Time Stops For No Dragon

Chapters

Prologue:The Return Of Darkness
Chapter One:Confessions Of A Party Pony
Chapter Two:Reflections Of A Dream
Chapter Three:Encounter Of The Rainbow Kind
Chapter Four:Spike Goes To School
Chapter Five:The Importance Of Researching
Chapter Six:Royal Advice
Chapter Seven:Stealing Time
Chapter Eight:Lost Memories
Chapter Nine:The Reason
Chapter Ten:A Friendly Confrontation
Chapter Eleven:Before It All
Chapter Thirteen:Chaotic Meeting
Chapter Fourteen:Uncertainty
Chapter Fifteen:Revealing His Whereabouts
Chapter Sixteen:The Gift Of A Visit
Chapter Seventeen:Not Going Anywhere
Chapter Eighteen:How To Dig Yourself Into A Hole
Chapter Nineteen:Releasing The Swirl
Chapter Twenty:Pinkie's Fantabulously Amazing, Awesome Sauce Story
Chapter Twenty-One:The Best Way To Wake Up
Chapter Twenty-Two:Me, Myself, And I
Chapter Twenty-Three:The Basics Of Magical Jackets
Chapter Twenty-Four:What's Yours Is Mine
Chapter Twenty-Five:The Gauntlet Of Marelantis
Chapter Twenty-Six:Spike's Ultimate Destiny, Part One:The Game Begins
Chapter Twenty-Eight:Spike's Ultimate Destiny, Part Three:An Unfair Fight
Chapter Twenty-Nine:Spike's Ultimate Destiny, Part Four:The Final Showdown
Chapter Thirty:Epilogue:The Undestined Hero
Chapter Twelve:Dreaming Of The Night
Chapter Twenty-Seven:Spike's Ultimate Destiny, Part Two:Hiding In The Shadows

Prologue:The Return Of Darkness

Time Stops For No Dragon
Started on 4-28-14 (Book Three of the Undestined Hero Trilogy)
Prologue-The Return Of Darkness

In the year that followed Discord's defeat, there was peace.

Spike's relationship with Fluttershy was still going strong, and he had recently moved in with her. They were happy with taking it slow, enjoying the simpleness of being together. Rainbow Dash had joined the 'Wonderbolts', Rarity still made dresses, Pinkie Pie was still partying, Applejack still managed her apples, and Twilight was a professor at 'Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns'. Spike was happy for his friends, but he missed seeing them so often. Fluttershy had been acting weirdly lately, though. She wasn't as happy, as she used to be. She had been grumpy and not so sweet, the past few days. Her coltfriend thought that it might be that time of the month, but he didn't DARE tell her that.

Spike woke up in the spare bed in Fluttershy's room. Fluttershy was too shy and they weren't ready to sleep in the same bed yet, so he used the guest bed. It was an early winter morning and a chilly breeze blew in through the window, as a reminder. Spike winced a little, as his feet touched the cold floor, padding over to the window to shut it. After closing it, he turned to look at her bed, only to find that it was made, and no Fluttershy was in it. Spike put on his fuzzy white bunny slippers to protect him from the cold, if only just a little.

He made his way downstairs, hoping that his marefriend was in a better mood. Her back was to him, as he entered the living room, working on preparing breakfast.

She seemed to sense that he had come in behind her and told him without turning around, "Spike, dear, would you light the fireplace?"

Spike blinked in surprise. "Sure, no problem."

The dragon walked over to the fireplace that was already filled with logs and lit it with a fireball, filling the room with warmth. A blast of cold air suddenly sent a shiver down his spine, despite no windows being open. Spike turned around to see Fluttershy behind him, shooting him an icy glare. He gasped at her appearance, which had changed since yesterday. Her mane was disheveled, she had dark bags under her eyes, and her pupils were tinted a shade of red, instead of their usual teal.

"Thank you. Now, get out."

Spike tried to think of anything he had done to bring about this sudden hate, but couldn't find a reason for it. "But…I…"

"No buts. I told you to get out of my house, so leave and don't come back!" The pegasus then, back-hoofed Spike across the face, sending him to the floor.

He touched the red hoof-shaped print on his cheek in shock, looking up at her with hurt in his gaze. "Fl-Fluttershy…why?" Spike stuttered, horrified at her command. "Look. Whatever I did, I'm sorry. I'm SO sorry. If you're kicking me out, at least give me a reason why." Spike pleaded, figuring she owed him at least THAT much.

"Do I really need a reason? I don't like you anymore, so I'm ending the relationship. Consider yourself dumped, Chump." Fluttershy fixed him with the 'Stare', and it was somehow amplified by her current state.

Spike scrambled backwards, but was finding it harder to move. He got to his feet and looked down, immediately wishing he hadn't. A layer of stone was covering his left leg, ascending to the rest of his body. She was somehow turning him to stone with her gaze, like a 'Cockatrice'. He looked away from her and stomped his feet, successfully shaking off the layer of stone, while dashing out the door of the cottage without looking back. He slowed down, only when he reached the dirt road leading to Ponyville.

Spike wasn't sure what to make of the events that had just transpired, but he knew one thing. The Fluttershy he knew was long gone, and left behind, was a monster that still looked the same, while using her voice. Spike shivered in the air, as even dragons could only survive the cold for so long, before freezing to death. He sniffled a little, both from the weather and his sadness. Spike remembered a promise that Fluttershy had made to him, after Discord's attack.

"I can't promise that everything will be all right, but I would NEVER betray you or hurt you." Her words echoed in his mind, a bitter reminder that she had just broken the promise.

"I have to go see Twilight. I'm moving back in." He had just lost a place to stay and his marefriend in one day, but it was still morning.

Spike sighed, letting out a cloud of smoke.

"How do I get myself into these situations?"

Chapter One:Confessions Of A Party Pony

Time Stops For No Dragon
Chapter 1-Confessions Of A Party Pony

The dragon reached the door at the Library, but nopony was home. Spike sighed, just now remembering that Twilight was probably teaching her class in Canterlot. Spike stood there for a moment, trying to figure out what to do next.

"Hi, Spike!"

Spike jumped a little and turned around to face the pony that had spoken, slightly annoyed. Normally, Spike would pull pranks with Pinkie and Rainbow Dash, but he simply wasn't in the mood at the moment. "Hey, Pinkie." His voice was flat, devoid of any emotion, and he was forcing a slight smile.

The pink party pony was hopping in place, full of her usual energy. "Whatcha doin'? Oooh, are you having a sleepover outside the Library?"

"No, Pinkie, I…"

"Can I come? Please! I absolutely LOVE sleepovers!"

"Pinkie, there IS no sleepover. I'm just looking for Twilight. Something has come up, that I need to talk to her about." Spike sighed, losing his fake smile.

"You silly filly! Twilight is in Canterlot, but maybe, 'Auntie' Pinkie Pie can help you turn that frown upside down!" Pinkie gasped in excitement, at the opportunity of helping cheer up a friend.

"Pinkie, I really don't…" Spike halted his protest, realizing that it might do him some good to talk to somepony. After all, he couldn't just run to Twilight to solve every problem, for the rest of his life. "All right, I guess, I could use your help."

Pinkie was delighted at his response. "Yippee! I know just what will cheer you up, Mr. Frownypants!" She pushed Spike in the direction of Sugarcube Corner.

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"Here you go, Spike! One Sapphire cupcake, just the way you like it." Pinkie slid it across the counter to the still upset dragon.

He was sitting on a stool at the bar, staring down at the counter and the newly received treat. Pinkie Pie propped her forelegs on the bar in front of Spike, who was beginning to regret his decision to tell her his problems.

"All right, Spike. Now, you can…oops, hold on." The energetic pink pony zipped over to the bakery entrance and closed the door, flipping the sign to say 'Closed'. The Cakes were out of town for the week, so now the two were completely alone. "There, now you can tell me what's got you so sad! I 'Pinkie Promise', that I won't tell anypony." She made the appropriate gestures and smiled encouragingly.

The dragon across from her took a deep breath. "Fluttershy kicked me out, and ended our relationship."

Pinkie gasped, in surprise and delight. "Yay! Now, me and Spike can be together!" She blushed a little, at the blank look that Spike gave her. "Oops! I said that out loud, didn't I?"

"Yeah, but it's all right. I'm sorry, Pinkie, but I'm just not ready to be in another relationship, right now."

"It's okay, just, uh, forget I mentioned it." Her light pink fur was now as dark as her mane, embarrassed that she had revealed her secret.

"I've been thinking, and that wasn't Fluttershy, something was wrong with her. I have no idea what it could be, though."

Pinkie took this opportunity to get his mind off of her confession. "You could go see Princess Celestia! She's really old, so she probably knows all kinds of things!"

"You're a genius, Pinkie! I need to get to Canterlot, as soon as possible."

"Aw, it was nothing."

"Hey Pinkie, do you think you could find the others and inform them of the current situation?"

"Of course!" Spike and Pinkie Pie exited the bakery, about to set off.

The pink earth pony quickly dashed over to the dragon and kissed him on his cheek, before galloping away in the other direction. "Good luck!" She yelled, as she turned a corner out of sight, glad that he couldn't see her blush.

Spike rubbed the cheek she had kissed, red tinting his cheeks. He ran off in the direction of the train station, intending to catch the next train to Canterlot. His mind was full of questions and confusion, not helped in the least, by Pinkie's confession.

Right now, Spike had more problems than he knew how to deal with, and he was hard-pressed to solve them all.

Chapter Two:Reflections Of A Dream

Time Stops For No Dragon
Chapter 2-Reflections Of A Dream

Spike stared out the window, on the train to Canterlot. The beautiful scenery reminded him of the wonders of nature, and in turn, made him think about his ex-marefriend. The dragon was starting to slip into depression from his recent break-up. What upset him the most, however, was that he had been kicked out without much of a reason at all. Spike closed his eyes to block out the scenery, deciding to take a nap for the hour he had until he arrived in Canterlot.

The dream that followed, was the most realistic one that he had ever had.

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He stood in a cave of some sort, in front of a crystal mirror. Normally, a mirror would reflect one's features exactly, and copy their movements to a tee. This wasn't the case, however, as the dragon walked closer to the mirror.

"What the…" Spike muttered, upon seeing his image in the pane.

The glass showed a reflection that looked like him, but wasn't quite the same. He was slightly taller, wearing some type of black jacket, and he had a scar on his cheek, opposite from the side that had a cutie mark on it. The image stared back at him, and they blinked in unison. The reflection moved forward on its own, and Spike stepped back, as it exited the mirror to stand in front of him.

The taller, other Spike began to talk, in a slightly deeper voice than the regular one. "Spike, I come bearing news from the future. The future I come from is horrible, much like the one you were in with Discord. You have to stop him and find a cure for Fluttershy. If you don't, MY future will soon be yours."

"Wait a minute. You keep referring to 'Him'. Who exactly, is that?"

The other Spike scratched his chin in thought for a moment, deciding on an answer. "Well, I can't really tell you much, but I suppose it won't hurt to tell you his name. I was referring to, 'Starswirl the Bearded'."

"That can't be right. He died a long time ago, and it's even written in all of the history books!"

"I know what you're thinking. After all, I was you, once. I didn't believe it, either, but I was wrong. So very wrong. I don't want you to end up like me. I paid a terrible price, losing the mare I loved, and my friends. There's got to be a way to fix this, and I aim to help you find it." The other Spike explained.

"I-I'm not sure whether to trust you or not, but right now, you're my only chance. It looks like I have no choice."

Both Spikes shook hands, sealing the deal.

"I'll see you again, Spike. Remember that you're never alone, even when you think you are. That's a lesson, I wish I had learned sooner." The other Spike walked back into the mirror, leaving Spike in the cave.

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Spike was jolted awake by the shaking of the train, as it came to a stop. "Was any of that even real? It felt like it was, but I don't know how to tell." Spike sighed, feeling a headache coming on. "Why does my life have to be so complicated?"

The dragon got off the train and strolled around town. The other Spike's words were on repeat in his mind, particularly the part about what would happen if he couldn't fix things.

"So, apparently, Starswirl was never dead. That can't be good, since Twilight said he was one of the most powerful unicorns in history. According to me…er, the other me, I have to find a cure for Fluttershy. I guess, that means she has some kind of sickness. When I get to the castle, I need to do some research on Starswirl and a cure for mysterious illnesses. But, if I'm going to do that, I'll need help, and nopony knows the Royal Archives like Twilight."

"Hey, Spike!" A raspy voice called from above, very familiar to the dragon.

Chapter Three:Encounter Of The Rainbow Kind

Time Stops For No Dragon
Chapter 3-Encounter Of The Rainbow Kind

The pony that the voice belonged to landed in front of Spike. Her multi-colored mane whipped into her face with the wind created from her abrupt touchdown, causing the pegasus to blow her bangs out of her eyes. It was Rainbow Dash in her Wonderbolt uniform, her flying goggles placed on her head.

Spike managed a small smile, despite not really being happy. "Hey, Rainbow." His voice still lacked the emotion it used to have, and the pegasus instantly knew that something was wrong.

"So, Spike, how are things between you and Flutters'?" Rainbow asked, trying to start a conversation.

Spike didn't respond, shifting his gaze to the ground.

"What did you DO?! I swear, if you hurt her…" The pegasus grabbed the dragon, placing him onto her back, and taking off into the sky. "Tell me what you did, or I'll drop you to your death. I might do it anyway, if I don't like your answer."

They were flying high above Canterlot now, and Spike would be a pancake on the streets below, if he didn't do something.

"Fine, Rainbow. I'll tell you! Fluttershy broke up with me, and kicked me out of her house. It wasn't my fault. I swear that I would never hurt her, and if anything, she hurt ME!" Spike explained, frantically.

"You MIGHT be telling the truth, but she wouldn't break up with you for no reason. You must have done something to make her upset. I could tell she loved you, from the way she always talked about you."

Spike was trying hard to hold back, but it was a futile effort, as a few tears ran down his face. "Please, Rainbow, you have to believe me! It's already bad enough that this happened, and I don't need you making it worse!"

Rainbow sighed. "I'm sorry, Spike. I've been stressed out, with all of the shows we've been performing. I wanted some action, and I jumped at the chance to take out my frustration. I wasn't really going to kill you, just so you know." She landed, and allowed him to get off of her back. "Listen Spike, I'll see you around. I hope you can figure things out with Fluttershy. She needs someone to protect her, to make her happy, and if you're the pony…er, dragon that can do that, then, so be it. I'm on break, but I'd better get back."

Rainbow Dash began to fly away, but Spike called out to her, causing the pegasus to stop. "Hey, Rainbow! Would you happen to know where the school Twilight teaches at is?"

"Sure, Spike, it's over there." She pointed to a big building, next to a shop that Spike knew well from his time living in Canterlot.

It had a big donut sign outside of it, pink with sprinkles. It was 'Donut Joe's' bakery, and Spike was glad to see it, since he was getting hungry. The dragon only just now, realized that his bunny slippers were no longer on his feet.

"They must have fallen off, when I took an unexpected flight with Rainbow Dash. Oh, well."

Then, he reached the bakery, looking at the open sign in the window. "I guess, it wouldn't hurt to stop by to get a few donuts. It's not often that I get to take a trip to Canterlot, so I might as well visit, since I'm already here."

The dragon's mouth was already watering, at the thought of donuts with extra sprinkles.

Chapter Four:Spike Goes To School

Time Stops For No Dragon
Chapter 4-Spike Goes To School

While in the donut shop, Spike was able to forget about his problems, but as soon as he set foot outside the establishment, they came rushing back in full force. He headed towards the big building across the street, where Twilight should be.

The building had several floors, and was hard for anypony to miss, even if they didn't know what it was used for. When Spike entered the lobby, the receptionist looked up from the front desk, before returning to her magazine. Spike approached her and cleared his throat to get her attention, resulting in the mare putting down her magazine and looking up at him.

"Hello. Could you tell me which room Twilight Sparkle teaches in?"

"Only her students are allowed to be in the room, during her class."

"I'm a new student, uh…Spike Scalesworth."

The receptionist raised an eyebrow, but otherwise, held the same bored look on her face. "All right, Mr. Scalesworth, her room is 156. I would hurry if I were you, her class started ten minutes ago."

Spike rushed down the hallway, reading the numberplate above each doorway. In a few minutes, he found room 156 and peeked through the window. There were several rows of desks and a chalkboard at the front of the room, where Twilight was teaching. One row of seats was near the door in the very back, so Spike quietly entered the room and slid into a desk. Nopony noticed and luckily, none of the ponies present were sitting in the very back row where the dragon was.

Twilight was busy drawing something on the board with a piece of pure white chalk. In a moment, the chalk floated over to a trough on the bottom of the board where items could be held, and settled on it. The unicorn turned her attention back to the class, about to explain what she had just drawn, when she noticed somepony who hadn't been there before. Although she hadn't seen him in a few months, she instantly recognized the dragon that sat in the very back, as her old assistant, Spike. She was about to say something to him, but he put a finger to his lips, signaling her to be quiet.

He mouthed the words, 'after class' and she continued her lesson.

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"Now class, for homework, I'd like you all to try a teleportation spell. I've explained the basics of how it works, so it shouldn't be TOO hard."

The students filed out of the room, confused about why a dragon was in a class for unicorns. After they had all left, a magenta glow covered the door, closing it and securing the lock. Spike walked to the front, where Twilight was cleaning off the chalkboard.

"Okay, Spike, what…" She had turned around to look at the dragon, who had tears streaming down his face. "What's wrong? What happened?" She walked forward and held Spike for a moment, until he had calmed down enough to speak.

"Twilight, I need your help."

"Okay. Well, what do you need help with?"

"I need you to help me with some research."

Twilight's eyes lit up, at the thought of doing something she saw as fun. "Oh, good. Is that all? For a moment there, I thought it was serious. What subject is it?"

Spike's expression became dead serious, causing the unicorn to get a little worried. "It's Fluttershy."

Now, Twilight knew why he was so upset, a few moments ago. "That's so sweet. He's worried about her. I wonder, if I'll ever find MY 'special somepony'?" She thought, rejoining the conversation, when Spike snapped his fingers. "Oh, no! What's wrong with her?"

"She's sick, and if we can't find a cure, the future will be ruined!"

Twilight rolled her eyes at his news. "Don't be so dramatic, Spike. It's probably just a cold. She's not going to die!" Twilight stopped, upon seeing that Spike still looked serious. "She's not, is she?"

He gulped, and shook his head. "I'm not sure, but I know something bad will happen, if we can't fix her."

Twilight raised an eyebrow, skeptically. "How do you know this, Spike? You mentioned something, about a bad future."

Spike thought for a moment on if he should tell her the whole truth or not, but ultimately decided that for Twilight to help him, she needed to know it all. Now, whether she believed it or not, was another story. "How can I word this? Any way I word it will sound weird, so I might as well, just tell it to her straight." Spike thought.
"Okay, Twi. This is going to sound weird, but I told MYSELF all of this stuff. That is, me from the future. I had a dream about it."

"Spike, just because you had a strange dream, doesn't mean it was real."

"I know, Twi, but you need to hear this, either way."

"All right, fine. This had better be good."

Chapter Five:The Importance Of Researching

Time Stops For No Dragon
Chapter 5-The Importance Of Researching

"That's a pretty interesting dream, Spike, but it can't be true. For one thing, Starswirl the Bearded is dead. Also, there aren't currently any spells that let you enter somepony's dreams."

The dragon was determined to prove to her that this was real, like he knew it was. "Exactly! Maybe, he used a spell from the future that isn't available, currently! Are you going to help me or not? You just have to trust me on this one!" Spike pleaded.

"Fine. Look, Spike, I trust you, but I won't believe it, until I touch Starswirl's beard."

"Thanks, Twilight. I knew I could count on you."

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As soon as they arrived at the castle, they headed for the Archives.

"Are you sure we shouldn't notify the Princess, first?"

Spike shook his head at the unicorn's suggestion. "Nah. We can tell her what's going on, later. We need to hurry, and search the Archives. I don't know how long we have before something bad happens, so we need to be prepared, and get this over with."

Twilight nodded her understanding. "Right, that makes sense. I still don't know if I believe that your dream holds significance in real life, but you have my support all the way." She smiled reassuringly at the dragon.

"Thank you. I DO have a favor to ask, though."

"Yes, what is it?"

"I…would it be all right, if I moved back in with you? Just until…you know, we get this all figured out." The dragon shifted, uncomfortably.

The unicorn only smiled, and said softly, "Of course, Spike. I don't mind at all."

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The guards outside recognized Twilight, and let the two into the Archives.

Twilight immediately got to work, pulling books from the shelves, and placing them in a pile on a nearby table. The unicorn danced through the rows, and it was clear that she had been here many times before. Spike used the rolling ladder to search for books that might be of use, reading the titles with speed and efficiency.

He couldn't help but chuckle at the nostalgia that resulted from this task, as this situation was much like how his life used to be. "Just like old times, eh, Twilight?" The assistant called down to her.

The unicorn was surrounded by what could only be described, as a book fort. She looked up from a book she was skimming through, at the dragon. "It sure is, my number one assistant." Twilight winked at him.

"Aw, shucks." Spike blushed at the compliment. He slid down the ladder and pulled up a chair at the table Twilight was sitting at, propping his feet up on its surface. "Did you find anything yet?"

Twilight shook her head. "Nothing. I'm sorry, Spike, but I'll keep searching."

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A few days later, Spike was beginning to lose hope. The last book snapped shut, and Twilight returned the pile of tomes to their proper place on the shelves.

The unicorn sighed, and said gently, "Spike, I know you don't want to believe it, but we have to consider all of the possibilities. I hate to mention this, but Fluttershy COULD just have no feelings for you, anymore."

Spike laughed, but not in a way that meant he had found something funny. "You don't think I considered that? I just, I…I have to hold onto the hope that I can fix this. To keep myself from falling apart." He choked out.

It hurt Twilight to see him this way, and she trotted over to give him a hug.

"Twilight, can I tell you something?"

"Of course, Spike. You can tell me anything."

"Something happened on the way here, that makes things harder. Pinkie…when she found out what happened, she confessed her love to me. Now, I'm SO confused."

Twilight wasn't quite sure, what to say about this. "I…just be careful, Spike. Do what you think is right. I think we should go see Princess Celestia, now. She might know something about this."

Spike nodded. "Okay."

They left the Archives, passing by the 'Starswirl the Bearded' wing, and the dragon thought of a plan.

Chapter Six:Royal Advice

Time Stops For No Dragon
Chapter 6-Royal Advice

They stopped at the doors to the Throne room, where the Princess should be. Twilight put her hoof on the door preparing to open it, but stopped, when she realized that her companion wasn't following.

"I'm sorry, Twi, but I need some time to think. Do you think, you could try to explain the situation to the Princess for me?" Spike pleaded.

"Sure, Spike, take your time." Twilight watched the young adult dragon exit through a pair of doors to the right of the Throne room, onto a balcony outside.

Then, she entered the room to speak to the Princess.

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Spike supported himself on the railing of the balcony, taking in the beautiful view. From this height, one could see Ponyville and several towns that surrounded it, but as was usual these days, the dragon couldn't bring himself to enjoy it.
He was surprised that the sun was already setting. They had spent a long time in the Library, yet had found nothing. It aggravated him that he was so weak.
He slammed a fist onto the railing in frustration, feeling like he was a failure.

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The balcony was visible from the Throne room, so Twilight and Celestia had a clear view of Spike. Twilight had just finished explaining what was going on to the Princess, but she was as clueless as her student.

"I'm worried about him." Twilight admitted, frowning in the dragon's direction.

"It will be all right, my faithful student. We just need to keep an eye on him. I don't know WHAT he will do, if he is desperate enough. Love can make someone do crazy things, trust me." Celestia got a far-off look in her eyes, like she was reliving a memory.

"You sound like you speak from experience." Twilight commented, ever observant.

"Um, yes, well…I'll go talk to Spike. I may be able to help him." The Princess, then left the Throne room to go see the dragon.

Twilight observed from inside, wondering what she would do. "That's strange. She seemed to be hiding something when she dodged my question. It's not really any of my business, though…" She thought, watching the scene unfold.

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"What am I supposed to do?" Spike said aloud, not to anyone in particular.

"That, I'm afraid, is up to you." Princess Celestia walked up next to him. "I'm sorry. I know this must be hard for you. Believe it or not, I know what you are going through."

Spike looked over at her, in surprise. "You…You do?"

"I've lived a long time. I have been betrayed by ponies I called friends, lost loved ones, and I have had relationships. None of it has ever ended well for me. So, in a sense, I know how you feel."

"Do you think I can fix this?"

"I can't say for sure, Spike, but I want to remind you of something. You live a lot longer than ponies, so even if you DO rekindle your relationship, you will lose her, eventually. If you still want to do this, I advise you to enjoy every moment with her."

"Thanks, Princess. I know what I'm going to do now!"

Chapter Seven:Stealing Time

Time Stops For No Dragon
Chapter 7-Stealing Time

After having dinner with the Princesses, Spike and Twilight went to their room to get some rest. Twilight took the bed closest to the window, and Spike took the other. The dragon waited until he could hear Twilight snoring to get out of the bed.

He tripped over something on the way to the door, but managed to stop himself from falling. Spike picked it up, and realized that it was his pack. Upon checking it, he found that his sword, necklace, and medal were still in there. The only question was how it had gotten there, but he didn't worry about it too much. He slipped the necklace on in case he needed it later, before leaving. Even though he had used all of the magic inside of it during his second adventure, it made him feel better to have it on.

The dragon opened and closed the door quietly, so he wouldn't wake the sleeping unicorn. His plan was to sneak into the Archives, and go to the Starswirl the Bearded wing. He wanted to search for anything he could use to save Fluttershy and the future. As he passed by a bathroom, he had a voice.

"Pssst. Spike, come here. We need to talk."

The dragon entered the bathroom and found his future self in the mirror above the sink. "What do YOU want? I'm kind of busy at the moment." Spike said, slightly aggravated.

"Listen Spike, I don't know what you're planning to do, but be careful. I'm currently trying to find a way to travel back in time to your location, but it may be a while, before I can physically be there."

"You're talking to me right now, so how come you can't just step through the mirror? You did it in my dream."

"Yes, but that was a dream. Communication technology is less complicated than moving an actual body through time."

"Okay. Well, I'm going to find a way to save her."

Future Spike nodded. "All right. I'll let you know, if anything new happens." His image flickered, before fading from the mirror completely.

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Spike made it to the Royal Archives without any trouble, but discovered the entrance to be blocked by a locked gate. Spike melted the lock and went through the gate, heading in the direction of the Starswirl section. Some guards were doing their rounds, but Spike slipped through unnoticed when they weren't looking.

He noticed several shelves lined with books, but one in particular, caught his eye. It was in the back, on a platform by itself. The old, dusty tome had a star symbol on its leather-bound cover. Spike flipped to the 'Table of Contents', realizing that it must be Starswirl the Bearded's personal journal. Lots of spells were inside, but only one caught his eye. He flipped to the page it was on, hoping that he could use it. The page contained a time travel spell for the past, and also, one for the future.

Spike carefully tore the page out, and breathed fire on it. He didn't destroy it or send it anywhere, but he stored it in a secret magical compartment that dragons have. He considered leaving the book behind, but he kept it to look at later, storing it with the page in his chest. Spike exited the wing, looking all around for guards in every direction.
He didn't notice that there was one right in front of him, until he bumped into armor, causing a loud clanking noise to sound throughout the Library.

"Halt. Stay right where you are!" The guard wearing the armor shouted, but Spike ran past him.

Spike couldn't afford to get caught, because if anypony knew what he was doing, he wouldn't be allowed to go through with it. The other guard followed the first one, so now, Spike had both Library guards chasing him. They passed the room where Twilight was sleeping, causing her to be woken by the noise.
She poked her head out the door as Spike ran past, flanked by two earth pony guards. "What the…Spike, what are you DOING?" Twilight yelled in surprise, following them down the hall.

Spike led them to the balcony, gaining the attention of the guards stationed outside the Throne room, and they also followed. He burst outside onto the balcony, climbing onto the railing, being careful not to fall off. Twilight was next, with the four guards close behind.

She was confused and a little angry, at being woken up. "What's going on? Did you steal something?"

Spike sighed, letting out a burst of fire that formed into a book in his hand, along with the torn paper.

Twilight gasped. "Why do you have Starswirl the Bearded's journal? Are you crazy?"

Spike chuckled and said carefully, "You don't know the half of it, Twi. I found a way to save Fluttershy. Please, don't try to stop me from doing this. I need to know what happened, and if I can't fix it, I'll stop any of this from ever happening!"

"But, you…you won't be a hero anymore, or have a relationship with Fluttershy! Are you willing to lose everything?" Twilight was shocked that he would use such an extreme method.

"I made a promise to protect her, in any way that I can. I'm sorry, Twilight, but I NEED to do this."

She couldn't argue with the sincerity of his words, and nodded.

At the top of the page was a notice that explained how the spell worked. The user's soul would be transferred into their body at the time they traveled to. Where they ended up, was controlled by their thoughts after they entered the portal.

Spike read the words out loud, slowly and clearly. "Winds blow and turn back the hands of time. Make a way to the world in its prime. Preserve the memories and make them last. Take me into the depths of the past!"

The wind blew fiercely, threatening to pull Spike off of the railing. A small pond awaited him below, and the water inside it, swirled into a vortex.

"Good luck, Spike." Twilight whispered.

He smiled sadly, before stepping backwards and falling towards the pond. "Thanks, Twilight."

Upon contact with the swirling pool, he was pulled down into its depths, leading to a time, not so long ago.

Chapter Eight:Lost Memories

Time Stops For No Dragon
Chapter 8-Lost Memories

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were in the Throne room, watching the events unfolding outside.

"Should we have tried to stop him?" Luna asked, knowing the dangers of traveling through time.

Celestia shook her head as an answer. "No. I wish to see what happens. Everything has unfolded the way it was supposed to. After his defeat of Discord, the future changed slightly, but still wasn't fixed. The final decision he has to make will determine whether we avoid the horrible future or not. I have taken precautions to guard our memories from time manipulation, and we have the means to fix everything, if need be."

"All right, dear Sister, I trust that thou know what thou art doing."

Twilight ran into the room at that moment, out of breath. "Where is Spike? I woke up, and he was gone! I don't know where he could be." She explained, in full-blown panic mode.

Luna looked confused, as Celestia leaned over and whispered into her ear. "Remember, Luna, the effects of time manipulation. As soon as Spike stepped into the time stream, her memories were altered, to make her forget about the events involving his stealing of the journal, as if he wasn't just here."

Luna nodded in understanding.

Celestia frowned at Twilight, who hadn't noticed their secret exchange of words. "My faithful student, don't you remember? Spike went on a vacation to Saddle Arabia, for a few weeks." Celestia winked at Luna, hoping that she would go along with it.

"Art thou truly so forgetful, Twilight Sparkle?"

Twilight seemed to be thinking about it for a moment, but she eventually shrugged. "I don't really remember, but that makes sense. Well, sorry for bothering you." The unicorn turned to walk away. "I need to get to my class."

Celestia stopped her. "Er, Twilight, It's a Saturday, so you don't have to teach class."
Twilight blinked in surprise at this news. "Wow, I'm being really forgetful today!" She said, as she walked out.

Celestia and Luna laughed after the mare was gone, having played a joke on her.

"I wonder when she'll realize that she DOES have a class to teach, and it's not the weekend?" Celestia wondered. "It should be about…"

"Oh my gosh, I'm late!" A shout sounded outside the room, causing the two to laugh even harder.

It had been quite a while, since either of them had any fun.

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Fluttershy's cottage was shielded by shadows that were at her command. All of the animals had long since left the cottage, in fear of the mare that owned it. Once a sweet and gentle pegasus, now, she was a victim to the powers of the dark. What one couldn't see by looking at her outward appearance, was that inside, was a terrified mare. The old Fluttershy was forced to hide in the deepest depths of her mind, to escape the darkness that now controlled her body.

She could only watch, as Spike was kicked out, and cry in her corner. She figured that he would never like her again, after what she had done. The worst part, was that she couldn't even stop it from happening. Fluttershy hated herself for being so weak and helpless. What the mare didn't know, was that her lover was working tirelessly to save her at this very moment, and didn't blame her for anything. She tried her hardest to fight back, so that maybe, she could warn her friends.

In that moment, the darkness receded, taking her place in the deepest part of her mind. She smiled for the first time in a while, having something to be happy about. The pegasus forced herself to focus, since she knew it was only a matter of time, until the darkness took hold once more.

Fluttershy ran out of the cottage, as the darkness around it dissipated, heading to warn her friends about her current condition.

Chapter Nine:The Reason

Time Stops For No Dragon
Chapter 9-The Reason

Spike was floating in what could only be described, as an endless sea of darkness. He tried to focus on his objective, and where he needed to go. He decided to go to the moment after he defeated Discord. The pendant around his neck glowed brightly, and Spike was pushed forward at lightspeed. The darkness was changed to the scene he had pictured, and now, he was suddenly there in his body.

His pack was still on his back, the pendant was still around his neck, and Discord lay dying nearby. Spike walked over to him, just like before.

"Are you sure that I'm not just a figment of your imagination?"

"I'm pretty sure that you're real." Spike said, as Discord touched his head.

As he lost consciousness, he heard hoofsteps coming his way. This time, though, the dragon noticed something that he hadn't before. Discord teleported away, as a weird, black smoke escaped his chest wound. Fluttershy and Twilight appeared in the corner of his vision, and the black smoke cloud entered Fluttershy's mouth, causing her to cough, as she tried to speak. She managed to talk after a moment, asking Spike if he was okay. Nopony but Spike had noticed the black smoke cloud, and now, he knew exactly what had happened.

A part of Discord had entered Fluttershy's body, and long after his death, had taken over her body. All that he needed to do was figure out how to get it out of her, and she would return to normal.

After passing out, Spike woke up in the bed with Fluttershy in her cottage. He wished that he could lie there forever, but he needed to leave. Now that he had found what he was trying to, he had no reason to stay. Spike got out of the bed and pulled out the torn page, intending to return to the future, and tell Twilight what he had learned. He flipped it over to read the side that had the future spell on it.

He read it out loud, quiet enough that it wouldn't wake her up. "What has yet to happen, but it soon will. May my wish to return, be easy to fulfill. The winds of time carry me on my way. Back to where I was, in the present day!"

The winds blew through the cottage, causing Fluttershy to shiver under the covers. A portal appeared on the ceiling, and Spike's soul departed into it from his body, looking back at the sleeping mare one last time. After the portal closed, the old Spike took back over, continuing as before.

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The dragon once again found himself floating in the dark, wishing that everything was as it used to be. He had been doing that a lot lately, since his life had gone downhill. He was filled with a new hope that maybe, she still loved him, but could no longer control her actions. If he could get her to fight back, then she just might be able to drive out the darkness. With all his might, he clung to the thought of home, and was soon there.

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He entered his body, taking a deep breath of fresh air. It was too bad that all he took in was water, and not the air he desperately needed. The dragon clawed his way to the surface of the small pond. Above him was the balcony he had been on the day before, so Spike was pretty sure that he had made it to the right time. Spike made a mental note that if he ever did something like this again, to pick a better spot to leave his body. The portal must have only been a filter, which separated his soul from his body, leaving it at the bottom of the pond.

He got out of the water, shaking himself off, and began to head to the Princesses' Quarters.

Chapter Ten:A Friendly Confrontation

Time Stops For No Dragon
Chapter 10-A Friendly Confrontation

"I see that you are back." Princess Celestia said. "Did you accomplish what you set out to do?"

Spike fiddled with the pendant around his neck. "Sort of. I figured out what happened to Fluttershy, at least."

Celestia raised an eyebrow, interested in this new development. "Oh, really? Please, tell me what you have learned."

"It turns out, that Discord corrupted her with a piece of his soul. If we can get it out of her, our problem would be solved!" He announced, excitedly. "Do you know where she is?"

"I can't say that I do, unfortunately." Celestia admitted.

All of the sudden, a flash filled the room, leaving behind a beaten Twilight. "Princess…It's…Fluttershy…" She coughed between breaths, before passing out.

"Twilight!" Spike exclaimed, running to her side. He breathed a sigh of relief, upon realizing that the unicorn still had a pulse. "I wonder what happened to her?"

"Well, she mentioned Fluttershy, so that's probably who did this."

Spike nodded in understanding, turning to look at Celestia. "Can you please, help her? I would do it myself, but I need to go find Fluttershy."

Celestia nodded in agreement. "Of course, do what you have to do."

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Spike teleported using his draconian magic, into the center of Ponyville. Even though he could use any spell that a unicorn could cast with enough practice, it usually took a lot out of him if the spell was more complicated, so he didn't always use those abilities. Teleportation wasn't too hard, though, so it didn't take much energy, and besides, this was an emergency.

Ponies surrounded Fluttershy, who was covered in darkness. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash were staring her down. A wave of darkness knocked them back a few feet, off of their hooves. Rarity tried to help, despite not being much of a fighter, firing a blast from her horn. The shot was small and weak, however, easy for Fluttershy to deflect back at her. The unicorn was thrown back with a cry of surprise, slamming into the wall of a building behind her with an audible 'crack'!

Pinkie Pie was next to attack, producing two pies that she threw at the pegasus, shouting, "Take this, you big meanie! Give us our friend back!" The pies changed course halfway in their flight, causing the treats to splatter into the face of the pony that launched them. The pink pony blinked, before licking all of the pie off of her face in delight. "Mmm, Strawberry flavor!" She just disappeared after that, probably doing whatever she usually does.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash were the only ones left, and Spike could only look on in horror, anticipating what his possessed ex-marefriend would do next.

Applejack decided that she'd had enough of this, not enjoying the fact that her friends had been hurt. "Fluttershy, if you can hear me in there, I'm real sorry for this. I don't want ta do it, since you used ta be our friend and all, but you leave me with no choice." The farm girl tipped her hat and charged, preparing to land a hit on the pegasus. At the last possible second, Fluttershy back-hoofed Applejack into a tree, digging a rut in the ground. A few apples fell and hit her on the head, with a sound similar to a coconut 'bonk'!

Spike was scared out of his mind, not sure what to do, but desperately wishing he could do something.

Rainbow Dash was actually fast enough to land a hit on Fluttershy, but she wasn't able to get away. Fluttershy pinned her to the ground, so she couldn't move, staring her in the eyes. Rainbow looked behind her, and noticed Spike standing nearby. "Spike, call off your marefriend, would ya? You have to do something!" Rainbow pleaded, as she was tossed away, landing on her left wing with a yelp.

Fluttershy was only interested in the dragon now, moving toward him with haste. When she was a few inches away, she stopped. She was shaking uncontrollably now, and Spike smiled. He knew that she was fighting back, and this gave him hope.

"Sp-Spike…I-I…R-run…You n-need to r-run n-now…I d-don't want t-to hurt y-you…" She gritted her teeth, in pain and concentration.

"No, Fluttershy! I can't leave you, not now! I-I love you." Spike pleaded, "You can fight it!"

Fluttershy smiled. "I l-love you too…I-It's too strong…I-I'm sorry…" She ran away, still struggling, in the direction of the Everfree forest.

Spike sighed, staring at the spot she had just been in. "Why does nothing go the way I plan for it to?" He thought, forlornly.

He felt a hoof on his shoulder, turning to see Rainbow Dash.

"Spike, we have to go. Most of our friends need medical attention, including me." She said, gently, chuckling lightly at the end of her sentence.

Spike nodded, sadly. "All right, let's go."

Rainbow helped the dragon gather the other two ponies from their spots.

Now that they were all together, Spike teleported them into the lobby of the Canterlot hospital.

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He managed to find a big room they could share, instead of being in separate ones. Twilight was already inside, since the Princess had brought her here earlier, and reserved the room for her. Rainbow was the only one awake, and Spike hoped that they weren't in comas.

Rainbow soon fell asleep for lack of anything else to do, leaving Spike to watch over the others.

Pinkie popped up in front of him, but for once, he didn't jump. There was an awkward silence, as they both remembered how their last encounter ended.

"So, uh…how's it going?" She grinned, awkwardly.

"Well, not very great, given the circumstances." Spike replied, irritably.

This dampened her smile considerably, as she knew the seriousness of the situation, but was trying to lighten things up.

"Oh…right. I guess, things didn't go well, when you confronted Fluttershy?"

"No, I couldn't save her. Not only that, but all of our friends are injured, because I couldn't stop her. I'm a failure, for not being able to protect them!" Spike covered his face with his hands.

Pinkie Pie frowned, not wanting to see a friend, especially him, sad. She lifted his face, removing his hands from it, while he continued to stare at the ground. "Spike, I want you to look at me." The dragon brought his eyes up to look at her.

"You're NOT a failure. I know you can think of something, if you try! If only you could change the past…but you can't! That would make it, easy-peasy!" Pinkie said, truthfully.

Spike smiled. "Pinkie, you're a genius! Say that again!"

"Say what again? If only you could change the past? It sure would be cool if you could, wouldn't it?"

"Pinkie, that's it! Oh, I could just kiss you!"

"If you won't, I WILL." She muttered, under her breath.

"Pinkie, what…" His eyes widened in surprise, as she made her move, pressing her lips to his. Her lips were warm and velvety, tasting of sweet candies.

Pinkie broke the kiss, blushing heavily. "What did you think?"

He was dumbfounded, and a little dazed. "You taste like Strawberries…"

She giggled, cutely. "Does that mean, you liked it?"

Spike shook his head, not dazed anymore. "I liked it, but I-I'm not sure…I need to think."

"Okie Dokie Lokie! Take all the time, you need!"

Pinkie patted him on the head, before leaving the room, bouncing all the way.

Chapter Eleven:Before It All

Time Stops For No Dragon
Chapter 11-Before It All

Shortly after Pinkie had left, Spike prepared to start his plan. The dragon kissed each of his friends on the forehead, stopping when he came to Twilight's bed.

"I'm sorry, Twi." He kissed her on the forehead, before turning away. "I love you all, and I'm sorry that you were dragged into this. It was never supposed to be this way. Don't worry, because I'm going to make this right!" Spike spoke the magical words and his soul entered the time stream, causing his body to fall to the hospital floor with a thud.

Princess Celestia and Luna were watching from outside the room, as it happened before them.

"Will you help me keep an eye on him, Sister?" Celestia asked, turning to look at Luna.

"Of course. Dost thou sense something amiss?" Luna inquired, curiously.

Celestia nodded. "If all goes according to the events I have seen, he may do something that he will regret. I can watch him during the day, but perhaps, you could talk to him in the night."

Luna nodded. "I will do my best, to help you in this endeavor." The Princess of the Night walked away to go to bed, since it was still morning, leaving the Sun princess alone.

"Oh, Spike, do be careful. I just wonder, how I'm going to explain this to Twilight. Maybe, it is time for me to tell her the truth. I think, that she deserves to know." Celestia thought, staring at Spike's unmoving body lying in the center of the room.

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Before Spike knew it, he was back in his body. He was lying in the bed, so he assumed that it was morning. If everything was as it should be, this was the morning when he began his first journey. Where he would slay the evil dragon, which he later knew to be his father. Sure enough, the note from Twilight was downstairs, telling him where she was, along with a list of chores for him to do.

Spike wasn't very hungry, so he got to work sweeping the floor. The clock on the wall read: 9:00, as he glanced at it. In the two or three hours until noon, Spike was able to finish all of the chores on the list, making use of his draconian magic. He checked off the last thing on the list and placed it on the table, having finished just in time for lunch.

He started preparing a plate of nachos in the kitchen, as a snack. He remembered having done all of this before, but he decided to add something new to the meal. He reached into the cabinet above the oven, pulling out a sack of gems.

"Heh, heh. Twilight doesn't even know, that I discovered the location of one of her 'secret' gem stashes." Spike chuckled, adding a few of the delectable treats to the top of his stack of nachos.

Spike had grown taller from using the 'Dragon's Bane' sword, so he could reach areas he couldn't before, without a stepladder. As he set the plate on the table, he remembered that his pack was still on his back, somehow. He quickly hid it upstairs in his basket, after taking off his ancient necklace and putting it inside the pack. Spike didn't need Twilight asking about the items inside it, especially not the pendant. She thought it was still in the secret passage, and at this time, it still was.

Spike returned downstairs to eat his nachos, but he received a letter. He opened it to see if it was from who he thought it was, but tossed it to the side upon reading it. It was the letter that started this whole mess from Princess Luna, but this time, Spike had no intention of going to visit her. He found a quill and a scroll to write her back, telling her that transportation wouldn't be necessary, since he wasn't going to be able to make it. He finished, saying that he was sorry, but he was busy. He sent it with fire breath, then burned the letter she had sent, the remnants floating into the nearby fireplace and becoming ashes.

"That takes care of that."

Spike picked up a ruby and sapphire from the nachos and munched on them, thoughtfully. The dragon couldn't think of much to do, even though he had the rest of the day off, so he traveled upstairs to take a nap. He slid under the covers in his basket, feeling sleepy all of a sudden.

Spike went to sleep easily, believing that he had prevented the horrible future from ever happening.

Chapter Thirteen:Chaotic Meeting

Time Stops For No Dragon
Chapter 13-Chaotic Meeting

Spike turned on the sink and splashed cold water on his face to remove some of the sweat, waking him up faster. He checked out his reflection in the mirror above the sink.

"Lookin' good, Spike, lookin' real…Wait a minute. When did I grow such an awesome moustache? Not that I'm complaining." The young adult dragon didn't remember having a moustache before his nap, but maybe he just hadn't noticed it. Spike grinned, stroking the area where his moustache suddenly was, but he didn't feel the smoothness of hair. "What? I don't…"

The image in the mirror suddenly changed, morphing into a creature that was made up of several other creatures, and there was no mistaking its identity. "Are you surprised to see me?" The creature asked, playfully.

Spike wasn't as surprised as he would have been in the past, with all of the weird things happening over the past year. "A little. How exactly, are you still alive, Discord? Last time I checked, you were just a pile of rocks." He replied, not really wanting to chat with the mischievous draconequs.

"Maybe so, but you changed that. According to THIS timeline, it never happened. And you know what that means, don't you? We can be best friends forever! We can tell each other our secrets, such as where you got that interesting trinket I saw you with, earlier!" Discord wrapped one arm around Spike in a friendly gesture.

Spike pushed him away, however, and crossed his arms, fixing him with a glare. "First of all, how did you know any of that?"

Discord scoffed at his remark. "Pffft! I'm the Lord of Chaos! I know EVERYTHING that goes on, around these parts. You caused quite the magic surge, when you just plopped down into this dimension. I want to know how someone like you…" He pointed a finger at Spike, "…used magic of that magnitude! I'm guessing, that it has something to do with THIS." Discord pointed to Spike again.

Spike was surprised to see the necklace he had taken off earlier, back around his neck. "Huh? How…"

"Oh my. Is that the 'Starswirl Amulet'? It always comes back to its owner, unless they are dead, of course. Even if the magic stored within it is used up, it helps the user by channeling spells through it, giving them the potential to cast much more powerful spells than they could, otherwise. Without its help, your plan would have never worked. While it IS useful, I would be careful with it if I were you. It would be dangerous in the wrong hands."

"Discord, I don't know what makes you think we're friends, but we're not. How do I know that this isn't some new evil scheme?" Spike wasn't going to trust him, without some sort of explanation.

Discord stroked his goatee in contemplation, but eventually decided that it wouldn't hurt to tell him the truth.

"To be honest, your tale interests me, as in, your quest. At first, you weren't anything special, but after slaying a dragon and yours truly, you were hailed as a hero! In the process, you gained the mare of your dreams, the lovely Fluttershy. However, she was corrupted by the darkness, and you couldn't figure out how to save her, so you took the easy way out. You used a magical artifact to change the past, believing that to save her, you couldn't be together. It's touching, really." Discord wiped a fake tear from his eye. "I want you to succeed, to be with the mare you love, because you, unlike me, deserve a happy ending. I wish to help you in any way I can, but I have one request."

Spike sighed, not liking where this was going. "What is it?"

"All I ask for, is a friend. Believe me, it gets lonely when you live forever."

Spike's eyes widened, as he could tell that Discord actually meant those words. "Fine. If that's all you want, then I can be your friend, I guess."

Discord stuck out his lion paw, and they shook hands. The draconequs clapped his hands together in happiness. "Since we are friends, I have a gift for you." Discord snapped his fingers, causing a black jacket to appear on Spike's body. "It's a little big, but you'll grow into it. I'm not sure what it does, but you'll know when the time is right. Okay, I lied. I have one more gift for you." The creature of chaos tossed a coin through the mirror window, flipping it in the air, as the dragon caught it.

It was a normal gold coin, except it had a picture of Discord smiling, and giving a thumbs up engraved onto its surface.

Spike was puzzled, but the draconequs answered, before he could ask the obvious question. "When you flip this coin, I will come to your aid. This is so you can contact me, if need be."

Spike smiled, appreciating Discord's genuine effort to be his friend. "Thanks, Discord. I don't know what to say."

He smiled. "Oh, don't mention it. I have to leave soon, but I have some friendly advice before I go."

"All right."

Discord frowned. His expression was a little sad, but mostly serious. "We both live a long time, you know. It's too late for me to fix my mistakes and regrets, but I hope that you'll heed my advice. Enjoy the time you have with the ones you love, because everything good, eventually comes to an end. Forever is a long time, to regret something that you did or didn't do. Just make the most of it, for me."

Spike nodded. "I'll do the best, I can possibly do."

Discord waved, as he disappeared from the mirror, which resumed reflecting Spike's image, but with a noticeable lack of facial hair. The assistant heard voices downstairs, realizing that Twilight had returned.

Spike felt sorry for Discord, imagining how much of a toll, immortality had taken on him. "Someday, I'll be all alone, as well…" He thought, as he pushed that thought to the back of his mind, not wanting to think about it.

He placed the necklace in his secret compartment with his fire breath, not wanting to have to explain it to anypony, then placed the coin in his jacket pocket.

"I need an awesome mustache." Spike stated, exiting the bathroom, longing for the coolness of facial hair.

Chapter Fourteen:Uncertainty

Time Stops For No Dragon
Chapter 14-Uncertainty

Spike walked down the stairs, as Twilight looked over at him.

"Hello, Spike. What were you doing upstairs? I thought I heard voices."

Spike was a little nervous, but relaxed, when he realized that she wasn't on to him. "I, uh, was taking a nap." He replied.

Twilight was frustrated at his behavior, believing that he had been lazy. "Spike! Did you even do all of the chores?" She grabbed the list off of the table telekinetically, floating it in front of her face.

"Of course, Twi! I wouldn't have stopped to rest, if I wasn't done!" Spike assured, and the unicorn was surprised to see that every item on the list had a checkmark beside it.

"Wow. Good job, Spike! That's why you're my number one assistant!" She smiled with her eyes closed, proud of her friend.

Spike smiled, wondering why she hadn't said anything about his new jacket, but then he realized that he wasn't wearing it.

"Thanks, Twilight. I'm heading out for a bit, if that's all right."

Twilight nodded in agreement. "Sure, Spike, just be back by dark. I'll see you, later." The lavender unicorn sat down and began reading a book, as he walked outside to do other things.

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Spike decided to go see Fluttershy, traversing the familiar dirt path that lead out of Ponyville to the outskirts of the Everfree forest. Along the way, the black jacket reappeared on his body. Apparently, it had made itself invisible when he didn't want anyone to see him wearing it.

"I wonder what else it can do? Discord must have given it some magic powers, or something." He thought.

As the cottage came into view, Spike stopped himself. "What am I DOING? As much as I love her, I can't get close to her. She'll be in danger, if we're together." Spike turned around, about to go back into town, but was stopped, when a familiar voice called out to him.

"Hi, Spike!"

Spike really didn't feel like talking to her at this moment, but he didn't want to seem rude. "Hey, Pinkie." He replied, turning around to face her.

"Whatcha' doin'?"

"I…uh…" Spike stuttered.

A look of realization dawned on Pinkie's face. "Ooh, I know! You must be here to ask Fluttershy to join your biker club!" She exclaimed, excitedly.

Spike face-palmed at her randomness, and sighed. "Whatever gave you THAT idea?"

"Your awesome black jacket, of course! Where did you get it?"

"A good friend gave it to me. And, there IS no biker club, there never was." He replied.

"Awww, okay…" Pinkie Pie was a little disappointed, but she kept smiling, anyway. "There was actually something I wanted to tell you, but I forgot what it was." The party pony thought for a moment, then gasped, seeming to have remembered what she had forgotten. "Now, I remember! I was going to invite you to Fluttershy's birthday party. It's in a few days! I would give you an invitation, but I think Fluttershy has a 'special' one for you. Anyway, Spike, I'll see you later!" Pinkie bounced away, as Spike watched her.

"Hmmm…I wonder what Fluttershy is planning to do? I really want to visit her, but…Would it really be so bad, if I got close to her? Maybe, I shouldn't worry so much." The dragon couldn't decide what to do, so he headed back into town.

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A certain yellow pegasus backed away from the window when she saw him leave, more than a little disappointed in herself for not being able to go outside and speak with him.

"Oh, I wish I wasn't so shy. It probably doesn't matter, anyway. It's not like he feels the same way. I just don't know how to express my feelings towards him. What should I do, Angel?" Fluttershy thought aloud, turning to look at her pet bunny.

He tapped his foot on the floor, and pointed to his mouth.

Fluttershy giggled at his display, understanding the message that he was trying to convey. "Oh. Silly me, I almost forgot to feed you your dinner!" Before heading to the kitchen, she took one last look at the window and sighed.

"Someday, you'll know how much I care about you."

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The rest of the evening was spent in the park, watching the ponies pass by. A few were holding hooves, obviously, a couple, and Spike could barely stand to look at them. He was lying on his back in the grass with his hands behind his head, when a chilly wind blew through the area, and caused each individual blade of grass to sway to the beat.
The dragon had no idea when the day had switched to the night, but he assumed that it had been that way for a while, since no ponies could be seen.

"Maybe, I should try to talk to her. Luna said that I shouldn't try to prevent the future, or I would cause it. So, I think I'll try to talk to her tomorrow, if nothing happens."

The moon's rays shone down upon him as he stared up at it from the ground, not quite ready to go back home yet. The rustling of grass sounded from behind, and a dark shape blocked his view of the glowing orb.

A slightly frustrated unicorn was now, staring down at him. "I've been looking everywhere for you! What are you doing out here, all alone?"

Spike sat up and answered, "I was just thinking about some things, and I lost track of time. Sorry, I didn't mean to make you worry."

Twilight sighed, feeling all of her frustrations be replaced with concern. The librarian could tell when something was bothering him, but she had no clue what it was. "What kinds of things were you thinking about?" She inquired, hoping that she could help.

Spike thought for a minute, deciding on how much he should tell her. "Twilight, what do you know about love?"

The lavender mare wasn't expecting this, and now, she wasn't so sure that she could help. "I, uh…Spike, it's a little chilly out here. Why don't we continue our discussion at the Library?"

He nodded, standing up to follow her. He turned to face the direction of Fluttershy's cottage and muttered, "Someday…"

"What was that?"

"N-Nothing!" Spike replied, as they headed for the Library.

Chapter Fifteen:Revealing His Whereabouts

Time Stops For No Dragon
Chapter 15-Revealing His Whereabouts

Twilight opened her eyes to find herself in a hospital bed, but she couldn't remember why she was in one. She looked around the room, seeing all of her friends in beds, as well. All of the sudden, the memories came rushing back. Unfortunately, so did the pain from the injuries that she had sustained. The last thing she remembered was using the last of her magic to teleport to the Throne room, so Celestia had probably taken them here.

Twilight continued looking around the room, and she noticed a certain dragon lying on the floor next to her bed. "Spike?" Twilight was confused, since he was supposed to be in Saddle Arabia. "He must have returned, when he heard what happened." She thought.

Though it was painful to do so, she managed to reach down and poke him with her hoof, trying to wake him up. To her horror, he didn't have a pulse at all! She felt like screaming, but she settled on crying, for now. As a few tears escaped, dampening her bed sheets, somepony spoke up in the quietness of the room.

"He's not dead, Twilight." Princess Celestia stepped into her view.

"No offense, Princess, but I'm pretty sure that the definition of death is not having a pulse."

"He isn't dead. Well, not in the traditional sense, at least. I'm afraid, that I have a lot to tell you. I've been hiding some things, but I think you have the right to know what is going on."

Twilight tilted her head slightly in confusion. "Princess…"

The royal pony raised a hoof to stop her. "Allow me to explain. There will be time for questions, later."

Although her mind was full of questions and curiosity, the lavender unicorn held off, until she heard what her mentor had to say.

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"So, what you're saying is that Spike went back in time to stop Fluttershy from ever being corrupted, so that we would have a better future, knowing the dangers of manipulating past events?" Twilight recapped, making sure that she had heard right. Princess Celestia nodded in confirmation of the information, but Twilight still had one more question. "If he went back in time and changed things, then why is everything still the same?"

"The changes won't come into effect in this time period, until he returns to his body, which is in a coma-like state, until his soul re-enters it. It will still change things where he is, but WE won't be able to see anything here, until he comes back." Celestia explained, helpfully.

Twilight sat up, trying to get out of bed, but gritted her teeth in pain, falling back onto it. "We have to help him, Princess Celestia!" She pleaded, "There has to be something we can do!"

"I'm sorry, my faithful student, but he HAS to do this alone. Besides, neither you nor your friends are in good enough shape to go anywhere. You alone, have cracked three of your ribs! The best you can do is wait, and hope for his safe return." Princess Celestia said, as Twilight sighed in defeat.

"I understand, Princess."

The Princess of the Sun shot her a sympathetic glance, as she trotted out of the room to do her royal duties.

Twilight planned to let the others know what was happening when they woke up, and she shifted her gaze down to Spike's body.

"Wherever you are, I hope you're safe. I need…we all need you to come back, safely. And, Fluttershy…oh, Fluttershy, needs you the most."

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Spike stared down at the dining room table, running a claw over its smooth surface. He recalled all the times he had eaten at this table, seen Twilight studying at this table, or told Twilight his problems at this table, as he looked up to meet the concerned gaze of the very same unicorn from the other end of it. He sighed into his coffee mug, taking a sip of the creamy liquid that Twilight had brewed, watching her take a sip, as well. At some point, they had both realized that they might be up for a while longer, so they figured that liquid caffeine would be helpful.

"So, Spike, are you planning to tell me what this is about? Because I can sit here all night, if I have to." Twilight was getting a little impatient, wanting to know what was troubling him. "Why did you ask if I knew anything about love?"

Spike wasn't ready to tell her who it was, so he made up a scenario about his love. "So, say you had a crush on somepony, but if you were together, it could destroy the world. Do you think that's something that can be worked around, or…What would you do?"

Twilight wasn't sure where he came up with that ridiculous scenario from, but she tried her best to answer him, anyway. "I don't know how you'd even get in that situation in the first place, but if I was, I'd probably find somepony else to be with. What does this have to do with your problem, anyway?"

Spike gulped, nervously. "Haha…In fact, I'm not so sure I even have one, anymore! I think I'll just go to bed now, goodnight!" He backed up, almost tripping over the bottom of the stairs, before turning around and heading up them.

"Hmmm…He's hiding something, and I want to find out what it is!" Twilight thought, attempting to take another sip of her coffee, only to find it completely empty.

She glanced over to where Spike's unfinished coffee was still steaming in his mug, debating whether to finish it or not. The unicorn shrugged, and ultimately decided not to let good coffee go to waste, as she trotted over to a pile of unread books that she had just gotten the other day, the mug encased in a magenta aura.

Since she was so energized, Twilight ended up doing some late night reading with a certain dragon's forgotten coffee in her grasp.

Chapter Sixteen:The Gift Of A Visit

Time Stops For No Dragon
Chapter 16-The Gift Of A Visit

"I need to go see Fluttershy, today. I just hope that I don't mess things up." Spike thought, as he walked down the stairs the next morning.

Today was a Thursday, and tomorrow was Fluttershy's birthday party. Spike needed to get something for her, so he decided that he would do that today. Twilight was asleep with her face in an open book, having stayed up all night. Spike grabbed a few gems from the secret stash to snack on for breakfast, before writing on a sticky note to tell Twilight that he'd be out for awhile. He was tempted to draw on her sleeping face, but he knew she'd be mad, so he stuck the note on her forehead, instead.

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As he exited the Library, lightning flashed, and a torrent of rain dropped from the clouds that filled the sky, drenching the dragon to the bone. This wasn't really the best day to be out and about, but he had no choice. Spike made his way to the jewelry store, planning to buy her something there. He had saved up a lot of bits doing different jobs around town, but with all the adventures he had been on, he never had a chance to use them.

The owner greeted him as he entered, happy to have a customer. "Morning, Sir! What are you looking for, today? We have all of your jewelry needs!" The unicorn answered, pulling out a notepad and a quill, dipping the writing utensil in a nearby inkwell, poised to begin writing.

Spike ordered a pink diamond butterfly hair clip, to match her cutie mark. Diamonds weren't usually pink, but unicorns could magically infuse a color into them. Spike also wanted 'Spike hearts Fluttershy', to be engraved on it. With a heart in between their names, of course.

"What is the lucky mare's name, as well as yours?" The unicorn asked.

"Her name, is Fluttershy. And mine, is Spike."

The unicorn finished writing, and looked to the dragon. "All right, that'll be 600 bits, Sir."

Spike nodded, and placed the appropriate amount of gold coins on the table.

"Your order will be ready to pick up, tomorrow. Thank you for your patronage." The stallion informed.

Spike stepped back out into the rain, not sure what to do next. "I guess, I'll go see Fluttershy now." He decided, mentally heading in that direction.

He passed through the center of town, where ponies were trying to sell their wares, despite the lousy weather. A few ponies were out in the rain, but the marketplace wasn't half as crowded, as it usually was.

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Fluttershy finished paying for her cherry, and placed it in the saddlebag. She was sure that tomorrow was it. At her birthday party tomorrow night, she was going to tell Spike exactly how she felt about him. She turned away from the stall, surprised to see a dragon heading away from the marketplace. She followed him to see where he was going, until they both arrived at her cottage. Spike made a fist, about to knock on her door.

"I wonder if she's home?" Spike said to himself, noticing how quiet the place seemed.

Fluttershy came up beside him, deciding to play along. "I don't think she's home." She grinned, as Spike turned around, causing him to do the same. "You can, um, come inside, if you want to." Fluttershy offered timidly, opening the door for him.

"Uh, sure." Spike accepted, stepping inside and closing the door behind him.

"Go ahead, and make yourself at home. If that's okay with you, I mean." Fluttershy said from the kitchen, unpacking her saddlebags and placing them to the side. "Would you like some tea, and cucumber sandwiches?"

Spike took a seat on the couch, and replied, "You don't have to do that." He didn't want to put too much pressure on her.

"No, no, I insist! It's no trouble, at all." Fluttershy made the plate of sandwiches, and put the kettle on the stove, before taking a seat in an armchair across from Spike and a coffee table. "So, um…What did you need? Or, are you just visiting?"

Spike couldn't think of a reason, besides wanting to see her, so he answered, "I just came here to see you."

Fluttershy blushed, hiding behind her mane, slightly. "Wow, he came all the way here, just to see me! He must really think I'm special!" The mare tried to remain calm, despite her heart's rapid beating. Luckily for her, the kettle started whistling a few minutes later. This was the perfect excuse for her to escape for a moment. "I'll be right back."

While he waited, Spike looked around the cottage. A soft clattering caused him to look at the table, as Fluttershy placed a tray on its surface. On the tray were a plate of cucumber sandwiches and two ceramic cups containing tea. Spike picked up a cup of the steaming liquid, inhaling its sweet aroma, before taking a sip. His eyes widened, as his taste buds were assaulted with flavor.

"Mmm! This is really good!" He exclaimed, surprised that it held so much flavor.

"It's nothing, just a family recipe." Fluttershy answered, meekly. "It's called, 'Lavender Mint'."

Spike nodded. "That explains why it tastes so strong! Anyway, how have you been lately, Fluttershy?"

"Pretty good, actually."

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For the rest of the afternoon, the two talked about what had happened recently in their lives. Spike looked at the nearby clock, which read: 8:00 and was surprised to see it was already so late. He had been here for over 3 hours!

"Well, Shy', I guess, I'd better be going. Twilight will be worried, if I'm not there soon."

"Okay. It was nice having you over, Spike. I hope you can come by again, soon." Fluttershy was sad to see him go, but she knew that he couldn't stay forever.

When Spike got to the door, he felt a sharp pain in his skull. He knew that it was a migraine, having had them before. His vision was becoming fuzzier, darkness was clouding his sight. The room spun, and he fell on the floor with a thud, losing consciousness.

In a blur, Fluttershy rushed to his side, very worried. Something wasn't right, and she knew it.

"Spike?!"

Chapter Seventeen:Not Going Anywhere

Time Stops For No Dragon
Chapter 17-Not Going Anywhere

Spike was currently in the state between sleep and awareness. His ear fins twitched a little, as he heard voices downstairs.

"Have you seen, Spike?"

"Y-Yes, but…"

"Good. Where is he?"

"Upstairs, but…"

Spike heard hoofsteps getting closer, then they stopped at his bedside. He opened his eyes to see who it was, but he could only make out a blurry, purple shape. The dragon blinked, causing his vision to clear, so he could see Twilight to the left of him.

"Thank goodness! I was worried, when you didn't come home!" The unicorn's expression quickly turned angry, as she narrowed her eyes at him. "Come on, Spike, we're going home. And when we get there, you're in big trouble!"

Spike was encased in a warm, magenta glow, floating off of the bed. The dragon wasn't in the mood to deal with this, since he wasn't feeling good. His migraine was still pounding away at his head, and all he really wanted, was to go back to sleep.

Spike crossed his arms, and glared at Twilight.

"I'm not a little kid anymore, so I'd appreciate it, if you'd stop treating me like one. In case you didn't notice, something is obviously wrong, or I would have contacted you, already. I'm not going anywhere!"

Twilight was thinking of a way to respond, when Fluttershy tapped her on the shoulder. "He's right, Twilight. Something's wrong with him, but I don't know what it is, yet."

Twilight turned back to the dragon, which was still floating between her and the bed. "All the more reason, for him to come with me. Surely, I can figure out what's wrong!"

It was Fluttershy's turn to get mad, not willing to stand for this. "I'm sorry, Twilight, but I think he should stay with me. He's in no condition to go anywhere, and since he's my patient, Spike won't leave, until he is all better!" The mare stated, firmly. "I suggest, that you leave. I believe you've done enough, for now."

Twilight was shocked by Fluttershy's forwardness. So shocked, in fact, that she lost focus on her magic, dropping Spike on the hard, wood floor.

Fluttershy pushed past the unicorn, concerned about the dragon. "Oh my gosh! Are you okay, Spike?"

He peeled his face off of the floor, struggling to sit up, and said weakly, "Yes."

"I'm glad you're okay! I was worried, for a second." The pegasus hugged Spike, causing them both to blush, before placing him back on the bed.

Twilight smiled slightly at the sight, before trotting towards the stairs. "I can see that he'll be in good hooves, so I'm going to go. You know where I am, if you need me."

Fluttershy nodded in her direction, hearing the front door close.

"Hey, Shy'?" Spike spoke up.

"Hmmm?" She responded, looking back over at him.

"Why would you stand up for me like that?"

"Well, that's easy, I…" She hesitated, "I l-l…You're my friend, how could I not? Besides, you're under my care, so it's my duty to protect you! Do you need anything?"

Spike smiled, lightly, "Thank you, Fluttershy. No, I don't need anything. Being with you, is enough."

The butter yellow mare turned a shade of red, touched by his words. "D-Do you really mean that?"

Spike chuckled at her adorableness. "Of course, I do! There's no place, I'd rather be."

"Awww…You're so sweet!" Fluttershy lightly kissed his cheek, "Sweet dreams, Spike." She quietly trotted down the stairs, as the dragon drifted off to sleep, once more.

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Twilight walked back home, still shocked by Fluttershy's behavior. "Maybe, I was too hard on him. I have some things to think about." She thought to herself, "I can't help wondering though, what got into Fluttershy? She's normally, so sweet and kind! Oh well, just another mystery to solve."

Twilight decided that maybe, some sleep would help.

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In an unknown place, at an unknown time…

"Soon, I will have enough power to escape this place! Soon, I will return to the World! Hahaha! Oh, how I will make you suffer. I'm coming soon, little dragon, and when I do, everything you know, will change forever. It all starts, tomorrow."

A cloaked figure made his way through the white nothingness of his surroundings, the bells on his outfit, jingling and jangling with each step.

Chapter Eighteen:How To Dig Yourself Into A Hole

Time Stops For No Dragon
Chapter 18-How To Dig Yourself Into A Hole

The sun shone through the window, making Spike wince, as it struck his eyes. He sneezed, grabbing a tissue from the nearby nightstand, and wiping his nose with it.

Fluttershy was feeding the various animals around her cottage, when her favorite pet came hopping up to her. The mare noticed his arrival, and looked over at him.

"Good morning, Angel. Is something wrong?" She watched him do a few hand motions, then point in the direction of the stairs. "Oh, you want me to go see Spike?" The bunny nodded furiously, and once more, pointed at the stairs. "You're right, it HAS been a while, since I checked on him."

When she reached the top of the stairs, she gasped. Spike was sweating, his face flushed with heat. "Hey, Shy'. Is it hot in here, or is it just me?"

Fluttershy felt his forehead, recoiling from the heat. "That's not good. I'll get you some water."

She rushed down the stairs, coming back up with a cloth dipped in cold water. She placed it on his forehead, causing steam to fill the air. A knock was heard at the door, and Spike attempted to get up and answer it, but Fluttershy held him there with a hoof.

"I don't think so, Mister. You need to rest, until you're better!" Fluttershy insisted, sternly, "Now stay here, while I go see who's at the door."

Spike sighed. "It just doesn't feel right, making her do all the work. But, it's not like I can do much at the moment. Maybe, this is my chance to get things right." He thought.

A few minutes later, he heard the door shut, and Fluttershy returned to his side. "Who was it?" Spike asked, curiously.

"It was Pinkie Pie. She wanted to throw me a birthday party at Sugarcube Corner, but I knew that you might not be able to make it, so I convinced her to change it to a picnic, instead. Is that okay with you?"

"Of course! Happy birthday, by the way."

"Thank you, Spike."

After getting that out of the way, her tone changed to a motherly one. "I know that you may not be very hungry, but you need to eat something. How does Dandelion soup sound?"

"That sounds good. You have no idea how much I appreciate this, Fluttershy."

They each exchanged a smile.

"It's my pleasure."

While his pegasus caretaker was in the kitchen downstairs making soup, Spike gasped in remembrance. Originally, he was supposed to pick up Fluttershy's gift today, but now, there was no way to do it without help. The dragon pondered on who he could get to help him with his predicament, but he figured it out, when he glanced over at his jacket on the nightstand. A certain draconequs could provide just the kind of help, he needed.

Using what little energy he had, Spike pulled out a gold coin from his jacket pocket. The dragon flipped the coin up into the air, only for it to be caught by a lion paw.

"I heard you may be in need of assistance, dear friend. What seems to be the problem?" Discord greeted.

"Well, you see, I was hoping that you could pick up the gift I got for Fluttershy, because I'm too sick to go get it myself."

Discord laughed. "Pssh! Is that all? This will only take a moment." The draconequs disappeared in a flash of white light, then reappeared after a minute or two.

"Did you get it?" Spike wondered, eager to get the gift.

"Does this, answer your question?" The master of chaos snapped his fingers, revealing the gift, which floated over to the dragon and settled in his hands.

To Spike's surprise, Discord said, "Sorry for the wait. I would have been back sooner, but I ran into some unforeseen consequences." He chuckled nervously, then pretended to look at a wristwatch. "Oh, would you look at the time! I have to save a storeowner from a giant, man-eating gemstone! Which totally wasn't my fault, by the way!" The draconequs disappeared, once again.

Spike turned the butterfly clip over and over in his hands, admiring it from all angles. Whoever made it, obviously did a good job, since he couldn't find a single imperfection on it. He hastily put it in his jacket pocket with the coin, as hooves traveled up the stairs.

Fluttershy set a tray with a bowl of soup and a cup of water on it, in front of him. Confusion and curiosity shined in her eyes, when she looked at Spike. "W-Who were you talking to? I thought I heard somepony else, up here."

Spike hated lying to her, but he didn't want to spill the beans, just yet. "I, uh…was just talking to myself."

"About?" Fluttershy pressed further, wanting to know if something was bothering him.

"I-I can't seem to remember, but I'm sure it was a VERY interesting conversation."

"O-Okay…Are you sure, that nothing is bothering you?"

Spike chuckled, nervously. "Heh, heh…It must be the fever, getting to me.

Fluttershy felt his forehead, but it was no longer hot. "Um…you don't have a fever, anymore."

"Yep, that's what I meant. No problems. Not with me, anyway." Spike was getting increasingly nervous by the second, and Fluttershy's suspicion was starting to rise.

Spike gulped, wishing that he could find a way out of the hole that he was digging himself into.

Chapter Nineteen:Releasing The Swirl

Time Stops For No Dragon
Chapter 19-Releasing The Swirl

"Okay, Spike. I'm going to ask you one more time, and if you still don't want to tell me what's wrong, I'll respect your privacy."

Spike nodded, seeing an opportunity to climb out of the hole he was in. "Okay."

"Is there anything bothering you? I want to help you, if there is." Fluttershy's honest gaze showed that she was only trying to help, but Spike still didn't feel like he was ready to say anything, if he could help it.

"No. I'm all good, Shy'."

"If you say so." Fluttershy wasn't very convinced, but she didn't want to be rude to her guest. She turned to leave the room.

"Wait, Fluttershy!"

The pegasus craned her neck to look back at the dragon, in surprise. "Hmmm?"

"Could you get me something for a headache? It feels like a drill is burrowing into my skull!" Spike rubbed his temples, trying to diffuse the pain, if even for a single moment.

"O-Of course!" It wasn't what she was hoping for, but at least, she could be of some assistance to her ailing friend.

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Soon enough, it was after noon, and time for Fluttershy's birthday picnic. The rest of her friends were planning to meet the pegasus and Spike at a field, just outside Ponyville. When they arrived, Spike recognized it as the same place that he had fought with Discord for the final time, in the future. What the dragon didn't know, was that this day was about to take a turn for the worse.

A large picnic blanket was spread out over the grass with all sorts of desserts, drinks, and other foods upon it.

Fluttershy was touched that her friends had worked so hard, to make sure that she had a good birthday. "Oh, girls! You didn't have to…"

Rarity walked up and put a hoof on her shoulder. "It simply just wouldn't do, if this party wasn't as magnificent as the mare it was planned for! No need to thank us, Darling."

The moment was quickly ruined, however, as Spike sneezed. A stream of emerald fire spewed forth from his mouth, quickly consuming half of the spread on the blanket, and sending a swirl of smoke into the sky.

"Spike!" Twilight scolded, sending an annoyed look to the embarrassed dragon.

"It's okay, Twilight. It's not like he could help it!" Fluttershy defended her patient, gliding over to him with a tissue in hoof.

"Are you sure you're feeling up to this?" She asked, as Spike used the tissue to wipe his nose.

"I'll be fine, Shy'! It's just a cold, so don't worry so much! Just enjoy your party." Spike lightly shoved her towards the others, flashing her a reassuring smile.

The pegasus was hesitant to leave his side, but had little choice, as she was dragged away by Pinkie Pie. "Come on, Fluttershy! The fun is over here!"

Spike sat off to the side, munching on a cupcake and watching the others play 'Pin the Tail on the Pony', as he relaxed under the shade of a tree. An apple fell off of the branch above Spike, bouncing off of his head and into his hand.

"Ow! Stupid apple!" He muttered, rubbing the spines on his head.

"Watch who you're calling stupid, little dragon."

Spike jumped at the sound, not seeing anypony nearby. "Wha-Who said that? Show yourself!"

The voice sighed. "All right, if you insist."

The dragon backed away from the tree in wonder, as at least a dozen more apples fell from it, bouncing and rolling into a pile, including the one in his hand. The pile shifted as the apples combined together, stretching and transforming into something else, entirely. A white flash completed the display, revealing a very mis-matched creature. It offered a toothy grin to the dragon.

"Good afternoon, Spike. How are you doing on this fine day?"

"I'm all right, I guess. Shouldn't you be hiding somewhere, which isn't in plain sight? The others might spot you!" Spike pointed over to the girls, who still hadn't noticed Discord's appearance.

"Yes, that is probably for the best." The draconequs agreed, floating over to the tree, and somehow merging with it.

"I'm guessing, that you didn't come here just to say hello, so what are you REALLY here for?" Spike leaned back against the tree, continuing to munch on his treat.

"You would be correct in that assumption. I have some news to tell you. I detected a strong magic earlier, so I traced it to its source."

"And?" Spike urged, prompting him to continue.

"Strangely enough, it seems to be emanating from that little trinket of yours. It appears to be getting stronger by the minute, so I would advise you to be careful."

"So, is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"I'm not sure." Discord admitted.

"Well, thanks anyway. I appreciate your concern." Spike said, watching as Pinkie Pie balanced a stack of plates on her head.

The plates toppled off of her towards the ground, but Twilight caught them with her magic.

All of the sudden, the magenta aura around the dishes was stripped away from them, including the aura around Twilight's horn, canceling the spell. The wave of magic shot over to Spike, where it was absorbed into the artifact. Spike, Discord, and all of the rest watched in fascination. The horn was encircled by the magic it had absorbed, crackling with energy. The horn tore free from his neck, disintegrating the string it was on, and floated over to an empty spot in the grass.

Twilight and Rarity felt a tugging in their horns, as their magic was forcefully ripped from them, causing them to collapse to the ground in pain. Fluttershy galloped over to their side to make sure they were okay, while the others continued watching the horn. Two extra ribbons of magic now circled it, adding to the light show. More ribbons were released from inside the horn, surrounding it in all directions, spinning even faster.

All of the magic coalesced to form a skeleton attached to the horn, which rapidly grew skin and a gray coat of fur. The magic dissipated, flowing back into the unicorn's horn, and Twilight and Rarity's. A star-patterned cloak and a large, pointy wizard's hat with the same pattern on it appeared out of nowhere, settling on the unicorn's body. A long, white beard quickly grew upon the lower half of his face. His face was shaded by the hat that he now wore, but his eyes were still visible under its rim, glinting in the shadows.

As he turned around to face the group of ponies and the dragon behind them, the bells on his cloak and hat jingled. His strikingly golden eyes analyzed all of his surroundings, as Twilight and Rarity got back on their hooves, feeling a little better, since their magic was restored. When he spoke, his voice was deep, almost ominous in tone.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Spike, and the 'Elements of Harmony'." He turned to look at the two unicorns nearby, and grinned evilly. "Without the extra boost you two gave me, I wouldn't have escaped my prison, so thank you for that. You know, I actually bear no hatred towards any of you ponies. The one I'm after, is of a different species, entirely." Starswirl directed his attention to a very surprised and terrified dragon. As if reading his thoughts, the unicorn added, "That's right, Spike, I'm talking about you."

"M-Me? What have I, done to you? We've never even met before!" Spike stammered, confusedly.

Starswirl did something unexpected by everypony present, beginning to laugh. "Hahaha! On the contrary, Spike, it's not what you've done, but what you WILL do, if given the chance. That's why I'm here. To stop you, from ever getting one!"

Everypony (except for Spike) gasped in horror.

"Before I meet my doom, can you at least explain how you're here, in the first place?"

Starswirl considered it for a moment, before nodding. "Very well. I am a reasonable stallion, so I won't kill you, until I have explained my reasons in detail."

"Oooh! Flashbacks are so awesome-rific! Can I tell the story? Pretty please?" Pinkie Pie begged, flashing puppy dog eyes at the overwhelmed unicorn.

"I suppose so, but I don't see how…"

"Shhh! You're interrupting the story!"

"But, you haven't even…"

"Started yet? If you're wondering how I knew what you were going to say, it's because I'm a totally amazing, Psychic!" Pinkie Pie continued to babble on for a while, before finally starting to tell the story of Starswirl.

Although it wasn't 100% accurate, her version was WAY cooler, than the boring original.

Chapter Twenty:Pinkie's Fantabulously Amazing, Awesome Sauce Story

Time Stops For No Dragon
Chapter 20-Pinkie's Fantabulously Amazing, Awesome Sauce Story

"One day, Starswirl headed to his lab to work on his latest invention. On the way, he began to get very hungry. The kind of hungry where you'll eat anything, you can get your hooves on! While deciding if he should eat his hat or not, Starswirl entered his lab and got a big surprise! 'Oh my gosh, Cupcakes!' He squealed like a little filly, but in a slightly, manlier tone. Two cupcakes were on his desk, in all their sparkly cupcakey glory, courtesy of his best friend, Pinkie Pie.

His fellow worker, Albert Moonflower, witnessed his devouring of the cups of cake, and he was jealous that he had no chance to partake in their deliciousness. So, while Starswirl's back was turned, Albert fired a bolt of lightning at him, wounding him, greatly. As he lay there dying, Albert said, 'Were those cupcakes to DIE for?' That was an admittedly awful joke, but you have to give him an 'A' for effort! He laughed at his own terrible joke in awkward silence, while Starswirl hatched a brilliant plan.

Though I'm not sure how he hatched it, since it wasn't an egg. Or was it? I'm not sure. Anyway, he transferred his soul and magic into his horn, somehow, causing his horn to fall off. Albert took the horn and put it in a display case, as a reminder of his victory. And, hundreds of years later, he was released when he finally gained enough magical magicyness. And that's why you always need to share, or you'll almost die from a lightning bolt zapping your flank!" Pinkie looked around to see everypony's reactions to her story, but everypony was too shocked to say anything.

"That's not exactly how it happened, but that's good enough, I suppose." Starswirl commented.

Spike laughed and clapped, once he had recovered from the story's absurdness. "You always know how to cheer me up, Pinkie!"

"Awww, thanks!" She blushed, and grinned from ear to ear.

Starswirl decided he'd mess with the dragon some more, before getting rid of him. "You know, I couldn't have escaped without your help, Spike. I used magic from Twilight and Rarity to recreate my body using the DNA left in my horn, but all of the rest of my magic came from you."

"What do you mean?" Spike asked.

Starswirl smiled wickedly under the brim of his hat. "You mean, you really don't know? That every time you used magic, you were adding to my power? You probably thought that when the horn glowed, you were using ITS magic, didn't you? You were actually using the magic already inside you, and every time the horn glowed, I was absorbing it. Until you got me out of that case, I was just collecting dust. This couldn't have been possible, without you. How does it feel, to know that you brought about the destruction of your world, as you know it?"

"Wha-Wha…I…" Spike stuttered, in horror.

"Spike, don't listen to him! You didn't do any of those things, because we ALL know that you aren't like that. And, if by some chance, he's telling the truth, I know you didn't do it willingly!" Twilight yelled.

Starswirl turned to the lavender unicorn and asked, "How can you be so sure, he didn't do any of those things? Maybe, you don't know him as well as you think you do!"

Twilight was about to argue that she had known him all of her life, before being interrupted by Spike.

The dragon turned to look at her, sadly. "He's right, Twilight. I'm not the same dragon, you used to know. This is all my fault. Just go ahead and kill me, Starswirl, I deserve it." Spike's head sagged, accepting defeat.

"Hahaha! This is too rich! I'll grant your request, as a last wish!" Starswirl began charging a spell into his horn, a ball of golden light forming at the end of it, and steadily growing bigger.

Right before it fired, a rainbow streak tackled the evil unicorn to the ground, disrupting the magic flow to his horn and canceling the spell. "Spike, I can only hold him for so long, so you need to get the HAY out of here!" Rainbow Dash yelled, as Starswirl struggled to push her off.

Spike nodded, but there was something he wanted to do first. He ran over to Fluttershy. "I, uh…just want you to know, that I'll always love you. I always have, Fluttershy, you know? I should have told you, sooner."

She smiled, as tears began to fill her eyes. "I…I love you too, Spike. Be careful, and good luck with this…whatever's going on."

Spike leaned in and kissed her passionately, causing her to melt into his arms, which had wrapped her in a hug. This was fairly easy, since they had been nearly the same height now, for a while. "Oh, how I've missed this." He thought, before breaking the kiss, leaving her dazed.

"I promise, I'll figure out a way to save you." Spike muttered, under his breath.

He said the words that would send him to the future hastily, disappearing into a portal before Starswirl could break free.

"This isn't how I expected Starswirl the Bearded to act, at all! Though I guess, I'd go crazy too, if I was trapped for hundreds of years with nothing to do and nopony to talk to." Twilight thought, watching as he finally pushed Rainbow off of him.

Starswirl the Bearded snorted. "He should have just taken the death option. I have a feeling he'll much prefer it, to what I have in store for him."

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"Should we do something, Sister?" Princess Luna asked, after watching the events unfold.

"No, Luna. We mustn't interfere. His journey is far from over, and I wish to see if he lives up to his destiny. We will help out if need be, but not unless the situation worsens. For now, we must see how this story unfolds. I hope that he will be ready, when he has to make the most difficult decision he has ever faced." Celestia answered.

"Do you think he will succeed?" Luna wondered.

"Only time will tell, Sister. Only time will tell." Celestia replied.

"Funny, how time is what started this whole mess, in the first place." Luna chuckled.

"Quite." Celestia said, as serious as ever.

Chapter Twenty-One:The Best Way To Wake Up

Time Stops For No Dragon
Chapter 21-The Best Way To Wake Up

When Spike arrived back in his time period, nothing could have prepared him for what awaited him there. To his horror, this world looked exactly like the other dimension, he and Fluttershy had visited! When he got back to his body, he was in an entirely different location than he had departed from. He was currently, a few feet underground…in a coffin. He had no idea what his body was doing covered in a pile of dirt, but he knew he had to get out soon or he would be dead for real.
This was a problem, since he couldn't open the coffin for all the dirt in the way. He soon gave up, prepared to face death, his air supply dwindling at a rapid pace.

"No! You can't give up, yet! Without you, this world is doomed!"

"Sister, you'd better hurry. I don't think he's supposed to be blue."

"He's not…Oh. We'd better help him."

Spike was confused by the voices talking in his head, but he assumed he was hearing things, due to lack of air.

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A bright, yellow light blurred his vision for a moment, leaving him in the Throne room of Canterlot Castle. The two royal sisters were standing in front of him.

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions. We'd be happy to fill you in." Celestia greeted.

"I agree with what my sister said. We are here to help you, in any way possible." Luna agreed.

"Why don't we start with why the HAY, I was buried under the dirt? It's not like I was dead or anything!"

Celestia shifted uncomfortably. "Well…in this reality, there is another Spike, which your friends think is you. Starswirl is hiding somewhere along with the corrupted Fluttershy, and all traces of you were erased from this time. Starswirl buried your body without our knowing of it, until we sensed the magic generated by your return."

"Let me get this straight. Not only are Starswirl and the corrupted Fluttershy still around, but I also, have to deal with some two-bit imposter pretending to be me?" Spike fumed.

"I understand you're upset, but surely, you considered the consequences of using a time spell?" Luna asked, "That what you did in the past would change the future, and alter the memories of your friends?"

"I guess, I understand, but who is this other me?" Spike wondered.

"I believe you know him, as 'Future Spike'. Apparently, your messing with the time stream allowed your timelines to merge into one. There is a side effect of time travel, which I believe you are already slightly familiar with." Celestia answered.

"What is it?"

"You created a different timeline in the past where you had different experiences, instead of responding to Luna's letter. But, you also still had the memories from your original timeline. Having two sets of memories for each event, puts a lot of pressure on your mind. This is why you collapsed and had headaches. It will only get worse as time goes on, so you need to hurry and fix everything, before it kills you. I'm not sure how long you have, so you'd better get started."

"We both wish you, the best of luck!" Luna finished and Celestia nodded.

"We have faith in you!" She added.

"All I have to do is find myself, and stop ME from doing whatever it is I'm doing. Man, this is confusing!" Spike thought, as he left the Throne room.

After he left, Luna frowned and looked over at her sister. "He's going to die, isn't he?"

"Probably so, yes." Celestia replied, casually.

Chapter Twenty-Two:Me, Myself, And I

Time Stops For No Dragon
Chapter 22-Me, Myself, and I

So, Spike set out to track down his double, starting the search in Ponyville. After walking for a while, he spotted a trail of footprints and ran over to them, believing that he had finally found a clue. He frowned, disappointed when he realized that those were his tracks from earlier.

"Oh, come on! I already searched this area! I had no idea how hard it would be, to find Future Spike…er, me!"

A few ponies looked his way, surprised from his outburst, but they soon went back to minding their own business. Spike heard a scream coming from the next street over, so he ran around the corner to see who it was. He was just in time, to see his double grab Pinkie Pie by the tail and toss her into the sky. This enraged the young dragon, not appreciating when someone hurts his friends.

"Don't you dare hurt her, you monster!" Spike shouted, charging at his future self, his fist prepared to punch.

Without even looking at the approaching dragon, he caught his fist with one hand, tossing him to the side. Spike let out a cry of surprise as he was flipped over, landing on his back in the dirt. He watched as his double caught Pinkie and set her down.

"Whee! That was fun!" She exclaimed, before running off to Celestia knows where.

Future Spike cast a sidelong glance at his past self and snorted at the shocked look on his face. "Did you really think I wouldn't know what my past self was going to do? I AM you, after all. They may have forgotten you, but there's no way for me to do the same."

Spike sat up in the dirt he had landed in, staring at F. Spike. "You shouldn't be here." He said, in a way that implied he was sure of what he was saying.

F. Spike shook his head. "Actually, YOU shouldn't be here. This timeline believes that I'm the real Spike. You aren't supposed to exist here, yet here you are." This resulted in a silence that neither dragon could figure out how to end. "Nice jacket, by the way." F. Spike commented, after a considerable amount of time had passed.

"Uh, thanks." Spike replied, unsure where he was going with this conversation.

"This is all your fault, you know."

"Starswirl said that, too. What's THAT all about?" Spike asked.

"If you hadn't tampered with the past, we wouldn't be here. The way I see it, this is the only answer that makes any sense."

Spike racked his brain for any other sense-making answers, but he couldn't come up with anything else. "Wait a minute! If all the others lost their memories, shouldn't you have lost yours, too?"

F. Spike chuckled. "It's simple. Why haven't you, lost yours?"

"Hey! Don't answer my question with a question! That just makes it confusing!" Spike protested, wondering how F. Spike could be taking this so lightly.

He thought he recalled reading one of Twilight's books, which said it would cause something called a 'paradox' to happen, if you met yourself in another time. A paradox would supposedly destroy all of reality, which was obviously in no way a good thing. Shouldn't they be exploding twice by now or something? Spike had never understood how somepony could explode more than once, but maybe, this was how it happened.

"Fine, I'll tell you. You didn't get affected, because you're the one who changed everything. I didn't get affected, because by some extension, I'm you. You still following me?"

Spike nodded in understanding. "I was just wondering…How have we not destroyed everything, just by meeting?"

F. Spike smiled slightly in amusement. "This isn't like some bad science fiction movie. And, even if that was true, these aren't exactly ordinary circumstances. Timelines don't usually merge, but I figure that since this happened, it must be for a reason."

Spike hummed in thought. "I suppose, that makes sense. Well, I guess, I'd better get started on finding where Starswirl is hiding. I might see you later, but I don't exactly have all the time in the world." He walked off down the road, intending to search for more clues.

"Wait!" F. Spike shouted, stopping the young adult dragon in his tracks, long enough for him to catch up. "Don't you think that since we're stuck in this mess together, we should help each other out? I mean, I want to do all that I can to help get Fluttershy back. You don't want to go through what I have. I don't care what we have to do to prevent my future from being real, I'll do it. Whatever it is, we haven't done it yet, because I'm still standing here."

Spike gasped. "I don't want you to die! You're like me, only 20% cooler!"

F. Spike smiled, sadly. "Thanks, but there's nothing left for me here. I'm just here, to take your place."

Spike wasn't really happy with his decision, but he didn't really have a choice. "Okay, but if we're going to work together, I need to call you something besides, 'Future Spike'."

"All right. Call me…Thorn. That's my real name or at least, what I changed it to. I wanted to forget my past."

"Nice to meet'cha Thorn." Spike smiled. "I've heard so much about you!"

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After a while of searching, Spike huffed and threw his hands in the air from frustration.

"Man, this stinks! This would be so much easier if I could use a locator spell to find Starswirl, but I don't have the artifact anymore! All I can do without it, is light candles." To prove his point, a small flame flickered and danced along the surface of his palm, before he snuffed it out, by closing his hand into a fist.

Thorn spoke up, causing the young dragon to look over at him. "That's not true! You can actually still use magic if you have an enchanted conductor."

"I know that, but I don't have the artifact, or any other magically enhanced item!"

Thorn made a sound, akin to a buzzer when one gets an answer wrong. "You DO have a magical item on you. In fact, I have the same one. This jacket we're wearing allows you to channel the natural magic inside you through it, giving you an easier time of casting spells. I can show you how, if you want. It gives you all sorts of powers."

"I don't know…" Spike hesitated, not so sure that this was a good idea.

"The alternative is that you'd be really popular at birthday parties!" Thorn smirked, enjoying messing with him.

"No thanks, I'd rather learn about magic powers!" Spike protested, chuckling a little.

"All right. Only if you're sure, man."

Thorn walked off, leaving Spike with no choice but to follow.

Chapter Twenty-Three:The Basics Of Magical Jackets

Time Stops For No Dragon
Chapter 23-The Basics Of Magical Jackets

"So, why are we standing in this field?" Spike inquired, kicking a small pebble along the ground.

"Well, the powers this jacket gives you are extremely…er, potent, if you don't know how to use them correctly." Thorn explained. Gesturing to the field around them, he continued. "Out here, we are pretty far away from civilization. We'll have less chance of injuring somepony."

Spike nodded, remembering a question that he wanted to ask. "This thing wouldn't happen to be alive, would it?" He pointed to his jacket.

Thorn's eyes widened. "No…It's not supposed to be. Why would you think…" He trailed off, not sure how to voice what he was thinking.

"Well, I noticed that when I was trying to hide it from ponies, it would become invisible or something." Spike added.

Thorn tapped a claw on his chin. "Hmmm…You probably unknowingly activated it, using your thoughts."

"I guess…" Spike agreed.

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After about an hour of practicing different techniques, Thorn decided that was enough for now and an exhausted Spike agreed.

"You've made good progress, since we started."

"Thanks…" Spike panted, trying to regain his breath.

Thorn sat down in the tall grass and Spike followed suite, grateful for the break. His only complaint was that there were no clouds in the sky to block the sun's relentless assault. A gentle breeze blew through the area for a moment, accompanied by a white glow coming from Thorn's hand. Spike watched him, mouth agape.

"Wha…How are you still using magic? Aren't you tired?"

Thorn chuckled at his surprise. "You need to work on your stamina and endurance. It takes a lot of spell casting for me to even come CLOSE to being tired. With enough practice, you can be just like me."

After a minute or two with no talking, Spike sighed. "Do you think we'll ever fix things back to the way they were?"

"I don't know, maybe." Thorn answered, honestly.

"I…I-I don't have enough time to sit around t-trying to f-figure this out…" Spike slumped forward, clutching his head in pain.

Thorn crawled over to him and pointed his outstretched palm at Spike's forehead, as it emitted a dull, yellow glow. The dragon almost instantly relaxed, sitting back up slowly. The pain had faded now, just a dull ache in the back of his mind.

"Wha-What did you just do?" He asked shakily, relieved to have the pain nearly gone.

"I used a 'slow down', or 'cool off' spell to decrease the rate at which your mind is deteriorating. That should keep you from dying on me, for a while. At least, enough time to fix this mess we caused. Word of advice, though, try not to get too stressed, as that creates more of a strain on your psyche." Thorn stood up, looking down at Spike. "If you're feeling up to it, we can practice some more. We're going to need all the help we can get, if we're going to take down Starswirl and save our evil ex-marefriend!" He extended his hand, offering it to his younger self.

"You're right, I think I can handle it." Spike agreed, taking hold of his hand and allowing the older dragon to help him up.

As soon as Spike was standing, a bright flash erupted in the space between the two dragons, obscuring his vision. When it cleared, Spike's eyes adjusted to its absence, allowing him to see properly again. Surprisingly, there was no trace of Thorn or where he had just been. He just simply wasn't there anymore, despite having been there seconds before. Spike's confusion turned to panic, believing that something terrible had happened.

"Thorn? Where are you, man?" He shouted.

Chapter Twenty-Four:What's Yours Is Mine

Time Stops For No Dragon
Chapter 24-What's Yours Is Mine

"Thorn? Where are you, man?!" Spike shouted.

"Geez, don't shout so loud! I'm right here, for crying out loud!" Thorn replied, with a little aggravation in his tone.

"If you're right here, why can't I see you?" Spike questioned, looking around for any signs of his companion.

"I don't know…I'm in some dark place. For some reason, I can hear your voice echoing all around me! I must be somewhere close by."

"Whoa, that's weird…" Spike said, trying to come up with any way this could have happened. All of the sudden, the young adult dragon had a horrible thought. "What…What if we just caused a paradox, because we touched each other! And we like, combined somehow!"

"That's ridicu…Wait, that actually makes sense." Thorn said, "I just hope this isn't permanent." The older dragon started thinking about all of the things he hadn't taught Spike yet.

Spike suddenly glimpsed a series of moving pictures in the darkness of his mind, causing him to gasp. "What was that?"

"I don't know, did you mean outside or inside?" Thorn inquired, a little confused since he hadn't seen anything.

"Inside my head! Was…Was that your memories?"

"Oh! I guess, it was…I was just thinking about what I wouldn't get to teach you, now that I'm in here." Thorn explained.

"Hold on, I want to try something! Do what you just did, again!"

Thorn shrugged or at least he would have, if he still had a body. "All right."

Pictures began appearing in Spike's head again, but this time, he imagined a hand mentally grabbing them and storing them away for later.

"What did you just do?" Thorn asked, seeing all of the images disappearing one at a time.

"I took all of your memories of fighting and copied them into mine! Now, I should be able to do everything you would have taught me!" Spike explained, excitedly.

He began running towards a nearby cliff, having just seen something he wanted to try. Thorn, who could see what Spike saw through his eyes, began to panic.

"Whoa, what are you doing?!"

Spike grinned, smugly. "I thought you could read my mind? If you can, then you should know what I'm doing."

"I can, but only if I concentrate on your thoughts." Thorn replied. "And I don't need to read your mind to know that this is a stupid idea!"

"Come on, Thorn, don't you trust me?" Spike said, as they continued to get closer to the cliff.

"Not really! I've had some pretty stupid ideas in the past."

Spike was silent for a moment. "Good point…I'm pretty sure that this will work, though." He insisted, just as they reached the edge of the cliff.

He didn't stop there, leaping off of the cliff, aided by a particularly powerful gust of wind.

"Where did that gust of wind come from?" Thorn wondered, noticing that there was no breeze before their jump.

"I can use magic, remember?"

"Yeah, but that's a high-level spell! Oh right, you took my knowledge and abilities."

"Anything you can do, I can do…" Spike began.

"You'd better not say it…" Thorn warned.

"The same, actually."

Thorn sighed. "For a moment there, I thought you were going to quote Trixie."

"Hey, weren't we falling?"

Just as they were about to hit the ground, white boots appeared on Spike's feet, allowing him to avoid breaking his legs when he landed.

"Ah, yes, the 'Boots of Support'. That was actually a smart idea, not stupid like I originally thought." Thorn admitted.

Spike smirked. "And you didn't trust me. Everything turned out fine!"

"What's next? You're the one in control here." Thorn pointed out.

Spike stared determinedly, off into the distance. "I'm ready to take down Starswirl and get Fluttershy back."

"That's fine, if that's what you want to do, but I have some advice that you MIGHT want to hear first."

"Okay, lay it on me." Spike said, curiously.

"There's an old legend about a gauntlet that supposedly, can absorb magic or cancel spells. It's called the 'Gauntlet of Marelantis', and if we can get our hands on it, it would prove invaluable to our cause." Thorn explained.

This piqued the younger dragon's interest, but he was a bit skeptical. "Okay, but aren't legends just stories passed down through the generations? How do we know that it's even true?" Spike asked, hoping for some proof.

"That's easy! I saw it in a book in Twilight's library! I think the book was called, 'Lost Legends' or something like that."

"Awesome! If we can borrow that book from Twilight, it should really help us fight Starswirl!"

"Onward to ADVENTURE!" Thorn shouted, enthusiastically.

"What was that?" Spike chuckled at his sudden outburst.

"Sorry, I got a little excited." Thorn grinned, sheepishly.

Chapter Twenty-Five:The Gauntlet Of Marelantis

Time Stops For No Dragon
Chapter 25-The Gauntlet Of Marelantis

After explaining everything to Twilight, she was understandably excited about their unique predicament.

"Oh my gosh! There are SO many possibilities! Think of all the experiments!" She exclaimed, her eyes slightly glazed over.

Neither Spike nor Thorn liked the idea of enduring potentially painful experiments, so they prepared to leave as soon as possible. While Twilight was distracted by her fantasies, Thorn guided Spike to where the book was. Once they had it, he stuffed it in his jacket and they slowly backed away, towards the door.

"Uh, Twi, all of this is over." Spike announced, opening the door and shutting it behind him, receiving no response from the lavender unicorn.

The sound of the door closing, snapped Twilight from her reverie. "Where did they run off to?" She asked the air, looking around the library in confusion.

"Also, who stole my map? I needed that to…Oh, never mind."

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A few hours later…

Spike and Thorn had just finished visiting all of the places on a map that they had found in the book, which was actually a map of the best restaurants around Ponyville. Twilight was probably missing it already, since she had been using this hoof-made map as a bookmark, for some reason.

Spike stopped walking, all of the sudden. "Wait a minute, this isn't a map of Equestria! This is just all of the best restaurants! Twilight must have been using this as a bookmark." Thorn realized.

"So, that's why everyone thought we were crazy, when I asked about Marelantis! They kept asking, if I had had too much to drink! At least we finally have a lead, though. That weird stallion wearing a brown fedora said it was near a lake, not too far from town. For some reason, I got the feeling that he was some type of treasure hunter. I wonder what he was doing at a place like 'Filly Cheese's'?"

They were walking through a forest outside of Ponyville, opposite of the Everfree forest.

"I don't know. It should be around here somewhere, though." Thorn replied.

A moment after he said that, Spike tripped over a tree root and went tumbling down a short slope. A branch shifted down with a cracking noise, as he rolled over it and reached the end of the slope. Spike stood up, surprisingly unharmed. To his confusion, a hole with a set of stairs leading down into it was right in front of him, at the edge of a lake.

"When did THAT get there?" Spike wondered, vaguely remembering rolling over something during his fall. He looked back up the slope and saw a branch bent at an unusual angle.

"That must be the lever, which opened this secret passage." Thorn said.

"I guess so." Spike agreed, turning back toward the stairs.

"I just hope that this isn't a total bust." Thorn sighed.

"That guy seemed pretty reliable." Spike stated.

"That's the key word there, SEEMED." Thorn said.

"Well, either way, I'm going to check this out." Spike concluded, lighting an emerald flame in one hand and descending the steps into darkness.

The dim light that the flame provided was just enough to see a few feet ahead of them in any direction.

"Be careful, Spike. Places like these are almost always booby-trapped."

"All right, I'll try." Spike said, just as they reached the bottom of the stairs.

He turned the corner, emerging into a beautiful cavern full of light-radiating crystals and a waterfall.

"Whoa! Rarity would LOVE this place!" Spike commented, extinguishing his handheld flame.

"I'm sure she would, but…What's that over there?" Thorn said, directing Spike's attention to what looked like a mural painted on the side of the wall.

It had to be a few hundred years old, at least. Spike walked over to it, attempting to get a closer look, but over half of it was obscured by overgrown lichen and vines.

"Hmmm…let me see, if I can clear this stuff off of here."

Spike decided to go old school and inhaled deeply, exhaling a stream of brilliant emerald flame. The fire burned away the vines and lichen, effectively clearing the mural for viewing. He gasped as its contents were revealed, never having expected to find something like this. There were a series of pictures depicting what appeared to be ponies and dragons, as well as…pony-dragon hybrids?

If these images were anything to go by, dragons and ponies had been getting together, probably in secret, for a much longer time than anypony could have ever guessed. So, Spike's dream of marrying Fluttershy and being together forever seemed more like a reality than ever before. There was an inscription that had been carved into the stone under it, that had all but faded over years of erosion, although the words could still be made out, if one examined it closely.

"Hmmm…that's interesting, to say the least. Can you make out what it says?" Thorn asked, curiously.

"I think so, but it's kind of hard to read." Spike leaned in closer, squinting to try and see it better. Even with the natural light from the crystals, the mural was in the shadows, so he lit it up with a flame in his palm.

Now that the mural was illuminated by his convincing impression of a flickering candle, it was much easier to see what he was supposed to be reading. In this light, it reminded him of the similar paintings contained in that hall at the castle in the Badlands. The art style was very much alike, although there was one major difference, which was the fact that while the other paintings he had seen featured him in them, this one didn't seem to have him in it at all.

"There is a legend, an old mare's tale, some might say. A story of ponies, long hidden away. These equestrians are special, belonging to a different breed. They lurk in the shadows, where they are forced to feed. Born as a pony, wearing their skin, but a raging fire burns within. They are known as the 'Drakenshire', the forgotten link. To discover what they connect to, all one must do is think. Ponies and dragons, an unlikely fusion. Their existence is a source, of constant confusion. No one knows, if they are real or not. This mural is the only proof, that anypony has ever got. Beware if you see one, for they are a menace, unwanted. It is a difficult task, to remain undaunted."

"The 'Drakenshire', huh?"

"Yeah, do you think they're real? I've never heard of them." Spike said.

"Well, I wouldn't rule it out, considering how many different species of monsters and other types of creatures there are all over Equestria. Whether they exist or not, isn't what worries me, though. What worries me, is that we found what is likely to be the only proof they exist, hidden away, buried underneath multiple layers of soil like some kind of forbidden secret. Let's just say, that if they ARE real, we probably don't ever want to meet them." Thorn pointed out.

"I agree with you there, but at the same time, I sort of wish that we knew one. I mean, how awesome would it be, to have a fire-breathing pony on our side?" Spike admitted, with a chuckle.

"Spike, if you realized how serious this situation was, you wouldn't be joking around right now." Thorn scolded him.

"Thorn, I hate to break it to you, but if anypony realizes how serious this is, it's me. You're not the one whose mind is slowly deteriorating, as a consequence of his actions. You're also not the one who got his ex-marefriend possessed by the soul of an evil chaos lord, because of his inability to see what was happening the first time around. Not only that, but you're also not the one who unleashed the most powerful, evil unicorn in history upon the world. And, on top of that, have you thought about the fact that if I die, you will too, since you're trapped in my mind, which is also my fault?" Spike ranted, his voice full of emotion.

"Spike, I'm sorry. I know you have a lot on your plate. However, as for my death, it will still happen, no matter what you do. If all goes according to plan, and it HAS to if we want to keep you alive, then my future will be wiped from the board and I, along with it. This is no time to be breaking down and you know it." Thorn apologized.

"Yes, I know you're right. I can't afford to waste any more time on these stupid emotions of mine. All they do is make me weak and I need to be strong, now more than ever. Let's just forget about this mural for now…" He gestured to it. "…And go find that gauntlet you were talking about." Spike concluded.

Twilight had always taught him that there was nothing wrong with showing emotions, even though normal dragons thought otherwise. Since he was raised as a pony, Spike was more open to those kinds of things than others of his kind might be. Despite that, it was imperative, at least in his opinion, to shut off his emotions for this mission. He had to deaden his feelings to the best of his ability, if he ever hoped to accomplish the monumental task that had been set upon his shoulders.

It was almost a certainty that he would have to kill Starswirl at the very least, and if worst came to worst, well…He hated to even think of it, but if it came down to it and there was no other way, he might have to kill Fluttershy. That was the main reason he would have to block out his emotions, but that option was only a last resort. He would try everything he could think of to save her first and if it came down to it, he wouldn't even be above sacrificing himself.

Spike surveyed his surroundings once more, spying a path that led deeper into the underground cavern. On his way there, he broke off one of the smaller light-radiating crystals that was only slightly larger than he could fit in his palm. To his disappointment, it stopped emitting light the moment it lost contact with the cluster. Even though it seemed useless without its power, he stuffed it in his pack for later, just in case. He continued on down the path, heading deeper and deeper. The further away he got from the crystal cavern, the darker his surroundings became.

He was expecting to have run into a few traps by now, but due to the entrance being hard to find since one had to trigger that seemingly random stick on a hill, maybe, they thought it wasn't necessary. It wasn't often that somepony would stumble across it unless they knew exactly where it was, and Spike doubted that HE would have, if it weren't for his accidental tumble.

After a while, he reached a dead end. It seemed that way at first, anyway. "What do you think we should do?" Spike asked.

"In my experience, caves like this one have one or two secret passages. Well, besides the obvious secret entrance, of course. An artifact like the 'Gauntlet of Marelantis' should be hidden somewhere off the beaten path." Thorn informed.

"That's what I thought, too. I've been artifact hunting with Twilight several times now, so I expected there to be a secret passage or two around here. I didn't think this was the end of it." Spike examined the wall nearby and found a crack on its surface.
He reared back and let loose, slamming his fist into the rock. The crack got wider, splintering off in all directions, until what was once a wall, became nothing more than a pile of rubble. Spike grinned, stepping over the remains and moving towards a small hole in the stone, which he had revealed.

"How much are you willing to bet, that this leads straight to the treasure?" Thorn asked, certain that he was right.

"I may not be the smartest dragon around, but I know enough not to take that bet. I think you're right about this one." Spike said.

The hole was almost too small for him to fit with his increased stature, but Spike managed to squeeze through with a little effort, hoping against all odds that he wouldn't get stuck. Thankfully, the tunnel wasn't all that long and he made it to the other side with minimal difficulty. On the other side, just like they had expected, was the gauntlet they had been searching for. It was placed on a pedestal in a small alcove. The artifact was cyan in color, with pictures of what looked like seaponies on it along with swirling waves and it was made out of metal like a suit of armor.

"Wow! It's beautiful." Spike exclaimed, his mouth open in awe, as his eyes sparkled in wonderment.

"That it is. Be careful, if you want to grab it, though. You know that these things usually, activate a trap. If nothing else, you must have learned that from every 'Trotiana Pones' movie. Come to think of it, that guy who told us about this place bore a striking resemblance to…never mind. It's not like a fictional character from books or movies, ever turns out to be real. I'm sure it was just a very passionate fan, dressed up in costume. Anyway, Spike, you'd better…"

In the time it had taken him to finish his rambling and get back on track, Spike had been inching closer and closer to the artifact. Now, he was right next to it. Strange as it seemed, it felt like some unnatural force was reeling him in, drawing him towards it. All he wanted was to reach out and touch it. The gauntlet was calling him to it, like a mythical siren song, attempting to lead him to disaster. It wanted him to have it and he wanted it, more than he could ever recall wanting even a particularly appetizing gemstone. Which was a lot, since those were always hard for him to resist.

"…He's not listening, is he? We're doomed." Thorn finished, as Spike finally laid his hands on the ancient artifact. For the first time, his older self realized that this thing, as powerful as it was, had probably been hidden in this place for a very good reason.

As soon as Spike made contact with the gauntlet, touching it with his right hand, his claws sunk into it slowly, like it was made entirely out of water. In fact, for a moment, it was liquid in form, until it suddenly swirled up his arm in a spiral, stopping once it had covered most of its length, ending just below his elbow. It was a little big on him, but it soon condensed, molding to his arm like clay and then solidifying back into its original silver, metal form.

"What the?" Spike had never seen anything like this before and neither had Thorn.

He tried to slide it back off, but it was like it had been glued down, becoming sealed to his flesh. Although he was worried about it, he shrugged it off, figuring that it wouldn't harm him any more than it already had. He needed to be prepared for anything, so he would probably want it on, anyway. Now that he had acquired it, his next order of business was to go after Starswirl and then save Fluttershy.

"Are you okay, Spike?" Thorn asked in concern.

"Yeah, I think so. That was weird, though. For a minute there, it was like I had fallen under its spell. Now, it's like it's connected to me, somehow." Spike explained, to the best of his ability.

"As long as you're all right, I guess, we can worry about that other stuff, later." He grinned. "You know, if your intention was to become a knight, you're much closer to that goal than ever before. You've got an awesome sword, which was already good enough and now you have what is essentially, a piece of armor. Not only that, but it's magical armor." Thorn chuckled. "Spike the Knight."

Spike blushed a bit, embarrassed by his mentioning of something that he had never really told anypony about. "You saw that, huh? That was just a fantasy I had about being Fluttershy's knight in shining armor or scales, heh heh."

"Of course, I did. It wasn't exactly hard to find, considering the fact that I'm stuck in your mind. I can see all of your memories, as well as any fantasies you might have. In fact, I'm sure Fluttershy would LOVE to hear about that dream you had a few nights ago. It was a bit inappropriate, but I'm sure that she wouldn't mind doing some of those things with you. What was it she said again? Something about agreeing to bear your foals, if I recall."

"She doesn't need to find out about that!" Spike protested, frantically waving his hands.

"Duly noted. Also, would such a thing even be possible? I'd do some research on the subject, if I were you." Thorn pointed out.

"I'm actually, not sure. I hope so, though. I mean, if it was painted on an ancient mural, that pretty much cements it as a fact. I'd like to think so, anyway." Spike shrugged. "Anyway, let's get back on a more relevant subject."

"You're right, we're supposed to be talking about the gauntlet. Speaking of that, Spike, you know that if this was hidden in such a hard-to-reach place, it's probably very powerful, as well as dangerous. I'd be careful with it, if I were you." Thorn warned.

"All right, all right. Let's go give this book back to Twilight. We don't need it anymore and it's time for us to focus on finding Starswirl. I feel like this is the last thing we needed, to be able to take him on."

"Yeah, I think so, too. Even with this, though, I'm not sure how big our chance of success is. Starswirl is older and more powerful than either of us can imagine, so I'm not sure anything can fully prepare us to face him. We'll just have to do our best." Thorn agreed.

Spike was more than ready to get out of there, at this point. He was tired of breathing that stale air. He didn't want to have to squeeze through that small hole again, so with a wave of his hand, he teleported back to the entrance. His range wasn't as large as it used to be, since he no longer had the pendant to channel and empower his magic, but he was able to get that far, at least. He might be able to go even farther, but he didn't exactly have the time to test it.
He took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh air after spending several hours underground.

After that, all he had to do was walk back to town and visit Twilight.

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Twilight was surprised to see Spike back so soon, but she was even more surprised by what was on his arm.

"Hey, Spike. Wait a second, is that the 'Gauntlet of Marelantis'? Oh no, this isn't good at all!"

Author's Note

Hey there! I just wanted to say that the whole trilogy up until this point was written around the same time. The first part of this chapter was already written when I stopped working on it for several years. But now, I've finally returned to it and it will be finished. Starting with the legend of the Drakenshire part, is where I continued it, so if the writing quality is different, then that's why.

I don't really write the same way as I used to, so I was just pointing it out, so no one will be confused. I also used to write shorter chapters, and now I write longer ones, so these last five chapters are longer. Hope you're enjoying the story so far! I worked really hard on these new chapters, and I'm proud of the ending I came up with, so I hope you'll stay to the end and enjoy it.

Chapter Twenty-Six:Spike's Ultimate Destiny, Part One:The Game Begins

Time Stops For No Dragon
Chapter 26-Spike's Ultimate Destiny, Part One:The Game Begins

"First of all, how did you find it?" Twilight asked, wanting to know all of the facts.

"It's kind of a long story, but I explored around town and got a lead to where it might be, so I followed it and found this thing in a cave, basically. I don't see why you're making such a big deal out of it, though. I'm pretty sure that it's harmless, unless I'm using it on Starswirl." Spike said, nonchalantly.

He was fairly certain that her fears were unfounded. After all, this was Twilight, the mare that was commonly known to freak out and make a big deal out of things that were, decidedly not.

"Spike, you didn't even read the book, did you?"

"Not really, why?"

Twilight face-hoofed in disappointment. "Of course, you didn't. You stumbled across one of the most dangerous artifacts in Equestrian history, and you don't even know what it does. That gauntlet is what sank Marelantis, for Celestia's sake! The last pony to wear it was overwhelmed by its power, and wiped the whole city off the map! Nopony has seen it in hundreds of years, and then you suddenly show up with it. Do you see where I'm coming from, now? This was already a big deal on its own, so I didn't blow it out of proportion this time."

Spike was shocked. "Whoa! So, what does this thing do? I mean, if I could figure out how to use it, not even Starswirl would be a match for it."

It turns out, that he had been shocked by the idea of what he could do with it, not the catastrophe that had happened because of its use.

Twilight sighed. "Its main purpose is to store spells, effectively canceling them out. The user can then fire it back at the caster, or add the magic power to their own body. However, if somepony tries to absorb magic that they aren't strong enough for or equipped to handle, then it could kill them. In fact, for the gauntlet to work, the user's own magic power must be used, so be careful. Nopony knows how much magic can be stored in the gauntlet itself, but it sort of has a life of its own. The fact that it's on your arm, probably means that it has bonded to you. It's not easy to get off, but I could try, if you want."

"No, that's okay, Twilight. I appreciate the offer, but I need this thing, if I want to stand a chance against Starswirl. He'll be casting spells way more powerful than I can on my own, and if I get hit by any one of them, I could be wiped out on the spot without this gauntlet's help." Spike had been sitting down while talking to Twilight, but he stood up. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get going. I'm not trying to sound conceited, but I'm the only one who can save the world. I got us into this mess, and it's my responsibility to fix it, no matter what it takes."

He started to leave, but Twilight stopped him, a familiar magenta glow gently tugging on his tail. He felt her hooves wrap around him from behind, and he turned around to face her, as she buried her face into his chest.

"Spike, as much as I wish you didn't have to do this, I know that nothing I can say will stop you from going. You've grown up so fast, and I'm proud of you. I've never told you this before, because I was too embarrassed, but I've always kind of thought of you as my son, as well as one of my best friends." She looked up at him, tears in her eyes.

"Twilight, you have no idea how much that means to me. I've always felt like you were sort of my mother, too." Spike was holding back tears, at this point.

"I love you, Spike. My only request is that you come back, safely. Don't die on me, please? Oh, and also, when you see Starswirl, give him a good beating for me, all right?" She kissed him on the cheek.

"Sure thing, Twilight. I'll try to make it back, but just in case I don't, I want you to know that I love you, too. Oh, and don't forget to tell the girls that I love them. By the way, don't worry about Fluttershy. I made a promise to save her, and that's what I'm going to do. Whether I make it back or not, you can bet that SHE will." Spike walked out the door, turning to look over his shoulder at her one last time. "See ya, Twi."

"I'll see you later, Spike." Twilight replied, as the door closed. "I hope." She whispered under her breath.

On his way from the Library, Spike fell into a hole that he didn't remember being there before.

What he didn't realize at first, was that it was actually a portal.

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He fell a fair distance, smacking face down onto the floor, as a portal closed on the ceiling of the place that he had been sent to. Although his landing was certainly painful, he would suffer no lasting harm from it, and he got to his feet, wondering just where he had ended up.

Two familiar sisters were standing in front of him, ready to explain why he was suddenly in the Canterlot Castle.

"Ahem. I apologize for calling you here so abruptly, but we have important matters to discuss. I thought it was imperative to let you know that we have discovered where Starswirl is hiding." Celestia informed him.

"What, you have? Where is he? Did you find Fluttershy?" Spike started firing off questions faster than they could answer them.

"Calm down, Spike. One question at a time. As for Fluttershy, I'm sorry to say it, but we haven't been able to locate her. It is likely that she is with Starswirl, though." Luna answered.

"He is hiding somewhere in the Everfree forest, as far as we can tell. I'd advise you to be careful, though, for there is no telling what he has in store." Celestia warned him, but Spike didn't seem to be fazed by it.

"All right, then. If that's all you had to tell me, then I should get going. There's no time to waste." Spike said, seriously.

Luna cleared her throat, awkwardly. "Actually, Spike, there's something you should know. We have been keeping this from you, and I believe it's time that you know the truth."

In the event that he perished in his fight against Starswirl (they were confident that he wouldn't, but still) he deserved to know what they had done. It might affect his battle performance, but it couldn't be helped.

Spike was beginning to get suspicious. The Princesses usually hid things from other ponies until they absolutely had to tell them, so this was nothing new, but this sounded more important than the types of things they normally liked to keep hidden.

"What are you two talking about?" Spike said, slowly.

"Spike, there is no easy way to say this, but your destiny has been altered." Celestia and Luna hung their heads in shame. "If you want to blame somepony for all of this, then look no further."

He raised an eyebrow, not quite understanding what they were getting at. "I'm not sure that I understand what you're trying to say, but last time I checked, all of this was MY fault, not yours."

Luna shook her head. "Not so, Spike the Dragon. By sending you on that mission to the Badlands, we set in motion a sequence of events that never should have occurred."

"How do you know that none of this should have ever occurred? Where's the proof?" Spike asked.

"Spike, there's no way that you could know this, but my sister and I possess the power to see into the future. It is our duty to watch over all of our subjects, and we saw how unhappy you were with your current situation, so we took a peek. This may be hard to believe, but there exists a world where you saved a crystalline kingdom, though you never quite turned out to be the hero you could have been.

In that world, after accomplishing that one heroic deed, nothing changed for you. You were still left behind on adventures, and you never stopped pining for Rarity. That world, is the very same one as ours. By sending you on a quest to the Badlands that future was averted, and now, you are heading down a very different path. It is an undestined one, but it's still a path, nonetheless." Celestia explained, thoroughly.

In the other world, they had never found out about what was happening at the Badlands, and The Elder had even taken care of Kazami himself, preventing the disaster. Starswirl was never released, and Discord had been successfully turned to stone the second time.

"Heh, heh, that's a relief. I thought you were going to tell me that it was impossible for me to save Fluttershy, or something! From what you've been telling me, it seems like my life has only improved thanks to your actions. I never would have realized my love for Fluttershy, or became an Element of Harmony, after all!"

Both princesses had assumed that he would be mad at them, but it was nice to see that that wasn't the case. However, there was still more bad news in store for the young adult dragon.

"About that, Spike…It might actually be impossible to save Fluttershy. Discord's soul has entangled itself with her own, and if you try to remove it using excessive force, it could damage her in such a way that she might never recover. If it doesn't kill her, it could put her in a comatose state. And besides, that mare's body wasn't made to hold that much magic inside of her, since she isn't a unicorn. There's no telling what damage the monster possessing her has already done, so even if you get her back, she might not be the same." Luna warned, ominously.

"So, what? Are you trying to make me give up on her? If so, it's not going to work. If I give up on taking her with me, then this whole quest, no, everything I've done since becoming a hero, would be for nothing!" Spike growled, baring his fangs in anger.

"No, of course not, Spike. We wouldn't dream of it. I was only making sure that you would be prepared, in the event that something happens. Your determination to succeed is one of your greatest qualities, both as a hero and a noble young dragon. We would never try to take that away from you. I promise." Luna continued, as Celestia smiled and nodded.

Upon hearing her words, Spike lowered his head, turning his back to them. "I'm sorry, I don't blame either of you for this mess. I'm just emotional, right now. I've been trying not to be, but my goal is so close now, and at this point, I can accomplish the mission or die trying. Those are the only two options that I'll accept. Whatever happens now, don't blame yourselves. I'm an adult now, at least in pony terms, and that means that I have to accept the outcome of my actions, whether it's good or bad."

"Spike, I know how much you've invested into this journey, but please, don't do anything rash. Twilight and the rest of your friends would kill us, if they found out that we could have stopped you from doing this. Not only that, but we consider you a friend as well, so obviously we don't want anything bad to happen to you." Luna told him.

Spike's toothy grin went unseen, since he was facing away from them, but one could tell he was wearing it from the tone of his voice. "Now, when have I ever done anything that would qualify as rash?"

Based on their observations of his past battles, the opposite of his words rang true. However, before they could reply, he vanished in a flash of light. It was clear that he had teleported off to the Everfree forest, in a rush to meet with his ultimate destiny.

As they stood there, watching the spot where he was previously standing, Luna spoke up.

"Sister, why did you tell him that? I thought our intention was to raise his spirits, not lower them."

"You're not wrong, Luna." Celestia admitted.

"If that is so, then why would you even bring up the possibility of his failure to save Fluttershy? That seems to me, like the type of thing that would either make him worried or depressed."

Celestia met Luna's questioning gaze, with a look that implied she knew something that her younger sister didn't. "You'd think so, wouldn't you? For a normal creature, that's an expected reaction, but not for somepony like him. The reason I brought it up, was because I knew for a fact, that it would have the opposite effect. By telling him that he couldn't do it, it will only give him the determination to try harder, and prove that my assumption was wrong."

Luna smiled in understanding, happy to have realized what she was talking about. "I see. While it may have seemed cruel at first, in hindsight, you have helped him greatly, by bolstering his fighting spirit!"

"Now, you're getting it, dear sister." The Sun Princess said with a grin.

Luna frowned, her worry for his wellbeing taking hold. "Do you think he can win, Celestia?"

"In all honesty, his chances wouldn't be that high, even with all his skills and weapons, except for one thing. Did you see what he was wearing on his arm?"

She hadn't been paying much attention, but now that it had been pointed out to her, the Princess of the Night was able to figure out what she was referring to. "Yes, he was wearing the 'Gauntlet of Marelantis', wasn't he?"

"Precisely. With the power of that ancient artifact at his disposal, his chances go from almost none to a significant amount. There's still a strong possibility that he might die, but he at least has more of a chance to survive than he ever did before." Celestia explained.

"True." Luna continued staring at the spot where he had been standing. "Please, be safe, noble Spike the dragon."

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Spike appeared next to Fluttershy's cottage, at the outskirts of the Everfree forest. He was about to enter the forest, but something made him stop and look at her old home. Whether it was nostalgia or simple curiosity, he felt compelled to go take a look at it one last time. He had many great memories of living there with her, and while he wished that things could have been different, he was about to fix everything, so things would return to normal.

He hadn't really been back to it, at least not in this time period, since she kicked him out, which seemed like it was a lifetime ago, at this point. For old time's sake, he decided on a whim to check inside it before he left to go confront Starswirl. He was expecting it to look exactly the same as it had been when he left, but he had no idea how wrong he was.
Upon opening the door and stepping inside, he did a double take. Inside what should have been Fluttershy's cottage, was the entirety of Canterlot Castle. He was about to walk back out the way he came to check that he was at the right place, but when he turned around, the door he had come through was gone.

Spike sighed, as a familiar evil laughter sounded all around him, seemingly coming from every direction. This was a trap, and he had walked right into it. Thinking quickly, he willed the gauntlet on his arm to vanish, hoping that he could hide it from his opponent. If the thing had a mind of its own like Twilight had claimed, then it should listen to him and disappear, like his jacket had when he didn't want anypony to see it. If his enemy knew about it, then he would lose the element of surprise. Luckily, it worked, right as Starswirl decided to show himself.

The bells on his outfit gave his presence away as they jingled with every step he took, appearing from around the corner and approaching Spike. He stopped, when he was right in front of him. "Welcome, young dragon. Do you like what I've done with the place? I hope you don't mind, but I made some renovations to it while you were away." Starswirl said, greeting him with a welcoming smile.

"I don't care about that! What have you done with Fluttershy? I KNOW that you have her here, somewhere!" Spike growled, wanting to get to the part where he kicked this decrepit, old wizard's butt and finally saved the mare he loved.

"Oh come on, aren't you interested in how I did all of this? It took a lot of time and effort! Well, I'll explain it to you, anyway. This is all part of a spell I used to create what is essentially, a pocket dimension crafted in the style of the royal castle. While it may be indistinguishable from the real thing, this is actually a very convincing replica. Using the chaotic magic residing within your little female friend, I was able to build all of this.

The spell is anchored to the front door of the cottage, acting as a filter that sends whoever walks through the doorway into this alternate plane of existence. It basically, works in the same manner as the time travel spell I created, except it allows your whole body to go through it, and only those I allow to enter will be able to access this place. In other words, if any of your other friends try to enter or even if those namby pamby princesses tried, they wouldn't be able to get in. For all intents and purposes, you're trapped here, Spike. The only way this place will disappear, is if you defeat me." Starswirl explained, as in depth-as possible.

Spike had heard enough, if he wanted a fight, then he was ready to throw down, right here and now. "All right then, let's fight!" The eager dragon charged towards him, but an invisible wall pushed against him, halting his momentum and making all forward movement impossible.

"Ah, ah, ah. Now, Spike, everypony knows that before you can have the main course, you have to eat an appetizer! You'll get your chance to take me out, and believe me, I want to take you out just as badly, but you have to earn the right, first. So, we're going to play a game, you and I. I'm going to go to the highest point of the castle, where I will wait for your arrival. You're going to play hide and seek with Fluttershy.

Your playground will be the whole castle, and she'll be seeking you. She can get particularly violent in this new form of hers, so if she finds you, rest assured that she WILL kill you. The only way for you to win, is if you can somehow sneak past her and make it to my location, or if you kill her before she can kill you." Starswirl chuckled, turning and beginning to walk away from Spike. "Don't worry, you'll get about a five minute headstart. I'd pick a good hiding place, if I were you. I'll wish you good luck, but I sincerely hope that she finishes you off, so that I don't have to get my hooves dirty!" He said as he rounded the corner, disappearing from view.

Spike found that the invisible wall was gone now, and he was left to find a hiding spot as fast as he possibly could.

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Meanwhile, in the Badlands…

In the magical hall of paintings inside the Elder's castle that told of various moments in Spike's life, like the time he defeated Kazami or the newest one, which was of his triumph over Discord, a brand new one appeared. Its contents were disturbing, to say the least. It depicted Spike and Fluttershy with Starswirl standing over them in a triumphant pose. Spike appeared to be nearly dead, if he wasn't already, and Fluttershy was very pale. There were two bite marks on her neck as if she had had the blood sucked out of her body. It was almost like a vampire had stolen her blood, as well as her life.

Unlike the others, there was no inscription under this one, so there were no hints to its meaning. If anypony had been around to see it, though, they would be able to tell that it obviously didn't mean anything good.

Spike's struggles should have been coming to an end soon, but they were only just beginning, if this cryptic painting was anything to go by.

Chapter Twenty-Eight:Spike's Ultimate Destiny, Part Three:An Unfair Fight

Time Stops For No Dragon
Chapter 28-Spike's Ultimate Destiny, Part Three:An Unfair Fight

After making it to the fourth floor, he found the final staircase, racing up the steps as quickly as possible. It wasn't long before he reached the roof, emerging into the chilly night air. He was thankful for his scales, which protected him from being affected as much as he could have been. Starswirl had gone all out it seemed, crafting the replica in such a way that it apparently, mirrored the time of day and weather conditions of the world outside of the pocket dimension. The young dragon would have honestly been impressed, if it wasn't for the fact that it was made by his ultimate enemy.

He tapped his foot impatiently, wondering where Starswirl was, and wanting to get this over with. With the back to back adventures the year before and this whole adventure, he was more than ready to be done with this, so he could get back to his peaceful life. While he had always wanted to be a hero, he was pretty sure that he had had enough of being one for now. But, if he wanted to return everything to normal, then there was one final test that he had to complete, and it was the biggest challenge that he had ever faced.

As if that wasn't already apparent, Starswirl appeared out of nowhere, descending to the surface of the roof with lightning crackling all around his body. He was on a whole other level, in a whole other league than Spike was. Although he was trying to hide it, he was quaking in his boots on the inside.

The ancient unicorn regarded him coldly, contempt the only emotion visible upon his face. "I'm not sure what you did to her, and I really don't care, but it seems that you managed to best your lovely female friend, and made it all the way up here. You might have beaten the level, but you haven't yet won the game. Rest assured, I have no intention of fighting you, but know this: you have no chance of defeating the final boss, and if you try to raise a claw against me, your death will be swift and extremely painful."

Spike was surprised to say the least, but there was NO way that he was backing down after hyping himself up for a fight. "I wouldn't be acting so smug, if I were you. I think you'll find that there's more to me, than meets the eye. I've got a secret weapon up my sleeve, and I'm just itching to use it!"

Starswirl smirked, not feeling threatened in the least, by what he interpreted as a feeble attempt to sound tougher than the dragon actually was. "Oh, really? Well, it just so happens, that I have a trick up my sleeve, as well. I'm confident that mine is much more impressive than yours, however. Behold!"

With a flash of light from his horn, two familiar ponies appeared, floating in the air high above the castle. They both appeared to be unconscious and their names were out of Spike's lips, before his mind even had time to register what was happening.

"Fluttershy! Pinkie Pie!" He yelled, trying to get their attention.

"It's no use, they can't hear you. I haven't done anything to them either, I promise. More importantly, you have a big decision to make. In fact, you could say that it's a decision, which will lead to your ultimate destiny. In a moment, I'm about to drop both of them at the same time. You will only have time to save one, so choose wisely. Which of these lovely mares, is your destiny? Which one, will you spend the rest of your life with? Make sure to think it over carefully, but not TOO carefully, mind you, because whoever you don't save will most assuredly, die.

While you're busy doing that, I'm going to make my escape. I suppose that if you really wanted to, you could pick the third option and fight me with that secret weapon of yours. That would be enough to stop me from escaping back to the real world and leaving you here, but then you would lose both of them. Something tells me that you aren't the type to leave two young, beautiful mares who both see you as more than a friend, to die." Starswirl explained. "Now, Spike, think FAST!"

Before Spike could respond, the magic aura surrounding both of his love interests dispersed, sending them plummeting towards the ground. They had been positioned on the left and right sides of the roof, so that he would only be able to save one, especially at the speed they were falling. He was standing in the center of the roof and by the time he ran to one side, the pony on the other side would already be a pancake. Not to mention the fact that Starswirl had ripped open a portal, and he was currently in the process of stepping through it.

The only way Spike could see of getting through this, would be if he used some of his magic power to speed up his movement. Even so, he wouldn't be able to save both of them and stop Starswirl at the same time. This was the hardest decision he had ever had to make. Should he save one of them, or go after the bad guy?

That was when he remembered something that he could use, and although there was no guarantee that it would work, it was the best shot he had at ending this with a desirable outcome. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a golden coin, flipping it into the air. It landed with the tails side facing up, as time seemed to slow down to a crawl. A long tail attached to a mismatched body, emerged from the coin upside down, revealing a certain draconequs. With a snap of his fingers, he reappeared right side up.

The look on his face let Spike know that he was mildly annoyed. "Spike, I know that I said you could call me whenever you needed help and I would come running, but I'm sort of in the middle of something. Also, long distance calls aren't really my thing, considering the fact that this is another time period and all. Not only that, but this is also, another dimension within that same period of time! I would appreciate it, if we could hurry this up. Even someone as devilishly handsome as me, needs their beauty rest and…" Discord rambled on, not letting his dragon summoner get a word in edgewise. He trailed off, going silent as he took in the scene around them, processing the situation.

"Yeah, uh, so I need your help." Spike rubbed the back of his neck, uncomfortably.

Discord rolled his eyes. "Well, duh, I can see that for myself." He glanced at the two mares, which were halfway through with their descent, slowly moving closer to the ground. Starswirl already had one hoof inside the portal and was raising the other to do the same. "Let me guess, you want me to stop Starswirl from leaving, while you go save both of your friends?" When Spike just stared at him with a deadpan expression on his face, he sighed. "Oh, all right. If you want to hog all the fun parts for yourself, then be that way. I'll go save your little marefriends, as long as you promise me that I get to have some fun with them afterwards."

"Discord…" Spike groaned in frustration. Normally, he would be more open to his strange friend's teasing, but he was not in the mood to put up with the draconequs' unique brand of nonsense.

"Oh, lighten up, I was only kidding! I mean, you're acting like you're about to face off against the final boss of some game you were playing, which will culminate in the fulfillment of your ultimate destiny or something. All the same, I know that there's no room for failure here, so go do what you were born to do." He patted him on the shoulder. "Good luck, Spike. You just might need it, this time."

Spike nodded. "Thanks, Discord. I really appreciate this." Without another word, he sprinted towards Starswirl's location, as time returned to its present flow.

Discord was left behind to do the job that he had been summoned for, but before he could, he realized that something was wrong. Something had felt off for a while now, ever since he had arrived and it wasn't until this moment, that he knew what it was. When he snapped his fingers to teleport, only sparks appeared, as the spell fizzled out. It was just as he had feared, this place was sapping his energy, somehow dampening his powers. It was likely due to the fact that Starswirl had total mastery of this place, making any creature that entered it uninvited, essentially powerless.

"Oh, crabapples." He grumbled, cursing his misfortune.

There wasn't any time left to lament, since both mares were still on a one way ticket to the afterlife. Discord had retained his ability to float, so he drifted over towards Pinkie Pie as fast as he could, hoping that he would be fast enough to get to Fluttershy, as well.

Starswirl was certain that his victory was guaranteed and he wasn't paying attention to anything around him, so he was startled, when he felt something grab onto his back legs.

"What the?" Upon looking down and seeing that it was Spike, he frowned. "I see, that you've chosen the third option. How unfortunate. Well, it can't be helped, I suppose. If it's a fight you want, then it's a fight you'll get!" He kicked Spike in the face, knocking him back a few feet, and began charging up a spell. A golden orb was growing at the tip of his horn, as he gathered energy.

Spike was certain that it would take him several minutes to prepare a spell that looked so powerful, which gave him time to think of a way to avoid it.

Thorn spoke up in his mind. "Spike, we have a problem!"

"If you're worried about getting hit by that spell, it won't be a problem, since we have this gauntlet and I can just absorb it, remember?" Spike said, nonchalantly.

"That's the problem I was referring to, Spike! I'm not sure how you could have possibly forgotten, but we have a piece of Discord's soul in it, right now. It can only hold one spell at a time and the only way to free up space is to either fire the spell as an attack, or absorb it into your body. I don't think I need to tell you this, but it's obvious that firing such a spell at Starswirl is a bad idea. If he were to absorb it's power, then he would be more than we could handle. He's already more than we can handle and I think that becoming one with the darkness is the only way for us to obtain the strength we need to defeat him, even if it isn't the most appealing of options." He advised, rationally.

"You're right, Thorn. I think we should do it. I'm the one who told you earlier, that if it came down to it I was pretty sure that I'm strong enough to keep it from taking me over completely. If that spell hits us head-on, then we're done for." Spike reasoned.

Thorn wasn't expecting him to agree so readily, but it worked out in his favor, so he wasn't complaining.

Suddenly, Discord appeared in front of him, hanging his head and looking guilty.

"Oh, hey, Discord. Did you do what I asked?" Spike asked. When he noticed the distraught look on his face, he frowned. "What's wrong?"

Discord hated to tell him, he really did, but nothing would be accomplished by hiding the truth, so he simply came out and said it. "Spike, I was able to save Pinkie Pie, and…"

He trailed off, so Spike prompted him to continue. "And? What about Fluttershy?"

"And, as for Fluttershy…I regret to inform you that…" Discord's face was pale, as if he had witnessed something so horrible that he would never be able to wipe from his memory. "I…she was right there, and I reached out to grab her, but…"

"Just spit it out, Discord!" Spike snapped, tired of him dancing around the issue. If it was bad news, and he had the feeling that it was, then he would much rather be told about it quickly, so that he could rip the Band-Aid off, so to speak.

"I wasn't fast enough! I couldn't save her, Spike. I'm deeply sorry. She…it wasn't pretty." His fur, once a multitude of colors, was now heavily stained, a deep red. It wasn't hard to guess that he must have been right next to her, when it happened.

Spike's face fell, the sadness and helplessness he felt combining into rage. He was looking a little pale, himself. "You didn't…you're the Lord of Chaos, for Celestia's sake! You're more powerful than pretty much every villain we've ever faced, and yet you couldn't do anything when it mattered the most! You can't tell me that you tried your best, because from what I've seen, this wasn't it!" He yelled, tears threatening to escape from his eyes.

It was obvious that he wasn't going to listen to him, or believe anything he said, so Discord gave up. "Spike, I don't have access to all of my powers here, so there truly wasn't anything I could do. Whether you believe it or not, I tried my best."

Just as he finished speaking, the spell was fired. It was much earlier than expected, having only charged for a minute or two, as opposed to the five or six he assumed it would take. Spike wasn't prepared at all, and if it weren't for Discord taking the blow for him at the last second, he wouldn't have survived. The draconequs dropped to the surface of the roof, his body beginning to fade.

"Discord, why would you do that? After I was so mean to you?" Spike was shocked. All of this heartache assaulting him at once, had left him feeling numb.

He smiled sadly, now almost entirely see-through, and he was fading fast. "Despite what you may think of me, I only have your best interests at heart. Why wouldn't I save, the only friend I've had in over a century? Especially, if this helps make up for my failure. I wish to atone for my incompetence, and this is as fitting an end as any for a creature like me."

With those words, he disappeared completely, leaving behind the coin, although it was now cracked down the middle. Spike pocketed the item hastily, turning his attention back to Starswirl. The evil unicorn was in the middle of charging up another spell. It looked to be the same one again, judging by the golden orb that was slowly growing at the tip of his horn.

All of the anger, sadness, and frustration at recent events were bubbling up inside of the young dragon, threatening to overflow. "First, Fluttershy, and now, Discord! Mark my words, Starswirl, and commit them to memory! I WILL stop you, and you WILL pay for this! Have you got that memorized? I won't allow you to get away with your evil deeds, any longer!"
The cracks in the gauntlet had been spreading more and more as time went on, and now, the darkness was beginning to ooze out and onto Spike's arm. It was creeping up his arm slowly, and he hadn't noticed it yet.

"I'm sorry, what were you saying, just now? I wasn't listening." Starswirl shrugged, indifferently.

That was the last straw. Spike was tired of no one taking him seriously, whether they were a pony or some other creature. He let out a scream of anguish, all of his pent up emotions bursting out of him at once. In response to his intense anger, the gauntlet shattered, as the shadowy essence once contained within surged up Spike's arm and rapidly spread to the rest of his body. He welcomed it, allowing it to cover his body entirely, with no attempt to resist.

"I'll show them. I'll show them all! Spike the Dragon isn't some weak little sissy pony, just because he was raised by them. Besides, they aren't as weak as everyone seems to think. They're just stronger in a different way. When it comes to matters of the heart, their knowledge is second to none. Fluttershy and Discord's deaths won't be in vain. I'll make sure of that, when I rip Starswirl's head off of his body and mount it above my fireplace!"

Such dark thoughts weren't like Spike, but Thorn couldn't protest, as he was forced to the back of his mind by the dark presence that was taking hold. Spike was letting his emotions take full control, and it would be a lie to say that some part of him didn't enjoy it. If he had to become a monster to gain the strength required to defeat one, then he would do it with no hesitation. And, that's exactly what he became.

The transformation happened near instantly, his whole body becoming a shade of black, which was somehow darker than any shade of the color ever seen before. His eyes were a pure white with no pupils, and his teeth were razor sharp. His claws had also been sharpened to an ultra deadly degree. He was officially a denizen of the dark, nothing more than a living shadow, given a lethal, physical form to inhabit. His entire existence was pain, and his deepest desire was to make others feel the same way he did. At the moment, this only applied to Starswirl, but a single target, especially when they were so powerful, was more than enough for now.

His opponent was terrified on the inside, but he did an admirable job of hiding it, externally. "Ha! Did you really think that becoming some kind of grotesque, abomination would be enough to give you the power you need to defeat me? Don't make me laugh! You'll soon see, just how wrong you are, in a few more seconds."

True to his word, his magic was fully charged, and he fired it within the span of a few seconds. This unleashed a gargantuan blast, of the same type as the one that had managed to fell Discord (he was severely weakened, but still) as such, it would be no small feat to survive it, let alone, stop it in its tracks. And yet, that's exactly what he did. A cloud of dust billowed out from where Spike was at the moment of impact, leaving Starswirl to wonder if he had hit his mark or not.

He was certain that he had wiped that insufferable lizard completely off the map, so his mouth fell open when the cloud finally cleared. 'Shadowy' Spike was still standing, unfazed by the magical laser.

"What?! No creature, dragon or otherwise, should have been able to survive such a concentrated beam! You should have been disintegrated on the spot, so how are you still alive?" Starswirl was baffled, to say the least.

Spike grinned menacingly, showing off his new, shark-like chompers. "It wasn't as difficult as you might think, to survive a pathetic blast like that one. Let me show you, what true power looks like!"

Apparently, Discord's soul had adapted to take on the abilities of the gauntlet, giving it the power to absorb attacks. Thanks to that, Spike came out of the cloud unscathed, having absorbed the spell into his own body. His now tainted skin began to glow brightly, then a beam twice as powerful as the old wizard's was fired back in his direction, having the corrupted dragon's newfound power added into it.

Starswirl almost wasn't quick enough to move out of the way, diving to the side and lying facedown on the surface of the roof. He stared incredulously at the creature, no that wasn't quite right, monster that the laser had come from, gulping in fear. That blow could have killed him, leaving nothing but a black spot where he had been standing. This battle was starting to get serious.

"Oh, get ready, 'Swirly Beard'! What happens next, is the best part!" Spike exclaimed, his voice, a mixture of the near demonic entity he had become and his usual tone.

Starswirl wanted to comment on the insulting nickname his upgraded enemy had given him, but he was too scared to say his complaint out loud.

He was sure of one thing, though, and that was the fact that this battle had taken a sudden turn, veering off onto the worst path of the road that they had been traveling on, since the game first began.

Chapter Twenty-Nine:Spike's Ultimate Destiny, Part Four:The Final Showdown

Time Stops For No Dragon
Chapter 29-Spike's Ultimate Destiny, Part Four:The Final Showdown

Spike approached Starswirl slowly, intending to end this, right here and now. It would be SO easy. All he would have to do is crush his skull with a stomp of his foot, then it would all be over. As he began to get closer, the downed unicorn began to rapidly fire spells at him in an attempt to keep him from getting closer. The dragon deflected every spell he threw at him with a wave of his hand, rendering his efforts null and void.

The unicorn was becoming more panicked the closer he drew to him and even though none of his spells were doing anything, he continued firing them until his horn began to put out smoke. If he kept this up, he would overheat and likely succumb to exhaustion. His horn catching on fire was also, a real concern if he continued. Eventually, he was forced to stop, just in time for Spike to reach him. He waited a moment, charging up the minimal amount of energy needed to teleport. The portal was still open, if he could just get to it before he was pulverized.

He was surprisingly successful in reaching his goal, only to realize that his opponent could teleport as well and had warped right behind him. Spike grabbed his tail with both hands, lifting him into the air and slinging him around a few times, then slamming him to the ground using what was probably excessive force. He cracked the roof upon impact, creating a small crater. After this, Spike warped over to him and began slashing him up with his claws in the same manner as a cat, almost like he was making some nice sashimi or sushi.

Next, he lifted him up by the collar of his cloak and grabbed his horn, pulling hard enough to snap the horn clean off of his forehead, leaving him unable to use magic. The old unicorn cried out in pain, as Spike tossed the horn off to the side, not sparing it a glance as it clattered to the end of the roof and rolled off. Next, he gave him a nice uppercut, sending him into the air, where he roundhouse kicked him for good measure. This shot him clear across the roof and to the edge, nearly denting his face in from the g-forces.

Spike wasn't far behind, teleporting to his location and standing in front of him with a smug expression on his face. It was clear that the unicorn was in no state to fight anymore and since he was so old, he probably wouldn't last much longer anyway.

"So, what was that about not having enough power to defeat you? Have you had enough yet?" Spike was smirking, triumphantly.

Starswirl laughed, to the dragon's surprise, coughing up a good amount of blood onto the roof. His wounds were bleeding freely, most of them being fairly deep and painful.

"I think that you might have gotten the wrong idea, young dragon. From the look on your face and your stance, it seems to me that you consider yourself the victor of our little fight. Go on believing that if you want, but it's nothing more than the preconceived notion of an immature brat! Honestly, Spike, your naivete amazes me." He sighed. "You still have much to learn, if you haven't noticed it, by now. I'll give you a hint, all right? Trust your sense of smell. Your nose isn't lying to you."

He was already right at the edge, so it wasn't hard for him to roll off of it, disappearing from view. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that he was right. Spike hadn't been paying attention to it, but his nose was strong, so he could smell the scents of various creatures. Ponies had a distinct scent that he would recognize anywhere, but Starswirl didn't smell the same way that others did. He had the familiar scent, but it was as if it was tainted, mixed with another scent that Spike couldn't make out. It took him until now to recognize it for what it really was.

Just as he rushed over to the edge of the roof to look for any sign of him (it seemed odd that his opponent would commit suicide for no reason, especially after informing him that the fight wasn't over.) A shape flew towards him out of nowhere, almost scraping across his face, forcing him to back away. This figure had wings and it was floating high above him now. How had he not seen it, sooner? The figure that had appeared was a dragon, but it was something else at the same time.

As hard as it was for him to believe, the creature that had just presented itself to him, was a member of the 'Drakenshire' race. Starswirl's smell was unfamiliar to Spike, because it was the familiar smell of a pony and dragon combined into an almost unrecognizable scent. It was unique, unlike anything he had ever smelled before.

The dragon-pony hybrid dived towards the roof, slamming down onto it with all the force of a meteor, sending bits of debris scattering in all directions. Starswirl stood there proudly, appearing to be completely healed from his transformation. He had discarded his clothes, leaving his full body on display. Gray scales had grown over his fur in several places. Two furry, scaled wings of a lighter gray than the rest of his fur were folded at his sides and his eyes were more reptilian in nature, being vertical slits. His tail was closer to a dragon's and last but not least, his teeth were much sharper than before.

He smiled, showing off his fangs. "You found that cave too, didn't you? I knew you did, the moment that I saw the gauntlet on your wrist. When I was younger, I went searching for that ancient artifact myself, but alas, I was never able to find it, even after searching that place from top to bottom."

"Really? I saw a wall that was cracked almost immediately, and that's how I found it. It was a piece of cake, if you ask me." Spike shrugged.

Although he had allowed the darkness to take him over, his personality was still intact for the most part.

"Yes, you ponies sure do love your little cakes and putting them into cups and whatnot. It still burns me up, when I think of how Albert ate mine, that one time." Starswirl frowned, bitterly.

"Wait a minute. So, that part of the story was true?"

"Of course, it was! I don't know how Pinkie Pie did it, but her story was pretty much accurate, other than one major detail. The reason I was killed might have been partly due to my invention, but the main reason for it was because they knew that I was half dragon. They saw me as something to be feared, a monster, a freak that shouldn't be allowed to exist." Starswirl spat.

"But, ponies are different now, Starswirl. The times have changed and since you've been gone, they've learned to accept other creatures. I mean, they accept ME living among them and I'm a dragon!" Spike pointed out, trying to make him see reason.

"That may be so, but a dragon is all that you are. You're not a dragon masquerading as a pony! I was born of a union that should have never been formed in their eyes! I couldn't help being this way and yet they showed me no mercy, for committing the crime of being different!" Starswirl sighed, taking a breath in an effort to calm himself down.

He had thought that he was over it after all this time, but the pain was still there. He shook his head, trying to push those depressing memories out of his mind. "Now then, I believe we were in the middle of something. Where were we?"

Spike smirked. "I'm pretty sure that we were at the part where I kick your butt into the next century!"

He assumed that this would be easy based on his previous battle experience, but he had no idea just how powerful a being infused with both pony and draconian magic could be.

"That's right, but I seem to recall it being the other way around!" Starswirl replied, charging towards Spike.

The young dragon was expecting him to charge him head-on, so he was unprepared when he teleported at the last second, appearing above Spike and slamming him into the ground like he was spiking a volleyball. The force was so great, that it cracked the surface of the roof and it shattered, sending him through to the fourth floor. Starswirl followed him down, just in time for Spike to warp above him and copy the attack to an extreme degree.

With the darkness aiding him, his growth was accelerated, allowing him to grow wings much faster than he would have gotten them with age. The shadows consumed them as well, covering them completely. He flew up above the roof and dove, descending in a spiral that formed a cone of darkness around his body, as he stretched out his foot to kick his opponent. His attack was successful, slamming into Starswirl and following him down, as they smashed through the remaining floors.

Spike was unharmed, but Starswirl didn't have shadowy armor to protect him, so his body was covered in wounds. His intention was to end the fight before it started and his plan seemed to be going smoothly, until the Drakenshirian got back up. He flew through the holes they had made up to the roof and Spike moved to follow him.

However, there was something he needed to get out first, something that he had a feeling he was going to be forced to use. The dragon had stored it away a while back, hiding it in his magical chest compartment. He took a deep breath and let loose a constant stream of bright emerald fire. He reached a hand inside the fire like it was some kind of portal and slowly withdrew a familiar weapon in the same manner that one would free a sword from its sheath. Fitting, considering the fact that the weapon WAS a sword.

It was the legendary Dragon's Bane and he was certain that it would also be effective against half dragons. This time, he had a trick up his sleeve. Before stopping the stream, he quickly pulled out a small crystal, then finally stopped to breathe. He had an idea and that was to use his draconian magic to merge the two together, applying the properties of the crystal to the blade of the sword. This way, it would be able to reflect attacks.

The surface of the blade turned transparent, the bone becoming encased in a thin layer of crystal. The sword was now a crystalline dragon bone sword with a dragon scale hilt. It should be able to handle any attacks that the old wizard came up with. It was probably, also the main thing that could seriously harm him. With sword in hand, he flapped his shadow-enhanced wings and took off in pursuit of his foe. He found Starswirl several minutes later, floating in place, seeming to have been waiting on him.

He didn't even bat an eye at the sword, wasting no time in firing several beams of light at Spike and then rushing him with fiery hooves. He had lit his hooves on fire with elemental magic and he began assaulting him with lightning fast punches, which was accurate, considering that the next element he attacked him with was lightning. He cycled through the rest of the elements and Spike let him, knowing that nothing he did could hurt him. What he didn't realize, was that although he had deflected most of the beams with his sword, one of the beams of light had hit him and it caused some of the shadow on his arm to recede, exposing part of his skin.

Spike had gotten too overconfident believing himself to be invincible, but every attack led to more parts of him being exposed. Spike had been holding back, but he decided to unleash his full power on Starswirl. He moved so fast that he left afterimages in his wake, slicing large gashes along the length of his opponent's body. He honestly, didn't care if he ended up killing him at this point, since the unicorn was trying to do the same with him. The large wounds started gushing blood, and since they were right under his wings, the pain was too much for him to remain in the air. Starswirl was forced to make a crash landing onto the roof.

Spike followed him once more, landing right in front of his ultimate enemy. He walked forward, wanting to finish the job while he couldn't fly away, but it was not meant to be. Starswirl had set a trap for him much earlier in their battle, expecting this to be the outcome. A piece of debris tripped him, sending him airborne, as a sharp, crystalline spike grew up from the roof, stabbing him through the heart. This wouldn't have been possible if his armor had still been covering his whole body, but thanks to the unicorn's attacks, the skin in that area was exposed.

Starswirl chuckled, happy to see that his evil plan had worked. Being a Drakenshirian meant he was gifted with extraordinary healing abilities and as such, his wounds were already regenerating. "Checkmate, Spike. You put up quite the fight, but it looks like I've won the game. Not that you care, since you'll be dead very soon, if you aren't already." With a wave of his hoof, the spike that had impaled, well, Spike, receded into the surface of the roof, leaving the dragon laying facedown. "Now, if there are no more interruptions, then I really must be going. I've got a portal to the outside world waiting for me and a kingdom to take over."

Suddenly, the black goop still partially covering Spike's body surged forward, a long liquid tentacle reaching out and wrapping around Starswirl's leg, halting his movement.

"What the?" He cried out, as the tentacle gained a more solid form, morphing into the shape of a black hand.

"Sorry, but there's one more interruption for you to deal with!" A familiar voice announced.

Starswirl thought he had heard it coming from Spike, but he was currently lying facedown in a pool of his own blood, so he highly doubted that it was possible. Despite that, the sound seemed to be coming from his direction. More and more of the goop peeled off of the dragon it had been previously attached to, until there was nothing left on him. It seemed to have a mind of its own, coalescing into a form that almost resembled a body, made entirely of shadowy essence.

It was Thorn, not that the unicorn would have any way of knowing who that was. Since Spike was dying, he had convinced it to abandon ship and merge with him instead, plucking him directly from Spike's mind and depositing him back into the physical plane. Since Starswirl couldn't easily be defeated, Thorn had a plan to hold him off, while Spike escaped. If only he could somehow stop his younger self from dying, but he wasn't sure what to do. Spike's mind was deteriorating faster than ever, thanks to the stress that using so much magic, absorbing his future self, and taking on a demonic entity had put on his body. Oh, and the fact that he had just been stabbed through the heart, certainly didn't help matters.

Using his knowledge of magic, he was able to utilize the powers of the entity inside of him and cast an advanced spell to help Spike. It wouldn't heal him, per say, but it would act as a sort of barrier that would protect him from feeling the full effects of his injuries for at least, long enough to get him to safety. It was a temporary solution, so he would need to get to the hospital as soon as possible, before it wore off. After casting it, Spike was able to stand to his feet, waking up from his near-death trance.

"What? Thorn, is that you? What have you done?!" Spike exclaimed in surprise and horror.

Thorn smiled, forcing Starswirl to the floor and holding him there with shadowy tentacles. The unicorn would have been surprised by Spike's recovery, but he was focused on his captor at the moment. "Unhand me you…you monster!"

"I can't do that, unfortunately. You're going to stay right here, where you won't cause any more trouble. Accept your defeat with dignity." He turned to Spike. "I'm only doing, what I think is best. The spell that I cast on you will only last for a short time, so you need to get out of here, while I seal this dimension off. Don't bother trying to stop me, either. We both know that this is the best choice to make and besides, I'll just fade away anyway, once everything is fixed."

Spike wanted to try to stop him, but in his heart, he knew that he was right. "All right, if you're sure. Thanks for everything, Thorn." He sighed. "Oh, but before you do that, can you give me time to get Pinkie Pie out of here and Fluttershy…"

"Sure, Spike. But, you know that she's…"

"Yes, but I need to take her back with me so I can give her a proper funeral and bury her." Spike said, sadly.

"I'm sorry, Spike. I wish that hadn't happened to you. Losing my version of her was bad enough and I was trying to prevent that from happening for you. This is my way of making up for it." Thorn sighed sadly, as his hand lit up and a bright white light began to cover the area. "This will fix everything back to the way it was. Goodbye, Spike."

Spike barely had time to reply, before everything was consumed in the blinding light. "Goodbye, Thorn."

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When Spike next awoke, he was on the floor of Fluttershy's cottage. He got to his feet, feeling nothing more than a dull ache in his chest. According to Thorn, he was putting everything back to the way it was, so that meant that neither him nor Starswirl would be around anymore. Pinkie Pie wasn't around, which meant that she could be anywhere, whether it was her house or somewhere random. He just hoped that she didn't remember any of what had just happened.

It should have been a momentous occasion, so why did he feel so empty? Right now, he was in Fluttershy's cottage, but the mare herself was…She was lying on the floor next to him! She looked so peaceful, like she was just sleeping, and he was hoping that he was wrong about her. Unfortunately, as he got closer, the bloodstains in her fur were clearly visible, and when he felt for her pulse, there wasn't one. He sighed, knowing that since the adventure was over, it would be all right for him to let his emotions out.

He began to cry, feeling lost for the first time in a while. What was he supposed to do? He was usually so good at making decisions, but he had no idea where to go from here. "Oh, Fluttershy…I'm so sorry! The only reason I went on this STUPID quest in the first place, was so that I could save you, and look at what happened! I'm a failure, and yet I was delusional enough to consider myself to be some kind of knight, the one who would protect you!"

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a message popped up in his mind. It was from Thorn, so he must have left it there before he left. Wondering what it was, he thought about listening to it and it began to play.

"Spike, I left this message so that I could tell you something important. Consider this my farewell gift to you. I hope that it helps you with your situation. I didn't realize it until now, but there's more to the Drakenshire legend than you know. This may seem like a weird time to be bringing it up, but I only gained this knowledge when I absorbed Discord's soul and gained his memories. He's lived a long life, and knew many things.

It's really just a myth, but supposedly, there's another way to become a Drakenshirian than being born that way. Legends say that if a dragon feeds on a pony in a manner similar to a vampire, then the pony will then transform into a member of the Drakenshire race. Basically, they are ponies with dragon blood running through their veins, so if you were to inject your blood into a pony, that is what would happen. The only reason I'm bringing this up, is because of their INSANE regenerative abilities. My theory is that even a pony that is pretty much dead, could possibly be brought back to life, using this method. I'm sure you can guess who I'm talking about trying this out on. Think about it, okay?"

Spike wasn't sure what to make of this development, and as he gazed at Fluttershy, he realized something. He had thought that choosing between Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy when they were falling, was the most difficult decision he had ever been forced to make. However, he had been wrong, and the truth of the matter was that the decision he had to make now, was surely the most difficult decision of his life.

Should he attempt to bring her back or not? If his plan worked, then she would be alive, but she would become the very same monster that Starswirl was. She might even hate him for doing that to her. On the other hand, if he left her dead, she would stay the same, but he would never get to see her again. He agonized over the decision for close to thirty minutes, weighing the pros and cons against each other.

In the end, though, there was only one decision that he was capable of making, and his only hope was that Fluttershy would forgive him for being so selfish. He had no desire to live without her, so even if it turned her into a monster and she hated him for it, he had to try it. That was of course, assuming that it even worked in the first place.

Along with the message left to him by his future self, came the knowledge of what he must do to complete the ritual. Spike bent down and bit hard into her neck, using his fangs. He sucked some of the blood out of her pale form and bit into his own flesh, mixing her blood with his own, by taking a chunk out of his arm. Then, he took some of his blood into his mouth and transferred it to the wound he had made on her neck, gently licking the bite mark. Two small, identical holes were on her neck, looking exactly like the mark left by a vampire.

Nothing happened, but it could have just been that it took time for the changes to take effect.

Whatever the reason, Spike suddenly felt weak, and thinking fast, he used the last of his strength to teleport them to the hospital in Canterlot. They landed right in the lobby, as Spike collapsed with Fluttershy's body in his arms. The seal had been broken, thanks to it being a temporary spell, and the weight of his injuries hit him all at once.

He passed out, having no idea if his plan had worked or not, and unsure if he would even survive long enough to find out.

The world had been saved, but at what cost?

Chapter Thirty:Epilogue:The Undestined Hero

Time Stops For No Dragon
Chapter 30-Epilogue:The Undestined Hero

The Princesses had sensed when Spike arrived and made sure that he and Fluttershy were given a room together. They seemed to be in comas, although they were both barely breathing. Even after several days, their conditions didn't seem to be any better. The Princesses held a ceremony for Spike, honoring him as one of Equestria's greatest heroes and rewarding him with a medal. Celestia admired his dedication and sacrifice, holding onto the medal for whenever he woke up. It wouldn't feel right giving it to him while he was unconscious and she remained hopeful that he would eventually awaken, though the chance wasn't very high.

Both Princesses took time out of their busy schedules to visit whenever they could and his five friends stopped by as often as possible. Twilight had even been by his side the entire time, refusing to leave. The best doctors were on the case, using the latest in magic and technology to keep Fluttershy and Spike breathing. Their injuries were serious, his in particular, and it wasn't an easy task.

There was no improvement in either of their conditions, until one of the doctor's had the bright idea to push their beds right next to each other, thinking that they would be able to sense each other's presence and somehow improve. They had been told of how close they were before the incident, so that's why they thought to try it. Surprisingly, this worked and their conditions began to slowly improve, as their cutie marks started glowing. The doctors had never seen anything like it and they were unsure how to explain what was happening.

Celestia and Luna were watching this happen from the sidelines.

"Sister, what do you think is going on here? From the injuries they have sustained, I'd say that they should be dead and yet, they are still here. Not to mention the fact that they are healing faster than normal."

"I'm not entirely sure, since I haven't seen anything like this before, Luna. However, I think that it has something to do with the Elements of Harmony. The Elements try to protect those that bear them and that includes preventing them from dying. In this case, I think that since both of their Elements are connected to each other specifically, their closer proximity is making them resonate, speeding up the healing process. That would also explain why their cutie marks are glowing, since Spike got his due to his Element and Fluttershy is connected to him." Celestia explained.

"I see. So, what you're saying is that with any luck they should be waking up soon?" Luna asked.

"Yes, that should be the case." Celestia confirmed.

The Princess of the Night walked over to Fluttershy's bed, gasping softly upon noticing something strange. She spoke quietly in a whisper, since Twilight was sleeping nearby. "Celestia, can you come over here for a moment? Fluttershy is, well…There's something that you need to see."

The urgent tone of her sister led her to come quickly. "What is it, Luna?" Once the Princess of the Sun saw what her sister had been referring to, she sighed. "Oh dear, this isn't good at all."

"What are we going to do, Sister? Should we do something? If she turns out to be…we might have to…" Luna was struggling with her words, but Celestia had no such problem.

"No, before anything else, we need to wait for Spike to wake up. I have a feeling that he's the only one who can provide us with the answers we need. One thing is for certain, though. We're going to have a long chat with Spike when he awakens and when he does, he will be in BIG trouble!"

They were of course, referring to the changes starting to become visible on Fluttershy's body. It wasn't TOO noticeable unless one knew what to look for, but her ears had become a little more pointed at the tips and since her mouth was parted slightly, the fangs that were beginning to grow in were visible.

Celestia and Luna left the room, casting worried glances over their shoulder on the way out.

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Spike awoke a few hours later. He didn't recognize his surroundings at first, but when he did he breathed a sigh of relief. He had managed to get them to the hospital safely. Attempting to use magic in his weakened state was dangerous and there was no guarantee that they would end up at the place he wanted them to or even in one piece, for that matter. He was glad to know that it had worked, because if it hadn't, he wouldn't even be alive right now.

And Fluttershy…speaking of the butter yellow mare, where was she? He looked to his right and saw a bed next to his, which contained the very same pony that he was hoping to see. He smiled, although it quickly turned into a frown when he saw how pale she was. He could just barely see the rise and fall of her chest as she lay there, letting him know that she was alive. He failed to notice Twilight sleeping nearby, all of his focus on watching Fluttershy breathe, as if his gaze would somehow help her continue to do so.

He couldn't believe that it had worked! This was one time, he was certainly glad that an old myth turned out to be true. He really owed Thorn one for this, not that he could ever repay him, since the price would be too great and he didn't exist anymore. Judging from the pale color of her skin, though, he could tell that the transformation wasn't easy on her body.
The changes were happening on the inside as well, so there was a lot going on behind the scenes. He was feeling a lot better than he was before despite being sore, so he climbed out of the bed and went to Fluttershy's side, grabbing her hoof in his hand. She felt rather cold to the touch, but she was slowly regaining her warmth.

"What have I done? I could have saved her, if I had been strong enough. I wouldn't have had to turn her into a monster, if I were! I feel bad about doing this to her, especially after seeing how rough it is on her, but at the same time, she wouldn't be alive if it weren't for that, so I'm happy about it." He thought to himself.

"Fluttershy, I'm sorry. I don't deserve to be called your knight. I can't believe that I used to consider myself worthy of such a title." He sighed, not realizing that his last few sentences had been spoken out loud.

"Spike, you might be more qualified for that position than you think." Twilight walked up behind him and put her hoof on his shoulder, having awakened when she heard him talking. "I don't know what happened, but you've done more for her than anypony else, whether you think so or not. Nopony is perfect and in my opinion, you've more than proven yourself at this point. And if Fluttershy can't see that, then it's her loss."

Spike let go of Fluttershy's hoof and turned around to face Twilight. "I'm not sure if she feels as strongly about it as you do, but thanks for saying that. It DOES make me feel a little better, I'll admit." He smiled. "It's good to see you again, Twilight."

Twilight pulled him into a hug, holding him for a moment. "I'm so glad that you're safe, Spike. You have no idea how worried I was about you! I was almost certain that you weren't coming back or at least, that's what it felt like when you left the Library." She said, with tears in her eyes.

Spike pulled away, looking annoyed, although there was still the hint of a smile on his face. "Gee, thanks for believing in me, Twilight."

"Oh, come on, Spike. You know that's not what I meant." Twilight chuckled. "Oh! I just remembered that I was supposed to tell you to go meet with the Princesses in the castle. They told me to let you know, as soon as you woke up. I wonder what was so important that they had to speak with you in private?"

"I'm as clueless as you are, Twi, but I'm guessing that it has something to do with my quest. I'd better go see them, before they get tired of waiting."

"Of course, Spike. We can talk more, later." Twilight said goodbye, as the dragon attempted to use magic to teleport.

Nothing happened, other than him clutching his head in pain.

"Spike! You shouldn't be trying to use magic, right now! Although you might be feeling better, you're still recovering, so it will do your body more harm than good to attempt to channel the arcane arts through it." Twilight warned him. "Here. You should have just asked!" Her horn lit up and surrounded him in a magenta glow, sending him on his way in a flash of light.

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He appeared right in the Throne room, where Princess Celestia and Luna were waiting for him.

"It is good to see that you are well, Spike." Luna greeted him.

"Yes, I'm happy about that, as well." Celestia agreed.

Both of their expressions quickly turned serious. "Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, it's time to get down to business. Do you have any idea why we called you here?" Celestia asked.

"Well, I assumed that it was because you wanted me to tell you about my battle with Starswirl. I couldn't imagine what else it would be. Heh heh." Spike was getting more nervous by the second. He was beginning to think that he had done something wrong.

"Spike, it's no use hiding it. We know what you've done and 'tis not something to be taken lightly." Luna stated.

"Yes, we know all about the Drakenshire, but what we want to know is how YOU found out how to transform Fluttershy into one. Such magic hasn't been seen in over a century, so it stands to reason that you had some outside help. It would have had to be somepony who was around back then and the only one besides us would have been…Discord. But, we saw his statue crumble right before our eyes!" Celestia pointed out.

Spike was forced to explain what happened to Thorn and how he had saved Fluttershy using the information left to him.

"I see. Well, it matters not how you obtained the knowledge, know that what you have done is a crime. Blood rituals, especially between dragons and ponies are forbidden, as well as dangerous. The Drakenshire are an inherently evil race and as such, there wasn't a good one in the bunch. As much as my sister and I are ashamed to admit it, we hunted down every member to extinction hundreds of years ago.

Well, there might be one or two around, but they are hidden away, to the point where they'll most likely never be found. We wiped all traces of them from the history books, so that no one would ever learn how to perform the ritual to become one or seek out survivors of the race. Now, do you see why this is such a big deal?" Luna explained, completely serious.
Spike needed to know just how much trouble he was in.

"I'm starting to."

"Yes, this is a very serious offense. Long ago, when the Drakenshire were still around, those that had broken the rules as you have, were executed outright and in rare cases, thrown into the dungeon for the rest of their life. You might not understand the reasoning behind it, but due to the nature of the ritual, it was often crueler to let them live. You see, the pony and dragon that took part in the ritual initiated what is known as, a 'blood bond'.

The two creatures destinies', as well as ultimate fates, are intertwined, forever inseparable. They become one in mind, body, and soul, able to speak to each other telepathically. One of the side effects of this is similar to a love potion. Those that are bound by blood can't stand to be apart for long and if the other dies, then they become so depressed that nothing can cure them. That is why when we were forced to kill one of them, oftentimes it was nicer to take the other out as well rather than let them suffer. Sometimes, depending on how close they were in their relationship, they would even die on the spot." Celestia informed, shaking her head sadly.

"We can't let this go without a punishment of some sort." Luna told him.

"It might be best to get rid of you now, before the transformation is complete." Celestia agreed.

The image of his once benevolent rulers had been shattered by their harsh words, leaving behind a twisted, fractured display.

Spike gulped, suddenly feeling very cold and alone. "Y-You're going to kill us?" In the silence that followed his hesitant statement, his fear took a backseat to anger. "You know what? No! I won't accept this kind of treatment, after all that I've done for you and for all of Equestria! I mean, what else could I have done? I was trying to save an innocent pony's life, and I don't see what's wrong with that. I guess, this is what I get for being a hero." He paused, making up his mind.

"I didn't know what I was doing, but even now that I do, I wouldn't change the way I handled things. If you want to kill us, then be my guest, but know this: I will fight until my last breath to keep her safe. I don't care if I have to sacrifice myself in the process, as long as Fluttershy gets to live! I…"

"That's enough, Spike. That was exactly what we were hoping to hear."

Spike had been pacing back and forth during his rant, and the Princess of the Sun's interruption stopped him in his tracks.

"Huh?"

Both Princesses now had warm smiles on their faces, looking almost like…they were proud of him?

"Spike, going from a pony to a Drakenshirian is rough on the body. There will be a lot of changes that she will have to get used to. Fluttershy will need you now more than ever, and we had to make sure that you were determined enough to take responsibility for your actions. Since your souls are now bonded, it's important that you stay by her side, because she will be devastated and so will you, if you were to ever part. Although that WAS what we used to do, we weren't actually planning to execute one of Equestria's greatest heroes, not to mention one of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. Now, we see that we should have never doubted the strength of your devotion." Luna explained thoroughly.

Suddenly, there was a flash of light and the doors were slammed open, revealing an out of breath pegasus.

Spike turned around to see who it was, and was shocked by the appearance of the last pony he expected to see. "Fl-Fluttershy…is that you? How did you get here?"

Her recovery had happened faster than anypony expected.

"I had…Twilight teach me…how to teleport." She said, in between breaths. "It was easier than I thought, since all I had to do was think about you and it was like I somehow knew exactly where you were. I've never used magic before, though, so it took more out of me than I thought it would. I just…I felt like you were in danger." Fluttershy didn't know how to put it into words, but that was the gist of it.

With her piece being said, she galloped towards Spike and tackled him to the ground, planting kisses all over his face. "You saved me, Spike! Just like I knew you would!" She slowed down, planting one last kiss on his lips. They both melted into the kiss with sighs of pleasure, having waited for this moment for so long.

He pulled back, holding her face in his hands. He took this time to take in her features, observing the changes. Her wings and tail, as well as her mane were left unchanged, though the tips of her ears were now pointed slightly. Her fur was also pretty much unchanged, although it seemed to be a bit coarser in texture than it used to be. Her fangs had grown into her mouth now, as well, her teeth were now similar to Spike's. Her eyes, although they were now the color of crimson instead of teal, contained the same kindness they always had. This was the same mare he had always known, despite her transformation.

"Of course, I did. I made a promise to you that I would, even if you weren't able to hear it."

Celestia and Luna exchanged knowing looks and cleared their throats loudly, reminding the two of their presence.

Fluttershy backed away from Spike, as they both blushed in embarrassment. "Sorry." They said in sync.

"It's quite all right, Fluttershy. We know that you two need some time alone. But before that, we need to speak with Spike privately. Also, we're glad that you are okay, as well." Celestia said and Fluttershy nodded.

"Oh, okay. I'll be waiting for you outside, Spike!" Fluttershy kissed him on the cheek, smiling wide enough to reveal her fangs, as she left the room.

Spike watched her leave with a dopey smile on his face, finding her to be as cute as ever, maybe even more so with her new fangs. He sighed. "She's so beautiful!"

"So, when is the wedding?" Luna asked, teasingly.

"Huh? Uh, I haven't asked her yet. I'm not sure that she would even want to marry someone like me, to be honest." Spike said, bashfully.

"Are you serious? Anypony can see that she absolutely ADORES you! She can't be with anypony else now that you're bonded, nor does she have any desire to. Although I suspect that was already the case, even before you became bonded. Either way, you two are made for each other and if you can't see that, then you need some glasses." Celestia joked.

"Haha, I guess so." Spike chuckled.

"Joking aside, since you don't have any experience or at least any of the positive variety when it comes to dealing with Drakenshirians, we thought it was a good idea to warn you. Fluttershy might be inclined to act a little differently now, although her core personality shouldn't be affected. It's not something to be worried about, as in she won't suddenly turn evil or anything. The Drakenshire are evil, but she embodies the Element of Kindness and I'm sure that her good heart will protect her from that. Now then, let's get started." Luna cleared her throat, before continuing.

"Drakenshirians are territorial by nature, so they don't like it when anypony steps into their domain uninvited. Also, they mate for life, so once you've gone that far with her, you wouldn't be able to get rid of her if you tried, though I suspect that she already won't leave you. They are possessive of their mates and get extremely aggressive if they feel that somepony is trying to make a move on their mate. They can get a bit clingy at times, as they are very affectionate.

If you are wondering why Fluttershy's appearance hasn't changed all that much, it's because Drakenshirians have two forms. The first one is mostly normal, but the other is more reptilian in nature and it only comes out when they feel threatened or are very angry. That's about it, but there is one last thing." Luna leaned in close, to whisper in his ear.

"Like most creatures, Drakenshirians go into heat, except it is a little more intense than a normal pony's. I won't go into all the specifics, since it will be more fun for you to discover that for yourself, but I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Those of the Drakenshire race are very fertile normally, although this increases during heat, so I don't think you'll have any problems getting her to agree to 'bear your foals', as you put it."

Spike's face was beet-red when she backed away from him, his cheeks practically on fire with embarrassment. "Wha-How did you know about that?"

"Don't you remember? At night, I like to travel through the dreams of my subjects and I passed through yours, briefly." Luna revealed.

"Oh, right." Spike remembered, uncomfortably.

"All right, Luna. I think we've embarrassed him enough, for now. You are free to go, Spike. Thank you for everything you've done for us. We had a ceremony to honor you while you were still out of it and here's your medal of heroism." She floated the medal over to him and it settled around his neck.

Spike shook his head. "I didn't do anything special. If anything, I should be the one thanking both of you. Although I always wanted to be a hero, I knew in my heart that I wasn't destined to be one. If you hadn't changed my destiny, then none of this would have been possible and my life is much better than it was before! I might have been an undestined hero, but you made it happen for me, so I will be forever grateful to you. Is there anything I can do to repay you?"

"On the contrary, we owe a tremendous debt to YOU. But, if you really want to help, then why don't you become a guard at the castle?" Celestia offered.

"I appreciate the offer, but I couldn't leave Fluttershy like that. I know how long the hours are for that job." Spike refused, politely.

"Come on, Spike. If you really don't want to, then we'll understand, but at least think about it first. We'll let you choose your own hours and you will be paid a higher amount than the others, due to your hero status. Fluttershy can come visit you whenever she wants and as a bonus, you will have more money than you know what to do with. If you accept this job, then you can provide for Fluttershy and your future family. In other words, you will be set for life and never have to worry about money again." Luna said, taking over for her sister.

Spike smiled, knowing that there was no way for him to refuse such a generous offer. He would be an idiot if he let this chance pass him by. "Okay. In that case, I accept. When do I start?"

Celestia smiled, mischievously. "We have a feeling that you will need some time to get reacquainted with Fluttershy and you deserve some time off. You can start in a few months."

Spike was surprised by such a long break, but it wasn't like he was complaining. If all went well, he and Fluttershy could get married in that amount of time.

He thanked the Princesses once again and exited the room. Fluttershy was waiting right outside, like she had promised.

"Hey, Spike." She greeted, flashing him a sweet smile. She was curious about what they had talked about, but she figured that it was none of her business, so she didn't worry about it.

"Hey, Fluttershy. Guess what?"

"What?"

"I got a job as a guard!" He grinned.

"Oh my gosh, Spike! That's wonderful!" She hugged him tightly, as they celebrated. It was short-lived, however, once a particular thought crossed her mind. "But, if you're away all the time, then other girls might try to take you away from me." She growled.

"It won't be all the time and besides, you can visit anytime you want to. Also, you realize that the only guards we see are all male, right? It's not like I'm going to be hanging out with other women. I only want you, Fluttershy." Spike promised.

"Good, because I only want you, Spike." Fluttershy told him, happily.

"Well, now that we've gotten that out of the way, are you ready to head home?"

"Of course. Let's go!" Fluttershy exclaimed.

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They decided to take the train back and visited everypony on the way to their home. Spike explained his whole adventure to them and when he was done, he visited Pinkie Pie at Sugarcube Corner. There was something very important that he had to tell her and he was just hoping that she wouldn't take the news badly.

"So, Spike…What did you want to talk about? Was it about our kiss, because if so, I didn't say anything to anypony, I promise! I got the feeling that it was something that was best kept between ourselves. I mean, who KNOWS how they would react, right?" Pinkie blurted, speaking what was on her mind, without paying attention to who was in the room with her.

Fluttershy growled and glared at the pink party pony from where she was sitting, cuddled up against the side of the dragon as close as she could get. The look sent chills down Pinkie's spine, making her gulp involuntarily. "Spike, how come this is the first I'm hearing of this?" She asked, menacingly.

"I'm sorry, Fluttershy. I should have told you sooner, but I never got around to it. A lot happened while you were possessed and there was no guarantee that I would be able to get you back, as bad as that may sound. Don't worry, though. That's why I'm here in the first place. I wanted to let her know, that I have no intention of ever leaving your side again." Spike reassured.

They were speaking mentally, having played around with it on the train ride, until they had figured out how to do it. It came naturally to them and he was just glad that if somepony had to be hearing his thoughts, it was her. The Princesses had removed the receiver in his brain left over from his first adventure while he was asleep in the hospital, so she was truly the only one who could understand what he was thinking now.

"Good. Sorry for overreacting, but I'm still working on controlling my new emotions. A sudden surge of jealousy and possessiveness overcame me for a minute there, and I couldn't help it. I want you all to myself, if that's not too much to ask." Fluttershy said, having returned to her normal state.

"You don't have to apologize to me, it's okay. I completely understand, since I don't exactly want to share YOU with anypony either." Spike replied.

"Uh, yikes. Just forget I mentioned it, then. Heh, heh." Pinkie backtracked, nervously.

"It's all right, Pinkie. That actually IS what I wanted to talk to you about." Spike sighed, knowing that this wasn't going to be easy for him to say. "Pinkie, I'm sorry, but I've had plenty of time to think about how I felt since you kissed me and I don't feel the same way that you do. I see you as a part of my family, just like all of the others in our group of friends, so while I do love you, it's not in the way you were hoping for. You're more like a sister to me. I'm going to stay with Fluttershy, if she's okay with it, and I hope that you can accept that."

"Of course I'm okay with it, Spike. I've enjoyed having you live with me." Fluttershy told him, with a cheerful smile.

Pinkie Pie's mane drooped, deflating almost instantly. Tears began to run down her face and fall to the floor. "I kinda expected this, but that doesn't make it any less disappointing."

"Pinkie, are you going to be okay? You know, it's not the end of the world." Spike said, a little worried about her.

"No, it's okay, Spike. I just need some time alone…"

All they could do was leave her to deal with it on her own, so they left the bakery.

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When they finally made it to the cottage, Fluttershy's animals had returned and she made sure they were taken care of, before making her way to the bedroom with Spike.

After everything, she couldn't hold it back anymore, especially now that they were alone. They sat down on the bed and Fluttershy broke down, tears running freely down her face. "I'm SO sorry, Spike! I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I couldn't control my actions and I would have never kicked you out or dumped you, if I could. I'm a terrible pony!"

Spike couldn't hold back the tears either, and he hugged her tightly. "Fluttershy, it's okay. Don't blame yourself, for what I did. I don't blame you, and you're not terrible at all! I'm just sorry that I had to turn you into, well, THIS to do it." The best aspect of her transformation was that since she was part dragon now, she would live as long of a life as Spike, so he wouldn't have to worry about her leaving him all alone.

"I don't blame you either, Spike. But…do you really think that I'm still pretty?" Fluttershy was feeling insecure about her new look, and she was seeking comfort.

"Absolutely. You're beautiful, Fluttershy, that hasn't changed."

"I love you so much, Spike." Fluttershy said, with love in her eyes.

"I love you too, Fluttershy." Spike said, as they leaned in and kissed passionately.

Although it might have been moving too fast, the dragon pulled out the pink butterfly hair clip that he was supposed to give her on her birthday, and got on one knee. He used his draconian magic to change its appearance before her very eyes. The clip morphed into two rings with a pink butterfly gem on each and the words he had engraved on it shifted to the inside lining of both of them. One of them was on a string, so that she could wear it around her neck like a necklace.

Fluttershy covered her mouth with her hooves, gasping in surprise. "Spike…"

"Fluttershy, I know that this might be too much to ask, but it would make me the happiest dragon in the world, if you accepted this. Fluttershy, will you marry me?"

"Of course, I will, Spike!" Fluttershy allowed him to place the ring around her neck while she returned the favor, crying tears of joy this time.

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Their wedding was set to be a few weeks after that, since they didn't want to wait too long to be husband and wife.

It was on one of the days before it, that Spike was sitting in their shared bedroom, examining the pieces of the coin a certain draconequs had given him. These two halves were all that remained of the circular currency that he had given him as a gift. Even though the version that he had originally fought was evil, the one that had sacrificed himself for him wasn't, and he didn't deserve to meet with such an unfortunate fate. Spike was wishing that there was some way to save him, but he was fairly certain that there wasn't.

Suddenly, he had a thought. Although normally something like time travel would make his head hurt, he understood it a lot better now that he had experienced it first hand. He wasn't sure what the spell that Thorn cast did, but he assumed that it returned everything to the way that it was before he had traveled back in time and unleashed Starswirl. If that was the case, then Discord had never given him the coin. Spike still had the time travel spell in his possession, but he couldn't go back to the past to retrieve Discord if it never happened.

Despite that, if he knew Discord as well as he thought he did, then the draconequs had probably set up a failsafe. He hadn't thought much about it at the time, but if he had really died, then wouldn't he have left a body or ashes behind? Discord had cheated death before, so who's to say that he hadn't done so again? Another factor to consider was that the coin had only broken after he 'died'. Although it was a long shot, maybe he could summon him again, if he somehow put the coin back together.

Spike decided to try the simple approach, and fired off a stream of emerald flames. His efforts were rewarded, as he was able to use the fire to weld the two halves back into a whole. When he did, he sighed. "Okay, Spike. It's the moment of truth. I sure hope this works."

He flipped the coin into the air and watched it fall back to the ground, disappointed when nothing seemed to happen. However, it was a delayed effect, since shortly afterwards, a lion paw emerged from its surface and threw the coin towards Spike. The rest of the body flew out of the coin, as the dragon caught it in his hand. He couldn't believe it, but Discord was back.

"Good grief! It took you a while to notice the clue I left you, didn't it? I've been waiting in that spatial void for ages, hoping that you would release me!" Discord grumbled, irritably.

Spike ignored his annoyances and ran towards him, wrapping his arms around him in a hug. "Thank goodness! I thought you were dead!"

Discord sighed, patting his back. "While it could have been done in a more timely manner, I appreciate the effort. I'm sorry for worrying you, and thank you for rescuing me. It's good to be back."

Spike let go, raising an eyebrow in confusion. "How is it that you survived, anyway? Not that I'm not glad you're here, I'm just curious."

"Well, if you must know, I was hiding inside a dimension that I had previously created inside of that coin. I have connected myself to that coin, so that when you summon me, I usually travel to that dimension, then emerge from within. Unfortunately, I underestimated the strength of Starswirl's attack and the aftershock snapped the coin in half. I've been trapped inside it this whole time, waiting for you to figure out how to get me out of there." Discord sighed once more, turning his back to him. "I suppose that I should get out of here, before Fluttershy or someone else sees me. They won't be happy that I've returned, I'm sure."

"Discord, that may be true, but once I explain the situation to them, they won't mind. You've done a lot for me, and they have to see that. At the very least, we can start with Fluttershy and you can be introduced to the others over time." Spike offered.

"Oh, all right. But do I have to do it, right now?" Discord was trying to get out of what would surely be an awkward situation, but Spike wasn't about to let him get out of it that easily.

"Yes. Come on, she's right downstairs. Besides, there's no reason to be scared, Fluttershy isn't going to hurt you."
As they made their way downstairs, Fluttershy heard him coming and turned around to greet him. "Hello, Spike. What are you…Ah! What is DISCORD doing here?!" Fluttershy growled, preparing to fight him if she had to.

"Whoa, whoa! Calm down, Shy'. I promise that he won't hurt you, all right?" Spike made his way over to her and put an arm around her shoulders in an attempt to comfort her.

"Okay, if you say so. That doesn't mean I like it, though." Fluttershy backed down, reluctantly.

Once Spike had explained everything to her, she was far more understanding and even told the flabbergasted draconequs that he was welcome to come back anytime, as long as he used the front door. He was amazed by her kindness and graciously accepted her invitation.

Now that the last loose end from his adventures had been tied up, Spike could move on with his life.

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Discord was eventually accepted by everyone and while the Princesses were suspicious of him at first, he was able to win them over as well.

Soon, the wedding of Fluttershy and Spike was upon them, and the two couldn't be happier.

Fluttershy and Spike said their vows in front of all of their friends and the Princesses, promising to stay with each other until the end of time. Of course, it wasn't long after that that Spike found out why he had been given several months off before starting his job. Newly transformed drakenshirians enter into heat soon after being transformed, and it's way stronger than a normal pony's.

This took place after the wedding, and although neither of them had done such things before, they were quick learners. Fluttershy was nearly insatiable, and after filling her time and time again, the outcome was obvious. By the time her heat was over, she was already pregnant. Since her body was even more fertile than before, it ended up being triplets. An unexpected side effect of their mating was that Spike's cutie mark changed to an identical copy of hers, letting everyone know that she had marked him, so he was all hers now for sure, if he wasn't before.

Spike started his job, leaving Fluttershy on her own, except for when she came to visit him or hung out with her friends. He helped her as much as he could, since it was pretty rough on her to carry three foals for her first time, but with his help she made it through it. Their children were Drakenshirians like their mother, two fillies and one colt. The colt was purple and green like Spike, while the two girls mostly favored their mother and were nearly identical.

Fluttershy and Spike couldn't be happier with their family. In fact, when Spike looked back on the life he had lived so far, he thought about what he had gone through to get where he was. Although his adventures were difficult at times, he wouldn't change anything.

In the end, Spike could care less if the path he had taken in life was never meant to happen, originally.

'Undestined' or otherwise, this was exactly where he wanted to be.

Author's Note

Hey there! If you managed to make it all the way to the end of this adventure, then please leave a review telling me what you thought. I personally enjoyed writing this, and I hope that you enjoyed it just as much. When I started writing it, it was around the start of season 3 when Spike hadn't done much except for saving the Crystal Kingdom. I was really into the show back then, so I wrote a story about how Spike became the hero I always thought he deserved to be, since he's my favorite character other than Fluttershy.

I still love the show, and I'll still be a fan long after the final episode airs on television. I always will be! There's nothing else like it, and while I wish it would continue for a while longer, all good things have to end some day. We're lucky to have gotten as much pony as we did, I guess. I got a little off topic, so anyway, thanks for reading! See ya next time!

Chapter Twelve:Dreaming Of The Night

Time Stops For No Dragon
Chapter 12-Dreaming Of The Night

Spike opened his eyes, seeing an endless, star-filled night sky. He walked forward, admiring the scene's beauty. At some point, he looked down and noticed that there was nothing below him. Spike was literally standing on nothing, but whatever he was on, rippled with every step he took. One of the stars, light blue in color, floated closer to him. When it reached him, the 'star' transformed into Princess Luna, who was now standing before him, with a slight frown on her face.

Spike gasped in surprise at her sudden arrival, bowing before her.

"There is no need to be so formal, my little dragon." She assured, causing him to stand back up.

"Pr-Princess Luna, why are YOU here?" He wondered, trying not to sound rude.

"I'm sure that you know, why I am here."

Spike nodded, hoping that this wasn't about his recent escapades. "Am I in trouble?" Spike asked, nervously.

"Not at all. I came to warn you. You have tried to escape your destiny, but I am not so sure that was a wise decision. Depending on what you do next, you may find yourself in more trouble, than is imaginable." Luna informed, ominously.

"So, no pressure or anything." Spike replied, sarcastically.

Luna's eyes widened in confusion, tilting her head. "On the contrary, there is a large amount of pressure being placed on you."

Spike sighed. "Never mind, I was being sarcastic. I meant the opposite of what I said."

"Oh."

"That reminds me of something, though." Spike stated.

"What is it?"

"You usually speak in 'Old Equestrian', but you weren't using it, just now."

"My sister, has been giving me lessons in 'New Equestrian'."

"Oh, that makes sense." Spike said, nodding his head in understanding.

Luna broke the silence that resulted after a few moments, with a sigh. "I must take my leave of you, because it takes a lot of my energy to maintain contact with you." Noticing Spike's confused look, she added, "When you altered the past, it created a new dimension where certain events, didn't occur."

Princess Luna began walking away, calling over her shoulder, "Beware, Spike, for in the days ahead, you may find yourself witnessing the future you tried so hard to prevent, become reality."

Spike frowned, now troubled by her warning.

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The rest of his nap was plagued by nightmares of what was to come, until he was jolted awake with a gasp, sweating profusely. He made his way to the nearby bathroom, hoping that what Luna said wouldn't come true.

"That's what I get, for trying to run away from my problems, I guess." Spike said to himself, as he entered the bathroom.

Chapter Twenty-Seven:Spike's Ultimate Destiny, Part Two:Hiding In The Shadows

Time Stops For No Dragon
Chapter 27-Spike's Ultimate Destiny, Part Two:Hiding In The Shadows

Spike didn't know the whole layout of the castle very well, but he was pretty sure that he knew of one place in particular that would make a good hiding spot. The castle had at least four floors with the uppermost point being the roof, which would technically count as the fifth. The place that he was thinking of was the Royal Archives, and they were on the third floor, so he would be fairly close to the top. Plus, the Archives was huge, covering nearly the whole floor it was on, which made sense since it contained books about pretty much all of Equestria's history.

With so many rows of bookshelves, he was certain that he would have no trouble staying out of sight, and it would probably be a while before she found out the specific area he was in, since the castle had several floors and they were all large. Spike was smart enough to know that he hadn't been allotted enough time to run straight to the roof, and if he was out in the open when he ran out of time, then he was done for. That's why he had picked somewhere that was relatively close to the top, while still providing adequate space to hide.

He wasn't sure how many minutes had passed, but if his estimate was correct, there was only a minute or two to go before Fluttershy would begin searching for him. That meant that he didn't have much time left to reach his destination. He was currently running up the stairs to the third floor, the slapping of his feet on the cold stone echoing through the stairwell. It was the only sound he could hear and it sounded abnormally loud in his ears, making him feel like his pursuer, if she was already looking, would be able to hear him from anywhere in the castle.

This probably wasn't the case, unless she had really good hearing, but that's how it made him feel. Although, judging by the way things usually went for him, he wouldn't be surprised if that turned out to be the case. He finally made it to the place he was looking for, and ducked under the rope keeping it closed. This wasn't normally the kind of area that just anypony could access, so it was roped off and the more secret areas of it, like Starswirl's section, were locked with a chain.
He barely had enough time to get inside and slip in between some bookcases, before his five-minute headstart concluded.

The chase had begun and he wasn't sure that anything could save him, if she discovered his hiding place. He was racking his brain for ideas on how to deal with Fluttershy, since he highly doubted that he would be able to simply sneak past her, but he was coming up empty. He didn't want to hurt her unless it was absolutely necessary, but it was looking like he might have to. If anything, it would probably be a good idea to take care of her somehow, so that she wouldn't get in the way when he fought Starswirl. He didn't want her to interfere, in what was sure to be the most dangerous battle he had ever faced. What if she was caught between their attacks and got killed or something? Along that same line of thinking, it made sense for him to neutralize her, at least. If he could figure out how to do it, that is.

Unfortunately for him, she seemed to know exactly where he was or knew where he was likely to hide, anyway. He heard the rope rustling violently until it was torn off, flying towards him with a gust of wind. What was left of the rope, if it could even be called that anymore, slapped onto the floor, landing by his feet. In hindsight, he probably should have hidden further away from the entrance. He was only a distance of two bookcases away from the opening that his seeker had just blown to smithereens.

Spike knew that it would be a good idea to get further away, but before he did, he was tempted to sneak a peek at her, since it had been so long since he had last seen her. Surely, it wouldn't hurt to gaze at her beauty for a moment, as long as he did it quickly enough that he wasn't seen. The young dragon poked his head around the corner of the bookshelf he was currently hiding behind, and almost immediately ducked back behind it, moving as silently as he could in the opposite direction. He hadn't observed her too closely, but the brief glimpse he had gotten of her, was terrifying! The darkness inside of her had warped her appearance, making her look like something straight out of his nightmares.

"Dear Celestia, she looks like a demon from Tartarus!"

Her once butter yellow fur was so dark that it was almost black, and her mouth was filled with needle-like razor sharp teeth. Her mane and tail were faded in color, despite still being pink and her cutie marks had been corrupted, displaying a black hole instead of three butterflies. However, the most shocking change to her appearance was her eyes. They had once been filled with kindness and warmth, along with a modicum of innocence as well as their teal color, but now, they were completely different. They were solid black with red pinpricks of light serving as her pupils and staring into them was like looking into the deepest, darkest abyss that one might never return from. Wisps of darkness emanated from her being periodically, floating off into the air. Every step she took left a black hoof print burned into the floor.

As soon as he saw her, all thoughts of neutralizing her flew out of the nearest window, replaced with the need to get as far away from that THING as possible. He couldn't let it catch him, for that creature wasn't Fluttershy anymore, and it would surely kill him if he allowed it to get its hooves on him. Survival was the only thing on his mind, as well as the near-crippling fear that was beginning to settle into his bones, not to mention every fiber of his being. It was a primal feeling, something like how he imagined the cave ponies must have felt when they were being chased by dinosaurs. This was how it felt to be hunted by something that was strong and powerful enough to be considered a predator, while he was the weak and vulnerable prey.

It was funny in a way, that he was hiding in the shadows from a creature possessed by the darkness needed to create them. Not that he would laugh, even if he could, without attracting its attention.

"Where are you, Spike? I KNOW you're here. You can't fool me, because I can smell your fear!" The monstrosity masquerading as his ex-marefriend announced, in a twisted combination of Fluttershy's voice and a more demonic sounding one. It was as if two creatures were in her body, both speaking in perfect synchronization.

Spike was careful not to make any unnecessary noises, slinking from bookcase to bookcase in relative silence. If he really wanted to, he could have used some of his magic to make his movements completely silent, but he was certain that the thing currently occupying her body would be able to sense it and find out exactly where he was.

True to her word, she was tracking him through smell alone and she wasn't far behind, judging by the sounds he could hear. She knew that she was getting close to his location, in fact, she could taste him. His sweaty essence was making her mouth water in anticipation, of the moment when she would finally catch up to him. She began using her newfound mastery of the shadowy arts, to speed up the process, becoming one with the shadows themselves and phasing through the bookshelves as if they weren't there. She left perfectly circular holes in her wake, melting through countless books that were all priceless. Thankfully, this was a replica, so no damage was actually done.

He thought he was doing pretty well, but all his progress was ruined when he felt a familiar feeling, building up in his chest. "Oh, sweet Celestia! Not this, not right now!" He thought, frantically trying to hold it back.

In the end, however, it was inevitable and he burped out a letter in a burst of brilliant emerald flame, lighting up the dark room. He hastily unrolled the scroll, wondering what was so important that he had to be told in the middle of such an important event.

"Dear Spike, Good luck! Love, your best friend Twilight (who is basically, your unicorn mom)" Normally, he would have smiled at such a letter, but it literally couldn't have come at a worse time.

As he had expected, the flash of magic, however brief it was, attracted the sinister mare to his direct location. Before he could react, she appeared right beside him, phasing through the bookshelf at his back.

"Gotcha!" She whispered right into his ear, sending chills down his spine, as he felt her hot breath on his skin.

She had never done anything like that to him before, because she was usually too shy to. It was embarrassing to admit, but Spike had never been more terrified and aroused at the same time. He sprinted away as fast as he could, running for his life. She was enjoying the thrill of the chase, so she watched him go, letting him get a fair distance away before she resumed her pursuit.

Soon after, she phased through a few more bookcases and came face to face with her 'playmate'. Spike wanted to scream in terror, but no sound came out. Even if he could have, there wasn't enough breath in his body to do so, as evidenced by her finding him hunched over with his hands on his knees. He had been running for a while, and he just didn't have the energy to keep going.

"There you are!" She smiled, approaching him slowly.

In his attempt to back away, he tripped over his own feet, falling on his butt. He was too scared to move, as the unspeakable horror got closer and closer, until she was standing right in front of him. She licked her lips and roughly forced him to the floor, causing him to cry out in pain as her two front hooves burned twin hoof marks onto his chest. Her mouth was watering and some hot drool dripped out of her mouth, wetting his scales.

"Mmm! You look good enough to eat! That old fuddy duddy probably didn't tell you this, but one of the rules of our game was that if I won, I could do whatever I wanted with you." Her grin would have normally been adorable, but it was only menacing in this form. "Yes, I think you'll do nicely. I haven't eaten anything in ages, and this body requires quite a bit of sustenance."

Fluttershy opened her mouth as wide as was possible, poised to swallow him whole, as her cheeks stretched to an unnatural degree. Spike could tell that this was it for him and he closed his eyes, not wanting to see his end. He didn't try to escape, knowing that it was futile, since she would quickly catch him again. It was then, that something strange happened. Right before she closed in on him, she was stopped in her tracks. She clutched her head in pain, appearing to struggle with an unseen assailant.

What Spike didn't realize, was that the attack was coming from the inside. Upon seeing him terrified and nearly in tears, Fluttershy couldn't stand knowing that an evil force was using her body to cause him pain. This was her fault, and while she had been cowering in a dark corner of her mind this whole time, it was time that she started fighting back. If she had come to this conclusion sooner, then some of this could have been prevented. She should have never let it go so far, and it was time to stand up for herself. Spike put some distance between them while she was distracted, watching in awe.

Suddenly, some of the darkness coating her body dissipated, as her right eye reverted to its normal color and appearance. "Spike, there's no time! You have to get out of here, I'm sorry! I can't hold it off for very long, so you NEED to go!" She forced out through gritted teeth.

He had been quiet for a while now, but Thorn finally spoke up in Spike's mind. "Hey, Spike, I've been doing some thinking. I've got an idea about how we could neutralize her, like you suggested. There's no guarantee that it will work, but I believe that it's worth a shot."

Spike was surprised to hear from him, having nearly forgotten that he was still in there. "All right, Thorn. Lay it on me. It's not like we have any better options, at this point."

"This might not be something you're willing to go through with, since it's a tad extreme, but here goes. I think you should at least, try to use the gauntlet on her." Thorn suggested.

"What? But, I thought that it only works on spells?" Spike questioned.

"That's what we were told, but something tells me that it will work for this, as well. Discord is essentially, made up of chaotic magic, so it stands to reason that his soul would be made out of magic, also. It's worth a shot, anyway." Thorn revealed.

"Okay, but what's the bad part? This sounds too good to be true, since it would solve all of our problems, and in my experience, there's always a downside to something like this." Spike pointed out.

"You're right. If our plan backfires, then we could potentially be possessed by it, instead. Are you sure that you're strong enough to handle that?" Thorn warned.

Spike's face hardened in determination. "I'm certain of it. If something like that happens, then so be it. I'd rather take it into my own body, if it means that I can save her. I won't allow it to take me over, like it did with her."

"All right, then. Let's do it." Thorn agreed.

"Fluttershy, I'm not going to leave you, not again!" Spike declared, walking towards her with a confident smirk on his face.

"Spike, what are you…" That was all she had time to say, before he laid his gauntlet-covered hand on her shoulder.

The ancient artifact began to glow in response to his feelings, as small wisps of darkness began to be absorbed into the cyan armor. The process started off slow, but it began to pick up speed, more and more darkness swirling into it as the minutes passed. The suction began to strengthen, pieces of the shadows coating her body breaking off in large chunks at a time. It fought to stay attached to her and the shadowy mist, formless by nature, partially formed a mouth, growling ominously. But, in the end it couldn't resist the pull, and the last of his soul was fully absorbed into the gauntlet. The once light blue armament was now, all black.

Fluttershy sighed in relief, losing the strength in her legs, as she collapsed to the floor. "Thank you, Spike. I…love…you…" She murmured, as she lost consciousness.

Spike ran over to her and was relieved to notice that she was still breathing. It was likely, that she was just exhausted. "I love you, too. Don't worry, Fluttershy. I'll come back for you, once this is all over. Right now, I have a date with an old dude, who is in SERIOUS need of a butt-kicking!"

He was about to leave the room, when Thorn spoke up in his mind. "Spike, something's wrong! I can feel it. I hate to say it, but we may have taken on more than we could handle."

"I'm sure it will be fine, Thorn. We don't have time to worry about it, right now. If something happens, we'll deal with it." Spike assured, heading for the stairs that led to the next floor.

He didn't realize it then, but he would come to regret not taking his other self's warning to heart. The gauntlet wasn't strong enough to hold a living entity, especially not one so powerful, and in its fight to break free of the prison it had been placed into, cracks were beginning to spread across the surface of the artifact.

It was only a matter of time, before it escaped once more.