Spike ran around town in a panic, desperately looking for his beloved white Unicorn.

While at a full jog, he clenched his eyes shut as another vision of Atchmon smooching on his mare invaded his mind.

"Mine." He growled under his breath.

Spike's claws subtly grew longer and sharper.

"Mine."

His teeth grew larger, from cat-teeth to tiger-fangs.

"MINE!" Spike's voice became low and guttural, like a Crocodile. His flowing green head-scales stiffened and became spikes; making him look like a punk.

He opened his paper-thin eye-slits, hissing with his forked tongue, before colliding with a wagon full of watermelons.

Spike tumbled and was drenched sober, after getting covered in a deluge of smushed fruit.

His body instantly reverted back to normal, along with his sense of awareness; finding himself muzzle-deep in a mare's crotch. Her soft teats nearly enveloped around his scaled snout.

"My melons!" Cried the mare, clutching her cheeks at the destruction of her melon cart.

Spike scrambled backwards, his cheeks a blistering red, and shouted. "I'm so sorry, Honeydew! I didn't mean to, I wasn't watching where I was going, please forgive me!" He pleaded while groveling on his knees.

Rarity came running out of the post office. "Spike! I saw the whole thing, are you alright?"

Spike brightened at the sight of his beloved mare, despite her garish green coloration--which he definitely didn't have a problem with, nope, no problem at all. "I'm fine, but Honeydew..."

Honeydew, a greenish-yellow mare with orangish mane and tail and a cutie mark of her namesake; looked on the verge of tears, holding up two halves of a melon, and tried in vain to put them back together among her smashed cart.

"So sorry, darling; let me pay for it all," Rarity started to search her saddlebag, before Spike stopped her.

"No, no, here let me pay!" Spike hurriedly reached for his satchel of gemstones, then slouched when he realized it was back at the castle in his room. "Sorry, Rarity, do you think you can spot me? I promise I'll pay you back."

Rarity handed the mare some Bits and gemstones.

Honeydew looked pitifully at the hefty bag of bits. "My cart still had payments for another year, not even water-mel-on can soothe my tears." She rhymed, deconstructing the word, having always been obsessed with the fruit.

Rarity empathized and threw in some extra gemstones. The fruit mare cheered up after that.

Spike fidgeted meekly. "Thanks Rarity, I'll pay you back as soon as I can."

"Think nothing of it, Spiky."

"No!" Spike said more forcefully than he meant. "I mean, I appreciate it, but I mean it this time, Rarity; I'm gonna pay you back."

Rarity looked at him in surprise. "Well... I will need some extra help with excavating some gemstones in the coming weeks, if you find the time?" She asked sweetly.

Spike felt like he was floating in her lovely gaze. "Anything for you Rare..." Then shook himself out of the haze of lovey-dovey feelings. "I'm still going to pay back those Bits, alright?" He said with the finality of a foal, trying to act like a big pony.

Rarity barely held back her amusement, covering her muzzle. It was adorable to her seeing the baby drake trying to act more mature than his age.

Like all teens these days, just like her little sister.

"I could use some help getting some boutique supplies, is my chauffeur available for the rest of today?"

Without hesitation, Spike was at her side in an instant; standing at her eye level.

"Oh, and before I forget again; would you be a dear and send this letter to Princess Celestia for me, darling?"

Spike took the envelope without question. It was like the time the Princess had all of Twilight's friends sending her letters on the lessons they all learned about friendship.

So to him, it was no trouble at all.

"You betcha I can, just stand back," he stepped an arm length away; outstretching his claws to ward her away. "I wouldn't want you to get burned."

Rarity watched bemused at her little hero as he took a big breath, then spat a small gout of flame, incinerating the scroll.

"There, all done." He said coolly, while dusting off his claws.

Rarity sauntered over and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Thank you so much my big, brave Dragon. Now, come along, we have lots of shopping to do!" She ended brightly and cantered ahead.

Spike nearly melted into the cobblestone. "Yes anything for you, Rare." He crawled after her like a worm, having lost all other motor functions.

Applejack wiped the sweat from her brow, and looked up at the sun.

It was passed mid-day, which meant Applebloom should be getting off school by now. 'Speak of the Demon Lord,' she thought, seeing her little baby sister conversing with Truffle Shuffle as they were about to pass by.

The teen colt was a stout fella, still a little on the heavy side and outpacing Applebloom in size by a small margin. His short, broad neck and body showed little definition other than his chest, like other colts his age. But to Applebloom, he was in that cubby-cute margin.

Applejack heard he'd been dieting, sadly abstaining from her apple treats, but it seemed he was about to hit a growth spurt like all budding stallions his age.

Her little sister took to fashion recently, and wore her new white cowpony hat adorned with her signature pink bow. Her mane was groomed and flowed freely. Only during labor did she tie it up in the usual way.

She was blossoming into a beautiful young mare in her own right, and Applejack knew she wasn't going to be outpaced by much as she matured.

Applebloom was already taking an interest in boys before her time. And Applejack had to curb that enthusiasm with the cold, harsh reality of life.

Applebloom was talking to Truffle as they trot, she and the colt both started giggling, she leaned to nuzzle him, gaining a bashful look from the colt, just before Applejack approached and spoke at her.

"Applebloom, I want you to help Granny pack up the wagon and bring it back home." She said in that authoritarian way a big sister or mother can do.

Her little sister balked and did a double-take between her and the Colt. "Uh, can I do that later, sis?" She hinted while nodding her head towards the colt.

Applejack rolled her eyes. "You can talk to your coltfriend again soon, after the chores are done." She emphasized.

Truffle reeled at that, and shifted away uncomfortably, while Applebloom looked wounded.

Applebloom sputtered. "Applejack! He's not my- I- I never said you were-" She looked between her big sister and the colt.

Truffle inched away. "Uhm, yeah, I think I can make it home on my own; thanks for trotting me most of the way there Applebloom." He then took off at a gallop.

"Thanks a lot Applejack, you just had to be a field rock!" Applebloom laid her ears back.

Field rocks refers to when a rock prevents a plow from cutting through the dirt in order to plant seeds. It doubles as a euphemism term used when a mare prevents another mare from being 'ploughed' by a stallion; mainly used by Ponies in rural areas.

Coequally known as a 'plot blocker'.

Applejack's eyebrow raised and said warningly. "And you can take up my chores too, since you wanna give me attitude today."

"But Applejack, that's not fair, Granny!" Applebloom called up the big guns.

Granny Smith made a turn about-face. "What's this I hear, discord in the ranks? I'll see ya disgraced from the Apple Clan, now ya'll hop-to!" She ordered, and both granddaughters snapped to attention.

Applejack grumbled. "Granny I don't have time t-"

"I don't recall given ya'll permission ta speak; did I give it!?" Granny barked firmly despite the old fry in her voice.

Applejack shrank back and stood straighter. "No ma'am." She shook her head briefly, as much as the tension in her neck and withers allowed.

"I done saw the whole thing, Applejack, tryin' ta shuck yer r'sponsibileries onto yer lil' sister again, fer shame; shame!" She repeated, while ringing a cow bell.

'Not that dang bell!' Applejack ducked while looking around at the other patrons present. 'So humiliatin'. "Please stop Granny, everypony's watchin'." She pleaded, taking her Stetson hat to hide behind after a few mares snickered at the public display.

Since Granny Smith was too old to use a switch on their rumps anymore. Now she favored public humiliation to keep her grandchildren in line. Everypony in town knew hearing a cow bell meant an Apple was being rotten.

And as an Apple family member, you did NOT want to hear more cow bell.

"Applebloom, ya'll catch up to that colt and salvage what'chu can, while I sort this one out." She gestured with a shake of her head at her eldest.

Applebloom brightened, then looked unsure at the frown Applejack gave her, but quickly cantered away from the fallout she created. "Thanks, Granny!" She called back.

"Permission to speak, Granny?" Applejack hesitated.

"Granted." Granny Smith allowed begrudgingly.

"Why are you bein' so hard on me?" Applejack sounded and felt filly-ish.

Granny sputtered as she tried to find the words. "Why!? Ya'll know why! You've had your head buried at the bottom of a cider barrel for a month straight; shucking your chores, sleepin' in, all while your brother and sister pick up the slack!" She listed off her hoof.

Applejack winced and hung her head in shame. "I know... and I'm so sorry, Granny; but I thought I lost my friend; and I know they said Rarity was okay now, but I can't stop worryin' and feelin' guilty until I see her for myself." She looked at her with pleading eyes.

"It ain't me ya ought t' be apologizin' to." Granny snarked.

Applejack nodded. "I know, Granny, and I promise t' make it up to Big Mac and Applebloom somehow; can I please go check on my friend before we head back home, please?" She begged.

Granny Smith chewed on her dentures, before granting permission. "Fine, but you come straight back, ya hear; I don't pay ya ta socialize with your friends." She gave her the stink eye.

"You don't pay us at all," Applejack whispered, letting her sass get the better of her.

"What was that?" Granny Smith scratched her ear. "If ya got somethin' ta say, then say it ta mah muzzle." She warned, while pointing at her snout.

"Uh, nuthin'..." Applejack's snout scrunched at the mistruth. "Thank you, Granny, I'll be right back!" Applejack galloped off to check Rarity's house again for the 3rd time since that morning.

Granny called out to her. "Remember to give'er a nice big smooch when ya see 'er!" She cackled after her.

"Granny!" Applejack whined, much to the giggles and delight of her elder and other ponies shopping their stall at the last minute.

Author's Note

I should've done this a long time ago. But I'm bored and in need of attention, so a short chapter is what ya'll get. Praise me! Love me! Adore!