nponyc | Entries tagged with character: spike

Princess Celestia did have some misgivings about leaving Discord in the care of Twilight Sparkle and her friends. (Luna had even more misgivings. That was a less than pleasant conversation.) Still, she had faith that they would, in time, be able to show Discord the importance of empathy and friendship, and convince him to use his power for good. It would be a long and difficult trial, but ultimately a rewarding one.

Imagine her surprise when, a mere three days after leaving Discord in the ponies' care, she received a letter from Fluttershy saying that Discord was officially reformed.

Celestia wasted no time in making arrangements to return to Ponyville. This she has to see for herself.

One trip to Ponyville's outskirts and one princessly explanation later...

"I realize that this is a tall order," says Celestia to Fluttershy solemnly. "But I wouldn't ask if I weren't confident you could get him to use magic obediently of his own free will."

"Ugh. This really doesn't seem to be getting us anywhere." Rarity throws another book on the ever-growing pile in the middle of the library floor.

Pinkie mournfully nods. "Mmm...mmMMm mm mmmmmmM!"

"I hear ya, Pinkie," says Apple Jack. "I can't find anythin' that describes the kinda magic Trixie's doin'."

"There must be something," insists Spike. "Twilight has every magic book there is!"

Fluttershy looks up from the book she's reading. "Um, I think I may have found something?"

"Yes," says Rarity, ignoring Fluttershy completely, "it's time for us to consider our futures in this new Trixie-led Ponyville."

"Um, this sounds an awful lot like Trixie's magic--"

"She wants me t' grow apples with no peels!" says Apple Jack. "Now, how the hay am I s'posed to do that?"

"Um, there's a picture here of that necklace--"

"Mm-mm mm mmm MMMMM!" Pinkie points furiously at her still-mouthless face. You ponies think you have problems?

"It's called the Alicorn Amulet, and whoever wears it is blessed with untold--"

"Hey, everypony, look!" Spike yanks the book out of Fluttershy's hooves and holds it up. "This book has a picture of Trixe's necklace!" The other four ponies quickly gather around to look. "It's called the Alicorn Amulet," Spike continues, "and whoever wears it is blessed with untold powers!"

"If you read a little further," adds Fluttershy, "you'll see--"

"'Even though it provides great power, it also corrupts the user,'" reads Rarity.

"Yes, but, um, you can't--"

"You can't just take the Alicorn Amulet off her neck," says Spike. "It has a magical lock. Trixie's the only pony who can take it off."

"Maybe we could--"

"We need t' get this information to Twilight." says Apple Jack firmly. "She'll know what to do."

"But, h-how--"

"If any of us try to leave," Rarity protests, "Trixie's magical force field will tell her!"

"Maybe we should--"

"I've got it!" Rainbow Dash flies up to the ceiling to address the group in her usual dramatic fashion. "Trying to sneak past the force field would be impossible without help. But I know who's got the goods to get into those woods!"

Fluttershy nods. "I-it must be--"

"Fluttershy!"

"What?!" Fluttershy shrieks, pushing herself out of Rainbow Dash's grip. She can't be serious!

"Whaddaya say, Fluttershy?" says Apple Jack. "Can you handle the mission?"

Fluttershy desperately tries to hide under the nearest book. "No! I'll crack under the pressure! I'll snap like a twig!"

"Perfect!" says Rainbow Dash. "Fluttershy'll sneak out of Ponyville and find Twilight."

"But--but I--" Fluttershy can't protest any further. Everyone in the room is looking at her expectantly. "Okay," she sighs.

Rarity gets a determined look on her face. "And I know just the design for a dangerous mission outfit..."

"Perfect, girls!"

New bridesmaids means a new rehearsal, but that's no great hardship. Particularly when the bridesmaids are ponies as harmonious and clever as these. At the moment they're walking in a neat row up what will be the aisle.

"No need to rush!" Celestia reminds them. It's probably unnecessary, but a little reminder never hurts.

(Of course, all isn't exactly perfect, as Rarity and Rainbow Dash stifle giggles at each other in their excitement. But they'll be ready for the big event.)

"Then, of course, Cadance will enter." The doors open wide to reveal the princess in question. She is, of course, beautiful; Shining Armor gapes slightly as she makes her way forward. "I'll say a few words, and then we'll begin with the vows. Shining Armor, you'll get the ring from your Best Mare."

Shining Armor turns around to do so, only to find that Twilight is nowhere to be found. There's only Spike, once again playing with cake toppers.

It's a clear, calm morning as the pegasi of Ponyville assemble in front of Highland Reservoir. Up above, the billowing towers of Cloudsdale glisten in the dawn light. At the rim of the reservoir, the Wonderbolt's own Spitfire comes to land next to the massive anemometer that will measure the collective wingpower that's about to be put on display.

This is it. The big day. Tornado Day.

Rainbow Dash slaps her trainer's cap back on her head and flies up into the air where everypony can see her. "Are we ready to do this?!" she calls to the crowd below.

"Yeah!"

Rainbow Dash grins and settles back down on the ground again. Just before she can blow her whistle for the tornado to begin, though, Spike scurries over and shoves a pad of paper in her face. "Look," he says. It's a roll call, from which a certain stallion is conspicuously absent.

"Lazy Thunderlane! Where is he? He's been trying to get out of tornado duty the whole time with his fake coughing and all." She peers down the rows, but Thunderlane's nowhere to be seen. "Rumble," she calls to a tiny colt a few yards away, "where's your lazy brother?"

"He's got the feather flu," says Rumble with a shrug. "He's down at Ponyville Hospital."

"But he's not the only one..." Spike turns over a page on the notepad to reveal half a dozen more ponies marked as absent.

...aw, horse apples.

All eyes are on Rainbow Dash as she flies up in front of the projector screen. "So, here's the scoop," she begins. "Cloudsdale has chosen our own Highland Reservoir as the source of the rainwater they need for all of Equestria. And you know what that means. It means it's up to Ponyville's pegasi to bring that water up to Cloudsdale!"

The pegasi crowded into the library murmur in pleasant surprise.

"Not only that," says Rainbow Dash, pulling down another screen, "but Spitfire, captain of the Wonderbolts, will be here to oversee the water transfer and record our top tornado windspeed. Now, last year Fillydelphia broke the windspeed record with a top speed of 910 wingpower. But I think we can do better. I think we can get a top speed of over a thousand!"

More murmuring--this time, less pleased and more surprised. There are only about a hundred pegasi in Ponyville, can they really break a thousand wingpower all by themselves?

"If," says Rainbow Dash loudly, breaking through the chatter, "each and every pony trains, and trains hard, to get their wingpower numbers up." Somepony coughs in the back row. "That coughing better be from a popcorn kernel, Thunderlane. Nopony's gettin' sick on my watch! So, are we gonna train hard?"

"Yeah!" the assembled pegasi cry.

"Are we gonna be strong?"

"Yeah!"

"Are we gonna be fast?"

"YEAH!"

"Record-smashing fast?"

"YEAH!!!"

"Who's with me?!"

The crowd erupts into cheers, with ponies drumming their hooves on the ground or doing loop-the-loops through the air.

But there's one pegasus who's not cheering or stomping. One who was cringing in the front row through the whole presentation, and is now nowhere to be found.

"Fluttershy," Rainbow Dash mutters. This can't be good.

"But- but... I'm supposed to send you a letter about friendship every week," explains Twilight. "I missed the deadline! I'm a bad student! I'm... tardy!"

Princess Celestia looks sadly down at her faithful pupil. "You are a wonderful student, Twilight. I don't have to get a letter every week to know that."

"Really?" asks Twilight. Is it possible that she's misunderstood this whole time?

At that moment, the library door bursts open, and Twilight's friends tumble in. "Wait!" shouts Rainbow Dash, naturally the first to get to Twilight's side.

"You can't punish her!" adds Pinkie Pie, zipping into place between the unicorn and the Princess.

Applejack is a little farther back, but just as vehement as she says, "It wasn't her fault!"

"I'm listening," says the Princess, her tone more distant.

"Please, Your Highness," pleads Fluttershy. "We all saw that Twilight was upset."

"But we thought that the thing that she was worrying about wasn't worth worrying about," continues Rainbow Dash.

Applejack takes the next part of the story - the honest, if unflattering, truth: "So when she ran off all worked up, not a single one of us tried to stop her."

"As Twilight's good friends, we should have taken her feelings seriously and been there for her," says Rarity.

Fluttershy, having started their plea, concludes it by saying, "Please don't take her away from us just because we were too insensitive to help her."

The Princess nods her head briefly, offering the assembled ponies a small smile. "Looks like you all learned a pretty valuable lesson today," she notes. The others murmur their agreement. "Very well. I'll forget Twilight's punishment on one condition," says Celestia, leaping lightly over the others in the direction of the door.

The friends agree all at once, no matter what the condition might be. The Princess turns back toward them and, in a yet more formal tone, proclaims, "From this day forth, I would like you all to report to me your findings on the magic of friendship..." She pauses to let them react, then leans toward Twilight and continues in a more familiar voice. "...when, and only when, you happen to discover them."

Twilight's friends cheer, but her own expression grows worried again as she hurries after the departing ruler. "Princess Celestia, wait!" she calls. The Princess pauses, having not yet taken off, and Twilight continues. "How did you know I was in trouble?"

"Your friend Spike made me aware that you were letting your fears get the best of you," Celestia answers. Spike peeks around the doorframe at the mention of his name, then hides when he sees Twilight and the Princess looking at him. "I commend him for taking your feelings seriously. Now," she raises her voice as Twilight's friends approach, "if you will all excuse me, I must return to Canterlot. I'm expecting some mail." She launches herself into the air, flies a short distance toward Luna's moon, and teleports away.

As Twilight comes back inside, Applejack grins and says, "Y'all heard the Princess. Spike, take a letter." The dragon pulls out a quill and parchment, then finally relaxes as Twilight puts a hoof around his shoulders and pulls him close.

Before long, the ponies and Spike are gathered in a circle, ready to start the letter. Applejack begins. "Dear Princess Celestia, We're writin' to you because today we all learned a little somethin' about friendship."

Fluttershy picks up the dictation. "We learned that you should take your friend's worries seriously..."

"...even if you don't think that she has anything to worry about," continues Rainbow Dash.

Rarity is next, saying, "And that you shouldn't let your worries turn a small problem..."

"...into an enormously huge, entire-town-in-total-chaos, Princess-has-to-come-and-save-the-day problem!" is Pinkie Pie's contribution.

"Signed, your loyal subjects," finishes Applejack.

Spike glances around furtively, then adds, "P.S. Obviously Spike did not have to learn a lesson, because he is the best, most awesome friend a pony could ask for. Unlike everypony else, he took things seriously, and -" He cuts off as Twilight shakes her head. Looking sheepish, he crosses out his addition, then sighs as the others laugh.