"How far did you say the spot was Spike? We've been walking for quite a while." Fluttershy asked ducking under a branch that had passed over the small dragon in front of her.

The path they followed was less a path and more an animal trail. Covered in leaves and shrouded in the shade of the trees that stood vigil all around them. Fluttershy continued after her guide despite the fear surfacing with each step. Though it was only mid-morning, the shadows caused by the vegetation made it seem as if night had fallen. Small pillars of light would pierce through every now and then but not enough to completely light the way.

"Just a little more Fluttershy. I promise you'll like this place when we get there." Spike answered not looking back to check on whether or not she was keeping up.

The path itself seemed made for someone his height as he passed by every obstacle without much of a second glance. Fluttershy, unfortunately, was delayed with each branch, cobweb, shrub, and the occasional hole that she failed to notice due to her field of vision. Soon she found herself a considerable distance from the young drake who kept his steady pace towards the unknown.

"Spike! Spike, please wait for me!" she yelled stumbling past one of the roots that were hidden beneath some leaves.

As she regained her balance she noticed her guide had gone ahead leaving her abandoned. As if to signal this, the sounds that were once missing from the area returned at once as she heard crows and leaves rustle around. Whether that signified that there were indeed animals around her, she didn't really know. Fluttershy had never been through this part of the woods before which meant she didn't know of the animals. Thus, no matter how good of a caretaker she actually was, it meant the dwellers of the forest were not concerned for her in the least.

"Spike?" she squeaked out in a barely audible whisper. "Spike? Please come back." she continued as her steps became more cautious. She kept looking around to catch what was rustling in the bushes or if there was a bird of some kind she would be able to ask for help only to catch slight glimpses of shadows.

A snap of a twig came from behind her which caused her to freeze momentarily. She focused and tried to listen to anything out of the ordinary only to hear the same symphony of sounds from before. Taking a step forward she heard another snap underneath which caused her to fall back in a panic. It took her a bit to realize she had stepped on a twig but the relief was short-lived as the echo that should have been from the twig was not present. Instead, it was the sound of something taking steps toward her position.

"Hello? Is any pony there?" Fluttershy called out from behind a tree trying to see what was coming up behind her. "Spike? Is that you?"

All at once, the cacophony of sounds that seemed to return disappeared once again. With only the sound of whatever was out there coming straight for her. Scrambling to her hooves she ran down the path once more and heard the same from the creature behind her. Fluttershy closed her eyes as low hanging branches scratched her body and small puddles from yesterday's rain caused her her fur to be caked in mud. It seemed like a blur of pain and wet weight as she ran down that dirt path trying to get away from the would-be assailant. She could barely make something out through the sound of her heart beating in her ears.

"Spike! Spike, please where are you?" she yelled or at least tried through the harsh breathing and cold pain of her lungs.

Whether it was by some form of courage or fear she didn't know but something compelled her to look back which caused one of her hooves to get stuck between some roots and sprain it. Having no time to cry out or recognize the pain through the fear she tried to pull it out as the sound of the creature started to get closer. The forest itself seemed darker and scarier as a shadow stepped out from a bush and, for the first time in her life, Fluttershy screamed louder than she'd ever had before.

"Coming!" came the melodic voice from inside the boutique in response to the knock that notified of a visitor. "Spike! What are you doing here?" the filly said with a smile.

"Hi, Sweetie Belle. I'm here to spend the night since Twilight still isn't back from Canterlot. Didn't Rarity tell you about me spending the night?"

"You're spending the night?" she screeched causing him to flinch

"Y-yea, anyways, can I come in?"

"Sure."

"Who's at the door, Sweetie Belle?"

The two at the door turned towards the stairs to see the boutique's owner come down only to halt halfway. The calm in her demeanor seemed to disappear in an instant and an uneasy atmosphere clouded the room.

"Rarity?" Sweetie moved towards her sister in concern "What's wrong?"

"Pardon? Oh, nothing. Nothing's wrong Sweetie, I just suddenly remembered about an order. Shouldn't you be going to Applebloom's for that sleepover?"

"Oh yea! Sorry, Spike. I'll hang out with you next time." The filly dashed past him leaving the pair to their own devices.

"Spike..." Rarity said in a hushed tone as he stepped inside and closed the door only to stand and stare at her. "I take it Twilight still hasn't returned?"

"Yea, I already checked and she still wasn't back. I finished up the chores around the castle and locked it before coming here so there's nothing to worry about until tomorrow."

"Yes, well, would you like something to drink?"

"Don't worry," he said taking a step towards her only to see her take a step back. The room was silent for a few seconds but to Rarity it seemed as if hours had passed. "I know where everything is so I'll just go ahead and make some tea. Have you eaten yet?"

"N-no, I've been busy with my orders all day."

"I'll make something for you then. I'll come get you when it's done."

"That's quite alright Spike. I'm sure you must be tired from helping Fluttershy today. Besides, I've forgotten to go to the market today so the selection isn't as varied as I would have liked."

"It's fine Rarity. I've got no problem making something from whatever is in the fridge. I've done it several times back at the castle."

"You have? I would think that the pantry would always be stocked considering how diligent you are with such things."

"I meant back when I was first learning to cook. Twilight would forget to stock up often when she was studying so I had to make due with a lot less. It's part of the reason I took up cooking in the first place."

The look on Rarity's face was one of shock. She knew that Twilight's studying habits could get quite out of hoof, but to think that they had been so bad as to have Spike learn to cook for both of them due to her lack of care was horrible. It was always a wonder to her how Spike had so much experience in cooking, and yet, while she was curious, she'd never once thought to ask as to how he'd acquired such expertise.

Guilt crept in as the root of Spike’s cooking skills came to light. With it, questions of what other of his many skills were also gained because of neglect. The word itself seemed dirty and Rarity felt disgusted to even have such a word be attached to one of her friends, let alone be the cause of such a thing.

“Well, if you insist Darling. Just know that we just as easily go out to eat.”

“It’s alright. No trouble at all. Anything for you."

Those words sent a chill through her body as flashes of the more disturbing nightmares she’d been having recently came to the forefront of her mind.

They always started out the same with her working on an order as the light from the candle signaled her work had taken her into the silent hours of the night. The sound of the sewing machine echoed throughout the room as the flame flickered with each passing minute. The constant audio of cloth being sewn together to form something from her own revolutionary mind was all it took for her to feel calm, at least, that was usually the case.

At the moment, the only thing that kept her working was the feeling of eyes on her back. They burrowed deep into her as if waiting for a moment that signaled she had finished her task in order to approach. She felt unable to look behind her to see what exactly was the cause of such a thing only having the shadows made by the flickering flame to guess. Whatever it was that seemed to be holding her hostage had not dared to come into the light. Whether by fear or by choices she didn't know. No other sound other than the sewing machine was heard and she dared not stop for even a second.

The presence itself didn't seem lethal, in fact, it was almost familiar. The fear her body felt, however, told a completely different story. It told her to stop moving, to stop making so much noise. It screamed for her to run and keep running to the ends of Equestria without regard for anything or anyone other than her own survival. It was at the height of those instincts that the single sound that filled the room had changed. She snapped out of her train of thought as her hoof came off the machine’s pedal; leaving her in silence. The silence, however, was cut short as steps echoed through the darkness only to stop short behind her.

Sweat ran down her body as she sat there; her body shaking without restraint and her eyes closed as she feared whatever came next. To her surprise however, nothing came at all. Whatever was there had found it comfortable to just sit and watch her reactions. It was then she would always regret making the same decision each time she had the nightmare. The one that would cause her to wake up screaming causing Sweetie Belle to rush into her room with concern. The same mistake that made her not be able to sleep peacefully for the last few days. It didn't matter how much she remembered or even if she knew it was only a dream. She would end up doing it over and over again.

Rarity turned around.

There were muffled words far off in the distance as her vision was blurred and her hearing blocked. It took only a quick moment for her to come to but, when she regained her senses, she saw a claw reach towards her.

"No! Stay away!" she screeched as her magic came alive blasting the claw and it's owner away resulting in a cry of agony as he collided with the wall. Rarity simply stood still as her heart tried to calm down and her eyes cleared of the tears she didn't know were streaming down her face. She wiped them away with a hoof and looked towards the damage she dealt her attacker only to have her blood run cold.

The wall in front of held a dent with cracks running from the center of impact and a patch of red trailed down towards the floor notifying her the blast was powerful enough to injure the recipient. Unfortunately, what lay below was not some unknown evil entity. It was simply Spike that lay on the ground; blood coming from somewhere on his back and his right arm twisted bending backward from receiving the brunt of the blast. He wasn't moving and neither was Rarity because of the situation she'd caused.

It wasn't until the clock on her wall signaled the new hour that she rushed towards the seemingly lifeless body. What happened next was muddled due to her panicking through out it all. There was a rush of sound and lights as figures formed around her. She felt the wind at some point yet felt nothing else or saw much else since her eyes would focus solely on Spike. There was darkness once again and she swore there was something being said but nothing came through to her at all. Was she walking? Was she running? Why was Spike not moving? Why did it turn dark? Why were there lights all around them again?

What had she done?

Author's Note

Alright, well I don't have much to say here other than apologizing to those wanting a lengthier chapter. I'll post a blog in a bit so feel free to read that if you want to know what's happening with me and scheduling.

As always, thank you for taking the time to read my story. Please leave a comment or critique below as it helps me improve my writing. A like is always appreciated and have a wonderful day.