Silver Hollowby ShowShineChaptersLeavingSearchingWelcomeShoppingLosing HopeReflecting On The PastLeavingSpike swept the floor of Carousel Boutique as Rarity sat at her sewing machine. He had already cleaned the whole place spotless but swept for the fifth time to make sure that the floor was perfect for his beloved Rarity. He had gotten there very early in the morning and worked his butt off. Rarity hadn’t shown any appreciation yet, but Spike knew that she would soon. “If you don’t mind, can you please hand me the golden silk on the mannequin?” Rarity asked. “Anything for you Rarity.” Spike replied in a loving tone. He flew over to a long piece of golden fabric draped across a mannequins back. He lifted it off of the mannequin and held it in his hands. Without any warning, a white blur hopped onto his face. Spike let out a scream and tumbled backwards. Opal let out loud screeches, clawing on his face. Rarity turned around at the noise and let out a soft gasp. Out of panic, Spike let in a deep breath and blew out a small gust off fire. Opal jumped off of his face and scrambled away, her tail smoking a bit. Spike stood there for a moment, trying to get his heart to slow down. “Spike!” Rarity exclaimed. Spike turned around to see that she had an angry look on her face. Her cheeks were puffed out and her face was flushed red. “Look at what you did you my fabric!” Rarity exclaimed angrily. Spike looked down at the fabric to see that it was noticeably burnt. It was smoking a bit at the ends. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean too, it’s just that Opal-“ Spike started to explain, but got cut off. “I don’t want to hear it. Out!” Rarity shouted while pointing her hoof towards the door. Spikes scales flattened and he slowly walked out the room. As soon as he got out of the room, he heard the door slam shut behind him. “Stupid Opal...” Spike muttered under his breath as he walked down the stairs. He caught a glance at himself in the mirror. His face was covered in scratches, which were luckily not bleeding. He let out a sigh and continued to walk down the stairs. He was used to being treated this way. He made his way to the front door and looked back up the stairs, hoping that Rarity would change her mind. He let out a deep sigh and opened the front door. A bucket of freezing cold water splashed on him, making him scream. “Got ya!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, laughing loudly. Spike took the bucket off of his head and shivered. She continued laughing loudly as his teeth clattered. His friends always seemed to forget that he was cold blooded. “You should’ve seen the look on your face!” Rainbow Dash said between laughter. She flew over to his side. “Lighten up, it was just a joke.” She stated when she saw his grumpy look. Spike let out another sigh and started to walk away. Rainbow Dash shrugged her shoulders and flew away, not really caring at all. Spike continued to walk through the streets of Ponyville, warming up in the sun. He walked past Sugarcube Corner, getting a smell of something delicious. Spike went to go open the door, only for it to be swung widely, knocking him into some bushes. Pinkie Pie walked out of the store carrying a large cake. Spike hopped out of the bushes and walked over to her. “Hey Pinkie Pie, what’s the cake for?” Spike asked. Pinkie Pie smiled widely. “It’s for Scootaloos ’I’m so glad you’re staying in Ponyville and not loving to Shire Lanka party!” Pinkie exclaimed happily. Spike cocked his eyebrow. He hadn’t heard of any party. “When is it?” He asked. Pinkie Pie beamed. “Today!” She exclaimed before happily trotting off with the cake on her back. Spikes scales flattened. This wasn’t the first time he wasn’t invited to any party. Twilight left for Canterlot on her birthday without telling him, leaving him alone to clean up the part decorations he put up. He wasn’t invited to Pinkie Pie’s birthday party either. He let out a sigh. He could really use a nap. Spike entered the study room to see Twilight wearing goggles and a lab coat. The room was a mess. Papers and books were scattered everywhere, potion bottles were on the floor, and there was some weird purple sticky substance on the walls. “Oh Spike, I’m so glad that you’re here, there’s a party in ten minutes and I can’t clean up all of this by myself.” Twilight explained. Before Spike could answer, Twilight shoved a broom into his hands. “Thanks Spike, you’re the best, oh and make sure you don’t touch the potion on the table.” Twilight said as she left the study room, throwing her coat and goggles onto the floor. She closed the door behind her, humming to herself happily. Spike heard the front door slam shut. He looked around at the messy room and let out a deep sigh. This was just everydays work. Spike wiped the sweat from his brow and looked at the sparkling clean room. Twilight probably wasn’t going to notice how well he cleaned it. He looked out the window to see that the sun was setting. He flew out of the room and made his way to his room. He entered his room and reached under his mattress, pulling out a green book and a pen. It was his diary. He wrote down all the times his friends mistreated him as a way to vent. He opened the book and started to write. ”Dear Diary, today Rarity kicked me out of the boutique because I accidentally burned her fabric. I woke up early so I could clean for her. I didn’t want her to be stressed out with her big order coming up. After I left, Rainbow Dash poured a bucket of cold water on me again. I don’t think she realizes that being too cold can kill me. Scootaloo had a party today and I wasn’t invited. I’m pretty sure the whole town went because Pinkie’s throwing the party. As soon as I got home, Twilight made me clean up her mess so she could go out.” Spike stared at the book that sat on his lap. “How long has this been going on?” Spike asked himself. He flipped to the first page of the book. The handwriting was very sloppy and childlike. ”Deer dairy, today Twilite yelled at me becauz I called her mommy. She said that I’m a orphan and she’s not my mommy.” Spike read outloud. He stared in disbelief, his hands shaking. He wrote that when he was five. He’s thirteen now. He stood up and threw the book against the wall. ”EIGHT YEARS!” Spike exclaimed. He rarely ever got upset at things, but this was his breaking point. Without thinking, Spike grabbed a backpack and started shoving things into it. Soon, he came to his senses and stopped what he was doing. “What am I doing? I can’t just run away!” Spike exclaimed to himself. He looked back at his diary and looked through pages from over the years. ”Almost drowned in a cold lake, got hit by doors, never got invited...” The more he read, the worse he felt. He looked back at the backpack that he had placed on the floor. “If I left, would anything really change?” Spike asked himself. He thought for a few moments. They leave him alone almost everyday to do stuff fun, they probably wouldn’t even notice if he were gone. Spike took the stuff out of his bag and replaced the things with comics. He pulled a few gems out from a container on his table and placed them in his bag. A sudden realization hit Spike. “Where would I go?” He asked himself. He started to pace around the room to think. “I’m too popular in the Crystal Empire, if I go to Canterlot the princesses would tell Twilight where I am, Ember would send me back, Thorax is a terrible liar so it would be obvious. Pinkie Pie visits Yakyakistan every month, Griffonstone is barely livable by itself, and everybody would recognize me in Mount Aris.” Spike pondered to himself. He pulled out a map the Twilight has given him for his birthday. He picked up the pen and started to cross out the locations he had just named. He looked at the map. “In order to manage to avoid all of those places I would have to go East.” Spike thought outloud. He grabbed the container of gems from off of his table and put the whole thing in his bag. It was better safe than sorry. “This can be just like the Shadow Spade books!” Spike exclaimed in excitement. He had started reading those books so he could bond with Rarity a little more, which failed. He grabbed the blanket from off of his bed and stuffed it in his bag. He flew out of the room with the bag tightly in his hands. He landed in the kitchen and walked over to the fridge. He pulled out five water bottles and placed them into the bag. It was a good thing that dragons didn’t need to drink often cause he had no idea how long this trip was going to be. He slung the bag over his shoulders and walked down the hallway. Spike stopped walking when he passed the study room. He looked inside to see the potion Twilight told him not to touch. The potion was a pretty mix of pinks and purples, it was practically glowing. He walked over to it and looked at the book the he didn’t put away. His eyes went straight to the red bold letters at the bottom. ”One sip can take away magic for one week.” Spike read outloud. If he took one big gulp, he wouldn’t have any magic for a few months. It was perfect. Princess Celestia would send letters to him when she finds out that he went missing, but without magic, she can’t. Everytime she sends him a letter, it always magically attached it’s own address, meaning she would be able to find him. After a few day Spike was sure that everyone would stop looking, but a few extra months just to be safe. Spike picked up the bottle and took one large gulp. It tasted fruity. He didn’t feel any different. “Did it work?” Spike asked himself. He picked up a scroll and covered it in flames. It quickly turned to ashes and dropped so the ground. He grinned happily. Spike flew out a nearby open windows with a large smile on his face. He was going to be a feee dragon. Spike held the map in his hands, looking at in confusion. He had passed Filly Delphia about two hours ago. He was high in the sky and looked around. He was completely lost. He looked down to see that he was over a forest. “Maybe I can find a cave and call it a night.” Spike said to himself. A large gust of wind made him wobble a little. He looked around to see dark storm clouds surrounding him. He shivered at the sudden wind. He must have left Equestria a while ago because this weather was definitely not controlled. Spike flew towards a cloud, trying to get through. It lit up brightly with lightning as thunder crackled. Spike let out a yelp of fear and stumbled back a bit. He moved out of the way, only to be face to face with another dark cloud. He was completely surrounded. There was no way he could get out without getting electrocuted. Spike let in a deep breath and sped towards a cloud. If he could get through one than he could find safety on the ground. He closed his eyes and went straight into the cloud. Lightning struck him, making him let out a bloodcurdling scream. Spikes eyes rolled back as he plummeted towards the ground. He landed on the soft grass, rain starting to drizzle on him. If he were awake, he would have noticed that he landed in a small town. SearchingTwilight walked around the castle, looking for Spike. She had found some slime that he didn’t clean up after she specifically told him to clean the study room. “Spike are you in here?” Twilight asked as she opened his bedroom door. His room was messier than usual. Stuff was scattered across the floor and the blanket was gone from his bed. “This place is a mess.” She muttered under her breath. He obviously wasn’t in his room. Twilight turned around to leave, but stopped when she kicked something. She looked down to see a green journal laying on the floor. She picked it up and inspected it closely. It didn’t have a cover picture or a title. “I’ve never seen this book before.” Twilight thought outloud. She flipped open the book to the first page. Her eyes widened at what she saw. “I yelled at him for him calling me mom? I’m sure I would remember that.” Twilight said with a nervous chuckle. She read through another page, and another. Her ears flattened with each page she read. A knot tied up in her stomach. “I’m a terrible friend.” She muttered. Rarity sat on a picinic blanket, sipping on her tea. Applejack took some bite from her fritters as Fluttershy hummed to some nearby bird. Rainbow Dash flew around in circles, Pinkie Pie hopping behind, trying to copy the moves from the ground. Rarity looked up from her cup. “Oh look it’s Twilight.” Rarity commented. They all looked up to see Twilight flying over to them quickly, holding a green book in her hooves. Twilight landed next to the picnic blanket, clearly out of breath. The birds that were near Fluttershy flew away at the sudden movement. Pinkie Pie zipped over to her and looked at the book. “Oooo, is that a new spell book?” She asked while inspecting the book. Twilight shook her head. “It’s Spikes diary.” Twilight stated. Everyone gave her an uneasy looks while Rainbow Dash grinned. “Are ya sure that we should be reading that? It seems mighty private.” Applejack asked. Rainbow Dash flew over and covered her mouth. “Read it, I wanna hear his most embarrassing secrets!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed with a grin. Twilight shook her head. “This is serious, we haven’t been treating Spike well.” Twilight explained. Rarity tilted her head in confusion. “What do you mean, we’ve been treating him just fine darling.” Rarity said as she took another sip of her tea. Twilight opened the book and began to read one of the passages. “Dear Diary, today Rarity made me carry all of her luggage when we went to Manehatten. I don’t really mind, I’ll do anything for her.” Twilight read outloud. Rarity let out a nervous chuckle. “I might have made him work too hard.” Rarity admitted. Twilight went to another page. “Today Pinkie Pie interrogated me and forced me to say that none of her friends liked her. It really scared me.” She continued reading. Pinkie Pie’s ears flattened. “I didn’t mean to scare him, now I feel bad.” She said while gazing at the ground. “Fluttershy keep treating me like I’m an animal and not a thinking creature.” Twilight read out. Fluttershy let out a soft gasp. “I had no idea.” She said in shock, hiding her face into her mane. “Rainbow Dash put dragon sneeze flowers in my food as a prank, and I almost choked to death.” Twilight read as Rainbow Dash looked guiltily. “I did go a little overboard on that one.” Rainbow Dash admitted. “My friends left me on a piece of melting ice and I fell into freezing water. They all laughed when woke up. Sometimes I think they forget that I’m cold blooded and coldness can kill me.” Twilight finished reading. Everyone muttered to each other. “I had no idea we treated him so badly.” Rarity stated. Everyone nodded there heads in agreement. “I feel terrible.” Fluttershy said. Pinkie Pie looked at the ground sadly before breaking out into a wide grin. “We can throw him an ’I’m sorry party’!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. Everyone agrees happily. “We can give presents and show how much we appreciate him.” Twilight stated. Rarity stood up from the blanket. “I can make him a special bow tie.” Rarity said as she flipped her mane. “I can make some gem treats for him.” Applejack stated. “Hopefully my bird friends don’t mind singing him a song.” Fluttershy muttered. “I can give him front seat tickets to a Wonderbolts show!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed while doing some cool tricks. Twilight smiled. “I’ll find him and tell him the good news.” Twilight said as she teleported away. She appeared in town hall and looked around. She turned to a passing mare. “Have you seen Spike?” Twilight asked. The mare shook her head and kept walking. Spike couldn’t have been that far, it was a small town. Twilight had been searching for hours and still hadn’t found Spike. She had even checked the forest and he wasn’t there. She stood in her castle with her friends sitting in front of her. “So none of you have seen Spike since yesterday?” Twilight asked her friends. They all shook there heads. “You don’t think he left do you?” Fluttershy asked. Twilights ears flattened. “From how we’ve been treating him I wouldn’t be surprised.” Twilight said sadly. “Pinkie Pie, you go check Yakyakestan, Fluttershy, check the Hive, Applejack, check Mount Ares, Rainbow Dash, check Griffonstone, and Rarity, go to the Dragonlands. I’ll go check all the places in Equestria.” Twilight stated. They all nodded there heads and left the castle. Twilight teleported out of the castle and appeared in Appleloosa. She looked around to see many ponies wearing cowboy hats. She levitated a picture of Spike and flew over to a stallion. “Have you seen this dragon?” Twilight asked. The stallion inspected the picture before shaking his head. “I need to find him.” Twilight flew around Canterlot, tear stains on her cheeks. She had looked everywhere else in Equestria and she couldn’t find him. Ponies were giving her odd looks because of her frantic nature. She had searched all of Equestria and couldn’t find him. Her friends had gotten back and couldn’t find him either. Ember, Prince Rutherford, Thorax, Queen Novo, had sent some creatures to look for him. A few griffons volunteered to help too. Her last resort was Princess Celestia. Twilight burst into the throne room, causing a few guards to jump in surprise. “Hello Twilight, what brings you here?” Celestia asked. Twilight whimpers before breaking down into tears. Celestia gave her a look of concern and waved her hoof, signaling for the guards to leave the room. Once they left, Celestia walked over to Twilight and wrapped her wing around her body. “What is wrong?” Celestia asked. Twilight sniffled and held up the picture of Spike. “Spike ran away because we haven’t been treating him well and it’s all my fault!” Twilight exclaimed. Celestia rubbed her back comfortingly. She levitated a quill and scroll, writing something down. “I can send him this letter and we’ll find him.” Celestia stated as she let the magic evaporate into the air. The letter burst into flames, quickly turned to ashes. Celestia and Twilight gave looks of surprise. “That’s not right, it should have sent.” Celestia said in confusion. Twilight let out a gasp and left from under Celestias wing. “He must have taken the anti magic potion! I made it for when we caught Chrysalis.” Twilight explained. She looked down at the floor, starting to tear up again. “I’ll send out some guards right now.” Celestia said. Twilight nodded her head. “I know that we’ll find him.” WelcomeSpike awoke groggily to a faint beeping noise. He opened his eyes slowly to see that he was laying on a bed. That was odd, he didn’t remember going inside. Memories from the day before came flooding back, making him sit up and look around the room. He was in a hospital room. He looked out of the window to see a few buildings. It looked like a small village. Ponies walked around, enjoying there lives. The room door opened, causing Spike to turn around. “Ah, I see that you’re awake.” A red unicorn mare said, which he assumed was the doctor. She had a name tag that said ‘Dr. Crown’. She pulled out a clipboard and a pen. “Last night you got struck by lightning and fell about twenty feet to the ground. A nice stallion found you and brought you here.” Dr. Crown explained. “Are you feeling any type of pain?” She asked. Spike shook his head. “Not really, my wings are just a little sore but I think that’s from flying all night.” Spike stated. Crown nodded her head and wrote that down. “You seem perfectly fine, let’s just run a few test first.” She stated. Spike nodded his head and got off of the bed. This was going to be easy. Spike looked in the mirror, waiting for the results of his test. He had multiple pinkish tan scars across his chest, arms, back, hands and neck. It made him feel bad to look at for some reason. It stung a little. Dr. Crown walked into the room with a smile on her face. “There’s nothing wrong with you so you’re free to go. But I do recommend getting some ointment for those scars so it doesn’t become too irritating.” She commented. She handed him his medical bill, which was surprisingly cheap. Only twenty bits. Spike nodded his head and reached into his bag, and pulled out a ruby and a sapphire from his bag. He handed them to the doctor and placed the back on his back. “Goodbye, have a nice day.” Doctor crown said as Spike left the room. He walked down the nice clean hallway. Everything was shiny, it didn’t even look like a hospital. It wasn’t that big for a hospital, maybe the size of a business building. He had only seen a few ponies there that weren’t workers. Spike finally made it to the front of the building, standing in front of two glass doors. He opened them and walked outside. He looked at the sign for the hospital which read out ’Silver Hollow Hospital Unit.’ ”Silver Hollow.” Spike repeated to himself in his head. He had never seen that town on any maps before. He looked around. Ponies happily walked and talked to each other. There were plenty of houses on both sides of the street. Some of the houses even had stores attached to them. A certain store caught his eye. There was a store called ’Jolly’s Bakery’ and in the window there was a help wanted sign. “I know how to bake.” Spike said to himself. It would be best if he got a job. If he lived by himself, he needed a job. Spike walked into the shop and up to the counter to see a brown stallion. He had cheerful green eyes and blue mane that had a curl to it. His cutie mark was a key lime pie and his tail with blue and curly. “Welcome to Jolly’s Bakery, how may I help you?” He asked happily. Spike pointed to the sign in the window. “I would like to work here.” Spike stated. The stallion beamed and gestured for Spike to follow him. “Come with me so I can interview you.” He said. Spike followed him behind the counter, into a back room. It was a well furnished kitchen. He placed his backpack next to the counter. The stallion picked up a clipboard and a pen. “First question, how old are you.” He asked. “I’m thirteen.” Spike answered. The stallion nodded his head and wrote that down. “What’s your name?” He asked. “Spike the dragon.” He answered. The stallion wrote that down. “Are you still in school?” He asked. After a pony got there cutie mark, it wasn’t uncommon for the child to leave there home and school to discover themself and get jobs. “I never went to school.” Spike replied. He wrote that down. “What are your qualifications?” The stallion asked. Spike thought for a moment. “I can cook, clean, and work at the register.” Spike stated. The stallion put his clipboard down. “Can you bake something for me right now?” He asked. Spike nodded his head. He walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a bag of flour and a cake pan. He walked over to the oven and preheated it. This was going to be a piece of cake. Literally. Spike pushed over the cake pan to the stallion. It was a very well decorated cake. It had little flowers made out of icing. The stallions picked up a fork and took a bite of the cake. His eyes widened. “This is delicious.” The stallion said happily. He stood up and shook Spikes hand. “You’re hired!” He said happily while taking another bite of the cake. “I didn’t get to properly introduce myself, my name is Jolly and I own this bakery.” Jolly said happily. “My daughter can only work after school so it’s great to have the extra help around here. She’s about your age so you two should get along great.” Jolly stated, his curly blue tail wagging a bit. The door opened, revealing a pale pink chubby filly about Spikes age. Her red hair with black streaks was pulled up into a bun and her bang messily was covering her left eye, almost touching the ground. Her eyes were a very dark blue and her tail was pulled up into a tight bun. Her cutie mark was a cherry cupcake with frosting on it. She was a few inches shorter than Spike. “Hi Dad.” She said with a small wave. Jolly smiled widely. “Cherry, we have a new person to work here. His name is Spike” Jolly said while gesturing to him. Spike waved to Cherry. “There’s a line forming outside.” Cherry said in a deadpanned voice. Jolly’s eyes widened. “You two start baking and get to know each other.” Jolly said as he ran out the room. The door closed with a slam. “It’s nice to meet you Cherry.” Spike said with a friendly grin. Cherry pressed her nose up against Spike and let out a snarl. “Listen up, you will not call me Cherry you’ll call me Cherry Truffle, understood?!” She asked, now flying a few inches off of the ground. No one had yelled at Spike like that. He let out a small whimper, making Cherry’s eyes widened. “Wait no don’t cry I just wanted to seem tougher.” Cherry said while standing back on the floor. She rubbed the back of her neck and stuck her hoof out. “I’m Cherry Truffle, but you can call me boss.” She stated. Spike smiled and shook her hoof. “Let’s get to work boss.” Spike said with a smile. They both went over to the counter and got to work. Spike swept the waiting area as Cherry Truffle wiped down the counters. Jolly walked in from cleaning up the kitchen. “Spike, you did great today. You can go home now.” Jolly stated. Spike gave a nervous look. “I don’t have anywhere to go.” Spike muttered. Jolly gave him a sympathetic look. “I have a spare room that you can stay in, come with me.” Jolly said as he led Spike through a different door. On the other side of the door there was a living room. It was well furnished and very nice. Jolly led Spike up a flight of stairs and opened a door right next to the stairwell. In the room there was a twin size bed pressed against the wall with a light blue blanket on it. There was a small black night stand with a lamp on it. Other than that is was pretty much empty. “You can stay here as long as you need.” Jolly said before walking back down the stairs. Spike closed the door put his bag on the bed. He reached in his bag and pulled out a Power Ponies comic and a flashlight. It was surprising that neither of them had gotten destroyed when he got struck by lightning. He turned on the flashlight and snuggled up into his blanket. There was a knock on the door making him look up. “Come in.” Spike said. The door opened to reveal Cherry Truffle. “It was nice to spend time with you today. I’m looking forward for tomorrow.” She said. Before Spike could say anything, she slammed the door shut. Spike smiled. He was going to like it here. Shopping”Pssst, wake up.” A voice whispered. Spike let out a groan and pulled the blanket over his head. He felt someone punch his arm, making him jolt awake. He opened his eyes to see Cherry Truffle standing over him. “Why did you punch me?” Spike asked, rubbing his now sore arm. Cherry shrugged her shoulders and sat on Spikes bed. “Dad gave us the day off so I can show you around town. Since you’re new you deserve to see all of the coolest spots, so get ready.” Cherry commanded. Spike got out of bed and reached into his backpack to pull out his toothbrush. He walked out of the room and aimlessly walked down the hallway, looking for the bathroom. He spotted a window to see that the sun was high in the sky. It was almost noon. Spike spotted the bathroom at the end of the hallway. He entered and locked the door behind him. He looked in the mirror and his scales flattened. “I forgot about these scars.” Spike muttered to himself. It made his stomach churn to look at them. He noticed a few were on his neck and under his chin too. He shook his head and turned on the shower. He stepped into the very hot water. It was hot enough to make any pony hop out but he wasn’t a pony. It felt like he was bathing in lava again, but it was much cooler. He opened his wings, letting the water drip behind them. It felt very nice. He turned off the shower and shook himself dry since he didn’t have a towel. He walked over to the sink and grabbed his toothbrush. “Hurry up, I have a bunch of cool things to show you!” Cherry Truffle shouted from somewhere in the house. Spike put some toothpaste on the toothbrush and started to brush his teeth, making sure to get every fang. He spit into the sink and rinsed out his mouth before leaving the bathroom. Spike walked down the hallway, letting out a yawn. He flew down the stairs to wake himself up a bit. Cherry Truffle stood in front of the front door, holding a small pouch. “Took you long enough. Also dad said I should give you this.” She said while handing him the pouch. Spike opened it to see about twenty bits. “It’s your pay from yesterday. He gave it to you early so you could get stuff for your room.” She explained. Spike smiled as Cherry opened the front door. “Let’s go buttface, I have a lot of things to show you.” She stated while picking Spike up off of the ground with ease. She placed him outside. “How are you so strong?” Spike asked. Cherry Truffle shrugged her shoulders. “I’ve been picking up heavy bags of flour since I was four, it gave me some muscle. Now let’s go!” She said, grabbing Spikes hand. This was going to be an eventful day. Cherry Truffle and Spike stood in front of a store. It was a deli and they could see ponies walking around, fixing the place up before they opened. “I come here almost every morning to get breakfast before going to school.” Cherry said. The front door opened revealing a dark blue unicorn stallion who had a smile on his face. His mane was a pretty shade of lavender. “Hi Cherry, who’s your friend?” The stallion asked. “I’m Spike, I work with Cherry Truffle.” Spike stated. The stallion smiled and walked behind the counter. Cherry and Spike followed him and stood in front of it. “We’ll both have a cheese and egg sandwich.” Cherry stated. The stallion nodded his head and went to the back. “We can go to a few stores while we’re eating so we can get you some stuff.” Cherry Truffle said. A unicorn filly who looked about Cherry and Spikes age came from behind the counter with a smile on her face. She was light grey with short black hair with light blue streaks and dark blue eyes. She was the same height as Spike. Her cutiemark was a purple bottle with smoke coming out of it. “Hi Cherry.” She said with a sweet smile. Cherry Truffles face turned bright red and her wings popped open. “H-hey Aura.” Cherry stuttered out. She was avoiding eye contact. Spike glanced at Cherry Truffle in confusion. Did she not like Aura? “The school dance is coming up soon and I don’t have anyone to go with.” Aura said, batting her eyes a bit. Cherry cleared her throat. “That’s really a shame, you’re beautiful.” Cherry said, her face turning a deeper shade of red. It hit Spike on what was going on. ”They have a crush on each other.” Spike thought to himself. The stallion, who he assumed to be Aura’s dad, handed Cherry a paper bag. She pulled out four bits and threw them at him before grabbing Spikes hand and running out of the front door. Cherry dragged Spike half a block before stopping to catch her breath. “That was dramatic.” Spike stated. Cherry Truffle glared at him. “Well she’s a very pretty girl who was talking to me!” She exclaimed. Spike chuckled. “You do realize that she has a crush on you right?” Spike asked. Cherrys eyes widened and she shook her head. “There’s no way a goddess like her has a crush on me.” She said with a laugh. “She was flirting and wanted to go to the dance with you.” Spike stated. Cherry thought for a few moments before putting her face in her hooves and letting out a groan. “I am such an idiot.” She groaned out. Spike chuckled and took his sandwich out of the paper bag. “I could help you.” Spike suggested. Cherry peaked her eyes out from behind her hooves. “Really?” She asked. Spike nodded his head. “Totally, I’ve dated....” Spike trailed off when he realized that he hadn’t dated anyone ever. Cherry smiled and hugged him. “Thank you so much. Now let’s get you new things!” Cherry exclaimed before pulling him in a random direction. Spike and Cherry Truffle entered a department store which had clothing, posters, and other various items. “We can get all of your stuff here. This place has everything.” Cherry explained. She grabbed a shopping cart and started to walk around the store, Spike following closely. He picked up a purple towel off of a shelf and placed it into the cart. “What do you want for your bedroom?” Cherry asked. Spike thought for a moment. “I would like some Power Pony posters.” Spike stated. Cherry smiled gestured for him to follow her. This was going to be a breeze. Spike and Cherry Truffle made there way to the front of the store, getting ready to pay for the very few items Spike had gotten. It was mainly posters and Power Pony figurines. Spike could feel ponies staring at him. They were staring at his scars and he knew it. He glanced at a mirror that he was passing and stopped walking. “I hate these....” Spike muttered to himself. His scales fell flat against his head. Cherry gave him a sympathic look before looking around to find something to cheer him up. She picked up a dark red sweater and handed it to him. “You can wear this to hide your scars, no one will even know.” Cherry said happily. Spike smiled a bit and hugged her. He walked up to the counter and started to place the items on. The cashier behind the counter started to ring the items up and place them in plastic bags. “That’ll be ten bits.” The cashier said. Spike reached into the pouch and handed her ten bits. He and Cherry picked up the bags and walked outside. “That sun is going to set soon. I need to show you the best spot to see it, let’s go!” Cherry exclaimed while flying off. Spike flew behind her, excited to see what was next. Spike sat on the roof of the bakery, staring at the sunset in awe. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He wore his sweater, which felt very soft. It was a little big on him. The sleeves covered his hands so you could only see his finger tips and the collar covered his mouth. “It’s breathtaking isn’t it?” Cherry asked. Spike nodded his head. “Thanks for being here for me, I don’t have a lot of friends so it’s nice to hang out with someone.” She said. Spike smiled. “I don’t have any friends my age either so I know what you mean.” Spike said. He glanced down at her left hind leg. It was a slightly darker shade of pink from the rest of her body. “I see you staring at my leg.” Cherry Truffle said with a smirk. Spikes cheeks turned pink. “Sorry.” He apologized. Cherry shrugged her shoulders. “It’s fine, it isn’t even real.” She stated. She gave her left leg a tug and it came right off. Under it there was just a nub. “See? There’s nothing to worry-“ Cherry got cut off as her leg slipped out of her grasp and fell off the roof. There was a sound of a mare yelling and a loud thud. Cherry and Spike looked at each other before giggling. This was going to be a great friendship. Losing HopeAuthor's Note Sorry for such a short chapter Losing Hope Twilight flew around the map room with papers covering the floor, books stacked up on each other, and a chalkboard that was covered in notes. There were large red X’s on random parts of the map along with dozens of empty coffee mugs. She levitated Spike’s diary and flipped through the pages for the hundredth time that day. The door creaked open and multiple hoofsteps hit the crystal floor. “Twilight?” A soft voice asked. Twilight whipped her head around to see her friends standing there. Her eyes were bloodshot and she had dried tears on her cheeks. Her hair was a mess and she had heavy bags under her eyes. She looked noticeably skinnier too. “Oh hi girls.” Twilight said, flipping through another book. She shook her head and dropped the book on to the floor. ”No no he can’t be there.” She whispered to herself. Her friends exchanged worried glances at each other. “Twilight darling, when was the last time that you slept?” Rarity asked, levitating a dirty mug. “I haven’t slept since Spike ran away.” Twilight stated while writing something down on the chalkboard. All of her friends eyes widened. “Twilight, Spike’s been gone for three weeks.” Rainbow Dash said in disbelief. Twilight let out a soft hum in understanding, looking back on the map. “What are you doing?” Pinkie Pie asked. Twilight picked up a piece of paper from off of the floor. “I took all of the books and papers from Spike’s room to see if I can find any clues on where he went. So far I’ve found nothing.” Twilight stated as she picked a piece of paper off of the ground. Applejack walked over to her and put her hoof on Twilights chest. “Take a deep breath breath in and let it out slowly.” Applejack commanded. Twilight slowly inhaled before letting out a long breath. “Feeling better?” Applejack asked. Twilight nodded her head. Twilight let out a sigh. “I haven’t taken a break in a while, thanks girls.” Twilight thanked while rubbing her temple. She looked around. “This place is a mess.” Twilight realized. She tried levitate a book, only for her magic to flicker and fail. “You’re so tired that your magic isn’t working properly. Get some rest dear.” Rarity stated. Twilight shook her head. “I made this mess so I’ll clean it up.” Twilight protested. Fluttershy flew over to Twilight and pulled her into a hug. “We’ll clean this all up. Just relax and take a nap.” Fluttershy said, petting her mane like she would do to calm down her animals. Twilight let out a sigh, knowing that she couldn’t win this argument. She let out a yawn and rubbed her eyes. “Fine, fine. Goodnight girls.” Twilight said as she walked towards the door. Her friends said there goodnights and the large door closed. They all listened to Twilights hoofsteps get quieter and quieter until it was completely silent. Rainbow Dash picked up a few brooms and handed them out. “Have any of you heard any new about Spike?” Rainbow Dash asked. Everyone shook there heads. “What if Spikey Wikey never comes back?” Rarity asked, levitating all of the coffee mugs that off of the map. Applejack shrugged her shoulders. “Is that really such a bad thing?” Applejack asked while picking up a book. Her friends stared at her as if she had three heads. “He’s our friend, why wouldn’t you want him to come back?” Pinkie Pie asked. “I’m just saying that Spike really wanted to leave. We didn’t treat him well and he left on his own terms. I miss him but it was his choice to leave. If he wanted to come back then he would’ve.” Applejack explained as she swept the floor. All of her friends looked at each other. She was right. If he wanted to come back, he would have a while ago. He’s been gone for almost a month and showed no sign of returning. “You’re right darling, I just hope the he’s alright.” Rarity said with a sigh. Twilight walked through the Everfree Forest, looking around. It was dark and cold, making a chill run up her spine. It was eerily quiet. Usually she could hear birds chirping or frogs croaking but it was just silent. The ground was moist, squishing with each step. “Hello?!” Twilight shouted, hoping to find someone. A branch snapped, making her turn around. Spike stood a few feet away, making Twilight smile. “Thank Celestia I found you.” Twilight said, letting out a breath of relief. Spike stared at her with cold, unforgiving eyes. ”I hate you.” Spike muttered. Twilights ears flattened against her head and she blinked in surprise. “You don’t mean that.” Twilight said, taking a step forward. Spike snarled and took a step back. “Don’t get near me!” Spike shouted, his voice booming. Twilight stumbled back. “You had one job and it was to raise a dragon. You failed at it and look what you did. You lost me forever. You failed!” Spike exclaimed. Twilights eyes filled with tears and she shook her head. “I didn’t mean to disappoint you. I’ll be better I promise, just please come back home.” Twilight begged. Spike shook his head. “You already had your chance and you messed it up.” Spike said, anger flashing in his eyes. “You’re a failure Twilight Sparkle.” He said before walking into the dark forest. Twilight tried to run after him, but the ground was suddenly sticky. Her hooves were stuck. She tried to scream his name but her lips had been sown shut. ”Failure, FAILURE, FAILURE!” Chanted around her. It got louder and louder before Twilight broke down into a fit of sobs. Twilight sat straight up, breathing heavily. Tears dripped down her cheeks. She looked around to see that she was in her room. “Just a dream...” Twilight muttered to herself as she wiped the tears from her face. She looked at the clock on her night stand. She had only been asleep for a three hours. Her stomach growled loudly. “When was the last time I ate?” She asked herself. She got out of bed and let her hooves hit the cold floor. She walked out of her room, letting out a yawn. She sniffed the air to smell something good. It made her stomach growl louder than before. She walked a little faster, following the delicious scent. She ended up in the kitchen to see her friends setting up a meal. Pinkie Pie ran up to her and pulled her into a tight hug. “We made you dinner. Fluttershy made soup, Rarity made deviled eggs, Applejack made fritters, I made cupcakes and Rainbow Dash sat in the corner so she couldn’t light anything on fire!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. She placed Twilight in a chair and gave her a bowl of soup. It was tomato soup with basil leaves in it. Twilight picked up a spoon and started to eat the soup. “This is delicious!” Twilight exclaimed happily. She continued to eat the soup a little too quickly. “Twilight we’ve been discussing and we think that we shouldn’t look for Spike anymore.” Fluttershy stated. Twilights eyes widened and she inhaled her soup, choking on it a bit. Once she regained her composure she gave them a distressed look. “Why, he’s still out there somewhere!” Twilight exclaimed, standing up from her seat. “Creatures have been looking for him since the day he went missing and still can’t find him.” Rainbow Dash said. Rarity butted in. “He purposely drank a potion so we couldn’t track him down with his magic, if he truly wanted to come back, he would have been here already.” Rarity explained. Twilight looked down at the table, sputtering a bit. “B-but the last time he ran away he almost got himself killed!” Twilight exclaimed, tearing up. “That was years ago, he’s a lot stronger and smarter now. He knows how to keep himself out of trouble.” Applejack said. Twilight thought for a moment. They were all right. Spike left on his own and didn’t show any signs on leaving. He didn’t want to come back and bringing him back would make him hate her more. Twilight let out a sigh and sat back down on to the chair. “I guess you girls are right...” Twilight said dejectedly. She levitated a deviled egg and sadly bit into it. Her friends surrounded her and pulled her into a group hug. “I just hope Spike is safe, wherever he is.” Reflecting On The PastSpike and Cherry Truffle walked up a hill. Spike wore a light pink sweater, holding a picnic basket filled with various foods and drinks. Cherry Truffle balanced a blue rubber ball on her back, shifting it back and forth between wings. They finally reached the top of the hill and Spike placed the basket down onto the ground. “You were right, the view is great here!” Spike said with a smile. Cherry nodded her head and pulled out a picnic blanket from the basket. There was a large field in front of them filled with beautiful flowers of all colors. Behind them was the town, filled with ponies. The flowers really brought out the beauty of the town. Everyone there was so nice. Cherry Truffle had finished setting up the picnic and sat down on the blanket. Spike sat down next to her a pulled out his toasted ruby and hay sandwich from the basket. Spike and Cherry Truffle has gotten very close over the past month. They really only hung out with each other and did practically everything together. “It’s a really nice day today.” Spike commented. Cherry nodded her head, taking a bite of her tomato, mayo, and grass sandwich. “I have a friend who knows how to make weather potions, I should introduce you to him sometime. He’s a huge nerd like you.” Cherry Truffle stated, punching his arm softly. Spike chuckled and took another bite of his sandwich. I don’t have any friends my age, it’ll be nice to meet new people.” Spike commented. Cherry Truffle let out a gasp. “You don’t have any friends your age?!” She asked in disbelief. Spike shrugged his shoulders. “I mean I know a three girls my age but we never talk. They usually just come to me for advice. I have one friend but I never get to see her, we’re pen pals.” Spike stated. Cherry Truffles ears flattened at the sound of that. “That sucks, I only have two friends but I get to see them when I go to school.” She said. “I’ve never went to school. I just helped out at home.” Spike said as he took another bite of his sandwich. “Your parents didn’t let you go to school? That’s terrible.” Cherry said. Spike shrugged his shoulders. “I’m an orphan I never knew my parents.” Spike stated. Cherry’s eyes widened. “How are you even alive!” She said a little too dramatically. Spike chuckled. “I was raised by ponies. I was an egg for an entry exam at the Canterlot School of Magic. The filly that hatched me took me in and I lived with her since.” Spike said as if this was a normal thing. Cherry gave him a surprised look. “What was it like living with a different type of creature?” Cherry Truffle asked, now intrigued in Spikes life story. “It wasn’t too bad I guess, I was mainly an assistant. I stayed at home and helped Twilight organize stuff.” Spike explained. Cherry Truffle’s eyes widened. “Twilight as in Princess Twilight Sparkle?” She asked in disbelief. Spike nodded his head, making Cherry Truffle gasp. “She’s the prettiest princess ever!” She gushed, a light blush appearing on her face. Spike chuckled a bit. Cherry Truffle cleared her throat. “I mean, she’s good looking I guess. I’m not really into nerdy girls.” She lied. Spike chuckled. “She raised me well but sometimes she could just be overbearing. She treats me more like a pet than an actual person. I love her I really do, I just don’t feel significant around her.” Spike explained. Cherry Truffle gave him a sympathetic look. “I know that feeling, my mom was a terrible pony. She constantly cheated and abused my dad and I hated her for it. She acted like I didn’t exist. She hated me and I hated her.” Cherry Truffle confessed. Spikes eyes widened. “Your mom was terrible, where is she now?” Spike asked. Cherry shrugged her shoulders. “One day she got too violent with my dad and went to jail. She got killed within a week of being there. Good riddance.” Cherry said, picking up a rock and throwing it into the field of flowers. Spike looked at her with a look of surprise on his face. “Your mom sounds like a bad pony, I’m glad she can’t hurt anyone anymore.” Spike said with relief in his voice. Cherry Truffle rolled the blue rubber ball between her wings and flicked it up into the air. She reached her hooves out to catch it but missed and hit Spike in the head. “Are you okay?” Cherry asked. Spike nodded his head. “Yeah that barely hurt. It’s not as bad as being used as a pin cushion.” Spike stated. Cherry Truffles eyes widened. “You were used as a what?” She asked in disbelief. Spike shrugged his shoulders. “It doesn’t really hurt, I have tough scales, can’t feel a thing.” Spike stated. “That still isn’t good, you shouldn’t be used as a pin cushion.” Cherry said in concern. Spike shrugged again. “I’ve been through a lot worse. Nearly drowned in a frozen lake, been used as Winterchilla bait, been forgotten countless times, keep getting hit by doors. You know, the normal stuff.” Spike stated casually. Cherry stood up and but her hooves on his cheeks, looking him in the eyes. “None of that normal, that’s abuse. You shouldn’t be taking this anymore.” Cherry Truffle said, stomping her hind leg. Spike gave her an uneasy look. “I sorta miss them to be honest. Especially Twilight, even though she wasn’t the best, she treated me nice sometimes. I sorta wanna go back to see her again.” Spike said with a small smile. Cherry Truffle removed her hooves from his cheeks and sighed. “I understand that you miss her but it that really the best option to go back?” Cherry asked. Spike thought to himself. All of the times Twilight and her friends mistreated him was terrible. He was more of a pet or an assistant. Just a mere servant for there enjoyment. Fluttershy still treated him like one of her animals for Celestia’s sake! “You’re right, I’m not gonna go back! I get treated much better here and I’m my own person. This is what I think about the abuse I’ve been getting!” Spike shouted as he threw the blue ball down into the field of flowers. Cherry Truffle stared at the ball that laid in the field. “You should probably go get that.” Cherry commented. “Yeah I should.”
LeavingSpike swept the floor of Carousel Boutique as Rarity sat at her sewing machine. He had already cleaned the whole place spotless but swept for the fifth time to make sure that the floor was perfect for his beloved Rarity. He had gotten there very early in the morning and worked his butt off. Rarity hadn’t shown any appreciation yet, but Spike knew that she would soon. “If you don’t mind, can you please hand me the golden silk on the mannequin?” Rarity asked. “Anything for you Rarity.” Spike replied in a loving tone. He flew over to a long piece of golden fabric draped across a mannequins back. He lifted it off of the mannequin and held it in his hands. Without any warning, a white blur hopped onto his face. Spike let out a scream and tumbled backwards. Opal let out loud screeches, clawing on his face. Rarity turned around at the noise and let out a soft gasp. Out of panic, Spike let in a deep breath and blew out a small gust off fire. Opal jumped off of his face and scrambled away, her tail smoking a bit. Spike stood there for a moment, trying to get his heart to slow down. “Spike!” Rarity exclaimed. Spike turned around to see that she had an angry look on her face. Her cheeks were puffed out and her face was flushed red. “Look at what you did you my fabric!” Rarity exclaimed angrily. Spike looked down at the fabric to see that it was noticeably burnt. It was smoking a bit at the ends. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean too, it’s just that Opal-“ Spike started to explain, but got cut off. “I don’t want to hear it. Out!” Rarity shouted while pointing her hoof towards the door. Spikes scales flattened and he slowly walked out the room. As soon as he got out of the room, he heard the door slam shut behind him. “Stupid Opal...” Spike muttered under his breath as he walked down the stairs. He caught a glance at himself in the mirror. His face was covered in scratches, which were luckily not bleeding. He let out a sigh and continued to walk down the stairs. He was used to being treated this way. He made his way to the front door and looked back up the stairs, hoping that Rarity would change her mind. He let out a deep sigh and opened the front door. A bucket of freezing cold water splashed on him, making him scream. “Got ya!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, laughing loudly. Spike took the bucket off of his head and shivered. She continued laughing loudly as his teeth clattered. His friends always seemed to forget that he was cold blooded. “You should’ve seen the look on your face!” Rainbow Dash said between laughter. She flew over to his side. “Lighten up, it was just a joke.” She stated when she saw his grumpy look. Spike let out another sigh and started to walk away. Rainbow Dash shrugged her shoulders and flew away, not really caring at all. Spike continued to walk through the streets of Ponyville, warming up in the sun. He walked past Sugarcube Corner, getting a smell of something delicious. Spike went to go open the door, only for it to be swung widely, knocking him into some bushes. Pinkie Pie walked out of the store carrying a large cake. Spike hopped out of the bushes and walked over to her. “Hey Pinkie Pie, what’s the cake for?” Spike asked. Pinkie Pie smiled widely. “It’s for Scootaloos ’I’m so glad you’re staying in Ponyville and not loving to Shire Lanka party!” Pinkie exclaimed happily. Spike cocked his eyebrow. He hadn’t heard of any party. “When is it?” He asked. Pinkie Pie beamed. “Today!” She exclaimed before happily trotting off with the cake on her back. Spikes scales flattened. This wasn’t the first time he wasn’t invited to any party. Twilight left for Canterlot on her birthday without telling him, leaving him alone to clean up the part decorations he put up. He wasn’t invited to Pinkie Pie’s birthday party either. He let out a sigh. He could really use a nap. Spike entered the study room to see Twilight wearing goggles and a lab coat. The room was a mess. Papers and books were scattered everywhere, potion bottles were on the floor, and there was some weird purple sticky substance on the walls. “Oh Spike, I’m so glad that you’re here, there’s a party in ten minutes and I can’t clean up all of this by myself.” Twilight explained. Before Spike could answer, Twilight shoved a broom into his hands. “Thanks Spike, you’re the best, oh and make sure you don’t touch the potion on the table.” Twilight said as she left the study room, throwing her coat and goggles onto the floor. She closed the door behind her, humming to herself happily. Spike heard the front door slam shut. He looked around at the messy room and let out a deep sigh. This was just everydays work. Spike wiped the sweat from his brow and looked at the sparkling clean room. Twilight probably wasn’t going to notice how well he cleaned it. He looked out the window to see that the sun was setting. He flew out of the room and made his way to his room. He entered his room and reached under his mattress, pulling out a green book and a pen. It was his diary. He wrote down all the times his friends mistreated him as a way to vent. He opened the book and started to write. ”Dear Diary, today Rarity kicked me out of the boutique because I accidentally burned her fabric. I woke up early so I could clean for her. I didn’t want her to be stressed out with her big order coming up. After I left, Rainbow Dash poured a bucket of cold water on me again. I don’t think she realizes that being too cold can kill me. Scootaloo had a party today and I wasn’t invited. I’m pretty sure the whole town went because Pinkie’s throwing the party. As soon as I got home, Twilight made me clean up her mess so she could go out.” Spike stared at the book that sat on his lap. “How long has this been going on?” Spike asked himself. He flipped to the first page of the book. The handwriting was very sloppy and childlike. ”Deer dairy, today Twilite yelled at me becauz I called her mommy. She said that I’m a orphan and she’s not my mommy.” Spike read outloud. He stared in disbelief, his hands shaking. He wrote that when he was five. He’s thirteen now. He stood up and threw the book against the wall. ”EIGHT YEARS!” Spike exclaimed. He rarely ever got upset at things, but this was his breaking point. Without thinking, Spike grabbed a backpack and started shoving things into it. Soon, he came to his senses and stopped what he was doing. “What am I doing? I can’t just run away!” Spike exclaimed to himself. He looked back at his diary and looked through pages from over the years. ”Almost drowned in a cold lake, got hit by doors, never got invited...” The more he read, the worse he felt. He looked back at the backpack that he had placed on the floor. “If I left, would anything really change?” Spike asked himself. He thought for a few moments. They leave him alone almost everyday to do stuff fun, they probably wouldn’t even notice if he were gone. Spike took the stuff out of his bag and replaced the things with comics. He pulled a few gems out from a container on his table and placed them in his bag. A sudden realization hit Spike. “Where would I go?” He asked himself. He started to pace around the room to think. “I’m too popular in the Crystal Empire, if I go to Canterlot the princesses would tell Twilight where I am, Ember would send me back, Thorax is a terrible liar so it would be obvious. Pinkie Pie visits Yakyakistan every month, Griffonstone is barely livable by itself, and everybody would recognize me in Mount Aris.” Spike pondered to himself. He pulled out a map the Twilight has given him for his birthday. He picked up the pen and started to cross out the locations he had just named. He looked at the map. “In order to manage to avoid all of those places I would have to go East.” Spike thought outloud. He grabbed the container of gems from off of his table and put the whole thing in his bag. It was better safe than sorry. “This can be just like the Shadow Spade books!” Spike exclaimed in excitement. He had started reading those books so he could bond with Rarity a little more, which failed. He grabbed the blanket from off of his bed and stuffed it in his bag. He flew out of the room with the bag tightly in his hands. He landed in the kitchen and walked over to the fridge. He pulled out five water bottles and placed them into the bag. It was a good thing that dragons didn’t need to drink often cause he had no idea how long this trip was going to be. He slung the bag over his shoulders and walked down the hallway. Spike stopped walking when he passed the study room. He looked inside to see the potion Twilight told him not to touch. The potion was a pretty mix of pinks and purples, it was practically glowing. He walked over to it and looked at the book the he didn’t put away. His eyes went straight to the red bold letters at the bottom. ”One sip can take away magic for one week.” Spike read outloud. If he took one big gulp, he wouldn’t have any magic for a few months. It was perfect. Princess Celestia would send letters to him when she finds out that he went missing, but without magic, she can’t. Everytime she sends him a letter, it always magically attached it’s own address, meaning she would be able to find him. After a few day Spike was sure that everyone would stop looking, but a few extra months just to be safe. Spike picked up the bottle and took one large gulp. It tasted fruity. He didn’t feel any different. “Did it work?” Spike asked himself. He picked up a scroll and covered it in flames. It quickly turned to ashes and dropped so the ground. He grinned happily. Spike flew out a nearby open windows with a large smile on his face. He was going to be a feee dragon. Spike held the map in his hands, looking at in confusion. He had passed Filly Delphia about two hours ago. He was high in the sky and looked around. He was completely lost. He looked down to see that he was over a forest. “Maybe I can find a cave and call it a night.” Spike said to himself. A large gust of wind made him wobble a little. He looked around to see dark storm clouds surrounding him. He shivered at the sudden wind. He must have left Equestria a while ago because this weather was definitely not controlled. Spike flew towards a cloud, trying to get through. It lit up brightly with lightning as thunder crackled. Spike let out a yelp of fear and stumbled back a bit. He moved out of the way, only to be face to face with another dark cloud. He was completely surrounded. There was no way he could get out without getting electrocuted. Spike let in a deep breath and sped towards a cloud. If he could get through one than he could find safety on the ground. He closed his eyes and went straight into the cloud. Lightning struck him, making him let out a bloodcurdling scream. Spikes eyes rolled back as he plummeted towards the ground. He landed on the soft grass, rain starting to drizzle on him. If he were awake, he would have noticed that he landed in a small town.
SearchingTwilight walked around the castle, looking for Spike. She had found some slime that he didn’t clean up after she specifically told him to clean the study room. “Spike are you in here?” Twilight asked as she opened his bedroom door. His room was messier than usual. Stuff was scattered across the floor and the blanket was gone from his bed. “This place is a mess.” She muttered under her breath. He obviously wasn’t in his room. Twilight turned around to leave, but stopped when she kicked something. She looked down to see a green journal laying on the floor. She picked it up and inspected it closely. It didn’t have a cover picture or a title. “I’ve never seen this book before.” Twilight thought outloud. She flipped open the book to the first page. Her eyes widened at what she saw. “I yelled at him for him calling me mom? I’m sure I would remember that.” Twilight said with a nervous chuckle. She read through another page, and another. Her ears flattened with each page she read. A knot tied up in her stomach. “I’m a terrible friend.” She muttered. Rarity sat on a picinic blanket, sipping on her tea. Applejack took some bite from her fritters as Fluttershy hummed to some nearby bird. Rainbow Dash flew around in circles, Pinkie Pie hopping behind, trying to copy the moves from the ground. Rarity looked up from her cup. “Oh look it’s Twilight.” Rarity commented. They all looked up to see Twilight flying over to them quickly, holding a green book in her hooves. Twilight landed next to the picnic blanket, clearly out of breath. The birds that were near Fluttershy flew away at the sudden movement. Pinkie Pie zipped over to her and looked at the book. “Oooo, is that a new spell book?” She asked while inspecting the book. Twilight shook her head. “It’s Spikes diary.” Twilight stated. Everyone gave her an uneasy looks while Rainbow Dash grinned. “Are ya sure that we should be reading that? It seems mighty private.” Applejack asked. Rainbow Dash flew over and covered her mouth. “Read it, I wanna hear his most embarrassing secrets!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed with a grin. Twilight shook her head. “This is serious, we haven’t been treating Spike well.” Twilight explained. Rarity tilted her head in confusion. “What do you mean, we’ve been treating him just fine darling.” Rarity said as she took another sip of her tea. Twilight opened the book and began to read one of the passages. “Dear Diary, today Rarity made me carry all of her luggage when we went to Manehatten. I don’t really mind, I’ll do anything for her.” Twilight read outloud. Rarity let out a nervous chuckle. “I might have made him work too hard.” Rarity admitted. Twilight went to another page. “Today Pinkie Pie interrogated me and forced me to say that none of her friends liked her. It really scared me.” She continued reading. Pinkie Pie’s ears flattened. “I didn’t mean to scare him, now I feel bad.” She said while gazing at the ground. “Fluttershy keep treating me like I’m an animal and not a thinking creature.” Twilight read out. Fluttershy let out a soft gasp. “I had no idea.” She said in shock, hiding her face into her mane. “Rainbow Dash put dragon sneeze flowers in my food as a prank, and I almost choked to death.” Twilight read as Rainbow Dash looked guiltily. “I did go a little overboard on that one.” Rainbow Dash admitted. “My friends left me on a piece of melting ice and I fell into freezing water. They all laughed when woke up. Sometimes I think they forget that I’m cold blooded and coldness can kill me.” Twilight finished reading. Everyone muttered to each other. “I had no idea we treated him so badly.” Rarity stated. Everyone nodded there heads in agreement. “I feel terrible.” Fluttershy said. Pinkie Pie looked at the ground sadly before breaking out into a wide grin. “We can throw him an ’I’m sorry party’!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. Everyone agrees happily. “We can give presents and show how much we appreciate him.” Twilight stated. Rarity stood up from the blanket. “I can make him a special bow tie.” Rarity said as she flipped her mane. “I can make some gem treats for him.” Applejack stated. “Hopefully my bird friends don’t mind singing him a song.” Fluttershy muttered. “I can give him front seat tickets to a Wonderbolts show!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed while doing some cool tricks. Twilight smiled. “I’ll find him and tell him the good news.” Twilight said as she teleported away. She appeared in town hall and looked around. She turned to a passing mare. “Have you seen Spike?” Twilight asked. The mare shook her head and kept walking. Spike couldn’t have been that far, it was a small town. Twilight had been searching for hours and still hadn’t found Spike. She had even checked the forest and he wasn’t there. She stood in her castle with her friends sitting in front of her. “So none of you have seen Spike since yesterday?” Twilight asked her friends. They all shook there heads. “You don’t think he left do you?” Fluttershy asked. Twilights ears flattened. “From how we’ve been treating him I wouldn’t be surprised.” Twilight said sadly. “Pinkie Pie, you go check Yakyakestan, Fluttershy, check the Hive, Applejack, check Mount Ares, Rainbow Dash, check Griffonstone, and Rarity, go to the Dragonlands. I’ll go check all the places in Equestria.” Twilight stated. They all nodded there heads and left the castle. Twilight teleported out of the castle and appeared in Appleloosa. She looked around to see many ponies wearing cowboy hats. She levitated a picture of Spike and flew over to a stallion. “Have you seen this dragon?” Twilight asked. The stallion inspected the picture before shaking his head. “I need to find him.” Twilight flew around Canterlot, tear stains on her cheeks. She had looked everywhere else in Equestria and she couldn’t find him. Ponies were giving her odd looks because of her frantic nature. She had searched all of Equestria and couldn’t find him. Her friends had gotten back and couldn’t find him either. Ember, Prince Rutherford, Thorax, Queen Novo, had sent some creatures to look for him. A few griffons volunteered to help too. Her last resort was Princess Celestia. Twilight burst into the throne room, causing a few guards to jump in surprise. “Hello Twilight, what brings you here?” Celestia asked. Twilight whimpers before breaking down into tears. Celestia gave her a look of concern and waved her hoof, signaling for the guards to leave the room. Once they left, Celestia walked over to Twilight and wrapped her wing around her body. “What is wrong?” Celestia asked. Twilight sniffled and held up the picture of Spike. “Spike ran away because we haven’t been treating him well and it’s all my fault!” Twilight exclaimed. Celestia rubbed her back comfortingly. She levitated a quill and scroll, writing something down. “I can send him this letter and we’ll find him.” Celestia stated as she let the magic evaporate into the air. The letter burst into flames, quickly turned to ashes. Celestia and Twilight gave looks of surprise. “That’s not right, it should have sent.” Celestia said in confusion. Twilight let out a gasp and left from under Celestias wing. “He must have taken the anti magic potion! I made it for when we caught Chrysalis.” Twilight explained. She looked down at the floor, starting to tear up again. “I’ll send out some guards right now.” Celestia said. Twilight nodded her head. “I know that we’ll find him.”
WelcomeSpike awoke groggily to a faint beeping noise. He opened his eyes slowly to see that he was laying on a bed. That was odd, he didn’t remember going inside. Memories from the day before came flooding back, making him sit up and look around the room. He was in a hospital room. He looked out of the window to see a few buildings. It looked like a small village. Ponies walked around, enjoying there lives. The room door opened, causing Spike to turn around. “Ah, I see that you’re awake.” A red unicorn mare said, which he assumed was the doctor. She had a name tag that said ‘Dr. Crown’. She pulled out a clipboard and a pen. “Last night you got struck by lightning and fell about twenty feet to the ground. A nice stallion found you and brought you here.” Dr. Crown explained. “Are you feeling any type of pain?” She asked. Spike shook his head. “Not really, my wings are just a little sore but I think that’s from flying all night.” Spike stated. Crown nodded her head and wrote that down. “You seem perfectly fine, let’s just run a few test first.” She stated. Spike nodded his head and got off of the bed. This was going to be easy. Spike looked in the mirror, waiting for the results of his test. He had multiple pinkish tan scars across his chest, arms, back, hands and neck. It made him feel bad to look at for some reason. It stung a little. Dr. Crown walked into the room with a smile on her face. “There’s nothing wrong with you so you’re free to go. But I do recommend getting some ointment for those scars so it doesn’t become too irritating.” She commented. She handed him his medical bill, which was surprisingly cheap. Only twenty bits. Spike nodded his head and reached into his bag, and pulled out a ruby and a sapphire from his bag. He handed them to the doctor and placed the back on his back. “Goodbye, have a nice day.” Doctor crown said as Spike left the room. He walked down the nice clean hallway. Everything was shiny, it didn’t even look like a hospital. It wasn’t that big for a hospital, maybe the size of a business building. He had only seen a few ponies there that weren’t workers. Spike finally made it to the front of the building, standing in front of two glass doors. He opened them and walked outside. He looked at the sign for the hospital which read out ’Silver Hollow Hospital Unit.’ ”Silver Hollow.” Spike repeated to himself in his head. He had never seen that town on any maps before. He looked around. Ponies happily walked and talked to each other. There were plenty of houses on both sides of the street. Some of the houses even had stores attached to them. A certain store caught his eye. There was a store called ’Jolly’s Bakery’ and in the window there was a help wanted sign. “I know how to bake.” Spike said to himself. It would be best if he got a job. If he lived by himself, he needed a job. Spike walked into the shop and up to the counter to see a brown stallion. He had cheerful green eyes and blue mane that had a curl to it. His cutie mark was a key lime pie and his tail with blue and curly. “Welcome to Jolly’s Bakery, how may I help you?” He asked happily. Spike pointed to the sign in the window. “I would like to work here.” Spike stated. The stallion beamed and gestured for Spike to follow him. “Come with me so I can interview you.” He said. Spike followed him behind the counter, into a back room. It was a well furnished kitchen. He placed his backpack next to the counter. The stallion picked up a clipboard and a pen. “First question, how old are you.” He asked. “I’m thirteen.” Spike answered. The stallion nodded his head and wrote that down. “What’s your name?” He asked. “Spike the dragon.” He answered. The stallion wrote that down. “Are you still in school?” He asked. After a pony got there cutie mark, it wasn’t uncommon for the child to leave there home and school to discover themself and get jobs. “I never went to school.” Spike replied. He wrote that down. “What are your qualifications?” The stallion asked. Spike thought for a moment. “I can cook, clean, and work at the register.” Spike stated. The stallion put his clipboard down. “Can you bake something for me right now?” He asked. Spike nodded his head. He walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a bag of flour and a cake pan. He walked over to the oven and preheated it. This was going to be a piece of cake. Literally. Spike pushed over the cake pan to the stallion. It was a very well decorated cake. It had little flowers made out of icing. The stallions picked up a fork and took a bite of the cake. His eyes widened. “This is delicious.” The stallion said happily. He stood up and shook Spikes hand. “You’re hired!” He said happily while taking another bite of the cake. “I didn’t get to properly introduce myself, my name is Jolly and I own this bakery.” Jolly said happily. “My daughter can only work after school so it’s great to have the extra help around here. She’s about your age so you two should get along great.” Jolly stated, his curly blue tail wagging a bit. The door opened, revealing a pale pink chubby filly about Spikes age. Her red hair with black streaks was pulled up into a bun and her bang messily was covering her left eye, almost touching the ground. Her eyes were a very dark blue and her tail was pulled up into a tight bun. Her cutie mark was a cherry cupcake with frosting on it. She was a few inches shorter than Spike. “Hi Dad.” She said with a small wave. Jolly smiled widely. “Cherry, we have a new person to work here. His name is Spike” Jolly said while gesturing to him. Spike waved to Cherry. “There’s a line forming outside.” Cherry said in a deadpanned voice. Jolly’s eyes widened. “You two start baking and get to know each other.” Jolly said as he ran out the room. The door closed with a slam. “It’s nice to meet you Cherry.” Spike said with a friendly grin. Cherry pressed her nose up against Spike and let out a snarl. “Listen up, you will not call me Cherry you’ll call me Cherry Truffle, understood?!” She asked, now flying a few inches off of the ground. No one had yelled at Spike like that. He let out a small whimper, making Cherry’s eyes widened. “Wait no don’t cry I just wanted to seem tougher.” Cherry said while standing back on the floor. She rubbed the back of her neck and stuck her hoof out. “I’m Cherry Truffle, but you can call me boss.” She stated. Spike smiled and shook her hoof. “Let’s get to work boss.” Spike said with a smile. They both went over to the counter and got to work. Spike swept the waiting area as Cherry Truffle wiped down the counters. Jolly walked in from cleaning up the kitchen. “Spike, you did great today. You can go home now.” Jolly stated. Spike gave a nervous look. “I don’t have anywhere to go.” Spike muttered. Jolly gave him a sympathetic look. “I have a spare room that you can stay in, come with me.” Jolly said as he led Spike through a different door. On the other side of the door there was a living room. It was well furnished and very nice. Jolly led Spike up a flight of stairs and opened a door right next to the stairwell. In the room there was a twin size bed pressed against the wall with a light blue blanket on it. There was a small black night stand with a lamp on it. Other than that is was pretty much empty. “You can stay here as long as you need.” Jolly said before walking back down the stairs. Spike closed the door put his bag on the bed. He reached in his bag and pulled out a Power Ponies comic and a flashlight. It was surprising that neither of them had gotten destroyed when he got struck by lightning. He turned on the flashlight and snuggled up into his blanket. There was a knock on the door making him look up. “Come in.” Spike said. The door opened to reveal Cherry Truffle. “It was nice to spend time with you today. I’m looking forward for tomorrow.” She said. Before Spike could say anything, she slammed the door shut. Spike smiled. He was going to like it here.
Shopping”Pssst, wake up.” A voice whispered. Spike let out a groan and pulled the blanket over his head. He felt someone punch his arm, making him jolt awake. He opened his eyes to see Cherry Truffle standing over him. “Why did you punch me?” Spike asked, rubbing his now sore arm. Cherry shrugged her shoulders and sat on Spikes bed. “Dad gave us the day off so I can show you around town. Since you’re new you deserve to see all of the coolest spots, so get ready.” Cherry commanded. Spike got out of bed and reached into his backpack to pull out his toothbrush. He walked out of the room and aimlessly walked down the hallway, looking for the bathroom. He spotted a window to see that the sun was high in the sky. It was almost noon. Spike spotted the bathroom at the end of the hallway. He entered and locked the door behind him. He looked in the mirror and his scales flattened. “I forgot about these scars.” Spike muttered to himself. It made his stomach churn to look at them. He noticed a few were on his neck and under his chin too. He shook his head and turned on the shower. He stepped into the very hot water. It was hot enough to make any pony hop out but he wasn’t a pony. It felt like he was bathing in lava again, but it was much cooler. He opened his wings, letting the water drip behind them. It felt very nice. He turned off the shower and shook himself dry since he didn’t have a towel. He walked over to the sink and grabbed his toothbrush. “Hurry up, I have a bunch of cool things to show you!” Cherry Truffle shouted from somewhere in the house. Spike put some toothpaste on the toothbrush and started to brush his teeth, making sure to get every fang. He spit into the sink and rinsed out his mouth before leaving the bathroom. Spike walked down the hallway, letting out a yawn. He flew down the stairs to wake himself up a bit. Cherry Truffle stood in front of the front door, holding a small pouch. “Took you long enough. Also dad said I should give you this.” She said while handing him the pouch. Spike opened it to see about twenty bits. “It’s your pay from yesterday. He gave it to you early so you could get stuff for your room.” She explained. Spike smiled as Cherry opened the front door. “Let’s go buttface, I have a lot of things to show you.” She stated while picking Spike up off of the ground with ease. She placed him outside. “How are you so strong?” Spike asked. Cherry Truffle shrugged her shoulders. “I’ve been picking up heavy bags of flour since I was four, it gave me some muscle. Now let’s go!” She said, grabbing Spikes hand. This was going to be an eventful day. Cherry Truffle and Spike stood in front of a store. It was a deli and they could see ponies walking around, fixing the place up before they opened. “I come here almost every morning to get breakfast before going to school.” Cherry said. The front door opened revealing a dark blue unicorn stallion who had a smile on his face. His mane was a pretty shade of lavender. “Hi Cherry, who’s your friend?” The stallion asked. “I’m Spike, I work with Cherry Truffle.” Spike stated. The stallion smiled and walked behind the counter. Cherry and Spike followed him and stood in front of it. “We’ll both have a cheese and egg sandwich.” Cherry stated. The stallion nodded his head and went to the back. “We can go to a few stores while we’re eating so we can get you some stuff.” Cherry Truffle said. A unicorn filly who looked about Cherry and Spikes age came from behind the counter with a smile on her face. She was light grey with short black hair with light blue streaks and dark blue eyes. She was the same height as Spike. Her cutiemark was a purple bottle with smoke coming out of it. “Hi Cherry.” She said with a sweet smile. Cherry Truffles face turned bright red and her wings popped open. “H-hey Aura.” Cherry stuttered out. She was avoiding eye contact. Spike glanced at Cherry Truffle in confusion. Did she not like Aura? “The school dance is coming up soon and I don’t have anyone to go with.” Aura said, batting her eyes a bit. Cherry cleared her throat. “That’s really a shame, you’re beautiful.” Cherry said, her face turning a deeper shade of red. It hit Spike on what was going on. ”They have a crush on each other.” Spike thought to himself. The stallion, who he assumed to be Aura’s dad, handed Cherry a paper bag. She pulled out four bits and threw them at him before grabbing Spikes hand and running out of the front door. Cherry dragged Spike half a block before stopping to catch her breath. “That was dramatic.” Spike stated. Cherry Truffle glared at him. “Well she’s a very pretty girl who was talking to me!” She exclaimed. Spike chuckled. “You do realize that she has a crush on you right?” Spike asked. Cherrys eyes widened and she shook her head. “There’s no way a goddess like her has a crush on me.” She said with a laugh. “She was flirting and wanted to go to the dance with you.” Spike stated. Cherry thought for a few moments before putting her face in her hooves and letting out a groan. “I am such an idiot.” She groaned out. Spike chuckled and took his sandwich out of the paper bag. “I could help you.” Spike suggested. Cherry peaked her eyes out from behind her hooves. “Really?” She asked. Spike nodded his head. “Totally, I’ve dated....” Spike trailed off when he realized that he hadn’t dated anyone ever. Cherry smiled and hugged him. “Thank you so much. Now let’s get you new things!” Cherry exclaimed before pulling him in a random direction. Spike and Cherry Truffle entered a department store which had clothing, posters, and other various items. “We can get all of your stuff here. This place has everything.” Cherry explained. She grabbed a shopping cart and started to walk around the store, Spike following closely. He picked up a purple towel off of a shelf and placed it into the cart. “What do you want for your bedroom?” Cherry asked. Spike thought for a moment. “I would like some Power Pony posters.” Spike stated. Cherry smiled gestured for him to follow her. This was going to be a breeze. Spike and Cherry Truffle made there way to the front of the store, getting ready to pay for the very few items Spike had gotten. It was mainly posters and Power Pony figurines. Spike could feel ponies staring at him. They were staring at his scars and he knew it. He glanced at a mirror that he was passing and stopped walking. “I hate these....” Spike muttered to himself. His scales fell flat against his head. Cherry gave him a sympathic look before looking around to find something to cheer him up. She picked up a dark red sweater and handed it to him. “You can wear this to hide your scars, no one will even know.” Cherry said happily. Spike smiled a bit and hugged her. He walked up to the counter and started to place the items on. The cashier behind the counter started to ring the items up and place them in plastic bags. “That’ll be ten bits.” The cashier said. Spike reached into the pouch and handed her ten bits. He and Cherry picked up the bags and walked outside. “That sun is going to set soon. I need to show you the best spot to see it, let’s go!” Cherry exclaimed while flying off. Spike flew behind her, excited to see what was next. Spike sat on the roof of the bakery, staring at the sunset in awe. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He wore his sweater, which felt very soft. It was a little big on him. The sleeves covered his hands so you could only see his finger tips and the collar covered his mouth. “It’s breathtaking isn’t it?” Cherry asked. Spike nodded his head. “Thanks for being here for me, I don’t have a lot of friends so it’s nice to hang out with someone.” She said. Spike smiled. “I don’t have any friends my age either so I know what you mean.” Spike said. He glanced down at her left hind leg. It was a slightly darker shade of pink from the rest of her body. “I see you staring at my leg.” Cherry Truffle said with a smirk. Spikes cheeks turned pink. “Sorry.” He apologized. Cherry shrugged her shoulders. “It’s fine, it isn’t even real.” She stated. She gave her left leg a tug and it came right off. Under it there was just a nub. “See? There’s nothing to worry-“ Cherry got cut off as her leg slipped out of her grasp and fell off the roof. There was a sound of a mare yelling and a loud thud. Cherry and Spike looked at each other before giggling. This was going to be a great friendship.
Losing HopeAuthor's Note Sorry for such a short chapter Losing Hope Twilight flew around the map room with papers covering the floor, books stacked up on each other, and a chalkboard that was covered in notes. There were large red X’s on random parts of the map along with dozens of empty coffee mugs. She levitated Spike’s diary and flipped through the pages for the hundredth time that day. The door creaked open and multiple hoofsteps hit the crystal floor. “Twilight?” A soft voice asked. Twilight whipped her head around to see her friends standing there. Her eyes were bloodshot and she had dried tears on her cheeks. Her hair was a mess and she had heavy bags under her eyes. She looked noticeably skinnier too. “Oh hi girls.” Twilight said, flipping through another book. She shook her head and dropped the book on to the floor. ”No no he can’t be there.” She whispered to herself. Her friends exchanged worried glances at each other. “Twilight darling, when was the last time that you slept?” Rarity asked, levitating a dirty mug. “I haven’t slept since Spike ran away.” Twilight stated while writing something down on the chalkboard. All of her friends eyes widened. “Twilight, Spike’s been gone for three weeks.” Rainbow Dash said in disbelief. Twilight let out a soft hum in understanding, looking back on the map. “What are you doing?” Pinkie Pie asked. Twilight picked up a piece of paper from off of the floor. “I took all of the books and papers from Spike’s room to see if I can find any clues on where he went. So far I’ve found nothing.” Twilight stated as she picked a piece of paper off of the ground. Applejack walked over to her and put her hoof on Twilights chest. “Take a deep breath breath in and let it out slowly.” Applejack commanded. Twilight slowly inhaled before letting out a long breath. “Feeling better?” Applejack asked. Twilight nodded her head. Twilight let out a sigh. “I haven’t taken a break in a while, thanks girls.” Twilight thanked while rubbing her temple. She looked around. “This place is a mess.” Twilight realized. She tried levitate a book, only for her magic to flicker and fail. “You’re so tired that your magic isn’t working properly. Get some rest dear.” Rarity stated. Twilight shook her head. “I made this mess so I’ll clean it up.” Twilight protested. Fluttershy flew over to Twilight and pulled her into a hug. “We’ll clean this all up. Just relax and take a nap.” Fluttershy said, petting her mane like she would do to calm down her animals. Twilight let out a sigh, knowing that she couldn’t win this argument. She let out a yawn and rubbed her eyes. “Fine, fine. Goodnight girls.” Twilight said as she walked towards the door. Her friends said there goodnights and the large door closed. They all listened to Twilights hoofsteps get quieter and quieter until it was completely silent. Rainbow Dash picked up a few brooms and handed them out. “Have any of you heard any new about Spike?” Rainbow Dash asked. Everyone shook there heads. “What if Spikey Wikey never comes back?” Rarity asked, levitating all of the coffee mugs that off of the map. Applejack shrugged her shoulders. “Is that really such a bad thing?” Applejack asked while picking up a book. Her friends stared at her as if she had three heads. “He’s our friend, why wouldn’t you want him to come back?” Pinkie Pie asked. “I’m just saying that Spike really wanted to leave. We didn’t treat him well and he left on his own terms. I miss him but it was his choice to leave. If he wanted to come back then he would’ve.” Applejack explained as she swept the floor. All of her friends looked at each other. She was right. If he wanted to come back, he would have a while ago. He’s been gone for almost a month and showed no sign of returning. “You’re right darling, I just hope the he’s alright.” Rarity said with a sigh. Twilight walked through the Everfree Forest, looking around. It was dark and cold, making a chill run up her spine. It was eerily quiet. Usually she could hear birds chirping or frogs croaking but it was just silent. The ground was moist, squishing with each step. “Hello?!” Twilight shouted, hoping to find someone. A branch snapped, making her turn around. Spike stood a few feet away, making Twilight smile. “Thank Celestia I found you.” Twilight said, letting out a breath of relief. Spike stared at her with cold, unforgiving eyes. ”I hate you.” Spike muttered. Twilights ears flattened against her head and she blinked in surprise. “You don’t mean that.” Twilight said, taking a step forward. Spike snarled and took a step back. “Don’t get near me!” Spike shouted, his voice booming. Twilight stumbled back. “You had one job and it was to raise a dragon. You failed at it and look what you did. You lost me forever. You failed!” Spike exclaimed. Twilights eyes filled with tears and she shook her head. “I didn’t mean to disappoint you. I’ll be better I promise, just please come back home.” Twilight begged. Spike shook his head. “You already had your chance and you messed it up.” Spike said, anger flashing in his eyes. “You’re a failure Twilight Sparkle.” He said before walking into the dark forest. Twilight tried to run after him, but the ground was suddenly sticky. Her hooves were stuck. She tried to scream his name but her lips had been sown shut. ”Failure, FAILURE, FAILURE!” Chanted around her. It got louder and louder before Twilight broke down into a fit of sobs. Twilight sat straight up, breathing heavily. Tears dripped down her cheeks. She looked around to see that she was in her room. “Just a dream...” Twilight muttered to herself as she wiped the tears from her face. She looked at the clock on her night stand. She had only been asleep for a three hours. Her stomach growled loudly. “When was the last time I ate?” She asked herself. She got out of bed and let her hooves hit the cold floor. She walked out of her room, letting out a yawn. She sniffed the air to smell something good. It made her stomach growl louder than before. She walked a little faster, following the delicious scent. She ended up in the kitchen to see her friends setting up a meal. Pinkie Pie ran up to her and pulled her into a tight hug. “We made you dinner. Fluttershy made soup, Rarity made deviled eggs, Applejack made fritters, I made cupcakes and Rainbow Dash sat in the corner so she couldn’t light anything on fire!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. She placed Twilight in a chair and gave her a bowl of soup. It was tomato soup with basil leaves in it. Twilight picked up a spoon and started to eat the soup. “This is delicious!” Twilight exclaimed happily. She continued to eat the soup a little too quickly. “Twilight we’ve been discussing and we think that we shouldn’t look for Spike anymore.” Fluttershy stated. Twilights eyes widened and she inhaled her soup, choking on it a bit. Once she regained her composure she gave them a distressed look. “Why, he’s still out there somewhere!” Twilight exclaimed, standing up from her seat. “Creatures have been looking for him since the day he went missing and still can’t find him.” Rainbow Dash said. Rarity butted in. “He purposely drank a potion so we couldn’t track him down with his magic, if he truly wanted to come back, he would have been here already.” Rarity explained. Twilight looked down at the table, sputtering a bit. “B-but the last time he ran away he almost got himself killed!” Twilight exclaimed, tearing up. “That was years ago, he’s a lot stronger and smarter now. He knows how to keep himself out of trouble.” Applejack said. Twilight thought for a moment. They were all right. Spike left on his own and didn’t show any signs on leaving. He didn’t want to come back and bringing him back would make him hate her more. Twilight let out a sigh and sat back down on to the chair. “I guess you girls are right...” Twilight said dejectedly. She levitated a deviled egg and sadly bit into it. Her friends surrounded her and pulled her into a group hug. “I just hope Spike is safe, wherever he is.”
Reflecting On The PastSpike and Cherry Truffle walked up a hill. Spike wore a light pink sweater, holding a picnic basket filled with various foods and drinks. Cherry Truffle balanced a blue rubber ball on her back, shifting it back and forth between wings. They finally reached the top of the hill and Spike placed the basket down onto the ground. “You were right, the view is great here!” Spike said with a smile. Cherry nodded her head and pulled out a picnic blanket from the basket. There was a large field in front of them filled with beautiful flowers of all colors. Behind them was the town, filled with ponies. The flowers really brought out the beauty of the town. Everyone there was so nice. Cherry Truffle had finished setting up the picnic and sat down on the blanket. Spike sat down next to her a pulled out his toasted ruby and hay sandwich from the basket. Spike and Cherry Truffle has gotten very close over the past month. They really only hung out with each other and did practically everything together. “It’s a really nice day today.” Spike commented. Cherry nodded her head, taking a bite of her tomato, mayo, and grass sandwich. “I have a friend who knows how to make weather potions, I should introduce you to him sometime. He’s a huge nerd like you.” Cherry Truffle stated, punching his arm softly. Spike chuckled and took another bite of his sandwich. I don’t have any friends my age, it’ll be nice to meet new people.” Spike commented. Cherry Truffle let out a gasp. “You don’t have any friends your age?!” She asked in disbelief. Spike shrugged his shoulders. “I mean I know a three girls my age but we never talk. They usually just come to me for advice. I have one friend but I never get to see her, we’re pen pals.” Spike stated. Cherry Truffles ears flattened at the sound of that. “That sucks, I only have two friends but I get to see them when I go to school.” She said. “I’ve never went to school. I just helped out at home.” Spike said as he took another bite of his sandwich. “Your parents didn’t let you go to school? That’s terrible.” Cherry said. Spike shrugged his shoulders. “I’m an orphan I never knew my parents.” Spike stated. Cherry’s eyes widened. “How are you even alive!” She said a little too dramatically. Spike chuckled. “I was raised by ponies. I was an egg for an entry exam at the Canterlot School of Magic. The filly that hatched me took me in and I lived with her since.” Spike said as if this was a normal thing. Cherry gave him a surprised look. “What was it like living with a different type of creature?” Cherry Truffle asked, now intrigued in Spikes life story. “It wasn’t too bad I guess, I was mainly an assistant. I stayed at home and helped Twilight organize stuff.” Spike explained. Cherry Truffle’s eyes widened. “Twilight as in Princess Twilight Sparkle?” She asked in disbelief. Spike nodded his head, making Cherry Truffle gasp. “She’s the prettiest princess ever!” She gushed, a light blush appearing on her face. Spike chuckled a bit. Cherry Truffle cleared her throat. “I mean, she’s good looking I guess. I’m not really into nerdy girls.” She lied. Spike chuckled. “She raised me well but sometimes she could just be overbearing. She treats me more like a pet than an actual person. I love her I really do, I just don’t feel significant around her.” Spike explained. Cherry Truffle gave him a sympathetic look. “I know that feeling, my mom was a terrible pony. She constantly cheated and abused my dad and I hated her for it. She acted like I didn’t exist. She hated me and I hated her.” Cherry Truffle confessed. Spikes eyes widened. “Your mom was terrible, where is she now?” Spike asked. Cherry shrugged her shoulders. “One day she got too violent with my dad and went to jail. She got killed within a week of being there. Good riddance.” Cherry said, picking up a rock and throwing it into the field of flowers. Spike looked at her with a look of surprise on his face. “Your mom sounds like a bad pony, I’m glad she can’t hurt anyone anymore.” Spike said with relief in his voice. Cherry Truffle rolled the blue rubber ball between her wings and flicked it up into the air. She reached her hooves out to catch it but missed and hit Spike in the head. “Are you okay?” Cherry asked. Spike nodded his head. “Yeah that barely hurt. It’s not as bad as being used as a pin cushion.” Spike stated. Cherry Truffles eyes widened. “You were used as a what?” She asked in disbelief. Spike shrugged his shoulders. “It doesn’t really hurt, I have tough scales, can’t feel a thing.” Spike stated. “That still isn’t good, you shouldn’t be used as a pin cushion.” Cherry said in concern. Spike shrugged again. “I’ve been through a lot worse. Nearly drowned in a frozen lake, been used as Winterchilla bait, been forgotten countless times, keep getting hit by doors. You know, the normal stuff.” Spike stated casually. Cherry stood up and but her hooves on his cheeks, looking him in the eyes. “None of that normal, that’s abuse. You shouldn’t be taking this anymore.” Cherry Truffle said, stomping her hind leg. Spike gave her an uneasy look. “I sorta miss them to be honest. Especially Twilight, even though she wasn’t the best, she treated me nice sometimes. I sorta wanna go back to see her again.” Spike said with a small smile. Cherry Truffle removed her hooves from his cheeks and sighed. “I understand that you miss her but it that really the best option to go back?” Cherry asked. Spike thought to himself. All of the times Twilight and her friends mistreated him was terrible. He was more of a pet or an assistant. Just a mere servant for there enjoyment. Fluttershy still treated him like one of her animals for Celestia’s sake! “You’re right, I’m not gonna go back! I get treated much better here and I’m my own person. This is what I think about the abuse I’ve been getting!” Spike shouted as he threw the blue ball down into the field of flowers. Cherry Truffle stared at the ball that laid in the field. “You should probably go get that.” Cherry commented. “Yeah I should.”
