Gridlocked

by The Young and Free Dragon

Chapters

Prologue: Musings On A Gemstone
Pinkie Pie Surprise
Somepony Better
Not So Far

Prologue: Musings On A Gemstone

This is my first attempt so please bear with me. Please read, review, and enjoy.

GRIDLOCKED
BY THE YOUNG AND FREE DRAGON

I watched you walk away
Hopeless, with nothing left to say
I strain my eyes
Hoping to see you again

-My Curse by Killswitch Engage

CHAPTER ONE: MUSINGS ON A GEMSTONE

Spike gnawed at the gemstone that he had been sent as an anonymous present. He had been suspicious of the present when he received it but he was overjoyed to see a stone inside. With his sharp little teeth at work now, trying to break piece off. It taste extremely sweet but it was extremely hard. He had of course wondered who had sent it, but because the stone was in a heart shape, he was sure it was sent by Rarity or Fluttershy. One of the two girls had to have noticed his subtle advances and decided to return it. Maybe both of them at the same time. Spike's teenage mind liked that idea. But he shook it off. It didn't matter to him. He liked both of them, he just wanted a female companion. Even though Twilight Sparkle had discouraged him from getting involved with anyone but dragons.

She hypothesized that he would live far longer than any of them. He didn't like to think about this, but he pushed it away for the sake of his hormones. He would deal with it when it came. Twilight was always giving him suggestions on things like this. She seemed to think of herself as his big sister and while he liked to think of her that way (maybe little sister) she wasn't, so he didn't exactly have to take what she said into account. He wasn't obligated to.

After a few more moments of chewing at it he growled at it in frustration. It was delicious, but tasting it wasn't enough. He wanted the gemstone in his stomach and to feel the solid feeling it gave him in his gut. He took it out of his mouth, tapping it and listening to the solid sound it made. Very hard, much harder than any other gemstones he'd ever had or seen. He took it up to the library, meaning to research the stone but as he licked it's surface as he searched for a book about gemstones, his stomach growled louder and he lost patience.

He went and got a hammer and nail and returned to the stone. He began drumming on it's surface, at first not very hard (not having any doubts of his own strength) and then pounding on it as hard as he could but he didn't chip it or make a crack. Soon he began trying a long list of objects on it, all sharp or blunt, trying to crack the stone.

Outside the door, Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy arrived. Twilight had been listening intently to what Shy had been saying. You had to listen fairly closely anyway because she stammered a lot, but it also concerned Spike.
“So if you wouldn't mind... could you please... you know, if you don't have anything more important to do... talk to or... maybe... tell Spike that I'm not really... interested in him the way... he is in me. I mean I'm flattered and all... but I just want to... know about dragons not know their... well...”
Twilight was surprised Shy had actually made a sexual suggestion and chuckled, trying to reassure her that her attempt at a joke was well received.
“I understand.” Twilight said. “I'll talk to him.”
“Oh thank you! Thank you!” Fluttershy said, hugging her friend.

Twilight nodded and entered the house, calling Spike's name. She followed a trail of blunt and sharp objects, concluding that the young dragon was trying to break something. When she found him in the library, he was sitting on the floor, dazed. She saw the heart shaped gemstone and concluded that after trying several different things, he had tried his own forehead as the solution to the hard gem. While she had to admit his head was pretty hard, it wasn't in the sense to solve his problem and seemed to have caused him more pain and frustration so far. She summoned a bucket of water and tossed it in his face. He shook his head and gripped his throbbing cranium.
“Ow, what happened?” He asked looking around.
“It seems that gemstone is giving you problems. Where did you get it?” Twilight asked.
“Oh, it was sent by Fluttershy.” Spike said proudly and after a skeptical look from his pony companion, he added; “Or Rarity.”
“Or?”
“It was sent anonymously.” He said.
“Then how do you know it was either of them?” She asked, though she was already searching her books for some information on the gemstone.
“Who else would have sent it? They've obviously begun to notice my charm and decided to play along.”
“I see... well that charm is something we need to talk about.” Twilight said and once she found the gem in one of her books, she quickly skimmed it, not bothering to read its history or information and getting straight to how to crack it. “Bite it in the very middle of the two humps.” She said.
Spike went to gnawing at the center of the heart.
“Okay,” He said, mouthful of gemstone. “What about it?”
“Well Fluttershy was talking to me and she said you've been... hitting on her and that she'd like it if you'd st-...”
“Got it!” He exclaimed, cutting her off as he broke a piece off and popped the gem into his mouth, chewing at it unsuccessfully for a moment before gritting his teeth and swallowing the hollow thing. It got stuck in his throat and he began to hack and cough.

Twilight jumped as he began choking and rushed over hitting him on his back, trying to help him get it down. It didn't work at first and he fell over on his back and Twilight pulled him up against her and used her fore hooves and fore legs to squeeze his stomach, trying to get him to cough it up. It slowly rose as a large lump in his throat before he spat it out in a puff of green smoke. He sat back and sighed, while Twilight covered her head as the gemstone bounced off the walls twice before coming back at Spike's open mouth and going straight down to his stomach. He lay there on the ground, knocked back from the impact, staring at the ceiling. Twilight loomed over him, trying to awake him from the trance.
“Spike, Spike! Wake up!” She cried, shaking him.
He blinked and then shook his head. “Wow, this gem is great!” He exclaimed, rubbing his stomach where it rested.

Twilight sighed in relief. After a fraction of a second Spike suddenly blinked and his pupils became a hazy pink color. His stomach tried to digest the gem in stomach and as it did, clouds of pink smoke drifted up through his body, getting into his lungs and his nose, and into his head, creating clouds over his mind. He sighed, letting out a puff of pink smoke instead of green and then looked up at Twilight in surprise before his mind registered who she was and and where she was in relativity to him and he smiled.
“Whoa, Twilight... Are we about to begin?”

Pinkie Pie Surprise

Thanks for all the kind comments guys. Check my blog for information on any mistakes (not grammatical).

GRIDLOCKED
BY THE YOUNG AND FREE DRAGON

This is my curse
(The longing)
This is my curse
(The yearning)
This my curse

-My Curse by Killswitch Engage

CHAPTER ONE: PINKIE PIE SURPRISE

“And then he said; 'Whoa Twilight... are we about to begin?'!” Twilight said, through her gasps for air. She'd been hyperventilating for the past thirty minutes.
“Whoa now! Spike said that?” AppleJack asked, surprise crossing her face.
“Yes! Who have I been talking about?!” Twilight snapped. “What do I do?!”
“Well,” AJ said, drawn back by her friend's harsh tone but ignoring it. “If it's my opinion you're wantin', I'd suggest a swift kick in the hindquarters.”
Twilight had considered that. But it wouldn't be the right thing to do. “No that's not quite it...”
She had begun to think AJ was the wrong person to come to about this. But it would have been extremely awkward to go to FlutterShy (even though she might have already dealt with this). AJ was the only one Twilight could think of that she could get an honest opinion out of, but AppleJack's opinion wasn't very helpful.
“Well, what did you do after he said that... that strange thing?” AJ asked.
“I... well...” Twilight wasn't sure how to put it.

It was hard for her to say that she had screamed and kicked him in the stomach, pushing him across the floor and charging out of the door. He had followed, and Twilight was ashamed to admit she had hidden from him, but she couldn't help. She was overwhelmed by what he had said, what he had... implied.
“I pushed him away and ran away.” She said finally.
“That's all?” AppleJack cried, and put a foreleg over Twilight's shoulders. “Sugar Cube, that ain't gonna be enough. You gotta put him in his place. Show 'em who's boss.”
“Who's boss?” Twilight Sparkle asked.
“Right.” AJ nodded. “He ain't got no place sayin' such things to you.”
“Well... he was a bit confused I think... I mean he had just gotten strangled on a gemstone and...” Twilight trailed off.

The gemstone. It was in the shape of a heart. Maybe it had something to do with it? Perhaps it had cast some spell over him that caused him to fall in love with her on sight? It was a long shot and she had never heard of anything like it but she also knew no bounds to magic, so why not?
“And?” AJ prompted, snapping Twilight out of her thoughts.
“I think I might know why he said that. He might have been under a spell of some sort.”
“Are you sure?” Apple Jack asked, tilting her head. “He is growin' into a teenager.”
“Of course, it's clear to me now.” Twilight nodded, though her face gave away that she obviously was completely lost as to if her idea was right.
“Alright, hun.” AJ said, shrugging and sitting back. “But you let me know if I need to kick the boy.”
“I will, thanks for talking with me.” Twilight nodded and raced off.

She didn't feel safe going back home, at least not armed with a little more knowledge (and maybe AppleJack). But she lived in the library, how was she to gather any? Her only idea was to try and find out who sent the gem. She decided to start with Rarity. She was almost completely sure that the stylist wouldn't have sent that stone to Spike, but it would be one step closer to solving the problem if she went ahead and confirmed her suspicions. She knocked at Rarity's door and waited. It wasn't long before the pony opened the door.
“Oh, hello Twilight. What can I do for you, dear?” She asked, inviting her friend in.
“Well, I just came to ask. Have... you... er...” Twilight trailed off.

How exactly could she ask this? Rarity would most likely deny it without any proper reason to believe that her 'plan' didn't work. Of course there was close to no chance that she would have sent the gem but it was a possibility however slim.
“Have I?” Rarity prompted.
“Oh I'm sorry, Rarity.” Twilight said. “I... I seem to have forgotten what I was going to ask.”
“Ah, well maybe some tea will jog your memory.” Rarity said. “I'll make some.”
She invited Twilight to sit at the kitchen table as she put a tea pot to boil.

Twilight finally found a way word her question as Rarity rambled on about nothing in particular and the warm water was poured into her tea cup with the tea bag and the scent of the tea wafted up to Twilight's nose.
“How has searching for your Prince Charming gone?” The purple unicorn asked.
“Oh... it's gone I suppose you could say. Not much progress, but it's hard to find the proper stallion around here. And there's only one, you know.”
“Yes... have you considered someone other than a stallion?” Twilight asked, tilting her head.
“Other than a stallion...?” Rarity asked, confused before blushing and looking away. “Oh Twilight! Dear, I love you to pieces, but not-...”
“Oh no, no!” Twilight cried, blushing as well. “I meant like someone other than a pony.”
“A Pegasus is always in season.” Rarity shrugged.
“Something non-equine.”
“We don't have much around here other than drag-... Twilight, did Spike put you up to this? Did he ask you to vouch for him?”
“No, why do you ask?” Twilight asked, playing dumb.
“Well, I would have thought he would have told you, but he's made... advances towards me.”
“What sorts of advances?”
“Nothing too strong, I assure you. But he does try and flirt with me.”
“So... are you accepting his... advances?” Twilight asked.
“What?!” Rarity cried, and turned her nose up. “No! Absolutely not! He's just a boy!”
“A teenager now.” Twilight corrected.
“That still doesn't change anything. Spike is sweet but I'm looking into stallions, not dragons that are years younger than me.”
“Alright, alright.” Twilight nodded. “I get it. But then would you do anything... to you know try to keep his confidence up? I mean you must not want to hurt his feelings, right?”
“But of course, I'm not stone cold Twilight.” Rarity replied. “I've accepted his gifts and complimented his appearance.”
“Anything else? Maybe like an anonymous present. To try and draw his attention away from you?”
“Not at all.” Rarity replied and then put a hoof to her chin. “But that actually sounds like a good idea.”
“Eh, you don't have to worry about it. Somepony is already taking care of it.” Twilight said, convinced now Rarity had no part in the gift.
“I don't understand.” Rarity said, tilting her head.

Twilight sighed. She didn't want to hide anything from her friend, especially if she had no hoof in the matter. But she did not want to detail what exactly had happened. So she took the easy approach.
“Spike received some sort of gift that has... changed his attention to another.” Twilight said.
Rarity perked up at the idea. “Really? Do you know who?”
Twilight paused for a moment. “...Yes.”
“Who?” Rarity prompted.
“They... er... wanted to remain anonymous for the sake of their own feelings for Spike.” Twilight lied, biting her tongue in half afterward. It felt so bad to lie to her friend, but she had no idea exactly how far this problem stretched out before her, and she didn't want to give away too much information about it.
“Ah, well I'm glad to hear someone has it for Spike.” Rarity said. “As I said, he's a sweet boy, but that's what he is... just a boy.”
“Mmm...” Twilight said, looking down for a moment before looking up. “Well I have to go Rarity. Thanks for chatting with me.”
“So soon dear?”
“Yes, I have some studies to catch up on.”
“Alright.” Rarity shrugged. “Good luck.”

[][][]

Twilight was quiet and discreet as she crept toward the library. It was eleven and almost every pony had gone to sleep or tucked into their homes. She had asked several ponies if they had seen or talked to Spike today. None had so far. That could be good or bad. Judging from the way he had raced after her, calling her name in a love struck voice, and not even mentioning the kick she gave him. It was all so unlike him. And if nobody had seen him, that meant he was in the library, still searching (and hadn't thought of the obvious way to find her; ask the other ponies), or was up to something. She kept glancing over her shoulder and checking around for Spike.

She was so sure she would see Spike as soon as she opened her front door, that she screamed when Pinkie Pie appeared right in front of her face as the lights came on and party balloons flew up to the ceiling, confetti danced in the air, and everyone yelled; “Surprise!”.
“Are you surprised? Are you?” Pinkie asked, bouncing up and down.
“I... S-Sure...” Twilight gasped, taking deep breaths and holding a hoof to her racing heart.
“Yay! I knew she would be! I told you she would be surprised! I told you!” She said to Rarity who was standing nearby.
“Yes,” Rarity simply agreed and pulled Twilight inside. “Come on dear. Enjoy the party.”
“What's... it... for?” Twilight gasped.
“Oh, I can answer that!” Pinkie said as she bounced along beside them. “I threw it because it's the anniversary of when you moved here and we all became friends. You remember that, don't you?”
“Oh... oh yeah. I remembered.” Twilight said.

She really hadn't thought a thing about it. Ever since returning early this morning from practicing a new spell, she hadn't had time to think about anything because of this whole new mess.
“Where does the time go?” Rarity asked.
“I'm pretty sure there's a spell I can use to bring time back.” Twilight said, regaining her breath and trying to play along.
“Nah,” Apple Jack said, approaching them. “Friends only get better with age.”
Twilight was pretty sure Rarity wouldn't mind turning back a few years for the very few wrinkles she had, but she wasn't given time to express this opinion.
“I agree.” Said a familiar dragon, pushing through the crowd and smiling at Twilight.
As she looked into his eyes, she noticed they were still light pink. As she glanced around the room nervously, she noticed chunks of red gemstone lying on the stairs and she heard not a growl from Spike's stomach, though he usually snacked close to midnight if he was awake.
“Do you want to dance?” He asked Twilight.
“How would you manage that with a pony-...” AppleJack began, trying to protect her friend, but Pinkie Pie cut her off, hopping up to Spike.
“Absolutely! Let's go!” She shouted, grabbing Spike and pulling him into the midst of the crowd.
Twilight sighed. This was one of the few times she was happy for Pinkie's not listening.

Somepony Better

Once again, thanks for the comments. A special thank you to Cerulean Starlight for catching mistakes I missed.

GRIDLOCKED
BY THE YOUNG AND FREE DRAGON

There is love
Burning to find you
Will you wait for me?
Will you be there?

-My Curse by Killswitch Engage

CHAPTER TWO: SOMEPONY BETTER

Twilight's head slid off her hoof, and her face landed in her book, interrupting her snoring. She sat up, looking around wildly for a moment and then sighed. A frown crossed her face as she realized she had been up all night, looking for answers to her problem with Spike. Thankfully Pinkie Pie had worn him out last night, and he'd fallen asleep towards the end of the party. She hated avoiding Spike so much, but she was afraid he would make another... suggestion. Even worse, what if he made a move at her? She could barely contain the urge to kick him right now, let alone stop herself if that happened. She pressed her hooves to her temples and rolled them in circles.

She had to calm down. This was Spike after all. Her baby brother... practically. He'd been with her for so long now, it at least seemed that way. When she thought about him, she sometimes even forgot he was a dragon until the image of him popped up in her head to remind her. She often imagined a young, handsome stallion. She sometimes wished that was what he was, but pushed the thought away. He was like a little brother. And as her mind became satisfied with that thought, another part whispered; like.

She pushed it all away. She still hadn't figured out what he had been up to while she had been hiding from him, and she still had no idea what she would do to avoid him. She glanced up at the clock and began to panic even more. Spike usually got up in thirty minutes or so. She almost bolted for the door, but stayed her hooves and bit her lip, forcing herself to think. She had studying to do. She was (as always) a little ahead with her study, but she had given no friendship report and she had been giving one every day for the past week or so. Another report or at least an explanation was expected (not required but...).

She grit her teeth and glanced toward the bedroom where they slept. She had to work with Spike today. If not, she would be letting Celestia down, and that simply wouldn't do. She knew of course her mentor would understand, but she'd rather not explain the circumstances behind it. She heard a thump as Spike rolled out of bed and her muscles tightened. He arrived in the library, smacking his lips, trying to rid them of the taste of morning. His eyes were half lidded and she couldn't quite tell from where she was what color his eyes were and she didn't want to come any closer.
“Good morning Spike.” She said nervously.
“Morning.” He said, rubbing his eyes. “What has you up so early?”
“Oh, just getting an early start on what we missed yesterday.” She said, with a small smile.
“We're ahead though, what's the rush?” He asked, starting to walk a bit closer.

Twilight quickly used her magic to drop a load of books in his arms as he approached, stopping him from getting too near. She felt a twinge of guilt over pushing him away but she couldn't help herself. It was all she could do to stop herself from freaking out on him.
“I mean to stay ahead. Can you begin looking through these for a flower like this one?” She said, hovering a book over him, opened to a page of a dark blue flower. She really didn't need to know about the flower, but it was the best she could pull out of thin air.
“I haven't had breakfast yet.” Spike complained, standing up and brushing himself off.
“Well... just grab something to snack on and bring it up here. Nothing messy!”

She didn't mind getting him out of there, though he seemed to be acting as he normally did. As he left to grab something, she suddenly realized her mistake and rushed downstairs slamming the cupboard door shut as Spike was about to reach in for something.
“Hey, what gives?” He asked, frowning at her.
“Let me get you something.” She said.

There was no way she was going to let him get another piece of the gemstone, if he had indeed returned to normal. Spike sighed.
“I can handle it myself, Twilight.”
“I know, I just want to do it for you. I'll make us some flower pancakes for us both.”
“Isn't that all sticky? Didn't you want things non-messy?”
“We can stay down here and eat and wash up afterward.”
“I thought you wanted to get an early start on our work?” Spike asked, raising and eyebrow, becoming suspicious.
“Oh it can wait.” She said, nervously and rushing over to get some bowls and began mixing the batter. “I'd like to have a nice breakfast with you.”

She knew she was making a spectacle of herself and she hated it, but she hadn't had time to think everything through. Spike crossed his arms and frowned at her nodding and agreeing. Once she had finished mixing it, she set the batter out on the counter and looked around the kitchen for some flower petals to season it with. There were none that looked particularly good this morning.
“I'm going to get some flowers from the market for the batter.” She said.
“Ah, Twilight!” Spike groaned, his stomach letting out a moan as well.
“And you're coming with me.” She said, opening the door and stepping out.
“Why do I have to?”
“You need the exercise. Come on.”
“Ugh alright.” He groaned, shaking his head. “Hold on just a minute.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow but nodded and glanced around outside as she waiting. It was a few quiet minutes before he appeared outside. They set off for the market and Twilight found some rather tasty looking flowers and they returned without much event. Spike stirred as she put the pedals in and she began making the pancakes. Once finished they sat at the table with a pile of pancakes each as Twilight summoned the syrup and poured some on Spike's cakes for him. He thanked her and quickly began digging into his. Twilight didn't feel that hungry. She was tired and worried about this whole thing. It seemed to have passed, but she would have to get rid of the gem discretely, as well as find out who sent it, just in case they sent more. As she thought of this and stared at her pancakes, she noticed a red dot on one.

It was rather large and the flower she had used was white. She summoned her fork and used it to dig the dot out. It turned out to be a chunk of a hard red stone. She let out a squeal and pushed the pancakes away with her magic, a little too hard and splattered them all over Spike and his surroundings.
“Twilight...” Spike began, lifting one of the pancakes off of his eye but she cut him off.
“What's this?!” She cried, levitating the stone at his eye level.
“A piece of the gemstone. I thought it might spice of the pancakes and it did.” He said.

Twilight had to grit her teeth from crying out in fear and frustration. She began calming herself in her mind. Okay, so he put it in. You didn't eat any. Spike got through about one and a half of his pancakes, so it probably didn't add up to as big of a piece as he ate earlier that caused him to act the way he did. He isn't showing signs now, maybe it isn't enough to trigger that in him.
“How do you feel?” She asked, tilting her head.
“Um... fine...” He said, tilting his head as well.

Twilight silent whispered; “Okay” to herself and closed her eyes trying to cool her mind down further. As she sighed, relaxed finally by her thoughts she heard something that made her chest tighten up again.
“How about you?”
How about you? Somehow, it just didn't seem like the thing Spike would say. Especially not if he was confused. What he had just asked sounded confident and unfaltering. She opened an eye slowly and saw him resting his chin on his fist, staring at her dreamily. His eyes were now a light pink.

Twilight nearly threw him through the window, but settled for falling back into her seat and readying her hooves to carry her as far away as possible.
“Spike...” She said slowly, cautiously.
“Yes?” He asked, tilting his head.
“Are you... how about... we get to work?”
“Sure thing.” He said, simply.

It was all she could think of. She had no choice. She nodded to herself and they headed upstairs. She directed him to a pile of books and told him to begin searching them for information on the history of the “Running of the Leaves”. She opened a book on gemstones herself and began looking. She didn't remember which book she had found the information before in. Her studying was not made easy by the fact that she could feel Spike's eyes on her, almost every time she looked down into her book, and she kept glancing up at him to make sure that he wasn't watching. If he was, he would quickly put his nose back in his book whenever she looked up. After an hour or so, she decided to test him, to see if he was actually gathering anything useful, or just sneaking peaks at her.
“What have you got so far?” She asked.

He looked up at her, his eyes dreamy as they always seemed to be when under the influence of the stone, and didn't answer.
“Spike!”
He seemed to snap out of it, shaking his head though his eyes still did not go back to normal.
“Oh, yes Twilight?”
“What have you got so far?” She repeated.
He looked down at his book and back up at her.
“Not much really... this book doesn't have anything good in it.”
She had to give him credit, he had thought fast. She couldn't quite counter that but she could try to trap him.
“Then why not move on to this book.” She said, levitating a book called; “The History of the Running of the Leaves”. “In fact, why didn't you start here?”

She could see the gears in his mind turning as he thought of some excuse. She had to say, she preferred this Spike to the one who had previously asked if they were about to have sex. This one seemed a lot less blunt, and more like a clumsy boy, dealing with a huge crush. It still wasn't like Spike, because he was quite confident, but it was at least better.
“You never know what you might find in books like this.” He said, tapping the one he had been pretending to read.
She lifted it so she could see what it was called and raised an eyebrow at him, inwardly sighing to herself.
“Certainly not anything we're looking for. This is a book on leaves.” She pointed out.
“You never know...” He shrugged before burping and with a burst of green fire, a scroll appeared.
He unraveled it and read it out loud: “My faithful student, Twilight. I did not receive a report on your findings yesterday, and I have sent this letter just to check on you. As you well know, you do not have to report everyday, but I was just making sure you were alright since you had kept such steady contact with me. Please respond.”

Twilight placed a hoof on her forehead and sighed. She wished she had something to give Princess Celestia, but she hadn't found out anything, and had been searching for solutions to her own problems. She felt guilty for being so selfish. The least she could do was respond.
“Spike, take a note.” She said, and continued as Spike scrambled for a piece of paper. “Dear Princess Celestia, I am sorry I did not give a report, or send a message yesterday. I was dealing with problems of my own and I forgot to send one. I'm very sorry, and I will make sure to have something for you today.”
She looked to Spike, and was about to tell him to send it when she noticed that Spike was staring at her instead of finishing up the rest of the note.
“Did you get all that Spike?” She asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Oh.” He snapped out of his daze and read back what he had written; “Dear.”
“Spike!” Twilight cried in frustration. “I need you to pay attention!”
“I'm sorry!” He said. “I was noticing your mane looks a bit frizzy... Not that you don't still look good of course!”

Twilight blushed. She wasn't going to argue with a compliment, and as she drew a hoof through her mane subconsciously, it was a bit frizzy and out of shape. Probably from her long night and not grooming herself this morning. She suddenly felt embarrassed for Spike to see her this way, but flattered that he'd been sensitive to say she still looked good, even if she didn't. Did she really? She was about to ask, but cut herself off and closed her eyes, frustrated with herself, before continuing.
“I know Spike, I didn't have time to wash it and comb it out this morning. But that's not-...”
“I think it's more from stress,” He interjected. “Probably from staying up all night, looking for whatever it was you were searching for.”
“That's... How did you know I was up all night? You fell asleep at the party.” She said, tilting her head and giving him a suspicious look.

Spike blushed and scratched the ground with one of his feet. She drew back a little, surprised by the way he was acting. So embarrassed and sensitive... nothing like Spike really. The gem must have been really messing with his head. She felt bad for him, despite herself. He really had no hoof... or claw in the matter. He had just been being himself and someone had put a spell or something on him that had made him go after her. He would probably be revolted if he knew what he was doing. Fear suddenly gripped her stomach. What if the spell or potion, or even the gem itself was deadly? Could it be venomous to a young dragon like Spike? The common cold certainly knocked the kid off his feet...

She was so caught up in thought that she missed Spike's explanation and snapped back to reality whenever she saw him putting on a face that seemed to be asking for something.
“I'm sorry, what?” She asked.
“I hate to see you looking so worse for wear. Could I wash your mane, and brush it while you study?” He asked, looking at her hopefully.

Something about his pleading, pink eyes was hard to resist and for a moment, he looked cute. In what way, Twilight wasn't sure. Maybe cute as in when he was first hatched, or maybe cute as in an attractive sort of way. But either way, she didn't like it and pushed it away, just like everything else. But it was still hard to resist.
“... Okay.” She sighed finally.
She couldn't keep a small smile from forming on her face as his entire body seemed to fill with joy and he hopped up to go and prepare some water to wash her mane. But she had to get some work done. She began searching for the gem again.

[][][]

Twilight was cursing herself as she looked through the book. Spike was brushing her mane and running his claws through it to bring its smoothness back. She had ended up letting him wash her entire body (except down there of course) and she was frustrated once more. She had only let him because he had offered and... well it had felt pretty good with Spike touching her. Not in any sort of sexual way, and she kept telling her brain it wasn't that. It just felt good to have him touching her, whether he was stroking and cleaning her or punching her (not that he had ever done that). Now she couldn't concentrate on the book as he brushed her. Her eyes would run across the words, and once they got to the end of a line, they would keep going, past the edge of the page and to what part of Spike she could see. He had grown quite a lot...She grit her teeth and focused on a single word in her book, trying to get her attention back to the task at hoof.

Suddenly, she had an idea. Of course! She almost yelled. She would have to put one of her friends in an uncomfortable position but she could explain it later. After all, she simply could not concentrate while Spike was around her.

Not So Far

Sorry this is a little late. I took a day off and didn't get much done the next, and this still hasn't been run through my editor but I needed to get an update to the people who enjoy the story. Any changes will be made on Wednesday.

PLEASE READ BEFORE BEGINNING THE CHAPTER: A large part of this chapter may not fit canon, as I've said, I have not seen every episode. Therefore, it probably fits more to the beginning of season one canon than current, or maybe it's correct, I don't know. Also, as I understand there are no rules on the age of the ponies or Spike, so I'll be using my own.

GRIDLOCKED
BY THE YOUNG AND FREE DRAGON

Your silence haunts me
But still I hunger for you

-My Curse by Killswitch Engage

CHAPTER THREE: NOT SO FAR

To make her plan foolproof, Twilight figured she should take a few years off of Rarity. A younger pony should take Spike's attention even more, and she could suggest he keep interest in her without becoming a hypocrite over her own advice. She hadn't decided yet whether she would get him to eat the gemstone and try to project its power over him onto the one he had sought after for a while now. It just depended on how eager he was to see Rarity, she supposed, and that shouldn't be too much of a problem.

“This is certainly a strange spell,” Twilight murmured to herself as she read over the mixture.

Her magic itself would not be the only thing at work. This called for a strange concoction of salts and spices and water that would do the job when energized by her magic. The pony subject would have to bathe in the mixture and would soon be turned a few years younger. That was what the book said, and while it was an old book that she was unsure of, she had learned not to doubt her books. Twilight was surprised to find that she owned all the salts and spices she was required to have to make the mixture.

She collected them and then the book, and headed for Rarity's boutique.

[][][]

“And you're sure this will work?” Rarity asked, her voice betraying her nerves.

“Of course. You want to turn back the clock a few, don't you?” Twilight asked cheerfully.

“Well yes, but...” Rarity murmured. The fashionable mare was hesitant as she placed a hoof in the water. It was warm and smelled nice and inviting. She calmed a bit and stepped in, kneeling down to submerge her body.

“Mmm... this is splendid!” She said as she felt the warm water almost massaging her body as Twilight's horn glowed and she began working the spell.

The water began to swirl around Rarity and the thick salts and spices began to glow. Twilight bit her lip as she concentrated her magic and worked the spell. After a few moments, she opened one eye as the glow left her horn. Her eyes widened a bit as she saw Rarity's new form. Taking her features into account, it really wasn't that surprising, but having never seen the unicorn as a blooming adult was shocking. Her form had shrunk a tiny bit and her eyes seemed a little bigger and expressive, like a child's.

A few of the signs of growing old that Rarity would count as “imperfections” were now gone, and she had the subtle body of a teen, complete with the experience of a young adult's. Rarity looked to Twilight.

“Am I done?” She asked. Twilight just nodded, staring in awe at her friend.

“Oh, I must see myself.” She said excitedly, hopping out of the tub and grabbing a towel, nearly slipping and falling as she rushed for a mirror. She gasped whenever she saw herself and stared in shock for a few moments before letting out a squeal of delight.

“I'm beautiful!” She exclaimed.

“So are you ready to take Spike in then?” Twilight asked, rubbing sweat from her brow.

Rarity frowned but nodded. “To help you and the poor dear? Of course.”

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“Spike, “ Twilight said, shaking the young dragon awake, “Spike wake up.”

“Twilight...” Spike groaned, turning over, “What is it, I thought you said I had the day off?”

“I did but Rarity wants your help at the boutique,” She said.

Spike groaned and rubbed his eyes. “Do I have to?”

Twilight tilted her head in confusion. Normally, Spike would hop out of bed at the first chance to help Rarity. She wondered if he was not feeling well. Could the spell be hurting him? Her stomach lurched.

“Well, she just wanted some help. I don't know how urgent it is.”

“Alright, I'll go,” He sighed, sitting up and getting out of his bed.

Twilight watched him with concern in her eyes as he left, and went to studying with renewed fears.

[][][]

Twilight smiled as she read through a book on gemstones. She was finally making some progress, now that she had Spike out of her mane. The ever present guilt still burdened her, but she knew it was in his best interest, if this spell was hurting, perhaps killing him. She shuddered at the thought of the loss of her assistant. She hadn't found out much, but she was at least able to concentrate. She had learned that the gem came from a special mine in Equestria, where druid ponies had once practiced the magic of love. Love was an ancient magic that was no longer practiced (legally) because of its implications.

The gem itself was made from the residue and memory of that magic, condensed over thousands of years and eventually hardened into a sweet treat. It was now sold as a black market item, and was in a very limited quantity and commanded a high price.

So that confirmed some things for her. One: the gem could not have been sent by anyone in Ponyville, unless they illegally ordered it. Two: it had to be the cause of the loving feelings, because of its black market value. That didn't help much with her worries about whether it was causing him harm. Black market items could not be trusted, of course, but it was doubtful that it was hurtful because it was used as a love potion. Unless of course it wasn't.

The book didn't specify what part of love the magic dealt with, and if it was sold in the black market, it was more likely used as a drug to introduce sexual thoughts into someone's head. She had sent some of the gemstone with Spike as a snack, and was now quite worried. Rarity of course would not accept any sexual invitations, but she didn't want him to damage his pride and friendship with her, when he could not control what had come over him.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door, interrupting her thoughts. She got up and answered, surprised to see Spike with a hazy pink glow in his eyes, and Rarity standing beside him with a hoof on his shoulder, a frown on her face.

“You're looking luminous, Twilight,” Spike said, almost drunkenly.

“Um... thanks, Spike,” Twilight murmured, blushing, “I thought you needed his help, Rarity? It's only been thirty minutes.”

“I thought it best if I brought Spike back. He is... not fit to work. Why don't you go lie down, dear?” She said, directing the last part to Spike.

Spike seemed to begin to protest but Twilight spoke first, “Yes, it's your day off. You shouldn't have to work.”

He didn't protest at all to her, nodding and going up towards their room, staring at her from the stairwell, until Twilight snapped him out of his trance and made sure he got into bed. When she returned, she had a look of worry on her face, and Rarity's face did not soften, meaning there was no good news to give.

“Did he... try something on you?” Twilight asked.

“Not at all. He didn't pay one bit of attention to me,” Rarity said, almost sounding jealous.

“Then why was he not fit to work?” Twilight asked, fearing she already knew the answer.

“Well for one, every pattern I asked him to arrange, turned into one of you, and he also seemed sickly.”

“But he ate the gem didn't he?”

“Yes, he ate it before he started working.”

Twilight Sparkle now felt as though she knew nothing of this strange gemstone, and that perhaps all her work so far was for naught, while Spike continued to suffer from the effects of the spell.

“Okay, thank you for bringing him home.” She said.

“I thought it would be best.” Rarity replied.

There was suddenly a knock at the door. Twilight looked at Rarity in confusion, who only shrugged, and then opened the door. Apple Jack stepped up.

“Twilight, Ah found out somethin' rather interestin',” She said.

“What is it?”

“I was tryin' to gather a bit of information on that gem you were suspectin' was causin' Spike to act so strangely. I heard talk that Pinkie Pie adds a special ingredient to her candies and cakes on Valentines Day. Some ponies say it's a love spell or potion.”

[][][]

Twilight tapped on the door at Sugar Cube corner and was greeted shortly thereafter by Pinkie Pie.

“Oh hey Twilight. Did you stop by for some cupcakes, or muffins, or brownies or...”

Twilight Sparkle could see that Pinkie intended to list everything that she had baked today and possibly every day up until now, so she cut her off to save time.

“Actually, I wanted to talk to you privately for a minute.”

“Okay, sure what about?”

“Privately!” Twilight hissed, gathering more glances from those ponies around her and wondering if she had attracted more attention by being discreet.

Pinkie looked at her for a moment, not understanding before her eyes widened in realization as she held a hoof to her mouth.

“Ohhh...a secret. Shh...hush, hush, right?”

“Right, come on,” Twilight said, pulling Pinkie Pie inside and into the kitchen.

As soon as her grip loosened, the pink pony began closing and locking the windows, fortifying them with objects placed against them and going through all sorts of procedures to keep anyone from hearing or walking in on them. Twilight would have told her that it was not necessary, but she thought it best to just let Pinkie Pie do what came naturally. When she finished, she hopped over and cocked an ear.

“So what's the secret?”

“Actually, I think it's more of your secret,” Twilight corrected. “On Valentines Day, ponies say you add a “special ingredient” to your candy and cakes. Is that true?”

“Well, duh! Of course I do!” Pinkie chimed happily.

Twilight was surprised by her friend's willingness to admit she did in fact add something, but shook it off, considering this was Pinkie Pie.

“What is the ingredient?”

“Well it wouldn't be a secret if I told you, silly!”

Twilight sighed. She could already tell the party pony wouldn't be giving the secret up, at least not without some sort of prompt.

“What if I promised to keep it a secret as well?”

“Oh well, that's different,” Pinkie said happily, before becoming deadly serious. “Come closer.”

Twilight was a bit intimidated by the mood swing, but shook it off and came closer. Pinkie Pie coaxed her closer until she was within breathing proximity.

“Closer,” Pinkie Pie whispered.

“Just tell me already!” Twilight cried in frustration.

Pinkie grabbed Twilight's face in her hooves and pulled her until their foreheads were against one another and shushed her.

“Can you keep a secret?”

“Yes.”

“Promise?”

“Yes.”

“Pinkie promise?”

“Yes!”

“Yes,” Pinkie said, and let go of Twilight, before prancing toward the door.

“What?”

“I do put a secret ingredient in.”

“But what is it?”

Pinkie thought for a moment and then shrugged. “I dunno.”

“Where do you get it, then?”

“Equestria.”

“Can you just give me the information of whoever sells it to you?” Twilight sighed.

“Yup!”

“And why do you put it in, don't you know what it does?”

“Duh! That's why I put it in.”

Twilight sighed once more. She didn't expect Pinkie Pie to understand the problem with controlling other people's emotions. She probably saw it has harmless fun, perhaps a prank.