“Are you ok Spike, ‘really’ ok?” Twilight said. Her eyes glanced over towards Spike. She draped kind and gentle hoof over his shoulder before nuzzling him for a brief moment. “Sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”
Spike patted the purple pony’s hoof, walked over towards the wagon, and checked it one final time. Twine ropes overlapped one another; they strained and groaned with each successive pull. After one final tug, Spike wiped the sweat from his forehead.
“I guess that should do it.” Spike said in a melancholic voice.
“Spike, do you want talk about it?” Twilight said. She received a half-hearted smile from him. Twilight watched Spike shake his head from side to side in a slow, fluid manner. “Spike….”
“Sugar cube, let it go. Spike’s gotta work it out for himself.” Applejack said. The mare’s eyes fixated on the cart the dragon pulled behind him, Spike’s feet dragging more than usual. While she brought her hoof around her friend, Applejack whispered, “Ah know he fell back into his rut, but he’ll be fine.”
“I don’t know Applejack. That glint in his eyes just faded away this morning. He looked so elated to light those fireworks. Now, now I’m just not sure.” Twilight said in a hushed voice. “His heart was really set on the Equestria Games. I’m worried my—“
“ALL ABOARD!” The conductor said with a shout to the ponies on the platform.
Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy brought up the rear with their bags behind them. The four mares chatted with one another, and then caught sight of their two friends who stared at Spike.
“Spike, you wanna sit up here with us? You don’t have to watch the bags.” Rainbow Dash said with a polite smile. The pony’s left hoof rubbed against her right as she watched her friend continue his trek into the baggage car.
“We better hurry, or we'll miss the train.” Rarity said as the other nodded at her.
*** *** ***
Steam billowed near the station’s platform. Successive tugs greeted the train’s occupants. As it smoothed out, the train began its journey home.
In the passenger car just after baggage, five ponies had a similar melancholic expression to each other. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, and her ears perked up. “O come on. He got to light the fireworks. That’s something!”
“Should call ya Rainbow Brash,” Applejack said in a huff. The mare pointed her hoof towards her friend and said, “Equestria Games don’t just happen every darn day, Rainbow. How would ya feel about chokin’ at the last second of that race? Imagine all those eyes ‘starin’,’ ‘watchin’,’ and silently judgin’ while ya failed?”
“He. Got. To. Light. The. Fire. Works.” Rainbow Dash said while she motioned with her hooves each time a word was spoken. Her flank plopped onto the green cushion before she crossed her front hooves. “I know it’s not like he’s lighting that giant fire, but it’s something.”
“Rainbow Dash, Fireworks is one word. I don’t think it’s proper to break them up.” Pinkie Pie said with a chuckle before her smile soured, turning into a hearty grin after a few seconds. “I can throw him an awesome best dragon party—“
“Pinkie Pie, I don’t think that’s a good idea” Fluttershy said in her usual quiet voice. The baggage door caught her eyes before she turned back towards her party loving friend. “Maybe Twilight is right. O my, I’m sorry Twilight. I didn’t mean to eaves drop on the conversation between you and Applejack.”
Twilight raised her head. She gave a kind smile to her pegasus friend. It faded like Pinkie Pie’s, but it didn’t return. “There are times when all of us have known in our hearts the right thing to do. This is one time where I honestly have no clue. Spike is alone right now. Only he can solve his problems.“
“Twilight, help!” A nervous voice said. Spike barreled down the hallway. “Problem! Big! Emergency! Need help!”
Spike ran in a circle as the six ponies stared at him with raised eyebrows. Twilight patted her friend on the head. Before she could speak, smoke filled the small space of the train car.
Rainbow Dash tugged the cord. Wheels screeched. The train halted, and ponies darted outside.
“Spike, what did you do?!” Twilight said with a bellow. Her horn glowed; an aura enveloped the train car the fire erupted out of. As she focused her magic, Twilight looked at her unicorn friend. “Rarity, there’s a lake nearby. I need some water to deal with this.”
Nervous moments ticked by. Rarity returned with several large spheres of water levitated in front of her. A volcano like eruption of sparks gushed forth from her horn.
“I’m sweating, Twilight hurry!” Rarity said, each moment feeling like an eternity. The mare focused and formed a large reservoir of water that several ethereal tubes connected to. She wiped away a few final beads of sweat from her forehead as the reservoir emptied in a few seconds. “I’m glad that is over. A trip to the spa will be necessary after this little mess. I don’t like sweaty work, but I must say those little training sessions of yours worked out quite well Twilight.”
Twilight blushed and dropped the shield around the car, and steam and smoke plumed out.
“Phew, they’re safe. My medals – I mean, our bags our safe.” Rainbow Dash said after she bolted inside, fluttering above the car’s floor. Her eyes fixated for a few seconds on each piece of luggage before they darted to the next. Rainbow Dash scrapped her hoof against one bag. “That’s odd; the fire damage looks ‘superficial.’ Twilight! You said you wouldn’t do that anymore.”
The purple mare gave a sheepish grin as she said, “I thought it would be interesting to see how well you retained information from your flights.” Twilight composed herself and poked each piece of luggage. “Spike, were you playing with your fire again. I don’t have time to deal with your shenanigans. Do you have any idea how hard this will be to fix?”
“But I didn’t do it.” Spike said while he crossed his claw against his chest, “Honest, I didn’t.”
“The green flames, sugar cube?” Applejack said as she stomped out one last tiny green fire that survived. “There’s only one fellah ah know who has green flames.”
“Sombra?” Pinkie Pie said, eliciting a few grumbles from the others. “What? He could have come back. He wants revenge on Spike. We must protect him!”
Several mares and stallions glared at Spike, along with his six friends and the cutie mark crusaders. He winced, and then backed away. “Please, be-lieve me! Honest, I swear I didn’t light it. I was sitting on the floor, eating a cup of soup. It was cold. ‘This would be better warm’ I thought and it just exploded into flames.”
“A more ‘likely’ scenario is you got bored and played with your fire.” Rainbow Dash said as she pointed her suit covered hoof at Spike.
A swift tug came to the mare’s rainbow colored tail as Twilight brought her to the grassy ground. “Whatever the case maybe, we’re all fine and that’s what matters. As you said Rainbow Dash, heh heh, the damage is rather ‘superficial.’ I will keep an eye on Spike however. We don’t want any more spontaneous fires.”
*** *** ***
With each pony in their respective cars, the train tugged on them and sped off down the track. Twilight sat down, skimming the pages of a book she brought along. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy chatted. Rainbow Dash’s eyes darted from side to side. She clutched the hard won silver medal towards her chest.
“Darling, is that really necessary?” Rarity said as she looked at Spike. Her magic tugged on the piece of tape near the dragon’s mouth, but his claws clamped down on it. “Spike, you’re being rather ridiculous. It was an accident. I’m sure of it. You wouldn’t purposefully ‘torch’ our things. We know you’re better than those beastly dragons, if you pardon me.”
Spike emitted a muffled sigh. He crossed his claws and leaned against the windowsill. Outside, trees passed by in rapid succession. Images added to his eyelids, one after another like a weight lifter adding weights to a bar. Before he fell onto the floor, Rarity levitated Spike onto the seat and placed his head on her hooves.
“Poor thing, ah wonder what happened.” Applejack said. “It’s safe to say we can remove the tape. Why he was so insistent on it is beyond me.”
Twilight glanced over and the tape disappeared. She refocused her eyes on the book in front of her. In a quiet voice, she said to the two ponies near her, “Dragon tails and tales of Equestria. Dragons are some of the most distinctive and rare creatures of Equestria. Very little is known about them. One species of dragons contains powerful magic that allows them to emit shards of ice, gusts of wind, and earthen debris instead of just fire. Draconic-magical-kinesis exists in other dragons.”
“Twi, you don’t think that whole ‘mumbo-jumbo’ about him creatin’ fires with his mind is true? Only unicorns and alicorns can cast magic, potion makin’ excluded of course.” Applejack said before she tapped her hoof against her chin.
“It is rather odd. Spike isn’t a pyromaniac. He has little, umm, ‘accidents’ from time to time in my shop, but I don’t believe he would purposefully start a fire like that. Not to mention,” Rarity said but stopped as she felt Spike grab her hoof. Her voice grew quiet. “That fire looked a little big for him to start.”
“I know. I know.” Twilight said while she flipped from page to page. “There’s nothing in here about dragons having pyrokinetic abilities. That ‘Draconic-magical-kinesis’ ability is a rare legend; Spike sending and receiving letters is the only example that could possibly exist, and that is a stretch. It took Princess Celestia – the most powerful pony in Equestria – three full years to train Spike.”
The three ponies stared at each other. Spike tossed and turned with sweat coming from his forehead. He blurted out “tail fire” which caused Applejack, Twilight and Rarity to turn towards each other with raised eyebrows.
Applejack put her nose into the air. After a quick whiff, she looked to her right to see Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash still chatting with one another, their tails fine. A shrug gave way to relief to see the cabin fine, including Spike’s purple tail.
Spike rolled out of Rarity’s kind embrace, onto the floor, and opened his eyes as the train came to a sudden stop.
“Wha – No, who removed the tape! I can’t be—” Spike said. He rolled his eyes at the tape that appeared in front of him. It slapped him in the face. “mphrmph mprhmph!”
“Spike!” Twilight said with a shout and widened eyes, “I’ll remind myself to wash your mouth out with soap when we get home.”
As ponies filed out of the train, one after another, Ponyville lay just beyond the last curb. Three huge, thick logs blocked the pass through the narrow space
“O my,” Fluttershy said to the several beavers that came out to greet her. “Uh huh, uh huh, yea, o dear that’s not good. I’m sorry to hear that. How’s your wife doing?”
“Ahem,” Applejack said. Her stern look was met with a bashful grin from her friend. “Dang varmints, they ain’t anything but pests at times. Be nice if Big Macintosh were here, he could move them logs.”
“Applejack, how rude! These beavers are relatives of the ones who built the waterway near your farm.” Fluttershy turned away from her friend. “Apologize to Mr. Woodchopper.”
“Ah ain’t apologizing to no livin’ saw with a voracious appetite for bark. Mah poor farm had to weather a storm of those furry little varmints!” Applejack turned away from her friend. “Besides, Mr. Barker has more manners than him.”
Rainbow Dash shot up and looked around for Bulk Biceps. The muscular pegasus gave a firm “YEA” to the mare before he trotted over towards the logs. A strong back hoof kick came and left an imprint, yet the logs remained unmoved. Bulk gave a whimpering “yea” as he boarded the train and resumed his set.
“Ok, I’m out of ideas.” Rainbow Dash said. “Twilight, you got anything?”
“There’s no way I can move one of those logs. Who do I look like, that unicorn ‘telekineto’ out of one of Spike’s comic books?” Twilight said.
Applejack and Fluttershy remained at odds while Rarity and Twilight discussed how to remove the logs. Pinkie Pie pointed at her “BHPC 9000,” but she received stern looks from the ponies around her.
“I’ll never get to use this thing.” Pinkie Pie said before she placed the item back into her suitcase, much to Twilight's bewilderment.
Spike looked at the logs. He winced for a second and rubbed his eyes. Green flames bored their way through the thick logs and incinerated them.
Hairs on the back of Twilight’s mane stood on end. She turned to see Spike with his claws behind his back and a frightened expression across his face. “Spike? Did you – AH, my tail!”
“Tail Fire?” Rarity said as a green flame shot from the base of Twilight’s tail to her flank.
Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie turned in unison and said, “Spike?”
Spike ripped the tape from his mouth. His feet shivered. Before his friends could catch him, the dragon slid under the train. He darted into the nearby woods the beavers emerged from.
*** *** ***
Moments passed in rapid succession like the pounding of Spike’s heart. Though it was mid day, the thick forest remained dark. Several voices pierced the forest’s darkness as Spike continued his fast pace into its heart.
“Water?” He said. A calm scene greeted him. He dropped to his near, cupped his claws together and scooped up a bit of water from the small pond. Between his exasperated breaths he said, “I… could use… a drink… of water.”
“Do you mind if I sit near you?” an elegant voice said.
Spike recoiled. “Princess Luna? Pl-please, go away. I don’t want to hurt you or my friends.”
“The forest of dreams is one of my favorite spots in Equestria. I come here to mediate when I get nervous.” She said. Two silver cups, with a moon emblem embellished on them, materialized. Princess Luna floated one over to Spike. “Why don’t you have a drink and calm yourself.”
Alicorn and dragon sat on the log while crickets chirped around them. Princess Luna’s mane flowed freely in the still air, much like her regal sister’s mane. She watched Spike’s firm hold on the cup relinquish after he peered into its reflection. When the cup hit the ground, its contents flowed into the pond. Fine mist hovered a few inches above the water; the mist coalesced into a sphere.
Princess Luna watched the events unfold in front of her. “I see.”
“That’s it? You see?” Spike hopped off the log in a huff, “Whatever. It should be obvious why you and the others shouldn’t be around me. It would have been cool to light fires with my mind, but this is just a nightmare. Wait, that’s it. You’re here. That means… that means it has to be a dream.”
Princess Luna’s eyes remained unmoved from the orb. The cup of soup Spike clutched in between his claws burst into a shower of green flames within the confined space of the cabin. That imaged changed to the logs that turned to cinders. Princess Luna gave a stern look while she turned to Spike, unamused at the dragon’s furious and futile attempts to wake himself.
“This is no dream, despite your wishes.” She stood up, the stern look maintained. As she approached Spike, he fell backward onto the soft mud. Princess Luna’s horn glowed and an aura enveloped Spike. She sat him on the log, looked into his eyes and said, “Just as the others have their destinies, so do you. Your ‘true’ self is just beginning to awaken young Spike. There will be a necessary choice to come. No one can help you decide your fate, not even your friends.”
Spike called to Princess Luna, only to see her vanish along with her hoof prints in the soft mud. He walked to the other side of the pond, and the forest grew darker.
“Ow,” Spike said as he hit something and fell onto his rump. He pushed forward against each branch. Bright white lights swirled around him. His eyes were blinded as the six lights combined into one.
*** *** ***
“I’m glad you decided to come out. That forest is rather creepy.” A voice said.
The firm grip of several hooves came to Spike. He rubbed his eyes and opened them. “Huh? How long have you all been standing there? I had to have been gone for like an hour or two.”
“Spike, are you ok? You just recently charged into the forest. We called to you and you came back out like five seconds after you entered.” Twilight said with a puzzled expression that matched her tone. “Why did you dart off like that, you didn’t do anything wrong. I need to examine you right away.”
“No,” Spike said in a firm tone, “I’m fine.”
“But… but… those logs just burst into flames. It was awesome, but I don’t want to be running fire patrol for Ponyville.” Rainbow Dash said.
“Whatever the case may be, let’s get back on that train. Ponyville is just over that hill, and I’m sure this little fellah has a dozy of a tale to tell.” Applejack said.
Applejack trotted back to the train with Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy behind her. Rainbow Dash bolted for the train. Twilight nodded to Spike and teleported towards the train, giving Rainbow Dash a firm smirk while the athletic pony cried foul.
“So, umm…” Spike said. He stopped as a firm hug came to him from the friend at his side.
“Let’s get back to the train. As Applejack said, your eyes tell me you have quite the story to tell.” Rarity said while she levitated Spike onto her back. “If you don’t mind me asking though, what was in that dreadful place?”
Spike looked at the train, and then at the pile of ash in front of it. In a confident tone he said to his friend, “O, that place? It’s just a place to calm my mind.”