Last Ditch

Chapter 10

Spike awoke the next morning as the train glided slowly into the Ponyville station. He jumped out of his cot, and rubbed his eyes. He yawned, and made his way to the sink at the end of the sleeper. He was about to brush his teeth, when he heard soft giggling coming from one of a compartment with it's blinds shut.

"HEY," a pony growled, "Keep it down, you damned kids, I'm tryin' to sleep!"

"Sorry!" Fleetwood's voice rang out from behind the curtains, which intriuged Spike. He walked over to the curtains, and knocked on the side of the cot.

"Hey, Fleet!" he whispered, trying not to wake the angry traveller up again, "This is our stop, get up!"

"Hold on a second, I gotta get dressed!"

"But, Fleetwood, we don't normally wear clothes!"

"Just leave me alone!" Fleetwood was unusually foul-tempered this morning. There was a loud rustling, and some hushed voices, which confused Spike. Was there someone else in bed with Fleetwood?

Just then, the image of Fleetwood and Rarity flew through his head again, and Spike panicked. He yanked open the curtain, to reveal Fleetwood with someone hiding under the covers,

"WHO'S UNDER THERE?!" Spike roared, expecting the worst.

"DANG IT, SPIKE, WHAT'S THE MEANING OF THIS?!"

"I WANNA KNOW, DAMN YOU!"

Spike threw the covers off the bed, and gasped as he saw Rarity. She shrieked, diving for the window, which was open, ran around the side of the train to the street, and dissapeared.

"Fleet," Spike said quietly, beginning to tear up, "WHY?"

"You REALLY trusted me, Spike?" Fleetwood cackled, similar in sound to his father, but slightly higher. "You know what I do?: I find some dumbass kid, I fill him to the top with everything I know, and I see if he gets the mare. If he doesn't, I need to improve my tactics. If he does, I do the only thing a scumbag like myself could do, sleep with his fantasy! I call it, "testing the water"."

"But, WHY?" Spike repeated, tears now pouring from his eyes, "I thought we were friends! I'M YOUR SPECIAL BUDDY!"

"Oh, please!" Fleetwood laughed coldly, "I say that to every son of a Buick who walks into my dealer, including Wilcox! It's all just a sales ploy to get them to trust me!"

"But, Rarity loves ME!"

"Has she ever told you that?" It was at that time that Spike realized Twilight wasn't right enough: Fleetwood Eldorado Deville Seville Calais Brougham had no soul. "Let's face it, "Spikey-Wikey"", he continued, stabbing Spike in the heart with each word, "I hope you took a LO-O-O-O-O-ONG look, because that's the only time you'll ever see Rarity in bed!"

Spike couldn't take it anymore, it felt like his heart was being ripped out of his chest. He ran down the train car, bawling his eyes out, waking up everyone, including the traveller from earlier.

"Hey, I thought I told you plotholes to shut it-"

"CAN IT, SON!" Mel shouted, hearing the entire ordeal with Fleetwood and Spike, "The kid's had a long day!"

****

Spike ran all the way home, bawling his eyes out. He felt even more depressed than the first time he had failed, which was pretty tough to beat. He ran through the front door of the library, into his bedroom. Twilight heard this, and trotted in after him.

"Spike!" she growled, "You've been gone ALL NIGHT! Where EXACTLY have you been?!"

"YOU WERE RIGHT, TWILIGHT!" Spike bawled through a , "FLEETWOOD IS A DARK, SOULLESS, EVIL, MANIUPULATIVE JERK!"

"He slept with Rarity, didn't he?" Twilight sighed

"HOW DID YOU KNOW?"

"Spike, in the little time that we've been living in Ponyville, Fleetwood has slept with nearly every pony in town, except Rarity and me! You may have done this to yourself, but I tell you, when someone makes fun of Starswirl The Bearded AND hurts my loved ones, they GET IT! I'M GOING TO FLEETWOOD'S RIGHT NOW!"

Fleetwood had just gotten back to the dealer, and was opening up for the morning when Twilight arrived. He saw her Volvo driving erratically down the street, and rushed to the front of the showroom.

"Guys, look, It's Twi!" he called to the mechanics, "Quick, roll out the wine cart and watch me reel this sucker in!"

It took a few seconds for Fleetwood to realize she wasn't looking for a car. His joy turned to horror as he watched her drive over the curb, across the sidewalk, and toward the dealer.

"BRACE FOR IMPACT!!" Eldorado cried, putting on a hardhat.

The small Swedish station wagon smashed through the front window, drove across the showroom floor, and rear-ended Fleetwood's favorite showroom model, the Lesabre which he had driven only the day before.

At first, Fleetwood was blinded with rage. He stormed over to the Volvo, shouting every swearword he could remember at the purple mare. "YOU IDIOT!" he roared, "LOOK AT YOU'VE DONE TO MY LESABRE!" Then, he saw the enraged look on Twilight's face, and he began to regret his temper.

"LOOK AT WHAT YOU DID TO SPIKE" she fired back, using her magic to pick up one of the velvet rope stands that surrounded the cars, and threw it at him. Fleetwood narrowly missed a hard blow to the head as the post sailed past.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!" Fleetwood screeched as he dodged more objects hurled toward him.

"I want you to fix my friend!" the purple unicorn spat.

The highroller's eyes narrowed. "Or what?" he asked slowly, suprised at the halt of ballistics hurtling toward him.

****

"Or this." Twilight strained as a purple aura enveloped her and a nearby Chevrolet, and she began to float into the air, the Chevrolet following.

"NOW," she said in a voice as loud as thunder, "YOU'RE GOING TO BREAK UP WITH RARITY, AND LET HER GO WITH SPIKE, OR I AM GOING TO CRUSH YOU!"

Fleetwood was frozen in fear, not able to speak.

"WELL?"

"There.... is an old Brougham family tradition for this situation," Eldorado stuttered, standing up, "If we are challenged for the hand of a mare, then we hold a race for the mare's affection. It's called "Le Trajet De l'Amour".

"Dad," Fleetwood Whispered, shuddering with fear, "You really can't be serious! Le Trajet De l'Amour is too unforgiving, too-"

"Keep your pants on, Fleet!" Eldorado snapped, "We're doing it with cars this time!"

"Oh," said Fleetwood, straightening up, "Then I am sure to win! Alright, Twilight, I accept your challenge. By the way, shouldn't Spike be here to call me out?"

Just then, Fleetwood noticed Spike was cowering in the back seat of the Volvo, hands over head.

"Spike!" Twilight called, "It's alright, I'm done being persuasive, come out!"

Spike opened the door, and stomped over to Fleetwood, forgetting his fear of Twilight's powers immediately. He pushed his face into Fleetwood's, and began to speak.

"You," he growled, "You lied to me, got me drunk, and TOOK MY DREAM GIRL! LE TRAJET DE L'AMOUR, 4 DAYS, YOU GOT THAT?!"

Spike's anger died down, and he and Twilight got back into the Volvo, started it, and backed out of the showroom, Fleetwood being so stunned at Spike's anger that he didn't bother them to clean up the mess. Mel than turned to him.

"You're really screwed this time, Fleetwood!" he warned, "Spike's flaming mad, and he's got your Camaro! How are we supposed to compete with that?"

"Wait a minute," Fleetwood burst out, interrupting Mel's concerned ramble, "THE CAMARO, THAT'S IT! Wilcox, Snips, Snails, get out here!"

****

The three mechanics burst out into the showroom, all saluting him like navy SEALs.

"I want you all to go find that Camaro, and WRECK IT! Run it off the road, bring it back here, just GET IT AWAY FROM SPIKE!" he handed them the keys to the old White towtruck the shop used. "DON'T dissapoint me, especially YOU, Wilcox!"

The three young colts ran out to the White, and started it. After several minutes of grinding gears, they finally managed to shift into first, and rattled away.

Fleetwood sighed, "I knew I should have taught Snails to drive stick. But still, I know h