Heavy hoofsteps beat against the dirt road in the Everfree Forest. It was dark, and it was where the silence sent shivers up a pony's spine, yet any noise would make them yelp in surprise. The dark, crooked trees were no pleasant sight. Stare at them long enough, and they might stare back. He didn't care though, headstrong as he was.
Walking along with him were the 'Cutie Mark Crusaders', as they would call themselves. They were awfully chatty, but he didn't let it get to him.
“So Mister Snowflake, how'd you get yer cutie mark?”
“I've been lifting since I was a colt. Back then I was... I was a lot smaller,” he sighed. “I was squatting very hard this one day, and didn't think I could do that last rep, but I did, and it was awesome. Yeaugh!” he roared. The three fillies took a look at his muscular, glistening flank; on it was a dark dumbbell with three plates on each side.
The huge stallion escorted the foals who were sitting on his back, as he was large enough to accommodate all three of them. Throughout the large clearing, the ground bore plenty of light-blue plants of which they trotted through. Rough petals brushed dryly against his legs, causing Snowflake to let out a manly sneeze. The three fillies fell silent as the sneeze blew petals all over the place. A few of them grazed the fillies' coats, which was kind of gross.
It was getting quiet, something of discomfort in a place like that, so Scootaloo broke the silence. “Hey, thanks again for saving us from that cat!”
“That was a 'felis minor', not a cat,” Sweetie Belle corrected. “Opalescence, is a cat. That thing wasn't a cat.”
“Yeah whatever, dictionary.” She rolled her eyes, much to Sweetie Belle's annoyance.
“It wasn't a problem, you girls are just lucky I was there,” he said. “I think you should listen to your sisters next time. If I hadn't been running in here of all places...” Snowflake briefly remembered flying through the trees to save the three fillies. He crashed through many branches in his sprint, leaving a few cuts on his shiny pecs.
Apple Bloom thought of the creature they'd ran away from. It's starry fur protected it's body, and the claws could rend a normal pony apart in seconds. A felis minor; just another predatory creature to add on to all the others in the Everfree. “Yep, we won't do it again, honest!”
Sweetie Belle nodded in agreement. “Besides, Rarity would kill me if she found out.”
Time passed quickly as Snowflake answered their questions. He'd almost expected another creature, but he wasn't afraid for himself. He could probably squat more than a manticore, after all. Eventually, the dirt roads of the outskirts were replaced with the paved roads of Ponyville. Once the four were safe, Snowflake set them down, walking back home to turn in for the night.
Snowflake tossed his blankets aside, getting out of bed to start a new day. One of the first things he noticed was a poster of himself, captioned “Yeaugh!” at the bottom.
“Mommy!” he yelped in surprise, scrambling away from the scary pony. Even the gruffness of his own voice scared him a bit. He shook his head, regaining his valour, and with it, his voice. “It's just me, nothing to fear.” He took a look at his biceps, they were awfully large, but isn't that what he wanted?
Once his breathing calmed, he opened up a chest which held some toys. They were pretty close to him, but Snowflake felt like he needed them more than ever right now. He picked up a doll of Princess Cadance in his hoof. Most knew her as a princess, but he was more interested in how she'd been a foalsitter. How he wished he only had a foalsitter of his own when he was young.
He followed through with the motions, complete with the flank-shaking. “Sunshine sunshine, ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!” He collapsed onto the floor, giggling like a small filly. It did a lot to cheer him up. Just like it would when the bullies got to him.
“Oh, the bullies...” Snowflake frowned. He wasn't born big, it took years upon years of work. The memories came rushing by, yet he couldn't shrug it off. Spectres of the past came to haunt him; laughing, teasing, spitting, and name-calling, all for him.
He backed up into a corner, clutching the Cadance doll tightly in his forelegs. They said he was weak, more of a filly than a colt. “My wings aren't small...” he whispered to himself.
Eventually, he started crying. Bullying was rare in a land like Equestria, but Snowflake happened to be surrounded by the most egotistic of ponies. It didn't help that he was a momma's boy, which all real stallions were. It didn't help that he had short wings, and it didn't help that his one iris was bigger than the other.
Somehow, his muscular frame wasn't helping him now. As tears started to well up in his eyes, he gave himself one roar to defend himself. “I'm a grower, not a shower! Leave me alone!”
With that, he snapped back into his senses, regaining his vigour by throwing around any item he could find, most of them breaking from collisions with the apartment walls. When he was done, he curled up into a ball, weeping into his large forelegs.
The sound of an unlocked door opening caught his attention, frantic hoofsteps could be heard with it. “Hey, what's going on?” He recognized the voice. It was his spotter, Thunderlane. He was one of the pegasi sick with the feather flu during Tornado Day, living in the apartment next to Snowflake's with his brother, Rumble.
“Don't look at me!” he choked out between sobs. “They're gone, they're all gone!”
Thunderlane tilted his head as he approached the living room, greeted with the sight of his best friend, a largely over-grown pony sobbing like a foal. “Oh... man. What happened here?”
Snowflake looked back at him, now regaining his senses. He took in a deep breath, shaking his head softly. His friend soon realized that they were both equally confused.
The dark gray pegasus stepped closer, speaking sincerely. “Come on man, you'll get your game back, real soon.”
He briefly looked up towards his friend, losing his composure once more. “No, no I won't.”
“Do you... Do you want to hit the gym early today?”
“No, I can't!” He flailed his forelegs around, pounding the floor. It prompted the pegasus to back away a bit, giving him more space to sob. “Weights are scary!”
“Then uh...” Thunderlane almost wanted to laugh, but he knew that whatever was going on was serious. “You wanna go get a milkshake?”
The white-coated pony calmed down, sniffling. “Y-Yes. I want a milkshake.”
“Alright, lets go get you a milkshake.”
Snowflake cheerfully took a sip out of his milkshake as he walked alongside Thunderlane. “You're the best foalsitter ever!”
“Yes, I- wait, what?” He lifted an eyebrow, stopping in his tracks. “You're acting real odd today. You know that?”
“Nope, I don't think so,” he replied. “Wait, are you making fun of me?”
“See?” His eyes widened as he began pointing. “There it is! You're acting like you're a foal or something. Snap out of it!” Thunderlane placed both his hooves on Snowflake and started shaking him wildly.
He gave a puzzled look, blinking a few times and pushing Thunderlane away. “I don't know what's going on, man. Whatever this is, I don't like it.”
“You wanna get it checked out?” he asked. “I mean, you're way too old to be acting this way.”
“I'll be alright, just gotta think happy thoughts instead,” he muttered. “Gotta think about squats. Gotta think about deadlifts!”
The gray pegasus cracked a smile. It was just like him to decline the help of a clinic. “There you go.”
“Yeaugh!”
“Yeah!” Thunderlane put a hoof out, waiting for it to be pounded back.
Snowflake reluctantly raised his own hoof, but only tapped Thunderlane's. “On second thought, I'm not feeling so good. Can't work out like this.” He shook his head, walking in the direction of the Ponyville Clinic.
His friend quickly trotted next to him, a concerned look on his face. “What are you talking about? You never skip a day!”
He briefly stopped, putting a hoof against his chin. “That's right, Snowflake never takes a day off...” He grudgingly continued to walk. “But I'm not feeling like Snowflake right now.”
The two trotted onwards to the clinic in relative silence. It was clear to Thunderlane, that whatever ailment hidden underneath Snowflake's rock-hard abs, it was making him go soft. As the two athletic friends knew, soft was the worst way anypony could go.
The quiet was brought to an end as the two clutched onto their ears. “Snowflake!” it cried out, voice-cracking like none-other.”
“Sweet mother of Celestia!” Thunderlane shouted.
Sweetie Belle approached the two, followed by a white mare. She quietly spoke to her, prompting a response from the filly. “Yeah!” her voice cracked again, causing Thunderlane to cringe once more. Snowflake didn't remember her sounding like that. It cracked some times, but never that much. “That's him!”
“Please pardon me, Snowflake? I am Rarity, Sweetie Belle's sister.” The mare stepped up to him, impressed by his humongous quadriceps. “I'd like you thank you for taking my sister and her friends back from the Everfree Forest. I just don't know how to repay you.”
Snowflake looked away from Rarity to recollect his memories of the forest. “It was dark there, very scary. Mommy told me to scream 'fire' if any creepy-looking ponies went up to me there.” She and her sister briefly exchanged awkward glances. This wasn't quite what Sweetie Belle expected from the stallion who saved her in the forest.
“I'm sorry.” Thunderlane butted in, scratching the back of his neck. “He's been acting a bit... off, lately.”
“And Sweetie Belle's voice is 'a bit off' as well,” Rarity commented, causing her sister to pout. “You haven't heard of the 'Poison Joke', have you?” The two friends shook their heads. “Pray tell, did you happen to run into any strange plants while you were there? Blue Petals?”
Snowflake nodded as modestly as a stallion of his size could.
Rarity smiled. “Well then, I believe I may have the answer.”
“And what would that be?” Thunderlane asked.
“The spa, of course! If a friend of mine can help gather some ingredients, this dreadful illness can be cured. Believe me, it is not a pleasant situation.”
Snowflake started to trot away, causing Thunderlane to yank him back in place. “I don't like spas. The mares who work there have cooties.”
“Is he... Is he supposed to be acting like a colt?” Rarity asked.
“It's like he's even younger than your sister.”
“I know!” the filly squeaked. “That means Snowflake can come play with the Cutie Mark Crusaders!”
Snowflake grinned excitedly, turning to his impromptu foalsitter. He didn't say anything, the gleam in his eyes asked a question of its own.
“Yeah, go and play with your friends.”
And so, Ponyville was graced with the image of a world-class body builder happily prancing around with a filly the size of one of his calves.
“One eighteen, keep it up Flitter.”
A mint-maned pegasus struggled to keep her balance as she slowed down. Long trails of sweat rolled down her neck. “Cloudchaser, I can't do this.”
Cloudchaser bit down on a button for her stopwatch. “Yeah sure, that's what everypony says. Just three more to go.”
“No, please... Three more's too much,” she panted.
“Can't break any records with that attitude, thirty seconds left.”
Ponyville's track had received much more attention since the last months, especially from the bare victory last tornado day. Unicorns and Earth ponies ran the four-hundred metre track, while the pegasi either did many laps, or flew elsewhere.
Of all the ponies who came there, only a few had aspirations of competing in the Canterlot Games. Then again, only a few worked as hard as Flitter was working.
Thunderlane, now having no spotter and only an awkward situation to deal with, flew along the road, fluttering to stop by his friends. “Hey you guys, still going at this?”
“Yeah you know, Flitter's gotten like, so much faster. Ready?” The pegasus sighed and placed herself at the starting line once more. “Go!” Cloudchaser bit down on her stopwatch once more, prompting the worn-out pegasus to start flying again.
“So... how much are you making her do?” Thunderlane asked.
“Eight by sixteen-hundred. She's on her sixth right now.”
He briefly looked out to the at the track. It was packed, and the ponies looked like they were working hard. Flitter on the other hand, looked half-dead. Thunderlane chuckled, pointing his hoof at Flitter, and then back to Cloudchaser, who stared back indifferently.
“I'm not training because shut up.” She rolled her eyes. “So, you trying to break ten wingpower again?”
“Nope, maybe some other time,” he said. “Right now, I have to work out a problem with Snowflake.”
“That's like, all I hear from you,” she chuckled. “When are you two gonna get married?”
“Dude, we're just bros, that's all. Marrying him would be like... bro-cest.” He shuddered, briefly remembering an awkward situation in the gym showers.
“So, what kind of 'problem', are we talking about? Girl troubles? Can't reach far back enough to wipe his rear?”
“Nah, it's pretty odd, actually. More odd than that last one you mentioned.”
Thunderlane explained the situation to Cloudchaser, who seemed more than amused. The thoughts of 'Roid Rage', as she would call him, acting like a small filly seemed too exploitable. Her mind began to work twice as fast, thinking of as many ways she could poke fun at him as possible.
All the while, Flitter had still been doing her interval training, barely even close to reaching her target times. Cloudchaser was too distracted to care about her diminishing performance. At last, Flitter had come to a stop and stumbled closer to the two pegasi.
Cloudchaser grinned and started clapping for her friend, not receiving any comment. Flitter started swaying to the side, but she was there to catch her before she hit the ground. Thunderlane watched in distrust.
“You're a horrible pony.”
All of the Cutie Mark Crusaders had woken up with an ailment of their own. After all, they'd been touched by the poison joke too. Sweetie Belle's voice wouldn't stop cracking, Apple Bloom had very short, stubby legs, and Scootaloo had a tendency to 'cluck' every once in a while. Sitting on Sweetie Belle's bed in Carousel Boutique, the three tried to figure out a way to keep their new friend entertained.
Apple Bloom waddled towards the body-builder. “You gettin' bored, Snowflake?”
He softly smiled, shaking his head. He had friends of his own, but not as much when he was younger. He didn't want to go back.
“Well, that's great and all,” Scootaloo said, “But you know, we there's still one thing we haven't tried.” She paused shortly, waiting for her friends to come to a conclusion. The silence broke when she inadvertently made a 'bok bok' noise.
The three other ponies shared inquisitive glances. When Scootaloo pointed to one of Sweetie Belle's pillows, they all knew the answer.
Pillow fight!
Snowflake watched as the three fillies grabbed onto any pillow they could find, battering, or hurling them at one another. He'd never seen this being done before, not at his schools, the track, or the gym. Was it some sort of exercise?
They were getting hit, but they seemed to be having fun, so there didn't seem to be anything wrong with it. Scootaloo tossed a pillow at Snowflake's head, and he reluctantly picked it up in his hooves. He started swinging it around, and all it caused was laughter. Soon, he started giggling too, returning the hits he'd taken.
The room's door opened, and a mare stepped through it. Scootaloo clucked in surprise as Snowflake's mighty blow threw her off the bed, and into Rarity.
“Oh, dear...” Rarity looked down as the filly harmlessly bounced off of her chest. “Are you alright?”
“I think so...” The filly walked away, clutching her head.
“I'm having fun!” Snowflake shouted.
“I can tell, dear.”
“Rarity,” her sister's voice cracked once more. “What are those bags for?”
“Well, you see...” A smile lit up on her face as the four paid their attention. “I have the ingredients to cure the Poison Joke! Thankfully, Zecora had a few more herbs, but she didn't have the full supply needed to spare.” The statement brought some worry amongst the fillies, but not Snowflake. “However, I believe what we have is enough. And Snowflake, your friends are waiting outside. The one... Cloudchaser, I think her name was- she insisted on seeing you here. She seemed all too enthusiastic about it.”
“I don't want to go.”
“What are you talkin' about Snowflake?” Apple Bloom waddled closer. He only paid her a worried look. “You get to be a grown up again!”
“Being older is too scary,” he said. “All I did was lift these heavy weights, and they were so painful. The big, scary machines... They only hurt me. I don't want to think like that again. I just want to play with my friends.”
Rarity approached him to stroke his short mane. “Darling... You have to understand that this isn't you speaking, rather, the effects of the plant.”
Snowflake moved aside, walking towards the door. “Well, I like the plant better. The plant's a nicer pony anyway.” He left to walk down the stairs of Carousel Boutique, ignoring the mare behind him. He saw three of his pegasus friends waiting for him.
Cloudchaser started to speak, but drew her words back as Snowflake sprinted for the door and burst out of the building. “What's gotten into him?” She felt a hoof tap against her back, as if to get her attention. “I already told you Flitter, you've had enough water. You'll be fine.”
Rarity and the Cutie Mark Crusaders trotted down the staircase, none of them looking too excited. “So?” Thunderlane asked. “What happened?”
“Mr. Snowflake says he doesn't want to grow up,” Sweetie Belle answered.
Scootaloo was quick to add on. “Yeah, and he also said exercise hurts.” Cloudchaser started to laugh, stopping when Thunderlane shot her a malicious stare.
Rarity nodded. “I assume you can get him to come with us to the spa? Oh, he must be in such a state of fear right now.”
“Please... W-Water...”
“Great idea Flitter!” Cloudchaser smiled, batting away the hoof that approached her in the air. “Can't we just take some of the water and splash it at him or something?”
Rarity shook her head. “It's not always that easy, dear. When I had been afflicted with it, it took a few minutes of staying in the bath.”
Thunderlane sighed. “I don't care, I'll keep him down there for a few minutes if I have to.”
“Melodramatic, much?”
“Please,” Rarity calmed him. “There has to be a better way than resorting to such brutish methods.”
“And I'll give him this,” Cloudchaser smiled. “Roid Rage would totally wreck you if you tried to change him.”
“Fine then, maybe I'm not cut out for that.” Thunderlane shrugged, turning for the door. “You girls can go to the spa, I'll have a 'bro to bro' talk with him. We'll see how that works...”
“Excuse m-me,” Flitter groaned as she barely tapped Rarity with her hoof. “Water, p-please...”
He wasn't born big, it took years of hard work. He didn't juice either; all of it was well earned. All the times wishing to be stronger, to be the role-model he never had, they'd been over ever since the time he earned his cutie-mark. Only now, he was throwing his gift away.
Snowflake opened up the same chest he'd opened that morning. It was full of things from his childhood. How he wished he had a foalsitter. He shook his head, slamming the chest shut. He didn't need it. He was strong, and the plant was weak.
He recalled how he'd pass the time when his parents weren't there; when he wished that he had somepony to keep him company. He did pushups when he got bored, even though they brought pain. They hurt, but he had to get better, or he wouldn't stop getting made fun of by the bigger colts. He flew with his small wings, and the strain it put on him was even worse. It was all worth it, or so he thought.
When his parents split apart, he had much more time alone in the house, and thus, he'd gotten much more serious. Even without the world of weights, he'd found ways to add challenge; to raise his standards. He started doing 'clop pushups', raised-leg crunches, pistol squats; anything to become bigger and better. The wind rushing against his coat in a sprint was a feeling he'd been more accustomed to. He wasn't getting picked on as much. He liked it. He tolerated the pain, and it wasn't scary anymore.
Eventually, one of his few friends had shown him the gym. She'd even paid for his membership, and it all went uphill from there. He'd become the paragon of his skill; the Ronnie Colemare, the Neigh Cutler; he'd gotten his cutie mark.
He heard the knocking on his door which he'd been expecting. Before his childish instinct could resurface, he unlocked it to let his friend in. Thunderlane appeared from the other side, wearing a concerned look.
“Where's Cloudchaser? Flitter?”
“Would've assumed you'd keep it locked...” Thunderlane muttered. “They're not here, because I thought I could handle it better myself. Now... you gonna make this easy, or what?” He raised his hooves to intimidate the stallion twice his size.
“You wouldn't even try.”
“Yeah, you're righ-” His tone changed when he realized something was different. He began to grin, he was close. “Hang on, you're cool right now?”
“I'd guess so. Just feeling a bit... nostalgic.”
Thunderlane's expression changed to one of worry. “Wait, nostalgia?” He watched as Snowflake fought his emotions, but it was inevitable. “Hang in there, we're going to the spa,” he said, dragging the stallion along with him.
A hoof pushed him away, it was too late. “No, they'll make fun of me if I do!”
“Celestia's sake... Cloudchaser already makes fun of you. Everypony laughs, big deal, now you coming?”
“Well, she's a big meanie, I hate her!”
Thunderlane sighed, sitting himself down next to his spotter. “You don't hate her, or any of us. You'd rather be working out right now than sulking here. Besides, what do you even plan to do? Stay a paranoid colt for the rest of your life?”
“I'm not listening to you.”
“I think you are. You can hear me, can't you?”
“No! Go away!” Through impulse and rage, he sent a hoof to kick Thunderlane. He missed, only to kick the chest next to him open. Out came it's contents, spilling over onto the floor.
Thunderlane tilted his head. “A doll, really?”
The childish body-builder sniffled, turning away. “What, are you gonna make fun of me now, you big bully?”
Thunderlane paused momentarily, trying to keep it cool. “No, it's good.” He smiled, searching through the pile. He held a small note between his hooves, upon it was some crudely written verse. “And what's this? 'Sunshine sunshine, ladybugs awake'? That's neat... Why'd you keep all this stuff?”
“Because, mom wasn't often home ever since he left,” he pouted. “Everypony else had a foalsitter or parent.”
“And you didn't, right?”
“No.” He relaxed, pointing at the doll on the ground. “That's Princess Cadance, I heard she was a foalsitter. I wish I had a foalsitter.”
“Haven't heard of her.” He shrugged. “All this stuff's pretty cool. The doll, the note, whatever, I like it.” He smiled, further contemplating what he could do. “Mind if I play with some of this stuff?”
He tilted his head, unsure of if the pegasus was being serious, or if he was making fun of him. He hated being made fun of. “But you're all grown up. I thought that meant you're boring.”
“Maybe I am, but there isn't anything wrong with having some fun, is there?”
The group of ponies waited at the spa lobby. Rarity stood at the counter, offering the ingredients to the spa ponies. Flitter laid down on the couch as she clutched her head, slightly pounding from over-hydration.
“So, do you lift like Snowflake does?” Scootaloo asked, clucking afterwards.
“Nope, I do track,” Cloudchaser answered. “Why? You wanna get as big as he is?”
The filly shook her head, jumping in enthusiasm. “I want to fly as fast as he does!”
“Fast?” She almost burst out laughing, ruffling Scootaloo's hair. “Well, you got some low standards. He's not fast; not even close. I'm fast. The track can't even handle me!”
“Well, maybe you could... Maybe you could train me!” she proposed, then raising an eyebrow. “Is training hard?”
“I don't know, probably not. I think I'm working Flitter like, way too easy.”
The door opened as Thunderlane walked through it. He was carrying a doll and a note with him, setting it down on the table. Snowflake was not behind him, much to everypony's disappointment. “Before you ask, no, I don't play with dolls. As you can see, Snowflake's not coming.”
Flitter rose slightly from the couch. “Well, what are we going to do then?”
“I just don't know, and his condition's definitely not getting any better,” he said, slowly pacing around the room. “I mean, he'd be fine coming here to see us, but... He still wouldn't go through with it.”
“So, any ideas?” Cloudchaser asked. “He's not gonna get back on his own, you know?”
“Thought of something, but it seems too ridiculous.”
Rarity approached him, urging him to continue. “Please, do tell us. He saved those three poor fillies, I'll do anything to assist you. It is the least I can offer.”
“It's alright, you don't need to.”
“Well, I am obligated to do return the favour in some way. If there's anything to be done, I have to do something, do I not?”
He shook his head before giving himself a moment to think. Coming to the conclusion that this mare wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer, he reluctantly spoke. “Alright then, here goes.”
The two spa ponies started preparing the bath. They were kind enough to wait for Rarity to finish her part to get Snowflake back to normal. The three fillies were getting tired of waiting. Sweetie Belle occasionally got on her sister's nerves while she tried to work.
Flitter wore a small tiara, complemented by a necklace and a fake horn. Her mane was streaked with a rather flamboyant pattern of violet, rose, and gold, curling up slightly at the end. A few small changes, and her light lavender coat had a more pink appearance.
“How do I look?” Her voice shook.
“Perfect, if I may say so.” Rarity held up a mirror in her magic. “Take a look.”
Flitter's eyes widened as she became accustomed to her new appearance. She was a princess now. Whether this character was real or fake, Rarity had certainly done a good job portraying it in such a short period of time. “This is great, Rarity! Where did you learn to do this?”
The unicorn blushed slightly. “Years of experience, I've designed since I was a filly.”
Cloudchaser excitedly rushed through the door, pointing with her hooves. “Alright, he's coming Flitte- You look adorable!” she squealed.
“Well then, go on.” Rarity gently nudged her. “And please, stay comfortable, no matter how... odd this may be.”
“If you say so...”
“Can't wait to stop havin' to waddle 'round like this!” Apple Bloom shook her foreleg out. The other legs weren't long enough to support her, so she fell over.
“Rarity? Why can't I keep my voice like this? I think it's nice.” Sweetie Belle squeaked.
Cloudchaser winced slightly from the crack. “Because everypony'll think you're a colt undergoing eternal puberty.”
“What's-”
Rarity glared at the other mare, hushing her sister. “Some other time, Sweetie Belle.”
The door opened once more, as the two figures entered. The group shifted their attention to Thunderlane, followed by Snowflake. The ponies stopped talking to see how it was going.
“Do you see her yet?” he asked. “She came all the way from Valhalla or wherever for you.”
“It's Canterlot.” Snowflake shook his head. “And you just want me to get in the bath, don't you?”
Flitter made her way to the edge of the bath, coming into Snowflake's view. Her styled mane drooped over the rim, and the tiara glimmered under the lights. Her presence intoxicated the colt hidden underneath is tremendous pecs.
“P-Princess Cadance?” he stammered, eyes widening. Cadance was the most amazing pony ever. She was beautiful, she was kind, she was...
“Yes, Snowflake. Your friends told me you were having a problem, now what would that be?”
“I don't want to change!” he pouted. Then swivelled around, trying to get his mind together. “But... I don't want my friends to be sad either. They want to see the grown up Snowflake again...”
“Know that your friends only want the best for you. I'm sure that they'd never mean to wrong you.” She drifted along the waters, motioning for Snowflake to come closer. “And they have no reason to. You're strong, and you're brave. It's more than a pleasure to be speaking to you, Snowflake.”
“But you're a princess, I'm just a regular old pegasus.”
“You are anything but a regular old pegasus,” she commented.
Snowflake remained silent for a while, letting that soak in. The three fillies grinned at him, and Rarity pulled out a small hoofkerchief to wipe her teary eyes.
“Snowflake, is it true that you wished you had a foalsitter when you were small?” He nodded slowly, to which Flitter smiled. “Would you like it if I were to be your foalsitter for a while?” She received a nod once more. “Then why don't you come in? It's fun!”
“I don't want to, Princess Cadance,” he said. “Then I'd have to go back to the gym with all those big, scary stallions.”
Flitter looked down to notice that the part of her coat submerged in the water was barely starting to wash away, giving way to her true colour. She nervously shifted her gaze to Thunderlane, who gave her a sharp nod. The time was just about right.
“Surely you know how this one goes, don't you, Snowflake?” The overgrown stallion tilted his head. “Sunshine, sunshine...”
“No...” He started twitching, his legs began to give way, about to move on their own accord. The fur on his coat started to stand on it's own. “P-Please don't do that.”
“Join me Snowflake, you'll have fun!” She then started once more, watching as Snowflake failed to fight the urges. “Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake...”
“Clap your hooves and do a little shake!” he said, jumping into the water. Everypony watching cheered and hollered for him as a large splash sent water flying throughout the room.
Great, now just to keep him here for a few minutes, she thought. “See, there's nothing to be afraid of!” He turned, placing his forelegs outside to get out of the hot tub. Flitter softly pulled him back, about to panic.
Cloudchaser grinned, holding in her laughter. She signalled to the fake idol, moving her hooves around and making odd poking motions. Flitter only hoped she correctly understood what they meant. It was worth a try.
“Here comes the tickle monster!” she said, moving her hooves across the incredibly well-defined stallion. He started to chuckle, before bursting into a fit of laughter. Perhaps Cloudchaser was laughing as hard as he was.
“Who's a silly pony?”
“I am! I am!” He flailed his hooves around, giggling heavily.
Flitter kept going, and she almost began to laugh herself. The Cutie Mark Crusaders jumped in, joining in on the fun. Apple Bloom was the last to arrive, waddling closer to the bath. Very soon, the room erupted with the laughter and happiness revolving around the fake princess.
“This is... amazing,” Cloudchaser remarked.
“You should have seen it when they were having a pillow fight,” Rarity giggled.
Eventually the four managed to submerge Snowflake underwater. He stayed there, immersed in the herbal water for a brief period of time before triumphantly shooting back up. He flexed both of his gleaming biceps as he gave an exultant shout...
“YEAUGH!”
Thunderlane stepped forward, tilting his head. “Are you...”
“Are you feeling alright now?” Flitter asked. Her question was answered when Snowflake began to check his lats out. Now relaxed, she threw her fake horn off. The jewelry could stay though, she liked it.
“There you go Roid Rage!” Cloudchaser cheered.
He just grinned back. “I have to... I have to thank you all for getting me through this. I don't know how long I'd go without working out if you guys didn't.”
Rarity smiled. “Please, it's not a problem,”
“Glad to have my spotter back,” Thunderlane said. “We still got the time, wanna hit the gym now?”
“Yeaugh!” he said, about to leave the hot tub. He paused momentarily, shaking his head. “On second thought, I'll stay up here for a while. Flitter, can you keep tickling me? It makes me feel all tingly.”
The pegasus rolled her eyes, before getting back into it. The spa bloomed with laughter once more; a sign of friendships, old and new, to last forever.