Tyrants Path

Zecora watched the treeline from the safety of the castle, giving a soft sigh. She slowly walked back in, seeing the Elements of Harmony speak to each other, arguing with each other. Zecora turned to Spike, who was being fussed over by Fluttershy. She walked over, Spike spotting her and giving the zebra a smile.

"Hey, Zecora! How are-ffsss!" He hissed the last part out and looked at Fluttershy, who gave an apologetic smile. She applied the new gauze, making Spike sigh softly.

"I must thank you for inviting me to your home, though, I must admit, I much prefer my own." Zecora rhymed, smiling at the young drake. "I am sorry you had to experience that pain. Though, it is our safety you did attain."

"No problem, Zecora." Spike scratched the back of his neck, staring off to the side, smiling a bit. "You'd do the same for any of us."

Their conversation was interrupted as Rainbow Dash slammed her hoof down, glaring, "Why are we arguing about this thing? We should just put it into a hole until we can find out where it came from! Then, we can put it back!"

"We have no idea where it comes from! I would need days of research to even find out what it is! And it certainly won't be happy in a hole in the ground!" Twilight argued, rubbing the bridge of her nose with a hoof. "It's clearly carnivorous, what do you plan to feed it?"

"Fish." Fluttershy spoke, making the mares turn to her. "We could feed it fish. Plenty of room to walk around. Maybe even enrichment while we find out where it came from." She spoke, giving Spike a smile, before turning to the others.

Applejack blinked, before responding, "Fluttershy, I thought you loved animals."

"I do. Bears don't just eat plants though, they eat animals, like fish. Sometimes deer eat meat too, but that doesn't make them monsters. Just makes them animals." The group stared at the pink haired mare, Fluttershy trotting away from Spike, towards the group. "We could look at zoos, Twilight can use her magic to lift the creature into it, we can keep it there until we bring it home."

Spike took this moment to perk up, his feet pressing against the ground. Several booms ran through his feet and up to his inner ear, making his mind immediately scream at him to run. He stood up and walked over to the window, clenching his hurt arm a bit when the pain flared up. He stared out into the trees of the Everfree forest, his tree toed claws clenching against the ground as he heard...no, felt the rumbles through his toe pads.

He walked over to the door, not noticing Zecoras watching him, before he mumbled something about air and walked out of the room. Twilight took this moment to speak, not noticing Spikes departure, "Well, we would need to give it fresh water and give it a suitable place to sleep...this is also going to take a lot to stop curious ponies from accidentally falling in or freeing the creature."

"We can get Mayor Mare to talk to the town." Rainbow Dash offered, making the rest stare at her. "In case this thing escapes our plan...whatever that is, we need ponies to be safe and out of the way. We got lucky last time."

"Lucky?" Rarity hissed out, before pointing to the empty spot where Spike qas a moment ago, "My brave Spikey-wikey got hurt! I would hardly call that lucky, Rainbow Dash!"

"Spike's tough, he can take anythin that thing dishes out. Saved me from the giant Timberwolf that one time, ain't that right Spike?" Silence met her, making Applejack peer around, "Spike?"

"Wait...where is Spike?" Twilight asked, making Zecora clear her throat, the other sturning to her.

"Although I know of his luck, let us not count our apples before we buck." Zecora said, nodding her head towards the door that Spike exited. "I may be able to keep pace, but I believe our scaly friend needs some space."

Spikes clawed into the dirt, nervous as he stared into the trees, his tail waving to and fro. He felt the booms through his feet, his instincts telling him to run and hide...but he only walked forward. Something was drawing him in, as much as he wanted to run. He couldn't help it.

Was it curiosity? Maybe he was just going crazy? Maybe Discord was pulling an interdimensional prank on him?

Whatever the case, he felt a strange pull and had to investigate. He ran into the forest, feeling a strange pull as he peered into the trees. No, no...something was definitely calling to him. He dodged a tree, hissing when a bush brushed against his arm, and jumped over a fallen log.

The trees overhead gently swayed in the wind, Spike slowing down as he entered an opening in the woods. He heard loud yelping in the distance, likely the Timberwolves were hunting something...or something was hunting them.

In any case, he paid very little attention to the noise and walked into the clearing, studying the trees around him. They had been blasted, becoming smooth in a single area. Flecks of desert sand were everywhere, the ground having a mountain of it, along with the snapped branches of something big having moved through the area.

Spike rubbed his chin as he knelt down, inspecting a strange, wooden structure. It look almost like...a nest? Yes, a nest. There was only one egg inside, with familiar looking feathers between the twigs and leaves. Perhaps an owls feathers? Or a hawks?

In any case, he peered at the small hill of sand, giving it a confused look. He couldn't tell where it came from, or why it was in the middle of the forest, a place where no sand should be. Maybe mud and dirt, but sand?

He would have to tell Twilight about this.

He scanned the area again, his gaze passing over the nest, before something caught his attention, his slit pupils turning back to the nest. He walked over, peering into it, giving a surprised gasp at the sight.

An egg. It was pretty big, but the brown dots on the white shell were definitely unmistakable as a birds egg. He looked around, trying to spot the parents. "Hello? Anyone there? You forgot your egg...and...your nest on the ground! Hello?!"

No birds came to answer, making him frown. Abandoned? Yeah, most likely. And with how dangerous the Everfree was with that...big guy lurking around, Spikes protective side took over. He grasped the egg and slowly clutched it, adjusting so it would rest against him, safe and warm against his scales. He gave a look around, his heart sinking, before pressing an ear fin against the egg. He strained for a moment, trying to hear anything.

A heartbeat met him, making him sigh as he pulled his head away. Poor guy, probably abandoned by his parents...or worse, they didn't want to leave him and were attacked. In any case, like with Peewee, his lovable Phoenix, Spike took the egg as his own and started walking home.

Had he looked down, he would have noticed a four toed footprint on the ground, and the familiar three toed footprint the nest was next to. He, however, did not and walked back home, the pull slowly disappearing from his mind.

Had he stayed, he likely would have found out the nests parents...and left it where it was. Fearing Twilight may be upset with him, he hurried his pace and walked faster back to town, his theropod like feet leaving prints in the dirt as he walked back. "Don't worry, little guy, I'll keep you safe until we find somepony to care for you."