Spike The Brony Dragon

I didn’t change anything for “Where the Apple Lies.” It was mostly a flashback episode anyway, and there was no immediate need for me to go back in time.

With Nightmare Night coming up, I continued my tradition of dressing up as pop culture dragons. This one would be a dragon from a video game. I bought dark-purple, orange, and yellow body paint, some cardboard for the wings, and two big styrofoam cones for the horns. It was too bad I didn’t know any glowing dragonflies; it would’ve really helped with my costume’s aesthetic.

When the night arrived, I set my room up with old newspapers just like I did last year. I cut out the cardboard into a pair of wings and painted them yellow. I then carved the horns to make them slightly curvy, and I gave them the same color. I painted my stomach, my head scales, and the tip of my tail yellow as well. When I moved on to the purple paint, I got Twilight to help me with my back.

Twilight scrutinized one of the paint bottles. “Purple body paint? But you’re already purple.”

“This is a darker shade of purple,” I replied. “My original scale color won’t work well for this costume.”

After Twilight helped me, I taped the wings to my back and glued the horns to my head. Then, I went to the foyer to join up with Twilight and Starlight.

Twilight was wearing historically-accurate viking armor. I was disappointed she didn’t wear this costume two Nightmare Nights ago when I was dressed as a Night Fury. Starlight was wearing a familiar stage-magician outfit.

“Nice costume, Starlight,” I said. “It looks familiar.”

“Thanks, Spike,” responded Starlight. “Trixie let me borrow one of her old outfits for me to use. Although, this doesn’t look different from her newer ones.”

The three of us exited the castle and into the night. Suddenly, Starlight caught her breath.

“Look! The moon!” Starlight pointed to the sky.

Twilight and I looked up and had the same expressions. The moon was glowing a cherry pie red.

“Why is it red like that?” Starlight asked.

“Maybe…maybe it’s for the sake of aesthetics?” Twilight asked. “Perhaps Luna wanted to turn it red to make this holiday feel a bit more spooky?”

“I hope it’s that,” I said.

And hopefully it won’t respawn any downed enemies.

“We still got some time before Pinkie’s Nightmare Night party,” Twilight said to change the subject. “Do you guys want to do anything before then?”

“I’ll go collect candy and drop some off at Fluttershy’s place,” I said.

“I’ll go see what party games they’ve got at the center of town,” Starlight suggested.

“Okay. I’ll go meet up with our friends and check out their costumes,” Twilight concluded.

We went our separate ways. I went door-to-door collecting candy while also receiving praise for my dragon costume. By the time I completed a street, my bag was already half full.

I was about to head to the next street when I bumped into Tyke and Moondancer. Both of them were also in costume. Tyke was in a blue-armored vest and cap, while Moondancer was wearing a white and blue suit and fedora.

“Hey, guys,” I greeted. “I like your costumes. What are you two supposed to be?”

“I’m a police officer,” Tyke happily replied as he flashed his sticker badge.

“And I’m Sapphire Shores during her ‘Slick Villain’ music phase.” Moondancer quickly did a dance kick. “Ow!”

“Ooh, nice. You nailed her catchphrase pretty well,” I complimented.

“No, ow, I accidentally pulled a muscle.” Moondancer rubbed her thigh. “I knew I should’ve stretched first.”

“So are you guys getting candy, too?”

“I already have.” Tyke pulled out his candy bag. “I’ve got a lot of pony sweets. I’ve got taffies, caramels, lollipops, chocolates, and…” Tyke took out a large stone from the bag. “I’ve got a rock for some reason.”

“It was from one of Pinkie’s sisters visiting Ponyville this year,” Moondancer explained. “It’s supposed to be some sort of geode when you open it.”

After our conversation, I continued my trick-or-treating. Once my bag was full, I made my way to Fluttershy’s. Down the road, some fillies ran past me giggling.

“Boy, she sure knows how to give a good scare,” one of them delightfully said.

“I wish she’d do it every year,” another replied.

“Do you guys remember if she had fangs when she first returned?” A third asked.

As the group departed, I was left wondering who they were talking about. I assumed it was Pinkie Pie at first, but the third colt’s question threw me off.

That’s when the wind picked up. The trees bared their leaves among the howling breeze. I looked around wondering if the wind was natural.

Boom!

A giant figure landed in front of me. They had a dark coat, light blue armor, and a mane of starry nights. My heart sank when I recognized who they were.

“N-Nightmare Moon?!” I shouted. “You’re back?!”

Nightmare Moon flashed her fangs.

I held out my candy sack. “T-t-take it! Take it, it's yours!”

An uncharacteristic and playful giggle came out of her mouth. “I got you, Spike.”

What? Why is she…? Oh….

“Princess Luna!” I exclaimed. “Thank goodness it’s you.”

“Good evening, Spike,” said Luna. “I see you’ve decided on a dragon-themed costume once again.”

“Well, yeah. It’s pretty much my thing when it comes to Nightmare Night.”

“I do hope that you’re enjoying this year’s festivities.”

“I sure am. So is everypony else. Well...almost everypony...”

“Whatever do you mean?”

I sighed. “It’s Fluttershy. Every Nightmare Night, she would hide under her bed until the next morning. Last year, she tried to join us and eventually scared us, but she still decided the holiday was not for her. Now I respect her decision, mind you, but I don’t want her to miss out on too much. So that’s why I decided to deliver some candy to her.” I showed Luna the candy bag I was holding. “I made sure to bring her ones that aren’t too chewy or too hard. She’s not very fond of taffy or jawbreakers.”

“I suppose that would be a good idea. Would you like me to come with you?”

“I guess that would be alright. You might want to drop your Nightmare Moon look, though.”

Luna followed me to Fluttershy’s cottage.

“I never thought you’d willingly don Nightmare Moon as your costume,” I said. “Especially given…your past.”

“I know, Spike,” Luna said. “Nightmare Moon isn’t something I’m proud of, but everypony including myself has forgiven me. Furthermore, given the traditions some ponies follow, it wouldn’t hurt to play along. Obviously, I would drop the act should things arise too far.”

As we were walking along the dirt path, I noticed the blood moon again in the sky.

“Say, do you know anything about what’s going on with the moon?” I asked.

Luna looked up and replied, “Well, very seldomly, I would incidentally put the moon in such a position from the sun that it would glow a bright red color. I named it the ‘Luna Eclipse.’ Many ponies theorized that formidable things occur under such a moon, but honestly it is only a cosmetic thing. You should worry not of any unsettling creatures roaming around.”

Once we got to Fluttershy’s cottage, Luna turned back into her original form and removed her fake fangs. I lightly tapped on the door.

“Fluttershy?” I asked calmly. “It’s Spike and Princess Luna. Is it okay for us to come in?”

I took a step back. A few minutes later, the top half of her door cracked open. I could make out Harry’s eyes. He opened the door and let us in.

“Thank you.” I entered the cottage and up the stairs with Luna following close behind. When we got up to Fluttershy’s bedroom, I noticed a light under her bed. What seemed out of place was that one of the windows was open.

“How peculiar,” said Luna. “If Fluttershy is afraid of Nightmare Night such that she resides under her bed, why did she leave this window open?” She then closed the window.

“I don’t know.” I slowly approached the bed. “Fluttershy? Can you hear me? It’s Spike. I brought you some candy.”

I didn’t hear anything from underneath. I wondered if she was sleeping.

“Fluttershy, I’m going to lift the covers slowly and look under the bed,” I said softly. “Don’t be afraid. I am wearing purple and yellow face paint as part of my costume.”

I pulled the covers up gently like they were made of tissue paper. I lowered myself until I looked under the bed. My eyes widened at what I saw. There were pillows, stuffed animals, snacks, light-hearted books, and more. But there was not a single sign of Fluttershy.

“Ms. Fluttershy,” Luna said. “You needn’t be worried. Spike has come to offer you sweets. You don’t have—”

“She’s not here,” I interrupted.

“I beg your pardon?”

“She’s not under the bed.” I quickly got up. “See for yourself.”

Luna peeked under the bed. She was met with the same sight like I did.

“What has happened?” Luna asked. “I thought you said Fluttershy was usually under here at this time of night.”

“I did! Something must’ve happened to her.” I then noticed Angel Bunny hopping up to us. “Angel, do you know what happened to Fluttershy?”

Angel put his ears in front of his face in the shape of Fluttershy’s mane. He then pointed to the blood moon and made a shocked face.

“Fluttershy was about to close the window when she saw the moon being red?” I asked.

Angel nodded. He then grabbed a few pieces of lettuce and some carrots from his bowl. He munched on them until the lettuce was formed into jagged wings and the carrots were a pair of fangs. He then ruffled up his fur, put the carrots in his mouth, and the lettuce on his back. Finally, he made a hissing sound.

“Then all of a sudden, her wings changed, she grew fangs, and her mane got all messed up?” I asked again.

Angel nodded once more. He then imitated different animals acting scared. He pointed to the window and spread his arms out.

“Then her animal friends got scared and she jumped out the window and ran off?”

Angel gave a thumbs up.

“How did you figure out all of that?” Luna asked.

“While I can’t speak animal like Fluttershy can, I'm pretty good at guessing charades,” I replied. That’s when the realization struck me. “Oh, no! If what Angel says is true then that means Fluttershy turned into a vampire bat pony again!”

“’Again’? This has happened before?”

“A couple of years back, AJ’s farm got infested with vampire fruit bats! Fluttershy wanted to leave them be, but Applejack wanted them gone, so Twilight conducted a spell to make them stop eating the apples. But the spell backfired and turned Fluttershy into a vampire. We were able to stop her and reverse the spell. Everypony assumed that would be the end of it, but now it looks like it’s not!”

“We have to warn the other ponies then!” Luna declared. “If Fluttershy attacks the other ponies, it could spell disaster!”

“You go get Twilight! I’ll go warn Applejack! Her apples are going to be a more likely victim! Meet me at the castle as soon as possible.”

Luna and I ran out of the cottage and parted ways. I dashed to Sweet Apple Acres as fast as I could. By the time I got there, I saw Applejack in a tin suit carrying a basket of apples.

“Well, howdy Spike,” Applejack greeted. “Hope yer havin’ a—”

“Applejack, we have a problem!” I shouted. “Flutterbat has returned!!”

“Wh-what?!”

“I was visiting Fluttershy’s cottage and noticed she wasn’t there. When I asked Angel, he told me that she turned into a bat pony and escaped!”

“Oh, no!” Applejack hugged her basket. “I can’t let my apples go through that again! Where’s Twilight?!”

“Princess Luna’s going to grab her! We gotta head to the castle! Hurry!”

Applejack placed her basket down and covered it with a blanket. “Alright, now lead the way!”

We ran all across town until we arrived at the castle. Luna and Twilight had just landed in front of the double doors.

“Twilight! Thank goodness Luna found you!” I cried.

“Luna told me everything,” said Twilight. “So is it true that Fluttershy became Flutterbat again?”

“That’s what Angel told me,” I said. “And knowing him, he ain’t one to kid around.”

“What’s the meaning of this, Twi?” Applejack asked. “I thought ya reversed that spell on Fluttershy!”

“I did! I did!” Twilight pleaded. “I don’t know why she suddenly became a bat pony after so long! Maybe it has something to do with the moon!”

“The blood-colored moon is only a moon that’s just red,” Luna denied. “Nothing else. Any myths and legends you’ve read about it are just speculation and fictional.”

“Well, something made Fluttershy a vampire bat pony again!” Applejack shouted.

“Girls, we can figure this out later,” I said. “We need to find Fluttershy first!”

“Spike’s right,” Twilight said. “It’s a higher priority to search for her! Applejack, you go search your farm for any sign of Fluttershy. If you run into Big Mac or Applebloom, you need to warn them about what happened. Luna, you search the skies! Spike, help me search around Ponyville!”

We split up to find Fluttershy. I hurried with Twilight to the center of town.

“I can’t believe this is happening again,” I groaned.

“Neither can I,” Twilight said. “I guess my reverse spell didn’t work as well as I thought it would. Flutterbat sure took its sweet time returning though.”

“I’m starting to think Luna was lying about the moon just being colored differently.”

Twilight and I got to the fountain and looked around.

“Keep an eye out for Fluttershy, or Flutterbat in this case,” Twilight pointed out.

“I’ll try,” I said.

Hopefully, it’ll be easier than finding a striped-shirt fellow in glasses.

Twilight and I went separate directions. I checked for any signs of ponies hanging upside down, dried out apples, or concerned costume-goers, but so far I came up empty-handed.

That's when I saw Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash by Sugarcube Corner. Rarity was in a 1920s flapper dress, Pinkie Pie dressed up like a Japonese idol, and Rainbow Dash wore her Wonderbolts suit.

“Honestly, Rainbow Dash,” said Rarity. “Why must you don your Wonderbolts uniform? I could’ve created a costume for you if you wished.”

“I just wanted to go as a Wonderbolt this Nightmare Night,” retorted Rainbow.

“Girls! Girls!” I ran up to the trio. “We've got a problem!”

“Oh, don't worry, Spike,” said Pinkie. “It’s just Luna dressed up as Nightmare Moon. She's not really back.”

“No, not that! It's Fluttershy! She's turned back into Flutterbat!”

The three mares gasped.

“Are…are you certain?” Rarity asked.

“Is this some sort of prank?” Rainbow crossed her arms. “Are you and Fluttershy getting back at me for that Everfree Forest incident?”

“Trust me, we wouldn’t leave the rest of the girls in the dark if that were the case,” I replied.

“Where is she now?” Pinkie questioned.

“That’s the thing, I don’t know. She’s not at her cottage. Luna is checking the sky, Applejack’s checking her tree farm, and Twilight and I are checking around town. Could you three help us?”

“Okie dokie loki, Spike-chan!” Pinkie replied.

“You bet!” Rainbow announced.

“How could I say no?” Rarity sighed.

“Great! Just be careful and let Twilight or me know when you find Flutterbat,” I said. “By the way, Pinkie, ‘chan’ typically refers to a young filly. You should be using ‘kun’ instead when speaking to a young colt like me.”

“Got it, Spike-kun,” Pinkie replied.

Once again, we all split up. Pinkie went with Rainbow while Rarity followed me.

We hurried down the road, examining each stall for any traces of the bat pony.

“Of all nights for Flutterbat’s return,” said Rarity, “it just had to happen on Nightmare Night.”

“It’s…just a coincidence, I’m sure,” I responded. “Luna assured me that the red moon was just for decoration.”

“Let’s hope so, darling.”

That’s when we noticed a mare glaring at a candy apple stand.

“Hey! You’ve got to pay for those, ma’am!” She shouted.

Immediately, a yellow and pink blur shot out from the stall and down the alley.

“Flutterbat!” Rarity and I shouted in unison.

“After her!” I hopped on Rarity’s back.

Rarity quickly ran through the alley; the dark figure darted her head and zipped away.

“It’s a good thing I chose not to wear heels for this costume,” Rarity pointed out.

Rarity galloped close behind the figure, but with each random turn Flutterbat took, it was difficult to keep up. Eventually, we were able to see her leave town.

“Looks like she’s heading back home,” Rarity sighed as she patted her forehead dry. “At least Ponyville is safe for now.”

“Wait a minute, she’s going the wrong way." I pointed towards the opposite of Flutterbat’s trajectory. "Her cottage is in that direction.”

“But then the route she currently took could only lead to…” Rarity widened her eyes.

“Sweet Apple Acres!” Rarity and I concluded.

We followed the route up to the entrance of the farm. Twilight, Luna, Pinkie, and Rainbow Dash were already there.

I called out, “Flutterbat went into—!”

“Yeah, yeah, we know!” Rainbow rebutted. “Princess Luna and I were in the sky when we saw her.”

“Well, what are we waiting for?” Pinkie asked. “Let’s get her already!”

“Wait, hold it!” I shouted.

Everypony froze in their tracks.

I hopped off of Rarity. “Only one of us should confront her. Otherwise, she’ll run away again. We’re not going to approach her, angry mob style.”

“We ain’t?” Applejack came in carrying sticks and pitchforks. “Dagnabbit! So I got these out for nothin’!”

“Then who’s going to face her alone?” Twilight asked.

I sighed. “I will.”

Rarity widened her eyes. “Spike? But…we don’t know what she’ll do to you.”

“I met with her alone before when we tried to change her back to Fluttershy. This will be no different.”

“Except we don’t have a garlic clove disguised as an apple or a reliable transformation spell-thingy.” Pinkie pointed out.

“Still, I mentioned before that turning me into a vampire isn’t going to change much aside from my meals.”

Everypony exchanged glances with each other.

Twilight exhaled slowly. “Very well, Spike. But if it looks like she’s going to attack you, send off a fireball and run away as fast as you can.”

I nodded and headed into the orchard by my lonesome.

The fog slithered through the apple trees like boa constrictors. The stars and moon were my only source of illumination. It felt like I was rewatching “Bats!” but with a red tint.

I hope Flutterbat is nearby. This orchard always feels scary at night.

That’s when I noticed a few apples sucked dry. I quickly followed the trail. It led me to a section where dozens of them were strewn about. But just when I thought I found her, a bunch of bats appeared from the tree branches.

Darn it. It just led me to the vampire fruit bat section of the orchard. Unless…

“Excuse me,” I called to the bats. “Did any of you see a yellow bat pony pass by here?”

The majority of the bats pointed in one direction.

“Thank you!” I followed where the bats were pointing.

Eventually, I came up to a hill. A dark figure sat on the top next to a tree. It had to have been Flutterbat.

Well, here goes.

I grabbed an untouched apple and traversed up the hill. When I got to the top, I slowly approached the figure. That’s when I picked up the quiet sound of somepony sniffing and weeping.

Is she...crying?

“Fluttershy?” I asked softly.

“Go away,” the creature whimpered.

“Fluttershy...it’s me, Spike.”

“Leave me alone. I’m a monster.”

“You’re not a monster. You are a very adorable pony.”

Fluttershy lifted her head. Her face was still covered by her unkempt mane. “But don’t you see what has happened to me? I’ve become the very thing I swore to never become again.” Fluttershy covered her face with her hooves. “What will the girls think of me? What will Ponyville think of me?”

I bit my lip as I heard her weep once more. I sighed and sat down next to her.

“I used to think the same way,” I said.

“Huh?” Fluttershy rubbed her nose.

“When I learned how dragons could grow due to greed, I made a promise to myself to make sure it’ll never happen to me. I promised I would never succumb to greed, and I would always be generous.” I sighed and rubbed my face. “But when Tirek came to attack Ponyville, I couldn’t just sit idly while he took over and destroyed the entire town. I had to break that promise. I had to experience greed-induced bigness. I had to turn into a greedy monster, something I never wanted to do.”

“Spike, you did that in order to protect us. This is different.”

“Is it? After that battle was over, I was left thinking about how you girls would think about me. I wondered if the girls would view me differently. That Spike the cute, little, baby dragon is capable of turning into a violent creature.”

I looked up at Fluttershy. I could see her fangs glistening under the moonlight.

“Over time, I learned to accept it. I learned to not beat myself over a promise I failed to keep. While the girls acknowledged my greed, they did not fear me or show any other negative feelings because of it. In the end, I found I was worried about nothing.”

I placed my thumb and index finger on Fluttershy’s chin and turned her head until she was facing me. While the red eyes and fangs gave Fluttershy an eerie look, I did not fear her.

“Listen, while the girls are fearful of you turning into a bat pony, they just want to know that you’re safe. They want to know that it’s still you instead of a mindless vampire.”

“How…how can I prove it?” Fluttershy asked.

“I’ll take you to the girls.” I stood up. “If they see that you’re still Fluttershy instead of an apple-sucking creature, they’ll probably take it easy. I’ll protect you if needed.”

Fluttershy followed me until we reached the farm’s entrance. The rest of the girls and Princess Luna were still there.

“Spike’s back!” Twilight announced. “And so is Fluttershy.”

“But…she is still Flutterbat,” Rarity pointed out.

“Spike, if you’re being held hostage, wink twice,” Pinkie whispered.

“Um, I can still hear you, Pinkie,” Fluttershy said.

“She can talk coherently?” Twilight ambled up to her. “Fluttershy, is that really you?”

“Y-yes, it’s still me.” Fluttershy bashfully hid part of her face with her mane.

“It’s her alright,” Rainbow said. “Flutterbat wouldn’t act so shy.”

Everypony’s tension eased off. They grouped with Fluttershy like she never had her bat pony form.

“I still don’t see how this happened. Why did she turn into a bat pony again?” Twilight asked.

“I think the better question is if she’s gonna be like this from now on,” Rainbow said.

“It is possible that there was a part of her vampire persona that Twilight could not remove,” Luna replied. “Which is why she has transformed this night. However, you would need to worry not, as she will return to her normal self in the morning.”

“R-really?” Fluttershy asked.

“But what about the nights after that?” Applejack asked.

“I have reasons to believe that this won’t be something that occurs every night,” said Luna. “I presume it would be about a moon or longer until this happens to her again.” Luna approached Fluttershy. “Do not fear of your new form. The fact that you have appeared before us with no intention of harm is proof enough that you have control over yourself when this happens.”

“Thank you,” Fluttershy said.

“I know you said it wasn't your cup of tea before, but I don’t suppose you could take advantage of this form to join us this Nightmare Night, could you?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Um…not for this year.”

“Ah, well. It was worth a shot.”

“I should probably go home and let my animal friends know it's still me.”

“I'll go with you so they’ll know to trust you,” I offered.

Of all events to occur on Nightmare Night, Flutterbat’s return was the least expected, especially since it never happened in the show outside of Luna's group dream.

“Just one more thing before I leave,” said Fluttershy. “You don’t mind sparing a basket of apples, do you Applejack? For some strange reason I’m in the mood for some.”