Another Side of Friendship: Pony Tails

by The Great Twixie

Number One Assistant

It was late into the evening. Princess Celestia was getting ready to set the sun over the horizon to welcome the night, which meant they didn’t have a lot of time to get ready.

Spike was running around the grand palace room he shared with Twilight, picking up items and stuffing them into his little wagon. He had just picked up Twilight’s telescope, which had been random left out on the nightstand, and stuffed it with the rest of the items.

“This meteor shower tonight's gonna be amazing!” Twilight exclaimed excitedly, coming down from ladder of one of the many bookshelves that cluttered their room, levitating a thick tome with a black leather binding titled ‘The Secrets of the Universe by Queen Galaxia.’

“Awesome!” Spike agreed as he tossed a entire bowl of fruit into the wagon, expertly arranging it to take up as little space as possible.

“You know, this shower only happens once every hundred years,” Twilight informed him, her head buried in her book as she flipped through the pages.

“A centennial celebration!” said Spike as he juggled several bottles of Apple Acres Apple Cider, making a show of sliding them down his tail into the wagon.

“We better get a move on!” said Twilight, prancing blinding towards the door with her head still in the pages. Spike quickly shoved a stack of books out of her way and opened the door before she ran into it.

“Yeah, don’t want to be late,” said Spike, running back to the other end of the room and picking up a punchbowl of all things. The weight of the bowl and the sloshing of the contents nearly threw him off, but he managed to stable himself and tugged it neatly in the corner of the wagon. “There. All done!”

“Spike, did you grab my quill and ink?” asked Twilight, still not looking up from her book.

“Yeah, I got it,” said Spike, picking up the items in the wagon. “Though I don’t get why you don’t just use a pen like any other pony.”

“Because ink and quills are elegant and fancy,” said Twilight. “Princess Luna uses a quill.”

“I switched to pens forty years ago,” said Luna, randomly walking past the door for no explicit reason.

“Whatever,” Twilight pouted. “Did you get everything, Spike?”

“Got it all here,” said Spike, tapping the wagon (and quickly pulling his hand away when it started to wobble dangerously.) “I've packed a telescope, apple cider, fruit punch as an alternative, a bowl of fruits for more options, and my freshly baked homemade triple-decker nut-crazy vanilla cream cookies.”

“Good job, Spike,” Twilight complimented the dragon, finally looking up from her book. “Once again you've read my mind, Spike. And that is why you are my number one assistant.”

“I'm sorry, I didn't hear you,” said Spike teasingly, putting a hand up to his ear.

“That is why you are my number one assistant,” Twilight repeated.

“Missed that,” said Spike, smirking. “Could you say that again?”

“I said…,” Twilight started to say when she realized Spike’s little game and chuckled. “Come on, let's get going.” She pranced out into the hallway when she suddenly stopped. “Wait! I almost forgot! I wanna bring the ‘Astronomical Astronomer's Almanac to All Things Astronomy.’”

“The Astronomo-lomo homono what?” Spike attempted to say strangely, stumbling over his words.

“You know, that really old big blue book on stars, moons, planets, the universe...?” Twilight explained.

“Right, got it!” said Spike, running back to the bookshelves while Twilight went back to reading.

The little dragon climbed the ladder to one of the higher shelves, finding the book Twilight requested thanks to his excellent memory. This part of the shelf was rarely used, thus the book was covered in a thick layer of dust. Spike brushed the dust away with his claw, inadvertently creating a cloud that got into his nose. The dust tickled his nostrils and Spike could feel a huge sneeze coming on. And for a dragon, sneezing meant fire.

Spike tried to hold it in and it seemed like he succeeded as he exhaled a relieved sigh…then actually sneezed and spat out a short of emerald flames. Spike winced as he inspected the book in his hand, finding that half the cover had been incinerated and the pages inside were either charred black or disintegrated altogether.

This was bad! This was really, really bad!

“Hey! What's taking my number one assistant so long?” Twilight called from the hallway.

Afraid of the consequence of destroy one of Twilight’s precious books, Spike replaced the half-destroyed tome and climbed back down, pretending he never found it.

---

There was a cliff on the edge of the Canterlot Mountain that not only offered an unobstructed view of the vastness of Equestia, but also of the starry night sky. This was where Twilight and all her friends decided to meet up for observing the meteor shower. And she did mean all of them.

The Luna Crew and the Celestia Squad had arrived first, wanting to find the perfect spot for observing the shower. Sunset Shimmer was sitting next to her sister and the Wonderbolts until the two of them stared another hoof-wrestling competition. Moon Dancer had summoned the Cutie Mark Crusaders, who were just as excited to be out past their bedtime as they were to see the cosmic phenomenon. Trixie had invited her employees from the Final Act, which reluctantly included Charmy as Raven Inkwell pointed out that she was officially on the staff. Starlight invited Sassy Saddles and her fellow faculty from the school, including the disapproving Professor Inkwell. And Tempest and Grubber were sitting in the back, acting all cool and brooding.

Twilight and Spike were the last to arrive, which was a surprise given how meticulous the violet unicorn was with schedules.

“I was sure I put the astronomer's guide back,” Twilight hummed thoughtfully, tapping her chin. “The book would have helped me identify different planets and stars tonight.”

“Well... maybe someone borrowed it,” Spike lied, sweating lightly. “Besides, you don't need that book. You can already name all the planets and stars, ‘cause you're super smart and astronomically awesome!”

“Flattery will get you everywhere, Spike,” said Twilight jokingly.

“Yeah, I’m a sweet talker,” said Spike jokingly.

“And a number one assistant, right?” said Twilight.

“Check!” said Spike proudly.

Now that he was in the clear with the book incident, Spike quickly made himself useful by unloading the wagon. He laid out the picnic blanket and set out all the food and beverages. Tempest, of course, was the first one to partake, snatching up an apple almost as quickly as it was set down.

“Gotta hoof it to you, Twilight,” Tempest told her while Spike went to set up the telescope. “You’re lucky to have such a component assistant. I wish I had one for myself.”

“What about me, boss?” asked Grubber.

“I said competent, Grubber,” Tempest retorted. Grubber crossed his arms in a huff, fuming, which Tempest ignored and kept eating her apple.

“Ooh, look at this spread,” Starlight complimented as the rest of the Mane 6 gathered around. “I guess we have you to thank for this, Spike. You’re amazing, you know that?”

“Aw, come on…,” said Spike in a faux bashful tone. “No, seriously, come on. Keep ‘em coming.”

“Hah! Trixie likes you, little lizard creature who’s name Trixie can’t remember!” Trixie guffawed.

“Starlight literally said my name three seconds ago,” Spike grumbled, giving her a deadpanned stare.

“Details!” said Trixie loudly, rubbing the little dragon’s head like she was petting a dog. “Who would have ever guess that a big ferocious dragon would start off as a little cutie!”

“You’re a real star, Spike,” Sunset complimented. “I know we don’t say it enough, but we’re glad to have you as a friend. Especially during that whole ticket disaster.”

“Gosh, you guys are embarrassing me, stop it…,” said Spike, pretending to be shy while having the biggest grin. “Your turn, Twilight.”

“Don’t push it, Spike,” said Twilight, lightly scolding him.

“Oh, right, that’s enough,” Spike agreed nervously.

“Turn your eyes to the sky, my little ponies!” Luna shouted, pointing her hoof to the stars. “The show is beginning!”

Everypony practically stampeded closer to the edge (which extremely dangerous and the author recommends you not try at home. These are professional cartoon characters.) The average-sized ponies formed a line up from with the Princesses stood in the back, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders fearlessly climbed on the Alicorn’s head for a better view. All we in awe as glittery stars streaked through the night sky by the dozens.

“It’s so pretty,” said Apple Bloom in awe.

“Wonder why this only happens every one hundred years?” Sweetie Bell pondered curiously.

“Think we should tell them it’s actually mother’s centennial bowling night?” Luna whispered to her sister.

“I don’t think their quite ready to understand the existence of cosmic entities just yet,” Celestia murmured back. “Let them wonder.”

But while everyone was looking up at the sky in wonder, Spike, who had been sitting on Twilight’s flank, let out a loud yawn that distracted Twilight.

“You okay, Spike?” asked Twilight worriedly.

“Huh, yeah,” said Spike, rubbing his eyes and letting out another involuntary yawn. “I’m – I’m fine. Just got something in my eye….”

“You look tired, Spike,” said Twilight, frowning. “Maybe you should sleep.”

“No – no, I’m good – I’m good,” Spike sputtered, who looked like he was struggling to stay awake. “I’m just…I’m just gonna…close my eyes for a second….”

Spike tipped over off Twilight’s flank. Twilight caught him with her magic before he hit the grass and gently laid him down on the picnic blanket. The rest of the Mane Six noticed this and pulled themselves away from the star shower to check up on Spike, who had curled up in a ball and started snoring loudly.

“Is Spike all right?” asked Moon Dancer, worried.

“He’ll be fine,” said Twilight, frowning. “Poor little guy. He’s worked himself to the bone again.”

“Does this kind of thing happen often?” asked Starlight.

“Yeah, it’s happened frequently for a while now,” said Twilight remorsefully. “He’s always so eager to prove that he’s my number one assistant that he tires himself out until he collapses. I’m really worried about him.”

“Maybe he just needs a break,” Tempest suggested.

“That’s a great idea!” said Twilight brightly. “I’ll give Spike the day off tomorrow so that he can rest and relax.”

“And we’ll help out, too,” Sunset offered. “We can all help out and be your assistants if you need it.”

“I never agreed to this,” said Tempest pointedly. Sunset elbowed her in the flank.

“Well, the Great and Powerful Trixie is nopony’s assistant!” declared Trixie. “But for Twilight Sparkle, the Generous and Magnanimous Trixie is willing lend a hoof if she requires.”

“Oh brother,” Moon Dancer mumbled, rolling her eyes.

“Aw, thanks, everypony,” said Twilight gratefully, smiling down at her sleeping dragon buddy. “Don’t worry, Spike. We’ll take care of everything tomorrow. You just have sweet dreams, my number one assistant.”

---

As the first rays of sunlight shined through the window, Spike grumbled groggily as they fell directly on his eyes.

Spike rubbed the sleep from his eyes, his groggy mind slowly realizing that he was in his basket. Twilight must have carried him back after he conked out. Spike reached for the clock next to his basket to check the time…and hopped out, wide awake, with a horrible fright.

“I overslept!” screamed Spike. He ran up to the little alcove that Twilight used as a study just as the purple mare was loading her saddlebag with books. Twilight was taken aback by his frantic face. “I know it's already ten, but I'm scaly-tailed and bright-eyed and ready to work twice as fast! Oh please, don't be upset, Twilight! And what do you want for breakfast? Oatmeal? How about a sunflower smoothie? Grass pancakes?”

“Spike, spike, it’s okay!” said Twilight, holding up her hoof to stop him. “Don’t worry about it.”

“But my morning chores – “

“It’s okay.” Moon Dancer suddenly appeared behind Spike, making the little dragon jump, and levitating a little feather duster. “I already took care of them.”

“Wha – Moon Dancer?” Spike babbled. “What’s she doing here?”

“She’s helping out before she has to go to work,” Twilight explained. “She’s very good at organizing my book exactly the way I like them. Which makes sense because she works at a book store.”

“But why is she doing my chores?” questioned Spike.

“She’s just helping out so you don’t get tired all the time,” said Twilight as she levitated an apple into her bag.

“B-B-B-B-But I’m not tired!” Spike stuttered insistently. “I do fine on my own! I don't need sleep! I – “

“Spike, don't worry,” said Twilight reassuringly. “She's just here to help out a little. Now, we gotta go meet up with others. So you can just stay here and relax.”

“Worried? Do I look worried? I'm not worried. Who's worried?” Spike sputtered, trying to play it cool, but was undeniably sweating.

He waved anxiously as the two mars left the room. But as soon as the door closed, all pretenses of cool fell away.

“I don’t get. Why is Twilight letting Moon Dancer do my chores. Unless…Unless she thinks I’m not good enough anymore! Does that mean she doesn’t trust me? Does that mean she’s trying to replace me? Well, then I’ll just have to prove to Twilight that I deserve to be Twilight’s number one assistant! I won't let them have my job if it's the last thing I do!”

---

Despite being given the order to relax, Spike couldn’t. The idea that he was being replaced as Twilight number one was swarming around his head like angry Parasprites.

I mean, it wasn’t like he was being paranoid. Twilight had been hanging out the Mane Six more and more ever since they defeated Daybreaker, which meant she was spending less time with him. And now that he thought about it…when was the last time he and Twilight hung out? It seemed like such a long time ago. Was…Was Twilight leaving him behind?

Spike followed Twilight and Moon Dancer to Cinnamon Chai’s Tea and Cake Shop. The six of them were sitting inside, so Spike couldn’t quite make out what they were saying. He pressed his face into the window, trying to force himself to hear through the glass…. And then somepony opened the door as the leaving, making their voices much cleared. Huh, guess he should’ve tried that first.

Spike opened the shop door by a crack and the Mane Six’s voices flowed out.

“ – without Spike,” came Twilight’s voice. “It’s such a huge relief knowing he’s back at our room.”

A relief, Spike thought in shock. Was Twilight actually…happy he wasn’t with them?

“It’s what Spike deserves after everything he’s done,” said Sunset.

What he’s done? What did he do? Spike’s mind was flying through a hundred different memories trying to figure out which one would make Twilight so upset.

“And don’t you worry about a thing,” said Starlight. “With all of us lending a hoof, it’ll be like Spike never left.”

“Aw, thanks, everypony,” said Twilight gratefully. “You’re the best friends a pony could ask for.”

Spike had heard enough. He closed the door and stomped away in anger. But in doing so, he walked past the shop window, which caught the attention of Tempest, who noticed something bright and purple in her peripheral.

“What’s up?” asked Trixie, noticing Tempest staring out the window.

“I thought I saw Spike just now,” said Tempest interestedly. “He looked pretty upset.”

“What do you think is wrong with him?” asked Twilight, worried.

“…Twilight, you did tell Spike that this whole assistant thing was only for a day, right?” asked Sunset.

“Of course I did…I think,” said Twilight uncertainly. The Mane Six groaned and a couple face-hoofed themselves.

“Twilight, you need to tell him,” said Moon Dancer emphatically. “Spike might feel threatened or worried that he’s being replaced.”

“Replaced? Hah!” Twilight laughed it off. “That's crazy! Spike knows he can't be replaced.”

---

“They’re trying to replace me!” Spike growled, stomping down the street, rudely pushing ponies out of his way. “Well, I’ll show them! I just need to step it up and remind Twilight that I am still number one!”

---

Twilight had gone to her favorite place in all of Equestria: the Canterlot Library (or the Fortress of Nerd-itude as Trixie liked to call it.) She was flipping through the pages of a random book when a frown crossed her expression.

“Hmm, not in this one,” Twilight hummed. “I think there was a another book with a better analysis. I think it was called ‘Two-headed Myth – ‘”

“Mythological Mysteries?” Spike chimed in, suddenly appearing beside Twilight out of nowhere.

“GAH! Spike!” Twilight yelped. “You almost gave me a heart attack! What’re you even doing here? Shouldn’t you be back at the castle?”

“You need ‘Two-Headed Mythological Mysteries,’ right?” said Spike with a slight maniac tone. “I know where it is! Let me get it for ya!”

“It’s all good, Spike.” The baby dragon tripped over himself, falling flat on his face, as Starlight cantered over, levitating the book in question along with another. “I know this place like the back of my hoof. And If you’re reading ‘Two-Headed Mythological Mysteries,’ then you’ll want to read ‘Ferrets of Fairyland’ as well. There’s a surprising of commonalities.”

“Thanks, Starlight,” Twilight said appreciatively as she took the books. Spike gritted his teeth, growling softly as he tapped the floor irritably with his claw.

---

Spike sat on a stool at the end of the table where Twilight and Starlight were studying together, the silence of the library broken only by the scratching of their quill and pen. The baby dragon glowered at Starlight every time the lilac mare whispered something to his best friend and made her laugh behind her hoof. That was supposed to be him making Twilight laugh!

A sharp snapping noise suddenly brought Spike out of her jealous leering.

“Shoot!” Twilight cursed.

“You rang?” said Spike, immediately running to her aid, putting himself between Twilight and Starlight.

“My last writing quill,” Twilight groaned, showing the snapped tip of her utensil. “It's broken.”

“This is why you need to switch over to pens,” said Starlight pointedly.

“But it’s fancy!” Twilight whined childishly.

“Never fear! Spike, your number one assistant, is here!’ Spike shouted loudly, earning a sharp ‘shush’ from the irritated librarian. “I’ll run out and get one right away!”

“Spike, wait, you don’t have – “

“I’ll be back before you can say ‘horseradish!’” screamed Spike as he tackled his way through the library doors out onto the street.

“Spike, wait!” Twilight tried to call him. “Why would I say ‘horseradish?’”

---

The first and most obvious place that he would search is a hole-in-the-wall shop called Quills and Couches – the most unusual combination of items to sell together. Unfortunately, when he asked the shop owner, he was met with unfortunate news.

“But the store is called ‘Quills and Couches!’” said Spike irritably. “You only sell two things! How can you be out of one of the only two things you sell?”

“Sorry, junior,” said the shopkeeper. “Nopony buys quills anymore. They all switched to pens because they’re more practical. And the only pony who bought my couches moved to Manehatten to be a fashion designer. I’ve lost my house, my wife and kids left me, and I‘ve even nothing by upholstery for the last three weeks.”

“…Did you check in the back?” asked Spike.

The shopkeeper gave him a deadpanned stare and slammed the door in his face.

---

Against his better judgment, Spike had gone to see Trixie. He knew her wagons was full of odds and ends from around the kingdom. Surely she had to have a quill on hoof.

Thanks to the active gossip mill on the street, Spike was able to track down the current location of her moving wagon shop, which was in the middle of the market street. There were already a couple ponies sitting on the stools asking for refills of her famous Fizzy Fruit Potions. Spike climbed on the last available seat. Since Trixie was one of the ponies trying to replace him, Spike avoided mentioning the reason why he needed something from her.

“A quill, huh?” Trixie hummed, tapping her chin thoughtfully while telepathically cleaning a glass. “Trixie prefers pens, but Trixie is sure she has one around here somewhere.”mShe disappeared under the counter for a moment and came back hold a strange yellow fruit. “Here we are! A quince!”

“What the heck is a quince?” asked Spike strangely.

“No idea, but it’s fun to say!” Trixie laughed.

“I don’t need a quince,” said Spike impatiently. “I need a quill.”

“Right,” said Trixie, diving back under the counter again and tossed up a number of random objects at him, including, “A quail? A quilt? A quesadilla? I know! A quiche!”

“Not a quiche!” yelled Spike irritably. “A quill! A quill!”

“Oh, a quill, you say,” said Trixie. “Sorry, Trixie gave her last quill to Twilight Sparkle.”

“What?” Spike yelped.

“Yeah, she broke hers a little while ago,” Trixie explained. “So Starlight Glimmer popped over and asked for one to give her. And of course, Trixie was kind enough to lend her one.” She looked down at the quiche that was still in her hooves. “Ew, this quiche has gone bad.”

Just then, Spike dropped to his knees, raising his fists to the sky with a dramatic, “NNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!”

“Wow, he must’ve really wanted that quiche,” said Trixie.

---

Spike returned to his shared room in the castle little over an hour later, slammed the door against the wall with unnecessary force. He stomped his way across the room, heading upstairs little to Twilight’s study alcove while grumbling under his breath.

“These crazy ponies giving me the run around,” Spike groused, purposely stomping on each step to make his frustration known. “First Moon Dancer does all the chores, then Starlight at the library, and Trixie being her usual annoying self. Ooh, I’ll show them. Nopony is gonna take my spot as number one – “

His tirade was cut short as was approaching the top step when a book was slammed on the ground in front of him, echoing off the walls to make it sound more dramatic than it should be. Spike immediately recognized the book - it was ‘Astronomical Astronomer's Almanac to All Things Astronomy’ that Twilight was looking for last night. The one the Spike accidentally burned.

Spike made an audible gulping noise. He anxiously raised his head, finding himself under the scrutiny of Twilight’s heated gaze. Sunset Shimmer was standing in the background behind her, looking slightly guilty.

“Spike, what is this?” Twilight questioned severely. “You said this book was missing. Well, Sunset found it right where it belongs, but like this. How did it get this way?”

“Uh...well, um...,” Spike mumbled, rubbing his hands nervously. “You see, I...I just didn't wanna disappoint you and, uh.... Have you ever seen a dragon sneeze?”

“I've seen a dragon lie,” Twilight scolded him, shaking her head. “I'm very disappointed in you, Spike.”

Twilight levitated the charred book and tossed it in the bun with a deep frown. She walked past Spike down the stairs, not giving him a second glance. Spike hanged his head in shame…then glared at Sunset.

“You set me up!” shouted Spike, pointing an accusing finger.

“Wait, what?” Sunset sputtered, taken aback.

“Well, two can play at that game!” Spike declared vehemently before running down the steps.

“…This is only going to get worse before it gets better,” said Sunset with an exasperated sigh.

“Those ponies are out to take my place,” said Spike scathingly as he trudged down the hall, ignoring the strange stares he got from the guards. “I’ve got to stop them. But how?”

As he was reaching the intersection of the hallway, he stopped and watched as two guards dragged Grubber and Tempest across the floor, both of them covered in what looked like syrup and feathers.

“How many times are you gonna keep trying to get into the vault before you give up, Tempest?” one of the guards asked irritably.

“Persistence is part of my charm,” said Tempest smugly.

“I just wish you would stop breaking everything when you do,” said the other guard. “Do you know how long it takes to clean up your mess?”

Spike watched until they disappeared around the corner. That’s when it hit him: a plan. A plan so fiendishly clever and diabolical, he had to put on a villainous top hat, cloak, and fake mustache just so he could twirl his fake follicles with a stereotypical evil laugh.

---

In the next hour, Spike ran all over Canterlot collecting essential items needed to enact his dastardly brilliant plan. A guitar pick from Sunset Shimmer. Hair from Starlight Glimmer’s brush. A shredded piece of fabric from Trixie’s cloak. Moon Dancer’s spare glasses. And Tempest Shadow’s muffler.

“Yes, that something from each pony,” said Spike deviously. “And once Twilight discovers these when he room is messed up, she’ll think those friend-stealing ponies are to blame. And I'll be number one... again!”

He punctured his evil plotting with a maniacal laugh…somehow not realizing that he was standing five feet away from a couple of palace guards.

“Think we should stop him?” One guard asked.

“We don’t get paid to ‘think,’ soldier,” said the other guard dutifully.

"Wait, we get paid?" asked the first guard, surprised.

---

Spike slipped back into his and Twilight’s shared room, checking to see if the coast was clear before entering. Then he went forward with his diabolical plan.

First, Spike pulled dozens of books from the shelves, tossing them randomly all across the room. Then threw off the blankets from Twilight’s bed and ripped her pillow in half, spilling feathers everywhere. He knocked over the telescope, dropped several knickknacks on the floor, and the pièce de résistance – tipping over the inkwell and spill ink all over her desk. Now that the room was properly destroyed, it was now time for the finishing touch.

Spike took all the items he collected in his claw and –

“SPIKE!”

The baby dragon jumped, dropping the items at his feet. He spun around. Now only was Twilight standing at the threshold, giving him her most severe glare, but the rest of the Mane Six had entered with expressions ranging from surprise to disappointment.

“Twilight!” Spike yelped. “Uh…oh no, look what happened to our room. It’s completely ruined. And – and look at all this evidence I found just now!” He picked up the items he stole. “It must have been them. How could you do this to your own friend? For shame!”

“Dude, not cool,” said Tempest, leering.

“Spike!” Twilight shouted again. “I don't know what upsets me more: that you deliberately tried to set up Sunset and the others, or that you actually thought this pathetic attempt would work! After everything we’ve all been through, I can’t believe you would try to hurt our friends like this. I am truly disappointed! This is not the Spike I know and love!”

“Okay, I think that’s enough, Twilight,” said Sunset, putting a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder to calm her down, and then walked past Spike. “C’mon, everypony, let’s get this place cleaned up.”

The Mane Six walked past Spike and proceeded to clean up his mess, leaving the baby dragon standing by the door. Spike sniffled and dragged his feet out into the hallway, tears welling up in his eyes.

“She…she doesn’t love me anymore,” Spike sniffled.

---

It was some time after his scolding that Spike found herself dragging his feet through the crystal caverns beneath Canterlot. It was a good thing Trixie showed his the secret entrance when she started giving guided tours as part of a get-rich-quick scheme (which Luna immediately shutdown and took ninety percent of the proceeds.) Spike didn’t know how far he had walked, but he assumed he had gotten pretty far as more and more crystals were cropping up the further down he went.

After walking for half an hour, Spike decided to stop and take a rest, plopping his tail on a horizontal crystal growing out of the wall.

“Twilight hates me,” Spike mumbled sadly. “I'm cold, tired, and lonely. But, hey, at least I have plenty of gemstones!”

To puncture his point, Spike plucked a bright red ruby out of the wall and swallowed it whole. But even though it was one of the tastiest gemstones he had ever eaten – so rich and unprocessed with a tangy flavor – it wasn’t enough to perk him back up. He exhaled a dejected sigh.

“Even if my tummy's full, the rest of me is still empty,” Spike bemoaned. “I miss Twilight and the pony gang. But she doesn't love me anymore. So, I'm better off here, all by myself.”

“I wouldn’t be so certain of that….” A deep, rumbling voice bellowed in the darkness.

“Who said that?” yelled Spike, jumping to his feet and looking around wildly. If may have just have been his imagination, Spike thought he saw the wall move right now. “Show yourself.”

“If anything…,” the voice hissed again. “I would say that you are in a world of trouble….”

Something appeared out of the darkness that made Spike stagger back in fear, tripping over his bindle and falling on his tail.it was the head of a dragon – a large, red-scaled dragon with a row of black spikes starting from its forehead and traveling down its back, and two curled horns on the side of its head. Spike couldn’t see the rest of the dragons body because it was covered in shadow, but he assumed they were quite large as the dragon needed to bend its head when standing up.

“I thought I made it explicitly clear to Luna that this side of the caverns are my territory!” the dragon snarled. “I allow her to build her ridiculous city on my mountain and granted her permission to take a few of the gemstones that I created under the condition that she would leave me and my trove in peace! Has she gone back on her word? Is this a proof of her treachery?”

“No-no-no-no-no-no-no-no, it’s not like that!” Spike sputtered quickly, flailing his arms madly. The last thing he needed was to start a war on top of everything else. “I didn't know this was your cave” And I didn't know these were your gems!”

The red dragon made a low, rumbling growl with look that said he didn’t believe Spike.

“Whoa, whoa, calm down there, buddy!” said Spike, holding his hands up in surrender. “Hey, we're like brothers, you know? I mean, you're a dragon, I'm a dragon. It's us against the world, right?”

“…You…,” said the red dragon, narrowing his eyes. “You seem familiar….”

“I do?” said Spike, confused.

“Not you specifically,” said the dragon thoughtfully, “but reminded me of someone I knew long ago.”

“Oh, well, then we’re good, right?” said Spike, feeling slightly relieved.

“Someone I hate!” the dragon spat.

“So, not good,” Spike squeaked, trying to make himself appear smaller.

“Yes…it’s all coming back to me now,” the red dragon snarled, his teeth gnashing and his claws digging into the ground. Spike gasped as the cavern rumbled violently; hundreds of sharp crystals erupted from the walls and ceiling, all pointed at him. “I know who you remind me of. That witch who betrayed us and forced us from our homeland! Lu – “

“Wait!”

Spike and the red dragon turned their heads to the right as a powerful burst of magic blasted through the gemstone wall. Tempest Shadow appeared through the hole, followed by the rest of the Mane Six. Twilight dashed past Tempest the moment she saw Spike and hugged him protectively.

“Oh, Spike, thank Luna your safe!” cried Twilight.

“Twilight!” shouted Spike, returning the hug. “I’m sorry for running away, and for being jealous, for messing up your stuff, and for trying to blame your friends, and – “

“We can talk about that later,” said Twilight, separating and looking up at the fuming dragon with worry. “Right now, we have bigger problems. Literally.”

“So, Luna has gone back on her word!” the red dragon snarled. “This act of betrayal shall not go unpunished! I shall bring down this mountain and every pony on it.”

The red dragon dug his claws into the ground again and the caverns began to rumble again. Unlike last time, it could be felt across all of Canterlot. The violent tremors sent ponies in a panic as cracks started to appear in the roads and buildings. While down in the caverns, thousands upon thousands of gemstones were being formed out of the walls, growing bigger with each passing second. It was only a matter of time before Spike and the Mane Six would be crushed underneath.

Sunset was sweating profusely, her eyes flying around wildly, and then, without even thinking, she cantered towards the red dragon.

“Sunset, come back!” cried Moon Dancer. “It’s too dangerous!”

“No, let her try,” said Tempest.

“Oh, mighty Lord Mammon!” Sunset shouted over the rumbling, stopping in front of the dragon. “Please forgive these foolish ponies (and baby dragon) for their folly! We have wondered into your territory without realizing it and we apologize! Please forgive us for this thoughtless transgression!”

“You…,” the red dragon, now known as Mammon, narrowed his eyes on the sun-themed pony. “I recognize you. You are Luna’s disciple. You entered into my domain and claim that this is not an act of betray. After you knew that crossing into my territory was forbidden.”

“Please understand, Lord Mammon!” Sunset shouted desperately. “We only came to find our friend! He didn’t know this is your territory!”

“That’s true!” Spike added.

“Lord Mammon, please forgive us,” Sunset begged. “I promise, we did not come here with the intention of upsetting you! Allow us to leave in peace and I promise we will never bother you again!”

Sunset prostrated herself before the former Dragon Lord as proof of her words. Twilight followed her example and Spike, after taking a moment to figure out what’s going on, followed her example. The rest of the Mane Six bowed as well, though Tempest was the most reluctant. Mammon narrowed his eyes, growling softly under his breath –

The rumbling stopped. The gemstones retracted back into the walls. The Mane Six all let out sighs of relief. Mammon turned his head away and started to leave, but shot them with an intimidating sideways glance.

“Leave…,” he hissed. “Before I change my mind….”

“Thank you, Lord Mammon,” said Sunset respectfully.

The former dragon lord huffed and disappeared into the darkness of the caverns. Sunset turned around and started pushing Twilight and Spike in the direction of the exit.

“C’mon, let’s get out of here before we make him upset again,” she said.

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” said Spike.

“So…,” said Tempest as the other mares walked past her, “We’re not going to talk about the fact that we have a dragon Lord living under our hooves…?” He question went unanswered. “Guess not.”

---

Everypony (and baby dragon) exhaled sighes of relief when they returned to Twilights (now clean) room.

“That was way too close,” said Starlight, wiping the sweat from her brow.

“We’re lucky to be alive,” Sunset remarked. “It’s a good thing Lord Mammon is more reasonable than most Dragon Lords. Though I hope you all realize why that section of the crystal caverns is off-limits now.”

“Are we still not going to talk about that?” Tempest repeated. “Seriously?”

“Just let it go, Tempest Shadow,” said Trixie.

“Spike, we were so worried about you,” said Twilight. “I was so worried about you. Why did you run away?”

“I thought you didn't need me anymore,” mumbled Spike shamefully. “And that you didn't love me anymore.”

“Oh, Spike,” Twilight sighed. “Sure, I was disappointed, but you are my number one assistant! And friend. And you always will be.”

“But you had Moon Dancer doing all my chores,” said Spike, still upset. “And Starlight was helping you at the library. And Trixie with the Quill and – “

“We only helping her so that you could have the day off,” Starlight cut in.

“Huh?” Spike blinked.

“It’s true,” said Twilight, nodded in affirmation. “You always working yourself so hard, so I thought you deserved a break. A chance to rest and do whatever you wanted. The girls offered to help me with everything today so that you wouldn’t have to.”

“So…I’m not being replaced?” asked Spike hopefully.

“No one could ever replace you, Spike,” said Twilight reassuringly, petting his head playfully. “Not even when you are being a jealous numbskull.”

“I'm sorry, Twilight,” Spike apologized. “I never should have been so jealous.”

“And I'm sorry too, Spike,” said Twilight. “I should’ve told you from the beginning what was going on.”

“Yeah, you should’ve!” shouted Trixie. “This whole thing could have been avoided if you had properly communicated!”

“If Trixie’s smart enough to figure that out, you know it’s true,” Tempest commented.

“Yeah – HEY!”

“And everypony…,” Spike said to the Mane Six. “I’m sorry I stole your stuff and tried to frame you for something you didn’t do. I know now that you weren't out to take my job.”

“Who would want your job?” Starlight groaned. “Working with Twilight is the worst.”

“She always needs somebody to fetch something every ten seconds,” Sunset complained. “You got legs, Twilight! Get it yourself!”

“And she never picks up after herself,” Moon Dancer added. “I had to clean the same spot six time in one hour!”

“And she can’t keep track of anything,” Trixie joined in. “I swear, she spent two hours looking for her notebook when it was on her desk the whole time!”

“And then there’s the constant whining,” said Tempest. Everypony nodded and murmured in agreement.

“Okay, I think he gets the idea!” Twilight snapped, puffing out her cheeks.

“Trust us, Spike, nobody is gonna replace you – ever,” said Starlight jokingly.

“Good to know,” said Spike, smiling. “By the way, how did you guys find me down in those caves?”

“You got ink on your feet when you knocked over my inkwell,” Twilight pointed out. Spike looked at the bottom of his feet and realized they were indeed stained black with ink. “Tempest discovered your footprints and we followed them all the way to the cave. Following Lord Mammon’s angry roars just made it easier to track.”

“Well, all’s well that ends well,” said Spike proudly. “I’m just glad everything ended without anypony getting into real trouble.”

The bedroom door was slammed open at that exact moment and Luna stepped into the room looking mighty angry.

“Would anypony are to explain why Lord Mammon was throwing a tantrum just now?” said Luna, looking like the very image of a ruthless dictator.

There was a short pause of tense silence…then the Mane Six (including Twilight) pointed their hooves at the baby dragon, shouting “Spike did it!” and booked it out of there.

“TRAITORS!”

Author's Note:

Only one chapter left before the mysterious two-part season finale.

In the next chapter, the Cutie Mark Crusaders share their stories of the (probably not) true origins of Equestria's mightiest heroes: the Justice Ponies!

Comments

[Dan]

11935345

Sure, "fleshy." Cakeflanks is one to talk.

[YEVG]

How this group of mane 6 into a lot of problems, more than the original group?

[OF29]

“I know who you remind me of. That witch who betrayed us and forced us from our homeland! Lu – “

Oh. No.

[Lab 39]

11935427
They are a lot more flawed and chaotic than the canon Mane 6 and I love it. Like Tempest is still a thief even after becoming a hero because she can't break the habit.