My Little Pony: Nine Elements

Book 3

Written by Brandon Nell, Rachael Ravens, and Blake Hawkins

Chapter 11: Just for Sidekicks

It had been five days since Discord’s reformation was confirmed to Celestia. He decided to use that time to explore Equestria and see how much things had changed. On this particular morning, Spike was feeling a little down due to something that occurred three days prior. He tried to cheer himself up by making himself a jewel cake, but, quickly found that attempting to sate or even whet his appetite didn’t seem to be working. In the main part of the library, the Guardians of Harmony were gathered and knew the cause of Spike’s sadness.

“Spike’s been so sad since he had to send Peewee back,” Fluttershy said. “He barely comes to see us anymore.”

“Poor Spike,” Pinkie said. “I would get a case of the Gloomies, too, if I had to send Gummy back to his birth parents, so, I feel sorry for Spike.”

“I’ve tried taking him on gem hunts,” Rarity said. “Sadly, he had no appetite to speak of.”

“There has ta be somethin’ we can do ta help Spike,” Applejack said.

“We better talk to him,” Twilight said. “Spike, come here a minute.”

Spike, no longer enjoying his progress with his jewel cake, walked over towards the mares.

“Yeah?” he answered in a nonchalant tone. His voice sounded muffled despite the door to the kitchen being wide open. As he stepped out, he was revealed to have his scarf tied around his mouth.

“First question,” Pinkie said curiously. “What’s the scarf for?” Spike’s reply was a bit more muffled before he remembered the scarf and untied it before spitting out a sock.

“I was making a jewel cake,” he explained clearly.

“Oh~” Rainbow said. “You did that to make sure you don’t eat any of the jewels before it was mixed into the dough, right?”

“Batter, yes,” Spike said. “I thought making myself a jewel cake would help me feel better, but, I’m just not feeling all that hungry.” At that moment, Spike’s stomach gave a rather deep rumble. “Oh, boy.”

The mares carefully cleared a path. Knowing Spike, they knew a growl like that meant that he was about to receive a message via fire. The little dragon belched up a cloud of smoke that turned into a scroll.

“I wonder what Princess Celestia sent,” Twilight said, picking up the scroll. She unfurled it and speed-read through it. “Wait, this isn’t from Princess Celestia. It’s from Princess Cadance!”

“What?” Rainbow said. “How?”

“It says that Princess Celestia taught her the spell to send messages through Spike*,” Twilight said. “The letter says that all seven of us are cordially invited to the Crystal Empire for the screening for the Equestria Games.”

“Wait,” Spike said. “Seven of us? Does that mean I’m invited?!”

“You’re at the top of the list,” Twilight said.

“With your efforts to get the Crystal Heart back to Princess Cadance,” Rainbow pointed out. “The ponies of the Crystal Empire not inviting you would be ridiculous.**” She then registered Twilight saying Spike was at the top of the list. “Wait, where does that leave me?”

“Not important right now!” Twilight said through gritted teeth.

“Oh, right,” Rainbow said.

“Although,” Fluttershy said. “It would be exciting to go. It has been a while since we last were up at the Crystal Empire.”

“Maybe we’ll see Astral and the Crystal 5 again,” Pinkie said. “I hope they got my letters to them.”

“I don’t think so,” Twilight said. “The empire vanished over 1,000 years ago. I doubt they had a mail system back then.***”

“They wouldn’t?” Pinkie asked.

“The mail system we know today is a more recent development,” Twilight said. “Let’s not forget that before it vanished, the empire was largely isolated. More ponies are able to get there these days thanks to the advent of railroads. It takes time to develop a mail system.”

“Hmm,” Pinkie said. “That’s a good point.”

“Well, it would be nice to go there again,” Spike said. “Hopefully, Astral can teach me some swordplay.”

“Indeed,” Rarity said. “So, when do we need to head out, Twilight?”

“We have to catch the train first thing tomorrow,” Twilight said.

“But, what about Owlowiscious?” Spike asked. “Who’ll look after him while we’re gone?”

“We can have Dr. Fauna look after our pets,” Rarity said. “We did last time we went to the Crystal Empire.”

“Oh yeah,” Spike said.

“Besides,” Twilight said. “Owlowiscious sleeps during the day anyway. He’s pretty low maintenance.”

“That’s true,” Spike said. “Kind of makes me wonder why we bring him on pet playdates when he’s just going to sleep through them.****”

“I guess so he doesn’t feel left out?” Fluttershy asked. “Or maybe so you and Twilight have an excuse to get out of the library now and then.”

“It’s most likely the last one,” Spike admitted. “It makes the most sense to me.”

“So, it’s agreed,” Applejack said. “We’ll drop our pets off at Dr. Fauna’s vet’rinary clinic this afternoon, n’ then, first thing tamarra, we’re on our way ta the Crystal Empire.”

“If I may,” Rarity said. “I would like to help Spikey-wikey make his jewel cake before dropping off Opal. I don’t want my favorite dragon putting that sock in his mouth.”

“Since I’m feeling a little bit better,” Spike said. “And the ingredients are still out, sure. You can keep me from potentially eating the jewels. You just drop them in the batter and I’ll mix them while you cover my mouth.” With that, Rarity and Spike went into the kitchen.

“I’m letting them have this one,” Pinkie said. “As much as I love to bake, Rarity and Spike should spend some quality time together.”

“I can’t help but imagine if Spike wasn’t invited and had to look after the pets,” Rainbow said. “Maybe learn about responsibility in the process.”

“Rainbow,” Twilight said. “Do you remember when Pinkie told us about that Parasprite infestation and I left Spike to clean up the library on his own?”

“Oh…” Rainbow said. “Yeah, I remember. Spike basically had responsibility lessons hammered into his brain for years. Kind of makes him learning that lesson at this point redundant, doesn’t it?”*****

“Eeyup,” Applejack said. “Besides, it might make him feel sad ‘bout Peewee if he had ta petsit. We want ta cheer him up, not make him sadder.”

“Yeah, you got me there,” Rainbow said. “I’m sorry.”

The next day came quite fast, and before long Twilight, Spike, and the others, were all on their way to the Crystal Empire. All were excited, except for Twilight. She knew that the empire would be subjected to a very extensive inspection. If even one thing was out of place or not up to par, it could be enough to cause the games to go to another city or town. Fluttershy noticed this.

“I see you’re looking worried, Twilight,” Fluttershy said. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“She’s worried things’ll go wrong and the Empire won’t get chosen,” Rainbow said. “I know the feeling.”

“Ya do?” Applejack asked.

“When I was just a filly, Cloudsdale was considered to host the games,” Rainbow told the others. “Everypony was certain we’d be chosen, especially since we did such a good job of preparing for our inspection.”

“I remember that,” Fluttershy said. “You went to the announcement with your uncle, Rainbow Blaze.”

“Uh, I think I know why Cloudsdale wasn’t chosen,” Spike said. “Most of the participants wouldn’t be able to fly or walk on clouds on their own, making them unable to go to Cloudsdale in the first place.”******

“That is a good point,” Rainbow said. “But, hearing the disappointment about my hometown not getting chosen hurt even harder when I was a filly. The Crystal Empire had enough hardships when Sombra called the shots. The last thing they need is the disappointment of not being chosen to host the games.”

“Fair enough,” Spike conceded.

“So,” Rarity said. “We all must do our part to help the Crystal ponies be represented. Even if we are still new to the Crystal Empire, we should still know a bit about it and use that knowledge to assist them.”

“I suggest we practice the welcome again,” Twilight said.

“Now?” Applejack asked. “But, we’re almost there.”

“Besides,” Spike said. “Practicing something like that on a moving train isn’t a very good idea.”

“Those are true points,” Twilight admitted. “We’ll have to practice once we exit the train and leave the station.”

“We practiced it all day yesterday,” Rainbow said. “At this point, it’s basically impossible for us to screw it up.”

“And we’ll totally impress the Equestria Games inspector with our moves,” Pinkie winked.

Suddenly, the train came to a stop.

“Crystal Empire,” said the conductor. “Please watch your step when leaving the train.”

“Good thing we took the express,” Pinkie said.

So, Spike and the guardians exited the train and walked through the station. They noticed that the empire looked much brighter than when they were there previously.

“Wow!” Spike said. “Any brighter and we might need sunglasses!”

“Luckily, I packed some extra pairs in my saddlebag,” Rarity said. She levitated one pair for each of them. The pair she gave Spike had an emerald green frame.

“Thanks, Rarity,” Spike said gratefully.

“Thank ya kindly,” Applejack added. “Good call with these here sunglasses. It’s as if all the citizens’re out sprucin’ up the empire.”

“Where exactly are we going?” Spike asked.

“We’re to meet Princess Cadance at the Crystal Rejuvenation Spa and Salon,” Twilight explained. “According to her letter, there is a tradition where a royal mare, when appearing before a pony of importance, gets her mane done in a ceremonial headdress.”

“Do we even know where that is?” Rainbow asked.

“We do,” said a familiar voice. Spike and the guardians turned their heads and saw the Crystal 5.

“Hey!” Pinkie said happily. “It’s great seeing you gals again! Long time no see!”

“Likewise,” Sugarcoat said.

“Say,” Spike asked. “Where’s Astral?”

“He’s busy training the Crystal Guard,*******” Indigo said. “So, he’s with Prince Shining Armor.”

“The prince is coaching the team that’ll represent the Crystal Empire at the Crystal Empire,” Sugarcoat corrected.

“Uh, can we please skip to the part where you lead us to the spa?” Spike asked.

“Oh, yeah, sure,” Lemon smiled. “Follow us and we’ll catch up on the way.”

“Word of warning,” Sunny said to Spike. “You might want to lay low.”

“Why?” Spike asked.

“Hey, look!” a crystal pony shouted. “There he is! It’s Spike, our hero!”

“That’s why,” Sour Sweet answered as the other crystal ponies started swarming Spike.

“Okay, everypony!” Sunny shouted. “Break it up and give him some space!”

“Give him some breathing room, you parasites!” Indigo added.

The admiring crystal ponies reluctantly backed off, leaving Spike to pant slowly to re-catch his breath.

“Sorry about that,” Sunny said. “Most of the crystal ponies have gotten carried away with their gratitude for your actions the last time you were here.”

“I think I can understand that,” Spike said once his breath was caught.

“What about the rest of us?” Rainbow said, earning a smack on the back of her head from Applejack.

“We already get appreciation fer our actions,” Applejack said sternly. “Did ya ferget the talk we had ‘bout Spike’s efforts bein’ recognized n’ celebrated just as much as ours are?”

“Sorry,” Rainbow said.

“Besides,” Rarity said. “Spikey-wikey’s gone for most of his life without getting recognition for his accomplishments. Let. Him. Have this.”

“Okay, I’ll let him have this,” Rainbow said. “Because he deserves it.”

“Come on,” Indigo said as she and the Crystal 5 led Spike and the guardians.

Soon, they reached the spa. Sugarcoat opened the door and led her friends inside. When they got inside, Rarity was immediately overwhelmed with joy at the sheer beauty that she saw all around her. The spa was the most gorgeous sight she had ever seen.

“Oh, my goodness!” she gasped. “And I thought the Ponyville Spa was luxurious, but, this is luxury tenfold!”

“This is pretty average here,” Sunny said. “Though, we crystal ponies admittedly have higher standards of beauty.”

“You made it!” a familiar, and very excited, voice said. It was Princess Cadance.

Cadance’s hairdresser allowed her to greet Twilight up close and personal, doing their signature dance.

“Sunshine, sunshine
Ladybugs awake
Clap your hooves
And do a little shake!”

“What was that about?” Indigo asked.

“That’s something that Twilight and I have done together ever since I foalsat her,” Cadance explained. “It’s our special greeting.”

“I think that’s adorable,” Lemon said with a happy chuckle.

“And helpful to me,” Twilight added.

“How?” Sour Sweet asked.

“Well,” Twilight said, with a sheepish blush. “It’s kind of embarrassing to admit, but, when I was a filly, I developed a fear of ladybugs. My brother, in an attempt to mess with me, said that their black spots are extra eyes that watch you wherever you go. So, Cadance made up this rhyme for me to help me overcome my fear.”

“Too bad she can’t help with your fear of quesadillas,” Spike said.

“I’ve explained it to you before, Spike,” Twilight said, her blush growing more prominent. “I don’t have a fear of quesadillas. They’re just too cheesy.”

“And your response to one being placed in front of you is to run off screaming,” Spike said.

“You’re seriously afraid of quesadillas?” Rainbow said. “Even Fluttershy’s not scared of those. And she’s scared of candy.”

“It’s not the candy that I’m afraid of,” Fluttershy explained. “It’s the fact that I could choke on it or my voice could be muffled with my mouth stuck in case there’s danger.”

“The only way those could be an issue,” Rainbow said. “Is if you’re stupid enough to put too many pieces in your mouth at once. And I know you’re smarter than that.”

“Alright, everypony,” Cadance said, trying to deescalate the situation.

“What’s a quesadilla?” Lemon asked.

“Since we have to explain before the welcoming committee arrives,” Cadance said. “I’ll explain. A quesadilla is a tortilla that’s grilled and then filled with shredded cheese.”

“What’s a tortilla?” Lemon asked.

“It’s made of flour or corn dough,” Cadance explained. “It’s similar to a slice of bread, only circular and pressed flat.”

“Boy, is it a hassle to slice bread every time you get a new loaf,” Indigo said.

“These days,” Twilight said. “They sell loaves of bread that’ve already been sliced.”

“What?” Lemon said. “When did they start doing that?”

“For a while now,” Cadance said.

“Wow!” Lemon said. “That sounds like the best thing since… well… ever!”

While that discussion was underway, Rarity was busy taking in the sights of the crystal spa. Needless to say, she was amazed. “Oh, my. This is spectacular,” she exclaimed “Please, everypony, stand back! I need air!”

“Please help yourself,” a spapony said. “All of our products and services are complimentary today for the welcoming committee. And every other day for Spike the magnificent.”

“Oh~ how wonderful~!” Rarity said happily. She looked around and suddenly her eyes rested on a most unusual sight. There was what seemed to be a small pool, filled with some sort of crystal-like substance. “Ooh-hoo-hoo-hoo! What’s that?!” she asked Princess Cadance.

“That’s the crystal mud bath,” Cadence explained. “It relaxes your body and rejuvenates your coat.”

“The crystal minerals mixed in help with that,” Sugarcoat said. “If you just give it a chance, I’m sure you’ll—”

“Woo-hoo!” Pinkie shouted as she dive-bombed into the crystal mud bath. The resulting splash covered those standing by in excess mud.

Twilight became cross. “Pinkie!” she scolded. “This isn’t the time for a crystal mud bath!”

“Twilight,” Cadance said in a calm tone. “I understand your frustration at Pinkie’s antics, but, getting angry isn’t going to solve the problem. The mud is easy to clean off, I promise.”

“No,” Twilight protested. “I need to set Pinkie straight before she embarrasses the entire empire in front of the games inspector! I was hesitant allowing Pinkie to come for such a serious matter and this proves that she shouldn’t have come!”

Pinkie, hearing the things Twilight was saying about her, suddenly became disheartened. She crawled out of the mud bath, her mane deflating with sadness.

“Don’t try being a martyr, Pinkie,” Twilight said.

“You’re being a real hypocrite, mom,” Spike said. “Cadance invited all seven of us for a reason and she has a responsibility to help just as much as you and I do. We all know that Pinkie is hyper and is more than willing to jump into a large body of water or liquid, but, she still recognizes what we need to do. All those times you lectured the others when they had a petty squabble and you’re starting one yourself? What would the princess say if she saw you acting this way?”

Twilight, hearing this, took a deep breath and calmed down. “Pinkie, I am so sorry,” she said genuinely.

Pinkie, hearing the genuine apology, reinflated her mane and gave her friend a forgiving hug.

“Twilight,” Cadance said. “I can tell that you’re very stressed right now, but, you can’t just take it out on others. That’s not fair.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow said. “You didn’t like it when I did it to you when Tank was first going into hibernation.******** Why do it to others?”

“You’re right,” Twilight said. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been so hard on Pinkie. I promise I’ll take things easier. Cross my heart.”

“Even I get stressed sometimes,” Cadance said. “I’ve learned a little trick to lighten the load.”

“What’s that?” Twilight asked.

“Repeat after me,” Cadance said. “Breathe in.” She took a deep breath.

Twilight breathed in.

“Now, breathe out,” Cadance said as she let the deep breath out.

Twilight breathed out. She felt much more relaxed.

“Thank you,” Twilight said.

“Is everypony okay now?” Fluttershy asked.

“Yep,” Pinkie said.

“Yes,” Twilight answered.

“Yeah,” Rainbow said.

Spike didn’t immediately respond as he was reminded of Peewee. Cadance noticed this.

“Is something troubling you, Spike?” Cadance asked gently.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Spike said, putting on a brave face.

“Spike,” Cadance said. “I can tell when something isn’t right. You know you can tell me anything, don’t you?”

Before Spike had a chance to answer, the door flung open. A mare wearing a gray messenger uniform approached Princess Cadance.

“Princess, if I may have a word…” she panted. “I-I have two pieces of news for you. First, your mane stylist has the flu and won’t be able to make it for fear of you catching it, too.”

“That’s not so bad, Golden Hooves,” Sunny said. “I’ve learned her techniques. I can substitute. It may take time, but, we have plenty. The inspector won’t be here for hours.”

“That was the second piece of news I wanted to tell you,” Golden Hooves said. “The Games Inspector, Ms. Harshwhinny, will be arriving on the next train.”

“What?!” all present said.

“But, that’s in–” Rainbow said before checking a copy of the train schedule she picked up at the station. “–Fifteen minutes! Why didn’t you lead with that?! We’ll never manage with such a tight deadline, we’re sunk!”

“I know that it seems like a stressful situation,” Cadance said. “But, if we all work together and keep a calm head, everything will be okay. Besides, if you all can pull off my pre-wedding preparations so quickly, then, it stands to reason that with twelve of you working together, the preparations will be pulled off much faster.”

“Rarity,” Sunny asked. “Can you help me with making the headdress?”

“Of course, Sunny,” Rarity replied. “I do have experience with working with manes back at my place of business, so, I’ll be more than happy to assist.”

“Can I help, too?” Spike asked. “I’m not exactly eager to go outside and get hounded again.”

“Yeah, definitely,” Sunny smiled. “And, should there be a need for it, we can help you.”

“Sugarcoat, Lemon, Sour Sweet, and I will stay here, too,” Indigo said. “To make sure none of you are disturbed.”

“Thanks, everypony,” Sunny smiled.

“Sunny, Spike, and I will have Cadance’s headdress ready,” Rarity said. “And we’ll have her back at the castle. I wish all of you well.”

“Thank you, Rarity,” Twilight smiled. “And I’ll take Cadance’s advice and keep breathing calmly, should I need to relax.”

“Okay,” Rainbow said. “Elephant in the room, HOW WILL WE KNOW HARSHWHINNY WHEN WE SEE HER?!”

“I got a letter earlier saying what to look for,” Cadance explained. “She’s an earth pony mare, about average height, with red flower print luggage.”

“That’s it?!” Spike said.

“It’s plenty,” Rainbow said as she hurried Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie, and Fluttershy out of the spa. “We’ll see you guys later!”

Once they were out of sight, Spike turned to Cadance. “Can I see the letter?”

“Yes,” Cadance said. “I placed it on that vanity over there.”

Spike looked at the letter. The only information he saw was earth pony mare, about average height, with red flower print luggage. Though, he noticed a paper clip in the top left corner, which he didn't think much of.

“This isn’t enough information!” Spike said. “What color is her coat, what color is her mane and tail, what color are her eyes, what does her Cutie Mark depict?!”

Rarity quickly rubbed Spike’s left face cheek to calm him down. “It’s alright, Spikey-Wikey. Cadance did have a point before about remaining calm, didn’t she? If we know our friends, they have it covered.”

Spike used the breathing technique Cadance taught Twilight. “I admit she did,” he said. “But, those things I listed were important information, too. Without those bits, they might end up welcoming the wrong pony just because she had red flower print luggage, too. I wouldn’t be able to count the number of ponies who have similar luggage styles.”

“Yes, the information is vague,” Cadance admitted. “But, we have to trust your friends and mother and make sure they’re friendly towards the pony in question. I heard she recently adopted you, by the way.”

“She did,” Spike said. “It lightens the sting of…” Spike’s smile faltered.

“Lightens the sting of what?” Cadance asked.

“Sending Peewee back,” Spike said as tears started to form in his eyes.

Rarity comforted Spike gently. “That’s it, Spikey-Wikey. Let it all out.”

“It’s not that I’m unsympathetic,” Sugarcoat asked. “But, who’s Peewee?”

“A phoenix chick that hatched from an egg Spike rescued,” Rarity said.

“Aww~” Sour Sweet said. “Poor Spike. No wonder he’s so down. He misses his friend.”

“He was my pet until four days ago,” Spike sobbed. “I had to let him go for his sake. Even if it hurt.”

“I can understand where you’re coming from,” Indigo said gently. “It can hurt to do the right thing and you will miss him for a long time. But, what was important was that you made sure he was safe back home and that you didn’t keep him away from those he loved.”

“I grew up without knowing my biological parents,” Spike said. “I didn’t want him to go through the rest of his life like that.*********”

“That shows that you really care about Peewee,” Lemon said. “You really do have a kind heart, Spike.”

“From what we understand,” Sunny said. “A dragon with a heart as pure as yours at your age is a rare treasure these days.”

“It’s true,” Cadance said. “I remember Princess Celestia telling me about Spike’s hatching and how she was able to spare him from a horrible fate against prejudiced ponies. I was horrified that ponies would consider killing an innocent hatchling. It didn’t matter to me what species you were. You had as much right to live a full life as anypony else.”

Spike, hearing the kind words from Cadance, started to feel better.

“From what I saw of you when I foalsat Twilight,” the princess continued. “Innocence was all you knew. I’ll admit I don’t know much about dragons, but, from what I saw of you in those days, I know you’re a good boy. Anything else is irrelevant.”

“Wow,” Spike said gently. “Thanks, Cadance.”

“Since Twilight adopted you know,” Cadance said. “You can call me auntie Cadance if you want.**********”

“Okay,” Spike said. “Auntie Candace.”

“It does suit you to a tee,” Rarity smiled.

“Would you like a hug from auntie Cadance?” the princess asked.

“Yes, please,” Spike replied.

Cadance wrapped her front hooves and wings around the little dragon. Spike could feel any and all downhearted feelings he had flow away.

“Feel better now?” Cadance asked.

“Much better,” Spike said. “Thank you.”

“Spike’s been so sad since… you know what,” Rarity said as tactfully as she could. “We saw bringing him here to the Crystal Empire as a way to cheer him up.”

“Since I wanted to see Spike again,” Cadance said. “I had to invite him as well as you and your friends. Besides, after the role he played in saving the empire, the general consensus was that it would be rude not to invite him. Though, I would be lying if I said I didn’t have concerns.”

“Concerns?” Rarity asked.

“I was worried about the crystal ponies overwhelming him with their adoration,***********” Cadance explained.

“I’ll admit,” Spike said. “As our crystal pony friends were leading us here, I was swarmed by a large group of crystal ponies.” Then, a thought occurred to him. “Hey, how come they didn’t swarm me?”

“Well,” Sugarcoat explained. “We got a chance to know you personally. And while we do respect what you did, we didn’t want to overwhelm you like they do. Remember, we were the only crystal ponies who kept their memories of the pre-Sombra days.”

“True,” Spike nodded. “The other crystal ponies only really acknowledged me when I brought out the Crystal Heart, so, it makes sense they would only see me as a big hero after that. Uh, not that I mean to brag or anything.”

“No, we get it,” Lemon said, understanding where Spike was coming from. “We tried our best to fight Sombra directly to buy you guys time, but, we don’t want attention for it.”

“True,” Sugarcoat said. “If we had the choice, we would rather be recognized for being good friends towards others.”

“While we’re working on Cadance’s mane,” Sunny said. “Why don’t you help yourself to a crystal mud bath, Spike?”

“Sure thing,” Spike said. He got hip-deep in the crystal mud bath and he felt relaxation hit him like a tidal wave. He inhaled deeply and exhaled in a relaxed manner. Soon, he found himself getting deeper and deeper into the crystal mud bath. Realizing this, he pulled himself up, his head over the surface of the mud. “Whoa! That was close! This stuff’s relaxing power is extremely potent.”

“Oh, dear,” Sour Sweet said. “We’ll have to consider installing different levels of sitting considering those of varying sizes.”

“Good idea,” Spike admitted.

“In the meantime,” Rarity said, bringing out a flotation device from the spa shelves. “You’ll need this to keep afloat.” She placed it on Spike so he could float on the mud.

“Thanks, Rarity,” Spike said gratefully.

A short time later, Rarity was still working on Princess Cadance's mane with Sunny. Spike, taking a break from his own relaxation, watched anxiously.

“What are you doing?!” Sunny said. “Don’t skip step 12!”

Rarity yelped, realizing her mistake.

“Girls?” Cadance asked. “Is everything okay?”

“Oh, I’m so sorry... It’s just... oh so complicated,” Rarity replied before letting out a nervous laugh. “Don’t worry, we can fix it!”

“Alright,” Cadance said. “I trust you two.” She turned her head a bit and saw her reflection in a mirror. She couldn't think of what to say, if anything. Her mane looked like it had been exposed to too much static electricity and looked incredibly messy and unwelcoming.

There has to be something that can be done to help with that, Spike thought to himself.

“I must say, Rarity, I’m disappointed in you,” Princess Cadance said in a tone that was both gentle and cross at the same time. “I never would’ve expected somepony like you to take shortcuts.”

“We’re pressed for time!” Rarity said. “Besides, this mane style is unlike anything I’ve ever done before. I never even knew it existed until I came to this spa. If Ms. Harshwhinny wasn’t already slated to arrive by now, I’d have more time to follow the steps to the letter.”

“Rarity,” Spike said, stepping out of the mud bath. “We all understand where you’re coming from. We just need to calm down and take this one step at a time.”

“And we can’t take shortcuts,” Sunny said. “I’ve tried taking unnecessary shortcuts before and it always blew up in my face.”

Rarity took a deep cleansing breath and exhaled. “You’re right. I cannot give up now.” The two fashion-conscious unicorns quickly set about fixing Rarity’s mistake.

“You got this, girls,” Spike said with a supportive smile.

However, it wasn’t long before Twilight entered the spa, humming leisurely to herself.

“Twilight!” the other crystal mares exclaimed, rushing over to meet her.

“What are you doing here?!” Sour Sweet asked.

“We finished the welcome committee song, but, we’ve run into a slight problem,” Twilight explained. “I figured Princess Cadance would know what to do. Is she ready?”

“Not yet,” Indigo replied. “There have been some… difficulties and we need a bit more time.”

“Yeah,” Sugarcoat said. “Rarity skipped a step and everything went wrong.”

“How wrong?” Twilight asked.

“Imagine if Cadance’s mane turned into a briar golem,” Sugarcoat answered bluntly.

“I don’t know what a briar golem is,” Twilight said.

“Try imagining her mane became a porcupine,” Spike said.

“Oh… that wrong,” Twilight said.

“But,” Spike said. “Rarity and Sunny are taking the steps to make things right.”

“But, what am I supposed to do?” Twilight asked. “I need Cadance’s advice!"

“Why don’t you ask Uncle Shining?” Spike asked. “He’s at the Crystal Stadium.”

“Ah, that’s a great idea, Spike,” Twilight said. “We’ll go there now.”

“I’ll lead you there,” Indigo said. “I know the way.”

“Thanks, Indigo,” Twilight said. “See you later, Spike.” She gave him a motherly kiss on his forehead.

With that, she and Indigo left, shutting the spa door behind them.

“Thank you, Spike,” Rarity said gratefully. “Alright, Sunny. Let’s get this mane back into place.”

“Time for a conditioning rinse,” Sunny said.

So, the two mares worked hard together, getting Cadance’s headdress back in proper order.

“We’ll need to work harder than ever,” Rarity said.

“I’ll get you supplies as you need them,” Spike said.

“Thanks, Spike,” Sunny said.

“Indeed,” Rarity said. “Rest assured, I fully intend to compensate you for your help, Spikey-wikey.”

So, the three worked hard and worked fast. Spike got all of the supplies as Rarity and Sunny asked for them. After a while, a familiar scream suddenly reached the ears of all in the spa.

“That sounded like Rainbow,” Spike said.

“What’s happening?!” Sunny exclaimed.

“If I had to guess,” Spike said. “Things are going wrong.” Unknown to either of them, Rainbow Dash had just smacked into the roof of the spa. She wasn't hurt and with a barely audible sliding noise, she detached from the roof and hit the ground.

“It stopped,” Rarity said. She and sunny had finished the last step in the stylizing process. And they were just in time, for at that very moment, Twilight and the others came walking through the spa door. Rainbow Dash looked incredibly beat up and all six of the mares seemed out of breath.

“Whoa,” Sugarcoat said. “What happened to all of you?”

“Oh, there she is!” Rainbow Dash said with great relief. “We’re in luck! I don’t think either of them knows yet that the other one’s here!”

“What’s going on?” Spike asked.

“Wonderful news, look! Princess Cadance, better than new!” Rarity happily exclaimed. A second later, Princess Cadance emerged. The traditional royal ceremonial headdress looked incredible on her. All were impressed.

“Wow~!” Applejack said in an impressed tone. “Rare, y’all n’ Sunny did an amazin’ job! Cadance looks fantastic!”

“So, this is where you were the entire time,” an unfamiliar voice said crossly.

Most of the guardians, minus Rarity, winced at the sound of the voice. They looked over and saw a very stern looking Earth pony mare. She had a brilliant orange coat, a very light gold mane and tail, cut professionally short, brilliant cornflower blue eyes, and her Cutie Mark depicted a golden trophy.

“I was wondering why nopony was there to welcome me!” she added.

“Shot in the dark,” Spike said flatly. “But, you’re the real Equestria Games inspector, Ms. Harshwhinny, aren’t you? Not just a mare of the vague description provided and who just happens to have red flower print luggage?”

“Yes, I am,” said the mare, Ms. Harshwhinny, sternly. “And I must say that this was the absolute worst welcome I have had in the whole of my career!”

“Well,” Spike pointed out. “You didn’t tell us what color your coat, mane, tail, or eyes were or what your Cutie Mark depicted, so, that’s kind of your own fault.”

“Well!” Ms. Harshwhinny said aghast.

“He’s kind of right, you know,” Indigo said. “Because they didn’t have that information, they gave the welcome to a tourist named Ms. Peachbottom, who happened to have red flower print luggage like you.” She then read from the letter. “You wrote, ‘earth pony mare, average height, and has red flower print luggage.’ They had very little to go on beyond that.”

“Oh, dear,” Ms. Harshwhinny said, suddenly embarrassed. “It seems the photograph reference of myself had fallen off during the delivery process.”

“Huh,” Spike said. “That must be why the letter had that paper clip.”

“Photographic reference or not,” Rainbow said in an embarrassed and apologetic tone. “This was really my fault. I wanted the Crystal Empire to be chosen to represent the Equestria Games that I let my impatience get in the way. When I was a filly, I wanted Cloudsdale to be chosen, but, that didn’t happen. Of course, I understand why it wasn’t the case now, but, I was still heartbroken when I was a filly. I didn’t want the Crystal Empire to face the same heartache after over a thousand years of heartache from King Sombra. But, it looks like I ruined our chances. So… I’m sorry for everything.”

“I wouldn’t say the chances were ruined,” Ms. Harshwhinny said.

“They weren’t?” Rainbow asked, suddenly confused.

“I was talking to this mare here,” Ms. Harswhinny said, focusing on an earth pony mare with a pale gold coat with freckles on her face cheeks, a brilliant pistachio mane and tail with very light chartreuse green stripes, and brilliant pistachio eyes. Her mane was done up in a ponytail, she wore a pink blouse with a frilly white collar and sky blue neckerchief. Her Cutie Mark depicted a brown feathered hen in the middle of scurrying.

“You must be Ms. Peachbottom,” Spike said.

“Yes, ah am,” said the mare named Ms. Peachbottom in a sweet country accent. “Mighty pleased ta meet ya.”

“And,” Ms. Harshwhinny continued. “She told me about how she was treated to the warmest, finest, friendliest, most fabulous reception she has ever had.”

“But, we gave it to the wrong pony,” Rainbow said.

“That was my fault,” Ms. Harshwhinny admitted. “I hadn’t anticipated the photographic reference getting lost during the delivery, so, I didn’t feel it necessary to provide written details. All the same, the welcome you gave her proved to be an unbiased appraisal of a potential host for the Equestria Games. Which means…”

Cadance later made the announcement to the empire.

“The next host of the Equestria Games is…” Princess Cadance announced into a microphone. “The Crystal Empire!”

The crystal ponies all cheered. The guardians and Spike also cheered happily. As did the Crystal 5. On the way back to the train, Spike found an opportunity to speak to Ms. Harshwhinny and Ms. Peachbottom.

“Say, uh,” Spike said. “Neither of you have a problem with me being a dragon, right?”

“Absolutely not,” Ms. Peachbottom answered kindly. “Ah travel a lot n' ah meet a lot o' mighty neat creatures, dragons bein’ some o' 'em. Plus, you’re one o' the cutest dragons ah’ve ever seen in a long time.” She used her front hooves to squish both his face cheeks at the same time, prompting a rather jealous expression from Rarity.

“And I do not personally have a problem with dragons, either,” Ms. Harshwhinny said. “I believe in judging others by their actions. Species is irrelevant.”

“Okay,” Spike said. “Thank you both for your honest answers.” Rarity used her magic to levitate Spike onto her back.

“Now that that’s taken care of,” Pinkie said after they boarded the train. “We can go back home. I can’t wait to give Gummy a cute little alligator hug!”

“You’re the only pony brave enough to hug a gator, Pinkie,” Spike said.

“He’s my scale baby,” Pinkie said. “Why wouldn’t I hug him?”

“Ah reckon we shouldn’t talk too much ‘bout pets ‘round Spike,” Applejack said. “He might still be sad ‘bout—” Rainbow covered Applejack’s mouth and spoke through gritted teeth.

“Ix-nay on the Eewee-pay!” the prismatic-maned pegasus said.

“It’s okay, guys,” Spike said. “I’m not sad about having to send Peewee back to his own family anymore. I was able to let out my feelings with Cadance, Rarity, and our crystal pony friends. They gave me some really good advice, too, and I’m feeling much better now.”

“What would you say to a gem hunt when we get home?” Rarity asked.

“Sounds good to me!” Spike said enthusiastically before he began thinking. “Actually, it’ll take us a while to get there even on the express. It’ll probably be nightfall by the time we get there.”

“Understandable,” Rarity conceded with a nod. “There’s also the lag that comes with a long journey.”

“That’s true,” Spike said. “But, if we don’t have too many plans tomorrow, we can go on a gem hunt then.”

“I find those terms agreeable,” Rarity said.

“Cool,” Spike smiled. “Say, while we’re on the train, why don’t you tell us how things went on your side?”

“Sure thing,” Twilight said. “We’ll take turns.”

How did their side of the story go, you ask? Well, you’ll have to wait until the next chapter, won’t you?

End of chapter.

Author's Note

Here's the next chapter.

*Legit explanation.

**An excellent point. Especially with the big deal the crystal ponies made of it from season 4 onwards.

***Another excellent point.

****Legit point.

*****She's not wrong.

******Plausible theory is plausible.

*******No, this isn't a cover-up for the fact that I didn't get Astral's creator in on the doc. What gave you that idea?

********FORESHADOWING!!!

*********That's a perfectly reasonable excuse for sending Peewee away. I defy you to change my mind.

**********WHOLESOME!!!

***********That's actually a pretty good reason.

If you liked this chapter, feel free to contact me via private messages if you'd like to help make future chapters.