Spike looked at the remains of the pony he had killed.

There was nothing but a pile of burnt flesh left. If the body was found, there was an unlikely chance that any pony could identify him.

Not that there will be much left. Spike thought.

The commotion they made would be noticed by the inhabitants of the forest. The smaller and herbivorous creatures would avoid them and hide. The carnivores however, would head straight to them.

What little remained of the stallion would be devoured by scavengers.

Why should they get the meal? A part of him asked. You made the kill.

Spike had to agree with the voice, he did do the work, why shouldn't he reap the rewards. The dragon would be lying if he said he wasn't tempted, he was a born carnivore. He had always been curious as to what meat tasted like. The only thing that held him back was the fact he was raised by ponies.

When will I ever get a chance like this again? He reasoned. "You did make me miss my meal with Rarity."

His reasoning was cut short by the sound of growling. Spike turned his head to see a small pack of Timber-wolves. They were sending Spike warning growls and barks. The message was clear, get away from the meat.

The old Spike would have backed away from the beasts, not this one. He growled back at the beasts, fire licking at his lips. A Timber-wolf's major weakness.

The wolves backed down, but they didn't leave. They would simply wait their turn.

The dragon knelt down to the corpse. He opened his newly sharpened mouth and bit. He only tore a small piece away to sample it.

Though the meat was burnt on the outside, it was still raw on the inside. The pony's blood and innards fell away under Spike's powerful jaws. Spike took notice of the burnt and ash like taste. It mixed well with the coppery smoothness of the flesh.

It was one of the greatest things he'd ever eaten.

He began eating with his usual vigor.

The wolves began growling again, they were growing impatient.

Spike ignored them as he stood, he had eaten his fill of the pony meat.

He backed away so that the Timber-wolves could begin. They didn't hesitate to pounce onto the pony meat. They tore into it with more vigor than Spike did. It seemed that burnt meat didn't bother them in the slightest.

Now that he had a full stomach, he decided to sit back. He wouldn't leave until he was sure that none of the pony remained.

While he waited, he decided to look at the stars. They twinkled in the sky with great beauty.

With all the glowing stars in the sky, Spike couldn't help but think about diamonds. Whenever he thought about diamonds, he thought about Rarity.

His train of thought was cut off by a curious growl from a stray Timber-wolf.

Instead of focusing on the meat like the rest, this one was investigating. It was sniffing at the bush that Spike had his behind.

Reaching it's head in, it pulled out a bag. It was the same bag that Spike snatched off the stranger. Spike had tossed it when he began his...action.

The wolf continued to sniff at it before losing interest.

It did however, peak Spike's interest.

He remembered how the Unicorn had blindly chased him all the way into the Everfree forest for it. Then the stallion's refusal to leave without it, even when he knew his was in a dangerous place.

What could have been worth it? Spike asked himself.

Spike decided to check for himself. He opened the bag and looked at it's contents.

Inside was something that usually filled Spike with joy, or hunger. Now it just made him furious.

The bag was full of gems!

"Buck you!" Spike shouted to the dead stallion.

Not only had the stallion rutted with his Rarity, now he tried stealing from her!

With the amount that was inside, the stallion could have lived a carefree life.

He pulled one out, a diamond. It was clear cut and absolutely flawless. It looked delicious, even if he had filled up on meat, he could make room for gems.

Just a small reward. He reasoned. He would return the rest to Rarity. At least most of it.

Spike opened his mouth to take a bite only to pause. Something in the diamond caught his attention, an image.

When he held it to get a better view of it, he jumped. What he saw was enough to make him drop the delicious morsel. The image showed a beast out of Spike's nightmares, it was him. It was him fueled by his greed into a monster.

Once again, his train of thought was interrupted by the curious Timber-wolf. It was sniffing at a piece of paper that Spike dropped. The same piece of paper that Twilight ripped from a book.

"Oh buck!" Twilight would kill him if he lost it.

He quickly snatched it from the ground. At first glance there was nothing wrong. He did however notice something on the back. Words that he had missed from the story.

The Scorpion and the Frog: The meaning of this story is to show that no one can change their nature.

That single line broke something in Spike, or in his case re-broke.

A dragon's nature was that of evil. They were nothing but vain and greedy creatures at their best. At their worst they were a force of destruction. They would destroy the land and kill anything that got in their way.

Spike had always saw himself as different. He never thought he was better than other dragons, just nicer. A lot more gentle and generous than his kind.

His actions tonight proved that wrong.

He had just killed and eaten a pony with his bare claws. Just because he did like him being by his-by Rarity.

Spike looked at the Timber-wolves as they neared the end of the meal. The baby dragon felt as if he were going to be sick.

"No no no nononononono!" Spike begged for it to not be real. "This can't be happening!"

The baby dragon couldn't stand it, he grabbed everything and ran. Not to the library, not home. He couldn't face Twilight, not with what he did, not after the library incident.

Applejack awoke with an angry start. She was no Rainbow Dash, but she did enjoy her sleep. Whoever was at her door was going to get a good buck to the face.

Why am ah the lightest sleeper? She asked herself, envious of the other Apples.

When she opened the door she was shocked.

She expected to see Pinkie giving invitations to a party. Rainbow Dash trying to play a prank on her. Twilight gathering the others for some insane adventure. The Crusaders after a fiasco to get their Cutie Marks gone horribly wrong. Even Fluttershy being kicked out by her rabbit. Again.

The last thing she expected to see was Spike standing at her door looking like his life was over.

"A-Applejack." He gasped "I d-did something..." he couldn't finish.

The look in his eyes told her that he wasn't depressed over Rarity. Or even hassled by one of Twilight's magic experiments on the fritz.

What she saw was fear and self-loathing.

"Ah'll get us the hard cider." She spoke as she let him in.

Spike watched the mare as he followed her inside. He didn't know why he ran to her in the first place, he just did.

She helped me once. He reasoned. Maybe she can do it again.

Applejack watched as the baby dragon slowly made his way inside the house.

She saw how he held onto the bag and paper in his claws. Yet he held the bag as if it were something he found disgusting.

"Are ya okay there sugercube?" She asked.

"N-no."

He didn't look okay, he looked sick.

"Ya look like ya ate something rotten." She stated.

Spike's eyes widened in fear at her statement.

It seemed that the fear had a negative affect on him. He felt the meat in his stomach turn rancid in his stomach. It then traveled up until it was a lump in his throat.

It took all of his will power to hold it in long enough to run outside. Spike had just barely made it the trees before the bile was released.

"Land sakes Spike!" Applejack exclaimed as she followed him out.

"I'm sorry!" He cried, tears falling uncontrollably "I didn't mean to do it!"

Applejack was shocked by his uncontrolled state. Ah got the feeling he ain't crying about vomit. She thought with dread.

"It's okay Spike." She soothed "You'll be okay."

"No I won't." He suddenly spoke, the clarity in his voice was unnerving.

"Yes you will." Applejack affirmed "You're just a little..." She paused as she saw the contents he emptied "Oh Celestia." She turned back to the baby dragon "Spike is...is that...flesh?"

The dragon froze at being found out. He looked at the mare and saw her fear, as if she were looking at a monster.

When he saw the look on the stallion, it was different. He had been in control of the situation

He couldn't take it, not from a friend, not from a pony.

Applejack's memory brought back the sight of him at Rarity's boutique. Every fiber in her body was telling her to run. To get to safety, but she couldn't leave a friend.

"Sugercube." She called "Spike, look at me." Spike looked up at her with a face that nearly tore her heart in two. Ah ain't seen a look like that since ah told Applebloom about ma and pa. She shook her head, ridding the thoughts "Come on Spike, tell me what happened."

Spike looked as if he couldn't heard her, or would anytime soon.

What's this here? She noticed that he dropped the paper he had been holding. "The scorpion and the frog."

Apparently saying those words had a bad affect on the baby dragon.

"I'm just a scorpion." He repeated over and over.

Applejack was very familiar with the story, it was one of her favorites. The story of a creature's nature taking control, leading it down a- Oh, now ah understand.

People always assumed that since Applejack was a farm pony, she had below average intelligence. She may not have their book smarts, but she had something just as good if not better. She had wisdom, passed down through family experience.

"Spike, ah want ya to look at me." She spook soothingly "Please Sugercube." It seemed that Spike wasn't going to meet her gaze, but he did. The sight was heartbreaking for the mare. "Is this what has y'all so upset?" She asked, pointing to the paper. He nodded. "Why?"

"My n-nature is e-e-evil." He nearly started crying again.

"No it's not." She countered "Why do ya think it is?"

"A dragon is naturally-"

"Proud and majestic." Applejack cut in. "There's got to be a hundred stories about how great they are."

"Spike, am I evil?"

Spike was confused as he answered. "No."

"King Sombra was evil." She stated "Am I evil?"

"No, King Sombra was some pony else."

"Exactly." She agreed "Are you every evil dragon?"

Spike was beginning to understand, a smile started creeping to his face. "No."

"Then how can you be evil?" She asked, confident he had no answer.

Instead of him being happy, he started frowning. His eyes left hers for a brief second, long enough for Applejack to notice. She followed his gaze towards his lost meal.

The flesh.

"Spike, you aren't going to like what a'm about to say." She spoke, gaining his attention "But that's...your nature.'

"I knew it." He whispered.

"That doesn't make ya evil!" She rushed "It just makes ya a...carnivore."

"So I'm not evil?" He asked.

"No, just hungry."

Spike gave the mare a hug, she was initially shocked by the action but quickly returned it.

Applejack was surprised at how large Spike was. Usually he could only reach her legs, now he was hugging her neck.

"Thanks Applejack." Spike spoke "Now I see why Twilight values your advice the most."

"No problem."

When they separated, the dragon was experiencing a form of relief he never knew existed.

"I'm glad I'm not a scorpion." He spoke "I'm a turtle."

"Don't tell that to Rainbow, she's been looking fora friend for Tank." Applejack joked. "Come inside, I have something for you."

Spike followed the farm mare.

Spike waited for the mare to return in the kitchen. When she returned, she had a shiny piece of emerald in her mouth. The same one he used to pay for the plot of land.

"Here you go partner." She handed it to him.

"What's this for?" Spike asked "This is yours."

"Well, since your date...cancelled, it's only fair I give you a refund." Applejack answered.

Spike looked at the gem and the mare. Part of him told him to take, the other told him to leave it.

"You should keep it." Spike forced out "I'd only use it as a snack."

"Now that wouldn't be the Apple way." The mare declared "We don't take charity, we earn our keep."

"You helped me get over my fears." Spike declared "Take that as payment for your services.

"That was just me being a friend." She stated "How could I charge you for that?"

Spike was at a loss for reason. They both wanted her to take the gem, but she was too stubborn to do so.

"Fine." Spike sighed.

He took the gem without his usual vigor for the item.

"Well, let me make it to you." Spike begged "Waking you up in the middle of the night wasn't right."

"Spike."

"Please!!!" He begged.

She looked at the face, she couldn't resist long. "Fine."

"Great, I'll be hear to help you out tomorrow."

"Well hold on there partner, I'm not saying that y-."

He was already gone."

Author's Note

Not my best, but I promise more drama next chapter.

More comments, they keep me active.