A young sickly boy with green hair and green eyes sat at the top of a hill. He stared out towards the city he called home as the sun set on the horizon. To his left was a girl only a few years older than him. She had lavender hair with a single stripe of magenta running through it. She wore a flowing white gown with full length sleeves. Behind him, another boy of the same age as him stood. He had short, dirty blonde hair hidden underneath of a straw hat, which also hid a large bruise on his cheek. He wore no shoes, a faded white t-shirt and overalls with holes exposing his knees.
"It's beautiful isn't it?" the girl spoke.
The green-haired boy looked towards her and replied. "Yeah. I guess it is. What do you think Dog?" he asked the boy standing behind them.
"It's okay I guess." he replied.
They each remained where they were for several more minutes before the girl spoke again.
"Well, Spike and I should probably be getting home now." she said as she stood up along with the green-haired boy. "We'll see you tomorrow Dog?"
The boy with a black eye looked at her with utter admiration and smiled.
"Sure!"
As the girl and the green-haired boy walked up the hill towards the palace off in the distance, the boy looked back to see his friend walking down the hill, into the darkness that soon consumed him."
Spike awoke with a start. He had been having a lot of dreams like this recently. They always left him feeling unsettled. He sat up in bed and stared into the darkness. Thinking about his friends.
As the son of Princess Celestia and her consort, Ryder, he never had many friends, except for two. Twilight Sparkle was about five years older than Spike. His mother had originally brought her to the palace as her student to study magic. She introduced Spike to Twilight and it didn't take long for them to become friends. He saw her as the sibling he always wanted.
Garble (nicknamed "Dog" for how he was always looking out for Spike) was another story. He and Spike had already been friends long before Twilight had come along. Garble's father, Blazer, was the groundskeeper. He was almost always drunk. Yelling and cursing at just about everyone he saw. Spike was sure that Garble's father beat him as often as he looked at him. When Twilight came along, it was obvious that Garble liked her, for Twilight had once told Spike that she used to catch Garble staring up at her in her window. Like a schoolboy with a crush.
As time passed, Garble became more like his father. Cold-hearted and uncaring. Twilight had recently confided in Spike, telling him that whenever she caught him staring at her window his gaze was no longer affectionate,but cold and black. Only a few days ago, Spike had caught him attempting to assault Twilight and ran to get his father. Blazer had been warned that if he didn't reign his boy in, he would be held responsible.
Earlier that day, Garble tried to jump Spike while he had been visiting his brother's grave. When Spike's dog attacked him, trying to defend her owner, Garble slit her throat in front of him. Blazer and his son were thrown off the grounds almost immediately.
So that night, Spike laid in his bed, unable to sleep. But soon after his awakening, he started hearing strange noises coming from his parents bedroom. It sounded like yelling. Followed by what sounded like a single gunshot. He got out of bed and ran to his parents bedroom. What he found was horrifying.
His father lay dead on the floor in the middle of the room, blood formed a pool around him. Blazer stood over him with a rifle in hand. His mother stood in a corner, her hands covering her mouth with tears running down her face. Twilight was on her knees with Garble standing behind her, pointing a rifle at her head.
"DAAAD!!" Spike cried, rushing to his father's side.
Twilight grabbed Spike from behind as he fell to his knees, wailing. Garble kept his gun pointed at them both.
"GET THE GIRL TO SHUT HIM UP BEFORE I KILL HIM MYSELF!!!" Blazer yelled at his son.
"You shut him up Twilight, ya hear me?!? I've never been more serious in my life--"
Garble was interrupted when Spike lashed out and struck him across the face. As Garble clutched at his face, which was bleeding for some mysterious reason, Spike started running towards Blazer.
"I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU!" Spike screamed as he charged his father's killer. Spike managed to deliver a blow to his gut before being knocked aside.
"YOU LITTLE BASTARD! I'M GONNA TAKE YOUR FUCKING HEAD OFF! I'LL HAVE YER GUTS FOR GARTERS! I'LL--"
Blazer looked down to see he was loosing blood, very fast.
"W-what the hell..did you do to me?" he choked before falling to the floor, dead.
"By the gods..." Twilight spoke in a near whisper as she stared at Spike in horror.
Spike's hands had sprouted claws. Three on each hand, one in between each knuckle. They were about six inches long (from what Twilight could estimate) and made completely out of bone. Not to mention that they were also covered in blood.
"AAAAAHHHHHHH! MY HANDS! WHAT HAPPENED TO MY HANDS?!?" Spike screamed before collapsing. Celestia staggered over to her unconscious son before hugging him to her chest, crying.
"My baby...this is all my fault." she sobbed.
"Princess, what are you talking about?" Twilight asked as he rose to her feet shakily."What's your fault? What happened to Spike's hands? What--"
"There's not much time." the sorrowful Princess interrupted. You have to get him far away from here."
"I don't understand--"
"If he stays here, he'll be branded an outcast, a freak of nature, an animal to be locked away in a cage. I won't allow that to happen to my own son." Celestia said with tears in her eyes.
Twilight sighed.
"What do we do?" she asked.
"Take him to Ponyville. He'll be safe there." Celestia told her. "You'll have to take the train to avoid arousing suspicion. I'll arrange plans for where you two will stay--wait a minute."
Celestia looked behind Twilight.
"What happened to Blazer's boy?" she asked. Twilight looked behind her to see that Garble was gone. Blood trailed out into the hallway. Twilight turned back to face Celestia.
"Don't worry about that for now. I'll start packing." Twilight rushed to her bedroom.
Three Hours Later...
Twilight, Spike, and Celestia arrived at the Canterlot train station. Celestia wore a brown cloak to avoid being recognized. Spike wore a cloak for the same reason but also to cover up his claws, which appeared to have started retreating back into his hands. As Spike boarded the train with Twilight, he looked back to see his mother tearing up.
"Goodbye my son. Please stay safe." she choked.
Spike smiled weakly at his mother before stepping aboard the train. The doors shut almost immediately and he took his seat next to Twilight. As the train left the station, he peered through his cloak to take a look at his hands, only to be disturbed by what he saw.
"Twilight?" he nudged her with his elbow.
"What is it Spike? she asked.
Spike showed her his hands and her eyes widened.
His claws had completely retracted back into his hands. Leaving no trace that they were ever there.
"Interesting. I'll have to look into it when we get to Ponyville."
"What do we do when we get there?" Spike asked.
Twilight turned to look out the window before answering Spike's question.
"We start over."
Author's Note
Damn, it took me a while to get this out. Tell me what you think. But no flaming. If you do, PREPARE FOR SWIFT AND BRUTAL RETALIATION!
Chapter II: Starting Over
Twilight awoke to the screeching sound of the train's brakes against the metal rails. Realizing that they had reached their destination, she nudged Spike until he woke with a start.
"Ugh, what'd you wake me up for?" he complained while rubbing his eyes.
"We're here." Twilight answered.
During the train ride, Twilight had enough sense to do some research on Ponyville. Based on the little information she found. Ponyville was a relatively small, rural town. No one owned a car as far as she could tell, which made sense since everything was only a few minutes in walking distance from the other buildings. The biggest landmark in Ponyville was the local apple farm, Sweet Apple Acres. Twilight figured that it sounded like a good place for Spike to get a job while she tended to the library where they would be living.
They exited the train and stepped out into the sunlight. Ponyville itself wasn't much different from how Twilight imagined it. They wandered through the streets, wondering where to find Sweet Apple Acres. Eventually, Twilight stopped to ask someone for directions. She tapped a young woman on the shoulder to get her attention.
"Excuse me?"
The young woman turned around to face her. She had very poofy hot pink hair and blue eyes. Twilight was sure that she couldn't be much older than her. But before she could ask her anything, the pink-haired girl gasped loudly and sped off. Leaving the duo extremely confused.
"What just happened?" Spike asked.
"I'm not really sure." Twilight answered. "Come on Spike, there has to be someone who can--GAH"
Twilight was interrupted when she was suddenly knocked to the ground where she landed in a puddle.
"Oops. Sorry 'bout that. Are you alright lady?"
"Twilight looked up to see a tall, slender woman standing over her. She had a slight build to her, suggesting that she was more of the athletic type. But her most noticeable feature was her hair, which had a sort of prismatic color scheme. She extended her hand to help Twilight up, which she accepted.
"Yeah, I'm fine. And my name is Twilight. This is my...little brother, Spike" Twilight responded once she regained her composure. "Who are you?"
"The name's Rainbow Dash. Sorry about knocking into you like that." the rainbow-haired girl apologized. "I'm running late for practice and--goddammit, now I'm gonna be even more late! SorrybutIgottagetgoinnicetomeetyoubye!" she ran off without another word.
"Ugh!" Twilight groaned, still covered in mud. "How hard could it possibly be to find someone to give us direc--"
"GET OUT!!!"
The two of them looked in the direction of the scream to see what was happening. When they did, they watched as a young man with a light blue crew-cut was thrown out of the front door of a brightly-colored shop. He got up and turned around to "salute" the shop before walking away. Twilight and Spike approached the shop to investigate. The building itself was at two stories high. The outer design was a bit frilly, yet at the same time, elegant. As they drew closer. They saw a sign next to the door.
"The Carousel Boutique." Twilight read aloud.
As soon as they entered the shop, a feminine voice called out to them.
"I'm sorry but we're closed." The voice came from a woman standing in the middle of the room with her back turned to them, facing a mannequin. She turned around to face them. She had alabaster skin that almost seemed to glow with beauty. Her hair was a lovely shade of indigo and curled at the end. She had an hourglass figure that was sure to attract wanted and unwanted attention. She wore a simple white blouse, a short black skirt with a logo of three diamonds sewn into it near the hem, and black high heels. As she turned around, she removed a pair of red, cat eye-framed glasses from her face to reveal sparkling crystal-blue eyes. "You'll have to come back at another--SWEET CELESTIA!!" she gasped, having caught a glimpse of Twilight. She approached her quickly. "What happened to you?" she asked, pointing at Twilight's mud-stained clothes.
"Oh, it's nothing really. I fell in a mud puddle and--" Twilight explained.
"Well we simply MUST get you into a new set of clothes." the shop owner exclaimed, grabbing Twilight's hand and pulling her over to an area filled with full-length mirrors
"Oh hat's not really necessary." Twilight protested.
"Nonsense!" the shop owner insisted. "Rarity Filigree never turns her back on a fashion emergency."
Twilight groaned as Rarity started taking her measurements. Spike on the other hand, was frozen in place. His gaze was transfixed on the beautiful woman they had just met. A strange tingling started in his chest, and he felt like his legs might give out.
"Spike? SPIKE!" Twilight shouted.
"Spike snapped back to reality. "Huh? Did you say something Twilight?" he asked.
"Yes, I did. It seems that I'm gonna be here for a while, so you should probably head to Sweet Apple Acres on your own. Rarity here knows how to get there."
Rarity poked her head out from behind Twilight, locking eyes with Spike, not really helping his current situation.
"You just head north until you reach the center of the town where the Town Hall is. Then you go west until you start seeing apple orchards. You just keep on walking from there." Rarity instructed Spike. "Understood?"
"Oh, y-yeah. Thanks" Spike stammered as he headed for the door. "I'll see you in a couple of hours Twilight. It was nice meeting you Rarity." he continued before exiting the boutique, feeling like he was about to vomit.
Fifteen Minutes Later...
Spike had arrived at Sweet Apple Acres. It was impressive, to say the least. The farm sprawled over hundreds of acres of land. In the center of the land there was a large red barn with a cupola atop it, adorned with a large decorative apple. To the left of it was an orange-colored mill, topped by a cupola adorned with a carrot. To the right was a chicken coop and further in the distance there were several stables. While Spike admired the farm, a blonde-haired woman riding horseback approached him. She wore a yellow and orange-colored plaid button-up shirt, along with skinny-jeans and corral boots. She wore a brown stetson atop her head.
"Howdy!" she greeted him.
"Um, hi. I'm looking to apply for a job here." Spike responded.
"A job huh? In that case you're gonna have to talk to mah brother 'bout that. C'mon." she replied.
As Spike and the farm-girl headed towards the barn, they started talking.
"What's yer name sugarcube?" she asked him.
"Spike. My sister, Twilight, and I just moved into the old library. Since she's gonna be working there, we both thought it would be best for me to get a job too." Spike replied.
"Well it's a pleasure to meet ya Spike. Mah name's Applejack." said the farm-girl.
When they reached the farm, Applejack yelled out.
"BIG MACINTOSH! GET OUT HERE!"
A large man walked out of the barn a few moments later. He had Green eyes and shoulder-length blonde hair. He looked like he could lift the barn itself without breaking a sweat. He wore a red and black plaid shirt with bluejeans and black corral boots.
"What'd ya want AJ?" he asked in a deep voice.
"Spike, this is my older brother, Big Macintosh. Big Macintosh, this here's Spike. He says he wants to work here on the farm." Applejack replied.
"Great, we need all the help we can get 'round here." Big Mac said in a semi-monotone voice. You can start workin' today. Understand bub?"
"Wait! What?" Spike asked.
Two Hours Later...
Spike was helping AJ harvest apples in the east orchard. For the most part, Spike dodged any questions about his past. He didn't want anyone to know who he really was. A little while later. Spike was hauling a wheelbarrow full of apples to the barn.
"Hey, need any help with that?" a voice called from behind him.
Spike turned around to see that it was the blue-haired guy from the boutique.
"No thanks. I've got it." Spike replied.
The blue-haired man then used his foot to tip over the wheelbarrow, much to Spike' s dismay.
"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT FOR YOU JERK?!" Spike yelled.
"Hey, I asked if you needed help." he responded before walking away.
A couple minutes later, Big Macintosh walked over as Spike was picking up the last few apples.
"What happened? He asked.
"Some jackass came over and just tipped the whole cart over." Spike replied.
"Did he have a light blue crew-cut?" Big Macintosh asked.
Spike nodded.
"Damn it" Big Mac sighed as he facepalmed.
"What is it?" Spike asked.
"That was Thunderlane." Big Mac answered. "He's been puling bullshit like this all the time recently."
"Why?" Spike asked.
"Mah sis tipped off his girlfriend that he was seeing a couple other women at the same time as her. You know the lady that owns the boutique, Rarity something-or-other?" Big Mac asked.
"Yeah, that could account for something actually." Spike muttered.
"What'd ya mean? Big Mac asked.
"I saw Rarity throw him out of her shop face-first earlier." Spike answered.
Big Macintosh chuckled for a few seconds.
"Alright kid. You should probably get on home." he said. "But stay away from Thunderlane. He'll kill you if you give him the chance."
"Alright. I'll see you around." Spike replied.
"See you around bub." Big Mac responded as Spike walked away.
Fifteen Minutes Later...
Spike walked back to the Carousel Boutique to meet Twilight as she was walking out the door. He had to admit, Rarity had done a good job. Instead of the purple sweater vest and faded jeans she was originally wearing, she now wore a lavender blouse, a (nearly indecent) short blue skirt and high-heeled boots.. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail and she appeared to be wearing eyeliner.
"Twilight, why're you wearing more makeup than Fleur De Lis?" Spike joked.
Twilight gave Spike a bemused look.
"Oh ha ha, very funny." came her reply. "Come on, we should probably get to the library before it gets dark out.
"It only took about ten minutes to reach the Golden Oaks Library. Once they were inside, they turned on the lights were greeted by dozens of people.
"GAAHH" Twilight and Spike screamed in unison.
"SURPRISE!!!" the strangers yelled. Followed by confetti and music.
"What's going on here?" Twilight yelled over the music.
Spike sniffed the air.
"Does anyone else smell cake?" he asked.
"HI!"
Twilight and Spike nearly soiled themselves when the pink-haired girl from earlier seemed to appear from thin air.
"MynameisPinkiePieandIthrewthispartytoofficiallywelcomeyoutoPonyille!" she said fast enough that neither Twilight or Spike could understand "Wereyousurprisedhuhuhuhuuhuhhuh-" she was interrupted when Rainbow Dash suddenly shoved a cupcake in her mouth.
A Few Minutes Later...
Spike managed to escape the crowd and reach the kitchen. But before he could let out a sigh of relief someone knocked into him from behind.
"Oh, sorry" said a small voice from behind him.
Spike turned around to see yet another girl. This one however, had big cerulean eyes that he could only see the tiniest bit through her long, bright-pink hair that partially covered her pale, thin face. She was very pretty, much like Rarity, but more in a natural sense, without the use of cosmetics. She had a thin but *ahem* very curvy figure that was concealed by a yellow sweater and dark-green skirt.
"It's fine." Spike replied. "What's your name?"
"Fluttershy."
"I'm sorry what was that?" Spike asked again.
"Fluttershy."
"Huh?"
"Fluttershy." she finally replied in an audible tone.
"My name is Spike, it's nice to meet you." he extened his hand, which she shook reluctantly.
For a few seconds, they both stood there without saying a word.
"So what do you do for a living?" Spike asked to break the awkward silence.
"I take care of the animals." Fluttershy replied timidly.
"Hey guys!" a voice greeted them. They turned their heads to see Rainbow Dash approaching them.
"Hey Spike, I see you've already met Fluttershy. Not much of a talker is she?" she joked, putting an arm around her shoulders. "C'mon 'Shy, lets see if we can't hook you up with someone." She started pushing Fluttering back into the main room, much to her dismay.
About an hour later, Spike decided to turn in for the night. He trudged upstairs to his room and flopped down on his bed. As he stared up at the ceiling, he pondered recent events. It all felt like a dream. His life had suddenly taken a 180 degree turn off a cliff. He had hit rock bottom.
And there was nowhere to go but up.
Author's Note
New X-Men Movie 
! I actually found out right after I published the first chapter, but it's like they say, better late than never.
Chapter III: Nowhere To Go But Up.
A Week Later...
Spike awoke the next morning around 7 A.M. He showered and got dressed before heading down to make breakfast for Twilight and him. Since he wouldn't be working the farm today, he decided to spend the day with Rarity. He had volunteered to be her assistant while she worked on her latest project. She had gotten an order from Canterlot. A suit for Fancy Pants. Spike had met him before. He was a pretty nice guy, considering the fact that he had enough money to start lighting his fireplace with it. So to Spike, it was a simple task . But not to Rarity. The last thing she needed was to disappoint a Canterlot elite.
Spike scarfed own his breakfast before making his way out the door. As he walked to the boutique, he ran into Thunderlane.
"Hey kid, you know I was just joking around yesterday, right?" he asked.
"Yeah, sure, I guess." Spike replied reluctantly.
"Truce?" Thunderlane extended his hand. Spike took it only to be yanked towards him and received a straight jab to the face. Spike fell to the ground. He tried to get up, only to be kicked in the ribs.
"THUNDERLANE!!!" a voice boomed.
Spike's vision refocused and he saw Big Macintosh standing only a few feet away. Thunderlane actually looked scared.
"Easy Mac, don't do anything you might reg--"
"Walk away. NOW!" he growled. Thunderlane backed away slowly and turned the other way. Big Macintosh approached Spike.
"Get up." Big Mac helped Spike to his feet.
"Thanks Mac."
"Don't mention it bub." Big Mac replied. "But remember what I said, stay as far away as possible from Thunderlane. Make no mistake, he will kill you if he gets the chance."
Five Minutes Later...
Spike arrived at the Carousel Boutique and rapped lightly on the door. When Rarity came to greet him. She took one look at him and gasped.
"Spike, what happened to you?" she asked in alarmed tone.
Spike put a hand to his face where he had been punched. When he lowered his hand, the was a significant amount of blood.
A few minutes later, Spike was sitting on Rarity's sofa while she sat next to him, tending to the cut on his face while he explained what had happened to him.
"*Sigh* I can't believe he would do something like this." she complained.
"It's okay, I'm fine." Spike assured her, to no avail.
"No Spike, it's not okay." she snapped back. "He assaulted you."
"I told you, I'm fine." Spike repeated. "I can fend for myself."
Rarity gave a weak smile.
"I know Spike, but it still doesn't make things right." she replied.
Rarity finished tending to Spike' s cut and they started working on the suit. About two hours later, they were finished. As Spike walked out of the store, Rarity bent over slightly and kissed him on the cheek. Spike felt like he was going to faint at any second.
A few yards away, a lone figure witnessed the entire thing and glared at Spike angrily.
"You'll learn soon enough you little bastard. That bitch is mine."
...
At the library, Twilight was writing a letter.
Dear Princess Celestia
It has officially been one week since our move to Ponyville. So far everything has been awfully hectic. Spike and I have at least been able to make a few new friends, which has definitely helped keep our minds off of recent events. Spike has managed to get a job with the local Apple farmers and he seems to enjoy working with them very much. However, I am also concerned about him. He hasn't displayed any signs of grief over the death of his father. I believe that he may be in denial about the whole ordeal. I feel that you should also know that there has been no activity as far as Spike's claws. I've done some research to see if I can find any answers but nothing has come up yet.
Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle
A Few Hours Later...
Spike awoke to the distant sound of wolves howling. He had been having yet another dream about that night at the castle. He refused to let it show but on the inside, he was hurting, badly. All he wanted was for everything to go back to normal. He wanted to go home, to see his mother, to return to his former life. But he knew that wasn't an option.
Spike rose from his bed and stood at the window, staring at the moon. He looked down to see a wolf walking towards the library. It stopped several feet away and looked up at Spike. It didn't move or make a sound for well over a minute before raising it's head and howling in Spike's general direction. It then turned around and headed back in the direction of the Everfree forest. Spike backed away from the window dumbfounded. He had seen animals act that calm around Fluttershy, but he would have expected the beast to growl at him none the less. He returned to his bed and fell into a deep sleep before he could give it anymore thought.
Author's Note
Sorry this took so long. I've had a bit of a block for the last few weeks and I can barely find the time to type.
