Persistence
"Come on, Twilight! Please?" Pleaded the baby dragon.
"For the last time, Spike." replied the young alicorn princess. "No! It's too complicated!"
"But you were able to turn Fluttershy into a vampire batpony!" he complained.
"That was by accident!" she replied. "I did not mean to turn her into that. And she also told me that there seemed to be some side effects, so I still need to look into that."
"But what about that time when you turned everypony into breezies?"
"That was a necessity, Spike." she explained. "The Breezies needed companions to help them go back to their world. I cannot just turn anypony, or anydragon for that matter into something else for fun!"
"But mine's a necessity too, Twilight!" Spike argued. "I really need you to turn me into a pony!"
"Why?! Aren't you happy that you were born as a dragon?"
"Yes, but... I just..."
The young dragon struggled to put his reasons into words, but Twilight butted in and guessed,
"You just want to have a chance with Rarity, don't you?"
"Yeah..." he replied, his tone dying down a bit.
The young alicorn placed her hoof on her face and groaned a bit before she looked back at her assistant and explained to him,
"First, Rarity already knows you like her, and she's okay with that. And Secondly, you do not have to change species if you want to be with her. I know she likes you just the way you are, Spike."
"But Twilight." added Spike. "It's just... Well, sure Rarity likes me for who I am... But there's no doubt that she likes "stallions" and not "baby dragons". She sees me as cute and adorable, while she sees stallions as gorgeous and attractive. I don't stand a chance with Rarity if what she's looking for are stallions."
Twilight paused for a while. She could really see how determined Spike was for this, no matter how silly it sounded.
"You really want to go that far with Rarity, Spike?" she asked. "You're just a baby dragon, after all."
"But I'm mature enough to know what a mare wants, and I'm mature enough to know what love is." he replied.
"Love?" said Twilight.
Spike made a big sigh and said,
"Yes, Twilight... I love Rarity... No more crushes... no more childish crushes... I love her... and I want to be with her... and if that means changing species, then so be it!"
Twilight was put to silence for a moment after hearing those words from Spike. The young dragon was really determined to get what he wanted, and it was so mature of him to stand up for what he believed in. She did not like the idea, but she saw that this would bring joy for him, and the last thing she ever wanted was to see her baby dragon heartbroken and depressed for not getting what he felt deserved.
"Alright." she replied with a reluctant sigh. "I'll do it."
"For real?" asked Spike, not believing that he finally got Twilight to give in.
"If it's the only thing that will make you happy, Spike." she said. "I'll turn you into a pony."
"Oh my gosh, this is awesome!" exclaimed Spike. "Thank you so much, Twilight!"
Twilight made a small smile; seeing him like this did lift her spirit a bit.
"I'll need to go through some studies before I try to turn you into a pony first, though." she said, making her way to a book shelf. "I want to make sure that there won't be any side effects or cautions for this."
"Okee Dokee!" replied Spike as he ran to the shelf to help Twilight look for a book.
The two searched the book shelves for something that was related to species changing. Twilight used this same book to study how she can turn her friends into breezies. Spike found the book and brought it to her, saying,
"Here it is, Twi. Now do your magic!"
"Let me go read this first, Spike." Twilight giggled as she looked for the page that contained the transformation spell. As she read the book, she was startled at what she found.
"I may have some bad news for you, Spike." she said, looking back at him.
"What is it?" he asked.
"It says here the spell for turning anything into a pony is temporary."
"What?!" exclaimed Spike. "How temporary?"
"Three days." Twilight replied.
"Three days?!" Spike replied, almost going into a breakdown. "I can't be together with Rarity for just three days! Isn't there anything I can do to make it permanent?"
Twilight looked at the book again and read more. She then replied,
"It says here that, the only way to make this spell last longer is if, within the three days, the pony should get a cutie mark for it to last permanently."
"A cutie mark?" said Spike, making a small sigh of relief. "Well I guess that's easy to get."
"I don't think it would be easy to earn a cutie mark within three days." replied Twilight. "I mean, the cutie mark crusaders themselves find it hard to get their cutie marks, and it's been a long time since they've started."
"Well, if it's the only way to stay as a pony for Rarity, then I'm willing to take the risk!" replied Spike, a tone of determination in his voice.
Twilight continued to read and said,
"This spell also says that I can transform you into a stallion or mare of any age, but the races are bit harder."
"How harder?" asked Spike.
"Well, if I wanted to turn you into a unicorn, I would need some unicorn magic from a different unicorn. If I wanted to turn you into a pegasus, I'd need a pegasus' feather. The only easy race here would be an Earth Pony."
"I can live with that." said Spike. "I mean, I don't really think I'm cut out for flying, nor would I be as good in magic as you are. So I guess an Earth Pony is the best choice for me!"
Twilight finished reading the spell and closed the book. She looked up at Spike, who stood there ready for her.
"Well, any last requests before I turn you into a pony? Remember, once you get your cutie mark, you can never turn back."
"I'm ready, Twilight!" said Spike. "Hit me with your best shot!"
With that, Twilight began to aim her horn at Spike, glowing in strong alicorn magic. She concentrated her mind into changing her friend from being a dragon into being a pony. A stream of light came out of the horn and began to envelope Spike. The young dragon closed his eyes, a little worried, but nonetheless brave as he began to feel the magic enter his body and change his biological structure. He felt his fingers and claws disappear as they morphed into hooves; he felt his tail turn into horse hair, and his scales turn into fur. His head was changed from a reptilian form into an equine form, and his back spikes turned into a pony's mane.
The transformation was complete and Twilight's horn stopped glowing. The young alicorn rubbed her eyes with her hooves before looking up at Spike, who stood in front of her as a young stallion, about the same age as her, not too tall, nor too short. His fur was purple, just as his scales were, and his mane was green, just like his back spikes. His flank was blank, for he had not gotten his cutie mark yet, but he had the appearance of a young to mid aged stallion.
"Spike?" she said, making sure that the spell worked.
Spiked took a glance at his new body, and almost immediately began to rejoice like a little filly.
"Oh my gosh, Twilight, I look amazing!" he said as he jumped over and hugged Twilight.
Twilight returned the hug, happy that her baby dragon was now a happy young stallion.
"Thank you so much, Twilight!" he added. "Now I can have a chance with Rarity!"
Twilight broke the hug and caught her breath before saying to him,
"I think we should keep this as a secret from Rarity while the spell is temporary. We need you to get your cutie mark before planning on taking Rarity out of a date."
"Right!" said Spike. "I guess I'll have to get started."
"How?" Twilight asked.
"Simple." Spike replied, making his way to the door. "I'll go to the Crusaders, tell them I'm Spike and that I need to earn my cutie mark, get my cutie mark, then go out with Rarity! Piece of cake!"
"Well, okay then." said Twilight as she put the book back on the shelf. "Take care. And make sure that nopony else knows about this."
"I will." he replied as he walked out of the castle library.
Twilight stayed in her library and began to think if what she had done was right or not. She realized that, if Spike was to remain a pony forever, she might lose her faithful and number one assistant.
"What have I done?"
"So let me get this straight." said Apple Bloom. "You asked Twilight to turn you into a stallion so you could be with Rarity."
"Yup!" replied Spike.
"But in order to stay a stallion, you need to get your cutie mark within three days?" added Scootaloo.
"Yup!" replied Spike.
"And you're doing this because you want to have a chance to hook up with my sister?" added Sweetie Belle.
"Definitely."
The three fillies looked at Spike, then back at each other. The idea of helping Spike get his cutie mark was thrilling, but it also dawned on them that, if he does get his cutie mark, he would stay as a pony forever, which means he will not be able to become a dragon again.
"Won't 'ya miss being a dragon, Spike?" asked Apple Bloom.
"I guess I will." replied Spike, scratching his hoof on the back of this mane. "But sacrifices need to be made, especially for a pony as special as Rarity."
Scootaloo gestured a disgusted face at hearing Spike's cheesy remark. Sweetie Bell added,
"Are you sure you're up for this? You should know that it would take more than just becoming a Stallion to impress Rarity."
"That's why I need you guys to help me." Spike added. "Hey, I bet my special talent will be impressing Rarity."
"I highly doubt it." remarked Scootaloo.
"Anyway," added Apple Bloom. "I suppose we can help you get your cutie mark within three days."
"Really?" asked Spike.
"Eeyup." she replied. "But we still need to initiate you into the cutie mark crusaders!"
Immediately, Scootaloo took a cape from the corner of the tree house and put it around Spike's neck. Sweetie Belle stood at the pulpit and began to initiate the "ritual" of membership.
"We, the Cutie Mark Crusaders," she proclaimed. "Elect Spike the dra- errr... I mean pony... to join us as a siste- errr... I mean brother... Ummmm...."
Sweetie Belle found it hard to find male equivalents for the list of words that Scootaloo had made in the list. She decided to skip most of the list and get to the ending part, saying,
"... and fellow Cutie Mark Crusader. You are solemnly sworn in here this day in witness of your fellow Crusaders to achieve your ultimate goal: to get your cutie mark!"
The three fillies then ran up to Spike and hugged him.
"Welcome to the Cutie Mark Crusaders!" they said.
A smile came to Spike's face as he felt accepted into their group.
"Thanks guys." he said. "Now, where do we start in getting our cutie marks?"
An idea came to Scootaloo's head and she said,
"Let's go wave boarding!"
"Yeah!!!" exclaimed the other fillies as they ran outside of their club house.
"Hey!" called Spike, trying to catch up. "Wait for me!"
-
Meanwhile, back at the castle, Twilight Sparkle was in her library reading some books to pass the time, as always. She felt the need to write something down and she said,
"Spike, could you reach me my quill, ink and paper?"
She waited for a response for a while, but nothing came. She called out again,
"Spike, quill, ink and paper please!"
Still no response.
"Spi-"
Before she could call a third time, she suddenly remembered,
"Oh yeah, I forgot..."
She stood up from her seat and made her way to the desk to get her stuff. She made a sigh as she picked up a quill pen, and some ink and paper with her magic. She knew that this would have to be the new routine if ever Spike did succeed in getting his cutie mark and stay as a stallion. The idea was daunting for her, but she knew that this was the only way to keep him happy. And if he is happy, she guessed that she would be happy too.
Twilight was on her way back to her books when suddenly, a knock was head from her library door. She put her stuff down on the table beside her books and made her way to the door to answer it. Sure enough, there stood Rarity.
"Oh, hello Rarity." she greeted.
"Good morning, dear." the white unicorn replied. "May I ask, is Spike around?"
Twilight paused and tried to think of something to reply her with. She did not want Rarity to know yet what Spike had planned for her, so she decided to say something else.
"He... umm... went out for a while..." she said, unsure of what else to say, and not wanting to lie to her friend.
"Awww." said Rarity, disapointed. "That's too bad. I really wanted him to help me find some gems for a new outfit I've been working on for Sapphire Shores."
"I see." replied Twilight, a tone of guilt in her voice. "Well, I'm not sure when Spike will come back."
"Well, I guess I'll have to took for gems the old fashioned way." said Rarity. "Thank you, anyway, Twilight."
"No problem." the princess replied. "Good luck."
Rarity made her exit, leaving Twilight still standing there, thinking to herself,
"I really hope you know what you're doing, Spike."
-
"Well that was a disaster." said Scootaloo, soaking wet.
"I thought you knew how to drive a speed boat." added Spike as he shook his head to get the water off his mane.
"Did you really expect a filly to know how to drive a speed boat?" said Apple Bloom as she squeezed the water out of her bow. "Did 'ya get your cutie mark yet?"
Spike took a glance at his flank and replied,
"Nope."
"Welcome to our world, Spike." joked Sweetie Belle as she got back up on her hooves.
Just as they were drying themselves up, Pinkie Pie suddenly appeared in their midst and said,
"Hey, new guy!"
Spike was startled at Pinkie's sudden appearance out of nowhere. The crusaders were also startled, but knowing Pinkie Pie, this was not uncommon.
"I haven't seen you before." said Pinkie. "But it feels like we've met somewhere before."
"Ummm..."
Spike did not want to tell Pinkie that he was actually Spike. He wanted to keep this a secret from most ponies, and only he, Twilight and the Crusaders knew who he was. The Crusaders also knew that Spike was keeping this as a secret, so they butted in, saying,
"He's a new member of the cutie mark crusaders."
"A cutie mark crusader?" said Pinkie as she checked Spike's flank. "How can somepony as old as you not have a cutie mark yet?"
"Ummm..." said Spike, thinking of what to say. "I was never really good at finding my special talent yet... ? "
Pinkie looked intently at Spike, examining him from face to tail. Knowing Pinkie, Spike was afraid that she might figure out his secret and blurt it out to everypony. But the pink mare suddenly made a huge grin and said,
"Okee Dokee Lokee!"
Spike and the crusaders made a sigh of relief at that. Pinkie added,
"Since you're new here, I think we should throw a party for you."
"I don't think that's necessary." replied Spike.
"Aww come on!" encouraged Pinkie. "It'll be fun, and I'll invite all my friends to meet you."
Hearing this, Spike asked,
"All your friends?"
"Yup!" she replied.
"Including Rarity?"
"Yep!" she replied, then asked, "How do you know Rarity?"
Spike bit his lip as he nearly gave away his secret plan. He made a split moment decision and replied,
"Well... I've heard about her from... errr... magazines and articles. She's really famous outside of Ponyville, y'know."
"Okay, then!" replied Pinkie. "I'll tell her you're a fan of her, then. I bet you'll love to meet her at the party."
"Yeah." said Spike, blushing and a little love struck. "I'm sure I will..."
"When and where's the party?" asked Apple Bloom.
"Well since I got a ton of other parties to do tonight and tomorrow, I guess we can do it... three days from now at Sugar Cube Corner."
The four were surprised at hearing that. It was like as if Pinkie meant to put the party on the exact same day as the deadline for Spike to get his cutie mark. They looked at each other, then back at Pinkie and said,
"We'll be there."
"Perfect!" said Pinkie Pie. "Before I go, can I ask something?"
"Sure." replied Spike.
"What's your name?"
Spike paused. The crusaders could not help him with this one, so he had to come up with a name fast.
"My name is... Ummm... Sp- .... Spa... Spe..."
He looked back at the lake and saw the speed boat that hey had used awhile ago when they wave boarded. He then finally thought of a name and said to Pinkie Pie,
"Speedy! My name is Speedy."
"Alrighty, Umm Spa Spe Speedy," said Pinkie Pie. "I'll see you at the party!"
"Alright." replied Spike as he watched Pinkie bounce away.
When she had finally gone away, Scotaloo remarked Spike, saying,
"Really? Speedy?"
"Hey, I couldn't think of anything else, okay!" replied Spike.
"Whatever." she giggled. "Anyway, now we have a real deadline for getting your cutie mark, Spike."
"Eeyup." added Apple Bloom. "So, what should we do now?"
"How about we go sky diving!" said Sweetie Belle.
"Yeah!" exclaimed the other two.
Spike just stood there and said to himself,
"These three are gonna be the death of me..."
