Unbound: Secrets

I heard the screams fill the air
I felt the smell of fear gather
I thought that I'd seen beauty
I thought I'd witnessed grace,
I thought that I'd known love
'Til I gazed upon your face
Let the flight begin

Spike was running through the forest at deadly speed, scouting for his prey. Searching through the depth of the dark forest as the leaves rustled and the smells erupting from the air. He continued forward, closing his eyes and listening intensely to all the sounds around him. He heard something straight to the east. He turned 90 degrees and ran towards the sound.

Dodging, sprinting, and climbing past every obstacle in his way, he came closer and closer to the noise. He stopped when he heard the sound of something crying. Looking through some bushes he saw a young mare ahead, perhaps the same age as Twilight. The mare, who was an earth pony, had her blue fur sparkling in a beautiful manner. Her cutie mark was the image of two bells in a heart tied together with ribbons, and her mane and tail were white with a red stripe running through them. Her mane and tail were perfectly straight, almost mirroring her feelings.

Then he heard something from the other side of the clearing, a sound he had a hard time forgetting. A small pack of hungry timber wolves prowled out of the bushes towards her. Because the mare was still crying, she hadn't noticed the four wolves closing in.

Spike ran over to the mare. The sudden disturbance in the peace caught her attention and she looked behind her. The pack's leader, the alpha male, quickly jumped towards her. The mare only just managed to scream before the wolf was already right in front of her, ready to finish her off. Just before the wolf managed to get his claws on her, Spike rammed into the side of the wolf, sending him flying back to his friends. Spike quickly turned towards the mare, grabbed her hoof, and dragged her up.

“Run!” was the only word she heard before she started to get dragged away with him. Spike could easily smell the mare's fear in the breeze as they dashed away from the pack.

They ran quickly through the forest dodging twigs, roots, vines, and whatever else was thrown at them in their hurry. They suddenly stopped, though, once they came to a cliff. Spike looked at the mare and took both of her hooves in his claw's grasp. He stared deep into her eyes and saw how worried and scared she really was.

“If you want to live, you must trust me," Spike spoke, voice barely above a whisper.

The calmness in his voice was gentle. However, his eyes, though glazed, were such a striking green color. They seemed to bore right into her very soul and burrow into the depths of her very being. They held her captivated. But yet, looking into these eyes, these beautiful eyes, she sensed... hurting. They were so cold and yet so warm, like ice and fire. They were so hard and yet so soft, like a rock and a feather. They were so scary and yet so calming, like a storm at sea and a light breeze in the forest. They were so old and yet so young. So mesmerizing and... so very, very green. They held all the secrets, all the knowledge, and all the power that you could only see in the Princess' eyes. And perhaps even more. They were clouded with such misery and sadness, peppered with guilt, unhappiness and self-loathing. They whispered to her, beckoning her forward and yet driving her away, all at the same time. They were all of those things, ice and fire and rage. Ancient and forever, burning at the center, watching the turn of the universe. Combined with such weariness, guilt, and hate. Yet, they were wonderful.

“Will you trust me?” Spike spoke again. She felt like she could believe him, even though her instincts was burning, no, screaming for her to run away. But something held her back. Growling was heard behind them and the next moment, the wolves jumped out of the bushes. The mare quickly turned her head toward Spike and nodded.

That was all Spike needed. He lifted her into his arms and walked backwards to the edge. Just a meter from the edge, he looked down at her. He cradled her close to him and, from his back, sprouted green fire. It was blazing, strong, hypnotizing, and beautiful beyond belief. He looked away from her and stared straight into the wolves' eyes, momentarily freezing them in place. And then he gently fell backwards, off the cliff. He felt the wind pass by at high speed, and saw the moon shining high above them. He looked down, deep into the mare’s eyes before smiling, turning around in mid-air, and flapping his wings gently. He headed for Canterlot, as it was the closest city around.

The mare looked down. She felt the wind blowing through her mane. Seeing just how high up in the sky they were, she put a hoof around the dragon’s arm and held tight. She looked towards the magnificent city. The view was beautiful and mesmerizing, and the feeling of being whole washed over her. She snuggled into the dragon and felt how smooth his scales were. The muscles underneath his the dragon's skin were strong and his tall and slender form made him rather elegant.

Spike started to descend toward a hill in Canterlot Park. His landing was smooth and gentle, creating but a whisper. He gently laid the mare down on the grass, a big tree on her side. Spike then turned around and started to glide away. The mare, however, could not let him leave just yet. She wanted to, no, had to thank him for saving her. She stared up towards the ascending dragon, smiling.

“Wait, what's your name?!” The mare yelled at the top of her lungs. For a moment, Spike stopped mid-air and turned back to her smiling face. Seeing her smile was heartwarming and filled him with a sense of joy. He smiled back at her and breathed out a giant, magnificent wall of fire toward the night sky, writing the word 'Spike' with big, green, burning letters. Then he flew straight up towards the sky, raising and raising til' he almost couldn't breathe. He then abruptly changed direction in the air and started to dive-bomb towards the ground. His speed was amazing, seeming to go faster and faster until a big, sonic boom of green fire burst across the sky in an expanding circle as the dragon flew toward the horizon. And then… he was gone, lost to the night.

"Spike…" The mare whispered to herself before trotting towards the town, a smile piercing her face.

Editor's and great friends:
Looter Penguin and Pharilax
Thank you Looter
I'm very happy to have such a great friend