What dwells in the mist.

by More Dakka

Rating: teen
Tags: Adventure, Random
Length: 1849

The red hue of the morning’s light pierces the night sky as the sun begins to rise over a collection of rooftops. The light matures into a warm orange glow that spreads across the havens, as its source appears to emerge from behind a mass of trees that forms a defiant silhouette. A testament to the fact its light has no more a place there then the whims of its snow coloured master.

This is a place feared by those who call Equestria there home. A special chill however crawls up the spines of those who live within a particular town, a town close enough witness its mockery every morning. They christened it the Everfree forest. Myths spread by the mouths about ponies regarding this place are always those of danger and monsters. However as if by some obscure design the truth is usually a lot stranger then the myths it seeds.

What follows is one of those myths…

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2012-08-23 08:54:01 UTC

chapter 1

The warmth of the suns glow caresses the air as it spreads across the sky, causing the houses below to cast an alluring sheen as it floods inside through windows both open and closed. Seeping in through one of these windows it casts its warming glow along the wall inside, except for a single spot that remains black. The dark shadow begins to twist and change as it skulks across the wall with evident purpose, drawn towards a distant thumping that echoes through the hall.

The sound loudens as the shadow draws closer to its source and its pace begins to hasten.

Thump...

And hasten still.

Thump...

Almost at a run its snakes between the furniture gently brushing against a lamp, causing it to impotently wobble for just a moment before once again growing still, the shadows source comes to a stop and lingers outside a doorway that conceals a faint artificial glow. Raising a limb to its face the shadow lets out a groan.

“Urge… Twilight what are you doing? It’s six the morning”

The shadow steps into the glow of a small lamp perched at the other end of the room. Light strips the dark revealing the shadow to be a small purple dragon. Laboured he enters the main room his claws rubbing the sleep still clinging to his eyes before they fix on a purple unicorn.

The unicorn sits at a desk located at the other end of the room. The dragon’s eyes linger for a moment as the unicorn rummages through a large brown sack, containing a jumbled collection of scrolls and books. She picks one out and studies it intently for a moment before letting it drop to the table with an audible thump.

Suddenly recognises the interloper’s presence The unicorns head darts around to face him. The bag following a short while before its contents spill across the table and onto the floor, with a moan the unicorn’s eyes survey the mess before boring into the dragon.

“Spike!!! You just ruined everything what are you doing up at this hour?”

The dragon doesn’t answer straight away instead he rubs one last piece of sleet from his eye before folding his arms.

“You woke me up with whatever you are doing… what are you doing?”

Twilight stared at the dragon for a moment as if the answer was the most obvious thing in the world

“My Studies Spike, what do you think I’m doing?”

“Well form the noise you were making it sounds like your trying to fight the books instead of reading them” The dragon took a moment to silently appreciate what he thought was witty comedic gold before something in his head clicks.

“Wait Twilight you’re still studying?”

“Of course I am Spike I can’t stop when I’m so close to learning something” the unicorn was quick to shoot back.

“But you did get some sleep right?”

Twilight rubbed the back of her head sheepishly before speaking “Well…”

Spike sighed at twilight’s guilty expression before replying.  Doing his best attempt to mirror the lecturing tone he has been on the receiving end more times than he cares to remember.

“You have to stop this Twilight. I can let the odd all-nighter slide but you haven’t moved from that desk in two days”

Twilights face donned a bemused grin “I think you’re forgetting who the baby of the house is my little assistant”

Spike scowled a tiny speak of smoke leaving his nostrils, “Hey I may be a baby dragon but I’m only 2 years younger than you remember”

A malevolent smile donned Twilights lips before replying in the most exaggerated baby esc tone she could muster, without risking diabetes. “Aw is little Spiky getting all cranky, baby needs his beddy by? I promise not to disturb him again”.

She looked for his reaction and was met with a stare of pure venom and Spike hissed in a tone he hoped the unicorn couldn’t hear.

“I’m not the one who looks like they need beddy by” he said in the most condescending tone he could muster pointing towards a nearby mirror.

Twilight’s attention followed Spikes claw to the mirror and it took a moment for her to recognise the pony staring back at her. She blinked twice and continued staring not wanting to believe it to be the case. Her gaze flitters back to the dragon who’s is standing arms folded again face still retaining the look of venom.

“Point taken” twilight deadpanned “Don’t get your scales in a bunch as soon as I finish up I will go to sleep but I need to finish first” Twilight gently tapped the desk with a hoof to assert her point.

“Oh no I’ve seen that look before” he said raising a claw in front of him, and before he finished Spike began to walk around the table with twilight watching intently as he begins to rummage through the littered pile of scrolls.

“Spike what you are doing? I had just started sorting those again” She snorted in a tone of both confusion and annoyance.

The dragon continued his rummaging he spoke not looking at the unicorn. “Twilight you remember what happened the last time you let yourself get worked up like this?”

Twilight begins to wave her hoof dismissively while shaking her head “Oh Spike its fine… I’m fine”

Spikes sight lifts from the scrolls and lingers at the unicorn for several moments, betraying his disbelief and only aids to aggravate twilight further.

She watches as he slowly continued walking over to the desk her piercing gaze never once deviating from the purple dragon, the creepy twinge of this driving him towards his goal. Twilights face donned a look of confusion when she saw him stop and begin to rummage once more through the pile of scrolls this time on the floor.

“Spike what are you doing?” Twilight tentatively askes while spike slowly pulls a quill and sheet of parchment form the assorted but strangely organised pile.

“I’m skipping ahead Twilight. I remember what happened last time, so I’m going to give the princess a heads up in case you do something crazy.”

Twilight twitched as she heard this before leaping towards the dragon who almost had to dive out of the mare’s path completing the note not a moment too soon.

“Spike don’t!!!” The unicorn yells as she picks herself up and begins to slowly creep toward the dragon.

Spike shifts into an almost mock combat stance as the mare approaches letting the parchment sway slightly from side to side in a taunting way as Twilights eyes follow it diligently, still creeping ever closer. Until Spike inhales in an exaggerated tone and holds the parchment in front of his mouth causing the unicorn to freeze on the spot.

“Spike just put the scroll down and everything will be ok” she stutters desperately.

Spike inhales again bringing the scroll closer to his mouth silently daring Twilight to take another step. After a moment of franticly darting her eyes left and right Twilight lets the futile hope that a solution would miraculously appear leave her mind along with a loud sigh, opting instead to plead one last time.

“Spike I promise I’m fine”

The mouth of the dragon slowly closes but he doesn’t move the scroll from his face “That’s what you said last time Twilight”

“Yes but this time I am ok” Twilight quickly replies in a tone that portrays she may in-fact be trying to convince herself.

She takes another step forward and spike reacts by taking another exaggerated breath the scroll. Inching closer and tries to muster the most authoritative tone she can.

“Spike the princess won’t thank you if you disturb her royal duties for no good reason.”

“I think it’s better she be annoyed at me for that then for letting you brainwash half the town again because of some strange paranoia about your studies Twilight”

“Spike I won’t ask again now please give me th….” She stammers when she is suddenly interrupted.

“Twilight you haven’t slept in two days I know there is something wrong with you because you forgot you could have just taken this” he waves the scroll again “with your magic after throwing me aside like a sack of manu…” Spike is interrupted by a purple glow that envelops and tosses him to the side leaving the parchment in the same spot.

Groaning again as he picks himself up from a pile of books that now smothers him; the dragon rubs his head before muttering to himself  “urgh...why is it always books?”

Goraning once again Spike pulls himself up further to see Twilight giddily holding the parchment in front of her, still entombed by the purple glow. Finding his balance Spike stares at the unicorn and when her gaze brakes from the parchment to the dragon his only response is a claw that points towards her bed.

“Maybe you’re right Spike… but first let’s take care of this” with a smile that leans creepily toward manic Twilight begins to tear up the scroll.  The smile growing as the shreds float to the floor. But she suddenly stops when she notices a small noise coming from the claws on spikes foot as he taps it on the floor; the look the baby dragon is giving her causes a small twinge of shame to crawl up her neck as her eyes descend back to the shreds of parchment.

“OK Spike you win let me just help clean up this mess, then I will go to bed”

“Oh no I can handle It you go to sleep” Spike watches as she wanders towards the bed before continuing “I don’t even know why you let yourself get worked up like this the princess already said you only have to write a her a report about friendship when you learn something new”

Twilight stops and darts her head around a pleading look in her eyes. “But that’s just it Spike if I leave it to long she mightn’t think I’m not looking hard enough and that I’m not worthy to be her student and…”

When he heard this Spikes claw hits his face hard enough to dislodge a couple scales and he lets out another groan which interrupts her “I’m not even going to point out what’s wrong with that Twilight” the claw leaves his brow and moves to point at the unicorn’s bed once more.

“Sleep now freak later”

As she climbs into her bed Spike lets one more comment slip “you should be happy Twilight you only ever seem to learn a lesson about friendship when some big disaster is about to happen...or has already happened”

No longer paying any attention to her assistant Twilight lets out a yawn before retreating into her blankets, and Spike turns away a grin across his face. He takes several steps towards his own bed before stopping to twirl a parchment in one of his claws his grin allmost reaching his Spines.

“There’s a reason they call us the wisest of all creatures”