//-------------------------------------------------------// Where Are You? -by Kiryu123- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// Useless //-------------------------------------------------------// Useless Twilight Sparkle is your average unicorn. She studies magic, and goes to extreme lengths to get new spells. The only difference is that she has been able to produce magic no other unicorn could, and that lead to both her cutie mark, and being the personal assistant of the one and only Princess Celestia. Spike is your normal baby dragon. But he also has his differences too. For one, he was raised by a unicorn since he hatched. Another difference is that he can’t breathe fire, but with the exception of a small flame that emerges from his mouth when Celestia messages them. But Spike is happy that he can’t breathe fire or be raised by dragons. Twilight has raised Spike as her own, and they both have grown fond of each other. Twilight was almost like a mother to Spike, but he thought of her as like a sister. Even though Spike was a dragon, Twilight loved and took care of him with all her heart. Whenever Spike would cry because ponies would make fun of him for being a dragon with no powers what so ever, Twilight would cradle him in her arms, and say, “It doesn’t matter if you are different. Being different makes you special. And besides, being a dragon doesn’t mean I don’t love you.” This would always stop Spike’s sobbing when he was a little toddler, and Spike has since gotten over every pony’s teasing. But Spike sometimes has done things that have made Twilight lose her temper. But they would be settled later that night. Spike doesn’t usually cry when he gets in trouble, but there are exceptions. For instance, when Spike was younger, he accidentally made a mess of flour in the kitchen, and got yelled at by Twilight. Covered in flour, he sat there and sobbed, the flour around his eyes getting mushy. Twilight then used her magic to clean him off, and she said, “Don’t cry. You know I didn’t mean to yell. It’s just that the kitchen is a mess now. It’s going to take all day to clean it off.” “I’m sorry!” sobbed Spike. “I know you didn’t mean it. Now let’s get you in the bath.” Even though Twilight would sometimes get mad at him, Spike loved Twilight, and she loved him back. But Twilight’s anger would consume her one fateful day, and her reaction would hurt Spike the days following. ~~~~ It all started one afternoon in Ponyville, where Spike and Twilight lived. Twilight was getting ready for the magic she was about to produce. Spike, like always, helped her with the spell. “Okay, make sure you hold still.” said Twilight, with a serious tone in her voice. “Don’t worry. I will.” said Spike, nonchalantly. “I’m serious. The spell won’t work if you move around.” “I won’t! I won’t!” “Okay, now hold still for just a minute.” Twilight said, her horn starting to glow. Spike became nervous, because all he knew about this trick was that it had to do with giving him a temporary force field-like glow. Within seconds, the glow completely covered Spike, who was starting to sweat. He was starting to lose his balance on the stool he was standing on. He had stood on that stool so many times that it was starting to give way. “Almost done.” said Twilight, in the type of voice you have when your teeth are clenched together. All of a sudden, Spike felt a shock bathe his body. It didn’t hurt, but it scared him. He got so frightened that he fell from the stool to the ground. “SPIKE!” he heard Twilight yell before they both disappeared in a white light that filled the library. The light disappeared with the sound of an explosion, and the room finally became visible again. Spike got up and cracked his back. He turned to see Twilight, was buried in books that had fallen from their shelves. She got up and angrily walked towards Spike. “WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!” she yelled. “I, uh, um, I’m sorry.” said Spike in a raspy voice. “SORRY WON’T HELP! I MEAN, LOOK AT THIS ROOM!” Spike turned around and looked at the messy library. There were books laid out all over the place, shelves were knocked down, and pictures were shattered on the ground. “I, uh-” he was cut off by Twilight’s yelling. “WHY IS IT EVERYTIME I ASK YOU TO DO SOMETHING SO SIMPLE, IT SEEMS IMPOSSIBLE FOR YOU! WHY WHEN I EVER NEED YOU TO HELP ME WITH SOMETHING, YOU HAVE TO ACT SO USELESS!” Spike’s eyes filled up with tears at those last words. “Useless?” “YES USELESS!” Tears started running down his cheeks. “WELL SORRY FOR BEING SO USELESS!” he sobbed, running up the stairs. “YEAH! HEAD UP TO YOUR ROOM AND THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU’VE DONE!” Twilight yelled. She took a deep breath, and started to clean up the library. “I mean, why can’t he do anything right?” she asked herself. “I mean, I asked him to stand still. Is that too much of a challenge? There’s just some things I don’t get about that dragon.” It wasn’t until nighttime that Twilight finished cleaning up the library. Before resting, she went upstairs to check on Spike. “Spike?” she asked, knocking on the door. No answer. “Spike? Come on.” No reply. “Don’t make me break through the door, young man!” Not one word. Using a magic spell she learned when she was a young philly, Twilight unlocked the door and burst in. The bedroom was dark and empty, except for the two beds they sleep on. “Spike?” she asked, getting worried. “If you’re hiding from me, it’s not funny!” No reply. She checked under the beds and in the closet. But then she noticed a piece of paper on Spike’s bed. Using her magic, she levitated the paper and read it: ~~~~ Dear Twilight, I'm running away. If I'm useless, I guess you don't need me anymore. What's an assistant that's useless. Does that even exist? Never mind. I guess this is goodbye. I had fun. But I guess all things have to come to an end eventually. Sincerely, Spike ~~~~ A teardrop fell on the piece of paper. It belonged to Twilight, who was was somehow confused and shocked at the same time. But finally, it came all together. Twilight then remembered what she had said, and the tears starting flowing. “No! NO! NOOOO!” she yelled, the piece of paper falling to the ground. “Spike? Where are you!” she cried, leaving no stone unturned in the treehouse. She ran out the front door and, without care, yelled at the sky. “WHERE ARE YOU, SPIKE?!” She then collapsed to the ground, crying harder than she’s ever before. “I’m sorry, Spike.” she sobbed. “I’m so sorry.” //-------------------------------------------------------// No More Twilight //-------------------------------------------------------// No More Twilight Spike was walking down the trails of the Everfree Forest. He was holding a potato bag full of food and water he had bought at the market before he headed into the forest. He was still sniffing from his crying, and would have a meltdown from time to time. His mind was full with images of him and Twilight doing things together. He remembered that one time when Twilight took him to the beach for the first time when he was younger. He was scared of the water rolling in and would hide behind Twilight when it would come in. Then, much to Spike’s dismay, Twilight used her magic and dropped Spike into the water. It was cold at first, but he eventually got used to it. Twilight didn’t have plans on going in the water. Instead, she studied magic underneath their umbrella. After Spike’s whining, she finally decided to see if the water was too cold. Before she could check, Spike jumped on her and they both fell in the water. Twilight resurfaced and started to laugh. She and Spike then played in the water until it was time to leave. Those were the good times. Spike shook his head. What are you doing? You can’t think about some pony that thinks you can’t do anything right! He said in his thoughts. He then sat down and pulled out a dictionary from the potato bag. He had kept a dictionary under his bed when Twilight would speak in scientific words. He started to flip through the pages. “Okay. Uh..U.” he muttered to himself. “Useful, Useitation, Useless. Here we go.” He proceeded to read the definition: ~~~ Useless (adjective): Someone who is helpless and incompetent. Example: That pony is so USELESS that he can't even screw in a lightbulb. ~~~ Spike started to cry again. She thinks I'm helpless and incompetent? She hates me that much? Spike cringed at the thought of that. No. Not hate. Dislike. It can't be. By now, Spike was full-out crying. It's true! She hates me! Why else would she call me incompetent? Spike’s waterfall of tears were falling on the forest floor, creating a puddle underneath him. To make matters worse, Twilight’s infamous line entered his head: Being a dragon doesn't mean I don't love you. “If you loved me, why did you call me useless!” he sobbed at the top of his lungs. His crying finally stopped when he felt his stomach growl. “Okay. Get a hold of yourself. It’s about time you eat something.” he said to himself. He opened the potato bag and took out its contents. Inside were two packs of Hay Jerky, an apple, a few bits, a couple water bottles, and a small portable radio. He opened a bag of Beef Jerky and turned on his radio. Spike chuckled a little when he heard DJ P0N-3 hosting the station. It seemed as if Spike had totally forgotten about Twilight when it returned in a heartbeat. The song “St. Elmo’s Fire” by John Parr started to play. He and Twilight loved this song. Even though Twilight had said that Spike wasn’t old enough to see the movie St. Elmo’s Fire, he still liked this song. He was starting to tear up, but he forced his tears to swell back up into his eyes. He got a hold of himself and listened to the song while eating. He started to sing along: ♪I can see a new horizon, underneath the blazing sky♪ ♪Help me where the eagle flies higher and higher♪ He listened to the song and finally shut off the radio. He was full and tired. He reluctantly took his favorite blanket, which he had wrapped himself in, and set it on the forest floor. He didn’t bother to cover up, because when it’s summertime in Ponyville, even the nights are over 90 degrees. Spike lay down, and he closed his eyes. He wasn’t even thinking about Twilight by now, and he seemed to like it. No more Twilight, he said in his mind, No more Twilight. //-------------------------------------------------------// Nightmare //-------------------------------------------------------// Nightmare Twilight was packing as fast as she could. It almost seemed like a world record because of the time it took her. But she didn’t care right now. She was determined to find Spike. She had tried to look for him last night, but she was tired, which made her light spell almost useless. So, reluctantly, she went to sleep, and would start the search right as she woke up. Since it was summer, the ground was completely dry, so it was impossible for Spike’s footprints to be left behind. Without footprints, Twilight had nowhere to begin with. So she started by scratch, and printed a picture of Spike. She went around asking random citizens if they have seen him, but it was no use. Twilight didn’t want to ask her friends, because she knew for a fact that they would try to help her. This was her business, her problem to solve by herself. But if she didn’t find any clues soon, she would be forced to. And as she feared, no pony had seen him. She let out an annoyed sigh, “I better go to Applejack, and see if he went to Sweet Apple Acres.” She started to Applejack’s farm, an annoyed expression on her face the entire trip there. “I swear if I have to go through that ‘i’m going with you’ mumbo jumbo-” ~~~~ “I’m goin’ with ya’ Twilight.” said Applejack. Celestia Damn It, Twilight yelled in her mind, knowing that if she had said it out loud, Applejack would’ve given her a lecture about her foul language. Here we go... “It’s okay, Applejack. I just wanted to know if he was here-” “I have to come with you. I’m your friend, and that’s what friends do. They help each other out.” Applejack said. Twilight knew she had to tell Applejack to bug off. “It’s my problem and I have to take care of it!” “No, Twilight. Your problem is my problem.” “I don’t need your help!” The two were still arguing when Apple Bloom came up and joined them. “Appleja-” she said softly, but then getting cut off by Applejack. “WHAT DO YOU WANT!” Applejack yelled, her voice almost sounding demonic. Apple Bloom didn’t finish her sentence. Twilight could see Apple Bloom’s eyes starting to fill with tears at the sight of her older sister glaring her down in an evil way. Apple Bloom’s tears starting running down her cheeks, and she went running off back towards the farm. This instantly reminded Twilight of Spike’s reactions when Twilight called him “useless.” His tears running down his cheeks, running away from the scene in his sorrows. “Oh, Apple Bloom. Come back!” Applejack yelled back, feeling sorry for what she had done. “There are just some things a pony has to do themselves.” said Twilight softly, almost feeling bad for turning down Applejack’s offers. “Okay fine! Now if ya’ll excuse me, I got a baby sister to find.” Applejack said in an angry voice. As Twilight was leaving Sweet Apple Acres, she decided to check behind the barn, in case Spike was there. When she went behind the barn, she saw Apple Bloom laying on her stomach on the ground, her hoofs covering her eyes. She was still crying. “Hey, Apple Bloom. You okay?” asked Twilight, in a soft tone of voice. Apple Bloom opened her arm and gave Twilight a quick look, and went back to covering her face. “I’m guessing Applejack never yells at you.” said Twilight, feeling bad for the young philly. Apple Bloom sniffed, “She’s never yelled at me that loud before.” she cried, her face still covered. “What did I ever do *sniff* that made her hate me?” Twilight’s heart almost shattered into a million pieces at that answer. “She’ doesn’t hate you. Me and her just had a little argument.” Twilight walked up and started to brush Apple Bloom’s mane with her hoof. She could tell this comforted Apple Bloom. “What were you trying to say?” asked Twilight, as comforting of a voice she could have. Apple Bloom sniffed, “I was trying to say I saw Spike earlier.” Twilight’s eyes opened with excitement. “You did! Where?!” “I saw him walking towards the main town. He had a potato bag full of stuff.” Twilight smiled at her. “Thanks Apple Bloom, you’re the best.” She picked up Apple Bloom and hugged her. Twilight walked away from Sweet Apple Acres, realizing it had been worth the trip after all. But she had no time to think about that, because she had a baby dragon to find. “Okay, lets see.” Twilight brainstormed, “If he had a big bag full of stuff, wouldn’t that mean that he’s going on a long journey? But the only way out of Ponyville is the Everfree Forest.” All of a sudden, Twilight’s eyes grew. “The Everfree Forest! That’s probably where he’s at!” ~~~~ Twilight took no time to relax, and ran towards the forest. It was a long and tiring run, but she finally made it. The entrance was fog filled and had a evil undertone to it, like always. Also, this is the place where all of Equestria’s villains are banished to. Twilight took a deep gulp of courage, and walked in. The entire ground was covered in fog, which made it impossible to see snakes or other dangerous things underneath Twilight. She heard a noise, but dismissed it as an owl or something. Then the noises got closer and closer. The noise when Twilight first heard it sounded like one animal, but at this point, she could tell there were twenty or possibly more. The animal noises sounded familiar, but Twilight couldn’t remember what the animals were. But then, it came in a heart throb: These animals are timberwolves. Before Twilight could run, they all jumped out and were cornering her. She knew it would be the end for her. Or would it? She was trying to find a way to get herself out of the circle the wolves were trapping her in. She couldn’t ram, because they could easily grab her by her flank and rip her apart. But then she remembered. “The light spell!” she yelled, as her horn started to glow. She had read that timberwolves were scared of light, and it seemed to work. The timberwolves slowly backed away, which left a clearing for Twilight to run. Once the wolves blurry vision faded away, they saw that Twilight was far past them, but still in clear view. They couldn’t let good prey get away, so they chased her. Twilight was running the fastest she had ever run before. She was running as fast as a pony could run, but the timberwolves were slightly faster. Twilight ran and ran until she bumped into a dark object. She couldn’t make it out, but the silhouette looked like something she had seen before. All of a sudden, the dark figure walked out of the shadows. It was Spike. “Spike!” Twilight yelled as she ran up to hug him. But something seemed different. Spike wasn’t talking. He was just staring up at Twilight with his mouth closed. Just as Twilight wrapped her arms around him, she didn’t feel his scaly skin. Instead her arms felt wet, like she was underwater. She opened her eyes, and was shocked. She was in a lake, her head floating on the top of the water. Spike was nowhere in sight. “Spike! Where are you!” Twilight yelled, searching the water. Then, Spike’s head popped up just a few feet away from her. “Spike!” she yelled, swimming towards the young dragon. His face still had the same blank expression, his eyes following Twilight wherever she went. Twilight was almost to Spike when she heard a few splashes from behind her. She turned around to see what the noises were, and she regretted it. The timberwolves were in the water. Twilight could see little waves where the wolves were swimming. There were little waves all around the pony and the dragon. By instinct, Twilight started swimming faster towards Spike. But then, the waves disappeared. Where did the waves go? Twilight thought. All of a sudden, a timberwolf’s head popped up right behind Spike’s little head. “SPIKE!” she yelled at the top of her lungs. But Spike didn’t answer. Then, the timberwolf opened its large mouth. Twilight could easily see that there were more than 40 teeth in there. Before she could yell Watch out!, the wolf chomped down on the spikes behind Spike’s head, pulling him underwater. Twilight took a deep breath and went in. She opened her eyes, the salty water burning her pupils. She didn’t have time to feel pain, because she was too busy trying to grab Spike. She could see the timberwolf pulling him deeper and deeper into the murky water. Twilight was starting to cry, both the sight of Spike being drowned deeper and deeper into the water, and the salt in the water threatening to blind her. She was getting weak. Her eyes were burning, and her limbs were sore. She had no choice but to watch Spike get pulled deeper into the water. Then, Spike spoke. “Bye, Twilight.” he said, in a tired and hypnotic voice. “No!” Twilight yelled with the rest, if any, energy she had left. She cried as she saw Spike finally disappear in the dark waters below. She was starting to pass out, because of how weak she was. All of a sudden, a timberwolf started swimming towards Twilight. She closed her eyes, expecting the worst. She opened her eyes briefly, and she saw the wolf’s mouth opening. Right as she saw the teeth, she woke up. She had fallen asleep at the entrance of the forest, probably from the long run from Sweet Apple Acres. There were tears all over her face and eyes, and some were still running. She didn’t feel like getting up right now, so she just lay there. “Please, Celestia.”, Twilight prayed, still crying, “Please keep Spike okay. I can’t lose him. I love him.” Twilight then looked up at the sky. She had totally forgotten about the scheduled storm by the Pegasi. She couldn’t lay down forever and get drenched by the rain, so she decided to get up. “I better get going.” she said, getting up and slowly walking towards the entrance. “I hope you’re okay, Spike. Please, be okay.” Twilight said with a sad tone of voice. She was still recovering from the nightmare, it just seemed way too real. “Here I go.” she said nervously, as she slowly made her way into the darkness. //-------------------------------------------------------// Thank Celestia //-------------------------------------------------------// Thank Celestia Spike's body was shaking heavily. Never in his entire young life had he been that scared before. And the bush wasn't helping either. There were small thorns on the stems that were constantly poking and scratching Spike. Every scratch made him yelp in pain. Finally, he couldn't take it. His scales stung because of the thorns, his feet were starting to fall asleep, and many other annoying things he couldn't think about at that moment. He slowly and cautiously lifted his head out of the bush. The thorns scratched his face as his head slowly penetrated the top of the bush. Once his head was fully out, he turned his head without moving it, avoiding contact with the thorns. But that was impossible. His neck made contact, making him cringe in pain. Ignoring the pain, he surveyed his surroundings. There seemed to be no timberwolves in the area. He couldn't stand the pain anymore. He suddenly jumped out of the plant, and landing with a large THUD on the dirt path. He shook himself off and slowly walked further into the path. He decided to leave his stuff in the back, because for all he knew, the wolves might be waiting for him there. They might be waiting anywhere. They might even be watching him right now. Sping cringed at the thought of that. Trying to ignore it, he just kept on walking. ~~~ There was a small cactus with fruit growing on it that seemed to have a million copies. Every turn Twilight made, she could've sworn she'd seen it before. It wasn't long before she realized she was going in complete circles the entire time. "Damn it!" she muttered, "I just wasted an hour going in unfimiliar paths, only to realize that I have been ending up in the same path!" Anger was starting to consume her. "WHY IS THIS STUPID FOREST ACT LIKE A BUCKING LABYRINTH!" All of a sudden, she went quiet. The horrible memories entered her mind again. Her voice hadn't been that loud, well since, since, the Spike incident. She shook her head, trying to forget the horrid memory. Just keep on walking, she said in her mind. Just keep on walking. ~~~ Spike was cold, shaken, hungry, and wet. He had tripped in a puddle of mud a while back, only adding another ingridient to make his cuts sting even more. He felt like crying. But for some reason, he couldn't. He simply couldn't. Mabye the wolves scared all of the tears out of him. But he didn't have time to think right now. He just focused on walking foward. He was probably getting sick, too. He let out a loud cough, loud enough to create an echo. He was scared, thinking the timberwolves might've heard it. Spike then heard a noise. It didn't sound like growling or whimpering. Instead, it sounded like footsteps. ~~~ By now, Twilight was scared of anything. Pebbles, owls, you name it. But her heart almost stopped when she heard a coughing noise come from the distance. "Hello? Is anypony there?" she cautiously asked. She could've sworn she heard a barely audible reply. ~~~ Spike nearly froze when he heard something in the distance. He heard words, but he could barely understand them. Spike guessed he heard: Is anypone there? He decided to answer back, even though he still wasn't completely sure of what the stranger had said. "Yes! Somebody's here!" Spike yelled at the top of his lungs. ~~~ When Twilight heard the words 'Somebody's here!', she started running in the direction of the voice. Her gallops could be heard a mile away. ~~~ Once Spike heard the gallops, he also started to run. He could start to see the figure, and something looked familiar about it. Something eerily familiar. ~~~ Twilight could also see the figure. It was small and skinny. But it didn't look like anypony she's seen before. The figure seemed to be running on four legs. ~~~ The two parties were getting closer and closer to each other. Now that they were at the point of where they could see each other's shadows, they both knew something was up. Spike suddenly gasped, and he heard the other figure gasp too. He knew who this figure was now. He could clearly see her. It was Twilight. Twilight could also see Spike. Tears ran down both their faces as they ran towards each other. Once they were just a few feet away from each other, Spike jumped into Twilight's arms, crying. Twilight was also crying. This was the most exciting moment she's had in the past 2 days. "Oh, thank Celestia!" she sobbed, hugging Spike harder. Soon they broke the hug and just looked at each other. Twilight saw the cuts and bruises on Spike, which alarmed her. "What happened to you!" she yelped, surprising Spike. "It's a long story." he said. "Explain everything while we find a away out of this forest." Twilight said, walking in the opposite direction. "I'm not leaving." Spike said suddenly. Twilight slowly turned around. "What do you mean?" she said, starting to get worried. "I'm a useless assistant, aren't I?" Twilight's eyes suddenly grew wide. She felt light-headed. "So that means you're not coming home with me?" she asked, trying to keep her balance. "No. Why should I? Running away means I can never return home." Spike's voice started to get low, as tears started filling his eyes. Twilight couldn't stand it anymore. These were the exact words she did not want to hear. She had dreaded this moment, and it finally came. It seemed that the last two days were full of bad luck for Twilight. Suddenly, her forehead became light-headed again. She lost her balance and fell onto the forest floor. Her vision became blank as she suddenly closed her eyes. She had passed out. "Twilight. TWILIGHT!" he suddenly yelled, "Wake up! Wake up!" he said, shaking her violently. He sat on the ground and started to cry. "Please wake up. Please." He stopped crying and instead started grabbing random sticks. "I better make myself at home while I still can." he said, not smiling. In fact, when was the last he smiled in the last two days. Spike didn't think about it right now. He didn't want to. //-------------------------------------------------------// The Talk //-------------------------------------------------------// The Talk Twilight eyes slowly opened. Her nose was being filled with the scent of smoke. Wait, Smoke! She suddenly burst up. "Fire!" she yelled. She shut up once she took a few seconds to focus on her surroundings. Right next to the fire, was Spike, who was picking up sticks and throwing them into the flame. "Oh, hey, Twilight. You're finally awake." he said with a smile. "How did you make a campfire?" she asked. "Easy. Using sticks and stones, just like you taught me." Twilight nodded and remembered that memory. She had gone camping with Spike in the forests near Canterlot. She taught him that using a couple sticks and a rock could create fire. Extremely young Spike was fascinated by this, and has used that skill ever since. But this was no camping trip. It wasn't even comfortable on the ground. She suddenly felt crawling all over her legs and body. She looked down to see ants crawling on her. She yelped and jumped up, running all around the fire, trying to get the ants off. Once she was sure the insects were off of her, she calmed down and sat near Spike. "Heh. I forgot." chuckled Spike. "Be careful of ants. They're all over the place." he said, shaking an ant off his right leg. Twilight felt like punching him, but thought it was best to keep her anger inside. "Isn't it nice out here?" asked Spike, as he yawned. "Yep. Now how about we find our way out of this damn forest?" she asked. Spike facepalmed. "How many times do I have to tell you? I'm not coming home." Twilight felt like passing out again. But this time, she couldn't. She just couldn't. "Spike? What's the matter with you?" she asked. "Why don't you want to come home?" Spike's eyes started to fill with tears. He went over to a nearby bush and pulled out something. It was a small dictionary. Spike had found it in that bush with teeth marks in it. That proved that the wolves had ravaged through his camp. He threw it towards Twilight, and it landed with a big THUMP in front of her. There seemed to be a fold in one of the pages. Twilight opened to the folded page and read through the words. Nothing seemed to reach her attention until she saw the word 'useless'. She read the definition and slowly placed the book down. Tears were forming in her eyes. "I-. I'm s-. I'm so sorry Spike. I didn't know thats what that meant." she said as softly as possible. Spike was now crying. "You think I'm useless? Don't you-" Twilight interrupted him. "No! I didn't mean-" "You also think I'm incompetent? Don't you?" Spike said, his voice getting louder by every word. "I didn't mean-" "YOU ONCE CALLED ME YOUR #1 ASSISTANT! BUT THAT'S NOW ALL DOWN THE TRASH" he sobbed at the top of his lungs. Twilight started to cry. "I didnt mean it like that! I was angry and I didn't know what I was saying!" she sobbed, falling to the ground. Spike could only stare at her as she cried. "YOU ARE MY #1 ASSISTANT. I PROMISE THAT!" Twilight cried at the top of her lungs. "I'M SO SORRY, SPIKE! I'M SO SORRY!" Twilight went on.  "I SPENT THE LAST TWO DAYS LOOKING FOR YOU, AND WHEN I DO FIND YOU, YOU DON'T WANT TO COME HOME!" she sobbed. Finally, her voice lowered. "I'm so sorry, Spike. {sniff} I'm so sorry." She covered her face and sobbed. Spike was crying at this point, and the tears kept on flowing. "I forgive you." Spike said under his breath. Twilight raised her head. "What?" she sniffed. "I said I forgive you." Spike finally said. "You do?" sniffed Twilight. "Yes." he sniffed. "Does that mean you'll come home?" Twilight's crying was finally starting to fade away. "Yes. I will come home." Spike said. Twilight got up and hugged the young dragon. Spike hugged back. This was the way things were going to be for now on. He and Twilight having a good life with each other. He didn't mind it what so ever. They finally broke the hug and sat near the campfire. "How are you going to get this fire out?" asked Twilight with a small chuckle. Spike picked up a handful of dirt. "Oh, Okay." she smiled. Spike leaned his head against Twilight's shoulder. She leaned over and kissed him on his forehead. "I love you." she said. "I love you too, Twilight." Twilight lay in this position for a while until she made sure he was asleep. After checking for ants, Twilight lay down and rested Spike on her stomach. She slowly closed her eyes, and fell to sleep. ~~~ Twilight awoken to the sound of rustling. She turned to Spike, who was still asleep. "Spike. Spike!" she nudged him, awakening the baby dragon. He slowly yawned and rubbed his left eye. "What's going on?" Twilight shushed him, and they both listened to the rustling. "What is that?" Spike asked. "I don't know." replied Twilight. All of a sudden, they froze in fear as dark figures jumped out from the bushes all around them. "Timberwolves!" they both yelled. The two were now trapped in a big circle surrounded by dozens of wolves. Twilight then realized something. Something that she feared to think about. With over 40 wolves surrounding them, she realized that this was their final move. This was the thing she feared would happen. This was the thing that she knew would happen. This was the thing that might claim the two their lives. This was the thing that was going to be bigger and deadlier than the previous attack. This was the timberwolve's ultimate attack. //-------------------------------------------------------// The Ultimate Attack //-------------------------------------------------------// The Ultimate Attack Twilight and Spike were starting to cower to the dirt ground. The wolves were all around the. There was no escape. Or was there? Twilight's horn started to glow as her light spell came into works. But the wolves didn't back up, or even flinch. Twilight had used it so many times that the timberwolves had become immune to it. Damn it!, she said in her mind. The timberwolves started moving closer. Twilight closed her eyes and held Spike close. She had no other power to help her in this situa- Her teeth grinded together in anger as she yelled. "My teleportation spell!" How could I have been so stupid to completely forget about it!, she yelled in her mind. All of a sudden, her horn lit up again. All of a sudden, a bright light filled the area. Once it faded, Twilight was nowhere in sight. She had teleported herself into a nearby bush where the wolves couldn't find her. Twilight sighed in relief as she turned to face Spike. Wait, Spike!, she screamed in her thoughts. Her assistant was still in the crowd of wolves. She had forgotten to grab him as she teleported. She couldn't yell out to him, as the timberwolves would see her and rip her apart. Spike became more scared now. He was all alone in the crowd of hungry timberwolves. All of a sudden, he remembered. His cheeks puffed up with air as the young dragon took a deep breath. The confused wolves watched as Spike made himself look like a complete idiot. All of a sudden, his mouth opened. A big breath of fire came out as it burned the head of a nearby wolf. The wolf ran around and whimpered in pain as it's head slowly burnt off. Finally, it's body became limp as the wolf's head had burned to a crisp. The wolves were now scared. They slowly backed away as Spike collapsed to the floor. It was very rare when he used his fire breath, and he liked it that away. It would always make him uncomfortably exhausted after he performed the action. And now was no exception. "Good job, Spike!" Twilight yelled, only to cover up her mouth. The wolves slowly turned their heads to face her. She'd done it. She had blown her cover, and now she was going to be eaten. All of a sudden, one wolf jumped foward and landed on Twilight. The purple unicorn screamed as she tried her best trying to hold the wolf back. The wolf made a nasty snarl and bit down on her horn. She screamed in pain as the wolf buried his sharp teeth into the marrow of her horn. She suddenly did a kick to the wolf's chest that broke it's ribcage, and sent the wolf flying in the air. But it was too late. The wolf went flying with Twilight's dismembered horn in it's mouth. The little stump of horn left on her head was in so much pain that Twilight held back tears. "Twilight!" Spike yelled. The wolves turned back to the young dragon. Spike puffed up his cheeks with air, making it look like he was about to breathe fire again. The wolves whimpered and slowly backed away. He held his breath in as he ran past the wolves and towards Twilight. Once he reached her, she was crying from the pain that eminated from the white stump on her head. "Twilight, are you okay?" he said in a hurry. "Yes. I'll be okay." she said, breathing hard. "But your horn-" "It will grow back." Spike's face went from worried to straight out confused. "Wait. Horns grow back?" he asked. "Yes!" she murmered. Their conversation suddenly stopped as they heard growls from behind them. They turned to see the wolves were slowly walking towards them. Twilight turned to Spike, and slowly whispered, "Run!" They suddenly jumped up and ran through the bushes. The timberwolves took no time to start following them. The thorns and brances of the thick bushes made it almost impossible to run through them. Twilight turned around to see that the timberwolves were simply just jumping over the pesky bushes. "Jump over the bushes!" she yelled to Spike. Immediately, they both started jumping over the bushes. They were now running faster, and jumping over the bushes increased their speed by a small amount. The wolves, however, were a different story. The wolves were built to run at high speeds, even when jumping. So naurally, Spike and Twilight were doomed. But Twilight didn't think about that. Instead, she focused on running. That's until a memory popped into her head. The nightmare from earlier that night. In the nightmare, she and Spike were together when the wolves attacked them. But they weren't being chased in the dream. Instead, they somehow ended up in the water. How on Earth did they- Twilight's thoughts were suddenly cut off when the ground dropped beneath them. The both slid down the mini hill until they landed in the water. Twilight's eyes opened as she realized something. Everything was starting to add up. In the dream, she and Spike were being attacked by timberwolves and ended up in the lake. It shocked Twilight to think this was actually happening. All of a sudden, the two heard splashes come from behind them. They reluctantly turned around to see the wolves entering the water. "Oh no." Twilighr whispered in fear. "SWIM!" she yelled. They started to swim, but didn't get very far once the splashes had stopped. The memories of the dream came back again. Wait, the water stopped, Twilight said in her mind, But that means- Her thoughts were suddenly cut off as a timberwolve's head popped up right behind Spike's head. "Spike!" she yelled out. Spike turned around and screamed. The wolf bit down on Spike's scales and pulled him underwater. Now, it was all to real. The events that were in the dream were now becoming true. It was like her dream was a message of some sort. But now, Twilight had no time to think about that. Holding her breath, she dove underwater. She painfully opened her eyes to see Spike being pulled underwater. His face expression made Twilight want to kill herself. It was the same expression he had made on Nightmare Night, when Rainbow Dash had scared him. His wouth opened and his eyes wide opened. The same face he had made when he had choked on the candy because of the scare. But he wasn't choking on candy. His facial expression and the faint sound of screaming in the water meant only one thing: he was screaming for help. Twilight started to swim down towards him. Since she was a pony, she wasn't exactly built for swimming. But she ignored her horrible talent at swimming and instead focused on trying to grab Spile. Tears formed in her eyes as she saw Spike disappear into the dark waters below. Twilight was just about ready to give up. But she couldn't. She couldn't let Spike die. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if that happened. Using all of her might, she suddenly dove deeper into the dark waters. It was almost impossible to see anything. Twilight was worrying if she would even be able to find Spike. Suddenly, she saw Spike in the timberwolve's mouth. She saw other wolves starting to swim towards him. They were going to rip him apart. Twilight became angry and suddenly swam as fast as she's ever swam before, and kicked the wolf in the head, instantly killing it. She turned towards the other wolves and kicked each and every one of them. She would punch, kick, bite, etc. Twilight was basically whooping their wooden asses. Once every wolf was dead, she picked up Spike and swam to shore. She was starting to run out of breath, and her eyes were bloodshot from the salt water. She was about to pass out, until her head finally popped out of the water. She slowly swam back to the sandy shore and lay Spike down on his back. His eyes were closed, and it didn't look like he was breathing. Getting worried, Twilight lay her head against his chest. She couldn't hear a heartbeat. Panicking, she started to give him mouth to mouth. Nothing worked. It went to the point to where Twilight was pushing down on his scaly stomach and crying. "Breath! Come on, breathe!" she cried. "Don't leave me, Spike! Please don't!" Nothing happened. She finally gave up, and buried her face in his stomach and cried. He had been underwater too long. And now it seemed like he was dead. Twilight had been too late. She had lost her #1 assistant. She lay on her stomach next to Spike's lifeless body and cried. "I was too late." she sobbed, "Please forgive me, Spike! Please!" //-------------------------------------------------------// I'll Never Leave Your Side //-------------------------------------------------------// I'll Never Leave Your Side Twilight lay there next to Spike and cried. How could she have let him die? Why did she let him die? Why did she have to start this? Why did she have to call him Useless? Twilight's mind was full of questions that balmed her for the entire incident. As it was her fault. She was the one who got angry. She was the one who called him Useless. She was the one who let this all unfold. Thinking about all this made her cry more. Not only was her assistant gone, but her horn wouldn't grow back for another 2 weeks, leaving her magicless for all that time. She turned to her lifeless assistant and said, "I'll never leave your side, Spike." And she just lay there for the next 5 hours. Her stomach was growling intensily. She hadn't eaten since 2 days ago, and her stomach was hurting. But she didn't care. She didn't care if she died. She didn't have thoughts of suicide, but if more wolves came and ate her alive, she wouldn't care. She was going to lay here until she finally decomposed. Twilight just lay there, and started to think about some nice memories she had had with Spike. ~~~ There was one time she had played with him in the snow back when they lived in Canterlot. She had thrown a snowball in his face, and he started to cry. That was until Twilight felt bad and offered him the chance to get her back. Immediately, he made a snowball and threw it in her face. She shook it off and laughed. His crying stopped as he started to laugh too. ~~~ Twilight tried to remember more obscure memories. ~~~ She remembered another time when she gave Spike his first bath. When she had turned on the water, he had hid behind the toilet and sucked his thumb in fear. Once Twilight picked him up and put him in the water, he squirmed and splashed at first, wetting Twilight. Once he had gotten used to the water, the baby dragon had almost fell asleep. Twilight smiled and hugged him. ~~~ All of a sudden, another memory entered her mind. The most important and exciting memory of when she was with Spike. It was the day she hatched him. ~~~ After Twilight had gotten her cutie mark and succesfully hatched Spike, Princess Celestia called her over when the young philly was leaving the building. In Celestia's arm was baby Spike, who she was nurtering with a bottle of milk. "What do you want, Princess Celestia?" asked a confused Twilight Sparkle. "I have a question that might change your life forever." the princess said. "What is it?! What is it?!" the philly asked, pouncing up and down. She put Spike down on the ground. The baby sat on it's rear and held the bottle with it's hands, savoring the taste of milk. "Him." Princess Celestia said, looking at him, and back to Twilight. "What about him?" asked Twilight. "Do you want to keep your hatchling?" Celestia asked, a smile growing on her face. Twilight's face went to confused to extremely excited as she pounced up and down. "Yes! Yes!" she yelled, still jumping. "Can you promise to take good care of him?" asked the princess, her voice suddenly getting serious. "Oh, yes! Can I please keep him?" asked an excited Twilight. "You may keep him." said Celestia, who bowed her head. Twilight cried tears of joy as she picked up the baby dragon, who was still drinking the milk. "Before I go, what are you going to name him?" asked Princess Celestia. Before Twilight could answer, she accidentaly poked herself on one of the dragon's spikes on his back. "Ouch! Those Spike's hurt!" All of a sudden, her eyes grew wide. "So?" asked Celestia, her right eyebrow raising. "Spike! I'll name him Spike!" she cheered. "Clever choice, my student. Clever choice." Celestia winked, and left the room. An excited Twilight Sparkle walked to her parents and showed them her new baby. They were skeptical at first, but the following years would prove that she was a good parent. ~~~ That was until now. She was a horrible parent. She called him useless. She let all this happen. She let the timberwovles attack him. She let him die. Tears started to flow again as Twilight turned towards her lifeless assistant. His eyes were closed and his mouth was just a straight line that left no opening. His arms were spread out to each side of his little body. And his legs and tail were also spread out. It looked like Spike was asleep. Only his stomach would be moving up and down because he was breathing. The body lacked breathing. Twilight cried more. Finally, she began to speak. "I'm so sorry Spike." she sobbed. "I never got to tell you-" she stopped to sniff. "I never got to tell you-" For some reason, she just couldn't speak. She just couldn't. Finally, she took a deep breath and spoke. "I never got to tell you {sniff} that I love you." Fresh tears started flowing down her face. "I love you with my heart. I cared for you. I loved you since I first saw you as a cute little baby!" Her sobbing became harder. "I loved you like you were a little brother. No. Not a brother. A son. I loved you like a son. You were like my own child. And now you're gone! You're gone!" she sobbed harder. "Why did you have to leave me! You were too young!" Twilight fell to the sandy bank and covered her face with her forehooves. All of a sudden, she couldv'e sworn she heard a noise. It sounded like a cough. She turned to Spike. His body still lay there. Lifeless. Twilight figured it was her imagination and went back to crying. Then, the noise returned again. This time, she ignored it. "I must be going crazy." she sniffed, her face still covered. Suddenly, the noise returned, but many were followed in a second. Finally, she turned to Spike. The unicorn's eyes suddenly opened and fresh tears flowed. There, laying on his back, was Spike, who was coughing up water. His eyes were still closed. "Spike? Spike!" Twilight yelled, as she suddenly jumped up and ran to the dragon. She pushed down on his tender stomach, and more water came out of his mouth. Suddenly, a smile came upon Twilight's face. Spike's eyes slowly opened. "Tw- Twilight?" he muttered, still weak. Tears flowed as she picked him up and hugged him tight. "You're alive!" she cried. "I thought you were dead!" Spike didn't answer. He was busy embracing the hug. "I missed you Twilight." he said, with a voice only filled with innocence. "I missed you too." Twilight sobbed, a huge smile invading her face. The biggest smile she has ever had. They hugged for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, Twilight spoke. "How about we get out of this forest and get home." Twilight said. "Sure." Spike agreed. They broke the hug, and Twilight put Spike on her back. "Let's get home." Twilight said, the tears finally gone. In fact, she had stopped crying a long time ago. Why should she? Everything was back to normal. Well, not everything. She would not be able to use magic for 2 weeks, but she didn't care. All she cared was that Spike was with her. That's all that mattered at the moment. //-------------------------------------------------------// Epilogue //-------------------------------------------------------// Epilogue It wasn't until morning that Twilight and Spike found their way back into Ponyville. They had spent the rest of the night walking home. There were no timberwolves to atack them. None were in the area. Once they finally made it home, the first thing they did was go to sleep. They needed some, after all of the hell they encountered in the last 2 days. ~~~ 1 and 1/2 Weeks Later ~~~ Twilight's horn was starting to grow back. When she had encountered the Princess and told her the entire story, from Spike running away to getting her horn bit off, Celestia had given her some time off from learning about the magic of friendship. And of course, her friends also were curious about the horn. She would tell them the story, and it would always end in a hug. And now, she would always be careful of what she said to Spike. She had no idea that one word could do so much damage. Twilight even made sure she catered to Spike's every will. First, she gave him less work. Sometimes, none at all. Last but not least, she would let him sleep in the same bed with her if he wanted to. Before that, he could only sleep in Twilight's bed if he had a nightmare, or a bad day. But Twilight realized that she liked him sleeping in the same bed. It comforted her, and his cold blood seemed relitevaly hot during the night, so it warmed her up. And Spike loved every minute of it. And so did Twilight. ~~~ Life ever since the 'incident' has been very different since, with Twilight's horn and Spike's recovering back spikes. But Twilight didn't care. Neither did Spike. All that mattered was that Spike loved Twilight. And she loved him back. ~~~ 1 Week Later ~~~ Spike woke up from his bed screaming. Tears flowed down his eyes as he cried. The scream woke Twilight up as she rubbed her eyes. "What's the matter, Spike?" she yawned. Spike sniffed and finally spoke. "I {sniff} had a {sniff} nightmare." "Aw. Come here." Twilight said, as Spike got up from his comfy bed and jumped into Twilight's arms. He buried his face into her shoulders and continued crying. "Shhh. It's okay, it's okay." Twilight said with a soft tone of voice. Spike's crying decreased asthe purple unicorn rocked herself back and forth. "What happened in your nightmare?" asked Twilight. "In the dream, you were being dragged away by dark, souless monsters!" he sniffed. "And I never saw you again." Twilight's ears drooped as she heard those words. He was obviously still traumatized from the whole incident, and wouldn't recover for a while. Twilight finally began to speak. "You don't need to worry anymore." Spike looked up at Twilight with a sad expression. "Why?" he sniffed. "The dream was scary. It felt like it was really happening." Twilight patted him on his back. "I will never leave you. You know why?" "Why?" sniffed Spike. "Because I love you." she smiled. Spike smiled and said, "I love you too." They embraced in a hug that asted for about 2 minutes. But for them, it seemd to last forever. For Twilight, she didn't care if it lasted forever. If she would die right now, she would be with Spike. She wouldn't dare die without him. To Twilight, Spike was more than an assistant or buddy. No. To Twilight, Spike was family. She smiled as her infamous qoute entered her head. Even though you're a dragon doesn't mean I don't love you. Twilight smiled as she embraced the hug. "I'll never leave you." Twilight said in a soft tone. "I'll never leave you." //-------------------------------------------------------// The Sequel Is Now Out! //-------------------------------------------------------// The Sequel Is Now Out! Okay, mabye it's not out right now, but at this moment, it's passing moderation! Are you guys excited? Tell me in the comments! Check it out here (http://www.fimfiction.net/story/49052/Where-Are-You%3F%3A-The-Sequel)! //-------------------------------------------------------// First Attack //-------------------------------------------------------// First Attack Spike was fast asleep by now. It was about midnight. Spike figured this out by using a trick Twilight had taught him. Apparently, there was a pattern in the stars that you could tell the time. Even though it sounded impossible, it was pretty easy for Spike after practicing it many times. He was extremely comfortable on his little blanket. Around 10 pm, he had moved his spot to a little section of sand that was in the forest. It was most likely dumped there by a pony that had recently gone to the beach, but Spike didn’t care. As long as it was comfortable, he would lay in it. All of a sudden, he heard rustling from nearby bushes. He slowly opened his eyes and rubbed them, making them more bloodshot than they already were. Spike sat up and stared at the direction of the disturbance. The bushes continuely rustled until Spike heard a small whimper from the bushes. "Twilight?" Spike asked. "Is that you?" The whimper stopped, but the rustling continued. "Look, Twilight. I told you," Spike went on, "What's an assistant that's useless? But now that I realize that, I should've added a question mark instead of a comma..." Spike shook his head. For still being young, his attention span was pathetic. "Anyways, I'm on my own now. We've had our good times and they eventually end." By now, he was busy walking back and forth. "If you came to apoligize, it's no use. Once you've said something, you can't take it back. I'm sorry Twilight, but I'm moving out." The rustling continued until Spike heard a growl eminate from the bushes. "Um. Twi-" Spike was cut off as a dozen dark shadows jumped out of the bushes. Spike couldn't see what they were until they stepped out into the moonlight. Spike's heart almost stopped as he realized what these creatures were. They were timberwolves. ~~~~ Twilight shook violently, both from how freezing it was, and how scared she was, down the dirth paths of the forest. The Everfree Forest was way more scary in the middle of the night, instead of around 8 to 9 pm, when Twilight would usually walk in there to visit Zecora. Wait, Zecora! The thought rushed through her head, yelling DO IT! Using whatever energy she had left, she darted through the forest, trying not to look behind her. At this point, even the sound of the wind swaying the naked trees back and forth scared the living crap out of her. She kept on running until she felt her chest hurt. She stopped and placed a forehoof on her aching chest. She could hear her heart beating really fast, way too fast. Checking the dirt for any insects, she cautiously sat down. Her heart eventually reduced speed until it was finally at a normal pace. Twilight realized how miserable it was being out here. Poor Spike, she thought. All of a sudden, tears started to fill her eyes. "Poor Spike!" she cried out. She covered her face with her forehooves and cried. But Twilight didn't cry for long when all of a sudden, she heard rustling come from nearby bushes, followed by numerous growls. ~~~~ Spike was running as fast as his little feet could take. He was sweating extremely, and almost losing energy. But he had to run. He had to escape the timberwolves. Spike turned around to see the wolves were not far behind. In fact, they were extremely close. Seeing that the wolves were only a mere 10 feet away, Spike kicked into turbo-drive, running as fast as he's ever run before. He usually never ran this fast, unless he wanted to see Rarity, or, see Rarity. Yeah, his agenda was also pathetic. But he had no time to think about this right now. Right now, he was doing actions that might cost him his life. Staying still was not an option. He had tried to when he first saw the timberwolves, only to be scared out of his mind when one jumped towards him, landing just a mere 5 feet away. So, basically, he had no other option but to run. But even running wasn't that safe. In fact, nothing was safe at this moment. Not even his own thoughts. He had no time to think about his friends, Rarity, and....Twilight. When the name popped into his head, he instantly started running faster. He had almost left the wolves in the dust, but the wolves weren't stupid, even if they were made of wood, making it physically impossible to survive. The timberwolves started running faster, and soon, were snapping at Spike's tail. Spike was having trouble surviving at this point. Not only did he have to run for his life, but he also had to keep his tail from being bitten off. Spike was starting to lose energy. Much to his dismay, he started to slow down. His heart was beating a million miles per hour, his tail was getting sore from dodging the wolve's mouths, and his legs were aching and shaking intensly. He was a mess. Not knowing what to do, he made a last minute decision. Suddenly, he jumped into nearby bushes. ~~~~ Realization hit Twilight in the face as she found herself being surrounded by a pack of timberwolves. Tears were streaming down in fear, both from the crying and extreme fear. She slowly backed away. But that made the wolves take one step closer. Thinking quickly, she suddenly remembered the dream. "The light spell!" she yelled out. All of a sudden, her horn lit up with a bright, white light that made the wolves back away. The light was clearly blinding them. The wolves kept on backing away until there was a small clearing for Twilight to escape. She quickly ran past the wolves. Her horn slowly faded back to normal. The wolves shook their heads in confusion as their vision came back. They quickly did a check of their surroundings, and resumed to looking for Twilight. They looked around for a couple of seconds, and walked the opposite direction of Twilight. Her purple fur blended perfectly with the night sky, being lit up by Luna's moon. Once she made sure there were no more wolves in the area, she took off deeper into the forest. There was no time to rest now, she had to find Spike. The wolves knew they were in the area, and she had a bad feeling something worse was going to happen. An event that might change her life forever. //-------------------------------------------------------// Sequel! //-------------------------------------------------------// Sequel! Due to the popularity of this story, an official sequel to Where Are You? is now in development! All I know right now is that it involves Apple Bloom and the Apple Family. That's all I'm telling you. I will constantly keep you guys updated about the story! Read my channel for more details.