Glint Stones: Shenanigansby Middle GroundChaptersChapter 1 - Sweet ToothChapter 2 - FIREWORKS!Chapter 3 - InsomniaChapter 4 - Sinking FeelingChapter 1 - Sweet Tooth"UGH...!" Another day in Ponyville with Glint Sparx failing another lesson taught by Starlight Glimmer while Twilight and Spike were away. He is now spending time with Pinkie in Sugar Cube Corner, lying his head on a table, ready to ease his pain by eating sweets. "It'll be alright, Sparky. I'm sure you'll do fine on the next lesson. Just keep trying." Pinkie then served Sparx a plate of cookies with a class of milk. Sparx ate his cookies and began feeling better. "Hey pink pony, I wanna learn how to make cookies. Can you teach me how?" Sparx had quickly finished his cookies and drank some of his milk. "Really?! You want to learn how to make cookies?!" Pinkie stopped making her pastry and jumped in excitement. "Learning from you sounds a lot more fun to me than whatever Starlight is teaching me...." Sparx then finished his milk. Pinkie then hugged Sparx, "I'm so happy, Sparky...! C'mon, let's go!" Pinkie then ran to a nearby cabinet and pulled out a shopping bag. "Go where...?" "Shopping for ingredients, silly! Let's go!" Pinkie then dashed out the door. Sparx sighed and followed her. Pinkie dragged Sparx all over Ponyville's market place to find ingredients for the cookies. Sparx was the one to carry all of it around his shoulder. "Pink pony, do we really need all these ingredients just to make cookies?" The shopping bag was bloated with the ingredients. It was starting to weigh down Sparx. "Sparky, it takes more than sugar and chocolate chips to make cookies! It takes time, hard work, and a good recipe! And all of these ingredients are needed to make the most yummy cookies!" Pinkie was quite serious. Sparx was slightly intimidated. "Hey Sparx...! What are you doing...?" Gust came walking into the market place with Fluttershy carrying a couple of bags full of pet food. "Hi Gusty...! Sparky is helping me get stuff for cookies!" "Oh, that's great. Then...are you two on a date?" Fluttershy blushed slightly when she asked. Pinkie's cheeks then turned red. "No...! We-! We're not on a date!" Pinkie's gave a nervous laugh. Fluttershy gave her an un-convinced look. "What...? Date? What's that? Can you eat it?" Sparx was really confused. "Oh yeah...! Dates are like peanuts! I heard they're really sweet!" "Ok, now I want a date. Pink pony, I'd like to try this thing you call a 'date'." Pinkie and Fluttershy weren't at all surprised but their oblivious-ness. "Mister Gust, I think it's time we leave. I have pets to feed right now." "Ok...! Bye Sparx! Bye Pinkie!" Gust and Fluttershy then left the market place for home. Pinkie and Sparx then made their way back to Sugar Cube Corner when they finished shopping. As they made their way back, Pinkie was still bothered by what Fluttershy said. Her cheeks her still red. "Uh...are you ok? Your face is red." Sparx got close to Pinkie's face out of confusion. Pinkie's face then turned even redder. "I'M FINE...! WE HAVE COOKIES TO MAKE!" Pinkie then darts to Sugar Cube Corner to hide her embarrassment. "Sweet...!" Sparx quickly followed her from excitement. Pinkie wanted to forget what Fluttershy said to her and focus on the task they planned. They got back to Sugar Cube Corner, gathered up the necessary items for their ingredients, got a cook book for instructions, and began to make their cookies. "Alright, first you the cookie mix into the bowl, then the chocolate chips, then the-SPARKY! THOSE ARE FOR THE COOKIES!" Pinkie then caught Sparx eating some of the chocolate chips. Sparx then stopped eating the chocolate chips, paused for a moment and said, "Oops...." Pinkie gave an annoyed sigh and said, "That's fine, we have extra." They went back to work. They followed the instructions written in the cook book and finally they finished making their cookies. There were eight cookies neatly placed on a wide pan ready to be baked in the oven. "Alright, now put our cookies in the oven and wait a little while for them to bake." Pinkie does so and closes the oven. "How do we know when they're done...? How long does it take?" Sparx had flour on his hooves. "Don't worry, Sparky. It won't be too long. We can just talk for a little while we wait." Pinkie and Sparx now wait for their cookies to finish baking. Ten minutes later and now Sparx wants Pinkie to stop talking. Pinkie went on and on about planning parties, all the adventures she had with her friends, and about her pet alligator, Gummy. Part of Sparx was impressed about all the crazy stuff Pinkie and her friends went through in the past, but the rest of him wanted him to go deaf. "There was even that time Twilight beat this super scary goat-monkey-monster! It was so awesome! She shot lasers, she flew super fast, and she was winning! Then we opened the box and we got super powers too and then we beat that monster! It was so awesome...!" Pinkie continued to go on and on about all of the adventures she and her friends went through while Sparx continued to reluctantly listen. After a while, the cookies were finally done. Pinkie pulled them out of the oven and unfortunately, they were black. "Oh no...! The cookies are burnt! But...why?! We followed the instructions exactly!" Pinkie was so confused. "Maybe it was because you talked too much and kept the cookies waiting too long...." Sparx was disappointed by the sight of burnt cookies. Pinkie then glared at Sparx, "What do you mean?! I followed the instructions like the book said! And I was keeping an eye on the timer the entire time!" "And the cookies still got burnt.... You failed. That's all." Sparx gave a disappointed sigh. Pinkie gave a loud grumble and then ran out the door in frustration. Sparx was alone with the burnt cookies. After sitting alone for a little while, he then realized that he...is an ass. Sparx gave an annoyed sigh, "Dammit...." He then magically took the cookies with him and left Sugar Cube Corner to find Pinkie. Pinkie was sitting at the base of a tree in the park, feeling sad and angry for what happened. "I just...wanted to make cookies with Sparky...." Her mane and tail were deflated and her bright pink coat became dull. She looked much like her sister, Diane who lived in Manehatten. Tears started to form in Pinkie's eyes. She then noticed Sparx walk up to the tree where she was sitting, sat down beside her, and then place the burnt cookies they made in-between them. He said nothing and just looked at the cloudy sky with a frown on his face. "Sparky...? What are you doing here? And why did you-?" Pinkie was confused. Suddenly, she was then covered in Sparx's hood without warning. "You know...I've noticed that it's gotten cold because of those clouds. Thought you might be chilly...." Sparx was trying to be nice, but he knew he sucked at doing just that. He was much too proud to admit he was wrong about anything. Pinkie felt a little touched, but she was still upset about earlier. Sparx noticed and knew he was failing badly. He didn't know what to say to fix his mistake. He then sighed again, "You know, I hate to admit it, but you and your friends are pretty amazing." Pinkie looked at Sparx, surprised to hear that from his mouth. "I mean, none of you can fight, and yet you defeated many enemies more powerful than any of you with something so dumb as 'Friendship'. Honestly, I find it unbelievable...." Pinkie didn't know what to make of what Sparx was saying. She wasn't sure to take it as a compliment or as an insult. "And yet, despite all of that, you get so upset over a dumb plate of burnt cookies? I fail more times on stupid lessons than you do making sweets and planning parties. As much as I hate to admit it, You are bet...be....bett......" Sparx was trying to get the words out, but his pride was too big for him to swallow. Pinkie was able to get the gist of what Sparx was trying to say and then she gave him a hug. "Thank you, Sparky. I appreciate you trying to cheer me up." She knew Sparx was too proud, and just accepted the thought. "Thank god.... Any more of this and I might choke on my words." Sparx then took a bite on one of the burnt cookies. "Sparky, don't...! They're still burnt!" Pinkie tried to stop him, but he had already swallowed. "Hey, this is pretty good." Sparx continued to eat the burnt cookies and enjoyed them. He quickly ate all of them. Pinkie was so happy that her mane, tail, and coat went back to normal. She then gave him another hug. "I'M SO GLAD YOU LIKE THEM, SPARKY!" She was so relieved. "My name...is Sparx, pink pony." Sparx was glad that Pinkie is happy again, but he was still annoyed. Chapter 2 - FIREWORKS!"Ash dear, please bring me that rack of cloth over there. I need it for this new commission I'm working on." Rarity pointed at a nearby rack of various clothing material located at the back of the boutique. "You need it for a what...?" Ashes had no clue what she said. He was helping Rarity with her work. Rarity sighed, "Just bring it over here...." She had forgotten that Ashes wasn't really the brightest flame in the darkness. "Ok...!" Ashes then did what he was asked to do and brought the rack of clothing to Rarity's desk. "Thank you, dear. Please sit on that stool and wait. I need you to model for me." Rarity began preparing her tools and materials for crafting. "What? Why? Can't you get a mare to do this?" Ashes then sat in the stool as instructed. "Well Ash dear, I wanted your brothers to do it, but some things have happened that kept me from having them model for me. If you would please be a dear and model for me. I need to make clothing for any potentially taller ponies. Also, please remove your hood for me." Rarity then got her measuring tape ready. "Alright." Ashes then removed his hood and threw it on the floor. His body was covered in scars just like Chilly, Gust, and Sparx. Rarity ignored the sight of those scars so she wouldn't offend Ashes. "Thank you, dear. Now please stand up and stay still. Back straight, eyes forward, and no moving please." Ashes did as instructed while Rarity began measuring his proportions. She discovered that in comparison to most ponies, Ashes' muscles and build was quite bulky. "Uh...what are you doing?" Ashes was very confused as he noticed Rarity wrapping her measuring tape around his body and legs. "Please, hold still. What I'm doing is measuring your body so I will be able to make clothing around your size. That way taller ponies will be able to wear clothing too." Rarity was nearly finished. "I'm so bored...!" Ashes' mane started to burn from the boredom. "Alright, I've just finished. You may leave now. Thank you, Ash." Rarity un-wrapped her tape from Ashes and began to note down all the various sizes. "ALRIGHT! BYE!" Ashes then grabbed hiss hood and ran out the door. Rarity sighed again, "He is such a foal...." She then began making the clothing for taller ponies. Ashes then began strolling through Ponyville feeling relieved. "It feels good to be free! How can she work such a boring job?! Mares are weird!" "Hey, we're not weird! You're weird!" Scootaloo and her friends followed Ashes, feeling insulted. "Oh hey...! You're those Cutie Mark Crunchers!" "CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!!!" The CMC were quite annoyed with Ashes. "Anyway, what's up?!" Sweetie Belle replied, "Well...we wanted to ask you something and heard you were helping my sister today. So we followed you." "Huh...? Ask me what?" "Can you make fireworks?!" Scootaloo's eyes sparkled at the possibility. "Uh...fireworks? What are those?" Ashes was very confused. "Fireworks are really cool! They fly into the sky and then they burst into many colors! We want to see you make them!" "DUDE, THAT SOUNDS SO AWESOME! I'M GONNA DO IT RIGHT NOW!" Ashes then prepares to shoot fire into the sky with his mouth. "NO!!!" The CMC then clamped Ashes' mouth shut all at once. The flames in Ashes' mouth then went out and all that came out of his ears and nostrils was smoke. The CMC then removed themselves from Ashes' mouth and the rest of the smoke came out. Now he's suffering slight heartburn. "You can't do that here...! You'll get in trouble again!" Apple Bloom and her friends became nervous. They were causing a scene. "Ugh......" Ashes was in pain. "Come with us. We know a safe place to do it without anypony getting hurt!" The CMC then began pulling and pushing Ashes to an open field far away from any trees and away from the town. "Ok then...you want me to breath fire into the sky and make it explode?!" Ashes called out to the CMC who were keeping a far distance. They hid themselves at the border of the open field where trees were located. "Yeah...! Just like that!" "We know you can do it!" "Show us the fire, Ashy...!" The CMC now wait for Ashes to show them fireworks. "Who the fxxx is 'Ashy'?" Ashes mumbled to himself. Brushing his annoyance aside, he then began to take a deep breath and then unleashed a stream of fire into the sky as instructed. The flames were quite the spectacle to the CMC, but there was only a stream of flames. No explosions were made to resemble fireworks. Ashes stopped breathing fire out of confusion. "Ah...it didn't explode." Scootaloo and her friends were a little disappointed. "But I did as they said I should. What the hell?!" Ashes was starting to lose his cool. He then shot another stream of fire into the sky only to witness another failure. His body was starting to catch on fire from anger. "Uh...girls, I think we should leave now." Apple Bloom was starting to back away slowly from fear. "I think you might be right...." Sweetie Belle and her friends noticed that the flames were beginning to spread. Ashes was about to go crazy. "Hey, what's tha-" Suddenly, just as Scootaloo noticed, an icy hammer came from out of the sky and slammed down on top of Ashes. The flames were then extinguished in an instant. "What the hell is going on here?" Chilly came up from behind the CMC looking rather angry. The CMC were quite intimidated by him "I was just helping Applejack at her farm today and then I noticed flames flying into the sky. Ash, you better have a damn good reason for randomly shooting off flames nearby a forest. You could get us all in serious trouble, you know." Chilly was not in the mood for any excuses. Suddenly, flames exploded from within the steam and Ashes came out roaring in rage. "WHAT THE HELL, CHILL?!! WHY'D YOU HIT ME?!!" Ashes was now enraged. "Guys, please calm down...!" Sweetie Belle ran in between the two angry stallions and they stopped. "It was our fault, Chilly...! We wanted to see if Ashy can make fireworks!" Apple Bloom and Scootaloo joined Sweetie Belle in hopes of stopping them from fighting. "Huh...? Fireworks? Are you three crazy? Ash can't make fireworks...." Chilly then yawned. He seemed even more sleepy than usual. "I CAN TOO! AND MY NAME ISN'T 'ASHY'!" The flames coming off of Ashes was beginning to die down a little bit. "Look, can you please not fight? We're sorry if we caused you guys any trouble...." Scootaloo and her friends were guilty of nearly getting Ashes and Chilly into fighting each other. Chilly and Ashes then felt like jerks for making things worse. Chilly sighed and said, "Alright, fine.... Do what you want, but no forest fires. I'm going back to work...." Chilly then began making his way back to Applejack's farm. "Thank you, Chilly...!" The CMC said in unison. "So...you three wanna see some fireworks?" Ashes was ready to get back to fulfilling their request. "YEAH!" The CMC then excitedly re-positioned themselves in their safe zones to see Ashes complete his task. After a while, there was no success. Ashes was spent. He had used up nearly all the fire he had trying to get his fire to explode. "Why can't I do it...?!" He was frustrated by his many failures. "Hey, it's alright. At least you tried." Sweetie Belle and her friends walked over to Ashes to give him a pat on the back. "What am I doing wrong...? I can see it in my head, but I can't get it to do it!" Despite Ashes being angry, he had so little fire left and only the tip of his tail burned. "Maybe you just need practice!" "Yeah...! It's like my sis said! Practice makes perfect!" "Ah...you're right!" Ashes was surprised by Scootaloo and Apple Bloom's suggestion. Suddenly, they then see fireworks go off somewhere in Ponyville. "Hey, are those...fireworks?" Ashes was amazed by what he saw in the distance. "Yeah...! But who is doing that?" Sweetie Belle was just as curious. "Let's go find out!" The CMC then began running back to Ponyville. "Slow down...! I'm exhausted here!" Ashes tried to keep up with the CMC and made his way back to Ponyville. They then arrived at the park to see a large stage with curtains, an audience, and a star with a wand made of wood hanging at the top of the stage. And standing on the stage was a blue Unicorn. She had a light-blue mane and tail, her Cutie Mark was a star with a wand, similar to the wooded counterpart, and she wore a purple wizards hat and cape. "Welcome, welcome, my lovely audience! What you are about to see is a display of magical talent of the Great and Powerful Trixie!" The mare presented herself confidently as she showcased her magical talent. She started with what appeared to be an aurora followed by smaller versions of the fireworks Ashes and the CMC saw earlier. "What the-?! Who is that?!" Ashes was too amazed by the show to have heard the introduction. "That's Trixie. She's a pretty cool magician, but she isn't really a nice pony...."Apple Bloom and her friends kept their distance from the stage. "Huh...? Why? What'd she do?" "Well...she did some really mean things when she first came to Ponyville. She's a big-mouth and a big meanie." "She made my sister's mane green!" "And she tied my sis up!" The CMC were quite upset over what happened before. "Then she got this weird jewel and started causing all kinds of trouble in Ponyville!" "That's so cool...!" Ashes was thoroughly impressed. "NO, IT'S NOT!!!" The CMC were all very annoyed with Ashes' simple-mindedness. "Cant talk! Got a show to watch!" Ashes then ran off to do so. "ASHES!!!" The CMC were too late to stop Ashes. Ashes had already took his seat and the CMC tried to pull him away. "Thank you for your applause! Now witness the magical mastery that I have prepared for all of you!" Trixie then used her magic to form multiple platforms and began galloping on top of them gracefully. Then she got her magic to form various animals like stags, birds, and even fish. And finally, she finished it all up with a large firework that dazzled her audience. Ashes and even the CMC were all amazed by Trixie's performance. The audience clapped their hooves and cheered for Trixie. She then took her bow. "THAT WAS SO COOL!" Ashes was blown away by the show. "Yeah, it was...." Apple Bloom and her friends were also amazed. "Thank you! Thank you! You're all too kind! And that shall be it for Trixie's performance for today! Look forward to her next one! Good bye!" Trixie then used her magic to close the curtains to end her show. "WAIT...!" Ashes then jumped over the audience, then onto the stage, then stopped the curtains from closing. "ASHES?!" The CMC and the audience were shocked by Ashes' sudden action. But not as shocked as Trixie. "What is the meaning of this?! Get off my stage!" Trixie was quite upset by Ashes disturbing her show. "Sorry, but can you help me with something?! It's super important and your the only pony awesome enough to do it!" Ashes was very excited. "Well, Trixie is indeed awesome. I suppose I could do this once for a fan. What is it, mister...?" Trixie was flattered by Ashes' compliment. She then re-opened the curtains with her magic. "I'm Ashes Spellbind! But you can call me Ash! I need you to teach me how to shoot fireworks! Please?!" Trixie was then confused. "You want Trixie...to teach you...how to shoot...fireworks. That's it?" "YEAH! I wanna show it to the Cutie Mark Catchers!" "CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!!!" The CMC arrived on the stage to join Ashes. "Anyway, can you do it? Please?!" Ashes was hoping Trixie would say yes. "No." And then Ashes became depressed. "But...why not?" Apple Bloom and her friends were all confused. "Because this guy isn't even a Unicorn! He doesn't have a horn, and to make magic fireworks, he needs magic!" Trixie was beginning to get annoyed by such an impossible request. "But I can breathe fire! Really...!" Ashes was now starting to sound desperate. "Do you think Trixie is stupid?! No pony can breathe fire!" "But it's true...! Ask the audience! They've seen it happen too!" The audience then began to back up what Sweetie Belle said. Trixie was still un-convinced by something so unbelievable. Trixie groaned and said, "Fine, have it your way. Trixie will teach this crazy pony how to make fireworks! But it's still impossible!" "I'LL SHOW YOU! LET'S DO THIS!" Ashes was ready for anything. They then positioned themselves in preparation for this seemingly impossible stunt. "Hey, do you think Ashy can do it? Didn't he say he was really tired earlier...?" Scootaloo and her friends were worried about Ashes and if he would succeed. "Alright then, Ashes Spellbind, here is how you make a firework. Trixie will show you how a Unicorn can do it!" Trixie was still un-convinced. "BRING IT ON!" Ashes was ready to go though he was still mostly spent on fire. But he was too focused to care. "Alright then, I want you to focus your magic. Have it all focused in one single point, think about what you want it to be, then unleash it. That is how the Great and Powerful Trixie was taught." "ALRIGHT!" Ashes began to do focus whatever fire he had left, but he could barely get anything to spark. He had used up so much of it on his prior failures, there was barely anything left. Both Trixie and the audience were starting to lose their patience. "C'mon, Ashy...! We know you can do it!" Scootaloo began to cheer for Ashes to succeed. Ashes then began to take deep breaths of air into his lungs. He then began to feel hotter as he breathed. His mane and tail were beginning to catch fire. Trixie and the audience noticed this and were amazed by the sight. "Is he...actually on fire?! That can't be...! He's just an Earth Pony!" Trixie thought as she tried to figure out what she was seeing. Ashes could feel the flames within his body begin to grow much larger. Then his chest was beginning to glow a bright orange, showing where the flames were gathering. "HERE WE GO!!!" Ashes then focused all the fire he gathered into his mouth, then shot it out. This time it wasn't a stream of fire, but it was shaped into a ball of fire. It was shot so high into the air, and then it exploded into a flashy light show. Exactly like an actual firework. This amazed the audience as they saw the explosion. Trixie was stupefied by what she just saw. What she thought was impossible actually happened in front of her. The CMC and the audience cheered for Ashes' success. Suddenly, Ashes then collapsed on the stage from exhaustion. "ASHES...!" The CMC then ran onto the stage to see if he was alright. "Heh....I did it.... Just like....I said I....would...." Ashes was wiped out. "That was the best...! You were great!" Apple Bloom and her friends gave Ashes a big hug to show thanks. "Trixie...might have been wrong about you. She would like to apolo-" Trixie then noticed that Ashes had fallen asleep. "Why you-! Get this crazy stallion off my stage!" She was very annoyed. "Sorry for the trouble...!" Scootaloo and her friends then began to carry the sleeping Ashes off the stage in a panic. "Thanks for the show! You were great too, Trixie!" Sweetie Belle and her friends then left with Ashes. Trixie blushed and said, "Whatever...." Ashes and the CMC all had a long day. And Trixie met up with an amazing pony. As the audience began making their way back home for the evening, Trixie had already closed up her stage. She still couldn't believe what she had seen during her performance. "Spellbind.... Why does that sound so...familiar?" Trixie was quite confused. She then noticed the bag of bits she got from her successful performance. "Oh, never mind that! Trixie has bits to count!" She began to do so gleefully. Back at Twilight's castle, Starlight and the Spellbind Brothers now watch over the still sleeping Ashes. The CMC had already went home for the night after bringing Ashes back. "So...is he alright?" Gust was concerned for Ashes' health. "Yes, he'll be fine. He just needs a good night sleep." Starlight could tell that Ashes' fire was beginning to burn bright again. "Moron.... Using up his power like that. Only I'm allowed to show-off here." Sparx then left for bed. Chilly was already asleep. "Ugh...why do I have to put up with you?!" Starlight was getting fed up with Sparx and his attitude. They all left for bed that night. Yet another busy day for the Spellbind Brothers. Chapter 3 - InsomniaThe sun rose up into the sky despite Princess Celestia not being able to see it. After over 1,000 years of sun raising, she knows exactly where and when to raise it. The ponies of Ponyville wake up to attend to their daily tasks like always despite the darkness that covers the land. "GOOD MORNING!" Ashes came bursting through the door and into the kitchen to see Starlight making breakfast. "Agh...you're killing my ears!" Sparx's ears now ache with an unpleasant ringing added to it. "Good morning, Miss Starlight." Gust and his brothers then took their seats to wait for breakfast. "Good morning, guys. I hope you've all slept well." Starlight was nearly finished making toast, muffins, and waffles when she noticed Chilly wasn't present. "Where is Chilly?" "Probably still sleeping like a fil-WHAT THE FXXX?!" Sparx then noticed a really fatigued Chilly walk into the kitchen. Chilly was so tired, he looked like he was half dead. "Good morning...." Chilly clumsily entered the kitchen and took his seat. He laid his head on the table and gave a deep yawn. "Chilly, are you okay? You don't look so good." Gust was concerned. "ARE YOU SICK?! DO YOU NEED MEDICINE?! STARLIGHT, GET MEDICINE!" "Nah bro, I'm fine.... Just a little....tired." Chilly had bags under his eyes. He did not look fine at all. "Chilly, maybe you should stay in bed for today. You can't go out like this." Starlight had just finished making breakfast and walked up to Chilly to see if he was alright. "Ah...you're a sweet heart, Starlight. I propose...a toast to your kindness." Chilly gave a tired chuckle at his awful joke. The others were not impressed. "Damn dude...that sucked!" Starlight gave an annoyed sigh at Sparx's rude comment. "Yeah, that was pretty bad.... Maybe you should stay in bed after all. It might do you some good." Gust urged Chilly to do so out of concern. "YEAH! LET US DO THE WORK TODAY!" Chilly sighed as got out of his seat and said, "Alright then.... Guess I shou-" Suddenly, Chilly's legs gave out and he just dropped to the floor like a bag of bricks. "Chilly...!" "BRO...!" "What the fxxx?!" The Spellbind Brothers were shocked to see Chilly just drop like that. They scrambled to get check and see if he was alright. Chilly had passed out cold. "Guys, don't panic! Take him to his room while I go get a doctor!" Starlight then teleported to the doctor's office to do so while the Spellbind Brothers took Chilly to his room. "Chilly, what's wrong?! Please say something...!" Gust was so scared he began to cry. Hoping for Chilly's health. "IT'S OKAY! DON'T PANIC! HE'S GONNA BE FINE!" Ashes was panicking anyway. "Shut up and help me carry him, you idiots!" Sparx began to carry Chilly into his room with his brothers helping. They took him to his room and began waiting for Starlight to return with a doctor. Just as they grew more and more worried, they then see Starlight run to Chilly's room with a doctor. He was a brown Pegasus stallion with light-brown tail and mane, and his Cutie Mark was a black bag with a red cross on it. He wore glasses and a white coat. "Guys, we're here...! He's going to have a look on Chilly!" "Yes, I am Doctor Patches. Is he in-" "Get in there already...!" Sparx quickly interrupted the doctor to magically send the doctor into the room along with his equipment. "Sparx, you need to calm down...!" Starlight noticed the Spellbind Brothers were panicking. "I can't calm down! I'm freaking the fxxx out over here!" "Please be alright, Chilly...!" "WE NEED TO STAY CALM!" The Spellbind Brothers were going crazy from an increasing fear for their brother. Starlight did her best to keep them under control while the doctor examined Chilly's health. After a while, Doctor Patches stepped out of the room with his equipment. "How is he?!" "We'll he be alright?!" "IS HE ALIVE?!" The Spellbind Brothers were still panicking. Doctor Patches was getting pressured. Suddenly, they were then sent flying across the hallway by Starlight's magic to keep them from overwhelming. "I'm so sorry for all of this. They're just scared." Starlight was also quite concerned for Chilly's health. Doctor Patches adjusted his glasses and replied, "It's quite alright, Miss Starlight. As for Chilly, he's fine. No injuries or anything. Although, he seems to be suffering from some rather unpleasant insomnia. From my examination, it appears he hasn't been sleeping for several days. Has he been under any stress lately? Has his eating habits changed at all lately?" "Um...what's insomnia?" Gust and his brothers got back up, hoping for an answer. "It's when a pony has a hard time sleeping. It's hard to say what really causes insomnia, but it can be dangerous to a pony's health." "IS THERE A CURE?! THERE HAS TO BE...!" "No, there isn't. Insomnia isn't a sickness. It's just something a pony goes through in life. It can't be cured by medicine." "Then what the fxxx are we supposed to do?! Wait for him to wake up?!" The Spellbind Brothers were starting to panic again. "CALM DOWN!" Doctor Patches had enough of their panic attack. His outburst silenced all three of them. Even Starlight was silent. He then adjusted his glasses again. "I understand that you're concerned for your brother's health. But you three panicking isn't going to help anything. All you have to do right now is wait for him to wake up. He is fine. He just needs rest right now. Just be patient." Doctor Patches then began to leave the hallway and head back to his office. "Have a good day." He said as he left. Starlight and the Spellbind Brothers had nothing else to do but wait as the doctor instructed. They then went back to the kitchen to eat breakfast. But after what just happened, none of them could take a bite. Even Starlight lost her appetite. They just sat there looking at their breakfast all worried. "Maybe...maybe you guys should go out and get some fresh air. It'll clear your heads. I'll leave your breakfast here when you get back. I'll look after Chilly." The Spellbind Brothers couldn't really say anything, so they just left the castle to do so. Unfortunately, they were still quite worried. "Hey...uh...I have a...um...thing to do. Bye!" Gust then flew off without another word. "ME TOO!" Ashes was the second to run off. "Later...!" Sparx was the third to run off. They all split up in hopes of figuring out what to do. In Rarity's Boutique, Rarity had just finished making a dress design for taller ponies thanks to Ashes modelling for her. "Perfect, if I do say so myself. Now I just need to make one for the stallions and then it wi-" She was then interrupted with Gust flying through the door in a panic. "MISS RARITY! HELP...!" Gust was back to crying his eyes out. His wings started flapping about in a panic. Wind started sending all the fabrics flying around the boutique. "Gust, what are you doing?! Stop doing that this instant!" Rarity tried to get all of the flying fabric with her magic, but it wasn't going well. "I'M SORRY, BUT I NEED YOUR HELP BECAUSE YOU'RE SMARTER THAN ME!" Gust was losing control over this emotions. "Alright, that is enough!" Rarity then prepared spools of twine and began to tie Gust and his wings up from conjuring any more wind. Gust was completely tied up in twine and the wind stopped. Unfortunately, the boutique was a mess. Fabrics and clothing were all over the place. Rarity sighed and asked, "Gust dear, if you would please calm down and tell me why you're so upset, then I will try to help you. Is that clear?" "Yes, Miss Rarity...." Gust then stopped panicking and told Rarity what happened earlier. Rarity then became concerned. "I see, so Chilly hasn't been sleeping at all lately. The poor dear...." "Yeah...! And that's why I'm here! You're really smart, so I know you might know how to help him! Right?!" Gust was hoping she would have the answer he was looking for. "I wish I could help you, Gust, but I'm afraid there is nothing I can do. You will just have to wait like the doctor said." She then untied Gust with her magic. "Oh...ok." Gust then grew more worried. "Now that I have given you your answer, you will clean up the mess you made. Now." Rarity was pretty upset over the mess Gust made with his wind. Gust began doing so without arguing. After awhile, Gust finally finished doing so and left after apologizing. It was already the late afternoon as Gust made his way back to the castle. He then ran into Sparx and Ashes when he arrived at the castle. "Uh...hey, guys." "Sup?" "FLUTTERSHY COULDN'T HELP ME!" Sparx and Gust looked at Ashes and had the exact same result. "You guys too...?" Sparx and Ashes nodded. Gust was quite surprised. "I went to see Applejack to see if she knew what to do, but she just shoved an apple in my mouth and told me she couldn't help me. And I zapped a basket of apples by mistake...." "Rarity told me the same thing, and I made a mess in her shop...." "I burned part of Fluttershy's fence near her house. She was peeved at me or whatever that means...." The Spellbind Brothers knew they were causing more trouble to other ponies despite their intentions. They then went inside the castle to wait like the doctor instructed. Night eventually came and Chilly was still fast asleep. Outside his door were his brothers waiting outside patiently. Though, they were all asleep as well. Starlight walked into the kitchen to notice that the breakfast she made hadn't been touched. She ate her plate of food, but the Spellbind Brothers didn't. She walked over to Chilly's room to see them sleeping outside his bedroom door. She sighed and left them to get blankets and pillows for them. After she prepared them for a partially rough night sleep, Starlight left them to go to sleep herself. No disturbances occurred that night. All was peaceful. A new morning came and Starlight was the first to wake up. She walked over to Chilly's room again to see the Spellbind Brothers still sleeping outside Chilly's door. "Guys, it's time to wake up now...." She began to nudge them awake. The Spellbind Brothers then slowly woke up after a rather uncomfortable night of sleep. "God...my neck is killing me...." Sparx said as he popped his aching neck. "My eyes don't wanna open...." Gust's eyes refused to open. "Sleepy...." Ashes was still lying on the floor. "You're all starting to sound like Chilly right now. C'mon guys. Let's go get breakfast and eat it this time." Starlight and the brothers left the hallway to do so. Starlight threw away the food that wasn't eaten and made a new batch of it. This time the Spellbind Brothers ate their breakfast since they all realized they haven't eaten a thing yesterday. Even after eating, they were all still rather tired. "Ugh....I'm so tired." "Me too...." "I wanna sleep again...." The Spellbind Brothers were starting to repeat themselves. "Guys, I know you're all worried about Chilly, but you really should've gone to bed. Not sleep on the floor." Starlight then began to was the used dishes. "I'm too sleepy to dis you right now...." "Huh...that's a first. Never thought I'd live to hear that." Chilly then sat in his seat. Starlight and the rest of the Spellbind Brothers all turned around fast to see Chilly was awake. "CHILLY...!" Starlight and the Spellbind Brothers all grabbed hold of Chilly out of great relief. "Geez guys, you sure know how to-OW!" Chilly then got smacked in the head by an angry Sparx. "Don't you do that ever again! Asshole...!" "Yeah...! You scared us to death!" "YOU'RE OKAY!" The Spellbind Brothers were so glad to see that Chilly was alright. "Chilly, how do you feel? Are you alright?" Starlight took a closer look at Chilly and noticed that he was looking slightly better than he did yesterday. "Heh...yeah. Sorry for the scare. Guess I was...out cold, huh?" Chilly chuckled at his ice pun. "Even after a good night sleep, your jokes still suck...." "I'm so glad you're alright...!" "HE'S BACK!" "Take it easy, guys. I'm fine. I just need something to eat...." "Oh, wait right there...!" Starlight then quickly began making Chilly something to eat after being asleep for so long. After Chilly ate his much needed meal, they all went into the library per Starlight's request. She made each of them a cup of tea in hopes of calming them all down. "Alright, Chilly, what happened yesterday has got all of us concerned about your health. So we'd like to-" "God, this drink is terrible!" Sparx spat out the tea he just drank out of disgust. "Mine is too hot...!" "YUCK!" They all put their tea cups down. Starlight then became annoyed by the rude interruption. "I'm gonna go see the pink pony! Chilly, don't freak us out again!" "I'll go see if Miss Rainbow Dash needs help with those dark clouds. Bye!" "OUTSIDE!" Sparx, Gust, and Ashes all left the castle to go and do something. Starlight was very annoyed while Chilly chuckled. "Starlight, I'm glad you're looking out for me, but I'm fine now. I was just tired is all. You don't have to overwork yourself now, do you?" Chilly then took a sip of his tea. "Chilly, you need to tell us about these kind of things. The doctor said that you haven't been sleeping lately and that worries us. Have you been stressed out over something? Have we been over-working you? Is it because you've just-" She was then interrupted when her tea got frozen. "Starlight, I think you're the one who is stressed out. I know you mean well, but I don't like it when you're all up in my business. I would appreciate it if you'd pay it no mind." Chilly sounded awfully serious and Starlight noticed this right away. She wasn't speaking with the pun-loving Chilly they know so well. Chilly then finished his tea, placed his cup on the table, and got out of his seat. "I better get some exercise. Been asleep for too long. I don't wanna get bored. You just need to...chill out." Chilly laughed as he left the room. Starlight brushed off the bad pun. She knew Chilly was hiding something. That is never a good sign.... Chapter 4 - Sinking FeelingAfter the scare the brothers had over Chilly yesterday, they had to do something to shift their focus. Sparx had already left to see Pinkie, Ashes left to go see Applejack, Chilly took a walk all over town, and Gust flew all over Ponyville to find Rainbow Dash. Starlight was left home to attend to personal matters. "Hmm...where is she? Where is Miss Rainbow Dash?" Gust searched high and low, but she couldn't find her. "Hey...! Gust...!" Gust looked down to see Scootaloo waving at him from below. He flew down to meet with her. "Hi, Scootaloo. Do you need something...?" "Yeah! Have you seen Rainbow Dash today? I can't find her anywhere...." Scootaloo looked sad. "Actually...I'm looking for her too. I wanna see if we can get rid of those weird clouds." Gust was slightly annoyed by the constant darkness. "Wanna go look for her together? We can look for her together if we both fly together." Gust then stretched out his abnormally lengthy wings all ready to take flight. Scootaloo was amazed, yet she felt troubled. "I wish I could help you, but I can't fly...." She felt defeated when she admitted this to Gust. Gust was confused. "Why...? Your wings look fine to me. Do you just not know how to fly?" "I don't know...! I just can't, ok?!" Scootaloo became upset over these questions. Gust was surprised to see this. But he knew he crossed the line and kept his mouth shut. Scootaloo then realized she took it too far and noticed Gust's shocked expression. "No...I'm sorry! I shouldn't have yelled at you! I just-" She began to panic at her mistake. "Ah...no! It's fine! I shouldn't have said that stuff! Look, I'll make it up to you! I'll give you a lift! We can look for Miss Rainbow Dash together that way!" Gust was also panicking as her lowered his body to allow Scootaloo on his back. "Uh...alright!" Scootaloo quickly got on Gust's back and they both took off into the sky immediately. Scootaloo was amazed at how fast they ascended and how high up they were. "Woah...! This awesome! I thought Rainbow Dash was fast, but wow...!" She held onto Gust tight so she wouldn't fall. "Hey Scootaloo, what is Miss Rainbow Dash like exactly? You seem to like her a lot." "Are you kidding?! Rainbow Dash is awesome! She can fly super fast, she can clear the sky in record time, and she's the best flyer in all of Equestria! And I want to be just like her someday...!" Scootaloo went full fan-mare over Rainbow Dash. "So that's why she's so awesome...? I mean, flying and clearing the sky are what Pegasi do anyway. What's so special about all that?" Gust wasn't convinced. "What?! Have you gone crazy?! She's an awesome athlete too! She's has won so many sports events and took first place every time!" Scootaloo was baffled by Gust selling her idol so short. "Really? That...does sound awesome. And that's what you want to do?" "Yeah...! I want to be as great a flyer as her someday! But I...." Scootaloo then became defeated again by her inability to fly. Gust noticed and didn't know what to say to cheer her up. "Uh...well, do you have to be a great flyer like Miss Rainbow Dash?! Maybe you can do something else to be awesome!" "Maybe...but all Pegasi can fly. How can a Pegasus who can't fly be awesome?" She wasn't convinced. "I'm sure you can do something that's awesome! Aren't there any sports games done on the ground and stuff?" Gust continued to try and cheer Scootaloo up, but he was starting to run out of ways to do it. "Well...there is Hoof Ball, but only Pegasi that can fly can attend." Scootaloo became even more down. Gust couldn't come up with anything else to cheer Scootaloo up. He then saw Rainbow Dash flying around against the clouds above them. "Look, there's Miss Rainbow Dash! Let's go see here!" Gust then quickly flew upwards to do so. Hoping Rainbow Dash could cheer up Scootaloo. Rainbow Dash was trying her hardest to remove the dark clouds alongside other Pegasi, but the clouds were too thick. "Miss Rainbow Dash...!" Gust flew right next to her and startled her. "What the-?! What are you two doing here?!" Rainbow Dash nearly lost her altitude from the surprise arrival. "We were looking for you. Gust said he wanted to help you remove these clouds." Scootaloo quickly perked up from meeting her idol again. Rainbow Dash gave an annoyed sigh and said, "Good luck. We've been trying to get rid of these stupid clouds all morning. But no matter what we do they won't go away." Her fellow Pegasi shared her annoyed feelings. Gust looked up into the clouds and he couldn't see anything. "Hey, why don't you have Gust help? I heard from Sweetie Belle that he can make wind. Maybe he can blow it all away." "Sorry Scoots, but not even wind can get rid of them. We even tried making a little twister and that didn't work. Let's face it, we're stuck." Rainbow Dash then flew over to a nearby cloud that is below the cover. Gust and Scootaloo followed her. "Then...what now?" Scootaloo then joined Rainbow Dash on her cloud hoping to comfort her. "No idea.... This has gotten the entire Weather Factory in Cloudsdale freaking out. Even the Wonderbolts can't do anything." Even Rainbow Dash became discouraged by what is happening. Gust then looked back into the clouds and felt that something was bit...off. He then suddenly flew upward into the clouds at great speed. His entry caused the clouds to ripple like the surface of water. "What in Equestria is that guy doing? Does he think that he can-" She then saw Gust fly back down from the clouds. He seemed very confused about something. "What in the world?!" He was really confused. He then flew over to Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo to report. "Miss Rainbow Dash, something is really wrong...!" "What's wrong, Gust?" "Is it that you can't get rid of those clouds like us...?" Rainbow Dash wasn't at all surprised. "No, it's not that! I tried to fly through the clouds and see if there was something above them, but I wound up back here!" This definitely got the other Pegasi confused. "Maybe you just got lost. That can happen when you can't see where you're going." Rainbow Dash was not convinced. "Then you do it...! You fly up and get through! You'll see what I mean!" "Maybe you should try it, Rainbow Dash. It can't hurt to try...." Scootaloo began nudging Rainbow Dash to do so. Rainbow ash gave another annoyed sigh and said, "Alright, fine.... Let's give it a try." Rainbow Dash then flew straight upwards into the clouds at great speed and into the clouds. In no time at all, she came back just as quickly. She then stopped and was shocked by what just happened. "What...?" Gust then flew up to Rainbow Dash and asked, "Now do you believe me?! I flew into the clouds only to fly back down! What is going on here?!" Even the other Pegasi tried to do so and they all failed to pierce through. This began to concern Rainbow Dash more and more. Not only can they not break through the cloud cover, but now they can't even get to the clear sky. She then flew over to the cloud where Scootaloo was perched. "Hey Gust, I need you to do something for me." "Uh...what is it?" Gust flew over to hear her request. "I need you to get Scootaloo back to the ground for me. I need to go meet with Starlight." Rainbow Dash glared at the clouds. She knew something was going on. She just didn't know what it was. "Rainbow Dash...?" Scootaloo was concerned. "Don't worry, Scoots. I'm sure Starlight will know what to do. I'll meet back up with you." Rainbow Dash then flew off to Twilight's castle to tell Starlight what's going on. Gust and Scootaloo were both concerned. Gust then brought Scootaloo back to the ground like he was asked to. "Well...um...." Gust really didn't know what to say about all this. "Hey Gust, could we hang out a little longer? I...don't want to be alone." Scootaloo became scared. Gust couldn't leave her alone and they decided to stick together for now. Meanwhile, Sparx and Pinkie were hanging out doing what they failed to do before: make a good batch of sweets. Except every time they make a batch, it ends up burnt. "Ok, this is getting stupid...." Sparx was beginning to lose his patience. "I don't understand.... We followed the recipes exactly as the book says we should. I don't know what we did wro-?!" Suddenly, both Sparx and Pinkie felt a deep chill run down their spines. "What the hell...? This feeling...." Sparx felt like his blood turned to ice and his heart felt like it was being squeezed. Pinkie felt the exact same feeling. Her mane and tail both deflated. "Sparky...something happened. Something bad. I'm scared." Pinkie then held onto Sparx. "You felt it too, huh? Yeah, something really bad happened. But where...?" Sparx looked around the room for the source, but he could tell the source was nowhere nearby. "What the hell is this feeling...? It's like my legs are telling me to do something but I don't even know what happened or what I should do and they won't shut up about it!" thought Sparx; he was getting really annoyed about it. "Sparky, I think we should go and tell Starlight...right now." "Uh...yeah. Let's go." Sparx then got Pinkie to ride on his back to keep her out of trouble. They left Sugar Cube Corner and made their way to Twilight's castle. They both knew something was going on, but now they know for sure that something very, very bad was going on. They just didn't know what it was. Meanwhile, in Sweet Apple Acres, something was happening to some of the apple trees. The leaves were turning from green to black and the apples were starting to drop from their stems all rotten. "What in tarnation is happening to the orchard?!" Applejack was shocked to see what was happening. "Sis, I'm scared...." Apple Bloom held onto Applejack's legs in fear. "HEY...!" Ashes came running towards Applejack and Apple Bloom to help them with the orchard. "Oh, howdy Ash. Today isn't really a good day right now." Applejack was quite concerned with the state of her orchard. "Huh...? Why no-HOLY SXXX! WHAT IS UP WITH YOUR TRE-!" Applejack then slammed an non-rotten apple into Ashes' mouth after he just noticed what was happening. "Please keep the foul language away from my little sis...." Applejack had Apple Bloom cover her ears when Ashes started swearing. "MMMPH?! MMPH?!" Ashes had his mouth full of apple. "Ashes...don't talk with your mouth full." "We have no idea what's happening...! We just found the trees like this and I think it's spreading!" "Granny Smith and Big Mac are not gonna like what they see when they get back." Ashes finally ate the apple and asked, "YOU WANT ME TO BURN THEM FOR YOU?! I CAN DO THAT...!" He then started to burn up. "No...! You'll start a forest fire! Just...go and tell Starlight about this! Maybe she'll figure something out!" Applejack really didn't want anything crazy happening. Especially when her entire apple orchard was rotting away. "YEAH!" Ashes then ran off to do so in a hurry. "Big sis, can Starlight really do something about this? Can she cure the orchard?" Apple Bloom was afraid of what was happening. Applejack didn't have an answer for her little sister. She was unsure of what could happen next. Meanwhile, Sweetie Belle was spending some time near the CMC clubhouse on her knitting and it wasn't coming along too well. But she's still trying. "C'mon...! How does Rarity do this every day?!" Sweetie Belle was beginning to grow frustrated with her messy knitting. While she wasn't looking, a pair of vicious eyes were looking down on her from the trees. From within those trees, a black smog came from within the leaves. Suddenly, another Manticore jumped out at Sweetie Belle in the hopes of killing her. But just before it could, it was then smacked away by an icy hammer. Sweetie Belle jumped from the loud noise and noticed the Manticore crashing on the ground and sprawling in pain. "Good thing I decided to get some exercise to day...." Chilly was the one who smacked the Manticore away and saved Sweetie Belle. "Chilly?! What just happened?!" Sweetie Belle panicked and was confused. Suddenly, Chilly flashed his horn in her face and she passed out. "Sorry missy, but you need to be quiet for a little while. After this, it'll be just a bad dream...." Chilly then placed Sweetie belle on his back to keep her safe. But the Manticore then got back on it's feet and was ready to fight. Chilly then glared at the Manticore and said, "You should have ran for it, cat...." With another flash of his horn, many icy shards sprung from the ground and ran through it's body. It died without delay and the black smog left it's body. Chilly then walked over to the Manticore's dead body and placed his horn on it. In an instant, the Manticore turned into frost and then disintegrated. Chilly left nothing behind. He then turned and left for Ponyville with Sweetie Belle safely on his back. He made his way to Rarity's Boutique to take her back home to her sister. He sees Rarity working on another dress like always. She then noticed Chilly and said, "Ah Chilly, what may I do fo-" She then noticed Sweetie Belle passed out on Chilly's back and immediately stopped working. "Sweetie Belle...!" She ran over to see if her little sister was alright. Thankfully, she was un-harmed. "Chilly, what happened?! What's wrong with her?!" "Calm down, missy. She's fine. A Manticore attacked her but I got rid of it. She just fainted out of fright." Chilly then magically placed Sweetie Belle gently on a nearby pile of blankets. Rarity then rushed to check and see if Sweetie Belle was alright. "Thank you so much, Chilly. I don't know what I would do if anything were to happen to my little sister." Rarity held onto Sweetie Belle in relief. "I'll leave the rest to you, missy. I've had enough exercise for one day. Later." Chilly then left the boutique with his hood over his head. He then began making his way back to Twilight's castle. He glares at the dark sky that looms over what was supposed to be a land of peace. He was disgusted. "It seems the time to be lazy has long since gone. The time to get off my lazy ass draws near...." He thinks to himself as he moves through Ponyville. "This time I will not fail...."
Chapter 1 - Sweet Tooth"UGH...!" Another day in Ponyville with Glint Sparx failing another lesson taught by Starlight Glimmer while Twilight and Spike were away. He is now spending time with Pinkie in Sugar Cube Corner, lying his head on a table, ready to ease his pain by eating sweets. "It'll be alright, Sparky. I'm sure you'll do fine on the next lesson. Just keep trying." Pinkie then served Sparx a plate of cookies with a class of milk. Sparx ate his cookies and began feeling better. "Hey pink pony, I wanna learn how to make cookies. Can you teach me how?" Sparx had quickly finished his cookies and drank some of his milk. "Really?! You want to learn how to make cookies?!" Pinkie stopped making her pastry and jumped in excitement. "Learning from you sounds a lot more fun to me than whatever Starlight is teaching me...." Sparx then finished his milk. Pinkie then hugged Sparx, "I'm so happy, Sparky...! C'mon, let's go!" Pinkie then ran to a nearby cabinet and pulled out a shopping bag. "Go where...?" "Shopping for ingredients, silly! Let's go!" Pinkie then dashed out the door. Sparx sighed and followed her. Pinkie dragged Sparx all over Ponyville's market place to find ingredients for the cookies. Sparx was the one to carry all of it around his shoulder. "Pink pony, do we really need all these ingredients just to make cookies?" The shopping bag was bloated with the ingredients. It was starting to weigh down Sparx. "Sparky, it takes more than sugar and chocolate chips to make cookies! It takes time, hard work, and a good recipe! And all of these ingredients are needed to make the most yummy cookies!" Pinkie was quite serious. Sparx was slightly intimidated. "Hey Sparx...! What are you doing...?" Gust came walking into the market place with Fluttershy carrying a couple of bags full of pet food. "Hi Gusty...! Sparky is helping me get stuff for cookies!" "Oh, that's great. Then...are you two on a date?" Fluttershy blushed slightly when she asked. Pinkie's cheeks then turned red. "No...! We-! We're not on a date!" Pinkie's gave a nervous laugh. Fluttershy gave her an un-convinced look. "What...? Date? What's that? Can you eat it?" Sparx was really confused. "Oh yeah...! Dates are like peanuts! I heard they're really sweet!" "Ok, now I want a date. Pink pony, I'd like to try this thing you call a 'date'." Pinkie and Fluttershy weren't at all surprised but their oblivious-ness. "Mister Gust, I think it's time we leave. I have pets to feed right now." "Ok...! Bye Sparx! Bye Pinkie!" Gust and Fluttershy then left the market place for home. Pinkie and Sparx then made their way back to Sugar Cube Corner when they finished shopping. As they made their way back, Pinkie was still bothered by what Fluttershy said. Her cheeks her still red. "Uh...are you ok? Your face is red." Sparx got close to Pinkie's face out of confusion. Pinkie's face then turned even redder. "I'M FINE...! WE HAVE COOKIES TO MAKE!" Pinkie then darts to Sugar Cube Corner to hide her embarrassment. "Sweet...!" Sparx quickly followed her from excitement. Pinkie wanted to forget what Fluttershy said to her and focus on the task they planned. They got back to Sugar Cube Corner, gathered up the necessary items for their ingredients, got a cook book for instructions, and began to make their cookies. "Alright, first you the cookie mix into the bowl, then the chocolate chips, then the-SPARKY! THOSE ARE FOR THE COOKIES!" Pinkie then caught Sparx eating some of the chocolate chips. Sparx then stopped eating the chocolate chips, paused for a moment and said, "Oops...." Pinkie gave an annoyed sigh and said, "That's fine, we have extra." They went back to work. They followed the instructions written in the cook book and finally they finished making their cookies. There were eight cookies neatly placed on a wide pan ready to be baked in the oven. "Alright, now put our cookies in the oven and wait a little while for them to bake." Pinkie does so and closes the oven. "How do we know when they're done...? How long does it take?" Sparx had flour on his hooves. "Don't worry, Sparky. It won't be too long. We can just talk for a little while we wait." Pinkie and Sparx now wait for their cookies to finish baking. Ten minutes later and now Sparx wants Pinkie to stop talking. Pinkie went on and on about planning parties, all the adventures she had with her friends, and about her pet alligator, Gummy. Part of Sparx was impressed about all the crazy stuff Pinkie and her friends went through in the past, but the rest of him wanted him to go deaf. "There was even that time Twilight beat this super scary goat-monkey-monster! It was so awesome! She shot lasers, she flew super fast, and she was winning! Then we opened the box and we got super powers too and then we beat that monster! It was so awesome...!" Pinkie continued to go on and on about all of the adventures she and her friends went through while Sparx continued to reluctantly listen. After a while, the cookies were finally done. Pinkie pulled them out of the oven and unfortunately, they were black. "Oh no...! The cookies are burnt! But...why?! We followed the instructions exactly!" Pinkie was so confused. "Maybe it was because you talked too much and kept the cookies waiting too long...." Sparx was disappointed by the sight of burnt cookies. Pinkie then glared at Sparx, "What do you mean?! I followed the instructions like the book said! And I was keeping an eye on the timer the entire time!" "And the cookies still got burnt.... You failed. That's all." Sparx gave a disappointed sigh. Pinkie gave a loud grumble and then ran out the door in frustration. Sparx was alone with the burnt cookies. After sitting alone for a little while, he then realized that he...is an ass. Sparx gave an annoyed sigh, "Dammit...." He then magically took the cookies with him and left Sugar Cube Corner to find Pinkie. Pinkie was sitting at the base of a tree in the park, feeling sad and angry for what happened. "I just...wanted to make cookies with Sparky...." Her mane and tail were deflated and her bright pink coat became dull. She looked much like her sister, Diane who lived in Manehatten. Tears started to form in Pinkie's eyes. She then noticed Sparx walk up to the tree where she was sitting, sat down beside her, and then place the burnt cookies they made in-between them. He said nothing and just looked at the cloudy sky with a frown on his face. "Sparky...? What are you doing here? And why did you-?" Pinkie was confused. Suddenly, she was then covered in Sparx's hood without warning. "You know...I've noticed that it's gotten cold because of those clouds. Thought you might be chilly...." Sparx was trying to be nice, but he knew he sucked at doing just that. He was much too proud to admit he was wrong about anything. Pinkie felt a little touched, but she was still upset about earlier. Sparx noticed and knew he was failing badly. He didn't know what to say to fix his mistake. He then sighed again, "You know, I hate to admit it, but you and your friends are pretty amazing." Pinkie looked at Sparx, surprised to hear that from his mouth. "I mean, none of you can fight, and yet you defeated many enemies more powerful than any of you with something so dumb as 'Friendship'. Honestly, I find it unbelievable...." Pinkie didn't know what to make of what Sparx was saying. She wasn't sure to take it as a compliment or as an insult. "And yet, despite all of that, you get so upset over a dumb plate of burnt cookies? I fail more times on stupid lessons than you do making sweets and planning parties. As much as I hate to admit it, You are bet...be....bett......" Sparx was trying to get the words out, but his pride was too big for him to swallow. Pinkie was able to get the gist of what Sparx was trying to say and then she gave him a hug. "Thank you, Sparky. I appreciate you trying to cheer me up." She knew Sparx was too proud, and just accepted the thought. "Thank god.... Any more of this and I might choke on my words." Sparx then took a bite on one of the burnt cookies. "Sparky, don't...! They're still burnt!" Pinkie tried to stop him, but he had already swallowed. "Hey, this is pretty good." Sparx continued to eat the burnt cookies and enjoyed them. He quickly ate all of them. Pinkie was so happy that her mane, tail, and coat went back to normal. She then gave him another hug. "I'M SO GLAD YOU LIKE THEM, SPARKY!" She was so relieved. "My name...is Sparx, pink pony." Sparx was glad that Pinkie is happy again, but he was still annoyed.
Chapter 2 - FIREWORKS!"Ash dear, please bring me that rack of cloth over there. I need it for this new commission I'm working on." Rarity pointed at a nearby rack of various clothing material located at the back of the boutique. "You need it for a what...?" Ashes had no clue what she said. He was helping Rarity with her work. Rarity sighed, "Just bring it over here...." She had forgotten that Ashes wasn't really the brightest flame in the darkness. "Ok...!" Ashes then did what he was asked to do and brought the rack of clothing to Rarity's desk. "Thank you, dear. Please sit on that stool and wait. I need you to model for me." Rarity began preparing her tools and materials for crafting. "What? Why? Can't you get a mare to do this?" Ashes then sat in the stool as instructed. "Well Ash dear, I wanted your brothers to do it, but some things have happened that kept me from having them model for me. If you would please be a dear and model for me. I need to make clothing for any potentially taller ponies. Also, please remove your hood for me." Rarity then got her measuring tape ready. "Alright." Ashes then removed his hood and threw it on the floor. His body was covered in scars just like Chilly, Gust, and Sparx. Rarity ignored the sight of those scars so she wouldn't offend Ashes. "Thank you, dear. Now please stand up and stay still. Back straight, eyes forward, and no moving please." Ashes did as instructed while Rarity began measuring his proportions. She discovered that in comparison to most ponies, Ashes' muscles and build was quite bulky. "Uh...what are you doing?" Ashes was very confused as he noticed Rarity wrapping her measuring tape around his body and legs. "Please, hold still. What I'm doing is measuring your body so I will be able to make clothing around your size. That way taller ponies will be able to wear clothing too." Rarity was nearly finished. "I'm so bored...!" Ashes' mane started to burn from the boredom. "Alright, I've just finished. You may leave now. Thank you, Ash." Rarity un-wrapped her tape from Ashes and began to note down all the various sizes. "ALRIGHT! BYE!" Ashes then grabbed hiss hood and ran out the door. Rarity sighed again, "He is such a foal...." She then began making the clothing for taller ponies. Ashes then began strolling through Ponyville feeling relieved. "It feels good to be free! How can she work such a boring job?! Mares are weird!" "Hey, we're not weird! You're weird!" Scootaloo and her friends followed Ashes, feeling insulted. "Oh hey...! You're those Cutie Mark Crunchers!" "CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!!!" The CMC were quite annoyed with Ashes. "Anyway, what's up?!" Sweetie Belle replied, "Well...we wanted to ask you something and heard you were helping my sister today. So we followed you." "Huh...? Ask me what?" "Can you make fireworks?!" Scootaloo's eyes sparkled at the possibility. "Uh...fireworks? What are those?" Ashes was very confused. "Fireworks are really cool! They fly into the sky and then they burst into many colors! We want to see you make them!" "DUDE, THAT SOUNDS SO AWESOME! I'M GONNA DO IT RIGHT NOW!" Ashes then prepares to shoot fire into the sky with his mouth. "NO!!!" The CMC then clamped Ashes' mouth shut all at once. The flames in Ashes' mouth then went out and all that came out of his ears and nostrils was smoke. The CMC then removed themselves from Ashes' mouth and the rest of the smoke came out. Now he's suffering slight heartburn. "You can't do that here...! You'll get in trouble again!" Apple Bloom and her friends became nervous. They were causing a scene. "Ugh......" Ashes was in pain. "Come with us. We know a safe place to do it without anypony getting hurt!" The CMC then began pulling and pushing Ashes to an open field far away from any trees and away from the town. "Ok then...you want me to breath fire into the sky and make it explode?!" Ashes called out to the CMC who were keeping a far distance. They hid themselves at the border of the open field where trees were located. "Yeah...! Just like that!" "We know you can do it!" "Show us the fire, Ashy...!" The CMC now wait for Ashes to show them fireworks. "Who the fxxx is 'Ashy'?" Ashes mumbled to himself. Brushing his annoyance aside, he then began to take a deep breath and then unleashed a stream of fire into the sky as instructed. The flames were quite the spectacle to the CMC, but there was only a stream of flames. No explosions were made to resemble fireworks. Ashes stopped breathing fire out of confusion. "Ah...it didn't explode." Scootaloo and her friends were a little disappointed. "But I did as they said I should. What the hell?!" Ashes was starting to lose his cool. He then shot another stream of fire into the sky only to witness another failure. His body was starting to catch on fire from anger. "Uh...girls, I think we should leave now." Apple Bloom was starting to back away slowly from fear. "I think you might be right...." Sweetie Belle and her friends noticed that the flames were beginning to spread. Ashes was about to go crazy. "Hey, what's tha-" Suddenly, just as Scootaloo noticed, an icy hammer came from out of the sky and slammed down on top of Ashes. The flames were then extinguished in an instant. "What the hell is going on here?" Chilly came up from behind the CMC looking rather angry. The CMC were quite intimidated by him "I was just helping Applejack at her farm today and then I noticed flames flying into the sky. Ash, you better have a damn good reason for randomly shooting off flames nearby a forest. You could get us all in serious trouble, you know." Chilly was not in the mood for any excuses. Suddenly, flames exploded from within the steam and Ashes came out roaring in rage. "WHAT THE HELL, CHILL?!! WHY'D YOU HIT ME?!!" Ashes was now enraged. "Guys, please calm down...!" Sweetie Belle ran in between the two angry stallions and they stopped. "It was our fault, Chilly...! We wanted to see if Ashy can make fireworks!" Apple Bloom and Scootaloo joined Sweetie Belle in hopes of stopping them from fighting. "Huh...? Fireworks? Are you three crazy? Ash can't make fireworks...." Chilly then yawned. He seemed even more sleepy than usual. "I CAN TOO! AND MY NAME ISN'T 'ASHY'!" The flames coming off of Ashes was beginning to die down a little bit. "Look, can you please not fight? We're sorry if we caused you guys any trouble...." Scootaloo and her friends were guilty of nearly getting Ashes and Chilly into fighting each other. Chilly and Ashes then felt like jerks for making things worse. Chilly sighed and said, "Alright, fine.... Do what you want, but no forest fires. I'm going back to work...." Chilly then began making his way back to Applejack's farm. "Thank you, Chilly...!" The CMC said in unison. "So...you three wanna see some fireworks?" Ashes was ready to get back to fulfilling their request. "YEAH!" The CMC then excitedly re-positioned themselves in their safe zones to see Ashes complete his task. After a while, there was no success. Ashes was spent. He had used up nearly all the fire he had trying to get his fire to explode. "Why can't I do it...?!" He was frustrated by his many failures. "Hey, it's alright. At least you tried." Sweetie Belle and her friends walked over to Ashes to give him a pat on the back. "What am I doing wrong...? I can see it in my head, but I can't get it to do it!" Despite Ashes being angry, he had so little fire left and only the tip of his tail burned. "Maybe you just need practice!" "Yeah...! It's like my sis said! Practice makes perfect!" "Ah...you're right!" Ashes was surprised by Scootaloo and Apple Bloom's suggestion. Suddenly, they then see fireworks go off somewhere in Ponyville. "Hey, are those...fireworks?" Ashes was amazed by what he saw in the distance. "Yeah...! But who is doing that?" Sweetie Belle was just as curious. "Let's go find out!" The CMC then began running back to Ponyville. "Slow down...! I'm exhausted here!" Ashes tried to keep up with the CMC and made his way back to Ponyville. They then arrived at the park to see a large stage with curtains, an audience, and a star with a wand made of wood hanging at the top of the stage. And standing on the stage was a blue Unicorn. She had a light-blue mane and tail, her Cutie Mark was a star with a wand, similar to the wooded counterpart, and she wore a purple wizards hat and cape. "Welcome, welcome, my lovely audience! What you are about to see is a display of magical talent of the Great and Powerful Trixie!" The mare presented herself confidently as she showcased her magical talent. She started with what appeared to be an aurora followed by smaller versions of the fireworks Ashes and the CMC saw earlier. "What the-?! Who is that?!" Ashes was too amazed by the show to have heard the introduction. "That's Trixie. She's a pretty cool magician, but she isn't really a nice pony...."Apple Bloom and her friends kept their distance from the stage. "Huh...? Why? What'd she do?" "Well...she did some really mean things when she first came to Ponyville. She's a big-mouth and a big meanie." "She made my sister's mane green!" "And she tied my sis up!" The CMC were quite upset over what happened before. "Then she got this weird jewel and started causing all kinds of trouble in Ponyville!" "That's so cool...!" Ashes was thoroughly impressed. "NO, IT'S NOT!!!" The CMC were all very annoyed with Ashes' simple-mindedness. "Cant talk! Got a show to watch!" Ashes then ran off to do so. "ASHES!!!" The CMC were too late to stop Ashes. Ashes had already took his seat and the CMC tried to pull him away. "Thank you for your applause! Now witness the magical mastery that I have prepared for all of you!" Trixie then used her magic to form multiple platforms and began galloping on top of them gracefully. Then she got her magic to form various animals like stags, birds, and even fish. And finally, she finished it all up with a large firework that dazzled her audience. Ashes and even the CMC were all amazed by Trixie's performance. The audience clapped their hooves and cheered for Trixie. She then took her bow. "THAT WAS SO COOL!" Ashes was blown away by the show. "Yeah, it was...." Apple Bloom and her friends were also amazed. "Thank you! Thank you! You're all too kind! And that shall be it for Trixie's performance for today! Look forward to her next one! Good bye!" Trixie then used her magic to close the curtains to end her show. "WAIT...!" Ashes then jumped over the audience, then onto the stage, then stopped the curtains from closing. "ASHES?!" The CMC and the audience were shocked by Ashes' sudden action. But not as shocked as Trixie. "What is the meaning of this?! Get off my stage!" Trixie was quite upset by Ashes disturbing her show. "Sorry, but can you help me with something?! It's super important and your the only pony awesome enough to do it!" Ashes was very excited. "Well, Trixie is indeed awesome. I suppose I could do this once for a fan. What is it, mister...?" Trixie was flattered by Ashes' compliment. She then re-opened the curtains with her magic. "I'm Ashes Spellbind! But you can call me Ash! I need you to teach me how to shoot fireworks! Please?!" Trixie was then confused. "You want Trixie...to teach you...how to shoot...fireworks. That's it?" "YEAH! I wanna show it to the Cutie Mark Catchers!" "CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!!!" The CMC arrived on the stage to join Ashes. "Anyway, can you do it? Please?!" Ashes was hoping Trixie would say yes. "No." And then Ashes became depressed. "But...why not?" Apple Bloom and her friends were all confused. "Because this guy isn't even a Unicorn! He doesn't have a horn, and to make magic fireworks, he needs magic!" Trixie was beginning to get annoyed by such an impossible request. "But I can breathe fire! Really...!" Ashes was now starting to sound desperate. "Do you think Trixie is stupid?! No pony can breathe fire!" "But it's true...! Ask the audience! They've seen it happen too!" The audience then began to back up what Sweetie Belle said. Trixie was still un-convinced by something so unbelievable. Trixie groaned and said, "Fine, have it your way. Trixie will teach this crazy pony how to make fireworks! But it's still impossible!" "I'LL SHOW YOU! LET'S DO THIS!" Ashes was ready for anything. They then positioned themselves in preparation for this seemingly impossible stunt. "Hey, do you think Ashy can do it? Didn't he say he was really tired earlier...?" Scootaloo and her friends were worried about Ashes and if he would succeed. "Alright then, Ashes Spellbind, here is how you make a firework. Trixie will show you how a Unicorn can do it!" Trixie was still un-convinced. "BRING IT ON!" Ashes was ready to go though he was still mostly spent on fire. But he was too focused to care. "Alright then, I want you to focus your magic. Have it all focused in one single point, think about what you want it to be, then unleash it. That is how the Great and Powerful Trixie was taught." "ALRIGHT!" Ashes began to do focus whatever fire he had left, but he could barely get anything to spark. He had used up so much of it on his prior failures, there was barely anything left. Both Trixie and the audience were starting to lose their patience. "C'mon, Ashy...! We know you can do it!" Scootaloo began to cheer for Ashes to succeed. Ashes then began to take deep breaths of air into his lungs. He then began to feel hotter as he breathed. His mane and tail were beginning to catch fire. Trixie and the audience noticed this and were amazed by the sight. "Is he...actually on fire?! That can't be...! He's just an Earth Pony!" Trixie thought as she tried to figure out what she was seeing. Ashes could feel the flames within his body begin to grow much larger. Then his chest was beginning to glow a bright orange, showing where the flames were gathering. "HERE WE GO!!!" Ashes then focused all the fire he gathered into his mouth, then shot it out. This time it wasn't a stream of fire, but it was shaped into a ball of fire. It was shot so high into the air, and then it exploded into a flashy light show. Exactly like an actual firework. This amazed the audience as they saw the explosion. Trixie was stupefied by what she just saw. What she thought was impossible actually happened in front of her. The CMC and the audience cheered for Ashes' success. Suddenly, Ashes then collapsed on the stage from exhaustion. "ASHES...!" The CMC then ran onto the stage to see if he was alright. "Heh....I did it.... Just like....I said I....would...." Ashes was wiped out. "That was the best...! You were great!" Apple Bloom and her friends gave Ashes a big hug to show thanks. "Trixie...might have been wrong about you. She would like to apolo-" Trixie then noticed that Ashes had fallen asleep. "Why you-! Get this crazy stallion off my stage!" She was very annoyed. "Sorry for the trouble...!" Scootaloo and her friends then began to carry the sleeping Ashes off the stage in a panic. "Thanks for the show! You were great too, Trixie!" Sweetie Belle and her friends then left with Ashes. Trixie blushed and said, "Whatever...." Ashes and the CMC all had a long day. And Trixie met up with an amazing pony. As the audience began making their way back home for the evening, Trixie had already closed up her stage. She still couldn't believe what she had seen during her performance. "Spellbind.... Why does that sound so...familiar?" Trixie was quite confused. She then noticed the bag of bits she got from her successful performance. "Oh, never mind that! Trixie has bits to count!" She began to do so gleefully. Back at Twilight's castle, Starlight and the Spellbind Brothers now watch over the still sleeping Ashes. The CMC had already went home for the night after bringing Ashes back. "So...is he alright?" Gust was concerned for Ashes' health. "Yes, he'll be fine. He just needs a good night sleep." Starlight could tell that Ashes' fire was beginning to burn bright again. "Moron.... Using up his power like that. Only I'm allowed to show-off here." Sparx then left for bed. Chilly was already asleep. "Ugh...why do I have to put up with you?!" Starlight was getting fed up with Sparx and his attitude. They all left for bed that night. Yet another busy day for the Spellbind Brothers.
Chapter 3 - InsomniaThe sun rose up into the sky despite Princess Celestia not being able to see it. After over 1,000 years of sun raising, she knows exactly where and when to raise it. The ponies of Ponyville wake up to attend to their daily tasks like always despite the darkness that covers the land. "GOOD MORNING!" Ashes came bursting through the door and into the kitchen to see Starlight making breakfast. "Agh...you're killing my ears!" Sparx's ears now ache with an unpleasant ringing added to it. "Good morning, Miss Starlight." Gust and his brothers then took their seats to wait for breakfast. "Good morning, guys. I hope you've all slept well." Starlight was nearly finished making toast, muffins, and waffles when she noticed Chilly wasn't present. "Where is Chilly?" "Probably still sleeping like a fil-WHAT THE FXXX?!" Sparx then noticed a really fatigued Chilly walk into the kitchen. Chilly was so tired, he looked like he was half dead. "Good morning...." Chilly clumsily entered the kitchen and took his seat. He laid his head on the table and gave a deep yawn. "Chilly, are you okay? You don't look so good." Gust was concerned. "ARE YOU SICK?! DO YOU NEED MEDICINE?! STARLIGHT, GET MEDICINE!" "Nah bro, I'm fine.... Just a little....tired." Chilly had bags under his eyes. He did not look fine at all. "Chilly, maybe you should stay in bed for today. You can't go out like this." Starlight had just finished making breakfast and walked up to Chilly to see if he was alright. "Ah...you're a sweet heart, Starlight. I propose...a toast to your kindness." Chilly gave a tired chuckle at his awful joke. The others were not impressed. "Damn dude...that sucked!" Starlight gave an annoyed sigh at Sparx's rude comment. "Yeah, that was pretty bad.... Maybe you should stay in bed after all. It might do you some good." Gust urged Chilly to do so out of concern. "YEAH! LET US DO THE WORK TODAY!" Chilly sighed as got out of his seat and said, "Alright then.... Guess I shou-" Suddenly, Chilly's legs gave out and he just dropped to the floor like a bag of bricks. "Chilly...!" "BRO...!" "What the fxxx?!" The Spellbind Brothers were shocked to see Chilly just drop like that. They scrambled to get check and see if he was alright. Chilly had passed out cold. "Guys, don't panic! Take him to his room while I go get a doctor!" Starlight then teleported to the doctor's office to do so while the Spellbind Brothers took Chilly to his room. "Chilly, what's wrong?! Please say something...!" Gust was so scared he began to cry. Hoping for Chilly's health. "IT'S OKAY! DON'T PANIC! HE'S GONNA BE FINE!" Ashes was panicking anyway. "Shut up and help me carry him, you idiots!" Sparx began to carry Chilly into his room with his brothers helping. They took him to his room and began waiting for Starlight to return with a doctor. Just as they grew more and more worried, they then see Starlight run to Chilly's room with a doctor. He was a brown Pegasus stallion with light-brown tail and mane, and his Cutie Mark was a black bag with a red cross on it. He wore glasses and a white coat. "Guys, we're here...! He's going to have a look on Chilly!" "Yes, I am Doctor Patches. Is he in-" "Get in there already...!" Sparx quickly interrupted the doctor to magically send the doctor into the room along with his equipment. "Sparx, you need to calm down...!" Starlight noticed the Spellbind Brothers were panicking. "I can't calm down! I'm freaking the fxxx out over here!" "Please be alright, Chilly...!" "WE NEED TO STAY CALM!" The Spellbind Brothers were going crazy from an increasing fear for their brother. Starlight did her best to keep them under control while the doctor examined Chilly's health. After a while, Doctor Patches stepped out of the room with his equipment. "How is he?!" "We'll he be alright?!" "IS HE ALIVE?!" The Spellbind Brothers were still panicking. Doctor Patches was getting pressured. Suddenly, they were then sent flying across the hallway by Starlight's magic to keep them from overwhelming. "I'm so sorry for all of this. They're just scared." Starlight was also quite concerned for Chilly's health. Doctor Patches adjusted his glasses and replied, "It's quite alright, Miss Starlight. As for Chilly, he's fine. No injuries or anything. Although, he seems to be suffering from some rather unpleasant insomnia. From my examination, it appears he hasn't been sleeping for several days. Has he been under any stress lately? Has his eating habits changed at all lately?" "Um...what's insomnia?" Gust and his brothers got back up, hoping for an answer. "It's when a pony has a hard time sleeping. It's hard to say what really causes insomnia, but it can be dangerous to a pony's health." "IS THERE A CURE?! THERE HAS TO BE...!" "No, there isn't. Insomnia isn't a sickness. It's just something a pony goes through in life. It can't be cured by medicine." "Then what the fxxx are we supposed to do?! Wait for him to wake up?!" The Spellbind Brothers were starting to panic again. "CALM DOWN!" Doctor Patches had enough of their panic attack. His outburst silenced all three of them. Even Starlight was silent. He then adjusted his glasses again. "I understand that you're concerned for your brother's health. But you three panicking isn't going to help anything. All you have to do right now is wait for him to wake up. He is fine. He just needs rest right now. Just be patient." Doctor Patches then began to leave the hallway and head back to his office. "Have a good day." He said as he left. Starlight and the Spellbind Brothers had nothing else to do but wait as the doctor instructed. They then went back to the kitchen to eat breakfast. But after what just happened, none of them could take a bite. Even Starlight lost her appetite. They just sat there looking at their breakfast all worried. "Maybe...maybe you guys should go out and get some fresh air. It'll clear your heads. I'll leave your breakfast here when you get back. I'll look after Chilly." The Spellbind Brothers couldn't really say anything, so they just left the castle to do so. Unfortunately, they were still quite worried. "Hey...uh...I have a...um...thing to do. Bye!" Gust then flew off without another word. "ME TOO!" Ashes was the second to run off. "Later...!" Sparx was the third to run off. They all split up in hopes of figuring out what to do. In Rarity's Boutique, Rarity had just finished making a dress design for taller ponies thanks to Ashes modelling for her. "Perfect, if I do say so myself. Now I just need to make one for the stallions and then it wi-" She was then interrupted with Gust flying through the door in a panic. "MISS RARITY! HELP...!" Gust was back to crying his eyes out. His wings started flapping about in a panic. Wind started sending all the fabrics flying around the boutique. "Gust, what are you doing?! Stop doing that this instant!" Rarity tried to get all of the flying fabric with her magic, but it wasn't going well. "I'M SORRY, BUT I NEED YOUR HELP BECAUSE YOU'RE SMARTER THAN ME!" Gust was losing control over this emotions. "Alright, that is enough!" Rarity then prepared spools of twine and began to tie Gust and his wings up from conjuring any more wind. Gust was completely tied up in twine and the wind stopped. Unfortunately, the boutique was a mess. Fabrics and clothing were all over the place. Rarity sighed and asked, "Gust dear, if you would please calm down and tell me why you're so upset, then I will try to help you. Is that clear?" "Yes, Miss Rarity...." Gust then stopped panicking and told Rarity what happened earlier. Rarity then became concerned. "I see, so Chilly hasn't been sleeping at all lately. The poor dear...." "Yeah...! And that's why I'm here! You're really smart, so I know you might know how to help him! Right?!" Gust was hoping she would have the answer he was looking for. "I wish I could help you, Gust, but I'm afraid there is nothing I can do. You will just have to wait like the doctor said." She then untied Gust with her magic. "Oh...ok." Gust then grew more worried. "Now that I have given you your answer, you will clean up the mess you made. Now." Rarity was pretty upset over the mess Gust made with his wind. Gust began doing so without arguing. After awhile, Gust finally finished doing so and left after apologizing. It was already the late afternoon as Gust made his way back to the castle. He then ran into Sparx and Ashes when he arrived at the castle. "Uh...hey, guys." "Sup?" "FLUTTERSHY COULDN'T HELP ME!" Sparx and Gust looked at Ashes and had the exact same result. "You guys too...?" Sparx and Ashes nodded. Gust was quite surprised. "I went to see Applejack to see if she knew what to do, but she just shoved an apple in my mouth and told me she couldn't help me. And I zapped a basket of apples by mistake...." "Rarity told me the same thing, and I made a mess in her shop...." "I burned part of Fluttershy's fence near her house. She was peeved at me or whatever that means...." The Spellbind Brothers knew they were causing more trouble to other ponies despite their intentions. They then went inside the castle to wait like the doctor instructed. Night eventually came and Chilly was still fast asleep. Outside his door were his brothers waiting outside patiently. Though, they were all asleep as well. Starlight walked into the kitchen to notice that the breakfast she made hadn't been touched. She ate her plate of food, but the Spellbind Brothers didn't. She walked over to Chilly's room to see them sleeping outside his bedroom door. She sighed and left them to get blankets and pillows for them. After she prepared them for a partially rough night sleep, Starlight left them to go to sleep herself. No disturbances occurred that night. All was peaceful. A new morning came and Starlight was the first to wake up. She walked over to Chilly's room again to see the Spellbind Brothers still sleeping outside Chilly's door. "Guys, it's time to wake up now...." She began to nudge them awake. The Spellbind Brothers then slowly woke up after a rather uncomfortable night of sleep. "God...my neck is killing me...." Sparx said as he popped his aching neck. "My eyes don't wanna open...." Gust's eyes refused to open. "Sleepy...." Ashes was still lying on the floor. "You're all starting to sound like Chilly right now. C'mon guys. Let's go get breakfast and eat it this time." Starlight and the brothers left the hallway to do so. Starlight threw away the food that wasn't eaten and made a new batch of it. This time the Spellbind Brothers ate their breakfast since they all realized they haven't eaten a thing yesterday. Even after eating, they were all still rather tired. "Ugh....I'm so tired." "Me too...." "I wanna sleep again...." The Spellbind Brothers were starting to repeat themselves. "Guys, I know you're all worried about Chilly, but you really should've gone to bed. Not sleep on the floor." Starlight then began to was the used dishes. "I'm too sleepy to dis you right now...." "Huh...that's a first. Never thought I'd live to hear that." Chilly then sat in his seat. Starlight and the rest of the Spellbind Brothers all turned around fast to see Chilly was awake. "CHILLY...!" Starlight and the Spellbind Brothers all grabbed hold of Chilly out of great relief. "Geez guys, you sure know how to-OW!" Chilly then got smacked in the head by an angry Sparx. "Don't you do that ever again! Asshole...!" "Yeah...! You scared us to death!" "YOU'RE OKAY!" The Spellbind Brothers were so glad to see that Chilly was alright. "Chilly, how do you feel? Are you alright?" Starlight took a closer look at Chilly and noticed that he was looking slightly better than he did yesterday. "Heh...yeah. Sorry for the scare. Guess I was...out cold, huh?" Chilly chuckled at his ice pun. "Even after a good night sleep, your jokes still suck...." "I'm so glad you're alright...!" "HE'S BACK!" "Take it easy, guys. I'm fine. I just need something to eat...." "Oh, wait right there...!" Starlight then quickly began making Chilly something to eat after being asleep for so long. After Chilly ate his much needed meal, they all went into the library per Starlight's request. She made each of them a cup of tea in hopes of calming them all down. "Alright, Chilly, what happened yesterday has got all of us concerned about your health. So we'd like to-" "God, this drink is terrible!" Sparx spat out the tea he just drank out of disgust. "Mine is too hot...!" "YUCK!" They all put their tea cups down. Starlight then became annoyed by the rude interruption. "I'm gonna go see the pink pony! Chilly, don't freak us out again!" "I'll go see if Miss Rainbow Dash needs help with those dark clouds. Bye!" "OUTSIDE!" Sparx, Gust, and Ashes all left the castle to go and do something. Starlight was very annoyed while Chilly chuckled. "Starlight, I'm glad you're looking out for me, but I'm fine now. I was just tired is all. You don't have to overwork yourself now, do you?" Chilly then took a sip of his tea. "Chilly, you need to tell us about these kind of things. The doctor said that you haven't been sleeping lately and that worries us. Have you been stressed out over something? Have we been over-working you? Is it because you've just-" She was then interrupted when her tea got frozen. "Starlight, I think you're the one who is stressed out. I know you mean well, but I don't like it when you're all up in my business. I would appreciate it if you'd pay it no mind." Chilly sounded awfully serious and Starlight noticed this right away. She wasn't speaking with the pun-loving Chilly they know so well. Chilly then finished his tea, placed his cup on the table, and got out of his seat. "I better get some exercise. Been asleep for too long. I don't wanna get bored. You just need to...chill out." Chilly laughed as he left the room. Starlight brushed off the bad pun. She knew Chilly was hiding something. That is never a good sign....
Chapter 4 - Sinking FeelingAfter the scare the brothers had over Chilly yesterday, they had to do something to shift their focus. Sparx had already left to see Pinkie, Ashes left to go see Applejack, Chilly took a walk all over town, and Gust flew all over Ponyville to find Rainbow Dash. Starlight was left home to attend to personal matters. "Hmm...where is she? Where is Miss Rainbow Dash?" Gust searched high and low, but she couldn't find her. "Hey...! Gust...!" Gust looked down to see Scootaloo waving at him from below. He flew down to meet with her. "Hi, Scootaloo. Do you need something...?" "Yeah! Have you seen Rainbow Dash today? I can't find her anywhere...." Scootaloo looked sad. "Actually...I'm looking for her too. I wanna see if we can get rid of those weird clouds." Gust was slightly annoyed by the constant darkness. "Wanna go look for her together? We can look for her together if we both fly together." Gust then stretched out his abnormally lengthy wings all ready to take flight. Scootaloo was amazed, yet she felt troubled. "I wish I could help you, but I can't fly...." She felt defeated when she admitted this to Gust. Gust was confused. "Why...? Your wings look fine to me. Do you just not know how to fly?" "I don't know...! I just can't, ok?!" Scootaloo became upset over these questions. Gust was surprised to see this. But he knew he crossed the line and kept his mouth shut. Scootaloo then realized she took it too far and noticed Gust's shocked expression. "No...I'm sorry! I shouldn't have yelled at you! I just-" She began to panic at her mistake. "Ah...no! It's fine! I shouldn't have said that stuff! Look, I'll make it up to you! I'll give you a lift! We can look for Miss Rainbow Dash together that way!" Gust was also panicking as her lowered his body to allow Scootaloo on his back. "Uh...alright!" Scootaloo quickly got on Gust's back and they both took off into the sky immediately. Scootaloo was amazed at how fast they ascended and how high up they were. "Woah...! This awesome! I thought Rainbow Dash was fast, but wow...!" She held onto Gust tight so she wouldn't fall. "Hey Scootaloo, what is Miss Rainbow Dash like exactly? You seem to like her a lot." "Are you kidding?! Rainbow Dash is awesome! She can fly super fast, she can clear the sky in record time, and she's the best flyer in all of Equestria! And I want to be just like her someday...!" Scootaloo went full fan-mare over Rainbow Dash. "So that's why she's so awesome...? I mean, flying and clearing the sky are what Pegasi do anyway. What's so special about all that?" Gust wasn't convinced. "What?! Have you gone crazy?! She's an awesome athlete too! She's has won so many sports events and took first place every time!" Scootaloo was baffled by Gust selling her idol so short. "Really? That...does sound awesome. And that's what you want to do?" "Yeah...! I want to be as great a flyer as her someday! But I...." Scootaloo then became defeated again by her inability to fly. Gust noticed and didn't know what to say to cheer her up. "Uh...well, do you have to be a great flyer like Miss Rainbow Dash?! Maybe you can do something else to be awesome!" "Maybe...but all Pegasi can fly. How can a Pegasus who can't fly be awesome?" She wasn't convinced. "I'm sure you can do something that's awesome! Aren't there any sports games done on the ground and stuff?" Gust continued to try and cheer Scootaloo up, but he was starting to run out of ways to do it. "Well...there is Hoof Ball, but only Pegasi that can fly can attend." Scootaloo became even more down. Gust couldn't come up with anything else to cheer Scootaloo up. He then saw Rainbow Dash flying around against the clouds above them. "Look, there's Miss Rainbow Dash! Let's go see here!" Gust then quickly flew upwards to do so. Hoping Rainbow Dash could cheer up Scootaloo. Rainbow Dash was trying her hardest to remove the dark clouds alongside other Pegasi, but the clouds were too thick. "Miss Rainbow Dash...!" Gust flew right next to her and startled her. "What the-?! What are you two doing here?!" Rainbow Dash nearly lost her altitude from the surprise arrival. "We were looking for you. Gust said he wanted to help you remove these clouds." Scootaloo quickly perked up from meeting her idol again. Rainbow Dash gave an annoyed sigh and said, "Good luck. We've been trying to get rid of these stupid clouds all morning. But no matter what we do they won't go away." Her fellow Pegasi shared her annoyed feelings. Gust looked up into the clouds and he couldn't see anything. "Hey, why don't you have Gust help? I heard from Sweetie Belle that he can make wind. Maybe he can blow it all away." "Sorry Scoots, but not even wind can get rid of them. We even tried making a little twister and that didn't work. Let's face it, we're stuck." Rainbow Dash then flew over to a nearby cloud that is below the cover. Gust and Scootaloo followed her. "Then...what now?" Scootaloo then joined Rainbow Dash on her cloud hoping to comfort her. "No idea.... This has gotten the entire Weather Factory in Cloudsdale freaking out. Even the Wonderbolts can't do anything." Even Rainbow Dash became discouraged by what is happening. Gust then looked back into the clouds and felt that something was bit...off. He then suddenly flew upward into the clouds at great speed. His entry caused the clouds to ripple like the surface of water. "What in Equestria is that guy doing? Does he think that he can-" She then saw Gust fly back down from the clouds. He seemed very confused about something. "What in the world?!" He was really confused. He then flew over to Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo to report. "Miss Rainbow Dash, something is really wrong...!" "What's wrong, Gust?" "Is it that you can't get rid of those clouds like us...?" Rainbow Dash wasn't at all surprised. "No, it's not that! I tried to fly through the clouds and see if there was something above them, but I wound up back here!" This definitely got the other Pegasi confused. "Maybe you just got lost. That can happen when you can't see where you're going." Rainbow Dash was not convinced. "Then you do it...! You fly up and get through! You'll see what I mean!" "Maybe you should try it, Rainbow Dash. It can't hurt to try...." Scootaloo began nudging Rainbow Dash to do so. Rainbow ash gave another annoyed sigh and said, "Alright, fine.... Let's give it a try." Rainbow Dash then flew straight upwards into the clouds at great speed and into the clouds. In no time at all, she came back just as quickly. She then stopped and was shocked by what just happened. "What...?" Gust then flew up to Rainbow Dash and asked, "Now do you believe me?! I flew into the clouds only to fly back down! What is going on here?!" Even the other Pegasi tried to do so and they all failed to pierce through. This began to concern Rainbow Dash more and more. Not only can they not break through the cloud cover, but now they can't even get to the clear sky. She then flew over to the cloud where Scootaloo was perched. "Hey Gust, I need you to do something for me." "Uh...what is it?" Gust flew over to hear her request. "I need you to get Scootaloo back to the ground for me. I need to go meet with Starlight." Rainbow Dash glared at the clouds. She knew something was going on. She just didn't know what it was. "Rainbow Dash...?" Scootaloo was concerned. "Don't worry, Scoots. I'm sure Starlight will know what to do. I'll meet back up with you." Rainbow Dash then flew off to Twilight's castle to tell Starlight what's going on. Gust and Scootaloo were both concerned. Gust then brought Scootaloo back to the ground like he was asked to. "Well...um...." Gust really didn't know what to say about all this. "Hey Gust, could we hang out a little longer? I...don't want to be alone." Scootaloo became scared. Gust couldn't leave her alone and they decided to stick together for now. Meanwhile, Sparx and Pinkie were hanging out doing what they failed to do before: make a good batch of sweets. Except every time they make a batch, it ends up burnt. "Ok, this is getting stupid...." Sparx was beginning to lose his patience. "I don't understand.... We followed the recipes exactly as the book says we should. I don't know what we did wro-?!" Suddenly, both Sparx and Pinkie felt a deep chill run down their spines. "What the hell...? This feeling...." Sparx felt like his blood turned to ice and his heart felt like it was being squeezed. Pinkie felt the exact same feeling. Her mane and tail both deflated. "Sparky...something happened. Something bad. I'm scared." Pinkie then held onto Sparx. "You felt it too, huh? Yeah, something really bad happened. But where...?" Sparx looked around the room for the source, but he could tell the source was nowhere nearby. "What the hell is this feeling...? It's like my legs are telling me to do something but I don't even know what happened or what I should do and they won't shut up about it!" thought Sparx; he was getting really annoyed about it. "Sparky, I think we should go and tell Starlight...right now." "Uh...yeah. Let's go." Sparx then got Pinkie to ride on his back to keep her out of trouble. They left Sugar Cube Corner and made their way to Twilight's castle. They both knew something was going on, but now they know for sure that something very, very bad was going on. They just didn't know what it was. Meanwhile, in Sweet Apple Acres, something was happening to some of the apple trees. The leaves were turning from green to black and the apples were starting to drop from their stems all rotten. "What in tarnation is happening to the orchard?!" Applejack was shocked to see what was happening. "Sis, I'm scared...." Apple Bloom held onto Applejack's legs in fear. "HEY...!" Ashes came running towards Applejack and Apple Bloom to help them with the orchard. "Oh, howdy Ash. Today isn't really a good day right now." Applejack was quite concerned with the state of her orchard. "Huh...? Why no-HOLY SXXX! WHAT IS UP WITH YOUR TRE-!" Applejack then slammed an non-rotten apple into Ashes' mouth after he just noticed what was happening. "Please keep the foul language away from my little sis...." Applejack had Apple Bloom cover her ears when Ashes started swearing. "MMMPH?! MMPH?!" Ashes had his mouth full of apple. "Ashes...don't talk with your mouth full." "We have no idea what's happening...! We just found the trees like this and I think it's spreading!" "Granny Smith and Big Mac are not gonna like what they see when they get back." Ashes finally ate the apple and asked, "YOU WANT ME TO BURN THEM FOR YOU?! I CAN DO THAT...!" He then started to burn up. "No...! You'll start a forest fire! Just...go and tell Starlight about this! Maybe she'll figure something out!" Applejack really didn't want anything crazy happening. Especially when her entire apple orchard was rotting away. "YEAH!" Ashes then ran off to do so in a hurry. "Big sis, can Starlight really do something about this? Can she cure the orchard?" Apple Bloom was afraid of what was happening. Applejack didn't have an answer for her little sister. She was unsure of what could happen next. Meanwhile, Sweetie Belle was spending some time near the CMC clubhouse on her knitting and it wasn't coming along too well. But she's still trying. "C'mon...! How does Rarity do this every day?!" Sweetie Belle was beginning to grow frustrated with her messy knitting. While she wasn't looking, a pair of vicious eyes were looking down on her from the trees. From within those trees, a black smog came from within the leaves. Suddenly, another Manticore jumped out at Sweetie Belle in the hopes of killing her. But just before it could, it was then smacked away by an icy hammer. Sweetie Belle jumped from the loud noise and noticed the Manticore crashing on the ground and sprawling in pain. "Good thing I decided to get some exercise to day...." Chilly was the one who smacked the Manticore away and saved Sweetie Belle. "Chilly?! What just happened?!" Sweetie Belle panicked and was confused. Suddenly, Chilly flashed his horn in her face and she passed out. "Sorry missy, but you need to be quiet for a little while. After this, it'll be just a bad dream...." Chilly then placed Sweetie belle on his back to keep her safe. But the Manticore then got back on it's feet and was ready to fight. Chilly then glared at the Manticore and said, "You should have ran for it, cat...." With another flash of his horn, many icy shards sprung from the ground and ran through it's body. It died without delay and the black smog left it's body. Chilly then walked over to the Manticore's dead body and placed his horn on it. In an instant, the Manticore turned into frost and then disintegrated. Chilly left nothing behind. He then turned and left for Ponyville with Sweetie Belle safely on his back. He made his way to Rarity's Boutique to take her back home to her sister. He sees Rarity working on another dress like always. She then noticed Chilly and said, "Ah Chilly, what may I do fo-" She then noticed Sweetie Belle passed out on Chilly's back and immediately stopped working. "Sweetie Belle...!" She ran over to see if her little sister was alright. Thankfully, she was un-harmed. "Chilly, what happened?! What's wrong with her?!" "Calm down, missy. She's fine. A Manticore attacked her but I got rid of it. She just fainted out of fright." Chilly then magically placed Sweetie Belle gently on a nearby pile of blankets. Rarity then rushed to check and see if Sweetie Belle was alright. "Thank you so much, Chilly. I don't know what I would do if anything were to happen to my little sister." Rarity held onto Sweetie Belle in relief. "I'll leave the rest to you, missy. I've had enough exercise for one day. Later." Chilly then left the boutique with his hood over his head. He then began making his way back to Twilight's castle. He glares at the dark sky that looms over what was supposed to be a land of peace. He was disgusted. "It seems the time to be lazy has long since gone. The time to get off my lazy ass draws near...." He thinks to himself as he moves through Ponyville. "This time I will not fail...."
