Chivalry Reborn

Valentine’s Day Special:

With Love and Infection

Please note: The following events take place sometime between Winston’s first encounter with Equine Step, and “The Reveal”, and it is basically occurring at the same time as the Episode “Hearts and Hooves Day”.

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This chapter is merely meant to be read for the sake of humor and to entertain, as well as tease shipping of all relationships. No, there are no real plans on making ALL shipping implications [intentional or not] real in this story, and therefore, no one liking anyone is “set in stone.”

So with that, please enjoy the chapter.

Ponyville Library -  10:52 A.M.

Spike worriedly paced back and forth underneath the window of the kitchen as time slowly trickled by, waiting for the task he had asked to be done was complete. He hastily walked from one end to the other with his arms crossed, before spinning around and pacing the other way once he reached each wall.

“Where is he..?” He mumbled under his breath as he looked up at the clock about the thousandth time.

It was already almost 11 in the morning, and there was no owl in sight at the windowsill or in the room.  He should have been able to finish what he had asked him to do within a good thirty minutes. Forty minutes tops. It wasn’t a very hard task. So what was taking him?

He impatiently tapping his foot, making a light chink as his nails tapped against the tiled floor. He had been waiting to do this all year, planning out how to do this and everything. He knew that if he made this lil’ trick he had read in that book he had kept rereading almost all night last night, Rarity would fall head over hooves for him. She wouldn’t be able to take her eyes off of him if he did it right.

He sighed happily as he imagined that enchanting royal gem of a mare stare deeply and lovingly towards him, leaning forward and closing her eyes ever so slowly.

“Oh, Spikey-Wikey,” She slowly sighed affectionately, “I always knew you were my one and only…”

Spike guffawed, “Hehuhhuh…Well, you know, Ms. Rarity…” He moved in for her soft snow white lips. He closed his eyes, puckering his lips. “I’d do anything for you…”

“Who?” She abruptly asked.

“You, you silly fi-“

“Hoo.”

“Huh..?” Spike snapped his eyes open looking around himself quickly. His eyes landed on the figure in the window.

Now perched at the previously empty windowsill was a small owl with pale amber feathers along with dark gray wings. His dark amber eyes were staring at the purple dragon, expressionless and unblinking.

“It’s about time you came back, Owloysius!” Spike exclaimed, as he coughed lightly and walked towards the bird as though he wasn’t just caught trying to kiss thin air. “I thought you might have forgotten what you had to get or something.”

“Hoo” Owloysius repeated his phrase, tilting his head slightly.

“You.” Spike clarified bluntly.

“Hoo.”

“Oh no,” Spike shook his head while he rolled his eyes, “I learned your trick the first few days we met, we’re not doing this again.” He tapped his finger on the table, still looking at the owl. “Do you have it?”

Owloysius flapped his wings lightly, lifting his body upward to reveal that he was standing on a fairly big chunk of a fluffy white cloud, mushed in the small bird’s claw much like a marshmallow.

“Great…!” He smiled brightly, quickly walking over to Owloysius and taking the piece of sky from his claw eagerly. “Thanks Owloysius! I owe you one!”

“Hoo.” He replied simply, before flying out of the kitchen and onto his perch on a branch. He seemed to turn his head around to look at the book one last time warily, before looking back ahead, minding his own business.

Spike hastily walked over to the kitchen counter, where the rest of the ingredients he had retrieved earlier were all set up, along with a book called The Romantic of Hearts and Hooves Day. He eagerly turned to a page as he began to set up, grinning ear to ear.

“Just you wait, Rarity!” He chuckled lightly to himself as he got out a pitcher ready. “This Heart and Hooves day will the best ever!”

(About 4 hours later)

2:42 P.M. Outskirts of Ponyville

I sighed lightly as I sat on a random bench on the side of the path just outside the residential area of Ponyville.

Applejack said that Big Mac will be working most of the day, my shift’s done, Rainbow Dash is nowhere to be found and Rarity is probably still working on client work while Fluttershy is probably at her house keeping herself busy with animal care…

I clicked my tongue as I looked up at the sky. All of today’s errands were already done, and I really had nothing else to do. It’s not even past three... I mentally grumbled. Today was indeed one of those boring days. As expected on a day like this…

I looked down to the small card I had in my hand. It read “You do a great job at pickin’ apples, but you’ve picked my heart along with them,” with a heart-shaped apple in the middle. It was a little present Applejack and her little sister Applebloom had made for me to say thanks for all the hard work. Though I said I could not accept it, Applejack insisted that I just take the card, and now try to make her or Applebloom anything. I scoffed to myself, putting the card away in the small pocket on the side of my bag. And I usually don’t get squat….

I sighed, tossing my head back up towards the clouds. I don’t feel like wasting my day on the computer, anyways. Ironic, because that’s what I usually did to kill time if I had nothing else to do besides walk…

I just kept staring at the ground between an opening in the wooden planks, letting my mind drift.

….

Screw this, I’m gonna go study.

I lazily got off the bench, slowly walking down the path towards town. Hope that egghead doesn’t have a date or some crap. I don’t want to go LOOK for work to do for a change…

“YES!”

“What in the…” I turned around towards the direction the noise came from. What the hell was that…?

A ways down the path I could barely make out the arbor on the left side of the path, and two ponies underneath it. A date? On the other side were three fillies running towards the gazebo, probably to talk to the pair.

....Not my place to butt in. I merely shrugged, turning back around towards town.

(Optional Music)

As I walked into the residential area of Ponyville, I could see love was clearly everywhere. Almost all of the ponies that I could see in the crowd were in sets of two, each pair having a colt and a mare (most of the time, anyway). Not much of a surprise to me. If time is set up similarly to Earth, today is February 14th, Valentine’s Day.

I turned my head to the side to avoid the moment that a mare pecked a stallion on the lips on the road up ahead, both of their cheeks rosy. “So public…” I mumbled, passing the lovers. I could hear the words “I love you” being spoken in such a loving tone.

The amount of lovey-dovey phrases and sights of nuzzling and the occasional kiss was a bit annoying for my taste. All of the fillies were giggling and nuzzling their muse, while the colts blushed and rubbed noses with them.

Not gonna lie, it felt awkward being surrounded by this. I picked up my pace toward the giant oak library.

Don’t get me wrong, I respect the pursuit of love, and I’m completely fine with the sight of lovers showing their affection. It’s just that I don’t really understand why society has a day devoted to showing this. The constant uttering of the phrase “will you be my valentine,” and seeing a romantic display all around town usually made me a little sick at times. I guess you can say it was somewhat of a “lover’s allergy.”

I reached the front doorstep, pulling the door open casually and walking inside.

(Stop music)

(Around the same time)

Carousel Boutique

“Spike,” Rarity looked over her should as called to the purple dragon, who stood at attention like a soldier, “could you be a dear and hand me the pin cushion?”

“Right away, Miss Rarity.” Spike quickly dipped his hand into the box he was holding, pulling out a small cushion in the shape of a white male unicorn in a suit.

Using her magic, Rarity took cushion, flashing a grateful smile towards Spike. “Thank you.”

“Ehhh heh heh~…”

Spike was tingling all over; watching as the walking angel Rarity masterfully sewed and laced a small pink dress. Her shining azure eyes showed such focus and majesty as she peered at her work through her cute orange glasses. Her coat was a pure snow white as usual, aside from the dazzling blue diamonds on her divine flank.

He had been standing by the entire time, holding a box filled with an assortment of tools in his claws. He didn’t mind if he was barely regarded, aside from being asked to do simple things such as fetch something, or open the door. He’d do anything for her, if she wanted or needed him to, anything to make her happy. Though, it did kind of bug him that she seemed to keep talking about romance around him, especially today.

But today, he’d finally be recognized as more than just a friend, because today he came prepared. His eyes zipped over to his small bag that hung from a strap on a hook near the door. He bubbled lightly at how good the plan was. All he had to do was wait until she wanted to stop for a snack, and his plan could go into motion.

Ponyville Library - 2:54 P.M.

Stepping into the library, I couldn’t see anyone in the main room.  Oh come on…

“Heeeey!” I called into the library, closing the door behind me. “Anyone here, or is everypony on a date?”

“Hm?” A feminine voice answered from the upstairs. “Who is it?”

“It’s me, Winston.” I replied, slinging my backpack onto the hanger on the wall. “I came because I had nothing else to do and want to practice for a bit. Do you mind?”

“Ah, really?” Twilight sounded a little surprised. “Well if you really want to, sure. Come on.”

Walking up the stairs to the 2nd floor, I could see Twilight sitting in a chair on the other side of the room. She was at a small table, with a book open in front of her as well as a small stack of three textbooks next to her. She glanced toward me, giving a light smile as I approached her, before going back to her reading.

“What’s got you nose deep reading?” I asked, moving the chair next to her aside and taking a knee on the ground (I feel like a giant, being able to just sit like this and still be above the table).

“Well, it’s this very interesting book on today’s holiday.” Twilight said, engrossed in the text.

“Valentine’s Day?”

“Hearts and Hooves Day here.” Twilight quickly corrected, looking up from her reading and actually looking at me now. “Or rather, stories based around today. I was reading about the actual history on the holiday, but I let Applebloom and her friends borrow it.” She rolled her eyes, thinking back “I take it you have a similar holiday back on your world?”

“Well yeah,” I shifted on my knee thinking for a moment, “back on Earth, we always celebrated today by being with our loved ones and giving each other small cards or presents, becoming one another’s valentine.”

“Valentine?” Twilight tilted her head slightly at the word.

“Lover,” I answered with a sigh. “You know. Muse, boyfriend, girlfriend, whatever.”

“Oh, you mean like a marefriend or coltfriend?”

OH *COME ON!** WHAT’S WRONG WITH “BOY” OR “GIRL”!?* I mentally hollered at her. I somehow turned that yell into a mere roll of my eyes, answering with a “Yeah, sure. That.”

“Interesting…” She went back to her book, using her magic to turn the page.

I glanced around for a moment. “Where’s Spike?”

“Out to the Boutique, most likely.” Twilight answered casually, not looking up. “He’s probably doing some work for Rarity.”

“Hmmn…” I wonder if that little dragon has a thing for Rarity… I thought back to a time I caught him ogling her when she was passing by the library from the spa.

…Probably, yeah.

Another moment passed by in silence. Just for how long is she going to read!?

“Um…Twilight?” I asked for her attention, my tone a little strained between nice and lightly annoyed.

“Oh!” Twilight closed her book, seeming to remember why I was here. “Sorry, this book is really interesting is all.” I can take a guess at why you don’t have anyone to be with… “Go ahead and transform, we can practice levitation and a bit of your Magician’s Touch.”

I nodded, standing up and letting the image of a horse appear in my mind, slipped my glasses off and placing them inside my pocket. Slowly, the horn came onto the image’s forehead, finishing the picture.

Release

I instantly sat on my haunches as the light faded away. I glanced down at my jet black coat and hooves. Yep.

“Done.” I said looking at the purple librarian.

“Alright then,” She pushed the pile of books towards me with an encouraging smile. “Try lifting two of these books at once.” She instructed today’s training. “Remember that just because you can imagine it doesn’t mean it’ll work right away.”

“It takes practice, I know.” I nodded, staring at the top book. I slowly began to sketch the table and books in my mind. “I can do this, just watch.”

3:45 P.M. – Carousel Boutique

Rarity let out a deep sigh as she hung up the last of the day’s client work. Spike peered at the white dress shirt covered by a dark black suit jacket that hung on the clothesline. Rarity had done four orders if Spike counted them correctly, and she seemed to have been busying herself more than usual.

He glanced back to the fashionista, noticing that she was staring at the dress as well.  She had a slightly sorrowful look about her face, with her eyes no longer shimmering. He wondered just why she was like that. Normally, she would look over her work with a smile of pride on her face, but this time it was different. He wanted to know so he could do what he could to help.

“Thank you, Spike.” Rarity broke the silence, speaking as she lifted her work glasses off with a veil of deep blue magic. “You didn’t have to come and help me work today, of all days.”

“It’s nothing.” Spike gave her a bright smile, picking up a small roll of measuring tape and putting it inside the box. “If it’s for you, I can handle it.”

“Yes, well,” Rarity said slowly, putting away the rolls of thread and cloth into a cabinet, “nevertheless, you have my gratitude.”

Spike closed the box, and started for the drawer on the far side of the showroom. He knew that if there was ever a time to ask Rarity to eat together, it was now. He could feel his throat grow tangled into fifty knots, as well as his claws beginning to sweat. He placed the box on top of the drawer, coughing to get his voice clearer.

“So, um…Miss Rarity…?” He began, putting his hands behind his back and rocking slightly on his heels.

“Yes, Spike?” Rarity glanced over her shoulder at him, still arranging the threads in her own way.

“Well, you see…” He started to ask. He was fiddling with one of his spines on his back as he spoke. “I was thinking…” Keep cool…

“Mhm?” She turned around to face him, closing the cabinet with a gentle click.

“Y-you haven’t eaten lunch today, have you?” Spike could feel his face start to heat up.

Rarity glanced toward the kitchen, thinking for a moment. “No, I haven’t.” She answered thoughtfully. “I suppose I was a tad too focused on my work.” She returned her attention to Spike, now a tad curious. “Why?”

Spike fought the urge to break out in a grin at the sign that his plan really might work. He needed to stay cool. Act like it was a coincidence.  “Awesome-! I-I mean,” he coughed, “well, that’s too bad.”

He shrugged, looking to the side. “It’s just that you seem a bit hungry and tired, is all.” He pointed to his bag, trying to look casual. “If you want, I just so happen to have brought another lunch.”

That was lie, he thought. He was working on this since about 11 in the morning, as soon as he had gotten the rest of the ingredients he needed.

He sneaked a peek at Rarity, hoping she would take his offer. Rarity had a hoof to her beautiful lips, lightly giggling to herself. Spike began to frown. Was she laughing at how silly he seemed? Maybe he really was just a dork to her…

“I suppose I am a bit famished.” Rarity admitted, silencing her laughter. “Yes, I would like something to eat.”

Spike couldn’t help but grin now, walking a little fast to his bag to get the food out. The plan really was working!

3:56 P.M. – Sugarcube Corner

Baking Soda rested his head against the table, letting out a small groan of boredom. He lazily knocked his white work hat off onto the staffroom table. He honestly had nothing to do. Sure, Sugarcube Corner was open, but nopony was coming in for a piece of bread. They were all coming in for something sweet for their loved ones for Hearts and Hooves Day.

He had just gotten off of clerk duty, taking the orders of all the customers who came in to place an order. As much as he protested about the sudden position change from baker to clerk, Mrs. Cake insisted, due to Mr. Cake attending a wedding for a relative of his, and she had to tend to the babies. She also mentioned that the ladies would prefer to see a young stallion like himself to be behind the register rather than a housewife. He lightly pouted, remembering her passing comment.

A few of them were just a couple of mares looking for a good time, probably not having anypony else to spend time with today. He lightly huffed, blushing slightly at the memory of being hit on by a few of them.

“…I’m not cute.” He murmured to himself. He didn’t enjoy being called girly or cute. It made him feel awkward.

But the majority of the ponies that came in were on a date, usually asking for a shake, or maybe a small cake, being more interested in their partner rather than him. The last order was from possibly the mushiest couple he had seen all day.

One was a pretty big red stallion with an orange mane and green eyes. He seemed about as tall as Shadow Flare, but had a shorter hair style and was quite a bit more muscular. The other was a deep purple mare, with a mane mixing between pink and a lighter pink, with eyes of a deeper shade of green than her coltfriend.

At first, it was fairly cute how they were calling each other cutesy nicknames like “snugglemuffin” or “Pumpkin Pie.” Then, it quickly got annoying; nauseating even, when their sayings started getting more ridiculous, such as “schmootzie-wootzie-cut-”

Soda gagged a little at trying to recall what was being said. It was just too….mushy. In the end, he was relieved of cashier duty, after watching the same couple push their order of a Banana Mulberry Shake to one another saying “no, you take the first sip” to each other in a cooing voice. If he had stayed any longer, he probably would have vomited on the spo-

VVVVRRRRRRRRRRRRRNNNNNNNnnnnn

Baking Soda instantly jolted upright, looking towards the source of the sound. At the table next to him was Pinkie Pie, beating some cake mix at an almost impossible speed. If it weren’t for the fact he knew Pinkie tended to push reality, he may have been a tad unsettled. She was in an apron and work hat, smiling widely as she whipped the mixture so quickly that it seemed to be forming into a small tornado, lightly splashing Pinkie once or twice.

“Pinkie Pie,” Soda started, leaving his seat to walk over to the opposite table, “what are you doing?”

“Simple, silly!” Pinkie giggled, smiling as though she was a preschool teacher who was giving a lesson. “I’m making more batter to bake more cakes with!” She sped up even more, making the whirlwind of batter grow in size, and shoot a small bit of the mixture onto Soda’s cheek. Baking Soda winked, flinching slightly from the sudden splash.

“I meant just why you’re going that fast.” He clarified, wiping at his cheek with the side of his foreleg.

“Oh, this?” Pinkie looked up for a moment, before looking at her blur of a hoof, still stirring. “Well, that’s because-“

CRRAAAAAASH

Baking Soda instantly turned toward the double doors that led to the store, startled by the second sudden noise.

“Pinkie…!?” Soda glanced over the pink mare, immediately suspecting that it had something to do with her again.

“Well, it wasn’t me!” Pinkie exclaimed, giving a shrug with a slightly confused look. “This time, at least.”

He looked back at the doors, wondering if something had happened in the store. He cautiously trotted over to the doors; push the door slightly and slowly glancing outside.

On the other side of the doors was the shop, ruined in a mere few seconds. The table were the last couple were sitting was now knocked over, with the shake spilled over nearby. One of the chairs was pulled away from the table, and tossed on its side. And last, but not least, there was a humongous gap where the door should have been, some of the beams and supporting structure just now falling down.

“Wha-” Soda gawked, staring at the hole in the wall.

“Wow!” Pinkie Pie bounced from behind the doors, hopping towards the hole. “Wonder who could have done this!!! Ooooh, maybe they were late for their date! No, they were later for an APPOINTMENT! Oooh, ooooooh! Maybe-”

Baking Soda shook his head, turning to Cup Cake for an explanation. “Mrs. Cake, what happened here?”

“…I’m…not too sure.” Mrs. Cake slowly confessed, shaking her head, with her eyes wide in horror at the hole. “After you left, Applebloom and her friends came into the store and talked to the last couple you served, saying that they should probably get married.” She looked over to the table, slowly sighing. “Let’s just say I think they agreed…”

“Oh wow…” Soda glanced back over the wall. “Is there anything I can do to help..?”

“Yes,” Mrs. Cake replied, picking up the children with a light huff. “Could you go over to Twilight’s and see if she can do anything about this?”

Baking Soda wondered just what Miss Twilight Sparkle could do about this. Sure, she seemed to be the smartest pony around town, but that didn’t mean she could fix this. He shrugged to himself, walking around the counter.

“Sure, Mrs. Cake.” He looked over to Pinkie, who was still thinking up reasons for the ruined wall. “Are you coming along, Pinkie?”

“Sure!” Pinkie instantly pranced to Soda’s side, somehow twirling her apron and hat onto the ground in a pile. This included the batter she had had on her, splashing it all over the ground right behind her. “I could say happy Hearts and Hooves Day to Twilight!”

Soda merely rolled his eyes, walking down the front steps, making sure he didn’t step on any of the debris. He was kind of hoping to get out of work and walk, anyway.

3:58 P.M. – Carousel Boutique

Rarity lightly huffed as she tastefully stuck her fork into a carrot slice with her magic, bringing it up to her lips and took a bite in a ladylike manner. The meal on her plate was a small helping of daffodils mixed with a few oats, served along with sliced steamed carrots and a few apple wedges on the side. The meal was actually very well made, and each of the components complimented one another.

With the presence of food now being in front of her, she began to realize just how worn out and tired she was.  She had spent the entire morning working on designing the clients’ requests, only having a small cup of tea that she never actually finished, before going right into working on them. She hadn’t even bothered to take a break to have lunch.

She glanced over to Spike, the small dragon who had prepared the small meal. He was eating a similar plate, only the daffodils were replaced by small gemstones. He was a baby dragon trained to eat only gems and a few vegetables, so it was only natural for him to change something in his meal to something he liked.

Spike seemed to be more interested in how she was enjoying her meal however, having only eaten a couple stones and constantly trying to steal glances at her as he slid his claw about the top of his glass.

It made sense. After all, he did spend the time to make this lunch and bothering to bring it here.  Rarity gave a small smile towards Spike, picking up her glass for a drink.

The glass had a deep pink color to it, smelling slightly like roses. As she took a delicate sip, she could taste a small blend of berries of all kinds, delicately mixed together with the smallest hint of sugar. It was quite the delicious drink, she had to admit.

Her eyes slipped in Spike’s direction. Spike seemed to be observing her rather intensively as she placed her glass down. She blinked confused for a moment, noticing his eyes focused on her as he drank his own glass. She wondered just why he was looking at her so much. It was normal for him to be staring at her during the course of the day, in a dazed state for some reason, but now he seemed…focussed on something.

She quietly hiccupped as she moved the glass back down to the table.

“Excuse me” She politely pardoned the light hic. Strange…this isn’t carbonated and it doesn’t taste like alcohol… She merely shrugged, concluding it as nothing.

“How is it?” Spike asked eagerly, putting down his own glass. “How does the food taste? Was it bad?” He seemed a little worried that he messed up somehow.

“It’s lovely, Spike.” Rarity replied, releasing her magic from the cup. “Really, I appreciate the kind gesture.”

Spike seemed to pause and look at her with a blank look before smiling widely, laughing goofily as he blushed.

Rarity merely giggled lightly at the innocent reaction. Spike was a child in the end, no matter how mature he tried to act. She was aware that Spike may have had something for her, especially over the whole fiasco on his birthday, so she thought it was only right to allow him at least this on Heart and Hooves Day.

Rarity quietly sighed as she thought back on all the previous Heart and Hooves Days she spent taking the day off and humming to herself, taking bubble baths and going to the spa with Fluttershy for a girls’ day out. She remembered how she would always fawn over the idea of being swept off her hooves by some charming and handsome stallion on this day, taken to a luxurious life of love.

She twirled her fork slowly, as she smile began to fade. After that dreadful night at the Galloping Gala with that selfish prude of a prince, Blueblood, she had started to give up on the idea of finding real love. Today being focused on love just made her think back to Blueblood, the stallion she had admired most, suddenly appearing before her and ending up being a real….a real…self-centered ingrate.

“Rarity, is something wrong?” Spike stood up in his seat, once more filled with concerned. “Do you have a headache?”

“Hm..?” Rarity pulled herself from her thoughts, looking at the caring dragon. “Oh, no, I’m fine.” She sat back upright, putting a small smile back on.

“Ah…well, if you say so.” Spike settled down, getting down from the chair anyway. He slid the bag from under his seat into his hands. “So, um…Rarity?”

“Yes?” She looked at Spike, listening once more.

“I know that you probably don’t want to hear this from me…” Spike began, fidgeting slightly, as he gripped at something inside the bag.

Rarity couldn’t help but silently listen, her cheeks starting to heat up. Surely, he isn’t going to ask me THAT … is he?

He swallowed hard, starting to look around the room as he searched for words to say. “I-I-I was hoping…that you could be…my…my-um-…!”

BAM

Spikes question was cut short by the sudden sound of the front door being slung open, slamming into the wall behind it.

“Dress!” A new female voice cried from the main room, followed by the sliding of a clothes rack.

“Miss Cheerilee!” A little filly’s voiced followed it, sounding slightly out of breath.

Rarity immediately jolted out of her seat, walking towards the doorway.  What was happening in her store!? She paused, turning her head towards the shocked dragon.

“Spike, darling, can this wait?” She gave an apologetic smile, giving a quick glance to the main room.

It was indeed Ms. Cheerilee, hastily looking through the rack filled with wedding dresses, with Sweetie Belle beside her, possibly critiquing her choices. She blinked confusedly. She didn’t know Cheerilee had a special somepony. She barely does anything that doesn’t involve her work as a teacher, let alone involving romance.

“Ye-yeah.” Spike conceded, putting whatever was in his bag back down. He seemed a tad disappointed though. “Sure.”

“We can talk right after this.” Rarity trotted into the main room to see what possessed the school teacher to act so strangely.

4:00 P.M – Ponyville Library

“Twilight, you sure this element won’t just backfire?” I gave a questioning look to Twilight.

“We won’t know unless we try it, Winston.” Twilight assured. “Just try it.”

“Well, alright…” I raised an eyebrow, looking back at my hoof.

I sat there, sitting upright at the table with my hoof extended over one of the textbooks. I had been studying and practicing basic magic for over the past hour or so, working on my levitation until a few minutes ago; when I had gotten tired of trying to lift books at the same time with a levitation spell, and decided to see if I could pick up things with the Magician’s Touch.

I shifted slightly, focusing magic to my foreleg. I slowly let my eyes close, letting the image of my hoof and my surroundings sketch into my mind. I slowly let the image of a small field surround the end of my hoof, imagining it being a small gravitational field. The book in my mind slowly began to lift itself upwards on its own.

I shifted once more, focusing even more. This is a lot harder…is it the element or the weight…? I channeled more magic to my hoof, imagining the booking lifting into the air. I could hear the book rumble again the table slightly.

Come on… I channeled even more magic to my hoof, sure that I almost h-

WHOOSH

“Hey, Twilight!” A cyan pony flew in through the open window suddenly, calling out for Twilight.

“AH!” I jumped at the sudden intrusion, losing my focus.

Thud

The book instantly flipped into the air from the sudden burst of magic from my jump, landing right behind me.

THUNK

…I may have also used too much energy and accidently lifted the table a bit too.

“Dash!” I snapped, clutching at my chest. “What happened to knocking and then coming in!?”

“Oh please,” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, landing by the table, “it’s not like I have to come in like that.”

“No,” Twilight interjected, looking a little annoyed herself, “but it’d be really appreciated.”

“You two weren’t really doing anything too important.” Dash waved away Twilight’s irritated response with a flick of the hoof. “Anyway, can I get the next story of Daring Do?”

“Daring Do and the Temple of Chaos?” Twilight specified, standing up with a small sigh. “Sure, it’s with the rest of the collection downstairs.”

I got up with a light stretch. “Then I guess I could use this as a break.”

“Sounds good,” Twilight stood up, walking toward the stairs. Dash followed suit, “We can practice more downstairs after a drink.”

Twilight and Dash both descended to the main floor, while I walked over to pick up the book that I had sent flying. It read The Encyclopedia of Magical Potions.

“Damned Dash...” I grumbled, clumsily picking up the book with both my hooves. I slowly turned, making sure the textbook didn’t slip from between my hooves, and let it plop onto the table.

It snapped open on its own spine and bounced off the surface before settling itself on the table. I blinked, glancing at the page it had landed open on. The corner of the page was bent slightly, and seemed to have been turned to a lot by ponies, if the wrinkles on the end page were any indicator. I read the title and a bit of the first paragraph, curious.

Hearts and Hooves Love Potion

The infamous potion that is capable of making ponies fall madly in love with one another. Though it was originally intended for only two ponies to be affected by the concoction, it has been discovered through later uses of this potion that groups of ponies can be involved at once, depending on multiple factors. The first and possibly biggest factor on the precise effects is-

“Winston?”  Twilight called from downstairs, making me pull my eyes away from the text. “Are you coming down?”

“Yeah, come on!” Rainbow Dash barked. “You can read down here with the rest of us, ya know!”

I groaned to myself, rolling my eyes, and starting down the steps.

“I’m coming.” I called starting down the stairs.

Reaching the bottom of the of the staircase, I could see Twilight and Dash standing in front of a bookcase on the far left side of the main room. They seemed to be having some kind of conversation on the whole Daring Do series, which was pretty much this world’s version of Indiana Jones from my understanding. They were each holding a small card in their hoof, holding it up so it balanced in the center. I guess they give each other cards today instead of being with a special somebody? I had no real interest in the topic, so I simply turned towards the kitchen, walking to the refrigerator.

As I walked by them, I could barely see them both turn their heads to the side, their eyes trained in my direction. Were they suspicious of me or something..? I didn’t do anything wrong, did I? They merely said nothing, turning their heads back toward the shelf, Twilight going back on about how Daring Do goes into a village that’s filled with black magic and bizarre rituals, or some crap (I didn’t really care enough to keep listening).

“Okay, let’s see here…” I mumbled, swinging the door open with a hoof. (Big holes in the handles of the fridge are now a godsend.) Inside was an assortment of food, all of which were organized to an extent. There were flowers, milk, cheese, oat packs, something that was white and fluffy like a cloud, some apple juice, and a small glass bottle of milk.

Meh…not really one for that stuff now… I glanced deeper into the fridge, wondering if there was something else. Behind both the milk and cloud-stuff (What the hell IS this?) was a pitcher filled with a deep pink drink, filled over three fourths of the way full. It had the light sent of roses, and strawberries. Seems nice, I’ll try it.  I slowly leaned forward to move the food with my mouth.

Hold the hell on. I stopped right before I reached the carton. Let’s not be nasty about it, just try magic. I just hope I don’t mess up…

I sat down; focusing in on the three items I wanted to move. As my imagination’s picture became more vivid and detailed in my mind after a couple moments of focusing, I could see the carton of milk slowly become wrapped in a veil of gray magic, slowly lifting itself off of the coaster it once stood upon.  It slowly hovered away from the fridge, slowly making its way to the kitchen table as I watch it move ahead. I grunted from the amount of weight my mind had.  With a small sigh, I settled it down on the table, releasing my magic from the milk container.

The odd thing about magic is that using a spell makes you feel…oddly linked to it somehow. It’s hard to explain, but when you do a spell, your mind makes some weird sensations for your head.  For instance, when using a levitation spell, the weight of the item being effected “places itself” onto your mind. The heavier it is, the greater the weight on your head, thus making it harder to lift and manipulate something. I’ve had to break a spell once while trying to lift a heavy stack of books, because the weight it had on my mind was too much for me to bear. It felt like my mind was breaking in two…

In any case, I could get to the pitcher now. I turned back around towards the refrigerator, tilting my head and wrapping my lips around the pitcher’s handle. Twilight could wash this off, at least. I placed it on the table, turning back towards the carton of milk to lift it once more.

Okay now then…. Before I could start painting an image in my mind, purple sparkles surrounded the carton, lifting itself up and into the fridge, with the door closing.

I blinked, looking up ahead to see Twilight and Dash approaching me, Twilight with a smile on her face while Dash was snickering at something. Twilight seemed to glance at the pitcher with a peering expression on her face, but then quickly went back to her smile by the time she reached the table.

“That wasn’t a bad use of the levitation spell, Winston.” Twilight complimented my lifting of a carton of milk (Oh boy, yaaaay~, I’m amazing~...bluh…). “You may need to practice lifting heavier things with magic, though.”

“Yeah,” Dash popped in with a smirk, “you sure seemed like you were having trouble picking up the one carton.”

“Oh, shut up already…” I grumbled, sitting down in a chair beside me. Dash merely snickered at my embarrassment.

Twilight rolled her eyes with a knowing smile as she shook her head. “Do you want a glass too, Rainbow Dash?” She politely asked.

“Sure, why not.” Dash accepted with a small shrug.

Twilight turned her head to the cupboard, opening it and pulling out three glasses from inside and setting them on the table. She merely glanced over to the pitcher, picking it up with ease as she lightly tipped it to pour the punch into each glass, without spilling a drop. …I feel like a toddler compared to her, I swear.

Just as she filled the last cup, there was a light knock on the door. Twilight glanced behind her, gently placing the pitcher back down and releasing her magic from it.

“Who else could come in now?” She pondered aloud, turning around and walking towards the door.

“Maybe Spike coming back from Rarity’s?” I offered, picking up my glass with both my hoofs. (Screw it, I don’t wanna risk splashing my face because I can’t control levitation very well…)

“Probably not.” Dash countered, hopping onto a chair across from my seat. “He’ll stay there the entire day if he can.”

Twilight couldn’t help but laugh a little at that. “Maybe.”

She opened the door with a light shine of her horn, revealing a light brown mare standing in the doorway. …

Wait, excuse me. That’s not a mare.

“Hello, Baking Soda.” Twilight greeted. “Pinkie Pie. Happy Hearts and Hooves Day.”

“Hello Miss Sparkle,” Baking Soda gave a light nod, “Happy Hearts and Hooves Day.”

“Hi Twilight!” A bubbly voice popped out of sight. It had to be Pinkies if it was that excited. "Happy Hearts and Hooves Day~!" She sang out the celebratory phrase, spinning around lightly.

“Anything you need?” Twilight asked, a tad curious. “I don’t think you’re shift is over yet, is it?”

“No, it isn’t” Baking Soda sighed lightly, stepping into the library. “It’s a bit hard to explain, you see, but basically-”

“There’s a BIG hole in the wall of Sugarcube Corner!” Pinkie Pie interrupted Soda, spouting that out as she hopped into the library. She positioned herself on her back hooves and stretched out her forelegs as wide as she could, emphasizing her point.

There’s a WHAT in WHERE now?

“Whoa, what!?” I put the glass back down, exclaiming from the kitchen and jumping into the conversation. “How!?”

“What did you do this time, Pinkie?” Dash turned around towards the Party Pony, giving a prying look.

“It wasn’t me~, you silly fillies!” Pinkie insisted, shaking her head. “All I was doing was stirring batter for more super-yummy cakes to sell, and then I was talking to Bakey-Wak-”

Twilight put a hoof to Pinkie’s lips to silence her rant. She turned to Soda. “Baking, what happened?”

“As I said, I don’t really understand it myself,” Soda began, rubbing the back of his head as he lightly kicked the door closed with a hind leg, “but from what I understand, apparently there was this couple…”

TO BE CONTINUED

Sorry folks, gotta do my story for the contest. This will be finished as soon as that is done. Until then, here’s something to think about:

From what you’ve read, you seen a lot of events and evidence build up. You can tell what’s going to happen I bet, but here’s a better question: *Who made the potion?***

Go ahead, think and debate about it. I’ll write the other half and THEN all explanations later.