Finn

Chapters

Twenty-Four Hours
Time's Up
Making Things Right

Twenty-Four Hours

Twilight Sparkle, the studious young unicorn pony, was busy practising her magic, while Spike, her baby dragon assistant, was leafing through an old book, looking for a spell that would really test the magically-endowed young filly's mettle.

"Done that, done that..." Spike mumbled, reading through the book's contents. "Hey, how about this? 'Species transmogrification spell: Change any creature into any other kind of creature for twenty-four hours'. Why don't you try that?"

"Twenty-four hours?" Twilight repeated. "Sounds like it would take a lot of magic. And who could I try it on, anyway?"

"You could use it on me." Spike suggested.

"You?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah, why not?" Smiled Spike. "You know, I've always wondered what it would be like to be a pony, just like you."

"You have?" Twilight tilted her head in disbelief.

"Yeah, and now I have perfect opportunity to find out." Spike grinned. "Go for it, Twi!"

"I don't know..." Twilight mumbled unsuredly.

"Well, if you don't think you can do it, that's okay." Shrugged Spike, playing on Twilight's pride. "If the spell's really beyond your abilities..."

"I never said that." Declared Twilight, rising to the bait. "I could pull off that spell if I wanted to!"

"Then do it already!" Spike dared her.

"Alright, I will!" Twilight declared.

Taking a look at the spell guidlines written in the book, Twilight stood before Spike and concentrated hard. As her eyes shut in determination, her horn glowed brightly. Soon, the entire room was filled with magical energy, as Twilight's horn erupted in a shower of purple light.

When the light faded, the spot where Spike had stood was occupied by a purple unicorn who looked to be about Twilight's age, with a green, tufted mane and matching tail, with the image of a flickering flame imprinted on his hindquarters.

"Did it work?" The unicorn asked, using Spike's voice. Looking in a nearby mirror, he was delighted to see the result. "It worked! Yeah! Check me out! I'm a unicorn stallion, and a pretty darn handsome one, too!"

"Goody for you." Groaned Twilight, exhausted by her endeavour. "Why don't you go strut your stuff around Ponyville while I sleep this off?"

"You got it." Spike nodded. "And, Twilight... Thanks for this. I really appreciate it."

"You're welcome." Yawned Twilight, as she trotted off to bed. "Just try not to do anything too crazy with it."

"Sure, no problem." Smirked Spike offhoofedly.

As Spike made to walk out of the room, he was at first confused as how his four new appendages worked, but quickly got the hang of them. As he exited the library where he and Twilight lived, he gloried at the idea of walking around Ponyville as a real pony.

'Look at me, hoofin' it around town!' Spike thought as he walked through the streets of Ponyville, giving friendly nods and smiles to those he passed by. 'I gotta tell the others, they won't believe this! But who can I go to? Fluttershy's busy looking after a bunch of injured ducklings, Applejack's doing her apple harvesting, Rainbow Dash is workin' on the weather, and Pinkie Pie's taking care of Sugarcube Corner for Mr. and Mrs. Cake, so that just leaves...'

Spike's thoughts were interrupted when another pony suddenly collided with him.

"Oh, I am dreadfully sorry!" Said the pearl-white, upper-class sounding unicorn with a curly royal purple mane. It was Rarity, Ponyville's very own fashion designer/seamstress, and the object of Spike's long-withheld affections.

"My fault entirely." She declared. "I wasn't watching where I was going. Otherwise, I would never have just bumped into such a handsome gentlepony like yourself." Rarity smiled, fluttering her eyelashes at him.

"Oh, that's..." Spike stopped, cleared his throat, then started talking again, only in a much deeper voice. "That's alright, lovely lady. No harm done."

"Oh, my." Rarity blushed. "Such manners. Might I ask your name, good sir?"

"My name is... Finn." Spike declared, seeing a golden opportunity. "I'm new to these parts, and was hoping to find somepony who could show me around."

"Oh, I would be delighted to be your guide to this wonderful little town." Rarity nudged her head to the left. "Please, follow me."

Spike followed, and they spent the next hour going around Ponyville. Spike had obviously seen all the sights before, but he didn't care: Rarity's work as a tour guide gave him unlimited time to gaze at her; Before, he had been careful not to do so for too long, lest she became suspicious.

Rarity finished the tour with her own home/business, the Carousel Boutique.

"And this is where I live and work: Carousel Boutique, home of high fashion and houte couture!" Rarity declared.

"What a lovely-looking place." Smiled Spike. "May I come in?"

"Oh, I'm afraid not." Rarity shook her head. "I have an absolutely tremendous workload coming in later this afternoon."

"Oh." Mumbled Spike, disappointed. "How about tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow? Hmm." Rarity performed a mental check of her schedule. "I suppose you could come by for lunch. Just you and me. Does that sound acceptable?"

"Very acceptable." Spike smirked. "Until tomorrow, dear lady."

He took Rarity's hoof and kissed it.

"Until tomorrow, gallant gentlepony." Rarity blushed.

As he walked back to the Library, Spike was celebrating wildly inside his head.

'I have a lunch date tomorrow... with Rarity!' He thought excitedly. 'It's official: Best. Day. Ever!'

As he re-entered the Library, He encountered Twilight, who had just come out of her nap.

"So, how was your afternoon as a full-fledged pony?" She asked, supressing a yawn.

"It was alright, I guess." Spike shrugged. He didn't want Twilight to know about his "appointment" with Rarity, mostly because he knew she'd probably give him some kind of lecture about "deceiving ponies" and "abusing magic".

'It's just a little fun.' Spike thought to himself. 'What harm can it do?'

Time's Up

Spike could barely sleep that night, and not just because he found it hard to get comfortable in his new form. He was so excited about his "date" with Rarity that he had to struggle to keep his eyes closed, and constantly tossed and turned in the spare bed, which he occupied because he had become too large for his usual basket.

The next morning, he woke up, went downstairs (With some difficulty, due to his increased number of legs) and ate breakfast with Twilight. The two had a bowl of hay each (Spike's new digestive system naturally being incapable of handling the gemstones he normally ate). Although Spike generally disliked hay (unless it was extra-crispy), his pony tastebuds allowed him to savour the taste in a way he never had before.

After breakfast, Spike quickly made his way to the bathroom, where he washed and preened himself, making sure he looked absolutely perfect.

"About time." Smirked Twilight as Spike came back down the stairs. "I was beginning to think you'd jammed up the plumbing again."

"Hey, that was an accident!" Spike replied hotly.

"Surrrre it was." Twilight said coolly.

"I'd love to stick around and play the blame game, but I gotta get goin'." Spike declared.

"What's the big rush?" Inquired Twilight.

"Oh, you know, just... wanna make the most of my last remaining hours as a pony." Shrugged Spike. "By the way, exactly when will my twenty-four hours be up?"

"The spell should wear off at exactly 12:35 p.m." Twilight declared.

'And my lunch with Rarity is at 12:00.' thought Spike. 'Should be plenty of time left for me to excuse myself before the spell wears off.'

Gleefully, Spike made for the door.

"See ya later." He called to Twilight.

"Later, pony-boy." Twilight mocked him playfully.

Spike made his way across Ponyville to the Carousel Boutique, trying his hardest not to break into a mad dash there, which would would have made him look quite odd in the eyes of anypony he passed by.

As he finally reached his intended destination, Spike steadied himself, took a deep breath, then knocked on the door. A moment later, the door opened to reveal Rarity, who had dressed for the occasion, wearing a lavender gown, her mane tied with a jewel-encrusted hairclip. Spike found himself speechless, awestruck by the subtle increase in the unicorn mare's beauty.

"Well, hello." Smiled Rarity, pleased that she had incurred such a reaction. "Do come in, good sir."

"O-okay." Mumbled Spike, snapping out of his bedazzled state. "After you, dear lady."

Rarity led Spike to an eleborately set table in the centre of the Boutique's main room, upon which was placed two plates of luxury fruit salads, topped with daisies. The two took their seats and began eating.

"So." Said Spike, after gulping down a mouthful. "How is the fashion business, anyway?"

"Booming, of course." Rarity replied breezily, delicately dabbing her mouth with a napkin. "There's always a demand for high fashion, even in a small town like Ponyville."

"Oh, I know." Nodded Spike. "I'm a little into fashion, myself."

"Really?" Asked Rarity.

"Yeah, I'm a regular clothes horse!" Spike joked.

Rarity chuckled.

"Oh, Finn, you are such a delight!" She smiled.

As they continued talking, Spike lost all track of time. He still believed he had plenty of time left before he had to go.

"I must say, Finn." Smiled Rarity. "Though we have only known each other for barely a day, I feel as I have known you for much, much longer."

"Yeah, how about that?" Spike chuckled nervously.

"You're so much different from any stallion I've ever met before." Rarity continued.

"Yes, I am." Smirked Spike knowingly, thinking 'If only you knew how different...'

"And yet, your eyes seem so familar to me." Rarity declared.

"They do?" Spike was nervous again.

"Yes." Nodded Rarity. "So bright and exuberant. Friendly and lively, with a hint of mischief. They remind of somepony, but I can't quite recall who..."

"Enough about my eyes." Said Spike, trying to shift Rarity's focus. "Let's talk about yours. They're all blue and sparkly, like a pair of perfect sapphires."

"Oh, my." Blushed Rarity. "You are sweet." She shifted aside her empty plate, leaning her front hooves on the table. "So very sweet..."

As Rarity leaned forward, lips puckered, Spike couldn't believe his luck.

'I don't believe it!' He thought gleefully as he puckered his own lips, his wildest dream having finally come true. 'I'm actually going to kiss Rarity!'

As he leaned forward, eyes closed, he failed to realise that his body was starting to glow. As his form exploded in a flash of purple light, the brightness was enough to make Rarity open her own eyes, and she saw that, where "Finn" had once sat, there was only Spike, his scaly lips puckered.

"What. Is. The meaning. Of this?" She asked, her voice full of quiet fury.

"Whatever do you mean, dear lady?" Spike said in his deep voice, totally unaware of what had just happened. Rarity responded by looking him up and down, prompting him to do the same. "Oh." He gulped.

"I repeat: What is the meaning of this?" Rarity snarled, her horn crackling with blue energy.

"Oh, well, I, uh..." Spike stuttered.

"Was all this some kind of a joke?" Rarity asked angrily. "Did you think you could have some fun by making me look the fool?"

"No, no, it's not what you think..." Spike vainly tried to explain.

But Rarity had heard enough. Her horn glowing brightly, she used her magic to lift balls of yarn and rolls of fabric into the air, and then hurled them at the young dragon.

"Get out." She hissed. "Get out, get out, get out, get out!"

Spike didn't need to be told twice. Under a hailstorm of wool and fabrics, he charged towards the door. Once outside, he ran all the way back to the library, no longer caring if anypony noticed. As he entered, Twilight noticed his breathless arrival.

"What's wrong, Spike?" She asked.

"A lot." Spike sighed guiltily. The look on Rarity's face had hurt him a lot more then the fashion accoutrements she had thrown at him. "Twilight, I did a bad thing. A very bad thing..."

As Twilight sat down, Spike explained everything.

Making Things Right

As Spike explained to Twilight what had happened, the unicorn pony stood perfectly still, an impassive look on her face.

"...And then the spell wore off, and Rarity got really mad and chased me out." Spike finished the tale despairingly. "Come on, let's hear it."

"Hear what?" Asked Twilight.

"You know, the big lecture about how what I did was wrong, and how lying is bad, yadda, yadda, yadda..." Spike said resolutely.

"Seems kinda pointless, really." Declared Twilight. "You already know what you did was wrong, and you're sorry for it. There's no point in me repeating what you already know."

"So, what are you going to say?" Asked Spike.

"That you should go back to Rarity's and straighten this whole thing out." Said Twilight simply.

"Back?" Gasped Spike. "After she nearly buried me under a mountain of clothing materials? No way!"

"You have to." Said Twilight. "If you don't, you could lose Rarity's friendship forever."

Spike sighed in defeat. He hated it when Twilight was right, which, unfortunately, was most of the time.

"Okay." He breathed deeply. "Back I go. If I don't make it home, you can have the box of emeralds I hid in my basket."

Spike once again made his way through Ponyville to the Carousel Boutique. Taking another deep breath, he knocked on the door. The door opened a tiny crack, through which a beautiful blue eye peeped at him.

"Go away." Said the eye's owner bluntly.

"Please, Rarity." Spike pleaded. "I just wanted to..."

"To what?" Hissed Rarity. "Play another horrible joke on me? No, thank you!"

Rarity tried to close the door, but Spike, thinking quickly, blocked it with his foot.

"Rarity, please." Spike winced. "Just let me in for five minutes, and I'll explain everything."

"Very well." Huffed Rarity, opening the door fully. "Five minutes, and I had better like what I hear."

Spike hobbled into the Boutique, foot still throbbing from its encounter with the door.

"Well?" Rarity prompted. "I'm waiting."

"Look Rarity, I never meant to trick you." Spike said honestly. "Twilight found this spell that could turn me into a pony for a day. I thought it'd be fun to try it. Then I bumped into you in the street, and you said I was handsome, and charming, and, and... I just couldn't help myself!"

"But why go to such extremes?" Rarity asked testily. "Why all the elaborate trickery?"

"Because... Because I..." Spike swallowed hard. He had to tell her, for the sake of their friendship, if nothing else. "Because I really like you... a whole lot."

"Oh." Rarity mumbled, taken aback. "I see."

"I thought this would be my big chance." Said Spike. "The only chance I'd ever have to express my feelings for you."

Rarity sighed deeply.

"First of all, I'm grateful you could be honest with me." She declared. "And I am flattered that you like me, really I am. But you're a dragon, and I'm a pony. I'm sorry, but it would never work between us."

"Yeah, I know." Spike admitted, tearing up. "It's just... You're so beautiful, and kind..."

"Yes, I am." Smiled Rarity, patting him gently on the head. "And you're so sweet and helpful. Which is why I'm so glad to have you as my friend."

"Yeah, friend..." Spike sighed ruefully.

"Now, now, don't be so down." Rarity smiled, putting a hoof on Spike's shoulder. "I'm sure one day you'll meet a lovely lady dragon that you'll want to spend the rest of your life with. And in my opinion, she will be the luckiest lady dragon in the whole wide world."

"You really think so?" Spike asked hopefully.

"I know so." Smiled Rarity. "Until that day, you just keep that chin up."

"Thanks, Rarity." Spike wrapped his arms around her neck. "I'm glad to have you as a friend, too."

After their hug ended, Spike wrung his tail nervously.

"So, am I... forgiven?" He asked.

"Of course." Smiled Rarity. "Just don't do it again, okay?"

"Okay." Chuckled Spike.

As he made his way back to the library, Spike felt strangely jubilant. He had just found his crush on Rarity to be totally unrequited, but wasn't the least bit sad over it. Moreover, the simple fact that she was still his friend filled him with great joy.

That night, Spike was helping Twilight with organising some scrolls.

"Hey, Spike." Twilight smiled. "How about you write tonight's friendship report, considering you're the one who learned the lesson today?"

"Okay." Spike smiled back.

After dipping a quill into an ink bottle, Spike began writing on a blank scroll, speaking the words out loud as he did:

Dear Princess Celestia,

It's me, Spike, who's writing today's friendship report. Today, I learned that friendship and love are both very powerful and beautiful things, but you shouldn't sacrifice one to gain the other. True friendship can be as wonderful as true love, and just as meaningful and long-lasting. I learned the hard way that trying to switch between the two can be tricky business, and that if you can't have someone's love, you should just be happy with their friendship.

Your faithful servant, Twilight Sparkle's faithful assistant,

Spike

"How was that?" Spike asked upon completion.

"Very good, Spike." Smiled Twilight. "I'm sure the Princess will enjoy reading it."

Rolling up the scroll, Spike breathed in deeply, then exhaled, releasing green fire from his mouth, which reduced the scroll to ash. The ashes wafted out of the window and into the night sky, heading towards Canterlot. Once they arrived at Princess Celestia's sitting room, the ashes would then reconstitute themselves back into the completed scroll, ready to be read.

"Well, I think I'll turn in for the night." Yawned Spike. "I'm really tired."

"I'm not surprised." Smirked Twilight. "You've had a busy day."

"Tell me about it." Sighed Spike. "From here to Carousel Boutique and back, twice in a single day!"

"At least you had four legs on the first lap." Sniggered Twilight.

"Don't remind me." Sighed Spike. "Being a pony's too much bother for me. I think I'll stick to being a dragon, thank you very much."

And with that, Spike stumbled upstairs, walked up to his basket, and collapsed face first into it, lapsing into loud snoring almost immediately.

The End