Aged Scales

Chapters

Sugarcube Conversation
Return of the Dragon
Party Time!
Purple to Blue
Pain and Pleasure
A Reborn Perception
Grief and Messages
To Save Her
The Only Chance
A Dragon's Heart
The Warmth of the Night
Professor Spike
Why? How?
Bickering at the Boutique
Crash Landing

Sugarcube Conversation

It was a sunny morning in Ponyville, with the birds singing and the clouds lazily drifting about. And amongst the many windows on many houses, there was one particular window through which, if one looked at the right angle, a purple unicorn could be seen opening her eyes and arising from her nightly slumber.

Twilight Sparkle gently placed all of her hooves on the floor and slowly climbed out of bed, all the while getting out a long yawn. Her eyes fell on the large basket in which her Number One Assistant and closest friend slept. Or rather, would have slept, if he was there. Spike had gone to Canterlot for his so-called 'Royal Duties' with Princess Luna. Twilight still vividly recalled the last moment she had seen him as he was boarding the train. She was missing him so much and it had only been two weeks. With her beloved assistant gone, she had been working double-time to finish his chores and duties around the library. She missed tucking him in at night, she missed caring for him and she missed him being there to care for her. True, he probably watched out for her more than she did herself. It pained her to think of the fact that there were two more Spike-less weeks that had yet to come.

She kept thinking about Spike as she trotted down the stairs to the kitchen. She made herself a breakfast of dandelions and eggs and ate slowly, knowing that she would need her energy for the hours that lay ahead of her. Oh, how she missed his pancakes. She finished her meal and made her way to her desk. There lay the scroll that had written on it everything that she needed to do for the next three hours. She had promised Rainbow Dash that they'd read the next book in the 'Daring Do' series together at noon today. And today was also the day in which she had to help Applejack with the new harvesting schedule. She reluctantly opened the scroll and watched as it unrolled itself all the way to the nearest bookshelf. She had never realised how hard Spike really worked to finish his chores.

"Note to self," she said out loud. "Change dusting to once a week and arrangement checkups to once every third day."

******

Twilight skipped happily through the Ponyville markets. Only three days remained until Spike returned to Ponyville. She had finished Spike's chores and her own (including a rather lengthy essay on herbal medicines which Princess Celestia had assigned) and was now heading to Sugarcube Corner. She felt that she deserved a treat for today's work. The unmistakable bakery now stood before her, seemingly inviting her to come inside.

******

"You've got to try some of these new butterscotch taffies we just got, 'Shy! They're Butter-ific!" said Pinkie, raising her forelegs into the air for emphasis.

"Oh, I think I've had enough for one day. Thanks anyway, Pinkie Pie." replied Fluttershy, who was standing on the opposite side of the counter.

"Fluttershy," said Pinkie flatly. "You only had a small muffin. Derpy usually eats FIVE of those things at one time. Come on, Flutters! You have to learn to INDULGE every once in a while. Tell you what, I'll give you a bag for no extra charge. It's on the house!"

"Well, okay then. If you say so."

Pinkie happily filled a small paper bag with wrapped goodies for her friend. "Here you go!"

Fluttershy reluctantly took the bag from the pink pony's hoof.

"Try one!" exclaimed Pinkie.

Fluttershy reached into the bag and unwrapped a sweet. After looking from Pinkie's smiling face and the ball of sugar in her hoof a few times, she popped it into her mouth. "Hey, that is yummy!" she exclaimed.

"Told'ya so!"

Fluttershy happily bit into another taffy from the bag.

Ding!

"Ooo, another customer!" said Pinkie upon hearing the bell on the front door chime, a sound she'd recognise anywhere.

Twilight trotted up to the counter. "Hi girls!"

"Hi!"

"Oh, hello Twilight."

"So, what's it gonna be? Cupcakes? Ice cream?" asked Pinkie, stating Twilight's two favourite sweets.

"Oh, Twilight, try these," said Fluttershy, offering her a taffy. "They're simply delicious!"

Twilight popped the brown ball into her mouth. "Mmmmm!" she exclaimed. "I'll take twenty!"

Pinkie began filling another bag with butterscotch taffies.

"Oh, and could you throw in a strawberry cupcake?"

"Now look whose sweet tooth is acting up today!" Pinkie walked over to the oven and pulled out a tray of cupcakes from underneath and put one in a bag. "Here you go! Four bits, please!"

Twilight handed over a ten-bit note. "Keep the change!" she said.

"So, what's up Twilight?" asked Pinkie. "You seem really happy today."

"I am! Spike's returning to Ponyville in three days!"

"Ooo, it's been almost a month now hasn't it?" said Fluttershy. "I miss the little guy so much."

"Yeah, that's great!" said Pinkie. "Heyyy, you know what this calls for? A welcome back party! Don't you think, Twilight?"

"Why didn't I think of that? That's a great idea, Pinkie."

"A party sounds fun. It's been a while since we had one," said Fluttershy.

"Yay!" exclaimed Pinkie. "We'll invite Applejack and Rainbow Dash and Rarity and Applebloom and Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle and Derpy and Big Mac and Thunderlane and Mr. and Mrs. Cake and of course you too, Fluttershy! And we'll have streamers and balloons and cake and all the butterscotch taffies we can eat and music and dancing and-" She stopped to inhale. "-and we'll bob for apples and-"

"Woah, woah Pinkie! I get the idea. But where are we going to have the party?" asked Twilight. "The Library isn't exactly an ideal pace for a celebration and I think your house might get a bit stuffy with so many ponies in it."

"Gosh, you're right Twilight, I hadn't thought of that."

"Oh, um, I think my cottage is free for the next few days, so we could have our party there," said Fluttershy.

"That's great Fluttershy! I'll start sending out invitations right away!"

"Oh, that reminds me, it's time to feed Angel. I have to get going. Bye!" said Fluttershy as she turned to leave. "Oh, and thanks for the taffy, Pinkie."

"No problem, Fluttershy!" Pinkie called after her.

Ding!

"So, Pinkie, let me help you with those invi-"

"Oh, don't worry about anything Twilight! I have it all under control. Besides, you've been doing enough work already with Spike gone anyway."

"Are you sure you don't need any help?"

"Yeah, I'm sure! Now why don't you go relax by the lake near Rainbow Dash's house? She told me that she wanted to hang out with someone today but I had to work."

"Really? Thanks, Pinkie."

"Anytime, Twilight!"

Twilight grabbed her two bags of sweets and headed out the door.

Ding!

"I sure am looking forward to that party!" said Twilight as she walked towards the lake.

Unfortunately, Twilight Sparkle was soon to learn that things don't always turn out like you plan.

Return of the Dragon

Twilight galloped excitedly through the outskirts of Ponyville as Celestia's Sun reached its peak in the sky. Today was the day. The day which she had been waiting for. Spike's train was to be in during the afternoon. Pinkie Pie had told all of the girls to meet her at Fluttershy's cottage to see the preparations for Spike's Welcome Back party at noon. She slowed to a trot as the distinctive animal-friendly building became visible on the horizon. She began wondering as to what Pinkie could have done to the place.

Maybe Pinkie put up one of those confetti parties with lots of music. Or maybe it's going to be a bit more formal, she thought to herself. Ah, well. Whatever that party pony did, I'm sure it's gonna be great. And that's the only certainty. She stopped as she reached the door, took a deep breath and knocked three times. Almost instantly, it flashed open as a face she knew all too well greeted her with a smile.

"Twilight!" exclaimed Pinkie. "You're the first one here! Come on in!"

"Thanks Pinkie. I'm sure it all looks great!" she replied as Pinkie bounced towards the living room.

"Oh, hello Twilight," said Fluttershy as she peeked around the corner. "I was just working with Pinkie on the finishing touches. Come take a look!"

Twilight happily obliged and followed Pinkie in. As soon as she set hoof into the the large room, she could not help but gasp in awe. Balloons had been hung in all four corners of the room and there was a disco ball hanging from the tall ceiling. There were large speakers at the corners of the room as well, and they were connected to an appliance that was Vinyl Scratch's unmistakable signature mixing table, which was located across from the entrance. There was also a small stage set up across from the mixing table, with a mic stand on its surface. At the center of it all was a dining table with empty plates for refreshments set down around a large plate in the middle for the cake.

"Pinkie I...I don't know what to say!"

"You can say you like it!" said Pinkie, bouncing with excitement.

"I don't like it. I love it!" exclaimed Twilight. "Thanks so much you guys! This is going to be the greatest party Spike's ever seen!"

"Anything for such a great little guy," said Fluttershy with a smile.

Knock knock!

"I'll get it!" said Pinkie excitedly. She opened the door to see Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Rarity standing there. "Hi guys! Are you ready to see my party preparations?"

"We're as ready as we'll ever be, Sugarcube," said Applejack happily. The three ponies followed Pinkie into the room.

"Oh my, Pinkie! You've really outdone yourself this time!" exclaimed Rarity.

"Yeah, it all looks great," said AJ.

"As usual," added Rainbow Dash

"Thanks, guys! It was easy with Fluttershy's help."

"Oh, Pinkie. You did most of it," said the yellow pegasus.

"Hey that's Vinyl Scratch's table, right?" asked Rainbow Dash. "Sweet! This party's gonna be great!"

"Alright everypony," said Twilight. "Spike will be arriving at around four. I'll pick him up and bring him here. Pinkie I'm counting on you to have everypony in place and every goody on the plates by then."

"Aye, aye, Captain!"

"Ah can't wait to see the little dragon, again! Applebloom is mighty excited too!" said AJ.

"We all are," said Rarity. "He's such a darling. I miss having him around at the boutique."

"Really?" asked Twilight. "Doesn't it bug you the way he's trying to impress you all the time?"

"Oh, Heavens no! He's always so helpful and caring."

"You mean he doesn't annoy you at all?"

"Well there was this one time where he became paranoid of stallions trying to ask me out..."

"What did he do?" asked Pinkie.

"He cut the telephone lines and barricaded the door."

All six ponies shared a hearty laugh.

******

The Canterlot Express chugged down the track as sunset approached. A small purple and green dragon was sitting alone in a cabin waiting excitedly for his stop. It had been a month since he'd seen Twilight and the gang. A month since he'd seen Rarity...

Spike thought about all that he'd done in the past month. It had been work, work, work. He had been working with Princess Luna on ancient history, dreams and, most importantly, dragons. He had learned more about his own kind in the past month than he had learned in the past five years. He had even tried out some of the firebreathing forms and techniques and, unsurprisingly, he had shown exceptional skill in spellbreathing. He couldn't wait to show Twilight that he could now cure illnesses with fire. And he couldn't wait to show Rarity his new gem hunting and styling abilities. Although, he was disappointed to learn that there was no fire spell that would allow him to grow a moustache. As the train neared the station, he stood up and grabbed his bag.

He had grown quite a bit in the past month. He had learned that dragons experience growth through a series of short but large growth spurts. He was now experiencing his second growth spurt, and it was almost over. He was now as tall as the average pony's leg and, by the end of this spurt, he would nearly be able to see eye-to-eye with most ponies.

The train screeched to halt and Spike excitedly carried his bag to the exit. As the doors slid open, he saw Twilight standing there, waving and calling out his name.

"Spike!"

"Twilght!" said Spike as he ran over to the purple pony and into a hug. They embraced each other for what seemed like only a second, although two minutes passed. "I missed you so much, Twilight."

"I missed you too, Spike," she replied, setting him down. "Even with all the ponies around I just felt so...lonely."

"Well I'm here now!" said Spike.

"Yes, and you've gotten so much taller!"

"I have so much to tell you, Twilight!"

"Well, I don't have much to report so you can tell me everything on the way to Fluttershy's cottage."

"Why are we going there?"

"Oh, I just have a quick errand to run. Hop on!" Spike began to mount Twilight when a thought occurred to him.

"Actually, I think I'll go on my own."

"Really? Are you sure? It's a long walk you know."

A devilish grin spread across Spike's face. "Who said anything about walking?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Grab my hand, Twilight."

"Why?"

"Just do it."

Twilight obliged, wondering what in Equestria he was about to do. Spike, meanwhile, began concentrating. He took a deep breath and tried to think of nothing but Fluttershy's cottage. He began blowing a steady stream of green fire that circled its way around him and Twilight. Twilight gasped and tried to let go but Spike held her hoof firmly. The fire began encompassing the duo and formed a small cocoon around them. The flame began to close in on the two and Twilight began to panic, but then realised that the flame didn't affect her at all aside from a tingly feeling in her legs. Ponies walking by stopped and stared in awe at the controlled blaze. The flame collapsed in on itself and quickly disappeared with a loud pop!

Party Time!

Twilight opened her eyes and saw that, amazingly, they were just about forty metres from Fluttershy's cottage.

"You-you can teleport!?" she exclaimed, completely dumbfounded. "And you took me with you! I can only teleport a few feet, let alone two kilometres with another pony!" She stared at Spike in shock. The drake was panting, furiously trying to catch his breath.

"Yup! Princess Luna helped me enhance my letter teleporting skills. Isn't it great?" he replied between breaths.

"Spike that's amazing!"

"It's called spellbreathing. If I had practiced more, I could've teleported in front of her door."

"You have to tell me everything when we get home!"

"Umm, okay. But could I ride you to the front door?"

"Sure!" Spike quickly mounted Twilight and she galloped to the front door. After Spike dismounted, Twilight opened the door and they stepped inside a dark room.

"Hey, why are all the lights turned o-"

"SURPRISE!!! WELCOME BACK, SPIKE!" shouted everypony, jumping out of their hiding spots as the lights turned on.

"I, uh, I mean, erm-Whaaaaa?"

"It's a welcome back party for you, silly!" said Pinkie Pie as she bounced over to him and pulled him into a quick but bone-crushing hug. He regained his composure as Pinkie put him down.

"A party for me? Why?"

"Because you've been gone for so long darling, we felt that we should celebrate the day you came back," replied the dressmaker.

"Rarity!" cried Spike as he ran into her open forelegs. "I missed you so much."

"Oh, I missed you, too." Spike savored the moment as he dug his face into the Mane of the pony that had stolen his heart. He inhaled an aroma that he had come to recognise as being a blend of jasmine and coconut, with a hint of vanilla. "Uh, Spike dear, you can let go now." Spike let go, embarrassed.

"Heh, heh. Sorry 'bout that." The crowd had dispersed in the meantime.

"Welcome back, Spike!" said Applejack with a hug. "How have y'been?"

"Great now that I'm with you guys!" All four ponies now looked at Rainbow Dash who had been standing there awkwardly, not sure of what to say. All this welcome back mushy stuff wasn't exactly helping her maintain her cool.

"Come on, Rainbow. Hugs are for everypony." said Spike. Rainbow approached cautiously before giving a quick hug.

"Good to have you back little guy," she said, now a bit more comfortable. Some part of Spike's mind felt a twinge of annoyance as she said that, though he knew she was just being friendly.

Hmmm, I'm not that little.

"Hey where's Fluttershy?" asked Spike. As if on cue, the yellow pegasus appeared from the doorway to the kitchen. Upon seeing his face, she rushed over quickly and caught Spike off-guard with a big hug.

"Ooo, I've-we've all missed you so much."

"It's great to see you too, Fluttershy."

"Oh, I almost forgot! I got you a gift!" said Rarity.

"A gift?" asked Spike. Rarity levitated a parcel from across the room and opened it with magic. Inside was an outfit for the little dragon. It was a tuxedo of sorts.

"Try this on! Oh, never mind, I'll save you the trouble." She levitated he clothes onto Spike before he could say anything. "That is a bit small. Spike, you've grown taller! Oh, I can't believe I didn't notice until now."

"Yes he has but, it's only been a month. How could you have grown so much?" asked Fluttershy.

"It's like a dragon growth spurt thing," he said, removing the clothes.

"Oh, wait." said Rarity. She picked the clothes with he magical grasp and concentrated. Spike watched as the suit slowly grew larger. "There. That should do it." She once again put the clothes on Spike.

"A perfect fit! Oh, doesn't that look adorable on my little Spikey-Wikey?"

"Hrmph," he grunted quietly.

"That looks mighty fine on you, Spike."

"Ooo! You look so cute!"

"Oh my, it is adorable."

Spike's annoyance only grew. She's called me Spikey-Wikey before, why does it annoy me now? Such thoughts swam around in his head, but he tried to set them aside and have fun. Don't be stupid, Spike. That's just Rarity being Rarity. "So, what's been going on around Ponyville since I was gone?"

"Well, Twilight helped me make the harvestin' calendar. Fall is coming and it's coming fast," said Applejack.

"Does that mean APPLE CIDER by any chance?" asked Rainbow.

"Yes, Rainbow, it means apple cider," replied AJ with a chuckle.

"Oh by the way Spike, I was wondering if you could come to the boutique the day after tomorrow. I just got this big order and I could use a careful little pair of hands to help me out."

Really? Little hands? He looked down at his claws. Ah, well, I guess I can't blame her for that. "Yeah, I'd love to."

"Great. So, that's enough about us. Tell us about your trip! How was Canterlot?"

"Well, I was working the nearly the whole time so I didn't really get out much."

"Oh, and Spike can teleport now! What was the form of magic called again, Spike?" asked Twilight.

"Spellbreathing."

"Ooo, it must be fun, Spike!" said Pinkie Pie.

"Actually it really tires me out. It takes a lot of concentration. I can't teleport too much or it could damage my brain."

"Good heavens, Spike! Are you sure it's safe?"

Spike blinked. "Yeah, it's fine. I mean, it's not like I just do a couple spells then drop dead. I'd have to really push it for anything like that to happen," he said. "I'm not stupid."

Twilight put a hoof to her chin. "Well,"

"Twilight."

She chuckled. "Just kidding."

"I'm thirsty," said Spike after a moment of silence. "Is there anything to drink, Pinkie?"

"Sure! The punch bowl is on the dining table."

"Thanks!" He walked over to the large table. He looked around the room to see all the ponies that Pinkie had invited. There were at least twenty. The four stallions who had been invited were all huddled together, chatting away about the palace government. The mares were all spread out across the room, most of them with one or two friends. Twillight and Pinkie Pie were chatting about Pinkie sense. Twilight's confusion was apparent on her face as Pinkie went on about the workings of her special ability. Rarity and Fluttershy were talking to each other near the entrance and Applejack and Rainbow Dash were standing by a table with a huge bucket on it. As he poured some juice into a cup, he noticed three excited fillies trotting towards him. Yup, there was no mistaking the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

"Hiya, Spike!" said Applebloom.

"You wanna come play with us?" asked Sweetie Belle. "We're gonna play hide 'n seek!"

"Uh, no thanks, I'm good."

Scootaloo shrugged. "Suit yourself." Spike watched the three fillies run off.

What's with everypony? Spike thought to himself as he drank Pinkie's signature punch. Have they always treated me like this and I didn't realise it? His eyes fell on Rarity as he was scanning the room. He couldn't help but stare. To him, everything about her from her gorgeous mane to her caring personality was perfect. He had always been so engrossed in her beauty that he had never stopped to think about the way she saw him. Never before had he seen her calling him 'Spikey-wikey' as being anything less than friendly. How could he have overlooked something like that? Walking back, he overheard Rarity talking to Fluttershy.

"Don't you think that the Royal Castle is working Spike a bit too hard?"

I can handle my royal duties just fine! he thought, as anger worked its way into his scales. He decided to go bob for apples with AJ and Rainbow. As he arrived, he saw that the cyan pegasus' head was immersed in the water and Applejack was just getting ready to dunk.

"Howdy there, Spike!" said AJ. "You ready to bob for some apples?"

"Sure am!" Spike walked up to the bucket and, in one swift move, plunged his head into the water. He couldn't see, so he started to feel around with his tongue. It brushed against something smooth. An apple! thought Spike. He opened his mouth and bit down on it, hard.

"EEEEYYYYYYOOOOOWWWWWW!" Rainbow Dash threw her head out of the water and her hooves onto her now red snout. The entire room seemed to freeze as all of the guests turned to see the cause of the sudden outcry. After a few seconds of awkward silence, everyone returned to their own conversations. Appejack was on the floor laughing so hard that her chest started to hurt. Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie hurried over. "SPIKE!"

"Oh, Rainbow, I'm so sorry! I felt something with my tongue and I thought it was an apple!"

"Oh my, I can't breathe, Rainbow!" exclaimed Applejack between gasps of laughter.

"What happened, Rainbow?" asked Rarity.

"S-spike, h-he bit...BWAHAHAHAHA!" Applejack couldn't help but burst into laughter again.

"I think you broke my nose Spike!" said Rainbow Dash angrily.

"Wait, I can fix it!"

"Fix it?! How are you gonna-" Rainbow stopped to see a bright red flame blast in her face. Terrified by the sudden display, she tried to shield her muzzle with her hoof, but it was too late. Amazingly though, it didn't hurt. As soon as it cleared, her snout didn't hurt anymore. "H-how did you do that?"

"Spellbreathing," said Spike, triumphantly.

"You can perform healing spells?!" exclaimed Twilight. "It took me years of practice to do those!"

"Well," he said, chuckling. "I can't say that I'm not talented."

"You certainly are, Spikey-Wikey!" said Rarity.

"Ooo, the music is starting!" exclaimed Pinkie. "It's your favourite song, Spike! Come on everypony! Shake those hooves and have some fun!"

"Yeah, fun," Spike muttered under his breath.

Purple to Blue

"I'm Vinyl Scratch, your DJ for the night!" said the voice broadcasting to the whole room through the speakers. Let's start off with something for everyone's favourite little dragon, Spike! Come, on everypony! If you've got hooves, I wanna see 'em shakin'!"

Spike reluctantly headed over to the dance floor, which was right underneath the disco ball, away from the tables and furniture. He instinctively began bobbing his head to the music as everypony started dancing. He slowly got more into it, shaking his claws and moving his feet to the beet.

"That's the spirit Spike!" exclaimed Pinkie, bouncing towards him.

"Oh, you haven't seen anything yet." Spike tucked in his head, dropped to the floor and started spinning. He slowly rose into the air until he was balancing on nothing but his tail, still spinning. In one swift move, he then swung his tail over his head, flipped in midair and landed on his hands. He got onto his feet to see Twilight, Rarity and Pinkie clapping their hooves.

"Marvelous!" exclaimed Rarity.

"I didn't know you could dance like that, Spike!" said Twilight.

"Well, I had to do something in my free time in the Canterlot Library before we came to Ponyville, didn't I?" The next half hour passed with dancing, laughter and lots of Rainbow wingspins. Ponies took turns showing off their skills on the little stage near the entrance. By the end, nearly everypony (and dragon) was exhausted.

"All right all you Party Ponies!" said Vinyl over the speakers. "Let's tone the music down just a bit and rest those tired hooves. But it's not over yet! We'll get back to shaking our flanks in about an hour."

"Thanks for throwing me this really great party Pinkie," said Spike.

"Don't mention it, Spike!" she replied. "I love throwing parties! Now, who wants some more punch?" The six ponies and Spike all walked to the refreshments table.

"A toast," Rarity held up her cup. "To the cutest baby dragon in all of Ponyville!" They all raised their cups and drank as much punch as they could in one gulp. Rarity's description did not go unnoticed by Spike, and the thoughts that he had been having earlier returned to him.

"You know Rarity, I'm not exactly a baby on pony terms." he reminded her.

"Oh? What do you mean?" Her question irritated Spike even further. Was she really not aware about any of this? Didn't she know how old he was?

"Well," said Spike, his discontent now apparent in his voice. "You do know how old I am, right?"

"I don't believe you ever told us. Perhaps nine, maybe ten. Why? Is something wro-" She stopped mid-sentence to see the expression on the little dragon's face. Spike was stunned.

Nine? Ten?! Her words echoed inside his head. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. His mind could only think of what the unicorn had said, and, as the colour drained from his face, his body was overcome by pure instinct, with one objective.

Run. Far away.

In one swift move, he turned around and dashed out of the cottage, stopping only to fling the door open. He sprinted out of the clearing in front of Fluttershy's cottage and into the Everfree trees. He might have heard someone calling his name; he wasn't sure. He didn't care. Perhaps nine, maybe ten... The words kept repeating in his head. He ran through bushes, leaped over branches. He couldn't feel the pain from the bleeding cuts and scratches that began to appear on his limbs. He ran as fast as his little legs could carry him, and then ran faster. She thinks I'm a child?! He didn't stop nor slow down as the seconds which passed turned into minutes. He felt his exhaustion only as it hit its peak and stars began to form in front of his eyes. He stopped in front of a lake, collapsing into a heap of scales and tears on the forest floor.

******

"Spike!" Rarity called after him as he ran off. The party had now jerked to a halt, with everypony having seen what just happened. Twilight was also shocked at what Rarity had just said. She had no idea that the other ponies misunderstood him to such a degree. "What's wrong? Why did he run off?"

"Oh, this is bad," said Twilight her face in her hooves. "Pinkie could you just stop the party for now? I really need to tell you guys something."

"Oh, okay," said the pink pony, confused but in the understanding that something was wrong. "Everypony?" she began, addressing the crowd. "I'm afraid that we're gonna have to cut the party short. Please understand." After the initial commotion, ponies began to file out the door, many with confused or worried looks on their faces. Derpy was the last to leave.

"What happened? Is Spike going to be okay?" she asked before leaving. Twilight faked a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry Derpy. Everything's going to be fine." That seemed to be enough for the gray pegasus, and she fluttered out the door, narrowly avoiding the top of the door frame. The five ponies now stood in front of Twilight, confused and anxious to hear what she had to say.

"What happened to Spike there, Twilight?" asked Applejack uneasily. "He looked as if he'd seen a ghost." Twilight took a deep breath.

"Remember Rarity said that Spike never told you ponies his age? She was right. But he-I should have."

"Why? How old is he?" asked Rainbow Dash with her eyebrow raised.

"He's nineteen." All five ponies gasped in disbelief at Twilight's words.

"WHAT!?!?" shouted Rainbow, completely dumbfounded. Pinkie Pie and Applejack, on the other hoof, stood silently, their jaws hanging open.

"It's true. I hatched Spike when I was only four years old."

"B-but he...I..." stuttered Rarity. The thought that someone who she had thought to have been child was not much younger than her made her feel slightly queasy. Especially since that someone had been trying to win her heart ever since they had met.

"But Twilight!" exclaimed Fluttershy. "You told us that Spike was a baby dragon!"

"He is a baby dragon. For a dragon, nineteen years is very young. I can't believe I didn't think to point that out sooner. He may act slightly childish sometimes simply because he is technically a baby, but generally he has the maturity, knowledge and experience of a pony of the same age."

"I-I didn't mean to...I mean-"

"It's alright, Rarity. It wasn't your fault."

"Hey, shouldn't we go look for him? What if he got himself into trouble? The Everfree forest isn't a safe place for anypon-er, baby...dragon," Rainbow reminded them.

"She's right Twilight!" said Pinkie. "We'll split up!"

"Good idea Pinkie!" said Twilght. "I'll go straight, up north."

"Woah, woah, hang on there!" said Applejack. "The Everfree forest ain't a safe place for anypony! You said so yourself Rainbow." She paused for a moment. "Let's go in pairs! I'll go with you, Twilight."

"I'll check around the hills!" said Rainbow.

"Ooo! I'll go with you!" said Pinkie excitedly.

"Fluttershy and I can look near the lake," said Rarity.

"Great! We'll meet back here in an hour. Come on, ponies let's go find Spike!" finished Twilight. All three groups galloped out the door and went their separate ways. But as they charged along, they were oblivious to yet another fact. A fact that took its form in three pairs of eyes following them through the bushes.

"I wanna get them now!" said one of the creatures.

"No!" whispered another. "Patience. We'll have our revenge, just you wait.

Pain and Pleasure

She really thought of me as just a child all this time? thought Spike as the river of tears flowing from his eyes started to grow thinner. She didn't even consider being with me! "I've chasing after my own tail now for months," he said silently. "And for what? Nothing!" he shouted the last words to the lake that was in front of him. "I'm so pathetic..." he mumbled softly to himself.

******

"How could they have disgraced us in such a way!" exclaimed the first diamond dog, the leader, his eyes carefully following two ponies as they galloped through the forest.

"Yeah!" added another. "Nobody messes with us!"

"Master was so angry!" said the third.

"We will kill them slowly," said the leader. "Show them our superiority. They will be sorry they ever stepped paw into our tunnels!"

******

Twilight and Applejack galloped side by side into a large clearing. Twilight was beginning to run out of breath as the orange pony pulled ahead. "Apple...Jack...slow...down!" she panted. Applejack let the unicorn catch up and they both slowed to a trot.

"Wow, so Spike's nineteen years old?" asked Applejack.

"Yup," replied Twilight flatly.

"And to think, I always thought that he wasn't much older than Applebloom!"

"But Applejack, he's been so hard-working and helpful to all of us! Remember when he helped you out when you were making preparations for the Apple Family Reunion? And how he's always being Rarity around the boutique? And the time he saved The Crystal Empire?"

Applejack blinked. "I guess you're right. But he really didn't seem nineteen when he was trying to help me out at anything he could after I saved him from the timberwolves."

"Actually, I never really understood why he kept, uh..."

"Screwing up all the time?"

"Yeah. I mean, he does hours of chores everyday back at the library."

"Really? I mean, I knew he did chores, but hours?"

"Uh-huh. He does the cleaning, the dusting, the sweeping, the cooking-"

"Hold on a sec. He can cook?"

"Of course!"

"But the pie that he baked for Rarity that day was kinda...horrible."

"Yeah, she told me. I don't understand why he couldn't do anything right during that time. But he definitely does all the cooking at home. You think I can make a jewel cake? I can hardly fix a sandwich! At least, that's what he told me one time."

"What happened?"

"I uh, was trying to make a cake for him and, uh..."

"Yeah?"

"Remember that day I told you I needed a new stove?"

Applejack paused, then burst out laughing. "Y'tried to make a cake and y'burnt down the stove?" she asked, after a few seconds, still chuckling.

"Heh, heh..." The two ponies continued on their path, looking for any signs of the purple dragon.

"Hey Twilight," said Applejack after a few moments of silence. "How come Spike never told us his age before?"

"I don't know. It just never really came up."

"But how is that possible? Y'all have been here for about a year!"

"Well, I guess everyone assumed that he was just around nine years old like Rarity said. And I don't think he really noticed. I think that he actually liked being treated like a child sometimes."

"But then how come he noticed it today?"

"He didn't. Rarity told him outright how old she thought he was, remember?"

"Well yeah but he was the one who brought it up. And the whole time during the party, his expression seemed sort of...annoyed. Like something had ticked him off." Twilight was stumped. She had never stopped to think of why Spike would have noticed such a thing now and not in the past months. She had been to engrossed in thinking about how she didn't notice that the others had been treating him as a child. Well, sure, there were a couple of times she didn't understand their actions, like the time they had gone camping before the whole Owliscious episode, but she had simply dismissed that as friendly behaviour.

"I don't know, Applejack. You'll have to ask him yourself."

"Well then, let's keep lookin'.

******

Rarity trotted along the path with Fluttershy close behind.

"Can you believe it?" asked Fluttershy. "Spike is nearly the same age as us!"

"Oh, he probably hates me now."

"Well, you did maybe, sort of, um, break his heart. I mean he's liked you ever since you met."

"I know, darling. All this time, I thought it was just a little crush. I never really thought of him like...that. I always thought he was far too young for me."

"So what about now?"

"Hm?"

"I mean, now that you know that you two could, um, be together, would you...?"

Rarity stopped dead in her tracks and gave Fluttershy a blank look.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to offend you or anything, I just-"

"No, no! I'm not offended. I just haven't really thought of that yet, I guess. I never really tried to look at him in that way but now..."

"Yes?"

Rarity began to ponder over the idea. Did she like Spike? Could she return the feelings that he'd had for her all this time? "I-I don't know."

The next few minutes passed in silence, save for the occasional snapping of a twig or rustling of a leaf. "Alright Fluttershy," she said as they neared the lake. "You go look near those big trees over there, and I'll continue straight to the lake."

"Okay, Rarity," she replied, heading in the direction of the swamp-like trees. Rarity continued down her path.

How could I have been so naive? she asked herself. Fluttershy was right, I've probably broken Spike's heart. She was overcome with guilt as she reached the water. Did he truly love me? She was looking around when she heard sobbing coming from the other side of the lake. She galloped around the small body of water and pushed aside a large leaf to see what she had been looking for, but not in the way she wanted to. Spike was on the ground sobbing uncontrollably. His scales were caked with dirt, and she could see the cuts and bruises on his legs. And whether it was her intention to be or not, she knew she was responsible. "Spike?" She approached him slowly.

"Go away..." He faced away from on the ground, and didn't turn around.

"Spike, it's me, Rarity." She walked around him so she could see his face. There were marks from dried up tears on his cheeks.

"I know...leave." he closed his eyes and buried his face in his hands. Rarity couldn't bear to see him like this.

"Spike, please I just want to-"

"GO AWAY!" he shouted, leaping to his feet. Rarity recoiled at the sudden outburst. Spike stood there realising what he had just done, and immediately apologized.

"I'm sorry Rarity," he began, taking a seat on a nearby log. "But I just...need to be alone...And besides you've made it clear how you feel about me." He looked away as another tear trickled down his face. "Please leave." Rarity could hear the pain in his voice. She needed to help him. Suddenly, a thought occurred to her. I could... Her thought trailed off as she visibly hesitated. But she was overcome by her own generosity and, whether she wanted to or not (and she really wasn't sure), she knew what she was going to do. In one swift move, she used her hoof to raise the baby dragon's face and leaned in to press her lips softly to his. Spike was shocked by the sudden gesture, but soon all logic left his mind and he gave into desire. The world melted away around him as he closed his eyes and leaned into the kiss. He had wanted this for so long...

Rarity felt his arm drape around her neck, pulling her in closer. Spike turned his back and sat up he pressed his tongue against Rarity's lips. She opened her mouth and let him in. He moved his tongue around the curves of her teeth and tongue, savoring her sweet, cinnamon-like taste. As the seconds passed, so did the air in his lungs and, much to his dismay, they both pulled away to breathe. Spike was in a daze, still not entirely sure of what had just happened. Rarity looked away, afraid to meet the drake's eyes.

"I...l-love you, Rarity," stammered Spike, still not thinking clearly.

"I know," she whispered quietly.

******

"Alright," said Applejack. "He couldn't have gotten much farther than this, so let's scope out the area."

"I thought I saw something move by those rocks over there! I'll look over there, and you go on ahead and look near those shrubs!"

"You sure you'll be alright, Sugarcube?"

"I'll be fine AJ. Let's hurry!" Twilight galloped off to the left to a large, rock covered plain, three boulders obscuring her view. Now, if I could just get over these- Her thought was interrupted by a low growl. "What was that?" She began to move backwards cautiously. "Spike?"

"Twilight!" Applejack called out in alarm. Twilight whipped her head around to see Applejack sprawled out on the grass at the other side of the plane, with four tall creatures towering over her. Suddenly, a large figure pounced on Twilight, knocking her to the ground. She gasped as she turned to face her attacker.

"Remember me?" The diamond dog grinned. "You're friends with that annoying white pony, right?" he asked. "I'm going to love seeing the look on her face when she sees you and the farmer pony dead at her feet." He snapped his fingers and two more dogs appeared behind him. Twilight tried to get back on her hooves, but the largest diamond dog pounced on her once again. "You ponies may have bested us once, but not this time!"

"Twilight!" Applejack struggled to release herself from the dogs' grip, and finally managed to break free. Just as she began galloping towards her, another dog grabbed her hoof and she fell to the floor. The unicorn watched helplessly watched as Applejack hit the ground with a big Thud! Just then, Twilight felt something cold and sharp move across her hind leg. She twisted her head to see that the diamond dog who was on top of her had extended his claws and was tracing a line across her leg with his paw.

"I'm going to enjoy this." he said, just before violently piercing her limb. And Twilight screamed.

******

"What was that?" asked Rarity, turning to face Spike.

"That sounded like...Twilight!" he cried, snapping back to reality. He jumped to his feet and pointed towards the path where the noise had come from. "It came from there. Come on!"

******

Fluttershy walked along the side of the lake, looking for any signs of purple scales. We probably hurt his feelings so much... She hopped over a large root. He doesn't deserve it at all. She continued along the edge of the lake for a while, until she began to hear rustling noises. And to think we've been treating him as a child ever since we met him! But what will happen between him and Rarity now that... Her thought trailed off as she came to a large leaf. She looked underneath to see Rarity with...Spike! She found Spike! Wait, what are they doing? Fluttershy paused to see that their faces were really close to each others. It almost looks as if they are-"Oh, my!" she said quietly, realising what was happening. She quickly looked away, a deep blush forming on her face. I can't believe...I just saw that... She slumped against the ground, feeling guilty for almost having interrupted. But at the same time, there was another faint feeling at the bottom of her heart. A feeling she didn't encounter too often. A feeling of sadness... Fluttershy was taken aback by her own emotions. Why would I feel sad that-Her thoughts were interrupted by a shrill scream coming from the distance.

"Twilight!" she heard Spike say. She looked over to see both the dragon and the unicorn running towards the noise and she quickly followed suite.

A Reborn Perception

Twilight was terrified. The figure which stood over her slashed at her chest, and the blood joined paths with the already free-flowing liquid from her first wound. She tried to concentrate, to focus her magic. But to her misfortune, the diamond dog noticed her glowing horn. He swiped a heavy paw over the top of her head, smacking her horn.

Now, it is a well-known fact among the pony community that a Unicorn's horn is the most delicate and sensitive part of his or her body. To touch a unicorn's horn is normally considered a romantic gesture, but for Twilight, it had been quite clear that the diamond dog was not fond of her.

A loud Crack! was heard followed by a purple cone falling to the ground. Twilight screamed in agony, for nothing could describe the extreme pain she felt at that moment. Blood now poured out of the hole in her head where her horn once sat. Even the diamond dog recoiled at the sight of the vein like structures which sprawled out of her head. The horn itself briefly surged with energy before rolling lifelessly away from its owner. Tears were flowing from Twilight's eyes. The pain didn't go away or die down. All she could do was open her eyes to see Applejack being treated in a similar manner, except that there were at least twenty dogs around her now, trying to hold down the thrashing pony. All three of the dogs around Twilight jumped on her, stopping at nothing to produce fresh scratches on every part of her they could find. If there was a hell, she was experiencing taste of it. Every time a claw dug into her soft skin, every time she jerked in pain, the torture got even worse.

"Gak!" She coughed up blood as a paw punched her stomach.

"Kill her! Let's kill her now!"

"No! We must kill them as painfully as possible! They must pay for what they did. I want to take pleasure in ripping them apart, limb by limb. Bring over the orange one! They'll die together."

******

"See anything yet?" asked Rainbow Dash, poking her head through clouds.

"Nope!" yelled Pinkie from down below, perched on the tip of a pine tree.

"Ah, this is pointless! How are we gonna find such a small dragon in such a big forest?"

"He's not that small remember?"

"Well, yeah. I know that now. I just meant-"

"RAINBOW! MY PINKIE SENSE IS TINGLING!"

"WHAT!?" Rainbow Dash quickly dived down until she was eye to eye with the pink pony. "What's wrong? Did something happen? Is something going to happen!?" Rainbow dashed into a nearby bush, holding a rock above her head.

"No, no! Hang on," Pinkie's body then proceeded to make one of the most irregular series of movements imaginable, including an eye twitch, a tail shake, a head bobble and three flicks of an ear. "Something's happened...to...Twilight! And...Applejack!" She hopped down from the tree and bounced over to the bush where her search-partner was hiding. "SOMETHING'S HAPPENED TO TWILIGHT AND APPLEJACK!" she screeched, sending Rainbow Dash tumbling on her flank.

"What?" she asked in alarm, getting back on her hooves. "What happened to them?"

"Oh, I don't know, but it's something bad!" Pinkie grabbed Rainbow and shook her by the shoulders vigorously. "WE NEED TO FIND THEM!" She screeched before putting her down.

"Well they said that they were heading north, right? Up the path? Well let's go over-" Rainbow stopped to see a pink spot bouncing over trees in the distance, leaving behind a bush with its leaves still rustling as any hint that the pony she was talking to had been there a second ago. "How did she-oh, never mind." Rainbow quickly sped into the air and chased after her friend, leaving her own confusion on the ground.

******

Spike sprinted in towards forest path as fast as he could, with Rarity following close behind and moving branches in her path with magic as she galloped. They burst through a large shrub onto the North Trail; a path which meandered around and through trees and rocks as far as the eye could see. It was the only path that anypony dare use to venture through the largely uncharted areas of what was possibly the largest forest in that quarter of Equestria.

"Here it is!" exclaimed Spike. His excitement was quickly interrupted by a yellow pegasus as she tumbled out of the same bush which Spike and Rarity had jumped through, and landed flat on her face.

"Fluttershy, dear, when did you start chasing after us?" asked Rarity, offering her a hoof.

Fluttershy took it and stood up uneasily.

"Never mind about that right now Rarity!" said Spike, slightly annoyed. "How do we know if Twilight and Applejack have already passed through here or not?"

"Well," said Fluttershy. "There's a big clearing up ahead, and there's just trees the other way. It looks like these-" She lowered herself to the ground and pointed at a group of stones. "-were misplaced by hooves. And the distance between the two pieces of this broken twig also suggest that hooves have been here." She darted to the center of the path. "Over here, you can clearly see these faint hoofprints, and, judging by the fact that these two side-by-side pairs are close together, and that their counterparts are further away, we can say that, not only have there been two ponies down this path, but they have both been galloping. Now to figure out the direction, we merely have to look at the difference in depth from one side of a print lengthwise and the other. Since these ones have their indents on the north side, we know that both ponies are going that way." she finished, pointing north.

Both unicorn and dragon stared at her, open-mouthed.

Fluttershy sheepishly retracted her head into her mane. "Uh, tracking...animals. I kinda have to know that to find them in case...one gets lost..."

Spike quickly shook his head and returned to the topic at hand. "Okay, let's hurry!" he said, running in the appointed direction on the path. Fluttershy and Rarity quickly did the same. The path, although rough and unpleasant, was much easier to travel on than the forest floor, and within a matter of minutes, the two ponies and Spike found themselves running into a bare area where there were no trees within a radius of about two hundred metres. Off to their left side, Spike could see a small group of animals spread out along a thin patch of grass. In a few seconds, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie appeared at the other end of the clearing.

"Hey, those are diamond dogs!" said Spike worriedly. "But what are they-" Spike gasped and they all ran (or in Dashie's case, flew) over to what was a pile of lavender and orange on the ground. Spike quickly recognised Twilight and Applejack as he neared. Diamond dogs loomed over their bodies. There were over fifty of them, each one more menacing than the next.

"Oh, look, we've got company!" said the largest dog.

Spike was horrified by Twilight's condition. She was bleeding all over, with cuts and scratches on her legs, face and belly. Her mane was a mess, and her misshapen body was sprawled out on the floor. He gasped upon noticing a purple object near her hoof.

"Her horn!?" His eyes darted to her head. There was a mess of dried up blood and an enormous scab where her horn used to be. He briefly looked over and saw that Applejack was in a similar condition. He shut his eyes tightly for a second, but he found he could not keep them closed.

"Came to watch your friend die?" asked the dog. "Or perhaps you've come to die with her?"

Spike's eyes were once again glued to Twilight's scarred body. Pinkie Pie fell to the floor upon seeing her two friends, with her mane's signature poof deflated.

Rainbow Dash was right beside the bodies. "Wha-Are they DEAD?!" she shrieked.

"Dead? No, they're not dead...yet." A villainous grin spread across the diamond dog's face.

"You-Twilight...you," He was at a loss for words. He stared in horror at his closest friend's form. He felt something strong begin to build up in his chest. He started breathing heavily and puffs of smoke began to escape his nostrils. It was, unmistakably, rage. He had experienced rage before, but never like this. "You...dare touch her..." A flame was literally forming in his belly. He concentrated hard, summoning everything he could. His eyes became slits, and his claws extended. A snake-like tongue slid in and out of his mouth as fangs began to appear on his upper jaw. "I...will kill you..." His voice dissolved into a sinister hiss.

"Spike!" Fluttershy started towards him, but, before anyone could do anything, their vision met the largest display of fire any of them had ever seen; it was easily larger than Pinkie's party room. All of the ponies stared in awe at the red blaze coming from the dragon's mouth as the crisp smell of burnt flesh filled the air. Fluttershy gazed in horror at the inferno produced which was flowing steadily from a Spike she had never seen before. He blew for twenty seconds straight before stopping. As the smoke cleared, roasted canine corpses became visible on the ground. Rarity and Pinkie Pie were stunned, and Rainbow Dash had literally fallen out of the sky. Half of the diamond dogs had been completely immersed in the fire, and were lying lifeless and smoking on the ground. Many others had been severely burned, and their yelps filled the air as they scurried to find shelter or run away.

But Spike wasn't finished yet. They must die! All of them! For... this... His thoughts ran rampant; he had never felt like this before. He felt the urge, the desire to kill. And he was completely immersed in it. He wanted to see their blood, he wanted to hear them scream.

He chased after them, blowing fire in their directions, at any sign of movement. He whipped his head around to see a burned dog trying to leap behind a log. Spike ran towards him and jumped onto his weak body as he sank his teeth into the creature's neck. Yes... A venom that he didn't even know existed, spurted out of his fangs and into the body. But the next thing he did, the next scene that his stunned and horrified friends saw him do, was the most shocking yet.

With a burst of strength, Spike ripped off the neck of the corpse and the head flung metres off to the side as he swallowed the flesh that he had in his mouth in one gulp. And he loved it. He loved the feel of tearing fresh meat, he loved the way it slid down his throat. He was about to tear off another piece of flesh from the body, whose blood was now spurting out the visible blood vessels from the remainder of his throat in the litres, when he spotted another dog, who had taken shelter behind a rock. Spike blasted the area with fire once more and sheer force of the flame's blast threw both the dog and the rock into the air. He inhaled the smell of roasted meat which only heightened his hunger for slaughter. Spike didn't stop until each canine's body had been met by an enormous and deadly flame. He didn't stop until he had killed all of them. Soon enough, they were all dead as their barbecued corpses were left smoking on the ground. The surrounding plane was ablaze, and it was soon to reach the trees. But there was a limit to how much his body-and mind-could take, and it was obvious only after his rampage that he had clearly surpassed it. He blew one last puff of smoke as his pupils grew once more, and his body returned to his regular state. His vision became fuzzy and blurred and the colossal pain in his head knocked him to the ground. He coughed up smoke and once again collapsed, this time unconsciously, onto the forest floor.

Grief and Messages

"Master! Master!" A streak of brown blew by two guard dogs in front of a large chamber. This particular chamber was situated among a network of tunnels and caves that only few have seen. The small diamond dog approached a large rock throne adorned with gemstones the size of tangerines. He slowed his pace and hastily bowed in front of the canine who sat upon it. Two more guards were positioned on either side of his throne, holding spears with tips sharper than even a timberwolf's tooth.

"Fensow! Is that any way to make an entrance into your pack leader's chamber?"

"My apologies, Master Kage, but I have news of the utmost importance!"

Kage raised an eyebrow and hopped down to the smaller dog's side. His own figure was much larger than Fensow's, with a sleek body and eyes that could intimidate Celestia herself. He began slowly circling his servant's body, with his tail skimming his throat. Fensow began to shiver, and it had nothing to do with the absence of heat in the cave.

"And what, may I ask, would be important enough to disturb a busy Alpha such as myself?"

Fensow gulped. "About the three gem-hunt leaders of the Fathway group, Sir!" He attempted to sound as brave as he could; he needed to make his point firm. "You sent them and their group deal with that white unicorn."

"Yes, I know about that. But why does that concern me right now?"

"I, uh, have urgent news on their mission."

"Ah, yes!" A sly grin appeared on Kage's face. "They have now rid any evidence of a story which could have made a fool out of us! If word had gotten out, all respect for our noble clan would vanish! We would lose our business! But now, I need not worry about-"

"They're dead, Sir."

"What?" asked Kage flatly.

"The group was killed. The entire group."

"WHAT!?" he exclaimed, much louder than last time. "That's impossible! A pony killed fifty of my dogs!? Why those incompetent-"

"Not a pony, Sir."

"Not a pony? Then what? There is no other creature in these forests that could outsmart a group of my diggers!"

Fensow took a deep breath. "This...this might seem a bit unbelievable, Sir."

"What, what?"

"It was a dragon."

"A-Wait, what?"

"A fire-breathing dragon killed the group."

"DRAGON?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN DRAGON?!"

Fensow recoiled slightly.

At that moment, another diamond dog appeared from the opposite end of the cave. Her body remained low, maintaining a menacing posture which made the average onlooker get the impression that she could pounce on any step, at any time.

"Hey, what's the tension all about, sweetie?" Her voice sounded sweet and light, yet haunting and threatening at the same time. A voice Kage had come to recognise and adore over many years.

He took a deep breath. "Don't worry, Jay! Just business."

Jay raised an eyebrow. "I'm not stupid, Kage. Now tell me what's going on." She paused. "Does it have anything to do with Leroy? Because I already told you that him and I are just-"

"No!" exclaimed Kage, a light blush forming on his cheeks. "It's not about that. Although, I must admit that you two spend a lot of-"

"Kage."

"Sorry."

Fensow had found himself staring at the ground, trying not to pay attention to the awkward exchange between the couple. "Ahem. Greetings, Lady Jay." he said, reminding the two other dogs of his presence.

"Yes, anyway, you must be out of your mind Fensow! Where is a dragon going to come from?"

"Dragon?" repeated Jay. "Wait a minute, what's this all about?"

"Perhaps you recall, my dear, I sent the Fathway group on a special mission," said Kage, a hint of sarcasm lingering in the first half of his sentence.

Jay narrowed her eyes. "Yes. I remember that. But what does a dragon have anything to do with this?"

"According to my sources, a dragon attacked the group and killed all those in it, leaving a whole plain in flames. Only a few roasted bodies were salvaged," replied Fensow.

"That's preposterous!" exclaimed Jay. "There are no dragons in these parts!"

"Yes," said Kage. "I'm beginning to think he's lost his mind."

"Sir, we only know of one dog who witnessed the event, and this is the story she told us. Upon our arrival at the scene, the dragon had long since departed, and the flames had been put out by the rain."

"I see. And who might this dog be?"

"Your Gem Progress Reporter, Vareen. She was on her way to the northwestern branch of tunnels when she saw flashes of yellow light and heard yelping."

"You said that you would trust Vareen with your life, Kage," said Jay.

"Yes, I trust her." Kage paused. "Well, tell me about this dragon. What did he look like?"

"She didn't got a clear view. Up until now, we can only speculate. But, we do know that the dragon was relatively small, not much bigger than ourselves," A short silence followed Fensow's words. "What do you propose we do, Sir?" Kage thought for a moment.

"Guard!" he called to one of the dogs standing a few metres beside his throne. The guard quickly walked over and saluted him.

"Yes Master!"

"Fetch me Moki! I want to find out everything I can about this so-called dragon!" He turned to Jay. "Now, about Leroy..."

******

"Princess! Princess Celestia!" A streak of white blew by two guards in front of Princess Celestia's court.

"Arms Race of The Royal Guard, you have not asked for admittance to my court at this time."

"My apologies, Princess, but I bring an urgent message from Ponyville!" Arms Race presented the Princess with a scroll.

"Is it private?"

"No Princess."

"Then you may read it aloud."

Arms quickly unrolled the scroll with a string of magic, unveiling the words he had read only minutes before. "Princess Celestia," he began. "This scroll has been sent to inform Your Highness that Twilight Sparkle, Applejack and Spike the Dragon have been severely injured during an incident in the Everfree Forest, of which details are not known. They are now in critical condition in our emergency room. Their wounds are thought to be fatal or near fatal, Your Highness' attendance is requested as soon as possible. The Ponyville hospital."

Celestia's mouth hung open, and a worried expression was now visible on her face. "Send word to the Crystal Empire and Miss Sparkle's parents at once. Arms Race, please take care of matters in my absence. I shall be leaving immediately."

******

Spike's eyes flashed open. A white ceiling stared back at him. He was on a bed in what could only be a room in the Ponyville Hospital.

"Twilight." The name came out in a breath as images of her bleeding body flooded back into his memory. "TWILIGHT!" he yelled, jerking up from the bed. He found that his head had been connected to a large machine beside the bed by many wires which ended in sensors. He quickly tore them off.

"He's awake!" exclaimed a nurse from the hallway. Two nurses rushed into the room.

"Where are Twilight Sparkle and Applejack?" Spike asked sternly.

"Sir please, if you could just lie back down-"

"WHERE ARE THEY?" He was right up against the nurse's snout with puffs of smoke coming out of his nostrils. Both nurses retreated to the back of the room. One of them pointed a shaky hoof at a door down the hall. Spike dashed down the corridor and burst through the door at the end of it.

"N-nurse?" Rainbow stopped to see who had just entered. A second's silence passed.

"Spike!" two voices cried spontaneously. Rarity and Fluttershy ran over and pulled the dragon into a hug at the same time.

"You're alive!" exclaimed Rarity, as tears of happiness began to flow from both ponies' eyes.

"Oh Spike, we thought that-that you...were..." Fluttershy trailed off, burying her face into his chest.

"But you...-dead-what-how did you...huuuuh??" Rainbow stared at him in disbelief. "You're alive." She blinked, then shook her head vigorously. "YOU'RE ALIVE!" Rainbow swooped down and embraced all three creatures, lifting them briefly up into the air. Only upon touching the ground did Spike realise the presence of a (second) familiar multi-colored mane in the room.

Princess Celestia stood open-mouthed at the sight of the purple drake. They had all just been informed a few hours ago that Spike couldn't have been saved, that he would never wake up again. And there he was. In front of her. Alive. Speechless, she lunged forward and hugged him tightly, a single tear streaming down her cheek. Spike's only concern at the moment however, was Twilight.

"What's with all you ponies!? Where's Twilight? Where's Applejack? Are they okay?"

"Spike," began Celestia. "We were informed a few hours ago that your death was imminent within the following minutes."

"What?!"

"The amount of energy you lost during your time in the forest should have killed you. It's a miracle that you're still alive."

"I-" Spike was interrupted by a pulse of pain surging through his mind, similar to the one he had encountered before fainting. "Ack!"

"Spike!" exclaimed Rarity. "Are you alright?"

"I'm-I'm fine." He pointed at a door to the side of the room. "Is Twilight in there?" Fluttershy gave him a slight nod. Spike walked towards the wall and opened the door, all the while unsuccessfully trying to ignore the massive pain in his head. Upon entering, he saw two beds and a pink pony slumped on the floor between them. The room was white, as was nearly everything else in the hospital. There were two large heart monitors connected to the figures on the beds, unsteady beeping emanating from both of them.

Pinkie watched him enter. She blinked twice. Wait a minute. That looks like... Her eyes widened in recognition and surprise. But Spike-he's...he's..."SPIKE! YOU'RE ALIVE!" She leaped into the air and remained airborne for several seconds before grabbing him, pulling him into a bone-crushing hug. All the while Spike's eyes were focused on the two ponies laying on the beds in front of them, a purple one on the right and an orange one on the left. He squirmed out of Pinkie Pie's grasp and ran to Twilight's bed. His breath stopped for a moment at the sight of her. She had a breathing mask on, and Spike could see stitches on her legs. The top half of her torso was bandaged, along with the top of her head. There was a small jar on top of her heart monitor which contained something Spike never thought he'd see in such a state. He gently picked up the jar and turned it slowly, staring at Twilight's detached horn. "Spike, I can't believe that you're still here!" exclaimed Pinkie. "They told us that..."

"Yeah I know. But could you guys please tell me what happened after...I-I passed out?" Spike asked the question shakily, terrified that the answer might be something he didn't want to hear.

"Spike, you-you do remember what happened before you...?" Rarity trailed off, blinking painfully, clearly recalling the violent and horrific scene she had seen less than a day ago.

"Oh...that..." Although his own memory of the event was anything but clear, he still felt the beast within him, and he knew at least the extent to which he had given in to instinct. "I-I lost control! Even for me...it felt like-like it...wasn't me. Guys, I really can't believe that I might have-"

"Spike, darling, let's not dwell on that right now." said Rarity with a weak smile.

"Yes, Rarity is right. We shall deal with such matters later." added the Princess, although she had no clue what the Dragon was referring to. She gave Rarity a questioning glance, but the unicorn didn't seem to notice.

"Th-thanks. But what happened after?"

"Well, Spike, we brought you and Twilight and Applejack here as fast as we could, but we were afraid that...maybe it was too late..." Fluttershy recounted, vividly picturing what had happened many hours ago in her mind. "But thankfully, you were all still alive. The doctors operated on Twilight and Applejack immediately, but they didn't know what to do...for you. And then the Princess arrived and we were all so worried and we spent the whole night here and we were afraid that none of you would ever wake up and then the doctors told us that you wouldn't make it and-and-" Her lip trembled, and she found herself unable to continue. She burst into tears, remembering the extreme grief she had been experiencing for the last few hours. We are dreadfully sorry. I'm afraid there's nothing we can do to help him. We expect that he will...pass away within the next hour. Those were the words. The words that they had all been told not even a day ago. They had lost him, seemingly forever. She had several emotional breakdowns after that, and it seemed to her as if she would never been able to smile again. She had no idea that she cared for him that much. They never shared a very close bond did they? I mean sure he was her friend but...

Spike approached the tearful pegasus, wrapping his arms around her neck. "I-it's okay, Fluttershy. I'm here now." Although he was trying to hide it, the pain in his head had not subsided.

"We-we thought that we had lost you forever, darling. It was just too much to bear." Rarity joined their embrace, and was quickly followed by the other three ponies.

"Wait a minute," said Spike, releasing his grip. "How long have I been out?"

"Just over a day." replied Celestia. Spike reeled back.

"You mean...you guys have been here for..." For the first time since he woke up, Spike took a good look at each of the ponies' faces. Their condition was horrible. They all had bags under their eyes, and Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Rarity both had dried tears plastered to their faces, the latter two with faintly bloodshot eyes. Their manes were ruffled, with Pinkie's deflated, the Princess' being the only one which didn't look awful. He briefly looked at the window on the opposite side of the room. The sunlight streaming in was nearly as bright as it would be at noon. The clock hanging above it read five o'clock. After a few seconds, he turned his attention back to the ponies in the beds. "What about...them? Are they going to be okay?"

"Applejack probably will," said Celestia. "She might even make a full recovery."

"And Twilight?"

"Well, I'm afraid...I'm afraid she might not make it. It is already serious if a unicorn's horn gets forcefully detached and added to her wounds..."

"No...she can't...Twilight can't die!" exclaimed Spike. "There must be something! Your Alicorn magic? Did you try that?"

"Spike I tried everything I could."

"But her horn! You must have a spell for that!"

"The energy that I would have to force onto her body for such a spell would kill her in her present state."

"No...No! This can't be it! There must be something! There's always something...Wait! There is something! Fluttershy quick! Get me a quill and paper!"

"Why?" she asked. " What did you-"

"NOW!" he yelled. Fluttershy recoiled in fear.

"Spike p-please don't get mad..."

Spike gasped. What did I just do? I yelled at...Fluttershy! How could I yell at Fluttershy?! "Oh Fluttershy, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to yell."

Fluttershy took a deep breath. "It's okay. I'll get you that-"

"Hey," said Rainbow. "I'll get it. Don't worry." She dashed out of the room and returned in less than five seconds, a quill and a piece of paper ripped from a notebook in hoof. "You're welco-" Spike snatched both pen and paper from her hooves and scribbled down something while propping the sheet up against the wall. He wrote so fast, none of the ponies could see his message. He quickly rolled it up and blew a small green puff of fire onto it, making it disappear in front of their eyes.

******

Princess Luna stood in her court, finishing off some requested papers for The Canterlot Library on the subject of demigods. The dark indigo serenity of the room was suddenly disturbed by a flash of green in front of her eyes. She caught the piece of paper produced by the flame with her magic and held it up for her eyes to see. She could barely make out the crudely scribbled words, but nonetheless, it was recognisable as the handwriting of Spike the Dragon.

Princess Luna,

Please teleport to The Ponyville Hospital IMMEDIATELY! It's a matter of life and death!

Spike

To Save Her

"Spike, what did that letter say?" asked Celestia.

"I'll explain in a few minutes," he replied, focusing on his headache as if it would make it go away. "Princess, how long do you think Twilight has before she...?"

"Perhaps an hour. Maybe less."

"Okay," he breathed. "I have time. Did any of you happen to pick up my bag from Fluttershy's cottage?"

"Spike," started Rainbow. "I think we were a bit too caught up with-"

"Actually," interrupted Rarity. "I did pick it up when we briefly stopped there to see if there was anything in the house that could help any of you. It's over there in the corner." Spike turned to look at the corner and, sure enough, there was a small brown backpack sitting there. He rushed over to open it and began to rummage through its contents.

"Here it is!" he exclaimed, holding up a thick green book. He placed the it on the bedside table and opened it to the first page. "Alright let's see-ack!" The pain in his head began to increase.

"Spike, what's wrong?" asked Celestia, hoof extended.

"I-arg-nothing. Hey, you wouldn't happen to have a spell to cure headaches, would you?"

"Well, I do, but why does your head ache? Is there something wrong?"

"I don't know but I can't read like this."

"I can help, just stand still." The tip of Celestia's horn began to glow white, and the energy began to extend towards the small dragon in beams of light. The ponies watched as the luminous rays enveloped his head and then his neck and eventually his shoulders. Spike shivered as he felt strands of energy race down his spine, but all the while its touch felt soothing. He exhaled heavily just as the magic dispersed...and clutched his head once again in pain.

"It didn't work," he managed, his pain apparent in his voice.

"But-I'm sure I performed it right! Why wouldn't it work?"

"Because such a headache is not ordinary." Everyone turned to see Princess Luna in the doorway, now entering the room. All the ponies bowed briefly, and Celestia gave a slight nod.

"Princess Luna! You're here!" exclaimed Spike. "Wait, what about my headache is-ack-not ordinary?"

"I'm quite sure the headache which you are experiencing is caused by magic exhaustion. We studied these, have you forgotten already Spike? You must have been spellbreathing excessively for this to happen. Just what have you been doing for the past day?"

"I uh, ummm...Listen, could we talk about that, uh, later? And I'm guessing I can't spellbreathe either."

"No you most definitely cannot."

"Is there any way to cure the headache? Or at least restore some of my magic?"

"Well, during our time studying together, I did find a spell, but the effect of it is only temporary. It's called the Spell of Double Extent. Naturally, your magic reserves will take two nights of sleep to restore themselves, with the painful migraine receding after the first night. This spell will extend the total natural recovery process by two nights, but will also cure the headache and partially restore some of your magic. Its effects last two hours."

"Can you...cast that now?

"I'm afraid I can't. Only a dragon can cast it. It is spellbreathing." She paused. "However, if you could simply produce a spark of magic, then I might be able to control it using my own magic and cast it on you. Can you handle that?"

"I think so. Just give me the spell category and focus areas."

"The spell category is enhancement and the focus areas are frontal lobe and gas vesicle."

"Alright. You can do this Spike." he said to himself. He closed his eyes and concentrated to find any puff of magical energy still present within him. He inhaled a few times, and then prepared himself to exhale. Come on, just a little bit... Pah! A puff of smoke escaped his lips. "Dammit." he cursed under his breath.

"Try again, Spike," said Rarity with a reassuring smile. She had no idea what was going on, the same applied to everyone else in the room besides Spike and Luna. But the least she could do was to encourage him, she figured.

"Okay. Again." He repeated the process slowly, summoning energy from whatever parts of his body still had any in them. He reminded himself of Twilight. He needed to save her. Everypony in the room watched anxiously as Spike blew out a small wisp of brown flame. Luna quickly diverted her attention to the puff of fire, and focused on amplifying it. The ponies watched as the flame zipped around the room under Luna's control and flew into Spike's nostrils. He inhaled it deeply before opening his eyes, and feeling a wave of energy wash over him. His headache had disappeared.

"It worked!"

"Now, Spike, I must ask why you sent for me in such an urgent manner." She looked at Twilight. "If this is about Twilight, I'm sorry, but I don't think there is anything I can do to help her."

"I'll explain," he said, already diverting his attention back to the book.

"Dragon Charms and Spellbreathing," Pinkie read the cover aloud. "A reference and, uh, disam-disabooga-disambigyoo-whaa?"

"Disambiguation," finished Spike. "Now let's see..." he opened the book once again to its first page and began running his claw down a list of contents. "You see guys, the reason I left Ponyville in the first place was because Princess Luna needed me for a sort of investigation. She said that she had discovered an old set of books hidden in one of the palace's old chambers. The books were about dragons and dragon magic, subjects of which very little is known to ponies. We spent the month studying dragons, dragon anatomy, species of dragon, all kinds of things that were entirely new to us. I even managed to learn how to spellbreathe, and I practiced a few spells."

"That is all true Spike, but why have you brought this book to Ponyville?" asked Luna.

"I brought home the special one, Princess."

"To train with Twilight?"

"Yes."

"I'm sorry, why is this book special? I mean, specialer than the other dragon books?" asked Rainbow, feeling like she had missed something.

"Because, Rainbow, this was the only one of the entire set written by a pony. Incanta Sitherhoof."

"So...?"

"So, Incanta didn't just document dragon magic; she also experimented with dragon spells and potions. She even found that some spells could be partially translated into unicorn magic," he replied, still trying to find a certain entry in the contents. "Aha!" he declared, flipping through the pages to reveal one particular entry near the end of the book. Everypony in the room (who was not on a hospital bed) gathered around to see what Spike had found. The title of the page read Healing Spells and Unicorn Magic. "Dragons have the ability to perform a variety of healing spells, yada-yada-yada...blue flames...here! The Corpomagus Healing Spell- This spell is used commonly by the reptilian beasts of the volcanoes. It has the ability to heal physically inflicted injuries to the gas and magus vesicles. I have found this particular spell to be very remarkable, as the structure of the magical chamber present in a unicorn's cerebrum is similar to that of the magus vesicle, it could also be used to heal unicorn injuries of the same category, provided another powerful unicorn is present to reform the magic to be administrable on a pony. In theory, this could be accomplished by altering the part of the spell which is translatable into unicorn magic, which I have given below." Below the words Spike had read, the ponies could see a number of symbols which were foreign to all of them but Celestia and Luna.

"You are going to ask me to assist you in casting this spell to save Twilight," said Luna, stating what she had just realised. "It's still quite dangerous, Spike. You could seriously injure yourself-again-seeing as your magic reserves are only partially restored and that this a high energy spell." Spike turned his head around to look at Luna, looking her straight in the eye.

"I would give my life to save Twilight Sparkle, if need be." He spoke firmly and without a single sign of doubt apparent on his body or present within his mind.

The Princess took a step back. "Very well then. If that is what you wish."

Fluttershy watched quietly. He was about to do it again. Exactly what he did last time. And I might lose him again. "Spike, don't!" she cried suddenly, lunging towards him, a few tears once again finding their way down her cheeks. "We-we already lost you once Spike, it was unbearable! I couldn't stand to lose you again!" She threw her forelegs around his neck, much to Spike's surprise. "Please don't do this."

A few moments of silence passed before the drake spoke. "I-I kinda have to, Fluttershy. It's the only chance we have right now to save Twilight. We all really want to save Twilight, right?"

"I guess so..." She let go of him and placed him on the ground, her eyes clenched together in pain. "Bu-but to lose you again..."

Rarity found herself instinctively embracing Spike as well, followed once again by Fluttershy and then the rest of the ponies. They all hugged each other warmly for perhaps half a minute, with Spike finding comfort and reassurance in his friends' hooves. Before long they all let go, one by one.

Rainbow placed a hoof on the dragon's shoulder. "Good luck, Spike."

"Yeah, good luck!" exclaimed Pinkie, feeling a slight bit of happiness return to her after so long. "We know you can do it!"

"Thanks, guys, you're the best friends a dragon could ask for." Spike shut his eyes and began to concentrate. "And I'll try my best to not kill myself."

The Only Chance

I can do this. Spike said to himself. He summoned all of the magic which Princess Luna had restored. He immersed himself in it, searching and acquiring energy from every single part of his body. He inhaled slowly and felt heat build up in his chest. The spell then slowly began to escape his lips, forming a curve of blue light within a few moments.

Waves of heat rippled through the air and the ponies felt an eerie warmth blanket them. They stared anxiously at the mesmerising flame as it floated higher and began to spiral in on itself. The flame rose above Luna's head, the seconds ticking by.

Spike felt his energy draining. His spell faltered. I'm gonna...pass out... No. He needed to finish, and finish fast. With a final puff of air, Spike spit out the last bit of the flame and instantly fell backwards from the force. Rainbow's instincts were triggered instantly and she rushed to catch him. She yanked him from gravity's pull right before his head hit the ground. Luna didn't divert her attention however, and she captured the dragon's spell in her magical grasp. The ponies gathered around Spike but their attention too was largely focused on the blue fire which was now flying at lightning speed near the top of the room. Luna made it go around in circles as she performed the quick translation.

"It's now or never," she said right before blasting it onto Twilight's torso. She released the spell and watched with everypony else as its blue glow crept up the sides of the unicorn's body. It enveloped her head and neck, its light beginning to dissolve into her scarred skin. A few seconds passed and the light dissolved completely, leaving behind a light glow. The glow disappeared with a flash the moment it appeared, and was quickly followed by the jerking of Twilight's body.

She gasped loudly as her eyelids flew open. She panted coarsely for air and coughed repeatedly, but one thing was certain.

"She's alive," Celestia said in bewilderment. "She's alive!" she repeated, a feeling of relief and happiness overcoming her as she became aware of what she had just said. Huge smiles began to appear on the rest of the ponies' faces.

Pinkie's mane inflated fully, an enormous grin plastered onto her face. "Twilight!" she exclaimed joyfully.

"Oh, Twilight you're alive!" Rarity chimed in.

"He did it!" cried Rainbow, setting Spike down against the wall.

Twilight still wasn't fully awake. She felt as if she was slipping through reality and states of shock. Flashes of the Diamond dogs' attack were playing in her mind.

"She is still hurt, but yes, I think most of the major internal injuries have been healed," said Celestia.

"But what about..." Fluttershy placed a worried hoof on Spike's shoulder. To her surprise, his claw reached up and grabbed it.

"Twilight..." he said drowsily through grunts of pain. "D-did it work?"

Fluttershy smiled at him. "Yes Spike, you did it. Twilight is going to be just fine."

"Y-yaaay..." His voice faded away.

"I shall tend to him immediately," replied Luna. "Tell the nurse to take him back to his room."

"No!" said Spike. "Let me stay here...with Twilight..."

"Very well. Rarity, see if you can get the nurse to bring another bed into this room."

"Yes, Princess."

"Twilight?" Pinkie arched over the bed, trying to get her friend to speak.

"Hey Twilight, can you hear me?" asked Rainbow.

"R-rainbow Dash? Pinkie Pie?" Twilight's mind began to re-immerse itself into reality and the her friends' faces came into focus. "Is that you?"

Pinkie wrapped her forelegs around Twilight's neck and hugged her warmly. "Yes, Twilight. It's us," she replied.

Rainbow too hugged Twilight just as Pinkie let go. "It definitely is," she said before releasing her.

Twilight tried to adjust herself to sit up. "Aack!" she cried out in pain.

Celestia put a hoof on the unicorn's foreleg. "Rest. You're still hurt."

"Princess Celestia? What's going on?" She spoke weakly and quietly with pain in her voice.

"You are in the hospital, Twilight."

"In the hospital? Where's Applejack?"

Rainbow gestured to the other bed. "Right there."

"Is she going to be alright?" asked Twilight worriedly.

"Heh, 'Is she going to be alright'," repeated Rainbow. "You were the one we were worried about. Applejack's fine. Well, not fine fine, but she'll be okay. But you...we were afraid that you were going to-going to...die."

"That is until Spike the Brave came to save you!" said Pinkie. "He used his magic to heal you!"

Just then, a bed began to enter the room through the doorway. Two nurses pushed it against the wall next to Twilight's bed. Rarity was right behind them. Fluttershy was still standing next to Spike when Luna's purple magical glow surrounded him and levitated him in the air over to the bed. Luna laid him down gently and walked over to the bedside.

Fluttershy briefly turned to see Twilight. She's awake! she thought to herself before hurrying over. "You're awake, Twilight!" she exclaimed. "Oh, thank heavens."

"Hi Fluttershy. What's that bed for?"

"It's for Spike. Princess Luna is going to try to heal him."

"I shall do the best I can," said Luna. "But I'm afraid I can't make any promises."

"Why? What happened to him?!"

"He used too much magic," replied Luna. "He risked his life to save you, Twilight."

"Don't worry about me, Twilight," said Spike weakly. "I'll be fi-I'll be fiiii..." He trailed off, falling unconscious.

"He's going to be okay right?" asked Twilight in alarm. The ponies in the room exchanged uneasy looks, with Fluttershy once again on the verge of tears.

"I'll try my best," said Luna.

"But for now Twilight, you must rest." added Celestia. "You are nowhere near a full recovery and every minute you spend awake will only worsen your condition. In fact, we should all leave. I believe Princess Luna will require full concentration for her spells and it will allow Twilight to get some rest." Luna nodded in agreement.

"Don't worry Twilight," said Rarity. "We shall be right outside the door in the waiting room."

"I will call you when it's time," said Luna as the ponies left the room. She closed the door and turned to Spike. "Stay strong, dragon. Let's begin." Her horn began to glow purple.

Spike was still awake, but just barely. With a last ounce of muscle, he moved his hand over the bed and to the edge of the next one. He felt Twilight's hoof and grasped it in his fingers.

"Twilight..."

A Dragon's Heart

"It's taking a long time," said Rainbow with a large yawn. "When do you think we will be able to go in, Princess?"

"I don't know," replied Celestia.

All of the ponies sat anxiously waiting for Princess Luna to open the door that had been shut for over three hours. Three long agonising hours. Everypony couldn't help but think, What if Spike died? They tried to comfort themselves and each other, but they all knew that there was a large chance he wouldn't make it.

Pinkie Pie had fallen asleep after an hour, and still lay snoring quietly on a cushioned chair. Fluttershy and Rarity sat side by side in silence, Fluttershy having succumbed to tears twice within the past hour. Rarity had calmed her down both times with a hug and warm but empty smile. Celestia had been standing nearly the whole time, trying to maintain a reassuring aura for everypony else, but even she found she could only do so half-heartedly. Rainbow had simply spent her time flying in slow circles near the ground, and once her wings had gotten tired, she had started pacing on hoof. The only sign of hope that would come from the room that harboured their friends was the glow of purple light which could be seen under the door. Every time a glow was seen, they knew he was still alive, that Luna was still trying to heal him. But no such glow had been seen for over ten minutes, and the ponies were beginning to fear the worst.

"Come on Princess Luna," said Rainbow. "Let's see some light, vibration, anything..."

Chik!

Everypony turned to face the door; that was the sound they had been waiting for. The sound of the door opening. Luna opened it slowly and stepped into the waiting room.

"At last!" cried Rarity. "What happened, Princess?"

"Is Spike going to be okay?" asked Fluttershy, her ears peeking up halfway.

"Well," began the Princess. "I've done all I can."

"Is he...dead?" asked Rainbow painfully.

"No, no he isn't."

"So he's going to be okay?" Hope became visible on the yellow pony's face once again.

"I can't say for sure. The time has come for fate to make its decision. The most important factor now is his will."

"His will?" asked Rarity.

"His will to live. His inner strength. Twilight's presence in the room is definitely helping. I think yours would, too." Luna stepped aside and allowed the ponies to enter the room. Applejack was still unconscious (or asleep; it was hard to tell) and Twilight had her eyelids half-open. Spike lay almost completely still, except for the unusually slow rise and fall of his chest.

"Princess Luna," said Twilight, her voice still weak. "Is he going to be okay?"

"I can't tell, Twilight. We will have to wait and see." Everypony gathered around Spike's bed.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" asked Fluttershy.

"Not much. Just...let him know that you're here for him."

"Spike," began the yellow pegasus. "I don't know if you can hear me but, If you can...We need you Spike. All of us. You're so kind and helpful to everypony and I couldn't even imagine my life without you." Tears started to appear in her eyes. "None of us could, Spike! You-you can't die now! Please, I-I don't know what I'd do! We love you, Spike!"

Rarity put an foreleg over Fluttershy's neck. "We do, Spike. We really do."

Celestia felt tears streaming down her face as well. "Spike you're like...you're like my own son. I raised you and...I can't watch you die now!"

Rainbow hung her head and stared at the edge of the dragon's bed. "I'd do anything to help you right now Spike...anything..."

Twilight watched, exhausted but still anxious. Tears had already made their way down her face, and she felt almost too weak to say anything.

"Wait," said Rarity. "Princess Luna, you said that his will to live will better his chances of surviving, right?"

"Yes, that is true."

"Well, I know a spell that might increase his will."

"You speak of a memory sharing spell, correct?"

Rarity nodded. "Do-do you think it would help?"

Luna thought for a moment. "Yes, I think it would."

Rarity closed her eyes and her horn began to glow purple.

She sighed deeply and allowed herself to fall into her mind's thoughts and memories.

"What's she doing?" asked Rainbow Dash.

She searched herself for memories of Spike.

"It is a memory sharing spell,"

The dragon whose heart she had been given.

"What does it do?"

The dragon whose heart she had unknowingly broken.

"Memory spells allow a unicorn to gain control over their memories."

The dragon whose heart she now had to revive.

"The memories can be manipulated and relived or...forgotten using these spells."

Happy memories of them together. There were plenty.

"Memory sharing spells are special; they allow the user to force their own memories upon another."

All those days, with him helping her at the boutique, laughing and telling jokes.

"Mutual memory sharing spells, the kind your friend is using, are used to project and refresh memories for two or more ponies, memories which they both share."

Going gem-hunting.

"Experiences which they both have had with each other in the past."

The moment he gave her the fire ruby.

The recollected memories played through Rarity's head, and the glow on her horn began extending towards Spike.

At the same time, Celestia's horn started to glow yellow.

Spike's mind was nearly blank, as he remained almost completely unconscious. He began to feel a strange sensation overcome him, and images started to form in his mind. Images and...Memories. He thought to himself. Memories of him and Rarity.

Working at the boutique...

Laughing over a cup of tea at Sugarcube Corner...

Her smile when he gave her the fire ruby...

Her smile when he was about to confess his love for her while falling through the air...

Sharing a hug after they escaped the diamond dogs...

Then, he felt another wave of memories being projected in his mind. Those of him and Princess Celestia.

Studying in the library...

Telling stories about ancient myths and legends...

Taking a walk in the palace gardens...

And the day he was assigned the job of being Twilight's assistant.

And he felt one more memory from Rarity.

Their kiss in the forest.

"His heart rate is increasing!" said Luna. The two ponies magic receded slowly before their glows disappeared.

I..can't die now...they're all counting on me. Me, Spike the dragon. He felt as if he was about to lose himself. Lose his own body. Let go... It seemed so easy, so easy to just die. No, I won't die! Images of Twilight, Rarity and all of his friends flashed through his conscious mind.

"I-I think he's alive!" Luna exclaimed.

I'll live through this! For them! He felt himself re-enter his own mind. He began to feel his body, and he felt pain. Physical pain. The kind which can only be felt if one is...alive.

Spike forced himself to open his eyelids. "If I'm dead, I hope you guys are crying your eyeballs out in the real world."

"Aw yeah, nothing can kill this dragon!" Rainbow flew a quick loop in the air. Everypony laughed.

"You survived Spike!" cried Rarity.

"Well, you really helped. I don't know if I could have done it without you. You and Princess Celestia."

"We don't know what we would have done of you lost you." Celestia wiped away her tears.

"Spike," said Twilight. "I wanted to thank you but...just now I was afraid I was never going to get the chance."

The dragon slowly got off his bed and grabbed Twilight's neck. He hugged her tightly, and she quickly returned the gesture. He let go of her slowly and turned to see a troubled Fluttershy. "Hey Fluttershy, is something wrong?"

"Oh? I'm fine. It's just f-for a moment there I really thought that you were...gone."

"Fluttershy, don't worry about it. It's over, and it's never going to happen again." Spike embraced her, and the others quickly followed.

"Hey, don't group hug without me!" Twilight said. She shifted her weight and sat up. "Ack!"

"Twilight, are you okay?" asked Spike, putting an arm on her chest.

"It's alright, it doesn't hurt as much now." She placed her hindlegs on the ground, then her forelegs.

"Come on," said Spike. "Let's go home."

The Warmth of the Night

"Spike, your headache will return in the morning," said Luna. "Take these painkillers once every hour starting tomorrow." She gestured to a clear plastic bag containing dozens of small white pills. "Don't spellbreathe for at least seventy-two hours."

"Thank you, Princess. Both Twilight and I owe our lives to you," Spike replied, taking the bag of of the bedside table.

"It is my duty and my pleasure to help the citizens of Equestria in any way I can." The Princess turned to pick up the spellbreathing book from the other table.

"Uh, Princess, I was wondering if I could keep that for a few weeks. I'd like to practice a bit of magic at home. After three days of course."

"Magic," Twilight whispered to herself. "Hey, speaking of magic," she said aloud. "Where's my horn?!"

Celestia slowly reached for the jar on the opposite table and gave it to Twilight. She stared in shock at what was inside. Her horn. Her own horn. A part of her body.

"Oh, no. Does this mean I can't do magic anymore, Princess?" she asked, hanging her head.

"I can reattach it," said Celestia. "But you have to be fully healed for that. Judging by your injuries, it'll be at least a week before I can safely perform the spell on you. And there's something else." She took the jar from Twilight's hoof. "In order for it to be reattached, it must still be alive. A unicorn's horn remains alive for two days and two days only after detachment. Someone has to keep it alive for a week until I can reattach it."

"Keep it alive? How?"

"By fueling it with raw magical energy once a day."

"I'll do it." said Rarity.

"Are you sure you can do it?"

"Anything to help Twilight."

"Thank you, Rarity," Twilight replied.

"Raw energy is a bit difficult to produce, but I'll manage."

"Excellent," said Celestia, giving the jar to Rarity.

"What about Applejack?" Rainbow gestured to the still-slumbering pony at the other side of the room.

"She won't be fully conscious until after two days. Leave her here for the time being. You won't be allowed in here again until then anyway."

"Hey, where are Applebloom, Granny Smith and Big Mac?" asked Spike.

"They don't know anything about this. Applebloom and her class went on a family camp-out field trip with her school. They should be back by tomorrow morning, and I will send them a letter informing them of what has happened."

Spike nodded and turned to Luna. "Princess Luna, about the book?"

Luna sighed. "Alright. Keep it-and yourselves-safe. I best be going. I have much work to do."

"Twilight," began Celestia. "Your brother and your parents should be over to see you tomorrow evening. I'll send a letter informing them that you'll be okay. Now, I should leave as well. Oh, and seeing as you're all exhausted, there will be five carriages waiting outside the hospital to take you to your homes."

"Bye Princess!" Twilight called as the two sisters walked into the doorway and disappeared in a flash of light.

Rainbow yawned. "Let's go."

"But what about Pinkie Pie?" Fluttershy pointed at the pony sleeping in the other room.

"Guess we'll have to wake her up." Rainbow Dash walked over to her slumbering friend. She put a hoof on Pinkie's shoulder. "Hey Pinkie, we're leaving. Spike's okay, don't worry."

Pinkie kept snoring.

"Come on Pinkie, let's go!" Rainbow tugged her foreleg.

No reaction.

Rainbow grabbed Pinkie's face. "Pinkie Pie! Get up!"

Still no reaction.

"PINKIE! GET UP!" shouted the pegasus.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzz...

"Hold on," said Spike. "Let me try." Rainbow moved aside with a grunt. Spike cleared his throat, then spoke in a barely audible tone. "Cupcakes."

"CUPCAKES!?" Pinkie exclaimed, her eyes opening to be the size of watermelons. "Whe-SPIKE!" Before he could react, she picked him up, then dropped him one foot off the ground. He fell down on his rump and Pinkie pulled him into a bone-crushing hug. She let him go as she calmed down from her outburst. "I knew you'd make it Spike! What did I miss?"

"Nothing really," said Spike. "I'm alive, Twilight's alive and we can come back here in two days to see an alive Applejack."

"We're leaving now, darling." Rarity said. "Princess Celestia was kind enough to get us carriages so we wouldn't have to walk." She yawned.

"Alright," replied Pinkie with her own yawn.

They made their way out of the room and down the hallway. They reached the reception room in silence and walked out the door. There stood five elaborate and intricately carved carriages, painted white and yellow. Each one was pulled by a pair of stallions. Everyone was too tired to really notice any of it, and they all simply boarded and told the stallions where they had to go.

"Ponyville library," said Spike after helping Twilight up. The moon was quickly making its way to its place in the sky as the stallions started running with their respective carriages. Spike watched each one of the others disappear over the horizon before turning back to Twilight. She still had her bandages on. "Hey, let me take those off for you."

Twilight stopped his hand. "It's alright, I'll take them off when we get home." A few seconds of quiet followed.

"Heh. Home."

"It's funny?"

"No, it's just...it feels like it's been so long." They sat in silence for the rest of the ride.

"We're here," said one of the stallions. Spike and Twilight got off the carriage carefully.

"No payment required, courtesy of Princess Celestia." The stallions galloped off.

Spike hurried to the front door and opened it just as Twilight caught up.

"Thanks Spike." She walked inside and he quickly followed.

"Ah, home at last." He flicked on the light and turned to Twilight. "Here, now let me get those bandages off." He hurried over to where she was standing. She had three bandages on; one around her neck, one on her leg and one around her torso. "Twilight, stand still." He got onto his knees and slipped claw into the bandage. Riiiiip! The bandage fell to reveal a large scar running up her leg. Spike tried to ignore it. He moved to her back. "You'll have to hold your breath for this one, or I might cut your stomach."

Twilight inhaled loudly and puffed out her cheeks. Spike quickly sliced the second bandage in one clean swipe. A look of horror washed over his face as the white cloth drifted to the ground and the area became visible. A big closed gash extending from her left hindleg to the middle of her back was what greeted his eyes.

"Oh, god. This is terrible. I can't believe this."

"Never mind about that right now. Just...just cut the last bandage."

Spike took a deep breath. "Okay. You're gonna have to lower your head."

Twilight bent her neck towards the ground. And then the images started coming back. Images of the attack. She clenched her teeth and felt a tear slide down her cheek. Spike used a claw from each hand and punctured the bandage from the inside upwards. He then pulled his hands apart while against the bandage, cutting it in a straight line. It fell to the ground slowly, but Twilight's fur still obscured the stump of her horn. She started quivering just as Spike withdrew his hand.

"Twilight?" he asked softly. "Are you alright?" She grabbed him with a jerk of her forelegs and held on tight, pulling him into a hug.

"I was so scared Spike!" Tears now flowed freely down her face. "I thought-I thought they were going to kill me. I thought I was gonna die in the forest!"

Spike returned the embrace, somewhat dazed. "Twilight, it's over. It's all over. Try to forget it ever happened."

"I can't! I know it's going to haunt me for the rest of my life!"

"Twilight, we're home. After all of it. It's a happy ending. The diamond dogs are gone. I'm right here, and I'm still alive. Applejack's alive too."

She calmed down slowly and her crying got quieter. "Thanks Spike. Thanks for saving me."

"Hey, I know you would have done the same for me. And besides, if you didn't survive, I wouldn't have either. Twilight, you're the closest thing I have to a family." Twilight's sobbing stopped after a few seconds, and she released him slowly.

"Really? But what about the Princess?"

"Celestia? Yes, she raised me, and I'm grateful to her but...she was always busy. She raised me but...I never really felt loved. And I knew that it couldn't have been any different. I wish it could have been, but it just wasn't possible." Spike breathed slowly. "There's something..." He exhaled. "Something I never told anyone before. You know when we go for walks or I go to do something outside the library?"

"Yeah."

"Every single time I see a family or a brother with his sister or a father with his son-anything like that-I get so...so jealous. Jealous of them. Jealous because they have a family and I don't. Every time. But every time I also think of you, Twilight. You're my family. You love me like any family member. You are my family, Twilight. And I know its strange, But I love my family just the way it is. I don't care if you're not really my sister or my cousin. Because I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Oh, Spike!" She pulled him into a hug again, though it only lasted a few seconds this time.

Spike yawned upon letting go. "Well, time to hit the hay." He marched up the stairs and into the bedroom that they shared. Just as he threw the bag of painkillers onto a nearby table, he realised something. "Uh, Twilight?"

"Yes?"

"I don't think I can fit in this basket anymore." He pointed at his old bed.

"Actually, Spike," she said timidly. "I was thinking that maybe you could sleep...in my bed tonight? With me? Just for tonight?"

Spike smiled. He made his way to her bed and climbed onto the sheets. He turned to Twilight. "Well? What are you waiting for?"

Twilight returned the smile and got up on the bed with him. She laid down slowly and Spike quickly followed. He curled himself up into a ball and Twilight arched over him, pulling him against her stomach.

"Good night."

Spike was about doze off, when he felt shivering. Twilight shivering. Let's take care of that. He heated his center, breathing steadily. The heat began to spread, with him still focusing on his breath. A warm glow surrounded him. As soon as he felt her fur on his scales, the shivering stopped.

"I love you Twilight."

"I love you too, Spike."

Professor Spike

Spike groaned at the sunlight that now shined on his closed eyes. "Yeah, yeah, Celestia, I'm up." He could still feel Twilight's fur on his back. He propped himself up on the pillow with his elbows and and placed a hand on Twilight's belly. "All-righty then, let's get a move on, Spike." He heard a light flapping coming from one corner of the room. A brown owl had perched himself on the windowsill. "What do you say, Owliscious? Want to cook Twilight a nice breakfast?"

"Hoo."

"Who? Twilight, that's who."

"Hoo."

"I said-oh, never mind, I'm not having this conversation again. Just make sure Twilight doesn't wake up. I'm going downstairs." Upon standing up, Spike almost fell over again as the headache hit him. "Ack! Okay, pills first, then breakfast."

******

A monster. A monster with his flame. There it was, tearing apart creature after creature, the flames inches from her face and licking her mane every time they surged from his mouth. She looked into his eyes, but they weren't the eyes she knew, they weren't the eyes she loved. They were the eyes of a killer.

"Spike..."

The beast turned to her and she felt the heat increase around them. He opened his mouth unleashed his fiery breath once more. Right at her. She could see the flame, her vision instantly consumed in yellow light-

Twilight jerked off of her pillow, breathing heavily. "That was...Spike," she said out loud between pants. "No...that was a dream. It was just a dream..." She looked up and out the window, squinting at the sunlight. "It was just a dream." She rubbed her face with her hooves and inhaled deeply. There was a heavy aroma in the air. Something's cooking. she thought to herself, getting off of the bed. She pushed her dream to the back of her mind and began to follow the scent, making her way down the stairs while yawning.

"Good morning, sleepyhead!" said Spike as he flipped a pancake in the air. He was wearing his chef's hat and had flour on his fingers.

"Good morning, Spike! What smells so good?"

"Cinnamon pancakes. You hungry?" He turned off the stove and put the pancake on a plate before bringing it over to the table. "Breakfast is served."

Twilight started towards the table, but then felt a sudden jolt of pain course through her leg. "Eeek!"

Spike turned around quickly and ran over to her. "Twilight! What happened?"

"-my leg..."

"You still haven't healed completely!" He helped her stand properly again. "You have to be a bit more careful."

"Oh, what would I do without you Spike?" She said, exaggerating slightly.

"Huh. I am the best assistant anypony could ask for, aren't I?" He assumed a heroic stance.

"Oh, of course you are. That's why you wouldn't mind dusting the library after breakfast, right?"

"Exac-Hey!" He shut one eye and pointed an accusing finger at the mare.

Twilight giggled and took her seat at the dining table. Two plates were placed near the ends of the table, one empty and the other being the one Spike had just brought. A tower of steaming pancakes sat atop a third plate at the centre of the simple yet mouth-watering display.

Spike slapped a pancake onto his plate. "Dig in!"

Twilight wasted no time in devouring her meal and reaching for more. "When was the last time we ate?"

"At Pinkie's party, I guess. Or at least you did." Spike still remembered the feeling of flesh in his mouth. Soft, juicy...delicious.. Spike choked on his pancake. "Wait, what?"

"Huh?"

"Oh, uh, nothing. Never mind." He looked down quickly. Spike was very hungry, but he ate at a slower pace than he normally would. His thoughts were much less on his food than it they were on a certain white unicorn, or what that white unicorn had done to be precise. He had barely thought about anything else for the entire morning. He still remembered how she felt pressed up against him, how it felt when she was close. And her soft lips... But he couldn't get over the feeling that there had been strange about the kiss. Something that didn't feel quite right... It was your first kiss, you idiot, he thought to himself. How would you know how it's supposed to feel like? You liked it didn't you? That should be enough.

"Uh, Spike?" started Twilight.

"Huh?"

"You're poking around an empty plate."

"Oh. Oops." He sheepishly grabbed another pancake.

"You seem...strangely happy."

"Well, uh, why wouldn't I be happy?"

"No I mean more than usual."

"What makes you think that?" He tried to suppress a blush.

"Well, you've been staring off into space with a half-smile on your face for about five minutes now."

"Yeah, alright, I'm happy. Is that wrong?"

"No, but why are you happy?"

"Uh, no reason." His spine straightened and he sat upright.

"Come on, Spike. You're not telling me something."

"Like what?"

"I dunno, but I can tell when you're hiding something."

"It's none of your business."

"Aha, so something did happen!"

"No. Nothing happened."

"If nothing happened, then what's this business that's 'none of mine?"

Spike stayed quiet and stared down at his pancake.

"Come on, Spike. If it made you happy I'm sure there's no need to hide it."

He sighed. "After Rarity found me in the forest we kinda...kissed." He was blushing furiously by the time he finished his sentence.

"You kissed Rarity?" she asked in surprise.

"Well, I....uh...ahem-yeah-I...guess?"

"Is that a yes or a no?" A sly smile began to appear on her face.

Spike's cheeks got even hotter. "Yes...Is there something wrong with that?"

"No, no, nothing." she replied quickly. "I'm just not entirely sure it was a...mutual thing?"

"Hey, she kissed me, alright?"

"And you kissed back?"

"Yeah...I mean, why wouldn't I?"

"Well."

"Well what?"

"What was it like?" she asked, the giddiness in her tone rising to a point where Spike started feeling uncomfortable.

"It was...nice." he replied quietly.

"What did it feel like?" Twilight pushed, practically spueeing.

"Hey Twilight, look over there, I think it's a sign that says GET YOUR MUZZLE OUT OF MY BUSINESS."

Twilght held her hooves up in surrender. "Just curious." A smirk played on the corners of her mouth.

Spike slumped into his chair and resumed his eating. Twilight grabbed another pancake, still smiling. They ate in silence for a few minutes.

"So uh, what's been going on around here?"

"Nothing really. It's been quiet around here. I really missed you actually..."

"Of course you did, I'm, Spike! Let's face it, your life would be pretty boring without me." Spike bit his pancake at that moment, and it just so happened that his fingers had gripped it a little too high. "EYOWW!"

Twilight chuckled smugly. "Yeah, it definitely would be."

He would have given her an angry look, but he was to busy running over his bitten finger with his tongue. "Haw, haw, real funny," he said after taking his hand out of his mouth.

They finished their meals and Spike cleaned up quickly. Just as he finished putting the last plate into the cupboard, he felt his headache return again.

"Ugh. Stupid headache." He opened the bag of pills, which he had brought down and placed on the counter earlier, then grabbed one and popped it into his mouth.

"Hey, what time is it?"

"It's ten-ish."

"We should have opened the library by now...but seeing as neither of us is in any condition to work...Let's keep it closed 'till we've both recovered."

"Whopee!" Spike did a fist pump in the air. "Hey, I just remembered, aren't your brother and your parents coming over tonight?"

"Oh, yeah." She blinked. "My PARENTS!?" she exclaimed, looking around frantically. "Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh! We have to clean up and dust and cook-"

"Seriously Twilight? The library's clean, the books are arranged and I can take care of dinner no problem."

"But-but everything has to be perfect! I haven't seen my parents in almost a year! So much has changed!"

"You're right Twilight. So much has changed. You've changed. For the better. Remember a year ago you didn't know anything about friendship? You didn't know Rarity or Fluttershy or Applejack or any of the close friends you have now."

"...That seems like it was so long ago."

"Your parents would be proud. You've learned so much and we've had so many adventures together. Everypony you're friends with is lucky to know you." Spike chuckled. "And that's not just because that means they get to know me too."

"Hmph."

"You might be a little on the crazy side-"

Twilight gave him a disapproving glare.

"-But you're a smart, beautiful and talented young mare. I'm sure you've got absolutely nothing to worry about."

"You really think so?"

"I know so, Twilight."

Twilight sighed. "You're right. I just have to stay calm. It'll be fun. Exciting in fact!"

"That's the spirit." Spike smiled.

Twilight turned around and started walking to the bathroom. "I'm just going to go wash up," she said. "Then we have a few things to do." She entered the bathroom and grabbed her toothbrush, immediately realising yet another problem. "I have to do this without magic? Okay, Twilight, you can do this..."

Spike waited a few minutes before she emerged again.

"Spike? I think I have a little problem!"

"What is-oh! I, uh-mmph!" He stifled a laugh upon seeing the pony's mane. It was finely brushed, except for one peculiarity, which came in the form of a hairbrush.

In her mane.

Stuck.

"I had to brush my mane without magic, and I, uh...Could you help me out?"

He swallowed his chuckle and walked over. "Alright, ready?" he asked, clutching the embedded brush with his hands.

"Wait, I-OW!"

"Got it." said Spike, holding up the freed ornament.

"I've got to ask Fluttershy how she does that without magic."

Spike placed the brush aside. "Okay, so what do you wanna do for the rest of the day?"

"Well, I was thinking on doing a study on dragons today!"

"Huh?" Spike looked down and covered his belly with his hands. "Oh, nonono. My organs are staying where they are!"

"Not an autopsy, silly! Besides, you're still alive."

Spike blinked. "Well that's an extremely disturbing thing to say."

"What I meant was, I was thinking you could teach me about dragons? You know, Spellbreathing and fire and spells and how they work and-"

"Woah, woah, woah. You're asking me to give you a lecture on something?"

"Yes please!"

He thought for a moment. "Alright..." He cleared his throat. "Now go fetch your quill and ink, pupil, the lesson shall begin in a minute."

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Of course, sir." They both walked to Twilight's study desk and Twilight grabbed a quill and a scroll along the way.

"So, you wanted to know about spell and firebreathing, right?"

"Yeah. Let's get started!" Twilight took a seat on a nearby chair.

"Alright. First of all, spellbreathing is done through a special chamber in a dragon known as the magus vesicle. That's where magical energy is stored and summoned. It is located beneath the ribs and above the stomach. It's similar to the magical chamber in a unicorn's brain. Firebreathing is done through another chamber known as the gas vesicle and is located directly above the magus vesicle. Fire is literally formed inside the gas vesicle."

"Wait," said Twilight, holding up a hoof. "What's the difference between firebreathing and spellbreathing?"

"Firebreathing is just creating fire. It's regular fire, and doesn't do anything special. It has no magical capabilities of any kind."

"Uh, Spike?"

"Yeah?"

"I can't exactly take notes without my magic."

"What do you-oh, yeah. Well, just use your mouth."

"I'm not really good at that..."

"Then just listen. Come on Twilight, I'm sure the smartest pony I know can learn a few things without writing them down."

"Fine." she grumbled.

"Now, back to firebreathing. Simply put, when a dragon firebreathes, he converts his life energy into heat and fuel within the gas vesicle which becomes fire if he desires. The gas vesicle can also be used to create heat itself; It doesn't have to be fire. Spellbreathing is more complicated. Unlike unicorn magic, which is fueled by thoughts and brainpower alone, spellbreathing is fueled by life energy, just like firebreathing. This special life energy, called Stigni, is present in every part of a dragon's body and is drawn to and converted into magical energy by the magus vesicle. While unicorn life energy is light-based, Stigni is heat and light-based. That's why it comes out as fire and as pure light like unicorn magic. Spells are distinguished by two main properties, their class and their focus area. Classes of dragon spells are similar to unicorn ones like enhancement, healing and attack. Focus areas are the areas of the body where most of the Stigni is meant to be summoned from for that particular spell. A focus area could be any part of the body, even the magus vesicle itself. There are certain regions of the body where the focus areas of a class are generally associated with, for example divination spells which generally have their focus areas in the head. But these are very general guidelines, and there are many exceptions."

"I see. So no two spells have the same class and the same focus areas, but they could have one of the two properties being the same."

"Actually, there are some spells that have the same class and focus areas, which brings me to the next and most important part of spellbreathing: The intention. The key part of spellbreathing is knowing what you're going to do, which spell you're performing. So you could sort of say that being itself is a spell's third property."

"Alright, but how come you can perform really advanced spells from the beginning? Like teleportation?"

"Those spells are easier with Stigni. But some spells are harder. Because of the fiery nature of Stigni, spells like levitation are really hard to do. And some of those are really basic for unicorns."

"I remember that I learned levitation in literally a day when I was just six years old. By the way, are all dragon spellbreathers?"

"No, only some species. Those species that can spellbreathe usually have short lifespans and weaker firebreathing."

"Yeah, about the lifespan thing, I was gonna ask: How'd you get so tall in a month?!"

"Most dragons, me included, grow through a series of short and fast spurts. We grow by large amounts in small periods of time, and then don't grow at all until the next spurt. I'm going through my second one now, the first one having taken place just a few months after I was born."

"But you haven't stopped growing yet. In fact, I think you've actually grown a few centimetres since you first arrived!"

"The average growth spurt lasts four to nine weeks. This one is supposed to last five. By the time it's over, I'll be a up to your forehead. There's only a few days left."

"How many growth spurts will you have?"

"One every twenty years, until I'm forty."

"You won't be fully grown until you're forty!? How long do dragons live exactly?"

"Some can live for centuries. As for me, I'd say around a hundred and thirty to a hundred and fifty years. But I really can't beside because Princess Luna and I never actually identified my species."

"A hundred and thirty years! I..."

"Long time, huh? Way too long if you ask me."

"Yeah...That's almost double the average pony lifespan."

"I was mad when I first found out. But I guess I'm actually pretty lucky. Green-tailed Lurkas live for one thousand years." He stared blankly at the ground. "It's just...with such a long life, I'll live to see everyone I love...pass away, except for Princess Celestia. You, Rarity, and everypony else. I-I don't know if I can live that way, Twi." A tear slipped down his cheek.

"Spike, come on! That's nothing to worry about now! I'm not going anywhere." She muzzled his cheek lightly. "I'm your family, remember? I'll make a promise to you right now that I'll be there for you whenever you need me."

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Twilight. Sooner or later, you're gonna settle down with your own family. Your own stallion and your own kids. That's something I want you to do. I'd be really happy for you. But I'll never belong here. I'll never belong with ponies."

"Spike, you do belong here. You have such great friends who are all ponies. They love and accept you just as much as I do. And no matter what anypony else says or does, I'll always love you, and that's a promise I can keep."

"Thanks, Twilight." Spike said, smiling weakly.

"Tell you what, let's go pay Rarity a visit. That ought to cheer you up."

"Rarity?"

"Yeah. Besides, I wanna see my horn."

"I don't know, Twilight. I'm not really in the mood..."

"Not in the mood? Since when have you ever not been in the mood to see Rarity."

"Hey, it's not like I'm obsessed with her!" he snapped.

"Really? What about the time you cut her phone lines and barricaded her door?"

"What? Who told you about that?"

"Rarity did. She said you did it because you were afraid of stallions asking her out. If that's not obsessive, I don't know what is."

"Hey, to be fair, I was half-drunk when that happened."

"You where WHAT?!" she screeched.

"It wasn't my fault, I swear. Long story short, I had asked Applebloom for six bottles of apple juice that day because Thunderlane and I were supposed to have a chugging contest. She mixed up the apple juice with the alcoholic cider."

"A chugging contest?" she asked, slightly less alarmed.

"It's a guy thing. You wouldn't get it."

"Riiight. Anyway, that still doesn't explain why you don't want to visit Rarity."

Spike sighed. "I guess I'm just a little nervous."

Twilight raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, never mind. Let's go. You're right, it would cheer me up."

******

They boarded their carriage swiftly, Spike helping Twilight onto her seat. She couldn't walk very far, so they needed a ride.

"Take us to the Carousel Boutique!" he said as he placed Twilight's saddlebag beside him. The stallions began galloping.

"So," said Twilight, resisting the urge to smirk. "You ready to see your marefriend?"

"My WHAT now?"

"Your marefriend. Now don't tell me you don't know the name of your little white angel."

"Rarity is NOT my marefriend! I mean I wish she was, but she's not!"

"What about your little lip-hugging in the forest?"

"That was just one kiss. And it was under the weirdest circumstances. It doesn't mean she's my marefriend now...does it?"

Twilight responded with kissy noises.

"Twilight! Didn't I tell you I was nervous? You're not helping at all."

"Alright, well, maybe you should ask someone about your confusion."

"Who?"

"Think. Who would you ask about something like this?"

"I'd ask, Rarity, but I can't do that since it's about her!"

"Is there anypony else you could ask?"

"I don't know, Fluttershy, I guess?"

"Well, Fluttershy would certainly know more than me."

"Yeah." Fluttershy... "Hey, Twilight?" he asked after a few moments of silence. "Do you think Fluttershy was acting kind of weird yesterday?"

"Spike, I was unconscious the whole time."

"Oh, yeah."

The two sat in silence for a couple minutes before the carriage jerked to a halt. One of the stallions pulling the carriage turned his head to face them.

"We're here," he said.

"Let's go, Spike." Twilight said to the dragon as she got off the carriage.

"Actually, I think I'll go see Fluttershy first. I'll catch up with you and Rarity later, okay?"

"Uh, okay. Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"If you say so."

Spike turned to the stallions. "Here's your money," he said, taking a handful of bits out of the saddlebag. "I'll take another ride, to the cottage near the forest."

The stallions took the money and the carriage started moving again in a few seconds.

"See you later, Spike!" Twilight called after them.

******

Pit-pat-pit-pat-pit-pat.

Fluttershy awoke to soft thumping sound. She opened her eyes and sat up groggily. Angel was angrily tapping his foot on the floor in front of her bed. "Good morning Angel." She yawned. "What time is it?" Her gaze floated to the clock on her wall. "Ten-thirty? Goodness, I slept past your breakfast time!"

He nodded.

"Alright, just give me a moment to wash up and then we'll all eat breakfast together."

She went inside her washroom to brush her mane and wash her face before heading downstairs to the kitchen. She took a bowl of salad out of the fridge for Angel and placed it beside the waiting rabbit.

"There you go my hungry little bunny." She took out a cold banana-and-honey sandwich for herself and sat down at the table. "I'm sure the rest of the animals already found something to eat. Did any of them come by, Angel?"

He shook his half-lettuce-stuffed head.

"Then I'm sure there's nothing to worry about." Fluttershy ate her sandwich quickly and took her plate to the sink. She turned to Angel.

"You done with that, buddy?"

He nodded happily, patting his belly.

Fluttershy took his bowl and washed both dishes, placing them in the cupboard. "Well, that's that."

Angel pointed at her, then moved his hands apart in a poof motion before spreading his arms wide and shrugging.

"Why was I gone so long?"

He nodded.

"Oh, it's a long long story, Angel." Fluttershy pondered over the events of the last few days. Lots of things had happened, but to her at that moment, one thought was prevalent. Spike and the diamond dogs. She suddenly found herself recalling the horrifying scene she had witnessed only two days ago. The bright flames...the smell of their burning flesh...their terrified whimpers...And the blood. She gasped loudly.

Angel looked up at her worriedly.

"No, Angel, nothing's wrong, it's just..." She looked down and a small tear made its way down her face. "Spike is one of them! He's a dragon!"

Angel raised eyebrow in cautious curiosity.

"I saw him do something terrible, something to scary to describe!" She pictured his hissing tongue, his teeth and his fiery eyes. His eyes... She remembered the bloodthirsty look in his eye...The eyes of a monster. A monster...is Spike a monster? Was that even him? Could he see himself doing what he was doing? "N-no! It wasn't him...It couldn't have been him. Spike's my friend! He never hurt anyone! He's kind and compassionate...He's one of us!" She raised her head andput her hoof down firmly. "Yes! Spike's my friend!" she said confidently. "I won't let my own fears get in the way of that! And I'll talk to him about it if I have to."

Angel nodded approvingly.

"Thanks for your help Angel."

He was about to give her a quetioning look, but then shrugged it off.

"And I guess...Things have worked out between him and Rarity." Her thoughts once again took her back to the forest, where she had seen Rarity and Spike...And the same strange feeling of sadness overcame her. "It was strange what happened in the forest, Angel. I saw Rarity and Spike t-together in the forest..."

Angel puckered his lips then raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, um, they were kissing." A faint blush appeared on her cheeks from the thought. "And I felt...strange. Like I was sad."

Angel shrugged in a questioning manner.

"I'm not sure why. I mean...I wouldn't feel that way unless..."

Angel puckered his lips again, then pointed at her, then out the window.

"W-what? No, I don't like him! I mean he's a great friend and all, but nothing more."

He raised both eyebrows and looked at her bluntly.

"Sure, he's smart, funny, kind..."

He slapped his paw to his forehead.

"And he's the nicest guy I know..."

He rubbed his face on his paws.

"But that doesn't mean I like him!"

He made an are-you-kidding-me face and raised an eyebrow.

"Besides, it doesn't matter. He likes Rarity." she said firmly. "I'll find somepony someday, Angel. And I'll know it when I do. That's what Rarity said to me once, remember? When I find the right stallion, I'll just know it."

Knock-knock.

"A visitor?" She walked up to the door and opened it slowly.

Why? How?

"Hello there, Twilight!"

"Hi, Rarity."

"Is there something I can help you with, darling?" asked Rarity, smiling.

"No. I just thought I'd drop by for a visit." Twilight looked around hastily.

"Well, I could use some company. Come in, come in!" She ushered her inside.

Twilight walked inside the boutique and Rarity followed her to the workroom, shutting the door behind them.

"Tea, Twilight?"

"No thanks," she replied, sitting down on a couch.

"What a frightening adventure the past couple days have been," said Rarity sitting on the opposite end of the sofa. "I'm just glad it's finally over."

"I'm just glad I'm still alive. Thanks to Spike."

"Well...The reason we all went into the forest in the first place was to look for him, but I was the one who made him run off." She looked at Twilight blankly.

"It wasn't your fault, Rarity. I have a feeling those diamond dogs didn't just attack us for no reason."

"What do you mean?"

Twilight sat up. "Well, one of them mentioned something about a white pony when they were attacking us, namely, you. I-I think they were after you, Rarity."

Rarity gasped. "It must have had something to do wit my run-in with them a few months ago!"

"You were with them. Do you think that...they would actually kill somepony?"

"Well...No. I don't think they would. They're only interested in gems. But who am I to judge that, Twilight? They tried to kill you, didn't they?"

Twilight sighed. "I guess you're right." They sat in silence for a few seconds before a sly smile began to twitch at the corners of Twilight's mouth. "Spike seemed awfully happy this morning."

"Did he now?" A sudden look of realisation washed over her face and she bit her bottom lip lightly.

"Yeah, something about what happened in the forest."

A light blush became visible on Rarity's cheeks. "D-did he...tell you what happened?"

"Yes," she said, smiling.

"Look...Twilight, I-"

Twilight held up a hoof. "It's alright. I'm happy for both of you."

"No, that's not it. I-I'm really confused about Spike right now."

"What do you mean?"

She shifted about her seat uneasily. "When we were in the forest, h-he told me that...he loves me."

"He-He did?" she asked in surprise.

"Yes. And I knew he meant it." Rarity looked away.

"Well, he's never really had googly-eyes for anypony else before, so I really don't know how he'd react to that kind of feeling."

"He's great and all, and I'm sure he'd make an excellent companion, but...I'm not sure I feel the same way about him."

"You what now?" exclaimed Twilight.

"It's not that I don't like him! I do...but I'm not sure if t's the sae way he likes me." She rubbed her hoof against the back of her head.

"Well...Then why did you kiss him?!"

"He was so sad and hurt...and it was all because of me. I had to do something." She looked down.

"So...you don't like him that way?" asked Twilight, calming down slightly.

"I-I'm not sure! I mean he's a great friend and all...Kind, generous, trustworthy..."

"You'll have to make up your mind sooner or later, Rarity."

"It's just so confusing right now!" she exclaimed, throwing her hooves in the air. "I-I don't want to hurt him but...I don't know if I can return his feelings..."

Twilight stared blankly at the wall. "Is it because you're afraid of him?" she asked quietly.

"What? You mean..." Her mind took her back to the forest clearing. Fire...everywhere... "I-I don't think so..."

"It's okay Rarity. I think...I think everyone's a little scared. But I love him anyway. I know what he did in the forest...That wasn't him."

Rarity stared uneasily at the floor, rubbing the back of her head with her hoof again.

"I think you should talk to him. In fact, he'll be over soon."

She looked up. "Why? Where is he now?"

"He's at Fluttershy's cottage."

"How come?"

"He wanted advice from her. About you. I think he knows that you were unsure about him. He felt it when you...well, you know." She gave Rarity a knowing look.

Her blush deepened slightly and she looked away. "Oh, um, of course." She turned back to Twilight. "But....Why her? I don't think she knows very much about, um, this kind of thing."

"Well, I know nothing whatsoever, asking Applejack wasn't really an option, and as for Rainbow Dash and Pinkie..."

Rarity nodded. "Not a good idea."

"Actually, now that I think about it, on the way here he seemed really distracted. I get the feeling there's more than one reason for his visit." She paused. "Speaking of which, can I see my horn?"

Rarity's face brightened. "Of course, darling!" she said, getting up and walking towards a nearby cupboard.

******

"Spike!" gasped Fluttershy, taking a step back. I...will kill you... His words echoed through her mind instantaneously.

"Morning, Fluttershy." he said, his eyes looking down.

"Oh, uh, good morning."

"Can I come in? There's something I need to talk to you about."

"You...want to come inside?" Their terrified whimpers... She shook her head vigorously. "Um, of course."

He walked in without making eye contact, and Fluttershy jumped back on instinct. "Eep!"

He didn't seem to notice.

"What do I do?" she whispered hoarsely to Angel, who was standing beside the door.

He slapped a paw to his forehead, then pointed sternly in the direction Spike was walking.

Fluttershy sighed briefly and led Spike to her living room.

He sat down on one end of the large couch at the center of the room, with Fluttershy standing in front of a chair opposite the couch.

"You wanted to talk about something, Spike?" she asked sheepishly, rubbing one foreleg aginst the other.

"Do you remember when that one dragon near Ponyville was making the air all smoky?" he asked in a low tone, staring at the couch, then looking at her.

"The dragon in the cave? Yes, I-I remember." She stood straight and looked up at his face.

"I remember when you guys were getting ready to go find him. I remember the way you were acting. You didn't want to go."

She reamined silent.

"And Twilight told me what happened." He paused. "You-You're really afraid of dragons, aren't you?"

She shrunk her head into her mane. "Y-yes."

"You told me you weren't afraid of me because I was just a baby dragon and I didn't do all those things that other dragons did. But what you saw what happened in the forest..."

She gulped.

"What was it like?" asked Spike. "What was...I like?"

His fangs extended, tongue hissing and that look in his eye... Fluttershy gasped and stepped back.

"Oh, sorry."

She shut her eyes tightly before opening them again. "No...no, it's alright. It's just...it was really scary."

"I lost myself. I dunno, I just...I saw Twilight and..." He sighed. "I wish you didn't have to see it." He looked down at his hands. "Because now you're scared of me, too."

"No! I..." Rivers of red liquid flowed near their feet...

"I know you are. I bet everypony is. How could they not be?" He looked away. "I-I'm a monster."

A monster... "You're not a monster, Spike." she said weakly.

"Try telling that to one of the dogs I roasted."

"We all get mad, Spike."

"Not like that. How could I? How could I just...waste them away like that?"

"You-you're still my friend." She looked up at him slowly.

"How? How could you be? If very time you see me, you see...what I did...then how?" A hint of anger rung into his voice.

"Discord is a monster. I'm still friends with him...sort of."

"Discord isn't a dragon. You never saw him kill anyone. You're not afraid of Discord."

Fluttershy found herself looking at his eyes. She remembered vividly what they looked like in the forest. The eyes of a killer. The eyes of a killer...not of Spike. "You're not that...thing I saw in the forest. When I look at you, I don't see. Beast or anything like that. I see Spike."

He twiddled his thumbs briefly.

"You're my friend. Nothing's going to change that." She smiled at him warmly.

"But...that thing...it still exists. Inside of me. I can feel it." He stared at his now-clenched fists.

"You are what you choose to be, Spike. I don't care if that monster exists inside of you. Because whenever I see you, I see a kind, helpful dragon, and one of my closest friends."

He looked up. "Really?"

"Really."

He got up and wrapped his arms around Fluttershy's neck.

A pink hue dampened her surprised face, but she returned the gesture and nuzzled his head.

Angel silently watched from the corridor and could barely keep himself from squealing.

"Thanks, Fluttershy. You're a great friend too," he said, realeasing her and smiling.

She looked away briefly, hiding her reddened cheeks.

"Um, I was actually wondering if you could help me out in something. I kinda need a bit a bit of advice."

"Uh, sure. Anything."

"Well, something happened between me and Rarity while we were in the forest." It was Spike's turn to blush. "When she found me-"

"I know," she said, looking to the side.

"What?"

"I...kind of saw you two through the bushes...by accident." She felt a slight sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Oh, um...okay." He rubbed the back of his head as his blush deepened.

"You want my advice on something like this?" she asked, slightly surprised.

"You know Rarity better than anyone."

"Um, alright."

"When she and I were-er, you know-it felt...strange."

"Strange?"

"Like it didn't feel right. There was something...something wrong about it."

Fluttershy sighed reluctantly. "Why don't you just talk to her about it."

"I guess I'm a little nervous." he admitted

"Talking it out with her would be better than staying unsure, don't you think so?"

"Yeah, you're right."

"Glad I could help," she said, smiling somewhat forcibly.

"Well, I'd better get going then. Twilight's probably waiting for me at the boutique." He turned and walked towards the door, Fluttershy following close behind. He walked out the door, stopping to pet a bemused Angel on the head. "See you later, Fluttershy," he said smiling.

Her heart skipped a beat. "Bye, Spike," she said, closing the door.

Angel shook his head.

Fluttershy's thoughts wandered back to the forest, and to what she saw from the bush she had been hiding in. What if he and I- Her cheeks were set aflame at the thought of kissing Spike. She gasped. "Stop it, stop it," she said, thunking her hoof against her forehead.

Angel smiled at her and raised an eyebrow.

She scrunched up her forehead and turned around. "Oh, go munch on a carrot."

Bickering at the Boutique

Okay, Spike, you can do this.

He shakily stepped onto The Carousel Boutique's doorstep.

Just...just be cool. You're just visiting Rarity. Just do what Fluttershy said. Hmmm... Fluttershy...she was acting a little strange today...

He barely noticed his own arm knock against the door.

Knock.

He tried to push Fluttershy to the back of his mind, focusing once again on what to do at the moment. Wait, should I get straight to the point? Or chat a little? Or ask her if she slept well? No, that's stupid!

The creaking of the door interrupted his thoughts.

“Spike! I was wondering when you'd arrive.”

“HiRaritydidyousleepwell?” he blurted out.

“Um...what was that?”

Spike shook his head. “Er, I said 'Hi, how are you?'”

She smiled. “I'm fine, dear. Come in, come in.” Spike stepped inside quickly and walked with Rarity to the workroom, where Twilight sat looking at a glass jar in her hooves.

“Oh, hi there, Spike,” she said flatly.

Spike's eyes fixated on the jar. “Is that...?”

“Yeah, it's my horn,” she finished with a sigh, turning the jar in her hooves. A thin white scratch ran from the tip of the horn to its base, which was obscured with dots and dashes of red. “It feels so weird holding it like this. Not to mention a bit disgusting.”

“Well, ah, it's looked worse.” The image of Twilight's bleeding body began to creep back into his mind, and he found tightly gripping the door frame. He turned away. “Could you, um, put it away please?”

She lowered the jar from her gaze and looked at him. “Why?”

“It just...makes me feel weird.”

Twilight frowned, but decided not to question him further. Shrugging, she placed the jar behind the couch.

“Sit down, Spike.” Rarity gestured to the couch and sat down.

Spike stared quietly at her for a moment before taking a seat. All three creatures found themselves looking down and fidgeting about their positions.

Rarity broke the silence with a deep breath. "Look, Spike, first of all, I'm incredibly sorry for...what I thought of you just a few days ago. I can't believe everything that’s happened just because of me. Ugh, I just-"

"Look, it's not just your fault Rarity. Apparently, everypony thought I was a kid. The thing I don't get is why? Alright, I'm not the most mature guy but..."

"Honestly Spike, I don't know how I failed to notice it either. You're such a gentlecolt and you're always helping ponies out with so many things I just...feel ashamed to call myself your friend." Her ears drooped.

"Part of it's my fault too, Spike. I always called you a baby dragon and made you seem smaller around others when really...you're the one who's taking care of me." She placed a hoof on his leg.

"Hey, we look out for each other. That's what family is for, right?" He gave a small smile. "And Rarity, there's worse things a friend could do I guess."

"No, Spike. There's worst things an enemy or a stranger or just somepony you know could do, but a true friend? I couldn't imagine anything worse." she said, letting her head fall into her hooves.

"Look, Rarity, it's oka-"

"No it's not okay, don't you see?!" she exclaimed angrily, standing up. Spike and Twilight were taken aback. "How could you possibly be my friend after something like this? After I hurt you so deeply? After I broke your heart?"

"It's in the past now, it doesn't matter anymore!" Spike stood to face her.

"You can't just leave it behind, Spike! You can't just throw away the past year! You can't just pretend that all the time you spent with me never happened!"

He clenched his fists. "Well you can't just kiss me and make it all better! I have feelings for you, Rarity! And you just decided to mock that?"

Rarity stepped back and her eyes widened. "W-well I had to do something!"

"Leading me on is only going to make it wor-" Spike stopped abruptly and screeched while clutching his head.

Twilight, who was left open-mouthed by the aggressive exchange, snapped back into bodily consciousness and rushed to his side as he fell backwards. "Spike! What's wrong?"

"The...pills..." he managed between groans, slowly sliding down against the wall

"Oh no! They're still in the library!"

Rarity gasped. "Wha- you mean those painkillers Luna gave him? Is he going to be okay?"

"Gah! I can't believe we forgot them at home!" Twilight hit her hoof against her head.

"I should...be fine," Spike groaned, standing up slowly. "It just hurts." He leaned his elbow against the wall, one hand still on his head. "A lot."

"Hang on," said Rarity quickly. "I've got some painkillers in the cabinet." She rushed to the nearby cabinet from which she had taken Twilight's horn and plucked a white bottle from a drawer. "Take these." She levitated the bottle into Spike's claw. He popped off the lid, still slumped against the wall, and shoved a handful of blue pills into his mouth.

"Not that many!" exclaimed Rarity raising her eyebrows.

Spike's panting slowed to deep breathing. "The painkillers Luna gave me are really strong," he said as the pain began to subside. Rarity and Twilight exchanged nervous glances.

"Did it work?" asked Rarity, breaking the silence.

Spike sighed. "Yeah...but we need to get home." He stood up and looked at Twilight. "Come on. I need to take my own pill to be safe." He glanced at Rarity. "Thanks." he said under his breath, quickly looking away.

Rarity simply stared as duo walked out of her work room.

Twilight stopped for a moment as if to say something. Instead, she shook her head and followed Spike out the door.

Crash Landing

"Well, that's done," said Fluttershy, patting Angel dry with a yellow towel.

Angel stared at her with narrowed eyes.

"Now was it really that bad?"

He looked away.

"Don't do this Angel. You know it had been four days since your last bath."

Angel grunted.

Fluttershy glanced at the kitchen. "Would...a taffy cheer you up?" she asked, her eyes trailing back to him.

He didn't move.

"Aw, come on, you wittle wabbit you," she said playfully, nudging him with her cheek.

He rolled his eyes and turned back around, albeit not with a smile.

"It's one of Pinkie's special recipes," she teased.

His face instantly lit up and he shook his head vigorously.

"Alright, let's go," she chuckled.

Angel hopped out of the bathroom sink and followed Fluttershy into the kitchen. She pulled out a paper bag from a cupboard beside the fridge and tossed one of the brown goodies inside to the eager rabbit behind her. He put the whole thing in his mouth, his jaw moving in awkward rotations as he chewed.

"I got them a few days ag-"

FWOOOSH! THUD!

"Oh my, what was that?" she exclaimed, quickly running out of the cottage to the front garden.

"Ooooowww," groaned Rainbow Dash, brushing the flowers of off her coat.

"Oh gosh, are you okay Rainbow Dash?" she asked, helping her up quickly.

"Ugh, yeah I'm fine." she said, regaining her balance. "I'm sorry, Fluttershy. My flying's been off all day."

"Is there something wrong?"

"Nah, I guess I'm just-" She yawned. "Kinda tired." She paused and met Fluttershy's gaze briefly before looking away. "So, um, what's up?" she asked, shifting uneasily.

"Not much. I woke up late today. If it hadn't been for Angel, I might have slept straight into the afternoon."

Rainbow's eyes seemed to dart around the yellow pony's face as she finished speaking.

"So....um...did you need something?" asked Fluttershy, breaking the awkward silence.

Rainbow rubbed the back of her head with her hoof. "Um, yeah, I, uh, actually wanted to check up on you."

"Check on me?" Fluttershy tilted her head "Why?"

"Well, you know, to see if you were okay." Rainbow swallowed.

"I'm fine..." she said slowly, rasing an eyebrow.

"No, I mean," She suddenly looked directly into her eyes. "If you were...okay." she finished slowly, still looking straight at her.

"O-oh," She found herself unable to meet Rainbow's eyes.

Rainbow saw her hesitate as the meaning of the question dawned on her. She could almost see the images going through Fluttershy's mind; they were the same as those disturbing her own. The same ones she had woke up screaming to that very morning...

"Well, I-I..." She stopped, unsure of what to say. She had been attempting to stop herself from reliving the grief and dread which she had experienced in the past couple days. Come on, Fluttershy, said a voice in her head. You even talked to Spike, he's still your friend. It's over. It's not happening again. She found herself trembling. Then why do I still feel this way?

"Look, I just...wanted to let you know I'm here for you, okay?" said Rainbow. "I know we're all really shaken up over what happened and-" she sighed and placed a hoof on Flutterhy's shoulder. "You're my best friend Fluttershy. And if I know anything about you from knowing you all these years, it's that you're not okay right now."

As soon as she finished her sentence, she was surprised by a sudden warmth that gripped her body. She quickly returned the hug, squeezing Fluttershy tightly.

"I-I was so scared!" she exclaimed, tears beginning to stream down her face.

"I was, too." Her voice was cracking and she could feel her own eyes watering.

The two embraced tightly, each finding comfort within each other's forelegs. The yellow pony's trembling eventually slowed and she loosened her grip.

"R-rainbow?"

"Yeah?"

"I really didn't know what I'd do without them." she said, sniffing before letting go.

"You and me both." Rainbow took a deep breath. "Feel better?"

Fluttershy smiled. "Very."

Rainbow scrunched up her nose. "Um, would you mind not mentioning any of this to the weather team?"

"Sure," she replied with a chuckle.

"So how's your day been?"

"Kinda slow really. But I'll have to deal with some really hungry animals this afternoon."

Angel puckered and smacked his lips loudly from the porch.

"What's up with Angel?" asked Rainbow, moving her head to get a view of the bunny.

Fluttershy quickly stepped back onto the porch and shoved a hoof in his mouth as her cheeks turned a light tint of red. "Ahem, um, nothing. Just too much sugar. Angel, why don't you go check on the dandelions in the back, hm?" She pushed him to the door and shut it abruptly before he could respond.

Rainbow raised an eyebrow at her but didn't question any further. "So anyway, you were saying?"

"Nothing much." she replied bluntly. "But I guess I've been trying to run away from yesterday in my head."

"Yeah, same here," she said, looking down.

"I'm really glad you came by."

Rainbow smiled. "Hey, what are friends for? Besides, I needed a break."

"A break? From what?"

"Wind-making. Long story." She yawned.

"Wanna go for a walk?" She asked gesturing to the path leading into the trees behind her cottage. "You can tell me about it on the way."

"Sure, sounds like a good idea." The two ponies turned and started to follow the long path to the Library.

"So, lemme start from the beginning. I slept in, like really slept in."

"I'm sure all of us did. Even Twilight."

"Yeah. I guess staying up for two days straight really does a number on ya. It was already ten-thirty by the time I woke up. Add that to the fact that the dunderheads on the weather team couldn't do anything on their own for the past couple days, and I have cloud-oriented crisis on my hooves." She grunted.

"Sounds like you're going to be busy all day." said Fluttershy, looking at her.

"By the looks of it, yeah. "The clouds that should have been gone this morning are still here, the wind is all off, and Sweet Apple Acres should be dry!" She stopped for a moment and rubbed her head. "Not to mention that the Captain of the Royal Guard is going to be here this afternoon. As if I didn't have enough to worry about."

"Shining Armour?” asked Fluttershy. "Why is he coming to Ponyville?"

"To make sure everything's alright I guess? And probably to check on Twilight 'cause...you know."

She nodded slightly. “Any good news?”

"Well, I managed to get a team over AJ's farm and most of the white clouds are gone. I sent in two more teams to get the clouds we need up and to give the carrot farm the rain it should have had yesterday. But that meant I had to stop the cold front from the Everfree forest all by myself because the rest of the weather team is busy with getting rid of the humidity that built up in town for the past few days."

Fluttershy shuddered. "I don't think I could even bring myself to go near that place. And you did all this while tired?"

"Yeah, I had to work faster than ever while I felt like I needed a nap. I would have come to visit you sooner if I wasn't so caught up. Even now I'm not completely finished. I've dealt with the forest problem but there's gonna be a wind coming in from the southern end which I'm going to have to direct through the outskirts of the town, again by myself."

"It really seems like you're in over your head, Rainbow Dash. Is there anything I could do to help?"

"Nah. You just make sure those animals get their lunch. The last thing any of us needs is a hoard of angry bears stampeding into town."

Fluttershy chuckled. "Bears don't stampede, Rainbow."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. You get the idea. Anyway, have you had a chance to check on Applejack?"

"No I haven't." Fluttershy blinked. Amidst all the other things that had been occupying her mind, she had nearly forgotten that Applejack was still in the hospital. "They said that we wouldn't be allowed to check on her until after two days."

"Still, it might be worth going down to the hospital." Rainbow's eyes quickly darted from left to right. "Actually, I'm pretty worried about her."

"The doctors said that she'd be alright, Rainbow. They said that she might even make a full recovery."

Rainbow lowered her voice. "Yeah, that's the thing. Might. What if she doesn't make a full recovery? What's she gonna do?"

Fluttershy furrowed her brow. "What do you mean?"

"Well, she works on a farm, right?"

"Oh." She stopped walking. "I see what you mean. Is her family back from their camping trip yet?"

"Yeah. They got in just this morning." she said, turning to face her.

"Do they, um, know what happened?"

"Cloudchaser told me a Royal Mailpony arrived to deliver them a message from Princess Celestia."

Fluttersh's eyes widened. "W-wait, does everypony already know what happened?"

"They know that there was some sort of accident in the forest and that Twilight and Applejack were hurt badly. I don't think anyone really knows the details."

Fluttershy stared off into the distance for a moment before her eyes trailed back onto Rainbow. "Maybe it's best if we keep it that way."

"I have a feeling that's going to be easier said than done. Cloudchaser kept throwing questions at me after she told me about the letter."

"Well, what did you tell her?"

"I just kinda said that it was about Applejack being in the hospital and got out as fast as I could."

"Well, have Applebloom, Big Mac, or Granny Smith been able to go see her yet?"

"Yeah they did, but I heard that they wouldn't let them in AJ's room."

"They wouldn't let her own family in?"

"I'm sure they'll get to soon enough." She shook her head. "I just can't believe everything that's happened. I mean, it seems surreal. Almost like a dream."

"Yeah. But look at the bright side." She smiled. "We're all fine now."

"Yeah...I guess you're right." She let Fluttershy walk ahead slightly. "I just hope it stays that way."