Ch.2 Truth Teller

Dawn was on a quest for the truth. She was well on her way to finding it. She had entered the darkness of Everfree Forest and ventured its tangling web of vines and branches. She had found the hut of the zebra witch doctress known as Zecora. She had obtained a map from her that would lead her to the one being who could give her what she wanted most. The truth.

Dawn stared at the map in her hoof. She had followed every step of this damn thing. She had done exactly as it had said. She followed the map, and she found herself in the ass end of a cave more useless than parasprites. She shouted in anger as she tore up the map. A trick. A ploy. A diversion. That was all it was. She should have known better than to trust that zebra. She made her way back to the cave entrance. She would find this being herself. Even if it was the last thing she did.

She walked out of then cave and headed back for the creek. Maybe if she started where she began she could retrace her steps and find something new. It was the only thing that made sense to do at the time. The long walk back was going to take well into the night. A dangerous time to be in the Everfree Forest, not that anytime was really a good time. She stopped for a moment to rest her hooves and look up at the sky. The sky wasn't there. Just the endless canopy of green leaves and dark shadows. She kept her eyes up there for only a second longer, for something else had it's eyes on her.

Dawn heard the rustling of the leaves. She could feel the air grow stale and bleak. She smell the foulness of it on the breeze. Something was here. Something was watching. And it was hungry. The timberwolf lunged out of the bushes at Dawn. With it's eyes locked onto Dawn as it's prey the wolf went in for the kill. As it landed on all four paws the wolf saw that Dawn, the prey, was no longer there.

“Looking for me,” Dawn said from behind the timberwolf.

The timberwolf snarled and growled as it turned to face her once again. Dawn had her horn charged and ready. A crimson red glow of magic power flowed through her and around her horn. The wolf snarled and stepped forward. A mistake.

Dawn released a blast of magic strong enough to fell a tree. The timberwolf was fast, however, and barely evaded the blast. The only wound it suffered was a singed front left paw. It was enough to anger the wolf. It thrust its head out and howled into the night air. It called out to the others of it's kind that there was prey nearby. Within a moment the entire Forest had shifted. The bushes all shook as the timberwolves surrounded Dawn. They came from every direction and circled around her. Great. The whole pack was here. The one she had started with stepped forward from the rest. The alpha wolf. There was only one thing she could do. Run.

Dawn unleashed a powerful nova flare that blinded the wolves long enough for her to escape. She blasted apart three of the blinded wolves to make her escape. And she ran. She ran for the cave again. Maybe she could put up some sort of defense there. Or maybe she would just die from the sheer number that was now chasing her. She ran until she couldn't, and then she kept going. But she was slowing down, and they could see it.

In a burst of speed the alpha wolf caught up and lunged for Dawn. It happened so fast she couldn't react. All she could feel was the claws cutting into her flesh and his fangs tearing into her neck. She could feel the impact carrying her away. She could feel herself falling as she and the alpha wolf fell to the ground. She could feel it all, but she could not move. Not for the life of her. All she could do was watch as the alpha wolf got up, with her own blood dripping from his jaws. It slowly paced over to her. Right as it raised a claw to finish her off, something else happened. Something else appeared.

A flash of something came through and tackled the alpha out of the way. Dawn could not see what was happening, as the alpha had been tackled out her view. All she saw was several of the smaller, weaker timberwolves come into her line of sight. They were all either dead already, or soon to be dead. The last one she saw landed just a foot away from her widened eyes. It clawed and fought like hell to finish her off, but it never got close. A strong, scaled hand came up and and smashed into the wolf's skull. The blow stunned the wolf long enough for the other hand to reach and grasp his upper jaw. And then tear it away from the rest of the head. Dawn watched as the bearer of these hands came up to her. She never saw them clearly, but she knew she was being taken somewhere. Somewhere safe.

Dawn awoke some time later. It was still night judging by the darkness that was all around her. She was glad to find that she could move her head, even though it hurt like hell. She looked around her to try and find some clue as to where she was at. She tried to move her limbs only to find them as immobile as they were before.

“I wouldn't do that if I were you.”

The voice came from nowhere. Everywhere around her as far she could see was nothing but shadows. Shadows everywhere. The voice came from somewhere within. The voice itself was strong. Deep and intense. Full of emotion and cold as ice at the same time. Dawn tried to look around to fin the voice.

“I told you to stop.”

Dawn looked straight in front of her. The voice came from that direction this time. A figure appeared in the shadows. A dark, shadowy figure. This figure, this being came up to her. He stood at her side and placed his hands on her. Pain shot out in every point of her body. So much so that she did not even scream. His hands were rough and pain was everywhere, but this being was actually helping. He was changing the bandages that she was wrapped up in. She didn't struggle as he moved her around and took the bandages off and placed new ones over her wounds. After he was done he took the old bandages and threw them off to the side. This was her chance.

“You weren't hurt too badly. Just a minor wound from claws and a small bite mark,” The dark, shadowy figure said, “I've put some healing mixtures on your wounds so you should be back to normal and on your way out of this place soon.”

“Wait! I can't leave. I've got to talk to you,” Dawn said quickly as she got up.

“I have nothing to say to you,” Was the reply she got.

“I know who you are,” Dawn cried out suddenly, “Spike the dragon. Assistant to Princess -”

“Finish that sentence and I will kill you where you stand.”

The figure that stood before her, that darkened being of shadows finally came into the light. He breathed a small flare of fire breath into a pit in the center of the room. The fire came alive and lit up the room like the rising sun. Dawn's eyes widened even more as she saw him clearly for the first time.

He looked even taller in the light. Deep purple scales covered his body like armor. Impenetrable, unyielding, everlasting armor. And yet she could see through his scales more than a few scars. This dragon had seen his fair share of combat. Green spikes, each ending in a sharp point, ran down his head and body. Each of his dragon hands had deadly claws that could tear a pony to shreds, or a timberwolf. His tail lay low behind him, staying just inches above the floor at all times. His tail was thin and long, but seemed to be very powerful in it's own right. She looked into his eyes as he turned to look at her. His eyes were as green as the most vibrant of emeralds, yet did not share their radiance. Instead, it was pain and suffering she saw in them. Anger and rage had replaced his happiness and cheer. What had happened to him?

“You know who I am,” Spike said, “Good for you. Some pony remembers. What do you want?”

“Truth. I want the truth,” Dawn replied, “My name is Dawn. Dawn Seeker. I have come in search of the truth about what happened all those years ago.”

“Then you have wasted your time. Now leave my home. Leave the Everfree Forest. And leave the truth behind. It will only get you hurt,” Spike said firmly.

“I have come for the truth, and I am not leaving without it,” Dawn strongly asserted, “Now tell me what you know, or I will -”

Before Dawn could finish her sentence Spike had moved. He had crossed the room between them in less than an instant. She had barely gotten the words out when he grabbed her. He spread his hand out and gripper her neck tight. He had an unbreakable grasp on her just below the jaw. With his one arm he lifted her up and held her against the wall. She could feel the ends of his claws pressing into her neck. One small push and she would be bleeding again.

“You'll do what, Seeker,” Spike hissed, “You think you have a spell or some magic that can make me talk? I have lived in this damn Forest for many years, and I have survived. So tell me: What exactly do you have that can possibly be of any interest to me?”

Dawn looked down over the scales of his hand. She could see the raw anger in his eyes. It was spilling out into his claws and very nearly choking the life out of her. She could feel the claws at her throat, but still she managed to get out the few words that might save her life.

“M- mo- mother. M- my mother,” She said through his claws.

Interesting. Spike loosened his grip on Dawn's throat and placed her back on the floor. He slowly removed his claws from her neck. She took a moment to catch her breath again. She saw that Spike was staring down at her still. He was waiting for an explanation.

“One of them. . . was my mother,” Dawn said with a heavy breath.

“Then it is you,” Spike said, “I had hoped you would never come here. But you have, and now you want to know the truth. That is a long story.”

“My wounds still need time to heal,” Dawn said back, “There is time enough.”