Hearts Intertwinedby BlueCuddlePonyGhostChaptersChapter 1: The ArguementChapter 2: Running AwayChapter 3: Train of EmotionsChapter 4: Burnt Map and JourneyChapter 5: Restored Map and Family AdviceChapter 1: The ArguementAuthor's Note Warning: *This is an upsetting chapter. Not gonna lie, even I cried at the end of this chapter while writing this.* *I only own the ideas for the story. All My Little Pony characters, places, etc., belong to Hasbro and DHX. My Little Pony All Rights Reserved.* Chapter 1: The Arguement Chapter 1: The Arguement The sound of pages flipping and a quill scribbling was all that was heard in the library. Twilight was focused on her studies and paperwork. So many papers, so little time to complete them all. "Twilight?" a familiar voice said next to her. However, Twilight was too caught up in the moment to turn away. "Twilight?" the voice repeated. Twilight heard it that time, but she couldn't stop now. "Hold on," Twilight replied, still focused on the papers she was doing. Whoever needed her attention just needed to wait. "Twilight?" came the voice again. "One minute please," the Princess of Friendship replied, now getting impatient. "Twilight?" the voice said again. That's when Twilight got mad. "I said 'one minute please'! Can't you see I'm busy here?!" the alicorn snapped as she turned towards Spike. In her anger however, papers went flying all over the floor. Twilight sighed. "Great. And now I just messed up my work area. Spike, just give me a moment to clean up these papers," Twilight said as she started collecting the papers on the floor. "Wait! Let me help- Waaa! Oof!!" Spike replied, until he accidentally tripped over his own foot. FFFWWWWWOOOOSSSSSHHHH!!! A blast of green flames burst from Spike's mouth, setting the papers ablaze! However, this green fire wasn't like his normal fire; he wasn't trying to send a letter to Celestia at all! Instead, the papers were just on fire! Twilight quickly used her magic to grab a nearby fire extinguisher and put out the flames. What remained, were bits of paper and ashes from the fire Spike had created. Neither of them said a word for a minute. "Twilight! - I'm so sorry! I didn't-" Spike began, but got interrupted. "SPIKE! How could you?!?! Do you have ANY idea how long it took me to go through those papers?! WEEKS SPIKE!!! I was almost done, and now I need to start all over!" Twilight exclaimed, now more worried, and frustrated than before. "It was an ACCIDENT! You just saw it happen! How is this my fault?!" Spike retorted back, defending himself. "YOU were the one who burnt the notes and letters! Nopony can do that but you!" "I said it was an accident! Do you not understand that?!" "I KNOW what an accident is! But how could you have let it happen?! Why couldn't you turn your head away or something?!" "I didn't know I was going to trip! And by the time I would have turned my head, it would have been too late! What?! Did you want me to burn the floor instead?!" "At least the floor could have gotten fixed in due time! Papers like the ones you burnt take WEEKS to get back!" "Why didn't you get copies then? As backup?" "Princesses only get ONE copy Spike! Do you know how long it would take for me to look up a backup out off all THESE papers I have to do!!" "At least it would've helped!" Spike pointed out, the anger building up inside of him too. As both alicorn and baby dragon glared at each other in anger, their conversation turned into a big arguement. "Well I can't do anything about that now! Why do you even BOTHER me when I'm busy?! You KNOW I have work to do!" Twilight shouted. "I just wanted to make sure you didn't need help with something else! I can get work done early too, you know?!" Spike retorted. "Well you AREN'T helping NOW! You're just being a destraction to me!" "Well I'm SORRY to upset you by trying to do something nice!" "'NICE?!' You call THIS nice?!" "No!! But you know I don't MEAN to cause trouble on purpose!" "Well you certainly are doing a good job at BEING trouble!" "How can I be trouble if all my problems are ACCIDENTS?!" "BECAUSE YOU JUST KEEP RUINING MY WORK AND MY DAY!" "ALL I'M TRYING TO DO IS HELP YOU!" "WHY CAN'T YOU JUST BUZZ OFF?!" "WHY CAN'T YOU JUST LET ME HELP YOU WITH SOMETHING?!" Spike and Twilight had just about had enough of each other, and were steaming with anger towards the other. Twilight's horn was glowing a bright, big surge of magic, while Spike felt like he could have burnt a building or two down with his fire. Then, in a fit of anger, they both exploded. "SSSSSSPPIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIKKKEEEEEEE!!!" Twilight shouted in anger, her magic blasting uncontrollably at him "TWWWWWWIIIIIILLLLIIIIIIIGGGGHHHHHHHTTTTTTTTTTT!!!" Spike also shouted, a big burst of green flames errupting from his mouth as he shouted. The two sources of energy collided, stronger and pushing harder than could be handled. Then without warning ... BOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM!!! The conbined energy of both the fire and magic exploded in the library, causing both Twilight and Spike to go flying back, the shockwave sending papers and books everywhere! Some of them burnt. "Great! Now look what you've done! Now I got to not only do my papers, not only do I got to re-recieve the papers you burned, but now I got to clean up the library and make sure none of the books are damaged! And if they are, I got to reorder them in, if possible!" Twilight exclaimed in a fit of anger and disbelief. She looked at the baby dragon with great anger, disappointment, and frustration. Then, she said the worst thing she could have ever said to Spike. "SOMETIMES I WISHED I HAD NEVER HAD AN ASSISTANT LIKE YOU!!! You just make my life SO MUCH HARDER!" Twilight shouted in a burst of anger, her voice heard throughout the castle, and the ponies outside. There was dead silence, then - "FINE! I'll leave you alone!" Spike exclaimed before he turned away and walked out of the crystal library, carefully slamming the door behind him. What Twilight didn't know was the hurt Spike felt, and the tears flowing down his face like a river. Spike ran. He ran as far away from the library as possible. He eventually reached an empty room, and jumped onto the bed, sobbing. His face was buried into the covers. How could Twilight say those things to him! She knew that was his greatest fear! She knew how important him helping her was! That's all he wanted to do! And burning the papers was a complete accident! Yet she yelled at him as if he had done it on purpose! He knew life as a Princess was hard, but there was no reason for her to yell at him like that! What was worse, those last words she shouted at him hurt. And it felt like she meant it! Holding back the urge to sob even more, Spike quietly started to plan on what he needed to do. And there was no turning back. He was going to leave Twilight alone alright! He was going to leave her alone ... forever. Chapter 2: Running AwaySomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Chapter 3: Train of EmotionsChapter 3: Train of Emotions Spike thought hard about the Princess's words, wanting desperately to find the answer. Unfortunately, he couldn't, and Luna did have a point. "I don't think living with Daring Do would be good. I could end up being a distraction, and then I'd end up back here. Besides, she likes to work alone. Zecora would be good, but she's way too close to Ponyville. I would be spotted for sure! Starlight's old village seens good, but if the map gets fixed - I'm doomed!" Spike explained, thinking about his options. "Those are all good thoughts. But what was your original plan? If you had one?" Princess Luna asked politely. "I was going to run away to the Crystal Empire. I wouldn't actually stay there since Twilight's brother and Princess Cadance live there. They probably would send a letter to Twilight about the whole thing, and well, I don't want to cause any more trouble! I was thinking of living in the ice cave where I met Thorax," Spike said, worrying about his options. "A good idea, but problematic as well like you said," Luna agreed with him. Suddenly, the baby dragon thought of a question. "Princess Luna, I appreciate your help, but why are you helping me run away?" Spike asked curiously. Luna sighed. "When I turned into Nightmare Moon, I was upset because my sister paid little attention to me, and didn't care much for my needs. Plus, the darkness known as the Tantabus didn't help either. All that time I spent on the moon, I waited for my revenge against my sister and the ponies who never appreciated my work. I wanted others to accept me, but doing so out of fear and anger was the wrong call," Princess Luna calmly explained. "But they do now! Look at all the new friends you have!" Spike replied back positively. Luna nodded. "Yes. That did happen, thanks to Twilight and the others using The Elements of Harmony to defeat me. My point is, I believe you and Twilight are going through a similar misunderstanding. I want to help because I know what it is like to be unappreciated, and hurt. I think some time alone, and personal experience will help resolve this conflict. Friendship will help too, but this is a more personal issue that you and Twilight will have to resolve on your own. But until then, I am going to help as much as I can," Princess Luna responded, finishing her thoughts. "Thank you Princess Luna. I know what I need to do now," Spike said, getting a better plan in his head. Princess Luna then looked up. "I'm sorry, but I must leave. I will see you tomorrow, Spike. And you have a train to catch!" Luna happily replied before flying off. Spike smiled, then got out some items from his bag; a hat, coat, and glasses. He would need the disguise when traveling, but would only use it when necessary. Within a few hours, a conductor pony came by. "Trains will be starting soon, where are you headed off to?" the pony asked. "To Baltimare sir. I need to get to the Dragon Lands," Spike answered casually. He then got on board, before it started to roll. *The next day* Twilight and her friends woke up to another morning of sunshine as they all walked on all fours to go have Breakfast. As they sat and waited though, the ponies noticed someone was missing. "Say, where's Spike? It isn't like him to keep us waiting like this!" Applejavk pointed out. The other ponies nodded in agreement. "It's my fault. I had an arguement with Spike yesterday after he burned all my papers and letters I was working on. I know Spike is still mad at me, but he never gets mad to the point where he doesn't still do his chores. Now I feel bad! If he's reacting this way, then I really overdid it!" Twilight confessed, hanging her head in shame. "Spike will come around, he just needs time to let go of his steam. Besides darling, we can help get you those papers!" Rarity reassured her friend, giving her a side hug. "Yeah, how about I get us some home made Breakfast, and we can all help Twilight out with the papers!" Applejack offered. "Agreed!" everypony said happily. It was then that Applejack went to get the group some breakfast while the rest of her friends organized how to get the papers done. "So, what papers did you need to do Twilight?" Fluttershy asked kindly. Twilight went over her list that she made from scratch, making sure she had every detail accounted for. "Well, based on memory, I needed to send some official Princess paperwork sent, forms for Celestia and other papers for the mayor, and other ponies signed. Letters sent that I had questions about, and other letters in regards to forms the princesses needed me to sign. It was quite a lot!" Twilight noted, also letting her friends see the list. "No problem! We'll go see if we can get new papers or copies - either from Celestia or other ponies- and then help you fill them out. And I'll stay to see if you have any copies of those letters!" Pinkie Pie stated. Twilight smiled at the pink pony's plan. In no time at all, every pony was busy! Pinkie and Twilight were going through files to find copies of the letters, Fluttrshy and Rainbow Dash were going to every mail office to see if they had copies of the papers, Applejack was getting the breakfast and checking down town to see if there were any copies at City Hall, and Rarity went to see if Princess Celestia had any copies. By the end of the day, all of Twilight's papers were collected, sorted, filled out, done. They just needed to be sent. "Thank you so much girls! I don't know what I would've done without your help. I better go apologize to Spike now," Twilight said before going to look for her scaled friend. Calls of "Spike? Spike?! Spike!" were heard throughout the castle as every pony looked for him. Suddenly, the alicorn got to the burnt Friendship map. She gasp. "Spike did this?! Grrrrr! He is so lucky this can be repaired! But why would he burn the map? Wait, what's - " Twilight said before finding the note. She read it carefully, each new sentence making her concerned and watery eyes. Once she finished, she was speechless, and heartbroken. "NO! NO, NO, NNNOOOOOOOOO SSSSSPPPPIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIKKKKKEEE!!!" Twilight wailed before crying onto her hooves. Her friends rushed over and embraced her. "Twilight? Why are you -" Rainbow Dash asked before seeing the letter Twilight had dropped. She read it, and her jaw hung open. "He - He ran away?!" Rainbow exclaimed out of shock, and slight sadness. Everypony gasped, before turning back to Twilight and giving her a tight hug. "I'M SORRY SPIKE! I'M SO SO SSSSOOOORRRRRRRRRYYYYYYYYY!!!!" was all Twilight could say, balling her eyes out as she couldn't believe she had caused her assistant, her best friend, her baby brother, to run away because of her! Twilight was devastated. Chapter 4: Burnt Map and JourneyChapter 4: Burnt Map and Journey Spike got on the train, and read one of his comics as it continued to head toward Baltimare. Once he got there, he would need to get on a boat to get to the distant lands, which meant going to the Dragon Lands by foot. *Back at Twilight's Castle* "I'M SORRRRRYYYYYY!!! I'M SO SO SSSSSSSSOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRYYYYYYYYYY!!! PLEASE COME BACK SPIKE!" Twilight exclaimed as she balled her eyes out, remorseful about her actions. Once she had calmed down, her friends hugged her. "Don't worry, Twilight! We'll find him!" Fluttershy reassured before separating from the group hug. "As soon as we fix the map!" Rainbow Dash pointed out. The ponies looked at the burnt map, and thought a spell might help restore it. "Hold on, I got some ideas!" Twilight said before running off. She arrived back with Starlight and a list of items. "The only things I could think of were a spell from Starlight, or any suggestions. Maybe something from The Pillars?" Twilight told her friends her who all nodded in agreement. Then Apllejack thought of something. "But how could The Pillars help? They all spread throughout Equestria!" the farm pony told her friends. "True, but remember that they were the original element bearers. We represent The Elements of Harmony as modern ponies. After my battle with Terik, The Tree of Harmony took the chest and grew the Friendship Castle. In addition, the tree is connected to the castle, which is connected to the Map since it grew when we were needed! If we could use something from The Pillars, or The Elements of Harmony themselves, we might be able to restore the Map!" Twilight responded. "Which is why I'm going to cast a spell to try and restore it!" Starlight added before her horn glowed. Her horn glowed brighter and brighter as a sphere of magic collected at the tip of her horn, and was blasted onto tbe burnt map. PPPPPSSSSSSSSSSZZZZZZZZZZZZOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWW!!! Went the magical blast, hitting the Map and spreading until ever inch was covered in Starlight's spell. Then the magic faded. Still burnt. However, Twilight noticed something. The burn marks were in sections. Three big sections. Spike may have burnt the Map, but not all at once. She then put a hoof over the burnt marking and tried to gently scrape it off, but only flecks appeared on her hoof. "Looks like the spell only slightly worked. I figured that would happen. Makes sense since dragon magic is different than unicorn magic. Well then, let's see if The Elements of Harmony could clean this off. If the magic of the Elements recognizes that the Map is damaged, then it should be about to fix the burnt sections. Let's go!" Twilight commented before trotting towards the door. Her friends followed close behind. *In the Train with Spike* "Baltimare! We have arrived at Baltimare!" the conductor said before the train stopped. Spike knew it was time to get off, so he put his comic book away, and got off with his luggage. Once he stepped off, he walked onto the pavement, and over to the boating docks. It took a while for the boat to start boarding passengers, but Spike managed to get on the boat. "And where, if I may ask are you going to young dragon?" a green pony asked Spike. He wore a sailing outfit, so he must have been one of the crew members. "The Dragonlands. If this boat doesn't mind dropping me off there that is?" Spike replied calmly. "Of course not! We will stop there first and then keep sailing!" the greenpony answered back. Eventualky, the boat sailed. It took quite a while until the boat reached the Dragonlands. Or rather the beach that lead to it. Spike jumped off, got all of his belingings, and started to hike from the beach area towards where the actual lands were where he had to compete in the Gauntlet of Fire. "Getting close now," Spike said before he eventually got to the main opening to where Ember and the other dragons were. Ember noticed him immediately. "Spike! It's so good to see you again," Ember exclaimed, smiling before she flew down to greet him. "Hi Ember! It's good to see you too!" Spike responded as he ran over and gave her a hug. Ember just glared at her friend before gently unhugging him. "Oh yeah. The 'hugging' greetings! I forgot about that. So Spike, what brings you here? Did Twilight send you or something?" Ember replied feeling slightly confused. "Not exactly. Twilight and I got into a big fight when I accidentally burned some important papers of hers, plus books in her library. She said she didn't want me as an assistant. I know it probably was her anger, but it really hurt! So I ran away to here. Just to cool down and maybe get some advice," Spike explained. Ember was puzzled, but understood. "I'm sorry to hear that, Spike. I know you and Twilight need to blow off steam after a fight, but running away?! Yikes. It must have been bad. You can stay here as long as you need. Just as long as you don't mind helping me out," Ember replied in a friendly voice. "Of course!" the baby dragon answered before the two got to work. The rest of the day included Claw Chalase, dodge rock. Laca surfing, and helping dragons out with their problems. Overall, it was a long, but good day. "Thank you for letting me stay here Ember," Spike thanked again, before going to sleep on a rock bed, with leaves to use as bedding. "You're welcome Spike. By the way, if you ever need to lay off some steam, let me know. We got this great section of rocks where you can just let all your frustrations out whenever you want. It's called Anger Booming," Ember said back before going to bed herself. Spike lied down, feeling the warmth of the heated rock beneath him, before trying to dream of much happier thoughts. Chapter 5: Restored Map and Family AdviceChapter 5: Restored Map and Family Advice Twilight and her friends trotted towards the Everfree Forest, hoping the Elements would work. Upon reaching them, Twilight used her magic to gently put The Elements on the pony's special holders for each one. They then went back to the castle, and tried them out. "Okay. Elements on three. One ... Two ... Three!" Twilight said before each element glowed, and zapped the map. HHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! went the map table as it glowed, and vibrated. It stayed like that until some time, but then went back to normal. The Elements of Harmony returned to normal. "Well? Did it work?" Pinkie Pie said out of curiousity. Fluttershy inspected the map and noticed that the burnt part was in fact more flacky and broken. "Hmmmm?" she hummed before gently blowing the map with her wings. The air blew the burnt part off, bit by bit until the map was visible, with only a gray bit of dusting. "It worked! Dusty, but it worked!" Fluttershy accounced. The ponies all cheered as they looked at the map. Fluttershy was right. "Great! Now, let's put The Elements of Harmony back, then figure out our next idea," Rarity offered, her friends nodding in agreement. The group of friends quicky returned The Elements of Harmony, before thinking about where Spike would have gone off to. "I doubt he would have stayed anywhere in Ponyville or near us," Rarity said matter-of-factly. "Obviously! He would want to get away, but how far exactly?" Rainbow Dash wondered. "You think any pony saw him?" Applejack asked with interest. "Most likely not. It was most likely night time, and no pony -" Twilight started saying until the answer popped into her head. "Princess Luna! She must have seen him! She guards the night, and the moon! If any pony saw Spike, it would be her!" Twilight said with confidence. "Agreed, but what do we do now?" Applejack said curiously. "Now, I need to think of how to make it up to him," Twilighf replied, her ears folding back. This was not going to be easy. All day, Twilight thought over and over about the way she treated Spike, and how he must have felt. In fact, the more she thought about it, the more her heart broke. 'I said the worst possible things to him! I made him feel unwanted, unloved, like a burden, like I didn't want him in my life anymore! Like he wasn't even my assistant! Not my friend! Like he wasn't a part of my - Oh CELESTIA!' Twilight thought until she came to the biggest realization of all. She didn't just hurt Spike, she had yelled at him as if she didn't want him as a brother anymore. To not be in her family. NOW Twilight was heartbroken. She locked herself in her bedroom, and wailed. Wailed like her life had just been shattered in half and vanished into dust! "I'M SORRY!!! OH CELESTIA! WHAT HAVE I DONE! I'M SOOOOOOOOOO SSSSSSOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRYYYYYYYYY!!!!! SPIKE!!! SPIKE PLEASE COME BACK! I REGRET IT! I JUST WANT YOU BACK HOME!!!" Twilight wailed, her heart hurting so bad that she felt like it was never going to end. A pony from outside heard The Princess of Friendship crying, and heard her too. The pony hung it's head, and headed into the castle. He got to where Twilight was still crying. and saw her friends standing by the door. Tears were running down all seven of their heads, hanging low. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but, may I?" the pony asked politely. Applejack looked up, about to ask the pony to be more sympathetic, until she saw who it was. "Grand Pear? Ah, I don't think now is a good time," Applejack quietly replied. The rest of Twilight's friends also looked up at him. Grand Pear just gave them all a sympathetic, but stern look. "I know how she feels Applejack. I felt the same after hearing about Pear Butter. Look where that got me. Twilight still has a chance to forgive. I didn't till I reunited with y'all," Grand Pear responded. Applejack got teary eyed. She knew what he meant. "Okay," Applejack replied before letting him through and openning the door. Grand Pear walked on all fours into the room, before the door was shut. Seeing The Princess of Friendship sobbing, the pony went over, and put a hoof on her shoulder. "Leave me alone, please," Twilight said sadly. "I know you are hurt. But you need to know that whatever you did, it will heal over time. Just be honest, and admit your wrongdoings," Grand Pear said softly. "You DON'T KNOW how I feel!" Twilight said angrily, turning and looking at the pony. "Princess Twilight, I know exactly how you feel. I'm the reason Applejack never knew her mom," Grand Pear said in a straightforward voice. Twilight raised a hoof to retort, but Grand Pear put it down. "When the fight between the Apples and Pears went on, I ignored my daughter, Pear Butter's wishes to be in love. I only cared about my own wants, and thought it was best for everyone. It wasn't. I left for Vanhoover, and had a good pear business, but my daughter stayed with Granny Smith and Bright Mac. I wasted MOONS hoping my daughter would see my side of the story, but it never happened. I found out about my grand kids and such, but if there's one thing I regret the most, it's not being able to make it up to Pear Butter. She left Equestria, and went up to the stars, and I was devistated knowing I never had the chance to apologize. Especially after joining the Apple family again. I know my experience isn't the same, but don't go feeling bad and not trying to fix it. Better to forgive and hope for something positive, than to live life and regret it later. Believe me, you're doing the right thing. I hope you find Spike," Grand Pear said. He then hugged Twilight, and walked out. "Thank you. I know I can't undo my arguement, but I'll fix this. I just hope Spike can forgive me," Twilight replied before walking out as well. After talking a while, and meeting Grand Pear, he left, and every pony went to bed. Twilight just hoped her feelings of sorrow and love would help resolve things with Spike, now with the map fixed.
Chapter 1: The ArguementAuthor's Note Warning: *This is an upsetting chapter. Not gonna lie, even I cried at the end of this chapter while writing this.* *I only own the ideas for the story. All My Little Pony characters, places, etc., belong to Hasbro and DHX. My Little Pony All Rights Reserved.* Chapter 1: The Arguement Chapter 1: The Arguement The sound of pages flipping and a quill scribbling was all that was heard in the library. Twilight was focused on her studies and paperwork. So many papers, so little time to complete them all. "Twilight?" a familiar voice said next to her. However, Twilight was too caught up in the moment to turn away. "Twilight?" the voice repeated. Twilight heard it that time, but she couldn't stop now. "Hold on," Twilight replied, still focused on the papers she was doing. Whoever needed her attention just needed to wait. "Twilight?" came the voice again. "One minute please," the Princess of Friendship replied, now getting impatient. "Twilight?" the voice said again. That's when Twilight got mad. "I said 'one minute please'! Can't you see I'm busy here?!" the alicorn snapped as she turned towards Spike. In her anger however, papers went flying all over the floor. Twilight sighed. "Great. And now I just messed up my work area. Spike, just give me a moment to clean up these papers," Twilight said as she started collecting the papers on the floor. "Wait! Let me help- Waaa! Oof!!" Spike replied, until he accidentally tripped over his own foot. FFFWWWWWOOOOSSSSSHHHH!!! A blast of green flames burst from Spike's mouth, setting the papers ablaze! However, this green fire wasn't like his normal fire; he wasn't trying to send a letter to Celestia at all! Instead, the papers were just on fire! Twilight quickly used her magic to grab a nearby fire extinguisher and put out the flames. What remained, were bits of paper and ashes from the fire Spike had created. Neither of them said a word for a minute. "Twilight! - I'm so sorry! I didn't-" Spike began, but got interrupted. "SPIKE! How could you?!?! Do you have ANY idea how long it took me to go through those papers?! WEEKS SPIKE!!! I was almost done, and now I need to start all over!" Twilight exclaimed, now more worried, and frustrated than before. "It was an ACCIDENT! You just saw it happen! How is this my fault?!" Spike retorted back, defending himself. "YOU were the one who burnt the notes and letters! Nopony can do that but you!" "I said it was an accident! Do you not understand that?!" "I KNOW what an accident is! But how could you have let it happen?! Why couldn't you turn your head away or something?!" "I didn't know I was going to trip! And by the time I would have turned my head, it would have been too late! What?! Did you want me to burn the floor instead?!" "At least the floor could have gotten fixed in due time! Papers like the ones you burnt take WEEKS to get back!" "Why didn't you get copies then? As backup?" "Princesses only get ONE copy Spike! Do you know how long it would take for me to look up a backup out off all THESE papers I have to do!!" "At least it would've helped!" Spike pointed out, the anger building up inside of him too. As both alicorn and baby dragon glared at each other in anger, their conversation turned into a big arguement. "Well I can't do anything about that now! Why do you even BOTHER me when I'm busy?! You KNOW I have work to do!" Twilight shouted. "I just wanted to make sure you didn't need help with something else! I can get work done early too, you know?!" Spike retorted. "Well you AREN'T helping NOW! You're just being a destraction to me!" "Well I'm SORRY to upset you by trying to do something nice!" "'NICE?!' You call THIS nice?!" "No!! But you know I don't MEAN to cause trouble on purpose!" "Well you certainly are doing a good job at BEING trouble!" "How can I be trouble if all my problems are ACCIDENTS?!" "BECAUSE YOU JUST KEEP RUINING MY WORK AND MY DAY!" "ALL I'M TRYING TO DO IS HELP YOU!" "WHY CAN'T YOU JUST BUZZ OFF?!" "WHY CAN'T YOU JUST LET ME HELP YOU WITH SOMETHING?!" Spike and Twilight had just about had enough of each other, and were steaming with anger towards the other. Twilight's horn was glowing a bright, big surge of magic, while Spike felt like he could have burnt a building or two down with his fire. Then, in a fit of anger, they both exploded. "SSSSSSPPIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIKKKEEEEEEE!!!" Twilight shouted in anger, her magic blasting uncontrollably at him "TWWWWWWIIIIIILLLLIIIIIIIGGGGHHHHHHHTTTTTTTTTTT!!!" Spike also shouted, a big burst of green flames errupting from his mouth as he shouted. The two sources of energy collided, stronger and pushing harder than could be handled. Then without warning ... BOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM!!! The conbined energy of both the fire and magic exploded in the library, causing both Twilight and Spike to go flying back, the shockwave sending papers and books everywhere! Some of them burnt. "Great! Now look what you've done! Now I got to not only do my papers, not only do I got to re-recieve the papers you burned, but now I got to clean up the library and make sure none of the books are damaged! And if they are, I got to reorder them in, if possible!" Twilight exclaimed in a fit of anger and disbelief. She looked at the baby dragon with great anger, disappointment, and frustration. Then, she said the worst thing she could have ever said to Spike. "SOMETIMES I WISHED I HAD NEVER HAD AN ASSISTANT LIKE YOU!!! You just make my life SO MUCH HARDER!" Twilight shouted in a burst of anger, her voice heard throughout the castle, and the ponies outside. There was dead silence, then - "FINE! I'll leave you alone!" Spike exclaimed before he turned away and walked out of the crystal library, carefully slamming the door behind him. What Twilight didn't know was the hurt Spike felt, and the tears flowing down his face like a river. Spike ran. He ran as far away from the library as possible. He eventually reached an empty room, and jumped onto the bed, sobbing. His face was buried into the covers. How could Twilight say those things to him! She knew that was his greatest fear! She knew how important him helping her was! That's all he wanted to do! And burning the papers was a complete accident! Yet she yelled at him as if he had done it on purpose! He knew life as a Princess was hard, but there was no reason for her to yell at him like that! What was worse, those last words she shouted at him hurt. And it felt like she meant it! Holding back the urge to sob even more, Spike quietly started to plan on what he needed to do. And there was no turning back. He was going to leave Twilight alone alright! He was going to leave her alone ... forever.
Chapter 2: Running AwaySomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
Chapter 3: Train of EmotionsChapter 3: Train of Emotions Spike thought hard about the Princess's words, wanting desperately to find the answer. Unfortunately, he couldn't, and Luna did have a point. "I don't think living with Daring Do would be good. I could end up being a distraction, and then I'd end up back here. Besides, she likes to work alone. Zecora would be good, but she's way too close to Ponyville. I would be spotted for sure! Starlight's old village seens good, but if the map gets fixed - I'm doomed!" Spike explained, thinking about his options. "Those are all good thoughts. But what was your original plan? If you had one?" Princess Luna asked politely. "I was going to run away to the Crystal Empire. I wouldn't actually stay there since Twilight's brother and Princess Cadance live there. They probably would send a letter to Twilight about the whole thing, and well, I don't want to cause any more trouble! I was thinking of living in the ice cave where I met Thorax," Spike said, worrying about his options. "A good idea, but problematic as well like you said," Luna agreed with him. Suddenly, the baby dragon thought of a question. "Princess Luna, I appreciate your help, but why are you helping me run away?" Spike asked curiously. Luna sighed. "When I turned into Nightmare Moon, I was upset because my sister paid little attention to me, and didn't care much for my needs. Plus, the darkness known as the Tantabus didn't help either. All that time I spent on the moon, I waited for my revenge against my sister and the ponies who never appreciated my work. I wanted others to accept me, but doing so out of fear and anger was the wrong call," Princess Luna calmly explained. "But they do now! Look at all the new friends you have!" Spike replied back positively. Luna nodded. "Yes. That did happen, thanks to Twilight and the others using The Elements of Harmony to defeat me. My point is, I believe you and Twilight are going through a similar misunderstanding. I want to help because I know what it is like to be unappreciated, and hurt. I think some time alone, and personal experience will help resolve this conflict. Friendship will help too, but this is a more personal issue that you and Twilight will have to resolve on your own. But until then, I am going to help as much as I can," Princess Luna responded, finishing her thoughts. "Thank you Princess Luna. I know what I need to do now," Spike said, getting a better plan in his head. Princess Luna then looked up. "I'm sorry, but I must leave. I will see you tomorrow, Spike. And you have a train to catch!" Luna happily replied before flying off. Spike smiled, then got out some items from his bag; a hat, coat, and glasses. He would need the disguise when traveling, but would only use it when necessary. Within a few hours, a conductor pony came by. "Trains will be starting soon, where are you headed off to?" the pony asked. "To Baltimare sir. I need to get to the Dragon Lands," Spike answered casually. He then got on board, before it started to roll. *The next day* Twilight and her friends woke up to another morning of sunshine as they all walked on all fours to go have Breakfast. As they sat and waited though, the ponies noticed someone was missing. "Say, where's Spike? It isn't like him to keep us waiting like this!" Applejavk pointed out. The other ponies nodded in agreement. "It's my fault. I had an arguement with Spike yesterday after he burned all my papers and letters I was working on. I know Spike is still mad at me, but he never gets mad to the point where he doesn't still do his chores. Now I feel bad! If he's reacting this way, then I really overdid it!" Twilight confessed, hanging her head in shame. "Spike will come around, he just needs time to let go of his steam. Besides darling, we can help get you those papers!" Rarity reassured her friend, giving her a side hug. "Yeah, how about I get us some home made Breakfast, and we can all help Twilight out with the papers!" Applejack offered. "Agreed!" everypony said happily. It was then that Applejack went to get the group some breakfast while the rest of her friends organized how to get the papers done. "So, what papers did you need to do Twilight?" Fluttershy asked kindly. Twilight went over her list that she made from scratch, making sure she had every detail accounted for. "Well, based on memory, I needed to send some official Princess paperwork sent, forms for Celestia and other papers for the mayor, and other ponies signed. Letters sent that I had questions about, and other letters in regards to forms the princesses needed me to sign. It was quite a lot!" Twilight noted, also letting her friends see the list. "No problem! We'll go see if we can get new papers or copies - either from Celestia or other ponies- and then help you fill them out. And I'll stay to see if you have any copies of those letters!" Pinkie Pie stated. Twilight smiled at the pink pony's plan. In no time at all, every pony was busy! Pinkie and Twilight were going through files to find copies of the letters, Fluttrshy and Rainbow Dash were going to every mail office to see if they had copies of the papers, Applejack was getting the breakfast and checking down town to see if there were any copies at City Hall, and Rarity went to see if Princess Celestia had any copies. By the end of the day, all of Twilight's papers were collected, sorted, filled out, done. They just needed to be sent. "Thank you so much girls! I don't know what I would've done without your help. I better go apologize to Spike now," Twilight said before going to look for her scaled friend. Calls of "Spike? Spike?! Spike!" were heard throughout the castle as every pony looked for him. Suddenly, the alicorn got to the burnt Friendship map. She gasp. "Spike did this?! Grrrrr! He is so lucky this can be repaired! But why would he burn the map? Wait, what's - " Twilight said before finding the note. She read it carefully, each new sentence making her concerned and watery eyes. Once she finished, she was speechless, and heartbroken. "NO! NO, NO, NNNOOOOOOOOO SSSSSPPPPIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIKKKKKEEE!!!" Twilight wailed before crying onto her hooves. Her friends rushed over and embraced her. "Twilight? Why are you -" Rainbow Dash asked before seeing the letter Twilight had dropped. She read it, and her jaw hung open. "He - He ran away?!" Rainbow exclaimed out of shock, and slight sadness. Everypony gasped, before turning back to Twilight and giving her a tight hug. "I'M SORRY SPIKE! I'M SO SO SSSSOOOORRRRRRRRRYYYYYYYYY!!!!" was all Twilight could say, balling her eyes out as she couldn't believe she had caused her assistant, her best friend, her baby brother, to run away because of her! Twilight was devastated.
Chapter 4: Burnt Map and JourneyChapter 4: Burnt Map and Journey Spike got on the train, and read one of his comics as it continued to head toward Baltimare. Once he got there, he would need to get on a boat to get to the distant lands, which meant going to the Dragon Lands by foot. *Back at Twilight's Castle* "I'M SORRRRRYYYYYY!!! I'M SO SO SSSSSSSSOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRYYYYYYYYYY!!! PLEASE COME BACK SPIKE!" Twilight exclaimed as she balled her eyes out, remorseful about her actions. Once she had calmed down, her friends hugged her. "Don't worry, Twilight! We'll find him!" Fluttershy reassured before separating from the group hug. "As soon as we fix the map!" Rainbow Dash pointed out. The ponies looked at the burnt map, and thought a spell might help restore it. "Hold on, I got some ideas!" Twilight said before running off. She arrived back with Starlight and a list of items. "The only things I could think of were a spell from Starlight, or any suggestions. Maybe something from The Pillars?" Twilight told her friends her who all nodded in agreement. Then Apllejack thought of something. "But how could The Pillars help? They all spread throughout Equestria!" the farm pony told her friends. "True, but remember that they were the original element bearers. We represent The Elements of Harmony as modern ponies. After my battle with Terik, The Tree of Harmony took the chest and grew the Friendship Castle. In addition, the tree is connected to the castle, which is connected to the Map since it grew when we were needed! If we could use something from The Pillars, or The Elements of Harmony themselves, we might be able to restore the Map!" Twilight responded. "Which is why I'm going to cast a spell to try and restore it!" Starlight added before her horn glowed. Her horn glowed brighter and brighter as a sphere of magic collected at the tip of her horn, and was blasted onto tbe burnt map. PPPPPSSSSSSSSSSZZZZZZZZZZZZOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWW!!! Went the magical blast, hitting the Map and spreading until ever inch was covered in Starlight's spell. Then the magic faded. Still burnt. However, Twilight noticed something. The burn marks were in sections. Three big sections. Spike may have burnt the Map, but not all at once. She then put a hoof over the burnt marking and tried to gently scrape it off, but only flecks appeared on her hoof. "Looks like the spell only slightly worked. I figured that would happen. Makes sense since dragon magic is different than unicorn magic. Well then, let's see if The Elements of Harmony could clean this off. If the magic of the Elements recognizes that the Map is damaged, then it should be about to fix the burnt sections. Let's go!" Twilight commented before trotting towards the door. Her friends followed close behind. *In the Train with Spike* "Baltimare! We have arrived at Baltimare!" the conductor said before the train stopped. Spike knew it was time to get off, so he put his comic book away, and got off with his luggage. Once he stepped off, he walked onto the pavement, and over to the boating docks. It took a while for the boat to start boarding passengers, but Spike managed to get on the boat. "And where, if I may ask are you going to young dragon?" a green pony asked Spike. He wore a sailing outfit, so he must have been one of the crew members. "The Dragonlands. If this boat doesn't mind dropping me off there that is?" Spike replied calmly. "Of course not! We will stop there first and then keep sailing!" the greenpony answered back. Eventualky, the boat sailed. It took quite a while until the boat reached the Dragonlands. Or rather the beach that lead to it. Spike jumped off, got all of his belingings, and started to hike from the beach area towards where the actual lands were where he had to compete in the Gauntlet of Fire. "Getting close now," Spike said before he eventually got to the main opening to where Ember and the other dragons were. Ember noticed him immediately. "Spike! It's so good to see you again," Ember exclaimed, smiling before she flew down to greet him. "Hi Ember! It's good to see you too!" Spike responded as he ran over and gave her a hug. Ember just glared at her friend before gently unhugging him. "Oh yeah. The 'hugging' greetings! I forgot about that. So Spike, what brings you here? Did Twilight send you or something?" Ember replied feeling slightly confused. "Not exactly. Twilight and I got into a big fight when I accidentally burned some important papers of hers, plus books in her library. She said she didn't want me as an assistant. I know it probably was her anger, but it really hurt! So I ran away to here. Just to cool down and maybe get some advice," Spike explained. Ember was puzzled, but understood. "I'm sorry to hear that, Spike. I know you and Twilight need to blow off steam after a fight, but running away?! Yikes. It must have been bad. You can stay here as long as you need. Just as long as you don't mind helping me out," Ember replied in a friendly voice. "Of course!" the baby dragon answered before the two got to work. The rest of the day included Claw Chalase, dodge rock. Laca surfing, and helping dragons out with their problems. Overall, it was a long, but good day. "Thank you for letting me stay here Ember," Spike thanked again, before going to sleep on a rock bed, with leaves to use as bedding. "You're welcome Spike. By the way, if you ever need to lay off some steam, let me know. We got this great section of rocks where you can just let all your frustrations out whenever you want. It's called Anger Booming," Ember said back before going to bed herself. Spike lied down, feeling the warmth of the heated rock beneath him, before trying to dream of much happier thoughts.
Chapter 5: Restored Map and Family AdviceChapter 5: Restored Map and Family Advice Twilight and her friends trotted towards the Everfree Forest, hoping the Elements would work. Upon reaching them, Twilight used her magic to gently put The Elements on the pony's special holders for each one. They then went back to the castle, and tried them out. "Okay. Elements on three. One ... Two ... Three!" Twilight said before each element glowed, and zapped the map. HHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! went the map table as it glowed, and vibrated. It stayed like that until some time, but then went back to normal. The Elements of Harmony returned to normal. "Well? Did it work?" Pinkie Pie said out of curiousity. Fluttershy inspected the map and noticed that the burnt part was in fact more flacky and broken. "Hmmmm?" she hummed before gently blowing the map with her wings. The air blew the burnt part off, bit by bit until the map was visible, with only a gray bit of dusting. "It worked! Dusty, but it worked!" Fluttershy accounced. The ponies all cheered as they looked at the map. Fluttershy was right. "Great! Now, let's put The Elements of Harmony back, then figure out our next idea," Rarity offered, her friends nodding in agreement. The group of friends quicky returned The Elements of Harmony, before thinking about where Spike would have gone off to. "I doubt he would have stayed anywhere in Ponyville or near us," Rarity said matter-of-factly. "Obviously! He would want to get away, but how far exactly?" Rainbow Dash wondered. "You think any pony saw him?" Applejack asked with interest. "Most likely not. It was most likely night time, and no pony -" Twilight started saying until the answer popped into her head. "Princess Luna! She must have seen him! She guards the night, and the moon! If any pony saw Spike, it would be her!" Twilight said with confidence. "Agreed, but what do we do now?" Applejack said curiously. "Now, I need to think of how to make it up to him," Twilighf replied, her ears folding back. This was not going to be easy. All day, Twilight thought over and over about the way she treated Spike, and how he must have felt. In fact, the more she thought about it, the more her heart broke. 'I said the worst possible things to him! I made him feel unwanted, unloved, like a burden, like I didn't want him in my life anymore! Like he wasn't even my assistant! Not my friend! Like he wasn't a part of my - Oh CELESTIA!' Twilight thought until she came to the biggest realization of all. She didn't just hurt Spike, she had yelled at him as if she didn't want him as a brother anymore. To not be in her family. NOW Twilight was heartbroken. She locked herself in her bedroom, and wailed. Wailed like her life had just been shattered in half and vanished into dust! "I'M SORRY!!! OH CELESTIA! WHAT HAVE I DONE! I'M SOOOOOOOOOO SSSSSSOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRYYYYYYYYY!!!!! SPIKE!!! SPIKE PLEASE COME BACK! I REGRET IT! I JUST WANT YOU BACK HOME!!!" Twilight wailed, her heart hurting so bad that she felt like it was never going to end. A pony from outside heard The Princess of Friendship crying, and heard her too. The pony hung it's head, and headed into the castle. He got to where Twilight was still crying. and saw her friends standing by the door. Tears were running down all seven of their heads, hanging low. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but, may I?" the pony asked politely. Applejack looked up, about to ask the pony to be more sympathetic, until she saw who it was. "Grand Pear? Ah, I don't think now is a good time," Applejack quietly replied. The rest of Twilight's friends also looked up at him. Grand Pear just gave them all a sympathetic, but stern look. "I know how she feels Applejack. I felt the same after hearing about Pear Butter. Look where that got me. Twilight still has a chance to forgive. I didn't till I reunited with y'all," Grand Pear responded. Applejack got teary eyed. She knew what he meant. "Okay," Applejack replied before letting him through and openning the door. Grand Pear walked on all fours into the room, before the door was shut. Seeing The Princess of Friendship sobbing, the pony went over, and put a hoof on her shoulder. "Leave me alone, please," Twilight said sadly. "I know you are hurt. But you need to know that whatever you did, it will heal over time. Just be honest, and admit your wrongdoings," Grand Pear said softly. "You DON'T KNOW how I feel!" Twilight said angrily, turning and looking at the pony. "Princess Twilight, I know exactly how you feel. I'm the reason Applejack never knew her mom," Grand Pear said in a straightforward voice. Twilight raised a hoof to retort, but Grand Pear put it down. "When the fight between the Apples and Pears went on, I ignored my daughter, Pear Butter's wishes to be in love. I only cared about my own wants, and thought it was best for everyone. It wasn't. I left for Vanhoover, and had a good pear business, but my daughter stayed with Granny Smith and Bright Mac. I wasted MOONS hoping my daughter would see my side of the story, but it never happened. I found out about my grand kids and such, but if there's one thing I regret the most, it's not being able to make it up to Pear Butter. She left Equestria, and went up to the stars, and I was devistated knowing I never had the chance to apologize. Especially after joining the Apple family again. I know my experience isn't the same, but don't go feeling bad and not trying to fix it. Better to forgive and hope for something positive, than to live life and regret it later. Believe me, you're doing the right thing. I hope you find Spike," Grand Pear said. He then hugged Twilight, and walked out. "Thank you. I know I can't undo my arguement, but I'll fix this. I just hope Spike can forgive me," Twilight replied before walking out as well. After talking a while, and meeting Grand Pear, he left, and every pony went to bed. Twilight just hoped her feelings of sorrow and love would help resolve things with Spike, now with the map fixed.
