Spikes Night Job

“For many years, it was believed that Monsters were much like animals: beasts who roam around looking for food, territory and mates (with the exception of the more humanoid monster species). Later on however, it was discovered that most, if not all, monster species live in houses. When it comes to the family hierarchy of monsters, they’re basically set up in the exact same way as that of a human’s. The eldest member of the family usually takes position as head of the family due to being the patriarch or matriarch of the family; otherwise, the family would choose either the strongest or smartest to take command in order to ensure the survival of the family’s bloodline. While this set-up increases the chances of bloodline’s continuation, it also brings about serious conflict between not just them and humanity, but other monster houses as well.

Monster houses, like animal groupings, are always going to consist of the same exact species of monster. Not even a particular subspecies will be allowed to group with any other subspecies of the same kind of monster. For example, a house of werewolves will be made up of only werewolves, and no other were-type creature, such as werehyenas (a.k.a. laughing wolves), will be allowed to have any stake in their same family. Needless to say, the rejection would be even worse for a completely different kind of monster altogether, like vampires.

In recent years however, a sharp decline has been noticed in monster activity. The number of monster houses has been lessening and it is believed that in a short time all monster activity will cease completely, along with the probable near extinction of monsters as a whole...”

“If that’s true, then what am I doing here?” Spike asked himself, closing yet another book on the history of monster legends. “Damn it. That’s the fifth book I’ve checked, and it’s telling me the exact same thing as the others! But that can’t be, that vampire said he and the werewolf from the night before were in the same family,” he said to himself in frustration.

Last night had been a little less enjoyable than he had hoped. First he and Princess Luna spent hours interrogating those goblins about things like their numbers, their hideout’s location, and if they had any other plans to steal from anywhere else. That turned out to be huge waste of time because no matter how much they tried to get the answers out of them, they refused to talk willingly. Luna, however, was in the process of preparing a potion to try and rip what they want to know from their very minds, like a tearing a piece of paper.

’Man, what a woman,’ Spike thought to himself.

*Groan*

Speaking of women.

“Well good afternoon, sleepy head. Looks like you’re the one who slept in today, huh?” Spike asked rhetorically to the Princess of Friendship, who was currently walking in while holding her forehead in pain from a hangover.

“Morning, Spi-wait! Afternoon! Oh no, I’ve missed out on a bunch of work and meetings and I’m already way behind schedule and-ow!” Twilight cried in pain as her self-induced panic attack only served to make her pains worse.

“Calm down, Twi. I had a feeling this would happen, so I took the liberty of clearing your schedule for the day and moving every meeting to a more convenient time,” Spike said with a small smile.

“Really?! Thanks Spike, you’re a life saver,” Twilight said, walking over and hugging the green haired young man.

“No problem, Twi. You know your happiness is my number one priority,” Spike replied, hugging her back briefly before trying to pull away. However, Twilight only held him closer, placing her head beneath his chin.

“Spike...I’m sorry.”

“Sorry? For what?”

“Sorry for the way I have been treating you lately. I push you to do all this work and you get it done perfectly and on time without any complaints, yet when you choose to take a break, I call you lazy,” Twilight said with her voice slightly cracking.

“Twi, don’t even worry about it. That’s just a part of living with you. I’m use to it by now. And you know what?, I don’t care if you keep doing it or not, ’cause I know deep down you value me just as I value you,” Spike finished with a smile, returning the warm hug back to his closest friend.

“Oh Spike, I truly don’t deserve you.” Twilight pressed herself deeper into his warm chest.

“No Twi, no you don’t,” Spike replied, eliciting a pinch from Twilight to which he just chuckled.

Twilight continued to press herself deeper into that firm chest of his; she found it unfair that his grasp was this comfortable. She inhaled his scent, which smelled like a freshly printed book, her favorite smell. She found herself looking up into his eyes; those reptilian, emerald green orbs seemed to penetrate her very soul. She soon found herself going limp. She could feel his warm breath hitting her face and his heart rate increasing along with hers.

Spike wasn’t sure what was happening. One second, he was giving an innocent hug to his best friend, the next, he seemed to be entranced by her looks, her cute face, her long hair. His hands began to slip down her back almost on instinct. He could feel her curvy hourglass figure through the night gown she still wore. Then his gaze shifted to her lips. He couldn’t help but wonder what they tasted like. His head began to make a slow, almost agonizing descent toward those lips. Her violet eyes disappeared under her eyelids in preparation for the much anticipated contact, and Spike’s fluttered closed as well before…

“Hey Spike, is there something to eat?!” a very familiar voice cried out as it seemed to approach to library. Twilight and Spike snapped out of their trances and let go of each other as if the other were made of fire. “Hello? Spike?! Twilight?! where are- oh, there you two are!” Starlight said, entering the room. She noticed the red faces of her roommates and raised a brow before asking, “What happened in here?”

Twilight and Spike quickly collected their bearings from confusion–or, in Twilight’s case, anger at the interruption–and tried to come up with an excuse.

“Oh, uh, Twilight walked in while I was going through some pictures of the female anatomy,” Spike said off the top of his head, but mentally cursed himself when he realized that made him sound like a pervert and a giant weirdo. He prepared for a response of revulsion or something, but instead…..she giggled, and loudly at that.

“Oh silly Spike, if you wanted to know about something like that, you should have just asked me,” she said, closing the distance between them and wrapping her arms around his neck. “I would have let you seen everything you wanted to know.”

Once again, Spike found himself in the same situation he was in moments ago but with a different girl, one that was flaunting herself right up against him at that.

“Alright, that’s enough,” Twilight said, maintaining her cool this time and getting in between the two. “You said you wanted something to eat right? I’m sure Spike has something ready for us,” Twilight continued.

“Uh, yeah. I have some jelly donuts in the kitchen. Your coffee should be ready, too,” Spike said pointing to the exit that lead to the kitchen.

“Donuts? Cool, I’d love some. Thanks, Spike,” Starlight said, exiting the room.

“Yeah, thank you, Spike. But could you go with something a little more healthy next time? I really have to watch my…..figure,” Twilight said in a tantalizing tone with a half lidded look while rubbing her curves from top to bottom. Then she left the room with a sway of her hips as she wiggled her figure in a seductive manner, enticing him to follow.

“What have I done……?”

Sweet Apple Acres

It had been an odd couple of days for Big Macintosh, and it only seemed to be getting stranger. What’s worse is it wasn’t because of what was happening around him, but because of the stuff that he had been doing. A few days ago, if Winona had come up to him and started licking his face and rubbing against him, he would have pet her vigorously and returned the affection in the way an owner shows a pet affection. Now however, he started….licking back……and every time she would pounce on him, he would feel the way he usually felt when he and Sugarbelle spent the night together. Unfortunately, it didn’t end there. He was eating more, sweating less, and growing hairier, which was a pain to keep shaving off. Before, whenever it got hot, he would usually sweat like a pig and be forced to take off his shirt. Now, his tongue would hang from his mouth and move feverishly back and forth. The only good thing that he can honestly say has happened lately was that the wound he got from that dog had healed completely. All that was left was a small scar. Well, maybe not the only good thing…

“And that oughta do it,” Mac said to himself, lifting his thirtieth consecutive box of apple cider and placing it in a truck in preparation for its delivery to Appaloosa. He was surprised that he was able to lift so much and get it all done so quickly. Even by his standards, this should have taken a while.

“Hey Mac, are ya already done with the cider crates?” Applebloom asked, walking up behind her big brother.

“Eeyup,” he responded.

“Great, cause Granny Smith is done with dinner. She made-”

“Spaghetti and meatballs with a side of…*sniff* mashed potatoes,” Mac finished for her.

“Yeah….exactly…..and an-”

“Apple pie…*sniff*…*sniff* fresh out of the oven,” Mac said rubbing his stomach as a deeper than usual grumbling sound came from it.

“H-how did yah know that?”

“What are ya still standing there for? Let’s go eat!”

Applebloom turned around to see Mac was already a decent distance away from her. But how was that possible? She had only closed her eyes for a second, and now he was all the way over there. And furthermore, how did he know what was cooking? They were nowhere near the house or barn.

“Um, yeah…Ah’m right behind yah.”

Canterlot Castle

– ’ “ ”

“TELL US WHAT WE NEED TO KNOW, NOW!” Luna screamed using the Royal Canterlot Voice.

“Okay, okay….what you need to know is....that dress makes you look fat! Hahahahahaha!” One of the captured goblins from the night before laughed his head off, mocking the Princess of the Night. Little did he know that his laughter would turn to screaming soon.

Princess Luna simply gave a deadpan look. She had subjected these goblins to so much in the past few hours that two of them had passed out. She let them sleep because in just a little while they would be begging to be woken up.

“I’m warning you, if you don’t talk now, I’ll see to it that your screaming later,” she said, looking down to the three remaining goblins all tied up to chairs, including the one which looked up at her and laughed.

“Princess Luna, the N.M.F. is ready,” one of her guards said, walking into the small room to inform the princess.

“Excellent. How much?” she asked, looking back at the guard.

“One full gas tank, as per your instruction, Your Highness,” the guard answered, looking toward the Princess.

“Very good. Bring it all in here, please.”

“As you wish,” the guard responded, taking his leave and walking out of the room.

“Heh. N.M.F.? What’s that? Another fancy potion of yours? I’d have thought after the last 50 failed attempts that you would clearly see that we are pretty damn resistant to potions,” the goblin sneered.

“Hmhmhmhm...oh yes, you goblins have proved to be quite resilient, I grant you that. But this is something that I can say for sure will work.”

“Oh really?”

“Yes. You see, the only way to build resistance to this particular potion is to spend many hours exposed to it and build an immunity, and the only person who has ever done that was the handsome young man from last night. You remember him, don’t you? He’s the one who smashed your teeth in,” Luna said with a grin. However, her smile faltered slightly as she remembered the hours her poor Spike spent inhaling this substance in order to rid himself of fear. He really was the bravest man she knew.

“Oh yeah, that asshole. Well, I don’t care what you throw at us! We can take it, right boys?!” he yelled to his two conscious comrades.

“Yeah! We are unstoppable,” yelled one of his comrades, though he was not really sure what the other was talking about.

“Princess, here is the N.M.F.,” the guard said upon his return. He and a second guard rolled in a large, silver gas tank with the bio-hazard symbol on it.

N.M.F., otherwise known as “Nightmare Fuel,” was a special chemical gas that Luna and the Night Guard had worked hard to create. The main component of the gas came from dark energy that had been strained out of Nightmares. However, while this energy is as common in the Dream Realm as water is in the real world, attempting to bring it out into the real world is a tiresome and time consuming job. Nevertheless, by turning it into a controllable form of gas, Luna and her guard had managed to raise the effectiveness of the dark energy by 50%.

“So this is the stuff?” the goblin in the middle asked.

“Yes, yes it is,” Luna said, laying a hand on the grey tank. It was about a head shorter in height than herself.

“Hmph. What’s it gonna, do send us on a trip?” the goblin on the left asked.

“You could say that….it shall put you in state between consciousness and sleep,” Luna clarified.

“Seriously? I woke up just be put back to sleep? That’s bullshit,” one goblin commented.

“We’ll see what you have to say about it in a few seconds…..if you’re not too busy screaming,” Luna said with a smirk.

“Princess, shall we begin gassing the room?” one of the two guards asked.

“Yes, begin.”

“What? You and your man whores aren’t gonna put on any masks?”

“Do not concern yourselves with us. My guards and I are immune to its effects due to prolonged exposure to the Dream Realm and the energies found within. You lot, on the other hand, are very much in trouble.”

“Do your worst,” the middle goblin said.

“You’re going to regret saying that,” Luna said as the guard turned the valve on the gas tank. A blue gas began to seep into the room, quickly spreading around and filling the confined space. Luna and her guards remained calm and breathed easily. The goblins stared dubiously at the growing cloud of gas as it surrounded them, expecting the worst to follow suit. But when they didn’t get an immediate result, they scoffed.

“Ha! Is this the best you can do? It barely makes….me…cough,” one goblin said before everything started to go blurry.

“Yeah! You chumps could never get us to talk….you…asses,” another goblin said before experiencing the same thing.

“Bwahahahahahah…ha..hahah…ha,” the third goblin laughed before he met the same fate.

The goblin on the right suddenly found himself trapped and alone in a dark room. He looked around, but there was no one else around except him. The only source of light that was illuminating the room was a flickering florescent lightbulb. Suddenly, he felt something crawl up his leg.

“Ah! What the fuck?! Spider!” he yelled as he swatted away the small creature into the darkness. No sooner had he gotten rid of the pest, another one began crawling up his leg, only this one was even bigger than the last. He slapped this one away as well, but then another took its place, scampering quickly up his leg. And then another one. And another one. And even more soon after, each one slightly larger than the last.

“Ahhh…What the fuck is going ON?!” The goblin desperately tried to knock all the creepy crawlers off his body. Suddenly, the room was lit up by many more florescent lights, revealing the size of the room to be much larger than he expected. His eyes grew wide with shock, though not at the size of the room, but at all its little fuzzy inhabitants. He began to scream bloody murder as he noticed that the floor and ceiling–save for the lights–were completely covered up by the eight-legged horrors. The humungous tide of arachnids began making its way toward him and crawling up his body. The goblin desperately slapped himself anywhere his hands could reach, staining his clothes and skin with the blood of the hairy arachnids. But soon, it became far too much to bear as he realized that he was up to his chest in spiders. He could feel them moving into his pants, his shirt, and even his underwear. Things became much worse when they started biting. All over his body, he felt the stinging pain of their fangs and the venom running through his veins.

“OH, GODS! STOP! PLEASE, STOP! SOMEBODY, HELP ME! AHHH....!!!” he screamed. These would be his final words as he was finally consumed by the black mass of spiders.

Meanwhile, in the mind of the goblin on the left, he found himself inside a rain forest. He looked around and saw nothing until he heard movement behind him. He turned around to see a snake slithering its way down a tree. A clench of fear struck his chest hard at the sight of his worst fear. He backed off until he hit the tree behind him.

“Huh?” he said as he looked up and noticed yet another snake on the tree behind him. He quickly moved to the side, but he tripped and fell backwards on what he thought was a root, until he got up and noticed an even larger snake. This one was twice his size with a hungry, predatory look on its face.

“W-W-Wait! No, I’m not very nutritious! Please don’t eat me!” he screamed, frantically crawling backwards away from the giant snake, only to end up falling off the edge of what apparently was the side of a mountain. He tumbled end over end, smashing his head against rocks, entangling his body in vines, thorns of cactuses and sharp rocks scraping and piercing his skin until he hit the bottom of a seemingly endless drop.

“*Groan*Aw dammit, that hur-Ahhhhhhh!” he screamed as he the ground beneath him gave way to a cave that was under his feet.

*Splat!*

He landed hard upon the cave floor. His body was in the most severe pain he had ever experienced. He could feel the sores, cuts, bruises, and wounds he sustained, and he groaned at the intense pain that seemed to flood every nerve of his body as he moved only a few inches out of place.

“Fuck, that hurt. Well, at least there are no more snakes around,” he said to himself gladly. He got up and looked around the cave. The only light he had was the sunlight coming in from the hole that he made in the cave ceiling. He took one step forward and stood on something long, scaly and alive. He pulled his foot back and stumbled back until he tripped, ignoring the pain shooting up his spine.

“No! Not again!” He suddenly felt something else crawling up on him. He looked back to see that he was in a pit filled with nothing but the slithery, disgusting creatures that haunted his dreams.

“No!No!No!-AHHHHHH!!!” he screamed as they began to cover him like a multi-colored blanket of highly deadly menaces. His screams continued to grow louder and more pain-filled as they draped his body in their underbellies, until finally, he was completely muffled and disappeared under the drape of his most dreaded fear.

At the same time, the center goblin was also beginning to experience the effects of the terror toxin. For several seconds, all he could see was the black void of his mind. An unnerving silence filled the air in a way that was both deafening and quiet at the same time. He shut his eyes, hoping that when he opened them again that he would be safe, that this all wasn’t real, and that he wasn’t really in a completely blackened room.

He got his wish. The next time he opened his eyes, he was no longer in complete darkness, but neither was he back in the interrogation room. Instead, he was in a cramped and compact room somewhat illuminated by a bright light from above. Two iron doors stood nearby, one on either side of him. Both led into adjacent dark hallways with no sign of any light.

As he scanned his environment, he froze up when he looked down at himself. A chill ran up his spine as he realized that he was wearing a security guard’s uniform. The sudden sound of movement broke him out of his fear-induced trance, making him shoot his eyes up towards the left door. A cold sweat began to flow down his back as he rescanned the room. He noticed three buttons: one for the security cameras, and one for each of the iron doors. He also discovered a light switch above each of the door buttons; he pressed the left light switch and the left hallway instantly lit up with white fluorescent light.

The goblin’s eyes grew wide with shock and an icy grip of fear wrapped around his heart, making his chest burn with anxiety. Just outside the iron door–staring back at him with large, empty eyes–stood an animatronic robot, a bunny with sharpened iron teeth, a dark blue body that was completely metallic, and a look that said, “I’m coming for you.”

“Oh shit! Nononononono!” he screamed as he slammed his fist on the door button hard enough for it to crack the counter it was on. The iron door came from above, separating him from the robotic bunny and simultaneously blocking off the entrance to the room completely.

“Phew, that was a close one,” he said, wiping the sweat off his brow. He activated the camera to look around what seemed to be a restaurant of some sort that was completely abandoned. He clicked camera button, moving from screen to screen until he came across an absolutely bone chilling sight. Another one of the animatronics was close by, this one resembling a yellow chicken wearing a bib, and it appeared to be close to the right door. He looked away from the camera and hit the right light switch. The monstrous robot bird was just outside the door, gazing through a nearby window. Without a second thought, his hand moved faster than a sonic rainboom to the door button, slamming the iron door shut.

“Okay, okay, I think I’m safe,” he said, looking at the watch on his wrist. It read 5:58 A.M. and both doors were shut, so there was nothing to worry about. Nothing, that is, until....

The lights in the room suddenly shut off completely, followed closely by the sound of power leaving the entire grid filling his ears. His chest was once again gripped with a sense of overwhelming dread and terror. *Clang!* *Clang!* The iron doors suddenly flew up, leaving the exits wide open. Not a few seconds later, the sound of his greatest fear chimed just outside the door, a jingle that has remained in his mind since the day its melodiously menacing sounds touched his ears......the Carmen Overture, “Toreador.”

“Oh god no. He’s here. Please, I’m so close, just two more measly minutes. Don’t let it end like this,” he whispered as two flickering, glowing eyes suddenly showed themselves within the darkness. The suspense itself nearly made him collapse. “PLEASE, NO! DON’T LET THIS HAPPEN! AHHHHH!!!”

“Incredible. I’ve heard that the Nightmare Fuel had devastating effects, but seeing what it does to those vulnerable to it in person...I shudder to think what would happen if it fell into the wrong hands,” one of Luna’s night guards said aloud, watching as all three goblins writhe in fear in the chairs they were chained to. They all had their eyes shut tightly, drooled excessively, and twitched and shook while whispering unaudible words and sentences.

“Yes. Well, worry not. The only other supply of N.M.F. is currently with Spike. I recommended that he hold onto a full bottle of the gas in the event of an emergency. Not to mention he’s the only other person who knows how to make it,” Luna said.

“An entire bottle? How does he carry it around?” a night guard asked.

“He usually keeps the total portion attached to his belt to utilize when he requires dealing a serious blow to an opponent’s psychological state,” Luna explained.

“I hope he knows what he’s doing. If this substance were to get out into the public’s hands, then the consequences would be dire,” the other guard said.
“Believe me, no one knows that better than Spike. After all, he exposed himself to its effects whenever I trained him in the dream realm.”

“He exposed himself to this? On purpose?! How is he still sane?”

“I have asked myself that question many times. The only answer I could come up with is that his mental strength is simply superior to that of most men. His will is without a doubt, unbreakable.”

Castle of Friendship

’Oh man, I don’t know how much longer I can take this,’ Spike thought to himself as he looked up from the book he brought with him into the kitchen. Before his very eyes, Starlight and Twilight were each in nothing but their underwear after the temperature went up. Spike, being a dragon-blooded himself, wasn’t really effected by the heat and hadn’t taken any clothes off……yet. ’How did it even come to this? One second, everything was normal, the next, the heat goes up a bit and these two start competing for who can take the most clothes off.’

“Hey Spike, what are you reading this time?” Starlight asked, taking a seat next to him in her light purple bra and panties. While most women would try to preserve some measure of modesty in front of a male, Twilight and Starlight were both comfortable with Spike seeing them in their underwear because they had known him for so long…..sure, that’s why.

“Oh, um, you know, just some stuff you wouldn’t be interested in. I’m sure ladies as smart as you two would not want to hear about something as ridiculous this,” he replied nervously.

“Oh don’t worry, Spike. If you’re still curious about the female physique, I’d be more than happy to show you right now. After all, I can teach you so much more than any book can,” she said seductively. Usually, Spike wouldn’t be heavily affected by her flirting, but right now, she was damn near naked and that was throwing off his focus.

“That won’t be necessary, Starlight,” Twilight said, taking Spike’s other side. “Spike doesn’t need you to get involved; he can learn all on his own. And besides, if he ever does want some help, I’ll be more than happy to give him a lesson in whatever. He. Wants.” she finished, pressing herself into his side, her indigo bra clad chest pressing against him.

’Okay, okay, no need to panic. Just focus on what the book is saying, alright? Don’t think about their incredibly soft jugs rubbing up against you, just read the book…….’ Spike thought, turning his attention back to the book.

At this point, however, he had already finished the book and was now just reading the book’s identification sticker. Surprisingly, the book didn’t belong to the Castle of Friendship’s library…..

“Huh. ’This book is property of: The Baltimare Library,’” Spike read softly to himself before turning to Twilight, who just sat there giving him a dreamy look. She loved Spike’s thinking face. “Hey Twi, this book isn’t from here. It says it’s from The Baltimare Library.”

“WHAT!” she yelled in shock, sending Starlight and Spike stumbling back. “Oh no! This book was on loan, and the due date for return is today!”

’Hmmm…if that book came from the Baltimare Library, then maybe it has some more info about this whole House of Gore anomaly. Maybe they have a history on them, too,’ Spike thought as he observed his panicking friend.

“Hey Twi, I could go deliver that for you. I wouldn’t mind going to Baltimare since I’ve never been there before,” he lied.

Spike had actually been there a few times and even knew the exact address of the library. The last time he had been there, it was to deal with their literal monster rat problem. Spike shivered at the memory of that night. He hadn’t eaten cheese ever since.

“Really?! Thanks, Spike. Are you sure you can handle yourself on your own? I’d go, but I have a meeting in Canterlot today.”

“Yeah, and today I’m gonna visit my hometown with Trixie,” Starlight said.

“Girls, it’s no problem. I can take care of myself.”

“I don’t know Spike….” Twilight said skeptically.

“Twi, you should know by now that I can take care of myself. For goodness sake, I take care you, Twilight! Not the other way around,” Spike reminded her.

“Well….okay, but stay safe Spike. I could never forgive myself if you were ever put in any danger,” Twilight said, hugging Spike.

“Don’t worry, Twi. As long as you’re around, I doubt I’ll see the day I put myself in danger. I’m gonna go pack some stuff for the road,” Spike said as he began walked to his room. As Spike entered his room, he changed out of the white tank top and purple shorts he was wearing to a pair of dark blue jeans, purple and green sneakers, a purple T-shirt, and a black leather jacket with white shoulders and a dark purple hood.

“I should pack some snacks.” Spike walked over to his black snack backpack and looked inside to see he still had some chips, a few cans of soda and a bottle of what he thought was blue berry flavored juice. He was about to close it until something caught his eye. To the left on his table he saw his twin butterfly knives.

“Wow, what are these doing out? If Twilight had come in here to clean and saw them, she would flip her shit. Wait! What am I saying? Twilight never cleans,” Spike chucked, looking down at the. Then, something told him to take them, even if he wasn’t on the clock. “Maybe I should pack them. As the saying goes, ’better to have them and not need them, than to need them and not have them,’” he said, packing them in his bag.

“Alright Twi, I got the book and I’m heading out!” he yelled, exiting the castle.

“Alright Spike, please stay out of danger!”

“No promises.”

“What was that?”

“Nothing, bye!” Spike said, leaving the castle in a rush.

Spike strolled through the streets of Ponyville toward the train station. On his way there, he heard someone call out his name, so he turned around to see Applebloom walking towards him. She was wearing her blue overalls over a red shirt and blue shoes.

“Hey Spike," she greeted.

“Hey AB, what’s up?” he greeted.

“Nothing much. Just working the apple cart with Big Mac,” she said, looking back at the cart, where Big Mac was actually panting like a dog instead of sweating.

“Uh, is Mac okay? He’s panting like a dog. I know it’s hot out, but humans are supposed to sweat when it’s hot,” Spike chuckled.

“Yeah, Ah don’t know what’s happenin’ to him. He’s been actin’ kinda strange for like, two days now,” Applebloom said.

“Well, I’m on my way to Baltimare. Twilight’s got a book that needs to be sent back today, or her oh-so perfect record will be ruined,” he said, rolling his eyes.

“Wow. Baltimare, huh? Kind of a long trip, though. Want me to give ya some apple pie for the road?” she asked sweetly.

“Sure, that would be awesome,” he said, accepting her offer.

Applebloom walked back to the cart, got a slice of apple pie and brought it back for Spike wrapped up in some tinfoil.

“Here ya go, Spike. Made with extra love, just for you,” she said with a dreamy look on her face.

“Thanks Applebloom, it looks delicious,” Spike said, accepting it. “Well alright, AB. It was nice talking to you, but I got to go. Later,” Spike said, taking his leave. Before he left, Spike turned around to wave goodbye to Mac, but when he faced the eldest Apple sibling, Mac was scratching the back of his ear…..with his foot.

“Could Mac be a….nah” Spike said, brushing it off and walking to the train station.

One train ride later...

It had been a few hours since Spike disembarked from Ponyville, and he had finally arrived in Baltimare. He walked off the train and headed towards the city’s library. He passed by the park, where he dealt with those dreaded monster rats, and shivered.

“Ugh…I can still smell the cheese,” he muttered as he approached the library in the calm city. He rarely came here, but he was glad he didn’t have to. Baltimare was one of the cities that experienced the least amount of monster activity, and he knew it probably wouldn’t change anytime soon. At least, that’s what he hoped.

*BOOM!*

The sound of an explosion rang throughout the city. Spike looked in the direction of the explosion and saw a plume of smoke rising into the sky. As he recalled, that was same direction that as The Baltimare Central Bank. Seconds later, he heard what could only have been gunshots.

“Gunshots? That’s impossible. I’m the only person the Princesses allow to carry fire arms,” Spike said to himself, until he heard the chatter from a nearby radio. He approached the audio device to see if he could get some info on the situation.

“We interrupt your regularly scheduled music program to bring you this emergency broadcast. The Baltimare Central Bank is currently being robbed. The authorities can’t seem to get close to the bank because they are being forced back by what appear to be….guns. The robbers seem to be average in height, wearing black cloaks and have the faces of….goblins.....” ��D *����\�