The dark basement was illuminated only by a dim light bulb hanging from the ceiling. Four boys sat in chairs in a circle, all but one of them corpulent and stocky, hunched over in their chairs. The fourth boy, who was tall and very muscular, smirked as he spoke in a scratchy voice, worn raspy by years of smoking. The faint sound of hip hop music could also be heard as it thumped from an old boom-box stereo while the boy talked.

“Alright, boys…” The boy said lowly, his spiked up, blonde hair shining under the dim light, “That little punk won’t make a fool out of us again. I’ve got a plan.”

His friends simply grinned and snickered in approval, eagerly awaiting to hear the plan their leader had hatched. The intimidatingly strong teen stood from his chair and cleared his throat, beginning his speech.

“Because of that little fucker, I got time in Juvie, and I ain’t goin’ back there again. It was way too hard to hustle cigs in there. Just a reminder for those of you who are too fucking retarded to remember what that little shit did to us…” He raised an accusing eyebrow as he looked towards the fattest boy in the group, who was currently zoned out, staring off into space. He swiftly kicked a leg of the chair the stocky boy was sitting on, causing it to break as the heavy teen fell to the ground, landing on his flabby behind. The other two followers of the posse snickered as they watched him struggle to get to his feet. Once they stopped laughing, the leader continued. “That assbag ratted us out all those years ago, and as I remember it, you dickheads turned tail when the cops came running, so that means you owe me. None of you fat fucks are getting out of this one. We’re gonna crush that little shit after we kick ass in our football game against his school next season. So, here’s the plan. I made sure to keep it simple so you idiots wouldn’t possibly be able to fuck it up. We’re gonna slow him down on his way to the locker room so he’ll be the last one in there, and then, when he’s all alone-”

“Garble, honey!” A cheery, motherly voice called from upstairs, “You and your friends can continue your little club meeting after you eat lunch!”

Garble growled loudly before snapping back at the voice that had interrupted his devious plotting. “SHUT UP, MOM!”

The sweet voice suddenly turned into a shrill shout. “What did you just say to me, young man?!”

The boy suddenly went rigid before replying timidly. “N-nothing, mom. We’ll be up in one second.” He then turned to his group of friends before finishing his speech in just a few words. “We’re gonna make Spike pay, boys.” With that, he swiftly moved up the stairs before he was once again made the victim of his mother’s wrath. “What tasty meal did you make for us this time, mommy?”

---------------

“Hell yeah!” Spike cheered with the other students as he pushed and shoved his way out of the school building. He threw up his arms and screamed in joy, “Spring break!”

He was soon joined by Pip and Big Mac, who were both smiling. Pip was the first to strike up a conversation with the over-excited boy.

“You ready for a ripper spring break, Spike?” He smirked and high fived his friend.

“Oh, you know it, man! We gotta hurry home, though. You have your stuff ready at your place, right Pip?” Spike asked his friend, a cheery smile adorning his face, to which the Trottingham boy responded with a nod.

Spike then turned to Mac, who gave the same affirmative response, accompanied by a hearty, “Eeyup.”

“Alright! Mac, you and AJ are gonna meet us at Twilight’s in an hour with the truck loaded. Me and Pip are gonna grab his bags and then make a mad dash to my place so we can shower and be ready in time. We’ll see you there!”

Spike and Pip waved goodbye to Big Macintosh as he walked over to where his truck was parked, Applejack already in the passengers seat, holding the keys between her fingers. “Ah already dropped Granny, Applebloom and her friends off at Braeburn’s for the week. Ah guess there’s an advantage to havin’ earlier classes after all. We got a whole lotta gear t’load in an hour, and Ah don’t wanna be late this time, so giddy up, Mac!” The large country boy nodded with a lazy smile on his face as he got in the cabin and started the truck, quickly pulling out of the school’s parking lot.

Spike and Pip found that due to their recent workouts with Big Mac, they were able to make the run to Pip’s house without much struggle. They grabbed his bags and sprinted the 12 blocks to Spike’s house, making it interesting by placing a wager; the loser had to load up the everyone’s luggage into Twilight’s car by themselves. Knowing that Rarity packed a LOT of clothes, accessories, and makeup, Spike was very motivated to be the victor, and with both arms available to pump for more speed, only carrying one of Pipsqueak’s three bags, he easily left Pip in his dust for the first few blocks, but due to Pip’s competitive nature, the lead didn’t last long as the Trottingham teen pushed himself in order to match Spike’s pace. They arrived almost simultaneously, Spike only able to win by a nose due to the lesser weight he was carrying. Both boys came through the door panting heavily and covered in sweat. “I get first shower!” Spike said before cleverly sprinting upstairs to the bathroom, making sure to grab a towel on the way in, and locking the door.

Pip swore under his breath, “Fuckin’ tosser.” He chuckled as he plopped down on his friend’s couch with a sigh of relaxation. Twilight, who was clad in a black tank top and pale blue jeans, entered the living room with a smile as she greeted Spike’s best friend with a smile and small wave.

“Hey, Pip!”

Pip smiled back and gave a lazy wave. “Oh, ‘ello, love.”

“I’m glad you’re coming with us for spring break.” Twilight said as she sat on a couch adjacent to Pipsqueak. “I am curious, though. Wouldn’t your dad want to show off his pride and joy to his business partners at golf tournaments during spring break?” She teased her lover’s friend, ending the question with a short giggle. Pipsqueak gave a small chuckle at this before speaking.

“No offense, love, but what do you mean, ‘Pride and joy’? I’m the runt o’ the litter. I got two older sisters, and a big brother who are in college. Pop’s taking them to show off, not me. I’m glad, too. I can’t stand the snobs me dad works with. I’d lose the plot if I ‘ad to spend my spring break bein’ their caddy.”

Twilight nodded in agreement. “So would I. Anyways, I’m glad you’re joining us. Spike and you go way back, I know, so consider this your ’initiation’ into the family.” She giggled before continuing, “I’ve gotta grab my bags from upstairs; make yourself at home. There’s some Colt-A-Cola in the fridge.” She gave a friendly smile before heading upstairs to her room, shutting her door behind her.

Pip got up from the couch and wiped the sweat from his brow before walking to the kitchen and searching the fridge for the soda Twilight had mentioned. After being successful in his search, he cracked open a can and chugged the caffeinated drink in one go before letting loose a loud belch, then chuckling at the sound it had produced.

“Nice one!” Spike said from the top of the stairs, clad in a black beater and purple board shorts, completing his ensemble with a pair of flip-flops. “You can use the shower now. Towels are on the counter by the sink. I saved some hot water for you, don’t worry. You’re gonna need it to relax before packing up everyone’s stuff.” Spike snickered, teasing his friend for the bet he lost.

“Aw, stuff it, mate.” Pip responded playfully before grabbing one of his bags and bringing it with him to the bathroom. After his shower, he dressed in red board shorts and a white tank top, showing off his new tattoo. He then went outside to start packing everyone’s bags. “How hard can it be?” He asked himself with a smile. At that moment, Rarity pulled up in her luxury convertible with a smile.

“Oh, Pipsqueak, darling!” She smiled, “Could you help me with my bags?” She asked, gesturing to the baker’s dozen of large suitcases in her backseat. Pipsqueak stared at them, and sighed heavily.

“Fuck my life.”

--------------------------

“Wow, Pip! Thanks for packing all of our bags!” Spike said sarcastically, stifling a laugh as he saw his exhausted friend closing Twilight’s deceptively spacious trunk. Pip was panting heavily, and his arms felt like jelly from lifting Rarity’s massive bags.

“Mate…” Pipsqueak growled between breaths, “Bugger… The fuck… Off.”

After the two friends’ exchange, a honk sounded from down the street. Everyone in the driveway turned their heads to see a pink, Coltswagen beetle. Pinkie rolled down her window to reveal that she had three passengers: Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Bulk Biceps, whom had reluctantly been convinced to tag along for the trip by Fluttershy. “This year’s spring break is gonna be so COOL!” The pink-haired girl yelled enthusiastically, before a much louder honk blared behind her car, belonging to the Apple Family pickup.

The large red truck was being driven by Big Mac, with Applejack riding shotgun. “Hey, y’all!” Applejack hollered with a smile, “We ready to hit the road?”

Twilight nodded and started up her car as Pinkie replied with a well known slogan of hers. “Let’s get this party STARTED! At that moment, Spike, Pip, and Rarity piled into Twilight’s hybrid, the entourage of cars simultaneously pulling out onto the street with Big Mac leading the pack. Pinkie turned her car’s sound system on full volume, blasting a lighthearted beach playlist. They all headed out for the 10 hour drive to Las Pegasus.

------------------

The group had been driving for about 8 hours , so they decided to stop to fill up on gas, get food, and go to the bathroom. The three cars pulled into a gas station with a barren parking lot, save for one beat-up truck with four drunk teenagers sitting on its open tailgate, all of them either puffing cigarettes, chewing tobacco, drinking canned beer, or a combination of the three. They were all wearing sleeveless racing t-shirts, and one of them had a camouflage cap with a fishing hook on the bill. They saw everyone get out and started cat-calling to the girls.

“Check it out, fellas!” One of the drunk good-ol’-boys hollered through a mouth that was missing at least a dozen teeth. “Lookie dem girlies!”

“Hmph! How brutish!” Rarity scoffed at the hick teens that were ogling her and the rest of the girls.

This comment seemed only to encourage them, and they decided to hit on the girls, walking towards them after they dismounted from their truck’s bed. The boy wearing the camouflage cap eyed Fluttershy up and down and whistled loudly, making sure she was the center of attention.

Fluttershy began to tremble as she spoke shakily. “U-Uhm… S-Sir, you’re really c-close to me… Could you p-please, um-?”

“Damn, girlie! You sure got some big hooters.” The boy said with a smirk. Bulk heard this and immediately stood next to of his quiet friend in case he needed to protect her, restraining himself from punching the man just from making such a crude statement. His size alone made the boy shake in his boots, but determined to pick up a date tonight, the redneck proceeded to harass the shy girl before him. “Hows’ about you hop in my truck? Me an’ the boys’ll show you a good time like you ain’t never seen ‘fore.” This caused the other three southerners to laugh hysterically, one of them spilling beer on himself in the process.

The comment made all four of the boys, Pip, Spike, Mac, and especially Bulk, extremely angry. Bulk snarled again, getting in the redneck’s face.

“Hey, don’t talk to Fluttershy that way! You’re not gonna take any of us anywhere!” Spike growled.

“Oh, yeah?” One of the drunkards said with a cocky smirk as he staggered closer to the boy. “An’ if we do, whatcha gonna do ‘bout it? ”

Spike cracked his knuckles as his pupils turned to reptile-like slits. “You really wanna find out?!”

“Listen, you sloshed pikeys!” Pip cut in, “We don’ wanna have to pay your medical bills, so just bugger off and leave the lass alone!” After the boy finished his sentence, he was shoved down by the most overweight drunkard.

Big Mac came to the rescue, easily holding the rowdy boy back. “Listen, y’all. Just go away, we don’t want no trouble.” After Mac said this, however, the intoxicated hick he was holding back puked on his boots and the legs of his jeans. Mac suddenly did something he almost never did: he got angry. His calm expression changed drastically as his brow lowered to a deadly glare. His voice was low and menacing. “Those… Were mah dad’s.... Boots.” His arms tensed dangerously, his thick veins protruding under his skin. He began to shake and growl at an intimidating volume.

“Oh, no…” Applejack said as she stepped back, holding her stetson. “Girls, Ah’d step back if I was you.” The girls quickly obeyed, not willing to get in they way of an angry member of the Apple Family, especially when that member was Big Mac.

Then, in one swift motion, Mac used both hands to grab the boy by the shirt, and hurled him back, making him fall to the ground, impacting it hard as he hit the pavement head-first. He stomped over to him and delivered a kick to the drunkards ribs. One of the hicks stopped Mac by shoving him back a short distance. This triggered the rest of the boys on either side to fight. Pip used his quickness to deliver quick strikes to the rednecks’ abdomens, moving far too fast to be caught by the intoxicated good-ol’-boys. Spike got one of the rowdy teens in a strong headlock before forcing his face to the ground. Big Mac ran back into the middle of the fight and grabbed one of the shit-disturbers by the neck, holding him high in the air, blocking his air supply. Spike was shoved to the ground and held down by one boy, while the other stomped his stomach, making Spike grit his teeth from the pan. Pip came to Spike’s aid, shoulder-charging the boy over with his good arm. Bulk was busy beating down the boy who had harassed Fluttershy, lost in a blind rage. He picked him up by his legs and slammed him on the concrete. He then got the boy in a sleeper hold. Because the redneck was so drunk, he couldn’t get out of it, and passed out from lack of oxygen. Bulk then gave his head a good kick, and finally calmed down. Conveniently enough, all of the other honkeys were knocked out, too, by this point in time. All the girls cheered at the victory, except Applejack, who was desperately trying to calm down her older brother who was still enraged from the vomit on one of his most prized possessions. She had her hands on his chest, standing between him and the man who had voided his stomach on Mac’s hand-me-down cowboy boots, whom Mac was currently glaring daggers at. “Mac, it’s done, it’s over! You can clean off Pa’s boots in the bathroom, ‘kay? It’s alright. Don’t go an’ hurt ‘em anymore, he got the message.” Mac said nothing, merely walking wordlessly inside the convenience store, his muscles still tensed with stoic rage and adrenaline.

Pip and Spike looked at eachother and nodded in silent agreement before simultaneously announcing that they were going inside the convenience store to get snacks. Rainbow and Pinkie elected themselves to tag along. While Pinkie and her prismatic-haired girlfriend were just looking for snacks, Spike and Pip went over to talk to Mac, who had bought some disposable wipes to clean his boots.

“Hey, uh…” Spike said cautiously. “Do you want us to hel-”

“No.”

They both stood still. They knew it was bad; Mac didn’t even say ‘Eenope.’ They looked at each other with worried expressions as Mac walked outside and sat down, taking off his boots to begin cleaning them with the wipes.

The two quickly grabbed armfuls of snacks before meeting Pinkie and Dash at the store’s checkout the four unloaded all of their unhealthy deliciousness on the counter before the cashier began to ring them up. They thanked him and Pinkie paid for everything before they made their way towards the cars, where Pip and Spike saw something shocking unfolding in front of Pinkie’s car.

Fluttershy was crying, and Bulk, of all people, was comforting her. With WORDS.

“Fluttershy, it’s okay. Everything’s fine, alright? They’re not gonna bother us anymore.” He said as he gave his upset friend a reassuring hug. Fluttershy used the sleeve of her sweater to wipe her tears, and smiled softly, hugging him back.

“Thank you, Bulk. If you and the other boys hadn’t stepped in, I probably would’ve broken down completely. I was so scared.”

“I know, but everything’s alright now. Everyone’s safe.” Bulk smiled at his friend before he noticed the many pairs of eyes on him. His pulse began to quicken, and Fluttershy noticed his mood change. She quickly took action.

“Bulk, it’s okay. They’re friends.”

”B-But… I… I-I…”

Fluttershy put a dainty hand on his shoulder. “Bulk, it’s alright. Trust me. Everyone here is your friend. We won’t judge you. You;re safe here.” She gave him a genuine smile, and once he saw it, he gave a slow nod, knowing that somehow, it would be okay.

Pip smiled and approached him. “Don’t be scared, mate! I honestly didn’t even know you could talk, no offense. But now that I know, it just means we can talk and be good mates.” The boy smiled and bumped knuckles with Bulk. Spike was the next one to speak.

“Yeah, dude! We’re your friends, we’re here for you. And if you want to keep this on the down-low, we will.”

“”Hey, guys!” Pinkie almost screamed with excitement, “You wanna know what’s really cool about Bulk? He’s super-duper smart!” Pinkie beamed before adding, “I bet he knows just as much as Twilight does, if not more!”

Twilight’s eyes lit up at Pinkie’s statement, which Rainbow noticed, causing her to snicker before jokingly saying, “Oh, great! Now we have two eggheads!” This caused everyone to laugh, releasing any anxieties that were still in Bulk’s system.

Bulk’s chest felt light as he began to recognize a familiar feeling, the same feeling he had felt when he felt he could trust Pinkie with his true identity. He felt safe. He had friends. His face lit up with a smile before he thanked his new friends. “Thank you all so much for accepting me the way I really am. I used to think that nobody would accept my true persona, and then I met Fluttershy, who helped me entrust Pinkie Pie with my secret, and now, thanks to her, I feel that I can trust all of you.” He turned to his pink-haired friend and gave her a sincere, friendly hug. Soon after this exchange, everybody got settled into their assigned car. Their next stop: The Las Pegasus Five-Star Vacation Resort.

--------------------

Pip pulled his VIP Blackcard out of his wallet and swiped it in the reception machine. Everybody’s face lit up in awe.

“You have a Blackcard?!” Spike asked in amazement. “I mean, I knew your dad was loaded and everything, but damn! That’s some high-roller shit!” Spike’s profanity earned him a slap on the arm from Twilight. “Ow! What’d I do?” Spike asked, rubbing his now sore arm.

“We’re in one of the most prestigious resorts in the world, Spike! Watch your language!” Twilight said to Spike in a motherly tone.

The scolding Spike was receiving from his girlfriend caused Rainbow and Pipsqueak to laugh. After their short fit of laughter, Pip reassured Twilight in a lax tone. “Don’t worry about that, love. They don’t care as long as they’re getting paid. And trust me, they are definitely getting paid.” As Pip finished speaking, three bellhops walked into the lobby, all stopping in front of Pip.

The tallest of the three hotel staff cleared his throat before speaking. “Good evening, Mr. Coltwick. I see you have a large party with you tonight. You would like the penthouse keys, correct?”

“You read my mind, mate.” Pip smirked and slipped a $100 bill into the bellhop’s vest pocket before pointing out the party’s cars in the parking lot. The bellhops handed out black key cards to each member of the group before heading out to the parking lot. They all stared in amazement, except for Pip, who was used to this kind of thing. Pipsqueak turned to his friends before giving them a tired smile. “I dunno about all of you, but I’m bloody tired. Let’s get in the elevator, our bags will be in the penthouse in a few minutes.” The group followed the Trottingham boy, still in disbelief of his family’s prestigious status.

-------

Pinkie dropped her bag and leapt into the air before landing on the large, soft bed. “Dashie~” She cooed cheerily, “Come cuddle with me!” Meanwhile, her girlfriend was walking around the penthouse in awe.

“Hang on, bubblebutt!” Rainbow replied to her girlfriend. “Let’s look around this place! It’s huge!”

“Yeah, this place is massive! This is awesome, Pip!” Spike seconded Rainbow’s excitement before thanking his friend.

Pip responded to his friends’ curiosity and wonderment with an exhausted laugh. “Thanks, mate. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m gonna get some shut eye. All blokes, when you’re ready to turn in for the night, we’re all staying in the first room on the right. Lasses sleep in the first room on the left.” He said, pointing to each room as he mentioned them.

“Ah’m a might tired, Ah’ll explore this place in th’mornin’. Night, y’all!” Applejack said before walking into the girls’ room.

“Eeyup.” Big Mac seemed to feel the same way as his sister did, and walked with slouched shoulders into the boys’ room.

“I’m pretty tired, too. Goodnight, everyone.” Fluttershy said, stifling a yawn as she joined Applejack.

Bulk stretched his muscles, stiff from the long car ride, before wordlessly joining Pip and Mac in the boys’ sleeping chambers.

The remaining five of the group all sat together on a large, semi-circled couched that was set in front of a state-of-the-art home entertainment system, except for Rarity, who was currently searching the mini-bar’s refrigerator for a bottle of wine. She joined the rest of the group carrying five wine glasses and a bottle of wine that was so fancy the name was impossible to pronounce. She skillfully poured a serving in each glass before handing them out. Everyone thanked her as she sat down, and they began to chat idly.

“I can’t believe Pip hooked us up with the entire penthouse! This week is gonna be awesome!” Spike said before taking a gulp from his glass of wine, making a sour faced as his tongue analyzed its taste. He made a pained face as he swallowed the mouthful of wine. “Yuck! How can anybody drink this stuff?” He asked as he looked up from his glass to find Twilight and Rarity stifling laughter. “What’s so funny?” He asked in confusion.

“You’re supposed to sip wine, not gulp it, dear.” Rarity said, still trying to smother her giggles.

“Oh…” Spike said in realization before taking a small sip from his already half-empty glass, smacking his lips after he swallowed it. “Huh. Not bad.”

“Well, now that we taught the freshman how to drink wine” Twilight teased her boyfriend before raising her glass high in the air and declaring to her friends. “A toast, to a fun and trouble-free spring break!”

Rainbow smirked as the five friends clinked glasses. “I’ll drink to that.” She then proceeded to guzzle her entire glass of wine, wearing a lazy smile after swallowing the last drop. “Oh, that’s good.” Rarity looked appalled at the ‘unladylike’ act that Rainbow had performed, but decided to say nothing.

The bottles went down one by one, and one by one, Rarity, Pinkie, and Rainbow stumbled into their sleeping quarters, leaving Spike and Twilight alone on the couch. Since neither of them had drank as much as the others, they were only slightly buzzed, still fully coherent, but extremely tired. They cuddled each other wordlessly on the couch, kissing eachother occasionally. Eventually, Twilight fell asleep in Spike’s lap, blissfully relaxed against his firm, warm body. Eventually, Spike began to feel the effects of sleep himself, and he carefully stood from the couch, carrying Twilight in his arms. Not wanting to risk waking anybody, he looked around the penthouse for an extra bedroom. He found one through the door next to the boys’ room. He set Twilight down on the king size bed in the middle of the room before laying down next to her. He closed his eyes as he began to drift off to sleep next to his lover. As his brain began to coast into a dream-like state, he could only utter one word to describe how he felt as he began his freshman-year spring break.

“Perfect.”

Author's Notes:

I'm very happy that I got this chapter out earlier than expected, and I'm even happier that it turned out to be a fairly long one. As always, check out Ringmaster's page, he's an amazing guy to work with! Leave a like if you enjoyed! Next chapter is coming soon!

Deuces!