Chapters Spike arose from his bed with a headache, and dark colored semi-circles under his eyes. He was deprived of energy, the cause being the lack of slumber he received the night before. Twilight's rants always had this effect on the poor dragon. They lasted hours, even days. But spike, being the good assistant he is, kept his loyal word to serve his caretaker whatever the situation.
"And that's when I thought-Hey! " Twilight shouted, loud enough to shake the room and knock over a few objects.
"Oh, hey Twi! Are you all done with your studies for... last night?" Spike chuckled. He thought it was funny. The mare's intelligence was high, but he still found it odd that she would keep herself obsessed with learning. He knew it was bad for her, but nothing could stop the book enthusiast from doing what she loved.
As Spike finished his laughter, he grew confused as to why his horned friend was frowning at him, breathing heavy thick breaths out her snout.
"Woah Twilight, are you ok? You seem angry- infuriated even. Have you slept at all tonight?" Twilight's eyes only opened wider, as she moved forward towards the purple and green dragon sitting in his bed.
"I cant trust you with anything can I?!" She stopped and stomped her hoof on the ground.
" W-what?" Spike stuttered as he realized that this girl was furious.
"What are you talking about Twilight?" Emotions fell over the little dragon. Fear, and confusion were noticeable from the sweat that ran down his neck.
"Do you know how that makes me feel? When you just fall asleep during something important? Or do you not just understand how important it is to me. "
Spike was still trying to wake up. He woke up expecting an exhausted mare. He would go down to the kitchen and make breakfast like usual. This is nothing like he could imagine. Twilight was never this mad.
"This isn't getting to you is it? You just sit there in silence expecting me to do everything around here. I'm done with you.
Those words hit hard. Harder than any sentence or action spike had ever received in his small lifetime. But immediately breaking that thought was the feeling of Twilight's magic, which surrounded and caressed him. Sad part was, Spike wasn't expecting a delicate use of this magic. He also didn't know what to expect.
Soon enough the dragon's head was slammed to the floor, intensifying his headache from before. The magical force dragged him across the floor with his tail, eventually lifting him off the hardwood floor, and pinning him against the wall; with the magic keeping him in place, the mare turned around, and lifted her hind legs off the ground, forcefully kicking them into Spike's stomach.
All of the air in the dragon's lungs quickly escaped through his lips, eyes widened. His arms swiftly moved to his chest in reaction to the pain. He gasped for air, trying as hard as he could to inhale oxygen into his small lungs. Soon, after a large satisfying breath of air, the confused assistant stood up, shaking his head and looking around the room.
"What the- Twilight! -what was that for!"
"It's what you deserve Spike. Could you whip up some breakfast? My tummy is rumblin'."
Spike muttered to himself,
"Are you insane?"
"Hmmm? Did you say something?" Twilight turned around raising an eyebrow at the frustrated dragon.
"Oh, n-nothing Twi. I'll have breakfast made soon. Just go downstairs for a bit."
Spike let out a sigh of relief. He never thought he would be this afraid of someone so close to him. It scared him on the inside, but if he showed it on the outside Twilight might go over the top once again.
Spike was in no mood to deal with pain or negative emotions. He wanted to be somewhere loving and somewhere comfortable. Immediately, an idea arose inside Spike's child size brain. The combination of headache, stomachache, and hurt feelings made a certain pony's cottage look most welcoming for the heart struck dragon.
His walk to the cottage was peaceful. Anything to do with the mare was peaceful. His surroundings were full of nature of all kinds. Animals, plants, and flowers caught his attention as he paced closer and closer towards the cottage. A third of the way between the cottage and Twilight's library was all that was left, but it was getting dark. The dragon's stumpy legs moved quicker as he hurried toward the mare's humble home.
The knocker on the door was covered in vines and leaves, only adding to the obvious nature loving pony's personality. He knew this was the right idea, and was anxious to have his problems solved by this new care-taker.
The knocker was hit against the door three times before a bright yellow pegasus pony opened the door with a curious look on her face. She looked directly in front of her, only to find the silent night.
"Hey, down here." Spike whispered.
"Spike?" Fluttershy's expression grew more confused as she expected one of her other friends to be at her door step.
"Hey Fluttershy. I know we don't talk much or anything, but I was thinking we could maybe hang out and talk about some things. Nothing real big you know?" Spike attempted to make the question seem as less awkward as possible, even though he expected nothing else but a nervous reaction out of the shy and bashful pegasus.
"Of course!" Fluttershy smiled cheek-to-cheek, one of the most lively expressions Spike had ever seen on this particular mare's face. It made him happy to see her happy.
"Great! Mind if I come in?"
"Not at all! Make yourself at home!" Fluttershy swung open the door and signaled Spike to step inside. He walked in without hesitation and examined Fluttershy's interior. It was very floral: curtains with the texture of flowers, chairs and sofas with humble color combinations. Anything a nature lover could dream of.
Spike walked towards the sofa across the room from him and took a seat. He watched as Fluttershy shut and locked the front door to the cottage. Soon enough, both of them were sitting comfortably on the sofa, looking down in hopes that either one of them could spark a conversation.
"Hey Fluttershy?" Spike looked to his right and locked his eyes with the yellow pony's.
"Yes Spike? What would you like to talk about?" She was anxious to get a good conversation going.
"What would you do if your best friend suddenly started treating you like... garbage?" Fluttershy was puzzled at why Spike asked such a question at such a random occasion. Did something happen, she thought.
"I don't mean anything personally. I am just curious at what you would do. You don't to a-"
"No no no. Ill tell you anything you want to know Spike. You are someone I can tell anything to. I trust you."
"Great! So what is it? What would you do?" Spike looked at her with puzzling eyes.
"Well, I think i would have to hurt them. BADLY.
Silence filled the air, while Fluttershy looked at Spike with dark, serious eyes.
"W-what? Hurt them? But Fluttershy, I don't think you would ever hurt another living thing!" He was afraid of Fluttershy's response. He had never seen the pegasis inflict pain on any creature whatsoever.
"Kindness and trust are my favorite attributes in any living thing. I wouldn't let anything that could take that away from somepony take me down. Even if I had to inflict a little bit of pain on their structure." Spike began to panic. He had never seen her like this before. Did anyone else know of this dark side of Fluttershy?
"I'm sure that there are better options than to hurt somepo-"
"NO. " More silence took over the room.
"If you can't talk sense into somepony, you have to beat it into them." Fluttershy didn't take her eyes off of Spike. He was shaking, fear taking over his body. This was crazy. This wasn't a joke, or a prank. She was more serious than any pony Spike had ever seen.
"Why did you ask?" Fluttershy raised an eyebrow at the dragon, but her serious expression remained.
"Er... well- I was just wondering! That's all. Heh heh..." Spike was trying as hard as he could to keep his nervous feelings inside. What would she do if she found out what Twilight did?
"Oh, okay. Is there anything you would like from me, Spike? Maybe a drink, or something to eat?" She was acting as if the previous moment had never even happened. This only made Spike more anxious to get out of this pony's home.
"N-no. I think I'd best be heading home now. Take care Fluttersh-"
"Awww, you're leaving already?" Spike suddenly stopped, and turned around to view the bright yellow pony. She was frowning, her lip quivering, as if she was about to tear up and start crying. Spike just wanted to go home, but this was only prolonging his stay.
"W-well, Twilight is expecting me to be home by now. I can't be late for her studies, you know?" Spike was twirling his thumbs, his head pointed towards the ground with nervousness and anxiety.
"Oh, I see. Go on then, I wouldn't want you to be late for something important." Spike's mind breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness she understood. Spike proceeded to creak open the door, and was about to slip out and shut it behind him.
"Hey, Spike?" Spike's eyes widened, and he turned around, putting his head through the open door.
"Tell Twilight to watch herself." Spike's muscles became tensed as she spoke those words. What did she mean? Did she know what happened? Spike immediately shut the door and walked away, stiff as a board, and eyes still wide open in bewilderment.
He walked off of the road that led in and out of Fluttershy's cottage, thinking of what to do next. What happened back there left him so confused, his mind couldn't comprehend where he was trying to go. He was afraid to go to Twilight's, as this morning's encounter with her was less than welcoming. Fluttershy's was, without a doubt, off the list. But he still had four other ponies on his mind. There has to be one of them that could have a civil conversation with him, so he made his way towards his favorite out of the four.
A bell rang as Spike entered the boutique, signalling Rarity that there was someone at the door. She turned her head towards the door, but didn't stop working on the dress she was sewing.
"Why hello, Spike! What brings you here? Doesn't Twilight study on Thursdays?" She smiled at him, gladly welcoming him into the boutique. Rarity liked Spike. As a friend, of course. There was just no way that a mare like Rarity would get with a small dragon like Spike. But they knew they were friends, and enjoyed each other's company.
"She usually doesn't study until later in the afternoon, which is why I came here in the morning," Spike explained to her.
"Oh, well that's nice of you. I'm working on a fine dress for a friend at the moment, but feel free to make yourself at home." She was so generous. It's why she was chosen to carry the Element of Generosity.
"Thanks, but that's not what I'm here for, Rarity. I just want to talk. Maybe just a nice conversation will cheer me up today..." Spike looked down, saddened, hoping Rarity would pick up on it.
"Cheer you up? What happened? Did someone hurt your feelings?" It worked better than expected. She bombarded him with questions, asking him about his feelings, and mental conditions.
"It's nothing really, just had a bad morning today, that's all. Is there anything you need help with around here?" Spike liked helping people who needed it. It wouldn't be the same if he were to help someone who had nothing on their hands.
"Well, there are some rolls of fabric over there you could could put away." She pointed towards a couple of fabric cylinders that were scattered across the ground. No wonder she wanted help. All of her time was used to make that nice dress for her friend.
"I'm on it." Spike wasn't just here to help Rarity. He wanted an explanation on why everyone he had met through the day so far, was acting so crazy. As he picked up the rolls of fabric, he came up with a question to bring up the topic.
"I have something to ask ,Rarity," She stopped her sewing machine and turned to Spike.
"Yes, what is is darling?" Spike didn't enjoy being called those kinds of names, but when Rarity did it, he loved it.
"Have you ever been hurt by someone you loved?" Once again, he tried to make the question as less awkward as possible.
As soon as the last word of the question left his lips, Rarity's eyes widened. She looked as if she was just scared, putting her into a horrified and traumatized state. She lifted her hooves up and placed them on top of her head, her elbows placed on the table and her head pointed down. Her mouth was opened, and little, quick breathes of air entered and exited her lips. Spike saw her expression, and was startled by it. Did he offend her on accident? The last thing he wanted to do was cause pain or negative emotion for a friend, especially Rarity.
"Rarity!" Spike ran over to her table and looked into her eyes. Tears were beginning to flow down her cheeks, hitting the wooden table top.
"I didn't mean to offend you or anything! I just wanted to know... I'm sorry." She slammed her head onto the wood surface, only to start crying at full force. Her cry's were interrupted with loud yelps of, "WHY?! "
Small tears flowed down Spike's face, thinking that what he must have said broke her into a machine of emotions. He wish that he had never left Twilight's library in the first place. He wished that he had never asked that question to Rarity.
Spike walked from the other side of the room, sitting on the stool placed next to the white unicorn. All he could do now, was try and comfort the broken pony.
"I-I'm sorry Rarity. Please forgive me." Her crying turned into whimpering, which came to a halt as Spike placed his hand upon the unicorn's back. Her head remained inside her hooves, until she smiled and looked up at Spike. The dragon, with tears still in his eyes, smiled back, knowing that everything was okay. He was wrong. A magic field pulsed out of Rarity's horn, sending Spike toppling out of his chair. He fell to the ground, hitting his head off the the hard-wood floor. A yelp escaped his lips as pain struck threw his head.
Spike looked up to examine what had sent him off of his stool, but only found Rarity, who's smile turned into a grin.
"I'm sorry Sweetie, did that hurt?" By the sound of her voice, she was clearly being sarcastic. This didn't frustrate Spike, it made him scared. Was the force she sent at him intentional? Why did she try to hurt him?
"It's all your fault... he never loved me because of you..." Spike didn't have any clue what she was talking about. Who did she think Spike was? She couldn't be thinking straight as of now.
"I didn't deserve to be ignored, I deserved better. Better than you. " Spike couldn't figure anything out. The only thing he could detect was jealousy, and very a large amount of it.
"I would be so much better off if you just... didn't EXIST!" Spike's heart rate accelerated high enough to hear blood pumping through his body.
"Don't think that I don't love you... I just can't live like this." She used her magic to grasp a bundle of sewing needles that were placed in a bin next to her. Spike scrambled off the floor, seeing the sharp objects Rarity held.
"I'm sorry Sweetie... forgive me. " In the blink of an eye, every needle was pointed, and accelerated towards him.
Spike's eyes widened, then closed, lifting his hands in front of his face in a desperate act of protection. The dragon could only began to imagine the pain he was about to endure from the sharp, pointed sewing needles.
"NOOOOOOOOO!
He heard a series of sounds from the individual needles impaling the drywall, noticing that he took no damage from the threat. Spike was panting, while his heart felt as if it was about to burst out of his chest.
"What? What happened?" Spike thought out loud. He opened his eyes and viewed the white unicorn. Her eyes were gaping open, as if they were to pop out of their sockets. She blinked periodically throughout the silenced moment of fear. It seems as if Rarity had just come to a realization of what she had just done, but that was just a hypothesis.
"You.... you almost killed me! What is going on with you?!" Spike had gotten onto his feet and taken a stance of defense, breathing heavily and showing anger through his facial expressions. "No... what's wrong with all of you ponies?! I have had two ponies almost kill me in the last two days! I don't think I can stand this any more. I might just have to report some ponies to the police soon enough...." That was what Spike was afraid of. His friends were all he had, and with all of them gone crazy, what did he have in the end? This was a true nightmare.
".....Spike? Is that you?" She moved her lips, and that was it. not a single muscle in her body was motile, except for her mouth. Her eyes remained glued open, and her limbs were straight as can be. Spike finished his release of temper and frustration, and became more concerned of his friend.
"Y-yes, Rarity. It's me, Spike. Are you okay?" Spike put his hands together and clenched them as he walked towards Rarity.
"I want you to leave. Now." She remained in her still posture.
"What? Why? I want to know if you're oka-" Rarity stomped her front hoof on the ground, producing a loud thumping noise.
"I said * now***." Spike was too confused to argue with anypony as of right now. Especially since the outcome could have been anything. He just didn't know what to expect anymore.
The dragon took lengthy side steps towards the door, which quickly turned into a fast walk. He reached the door and paused, looking back into the boutique. He let out a sigh, and before slamming the door shut said,
"I hope at least you figure out what's going on around here." The door was now closed, with Spike's back turned towards the boutique, his head looking towards the ground, he looked up at the town hall and contemplated his options. The list was short, and tight on risks he could take, or dangers he could face. Would he see the rest of the six ponies, even with the threat of three more crazy ponies looking to kill him, or would it be better off just informing the authorities of these mishaps and call it a day?
"If you don't take risks in life, you aren't going to get anywhere, Spike... let's go." The dragon inhaled and exhaled a large breathe of air, and made way towards his next target of the trio.
"Applejack is honest. I'm not trying to jinx myself here, but she's the most honest of them all. She must know what is going on with these lunatics." Spike stopped after his sentence.
"How long have I been talking to myself?" He started counting minutes on his fingers, but shrugged it off, as if it were a waste of time.
The Apple Family signature barn was in sight. He felt much more comfortable knowing there was a whole family he could talk to, not just one crazy pony. If one of the family members didn't have an answer, he could just move on to the next.
"Howdy Spike!" Applejack yelled from Spike's right, bucking a group of apples from a tree in the orchard.
"What brings you here?" She halted her work and walked towards him.
Spike was a bit anxious, as most of the conversations with the previous mares started calm, and ended horrific. He was going to try to keep this one at a slow and steady paced the whole way through.
"Hey Applejack, i'm just here to chat. Nothing big, really." Spike was thinking too hard about this. He was sweating, trying as much as he could to pick the right words to come out of his mouth.
"That's cool I guess. What is it you want to talk about? Actually, I should ask, is there anything you want? A drink? Some ci-" She stopped suddenly. Spike's heart race flew through the roof. This is where the crazy starts, isn't it?
"Heh heh, what am I thinking.... you're just a baby. Sorry spike, can't give you any cider, but i'm sure you could do with some water. Come inside, you can talk with the rest of the family as well. We're about to have ourselves some dinner, maybe you could join us." Spike gave a sigh of relief and rolled his eyes.
"Sounds great, thank you." He followed the mare into her home, feeling welcomed by everypony inside. Applebloom ran down the stairs with joy, ready for her scrumptious meal. The rest of the family joined at the table with Granny Smith and Bic Mac holding the feast. The so-called scrumptious feast, turned out to be a large stack of hay, with some leaves and vegetables on the side. Figures....
"Applebloom, would you be so kind as to pass the salt?" The orange mare rose from her plate to create eye contact with her sister. The filly stared into her food and rolled her eyes in annoyance.
"Get Big Mac to do it..." She resumed the devouring of her leaves.
"Really, Applebloom? You're going to act like that while we have a guest over?" She pointed a hoof towards Spike, who was twiddling his thumbs awkwardly at the situation.
"I just don't see why I have to do everything myself! It just isn't fair!" Her front hooves slammed on the table, rattling all the table and silverware.
"Applebloom! Show some manners! Can't you just behave this one time?!" Applejack became frustrated with the devious filly. Her cheeks buffed with red, embraced of Applebloom's rudeness.
"Stop yelling at your sister, it isn't getting us anywhere! Yelling won't solve a gosh darn thing!" Granny Smith began to chime in. The three began bickering at each other like wild animals. Spike took notice to Big Mac's rising temper, and prepared for the hefty shout that would soon come out of his mouth.
"None of this would have happened if that damn dragon hadn't had came here in the first place." The first thing he says at this supra and it's against Spike? C'mon... He didn't even shout it. It was the calmest way of insulting Spike had ever seen.
The three arguing family members ceased their argument to take in the thought.
"Big Mac's right!" Applebloom said, clearly trying to take the attention away from her.
"He's trying to ruin our family bond! He's trying to take away what makes us special!" It was obvious that Granny Smith wanted the same thing. They figured out how to turn declining to pass the salt, into a problem spike didn't start. He hadn't even said a single word through out this dinner party, and he was already in some sort of danger.
"W-What? Me? I haven't said anything! You were all arguing over something completely stupid!" Spike was irritated at how stupid this was, but was getting more nervous as they put the blame further and further on him.
"See, now he's calling us stupid!" The mare was now the last to hang the problem over the dragon's head. The only thing Spike was thankful for in this moment was that no violence had been initiated just yet. Yet. But he wasn't home free. Any words he said now would be put against him, so he would have to be careful of what he pushed, and what slipped out of his mouth.
"Gotta go!" Spike rose from his chair and sprinted using his small amount of agility, getting not very far compared to Big Mac who was in a mad (in the most literal sense) to tackle Spike to the ground and teach him "good manners" so to speak. Spike didn't bet on him to teach him anything, but to beat the living snot out of him instead.