Spike's labours
Sun was gradually setting over Ponyville, sinking down behind the castle's spires closing in on the horizon. The weekly event had pretty much come to an end at this time prompting ponies to clear up stalls, banners and litter. Only a hoofful of Equestrians were out to work since Sunday afternoon was a traditional naptime for ponies.
Inside the castle Pinkie Pie and Applejack were bustling in the kitchen preparing supper while Fluttershy and Rarity setting up the diner room. Rainbow Dash was busy napping in a corner of the throne room. Up at the main spire, inside Princess Twilight's bedroom, Spike and Twilight were occupied bringing tucking away clothes and books into bags.
"So, why can't I come along?"
"Princess Celestia wants the whole team up there, so that means some potentially hazardous task will be brought upon us. As usual... thousand-year-old monsters and baby dragons don't mix and I don't want you to get involved in any fight this time, if that is what is asked of us."
"I'm not a baby dragon anymore! Besides, how do you know Princess Celestia will send you on another dangerous quest?"
Twilight closed the last suitcase and sighed.
"When she asks all of us there is either some official royal event to manage or thousand-year-old doo-doo to clean up. Since there are no official royal events in the next few months, guess what we'll be doing."
Picking up two bags in each claw Spike began dragging them out and down stairs toward the main hall. Twilight picked up the rest of her baggage with her magic aura and followed close. At the bottom of the stairs five more stacks of luggage awaited the new arrivals.
"But there's nothing to do in this castle or in this town. Even the Crusaders are out on a school trip for another week. There's nothing here to do for me except clean a couple of dishes and wiggle my toes!"
"Don't worry, Spike. I set up a list of things to do that will keep you busy until we get back. Take one task a day and use your time for each task and the week will be over before you know it."
While Twilight and Spike were talking Fluttershy had walked up to them and politely waited for a break in the conversation.
"Dusting the stair and rearranging the library? I can't wait for the excitement tomorrow!"
The princess chuckled at the familiar sarcasm her assistant uttered.
"Since you are not a baby dragon anymore, as you just asserted, you will do your duty regardless, timely and finish before we get back. As you grow up may find life is full of repetitive dull tasks that just have to be done over and over again, but that's life. Don't sleep for too long, young dragon."
Finally the break came and Fluttershy saw her chance to wedge her voice in.
"Excuse me, friends. Dinner is ready. Will you come?"
The three of them turned to join the others at the dining table.
During dinner lots of stories and anecdotes were shared. All mares laughed and chuckled at regular intervals. Uncharacteristically the young dragon stayed in the shadows and simply ate his food until his belly was full. Feeling somewhat upset the mares were about to leave once again without him. There had been more of these lone times in the past and often he had enjoyed his time home alone. But today he felt a little upset, though apart from his silence he showed little of his malcontent.
Desert was served and finally the dragon's belly was full. He tapped his stomach scales a couple of times as the others finished their plates. A shallow sigh came out and he turned to the mares.
"The last train to Canterlot will at Ponyville station soon. I hope you girls will have a good time and be safe. It's time for me to go to bed now, my belly's bursting. So, have a good night and a safe trip! I will see you in a week!"
"Goodnight, Spike!!!" the whole choir echoed.
Spike came off the chair, pushed it back under the table and left for his room. Behind him the mares watched him leave. Pinkie Pie was the first to talk."
"Is something wrong with that boy? He didn't say a word all evening."
"Spike seemed a little upset being left alone. I'm sure he'll get over it tomorrow."
Twilight levitated a small scroll and quill from behind her, and then unveiled her scroll to the others. A long list of chores appeared.
"I want him to start up a kitchen garden! By the time we get home we might be able to use the first herbs if he keeps to my schedule. And soon we'll have tomatoes, carrots, onions and lots of other veggies to dig up for cooking."
Praising and compliments arose from the table. Applejack came out the loudest and snatched the list from Twilight.
"Hmmm, gal... Ya' mi'ght wanna add that if ya bo'y has any trouble, he ca'n a'sk Granny for help and advice. She'll get 'im going."
Twilight chuckled and retrieved the list to write only to be interrupted by a table-walking Pinkie Pie.
"Erm... Twilight. You might also want to add a big kitchen clean-up to the list. Applejack and I had to redo some of that cheese so, there will be a lot of crusts to rub off. I hope you don't mind."
Again Twilight chuckled and with a protective spell around her she began to write again.
"No trouble at all Pinkie. Dinner was wonderful! The busier our boy gets, the sooner the week will be over for him. Anything else?"
None of the ponies mentioned anything more and so the final list was completed. Everypony was getting up and started to pick up dishes when a stallion servant came in.
"Excuse me, Princess Twilight. My colts and I are loading up your bags. Your train will be at the station within minutes. We must leave."
All the mares sighed and returned the plates to the dinner table. Having lost track of time, they now had to catch up.
"Go on ahead, I'll be right there."
Princess Twilight ran out to the hall way, and then trotted on the stairs carrying her scroll. When she approached her assistant's room a loud snore could be heard through the door. Deciding not to disturb the dragon she pinned the scroll to the door with the quill.
"Goodnight, Spike. Take good care!"
Monday
At the call of the rooster each day starts in Ponyville. But the time the sound echoed through the town Spike had already gotten up, though. Having slept like a baby through most of the night, one interruption of his dream sequence had bereft him of any further ability to sleep. Somehow Twilight's warning to start chores early kept on repeating in his mind and so he got up shortly before sunrise.
When he opened his door he kept it open for there was no point in closing when nopony was around to be bothered with his typical bedroom smell. And as Equestria had ten months of summer each year, preserving heat wasn't an issue either.
Making his way down stairs to get breakfast he got well aware of his toe claws echoing through the castle's vast open spaces. It sounded a lot more annoying now than on any other home-alone time.
"I guess I really should clip my nails this week. My infamous stealth is awfully compromised!"
A tiny joke, but he found little humour in it. When he entered the dining room, en route to the kitchen, he ran into the littered-up dining table. He grumbled, then grumbled even more when he entered the actual kitchen.
"Now, guess what will be on top of that list? Guess, Spike!"
After having gotten a mug of coffee and a stash of doughnuts Spike made his way to the dining room. He looked around searching for any lengthy sheet of paper Twilight left around, but none could be found. And so he continued his walk to the throne room and on toward Twilight's seat. One small search to the back, where a small and easy to open locker was located, awarded him with a small scroll carrying Twilight's cutie mark. Spike unrolled the scroll and began reading it.
"To-do-list:
File #187 (Fluttershy)
File #188 (Rainbow Dash)
File #189 (Rarity)
File #190 Cancelled!
File #191 (Applejack)
File #192 (Pinkie Pie)
File #193 (Royal duty)"
Scratching his scales the young dragon looked puzzled at the list. This was nothing like his earlier lists of things to do. Perhaps this was a joke? Perhaps this was Twilight's attempt to make his list seem more "mature"?
The young Dragon scrounged down another doughnut before making his way to the office, which was located next to the throne room close to Twilight's seat. Usually he wasn't allowed in there, ever since the last fire he started and the ensuing destruction of a large portion of Ponyville's tax return forms. But now Twilight seemed to have granted him access.
Thanks to Twilight's obsessive tidiness and order the mentioned files were easy to retrieve, each carrying the cutie mark of the pony being dealt with. As Spike read each file, his face turned pale, he reached for his heart and finally fell off his chair. When he finally recovered he unfortunately noticed this wasn't a dream.
"Holy Guacamole!"
Fluttershy's cottage already was one of the more remote stables in town; her animal shelter lay even more remote to comply with the town's safety and sanitary laws. Tree Hugger resided at the cottage, noticed the young dragon's approach, dragging a large cart filled with buckets, mops and shovels, and invited him in. However Spike declined.
"I'm sorry, Tree Hugger, but if I'm to finish my chores in time I must hurry and get started on the shelter. Do you have deer biscuits at hoof? I will need them! And maybe some kitty biscuits too?"
File #187: Fluttershy has been neglecting her shelter, being overly busy with continuous friendship assignments. All pens need to be cleaned. Some pens need to be repaired. All fences need to be checked and repaired if need be. Cute animals may be grumpy!
Facing a titanic task Spike knew he had little time to lose. Cleaning and repairing some minor damage to the public pathways was easy enough, the actual animal pens were a nightmare.
The Nemean Lion for sure did not welcome the young dragon kindly in his pen, but once he had receive all of the kitty biscuits, leaving none for the other big cats, the lion came at ease and allowed Spike to work in his territory. The other cats luckily did not have the claws to get through his dragon scales and before noon the predator area was finished.
Then a worse nightmare awoke in the form of goats pens, sheep pens, lama pens and deer pens. The Ceryneian deer's pen had to be rebuilt from scratch and its fence lay in ruin. Some had escaped and before the young dragon could move on to the next pen, after the new pen was up and running of course. He was force to chase them through the escapees through the Everfree forest until at a lake, where they took a drink, he was able to guide them back with the deer biscuits Tree Hugger had given him.
Fluttershy's Erymanthian boar was the last of her great herbivores to get a clean bed to sleep in and luckily for Spike he remained asleep in his muddy pool during that late afternoon. Then the birds were to have their area's cleaned and checked for damage. Once this was done, sun was setting and he still had to feed each single one of the animals at the shelter before his task was complete.
It was way past sunset, and way past his usual bed time, when Spike was finally able to put a stamp down on Fluttershy's file and store it in the right cabinet. He didn't even bother to go upstairs and fell asleep right as he took a seat in the throne room.
Tuesday
File #188: Rainbow Dash and her Ponyville weather patrol need more water for local weather management. Part of Fillydelphia's big water collection failed to reach Cloudsdale and landed near Ponyville. Rainbow Dash needs that water to be relocated to the Ponyville reservoir to facilitate local downpours later this season. Make sure all of it reaches the reservoir so the Pegasi will have water plenty enough.
Before getting to work the young dragon had to assess the situation and solve the problem. So he made his way to the reservoir right before sunrise. Still tired from yesterday's labour Spike reluctantly dragged a cart with buckets, pipes and a couple of other water related items as he had a suspicion to what needed to be done.
Near the waterfront he found Thunderlane and Cloud Chaser busy giggling, chuckling and talking about things way outside the grasp of a young dragon's mind. He approached them disrupting their conversation.
"I'm sorry to bother you two, but I'm here to help with the water that was dropped. Can you show me where it landed?"
Thunderlane raised his hoof and pointed to the hill adjacent to the reservoir. Spike ran up the hill to find the spilled water located in a dent right behind the hill top. Lots of trees had drowned as the soil had washed away and their roots had become waterlogged. Wildlife was taking hold of the new habitat and Spike's labour would involve disappointing a growing population of ducks and frogs. Hopefully Fluttershy would someday forgive him.
Obviously this incident had happened quite some time ago. Why was this task not solved right as it happened? Why did it fall to him to solve this problem? Wouldn't Twilight's magic be enough to solve this? The young dragon shook his head and analysed his task, dividing it into small steps.
Behind him Thunderlane and Cloud Chaser had joined him. The stallion shook his head.
"Are you sure you are up for this? Do you need any help?"
"Twilight assigned me this task. And I will not disappoint her. This one is right up my alley. But erm... Could you two fetch me some lunch later? I would be grateful."
Both Pegasi nodded.
"Sure thing. But if you need some more hooves just call us!"
His first job was to dig a canal starting from the reservoir's side, then snaking up the hill to avoid the top and reach the side of the accidental lake. Unfortunately Spike could not dig the canal too deep for that hill contained a cave that made it basically hollow. If his claws would reach the cave for sure the whole hill would collapse and his mission would be lost.
At the last bit the hill became too steep and the approach too narrow for any functional canal to be dug. That last stretch had to be bridged by his pipes. A huge funnel was brought to the end of the pipe system signalling the temporary end of its construction. Temporary: for if the young dragon succeeded the water level would drop out of reach of the funnel eventually time and again.
Before the young dragon could start, he had to make another run to the village and get his extra pipes and the components of a treadmill. The wheels of his cart and its axes formed the base of the treadmill; the buckets were attached to the outer rim and weighed down support beams would hold it up just at the right level so the buckets wouldn't get so full they would outweigh him.
A long and painful process ensued of placing his construction just right, scooping up as much water as possible as quickly as possible. Reconstructing, moving the machine and adjusting the pipes were the most time-consuming part of his labour. Carefully he had to dig out the soil under the pipes so the funnel could be dropped down to receive the content of his buckets. Nevertheless steadily Spike made progress as the labour became routine.
Neither Thunderlane nor Cloud Chaser met up with Spike during noon or afternoon. Despite his hunger the dragon kept going right up until the lake was reduced to a small puddle at the centre. At that stage Spike had given up on the treadmill and was filling and emptying buckets by claw.
Only when the last drop of water was off the hill top did Spike look up and overviewed his labour. The reservoir was filled to the rim: plenty for the weather patrol to work with. Sun was setting steadily. All contraptions had to be disassembled, the scar on the hill had to be covered and all items had to be returned to the village. As a result Spike returned to the castle even later than he did on Monday. But the second task was done successfully.
Wednesday
While making his way through the dark Everfree forest; Spike had his breakfast making sure he would have at least some form of nutrition before the end of the day. Cleverly he had created a harness to strap on his body allowing him to pull his cart claw-free.
File #189: Rarity needs a continuous supply of silk for her business. In order to reduce some of her costs she set up a spider silk farm at the Castle of the Two Sisters. However dealing with oversized spiders isn't her cup of tea and in her words cobwebs are "awfully icky" to work with. The silk farm is located at the main tower. Harvest all cobwebs and turn them into silk threads. Make sure no spider escapes the tower for they are huge and scary!
This time his cart carried two black kettles, spoons, the components of a spinning wheel and a load of bobbins. Luckily this was not the first time he had a go on spinning thread and had received some training on the matter from Rarity for his claws were small and quite useful for the trade.
Unfortunately his cart was too wide for the rope bridge, forcing the young dragon to carry the items into the castle by claw. Then he had to set up the spinning wheel, close to the tower's entry.
Scary as the old castle had appeared the first couple of times he entered, the young dragon had grown more confidence entering it. Then again this was the first time he would be there all by himself. Nopony knew where he had gone or what he was doing, except Twilight of course and since this was her assignment to him, all should come to a good end, so Spike thought.
Armed only with a small stick Spike carefully approached the door and turned the key. When he opened the door a set of glowing spider eyes met him, gazing at him with hunger. The mouth parts opened and a pair of front legs tried to touch the scaly intruder. Spike was quick to slam the door shut then pushing into it with his back making sure the spider remained inside. His heart raced and he tried to control his breath.
"Spike! You have to do this! For Twilight! For Rarity! Anything for Rarity!"
Again he opened the door, this time allowing his stick to take the lead. At this second entry the spider no longer stood in attack position and a couple of pokes encouraged it to retreat to a higher level. This cleared the way for Spike to collect cobwebs and gather them outside near the spinning wheel. The collection did not stop until the whole bottom section of the tower was cleared. Before leaving the tower the young dragon looked up along stairs, to be met with not one but two sets of spider eyes. Another uphill battle!
First the spider silk had to be boiled in one of the kettles for a short time to neutralise the glue. Then it was to be dried briefly in the other kettle. Once it was dried Spike would be able to spin it into a thread and roll it onto a bobbing. His small claws allowed him to create extremely fine thread, extremely delicate and high in demand in Canterlot.
Now Spike faced two spiders up the tower and both would have to be chased up toward a third to be able to clear the next section of the tower. His fortune was that spiders were solitary animals and did not team up to make their stand or to overwhelm him. One spider at the time had to move until the cobwebs became too dense for the dragon. If he got stuck there would be no one to help him and he would not be able to escape without using fire. That would set ablaze the silk and the castle at large failing his labour.
Over time bobbins were rolled with silk, but as Spike pushed on his progress slowed. More and more spiders had to be battled and ever so often a more stubborn individual was encountered. The frustrated young dragon knew he could not afford to slack, but less and less of the spiders had any interest in giving up their position as they were packed together ever denser. For a time it even seemed like Spike would fail Rarity's task on time, but suddenly a soft familiar broke the silence.
"Good afternoon, Spike. Why are you all here by yourself."
Spike turned his head toward the main entrance to the castle and was greeted by Tree Hugger's gaze. She approached him calmly and admired his work.
"Oh, my! These look lovely! They feel so soft!"
"Thanks! I'm actually making these for Rarity. She set up a spider farm in here and now I'm harvesting it to make silk. It's a hard job, but Twilight told me to see to it in her absence and so that is what I will do... hopefully by the end of today."
A friendly smile showed on Tree Hugger's face.
"That is very kind of you. I'm sure both your friends will be grateful. Do you need any help, though? It's so strange they would have you do all this by yourself."
The young dragon sighed.
"Twilight composed this list I have to do, one task each day. I'm sure if I wasn't supposed to do this alone, it would have said so, but it didn't. But it doesn't forbid me from receiving any help, so yes. Can you help me with these spiders? These creeps are kind of territorial and are getting ever harder to push back. But I cannot have them escape the tower for they are big and scary"
Tree Hugger chuckled and opened the tower's door.
"They are not scary, my friend. Just misunderstood. You are destroying their lifework nopony likes vandals. But I can help you with them, if you wish. Just a moment!"
Right after the mare entered the tower a long series of horse whinnies and snorts echoed through the castle. Spike had just finished the last bobbin and ran up to the door to see what Tree Hugger was doing. He nearly ran into her as she left the tower. Her whole body was covered with spiders and a couple of them followed her into the castle. For some reason the horse sounds enchanted the spiders and tamed them. Or was there something more than just horse sounds?
"Alright, Spike! If you go in and retrieve all the spider silk right now, then I can put them back as soon as possible! For even I can't put up with this for too long. Those legs are itchy!"
Quickly the young dragon ran into the tower. Clearing out the tower while the spiders were out was incredibly easy and in no time the area outside was filled with spider rag. One final sweep from top to bottom cleared out all remaining scraps and readied the tower for another season. Tree Hugger entered again carrying or guiding in all spiders, stopped her sound and came out with none.
"Thanks, Tree Hugger! I owe you one! This labour just got a lot easier."
"Sure thing! Don't worry about it, Spike. By tomorrow I won't remember any of this, but with all your labours lately I think you deserve a break."
And so Tree Hugger stayed, allowing Spike to do the most but checking on cooking and drying the cobwebs so the dragon could almost continuously sit at the spinning wheel. Thanks to her limited assistance sun had not set yet when Spike's labour was finished successfully and a cart full of spider silk was unloaded at Rarity's boutique.
Thursday
Recent experience had taught our young dragon that Twilight's assignments always hid some complications. Wednesday's labour for a chance hadn't finished overly late, which allowed the dragon to get to bed a little earlier and get up a little earlier today. Sun still had not risen when he and his cart rolled onto Sweet Apple Acres in search for his next labour.
File #191: Help Applejack by harvesting all golden apples and deliver them into the Sweet Apple Acre's vault underneath the house. The apples can be found underneath the south orchard. Don't forget sunglasses!
Spike's first stop was at the house to check out the vault, which was nothing short of a bunker built to withstand most brutal forces haunting Equestria. All of the Apples' most precious and irreplaceable items were stored there along. Most of their savings was stored in there. Its hatch was disguised as an old water pump which actually produced water when pumped. When all water the pump contained was out the hatch would open automatically.
As file #191 explained golden apples were to be stored in this vault, so Spike's first job was to make it ready for receiving them. All items were to be stacked to the sides and the delicate items were to be kept in a safe corner so an apple dump would not cause damage. Then Spike had to close the vault again by returning water to a back hatch on the pump. Leaving the vault open would be answered by immeasurable wrath from each member of the Apple family.
With his cart at hand the young dragon now made his way through the orchard heading for his target area. Sweet Apple Acres held few secrets for the dragon but up until this week he was not aware of any special "golden" apples harvested there as most of the apples they sold were either red or green. Thus Spike could only guess what Twilight meant.
The crack in the side of the south orchard was no secret to the young dragon. In the past Applejack had explained it as the entrance to kind of a monster cave and so Spike had not yet gone inside. Golden apples sounded like valuable things that were best kept in secrecy and the logical assumption was these would be the "monsters" the cave inside contained.
Inside the crack in the south orchard, an orchard which was located on a hillside, a door was hidden. Its trick lock was no match for the dragon's claws and right as sun rose Spike entered and witnessed the most spectacular spectacle he had ever seen on Applejack's farm.
As soon as the sun had risen beams of light would penetrate through small pot holes and through tree roots. These sunbeams hence bounce off trees and their apples inside the cave lighting them up in a blinding golden aura, hence Twilight's advice to wear sunglasses inside became a good counsil. A small river also lit up as it carried from deep in the underground a steady supply of gold dust. This gold dust would then be absorbed by the hidden orchard causing both trees and apples to be laden with a gold coat.
Carefully the young dragon approached the shining fruit and found out quickly all this gold did not only produce a fancy colour but also augmented their weight. These apples weren't just coated with gold dust; they were made up, partially, of gold!
Quick thinking made the young dragon realise this secret stash of valuables probably wasn't supposed to be exposed out in the open for everypony to see. So before starting on the actual harvest Spike had to make a run back to the barn and commandeer every single bag he could lay his claws on.
His cart was turned on its back partially to hide what he was doing at the crack and partially so the loading of the cart would not be as challenging. Over the years Spike's strength had increased, but having noticed the apples' weight the dragon did not imagine he could simply throw them into the cart.
Using his teeth the young dragon managed to harvest his first set of trees, then he rolled the apples toward the crack where the set of bags lay in waiting. He stuffed each bag, painfully dragged them toward the cart and loaded them up. A strong jump tipped the cart back to its natural position and off he went, luckily slightly downhill, to bring the apple up to the vault and drop them off inside once the vault was opened again. Right as the young dragon was about to close the vault again he was met by the stern look on a certain red coated stallion's face.
"Oh, hi Big Macintosh! I erm... I guess you're wondering what I'm doing inside your vault?"
"Eeeeyup!"
"Have a look inside!"
A quick look inside changed the stern look into a puzzled look.
"The girls asked me to harvest these things as part of my chores this week, while they're out of town, to keep me busy! So that's what I'm doing! So if you don't mind..."
The puzzled look remained on Big Mac's face as the dragon closed the hatch, turned around his cart and headed back quickly toward the south orchard. The most puzzling question here was: why did the mares want Spike to do this right now and all alone?
As soon as his feet could carry him Spike returned to the hidden orchard and repeated what he did earlier: bite off and collect as many apples as possible, rolling them toward the opening to be bagged and loaded up. When he took a moment to measure his progress he found the hidden orchard was nearly as large as the south orchard above. Nearly a large in size... but much harder to harvest due to the apples' weight. A simple bucking would not be enough to knock them down and even if a couple did fall down, they would be hazardous projectiles to anypony standing under the tree.
Outside a surprise awaited him as the red stallion had followed him shortly after he had entered dragging a second and much larger cart to haul apples back and forth to the house. Kindly he grabbed the bags Spike brought out and landed them in his cart and handed him back some more bags to fill. This allowed Spike to harvest a little more and soon together they ran down to the house each carrying their cart before storing the bags' content down below.
Because Twilight had assigned the task to the dragon and because the stallion was simply too big for the crack in the hillside Spike did do most of the work while Big Macintosh took up a more supporting role allowing the dragon to work more efficient. This spared the dragon even some time to have a lunch break with Big Mac before finishing up late in the afternoon.
A grateful nod after finishing up the last back, locking down all entrances and storing back all tools used concluded File #191's assignment successfully.
Friday
File #192: Pinkie Pie is in need of red diomedes, a spice used in trick candy as it is extremely sweet while also carrying a heat kick. It grows in the swamp area beyond the Everfree forest. Stay clear of the local residents for these ponies do not eat hay!
Before going to bed Spike had spent some time in the castle's library on Thursday to read up about this "red diomedes" as he had no idea what it was. According to his literature diomedes was a small plant indigenous to swamp lands. Its flowers and its fruits that would grow from its flowers hung down its stem like a bunch of grapes. They were very sweet hand held a slight hot kick when the seeds are not removed. Wine makers would often use these fruits to sweeten and enhance the flavour of their wine, preferably without seed. When dried and pulverised with the seeds inside they get turned into a reddish dust which is sweet but has a heat kick dwarfing that of your average wasabi. This red dust is thus called "red diomedes" and is best used in extremely small quantities when adding it to food. One meagre pinch of this spice is enough to burn off all taste sense.
The young dragon made his way through the Everfree forest. His route took him along the shores of the stinking bog, hugging these shores until the forest would clear and the swamp lands would show. His gaze kept of shifting from one direction to another searching for danger as this was one of the most hazardous areas in all of Equestria.
Tall grass was the dominant plant within the swamp lands and he was forced to stay on the road or risk getting lost in an endless maze of dirt paths and crossings. This however hampered his efforts to search for his prize as diomedes was rare and in high demand. Chances of finding it next to road were very slim.
As morning dragged on his distance to home further increased. As much as the library revealed about its properties and history, little did it reveal about how to find it. The tall grass on both sides of the road limited his sight to the road itself.
Suddenly, on his side tall grass cleared and a low tower was revealed. Indeed it was no taller than the average pony house, but the terrain was flat and so it was enough to overview the area.
Disappointingly the overview only showed more tall grass, and some water, a couple of trees and some distant pony homes. One pony home was just around the corner and the young dragon wondered if knocking its door and asking for help would be all that troublesome. Why did Twilight write to stay clear of the local residents?
As soon as the dragon left the tower to return to his cart a rope fell on him and wrapped him up in binds. For a moment the dragon guessed it was Applejack pulling some kind of prank on him. Unfortunately this was not Applejack's doing as he found out quickly.
"Well well well... What do we have here? A tourist?"
From the tall grass a pony mare appeared. She looked like an earth pony from afar, but there were some very distinct differences. Her ears were, her denture contained sharp fangs and her eyes were slit vertical pupils making her resemble a cat more than a pony. Her fur was black as the night and on her flank sat three red chicken drumsticks. Behind her another mare appeared, also black as the night and with identical facial features as the first one. The second mare's flank featured a large ham on the bone as a cutie mark.
"Erm... Hello ponies... My name is Spike. I'm on a mission to find red diomedes for Pinkie Pie. Could you please let me go and help me find this spice?"
Both ponies chuckled and circled around the dragon. The one with ham cutie mark carried a large stick while the other tended to the Spike's binds to make sure he could not escape.
"No, we won't let you go. You will be our dinner. As for red diomedes... you will soon be familiar with that."
The stick was pushed through the ropes of the hogtied dragon, and then taken hold off by both ponies. Together they carried the whimpering young dragon through the grass onward to the nearby pony house.
Inside the house a third pony was tending a large kettle at the fire place, adding vegetables into the broth. She too had the same colour and facial features as the other two, but her cutie mark showed a rotisserie spit over a fire. Her gaze changed from grim to delight when she saw the other two entering the door while carrying their prize.
"Oh my! A change of diet? About time!"
Spike was dropped and everypony licked their lips, revealing to the dragon why Twilight wrote to stay clear of the local residents and what she meant by these ponies "not eating hay". He shivered and his heart raced as the third pony picked him up by his ropes.
"Erm... P...P...Please let me go. I was only searching for red diomedes. I'll be on my way. And besides... we dragons have got really tough scales. I wouldn't want you to..."
"This stuff?"
The pony with the drumsticks picked off one of three jars filled with a red dust from a shelf near the fire place, then put it down grabbed a spoon.
"We've got tons of red diomedes spice, but we only need half a table spoon to cook you!"
As soon as that was said the rotisserie pony dumped Spike into the boiling broth.
"Not until the final moments of cooking, sis! The flavour dissipates during boiling. And these carrots need to soften before I take them off the fire."
Being a dragon made Spike immune to the heat, protected by his dragon scales. The ropes weren't protected though and as they boiled Spike found his freedom of movement return quickly. A plan formed and while the carnie ponies were busy talking Spike kept biting through the ropes around his claws.
The instinct of survival was driving him and in no time his front claws were loose and able to free up his feet and the rest of his body. Keeping low inside the broth the dragon kept his scheme out of sight from the rotisserie pony who kept on adding potatoes to the stew. He even had a chance to shift his body and measure the distance between the kettle and the shelf.
The front door opened and a large mare entered the door. Her colour and features were exactly the same as the other carnie ponies, but she was extremely obese and her cutie mark showed a large plate with bones on it. Wobbling in cellulites she made her way into the house and sniffed the air, to rest her eyes on the kettle.
"What's cooking?"
The drumstick pony gloated.
"I believe it's a small dragon. Not much meat on him, but the first morsel in..."
"You're not trying to cook it alive, are you? You know dragons are..."
His secrets were out! He had to make his move. All mares were focussed on the mama and in this moment Spike climbed onto the rim of the kettle to jump onto the shelf. There he grabbed both remaining jars of red diomedes, then tossed one of them into the herd as focus shifted on him. A cloud of red dust surrounded the carnie ponies, penetrating their eyes and irritating them. Coughs, sneezes and cries erupted from the house as Spike made his escape.
"Get him!"
From right outside the house Spike could see the small tower near the road. With the jar in his claws he chose the route directly to it. Behind him confusion still had the carnie ponies in its grip. As fast as he could he ran toward the road and his cart, which was still parked there.
Just as he broke into the tower's area he stopped and turned around. For the first time he used his fire breathe successfully as a deterrent, setting the grass on fire. Quickly the fire spread creating a barrier for any pursuers. Moment later the far sat on the cart, protected in cloths and the young dragon had gotten on his way home. Not until he reached Sugarcube Corner did he stop running.
Saturday
At a moment before sunrise the young dragon was hastily preparing a cart. This time the cart was not his, but one from Sweet Apple Acres for they were much larger for the purpose of today. Bundles of Everfree branches were placed into the cart. And there was another cart of equal size, filled with old blankets, cloths and food. They were actually the largest Sweet Apple Acres possessed. Before he started the dragon had prepared the castle's basement for guest and prepared a wide pathway from the entrance to the basement for today's labour.
File #193: Cerberus has a broken toe and needs to be relieved. Create a firewall to contain Tartarus. Take care of Cerberus until Celestia's royal vet takes over. Ask Zecora for biscuits.
Both Thunderland and Cloud Chaser were pulling a cart. On Friday evening, while had his sweet dinner at Sugarcube Corner to recover from his traumatic experience that day, they had run into him. As they recollected their broken promise to get him lunch and look after him on Tuesday, they agreed to repay him by helping him with today's labour. Without them Spike probably would not have been able to complete the labour for Tartarus was too far and he still wasn't allowed on the train all alone.
The journey only took a couple of hours, including a snack stop, for both pegasi were descent flyers. The dragon was allowed to ride Thunderlane's back, holding the map and frequently giving instructions. When they approached the area there was a constant howl and whimpering guided the ponies to the cave which gave entry to Tartarus.
Travelling from the entrance to the actual dungeon took just as long as it took to get there from Ponyville. Having had Spike's plan explained to them the Pegasi realised they were in for a long day.
As they got closer the howls and cries, sent out in a choir of voices, steadily got louder. Both the dog and the local residents had been granted no sleep ever since Cerberus had his mishap. His foot was swollen and the poor creature lay on his side hardly able to put on any kind of pressure on his sore foot. Not until Spike walked up to him and fed him half a biscuit did the guard calm down and did Tartarus quiet down. An audible sigh echoed from the dungeon put out by its residents.
"Alright! I'll be setting up a firewall. If you both would be so kind to unload the rest and link up both carts into one, we'll be on our way home within the hour! And I'm sure you both would like to finish the job before sunset as much as I do."
A small dragon bossing around a couple of ponies seemed a little ridiculous, but the past week's labours had given Spike a boost in confidence and set him with a routine of no-nonsense to get the job done. And so the two ponies began to work while Spike began placing his bundles in a long line spanning the whole width of the dungeon's gate.
Both carts were designed to be joined together if needed. The side planks on the adjacent side were removed and then used to link both carts tightly creating a wide two-span cart. Next the blankets and clothes were spread out into the cart creating a fairly soft and comfortable seat for their guest. Finally they turned the cart around and strapped themselves up to move out as soon as Cerberus was on board.
As soon as the bundles were placed Spike had to unchain the hell dog. Each of Cerberus' three heads could crush the dragon in one bite. Luckily knew the dragon as Twilight's helper and his recent biscuit rendered him had turned his temper quite docile. Next he beckoned the ponies to back up and get as close to Cerberus as possible. The lure of three dog biscuits, one for each head, encouraged the hound to climb into the cart. Three more sent the hound into a deep sleep simplifying the task of carrying him to Ponyville.
"You both go on ahead, I'll catch up. I'll still need to install the firewall or Equestria may be overrun by the monsters who reside here."
"Are you sure you can handle this by yourself."
"Sure! Go on, now! I'll be with you soon."
According to old pony mythology the Everfree forest is a remnant of a super wood which had covered most of Equestria, the whole of the northern regions before they turned to ice and even stretched to the far oceans. This continental sized woodland was said to have started its existence right at the gate of Tartarus as a way to seal it off long before Cerberus' ancestors even existed.
And so the Everfree forest had a link to this place which showed right as Spike lit them up, confirming what he had read. Smoke coming out of the blaze was thick and irritating and basically hid the ceiling's height and the traps it contained. At the source the heat was so intense even the young dragon could feel its hazard and yet the bundle's burned slower than a single candle on a cold night. The barrier was impenetrable and would remain so for a long time, hopefully up until the hound could return in good health.
By the time the young dragon finally caught up with Thunderlane and Cloud Chaser, they were already at the cave's entrance, walking into the sunshine. When Spike finally boarded the cart, tending to the hound and making sure he stayed asleep, the pegasi went into a rhythmic trot cutting their travel time somewhat short.
Before the afternoon ended they would finally reach Ponyville and deliver their guest to the castle. When the pooch was settled down below the castle, Spike's final labour was at an end. Time for some much needed rest!
At Canterlot train station our six pony heroes awaited their train. All of them had mane and tails roughed up after a busy week, all except Rarity of course. Their luggage lay stacked next to them, taken care of by a hoof-full of royal guards and servants. Applejack settled down on a bench next to Twilight.
"Phew-wee! Ah'll be gla'd to ma'h old bed again!"
Twilight nodded.
"So will I. My back can't take all these outdoor sleepovers as easy as it used to do. And I can't wait to see my new kitchen garden taking shape. I'm sure Spike did a good job. He's a good boy."
But when later that evening the six ponies arrived at the castle there was no garden to be seen. Not even the slightest sign of gardening or any past activity at all was visible. Everypony was either searching for a logical explanation or simply too baffled to speak, for they all remained quiet until a few moments later Fluttershy broke the silence.
"Erm... Maybe the ground here is unsuited for growing tomatoes? Or maybe he couldn't figure out the basics? Or maybe..."
"Let's find out!"
The herd entered the castle silently, lead by a clearly irritated Twilight. When they made their way into the dining room they found its state to be the exact state it was when they left it a week earlier. Not a single plate had been moved. Inside the kitchen the only difference came from a handful of added plates and mugs.
Again Fluttershy broke the confused silence.
"Erm... Maybe he was sick or something."
Everpony's ears perked and rotated as a snore rolled through the castle. None of them doubted where the source of these snores lay. Twilight's face turned from irritation to full out anger.
"He'd better be!"
For if he wasn't that meant he simply had been lazy this week, in everypony's mind. While the alicorn worked herself up, the others looked upon her with worry as her wrath was not something they liked to witness. Pinkie Pie was quickest make a move.
"Erm... I guess we'd better get home. Wouldn't want to intrude on your little private conversation with that boy. Let's go, girls. See you in the morning, Twilight!"
The herd scrambled but Twilight ignored them, focussed only on her dragon who, unless he had a good explanation, was in for a firm reprimand. When she reached the Spike's corridor upstairs she found her list in a corner. With her magic she picked it up, then entered Spike's room to find him sound asleep and in good health.
"Spike! You laze! What did you do? Hibernate through the week? Wake up!"
A thud from Twilight's hoof on the floor woke up the young dragon, who had no idea what had provoked Twilight's agitation. He was met by Twilight's list hitting his face. Confused the dragon tried to read the list, but as this was his first encounter with this list he needed time to comprehend what was going on. "Place shrubberies? What in Equestria? Where did this list come from?"
But his confusion only further angered the princess.
"You couldn't even do the dishes? You've been a lazy boy all week, haven't you? Admit it!"
"But I... B...But..."
"I'm very disappointed in you, Spike. Next time we need to be out, I'm setting up with Granny Smith as a babysitter."
"But... I'm not a baby and..."
"You're not? Then why didn't you do your chores? Seems extremely immature to me, kid. You know better than this."
"But... But I..."
All this confusion and Twilight's hard talk truck the dragon in his ability to speak. He wanted to defend himself, but couldn't find the words.
"Had a nice vacation, Spike? Well, I guess it wasn't long enough still. Let's add a few more days. I don't want to see or hear you for the rest of the weekend! I'm putting up a barrier on your door! Goodnight!"
The dragon's door slammed shut and Spike could hear the magic buzz which accompanied Twilight's punishment on him. Things began to fall into place as it was clear he had worked with the wrong list. But with the barrier including sound, there would be no possibility for him to explain that until his friend set him free. Overwhelmed by frustration and hit by Twilights words Spike began to tear up.
An angered Twilight made her way into the dining room and began to levitate the plates still littering the table. She felt hurt her friend had let her down like this and could not see any other way to teach him his lesson except the punishment she just handed out.
Suddenly, as she carried the plates into the kitchen a strange stench emerged and hit her nose. Looking around the dining room and the kitchen she could not identify its source. But she did quickly realise this was a dog smell, which was odd since she had no pet dog, nor did she desire one.
When she further investigated he castle, looking for the source she ventured through the main hallway and found the stench rose up from the ventilation grids of the basement. Obviously the source was there and so the alicorn made her way down to discover she now did own a pet dog.
"Cerberus? But he's not supposed to be here yet? I'm supposed to..."
And suddenly a part of the mystery was unveiled, which lead to a most disturbing hypothesis. Did Spike...?
When she returned to the hallway, a very alarmed Fluttershy bumped into her.
"Twilight... I just talked to Tree Hugger in my cottage. I may have an explanation to Spike's lack of chore-doing."
Before Twilight could reply Rainbow Dash crashed through one of the windows into her.
"Twilight! I just ran into Thunderlane. And boy, did he have a story to tell! I think I know why Spike..."
The front door slammed open and three ponies rushed into the hallway. Rarity, levitating a bobbin of silk, Applejack carrying a small bag and Pinkie Pie sneezing unstoppably approached the three ponies already there.
"Twilight! Look at this silk! The thread is so fine and delicate, it can mean only one thing!"
"Twilight! You'll never believe what Big Macintosh just told me! Guess what's in this bag?"
"Achooo! Achoooooooo!"
"And I have a dog in my basement that wasn't supposed to be there until next week!"
The alicorn lead the way into the throne room, hastily searching for confirmation of what they all suspected. Quickly Twilight accessed the locker in her throne and found it to be empty.
"Oh no! What have I done?"
Next she ran into her office to find a list checked off at each item. Each of the files the list mentioned was stored away into the finished-business-cabinet. Shamefully she emerged to show the list.
"I guess Spike used the wrong list. He did all of it! And I just lashed out to him like never before. This is awful!"
Tears sprang into her eyes and the list fell down onto the map table. Everypony looked at her, sad and uneasy.
"These chores weren't supposed to be done by somepony alone, certainly not without magic. Yet he... completed it."
Rarity approached Twilight and laid a hoof on her shoulders.
"And you scolded him, darling?"
"You know he gets lazy at times. I thought this was one of those times."
"But it wasn't. Hence you must atone, darling. We all should being indebted to him for all this work. Call him down."
Hesitantly the alicorn stepped away toward the hallway, yet soon stopped and turned in doubt.
"Are you sure now is best time?"
"We're all here. I think we all know what to do. It's time for some ambrosia, no? Go on, darling."
Fearfully the princess stepped into Spike's corridor once again. Within an instant the barrier was lifted and she could hear a soft sobbing. Carefully she approached the dragon's door. Before addressing him she took a deep breath.
"Spike? Spi-ike?"
But the sobs didn't stop and her assistant did not reply.
"Spike, I... I need you to come downstairs."
Now Spike lifted his head from his lap. The door opened and Twilight peeked in.
"It's ok, Twilight. I made a mistake. I deserve to be locked away!"
This brought the alicorn close to sobbing herself, but she kept it inside.
"No, Spike. You don't need to be locked away any more. I need you to come downstairs."
The dragon got up and approached the door.
"The dishes? I'll do them! At least I can fix something then. I'll work through the night if I have to."
"No! No, don't worry about that. Not until tomorrow. Come downstairs. I promise, nothing bad is going to happen. Come along.
Soon both the castle's residents were down in the hallway and entered the throne room. All the other mares sat on their seat, all turning to Spike with a friendly smile. It surprised the dragon to see them all at this late hour, especially after a long and likely challenging week in Canterlot. Twilight held him back as the ponies came off their chairs and approached the dragon.
Fluttershy was the first to reach him. First she wiped some of his tears off his face with her wing, then her face came close keeping her wing on his back.
"Spike, this is for cleaning and fixing my animal shelter."
A forceful kiss on his cheek followed her words, taking Spike by surprise. Her wing included a soft hug into the kiss. Baffled and in total confusion Spike nearly fainted, but was immediately caught by Rainbow Dash and kept upright.
"Spike, you know I'm not really into cuddly stuff. But for what you did this week and especially for recovering all that water for me, you earned this reward!"
Now the other cheek was kissed by a pony who kept those things scarce to anypony. A wing and hoof kept the dragon from falling over and her kiss was promptly followed by a standard equine shoulder hug. Then came Rarity.
"Now don't faint, darling! Otherwise you'll miss this moment. Thank you for getting me that spider silk. I'll make good use of it!"
With the initial surprise overcome Spike was now able to brace for what was to come. Still he didn't mind Rarity's hoof pulling him close and helping to keep him upright while her his landed right on his nose. He swore he could taste her perfume and closed his eyes to savour this moment.
Next up was Applejack landing first a short kiss on one cheek.
"Naw, mind yah. Ah mi'ght call on ya next apple bucking season if Big Macintosh falls ill again. Ya did an awesome job there, big fellow."
A second kiss landed on his other kiss, this one much more powerful than any of the other kisses he had gotten so far. Spike was pushed on the floor and nearly smothered by Applejack's face before being picked up by Pinkie Pie.
"Thank you thank you thank you for that red diomedes. Thank you for surviving while getting it too!"
Pinkie Pie's kiss was sweet as candy. Like Rarity she too landed it on his nose and so Spike could confirm his earlier taste from the unicorn. Next she hugged him like a ragdoll before handing him over to Twilight.
"Spike, I'm really sorry I lashed out at you earlier. I did not realise you had gotten hold of... my list... which makes next week a lot easier on me. What do you say if I suggest we start this garden I have in mind together next Monday?"
The dragon giggled, as kisses and cuddles from Twilight were as rare as those of Rainbow Dash. She wasn't too bad, but obviously had much to learn on the subject.
"Sure thing! I love gardening. But next time, tell me where to look for your list. I don't need to be kept that busy!"
The herd laughed out and that night Spike found himself to be part of sleeping pony pile.
The End
