Tears of the Indifferent.

Sweet Apple Acres Barn
Spike opened his eyes and instantly closed them. Some one had the bright idea of putting a candle right next to his face. He rolled over away from the light. "Ow Spiiiiiike, get off me!" Spike's eyes shot open and he leapt to his feet. Sweetie belle groaned and slowly got to her feet.

"Sweetie belle? What the hay is going on?" He gasped. He took a look at his surroundings. He was in the Apple family barn. Someone had moved him inside, and put a blanket over him.

The small white unicorn shook herself, and looked up at Spike with a smile. "Your awake hooray, Scootaloo and Applebloom went to get you some food for when you wake up. I told them to get you a lot since you're all big now." She informed him with a big smile.She bit her lip, and looked up at him shyly "Um Spike this might sound stupid, but.. How does it feel to be, tall?" Spike couldn't help, but the hurt look on Sweetie Belle's face shut him up. "I knew it was a stupid question.." She sniffled.

Spike bit his lip "Uh no no its just that I didn't expect it. Well being tall it's well strange. I don't really know how to describe it." A loud crash sounded outside, and a black object flew through the barn window. The object slammed into the hay bale next to Spike. Then it made a groaning noise. "What is tha- Scootaloo ya all alright?" Applebloom interrupted as she stormed into the barn.

Scootaloo rolled onto the floor she was coated in soot "That was awesome I told you the flavor would be explosive!" She went back into the hay and brought out a plate. "Spike we already tried to get our cooking cutie marks, and we failed! So we tried again, aaaaand I think it's actually edible this time! Well at least that's what mom said." She smiled widely.

Spike looked down at the plate, a small black substance rested in the center. He suddenly felt his stomach claw at him. Spike lunged forwards snapping his jaws shut on plate causing Scootaloo to yelp, and fall backwards. "Thissh is delushas." Spike mumbled as he chomped on the hard burnt substance.

The three fillies gaped in three different ways. Scootaloo in a wide smile feeling appreciated, and proud. Applebloom in disgust she having known exactly what it was Spike was eating. And finally Sweetie Belle in awe at how Spike's jaws crushed the seemingly coal like substance.

Spike then learned the hardest lesson a hungry dragon could. You can chomp down, and swallow anything you want. Keeping it down however can be problematic at best. Spike suddenly felt like razor blades were being juggled in his stomach. He held his gut, and tried to hold it down. "Spike you alright?" Sweetie belle whispered.

"He looks like he's gonna puke sweet maybe it'll be projecti- Scootaloo!" Applebloom shoved her hoof into scoot's mouth.

"That there is gross, why would ya all want him to puke?" She scolded the smiling pegasus. A gurgling noise caught her attention she saw Spike fall to his knees then he belched. A flaming glob flew past Sweetie Belle, and hit barn wall. "You all best put that out!" Applebloom cried.

Spike looked around for something he turned to the crusaders, but only three gapes responded to him. Scootaloo's smile at the joy of flaming vomit. Applebloom's disgust at the sight of flaming vomit. Sweetie belles confusion, at flaming vomit. Spike found no way to put it then an idea hit him. "Celestia forgive me." Spike sighed, then began urinating on the flames.

Spike instinctively sighed at the release of his bladder fluids. His male member then slid back under the crotch scale that protects dragon genitalia. He then remembered where he was, and whom he was with. He turned to see the three filly's wide eyed, and mouths slightly agape. Sweetie belle recovered first "Um Spike, wh-what was that thing?"

The worst part of being a male teenage dragon in a world of female ponies was the lack of male knowledge. "Uh well I well.. I'm not really sure.."

"Oh I think I know what can help, I'll be back." And with that Scootaloo darted out through the barn window.
Spikes then realization hit Spike "Wait how is Scootaloo flying?" Applebloom was still shaking off her shock at seeing Spikes male member, and sweetie Belle just shook her head unable to help him that question.

Scootaloo flew back into the barn and dropped Dashes saddle bag down in front of the group. She pulled out a book, one with a dragon head on it. Spike gritted his teeth. "This book has a dragon on it sooo maybe it has something about your thingy Spike." She opened the book then slammed it shut, Scootaloo turned wide eyed towards Spike. "You, you've been dreaming like me." She whispered. "You've seen him haven't you, you've seen the monster. The big one the one that kills and kills and kills." She began shaking. "This book is the thing that told you the story? Is this book the thing that makes them happen?" She trotted up to Spike and tilted her head peering up at him.

Spike shook his head and backed away "Scootaloo I-I had no idea the book was affecting anyone else, I swear I don't even understand why these visions occur."

"I don't want it to happen I don't want mother to die, I just got her I don't want to lose her! Burn it burn the book help me protect my mother!" The orange pegasus screamed. Applebloom ran over to her and hugged her.

"Calm down sugar cube Rainbow dash is fine she's not in danger she's fine." She cooed.

Spike gaped and backed away, only to bump into Sweetie belle. "Spike I can feel magic, not evil but not good neutral, It's coming from you, and the book. Scoots, there's magic is coming from her as well. It's different feels like an alteration of the one surrounding you."

Spike shook his head "What do you want from me?" He whimpered. Sweetie Belle put a hoof on his leg.

"Spike we need to get to the bottom of this, I'm no Twilight but I believe I can help. Spike I need your help to help Scootaloo." The small white unicorn looked at him with pleading eyes.

Spike opened his mouth then shook his head slowly. "Alright, what do we need to do?"

Sweetie Belles eyes lit up "Thank you. Now we need to take a look at that book." She turned to Scootaloo. Applebloom had succeeded in calming her down. "Scoots what prompted this outburst?" She inquired.

Scootaloo shook her head and bit her lip "I'm sorry, but ever since that lightning storm I've been having nightmares. At first I thought that was all they were, but when I would wake... I would hear voices whispering in my head. When I opened the book I-I well I felt a link to Spike.... I don't know how or why." Sweetie Belle picked up the book, and put a hoof to her chin in thought.

Her horn glowed "Alright, I'm going to try and access the magic in the boo-" A giant flash of light engulfed her, then spread out to swallow the other crusader's and finally Spike as well.

Apple Family House
Rainbow Dash shot straight up in her bed with a gasp. "Something's wrong, something is very wrong." she panted. The door to the guest room flung open, and Applejack ran in.

"Did ya feel that?" She asked fear filling the earth ponies voice. "Where are the girls?"

"They were going to the barn, Scoots said she was bringing food for Spike." She threw the blanket off her torso, and jumped out of the bed. "Come on Aj lets go check out the barn." The two mares galloped out of the house towards the barn.

Unknown Location
Spike opened his eyes slowly piercing sunlight tore into his vision "Where in the name of Luna's dark moon are we?" He grumbled as he rolled onto his stomach to come face to face with Sweetie Belle. Only something was off about her, but Spike couldn't put his claw on it.

"Spike do you enjoy crushing me?" Sweetie Belle groaned as Spike pushed himself off of her.

"Um Sweetie Belle how do you feel?" Spike asked scanning over the unicorn.

"Feel what do you mean feel?" She replied slightly irritated. "I feel like a teenage dragon just laid on top of me, again."

"Uh what happened? Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, Spike?" Scootaloo grumbled as she got to her hoofs nearby. She shook her head to clear it and yelped. "Sweetie Belle y-you got bigger!" The little unicorn had grown into a young mare.

"She ain't the only one, Scoots ya all got taller, so did I!" Applebloom exclaimed.

Spike scanned the now teenage Crusaders with new found curiosity. They had a strange scent about them that confused him. "Spike?" He couldn't put his claw on it. "Spike?" He was brought back to reality by Sweetie Belle. "Spike we need to find out where we are."

He nodded still in a haze from the new scent. He looked around they were in a open field. He could see a small rock formation nearby, a cave entrance could be seen from their location. "I don't know where we are, why you girls are suddenly mares, and my head is pounding." He grumbled

Suddenly a great shadow blotted out the sun, followed by a billowing wind and the sound of wing beats. A large black mass landed next to them. A massive black dragon turned to face them. He wasn't the one Spike had seen slaughter his fathers squad. This dragon was 2/3 the size of that monster, and had silver markings running along his eye ridge down his flanks and twisting into a root like pattern on his chest.

"Ah a young drake, and his harem. Quite an interesting find, quite interesting indeed."