it because it was wrong, but the other part of him was telling him that this was indeed necessary to be better.
'UGH! There are too many voices in my head! I just need a minute to process! Could you just get out of my head for like, five minutes to let me think straight?' Said Spike, overwhelmed by the situation he was in.
There was a brief pause before the fake Rarity spoke. "Of course..." And with that, the fake Rarity vanished, and Spike felt like a part of himself was missing, but he didn't care, he just wanted to think of everything that had happened so far.
Spike thought about his life, how he was always Twilight's assistant, and how he sometimes had to stay behind to clean after her or re-shelf the library. He also remembered his friends, Button and Pipsqueak, they were cool guys in his eyes but they were just as helpless as he was. And despite all of that, Spike never cried, he always carried a smile in his face even though he wanted to cry sometimes.
Nevertheless he was happy with the life he had, he had good times with Twilight and with his friends, he felt happy just being who he was. But then he remembered how many times he felt satisfied compared to the number of times he was made fun of.
Spike thought about Twilight and Rumble, Twilight was just another bookworm in Canterlot when they lived together there, just her parents, his older brother Shining Armor and his big sister Twilight Sparkle, and those were the happiest days of his life. But since they moved into Ponyville Twilight got popular and treated him as an asistant. Now those good days seem gone forever.
Rumble wasn't so different, he had told Spike that he was in school since day one, but Spike had never noticed or even seen him, and suddenly one day Rumble appeared and was on the top of the school social map. He is not a loser anymore, and he was doing the same thing he did.
Spike realized how his entire life he knew what it was like to be the loser, and he had the opportunity to be something else, maybe the cool guy? Maybe the hero? Maybe the leading dragon? Whatever he could be, Spike knew that he had won the right to earn something in return since life was always being hard on him, now he had the chance to turn things around and give life a kick in the butt.
Spike was done with being the freak of the town, the one who can't give his opinion, the weirdo, the sucker...
The failure.
Specially since Spike came to a realization that crushed his pride. When he said that life was being hard on him he knew it wasn't entirely true. It wouldn't be right to blame Twilight or her friends, and neither it would be Button's or Pip's fault...
The problem has always been him.
His entire life Twilight had told him that he should 'listen to his heart and hear his instincts', but if that was the right thing to do, then his heart and instincts sucked just as much as he did. Now, he had another voice to listen to, and it didn't seem to let him down thus far.
Today he could make a perfect excuse to Twilight about his scream, he got a shirt and a jacket for free, and he even made friends with the most popular girls at school! They even seemes to like him back. How could he possibly say no to a couple of girls that are not just popular, but are also rich and good looking?
Spike started to consider the idea of being in a relationship with one of them, how bad could it be?
'Rarity...' Said Spike, calling for his assistant, who appeared in front of him, waiting for an answer. 'I'll do it, I'll date them if I have to.'
"And?" Asked the fake Rarity with a raised eyebrow.
'And I won't question what you want me to do'
"And?"
'And... I was wrong, you DO know what to do.'
"Very well, now let's go home." Said the fake Rarity, softening her gaze and turning towards the crystal castle.
'Wait, but what am I supposed to wear for the party?'
"Oh, don't worry about that. It's a house party between foals, none of them will actually care about what you wear, but I recommend you tame your spikes a little bit." Said the fake Rarity with a smile.
Spike chuckled for a bit. 'Thank you.'
And so, Spike walked to the crystal castle as the sky was about to turn dark, all in all, this day was a not too heinous day, now he had a party to attend to, and new popular friends! Spike now would never be the loser again. And he knew it perfectly.
However, there was a feeling that he couldn't shake off; when he was processing his situation earlier he felt something else inside his brain, it couldn't have been the fake Rarity since she vanished like he told her to do, right?
Spike decided not to think about it, he only wanted to sleep right now so he would look perfect for the party, and possibly a date with Diamond Tiara or Silver Spoon. Finally things were starting to look up for him and there was nothing that could ruin this for him now.
It was finally sunday, the day of the so-called party at Snips' place. Spike and Button Mash were just finishing getting ready for the party, and they both parted from their homes with confidence. Spike waved goodbye at Twilight and Button Mash kissed his mom on the cheek before going on his way to the party. When they passed Sugarcube Corner they spotted each other and ran to meet each other to talk.
"Hey, Spike!" Said Button with excitement.
"Hey, Button!" Replied Spike, who was just as excited.
בואו נצטרף עכשיו
"OW!" Exclaimed Button and Spike at the same time.
"What the actual what was that?!" Asked Spike with concern.
"Oh, don't worry about that." Replied Button with confidence.
"Huh? Why?" Asked Spike, rubbing his forehead.
"That was our friends joining forces, now we are friends!" Said Button, doing the same.
"But we were friends already!"
"Then I guess we're even closer now! By the way, if you're going to the party then we'll go together."
"Oh, so you're going too? Who told you?"
"Snips, Snails and Rumble! And you?"
"Diamond Tiara, and I'm pretty sure Silver Spoon too!"
"Dude, this is so cool! The potions actually worked!" Exclaimed Button with joy in his voice.
"I know, right?! We're finally going to be cool!" Said Spike with excitement before finally taking a better look at Button Mash. He was wearing a black jacket with a striped shirt and some good-looking jeans. Spike also noticed that his distinctful helicopter hat was missing. "Hey, Button, what's with the look?"
"Oh, I'm trying new looks to see if I'm less invisible now. I'm actually surprised you're not dressed for this party." Said Button while looking at Spike, who wasn't wearing anything but his spikes looked a bit tamer.
"Yeah, I don't think this'll be such a big deal, I mean, it's just a house party with a bunch of foals we already know." Said Spike shrugging, while Button did the same.
"Let's go, it's just half an hour before the party starts!" Said Button before turning around and walking towards Snips's house. Spike just followed him.
'Hey, is he serious? Did you-'
"Yes, Spike, I joined with his friend and I have to say, he is a very good looking stallion." Said the fake Rarity appearing before Spike, Spike looked to the direction the fake Rarity looked, but he didn't see anything.
'I don't see anypony there.'
"Yes, you see, since him and I are made of the same type of magic we can see each other, but you can't see him. It's like I told you when we met; you can see me but nopony else can because I'm just a vision. But I can see and sense him and he can see me because we are like drops of water, only instead of water is magic." Said the fake Rarity, winking at the stallion that Spike couldn't see.
It was a long walk before they arrived at Snips' house, but once they got there it was time to party! They heard music coming from the inside, meaning that the speakers were on and it smelled like delicious food. Both of them entered the house and everypony seemed to be in the living room; Snips, Snails, Rumble, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom were there, and of course, every filly and colt they didn't know very well was there too.
Everypony's gaze turned towards them when they entered, since they weren't exactly used to go to parties. The situation started to become awkward until Button's dad saved the day.
"Well,whofuckingdied?" Said Button bluntly, which got a laugh out of everypony, who proceeded to continue to do what they were doing.
"Hey dude! You came!" Button and Spike heard Rumble call them, and he went running towards them with Scootaloo by his side. Once Rumble was in front of Button, they gave each other a 'brohoof' as guys called it. "Oh! And I see you brought Spike too!"
"Umm... Yeah! I..." Started Spike before the fake Rarity interrupted, her eyes turning white.
בואו נצטרף עכשיו
"OW!" Spike and Rumble exclaimed in unison, which surprised Scootaloo and Button.
"Oh right! You also got one! Wow, I didn't think it would work on you since you're a dragon and all!" Said Rumble, gently rubbing his forehead while Spike did the same.
"Yeah, I wasn't sure either."
"Wait a minute, Rumble, did you-'" Started asking Scootaloo before Rumble cut her off.
"-Offer them the solution of a lifetime? Hell yes!"
"Wow, so you guys-"
בואו נצטרף עכשיו
בואו נצטרף עכשיו
"OUCH!" Scootaloo, Spike and Button Mash let out a little yelp, luckily nopony else heard them since the music overpowered their screams.
"You guys got one?" Asked Scootaloo as the pain left her brain.
"Yep, Rumble was the one who told me about it." Said Spike.
"I swear I'll never get used to that." Said Button, rubbing his forehead.
"Guys, this is awesome! I hope we can all hang out someday and I can show you some tricks with my scooter!" Said Scootaloo, the glow in her eyes becoming slightly noticeable.
"Yeah! And maybe some other day we can go to my place to play some Smash! I don't have four controllers but we'll only need our special friends to play!" Said Button, his eyes also starting to glow.
"Oh yeah, and maybe some other day we can play buckball?" Said Rumble who didn't fall behind.
"I'd love to do all that! I just feel so connected to you guys right now!" Finished Spike, who's eyes started to glow as well before all of their eyes went back to normal.
"Well, Scoots and I are going to get something to drink, would you like some?" Asked Rumble.
"Yeah, some cider would be nice." Said Spike who covered his mouth with his claws when he realized what he said.
"Yeah, I'd like some too." Said Button who gasped at his own words.
"Alright, let's go, Scoots!" Said Rumble before leaving with Scoots by his side.
The boys were surprised by this; cider? On a kids party? What were they thinking? Spike and Button inmediately stared at their assistants to see what they had to say for themselves.
"Don't look at me like that, darling."
"I'm doing this for your own good, son."
'Okay, I have two questions... What was that back there?' Asked Spike to the fake Rarity, who grinned.
"That was what we're trying to do! Now that you are magically connected to Scootaloo, Rumble and Button Mash you are true friends! Your desires were being shared with theirs and now you have REAL friends."
'And why did you make me pick cider? I'm not even old enough to drink!' Exclaimed Button Mash.
"Well, you have to seem more mature in order to be respected, just look at the other guests and tell me I'm wrong!" Said Button's dad, pointing at the other fillies and colts.
Spike and Button looked to the guests, and they looked surprised. They didn't know exactly what they were saying but Spike could make out some words and sentences out of the movements of their lips:
"I haven't noticed those guys."
"They go to the same school as us!"
"They are friends with Scootaloo and Rumble?! How?"
"They even ordered them to go for cider!"
"Wow, those guys are cool!"
"Yeah, I'd want to be their friend!"
Spike and Button smiled, it was exactly as Rumble said it would happen, now they weren't just the oddballs of the class, they were being respected! And not just that, they were starting to gain friends of every type! Popular, sporty, rich and even mature! They just hoped that their crushes finally noticed them.
From the other side of the room, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were talking near the table where the food was at. Apple Bloom was trying to chat with Sweetie but she was too distracted to care.
"...So that's why I think Applejack should at least try some pears for a change. Hey, Sweetie Belle?" Sweetie turned when she heard Apple Bloom say her name. "Are ya even listening to me?"
"Oh, sorry, I was just distracted." Said Sweetie Belle, snapping back to reality.
"What were you thinking about?"
"It's just... It's Button."
"Button? You mean Button Mash?" Said Apple Bloom, who looked over to the colt. "What's with him?"
"I don't know, but he seems... Changed for some reason."
"You mean that outfit? I think it looks good on him."
"That's not what I mean. I mean I've never heard him curse before, and those clothes look good but they are something so... unnatural of him. Plus the way he moves, the way he talked, I don't know, It's just not like him at all." Said Sweetie Belle, in a tone between worried and curious.
"Well, maybe you should go talk to him." Said Apple Bloom, to which Sweetie Belle turned red.
"What?! But, but..." Sweetie tried to stammer out an answer but failed.
"What's wrong? Afraid he might kiss ya?" Said Apple Bloom, mocking her friend, who finally thought of something to say.
"W-well that's easy for you to say! Spike isn't acting all that weird!"
"SHHHHH! Not so loud!" Apple Bloom made her friend talk more quietly. But thinking about it, Apple Bloom hadn't really checked Spike.
Suddenly, some fillies and colts turned their attention to where Spike and Button were; Apple Bloom looked over to where Spike was but she was horrified by what came next.
Spike was done checking the guests, and he turned his attention to a pony that was coming closer to him, it was Diamond Tiara, and she was coming with Silver Spoon behind her.
"Hey, Spike! I'm glad you could come!" Said Diamond Tiara, who kissed him on the cheek.
"Yep, I'm glad too." Spike could've sworn he saw somepony run towards the back door, but he couldn't quite make out who it was, so Spike shrugged it off and proceeded to greet Silver Spoon.
"Hey, Silver Spoon! I'm glad you're here!" Said Spike as he kissed her on the cheek.
"Thanks, Spike!" Said Silver Spoon, blushing.
"SPIKE! THIS IS AN EMERGENCY! I MISCALCULATED!" The fake Rarity suddenly appeared in front of Spike, and she looked very panicked.
'Wha-what's wrong?' Asked Spike with concern.
"I'll just tell you two things: One, go to the back door RIGHT NOW! And two-" The fake Rarity was suddenly interrupted when Rumble came back with the cider Spike had asked for earlier.
"Here's your cider, drink up, dude!"
"Thanks, bro." Said Spike before drinking the cider, Spike wondered where Rumble had brought this cider from, since he knew this was MUCH stronger than the cider the Apple family sells during cider season, but what he didn't expect was its effect on the fake Rarity.
'Rarity! What's wrong? Are you okay? You look like you're in pain!' Said Spike to the fake Rarity, who looked like she was about to vanish.
"Alcohol messes me up, but don't let this distract you! Just go to the back door, and whatever you do,don't hang out with..."
And suddenly, the fake Rarity was gone, Spike felt really lonely then, and this effect didn't go unnoticed, since Button Mash and Rumble seemed to sense the effects of their drinks effect on them.
"Woah, are you guys okay? You suddenly seem... down." Said Diamond Tiara while looking at the boys, who looked like they were about to pass out.
"It's fine, it's just our first time drinking." Said Spike, who was starting to feel dizzy.
"Oh, okay then, I'll go to get something softer for you!" Said Diamond Tiara before trotting away.
Silver Spoon saw her chance just then, and she decided to make a move. "So, Spike, do you wanna hang for a bit?"
"Uh... Button, are you going to be alright dude?" Said Spike, looking towards Button, who was already in a sleeping position.
"Don't worry dude, I'll bring him with Snips and Snails, he's going to be alright." Said Rumble, starting to carry Button.
"Oh, alright then. Let's go, Silver Spoon." Said Spike, to which Silver Spoon squeaked and dragged Spike upstairs, to Snips' parents room. Silver Spoon closed and locked the door behind them and they sat down on the bed just as Spike finally noticed where he was.
"Uh, Silver Spoon?"
"Yes, Spike?"
"What are we doing here?"
"Nothing, I just wanted to go somewhere private." Said Silver Spoon before snuggling in Spike's chest.
"Silver Spoon?"
"Yes, Spike?"
"Can I ask you something?"
"You can ask me anything."
"Why do you like me?" Asked Spike, to which Silver Spoon opened her eyes wide and looked at him for a few seconds before blushing and looking down. Almost as if she was ashamed of herself.
"I guess I'm just really lonely." Said Silver Spoon sadly.
"What do you mean? You are like one of the most popular girls in the whole school."
"Maybe, but not in a good way." Said Silver Spoon, to which Spike looked at her with a questioning look. "You know how much we're hated, Diamond Tiara and I have to put on a "major bitches" face to show that we are strong, but sometimes that's all ponies see. Plus, it doesn't help that I practically just hang out with Diamond Tiara. Don't get me wrong, I know we'll be friends forever but everypony always looks at her first."
Spike looked down as well, he realized that Silver Spoon was talking about the way he felt since Twilight and him came to town, not only is he left behind to clean after her, but ponies only look at her, the princess of friendship, who would wanna look at her assistant?
"But you are different, you are not like other dragons, and you looked at me in the clothing store! As I said, I love Diamond Tiara but sometimes I'm tired of being... Of being her..."
"Her assistant?" Finished Spike. Silver Spoon looked at him and she saw that he had a sad but understanding look on his face.
"Yeah. I just want somepony to see me... first." Then, out of nowhere, Silver Spoon closed her eyes and kissed Spike on the lips, and he was far from ready, Spike's first kiss was being stolen, but then again, he didn't exactly try to resist. Spike was kissing somepony who knew exactly how he felt, and it was a cute and rich filly who just wanted to be noticed.
Just as Spike was starting to melt into the kiss, the image of Apple Bloom surfaced in his mind, and Spike inmediately remembered that he was only doing this to get popular, nothing more. Spike knew that he had to stop this situation before it escalated, but before he could try and push Silver Spoon away, he heard a knock at the door.
"Spike! Are you in there?" Spike froze, it was Diamond Tiara.
"Oh hell yeah, NOW THE FUN BEGINS!" Silver Spoon said, when Spike was trying to ask what was she about to do, Silver Spoon mocked Diamond Tiara across the door. "HEY TIARA, SPIKE AND I ARE MAKING OUT IN THIS BED!"
"WHAT?! Spike, please tell me that's not true..." He heard Diamond Tiara say in a hurt tone.
"NO, WE ARE NOT MAKING OUT!" Said Spike, trying to stop the situation from evolving, bur failing.
"YES WE ARE! MWAH! OH SPIKE! I'VE WAITED FOR THIS FOR A LONG TIME!" Said Silver Spoon, Spike looked at her face, and he had never seen a filly with so many emotions in her face in his life: Silver Spoon had a mixture of anger towards Diamond Tiara, pride for having kissed Spike and a touch of madness.
"WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?!" Asked Spike to Silver Spoon.
"I LIVED UNDER HER SHADOW FOR SO LONG, IT'S ABOUT TIME SHE LIVED UNDER MINE!"
"HEY, WHAT'S GOING ON IN THERE?!" He heard Snips' voice through the door, and Diamond Tiara whispering afterwards just before Snips shouted again. "YOU BETTER NOT BE MAKING OUT IN MY PARENTS' ROOM OR I'LL KILL YOU, SPIKE!"
Spike didn't know what to do, since he was partly drunk and he was in the middle of a jealousy war; so he did the first thing that came to his mind: he pushed Silver Spoon away, he ran to the window and he opened it to jump.
"Spike, what are you doing?" Asked Silver Spoon.
"Sorry, I gotta go!" And with that, Spike dropped from the window. Luckily, he was a dragon, and his scales helped to soften his fall, only making Spike dizzier.
Spike looked to his surroundings, and he saw that he was outside Snips' house, but not only that, but he was just where the back door was. He recalled the fake Rarity telling him to go there before she vanished.
'Why would she want me to come here?' He asked himself before trying to get off the ground. But he stopped when she saw a filly running towards him.
"Oh my Celestia, are you alright?" Said the filly before helping him get up.
"Y-yeah, I'm fine, thanks." Said Spike before taking a better look at the filly. His heart froze when he saw that it was Apple Bloom.
"Good, that was one big fall." Said Apple Bloom, helping him get to a nearby bench before letting go off him.
"Apple Bloom? What are you doing here? I thought you'd be enjoying the party." Said Spike, still sore from his fall.
"I... just needed to get some air, that's all. And why are you here? And most importantly, why did you fall from the window?"
"Oh, I just... got into some problems with Snips." When Spike fully saw her, he noticed that she had red eyes and a slightly wet trail running down her face from her left eye. "Hey, are you okay, Apple Bloom?" Asked Spike, to which Apple Bloom turned away before she could blush.
"Uh... Yeah! I'm fine!" Replied Apple Bloom, trying to look as casual as possible.
"But you look like you've been crying." Said Spike softly. Apple Bloom tried to think of an excuse, but she knew that she had nowhere to hide. Apple Bloom sighed and decided to tell him the truth in a subtle way.
"Yes, I've been crying."
"But why?"
"You wouldn't get it."
"Please. I want to know." Said Spike, giving her a comforting look, she felt butterflies in her stomach when she saw him.
"Fine... I have this... GIANT crush on a boy... but I just saw him and I don't think he would like me back."
Spike felt sad, if Apple Bloom had a crush on some other colt then he was lost. But Apple Bloom was sad and he decided to help her anyway because that's what friends do. "Oh, and are you really sure he wouldn't like you back?"
"Yes, I saw him with a girl who is better than me in every way! She is more popular, she has her cutie mark and she is not treated like a baby!" Spike saw that Apple Bloom was starting to tear up again, and he stopped her by grabbing her head by the sides of her face, making her look at him in the eyes.
"Apple Bloom, you're not really thinking highly about yourself here. You are the best filly I know! Anypony would be lucky to have you!"
Apple Bloom felt her heart race when she heard Spike say those words, maybe there was a chance that Spike might like her back! "Do you really think so, Spike?"
"Of course!"
Both of them sat beside the other in a weird silence, where neither of them knew what to say, but they just felt comfortable with the other. Apple Bloom calmed down, since now she knew that Spike had good thoughts about her; Spike, however, had mixed feelings, he liked being around Apple Bloom but he had just learned that she had a crush on some colt. The silence lasted for only some more moments, Apple Bloom felt like all the words that needed to be said were already spoken, but Spike started the conversation again.
"Tell me, who is he?" Asked Spike, if Apple Bloom told him who she had a crush on, then maybe he could use that to make her notice him more. Apple Bloom flushed red and turned away, but Spike's drunk brain thought it was because she was just embarassed to tell him, like any other filly or colt would be.
"What?! I-I-I won't tell you!" Said Apple Bloom with a small frown, avoiding eye contact.
"Then maybe you can give me hints?"
"You would never guess who he is."
"Try me."
Apple Bloom thought that maybe it was the right time to come clear to him, since they were alone in a bench and the mood was right. But then again, what if the revelation shocks Spike so bad that he rejects her? Apple Bloom finally decided to let Spike knew she loved him by slowly sinking it in with vague clues.
"Okay then. Let's see: He goes to the same school as me, I see him everyday at school, I've known him for a long time, his name starts with an "S", and I had a certain opinion of him until one point, where he changed and he became a guy that I'd really be into."
Spike was truly puzzled, for one part, one part of his brain was hoping that she was talking about him, but his brain was partly drunk and he had just fallen from a second floor, so the other part of his brain started to connect the pieces the wrong way around.
Spike thought about all the options, and there was one that stood out from all the others...
It was Snails. Every single clue Apple Bloom had given him matched Snails, his name, he went to the same school as her, she has known him since day one at school and there was a point where Snails joined the buckball team, surprising everypony. Spike's rational mind didn't want to believe that but his logical mind was smacking the facts in his face.
Spike was about to say that he had a pretty good guess about who it could be, but suddenly the back door opened, surprising both of them and revealing a very angry Snips with Snails backing him up.
"SPIKE! WHERE ARE YOU?!" Snips said with a devilish face.
"Oh, I need to get out of here!" Said Spike, getting up from the bench.
"What? What did you do?" Asked Apple Bloom with wide eyes.
"I... accidentally broke a vase?" Said Spike with a dumb smile.
"Oh, then you better go now!" Said Apple Bloom, waving goodbye at Spike, who did the same. Apple Bloom was kinda diasppointed that Spike couldn't tell her if he had guessed who it was, but then again, being beaten up by Snips and Snails wasn't exactly the best choice.
"Maybe next time." Said Apple Bloom to herself, thinking about how she could confess to the dragon the next time they were alone.
Spike hid in a nearby bush, looking to the house to see if Snips and Snails were there, but he was surprised when he saw Button Mash being carried out of the house by Rumble, who looked rather disappointed by something. Rumble left Button outside the door, and since Snips and Snails seemed to be still inside, Spike decided to check on his friend.
Once Spike was next to Button, Spike helped him get up on his hooves. Spike looked at Button, and he saw that his eyes were starting to tear up and he was drunk too. "Button, what happened to you?" Asked Spike, getting a better look at Button. He looked like he was about to pass out, which he was, considering he was just barely awake.
"So, you remember when we drank that first cup?"
------------------------------- Ten minutes earlier ---------------------------
Button was drinking whatever type of cider Rumble had given him, and suddenly he felt its effects on his body; Button felt dizzy and he felt like his body was getting heavier and heavier by the second. Button loked to his dad, and he saw that the stallion looked like he was about to disappear.
'Hey, are you alright?' Asked Button to his dad.
"Alcohol messes me up, so I'll be out for a few seconds..." Said Button's dad before looking at the fake Rarity, who was invisible to Button, but looked very panicked to the stallion's eyes. "I think I'm about to vanish, but don't let that distract you! When Sweetie Belle approaches you,the only thing you need to do is..." And from one moment to another, Button's dad was gone.
Button not only felt confused by that, but also the fact that there was no way this was regular cider. Button's mom hadn't let him drink cider but he just knew that this was stronger than the cider the Apple family produced.
Button suddenly realized that he was being carried by Rumble over to where Snips and Snails were, and when he did, he got off from Rumble's back and gave the colts, who were just getting some apple juice, a dumb smile.
"Oh, hey! I'm glad you could come." Said Snips, offering Button some apple juice, which Rumble denied for him.
"I think he doesn't need that right now." Said Rumble with a sheepish grin.
"Ooooookay. So I was thinking that maybe we could work on your hoofball stats (since you're trash at buckball) to see if we could earn some bits by playing a hoofballmatch in front..."
Button saw that Snips turned away from him to speak of some new plan to get money, but Button didn't take in any information Snips possibly gave him, both because his brain was drunk and because his attention was focused somewhere else.
Button saw Sweetie Belle, who was looking at the back door for some reason. Button took in every detail about her, her beautiful mane, her white fur, and how beautiful she looked in general. Then, Sweetie turned around and made eye contact with him for a brief second before looking away. Button thought that it was because he still looked ugly, but he failed to notice Sweetie blushing.
But then, Sweetie put on some kind of determined face and she started to walk over to where he was. Button was incredibly nervous, maybe she wanted to talk to him? maybe she wanted to talk with somepony else in his general direction? Button's train of thoughts stopped when she was just a few hoofsteps away from him. Both of them stood there, looking at each other with visible nervousness. Sweetie opened her mouth to speak, but then...
"BUTTON! Are you even listening to me?!" Snips interrupted as he stood between him and Sweetie.
"I... Ummm..." Button tried to stammer out an excuse while trying to look back at Sweetie Belle, but Snips kept blocking his vision.
"See? This is another reason why you're bad at sports! Your focus is horrible and-" Snips started before Rumble joined the conversation, making it even more difficult for Button to see Sweetie Belle.
"Dude, Snips could really be onto something here! We just need to make some free time to train you and-"
"Hey guys! I was just checking to see if any of you need anything else! Because Snails just came in with a bunch of pastries straight from Sugarcube Corner!" Said Scootaloo, who joined the conversation while eating a cupcake.
"Not right now, Scoots, we were trying to tell Button our plan to get some money out of buckball matches!"
"Oh, maybe I can help you with that! I am getting better at flying and maybe I can use that to-"
Button tried to look at Sweetie Belle, but he heard a long sigh and hoofsteps going towards the exit. Button rose his head, only to see Sweetie Belle leaving the party with her head hanging low. Button just dropped to the floor, partly because he felt like relaxing and because he had lost his chance to talk to Sweetie Belle.
Snips was about to scold Button for dodging the conversation again, but he heard a filly scream from upstairs. Snips froze when he remembered that his parents' room was upstairs, and he rushed over there to check that nopony was there or else his parents would kill him.
"Button, are you okay?" Asked Rumble, looking at Button, who was starting to tear up.
"Take him outside, I don't think he can take it anymore." Said Scootaloo, to which Rumble sighed and nodded before carrying him on his back again.
"You know, to be in our team you really need to step up your game, Button." Said Rumble as he was passing through the door. "Just go, I don't think you could survive an hour in here." And with that, Rumble left Button on the entrance.
Spike was sad for his friend, both because he had lost an opportunity to speak to Sweetie Belle and because his friends now thought he was a loser again.
"And why are you here?" Asked Button.
Spike sighed and told him his incident with Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon and Snips. When Spike finished, Button looked down, Spike did the same. Things were starting to get bad for them again, Button was starting to be a loser again and Spike was in the middle of some conflict between Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, not to mention Snips probably was mad at them.
"Let's just go, dude, nothing's gonna get better for us here." Said Spike.
Button Mash and Spike walked one block, thinking about everything that happened to them in the space of ten whole minutes, fifteen at most. This was something that wasn't going to be easy to fix, but somehow they would find a way. But just as they passed a building, they spotted Pipsqueak sitting on a bench by himself, looking really happy about something. Spike and Button gasped and ran to where he was.
"PIP!" Pipsqueak looked up when he heard his name being called by his two 'friends'. His expression changed from happy to annoyed, and they noticed it, but decided not to dwell on it for now.
"Oh man, are we glad to see you!" Said Spike in a joyful tone.
"Are you?" Said Pipsqueak in a cold tone. Spike and Button looked at each other and then at Pip again. Maybe they DID need to dwell on it.
"Dude, is there something wrong?" Asked Button.
"Really? You're just going to pretend you haven't been avoiding me since yesterday?" Said Pipsqueak in an annoyed tone, which surprised Button and Spike.
"What are you talking about?" Asked Spike to the colt.
"Yeah! We haven't seen you since... since..." Button started, before the realization sunk in his brain, as it did in Spike's.
"Uhhh guys? Why are you acting so weird?" Asked Pip to his friends, who were staring into the distance.
"Oh, nothing! We were just thinking..." Said Spike.
"And we want to say sorry, we didn't even realize we were ignoring you. Can you forgive us?" Followed Button.
Pip looked at his friends, he recognized a liar when he saw it, but this time he could feel that they were telling the truth, and they looked like they actually were sorry.
"Aww, alright then!" He said before extending his front hooves. Spike and Button hugged him with visible relief.
"Oh, and what were you doing here, exactly?" Asked Spike.
"Yeah, you look like something good happened to you." Said Button.
Pipsqueak was just leaving Sugarcube Corner, since he wanted a cupcake from there because Pinkie Pie is the best cook in all of Equestria (at least in pastries). And he noticed his best friends walking alongside each other, Pipsqueak decided to get their attention to see what they were up to, since Button was dressed very differently and Spike looked like he tamed his spikes.
"HEY, GUYS!" Pipsqueak tried to yell at them, which only resulted in some other ponies to look at him, Pipsqueak had enough, first they ignored him yesterday and today too? There had to be something wrong.
Pip decided to follow them, and he was surprised when he saw that it was a party at Snips' place. Pip came to a realization that left him with only sadness; if his friends knew about this party but he didn't, they had been ignoring him and they were going to that party without even telling him anything then that must mean that he was the reason they had been the laughing stock at school.
Pip decided to get away from that party, if he came then the party would be ruined or he would be the only amusement of the ponies in there. Pip sat on a bench all by himself, and for the first time for as long as he could remember, he felt more lonely than ever before. Without his friends by his side, there was really no one else to hang out with.
Pipsqueak started to cry, he was just a lonely colt left out from a party. Everypony in his class was there except him, and it's like nopony even noticed at all; he could hear some music coming from the house, Pip wanted to dance along since this was one of his favorite songs, but it just remembered him that there was no one else to dance with.
"Hey, are you alright?" He heard a female voice call him, he opened his eyes to see that Dinky was talking to him.
"OH, HI!" Said Pipsqueak suddenly, trying to look as if he wasn't crying.
"Have you been crying?" Asked Dinky, who looked very concerned for Pip.
"Me? Oh no, I've just-"
"Don't even try and excuse yourself, I can see it all over yourself." Said Dinky bluntly, making Pip realize that there was no getting out of this one.
Pip sighed. "Yes, I was crying just a minute ago."
"Please?" Pip looked at her, Dinky was doing the most adorable puppy eyes she could, which worked since Pip couldn't really say no to her, specially with a face like that.
"Okay, it's just... I just realized how much of a loser I am." Said Pipsqueak, which made Dinky put on a sad face with a bit of anger towards Pip for thinking of himself like that.
"Why would you say that?"
"For starters, my friends left me alone and they've been ignoring me since yesterday. Now I realize that without them I'm nothing, and supposedly there is this big party that everypony is going to, but I didn't even know about it, I just found out that my friends are going without me. Probably they're ashamed of me." Said Pip, starting to tear up.
"Pip, you're not a loser, you're the cutest, kindest and nicest colt I know!" Said Dinky, making Pip blush slightly.
"And why are you not at the party?" Asked Pip, wiping his tears.
"I don't really like Snips, and this party is at his place, so I'd figured I might just not go at all." Said Dinky, shrugging. " But don't change the subject, you need to stop being so hard on yourself. You are not alone."
"I'm sorry, it's just that I hang out with them pretty much all the time, without them I feel lonely."
"W-well... If you ever need somepony to talk to, I'm here for you." Said Dinky, putting her hoof on Pip's shoulder, making his heart race. "Look, I need to go and get some things my mom wants, but I'll see you at school, is that okay?"
"Yes, I'd like that."
"Good. I'll see you later. Just talk to me if you need to.Please?" Pip was too focused on his own thoughts to see that Dinky said that last part blushing, or that she even said it.
Pip just saw her trot away, but he was focused thinking about what she said, or more accurately, that she said that she would be there for him!
"I guess I got too lost on my thoughts to keep track of time, I must've been here for like twenty minutes or so." Finished Pipsqueak.
Spike and Button had smiles on their faces, even though the party sucked for them, ot least one of them had a happy day.
"So you're not mad at us?" Asked Spike.
"Nope."
"And we're still friends?" Asked Button.
"Yup."
Button and Spike sighed. "Look, we're going home because our heads are hurting, but we'll see at school?" Said Spike.
"Okay, see you guys there!" Said Pipsqueak before standing up and going to his own home.
Button and Spike thought about Pip, he had just talked to his crush and it seemed to work! And he didn't even need to take a bottle of some weird magical liquid from the back of a building. Meanwhile things were even worse for them!
Spike and Button Mash were walking towards their homes, thinking about how the party had been just a great flop for them; Snips was probably going to kill them, Spike got in the middle of a conflict between Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, Button Mash was starting to be a loser and he had lost a chance to speak with Sweetie Belle. Then again, it wasn't exactly their fault, since Rumble was the one that made them drink that cider. Maybe if they hadn't drank it everything would have been fine.
Eventually, they reached a point where they needed to part ways; Button Mash left for his home and Spike left for the crystal castle that was his home. Neither of them said a word to the other, and they didn't need to, since they both knew that words would fail them.
As both boys started to go home separately, they both thought that maybe drinking that liquid wasn't such a good idea. Pipsqueak had talked to his crush, and they got along nicely! WITHOUT WEIRD POTIONS! The facts smacked their minds as they walked drunkly to their homes.
Once Button Mash arrived at his house, he was greeted by his mom, who let him inside the house before planting a kiss on his cheek.
"Well, you're earlier than I expected, not even an hour!" Said Button's mom.
"Yeah, I don't wanna talk about it." Replied Button wihout emotions in his voice.
"Are you sure? You seem sad."
"Mom, I'm sure."
"And you don't want anything to eat? I think I can make some-"
"MOM I-!" Said Button Mash, who calmed down before yelling at his mom, who was surprised by his outburst. "Sorry, mom, it's just been a bad day."
"Oh, it's fine, honey, just go to your room and try to relax, okay?" Said Button's mom with a smile.
"Yes, thanks, mom. I love you." Said Button before going to his room.
Button Mash had just locked himself in his room, and he wanted to think about the events of the afternoon, luckily for him, his brain started to get clearer and his body wasn't so heavy anymore. Button thought that maybe some good old-fashioned mario game would be good to relax and get back into reality.
But suddenly, just as Button was about to pick up his controller, he saw a violet light appear in front of him, Button stepped away and he saw that the light started to become a suit, and then, a stallion appeared from inside his suit. Button's dad was back.
"Oh, Spike, I thought you were going to a party." Said Twilight as she saw Spike enter the castle.
"I did go, but it sucked, so I came back." Replied Spike with no amusement.
"Well, I still have to research this potion thing, but if you want, we can get some ice cream." Said Twilight as she levitated some bits.
"Thanks Twilight, but I think I just have to get some rest for now." Said Spike, who went to his room without delay.
"Oh, okay then." Said Twilight as she walked out of the castle, leaving Spike alone.
Spike was in his room, and even though his body was still sore from falling from that window, he was starting to get a clear mind since the alcohol was losing its effect on him. And just as Spike was going to grab a comic book to entertain himself, he saw a bright white light in front of him.
Spike took a step back, and the light started to take the form of a pony; the light took colors and Spike saw that the fake Rarity had re-entered his brain again.
"Didya miss me?" Said Button's dad, brushing his moustache.
'Finally! What happened?' Asked Button.
"This was a minor inconvenience, nothing more." Said Button's dad with confidence.
'A MINOR INCONVENIENCE? I just got drunk, I was made fun of and I missed a chance to talk to Sweetie Belle!!! And all because you vanished!' Said Button to his dad, who just frowned.
"As I said, alcohol messes me up, but by drinking it you gained a lot of status by showing everypony at the party how mature you are."
'AND?! I don't care what other ponies think of me! I just want to be noticed by her! And thanks to YOU, I ignored her!' Protested Button with rage in his soul.
"And thanks to YOU, we just lost a chance of doing that." Said Button's dad calmly but firmly.
"Hi, Spike, I bet you're wondering what happened at the party." Said the fake Rarity with a frown.
'Yeah, I am, what was that?!' Asked Spike in a very angry tone.
"But you should admit that what happened at the party was also your fault." Said the fake Rarity, defending herself.
'HOW WAS THAT MY FAULT?'
"Look, the turn of events at the party was the result of a probability of 1 divided by 2,936. So the odds weren't in our favor, but what REALLY NAILED THE COFFIN WAS YOU! You let Silver Spoon drag you to Snips' parents' room! YOU let the situation escalate! And YOU decided to jump out of a window instead of facing the consequences like a man! The situation could've ended there and then, but now Snips surely hates you, just like Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon!"
'Uh-huh, and all that happened because you made me drink! Me and Button aren't even old enough to drink!'
"So what? Now you and him will be respected! This situation will be hard to fix, but with me-"
'And why should I listen to you? I don't even know what you are!'
"Spike, I promise you that my sole purpose is to improve your life."
'Well great job! Things are starting to look very bad for Button and me!'
'I was happy before I met you! Even Pipsqueak is happier than me now...' Said Button to his dad before remembering what Pipsqueak said. 'And by the way, Pip said I've been ignoring him. Did you have anything to do with that?'
Button's dad looked away, he sighed and went back to looking at Button in his eyes. "Yes, I was the reason you weren't seeing him."
"It's very simple, I have access to your optic nerves, and I have been erasing Pipsqueak from your field of vision. I also have been moving you around so that you don't bump into him or touch him." Said the fake Rarity to Spike, who looked horrified by what she said.
'Why would you do that?!'
"Because Pip is a case too far gone to repair. Also because he is a very strong link to your previous self."
"It means that you still don't understand, Button!"
'Understand what?'
"That in order to impress Sweetie Belle, you need to be a very popular guy, but to upgrade, you need to be willing to make sacrifices, like your helicopter hat, but bigger and more meaningful."
'You mean I have to... to... erase who I am?' Asked Button with hesitation and sadness.
"At least in public, I have been telling you from the very beginning, I am here to help you, but you need to cooperate with me."
"Just think about it from a logical perspective, Pipsqueak didn't accept the potion, meaning that he is not as open to change as you were, but if he keeps henging out with you he'll never let you change for the better. He'll keep staying low on the social map, while he keeps dragging you down with him. In order to be a better dragon, you need to cut ties with him, make better friendships, form bonds with socially accepted ponies! Unless you want to stay like that?"
"Button, we already have a plan! Now you just need to follow it. If you repair the damage with Snips, Rumble and Scootaloo then you won't start from the bottom. Then, you progress with better ponies, you reach the pinacle of the social pyramid and you use the tools at your disposal to let Sweetie Belle know you love her. All you need to do is get rid of your friendship with Pipsqueak, accept some changes in your life and never look back. Do you understand?" Asked Button's dad to him with a grin.
'Ugh! Did you really need to dump all that on me-'
"Very well, I need to dwell on the information of the party with more detail anyway! I'll disappear for now, and when I get back I want to get some answers! Choose to cooperate with me and have a better life, or choose to stay friends with him and stay a loser forever." Said the fake Rarity to Spike before disappearing without giving him a chance to protest.
Spike shrugged it off and began thinking about his situation. His life had changed so much since the fake Rarity appeared, it was becoming harder for him to imagine his life without her, but she had caused enough trouble as it is.
Spike thought about how he hurt Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, and probably their friendship as well. Probably Snips hated him for making out in his parents' room. That was a horrible party without a doubt.
But then again, he thought about Apple Bloom, and how she supposedly had a crush on Snails. The thought of Apple Bloom dating somepony else, let alone, dating Snails, sent shivers down his spine. But if Apple Bloom had a crush n Snails then Spike had to step up his game in order to get her to like him.
The price to pay was his older self, taking that into account, there was only one logical solution:
Button thought about how his life had changed since he drank that potion; he dressed better, he was socially more active and he had more friends, but now he was starting to lose them. Button thought about how he had messed up his chance to prove himself and to everypony else that he wasn't a loser.
Button wanted so badly to blame it on his dad, if his dad hadn't disappeared then Button might've talked to Sweetie Belle and remain friends with Rumble and Snips. But Button knew that it wasn't his dad's fault, it was his. His dad just disppeared, he didn't make Button ignore Sweetie Belle, and neither was his fault that Button almost fell asleep in front of Rumble and Snips. Without his dad, he was just nothing.
Now, he had a chance of fixing things with everypony, he could be popular, he could talk to Sweetie, or any girl without having a mental breakdown. But Button also thought about how high the price would be, he had to sacrifice some of his most loved habits and get rid of his friendship with Pipsqueak.
Button weighed the options on his head, and when he had some time thinking about it, his decision was clearer than water:
------------------------------ At the party ------------------------------
Ten minutes earlier, Rumble had just left Button on the entrance to Snips' house, and he had gotten back with Scootaloo, who instantly gave him a glare. Rumble didn't know why Scootaloo was glaring at him, and he saw that she was pointing at the kitchen, probably because there was nopony else in there.
Once they were in the kitchen, Scootaloo still glared at Rumble. "What?" Asked Rumble with sweat on his face.
"You know 'what'." Said Scootaloo, to which Rumble still didn't understand. Scootaloo facehoofed before continuing. "Why did you do that?"
"Do what?"
"You know, their drinks."
Rumble's eyes widened when he realized what Scootaloo meant. "Oooooh, so that's why you were glaring at me." Scootaloo still glared at him. "Look, my assistant told me to do it, I didn't do it on purpose!"
"Whatever, I'm going to see Sweetie Belle, she looked down earlier. I guess I'll see you at school tomorrow, but you better apologize to them!" Said Scootaloo before leaving the house, looking for Sweetie Belle.
'She is right, why did you make me do it?' Asked Rumble, to which a stallion similar to his brother Thunderlane appeared in front of him.
"Don't worry too much about it, I'm sure they'll be fine! Once the effects pass their assistants will return to their brains and they'll be able to-"
'You're dodging the question, why did you make me spike their drinks with my bro's special drug?' Asked Rumble furiously.
"It was just an experiment. I wanted to test how much it would take for one of us to vanish from alcohol excess on a child." Said Thunderlane with a clock on his hoof. "And by the looks of it, it doesn't take that long."
'But why them? Those guys were just trying to socialize like I was when I entered school!'
"If I had asked you to do it with Scootaloo you would've said no instantly, and there's no one else you know who drank the potion other than them. Look, if you really feel that bad then I suggest you hang out with them at school and help them apologize to everypony."
Rumble felt like the right thing to do was apologize to them and do what his fake brother told him to, he didn't want anyone else to suffer what he had suffered when he entered school. Plus, those guys weren't bad kids, they could actually be friends!
"But if you don't, there's always the alternative..." Rumble just ignored his fake brother as he walked out of the kitchen to get something to eat before leaving the party.
------------------------------ Outside Snips' house ------------------------------
Scootaloo had just left the building searching for her friend, while trying to shake off something her fake Rainow Dash had suggested earlier. Scootaloo was passing through the front door and she saw Sweetie Belle on her own sitting below a tree. When Sweetie Belle saw Scootaloo rushing towards her, she tried her best to look happy, but it was no use, Sweetie Belle just curled up into a ball and rested her head on the tree, trying her best to choke back some tears.
"Sweetie Belle? Are you okay?" Sweetie looked up, and she saw that her friend was already next to her.
"Y-yeah, I'm fine. And you?" Said Sweetie, trying to look as casual as possible.
"Sweetie, you don't look "fine", what's wrong?" Said Scootaloo with a soft voice.
"I... It's just... It's Button Mash, okay?" When Sweetie looked at Scootaloo, she saw that the pegasus was completely confused. "Ugh, Don't you get it?! I like Button Mash!"
"Oooooooh!" Said Scootaloo, who finally caught up.
"I told you I don't make mistakes. I told you I knew she liked that colt." Said the fake Rainbow Dash, appearing besides Scootaloo.
"And what's wrong with that? Did he do something to you?" Asked Scootaloo, gritting her teeth at the thought of Button Mash doing something bad to Sweetie Belle.
"Umm, not exactly. It's more what he didn't do."
"Huh?"
"You see, since I met him, I've been trying to find a way to get his attention, I've been trying to be more like him, like playing more video games, going to the comic book store or something like that. Now, when I thought I could be closer to him, I see him and I don't see Button Mash anymore, I see somepony different."
"Wait, so you've been changing who you are because of him?" Asked Scootaloo in a surprised tone.
"I guess I have."
"Now, now, you don't get a say in this matter, I mean, I've been helping you do the same, right?" Said the fake Rainbow Dash, taunting Scootaloo.
"And you're saying he is not the same?"
"Yeah, I saw him inside, and when he arrived I saw somepony very different, then, Apple Bloom suggested me to talk to him."
"Oh, yeah, whatever happened to Apple Bloom?" Said Scootaloo, looking around to see if Apple Bloom was around the area.
"She just stormed out of the house, I don't know why. Anyway, so I finally got the courage to talk to him, and when I tried to talk to him, you, Rumble and Snips all blocked me! I tried to see if he wanted to talk to him, but he didn't seem very interested, so I just walked out." Said Sweetie, her voice getting softer as she remembered the events. "Maybe he is just not interested in me, maybe he is better off with somepony like him."
"Just tell her the truth, tell her that Button Mash likes her too. I think this might be beneficial for everypony at some point." Said the fake Rainbow Dash, who looked really interested in the situation.
"Sweetie Belle, that was mostly our fault, we should've let you through, Snips just wanted to talk about that stupid idea of his to earn bits by playing buckball. Besides, I'm sure he likes you too."
Sweetie sniffed back a tear. "D-do you really think so?"
"Yes, I'm sure of it! But maybe we should do something to show him that you like him."
"How did you do it?"
"What?"
"How did you and Rumble get together?" Asked Sweetie Belle, which made Scootaloo's eyes widen in surprise.
"Well... We... Uh, just started hanging out? Until we confessed to each other?" Said Scootaloo, hoping her friend would buy it. Sweetie looked skeptical but she decided to just accept it.
"Umm... Okay, but how did you get the courage to confess to him?"
"Well, he kinda confessed first and I pretty much just went with it."
"Oh." Said Sweetie in a sad tone.
"Hey, don't be sad, I'm sure you can confess to him tomorrow!"
"WHAT?! NO!" Shouted Sweetie Belle with her face red as an apple. Scootaloo was surprised by Sweetie's outburst. "Oh, I'm sorry for reacting like that, but I'm just so scared! What if he rejects me?"
"Then it's his loss, there are plenty of more colts out there who would love to have somepony like you in their lives." Said Scootaloo automatically.
"But there's nopony like him..."
"Look, Sweetie, yoou either have to mare up and confess to him or you have to live like this forever. If you don't want to confess to him tomorrow then don't, but please just do something!" Said Scootaloo, which made Sweetie jump in surprise at how direct Scootaloo was. Scootaloo was about to apologize, but Sweetie Belle interrupted her:
"O-okay, I'll do it, but just let me prepare first, I don't think I can do it tomorrow; I have to go, I guess I'll see you at school." Said Sweetie as she got up and left the place. Scootaloo was confused at how sudden Sweetie's departure was, luckily, there was somepony willing to explain it to her:
"Don't look so surprised, she left because this conversation was starting to become awkward for her, plus, she probably left so she could process what you just said." Said the fake Rainbow Dash, hovering above Scootaloo.
'Did you have to be so direct with her? Poor Sweetie...'
"It was the only good way to assure that she would leave."
'Why did you want her to leave?'
"Because we need to discuss something else..." Said the fake Rainbow Dash, smiling at Scootaloo.
'If this is about what you suggested earlier, then I'm not doing it.' Said Scootaloo firmly to the fake Rainbow Dash.
"It's the only way to achieve peace!" Replied the fake Rainbow Dash, somewhat annoyed.
'You don't know that! No means no and that's my final decision!' Said Scootaloo as she walked away.
"Oh, I'm sure you'll change your mind..." Said the fake Rainbow Dash before vanishing.
------------------------------ Inside Snips' house ------------------------------
"Dumb Spike, he'll get it tomorrow..." Said Snips as he walked away from his parents' room.
It had been two minutes since Spike jumped out of the window, and Snips decided to open the door with the key, and when he did, he found Silver Spoon with a very disappointed face sitting on her own on the bed. Diamond Tiara had entered the room with a VERY angry expression on her face; but she didn't say anything to Silver Spoon, she just ignored her.
Silver Spoon, on the other hand, was too buried on her own thoughts to notice Diamond Tiara's aggression, she had taken Spike to the most private room on the house with hopes of making him her colt...dragon...boyfriend, but he had just jumped out of a window to avoid her. Why did he do it? Did he just not like her? Was she not enough for him? Or maybe he had somewhere else to be and couldn't stop to give her a kiss?
"So... Now what?"
Silver Spoon snapped out of her thoughts to see Diamond Tiara staring at her with disappointment on her face. "Huh? What do you mean?"
"You were making out with him, weren't you?" Said Diamond Tiara, not changing her expression.
"N-no! It was totally his fault because he dragged me in here and-!"
"It's no use hiding it, I know you two were kissing, you practically were shouting it." Said Diamond Tiara, interrupting Silver Spoon.
"I... I... I'm sorry." Said Silver Spoon, looking down.
"So... Now what? You kissed him knowing that I liked him, are you two a thing now or what?" Said Diamond Tiara calmly, even though Silver Spoon could practically FEEL the venom inside Diamond Tiara.
"Well, not really, he jumped out of that window before I could kiss him." Said Silver Spoon, pointing at the window. This made Diamond Tiara's expression soften a bit, but she returned to her original expression, knowing that she had to make the most out of this situation.
"Did he? Oh, what a jerk!" Said Diamond Tiara, which took Silver Spoon completely by surprise.
"What? I thought you hated me!"
"Look, maybe I was a bit angry at you before, but what he did was completely uncalled for."
"Huh?" Silver Spoon looked at Diamond Tiara as if she had been kidnapped and replaced with someone else.
"Yeah, I get you, girls like us have to stick together through it all. I can't believe Spike just dumped you!"
"Well, maybe I was rushing things a little bit." Said Silver Spoon, to which Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes. "Maybe he ran away because he was scared of me."
"Maybe, but you were looking for someone to love, right? I understand that, we aren't so different." Said Diamond Tiara with a soft expression on her face, which Silver Spoon reflected.
"I don't think I'll ever find someone like him ever again." Said Silver Spoon, starting to tear up.
"I'll be there with you, after all, we ARE friends, right?" Said Diamond Tiara, offering her hoof, to which Silver Spoon responded by just hugging Diamond Tiara instead. Diamond Tiara was hesitant but decided to let Silver Spoon have this moment.
"Still, I think it'll hurt me when I see him walking along with you."
Diamond Tiara smiled. "You know what? Let's make a promise!" She said, letting go off the hug. "I promise to NOT go out with him as long as you promise it too."
"What?"
"Trust me, it's the best way to get over this."
"What if he talks to us at school?"
"Then we'll ignore him, plain and simple."
Silver Spoon hesitated to answer but decided to give in anyway. "Okay, it's a promise." Then, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon proceeded to shake hooves. "This decision is final."
"Look, I have to go, but I'll see you at school!" Said Diamond Tiara before starting to walk away.
"Oh, okay then, see you tomorrow!" Said Silver Spoon, waving goodbye at her best friend.
As Diamond Tiara was leaving the party, a devious smile appeared on her face, and soon, she started to get lost on her own thoughts. 'Good, now that Silver Spoon is out of the picture for now, I can win Spike over for sure when Nightmare Night comes, I just need to figure out a way to keep him from running away when the time comes. Spike, you will be mine soon. Silver Spoon, you will pay for this humilliation.' Diamond Tiara softly chuckled as she was imagining how great the next weekend would be for her, and how horrible it would be for her former "friend".
It was finally monday, meaning that it was time for school. Spike was just waking up, and he looked around the room he was in to see how bad the situation was. His school items were scattered around the floor, his backpack was nowhere to be seen and Twilight was nowhere near him.
"Great, so I guess now I'll lose this day too. I might as well just look for a fresh comic book to-" Spike was about to look for his comic book collection but a sharp pain at the back of his head stopped him before he could get a grip of himself outside his bed and he fell hard on his face. "OW!"
"Oh my, this is no way to behave on a school day, is it?" Spike looked up to see the fake Rarity looking at him with disappointment.
'Did you pinch me or something?' Asked Spike, rubbing the back of his head.
"Why, of course I did, we have to get going or you won't make it to class!" Said the fake Rarity, looking at him with determination.
'Wait, you're going to help me at school too?' Asked Spike, which made the fake Rarity roll her eyes.
"Of course! I said I would improve your life, that also includes your academic life. I'm sending the image of your backpack to your eyeballs, just grab it and let's get out of here." Said the fake Rarity, her eyes turning white for a couple of seconds. Then, Spike saw his backpack being thrown at the closet by himself, Spike went over to the closet to see if his backpack to see if it was indeed there, and when he opened the door, he saw that his backpack was in the exact same spot and position he had left it on his vision.
'Wow, how did you do that?' Asked Spike to the fake Rarity as he grabbed his backpack.
"I am inside your brain, so don't be surprised at the fact that I can check your memories, even when you can't remember something yourself. Now let's go! You can make it on foot if you hurry." Said the fake Rarity, walking towards the door.
'But I haven't had breakfast today! I'll starve!' Protested Spike.
"As a dragon, you can re-obtain your energy by eating gems, you can bear not having breakfast today, and you can eat one when you get out of school. Maybe tomorrow you can ask your friend, the true Rarity, to give you the one you ate today as a reward."
'A reward for what?'
"For being helpful, after all, you DO pass a lot of time in there with her, don't you?" Said the fake Rarity, pointing at her heart necklace and batting her eyes at Spike, which made him uncomfortable.
'I used to, because I had a crush on her, now I don't go there so often but I do help her every now and then. But do I really need to go in there? I mean, I can still get something else to...'
"Nonsense!" Interrupted the fake Rarity. "We don't really care about our ways, we just care about the results, right?"
Spike thought about it for a moment, it DID seem like the most logical thing to do. 'I guess so...'
"Good, now let's go! I deduce Twilight Sparkle passed out researching as she has done for the last couple of days, so we don't need to worry about her." Spike rolled his eyes, this is what was annoying about Twilight becoming a princess.
'Okay, let's go.' Said Spike as he ran through the door.
As Spike ran past the library he saw that Twilight was, indeed, sleeping on top of a pile of books, which reinforced his trust on the fake Rarity. And as he crossed the door leading to Ponyville, his thoughts started to go towards his new life. 'Man, now she is even helping me at school? This is great! I still won't be anything special, but maybe things will start to look better for me! I just hope things keep up the way they are.'
--------------------------------------------- Meanwhile, in Button's room ----------------------------------------------
Button was waking up, and he instantly remembered the events of yesterday, and how they would affect his day at school today. Button looked at the clock on the wall and he saw that he was already going to be late.
'Hey! Are you on?' Thought Button Mash, but nothing happened. 'Helloooooooo? Is anyone there?' Button knocked at the side of his skull, but nothing happened. Button looked to his side and he saw his laptop on the desk, and slowly, a devious smile appeared on his face. 'I might as well make the most out of this.'
Button plugged his laptop and he waited for it to load. 'Come on, come ON!' And just as the laptop was about to finish, Button felt a twinge of pain in his brain. "OW!"
"What is this? You're supposed to be getting ready for school!" Button looked back and he saw his dad appearing behind him with an unamused expression on his face.
'Oh, I was just going to...'
"To what?"
'To check my C-mail.'
"No, you weren't."
'No?'
"I am inside your mind, you can't lie to me. I perfectly know what you were about to do."
'You do?' Asked Button with a sheepish expression and an awkward smile.
"Yes, and that's very naughty."
'Is it?'
"I can't believe a colt like you would do things like this."
'Aww'
"I can't believe you were about to get on in Minecraft and go mining when you have to go to school!" Yelled his dad.
'I know! I'm sorry!' Finally said Button with shame.
"Look, let's just forget about this and unplug the laptop." Said his dad, making Button unplug his laptop without getting an opinion.
'HEY! YOU COULD'VE DAMAGED IT!' Protested Button as he regained self-control.
"Your future is more important than some virtual blocks on a screen, now get moving! We will divise a system in which you'll do push-ups everytime you think about minecraft; if this morning is an indicative sample, you'll be like that stallion "Big Macintosh" in no time." Said Button's dad as he pointed towards the door.
Button Mash frantically ate his bowl of cereal and ran out of the door, somehow he felt more energetic than ever before. 'Hey, I feel a lot better today, are you doing that?'
"Of course I am, you need to run with all your capacity to get to school in time, so I modified your brain so that you're not capable of feeling tired until you get to school, now go!" Said his dad, who floated above Button.
'This is awesome! Now I will get there in time! Wow, I hope he still helps me at school today!'
--------------------------------------------- Five minutes later ----------------------------------------------
Spike finally made it to the classroom, and there, he saw Button Mash entering the classroom at the same time. "Hey, dude, how did you get here so fast?"
"Oh, you-know-who helped me, and you?" Replied Button.
"Oh, I guess just like you?" Said Spike, looking over Button's shoulder to see the fake Rarity giving him a wink.
"Let's just get inside, we have a lot to do today." Said Button, Spike nodded and they both sat down on their desks. They both looked over to their side, and they saw Pipsqueak's desk completely empty, they both knew that they weren't exactly seeing what was really there, but they knew that it was best to ignore it and swallow down their guilt.
After three hours of learning, it was finally lunch time, and all the fillies and colts got out of the classroom to enjoy some free time before going back in. Spike and Button Mash sat down on their selected spot and kept silence for a few seconds. They stayed that way for a couple of minutes, but before Spike could break the silence and ask Button how they were going to solve things, they noticed four colts getting closer to them. Spike and Button got up and got a etter look at who they were; turns out that Rumble, Scootaloo, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were approaching.
"Well, you guys seem excited today." Said Rumble as he got closer.
"Cut us a bit of slack, we had a bad day yesterday." Replied Spike.
"Whatever, we need to talk to you two about an idea we had." Said Scootaloo.
"An idea about what?" Asked Button Mash.
"About the talent show, look, Miss Cheerilee said that we should sign up if we want extra credits, right? Buuut she didn't say each one of us has to do something different and by separate." Said Rumble with a big smile.
"Where are you going with this, dude?" Asked Spike.
"What if we did something together?" Said Rumbe
"Dude, there's literally six of us, what could we..."
"Aaaaactually there's ten of us." Pointed out Silver Spoon.
"What?!" Asked Spike and Button in disbelief.
"Yeah, it's me, you two, Silver Spoon, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Rumble, Snips and Snails. I know, it pains me to work with blank flanks but I'm sure it'll be worth it." Replied Diamond Tiara, to which Scootaloo rolled her eyes.
"Really? What could the ten of us do for that show?" Asked Spike.
"We were thinking we could do the first act of that bridleway show about Princess Celestia." Said Rumble.
"You mean the one with rap music?" Asked Button.
"Yeah! It's something we all could enjoy and we would do it together!" Said Scootaloo.
"Alright, I'm in! When is the show?" Asked Spike.
"You won't believe it, the show will be the day after Nightmare Night!" Said Rumble with excitement.
"After Nightmare Night?! That's just one week away!" Remarked Spike.
"It's next Monday, to be precise." Said Scootaloo.
"Are we even going to have enough time to practice?" Asked a very nervous Spike.
"Yes, don't worry, dude, we'll practice everyday after school! I got the script on my backpack already. We got everything under control." Reassured Rumble. "So, Button, are you in too or what?"
"I hate to disappoint you, but I can't do it, I didn't sign up for the show." Said Button Mash sadly.
"What are you talking about?" Asked Rumble.
"I didn't sign up for the show, I can't be on stage."
"Look, the sheet is just there hanging on the wall, just sign up now!" Said Scootaloo.
"Wait, really? Okay, I'll go. Wait for me here!" Said Button as he dashed to the building, to sign up while recess still lasted. When Button was out of earshot, everypony's eyes turned to Spike.
"What?" He said cluelessly. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon gave him a very cold glare before stomping out of the group.
"Dude, Snips caused a stir yesterday, maybe you should check on him and see how he's doing." Said Rumble.
"Yeah, and maybe you could take this chance to be better friends with him." Added Scootaloo with a smile.
Spike nodded and walked away, leaving the two pegasi to kiss each other in private, Spike didn't need to see it since the gross noises confirmed his suspicions. Spike looked around the playground, and he saw Snips on his own, sitting on a bench. Spike hesitated before approaching him.
"Hey..." Said Spike, Snips just looked away with a frown on his face. "Where's Snails? I figured he'd be with you."
"He didn't come today. Something about buckball practice... I don't know, why do you care?" Said Snips with no effort on moving.
"Look, I know you're mad at me for what happened yesterday, but can we please just put this behind us and move on?"
Snips sighed before turning around. "Look, Spike, I know I overreacted, but that was my parents' room! You could've found something you shouldn't have been looking at or you could've broken something very expensive!"
Spike rolled his eyes and sighed, but before he could apologize, the fake Rarity took control over him. "What's the matter, Snips? Why are you ALWAYS looking for some way to make money?" Said Spike, who widened his eyes when he realized what he just said.
Snips looked surprised, but decided to answer the question anyways, to maybe become better friends with Spike. "Well, my parents left me alone at home because they said they needed to go to Canterlot for a week. They left me with some money but I kinda spent it all on candy." Said Snips sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.
"Oh, I guess that kinda makes se... And what about the other times, though? Why were you trying to make money before they left?" Finished the fake Rarity. Spike wanted to slap himself really badly, but he stopped because then, Snips would think he was crazy.
"Ugh, fine! If you want to know so badly, it's personal, okay?!" Said Snips, hoping nopony heard him. Luckily for him, nopony seemed to have heard him or they just didn't care.
"What?" Asked Spike in surprise.
"Since I was a colt, my family has ALWAYS been poor, so they were always planning on new ways to make money: blackmail, frauds, tricks, lies to rich ponies... So I guess I've been educated that way. Now we live in Ponyville in relative good status, but I don't really see my parents that often anymore... I don't think you'd understand." Said Snips, looking away.
"I understand more than you think." Said Spike in a hushed tone. Snips turned around and saw him with curiosity.
"What?"
"I never had any actual parents, I've always been with Twilight. I know she hatched my egg but I don't know what that makes us: Mother and son, big sister and little brother, two friends, boss and assistant... But I didn't care, she was the pony I spent the most time with my whole life. Now that she is a princess she hardly has any time for me, heck, she spends most of her time with her other friends than me! Now I feel alone, I don't really have any other kind of family..." Said Spike sadly.
"But thanks to me, that won't be a problem in your life anymore, right?" Said the fake Rarity, appearing behind Spike.
"It sucks to be us, doesn't it?" Said Snips, now looking at Spike with a soft smile.
"Yeah, but we could have it worse." Reaffirmed Spike.
"You mean like Featherweight?" Asked Snips, pointing at Spike's back. Spike looked back to see Featherweight all on his own, taking a picture of the sky.
"Featherweight? What's with him?" Asked Spike, the fake Rarity also leaned in, wanting to learn as much as she could.
"Well, since he got in the newspaper business, he pretty much takes it on himself to learn as much information about everypony and maybe use it to make news or have some juicy gossip to spread. But once he shares some secret he just found out with somepony, they ignore him." Said Snips, shrugging.
"How do you know that?" Asked Spike.
"The other day he told me that Rumble and Scootaloo were coltfriend and marefriend, but after that I haven't really talked to him. And I noticed he did the same with Snails and Berry Pinch; they both ignored him afterwards."
'Is he serious?' Asked Spike to the fake Rarity, who was smiling at this new piece of information.
"Yes, yes, that's what I deduced! I'm glad I was right, now I know why that colt was so erratic!" Said the fake Rarity.
'But that's sad, what should I do?'
"You should ignore him."
'What?'
"No one likes a snitch, Spike, and if you get yourself involved with ponies like that, you'll just end up with trouble. Besides, I think we can improve your status with everypony else here."
'I still don't get how you are so good at deducing things like that.'
The fake Rarity smiled and rolled her eyes. "I am not stupid, Spike, I can learn something new from everypony with just an interaction; for example, your buddy Rumble is obsessed with sports and being everypony's friend to overcome his inner fear that deep down, he'll just never be good enough. And your ex's Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon? They are obsessed with status and being the ones in control because deep down they are scared of losing it."
Spike was amazed at her conclusions, and the more he thought about it the more things made sense inside his head. His derail from reality was stopped by Snips, who was getting up from the bench. "But that's life, ain't it, Spike?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah! That's life!" Said Spike sheepishly.
"You know? You might not be such a bad guy after all! I was planning on not inviting you to the next party, but I think you'll be fine!" Said Snips with a smile.
"The next party?" Asked Spike.
"Yeah! Next week is Nightmare Night! And now that my parents aren't home, I have to make the most out of it! It will be at my place again, but do you think I should charge for the party this time?" Asked Snips.
"Uhh... I think you should decide that, how is your situation right now?" Said the fake Rarity in Spike's place.
"Could be better, could be worse, maybe I should just charge for the food or the drinks... Whatever, see ya later, Spike!" Said Snips before walking away.
'Huh, that's amazing! He doesn't hate me anymore!' Thought Spike.
"You're saying it like you're surprised." Said the fake Rarity, looking at him with a proud smile on her face.
'Okay, now what should we do?'
"We need to get ready, recess will end soon and you have a test to make." Said the fake Rarity, pointing at the door leading to the classroom.
'Oh, that's right. Man, I wish I studied more.'
"Are you seriously worried about this math test?" Spike looked to the fake Rarity. "I am magic, I can practically fill the entire test for you!" Said the fake Rarity, which made Spike actually excited for a test.
Spike got closer to the building, and as he passed by the fillies and colts, he felt a very particular wind come across his ears. He knew this "wind" wasn't exactly that, since he could hear a bit of a sound in it, and it sounded like his name, Spike. But Spike knew what this was about, and he knew it was better to not aknowledge it, because if he did, then he would have some leftover guilt for his former friend.
Spike just kept going, and he felt his body move a bit to the right, Spike also knew that the fake Rarity had done that on purpose; it was hard, but Spike took a breath and swallowed down his guilt. Maybe he could live with this after all, maybe avoiding him could be easy.
Spike approached Button Mash, who had just signed his name on the sheet. Button looked at Spike with sadness, and before Spike could ask what was wrong, Button spoke:
"You felt him around too, right?"
Spike looked down, ashamed of himself. "Yeah, I did."
"Spike, are we doing the right thing?" Asked Button with sadness in his voice.
"I don't know, but things are looking better for me, so I guess this is a very small thing to give." Said Spike, denying his guilt.
"Yeah, but he was our only real friend, if he was mad at us before, now he won't forgive us." Said Button Mash, looking into Spike's eyes, that had the exact same reflection of guilt and sadness.
However, Spike remained firm. "Button, I lived my life following my instincts, and they just suck. I got my friends trapped on a comic book, I became a giant greedy monster, I offered myself as Applejack's slave and I ran from home when Twilight got Owilicious. So if my instincts are telling me that this is wrong, then I'm definitely on the right path. I'm going through with this, and I think you should too."
Button was surprised, not only did Spike seem very confident in doing something wrong, but he actually admitted that he was going to keep doing it. But then again, life hasn't been so generous with Button as well, he couldn't recall all the times he was made fun of for something stupid, like tripping on the playground, messing up on a presentation or speaking his mind.
Maybe Spike was right, maybe this IS the way to go, maybe all he needed to do was mute the voice in his head telling him that this was wrong, and move ahead. "Yeah, maybe you're right." Said Button smiling.
Then, the school bell rang, and every filly and colt ran towards the school and get ready for the test. Spike and Button nodded, and ignored that small wind that desperately called their names; it was going to be a very busy week, after all, so they needed to get their priorities checked.
"Come on, let's go." Said Spike, motioning Button to get inside, which he did. Spike smiled, this was going to be the best week ever.
Dear Twilight Sparkle,
There has been a certain subject that has quickly taken over my priorities, please hurry and come to Canterlot as fast as you can. It is quite possible that you'll need to stay here until Nightmare Night arrives, so be sure to check every unattended business you think needs attention before coming. This topic also involves the results of your research, so please bring any information you have. This is a subject of utmost importance, and the fate of Equestria could hang in the balance if this issue is not fixed as fast as possible, so I reiterate, please come as fast as you can with the information and knowledge you have adquired.
Sincerely, Princess Celestia.
At the crystal castle in Ponyville, a certain alicorn princess was reading a note that had been sent to her directly, while also she was pacing around, threatening to leave a circle on the floor. As princess Twilight read the note, her thoughts flew apart. 'Why did the princess send this message to me directly rather than sending them to Spike? I hope she is not mad at me for not sharing some information earlier! But then again, there wasn't much information about this in the first place. Oooh, I hope none of my friends have things they need to check before coming to Canterlot, I hope I'm not interrupting anything important.'
Twilight realized she was starting to ramble, so she stopped herself before actually starting to make a hole on the floor. 'Okay, calm down, I'll just leave Spike a note and some bits for the entire week. I hope he's not mad at me for leaving so suddenly. I'll go to pick up my friends and we'll leave right now!' Said Twilight to herself before writing a vague note to the dragon and leaving him with enough bits for the week. Inmediately afterwards, Twilight flew out of the window, if this is as serious as the princess' note said, then there was no time to slow down.
----------------------------------- Saturday Night -----------------------------------
"ALRIGHT! WHO IS READY FOR THE SICKEST NIGHTMARE NIGHT PARTY EVER?!" Shouted Snips at the top of his lungs.
"YAY!!!" Shouted every guest in the room.
Here it was, it was finally Nightmare Night, everypony that gathered around Snips' house the last time was there today, with some new faces too! Our boys, Button Mash and Spike had finally arrived at Snips' house, Spike wearing a Godzilla outfit and Button Mash wearing a Cyborg costume. When they met at the front door, they greeted each other and proceeded to compliment their costumes.
"Hi, dude!" Said Spike.
"Hello! Umm, that's a nice costume, but aren't you already a fire breathing dragon?" Asked Button when he saw Spike's costume.
"Oh, well, what can I say? I like Godzilla. And yours?"
"My mom made this for me a few days ago, I think it looks pretty sick, what do you think?"
"I think it's nice..." Said Spike, trailing off, thinking about how nice it would've been sharing ideas for a costume with someone else, or making a costume together with Twilight.
"Hey, are you still upset about... You know..." Said Button, not wanting to touch too much on the subject.
"I'm still kinda angry at her for leaving without saying goodbye, but I'm better now, don't worry." Said Spike, putting on a big but fake smile on his face. Button noticed his smile was fake but decided not to dwell on the matter, as it would only hurt his friend.
"Okay, let's just get in." Said Button.
As Button entered the house, he saw an incredible sight, everypony in his class was invited, the house was decorated with Spider webs, bats and such, music was playing loudly through the speakers and everypony seemed like they were having a good time. What really surprised Button was that on a corner there were drugs resting on a small table, mainly hard cider and cigarettes. Even though there were some fillies and colts taking some of them, the table was pretty lonely
'Wait, are those legal?' Asked Button to his dad, who analyzed the drugs as soon as he appeared.
"Those are very minor drugs, they are legal and won't cause any damage to anypony here unless their use is excessive."
'Why are those there? We're not even in seventh grade!'
"What else did you expect? These ponies want to feel superior, and the best way they could think of doing it is by taking some grown pony stuff and consuming it in front of others. I suggest you do it too, by the way. Besides, now there are no adults nearby, there's freedom these guys have never seen before! So you'd expect some of these guys to do things here which they wouldn't do in front of their parents or at school"
Button shrugged and took a cup of hard cider before aking a disgusted expression on his face; the taste of cider with more alcohol than apple juice was horrible to him, but as he was trying to get used to the taste he remembered, his dad would disappear with alcohol in a few moments!
'Oh no! What have I done?!'
"Don't worry, kid, I had planned this to happen. Everything is going to be alright, just take a look around while I disappear, okay?"
Button did as he was told; because it was Nightmare Night, each filly and colt had a very different and creative costume, Button could see Apple Bloom was eating some apple pie in the kitchen, she was wearing a very cute traditional witch costume with her bow decorating her black hat. Snips was wearing a leather jacket with some jeans and he had put fake blood on his entire body, he was only missing a hockey mask and a machete to complete his costume. He could see Silver Spoon at the other side of the room wearing a nurse costume which included its own first aid kit, and Diamond Tiara was talking with her, Diamond Tiara was wearing a very decorated Princess costume, which had many gemstones all over the tiara and accessories. There was no doubt her mother had paid Rarity an incredible amount for designing her costume.
Button also saw Rumble wearing a Shadowbolt costume while Scootaloo was wearing a Wonderbolt costume, both of them were starting to kiss, so Button turned his head to not interrupt. Button saw that Snails had a Jedi costume which was complimented by a transparent sword which was lit up by his magic, and Snails was using it to swat a fly. Button was also very creeped out when he saw a full body suit of a clown resting on the couch, which was looking around all over the place. The thing came with a mask, which didn't let anypony see who was under it, Button shrugged it off and turned his head once more.
What really caught Button's attention was Sweetie Belle's costume, she was wearing a Nightmare Moon costume which he just knew Rarity had worked tirelessly on; the costume was decorated with dark gemstones only on certain parts so the light that went through them would be darker, her crown and helmet were so perfectly decorated and worked to the most minimal detail. Sweetie's mane looked like it had been tugged fiercely by a brush, making it look a little bit like Rarity's mane and combining with her costume perfectly. Her shoes were practically shining because of the materials that were used on it, and her fake wings were so perfectly attached to her body they almost looked real. In Button's eyes, Sweetie Belle glistened like a dark angel. Button's jaw dropped, he had never seen such beauty before, even if it was just meant to be a Nightmare Night costume.
"Well, what are you waiting for, sport?" Said Button's dad.
'D-do I just... Talk to her?' Asked Button to his dad, while he was starting to sweat.
"Don't sweat, act perfectly normal, and just be calmed in general, got it?" Said his dad, reducing Button's sweat as he slowly vanished from Button's sight.
'Okay, I'll try.' Said Button as he approached Sweetie. 'Ooof boy, this night seems promising.'
Button Mash had just entered the party, leaving Spike thinking by himself.
"Don't think about her too much, will you?" Said the fake Rarity, who had appeared in Spike's right side.
'I'm sorry, I can't help it, I never expected something like that from her...' Replied Spike with sadness.
"Hey, this night is the one, this is a way to test how well you've done. Now get in there and don't let this affect you or this party will be a lot shorter than we had in mind." Said the fake Rarity, pushing Spike to the door.
Spike shrugged and entered the party. He saw just about as much as Button saw, but his attention was more focused on Apple Bloom, her witch costume was really appealing to him; Spike had read some History books with paintings and Apple Bloom's costume matched with those paintings very well. Spike had also read that witch hunts were common among the Apple family, since it was really big and had many members across Equestria, so maybe Applejack, Big Macintosh and possibly Granny Smith had worked on her costume along with her.
Spike's feelings sank, however, when he noticed that Apple Bloom was awfully close to Snails, he remembered his talk with Apple Bloom about who she had a crush on, but he did not expect it to be Snails. Spike had tried his best to man up and finally confess to Apple Bloom in the play rehearsals, but the fake Rarity had always stopped him, telling him that "he's still not good enough"; that was it, he was going to talk to her and confess, right there and then.
Spike's legs moved almost automatically towards Apple Bloom and Snails, ready to step between the two of them and confess, but as soon as he was close to Apple Bloom, the fake Rarity stopped him in his tracks by appearing directly in front of him.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" Asked the fake Rarity with an annoyed expression on her face.
'I'm going to talk to her, I think I'm ready.' Said Spike firmly.
"Maybe you are, but we need to do some things first." Spike rolled his eyes at hearing this.
'Ugh, okay, what do we need to do first?' Asked Spike with no enthusiasm whatsoever.
"We need to secure your status to show everypony here who is the boss, that way we'll raise our chances of Apple Bloom saying yes."
'And how do we do that?' The fake Rarity answered Spike's question by turning his head so he could see Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon directly.
"I noticed that Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon have been avoiding you this week, you should go check on them, if they are angry with you and you're able to make amends, then you'll be able to check two things on our list with one action." Said the fake Rarity as she vanished.
Spike sighed before walking over to where the fillies were talking; but as soon as Diamond Tiara noticed Spike was walking their way, she whispered something into Silver Spoon's ear before she ran into another room. Spike just shrugged it off and walked over to Silver Spoon's direction.
"So... How are you, Silver Spoon?" Asked Spike. Silver Spoon just avoided making eye contact. "Hey, are you still mad at me for what happened at the other party?"
"What do you think?" Said Silver Spoon coldly.
"Look, Silver Spoon, I was an idiot for just leaving you there, but what did you want me to do? I actually had nowhere else to go. Diamond Tiara and Snips were going to totally tear me apart."
"I know, I know, I'm sorry about that, but you could've at least showed that you cared about me." Said Silver Spoon, now looking at Spike.
"Huh?"
"Yeah, like, you could've returned the kiss or stayed for a little bit more."
"I'm sorry Silver Spoon, but I was partly drunk that day."
"Huh?"
"Yeah, Rumble told me he spiked my drink for some weird experiment he did with me and Button."
"Heh, 'spiked' your drink?" Said Silver Spoon with a weak smile.
"Heh, sorry, no pun intended there."
"Still, you kinda hurt me. You were one of the nicest guys I've met, I couldn't believe my eyes when you jumped out of that window."
"I didn't know what else to do... I mean, I think I've made amends with Snips, but I don't think Diamond Tiara will ever forgive me for what we did." Said Spike, looking down.
"I forgive you, Spike, and just give Tiara some time, I'm sure she'll forgive you too... Eventually." Said Silver Spoon, looking up at Spike.
"Can we at least be friends again?" Asked Spike, raising his claw at her level.
"I think I can allow that." Replied Silver Spoon, giving Spike a hoofbump. "So... What do you think of my costume?" Asked Silver Spoon, showing how her costume was decorated with fake blood on most parts. Spike was about to reply, but the fake Rarity appeared beside him.
"Give her a vague compliment."
"It's... Original."
"Oh..." Said Silver Spoon, looking down.
"I-I mean amazing! I think it's amazing! I can't believe I can still be the friend of somepony who looks so good!" Said Spike quickly, making Silver Spoon blush.
"Really? Thank you, Spike! Diamond Tiara said it was dumb. Let me get you something to drink!" Said Silver Spoon before rushing over to the kitchen.
'Did you see the look on her face? She looked so sad when she thought I-'
"Aaaand she looked so happy when she realized you didn't think of her costume like that. Ponies usually want what they don't have." Replied the fake Rarity. "Now go, there's another filly you need to talk to before making the big step."
Spike's head moved on its own so his eyes were staring directly at Diamond Tiara, who had just come out of the bathroom. Spike breathed heavily and strolled over to her side, this could only go so well.
"I really feel like we're not in sync right now." Said Scootaloo as she looked towards Apple Bloom with confusion on her eyes.
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were standing next to the food table, just in the kitchen, and they had just started a disagreement because of the food Apple Bloom had brought for the party.
"Oh, come on, Scootaloo, I like apples, you don't. What's the problem with that?" Asked Apple Bloom as she finished eating her slice of apple pie.
"That you ALWAYS bring apple food! Why can't you bring cherries or blueberries for a change?" Asked Scootaloo.
"Because I can't? Ugh, you're so stubborn sometimes." Said Apple Bloom, rubbing her forehead.
"Whatever, Rumble likes me anyways. Besides, I'm the only one on the group with a coltfriend." Said Scootaloo with pride.
"Not soon, you won't." Said Apple Bloom, pointing behind Scootaloo. Scootaloo turned around and she saw Button Mash talking with Sweetie Belle, both of them were blushing and avoiding eye contact.
"Sweetie and Button? About time! I was starting to think neither of them would confess!" Said Scootaloo.
"Wait, you knew they liked each other?" Asked Apple Bloom with curiosity. Scootaloo sweated for a second before the fake Rainbow Dash replied for her.
"Oh, yeah, Button told me."
"Really? When?"
"At the end of the rehearsal."
"Huh, I wonder why he didn't tell me about it." Said Apple Bloom, crossing her hooves.
"But you and Dinky still don't have coltfriends, so hah!" Said Scootaloo, taking control of herself again.
"Actually you might be wrong on that one again."
"Huh?"
"Yeah, I saw Dinky was starting to spend more and more time with that other colt... What was his name again?... Oh yeah! Pipsqueak!"
"Speaking of her, what's up with Dinky? She has been avoiding us for some time now, do you think we did something to her that made her feel offended?" Asked Scootaloo, thinking about how Dinky hadn't talked with the Cutie Mark Crusaders for a week. Hay, she didn't even look excited to participate in their play!
"I don't know, maybe she is just making Pipsqueak company." Said Apple Bloom, shrugging.
"Which means YOU are the only one without a coltfriend!" Said Scootaloo, pointing at Apple Bloom.
"O-Oh! I just don't like anypony in particular! See? They're all weird!" Said Apple Bloom, pointing at Snails, who was still trying to swat the fly; then he slapped his own face because the darn fly had stood in his nose for a second.
"I get your point, but why are you sweating, then?" Asked Scootaloo, looking at Snails and then at Apple Bloom, who was so nervous her eye was twitching. Pretty much everypony in Ponyville could detect when an apple was lying; they were NOT good at lying, and Scootaloo was no exception, she could practically see Apple Bloom physically suffering from not being honest.
"Well then! I guess we're done here!" Said Apple Bloom, trying to leave the conversation, but Scootaloo stepped in, blocking her path.
"Oooh! So you DO like somepony! Who is it?"
"Scoots, that's eno-" Stuttered Apple Bloom before Scootaloo interrupted again. "Is it Snips? Snails? Featherweight? or is it-"
"Ugh! Fine! I'll tell you! Just come here for a second." Said Apple Bloom, trying to not raise her voice too much, while also inviting Scootaloo to step closer. "But first, you gotta promise me you won't laugh!"
"Ugh, fine, I promise to not laugh." Said Scootaloo, rolling her eyes.
Apple Bloom hesitated a bit before answering. "It's Spike, I like Spike. There! Just laugh already!" Said Apple Bloom before falling on her rump and covering her eyes with her hooves, waiting for her friend to start laughing.
"Wait, did you say Spike?" Asked Scootaloo with a surprised expression on her face.
"HA! I told you!" Said the fake Rainbow Dash, appearing before Scootaloo mockingly.
'Hey! Just because you were right about that doesn't mean I'm gonna-'
"Trust me, you WILL." Said the fake Rainbow Dash, mocking Scootaloo before disappearing again.
"Scoots?" She heard Apple Bloom in the ground calling her name, which snapped her out of her thoughts.
"Huh? Oh! What is it, Apple Bloom?" Asked Scootaloo, trying to look as natural as possible.
"You're not gonna make fun of me for liking Spike?" Asked Apple Bloom, starting to uncover her eyes.
"Of course not! In fact, I'm glad you finally found someone you like!" Said Scootaloo, helping her friend get back on her hooves.
"R-really? You don't think I'm weird?" Asked Apple Bloom with a hopeful expression on her eyes.
"Of course not! But you gotta ask him out, though, because if you don't, you'll be left behind." Said Scootaloo, making Apple Bloom blush.
"What?! I can't! Not yet!" Said Apple Bloom, covering her eyes with a paper plate.
"Why not?"
"I'm still trying to gather the courage I need to ask him out! But I'll ask him tomorrow after the play, I promise!"
"You better." Said Scootaloo, making eye contact with her friend, who was still sweating.
"SCOOTALOO!!!" She heard Rumble screaming her name, much louder than the music playing in the speakers. Rumble entered the kitchen and there, Scootaloo saw how damaged her coltfriend looked, his Shadowbolt costume was ripped in various parts and his eyes were glowing blue.
"Oh my Celestia, what's wrong, Rumble?!" Asked Scootaloo with worry, now facing him.
"WE HAVE TO GET SPIKE AND BUTTON AND GO NOW!" Said Rumble, running on the opposite direction, Scootaloo followed him, thinking he was drugged, which couldn't be farther from the truth. Apple Bloom shrugged, leaving the crazy couple to resolve things by themselves.
"Heh, popular ponies are so weird."
----------------------------------- On the living room -----------------------------------
'Come on, you can do it!'
Button was starting to sweat again; his dad had just vanished and now he was standing like an idiot instead of talking to Sweetie Belle, who was standing near the window next to the door.
'Okay, just be chill, and don't be weird... er than usual.' Said Button to himself as he finally stepped closer to Sweetie with a cup of hard cider in his hoof. As he was getting closer, Sweetie turned her head and she saw Button Mash getting closer, she couldn't help but let out a small blush.
"Oh! H-hello, Button!" Said Sweetie Belle, trying her best to fight back the blush on her face.
"H-hi! Ummm... Can I... Talk to you for a second?" Asked Button, trying to look casual. Luckily, Sweetie just nodded,indicating that she didn't notice how nervous he was.
"What did you want to talk to me about?" Said Sweetie in a hesitant but hopeful tone.
"Well, I actually came to talk about you and me..." Said Button.
"Oh?"
"Yes, I mean, we've known each other for so long, it feels like forever sometimes." 'YOU IDIOT! WHAT KIND OF METAPHOR IS THAT?!' Button mentally slapped himself for using such a dumb metaphor. However, at hearing Sweetie Belle giggling made him feel a little bit better.
"Yeah, I remember that day." Said Sweetie, recalling the first day they looked at each other's eyes. It was short, but beautiful.
"W-well, I also wanted to ask you something..."
"Uh-huh?"
"...About me?" 'Oh, you ACTUAL coward. I bet a cat is braver than you!' Said Button, mentally slapping himself again; which he did again when he noticed Sweetie Belle's gaze was down.
Speaking of Sweetie, when the words Button said had finally sunk in, she took a good look at him, he had changed a lot. He had a very different attitude towards everypony, he was wearing different clothes to school, now he was seen at the buckball field from time to time, he was drinking hard cider and he had ignored his friend along with Spike... What was his name again...? Oh, right, Pipsqueak, he had ignored Pipsqueak.
How could he change so much in so little time? And how could he ignore one of his best friends? Maybe he had gotten more mature... But if that was the case, then what could be his opinion of her? Could it be possible that he now despises nerdy ponies like her? Maybe she is just not good enough for him now that he is mature, maybe he'd rather be with somepony like Diamond Tiara instead of her... Maybe they weren't meant to be...
All these thoughts consumed Sweetie's mind, and left her with a forced smile in front of Button, and an underlapping feelng of sadness in her heart; he had moved on and she couldn't even earn her cutie mark, he had abandoned videogames just when she was starting to like them as much as he did, and he had abandoned Pipsqueak because he wasn't good enough anymore... What could be expected of her?
"Sweetie Belle?"
Button's words snapped Sweetie out of her train of thoughts, and she looked at him directly. His eyes were concerned for her, although Sweetie thought that they might as well express pity of some sort.
"Y-yeah?"
"I'm sorry I'm acting so weird, I honestly don't know what's wrong with me, but what's going on with you? You seem... distracted."
"Me? Oh.. That's because I..." Sweetie stopped when she looked at Button again, she saw that his eyes were definitely not pitiful, but they were showing compassion and concern for her; so Sweetie sighed and decided to give in... But in a discrete manner, of course. "Okay, I'm actually thinking about the colt I like."
"Oh?" Asked Button, not sure if he should laugh or cry.
"Well, it's just that since I met him I've been trying to change myself to be closer to him, but now he has changed again, and I'm afraid he'll leave me behind." Said Sweetie, finally dropping her smile.
"Oh, I totally understand that."
"Huh?"
"Yeah, ever since I entered school I've been the loser, but I'm tired of that, you know? A-and I also have been doing some changes to my life to be cooler; but most importantly, I've been changing who I am for the pony I like the most." Said Button, looking down to his drink.
"I guess it sucks to be us, huh?" Asked Sweetie in a sarcastic tone. "But hey, at least you're popular! Which is more than some of us can say..." Said Sweetie, looking at the ground.
"What? I'm not-" Said Button before Sweetie interrupted him.
"Umm, hello? you're the guy who has been destroying his way up to the social levels of our school!"
"But what about you? I mean, you and the other crusaders are like the most famous fillies in town." Said Button Mash, which earned a shrug from Sweetie Belle.
"Meh, we're still pretty uncool, unlike your buddies Rumble, Scoots and Spike. Don't worry about me, though, I can live with it. Thanks for worrying, though." Said Sweetie with a little giggle. Button's heart skipped a beat at the sound of her giggles, if her voice was beautiful, her giggles were like heaven on Equestria.
"I........................" Started Button, but nothing came out of his mouth other than his breath.
"What?" Asked Sweetie Belle with curiosity.
"I... just... don't know what I'm supposed to say right now..."
"Just say what's on your mind, Button." Said Sweetie Belle, recomforting Button. So, Button did just as he was told.
"PWOOOOOOOOOOOOOFFFFFFFFFFFTTTTTTTT" Button had just created the weirdest explosion sound effect with his mouth. Sweetie looked at him with a blank stare.
'Oof, nice going, idiot, now she-' Button started slapping himself up again before another sound snapped him out of his thoughts.
"Ka-PEEEEEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWMMMMMMMMM" Sweetie had followed Button's example and did the second weirdest explosion sound effect ever before laughing her face off. Button followed suit and both of them laughed until Button started the sound effects again.
"PRRRRRAAAAAAATATATATATATATATATA-"
"PPPPPPPFFFFFFFFSSSSSSSSHHHHHHH-"
"WOOOP-WOOOP-WOOOP."
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-"
Sweetie Belle and Button Mash were laughing so hard that they had fell on their backs, Button's drink was spilled all over the floor and they were starting to tear up; the other fillies and colts were either starting to look at them with concern or turning their heads away. But they didn't care, they were so lost in their little... 'thing', that they didn't care about what others thought of them at that point.
By the time they had calmed down, Button heard Snips yelling on the upper floor, which surprised both of them and decided to stop laughing. Afterwards, they saw Spike running through the living room until he reached the bathroom; in which he locked himself. Snips was following suit, but by the looks of it, he didn't see where Spike was; so Snips decided to look for him in the rest of the house.
Sweetie Belle and Button finally got up on their hooves, and looked at each other with smiles on their faces. "Cool ponies, right?" Asked Button with a smile.
"Couldn't have said it better myself." Replied Sweetie.
There was a brief pause between the two of them, in which they looked at each other's eyes. Button just knew this was the moment, it was now or never.
"You know..." Started Sweetie Belle, which snapped Button out of his thoughts.
"Huh?"
"...It's pretty killer to hang with you." Finished Sweetie Belle, smiling at Button, who finally gave himself a boost of courage before speaking.
"Sweetie Belle..." The filly looked at him with curiosity. "W-w-will you go out with me?" Finally said Button with an air of confidence.
Sweetie Belle was dumbfounded, not only did Button feel the same way she did, but HE asked HER out! This was one of the happiest feelings she'd ever felt. A part of her just wanted to shout YES!!! to his face, oblivious to the world around them, and finally kissing him to seal the deal.
But the 'other' part of her brain struck, and it struck hard with the most powerful and hurtful arguments her mind could muster; she remembered how she'd changed almost entirely for him, and now he had changed again. She remembered being bullied by Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon for not having her cutie mark, and how Button seemed to hang out with them more now. And the finishing blow, Sweetie remembered all the times colts and stallions alike had almost never noticed her, instead, they focused on the beautiful, mature, savior of Equestria, successful business mare Rarity, who was unfortunately her sister. Why would anypony, let alone Button Mash, choose her over any other girl? She wasn't as beautiful as her sister, she was more recognized for almost destroying Ponyville than saving it, and she didn't even know her destiny yet!
"I... can't."
"What?" Button wasn't expecting that answer.
"I... just can't." Said Sweetie Belle, supressing a tear.
"But I thought..."
"I'm sorry Button, but I need to know who I am before any of this. I know this is not what you wanted to hear... I just... I'm sorry." After that, Sweetie Belle ran out of Snips' house, now heading for her home, letting tears run down her face, now that they weren't visible to anyone.
Button Mash was speechless, Was this his fault? Did he say something that offended her? Was he too sudden? All these and more questions wandered inside his head as he slowly slumped over, letting tears of his own fall.
"BUTTON!!!" A scream snapped his eyes open and made him look over to his left side, and there, he saw Rumble and Scootaloo rushing over to him.
"DUDE! WE HAVE TO GO!" Said Rumble, his eyes glowing blue and his body shaking.
"What? Why?" Asked Button between little sobs.
"THIS IS SERIOUS! WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE!" Said Scootaloo, her eyes glowing a slightly lighter shade of blue; almost like Rainbow Dash's fur color. Rumble tapped her on her shoulder, and pointed at the bathroom, where Spike was just coming out of.
"WE'LL GET SPIKE, BUT YOU NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE!" Said Rumble before he and Scootaloo rushed over to Spike.
Button was about to call the ponies and ask them what was up, but they were already gone. Button got up on his hooves and swallowed back his sadness; if he did something wrong with Sweetie, then it was up to him to fix it! Button took a step before stopping because of something appearing in front of him. The object took the form of a stallon and Button recognized his dad.
'You're back! What was the holdup?' Asked Button to his dad.
"My absence was short, I don't think that was a very strong drink; just stand still while I review the information about this little time that I was out..." Said Button's dad before his eyes turned white, scanning Button's recent memories. Everything went well except for one oddity. "Oh no..."
'What's wrong?' Asked Button, worried that he might've been referring to his chat with Sweetie Belle.
Button's dad looked to his side to confirm his suspicions; Button couldn't see it, but Button's dad earned a nod from the fake Rainbow Dash and Thunderlane. "We have to get you out of here." Said Button's dad, making Button stumble towards the exit.
'What? Why?'
"Just go!" Demmanded Button's dad. Button shrugged and got out of the house with no hesitation.
Spike was walking over to Diamond Tiara when he noticed something a bit strange, Diamond Tiara was carrying a bottle of some weird liquid which she didn't have earlier. Spike decided to ignore it and at least try to make amends.
"H-hey, Diamond Tiara." Said Spike, nervous to even look at her in the eye.
"Hi, Spike!" Said Diamond Tiara cheerfully. Spike was numb, he expected her to insult him, ignore him, humilliate him or something like that, but she was instead awfully friendly.
"Umm... Hey, I just wanted to-"
"Say you're sorry about what happened at the last party? Yeah, I forgive you." She said, which left Spike speechless. "By the way, Silver Spoon told me to take you upstairs, she said she has a surprise for you."
Spike hesitated for a moment, but the fake Rarity appeared behind Diamond Tiara and nodded at him, meaning that Spike had to agree. "Okay, let's go."
Diamond Tiara smiled, everything was going accordingly to the plan. "Just follow me."
A certain clown was watching the scene, and when he saw that Diamond Tiara was taking Spike upstairs, he took off his mask to see it with his own two eyes. "Woah, that's some good gossip right there." Said Featherweight as he rubbed his eyeballs to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him.
Spike followed Diamond Tiara up to Snips' parents' room. The memories of that awful day came back, now taunting Spike as he entered the room. Diamond Tiara closed the door behind them, smiling at how the situation was developing for her. Once Spike turned around, he saw Diamond Tiara looking at him with her eyes half closed in a seductive manner.
"Wait... Where's Silver Spoon?" Asked Spike, oblivious to the situation.
"Oh my Celestia... You are SO FREAKING adorable." Said Diamond Tiara, stepping closer with each word that came out of her mouth. "Silver Spoon is not coming."
"Then wha-"
"Spike, do you wanna hang for a bit?" Asked Diamond Tiara, now closing the gap between their bodies.
"Wha...I-ummm... You see..." Said Spike, getting nervous now that the events of the last party were starting to develop again.
"Just the two of us... You know, talking about our feelings and shit like that." Said Diamond Tiara while pushing Spike over to the bed.
"Diamond, I'm not sure about this..." Said Spike as he sat down on the bed with Diamond Tiara beside him.
"Come on... I'm sure we can have fun while we're at it." Said Diamond Tiara, raising a hoof and touching Spike's chest.
"Ohh I just remembered! I have to go!" Said Spike, trying to stand up but failing at moving his legs.
'I can't stand up.'
"You're welcome." Said the fake Rarity, winking at him from the corner of the room.
"You're less cute when you're talking, no offense." Said Diamond Tiara, taking her hoof off Spike's chest.
"Non-taken, but seriously, I should really get back to-"
"YOU KNOW... Silver Spoon is not all that innocent." Said Diamond Tiara, shutting him up. "When we're around other ponies we put on some really mean faces but she is lowkey acting like she's my second. She puts on that submissive face to attract more ponies, and it just makes me sick."
"Why would that make you...? Oh... Are you jealous of Silver Spoon?" Asked Spike, to which Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes.
"Uh, OBVIOUSLY... I'm not!" Said Diamond Tiara with an annoyed face.
"But why would you be jealous of her? You're like, the most respected and hottest filly in school!" Said Spike, getting a very special look from Diamond Tiara. "Did I really just say that out loud?"
The filly responded by pouncing on him and starting kissing him without his permission. Spike was NOT enjoying this, this was WRONG. The dragon tried to squirm his way out of the filly's grasp but the lack of his lower body made it impossible for him to do it. "Hey! Make it stop!" Said Spike out loud to the fake Rarity, who was playing innocent on the corner.
"I don't understand your request, sorry." Said the fake Rarity, smiling and looking away mockingly.
"Do you wanna stop? More like, Do you wanna stop being coy?" Said Diamond Tiara, pulling out the bottle Spike had seen earlier. "Here, this is not exactly apple juice, you know."
"Oh, I'm not exactly a drinker so-" Said Spike before getting the bottle forcefully pressed up to his lips.
'Why are you not trying to stop this?!' Asked Spike to the fake Rarity.
"You have to understand that this is a good chance for you to לתקן" Said the fake Rarity, her eyes turning white when she finished her sentence.
'Don't you realize that you'll disappear?'
"Yes, but it's important! Just זכור על מה דיברנו!" Said the fake Rarity, her whole body beginning to twitch.
'But I'll be alone!'
"That doesn't matter! Just remember what we talked about! You need to לנצל את ההזדמנות שלך ולילה טוב!" Said the fake Rarity before disappearing again, leaving Spike on his own.
Diamond Tiara looked at Spike, he didn't look like he was interested in this, plus, he had been looking at a corner this entire time. Suddenly, her interest on him lowered, and Diamond Tiara stopped trying to force him to kiss her. "Whatever... I think this was enough." Said Diamond Tiara, starting to walk away.
"Spike? Are you in there? Featherweight said he saw you come upstairs!" Both of them suddenly heard Snips knock on the door.
"Yeah, and he usually doesn't lie." They heard Silver Spoon's voice next to his.
"Featherweight?" Asked Spike, not remembering seeing him anywhere.
"Featherweight should mind his own business, but this is perfect!" Said Diamond Tiara, grinning evily before going back to Spike's side. "NOW THE FUN REALLY REALLY BEGINS!!" Shouted Diamond Tiara, making sure that both of them heard her.
"Wait, what are you doing?!" Asked Spike, the memories of his horrible first party flooding back at full force.
"SILVER SPOON! ME AND SPIKE ARE MAKING OUT ON THIS BED!! HOW DOES IT FEEL, HUH?!?!" Shouted Diamond Tiara, making loud kissing noises.
"WE ARE DEFINITELY NOT!!!" Shouted Spike, trying to find a different way to escape. While he was trying to find a way out that wasn't the window, the door opened, revealing a tearful Silver Spoon and a furious looking Snips.
"EEK! Have you not heard of privacy before?!" Shrieked Diamond Tiara.
"This time I had a spare key." Said Snips before turning his head to Spike. "Spike the damn dragon... I trusted you, I told you my situation, and you still did this again on THE SAME PLACE?! Well guess what?! Now you will be BALLESS!!!" Shouted Snips before pouncing at Spike.
Luckily, Spike avoided Snips, who landed on the bed. The dragon desperately hid under the bed, hoping that Snips didn't see him; but he certainly did. Spike saw that Snips was trying to get under the bed, and Spike seized this opportunity to trap Snips under the bed with his own fat to escape the room.
"YOU WILL NOT ESCAPE ME, DRAGON!" Shouted Snips, trying to get out of the bed. Spike didn't waste any time and he quickly ran out of the room, fearing for his life. He encountered Silver Spoon crying outside the room.
"Silver Spoon, I..." Spike tried to say something, but a yell from the room made him turn his head.
"I'M COMING!!!"
Spike didn't know any better than run away, leaving behind Silver Spoon crying, Diamond Tiara frustrated and Snips angrier than a raging minotaur. Spike quickly ran down the stairs and looked to his surroundings. Where could he hide from Snips? Spike took a few steps back and he felt something round poke him in the back. He turned around and he saw that it was a knob, from the door that led to the bathroom, that is.
'The bathroom! That's it!' Said Spike to himself before running in and slamming the door shut.
Once inside, Spike took a long breath full of anxiety and looked to his surroundings... It was a nice bathroom, the walls were nicely decorated with Nightmare Night designs and the bathtub looked like a nice place to sit on. Spike walked over there and he sat on the edge of the tub, thinking about the night thus far.
All things considered, this night was... Certainly something he didn't expect. Curiously the events that had transpired were similar to the events of the last party, but now things were... weird. Was this his fault? Why did things turn out the same way? Maybe it was because he didn't have the fake Rarity with him both times... But does that mean things were better or worse? And could things have gone differently if he hadn't drink anything?
These, and more questions that were bouncing on his head prevented him from looking to the tub, where he had failed to notice that there was someone laying down there. They were dressed as a garbage monster, but they had menacing claws. One of these claws raised over the level of the tub, slowly making its way over to Spike's arm. When it reached him, it grabbed Spike's arm, making him yell in surprise and fear.
"AAAAAAHHHHH!" Shouted Spike as he jumped out of the edge of the tub.
The monster showed its head to Spike, before taking off its mask; and there, Spike saw somepony very familiar.
"Hey." Said the colt.
"Pipsqueak?" Asked Spike in complete awe. "I didn't know you were invited to this party."
"No, I wasn't. Which is why I'm wearing this... 'Clever' disguise." Said Pip before jumping out of the tub, showing Spike his costume. His costume was by far the worst one he had seen at this party so far, it was clearly a garbage monster, because it was mostly pieces of paper and plastic, which were clearly taken from a garbage bin and were stitched together in a barely attractive way. Pipsqueak decided to take off his costume, which wasn't neccesary because it ripped apart when Pip started taking it off. "You're speechless... What's the matter? That potion went down the wrong end?" Asked Pip coldly.
"It's... Not active right now." Said Spike, still shocked by Pip's surprising appearance.
"That would explain why you're talking to me." Replied Pip, still not showing any emotions.
"And... What... How have you been?" Asked Spike, not sure of what else to say.
"Oh, just great! Spending this week just with Dinky has been completely fine!" Said Pip now starting to show some emotions. Spike just looked down in shame. "You know..." Started Pip. "I've been thinking about this moment. What I was going to say to any of you two when I could finally talk to you. I wrote this... Really angry monologue going through our BIG time as friends..." Pip stopped when he saw Spike, he was starting to form a smile. "What?"
"Nothing... It's just... I'm glad to see you, dude." Said Spike, relieved to see that Pip wasn't changed.
"It won't be when you hear what I have to say to you about it." Said Pip, looking away with a mostly sad expression on his face.
"About what?" Asked Spike. Pip just pointed at his brain. "How could you know anything about it? I thought this was a top secret-"
"Which is weird, right?" Said Pipsqueak, knowing exactly where this was going. "With everything Equestria has gone through the years you would think there are not any secrets to uncover, right? So I started asking around if my parents knew anything about it; and they actually had a familiar in Trottingham who also drank what you guys drank."
"Are you sure? Maybe they got confused and what he drank was something else! Maybe he drank-"
"I thought that too! But when I was talking with Dinky about it-"
"Wait, you told DINKY about this?!" Asked Spike, nervous about what Rumble had warned him.
"Can you just LISTEN TO ME FOR ONE SECOND OF YOUR LIFE?!" Shouted Pip, which silenced Spike. "Apparently she had a cousin who drank a bottle of mysteriously dark liquid like my parents' familiar and they both had the same fate!"
"'The same fate'?"
"Yeah. Both of them attended Princess Celestia's school for gifted ponies! Do you know where they are now?"
Spike rolled his eyes. "Really happy with powerful magic and lots of money?"
Pip got ready to drop the bombshell. "They're dead."
Spike was definitely NOT expecting that; he had to be lying, right? there was no way the fake Rarity could kill him, right? everything he had done up to this point was the right thing to do... RIGHT?! Spike tried to deny it. "Umm... I-I don't see what has to do with-"
"JUST THINK, SPIKE! We're talking about a seriously unknown magic which some random stranger sold you, and you think the purpose of this magic is to get you some girls to flirt with?"
Spike thought about it for a moment before denying it again. Pipsqueak continued.
"Where did it come from? How did they end up in Ponyville? In hooves of kids like us? Of all the things you could do with such magic, have you ever wondered what is happening inside of YOU?" Pipsqueak was starting to lose it, but Spike was not convinced.
"Pft, and I thought Diamond Tiara was jealous."
"I'm asking honestly."
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah!"
"'Cause I think you're just jealous we have one and YOU don't."
"Come on, Spike!"
"Maybe we got lucky for once, is that so weird? Because with our history, I'd say the world owed Button and I one! And I don't know about your contacts, but if you're saying that the magic killed them-"
"The magic didn't kill them!"
"Well there you-"
"THEY KILLED THEMSELVES OUT OF DESESPERATION!!!"
There was a brief silence before Spike asked again. "W-w-w-what did you say?"
"First, they got arrested for 'treason against Celestia's kingdom' whatever that means, and then they went into a mental hospital trying to get the magic out of their bodies! With no other option left they killed themselves when no one was looking!"
"Well... Then we've got nothing to worry about, why would we commit crimes? And why would I want to get it out of me?... I'll just go away and Button and I won't mess with you any-" Spike was walking towards the door, but he was stoped by Pipsqueak, who blocked his path. "Come on, dude, move!"
"Or what?" Asked Pip with determination.
"Get out of my way!... Fucking loser."
After hearing his former friend say something like that, Pip felt his courage go away and stepped aside with hesitation. Spike just got out of the bathroom without looking back to Pip, not even giving him a side glare.
He had just been ditched by his only friends. Now he was alone in the bathroom, where no one would ever notice him. Pipsqueak shortly went over to the door and locked it from the inside. Afterwards, Pipsqueak felt his legs giving away strength, and he slumped over on the floor, resting his head on the door. Nopony would come in there, since they will surely be ashamed of using the bathroom during a party... In which he wasn't invited.
Pip reflected on his situation, he had come all this way and for what? Trying to help some guys who didn't even want help? Now he was at a party he wasn't even invited to, he could leave the party and nothing would change; in fact, he could go out there without his costume and nopony would even notice at all.
Pip looked to the floor, letting a few tears form in his eyes as he remembered all the times he had together with Spike and Button Mash; he remembered the day when they failed at a hoofball match, and they laughed at themselves for being clumsy. He remembered when they dropped Snails' lunch on the floor, which DID get them into trouble, but they had fun for being so distracted. He remembered the day they sang a song for an art project, but they were mocked for not singing well... They still had fun, though.
But then, the most recent memories came; he remembered how his friends had abandoned his side, now being focused on being popular. He remembered how he saw them work with every other popular filly and colt, who didn't even notice him standing there, watching them being happy.
Pip knew things wouldn't be the same after this week, now he was alone... Both at school and right now at the bathroom. Maybe after today, Spike and Button would replace him with some other guy 'cooler' than him; but he had no one to replace them with.
That was it, he was the last 'weirdo' at school, and now he was alone... Was he out of touch? Was he just not important? What did he do wrong?
He had tried to help Spike, but he was just called a loser... Maybe that was the way to go! Maybe he just didn't have to worry about helping anyone ever again! Now it was decided! He would ask Rumble where to find that guy, he would buy a bottle and he would...
He would...
He wouldn't drink it, would he?
No, he would probably find some way to get rid of the bottle and go with his life.
Pipsqueak grunted. Why did he have to be this way? Why was he a goody four-shoes colt? Why was he so forgettable?! It's not fair! Simply not fair! Now, because of this attitude of his, he was alone in the bathroom.
Suddenly, he heard sounds from behind the door that got his attention, it seemed like the fillies and colts were getting ready to sing karaoke. A filly got up and sang the new hit single from Songbird Serenade. Pip smiled, by the sounds she was making, Pip could tell the filly was either drunk or had some nasal disease.
But Pip's happiness lasted no more than just a moment, because his mind remembered how he would usually make fun of things like this with his friends... Now there was nopony to laugh with anymore. Now Pip was alone in the bathroom, where he should stay for the rest of this party.
Another sound woke Pip up, this time, it looked like somepony wanted to enter the bathroom!
Knock, knock, knock, knock...
Oh Celestia, please no...
Knock, knock, knock, knock...
If this keeps up, they will shout pretty soon.
Knock, knock, knock, knock...
Pip frantically looked around the bathroom for something to do, he was blank.
Knock, knock, knock, knock...
That was it, he had to do something right now.
Clang, clang, clang, clang...
Now they were reaching for the knob, things would escalate soon if he didn't open up the door.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Now they were angry. Pip was about to pass out. Pip looked to his side and he saw the sink.
SPLASH!SPLASHSplashsplash
Pipsqueak had thrown some water on his face, and suddenly, he felt like a heavy weight had just been lifted off his back. Now he was ready, if whoever was behind the door thought he was a loser, then so be it. Pipsqueak took a breath and walked over to the door. He was about to turn the knob but he realized something...
There was no knocking anymore.
Pip breathed a sigh of relief and decided to stand still. What had just happened? Pip again went over to the sink, but he had the disgrace to look at himself in the mirror. There, he saw himself in full force: He saw a pitiful colt with red eyes and was soaked because he had just had a panic attack. But most importantly, he remembered the conclusion that had hit him before he heard the knocking at the door.
He was alone.
He remembered he wasn't invited, he remembered he was called a loser, he remembered how he was ignored, and he remembered how empty his life seemed without friends. Pipsqueak couldn't hold it it anymore. Pip let out lots of tears and he cried what he had been holding in for the last week.
Perhaps this was the reason Spike and Button decided to take that potion; to not feel like this. But Pip just knew he wouldn't be capable of drinking that. His mind wanted a way out of his misery; he looked and he saw that Snips had left a dangeroulsly sharp pair of scissors on the corner... Perhaps it was time to go with his dear grandma. Nopony would notice, after all...
...
...
...
No.
Pip remembered that he wasn't completely alone in this world, there was another pony that completed him. Somepony who had stuck with him for the past week, even though he was left out of the play.
Dinky.
Pipsqueak remembered that Dinky was the reason he dragged himself to school every single day. If he didn't want to stay for himself, he would do it for her. No matter the cost.
Pipsqueak looked around the bathroom and he saw that the window was facing the outside. Perhaps it was time for him to move on and find some less toxic friends... Perhaps it was finally time to grow up.
It was decided, Pipsqueak cleaned his face with his hooves before jumping out of the window. Now he had a purpose: To find Dinky and spending the rest of his days making her happy. Now it was time to move on and perhaps he wouldn't be alone anymore...
Spike had just gotten out of the bathroom, and he felt like complete scum. Maybe he was a little too harsh on Pipsqueak, maybe he should go back and apologize...
No.
Pipsqueak was against progress, and Spike had to make sure that he didn't lose what he had just earned. If the sacrifice for success was just not seeing Pipsqueak for a little while, then what could be so wrong about that?
Spike's thoughts were interrupted when he saw two pegasus running towards him.
"SPIIIIIIKEEEEEE!" Shouted Scootaloo and Rumble at the same time.
"Guys? What's wrong with yo-?"
"NO TIME! WE NEED TO GE...." Said Rumble, but found it quite difficult to finish his sentence.
"What?" Asked Spike, clueless as to what was happening to them.
"RUMBLE SAYS WE NEED TO GE...." Scootaloo also couldn't finish her sentence, there was something wrong with them, and Spike knew it.
"Are you toying with me? That's not cool, guys." Said Spike with no emotion other than annoyance.
"SPIKE, YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND, PLEASE! JUST TRY TO..." Said Rumble before the two pegasus' eyes glowed. Scootaloo's eyes glowed with a soft blue tone while Rumble's eyes were slightly darker. Both pegasus automatically started to walk over to the basement's door, which was just below the stairs. Spike just shrugged it off, maybe they were drugged or something like that, they would be better tomorrow in the morning.
Then, out of nowhere, Spike saw that the fake Rarity appeared in front of him, dusting off non-existing dust.
'About time! What took you so long?'
"My absence was not ideal, but it was necessary. Wait a moment while I check the information about this evening." Said the fake Rarity before her eyes turned white. There was a problem. "Oh my..."
'Is it that bad?'
"We need to get you home." Said the fake Rarity, pushing Spike to the exit.
'What?'
"Don't ask, just go!"
And so, Spike obeyed the fake Rarity, who looked worried for some reason.
התנגדות היא חסרת תועלתההצלחה מובטחתהתנגדות היא חסרת תועלתההצלחה מובטחתהתנגדות היא חסרת תועלת
Rumble and Scootaloo had unwillingly locked themselves into the basement, and now they were on the floor squealing in pain. Rumble looked at Scootaloo, who stared at him back. They reached for each other's hoof and pulled each other closer. Now they were hugging in the darkness of Snips' basement.
"RUMBLE, NOW WHAT?" Asked Scootaloo in despair.
"We can't beat them or get them out of our brains... BUT WE CAN MAKE SURE THEY WON'T GET INSIDE ANYONE ELSE!" Shouted Rumble into the darkness.
"Andhowexactlyareyouplanningonstoppingus?"
Rumble pulled pulled out a gasoline bottle from the corner of the basement. Scootaloo saw what he was up to and nodded.
Twilight and the rest of her friends were going back to Ponyville, it was a very busy week for Twilight, but there was still more work to be done, and next Twilight would finally be able to rest. However, now they had a chore the princess had given them, and there was no time to rest for now.
"I still don't see how we'll be able to do such a thing. It looks like a mighty hard job, even for us." Said Applejack.
"Oh, I'm sure that, if we stick together, there's nothing that we can't do. Umm... If anypony thinks that's right." Said Fluttershy timidly from her seat, trying to hide under her mane.
"Yeah! We can have fun doing this!!!" Remarked Pinkie Pie, always as optimistic as ever.
"What could be fun about checking every single pony in Ponyville? Where's the action in that?" Said Rainbow Dash, not looking forward to their arrival.
"I must say, even though I'm not looking forward to this task, I'm sure it will all be worth it." Said Rarity, trying to be optimistic too. "What is your opinion, Twilight?"
"My opinion is that I want to rest and go back with Spike. It's been forever since I saw him. " Replied Twilight, who was almost falling asleep on her seat.
"But this could be fun! Like, maybe we can catch another suspicious guy with cool glasses!" Said Pinkie Pie, remembering the events in Canterlot.
"He was still pretty slow to me." Grunted Rainbow Dash.
"Well, we still have to do what the princess said, whether we have fun or not." Remarked Applejack.
"I agree with Applejack, this situation sounds simply horrendous! And to think our sisters' presentation is tomorrow!" Said Rarity, looking at Applejack with concern for the fillies.
"Meh, I think the princess is making a big deal out of this just because she wants us to take it seriously. It can't be THAT bad." Said Rainbow Dash, thinking this was going to be a total waste of time.
"WHAT?!" Everypony's heads turned to Twilight, who was looking at Rainbow Dash with a death glare. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?!"
"Jeez, calm down, Twilight, I was just saying that-"
"That it can't be that bad?! Did you even hear what she told us back there?!" Asked Twilight.
"Oooh! Oooh! Try me! Try me!" Exclaiimed Pinkie Pie, jumping on her seat.
"You realize what you've done, right, Twilight?" Asked Rainbow Dash, looking at Twilight with annoyance, while Twilight's eyes slowly widened when she realized what was going to happen next.
"Oh boy, here we go again." Said Applejack while covering her face with her hat, getting ready to sleep while the shenanigans ensued.
"IT'S FLASHBACK TIME!"
Twilight and her friends had finally arrived to the princess' throne room with a stallion, who was handed to the guards as soon as they arrived. The princess smiled at the mares, indicating that they had done a good job, while she glared at the stallion afterwards.
"Is this the stallion you were looking for, princess?" Asked Twilight, looking over to the stallion, who glared back at her.
"Indeed." Replied the princess, approaching the stallion.
"This was fun! We should totally catch spied more often!" Said Pinkie Pie, which earned a look from her friends.
"Pinkie Pie, why would you assume this scoundrel is a spy?" Asked Rarity.
"Uh, duh! Because of his spy outfit?!" Asked Pinkie, pointing at the stallion's clothes. He was wearing a black trench coat, which hid his dark clothes, a hoodie to disguise his mane and a pair of sunglasses.
"He is not wearing these clothes because he is a spy." Said Princess Celestia before her horn started to glow. She aimed at the stallion's clothes and teleported them elsewhere with a little blast of magic. "He was wearing them to not be recognized."
The stallion had lost his clothes, now his grey fur was exposed, and his horn was inmediately controlled by the guards, who put a ring to supress his magic. The guards stepped behind him and to his sides to prevent him from running away.
"Umm... Princess?" Asked Fluttershy timidly.
"Yes, Fluttershy?"
"I would perhaps like to ask... If you don't mind, that is... Umm... Why did you want us to capture this stallion? He seems nice." Said Fluttershy, looking at the stallion with a compassive stare.
"Yes, they indeed 'seem nice' at first, but don't let his looks fool you, he is not what he seems." Said the princess, looking at the stallion with disgust; the stallion looked back at her with the same amount of disrespect.
"Same goes for you, sunbutt!" Said the stallion mockingly, getting a slap on the back of his head by one of the guards.
"HEY! Don't talk like that to the princess, prisoner!" Exclaimed the guard.
"It's true! You don't care about our happiness! You just care about your own wealth! You're trying to separate us all!" Exclaimed the stallion; the guard was raising his hoof, ready to slap him again, but the princess raised her own hoof, which made the guard stand down.
"Don't worry, it is fine. He was forced to say that."
"What?" Exclaimed Twilight and her friends. The princess stepped in front of the stallion with an unamused look on her face.
"I almost feel bad for having to put you behind prison bars. You could perfectly have been a great pony. If you only didn't listen to him..."
"He knows what's right for us! Not you!" Said the stallion with anger.
"'He'? Who is 'he'?" Asked Twilight, which made the princess step away from him.
"Please take this stallion to the court, I need to explain the situation to these mares." The guards nodded at the princess' order and began pushing the stallion back through the doors.
"You can't stop us! There are more of us than you think! A surprise waits for you in Ponyville now! WE'LL TAKE BACK OUR HAPPINESS SOMEDAY AND THERE WON'T BE ANYTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT! HAHAHAHAHA!!!" Shouted the stallion as he was taken away.
The princess was taken back by one of his sentences... Could it be true? Could there be more of them in Ponyville? If so, there had to be something done about it.
"Uh... Princess?" Asked Twilight, which brought Princess Celestia back to reality.
"Oh... Pardon me. Let me tell you all some details you didn't know about Equestrian history..."
A long time ago, Discord, the spirit of chaos and disharmony reigned supreme in Equestria, making the lives of everypony miserable. My sister and I were lost in this world of chaos, and we took too long to find the elements of harmony. It was only natural for ponies to find a way to make their reality bearable while Discord was in power.
A very talented group of unicorns, alchemists and other ponies experienced in the making of potions gathered to create something incredible. They spent long periods of time experimenting with new materials, creating and re-making formulas and searching for new members to join their group to make a new kind of brew which was never seen before.
One day, they were victorious, and the potion was finally complete. They had invented a magical purple potion which would create a permanent companion inside their minds. This potion had many uses: their companion could help them socialize, it could modify their bodies to not feel pain or increase their abilities, it could help them memorize things they had forgotten long ago. Saying that this new potion made their lives happier would've been a total understatement, because it did so much more for them...
Unluckily for them, Discord found out about this potion one day, and he decided to toy with these ponies for his own amusement. He dropped a dark straw of chaotic magic in the cauldron in which they were making the potion and suddenly, their salvation would be their doom.
Discord's magic modified the potion so that it would turn dark, now, instead of getting a friendly companion, the ponies who drank it would get an evil manipulative boss with no empathy or real feelings, who would be determined to make their lives better at all cost; even if that meant taking control of everypony in Equestria and enslaving them with the dark magic taking control of every being in the world.
When my sister and me finally defeated Discord, it was too late for these ponies; now the magic had evolved beyond chaos magic, and it did not disappear with Discord. Somehow, the ponies who drank the potion gathered, creating a being made entirely of magic which now was controlling all of them. It doesn't have a specific name, but many of the ponies we've caught called him "The Puppeteer" for his manipulative acts.
This being also knew we would try to destroy any kind of dark magic left after Discord's defeat; so he ordered the ponies he controlled to lay low. Now, they would try to make this potion in mass so that everypony in Equestria would be under its control. They mostly offer these bottles to ponies with personal issues so that they could be easier to manipulate.
Some ponies under its magic try to fight back; but most of these cases end up on their death or disappearance. On the other hand, some ponies actually believe in its logic, and they will do absolutely anything it asks of them to be happy. This is the group we are mainly focused on, because these ponies are the ones producing more potions and making acts that could affect Equestria.
Nowadays, there are not many ponies left, since most of them have been captured. We discovered their hideout some time ago and we assaulted them with the force of the royal guard and the Wonderbolts; but some of these ponies escaped with bottles. The stallion you brought to me earlier was one of the last ponies under its control. But his statement worries me; I'm afraid the magic could've found its way into Ponyville.
The mane six were speechless after the princess' story, if this magic was now in Ponyville, how could their families be?
"Oh my gosh! How could Discord do this?" They heard Fluttershy say from the back.
"That jerk! He's gonna get it when I see him!" Said Rainbow Dash with a furious face.
"Curiously enough, when I set Discord free from his stone prison I asked him about this issue; but he said that he didn't remember any of it." The mane six' faces showed various emotions, from puzzlement to anger. "Whether he is telling the truth or not, you must return to Ponyville now. I have a task for all of you."
Twilight was the first one to react, stepping closer to the princess. "A task for us?"
The princess responded by opening a hidden compartment next to her throne with her magic. The mane six showed impression at what was inside. The princess levitated out a bottle of white liquid, which was beautifully decorated with gemstones at certain spots.
"Ooooh, when we're done with this, I'll keep the bottle!" Said Rarity, trying to contain herself.
"This potion has been saved for a long time, since we've recently discovered that the potion's magic is vulnerable to certain substances. This brew is a mix of those substances and magic from me and my sister." Said the princess, levitating the bottle into Twilight's hooves.
"But there's just one! What if there's more ponies under its control?" Asked Twilight with worry.
"The task I ask of you is to return to Ponyville with this brew; if you find anypony suspicious of being under its control please don't do anything right away. Follow them and find out if they have another hideout. Once there, you have to make one of them drink this brew, and all of the magic will cease to exist." Replied the princess.
"I don't mean to question you, princess, but how are you sure that all evil magic will just disappear?" Asked Applejack, taking off her hat for a moment to show respect.
"Oh, that's easy, Applejack, because-"
"PRINCESS!" A guard suddenly barged into the throne room, interrupting the princess.
"What is the matter?"
"The prisoner has escaped!"
"What?!" The princess asked in shock before turning to the ponies one last time. "I have to attend this. I count on you and I know you won't let me down. Now go, Equestria is counting on you once more." Said the princess before teleporting away.
"AAAAAAAAND, End of flashback!" Said Pinkie Pie before taking her seat again.
"Wait a minute, if that was a flashback, how come I could see it?" Asked Rainbow Dash, rubbing her eyes.
"Pinkie Pie." Remarked Applejack, to which Rainbow Dash just rolled her eyes and nodded.
"Twilight, darling, we understand you want to see Spike, I also want to see him and my precious little sister, but... Twilight?" Rarity looked at Twilight only to see that she had fallen asleep.
"Don't wake her up yet, she's had a mighty busy week, maybe we should just wake her up when we get to Ponyville." Said Applejack, with everypony agreeing... Except one.
"TWIIIIILIIIIGHT!" Yelled Pinkie into Twilight's ear.
"WWWWHAAAAAAAAAA-OOOOFFFF!" Yelled Twilight as she fell from her seat.
"Miss Pie, what is the matter with you? We agreed to wake up Twilight-"
"I know! That's what I was doing!" Said Pinkie, getting odd looks from her friends. "Just look outside!"
Everypony looked outside the window, and they saw that they were about to arrive to Ponyville's train station. "What?" Asked Applejack in surprise.
"Aww, man! Her flashback lasted so long we just arrived!" Grunted Rainbow Dash, everypony sighed except Pinkie, who kept smiling.
Once everypony got off the train, they began wondering what they had missed in the time they were out. "Wonder if the baby cakes missed me. 'Cus I missed them!" Exclaimed Pinkie as she got out of the train.
Fluttershy followed suit, taking a look at a newspaper cabin when she finally got off. "Hey, girls..." She said, barely loud enough for an ant to hear her.
"I hope my sis and her friends haven't destroyed Ponyville while we were out." Said Applejack, getting a chuckle from Rarity and Rainbow Dash.
"Girls." Said Fluttershy a bit louder than before.
"I just wanna sleep." Said Twilight, lazily walking behind her friends.
"Girls!" Said Fluttershy, without any affects yet.
"And I hope my designs still are in trend today!" Said Rarity.
"Rarity, we were just out for a week, I don't think that's enough time to-"
"NONSENSE, DARLING!" Exclaimed Rarity to Applejack, putting a hoof in her mouth. "You don't understand the world of fashion! It's serious business, darling... Very serious business."
"GIRLS!" Shouted Fluttershy, stopping her friends on their tracks and making them look back at her with surprised stares. "Umm... Sorry for interrupting, but I think you should see this." Said Fluttershy calmly, pointing at the newspaper.
Twilight and her friends gathered around it, and when they read the front page, they were shocked; they thought no thing of this sort could happen in Ponyville.
"Local house party burned down to the ground yesterday?! ... Nightmare Night turns into a tragedy night in a matter of minutes... Witnesses estimate the fire was made from inside the building... The guests of the party mainly consisted of foals... Many foals ran away scared from the fire while other unfortunate foals suffered severe damage?! What the actual hay did we miss?!" Asked Twilight, reading the article aloud.
"Mainly of foals?! Oh, my poor Sweetie Belle!" Said Rarity, about to pass out.
"Who could do such a thing?! I hope Squirt didn't go to that party." Asked Rainbow Dash, her thoughts turning to Scootaloo with worry.
"Well... I guess you could say..." Started Pinkie.
"Please, Pinkie, don't." Said Applejack.
"There were no more questions ASHed?" Finished Pinkie. Absolutely no one laughed and everypony looked at her with deadpan expressions on their faces.
Scootaloo was just waking up, what happened? She could've sworn she was dead... Scootaloo's eyes adjusted to the lighting of the room and she saw that she was in a bed, and there were machines around her. This had to be the hospital. Scootaloo tried to get up and see what had happened, but suddenly, she felt pain coming up her body and she let out a little yell. Scootaloo looked at herself and realized her forehooves were bandaged as were her wings. Not only that, but her lower legs had to be suspended.
Scootaloo heard a small grunt beside her and she turned her head to the right. There, she saw that Rumble was in a similar position, only his neck appeared to be damaged as well. When Rumble looked to his surroundings, he saw Scootaloo looking at him with a small smile to comfort him; he smiled back at her and both of them shared a brief but peaceful silence.
"So..." Started Rumble.
"Hmm?"
"You don't remember what happened either?"
"Nope. Just remember the fire and a lot of pain. After that, I just woke up here like you." Replied Scootaloo.
"Sigh, I guess now I'll have to go to jail."
"What? Why would you say that? Nopony knows it was us." Asked Scootaloo with worry.
"Scoots, first of all, it wasn't 'us', it was me. Second, they don't have to investigate, I'll turn myself in." Said Rumble, smiling at her.
"Rumble, but what will you tell them when they ask you why you did it?"
"I'll make some excuse... Don't worry, I'll be fine."
"Rumble. Why on Equestria are you going to-"
"Because it's my fault." He said, dropping his smile. "I was the one who gave you and the guys those stupid bottles. You wouldn't be here if it wasn't for me. Snips' house would still be fine if it wasn't for me."
"Rumble... You gave me the bottle, but I decided to drink it. It's my fault too." Said Scootaloo, trying to lighten up his mood.
"Why?"
"What?"
"Why did you drink it?"
Scootaloo went silent for a minute after Rumble asked her that question. "Because of you." She finally said with a blush.
"Oh..."
"No! Not like that!" Said Scootaloo, trying to find the right words. "I noticed you since the very first day; I saw how cute you were, how good of a pony you are and how awesome you were in general... But when I tried to ask you out, all of my insecurities started to kick in... I started thinking how you couldn't ever like me because of how I am; I was a pegasus who couldn't even fly, I have no cutie mark and I started to think how I didn't 'fit' anywhere. Most fillies are focused on girly things, like ribbons, makeup and mushy stuff, but I thought that hanging out with colts wasn't exactly my style..."
Rumble started thinking, and suddenly, everything made sense inside his head. "So that day..."
"Hmm?"
"That day when we talked for the first time, and you asked me on how to fly..."
"Yeah, I was trying to be like you. That was the day you talked to me about the bottle."
"Scootaloo, that's the other reason I think I'm total garbage."
"What?" Scootaloo wasn't sure if she should be laughing or angry at Rumble or thinking of himself like that.
"I talked to you about the bottle and I told you it could make you fly better because he convinced me that it was the only way we could connect. I bought you a bottle, you drank it and we were connected. If I wasn't so selfish you wouldn't be in this mess." Said Rumble, looking down.
"You still don't understand, do you?" Said Scootaloo, annoyed.
"What?"
"That it's also my fault!" Said Scootaloo, now getting Rumble's full attention. "When I drank the thing, I could've talked to you about this, but I didn't, because I also thought it was the only way to get your attention!"
There was silence in the room for a couple of moments; neither of the pegasi knew what to say. Minutes passed before Rumble said the only rational thing at the moment.
"I don't know if I should be laughing or crying right now."
"Why?"
"If we had talked to each other before drinking that stuff we would've been a pair without having to drink it. Dear Celestia, if I had known you liked me I would've talked to you from the very first moment I saw you."
"Yeah... I guess me too..." Said Scootaloo, prefering to show a weak smile.
"But you know what's the positive thing about this?"
"What?"
"That at least I know we like each other." Said Rumble, making Scootaloo blush.
"Yeah, you're pretty cute and awesome even in bandages." Said Scootaloo, making Rumble blush this time.
"And you're still the best filly around."
"Oh, stop it, you-" Said Scootaloo before both of them felt a familiar headache, they grunted for a minute before the fake Thunderlane appeared in front of Rumble and the fake Rainbow Dash appeared in front of Scootaloo.
"What a way to ruin the party for everypony, squirt." Said the fake Rainbow Dash, annoyed.
"You're the worst little brother I could've asked for." Said the fake Thunderlane with an angry expression on his face.
'I don't care what you think of me! You're not my brother!' Said Rumble angrily to the fake Thunderlane.
"Maybe, but the real one will be VERY disappointed." Said the fake Thunderlane, making Rumble look down in shame.
"Squirt, my capacities are not enough to heal all your wounds, but don't worry, I'm sure your friends will take care of things perfectly." Said the fake Rainbow Dash, which put a surprised expression on Scootaloo's face.
'What? What do you mean?' Asked Scootaloo in fear.
"Don't worry about that; soon, everypony will be connected and we'll finally be happy!" Said the fake Rainbow Dash, making Scootaloo angry. "I can see that I am not capable of making this situation better for anyone, so instead, I'll disappear and hope for the best. I wish you the best recovery!" Said the fake Rainbow Dash before disappearing.
"Rumble! What did he say to you?" Asked Scootaloo with concern.
"That our friends will take care of things." Replied Rumble with a scared expression on his face.
"Oh no, what do we do?" Asked Scootaloo, trying to think of a way to get out of the hospital.
"Scoots, I don't think we can do anything right now." Said Rumble. His words slowly sunk inside Scootaloo's brain and she finally stopped tiring herself for nothing. "Let's just hope Spike and Button don't make a stupid decision like we did."
------------------------------ At Twilight's castle ------------------------------
"A fire?! A FIRE?!" Asked Spike.
The dragon had done his daily routine since Twilight had left for Canterlot; he woke up and made himself some cereal, after that, he went over to the mailbox to see the latest news, but the first article only sunk in when Spike was inside the castle again.
"Oh my Celestia, here's a photo of Rumble and Scootaloo being taken to the hospital! ... And they're saying that Snips broke his back legs trying to escape? This is horrible! This must be why they were so altered at the party... Why didn't their magic...?" Said Spike before taking suspicion of the magical potion. Suddenly, the fake Rarity appeared in front of him and began making an explanation for Scootaloo and Rumble's behavior.
"Rumble was in a lot of pressure at home, and with his magic disabled because of his drinking, it's probable that his raw emotions pushed him to do something... extreme. Same case could apply for Scootaloo." The fake Rarity noticed that Spike was staring at her with disbelief. "What?"
'Did you know?'
"Excuse me?"
'You told me to leave the party.'
"I was aware of a certain probability that-"
'Did you know ponies were going to get hurt?'
"I'm getting the impression that you're starting to lose trust in me again, Spike."
There was a brief silence in the room, Spike remembered Pipsqueak's words at the party. Gaining a little more confidence, Spike asked something he had been curious about for some time: 'Why me?'
"Uh... I don't understand your question."
'You could be inside famous ponies, bosses, governors. What are you doing inside of me? What do you want?'
"I promise you, my purpose is to improve your life!"
'Yeah, well awesome job, then! One of my best friends since forever thinks I'm a jerk, I really hurt Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, Snips hates me now and Apple Bloom... Dear Celestia, you were supposed to make her like me!'
"And I will! In fact, come here." Said the fake Rarity, taking control of Spike's legs and making him walk outside the Crystal castle.
'What are you doing?' Asked Spike to the fake Rarity, who was not letting him go.
"I'm taking you somewhere special."
'Somewhere special'? What does that even mean?'
"Just follow me."
Spike shrugged and decided to follow the fake Rarity; Spike was curious to where she was leading him, because she seemed pretty determined by the looks of it. The fake Rarity guided Spike to a place outside of town, just by the hills. Once there, the fake Rarity made Spike grab the grass; oddly enough, this grass was on top of something heavy, like iron. Spike had to use both of his claws to raise whatever it was.
Spike took notice that it was a hidden trap door, and the fake Rarity was increasing his muslce resistance to help him open it. Once Spike fully opened the door, he saw that there were stairs that went down into the dark.
'What is this place?' Asked Spike to the fake Rarity with fear.
"Go down, this is the road to happiness." Said the fake Rarity before taking control of Spike's legs again and making him go down.
The stairs led to a big room, it wasn't very bright but there was enough light for Spike to admire the whole thing. The room was filled with papers everywhere with ingredients written over them, and the papers were scattered around the room. There was a map of Equestria with many spots marked with a red 'X', this location was the only one with a circle in it. In the middle there was an empty cauldron, and there were many opened boxes. It seemed like whoever was here abandoned this place in a hurry.
However, one box wasn't open. This particular box caught the attention of the fake Rarity, who made Spike approach it and take off the box lid. Spike was in awe, inside the box there were many bottles filled to the brim with the same dark liquid he and Button had taken some time ago. By the looks of it, these were the last ones.
'Wow, how did you know this was here?' Asked Spike to the fake Rarity.
"I guess you could say I'm part of something bigger, and as such, I can sense my type of magic." Said the fake Rarity with a smile.
'And what do you want me to do with this?' Asked Spike.
"Take it outside."
Spike did just as he was told, and he carried the box outside; Spike placed down the box and closed the door behind him. 'Now what?'
"Now we talk."
'What?'
"Spike, as I see it, you're beginning to not trust me-"
'Of course I am! You make most things better, but now everyone thinks I am a jerk because of you!' Said Spike, snapping back at the fake Rarity and surprising her.
"You can't blame me for everything."
'Why not? It seems everything is different since I got you.'
"But that's not my fault or yours, Spike." Spike wasn't expecting that answer, so he looked at her with a confused expression. "Sit down."
Spike sat down on the grass next to the box, expecting what the fake Rarity had to say. "Spike, I was created to make lives better, and I promise you that I will in time. But I must account for some pony errors along the way."
'What's that supposed to mean? ... You were supposed to make everything better... So why... It isn't...'
"Look at yourself." Instructed the fake Rarity, which Spike did unconsciously. "Your attitude is better in every way, now your aesthetic is overall better, you are ninety three percent more attractive. You've had more experience with the opposite gender... Which is to say you HAD experience with the opposite gender before. But what you haven't understood is that social activity is a matter of giving as well as receiving."
'And what does that mean EXACTLY?'
"It means the fault... Is in your peers."
'Huh?'
"Before my arrival you were the pariah of your school, you and your friends were so sad you were willing to do anything to change your lives. Now that I am inside you you have gotten better at social interactions. You can solidify my argument with Rumble and Scootaloo; now that they are connected to you, you've been their best friend! But that doesn't really apply to the rest of your companions, right?"
Spike thought about the fake Rarity's words, and she was right; Spike was getting along better with Rumble and Scootaloo, but the rest of his class weren't exactly keen on him.
"Plus, along the way we've learned that they have a lot of issues they're trying to get over: Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, Snips, Featherweight, and many more. Maybe you can't see it but I see their pain! They are calling for help and we can provide it! Their social interaction is bad, since they don't know what life is all about, but we can reverse that in a second."
Spike nodded his head, knowing what the fake Rarity was implying. "Do you get what I am saying? Help these poor ponies to help you."
'I... I don't know... This doesn't seem like the right thing to do.' Said Spike, not really comfortable with what the fake Rarity was asking him to do.
"Oh, you'll change your mind soon." The fake Rarity smiled and pointed behind Spike.
Spike turned around and saw that Featherweight was walking up to him without realizing it. Spike decided to wave at Featherweight.
"Hey, Featherweight!" Shouted Spike; Featherweight looked up and saw Spike inviting him to come over. Once Featherweight was there, Spike noticed that the colt seemed down. "What's wrong?"
"I come here when I'm down... This place has a nice atmosphere... It's pretty good for photos."
"You're down? What's the problem?"
"I just... I always take it up to me to know everypony else's business; but does anypony want to know mine? Ever? No..." Said Featherweight, looking down.
"Ugh, this is so sad... But you can help him, can't you?" Said the fake Rarity, and before Spike even noticed it, he had a magical potion in his claw.
"What is that? Is that like, one of the drugs the guys brought last night?" Asked Featherweight with curiosity.
"Noooooo..." The fake Rarity said shook her head. "oooooouuuuuuuuhhhhh, maybe, yes."
"Whatever." Said Featherweight, taking the bottle almost instantly out of Spike's claw.
"Hey... Are you sure?" Asked Spike with concern.
"Yeah, I might as well spend a happy afternoon rather than a boring weekend." Afterwards, Featherweight swallowed the content of the bottle with a single move. At first, Featherweight thought this was fake; but when the magic found its way onto Featherweight's brain and recognized itself in Spike's body, the pain began.
"AAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!" Featherweight screamed at the top of his lungs. Spike was scared for a second, thinking he might've hurt Featherweight; but his fear was replaced by confusion when he saw the colt stand up.
"F-Featherweight? Are you okay?"
"Spike, I don't know wha-"
בואו נצטרף עכשיו
"OW!" Spike and Featherweight yelped in pain together.
"Featherweight, are you okay?" Asked Spike with concern.
"Spike... This feels awesome! Tell me, do you want a photo of us? Or maybe I can do something for you tomorrow at your play?"
Spike was in awe; not only did Featherweight not seem affected by the way events have been developing, he was glad to be his friend! The fake Rarity closed Spike's mouth and proceeded to continue talking to him.
"See? Now he is happy. Wouldn't it be nice if every mare, stallion and foal would get along like this? Every problem society would have would be terminated and fixed! Every single pony would be perfect! Nopony would feel sad anymore and everything about ponies would be wonderful!"
Spike was convinced, maybe this was the way to go! Featherweight was smiling at him and was willing to be his friend; and Spike practically didn't even know the guy until now! But there was still one problem... In the box Spike had picked up from the hidden room didn't have nearly enough bottles for all ponies in his class.
'Hey, I know what you mean, but I think we should be taking this a bit slow. There aren't many bottles in there, who shoul-?'
"To answer that predictable question, I agree with you, we should just start with one pony. But first, you must ask yourself, who do you want to be connected with first? Who have you been chasing this whole time? And who still is in search for their destiny?"
Spike thought about the questions the fake Rarity threw at him, he could make the mayor drink it and have power! Nah, Spike wasn't even remotely interested in power... Maybe he could have Twilight drink it! Nope, she is too smart and would never agree to it... Maybe he could have Miss Cheerilee drink it! Meh, it would mostly just affect his grades but Spike was already doing not too bad. Spike thought about it, and eventually, the answer was clearer than water...
Apple Bloom.
Of course! How come he didn't think about her? 'I'm going to help Apple Bloom!' Said Spike to the fake Rarity, who grinned at his response.
"Great! Then let's go! Pick a bottle and get ready for the play tomorrow! Don't forget it's on the morning!" Said the fake Rarity with excitement.
"Featherweight, thanks for the offer but I have to go, see ya tomorrow!" Said Spike to the colt before running towards Ponyville.
"No problem! Goodbye!" Replied Featherweight from behind him.
As Spike ran through Ponyville, he smiled to himself. Tomorrow, he would finally get together with Apple Bloom and he would perform for most of Ponyville! And it would all be thanks to the fake Rarity, seriously, what would he do without her?
As for the fake Rarity, she was grinning to herself while Spike ran to Ponyville; the fake Rarity chuckled to herself as Featherweight picked up the box Spike had left behind and was taking it for other purposes.
Spike just got back from his little expedition, happy to see that things were finally starting to look good for him. He had ran all the way back to the crystal castle, in hopes of getting his stuff ready for the play. When Spike found himself in front of the gigantic doors leading to the inside of the castle, the fake Rarity stopped him on his tracks.
"Wait." She simply said, stopping his legs entirely.
'What? What's the matter?'
"Leave the bottle here in the bush." Said the fake Rarity, pointing at the bush next to the stairs leading to the doors.
'What? Why?'
"There's a small posibility that Twilight has returned, you should hide the bottle in case she asks what is the liquid inside it."
Spike saw the fake Rarity's point and quickly placed down the bottle in the bush, where nopony could see it. Once it was done, Spike entered the castle, not hoping to see Twilight. Luckily, Twilight didn't seem to be around; meaning that probably she was still in Canterlot.
Spike went over to his room, and opened the closet to reveal his outfit; he was proud to wear the outfit suited for a general, but he was sad because he had to take it to the theater. 'Aw man, I wish I could wear this since today.'
"Even though I'm not a fashion expert like the pony I represent, I must say that this outfit is gorgeous; but you know the rules, just take it to the theater-"
'So that the outfits can be kept safe and sound. Yeah, I got that the first time.' Spike finished the fake Rarity's sentence with sarcasm.
Spike quickly folded his clothes, he put them in a big briefcase and left his room. He knew the fake Rarity was helping him, because there was no way he could've lifted a briefcase of that size without help. Unfortunately, when Spike was just exiting the thrones' room, he found Twilight standing between him and the exit with a glare.
"Spike." Twilight had a cold voice, meaning that she either knew that he had gone to that party or that she had found out about the bottle.
'CRAP! Now what?!' Asked Spike to the fake Rarity, who didn't seem that nervous.
"Don't worry, keep walking with confidence, and play it off." Said the fake Rarity, walking beside him to help him gain confidence. Spike kept walking, and decided to do just as he was told to do.
"Hi, Twilight." Said Spike, trying to sound casual but serious.
"Hey! Where are you going?" Asked Twilight, showing a little more emotion. Spike did not stop walking.
"Umm... To the theater to leave my stuff?"
"The theater? You're in a play?" Asked Twilight, but she got no response from Spike, who was near the doors. Twilight decided to be more direct. "Did you go to that Nightmare Night party?"
"Wait." The fake Rarity stopped Spike, and he looked back at her.
"Yes, why?"
"Did you see anypony... strange?"
"Respond with soft sarcasm."
"Twilight, it was a Nightmare Night party."
"But you didn't get involved in anything dangerous, did you?" Asked Twilight, now showing concern.
"What are you implying, Twilight? That I burned the house down?"
"Spike, I worry about you. I haven't seen you in a week, and now you... have this different attitude, you went to a party in which only Celestia knows what happened and you're in a play. I just want to know what happened to you."
"Tell her the truth." Said the fake Rarity, intrigued by the results of this event.
"I... Drank a potion with magic in it... And it made a fake Rarity that's talking to me... And now we're about to go and prepare for a musical about Princess Celestia with rap music."
Twilight's heartbeat seemed to stop for a moment, was Spike serious? Did he drink the potion the Princess had warned her and her friends about? Was this what that stallion meant when he mentioned 'a surprise in Ponyville'? Nooooo, Spike couldn't be serious, maybe he is just mad at her and he is being sarcastic or oddly coincidental. That HAD to be it.
"Look, Spike, if you're not gonna take this seriously-" It looked like Twilight was about to lecture Spike, but now Spike had enough, and decided to be brutally honest with her.
"Why should I?"
"Excuse me?"
"Am I really supposed to believe you care? Just look at us! We were so close when we were in Canterlot, when we moved to Ponyville and we lived in the library I was your assistant, but now I'm just the result of an experiment you have to bear with! I mean, you don't ever have time with me! Now I'm supposed to practically live by myself! But that's not true, right? I'm living under the same roof with a crazy unicorn who is so afraid of losing her teacher's love she can't even give me five minutes of her damn time! A unicorn who may be the princess of friendship now, but really was just a loser with luck!"
Twilight was taken back, not only did she not imagine someone would have that opinion of her, but she didn't expect such hurtful words to be said by the dragon she practically raised. Tears were starting to form in her eyes, and Twilight's breath was starting to be cut. She could only say one sentence at the moment:
"I could ground you."
"You know what? I don't think you could." Said Spike before opening the doors. "Good talk... Don't wait up." And with that, Spike closed the doors behind him, leaving Twilight crying like she never did before.
"That was good." Said the fake Rarity, appearing beside him when he was out of the castle.
"Whatever."
"Grab the bottle and go to the theater at once, and you may be considering spending the night there, Twilight might not be so forgiving this night."
"I don't care; she has fought monters before, she can take this." Said Spike, grabbing the bottle and walking to the theater with a slow pace.
Speaking of Twilight, to say she was sad would be a total understatement; she had never been so emotionally destroyed in her life. Tears were flowing out of her eyes, and she was laying on the floor for the lack of strength in her legs to stand up. Spike's words were marked on her head, and they cut down her feelings like a knife piercing through butter.
Was Spike right? No... Twilight always has been a completely good pony to everyone, including him, right? They had re-shelved the library together many times, they had organized her magic books by author countless times, they had tried to count the number of decimal numbers in pi... But Twilight couldn't find an activity they both enjoyed doing.
Not only did Twilight not find an activity they couldn't enjoy together, she also couldn't remember any kind of fun Spike had pretty much since she became a princess. The amounts were slim to none. But that's because being a princess she has to do much more stuff, right? Then again, she didn't have royal duties like princess Celestia, Luna or Cadence. She actually had a lot of free time to spare... But instead of spending some with him, she had spent it with literally anything else.
Spike was also left out in many of their adventures and events. Twilight recalled the time they had their first Winter wrap-up in Ponyville, in which Spike almost died due to the extremely low temperature of the lake he fell on, and nopony gave him a little help. Or that time she moved her birthday to Canterlot because of Rarity, in which Spike wasn't there and she had to tell him when they got back. Or what about the time when she had a picnic with the rest of her friends, and Spike just had to help her organize it instead of being a part of it?
Things didn't get better from there, Twilight had sent him to school because she thought it could be nice to let him socialize with ponies of his age, but she was really doing it to not get worried about him for most part of the day. Twilight couldn't remember since when she had asked him how his day was at school, or even if he needed help with something he didn't understand at school.
These things couldn't be blamed for Twilight's lack of compromise, since it didn't exist. Twilight was always the best student at school, and she had delivered a letter to princess Celestia every week since she came to Ponyville; not to mention the numerous things she had done with her friends and citizens of Ponyville with time to spare.
All things considered, it could be completely plausible that Spike could've resorted to something like the potion to escape his reality, and it was all her fault. So was that just it? Was that the end of their friendship, then?
No.
This wouldn't be the end of their friendship. Twilight could be sure that, whatever it costed her, it wouldn't be the end. Spike had done so much for her in the past; he was one of the first, if not the first one to calm her down when she was overreacting, he had cleaned up after her so many times, and he had been her family for as long as she could remember. Now it's time she did something for him for a change.
With these words on her mind, Twilight sniffed back the few tears that remained on her face and stood up, she was NOT letting their friendship die, not Spike. Spike was going through a tough time in his life, and he had problems that he couldn't see; but to help him, Twilight needed to give him something he may not want, but something he definitely needed: a family. But to make things right, she would have to find somepony else who Spike would listen to, since he wouldn't listen to her straight away.
Twilight regained control of herself, and, with determination on her face, she walked over to the doors and opened them. She would find somepony to confront Spike with, and she would do it fo their friendship, for everything he had done for her, but most importantly, for him.
"Pip, are you sure you're not going too far with this?" Asked Dinky to Pipsqueak, who was burning his links to Spike and Button Mash.
"I'm sure. They are probably doing the same." Said Pip, pulling out another memory of the box he had next to him. "Our first time winning a ticket in that arcade game... Burn it." He said, throwing the ticket into a metal bin from which smoke was coming out; the ticket was devoured by the flames.
"Oh, look! Our first movie! Supermare!... SUPER burn it." Said Pip, burning the ticket.
"Pip, look, I know I've been avoiding my friends to be with you this week, but I've been doing it to help you get better; and I see that this is not helping you at all." Said Dinky, looking at Pip with worry; making him flinch before throwing something else in there.
"It is helping; it's helping me move on." Pipsqueak threw a photo of the three of them, which surprised Dinky.
"Hey! Wasn't that the photo you three took when you met?!" Asked Dinky in horror when she realized how important that photo was.
"Yes. What's your point?" Pipsqueak didn't look thrilled to burn the photo; but he didn't exactly look like he regretted it either.
"Okay, that's it! You're not burning any more stuff!" Said Dinky, taking away the box from Pip.
"Hey! What gives?" Said Pip, trying to reach the box.
"AHA! I got you!" Exclaimed Dinky, which completely confused Pip. "Don't you see? If you really didn't care you wouldn't have tried to get this stuff back!"
"Whatever... I don't need it anyway." Said Pip, crossing his hooves.
"Pip, you spent most of your time with those two, it's natural for you to hang on to these memories." Pip looked down. "Look, if you really want to break your friendship with them then do it slowly; you don't think you'll be able to just make them disappear forever from your life all of a sudden, do you?"
Pip remained silent for a couple of seconds before letting out a small laugh. "This is why I like you."
"I like you too, Pip." Dinky kissed him on the cheek, making him blush.
"I know that, you wouldn't have missed the Nightmare Night party or the show if you didn't."
"Oh, I know, I'm that awesome."
Both of them laughed; Pipsqueak thought that, after all, it had been a nice week for him, since he got to spend it with Dinky. Since the first party at Snips' house, they had shared some interesting conversations about everything, and they shared the majority of opinions the other had about almost any subject. It wasn't long until Pip finally confessed to her in a panic attack; Dinky was more than happy to say that she shared the same feelings for him.
Their laughing stopped when they heard somepony trotting towards them, Pip took a closer look and saw that it was no other than the princess of friendship herself; Twilight Sparkle, who, by the looks of it, had been crying over something.
"OH! Hi, Miss Twilight Sparkle! What are you doing here?" Asked the foals in surprise, wondering what the princess was doing talking to them.
"Pipsqueak, we need to talk about Spike." Even though Twilight's eyes were red from crying, her voice was firm and stable, and her stare was determined.
"Sorry, but Spike and I aren't friends anymore." Pipsqueak looked away with sadness in his eyes, and Dinky hugged him from behind.
"Do you love him?" Asked Twilight, getting some VERY confused looks from the foals.
"W... Wha...?"
"I asked, DO you love him?" Repeated Twilight with a louder tone.
"Bu... I... W... Huh?"
"Look, Spike can be a little piece of crap sometimes with his sarcastic attitude, and we all know that; but that's no excuse for sitting out here burning papers and pretending it's alright."
"Told ya." Said Dinky, hitting Pip with her elbow softly.
"Yeah... I just remembered I gotta go." Said Pipsqueak while trying to get away, but Twilight teleported in front of him, stopping him on his tracks.
"You can't leave! I need you!"
"You need... me?" Asked Pip in disbelief.
"Yes, I know for a fact that you know what's been going on with him recently, and-"
"Actually, it's Spike and Button Mash." Said Pip, making Twilight let out a little gasp.
'Really? Oh boy, I hope it's not what I'm thinking.' Twilight thought to herself. "Anyway, you know better than anypony else what's going on, and I need you because you're close to Spike and Button Mash."
"But princess, I don't think I'm the pony Spike and Button want to see."
"No, you're not. In fact, you're probably their least preffered pony at the moment, and I'm sure they don't want to see you ever again in their lives..."
"Gee, thanks, princess." Said Pipsqueak, rolling his eyes.
"Wait, was that a pep talk?" Asked Dinky from behind.
"But what I'm trying to say is that they need you. I know this will be hard, but we have to help them!"
"Princess Twilight, I already tried to help them, but Spike called me a loser..." Pipsqueak remembered yesterday's party and how horrible his time at the bathroom had been.
"Spike called me a loser too, so what?!" This statement took Pipsqueak and Dinky completely by surprise.
"Wait, he did?!"
"Is that legal?" Asked Dinky, wondering if Spike could get arrested for that.
"The point I'm trying to make is that sometimes, we need to be brave and help the ones we love when they have trouble they can't see, whether they want it or not. Right now, Spike and Button Mash are in trouble and if we don't help them we could lose them forever, and then we would actually be losers."
Pipsqueak and Dinky rolled their eyes at the horrible pun, which made Twilight speak again to avoid the embarassment. "Is that what you two want?"
"No." They said quietly.
"Now say it like you mean it." Demanded Twilight with a stern stare.
"Nooooo." They said louder.
"Say it like you're in the royal guard."
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO... Commander... Whatever." They yelled before looking down in embarassment. Twilight let out a quiet giggle after they finished.
"Well done, soldiers." Said Twilight before waving, like she had seen her brother do in the guard.
"So, wait... You came here because you need soldiers or..."
"No, Pip. I need you to reach out to him! Spike won't listen to me and... Well... I can't blame him. But somepony has to watch his back."
Pipsqueak contemplated what the princess was asking of him, and several moments of awkward silence passed before Pip finally made a final decision. "Look, if I'm gonna try harder to be their friend then you have to try harder to be Spike's family. You are going to go back to your castle, and I don't care how many schedules you have to move or how many events you have to postpone. You're not leaving the castle until you have made some time for Spike, okay?" Said Pip, which surprised Twilight and Dinky.
"Huh, did Spike tell you?"
"Yep, before our friendship went down he told me some things about how he felt."
"Very well, it's a deal, then." Said Twilight smiling, offering Pipsqueak her hoof, which he gladly shook.
"Wow Pip, I never thought I would see anypony making a deal to a princess like that, that was hot." Said Dinky smiling, making Pip blush profusely.
"T-thanks, Dinky."
Twilight laughed softly. 'Kids.' She thought to herself.
"Huh, who would've thought? Since those guys drank that potion my life has been better than ever before!" Said Pip while hugging Dinky.
"Wait... What did you say?"
"I said, Since those guys drank that potion my life-"
"WHAT?!" Asked Twilight up in Pip's face.
"Do you really want me to say it again?" Asked Pip in fear.
"Tell me all about it. NOW. I want details."
------------------------------ At thetheater ------------------------------
Spike had just entered the theater with his briefcase, he was surprised there wasn't anypony to guard the theater... But then again, this theater was kinda old and kinda the only thing the school could afford for a talent show. Spike made his way backstage and there, he saw some lockers with names written on them; the whole cast had already packed their stuff, and he was the only one left besides Button.
Spike opened the locker, and coughed when dust poured out; it looked like this theater didn't have a good use in years! Spike brushed it off and put his briefcase on it. Then, Spike closed the door and turned his head to his right; Button Mash was just arriving and he was about to put his stuff in too.
"Button!" Shouted Spike, making echo in the theater and making the structure tremble.
"Spike!" Responded Button, making the whole building tremble.
"Maybe we shouldn't shout." Said Spike whispering, Button nodded.
"What's up, Spike?" Asked Button in a low voice.
"Tell him our plan." The fake Rarity appeared beside him and gave him a wink.
"Oh, nothing... I just found a way to make Apple Bloom like me!" Said Spike with hushed excitement.
"Wait, really? How?" Asked Button while he opened the door of his locker.
Spike opened his locker again and took out the bottle. "With this."
Button stopped for a moment to see the bottle fully. "Wow, that looks like-"
"The stuff we drank? Yeah, it is."
"And you're going to make Apple Bloom drink it?"Said Button, putting his stuff inside the locker and closing the door.
"No, I'm gonna ASK her if she wants to drink it; if she doesn't want to, then I can't force her, right?" Asked Spike with a shrug, which Button gave back.
"Ask him if you could borrow some for Sweetie Belle." Said Button's dad, appearing beside Button.
"Hey... Could I borrow some?" Asked Button with some guilt.
"What? You're gonna try luck with Sweetie Belle?" Button nodded. "Of course! But I don't think you have somewhere to put the bottle, do you...?"
"Oh, don't worry! I can bring my own bottle tomorrow!" Said Button with excitement.
"Great!" Exclaimed Spike.
"Spike."
"Yes?"
"Do you think they'll accept?"
"Of course! But in case they don't, then we'll think of something else!" Assured Spike.
"Oh, okay..."
"After all, what wouldn't we do for the ones we love?" Asked Spike, getting a smile and a nod from Button.
"Well, I gotta go now, thanks, Spike!" Said Button as he left, leaving Spike alone in the theater.
"Bye, Button!"
After having said their goodbyes, Spike looked around the theater, and there, he saw that in the room for authorized ponies there was a big bench for the janitor in which he could sleep on. It was kind of cold but he could bear with it. Spike's mind was filled with visions of what could be tomorrow like; everything he and Button had done was leading up to that point, and Spike was ready for it.
------------------------------ Monday, 12:00 PM. Time for the talent show. ------------------------------
"Thanks for coming to this wonderful event, everypony! We want to start the talent show giving credits to everypony who contributed to make this event possible: We want to thank our best benefactor Filthy Rich for letting us stay in this theater, thanks to Octavia Melody and Vynil Scratch for giving us a wonderful soundtrack to help give this event proper ambiance, we thank our students for cooperating and making this event possible; and last but not least, we thank YOU for taking the time to be a part in our show!"
It was finally time. Miss Cheerilee was starting the show, and most of Ponyville had gathered in the theater to see the foals' talents; everypony backstage was nervous, but some were strangely calm. Spike and Button Mash were specifically excited to see how their plan would work out.
"To start our event, a pair of students want to give us an introduction to their presentation. Fillies and Gentlecolts, please give a warm welcome to Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle!" Said fillies emerged from the curtain and everypony cheered for them, Miss Cheerilee gave Apple Bloom the microphone before going backstage.
"Thanks! Welcome, everypony! Thank you so much for coming to our little talent show! We want to say that a lot of us guys and gals got together a little play of act one of 'Princess Celestia, an equestrian musical.' This is very important to us because it made us work together as a group to give you our best and honest work!" Said Apple Bloom before giving the microphone to Sweetie Belle.
"Yeah! However, it saddens us that not everypony could show up to this play... More exactly, we're sad our friends Scootaloo and Rumble couldn't be here because of... certain events... But I'm sure that, if they were here, they'd say something like: Let's get out here and show everypony the power of musical theatre!!!" Everypony clapped their hooves when Sweetie Belle finished her sentence.
"Costumes!!!" Sweetie Belle heard her sister Rarity shout from the back of the theatre.
"Oh, right! And thanks to the Carousel Boutique for providing us of our costumes too!" Everypony clapped except Rarity, who struck a pose. Applejack, who was sitting next to her, looked at Rarity with her eyebrow raised.
"What? They didn't give us credit at the beginning! It's fair!" Said Rarity, Applejack shrugged with a smile.
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle went back inside the curtains, ans proceeded to make sure everypony was ready for the play. For the moment, it looked like everything was in place, but there were two particular boys who weren't there. Whatever, in the meantime, they made sure to lighten up the mood before the play started.
"Alright, everypony go to your places! Thanks for coming 'spite of your legs, Snips." Said Apple Bloom as she walked through everypony.
"Good luck, everyone! Go break a leg!" Said Sweetie Belle happily.
Snips looked at his crutches, then at Sweetie Belle and put a very annoyed expression on his face. "Not cool. VERY not cool."
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle looked at Spike and Button Mash entering from the back door, and proceeded to run at them and scold them for not even being on costume.
"Oh, hey Sweetie Belle." Greeted Button Mash.
"Hello, Apple Bloom!" Waved Spike.
"What are you guys doing?! The play is starting right now, and you're not even dressed!" Scolded Apple Bloom.
"Yeah! And Miss Cheerilee now is trying to practice to do your part, Spike!" Followed Sweetie Belle.
"Wait, wasn't Miss Cheerilee in charge of stage production?"
"She is doing your role too."
"Sweet Celestia..."
"Wait wait wait!" Said Button, getting the attention of both fillies. "Sweetie Belle, I've been thinking about what you said-"
"Button, I can't do this right now."
"Nonononono, I finally understand! I understand that, you can't be with anyone because you don't know who you are yet, right?"
"Umm... Yeah?"
"Well, I totally get that! And I think it's awesome! I felt that way too." Sweetie felt her heart skip a beat. "B-but I didn't realize that that's what I felt, I thought it was just about like, being cool. But, it was more than that. It's about being confident, and understanding who I am. And I couldn't figure that out on my own."
"Button... You're saying that... I helped you do that?" Asked Sweetie Belle with a blush on her face.
"Well... Yes and no, I mean... Not JUST you."
"Huh?"
"He is right." Said Spike, getting the attention of the group. "I used to think we were the only ones at school who felt this way; alone and sad, but we can fix that!"
"What do you mean, Spike?" Asked Apple Bloom.
"What if we could take something that could take all those bad feelings go away? We would always get along, we would never feel alone anymore and we would always know what to say."
"I have to ask again, what are you talking about, Spike?" Said Sweetie Belle.
"This." Said Spike, pulling out two bottles, handing one over to Button Mash.
"What is that?" Asked Sweetie Belle.
"Don't touch it, Sweetie. It's one of those damn bottles of magical liquid." Everypony's heads turned to Apple Bloom, who had a face of surprise and disgust.
"WAIT! Apple Bloom, how do you know-"
"-About that? Simple, I had a cousin in Fillydelphia who took one of those damn bottles and she ended up at a mental hospital." Apple Bloom left Spike's jaw hanging.
"What did it do to her, Apple Bloom?" Asked Sweetie Belle.
"That bottle has dark magic inside it, and when it gets inside you, it takes control over you, and it tells you how to live your life, what to say and what to do." Said Apple Bloom with disgust and anger on her face.
"Button... That sounds horrible!" Said Sweetie Belle, which got a surprised look from Button. "Maybe I got some stuff to figure out, but I don't need a bottle of weird liquid to do it for me!"
"Nonono, it's not like that, it helps you!" Button tried to excuse himself and Spike's actions, but it was too late, the damage had already been done.
"So, what's wrong with me now?" Asked Sweetie Belle, getting a sad look from Button and Spike.
"Same goes for me. Spike, I can't believe you drank that! Is that what's been going on with you this whole time? Has that thing been telling you what to say to me?"
"W-wait! Isn't that a good thing?" Asked Spike, trying to get on Apple Bloom's good side.
"No, it's not. We have to go." Said Apple Bloom. Sweetie Belle nodded and both fillies got away from them quickly.
"Wait, Sweetie Belle-!"
"Shit! Shit! What did we do?"
Suddenly, Spike and Button Mash felt a familiar headache get on their brains; and from one moment to another, Spike visualized the fake Rarity standing in front of him with a smile, and Button saw his dad giving him a friendly look.
"It's okay, Spike!"
"I anticipated their resistance!"
'So why did you let us say all that stuff?!' Asked Spike with worry.
"So that you would see for yourself what was neccessary! Not everypony is as open to change as you were!"
"Offering them a solution would simply delay the results we desire!"
'No, no, they're right. I don't think I can do this. And Spike doesn't look happy either.' "Spike."
Spike looked at Button, who gave him a sad expression. "What is it, Button?"
"Is there any more of the liquid?"
"I think there's a box left."
"Then let's get rid of it."
"HA! Just try it!" Button's dad laughed, making him confused.
'What are you laughing at?' Asked Button to his dad.
"There's nothing you can do, Spike."
'What do you mean by that?'
"I also anticipated your resistance, Spike. So I took the decision out of your grasp." Said the fake Rarity with an evil grin on her face. "Remember what happened with the box YOU left behind?"
'I... I just left it there.' Said Spike, horrified by the amount of things that could go wrong because of his clumsiness.
"Yes... And do you remember who was there when you left it?"
'Featherweight? What did you make him do?!'
"He took the magical liquid to a very special place, and you're about to find out where."
"Alright, everypony!" Miss Cheerilee's voice snapped Spike and Button out of their thoughts. "Remember that, if at any point you feel thirsty, here's a jar of water for all of you! Just take one plastic cup, okay?"
'Wait a minute, so we were out of town, and there's no way Featherweight could've taken that box to town with how weak he is... Unless the dark magic helped him carry it somewhere else! Still, he couldn't have gone that far; even with the help of the dark magic. So the only place out of town that Featherweight could've taken the box is...' Spike was unable to finish his sentence, so the fake Rarity did it for him.
"The Ponyville water reserve? Of course! You're very smart, Spike! Now imagine it; how many ponies need water and how much time has passed since you left Featherweight there? Hmmm... I guess more than a few ponies will be delighted with my special touch soon!" The fake Rarity mocked Spike, laughing at him.
"Miss Cheerilee! Where did you get this water from?!" Asked Spike frantically to his teacher, who gave him a confused stare.
"Umm... From my house? Don't worry, there's no toxic substances this time, Spike." Said Miss Cheerilee, letting out a nervous laugh.
"Button!" Spike called his friend, who turned around with worry.
"What's the matter now?"
"The liquid is in the water reserve!"
"WHAT?! Miss Cheerilee, you can't let anypony drink from that jar!" Button's dreadful expression made Cheerilee uncomfortable.
"What are you two talking about? This is old plain water. I should know it, I tried some myself earlier!"
"What?!" Spike and Button shouted.
בואו נצטרף עכשיו
בואו נצטרף עכשיו
"OW!" Yelled the three of them.
"Spike, we need to get-" Button was cut off by Cheerilee, who bucked them away from the stage and on their backs.
"I can't let you ruin the play, boys." Said Cheerilee darkly.
"M-Miss Cheerilee?!"
"You needy, pathetic, SELF-CENTERED STUDENTS! Do you think I'll stay here in Ponyville forever? NO! My husband says I can go to Princess Celestia's school for the gifted! I just have to stop you from ruining this show." Spike and Button stared at Cheerilee in the eye, and they saw that she had been completely taken over by the dark magic. They saw no other potion but to get away from the stage.
'Hey! What are you doing to them?!' Asked Button to his dad, who was pleased by this outcome.
"I'm making their desires more compatible with your own! Don't you see? Our mission can only be truly complete if everypony is kept inside a happy mental hive!"
'With you as its leader?'
"And I'll make your life better!"
Spike looked at the stage, and he saw Diamond Tiara come out. "Oooooh, that was a lot for my throat. I'm so thirsty." Diamond Tiara grabbed a cup and poured some water in it; before Spike could fully realize what was going to happen, she drank the cup.
"DIAMOND TIARA, NO!"
"AAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUGGGGHHHHH! THIS IS GREAT!!!"
Spike looked to the jar, and he saw that, while the water wasn't exactly clean as it should be, it was quite hard to distinguish if there was magic in it.
'You're going to take control of Ponyville, aren't you?' Spike saw that the fake Rarity was having too much fun watching this scene develop.
"Heh, that's just for starters!"
'THAT'S NOT WHAT I WANTED!'
"It's the ONLY way to achieve what you want! But why should we stop there? There's a whole planet of suffering creatures who desperately need my help! I was only going for ponies this whole time; but you helped me realize that even dragons can have issues. It is the great purpose for which I was created, and I owe that discovery to you."
Spike was out of ideas, but he knew he wouldn't let this happen. 'I'll fight back!'
"How?"
'Alcohol messes you up, right?!? Uhh... I'll get drunk!'
"And then I'll get back when you're sober; unless, of course, that you want to stay wasted forever?" Spike slapped himself for how stupid his idea was.
"Button, I got nothing." Said Spike to Button, who was also trying to find a way to fight back.
"Spike, these guys are just magic, right? There HAS to be a way to counter it!"
"I would stop there if I was you! You don't wanna end up like Scootaloo and Rumble, do you?" His dad reminded Button that Rumble and Scootaloo had gone crazy at the Nightmare Night party, and afterwards they seemingly attempted to kill themselves by burning the house down.
Was that it? Was that really the solution to this problem? Did he really need to resort to the easy way out to stop the dark magic from taking over? That couldn't be it! There should be another way! There just HAD to be another way! It wasn't fair for him to die because he made a mistake! It's not fair! It's not... It's...
...
...
It was totally fair.
Nopony made him drink the bottle by force, and his issues were about to be the doom for all ponies. It wouldn't be fair if everypony got enslaved because of him. It was not going to be fair.
"Spike." The dragon faced him. "There is ONE way to save everypony."
Spike was at a loss of words. He stayed like that for several mometns before accepting that Button was right. There was nothing they could do for Equestria anymore.
"I hope you're not considering doing what I think you're considering doing." Said the fake Rarity with a frown.
"If we can't stop them, at least we won't contribute to this mess." Said Spike, earning a sad nod from Button.
"What in Equestria are you saying?! That's the most illogical thing to do!" Asked Button's dad in awe.
'I'm saying you're not gonna make me do something stupid in your name!' "Come on, Spike! We need to get out of here!" Said Button, to which Spike nodded and started walking towards the exit.
"Spike, don't you DARE take another step forward!" Demmanded the fake Rarity, but Spike did not stop walking.
"Button, you better obey me right NOW!" Shouted Button's dad with fury in his voice.
'You're not my dad.'
Suddenly, both of them felt their legs unable to take another step forward, and their bodies collapsed on the floor. They looked up and they saw the fakes, staring down at them with their eyes completely black and furious expressions on their faces.
Their eyesight became blurry, their mouths started to gather saliva and they could barely move an inch; it seemed like everything was over for them, but luckily, they snapped out of their trance when they felt a sharp pain in their bodies. Spike saw the fake Rarity losing force over him when a purple light enveloped his body. Both boys got up and looked over to see what had happened. Spike's jaw dropped and his frown turned to a happy but surprised smile when he saw his saviors.
"Twilight! Pipsqueak! Dinky! And Rainbow Dash too?!"
"Sorry about that! I needed to blast you for a moment. I hope it didn't hurt that much." Said Twilight, rubbing her horn.
"We were sitting in the audiende thinking: 'this is pretty good for a school play', and then we realized, OMIGOSH! THIS IS WAY TOO GOOD FOR A SCHOOL PLAY!" Said Dinky in a panic.
"Wait a minute, how are you guys safe? The dark magic is in the water!" Asked Button.
"When Pipsqueak told Twilight about you two being jerks because of that potion, she figured out what was about to happen inmediately! So she took Pip and Dinky to my place for the night!" Said Rainbow Dash with a proud smile.
"But why your place?" Asked Spike.
"Because as a pegasus, I have my own storage of water in my house! You don't think there was a pipe that went all the way up to the clouds, didya? Anyway, we are not affected by the dark magic; but I can't quite say the same about our friends, though." Said Rainbow Dash, looking over to the stage in sadness.
"Ohhh, that makes more sense."
"And that's not all. We even got something extra! Show 'em Miss Twilight!" Twilight did just as Pipsqueak told her, and she showed a bottle of white liquid. Spike and Button's jaw dropped at the sight.
"Guys, is that-?!"
"The cure to your magic problem? Yes it is, Spike." Said Twilight.
"That's amazing! Give it to us!" Twilight gave the bottle to Pip, and he looked like he was about to give Spike the bottle.
"Okay! Wait a minute, no!"
"WHAT?!?" Everypony asked in shock.
"B-but Pip! We need it!" Pleaded Button.
"And I need an apology..." Everypony facehoofed at hearing Pip's words, except Spike, who faceplanted on the floor. "What? I think that's in order! These guys treated me like I don't exist for days, and Spike insulted me when I tried to help!"
"Wait, you did what...?" Asked Button in surprise.
"Alright fine, Pip, I'm sor..." Spke found himself unable to finish his sentence. "Excuse me, what I tried to say is I'm sor..."
"Really? You can't even say it?" Asked Pip in annoyance.
"Pip, just give them the bottle!" Said Dinky from behind.
"Not until they apologize!"
Button stepped in. "Pip, what Spike was trying to say for both of us is that we're sor..."
"Really?! You too?!"
"Pip! We're sor... sor... sor..."
"Is it THAT hard to say sorry?"
"YES! Come on, dude! This is important!" Pleaded Spike again.
"And this is important to me!"
"It's a WORD!" Protested Button.
"It's a gesture! GESTURES MATTER!"
"Smashbros.techniques,activate!"
Then, out of nowhere, Spike raised his fists and tried to punch Pip on the nose, taking everypony by surprise. But Pip was fast enough to evade the punch; which was only milimeters away from hitting him. Then, Button charged against Pip, who this time was tackled by Button; the bottle flew in the air, but luckily, Rainbow Dash caught it.
Spike saw it, and he fired a fireball towards Rainbow Dash; but he missed and the fireball hit the roof. "What's wrong with you, guys?!" Asked Rainbow Dash, trying to escape from Spike but finding herself unable to do it in a theater.
Miss Cheerilee turned around and she quickly saw that the ceiling was on fire, and she quickly made a move, freeing herself from the magic for an instant and going on stage, interrupting the play.
"Attention, everypony! The theater is on fire! This building will collapse in minutes! Everypony get out!" As soon as she said these words, everypony got out of the theatre screaming and trotting as fast as their legs could carry them.
Miss Cheerilee returned backstage and warned the fillies and colts about the fire. Most of them got out inmediately; and Miss Cheerilee found little to no reason to not follow them. But, just as she got free, she got consumed by the dark magic. Cheerilee turned around and saw the jar of water. After a little debate with herself, she grabbed the jar and ran out of the theater. Maybe it could be useful later...
Once outside, everypony began chatting about what had happened, and began creating gossip about who could've started the fire.
"Oh my Celestia! Who could be the heathen capable of burning down a theater full of mares, stallions and foals?!" Asked Rarity in disgust to Applejack, who shrugged.
"Don't know, don't care. I'll just focus on finding my sis. I saw Miss Cherilee take the foals outside, I hope she is with her."
"But look at the bright side!" Said Pinkie Pie, getting ready to drop another pun.
"Miss Pie." Started Rarity.
"Please no." Followed Applejack.
"We all had a BLAZIN' BLAST of a time while it lasted, right?" Everypony who heard the pun turned around and stared at Pinkie Pie with expressions that went from disgust to puzzlement. "What? Too much?"
"Ugh, these poor ponies are in serious need of help, don't you think?"
"Obviously. They must be corrected."
"Let's save these pitiful ponies!"
"The dark magic is starting to take control over them!" Observed Twilight.
"Rainbow Dash! Over here!" Rainbow Dash saw Dinky waving at her from the back, and she quickly threw it at Dinky.
Button saw her, and he ran at Dinky, trying to punch her. But Dinky predicted this, and called for help. "Miss Twilight! Here you go!"
Twilight saw the bottle coming her way, and she quickly grabbed it with her magic. She turned around and she saw a furious looking Spike standing in front of her, ready to fight.
"Give me the bottle, Twilight."
"I would only give it to Spike." She said, defying him.
"I AM SPIKE!" Spike charged at her at full speed, but she avoided him by mere centimeters. Spike turned around and smiled darkly. He clenched his fists and blew fire at them, envolving his hands on fire.
"Woah, that's new." Said Twilight before Spike punched her. Luckily, she could form a force field around her just in time, but it was quickly burning itself out as Spike punched her.
"Guys! I need help!"
"Throw it at me!" Yelled Rainbow Dash. Twilight put away the force field for a moment to toss the bottle at Rainbow Dash, but the bottle was intercepted by Button, who somehow had managed to jump high enough to catch it. "WHAT? How did he do that?!"
"The dark magic must be increasing their capacities!" Shouted Twilight, charging at Button, who avoided her.
Button was about to smash the bottle on the ground, but he was stopped by Dinky, who tackled him to the ground from behind.
The bottle rolled over to Pipsqueak, who now had the attention of both Spike and Button Mash. "Guys...?"
"That was s-s-s-so yo-yo-yo-you! You love feeling sssssssuperior, right?! Just because you could kiss a grgrgrgirl before us?! Because you don't ca-ca-ca-care about being ppppprrrrrrrrropular?!" Asked Spike, trying to hit Pipsqueak, who kept avoiding his punches. Pipsqueak could tell Spike was trying to hold back, since he was slower trying to hit him.
"What?! Of course I care! I just know it's not gonna happen." Said Pipsqueak as he tried to run away from Spike, but was stopped by Button Mash.
"So what, then? Why did you no-no-no-not give us the brbrbrbrbottle?! You're just ma-ma-ma-mad at us because we didn't g-g-g-give up like yoOOOOoooouuu did?!" Asked Button Mash, trying to pounce on Pip but failing. Pip could also tell Button was trying to resist their influence.
"I'm not mad at you! I'm very jealous that you try!"
Spike grabbed Pip's tail and Button proceeded to give him a slap on his cheek. Once this happened, the boys seemed to regain more control of themselves.
"We're not trying to! It's the potion!" Yelled Button.
"Pip! It's taking over our bodies! We need your help! Pipsqueak! We're... S...S... SORRY!!!" Said Spike, letting out a tear.
Twilight and Rainbow Dash proceeded to grab Spike and Button Mash, while Dinky came to Pip's aid. The colt looked around for something to do, and he saw Snips trying to get to the exit, slower because of his crutches.
"Snips!" Yelled Pip, getting his attention. "Look, long story short, these guys drank a potion that's making them act like jerks and it's taking over their bodies. While we try to hold them down, could you please make them drink this white stuff?!" Pipsqueak gave Snips the bottle. Snips thought about it for a second before answering.
"Actually, I'll do it with one condition."
"ANYTHING!"
"You better give me a hundred bits after this. I mean, that dragon DID destroy my confidence."
"YEAH FINE WHATEVER! JUST DO IT!" Yelled Dinky as she tried to hold down Spike while Pip held down Button.
"Alright then, here goes nothing." Said Snips, opening the bottle.
"Notonourwatch." The fake Rarity and Button's dad appeared and their eyes inmediately began turning white.
בואו נצטרף עכשיו
בואו נצטרף עכשיו
"OW!" Frunted the three colts as everypony else stared at them with surprise.
"What was that?" Asked Twilight in surprise.
"Wait... If that's what I think it was... SOMEPONY STOP SNIPS!" Yelled Spike, but it was too late. When everypony looked at Snips, he was next to the exit door pouring the content of the bottle outside.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH! NOOOOOOOOOOO!" Everypony yelled in fear.
"Aww, Spike! Look what you made me make him do!" The fake Rarity continued to taunt Spike inside his head.
"Why, Snips?!" Yelled Rainbow Dash.
"Sorry, guys, but now I'm even more awesome than I was before! Just take a look at this!" Said Snips as he threw his crutches and the bottle out the door.
"Woah! It healed your legs?!" Asked Twilight in surprise.
"NO!... But I can't feel pain. It's awesome! And now you'll feel awesome too, guys!" Snips suddenly tried to jump on the group, but Twilight caught Snips with her magic and threw him to the other side of the room.
"Guys! Let's get out of here before this place burns down!" Said Spike, watching the walls get weaker by the second. Everypony ran out of the door, catching their breath as they were finally out. Spike looked around, and he saw two very familiar fillies approaching.
"Hello,Spike." Diamond Tiara and Silver Spon's eyes glowed intensely.
"Hey, we just wanted to tell you that we're not mad anymore." Said Diamond Tiara, stepping closer to the group.
"Yeah, I'm not mad because you broke my heart and made out with Diamond Tiara; I just really wanted to be seen." Said Silver Spoon.
"And I'm not mad you dated my best friend and wouldn't make out with me; I just wanted to be liked." Said Diamond Tiara.
"Spike, if we get out of this we'll have some SERIOUS TALKS." Said Twilight angrily at Spike, who rubbed his head blushing, while looking down in shame.
"Wait, he didn't date me! And I like you!" Said Silver Spoon, looking at Diamond Tiara.
"What? He didn't make out with me! And I see you!" Added Diamond Tiara, staring back at Silver Spoon.
"Omigosh, why was I so jealous of you? You were jealous of me? That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me! Sisters forever! JINX!" Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon talked at the same time, winking and smiling at each other while doing so.
"Ugh. That's why I don't like girly stuff." Grunted Rainbow Dash.
"Same here, Dash." Said Dinky.
"I was never REALLY that into girls stuff either." Added Twilight. There was a brief but incredibly awkward silence.
"HELLO! You didn't forget about me, didja?!" Shouted Snips from behind them, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon looked at him with a happy stare.
"Hi, Snips! Could you come to my house tomorrow?" Asked Diamond Tiara.
"And mine the day after? We'll have ice cream!" Added Silver Spoon.
"Do you see how happy they are when they just GET WITH THE GROUP?!" The fake Rarity continued to annoy Spike.
"Guys, the bottle! It's like 50 meters away!" Said Spike, ignoring the fake Rarity. Everypony looked at where Spike was pointing, and indeed there it was.
"There might still be a few drops left!" Said Button Mash.
"But how are we going to get past them?" Asked Dinky, hiding behind Pip.
"Guys! Remember when we played Smash bros. Brawl's story mode?" Asked Button, to which Spike and Pip nodded.
"What are you talking about? This is serious! How is that going to help us?!" Twilight asked angrily.
"We stick together, push 'em aside and never yield!" Shouted Spike and Pip, smiling at each other.
"You can fight off my control, boy. But I really want to see you fight off all of THEM!" Said Button's dad, pointing at something.
Button turned his head towards the bottle, and he saw that a crowd of controlled ponies was starting to form. "Quick! Get the bottle before they do!"
Rainbow Dash nodded and quickly flew off to grab the bottle. Twilight and Dinky pushed Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon aside, and ran towards the bottle. Spike and Button grabbed Snips' crutches and punched Snips backwards, giving them enough time to run.
Button and Spike tried to run along with everypony else, but their path was blocked by the rest of their class. "Spike...?" Asked Button, looking for a way out.
"Maybe we can retu-" Spike turned around and he saw that the way back was blocked by Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon and Snips. Not only that, but getting back inside the theater was an undisputed 'no'. The theater was starting to collapse.
"Leaving so soon?" Asked Diamond Tiara in a mockingly playful tone.
"Well, it looks like we're doing this the hard way." Inmediately, Spike struck the crutch he was holding at the ponies, while Button did the same.
"Hey, but for how long we're doing this?" Asked Button to Spike, who looked just as scared as he did.
"Until we can get through." Said Spike as he tried to hit a filly. As the boys tried to fight the ponies around them, more were starting to show up.
Rainbow Dash grabbed the bottle, but when she turned around, she saw Fluttershy staring at her. "Fluttershy, let me pass."
"But Rainbow Dash, we are happy now. Why don't you JOIN US?!" Fluttershy's eyes turned bright red and she tried to tackle Rainbow Dash, but she was fast enough to avoid her and fly over to where her friends were.
Twilight, Dinky and Pipsqueak tried to push the citizens of Ponyville away, but their numbers were starting to increase. "Guys, we need to run!" Shouted Pipsqueak, to which the girls nodded.
Twilight tried to use her magic to get past the crowd, but her horn stopped glowing at the sight of her friends standing in front of her.
"Rarity... Applejack... No..."
"Darling, this is better than anything we've ever felt before! You should try it!" Said Rarity.
"Yep, you'll be happier, sugarcube. Come on, don't be so stubborn!" Said Applejack.
Both ponies charged at Twilight, but she put up a force field around the group, protecting them from the crowd. "I won't be able to hold them off forever! We have to do something!"
"There are more ponies coming, any ideas?" Asked Pipsqueak, to which everypony shook their heads.
"TWILIGHT!" Everypony looked up, and they saw Rainbow Dash approaching with the bottle on her hooves; but she was being chased by multiple pegasi. "I'll throw it! Be ready to catch!"
Twilight nodded and she charged her horn; after a few moments, the force field expanded and pushed the ponies away. Twilight made a run for it, but everypony chased after her.
"CATCH!"
Rainbow Dash threw the bottle moments before the pegasi surrounded her. Rainbow Dash tried to fly in another direction but it was no use, she was surrounded from all sides. 'Well, I did the best I could, good luck, guys.' Afterwards, every pegasus threw themselves at her, inmobilizing her and throwing themselves at the ground with her.
Twilight jumped, and she caught the bottle; but the focus of the crowd was on her now. Twilight ran to the right, but she was blocked; then she tried the left, but her path was blocked again. Desperately, Twilight looked for a way out, and she saw that there weren't many ponies going after Pipsqueak and Dinky.
"PIP! DINKY! CATCH!"
The foals turned their heads, and Twilight threw the bottle at them. Inmediately afterwards, everypony jumped at Twilight, leaving her defenseless. Twilight tried to shake free from their grasp, but they had her well held down. Twilight looked up, and she saw Miss Cheerilee standing over her with an evil grin on her face and a glass of water on her hoof.
"Your friend Rainbow Dash enjoyed it; we assure you that you will enjoy this too." Afterwards, all the crowd heard were screams from under them.
Pipsqueak and Dinky had caught the bottle, but now THEY were being chased. Dinky gave Pip the bottle, but before Pip could question her, she put a hoof on his mouth. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. Just get to them and make them drink it!"
Dinky charged at the crowd of ponies successfully, making many of them lose their balance and blocking the path for the ones behind. Pip saw a clear path to Spike and Button, and made a run for it. However, when Pip was about to reach Spike and Button, he heard grunts behind him. Pip turned around and he saw Dinky being held down by the controlled residents of Ponyville.
"DINKY!"
"PIP! HURRY!" Dinky whipped her head, ordering Pip to keep going; which Pip did with a hint of hesitation. Pip didn't look back, but he heard Dinky trying to get free, only to be silenced afterwards.
Pip was almost next to them, but a colt jumped in front of him; Pip took a closer look to see who it was, and he saw that Featherweight was standing in front of him with a big smile on his face.
"Featherweight? You too?"
"Pipsqueak, I just wanted to be part of a group; and now I finally am! And I'm not letting you take this away from me! Isn't that right, everypony?!" Afterwards, everypony's attention turned to them. Everypony, including Featherweight, looked at Pip with smiles on their faces.
IJUSTFEELSOCONNECTEDTOYOUGUYS,RIGHTNOW!
"GUYS!!!" Spike and Button Mash turned their heads and they saw Pip waving at them. "THIS IS FOR YOU!" Pip threw the bottle, just in time before being pulled away by the crowd.
Spike caught the bottle and saw that there were indeed, a few drops of the white liquid. "Quick, Spike! Drink it!" Shouted Button Mash.
"I know!"
"Spike, you don't wanna drink that!"
"You might want to re-think that, Button!"
The fake Rarity and Button's dad appeared in front of them, but this time, Spike and Button were not afraid of them. 'Oh, yeah? WHY?!'
"Because if you do,you'll never be with her!"
Their heads turned, and the boys saw Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle approaching in the middle of a path the ponies had made for them.
'Apple Bloom?'
'Sweetie Belle?'
"Hey there, guys! Boy, are we glad to find you!" Said Apple Bloom with a smile.
"Wait, you are?" Asked Spike in surprise.
"Yes we are, and actually, we wanted to apologize to you two... You know, about earlier." Said Sweetie Belle softly.
"Wait, why do you want to apologize?" Asked Button.
"Because... WefeelAMAZING." Apple Bloom and Sweetie's eyes started to glow brightly.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" Both boys yelled to the sky, but the fillies approached them anyways.
"Spike, I'm sorry I was so afraid of telling you this before, but I've liked you for a long time." Said Apple Bloom while she embraced Spike in a soft hug, which he recluctantly accepted.
'That is not Apple Bloom.' Said Spike to the fake Rarity, who was smiling in satisfaction to see her task with Spike coming to an end.
"I assure you, it IS Apple Bloom! Her fears and insecurities have just been removed!"
'W-wait, so you're saying that she...'
"That's right. She'll do whatever you say, just like I promised." Said the fake Rarity happily.
"Button, I'm sorry for being so rude back there, and I'm also sorry for backing out at the party... But now we can finally be together!" Said Sweetie Belle, starting to close the gap between their faces.
'Sweetie Belle wouldn't say that. What have you done to her?' Asked Button to his dad, who was looking at the scene smugly, waiting for Button to seal the deal.
"Nothing! That's the best part about this!"
Button was staring into Sweetie's eyes, and she lowered her head so she could be hugged by Button. He looked at her with a smile forming on his lips, but one thought appeared in his mind, which erased the smile from his face.
'No. It's not her.'
"Spike, now are you sure you want to drink those last drops?"
Spike contemplated the fake Rarity's question, could it be true? Could Apple Bloom really be attracted to him? No, it couldn't be! If that was the case, then they had drank that stuff for nothing! But then again... The fake Rarity hadn't been wrong on a lot of things... Except for that time she didn't calculate his drink would be spiked! Yeah, that could be it!
Then, Spike remembered that he had talked to Apple Bloom behind Snips' house that same day. She had been pretty vague about it, but Spike was sure Apple Bloom had a crush on Snails. Was he really going to take Apple Bloom's and everypony else's free will just so he could be with her? Was he really so selfish that he would steal her from Snails?
No.
Maybe Spike was a bad and selfish dragon for even considering it, but he wasn't going to enslave Equestria just for his silly crush. Maybe his heart would ache when he'd see her dating Snails, but at least she would be happy. As long as she was happy, that was all that mattered to him.
Spike looked at Button, who stared back at him. Both looked at each other with sad expressions on their faces. Button looked down to see Sweetie Belle one last time before looking back at Spike with a sad nod. Spike nodded back.
'You're right, I'm not going to drink this. She is.' Said Spike, looking at Apple Bloom one last time.
"WHAT?!? You foolish dragon! Then I'll be inside your head forever..." Said the fake Rarity with indifference towards Apple Bloom.
"Drink this." Said Spike to Apple Bloom, who grabbed the bottle.
"Wait, Button! Think about what you're allowing! If she-" Button's dad couldn't finish his sentence, because the damage was already done. Apple Bloom had just emptied the rest of the bottle, to everypony's surprise. Apple Bloom suddenly dropped the bottle with a blank expression on her face, which worried Spike.
"H-how are you feeling?"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!" Apple Bloom began screaming.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!" Diamond Tiara followed her shortly afterwards.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!" Snips squealed in pain on the floor.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!" Miss Cheerilee was next.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!" What's wrong with you, people?!?!?!" Yelled Pipsqueak in confusion.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!" Suddenly, everypony in town was screaming in pain, some covered their ears, some covered their eyes, some tried to run but it was no use. Soon, everypony was on the floor, unconscious.
Spike and Button Mash woke up in a comfy bed. They weren't exactly sure what happened, but they were sure that it was painful. They looked up and they saw that they were in a hospital. They looked at each other and smiled.
"Is your head buzzing too?" Asked Button, to which Spike nodded slowly.
"Yeah... But I also feel weird...er than usual."
"It feels like you're missing a part of yourself, doesn't it?" Both boys turned their heads and saw that Rumble and Scootaloo were next to them, and by the looks of it, they had been badly hurt. They knew they probably attempted to kill themselves in that fire, but they didn't know they would survive with that many injuries.
"Rumble? Scootaloo?"
"It hurts like a motherfucker, Spike." Said Scootaloo in a pained tone.
"Wait, you mean...?"
"Yep, we felt it too, Button." Said Rumble, trying to form a smile but failing.
"Spike, be honest. What are they saying about us?" Asked Scootaloo with concern.
"Well... Nopony knows that you started the fire yet, but many are starting to suspect you, since you were the most hurt and you were acting weird that night."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah... Sorry."
"Don't be. We're all better off... That evil soda was starting to say some really messed up stuff, guys." Said Rumble. Spike just acted naturally.
"Oh yeah? Like what?" Said Button.
"Give everypony a potion to make everypony happy. Hah, he was crazy if he thought we were going to do it, am I right?"
Button looked at Spike with a deadpan expression. "Y-yeah, crazy." Said Spike, sheepishly.
"Wait, but why are we here?" Asked Button, trying to not get the urge to kill Spike.
"I don't know, everypony else seems fine to me, I guess you two were the most damaged by the dark magic." Said Scootaloo, trying to shrug but failing.
"Really? How long have we been here?"
"About a day or so. Hey, Spike." Spike looked at Rumble, who smiled at him. "Do you remember the day I told you about the potion?"
"Yeah, I remember."
"Do you remember how much I told you was the price?"
"Yeah, you told me it was 100 bits. But I also remember that the pony selling them gave them to me for 80 bits. Why did you say that, then?"
"My plan was that you gave the money to me so I could buy you your potions and keep the rest. It didn't really work out."
"Why?"
"Because the situation in his home wasn't very good; also because he wanted to buy me something nice." Added Scootaloo, smiling at Rumble. Rumble gave her a smile too.
"Oooh, that makes more sense... But why are you telling me this?"
"So you don't feel guilty about yourself. The ponies selling those potions promised us that our lives would change forever if we did whatever the potion told us to, and when we saw the figure of somepony we trusted give us instructions we kinda just went with it." Said Scootaloo sadly.
"Yeah, I saw my older brother, and he was actually being nice to me, so I guess I did whatever he said; like telling you about the potions or spreading their reach." Said Rumble, looking down in shame.
"And I saw a fake Rainbow Dash, but I mostly did whatever it demanded of me because I could actually fly with the potion; now I'm stuck to the ground again." Said Scootaloo sadly.
Spike looked down as he remembered the things he had done under the fake Rarity's influence. It could be plausible that Pipsqueak still didn't forgive him, Snips, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon hated him and that now things would be even worse for him and Button.
"But, you see, Scootaloo and I were talking while we were here, and we figured out that we didn't actually need those stupid potions to be together. And we also didn't really need to change who we were." Said Rumble.
"Yeah, so when we get out of here, everypony will know and learn to love the real Scootaloo."
"And the real Rumble." He added.
"Wait, there's still one thing I don't understand, how is it that all the dark magic is gone? Apple Bloom was the one that drank the potion, right?" Asked Button, to which Rumble and Scootaloo tried to shrug, but couldn't quite do it.
"Beats me, but I ain't complaining though. Maybe you should ask your... Uhh... Mother? Sister? Boss? Twilight Sparkle. She's been here since you arrived, by the way." Said Scootaloo, turning to Spike.
"Wait, really? She's been here all this time?" Asked Spike in surprise.
"Yes I have." Everyone looked at the doorway, and there was a purple alicorn standing there, smiling at the group. Then, Twilight approached Spike, giving him a scroll and a quill.
"Twilight? What happened? All I remember was that noise and... There was nothing else, just black."
"Aw man, Spike, the princess is a genius. Everypony was communicating with each other mentally, and if you compare the type of structure of the dark magic they had in their bodies, then the potion the princess gave us created a disturbance in the air that-"
"Twilight, please. My head still hurts." Said Spike, rubbing his head.
"Oh, right, sorry... Well, it turns out that we only needed somepony linked to the rest to drink the potion to wipe out the dark magic in a single blast. Even the magic in the water is gone now." Said Twilight quietly.
"What?! If that was the case, then why didn't we just grab some random pony and make them drink it?!" Asked Button in annoyance.
An awkward silence filled the room for a couple of moments that seemed to last for hours.
A VERY AWKWARD silence filled the room for a couple of moments before Spike broke it.
"I don't get it." Said Spike, looking down.
"Well, if you really want to learn magic chemistry I can-"
"No, Twilight. It's just... After all I did... You were still there for me, why?" Said Spike, looking at Twilight with genuine confusion. Twilight smiled at him and hugged Spike softly.
"Because a lot of stuff you said was right, I haven't really been good to you in a long time... But that stops today! Now you're going to see some serious changes in our lives, Spike."
Everypony in the room let out a quiet 'dawwww', except Scootaloo, who just smiled.
"Oh! That reminds me... Button Mash!" Button looked at the princess. "There's somepony else I brought along."
"Button?" The colt looked to the doorway in awe. His mom was there! But there was something in her voice that wasn't very normal.
"Mom?"
"Are you okay, Sweetie?"
"Yes, mom, I'm okay."
"Oh, thank Celestia you're okay... Because you're GROUNDED!"
Button looked at her with even more surprise. His mom hadn't grounded him in a very long period of time. "Wait, what?"
"You almost enslaved Ponyville! From now on, you will... What?" Button's mom noticed that he was looking at her in a funny way.
"I'm sorry, it's just that... that attitude looks familiar."
"Well... Yeah, I haven't grounded you since your father... Well... Anyway, that is stopping today. I thought I was being good to you just by giving you whatever you wanted and never asking you about your day, but I now realize that I was just scared of being a real mother. Now we're definitely going to have some changes, young one!"
"Which reminds me, Spike, the scroll and quill I gave you are for your lesson." Said Twilight, looking at Spike in an almost annoyed way.
"What?"
"That's right, and don't tell me you and Button haven't learned anything new!"
Spike looked at the blank scroll in silence for a few moments, he looked at Button Mash for a moment before both of them nodded in unison. Then, Spike started writing his letter to Princess Celestia, and the very words that would go into the friendship journal. After a few moments, Spike was finished. Spike rolled up the scroll and blew it away, the scroll disappeared in a ball of fire.
'What was that?' Thought Spike.
'It seemed like we agreed on what Spike should write... Without talking? Meh, whatever.' Thought Button.
"Now that that's out of the way, let's get down to business, Spike." Said Twilight, looking at Spike with suggestive eyes.
"You too, Button. Who is this 'Sweetie Belle' pony? And why did I hear about her from Miss Twilight instead of you?" Asked Button's mom in a firm tone.
"Yeah, and what about you and Apple Bloom?" Asked Twilight.
Spike and Button grunted before Spike began: "It doesn't matter anymore."
"Yeah, we'll be lucky if they want to live in the same town as us." Finished Button.
Everypony in the room laughed, except Rumble and Scootaloo, who giggled because it hurt them to laugh.
"What?" Asked the two boys in confusion.
"Nothing, Spike." Said Twilight, not quite stopping with her giggles.
"Yeah, it's just reassuring to know that you are still you, boys." Said Button's mom with a smile.
"What do you mean?" Asked Spike.
"You still don't know anything about girls." Said Twilight with a comforting smile.
"Button, when you see Sweetie Belle, give her a rose! Or maybe you could compliment her on how she looks! Just be sure to be a gentlecolt with her, honey." Said Button's mom.
"Just say to Apple Bloom that you appreciate that she is smart, Spike. I'm sure I still have a romance book you can borrow." Assured Twilight.
"Or you could join the crusaders!" Added Scootaloo from the back. "We still need more members!"
"Nah, you two should just tell them that you have the hots for them." Said Rumble, getting the attention from everypony in the room. "What? I said I would be true from now on, right?"
"You should listen to me, and everything will be fine." Was all the boys could hear in the room for the next hour.
'Oh boy, this will be interesting.' Thought the boys in unison, preparing themselves for a really fun, exciting, adrenaline-filled morning of everypony's opinions.
That evening, Button Mash and Spike got out of the hospital, since they weren't really hurt. They recalled Twilight saying that they should go to Ponyville's center. As they were walking, Spike decided to ask Button Mash something about what happened earlier.
"Hey, Button."
"Hmm?"
"Do you know what happened earlier?"
"What? About how I knew-"
"-What I should write? Hey! It's happening again! I can guess what you're-"
"-About to say?"
Both boys were surprised at themselves, it seemed like they were linked somehow! But why? Or maybe these were just big coincidences and they should be jinxing each other.
"Should we worry about that?" Asked Button.
"Well... I don't see my fake Rarity telling me what to do. And you?"
"Nope, I don't see my fake dad."
"Then it's all good. Let's just see what Twilight wants us to see."
Button nodded and kept walking along with Spike. They eventually reached Ponyville's center. But there was a place they wanted to avoid, which they couldn't. They had to walk by the theater. When the boys reached the ashes of what was once the theater, they gulped. They had expected everypony to be in a certain mood for what happened, but it seemed like everypony was quite calmed; even better, they were in a great mood and they were waving at them! Spike and Button saw no other option other than wave back.
"Why is everypony in such a good mood?" Asked Spike to Button quietly.
"I don't know, but I'm not complaining."
"True."
Afterwards, they saw a group of foals they knew gathered in a circle. Once they were in sight, the group stared at them and proceeded to run towards them. They were no other than Pipsqueak, Dinky, Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, Snips, Snails and Featherweight.
"Spike... Button..." Said Diamond Tiara in a cold tone.
"Umm... Hi, everypony?" Said Button, expecting a bunch of insults or punches to be thrown at them; but he was incredibly surprised and relieved when he saw himself being carried by Snails and Featherweight.
"What took you so long?" Asked Pipsqueak happily.
"Yeah! We were waiting for you two!" Added Snips.
"Aren't you supposed to be at school?" Asked Button.
"Oh! Miss Cheerilee said the classes would start next week, since she isn't feeling too well." Said Featherweight.
"Wait, so you guys are mad or..." Spike tried to figure out what was happening, but didn't find a logical explanation for this.
"We don't know why either, but since we all did ecstasy outside of the theater, I feel closer to everypony! Like, we're connected!" Said Silver Spoon, looking at everypony else, and they looked back at her with the same amount of happiness in their eyes. Snails and Featherweight placed Button down again.
"Maybe this is what the ponies who created the potion wanted." Said Pipsqueak, rubbing his head.
"Yeah... Too bad Discord had to ruin it." Grunted Diamond Tiara. "Anyways, I previously talked with your friends while you were busy laying on that hospital bed, and I'm sure that we've come to an agreement."
"Huh?" Asked Spike and Button in unison.
"We talked with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle earlier; she wanted to humiliate them like always but she was unable to do it. So we agreed to be 'kinda' friends for now." Explained Silver Spoon.
"Wait, you've seen Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle? Where are they?" Asked Button.
"Sweetie Belle went to the arcade and Apple Bloom is just around the corner of the arcade, I guess they wanted some alone time after everything." Said Snips, pointing to the street leading to the arcade.
"You're going to confess, aren'tcha?" Asked Snails, hitting Spike with his elbow softly.
"Wha-?! How did you-?"
"We were all connected, Spike. And you weren't exactly 'discrete' back at the theater." Featherweight giggled, and everypony laughed softly afterwards, despite of watching Spike and Button blush.
"Guys, just remember, you need to summon all the courage you can and jump right to it! And if you can, don't freeze all of a sudden." Said Dinky
"Yeah! And don't be afraid to show them how you feel for them!" Added Pipsqueak.
"Preferibly don't dump her on Nightmare Night!" Said Diamond Tiara, rolling her eyes.
"Yeah, maybe Apple Bloom thinks that dragons are hot!" Added Silver Spoon sarcastically.
"OH CRAP! I'm very sorry for all that happened! Can you ever forgive me?" Said Spike, looking at Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon and Snips.
"Yeah, I forgive you; but don't even THINK for a second that I'll be your girlfriend." Said Diamond Tiara, rude as always.
"Same here; I'll never be your girlfriend, but I'll gladly be your friend." Said Silver Spoon, making a little bow.
"Yeah, I guess there aren't (that many) hard feelings, Spike." Continued Diamond Tiara.
"After what happened, we'll find colts who ACTUALLY want to be with us. But don't worry, we don't resent you." Finished Silver Spoon.
Spike couldn't tell if they were serious or if they were just hiding their anger. "So... You forgive me, then?"
"Yes."
"And there are not hard feelings, then."
"No."
"I'm sorry, I'm just surprised at how easy it was to apologize to you."
"Spike, we forgive you. And besides, even if we didn't, we can't actually hate you now." Said Diamond Tiara, rolling her eyes again.
"Oooo-kay?"
"Everything is fine here too!" Said Snips. "Isn't that right, Snails?"
"Wait, you were mad at Spike?" Asked Snails in total cluelessness. Snips just facehoofed.
"Oh, really? Cool!" Said Spike.
"But Snips, what about your house?!" Asked Button in concern.
"Oh, don't worry about that; Princess Twilight and her five friends offered to repair it. It was finished in a few hours, actually. Is incredible how powerful a princess can be." Said Snips happily.
"Oh, okay then. So is everything good with you too?" Asked Button again.
"Yeah! I'll be here any day you want some advice on how to get ladies!" Said Snips, to which Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon made vomiting faces behind his back.
"Speaking of which, I think you two should get going. You have to talk to them before the moon rises! We've got something planned for this afternoon and you won't wanna miss it." Said Dinky.
"That's right! You just have to embrace your traits! You know, what they like about you! Even if it's weird." Said Snails.
"And you should also make them feel like they're welcome and seen." Added Featherweight.
"Let your heart talk, even if guys aren't very used to doing that." Said Dinky, rubbing her cheek with Pip's own cheek.
"Y-yeah! And just be yourself in general!" Finished Pipsqueak, blushing profusely.
Spike and Button decided to leave the group, since the conversation wasn't getting them anywhere. "Don't worry! Everything will go perfectly if you listen to me!" They heard the group shout from behind them. Spike ran ahead to get to Apple Bloom faster while Button Mash went slower, trying to think what to say to Sweetie Belle.
"We're following them, right?" Asked Featherweight.
"Of course." Nodded Dinky.
Button arrived first at the arcade, and he saw Sweetie Belle standing in front of the window looking at the games inside. As Button got closer, his heart pounded harder on his chest with each step he took. Sweetie Belle felt like there was somepony behind her, so she turned around to see if she was right.
When Sweetie turned, their eyes met. Button was really nervous at the moment, and couldn't figure out what to say to her, while Sweetie Belle was staring at him with a blank stare. After a few moments of their staring, Sweetie sighed and returned to the sight of the arcade.
'Oh boy, I hope she at least lets me talk.' Thought Button with worry.
"Hey, Sweetie Belle."
"Hey, Button." Sweetie's voice didn't show any particular emotion; she wasn't angry at him but she didn't sound exactly thrilled either.
"So... What's going on...?"
"Nothing... I'm just staring at this arcade. Wanna join me?"
"Umm... I-if you want me to."
"Then get over here."
Button did just as he was told, and he approached Sweetie Belle with sweat pouring down his face. But, when Button saw just which arcade was this, his nervousness was replaced by nostalgia.
"Wait a minute... This is the first arcade I ever went to!"
"It is?" Asked Sweetie Belle, her voice now showing genuine surprise.
"Yeah! This is where I learned how much I love games!"
"Oh."
"Is that why you're here...?"
"Well... Not exactly." Said Sweetie Belle, now sounding sad.
"Then why are you here?"
"Because... This is a special place for me too." Said Sweetie Belle, now blushing slightly.
"Really? Why? I thought girls hated videogames."
"Who told you that?"
"I just assumed it, you know, because guys like me don't get the luck of having some special girl with them." Said Button sadly; Sweetie put a hoof in his shoulder, making him blush.
"Button, you're wrong. There are some girls who DO like videogames."
"Do you?" Asked Button, raising his eyebrow.
"Well... Honestly I didn't like them before... That's why this place is so special to me."
"Huh?"
"Yeah... This is the place where... I think I really fell in love with you." Said Sweetie, covering her eyes in embarassment.
Button was at a loss of words, was she really saying the truth or was she just pretending to because she pitied him? She looked embarassed, but if that was the case, then why didn't she say anything before? Like the time at the Nightmare Night party? Button knew he wouldn't get these answers just by standing there staring at her like some creep.
"Sweetie Belle..."
"Yes?"
"Are... Are you being serious or is this some sort of cruel joke?"
"No! I'm being honest!"
"Then... Then why didn't you say anything before?"
Sweetie looked down in shame. "Well... I'm sorry for not saying anything about it, I was just really sad."
"Sad? Why were you sad?"
Sweetie Belle sighed. "Everytime I looked at you, I always saw somepony else. Ever since you drank that potion I saw how you were starting to become somepony really popular, and I was starting to feel left behind."
Button also looked down in shame, he knew exactly how Sweetie Belle felt, and now HE had made her feel the same way. Button started insulting himself for being so dumb. How didn't he notice anything? Was he really that dense or was he just an idiot?
"Button."
"Hmm...? Oh! Sorry!"
"Did you hear anything I said?" Asked Sweetie Belle in annoyance.
"Yeah... I was just thinking of how stupid I am."
Sweetie Belle's gaze softened. "Huh?"
"Yeah... I felt the same way you did. In fact, I think Spike, Pip and I felt that way since school began. We always looked at you and we thought we would never have the chance of even talking to you. Everyday we just dragged ourselves at school to try to survive it and then we would go to this arcade or to my place to play some games. We never thought we'd get the chance to be popular... Not even that, we just wanted to feel liked."
Sweetie Belle now understood why Spike and Button had taken that potion. Maybe if she had been in their place she would have done the same thing. Sweetie Belle wanted to hug Button, but her insecurities prevented her from doing something so risky.
"Hey."
"What?" Sweetie snapped back to reality when she heard Button calling her.
"Since when did you really like me?" Asked Button with a weak smile.
"O-oh... Well... I guess I had thing for you when we first met, but I really fell for you here." Said Sweetie, looking back at the arcade.
"Why?"
"Well, I saw you here playing a shooting game, you just looked so cute laughing at the stuff happening on screen. And when you fought the final boss you had a lot of determination inside you... I liked how you showed a good attitude and resistance when you faced a challenge... But I also remembered how you were about to change your tickets for a plushie but you decided to give them to a filly next to you."
"Oh yeah! I remember that... I gave her the tickets for a plushie because she looked really sad. You know, as a gamer I think I did the right thing. If we are good to everypony else around us, the world around us gets better each time." Said Button, remembering the happiness on the filly's eyes at the time.
"Yeah... That's another thing I like about you, I like your good heart. But the more I thought about you and how you popular you were starting to be, I lost hope of being with you." Said Sweetie Belle, returning to her sad tone.
"What? Why?"
"Because I thought how everypony always looked at my sister instead of me! Stallions did it, colts did it, heck, I think Spike did it some time ago too!" Said Sweetie Belle, letting out her true feelings." And not only that, but also how I don't even have a cutie mark! Why would a guy like you be with some filly like me?"
"Sweetie Belle, there's plenty of things I like about you!"
"Oh yeah, like what?" Said Sweetie Belle, looking down.
"Well, for one, I think you're prettier than your sister." Sweetie Belle felt her heart's rate increase after hearing this. "You also have a good heart, you always try hard to get your cutie mark with your friends, and you never give up at it. And also, I don't think there has been a single time where I looked at you and haven't smiled! Sweetie Belle, you were the reason I drank that stuff in the first place!"
Sweetie Belle looked at him with a surprised stare. "Wait, what?"
"Yeah! I mean, sure, Spike and I drank it to be more popular; but Spike drank it for Apple Bloom and I drank it for you!" Sweetie was taken back. "And that wasn't it! When my fake dad was telling me what I had to do, I did whatever he asked me to because I thought you would like me in the end!"
"Wait... So you're saying that...?"
"That I changed who I am because of you? Of course I did! Sweetie Belle, I did all that because I wanted to be with you from the very beginning!"
"Then why didn't you say anything?"
"Because I was tired of being the loser, and when my dad told me to get popular before confessing to you, I went with it." Said Button, looking away in shame. His stare was brought back to the filly when he heard Sweetie Belle laughing softly.
"Wait, what did I say...?"
"Oh, Button, we are just the worst!" Said Sweetie Belle, laughing some more.
"What?"
"I mean, I have been doing the same for you!"
"Huh? You drank a potion?"
"No! I mean, since I started liking you, I've been returning to this arcade every week to get more into videogames! I thought that maybe you'd like me more if I was into videogames! But that's not it! I also have been buying comics from a long time! Now I never miss a single edition of Supermare thanks to you!"
Button smiled at Sweetie Belle. "Wait, you like Supermare too?"
"Yeah! I specially liked when she threw that big robot into the ocean!"
"Aw man, I really like that edition!"
"I know, right?"
Both of them laughed, now being completely confident around the other. Now it was time to make the big question, because if Button didn't ask it at that time, he probably wouldn't have the strength to do it in any other moment.
"Hey, Sweetie Belle?"
"Yes, Button?"
"Do you... Maybe... I don't know..."
"Yes...?"
"Maybe... Do you want to...?"
"Yeeees...?"
"Go to see the next Supermare movie with me?"
"You mean like a date?"
Button considered the question, was he really sure he wanted to risk it and say yes? Or should he just stay as her friend, like his dad would've suggested? All things considered, Sweetie could still be mad at him for ruining the show. Maybe the most rational thing to do was to stay as her friend and do something nice for her later.
But then again, the thought of somepony else dating Sweetie sent shivers down his spine.
'You know what? Fuck it!' "Yes, but if you don't want to we could go as frie-"
Sweetie Belle gave Button a sudden hug, which took him completely by surprise. "Of course I'll go as your date! I'd love to!"
Then, out of nowhere, Sweetie gave Button a big kiss on his lips. To say Button was unprepared was wrong. He was caught with his guard down entirely. The kiss lasted for about three seconds, but they were enough to get Button dizzy from all the emotions he was experiencing at the moment. After Sweetie let Button go, he fell down on the floor, overwhelmed with good emotions.
Sweetie Belle giggled at Button's clumsiness, there was another thing she liked about him. Sweetie helped Button get back up on his hooves, and proceeded to nuzzle him under his chin.
"Umm... Sweetie Belle?" Asked Button, still on a trance.
"Yeah?"
"Shouldn't we take this slower?"
"Nah, I've been waiting for too long for this." Said Sweetie, not stopping at all. Button just shrugged and went with it, it was looking like it was going to be a pleasant afternoon.
"Do you think we should jump now?" Asked Silver Spoon, from around the corner of the arcade.
"Nah, just give them a few moments. I think they need them." Said Dinky, to which the rest of the foals nodded.
Spike was not too far away, he had passed the arcade and he had turned around the corner, just like his friends had told him to. Spike half closed his eyes, and he spotted a yellow filly sitting on a bench by herself a pair of buildings away.
'Come on, just go, you can do this.' Spike tried to give himself strength, but he was still very nervous. He approached the filly, taking steps slower than usual, to give himself more time to think of something to say to her.
'Should I apologize to her? Should I not say anything about how I feel? Maybe I shouldn't do this right, now, maybe I should...' Spike mentally slapped himself. 'NO! You didn't fight an entire town for nothing! Look, just try to relax... If you can.'
Spike was mere steps away from Apple Bloom, and before Spike could say a word, Apple Bloom turned around and she saw him standing there; Apple Bloom smiled at Spike, so Spike smiled back at her.
"Hey." Said Spike sheepishly.
"Hey." Apple Bloom's voice had a hint of sadness, but Spike could tell she was trying to hide it. "Do you want to take a seat?" She asked, moving to her side and patting the spot next to her. Spike simply nodded and sat down next to her.
"Apple Bloom, I just wanted to-"
"Spike, I still remember how it felt."
"What?"
"Aside from the fact that it was painful trying to resist, it felt like I'd never have to... Be unsure of anything ever again." Said Apple Bloom, to which Spike sadly nodded. "It's... Really embarassing."
"Apple Bloom, you didn't want to... I was the one who-"
"I mean, it's embarassing to know that I want things to be easy... Mine said I wanted to get my cutie mark fast and easy, that I wanted to make my sister proud without putting too much effort, and that I wanted to stop feeling like a baby... It really embarassed me to realize it was right."
"Yeah, but I don't know... I haven't met anyone who wants things to be hard..." Said Spike, earning a laugh from Apple Bloom; although, it came out as a cough rather than a laugh.
"How did yours look like?" Asked Apple Bloom, to which Spike looked at her with a surprised stare.
"Umm... Like a small Rarity." Said Spike with shame.
"Oh." Apple Bloom looked down sadly, this confirmed one of her biggest fears and doubts.
"And yours?"
"My mom."
Spike looked at her with sadness... Almost pity. He never gave too much thought about who his real parents were, since he had never even heard from them, but Apple Bloom must've at least seen pictures of them.
"O-oh. I didn't know... I'm sorry."
"Why are you apologizing for?"
"Because this whole mess is my fault."
"Spike, look at me." Spike looked up, and once he did, Apple Bloom put both of her hooves on his shoulders. "None of this is your fault."
"It is."
"It's NOT!" Apple Bloom's voice was firm, and Spike had no other choice than paying attention to her. "Miss Twilight told us that those ponies were selling those darn potions to ponies with insecurities or issues, because they would be the easier targets. You didn't cause any of this whole mess!"
"Apple Bloom, can I tell you something?"
"Yes."
"I don't think my magic was very effective."
"Huh? Why?"
"Well, the magic was supposed to take the form of somepony you trusted to do everything they ask, but I think mine wasn't working."
Apple Bloom looked at Spike with questioning eyes, but there was a spark of hope behind them that she hoped Spike wouldn't notice. "R-really? But why? I thought you-"
"Had a crush on Rarity? Meh, some time ago you would've been right. But I got slapped by reality."
"What do you mean?"
"One day, I was going to the boutique to help Rarity, as usual, but I saw that she was going out with a stallion from Canterlot. They looked like they were going on a date, so I kinda lost all my chances there."
"Oh... I'm sorry, Spike." Said Apple Bloom, putting a comforting hoof on his shoulder, but Spike took her hoof and lowered it.
"Don't be sorry. After that, I realized that I was just going after Rarity for her looks, I mean, I literally was a pin chushion for her and all I got was a kiss on the cheek! So I tried to live my life as always."
"I'm glad, you're such a nice guy. I'm sure that whoever you choose will be lucky to have you." Said Apple Bloom, trying to hide her sadness.
"Actually, there is one filly that I had my eye on, but after everything, I'm sure I'll be alone forever. Besides, I should've seen it coming, she is like, one of the most popular fillies in town, she was out of my league from the beginning."
Apple Bloom looked at Spike, and she saw that he was staring into the void, meaning that he was thinking about her right now. Apple Bloom just looked away before she could sigh in sadness.
"Anyway, the fake Rarity and I had a lot of disagreements, but I ended up doing whatever she said because I was being selfish."
"What? Why were you being selfish?"
"Because I did everything the fake Rarity asked me to, just because I wanted that filly to like me too."
"Really?"
"Yeah, but when all of Ponyville was controlled, I realized how selfish I was being, so I made you drink those drops before it was all over."
Apple Bloom's heart skipped a beat, did he say that he liked her? Is that why she was trying to kiss him back at the theater? No, it couldn't be possible! Her mom was trying to help HER! Right? But then again, Spike made her drink those last few drops; meaning that Spike didn't feel the same way. But maybe there was a chance that they were BOTH being helped by the magic.
Apple Bloom stopped her thoughts there, she wouldn't get anywhere just thinking about it, she needed to ask him.
"Spike."
"Yes, Apple Bloom?"
"Back at the theater, I remember I was being pulled over to you..."
"Oh yeah... Sorry about that."
"What do you mean you're sorry?"
"The fake Rarity was trying to make me believe you liked me so that I would surrender. I'm sorry you were forced to do that because of me."
"What? Why did she... You know..."
"Because... The truth is... Well..." Spike's words became harder to formulate, he knew that it was time to come clean, there was no escaping this one. "Because I like you."
Apple Bloom's heart rate was now following the rhytm to a rock and roll song, did Spike just say he felt the same way? "Spike... You... like me?"
"Yeah, that's why I made you drink the last drops. I couldn't keep you from him. So please, just because I like you you shouldn't feel weird! Just please let me be your friend."
"Spike, what on Equestria are you talking about?"
"About you and Snails!"
Apple Bloom had never been so confused in her entire life. "What?"
"Back at the first party, you told me you liked Snails, right? I knew you would be happier with him than me; so I decided that seeing you happy with him was the best choice, even if it makes me kinda sad."
"Huh? I never said... Wait." Apple Bloom remembered that day, the day where she had confessed in a discrete manner; maybe she had been a little too discrete for Spike. Apple Bloom began laughing out loud, which surprised Spike.
"Why are you laughing?" Asked Spike, clueless as to what was happening.
"Spike, you're so silly!" Apple Bloom kept laughing, which didn't help Spike. Apple Bloom saw that Spike was still clueless, so she decided to finally come clean; since he felt the same way, nothing else mattered anymore, not her family's opinion on dragons, not her own insecurities or anything else.
"Spike, do you remember specifically what I told you that day?"
"Well... You told me that he goes to the same school as us, you see him everyday there, you've known him for a long time, his name starts with an 'S' and at one point he became a guy that you'd be into." Spike thought about the possibilities, but there weren't many colts that fit her description of the guy she liked. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's Snails. Unless you like Snips?"
"Sweet Celestia, no!" Apple Bloom turned away, to get the image of Snips and Snails out of her head. "Wow, you really have no idea, do you?"
"Nope, I'm pretty sure there's nopony else at our school who-" Spike was cut off when Apple Bloom grabbed both sides of his face with her hooves. "Umm, Apple Bloom?"
"It's you, silly!"
Afterwards, Apple Bloom kissed Spike on his lips. The filly enjoyed every part of this moment, he felt the same way, he didn't back away when she kissed him, and her first kiss had been with him! Spike, on the other hand, was both completely confused but undeniably happy that Apple Bloom was kissing him.
The kiss was sloppy, quick and unexperienced, but both of them were completely satisfied by it. Apple Bloom let Spike go, and he inmediately fell on his back, overwhelmed with emotions of all kind; while Apple Bloom laughed at Spike for being so clueless all this time.
"Wait, Apple Bloom... You like me?!" Asked Spike, starting to get back his senses.
"Of course! I can't believe you didn't guess it right away!" Said Apple Bloom that showed happiness for finally confessing, and some anger towards Spike for being dumb.
"Hey, on my defense I was drunk and I had fallen off a window, so cut me some slack there." Said Spike, to which Apple Bloom rolled her eyes smiling. "Since when?"
"Since you defended me from Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. I think that was the point where I really just fell for you." Said Apple Bloom with a dreamy stare, remembering the day Spike had stood up for her.
"Oh, wow... That's ironic, then." Said Spike, looking away.
"Why?"
"Because that was the moment where I thought I was going to be a loser, always alone forever."
"Spike, in case you needed confirmation: I like you very much." Said Apple Bloom, smiling at him.
"I like you too... But wait, that means that... Back at the theater..." Said Spike, looking back at her when the realization hit him.
"Yep, I was talking from the heart. I guess the magic WAS trying to help us in its weird way."
"Yeah... But enslaving all of Equestria isn't really the way to go, right?" Apple Bloom nodded. "Speaking of which... Apple Bloom."
"Yes...?"
"Look, I ruined the show, I almost destroyed Ponyville... Maybe all of Equestria; I know the last thing I deserve is another shot, but-"
"Spike." Apple Bloom stopped him before he started to ramble on. "Just say what's on your mind."
"Do you want to hang out with me... Tomorrow at the park? And maybe the ice cream parlor afterwards?"
"That depends... Is there somepony in your head telling you to say that?" Asked Apple Bloom with some sarcasm.
"Maybe... But I swear, inside here now there are just regular and normal voices." Said Spike, pointing at his head.
"Hmm... I think me and my own voices in my head have made a decision..."
"What do they say?"
Apple Bloom smiled at him. "I think we'll all be happy to hang out with you." Apple Bloom then gave Spike a kiss on the cheek, which made him blush profusely.
"There ya go!"
"About time!"
Spike and Apple Bloom turned around, and they saw that the rest of their friends were staring at them from a nearby bush. Both of them blushed and looked at everything except at each other. The group laughed at their embarassment; Button approached Spike, along with Sweetie Belle.
"Spike."
"Uhh... What's up, Button?" Said Spike, still refusing to look at Apple Bloom, while she did the same.
"Oh, don't hide it, you two. Nopony here has a problem, right, guys?" Asked Sweetie Belle to the group. Everypony shook their heads in unison.
"Actually we came here to invite you."
"Huh?" Spike, Button Mash, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle didn't know about this.
"When we followed you, we thought it could be a good idea to spend the rest of the afternoon in that arcade, so what do you say?" Asked Snips.
"I'm in!" Said Apple Bloom.
"Me too!" Added Sweetie Belle.
"What about you, guys?" Asked Pipsqueak to Spike and Button Mash.
Before the boys could answer, they turned their heads, because they felt like there was somepony calling them. When they turned around, Spike saw the fake Rarity and Button saw his dad staring at them; they looked like they were wounded, and their voice was just as demanding as ever.
"Spiiiiiiike." Said the fake Rarity in a playful but menacing tone.
"Buttoooon." Button's dad called him.
"Guys?" Pipsqueak saw that the boys were staring into the distance.
"Spike!"
"Button!" Their voices echoed inside their heads, becoming louder and louder.
"Guys, are you okay?" Asked Snips, worried that they were still not responding.
"You'll never be rid of me!"
"Sorry." Said Spike, turning back to the group.
"Yeah, we thought we heard something." Followed Button, smiling at the group.
"Spike?"
"Button?"
"Oh, okay then." Snips shrugged.
"Yeah, I'm glad you're back!" Said Pipsqueak, patting Spike on his back.
"Spikeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"
"Buttooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnn"
Then, the fake Rarity and Button's dad disappeared.
"So, is everypony... And dragon ready for a race?!" Asked Dinky, everypony cheered.
"Okay! Last one to the arcade is a rotten egg! On your marks!" Everyone leaned forward.
"Set!" Everypony got in position.
"Come on, LET'S GO!"
The foals ran at full speed towards the arcade, hoping to get some time before it closed. No one knew what the future would hold for them, but they were sure that they could bear it. After all, now all of them were happy with each other. There was nopony, creature or magic that could break their bond; because now they were united, and united, nothing could break them apart.
Dear Princess Celestia,
I should be writing this on the friendship journal, but Twilight wanted me to share our lesson with you, and after some consideration, I've realized that this is something that I needed to do to show you what we've learned. After these few days, we've learned some things about ourselves and the world around us, and we can assure you that our lives will be different from now on in a good way. We learned that being accepted is not the same as being liked, because we can be accepted and feared, but we're better off being ourselves and being accepted by ponies who like us for who we are; because that way, relationships will be purer and overall better. We also learned that, sometimes, there will be ponies that we love who go through tough times and they don't realize it; but with some help from our caretakers and our friends, we realized that we can help those who we love, whether they want it or not. Even if that means putting your hoof down, being brave for them and being honest with them. But probably the most important thing we've learned, is that we live in a world full of ponies who will try to give us advice. Maybe sometimes they do it with good intentions but other times they'll do it with bad purposes. Not only that, but sometimes their voices will get stuck on our heads, along with more voices from the ones we know. But now we realize that, no matter how much those voices can hurt us and make us doubt ourselves, the loudest voice in our heads is, and will always be ours. We may have many voices in our heads, but the loudest one is ours!
