The Dragon that Would be Pony

Chapters

Sparky
Sparky's Day Out
Foal Follies
Showdown at Sweet Apple Acres
Date Night
Nightfall
Fall of Harmony
Hunted
Double Life
Nightmares
The Bleeding
Rise from the Ashes
Truth
Epilogue: A Dream Come True
End of a Dream?
A Fateful Choice

Sparky

Pinkie Pie moved closer to Spike with her eyes narrowed. The purple pegasus was sinking deeper into the ground with his eyes bulging in fear. Pinkie looked at him suspiciously observing Spike's coat, tail, mane, and wings. The pink mare gave one last serious look at Spike while the pegasus was trying to keep a friendly smile.

"Aha! I knew it!" Pinkie shouted with a triumphant look on her face.

Twilight leaped at Pinkie's hooves and looked at her friend with pleading eyes. "Please Pinkie! You can't tell the others about this!" She shouted in desperation.

Pinkie gave a confused look at Twilight. "You silly filly! You should have told your Aunt Pinkie Pie that you were showing the new pony around here."

"Pinkie please you ca...wait what?" Twilight asked raising an eyebrow.

Pinkie gave her usual big grin. "Are you loco in the coco Twilight? I knew we had a new guest in Ponyville. I had shaky knees, eye bulge, and a sneeze. It meant we had a new pony in Ponyville."

Twilight calmed herself down, knowing the crisis was averted and looked back at her friend with a forced grin. "Yes, I'm just showing him around town is all."

"So what's his name?"

Twilight's mind went utterly blank on her. Twilight wanted to say something, but words failed her. "Um...well you see his name is uh..."

"Sparky!" A voice interrupted. Twilight and Pinkie looked at Spike to see he had a panicked look on his face. "My name is Sparky."

Pinkie hoped towards "Sparky" and gave him one of her trademark smiles. "Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie! I can't believe we have another pegasus here in Ponyville! Are you as fast as Rainbow Dash? Do you know Rainbow Dash? She's so super fast! I mean really she did not one, but two Sonic Rainbooms! Isn't that so cool? I think it's cool and I..."

"PINKIE!" Twilight shouted in her loudest voice.

Pinkie stopped and gave Twilight a goofy smile. "Aww don't be such a grumpy pants Twilight!"

Twilight shook her head and pulled her to the side away. She gave Pinkie a serious look. "Look Pinkie, I know you love to throw parties for every chance you get. However, you can't do one for Spi...Sparky okay?" She whispered.

Pinkie gave a rare sad face. "Aww why not Twilight? You know I love to throw parties for ponies. He's new in town and what better way to welcome him here then with a party?"

Twilight just shook her head and said, "Listen, Spi...Sparky can't have a party. He isn't exactly a party pony okay?"

"But Twilight, I..."

"No Pinkie, don't do a Welcome to Ponyville party for him." Twilight said in a stern voice.

Pinkie lowered her head. "Okie doki loki. I've got to go do something with the Cakes now, so see ya." The pink mare trotted away from Twilight and "Sparky" with gloom in her eyes.

Twilight waited until Pinkie was out of sight and let out a sigh of relief. "Well that certainly was a close one. Good thinking there Spike, but I can't help but think I remember that name before."

"That was the name I called you when I was learning to speak remember? You always tried to tell me how to say your name and that's all I could call for a while."

Twilight gasped as the memories came rushing into her head and gave a smile. "That's right you did call me that almost all the time. I'm surprised you were able to think of that name to fool Pinkie Pie."

"Did you really have to be rude Twilight?" Spike asked with an annoyed look.

"What do you mean Spike?"

"You didn't have to be harsh on Pinkie. All she wanted to do was throw me a party."

Twilight frowned and said, "Look Spike we can't just have a party for you. You aren't even a real pony at all. I'm sure once we find this Barry we can turn you back to normal and then discuss your punishment. Now come on, we need to get going before any other pony sees us."

Spike lowered his head and nodded as he followed Twilight. The lilac unicorn made sure to hide him from any other ponies to avoid suspicion. She shoved him into an ally, or in a bush until the ponies passing by were gone. Spike soon looked looked like he had been in a fight that didn't go well for him. The two ponies eventually reached Barry's shop much to Spike's delight. The purple pegasus entered the shop with Twilight to see it was just as gloomy looking and empty as yesterday. Twilight on the other hoof was fascinated and looked at all the herbs, spices, and potion ingredients.

Somepony clearing their throat caused both ponies to jump. They turned to see Barry with a bit of a stern expression. Spike tried to keep his composure, but he could feel his knees shaking and sweat. He looked to see Twilight was a little intimidated by the shopkeeper's presence.

"Excuse me sir. Would you happen to be Barry?" Twilight asked with a tinge of nervousness in her voice.

"You're correct young unicorn." The raspy voice of the gray unicorn replied. "What can I do for you?"

Twilight placed one of her hooves on Spike's neck and pushed him forward. "Well it's not me who needs help. It's him who needs to talk to you."

Spike looked at Barry who was raising an eyebrow. He felt like he was going to faint and his stomach was in knots. "Um...hi there Barry, uh...I was just dropping by to..." Spike heard Twilight clearing her throat indicating him to hurry up. "To...to tell you that I'm...I'm the one who..."

"Stole my potion yesterday am I right little dragon?" Barry interrupted.

Spike felt his eyes widen and took a step back into Twilight. "H...how did you know who I was?"

Barry gave a smug smile and said, "You just told me now, thanks for saving me the trouble of looking for you."

Spike felt embarrassed and lowered his head to the ground. "I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to steal from you. I was just..."

"It's okay little dragon, we all make mistakes." The shopkeeper said with a small smile. "Truth be told I figured you'd be back since no other ponies come into this shop. I should have hidden that potion better from you, or take it from you to make sure none of this happened." The gray unicorn turned towards Twilight. "Excuse me little unicorn, but could you please leave us? I want to talk to him alone."

Twilight looked hesitant at first, but gave a wary nod and left the shop. Barry waited until she was out of sight before turning back to Spike

"I want to know now little dra...pegasus." Barry said. "I want to know why you went and did this."

Spike gave a small nod and explained how he was in love with a unicorn, but his friends were telling him she was only interested in stallions. He told him he thought over on whether to take the potion or not. He decided to take it after thoughts of him losing his love as well as his friends flooded his mind. As he finished explaining Spike looked down with a guilty look on his face.

"So that's it huh?" Barry asked. Spike gave a nod in return. "The power of love makes us all do crazy things when we see some pony we love. We do the most insane things just to prove our love for the one we adore."

Spike felt himself calm down a little thinking that Barry seemed to understand his plight and smiled a little.

"Listen to me though little pegasus." Barry said in a serious tone. "You can't and I mean you can't show yourself to the one you love like this."

Spike felt what hopes he had sink and his jaw dropped. "What do you mean I can't tell her who I am?" He asked. "I'm now a stallion and can win her heart."

"Do you remember what I told you yesterday about that potion?"

Spike recalled the conversation he had with Barry yesterday. He vaguely remembered something about the potion. "Didn't you say something about a curse?"

Barry gave a nod and said, "That potion may grant you the gift of being another creature, but it has only a short amount of time."

Spike felt his heart sink even further with that statement. "H-how long?"

"You have a week." Barry said ignoring Spike's expression of disbelief. "That's all you have until you go back to being a dragon again."

Spike didn't know what to think or say at this point. His dreams to win over Rarity's heart were whisked away like the nightmare he had of her and Prince Blueblood in the carriage riding away. His golden opportunity had gone up in smoke and felt his world collapse around him. Spike hung his head and just stared at the floor for what seemed like an eternity.

"I really am sorry little pegasus. I never should have let you see that potion in the first place." Barry said.

Spike turned his head away and had a small glare on his face. "What was the point then?" The pegasus asked bitterly. "I was so close to having Rarity and now it was for nothing." Spike buried his head into his hooves once more and closed his eyes.

"Little pegasus, do you really love her and your friends?" Spike looked up to see the gray unicorn have a sad smile.

Spike gave a furious nod and said, "Of course I do! I love my friends and would give up everything just to be with them and help them."

"I have a proposition for you then little pegasus."

Spike looked up with eagerness in his eyes. "What is it?"

"You care so much for your friends little pegasus. I will let you see your friends and the one you adore see your current state, but you must keep your identity a secret at all costs. I know it sounds strange, but this is for your own good. Believe me when I say you'll thank me for it later. Do you understand?"

Spike thought about his situation deeply. He could either be confined to the library basement for the week or be allowed to hang with the other ponies. 'I don't know what to do.' The purple pegasus thought to himself. 'I really want to be with Rarity and my friends, but I only have a week before I go back to being a dragon. What do I do?'

"Little pegasus, have you made up your mind?"

Spike just looked down and said nothing for a few minutes. He then said hesitantly, "I...I understand, I won't let any of my friends know about who I really am."

Barry gave a small nod at Spike. "It's good you understand this little pegasus. If your friends knew about what you became than you would be cursed."

"What do you mean?" Spike asked with a confused look on his face. "I thought the curse was that this potion had a limited amount of time only."

Barry gave a sad look and said, "It is only part of the curse little pegasus."

Spike gave a frustrated look at the shopkeeper. "What do you mean only a part of the curse!?" The pegasus asked harshly. "First you tell me that you keep this potion as a reminder of something! Now I'm being told that the time limit is only part of the curse!? What's going on!?"

Barry placed a hoof on Spike's shoulder, but then felt a shock from Spike's body and pulled away from him. 'Wh...what was that power I felt?' Barry thought to himself with a shocked expression. 'I never felt power like that before.'

"What's wrong?" Spike asked with a confused look on his face.

"It's nothing, you just feel a little cold is all." Barry said hesitantly.

Spike looked at him a little suspiciously, but put it behind him. "Okay, well I still want to know what the other part of the curse is."

Barry only gave a sad smile to purple pegasus. "Another time little pegasus. It's not the time or place."

Spike saw that the gray unicorn had a pained look on him. The pegasus' glare eased into a concerned look. "Okay, okay I understand."

Barry gave a bit of a small smile and said, "Now then, we must come up with a new name for you."

"Oh I already came up with a new name, it's Sparky." Spike responded.

"Good, now you shouldn't have any problem fitting in with the other ponies at all. You look like a pony, or in this case pegasus, and you even have a cutie mark as well."

"A Cutie mark?" Spike asked with an awed look on him.

Barry nodded and pointed one of his hoofs to his flank to show his cutie mark. There was a potion bottle with a green liquid in it that was bubbling. Spike looked at his flank and gasped at what he saw on him. On his flank was an opened scroll with black writing on it with a red quill at the bottom of the scroll. There was a bottle of black ink in a glass container next to the quill. Spike couldn't help but grinned and saw Barry gave a smile at him.

"Hmm it seems you were a writer as a dragon am I right Sparky?" The gray unicorn asked.

Spike gave nod and said, "Yeah I'm Twilight's assistant. I write letters and messages for me to send to Princess Celestia. So I guess this cutie mark does make sense."

"Wait...Twilight?" Barry asked in a more serious tone. "As in Twilight Sparkle?"

"Yup! Twilight Sparkle, the most powerful and smartest unicorn in Ponyville. Well she is very smart most of the time."

"Who...who are your other friends?"

"Well there's Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Applejack. Oh and Rarity, the mare I was telling you about."

Spike looked at Barry and noticed the shopkeeper's expression. His eyes were bulging out a little and looked a little intimidated. The purple pegasus couldn't help but feel nervous around him.

"Uh...Barry, are you okay?" Spike asked.

Barry shook his head breaking out of his trance and looked at Spike. "Yes...yes I'm fine. I'm just surprised you know all of those ponies."

Spike beamed and said, "Oh yeah, they're my friends after all."

Barry gave a hesitant nod at this. "Okay Sparky, I think we're through here. I need to talk to the little unicorn you were with. That was Twilight Sparkle right?"

Spike gave a wary nod and went out the door. He saw Twilight was just standing outside the potion shop. "Hey Twilight, Barry wants to see you."

Twilight gave a nod and entered the shop. Spike with left with his thoughts on the conversation he had with Barry. 'What was that all about?' Spike thought. 'Barry looked at me funny and looked a little scared. Was it something I said?'

He pondered about what was going on with Barry, but couldn't figure it out. He also thought of what to do when he saw Rarity and the others. The purple pegasus felt lost on what to do. Spike heard the door open to Barry's shop. He looked to see Twilight with a relieved look on her face.

"Okay Spike, Barry told me what has happened and what his deal with you was. We'll need to keep you in the library for the remainder of the week."

"But Twilight, I promised to not say who I really am to the others." Spike whined. "You can't keep me locked in the basement."

Twilight shook her head and said, "Spike you can't just wander around with other ponies. You aren't a real pony anyway and you will be back to normal in a week. How would I explain to Ponyville about what happened to you, especially the other girls? Now come on, it's time to go home now."

Spike lowered his head and gave a small nod as he followed Twilight. Inside the potion shop Barry watched through one of the windows and kept a very close eye on Spike.

"So it is true then, the six mares do live here in Ponyville." Barry said to himself. "I never would have thought to have found them in this town, but here they are." The gray shopkeeper looked out once more to see Spike and Twilight were out of sight. "That little pegasus intrigues me as well. I never felt such power inside a pony before and he isn't even a unicorn. Could...could it be that after all these years that...? No...that little pegasus can't be the one can it?"

Barry looked down and said in a quiet voice, "I hope that he listens to my words." The shopkeeper went back to cleaning and unloading his few remaining crates with thoughts buzzing in his head.

Twilight and Spike slowly made their way back to the library. The pair didn't run into a lot of ponies on their way back, but Twilight looked around feeling paranoid.

"Come on Twilight." Spike complained. "These ponies don't even know who I really am."

Twilight turned to give her assistant a frown. "Spike we can't risk that and you know it. Besides you saw how close Pinkie Pie was to seeing who you really were." She saw Spike roll his eyes, but ignored it and went on.

"WHOA!" A voice shouted.

Spike and Twilight looked around to see who it was. Before Twilight could see it a blur came crashing into her from her left side. The blow knocked her and Spike to the ground and left them dazed. Twilight looked dizzily at what hit her and Spike. She felt her stomach twist in knots as she looked to see it was Rainbow Dash.

"Ugh...that wasn't supposed to happen." Rainbow said rubbing her head. "Sorry about that Twilight."

Twilight broke out of her dizzy state and tried to hide Spike. She gave Rainbow a forced smile. "Uh...it's okay Rainbow." She said with a bit of nervousness in her voice. "So were you trying out a new trick?"

Rainbow gave a nod and said, "Oh yeah, I was trying out a new trick to impress the Wonderbolts. I heard they're supposed to be in Canterlot this week and I was trying to..." Rainbow stopped speaking as she looked to see Twilight hiding Spike behind her. "Hey, who is that?"

Twilight's eyes widened and tried to hide Spike again. "Oh nopony."

Before Twilight could move again, Rainbow moved to the left swiftly to see Spike lying behind the lilac unicorn. The purple pegasus noticed Rainbow and gave a forced smile. Rainbow looked back at Twilight and a cocky smile grew on her face.

"Oh I see what's going on here." Rainbow said smugly. "Twilight why didn't you tell me?"

"I-it's not what you think Rainbow." Twilight said fearfully.

"Oh you don't need to hide the fact that you have a coltfriend." Rainbow teased.

"Rainbow I....WHAT!?" Twilight asked with her eyes bulging out and blushing a little.

"Ha! I never thought an egghead like you would move so quickly for a stallion. I thought you cared for books so much that you would marry one." The sky blue pegasus burst into laughter while Twilight just groaned.

"Look Rainbow it's not like that at all okay?" Twilight argued. "All I'm doing is showing him around town."

Rainbow stopped laughing and got up to look at Spike closely examining him from his head to his tail. She gave him a punch on the shoulder. "'Sup? I'm the super awesome and cool Rainbow Dash."

Spike rubbed his sore shoulder and gave a friendly smile to Rainbow. "Hi there I'm Spi...Sparky."

"So another pegasus huh? Hey what kind of tricks can you do in the air?"

"Tricks?" Spike asked with a confused look on him.

"You know acrobatics, loop de loops, and so on."

"Uh...well you see Rainbow..." Spike was interrupted by Twilight placing a hoof placed over his mouth.

"Rainbow how about you show Spi...erm I mean Sparky some of your tricks?" Twilight asked nervously.

Rainbow just chuckled and took off into the sky. "Alright then, but don't blame me if your coltfriend can't handle this awesomeness."

Rainbow Dash took off and did a few loops before heading up into the sky. She did a few barrel rolls until she couldn't go up anymore. She quickly plummeted down toward the land while doing more barrel rolls that made her spin faster. Rainbow pulled herself up before hitting the ground. The sky blue pegasus did a few more loops before landing with a triumphant look on her face.

"Ha! How'd you like that?" She heard no answer and looked to see Twilight and "Sparky" were nowhere in sight. "Hey where did you all go!?" Rainbow asked irritated. "Ugh! They must have gone to do some making out while I was distracted." Rainbow took off into the sky and left the area.

Twilight and Spike rose up from behind a few trashcans in an ally. She looked around to make sure Rainbow was gone. Twilight gave a sigh of relief and looked to see Spike was irritated.

"Oh come on Twilight." Spike said with a bit of anger in his voice. "I love to see Rainbow's new tricks."

"Look Spike we can't let any other pony know you're here and besides you can't even fly. Now we just need to go a little further before we're home."

The pair once again headed off towards the library. They both noticed that there were no other ponies around town. Twilight thought that all the ponies were inside trying to cool off from the sweltering heat. The two ponies reached the library and Twilight looked at Spike before entering.

"Alright Spike, Barry decided to not punish you for stealing his potion, but that doesn't mean you're off the hook." Twilight said in a serious tone. "You may be a pegasus for a while, but that doesn't mean you still can't help me clean the library and do other chores for the remainder of the week."

"But Twilight I just want to..."

"No excuses Spike." Twilight interrupted. "I'm disappointed in your actions and I raised you better than this. You're still my assistant and you can't be shown like this."

Twilight opened the door to the library and noticed it was pitch black inside. All the lights were out and the blinds were shut as well. The lilac unicorn went in along with Spike and tried to turn on one of the lights. The lights suddenly flicked on and the blinds opened.

"SURPRISE!" A large crowd of ponies yelled.

Spike and Twilight jumped and looked around the library in awe. All of Ponyville's citizens were in the library giving big grins and had party favors in their mouths. The ceiling was covered with balloons and streamers hanging from it. There were various sweets all around from cupcakes to pies of all flavors. Suddenly in the blink of an eye, Pinkie popped up in front of the pair. Spike and Twilight jumped in surprise once more.

"Surprise! I'm so happy you made it to your super duper awesome party Sparky!" Pinkie said with a smile.

"Pinkie! I thought I told you no parties for Spi...I mean Sparky!" Twilight shouted in frustration.

Pinkie giggled and said, "Oh well what kind of welcome to Ponyville would it be without a party? Besides you didn't say anything about a surprise party! There's regular parties, social parties, birthday parites and so many more. I may write a list on what kind of parties there are and show you Twilight. It would be..."

Twilight groaned while "Sparky" was just looking on from the distance. Pinkie noticed Sparky trying to hide himself and stopped talking. She bounced over to the purple pegasus and gave him a big smile.

"Come on Sparky, let me show you my friends." The pink mare said.

Spike gulped knowing he was about to face not only Rainbow Dash again, but the others as well. Pinkie pushed Spike with her head towards five familiar ponies he knew. He felt his stomach tied in multiple knots and was sweating. When the purple pegasus reached his friends he saw they all had welcoming smiles on their faces.

"There you are rookie." Rainbow said with a bit of irritation in her voice. "Where the hay were you earlier when I was sporting my awesome tricks?"

"Rainbow!" A voice shouted. Spike and the others saw Twilight coming over looking annoyed. "I told you that I was showing him around town!"

"Oh that's right, Twilight was showing Sparky a good make out spot they could both use." Rainbow said with a cocky smile on her face.

"IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!" Spike and Twilight barked at Rainbow. A few party goers stared at them awkwardly for a few seconds before returning to the party.

"Simmer down there Twi." Applejack said. She took Spike's hoof and shook it. "How ya doing there Sparky? Ah'm Applejack, we sure love to make new friends around here."

Spike gave a friendly smile and returned the hoofshake. Pinkie pushed forward to him Fluttershy. The yellow pegasus was shaking in nervousness. Spike recognized her as Fluttershy and had memories of when he first met her and she was open around him. He now knew how it felt to be Twilight that day.

"Um...I...I'm Flutter..." The yellow pegasus' voice trailed off.

"Fluttershy right?" Spike asked, but then quickly put his hoof over his mouth.

"Eep! "H-how did you know my n-name?" The yellow pegasus asked.

Spike scrambled to think of an excuse. "Oh I uh...Twilight here...uh told me about you all."

"Is that so now?" Applejack asked suspiciously.

"Why yes it is." Said Twilight with a forced grin. "I was telling Spi...uh Sparky here all about you all."

"Well I see nothing wrong with that." A voice said.

Spike looked at Rarity who had a warm smile on her face. The purple pegasus felt his heart skip a beat as he looked at the white unicorn. He struggled with himself to remember what Barry said about keeping his identity a secret.

"H-hello there." Spike said with anticipation in his voice as he bowed.

Rarity gave a smile and said, "Oh hello to you as well Sparky. It's good to see another pony around here who treats a lady with respect."

"Oh well thanks m'lady." Spike said rubbing his head and trying not to blush. The other ponies couldn't help but chuckle at how "Sparky" was blushing from embarrassment.

"Hey rookie, what does that cutie mark mean?" Rainbow pointed to his cutie mark.

"O-oh it mean I am a erm...messenger. I write and deliver letters to others."

"Oh my...that sounds wonderful." Fluttershy said. "You must be pretty fast then."

Spike froze in fear and realized about what he said. He didn't have a clue how to fly and he never had his wings when he was a baby dragon.

"Are you alright there sugarcube?" Applejack asked in a concerned tone.

"W-well the truth is that I um..." Spike said something, but his voice trailed off.

"What'd ya say there pardner?" Applejack asked.

"I...I can't fly." Spike said in a quiet voice. The ponies gasped at this and looked shocked.

"What the hay do you mean you can't fly!?" Rainbow Dash demanded. "You have wings and they look fine, so what's this about not flying!?"

Spike saw the others close in on him with suspicious looks on their faces. "W...well I...never learned how to fly." He said in a panic.

"What do you mean you never learned to fly!?" Rainbow demanded. "It's one of the first things we pegasuses learn to do."

"Isn't the term pegasi?" Twilight asked with hopes of changing the subject.

"Whatever floats your boat." Rainbow said shaking her hoof. "The point is that if Sparky is a messenger who can't fly. He needs somepony to help him get those messages there in ten seconds flat."

"Rainbow he doesn't need that." Twilight interrupted. "H-he told me that he was uh...better on the ground than flying."

Rainbow shook her head and said, "No way Twilight. I won't leave a pegasus unable to fly. It'd be like you not being able to use magic." She turned back to Spike who was looking nervous. "Listen up rookie and listen good. I want you to meet me at my house tomorrow at two in the afternoon sharp. You're going to learn from the very best."

"Oh well um...thank you." Spike said in a quiet voice.

Twilight facehooved and groaned at the situation. 'This isn't going to end well.' The lilac unicorn thought to herself.

Ponyville celebrated the rest of the day with their newcomer. Pinkie showed "Sparky" the other ponies around town such as the spa twins, Aloe and Lotus, and Nurse Redheart. Twilight followed closely behind to make sure he didn't expose himself. She stayed close to him for the entire party and never left his side. Later that night, the party was winding down and many ponies had left for home. Twilight and her friends were still hanging around with each other and were talking amongst each other.

"Hey rookie, I want to show you one of my tricks. It involves me being in a tight space." Rainbow said to Spike.

"Rainbow no!" Twilight shouted in a stern voice.

"Ah it's okay there Twilight." Rainbow said ignoring the irritated look on the lilac unicorn's face. "I've practiced this a few times and only messed up once. Wait or was it twice? Three times? Whatever I'm sure fourth time's the charm."

Rainbow took off, but accidentally hit one of the bookshelves. The books it held fell off and come down upon Rarity. The books were about to hit Rarity, but a figure pushed her out of the way and onto the ground. Rarity looked to see that it was "Sparky" on top of her with a concerned look on his face.

"A-are you okay?" Spike asked in a worried tone.

"Oh well thank you darling. Yes I'm perfectly fine."

"Oooo am I sensing some romance here?" Rainbow chuckled and got up from a stallion she accidentally landed on. "Oh um...sorry about that."

The stallion had a black coat and a curly yellow mane and tail. He gave a blank expression and just walked out of the library. Twilight and the others looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders.

"Huh, rude much?" Rainbow asked.

Spike blushed a little and moved away so Rarity could get up. The white unicorn gave a stern look to Rainbow.

"Rainbow Dash I will have you know that Sparky here was just being a gentlecolt." Rarity turned to Spike and gave him a warm smile. "Thank you again darling, as a good lady I must pay you back. Why don't you come on down to Carousel Boutique tomorrow and I'll make you a suit for your heroics?"

"Oh well I uh...you don't have to do that." Spike said in an embarrassed tone.

"Nonsense darling, a good lady always pays back her debts. Please be there at ten in the morning tomorrow. I look forward to making your suit."

The clock on Twilight's owl rung out in the room. The group looked to see it was eleven. Twilight looked around to see the remaining party guests were gone.

"Well this has been fun and all, but Ah reckon it's time fer me t'head on home." Applejack said.

Every other pony nodded and each one said good night to each other. The library was finally empty and Twilight and Spike were left alone.

"This isn't good Spike. We're in a lot of trouble." Twilight said in a shaky voice.

"What do you mean Twilight?" Spike wondered. "All the ponies don't know who I am."

"You don't get it Spike. What do I tell the others once you're back as a dragon again?"

"Relax Twilight, we'll figure something out."

"Okay Spike." Twilight said trying to calm herself. "I...I'm sure I'll think of something. I'll try to think of what happened to 'Sparky' when this potion wears off."

"Well then ya better start thinkin' then Twi."

Twilight and Spike froze and felt their hearts stop. They turned to see Applejack standing near an opened window. The farmer pony climbed through the window and glared.

"Applejack heh heh uh...how long have you been there?" Twilight asked in a shaky voice.

"Long enough sugarcube t'know the truth." Applejack said in a stern voice. She approached Spike who was cowereing in fear. "Ah thought y'all looked familiar there Spike."

"H-how did you know who I really was?" He asked nervously.

"Did y'all think ya could fool me with yer lies there Spike? Ah looked into yer eyes and saw that cutie mark of yers. Ah had a hunch that it was ya Spike. Thanks to this open window here Ah heard the whole thing." The orange mare shot a glance towards Twilight. "Y'all mind if Ah have a few words with him?"

Twilight didn't dare to argue with Applejack. She gave a wary nod and went outside. Applejack turned back to Spike after the door closed. He was shaking in terror and his eyes were bulging out him.

"Simmer down there Spike." Applejack said sternly. "Ah just want t'know why y'all did this."

Spike stared at Applejack's glare and confessed to what he had done. He explained about how he took the potion so he could win over Rarity's heart. He told her about how the potion would wear off in a week and forced to hide himself.

"Spike that was very low of ya." Applejack stated. "Tryin' to impress Rarity is one thing, but t'steal from a shop is another thing. Why in the name of Celestia would ya do that?"

"I was doing it because of what you and Twilight said!" Spike cried out in frustration.

Applejack was taken aback by the outburst. "What'd y'all mean by that sugarcube?" She asked.

"You and Twilight told me that Rarity was looking for a stallion!" Spike argued. "I did it so I could finally have a chance with her! I was going to win her over at last!"

"Spike, Ah know Ah said Rarity was lookin' fer one of those fancy ponies, but y'all only have a week of bein' a pony. What would ya tell her once yer a dragon again?"

"That's just it. I don't know what to tell her and I can't say anything to her."

"Well why not?"

"I was told by Barry to not let the rest of you know who I was. I guess I really messed up huh?" Spike hung his head in sadness.

The purple pegasus felt a hoof on his shoulder. He looked to see a remorseful looking Applejack. "It;s okay Spike, Ah'm to blame fer this as well. Ah wasn't bein' fair with yer feelings to Rarity and Ah feel like a mule fer how Ah acted. Ah'm mighty sorry fer pushing ya to do this Spike. Can you ever forgive me?"

Spike gave Applejack a hug. "It's okay Applejack, you didn't do anything to me. I'm sorry for lying to you about this. I guess I wasn't thinking straight. Can you promise me one thing though?"

"What's that sugarcube?" Applejack asked breaking the embrace.

"Can you please not tell the others about this? Especially Rarity, I'll do anything to make it up to you."

"Anythin' huh?" Applejack asked while in thought.

"Anything at all."

The orange mare looked lost in thought for a few minutes. "Hmmm well Ah dunno what t'have y'all do fer me yet Spike. Ah'll get back to ya on that okay?"

Spike nodded and with a wave Applejack took off from the library. Twilight entered soon after and saw Spike was looking tired and sad.

"Are you okay Spike?" Twilight asked in a concerned voice.

Spike gave a nod and yawned. "I...I'm just tired is all. Applejack understands what's going on. She won't say anything as long as I make it up to her."

Twilight let out a sigh of relief. "Well that's all good. Come on Spike, I'll let you use the spare bed to sleep in. We'll discuss more of what to do tomorrow."

Spike slowly climbed his way up to the bedroom with Twilight. He entered and saw a bed the size of Twilight's with a blue comforter on it. Spike got into bed and fell asleep immediately. Twilight couldn't help but smile as she looked upon the pegasus sleeping soundly. She then turned and crawled into bed as well.

On the outskirts of Ponyville near the Everfree Forest, there was a pony looking over the town. The pony was wearing a black robe with dark blue lining and a hood that covered his face. Another pony was galloping towards the pony, it was the stallion from the party. The stallion reached the hooded pony and bowed before him.

"What do you have to report?" The hooded pony asked coldly.

"Captain Sanderson we have found them at last." The stallion said in a thick Stalliongrad voice. "I've found those six ponies here in this town."

Captain Sanderson removed his hood to reveal his face. He was a unicorn stallion with a dark brown coat, amber eyes and a long straight black mane. "Good so they are here." He said with a sinister smile.

"Should I begin planning how to capture them?"

"No, we were ordered to find and observe them."

"But sir, we've been looking for them for a while and they have their guards down. Surly we can't just..."

"Your predecessor once thought of disobeying my orders Private Jordan." Captain Sanderson threatened. "I'm sure you don't need to be reminded of what happened to him do I?"

Jordan looked at his superior who was glaring daggers at him. "O...of course not captain. I...I wouldn't disobey you." He said nervously.

"Very good then." The brown stallion said calmly.

"Sir, may I please speak freely?"

"By all means do so."

"I've heard some of our men talking about their findings in the dig site. I've heard something about them coming close to a chamber. They said it hold what our Lord is looking for."

"I know what you're referring to private. However, I wouldn't listen to rumors about such things."

"But sir, what if it's in there? We've searched for it for years and it may be in that chamber. We'll finally be one step closer to our goal."

"That's enough private." Captain Sanderson said coldly. "I don't know if it exists or not. We lost the tablets in an incident I will personally fix myself. I want you to report back to the castle and tell our Lord about our findings. We will learn from what we must do from there. Do I make myself clear?"

Jordan bowed before the brown unicorn. "It shall be done captain." He turned and galloped into the Everfree Forest.

Captain Sanderson watched as Jordan ran into the forest and out of sight. He looked back at Ponyville and smiled sinisterly. "We've got you ponies now."

Sparky's Day Out

Spike woke up the next day feeling relaxed. He slowly got up from the guest bed and looked at his purple hooves. Spike was about to scream, but then remembered everything that happened yesterday. He placed a hoof over his mouth to muffle his yelp and not disturb Twilight. He looked at Twilight's bed and saw she wasn't in it. Spike smelled something cooking and figured Twilight was making breakfast. He got out of bed and steadied himself on his hooves. He slowly made his way downstairs and entered the kitchen. The purple pegasus saw Twilight flipping some pancakes and using her magic to pour some apple juice in two glasses.

"Hey there Twilight." Spike said.

The lilac unicorn looked to see her assistant and gave a small smile. "Good morning Spike. Did you have a nice rest?"

"I did actually." The purple pegasus said with a smile. Spike was felt relieved he didn't have another nightmare about Rarity or his friends. He still felt haunted by them and shuddered a little just thinking about them.

Twilight finished cooking the pancakes and placed them onto two white plates. She levitated the plates and glasses of juice to the table. Spike tried to pick up a fork with his hoof, but he had trouble in holding it. He growled in frustration as it kept slipping from his hooves. Twilight noticed this and helped him firmly grasped his hoof to hold the fork. The purple pegasus awkwardly tried to lead the fork to his mouth and slowly stuck the piece of pancake in his mouth. Spike gave a confident smile to Twilight about his success. She smiled in return and went back to her pancake.

Spike decided to break the silence when his pancake was gone. "So what are you going to do today?"

"Oh, I was thinking of what we should do in the library." Twilight replied after finishing her pancake.

Spike gave a confused look at the lilac unicorn. "Uh...we? Twilight, I'm supposed to meet Rarity at the shop today and go have flying lessons with Rainbow."

"I'm afraid you can't do that Spike. You're going to have to stay here with me in the library."

"But why Twilight?" Spike asked with a look of disbelief. "Rarity and Rainbow wanted to see me today."

Twilight shook her head and said, "Spike, I can't just let you go out there and risk exposing yourself. Don't you remember what happened with Applejack last night?"

The purple pegasus cringed at that thought. He was only a pegasus for a day and his secret was already known to the farmer pony.

"Twilight that was just Applejack and she promised not to tell anyway." Spike said. "She pretty much knew who I was from the start anyway."

Twilight narrowed her eyes. "That's no excuse Spike and I won't let you do this."

"Oh, and I'm supposed to meet Rarity and Rainbow today. How do I tell them that I couldn't make it?" Spike argued.

"I'll just tell them that 'Sparky' here wasn't feeling good and that he couldn't make it." Twilight shot back. "Besides what if you accidentally tell Rarity who you really are?"

"I'm not going to make the same mistake twice, especially with Rarity."

"What if you do Spike? What if you do just tell her who you really are in an attempt to make her fall for you? You do have a tendency to get lost in her beauty and lose all thought control. It's for the best that you stay here in the library."

"But..."

The lilac unicorn cut her assistant off. "Spike, listen to me okay? I know it doesn't seem fair, but you just can't go out there by yourself. You may get hurt, or tell one of others who you really are and I won't allow that. Now after I clean these dishes we'll get started on cleaning the basement."

Twilight collected the plates and silverware using her magic to levitate them towards the kitchen, leaving Spike with his thoughts. He couldn't believe that after all that happened last night, Twilight was still going to keep him in the library to work. The pegasus looked to see it was nearly ten on the wooden clock hanging on the wall and panicked on what to do. He thought of how Rarity would feel that "Sparky" wasn't there and it hurt him to see his love like that. All of a sudden a thought popped inside the pegasus' head and smiled a bit smugly. He went to the kitchen to see Twilight cleaning the dishes in the sink.

"Hey Twilight, can I ask you something?"

"Well go ahead Spike." The lilac unicorn responded while wiping a plate.

"I just wanted to know, what did you want me to do today?"

Twilight stopped cleaning one of the glasses and looked at her assistant. "Spike I told you that you're going to help clean the basement today. Maybe even help do inventory as well."

"Well where's Spike anyway?" The pegasus asked with a sly smile on his face.

Twilight shot a confused glance at her assistant. "Spike, what in the name of Celestia are you talking about? You're right there."

"But my name is Sparky. I'm the new pegasus here in Ponyville."

"Spike that's just a name you came up with to keep your identity a secret. 'Sparky' is just a new name for you and just posing as a new pony in town."

Spike's smug smile increased a little more. "Oh, so Sparky isn't grounded?"

"Spike, how many times do I have to say it? He's just...a..." Twilight stopped in mid sentence and felt like a book hit her on the head. She realized where her assistant was going with this. "Spike you better not do what I think you're doing." Spike turned around and headed for the door. Twilight teleported in front of him and glared at her assistant. "Spike, don't you dare do this!"

"I don't know who you're talking about Twilight." Spike said with a bit of smugness in his voice. "Spike is away in Canterlot on royal business." The pegasus began to move towards the door again.

"Spike stop right now!" Twilight shouted while trying to block the door. "I forbid you from doing this sort of thing!"

Before she could react though, Spike moved swiftly to Twilight's left side. He bolted out the door of the library. "Don't worry Twilight!" He shouted while galloping away. "If you see Spike, let me know and tell him I said hello!"

Twilight watched in disbelief as her assistant galloped off towards Rarity's shop. She slammed the door and let out a scream of frustration. "That dragon erm...pegasus is as stubborn as Applejack I swear. He'll come back and realize that he shouldn't have done that before lunch." Twilight sighed to herself and went into the basement to start clearing it out.

Spike laughed to himself as he hurried over to Carousel Boutique. He was happy with not only being able to start learning to fly, but also being with Rarity for a full day. His thoughts were full of things he could do with the white unicorn. As he approached the door of Carousel Boutique, a sudden thought hit him.

'You can't and I mean you can't show the one that you love yourself like this. If your friends knew about what you became than you would be cursed.' Barry's voice rang out in his head.

'Spike, I can't just let you go out there and risk exposing yourself. What if you accidentally tell Rarity who you really are?' Twilight scolded in his mind.

Spike suddenly realized the severity of the situation he was in. He couldn't just talk to Rarity like he did as a baby dragon and he couldn't tell her who he was. He swore to keep his identity a secret to Barry yesterday. Spike turned around from the door of Rarity's shop and back to the library to apologize to Twilight.

"Sparky, wait!"

Spike looked to his left to see Rarity galloping towards him. The white unicorn had a bit of a panicked look on her face that worried Spike. He put his other thoughts behind him to comfort her.

"What's wrong Rarity?" The purple pegasus asked in a concerned tone. "Did somepony hurt you?"

Rarity regained her composure,and gave a small smile. "Oh no darling nothing happened to me. I'm terribly sorry for making you wait here in front of the door. Sweetie Belle left her lunch by accident this morning and I had to bring it to her school. When I saw how late I was, I hurried over here as soon as I could."

Spike breathed a sigh of relief, but panicked to find a reason to leave Rarity. "Uh...that's great Rarity. I just came by to tell you that I...I don't need a suit."

Rarity looked at "Sparky" in shock. "Darling, I insist that you let me make a suit for you. It's the least I can do to repay you for saving me last night."

"Well Rarity the thing is that I just um..."

"What's wrong darling? I'm quite sure I can help you out."

"Erm...well I just um..."

"Sparky, I understand you may be a little shy, but there's no need to be afraid. I'll make you something divine and perfect just for you."

"Rarity, wait I..." Before Spike could say anything else, he felt himself being pushed. He looked down to see Rarity using her head to move the purple pegasus inside. As soon as he entered the shop the door was shut behind him.

Spike looked around the shop to see that caught his eyes. There was a small wooden stand with rolls of midnight blue and white fabric. A basket of gems of all shapes and sizes was next to a desk., The desk had a sewing machine on top of it with a picture of a naked ponyquin next to it.

"Rarity, I-I really appre...appre...uh thank you for this, but I really don't need a suit." Spike said with a nervous smile.

Rarity looked at the purple pegasus with a sad expression. "It's no trouble at all Sparky. I just wanted to get to know you better. We never got a real chance to talk to to each other. Won't you please stay with me darling?"

Spike looked hesitantly at the white unicorn giving a pleading look and stared deep into her azure eyes. He could see her bat her eyelashes and smile at him. He tried to not give in to her offer, but he felt his will break down.

"Well...alright I guess." Spike hesitantly said. "I'll stay here until that suit is done."

Rarity gave a joyful smile and pointed to Spike to get onto the wooden stool. Spike gave a feeble nod and slowly moved onto it. Rarity used her magic to bring a roll of yellow measuring tape towards her. The purple pegasus was feeling very nervous being around Rarity. He cursed himself for not listening to Twilight.

'Keep it cool now Spike.' The purple pegasus thought to himself. 'It's not like you're on a date with her and maybe she'll be too busy to talk to you.' Spike felt something wrap around his chest area and jumped a little.

"Sparky, please stand still. I'm trying to get your measurements." Rarity said.

Spike nodded and continued to stand still while Rarity mumbled some numbers and wrote them on the paper. He looked at the clock feverishly in hopes that he would have to leave soon. The clock though seemed to stop moving for him and was dragging on. The purple pegasus prayed to Celestia that things wouldn't go wrong at all.

'Twilight, if there was ever a time for you to come and get me now would be a perfect time.' Spike thought to himself.

"So tell me Sparky. What part of Equestria do you hail from?" Rarity asked while finishing writing the measurements.

Spike jumped a little, but Rarity was too busy writing the measurements to notice him. The pegasus scrambled to think of an answer to the white unicorn's question. He recalled several geography books he looked over when he had to help Twilight with mapping. He remembered a town Twilight loved to visit to see her aunt and uncle.

"Stableside, yeah um...that's where I'm from." Spike said nervously.

Rarity gave a gentle smile at him. "Oh darling, I've been there several times and the town is simply marvelous with its beach. I could look at its clear blue waters and golden sand for hours on end. I've been meaning to actually go back there again and embrace its tranquility again. Was your family part of the Pegasus Weather Patrol for the town?"

Spike felt his heart stop in fear for a second. He remembered what he said last night to Rarity and the others about not being able to fly. "Well...um...It's..." The purple pegasus' voice trailed off.

Rarity looked a little concern. "Is there something wrong darling? You look a little bit off."

Spike tried to think of something, but nothing came into his mind. He looked at Rarity and saw her raise an eyebrow. He surveyed the room to think of something. He saw in the corner of his eyes a large crate that had something called Farm Fashion Fabrics. An idea suddenly popped inside his head.

"Sparky, is everything okay?" Rarity asked.

Spike nodded and said, "Yeah I was just trying to remember about my family. I haven't really seen them in a long time."

"So what's your family like then?"

"Well my parents are actually farmers."

"Farmers?" Rarity raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah I was adop...adop...an orphan. I never knew my real parents. My family said they found me outside their door and took me in."

"What did your parents grow on their farm?"

"Uh..." Spike looked around the shop again to think of something. He saw a crude looking cow drawing that was drawn by Sweetie Belle. "My parents made milk." He gave a forced grin.

"I didn't know Stableside had a dairy farm."

"Um...they must've closed it then!" Spike said in a panic. He noticed Rarity staring at him. "Sorry, it's just I haven't seen them in a long time. I can't even remember what they look like."

Rarity cocked her head and started at Spike suspiciously. "I see then. Well do you remember why you couldn't fly?" She asked with hesitation in her voice.

"My family couldn't afford to send me to flying school. All I did on the farm was help milk cows."

"How about your cutie mark darling? How did you become a messenger?"

"I...I really don't remember how. All I do know is that I was just sending out some mail to a neighbor next door in the middle of some storm. Next thing I knew, I was in bed and told I was knocked out after giving the letter. It's kind of hard for me to remember it."

"You certainly are an interesting individual you know that?" Rarity asked.

Spike felt heat building up in his face. "Thanks Rarity, I'm sorry if you don't really know everything about me."

"That's quite alright darling. You're just trying to figure out your past. As a good friend, I'll gladly give you a hoof one day in finding out your past."

"Thanks Rarity." Spike said with an even deeper blush.

"No trouble at all darling. Enough chitchat though, I need to be in the zone if I'm going to make this suit perfect for you."

The purple pegasus nodded and silently let out a sigh of relief.

Rarity spent the remainder of the time sewing the suit and said nothing to "Sparky". Spike felt his body and mind settle from avoiding a disaster and smiled to himself. All of a sudden Spike felt his front hooves be levitated off the ground and looked to see Rarity's unicorn horn glowing at him as well as the clothes she sewed.

"What's going on here Rarity?" Spike asked.

The white unicorn stopped levitating "Sparky" and placed his hooves back on the ground. "Darling, I was just about to put your suit on you. I want you to close your eyes so I can make this a surprise."

Spike nodded and allowed Rarity to control his body once more. He felt his front hooves levitate off the ground and closed his eyes. He felt something covering the front of his body that felt like a soft fluffy cloud. He soon felt his body be given control back to himself again and was just about to open his eyes.

"Don't look yet darling. I want to make this suit a surprise for you. I just need to do one last thing to you, comb your mane and tail."

"C-comb my mane? I like my mane how it is."

"Nonsense Sparky, I can't let you be seen in that outfit with a messy mane as yours. Now stand still."

Spike nodded and kept his eyes closed. He felt a bit of a cold mist all over his mane and tail and shivered a little bit. A comb started to brush his mane and tail. Spike felt a bit more tranquil and at peace with what he was feeling and all his worries melt away. After what felt like only a few seconds, the brushing stopped.

"Okay Sparky, you can look now." Rarity said joyfully.

Spike opened his eyes in front of a mirror and his jaw nearly dropped in shock. He was wearing a white shirt with a buttoned up midnight blue coat on him. There were three amber yellow gems on each side of the suit's collar. He saw that he had what looked like three napkins stuffed into his white shirt collar. A blue sapphire gem was in the middle of the napkins and being held by a golden chain. He saw that his wings were sticking out of the blue coat comfortably. His messy mane and tail was combed back as well as his tail.

"How do you like it darling?" Rarity asked with a hopeful smile on her face.

Spike broke out of his trance and gave a slow nod to Rarity. "Wow Rarity, this is really great! I've never had such a beautiful suit like this before!"

Rarity blushed a little from the compliment and tried to hide it. She looked to see that "Sparky" was playing with the three napkins in his white shirt collar and felt alarmed.

"Please don't play with your cravat there darling. It took me a while to get the right amount of ruffles in it."

A clock went off near Rarity and Spike. They both looked to see a giant brown grandfather clock that had both of its hands pointing to twelve.

"Well now darling, I think that we've spent enough time with your suit. I'm feeling famished from all my hard work. How would you like to join me for lunch?"

'Say no Spike, just say no.' He told himself.

"Sure." Spike covered his mouth.

Rarity beamed at this. "Oh wonderful darling. I'll make each of us a fine hay and daisy sandwich with some tea. Now please give me a few minutes to get your suit packed up before I make lunch." The white unicorn used her magic to once again levitate Spike. She slowly and carefully removed the outfit and folded it.

As Rarity packed up "Sparky's" suit, Spike facehooved as to what he said. 'Oh this isn't good at all.' He thought to himself. 'I barely got away with that whole story thing. I can't think of what she'll ask me next.'

"Sparky, I'm going to go into the kitchen to make lunch. Would you kindly go sit down at that table?" Rarity asked.

"Yeah...I guess." The pegasus responded hesitantly. He moved towards a big white wooden table that had four elegant looking chairs and a bouquet of roses in the middle of the table.

Rarity placed "Sparky's" suit into a green saddle bag, turned her open sign to close, and went into the kitchen to make lunch. The purple pegasus' mind raced with thoughts on what to do now. He could almost hear her say that she was right about this whole thing. He prayed to Celestia that something or somepony come by and save him. He looked at the clock and wished he could speed up time to get out of here.

Spike heard a door open and looked to see Rarity with a smile and their lunch. The white unicorn was levitating a white tea set like the one she used a few days ago. There were two plates each that held two white bread slices with hay and white daises in between the slices.

Spike looked to see Rarity had begun eating her sandwich slowly and using her magic to levitate the tea cup to her to drink from it. The pegasus awkwardly picked up his sandwich but hesitated to take a bit from it. He never had a sandwich like the ones Twilight and the others ate. He only ate either gems or hay fries. He knew that if he didn't eat the sandwich it'd bring suspicion upon him and possibly hurt Rarity's feelings.

Spike took a bite and chewed his sandwich slowly at first. He tasted sweet daisies and crisp hay fries. The two ponies said nothing to each other while they ate, but Spike couldn't help but feel Rarity was watching him. After their meal, Rarity took the dishes and levitated them towards the kitchen. She came back out and poured some more tea.

"Do you mind if I ask you something Sparky?" Rarity asked.

Spike shook his head. "Sure go ahead."

"Why did you leave your family's farm and come to Ponyville?"

Spike froze in fear. "Um...well...the thing is that I..I..." His voice trailed off.

"Did it have something to do with your family's farm closing?"

"Yeah! Sorry just really having some memory trouble." He chuckled in embarrassment.

"Do you remember why your family shut down its farm?"

The purple pegasus looked around the shop again to see a bag of bits sitting on the table. "Oh, it was just some bit issues."

"I'm terribly sorry to hear that Sparky. I'm sure your family were very nice and kind. It's a shame they lost everything. So where is your family now?"

"I...I don't know honestly. They told me that it was time for me to live on my own and gave me some bits to help myself. They said they were going to start a new farm somewhere, but I haven't heard from them."

"So how did you come to Ponyville then? Was there some sort of position here as a messenger?"

"Sure let's go with...um I mean yes! I kind of wandered around Equestria doing small jobs for other ponies. I heard about some position opened here as a messenger and I came to live here. Twilight greeted me at first and we hung out together."

"I'm glad to hear that your life has taken a turn for the better darling. I'm sure wherever your family is they're proud of you."

Spike couldn't help but blush a little. Rarity was about to say something, but the grandfather clock went off again. She looked to see it was one in the afternoon.

"Oh my, our time together really went by quickly didn't it?" Rarity turned to Spike. "I think it's time you headed for Rainbow Dash's house darling. Her house is on the outskirts of town and isn't that patient with waiting."

The purple pegasus gave a nod. "Oki doki Rarity, I'll get there as fast as I can." The pegasus made his way to the door, but felt something weigh down on his back. He turned to see the green saddlebag from earlier.

"That has your suit in there darling." Rarity said with a smile. "Just take it home before going to see Rainbow Dash. I'm so glad we could spend this quality time together."

Spike nodded and made his way out into the hot summer heat. "It was nice meeting you Rarity."

"It was good to see you as well darling. Come on by anytime if you need somepony to talk to."

"I will Rarity and thanks." Spike beamed and felt his heart soar.

He and Rarity waved goodbye to each other and went their separate ways.

Spike let out a sigh of relief as he made his way to the library. He not only got to spend time with Rarity, but get a new suit from her. The purple pegasus felt more relax after being able to fool Rarity and smiled to himself. He made his way back to the Ponyville Library. As Spike approached the library he felt his smile melt and stopped in front of the entrance. He felt nervous about facing Twilight with what he did this morning and knew she was waiting for him.

Gulping a little, Spike opened the door to the library slowly and saw that there was nopony in there. A loud crashing noise came from below the library. Spike realized Twilight was in the basement cleaning it. He carefully made his way to his room and towards the guest bed. He pulled the saddlebag off his back with his teeth and put it under the pillow of the bed. Spike was making his way to the entrance of the library, but he suddenly heard hoofsteps coming from the basement. He panicked realizing Twilight was coming upstairs. Spike ran out the door and towards Rainbow's house before being seen by the lilac unicorn.

Unknown to Spike, a black unicorn stallion with a curly yellow mane had been watching him secretly and was now following him near the library. The stallion, Jordan, followed Spike closely, but made sure not to be spotted by him. He recalled the orders he got from Captain Sanderson last night.

'Remember Private Jordan.' The brown unicorn warned. 'You are to observe them and keep an eye on them. Failure to disobey will result in "The Decapitator" from our Lord.'

Jordan shuddered at the thoughts of "The Decapitator" and remembered witnessing it several times by those who failed his Lord's orders.

'Captain Sanderson didn't say anything about not capturing them.' He thought to himself with a smug smile. 'I'll bring a trophy back at the castle tonight and make my Lord proud.'

Spike kept running until the library was no longer in sight. The purple pegasus felt excited by being able to learn to fly from Rainbow and wondered what she would teach him. On the outskirts of Ponyville, Spike looked up in awe at Rainbow Dash's cloud mansion. He figured he got here a little early, but he looked around to see that Rainbow wasn't anywhere though.

"Uh...hello, Rainbow?" Spike asked while looking around for the sky blue pegasus.

"Hey rookie, up here!" Spike looked up to see Rainbow Dash lying on a cloud and waving at him. "It's about time you got here!" The sky blue pegasus hoped off the cloud and glided down to the ground near Spike. She circled around Spike taking a look at him closely, making him feel a little intimidated.

"So you want to learn how to fly huh?" Rainbow asked narrowing her eyes.

"Yeah I guess so." Spike responded while scratching his head.

"You guess so!?" Rainbow shouted and stomped her hoof. "Listen Sparks, when you want to fly there is no guessing so or something like that. The pegasuses are masters of the sky and are natural flyers! When you do want to fly you do it! So let me ask you again, do you want to fly!?"

Spike gave a fast nod and said, "Yes I want to fly!"

Rainbow gave a smirk. "Good rookie! I don't need anypony who will be training from me to have second thoughts. I do warn you that you won't be getting special treatment from me even if you are my friend. Are you ready?"

"Yes Rainbow!" Spike shouted and saluted. 'What have I gotten myself into now?'

Rainbow gave a nod and looked around until something caught her eye. "Alright then, we're going to warm you up. I want you to run to that tree and back towards me as quickly as possible."

Spike looked to see in this distance a barren tree standing alone on top of a hill. "I don't know about this Rainbow I think..."

"GO!" Rainbow shouted.

Spike jumped in shock and ran off towards the tree as fast as his legs could make him go. The hill was tiring for Spike to climb, but he kept on running up there. As quickly as he was up the hill, he touched the tree and ran back down the hill. Spike ran back to Rainbow Dash and collapsed on the ground to catch his breath.

Rainbow shook her head and narrowed her eyes. "Come on rookie! I could've run up that hill and back in ten seconds flat!"

"R-Rainbow...*pant*...this...*pant*...this isn't easy." Spike said in an exhausting voice.

The sky blue pegasus facehooved. "Listen up Sparks. Part of flying is that a pegasus has to be just as fast on the ground as they are in the air. Speed is one of the major things when it comes to flying. We're going to keep doing this until you beat my other trainee's record of twenty five seconds. Think you can do it?"

Spike got up and gave a nod. "I'll do my best Rainbow."

Rainbow nodded and pulled out a yellow stopwatch, "Alright then rookie, go!" She turned on the stopwatch.

Spike kept on running up to the tree and back towards Rainbow for a while. He kept on running up the same hill so many times that he lost count. Spike's legs were getting tired and strained from all the running.

'Whoever this other trainee is, they must be good at doing this.' Spike thought to himself.

Rainbow allowed Spike to catch his breath after he failed again for what seemed to be the fiftieth time. He drank some water that Rainbow brought to him. He finished downing the entire gallon of water and gritted his teeth. The sky blue pegasus told Spike to get back to training after finishing his water. The purple pegasus narrowed his eyes as he prepared to run again.

As soon as Rainbow told him to go, he took off in an instant. He bolted up the tree and touched it as quickly as possible. He came down the hill fast enough to look like he was a blur or purple and green. Spike ignored the protesting pain in his legs as he bolted towards Rainbow. He stretched his legs out as he collapsed on the ground and panted heavily .

Rainbow looked at her stopwatch and narrowed her eyes. Spike prayed to Celestia that he wouldn't have to do it again. He didn't dare look up at his friend's face.

"Twenty four seconds flat rookie." The sky blue pegasus said. "Not bad, but you're ready."

Part of Spike wanted to jump in joy, but his legs were feeling very sore. The pegasus gave a wary nod and smiled feebly.

"Come on Sparks, you can't be tired yet!" Rainbow shouted. "You should feel proud that you broke my trainee's current record."

Spike was still panting a little, but managed to get some words out. "Who...*pant*...who is...*pant*...your trainee anyway?"

"Oh, it's a filly named Scootaloo. She really looks up to me and is learning a lot from yours truly. Oh course who else would not want to learn from the best?"

Spike felt a tinge of annoyance in him as he realized he was trying to beat a foal's record. He was about to say something, but Rainbow cut him off.

"Now that you've learned how to go fast on the ground, it's time to learn how to get the basics of flying down now. We're going to stretch those wings out and start flexing them."

Spike didn't argue and just nodded. The sky blue pegasus smirk.

"Your wings are like a muscle in your body that can be flexed. What I want you to do is flex your wing muscles and open them. Think you can handle that?"

"Uh...yes, I'll do it." Spike said trying not to sound hesitant.

Spike closed his eyes and concentrated on his upper back muscles. He could feel some sort of tingling in his wing muscles and tried to flex them. He felt a strain in his muscles that quickly turned into a burning sensation. A mixture of pain and burning in his upper back coursed through Spike as he concentrated on spreading his wings. His body screamed at him to stop, but he ignored it and pushed forward. The purple pegasus could feel his knees buckle and used all his strength on his back muscles.

Spike suddenly heard the flapping of some wings. He opened his eyes and looked on both sides to see his wings were spread out. He couldn't help but let out a cry of joy and smiled. Rainbow stood to the side and nodded at her friend. She felt a sense of pride about her training methods paying off. The sky blue pegasus also was a little surprised that "Sparky" was progressing so fast. She found it a little strange that some pegasus who never flew in his life was learning so fast. She thought maybe it was because he was an adult and not a foal.

"Awesome job there Sparks." Rainbow said. "Now I want you to do it again for fifteen more minutes."

Spike's jaw dropped upon hearing this, "F-fifteen more minutes!? You've got to..."

"Rookie, what did I tell you!? Do you want to fly or not!?"

"W-well course I do. It's just..."

"Then start spreading those wings for fifteen minutes. Keep on whining and I'll increase it to one hour."

Spike grumbled a little, but he did what the sky blue pegasus told him to do. The next fifteen minutes were some of the most painful for Spike. He battled the pain and burning of his body as he flexed his wing muscles. The pain seemed to decrease with each time he did it. It got to the point that the flexing felt numb and stiff instead of painful and burning. After fifteen minutes, Rainbow stopped her stopwatch and whistled at Spike.

"Excellent job there Sparks. You're really getting this stuff done fast for somepony who never learned to fly. Now it's time to take to the skies."

Spike couldn't help that despite all the hardships he went through Rainbow's training that this was worth it.

"Now spread your wings!" Rainbow commanded.

Spike nodded and like a second nature to him opened his wings with a confident smile.

"Good, it's time to take off into the sky! You need to flex your wing muscles into flapping them up and down together constantly. Now show me what you got!"

The purple pegasus closed his eyes in concentration as he focused on flapping his wings up and down. The burning and painful sensation returned to Spike, only it felt worse this time. He tried to flex his muscles to sync together, but it seemed only one side was responding in making him lift off while the other didn't. He felt his body sink to the right and flew sideways. He concentrated more on the other and could feel his body cry out again as he kept pushing himself.

The purple pegasus felt his body lean back to its original position. Spike opened his eyes and looked to see both of his wings were flapping. He then looked down to see he was hovering above the ground. He beamed at Rainbow and saw her return a satisfied smile.

"Way to go Sparks! It seems you've really got this down. You've been able to get so much done in so little time. How would you like to learn to navigate today?"

Spike beamed at this and said with enthusiasm, "I'd love to Rainbow!"

Rainbow couldn't help but feel proud about how confident her new trainee was now. "Okay then, listen up! Navigating involves shifting your body weight. If you want to go forward, you lean forward, and if you want to go to the left, you lean to the left then. We'll just do the basics today since you are still a rookie."

Spike nodded happily at this and said, "I'm ready Rainbow!"

"That's the spirit! Lean forward and start flying forward!"

Spike nodded and leaned forward, but instead of moving forward, he did a somersault in the air. The purple pegasus stopped flapping his wings and crashed into the ground.

Rainbow laughed a little and said, "Easy now rookie. You want to lean forward a little not all the way. Now let's try again."

Spike nodded, flexed his wings, and hovered into the sky once more. The purple pegasus remembered Rainbow's instructions and leaned a little bit forward. At first he felt nothing, but soon he saw that he was actually moving forward a little bit on the moderate side. He continued to fly forward and picked up some speed as he did so.

Rainbow flew right next to her trainee. "Alright try to lean a little bit to the left and make a turn."

Spike nodded and leaned a little bit to the left. He saw that the field he was gliding across turn a little bit to his left. He quickly shifted his body weight to continue to fly forward.

"Now make a right turn!"

Spike moved his body weight to the right and managed to make a right turn. Spike flew forward moderately and reached a satisfied looking Rainbow. The sky blue pegasus decided to land on the ground and whistled for "Sparky" to do the same. Spike kind of stumbled a little with his landing and nearly tripped. He regained his bearings and gave a sheepish smile to Rainbow.

"Sparks, you've got to be one of the fastest learners ever." Rainbow said. "You've only been training for one day and you already have got the basics down. I want you to come back here again tomorrow afternoon at two to continue training. Got it?"

Spike nodded and siad, "You got it Rainbow!"

They both waved to each other and went their separate ways. Spike went back to the library feeling confident enough to take any of Twilight's lectures and punishments.

Jordan popped his head out of a nearby bush. He watched as "Sparky" took off into the town and saw Rainbow was nearing her cloud house. The black unicorn decided it was the best time to finally get the sky blue pegasus. His horn glowed a black aura that made a dark storm cloud appear above him. Jordan used his magic to make the cloud move towards Rainbow.

A sudden rumbling caught Rainbow's attention and looked to see that in the yellowish evening sky that there were no storm clouds around. She heard another rumbling noise and looked to see the dark storm cloud near her. Before she could react though, a lightning bolt hit her.

"AAAAAUUUUUGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!" The sky blue pegasus cried out in agony.

Spike was just about out of distance form Rainbow's house when he heard the scream. He looked to see that Rainbow was falling down fast from her house and not moving. Spike knew that he couldn't run there in time, so he tried the next thing, flying. The purple pegasus flexed his wings and took off. He watched as his friend fall down towards the ground and pushed himself to go faster, but he wasn't making much progress.

Visions of Rainbow dying or being severely injured flashed through the purple pegasus' mind. 'No...I won't let this happen to my friend!' Spike thought to himself with a determined look on him. 'No...no...NO, I WILL SAVE HER!'

Something suddenly ignited in Spike that felt like a huge burst of energy. He felt his speed increase tenfold and everything became a blur. Spike narrowed his eyes as he got closer to Rainbow Dash's body and felt himself go faster and faster. The sky blue pegasus' body was just about to hit the ground hard, but Spike managed to grab the lifeless body with his hooves and landed carefully. He looked down upon Rainbow's body and placed his ear near her chest. He heard a heartbeat and shallow breathing from the sky blue pegasus.

Spike looked to see something that made him jump in panic. His body was emitting a glowing green aura around him. He felt no pain or burning around his body. He instead felt rather warm and had a lot of energy pulsing through him. He calmed down from the adrenaline and saw the aura faded away until it was there no more. The purple pegasus' head felt a tidal wave of questions in his mind.

Jordan looked in awe as he watched "Sparky" save Rainbow's life. He wanted to get out of here before he was spotted by the purple pegasus. He stepped out of the bush, but stepped on a branch that snapped under his hoof's weight. Spike noticed this and saw the black unicorn had jumped in panic. He put Rainbow Dash's body down and went over to him.

"Hey, did you do this to her?" Spike asked with anger rising in his voice.

Jordan didn't say a word and turned to take off. Spike glared and flew after him.

"Come back here!"

Jordan picked up the pace more and headed for the Everfree Forest. He was about to hope over a creek, but he was tackled by Spike. He looked up to see "Sparky" had a furious look on his face and pinned him down.

"You're coming with me you jerk!" Spike scolded him.

Jordan closed his eyes and his horn glowed "Excaecant mico!" He shouted in a panic.

A bright white light flashed between the two ponies. Spike yelled in agony and covered his eyes. Jordan managed to break free of his captor's hooves and threw him off. He took one last look at the purple pegasus before heading into the Everfree Forest.

Spike felt his vision come back to him and looked around with a blurry vision. He saw Rainbow wasn't gone, but her body wasn't moving a muscle. He noticed that the black stallion took off, but he put those thoughts behind him to focus on saving Rainbow. He picked up the sky blue pegasus' body with his neck and carefully placed her on his back. He took off straight to the library.

Unknown to Spike, a black hooded pony had been watching him in the distance. He didn't say anything, but his eyes were wide with shock from what he saw. He turned around and trotted away from Rainbow's house into an unknown direction.

Twilight paced around the library floor and looked at the clock frantically. She'd been worried all day about Spike since and wondering what was taking him so long. Just as the lilac unicorn was about to go out and find him, the door to the library busted open. She looked to see Spike with a look of fear and panic. Twilight then noticed to her horror that her assistant was carrying Rainbow's body.

"Spike, what happened!?" Twilight cried out in fear.

"P...*pant*...please Twilight, we need to help Rainbow!" Spike said with worry in his voice. "Somepony attacked her!"

Twilight looked to see Rainbow's body was smoking a little and was bruised. She nodded at her assistant. "Alright Spike, I'll take her to the hospital! You go get the others over to the hospital now!" Spike nodded and both ponies went their separate ways.

In a pristine white waiting lobby with five blue sofas and a bookshelf full of medical and other various magazines, Twilight, Spike, and the others were waiting nervously to hear what had become of Rainbow Dash. Twilight and Applejack paced around with worried looks on their faces. Fluttershy was shaking violently on one of the couches and was on the verge of tears. Pinkie was next to Fluttershy and was holding onto her to calm the yellow pegasus down, but to no avail. Rarity tried to keep her composure, but she found herself tapping her hoof nervously and had fear in her eyes. Spike was just sitting down on the couch away from the other ponies with a blank expression.

The events of what happened to him played through Spike's mind again and again. He recalled himself flying almost as fast as Rainbow Dash, the green aura surrounding him, and the encounter with the black stallion. The purple pegasus remembered the sensation he felt when he flew to save Rainbow from falling and felt like he had a fire burning inside him. He didn't understand as to why it was happening to him since he wasn't a dragon anymore. A sudden tapping on his shoulder broke Spike out of his thoughts and turned to see Twilight with a worried look.

"Sparky, Nurse Redheart is here to tell us about Rainbow's condition."

Spike nodded and went over to where the others were standing. He recognized that in the group was a white earth pony with a pink mane and tail, and a hat with a red cross on it as Nurse Redheart. The pegasus saw that the nurse wasn't showing a smile or a frown, but instead a blank expression on her face. He looked at the others who had worried faces and were trembling a little.

"Well...is she alright nurse?" Applejack asked nervously.

The ponies waited and leaned forward for an answer.

"She's in stable condition, but is still unconscious." The white nurse said softly. "She suffered a strike of lightning to her back, but thankfully the bolt only knocked her out and left her with a few bruises. Miss Rainbow Dash should be able to wake up tomorrow and be discharged from here after spending tonight and tomorrow resting here."

The ponies let out a huge cheer and hugged one another in happiness upon hearing this. Nurse Redheart smiled a little at this and turned to Twilight, "I'll let you know when she wakes up tomorrow Miss Twilight, now please excuse me I have other patients to attend to." The lilac unicorn nodded and the nurse pony turned and went through two double doors into another ward.

"Oh this is so exciting!" Pinkie shouted while hoping around, "I'm going to throw a big welcome back from the hospital party for Dashie when she gets out!"

Spike felt a sense of relief wash over him as the others cheered as well. He even felt like joining in the celebration, but was interrupted by a hoof poking him on the back. The purple pegasus turned to see Twilight had a bit of a worried look on her face.

"Sparky, I need to ask you something. You said that Rainbow was attacked by somepony when you brought her to me. Do you recall who it was?"

Upon hearing Twilight's question, the other ponies stopped cheering and approached Spike with looks of concern on their faces. Spike felt a little bit flustered and nervous as his friends looked upon him. Something clicked in the pegasus' head when he thought back to the stallion.

"I think I know who it is." Spike said with a tinge of nervousness in his voice. "He looked like that stallion from the party."

The ponies looked a little surprised at this and Applejack stepped forward, "What in tarnation are y'all talkin' 'bout Sparky?"

"Well remember that stallion at the party Rainbow crashed into? I think it's him. He looked the same and even had the same curly yellow mane."

"Can you tell us what happened?" Twilight asked.

Spike could see his friends looked a little scared and slowly nodded. He explained how he heard Rainbow Dash's scream and flew there just in time to catch her. He told of what the black stallion did to him and ran off. He didn't want to say anything about the green aura around him since he was afraid that it would scare his friends more. When he finished, Spike saw his friends have a mix of bewilderment and fear on their faces. No pony said anything for what seemed like hours.

"This is quite strange." Rarity said breaking the silence. "Why would that pony kill Rainbow over some minor mishap?"

"Are y'all sure it was him Sparky?" Applejack asked.

Spike nodded and said, "I'm sure of it, it was that stallion from the party."

"Pinkie, have you ever seen that stallion in town?" Twilight asked.

"Nopie dopie! I've never seen him before in town, but why didn't I have a twitch like with Sparky here when he came to Ponyville?" She suddenly let out a big gasp. "What if he came on the same day as Sparky? He sure isn't getting a welcome party for hurting Dashie. I mean who would want to throw a party for such a meanie pants like that? I wouldn't even..."

Twilight placed a hoof on the pink mare's mouth. "I think we need to think this more tomorrow. How about we all meet up at Rainbow's to check the place out?" Twilight's friends nodded in agreement. "Then it's settled, we'll meet up first thing in the morning. Come on girls, we need to let Rainbow rest up.

The group left the hospital and said goodbye to each other as they went back to their homes. Twilight and Spike were left outside the hospital by themselves. Spike didn't really want to look at his unicorn friend. He knew that he was in serious trouble with what he did this morning. However, no lecture came from the lilac unicorn's mouth.

"Spike, I want to talk to you about earlier." Twilight said softly.

Spike gulped a little and looked at Twilight expecting an angry look. She instead had a mix of remorse and worry look on her. The pegasus couldn't hold it back anymore and blurted out, "I'm so sorry Twilight. I didn't mean to do what I did this morning and should've listened to you."

Spike expected the worse, but instead felt Twilight embrace him. They stayed like this for a few minutes before Twilight broke the embrace.

"Spike...I'm sorry as well. I shouldn't have tried to keep you on such a tight leash like I did this morning. I was just so worried about you and wanted to look out for you. I've been really foalish with how I act. If it wasn't for you, Rainbow might be...be..." Twilight couldn't get that word out of her mouth and tears streamed down her face.

"I've just been so worried about you ever since you turned into a pony." She said in a cracked voice. "I don't know what I would do without my assistant and friend. I'm sorry about how I've treated you. I promise that for the remaining time you are a pony that I won't stop you from seeing the others. You can even see Rarity."

Spike looked to see Twilight was about to have a breakdown and hugged his friend. "It's okay Twilight, I forgive you. I just want you to know you'll always be my friend."

Twilight made a tearful smile and returned the hug. The two friends stayed embraced for a few minutes.

"Ahem." A voice came out interrupting the two ponies.

Spike and Twilight broke the embrace and looked to see Applejack with a gentle smile on her face. "Don't mean to interrupt this touchin' moment here Twi, but Ah need t'have a word with Spike."

Twilight nodded and pushed Spike towards the orange mare. The pegasus couldn't help but feel a little intimidated even with Applejack's small smile.

"What's wrong Applejack?"

"It's alright sugarcube, y'all ain't in trouble at all." The orange mare said in a reassuring voice. "Ah just want t'say thank ya kindly fer saving Rainbow from that fall. Secondly I think it's time y'all did mah favor."

"Well what is it? Bucking some apple trees? plowing some fields with your brother?"

Applejack gave a small smile and said, "Do y'all think ya can take care of some foals tomorrow? Ah was gonna watch them tomorrow, but then this whole mess happened."

Spike thought it over, since he'd never foalsit before and had no experience in it. He did remember that Twilight had a few books on foalsitting, He even had experience in helping take care of Owlowiscious. The purple pegasus gave a wary nod to Applejack.

"Oki doki Applejack, I'll do it. So how many foals am I going to look after?"

"Uh...three sugarcube." Applejack said with a bit of uneasiness in her voice.

"Oh okay..." Something popped in Spike's head and felt a bucket of ice drop into his stomach. He looked back at Applejack. "Did you say three foals?"

Applejack nodded, making Spike freeze in fear. "N-no y-you don't mean them do you?" The pegasus asked with fear in his voice. The farmer pony nodded again. Spike turned around and ran for it, but was tackled by Applejack.

"Spike...Ah know how ya feel about them, but please ya got to do this." Applejack tried to keep the purple pegasus pinned down. "Ah need to help look fer this stallion who attacked Rainbow. Ah need ya to take mah place fer tomorrow."

"No way Applejack! I don't want to even be close to them at all!" Spike struggled to break free.

Applejack narrowed her eyes. "If ya don't do this, Ah'll tell Rarity who ya really are sugarcube, got it?"

Spike remembered the promise he made to Applejack and unwillingly nodded. The orange mare released him and gave him a sad smile. "Ah know ya don't really want t'do this sugarcube, but yer the only one who can help me out."

Spike said nothing and looked away from the orange mare.

"Ah'm gonna come by tomorrow and git ya t'come down to the farm sugarcube. A'll see ya then sugarcube and don't worry they don't even know ya." Applejack took off for her family farm.

Twilight approached him. "So what was that about Spike?"

"Let's just say Twilight that tomorrow is going to be a nightmare." Spike said bitterly.

Before she got a word out, Spike took off towards the Ponyville Library. The lilac unicorn followed suit and began to think about what was going on.

Inside the throne room of a castle, there was a crowd of ponies standing in a line. The room had dark blue banners with black trimmings lining against the walls. The banners lined against tall windows that allowed Princess Luna's moonlight through. There were stallions from unicorns to pegasi lined up with shining dark blue armor and had stern looks on their faces. They were all lined up against a black carpet that extended to a giant throne. A hooded unicorn with an all black robe covered his body and face sat on a pitch black throne with silver arm rests on it. The giant brown doors to the room suddenly opened to reveal a furious Captain Sanderson bringing in a levitated Private Jordan.

The brown stallion released the magical hold on his captive and dropped him to the ground. "I have brought him here as you commanded Lord Sandro. I think you'll get a laugh out of what his excuse for failing was."

The hooded pony looked to see the black stallion had a look of fear in him and was shaking violently. He then turned towards the other unicorn stallion. "You have done well Captain Sanderson." He said in a deep sinister tone. He turned towards Jordan. "You better have a good reason as to why you disobeyed me private. Do you know what happens to those who disobey my rule here?"

"N-now wait a minute! I was just trying to bring back one of the six ponies." The black unicorn said in a panic.

"I gave you no such order to do that!" Captain Sanderson barked. "I told you to watch them only! You were seen doing this heinous action in daylight and you were nearly caught! What the hay were you thinking!?"

"Wait please! That pegasus who saw me acted strange when he saved the rainbow colored one. He was glowing a green aura and going faster than anything I've ever seen. He could've pulled off a Sonic Rainboom with how fast he was going."

Captain Sanderson laughed coldly at this. "You see my Lord!? This is his so called excuse! Any pegasus could do that in their sleep most likely. I for one..."

"Still you tongue captain." Lord Sandro scolded. Captain Sanderson gritted his teeth and bowed. "Go on and tell me more about this pegasus private."

Jordan nodded and said, "Well h-he was new in Ponyville and I heard he never learned how to fly, so the rainbow one offered to teach him how to. He was only a novice, but he managed to get the basics down in a few hours. When he went to save her, he was flying like he was a Wonderbolt. He was out of distance from his friend's house and yet got to her in an incredible feat of time. I saw that he had a glowing green aura around him and looked surprised at it as well. I know this sounds strange, but there's something to this pegasus my Lord."

The hooded pony only looked at Jordan and thought about what he told him. "Private I must know one more thing. What is the name of this pegasus?"

"WHAT!? You're going to believe this tall tale Lord Sandro!?" Captain Sanderson saw the hooded unicorn turned his head at him. Even though the eyes were covered, he still felt a powerful glare penetrate him. Sanderson didn't dare argue and stepped back.

"I-it's Sparky my Lord." Jordan said feeling a little more calm.

"Private Jordan, I am willing to make you a deal. If you can bring me this Sparky alive, I'll let you live and promote you. If you fail, it's 'The Decapitator' for you. You are not to go after any other ponies, just this pegasus only. Do you understand?"

Jordan nodded furiously and said, "Yes my Lord, it shall be done."

"One more thing, you have only one day to do this and one chance only. I think that should be more than enough motivation to prevent you from failing." He saw the black unicorn shake a little and smiled to himself. "Guards, leave us at once. I'd like to have a word with Captain Sanderson alone."

Jordan and the stallions who lined the carpet bowed. They all left in an orderly fashion until only Captain Sanderson and Lord Sandro were left alone.

"I know what you're thinking Captain Sanderson. You must think I'm crazy for pursuing this am I right?"

Captain Sanderson was taken aback by this, but he slowly nodded. "Forgive me Lord Sandro, but this is a waste of effort. All we have is just Private Jordan's word only; it's all baseless conjecture that's all."

"What if it isn't Captain?" Asked Lord Sandro. "What if you're wrong? What will you do then? Will you simply continue to deny the fact that it exists, or will you just simply leave us?"

Captain Sanderson looked in shock by what the Lord said to him. "My Lord, do you honestly believe that it exists? We lost everything about our research on it a decade ago."

"Captain, I was able to look over some of the details and there should be a lost one that has been hidden for over a millennium. The spies I had sent out around town reported seeing those tablets somewhere close to where we are. Where they are now, I have no clue. I need those tablets to figure out how to use the lost one for our purposes. This Sparky would be no good without those tablets."

"Shall I continue searching for them my Lord?"

"Yes Captain, but be wary as you hunt for them. I have no doubt that it's being guarded fiercely."

"Yes my Lord." Said Captain Sanderson as he bowed.

"Good, now then I have business elsewhere. I will be back tomorrow night to see whether Jordan caught Sparky or not. You are dismissed Captain." The brown stallion bowed and left the throne room.

Lord Sandro stood around for a couple of minutes thinking to himself. 'Well Sparky, let's see if you really do live up to what my subordinate has told me.' The hooded stallion thought to himself with a sinister smile.

His horn glowed a black magical aura. In the blink of an eye, Lord Sandro teleported in a blinding flash and out of the castle.

Foal Follies

Twilight was up and about early the next morning. She made some scrambled eggs, toast, and orange juice for her and Spike. The lilac unicorn quickly ate her meal and went to go pack a magnifying glass, scrolls, quills, and a map of Ponyville into a brown saddlebag. Twilight went back to the kitchen and saw the breakfast she made for Spike was still there. She was about to call Spike for breakfast, but a loud knock came from the door. Twilight went to the front door and opened it to see Applejack standing there with a smile.

"Oh, hey there Applejack. What are you doing here?"

"Howdy there Twilight." The orange mare said. "Ah'm here t'git Spike and take him to the farm."

Twilight raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. "What do you need Spike down at your farm for?" The lilac unicorn asked. "I thought we were all going to meet up and discuss on finding Rainbow's attacker."

"We still are sugarcube. Ah just need t'git Spike down to the farm b'fore we git the other girls and meet up at Rainbow's house."

"But why do you need Spike?"

"He did tell you last night didn't he?"

"Tell me what?" Twilight asked scratching her head.

Applejack's smile faded into a frown and her eyes narrowed a little. "Y'all mean t'tell me that he didn't tell ya last night?" She asked with a tinge of annoyance in her voice. "He didn't tell ya that he had to repay mah favor today?"

Twilight's eyes narrowed a bit and said, "No Applejack, he didn't. In fact he hasn't even come down for breakfast. We'll both talk to him about this when we find him. We'll check the bedroom."

Applejack and Twilight made their way up the library steps towards the bedroom and opened the door. They looked to see that Spike's bed was empty, but the sheets were still messed up and the purple pegasus was nowhere to be found. The two mares went over to the closet of the bedroom and opened it up to see a bunch of winter clothing from coats to hats, but no Spike. Applejack noticed four purple hooves at the bottom of the floor amidst the snow boots. She nudged Twilight to let her know what she saw. The two of them pulled aside the clothes to see Spike with an awkward smile and holding a piece of red clothing.

"Uh...need a scarf?" The purple pegasus asked and chuckled in embarrassment.

Twilight pulled her assistant out using her levitation magic. "Spike, why didn't you tell me that you had to repay Applejack's favor last night?" She asked with annoyance in her voice. "You can't avoid responsibilities like this."

"Twilight, you don't understand." Spike said in a pleading voice. "Applejack she...she wants me to do the imposs...imposs...uh something hard for me to do."

"Oh, Spike what could be so hard for you to do?"

"She wants me to...do...do..." Spike couldn't finish the sentence as his eyes widened.

"Foalsittin'." Applejack said in a stern voice. "He's gonna be foalsittin' fer me today Twi."

"Well that shouldn't be too hard then."

"No it won't!" Spike shouted. "It's...it's 'them' Twilight."

"What are you talking about Spike?" Twilight asked with a confused look on her face.

"It's the Cutie Mark Crusaders Twilight." Applejack said.

Twilight looked back at Spike with an annoyed look on her face. "This is what you're so scared about Spike? I know the crusaders can be a bit of a hoof full, but they're not that bad."

"But Twilight, you don't..."

"Simmer down there Spike." Applejack said. "Y'all promised to repay me if Ah didn't tell the others who 'Sparky' really is. Now am Ah gonna have to hogtie ya and drag ya to the farm, or are ya gonna come quietly?"

Spike tried to find a way to get out of it, but knew Applejack had a point. He nodded in defeat and said, "Alright Applejack, I'll go down to Sweet Apple Acres." His stomach rumbled in hunger and looked back at his friends with an embarrassed smile. "Can I at least have breakfast first?"

Twilight and Applejack nodded as Spike was released from Twilight's magic. The three ponies went down to the library kitchen. Spike saw his breakfast sitting there and ate all of it rather quickly. Twilight levitated the dishes and placed them into the sink. They all went outside the library and into the warm summer morning air.

"Alrighty then Twilight." Applejack said. "Ah'm gonna take Spike erm...Ah mean Sparky here down t'mah homestead and git him acquainted with the crusaders. Y'all go and git the others and Ah'll meet ya at Rainbow's house."

"Got it Applejack." Twilight said with a nod and turned to her assistant. "Spike, please for our sake try to be nice to them. I know you've had problems with them before, but I'm sure you'll do fine."

'Easy for you to say. You aren't the one who's looking after three troublemakers.' Spike thought to himself with a look of disdain on him.

Spike felt two hooves push his right side and looked to see it was Applejack. "Come on sugarcube." She said. "We're burnin' daylight and Ah've got to git ya down to the farm quickly."

Spike hesitantly nodded and followed Applejack went down to Sweet Apple Acres. Twilight went off to Carousel Boutique to go get Rarity. Spike and Applejack said nothing as they walked down towards the apple farm. The purple pegasus couldn't help but feel that Applejack was looking at him.

The farmer pony broke the silence and said, "Ah know ya don't want t'do this Spike, but Ah..."

"So can't I just do something else? Repair a fence, do some applebucking, or feed some animals?"

The orange mare placed a hoof on Spike's mouth and shook her head. "It doesn't matter whether y'all were gonna do this or not. Ah was gonna take the crusaders t'see ya anyways and introduce them to ya since they weren't at the party the other night. Ah know ya had yer run ins with them and yer awfully saddle sore about them, but they want t'see ya."

"So no matter what, I was going to meet them?"

Applejack nodded. "Spike, all Ah ask is fer ya to give'em a chance. They don't know ya and they're really riled up to meet ya."

The purple pegasus thought over what the orange mare had said and couldn't help but trust her. "Applejack...I'll do not only for you, but for my secret."

"Don't ya fret Spike, Ah'm sure y'all can do this, and they won't give ya such a hard time." The farmer pony said with a gentle smile.

'I hope you're right Applejack.' Spike thought to himself.

On the edge of the Everfree Forest, Jordan stepped out of the shadows and carried a camouflaged saddlebag. He pulled out a pair of black binoculars and looked around in the sky.

'Come on, the Ponyville Weather Patrol should be out by now as well as him.' He thought to himself.

As Jordan continued to scan the skies for "Sparky", he heard two ponies speak to each other. He quickly hid in a bush by the Everfree Forest. He popped his head out and saw Applejack, but his blue eyes were staring more at his target, "Sparky."

'Gotcha now you foal, You won't be getting away from me this time,' The stallion thought with a sinister smile on his face. Jordan followed the two ponies into Sweet Apple Acres.

Applejack and Spike reached the brown homestead of the farm. The orange mare went inside to get the little foals and told him to wait here. As Spike waited, he tried to keep himself calm and remember about what Applejack and Twilight told him about giving the crusaders a chance. He wanted to believe them, but he was still a little bit wary. The door to the homestead opened up and Spike's eyes grew wide with nervousness and fear as he saw three fillies. Spike instantly recognized them as the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

"Girls, Ah want ya t'meet Sparky." Applejack said with a smile. "Now be don't ya be shy now. Go on and say hello to him."

The three fillies went over to "Sparky" with grins on their faces and looked at him with wonder. Spike was trying his best to keep a forced smile and slowly extended his hoof to shake with them. None of the crusaders though shook his hoof, but looked at him suspiciously.

"Say...Ah know who ya are." The yellow Earth filly said in a southern accent similar to Applejack's.

"Uh...you do?" Spike asked feeling a little nervous.

"Yeah...we know about you." The orange pegasus said in a cocky attitude.

"We've heard about you Sparky." The white unicorn said sounding a little sinister.

Spike could feel his stomach twisting in knots. He looked at Applejack who tried to keep a straight face, but was looking worried. The three fillies suddenly jumped on Spike, making him yelp in panic.

"It really is him!" The three fillies shouted in unison.

"I-I can explain I...wait, what!?" Spike yelled in confusion as he struggled to break free.

"Yer the one who saved Rainbow Dash! Yer Sparky right?" The yellow earth filly. "Ah heard about it last night."

"Applebloom!" Applejack shouted. "Were y'all spyin' on me again!?"

The yellow pony and her friends broke the hug and nodded. "Sorry Applejack, but Ah did hear what ya said last night while Ah passed yer room. Ah had to tell Sweetie Belle and Scoots."

Applejack shook her head and said, "We'll deal with this later lil' sis, but let me get Sparky here acquainted with y'all." She turned to Spike. "This lil' pegasus here is Scootaloo, this unicorn here is Sweetie Belle, and Applebloom here is mah lil' sis."

"Uh...hello there." Spike said still feeling a little nervous.

"Hi there!" They said in unison.

Scootaloo went up to Spike and said, "That was so cool of you of how you saved Rainbow Dash. Well...you're not as cool as her, but still you saved her. That makes you good in my book."

"Thanks...I think." Spike said with a tinge of annoyance in his voice. He turned towards Applejack. "What do I have to do with them?"

"It's as simple as pie sugarcube." The orange mare said. "Y'all just have t'play with the crusaders." She turned back towards the three fillies. "Now girls Ah want y'all t'have fun, but don't give Sparky here a hard time okay?"

The three fillies nodded and put on innocent smiles. Spike cringed in disgust from the sight.

"Sparky, Ah'll be with the others at Rainbow's place. We'll be checkin' out the area fer clues to this attacker."

The purple pegasus gave a nod and smiled feebly. Applejack tipped her hat and took off for Rainbow's house while Spike and the crusaders waved goodbye. Spike looked back at the Cutie Mark Crusaders who all had eager smiles on their faces.

"Don't ya look so glum there Sparky." Applebloom said. "Y'all are gonna have so much fun!"

Fun...that word echoed through Spike's mind as he remembered all the fun times he had with the crusaders when he was a dragon. The first time was when the crusaders messed up the library in an attempt to get their cutie marks in being librarians. He ended up spending the rest of the day and most of the night cleaning up the mess.

A few days later, he became a victim of the foals' attempt at another cutie mark hunt when they tried to become dragon slayers. He ended up being chased and beaten up by the three crusaders with wooden swords and sticks. Sometimes he would get caught in some net traps or fell in pits made by them. The dragon ended up with multiple bruises and aches all over his body. A lot of the foals laughed at Spike for being beaten up by some fillies. The dragon felt embarrassed, but mostly angry as well at them.

Another incident occurred two weeks after that where they played Castle. Spike was made the "damsel in distress" and was forced to wear a pink frilly princess outfit and a long yellow wig. He heard the crusaders snicker when they saw him in that dress. Unfortunately for him, Twilight and her friends came by to check on them and saw Spike in the dress. They all burst out laughing at this as well as the crusaders. Spike ripped off the clothes in anger and shut himself in the library. Rainbow called him princess several times until Twilight scolded her for doing so.

The final straw was when Spike had noticed that the crusaders were playing with a potion set and tried to get their cutie marks as potion makers. One of the potions they made spilled on Spike and changed him into a purple dog. The crusaders decided to take Spike back to their clubhouse and became Cutie Mark Crusader Pet Trainers. They would have him beg, roll over, or other humiliating things while the fillies chuckled. When they realized they wouldn't get their marks, they went back to Twilight's and apologized for messing with the potion set.

Twilight turned Spike back into a dragon, but he was so infuriated that he busted out of the library and ran away. He ran out of town and rested on a hill that overlook the town. He went back in the early morning and made sure the fillies were nowhere to be seen. Twilight tried to explain something to Spike about the crusaders, but he glared daggers at her. He made her vow never to mention the incident again.

Spike ignored the Cutie Mark Crusaders from then on. Every time he heard they were coming, he would leave the library and stay far away from it until late at night. Whenever he heard them or if he saw them coming, he'd hide himself or take off in the opposite direction. Twilight tried to tell Spike they really wanted to see him, but he wouldn't listen at all. He was convinced that they enjoyed humiliating him in front of others.

Spike felt his eye twitch in anger and his teeth started to grind as he pulled himself out of those memories. He looked back at the crusaders.

"Y'all alright there Sparky?" Applebloom asked with a confused look on her face.

"Y-yeah." Spike said hesitantly. "I'm fine, I was just thinking of something So what do you all want to do?"

"Oh, I got something!" Scootaloo exclaimed. "Why don't we try to get out cutie marks in Parachuting?"

"Hey, Ah thought we were gonna try playin' some table tennis." Applebloom argued.

"Ah who wants to do that?" Scootaloo asked nonchalantly. "Parachuting is way better than just playing some table tennis."

"But we agreed t'do some table tennis." Applebloom said. "Y'all haven't even tried it yet."

"Parachuting is way cooler than table tennis." Scootaloo said with a little anger in her voice.

"Table tennis!"

"Parachuting!"

"Table tennis!"

"Parachuting!"

The two fillies tackled each other and were throwing punches and insults at each other. Spike just facehoofed and groaned. 'It's going to be a looooooong day.' He thought to himself. The purple pegasus watched as the two fillies fought each other. He had no clue on what to do.

"STOP!" Sweetie Belle shouted loudly. The two fillies stoped fighting and look at her. "I'm glad there's no cutie mark in arguing otherwise it'd be hard to be friends with you two. I've got an idea on how to get our cutie marks. How about we show Sparky here around Ponyville?"

The two fillies thought it over and both gave a nod. "Yeah, we've never tried that before." Scootaloo said.

"Great idea there Sweetie Belle." Applebloom looked at Spike. "So what d'ya think about that Sparky? Can we show ya around Ponyville?"

"Well I was already shown around town yesterday by Twilight.".

"Aww!" The crusaders hung their heads in sadness and had puppy dog eyes on them.

Spike looked around at each of the crusaders. 'Confound these fillies with their sad eyes.' The pegasus thought to himself. 'Well...maybe it won't be so bad. Applejack did say give them a chance.'

He turned back at the fillies and said, "You know Twilight actually didn't show me all of Ponyville. I guess it wouldn't hurt to..." Spike felt himself be tackled by the crusaders as they all gave big smiles.

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS TOUR GUIDES, YAY!" The three fillies shouted in unison.

'Celestia help me.' Spike thought to himself. He felt his flank be pushed by the three fillies as they led him away.

Spike sat in a big red wagon tied to a scooter. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle dragged a red saddlebag into the wagon and sat next to Spike. Scootaloo got on her scooter and drove them around town. Spike looked at the crusaders and hoped things wouldn't go wrong with them. He felt somepony poking him and turned to see it was Sweetie Belle.

"Don't worry there Sparky." The filly unicorn said. "We're going to show you some of our favorite places around town."

"Yer gonna have so much fun." Applebloom stated. "We're comin' up to one of our places to get cutie marks now. Stop here Scootaloo!"

The filly pegasus stopped her scooter. Spike nearly fell over, but put his hooves on the wagon's sides on time. . He looked to see he was in front of a large green gate that led to a large field. The field had a few trees spread along it and ponies of all ages playing on them.

"This here is the Ponyville Park." Sweetie Belle stated. "This is where families or friends come and play around with each other."

"So we're just going to go through the park?" Spike asked.

"Oh no we ain't." Applebloom responded. "We're gonna show ya something. Come on girls, we're wasting time!"

The crusaders got off the wagon and Spike followed suit. Scootaloo took her scooter and locked it up before following her friends though the park gates. Spike stuck close to the crusaders and looked around a little to see some foals and families playing various games. He kept following the Cutie Mark Crusaders until they reached a rather narrow hill.

"What's going on here?" Spike asked.

"Just ya wait and see Sparky." Applebloom said as her and the other crusaders went up the hill.

Spike hesitantly followed the three foals up a dirt path that went up the hill. The purple pegasus slowly climbed up the hill, but it was getting tiring very fast. He felt like the hill was going on and on, but he reached the top after what seemed to be many hours.

"Come on Sparky, you've got to see this." Sweetie Belle said.

Spike nodded and looked to see something that made his eyes widen. The area resembled the ideal spot for a picnic and had a tree that looked perfect to sit under and rest. There was also a huge clearing that had a perfect view of Ponyville Lake and at the edge was a cliff leading down to the water below. There was also a breeze blowing through the area that cooled Spike and the crusaders from the summer heat.

"Wow, It's so beautiful. How did you find this?" Spike said breaking the silence.

"Well mah sister actually showed this to us." Applebloom said. "She said this is where she likes to come and relax fer a while."

The three crusaders went over to the edge of the cliff to look at the lake.

"Wow...it's just as beautiful as before." Sweetie Belle said.

"Hey, are you sure this is safe?" Spike asked with concern in his voice. "That cliff looks a little dangerous."

"Ah, it's okay." Scootaloo said waving a hoof. "This cliff is sturdy and can hold us." The orange filly stomped her hoof on the ground to prove it, but then a loud cracking noise from below her and the other crusaders.

The ground shifted and the cliff gave way along with the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Spike quickly responded and grabbed Scootaloo's hooves. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle held onto their friend's rear legs tightly. The fillies each had a look of terror and fear on their faces. Spike could feel Scootaloo starting to slip and firmly grasped her hooves. The purple pegasus looked around to see if anypony was nearby, but there weren't any. He looked back at the terrified crusaders and narrowed his eyes in determination.

Spike used all of his strength to pull the three fillies up slowly and carefully. The purple pegasus led the foals far away from the cliff and to get to more stable ground. Sweetie Belle and Applebloom hugged Spike tightly while Scootaloo smiled and gave a nod. Spike felt like he his heart stopped and looked at the crusaders.

"What were you girls thinking?" He asked. "You all could've been hurt."

The crusaders looked down and felt discouraged.

"W-we didn't mean to." Sweetie Belle said in an apologetic tone.

"Yeah we just wanted t'show ya the view." Applebloom said in the same tone as Sweetie's.

"Well...uh...sorry." Scootaloo said nonchalantly and maintained a straight face.

Sweetie Belle looked at Spike and said, "We're sorry about this Sparky. The next place we'll go to won't even have a lake at all."

The purple pegasus looked to see Sweetie Belle and the other crusaders giving a pleading tearful look. "Well...I guess it couldn't hurt, but no more surprises like that okay?"

"We promise!" The three foals shouted and gave innocent smiles.

'Why do I not feel any better with hearing those words?' Spike thought to himself with a bit of a worried look on him. He suddenly was pushed and looked to see the three crusaders making him move.

"Come on now Sparky. We ain't got all day now." Applebloom said.

Spike and the Cutie Mark Crusaders made their way back to the entrance of the park. They got on the red wagon with Scootaloo taking the group away. Spike looked to see Applebloom and Sweetie Belle were still a little shaken, but otherwise fine. He felt himself relax a little despite what happened as he and the crusaders rode along.

"Okay Scoots, stop!" Sweetie Belle shouted.

The wagon screeched to a stop again. Spike looked to see he was in front of a large red building that almost looked like a barn with a silver bell in a tower above. There was a swing set, two teeter totters, a big green slide, and a field that looked like it was meant for kickball.

"Aww, what the hay are we doing at school Sweetie?" Scootaloo asked in an irritated tonw. "Summer vacation started yesterday and the last thing I need to see is school again."

"We aren't here for school." Sweetie looked at Spike. "This is the Ponyville School, where all of us foals go to learn things like math and so on. We just want to play here on the playground here."

Spike looked at the playground and then at the three foals with hopeful smiles. "Well I guess there's no harm in that." He said. "I'll keep an eye on you girls, but just stay out of trouble."

The crusaders cheered and took off towards the playground. Spike smiled a little as he saw the foals play on the swing set and taking turns on the teeter totter. He looked to see Applebloom on a swing and was waving a hoof at him. He quickly went over to her.

"Hey Sparky, could y'all give me a push on this swing?" The yellow earth pony asked.

"Sure Applebloom."

Spike went behind the foal and used his hooves to give her a push. The foal giggled as she was pushed higher and higher. Spike saw Applebloom jumped off the swing and panicked. He quickly ran over to catch her, but it was too late. The yellow Earth foal landed in the mud and sent some of it flying. Applebloom popped out of the mud hole and chuckled. Her friends who came over and saw what she did.

"Applebloom, you scar...erm nearly scared me and...*SPLAT!*"

Spike was cut off by a ball of mud hitting him in the face that blinded him. He rubbed the mud off his face while hearing giggling from Applebloom and her friends. The purple pegasus opened his eyes to see the three foals have sinister smiles on their faces and a mud ball in their hooves.

"MUD FIGHT!" All three of the crusaders cried out and threw mud at Spike.

Spike shielded his face and was hit with all three of the mud balls. The crusaders laughed as they played in the mud.

"Come on Sparky." Applebloom said waving a hoof. "Yer missin' all the fun."

"I don't know if I should...*SPLAT!*" He heard Scootaloo chuckling as another mud ball hit him. He rubbed the mud off his face and gave a playful smirk. "Oh, so that's how it's going to be huh? Well then here I come!"

Spike jumped into the mud hole and made a splash that covered all four ponies. They all laughed and yelled as they threw mud balls at each other or splash some mud around. Spike teamed up with Sweetie as they took a large pile of mud and dumped it on Scootaloo. Applebloom retaliated by jumping on Spike and tackling him into the mud. The group laughed for a while until they heard some other ponies laughing as well. They all wiped their faces to see two ponies standing nearby.

"Well look who it is, it's the blank flanks." A filly said in a prissy accent.

Spike looked to see two foals standing next to the school's white fence with smug looks on their faces. One was a gray filly who had large thick blue glasses, purple eyes, a blue necklace around her neck, and a white mane that was braided. Next to her was a pink filly with a magenta colored mane and tail that was wavy, with a very light magenta streak going through her mane and tail, and had blue eyes.

"What the hay do you want Diamond Tiara?" Scootaloo asked bitterly.

"Oh, watch that temper blank flank. Silver Spoon and I were just walking around town." The pink filly responded. "We were passing by and saw what you all were doing. What are you trying to get your cutie marks in being pigs? I thought with you living on a farm you'd get that already Appleflop!"

"Y'all best watch what ya say." Applebloom said angrily while Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon laughed.

Silver Spoon then noticed Spike and nudged her friend to point to him. "Hey you! You're the new pony here right?" The gray filly asked in a prissy tone similar to Diamond's. "I wouldn't trust them so much. They've got a nasty reputation of hurting others like that baby dragon!"

"What did you just say!?" Sweetie Belle asked in a furious tone.

Silver Spoon laughed haughtily. "Oh, don't think we haven't heard about what you've done to...what was his name? Oh, it was Spencer. It's no wonder that dragon avoids you foals. I would avoid you as well if I were being chased with swords and forced to wear a yellow wig. I feel sorry for that dragon."

"Y'all take that back right now!" Applebloom shouted furiously. "He's still our friend!"

"You want to go you prissy foals!?" Scootaloo demanded with a glare on her face.

Spike was shocked by the three crusaders coming to his rescue. He looked to see all three of them with looks of anger and determination on them while Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon laughed at them. His confusion turned to a sudden need to help them. He looked at the mud and then back to the two prissy foals. He smirked a little as an idea went off in his head.

"Whatever you blank flanks." Diamond Tiara said. "We're just sorry that this new pony has to...*SPLAT!*" A mud ball cut the pink filly off as it hit her in the face. She screamed and trotted around aimlessly.

"Leave them alone." Spike warned as he prepared another mud ball. The crusaders looked at the purple pegasus with awe.

Silver Spoon looked at Spike with furry on her face. "How dare you you no good...*SPLAT!*" Another mud ball hit Silver Spoon in the face that made her scream as well.

The two foals wiped their faces off and looked to see Spike and the crusaders had mud balls in their hooves. The group threw the mud and the two foals took off screaming. Spike and the three foals sat in the mud and laughed as they watched them run off. The purple pegasus felt himself get tackled to the ground. He looked to see Applebloom and Sweetie Belle embrace him and Scootaloo punching him lightly on the shoulder.

"That was way awesome!" Scootaloo shouted. "You are definitely one of the coolest ponies here in Ponyville."

Spike felt himself blush and was rather proud. He heard his stomach growl and gave an embarrassing smile. "Sorry, guess all that mud fighting made me hungry. Let's get cleaned up and eat."

"The school has a hose. We'll use that to clear ourselves up." Sweetie Belle said.

The group made their way to the side of the school. Scootaloo pulled out a long green hose from a rack and turned it on. The three foals cleaned themselves and played with the hose a little. Spike sat away from the fillies and was thinking about what they said. He felt strange that despite all that the crusaders put him through when he was a dragon, that they regarded him as a friend. Spike recalled all those memories when he was a dragon and remembered that the three fillies showed no real friendship toward him. A cold blast of water made Spike jump and break out of his thoughts. He looked to see Applebloom and her friends all clean and holding the hose.

"Are ya alright there Sparky?" Applebloom asked. "Y'all looked like a statue fer a few minutes."

Spike nodded slowly. "I was just thinking."

"What were ya thinkin' about?"

"Uh...I was thinking about that baby dragon those two foals talked about. Spencer was it?" He noticed that the three foals looked down and had sad looks on their faces. "What's wrong?"

"Well...actually his name is Spike." Sweetie Belle said. "He was one of our friends, but he moved away."

Spike felt confused by the white unicorn filly's words. "What do you mean by that?"

"Oh well uh...this was nice and all, but let's get ourselves Sugarcube Corner fer some food." Applebloom said cutting Spike off.

The purple pegasus raised an eyebrow as he was escorted back to the wagon.

Applebloom pulled out some towels from the saddle bag and gave one to each pony. The dried themselves and put the towels away before heading towards Sugarcube Corner. Mr. and Mrs. Cake welcomed Spike, or in this case Sparky, and gave him and the crusaders some complimentary cupcakes and four small cakes for them to eat. Spike still felt bewildered as to why they were hesitant to talk to them. He tried to ask to them about what with him, but every time he did, one of the foals shoved food in his mouth or just buried their faces into their food. Spike and the crusaders thanked the Cakes and went off to go see other parts of Ponyville.

Spike and the crusaders spent the rest of the day around Ponyville. He was shown places such as the Market Square, in particular the shops that sold toys and games. They went back to the Ponyville Park once more where the crusaders tried get cutie marks in football. They tried everything from punting to catching the ball, but they would either kick the ball too far or run into each other as they tried to catch it. They went to the movie theater and caught a mare flick about a filly becoming a princess and finding true love. It left Spike and Scootaloo groaning in disgust as they watched the cheesy romance occurring. The sun was starting to set when Spike and the crusaders left the theater and headed back to the clubhouse.

Jordan slowly followed behind them and had an irritated look on him. 'Damn it! It's almost sunset and I still haven't captured that pegasus!' The black stallion thought to himself. He looked to see that Spike and the three foals were headed back to the farm and had an idea. 'I know Lord Sandro said to only capture that pegasus, but I can't wait anymore. I'll just have to capture him and those fillies as well. I'm sure we can find a way to use those fillies for slave work.' He took off and followed Spike and the crusaders.

The group reached the well crafted Cutie Mark Crusader clubhouse. Applebloom showed "Sparky" the inside of the crusader's clubhouse while the others talked to each other. Inside the clubhouse was a hoofdrawn map of Ponyville with places like the Ponyville Library and Carousel Boutique on there. A small brown table that was covered with papers and crayons showing plans for getting cutie marks stood in the middle. There was a large white wooden cabinet was to the left of the table. A bucket of apples was placed in a corner near the cabinet.

"Y'all stay here Sparky." Applebloom said. "Ah'm gonna go talk to Scoots and Sweetie."

Spike nodded, but still had his mind on what the three fillies said about him earlier. "Applebloom, about Spike..."

"Whoops uh...sorry Sparky, but uh Ah gotta git to the girls!" Applebloom left in a hurry and slammed the clubhouse door.

Spike hung his head in defeat and sat there for a few minutes. The purple pegasus soon got bored sitting around and got up to look around the crusader's clubhouse. He saw that there were some cupcakes covered by some papers on the desk that looked stale. Spike noticed the cabinet near the table had several pieces of paper sticking out of it. He went over to the cabinet and pulled out one of the papers out of curiosity. He looked to see a picture of him? Curiosity and wonder overwhelmed the purple pegasus and opened the cabinet to pull out some of the papers in it.

He looked over the papers to see various crude drawings of Spike with hearts near him. He also saw sad looks of the three crusaders drawn on paper. Spike felt like everything was turned upside down. He heard the door to the clubhouse opened and saw Applebloom and her friends come in.

"Hey Sparky. How'd y'all like t'stay fer..."

"AHH!" Sweetie Belle had a look of panicked look on her. "A-Applebloom, look what Sparky found!"

Spike broke out of his thoughts and tried to hide the papers, but was suddenly tackled by a furious Scootaloo. "What the hay do you think you're doing looking in there!?" The orange pegasus asked angrily.

"W-well I was just uh...walking around and uh..." Spike said hesitantly and looked like he'd seen a ghost.

"Scootaloo stop!" Applebloom shouted. "The least we can do fer him is tell him the truth."

The orange pegasus looked at her friend like she lost her mind. "Applebloom, you can't be serious! He looked inside our..."

"I know Scoots, but ya know maybe he can help us out."

Scootaloo looked at her friend and looked back at "Sparky" before giving a hesitant nod. "Alright, but you better be right about this."

Spike felt Scootaloo get off his chest. He got up to see the three fillies look a little upset, but mostly sad. "So what's wrong?"

"Well Sparky." Applebloom said. "Did Miss Twilight show ya her library yesterday?"

"That's actually where I'm staying." Spike placed a hoof over his mouth when he realized he may have exposed himself. He looked to see though that none of the three fillies' expressions change.

"Well did y'all see that baby dragon, Spike?" The yellow filly asked. "He usually helps out Miss Twilight in the library."

Spike scrambled to come up with something and remembered the excuse he gave Twilight yesterday morning. "I heard from Twilight he's actually in Canterlot on royal business."

"Well at least we know he's not lying again." Scootaloo said. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle just looked at her with annoyed looks on them. "What? It's true."

Sweetie Belle looked back at "Sparky" and said, "Do you remember what Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon said earlier?"

"Yeah I do."

"Well we think that those prissy foals are right." Sweetie said with her voice starting to crack. "Spike may just be avoiding us for what we did to him."

Concern flooded Spike as he looked at the three fillies. An idea suddenly sparked inside of his head. "What happened with m...erm I mean Spike?"

Applebloom looked up and said, "Ever since he and Miss Twilight came to Ponyville, Ah've seen Spike work harder than mah brother in the fields. Ah thought that maybe he needed some fun in his life since he works so much. Ah got Scoots and Sweetie here and we played with him from time to time. He seems to hate us fer it though."

"But why would I...um Spike hate you?"

"We first thought that Spike actually enjoyed playin' with us. We would play with him t'git our cutie marks like dragon slayers or potion makers. We had no idea about how he felt until one night after our potion makin' cutie marks attempt."

Spike remembered Twilight saying something to him constantly about the crusaders after the potion disaster. "Well go on." The purple pegasus said, but tried not to sound too eager. "What happened that night?"

"Miss Twilight was talkin' t'us about our potion makin' accident." Applebloom explained. "She said she was disappointed fer not comin' t'her about what we did, but she also wanted to talk t'us about Spike. She talked t'us 'bout how our playin' around with him was makin' him angrier than a hornet's nest."

"What did she mean by that?"

"She told us that Spike was feelin' humiliated by our playin' with him. She said that foals have been laughin' at him ever since our cutie mark attempts at dragon slayers. Rainbow Dash would call him 'Princess' after we played Castle and made him the damsel. We thought Spike was havin' fun, but Miss Twilight told us he was upset at us fer what we have been doin' t'him."

"T-wilight said all of this?" The three fillies nodded.

"So Miss Twilight thought up an idea. She said that we should apologize to Spike and she would try to find him, but that didn't happen."

"How so?"

"Miss Twilight couldn't find Spike at all that night." The yellow Earth pony said. "Sweetie and Scoots got together with me to make these pictures here to show we were sorry. It seems that every time we tried to talk t'him, he'd run off faster than a dog chasin' a stick. Ah've even seen him bolt out of the library when he saw me and the others comin' to the library."

"Y-you mean you made this for m...erm Spike?" Spike asked incredulously. "These were for him?"

The three fillies nodded and Sweetie Belle said, "We know there probably isn't a cutie mark in apologizing, but I don't care about that. We just want to say we're sorry for what we've done and have our friend back."

"It's been nearly a month now, but Ah want t'see Spike as well and say Ah'm sorry as well." Applebloom stated.

"I...I don't really care about him...but I want to apologize as well." Scootaloo said trying to sound nonchalant, but had a mix of anger and sadness on her face.

Guilt and sadness overwhelmed Spike as he heard this and couldn't find a word to say. He realized that they never wanted to hurt him, they just wanted to play with him. He felt like a complete mule for how he acted towards them and wanted to kick himself. He looked upon the pictures of him and then the sad looks of the crusaders. Spike felt his eyes watering a little, but quickly dried them off.

Applebloom gathered all the pictures and took them to a trashcan. "Maybe Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon are right. He never wants t'see us again and we deserve it fer what we've done."

Spike watched in horror as the earth pony filly took the pictures to the garbage and found some words to say. "Wait, you can't do this!" The three fillies turned to Spike. "Listen...I know you may think that I...uh Spike hates you, but that's not true."

"What d'ya mean by that Sparky?" Applebloom pondered.

Spike thought to himself quickly about how to go at this and had an idea. "I did talk to Spike before he left for Canterlot actually. He said he was very busy and had no time to play with you girls."

"R-really?" Sweetie Belle asked sounding a little hopeful.

Spike nodded and said, "He did say he was sorry. He told me that once he gets back from Canterlot, he'll come over and play with you all again."

"He really means that!?" Applebloom asked with excitement rising in her voice. Spike nodded and the yellow Earth pony cheered.

Spike felt himself be tackled as Applebloom hugging him with Sweetie soon joining in. Scootaloo was pulled into the hug by Applebloom's hoof and struggled to get out of it.

"Oh thank you fer tellin' us Sparky." The yellow filly said. "When Spike comes back, Ah'm gonna give him theses pictures and all of us are gonna apologize. Ah hope we can git him t'play with us again."

"Eeewww! Can we stop this lovey dovey stuff!?" Scootaloo asked with a look of disgust on her face.

"Alright already Scoots." Sweetie Belle said as her and Applebloom broke the embrace. "Way to take such a sweet touching moment and ruin it."

Scootaloo was about to say something, but Applebloom put a hoof in her mouth and looked at Spike with a warm smile. "Sparky, would y'all like t'stay fer dinner with me and the crusaders? Mah Granny Smith is makin' her famous mashed potatoes and apple fritters."

Spike gave a nod and said, "Sure Applebloom, I'd like to." The three fillies cheered as they heard this and went to the door of the clubhouse.

"That's great Sparky." Applebloom said with a smile. "Ah'm gonna go tell Granny Smith about ya. Ya comin'?"

Spike shook his head. "It's okay, I need to put these papers away."

Applebloom nodded as she opened the door and watched her friends went out. "Alrighty then Sparky, Ah'll see ya there. Oh, Sparky?"

"Yes Applebloom?"

"Thanks for the wonderful time today! It was so much fun!" The yellow filly went out the clubhouse.

Spike gave a satisfied smile and went back to cleaning up.

The sky was giving an orange color as the crusaders made their way back to the Apple family homestead. The three fillies chatted as they talked about what happened today.

"I guess giving tours and being football players is out." Scootaloo said.

"I don't care if we got our cutie marks today." Sweetie Belle stated. "We made a new friend and we even got to throw mud balls at Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon." The three fillies laughed at this.

"Well, Ah'm might happy that we got to tell Sparky about Spike and that..."

*SPROING!* A brown net suddenly went up and trapped the three foals. The three fillies screamed and struggled to get out of the trap.

"What's going on!?" Sweetie Belle asked in a terrified voice.

The three fillies heard somepony galloping towards them. They looked to see it was Jordan with an insane smile on his face.

"I've got you now you little...wait." Jordan looked to see that only the terrified crusaders were in the net. "Where the hay is that damn pegasus!? He was...?"

"YOU!" A voice cried out in anger.

Jordan looked to see "Sparky" standing behind him. The purple pegasus a twisted look of hatred on him and his eyes seemed to burn tiny flames.

"Just who I wanted to see." The black stallion said with a sinister smile. "I've been waiting for you Sparky."

"Who are you and what do you want!?" Spike asked furiously.

The black stallion smirked. "Fine...I guess there's no harm in that. My name is Jordan. Let's just say that you and I have a score to settle."

Showdown at Sweet Apple Acres

The sky had a reddish color to it as Princess Celestia's sun set on Sweet Apple Acres. The sky's color was a perfect way to describe what Spike was seeing as he looked upon Jordan. He finally found the stallion that attacked and nearly killed Rainbow and now captured the Cutie Mark Crusaders. He could feel hatred and anger coursed through his mind, but a small part of it was confused by the black stallion's words.

"What do you mean a score to settle!?" Spike demanded. "I don't know you at all!"

Jordan smirked and said, "You're wrong Sparky. I've got something to settle with my Lord."

"Your Lord?" Spike asked with mixture of confusion and anger on his face.

"Why yes Sparky, my Lord has taken quite an interest in you. He would be more than happy to see you display your power in front of him. Since you seem to have such anger against me, I am willing to be a good gentlecolt and make you a deal."

"I'm not interested!" Spike barked.

"Tsk tsk Sparky, the least you can do is hear my offer to you." Jordan said waving a hoof.

The black stallion went over to the tree holding Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, and Scootaloo in the net. The three filles were shaking violently and had terrified looks on them.

"If you come with me without a fight, I'll let these fillies go without a scratch on them. That is if you even care about them."

Spike looked at Jordan and then at the Cutie Mark Crusaders. He thought that if he tried anything, Jordan would most likely kill the three fillies. He looked at the sturdy apple tree to see a brown rope holding the net. An idea sparked inside the purple pegasus' head and looked back at Jordan.

"All right Jordan, you win."

"WHAT!?" The Cutie Mark Crusaders shouted in disbelief.

"Ya can't do this Sparky!" Applebloom said. "Don'cha worry about us, fight that varmint!"

"SHUT UP!" Jordan barked, causing the three fillies to close their mouths and quiver in fear. The black stallion looked at "Sparky" and said, "Oh, I'm glad we could resolve this without violence."

Spike walked over to Jordan and saw he had his hoof extended out. Spike raised his hoof and quickly threw a punch at the black unicorn's face. Jordan grunted in pain, but before he could react another punch hit him in the right side and he fell to the ground. Spike took this chance to gallop pass Jordan and headed for the rope. He started pulling it with his teeth as hard as he could. He looked to his side to see Jordan slowly getting up and approaching him with a glare on his face. The purple pegasus panicked and pulled on the rope more. His efforts paid off with a loud snap just as Jordan was near him.

"You're going to wish you never OOF!" Jordan felt something drop on his back and collapsed to the ground. He looked up to see the Cutie Mark Crusaders were free. "Why you little UGH!" Spike had kicked Jordan in the face to make sure he didn't do anything to them.

"Run for it!" Spike shouted at the three foals. "Go to Rainbow's place and get Twilight and the others here now!"

"B-but what about you Sparky?" Sweetie Belle asked looking worried.

"Don't worry about me. Go get help, I'll hold him off!"

The crusaders sprinted off from the fight and towards Rainbow's house. Applebloom looked over her shoulder as she ran off until she couldn't see both Jordan and "Sparky" at all. The yellow Earth filly screeched to a halt and turned back.

Scootaloo noticed this and stopped Sweetie with her hoof. "Applebloom, what are you doing!?" The orange filly asked. "We've got to get help!"

Applebloom looked back at her friends. "Y'all git goin'! Ah'm gonna git mah brother to help Sparky!"

"But Applebloom..." Sweetie tried to say.

"Just go already!" The yellow filly pointed a hoof. "You all git Miss Twilight and the others down here! Ah'm gonna warn mah family 'bout this!"

Scootaloo looked at her friend for a few seconds before giving a nod. "Alright, but come see us after you do that! Got it!?"

The yellow filly gave a nod and ushered her friends to go. She waited until they were no longer in sight and turned back. "Ah ain't gonna let Sparky fight Jordon alone. He's a good pony and he needs somepony to help and there ain't no time t'git Big Macintosh out here. Ah've got t'help him no matter what." She charged back down the path towards the clubhouse and hid in the apple orchards.

Spike heard a groan and looked to see Jordon getting up. The black stallion narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth.

"You'll pay for that!" He threatened. "If you won't come quietly, then I'll have to break a few of your bones." Jordan's horn glowed a dark yellow aura. A white glow went out around him and Spike.

Spike looked so see what Jordan did, but couldn't see anything. He turned back to see Jordan had charged at him and had his right front hoof up. The black stallion punched Spike on the right side of his face and headbutted him. Spike cried out in pain and fell to the ground. He looked up to see Jordan with a devilish grin and felt his hoof pressed against his head.

"You're out of your league Sparky." The black stallion said in a low menacing voice. "I'm a top soldier who's skilled in both magic and strength."

Spike looked to see his mouth was near Jordan's right front leg. The purple pegasus used all his strength to lift his head. He reached over and bit the black unicorn on the knee. Jordan yelled in anguish and lost his grip on his captive. Spike took this chance to run off and get help.

Spike galloped up the path until he felt something hit him right in his face that sent him back. The purple pegasus rubbed his face and looked to see nothing was in front of him. He slowly raised a hoof and felt some glass, but there was nothing there. He heard a cold laugh echoed behind Spike. He turned to see Jordan standing not too far behind him with a smug smile.

"Oh, that's right I forgot to tell you." Jordan said in a mocking voice. "I put up a barrier dome around this area to keep you from escaping. What a pity, you were so close to getting away from me. There is no escape from you Sparky and I will ensure you don't."

Jordan's horn shot a lightning bolt towards his opponent. Spike jumped out of the way in time and looked to see Jordan charging at him. The purple pegasus glared at the black stallion and charged at him as well. The two stallions were ready to head butt each other.

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo ran out of the entrance to Sweet Apple Acres like they were running a marathon. The two fillies bolted down the path leading towards Rainbow's house.

Scootaloo turned her head to find Applebloom, but she was nowhere to be seen. "Where the hay is she!?" She shouted. "It shouldn't take too long for her to get her family to help Sparky!"

"I don't know! Let's just get to Rainbow's house!" Sweetie yelled.

As they turned a bend towards Rainbow's house, they ran past a black hooded pony carrying a saddlebag on his back. The stallion heard what the filly said and stopped when he heard the name of the pony. He looked to see the path the fillies came from led to the apple farm. He saw a flash of a light amongst the apple trees. The pony looked back to see the crusaders were gone and then galloped down the path towards Sweet Apple Acres.

Spike felt a punch hit him in the face and stumbled back a little. He quickly looked up to see Jordan raising his hoof again again and jumped to the left. The purple pegasus attempted to punch his opponent back, but he dodged all his moves.

"Excaecant mico!" Jordan shouted. He closed his eyes as his horn glowed a bright white light.

Spike covered his eyes and wandered around aimlessly. He cried out in anguish as he felt several punches hit him all over hit body. He waved a hoof around wildly until by a stroke of luck he felt it impact against something and heard Jordan grunted in pain. Spike's sight slowly returned to him in time to see another punch about to hit him. He dodged it and galloped away from Jordan. The purple pegasus felt something whizzed past him and looked back to see Jordan shooting bolts of lightning at him. The black stallion laughed mockingly as he chased "Sparky" around.

"Is this honestly the best you've got Sparky!?" Jordan asked as he shot another bolt of lightning. "I thought that somepony who nearly bested me yesterday would've put up more of a fight! You're not even trying!"

'He has a point.' Spike thought to himself as he continued to run. 'I can't go near him without him throwing more spells at me. This is insane!' Spike continued to run, but the bruises and cuts he had all over his body started to take its toll on him.

Jordan saw this and used his magic to levitate the purple pegasus towards him. "Here I was thinking this was going to be a challenge. It's quite a shame really." He's horn glowed in preparation to teleport himself and Spike.

Spike flailed about as he struggled to free himself. He noticed in the confusion his front right hoof was in front of Jordan's forehead. He threw a punch at the black unicorn's head and felt it hit its target. Jordan yelled in pain and lost his focus on holding his captive. Spike fell to the ground and looked to see Jordan was dazed from the punch. He got up and punched the black unicorn in the face and then turned around and raised his hind legs to send him flying. Jordan was sent flying and crashed into a tree. He cried out in pain and cringed form the sudden impact. The black stallion raised his head and saw Spike was charging at him. His horn glowed a dark orange and a fireball shot out of his horn.

Spike noticed this and narrowly dodged the spell. The fireball exploded behind him and set a nearby set of trees on fire. Jordan slowly got up and retaliated by conjuring another bolt of lightning from his horn. Spike saw the bolt and quickly turned around to avoid his spells. The purple pegasus looked back to see another fireball coming at him and instinctively took off flying. Spike heard the laughter of Jordan as more bolts of lightning flew passed him.

"You really are pathetic and stupid aren't you!?" The black stallion asked smugly. "You can fly all around you want, but you can't fly out of this dome!"

At the mention of the word fly, Spike looked around the sealed off area and saw there was a small patch of trees he could hide in. An idea suddenly went off in his mind and he smirked. He turned back to Jordan.

"Alright then Jordan." Spike said sounding confident. "Since I can't touch you, you're going to have to catch me." The purple pegasus took off into the patch of apple trees.

Jordan glared and tried to fire another spell, but he felt disoriented all of a sudden. 'Ah, horseapples.' He thought to himself. 'All these spells have really started to drain me. I need to save some power to teleport him and myself back to the castle. It doesn't matter though, he can't leave this area.' Jordan took off into the direction "Sparky" flew off in.

Jordan looked around the small group of apple trees for Sparky. He could see was the thick trunks of the trees and no movement from the trees leaves or branches at the top.

"Come on out you coward!" The black unicorn barked. "You can't stay hidden from me that easily! If you won't come out, then I'll burn these trees to flush you out! Now come on out!"

"You asked for it." Spike warned.

Jordan looked around to see "Sparky" diving from the air. The purple pegasus punched him in the cheek and sent him falling to the ground. Spike landed and saw Jordan getting up, but didn't give him the chance to do so and galloped over to kick him. The black unicorn quickly blasted a bolt of lightning at "Sparky" as he got up. Spike dodged it and delivered one last kick that made Jordan let out an anguished scream. He was sent tumbling back further until he laid on his back completely motionless.

The crackle of the fire died down as did the dust from the fight. Spike panted heavily as he looked upon the body of Jordan. He decided to get closer to see if he could tie him up or hold him down until Twilight and the others came to help. The purple pegasus trotted over to his fallen opponent and checked to see if he was moving at all. Jordan's eyes shot open and swiftly threw a punch at Spike. He yelped in pain as he stumbled back from the black unicorn.

"Excaecant mico!" He shouted as he shut his eyes.

Spike shielded himself this time, but he felt several punches hit him across his face. He felt Jordan give a powerful headbutt that caused him to fall to the ground. Spike felt himself be levitated off the ground and thrown against a tree. The purple pegasus screamed in agony as he felt his bones nearly crack. Spike He felt himself be lifted in the air and be thrown down against the ground several times.

By the time Jordan stopped his torture, Spike felt like he couldn't move at all. His entire body seemed to be paralyzed with pain and couldn't feel anything. He tried to move his mouth to call for help, but his jaw wasn't moving. His body was kicked to his backside where Spike was greeted by an insane looking Jordan.

"You see Sparky, you never had any chance." The black stallion said in a mocking tone. "I'm gonna give you credit for at least being able to survive this long. Just be glad you weren't facing my mentor, Captain Sanderson, he would've taken you out before you even moved a muscle."

Spike wanted to say something, but his body was in so much pain that he didn't dare try to move.

Jordan looked at the sky to see the sun had set and Princess Luna's moon shone upon the apple orchards. He gripped "Sparky" with his hooves and his horn glowed a yellow aura. "It's time to go Sparky. My Lord is not one to be patient and he's eager to meet you."

"NO!" A voice cried out.

Jordan looked to the side and felt somepony embrace tightly around his face. The black unicorn mumbled loudly as he thrashed to get whoever it was off his face. Spike feebly raised his head and his eyes grew as wide as dinner plates from the pony in front of him. It was Applebloom holding onto Jordan's face for dear life and pounding his head with a few punches.

"Y'all ain't gonna hurt mah friend!" The yellow Earth filly shouted. "Yer gonna pay fer usin' yer magic t'hurt Sparky!" She opened her mouth and bit Jordan's horn.

The black unicorn thrashed wildly until Applebloom was flung off his face. He cried out in pain and grasped his horn. HE stumbled away and laid on the ground.

Applebloom ran over to "Sparky" to help him. "Sparky, ya gotta hang on! Mah friends are gittin' Miss Twilight and her friends here!"

"A...Applebloom...you have to get out of here." Spike warned in a small voice. "You need to find someplace to hide away from him now. If you don't, he'll probably kill you."

"Ah ain't gonna do that Sparky!" She shouted in defiance. "After all ya did fer me and mah friends, Ah ain't gonna let ya die."

"Then you can die with him!" A voice barked.

Applebloom turned around, but before she could react a lightning bolt hit her square in the chest. The filly screamed out in anguish and fell to the ground. Spike's eyes widened as he looked at Applebloom falling to the ground and could hear her scream echo in his head. He heard her body collapse onto the ground and the cold laughter of Jordan. He looked back at him to see he had an icy glare at the Earth filly and kicked her aside.

"APPLEBLOOM!" Spike shouted in a mixture of sorrow and anger.

"Serves the brat right for getting in the way." The black unicorn said. "She'll be dealt with soon enough, but enough of that. I've got more important manners to attend to."

Jordan trotted over to "Sparky" who was shaking violently and had his head buried in his hooves.

"Don't worry Sparky, your friend there isn't dead. I've merely knocked her out. If she's lucky, maybe I'll convince my Lord to let her live and be a slave to us." Jordan heard no response from his captive and scoffed. "If you're done groveling and weeping, then it's time to leave this place. You've wasted enough of my time with this fight."

He was about to grab "Sparky", but felt his hoof hold grip his front left leg. "Hey! Let go of me right now you insignificant little!...What the?"

Spike looked at Jordan with a contorted look of pure rage and hatred at him. He felt something snap as his body coursed with uncontrollable hatred. His body radiated with a black aura and his eyes became pitch black. Spike threw a quick punch across Jordan's face and sent him flying to the ground. The black unicorn groaned a little and saw "Sparky" was approaching him with his teeth bared and his eyes narrowed. His hoofsteps left behind tiny little black flames that died out after a few seconds.

"I...I WON'T LET YOU GET AWAY WITH THIS!" Spike shouted in a booming demonic voice. "YOU WILL NOT HURT MY FRIENDS! YOU WILL NOT HURT ANY OF THEM!"

Jordan as shaking in intimidation. 'What the buck is with this pegasus?' He thought to himself. 'H-he's suddenly like a completely different pony. Is this part of his power?'

The black unicorn got up and shot a lightning bolt out of his horn. The bolt hit Spike squarely in the chest, but he was unfazed by it. Jordan's eyes widened in shock and scrambled to shoot out a fireball. The purple pegasus moved his head to the side and dodged it. Jordan began to panic and desperately blasted an ice bolt at "Sparky". The blue energy blast hit Spike and encased him in a glacier.

Jordan trotted to "Sparky" with a victorious look on him. As the black stallion made his way to the glacier, it started to rumble violently and then exploded. Jordan ducked and shielded himself from the icicle shrapnel. He heard a deafening demonic roar echo throughout the orchards. He saw "Sparky" still coming towards him and crawled away in fear. He turned back to "Sparky" and saw he was merely inches from his face.

"Excaecant mi- ACK!" He tried to shout, but Spike grabbed him by the neck and pulled him forward.

"NO...MORE...MAGIC." The purple pegasus boomed. He grabbed Jordan's horn.

"W-what are you doing!?" He cried out in terror. "Stop! Let go of my horn! Please wait!"

CRACK!

Jordan screamed in a mixture of horror and agony as he clutched where his horn once was. Spike opened his hoof to drop the black unicorn horn and stomped on it until it was nothing but rubble. He threw Jordan across the field and slammed hard into a tree on his back. Jordan yelled in agony and struggled to get up and limp away.

He heard a whooshing sound and was picked up into the air. The black unicorn looked to see "Sparky" raising a hoof and punching him hard enough to send him flying into one of the trees. Jordan felt leaves and branches scrap by him and cut him up until he crashed into the base of the tree. He felt something penetrate his lower right leg and saw to his horror a tree branched had gone through his leg. Before he could scream in pain, "Sparky" rushed in and punched Jordan. He was sent flying out of the tree with the branch still in his leg and crashed into the ground. Spike approached Jordan who was whimpering and crying in pain. He kicked him onto his back and glared daggers at the black unicorn.

"P...please, I'm sorry." Jordan said feebly in between sobs. "The magic...magic dome around is...is gone now that you broke my horn. You...you can save your friend. Please...don't kill me. Show some mercy."

"MERCY!? YOU WANT MERCY!?" Spike boomed as his black aura surrounded his body more. "AFTER ALL YOU'VE DONE TO ME AND MY FRIENDS!? THERE IS ONLY ONE PUNISHMENT FOR SOMEPONY LIKE YOU!"

"No! Please don't!" Jordan tried to use his hooves to shield himself, but he couldn't move his body.

'So this is how you are using your power? To kill somepony?' A voice rang out in Spike's head.

Spike looked around to see who had spoken, but there was nopony in sight. He searched the area to see only Applebloom's unmoving body and the shallow breathing of Jordan.

"WHO'S THERE!?" The purple pegasus demanded. "SHOW YOURSELF!"

'I am friend and you must listen to me.' The voice said smoothly. 'You need to calm yourself and let go of the rage coursing through you. You can't kill this unicorn.'

"NO! I WON'T LET HIM GET AWAY WITH HURTING MY FRIENDS!"

'Listen to me, I know the extent of that power you're using. Believe me when I say that you don't want to go down this path. Now put your hoof down and release him at once. He's in no condition to fight you.'

"BUT...BUT HE...!"

'I know the pain you feel, but you can't let your raw hatred control yourself. Look at him and tell me. Does he look like he could hurt any other pony?'

Spike looked at Jordan and could see through his blinding rage and darkness surrounding his eyes the seemingly lifeless body of Jordan. He could feel regret swirling in his head from the unicorn who was barely breathing and sobbing in pain.

"WHAT...WHAT HAVE I DONE!?" He asked with a mixture of anger and sorrow in his voice.

'Now that you seen what you've done, you need to let go of your power.'

Spike struggled to get some words out as he heard some voices telling him to finish Jordan. "HOW...DO I DO IT?" He asked with his voice mixed with the demonic one and his normal voice.

'Concentrate on somepony who made you happy.' The voice told him. 'Think of the one pony who made your life happier than anything else in Equestria.'

Spike tried to think of somepony who made him happy, but the voices in his head seemed to grow louder. He struggled to think of anypony and wished his friends were here to help. Friends that was it. Spike recalled all the happy times he spent with each of his friends. His first time meeting Rarity and the others and the party the had. His adventures and time he shared with Twilight. All the memories flooded through his head and he heard the voices shouting in protest as they slowly died away. Spike could feel the black aura around him disappear and his sigh became clearer as the darkness around him faded away.

The purple pegasus eventually felt the voices die out completely. He opened his eyes to see his body was no longer covered in a black aura. He heard raspy breathing and saw Jordan right in front of him. The purple pegasus' eyes shot wide open in shock and backed up slowly. Suddenly, an energy blast was shot at Spike and hit him, sending him falling to the ground. He groaned in pain and saw in front of him a pony wearing a black hood approach the body of Jordan. Spike could barely see what the pony looked like, but saw in the moonlight he had a unicorn horn.

"Who...who are you?" Spike asked in a small voice.

The hooded unicorn ignored him and looked over Jordan's body. Spike wanted to ask him something, but the wounds and bruises he suffered from the fight finally took their toll on him. His head fell to the ground and gave one last groan before passing out.

The hooded pony heard a groaning noise and saw Jordan staring at him. The pony too off his hood to reveal it was Captain Sanderson with a cold expression on his face.

"P...please help me captain." The black unicorn said in a tiny voice. "I...I can't get up. I need your help please. We can capture that pegasus at last."

Before the brown unicorn got a word out, an energy blast whizzed past his face. He looked around to see if anypony was there, but couldn't see anything in the darkness. He felt Jordan tap his leg and looked down.

"Captain...I need to be healed. Let's...let's go back to the castle so I can be treated."

Captain Sanderson smirked and said, "Relax private, you don't have to worry about being healed at all. Lord Sandro will take care of you."

Jordan's eyes shot wide open and his insides twist up. "Captain Sanderson, please show some mercy. You didn't see what he did to me. He...he's not your average pegasus."

"I won't take any excuses to failures such as you." He said coldly.

"But...but sir, I...I've been training under you and served as a faithful servant to you."

"Yes you have served me well, but now you're completely useless to me if you couldn't even defeat Sparky."

"Sir, wait I can explain!"

"Save it for Lord Sandro." He grabbed Jordan's hoof and his horn glowed a light brown aura. In a flash, both he and Jordan teleported out of Sweet Apple Acres.

Another black hooded pony stuck came out from behind the trees and approached "Sparky". The pony examined the body and saw he was breathing. His horn suddenly glowed a white aura and placed it near some of "Sparky's" wounds and cuts. The small wounds slowly disappeared and some of the bruises were healed. The pony moved his head away from "Sparky" and looked at him.

"I don't know if you can hear me or not Sparky." The pony said in a stallion's voice. "I just wish I got here sooner to stop you from becoming 'that' creature. I didn't think they would move this fast to capture you or your friends. You do deserve an explanation though for all that is happening. Let me get you back to..."

The hooded pony heard the galloping of many hooves coming towards the area.

"It seems your friends have finally come for you and that filly. I'll let you rest from what happened for a while. I'll contact you later." The pony's horn glowed and in a flash teleported away.

Spike could barely hear anything, but he heard some of the pony's words. The last thing he heard before falling into a deep sleep were ponies shouting his name and screaming.

Spike opened his eyes to see everything was in a fog. He looked around to see that he was standing on a white round marble floor with large round white pillars and a gold lining going through them surrounding the circle. There were torches lit with a green flame on each marble pillar. Spike saw above him the pillars were holding a large domed glass ceiling that showed a stained glass of him as a dragon with Twilight and the others around him. The bottom floor had a mosaic painting of two large black dragons like the one Spike saw when he ran away from home each shooting a black flame and were crossing each other.

Spike looked passed the pillars to see that outside was a dark sky with millions of stars, but Princess Luna's moon wasn't there. Suddenly, something passed in front of him and looked to see various pictures in golden elegant frames such as when Spike first met Rarity and Fluttershy. There was a picture of him amongst the other ponies at Pinkie Pie's birthday party all floating in the sky. Spike looked on in wonder at the sights before him, oblivious to his other surroundings.

A dark realization hit Spike. "Am...am I dead?"

"No, you're unconscious right now from what happened between you and that unicorn." A voice called out.

Spike jumped and turned to see a white hooded pony and his face completely shadowed. "Who...who are you?"

"Who I am is of no importance at the moment." The pony said in a gentle stallion's voice. "What's important right now is what happened to you."

Spike listened to the voice and something clicked in his mind. "Wait...you're the voice I heard before aren't you?" He asked.

"Correct young pegasus, or should I say young dragon?"

Spike looked at his body and realized he was back to his dragon form again from head to toe. "What is this place?"

"This is your mind Spike, the pictures you're seeing before you are memories of your adventures with your friends."

"How do you know my name?" The dragon asked in amazement.

"I've been watching you for some time now Spike." The pony said. "Ever since your power was sparked, I've been watching you closely to make sure you weren't corrupted by it."

"What power? What's going on here? I don't know what anypony is talking about."

"The story is a long one and I'm afraid my connection to you is very weak right now. All I can tell you is to be careful of who you trust. There are someponies who aren't who they seem to be." The pony started to fade away. "Farewell Spike, until we meet again."

"Wait, don't go!" Spike shouted, but it was too late. The hooded pony disappeared and was nowhere in sight.

Spike suddenly heard hoofsteps and turned to see a black hooded pony standing there. "Hello again there Sparky, or in this case Spike." The pony said in a stallion's voice. "I've been waiting for you for quite some time now."

The dragon stepped back a little as he remembered another pony who attacked him wearing that same outfit.

"You don't need to worry Spike." The pony said. "I'm not like that other pony who attacked you. In fact, I drove him off with my own magic."

Spike looked at the pony and could see he was giving a gentle smile. "Who are you anyway?" The dragon asked.

"I'm afraid my identity must be kept a secret for now. They may be listening in on us."

"They?"

"I'll tell you in a minute. What I can tell you about myself is that I'm a friend and ally to you. I'm communicating to you using an old spell that not even your friend Twilight Sparkle knows about. It's been long since banned because it was accused of being used to spy on other ponies and since then nopony knows about it."

"How do you know it though?"

"That's another history lesson for another time. What you need to know though is who's been chasing you and your friends."

"Who is it?"

"You and your friends have been targeted by a long forgotten group known only as the Disciples of Nightmare Moon."

Spike's eyes shot open and his jaw dropped. "The...the Disciples of Nightmare Moon?" He asked in disbelief. "But...there's no way Nightmare Moon is around. Twilight and the others destroyed her forever."

"Destroyed her? Yes. Forever though? No they haven't." The stallion said. "Your friends only destroyed the spirit that possessed Princess Luna. When she was freed from her hold on the wicked mare, her spirit was weakened to the point where it was only a vague whisper."

"Who are these disciples though?"

"These disciples seek to overthrow and kill Princess Celestia." The stallion explained. "They follow the dictatorship ways of the dark mare and follow her ideals of darkness. They believe that Nightmare Moon was the true leader of Equestria and that Princess Celestia's time was over."

"So what do they want with me and my friends anyway?"

"Spike, I'm sure you've noticed by now that you have a power inside you."

"I've been told that, but I have no idea what anypony is talking about. I've never been this confused since Twilight tried to teach me something about physics."

"I know this going to be quite a shocker to you, but the truth is that you're..." A loud rumbling noise suddenly shook the alter. "Ah horseapples, I was hoping this wouldn't happen so soon."

"W-what's going on?" Spike asked nervously.

"You're waking up from your unconscious state." The hooded stallion said. "I've only mastered how to speak to other ponies in their minds when they're either unconscious or asleep. I'm afraid we'll need to end this conversation for another time."

"What!? But I need to know what's going on!" Spike shouted.

"Listen to me, I want you to meet me at..." The pony faded away and Spike couldn't hear his last words.

"Wait, come back!" The dragon shouted in fear. "I need to know what's going to happen to..."

CRACK!

The floor underneath Spike suddenly gave way. He tried to gallop away form the falling floor, but each piece of the floor gave way as soon as he stepped on it. Spike tried to grasp onto a pillar, but it crumbled and sent him falling through the floor. He tried to fly, but he remembered that he wasn't a pegasus and had no wings. The dragon yelled in terror as he fell down the bottomless dark pit below him.

Spike woke up with a cold sweat and looked at his body to see he was a pegasus again. He looked around to see that he was in a yellow colored room. There was a window on his right side with the blinds drawn shut, making the window only have a few cracks of light shine through. He looked to the other side and saw a window letting in Princess Luna's moonlight. He was resting in a bed with a green comforter covering him. There were wires on his body that were connected to machines that were beeping.

His sight shifted towards something that caught his eyes. Rarity was lying near his chest and Twilight was resting her head near Spike's head. The purple pegasus looked around the room to see Fluttershy lying next to Pinkie on the floor with her head next to the pink mare's head. Applejack had been resting on the floor as well with her hat covering her face. He looked to the side to see something that made him jolt a little. It was Rainbow resting in a chair and snoring a little loudly. The jolt Spike caused a yawn to echo in the room. He looked to see Rarity slowly opening her eyes slowly and gave a warm smile at him.

Rarity looked to her friends and said, "Darlings, wake up. Sparky's awake."

The others woke up giving out groans or yawning. They all looked very worn out, but they all gave smiles at Spike. The purple pegasus heard voices of relief for him waking up and each pony patted him.

Pinkie Pie squeezed Spike hard, making him gasp for air. "Oh I'm so happy you're fine Sparky." The pink mare said joyfully. "I mean you really had us scared and it would make not only me super duper sad, but..."

"Um...Pinkie?" Fluttershy asked. "Could you please let go of him? He needs to breath."

Pinkie looked at "Sparky" who was struggling for air and looked back at Fluttershy. "Oki doki loki!" She said with a goofy smile and released him.

Twilight managed to break up her friends to let Spike have some breathing room. "Easy now girls." She said sounding a bit stern. "He just woke up and the last thing we need to do is make him fall unconscious again." The other ponies rubbed their heads in embarrassment. "How are you feeling right now Sparky?"

Spike rubbed his head a little feeling sore and said, "Ugh...like a train ran over me. Where am I anyway?"

"You're in the Ponyville Hospital Sparky." Twilight responded with a small smile. "We brought you here after that Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo warned us about what was going on." Her voice trailed off and looked down. "We also found Applebloom knocked unconscious."

Spike felt his stomach twist up in knots. "Where is she? Is she okay? How badly is she hurt?"

Applejack placed a hoof to Spike's mouth to silence him and said, "Simmer down there Sparky. Applebloom is doin' fine right now. The doctor said she was just stunned from the blast that hit her and she's resting up. They say she'll be okay, but they want to keep her here for the night to keep an eye on her."

Spike felt some relief wash over him. "What about the others crusaders?"

"They're with mah family and mah hired hoof, Caramel, in her room. They all decided to stay in her room and make sure nopony was gonna git her again. She nearly gave Granny Smith a heart attack and mah brother...well let's just say Ah ain't ever seen him look so furious b'fore. When he heard Applebloom was hurt, he looked like he was ready to blow up and take the entire orchard with him."

The purple pegasus laid his head back in content. He smiled knowing that the crusaders were safe and that Applebloom was going to be okay.

"So how long have I been in here?" He asked.

Rarity looked at a nearby clock to see it was two in the morning. "You've been out for at least five hours Sparky." The white unicorn said. "The doctor told us that even though you only sustained some bruises and scratches, you were otherwise fine, but they weren't sure when you would wake up."

Spike let out a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

"Pardon me Sparky, but could you tell us what happened?" Twilight asked.

Spike looked to see the other ponies had looks of concern and worry on them and slowly nodded. He told about who Jordan was and said that he was after Twilight and the others. He went into detail about the stallion that knocked him out, but couldn't get a good look at him. Spike left out what happened with him torturing Jordan, since the ponies looked scared enough and didn't want to make them faint.

When he finished, Spike saw that his friends' eyes were wide with fear. Fluttershy curled into a ball and was shaking violently while Pinkie held onto her to calm her down. Rainbow tried to maintain a straight face, but was fidgeting with fear. None of the ponies said anything, with the only sound was the clock ticking slowly, and muffled voices coming from the hospital hallway.

Twilight broke the silence and said, "I-I see." She turned to the others. "I need to talk to Sparky...alone please."

"I'll...I'll go check on the girls in the lobby." Fluttershy said sounding fearful.

Pinkie Pie bounced near her and had a small smile on her face. "I'll go with you Fluttershy." She said sounding optimistic. "I'll get us some cupcakes to turn our frowns upside down. That always helps me when I'm feeling blue." Fluttershy smiled a little and nodded at this as the two walked out of the room.

"Don't ya take too long now Twi." Applejack said. "Ah want to speak to Sparky as well."

"As do I." Rarity stated.

Rainbow Dash said nothing, but gave a quick glance at him. The three mares went out and left "Sparky" and Twilight alone.

Twilight looked at Spike with a look of relief on her face and said, "Spike, I was talking to the doctor earlier and he said that he'll check on you in the morning before being released. I know you're probably still shook up about what happened to you, but I think I now know who is really behind this."

Twilight's horn glowed and pulled out from her side a green camouflage saddlebag. She pulled out a small round badge with black flames crackling at the bottom, a dark blue color at the top, and a black crescent moon in the middle of the top.

"Spike, I found this when I investigated the area. I recognized the symbol from a few books I read. It's the mark of the Disciples of Nightmare Moon."

'So she already knows about them as well huh?' Spike thought to himself. 'I wonder how much she knows about them.'

"There's no time to explain them Spike. If the disciples are not only after us, but you as well we're in trouble. I need you to write a letter and send it to Princess Celestia at once."

"Uh...Twilight, I can't remember?" Spike pointed to his body. "I'm not a dragon anymore."

Twilight groaned and facehooved. "This is not good, not good at all. I can't just send Rainbow to send the message, or else it could raise suspicions about where you are. So far I've been able to tell the girls that you are away on royal business, but if I tell Rainbow to send it, it could expose you."

"Twilight wait." Spike interjected. "Don't you have some sort of spell to send messages? I think one of your books had one."

Twilight paused and thought it over before giving a hopeful smile. "I did read a potion that you can throw into the fire and it'll act as a message sender. I'll have to get to work on it right away." Twilight packed up the saddlebag and gave Spike a brief hug. "Don't worry Spike, everything will be okay. Thanks for all you did today, I'm so proud of you."

Spike returned the hug and nuzzled against her for a few seconds. Twilight went over to the door and gave a wave to Spike before walking out the door.

As soon as Twilight left, Applejack passed by the lilac unicorn and into Spike's room. The orange mare gave a warm smile to her friend and said, "Spike...Ah want t'say thank ya kindly fer what ya did today. It took some guts to stand up to that varmint Jordan, and mah family is mighty appreciative of what ya did."

Spike looked down and said remorsefully. "I'm sorry Applejack."

"Sorry fer what?"

"I couldn't help Applebloom. I just laid on the ground and she got hurt because of me. I didn't want her to fight Jordan."

Applejack placed a hoof on Spike's chin and brought it up to her. "This ain't yer fault at all sugarcube." She said in a gentle tone. "Applebloom told us 'bout the whoopin' y'all were gittin' and she wanted t'help ya. She's gonna be mighty happy that yer okay now."

Spike couldn't help but blush and smile. "Thanks Applejack."

"Yer welcome sugarcube." The orange mare said. "So tell me, did ya like spendin' time with the crusaders?"

The purple pegasus gave and nod and went on to explain his day with the fillies. Spike told her about the day he spent with them. He was shown the sight they saw over Ponyville Lake and told her about the mud fight they had with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. The purple pegasus found himself chuckling a little when he told Applejack the expressions he and Scootaloo made at the movie theater.

"Sounds like y'all had a heap of fun there." Applejack said. "Ah know those girls can be quite rowdy, but they just want t'have some fun is all."

Spike nodded at this, knowing about the fillies' attempt to have fun with them as well. He suddenly felt like a hoof hit him in the head and remembered what happened before he fought Jordan. "Applejack, did you know about uh...some well...?"

"Pictures of ya drawn by Applebloom and the other crusaders?" The farmer pony asked. Spike looked at her with shock in his eyes. "Ah ain't gonna lie t'ya Spike. I did know about them pictures and how badly the crusaders missed ya. It kind of broke mah heart t'see mah lil' sis sulk 'round like that."

Spike still felt guilty about how he treated the fillies and said, "Applejack, why didn't you just tell me about those pictures? I would've apolo...apolo...uh say sorry to them."

"No offense t'ya Spike, but yer almost as stubborn as me when it comes to listenin' to others. Ah wanted t'find a way t'git ya with them and make amends with the lil' fillies. As much as it pains me t'say it, that accident Rainbow kind of helped me out with that problem."

"I guess in a way it did help me get to know about what they were trying to do." Spike said. He then had an idea. "Applejack, can you give a message to the crusaders?"

"Ah sure can sugarcube."

"Tell them that Spike will come back and he'll want to play with them as soon as he can." The purple pegasus said with a small smile.

Applejack patted Spike on the head and hugged him a little. "Ah'll git to it Spi...erm...Sparky. Now y'all git some rest now. Ah'm gonna go see Caramel and mah family." The two ponies waved farewell and Applejack left through the door.

The purple pegasus was about to fall asleep from exhaustion when the door opened again and in came of all ponies, Rainbow Dash. The sky blue pegasus stuck her head out the door to make sure nopony saw her before shutting the door, and sat next to "Sparky". Spike and Rainbow didn't anything for what seemed like hours, unsure of what to talk about. Spike noticed Rainbow was just looking away, trying to look calm and cool.

"How long have you been awake?" Spike asked breaking the silence.

Rainbow broke out of her thoughts and looked at the purple pegasus. "Huh? Oh, since one this afternoon. Those doctors took a long time just to get me to write all that paperwork and do some physical tests before I was allowed to go. I don't know why though it took so long. I was feeling just fine and that lightning bolt just left a scratch on me."

"Well not from what I saw yesterday."

Rainbow had a solemn look on her face and said, "I know Sparky. I know I was in some big trouble. I just can't believe I was caught off guard like that. I mean I can do some of the craziest stunts, the wildest tricks, and get the sky clear in ten seconds flat, but to be hit with a bolt of lightning like that? Ugh, it's just a real kick in the flank for me." Rainbow facehooved herself and looked away from "Sparky."

"Well uh...at least you're alright." Spike said in a reassuring voice. "Besides, nopony could've seen that bolt coming right?"

"I guess you've got a point there." Rainbow said. "You know Sparky, I saw how you saved me."

Spike's eyes widened upon hearing this, but Rainbow seemed to ignore it and went on.

"Before I was knocked out, I saw that you were flying towards me at an incredible speed. I hate to admit it, but...I've never seen anypony aside from me go that fast before. I couldn't even fly that fast on my first day of flight training."

Spike's jaw dropped upon hearing this, and his eyes bulged out. Rainbow was actually admitting that he was a better flyer than her.

"Sparky, I'm just going to flat out tell you now. I don't think there's really anything to learn from me anymore. You've pretty much got the hang of everything. You're the first and only pegasus I've seen who could do basic training and be able to fly that fast in one day." Rainbow paused to see Spike looked a little crestfallen upon hearing this. "I was just uh...wondering if you'd still like to practice some tricks with me tomorrow."

Spike looked to see that in the moonlight, Rainbow Dash was blushing and tried to hide it. The purple pegasus gave a nod and said, "Sure Rainbow...I'd like that."

"Aw hay yeah!" Rainbow shouted and pumped her hoof in happiness. She realized how embarrassing she acted and cleared her throat. "Uh...I mean that's cool Sparky. I want you to come by my house tomorrow morning at eleven, got it? Oh, don't tell anypony about this talk we had okay?"

Spike nodded and the two waved farewell to each other. Rainbow opened the door slowly, looked out to make sure nopony saw her, and quickly left.

Spike was about to fall asleep once again, but then the door opened and felt a little annoyed. His annoyance turned to a warm feeling in his heart as he looked upon his visitor, Rarity. The moonlight seemed to radiate her beauty and her warm gentle smile made his heart beat faster. Rarity came close him and sat down next to him, making Spike blush and prayed that the white unicorn wouldn't see it.

"Darling, are you feeling alright?" The white unicorn asked sounding a little concerned. "Your face is bright red."

Spike panicked and tried to think of an excuse. "Um...well...I just feel warm is all heh heh."

Rarity nodded and said, "Oh I know darling, this place really needs to fix the air conditioning here. I saw Rainbow Dash coming out of your room. She must've wanted to show her gratitude for you saving her." Spike gulped a little. Rarity chuckled and said, "Oh, don't worry about me saying a word Sparky. I can't blame the dear for being a little flustered with you after saving her life. She won't even admit it even if she isn't that great at hiding it."

"Well it's nothing like that." Spike said nervously. "I-I just want to be friends with her."

"You don't need to worry about that. I've heard her saying another stallion's name while sleeping and talking about him a lot. Forgive me, but I don't really remember his name at the moment. I'm not here to gossip like some mudslinger though. I personally wanted to thank you for saving my sister and the other crusaders. You've been through so much Sparky for the last few days. You saved Rainbow Dash and fought that stallion to save my sister and her friends."

Spike blushed and said, "It was nothing really. I was just helping my friends out."

Rarity smiled warmly and said, "Darling, as a good lady I must reward you for all you've done for me and my friends. How about you and I go have dinner tomorrow night at seven?"

Spike heard those words echo inside him and felt like an explosion of happiness and joy burst inside him. He wanted to say those words to Rarity for so long, but he'd never thought Rarity would say those words to him. He felt all his troubles melt away instantly and everything that happened a few hours ago felt like a distant memory to him. Trying to maintain his composure, Spike nodded fast. Rarity smiled and hugged him.

"Thank you darling. It's the least I can do for you after all you've been through." The white unicorn said. "Now then, Twilight and the others are quite busy at the moment, but I'll be right beside you the whole night darling."

Rarity laid her head near Sparky's chest, making the purple pegasus grin widely. He didn't care if he was just a pony or a dragon. Rarity was with him for the first time in his life. Spike laid his head back into the pillow on his bed and fell asleep instantly. His mind was full of joy and excitement.

A violent lightning storm rumbled and the wind was blowing through the trees of the Everfree Forest. Amongst the thick trees was a tall, ominous castle that seemed to cast a dark shadow among the twisted forest. Inside the castle's throne room, Lord Sandro sat down and looked at the doors in front of him.

The tall wooden doors opened up and in marched two columns of stallions with midnight blue armor that bared a resemblance to the ones the Royal Pony Guards wore. The columns went into two separate directions and formed a large circle that stretched from the throne to the doors. The doors opened once more to Captain Sanderson using his magic to hold Jordan's lifeless body.

"Release him." Lord Sandro ordered in a cold menacing voice.

The dark brown unicorn bowed, and released his grip on his captive and let him fall to the ground. He let out a cry of pain that echoed throughout the throne room. Slowly the black unicorn lifted his head up and had a look of fear on him.

"Welcome back Jordan." The hooded unicorn said with a tinge of smugness in his voice. "I see you couldn't hold up your end of the bargain."

"Wait please Lord Sandro!" Jordan shouted desperately. "You...t-that pegasus! H-he isn't normal! He almost killed me and I-I barely escaped with my life."

"You mean I saved you from his wrath you idiot." Captain Sanderson spat. "If it wasn't for me seeing the energy blasts from that farm, you would've been dead."

"Captain Sanderson enough!" Lord Sandro barked in a booming voice.

The brown stallion bowed in apology and went over to stand by the hooded pony's side. He gave a smirk to Jordan.

Lord Sandro looked back at Jordan. "As I was saying, it seems that you weren't able to capture Sparky at all. Not only that though, but you also left took all of your stuff with you including your badge. Now those ponies most likely have it and know who we are. You've exposed us, you've failed me, and this I won't tolerate."

"Lord Sandro, I would never betray you or our Queen!" Jordan shouted desperately. "I-I just needed some items to capture him and..."

"ENOUGH!" Lord Sandro shouted. His horn glowed a black light and an aura glowed around Jordan. The black unicorn was lifted off the ground. "I don't allow traitors Jordan and neither does our queen. You've done more than enough."

"No please Lord Sandro, not The Decapitator!" Jordan begged as he felt his head starting to strain from his neck. "I-I just need another chance and that pegasus. He...he..."

"NO MORE EXCUSES!" Lord Sandro tightened his grip on Jordan's neck.

Jordan felt his neck muscles being pulled and split in two. He felt helpless as Lord Sandro continued to torture him and screamed for mercy. The black stallion felt his neck skin starting to break and his muscles were tearing apart that only made him yell more. Jordan felt blood coming out of his mouth and was losing sight. The screams started to die down and then lost conscious.

A loud ripping noise echoed everywhere in the throne room. Lord Sandro levitated the disembodied head of Jordan, who's eyes were wide open with fear in them. His mouth and neck were still bleeding. The black unicorn's body landed on the floor with a loud thud. Blood spurted out from his neck and poured all over the floor.

"Let this serve as a reminder of what happens to those who disobey me!" Lord Sandro shouted in a booming commanding voice. The armored stallion guards stepped back a little and flinched.

After a few minutes of silence, Lord Sandro spoke out again. "Captain Sanderson, I want to speak with you privately. The rest of you return to your posts."

The guards bowed and marched out of the throne room. After the loud slamming of the wooden doors, Captain Sanderson and Lord Sandro were alone.

"Captain, I don't think I need to tell you how much this messes up our plans."

"Of course not my lord." The dark brown stallion said. "Now that Jordan has exposed us, we may have to abandon our plans."

"No we won't." Lord Sandro said in a calm voice. "Jordan actually proved to us one thing, this Sparky is the one."

"Forgive me my lord." Captain Sanderson said with a confused look on him. "I'm not following you on this. How could such failure lead to success as well?"

The hooded stallion chuckled coldly and said, "Because from what you told me earlier about what happened to Jordan, he is the one."

"If it is true then what do you want me to do then?" The dark brown stallion asked.

"The time to hide our presence has come to an end. I need you to send out some scouts tomorrow to infiltrate the town. We'll figure out a way to capture them all one by one and bring them here."

"Lord Sandro, even if we bring in Sparky, our archeologists still haven't broken through that chamber that is rumored to hold the seventh one."

"Tell them to double their efforts then." Lord Sandro said coolly. "Otherwise I'll find other ways to 'motivate' them. In the meantime, I'll be preparing to take the Elements of Harmony."

Captain Sanderson's eyes widened upon hearing this. "But...but my Lord, Princess Celestia has got those under tight security."

"Don't worry about it captain. I've already got some of our spies infiltrated inside the castle. I know of a way to get them without the Princess knowing about it, until it's too late."

"A wise move my lord."

"One more thing captain." Lord Sandro said. "Send one of the guards to clean up that bloody mess and dispose of Jordan's body."

The dark brown stallion bowed. Lord Sandro's horn glowed and with a flash teleported out of the castle.

Captain Sanderson turned and used his magic to levitate Jordan's body and looked at it scornfully. "That damn pegasus may have beaten one of us, but soon he'll feel our wrath." The dark brown unicorn said. "Just you wait Sparky, then you'll know true suffering."

Captain Sanderson levitated Jordan's head and body out a window and released both parts. The brown stallion watched as the body and head disappeared into the thick fog below until it was out of sight. He walked out of the throne room and saw two guards standing to the side of the throne room's doors.

"You there." Captain Sanderson pointed to the guard on the right. "Go in there and clean up that blood. You on the other hoof, bring me a squad of soldiers for tomorrow's assignment."

The guards saluted and went off to do their deeds. Captain Sanderson smiled to himself as he began to plan on how to capture not only Sparky, but the other bearers of the Elements of Harmony.

Date Night

Spike woke up early the next morning and stretched a little. He heard a soft snoozing sound and saw Rarity sleeping next to him. The purple pegasus couldn't help but smile as he gazed at the white unicorn resting soundly. Despite everything that happened in the last few days, Spike couldn't help but feel relaxed as he looked upon Rarity.

A soft yawn came from Rarity's mouth and opened up her eyes slowly. She looked up at "Sparky" and said, "Good morning darling. Do you feel any better now?"

"I'm feeling a lot better now." Spike said. "I guess all that sleeping kind of helped."

The door to Spike's room knocked, making both ponies look to see who it was. The door opened to a grayish brown stallion wearing a white coat. He had a combed back white mane, thick black framed square glasses, and had an expression on him that made Spike think the stallion meant business.

"Good morning, are you Mr. Sparky?" The stallion asked in a monotone voice.

Spike nodded and said, "Yeah, who are...?"

"Good, I am Dr. Clark." The stallion said. He looked at a medical chart handed to him by Nurse Redheart and read it. "It seems you've suffered some bruises and cuts. I'm here to make sure you are ready to leave the hospital. If you aren't, you'll be kept here another day." He then noticed Rarity. "Excuse me miss, but are you his spouse?"

Rarity blushed a little and said, "Oh no doctor, I'm actually his friend. I was here all night to make sure he had some company."

Dr. Clark nodded and said, "Very well miss, but we must ask you to leave. The tests will take a while. We'll let you know what will happen to Mr. Sparky here."

Rarity looked a little crestfallen and nodded. "I understand doctor." She said and then looked at Spike. "Good luck darling, I'll wait in the lobby area for you." She got up and left the room, leaving Spike alone with Dr. Wright.

Nurse Redheart pushed in a small cart through the door that had a blood pressure machine and thermometer. "Let's get started now shall we Mr. Sparky?" Dr. Clark asked as he washed his hooves.

Spike spent the next two hours doing various physical and medical tests. He underwent some X-rays, walked on a treadmill, have his wings examined, and many more tasks. Dr. Wright stated he was quite impressed to see "Sparky" be able to pass everything without a hitch. He allowed the purple pegasus to be discharged. Nurse Redheart ordered him to eat some food first, which consisted of a few apple slices, oatmeal, and a tall glass of orange juice. After finishing his breakfast, Spike went down to the hospital lobby. He saw Rarity standing near the door.

She went over to Spike and gave him a brief hug. "The doctor told me you're allowed to leave. It's actually good that you are since Twilight wants to see you."

Spike looked at Rarity feeling puzzled. "What does she want from me?"

"I honestly don't know darling. She came by an hour ago to pass that message onto you. So let's not keep her waiting."

Spike and Rarity went out into the streets of Ponyville where he was greeted by something that him jump a little. The town was swarming with many guards in golden armor that Spike recognized as the Royal Guard. They were trotting around the streets and flying around town. There was a checkpoint near the entrance of Ponyville with guards asking for ID from ponies leaving or entering the town. The pony citizens looked round and felt a little intimidated.

"What's going on here?" Spike asked.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you darling." Rarity said. "Twilight sent a message last night to Princess Celestia about what happened. She sent a team of royal guards over here to watch over the town."

"Why?"

Rarity shrugged and said, "I don't know Sparky, but whatever the reason it certainly has her worried. Now come darling, we have to go see Twilight."

Spike nodded and followed Rarity to the Ponyville Library. As they passed through Ponyville, the two ponies saw countless patrols of royal guards trotting around. Some of the guards were questioning the town's inhabitants. The Market Square had guards standing at every shop stand watching over them, making the merchants nervous. Before long, Spike and Rarity reached the library entrance and looked at each other.

"Sparky, can you do me a favor tonight?" Rarity asked.

"Sure Rarity. What is it?"

"You know that suit I made you the other day? Well I was wondering if you would kindly wear it tonight. We'll go to a nice place to eat."

"Huh? Oh yeah...the dinner." Spike facehooved himself and realized what he said. "Rarity, I didn't mean it like that."

The white unicorn placed a hoof over his mouth and said, "It's quite alright darling. These last few days have been quite stressful on all of us. Why I'll barely have time to get the rest of my designs finished by this week with all of this. I do wish Spike would come back from royal business and help not only me, but the others as well."

At the mention of his name, Spike felt sentimental from what he heard. Rarity showed she cared about him and it made him feel like all his troubles melted away. An idea suddenly hit the purple pegasus' head.

"Spike huh? I didn't really get to talk to him. Do you know him?"

"We'll talk more tonight darling." Rarity said. "Twilight said she needed to see you as soon as possible. I won't keep her waiting anymore. Meet me at Carousel Boutique at seven tonight, okay?"

Spike nodded and said, "See you Rarity.".

Spike waved goodbye to Rarity as she left for her shop. He entered the library and saw only darkness. He heard the door slam shut behind him and the lights came on. Spike saw something that made his insides churn. He saw Twilight looking at the floor with an ashamed expression on her face. Standing next to her was none other than Princess Celestia, who was looking right at Spike with a stern look.

"Uh....Princess Celestia." Spike said while bowing and trying to maintain his cool. "I'm Spar..."

"You don't need to hide yourself from me Spike." The white alicorn said in a disappointing tone.

Spike looked at Twilight with a mix of shock and horror on his face. "Twilight, you told her? You told the princess about this?"

"Oh Spike please...I...I didn't mean to." Twilight said in a cracked voice. "I...I just...well..."

"Twilight, you didn't do anything wrong." She turned back to Spike who was looking terrified. "Spike, Twilight told me about what happened to you. I learned about it last night after I received a letter from Twilight. I tried to send it back to you, but it kept coming back to me for some reason. I came by last night to check to see what was going on."

"Spike, please I..." Twilight cried out but a hoof was gently placed on her mouth by the white alicorn.

"As much as it did pain me to do this to my faithful student, I had to make her confess. She broke down telling me about how you became a pony and why."

Spike hung his head in shame and felt a million things going through him. It was over, Princess Celestia was going to turn him back into a dragon again and be exiled from Ponyville. He would never see his friends or Rarity again. The thought of that brought back that nightmare again and it made him sick.

"Spike..." Princess Celestia said in a gentle tone.

"I'm so sorry Princess!" The purple pegasus cried out. "I...I was just trying to win over...somepony and I wasn't thinking. I understand if you want to punish me, but don't hurt Twilight." Spike closed his eyes and expected the worst. He felt a hoof raise his chin and opened his eyes to see Princess Celestia with a concerned look on her face.

"Spike, I'm not finished yet." The white alicorn said in a gentle tone. "I understand why you did what you did. I...I knew somepony long ago that did the same thing, but things went badly for him."

"So...you're not going to banish me or turn me back into a dragon?" Spike asked sounding a little calmer.

The white alicorn shook her head and said, "I'm afraid I can't turn you back into a dragon Spike. That potion lasts only for three more days. There could be some consequences to changing you back while the potion is still in you."

Spike let out a sigh of relief upon hearing this, but Princess Celestia didn't notice.

"Now that I know what's going on, you need to know what the Disciples of Nightmare Moon are."

"I'm confused by this princess." Spike said. "How come Twilight or any has ever heard of this group?"

"There are so little records left on the events Spike." The white alicorn explained. "Most of them were lost in a fire and the remaining ones are kept in my private archives. Even if I did have the complete records, I would refuse to allow it to be written in books. It was one of our darkest hours in Equestria and something that should never be mentioned."

"What happened anyway?"

"This all took place a couple years before the rise of Nightmare Moon. A group of ponies started to organize a new group to dedicate Princess Luna since they actually liked her nights better than my days. This group was called the Moonlight Council. They honored Princess Luna and wanted ponies to love the night as equally as they love my day. They would call for holidays or special occasions that praised my sister and spread the love for her."

"However, many ponies refused to accept this group since they considered nighttime to be wasteful. They argued that my daytime brought life and beauty, but my sister's nights brought only dread and darkness. Many refused to honor my sister because she became cold and snapped at other ponies. It also didn't help that many close nobles to me started to haze many of the members. Things got so bad, that the members of the council and its followers over time became as bitter and hateful as Princess Luna before she became Nightmare Moon."

"Some of the Moonlight Council members and a founder told me about what was going on. I was too late though to realize what happened as my sister became the dreaded Nightmare Moon. I tried to reason with Princess Luna, but she heard about what happened to her followers and that she was going to rally them to start a new era of darkness. I knew I had no choice but to use the Elements of Harmony to banish her to the moon. I thought with that it was over, but it only started a chain of events."

"What was it?" Spike asked.

"After my sister's banishment, the remaining Moonlight Council members and founders caught wind of what happened. Their anger and resentment towards me reached their critical point after what I did to Princess Luna. They claimed that what I did was an act of treason and an attempt to rule Equestria with an iron hoof. I tried to tell them the truth, but they wouldn't have any of it. They all began to rally a cause against me and recruited many ponies of all kind to join them. At that moment, my worst fears were confirmed; Equestria was entering a civil war."

"They organized an armada against me and declared war on the other ponies. The group decided to call themselves the Disciples of Nightmare Moon in honor of their fallen leader. Their goals were simple: overthrow me and bring back my corrupted sister to take over. They relied on sneak attacks that easily crippled a lot of towns and the few major cities in the land. Any town or city that had statues or monuments dedicated to me were made an example of by being destroyed and the inhabitants being killed. We tried to find a way to defeat the disciples, but they were always one step ahead of us for some reason."

"All of Equestria soon fell to the disciples in eight months. The only cities that hadn't been taken over were Manehattan and Canterlot. Things took a turn for the better though as a member of the Disciples of Nightmare Moon defected to us. He told us that there were spies leaking information about our movements to the disciples' armies. We tracked them down and captured them. We began to turn the tide with sending false movements to the disciples and watch them take the bait. We began to divide and eliminate their armies slowly.

"It wasn't long after those small victories that the rest of the troops rallied and pushed the disciples' forces back and weaken them. We soon tracked down the capital of the disciples' city that they decreed, New Moon. We besieged the city for a couple of weeks by cutting off their supplies and destroying their underground tunnels out of the city. I oversaw the charge against the disciples as we took over New Moon from them. It wasn't easy with how fortified they were, but we soon captured the remaining leaders who didn't die in the fight and ended the war."

"The war lasted only eleven months, but it was so costly to Equestria. The death count went well into the thousands with many of the casualties coming from my side. I soon put all the Disciples of Nightmare Moon on trial for war crimes. Many of them were sentenced to death for their actions, but a couple hundred were forced to rebuild Equestria and then were banished forever. I then put the nobles who supported me on trial."

"Why?" Spike asked.

"Their actions of what they did helped fuel this war and cost us so much. They hazed them and turned the Moonlight Council as bitter and heartless as Nightmare Moon herself. I stripped them of everything and had them rebuild Equestria with the other inmates as well. After their work was finished, they were sentenced to spend the rest of their lives in jail."

"The war's end should've brought a period of peace, but I was starting to hear from my advisers that the remaining disciples were hiding in Equestria under new names and looks. I never knew if the rumors were true or not, but I stayed on high alert for the next thousand years. My patience paid off when I realized Nightmare Moon was coming back."

"How so?"

"I had started to hear reports of ponies going into the Everfree Forest a few days before Nightmare's return. A scout found a badge like the one Twilight sent me and I knew it was them again. I prepared an army to deal with any disciples that were flocking to the castle ruins in the forest. Shortly before I was captured, I told the guards that they were to engage and destroy any members of the disciples and to not attack Twilight or her friends. The plan succeeded for the most part after Nightmare Moon was defeated. The remaining Disciples of Nightmare Moon were killed at last. There was one thing were were missing though: their leader."

"Who was it?"

"A dark green stallion unicorn named Lord Gavin." Princess Celestia said. "He was the one who orchestrated the attack and tried to lead the new Disciples against me. The strange thing is that he turned himself in after Nightmare Moon was defeated. He came to the castle and surrendered with him saying there was no catch. He was later tried and executed for his crimes, but he just smiled at me as he was executed. I thought with his death it was all over, but I didn't trust his words and kept my eye out on the cult. It seems my intuition was right all along now."

"This is freaky." Spike said. "How could they be back if they have nopony to lead them?"

"I don't know Spike." The white alicorn said. "Ever since the death of Lord Gavin, I feel like I'm being watched by the cult. I know they're making their moves, but I don't know what they're doing. I don't even know why they are targeting you and the others. As such, I have ordered your friends to stay within Ponyville."

"It's true Spike." Twilight said. "Fluttershy is staying with Pinkie and Rainbow is staying with Applejack. Rarity is still staying at her shop since there is more security in her area. You and I will be staying here in the library."

"Spike, I have one last thing to say." Princess Celestia stated. "Watch who you talk to and stay close to your friends. Not everypony is who they seem to be." She turned back to Twilight. "I must be going now my faithful student. I am suspending your studies until this matter is dealt with and stay close to your friends. I shall contact you again soon if anything comes up." A burst of white energy surrounded the library and Princess Celestia was gone.

Twilight used her magic to open up the window blinds around the library, allowing the sun to shine through. She then looked at Spike with a tearful look. "Oh Spike, I'm so sorry." She said with her voice cracking. "I-I just couldn't lie to the princess and disappoint her. I hope that you..." She was cut off by her assistant hugging her and giving a gentle smile.

"It's okay Twilight." He said. "I know the others will know sooner or later. I'm just glad the princess didn't banish me or anything."

Twilight smiled and wiped the tears off her face. "Thank you Spike. You really are a number one assistant and friend." She returned the hug briefly and looked at him. "Spike, I'm going to read up on some spells just in case any of the disciples attack. Could you check on the others at Sweet Apple Acres? I already checked on Pinkie and Fluttershy this morning while I was on my way to see Rarity at the hospital."

Spike nodded and said, "Sure Twilight, I'll head down to check on Applejack. I also need to see a certain filly and make sure she's okay."

"She's fine Spike. Applebloom was released this morning and should be home right now."

"Great! Oh, Twilight one more thing."

"What is it?"

"I now know why you wanted to speak to me about the crusaders."

"Applejack told me last night about what you found."

"I'm sorry Twilight. I guess I was being a real mule huh?"

"It's okay Spike, it was just a little mistake. Now run on down to Applejack's and see her."

Spike waved at Twilight and went out the door to Sweet Apple Acres. The lilac unicorn smiled to herself as she watched her friend run off and felt proud of him. She closed the door and levitated a book of her shelf to begin studying magic spells.

Spike trotted down the path leading to the apple farm, passing by the buildings and guards around Ponyville. He looked around town to see some of the guards going around shops and doing inspections. A small group of them passed by a building and mumbled something about it. Spike looked to see to his side was none other than Barry's shop. He went over to the window and looked inside it to see the shop still had potion ingredients in there, but nopony was in it.

"Watch who you talk to and stay close to your friends. Not everypony is who they seem to be." The voice of Princess Celestia rang out in Spike's mind.

The purple pegasus began to think about what Princess Celestia told him. Ever since he met Barry, everything had taken a turn for the worse. His friends were now being targeted by a group not known by many and they wanted him for some unknown reason. Spike couldn't help but think that maybe Barry had something to do with all that was happening. He wanted to go in and see if the gray unicorn was there, but a part of him told him not to. Spike decided against seeing Barry and decided that he would tell Twilight his suspicions later. He galloped away from the shop and headed towards the outskirts of Ponyville.

Spike walked down the path leading to the farm and was greeted by a tan stallion standing at the entrance. He had a tidy brown mane, blue eyes, and had three blue horseshoes on his flank. The stallion gave Spike a glare as he approached the entrance and halted him with a hoof.

"Who are you?" The tan stallion asked. "I've never seen you hear before."

Spike froze, feeling a little afraid. "My name is Spi...um Sparky. I was just here to check up on Applejack."

"How do I know you're the same Sparky? You could be another one in disguise."

"Um...I..."

"Caramel, that's enough!" A mare's voice ordered. Spike and Caramel turned to see Applejack looking a little annoyed and tired. "Now y'all calm down now sugarcube." She said to the tan stallion. "He's mah friend and the one who saved Applebloom yesterday from that Jordan fella."

"But Applejack, what if it's a trick?" Caramel argued. "He could be another attacker or raider here."

"Ah understand yer worried Caramel." The farmer pony said in a soft voice. "Y'all gotta trust me though and believe me."

Caramel thought it over for a minute before nodding slowly. "I'm sorry Applejack, I'm just worried about this farm and you as well since you are...a very good friend and the one who got me to work here."

The orange mare smiled a little and said, "It's alright sugarcube, yer just worried like Big Mac and Ah are. Ah'm gonna talk to Sparky here and git t'mah shift after that."

"Alright Applejack." Caramel said before returning to standing guard.

"Come along now Sparky." Applejack said waving a hoof. "Ah gotta talk t'ya about last night."

Spike walked with Applejack until the two went into a secluded area of the apple orchards. The farmer pony checked on all sides to make sure no pony was near.

"Spike, did ya speak to Twilight this morning? There's something she needed to tell ya."

The purple pegasus nodded and said, "Yeah, I ran into Princess Celestia this morning as well and now she knows my secret." Spike had a glum look on him as he lowered his head. "So the others know?"

Applejack shook her head and said, "No they don't sugarcube. The princess came on by to speak t'us 'bout this cult that follows Nightmare Moon."

"You know about the Disciples of Nightmare Moon?" Spike asked.

"We all do Spike." Applejack said. "The others and mahself learned 'bout this cult early this mornin'. Princess Celestia told us 'bout them and had guards posted all over Ponyville. This town is bottled up tighter than a barrel of apple cider sugarcube."

"Does the whole town know about the disciples?"

"No sugarcube, fer the sake of keepin' the town from jumpin' around like mad, Princess Celestia stated these guards were doin' some trainin' drills in Ponyville. The others and Ah had t'swaer not t'say a word to any other pony, 'sides from ya."

"But then why is Caramel standing at the entrance like that?"

"That's 'cause he's protectin' the farm like Big Macintosh and Ah are doin'." Applejack stated. "Since that Jordan fella attacked, mah family's been worried. Why just last night, Granny Smith yelled 'bout Applebloom's safety and feared fer the family."

"So where is Applebloom anyway?" Spike asked looking around. "I heard she's okay and wanted to see her."

The orange mare had a sad look on her and said, "Ah'm 'fraid yer a lil' late Spike. Ah decided t'send both Applebloom and Granny Smith t'mah Aunt Orange and Uncle Orange in Manehattan 'til this whole thing blows over."

"She's gone?" The purple pegasus frowned a little.

"Now don'ya look so glum there pardner." The farmer pony said. "Applebloom and the other crusaders wrote somethin' fer ya last night." She pulled out from under her hat a white piece of paper and showed it to Spike. The note was a bit of a scribbly mess with the writing, but he was still able to read it.

Hiya Mr. Sparky,

We sure had a lot of fun yesterday didn't we? The girls and Ah are writin' sayin' thank ya fer the time we had together. We also want to thank ya fer savin' mah flank yesterday. Mah friends and family say they're in yer debt. Whatever the hay that means. When we come back to Ponyville, we're gonna have more fun. Don't forget to tell Spike 'bout how sorry we are. We still want to see him again. Thanks again Mr. Sparky!

XOXOXOXO
Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo

Spike felt a little sentimental as he read the note. He did his best to hold back any tears and looked at Applejack with a smile. "Wow...thanks Applejack."

"T'aint nothin'." The orange mare said. "Ah was just passin' a message is all. So now that that's all out in the open, what can Ah do fer ya?"

"Oh, I was just checking on you Rainbow. Where is she anyway, napping in one of your trees again?"

"She actually had t'do some guard duty fer Ponyville." The farmer pony said. "All pegasi are bein' assigned to watchin' over Ponyville fer any outsiders. She said she'll come on down and see ya at the library later so y'all can hang out."

"Thanks Applejack, I..."

"Applejack, where are you?" Caramel asked. "Big Macintosh says it's your turn to guard the entrance."

"Ah'm a comin' sugarcube!" The farmer pony shouted and then turned back to Spike. "Sorry Spike, but Ah gotta git goin'. If it makes ya feel any better, Ah think Rarity ain't busy."

A big smile spread across Spike's face. "I'll go see her then. See you later Applejack." He took off from the area and went through the gate of the farm galloping down the path. As he went down the dirt path, Spike had an idea about his date with Rarity and grinned a little bigger.

Spike made his way across Ponyville carefully. He made sure not to draw any unwanted attention from the royal guards that seemed to be everywhere he turned. He galloped his way towards the center of town and soon found Carousel Boutique. Spike was going to knock on the door when he heard a crash and a wailing noise. Instinct and panic took over him, and charged through the door.

He looked inside the shop to see it was a complete mess, much like when he saw it a few days ago, but it seemed to be even worse now. Fabric rolls were cluttered and rolled out, dress designs were scattered, and some ponyquins had dresses on them that looked halfway done. He saw a shift amongst the cluttered ponyquins and moved slowly. Spike moved one of the ponyquins to see Rarity lying on the floor and was looking exhausted.

"Rarity, are you okay!?" Spike asked with worry in his voice. "What happened here?"

The white unicorn looked at "Sparky" with a dazed look. "Oh thank goodness you're here Sparky." She said. "This has got to be the worst thing to happen to me yet, it's dreadful, it's uncouth, it's revolting."

Spike knew Rarity was a drama queen, but never thought she'd act like this. "Um...what's wrong anyway? I heard you scream."

Rarity got up and fixed her mane. "Do forgive me darling, but I wasn't kidding when I said this had to be the worst thing to happen to me yet." She raised a hoof to point to all the ponyquins. "All these dresses here have to be done for my show tomorrow in Fillydelphia. I can't finish them in time since Sweetie Belle and Spike are gone. Oh, I do wish the others weren't busy so I could get some assistance."

"Where is Sweetie anyway?"

"Well Sparky, Princess Celestia came by this morning telling us about this cult called the Disciples of Nightmare Moon. She advised me to get Sweetie out of danger's way in case they came back. She sent a carriage and message for my folks. She's now in vacation with them in Trottingham. Scootaloo also left early this morning for Manehattan as well and is staying with her grandfather."

"That's great to know." Spike said feeling relieved the crusaders were out of harm's way.

"It is indeed darling. However, I don't have anypony to help me out now."

Spike took this as a golden opportunity. "I'll help you out Rarity."

The white unicorn was shocked upon hearing this. "Darling, I can't simply ask you to do that. You've done so much for me and my friends. I can't keep using you like this."

The purple pegasus shook his head and said, "It's okay Rarity. I like helping you out anyway." Spike could feel some heat rush through his cheeks and hoped Rarity didn't see him blushing.

The white unicorn smiled and gave a nod. "Very well then darling." She then pulled out a box of gems, some fashion designs, and a sewing machine. "We have little time to work with Sparky, so let's not waste anymore time." Spike gave a nod and the two went to work on the dresses.

Spike and Rarity worked for the next few hours on putting the finishing touches on the dresses. They would either put some gems along the edges of the dresses, or do some sewing together as they worked. After they finished the dresses, Spike helped Rarity pack them up in small white boxes for shipping them. The two of them then proceeded to clean up the shop. When they finished, Spike sat down at the same table he and Rarity shared when they had lunch. Rarity returned with some bottles of Sweet Apple Acres own apple juice and the two ponies drank them. None of them said a word to each other as they rested from the work they just did.

The clock chimed and echoed throughout the shop. Rarity looked to see it was already twelve. "Darling, I don't know if you're busy, but would you care to help me do some shopping?" The white unicorn asked.

Spike shook his head. "Not at all Rarity. What are we looking for?"

"Well I need to get some more fabric rolls. One of my clocks needs to be replaced since Sweetie Belle and her friends tried to get their cutie marks in repairing clocks. There are other things I would like to check out as well. I just need somepony to help carry the stuff I would buy. Now don't you worry Sparky, I don't plan on overloading you with a lot of stuff to carry. I just need to pick up a few things."

"It's okay Rarity." Spike said. "I'm always happy to help you."

"Let's not wait anymore then." She went over and flipped the sign to her shop to Close. "Come along now Sparky, we haven't got all day now."

The purple pegasus nodded and went out the door with Rarity. After she locked her shop up, the two ponies trotted together side by side. Spike couldn't help but stare at the white pony trotting besides him. He wished that he could confess that he was really Spike, but he remembered Barry saying something about a curse if he told her or his friends. The purple pegasus couldn't help but wonder what the curse was Barry mentioned now that Applejack and Princess Celestia knew the truth. Maybe Barry ran into Rarity at one point and was trying to keep Spike away from her.

"Hey Rarity, can I ask you something?" Spike asked.

"Of course you can darling." The white unicorn said.

"Have you ran into any pony named Barry? He's a new shop owner here in Ponyville."

"The new potion shop owner? I have seen him around town, but I've never really talked to him. He's a rather odd pony that's for sure. He seems to be rather reclusive and wasn't even at the welcoming party for you. Why are you curious about me knowing him?"

Spike let out a sigh of relief in his mind. "It was nothing Rarity. I thought that maybe you and him were...well dating."

Rarity chuckled a little bit. "Oh, heavens no Sparky. I have to admit that Barry isn't really the gentlecolt I'm looking for. I'm sure he's a nice pony, but I'd rather much stay friends with him. That is if I ever see him again. He seems to have just disappeared out of Ponyville for some reason."

"That's a little strange. I don't know why, but I think that OOF!" Spike accidentally bumped into something and stumbled a little.

"Watch it you buffoon!" A oice shouted. Spike looked to see there was a dark brown unicorn stallion wearing royal guard armor and giving him a cold stare. "State you name and identification in the name of Princess Celestia!" The stallion ordered.

Panic overtook Spike and was lost on what to do. "Uh...well you see the thing is that um..."

"Good sir, please wait!" Rarity objected. "It was my fault that Sparky here didn't see where he was going."

The stallion looked at Rarity intensely for a few minutes before giving a snort. "Fine...I'll let him off with a warning. That pegasus better watch himself now, or I will take him away." The guard marched off, leaving Spike and Rarity by themselves.

"Uh...t-thanks Rarity." Spike said nervously. "That was close."

"That's quite alright darling. But what was so close?"

"Um...nothing!" Spike retorted, realizing he nearly gave himself away. "I uh...was just close to being taken away...heh heh heh."

Rarity looked at "Sparky" a few minutes curiously, but shrugged it off. "Very well then. Come, let us head back before we run into another ruffian guard like that."

Spike nodded and followed the white unicorn through the streets. As they trotted through, the purple pegasus couldn't help but think that stallion sounded familiar. He just couldn't remember it at all though and it left him frustrated. He decided to put the matter behind him though as he and Rarity came across the market square.

Spike spent the afternoon with Rarity in the market. She got some cloth from the fabric stand and a new clock to hang on her wall. Rarity showed "Sparky" around other stores she liked to visit such as where she gets her makeup and the spa twins, Aloe and Lotus. Spike happily trotted alongside Rarity and carried the stuff she had bought on his back. The two soon stopped for lunch at a nearby restaurant. Spike got himself some hay fries while Rarity got a salad. After eating and finishing some window shopping, Rarity and Spike went back to Carousel Boutique.

After they arrived back at the shop, Rarity took the stuff off "Sparky's" back and set it in a corner of her shop.

I really appreciate what you have done for me Sparky." Rarity said giving Spike a warm smile. "I shall get ready for our dinner together. In the meantime, please go home and wear the suit I made you the other day. Come on by my shop at seven."

Spike nodded at this. "I'll see you then Rarity." The purple pegasus turned around and looked back to give a wave back at the white unicorn before going back to the library.

As Spike approached the library, his mind raced with thoughts of wonder and excitement of his date with Rarity. He opened the door to see many books covering the library floor. The purple pegasus made sure not to trip over the books as he made his way through. Throughout the library, he didn't see or hear Twilight at all, making Spike feel a bit nervous and worried. He decided to go see if the lilac unicorn was upstairs. He opened the door to see Twilight lying on the bed asleep with her head on a book.

Spike chuckled a little and decided to wake Twilight up, so she wouldn't worry about where he was. "Twilight?" He asked while poking her on the shoulder.

The lilac unicorn mumbled and opened her eyes to see Spike with a gentle smile. "Oh...uh...*yawn*...hi Spike." Twilight said groggily. "How did everything go today?"

"It was great Twilight." Spike told Twilight about how he spent the day with Rarity from helping her finish some dresses and shopping with her.

"I'm glad you had a wonderful time with Rarity today." Twilight said with a smile. "I'm feeling hungry actually, what do you want for dinner?"

Spike's smile faded away and looked a little guilty. "Twilight the thing is that...I'm...I'm going to dinner with Rarity tonight."

Twilight froze and looked at Spike curiously, making him feel even worse.

"I...I know you may not like this, but please Twilight...I may never get this chance to..." He felt a hoof cover his mouth and looked to see Twilight giving a warm smile to him.

"Spike, I know how hard you've worked for Rarity." The lilac unicorn said. "You've done so much for all of us and I think you've earned this reward." She levitated a saddle bag to Spike and pulled out the suit Rarity made for him. "I found this when I came upstairs and I think you'll need it. Suit up Casanova, you've got a hot date."

Spike looked in awe at Twilight for a few minutes before embracing her tightly. "Thank you Twilight. You really are a great friend."

Twilight blushed and smiled softly as she broke the embrace. "You're welcome Spike. What time do you have to meet Rarity?"

Spike looked at the clock to see it was going on six. "Seven at her shop. Why do you ask?"

Twilight smiled a little and said, "Well you better get cleaned up then Romeo. I'll give you a hoof in cleaning up." Her horn glowed and levitated Spike off the ground. She trotted to the bathroom with a struggling Spike behind her and closed the door.

For the next half hour, Spike was bathed, had his mane and tail combed back to look like the style Rarity gave him, and gargled some mouthwash. Twilight used a book called The Dummy's Guide to Dating and went by everything the book said to do, even pick up lines. Twilight suggested to Spike some of the lines, but he declined the offer. The clock rang out and both looked to see it was nearly seven. The lilac unicorn pushed Spike to the door and straightened him up, making him look like a real gentlecolt.

"Spike, I want to say good luck with Rarity." Twilight said with a tearful smile. "I know you're probably feeling nervous, but I know you'll do fine."

The purple pegasus hugged Twilight briefly and said, "Thanks again Twilight. When I get back, I'll help you out with any new spells you've learned." He gave a wave and hurried down the street to Carousel Boutique. His moral was high and he had happy thoughts racing through him.

Spike approached the entrance to Carousel Boutique with butterflies in his stomach. He never thought that out of everything that had happened since he turned into a pony, he would be on a date with Rarity. The purple pegasus regained his composure and knocked on the door firmly. The door opened to a sight that nearly made Spike's jaw drop. He saw Rarity give him a warm smile while wearing an elegant and glittery sleeveless black dress, a large white pearl necklace, and was wearing two black slip on shoes on her front hooves. He was utterly speechless by the way she looked and nearly fainted.

"Hello darling." Rarity said. "You certainly look like the gentlecolt now don't we?" All Spike could do was mumble a little, earning a bit of a glare from the white unicorn. "Sparky, it is uncouth for a gentlecolt like yourself to act so speechless to a lady."

The purple pegasus broke out of his trance and looked down. "Sorry Rarity, it's just that well...you look beautiful."

The white unicorn smiled at this. "Why thank you darling. I have booked us a reservation at The Stable for us."

Spike nodded and held out his hoof. "May I escort m'lady then?"

Rarity laughed softly and nodded. The two ponies left the shop for the market place with Princess Luna's moon shining down upon the town. Spike and Rarity reached an elegant looking building that was painted red with gold trimming on the side. There was a sign that read, The Stable and the two ponies entered it.

Spike's looked around to see a large room with many round tables with white table cloths and roses in a vase in the middle. There were several chandeliers hanging but not giving off a lot of light, making the place seem dim. The tables were occupied by ponies that were talking softly as they ate. He could also see and hear Moonlight Sonata being played by somepony on a piano in the middle of the room. Spike heard a throat clearing and looked to see a white earth pony stallion wearing a black tuxedo looking at him impatiently.

"Do you have a reservation sir?" The stallion asked in a sophisticated Trottingham accent.

"Yes Nigel." Rarity said before Spike could say anything. "This is the guest I was bringing tonight."

Nigel looked down at a list and nodded. "Forgive me Miss Rarity. I shall escort you and your guest, follow me."

Spike followed Rarity and Nigel through the restaurant to the booth. He was shown a large alcove in a corner with a small chandelier hanging about a small table, two large comfortable chairs on opposite sides, and two plates and sets of silverware on the table.

"Here we are Miss Rarity." Nigel said. "I will leave you and the good sir here to talk amongst each other. I will return to take your order shortly." The stallion turned to leave the two ponies alone.

Spike saw that Rarity wasn't sitting yet, and pulled out a chair for her. "A seat for m'lady?" He asked.

"Oh such a gentlecolt." Rarity said as she sat down. She passed a menu to "Sparky" as he sat down and opened hers to look at her options.

Spike opened his menu to see various salads, sandwiches, hay fries, and pasta. Most of these foods looked good to him, but he didn't know what to choose. The purple pegasus shot a glance at Rarity who was still looking at the menu and just looked around at it some more.

Rarity looked up and saw Spike's eyes darting across the menu. "Darling, are you alright?"

Spike looked to see Rarity and shook his head. "Uh...well Rarity it's just that I've never eaten at a place like this so..." His voice trailed off as he looked away.

"Oh my, I'm terribly sorry Sparky." Rarity said. "If it helps darling, I'll order for the both of us. I'll order you what I usually get: the Blooming Daisy Salad, a glass of water, and a bowl of French Onion Soup on the side. Does that sound good to you darling?" Spike thought it over for a few minutes before nodding, making Rarity smile.

Nigel came in with a pen and pad. "Ready to order Miss Rarity?" The white unicorn nodded and told the white stallion what her and Spike wanted. When he finished writing the order, Nigel gave a nod. "I shall have it out soon Miss Rarity." He left once more.

"So tell me darling." Rarity said to Spike. "How do you like Ponyville so far?"

"It's great Rarity." Spike said. "I was shown around town yesterday by Sweetie Belle and her friends."

"I heard about that yesterday. I think it's wonderful you spent the day with them. So where exactly are you staying?"

Spike smiled at hearing this and decided to put the plan he came up with this morning to use. "I'm staying with Twilight over at the Ponyville Library. I actually got to talk to her and her assistant, Spike, before he left for Canterlot."

"My goodness, you got to talk to him? What did he tell you if you don't mind me asking?"

"Well, he talked about..."

"Excuse me good sir." A voice said causing Spike to look and see it was Nigel with a tray full of food. "I don't mean to intrude on this conversation, but here is your order." He used his hooves to gently place the plates and water down onto the table. "Let me know if there's anything else you need now." The white stallion turned and walked out.

"Wow, that was quick." Spike said looking in awe at the food. "We just ordered and we got it that fast."

Rarity laughed softly at this. "That's because I know one of the chefs here. He was a client that I helped out a while ago and he promised me that he would provide quick, top quality meals."

"That's amazing." Spike looked at the salad which was covered with lettuce, daisy petals, grass, and cheese. He then looked at the brownish soup and a tall glass of water with a lemon in it. "So what should I eat first?"

Rarity was about to eat a spoonful of soup, but stopped when she heard the question. "You must try this soup Sparky; it's simply divine and exquisite."

"If you insist." The purple pegasus took a spoonful of the soup and gave it an experimental taste. He tasted a wonderful spicy taste as well as some cream in it. "Oh man, this is amazing Rarity." The white unicorn smiled upon hearing this and went back to eating her soup as well.

For the next half hour, Spike ate his dinner with Rarity with neither pony saying anything to each other. The purple pegasus tried the Daisy Blossom Salad and found it to be better than any food he had in his life, maybe even better then gems. Soon, the plates and glasses were empty. Nigel came by to clean them off as he showed Rarity the bill. She pulled some bits out and the white stallion took it. He stated he would return with a receipt in a few minutes and left Spike and Rarity alone once more.

"Well Sparky, I hope you enjoyed yourself." Rarity said. "Now that dinner's done with, what were you saying about Spike earlier?"

Spike, who was resting after eating a large dinner, just looked up. He remembered what he had to do and went back to his plan. "Oh, Spike actually talked about Twilight and her friends. He couldn't stop talking about you. He kind of went on about you."

Rarity blushed upon hearing this. "Oh my, that's quite cute of him." She looked up to make sure no pony was coming. "Sparky, do you mind if I tell you something?"

Spike nodded at hearing this.

"Well darling, the truth is that it's no secret in Ponyville that Spike is smitten with me."

The purple pegasus' eyes widened in anticipation, but Rarity didn't seem to notice.

"I've seen what he's done for me like hunting for gems with me and being a pincushion. I think it's rather sweet of him to do so much for me."

Spike felt like he was going to explode with joy from what he was hearing and couldn't help but smile.

"I do wish that he stop chasing after me though."

Spike's smile drooped slowly and thought he misheard Rarity. "Um...what did you say?"

The white unicorn looked down with a sad smile. "Oh, I know Spike has been after me since he came to Ponyville, but I wish he'd stop trying to chase me. I appreciate all he's done for me, but it does get annoying to see him always just follow me wherever I go. I don't know how I'm going to do it, but I need to tell him that I don't have the same feelings for him as he does. He needs to find somepony or some dragon of his own age to be with."

Spike felt everything freeze up and could literally hear the sound of his own heart shattering from what he heard. After everything he did for his crush, Rarity thought he was annoying and had no feelings for him. It took all of Spike's willpower to stop himself from crying, but could feel some tears watering up. It was all over and he couldn't believe what he heard. Everything went into a blur for the purple pegasus. He could see Nigel handing the receipt to Rarity and being escorted out with Rarity, but he couldn't hear anything. The only thing he heard were the harsh words Rarity said.

"Sparky!" Rarity's shouted. Spike looked at her with a forced straight face. "Darling, we must hurry back to my boutique! The storm is coming!"

A huge gust of wind blew right passed the white unicorn. She closed her eyes as it picked up and shielded herself. The wind died down in a few minutes and Rarity opened her eyes again.

"Well Sparky, would you escort me back home?" She heard no response and looked to see he was gone. "How dare he leave a lady like me..." A huge gust of wind cut her off and started to feel rain drops. "Oh good heavens no! My coiffure will be ruined!" She took off to her shop, forgetting her anger to "Sparky".

Spike rushed on back to the library as the rain started to pick up. Spike could feel tears build up in him and streak down his face as he ran. He wanted to get away from the pain he was feeling. It was worse than anything he ever felt in his life. By the time he reached the library, the rain was coming down in a steady pace. He entered to see Twilight was putting away some books and looked at the soaked purple pegasus with a warm smile.

"Hi Spike." The lilac unicorn said. "Give me a minute to dry you off from the rain." Her horn glowed, casting an aura around Spike for a few seconds until a poof noise went out. His body was now dry.

"So how was your dinner with...?" She noticed Spike hanging his head and drops coming from his eyes, making her concerned. "Spike, are you okay?" She got no response. "Spike look at me."

The purple pegasus raised his head and looked at Twilight with a mixture of sorrow and pain on his face while tears streamed down his face. "Twilight...you were right." He said in a cracked voice. "You were right about Rarity."

"Spike what do you...?" The realization suddenly hit the lilac unicorn. "Spike...did...did she...?"

Spike couldn't hold it back anymore and cried. "Y...yes Twilight!" The purple pegasus blubbered between sobs. "I...I asked her...about...about how she felt about me. She doesn't like me...SHE HATES ME! She thinks I'm annoying and creepy!"

Twilight was shocked at hearing this and went to give her assistant a hug. "Spike...I'm so sorry." She suddenly felt herself be pushed away by the purple pegasus as she got close.

Spike hung his head as he turned and went upstairs to the bedroom. "You...you and Applejack were right. I should've given up on her." The purple pegasus went into the room and shut the door.

Twilight looked at the door to her bedroom door feeling guilty and depressed. The rain was falling heavily, but the sound of it was drowned out by her assistant's wailing. She decided to give Spike some time alone and used her magic to conjure up a large fluffy purple sleeping bag. The lilac unicorn turned off the lights and crawled into bed, but she couldn't sleep. All she could hear was Spike's sobbing echoing.

Twilight felt a tear swell up in her eye and run down her cheek. "I'm sorry Spike." She said in a cracked voice.

Deep in the castle of the Disciples of Nightmare Moon, Lord Sandro sat on his throne and looked towards the tall brown doors. They opened to a dark brown stallion in royal guard armor. He bowed before the throne and removed his helmet to reveal it was Captain Sanderson.

"You may rise captain." Lord Sandro said in a cold menacing tone. "What do you have to report?"

The brown stallion rose and said, "Lord Sandro, as we feared Princess Celestia sent down the Royal Guard to block us. Thanks to some of our spies we were able to capture and kill some of them to take their places."

"You have done well Captain."

"I have even more good news for you my Lord. I've found the one that betrayed us all those years ago. He's hiding in town in some run down building."

"Hmmm...most interesting Sanderson." The hooded stallion said sinisterly. "Now that we know where he is, it's time to make an example of him. I want you to lead a team in capturing him."

"It shall be done my Lord." The brown stallion said as he bowed. "What about those ponies? Princess Celestia will soon notice that we have..."

"You don't need to worry about that Sanderson." Lord Sandro said cutting him off. "Tomorrow, we finally reveal ourselves and start to capture not only those six ponies, but Sparky as well."

"My Lord...does this mean...?"

"Yes Captain Sanderson, the time has come at long last."

The dark brown stallion's eyes widened upon hearing this. "My Lord, forgive me but even if we do execute the order, I still see no reason to bring Sparky here. We don't even have the..."

"Still that tongue of yours Sanderson." Lord Sandro said in an icy tone. The dark brown stallion wisely closed his mouth. "Now then as I was saying, the archeologists found the seventh one at last. It's being kept in my private chambers."

Captain Sanderson's eyes narrowed and smiled smugly. "Shall I attack them tomorrow?"

"Patience there Sanderson, we will still need time in setting up the Ritual Circle here. I expect no more than two days for all of them to be captured and brought here. Soon we will have our revenge against Princess Celestia and the disciples will take what is ours."

"What do you wish me to do Lord Sandro?"

The hooded stallion used his magic to conjure up five scrolls. "Return to Ponyville posthaste and give these scrolls to the 'commanders' of the Royal Guards. Each one of them has a name on it and they are to be given to these 'commanders' only. Before you capture our traitor, I want you to deal with the Princess' prized pupil. She won't be easy to capture, but I won't accept any failure from you."

"Yes my Lord."

"Afterwards, I want you to go to this building our traitor is hiding at and bring him to me. I want you to also bring me the tablets I'm sure us being kept in the building."

"As you wish Lord Sandro."

"Good, now go and give those orders. I need to put the final touches on our plan."

Captain Sanderson bowed and went out of the throne room to do his duty.

Lord Sandro stood as he looked upon a moon that was being covered up by dark billowing storm clouds. He smirked from under his hood. "Once more the Disciples of Nightmare Moon will rule Equestria." He said to himself. "Princess Celestia will soon feel the queen's wrath and we shall burn her."

He let out a cold menacing laugh that echoed throughout the throne room. His horn glowed a dark energy and with a flash, teleported out of the castle.

Nightfall

Spike looked around to see that he was in Ponyville, but he felt some malevolent presence in it. All the buildings were devoid of color and were gray. The sky was pitch black and there was nopony on the streets. He then looked at himself and saw that he was back to being a dragon again.

"Hello?" He asked. "Um...hello? Is there anypony here?" There was no response. "Where is everypony? Twilight? Applejack? Rainbow? Where are you?" Spike still heard nothing and felt a little scared.

Spike's ears suddenly picked up the sound of hooves trotting and looked around to see where it was coming from. The hoofsteps got louder, but the baby dragon couldn't see where it was coming from and felt a little intimidated. Then, out of the shadows of a building's ally way came Rarity. Feeling flushed with relief, Spike rushed over to her.

"Rarity, am I glad to see OOF!" Spike felt himself be pushed to the ground and smacked into a lamppost.

"Get lost loser!" A voice shouted.

Spike rubbed his head and looked to see a purple pegasus with a scruffy flat green mane and green eyes. He realized he was looking at himself as Sparky. The baby dragon looked on in fear while the pegasus gave him a smug smile.

"You heard me you foal, get lost!" The purple pegasus shouted.

"But...but you're me." Spike said. "We're both the same pony...uh dragon...uh..."

"Get a clue you idiot!" The pegasus barked. "She's not interested in you! She's interested in a real stallion like me. She's got no time for a pathetic dragon such as you."

"Hey! I...I'm not pathetic!"

"You think so huh? You honestly thought you had a chance with Rarity here? You've got to be kidding me. All you are is just some lovesick foal who thinks he could win over somepony like her!"

"He's right Spike." Rarity said coldly and snuggled Sparky. "This whole chasing me has gone on quite enough. If you want to make yourself useful, then you can be the ring bearer for my marriage to Sparky."

"W-what!?" Spike shouted in disbelief. "But Rarity, I..."

"Oh forget it then." Rarity snapped. "I've been patient with you long enough and I don't have time for you. Now leave me and Sparky alone and go find your own dragon to have." The white unicorn turned around and grabbed Sparky's hoof. The two walked away and into the shadows.

Spike collapsed onto the ground and could hear his heat shatter like glass. "R-Rarity...don't leave me! I...I love you!" Spike saw the shadows close in on him until the ground was gone and he fell through screaming.

Spike woke up with a cold sweat on him. He looked around to see he was in the spare bed of Twilight's room in the Ponyville Library. A pounding noise caused him to look outside to see billowing black clouds with a steady stream of rain falling. Spike threw his head against the pillow and laid there for what seemed to be an eternity. It had been two days now since Spike's realization about how Rarity felt about him. The purple pegasus shut himself off from all of Ponyville and had no intentions of coming out of hiding. He wondered if Twilight was going to try to coax him out of bed like yesterday. He recalled what happened yesterday with the aftermath of his date.

The purple pegasus heard the door knock softly.

"Spike?" A voice asked.

Spike knew it was Twilight and turned in his bed. He heard the door open and the light from downstairs brighten the room. The purple pegasus heard Twilight approaching him and hesitantly looked at her. He could see in the darkness the lilac had a mixture of pain and regret on her face. She was levitating a silver tray with a bowl of red soup with a glass of water. He recognized the soup as his all time favorite, tomato soup, and could tell Twilight was trying to make him ease up.

"What do you want?" Spike asked in a raspy voice on level with Barry's. "You ready to tell me how right you were about Rarity? If you are, then just go away then."

Twilight looked down, feeling guilty about what she said to her friend. "Spike, I want to first of all say how sorry I am for what I said. I know I teased you a lot about your fascination with Rarity, but I really didn't think that you really liked her. I realized last night how much you wanted to win her over with what you did in the last couple of days."

"That's a first." Spike spat.

"I'm sure Rarity didn't mean what she said." Twilight said in comforting tone. "She didn't know it was you and perhaps wanted to break it to you gently."

"Then she shouldn't have taken my heart and smash it to bits then. She doesn't even like me as a dragonfriend and she most likely doesn't like me as any kind of friend."

"Spike, that's not true. I know she sees you as one of her best friends and a great dragon to be with. Besides, you can probably find some other pony that more in your league."

"So you agree with her then huh Twilight?" Spike asked coldly. "You think I was just a creep to her?"

Twilight was taken aback by this. "W-what? I didn't mean that Spike. I meant that you could probably find another pony to get your mind off..."

"Save it Twilight!" The purple pegasus shouted hoarsely.

"But...but...."

"Get out!" Spike barked. He grabbed the tray and threw it against the wall. The bowl and cup shattered against the wall and splashed the contents on the wall. "Just leave me alone already and stop bothering me!"

Twilight hung her head in defeat and moved away from Spike. She used her magic to clean up the mess and throw the broken bowl into a trashcan. She walked out the door and looked back at Spike again to see he was glaring at her. The lilac unicorn turned away and shut the door behind her. Spike turned away from the door and closed his eyes tightly.

Later on in the day, the door to the bedroom was knocked again, but sounded more firm. He heard the door open and the light cast upon his bed again.

"Spike?" A southern voice asked.

The purple pegasus knew it was Applejack, but he refused to look at her. He believed that the farmer pony was going to rub it in him that she was right about Rarity not liking him.

"Sugarcube, Ah want t'talk y'ya 'bout what happened." That farmer pony said. "Twilight told me 'bout last night with Rarity. Ah wanted t'say..."

"You were right all along right?" Spike asked bitterly.

The orange mare was taken aback by this. "What in tarnation are y'all talkin' 'bout Spike?"

"Don't give me any of that Applejack." The purple pegasus said. "You told me that what I was doing with Rarity was a wild goose chase."

The orange mare rubbed her head and looked down frowning. "Ya know Spike, Ah still feel bad 'bout what Ah said t'ya that day. Y'all have every right t'be angry, but don't shut us out of yer life. Twi and Ah are gittin' worried 'bout ya."

"I don't care anymore Applejack. After everything I've done for Rarity, it seems you and Twi were right all along. Just leave me alone and go away."

Applejack placed a hoof on Spike's head. "Listen sugarcube, Ah..." She suddenly felt a pair of hooves push her away. She looked to see Spike's face looking red and his eyes swollen from all his crying.

"Just go away!" Spike shouted. "I...I just want to be alone and not see any of you."

Applejack got up and walked towards the bedroom door. She turned to see Spike lying back in bed turned away from her. "Ah was gonna say sugarcube that Ah'm mighty sorry 'bout what happened. Ah wish Ah could've been there to tell Rarity off, but Ah couldn't. Ah just want y'all t'know we'll be here t'make ya feel better sugarcube." She turned around and closed the bedroom door behind her, leaving a bitter and hurt Spike behind.

Since then, Spike lost all interest. He only came out of his room for some food or the bathroom. He didn't care about what happened anymore. He tried to forget about Rarity, but every attempt he tried to failed. He really hated what she said to him, but a small part of him wanted to still like her. He felt conflicted on what to do and decided maybe a nap would help him. Covering himself in the blanket, Spike fell into an uneasy sleep with thoughts of Rarity on his mind.

Outside the east entrance of Ponyville, the rain was starting to pick up. Rainbow Dash struggled a little to fly over to a red tent near the entrance. She went in and made her way towards a buffed white stallion with a short red mane and tail sitting at a desk.

The stallion was busy filling out paperwork, but saw the sky blue pegasus in the corner of his eye. "Ah good afternoon Miss Rainbow Dash." He said looking up. "I'm glad you were able to make it."

"No offense Commander Cameron, but what the hay!?" Rainbow asked irritably. "I can barely see out in this rain! I doubt those disciples are going to really do anything on a day like this!"

"Relax Miss Dash." The white stallion said. "We need to be vigilant in this time of danger. I need you to go patrol the southern area outside Ponyville. We're one guard short there and we can't risk one loose end in security."

"Yes Commander Cameron." The sky blue pegasus said growling. She turned around and made her way out into the downpour again.

The white stallion watched Rainbow trot out and went back to his duties.

"Commander Reynolds." A cold voice rang out in his head.

He stopped instantly and closed his eyes in concentration. "Yes Captain Sanderson?" He said in his mind.

"Commence Operation: Nightfall at once. We can't keep Lord Sandro waiting anymore."

"It shall be done Captain."

The white stallion marched outside into the rain and looked at a blue pegasus in royal guard armor. He pointed the pegasus to a nearby storm cloud and nodded. The blue pegasus saluted and few up to the cloud. Commander Reynolds looked in the sky and noticed Rainbow Dash flying around in the rain and smirked.

"BLAST HER!" He shouted to the blue pegasus.

He nodded and stomped on the storm cloud, causing a lightning bolt to shoot out of the cloud. Rainbow was oblivious to the impending danger. She had no time to react as the lightning bolt hit her in between her wings. She screamed in agony and plummeted to the ground. Two "royal guards" caught her with a net and brought her to Commander Reynolds. The white stallion smirked a bit and motioned his troops to take her away.

At the entrance of Sweet Apple Acres, Caramel was squinting his eyes to look around. Despite the wind blowing and the pounding of rain, he heard something crash not too far from the eastern orchard he was standing by. Caramel quickly ran over towards the noise. He came across two white stallions in royal guard armor and heard one of them scold the other.

"Excuse me sirs!" Caramel shouted as he stepped forward. "What are you all doing here?"

He saw the two stallions glaring at him and saw a pair of unicorn horns charging a white glow. The tan stallion stepped back nervously, wondering what was going on.

Caramel suddenly saw a red blur charged past him and ducked. He saw the blur tackle the two white stallions to the ground. He came up slowly to see Big Macintosh standing on top of the stallions.

"Somethin' ain't right here." The red stallion said. "Come on Caramel, Applejack's back at the homestead."

The tan stallion nodded and galloped along with Big Macintosh. As they approached the homestead, Caramel saw Applejack run out with a few "royal guards" shooting bolts of lightning that narrowly missed her. He narrowed his eyes and charged at one of the attackers. Caramel knocked a red stallion to the ground and started to punch him in the face repeatedly. The other two noticed what was going on and charged their horns at the tan stallion. They were about to fire a spell, but they were suddenly tackled on the sides. They looked to see Big Macintosh, with a cold glare on his face. Applejack stopped running and looked to see Caramel and her big brother struggling against the attackers.

"RUN FOR IT APPLEJACK!" Caramel barked. "WE'LL HOLD THEM OFF WHILE YOU GET HELP!"

"Hold on there Caramel!" Applejack shouted. "Ah can help y'all! Let me git mah..."

"THERE'S NO TIME APPLEJACK! GO!"

The farmer pony nodded and bolted towards the entrance to the apple farm. As she reached the gate, several "royal guards" came out of the rain and had their horns glowing with energy. Before she could even turn around, the unicorns fired streams of energy at Applejack, hitting her repeatedly and knocking her to the ground unconscious. The "guards" were met up by the other group. They each had Caramel and Big Macintosh levitated in the air.

"Leave them here soldier." One of the guards said. "We must bring back this mare to the castle."

The group nodded and levitated Applejack away from the farm. Another group stayed behind and tied up Big Macintosh and Caramel.

Pinkie Pie was busy cleaning up a table and humming happily. She heard the door to Sugarcube Corner open and turned to see a yellow "royal guard" stallion approaching her. The pink mare hopped over happily and gave a cheerful smile.

"You're Miss Pinkamena Diane Pie correct?" The guard asked.

"You got it, but call me Pinkie Pie!" She shouted shouted. She watched the guard pull out a pink frosted cupcake with a cherry on top. She let out a squeal of delight and tackled the guard. "Ooo! Can I have that? Pretty please with exploding chocolate milk."

The guard pushed Pinkie off and said, "Yes Miss Pie, this is for you. Consider it a gift for your dedication here at this bakery." He handed the cupcake over to the pink mare.

Pinkie took the cupcake and swallowed it in one gulp. "Mmmm! Strawberry flavored icing! My...fav..." She suddenly felt very drowsy and collapsed on the floor.

The yellow stallion used the horn under his helmet to levitate Pinkie out of the shop before being noticed. He went out and was greeted by six other "royal guards" and nodded at them as he took his captive away. The guards saluted and went to the side of the bakery.

Inside the bathroom, Fluttershy was finishing washing herself up. She heard the crying of a creature and looked out the window to see a baby blue bird struggling against the wind and rain. The yellow pegasus gasped and ran out so fast, it would've made Rainbow's jaw drop. She fought her way through the wind and rain until she reached the location of the baby bird's crying. As Fluttershy looked around, she couldn't see the baby bird and was initially worried he got blown away.

All of a sudden, she saw six "royal guards" step out of the rain and had their unicorn horns glowing with energy. Before the yellow pegasus could ask anything, she was immediately hit with several simultaneous bolts of magic and collapsed onto the ground. They levitated her and placed her onto a cargo wagon next to Pinkie.

Rarity was busy making some tea for herself in her shop. She levitated a tea set towards the table and placed it down. She went over to grab a red book to read. Just as she was about to start reading her book, the door knocked loudly. She put the tea and book down and made her way to the door. The white unicorn cracked the door open to see a gray stallion in royal guard armor staring at her.

"Miss Rarity?" The guard asked in a Stalliongrad accent.

"Yes, what can I do for you?"

The guard suddenly kicked the door down and knocked Rarity to the floor. The white unicorn looked in panic as several more "guards" entered the shop and had unicorn horns glowing with energy. Hastily, Rarity's horn glowed and levitated several items at the guards. The guards dodged to the side and watched as Rarity ran off into the back of the shop.

The groups charged up their horns and fired bolts of lightning at the white unicorn. Rarity felt several of them whiz pass her, but one bolt managed to hit her square in the back of her head. She fell to the floor unconscious. The "royal guards" came up to their captive and bound her up before taking her away.

The gray stallion closed his eyes and his horn glowed with energy. "Captain Sanderson this is Commander Steel." He said in his mind. "I am happy to report that the white unicorn is now in our hooves."

"Excellent work there commander." The dark brown stallion said. "I have been reported about the others and their successes as well. Return to the castle with your captive. I shall join you all soon."

"Yes captain." The stallion used his magic to levitate Rarity and escort her out of her shop. He placed her onto a cart that held Rarity's friends that were all bound and gagged as well.

In the Ponyville Library, Twilight was looking at a book and read instructions for a new spell. She looked at an apple and powered up her horn. Just as she was about to fire a spell, her door busted open. She quickly turned around to see a brown unicorn stallion in royal guard armor come in. Twilight felt something sinister from the stallion.

"Can I help you?" The lilac unicorn asked.

"Oh yes you can Miss Sparkle." He said sinisterly. "You can come with me now." He charged up his horn and fired an energy bolt at Twilight.

The lilac unicorn dodged the energy blast at her and her horn glowed. She quickly turned around and fired an ice bolt at the guard, but he dodged it and charged at her. Twilight quickly used her magic to teleport to the other side of stallion. She shot out a lightning bolt at the brown stallion and hit him in the back. The guard cried out in a mixture of anger and pain. He turned around and glared at Twilight. The two unicorns' horns charged up again and fired energy blasts at each other.

Spike was resting in his bed when he suddenly heard a loud crash. He got up and felt his bed shake a little from a blast coming downstairs. The purple pegasus went to the door and opened it to see Twilight and the "royal guard" fighting each other. He slowly backed away and watched as the lilac unicorn levitated a large model globe and threw it at the guard. The brown unicorn was thrown to the ground and dazed from the attack.

Twilight was gasping for breath and looked around at the ruined library. She suddenly noticed Spike at the top with a shocked look at him and took this chance to mouth one word at him: hide. Spike hesitantly nodded and shut the door to the bedroom. He quickly retreated into the closet in time as he heard some shouting and explosions. The purple pegasus felt helpless as his friend fought valiantly for not only her life, but his as well.

The fighting seemed to last what seemed to be hours until all of a sudden, it stopped. Spike heard no shouting, no crashing, and no explosions. The only thing he heard was the heavy pounding of the rain against the windows. He slowly opened the closet door and heard hoofsteps come upstairs to the room. The door opened and to Spike's horror instead of Twilight, it was the brown stallion standing in the entryway. He quickly hid himself behind the winter clothing and prayed to Celestia he wouldn't be found. Spike heard the hoofsteps come closer to the closet and felt his heart pounding with fear as he got closer. He closed his eyes and hoped for the best.

"Captain Sanderson!" A stallion's voice rang out in the library bedroom.

"What is it?" He asked coolly.

"Some of the real royal guards are onto us! They've gotten word about the attacks at where the other targets were!"

"Hmm...this is troubling. Take that unicorn out of here. I'll go deal with that traitor and capture him myself."

"Yes sir!"

Spike heard the galloping of hooves leave the room and waited until they couldn't be heard. He slowly got out and smelled something burning from the first floor. He quickly made his way to the library foyer and was met by a gruesome sight. Many of the books fell from their shelves and were scattered on the floor. There were burn marks on the walls and ceiling that were giving off smoke. Spike had no time to take in the sight as he needed to find the others before they suffered the same fate as Twilight.

The purple pegasus went outside into the harsh rain and wind and thought about which area to hit first. He decided that since Carousel Boutique was closer to the library, that he'd check it out first. Spike galloped as fast as his pony legs could until he reached Rarity's place and felt his heart sink form what he saw. In front of the shop, there were several royal guards barking orders and sending other guards in different directions. Cautiously, Spike got close to hear what was going on. He sneaked up and hid behind a crate to hear what the guards were saying.

"What in the name of Celestia is going on here!?" A white Earth pony stallion demanded. "I've been getting reports of attacks from here to that apple farm!"

"Sir we don't understand!" A green stallion shouted. "We found two survivors at the apple farm that suffered a brutal beating. They said something about us before passing out."

"What!? How is that possible lieutenant!? We've been..."

"General Craig!" A yellow stallion shouted running up. "I...there's...um..."

"Speak the Princess' language you foal!" General Craig barked.

"Some of the checkpoints around town have been deserted! We can't find the soldiers or any of the commanders at their post!"

The white stallion's eyes narrowed and shook with rage. "WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!?" He boomed. "How can our own men just...leave..." General Craig stopped talking and recalled what his subordinate said about the survivors. A dark revelation hit him and his eyes narrowed in anger. "We've been had." He said quietly.

"E-excuse me sir?" The yellow stallion asked.

"WE'VE BEEN HAD!" General Craig shouted. "WE HAVE TRAITORS AND SPIES AMONGST US! COLONEL ERICSON!"

"Yes sir!" The green stallion shouted.

"Lock down the checkpoints now, and have all guards on alert! Nopony is allowed in or out of this town!" He turned to the yellow stallion. "Lieutenant Cody, I want you to come with me and write a message to Princess Celestia!"

"Yes sir!" The two guards barked and saluted. Colonel Ericson ran off to alert the other guards while Lieutenant Cody followed General Craig.

Spike felt his insides churn around a little bit. Not only was Twilight gone, but so was Applejack and Rarity. Hoping that the others were fine, Spike bolted off towards Sugarcube Corner. As he galloped through the harsh rain, Spike saw to his horror that the bakery also had several guards overlooking what seemed to be a crime scene. Spike felt his knees buckle and gave out. The purple pegasus felt many emotions race through him from fear to sorrow.

He realized that he was too late to do anything for his friends. He thought of trying to find Rainbow Dash, but he had a hunch that she suffered the same fate. Spike heard the galloping of hooves approach him fast and decided to duck into a nearby ally. He hid behind a trashcan and waited for the galloping to die down until it could be heard no more.

Spike laid against the trashcan and contemplated on what to do. He wanted to get help, but felt afraid to be caught by the imposter guards. Spike heard more ponies approaching him and ducked again.

"Get some scouts over to those alleys now!" A stallion ordered. "I want this entire town secured immediately. The rest of you are with me! We'll check by that potion shop!"

"YES SIR!" A group of stallions shouted.

Spike heard the galloping of hooves again as the guards ran off. He heard one of them mention a potion shop and felt something click in his mind. The purple pegasus knew of only one potion shop in Ponyville: Barry's shop. Spike thought that maybe he was right that Barry may be behind this. He realized he had to get there and finally get the answers the gray unicorn held.

"Sir, I'm going to check this alley!" A stallion shouted.

Spike realized one of the guards was coming his way. He quickly galloped away from the alley before being caught. The purple pegasus slowed down as he reached the end of another alley. He peaked his head out to see he was close to Barry's shop and no guards were seen. Spike gulped a little as he made his way towards the shop, ready to confront the mysterious unicorn at last.

Barry's shop was groaning as the wind pushed against it. The only light from the two story building was from a window on the far right side. Inside the room, there were a bunch of beakers and test tubes full of various liquids of all colors. Around the beakers was a large workbench that had many tubes, electrical rods, and small burners across it. Barry was looking at a beaker full of pink liquid that had two electrical rods connected to it.

The gray stallion looked at a large gray box with a red switch to his right. He used his magic to create a white aura around the switch and activated it. Barry watched as the beaker was bubbling with small waves of electricity coursing through it. He took some notes for a few minutes. He then noticed the beaker was shaking violently and the liquid had turned purple. Barry turned off the red switch before the beaker could burst.

"Ah horseapples." The gray stallion said. "I thought that was the right mixture for the..."

He suddenly heard the door to his lab burst open and turned to see who it was. He looked upon a brown unicorn stallion who had some cuts and bruises and his royal guard armor was banged up. The brown stallion gave a cold smile at Barry.

"If you're looking for a place to heal, then go to the hospital." Barry said coolly. "I'm afraid I don't have anything to help you out."

"Don't try and play dumb with me 'Barry'." The brown stallion said. "There is something you have for me. Something that you took from me ten years ago."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Stop playing me for a foal. You know very well what I'm looking for and how important it is to me."

"So you're still after me after all these years huh?" Barry asked.

"You've been very elusive to me, but nopony gets away from me in the end." The brown stallion said. "You took what I needed and I'll make sure you won't get away with what you've done. Now I'm only going to tell you this once. Give me those tablets right now, or I'll be forced to 'persuade' you into doing so."

"I'm afraid you've come too late now Captain Sanderson." Barry said. "I destroyed those tablets a couple of years ago."

"What!? You lie!" Captain Sanderson said furiously. "You...you still have those tablets! You couldn't have destroyed them!"

"I'm not kidding with you captain. As soon as I finished studying the hieroglyphics and decoded them, I disposed the tablets. The knowledge you seek for is now only known to me."

"You...you couldn't have." The brown unicorn said, with anger building in his voice.

"Oh, I did already." Barry said with a smug smile. "I think I remember you saying that nopony ever defeated or outwitted you. It seems I did that to you twice now." The gray unicorn couldn't help but laugh.

The brown stallion glared for a few moments and his eye twitched. "Very well...I'll just have to torture you for the information you have in that brain of yours." His horn glowed a brown aura.

"You will try won't you?" Barry asked as his horn glowed a white aura.

Captain Sanderson and Barry did nothing and waited for whoever would make the first move. Barry blinked and opened his eyes in time to see a lightning bolt headed towards him. He jumped to the side and heard the bolt collide with the wall. The gray stallion saw out of the corner of his right eye Sanderson charge at him. He fired an energy blast him, hitting him square in the chest. Sanderson fell over and could feel his skin scorching with pain, but he shrugged it off and got back up.

The brown unicorn's horn glowed and levitated an electrical rod on the workbench. He threw it at the back of Barry's head, causing his vision to blur a little. He stumbled around a bit, but saw Sanderson charge at him again. He was punched in the face and fell to the ground. Barry felt his body shifting and looked to see Sanderson pinning him down. Barry's horn glowed and he teleported out of the grasp of the brown stallion. Sanderson looked around, but before he could react he felt a large lightning bolt hit him on the side. He looked to see Barry glaring at him and snorted a little. The two unicorn stallion's horns charged with energy and fired a bolt of energy at each other.

Spike carefully made his way around Ponyville to avoid any royal guards. He ducked into an ally every couple of minutes to avoid patrols that were marching through the slick wet streets. As the rain picked up more and more, Spike walked along another ally until he could finally see Barry's shop. The purple pegasus made sure no guards were coming and entered the shop.

Spike saw it was very dim in the shop, with the only light coming from a few lit lanterns that were hanging on the wall. He was about to call out for Barry when suddenly he heard a crashing noise from upstairs. Curiosity overtook the purple pegasus and looked around for a way upstairs. Spike eyes squinted as he looked around, but behind the shop's desk he could see a brown door. The purple pegasus went over to the door and opened it. The door revealed a well lit swirling staircase. Spike wasted no time and climbed the steps.

He reached the top of the staircase and opened the door to see a sight eerily similar to the library. There were scorch marks on the wall, a couple of walls had holes in them, and several small contained fires burning. He heard the heavy breathing of ponies and looked to see near a ruined lab workbench Barry fighting the brown stallion he saw. Spike tried to keep himself hidden, hoping he wouldn't be seen.

Captain Sanderson though saw Spike in the crack of the entryway and grinned sinisterly. "It seems we have a guest. Come on out Sparky and I promise 'Barry' here won't die."

"Don't do it Sparky!" Barry shouted feebly. "I...I'll hold him off...go get OOF!" The gray stallion was hit with a beaker full of red liquid. He collapsed onto the ground unconscious.

Sanderson looked at his defeated foe and then at the door. "It's useless to try anything else Sparky. Come on out before your friend here suffers a fate far worse than that weak lilac unicorn."

Spike knew he was talking about Twilight and felt anger building in him. He opened the door and heard it slam shut as he passed it.

"You made a wise choice my friend." Captain Sanderson said. "It's a shame though, I was hoping to rough this foal a little bit more." He looked at Barry's unconscious body and smirked. "Maybe one more kick will do."

The brown stallion kicked Barry's body. The gray unicorn was sent flying for a second before crashing down to the side of Sanderson.

"Who are you anyway?" Spike asked.

"Captain Sanderson at your service." The brown stallion said. "Second in command of the Disciples of Nightmare Moon and the right hoof of my lord."

"What have you done with my friends!?"

"Patience there Sparky. I can assure you that your friends are fine...for the moment that is. I will tell you that they're under the protection of my lord. If you refuse to come with me and 'Barry' here, then I can't guarantee their safety."

"What do you want with me anyway?" Spike asked. "You all kept hurting my friends, but you all need me for something. I don't understand what's going on."

"You mean to tell me you haven't noticed the power you have?" Captain Sanderson asked. "Do you understand what you really are?"

"No!"

"You're kidding right? You mean to tell me that 'Barry' over there never told you. That's quite a surprise since he knows everything about what you are."

"What are you talking about!? I'm a dra...um pegasus! What else could there be!?"

"All will be explained when I take you to my lord's castle." Sanderson looked back at Barry. "Now come with me, or you'll suffer the same fate as this traitor here."

'Traitor?' Spike thought to himself.

"So what will it be?"

Spike shook his head in anger. "No! I won't let you get away with this!"

Sanderson's smirk melted into a glare. "Then I'll make sure you suffer the same fate as your friends." His horn glowed with energy.

Spike snorted a little and prepared himself to charge at the brown stallion. He could see Sanderson give another smirk and looked confident. The purple pegasus felt a little intimidated by his opponent, but pushed those fears aside and charged at him.

'This is too easy.' Sanderson thought to himself. He prepared to fire a large energy bolt at him.

He was suddenly hit with a glass beaker, throwing his concentration off. The brown stallion looked to see at the side Barry slowly getting up. Remembering he had to fight some other pony, Sanderson turned back to Spike. He had no time to react as the purple pegasus slammed into him.

Sanderson was sent flying into the workbench. The various beakers and tube shattered, the liquids spilled, and the wires from the electrical rods came apart. The brown stallion felt glass penetrate his body, the liquids soaking him, and the wires wrapped around his body. He shot a cold glare at "Sparky" as he slowly got up.

"It's going to take more than that to defeat me Sparky."

Sanderson slowly made his way towards Spike when all of a sudden, he slipped on a puddle and lost his balance. He fell forward and reached out with his front right hoof to stop him from falling. He grasped the red switch on the gray box and saw the electrical symbol on the box. Before he could react though, the brown unicorn flipped the switch and activated it.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" He cried in a blood curdling scream.

The electricity coursing through Sanderson could be seen by Spike and Barry as they looked on. The room flickered with bolts of lightning coming from the brown unicorn. His mane frizzled and fried until it was standing up. His body twitched around wildly and felt paralyzed. His screams of suffering echoed in the room for a minute before they finally died down.

Barry got up slowly and used the last bit of magic left to turn off the switch. Sanderson's body stopped twitching, but electricity could still be seen surrounding some of his body. The brown stallion's body sizzled and smoke billowed from his body. Sanderson gave raspy breathing as he seemingly crawled towards Spike. Spike backed away from him until the brown unicorn gave a death rattle and collapsed on the ground.

Spike stared at the deceased stallion for a few minutes before a loud groan interrupted him. He turned to see Barry was covered in wounds and was barely standing up. The purple pegasus rushed over to help Barry and try to hold him up. Just as Spike was about to speak to Barry, the door to the room crashed down. He looked to see General Craig along with Colonel Ericson and Lieutenant Cody standing at the doorway.

"Alright freeze!" General Craig barked. "Somepony want to tell me what's going on here? One moment we're patrolling the area and the next I see bright flashes flicker on and off from this shop."

The white stallion smelled flesh burning and looked to see Captain Sanderson's corpse. He turned to Spike who was holding Barry. Craig's eyes narrowed and gritted his teeth.

"Well it looks like we have our criminal mastermind here." General Craig said coldly.

"M-mastermind?" Spike asked feeling intimidated.

"Don't play games with us you foal." The white stallion spat. "You not only attacked and kidnapped six mares, but now you've murdered one of our own guards."

Spike's heart sank and panic ran through him. "W-wait you don't understand! That's not a royal guard! He was..."

"Silence you!" Craig barked in a deep booming voice. "You can tell that to the princess when you are tried for crimes against ponykind. Now you'll come with us, or we'll take you in by force."

"Please wait! I..." Spike felt a white aura surround his body and was levitated. He looked to see General Craig looking vivid.

"I don't have time for this! You're going to tell us where you took those mares!"

"That's enough General Craig!" A voice rang out.

The white stallion and his escort looked to see Princess Celestia at the doorway. She looked down at the royal guards with a glare on her face. Craig released "Sparky" and bowed along with his escort.

"Greetings your highness." General Craig stated. "We caught the one who kidnapped your apprentice and her friends. Now he's even killed one of our own guards. We're preparing to..."

"General, let me ask you something." The white alicorn said sternly. "Have you ever seen that stallion in the royal guard before?"

Craig was taken aback by this and turned to Sanderson. He trotted over to the fried body and tried to think of any other stallion like him. He felt a cascade of ice drop in his stomach from the realization. He turned back towards Princess Celestia and tried to maintain his cool.

"Uh...n-no your highness, I-I've never seen this guard before." Craig said quietly. "I-I guess I um..."

"That's enough out of you general." Princess Celestia said sounding a little calmer. "I will take care of the shopkeeper and the pegasus here. In the meantime, I want you to lock down the town and don't allow any other pony in or out. Do I make myself clear?"

General Craig nodded a little and said, "Y-yes your highness." He turned back towards Ericson and Cody. "Let's go men, we've got work to do."

Craig went out the door with Ericson and Cody following him. Princess Celestia waited until they couldn't be heard anymore and then used her magic to fix the door. She closed the door and her horn glowed a white aura. The room flashed with a bright white light for a quick second.

"That will keep any eavesdroppers out." Princess Celestia said. "This soundproof spell should make sure we aren't being heard." The white alicorn looked at Spike and Barry with a small smile. She went over to Barry and lowered her head.

"Stay still now." Princess Celestia said.

Her horn glowed and a white aura surrounded Barry. Slowly, the wounds around the gray stallion started patching up. A scorch mark on his right side slowly faded away. When the wounds were healed, Princess Celestia moved away.

The gray stallion stretched and groaned a little as he got up. He looked at Princess Celestia and said, "I'd never thought I'd see you again your highness. How long has it been?"

"About ten years now. I thought I'd never see you again, but here you are in Ponyville of all places."

Spike seemed to feel invisible to Barry and Princess Celestia. He was trying to figure out what they were talking about.

"Spike?"

The purple pegasus broke out of his trance and saw Celestia was in front of him. He bowed down. "P-Princess Celestia, Twilight she's...she's..."

"I know Spike." The white alicorn said sadly. "I already know what happened to my faithful student and her friends."

Spike lowered his head and shook a little. "It...it's all my fault." He said with his voice cracking.

"What do you mean Spike?"

"It's my fault Twilight and the others are gone. I couldn't save them."

The purple pegasus felt tears building up in his eyes. He made no effort to hide it and let them drip down his face. Spike suddenly felt a pair of white wings cover him and felt Princess Celestia hug him. He looked up to see she had a sad look on her face.

"It's okay Spike...it's okay." She said gently. "I'm sure that you did everything you could to..."

"No! No I didn't!" Spike shouted hoarsely. "I...I didn't do anything at all. I...I told them to leave me alone."

"Leave you alone?"

Spike nodded and sat on the floor.

"Spike, I need you to explain to me about what happened." Princess Celestia said calmly.

Spike looked up to the white alicorn and slowly nodded. He told of what happened with the potion again, but this time told that he took it to win Rarity's heart. He described the events that led to the date with him and how he reacted when Rarity told him he didn't like him. He described about how he pushed Twilight and Applejack away afterwards and how cold he acted.

Princess Celestia took it all in and said nothing for a few minutes. "Spike, I'm sure that you didn't mean to hurt the others."

"Princess...you don't understand." Spike said with tears streaming down his face. "I yelled at them and pushed them away. They wanted to help me, but I told them to get away from me. The things I said to them...I'm a horrible friend."

"Spike, you are not a horrible friend in the least bit." Princess Celestia said. "You've stuck with them through thick and thin and you want to help them in any way you can. We'll fine Twilight and the others and get them back."

Spike looked away and saw the body of Captain Sanderson. "But...how can we find them? That Sanderson guy was the one who took Twilight and he probably knew where the others were taken."

"We'll send out a search party immediately."

Spike then had an idea. "Princess, do you know this pony?" He pointed to Sanderson.

Princess Celestia looked at the brown stallion's corpse for a few minutes. She turned back and shook her head. "I'm afraid not Spike. Why do you ask?"

"Because this doesn't make any sense. Not only were Twilight and the others taken, but they want me as well. It wasn't just Sanderson there, there was also another unicorn stallion named Jordan. I just don't..."

"It's time you knew the whole truth." A voice called out.

Spike turned around to the source of the voice and saw Barry. He could tell there was something different about the gray stallion. He didn't sound raspy anymore, but instead sounded confident and commanding. His posture changed to look like he was standing at attention.

"It's time you told him the truth your highness." Barry said coolly. "I'm sure even you can sense the power in him and what he possesses."

Spike looked back at Princess Celestia to see she had a bitter look on her face.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Your highness, I want you to put your hoof on his head." Barry said. "When you comforted him, I'm sure you could feel the surge of energy coursing through his body. You can't fool yourself and think it's some sort of coincidence. I know you must still be feeling pain about what happened, but it's time Spike here learned the truth.

The white alicorn looked back at Barry with a solemn look on her. "You're right, I did feel the energy coursing through him. I have to admit, I thought it'd never come back to haunt me again."

"Perhaps you are wrong about this one." Barry said. "I've seen him in action and he isn't like the last one I've read about."

Spike's mind was overflowing with questions. "The...the last who? What's going on here Barry? Why is...?"

"That's not my name Spike. It was merely a name to disguise myself.." The gray stallion said. "My real name is Markus and you Spike are the last Element of Harmony."

Fall of Harmony

'You are the last Element of Harmony.'

The words echoed inside Spike as he felt time slow to a snail's crawl. He could see the raindrops pounding against the window, but couldn't hear it. He saw Princess Celestia's mouth move, but couldn't hear a single word. Everything seemed to have stopped for Spike and his mind went into overdrive with questions.

He felt like this was all a bad dream, but couldn't wake up from it. All Spike could do was just try to understand what was going on. The more the purple pegasus thought about it, the more questions popped in his head. He wanted to say something, but he felt like his tongue was cut out. Spike just sat on his haunches and stared in disbelief.

"Spike!"

The purple pegasus broke out of his thoughts and looked to see Markus looking at him with a stern look on his face.

"Stay with us Spike, I know you must have a lot of questions to ask." The gray stallion said.

Spike just nodded slowly and looked brain dead.

"Where would you like to begin?"

Spike just looked on into space, but in his overflowing mind he tried to find one of the seemingly endless questions to ask. He knew what he had to ask, but yet still couldn't fully believe it.

"How...how am I...an Element of Harmony?" Spike asked in a small voice. "There...there are no other elements."

"So you and every other pony were led to believe." Markus said. "That is not the case though. The seventh element does exist and you are proof of it."

"It...it can't be true. Twilight never found any books based on another Element of Harmony. How can there be another if it's not in any book?"

"That's because all traces of it have been disposed of. It used to exist millennium ago, but today not a single pony knows about it at all."

"Not a single one? But then how did you know about it?"

Markus used his magic to open a part of the wall near his ruined workbench to reveal a gray safe. He used his magic to fiddle around with the combination. The safe opened to reveal a worn out blue journal.

"This is a journal about my research." The gray stallion said. "The notes in this journal come from a few tablets that I researched ten years ago. The disciples have been after them since they hold key information in regards to your element. I decided that rather than keep the tablets, I destroyed them and kept the information a secret."

"But wait a minute." Spike said. "There can't be another Element of Harmony. Only Princess Celestia would know about them."

"Why don't you ask her then?" Markus suggested. "She's lived well past the last one that existed."

Spike turned to Princess Celestia, only to see her looking a little distracted. "Princess, do you know anything about the last element?"

He heard no answer, and saw her turn away.

"You need to tell him your highness." Markus said. "He deserves to know the truth about what happened."

The white alicorn looked back and slowly nodded. "Very well, but only if you tell him the truth about yourself Markus. If he deserves to know the truth, then he needs to know about you as well."

"Don't worry your highness, I've been running for ten years, What do I have to lose now?"

"You have a point there." She looked at Spike again. "Spike, I need you to listen carefully okay?"

Spike slowly nodded and said, "Yes Princess, I'm ready."

Princess Celestia nodded and turned towards the window of the lab. She used her magic to close the blinds of the window. She turned back to Spike with a little bit of a regretful look on her face.

"Spike, what you are about to be told is only known to myself and Princess Luna. That is, before another pony found out himself." The white alicorn shot a quick glance towards Markus. "It's never been mentioned at all, not even to Twilight."

Spike felt a little shocked upon hearing this. He knew how much Princess Celestia trusted Twilight.

"We can't waste anymore time though. Let's get started now." The white alicorn said as she moved towards Spike.

"What are you doing?" The purple pegasus asked.

"I'm going to show you the memories of what happened Spike." Princess Celestia explained. "It's an old spell, but I can show you what happened. Now close your eyes." She lowered her horn towards Spike's head. "Are you ready?"

Spike gave a nod and placed his head near the white alicorn. Princess Celestia's horn glowed a bright white aura for a few seconds. The next thing Spike knew, he was going through a wormhole. He felt like the skin of his body was going to tear off with how fast he was going. After a couple of minutes, he was whisked into a bright light at the end of the tunnel. He closed his eyes from the brightness and expected the worse.

Spike opened his eyes to see he was lying on the ground. He got up and looked around to see where he was. The purple pegasus saw to his surprise he was in what looked like Princess Celestia's castle, but there was something different. The room had several rounded pristine white marble columns. The walls, ceiling, and floor were also made of marble and were white. There were six large windows on each side that let in Princess Celestia's sunlight. In between each window was a sky blue banner that had the sun and the moon combined together. Spike noticed he was standing on a red velvet carpet and looked to see where it ended.

He saw something that made him jump back a few feet. At the end of the carpet was none other than Princess Celestia and Princess Luna sitting on their thrones and being guarded by two stallions with forest green metal armor. Spike noticed something different about each princess though. Princess Luna looked like her younger self when she was freed from Nightmare Moon's spirit. Princess Celestia was still taller, but she seemed to be younger and her mane and tail was hot pink.

"What's going on here?" Spike asked.

"You are in my memories Spike." The voice of Princess Celestia rang out.

Spike jumped again and looked around. "Princess, where are you?"

"Relax Spike, you're not in any danger." The white alicorn explained. "You are in my memory of what happened to your element. This all took place well over a thousand years ago. It was before Nightmare Moon and a couple of decades before Discord came to be. You are in my old castle since the one in Canterlot wasn't built yet. You are looking at a time in Equestria when we were growing in prosperity after we had a long war with the Dragon Empire and the Griffon Kingdom. Canterlot was still a small town, Manehattan had its first of many skyscrapers up, and we were in a period of peace."

"What about the ponies here? Are they going to see me?"

"Don't worry Spike, these ponies can't hear you, see you, or even detect you. You're nothing more than a spirit here and you are in no danger."

"But what does this have to do with my element?"

"You're about to find out why in a couple of seconds."

Before Spike could ask anything else, the doors to the throne room opened up. The purple pegasus looked to see a group of ponies marching in. One pony was a buff orange pegasus stallion, a long and tangled green mane and tail, and had a bag of bits as his cutie mark. Next, there was a very skinny green unicorn mare, a short brown mane and tail, and a crosshair on her flank. Then, there was the tight muscled red Earth pony stallion with purple eyes, a short orange yellow mane and tail, and had a police badge on his flank.

There was another pegasus mare that had green eyes, a navy blue coat, a clown face as a cutie mark, a dark brown mane and tail, and was a little muscled. Next, was another skinny Earth pony stallion with a white coat, brown eyes, a combed back yellow mane and tail, and had a stethoscope as a cutie mark. Then, there was a little toned yellow unicorn mare with brown eyes and a long flat purple mane and tail, and an opened red spell book as a cutie mark. Finally, there was a buffed forest green unicorn stallion with blue eyes, a buzzed cut black mane and a very short tail, and a long silver sword for a cutie mark.

"Who are these ponies princess?" Spike asked.

"These are the Elements of Harmony." Princess Celestia said. "Before they were used to take down Nightmare Moon or Discord, they served as ambassadors and peacekeepers of Equestria. Whenever there was a problem going on that was really dire, I would summon the Elements of Harmony. They were seven special ponies who had inherited the traits of each element. They've been serving as guardians for Equestria for well over four hundred years now."

"The first one you saw was Flint, the Element of Generosity. He provided finances to maintain the kingdom thanks to his chain of merchant shops all across Equestria. His selflessness radiated from him strongly and I could see he cared for the land he grew in dearly."

"Then, there was Meryl, the Element of Loyalty. She was a sergeant in the Dragon Griffon War and never left one of her troops behind. She even resisted the torturous techniques the Griffons used to interrogate prisoners for information. Her unwavering will was indeed a sight to see and she showed more than enough that she was one of the elements."

"Next, was Richard, the Element of Honesty. He was a cop who was let go after he confessed he shot a robber who was fleeing. Despite his arguments that he was about to barge into a house to take hostages, he was still let go due to insufficient evidence. I saw in him though truth to those words and knew he couldn't just lie to his fellow officers like that."

"The next pony was Tanya, the Element of Laughter. She was a former performer that was down on her luck. She loved to entertain and make others laugh and giggle, especially the foals. I saw her one day on royal business and could see she was meant to be more than a performer."

"Then, there was Elliot, the Element of Kindness. He pioneered several medical practices that saved countless pony lives during the war. He refused to take rewards and strongly believed that he shouldn't impose on other ponies for their wealth. He strongly represented his element."

"The next pony was Crystal, the Element of Magic. She was one of my first apprentices who excelled in magic even as a very little foal. She was the team leader of the group and commanded them, but she didn't do it alone. She had a second in command who was the last Element of Harmony."

Spike could feel his heartbeat increase and couldn't help but feel a little excited.

"The last pony you saw was Leon. He was a member of the army and an expert in using his magic to wield a sword. He went out of his way to always keep his fellow friends and soldiers safe, even if it meant life or death. He led a team of soldiers against several Griffon Kingdom armies that resulted in winning key battles in the war. His devotion towards protecting his fellow soldiers and his countless near sacrifices proved without a doubt he was the last element. He was the Element of Nobility."

Spike couldn't believe what he was told. "N-nobility? Whoa...I like that name. This pony was great, so why wasn't he mentioned in any books?"

"I want you to look in the middle of those seven ponies Spike." Princess Celestia said . "You'll see who brought down your element."

Spike looked amongst the crowd of ponies. He saw in the middle a leaned dark orange unicorn with yellow eyes, a combed back black mane, and a wrench as a cutie mark.

"Who's that?"

"Arnold...perhaps the worst pony I ever came across." Princess Celestia said coldly.

"Arnold? How come I've never heard of him?

"He's not somepony to be remembered at all Spike. From what I've gathered about him, it seems he was an orphan and was mocked because of his terrible lack of magic. What he lacked in magic though, he made up for in his mind to create some weapons against other ponies. It was rumored that he destroyed the orphanage using a bomb he built to kill them all. I found out about him from his file that had survived the explosion."

"So did you capture him because of that?"

"No, take a listen Spike and you'll understand."

Spike looked back towards the group of ponies and young princesses. He saw them all bow, with the exception of Arnold, and got up.

"Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, we have finally caught him." Flint said in a thick Manehattan accent. "We caught Arnold trying to sell his own weapons to some griffons looking to start another war with us."

"And what of the griffons?" Princess Celestia asked.

"They have been handed over to the Griffon Kingdom your majesty." Tanya said in a gentle voice. "They thanked us for what we did and promise to deal with the prisoners."

"We found several materials to make bombs your highness." Elliot said with a Trottingham accent. "We've sent them to the police station for further investigation."

"I'm proud of all of you." Princess Celestia said. She turned to Arnold who had a blank expression. "Arnold, I've been watching you ever since the war. I noticed the griffons were using weapons similar to yours and knew you had to have some connection. To betray your country like this carries a severe punishment."

"You had no right to spy on me." Arnold said in an icy tone. "Leon here arrested me on no grounds of being a criminal."

"No grounds huh?" The green unicorn asked in a commanding tone. "I heard you talk to those griffons about doing a weapons deal. You would give them bomb parts if they gave you safe passage to the Griffon Kingdom in return. I saw you exchange the materials in your hideout and shake hooves with the griffons. If that isn't evidence of your crime, then I don't know what is."

"Regardless, you still had no right to do this!" Arnold barked. "You didn't have any right to spy on me and being me to these two pompous alicorns!"

"BE STILL YOU FOAL!" Princess Luna shouted in her Royal Canterlot voice. "WE ARE MOST DISPLEASED WITH YOUR TREASON TO OUR KINGDOM! YOU SHOULD BE BEGGING FOR FORGIVENESS FOR WHAT YOU SAID TO US!"

"Calm yourself dear sister." Princess Celestia said. She turned back to Arnold. "My sister does have a point Arnold, you are a threat to all of us. You are going to be taken to the dungeons, where you'll be held there until your trial. Now then guards."

"Yes your highness?" the two guards asked in unison.

"Take Arnold here to the dungeons and lock him up."

"Yes your highness!"

The two guards saluted and moved towards Arnold. They cuffed him in chains and put a magic prevention lock on his horn.

"Before I leave, may I say something?" Arnold asked.

Princess Celestia looked at Princess Luna and then at the group of ponies. They all gave a hesitant nod.

"We're listening."

"Leon...I'm going to get you for this." the orange unicorn said sinisterly. "You will suffer for what you've done and for ruining everything for me. You will soon learn the true meaning of the word pain." He laughed coldly as he was escorted out of the room by the guards.

"Well, it's good to know he's finally put away." Meryl said in a thick Canterlot accent. "Maybe now, we can actually enjoy some peace in this land."

The others nodded and mumbled in agreement upon hearing this.

"We'll be leaving now your highness." Crystal said in a soft voice. "We'll see you tonight at Leon's place."

"Farewell my faithful student. You all have done well and ponies everywhere are in your debt."

Spike saw the group bow and turned to leave. Suddenly, everything disappeared in a fog. He looked around to see what was going on.

"Don't panic Spike." Princess Celestia said. "I'm merely skipping to later that following day."

Spike nodded and saw the fog clear up to show he was now outside. It was now nighttime and Princess Luna's moon was lighting up the large field he was standing on. He suddenly heard a group of ponies chatting and looked to see Princess Celestia with the Elements of Harmony walking down a dirt path. He galloped over there to see what was happening.

"I'm surprised you're coming to see my family princess." Leon said.

"It's no trouble Leon, Princess Luna volunteered to watch over the kingdom." The white alicorn said. "When I heard your brother was going to be hime, I was more than happy to see him. After all he was my personal bodyguard during the war and kept me out of harm's way. I've been meaning to catch up with him ever since he left the army."

"Well you'll be happy to know that he too is..."

"Leon look!" Richard shouted in a southern accent.

The group, including Spike, looked to see something that horrified them. There was a large red brick house at the end of the path. In front of the house were three ponies all tied up, gagged, and had a large gray box on the ropes. The sound of a pony laughing coldly caught everypony off guard. Suddenly, Arnold came from behind the group of ponies tied up and laughed coldly.

"Welcome to the party everypony." He said in a mocking tone. "I brought everypony's favorite party favor, fireworks."

"What are you doing here!?" Crystal demanded. "You were thrown in the dungeons!"

"You'd be surprised what a little smuggling can do. I figured if I was going to be caught, I might as well make sure I had some insurance. I managed to smuggle in one of my hoof crafted lock picks to remove the lock on my horn and dungeon door. I then proceeded to steal a sword and used it to kill the guards to escape. I overheard what you said about meeting here while I was being taken away and made my way here."

"Thanks to some bombs I kept in storage, I was able to bring enough for the whole family. I captured that mare and threatened your family to surrender or I would kill her. It seems I finished just in time for you to see the surprise."

"Let my family go Arnold!" Leon shouted. "They've done nothing to you! If you want somepony, then it's going to be me!"

"Don't be too hasty there Leon. I'll let your family go if you decide to play a little party game."

"That's enough Arnold." Princess Celestia said in a stern tone. "If you dare to hurt any of these ponies..."

"If you or any of your precious Elements of Harmony try to intervene in this, then the entire family goes boom. So what will it be Leon?"

The green unicorn looked at his family and saw they had fear in their eyes. He looked back at a smug looking Arnold and nodded. "Fine, so what's this game?"

Arnold levitated a small gray box to Leon. He took it and saw there were three thick black wires and some flashing lights.

"This is the master control box for all the bombs." The orange unicorn explained. "If you cut the right one, then the bombs deactivate. If you choose the wrong one, then they'll go out with a bang. You only get one chance at this Leon, so choose wisely."

The green unicorn turned to his friends and Princess Celestia for help.

"Ah ah ah! No help from your friends. This is something you need to do alone."

"But these are all black!" Leon shouted.

"That's half the fun!" The orange unicorn laughed insanely. "You have a one in three chance of saving your family! It's like a new way to gamble!"

Leon looked at the wires and panicked on which wire to choose. His friends said nothing and could hear the cold laughter of Arnold. He closed his eyes and used his magic to cut the middle wire.

The next thing Spike and everypony knew, a loud booming noise rang out. The entire field lit up in a bright orange as the bombs detonated and engulfed Leon's family and house. Spike shielded his eyes and could hear the horrifying screams of the group. As the dust settled down, Spike looked to see Leon's house was burning down and there was a large crater where his family once stood. He then turned to see Princess Celestia using her magic to encase a protective dome around the others and released the spell.

Leon stepped out and had an anguished look on him. He looked around to see the carnage and destruction of his own family. He heard the cold laughter of Arnold and collapsed to the ground. He started to shake with anger and sorrow and could feel something in him snap.

"Before I continue Spike." Princess Celestia said. "Do you remember when Discord broke out and disrupted the Elements of Harmony?"

Spike didn't need to be told twice about Discord. A week after the Grand Galloping Gala incident, the Draconequus broke out of his stone prison and caused mayhem across Equestria. He nearly defeated the Elements of Harmony and witnessed his friends as their discorded elements. The dragon was spared Discord's wrath, but seeing his friends act the way they did hurt him more than enough. The memories of what he and his friends suffered left scars in their minds that would possibly never heal.

Spike wearily nodded and said, "How can I not? But what does he have to do with my Element?"

Princess Celestia had an anguished look on her. "As you know Spike, each Element of Harmony has their own negative version that can corrupt them. Cruelty, Sorrow, Greed, Deception, Treason, and Despair. For Leon though, he was blinded by his anger and despair for losing everypony he loved so dearly."

"So he had a corrupt...corr...uh bad element as well?"

The white alicorn nodded. "Yes Spike, Leon too had a negative element. After everything he witnessed he had become the opposite of Nobility. He became the Element of Vengeance."

"V-vengeance?" Spike asked with his eyes widening.

"Yes Spike, now observe."

Spike saw Leon started to glow a black aura like what happened to him. He saw the green unicorn let out a roar of anger and his body started to twist. He and Leon's friends watched in horror as his body started to grow in size. Leon kept growing until he was as three times taller than Princess Celestia and resembled a timber wolf. His body was completely black with bright yellow eyes. Leon howled out in anger as the group took several steps back.

"Leon, calm OOF!" Meryl was kicked to the side by Leon.

"Well it seems that's my cue to leave." Arnold said nonchalantly. "Thanks for playing everypony." The orange unicorn's horn glowed and teleported out of the area.

The group paid no attention to Arnold and looked at the monstrosity that was Leon. He let out another roar and looked at Crystal, who was shaking with terror. He made his way over to her and growled.

"Leon stop!" The yellow mare cried out. "I know you must feel terrible about what happened, but please let us help you!"

"YOU ALL COULD'VE STOPPED HIM!" Leon boomed in a demonic tone. "YOU COULD'VE USED YOUR MAGIC TO STOP HIM PRINCESS!"

"I know you're upset Leon, but we couldn't risk threatening to hurt your family!"

"LIAR! YOU LET THEM DIE! ALL OF YOU DID!"

"Listen to reason for a couple of minutes!" Elliot shouted. "We wanted to do something, but Arnold would've killed them!"

"YOU...YOU ALL DON'T UNDERSTAND!" The shadow like creature roared.

Leon raised his front legs and sent them slamming against the ground. The group was sent flying back and were knocked to the ground. By the time they all got up, Leon had fled the area and was headed towards a nearby town. Everything went into a fog again for Spike after he saw that.

"I'm going to skip ahead quite a bit Spike." Princess Celestia said. "I'd rather not show you the destruction Leon caused as that...beast."

"Didn't the elements stop him?" The purple pegasus asked.

"They did their best to Spike, but they failed on each attempt. Many small settlements were destroyed as a result and almost everypony died in those towns as a result of Leon's rage. For three whole days we had to evacuate towns and place them in refugee camps near the castle. Crystal came up with an idea that if she combined the Elements of Harmony and used it against Leon, it could destroy that creature that was possessing him."

"I agreed with the plan and we tracked Leon to another town that had been evacuated. I oversaw the battle and witnessed the elements goad him into fighting them. When they were in position, I ordered Crystal and the others to use their Elements of Harmony. I saw the group's necklaces glow and encased Leon in a bight rainbow. For a few minutes, I heard him roar in anger, but the roars slowly died out as well as the rainbow covering his body. We found his real body unconscious and I took him to the medical ward in my castle."

"I was there when Leon woke up and he remembered all the destruction he caused. He was crying his eyes out as his friends comforted him and held onto him. I did my best to comfort him, but I knew the pain was never going to go away from him. I stayed close to him as well as his friends in my spare time and never left him. I thought with all of this, it was over, but I was wrong."

Spike was suddenly back in the throne room and looking out a window. He saw a large crowd of ponies outside and yelling in protest. Some of the ponies had torches and some were throwing rocks at the castle. There was a legion of royal guards keeping rioters out of the castle and trying to maintain order. He looked to the side to see Princess Celestia and the Elements of Harmony standing there with worried looks on their faces.

"It's been three days since they've begun this riot." The white alicorn said. "I don't know what to do my little ponies. I've been getting death threats about each one of you and they want your blood."

"Ah know they are madder than a group of angry bees, but this is gittin' out of hoof." Richard said.

"I know all of you did your best, but the ponies feel like you abandoned them in their time of need. Some said that you're all to blame for the death and destruction across Ponyville. Others believe that you all didn't act fast enough to take down Leon. I have to admit, I'm running out of options now on how to coax the crowd."

"Pardon me princess, but I have an idea." Crystal said.

"What is it my faithful student?"

"What if we all fake our own deaths and start new lives?"

"That sounds rather risky Crystal." Meryl said. "Are you sure about this?"

"I'm positive about this plan. It's the best way for Equestria to avoid a civil war."

"If you do plan on doing that, then leave me out of it." A voice said.

The group looked to see Leon, who looked like a wreck.

"Leon, I know you feel bad about all that happened, but try to listen to us." Tanya said in a reassuring tone. "We'll be here to help you and..."

"No...I can't live with this." The green unicorn said. "Princess Celestia, please sentence me to death for what I've done."

The white alicorn's eyes widened and said, "There's no reason for you to die Leon. You weren't in control of yourself and..."

"That's just it, I went insane over what I did. I tainted my element and used it to destroy so many lives. I deserve death for all I've done."

"That's not true."

"What do you mean?"

"Leon, all that had happened was not your fault. You're not alone at all, you still have friends with you. Is this how your family wanted you to live on?"

The green unicorn said nothing and looked down.

"Princess Celestia has a point." Tanya said. "We're your friends."

"And friends don't leave others behind." Meryl said.

"We'll always be there for you Leon." Flint said.

"We got your back there." Crystal said.

"Y'all can trust use." Richard said.

"You'll never be alone my friend." Elliot said.

Leon took the words in and looked at his friends with a tearful smile. "Thank you...all of you." He hugged the group and felt them return the hug.

"Princess Celestia!" A voice called out.

The group looked to see a royal guard standing nearby.

"We've found Arnold at last. We caught him trying to sneak into the Griffon Kingdom."

"Hmm...I think I know what to do now." Princess Celestia said in an icy tone. "Bring him to my personal chambers immediately. I'll deal with him."

"What's going on princess?" Crystal asked.

"You'll see in a couple of minutes, but let's just say you won't have to worry about faking your deaths. You all can start new lives and not worry about being the Elements of Harmony."

"Why not?" Elliot asked.

"I've decided to disband the Elements of Harmony and only use them for emergencies."

"What!?" The group shouted.

"I know it's a shocker, but I think maybe it's best that something like this never be used again. I will be taking control of the elements with my sister and we'll maintain Equestria."

The group looked at each other and then nodded at the white alicorn.

"We understand your highness." Flint said. "If it means saving this land, then we'll do so."

"I'm very proud of all of you and I can't thank you all enough for what you've done."

"Princess, can I speak to you privately before I leave?" Leon asked.

"Of course Leon." The white alicorn said. "The rest of you pack your stuff and leave your elements in your room. I'll collect them shortly."

The group bowed and left the throne room, leaving Leon and Princess Celestia alone.

"Princess, I want you to promise me something when I leave."

"What is it?"

"Please...never use my Element of Harmony again."

The white alicorn was taken aback by this. "Why do you ask this?"

"I tainted my element and I turned my back on everypony I fought for. I betrayed them and I refuse to let anypony wield an element that's corrupted because of me."

"Leon, it wasn't your fault."

"I am to blame for this mess your highness. If I hadn't panicked and thought of something, then none of this would've happened. I don't want you or any other pony to suffer my fate. Please just lock it up for good and never use it again. I'd rather that Equestria never know about this element and that it be forgotten."

Princess Celestia said nothing for a few minutes and hesitantly nodded. "If that's what you wish, then I'll do so. I just want you to know Leon that if you or the others ever need to talk to me, then come see me and I'll help you. Remember, you are never alone and there will always been a friend standing by you."

The green unicorn smiled and nodded. "Thank you princess...for everything."

Leon bowed and left the throne room. Spike saw everything go into a fog for a few seconds before he went through another wormhole. He felt himself flying through it for a few seconds before finding himself back at Markus' shop. He looked up to Princess Celestia as her horn dimmed.

"I think that's more than enough of a trip down memory lane for you Spike." The white alicorn said.

"But what happened to Arnold?" The purple pegasus asked.

"I managed to convince the crowd that Arnold was the one who released the beast and killed Leon. I sentenced him to a new form of punishment. I banished him to the sun. I did more than that though, I made sure he would never die and could never escape. I check on him every month and to this day he's still howling in pain and agony. He can never get used to the burning heat of the sun and I won't give him any mercy. After his last act of cruelty, he deserved such a punishment for what he did to ponykind."

Spike was left in complete awe and disbelief. Not only was he an Element of Harmony, but he Leon went through the same thing that happened to him. Fear and regret surged through his body as he felt sorrow for what he did. His knees buckled a little and collapsed to the ground in shock.

"Spike?" Princess Celestia asked.

Spike got up and was shaking a little. "I-I'm fine." He lied. "I-I just can't believe all this."

"I hate to say it Spike, but you must believe it. I know it must pain you to know your element is 'tainted', but that doesn't mean anything."

"I understand Princess. But why haven't the other ponies gotten angry over Twilight and the others having the Elements of Harmony?" Spike facehoofed himself with saying that. "I uh...didn't mean it like that Princess."

"There's no need to worry Spike." The white alicorn stated. "As for the reason, after the banishment of Nightmare Moon for the first time, everypony forgot about the elements over a period of time. When the element bearers returned, everypony was glad to see them back. By that time, the anger once held by the ponies passed over."

"What happened to the other elements?"

"After Arnold's execution, they announced that they were stepping down as Equestria's guardians. They said they couldn't risk another 'casualty' like Leon. I took control of the elements with Princess Luna. Soon, the element bearers, including my student Crystal, left and all went their separate ways to start new lives. They all kept in touch with me and we would see each other on the anniversary of that fateful night of what happened to Leon's family. Well...almost all of us."

"You don't mean..."

"Yes Spike, Leon himself never was seen again. I wished him the best of wishes with his friends and told him that he could see me anytime. As soon as he left, it's like he dropped off the face of Equestria itself. Nopony knew where he was and his body was never found. We all waited for him, but as time went on, the others passed on as well. It wasn't until Crystal passed away that I gave up waiting for him. All I can hope for is that wherever Leon's body is, his spirit is at rest now."

Spike nodded a little, but felt overwhelming guilt from what he did a few nights ago. He tried his best to hide the guilt.

Princess Celestia however, noticed the purple pegasus' expression. "Spike, are you okay?"

Spike shook his head and said, "No...that thing Leon did as a beast. The same thing happened to me a few days ago. I nearly became that beast."

The white alicorn maintained a calm look on her. "Can you tell me when this happened?" She asked.

Spike nodded and explained of what happened. He told Princess Celestia about the fight against Jordan how he went mad with power as he hurt Applebloom. He explained the gruesome beating her gave Jordan when he went berserk. When he finished, Spike looked a little hurt and regretful for what he did.

"Spike, I'm proud of what you've done." Princess Celestia said. "I am glad to hear you didn't fall to becoming a beast like Leon, but I do wonder one thing. How did you do it?"

"Well Princess it's kind of hard to explain. I heard some voice tell me how to stop myself."

"A voice?" The white alicorn asked.

"Yeah...it's really strange, but when I was knocked out, this pony in a white hood told me about what happened. I tried to ask what was going on, but then he disappeared. The next thing I knew, I saw a pony in black hood tell me about the disciples."

"That would be me." Markus stated.

Spike and Princess Celestia looked at Markus with a shocked look.

"You?" The purple pegaus asked.

"I know this is a surprise, but let me explain. I've been watching you closely ever since you took my potion. I saw you save Rainbow from falling to the ground after she was attacked. I saved you from Captain Sanderson's attempt to kidnap you at the apple farm when I attempted to shoot him. I healed most of your wounds after your fight with Jordan. I talked to you in your mind when you fell unconscious and informed you about the disciples."

"I wanted to find you after I lost contact with you, but I noticed the royal guards had started to move in. I noticed some of them were meeting secretly and talking to Captain Sanderson in secret. I knew if I went out there, I would be targeted immediately."

"Why didn't you talk to me in my mind again?" Spike asked.

"I was worried that if I used that spell, you would panic and cause a commotion. I decided to instead bide my time and see what I could do."

"Perhaps you'd like to explain to Spike then more about yourself." Princess Celestia said.

"You're correct princess." The gray stallion said. "He needs to know about something in particular I told him on the first day I met him. It involves a certain potion."

Spike's eyes widened and curiosity overwhelmed him. "What happened Bar...um Markus?"

"My name is...or was Dr. Markus, a researcher at the Canterlot Scientific Institution. I was only a mere apprentice when I began, but even then I amazed the community with some of my potions that helped improve ponykind. Princess Celestia herself even took notice of my efforts. She honored me for finding the cure to the dreaded Rotting Horn Virus: a disease that affected unicorns and destroyed their horns, rendering them unable to use magic. I however, didn't care much about my accomplishments ever since I met her."

"Who was it?" Spike asked with wonder in his voice.

Markus gave a sad look. "I was like you at one time Spike. I too was in love with a species not of my own kind."

The purple pegasus was shocked by this. "What creature was it, a dragon?"

"No, it was a griffon actually. Her name was Melissa, a wonderful and kind griffon who's beauty to me was like a goddess. I first saw her while walking around Canterlot and worked up the nerve to talk to her. We both became fast friends since she too was actually a scientist and an alchemist as well."

"Alche what now?"

"An alchemist Spike or rather a potion maker. We would both meet up to talk to each other about how our research is coming. I felt like we were both kindred spirits meant to be together. She wasn't like most of the mares I've met in my life. She was interested in what I did and laughed with me at my attempts at jokes. Overtime though, I heard whispers of disapproval from my colleges about me liking Melissa. I ignored them, but one thing I did hear them say I did agree on. I was just a pony and she was a griffon."

"So what did you do?"

"One day, I met Melissa and I heard her talk about a potion that could change any creature into a griffon. She said it was meant to help her species if they neared extinction and needed new ways to repopulate them. The potion was meant to take any creature and turn it into a griffon. The new 'griffon' would be educated about their ideals and views until it was conditioned into its new lifestyle. She said this would probably be her greatest achievement ever and would mark a milestone in history. That's when I got an idea."

"What was it?"

"I did the same thing as you Spike." Markus said. "I knew that the two of us couldn't be together since we were too different for each other. So I took the research needed to create the potion. I gathered all the necessary materials needed to create the potion. It took me a few days, but I managed to create the griffon changing potion. I drank the whole thing up and waited to see what would happen. At first nothing happened, so I looked over to make sure the formula was right. After a few hours though, I felt my body burn and protest in agony. I saw my hoof transform into a golden yellow claw and my fur coat changed into brown and white feathers. As the pain slowed down, I looked in a mirror to see I was a griffon and was ecstatic."

"I then came up with the idea to go meet Melissa, but I had to be careful not to reveal myself. If she found out about what I've done then she'd be furious at me. My plan was to let her know I knew Markus and coax her into talking about me. I came up with the name Barry, a college of mine, and introduced myself to her."

Spike could feel his jaw about to drop again. He was hearing the same events that happened to him over the past week.

"Melissa and 'Barry' became friends quickly. We hung out on a daily basis and made idle chat with one another. A week had passed since I took the potion and I was finally going to make my move on Melissa, but as it turned out she made her move on me. She invited me to the Griffon Scientific Union Awards Ceremony and I gladly took the invite. She was going to present her experiment to the Griffon Science Council."

"I watched with Melissa as the other nominees were selected and the chosen ones given their awards. Then, it was Melissa's turn and she even brought me up to the podium to help with her presentation. As I heard her talk about the potion, I heard something that made my insides twist. The potion she created was still a prototype and that it wasn't exactly permanent. It seemed she was going to win an award, but that's when I started feeling something. It was the same burning sensations that I felt when I took the potion a week ago. Slowly my body changed back from a griffon and back into my old self again. As I finished, I looked to see Melissa and the entire Griffon Science Council were shocked from what they saw."

"Did you try to say something?" Spike asked.

"I tried to Spike, I really did." Markus said in a sad tone. "I tried to explain what I did, but the council silenced me and had Melissa and I taken away. The next day, Melissa and I were brought before the Griffon Science Council and charged us with illegal experimentation. I pleaded to the council that I was responsible for all this, but they rejected my arguments. They knew of the relationship between Melissa and I and believed that we both were leaking information to each other. It took only the council an hour to decide that we were both guilty as charged. Melissa was immediately stripped of everything and exiled from the Griffon Kingdom for her actions. I on the other hoof was to face judgment at the C.S.I. Leaders."

"I was taken to the C.S.I. where they learned of what I did. They called me a disgrace to the scientific community and stated that I what I did was beyond treason. They sentenced me to exile from Canterlot for the rest of my life and I was stripped of everything. I wandered around Equestria for a bit before I ran into Melissa on the streets. I did my best to tell her of my true intentions, but she lashed out at me for what I did to her and that I ruined her. She thought I was a nice pony, but after what I did she considered me the worst pony she ever met in her life. She told me she never wanted to see me again. I watched her fly off into the sky and my heart shattered."

Spike was left in shock and sorrow from what he heard. "Markus...I'm sorry to hear that." He said. "Didn't you ever see Melissa again or say you were sorry?"

"Oh believe me when I say I tried Spike." The gray stallion said. "I tried to find her again to make it up to her, but I never saw her again. That is...until one fateful night."

"What do you mean?"

"Spike, I'm sure you heard Captain Sanderson call me a traitor at one point. Why do you think he did?"

Spike thought back to what the brown stallion said and felt a dark realization dawn upon him. "You...don't mean..." He tried to say. "I...you can't be...a..."

"Yes Spike I am." Markus said remorsefully. "I was once a member of the Disciples of Nightmare Moon."

"What!?" Spike and Princess Celestia exclaimed in unison.

"Markus, what is the meaning of this?" The white alicorn demanded.

"Allow me to explain myself Princess." Markus said holding a hoof up. "Two weeks after I met Melissa, I was on my last leg. I ran out of bits, I had nowhere to stay, and I was delirious. I thought that out on the streets, that's where I'd meet my end, but then he came along."

"Who?" Spike asked.

"Captain Sanderson himself. He introduced himself as Dr. Crane, a scientist who actually had been looking for me. He told me he had a message from Princess Celestia herself and gave it to me. The letter was an invitation to an alternative scientist's foundation called the Solar Science Division. It said it was an organization known only to those who were part of it. They worked in the shadows and only Princess Celestia knew of them. Feeling like I had a new chance to make things right, I joined the S.S.D."

"But didn't you find it a little strange?" Spike asked.

"I did find it a tad suspicious Spike." Markus said. "But I was tired, delirious, and desperate for any form of help. In a way, you can say I succumbed to weakness. I was taken into the Whitetail Woods, where the S.S.D. was located for reasons they never told me of. I was shown around the laboratories, but strangely enough I never saw any other scientists. Almost every room was restricted and I wasn't allowed in those rooms. I thought maybe something was a little suspicious, but Sanderson told me those rooms are for top personal only. "

"I was brought to Sanderson's office and was interviewed by him. He asked me one thing after another about certain theories and what I practiced. One thing though that he really wanted to know was if I could translate Ancient Equestrian. I said I could and he seemed a little well...too happy. At the time I didn't think of it and I was accepted. I was even given my own personal lab complete with a potion making set, a diversity of ingredients, and some books on Ancient Equestria."

"On my first day, I was brought three certain tablets with hieroglyphs on them. I was told they came from another area that the S.S.D. was working at and ordered me to translate the tablets. I worked tirelessly into the night for days on end. Even with my expertise in Ancient Equestrian language, I was still having trouble translate the tablets. It felt like whoever wrote these wanted to make sure they were never deciphered. Sanderson was getting angry for my lack of progress and I had no clue why. He told me it was important that these tablets be translated. I asked him why it was important, but he didn't give me a straight answer ."

"After a full week, I translated the tablets and discovered the Element of Nobility. It went into description about its history and how it met its terrible fate. The tablets revealed about the traits of how the element worked. How the wielder was willing to give it all up for somepony. The way they act and doing everything they can for somepony close. Then I read about its downfall and how it was sealed for good."

"I read a few spells in the other tablets like the mind communication spell and some other ones that I've never seen before. I wrote the research down in my journal, but before I could continue on Sanderson came in and I told him I did translate the tablets. Strangely, he took the tablets and notes I did and said nothing. Thankfully, I still had my journal and it was hidden."

"Immediately the next day after I rested, I was told to create something that I thought I'd never make again. It was a potion that could turn any creature into a pony." Markus said with a tinge of sorrow in his tone. "At first I resisted, but they told me that Princess Celestia was coming. I was told that she cooperated with the Griffon Kingdom and the knowledge of the potion was shared with her. Without any choice and possibly redeeming myself, I got to work on it."

"For three full days I slaved over a formula that I was given, but was never tested. It took me many agonizing hours before I finally tested the potion on a simple lab rat and it worked. I brought it to Sanderson and he was more than ecstatic about what I've done to help him. He ordered me to stay in my quarters except for food or emergencies."

"Okay you can't tell me you weren't a little curious out by that right?" Spike interjected.

"By that time, I figured something was going on. I tried to find out what Sanderson was doing, but I was kept away from him and his private testing chambers. I carefully made my way around the laboratory to find some information. I did see one guard patrol nearby and decided to use the mind communication spell I read in one of the tablets. I was still a novice at it, but I heard his mind say something about Sanderson's experiment tonight."

"I knew enough was enough, so I made my way into Sanderson's private testing chambers by disguising myself as a guard. I entered the chambers to see not a testing lab, but a bunch of hooded ponies in black robes surrounding a large blue stoned circle. I saw to my horror, Melissa was strapped to the stone."

"I lost control of myself and charged after to save Melissa. Before I could even reach her, I was levitated and brought before Sanderson himself. He unmasked me and since he thought I wasn't going to live he told me of his plans. He revealed himself as the second in command of a group called the Disciples of Nightmare Moon and that he needed the potion I made to change Melissa into a pony. He explained that he had been watching me closely ever since what happened at the Griffon Scientific Union Awards Ceremony. He told me that I was a perfect choice since I was able to create the potion, while others had failed to do so. I learned the potion had originated from some of the tablets that others had deciphered. They just needed me since their last translator learned the truth too soon and was 'taken care of'."

"He refused to tell me why I needed to translate the tablets, but said Lord Gavin was pleased about what I did. Sanderson stated he wanted to do a sacrifice to help bring Nightmare Moon back and that they found Melissa by herself in the woods. They captured her and have been preparing for this for a long time. They said that by changing Melissa into a pony she could be used as a host body to hold the spirit."

"I pleaded with them not to hurt Melissa, but they refused to listen. They made me watch as they prepared to sacrifice her. I saw her look at me with her eyes full of fear and sorrow and I knew I had to do something. I remembered a spell that I read in the tablets and used my magic to create blinding white flash. The spell blinded the entire group for a couple of seconds. I was broken free of Sanderson's grasp and went over to free Melissa from the stoned circle. I noticed on the ground the potion I made was lying there and decided to take it in hopes of destroying it. I told Melissa to run for it and go get help about what's happening."

"Before she left, Melissa gave me a kiss on the cheek and told me thanks. I had no time to think of romance though and ran off to Sanderson's office. I ran in and saw to my luck the tablets and my research all there on the desk. I gathered most of the materials in a saddlebag I found on the side. I hurried back to my lab and grabbed my private journal about the tablets. Sanderson's guards soon caught up with me and started blasting me with energy bolts. I ran out of the lab and bolted my way out of the building. As I left, I turned around and used my magic to create a fire to destroy the lab."

"I heard the screech of a griffon and looked to see Melissa flying away. I smiled in content knowing she was okay and ran off to chase her. Before I knew it, multiple bolts of lightning hit her from the ground and I heard her scream in agony. I looked to see Sanderson and a few of his guards were responsible. I watched in horror as Melissa staggered around for a few seconds before she fell to the ground. I felt my world collapse around me and my body freeze in horror. I lost her like that and it was all because I couldn't save her."

"I felt a few bolts of lightning whiz past me and saw Sanderson come at me. I used the blinding spell to get away again and I ran off with the only sounds being the crackling of fire from the lab and the furious screams of Sanderson. I remember him screaming that he would hunt me down no matter how long it took and that nopony ever got away from him. I used my magic to teleport out of the woods."

"After that incident, I went into hiding for a long time." Markus stated. "I knew the disciples wouldn't forget me so soon, so I knew I couldn't be seen by anypony. I kept the potion that changed any creature into a pony for myself as a reminder of my failure and shame for my actions. I caused so much chaos and sorrow that I made Discord look tame in comparison. Every night now I look to the stars to tell Melissa that I was so sorry for what I did and I begged for her forgiveness. I know I don't deserve to be forgiven though, not after all I did. One year later, I finished researching the tablets and destroyed them, so they could never be used again."

"I did hear about the downfall of Nightmare Moon and I figured that it was finally over. I figured it was finally time to start anew and that the disciples forgot me. I started a new identity and did my best to make sure that Markus was dead. But as it turns out they never forgot me at all as was demonstrated here tonight."

Spike felt his jaw drop and couldn't find a single word to say. He couldn't believe his own pony ears from what he heard. The purple pegasus felt a few tears run down his cheek, but made no effort to hide them.

Markus saw how shocked Spike looked and said, "Spike...do you remember why I said that potion you took was a curse?"

Spike broke out of his thoughts and thought back to what the gray stallion said. He nodded slowly. "Yeah...but what was that about?" He said in a small voice.

Markus looked down. "It's because ever since I took that potion, I was cursed forever. I lost everything to my selfishness and greed. My love...my life...everything was taken from me because of that damn potion. I didn't want you to suffer the same fate that befell me so many years ago."

Spike nodded once more and then a thought hit him. "Markus, you said that in the tablets that for a pony to be the Element of Nobility, they need to display it. How can I be the one to be it? There are so many other ponies out there."

"I think I have a theory as to how you became an Element of Harmony. On the day you came to see me after you took my potion, I did sense the power inside you and thought about what you said to me about your friends. I believe that when you took that potion to be with your loved ones, you showed that you were willing to sacrifice it all just so you can be with them. You didn't care about anything else as long as you were with them. You were more than willing to give it all up just for them."

"But how can it be in me? The element was never used again ever since that incident with Leon."

"All Elements are usually passed on from one creature to the next. Griffons, hydras, and even maticores could be the Elements of Harmony. Most of them don't realize that they're an Element of Harmony and ignored it. You were born with it, but it was so dormant with the lack of use over the millennium. It was so dormant, that not even Princess Celestia herself could feel the power inside you when you were born. When you took that potion I believe your desire to be with your close ones rejuvenated it. I thought it was merely a coincidence, but I saw you do some spectacular stunts like saving your pegasus friend and what you became at the apple farm."

"Holy guacamole." Spike said in astonishment. "I didn't know that one choice would do this to me."

"The elements work in ways known only to the Queen herself." Markus said with a small smile. "I'll admit, I've heard about some of the actions you did such as staying by your friends when things got bad and even willing to do anything for the one you loved. If that doesn't display being noble and loyal to your friends, then I don't know what is."

Spike thought for a few minutes before another question hit him. "Markus, do you know why the disciples want me and the other Elements of Harmony so badly?"

The gray stallion looked down and shook his head. "I'm afraid not Spike. What they want from you and the other elements, I have no clue."

"Princess Celestia, can't you do something?" Spike asked sounding worried.

The white alicorn gave a nod. "I can Spike, but we need to find out where Twilight and the others are being held." She said. "I can send out a patrol to look around the outer limits of Ponyville. They couldn't have gotten that far."

Deep in a dark forbidding castle throne room, Lord Sandro sat at his throne. He tapped his hoof impatiently as he watched his guards bring in Twilight and the others to him and sent them to be kept in the dungeons. He kept waiting for his loyal second in command to come through the large wooden doors with Markus and "Sparky". He was starting to lose patience though and grew restless.

"Where is he?" The hooded stallion asked with his teeth gritted. He looked to the side of a green unicorn guard. "Guard, have you seen Captain Sanderson?"

The green stallion looked a little shaken and shook his head. "N-no my lord I haven't. The last time I saw him he told me to get the purple unicorn back to you. He said he was going to find the traitor and bring him back."

Lord Sandro looked away and his horn glowed a dark aura. "Captain Sanderson, report at once." He said in his mind.

There was no response from the brown unicorn.

"Sanderson, what is your status!?"

He heard no response again.

Lord Sandro jerked a little and said, "It seems my worst fear has been realized. Captain Sanderson has fallen."

One guard came up and said, "Shall we prepare a retaliatory strike against Ponyville for this?"

"That won't be necessary. I know exactly what to do." Sandro's horn glowed once more and concentrated on Ponyville.

Across Ponyville, the citizens staying in their homes and the royal guards heard a loud buzzing noise. They all cried out in pain. Spike, Barry, and Princess Celestia heard the noise and covered their ears. Spike looked to see where the noise was coming from, but couldn't find it.

"Citizens of Ponyville, hear me out." A booming voice rang out. "I am Lord Sandro, leader of the Disciples of Nightmare Moon."

"I would like to make this message go out to my dear friend Sparky." Spike flinched back little from what he heard.

"Your friends are with me now Sparky. I'm willing to give you a chance to come save them. If you can come to where I am, then I'll let them go and you're free to leave, but if I catch you I'll have to incapacitate you. After all you are wandering into my territory and it is trespassing."

"I will give you until midnight to save your friends. Know this Sparky, if you run or try to escape from me, your friends will be disposed of. I'm sure you don't want to live with your friends' blood on your hooves."

"Oh, and don't think about calling for Princess Celestia for help. I'll know if she sends any assistance to help you out. The moment she gets involved with this, then her most faithful student will be sent to her in pieces."

"I nearly forgot one other thing as well...Markus, I know you can hear me. I haven't forgotten about what you did and how you displeased Lord Gavin. I'll be sure to deal with you later on...I'm a stallion of my word."

"So remember Sparky, you have until tomorrow night before your friends are taken care of. I'll make sure though that you are there to listen to them die painfully. I have your Element of Harmony and the others with me as well. If you even care for your friends, then come find me in the Everfree Forest. I'm sure you'll be able to find out where I am." A loud cold laugh echoed and rocked the town as the buzzing noise went away and the laughter died out.

Spike had a horrified look on his face and turned to see Princess Celestia glaring. "P-princess, what do I do?" He asked in a fearful tone. "I don't know where the Disciples are."

Princess Celestia looked down and said, "I know where they are now. I never thought they'd be there again."

"Where are they?"

"If they found your Element of Harmony Spike, then there is only one place they can be at; The Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters."

"Wasn't that where Twilight and the others found the elements?"

"Yes Spike it is." Princess Celestia said. "It seems the disciples have purged the castle into their own twisted ways. It's appropriate since that's the castle Nightmare Moon was born at as well." She turned to Spike. "Spike, I'm going to send a squad of my elite guards with you into the forest to save Twilight and the others."

"Princess you can't!" The purple pegasus protested. "They'll kill Twilight and my friends!"

"That may be true Spike, but my guards can..."

"Your highness, you know you can't do this." Markus interjected. "If you send even one guard or adviser with him, then this Lord Sandro will most likely keep his end of the bargain and kill your student and her friends. You have to let Spike go off on his own. After what I've seen him do, he's more than capable of taking care of himself. I know he can save his friends."

The white alicorn nodded and looked to Spike. He looked determined, but was shaking a little. "Very well, but he does need to know how to get to the castle."

"I kind of know my way around the Everfree Forest princess." Spike said. "I think I have an idea of where to go."

Princess Celestia shook her head and said, "That's not good enough Spike. Time is a factor here and we need to find Twilight and her friends as quickly as possible. I want you to head to General Craig's tent with me to prepare to leave. That is if you aren't injured from your fight with Sanderson."

Spike shook his head. "Nope, I'm not injured or anything. I'm...I'm ready to go out there." He said hesitantly.

"It's okay to feel a little scared Spike." Princess Celestia said. "I'm sure Twilight would be proud to see how brave you are being right now. Now let's get going to General Craig, I'm sure he's scrambling on what to do now."

Spike began to follow the white alicorn out, but stopped to look at Markus staring at him. He wanted to say something, but couldn't find the words at all to break the ice.

"Don't worry Spike." Markus said in a calm tone. "I know what you've done for your friends and how much you care for them. Just focus on them and I know you can finally put an end to the Disciples of Nightmare Moon for good. Not only for me, or for Melissa, but for all of Equestria."

Spike smiled a little upon hearing this and said, "Thanks Markus...for everything."

The gray stallion gave a wave watched as Princess Celestia and the purple pegasus went out the room. He went over to the window to see the two ponies standing by each other for a few seconds. A glow then came from Princess Celestia's horn and with a flash, Spike and the white alicorn were gone. He smiled and looked up at the clearing night sky to see a star shining brightly.

"Melissa...I know he can do it and I know he can avenge your death." He said. "Rest assure my love, soon this long fight will come to an end and your spirit can rest in peace."

Hunted

Inside the throne room of the castle in the Everfree Forest, Lord Sandro was sitting on his throne and smirking to himself. "Sparky" was on his way now to rescue the others and grinned with delight that his plan was nearly finished. He suddenly heard galloping and looked to see a gray unicorn guard hurrying towards him. He bowed before the hooded stallion before speaking a word.

"You may rise guard." Lord Sandro stated. He watched the guard get up. "What do you have to report soldier?"

"My lord...I mean no offense, but some of us are worried." The gray stallion said in a fearful tone.

"Perhaps I can motivate you and the others into acting like the soldiers you are meant to be." Lord Sandro said in a threatening tone.

"Please Lord Sandro, we're just worried about Sparky. He'll probably find us and take us all down."

"I know Sparky is on his way and he's most likely well aware of where we are." Lord Sandro said coolly. "I've been getting reports that some of our spies were seen headed into the Everfree Forest."

"Then what will we do my lord? We've all heard how tough he is and how he nearly killed Jordan. Maybe he's the one who killed Captain Sanderson as well. He'll tear us all apart."

"Still your tongue soldier, or else I cut it off and make you eat it."

The guard shook in terror and nodded before Lord Sandro continued.

"I know what he's capable of and how he could easily send us all to Tartarus. I assure...you..." The hooded stallion stopped talking for a minute to think. A sinister smile formed upon his face 'Yes...why didn't I think of this sooner? I know how to make sure Sparky doesn't put up a fight.'

Lord Sandro rose up from out of his throne and looked at the guard. "Listen to me, I'm going to go make a deal with somepony. He'll make sure that Sparky will fall to us. While I am gone, finish setting up the ritual circle and position our troops to guard the castle."

The guard saluted and gave a stern look. "It shall be done my lord."

Lord Sandro said nothing and merely smiled to himself. His horn glowed a black aura and a flash went out. The flash soon died out and the hooded stallion was gone.

A bright flash of white light surrounded the streets of Ponyville for a few seconds before dying out. Spike and Princess Celestia appeared in the middle of the Ponyville Market Square and were met with a sight that startled them. Royal guards were galloping through the streets while barking orders at one another. Some guards were talking to the residents of Ponyville and others were marching towards the entrances of the town with spears at the ready.

"Princess, what's going on?" Spike asked.

"It seems the whole town has fallen into chaos Spike." The white alicorn stated. "That message Lord Sandro sent out earlier must've made General Craig scramble the guards to defend the town. We must get to his tent at once to plan your journey into the Everfree Forest."

Spike nodded and followed Princess Celestia through the rain slicked streets of Ponyville. The purple pegasus looked around to see more guards yelling out orders. Several citizens had looks of panic on them as the guards tried to escort them back to their homes. The guards seemed to be oblivious to the presence of Princess Celestia, which surprised Spike considering she was sticking out like a sore hoof in the crowd. Spike made sure not to run into any guards or get in their way and just trotted closely next to Princess Celestia.

He continued to follow the Ruler of Equestria until he saw a large white tent with golden yellow stripes running through it. He entered the tent with Princess Celestia to see the room had three lit lanterns on the ceiling. The back of the room had a large table with scrolls and quills across it with two chairs facing it. Spike looked behind the desk to see that it wasn't General Craig behind the table. It was a white stallion unicorn wearing a purple colored Royal Guard armor. His blue eyes were narrowed and had a stern expression on his face. He had a short dark blue mane with a teal streak going through it.

The white stallion looked up and noticed Princess Celestia. He got up from his chair and went over to the white alicorn. He bowed before her and looked up still having a stern look on him.

"Princess Celestia." The stallion said rising up. "It's an honor to see you again. I just wish it was under better circumstances."

The white alicorn smiled a little and said, "Captain Shining Armor, it's a pleasure to see you here in Ponyville. What are you doing here anyway? You weren't sent here to guard the town originally."

"I received a message about what was going on by General Craig and he wanted me here to help secure the town." Shining Armor's face twisted into a solemn look. "It seems I was too late though. I heard about this Lord Sandro and about how he has taken Twiley and her friends."

"It wasn't your fault captain." Princess Celestia reassured him. "We've all been fooled by this Lord Sandro."

Shining Armor gave out a sigh and had an anguished look on him. "I know, but I really should've been there for Twiley. If it wasn't for that assignment of settling the border dispute between Equestria and the Dragon Empire, then this wouldn't have happened."

"Captain Armor, this isn't the time or place to be beating yourself up for this. We need to speak to General Craig now about the situation."

"I'm afraid he's not here your highness. He followed Lieutenant Cody to the outskirts of town where they seemed to have found a horrific sight. It seems there is a pile of corpses that have been thrown into a ditch."

"Any idea who they may be?"

"We already know who they are. All the bodies there are royal guards that have been murdered."

Princess Celestia had a solemn look on her. "That would explain where the real guards were then. We'll let their families know later."

Shining Armor looked to Princess Celestia's right and saw Spike trying to hide himself from the white stallion. "Pardon me your highness, but who's that pony with you?"

Spike attempted to hide again, but Princess Celestia stepped to the side to expose him. Spike looked up and saw Shining Armor looking at him suspiciously. The white stallion's stare penetrated him and felt daggers being shot at him.

"Um...hi I'm Sparky." Spike said with a forced smile.

Shining Armor's eyes narrowed into a cold glare. His horn glowed and surrounded Spike in a purple aura. The purple pegasus was levitated off the ground and was brought face to face with an angry looking Shining Armor.

"So you're Sparky huh?" The white stallion asked coldly. "You're the one Lord Sandro mentioned in his message. How do you know him?"

"W-wait you're wrong!" Spike said in a panic. "I don't know him at all!"

"We'll see about that. I'm going to take you in for questioning about your connection with Lord Sandro."

"Captain, that's enough out of you." Princess Celestia said in a stern tone. "He is in no way in league with Lord Sandro. He's actually a close friend of Twilight."

Shining Armor looked at Spike who was shaking a little nervously. He set him down and released the aura around him before looking at Princess Celestia. "How's he a friend of Twiley? I've heard of her friends, but I've never heard of him. I didn't know my sister was secretly dating him."

Spike's face blushed a deep crimson. "N-no that's not it! It just that well...um..." Spike tried to find some excuse to not reveal himself.

"That's because his name isn't Sparky." Princess Celestia interjected. "This is Twilight's own friend and assistant Spike."

Shining Armor looked at Spike in confusion and saw him give a sheepish smile. He looked back at the white alicorn. "Your highness, I mean no hard feelings, but he doesn't look anything like Twiley's assistant. He's a dragon, not a pegasus."

"I know it's hard to accept it, but it's true. This is Spike, but he is a pony for now."

Shining Armor looked back at Spike. "Prove it then. I want to hear proof that you are my sister's assistant."

Spike thought of something to help him convince Shining Armor he was Twilight's assistant. His mind buzzed with thought and tried to think of a memory that would prove him right. After a few minutes, a memory hit him like a brick in the face.

"Um...remember when Twilight brought me home to show me to you and your parents?" The purple pegasus asked. "I accidentally chewed up your favorite toy spear and you were pretty angry at me."

Shining Armor's expression softened and gave a small smile. "It is you then. I remember that day as well and how upset I was. Twilight explained you were teething and apologized to me for not bringing some teething rings with her."

"Heh heh yeah...um sorry about that."

"Hey it's no big deal now. It was a rather old toy that I just refused to get rid of. So tell me, how did you go from a little dragon to a fully grown pegasus?"

"It's a long story Captain Armor and it's not the time to be telling it." Princess Celestia said before Spike could say anything. "We need to focus on getting Spike to the disciples' hidden base. I must get back to Canterlot soon to prepare the city for an assault from them."

"It's all under control your highness." Shining Armor said. "Princess Luna and Princess Cadence are well aware of what's happening. They are keeping the castle and city under heavy security."

"I see then, well I'll be thanking my sister and your special somepony later. I already have an idea where the disciples are hiding."

"I believe I know where they are as well your highness. I've been getting reports of ponies running into the Everfree Forest. The only thing in there of value is the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters."

"That's where they most likely are Captain Armor. We'll have to send in Spike here into the forest by himself sadly."

"I remember hearing Lord Sandro saying something about if you helped he'd kill Twiley and her friends. I don't want to lose her or any of her friends because of me or you princess. I just wish I could help out Spike so he...can..." Shining Armor stopped talking and silence filled the room. A glint shone in his eyes and he grinned victoriously. "I think I know what I can do."

"What are you talking about?" Spike asked. "Lord Sandro said if Princess Celestia helped me, he would kill Twilight and the others."

Shining Armor looked at the purple pegasus and waved a hoof. "He didn't say anything about me though." He went over to Spike and stared at him. "I need you to keep your eyes open for a few seconds."

"W-what are you going to do?" Spike asked nervously.

"Just stay calm and trust me." Shining Armor's horn glowed and a beam of magic hit Spike's eyes. "Nocte visionem" The white stallion said.

Spike felt his eyes burn a little and struggled to keep them open. His vision seemed to go from being completely blind for one second to having perfect vision again the next. His sight became distorted to the point where everything became a big blur. After a few minutes, the magic beam stopped and Spike closed his eyes. He opened them up again after a couple of seconds to see his vision was back to normal and Princess Celestia was standing next to Shining Armor.

"What did you do?" The purple pegasus asked.

"You'll see Spike." Shining Armor said. He looked up at the lanterns and used his magic to put them out, encasing the tent in darkness.

Spike looked around expecting blackness around him, but instead he could see everything clearly around the room. He looked up to see all four lanterns were put out and jumped a little. "Holy guacamole, this is amazing. I can see everything, but yet the lights are out."

Shining Armor laughed a little. "That's because I used a night vision spell on your eyes Spike. Since you're going out to the Everfree Forest you'll need it. The spell only works for three days, but that should be enough to get Twiley and her friends back home."

"So how do I get to the castle?"

Shining Armor used his magic to light up the lanterns again. He then looked at a large brown chest to his left. His horn glowed and the chest opened up to reveal a large scroll. He opened it and placed it on the table he was sitting at. The white stallion ushered Spike to come over. The purple pegasus looked upon a large map that had trees and a castle in the middle of the map.

"Alright Spike, listen up." Shining Armor said. "You're going to enter the southern entrance of the Everfree Forest. It's the quickest route to the castle and the one with the least amount of obstacles. The path is still treacherous, but for the most part it's a straight path to the castle. You just need to avoid anypony who is guarding the castle."

"How can I sneak in?"

"I'll be giving you a survivor's backpack. It'll have a map of the Everfree Forest, some rations, a little medical kit, and a canteen full of water." Shining Armor's horn glowed again and from the chest came a fairly decent sized saddlebag. He placed the bag on Spike's back and strapped it on him.

"Thanks Shining Armor." Spike said and then looked at Princess Celestia. "Well...I guess I need to get going huh?"

"Spike, I know you're afraid, but I know you can do this." Princess Celestia said with a warm smile. "If the worse is to come, then I'll send my forces to go in and rescue you and the others."

Spike gave a small smile and said, "Alright Princess...thanks." He looked at Shining Armor who looked a little uneasy. "Hey...I'll bring back Twilight soon and her friends. Twilight's not just a friend to me, she's the closest thing to a family I've ever had."

Shining Armor gave a smile and handed him a scroll. "Alright then Spike, head towards the eastern entrance of Ponyville and give the guards this scroll. It'll give you permission to leave town to the entrance of the Everfree Forest. The entrance to the forest is not far from the eastern entrance."

Spike gave a nod and walked out of the tent, leaving Shining Armor and Princess Celestia by themselves.

"Don't worry Captain, he'll make it through." Princess Celestia said in a reassuring voice. "After all, he is an Element of Harmony."

The white stallion looked at the white alicorn with a confused look on him. "Wait...he's an Element of Harmony? Pardon me your highness, but how is he...?"

The white alicorn chuckled a little. "It's a long story Captain, but I think you need to understand what's happening. You see..."

Spike made his way towards the gates of the eastern entrance of Ponyville. He was confronted by a group of royal guards who were looking at him with glares. Spike explained that Shining Armor sent him to leave town and handed the guard the scroll. He read the scroll for a few seconds before giving a firm nod and letting Spike past through. The purple pegasus trotted out of town and made his way towards the Everfree Forest.

As the purple pegasus approached the dark forest, he felt a sinister presence in it that sent chills running down his spine. He looked upon the entrance of the forest to see the path was clear, but only because of the night vision spell he had. Spike gulped a little and made his way into the forest. As soon as Spike entered the forest, he heard a howling noise that made him jump. He looked behind to see that the entrance was gone. The purple pegasus was confused by this and went to pull the map out of the saddlebag.

All of a sudden, a black flash of light appeared right in front of Spike. The flash made Spike stumble back and shield himself. The flash died after a few seconds and Spike looked to see a pony in a black robe and hood covering his face.

"You certainly wasted no time in coming here." The pony said. "I'll give you credit for showing that at least you care for your friends."

Spike's eyes narrowed into a glare. "You're Lord Sandro aren't you?" He asked bitterly.

"Yes I am...and you shall soon address me as master when I'm done with you."

"Where are Twilight and the others!?" Spike said feeling anger boil up. "Tell me now!"

"Be patience Sparky, I have them safely in my castle. I just wanted to stop on by and tell you something."

"Well what is it?"

"We're going to play a game." The hooded stallion said in a mocking tone. "The name of the game is Cat and Mouse. It's simple really, all you have to do is avoid the 'Cat' and make your way to my hideout."

"What!? I'm not going to do that!" Spike shouted incredulously. "I don't have time to play a game!"

"You have no choice in the matter." Lord Sandro said. "Remember, I have your friends and I can easily kill them. You don't want their blood on your hooves do you?"

Spike flinched a little and could've sworn he saw Lord Sandro giving a wicked smile at him. Spike slowly nodded and said, "Fine...so who's this 'Cat' then? Is it another one of your guards?"

"Oh dear boy, I'm afraid you're quite mistaken. I've made a deal with a pony to help me out. I have a certain pony who wants to settle something with you."

Spike raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. "Who are you talking about?"

Lord Sandro smiled. "You're about to find out." He stepped back and his horn glowed.

"Rise...rise...tenebris ad servum meum ut serviant mihi."

Spike heard a whispering noise that got louder until right in front of Lord Sandro a blinding orange flash blinded him. Spike rubbed his eyes to clear his vision and see what happened. As his vision cleared up, Spike saw something that made him cry out in terror and jump back. In front of Spike was a dark brown unicorn stallion with his mane and tail both on fire. His body was cut up and showing flesh and bones all over. his horn was cracked all over and seemed to be glowing orange. His eyes were gone, but instead replaced by large flames burning in them. The pony let out a booming demonic roar that made Spike step back a few feet.

"Sparky, I want you to meet Captain Sanderson. I'm sure you two have already met, but he really was eager to see you again."

"But...but...but how?" Spike asked with terror in his voice. "I...he...I um...he was...he was...killed."

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. That pony I made a deal with was actually the gatekeeper of Tartarus. In exchange for a sacrifice, I was allowed to bring Captain Sanderson back to the world of the living for a short amount of time."

The brown stallion started moving towards Spike, but was stopped by Lord Sandro's hoof. "Patience there Captain, let me explain the rules of our game. Sparky here is going to go to my castle, but he must avoid being caught by Captain Sanderson here. If you can make it to my castle grounds before the good captain here catches you, then you win Sparky. However, if Captain Sanderson catches you, he'll use his magic to capture you and bring you to me."

"Why go through all this though?" Spike asked. "You're right there and you can easily catch me."

"Oh...you'll see very soon Sparky. Now there is a time limit to all this." Lord Sandro looked at Captain Sanderson. "You'll have until midnight to capture him captain. If you fail it's back to Tartarus with you. Be forewarned as well, if you break the contract I made, then the gatekeeper will ensure you will know the true meaning of suffering and pain."

"As you wish my Lord." The brown stallion said in a contorted demonic voice.

"Good...oh and to make it even more of a challenge." Lord Sandro's horn glowed and ripped the saddlebag off Spike. "We can't have any cheaters now can we?"

The saddlebag was engulfed in flames and burnt to ashes. He looked back at Sparky with a sinister smile. "Good luck everypony." He laughed and with a flash he was gone once more.

Captain Sanderson looked at Sparky with a demonic smile. "At last we're going to settle this." He moved towards Spike and watched him step back. "There is no escape this time around. Nopony is here to help you out...and there will be nopony to get in the way. I'll make you suffer for what you have done to me."

Spike looked around in a panic to see what to do. He saw on the ground the burnt ashes of his saddlebag, but saw something still intact, the canteen. He quickly picked up the canteen and threw it at Captain Sanderson. The container busted upon impact and covered the brown stallion in water. He roared in anger as the flames in his eyes died down. Spike took this chance to dart past him and make his way along the pathway.

The purple pegasus galloped as fast as he could through the forest. 'If I just stay on this path, I'll be at the castle in no time.' He thought to himself as he continued to gallop.

All of a sudden, a bright flash appeared in front of Spike. He screeched to a halt and looked to see Captain Sanderson in front of him with the flames in his eyes burning brightly. Spike saw the brown stallion's horn glowed a green color and prepared himself to dodge the spell. The purple pegasus was taken aback as Captain Sanderson suddenly shot out a large green ball that was shooting sparks of lightning at him. He quickly jumped to the side to avoid it, but as he did the ball of energy exploded and sent Spike flying through the air. He crashed into a tree and felt his entire body throb in pain.

"I know you can hear me Sparky!" Captain Sanderson boomed. "I want you to see what I am capable of doing now!"

Spike slowly got up and rubbed his head. He took a step forward, but nearly fell down again. The purple pegasus regained his bearings and looked to see something that made his jaw drop and his eyes widen as big as dinner plates. Spike was standing in front of a large crater that he was only inches from and looked to see it was as large as the bedroom in the library. The purple pegasus turned around and ran into the Everfree Forest.

A sinister laughter rung out through the forest. "Oh, there's no use in running Sparky." Captain Sanderson said in a mocking tone. "I may be blind, but my senses have heightened to the point where I can hear you from a good distance away." He looked around and saw blackness, but he listened carefully to the sounds of hooves galloping. His vision saw a pony galloping and he grinned. "Gotcha!"

Spike looked back to see another ball of green energy being shot at him. He pushed himself to pick up the pace. The energy ball exploded again, sending Spike flying through the forest and landed in a small clearing of dirt. He slowly got up again and looked around for Captain Sanderson in a panic. He could hear the sounds of animals making noises as the forest was rocked by the explosions, but he couldn't see the brown stallion in the forest. Despite the night vision spell, Spike couldn't see where Captain Sanderson was hiding.

"There is nothing for you now Sparky, but a slow and painful death." Captain Sanderson boomed. "I can hear where you are and you will never escape from me. Don't delay the inevitable any further and surrender yourself to me."

Spike looked around in panic and could hear the galloping of a pony. He decided to run off again into the forest despite what he was told.

Spike felt the cool night air rush past him as he rushed through the forest. The only thing on his mind now was just survival. He knew the farther he went into the forest, the farther away he got from the castle. He didn't care though, he needed to find a way to defeat Captain Sanderson. The purple pegasus heard the rushing of water and hurried towards the source.

He came into a clearing of the forest and was met by a large cliff with a waterfall. There were some jagged rocks along the base of the waterfall and a few around the riverbed. Spike saw the river was pretty wide, but saw land across it. He decided to slowly make his way across the river and to the other side.

The purple pegasus slowly trotted into the water and felt the water push him down the river as he was splashed with it. He thanked Celestia that the water was only deep enough to reach his knee caps. He looked around to see if Captain Sanderson was nearby and prayed he wasn't anywhere near him. His hopes were immediately crushed as he looked behind to see the brown stallion gallop out of the woods. Spike held back a yelp and tried to hurry out of the raging river. He looked back at Sanderson and noticed something odd with him, he was just looking around with a glare on his face. The purple pegasus stopped trotting and looked in amazement that the brown stallion wasn't trying to take him down.

"Where did he go?" Spike heard Captain Sanderson over the river. "I heard him gallop here, but I can't tell where he is now. It doesn't help that the sound of this waterfall is throwing me off."

Spike couldn't believe his luck. Captain Sanderson couldn't hear him. He tried to figure out why this was happening, but felt the river push him down. The purple pegasus took this chance to make his way across the river slowly. Suddenly, he saw a green glow and looked to see a ball of energy a couple feet to his left. The ball exploded and sent water and rocks raining down.

"Come on out Sparky!" Captain Sanderson barked. "I know you're around here somewhere! If I have to tear this river apart until I hit you, then so be it!"

The brown stallion shot out another ball of green energy that narrowly missed Spike by a few inches. Spike panicked and began to gallop across the rive. As he hurried across, the purple pegasus heard several more explosions around him. He accidentally tripped on a rock on the river and stumbled a little. He quickly regained his bearings and reached the other side without incident. He smiled to himself and began to make his way back into the forest. All of a sudden, he kicked a rather large stone across the ground. Spike's stomach twisted and looked to see a ball of energy headed towards him.

"Holy guacamole!" He shouted and took off. Spike looked behind, but saw he had wings and got an idea. His wings spread out and began to flap them until he took off into the air.

He started to fly faster as he went into the Everfree Forest. He heard the energy ball explode behind him and let out a sigh of relief. The relief quickly turned to panic as Spike suddenly felt a gust of wind throw him off balance and started flying erratically. The purple pegasus tried to avoid the trees around him, but there were too many of them and ended up crashing into one on his right side. Spike felt his body protest in pain and cringed as he fell to the ground. He tried to move his wings, but cried out in anguish every time he moved his right one. The purple pegasus looked to see that his wing was tangled up and broken.

Spike heard the galloping of hooves and knew it was Captain Sanderson coming. He looked around for some place to hide himself and saw a small cave right near him. The purple pegasus crawled his way to the cave and entered it. He turned around and saw Captain Sanderson appear right in front of the entrance to the cave. The brown stallion looked around for a few minutes. Spike felt his heartbeat increase with fear and tried to stay calm. His efforts were rewarded as Captain Sanderson moved away from the cave and looked around the other parts of the forest.

A bird started cawing out nearby as Spike tried to get a better view of Captain Sanderson. He saw the brown stallion looking at nearby tree and shot a bolt of lightning from his horn. The bird's cawing died out and a loud thump was heard. The forest fell into silence with the exception of a few crickets chirping in the distance.

"You can't hide from me forever Sparky." Captain Sanderson said. "You're only delaying the inevitable. Nopony crosses the Sanderson family and gets away with it. I'll make sure that you join Markus and Princess Celestia as you three are sent to Tartarus."

'Oh man, what do I do?' Spike thought to himself. 'He's going to find me eventually. How can I fight somepony who's already a zombie?'

Spike heard the cawing of another bird. "Damn these birds! They're really messing me up!" Captain Sanderson shouted in anger.

Spike felt something click in his head as he suddenly realized something. He thought back to the waterfall incident and then the birds and realized something. Captain Sanderson's hearing was messed up by loud noises. The purple pegasus got an idea and grabbed a large rock from his right. He threw the rock across the forest and heard it impact against a hollow log. He watched Captain Sanderson take notice of the noise and charged after the source.

The purple pegasus crawled out of the cave and took off into the forest. He only made it a couple of feet before he suddenly lost his footing and fell down a steep dirt hill. Spike felt his body roll around in the dirt and desperately tried to find something to stop himself. The purple pegasus grabbed a branch sticking out of the dirt, but it snapped immediately and continued to fall. Spike eventually felt himself stop and opened his eyes slowly to see he was at the foot of the hill. He got up very slowly and stumbled as he tried to figure out where to go.

He saw in the distance a twisted tree that had windows on it and a large red door. Spike knew immediately that it was Zecora's hut since he would go with Twilight to help collect some herbs with her. He quickly ran over to knock on the door, but a sudden realization hit him. He remembered that Twilight told him Zecora was going to deal with some family issues in the Zebra Lands and wouldn't be back for a while. He placed his hoof on the door and unknowingly opened the door to the hut.

Spike fell through the entrance and saw the various masks lined against the wall. A giant black pot sat in the middle of the floor. A bookshelf was just to his right as well as a bed with a thin gray blanket across it. He saw the potion ingredients to his left that had bottles of liquids inside them. Spike saw a scroll in the bookshelf and went over to grab it.

He unfurled it on a table near the pot and smiled as he read it. It was a map of the Everfree Forest. The purple pegasus saw the map had many paths throughout the forest and saw one in particular that made him grin. He saw the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters with directions on how to get to it from the hut. All he had to do was go behind the hut and be sure to stay along the path right behind it.

He let out a cry for joy, but quickly covered his mouth. An orange flash suddenly appeared at the doorway. Spike saw it was Captain Sanderson with his eyes and mane burning brightly with anger. The purple pegasus stepped back as he tried to think of something to do. Captain Sanderson's horn glowed and encased Spike in an orange aura. He was picked up and thrown against the potion ingredients. The bottles rattled violently and shattered as they fell to the ground and spilled their contents.

The brown stallion glared at Spike. "My patience with you is very thin now. You've made a foal out of me for the last time with your so called distractions. It's time to..." A sizzling noise suddenly caught Captain Sanderson off guard. "What's that noise?"

An explosion suddenly rang out in the hut. Spike and Captain Sanderson were sent flying in opposite directions. Spike crashed through a window and landed outside the hut. He got up and heard the frustrated roars of Captain Sanderson from inside the hut as more explosions went off. He noticed that he was behind the hut and turned to see a path nearby. He quickly galloped down the path as fast as his legs could go.

Spike grinned as he whizzed down the path to the castle and saw the thickness of the trees slowly disappear. The purple pegasus came across a clearing and saw nothing but mist amongst it and a cliff at first. He looked around to see a large black stone bridge nearby. He began to gallop towards the bridge, but felt himself not going anywhere. He looked around to see he was glowing an orange aura again and was slammed to the ground. Spike howled in pain and struggled to get up. He saw a shadow cast upon him in the moonlight and saw Captain Sanderson. The brown stallion's body was almost covered in flames and looked beside himself.

"I will make you suffer the ultimate punishment." He said in a dark demonic tone. His horn glowed a green aura and saw Spike's eyes widen with fear. "Nopony...and I mean nopony gets away from Captain Alexander Sanderson!"

Spike closed his eyes and knew his fate was sealed. He felt no pain though and nothing seemed to happen to him. He slowly opened one eye and saw Captain Sanderson's horn wasn't glowing. The brown unicorn attempted to get a spark of magic out, but there was nothing.

"What's going on here!?" Captain Sanderson demanded. "Why can't I use my magic to kill you!?"

"You have violated the contract Sanderson." A deep demonic voice echoed throughout the forest. "You were told to only capture Sparky, not kill him. Your contract and soul is now forfeit for your actions."

"You can't be serious!" He bellowed. "He's one of the very few who got away from me! I will not let him live for his actions!"

"You leave me no choice then."

"What are you going to do!? Kill me!? I'm already dead!" Captain Sanderson had an insane smile on his face.

"Wrong...you're true suffering awaits you."

The ground shook violently and the trees began to rustle or fall over. An explosion suddenly rang out from the ground. Spike and Captain Sanderson were sent into the air for a few seconds before crashing on the ground. The purple pegasus opened his eyes to see a giant red hoof sticking out of the ground and flames surrounding the hole his hoof was in. The hoof grabbed Captain Sanderson and wrestled to stop his squirming.

The brown stallion cursed and yelled as the hoof dragged him into the hole and underground. The screams died out as Sanderson was pulled into the ground. The last thing Spike saw was his hoof waving from the ground. The flames around the hole died out as another explosion rang out. The screams of many ponies echoed throughout the forest. Spike got up slowly to check the hole and saw it was smoldering, but the ground was very warm to the touch.

"I guess Twilight was wrong." The purple pegasus said. "Zombie ponies do exist." He turned towards the stone bridge and gulped a little. He began to trot his way across the bridge before something else stopped him.

A bright flash of light shone for a few seconds as Captain Sanderson stumbled around. The brown stallion looked around and saw nothing but darkness around him. A light then came on and he looked around feverishly. He looked at his body and saw to his surprise he could see again, but his body was still the same zombie like look.

"Sanderson, It seems you have failed to hold your end of the bargain" A demonic voice said. Captain Sanderson recognized it as the same voice as before. "Since you chose to disobey what you were told, you'll suffer for your actions."

"What are you going to do?" Captain Sanderson asked in a smug voice. "I've already been denied my chance to get vengeance on behalf of my family. There's nothing else you can do to me."

"Oh, I think I can."

A loud crack echoed throughout the area. Captain Sanderson started to hear whispers faintly at first, but it slowly got louder with each passing second. He heared moaning and grunts echo everywhere. The brown stallion jumped a little as he saw many ponies surround him. They all had flesh and bone showing all over their bodies. Some were wearing rusty looking armor while some didn't. Others had either an eye missing or both of them were out. Captain Sanderson looked around and felt beads of sweat flow down him.

"I've heard about what your family did in the past Sanderson." The voice said. "They relished in hunting down and killing ponies for your so called queen's following. Some of them you can probably recognize since you killed them with your own hooves. There is one that has been waiting to see you again."

Captain Sanderson's eyes widened as he saw a unicorn stallion with a burnt yellow mane and tail approach him. The unicorn's body was black, but parts of his body were burnt red. His left blue eye was missing and had a flame burning in it. The brown stallion couldn't believe who he was looking at.

"J-Jordan?" Captain Sanderson asked in a tiny voice. "Is...is that you?"

"Welcome back captain." Jordan responded in a demonic tone and smiled. "We've all been waiting for you, especially me."

"But...but I didn't kill him!" The brown stallion protested.

"He begged you to help him and save him." The voice boomed. "He's been loyal to you for a long time. You betrayed him by bringing him in for execution and that makes you an accomplice in murdering him."

Jordan and the other ponies surrounded Captain Sanderson and moved towards him. The brown stallion tried to use his magic, but nothing came out. He felt around for his horn and realized it was gone. The demonic ponies closed in on Captain Sanderson and grabbed various parts of his body.

"No! You can't do this to me! No!" The brown stallion screamed out and had a look of panic on him. The ponies dragged Captain Sanderson away as he continued to cry out for mercy.

"Look at it this way Sanderson." The voice echoed. "At least I gave you your eyes back, so you can see what they'll do to you." A high demonic laughter shook the area and died out after a couple of seconds.

Captain Sanderson felt himself be strapped to something. He looked to see he was clamped to a table. He saw around him ponies holding various knives and weapons surround him. Jordan came out and brought out a rusty looking scalpel. The brown stallion cried out in fear and pain as the ponies he once tortured and used began their eternal torment.

Spike felt like he just walked around Ponyville five times as he finally crossed the bridge. The mist cleared a little and he looked up to see the castle. The purple pegasus' jaw dropped as he saw a tall Gothic looking castle with no torches around the castle. The entire castle was shrouded in complete blackness, making it look like it was nothing but a shadow that bathed in the moonlight. Spike looked to see in front of him a giant set of double dark brown doors. As he took a step forward to the doors, they opened up slowly and creaked as they did. Spike jumped a little and looked around as his heartbeat started to increase. He took a deep breath and went through the doors.

As Spike entered the castle, the doors slammed shut behind him. He could've sworn he heard somepony snicker sinisterly. The purple pegasus looked ahead and saw nothing but some blue fire lit torches lined on the walls. There was a dark blue roll of carpet on the floor. A few sturdy dark brown doors and small windows that let in moonlight lined the hallway. He slowly started to trot his way through the castle, cautious towards any potential danger.

He made his way towards a two way intersection and heard hoofsteps approaching him. He turned around and tried to open one of the doors, but it was locked. He placed himself against the wall and hoped that the guard would miss him. The purple pegasus saw a green unicorn in dark blue armor at the middle of the intersection. The guard's horn glowed as it pointed a beam of light at the floor. He turned his head and pointed the light down where Spike was. Spike held his breath as the beacon of light came within inches of him.

He watched the guard turn around and headed back into the direction he came from. Spike took this chance to make his way back to the intersection. He looked to the left to see the guard was trotting away and then to the right. He noticed the other way was deserted and decided to take that route before the guard returned. He carefully navigated his way across the castle and made sure to avoid anymore guards. He noticed that the further he went into the castle, the less guards there were patrolling. It eventually reached the point where Spike ran into no guards and the castle was silent except for the crackling of fire and his hoofsteps.

He trotted his way across the castle when he suddenly came across a gate that was blocking his way. Spike was baffled and though that maybe he made a wrong turn, but he turned to the right to see another large set of double dark brown doors. The purple pegasus placed his hoof on the door and opened it slowly. The door creaked loudly and echoed throughout the castle for what seemed to be for hours until Spike could get in. He stepped through the doors and heard them slam shut again. The purple pegasus' eyes went pitch black all of a sudden and looked around nervously. His night vision spell went out for some reason and couldn't see anything in front of him.

Spike took a step forward and saw a row of torches that had blue flames in them light up on both sides. He gulped a little and saw something floating in front of him, a large stone sphere with a jewel emblem on it. Spike cautiously approached it and placed a hoof on it, but then it disappeared. A series of torches lit up the room and windows opened up to allow the moonlight to pour into the room. Spike looked around to see he was in what looked like a throne room. He saw around him a seemingly endless crowd of ponies in royal blue armor carrying spears and swords. A slow clapping of hooves caught Spike's attention and looked to see from behind the throne was Lord Sandro clapping his hooves.

"Well played there Sparky." The hooded stallion said. "It seems Captain Sanderson's pride finally got the best of him and sealed his fate. I figured not even my right hoof could take you down considering your actions."

"I made it here before midnight!" Spike shouted. "Now let my friends go!"

You cheated your way to my castle." Lord Sandro spat. "When I first saw you, I saw a bright glint in your eyes. I knew somepony must've placed a night vision spell on you. Thanks to the anti-magic barrier here, it removed that spell from you."

"Hey, you brought in some zombie pony who used some magic that could've killed me!" Spike yelled. "Captain Sanderson was cheating as well!"

Lord Sandro said nothing for a few minutes and gritted his teeth. "I did notice him using that spell, but I never knew he could do that. I suppose you do have a point since he broke his contract."

"So where are my friends!?" Spike demanded.

"They're right behind me Sparky." Lord Sandro pointed a hoof behind him. "It seems they got bored waiting to be rescued and are taking a nap."

Spike looked around the throne and saw something that made his stomach twist up. There were seven stone slabs, each one having Spike's friends floating above them with a black aura around each of them. Six of the slabs were circled around another slab of stone. Twilight was on the far left, then Rainbow, Applejack, Pinkie, and Fluttershy on the far right. In the middle of the slab though there was one pony that made Spike's eyes widen, it was Rarity. She was floating like the others and had a black aura around her. All six ponies had their Elements of Harmony floating near them and had their eyes closed, but they were narrowed. There was one spare slab of stone next to Fluttershy where the same stone sphere floated nearby.

The purple pegasus felt a burning anger course through his blood and body. He looked at Lord Sandro and felt his body shaking with rage. "Give me my friends right now." He said in a threatening tone. "You're going to pay for what you did to them."

"Then by all means strike me down then." Lord Sandro said nonchalantly. "I'm not going to defend myself from you."

Spike snorted a little and scrapped his hoof across the ground. He began to charge towards him, but felt a surge of pain hit him. The purple pegasus fell to the ground and his body felt paralyzed. He tried to move, but the bruises and cuts he got made his body ache with anguish.

Lord Sandro let out a cold laugh. "It seems your little run in with Captain Sanderson has left you quite worn out."

Spike's eyes widened and said, "Then...this whole time with fighting Captain Sanderson was a...?"

"Yes, it was all a trick." The hooded stallion stated. "I knew of how powerful you were and what you could do to me, so I had to take some precautions. It doesn't matter if you beat Captain Sanderson or not. I just needed to wear you down physically." His horn glowed and levitated Spike off the ground. The purple pegasus saw him give a wicked smile from under the hood. "Do you have any last words before your suffering begins?"

Spike felt dazed by all that's happened. "Who...who are you?" He asked in an exhausted voice.

Lord Sandro smiled and said, "Well as I said before, I'm a stallion of my word. If it means that much to you, then I guess there should be no more secrets. Besides, everypony will soon learn the face of the new King of Equestria as I rule with Nightmare Moon."

He placed his right hoof on the hood and pulled it back. Spike felt like a bucket of cold water spilled on him. His jaw dropped from the sight of the pony in front of him.

"You!?" He asked in disbelief.

"Me." The once hooded stallion said with a sinister smile.

Double Life

Spike’s jaw went limp as he looked upon Lord Sandro’s face. His entire body was paralyzed with shock and disbelief from the stallion standing right in front of him. He wanted to say something, but could only speak in gibberish. The purple pegasus wanted to think this was all some sort of joke, but he knew deep down it was the truth. He didn’t want to believe it, but it was him of all ponies.

He managed to get some words out. “It…it can’t be.” Spike said in a small voice. “It just can’t be you. How can you be Lord Sandro?”

“It’s all very simple actually.” The once hooded stallion said sinisterly. “You just need to wear a mask over yourself to fool your enemies. My position in Equestria and my deceitful tactics ensured that nopony would ever look at me twice and think I was doing anything wrong.”

Lord Sandro stepped out of the shadows and his face was illuminated in the moonlight. “After all, who would look at a pony such as me and think I was the one?”

Spike looked up to see it was all true. The pony standing above him gave a sinister smile as he chuckled. His shock quickly turned to anger as he desperately tried to move. He feebly grabbed on to the hooded pony’s robe, but he kicked him away. He gave a cold laugh as he approached Spike. He looked up again to get one last clear look at the pony in front of him.

It was Prince Blueblood.

He couldn’t believe that the pony that ruined Rarity was now standing next to him. The pony he wanted to give a piece of his mind to. He was standing right above him and could barely move his body. Spike wanted to grab him and beat him for what he did, but his wounds crippled his body. He tried to think of something to do, but there were too many ponies and he could barely move to do anything.

“Why…why you of all ponies?” Spike asked. “There’s no way a prissy jerk like you should be Lord Sandro.”

Blueblood kicked “Sparky” again in anger. “First of all, you will not insult me like that. Secondly, I just needed to fool everypony into thinking I was the prince of Equestria. It’s so simple when you are born so handsome like and have such charm on everypony.”

“It doesn’t make sense though.” Spike argued. “Princess Celestia would’ve found out about you and stop you.”

The white unicorn laughed and shook his head. “Oh, don’t you understand anything at all? Why would that aged white simpleton look at me, her very own nephew, and think I was evil?”

“Because you’re the prince of Equestria! You’re also the prince of being a real pain in the flank.”

Prince Blueblood held back another kick and growled in anger. “If you’re going to keep asking that same thing constantly, then I guess you do deserve an explanation. Besides, it’s not like you’re some kind of threat to me now with your injuries. However, I can’t really have you just being left on the floor. Why don’t you rest on that spare bed next to your yellow pegasus friend?”

Spike was lifted off the ground and was levitated towards the stone slab near Fluttershy. He was placed on his back and had his legs extended. Prince Blueblood’s horn glowed and encased “Sparky’s” hooves with black energy restraints. Spike tried to use what energy he had left to move his hooves, but the restraints were too tight on him. He saw a shadow loom over him and looked to see Prince Blueblood giving a wicked smile at him.

“What do you want to know?” The white unicorn asked. “How I managed to fool the princesses in their own castle? How I managed to mask myself for so long?”

Spike looked up and narrowed his eyes. “I want the whole thing about your plan.” He spat. “How did you do all this?”

Blueblood smirked and said, “Very well then. We have some time to go down memory lane.”

‘He stills acts so ego…ego…uh stuck up as Lord Sandro.’ Spike thought to himself.

“It all started twenty years ago in the Everfree Forest.” Prince Blueblood said. “The Disciples of Nightmare Moon had set up a town called Nocturnal deep in the forest. Living in that town was truly a nightmare for many. There was always some creature that threatened us and we had to fight to survive. I remember hearing someponies asking how that town was around for well over a thousand years. We were all taught that by sheer power and brute force, we would live to see another day.”

“I was the son of two members of the previous lord’s inner circle, Lord Gavin. I was like every other unicorn when they reached the age of three; we underwent rigorous training for the disciples’ army. Day in and day out, I studied dark magic and had to duel other students who were training as hard as me. We were taught how to survive in a hostile environment such as ours. We learned spells that were beyond what Princess Celestia’s students learned. We even learned melee combat to preserve some magic aura.”

“As a foal, I amazed my teachers and caught the attention of the inner circle itself. My skills exceeded the expectations of the other students. I learned complex dark spells that as usually reserved for only older trainees. My fighting skills resulted in every student being defeated by my own hoof. I even took command of the group I was with in survival training and didn’t lose any members to the creatures of the forest.”

“What truly made me stand out though was an act that made me a hero to the town. A manticore had attacked the town and injured many of the guards. It caught sight of me and was charging to attack me. Instead of running away, I used my magic to levitate the beast by its neck. I did more than that though, I used the grip on him to slowly tear his head off and presented it as a trophy to my instructors. They were so impressed with my actions, that Lord Gavin himself chose me as his next apprentice and successor to the throne.”

“From there, I learned more complex spells and how to be a leader for the disciples. Lord Gavin even taught me three techniques that would help become what I am today. I learned how to keep my power at a low level, so I wouldn’t attract any unwanted attention. I was then taught how to manipulate and use ponies to my will. The last thing was learning how to mask my presence by taking on the identity of another pony and even acting like some other pony. It really came in handy when it came to dealing with that insufferable Celestia and those Canterlot snobs.”

“Isn’t that right you foal?” Blueblood asked in his haughty Canterlot accent.

“What’s your point to this?” Spike asked.

“The point is this Sparky.” Blueblood said without his accent. “I was able to learn the necessities needed to begin my plan.”

“What do you mean?”

“Four years had passed since I became Lord Gavin’s apprentice. I was summoned by him one night to inform me of my mission. He had a vision about the Elements of Harmony returning and the return of Nightmare Moon. He told me that it was time to set what he called his ‘final plan’ into place. He wanted me to go to Canterlot and infiltrate the castle to find them and destroy them. He knew if Nightmare Moon was returning, then the elements would return to destroy her for good.”

“I decided to use my disguise skills to make myself look like an orphan on the streets. Lord Gavin also informed me that there would be a contact in the city so I could relay my information to him. He told me that he would know where I was and not worry about looking for him. I was able to use what information was gathered from spies to sound like one of those Canterlot ponies. I was also tasked to know everything about the castle, so that when the disciples came, they would know the secret passageways to use. I soon left for Canterlot and began my lord’s mission.”

“Thanks to a few maps of the forest, I made my way from the darkness of the Everfree Forest and into Canterlot itself. As I reached the castle itself, I pretended to be a beggar to the guards and asked to see the princess herself for help since my parents died. I caught a lucky break as Princess Celestia herself was approaching from a speech in the town square. She noticed me at the gates and I told her that I was in pain. She took pity on me and decided to take me in herself.”

“When she asked about my family, I told her that my family was dead and that I’ve been scrounging the streets for most of my life. I put on quite a performance for her and managed to convince her to take me in. She didn’t take me in just for pity, but she said she was lonely that she had no other family member since her sister was banished and needed a companion. I used my mother’s maiden name, Blueblood, as a new name for myself and to cover my identity. As such, I became the ‘son’ of Princess Celestia, but she decided to instead name me her nephew. I decided to make myself the opposite of what I really am. Instead of a dark and brooding commanding figure such as myself, I made others see that I was some chivalrous and well mannered prince.”

‘As if his ego wasn’t already big enough.’ Spike thought to himself as he rolled his eyes.

“As I started to learn from Princess Celestia, I used my free time to search the castle for the Elements of Harmony. It seemed though no matter where I looked, the elements were nowhere to be found. I spent weeks navigating and learning my way around every crook and cranny in the castle. It soon reached the point that I asked Princess Celestia herself about where the Elements of Harmony were. To my surprise, she told me that they have been inactive for the last thousand years and were no longer needed, but she never told me where they were.”

“I soon became frustrated and confused about my mission. I figured my best way to tell Lord Gavin about my findings was to locate the contact he told me about, but I never knew where he was. However, it seemed the fates smiled upon me that day as I was walking in the garden to find any secret passageways in there. I was approached by a pony and saw him present the symbol of the Disciples of Nightmare Moon. I knew that it had to be the contact Lord Gavin was talking about. He told me that he was posing as a messenger in Canterlot and wanted to know about what was going on. I informed him about the information I learned and that the elements were not only nowhere in sight, but inactive as well.”

“That next day, I received by a letter from the contact himself and was told it was Lord Gavin himself. The letter stated it had some troubling news about my mission. He said that he had another vision of the future not only about Nightmare Moon’s return, but for some reason it was about the fall of the Disciples of Nightmare Moon as well. He said that he knew that in a couple of years, the stars would our queen escape from her imprisonment, so he changed my mission plan. I was now ordered to stay at my post as a prince to Equestria and that when the time came, he would contact me again.”

“Thirteen years later, I made everypony believe I was Prince Blueblood, one of the rulers of the land and was quite popular with my looks.” Blueblood noticed “Sparky” giving a look of disgust, but ignored it. “On the night before the Summer Sun Celebration, I was received my final command from Lord Gavin. He told me that about how he was going to finally get Princess Celestia to leave us alone.”

“How so?” Spike asked.

“He was going to send a large army to the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters. The plan was to fool Princess Celestia into thinking that every member of the disciples would go there to meet with our queen. However, Captain Sanderson along with three hundred trained ponies would meet with me secretly on the outskirts of Canterlot. I was also given command of the disciples and informed of something that had been kept a secret for well over a thousand years.”

Spike’s eyes widened and said, “You…you don’t mean…?”

“That’s right Sparky.” Blueblood said. “A group of scouts was hunting for food one day. One of them fell down a hole and died, but the others found an underground library that we believe was part of Princess Celestia’s private archives. In it, we discovered some tablets and managed to get one of the first of many translators to translate them. Before he ‘left us’ with his griffon marefriend, he translated it to discover something about another Element of Harmony as well as some other spells. As such, Lord Gavin began for the search of this seventh element, but he had a vague idea where it was.”

“He believed that there was only one place that the seventh element could be hidden, in the old castle of the royal pony sisters. The problem however was that he sent a scout out to find them, but when he did find them, they were nothing but stone spheres and there were only six. Lord Gavin instructed me to find any fragments of Nightmare Moon’s spirit should she be destroyed. If she was going to be destroyed, then there should at least be a part of her spirit left. He also instructed me that when the royal guards moved out, I use my men to build a base at the castle and start looking for the seventh element. He believed that it had to be underground in some sort of vault and to start an archeological dig there.”

“On the day of the Summer Sun Celebration, I stayed in Canterlot Castle and waited for some kind of signal about what to do next. Throughout the extended night, I looked around pondered about what to do now that Lord Gavin was most likely dead along with his army. It wasn’t until an hour after the sun had risen that I was visited by Captain Sanderson. He had snuck into the castle and informed me that the remaining army was currently awaiting the remainder of Princess Celestia’s army to leave the forest. He wanted me to come meet the guards and get them settled into our new base. Since the princess was celebrating the end of Nightmare Moon, I convinced the guards that I was going to join her as well.”

“I met the guards near the ruins of the old castle in the Everfree Forest and assured them that our time would soon come to take down Princess Celestia. I wasted no time in getting the men to work on reconstructing the castle like this and to get started on the archeological dig underground. For a few weeks, I snuck out of the castle and oversaw the fortification of our castle and the dig sites that were going on. We started to trick those who knew Ancient Equestrian into thinking they were being offered a new job to help themselves. Even though I had to use ‘The Decapitator’ on a few of them when they discovered the truth, we were able to find out something through the use of a series of star maps that were translated. One event in those star maps really caught our attention. In fact, that event is going to occur tonight.”

“What do you mean?” Spike asked.

“I’ll get to that in a minute Sparky.” Blueblood said. “This event needed to occur at a specific time and it would require all the Elements of Harmony, including yours. I started to place spies in Canterlot Castle and study the mechanics of that door that held the Elements of Harmony. I planned for the spies to be guard the vault where the elements were kept. I then used my magic to bypass the lock and retrieve the elements without the princesses knowing.”

“A few nights before we captured the Elements of Harmony, I sent out Captain Sanderson and Private Jordan to scout Ponyville to assure you all were there. I figured if that’s where one of the bearers were, then the rest would be there as well. From there, I slowly began to trap you all with those ‘royal guards’ your friends encountered and took them away. It may’ve cost Jordan and Sanderson their lives, but it was worth it. I was more surprise that I was able to find the holder of the seventh element. I guess fate played a hoof in letting this all happen.”

“So what is this plan anyway?” Spike asked.

“There is a spell that will ultimately bring the end of Princess Celestia.” Blueblood said. “It’s a spell that can resurrect a dead spirit and allows it live in a host body. Princess Celestia banned this many years ago due to its dark magic and necromantic ties. Despite it being banned though, Lord Gavin managed to find the spell in the vault near Nocturnal. The records kept for this spell showed that it was used only twice. It seems whoever used it last caused the spirit possessed body to destroy a town before it was taken down.”

“So why the Elements of Harmony?” Spike asked. “If you needed all seven, then what would you’ve done if you never found it in the first place? What if I wasn’t the one?”

“Still your tongue and let me finish.” Blueblood said in a threatening tone. “The spell here called for six Elements of Harmony to be used. They would use the dark powers in the elements to help call the spirit and resurrect it. The reason the seventh one would be needed is that this spell from what I’ve read can really cause one of the bearers to be sapped of all their life force and be die. The seventh wielder however would act as a bit of ‘insurance’ to allow the ritual to go on without causing a rift in power and cause the sacrificed pony to die. That’s why the first attempt was a failure.”

“There’s no way Twilight and the others are going to use their elements to help you!” Spike shouted. “They’d never do something like that!”

“They have no choice in this matter. I am using one of my spells to feed on their fear and anger. The longer they stay in that state, the more corrupted their elements will become. In fact, I think the spell is starting to work now. Look at their elements.”

Spike looked around to see each of the elements. He noticed that in the moonlight, the gold holding the elements were turning silver and the colors of each element were turning pitch black. The purple pegasus looked at his element to see it was still in stone. An idea suddenly clicked inside his head.

“There’s nothing you can do to me Blueblood. My element is still in stone, so you can’t use it against me.”

“So it would seem…if that was the case.” The white stallion said as he smirked. “I don’t plan for you to use your element to try to defeat me. What I will do is that I’ll use the same spell on these other ponies to fill your mind with all your fears and hatred. Soon, your element will reform, but into its corrupted state. It’s then just a matter of doing the chant at midnight to bring back the spirit of Nightmare Moon. She’ll soon have a new host body to use and reign over Equestria.”

“How can you all resurrect her spirit? She was destroyed by the elements.”

“This is how we’ll do so.” Blueblood held out a broken blue helmet with a hole in the center for unicorns. “This helmet survived the rainbow blast that destroyed our queen. Her spirit lingers on in this very helmet and will be used to help bring her back.”

Spike looked at Rarity in the middle of the others and a dark thought hit him. “Who is this host anyway?”

“That would be the generous Rarity here.” Blueblood said with bitterness in his voice. “She really is the Element of Generosity if she’ll give up her body for Nightmare Moon.”

“No! You can’t do this to her!” Spike yelled as he struggled to break free. “Why her of all ponies!?”

“As I have told you Sparky, I was quite popular as Prince Blueblood. Mares from all over the land came to see me and would do anything to be with me. I was what they called a Prince Charming to them. However, I knew if I was going to use the resurrection spell, then I’d need a powerful enough unicorn mare to be the sacrifice. It wasn’t until that fateful night at the Grand Galloping Gala that I saw her.”

“You mean Rarity?”

“Correct, I saw Rarity on the night of the Gala and she looked at me with a love struck expression. I knew then and there that I had found my mare to be the host of Nightmare Moon. It was even better that she was an Element of Harmony herself. I figured that she couldn’t resist my act and how charming I looked to her. It seems though I got a little too confident with my actions.”

“At the end of the gala, Rarity barked at me for being one of the rudest ponies ever. I was taken aback by how she managed to resist my charm and wit. I have a special talent in leading others and having them follow my orders. She alone is the only pony to have ever resisted me and my charisma. I really couldn’t believe that a damn commoner scum like her was able to act that way to me. It took all my restraint to not lash out and burn her right then and there.”

“Despite all that though, I received a report from Captain Sanderson later that made me smile. The event known as Lunar Cosmos was next week.”

“Lunar Cosmos?”

“It’s the event that I have been telling you about Sparky. I knew it was time to accelerate my plans so I just needed to see if I could take Rarity away. I saw Princess Celestia go off towards that doughnut shop and I followed her secretly. I saw that Rarity and her so called friends were laughing and having a good time. She even went on to insult me more and this little dragon said he wanted to beat me up for what I did. It’ll be a dark day for that pest when I find him and skin his scales off his body. He’ll know true suffering along with all of Equestria.”

Spike couldn’t help but tremble in fear. He could see Blueblood’s eyes narrowing and his teeth gritted at the mention of him.

“So that’s when it all started to come together until this point.” The white stallion said. “I planned this whole thing out and now we’re one step away from bringing back the queen. I fooled those Canterlot nobles, Princess Luna, and best of all, Princess Celestia. All of them never knew and now it’s too late. Princess Celestia’s sun has set for the final time and it’s time for us to take our rightful place as the leaders.”

Blueblood looked up at the ceiling and used his magic to open a hole in it. The ceiling rumbled as a large hole opened up and moonlight started to pour into the room. Spike looked up to see the moon and was starting to glow brighter than usual.

“We’ve wasted enough time down memory lane though.” He said. “It’s time to finally bring an end to that bothersome white alicorn and bring her down along with her kingdom.” Blueblood turned to Spike. “It’s time you played your part in bringing back Nightmare Moon. Don’t worry, when I’m through with the other elements, you all can serve me and Nightmare Moon as our loyal Elements of Darkness.”

“No way will I or any of us will serve you!” Spike barked. “You’re going to pay for what you did to all of them and for hurting Rarity at the gala! She didn’t deserve somepony who uses her as a shield from a cake!”

Bluelbood raised an eyebrow upon hearing that last statement. “How do you know about what happened at the gala? I never saw your face at that event.”

Spike’s eyes widened in fear. “Uh…I…um was away at the time. She told me about it later.” He grinned sheepishly.

The white stallion’s eyes narrowed. “You lying little pony.” He said in a threatening tone. “Private Jordan told me that you were being welcomed to Ponyville. He stated that you didn’t know any of them. How can you know something like that? Only one of her…friends…would…know…”

Blueblood stopped speaking for a minute to think. He gritted his teeth as he started to piece something together and looked besides himself. He looked back at Spike who had a terrified expression on his face.

“What’s…your…name?” He asked with anger in his voice.

“M-my name is S-Sparky.” The purple pegasus responded with fear in his voice.

“LIAR!” Blueblood boomed. “There’s no way in Tartarus you could’ve been told! You couldn’t have been told about that and you couldn’t have known what I did to her! Now tell me again! What’s your name!?”

Spike was shaking violently at this point and tried to keep his cool. He could feel Blueblood’s glare penetrate him and sent shivers down his spine. The next thing Spike knew, he felt Blueblood place his horn on his head.

“Let’s see who you really are Sparky.” He said. “This memory reader spell can tell whether you’re telling the truth or not.”

Before Spike could protest, Blueblood’s horn glowed and felt thousands of images flood his sight. He could see the first time he tried to help Twilight carry a book in the Canterlot Library. Then, there was an image of him meeting Twilight’s family for the first time. The images soon turned transitioned from Canterlot to when he first arrived in Ponyville. There was a memory of him first meeting all of Twilight’s friends. Then to Spike’s horror, the memory of the night after the Grand Galloping Gala came up. He could see him and Twilight talking about something and prayed it wasn’t what he feared it would be.

“If I ever saw that Prince Blueblood, I’d give him a piece of my mind!” Spike shouted. “That uptight snob needs a firm slap in the face! Let me go find him right now and show him a thing or two!”

“Spike!” Twilight scolded. She used her magic to lift the dragon into the air. “Let it go Spike. The princess has told me that she’ll take care of Prince Blueblood for what he did to Rarity. Do you know what would happen if you did anything to him? You’d be banished! Maybe even put in a dungeon! Probably even banish and…"

“Okay Twilight, I get it! Now can you let me down?”

Twilight released the aura surrounding Spike and placed him down on a seat.

“Spike, I know you’re upset by what Prince Blueblood did to Rarity, but you can’t just act that way. Let’s just forget about him and have a good time.”

Spike crossed his arms and scowled. “Alright Twilight, but if that snobbish jerk comes here, I’m giving him everything I’ve got!”

The memory faded away as well as the flow of images in Spike’s head. He could feel a bucket of ice drop in his stomach and looked at Blueblood. He could see the white stallion had a furious look on him that made Fluttershy’s “stare” look tame in comparison. Spike felt Blueblood’s hoof press against his head.

“You…you’re no pony at all.” The white stallion said coldly. “My greatest adversary and a year of searching have led me to a dragon of all creatures. How can a dragon, a little dragon such as you be the one?”

Spike tried to say something, but the furious look on Blueblood intimidated him and couldn’t speak a word.

Blueblood took a deep breath and glared at Spike. “If you really are an Element of Harmony, then you’ll serve your purpose. I’ll be doing the same thing that I did to your friends. You’ll experience your worst fears and nightmares. For this to work though, you need to be unconscious. I’ll save some of my magic and use a better alternative for the likes of you.”

Spike was about to ask what it was, but Blueblood stomped his hoof on his chest. The purple pegasus cried out in agony and cringed from the impact. He suddenly felt Blueblood punch him several times in the face. He then proceeded to punch him in the mouth a few times. The white stallion continued to hit Spike until he was bruised and was bleeding from his mouth and nose.

Spike was breathing very shallowly and could feel himself slipping into an unconscious state. He kept telling himself to stay awake and try to ride it out until midnight came and went. The purple peagasus’ efforts proved to be futile though as one last punch knocked him out and darkness encased him. The last thing he saw was Blueblood with a triumphant look on his face.

“Not bad for somepony who’s an uptight snob I would say.” The white stallion said.

Blueblood looked up at the sky and noticed the moon was getting closer to the center tablet where Rarity was. He then turned to seven black hooded unicorns who were bowing before him. The white stallion gestured to them to rise and face him.

“Time is running out, we must finish the ritual as soon as possible. I’ll get the spell working on Sparky or in this case, Spike. When he finally succumbs to the fear and hatred, his corrupted element will form and we’ll use it to help resurrect our queen. All of you are to get to your positions and prepare the chant.”

“It shall be done Lord Sandro.” The unicorn stallions said in unison.

The hooded stallions turned and went to stand behind Spike and the others. Blueblood turned towards Spike and his horn glowed a black aura.

“Let’s see what fears and hatred drive you Spike.” He said sinisterly.

Spike was flying through a wormhole. He could hear the screaming and yelling of various ponies as he flew faster down the tunnel. He could see at the end of the wormhole a pitch black hole waiting to swallow him. As he entered the hole, Spike heard somepony cackle manically.

The next thing Spike knew, he landed on a hard marble floor. He groaned as he slowly got up and looked around. The purple pegasus’ eyes widened as he looked upon the sight before him. He noticed the sky was black, but yet lightning flashed and thunder boomed. He was standing upon a familiar marble floor and looked up to see the stained glass of him was shattered and the altar was destroyed. The sounds of ponies shrieking in terror rang out in Spike’s ears and made him felt intimidated. He tried to find somewhere to go, but the only thing he saw in the distance were pieces of the altar floating in the air and a black pit below him.

He then looked at himself and noticed he was back to being a little dragon once again. He cursed in anger as he lost his ability to fly and now had no place to go. He sat on the floor and tried to think of something, but every possibility he came up with wouldn’t work.

“What do I do now?” Spike asked himself.

“Over here.” A voice whispered.

Spike looked around frantically. “Who’s there?”

The dragon heard hoofsteps close to him and looked to see something that made him jump a little. It was the same white hooded stallion he saw a few days ago.

“It’s you again.” Spike said. “What are you doing here anyway?”

“There is little time to answer questions Spike.” The stallion said. “You’re currently in your mind again, but this time it’s been corrupted by the spell used by Lord Sandro or Prince Blueblood as you call him. There is one way to actually wake up from this nightmare is to face your fears the things that terrify you the most. There are some certain fears you have to overcome.”

Spike was taken aback by this. “How will I know what to do then? I’m just a little dragon after all. I know I’m not strong and my fire breath can only stun somepony.”

“You’re stronger than you look Spike.” The voice said. “You’ve come all this way and made it through a lot of trials and tribulations, but yet you’re willing to give up here and now?”

“Hey it’s not that I’m giving up, it’s just that I can’t do anything at all. As a pony, I could use my wings and strength to win. Now I’m a tiny dragon, but I’ve barely got any muscles and no wings. How can I go against something or somepony who can squish me like a bug?”

“You don’t understand. Your strength wasn’t what truly defeated those who harmed you and your friends. It was your quick thinking and cunning skills that saved you.”

“I’m not following you.”

“Think about it Spike, you’ve done a lot to help overcome your adversaries. You used Captain Sanderson’s sensitive hearing to your advantage and managed to overcome him. What about in that apple field when you used the trees to commit a sneak attack that nearly defeated your attacker? Now you made it into the castle without being detected and you fought valiantly to not succumb to Lord Sandro’s spell. You’ve done so much and you can’t just admit defeat right here and now. You’ve got to fight not only for Equestria, but your friends and the one you love most.”

Spike raised his head upon hearing this. “Rarity.”

“Yes…I know you must’ve felt heartbroken by what happened, but you can’t just give up on her or any of your friends. They are now counting on you to save them and put an end to Lord Sandro’s plans for good. You may be just a dragon, but after everything you’ve done, you’re more than that. You’re a dragon who has the spirit of a hero and can defeat any obstacle that gets in his way. Fight for your friends Spike and fight for the one you love.”

Spike looked down for a few seconds and took the words in. He felt a surge of power run through his body and his fear melt away in his body. He looked back at the hooded pony with a determined look on him.

“You’re right…I can’t leave them all.” He said sounding confident. “I’ve always wanted to give Blueblood a piece of my mind and I will do so.”

The hooded stallion smiled and said, “Then it’s time to get started now.”

He turned around and used a the unicorn horn under his horn to glow. The pieces from the altar slowly came together and formed into a marble staircase. At the end of the staircase, a bright beacon of light formed.

The hooded stallion turned towards Spike. “Your finally journey awaits you. Go now and bring this all to an end. I will be watching you Spike.”

The dragon suddenly felt something he needed to ask. “Wait…before you go. Can you at least tell me who you are? I want to at least know that.”

The hooded stallion only gave a small smile. “Like I said, there is little time to answer questions. When this is all over, you’ll know the truth at last behind me. I promise you that much for all you’ve done.” All of a sudden, the stallion started to disappear slowly. “There is little time left, hurry Spike.” He said before vanishing completely.

Spike looked down and felt disappointed about not knowing who this stallion was. He quickly put those feelings aside as he slowly made his way up the steps and towards the beacon of light. He could hear the whispering of ponies slowly start to build up until he was standing right in front of the beacon of light.

“There is nothing for you to gain by doing this.” A demonic voice boomed. “You’re only delaying what is to come anyway. Turn back this instant, or suffering and pain will await for you.”

The voice let out a demonic cackle that shook Spike a little. The dragon shook his head and looked at the beacon of light. He could hear the whispers grow louder until he could hear some of them warn him to turn back. There were other voices mocking him for being a coward and laughing at him. Spike ignored the voices and took a deep breath. He stepped into the light and then with a flash, he was gone.

Nightmares

In the throne room of the Disciples of Nightmare Moon, Lord Sandro, now revealed to be Prince Blueblood, was overlooking the captives in his ritual circle. He kept a close eye on Spike and smirked at the fallen pegasus. The white stallion saw out of the corner of his eyes a forest green pegasus guard approaching him. He turned towards the guard and saw him bow before him.

“What do you have to report guard?” Prince Blueblood asked.

“My lord, the ritual chanters are in place and are ready.” The guard said as he got up. “One of them did state they are worried that Sparky, or whoever his real name is, won’t be ready in time. We only have an hour left until Lunar Cosmos.”

“I am aware of how long we have guard. You and the chanters don’t need to worry about Sparky, or in this case Spike, being unprepared for what’s to happen. I’m willing to bet that like his friends, he’ll try to break free of the Nightmare Spell I’ve placed on them. He should be able to put up a better fight than that sniveling yellow pegasus.”

“What shall we do Lord Sandro until midnight strikes?”

“Keep a small group of guards out in the castle. I was already shocked enough to learn Spike here is that worthless dragon and I don’t need any more surprises. When the time comes, all guards are to come to the throne room. We will all witness Nightmare Moon’s return and we’ll begin our final assault on Canterlot.”

“What about the Elements of Harmony?”

“We’ll have to see what will happen to them. We can either use them as their corrupted state to aid us, or if they become rebellious, we’ll silence them for good. I’ll be keeping a close eye on each of the bearers. Now go and send those orders out lieutenant.”

“Yes my lord.” The guard saluted.

The guard turned and headed to do his duties. Prince Blueblood looked back at Spike and smirked to himself.

“Let’s see what you can do Spike.” The white stallion said. “I expect nothing more than for you to fail quickly. Just like how you failed to save your friends.” He watched Spike’s element floating overhead still in a stone sphere and grinned.

Spike felt a bright light hit his eyes and opened them to see where he was. He looked around to see he was in the Ponyville Library of all places. He got up and saw he was not only a dragon, but in his bed as well. He couldn’t help but think about past events, but everything seemed to be a blur to him. He remembered something about a hooded pony and some voices, but everything else made his head hurt for some reason. He made his way to the foyer of the library and saw Twilight humming as she put some books away.

The lilac unicorn heard her assistant coming and turned to give him a smile. “Good morning Spike, I’m glad you’ve calmed down after how you acted at the party.”

Spike eyes widened upon hearing this. “What do you mean party? There was never any party, or from what I can remember.”

“It’s okay Spike, you must be very tired from the wedding celebration for Rarity yesterday.”

“W-wedding!? What wedding for Rarity!?” Spike panicked.

Twilight held up a newspaper and said, “The wedding celebration for Rarity and Prince Blueblood remember? You were sad that Rarity got married to him and I had to take you home shortly after the party began. Why are you asking?”

Spike snatched the newspaper away and saw an eerie image that sent shivers down his spines. The front page had a blue stallion priest in between a happy looking Rarity and Prince Blueblood. He felt like he’d seen this before, but couldn’t put his claw on it. A ringing noise rang out in his head as he tried to remember the image and hurt his head. He yelled in agony and covered his ears as the ringing rang out.

“Spike, are you okay?” Twilight asked in a concerned tone. “Do you have some sort of headache?”

The dragon got up and shook his head. “No Twilight, this can’t all be true at all. I…I love Rarity. Why would she go out and marry somepony like Blueblood?”

“Spike, you need to calm down.” Twilight warned him. “You’re starting to act like yesterday at the party.”

“But…this feels wrong somehow.”

“Spike, there’s nothing wrong with this at all. Rarity met Prince Blueblood at the Grand Galloping Gala and they had a great night together. The two went out for a couple months until Prince Blueblood asked to marry Rarity. They’re very happy together and love each other.”

Spike shook his head in agony. “This just doesn’t feel right though. I…I think something different happened, but every time I try to remember, my head just hurts.”

“It’s probably some sort of headache Spike, but that’s not the point. The point is that this fascination you have with Rarity has got to come to an end. I know you must feel a little upset, but it’s time to move on and probably find some dragon girl to find. Now let me get you some medicine to help with that headache. I promise you that everything will be okay once you have some.”

Twilight left to fetch a potion, leaving Spike in disbelief and sorrow. He couldn’t believe his dreams had come crashing down like that. He felt a faint voice yell at him for something, but yet he couldn’t tell what it was saying. All he did know is that something felt very wrong about this whole situation. He tried to remember back to the wedding and to the Grand Galloping Gala, but each attempt made his head feel like it was bashed with a sledgehammer.

“Are you sure Rarity found her Prince Charming?" A voice rang out in Spike’s head.

The dragon looked around to see who it was, but he couldn’t find anypony. He heard the words clearly in his head and felt something click inside his head. He tried to remember back to the gala again and could hear the ringing again. He ignored the pain and tried to uncover the fog in his memories. He could vaguely see Rarity in a doughnut shop and looked sad. Something started to piece together inside his head. The pieces soon started to form a clear picture in Spike’s head and felt the ringing in his ears die out.

Twilight returned with a small test tube full of red liquid. “Here Spike, this potion will help with that headache. It does make you very drowsy, so I’ll put you to bed after you take it.”

Spike held up a claw at the lilac unicorn. “Twilight, before I take the potion I want to ask something.”

“Uh…sure Spike, what is it?” She asked sounding hesitant.

‘Here goes nothing.’ He thought to himself. “What do you remember about the night of the Grand Galloping Gala.”

Twilight was taken aback by this question. “Um…well it was the best night we ever had. We all had a great time there.”

“Do you remember what you did or any of the others?”

“O-of course I do!” She shouted in panic. “It’s just been so long since we talked about it. I got to spend plenty of time with Princess Celestia and talk to her about our past friendship reports.”

Spike raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. “So what was one of those friendship reports about? Which one did you tell the princess about?”

The lilac unicorn started to sweat a little. “Erm…uh…friendship and its magic.”

Spike simply smiled upon hearing this. “Twilight, you’re just like Applejack. You can’t tell a lie to save your flank.”

Twilight gasped upon hearing this. “Spike, what do you think you’re…?”

“I’ll tell you what’s going on Twilight, if that’s even you’re real name.” He said. “I remember the night of the gala and how miserable you and the others. You all had the worst night ever until we met up at Pony Joe’s. You didn’t even get to talk to Princess Celestia until after the gala was over.”

She flinched a little. “Well…um…you see…”

“Oh, and I know how Blueblood truly treated Rarity that night. I know since she told all of us. She considered him to be the rudest pony to ever exist on the face of Equestria. Why would she marry some snob like him who’s a complete jerk?”

“Don’t you dare talk like that about me!” Twilight barked in a contorted voice.

Spike smirked upon hearing this. “You really think you can fool me Twilight, or is it Prince Blueblood?”

The lilac unicorn looked livid and held up the potion. “Come on Spike, it’s time for your medicine.” She said in a contorted voice. “You’re really sick and this medicine will make you feel all better.”

The dragon smacked the test tube and sent it falling to the ground. He looked at an infuriated Twilight and said, “Sorry, but I’m feeling all better now.”

Twilight roared in anger and erupted into a large ball of black fire. The library disappeared into a fog and the flames died out. Prince Blueblood glared at Spike and could see the dragon looking confident. The white stallion was about to charge at Spike, but a thought stopped him in his tracks. He started to chuckle to himself until it became a cold laugh that echoed in the fog.

“You’ve lost even in your little victory Spike.” He said sinisterly.

“What do you mean?” Spike asked.

“I saw in your memories that Rarity rejected you. She didn’t like you at all and she will never love you. You’re nothing but a bothersome pest to her and she considers you to be out of her league.”

Spike looked down and took the words inside him. He didn’t want to admit it, but Prince Blueblood was right. Rarity didn’t like him at all, not as a dragon friend and most likely not as a friend. He could hear his confidence shatter like glass and sat down on his haunches. His nightmare had come true already and there was nothing he could do to counterattack the truth.

“You see? You already lost.” Prince Blueblood said in a mocking tone. “She’s better off with somepony like me, not some love struck dragon.”

An idea clicked in Spike’s head upon hearing Blueblood’s words. He looked up and said, “W-well…at least she won’t end up with you.”

The white stallion raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean by that?”

“I…I was always afraid that Rarity might reject me, but I think I know something worse than Rarity not accepting my feelings. It’s being with somepony like you.”

“You have a lot of guts talking to me like that.” Prince Blueblood said coolly.

“I know that Rarity and I will still be friends even if she doesn’t accept me. As long as she’s found a pony that truly loves her, then I’ll be happy for her. She doesn’t need somepony like you who’s selfish and a jerk.”

The white stallion’s left eye twitched a little. “Fine…so you made it through. However, I can assure you that you will never escape from me. Sooner or later, you will serve me and call me King Sandro. If you want to continue to suffer, by all means continue. It’ll be good to see you squirm in pain for all the trouble you’ve caused. Let’s see how far you can truly go before you can no longer delay the inevitable.”

Prince Blueblood faded away and a bright beacon of light appeared. Spike approached it and took another deep breath. He stepped into it and with a flash was gone again.

Spike suddenly landed on what felt like a bunch of rocks. He looked around to see he was in a desolate wasteland with a lot of jagged rocks around and some mountains in the distance. The rumble of thunder roared across the sky. Spike saw in the distance what looked like something flashing. He gulped a little and headed towards it cautiously.

As he made his way towards the flashing source, Spike heard some whispering and looked around. He couldn’t help but feel that there was somepony watching him in the distance. He put those thoughts to rest as he got closer to the flashing source. The dragon got a closer look at the object and saw it was a stone sphere with a gem in the center. Spike realized he was looking at his own Element of Harmony and grinned with delight. He charged after it without giving a second thought to the matter. His hopes were quickly dashed as the sphere suddenly disappeared in a cloud of smoke and somepony laughed coldly.

Spike heard a loud roar echo across the area and could feel his spines shake in fear. He was about to look around, but then he was two black dragons head towards him. He tried to run for it, but the dragons landed right in front of the direction he was running and covered him in a dust cloud. Spike waited for the dust to settle down before getting a better look at the dragons.

He could see that each one of them were as tall as Ponyville Library and had large wings. They each looked identical with the same yellow eyes and dark purple spines. The only difference Spike could see was that the one on the right had a reddish scar on his right eye. The one on the left had the same colored scar over his left eye.

“Well, look who’s back for more.” The dragon on the left said coolly.

“If it isn’t the pony lover from before.” The dragon on the right said in a voice similar to the left dragon’s voice. “It seems you’ve gotten a little shorter since we last saw you.”

“Maybe he actually realized that he would outgrow those ponies sooner or later.”

“Hmm…you have a point there brother.” The dragon on the right turned towards Spike. “Tell me Spike…have you finally realized the truth?”

The dragon shook in intimidation, but managed to get some words out. “W-what do you mean the truth?”

“You’ve realized that you’ll never fit in with other ponies and that you’re better off with us. We’re happy that you’ve come to realize the truth. You’ll be learning a lot from us about how dragons really act.”

“Who are you guys anyway?”

“I’m Smash.” The dragon on the right said.

“I’m Thrash.” The dragon on the left stated.

“We’re known as the Bruiser Brothers in the Dragon Empire.” Smash said. “We’re better than any dragon in this land. We can beat any creature from dragons to ponies.”

“Our skills are perfected, just like the two of us.” Thrash said. “If you stick with us, you too could be a perfect dragon like us.”

“My brother has a point Spike. You’re a tiny puny dragon now, but if you come with us, you’ll become just like us. You’ll be famous in this land as one of the most fearsome dragons of all time.”

“So how about it Spike?” Thrash asked. “How would you like to learn from the best about dragons? I’m sure you will prove to be one of us once you get the hang of the basics.”

Smash and Thrash each held out their claw to shake. Spike looked at them with doubt in his eyes. He knew what they were saying was true. Sooner or later he would be forced to leave the others in Ponyville and live life amongst other dragons. He thought about how the others would react to his decision. He could see all of them looking sad and disappointed that they’ve left him. His thoughts then drifted to Rarity and thought about how she would feel if he left.

He knew that he no longer had any chance with her, but yet thought that she would be distraught if he left like this. He thought that everypony who knew him would be upset to see him leave. He wasn’t a pony, but yet they still loved him. Twilight and the others had helped him along the way and he knew how much they meant to him. He looked back at the Bruiser Brothers who were smiling sinisterly.

“Well Spike?” Thrash asked.

“No…I’m not going to be like any of you.” Spike responded after a few minutes. “I may not be a pony or anything, but those friends of mine are family to me. They’d never forget me and they’d never make me feel left out. I don’t need any of you to teach me something. I already learned a lot from my pony friends.”

The two dragons looked at each other and smiled sinisterly.

“Very well then Spike.” Smash said. “If you’re so content with your pony friends, then you can die with them.”

“There’s no way you can fight against us with how tiny you are.” Thrash said. “In fact it seems as if…”

“You’re quite at…” Smash continued.

“A small disadvantage against us.” The two said in unison.

Spike looked at himself and frowned. ‘No wings and my fire breath is too weak to hurt them.’ He thought to himself. ‘How am I going to beat two dragons who are as tall as the library?’

“We’ll make your demise quite easy Spike.” Smash said. “Stay still and let us show you what we’re capable of.”

The little dragon took a few steps back nervously. All of a sudden, a thought hit him. ‘Wait…if this is all a dream, then I shouldn’t be able to get hurt. I’ll wake up and take out Prince Blueblood.’

Thrash took in a deep breath and prepared to let out a huge blast of fire at him. Spike stood his ground and prepared for the worst.

“Spike, get out of the way!” A voice shouted in Spike’s head.

He didn’t know who said it, but Spike instinctively ducked behind a jagged rock. He reached the rock in time as a large blast of black fire hit the rock and nicked Spike’s tail. He grabbed his tail and clenched his teeth in pain.

“That hurts…wait a minute, that hurts?” Spike asked. “How can I be hurt? This is all a dream.”

“This isn’t any normal dream Spike.” The voice stated. “These nightmares can kill you in your own mind.”

Spike suddenly recognized the voice. “Hey…it’s you again. You’re that pony again.”

“Glad to see you finally remember me. I was worried that the first nightmare you encountered would’ve made you forget everything.”

“Well at least you’re here. How come I can’t wake up from this nightmare? I thought you couldn’t get hurt in dreams.”

“As I said before, this isn’t a normal nightmare. Right now, you’re fighting to shake off Lord Sandro’s spell. If you die in any of these nightmares, you’ll lose the will to fight and your mind will succumb to the spell placed on you. You’re just as alive here as you are in the real world.”

“What do I do now? I can’t fly and those guys are giants. How can I get away from them?”

“They seem to be very vain and boastful about their skills. See if you can find a way to turn it against each other."

“What kind of answer is that? I don’t need this confusing riddle stuff.”

“This is a straight answer. When the time comes, the opportunity will present itself to you. That will be your moment in taking down these dragons. Hold them off as long as you can and don’t let them catch you.”

“Wait, how can I outrun them if I’m so small?” Spike heard no response from the voice. “Oh man, this is not good. How can…” He was suddenly interrupted by a loud roar and looked to see Thrash flying down towards him.

Spike ran as fast as his legs could go away from the black dragon. He tried to find some place to hide, but he could see no caves in sight and the barren terrain seemed to be endless. The dragon tried to run towards a fog in the field, but as he got closer, he had to stop himself. He looked beyond the fog to see a cliff with a pit at the bottom. Spike suddenly felt a fireball whiz past him and into the pit. He looked up to see Smash joining his brother in catching him.

“You might as well give up now Spike!” Thrash warned. “Your pony friends aren’t here to save you from us!”

“There’s no way a dragon your size can hope to best us!” Smash shouted. “You’re better of either surrendering to us, or you’ll be burning in Tartarus!”

Spike ignored the warnings and continued to run in hopes of finding a place to hide. He heard several fireballs crash into the ground and left craters near him. He was starting to get tired fast, but to his relief, he found a pile of rocks with a hole in it big enough for him to crawl in. The dragon took this chance to run towards it, but Thrash suddenly landed right in front of him. The black dragon raised his foot in an attempt to stomp on Spike. The baby dragon jumped to the side to avoid the foot and ran under Thrash.

Smash then landed behind his brother and used his tail to knock Spike away from the cave. The baby dragon was thrown across the field and landed right on the edge of the cliff. Spike used all of his strength to pull himself up the cliff hastily. He got up and saw Smash getting ready to punch him. Spike quickly leaped to the side to avoid it and ran off to the cave. He looked behind as he ran to see Smash chasing after him and trying to grab hold of the baby dragon.

A loud roar caught Spike’s attention and looked up at the sky. Thrash was swooping down from the sky and took a deep breath. The dragon let out a huge blast of fire directly at Spike and spread it all across the field. Spike ducked behind one of the jagged rocks and could feel the intense heat of the fire surround him. He looked around and saw to his luck the cave just within his reach.

The baby dragon wasted no time as he rushed over to the cave’s entrance and hid himself in it. As he made his way deeper into the cave, he heard the roaring sounds of both Smash and Thrash outside. The cave started to shake and rubble fell down upon Spike. He realized that the dragons were attempting cause a cave in and trap him inside. He was conflicted on what to do now at this point. He knew if he went outside, Smash and Thrash would ultimately burn him with their fire breath. If he stayed inside the cave, it would give way and most likely kill him.

Before Spike could think more on what to do, he saw a giant boulder drop to the ground in front of him. He looked around to see that the cave was now collapsing and had no other choice. He quickly made his way back to the entrance of the cave while avoiding the debris coming down. As he made his way out, he saw to his surprise and relief that Smash and Thrash were too busy destroying the cave to notice him. He quickly darted past them and tried to look for another cave.

Spike thought he was in the clear for a moment, but then a loud roar echoed across the field. He turned back to see Smash charging at him. He heard another roar and looked up to see Thrash flying towards him. The baby dragon tried to outrun the brothers, but before he could even take more than five steps, he was grabbed by Smash. He was slammed against the ground and was held down. Thrash soon joined his brother and both had triumphant looks on them.

“You see Spike, we tried to warn you.” Smash warned. “You already lost before this whole thing started.”

“We’ll commend you for at least showing some minimal resistance.” Thrash said. “However, my brother does have a point. Your efforts were futile and now there’s nothing you can do. None of your pony friends are here to rescue you after all.”

“You should’ve realized that you could never defeat us.”

“We are perfect in what we do and we are the best in this land.”

“I shall now do the honors.” Smash said.

“What about me brother?” Thrash asked. “We did this together after all.”

The black dragon smiled sinisterly at his sibling. “You have a point there. Let’s destroy him both together.”

Spike saw the two dragons each take a deep breath in. He scrambled to think of something, but he couldn’t think of anything. He suddenly felt something click inside his head and realized something. They were boasting about being perfect, but yet they still have disagreements. He remembered back to what the voice said and believed this was his chance.

“STOP!” Spike shouted in desperation.

The two black dragons stopped what they were doing and looked at Spike.

“What do you want?” Smash asked.

Spike gulped a little and said, “Well…I just wanted to ask you all something before I die.”

The two siblings looked at each other and then at Spike. “Speak and be quick about it.” They said in unison.

“You all say you two are perfect, but I really have to know. Which one of you is the best?”

“I am!” They shouted together. They both looked at each other in shock. “What did you just say!?”

Spike held back a smirk. “Come on, only one of you can really be the best. Who really is the better one?”

“I was the first to hatch.” Smash said. “That makes me the better one.”

“Don’t give me any of that.” Thrash shot back. “I learned from those mistakes you committed in your youth. You made many faults, but I learned from them and became better as a result.”

“You have a lot of nerve talking to me like that!”

“It’s not my fault that some of you stupid attempts at besting King Thorn got us exiled from the land! You were always the one who made such idiotic ideas and got us in trouble!”

“You’re no better at all you fool! You always think you know everything when you really don’t! Do I need to remind you of when you couldn’t catch that one mule!?”

“You’re really asking for it!”

The two dragons growled at each other for a couple minutes. The next thing Spike knew, Thrash tackled his brother and was freed from Smash’s grasp. He watched as the two hurled insults at one another and threw punches at each other. The two pushed each other around and locked themselves in a tight grip with one another. They were so busy fighting each other that they didn’t see the cliff nearby.

Spike watched as the brothers tumbled over the cliff and out of sight from each other. He heard a loud booming noise and saw a large flash of light from over the cliff. Spike let out a sigh of relief and sat on the ground to rest. The desolate wasteland faded away into a fog and a beacon of light appeared in front of Spike. A part of his mind told him that he couldn’t take it anymore, but another told him to press on. He rested for a minute to regain his bearings before getting up and walking into the beacon of light.

Spike walked out of the light and looked to see of all places, Ponyville. He wanted smile upon his home town, but yet everything looked different about it. It was nighttime, but yet the moon was closer to Equestria then normal. The trees around the town were devoid of leaves and were dead. There were no flowers in sight and the grass seemed to be dead as well. The town itself looked like a wind storm hit with the buildings looking damaged and abandoned.

He started to make his way into Ponyville and looked around. There wasn’t a pony in sight and a lot of buildings were boarded up. Spike then came across something that made his heart sink and his jaw drop. There was a monument to Nightmare Moon towering over him. He looked around and saw flags showing a crescent moon hanging from the light poles. He tried to make his way out of the entrance he came from, but there was a tall black metal gate blocking his path. He suddenly heard the hoofsteps of a pony and turned to see none other than Prince Blueblood.

“What are you doing here?” Spike asked in an icy tone.

“That’s no way to talk to your future ruler and leader.” The white stallion stated. “I merely came to congratulate you on your accomplishments.”

“What do you mean?”

“You made it this far and you continue to try to stop what’s to come. Stuff like what you’re seeing now is the future of Equestria.”

“This…this is the future?” Spike asked in disbelief. “There’s no way this can all happen.”

“That’s where you’re wrong Spike. What you see in front of you is what’s to come for all of Equestria. Your efforts are in vain you foal and you’ll never escape from me. Everything you’re trying to do will be in vain. Even if you break free from my spell, there’s nothing you can do to stop all this.”

Spike shook his head in anger. “You’re wrong! There’s no way I’ll let this happen to Equestria!”

Prince Blueblood smirked upon hearing this. “Very well…if you’re so keen on trying to stop me, then you shall suffer the same fate as your friends and everypony here.”

Spike was about to ask what he meant, but he suddenly started to hear some moaning. He looked around to see a large group of ponies surround him. They all looked very pale, some of them were missing eyes, there were body parts missing from a few of them, and there were deep gashes and cuts on them.

The baby dragon turned towards Prince Blueblood. “What did you do to this town!?” He demanded.

“This is what happened to this town when they refused to acknowledge me and Queen Nightmare as the new rulers. We wanted to send a clear message to those that disobeyed us. I used dark magic to create an army of the undead. They showed no mercy to the inhabitants of this town and quickly overran everypony. They tried to fight back, but the very few remaining fled town. Now my undead army now guards this town and will be used against anypony who dares to challenge me. Oh…they also aren’t too fond of dragons either.”

Spike saw Prince Blueblood disappear and give a cold laugh. Spike looked around to see several of the zombie ponies were starting to close in on him. He looked to see there was an opening to his left and bolted past the zombies. As Spike ran through the town, he saw hooves popping out of the ground and doors to buildings collapse to reveal more of them. He tried to go faster, but there were more zombies around every corner of the streets.

He son started running around aimlessly to avoid the zombies closing in on him. His carelessness caught up to him as he accidentally ran into something. He shook his head and saw something that made him scream in terror. It was the Cutie Mark Crusaders, but yet they were different now.

Applebloom had most of her skin ripped off, one of her eyes was dangling, and her bow was ripped. Sweetie Belle’s horn was cracked, she was showing mostly bone around her torso, and was missing a leg. Scootaloo no longer had wings, half of her body was skinned off, and her eyes were missing. Spike stepped back in fear as the three fillies each give him a creepy smile.

“Hi Spike…we missed ya so much.” Applebloom said in a creepy happy tone.

“Why did you leave us Spike?” Scootaloo asked in a voice similar to Applebloom’s. “We just wanted to say sorry.”

“We want to play with you Spike.” Sweetie said in the same voice. “We want you to stay with us…play with us…you can be our friend.”

Spike backed away slowly as the crusaders got closer. He decided to turn around and run away from them. He could see a few zombies try to grab him, but he narrowly avoided them. He looked behind to see the crusaders chasing after him slowly, but they somehow got closer to him. The baby dragon suddenly heard a cold laughter and instantly knew who it was.

“Look around you Spike, everypony is dead and a servant of mine now.” The voice of Prince Blueblood said. “There’s no use in fighting this any further. You’ll never escape from what is to come.”

Spike ignored the taunts of Prince Blueblood and continued to run. He saw an alley to his right and ran into it. He tried to run down the alleyway, but he saw in front of him more zombies ahead. He panicked and looked to the side of a building to see a fire escape ladder. The baby dragon quickly climbed the ladder and ran up the stairway of the fire escape. Spike continued to run up the stairway until he reached the roof.

The baby dragon let out a sigh of relief as he looked down at the crowded streets of zombie ponies. He decided to look around to find a way out of Ponyville, but the moaning zombies crowding the streets made it hard to find one. Spike then looked towards Ponyville Library and saw something that caught his eye. The second story bedroom had a bright flash of light glowing from the window. The baby dragon noticed the library wasn’t too far away and decided to see what was in it.

Before Spike could think of a way to head towards the library, he heard moaning sounds behind him. He looked to see there were pegasi zombies flying slowly towards him. He panicked and tried to find someplace to escape, but the streets were still crowded with zombies. Spike saw that the building next to him had an open window and decided to jump towards it. He took a deep breath and began to sprint towards the window. The baby dragon jumped with all his might and stretched his arms out to grasp the window’s edge. He crashed halfway into the window and quickly crawled into the building.

Spike shut the window and could barely see anything inside the room. The only thing he could see was some dusty furniture, a rectangular mirror on the wall, and a silver sword hanging over a fireplace. The baby dragon smiled as he went over to pick up the weapon. Just as he was about to pick up the sword, it suddenly disappeared.

“Ah, ah, ah…you don’t have any weapons in this nightmare Spike.” Prince Blueblood’s voice rang out.

Spike suddenly heard somepony banging on the door to the room. There was a loud banging coming from the window he shut. The baby dragon heard the door crashing down and the window shattering. He saw the zombie ponies start to close in on him and backed into a bookshelf. The books fell the ground and sent dust up into the air. The baby dragon took some of the dust up his nose and started to feel funny.

“Ah…AH!” The baby dragon shouted as he held his nose. “ACHOO!”

Spike let out a large blast of green fire as he sneezed. Some of the zombies got caught in the sneeze and were lit on fire. The zombies started to scream in horror as they ran around trying to put out the flames on them. The other zombies started to back away from their lit comrades and ran away from the fire. The zombies collapsed to the ground and died from the flames while the others fled. Spike couldn’t help but smile as he found a new weapon, himself.

The baby dragon ran out the room and made his way down to the streets of Ponyville. The baby dragon saw a group of zombies closing in on him. He took a deep breath and let out a let out small blast of fire. The flames hit a few zombies and made them run around in terror. The zombies tried to get rid of the flames, but the flames sparked and started to light buildings and other zombies on fire. The zombies were now running in terror as they looked for a way to remove the flames. The more they ran around, the further the flames started to spread until Ponyville was burning with green flames on all the buildings.

“STOP YOU IDIOTS!” Prince Blueblood’s voice barked. “DON’T RUN AWAY! GET THE DRAGON AND STOP HIM NOW! STOP RUNNING AROUND AND KILL HIM NOW!”

While Prince Blueblood tried to get the zombies under control, Spike made his way towards the Ponyville Library. The baby dragon passed by the panicking zombie ponies and several pieces of falling debris from the buildings. He used his fire breath to scare off the few zombies that were still chasing him. He soon came across the library and busted down the door. He wasted no time and ran up to the bedroom. He opened the door to see another beacon of light and ran towards it.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders suddenly came out of the shadows and blocked his way.

“Come on Spike…play with us.” Applebloom said.

Spike shook his head and said, “Sorry, but I like my friends to be a little more alive.” He took a deep breath and sprayed a green fireball at them.

The three fillies were hit and started to scream in pain. They ran around in panic and started to spread the flames to the other places of the library. The crusaders’ bodies soon burned to a crisp and collapsed to the ground. Spike was about to sigh in relief, but the sound of flames crackling snapped him out of it. He saw the room was on fire and the beacon of light fading away. He quickly passed by the flames blocking his path and headed for the light.

“NO!” Prince Blueblood’s voice shouted.

A group of zombie pegasi broke the window and poured into the bedroom. They all charged at Spike as fast as their broken wings could take them. Before they were even close, Spike stepped into the beacon of light and out of Ponyville.

Spike stepped out of the light and found himself on a circular platform that was midnight blue. He made his way to the edge of the platform and saw a thick fog at the bottom. The baby dragon had a feeling the fog led to a bottomless pit. He suddenly heard the hoofsteps of a pony and had a suspicion as to who it was. He turned to see his suspicions were correct, it was Prince Blueblood again.

“My patience with you has run out.” The white unicorn said in an icy tone. “You’ve only gotten through by luck only. I can assure you that what you’re about to face is something even you can’t defeat.”

“So what else are you throwing at me?” Spike asked. “I’ve been able to beat the guys you sent. What more could you have now?”

“I have them.”

“Them?”

Spike’s question was answered immediately as he saw a group of ponies step out. His confidence faltered and his jaw dropped from the sight of the ponies in front of him. It was Twilight and the others each giving a cold stare at Spike. They were all gray like when Discord corrupted them. The baby dragon took a few steps back and rubbed his eyes to see if what he was seeing was true.

“Twilight…and my friends?” Spike asked in disbelief. “What happened to them?”

“They’ve fallen under my control.” Prince Blueblood said. “They each tried to fight off the spell like you have, but they all failed and now serve me with no hesitation. Your friends are now mine to use for my own gains. So what are you going to do Spike? Are you willing to hurt your friends in order to try to defeat me?”

“I…I uh…” Spike said hesitantly.

Prince Blueblood smirked and said, “This should be interesting then. Let’s see what’s more important to you Spike. Is it your love for your friends, or trying to kill me?” He turned towards Twilight and the others. “Wipe him out my servants. I want him to understand what happens to those who oppose me.” The white stallion disappeared and a cold laugh echoed in the arena.

Spike turned towards his friends and felt lost on what to do. He could see them give glares that sent shivers down his spines. He was afraid that if he destroyed their spirits in his mind, then he would ultimately kill them in the real world. He decided the only way to do this without hurting them was through talking. He figured if he brought up past adventures, that it would help the others remember him.

He slowly went over to Twilight and cleared his throat. “Uh…hey Twilight, it’s me Spike, your friend.” He heard no response and was only met by an icy stare. “Twilight, you have to listen to me. Prince Blueblood is the one doing all this. He’s the…”

A swift punch from Twilight cut Spike off and sent him flying. He crashed to the ground and rubbed his sore left cheek. He looked up to see Twilight and the others shadowing over him.

“Why would I be a friend to a dragon like you?” Twilight asked in an icy tone. “The only reason I keep you around is to do my work.”

Spike couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “W-why would you say that Twilight? I’m your number one assistant and friend.”

“The only thing you’re number one at being is a complete loser.” Rainbow said in a cold tone.

“Not to mention yer nothin’ but a useless dragon t’us.” Applejack said. “We ain’t friends with a dragon who can’t do anything but eat, sleep, and go on about his crush.”

Spike’s heart froze up upon hearing those words. “Hey…you all can’t…”

“Oh, stop that insufferable complaining.” Rarity said. “You’re nothing but a creepy dragon and a foal. Your crush on me is not only disgusting, but nothing more than a complete waste of time. What made you think a pony of my prestige would fall for a dragon like you?”

Tears started to build up in Spike’s eyes. The tears ran down his body as he collapsed to the ground.

“Aww…is the little baby dragon going to cry?” Fluttershy asked in a mocking tone. “Are you upset that your crush hates you?”

“You got that right Flutters! He’s such a crybaby!” Pinkie shouted as she laughed harshly.

The others soon joined in with Pinkie. The baby dragon couldn’t find the words to counter what his pink friend said. He looked around to see each of them laughing and pointing at him. He curled up into a ball and felt helpless on what to do. He thought that maybe what they were saying was true. He was rather useless to them most of the time. He didn’t really do anything aside from write the letters.

He started to feel helpless and a gray aura shined around him. He looked at himself to see his body was turning gray like the others. He wanted to fight it, but a part of him told him to just give up.

“Spike…you can’t give up yet.” A faint voice whispered in his head.

The dragon instantly recognized the voice and said, “What’s the point? I am useless to them after all. I couldn’t save them in time from the disciples. I’m nothing but a failure to them.”

“Those aren’t your friends speaking at all. It’s their corrupted states wearing your morale down. Your friends would never say anything like that to you. They need you now more than ever to save them. Don’t listen to what these ponies are saying to you. They’re being controlled by Lord Sandro.”

“But…but even if it’s true, I don’t want to hurt them. They’re my friends after all.”

“There’s more than one way to fight them. You just need to wait for the opportunity to present itself.”

Spike looked up at Twilight and the others again. He saw them all laugh at him and oculd’ve sworn he heard Prince Blueblood laugh at him as well. He shook his head in anger and gritted his teeth. He got up and glared at the others.

“I’m not useless in the least bit!” He shouted in defiance. “You all are not even close to the friends I know. I won’t be made fun of by a punch of ponies like you!”

The group stopped laughing and gave an icy glare at Spike.

“So be it then you foal.” Twilight said. “You’ll soon understand your mistake.”

Twilight shot an energy blast at Spike, but he jumped aside to avoid it. Before he could recover from the jump, Spike was met by a swift punch from Applejack. He was sent flying for a few seconds before being grabbed by somepony. He looked to see it was Rainbow carrying him towards the edge of the arena. He panicked and looked to see Rainbow’s leg near him. He bit the leg as hard as he could and was met by a loud cry of pain. The sky blue pegasus released him and was sent crashing to the ground.

Spike saw somepony’s shadow over him and looked up to see a cheerful looking Pinkie. He got up and readied himself for any punches, but she still smiled at him.

“Hiya Spike! Would you like make some cupcakes?” She suddenly pulled out a large carving knife from her mane and threw it at Spike.

The baby dragon ducked in time to avoid the knife and felt his heart racing. He looked up to see Pinkie had pulled out more knives from her mane. He quickly got up and ran away as the pink mare threw the knives.

“Aw come on Spike, you’re not being a good baker’s assistant.” She said in a creepy tone. “I need your help in the last ingredient for my cupcakes…you silly.”

Spike didn’t get too far away from Pinkie as he slammed right into somepony. He looked to see an angry looking Fluttershy. She tackled Spike to the ground and held him down. He heard the hoofsteps of another pony and looked to see Rarity approaching him. The white unicorn glared at him and charged her horn up. Spike took a deep breath in and let out a small burst of green flames at Rarity. She and Fluttershy jumped in surprise and allowed Spike to run off from them.

He continued to run off, but everywhere Spike turned, his corrupted friends were there ready for him. He suddenly saw a blue blur and a punch hit him in the face. He walked around in a daze as he tried to shake off the pain, but before he knew it, another punch hit him in the face. Spike tried to find who was punching him, but all he saw was a blur. Just as he started to regain his bearings, he saw a lasso coming right at him. He ducked in time to avoid it, but he saw another energy blast coming right at him. He jumped to the side and heard Rainbow cry out in panic.

“Hey, watch where you’re aiming Rarity!” The sky blue pegasus shouted. “You bruised my side with that spell!”

Spike suddenly felt something click inside his mind. He looked to see Rainbow rubbing what looked like a burn mark on her left side. He then looked around to see the others circling around him to contain him. Spike looked back at Rarity as she charged up another energy blast. An idea went off in his mind and smiled.

“Hey Rarity! I bet you can’t shoot a moving target!” Spike shouted as he got up and ran.

The white unicorn glared and shot out a lightning bolt in Spike’s direction. The baby dragon saw this and ducked in time to avoid it. He suddenly heard Fluttershy screaming out in pain and looked to see she was hit by the bolt. The yellow pegasus collapsed to the ground in pain and groaned a little.

“You’re going to pay for that you little OOF!” Rarity was suddenly cut off by somepony tackling her. She looked to see an infuriated Pinkie.

“You meanie pants! You hit Fluttershy!” The pink mare boomed in anger and started to punch Rarity.

Spike watched as the two ponies fought each other and shook off the guilt of hurting his friends. He turned around and was met by a swift punch from Applejack. He groaned a little as he steadied himself and regained his bearings. Spike heard a whooshing sound and saw Rainbow flying towards him. He looked back to see Applejack charging at him and got an idea.

He waited for the two mares to come close to him. He looked at Rainbow to see she was getting closer and then back at Applejack. He readied himself as the two mares got closer. Just as Rainbow was about to hit Spike, he jumped out of the way in time. The sky blue pegasus suddenly realized she was on a crash course with Applejack. The two tried to stop each other, but it was already too late. The two mares screamed in pain as they crashed into each other hard. The two of them collapsed to the ground unconsciously.

Spike grinned to himself as he looked upon his defeated opponents. He looked around to see Fluttershy was still knocked out and Rarity and Pinkie still going at it. The baby dragon heard hoofsteps and turned to see Twilight approaching him. His smile faded away as he realized he had no way to defeat her without hurting her. He slowly backed away and tried to think of something he could do. He thought of only one thing that he tried before, but he knew it was his only shot.

“Twilight please…it’s me, Spike.” He said in desperation. “You’ve got to remember something about me…anything at all. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“That’s too bad…because I want to hurt you.” The lilac unicorn spat. Her horn glowed as she charged up a lightning bolt.

“No Twilight! You can’t do this! You have to remember that I’m your friend and assistant to you! Think about Princess Celestia! Your family! Anypony to help you remember who you are!”

Twilight flinched a little, but shook it off. “You’re only trying to distract me.”

“That’s not true Twilight! Remember when you first hatched me at your entrance exam at Princess Celestia’s school? What about when I first started calling you Sparky when I was learning how to talk? You have to remember Twilight! You have to fight it!”

The lilac unicorn felt something ring in her head and gritted her teeth. She screamed in pain as some memories started to flow through her mind.

“Ignore what that dragon is saying.” Prince Blueblood’s voice boomed. “Finish him off this instant.”

“No Twilight, don’t do it!” Spike shouted. “You have to fight his control over you! You’re better than this! You defeated an Ursa Minor after all! You can’t just let Blueblood control you forever! Think about your adventures with me and the others! You have to snap out of this!”

“Kill him now! You must obey me and serve me!”

Twilight groaned in pain and held her head. She could feel more memories like her first encounter with the others zooming past her. She remembered her own brother and how they used to do everything together. The lilac unicorn screamed as the grayness around her body shattered and collapsed. Spike saw that her body was now lilac and her mane and tail were colorful again as well. Twilight groaned as she opened her eyes to see Spike standing over her with a concerned look on him.

“S…Spike? Is that you?” She asked in a small voice. “What happened to me? Where am I? What’s…?” She was suddenly cut off by her assistant as he hugged her tightly and had tears running down his face. “Spike, are you okay?”

The baby dragon nodded and wiped off his tears. “I’m fine Twilight, but there’s really no time to explain right now. Do you remember that spell you used to free the others when Discord turned them evil?”

Twilight nodded and said, “Of course I do. Why do you ask?”

“You need to do that spell again…now.” Spike pointed to her knocked out friends. “There’s not much time Twilight!”

She nodded and her horn glowed a purple aura. Each one of her friends started to glow a purple aura. They all grimaced as Twilight concentrated on her spell and was starting to get tired from using so much magic. Each one of her friends started to groan as the grayness around their bodies faded away. Eventually, the others were back to their normal selves and groaned as they all got up.

“What in tarnation is goin’ on here?” Applejack asked as she looked around.

“Where the hay are we?” Rainbow asked.

“How did we get here anyway?” Rarity asked.

“Please…can we just go home?” Fluttershy asked in a fearful tone. She held onto Pinkie and felt her hold her tightly.

Before Spike could come forward and say anything, a frustrated yell shook the arena. The group saw a bright flash of light and saw Prince Blueblood looking vivid.

“Hey! What are you doing here!?” Rainbow demanded.

The white stallion said nothing and shot an energy blast at Rainbow. She narrowly avoided the spell and gritted her teeth in anger. “Silence you incompetent commoners!” He boomed. “I have no business with you foals! I am here for that dragon!”

“Dragon?” Twilight and the others asked in unison. They heard a cough and looked to see Spike waving at them. “Spike!?”

“What in the name of Celestia is goin’ on here?” Applejack asked.

“What are you doing here Spike?” Rarity asked. “We thought you were in Canterlot on royal business.”

Prince Blueblood laughed coldly and shook his head. “You mean he didn’t tell you all?” The group looked at him with confused looks on their faces. “He was never on royal business! He’s been in Ponyville this whole time. Isn’t that right Spike…or should I say, Sparky?”

“WHAT!?” Rarity, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow asked in disbelief.

“You mean to tell me that I thought Spike was cute looking as a pony!?” Rainbow clapped her mouth shut upon asking that. She looked around to see the others were just as shocked as her.

“You mean that Spike’s been Sparky the whole time?” Rarity asked. “This has got to be some kind of joke.”

“Oh, I assure you it’s no joke at all. Spike here has been lying to you all the entire time. He’s been a pony for nearly a week and has fooled you all with being Sparky.” The white stallion turned to Spike. “Shall I tell them why you turned yourself into a pony?”

Spike’s eyes widen in fear. “No! You can’t tell them at all!”

“He did it for you…Rarity.”

The white unicorn stood in disbelief. The arena was silent with the exception of the breathing of the group. Rarity finally managed to get some words out. “Spike…is this true?”

The baby dragon felt tears run down his face. “Rarity, it’s not what it looks like! I…I only did it because…because…” He couldn’t find anything to say to her as he looked into her eyes.

“Well…this little reunion is certainly off to an interesting start.” Prince Blueblood said. “You may’ve freed your friends in your mind Spike, but they still aren’t free from the spell I’ve placed on them.”

“What spell? What are you talking about?” Twilight asked.

“You’ll want to talk to Spike about that. He’s the one who knows everything after all.” He then turned to Spike. “I’ll be waiting for you Spike…you and I have something to settle after all. You want to try to fight me so badly…I’ll give you one last shot at beating me. Even though it’ll be in vain, I’ll have fun tearing you apart limb from limb.” The white unicorn laughed as he disappeared.

The others watched as Prince Blueblood vanished from sight before turning to Spike.

“Spike…what’s going on here?” Twilight asked.

The baby dragon looked around to see his friends had fearful looks on them. He filled them in on how Prince Blueblood was the leader of the Disciples of Nightmare Moon and how he was going to bring back Nightmare Moon. He went on to explain that he needed them for use in a resurrection spell and how Rarity would be the host body. As he finished, he saw the entire group was in shock and said nothing for a minute.

“You’ve got to be kidding us.” Rainbow asked. “”You’re not only Sparky…but that Blueblood guy is the leader? I didn’t even think he had it in him.”

“He’s been living a lie Rainbow.” Spike explained. “He fooled all of us, even the princesses, with his act.”

“Forget all of that for a minute!” Rarity shouted in horror. “You mean to tell me that insufferable dolt is going to turn me into the new Nightmare Moon!?”

“Simmer down there Rarity.” Applejack said in a reassuring voice. “We ain’t gonna let some hoity toity pony do that to ya.”

“She’s right Rarity!” Pinkie shouted in an optimistic tone. “We won’t let Prince Evil McEvilpants there do that to you!”

“Girls, calm down.” Twilight said. “We’ll find a way to get out of this. If Prince Blueblood wants to use our elements to bring back Nightmare Moon, then we need to think of a plan.”

“Hey…I just realized something.” Pinkie said. “Why was Spike captured by Prince Blueblood?”

“Well…it’s kind of hard to explain.” Spike said.

“What do you mean Spike?” Fluttershy asked.

The baby dragon took a deep breath and said, “It’s because I’m an Element of Harmony. Blueblood wanted me because I’m the last element.”

The entire group said nothing again and took in the words. Fluttershy fainted to the ground, but was caught by Pinkie. The others felt their jaws went limp and looked at each other in shock.

“Okay, my mind is officially blown to bits.” Rainbow said. “First Blueblood is evil, then Nightmare’s coming back, and now this. What’s next?”

“Let’s not ask that Rainbow.” Twilight said. “Spike…how can you be an Element of Harmony? I never saw it when I read any books regarding it.”

“I know it sounds crazy, but you have to trust me.” The baby dragon said. “You all have to believe me when I say that I am an Element of Harmony. Just ask Princess Celestia and she’ll tell you.”

“Princess Celestia? What does she have to do with this?” Twilight asked.

Before Spike could say anything else, a beacon of light appeared to his left. He could’ve sworn he heard Blueblood snicker as the light glowed in the dark arena.

“There’s no time left Twilight. I know you all want to ask me a lot of things, but I need to stop Blueblood before it’s too late.”

The lilac unicorn looked at her friends and saw they all looked worried. She then turned back to Spike. “All right Spike…you go on and hold off Blueblood for as long as you can. We’ll fight off this spell that’s holding us and join you.”

“Thanks Twilight…I’ll show that snob what happens when he messes with us.”

“Go git him Spike.” Applejack said. “Y’all give him a good buck in the face fer us.”

“Save some fighting for the rest of us.” Rainbow said. “I want to kick that royal flank straight to the moon.”

“Take him down Spike style.” Pinkie stated. “Oh wait, I don’t think you have any type of fighting style.”

“What Pinkie meant to say Spike is you can do it.” Fluttershy said.

“Spike…you’ve done a lot these past few days, but I know you can do this.” Twilight said. “We promise that when we free ourselves from the spell, we’ll come and help you.”

Spike then turned to Rarity and saw she looked indifferent. “Rarity, I know you’re…”

“Darling…we’ll talk about this after you take care of that uncouth prince.” The white unicorn said. “I just want you to promise not only me, but the others that after this is over, you tell us the truth.”

The baby dragon nodded and said, “I promise Rarity…I’ll tell you all everything.”

Twilight and the others smiled as their bodies started to disappear. They looked and noticed what was happening, but they showed no fear. They only gave Spike a warm smile before vanishing completely. The baby dragon gave a hopeful smile and turned towards the beacon of light. He jumped a little as he saw the white hooded pony from before standing near him.

“Well done Spike…I knew your wit would best Sandro’s treachery.” He said. “However it’s not time to celebrate yet. You know what must be done to bring this all to an end.”

Spike wearily nodded and said, “I know…but there’s one problem. I can’t fight Blueblood when I wake up. I could barely move my body when I saw him.”

“You won’t have to worry about that.” The hooded pony said. “Your body has been in stasis for a while now and has been recovering. Lord Sandro needed you at full health for the resurrection ritual.”

Spike looked at the beacon of light and gulped. “It’s time then I guess.”

“You have nothing to fear Spike. Just stick to what you’re best at and you’ll find a way to defeat Lord Sandro for good. You have little time left before midnight, so you’ve got to hurry. Now go…I’ll watch over you and help you whenever I can.” The hooded pony disappeared and left Spike alone.

The baby dragon looked back at the beacon of light and gulped. He wanted to finally take down Prince Blueblood, but yet he felt a little intimidated by how powerful he was. He decided to shake off those doubts and walked over to the beacon of light. He gritted his teeth in determination as he walked into the light and out of his nightmare.

The Bleeding

Spike opened his eyes to see Princess Luna’s moon above him. He looked around to see he was back in the throne room of the disciples’ castle. He then looked at himself and noticed there were no restraints holding him and that he was a pony again. He got up and was met by a swarm of disciple guards pointing swords and spears at him. The purple pegasus backed up slowly and tried to find a way to rush past them.

“Guards…put your weapons down and back away this instant.” Prince Blueblood said as he stepped out of the crowd.

The guards obeyed their leader and backed off from Spike. The white stallion used his magic to unfasten his robe and let it fall to the ground.

“What do you hope to gain by doing this Spike?” Prince Blueblood asked. “You already know that you can’t stop what’s to come. Everything you saw in your nightmares were real and will come true. Your town…your friends…everypony will soon learn to accept us as the new leaders of this land.”

“The only thing you’re a leader of is being some snobbish jerk.” Spike said. “There’s no way Princess Celestia and Princess Luna will ever accept you as a king.”

“Who said I was going to keep them alive? Once I’ve made them see the downfall of Equestria, they will be executed as a demonstration to those who would dare oppose me. You and your friends will be perfect servants to enforce my rule.”

“Like they’d ever do anything like that. Rarity isn’t too happy that you’re making her the new Nightmare Moon. I’ll make sure that you’ll never use somepony to use ever again you jerk.”

Prince Blueblood smirked and said, “So be it then…but you will soon address me as your king. If you’re going to be an effective leader after all, you’ve got to show you’re an effective soldier.”

Prince Blueblood started to circle around Spike like a predator ready to pounce on his prey. The purple pegasus kept a close eye on the white stallion and waited for him to make his move. The next thing Spike knew, a blinding flash of light came from Prince Blueblood’s horn and left him disoriented. Spike suddenly felt a hoof hit him across his left cheek and was followed by a similar punch across his right face. He was sent falling to the floor and winced in pain as his sight returned to him.

“I told you it was pointless for you to do this Spike.” Prince Blueblood said. “I’ve faced manticores, hydras, and even dragons and I’ve always beaten them. What makes you think you have any shot at me?”

Spike groaned as he got up. “I don’t care what you’ve done. I’m sure what you’re saying is nothing but lies to make yourself look good.”

The white stallion’s right eye twitched upon hearing that. “I’ve had enough of your irritating blabbering you foal. You’ll know see why nopony will dare challenge me.”

Prince Blueblood charged his horn and aimed it at Spike. The purple pegasus ducked in time as a lightning bolt whizzed over his head. He saw Prince Blueblood charging towards him and rolled over to the side as he prepared to stomp on him. Spike got up and saw Prince Blueblood levitating three swords he grabbed from the guards. He narrowly dodged each one of them as the white stallion shot them at him.

Spike suddenly saw Prince Blueblood was suddenly gone and nowhere in sight. He began to look around, but was suddenly hit in the back of the head. He quickly turned around, but was met by a swift punch to his face and was stumbled back. The purple pegasus quickly regained his bearings and steadied himself. He then noticed Prince Blueblood was charging his horn and prepared himself to dodge the spell. Spike suddenly saw something blast from the white stallion’s horn that horrified him. It was a blue ball of energy that looked eerily similar to the one Captain Sanderson used as a zombie pony.

The purple pegasus ran to the side in time as the ball of energy got closer to him. He waited for an explosion, but the only thing he heard was a sizzling sound. He looked behind him to see a large hole the size of himself where he once stood. The hole was sizzling and left no scorch marks or anything to indicate something was once there. He heard the cold laughter of Prince Blueblood and saw him approaching him.

“I see you’re witnessing my very own disintegration spell.” The white stallion said. “I did hear Captain Sanderson use a spell similar to this, but unlike him, my spell doesn’t leave quite a mess like his did.”

“W-well…I’m not scared of that spell.” Spike said in a nervous tone. “You can’t hit a moving pony anyway. I bet you couldn’t hit me even if you were right in front of me.”

Prince Blueblood roared in anger upon hearing that. “When I’m through with you, you’ll have no jaw or tongue at all!” He barked. “I’ll personally rip that jaw of yours clean off your mouth.” The white stallion grinned sinisterly to himself. “In fact…how about I do so now?”

Spike was suddenly lifted into the air and was pulled towards Prince Blueblood. The white stallion grinned to himself as he began to concentrate his magic on Spike’s jaw. The purple pegasus felt a searing pain course through his mouth and felt like it was being yanked harshly. He saw his hooves weren’t near Prince Blueblood and that he could barely move them. He did notice that his head was very close to the white stallion and wasn’t as restrained as the rest of his body. He used his head to raise it up and slammed it against Prince Blueblood’s forehead. The white stallion grunted in pain as he accidentally let go of Spike and allowed him to run.

“It seems this Prince Blueblood really wants you dead.” A voice echoed in Spike’s mind.

The purple pegasus stopped for a minute and recognized it. “Well he’s a little angry about what I’ve done.” He whispered. “I don’t know what to do actually. He really is powerful in magic and there’s nowhere I can hide without these guards ready to hurt me. What do I do now?”

“He may be Lord Sandro, but if you’ve been paying attention, you’ll see he still acts a bit like his alter ego. Find that similarity and you’ll find the key to defeat him.”

Spike suddenly felt something click inside his head. “Wait…I think I may know what you mean by that.”

“You see? Your mind and wit really is your best weapon. Don’t get overconfident though, he’ll exploit that and use it against you. Stay on your hooves and do your best to avoid whatever he’ll throw at you.”

The purple pegasus wanted to ask something else, but he suddenly saw another blue energy ball coming at him. He ducked out of the way in time and heard the sizzling sound of the ball destroying the ground. He tried to find somewhere to go, but he found himself surrounded by the many guards of the disciples pointing their weapons at him. He thought about flying, but when he tried to, his right wing was still injured from earlier. He was suddenly hit in the back of the head by an energy blast and fell to the floor. He heard the hoofsteps of a pony coming near him and suddenly felt a hoof hold his head down. Spike saw out of the corner of his left eye was Prince Blueblood with a victorious expression on his face.

“Oh, give it up already will you?” He asked in a mocking tone. “You’ve already lost this battle and your efforts were in vain. Just take a look behind you and you’ll see the truth.”

Spike’s head was freed from the firm grasp of the hoof and looked to see something that made his eyes widen in fear. A group of black hooded ponies were chanting something he didn’t understand and there was some dark blue light coming from the moon. Spike tried to move in and stop the ritual, but he was held down by Prince Blueblood. He could only watch as the chanting seemed to get louder and the light get brighter.

“As you can see, Lunar Cosmos is just about upon us.” Prince Blueblood stated. “You never stood a chance against me in the first place. There was nothing to gain from you by doing all this. Now observe as your once so called crush becomes your new queen.”

“No! I won’t let you do this to her!” Spike shouted in desperation. “She’ll never by your queen or love you! She told me she’d rather be tossed into a dumpster then ever see your ugly face again!”

Prince Blueblood felt something inside him snap from hearing that. He levitated Spike off the ground and punched him in the sides of his body. He then proceeded to use his magic to send Spike flying into a wall. The purple pegasus cried out in pain as he fell to the ground. He suddenly felt Prince Blueblood chocking him and was gasping for air. Spike saw out of the corner of his right eye the white stallion’s hoof was nearby. He tried to bite it, but was only met by the hoof smacking him in the face.

“You ignorant little foal!” Prince Blueblood boomed. “You dare to use such barbaric tactics to fight me!? You insult me! You continue to mock! You even go as far as defying me!”

Spike gasped for breath as he recovered from the chocking and said, “I…*gasp*…would never…*gasp*…listen to you.”

The white stallion gritted his teeth in anger and said, “You know there’s nothing you can do now to stop what’s to come! I’ll soon be known as your king and you shall obey me!”

The purple pegasus wiggled his hoof free from Prince Blueblood’s hoof and punched him in the stomach. The white stallion yelped in pain and tried to hold his captive down. Spike once again delivered a punch to his stomach, but this time more effort into it. The white stallion tried to keep him under control and charged his horn. Spike gave one last blow to his stomach and was released from the tight grip as Prince Blueblood held his stomach in pain.

Spike ran off for a few seconds before looking behind at Prince Blueblood. He was regaining his bearings from the assault on him and glared daggers at Spike. The white stallion used his magic to snatch away lot of spears and swords from the guards. The weapons were pointed directly at Spike. He saw several of them were thrown at him and jumped to avoid them. The purple pegasus saw several more weapons being aimed directly at him. He quickly ran off as the swords and spears continued to rain down upon him. Prince Blueblood let out a cold laugh as he watched Spike run for his life.

The swords and spears soon stopped raining down upon Spike, much to his relief. Before he could breathe a sigh of relief, Spike saw out of the corner of his eyes multiple small blue balls of energy. He jumped out of the way in time as they hit the wall and made sizzling sounds against it. Spike saw Prince Blueblood charging at him again and decided against running away. He charged towards the white stallion and raised his hoof to punch him. Prince Blueblood smirked and moved his head to the side just as Spike threw a punch at him. The white stallion raised his hoof and punched Spike in the face.

The purple pegasus was sent him falling to the ground once more. He was lifted off the ground once more by Prince Blueblood’s magic and was brought face to face with him. The white stallion smiled smugly as he held his captive in the air.

“That’s quite enough out of you Spike.” Prince Blueblood said. “You’ve proven to be quite the fighter, even though you are rebellious. I can still make you into a better dragon to serve me.”

Spike narrowed his eyes and said, “You can take your offer and shove it up your…”

“INSOLENT FOAL!” The white stallion barked. He grabbed a hold of Spike and threw him down to the ground. “Your big mouth and irritating attitude has grinded my last nerve! Forget making you a personal servant of mine! Your head will be hanging over a mantle!”

Spike suddenly felt something click inside his mind. All this time when he insulted Prince Blueblood, he got him riled up. He figured if he couldn’t really lay a hoof on him, he could do the one thing Prince Blueblood despised: being insulted. The purple pegasus grinned to himself evilly and got an idea.

“You know what Prince Blueblood? You’re right.” Spike said. “I would make a great servant to you.”

The white stallion raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. “Oh? So you have finally come to grips with the reality that Princess Celestia is finished huh?”

Spike nodded and said, “Yeah…you really are powerful enough to take out Princess Celestia. You win Prince Blueblood…I mean King Sandro.”

Prince Blueblood had a triumphant look on his face and released his grip on Spike. “It’s good to see you know the truth at long last.” He said. “You shall soon become part of a new era in Equestria. It shall be one where ponies everywhere will soon address me as their new leader.”

“You’re right…you would be the king of being a snob.”

The white stallion whirled around and was met by a punch to his face. He was sent stumbling back for a few seconds and saw some blood dripping out of his nose. He gave and icy glare to Spike and gritted his teeth. He charged directly at the purple pegasus and readied himself to tackle him. Spike simply moved out of the way, making Prince Blueblood crash into the ground after his attempt to tackle him.

The white stallion got up and narrowed his eyes. “You think you’re so funny aren’t you?” He asked.

“I’m funnier than you’ll ever be.” Spike responded. “You couldn’t even make Pinkie laugh if you tried.”

“You little irritating brat. Don’t you know who you’re speaking to?”

“It’s not some new ruler of Equestria that’s for sure.”

“You dare to speak that way to me!? I am…”

“A big fat snob who whines a lot.” Spike said with a smile. “I mean jeez, could you be any more of a whiny snobbish jerk? If you’re supposed to be some sort of new ruler, why do you act like a two year old little foal?”

Prince Blueblood said nothing, but grinded his teeth in anger.

“You think you’re some hot shot, but you’re still the same annoying jerk from the Grand Galloping Gala.” Spike stated.

“Shut your mouth this instant!”

“I don’t care if you’re some ruler over a secret group, you’re still the same ugly prince that Equestria knows and hates. I wouldn’t obey you and neither would any other pony.”

“They won’t dare to disobey once I transform Rarity here into the new Nightmare Moon. We’ll both rule side by side for eternity.”

“You and Rarity together? She wouldn’t want to spend a second being beside you. She told me that she’d rather be a mule then to see you ever again.” Spikes saw Prince Blueblood’s face was burning bright red and smiled. “What’s the matter you royal pathetic snob? You can’t handle a few insults about you?” Spike began to chuckle slowly until it built up to him pointing and laughing at him.

“I’ll show you who the more pathetic one is!” The white stallion boomed.

He charged his horn up and fire lightning bolts out of his horn like crazy. Spike stopped laughing and began to dodge the continuous blasts of energy. He ran around and narrowly avoided Prince Blueblood’s attacks against him. Even the disciples’ guards had to duck or get out of the way of the assault. The white stallion laughed insanely as he fired more energy bolts around him aimlessly. He didn’t care who he was shooting his magical energy at and just fired everywhere.

“Lord Sandro! Look out for the…” A guard tried to warn.

The white stallion suddenly noticed one of the energy blasts he fired was heading directly above Rarity. In the middle above the white unicorn was a certain blue battle helmet levitating in the air. Prince Blueblood stopped shooting and looked on in frustration as the bolt neared its target.

“What are you all waiting for!?” He shouted. “Somepony get in the way of that lightning bolt and stop it this instant! We can’t…”

BOOM!

Prince Blueblood stopped talking as the bolt hit the helmet and shattered it. The pieces of the helmet disintegrated as they fell to the ground. Spike watched with a feeling of victory that Prince Blueblood’s plans were now foiled. The white stallion started to pant in anger as he looked down. The guards backed away as they felt some sort of uncontrollable anger emitting from their leader. Spike even noticed this and backed away a little from the whit stallion. Prince Blueblood looked up at Spike and was beside himself.

Before Spike could do anything, Prince Blueblood teleported next to him and delivered a punch that sent him flying. He then charged towards the purple pegasus and slammed him against a wall. He proceeded to punch Spike in the stomach multiple times until he started to puke. Prince Blueblood then used his magic to lift Spike into the air and threw him against a wall several times. The purple pegasus could only scream in agony from each hit he suffered to his body and started to lose consciousness.

“How dare you do this to me!?” Prince Blueblood demanded. “You’ve ruined all of my plans! I’ll break you in two and bury you with my own hooves!”

“Lord Sandro! We have another problem!” One of the hooded unicorns shouted. “The other captives are breaking free from the spell!”

“WHAT!?” Prince Blueblood roared.

The white stallion and Spike looked over to the other stone tablets holding Twilight and the others. The Elements of Harmony above each of them started to regain the colors they once had. The binds holding down the six mares slowly faded away until they were no more. The entire group opened their eyes slowly as they got up. They looked up at the disciples’ guards and were shocked by how many there were. They looked around and saw a badly beaten Spike being held down by Prince Blueblood.

Twilight narrowed her eyes and felt a surge of anger course through her body. “Let Spike go this instant Prince Blueblood!” She shouted.

“Or you’ll do what?” The white stallion asked. “One step towards me and I’ll crack this little dragon’s skull.”

“I don’t need to take a step towards you.” The lilac unicorn responded.

Before Prince Blueblood could ask anything, Twilight shot out a fireball at him. The white stallion ducked out of the way in time as the spell slightly burned his mane. He noticed what had happened to him and glared at the group. He then turned to all the guards who were trying to avoid the constant magic spells.

“What are you all waiting for!? Nightmare Night!?” Prince Blueblood demanded. “Get those mares this instant! Kill them all now! Leave Rarity alive though! She and I are going to settle some unfinished business after I deal with this dragon!”

“YES LORD SANDRO!” The guards shouted in unison.

Twilight turned back to the others and said, “Come on girls, we’ve got a nightmare to end.”

The entire group cheered in unison and turned back to the guards. They all charged at the six mares with swords and spears at the ready. Twilight and Rarity used their magic to each take down one of the few earth pony guards. Rainbow tackled a pegasus that was swooping down towards Applejack and threw him down to the floor. The farmer pony used her hind legs to buck a unicorn up into the sky and crashed into a wall. Fluttershy found herself surrounded by a group of guards who were closing in on her. Suddenly, from behind the yellow pegasus, Pinkie jumped in front of her and pulled a small blue cannon out of her mane.

“Who’s ready to party!?” The pink mare asked as she fired the cannon three times.

The guards were hit with not only party favors, but a small cannonball hit each of them. Pinkie shielded Fluttershy from the guards closing in on them and continued firing her cannon. Applejack tackled a group of ponies that were sneaking up on Twilight. Rainbow egged on some of the pegasi to catch her if they could and easily out flew them all. Rarity assisted Twilight in pushing back the guards by using some stunning spells. The lilac unicorn in turn used her magic to hold down the guards with some magic restraints of her own.

Despite all their efforts, the guards started to overwhelm Twilight and her friends. Prince Blueblood noticed this and smirked in triumph. He got off Spike and forced him to look upon the ongoing battle. The purple pegasus could only watch in fear as each of his friends were slowly being brought down. He tried to move to get up, but was stopped by Prince Blueblood.

“Gaze upon your friends Spike.” The white stallion said. “Even their best efforts are no match for my elite guards. They’ll soon be begging me to show some mercy upon them.”

“Mercy this!” A voice shouted.

Prince Blueblood looked up for only a second before being socked in the face by a hoof. He stumbled back and looked to see Twilight and the others charging right towards him. He charged his horn up and shot out the blue energy ball like he used on Spike. The group dodged this and continued to make their way towards him. His horn glowed again as he prepared to teleport behind them.

“Oh, no ya don’t partner.” Applejack said.

The orange mare ran up to Prince Blueblood and punched him again in the face. He stumbled back a little and opened his eyes to see Rainbow delivering a kick that sent him flying and grunting in pain. As he was in the air, he saw Twilight cast a lightning bolt that hit him in his rear right leg. When he collapsed to the ground, the white stallion saw Pinkie jump into the air and landed on his chest. He groaned in pain and held his chest as Fluttershy approached him. He couldn’t help but chuckle at her.

“What are you going to do? Have your animal friends to beat me up?” Prince Blueblood laughed at his own joke.

The yellow pegasus held up a hoof and punched him in the nose. The impact was stronger than he expected and felt something break inside him.

He yelled in pain as he held his nose and looked up at Fluttershy. “Where the hay did you learn to do that!?” He demanded.

“I don’t care what you do to me, but nopony hurts my friends.” She said in a rather stern tone.

Prince Blueblood suddenly saw Rarity come out from the crowd. She looked down at him and had flames burning in her eyes. She picked him up by the neck and brought him close to her.

“This is for hurting my friends…and for using me as the new Nightmare Moon.” She said in an icy tone.

The white unicorn punched him hard in his right cheek. He was sent flying as he cried out in agony from the pain. He fell to the floor after a few seconds and fell into an unconscious state. Twilight went to go check on Spike, who was slowly getting up and panting for air. He smiled at her and gave her a brief hug. The purple pegasus broke the hug and went with the others to check on Prince Blueblood.

The white stallion’s eyes suddenly shot open and his horn glowed. “ENOUGH OF THIS!” He boomed.

The white stallion projected a black barrier around himself that exploded. The barrier sent shockwaves and sent Spike and the others crying out in surprise. They all were sent flying into the air for a few seconds before landing on the ground. Spike was the first to get up and saw Prince Blueblood’s face contorted into a mixture of rage and insanity. He couldn’t help but feel a little intimidated by him.

“You’ve messed me up for the last time Spike.” The white stallion said coldly. “If I can’t use your friends for my own gains…then nopony will ever see them again.”

“Leave them alone!” Spike shouted. “They’ve done nothing to you!”

“They have made me look like a foal in front of my own men! They’ll suffer a penalty that they should be familiar with. They used the same technique on another foe a week ago.”

Spike realized where Prince Blueblood was going with this. “No! You can’t do that to them!”

“Still your tongue this instant!” The white stallion barked. “They’ll never get in the way again after this!”

“No!” Spike tried to charge after Prince Blueblood, but was being held by a yellow aura. He looked to see a yellow unicorn was using his magic to hold him down.

“Good work soldier, I’ll be sure to promote you for your aid in this.”

Prince Blueblood turned towards Twilight and her friends. He used his magic to freeze each of them and his horn began to glow. Twilight suddenly felt something wrap around her legs and looked down. She saw to her horror that her legs were turning into stone. The others noticed this and saw they were slowing being turned into statues as well.

“Twilight, what do we do!?” Rainbow asked with a tinge of fear in her voice. “I can’t move at all!”

“I don’t know Rainbow!” The lilac unicorn shot back. “I’ve never studied on this spell and how to reverse it!”

“Hey! Maybe I can make a funny face as a statue!” Pinkie shouted in her usual bubbly voice.

“Pinkie, this ain’t the time fer jokin’!” Applejack shouted. “We need t’do somethin’ b’fore we end up like Discord!”

Rarity looked up to Spike and shouted, “Spike, you’ve got to do something!”

The purple pegasus tried to move, but to no avail. “I…I can’t! I’m stuck like this!”

The group looked at each other in horror as the stoning process continued. They all struggled to break free, but the more they struggled, the faster the process went. Spike tried to break himself out of the aura, but it was too strong. He watched as all of his friends screamed as they stoning process finished up. He could see each of them giving him pleading looks of help as they all stood there in horror, with the exception of Pinkie who stuck her tongue out and had a silly grin.

Prince Blueblood laughed in his own victory and turned to the yellow unicorn. “You may release him now. I want him to see the price he’s paid for his lack of obedience.”

Spike was released from the aura and hurried over to his friends. He saw they all had looks of horror on them and were completely covered in stone. He tried to see if they were merely coated in the stone and break them out, but they were as thick as a statue. The purple pegasus then came across Rarity and Twilight. They each looked like they had tears swelling in their eyes as they looked upon him.

Spike lowered his head and began to feel a sensation that he hadn’t felt since his fight against Jordan. He began to feel his sorrow turn into rage and his shock turn into anger. He shook violently and tried to control what was in him, but it was all too much for him to take. He started to glow a black aura around his body as the hatred in him built up. Everything started to go into a blur for him as the aura around him started to glow stronger.

“Lord Sandro…what’s happening to him?” The yellow unicorn asked nervously. “He’s starting to look like that thing Private Jordan described.”

“I don’t know guard.” He said coolly. “I’ve never seen anypony ever act this way before.”

“My lord, what if this is his corrupted element?”

“If it is, then I’ve never seen anypony act like this before. Get ready to restrain him at once, we may have some use for him.”

“Yes my lord.”

The guard moved in with three other guards towards Spike. They all converged on him and prepared to hold him down. They all started to tie him up, but then one of the guards yelled in pain as he was bitten. The others tied to subdue Spike, but he let out a demonic roar that shook the entire room. The purple pegasus punched one of the yellow unicorn strong enough to break his jaw. He fell over and cried in pain from the punch.

All of a sudden, the black aura expanded for a few seconds and then exploded. Prince Blueblood saw the aura’s shockwaves were heading towards him and used his magic to create a shield around him. As the barrier passed by him, the white stallion saw the shockwaves disintegrated a couple of the guards. As the shockwave died out, one of the guards crawled away as half of his body was disintegrated. A shadow loomed over the guard and he looked to see Spike standing over him. The guard tried to say something, but Spike stomped on his skull and crushed it. He looked up and saw an intimidated Prince Blueblood.

“BLUEBLOOD!” Spike roared in a demonic tone.

The white stallion backed up a little. “Men, dispose of this pest this instant! Do whatever is needed to take him down!”

Spike began to march towards Prince Blueblood and snorted in anger. One of the guards charged at him with a sword in his hoof. Spike tripped him and sent him to the ground. He took the sword in the process and sent it through the guard’s skull. He saw a unicorn ready to fire a few energy blasts, but he grabbed him by the tail and threw him against the floor until he was nothing but a broken bloody mess. Spike let out a deafening roar that made the rest of the guards back off.

A shadow formed around Spike’s body and covered him completely. The purple pegasus started to change shape and grew five times bigger. His hooves slowly turned into razor sharp claws. His head contorted into a narrower look with a long muzzle and fangs growing out of his mouth. His eyes turned blood red and glowed brightly. He looked like a timberwolf, but he was completely black and looked like a shadow. He was now big enough to take up a third of the throne room. Spike let out a loud roar that shook the room once more and looked upon the guards.

“Surround him this instant!” Prince Blueblood ordered. “Swarm him and take him down this instant!”

“Lord Sandro! H-he’s too big for us!” A guard protested.

“Then watch where he’s stepping! Now go and kill him!”

The guards hesitantly charged towards Spike with their weapons drawn out. The shadow Timberwolf noticed the guards and raised his right claw. He slammed it against a group of ponies and raised it to see they were all crushed and blood was gushing from them. A couple dozen unicorns used their magic to shoot out various spells, but they didn’t faze Spike in the least bit. He smacked the group and sent them flying. The unicorns all crashed hard into the wall and were crushed by the impact.

Spike let out another roar as he began to make his way towards Prince Blueblood. He was suddenly distracted by a blur flying around him. He looked to see a small group of pegasi guards were flying around him and trying to hit him. One of the pegasi hit Spike on the snout, but it only angered him than hurt him. Spike used his claws to swat them down and crush the ones he did hit with his paw. The guards realized they were losing numbers fast and decided to pull back.

“What are you all doing!?” Prince Blueblood roared. “I did not order any of you to retreat!”

“Lord Sandro, we’re losing too many men!” A green earth stallion said. “Magic isn’t working! We’ve lost a lot of pegasi! Our weapons are useless against him! He’s invincible!”

Prince Blueblood looked around and saw mangled corpses littering the ground. A few guards were helping carry away the injured. A couple of brave guards did their best to distract Spike, but he was slaughtering them. The white stallion looked to the guard and slowly nodded.

“Alright guard, start getting the injured out of here this instant.” He said. “Tell the unicorns to prepare to teleport away the men from this castle at once. Keep a couple of unicorns around to shoot him and distract that…that thing from the others. We’ll need to regroup and see what we can do.”

“Yes Lord Sandro.” The green earth stallion saluted.

Just as the guard was making his way towards the remaining soldiers who weren’t fighting, Spike suddenly broke through the ceiling of the castle. The debris rained down upon the guards and crushed a majority of them. The few remaining pegasi tried to fly out of the castle’s broken ceiling, but they were all caught by the falling slabs of marble and were crushed instantly. The remaining guards helped their injured comrades and tried to get out of the throne room. Prince Blueblood backed away from all the confusion and looked upon the devastation.

Chaos descended into the castle’s throne room now. The last several dozen guards were shouting in either pain or barking orders. A couple of the earth pony guards ran for the throne room’s double doors, but the debris was blocking their way out. The throne room echoed with screams of pain and agony as Spike continued his rampage. The screams soon died down as the number of guards dwindled until only one remained.

A lone orange unicorn limped in pain towards Prince Blueblood. “My lord…I’m the only one left.” He said with pain in his voice. “Please…we need to get out of here. Please use your magic to teleport us AAAHHHH!” The guard was cut off as Spike crushed him under his paw.

The shadow timberwolf looked down at Prince Blueblood and roared. He attempted to crush him, but the white stallion teleported out of the room. He appeared right outside the throne room’s doors and ran down the dark hallway. He heard a crashing noise and saw Spike had broken through the walls of the castle. He saw Prince Blueblood and swiped at him with his claws as he chased him.

The white stallion turned around and fired out a couple of energy blasts. Spike shrugged off the spells and pressed on. In a panic, Prince Blueblood teleported back into the throne room. He tried to figure out where to go, but his mind was racing. He heard something start to rumble and looked towards the doors. The throne room’s doors and a portion of the wall crashed down. Amidst the dust and debris, Spike stepped out and roared once more.

He charged towards Prince Blueblood and prepared to stomp on him. He jumped out of the way in time as Spike charged passed him and accidentally ran into a wall. The shadow timberwolf shook off the dizziness while the wall crumbled and looked back towards Prince Blueblood. He charged at him again and used his claws to grab a hold of the white stallion. Prince Blueblood tried to teleport out of his grasp, but Spike slammed him against the floor, making him cry out in pain.

Spike then proceeded to pick up Prince Blueblood and throw him against a window. He felt numerous pieces of glass pierce his body as the window shattered. The white stallion used his magic to teleport out of Spike’s claws and appeared right behind him. He limped away in pain as the blood from the glass cuts poured all over his body. Spike suddenly turned around and slashed the back of the white stallion’s back deeply.

Prince Blueblood fell to the floor and yelled in anguish from the deep cuts on his back. He was suddenly rolled over on his back and saw the demonic glare of Spike. The white stallion tried to use another teleportation spell, but his magic aura was very low and was unable to use any magic. All he could do was look at Spike and his demonic smile.

“HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE THE ONE BEGGING FOR MERCY?” The shadow timberwolf boomed.

The white stallion panted and grunted in pain.

“Go ahead and finish him.” A low demonic voice whispered in Spike’s head. “I know you want to do it. Get revenge for what he’s done to you and your friends.”

Spike raised his claw and prepared to pierce it through Prince Blueblood’s stomach.

“Spike…don’t do this.” A gentle voice whispered in his head. “I know you feel great sorrow for the loss of your friends, but this isn’t the answer.”

“What are you waiting for?” The demonic voice asked. “You can finally end the one who killed your friends. Let him die for what he’s done to you.”

“Prince Blueblood had no idea about what you would become.” The other voice argued. “Do not kill him, or you’ll only become the very same thing he is.”

“Let this so called prince taste the bitterness that is vengeance! If he lives, he’ll only come back and haunt you again! You’ll never get another chance at this!”

“Spike! You’re better than this and you know it! Your friends can still be saved, but killing him won’t do you any good! Put your claw down and step away from him! Is this how your friends want you to act!?”

Spike roared in frustration and held his head. “SHUT UP! I…I CAN’T THINK WITH ALL OF YOU SHOUTING IN MY HEAD!”

“Then choose Spike…and make your decision.” The demonic voice whispered. “I only hope you make the right choice here.”

“Spike…don’t do anything you’ll regret later.” The gentle voice said. “Don’t let your hatred control you. You need to follow what you believe is right.”

Spike heard Prince Blueblood’s raspy breathing and looked back upon him. The white stallion was bruised all over his body. His blood soaked his coat and started to drip on the floor. He felt conflicted on what to do with his captive. One side of him wanted to kill him, but another didn’t want to. There was one thing that became apparent in Spike’s mind.

What to do now?

Rise from the Ashes

Spike looked at Prince Blueblood with a hesitant look on his face. He finally had the one who caused so much chaos and was close to death. Yet despite all that he did, Spike was conflicted on whether or not to kill him. He had the chance to finally end it all and avenge Twilight and the others for their deaths. He wanted to do it, but a part of him kept telling him to not kill Prince Blueblood.

He decided to weigh his options and the possible outcomes. On one hoof, if he killed Prince Blueblood, then he would never return again to hurt him or any other pony. The Disciples of Nightmare Moon would be all but finished forever. He would never have to worry about him ever again. There seemed to be no repercussions if he killed Prince Blueblood.

Another part of Spike’s mind though warned him about what would happen if he did commit the act. If he killed the white stallion, it would probably prevent him from figuring out how to save the others. Would Princess Celestia be upset to know that he killed him, even if he was a traitor? He then thought back to the vision he saw of when Leon became the same thing he is now. He thought of the carnage and destruction the beast caused throughout Equestria.

Spike looked at his paw and saw it was poised directly above Prince Blueblood’s head. He looked down at his opponent and saw he was breathing very slowly now and was knocked out. His mind went into overdrive with what to do. The voices in his head were almost screaming inside his head now. He let go of Prince Blueblood as he covered his head and roared in agony.

“THIS LITTLE WAITING GAME IS OVER!” The demonic voice boomed. “KILL HIM NOW SPIKE! HE DESERVES DEATH FOR ALL HE’S DONE!”

“Spike, you know you can’t do this.” The gentle voice said calmly. “I know that you’re angry and want revenge for what happened, but your friends can still be saved. They wouldn’t want you to act this way.”

“DESTROY HIM NOW SPIKE! HE’S TOO DANGEROUS TO BE KEPT ALIVE AND YOU KNOW IT! THERE’S NO USE IN KEEPING HIM ALIVE ANYMORE!”

“You would only become a monster if you do this. Let Princess Celestia and the law decide his fate. She’ll find a way to bring your friends back and you can be with them again.”

“WHAT IF THE PRINCESS DOESN’T FIND A CURE? YOU WOULD FOREVER HAVE TO LIVE WITH THE FACT THAT THEY’RE GONE! HE KILLED YOUR FRIENDS AND MOST IMPROTANTLY, HE KILLED RARITY! YOU CAN’T LET HIM LIVE FOR HIS CRIMES!”

Spike roared again in agony and shook his head. “QUIET ALREADY!” He shouted in a mixture of his normal and demonic voice. “I…I…I NEED TO THINK THIS THROUGH!”

The shadow timberwolf looked back at Prince Blueblood, who was still unconscious. As Spike took a step towards him, he felt something damp on his right paw. He lifted it up and saw in the moonlight that it was blood. He looked around the ruined throne room and his eyes widened in shock. Corpses littered the entire room and their blood poured all over the floor. Some ponies were crushed under the large slabs of marble from the ceiling. There were other ponies that were missing body parts and had terrified looks on their faces.

“THERE’S NO NEED TO BE SO HESITANT ABOUT THIS.” The demonic voice boomed again. “THOSE PONIES WERE NO BETTER THAN THAT SO CALLED PRINCE. SHOW HIM THE SAME TYPE OF PUNISHMENT THAT YOU’VE DEMONSTRATED TO THOSE GUARDS.”

Spike’s eyes slowly drooped into a glare and closed them. He took a deep breath before opening them again and nodded slowly. “You’re right…he doesn’t deserve to live anymore.” He said coldly.

He began to move back towards Prince Blueblood with anger in his eyes. As he got closer to the white stallion, he felt his head buzz. He tried to shake it off at first, but the buzzing got louder and his head started to hurt. The shadow timberwolf howled as he felt his mind racing all of a sudden. He closed his eyes and started to see various images of Twilight and the others.

The memories of his friends and loved ones rushed through his mind. All the times he spent with Twilight and the others. The time they all had after the Grand Galloping Gala. The flashback of when the Cutie Mark Crusaders told him he was their friend. All of them came rushing into his mind. The voices inside his head became garbled and were drowned out by the various voices of his friends.

Spike thrashed around wildly as the memories continued to whiz passed him. He let out a deafening roar that shook the entire throne room for a few seconds. He looked over at Prince Blueblood once more and slowly made his way towards him. He raised his right paw and pointed his claws right above his opponent’s chest. He glared at him for a few seconds before he made his choice. He closed his eyes as he sent his claw down towards Prince Blueblood’s chest.

CRACK!

Spike panted and opened his eyes to see something that nearly made him jump. His claw had missed Prince Blueblood’s chest and instead collided to the floor nearby. He wanted to try to see if he could possibly do it again, but he couldn’t find the strength. The shadow timberwolf tried again, but something in his head held him back from doing so. Spike looked back down at the white stallion and lowered his head in shame.

“I…I CAN’T DO IT.” He said in a calmer demonic tone. “I CAN’T KILL HIM. WHAT WOULD I GET BY DOING THIS?” He looked around at the corpses again and felt guilt overwhelm him. “I’VE ALREADY KILLED SO MANY…AND I DON’T WANT TO BE SEEN AS SOME MONSTER.”

“NO YOU FOAL! YOU CAN’T DO THIS!” The demonic voice barked in his head. “YOU COULD’VE KILLED HIM! YOU’RE NOTHING BUT A COWARD! YOU’LL REGRET THIS DECISION!”

Spike paid no mind to the demonic voice, but slowly heard it screaming in agony. He began to concentrate on his friends and all the happy times that had together. He thought more than those, he thought about the promises he kept to the Cutie Mark Crusaders and his friends. The shadows around Spike slowly died out along with the demonic voice. He shrank down to his size as a pony and his colors started to appear. The shadows soon disappeared around Spike and was his pony self again. He panted for a couple minutes and felt a little dazed from his monstrous rampage.

The sound of groaning and panting suddenly echoed throughout the throne room. Spike turned around to see Prince Blueblood was coming to his senses again. Despite all his injuries, he was able to roll back onto his stomach and slowly got up. He panted for a few minutes as he regained his bearings and looked up. He glared at Spike for a few minutes before finally being able to find some words.

“Why…why did you spare me?” He asked in a painful voice. “Y-you had me in your grasp…and yet you let me live.”

Spike lowered his head and said, “I can’t do it…as much as I hate you for what you’ve done, I won’t kill you.”

“Why? You could’ve had revenge at what I’ve done to your friends.”

“I realized something when I was about to kill you. I made a lot of promises to my friends and I will see them through. I know that they wouldn’t want me to act this way and I know they can still be saved now.”

“You’re friends are in a deep stone petrification spell.” Prince Blueblood spat. “They’re forever trapped in stone and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

Spike said nothing and trotted over to the statues of his friends. He placed a hoof on each of them and lowered his head on them for a few minutes. He turned back towards Prince Blueblood and was met by a lightning bolt hitting him in the chest. He fell to the floor and landed between Applejack and Twilight’s statues. He groaned and looked to see Prince Blueblood limping back towards his black robe. The white stallion reached from something in his robe, but Spike couldn’t see it.

He turned back towards the purple pegasus and said, “You forgot the first rule of fighting Spike. You never turn your back on your opponent.” He suddenly pulled out a large vial full of red liquid from his robe. “The second rule of fighting, always make sure you come prepared for battle.”

Prince Blueblood popped the cork from the vial and downed the contents of the potion. As he drank the potion, Spike saw to his surprise of the effects it had. All the wounds around Prince Blueblood’s body were disappearing slowly until they were all gone. He steadied himself and moved his head around a little. The white stallion took a deep breath and let out a satisfied laugh.

“Ah…that’s better.” He said sinisterly. “There’s one last rule you have to learn Spike. You never leave your opponent alive.”

“But…but how did you do that?” He asked in disbelief. “You were almost dead from what I did to you.”

“You can thank Princess Celestia for that. This little potion here came from some of the tablets she left behind in that vault near Nocturnal. It’s capable of healing any wound and replenishing a unicorn’s magic aura. I’ll have to thank her as well before killing her.”

Spike poised himself to fight, but he felt dizzy and tired. He stumbled a little and tried not fall over. He could hear Prince Blueblood laugh coldly at him.

“Aw that’s too bad Spike.” He said in a mocking tone. “It seems unlike me, you’re still injured from our first fight. I on the other hoof am more than capable of finishing what I started.”

Prince Blueblood suddenly disappeared for a few seconds before teleporting in front of Spike. He punched him in the face hard and made him stumble around. Before he could recover from the sudden attack, Spike was hit in the back of the head. He cried out in pain as he fell to the floor. He suddenly felt a hoof slam against his head and held him down. He opened his eyes to see Prince Blueblood with a triumphant look on him.

“It’s over now Spike.” He said coldly. “You’re friends are dead and you’ve failed to save them. The last thing you’ll see is me delivering the final blow.”

Prince Blueblood’s horn glowed with energy and aimed it at Spike’s head. He was ready to fire the spell, but he was suddenly punched in the right cheek. The white stallion stumbled back and saw Spike was getting up. He charged towards his opponent, but Spike moved out of the way in time. He screeched to a halt and shot a glare towards Spike.

“I…I won’t give up.” The purple pegasus said in a weak voice. “I’ll still save my friends and I’ll beat you.”

Prince Blueblood roared in anger and used his magic to levitate Spike. He brought him close to him and slammed him against the marble floor. Spike grunted in pain as he felt his back protest in pain. His head was adjusted to look up at a livid looking Prince Blueblood. Spike tried to move, but saw he was being restrained by four magical chains at his hooves.

“This has gone on far enough!” Prince Blueblood barked. “You’ve done nothing but ruined everything I’ve planned all for your so called friends! Once you’re out of the way, I’ll find a new way to become King of Equestria!”

“I don’t care if you do become king.” Spike spat. “Nopony will ever obey you and I will beat you before you become one.”

Prince Blueblood punched Spike hard in the chest and looked beside himself. “You’re mindless babbling ends right now! You’re arrogance and disrespect has worked my last nerve! All you keep on wasting your breath on is your so called friends! You’re not a pony like them! You’re a freakish dragon who thinks he can be friends with ponies! What do you see in them!? Why do you think they’re worth saving!?”

Spike caught his breath and said “I know I’m not really a pony, but they’re still my friends. They taught me everything I know now. I learned right from wrong from them and they raised me like a pony. I know I’m different from other dragons, but I don’t care, I still have my friends here and I’ll do whatever I can to help them.”

Near the stone slabs where Spike was being held, a stone sphere started to rattle slowly. Neither Prince Blueblood nor Spike noticed this though.

“They treated me like I was one of them.” Spike said. “I learned so much from them and made friends with them. They gave me a lot of things and I’m always ready to help them. My friends all taught me everything that made me who I am and I’m glad they did. If it weren’t for them, I may’ve ended up like the other dragons.”

The stone sphere started to rattle a little faster and glowed a faint white light. Nopony paid no mind to it again.

“My friends each showed and taught me about their elements.” Spike stated. “Kindness, laughter, generosity, honesty, loyalty, and magic. I learned all that from them and their adventures. They’ve come to love me and helped me when I needed it. I don’t care if I die or anything, as long as I can save my friends, then I’ll be happy to know they’re okay! They never left me when I needed somepony and I won’t let them down!”

The stone sphere glowed brightly now and was shaking violently. Spike and Prince Blueblood noticed the white light glowing and saw the sphere floating. The white stallion approached the sphere in curiosity and reached his hoof out. An electrical shock coursed through his body and was sent flying for a few seconds before hitting the ground. Prince Blueblood groaned as he got up and saw the stone sphere hovering across the room. Spike noticed the sphere was headed towards him and gasped a little.

As the stone sphere hovered above Spike’s head, a bright light flashed throughout the throne room. Prince Blueblood shielded his eyes from the flash, which lasted a couple of seconds. When the flash died down, he looked to see something was glowing from Spike. He lowered his hoof and was shocked to see what happened. The stone sphere holding Spike’s element was gone and replaced with what his Element of Harmony looked like.

Resting on top of the purple pegasus’ head was a shining circular golden crown with seven long spiked edges. Each spiked edge had a small circular shaped purple gem in the middle of it. On the edges right above Spike’s forehead, there was a large green crystal in the middle that was shaped like a flame. Prince Blueblood was in disbelief from what he saw and felt a little intimidated. Spike looked at Prince Blueblood with a look of triumph on him.

“It…it’s not possible.” The white stallion said nervously. “There’s no way this can happen.”

“It is happening Prince Blueblood.” Spike said in a confident voice. “There’s one more reason why I love my friends. They taught me to never give up when things looked really bad. They never gave up on me and I won’t give up now!”

“Regardless of your Element of Harmony, your friends are still trapped in stone! They can’t be used if one of them is dead! There’s no way you can use them now!”

The green crystal from Spike’s crown suddenly glowed very brightly. A large beam of green light shot out of the crystal and right towards Twilight and the others. The light encased all six statues and glowed brightly. The stone around each statue started to crack slowly and chipped away around their bodies. Twilight and her friends started to come to as the stone around them chipped away. The light soon died out and the six mares were freed from their stone prisons. The entire group groaned and felt a little dazed from their freedom.

“What!? That’s not possible!” Prince Blueblood shouted.

“Ugh…where are we?” Rainbow asked.

“Ah feel like Ah was trampled by a stampede of cows.” Applejack said.

The entire groups saw in the corner of their eyes a bright glow and looked towards it. They were shocked to see Spike standing there with a crown on his head.

“Spike…is that you?” Twilight asked in disbelief. “Is…is that your…your…?”

“It’s my Element of Harmony Twilight.” The purple pegasus said. “Hurry and get the others. It’s time to take Prince Blueblood off the throne.”

The group nodded and looked around for their elements. Twilight saw in a smile pile of rubble, the elements were amongst them and urged her friends to follow her. Just as they reached the Elements of Harmony, a dark energy ball flashed in front of them. The group shielded their eyes in time and looked to see a vivid Prince Blueblood.

“Get away this instant you commoners!” He barked. “You won’t be using those Elements of Harmony ever again!”

“Why I ought to…” Rainbow said.

“I’ll take care of him.” Spike interrupted. “It’s time he knew that I’m more than some dragon.”

“Are you sure Spike?” Twilight asked. “If he is as powerful as he says he is, then you need our help.”

“I’m sure Twilight. I’ll take care of him and make him pay for what he did.”

Twilight hesitantly nodded and said, “Alright Spike, but be careful. We’ll be right here to bail you out if things are looking bad.”

Spike gave a nod and looked towards Prince Blueblood. “It’s you and me now you royal pain in the flank.”

The white stallion laughed upon hearing this. “This is too rich! How are you going to beat me!? You can’t even touch me!”

“We’ll see about that.”

Prince Blueblood teleported right in front of Spike and raised his hoof to deliver a punch. Spike moved his head to the side as the hoof went passed him. He raised his hoof in retaliation and punched Prince Blueblood right in the snout. The white stallion stumbled a little and grunted in pain. He shot an icy glare towards Spike.

“Lucky shot!” He spat. “Let’s see you dodge this!”

He shot out a large blue ball of energy at Spike. The purple pegasus moved to the side nonchalantly and heard the ground sizzling from the spell. Prince Blueblood growled a little and shot out a lightning bolt. The bolt did hit Spike, but it was redirected towards his green flame shaped crystal. Prince Blueblood’s eyes widened from what just happened.

“What they buck happened to my spell!?” He demanded.

Almost immediately after asking that, a lightning bolt shot out of the green crystal. Before Prince Blueblood could react, the bolt hit him square in the chest. He cried out in pain and fell to his knees. As he caught his breath from the sudden attack, Prince Blueblood heard galloping and saw Spike charging towards him. He steadied himself and prepared to do a teleportation spell. He was about to do the spell, but Spike caught up to him and punched him in the right cheek. Prince Blueblood was sent to the ground and groaned in pain.

He heard hoofsteps and looked up to see Spike towering over him. The white stallion got up immediately and tried to punch his opponent in the face. Spike caught the hoof though and forced Prince Blueblood to his knees again. He tried to regain the upper hoof, but Spike started to bend his hoof back very slowly. He cried out in agony as his hoof was bent backwards and used his other hoof to beat Spike up. The purple pegasus shrugged off the pain and continued to bend it back.

CRACK!

Prince Blueblood screamed in pain as his hoof was broken and dangled. He used his magic to teleport away and reappeared on the far side of the throne room. He saw his black robe and in it another vial of red liquid. He limped over to the robe and tried to get the vial, but Spike suddenly galloped past him and blocked him. The purple pegasus looked down at the robe and then back at Prince Blueblood with a smirk.

“No! Don’t you dare…!”

Before Prince Blueblood could finish, Spike stomped on the robe with his left hoof and shattered the potion vial. The white stallion roared in anger and shot out a flurry of small fireballs out of his horn. Spike charged towards his opponent and dodged the fireballs in the process. When he reached him, he raised his hoof and punched him in the jaw, nearly breaking it in the process. He cried out in pain as he fell to the ground again. As he lied on the ground, Prince Blueblood saw Spike wasn’t too far from him.

“Give it up already.” He said. “You’ve already lost at everything. Your so called plan is done for and my friends are safe.”

“I…won’t…yield to you.” Prince Blueblood spat. “I am King Sandro…leader and new ruler of Equestria. I refuse to surrender to you and I will be back for revenge.”

“Not this time you royal traitor!” A voice shouted.

Spike and Prince Blueblood looked to their right and saw Twilight and her friends. Each mare had their Elements of Harmony and had triumphant looks on their faces.

“Spike, come over here!” Twilight shouted.

The purple pegasus nodded and galloped towards his friends. He stood between Twilight and Rarity and saw them give a nod of approval.

“Let’s do this then!” Spike shouted.

A very bright glow of light filled the throne room up, blinding Prince Blueblood. Spike and his friends each levitated into the air and their elements started to glow. Each Element of Harmony glowed and shot out a ray of light that corresponded with each element’s color. The rays of light shot directly into Spike’s flame shaped crystal. The sound of electricity humming echoed throughout the room as it charged up. After a couple of seconds of charging, the green crystal shot out a large rainbow and headed right towards Prince Blueblood.

The white stallion saw the rainbow and his horn glowed. “No! I won’t be taken down that easily!” He shouted with a bit of panic in his voice.

He shot out a large beam of black energy to counter the rainbow. The two magical energies stubbornly pushed each other back and forth for what seemed to be an eternity. Eventually, the rainbow beam got the upper hoof and pushed back the black energy. Prince Blueblood panicked and tried to put more magic into pushing it back, but it was to no avail. The rainbow beam soon reached its target and covered it in a bright flash of light.

“NO! THIS ISN’T HAPPENING!” Prince Blueblood barked with a panicked look on him. “YOU CAN’T DO THIS TO ME! I AM YOUR KING!”

The rainbow beam started to create a white energy ball that grew bigger and swallowed the castle up. It kept growing until the dark castle was completely covered in the dome. The energy then exploded and sent shockwaves rattling throughout Equestria. A beacon of rainbow colored light shot up into the sky and started to spread its colors. All across Equestria, the night sky was lit up with a flurry of colors while the ground shook violently.

In Ponyville, Shining Armor was barking orders at his guards to evacuate civilians. Some of the citizens though took pleasure in the sight of the night sky. Princess Luna and Princess Cadence both tried to maintain order in Canterlot, but the citizens there were running and screaming in fear. In Appaloosa, Braeburn helped control the cattle they had along with getting citizens out of their homes. In Manehattan, the city descended into chaos with crowds of ponies running around. Among them were three terrified fillies being held by an elderly orange pegasus stallion with a short white mane.

The shaking soon died down after a couple of minutes as did the beacon of rainbow light. Spike and his friends slowly drifted to the ground until their hooves touched the ground. He opened his eyes and was shocked to see what had happened. The dark forbidding throne room now had pristine white rounded columns and marble floors. The room itself reminded Spike of how the castle looked when he was in Princess Celestia’s memories.

Spike heard the sounds of groaning behind him and looked to see his friends. Each one of them looked tired, but gave him a small smile. The purple pegasus smiled warmly as he ran over and embraced Twilight in a tight grip. The others soon joined in a group hug and stayed like this for a couple of minutes. Twilight was the first to break the hug and looked around at the castle with awe. Her friends soon joined in with her and were shocked by what they were seeing.

“Where are we?” Twilight asked. “This almost looks like Princess Celestia’s throne room.”

“It’s the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters actually.” Spike said. He was met by all six mares staring at him with curious looks on their faces. “It’s kind of hard to explain, but I know this is it.”

BANG!

The throne room’s doors suddenly busted open and made everypony jump. The galloping of hooves and shouting echoed loudly throughout the room. Spike and the others turned to see a large group of royal guards had arrived. The guards lined up against the red carpet leading to the doors and bowed. Before Spike could ask what was happening, Princess Celestia suddenly came in with a look of concern on her face. The seven ponies bowed down in respect to their ruler for a couple of seconds before getting back up.

“Princess Celestia!” Twilight cried out in joy. She ran over and embraced her mentor.

“Twilight Sparkle, it’s good to see you and your friends are okay.” The white alicorn said in a gentle tone as she returned the hug. She broke the hug after a few seconds and looked towards Spike. “Spike, I’m very proud of what you’ve done. I knew you could do it.”

The purple pegasus couldn’t help but blush upon hearing those words. “Thanks princess…but if it weren’t for my friends, I think I wouldn’t have made it.”

Princess Celestia gave a small smile and looked at Spike’s crown in awe. “So this is the Element of Nobility. It’s been so long that I’ve seen it that I forgot what it was.”

“Pardon me princess, but what exactly is the Element of Nobility?” Twilight asked. “There’s nothing I’ve read that mentions it.”

“You deserve an explanation for this Twilight, including your friends. The story is a pretty long one, but you must understand that…”

“Princess Celestia! We’ve got another pony here!” A white unicorn stallion shouted. “He seems to be barely breathing.”

The white alicorn along with Spike and his friends hurried over towards the fallen pony. A small group of guards surrounding the pony moved out of the way. As they reached the other pony, the entire group was taken aback by who it was. Lying on the ground was none other than Prince Blueblood. Spike figured something would’ve happened to him from the rainbow beam, but not something like this.

The handsome and proud white stallion was now reduced to a mere shadow of himself to the point where he was barely recognizable. His entire body was literally nothing but skin and bones now. His mane and tail were both singed and burnt to the point where they smelled like smoke. His face was covered in massive green warts and his eyes were bloodshot red. Prince Blueblood breathed shallowly and tried to say something, but it was too weak to hear. He tried to move, but he was so weak form the lack of strength. He screamed in agony from the attempt at moving and just stayed in the same spot.

“Is…is that Prince Blublood?” Princess Celestia asked in disbelief. “What’s he doing here?”

Spike looked at his friends and saw they were looking a little intimidated. He decided to take the plunge and said, “Princess…I know this is hard to believe, but Prince Blueblood is actually Lord Sandro.”

The white alicorn gave a surprised look to Spike. “It…it can’t be, it can’t be Prince Blueblood. He’s a member of the royal family and there’s no way he would ever…”

“Princess, you have to believe me.” Spike interjected. “He’s been fooling you and only wanted to use you for the Elements of Harmony. He told me about that story about how you took him in and how he became prince.”

“He ain’t lyin’ princess.” Applejack spoke up. “Ah hate t’say it, but yer nephew over there is nothin’ but a thievin’ and lyin’ scoundrel.”

“He used his army to hurt Fluttershy!” Pinkie shouted.

“He turned us into stone.” Fluttershy stated.

“He was going to use me as the new body of Nightmare Moon!” Rarity yelled.

“Princess, I know this is hard to accept, but Spike is telling the truth.” Twilight said. “I know you don’t want to believe it, but it’s true. He captured all of us to use as a sacrifice for Nightmare Moon.”

Princess Celestia gave no response and went over to Prince Blueblood’s body. She could see him looking directly at him. Even though he gave a pleading look, the white alicorn felt shivers run down her spine just from looking at him. She placed her horn on his forehead and it started to glow. Everypony watched and wondered what she was up to and waited patiently. After a few minutes, her horn stopped glowing and she lifted her head. She turned back towards Spike and his friends with a solemn look on her face.

“What did you do princess?” Twilight asked.

“I did a memory reader spell on him.” She said with sadness in her voice. “You all were right…it’s really him. He is Lord Sandro after all.”

“Princess, I’m so sorry you had to find out. I know that he meant a lot to you and we’ll be here to help you out.”

Spike nodded with the others, but started to feel really tired all of a sudden. The next thing he knew, he fell to the floor and everything went black. Twilight and the others noticed this and rushed over to help him.

“His wounds seemed to have finally gotten the best of him.” Princess Celestia said. “Guards, bring a medic here this instant to tend to his wounds. I want you to also prepare to transport Prince…I mean Lord Sandro towards my castle.”

“Yes your highness!” Two guards shouted in unison.

Twilight and the others looked at Spike with fear in their eyes.

“Hang on Spike.” The lilac unicorn said. “You’re going to be alright, we promise.”

Spike felt a bright light hit his eyes and opened them slowly. The first thing he did was look at himself and realized he was a dragon again. He then noticed he was lying on some grass and got up. The area was very similar to a meadow in Equestria with rolling green hills, flowers blooming everywhere, and trees with bright green leaves. He looked to his right and saw in front of him a set of golden gates with horizontal thin golden bars. His mind suddenly raced with questions and felt panic running through his body.

“Am…am I dead?” He asked nervously.

“No Spike, you aren’t.” A gentle mare’s voice said.

Spike jumped in surprise from the voice and turned to see who it was. In front of him was a white alicorn who was as tall as Princess Celestia. She had a mane and tail almost similar to Twilight’s style, but the color was a darkish red. Her eyes were blue and seemed to radiate with love and compassion. Spike couldn’t find any words to speak and didn’t want to in fear he may offend her.

“You don’t have to be afraid around me Spike.” The mare said. “I’m not going to hurt the wielder of the Element of Nobility.”

The purple pegasus broke out of his trance and was taken aback from what he heard. “How do you know about me?” He asked in a small voice.

“I know everypony that ever lived in the land of Equestria. I know all about you from the time you were born to when you drank that potion to become a pony.”

Spike was once again taken aback by this. “Who…who are you anyway?”

“You can call me the Queen, watcher and protector of my fellow ponies. You can ask me anything you want to know.”

“So where am I? Am I now….*gulp*…dead?”

“Not yet Spike, but the wounds you received were so bad, that it’s placed you on the verge of death.”

“I don’t want to die though!” He shouted in a panic. “I don’t want to leave behind Twilight or any of my friends!”

“Calm yourself Spike, you aren’t dead yet and you can still choose as to whether you want to live or pass on through the gates.”

“Then why else am I here? I want to go back.”

“There’s a certain pony who wants to speak with you.”

Before Spike could ask what she meant, he heard hoofsteps. He turned around to see to his surprise, the white hooded pony he met so many times. He could see even under the hood he was smiling warmly at him.

“Hello again Spike, it’s good to see you.” The pony said. “I was worried about whether you’d go down a path that would lead to only death and destruction. I’m glad to see you made the right choice.”

“What are you doing here anyway? Who are you?” Spike asked. “You keep on talking to me, but I don’t know anything about you. You even warned me not to give into that…thing.”

“Think about it Spike. Who do you think knows more about that beast than me? I think you should know…you did see me after all.”

“What are you talking about? The only pony who became what I was…somepony…” Spike suddenly felt a realization dawned on him and his eyes widened. “…You…it’s you.”

The stallion took off his hood and smiled. “Me.”

There standing in front of Spike was none other than Leon. He noticed he looked a lot older than when Spike saw him. His black mane and tail was now white, but it was still kept neat and tidy. He had a goatee growing on his face. He almost seemed unrecognizable now from how he looked in the past.

“But…but I don’t get it.” Spike said in awe. “How…how did you talk to me? Princess Celestia said you just disappeared and you were never seen again.”

“She is correct on the fact that I was never seen again, but she’s wrong about me vanishing off the face of Equestria. I never left the land I fought for valiantly in my years during the Griffon War. I merely went into exile and spent the rest of my life in solitude.”

“How were you able to talk to me then? You were dead for over a thousand years.”

“The story is a bit long, but I’ll keep it short for you Spike. In my time in exile, I stayed away from all other ponies because I felt I failed them. I was looking for a way to redeem myself after what I did. I wandered into a deep part of Equestria where there was nothing but an endless dense forest and no settlements. I figured maybe I could live out the rest of my life here, but that was before I met her.”

“Who was it?”

“It was actually the Queen herself.”

“Wait, you mean the Queen standing right before us?”

“That is correct Spike. She actually led me to a sacred grove where her spirit resides strongly. She knew of the pain and guilt I felt when I became that beast and offered to help me. In return of accepting her help, she trained me an ancient form of magic that very few have mastered, Spiritual Magic.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s a very advanced form of magic and very few can master it, much less get the basics. It involves using your very own soul to be able to become one with the Elements of Harmony themselves. It may sound simple, but the training I went through was very rigorous and took me five years to master the basics. Each Spiritual Magic apprentice also had to face up to their own personal demons in the past. As you know, mine was killing so many and losing my own family. I had to come to grips that I wasn’t in control of myself during those dark times and let it go.”

“I managed to talk to those who I killed and my own family. They held no anger towards me and they knew that it wasn’t truly my fault. They only asked that I lead a more peaceful life from now on. I happily took their advice and I felt at peace for what happened. For the first time since that incident, I felt like everything was going to be okay.”

“Over the years, I mastered each one of the elements’ origins from magic to loyalty. I studied and went through more rigorous tests and challenges about the elements. It wasn’t until fifty years later that I finally mastered Spiritual Magic. I thought I was ready to finally be at peace, but there was one last message from the Queen. It involved my own Element of Harmony.”

“Wait, you don’t mean that…?” Spike began.

“Yes, it was about the Disciples of Nightmare Moon.” Leon finished. “She didn’t tell me about them exactly, but warned that another conflict would occur and my element would be in the middle of it. The only problem was she didn’t know what the outcome would be. She gave me one last order, to use a powerful Spiritual Magic spell that allows me to stay connected to my Element of Harmony after I pass on.”

“I knew about the incident involving Nightmare Moon and that the castle was now abandoned. Since I lived in the castle for most of my life, I knew about the vault that was underground in the ruins. Although the castle ruins held many traps, I managed to make my towards the vault holding my Element of Harmony. I couldn’t get into the vault itself sadly, but I did manage to do something else. I knew my time was coming to an end, but rather than give up, I let my spirit leave my body for good.”

“Wait! What!?”

Leon chuckled from Spike’s outburst. “I know this sounds crazy, but it’s another use of Spiritual Magic to leave my body for a short period of time. I knew I would no longer need it for what was about to happen. With my spirit free, I was able to go past the vault’s doors and saw my Element of Harmony lying on a pedestal. Using the last bit of magic I had, I left a part of my spirit in my element and departed for the afterlife.”

“How were you able to find out I was the new Element of Nobility?” Spike asked. “If you were dead, then how could you know?”

“I can explain that Spike.” The Queen said. “Since Leon had left a part of his spirit in the Element of Nobility, I kept him up to date about what was happening. I let him know about who the next bearer of his element was, but informed him that the conflict wouldn’t happen for a thousand years. So for years, he waited for the battle to come and who the next bearer would be. While he waited, he met with his old friends and family and rekindled the friendship he had with them.”

“So how did he find out about me?” Spike asked. “I was told that because of the element’s lack of use over a thousand years, it became weak.”

“That is correct Spike, but an Element of Harmony doesn’t truly die out.” Leon stated. “While the lack of use of my element resulted in it becoming weaker, I still had a connection to it. As I was going through another day of waiting, I felt some sort of disturbance. The Queen came to me and let me know that the time had come. The conflict was coming and that I would need to guide you to avoid a similar fate to mine.”

“So…you’ve been watching me all this time?”

“In a matter of speaking, yes I was. Although I was watching you, my link to you was pretty weak at first. As you grew stronger and went through so much, my connection to you grew. I knew you were the next Element of Harmony as did your one friend, but I didn’t have the heart to tell you. I feared that you would’ve ended up just like me and suffered my same fate.”

Spike said nothing for a few minutes as he took it all in. “I did hear about what happened to you.” He said after a few minutes. “I’m sorry about your family. If it helps, I never knew my parents. I don’t even know what they look like.”

“You don’t have to be sorry Spike. As for your family, wherever they are, I know they would be proud of what you’ve done. You’ve proven yourself time and time again that you won’t give up and that you’ll do anything for your friends.”

“So what’s going to happen now? I mean this whole thing is over now. What will happen to you?”

Leon looked up and smiled. “I believe this is where we must part ways Spike.” He said with a tinge of sadness in his voice. “My time in Equestria is over and it’s time for me to finally rest.”

“W-what? You can’t leave though!” Spike shouted. “What if I need you again?”

“There’s no need for me anymore Spike. You’ve proven yourself again and again how resourceful you are. You’ve done so much and learned to overcome those fears you had. You even managed to avoid a fate similar to mine. I’ve waited for well over a millennium for this to happen and it’s time for me to finally rest.”

“What happens if I become that beast again though? I don’t want that to happen to me.”

“Just do as you did before Spike, remember those who care for you and never give in. No matter how bad things get, you’re never truly alone, you’ll always have a friend right there for you.”

Spike took the words in and slowly nodded. “Thanks Leon…I really couldn’t have done it without you.”

“No Spike, on behalf of me and all my friends.” The green unicorn saluted him. “Thank you, for all you’ve done and for finally ridding the taint in my element. Although we’ve only been friends for a while, you have a really good heart and your friends raised you well. You’re a good friend and ally. Farewell, my dragon friend.”

As his body slowly disappeared, Leon gave one last smile to Spike. Spike couldn’t help but smile a little as well and waved goodbye to him. The green unicorn returned the wave and continued to do so until he disappeared from sight. Spike stopped waving and smiled as his newfound friend was at peace at last. He then turned towards the Queen with a hopeful smile on him.

“So what do I do now?” He asked. “I’m ready to go back and see my friends.”

The Queen said nothing and her horn glowed. A tall elegant blue door with golden trimmings suddenly appeared right in front of Spike. The door opened to reveal nothing but a bright white light that blinded Spike a little.

“This is your way back Spike.” The white alicorn said. “You can go see your friends now and be with them again.”

Just as Spike was about to step through the door, a thought suddenly hit him. “Excuse me…um your highness. Can I ask one last thing?”

“Go ahead Spike.” She answered.

“Well…I have a friend, but he’s kind of well…sad because he lost his special sompony. Is it possible to…?”

“You need not say anymore Spike. I know who you’re referring to and how he feels. He goes to see her annually and I can arrange something with his lost friend.”

Spike smiled at this. “Thanks you your highness. I hope things go well with my friend.”

“You’re welcome Spike. Oh, be sure to tell Princess Celestia and Princess Luna that mom says hi.”

“Okay, I’ll be sure to…” Spike stopped speaking for a second to take the message in. “Wait, you mean to tell me that…?” He looked up and saw that the Queen was now gone. Spike shrugged it off and said, “I guess I shouldn’t be that surprised, she does remind me of the princesses after all.”

Spike looked at the door and still saw nothing but light there. He took a deep breath before steeping into the light and vanished. The door shut behind him and vanished from the air. The Queen watched secretly as Spike went away and couldn’t help but smile. After a thousand years, the last Element of Harmony returned and she couldn’t have been happier.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Well everypony, the story is coming to an end now and it's time to wrap up everything. Before I do that though, I want to ask you all something. I've been thinking of how to end the story and what will become of Spike. I don't know whether to keep him as a pony or he should return to being a dragon. Each ending sounds pretty good, but I want to know what would be better to you, the reader. So what shall it be? Should Spike remain a pony through the use of magic, or stay as a dragon? Or should it be solely up to me? Please let me know in the comments. Thanks!

Truth

Spike could see nothing but blackness at first. He tried to open his eyes, but they felt very heavy. The faint sound of beeping started to fill his ears and grew progressively louder. As his eyes finally cracked open, he could see everything was a blur at first. He rubbed them to get a clearer look, but as he did, he noticed something. He looked right in front of his eyes and saw none other than his dragon claws. He sat up and looked around at the rest of his body to see he was a dragon again. Spike pinched himself in case it was some kind of dream, but felt a tinge of pain in his arm.

He stopped looking at himself and started to look where he was. He noticed the room he was in was fairly large, the walls were midnight blue, and had two rectangular shaped windows to let in the sunlight. The bed he was resting in had a white comforter covering him and there were wires connected to his body and some medical equipment. As Spike looked around, he noticed nopony was in the room at all. He looked around to see if he could find a way to get somepony and found a long brown rope to his left. He pulled the rope, but didn’t hear anything ring or make some kind of noise.

All of a sudden, he heard a door open to his left and looked to see who it was. He gasped to see right in front of him was none other than Princess Celestia herself.

“Good morning Spike.” She said in a gentle tone. “I’m glad to see your awake after your fight against Prince…I mean Lord Sandro.”

Spike nodded in return, but suddenly remembered everything that happened. “Princess, what happened to Blueblood? Did we get him?”

“It’s okay Spike, he’s been captured now and is being held in the dungeons.”

Spike let out a sigh of relief and threw his head back against the pillow. “So where am I and what are you doing here?” He asked.

“You’re in the Canterlot Royal Hospital. This is the place Princess Luna or I come to when we need to be treated. We have the best doctors here looking over other patients that are admitted here. You’ve been here for three days now. The doctors said that you suffered a lot of bruises, cuts, and a concussion, but you were otherwise okay.”

“Three days? I guess that explains why I’m a dragon again. How did I make it through that whole thing again? When I drank the potion, my insides were burning.”

“I told the doctors as I brought you here and they prepared for that event. After one day of being in this hospital, you were turned back into a dragon. They managed to keep you stable in your coma and have kept you here in isolation. Twilight and the others wanted to stay with you, but the doctors said they needed to keep him in intensive care and alone in case of an emergency. As much as I wanted them to stay with you, the doctors did have a point.”

“So what are you doing here anyway? I rang that rope, but nothing happened at all.”

“I was checking up on you again to see if you were awake. That brown rope you pulled was actually to call the nurse. I was walking into the ward when I noticed your bell was ringing. They wanted to check on you first, but I insisted that I check on you first.”

“What about Twilight or the others? Are they okay now?”

“They’re perfectly fine Spike. They suffered some injuries, but they’ve since then recovered. They even had time to go out and get you some Get Well Soon gifts.” She used her magic to pull forward a large table that was overflowing with stuff.

Spike’s jaw dropped from what was on the table. There were green and purple gems sprinkled on top of a large pile of cupcakes. There were a bunch of carrots and other vegetables he thought were from Fluttershy. Right next to the cupcakes was a large red book with gold writing on it called, Get Well Soon! Tips for those on the road to recovery! Spike chuckled a little at Twilight’s gift and placed it aside. There was an apple pie that was still surprisingly warm and what looked like a Wonderbolts poster next to it. Then he saw in the back a large red gem that made him gasp in both shock and joy, it was a Fire Ruby.

“I see you’ve taken quite an interest in your presents.” Princess Celestia said. “I believe there’s also a card made by I believe they’re called, the Cutie Mark Crusaders. It seems word got out quickly about what happened in the Everfree Forest.”

“Whoa…this is great!” Spike said. “I can’t wait to thank Twilight and the others! Can I see them now?”

“In a few minutes Spike, I want to talk to you about Prince Blueblood’s betrayal.”

The dragon’s good mood suddenly went sour as he heard those words. Even though he was glad that he managed to defeat him, he still felt a tinge of guilt for what he did. He didn’t know what to expect from the princess, but one thing always came to mind, anger.

“Princess Celestia…I’m sorry about what I did, but Prince Blueblood needed to be stopped.” He said. “I know he was a member of your family, but he didn’t care about you or any other pony but himself. You have to believe me about…” He felt Princess Celestia’s hoof covered his mouth and looked to see a sad smile on her face.

“Spike…I don’t blame you for what you did.” She said. “If anypony is going to take the fall for this, it’s me.”

“Why? You didn’t make Prince…I mean Lord Sandro into this.”

“I know that Spike, but what he did say was true. I took him in because I was lonely from the loss of Princess Luna. I had guards and my students, but I always felt alone because I was now the only member of my family left here on Equestria. When Lord Sandro introduced himself to me as Blueblood and told me that story, I gave into my desires to have a family again and through some creative deceptions, made everypony believe he was my nephew.”

“But didn’t you find him acting a little strange?”

“I did Spike, but I thought maybe he could’ve used some more training and my support. I thought that maybe I could’ve made him into a gentle leader like my mother did, but I was too late to realize this. As much as I didn’t want to believe the truth, I had to face the facts that Blueblood was beyond saving. He tarnished my old castle and the vaults holding ancient spells for his own purposes. There was nothing inside him, but pure anger and hatred towards me and my kingdom.”

“So…is he you know…dead?”

“No, I’m keeping him alive.”

“What!? Princess, I didn’t want to kill him in fear of becoming that beast, but why are you keeping him alive?”

“When I tried to communicate to him through his mind, I heard nothing but his screams of insanity and shouting for death. I at first thought he was directing it at me, but as I delved deeper, I discovered he was talking about himself. Apparently, when you used the Elements of Harmony on him, you left him in such a state that he didn’t want to live anymore. He not only hated you all for what happened to him, but he was also suffering from his worst nightmare yet. He was now weak, powerless, and his charming looks were no more. He was afraid of becoming something like that and now he is one. I wanted him to know how it felt to be suffering his worst nightmares for the rest of his life.”

Spike could see that even though Princess Celestia had a bit of a stern look on her face, a single tear ran down her eye. “Princess…I know he was evil and wanted to hurt you, but I’m sorry for what happened. I didn’t like Blueblood, but I never really thought he was the one.”

“Spike, you don’t need to be sorry, this was just another one of my big mistakes.” Princess Celestia said in a somber voice. “Ever since I banished my sister to the moon, all these cataclysmic events have occurred. I always wondered if maybe I did something different, I could’ve changed the future. But there is one thing to know, everything always has a reason to occur. In fact Spike, there’s one thing I didn’t tell you about after the first battle against the Disciples of Nightmare Moon.”

“What was it?”

“After that terrible war, I realized that my sister was never truly getting the recognition she deserved. Ponies had ceremonies and holidays for me, but my sister was always shunned away. Her following, the Moonlight Council, was harassed constantly and was the major factor leading to the war. So a few months after the war, I united my remaining ponies and made them see the truth of my sister. At first, everypony thought I was corrupted by Nightmare Moon, but I made them understand that it was not only my neglect, but their shunning of my sister that led her to become that wicked mare. They all realized that they weren’t being fair to Princess Luna and I decided to start a movement to make them see the night was just as important as my day. In time, they realized how beautiful night could be and holidays and ceremonies were held in honor of my sister’s nights.”

“So even after all this, you’re glad this all happened?”

“I wish some of these events were different Spike, but I learned over the years from my mistakes and became a wise leader for my ponies. There will always be mistakes in your own life, but you learn from them and become wiser as a result.”

“Thanks Princess Celestia.” Spike said with a smile. “I’ll be sure to remember that.”

“You’re welcome Spike.” The white alicorn said. “Now, I want to ask you one last thing.”

“What is it?”

“You said you wanted to become a pony to be with Rarity right?”

“Uh…yeah, but I kind of know now that she isn’t into me.”

“Well Spike, I think I may have something to help you if you find another pony to your likings. I’ll just need to go to the Star Swirl the Bearded Library section to look up some things. I’ll be right back as soon as possible.” She turned around to exit out of the room.

“Wait, before you go, can I ask you something?” Spike asked.

Princess Celestia turned around and nodded. “Of course you can Spike.”

“Can I see Twilight and the others now? Are they still in the hospital?”

“They’ve recovered and are out of their wards now. They’ve been waiting for you to wake up for the past three days. I’ll send them in here now, I know you have a lot of explaining to do Spike.” She noticed the dragon was looking a little fearful. “Spike, they’re your friends and they’ll understand. You just have to have faith in them, okay?”

Spike nodded and said, “Alright princess, I trust you. Go ahead and send them in here.”

Princess Celestia nodded and made her way out the door. Spike waited until she was gone before lying back on the bed. He took a few deep breaths and calmed himself. He knew it was time to finally tell them all the truth at last. A small part of him still felt a little fearful by how they would react, but his mind told him it would be okay.

BANG!

The sound of the door crashing down caught Spike off guard. Before he could see who it was, a pink blur came at him and embraced him. Spike felt the wind get knocked out of him and gasped for air. He looked in the corner of his eye to see Pinkie Pie wrapping her hooves around his neck. He tried to motion her to let go of him, but she didn’t seem to notice.

“Spike, you’re awake!” The pink mare shouted in joy. “I was super duper worried since you’re one of my bestest best friends in all of Equestria! I would’ve been so sad to see you die and I’d probably never be happy again! Twilight was so worried about you as well as every other pony! I mean what would she do without…?”

“PINKIE, LET GO OF HIM!” A voice shouted.

Spike felt Pinkie release her grip on him and gasped for air. As he caught his breath, he turned to see Twilight using her magic to pull Pinkie back towards the group. As the lilac unicorn released her friend, Fluttershy held Pinkie back in a tight embrace. As she calmed down, the group circled around Spike’s bed. Each mare gave him a tearful smile and hugged Spike gently for a couple of seconds. Eventually, the six mares released him and Spike gave them all a hopeful smile.

“Are you all okay now?” He asked. “Princess Celestia told me that you all were hurt.”

“We’re okay now Spike.” Twilight said. “We’re just glad to see you’re finally awake again. The doctors said they had no idea when you would wake up from your coma.”

“Y’all had us wound up ‘bout ya sugarcube.” Applejack stated. “It’s good yer back and actually a dragon again.”

“Hey, I don’t mean to break up all this mushy stuff, but Spike still owes us an explanation.” Rainbow said. “After all, he did lie to us and didn’t tell us anything.”

“Rainbow, don’t be so harsh to Spike.” Twilight scolded. “He doesn’t have to tell us if he doesn’t want to.”

“It’s okay Twilight.” Spike said. “I knew I was going to have to tell you all sooner or later anyway. So…what do you all want to hear first?”

The group said nothing and pondered for a couple of minutes.

“Hmm…how about you tell us everything that happened this past week?” Rainbow suggested. “We want to know everything about that potion and everything about last week.”

“Well…I guess you all deserve to know it all.” Spike said. “It’s a long story, but here it goes. It started out with me going to Rarity’s last week…” Spike continued to tell the story and noticed each of his friends looked shocked and confused. “So that’s when I freed myself from my negative element and we defeated Prince Blueblood.”

The group said nothing for a few minutes and had looks of disbelief on their faces.

“Whoa…you’ve got to be kidding.” Rainbow said in awe.

“Ah gotta say that’s mighty crazy ‘bout what happened.” Applejack stated. “Ah thought Princess Celestia tellin’ us ‘bout yer Element of Harmony was farfetched, but this may be even crazier.”

“Princess Celestia told you about my element?” Spike asked.

“She did Spike and told us why it was never mentioned before.” Twilight said. “She showed us her memory of the events of why your Element of Harmony was never seen again until now. It was so unbelievable, that I didn’t even want to think it was true.”

“Wowie Zowie! Between you being a pony for a week and being an Element of Harmony, it’s been a crazy week!” Pinkie shouted.

“I’m just glad everything and everypony is okay now.” Fluttershy said.

“I wouldn’t say that darling.” Rarity stated. “There’s still one last thing that needs to be resolved. Why didn’t Spike tell us about being a pony at all?”

The six mares looked at Spike with a mixture of concern and suspicion on their faces. The dragon looked and took a deep breath. He remembered what Princess Celestia told him and nodded.

“Spike, if you want we can tell them why you did it.” Twilight offered. “We’ve already told the others we knew the truth before them and told them we knew the reason.”

“No Twilight, you don’t need to do that.” He said. “You and Applejack may know one reason why I did this, but there was another reason.”

“Another reason?” Twilight asked in confusion.

Spike nodded and said, “Yes, there’s another thing I didn’t tell you about.”

“What was it Spike?”

The dragon took a deep breath and said, “I was thinking about what you told me last week Twilight. It was not only about not having any chance with Rarity, but about how I would outlive you all. I started to have nightmares about seeing you all die while I was a young dragon and I would live for many years by myself. I’d be too big to live in Ponyville and would be forced to live in a cave alone. I would have no friends and nopony to be with at all.”

Spike felt hot tears start to swell up in his eyes and made no effort to hide it.

“I just didn’t want to be alone for probably over a thousand years.” He said with his voice cracking. “You all have been with me since I was a baby and I was one of you. I thought that maybe if I was a pony, not only would I have a shot with Rarity, but I would also be able to live and die with all of you together. I didn’t care if I had to give up a thousand years of living; I wanted to be with all of you for the rest of my life. You’ve all always helped me out and I wanted to be there with you all for what you’ve done.”

“I understand if you all hate me, but I just couldn’t handle it. I didn’t want to live lonely for a thousand years. All I wanted was to be with every one of you and be with you all until the end.” Spike lowered his head and felt tears run down his face.

All of a sudden, he felt several hooves embrace him. He looked to see Twilight and the others each had tears running down their faces as well and had solemn looks on them. Even Rainbow, as tough as she was, made no efforts to hide her tears as well. Spike returned the hug and held onto his friends for what seemed to be an eternity. All too soon though, they all broke the hug and each mare had a remorseful look on their face.

“Spike…I didn’t know you felt like that.” Twilight said in a sad tone. “Why didn’t you tell me about this? I could’ve helped you out.”

“I was afraid of telling you Twilight.” The dragon said. “I was afraid that you were going to think that I was just overreacting or something. I think another thing was that I was afraid you weren’t going to believe me. I wanted to tell you and Applejack, but I kept thinking you all would believe I was just acting crazy.”

Twilight and Applejack looked at each other with regretful looks on their faces.

“Golly Spike…Ah didn’ mean t’act so harsh on ya.” Applejack said. “Ah guess Ah wasn’ thinkin’ ‘bout yer feelin’s and went too far.”

“I agree with Applejack.” Twilight said. “We weren’t acting fair to you Spike and we weren’t being sensitive about how you felt. Can you forgive us for what we did to you?”

Spike nodded and said, “It’s okay Twilight, I forgive both of you. If anything, I should ask you all if you can forgive me. I really shouldn’t have lied to you all for so long.”

Twilight looked at her friends and saw them all give her a nod. “We all do Spike, we’re just happy to see that you’re okay and everything is back to normal.”

“I don’t mean to sound rude, but there’s one thing I need to do.” Rarity stated. “If you all don’t mind, I’d like a word with Spike alone.”

“Now wait a minute Rarity.” Applejack stated. “Y’all don’ need t’act so…”

“It’s okay Applejack.” Spike said. “I know what I need to do and I need to get this all out of the way. Rarity does deserve to talk to me alone for what I’ve done.”

The farmer pony nodded hesitantly and said, “Alright…but don’ git yer mane in a bundle there Rarity. Let him tell his side of the story.”

“Don’t worry darling, I know what I need to say.” The white unicorn said.

The five mares walked away and headed for the door. After Twilight used her magic to levitate the broken door to fix it, she shut it. Spike looked at Rarity and couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. He knew of what he had done and what was going to happen. The room filled with tension as the two friends were silent and only gave each other awkward looks.

“So…you’re feeling better it seems.” Rarity said after a couple of minutes.

Spike flinched a little from the sudden breaking of silence. He nodded and said, “Uh…yeah, I’m okay now. Princess Celestia said that I was out for three days.”

Silence filled the room again for a couple of minutes.

“Darling, you’re going to have to talk to me eventually.” Rarity said. “I thought you knew what you had to say.”

Spike looked away and slowly shook his head. “I actually don’t really know what to say Rarity.” He said. “I know what I want to say, but I don’t know how to say it.”

“Spike, you really…”

“All I can say is that I’m so, so sorry for what I did Rarity.” Spike blurted out. “I lied to you, hurt you, and used you just so I could win you over. I just wanted to show my feelings for you, but I kept thinking about how you wouldn’t want a dragon as your prince. I couldn’t confess because I would always get nervous around you. You have to understand though that I love you.”

“Darling, please…”

“I know what you’re going to say Rarity, but I don’t care. I loved you from the first day I saw you in Ponyville. I love you for more than your looks; I love you because of how you act. You’re the kindest, generous, and wonderful mare I’ve ever met. You’re a really beautiful mare and I love you for that. You work so hard and do so much for everypony, but ask for nothing in return.”

“Spike…”

“I know I’m no knight in shining armor or Prince Charming, but I wanted to show you that I could be one to you. I understand though how you really feel about me and I probably deserve it. I know I was probably nothing but a creepy little dragon to you, but I promise you won’t have to worry about me again. I promise that I’ll never bother you again about my crush. All I ask is that we remain friends. Please Rarity, I…”

Spike was cut off by Rarity pressing a hoof against his mouth. He looked to see Rarity looking a little stern. He looked down in shame and felt himself shrink a little.

“Spike, it’s not nice to interrupt a lady.” Rarity scolded. “Now would you please let me finish?”

The dragon nodded slowly and looked up at her.

“Now as I was trying to say, I really need to say something as well. While I’m disappointed that you didn’t tell me the truth, I can never hate you for this. You’re one of my closest friends after all. If anything, I should be thanking you for what you’ve done. If it weren’t for you, I most likely would’ve been turned into that sinister Nightmare Moon by now.”

“So you’re not mad at me or anything?” Spike asked with a tinge of relief in his voice.

“Well, I’m not too happy with how you’ve been lying to us, but I forgive you for that.” Rarity said. “Now, I want to ask you one thing before we continue. Why would you ever think I thought you were creepy?”

Spike lowered his head and remembered that fateful night. “It…it was the night of that date remember?” He asked in a sad tone. “When you thought you were going out with ‘Sparky’ and he asked what he thought about me?”

Rarity thought back to the night and felt something hit her. “Oh my…I remember that night now.” She said with regret in her voice. “I really am sorry for that Spike. I…I guess I was kind of caught up in that moment with…well your alter ego.”

“It’s okay Rarity. I understand that you’re not into me. If you want, we can remain friends.”

“Now hold on a minute darling, I still have something to say.” Rarity said. “You are a wonderful friend to me and have done so much. In fact, you’ve done more than any of us combined together. You’ve helped us out whenever you could and you’re not demanding. You’re easily the most unique friend I’ve ever had the chance to meet.”

“Thanks Rarity.” Spike said.

“There is one last thing Spike. That statement I made at dinner…it was all a lie.”

Spike jumped in surprise from what he heard. “W-what did you say?” He asked in awe.

“I…I lied to you about what I said that night.” Rarity said in a nervous voice. “You are far from ever being a creepy dragon.”

“But…but why? You didn’t know who I was anyway.”

“I have to be honest Spike, when I saw ‘Sparky’ at first, I saw in him a bit of you. He looked just as eager and love struck as you did. I thought it was a bit cute that he acted pretty close to you. I did suspect you were him, but I thought the idea was ludicrous. I’m getting off topic though. The point is that when he asked about you on the night of the date, I lied to him. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that I really wasn’t into ‘Sparky’, I already found my prince anyway.”

Spike’s eyes widen as big as dinner plate. “Rarity…you don’t mean…?”

“Yes Spike…it’s been you this whole time.” Rarity said in a gentle tone.

The dragon thought he was going to pass out from shock, but kept himself from doing so. “You…you really mean it? I thought you were looking for a pony to be your prince.”

“I always dreamed of finding my prince darling, but I have to admit that all changed after I saw you. I saw other stallions come and try to win me over because of how beautiful I looked. However, you came along and did the same thing, but there was something else to you. I noticed over the period of time we’ve been friends that you went out of your way to make me happy, no matter what. You were a pincushion, you led a daring attempt to rescue me from those Diamond Dogs, and you even comforted me with the others after the gala.”

“I started to see that you weren’t just a dragon, you were a very charming drake who was always ready to help me. You never hesitated at anything I said to you. You were always by my side no matter how grim things looked. After the Grand Galloping Gala incident and saw how determined you were to make me happy, I realized how attached I was to you. I just didn’t tell you since stallions traditionally confess their love first to their mates.”

“So…you really li…um love me?” Spike asked.

“Does this answer your question darling?” Rarity asked in a seductive tone as she pulled up next to Spike’s mouth.

The dragon could feel the hot breath of his crush on his lips for a few seconds. The next thing he knew, she planted a kiss right on his lips. His eyes widened at first and his face turned a deep red, but his eyes slowly drooped as he returned the kiss. All the worries and events that occurred now seemed like a distant memory. He could taste exotic berries and vanilla from the kiss and didn’t want it to end. The two stayed in that position and wrapped each other’s arms around one another. After a couple of minutes, Rarity broke the kiss and was blushing.

“Well…does that show my affections for you darling?” She asked.

Spike said nothing for a few minutes. He felt his heart racing and everything seemed to become a blur. His mood suddenly shot up and felt like he could take on anything at this moment. The pain he felt in his body was now gone and he felt like he was ready to do anything. He looked back at Rarity and gave her a smile.

“I think it does, but I need to be sure.” Spike pulled her in for another kiss, but kept it a short and sweet. “Yeah…I think it does.” He snuggled up to her and held her for what seemed to be many hours.

“Whoa!” A voice shouted.

BANG!

The door came crashing down again, making Rarity and Spike jump a little. The two broke their embrace and turned to see Twilight and the others were lying on the floor. They all gave her a sheepish smile while Twilight and Applejack had scornful looks on their faces.

“Rainbow, look what you did now!” Twilight shouted. “I told you not to lean against the door!”

“It wasn’ right fer us t’spy on them.” Applejack scolded. “Now let’s git out of here and leave these two alone.”

“Wait, you guys were spying on us?” Spike asked.

“Spike, it wasn’t our idea.” Twilight said. “Rainbow here…”

“Hey, I wanted to hear the good stuff!” The sky blue pegasus argued. “You all didn’t have to lean on the door with me!”

“We were tryin’ to stop ya!” Applejack shot back.

“Excuse me, but am I interrupting something?” A voice asked.

The group looked over to see Princess Celestia standing in the archway. They all got up and bowed to their ruler, with the exception of Spike.

“Princess, what are you doing back here?” Twilight asked.

“I came by with some things for Spike.” The white alicorn explained. “I need to talk to Spike, but you’re all welcome to stay with me and listen to what I have to say.” She looked at the dragon and noticed his arm was around Rarity’s. “Oh, it seems I was interrupting something after all.”

Spike and Rarity both blushed and looked away. The dragon thought he could’ve heard one of his friends snicker. He built up the nerve to look at them and saw they were all shocked. Princess Celestia though looked on with an amused expression on her face.

“So wait, you two are officially an item now?” Rainbow asked.

“Rainbow, don’t badger Spike or Rarity about what they did.” Twilight scolded. “Even if we wanted to know, we have no right to invade their privacy.”

“It’s quite alright Twilight.” Rarity said. “Though I do wish you all respected my wishes, I will answer your question. In fact, Spike here will tell you all.”

The dragon looked at Rarity in shock and pointed to himself. She gave a gentle smile and nodded. Spike turned back towards the others and saw they all looked eager. He put an arm around Rarity’s shoulder and brought her close to him.

“Yes…we’re together now.” He said in a calm tone. “I li…no, love Rarity with all my heart.”

“I love you too my sweet Prince Charming.” The white unicorn stated as she gave a peck on the cheek. “I don’t care what anypony says to me, you’ve been more of a gentlecolt, or in this case gentledrake, then any other stallion I’ve seen. You’re my real knight in shining armor.” She embraced Spike and held him for a couple of minutes.

“Well Ah’ll be…he actually did it.” Applejack said with a smile. “Ah couldn’t be any happier for ya Spike.”

“You two are cute together.” Fluttershy said. “I hope everything works out for you both.”

“I’m not really into romance, but nice job there Spike.” Rainbow said with a wink.

“I’m so proud and happy for the two of you.” Twilight said in a tearful voice. “You two are going to be great together.”

“We need to throw you all a super duper party!” Pinkie shouted gleefully as she bounced around. “We’re going to throw a Welcome Back and Congratulations Spike Party!”

“Let’s hold off on the celebrations for a couple of minutes there Pinkie.” Twilight stated. “The princess needs to talk to Spike about something.”

“That I do Twilight.” Princess Celestia said. She headed over to the dragon and gave him a warm smile. “I’m really proud of you Spike. You’ve been through a lot last week and it seems your actions haven’t gone unrewarded. In recognition of your actions, I have decided to reward you by granting you a gift.”

“A…a gift?” Spike asked in awe.

The white alicorn nodded and said, “Indeed I have Spike, but…it’s not what you think it is.”

“What do you mean?”

“I was looking through the library to see if there was any way I could help with your little dilemma. The thing is that there is no perfect potion or spell to make you into a pony. All of them were failed experiments and were locked in the vaults. However, I have actually decided to do something for you that will benefit you greatly.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I know of a powerful spell that can actually transform you into something different. You would still be a dragon, but this spell will make some modifications to you. It will allow you to actually have your lifespan drastically decreased to that of a pony’s average lifespan. If you decide to do it, then you’ll age like you’re a pony and grow a little bit. The choice though is clearly up to you though Spike.”

Spike felt his jaw go limp and was in awe. Princess Celestia was offering him something that he’d probably never get again. He wouldn’t be a pony, but he would be able to live with his friends with the rest of his life and die with them. His mind raced with excitement from the news and couldn’t help but smile. One thought though drifted into his mind and lowered his moral. His smile faded away and looked a little concerned.

“Spike, is something the matter?” Princess Celestia asked. “I thought you would’ve loved to hear this.”

“I do princess…but what if I grow too big for Ponyville?” The dragon asked. “I don’t want that to happen and be forced to move away.”

“You have nothing to fear Spike. A few dragons have been subjugated to this spell in the past to serve as diplomats for me. They’re mostly used in negotiations with the Dragon Empire. Dragons who have this spell placed on them won’t grow up large like other dragons do. They’ll actually grow only a head taller than a pony and will have wings.”

Spike felt his morale rise again, but felt something was still a little wrong. He looked at his friends who were giving him hopeful smiles. “Twilight…are any of you going to be mad if I decide to let the princess use the spell on me?” He asked.

The entire group shook their heads. “No Spike, this decision is up to you.” Twilight said. “We’ll be happy with whatever decision you make.”

“I agree with Twilight darling.” Rarity said as she nuzzled Spike’s cheek. “We won’t be angry at whatever you decide to do.”

Spike looked back at Princess Celestia and thought over his options. It didn’t take long for him to think on the decision. “I’ll do it your highness.” He said with a smile.

The white alicorn smiled and said, “I thought you would’ve accepted it. Now before I begin, I want to say that this spell can be a little bit painful. Since you seem to be in stable condition, I’ll do the spell on you. Are you ready for this?”

Spike nodded and said, “I’m ready Princess Celestia.”

“And we shall stay with you Spike.” Rarity said. “We aren’t going to leave you until this is over.”

The dragon gave a warm smile and said, “Thank you…all of you.”

“Let’s get started now Spike.” Princess Celestia said as her horn glowed. “It’ll be over before you know it.”

She placed her horn on Spike’s forehead and closed her eyes in concentration. Spike could feel his entire body tingling all over and felt a little ticklish. Those feelings quickly went away as he suddenly felt like the bones in his body were shattered, then rebuilt, and then shattered again. His insides twisted and thrashed around in protest and felt like he was going to be sick. He tried to keep himself still and groaned in pain from the spell.

A white light suddenly covered all of Spike’s body and blinded everypony. Everything went into a blur for him and couldn’t tell what was happening. All he saw was a wormhole much like the one he traveled through when he visited Princess Celestia’s memories. All the pain he felt went numb and he couldn’t hear anypony. The next thing he knew, he saw a bright light at the end of the wormhole and everything went black.

Spike heard a familiar beeping noise and started to stir. He groaned a little as he opened his eyes to see what happened. As he groaned, he noticed something was different about his voice, it sounded deeper. He opened his eyes as he got up and was met by Princess Celestia and his friends with looks of relief on them. He gave them all a smile, but he quickly remembered the spell cast upon him.

“Did…did it work?” He asked in a pretty deep voice. He covered his mouth with his claws and was in shock. “Why do I sound so different all of a sudden?”

“I think you’ll want to take a look and see what happened.” Princess Celestia said as she levitated a small hand mirror to Spike.

Spike felt his jaw drop from what had happened to him. He was now a taller and his spines had become a little bit sharper. He was now roughly the height of Twilight’s bed in the library. His snout was now stretched out and a little pointy. He saw that he had dragon wings twice the size of what pegasi wings. He was a little buff, but he was mostly lean muscled now all over his body. Spike took it all in and placed his claw on the mirror to see if this was really him.

“I…I don’t believe it.” He said with joy in his voice. “I…I look so cool now. I’ve got wings, I’m grown up, and I’m not a baby anymore!”

“Indeed you are Spike.” Princess Celestia said. “I used the spell to also age you a little, but not much. You’re now the same age as Twilight now.”

“This is great! I…I don’t know what to say, but thanks Princess Celestia!”

“You’re welcome Spike, now I think it’s time for me to leave. I need to get to the Everfree Forest to help Captain Shining Armor oversee the cleaning out the vaults in both my castle and near what looks like an abandoned town. We found evidence that the Disciples of Nightmare Moon were once there before taking the castle. I need to make sure that none of those spells fall into the wrongs hooves again. I will be back by the time you are released Spike and we’ll plan a celebration for this victory.”

“Princess, there’s one last thing I have to know.” Spike said. “After I used my Element of Harmony with the others, the castle seemed to be back to normal. What’s going to happen to it now?”

“Princess Luna and I have decided to make it into our secondary home. Whenever we are not dealing with royal duties or want a private retreat, this is where we shall go. I have to say Spike that I’m grateful for having my old home back now. If you or your friends are ever looking for a place to stay, please feel free to come on by. We’ll have the path leading to the castle secured for all of you, so don’t worry about getting ambushed.”

“Thanks princess…you…really…” Spike stopped speaking as he suddenly collapsed.

“Spike, wake up!” Rarity shouted in a panic. “What happened to him princess!?”

“It’s a side effect of the spell I performed.” The white alicorn explained. “It drains a lot of his energy away and makes him tired. I was surprised with how long he was going to last. He woke up after the spell was finished. Most dragons who have this spell placed on them are out for at least five hours or more.”

“So…he’ll be okay then?” Rarity asked sounding a little hopeful.

“He shall be Rarity, now I think you all should let him rest for a little bit.”

“I’m staying here.” Rarity said. “I don’t care what those doctors say. I’m going to be by his side throughout this whole incident. He never left us and I won’t do the same.”

“We won’t leave Spike either.” Twilight said. “He needs more than medical care right now, he needs friends by his side.”

Princess Celestia smiled and said, “I’ll let the doctors know about what happened to Spike and to let you all stay beside Spike. I’m very proud of all of you and I couldn’t be happier to see such love and devotion to your friend. I shall come back again soon Twilight. You all take care now and make sure he gets better soon.”

“We promise!” The group shouted in unison.

Princess Celestia walked out the door and used her magic to fix it again. Twilight and the others looked at Spike with smiles on their faces. Rarity snuggled next to Spike and held his claw tightly. She could’ve sworn that she heard him whisper her name. She couldn’t help but shed a tear of joy upon hearing this and kissed him on the cheek. As Rarity held onto Spike, the others had looks of content on them and were happy to see that after a terrible week, everything was finally looking up.

Princess Luna’s moon was radiating its moonlight on the Whitetail Woods. The dense woods were mostly quite except for the occasional cricket chirping and the sound of owls hooting. The familiar sounds were hampered by the sound of twigs and leaves crunching and cracking. A gray unicorn stallion carrying a brown saddlebag made his way deep into the forest. The moonlight provided a perfect way for him to see the forest and made sure not to trip over anything.

The stallion soon stopped and came upon his destination. He stepped out of the shadows to reveal it was Markus with a somber look on his face. He looked upon a giant slab of rock that had a carving of a feather upon it. There was a large mound that had grass and flowers covering it up. Markus used his magic to pull out of the saddlebag a couple of roses and lilacs. He placed them on the mound of dirt and gave a sad smile.

“It’s been ten years now and it’s finally over at last.” He said in a painful voice. “Everypony is talking about that little dragon now and what he did. It’s amazing how quickly things get out here in Equestria. Every time I come to your grave now Melissa, I can know that you are at peace. The group who did this to you are finally are gone at last. I know I’m to blame for this as well, but I can rest easier knowing that the Elements of Harmony have avenged you at last.”

“I know you can’t hear me Melissa, but I want you to know that this nightmare is over at last. I really have to hand it to that dragon. He really did surprise me with what he became. If you saw him, you would’ve thought he was only a little foal. He’s now being considered a hero to all for saving Equestria from a fate worse than death. I only hope you can rest in content now that this whole ordeal is over. I shall not forget you my love and I will be back next year, farewell.”

Markus placed a hoof on the makeshift tombstone and placed his head against it for a few minutes. He looked up and turned around to make his way out of the forest. He suddenly felt the wind blowing for a couple of seconds and was a little dazed by it.

“I haven’t forgotten you either Markus.” A soft and gentle female’s voice said.

Markus gasped and stepped back in shock from the sound of the voice. A bright glow appeared for a few seconds before vanishing and showing a white transparent griffon. The griffon had a strong resemblance to Gilda, but she was less buff, but was still relatively skinny with a bit of a curvy figure. Markus couldn’t believe what he was seeing and who it was, he recognized her as Melissa. He tried to find something to say, but his mind went into overdrive and felt like it was shattered. All he could do was stutter a little, but stopped himself after a few seconds in fear of scaring off Melissa.

“That’s quite an interesting way to say hello to me Markus.” The griffon said with a chuckle. “I know I’m a spirit now, but stuttering isn’t exactly how I remember saying hello.”

“M…Melissa? It…it can’t be you.” The gray unicorn said in disbelief. “You…you’re dead now. How are you here?”

“As I said, I am merely a spirit now. As for how I’m here, let’s just say a ‘friend’ wanted me to see you. I see you haven’t really changed from the pony I knew ten years ago. Now then, my time is limited here, so I must make this quick. I heard from this ‘friend’ of yours that it seems you’ve been feeling miserable about my death.”

Markus didn’t say anything and looked away.

“I know what this is about. It’s about what happened in this forest a decade ago. Don’t try to deny it or anything. I know you’re still feeling guilty about what happened and how much you feel at fault for it.”

“Because it is my fault.” Markus said in a painful voice. “I never forgot this night ten years ago and I never will. All that happened those years ago was all my fault.”

“That’s not true Markus.” Melissa said in a gentle tone. “You didn’t know anything about the Disciples of Nightmare Moon at all. There’s no fault in what happened to me.”

“You don’t understand!” The gray unicorn shouted with anger in his voice. “I was desperate and weak for what I did! I fell into a trap that cost you your life and I couldn’t do anything to stop it! If I just turned down their offer, you’d be alive! If I never met you, your life would be great!”

“Markus please understand that you aren’t to blame for this. There’s no need…”

“It’s not my fault!? Of course it was my fault! I failed to save you from the disciples. I ruined your career, your life, everything! Captain Sanderson never killed you, I did! My selfishness and lust for you ended up killing you!”

“I need you to listen to me. There’s something I need to say to you.”

“I need to say one last thing as well.” Markus said with his voice cracking. “I can only say that I’m sorry for all that I did to you those years ago. I beg for your forgiveness, but I know now that I don’t deserve to be forgiven by you. I hurt you in more ways than one and destroyed your life completely. I don’t deserve any kind of mercy or forgiveness from you for what I’ve done.”

“Markus, that’s enough.” Melissa said sounding a little stern. “You weren’t the one who killed me, I chose to sacrifice myself.”

The gray unicorn looked up in shock. “Sacrifice? What do you mean by that?”

“I’ll keep it short for you Markus, but on that fateful night I sacrificed myself to save you.”

“How did you do that? Captain Sanderson was in pursuit of me and…”

“Perhaps I should start from the beginning of this thing.” Melissa stated. “It started after that ordeal with the Griffon Council. After I told you off for what you did, I flew off and went into hiding. As I stayed a cave near town, I started to regret what I had done to you. I knew your intentions were to confess your love to me, but I let my anger and frustration get the best of me.”

“I knew that you took that potion so you could win me over, but I was blinded by my frustration and loss of everything. Griffons have a tendency to have short tempers and I was a prime example of it. I knew how sweet and kind you were to me, so I tried to find you to let you know how I felt. Unfortunately, I never did see you again until that fateful night. I ended up camping in the Whitetail Woods one night, but I couldn’t help but feel I was being watched. My suspicions were correct as I was suddenly knocked out by something and woke up in that chamber and strapped to that rock.”

“When you came to rescue me, I saw how much you cared for me even after all that happened. I knew the disciples would hound after us for the rest of our lives, so I decided to save you. Just before I escaped the castle, I scratched Captain Sanderson’s side and hurt him. He was furious at what I did and ordered his men to kill me at once. When I escaped the building, I saw you fleeing and Captain Sanderson and his men not too far behind you. I decided to let out a screech to attract their attention and it worked. They all fell for it and decided to use their magic to kill me.”

“I had no regrets for what I chose to do and wanted to make sure you were safe. As I was hit by the multiple lightning bolts and fell to the ground, I tried to say something to you, but I knew it was a feeble attempt. Since my death, I was looking over you and watched as you made my grave and decided to come by and leave me flowers. I heard your cries of sorrow for me and how much you still loved me. I wished I could’ve been there to tell you this, but I love you as well.”

Markus was taken aback by this. “You…you love me? Even after all I did to you, you love me?” He asked in a small voice.

“Markus, I want you to know that this was not your fault in the least bit.” Melissa stated. “I overreacted to you and I should’ve said something sooner. You’re a kind and very gentle pony who never was afraid to do something for somepony. You were a real good pony and I thought you were sweet for all you’ve done for Equestria.”

“But…everything that I did…”

“You have to think about this. If it wasn’t for you stealing that potion, your ‘friend’ wouldn’t have become a pony then and found out about his element.”

The gray unicorn looked up and took the words in. “That…that may be true, but I could’ve done so much more.” He argued. “I could’ve never taken that potion that made me a griffon. I could’ve said something sooner. I would do anything to be with you again.”

“It’s time to stop blaming yourself Markus. I know how you feel about me and how sorry you are. I want you to know that I forgive you and that it’s time to live out the rest of your life in peace. You don’t need to feel this guilt anymore and can live a normal life again.”

“Melissa…I’m not sure if I can. I’ve been stripped of everything and barely make it through as an herb and potion ingredient shopkeeper now.”

“Then you can start off the rest of your life like that. Markus, you have friends in Ponyville now and a certain dragon wants to be your friend. He asked me to come here to comfort you and now it’s time to finally go on with your life. I know you love me and I do too, but grieving over events that weren’t in your control is no way to live. All I want from you now is to live and be happy for the rest of your life."

Markus looked at Melissa and said nothing for a couple of minutes. He slowly nodded and had a sad smile on his face. “You’re right…I guess it’s time to finally let it go. I just have one last request Melissa.”

“What’s that?”

“Will you wait for me? I’ve dreamed of being with you and I want to be with you after my passing.”

“I promise Markus, I’ll wait for as long as I have to for you.” She said with a smile. “I do have one thing to give you before I leave.”

Before Markus could ask what it was, Melissa soared over to him and planted a kiss on his lips. Her touch was very cold, but the kiss itself still felt warm and pulsating with energy. The gray unicorn stood there in a dazed state, but he smiled in content from the kiss. Melissa soon broke the kiss and gave a warm smile. Markus returned the smile with one of his own and felt like the world was lifted off his shoulders.

“Live Markus…not just for me, but for your friends.” The griffon said as her body started to fade away. “I shall wait for your return in the afterlife and then we’ll finally be together again. Farewell my love and always know that your friends will always be there for you when things look bad.”

Markus watched as Melissa disappeared and gave a small smile. He could feel a gust of wind again, but it passed after a few seconds. He looked at the grave and nodded before turning around and leaving. As he made his way out of the forest, Markus stopped and looked at the sky. He took in the sight before him and took a deep breath in for his new life.

“Thank you Spike…you really are a true friend through and through.” He said with a smile.

As Markus made his way out of the forest, the sky turned pinkish as the sun rose on another morning. To Markus, it felt like the longest nightmare he ever had finally come to an end. He smiled to himself as the sun rose on more than a new day. To him, it was the beginning of a new life with new friends. With a skip in his step, he trotted back towards Ponyville to reopen his shop.

Epilogue: A Dream Come True

Three weeks had passed now since that day Spike confessed his feelings to Rarity. She very rarely left his side for things like the restroom or to grab something to eat. Twilight and the others stayed with Spike as well, but always gave Rarity and Spike their time together. The six mares stayed with him until one day, they were forced to leave Spike alone for a few days. The doctors explained he needed to do some tests to see if there were any negative side effects from Princess Celestia’s spell. The group understood and gave a farewell to Spike, all except Rarity who gave Spike a kiss on the lips.

Since then, Spike has been forced to do multiple tests to test his new body out and was waiting to see what would happen to him. He was lying on his bed in the hospital room one morning and was waiting for the doctor to see him. As soon as he finished the breakfast the nurse brought him, which consisted of a couple of gems and some water, the doctor came in. The doctor was a skinny unicorn mare with a golden yellow coat. Her mane and tail was dark brown and was braided. She had blue eyes and had a stethoscope as a cutie mark.

“Good morning Spike.” The mare said in a gentle voice. “I see you’re quite energetic today.”

“I sure am Dr. Heartbeat.” The dragon responded. “So, what kind of tests are we doing today?”

“Actually, we’re doing no tests at all. I’m here to announce the results of your medical tests.”

“So am I okay?”

Dr. Heartbeat gave a friendly smile and said, “You’re perfectly fine now Spike. You have no bad side effects and the spell hasn’t damaged anything in your body. You passed every physical test perfectly and your wings are in tip top shape. As such, I’m giving you a clean bill of health and you may leave the hospital after this meeting.”

“That’s great! I can’t wait to go back to Ponyville and…”

“You’re not going back to Ponyville yet Spike.” The yellow unicorn stated. “Princess Celestia has requested that you come to her castle as soon as you were out. She wants to speak to you as soon as you get out of the hospital.”

“What does she want?”

“I’m not at liberty to say what she wants, but she must be informed you’re leaving.” Dr. Heartbeat used her magic to write something on a piece of parchment and rolled it up. “I heard you can send messages to the princess herself. Could you please send this to let her know you’re free to go?”

Spike gave a nod and took the scroll. He took a deep breath in and blew out a small burst of green fire. The scroll disappeared and left only a cloud of dust.

“Alright, it’s on its way now.” Spike said. “What do I do while I wait?”

Before Dr. Heartbeat could respond, a bright flash of light appeared in the room and blinded both her and Spike. The dragon opened his eyes to see Princess Celestia standing there with a smile on her face.

“I’m sorry about that doctor.” The white alicorn said. “I hope I didn’t scare you too much.”

“That’s quite alright your highness.” The yellow unicorn said as she bowed. “I was going to tell Spike if there were no other questions or inquiries, he could leave.”

“I’m ready to leave Princess Celestia.” Spike said. “I just need to go find Twilight and the others before we leave.”

“They’re with me at the castle Spike. They’ve been waiting for you for a while now. Now that you’re awake and well, you can come with me and I’ll tell you what’s going on. Are you ready to leave?”

Spike gave a nod and said, “Sure princess, I’m ready to go.”

Princess Celestia grabbed Spike’s claw and her horn glowed. “Hold on tight then Spike. Oh, and thanks for looking after him Dr. Heartbeat.”

The yellow unicorn smiled. “It’s my pleasure your highness. You both take care now and come back when you need me.”

Spike waved farewell and held onto Princess Celestia’s hoof. Her horn glowed brightly and a flash went out in the room for a few seconds. Dr. Heartbeat covered her eyes from the flash and lowered her hoof after a few seconds. She looked to see Spike and Princess Celestia were now gone. She gave a smile and turned to leave the room to check on other patients.

A bright flash of light went out in a room for a few seconds before disappearing. Spike and Princess Celestia stood in the spot where the flash occurred. The dragon was feeling a little dazed from the teleportation and regained his bearings. As he pulled himself together, he looked around the room he was in and instantly recognized it as the Canterlot Castle throne room. He noticed that around the room, there were several royal guards placing banners and decorations around everywhere.

“What’s going on here princess?” Spike asked.

“The guards here are setting up for a celebration Spike.” The white alicorn explained. “This is all part of a ceremony dedicated to you for your actions.”

“A…a celebration, for me?” He asked in shock.

“It’s not entirely for you Spike. The other Elements of Harmony will be honored as well for their role in defeating the Disciples of Nightmare Moon. However, you will be held in honor for bringing back the last element and leading the charge against the disciples. A lot of ponies from all over Equestria have come here to celebrate the end of the disciples. In fact, the city is bursting with ponies everywhere. That’s why I came to teleport you to the castle, so you could avoid the crowds.”

Spike decided to head towards one of the throne room’s windows and looked out of it. He was shocked to see Canterlot’s streets were bustling with a lot of ponies. There were a lot of decorations such as colorful banners and balloons all over the buildings and street lamps. He could see many royal guards trying to keep order and peace throughout the streets, despite the seemingly overwhelming number of ponies. It almost looked as if Pinkie Pie herself had planned this celebration with how crazy and chaotic it was.

Spike turned back towards the princess and said, “Wow…I thought Pinkie threw big parties, but this must be some sort of record.”

“Actually, she did plan this celebration Spike.” Princess Celestia said. “I heard of her legendary parties and she gladly planned this party out. She invited pretty much everypony she ever met in her life and even some ponies she never knew.”

Spike couldn’t help but chuckle at this, but his laughter died out as he thought of something. “Where are Twilight and the others? Are they in the castle as well?”

“Yes they are Spike. They’re just helping prepare for the ceremony in the next two days.”

“That long huh? Well at least…”

“SPIKE!” A group of voices cried out in joy.

The dragon turned around and was met by three fillies tackling him. Although he was a little dazed from the impact, he could see it was the Cutie Mark Crusaders, who were all hugging him tightly.

“Spike, yer back!” Applebloom shouted in joy. “We thought we heard ya, but we weren’t sure until Princess Celestia said yer name!”

“It’s great to see you Spike!” Sweetie Belle shouted happily. “I heard you and my sister are together now! I couldn’t be happier for the two of you!”

“We heard about what you did.” Scootaloo said. “I got to say, you’re really one of the coolest friends I’ve ever met.”

“It’s…*gasp*…great to see you all too.” Spike said with a smile. “Can you get off me though? I can’t really breathe.”

“Oh, sorry.” The three fillies said in unison as they got off Spike.

The dragon got up and looked at them. Although he was happy to see they were safe, a certain memory hit him in the head and felt guilty. “So…you all know everything about what happened to me?” He asked in a small voice.

“We certainly do.” Applebloom said cheerfully. “Why d’ya sound so glum though Spike?”

“It’s…it’s just I lied to all of you and was really acting like a jerk. I should’ve been a little more forgiving for what you all did to me and I didn’t mean to act that way.”

“It’s okay Spike.” Sweetie said. “We really pushed you too far with what we did. We just want to know if you can forgive us.”

Spike gave a nod and said, “Of course I can, but can you all forgive me for how I acted?”

“We can!” The three fillies shouted in unison as they hugged Spike.

“Hey Spike, can we ask ya somethin’?” Applebloom asked.

“Sure.”

“Will you still play with us?” She asked. “Ah know y’all will want to spend time with Rarity, but d’ya think y’all can still play with us?”

The dragon gave a nod and said, “I’d like that Applebloom, I’d like that.”

“Applebloom, there y’all are!” A voice shouted.

Spike and the fillies looked up to see Applejack and Rarity with stern looks on them. The three fillies let go of Spike and had solemn looks on them.

“We’re mighty sorry ‘bout this Princess Celestia.” The farmer pony said. “These three fillies have been runnin’ ‘round the castle all day t’git their cutie marks.”

“It’s quite alright Applejack.” The white alicorn stated. “I was just telling Spike here about the celebration.”

Applejack and Rarity looked to see Spike giving them a sheepish smile and waved.

“Well howdy there Spike.” Applejack said. “Ah see yer feelin’ better now.”

Rarity trotted over and gave Spike a kiss on the cheek. “It’s so good to see you again darling. We’ve been busy for the last couple of days with this celebration. I’ve been getting dresses and suits done for the others and for other ponies as well. In fact, I need to see you so we can measure for your suit Spike.”

“That’s an excellent idea Rarity.” Princess Celestia said. “Spike, since you and Rarity are together, I’ve given the two of you to share a room together. I’ll be sure to place a sound blocking spell in case you two want to have some time with each other.”

Rarity and Spike both blushed heavily and smiled sheepishly.

“What the hay does that mean Applejack?” Applebloom asked.

“Uh…when yer older, Ah’ll tell ya.” The orange mare said in a nervous tone. “Now let’s go girls, we’ve got some more decorations to put up. Y’all can play with Spike later.”

“Okay Applejack.” Applebloom said sounding disappointed. “We’ll see ya later Spike.”

He gave a wave and watched as the three fillies and Applejack walk out of the throne room. He then turned to Rarity and gave a smile.

“Well, I don’t want to keep you waiting m’lady.” He said in a suave accent.

“Oh, you are such a gentledrake Spike.” Rarity said as she giggled. “There’s very little time though and we must get your measurements. Please excuse us Princess Celestia, we’ll be on our way.”

“That’s quite alright Rarity. The two of you need to catch up on things and prepare for the celebration.”

“Thanks for everything Princess Celestia.” Spike said. “I’m really looking forward to this.”

“You’re welcome Spike.”

“Oh, there’s one last thing I forgot to tell you.” Spike said. “Mom says hi.”

“Mom says…” Princess Celestia stopped talking and gasped upon the realization. She gave a tearful smile to Spike and said, “Thanks for telling me that Spike. It’s been so long since Luna or I saw her. It’s good to hear she hasn’t forgotten about us.”

“I don’t think she ever did your highness.” Spike said with a smile.

The dragon and Rarity and bowed and went out of the throne room. Princess Celestia gave a warm smile and waved farewell to the couple until they were out of sight. She turned around and looked up at a golden statue of an alicorn with a mane and tail much like Twilight’s. She smiled to herself as she looked upon the statue for a couple of minutes.

“I don’t know if you had any hoof in his fate mother.” She said to herself. “All I know is that his actions have truly saved Equestria from a fate far worse than anything I could imagine.” She then turned around and walked off with a sense of hope for the future.

It was hard for Spike to believe that two days had now passed since he arrived at the castle. The day of the celebration was upon all of Equestria. There was a feeling of excitement and happiness in the air and the weather seemed to be celebrating as well. It should’ve been a happy day for Spike, but he couldn’t help but feel nervous about what was going to happen. He and the rest of his friends were standing in a large blue colored room facing a set of elegant large double red doors. He looked towards his friends and saw they were all giving him hopeful looks.

Spike was sporting a suit very similar to the one he had done for him as a pony. The only difference is that the coat was black now. The others were suiting their dresses from the Grand Galloping Gala. Rarity at first tried to get more suits done, but Spike convinced her to not overwork herself. The others soon heard what was going on and intervened to stop Rarity. The white unicorn soon agreed to use the gala outfits, but was still a little disappointed.

“Y’all feelin’ okay Spike?” Applejack asked. “Ah know yer probably feelin’ a little stage fright, but everypony, or in this case every dragon, gets it.”

“Thanks Applejack, I just can’t believe this is happening.” The dragon said with a small smile. “A couple of weeks ago, I was just a baby dragon. Now I’m suddenly the most famous dragon in all of Equestria. Who would’ve thought it’d be me?”

Twilight chuckled a little and said, “Well nopony would never have thought there’d be a seventh Element of Harmony. I have to say Spike, I’m really proud of you for everything. You really have grown up from this experience and I couldn’t be any happier for you.”

“Thanks Twilight, but I have to really thank Markus. If it wasn’t for him, I don’t think any of this would’ve happened.”

“That reminds me. Whatever happened to him anyway?” Rarity asked.

Before Spike could respond, a loud set of trumpets rang out outside the doors.

“Oh, it’s time to begin.” Twilight said. “Come on, we’ve got to get ready.”

Spike stood in the center while the others stood next to him on his left and right. The doors opened and sunlight came pouring into the room. Spike took a deep breath and began to march forward slowly on his two hind legs. The others soon followed him shortly and made their way outside. The group marched across a red velvet carpet with a seemingly endless row of Royal Guards. The carpet led all the way up towards a proud looking Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. There was something behind the two princesses covered in a large white sheet, but it couldn’t be made out.

As the group made their way towards the princesses, they were all in awe from the large crowd around them. The very large castle courtyard was filled to the brim with ponies from all across Equestria. There were banners hanging on the columns and some ponies where whistling in happiness. There was a sense of excitement and happiness in the air. Spike felt his nervousness melt away and was replaced by a sense of pride.

He managed to catch a glimpse at some of the ponies in the crowd. He saw the Cutie Mark Crusaders all giving him a smile. The entire Apple Family, including Aunt Orange and Uncle Orange, were there and looking proud. He saw Shining Armor at the end of the carpet on Princess Celestia’s left and was nodding. He saw everypony he ever encountered in Ponyville including some residents of Appleloosa. Spike could’ve sworn he saw in the crowd none other than Trixie herself, who was looking off in the distance, but he saw her smiling a little. He quickly put those thoughts aside though as he looked ahead and noticed he and the others were approaching a small stairway leading towards the podium.

Spike and his friends stopped right in front of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. They seven friends bowed in respect towards their rulers before rising back up and smiling at them. The entire crowd grew silent as they waited for what was going to happen. Princess Celestia’s horns glowed and an aura surrounded her throat area. After a few seconds, the aura went away.

“Fellow citizens of Equestria.” Princess Celestia said in a gentle, but rather loud voice. “Today, we have all gathered to celebrate the end of an era. For well over a thousand years, Equestria has suffered the grip of a faction known as the Disciples of Nightmare Moon. Their actions have caused much chaos and anarchy throughout our land, but they shall never trouble us again. Thanks to six brave ponies and one courageous dragon, their influence and taint has been purged from the land forever!”

The entire crowd of ponies cheered wildly and applauded. Princess Celestia held up a hoof to silence the crowd, which worked instantly.

“These seven friends have weathered and made their way through many trials. Thanks to their bravery and efforts, they’ve prevailed again. However, there was a crucial factor that led to the fall of the disciples. For so long, there have been only six Elements of Harmony, but now the seventh and final element has finally returned to help remove the disciples. Please give a round of applause to the Element of Nobility himself, Spike.”

The crowd cheered wildly while they applauded. Spike stepped forward with a sheepish smile and waved to everypony. Princess Celestia once again raised her hoof to silence the crowd. She looked back at Spike with a smile on her face.

“Spike, you and your friends have fought hard to destroy an evil that has plagued us for so long.” The white alicorn said. “From all across Equestria, you all shall be hailed as some of our greatest champions. As a reward for you seven, we present you all with this.”

Princess Luna’s horn glowed and pulled the sheet off from behind her and her sister. The entire crowd gasped from what they were seeing in front of them. It was a huge white marble monument that included Spike and all his friends. Spike was standing in the middle as his grown up self and had his Element of Harmony on his head. Rarity, Pinkie, and Fluttershy stood to his left with their elements on them. Twilight, Applejack, and Rainbow were on the right with their elements. Each one of them had determined looks on them as they stood proudly and gazed over the crowd.

“This monument here shall serve as a reminder to everypony about what you’ve done. Your tale shall be passed from generation to generation. Equestria is forever in your debt for all you’ve done to save this kingdom. Savor this victory and let us celebrate the return of all seven Elements of Harmony.”

The crowd cheered wildly as balloons poured into the sky and the Wonderbolts flew through the sky and doing acrobatics. Princess Celestia’s horn glowed again and the same aura surrounded her throat. After a few minutes, it went away again and let out a sigh of relief. She looked over towards Princess Luna and urged her to go start the party. While she did that, the white alicorn went over towards Spike and the others and saw them all smiling.

“I don’t want to keep you all waiting.” She said. “I know you’ve all been through so much these past few weeks and you all deserve to celebrate to your heart’s content. Spike, I’ll need to see you for a few minutes though.”

The dragon turned towards the others and said, “Go on everypony, I’ll be right there.” He saw the others nod and turned to head into the party. Rarity gave him a kiss on the cheek before joining her friends. Spike blushed a little, but shook it off as he looked at Princess Celestia.

“What do you need princess?” He asked.

“I wanted to thank you again Spike for what you and your friends have done.” She said. “This nightmare can finally be put to rest and Nightmare Moon is gone for good.”

“Thanks princess, but it was really nothing. My friends helped me out as well and I couldn’t have done it without them.”

“You truly have a modest spirit there Spike. To be honest, I wanted you to stay because there’s another pony who wants to speak to you.”

Before Spike could ask who it was, Princess Celestia stepped aside. Standing right behind her was Markus was a small smile on his face.

“What are you doing here Markus?” Spike asked. “I thought you weren’t allowed back into Canterlot since…you know.”

“The C.S.I. council board decided to lift that ban on me actually.” The gray stallion said. “Thanks to the princess here and the testimony I gave, they decided to allow me back into Canterlot again.”

“So are you going to take your job back then?”

“No Spike…my days as a scientist are over. I’ve decided to actually stay in Ponyville and run my potion shop now. I’m going to do some renovations first and then open my shop. I also heard there’s this zebra who lives in the Everfree Forest. I’m going to try to learn some things from her and probably get some more potion supplies from her.”

“That’s great Markus! So what else are you going to do now?”

Markus looked up at the sky and smiled. “I’m going to do what I was told to do, live.”

“What do you mean by that?” Spike asked with a confused look on his face.

“Let’s just say, an old friend has shown me that I shouldn’t be so hung up on the past. Before I leave though and join the party, I have one last thing to say.” He went over and gave him a quick hug. “Thank you…for helping me get the closure I really needed ten years ago. You truly have a noble and generous spirit to do what you did.”

Spike gave a smile and said, “I’m glad you did Markus. Good luck with your business and I hope to see you again soon.”

“Our paths shall cross again Spike.” He said. “I’m just glad I ran into a friend like you Spike. I am forever grateful for all you’ve done. So until we meet again, farewell.”

Spike watched as Markus waved and turned to head into the crowd. He kept watching until the gray unicorn wasn’t in sight anymore. He stood there and smiled knowing his newfound friend found peace at last. He turned around and looked at Princess Celestia, but she was urging him to look to his side. He looked and saw Rarity standing there and batted her eyelashes at him. The dragon knew what he had to do and walked over towards his marefriend.

“May I have this dance m’lady?” He asked as he extended a claw.

Rarity giggled and nodded. “You certainly do know how to treat a mare Spike.” She grabbed Spike’s claw and was escorted by him into the dancing area.

Twilight and the others watched in the distance as Spike and Rarity began to dance together. The crowd stepped back a little to give them space as music began to play. The entire crowd, including Twilight and her friends, looked on in awe from the sight. Twilight let out a tear and smiled to herself from the sight in front of her.

Pinkie grabbed Fluttershy’s hoof and pulled her into the dancing area. At first, the yellow pegasus was very timid, but Pinkie held her closely and managed to get her to dance slowly with her. The sound of hoofsteps caught Twilight and the rest of her friends’ attention. They all turned to see Caramel, Big Macintosh, and none other than Soarin approaching the refreshments table near the three mares.

“Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!” Rainbow shouted joyfully. “It’s…it’s S-Soarin!”

The sky blue stallion heard his name being called and looked up to see Rainbow. She blushed furiously and looked away in embarrassment. She jumped a little as she felt somepony tap her shoulder and turned to see Soarin again.

“Hey there, you’re Rainbow Dash, right?” He asked. “It’s been a while since I’ve last seen you. You and your friends certainly have a knack for saving Equestria from all kinds of danger, don’t you?”

Rainbow tried to say something, but was feeling a little tongue tied. “Um…where’s Spitfire at? Is she sick or something?”

“Oh, not at all, she’s just chatting with some apple farmer from Appleloosa.” He and Rainbow turned to see the yellow pegasus laughing along with Braeburn. “I think from what I understand she and him are old friends and used to date before she joined us. It looks like their starting to rekindle that flame again.”

“That’s kind of cool.” Rainbow said in a small voice.

“You know, I was wondering if you’d like to dance with me actually.” Soarin said. “Um…that is if you don’t mind.” His face blushed a deep crimson red as he held out his hoof.

Rainbow took it and nodded. “Let’s hit the dance floor then!” She shouted confidently. She dragged Soarin into the dancing area and disappeared from out of sight.

Twilight and Applejack were now the only ones remaining at the refreshments table. Applejack heard somepony sighing nearby and turned to see Caramel in a tuxedo much like Spike’s from the Grand Galloping Gala. He poured himself a cup of red punch and sipped it slowly. He noticed Applejack looking at him and turned away.

“Howdy Caramel, is everythin’ alright?” Applejack asked.

The tan stallion looked up towards the farmer pony and gave a forced smile. “I’m okay Applejack, really I am.”

“Don’t ya lie t’me sugarcube.” The orange mare said in a stern tone. “Y’all know ya can’t lie to mah face like that. Ah know somethin’ is buggin’ ya.”

Caramel lowered his head and nodded. “Alright Applejack, if you want to know, it’s just…I feel like an idiot for not saving you.”

“What in tarnation are ya talkin’ ‘bout partner? Is this ‘bout when Ah was ponynapped by the disciples?”

Caramel nodded again and said, “I just wish I could’ve done more for you. I didn’t even put up that much of a fight and I let those jerks hurt you. I couldn’t…”

“Now you hold on a minute there Caramel.” Applejack said. “Ah don’t want t’hear ya puttin’ yerself down fer somethin’ like that. Ah saw ya fight them varmints and how ya bucked that one stallion so hard, he was sent flyin’.”

“T-thanks Applejack, but…I just wish I could’ve been able to save you, I’m sorry I couldn’t.”

“Caramel, ya got nothing’ t’be sorry ‘bout. Yer a good worker and a mighty fine stallion, even if ya do mess up every now and then. Now why don’t we cut the chattin’ and dance? Ah’ll lead if ya want.”

Caramel gave a slow nod and blushed a little. “Thanks Applejack, I would love to.” He grabbed her hoof and was taken by the farmer pony into the large crowd.

Twilight now stood alone and observed all her friends. Spike and Rarity were still dancing together, but were holding each other closely now and going slow. Soarin and Rainbow were no longer dancing and talked to one another. Pinkie and Fluttershy were both at a table grabbing something to eat and snuggling against each other. Caramel and Applejack were both dancing slowly as well and were both blushing a little.

She even noticed the Cutie Mark Crusaders had someponies of their own as well. Snails and Applebloom were walking and laughing with each other. Sweetie seemed to be dancing with a very skinny cream colored pegasus who she recognized as Featherweight. Even Scootaloo was dancing with a gray pegasus colt with a combed back dark gray mane and tail she didn’t recognize. Twilight felt a tinge of sorrow and loneliness surge through her as she looked upon her friends and sighed.

“Well howdy there Miss Twilight.” A deep voice said.

The lilac unicorn looked up to see Big Macintosh wearing a black tuxedo and his mane and tail combed back. “Oh, hi there Big Macintosh.” She said. “What are you doing here?”

“Ah could be askin’ ya the same thing.” The red stallion replied. “Why aren’t ya celebratin’ with yer friends?”

“Well…it’s just that I really can’t…dance.” Twilight said in a small voice. “I always seem to dance so weirdly and ponies would just laugh at me.”

“How ‘bout Ah help ya then? Ah’ll lead and y’all can follow.”

Twilight looked up at Big Macintosh and felt something stir inside her. She smiled and nodded. “Sure…I’d love to.” She said as she grabbed the red stallion’s hoof and was led into the crowd. She could see all her friends giving her encouraging smiles as they danced with their partners. She couldn’t help but blush a little as they all danced the party away.

The celebration seemed to last all day and continued on into the night. Spike had stopped dancing a while ago and was walking through the Canterlot Royal Gardens with Rarity. The two wanted to do one last thing together before joining the others at the castle and getting some sleep. They made their way up a hill and saw a lone tree at the top of it. The two went to the top and rested against the tree together. They held each other and listened to the faint sounds of partying in the distance. They held each other closely as they looked over a portion of Canterlot and said nothing.

“Spike?” Rarity asked after a few minutes. “Do you mind if I ask you something?”

“Go ahead Rarity.” The dragon said. “You can tell me anything.”

“Well…I just wanted to know one thing. If Princess Celestia did find a spell to make you into a pony forever, would you have taken her offer?”

Spike thought over the question for a few moments and took it in. “Rarity…I would’ve taken it, but only if it made you happy. I was under the impression that you wanted a pony as your prince. If she did find it, I would’ve wanted to ask you first about what you would want me to become. So, what would you have preferred?”

“Darling…it doesn’t matter if you’re a dragon or a pony. You’re my knight in shining armor and I would love you no matter what decision you made. I’ll be here for you always Spike and so shall our friends.”

Rarity moved in and kissed Spike on the lips and he returned the kiss. They broke the kiss after a couple of minutes and Rarity snuggled against Spike. As he held her and stroked her mane, he saw something in the corner of his right eye. He looked up and was shocked to see who it was. He saw the ghost of Leon and surrounding him were his former friends in his lifetime. They all gave him a warm smile as they watched him for a few minutes. Spike smiled back at them and watched as they all gave him a salute and disappeared.

“Darling, is something the matter?” Rarity asked. “Did you see somepony you knew?”

Spike looked down at Rarity and smiled. “Let’s just say, it was some old friends from a long time ago. They had to leave and wanted to say farewell to me.”

“Oh, I’m sorry if I missed them Spike. I guess I’m just feeling a little tired is all. Would you please carry me to the castle, so I can go to bed?”

Spike picked her up slowly and made his way down the hill. “It would be my please Lady Rarity.”

“Thank you Sir Spike, you really are a gallant knight.” Rarity closed her eyes and snuggled into Spike’s chest.

As Spike made his way back towards the castle, he looked at Rarity and smiled to himself. He gave her a kiss on the cheek before making his way into the castle and towards their room. As they prepared to enter the castle, a series of fireworks went off for a few moments. One of them showed a dragon’s head and a unicorn’s head with a heart surrounding both of them. Spike was secretly watching it with Rarity and looked at each other with smiles on their faces. They moved in and gave one more kiss on the lips that lasted for what seemed to be an eternity. They both broke the kiss after a few moments and went into the castle together.

THE END

End of a Dream?

It was another hot and dry summer day in Ponyville. Princess Celestia's sun was shining brightly over the town and heating it up. The pony citizens were doing their best to beat the sweltering heat by any means. There were stands set up selling drinks or fans and other things to cool the ponies. Many others opted to stay in the shade as they talked with their friends, making the streets nearly deserted. Along one of the streets a purple dragon with green spines ran along with a smile on his face.

Spike made his way towards Carousal Boutique to run an errand for his mentor and friend, Twilight Sparkle. He was going to get a book on sewing from Rarity and return it to the library. Spike hurried as fast as he could to the white unicorn's shop to see her. His mind raced with thoughts of being with the pony many he adored and gawked at since he first saw her. He remembered Twilight saying something about not swooning or something over her, but all he thought of right now was Rarity. The baby dragon reached Carousel Boutique and rang the doorbell. A tiny little chime played from inside the shop.

"Coming!" A singing voice shouted that Spike recognized as Rarity's.

Spike straightened his spines and sprayed some breath spry into his mouth just as he heard hoofsteps approach the door. The door opened and Spike felt his heart soar as he looked upon Rarity. Her pristine white coat, gorgeous curled purple mane, and azure eyes seemed to reflect in the sunlight. The sight made Spike's heartbeat increase and sighed in content.

"Hello Spike." Rarity said with a smile. "Whatever do you need from me darling?"

Spike broke out of his daze and said, "Hey there Rarity, I'm here to get a book you borrowed from Twilight."

"Oh thank you so much for reminding me Spike." Rarity said. "I nearly forgot about that, please come in."

Spike happily nodded and entered the dress shop, but was shocked by what he saw. The shop that was usually tidy was rather messy with rolls of fabric on the ground. Ponyquins were clustered together into a large pile in a corner. There were desks filled with plans of dress designs covering them entirely. It dumbfounded Spike since he and every other pony knew Rarity strives for the best in appearances.

"Just give me a minute please Spike." Rarity said.

The white unicorn went around digging through the entire mess of the shop. Spike watched as she ran around looking for the book desperately and listening to the sounds of stuff shift around.

"Erm…Rarity, do you need some help?" The dragon asked her.

Rarity stopped rummaging through items and gave Spike a small smile. "Nonsense darling, I don't want to trouble you at all." She went back through another pile throwing stuff across the room.

Spike shook his head at this response. "Rarity, I can help you look for that book and clean up this place."

"Oh I can't ask you to do that darling. You do more then enough work for Twilight and I can't just take advantage of you."

"Rarity, no offense, but this place looks like a pigsty."

Rarity stopped looking through piles and looked at her shop. She saw how much of a mess her shop was and looked at Spike with a smile. "You're right Spike, I need to get my boutique in tip top shape. I hope Twilight won't be mad though."

Spike shook his head and gave Rarity a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about it Rarity. Twilight said she would need some time alone with doing some work in her lab."

Rarity nodded at the baby dragon. "Alright then Spike, let's get to work!"

For the next hour, Spike and Rarity cleaned and organized Carousel Boutique. The baby dragon's knowledge of organizing and cleaning helped speed up the process considerably. The ponyquins were placed in several rows with clothed ones separated from the naked ones. The fabric rolls were alphabetized and organized in the shelves of cabinets. Spike even managed to sort out the dress designs with Rarity's help throwing out old ones and organizing what were completed and what were still in planning. They found the book later on one of the desks and put it close to the main door. When the dragon and unicorn finished both of them were tired, but happy to see the shop was clean. Rarity moved towards her kitchen and brought out some tea in one of her tea sets.

"Thank you so much for the help Spike." Rarity said.

"Ah it was nothing Rarity, I'm just helping out." Spike said trying to hide a blush. "Why was your shop a mess? You usually like things clean and pri....pris....um in order."

Rarity gave what looked like a forced smile and said, "Oh it was nothing at all darling. Here drink up; you're looking quite parched from all that hard labor."

Spike drank the tea, which tasted sweet with a twist of lemon in it, but he thought there was something wrong with Rarity. "Rarity. Are you sure you're okay?"

Rarity looked to see that the baby dragon had a mix between a concerned look. She just looked away. "I...it's nothing really Spike I can assure you that." She said with a little shakiness in her voice.

Spike still wasn't convinced by the white unicorn's words. "Rarity, didn't you say that it was never good to hide secrets from other friends?"

Rarity tried to think of something to counter the argument, but realized that what the little dragon had said was true. She looked at Spike and gave him a him a sad smile. "You do have a point darling. You really are a gentlecolt, or in this case, gentledragon."

Spike felt himself blush, but was more interested in hearing about what Rarity said.

"I haven't really been myself Spike." Rarity said with a sad look on her face. "I have been feeling rather down ever since the Grand Galloping Gala."

Spike gave a concerned look and nodded in understanding. He heard about what happened between Rarity and Prince Blueblood. He heard about how selfish and rude Blueblood acted towards Rarity and broke her heart. Spike wanted to go find Blueblood and give him a piece of his mind, but Twilight held him back from doing so. The baby dragon saw that Rarity may have looked happy and fine around the others, but noticed that she acted distant ever since the Gala and seemed less confident.

"I...I know it's been nearly two weeks since it happened, but it still haunts me." Rarity said as she looked down. "I just can't believe that all my dreams went up in smoke like that. I've just been feeling like I'll never get back into it now. I feel like I'll never find a real gentlecolt to be by my side."

Spike saw that a little tear fell from Rarity's face and frowned. He and the others knew Rarity was always dreaming of her own prince and was now emotionally and spiritually devastated by Prince Blueblood.

He gave Rarity his best comforting smile. "Rarity, listen to me. Those stallions don't know who they're missing. After all you've done like how you defeated the Diamond Dogs you deserve some better pony then Blueblood. They just don't know about how great you are."

Rarity gave Spike a tearful smile and hugged the little dragon. She held him in this embrace for a long time while Spike felt love struck and dazed. Rarity let go of Spike and looked at him with a warm smile.

"Thank you so much Spike." The white unicorn said. "You really are a noble dragon." Spike was going to talk to Rarity more, but before he could they both heard a knocking at the door. "Oh please excuse me Spike. It may be a customer picking up some order."

Spike gave a sad nod and watched as his crush ran off. When Rarity was out of ear shout he cursed that he had missed his opportunity again. He barely got time to talk to Rarity since she was busy. The times he did get a chance to say something to her he was interrupted by something or somepony. Spike heard hoofsteps and looked to see that Rarity had returned with Twilight by her side. The lilac unicorn looked a little stern on her face.

"Spike where have you been?" Twilight asked. "I've been wondering where you were. You've been one for well over an hour."

"Twilight, you told me that you were not to be disturbed in the lab anyway." The baby dragon shot back. "I stayed over at Rarity's and helped her out."

"It's true darling." Rarity said. "Spike here has assisted me and we were just talking."

Twilight smiled at her friend. "Well thanks for looking over him anyway Rarity. I hope he didn't get into too much trouble."

"Oh nonsense darling. He just gave me a hoof in cleaning up my shop. It was a pigsty in here."

"I see then, well I'm glad Spike was able to help you out." The lilac unicorn waved a hoof towards the door. "Come on Spike, it's time to go home now." Spike felt crestfallen from hearing that and gave a sad nod. He grabbed the book and left with Twilight.

"Spike!" Rarity's voice shouted from the entrance to Carousel Boutique. Spike and Twilight turned to see that Rarity had a smile on her face. "Thank you for everything darling. I'll be sure to repay you for this one day."

Spike smiled and waved farewell to Rarity and went along with Twilight. When they got back to the library, Twilight locked the door and looked at Spike with a concerned look.

"I think we need to talk Spike." Twilight said and indicated Spike to sit in a chair. Spike gulped a little and went over to sit down in the chair with Twilight following suit.

"Spike I want to talk to you about Rarity." The lilac unicorn said. "I know you have these 'feelings' for her, but I don't want you to feel disappointed."

Spike gave a confused look. "What do you mean Twilight?"

"Don't take this the wrong way Spike, but you are just a baby dragon and she's a unicorn. She may not feel the same way about you."

"But Twilight." Spike whined. "I do like her a lot I just haven't told her yet, a...and besides you don't know if she doesn't like me or not."

Twilight shook her head and said, "Spike listen to me, you're a dragon only. There are too many differences between you two and she is looking for a real gentlecolt, not some love struck dragon. You'll also outlive her along with all of us as well. This 'love' you have is just childish and you will find another dragon later on."

"Twilight I don't want another dragon." Spike said. "Rarity is the perfect pony for me. She's beautiful and a wonderful pony to be around with. It's not just some puppy love like you keep saying to me."

"Spike it's time to let this crush go now. Rarity is looking for a stallion and a dragon just doesn't fit her criteria." Twilight said. "I know it's hard, but please just let it go now. She may just want to remain friends. I don't want you to feel disappointed when you confess your feelings to Rarity and she turns you down."

Spike gave a sad look and barely nodded at this. Twilight gave a sad smile and hugged her friend. "I'm really sorry about this Spike. Why don't you get some rest now? You look worn out from the heat and all that work."

Spike said nothing and went up to the bedroom he shared with Twilight. The baby dragon collapsed on the bed and stared at the ceiling. He could still hear the words Twilight said to him about his crush.

'What if Twilight is right?' The dragon thought to himself. 'What if she does reject me and leaves me?' Why was I even born a dragon? I found some pony I love and it may not work. I wish there was a way to win Rarity's heart. But...Twilight does have a point. I'll lose Rarity and the others as I get older.' Spike looked up at the ceiling and drifted off into an uneasy sleep with thoughts of what to do with Rarity.

Spike looked around and saw that he was in an altar. There were rows of seats with silhouetted ponies he didn't recognize all staring at the front. He looked up to see a blue coated priest along with a stallion and mare standing together. The baby dragon decided to get a closer look at the two ponies standing together. The crowd was oblivious to Spike as he slowly made his way towards the two ponies. As he got closer, he saw something that made his heart sink and his stomach churn. It was Rarity standing next to Prince Blueblood.

"By the power of Celestia and Luna themselves!" The priest shouted in a deep booming voice. "I now declare this couple married and may they have many years together!"

The crowd applauded, but Spike felt horrified by this. "NO!" He shouted as loud as he could over the thunderous applause. "RARITY DON'T DO IT! HE'LL HURT YOU AGAIN! PLEASE WAIT! I...I LOVE YOU!"

Spike started to run towards the unicorn couple, but no matter how fast he ran they got further and further away. He tried to pick up the pace, but it only seemed to make them go further away. He watched in horror as both white unicorns got into a chariot and took off leaving a heartbroken Spike behind. The baby dragon heard some hoofsteps and turned to see Twilight Sparkle with a stern look on her face.

"I told you Spike." The lilac unicorn said coldly. "She isn't interested in dragons like you. Now come on it's time to get back to work."

Twilight levitated Spike and took him away. Spike was kicking around and trying to break free. "NO, RARITY COME BACK!" He shouted tearfully.

Something hard hit Spike on his head, and looked to see that he was back at the library and lying on the floor. He saw that the bed he slept on fell to the side. The baby dragon let out a sigh of relief knowing that it was all a bad dream. He looked to see that it was in the late afternoon. He decided to go see if he could do some work to get his mind off the nightmare. He went downstairs to see Twilight was reading a few books while taking some notes.

" Hi Twilight."

The lilac unicorn looked up to see Spike giving a wave and smiled at him. "Hey there Spike. How are you feeling?"

Spike hesitated on how to answer. He felt that he couldn't tell Twilight about his dream. He thought that she would dismiss it and tell him to move on with his crush. "I'm fine Twilight." He said with a forced grin. "I'm just still a little tired. Do you need anything done right now?"

Twilight looked at Spike suspiciously for a few minutes, but shrugged at Spike's answer. She gave her assistant a smile and gave him a bag of bits. "I need you to head to the market to get some apples from the Sweet Apple Acres stand. Applejack should be there today."

Spike took the bits and with a nod left the library. As he walked down the street, the baby dragon thought of the nightmare he had. He tried to shake it out of his head by looking around town. He looked to see other ponies were hanging out with friends or being with loved ones. He saw other ponies like Lyra sitting on a bench while Bon Bon cuddled her and Snails talking with Applebloom. The sights only seemed to dampen his moral more and quickly ran off to the market to get away.

The Apple Family stand was rather empty since most ponies were heading home for the night, but there stood Applejack counting the bits she gathered from the day.

"Hey there Applejack." Spike said.

The orange mare looked up from counting to see the baby dragon give a friendly smile. "Well howdy there Spike." She said in her upbeat southern accent. "What brings y'all down to mah stand?"

Spike told her that Twilight needed a bucket of apples. Applejack gave a nod and gathered the best apples for her unicorn friend. Just as Applejack was about to hand Spike the bucket of apples, she noticed a sad look on the baby dragon's face and looking off in the distance.

"Are y'all alright sugarcube?" Applejack askedin a concerned tone.

Spike snapped out of his thoughts and gave Applejack a forced smile. "O...oh it's nothing Applejack really." He said with a tinge of nervousness in his voice.

Applejack didn't buy the lie and gave him a stern look. "Come on now Spike, y'all can tell me anything yer mah friend."

Spike looked to see the farmer pony had a determined look on her. He knew how stubborn Applejack could be; the whole town learned the hard way from her attempts to buck all the trees by herself and resulted in damage to the town.

"W-well Applejack it's about…Rarity." The baby dragon said in a shaky voice.

"Well what about her sugarcube?"

Spike twiddled his fingers and looked at the orange mare giving a reassuring smile. "I...it's just that I...I don't know how I can tell Rarity how I feel about her."

Applejack gave a sad smile. "A'hm mighty sorry Spike, but Ah ain't that good with that romance stuff. It's just the farm fer me."

Spike shook his head and looked back at Applejack. "Applejack it's not just that, but I've been feeling afraid that I may not be good enough for her."

"Like Ah said Spike, Ah ain't too much into that romance fru fru. Why would ya think that y'all might not be good enough fer Rarity?"

Spike explained the argument he got into with Twilight about how it was time to stop chasing Rarity. She said he should look for a dragon of his own, but wasn't interested in one. He told of how Twilight was looking for a stallion Prince Charming, and not a dragon. When Spike finished he looked at Applejack who had a sad look on her face.

"Spike, Ah think what Twilight is telling ya is true."

Spike felt his heart sink. "Applejack why do you believe Twilight?"

"Spike, she does have a point." The farmer pony said. "Yer just a dragon and she's a pony. Ah just don't think y'all can really make it work out. Rarity is a one of them sophisticated types, but you Spike are just a baby dragon. Ah thought it was cute of ya to be head over hoofs fer Rarity. Twilight does have a point though. Ah believe she just sees ya as a friend and nothing more."

Spike couldn't believe what he was hearing and felt a mix of rage and sorrow in him. "B...but Applejack." The dragon said with his voice starting to crack. "I do love Rarity a lot. She's such a wonderful beautiful unicorn. I've done so much with her and she makes me happy."

Applejack shook her head and said, "Ah understand Spike that y'all did treat her kindly, but y'all seem to care more 'bout her looks than anythin' else. Spike it's time to stop this wild goose chase and let her go now."

Spike felt emotionally devastated by what Applejack said. He took the apples in a fit of rage and ran off to the library, ignoring Applejack's shouts at him. The baby dragon tried to shake those words out of his head and felt tears build up in his eyes. He soon reached the library and wiped off his tears before entering. The baby dragon saw the library was clean, but Twilight wasn't around. He heard a crash from the basement, making him realize she was down in her lab. Spike took the apples and put them on a table. He looked to see that Princess Luna's moon was rising and decided to turn in for the night.

Spike slowly dragged himself into his bed and looked through the window with thoughts buzzing through his head. Twilight and Applejack's words of letting go of Rarity echoed in his mind. Spike felt that he couldn't just leave Rarity after all he did to make her happy. He helped her find gems at where the Diamond Dogs were and cleaned her place. Every time the baby dragon saw Rarity he saw a beautiful pony whose love, generosity, and bravery knew no bounds. Spike felt that this wasn't just some puppy love, but had feelings for Rarity. Despite all that though, he was always chastised by Twilight about it.

He looked back at the moon once more. The white surface reminded Spike of Rarity's white coat and felt tears build up in him once more. He eventually fell into an uneasy sleep with thoughts on Rarity and his future with her.

A Fateful Choice

Spike looked around to see that he was taller and looked at himself. He saw that he had wings now and was probably as tall as the Ponyville Library. He saw that in front of him was a tall gray stoned chamber lit by several lanterns with six beds with ponies on them. Spike moved slowly across and looked to see something that horrified him; it was Twilight and the other ponies all old, wrinkly, and barely breathing.

"Spike..." A very frail mare's voice whispered.

Spike heard it and saw that the voice was Twilight Sparkle. Her coat was grayish purple, she was very wrinkly, and her hair was completely white. "T...Twilight, what happened?"

The unicorn gave him a feeble sad smile. "Don't worry Spike, we're just going to go away for a while. I'm so proud of you Spike. You've grown into a nice big dragon."

Spike felt a bucket of ice drop into his stomach and felt tears build up. "N...no please Twilight don't go! I don't want you all to die!"

Twilight gave him a sad smile once more. "It's okay Spike, you'll make new friends along the way as you grow older. Who knows? Maybe you'll find a dragon of your own to be with."

Spike suddenly realized that he never told Rarity how he felt and looked at her. Her white coat was still there, but it was messy and her purple hair had gone gray and was a complete mess. He saw that she was still breathing. "Rarity, I need to tell you something."

The white unicorn gave him a gentle smile. "Wh...what is it darling?" She asked in a feeble voice.

Spike mustered up his courage and took a deep breath in. "I...I love you Rarity. I love you so much. I'm sorry I never told you this earlier, it just slipped my mind."

Rarity placed a hoof the dragon. "Spike, I...want to tell you something as well."

Spike felt his heart swell in excitement. "Wh...what is it Rarity?"

"I...I...I..........." Rarity let out one last breath before passing on.

Spike was devastated and tears ran down his face. "Rarity!" He cried in sadness. "Please don't go! What did she think of me Twilight?"

Spike looked to see that Twilight and the others were not moving or breathing at all either. The dragon let out a cry of sorrow and anguish. He heard hoofsteps move and looked to see Princess Celestia.

"Spike." She said rather coldly. "I'm afraid you are no longer welcome here in Ponyville. You've grown too big for this town and must move out."

Spike's eyes widen and his heart sank. "Please Princess Celestia! I'll be careful around town and I promise not to hurt anypony. Please let me stay here."

The white alicorn shook her head. "I'm sorry Spike, but it's time to leave." Princess Celestia's horn glowed and aimed it at Spike.

"Princess wait!" Spike yelled in desperation.

It was too late though Celestia teleported Spike to a desolate mountain range and saw two black dragons standing over him with a glare.

"Who are you?" One of the dragons asked in a sinister voice.

Spike gulped and said, "I...I'm Spike."

The black dragons gave a sinister smile at him causing Spike to shake in fear.

"We've heard of you Spike." The other black dragon said in the same sinister voice. "We've heard that you hung out with ponies. We don't take kindly to those dragons who dare to be friends with ponies."

Spike wanted to fly, but felt paralyzed with fear. He watched as the two black dragons took a deep breath in and shot a huge column of black fire at Spike. The dragon gave a bloodcurdling scream as he saw the impending death rapidly approach him.

Spike woke up with a cold sweat on him and looked to see that it was morning. He looked at himself to see he was still a baby dragon. Just to make sure he looked over in Twilight's bed and saw her still young as ever. He laid back letting out a sigh of relief and heard a voice groaning from the nearby bed.

"Spike?" Twilight asked groggily. "Are you okay? I heard some yelling."

The baby dragon looked to see that Twilight had a concerned look on her face. "Y-yeah I'm fine Twilight. I just hurt myself is all."

Twilight looked at Spike suspiciously and gave a weary nod. "Alright Spike, I need you to do something for me real quick. I want you to go down to this new herb place and get these ingredients for a potion I'm making." Twilight pulled a list of herbs needed with a bag of bits and gave it to the little dragon. Spike gave a nod and left the library.

Spike was thinking to himself as he walked down the street. The dream he had still played in his mind and the conversation he had with Twilight last night didn't help much either. He loved Rarity, but Twilight had a point he was a dragon and would outgrow her and outlive her as well.

Spike was so lost in thought, he accidentally ran into something. The baby dragon rubbed his head and looked to see a big sign saying, Barry's Magical Herb Shop: Mystic Herbs and Ingredients for Remedies. Spike looked at the building and saw a building near the sign, it was painted green with white trimming around it as well as white window blinds. Giving a sigh, the baby dragon went into the new herb shop.

Spike looked to see that the shop was empty and was rather dim. Some sunlight was shining through the windows. The shop had dark brown walls and floor with a large counter that had many herbs and spices in front of it. There were some green and red herbs as well as potted plants and spices. Spike looked around and saw no pony running this shop and figured they weren't open yet. He was about to leave he heard a throat being cleared. He looked to see a middle aged, but rather buff gray unicorn with orange eyes and a buzz cut black mane and tail.

"Welcome little dragon." The stallion said in a raspy voice. "My name is Barry, head of this shop and seller of many fine herbs and ingredients for potions and remedies. Do you wish to purchase something from my shop?"

Spike nodded quickly and gave the shopkeeper the list Twilight gave him. Barry took the list and with a look he nodded and went to get the required stuff. Spike was left alone with his thoughts about what to do. He thought that maybe Twilight was right and it was time to move on, but a part of him wanted to stay and be with Rarity. He felt emotionally conflicted over what to do and was lost in thought.

"Excuse me little dragon." Barry said.

Spike snapped out of his thoughts and jerked up to see that Barry had the list and was pointing to something on the scroll.

"What does this say?" Barry asked. "My eyesight is getting old."

"That says powdered sulfur."

Barry gave a concerned look "Are you alright little dragon? You seem lost."

Spike scrambled to say something in his panic. "Y...yeah, I'm just uh...looking around is all."

Barry looked at Spike with a suspicious look at first, but then shrugged to go gather the other items. Spike looked around at the shop and noticed a few crates that were open and decided to take a look in them. He saw that in the crates were some books and more herb plants, but there was one thing that caught his eyes, a glowing blue potion that was in a tiny test tube. The baby dragon picked it up and looked at it. The tube felt as warm as a cup of hot cider.

"What are you doing?"

Spike jumped and looked to see Barry was back with the items. "I...I'm just looking in these crates is all." Spike said.

Barry looked to see that Spike was holding the potion and his eyes grew wide with shock. "Drop that right now little dragon!"

Spike quickly let go of the potion. "I...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to go snooping around."

Barry gave a sigh and said, "It's okay little dragon, but I just can't let you see that."

Spike looked at the potion in wonder as well as Barry's disgruntled look. "Why didn't you want me to see this?"

Barry gave another sigh and said, "That potion is a blessing and a gift. I mostly see it as a curse though."

Spike got more curious over the potion and said, "What's it do though?"

"That potion there actually can turn any creature into a pony."

Spike's jaw dropped upon hearing what he heard. He heard of potions that were capable of turning other creatures into another one. He heard of a griffon that took a potion and became a hydra destroying resulting in a town's destruction. The baby dragon's eyes widened as he thought of what he could do as a pony. He would fit in more easily with the other ponies and best of all be with Rarity.

"But why would you have this?" Spike asked. "You say it's a curse and yet you're selling it."

Barry shook his head and said, "No, I'm not selling it. It's mine to keep, so I can be reminded."

"Reminded of what?"

"It's none of your concern little dragon. Please forget about that potion now and put it back."

Barry turned around to get the last of the items while Spike looked back at the potion. He thought that this was his shot to be with Rarity. Twilight and Applejack said it themselves that Rarity wasn't looking for a dragon, but a real getlecolt. The possibilities would be endless if he became a pony and it would mean so many things for him. Spike though that about the consequences as well as to what would happen when his friends found out and if Rarity would still like him or not.

'I'll just borrow it for a while.' Spike thought to himself. 'I'll bring it back after some thinking and besides he won't notice.'

Spike hesitantly took the potion and hid it behind his back. Barry returned with a bag of items and the baby dragon stuck the potion in there before he could see it. He gave Barry the bits and thanked him for his help.

Spike left the shop feeling better than he did not too long ago and made his way to the library. He entered it and looked to see that Twilight was busy with a potion set and was writing notes. The lilac unicorn looked to see her friend holding the bag and gave a smile.

"Good job Spike." Twilight said. "You're just in time with those herbs."

Spike happily nodded and gave the bag to Twilight.

"You certainly seem to be in a better mood now Spike." Twilight said. "You scared me earlier with how you acted. Are you sure it isn't about what I said earlier?"

Spike shook his head and was prepared to show Twilight the potion he got, but something froze in him. He thought that Twilight was going to take the potion away if she saw it and would punish him. Secretly, the baby dragon took the potion and hid it in a bookshelf. He quickly gave Twilight a forced grin.

"Oh no Twilight." The baby dragon stated. "I realized you were right and that it was time to move on. I guess I just needed some time to think it over."

Twilight gave a big smile and hugged Spike. "I'm proud of you Spike, you're growing up fast. It seems like only yesterday that I hatched you. How about I give you this gem?"

Twilight levitated a huge green square gem to Spike and the baby dragon took it eagerly. He munched on it and swallowed it down quickly. He decided to take the potion to the bedroom quickly to hide it under his pillow. He felt in such a good mood he decided to clean the library up. He hummed to himself as he put books, with the exception of the ones Twilight were using, back and dusted the entire place. When the baby dragon finished he looked to see that it was in the late afternoon. He felt a hoof on his shoulder and looked to see Twilight had a smile on her face.

"You've been working very hard Spike. I think you've earned the rest of the day off. How about you go off and hang around town while I stay here to finish my potion?"

Spike happily nodded and took off from the library. He decided to go look around the town with a skip in his step. He looked around some of the shops that sold holiday material and hung out Snips and Snails for a little bit. They all caught up on good times and each laughed at jokes they made with each other. Princess Celestia's sun started going down and gave the sky an orange color. Snips and Snails bid farewell and Spike headed home feeling tired from the day he had, but felt rather happy as well.

When Spike got back to the library he saw that Twilight had bought him a bowl of gems and was giving him a smile. "Here Spike. This is for all your hard work today."

Spike hugged Twilight and she returned the hug as well. Twilight grabbed a daisy sandwich with some apples from Applejack's farm and the pair had dinner together. While they ate, Spike thought more about the potion he got from Barry and gave thought about whether he should take the potion or not. When they finished dinner Spike gave a loud yawn and decided to turn in while Twilight decided to do one of her all night readings.

Spike waved good night to the lilac unicorn and went upstairs. When he got to his room he took the potion from under his pillow and thought over his choice. He could be a pony and win over Rarity's heart and start a new life as well as a pony. He could grow old with his friends and be with them until the very end of his life. He would never have to leave Ponyville when he got older and could stay with his friends.

He thought of the downside as well with how Twilight would react and how the others would take it as well. He wondered if they would blast him for what he did and think different of him. There was also how Princess Celestia would treat this matter. A part of him wondered if she would change him back to a dragon and punish him. Then there was how Rarity would react to all of this; would she still accept him as a pony? Spike felt very lost on what to do.

Spike thought the consequences were too dire to handle. He thought it was for the best that he didn't do this. He decided to place the potion near his bed, but out of Twilight's sight. He tried to think of an excuse for stealing the potion from Barry. All of a sudden the vision of the nightmare Spike had came into view with Rarity married to Blueblood and him losing her. He saw the others die around him while he was still young like in his dream. It was too much for Spike to handle now. He didn't care what the others thought and what Celestia did to him; he wanted to be with Rarity along with his friends and refused to let anything stand in his way. Spike popped the cork and was met with a smell that was like a combination of rotting garbage with the smell of Froggy-Bottom Bog. The baby dragon nearly suffocated from the smell, but with a determined look drank the potion. The potion tasted no better than it smelled at all, it felt like drinking liquefied rotten apples and felt as if he had molten lava in his stomach. Spike nearly puked, but was able to down the entire potion.

Spike waited for him to change, but felt nothing at all happen to him except for his stomach growl. Spike felt his heart sink and cursed himself for getting his hopes up. He decided that for the best he would go to sleep and wonder how he can confess to Rarity. Through most of the night Spike couldn't fall asleep. He felt hot and sweaty like as if he was on the surface of the sun itself and found himself breathing heavily. He could feel his body crying out in protest and the insides of his body thrashing around. The baby dragon kept thinking this was one of those growth spurts that Twilight told him about. He wondered though if a growth spurt ever hurt as much as this. After what seemed to be an eternity, Spike fell asleep and ignored the rest of the pain in his body.

Celestia's sun woke up Spike the next day and he let out a groan. He felt like a stampede ran over him all night long. He heard the door to the bedroom open and looked to see a messy maned looking Twilight come in.

"Good morning Spike how are y-AAAHHH!!!"

Spike jumped out and looked alarmed by Twilight's cry of terror. "What's wrong Twilight? Is there something on me?"

The lilac unicorn's skin had gone pale. She gave Spike a shocked look with her eyes as wide as dinner plates and her mouth dropped. She was speechless and couldn't say anything at all.

Spike just looked at his mentor quizzically and raised an eyebrow. "Twilight, are you alright? What's wrong?"

No words came from Twilight at all. She looked almost like a statue and seemed at a loss for words. Spike grew worried and moved towards Twilight, but she gave a yelp and jumped back. Spike had never seen Twilight looked this freaked out before.

The lilac unicorn finally got some words to come out of her. "Wh...who are you and where's Spike?"

Spike gave Twilight a dumbfounded look and said, "Twilight it's me Spike, your number one assistant remember?"

Twilight shook her head in disbelief and said, "N...no I...I don't believe you."

Spike felt very confused by what was happening and said, "Twilight, it's me Spike. Your number one dragon assistant and friend since your days at Canterlot."

Twilight still looked like she'd seen a ghost. "P...prove it then. Prove that you're Spike."

Spike felt flabbergasted over his mentor's behavior and decided to amuse her. "You hatched me when I was an egg for your entrance exam to be in Princess Celestia's School of Magic. I accidentally burnt your book of astrology and tried to hide it, but you found out about it. You even messed up on a spell that turned one of the Royal Guards into a statue while practicing."

Twilight looked shocked and said nothing for a few minutes. No one except her, Spike, and the guard knew that. It slowly dawned on her and realized the truth. She built up the courage to nod slowly and looked at Spike. "I...it can't be. It just can't be. I...it is you Spike, it really is you."

Spike felt lost at this point and shook his head in frustration. "Alright what's going on here!? You've been looking at me strangely ever since I woke up and now you remember me!? Did I miss something!?"

Twilight levitated a tall mirror towards her friend. "W...well Spike just take a look and you'll see."

Spike went over and felt like he was walking funny. He looked in the mirror and felt his eyes bulge out and his jaw drop. He was on four hoof legs with a purple coat, a flat scruffy green mane and tail, green eyes, and had wings to boot as well. Spike had become a pony.

Neither Spike nor Twilight said anything to each other as the room filled with tension. Spike placed one of his hoofs on the mirror to see if it really was him. He hit one of his legs to make sure this wasn't a dream only to feel pain. Spike felt many doors open in his mind and the possibilities as well. There were so many things going through the new pony's mind that he couldn't find words to describe his excitement. A knocking at the library door brought Spike out of his thoughts and made Twilight yelp in fear.

"S...Spike." Twilight said nervously. "I...I don't know what's going on, but we can't let anypony see you like this. Quick, run to the basement and don't make any noise."

Spike hesitantly nodded and quickly ran off, but tripped in just a few steps. Twilight just looked at him feeling a mix of frustration and annoyance. "Eheh heh um...sorry Twilight." He said giving an embarrassed smile. "I guess I'm not used to this new way of walking yet."

Twilight just shook her head and levitated the new Spike using her magic. "We don't have time for this Spike. We need to find out what happened to you and try to keep this a secret."

Twilight put Spike in the basement and locked it to make sure Spike didn't escape. The lilac unicorn heard a more powerful knock when she finished locking the basement and hurried to open the door. She opened the door to see an annoyed Applejack.

"Howdy Twilight." Applejack said with a tinge of anger in her voice. "Y'all know where Spike's at?"

Twilight scrambled to think of something. "Um...well he went off to uh...Canterlot for...royal business. Why aren't you running your apple stand?"

The lilac unicorn gave a forced grin while Applejack glared at her for a few minutes. "It's mah day off Twi." The orange mare said. "A'hm mighy sorry fer bargin' in like this, but Ah needed t'see Spike. The little dragon owes me some bits fer not payin' fer mah apples."

Twilight felt a tinge of annoyance and anger at Spike for how he acted. She went to go pull another bag of bits out. Twilight gave Applejack the bag of bits and hoped that her friend would leave, but Applejack just gave a concerned look.

"Sugarcube. Ah think we need to talk now."

Twilight cursed herself in her mind and hoped that Spike wouldn't cause any noise while hiding. She went over with Applejack to a table and grabbed one of the apples from the bucket to eat. Applejack looked rather serious and her gaze made Twilight shake a little.

"Twilight." Applejack asked in a serious tone. "Are y'all tellin' me the truth? Is Spike really on business in Canterlot?"

Twilight felt like her stomach did several flips and felt herself sweating a bit. She gave her friend a fake smile. "Wh...what do you mean Applejack? T...that's what he told me last night. He left before I got up."

Applejack shook her head. "Ah ain't so sure about that Twi." She said in a more concerned tone. "Ah think he's feelin' a little down."

Twilight felt relieved the tension had simmered down a bit, but was still wary by her friend's behavior. "What do you mean Applejack?"

"What Ah'm sayin' sugarcube is that Spike may have had his feelings hurt a bit."

"How so?"

The orange mare gave a sad look. "Well the other day, he told me about how he felt 'bout Rarity and Ah felt that Ah may've hurt him."

Twilight felt shocked by what her friend said. She secretly thought about Spike's current situation as well wondering if it connected. "I'm sure he's fine Applejack. He looked fine when he went to bed."

Applejack shook her head. "Ah ain't so sure about that Twi. I think he's really hurt 'bout what Ah said."

"Well what did you tell him?" Twilight asked with a puzzled look on her face.

"Well he told me about what y'all said about him just givin' up on Rarity and that he was just a dragon who had no chance to win over Rarity's heart." Applejack said with a tinge of remorse in her voice. "Ah kind of told him the same thing as well and he ran off faster than Winona gittin' her supper. He looked like he had tears in his eyes and Ah feel slimier than a bucket of slugs fer actin' so harsh on the little guy. Ah think he may have done somethin' rash."

Twilight gave no response and felt something click in her mind. She remembered that Rarity was only looking for a stallion and a dragon would not be perfect for her. All the pieces seemed to fit together now with Spike's situation and felt a surge of anger build in her. She gave a twitch and managed to keep a calm look. "I understand Applejack. When Spike comes back, I'll talk to him."

Applejack gave a small smile. "Thank ya kindly Twilight. Ah'll be back to say that Ah'm sorry." She took an apple and with a wave left the library.

Twilight marched towards the library's basement feeling furious about what Spike had done. She unlocked the door and saw Spike sitting near the entrance still looking at his new hooves in wonder. He looked at Twilight and felt his heart sink as the lilac unicorn looked besides herself.

"Spike." Twilight said with anger in her voice. "I want to know right now. What happened last night?"

Spike hadn't seen Twilight this mad since her time down at Froggy-Bottom Bog. He scrambled to say something. "W...what do you mean Twilight? I...I just went to the herb store, hung out around Ponyville with Snips and Snails, and then went to bed."

"Don't lie to me Spike!" Twilight barked causing Spike to cower in fear. "I heard about what you said to Applejack the other night. Not only am I disappointed in how you didn't pay Applejack, but for what you did to yourself."

Spike tried to think of an excuse but his mind went totally blank and could only shake harder. Twilight gave a glare that rivaled with Fluttershy's "stare" and went on. "You turned yourself into a pony to win Rarity's heart didn't you Spike?"

"I...I have no idea what you're talking about Twilight." Spike said with a voice that sounded close to Fluttershy's.

Twilight shook her head and levitated Spike, bringing him close to his mentor's livid face. "Spike, tell me the truth right now. What happened last night?"

Spike looked at Twilight's face and saw flames burning in her eyes. He knew there was no way out of this and decided to tell the events of what happened yesterday and the day before. He told of how Applejack told him to give up on Rarity and then about his run in with Barry and the potion. He said he took the potion to turn himself into a pony. He left out the dreams though thinking Twilight would dismiss it as him having eaten too much. When he finished he had some tears in his eyes, but looked to see Twilight. She still looked angry, but not as much now.

Twilight gave a nod with her angered expression. "Alright Spike." She said in an annoyed voice. "I want to go see this Barry pony and in the meantime I want you to stay here." The lilac unicorn turned was ready to lock the basement door.

"Wait a minute Twilight!" Spike shouted causing Twilight to turn around. "I...I think it's best for me to come as well. I...I was the one who stole the potion. I think if I talk to him he may recognize me and I need to say I'm sorry to him."

Twilight looked at her assistant and saw that he looked desperate. She gave a wary nod to her him. "Alright Spike you can come, but you can't bring any attention to yourself around any of the other ponies alright?"

Spike gave a small smile and nodded. He got up slowly and tried to walk but he found himself wobbling and fell over. He looked to see Twilight give an annoyed look. "Sorry Twilight, I'm still trying to get used to walking like a pony."

Twilight breathed in and let out a sigh. "Just pretend like you're crawling Spike, like when you were a very little baby dragon."

Spike gave a nod and slowly with his right hoof moved forward and then used his left rear hoof to move forward. He slowly moved forward at first, but he slowly got the hang of it. He trotted around a little awkwardly, but he walked like a normal pony.

Twilight signaled him to come along with her. Both ponies stepped out and started to make their way to Barry's shop. Twilight looked to see that the streets were mostly deserted and the ponies that were on the streets were busy with work. Twilight gave a sigh of relief and began to walk along Spike.

"Hi there Twilight." A chipper voice said all of a sudden.

Twilight jumped in surprise to see standing next to her was Pinkie Pie giving a huge goofy smile. "Um...hi there Pinkie."

Pinkie looked to see Spike who was trying to hide behind Twilight. "Are you who I think you are?" She said with a bit of suspicion in her tone.

Twilight and Spike looked in fear and stared as Pinkie closed in on Spike with a serious look on her face.