Spike The Brony Dragon

I explained to Twilight what happened at Camp Everfree. I even showed her my various notes. Although, I left out the part where Sunset saw my real past.

“Huh, I didn’t know humans climbed walls like that,” Twilight said as she read my notebook. “I’ve got to say, your trip to Camp Everfree sounded really eventful, and that’s without the new magic stones.”

“Are you envious you didn't tag along?” I asked.

“A little. The girls getting new superpowers sounded interesting, Alter-Spike’s especially. Kinda makes you wish we had psychic powers aside from Pinkie Sense.”

I chuckled. “I wish. So, did anything happen while I was gone?”

“Let’s see…I helped with preparations for the Grand Galloping Gala, and Rarity made me a new dress for the occasion. Oh, Applejack and Rainbow Dash arranged a buckball team.”

“Buckball? Is it that sport where you kick a ball into a basket?”

“That’s what I’ve heard from Applejack. Apparently, it’s a new sport that’s starting to pop up in small towns like Appleloosa and Ponyville.”

So I missed “Buckball Season”. Well, I can’t think of anything significant to change for that episode, but I could’ve tagged along and find Little Strongheart or anyone else from the buffalo tribe. It’s been a while since we chatted with them.

“Who’s on AJ and RD’s team?” I asked.

“Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Snails,” replied Twilight.

“Heh, I didn’t expect Fluttershy to be into sports, Snails either.”

“Rainbow Dash told me she and Applejack were surprised about Snails too, but they let him join since they needed a unicorn and the ones who tried out didn’t quite make it.”

“Why didn’t they ask you? Or Rarity for that matter? Or even Starlight?”

“Because I’m not a unicorn anymore, remember?” Twilight unfurled her wings. “Plus, I’m not really the athletic type. I heard Rarity and Starlight were offered to try out, but they declined because they weren’t into sports that much.”

“Such a shame. Although now that I think about it, Rarity would have focused more on the style of sports uniforms than the game itself.”

Twilight giggled. “I hate to admit how true that is.”

The Grand Galloping Gala came and went. It was more or less uneventful with a few exceptions. Discord, who was invited again, caused a few mishaps, but most of the party-goers laughed it off. I also allowed him to go with Fluttershy this year since last time he didn't take getting allegedly snubbed so well.

Tyke and Moondancer participated in the gala as well. She taught him in advance how to behave at a social gathering, but he already knew a few pointers from previous Diamond Dog events from his old district. Tyke got to dance with a few ponies, including the CMC and Rarity.

Rarity in question was sporting a short buzz cut mane with a fitting dress. Zecora, after hours of studying potions, was able to make a potion to help Rarity accelerate the growth of her mane. However, even with the potion it was still going to be a while before Rarity had her original mane, but the unicorn didn’t mind it. It gave her the chance to make short manes trendy again and experiment with different short mane styles.

I wore a white tuxedo with a red flower and black pants to the gala. Since my old suit stopped fitting me, I got a new one made by Rarity. I enjoyed wearing it, and even Fluttershy liked the design. Both of us met with the animals again, and we shared a few dances together.

A week after the gala ended, Twilight and I headed to the local school supply store in Ponyville.

“I hope this doesn’t take long,” I anxiously said. “I’m supposed to meet up with Fluttershy soon.”

“Will you relax, Spike?” Twilight asked. “I told you we need some new quills and parchments among other things, and since the store’s having a back-to-school sale, this is the perfect opportunity to buy them. I’m sure Fluttershy and her tea set can wait.”

“Actually, I’m going to join Fluttershy and her animal friends’ picnic, and I don’t want to be late.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll be quick.”

Twilight and I entered the store just to see the place filled with more ponies and their disgruntled children than the supplies themselves.

“Rainbow Dash quick, or three-toed sloth quick?” I asked.

Twilight ignored my snark as we traversed through the crowd. We got to the aisle where the pens and stacks of parchment were. Twilight grabbed a few of each with her magic.

“With these prices, it’s no wonder this shop is so crowded this time of year,” Twilight said.

“Hey, Twilight and Spike!” Moondancer came down the aisle with Tyke riding on her back.

“Moondancer!” Twilight exclaimed. “I didn’t expect to run into you here. Aw, is Tyke considering school this year?”

“Oh, no, I’m already homeschooled,” Tyke clarified. “Plus, I live in a library, so I can read some textbooks there.”

“So then what brings you two here?” I asked.

“The sales, of course,” Moondancer pointed at the signs. “We were running low on writing supplies at the Golden Oaks Library, so we’d thought about taking advantage of this event while we still can.”

“Strange minds think alike; Twilight and I are doing the same thing. Make sure you save some for those who really need it.”

“We will, Spike. We’re just getting a few items, not taking the store’s entire inventory.”

After our brief chat and checking out, Twilight and I parted ways. I dashed down the road up to Fluttershy’s cottage just in time to see her coming out with a picnic basket along with her animal friends.

“Fluttershy!” I shouted. “Fluttershy, wait! Wait for me!”

“Spike,” Fluttershy replied as I ran up to her. “We were just about to leave. You came right on time.”

“Yeah…” I panted. “I had to join…Twilight…in getting…writing supplies…”

“You didn’t need to worry, Spike. We all would’ve waited for you.”

Something told me Angel was the exception, and I didn’t mean the unamused look on his face.

“Well, now that you’re here, let’s get going.” Fluttershy walked to the Everfree forest with the rest of us following close behind.

We got to a clearing and set everything up. Fluttershy and I watched as the animals played and chatted.

“So, did you ever put much thought into your future animal sanctuary?” I asked.

“I have…well, just a little bit,” Fluttershy said. “It’s not like this dream goal is going to be completed within a day. I have an idea where it should be built, but so far that’s about it.”

“Could I offer some advice?”

Fluttershy giggled. “You may. Nothing’s stopping you.”

“Be careful who you hire to help you. Some ponies claim to be ‘experts,’ but they might not have the same vision as you do.”

“I’ll be sure to keep that in mind.”

After a big meal, Fluttershy and I took a nap on the blanket. When we woke up, the sun disappeared through the trees.

Fluttershy quickly stood up. “What time is it? It wasn’t supposed to get dark that soon.”

One of the birds tweeted.

“Oh, my. Thanks, Margie,” Fluttershy said. “It’s already 6:50. We better head home.”

We quickly repacked everything and walked back into the forest. That’s when I realized this was when the infamous “28 Pranks Later” episode started. In the show, Rainbow Dash would prank Fluttershy, which would get the former scolded by her friends. However, their poor choice of words would lead to Dashie pranking the entire town. In turn, they would prank her by believing she started a cookie zombie apocalypse with her prank cookies.

There were two reasons why I didn’t like this episode. The first one was that the episode was basically a rehash of “The Mysterious Mare Do Well” by setting Rainbow up instead of talking to her properly. The second was that the girls’ idea of a zombie outbreak, while not a bad concept, was a rotten move to pull on their part. I hoped to prevent either Rainbow from scaring Fluttershy, or the “zombies” from emerging.

“I'm so sorry I lost track of time at our picnic,” Fluttershy said as we travelled through the dark forest. “I didn't mean for us to get caught out here after dark.”’

“Don’t worry about it, Fluttershy,” I said. “If Twilight made dinner, I could always eat the leftovers. I just hope we don’t run into any creatures.”

“There's really nothing to be afraid of. The forest at night is the same as the forest during the day.”

The wind picked up as the leaves rustled in the dark.

“Only... darker…” Fluttershy’s eyes darted around the place.

Harry the bear quickly dove under us, shivering.

“Still, maybe we should hurry back to the cottage,” Fluttershy suggested.

That’s when a dark figure zoomed behind the vegetation. Fluttershy immediately grabbed me.

“Hey! Fluttershy!” I shouted.

“S-stay back! Please stay back!” Fluttershy pleaded to the trees. “I-I have a dragon, and I’m…I’m not afraid to use him…properly.”

“Fluttershy, put me down! My fire is to only be used in an emergency or if I have to send letters to and from Twilight…!”

Suddenly, the dark figure’s red eyes peeked from the bushes. Fluttershy firmly clutched my belly, causing me to instinctively belch out my fire breath.

“Wait!” The creature’s familiar voice shouted.

But it was too late. The green flames engulfed the creature, vanishing her into thin air.

Fluttershy sighed. “That was close.”

“Fluttershy!” I squirmed out of her arms. “Why would you do that?!”

“I’m so sorry, Spike. I didn’t mean to hold you like that. I was just trying to protect us from that creature.”

“That ‘creature’ was Rainbow Dash.”

“Rainbow Dash? Does that mean…?” The color drained from Fluttershy’s face. “Did…did I just…?!”

I sighed. “No, my flames just teleported her. I didn’t see any burn marks or her flying away screaming.”

“Then where did she go?”

“I had Twilight on my mind when you activated my fire breath, so Rainbow Dash must’ve been taken to wherever Twilight was. I better go find her.”

“You go ahead, and once again I’m sorry for doing that. It won’t happen again.”

“No problem, Fluttershy.”

After a quick hug with Fluttershy, I ran out of the forest and back into town. I headed into the castle just to hear two ponies talking to each other.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got some ice in the freezer,” Twilight’s voice said.

Twilight and Rainbow Dash appeared in the hall. Twilight was all wet and wearing a pink towel around her body. Rainbow Dash was slightly less wet and had her hoof against her eye, which was dark and swollen.

“Rainbow Dash! Are you alright?!” I ran up to her. “What happened?”

“The consequences of my actions showed up, apparently,” she replied.

“How did you get a black eye?”

“I was taking a bath when Rainbow Dash poofed out of nowhere,” Twilight said. “I freaked out when she fell into the tub, and then she slipped out and ran face-first into the bathroom door. After that, well, you can see the result.”

We took Rainbow Dash to the kitchen. Twilight filled up a bag with ice cubes, and I handed it to Rainbow Dash, who pressed it against her black eye.

“Where did you even come from, Rainbow Dash?” Twilight asked as she dried herself. “The bathroom door and windows were shut and I didn’t hear them open.”

“I partially had something to do with that,” I replied. “When Fluttershy and I were heading home, Rainbow was trying to scare us. That’s when Fluttershy used my fire breath to teleport her away. I didn’t know I could teleport ponies like that.”

“Rainbow Dash.” Twilight glared. “Why would you do that?”

“It was just a harmless prank,” Rainbow denied. “Keyword being ‘was.’”

“Didn’t a pony tell you that Fluttershy was so sensitive that even the most harmless prank would hurt her feelings?” I reminded her.

“That was, like, a few years ago. You’ve seen how confident she’s gotten since then. I thought she’d be brave enough at this point to handle a prank.”

“And look where that got you.” Twilight pointed to the ice pack. “You should be lucky you got away with just a black eye after pulling a prank like that.”

Rainbow sighed sharply. “You’re right. I guess I’ll hold off pranking for a while…a long while.” Rainbow pulled out a mirror. “Ugh, my depth perception is gonna be out of whack all week.” Rainbow Dash looked up. “Wait a sec. Spike, how did you know it was me in the shadows? I’m sure I was well-hidden before Fluttershy pulled out her little coltfriend.”

“You weren’t,” I replied. “I saw a glimpse of your tail when you flew past us.”

“Now you go home and keep that eye cooled,” Twilight said to Rainbow Dash. “Make sure to refill the ice pack if it melts.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ve been injured before. Sorry about pranking you and Fluttershy, Spike,” Rainbow said.

“Just don’t do it again,” I sternly said.

“Like you need to tell me twice.” Rainbow walked away. “I hope I can come up with a cooler story on how I got this shiner, and if Pinkie still has eyepatches stashed around here...”

Twilight sighed deeply. “Well, this wasn’t how I expected this day to end.”

“Me neither,” I responded.

That was unfortunately the truth. I wanted to chastise Rainbow for pranking Fluttershy, but I didn’t expect Fluttershy to uncharacteristically use me as a sapient flamethrower. I thank Celestia that Rainbow’s only injury was her eye and her pride. At least Ponyville was safe from her pranking spree…for the time being.

“Oh, I forgot to mention.” Twilight pulled out a piece of paper. “The CMC joined the Filly Scouts for the Filly Guide Cookie Drive. Is there any kind of cookie you want to order from them?”

“Oh, sure.” I read through the list. “I’ll take a box of Skinny-Minties, a box of Lime-Ups, and two boxes of Coconut Delights.”

“Bleh! Really, Spike? Why would you want cookies such as those? Lime-Ups, of all treats...”

“Hey, they taste good with the right kind of tea. Don’t judge.”