Chapters “So far, so good—keep it up, Apple Bloom!”
I smiled at Twilight Sparkle’s praise; my growth potion for a Venus’ flytrap succeeded.
“Hey, Twilight, do you think I’ll ever get a Cutie Mark?”
The alicorn knew that my flank was still blank.
“Of course you will; it just takes time!”
“I can imagine it now—a flask for a Cutie Mark!”
“Ah—ah—ah—ah—ah-choo!”
Fluttershy was sick in bed; she had the feather flu.
“Fluttershy, are you home?”
The pegasus heard Twilight Sparkle calling to her through the cottage door.
“Yes, and—ah-choo!—you may come in.”
“Oh, dear—you must be sick!”
Spike admired all the potions that I had made.
“Wow, Apple Bloom—you have quite some talent!”
“Aw, shucks—thank you, Spike!”
Spike took a hearty drink of one of my potions.
“No—don’t drink that, Spike!”
“Needs more sugar.”
“I thought I’d bring you a Venus’ flytrap; Apple Bloom grew it.”
“That’s very thoughtful of you, Twilight, but…”
Twilight Sparkle’s face changed to one showing concern for Fluttershy.
“…I don’t think there are any flies around my cottage.”
“But this plant can eat—just like your animals!”
Twilight took the carnivorous plant back and left Fluttershy alone so that she could rest.
“Holy guacamole, Spike—you’re covered in green spines!”
“No!”
Spike had green spines all over his skin.
“Hurry, Apple Bloom—I need a mirror!”
“OK—OK—I’ll go find one, Spike!”
Spike was vain about his scales—but not as vain as Rarity was about her hair.
Speaking of Rarity, she and Sweetie Belle were sound asleep in the same bed; they were playing house, and now, they were in the nap phase of their game.
“I gotta be real quiet here…”
I tiphoofed around Rarity’s bedroom to look for the cheapest mirror that I could find.
“There’s one!”
I grasped the mirror with my teeth and tiphoofed out of the boutique.
I galloped all the way back to the library, still biting down on the mirror.
“Here’s a mirror, Spike!”
Spike grabbed the mirror straight away.
“I’ve grown spiny—HELP!”
I could see that he now had green scales all over his body, not just down his spine.
“Maybe I could get my Cutie Mark in dragon grooming instead.”
“Do something, Apple Bloom!”
I left the library to contact somepony who could help me with my problem.
“Howdy, li’l sis!”
My elder sister tipped her hat to me.
“Your little fly-trapping plant will work wonders on my farm!”
“But Applejack, something horrendous happened to Spike!”
“Like what?”
“What in tarnation happened to Spike?!”
“I told Spike not to drink any of my potions, but he disobeyed me!”
Applejack took a look at Spike.
“I’m sure that if you told the truth to Twilight, then she’d help you get rid of Spike’s overgrown scales.”
“But she’s going to be so angry!”
Tears started to form in my eyes.
“Oh, dear—my feather flu is getting worse!”
Angel, sympathetic to Fluttershy, hopped up to her bed.
“Shoo!”
Her bunny hopped out of her bedroom in fright.
“I’m sorry, Angel, but you need to stay away from me, or else you will get sick, just like me!”
“Knock-knock, Fluttershy!”
Fluttershy trotted outside her cottage to find a piece of paper on her doorstep.
“Scootaloo would like some help choosing a Cutie Mark to earn.”
She continued to read the paper.
“Your friend, Rainbow Dash.”
Fluttershy was afraid to infect Rainbow Dash or Scootaloo with her sickness.
“I really hope I don’t infect anypony on my way to the library…”
“I sent Fluttershy a note to come here, but she’s not here yet!”
“You know that she’s shy, don’t you?”
“Yeah.”
“I hope she gets here soon; I’d love to hear what she has to say about Cutie Marks!”
“Let’s give her the benefit of the doubt—OK, Scootaloo?”
“OK, Dash.”
“Well, now, Sweetie Belle, that was quite a satisfying game of house!”
“I know—right?”
“What a way for us to spend time together—sister to sister!”
“I’d like to make a dollhouse, Rarity!”
“A foals’ dollhouse?”
“To get my Cutie Mark!”
“Ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow!”
Twilight Sparkle had stepped in many fully-grown Venus’ flytraps!
“Apple Bloom, this—is—not—funny!”
As fast as her legs could carry her, she zigagged around the carnivorous plants to find Big McIntosh.
“Eeyup?”
My elder brother agreed to clear the ground of those pesky plants.
“Hey, Angel!”
Fluttershy’s bunny hopped up to Rainbow Dash gloomily.
“What happened to Fluttershy?”
Angel pretended to sneeze the way Fluttershy did.
“I guess that explains why she didn’t join us.”
“I’ll go check the library!”
“Fluttershy, you know better than to be outdoors with the feather flu!”
“But Rainbow Dash—!”
“I’ll contact her; you, on the other hoof, are going with Twilight Sparkle and me!”
Nurse Redheart ordered Fluttershy to trot into the makeshift miniature ambulance.
“Twilight, are you OK?”
Twilight Sparkle, who was also en route to Ponyville Clinic, shook her head.
“What happened to your skin, Spike?!”
“It’s a long story, Scootaloo.”
“I’ll cover your flank for you, Apple Bloom.”
“But how?”
“I’ll tell Twilight that I spiked Spike’s favorite soda with your potion.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Rainbow Dash!”
“Applejack!”
“I just saw Fluttershy and Twilight riding past me in a miniature ambulance!”
“So that’s why Fluttershy didn’t show up!”
“We gotta go follow them; they’re our friends!”
“I’m on it!”
“SURPRI-I-I-I-ISE!”
“Pinkie Pie!”
“Anypony up for some ice-cold ice cream?”
“I am!”
“Okie-dokie-lokie—but where should we go?”
“Canterlot!”
“I miss Twilight.”
“I miss Sweetie Belle.”
“I miss Rarity—but not these spines!”
“Don’t worry, Spike; when Twilight comes back, she’ll make you right as rain!”
“I just hope she doesn’t get angry at me.”
“Apple Bloom, are you angry at me?”
Spike had now practically turned green all over—not with envy but with anxiety!
“Do you think Princess Celestia can help?”
“Great idea, Spike!”
“We’re off to Canterlot; don’t go anywhere, Spike!”
Spike did not want to go anywhere.
“I don’t want anypony to see me covered in these green spines!”
At Canterlot’s premiere ice cream parlor, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Sweetie Belle had consumed so much ice cream that none of them could stomach another bite thereof.
“Er—how much ice cream did we eat, exactly?”
“I don’t know, Pinkie, but I can’t even put another teaspoonful into my mouth.”
“Neither can I.”
“Aw—cheer up, Sweetie Belle; at least we had something to eat!”
The three ponies decided to go straight home, so that their aching stomachs could settle.
“Well, Twilight Sparkle, you’re free to go.”
“Thank you, Nurse; I have to find Spike and Apple Bloom right now!”
“Howdy, Nurse!”
“Hello, Rainbow Dash and Applejack.”
“We came here to wish Fluttershy a speedy recovery!”
“That’s very kind of you two; I’ll go tell her in pony.”
“Erm, Scootaloo?”
“Yeah, Apple Bloom?”
“I think we’re lost.”
“Uh-oh.”
“HEY, EVERYPONY!”
“Pinkie Pie!”
“Oh, no—what happened, Spike?!”
“I drank one of Apple Bloom’s potions.”
“How dare you?!”
“But it smelled so tasty!”
“I think you owe somepony an apology!”
“Like whom?”
“Oh, my stars—thank Celestia we’re all together again!”
“Yeah—all together!”
“I can’t wait to tell Twilight about my potion!”
“I want to ask her about how I can get my Cutie Mark!”
“I want to ask her about how I can make a foals’ dollhouse!”
“To the Golden Oak Library!”
“Spikey-wikey!”
“What in Equestria happened to you?!”
“Spike deliberately disobeyed me when I told him not to drink my potion!”
“Well, Spike, I think a visit to Zecora is in order!”
“Zecora?”
“Yes—and Dr. Fauna, too!”