Forty Minute Fantasies

“Hey, Twilight!  Can we come in?”

Twilight Sparkle looked up from the tray of books she was sorting.  “Pinkie, this is a library.  It’s supposed to be open to the public.”  A few seconds later, in light of the pink mare’s stare, Twilight gave in.  “Yes, Pinkie,” she sighed, “you can come in.”

“Goody!” Pinkie bounded through the door, followed by Fluttershy and Applejack.  “Now we just need to find Rainbow and…”

“Over here, Pinks.”  Rainbow fluttered down from the top of the stairwell.  “I’ve been hanging out with Twi while she does whatever she’s doing to those books.  What’s up?”

It was Fluttershy who answered.  “We, um, well, Pinkie thought it might be fun to go on a picnic today, and we, er…”  She broke off, swallowed, then tried again.  “Do you think maybe the two of you could join us?”

Twilight shook her head.  “Sorry, guys.  Rainbow might be able to, but I’m going to be busy here today.  These books won’t shelve themselves, after all.”

Rainbow snorted.  “So ask Spike to do it,” she said.  “Wouldn’t that solve the problem?”

Twilight shook her head again.  "I can’t, Rainbow.  He asked me for some time for himself, and I told him he could take it.”  She paused, then frowned.  “Actually, now that I think about it, he’s been asking that a lot lately.  I wonder what he’s up to?”

Fluttershy looked up in alarm.  “Oh, I do hope it’s not something dangerous.  I mean, I can just imagine…”

Spike, scrawnier than normal and with black rings darkening the scales under his eyes, scrambled into the middle of the field, the contents of the bag on his back poking him in the side.  He looked around carefully, then pounded twice, pause, then three more times on one of the large stones nearby.  A few seconds later, a hole opened in the dirt, and a head poked out of it.  “You got the bits?”  it asked, suspiciously.

“I’ve g, got them, yeah,” Spike said.  “Just tell me you’ve got the stuff, please.”

The Diamond Dog snorted with laughter.  “Sure thing, kiddo,”  it said, pulling out a small pouch.  It opened the drawstring, then poured the contents, a handful of smooth white rocks, out onto its palm.  “Smooth nephrite, fresh-cut.”  Spike scrabbled towards the stones, only to have the Dog close its paw around them.  “Not until I get the bits,” it growled.

In response, Spike swung his own bag around, several golden coins spilling out as he did so.  “You’ve got them, you’ve got them!  Now gimme!”

“Suit yourself,” the dog said, tossing the small bag to the side.  “Just remember… price goes up next time.”

“I don’t care,” Spike said, several of the smooth stones already on their way to his mouth.  “Just keep these coming!”

“‘Shy, snap out of it!”  Startled, Fluttershy came back to reality, to where Rainbow’s wing was gently slapping her face.  “Spike’s not that kind of guy, okay?  He’s too cool to get caught up in something like that.”

Twilight nodded.  “She’s right, Fluttershy.  Besides, nephrite? That stuff’s pretty much harmless.”

“But, the last time I tried to offer Spike some gems, you told him not to…”

Twilight sighed.  “I told him not to eat any, yes.  Nephrite is a dragon soporific, Fluttershy.  I just didn’t want him conking out in the middle of the afternoon.”

“Oh.”  Fluttershy began to pull back in on herself.  “I’m sorry.”

“‘Shy, it’s okay.  I’m not quite sure why that was your first thought,” Twilight said, her head cocked to the side in confusion, “but I’m sure Spike appreciates that you’re worried about him.”

The touching moment was interrupted by Pinkie bounding in between the two.  “My turn, my turn!”  As every eye in the room turned toward her, she smiled.  “I’ll bet Spike’s trying to hide the fact that he’s really a dragon!”

Applejack rolled her eyes.  “Pinkie, we all know Spike’s a dragon.  Ain’t prezackly somethin’ he could hide.”

Pinkie turned, her eyes wide with excitement.  “That’s exactly it!  He’s trying to hide that he’s secretly some kind of hidden double dragon!  And he’s training for the day he goes looking for his missing brother Hammer so they can go rescue somebody important to them!”

For several seconds, everypony else stood, mouths gaping.  “That… that’s an interesting idea, Pinkie,” said Twilight at last, “but I’m afraid it’s not…”

Rainbow cut her off, then turned to Pinkie.  “Hate to break it to you, Pinks, but we’d have seen the signs before now if that were the case.”  She then turned to Twilight and began to whisper.  ‘Old movie; I’ll show you sometime.’

Twilight nodded, dumbly, then shook herself back to reality.  “What about you, Rainbow?” she asked.  “What do you think Spike’s doing with his spare time?”

Rainbow shrugged.  “I dunno.”  Then, as a sly grin rose to her face, “maybe he’s got some kind of a secret laboratory somewhere he’s scuttling off to?”

“Yes, yes!  Soon, it will be complete!”

A lab-coated Spike, wide goggles just over his eyes, stared at the sheet-draped table in front of him.  A pair of cables lead from a strange device on the wall to a pony-shaped form underneath the sheet.  “Now, my minion, throw the switch!”

“Yes, Master,” called out a hunch-backed Sweetie Belle.  “Throwing the switch now!”

Lightning danced around the room, and the figure underneath began to sit up.  “She’s alive, alive!” called Spike as it did so.  “My beautiful bride is alive!”

The pony-figure, revealed to be Rarity (her mane streaming back from her head, and a streak of white running through it), turned, snapping the cables from bolts attached to her neck as she did so.  “Yes, master,” she said, “I live… for you.”

Rainbow broke off as she saw everyone’s stares.  “What?”

Twilight rolled her eyes.  “I think you’re the one who’s been watching too many old movies, Dash.”

“Ah, whatever.”  Rainbow spun in the air.  “Your turn, AJ.  What do you think?”

Applejack snorted.  “Ah think you’re all a bunch of crazy coots, is what ah think.  At the risk of making a bad pun, I’d have ta say Spike’s a good egg.”  She turned toward Twilight.  “Jest trust him, Twi.  Whatever he’s doin’, he’ll tell you when the time is right.”

At the old ponies’ home, a draconic voice rang out.  “Next number - N57!”

“Bingo!”  The owner of the new voice, a lilac-colored mare with pinkish-orange classes, jumped up from the table.  “Bingo!”

Spike stepped over to her, taking the card.  “Hmm…” he said, looking it over, then “yep, we’ve got a winner!  Congratulations, ma’am!”  Then, as he raked the pieces back towards himself, “who’s up for another game?”

As the various mares and stallions of the old ponies’ home considered the issue, Mr. Waddle walked over.  “Bless you, young’un,” he said, “these past few weeks you’ve been just what we needed here.”

    “Hey,” Spike said, grinning, “happy to be of service.”