Chapters Spike was looking over Twilight Sparkle's 'shopping list' for at least the three-hundredth time.
"Welllllll...." The dark form growled from its night shaded haven. "It's about time you gave me my instrument for revenge, little Twilight." Its taloned hand stretched long fingers in anticipation of the spells it would soon cast. Moving easily in the darkness, it never truly seemed to gain definition, looking only as if it drew shadows toward itself as it strode the ebony halls toward its own library. It had been patiently awaiting this moment for quite sometime and savored each step as it mulled over the long planned vengeance. It opened a box that contained several spell components and a book wrapped in dark purple velvet.
The first two days took Spike through the outlying woods, much more of a hunt than a travel. Rustic's root was a tough find, as it grew beneath other foliage and away from the sun. At one point Spike had thought Celestia herself would strike him down because of the string of what he considered obscenities pouring from him, though in truth, he'd heard very few curse words in Ponyville and was just using words that just didn't sound 'polite', as Rarity would have said. Finally, he overturned a bush and his eyes widened as he saw the purple-red leaves that were unmistakably the unique shape of the root.
"Oh, thank Celestia!" he nearly shouted, forgetting that just a few minutes ago, he’d feared her vengeful smiting. He actually fell to the ground and hugged the plant, the culmination of nearly ten hours of searching, and even thought of giving it a kiss or two, but reconsidered. After all, anyone could be watching: chipmunks, squirrels, or the dreaded color magenta.
It was pictures of all his friends, some posed and some candid. Here was Applejack with a huge mouthful of apple, eyes wide in surprise at being suddenly busted. Rarity, in her best (everything seemed to be her best) cape and sparkling tiara. Twi, hunched over a book and looking studiously at a book by candlelight. He even had one of sweet Derpy, caught perfectly as the nice but ever clumsy silly filly had fallen down, jaw hitting the cobbled street in Ponyville's market. Spike had gone to her immediately after to see if was hurt, but she'd been just fine, the daffily charming smile still on her face. From that day, he suspected that if a meteor fell from the sky and hit her on the head, it probably wouldn't hurt her a bit. There were plenty more, from his closest friends to nodding acquaintances. He missed them, and although he enjoyed the freedom of the outdoors, he couldn't wait to get home and hear AJ's southern twang, Pinkie's lilting laugh, Rarity calling everypony 'darling'.....
He curled up under his blanket, putting the pictures back in the basket, and watched the fire crackle until he drifted off to sleep.
Applejack had stopped in before heading home, knowing she'd have to. Twilight was at her desk, but she'd moved it to be next to the window. She'd read a few minutes, then look out the window, then back to her book again. AJ watched this ritual for a bit, then made Twilight jump when she said. "Ya know, Luna just ain't gonna spit him back out on the doorstep when he gets done."
The next day, Spike gathered a few more small items before he finally started girding himself up for the one item he really dreaded obtaining: it was the crystalthorn berries, and they only grew in one large clump in the deep woods. The berries were surrounded by twisting, viney thorns that he didn't particularly care for. He had a good strong hide that, although it wasn't as tough as an adult dragon's, would probably protect him from any scratches, but it was just a childish fear of the vicious looking points that scared him. He finally found the dreaded bush, nearly twice his own height, and walked around it in a mopey way, not seeing any berries that might have poked through the thorny foliage.He scratched his chin with a sigh, then circled the bush again, then twice more to find the most easily accessible berries.
Everypony seemed to make a stop in the Library after the fourth day of Spike's jaunt. He was expected back within four to six days, depending on how tough some of the ingredients were to find. Some of them wanted to see if Spike had returned and how roughing it had been on him. Some wanted to see if he'd seen anything new in his travel. Most however, knew that 'Mama Hen' was going to be getting even more worried than usual as the fourth day dragged out. High strung already, she was a little short-tempered that, like Applejack had suggested, Spike just hadn't magically appeared when he picked the last item on his list.
Twilight felt her magic vanish as well, and the books she'd been organizing crashed to the floor. Her mouth dropped open at the feel of the severing, like a piece of her mind had been stolen or shut away. She was in such shock she didn't hear the approaching rumbles for nearly five minutes. When she did, she ran to the door and looked out. She was the last one to see the danger, but she was the one pony the sight frightened the most.
The monstrous giant caused everyone in Ponyville to panic. Anypony with magic ability was terrified at the loss of their connection, and even more so by the appearance of the creature that seemed bent on attacking the town. It was massive and each step it took made the ground quake and the houses and businesses shudder. They had seen this monster before and knew what it could do. Only now, it was far more deadly looking.
Spike smashed the outlying houses, and it was simply luck that ponies were dextrous or fortunate enough to avoid the rubble or its footfalls. He did not cut a straight path into town, but reveled in the damage and pain he was causing. He burst forth with a long jet of flame that consumed some of the small outlying fields where ponies grew things for their own use, destroyed gardens and play yards, and it was obvious to all that kept their wits about them that it wasn't just a chaotic, mindless rampage: the dragon wanted to destroy, to ruin and cause pain.
All the ponies were stunned at that.
Spike had begun to take his time, seeming to play a macabre shell game, tearing roofs from houses to try to find living occupants, was AJ's best guess, and the passing thought made her shudder. He had all the time in the world to cause all the chaos and destruction he wanted. If a house or business was unoccupied, he smashed it in frustration and went to the next. He was obscured at times by large plumes of dust and smoke, his hazy shadow just visible within. He smashed two more buildings before his attention was arrested by the youthful but strong voice just ahead of him.
Earlier that morning:
Spike had indeed been on his way back home, even waking up early so he could get a good head start and dreaming of gem-crusted pies and his not so adventurous adventures in the wilds of the safest woods in all of Equestria. So he decided to make some stories up about them as he walked. He'd never tell such tall tales to any of his friends, but he thought he might write a few down as stories for later. He was making good time, and doing some heavy mental editing on the part with the 600 quarry eels and him with just a broken stick when he decided to break for a quick snack, and to get his mind back on the trail. If he kept daydreaming, he'd likely walk right into a tree or four.
Spike hated moving so slowly when he knew Ponyville might be in danger, but if he was reckless, he wouldn't make it there at all. He moved through underbrush as much as he could, watching for the beast on the road. A few times he had to risk crawling in the open, but then he moved slowly and silently, knowing motion would be his biggest enemy here. One flash of his hide would draw his hunter's eye, and it would be all over.
He was very fortunate that the monsters were a kill squad and not hunters or they would have chased him down across the open field. As it was, Ponyville never seemed to get any closer to him as he ran as hard as he could toward it, but horrifically, the creature in its midst seemed to come into sharper relief with every step. His heart was pounding in his chest because he knew what the other ponies would do if they thought it was him, and what would happen to them just for thinking they were helping a misguided Spike again when it wasn't him. He started to scream because that it wasn't him, even though he knew they couldn't hear him yet, screaming because it was all he could think to do, he wasn't moving fast enough, and he could barely think of what he was screaming...
She looked at him and he saw her mouth his name, saw the dragon draw a swift claw forward and before he could scream for her to move, it hit Twilight.
When the monster hit Twilight and sent her flying, Spike only had time to say Twilight's name. After that, he felt a massive tug in his mind, something he'd never experienced before, from a part of him he never dreamed existed. It was rage, and although most of it had been what the dragon had just done to Twilight, there was something different to it, something beyond even the feeling of sliding into draconic greed. It was sudden and he could feel the sweet little Spike draining away. The ground was getting further away from him, his body tightening in spasm, his mind turning toward primal fury that was even older than greed.
Spike slowly slid his head along the ground, looking to the Library through the dust, blinking weakly.
It had been two weeks, and Spike was still in a coma. He lay in Twilight's bed, in the best spot, right where the Sun came through the nicest. All his friends came to visit him, but according to both Dr. Horse and Zecora, visitors had to be one at a time and no more than an hour each.
There were only three knocks, in a perfect succession, and she knew.
Rain was falling, and Twilight hated it. She didn't need to look skyward to know the clouds darkened the day almost as black as Luna's night. The darkness she didn't care about. It could be dark forever as far as she cared.
Twilight's eyes sprang open and blinked away her tears. She saw the top of Spike's head and knew she was back in her room. She sniffed and started to cry again, still frightened from her dream, sobbing for a moment when she felt it.
Twilight's eyes fluttered open in the early morning sun and she found she was holding Spike, as she had the night before. In the bleary moments between sleeping and waking, she felt a sudden pang that she had dreamed Spike had woken up and wasn't sure she could stand if her mind had played such a cruel trick on her.
Twilight thought she was early enough to avoid any of her marefriends, but she couldn't have been more mistaken. All it took was Pinkie Pie spotting her picking out her order at the bakery, and then it was just a matter of nearly tripping overself to find Rainbow Dash. After that, word spread like wildfire. Fortunately, Applejack was already in town and Dash didn't have to fly out to the farm and the five mares were gathered together before the muffins finished baking.
When she finished, all six of her listeners were awestruck in silence. Twilight waited for it to sink in to all of them and to see who would break the silence.