Spike, the Black, Scratchy Unicorn

"Spike? Spike! Spiiiike...." a black hoof waved in front of the Thugicorn's face.

"Huh? Oh! Ummm.... fifty! Red? Blueberries! What was the question again?" Spike bowed his head.

Bruce shook his head, whinnying. "Spike, pay attention to what you're doing! If you keep this up, you'll never be a proper Thugicorn."

Spike sighed. "It's so hard, though!"

Bruce stared at his apprentice. "It is the job of young, black scratchy unicorns to become Thugicorns and protect the pink fluffy unicorns."

"I know, I know. But still! Training is sooo hard," Spike whined.

"You want hard?" Bruce growled. "Why don't I send you on a mission to the lower, human realms under the rainbows? THEN you'll know hard."

Spike's eyes grew wider than the sun. "Don't send me down there!" He trembled, looking down at the endless sea of clouds and sky. "I promise I'll pay attention! Just give me one more chance!" He plead.

Bruce rolled his eyes. "Fine. But your chance clouds are blowing away very, VERY fast," he warned. "This is, what? The tenth time I've had to tell you to pay attention in the span of two weeks?" He shook his head. "I've never had a worse apprentice."

"You actually count?!" Spike marveled.

Bruce face-hoofed. "Just pay attention to what I tell you. And your training." He muttered.

Spike nodded. "I promise! What were we doing, again?"

"You know what? Take the rest of today off. You've already wasted over half the day drifting off into whatever daydream inside your head. Come back tomorrow with a better attitude."

"But I wanna learn how to be a Thugicorn! I wanna be all tough and strong and heeeeyaaah!" Spike attempted a jump kick, and landed, belly flopped, on the rainbow. "Ouch." He scrambled up from his splayed position.

"Go home, Spike. Come back fresh, tomorrow," Bruce shook his head, and Spike took his leave.

"Aww look at Spike! He got sent home from training! Again!" Alpha, one of his peers, teased.

"Heeheehee! Lookit! Spike must be on detention!" Bishop smirked.

"Spiiike! Ohhh Spiiiiike! Have you been sleeping on the job again?" Charcoal snickered.

Spike looked their way, hanging his head low. "I'm NOT on detention and I most definitely have NOT been sleeping on the job!" He galloped away before they could continue. "Don't cry," he told himself, "don't cry."
He made it to the Thugicorn stables before the tears began flowing. "Why can't I be more like Razor?" He grumbled. "He always does everything right! And he aced Thugicorn training with flying colors!" Spike spotted a few cans of paint- colored white and pink, for the pink fluffy unicorn stables. "The fairies must've left them out," he murmured, an idea forming in his brain. He slipped a can each of white and pink paint into his stall, and began painting himself.

"Spike! What are you doing?!" Razor growled. "That looks soooo dumb. Are you trying to become a pink, fluffy unicorn?!" He guffawed. "You're just turning an unsightly shade of gray! You'll become a gray boring mehnicorn if you keep this up!" Razor galloped away.

Probably to spread the news. Spike thought. He felt his face flush, and for once, he was glad to be black. Nobody could see him blush. "I should've thought this out before starting," he muttered, searching for a raincloud to wash himself off.

"Seee? Look at Spike!" Razor pointed a hoof and laughed at his brother. True to Spike's prediction, Razor had brought his friends back home to gawk at his brother.

"That's enough, boys!" a voice boomed over the mocking snickers. Everybody turned, to see Bruce glaring and snorting at the teenaged Thugicorns. "Don't you have jobs to do? Scram, before I report you to your supervisors!"

Nobody moved.

"I said, SCRAM!"

The Thugicorns scattered, and Bruce marched up to his apprentice, shaking his head. "I had a feeling."

"What? That I'd try to paint myself?" Spike grumbled.

"No, not that. I had a feeling they'd harass you about getting sent home. But seriously, kid, what were you thinking?! "

"I saw the paint, and...."

"And you thought you'd try being a pink, fluffy unicorn." Bruce rolled his eyes.

"They look so nice! Thugicorns look so black. And scary. And sometimes act so mean..."

Bruce shook his head again. "We're only mean if necessary. That was actually one of my lessons for you today," he nudged Spike's head with his own. "Most of the time we just guard the rainbows so the red, wispy firecorns or green, prickly envycorns don't fight with the pink, fluffy unicorns."

"But Razor..."

"Razor is Razor. That's why he's a Thugicorn. He's sharp, and his words cut sometimes, like his name, but all in all, he's not a bad thugicorn." Bruce explained. "I didn't train him, so he won't be as good as you'll be, when you've finished your training, but that'll give you something to look forward to, eh? Being better than your older brother?"

Spike nodded. "I guess."

"C'mon, kiddo, it's just one day out of many, today. You'll get better."

"I'm not sure I want to be a Thugicorn." Spike blurted

"Well, if not that, then what?"

"Maybe a Dreamkeeper." He hung his head. "I know I'm always daydreaming in my lessons, so I guess I thought if I could work with dreams...."

"You'd be more focused?" Bruce shook his head. "You're young, Spike. It's only natural you want to explore. But trust me, you'll make a great Thugicorn someday."

"Is that a no?"

"You know what? I'll ask Duke if he has any apprenticeship openings. If he does, go ahead and switch. If you decide you don't like it, though, your spot will always be here for you, Spike."

Spike jumped up and licked his teacher. "Thank you thank you thank you! You're the best teacher ever, Bruce."

Bruce gave a grudging smile. "Let's just get you cleaned up. Can't have you looking like a mehnicorn going to meet Duke."


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