Dragon that Would be Pony Ch. 3

Part 3: Sparky

I DO NOT OWN MY LITTLE PONY: FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC. IT'S THE PROPERTY OF LAUREN FAUST, AND HASBRO. ALL RIGHTS ARE RESERVED TO THEM.

Pinkie Pie moved closer to Spike with her eyes narrowed. The purple pegasus was sinking deeper into the ground with his eyes bulging in fear. Pinkie looked at him suspiciously observing Spike's coat, tail, mane, and wings. The pink mare gave one last serious look at Spike while the pegasus was trying to keep a friendly smile.

"Aha! I knew it!"  Pinkie shouted with a triumphant look on her face.

Twilight leaped at Pinkie's hooves and looked at her friend with pleading eyes. "Please Pinkie! You can't tell the others about this!"  She shouted in desperation.

Pinkie gave a confused look at Twilight. "You silly filly! You should have told your Aunt Pinkie Pie that you were showing the new pony around here."

"Pinkie please you ca...wait what?"  Twilight asked raising an eyebrow.

Pinkie gave her usual big grin. "Are you loco in the coco Twilight? I knew we had a new guest in Ponyville. I had shaky knees, eye bulge, and a sneeze. It meant we had a new pony in Ponyville."

Twilight calmed herself down, knowing the crisis was averted and looked back at her friend with a forced grin. "Yes, I'm just showing him around town is all."

"So what's his name?"

Twilight's mind went utterly blank on her. Twilight wanted to say something, but words failed her. "Um...well you see his name is uh..."

"Sparky!"  A voice interrupted. Twilight and Pinkie looked at Spike to see he had a panicked look on his face. "My name is Sparky."

Pinkie hoped towards "Sparky" and gave him one of her trademark smiles. "Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie! I can't believe we have another pegasus here in Ponyville! Are you as fast as Rainbow Dash? Do you know Rainbow Dash? She's so super fast! I mean really she did not one, but two Sonic Rainbooms! Isn't that so cool? I think it's cool and I..."

"PINKIE!"  Twilight shouted in her loudest voice.

Pinkie stopped and gave Twilight a goofy smile. "Aww don't be such a grumpy pants Twilight!"

Twilight shook her head and pulled her to the side away. She gave Pinkie a serious look. "Look Pinkie, I know you love to throw parties for every chance you get. However, you can't do one for Spi...Sparky okay?"  She whispered.

Pinkie gave a rare sad face. "Aww why not Twilight? You know I love to throw parties for ponies. He's new in town and what better way to welcome him here then with a party?"

Twilight just shook her head and said, "Listen, Spi...Sparky can't have a party. He isn't exactly a party pony okay?"

"But Twilight, I..."

"No Pinkie, don't do a Welcome to Ponyville party for him."  Twilight said in a stern voice.

Pinkie lowered her head. "Okie doki loki. I've got to go do something with the Cakes now, so see ya."  The pink mare trotted away from Twilight and "Sparky" with gloom in her eyes.

Twilight waited until Pinkie was out of sight and let out a sigh of relief. "Well that certainly was a close one. Good thinking there Spike, but I can't help but think I remember that name before."

"That was the name I called you when I was learning to speak remember? You always tried to tell me how to say your name and that's all I could call for a while."

Twilight gasped as the memories came rushing into her head and gave a smile. "That's right you did call me that almost all the time. I'm surprised you were able to think of that name to fool Pinkie Pie."

"Did you really have to be rude Twilight?"  Spike asked with an annoyed look.

"What do you mean Spike?"

"You didn't have to be harsh on Pinkie. All she wanted to do was throw me a party."

Twilight frowned and said, "Look Spike we can't just have a party for you. You aren't even a real pony at all. I'm sure once we find this Barry we can turn you back to normal and then discuss your punishment. Now come on, we need to get going before any other pony sees us."

---

Spike lowered his head and nodded as he followed Twilight. The lilac unicorn made sure to hide him from any other ponies to avoid suspicion. She shoved him into an ally, or in a bush until the ponies passing by were gone. Spike soon looked looked like he had been in a fight that didn't go well for him. The two ponies eventually reached Barry's shop much to Spike's delight. The purple pegasus entered the shop with Twilight to see it was just as gloomy looking and empty as yesterday. Twilight on the other hoof was fascinated and looked at all the herbs, spices, and potion ingredients.

Somepony clearing their throat caused both ponies to jump. They turned to see Barry with a bit of a stern expression. Spike tried to keep his composure, but he could feel his knees shaking and sweat. He looked to see Twilight was a little intimidated by the shopkeeper's presence.

"Excuse me sir. Would you happen to be Barry?"  Twilight asked with a tinge of nervousness in her voice.

"You're correct young unicorn." The raspy voice of the gray unicorn replied. "What can I do for you?"

Twilight placed one of her hooves on Spike's neck and pushed him forward. "Well it's not me who needs help. It's him who needs to talk to you."

Spike looked at Barry who was raising an eyebrow. He felt like he was going to faint and his stomach was in knots. "Um...hi there Barry, uh...I was just dropping by to..."  Spike heard Twilight clearing her throat indicating him to hurry up. "To...to tell you that I'm...I'm the one who..."

"Stole my potion yesterday am I right little dragon?"  Barry interrupted.

Spike felt his eyes widen and took a step back into Twilight. "H...how did you know who I was?"

Barry gave a smug smile and said, "You just told me now, thanks for saving me the trouble of looking for you."

Spike felt embarrassed and lowered his head to the ground. "I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to steal from you. I was just..."

"It's okay little dragon, we all make mistakes."  The shopkeeper said with a small smile. "Truth be told I figured you'd be back since no other ponies come into this shop. I should have hidden that potion better from you, or take it from you to make sure none of this happened."  The gray unicorn turned towards Twilight. "Excuse me little unicorn, but could you please leave us? I want to talk to him alone."

Twilight looked hesitant at first, but gave a wary nod and left the shop. Barry waited until she was out of sight before turning back to Spike

"I want to know now little dra...pegasus."  Barry said. "I want to know why you went and did this."

Spike gave a small nod and explained how he was in love with a unicorn, but his friends were telling him she was only interested in stallions. He told him he thought over on whether to take the potion or not. He decided to take it after thoughts of him losing his love as well as his friends flooded his mind. As he finished explaining Spike looked down with a guilty look on his face.

"So that's it huh?"  Barry asked. Spike gave a nod in return. "The power of love makes us all do crazy things when we see some pony we love. We do the most insane things just to prove our love for the one we adore."

Spike felt himself calm down a little thinking that Barry seemed to understand his plight and smiled a little.

"Listen to me though little pegasus."  Barry said in a serious tone. "You can't and I mean you can't show yourself to the one you love like this."

Spike felt what hopes he had sink and his jaw dropped. "What do you mean I can't tell her who I am?"  He asked. "I'm now a stallion and can win her heart."

"Do you remember what I told you yesterday about that potion?"

Spike recalled the conversation he had with Barry yesterday. He vaguely remembered something about the potion. "Didn't you say something about a curse?"

Barry gave a nod and said, "That potion may grant you the gift of being another creature, but it has only a short amount of time."

Spike felt his heart sink even further with that statement. "H-how long?"

"You have a week."  Barry said ignoring Spike's expression of disbelief. "That's all you have until you go back to being a dragon again."

Spike didn't know what to think or say at this point. His dreams to win over Rarity's heart were whisked away like the nightmare he had of her and Prince Blueblood in the carriage riding away. His golden opportunity had gone up in smoke and felt his world collapse around him. Spike hung his head and just stared at the floor for what seemed like an eternity.

"I really am sorry little pegasus. I never should have let you see that potion in the first place." Barry said.

Spike turned his head away and had a small glare on his face. "What was the point then?"  The pegasus asked bitterly. "I was so close to having Rarity and now it was for nothing." Spike buried his head into his hooves once more and closed his eyes.

"Little pegasus, do you really love her and your friends?"  Spike looked up to see the gray unicorn have a sad smile.

Spike gave a furious nod and said, "Of course I do! I love my friends and would give up everything just to be with them and help them."

"I have a proposition for you then little pegasus."

Spike looked up with eagerness in his eyes. "What is it?"

"You care so much for your friends little pegasus. I will let you see your friends and the one you adore see your current state, but you must keep your identity a secret at all costs. I know it sounds strange, but this is for your own good. Believe me when I say you'll thank me for it later. Do you understand?"

Spike thought about his situation deeply. He could either be confined to the library basement for the week or be allowed to hang with the other ponies. 'I don't know what to do.'  The purple pegasus thought to himself. 'I really want to be with Rarity and my friends, but I only have a week before I go back to being a dragon. What do I do?'

"Little pegasus, have you made up your mind?"

Spike just looked down and said nothing for a few minutes. He then said hesitantly, "I...I understand, I won't let any of my friends know about who I really am."

Barry gave a small nod at Spike. "It's good you understand this little pegasus. If your friends knew about what you became than you would be cursed."

"What do you mean?"  Spike asked with a confused look on his face. "I thought the curse was that this potion had a limited amount of time only."

Barry gave a sad look and said, "It is only part of the curse little pegasus."

Spike gave a frustrated look at the shopkeeper. "What do you mean only a part of the curse!?"  The pegasus asked harshly. "First you tell me that you keep this potion as a reminder of something! Now I'm being told that the time limit is only part of the curse!? What's going on!?"

Barry placed a hoof on Spike's shoulder, but then felt a shock from Spike's body and pulled away from him. 'Wh...what was that power I felt?'  Barry thought to himself with a shocked expression. 'I never felt power like that before.'

"What's wrong?"  Spike asked with a confused look on his face.

"It's nothing, you just feel a little cold is all."  Barry said hesitantly.

Spike looked at him a little suspiciously, but put it behind him. "Okay, well I still want to know what the other part of the curse is."

Barry only gave a sad smile to purple pegasus. "Another time little pegasus. It's not the time or place."

Spike saw that the gray unicorn had a pained look on him. The pegasus' glare eased into a concerned look. "Okay, okay I understand."

Barry gave a bit of a small smile and said, "Now then, we must come up with a new name for you."

"Oh I already came up with a new name, it's Sparky."  Spike responded.

"Good, now you shouldn't have any problem fitting in with the other ponies at all. You look like a pony, or in this case pegasus, and you even have a cutie mark as well."

"A Cutie mark?"  Spike asked with an awed look on him.

Barry nodded and pointed one of his hoofs to his flank to show his cutie mark. There was a potion bottle with a green liquid in it that was bubbling. Spike looked at his flank and gasped at what he saw on him. On his flank was an opened scroll with black writing on it with a red quill at the bottom of the scroll. There was a bottle of black ink in a glass container next to the quill. Spike couldn't help but grinned and saw Barry gave a smile at him.

"Hmm it seems you were a writer as a dragon am I right Sparky?"  The gray unicorn asked.

Spike gave nod and said, "Yeah I'm Twilight's assistant. I write letters and messages for me to send to Princess Celestia. So I guess this cutie mark does make sense."

"Wait...Twilight?"  Barry asked in a more serious tone. "As in Twilight Sparkle?"

"Yup! Twilight Sparkle, the most powerful and smartest unicorn in Ponyville. Well she is very smart most of the time."

"Who...who are your other friends?"

"Well there's Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Applejack. Oh and Rarity, the mare I was telling you about."

Spike looked at Barry and noticed the shopkeeper's expression. His eyes were bulging out a little and looked a little intimidated. The purple pegasus couldn't help but feel nervous around him.

"Uh...Barry, are you okay?"  Spike asked.

Barry shook his head breaking out of his trance and looked at Spike. "Yes...yes I'm fine. I'm just surprised you know all of those ponies."

Spike beamed and said, "Oh yeah, they're my friends after all."

Barry gave a hesitant nod at this. "Okay Sparky, I think we're through here. I need to talk to the little unicorn you were with. That was Twilight Sparkle right?"

Spike gave a wary nod and went out the door. He saw Twilight was just standing outside the potion shop. "Hey Twilight, Barry wants to see you."

Twilight gave a nod and entered the shop. Spike with left with his thoughts on the conversation he had with Barry. 'What was that all about?'  Spike thought. 'Barry looked at me funny and looked a little scared. Was it something I said?'  

He pondered about what was going on with Barry, but couldn't figure it out. He also thought of what to do when he saw Rarity and the others. The purple pegasus felt lost on what to do. Spike heard the door open  to Barry's shop. He looked to see Twilight with a relieved look on her face.

"Okay Spike, Barry told me what has happened and what his deal with you was. We'll need to keep you in the library for the remainder of the week."

"But Twilight, I promised to not say who I really am to the others."  Spike whined. "You can't keep me locked in the basement."

Twilight shook her head and said, "Spike you can't just wander around with other ponies. You aren't a real pony anyway and you will be back to normal in a week. How would I explain to Ponyville about what happened to you, especially the other girls? Now come on, it's time to go home now."

Spike lowered his head and gave a small nod as he followed Twilight. Inside the potion shop Barry watched through one of the windows and kept a very close eye on Spike.

"So it is true then, the six mares do live here in Ponyville."  Barry said to himself. "I never would have thought to have found them in this town, but here they are."  The gray shopkeeper looked out once more to see Spike and Twilight were out of sight. "That little pegasus intrigues me as well. I never felt such power inside a pony before and he isn't even a unicorn. Could...could it be that after all these years that...? No...that little pegasus can't be the one can it?"

Barry looked down and said in a quiet voice, "I hope that he listens to my words."  The shopkeeper went back to cleaning and unloading his few remaining crates with thoughts buzzing in his head.

---

Twilight and Spike slowly made their way back to the library. The pair didn't run into a lot of ponies on their way back, but Twilight looked around feeling paranoid.

"Come on Twilight."  Spike complained. "These ponies don't even know who I really am."

Twilight turned to give her assistant a frown. "Spike we can't risk that and you know it. Besides you saw how close Pinkie Pie was to seeing who you really were."  She saw Spike roll his eyes, but ignored it and went on.

"WHOA!"  A voice shouted.

Spike and Twilight looked around to see who it was. Before Twilight could see it a blur came crashing into her from her left side. The blow knocked her and Spike to the ground and left them dazed. Twilight looked dizzily at what hit her and Spike. She felt her stomach twist in knots as she looked to see it was Rainbow Dash.

"Ugh...that wasn't supposed to happen."  Rainbow said rubbing her head. "Sorry about that Twilight."

Twilight broke out of her dizzy state and tried to hide Spike. She gave Rainbow a forced smile. "Uh...it's okay Rainbow."  She said with a bit of nervousness in her voice. "So were you trying out a new trick?"

Rainbow gave a nod and said, "Oh yeah, I was trying out a new trick to impress the Wonderbolts. I heard they're supposed to be in Canterlot this week and I was trying to..."  Rainbow stopped speaking as she looked to see Twilight hiding Spike behind her. "Hey, who is that?"

Twilight's eyes widened and tried to hide Spike again. "Oh no pony."

Before Twilight could move again, Rainbow moved to the left swiftly to see Spike lying behind the lilac unicorn. The purple pegasus noticed Rainbow and gave a forced smile. Rainbow looked back at Twilight and a cocky smile grew on her face.

"Oh I see what's going on here."  Rainbow said smugly. "Twilight why didn't you tell me?"

"I-it's not what you think Rainbow."  Twilight said fearfully.

"Oh you don't need to hide the fact that you have a coltfriend."  Rainbow teased.

"Rainbow I....WHAT!?"  Twilight asked with her eyes bulging out and blushing a little.

"Ha! I never thought an egghead like you would move so quickly for a stallion. I thought you cared for books so much that you would marry one."  The sky blue pegasus burst into laughter while Twilight just groaned.

"Look Rainbow it's not like that at all okay?"  Twilight argued. "All I'm doing is showing him around town."

Rainbow stopped laughing and got up to look at Spike closely examining him from his head to his tail. She gave him a punch on the shoulder. "'Sup? I'm the super awesome and cool Rainbow Dash."

Spike rubbed his sore shoulder and gave a friendly smile to Rainbow. "Hi there I'm Spi...Sparky."

"So another pegasus huh? Hey what kind of tricks can you do in the air?"

"Tricks?"  Spike asked with a confused look on him.

"You know acrobatics, loop de loops, and so on."

"Uh...well you see Rainbow..."  Spike was interrupted by Twilight placing a hoof placed over his mouth.

"Rainbow how about you show Spi...erm I mean Sparky some of your tricks?"  Twilight asked nervously.

Rainbow just chuckled and took off into the sky. "Alright then, but don't blame me if your coltfriend can't handle this awesomeness."

Rainbow Dash took off and did a few loops before heading up into the sky. She did a few barrel rolls until she couldn't go up anymore. She quickly plummeted down toward the land while doing more barrel rolls that made her spin faster. Rainbow pulled herself up before hitting the ground. The sky blue pegasus did a few more loops before landing with a triumphant look on her face.

"Ha! How'd you like that?"  She heard no answer and looked to see Twilight and "Sparky" were nowhere in sight. "Hey where did you all go!?"  Rainbow asked irritated. "Ugh! They must have gone to do some making out while I was distracted."  Rainbow took off into the sky and left the area.

---

Twilight and Spike rose up from behind a few trashcans in an ally. She looked around to make sure Rainbow was gone. Twilight gave a sigh of relief and looked to see Spike was irritated.

"Oh come on Twilight."  Spike said with a bit of anger in his voice. "I love to see Rainbow's new tricks."

"Look Spike we can't let any other pony know you're here and besides you can't even fly. Now we just need to go a little further before we're home."

The pair once again headed off towards the library. They both noticed that there were no other ponies around town. Twilight thought that all the ponies were inside trying to cool off from the sweltering heat. The two ponies reached the library and Twilight looked at Spike before entering.

"Alright Spike, Barry decided to not punish you for stealing his potion, but that doesn't mean you're off the hook."  Twilight said in a serious tone. "You may be a pegasus for a while, but that doesn't mean you still can't help me clean the library and do other chores for the remainder of the week."

"But Twilight I just want to..."

"No excuses Spike."  Twilight interrupted. "I'm disappointed in your actions and I raised you better than this. You're still my assistant and you can't be shown like this."

Twilight opened the door to the library and noticed it was pitch black inside. All the lights were out and the blinds were shut as well. The lilac unicorn went in along with Spike and tried to turn on one of the lights. The lights suddenly flicked on and the blinds opened.

"SURPRISE!"  A large crowd of ponies yelled.

Spike and Twilight jumped and looked around the library in awe. All of Ponyville's citizens were in the library giving big grins and had party favors in their mouths. The ceiling was covered with balloons and streamers hanging from it. There were various sweets all around from cupcakes to pies of all flavors. Suddenly in the blink of an eye, Pinkie popped up in front of the pair. Spike and Twilight jumped in surprise once more.

"Surprise! I'm so happy you made it to your super duper awesome party Sparky!"  Pinkie said with a smile.

"Pinkie! I thought I told you no parties for Spi...I mean Sparky!"  Twilight shouted in frustration.

Pinkie giggled and said, "Oh well what kind of welcome to Ponyville would it be without a party? Besides you didn't say anything about a surprise party! There's regular parties, social parties, birthday parites and so many more. I may write a list on what kind of parties there are and show you Twilight. It would be..."

Twilight groaned while "Sparky" was just looking on from the distance. Pinkie noticed Sparky trying to hide himself and stopped talking. She bounced over to the purple pegasus and gave him a big smile.

"Come on Sparky, let me show you my friends."  The pink mare said.

Spike gulped knowing he was about to face not only Rainbow Dash again, but the others as well. Pinkie pushed Spike with her head towards five familiar ponies he knew. He felt his stomach tied in multiple knots and was sweating. When the purple pegasus reached his friends he saw they all had welcoming smiles on their faces.

"There you are rookie."  Rainbow said with a bit of irritation in her voice. "Where the hay were you earlier when I was sporting my awesome tricks?"

"Rainbow!"  A voice shouted. Spike and the others saw Twilight coming over looking annoyed. "I told you that I was showing him around town!"

"Oh that's right, Twilight was showing Sparky a good make out spot they could both use."  Rainbow said with a cocky smile on her face.

"IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!"  Spike and Twilight barked at Rainbow. A few party goers stared at them awkwardly for a few seconds before returning to the party.

"Simmer down there Twi."  Applejack said. She took Spike's hoof and shook it. "How ya doing there Sparky? Ah'm Applejack, we sure love to make new friends around here."

Spike gave a friendly smile and returned the hoofshake. Pinkie pushed forward to him Fluttershy. The yellow pegasus was shaking in nervousness. Spike recognized her as Fluttershy and had memories of when he first met her and she was open around him. He now knew how it felt to be Twilight that day.

"Um...I...I'm Flutter..."  The yellow pegasus' voice trailed off.

"Fluttershy right?"  Spike asked, but then quickly put his hoof over his mouth.

"Eep! "H-how did you know my n-name?"  The yellow pegasus asked.

Spike scrambled to think of an excuse. "Oh I uh…Twilight here…uh told me about you all."

"Is that so now?"  Applejack asked suspiciously.

"Why yes it is."  Said Twilight with a forced grin. "I was telling Spi...uh Sparky here all about you all."

"Well I see nothing wrong with that."  A voice said.

Spike looked at Rarity who had a warm smile on her face. The purple pegasus felt his heart skip a beat as he looked at the white unicorn. He struggled with himself to remember what Barry said about keeping his identity a secret.

"H-hello there."  Spike said with anticipation in his voice as he bowed.

Rarity gave a smile and said, "Oh hello to you as well Sparky. It's good to see another pony around here who treats a lady with respect."

"Oh well thanks m'lady."  Spike said rubbing his head and trying not to blush. The other ponies couldn't help but chuckle at how "Sparky" was blushing from embarrassment.

"Hey rookie, what does that cutie mark mean?"  Rainbow pointed to his cutie mark.

"O-oh it mean I am a erm...messenger. I write and deliver letters to others."

"Oh my...that sounds wonderful."  Fluttershy said. "You must be pretty fast then."

Spike froze in fear and realized about what he said. He didn't have a clue how to fly and he never had his wings when he was a baby dragon.

"Are you alright there sugarcube?"  Applejack asked in a concerned tone.

"W-well the truth is that I um..."  Spike said something, but his voice trailed off.

"What'd ya say there pardner?"  Applejack asked.

"I...I can't fly."  Spike said in a quiet voice. The ponies gasped at this and looked shocked.

"What the hay do you mean you can't fly!?"  Rainbow Dash demanded. "You have wings and they look fine, so what's this about not flying!?"

Spike saw the others close in on him with suspicious looks on their faces. "W...well I...never learned how to fly."  He said in a panic.

"What do you mean you never learned to fly!?"  Rainbow demanded. "It's one of the first things we pegasuses learn to do."

"Isn't the term pegasi?"  Twilight asked with hopes of changing the subject.

"Whatever floats your boat."  Rainbow said shaking her hoof. "The point is that if Sparky is a messenger who can't fly. He needs somepony to help him get those messages there in ten seconds flat."

"Rainbow he doesn't need that."  Twilight interrupted. "H-he told me that he was uh...better on the ground than flying."

Rainbow shook her head and said, "No way Twilight. I won't leave a pegasus unable to fly. It'd be like you not being able to use magic."  She turned back to Spike who was looking nervous. "Listen up rookie and listen good. I want you to meet me at my house tomorrow at two in the afternoon sharp. You're going to learn from the very best."

"Oh well um...thank you."  Spike said in a quiet voice.

Twilight facehooved and groaned at the situation. 'This isn't going to end well.'   The lilac unicorn thought to herself.

---

Ponyville celebrated the rest of the day with their newcomer. Pinkie showed "Sparky" the other ponies around town such as the spa twins, Aloe and Lotus, and Nurse Redheart. Twilight followed closely behind to make sure he didn't expose himself. She stayed close to him for the entire party and never left his side. Later that night, the party was winding down and many ponies had left for home. Twilight and her friends were still hanging around with each other and were talking amongst each other.

"Hey rookie, I want to show you one of my tricks. It involves me being in a tight space."  Rainbow said to Spike.

"Rainbow no!"  Twilight shouted in a stern voice.

"Ah it's okay there Twilight."  Rainbow said ignoring the irritated look on the lilac unicorn's face. "I've practiced this a few times and only messed up once. Wait or was it twice? Three times? Whatever I'm sure fourth time's the charm."

Rainbow took off, but accidentally hit one of the bookshelves. The books it held fell off and come down upon Rarity. The books were about to hit Rarity, but a figure pushed her out of the way and onto the ground. Rarity looked to see that it was "Sparky" on top of her with a concerned look on his face.

"A-are you okay?"  Spike asked in a worried tone.

"Oh well thank you darling. Yes I'm perfectly fine."

"Oooo am I sensing some romance here?"  Rainbow chuckled and got up from a stallion she accidentally landed on. "Oh um...sorry about that."

The stallion had a black coat and a curly yellow mane and tail. He gave a blank expression and just walked out of the library. Twilight and the others looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders.

"Huh, rude much?"  Rainbow asked.

Spike blushed a little and moved away so Rarity could get up. The white unicorn gave a stern look to Rainbow.

"Rainbow Dash I will have you know that Sparky here was just being a gentlecolt."  Rarity turned to Spike and gave him a warm smile. "Thank you again darling, as a good lady I must pay you back. Why don't you come on down to Carousel Boutique tomorrow and I'll make you a suit for your heroics?"

"Oh well I uh...you don't have to do that."  Spike said in an embarrassed tone.

"Nonsense darling, a good lady always pays back her debts. Please be there at ten in the morning tomorrow. I look forward to making your suit."

The clock on Twilight's owl rung out in the room. The group looked to see it was eleven. Twilight looked around to see the remaining party guests were gone.

"Well this has been fun and all, but Ah reckon it's time fer me t'head on home."  Applejack said.

---

Every other pony nodded and each one said good night to each other. The library was finally empty and Twilight and Spike were left alone.

"This isn't good Spike. We're in a lot of trouble."  Twilight said in a shaky voice.

"What do you mean Twilight?"  Spike wondered. "All the ponies don't know who I am."

"You don't get it Spike. What do I tell the others once you're back as a dragon again?"

"Relax Twilight, we'll figure something out."

"Okay Spike."  Twilight said trying to calm herself. "I...I'm sure I'll think of something. I'll try to think of what happened to 'Sparky' when this potion wears off."

"Well then ya better start thinkin' then Twi."

Twilight and Spike froze and felt their hearts stop. They turned to see Applejack standing near an opened window. The farmer pony climbed through the window and glared.

"Applejack heh heh uh...how long have you been there?"  Twilight asked in a shaky voice.

"Long enough sugarcube t'know the truth."  Applejack said in a stern voice. She approached Spike who was cowereing in fear. "Ah thought y'all looked familiar there Spike."

"H-how did you know who I really was?"  He asked nervously.

"Did y'all think ya could fool me with yer lies there Spike? Ah looked into yer eyes and saw that cutie mark of yers. Ah had a hunch that it was ya Spike. Thanks to this open window here Ah heard the whole thing."  The orange mare shot a glance towards Twilight. "Y'all mind if Ah have a few words with him?"

Twilight didn't dare to argue with Applejack. She gave a wary nod and went outside. Applejack turned back to Spike after the door closed. He was shaking in terror and his eyes were bulging out him.

"Simmer down there Spike."  Applejack said sternly. "Ah just want t'know why y'all did this."

Spike stared at Applejack's glare and confessed to what he had done. He explained about how he took the potion so he could win over Rarity's heart. He told her about how the potion would wear off in a week and forced to hide himself.

"Spike that was very low of ya."  Applejack stated. "Tryin' to impress Rarity is one thing, but t'steal from a shop is another thing. Why in the name of Celestia would ya do that?"

"I was doing it because of what you and Twilight said!"  Spike cried out in frustration.

Applejack was taken aback by the outburst. "What'd y'all mean by that sugarcube?"  She asked.

"You and Twilight told me that Rarity was looking for a stallion!"  Spike argued. "I did it so I could finally have a chance with her! I was going to win her over at last!"

"Spike, Ah know Ah said Rarity was lookin' fer one of those fancy ponies, but y'all only have a week of bein' a pony. What would ya tell her once yer a dragon again?"

"That's just it. I don't know what to tell her and I can't say anything to her."

"Well why not?"

"I was told by Barry to not let the rest of you know who I was. I guess I really messed up huh?"  Spike hung his head in sadness.

The purple pegasus felt a hoof on his shoulder. He looked to see a remorseful looking Applejack. "It;s okay Spike, Ah'm to blame fer this as well. Ah wasn't bein' fair with yer feelings to Rarity and Ah feel like a mule fer how Ah acted. Ah'm mighty sorry fer pushing ya to do this Spike. Can you ever forgive me?"

Spike gave Applejack a hug. "It's okay Applejack, you didn't do anything to me. I'm sorry for lying to you about this. I guess I wasn't thinking straight. Can you promise me one thing though?"

"What's that sugarcube?"  Applejack asked breaking the embrace.

"Can you please not tell the others about this? Especially Rarity, I'll do anything to make it up to you."

"Anythin' huh?"  Applejack asked while in thought.

"Anything at all."

The orange mare looked lost in thought for a few minutes. "Hmmm well Ah dunno what t'have y'all do fer me yet Spike. Ah'll get back to ya on that okay?"

Spike nodded and with a wave Applejack took off from the library. Twilight entered soon after and saw Spike was looking tired and sad.

"Are you okay Spike?"  Twilight asked in a concerned voice.

Spike gave a nod and yawned. "I...I'm just tired is all. Applejack understands what's going on. She won't say anything as long as I make it up to her."

Twilight let out a sigh of relief. "Well that's all good. Come on Spike, I'll let you use the spare bed to sleep in. We'll discuss more of what to do tomorrow."

Spike slowly climbed his way up to the bedroom with Twilight. He entered and saw a bed the size of Twilight's with a blue comforter on it. Spike got into bed and fell asleep immediately. Twilight couldn't help but smile as she looked upon the pegasus sleeping soundly. She then turned and crawled into bed as well.

---

On the outskirts of Ponyville near the Everfree Forest, there was a pony looking over the town. The pony was wearing a black robe with dark blue lining and a hood that covered his face. Another pony was galloping towards the pony, it was the stallion from the party. The stallion reached the hooded pony and bowed before him.

"What do you have to report?"  The hooded pony asked coldly.

"Captain Sanderson we have found them at last."  The stallion said in a thick Stalliongrad voice. "I've found those six ponies here in this town."

Captain Sanderson removed his hood to reveal his face. He was a unicorn stallion with a dark brown coat, amber eyes and a long straight black mane. "Good so they are here."  He said with a sinister smile.

"Should I begin planning how to capture them?"

"No, we were ordered to find and observe them."

"But sir, we've been looking for them for a while and they have their guards down. Surly we can't just..."

"Your predecessor once thought of disobeying my orders Private Jordan."  Captain Sanderson threatened. "I'm sure you don't need to be reminded of what happened to him do I?"

Jordan looked at his superior who was glaring daggers at him. "O...of course not captain. I...I wouldn't disobey you."  He said nervously.

"Very good then."  The brown stallion said calmly.

"Sir, may I please speak freely?"

"By all means do so."

"I've heard some of our men talking about their findings in the dig site. I've heard something about them coming close to a chamber. They said it hold what our Lord is looking for."

"I know what you're referring to private. However, I wouldn't listen to rumors about such things."

"But sir, what if it's in there? We've searched for it for years and it may be in that chamber. We'll finally be one step closer to our goal."

"That's enough private."  Captain Sanderson said coldly. "I don't know if it exists or not. We lost the tablets in an incident I will personally fix myself. I want you to report back to the castle and tell our Lord about our findings. We will learn from what we must do from there. Do I make myself clear?"

Jordan bowed before the brown unicorn. "It shall be done captain."  He turned and galloped into the Everfree Forest.

Captain Sanderson watched as Jordan ran into the forest and out of sight. He looked back at Ponyville and smiled sinisterly. "We've got you ponies now."

TO BE CONTINUED