To Be A Ponyby Ph0enixChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2Intermission IChapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 1It was that time of year again when the snow falls and every pony's favorite holiday roll back around. In Ponyville, every pony was cheerful and all the world’s conflicts were rest aside. The ponies in the market place were trading, the foals in the school were learning, and the ponies in the fields were plowing. There wasn't a conflict to be seen that is, except for in the Golden Oaks Library. The newest princess, Twilight Sparkle, was packing her lavender colored saddle bag with supplies for the journey that was to come. Her assistant, Spike, was close by complaining about the next few days that were to follow. "But Twilight why does it have to be me?" Twilight took a deep breath and looked at the dragon with a serious look, “Because Spike, Discord has broken free from his prison again, and as the Elements of harmony, it's our job to go and stop him from carrying out his plans…no matter how stupid they may be." As always, Equestria was relying on the Elements to take care of the problem like they always do. The only problem with that, for Spike, was he had to watch the CMC while the others went off to stop Discord. Usually, these trips meant peaceful times for the dragon because he usually had a few days all to himself. This trip, however, would prove to be disastrous because the CMC and their bad habit of destroying things in an attempt to gain their cutie marks. "But..." "Don't but me!" Twilight said cutting him off. Spike observed the serious look on her face and knew from past experiences that he would get nowhere in this argument. He decided that it would be wise not to anger the Alicorn any more then she already was. "Finnnnneeeeee!" said spike clearly annoyed by the idea. He point more strain in his voice, so Twilight would get the point. "Good. Now the girls are probably waiting at the train station for me. The Cutie Mark Crusaders should be here in a little while…just keep them entertained, alright?" Twilight then gave a small wave and a smile before she exited her bedroom, walked down the stairs, and through the front door. As soon as she left the hallowed out tree, Spike walked over to the chair in the corner of the room where he sat down, took a deep breathe, and put his head in his claws. The next few days were sure to be ones he wouldn't forget. He thought about how he was going to survive the next couple of days. It was an impossible task since those three fillies managed to ruin anything they touched. He'd have to be sure to hide all the breakable things before they arrived. He then thought of ways he could try and convince them not to go cutie mark crusading, but knew it would be pointless to argue with them. They were too hard headed and determined. Over the past few years, those fillies had developed a reputation to be a very destructive. One time, they brought down an entire statue in the public park. They were also known for being mischievous, like the time they poisoned their teacher and Big Macintosh with a love potion. The poor dragon could only wonder what this week had in store with them around. After about fifteen minutes of waiting, the silence was broken by the ranting on the door, completely breaking Spike from his trance. He got up and trudged over to the door. He hesitantly opened it only to be greeted by three little fillies each wearing a broad smile and matching capes. Spike barely had time to move before each filly ran into the library. "Hi, Spike!" Sweetie Belle said skipping through the door. "Howdy, Spike!" Apple bloom said running right behind her "Heya, Spike." Said Scootaloo coming in last, riding on her scooter. All three of them went into the main part of the library and immediately starting looking through books. Spike shut the door before joining them. When he entered the room he saw the fillies, surrounded by books, sitting in the center of the carpet talking amongst themselves. He took notice of their saddle bags which had obviously been shoved in the corner by the book case. “That’s one more thing I will have to pick up later.” Spike thought to himself. He redirected his attention to the group of fillies. As he got closer, he could hear bits of their conversation. From what he could make of the speech, they were planning on things to do to earn their cutie mark based off information in the books. This immediately sent up red flags in Spike’s mind. "Hey, girls. I have an idea. Why don't you guys take a break from earning your cutie marks today, lay down, and read a nice book?" The three fillies looked at him in an amused way. As if he had just said something funny. Before Spike could render this in his mind, the three fillies all fell to the floor in a pit of laughter. Spike didn't understand what was so funny. Whenever he had free time, he would always lie down and read a book, or rather that's what Twilight made him do. After their minute of laughter they managed to get a hold of themselves and looked at Spike who was standing in front of them tapping his foot on the floor with a look of annoyance plastered on his face. "Sorry, Spike" Sweetie belle apologized. "It is fine Sweetie Belle. I'm just asking that we don't overdo it on the cutie mark crusading." They all sat quietly, thinking of ways they could entertain themselves for the remaining portion of the day. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle still hadn't come up with anything, but Apple Bloom’s straight face slowly crept into a smile. "Oh how about we play hide and seek!" offered Apple bloom "Yeah!!" Sweetie belle and Scootaloo said in unison. "Okay, sure. I guess that works too. So who's going to be it?" Spike asked. The three fillies all smiled before splitting in different directions. Spike just sighed before going to a corner to count. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The group of four played hide and seek, for several hours before finally deciding to call it a night. Spike helped them with rolling out their sleeping bags on the floor in the center of the large open room. He asked if everything was alright before making his way to the door to exit the room. "Spike?" He turned around to see the three of them sitting up in their sleeping bags giving him a hopeful look. He sighed and walked back over to the center of the room. "Yes girls?"He asked. He rubbed his eyes which were filled with tiredness. We'll um ya see Spike, normally somepony reads us a story before bed..." Said Apple bloom, who was now blushing from embarrassment. "And we were wondering if you could read for us." Finished Scootaloo Spike looked at the three of them; they all had pleading smiles, and stared at him with their best puppy dog eyes. He knew the only way out of this one was to give in and read them a book. "Fine..." He said in defeat. This would actually be the first time he had ever read out loud to somepony in his life. Most times Twilight would read to him, so this would be a new experience. He began to walk towards the book shelf with a sort of new feeling. "So I think I know a book you guys might......WHOAA!!" Spike said absentmindedly as he tripped over a book that had been left out by the CMC. He stumbled forward into a book shelf. It shook violently. Unfortunately, he didn’t notice a fizzy green liquid in a tube labeled "Unknown Substance". It was sitting on the top of the book shelf and when Spike collided with the shelf, it was sent flying off. It soared through the air where It eventually descended, and crashed onto Spike’s head. The dragon was drenched in the neon green fluid. Spike’s eyes widened at the horror he just went through. Not knowing which potion hit him was the most terrifying part about the situation. He quickly tried to think of any information regarding potions that what prove helpful. He remembered a lesson Twilight had taught him a few years ago, if only he could remember it. Then it all came back to him, as he remembered the lesson. “... If you get splashed by a potion and it doesn't take affect within ten second then you’re probably going to be ok.” Spike checked himself for any unusual features, or extra body parts. He thankfully saw that there was nothing wrong. With a sigh of relief, He turned his attention to the three fillies who were clearly confused about what just happened. He picked up the broken glass with his claws. It wasn’t like it could penetrate his scales. After going to throw the glass away, Spike returned to the main room where the fillies were still sitting, confused. "Spike, are you ok?" asked Scootaloo. "Yeah, I'm fine thanks for asking." Spike responded. "So, what happened?" asked Sweetie Belle. "Well, when I hit that book shelf, a potion went flying in the air ,and hit me. Don't worry, I think that it had no an effect on me…” "Oh well as long as you’re sure” "Thanks… Now, how about that book...." Spike read to them for the remainder of the night. After they had fallen asleep, he then shut the book, and walked up stairs to his own bed. He went and lay own in his basket. Eventually drifting off into his own dreams. ````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` The morning sun streamed into Spike’s eyes, and stirred him from his sleeping state. He sat up, stretched his back, and then stood up before walking over to the mirror. As soon as he looked at the mirror, he eyes went wide. Standing before him was a pony, a unicorn to be exact. He had a purple fur with a green mane; his eyes were an emerald green, and the unicorn had a scroll for a cutie mark. “AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!” He stood there in his same motionless state for several minutes, and then the CMC burst through the door. "Spike what's..." Sweetie belle stopped in the middle of her sentence when she noticed the strange unicorn standing in the middle of the room. She, along with her fellow crusaders, jaw dropped. "S-spike is that you??" asked Apple Bloom who was first to speak up. "Yeah???" "What happened to you?" "I-I don't know to be honest, my best bet would be that potion that fell on me last night." "Well I think that it would be best to contact princess Twilight." Suggested scootaloo "That's a great idea......." Said Spike, “…If only I had my fire to contact her." Spike, along with the fillies, were confused and had no idea what course of action to take. They eventually decided to talk about it after they had eaten breakfast which had taken longer to prepare thanks to Spike’s now missing opposable thumb. Once he had managed to make breakfast ,everypony sat down and ate. It was a quiet and awkward meal, but eventually came to an end. After cleaning up, they walked into the main room where they were going to plan on what to do next. Twilight wasn't going to be home for at least another day, so Spike was stuck as a pony till then. He didn't know what today had in store for him, but whatever it was it was sure to be one to remember. Author's Note Thanks to MoltenXKid for proofreading and editing. I will appreciate any advice on how to improve in future chapters Thanks. Chapter 2"What do we do!?" Spike exaggerated as he continued to pace in a circle around the couch, occasionally tripping over his hooves due to inexperience with walking on all fours. There was an awkward silence in the room. Apple Bloom had fallen asleep on the couch while Sweetie Belle was still fighting to stay awake. It was early in the day, and probably the earliest any of them had ever been up. Spike, however, was too anxious to even attempt to sleep. Scootaloo, who was in the kitchen, decided it was best to brew warm tea to wake everyone up. How she was able keep calm, and stay alert was beyond Spike. "I don't see why this is such a big deal," Sweetie Belle yawned, “It is something to be celebrated.” "Not a big deal… not a big deal!" Spike shouted into the air, " How exactly is this not a big deal?!" In his momentary rage, a small spark of green magic flew out of his horn. It flew across the room, hit the door frame, and surprised an unsuspecting Scootaloo, causing her to drop the tray of tea. "I got it…" She deadpanned. With a solemn sigh, she left the room Spike tried to apologize, but Scootaloo had already left the room. He mentally kicked himself for being so reckless. As he turned to face Sweetie Belle, he noticed that she was avoiding eye contact with him. "I'm sorry." she mumbled. This caught the ex-dragon by surprise. Not only was she not mad at him for the spark, but she also apologized when it should have been him apologizing. "I'm the one that should be sorry; you didn't deserve that Sweetie Belle." He looked down in shame. Instinctively, he started tapping his hoof to the ground. "It's okay,” she said, “I know this must be hard for you." "Yeah, it's defiantly different than being a dragon." Spike sighed. He managed to form a small smile. A few moments passed, and the two ponies exchanged small talk while being careful not to wake the sleeping filly sitting on the far end of the couch. Scootaloo, with fresh cups of tea on her back, walked back into the room, she kept an indifferent look on her face, yet her eyes said anxiety. After distributing the tea, the pegusus took a seat next to Spike. "So, what do we do now?" Sweetie Belle asked, taking a sip of her tea. She winched from the heat. "I'm not sure; I don't have my flame anymore, so that's out of the picture." Spike replied attempting to take a gulp of his own tea. He instantly spit it back in the cup. Without his dragon form, the heat fully affected him. "How about we look for a recipe to a potion that will change him back into a dragon?" Scootaloo offered, joining in the conversation. "I don’t think that's a good idea scoots. Last time we made a potion, it poisoned our teacher and Apple Bloom’s brother. And even if we were good at making potions, we would have to know what potion splashed him in the first place." Sweetie Belle said earning a nod from Spike. "Well, what if we…" Scootaloo was cut off by a rapid knocking being omitted by the front door. "Who could that be?" Spike asked aloud as he got out of his seat and trotted to the door. As he pushed the door open with his hoof, the light of the sun proved to be too strong of an opponent for his eyes, causing him to shade them with his hoof. Once his eyes adjusted, he could make out Zecora standing in front of him holding a book in her mouth. "Oh, it's just you Zecora, how can I help you?" Spike asked. "I'm sorry, but have we met?" Zecora said raising an eyebrow, “I don’t believe I know you little one, but I came to see Twilight Sparkle.” "What do you mean, it's me Spik..." He then remembered that he wasn't a dragon anymore. He looked to see Zecora giving him a confused expression, and decided it was best to explain the situation. "It's me Spike." He said trying to convince her of his true identity. "That can't be. You see, the Spike I know is a Dragon and you’re a pony." "But you have to believe me! A potion splashed on me when it fell off the top of a book case. Nothing happened that night, but when I woke up, I was a pony." Spike explained. "Spike…?" Zecora said, examining him in order to confirm her beliefs. This pony’s color scheme was close enough to match the scales on the normal Spike, but what really convinced her was the scroll surrounded by flames on his flank, "It is you!" She exclaimed in disbelief. "Finally, you believe me…wait…why aren't your rhyming?” "You’re not the only one with potion mishaps, “Zecora laughed, “After my accident, I found that my native zebra language has been temporarily disabled. Not to worry though, it will return in a day or two. Just goes to show, never use poison joke." She explained, while stifling another laugh. "So…does that mean I only have to be a pony for one or two more days?!" He asked excitedly. "I'm not to sure, depends on how strong the potion was." She shrugged. "Well, if you can do anything, I will appreciate it. I don't want to be a pony any longer than I have to." "Let’s see, do you know what potion splashed you?" She asked putting her hoof under her nozzle. Thinking back, all Spike could remember was that it was a fizzy green liquid, and that it had no distinct traits. Come to think of it, there weren't any traits that it had that were normal. Most potions were either purple or blue. The only way it could have turned that color was with the use of magic. Specifically, Alicorn Magic. "Zecora, is it possible that I was splashed with a magical potion, and maybe my body had an undocumented reaction of some kind?" He asked. "It is possible, but without Princess Twilight, there's no magic to compare it to." "What about Sweetie Belle’s magic? It’s not Alicorn magic, but it's still magic. Could that work?" Zecora looked up in thought for a moment before shaking her head disapprovingly. Spike hoped that her look would change, but deep inside he knew what she would say. Yet, he could always hope, right? "Unfortunately no, Alicorn magic is much stronger then unicorn magic. Meaning, the sample wouldn't be strong enough to get any real results. It also doesn't help that she's younger; her magic isn't fully developed yet." "So what is there I can do?" Spike asked. "You and the girls can wait here while I go back to my hut. There, I can use my own equipment to figure out how to change you back. Until then, I suggest you keep your identity a secret." "Bu..." Spike tried to say but was quickly cut off. "No buts." She said sternly, “Keep quiet, and stay lay low.” "Fine." He muttered "Good. Now, I'm going home to begin researching for any information that I can find. I will return tomorrow morning to collect some DNA samples from you. Hopefully, I can tell you what I have found. Good day." With that Spike watched as Zecora turned around and slowly trotted off into the Everfree Forest. ``````````` (Back in the Living Room) "I don’t think that's a good idea scoots, last time we made a potion it poisoned our teacher and Apple Blooms brother. And even if we were good at making potions, we would have to know what potion splashed him in the first place." Sweetie Belle said earning a nod from Spike. "Well, what if we...” Scootaloo was cut off by a rapid knocking being omitted from the front door. "Who could that be?" Spike asked before getting up and trotting off to the front door, soon disappearing outside to address the pony that had come. The only ponies left were Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and a sleeping Apple Bloom. Scootaloo turned to Sweetie Belle who was staring at the floor, obviously deep in thought. This was an unusual act for the small unicorn who was usually the chatter-box of the three. Her lack of speech did not go unnoticed by her friend. "Is everything alright, Sweetie Belle?" "Yeah, why do you ask" she said with a forced smile. Scootaloo gave her friend a stern look. She knew full well Sweetie Belle was lying to her. "Sweetie Belle, I've known you for a couple of years, now and you've never stayed quiet for more than five minutes at a time." "It's nothing to worry about Scootaloo" She said tying to dismiss the subject, but the Pegasus wasn't buying it. "Sweetie Belle, if there's something that's bothering you then you can tell me." "I know." She said. "So, that being said, are you sure there's nothing you want to talk about? I mean, I can wake up Apple Bloom, and we can tal..." She was quickly cut off. "I said I'm fine!!" shrieked Sweetie Belle, causing Scootaloo to back away a little bit. The realization of her own words got to her. Just for a moment, she saw herself in a different perspective. One she didn’t like. And in that moment, she realized her own mistake of turning her back on a friend. "I-I am so sorry, Scootaloo" Sweetie Belle recoiled with shame. She slowly walked up to her friend, hugged her, and dropped any kind of anger she once had. "Ugghhh, get off me Sweetie Belle! I glad you're apologizing, but you don't have to get all mushy on me. If you don't want to tell me what's on your mind, then I won't press you for answers, for the time being, anyway." She responded giving Sweetie Belle a gentle squeeze, then shoved her off. "Oh, sorry about that" Sweetie Belle said, giving a small chuckle. Her chuckle was cut short by the closing of the front door. Spike, who was looking a bit livelier than before, came back into the room. The vibration from door shook the whole house, making a large slamming noise echo throughout the house. The slam woke Apple Bloom from her slumber, and immediately jerked Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo's attention away from their conversation. "W-what did I miss?" asked Apple Bloom sitting up and giving a big yawn. "Nothing to exciting." responded Scootaloo. "Say, Spike who was at the door anyway?" asked Sweetie Belle. "Oh, it was just Zecora. She was pretty shocked when she learned that I'm Spike." He chuckled lightly. "So why don't we just ask her to make a potion that will turn ya back into a dragon?" insisted Apple Bloom. Spike just shook his head, “She said that she has to know what the original potion was to make an antidote, and since we don't know what splashed me, we can't make it." "So what do we do now?" Asked Sweetie Belle "Zecora said that I should keep my identity a secret for the time being. But other than that, there's nothing else we have to do." "Ok then, so what do you gu.." Scootaloo was again cut off by Sweetie Belle. "Why is it so cold in here?" "I have noticed that, but I just assumed it was because I'm not a dragon anymore." agreed Spike. Their attention was drawn to a window that swung with the help of a slight gust of wind. The curtains flowed along with the breeze. Spike’s jaw dropped slightly getting the attention of Apple Bloom. He ran to the window, and frantically searched around it. He reached an unwanted conclusion, and facehoofed. "Spike, what's wrong? It's just an open window." Apple Bloom said with curiosity. "No no no!" He shouted into the air, “It’s not just an open window!” "What's wrong then, Spike?" asked Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo who had also noticed Spike’s distress. "Peewee! Peewee!" Spike called, once again searching ignoring their questions. "Tell us, what's wrong." The CMC said in unison. "The window is open!" He responded. "Yeah so, haven't you seen an open window before?" Scootalo asked sarcastically. "That's not the problem! The problem is that we haven't fully trained Peewee yet. So, if the window is open, he can freely fly out, and we have to go find him. Usually, Twilight can use a tracking spell to find him, but she's not here, and that window has probably been open the whole night. He could be as far as Manehatten by now!" cried Spike. "Oh…" They responded "Alright, I’m going to go and gather some things, and then we have to go find Peewee." This caused the trios face to light up with excitement. Spike was confused by the sudden change in attitude, yet continued to pack. Their smiles grew wider and wider; their movements more erratic. Sweetie left only to return with three folded pieces of cloth. She handed them out to her friends. "What’s happening?" He asked, becoming a tad worried. "Spike do you know what this means?" Sweetie Belle exclaimed. "Uhh, no…" "CUTIEMARK CRUSADERS: PHOENIX HUTERS, YAY!!!" The CMC dramatically posed as their capes flowed in wind that wasn’t their. "Oh Celestia help me…" Author's Note First of Im sorry this took so long to get out, tornados hit down here in the south, and my neighborhood was without electricity for two days. So that set my back a little bit. Also I apologize in advance for Zecora and her dialogue. I can't write it for my life, and my editor for this story tried his best to help. So sorry Thanks again to MoltenXKid for editing and proofreading. Intermission IPart II The Journey Begins Chapter 3Chapter 3- A Journey Begins With a Single Step. Written by Fr0zenph0enix Proofread and Edited by MoltenXKid- (Who’s not a bad guy himself…A pretty cool guy.) ~~~~~~~~~~ It had been an hour since the group had left the library on their small adventure. He packed lightly knowing he would probably be doing most of the carrying. Fortunately, the new pony body had given him more strength and better leverage to carry the items: a tent big enough for the four of them; rations of food that would last them several days, sleeping bags to keep the cold weather, produced by the Everfree Forest, away; and various other items that might help later in the trip. The CMCs, on the other hoof, only brought small saddle bags that they could easily carry with no hassle. Spike had no idea as to what those fillies decided to bring, but he could only assume it was something that they could use in hopes of gaining their Cutie Marks. He sighed knowing something would go wrong. The group had been traveling-more like hunting- for close to an hour with no sight of Peewee. Spike noticed that the fillies were getting tired. He hoped to at least make it another mile before noon, yet his hopes were slowly depleting as rain clouds moved in from the north. They seemed to laugh at his efforts as they came closer. "Nope! Not over here." Scootaloo said taking her head out of the nearby bushes. "He’s not over here neither." Added Sweetie Belle. "Ouch!” wailed Applebloom. She accidently searched a thorn bush. “Ah’ve got nothin’.” "How about you spike? Have ya found anything yet?" "No," He replied glumly. He sulked out of the bush he was searching. "How about we check…" Spike began to say, but was cut off by a raindrop splashing onto his snout. He looked up to see that the once far away rain clouds were now over head. The others had taken notice of this as well. In that moment, Spike knew that the search would have to be cut short. He planned get an early start to make up for the lost time. "Uh, Spike, I think we should find shelter before that storm comes in." said Apple Bloom stating the obvious. Sweetie Belle looked at the clouds before nodding in agreement, "Yeah we should; why don't we set up the tent?" Spike shook his head in disagreement "No, that might be a bad idea considering how dark those clouds are; a tent might not be safe enough." "Then where are we suppose to take shelter from the rain?" Spike paused from a moment, and began to think. He looked around to find anywhere safe to stay until the storm passed. For the most part, he only saw trees, but after a moment, something came into sight. In the distance, there was a chain of large hills. He knew there was no guarantee of safety, but at the moment it was the only choice they had. "Hey guys, if we go towards those hills, we might get lucky and find some shelter. Maybe a cave?" "Can't we just find shelter over here? I don't wanna walk anymore" Scootaloo replied in an annoyed tone. "I don't think there is another option; there’s no other shelter anywhere around here." Spike reassured trying to reason with her. "Fine!" She huffed. It took about ten minutes before the group reached the large hills. The rain clouds were ready to release their load. The group scrambled around the hill in search for a place to take shelter. They kept searching, yet it was in vain. Nothing was showing. Apple bloom walked around the hill keeping her eyes peeled for anything that could be used as shelter. She had looped a hill around completely with no luck. The others were searching around as well, but they too had no luck finding anything. After a few more minutes of searching, she decided that it would be best to give up and go meet back up with the others. As she was walking back, the wind decided to blow out her loosely tied bow. Without thinking, she ran after it trying to jump up and catch it. After a while of chasing the elusive bow, it finally landed behind some shrubs. She walked in the bushes to retrieve the bow, gently pushed the shrubs aside, and saw small dead end cave that could easily house the four of them until the storm passed. After silently praising herself, she went back to tell the others of her discovery. The storm went on for the rest of the day trapping them in the cave for the night. The group-more Spike than any of them- had quickly made a fire after the sun went down for the day. Spike started to prepare some of the food that he had brought for the trip. After dinner, they all unrolled their sleeping bags and decided to lie down for the night, though the conversations carried on. "Hey guys?" Spike asked as he starred at the ceiling. "Yeah?" The three fillies responded I don't mean to sound rude ,but why did you guys have to come stay at the library? I mean, don't you guys have family that you could have stayed with?" Sweetie Belle reflected on her current situation momentarily before proceeding with her answer, "My parents aren't always around; they're on business trips most of the time. I live with Rarity because they're always busy. And even Rarity is too busy for me sometimes. I didn't have much of a choice in coming here, but I'm glad I did; otherwise, I would have missed out on all of this." She said maintaining a small smile. "And what about you guys?" Spike said nodding to the others. "Ah just came because they were coming; it gets really boring at the farm without Applejack. Granny Smith just sleeps all day, and all my brother does is work on the farm. Ah figured that if ah chose the library, ah would at least get to be with my friends. Ah mean this whole adventure isn't that bad." She explained "So what's your story ,Scootaloo?" "I-I don't really want to talk about it." She said with haste. Spike and the remaining two Cutie mark Crusaders exchanged equally confused looks, but decided not to press the subject any further. For the next few minutes, an awkward silence filled the air; nopony said a word. The only sound that could be heard was the sound of the rain outside, and the crackling of the dim fire. After several minutes of silence, Spike decided to it was time to sleep. "Man, it's getting really late; we should really hit the hay." "Yeah, ah guess you’re right." Apple Bloom agreed letting out a yawn It was late into the night, and the entire group was asleep. All except for Spike who was finding sleep exceptionally hard that night. Mostly due to the things on his mind. 'These past few days have been the worst days of my life. I've managed to turn myself into a different species, lose my pet Phoenix, and now I'm stuck in the middle of nowhere with the Cutie Mark Crusaders of all ponies. Why did they even have to come in the first place? I would have been perfectly fine having the library all to myself. ’Spike sat up, in defeat, 'I’m never going to Get to sleep' he sighed. He walked over, and sat by the dimly lit fire deep in thought, “If I were Peewee, where would I go?” . Half an hour passed, and the thought lingered in Spike’s mind He was brought out of his thoughts when he saw Sweetie Belle take a seat next to him. "Can't sleep?" She asked. "No, I've got a lot on my mind." He responded. "Why? What's the matter?" Her voice filled with a bit of concern. "I-it just wasn't supposed to go like this. I-we should be back at the library right now, reading, and drinking hot chocolate." He sighed and looked down, "This is entirely my fault." "No, it's not your fault Spike. You’re just doing what is necessary to get Peewee back; I think any pet owner would understand that." Spike yawned, "I guess your right Sweetie Belle. Thanks." "No problem." The two ponies went for a hug, but decided that too awkward for the both of them. Instead, they walked over to the others, and found their respective sleeping bags. After that comfortable spot, both descended into sleep. "Good night, Spike." "Good night, Sweetie Belle." Not too far away, a queen sat on her throne looking restless. She was just moments away from finding out if her plan worked or not. The atmosphere in the room was dead still from the tense environment. Months of work and planning went into this, and if it didn't work, her entire hive could possibly starve. Yet for the moment, all she could do was wait in suspense. Finally, the large cobblestone doors were slowly pushed open by a General. He walked in ,and gave a respectful bow. "You have better got a good reason for interrupting me when I specifically asked to be alone." The general nodded, "I have word on your plan." These words immediately brought the queen to a proper sitting position. "And what is the news?" She asked. Eagerness dripping from every word. "The subject has entered our land." He said with a smile “This is wonderful news. Now, all we need to do is-” She was interrupted by the general "But there is a complication..." He said looking down. "What do you mean 'complication'?" She asked in a hostile voice "We'll he's not alone; there are three fillies with him." "Well, we only needed him, but since they are in the way, we might as well take them too. I guess they could be a bonus of sorts." "What should our next course of action be?" the General asked "Capture them, and bring them here. No matter what you have to do; take all the soldiers you need." With that, the general bowed again ,and walked to the door once more to leave. "Oh, and general…" She said stopping him in his place. "Yes, my queen?" "Don't let them get in your way. I don't mind if one of them come back with a non-life threatening injury." The general grinned at this with pleasure. "Yes, my queen." With that, he left through the door leaving the queen alone with her thoughts. She was happy… happier than ever before. The gears of her plan were turning quite nicely. She looked over to a chirping, baby phoenix, which was now in a cage. It wasn't hurt but was obviously unhappy. The queen smile before she got up from her thrown, and walked to the door. Now wasn’t the time for resting because now.... It was time for step two… ``````````````````````` Authors Note: I am truly sorry for how long it takes me to update, and trust me when I say I don't like keeping you guys waiting. If it were up to me, I would sit here all day and write. Unfortunately, life has other plans for me. Soon, I will be working a part time job to start saving up for college, so that takes time off my writing hours. But, I will try to get updates out a lot faster. I’m also pretty nervous about screwing this up so I’m taking my time to ensure you get the best content I can possibly give you. Sorry again. :( Chapter 4Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
Chapter 1It was that time of year again when the snow falls and every pony's favorite holiday roll back around. In Ponyville, every pony was cheerful and all the world’s conflicts were rest aside. The ponies in the market place were trading, the foals in the school were learning, and the ponies in the fields were plowing. There wasn't a conflict to be seen that is, except for in the Golden Oaks Library. The newest princess, Twilight Sparkle, was packing her lavender colored saddle bag with supplies for the journey that was to come. Her assistant, Spike, was close by complaining about the next few days that were to follow. "But Twilight why does it have to be me?" Twilight took a deep breath and looked at the dragon with a serious look, “Because Spike, Discord has broken free from his prison again, and as the Elements of harmony, it's our job to go and stop him from carrying out his plans…no matter how stupid they may be." As always, Equestria was relying on the Elements to take care of the problem like they always do. The only problem with that, for Spike, was he had to watch the CMC while the others went off to stop Discord. Usually, these trips meant peaceful times for the dragon because he usually had a few days all to himself. This trip, however, would prove to be disastrous because the CMC and their bad habit of destroying things in an attempt to gain their cutie marks. "But..." "Don't but me!" Twilight said cutting him off. Spike observed the serious look on her face and knew from past experiences that he would get nowhere in this argument. He decided that it would be wise not to anger the Alicorn any more then she already was. "Finnnnneeeeee!" said spike clearly annoyed by the idea. He point more strain in his voice, so Twilight would get the point. "Good. Now the girls are probably waiting at the train station for me. The Cutie Mark Crusaders should be here in a little while…just keep them entertained, alright?" Twilight then gave a small wave and a smile before she exited her bedroom, walked down the stairs, and through the front door. As soon as she left the hallowed out tree, Spike walked over to the chair in the corner of the room where he sat down, took a deep breathe, and put his head in his claws. The next few days were sure to be ones he wouldn't forget. He thought about how he was going to survive the next couple of days. It was an impossible task since those three fillies managed to ruin anything they touched. He'd have to be sure to hide all the breakable things before they arrived. He then thought of ways he could try and convince them not to go cutie mark crusading, but knew it would be pointless to argue with them. They were too hard headed and determined. Over the past few years, those fillies had developed a reputation to be a very destructive. One time, they brought down an entire statue in the public park. They were also known for being mischievous, like the time they poisoned their teacher and Big Macintosh with a love potion. The poor dragon could only wonder what this week had in store with them around. After about fifteen minutes of waiting, the silence was broken by the ranting on the door, completely breaking Spike from his trance. He got up and trudged over to the door. He hesitantly opened it only to be greeted by three little fillies each wearing a broad smile and matching capes. Spike barely had time to move before each filly ran into the library. "Hi, Spike!" Sweetie Belle said skipping through the door. "Howdy, Spike!" Apple bloom said running right behind her "Heya, Spike." Said Scootaloo coming in last, riding on her scooter. All three of them went into the main part of the library and immediately starting looking through books. Spike shut the door before joining them. When he entered the room he saw the fillies, surrounded by books, sitting in the center of the carpet talking amongst themselves. He took notice of their saddle bags which had obviously been shoved in the corner by the book case. “That’s one more thing I will have to pick up later.” Spike thought to himself. He redirected his attention to the group of fillies. As he got closer, he could hear bits of their conversation. From what he could make of the speech, they were planning on things to do to earn their cutie mark based off information in the books. This immediately sent up red flags in Spike’s mind. "Hey, girls. I have an idea. Why don't you guys take a break from earning your cutie marks today, lay down, and read a nice book?" The three fillies looked at him in an amused way. As if he had just said something funny. Before Spike could render this in his mind, the three fillies all fell to the floor in a pit of laughter. Spike didn't understand what was so funny. Whenever he had free time, he would always lie down and read a book, or rather that's what Twilight made him do. After their minute of laughter they managed to get a hold of themselves and looked at Spike who was standing in front of them tapping his foot on the floor with a look of annoyance plastered on his face. "Sorry, Spike" Sweetie belle apologized. "It is fine Sweetie Belle. I'm just asking that we don't overdo it on the cutie mark crusading." They all sat quietly, thinking of ways they could entertain themselves for the remaining portion of the day. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle still hadn't come up with anything, but Apple Bloom’s straight face slowly crept into a smile. "Oh how about we play hide and seek!" offered Apple bloom "Yeah!!" Sweetie belle and Scootaloo said in unison. "Okay, sure. I guess that works too. So who's going to be it?" Spike asked. The three fillies all smiled before splitting in different directions. Spike just sighed before going to a corner to count. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The group of four played hide and seek, for several hours before finally deciding to call it a night. Spike helped them with rolling out their sleeping bags on the floor in the center of the large open room. He asked if everything was alright before making his way to the door to exit the room. "Spike?" He turned around to see the three of them sitting up in their sleeping bags giving him a hopeful look. He sighed and walked back over to the center of the room. "Yes girls?"He asked. He rubbed his eyes which were filled with tiredness. We'll um ya see Spike, normally somepony reads us a story before bed..." Said Apple bloom, who was now blushing from embarrassment. "And we were wondering if you could read for us." Finished Scootaloo Spike looked at the three of them; they all had pleading smiles, and stared at him with their best puppy dog eyes. He knew the only way out of this one was to give in and read them a book. "Fine..." He said in defeat. This would actually be the first time he had ever read out loud to somepony in his life. Most times Twilight would read to him, so this would be a new experience. He began to walk towards the book shelf with a sort of new feeling. "So I think I know a book you guys might......WHOAA!!" Spike said absentmindedly as he tripped over a book that had been left out by the CMC. He stumbled forward into a book shelf. It shook violently. Unfortunately, he didn’t notice a fizzy green liquid in a tube labeled "Unknown Substance". It was sitting on the top of the book shelf and when Spike collided with the shelf, it was sent flying off. It soared through the air where It eventually descended, and crashed onto Spike’s head. The dragon was drenched in the neon green fluid. Spike’s eyes widened at the horror he just went through. Not knowing which potion hit him was the most terrifying part about the situation. He quickly tried to think of any information regarding potions that what prove helpful. He remembered a lesson Twilight had taught him a few years ago, if only he could remember it. Then it all came back to him, as he remembered the lesson. “... If you get splashed by a potion and it doesn't take affect within ten second then you’re probably going to be ok.” Spike checked himself for any unusual features, or extra body parts. He thankfully saw that there was nothing wrong. With a sigh of relief, He turned his attention to the three fillies who were clearly confused about what just happened. He picked up the broken glass with his claws. It wasn’t like it could penetrate his scales. After going to throw the glass away, Spike returned to the main room where the fillies were still sitting, confused. "Spike, are you ok?" asked Scootaloo. "Yeah, I'm fine thanks for asking." Spike responded. "So, what happened?" asked Sweetie Belle. "Well, when I hit that book shelf, a potion went flying in the air ,and hit me. Don't worry, I think that it had no an effect on me…” "Oh well as long as you’re sure” "Thanks… Now, how about that book...." Spike read to them for the remainder of the night. After they had fallen asleep, he then shut the book, and walked up stairs to his own bed. He went and lay own in his basket. Eventually drifting off into his own dreams. ````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` The morning sun streamed into Spike’s eyes, and stirred him from his sleeping state. He sat up, stretched his back, and then stood up before walking over to the mirror. As soon as he looked at the mirror, he eyes went wide. Standing before him was a pony, a unicorn to be exact. He had a purple fur with a green mane; his eyes were an emerald green, and the unicorn had a scroll for a cutie mark. “AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!” He stood there in his same motionless state for several minutes, and then the CMC burst through the door. "Spike what's..." Sweetie belle stopped in the middle of her sentence when she noticed the strange unicorn standing in the middle of the room. She, along with her fellow crusaders, jaw dropped. "S-spike is that you??" asked Apple Bloom who was first to speak up. "Yeah???" "What happened to you?" "I-I don't know to be honest, my best bet would be that potion that fell on me last night." "Well I think that it would be best to contact princess Twilight." Suggested scootaloo "That's a great idea......." Said Spike, “…If only I had my fire to contact her." Spike, along with the fillies, were confused and had no idea what course of action to take. They eventually decided to talk about it after they had eaten breakfast which had taken longer to prepare thanks to Spike’s now missing opposable thumb. Once he had managed to make breakfast ,everypony sat down and ate. It was a quiet and awkward meal, but eventually came to an end. After cleaning up, they walked into the main room where they were going to plan on what to do next. Twilight wasn't going to be home for at least another day, so Spike was stuck as a pony till then. He didn't know what today had in store for him, but whatever it was it was sure to be one to remember. Author's Note Thanks to MoltenXKid for proofreading and editing. I will appreciate any advice on how to improve in future chapters Thanks.
Chapter 2"What do we do!?" Spike exaggerated as he continued to pace in a circle around the couch, occasionally tripping over his hooves due to inexperience with walking on all fours. There was an awkward silence in the room. Apple Bloom had fallen asleep on the couch while Sweetie Belle was still fighting to stay awake. It was early in the day, and probably the earliest any of them had ever been up. Spike, however, was too anxious to even attempt to sleep. Scootaloo, who was in the kitchen, decided it was best to brew warm tea to wake everyone up. How she was able keep calm, and stay alert was beyond Spike. "I don't see why this is such a big deal," Sweetie Belle yawned, “It is something to be celebrated.” "Not a big deal… not a big deal!" Spike shouted into the air, " How exactly is this not a big deal?!" In his momentary rage, a small spark of green magic flew out of his horn. It flew across the room, hit the door frame, and surprised an unsuspecting Scootaloo, causing her to drop the tray of tea. "I got it…" She deadpanned. With a solemn sigh, she left the room Spike tried to apologize, but Scootaloo had already left the room. He mentally kicked himself for being so reckless. As he turned to face Sweetie Belle, he noticed that she was avoiding eye contact with him. "I'm sorry." she mumbled. This caught the ex-dragon by surprise. Not only was she not mad at him for the spark, but she also apologized when it should have been him apologizing. "I'm the one that should be sorry; you didn't deserve that Sweetie Belle." He looked down in shame. Instinctively, he started tapping his hoof to the ground. "It's okay,” she said, “I know this must be hard for you." "Yeah, it's defiantly different than being a dragon." Spike sighed. He managed to form a small smile. A few moments passed, and the two ponies exchanged small talk while being careful not to wake the sleeping filly sitting on the far end of the couch. Scootaloo, with fresh cups of tea on her back, walked back into the room, she kept an indifferent look on her face, yet her eyes said anxiety. After distributing the tea, the pegusus took a seat next to Spike. "So, what do we do now?" Sweetie Belle asked, taking a sip of her tea. She winched from the heat. "I'm not sure; I don't have my flame anymore, so that's out of the picture." Spike replied attempting to take a gulp of his own tea. He instantly spit it back in the cup. Without his dragon form, the heat fully affected him. "How about we look for a recipe to a potion that will change him back into a dragon?" Scootaloo offered, joining in the conversation. "I don’t think that's a good idea scoots. Last time we made a potion, it poisoned our teacher and Apple Bloom’s brother. And even if we were good at making potions, we would have to know what potion splashed him in the first place." Sweetie Belle said earning a nod from Spike. "Well, what if we…" Scootaloo was cut off by a rapid knocking being omitted by the front door. "Who could that be?" Spike asked aloud as he got out of his seat and trotted to the door. As he pushed the door open with his hoof, the light of the sun proved to be too strong of an opponent for his eyes, causing him to shade them with his hoof. Once his eyes adjusted, he could make out Zecora standing in front of him holding a book in her mouth. "Oh, it's just you Zecora, how can I help you?" Spike asked. "I'm sorry, but have we met?" Zecora said raising an eyebrow, “I don’t believe I know you little one, but I came to see Twilight Sparkle.” "What do you mean, it's me Spik..." He then remembered that he wasn't a dragon anymore. He looked to see Zecora giving him a confused expression, and decided it was best to explain the situation. "It's me Spike." He said trying to convince her of his true identity. "That can't be. You see, the Spike I know is a Dragon and you’re a pony." "But you have to believe me! A potion splashed on me when it fell off the top of a book case. Nothing happened that night, but when I woke up, I was a pony." Spike explained. "Spike…?" Zecora said, examining him in order to confirm her beliefs. This pony’s color scheme was close enough to match the scales on the normal Spike, but what really convinced her was the scroll surrounded by flames on his flank, "It is you!" She exclaimed in disbelief. "Finally, you believe me…wait…why aren't your rhyming?” "You’re not the only one with potion mishaps, “Zecora laughed, “After my accident, I found that my native zebra language has been temporarily disabled. Not to worry though, it will return in a day or two. Just goes to show, never use poison joke." She explained, while stifling another laugh. "So…does that mean I only have to be a pony for one or two more days?!" He asked excitedly. "I'm not to sure, depends on how strong the potion was." She shrugged. "Well, if you can do anything, I will appreciate it. I don't want to be a pony any longer than I have to." "Let’s see, do you know what potion splashed you?" She asked putting her hoof under her nozzle. Thinking back, all Spike could remember was that it was a fizzy green liquid, and that it had no distinct traits. Come to think of it, there weren't any traits that it had that were normal. Most potions were either purple or blue. The only way it could have turned that color was with the use of magic. Specifically, Alicorn Magic. "Zecora, is it possible that I was splashed with a magical potion, and maybe my body had an undocumented reaction of some kind?" He asked. "It is possible, but without Princess Twilight, there's no magic to compare it to." "What about Sweetie Belle’s magic? It’s not Alicorn magic, but it's still magic. Could that work?" Zecora looked up in thought for a moment before shaking her head disapprovingly. Spike hoped that her look would change, but deep inside he knew what she would say. Yet, he could always hope, right? "Unfortunately no, Alicorn magic is much stronger then unicorn magic. Meaning, the sample wouldn't be strong enough to get any real results. It also doesn't help that she's younger; her magic isn't fully developed yet." "So what is there I can do?" Spike asked. "You and the girls can wait here while I go back to my hut. There, I can use my own equipment to figure out how to change you back. Until then, I suggest you keep your identity a secret." "Bu..." Spike tried to say but was quickly cut off. "No buts." She said sternly, “Keep quiet, and stay lay low.” "Fine." He muttered "Good. Now, I'm going home to begin researching for any information that I can find. I will return tomorrow morning to collect some DNA samples from you. Hopefully, I can tell you what I have found. Good day." With that Spike watched as Zecora turned around and slowly trotted off into the Everfree Forest. ``````````` (Back in the Living Room) "I don’t think that's a good idea scoots, last time we made a potion it poisoned our teacher and Apple Blooms brother. And even if we were good at making potions, we would have to know what potion splashed him in the first place." Sweetie Belle said earning a nod from Spike. "Well, what if we...” Scootaloo was cut off by a rapid knocking being omitted from the front door. "Who could that be?" Spike asked before getting up and trotting off to the front door, soon disappearing outside to address the pony that had come. The only ponies left were Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and a sleeping Apple Bloom. Scootaloo turned to Sweetie Belle who was staring at the floor, obviously deep in thought. This was an unusual act for the small unicorn who was usually the chatter-box of the three. Her lack of speech did not go unnoticed by her friend. "Is everything alright, Sweetie Belle?" "Yeah, why do you ask" she said with a forced smile. Scootaloo gave her friend a stern look. She knew full well Sweetie Belle was lying to her. "Sweetie Belle, I've known you for a couple of years, now and you've never stayed quiet for more than five minutes at a time." "It's nothing to worry about Scootaloo" She said tying to dismiss the subject, but the Pegasus wasn't buying it. "Sweetie Belle, if there's something that's bothering you then you can tell me." "I know." She said. "So, that being said, are you sure there's nothing you want to talk about? I mean, I can wake up Apple Bloom, and we can tal..." She was quickly cut off. "I said I'm fine!!" shrieked Sweetie Belle, causing Scootaloo to back away a little bit. The realization of her own words got to her. Just for a moment, she saw herself in a different perspective. One she didn’t like. And in that moment, she realized her own mistake of turning her back on a friend. "I-I am so sorry, Scootaloo" Sweetie Belle recoiled with shame. She slowly walked up to her friend, hugged her, and dropped any kind of anger she once had. "Ugghhh, get off me Sweetie Belle! I glad you're apologizing, but you don't have to get all mushy on me. If you don't want to tell me what's on your mind, then I won't press you for answers, for the time being, anyway." She responded giving Sweetie Belle a gentle squeeze, then shoved her off. "Oh, sorry about that" Sweetie Belle said, giving a small chuckle. Her chuckle was cut short by the closing of the front door. Spike, who was looking a bit livelier than before, came back into the room. The vibration from door shook the whole house, making a large slamming noise echo throughout the house. The slam woke Apple Bloom from her slumber, and immediately jerked Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo's attention away from their conversation. "W-what did I miss?" asked Apple Bloom sitting up and giving a big yawn. "Nothing to exciting." responded Scootaloo. "Say, Spike who was at the door anyway?" asked Sweetie Belle. "Oh, it was just Zecora. She was pretty shocked when she learned that I'm Spike." He chuckled lightly. "So why don't we just ask her to make a potion that will turn ya back into a dragon?" insisted Apple Bloom. Spike just shook his head, “She said that she has to know what the original potion was to make an antidote, and since we don't know what splashed me, we can't make it." "So what do we do now?" Asked Sweetie Belle "Zecora said that I should keep my identity a secret for the time being. But other than that, there's nothing else we have to do." "Ok then, so what do you gu.." Scootaloo was again cut off by Sweetie Belle. "Why is it so cold in here?" "I have noticed that, but I just assumed it was because I'm not a dragon anymore." agreed Spike. Their attention was drawn to a window that swung with the help of a slight gust of wind. The curtains flowed along with the breeze. Spike’s jaw dropped slightly getting the attention of Apple Bloom. He ran to the window, and frantically searched around it. He reached an unwanted conclusion, and facehoofed. "Spike, what's wrong? It's just an open window." Apple Bloom said with curiosity. "No no no!" He shouted into the air, “It’s not just an open window!” "What's wrong then, Spike?" asked Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo who had also noticed Spike’s distress. "Peewee! Peewee!" Spike called, once again searching ignoring their questions. "Tell us, what's wrong." The CMC said in unison. "The window is open!" He responded. "Yeah so, haven't you seen an open window before?" Scootalo asked sarcastically. "That's not the problem! The problem is that we haven't fully trained Peewee yet. So, if the window is open, he can freely fly out, and we have to go find him. Usually, Twilight can use a tracking spell to find him, but she's not here, and that window has probably been open the whole night. He could be as far as Manehatten by now!" cried Spike. "Oh…" They responded "Alright, I’m going to go and gather some things, and then we have to go find Peewee." This caused the trios face to light up with excitement. Spike was confused by the sudden change in attitude, yet continued to pack. Their smiles grew wider and wider; their movements more erratic. Sweetie left only to return with three folded pieces of cloth. She handed them out to her friends. "What’s happening?" He asked, becoming a tad worried. "Spike do you know what this means?" Sweetie Belle exclaimed. "Uhh, no…" "CUTIEMARK CRUSADERS: PHOENIX HUTERS, YAY!!!" The CMC dramatically posed as their capes flowed in wind that wasn’t their. "Oh Celestia help me…" Author's Note First of Im sorry this took so long to get out, tornados hit down here in the south, and my neighborhood was without electricity for two days. So that set my back a little bit. Also I apologize in advance for Zecora and her dialogue. I can't write it for my life, and my editor for this story tried his best to help. So sorry Thanks again to MoltenXKid for editing and proofreading.
Chapter 3Chapter 3- A Journey Begins With a Single Step. Written by Fr0zenph0enix Proofread and Edited by MoltenXKid- (Who’s not a bad guy himself…A pretty cool guy.) ~~~~~~~~~~ It had been an hour since the group had left the library on their small adventure. He packed lightly knowing he would probably be doing most of the carrying. Fortunately, the new pony body had given him more strength and better leverage to carry the items: a tent big enough for the four of them; rations of food that would last them several days, sleeping bags to keep the cold weather, produced by the Everfree Forest, away; and various other items that might help later in the trip. The CMCs, on the other hoof, only brought small saddle bags that they could easily carry with no hassle. Spike had no idea as to what those fillies decided to bring, but he could only assume it was something that they could use in hopes of gaining their Cutie Marks. He sighed knowing something would go wrong. The group had been traveling-more like hunting- for close to an hour with no sight of Peewee. Spike noticed that the fillies were getting tired. He hoped to at least make it another mile before noon, yet his hopes were slowly depleting as rain clouds moved in from the north. They seemed to laugh at his efforts as they came closer. "Nope! Not over here." Scootaloo said taking her head out of the nearby bushes. "He’s not over here neither." Added Sweetie Belle. "Ouch!” wailed Applebloom. She accidently searched a thorn bush. “Ah’ve got nothin’.” "How about you spike? Have ya found anything yet?" "No," He replied glumly. He sulked out of the bush he was searching. "How about we check…" Spike began to say, but was cut off by a raindrop splashing onto his snout. He looked up to see that the once far away rain clouds were now over head. The others had taken notice of this as well. In that moment, Spike knew that the search would have to be cut short. He planned get an early start to make up for the lost time. "Uh, Spike, I think we should find shelter before that storm comes in." said Apple Bloom stating the obvious. Sweetie Belle looked at the clouds before nodding in agreement, "Yeah we should; why don't we set up the tent?" Spike shook his head in disagreement "No, that might be a bad idea considering how dark those clouds are; a tent might not be safe enough." "Then where are we suppose to take shelter from the rain?" Spike paused from a moment, and began to think. He looked around to find anywhere safe to stay until the storm passed. For the most part, he only saw trees, but after a moment, something came into sight. In the distance, there was a chain of large hills. He knew there was no guarantee of safety, but at the moment it was the only choice they had. "Hey guys, if we go towards those hills, we might get lucky and find some shelter. Maybe a cave?" "Can't we just find shelter over here? I don't wanna walk anymore" Scootaloo replied in an annoyed tone. "I don't think there is another option; there’s no other shelter anywhere around here." Spike reassured trying to reason with her. "Fine!" She huffed. It took about ten minutes before the group reached the large hills. The rain clouds were ready to release their load. The group scrambled around the hill in search for a place to take shelter. They kept searching, yet it was in vain. Nothing was showing. Apple bloom walked around the hill keeping her eyes peeled for anything that could be used as shelter. She had looped a hill around completely with no luck. The others were searching around as well, but they too had no luck finding anything. After a few more minutes of searching, she decided that it would be best to give up and go meet back up with the others. As she was walking back, the wind decided to blow out her loosely tied bow. Without thinking, she ran after it trying to jump up and catch it. After a while of chasing the elusive bow, it finally landed behind some shrubs. She walked in the bushes to retrieve the bow, gently pushed the shrubs aside, and saw small dead end cave that could easily house the four of them until the storm passed. After silently praising herself, she went back to tell the others of her discovery. The storm went on for the rest of the day trapping them in the cave for the night. The group-more Spike than any of them- had quickly made a fire after the sun went down for the day. Spike started to prepare some of the food that he had brought for the trip. After dinner, they all unrolled their sleeping bags and decided to lie down for the night, though the conversations carried on. "Hey guys?" Spike asked as he starred at the ceiling. "Yeah?" The three fillies responded I don't mean to sound rude ,but why did you guys have to come stay at the library? I mean, don't you guys have family that you could have stayed with?" Sweetie Belle reflected on her current situation momentarily before proceeding with her answer, "My parents aren't always around; they're on business trips most of the time. I live with Rarity because they're always busy. And even Rarity is too busy for me sometimes. I didn't have much of a choice in coming here, but I'm glad I did; otherwise, I would have missed out on all of this." She said maintaining a small smile. "And what about you guys?" Spike said nodding to the others. "Ah just came because they were coming; it gets really boring at the farm without Applejack. Granny Smith just sleeps all day, and all my brother does is work on the farm. Ah figured that if ah chose the library, ah would at least get to be with my friends. Ah mean this whole adventure isn't that bad." She explained "So what's your story ,Scootaloo?" "I-I don't really want to talk about it." She said with haste. Spike and the remaining two Cutie mark Crusaders exchanged equally confused looks, but decided not to press the subject any further. For the next few minutes, an awkward silence filled the air; nopony said a word. The only sound that could be heard was the sound of the rain outside, and the crackling of the dim fire. After several minutes of silence, Spike decided to it was time to sleep. "Man, it's getting really late; we should really hit the hay." "Yeah, ah guess you’re right." Apple Bloom agreed letting out a yawn It was late into the night, and the entire group was asleep. All except for Spike who was finding sleep exceptionally hard that night. Mostly due to the things on his mind. 'These past few days have been the worst days of my life. I've managed to turn myself into a different species, lose my pet Phoenix, and now I'm stuck in the middle of nowhere with the Cutie Mark Crusaders of all ponies. Why did they even have to come in the first place? I would have been perfectly fine having the library all to myself. ’Spike sat up, in defeat, 'I’m never going to Get to sleep' he sighed. He walked over, and sat by the dimly lit fire deep in thought, “If I were Peewee, where would I go?” . Half an hour passed, and the thought lingered in Spike’s mind He was brought out of his thoughts when he saw Sweetie Belle take a seat next to him. "Can't sleep?" She asked. "No, I've got a lot on my mind." He responded. "Why? What's the matter?" Her voice filled with a bit of concern. "I-it just wasn't supposed to go like this. I-we should be back at the library right now, reading, and drinking hot chocolate." He sighed and looked down, "This is entirely my fault." "No, it's not your fault Spike. You’re just doing what is necessary to get Peewee back; I think any pet owner would understand that." Spike yawned, "I guess your right Sweetie Belle. Thanks." "No problem." The two ponies went for a hug, but decided that too awkward for the both of them. Instead, they walked over to the others, and found their respective sleeping bags. After that comfortable spot, both descended into sleep. "Good night, Spike." "Good night, Sweetie Belle." Not too far away, a queen sat on her throne looking restless. She was just moments away from finding out if her plan worked or not. The atmosphere in the room was dead still from the tense environment. Months of work and planning went into this, and if it didn't work, her entire hive could possibly starve. Yet for the moment, all she could do was wait in suspense. Finally, the large cobblestone doors were slowly pushed open by a General. He walked in ,and gave a respectful bow. "You have better got a good reason for interrupting me when I specifically asked to be alone." The general nodded, "I have word on your plan." These words immediately brought the queen to a proper sitting position. "And what is the news?" She asked. Eagerness dripping from every word. "The subject has entered our land." He said with a smile “This is wonderful news. Now, all we need to do is-” She was interrupted by the general "But there is a complication..." He said looking down. "What do you mean 'complication'?" She asked in a hostile voice "We'll he's not alone; there are three fillies with him." "Well, we only needed him, but since they are in the way, we might as well take them too. I guess they could be a bonus of sorts." "What should our next course of action be?" the General asked "Capture them, and bring them here. No matter what you have to do; take all the soldiers you need." With that, the general bowed again ,and walked to the door once more to leave. "Oh, and general…" She said stopping him in his place. "Yes, my queen?" "Don't let them get in your way. I don't mind if one of them come back with a non-life threatening injury." The general grinned at this with pleasure. "Yes, my queen." With that, he left through the door leaving the queen alone with her thoughts. She was happy… happier than ever before. The gears of her plan were turning quite nicely. She looked over to a chirping, baby phoenix, which was now in a cage. It wasn't hurt but was obviously unhappy. The queen smile before she got up from her thrown, and walked to the door. Now wasn’t the time for resting because now.... It was time for step two… ``````````````````````` Authors Note: I am truly sorry for how long it takes me to update, and trust me when I say I don't like keeping you guys waiting. If it were up to me, I would sit here all day and write. Unfortunately, life has other plans for me. Soon, I will be working a part time job to start saving up for college, so that takes time off my writing hours. But, I will try to get updates out a lot faster. I’m also pretty nervous about screwing this up so I’m taking my time to ensure you get the best content I can possibly give you. Sorry again. :(
