In Spike We Trust

In Spike We Trust

• Cornflak

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We’re having a picnic right now. I thought we should have it in Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack didn’t mind it. There’s so many leaves that seem determined to float into our food, though. I got to wear my favorite scarf today because the wind is really cold. We have some garnet cake over here, and a little bit of amethyst pie over there. Rarity didn’t want anything to eat. I asked her a hundred times, but she insisted to go hungry.

Her excuse was, “Spike, darling, looking into those divine eyes is more than enough to satisfy me.”

I tried to ignore the spell that obviously forced those words out of her. I really tried to block it out. I wanted to just smile and look in her eyes to return the favor, but that’s when I noticed that her natural eye color had turned dark and blood red. I knew she was hypnotized and stuff, but I also knew that something wasn’t right about what I saw.

“Ever try jewels before?” I ask before chomping into my cake. This is where we are now, asking each other what we eat. You couldn’t write a better love story.

“Oh, heavens no! I’d much rather watch you devour them.” she bats her eyes. I roll mine.

I tried writing a love story once. It ended up being boring. There was always two ponies talking in every scene; never more than two.

“Please, just...stop right there.” I’m not in the mood to hear fake love words.

When I was writing that story, I felt like I had to challenge myself, so I tried adding a third pony in one of the scenes. It was weird. You kinda lose track of who’s talking.

“Why, Spike, what ever is the matter?”

“Doesn’t matter if I tell you.”

“Well, why is that?” she sounds like she might actually be concerned, but she has this drunken smile the whole time. I know that my words are just going through one ear and out the other.

“Because you’ll just deny it.”

“Deny what?”

“That you’re hypnotized.”

She laughs at me.

“Oh, Spikey Wikey,  you simply must stop going on about this story of yours! It really is precious.”

“Precious?” I scrunch up my face. It’s not exactly a word that I’d use to describe being under a spell.

“Of course! How could anything about you not be precious?”

“Just stop talking for a second.”

“Spike, what are you-”

“Can you just do that for me? I wanna have a good time today, that’s all.”

“But any time with you is a good time, Spikey Wikey.”

“That’s it. Next time I see Discord, I’m calling this whole thing off.”

“Discord? What does that vile creature have to do with us?”

“Everything.” I sigh.

“Wait, I have the perfect idea!” Rarity hops on all fours.

“You do?” I stare at her and drop my cake. For a second, it feels like this is actually Rarity talking.

“Oh, do I ever.” she slowly approaches me and leans in really close, “We should get married.”

My heart sinks down to my feet and I fall onto my back.

“Married?!”  I crawl backwards so that I can put as much space between us as possible.

“Don’t play coy with me, Spike. I know you’ve been thinking it.”

“N-No! I haven’t! I’m not ready! I’m just a dragon!”

“Stop scrambling on the ground, silly.”

“No, you stop!” I point a claw at her, “You’ve been acting weird for months! A-And I’m sick of it!”

“I know how you feel, Spikey Wikey! I’m lovesick too!”

“No, you’re not! You’re not my Rarity!” I rise to my feet and keep backing away, “But I know she’s still in there.”

Her eyes suddenly turn a fiery red. She starts gritting her teeth and digging her front hooves into the dirt.

“Spike...I told you to stop being so silly. We’re going to get married.”

“I’m not gonna-”

“NOW!”

She screams so loud that I know it’s time to turn around and sprint away. I don’t even look back. I can hear her pounding the ground behind me. She’s probably shaking the whole town, which is right where I’m headed. I think that maybe I can solve all of this if I’m just honest with everypony. Like, maybe it’s time to come clean.

“SPIKE, DON’T ABANDON ME ON OUR WEDDING DAY!”

Up ahead is town square. I run around the fountain and keep heading straight. Behind me, I can hear ponies screaming for their lives. There’s a loud crash, almost like an explosion, and then there’s the sound of rushing water. I’m pretty sure that Rarity just bulldozed her way through the fountain.

“Spike...?”

That’s Twilight up ahead. She’s standing outside the library. The sound of the fountain blowing up probably got her attention.

“Go inside!!” I yell at her.

“What? What’s going on?”

“Just go inside! Leave the door open!”

“Is that Rarity?” she asks after she backs away into the library.

“I’m coming in! Move!”

When I get close enough, I dive through the doorway and hit the floor hard. I can’t waste any time, though. I hop up to my feet and point at the door.

“Close it!!”

And then, Twilight shuts the door a little more patiently than I probably would have. It doesn’t stop Rarity, though. Storming through the fountain prepared her for this moment. She flattens the door down like it’s made of paper.

“Please, please, please, stop!!” I look away and shield my face, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to hypnotize you! It’s Discord’s fault, I mean it! I just...I..uh...”

I take a peek when I realize that I’m not being trampled. Instead, it looks like Twilight zapped her with a spell that’s making her float in the air. She looks frozen. Her angry face and her red eyes are still in place.

“Aw, cool!!” Featherweight jumps down from the stairs, “What happened?! I wanna fly too, Twilight! Make me fly!” I think he forgot about his wings again.

That’s when Twilight slowly turns to me and gives me a really harsh glare.

“Start talking.”

____________________________________________

“Did you have to tell her everything?”

“I was tired of keeping all those secrets. I feel a lot better now, actually.”

Discord groans and folds his arms. We’re both on the balcony of the library. The sun’s setting over the hills and it’s starting to get dark really fast. Twilight’s downstairs with the girls and Featherweight. She’s trying to fill everypony in on what’s been happening. She said she can’t trust me anymore.

“You’re all the same. Perhaps you do belong with these ponies.”

“Well...maybe I do. I just know that I don’t belong with you.”

“Oh, I’m hurt.” he fakes a sad face and wipes an imaginary tear from his eye, “Just when I was starting to feel a connection.”

“Don’t start.” I wave a claw at him, “I’m not even supposed to be talking to you. Twilight knows about you and our deal.”

“Yes, yes. I saw how she extracted the skeletons from your closet.”

“Huh?”

“Figure of speech, Spikey Wikey.” he hovers over me and scratches my head with his talon, “I mean that she confiscated the Elements and the crown.”

“Oh...well, yeah. She did.”

“What a load off your shoulders.” he seems really annoyed.

“Mhm.” I’m afraid of talking to him for too long. I’ll probably get myself stuck in another deal or something.

“I suppose you also told the smarty pants about the letter from Celestia’s ghost?”

“Yeah, she said that Celestia had a spell book in her room. There’s a spell inside of it that lets ponies deliver letters through messenger drakes.”

“Please, go on. It’s absolutely riveting.”

“Well, the point is...somepony must’ve stolen that book, and now they’re just trying to scare me with that spell.”

“I think I may fall asleep soon.” Discord stretches and yawns.

“And speaking of spells, I want you to set Rarity free!”

“Pipe down.” he chooses this moment to recline on the balcony’s railing, “That’s already taken care of.”

“You promise?” I don’t plan on going back inside until I hear him confirm this.

“Go see for yourself.”

I have to shake my head. I guess that’s as sure as it gets with Discord. I walk up to the railing and stand next to him for a minute. Both of us just kind of stare out into the darkness. I can see the moon creeping up behind the clouds. A few birds are still awake and chirping.

“You know...” Discord adopts a different tone. It feels more sincere and quiet, “...I wouldn’t mind having one last cuddle tonight.”

I don’t even have to think about what to say.

“No.”

And then it’s silent. I wait for Discord to say something sassy that’ll make me cringe, but he doesn’t say anything. I look over to see what he’s doing, but he’s just gone. I start to feel a little bad. I mean, I guess he was really just trying to help. Chaos is what he’s good at. He probably didn’t mean for things to turn ugly like this.

I’m such an idiot. If there’s any moral to this story, it’s that I’m a stupid drake that pushes everypony away. Whatever. I guess I’m back where I started. All the girls are downstairs without me. But this time, I’m not just gonna hide from them and cry about it. I whirl around, I step inside the library, and I head down the stairs. I can hear the ponies talking.

“That’s right. Spike is being framed for Celestia’s murder.”

That’s Twilight.

“And ya think Luna’s gonna be next?”

And that’s Applejack.

“Precisely, which is why we need to act quickly. Spike should follow the instructions and return the crown tomorrow.”

Pinkie Pie gasps.

“But that’s what the meanie-weenie no-good pony killer-er wants!” she feels like she needs to wave her hooves in the air to make her point. I can see Rarity next to her. She doesn’t look so crazy anymore.

“That’s why we need to do this.” Twilight says, “We can finally reveal the culprit if we go along with this. Girls, you’ll surround the castle and wait for the signal. Spike and I will go in-”

“I wanna go too!!” Featherweight rushes in.

“Good thinking.” Twilight nods, “We can use your camera for any evidence. We’ll go in the castle and make sure Spike reaches the throne room safely. After that, he’ll take the crown and talk to Luna on his own. This third party will most likely strike in an attempt to frame Spike again.”

“And then we jump in and knock them around till’ they’re crying for their mommies!” Rainbow punches the air with her hooves. Twilight just smiles.

“Yes. Just make sure they don’t escape. We need them so we can finally put this behind us.”

“Now, try not to waste a whole lotta time.” Applejack steps in, “We don’t wanna go and lose another princess.”

“Right.” Twilight’s finally wrapping things up, “You should all get a good night’s sleep tonight. Tomorrow will be a long day.”

“Um...um...excuse me?” Fluttershy raises her hoof, “Could we sleep here for one night?”

Twilight doesn’t need to ask why. It’s obvious that she doesn’t feel safe. After all, there’s a killer among us. The other ponies agree with Fluttershy’s idea and they each grab a pillow and a blanket for sleeping on the floor. I use this time to head over to Rarity. She’s fluffing her pillow and making sure her sleeping space is tidy and perfect.

“Hey, Rarity.” I tap her shoulder. She jumps a little and then spins around to face me.

“Oh! Hello, Spike. Are you alright?”

I shrug.

“I guess so.”

“You poor thing. You’re simply too young for all this nonsense.”

“I can handle it.” I fold my claws and think about what I’m gonna say next, “So, uhh...I wanted to ask you something.”

She carefully positions herself onto her blanket like she’s royalty, and then she brushes herself off before she finally makes time for me again.

“Well, do go on.” she says that and I feel something that I’ve been missing for a very long time. I’m through the roof. My heart’s racing and it’s beating just for her. My legs are shaking. I forget about everything I said about anything.

I’m in love with this mare, and anypony in the room can see that.

“Uhh, well...you know I like you a lot and it’s just that I...well, I really missed you.” I stop and bite my lip. I can feel tears forming, so I rub at my eyes a bunch of times. I can almost hear Discord telling me to stop crying.

“Awww, Spikey Wikey.” she reaches forward and wraps me in a firm hug, “I can’t tell you how...relieved I am to be back. I’m never taking you for granted again. But Spike...?”

“Hm?” I ask with my face nuzzling her neck.

“Please...no more spells.”

I feel like staying right here for the whole night, just hugging until we both fall asleep. But I can’t let things escalate too quickly. I’ve seen what happens when you try too hard to make something happen. Instead, I decide to test the waters and just see if this is really my Rarity.

“You wanna get married?” I almost crack up because of the timing. We’re both having this really emotional moment and then I just drop that bomb.

“Do I want to...wait...say that again...” she says it like it’s a question.

“Uhh...” I break the hug and take a few steps away from her, “...actually, never mind.” I double back and rush to the stairs as fast as my little legs can go.

“Spike, did you say married!? At a time like this!? You have the nerve to-”

I can hear her underneath me when I get upstairs. I slam the door behind me and let out a tired breath. That’s when I close my eyes and smile. I’ve never been happier to have somepony yell at me from the top of their lungs. I walk deeper into the room and step up to the balcony’s glass door. I lean on its cold surface and stare at the moon. It’s really bright tonight.

The sound of the door creaking open makes me turn my head. It’s just Featherweight, so I turn back to the moon and the dark blue sky. Some of the stars are starting to show up.

“Hey...is Discord coming back?”

One by one, all of the lights in the houses of Ponyville start to die off. I can’t decide if I feel good about Discord leaving. He just seemed so upset. Like, I wish I could have at least hugged him or something.

The spirit of disharmony doesn’t get very many hugs, I imagine.

Who does Discord run home to?