Dawning Reality

Chapters

Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 9
Chapter 10: Part I
Chapter 10: Part II
Chapter 10: Part III
Chapter 11
Chapter 1
Chapter 8

Chapter 2

“What kinda drinks?” Spike shouted out into the kitchen, hoping Twilight wouldn’t be too busy to ignore him. another shout responded from high above, probably somewhere between the oak bookshelves.

“Pinkie’s coming!”

“No alcohol then!”

Spike shuddered as he thought of the last time Pinkie had gotten her hoofs on a daiquiri. It had not ended well for anypony, and he doubted poor Apple Bloom would ever see balloons the same way again. He sure didn’t.

Pots clanged and utensils clattered inside the magically-enhanced picnic basket as Spike began the preparations. With a sharp exhale, he lit the oven with a self-sustaining flame, proud of his own dragon blood, and set to cooking. He figured something sweet like oatmeal cookies and cupcakes was necessary to counter the buttery popcorn that absolutely had to be there for a performance such as this. As he reached for the top shelves were the flour and sugar were kept dry and cool, a sudden banging on the wooden front door caught his attention. Unfortunately, losing focus on balancing on the tips of his back toes, and crashing down onto the kitchen floor. Dazed and seeing everything blurry and doubled, he could hear Twilight’s distorted shouting as the banging continued.

“Coming! Coming!”

Spike lifted himself from the floor, shaking himself off, and resorting to a lizard-like position to more effectively eavesdrop on the commotion in the living room. The banging had ceased, replaced by a barely-audible high-pitched babbling as Twilight tried to calm the source. All he could hear was a rapid-firing high-pitched voice babbling relentlessly, ignoring Twilight’s attempt to control the situation. Spike’s ear sprang up involuntarily, already quite familiar with the source of the voice, and accustomed to such situations, was able to make out probably a bit more than Twilight had. Something about tonight, a dress, and unless he’d heard incorrectly, which he hoped he had, a tidbit regarding a date with somepony.

“Rarity! Rar-… Rarity! Calm down! Breathe, breathe!” Muffled by the oak door, Spike kept his ear against the door as he reached out with his tail and grasped a nearby tumbler. Transfixed on the door, he only lifted himself away to accommodate the empty glass to amplify the clarity of the conversation going on behind the door. It may not have been his proudest moment, eavesdropping on two of his best friends, but it certainly wouldn’t be his worst. Not by a long shot.

******************T******************

The last thing Twilight needed now, of all things possible, was a hysterical unicorn bawling in her living room what with all the preparations necessary for that night. Well, maybe that was a bit of a lie; Spike had meticulously gone through every single one of the tasks that needed completing, and the only thing left to do was prepare a picnic spread to enjoy amongst friends, and relax for the rest of the day. She had to admit, she’d enjoyed Spike’s recent growth more than she cared to admit. It made him ever so efficient at completing everything easily five times as fast as before, allowing him to pamper her further by allowing ample time for relaxation, quiet chitchat, reading, and even the occasional massage. His appearance had even changed from adorable to ruggedly handsome. She blushed a bit as the thought of this, but was quickly and unceremoniously snapped back into reality as multicolored fabrics stifled her as they were practically shoved into her snout.

“…And now I can’t decide! Should I go with the low-cut garden gown or my flowing nightshade gown? But neither goes with my capelet top! And what of hats?” A desperate Rarity had now left the clothes hanging on a fuming unicorn horn as she sorted through the scattered remains of her saddlebags.

“Rarity…”

The white unicorn simply continued muttering to herself worriedly, digging around in the impressive collection of fabrics and accessories strewn around the once-organized library, and Twilight folded the dresses on her horn delicately, and placed them on a side.

“Rarity…”

Finally, two clear blue eyes looked back towards the concerned unicorn from beneath a pile of awkwardly accommodated hats and maneclips. She cut a rather drastic yet comical figure, still trying to catch her breath and unaware of the ribbon situated amusingly on her flank. Twilight began to re-organize everything Rarity had hastily pulled out of her saddlebags as she tried restarting the conversation on a quieter level.

“Okay, start again, slowly.”

Rarity closed her eyes and breathed deeply, trying to calm her nerves. It served to some extent, yet her speech was still hurried and her hind left hoof kept tapping annoyingly on the floorboards, something that might have caused any eavesdroppers to sigh in frustration.

“ Well, you remember that dashing stallion I told you about, Topline?”

“The manager?”

“Yes, precisely!” Rarity replied, with an all-too obvious glint in her eyes. Twilight sighed as she finished her work of tidying up the fashionista’s mess. She motioned towards the nearby bay window where she usually curled up with Spike, both wielding their half-framed reading glasses as they shared the latest issue of Modern Spellcaster or one of Dan Cropper’s latest novels. Of course Rarity simply used it to replace her Méridienne, and laid on it with dramatic flair. Twilight simply sat beside her on the floor, resting on her haunches as she continued the conversation.

“So what about him? Did he finally ask you out?”

“Yes,” Rarity said, with a less-than-excited tone. Twilight raised an eyebrow, curious at her friend’s lack of enthusiasm. Twilight might not have remembered every detail of all the monologues Rarity had provided about every topic conceivable to the fashion-crazed high-class unicorn, but she’d heard enough of the rich young unicorn that had been visiting her boutique for the past few weeks to know that Rarity had been hoping that he would do just that. Yet for some reason, the tone in her voice revealed that she wasn’t as excited as Twilight would’ve expected.

“What’s the matter then?” Twilight asked, looking at Rarity dead in the eye. The intensity in her gaze drove her friend to sigh in a defeated fashion, sinking into her seat.

“After the fitting, he asked me if I was doing anything tonight,” Rarity admitted.

“But you told him, right, about tonight? About the Summer Theatre?”

“Yes, of course, but he was persistent, and…”

“And what?”

“He agreed to accompany me tonight.”

Twilight simply sat there, a blank expression on her face. Her mind, however, spun with a million thoughts, not least among them was the fact that Rarity was planning on seeing another pony, while Twilight knew the feelings Spike harbored towards her. At the same time, she felt a twinge of jealousy, though she couldn’t understand why. She’d seen Topline, and he wasn’t her first choice for a friend, let alone a boyfriend. And last but not least, this tidbit of news meant that Spike would need to prepare a picnic for either 6 or 8 ponies, definitely not seven.

“So, what are you going to do?” Twilight finally asked after a bit of awkward silence. Rarity began to wave her hooves in the air once again, looking nowhere in particular.

“Well, that’s what I came here for! I have absolutely no idea what to wear, and frankly darling, you’re one of the few…”

“Rarity!”

Rarity looked at Twilight, shock in her eyes at the strength with which Twilight had reacted. Twilight herself was shocked by how firmly she’d come off as, she’d only meant to interrupt the incoming rant, not seem tyrannical.

“I’m sorry, but that’s not what I meant. What are you going to do about the picnic we had planned?”

With a guilty demeanor, head hung low, Rarity was forced to admit her mistake.

“Well, it wouldn’t be fair to you girls if I brought along a complete stranger. So we’ll have our own little gathering not too far from where you’ll be. I’m sorry, but I simply can’t miss this chance!” Rarity was practically pleading now, having dropped down from the seat to sit directly in front of Twilight, her face filled completely by two pools of downright honest begging. Twilight sighed.

She didn’t like it, not one bit. Rarity had made a promise as had each of the six to be there tonight; it was one of their outings as friends that they enjoyed as six friends, with no doubts or worries, simply laughter and happiness, the former usually supplied by Pinkie. However, she could tell that his stallion obviously meant a lot to Rarity, and she wouldn’t want to disappoint her by sending her on a guilt trip for this one time.

“Alright Rarity, go ahead and go on your date, but I won’t lie to you, I don’t think it’s such a great idea. I mean…”

Her makeshift speech on why exactly she didn’t think it was such a great idea was cut short as her air supply was interrupted. Rarity had grabbed her in a most-uncharacteristic bear hug, yet obviously filled with glee, supplying an endless stream of thank-you’s as she hugged Twilight. Twilight for one wasn’t enjoying herself much; she preferred not to draw too much attention, and frankly, she didn’t understand what all the hubbub was about. She hadn’t expected Topline to be worth all this excitement, but perhaps she was wrong. She’d have to see what all the fuss was about herself, but later.

However, just as soon as it had appeared, the glee and joy in Rarity seemed to disappear as she slowly let go to confront Twilight with a very serious expression planted on her face.

“What’d you mean by that?”

“By what?” Twilight said, fidgeting with her hooves.

“Not such a good idea?” Rarity replied, squinting one eye and inspecting Twilight suspiciously. She took a few steps forward towards the purple unicorn and was met with a mirrored action on behalf of Twilight, who began to shrink back until she was cornered by a miffed Rarity. Twilight looked towards the bookshelf next to her and muttered her response.

“It’s just that… Well, sometimes, no, most times, your dates don’t meet your expectations… Remember Prince Blueblood?”

Rarity blinked in surprise at her friend’s blunt statement of truth, and sat back down on her haunches, staring into the distance as she tried to process what was being said to her. Twilight gulped, but she couldn’t go back now. She’d tried her best to ignore her friend’s relationship issues, but she was on the road to even more heartbreak, and she may as well tell her the truth now. She was on a roll.

“And then that incident with Fancypants? And the misunderstanding with Dr. Scrollhart? And what about that whole mess with the stallion down at Pony Hall?” Twilight’s intentions were the best possible, but Rarity’s heart sunk and the blood rushed to her cheeks as she recalled all her failed attempts at finding the perfect stallion for her. She was only glad Twilight wasn’t mentioning her attempts at finding the perfect mare, since that experiment certainly hadn’t turned out any better. Rarity shook her head and snapped back into her offended diva mode.

“Well, excuse me for having standards!” She said, as she turned with a swish of her purple mane.

“Rarity, wait! I just meant that maybe you’re looking in the wrong places for the wrong kind of pony!” Twilight quickly shouted as Rarity began picking up her outfits from the floor. She managed to slow her down a bit, intriguing her with her statement.

“What do you mean?” She said, turning slightly to face Twilight. If they’d paid closer attention, they could’ve heard a shallow breathing pattern behind the kitchen door suddenly stop to be replaced by an excrutiating silence.

“Well…” twilight said, when suddenly a pink blot outside the window behind Rarity caught her attention. Her heart sank as she saw Pinkie mouth the word forever slowly, then sink back down behind the windowsill, only to hold up a sign with the word FOREVER outside the window. Twilight faced Rarity, who still watched her insufferably carefully, and managed to think up of an excuse to derail the conversation and avoid breaking her Pinkie Promise. She’d never hear the end of that one.

“Just… maybe you ought to look closer to home? You never know…” Twilight said, avoiding direct eye contact.

Rarity did her best to hide her disappointment, and continued picking up her many clothes and carefully folding them, avoiding creases as she packed them into her saddlebags.

“Oh…”

Twilight stood back up, pacing slowly around the scattered garments and tussled books on the floor, trying to look at Rarity’s face, which she kept conveniently well-hidden.

“Are you still going on the date?”

Rarity huffed, busying herself with her task at hoof.

“Of course! If it doesn’t work out I’ll start looking for your mystery-stallion here in Ponyville…” A hint of disappointment was evident in her voice, but Twilight ignored it, focusing on the hints she’d been trying to drop.

“Maybe it’s not necessarily…”

A sudden bang surprised both Rarity and Twilight, who looked towards the front door to find Pinkie Pie beaming at them next to a fully-opened door. In the kitchen the sound of a hard-scaled head hitting the floor in shock was drowned out by the slam of the door on the library wall.

“Hi Rarity!” Pinkie smiled, and dropped her head suspiciously as she looked towards Twilight and dropped her tone of voice into a sinister octave.

“Hello, Twilight…”

Rarity didn’t notice Pinkie’s odd behavior, but it did not go overlooked by Twilight, who gulped at Pinkie’s threatening appearance. She didn’t know what would really happen if she broke the Pinkie Promise, but after the whole ordeal with Applejack, she didn’t want to find out.

“Hi Pinkie…” Twilight responded, shrinking back and drooping her ears. Rarity paid her no mind and hopped over to Pinkie.

“Hello darling! Say, would you mind helping me choose an outfit for tonight?”

Pinkie tilted her head in confusion, her snout scrunching up slightly.

“Tonight? We have to wear outfits?” She asked innocently.

“Well… let’s go over to the Boutique, we can talk about it there… Goodbye Twilight.” Rarity said, looking back to bid a farewell to the hesitant unicorn as she walked out of the library with Pinkie Pie bouncing closely behind. Once the door had closed behind them, Twilight heaved a heft sigh of relief as she was once again left to her thoughts. She began levitating the books on the floor to their proper positions when a sudden appearance at the front door once again startled her, causing the books to fall haphazardly all over the library floor. Pinkie stuck her head through the doorway, looking at Twilight with an accusatory glare.

“I’m keeping my eyes on you!” She said, pointing her hoof back and forth between her eyes and Twilight. Twilight gulped, unsureof how to respond, until Pinkie smiled once again, waving her hoof frantically.

“Okey-dokey-lokey! See you tonight then!” She said, and disappeared once again, finally leaving Twilight alone. Still, she sat on the spot, and waited for a few minutes before cleaning up, just in case of any other unannounced visits. As she finished placing the last book in place, she heard a clatter in the kitchen and went to investigate, trotting quickly as she heard Spike’s voice from behind the kitchen door in a series of strong curses and utterances. Worried that he may have been hurt, Twilight rushed towards the kitchen and flung open the door.

Chapter 3

The door swung open with staggering force as Twilight made her way into an already overcrowded kitchen. The shock caused Spike to once again drop the series of pots and pans he’d been trying to pick up, and utter a fresh new string of robust exclamations. His unexpectedly rough vocabulary caused Twilight to recoil in fear and hesitate before approaching the belligerent dragon.

“Spike… Are you alright?” She asked trying to catch a glimpse of his expression, which he miraculously managed to maintain well-hidden as he continued sorting through clanging kitchen supplies.

“Yeah, I just… Tripped…” using his free claw, he forcefully rubbed his eye as he tried to continue stirring the sweet-smelling punch with a wooden spoon, and making the best use of his tail as he gathered up twin bags of flour and sugar from a nearby cupboard.

After having heard all, or most, of what he’d heard, Spike felt utterly disillusioned. He needed time to thoroughly think things through, organize his thoughts and feelings. However, Twilight was doing the opposite of giving him his space, both literally and figuratively walking around his muscular tail and coming face-to-face with him.

Spike’s only true heartfelt friend in all his life had always been Twilight, there’d never been any doubt about that. They’d practically raised each other throughout their youth, kept each other warm during the long winters, confided in each other their deepest, darkest secrets, and trusted each other to the point that Spike knew she would always be there to help him out, as he would always be there for her. Lately things had changed a bit more, becoming a much closer relationship, but at that moment, the thoughts swirling through his mind were clouding his judgment.

“Spike… I know you, what’s wrong?” Twilight inquired, leaning towards him to catch a better glimpse of his expression. Spike knew Twilight’s every trick, and reading facial expressions wasn’t a new one. She’d often guess correctly what he was feeling simply by looking at him. Maybe she was good at reading faces, maybe she was good at reading him. Spike didn’t want to find out, and he quickly looked away, avoiding a discussion and hiding his puffy eyes. With a gentle clawed hand, he slid Twilight away on the kitchen floor.

“Nothing’s wrong, just… Let me finish up here would you? There’s not enough room for both of us in the kitchen.” Spike said, burying his snout in the condiments as a distraught Twilight remained frozen in place by her friend’s sudden mood swing.

“Spike…”

“Please Twilight! … Not now…”

Spike didn’t bother to look up from the splattering batter, his heart sinking as he heard the slow, depressing hoofsteps of his best friend leave the kitchen. The guilt was practically unbearable, but that could always be fixed by some kind gesture later on. Now, however, he had to loose himself in his chores. Cooking was supposedly cathartic, yet he needed peace and his own labor to cleanse his mind and try and make sense of things. All those years of daydreaming and hoping, they needed to be seriously analyzed and many things thought over. There was a choice to make now, and nothing could interrupt him now. He lost himself in the rhythmic chopping of celery and disappeared from the conscious world.

*****************T******************

Twilight lowered her ears and stepped silently out of the kitchen. She’d known Spike ever since they’d both fit in the same bed with plenty of room to spare, and she’d never seen him as conflicted as he was now. Sure he’d had the occasional identity crisis, and the all-too-common adolescent depression, but the look of hurt in his eyes was unlike anything she’d ever experienced. He seemed so… Grown up, so aged, so experienced in love and heartbreak for such a young soul.

With a heavy sigh, Twilight trotted over to the bookshelves and began browsing through her numerous collection. After several minutes of useless searching, realization hit her hard. There were no answers in any of the books when it came to situations like this. Maybe Spike was right, maybe all he needed was a bit of time. In a vain attempt to shrug off all her worries for a while, Twilight trotted up the winding staircase to her newly refurbished and recently closed-off bedroom, and threw herself down upon the tussled bed sheets.

Sleep never came, and Twilight’s hopes that perhaps a bit of well-deserved rest would clear her head quickly vanished. She spent the hours tossing and turning on her bed, trying to think. Thinking was second-nature to her, but despite all her knowledge and logic, no matter how hard she tried, she simple could not resolve the issue in her head. There was no logical answer to the problem, but she hated giving up. Besides, what else could she do, other than count the leaves outside her window.

Tears were beginning to well up, frustration starting to get the better of her. That morning everything had been just fine, now Rarity was upset with her, Pinkie doubted her ability to keep a promise, Spike was distraught and worst of all, there was nothing she could do to fix anything. Useless. It was the one word that kept popping into her thoughts. Twilight buried her face in her pillow and let her pathetic sorrows flow.

She kept her face hidden from the world long after she’d run out of tears. Her frustration remained, stalwart as ever, and Twilight felt her innards twist with disgust at this foul sensation. No matter what she thought of, no matter what she focused on, she kept thinking about how useless she felt. It wasn’t like her to be so easily thwarted, but when emotions were involved, when the usual rules of logic didn’t apply, she became so easily lost. One of the few times she wasn’t able to solve a problem.

With a frustrated sigh she flipped the pillow over with a quick flick of magic and nestled into the cool fabric, seeking at least some physical comfort.

A few hours passed, Twilight’s eyes becoming lazy and glazed as she listened to the sounds of a busy kitchen and a frustrated, muttering dragon below. By the time the noise had come to a halt, her mind was long gone in a pointless wandering trek through nothing, and she didn’t pay any mind to the clacking noise of claws coming up the stairs. A sudden knocking on her bedroom door snapped her out of her self-induced trance, and she came to with a start, nearly impaling an innocent pillow in the process.

“Twilight?” Came Spike’s muffled voice from across the thick oak. Twilight nearly jumped out of bed, combing her tangled mane quickly and rather inefficiently as she jumped out of her bed, pulling the sheets over the dent in the mattress.

“Coming!” She called out, trying to put everything in its place and making herself as presentable as possible before opening the door. The door had its purpose. Privacy for one, but also to separate her own personal messy side from her otherwise perfectly-organized house. Ever since Spike had gotten too big and too old and too awkward to sleep in the same room as her, she’d finally had a bit of privacy, but the privilege had been slightly abused. Not having to be the perfect role model and being able to be herself had come with a price. Organized chaos.

Once she was pleased with her presence enough to be comfortable around Spike, she opened the door and smiled at her friend, who simply held his head low, looking up at her with puppy-like eyes. He tapped his claws nervously against the hardwood floor before finally speaking up.

“You maybe wanna, I don’t know, take a walk or something? Maybe… talk for a while?” He said hesitantly, clearly unsure of her opinion on the situation. She was taken aback, she couldn’t deny that. Despite the fact that they shared virtually everything with each other, it was unusual for Spike to openly seek dialogue on topics like romance or anything that could become awkward between the two of them.

Finally, once she realized the silence was probably killing him, she shook away her dazed expression and put on a warm, friendly smile.

“Sure. Where’d you want to go?”

Spike smiled gratefully, and Twilight could have sworn that she saw a mischievous spark in his eye.

“Oh, I have a pretty good idea of where we could go.”

******************R******************

Confused? Certainly. Unsure? Of course. Excited? Not so much. Not anymore at least.

Reality was harsh, and Rarity wasn’t too keen on accepting it. She’d never been too eager to accept things as they were, full of filthy imperfections, so much wrong. A pretty ribbon or some fine delicate lace always made things look a whole lot better, at least on the surface, but that was usually enough. However, after the way Twilight had put things, Rarity’s priorities had suddenly been heavily impacted, and the usual optimist outlook had turned upside down. A pink blur before her vision brought her back into the reality she detested rather abruptly though.

“Rarity? What’s wrong?” Pinkie asked, looking genuinely concerned.

“Oh, it’s nothing dear… where was I?”

“You were saying that you weren’t coming with us tonight to the theater picnic dinner that we have every year.” She said, despite her cheery attitude unable to disguise the sickening tone of disappointment. Rarity’s heart gave another painful thump against her chest, as if trying to put itself out of its misery, away from guilt’s cruel grasp.

“I know, I’m sorry, but I just… I have to do this!” Rarity pleaded. Pinkie was not amused nor convinced, only confused as to why her friend would rather hang out with some stuck-up stallion rather than them. Rarity couldn’t hope to explain everything to someone as cheerful and innocent as Pinkie, but deep down she knew the real reason she had to try.

She’d been dreaming of her dream partner ever since she’d been a young filly, her head up in the clouds as she’d loose herself amongst her mother’s stories of princesses and castles and happily ever afters. And yet as she grew up, she’d looked around, and she hadn’t seen any castles or gold or beautiful royal weddings, and certainly no happily ever afters. It was all so dreary and dull, no shiny happy storyland anywhere. That was when she’d decided to change that, to do her best to make the world a prettier place, a nicer place, and now she realized she’d only dressed-up the monster.

All that glitter, all the etiquette, all of her work, it didn’t really change anything, it didn’t make a difference. It just made things pretty on the surface, creating a shallow beauty superseded by anything pure deep down. But despite the vanity in everything, she had to know, she had to find the one pony that looked past all that, the one pony that was so deep that he didn’t see the surface, but appreciated things for what they were.

What Twilight had said thought, had made her realize that her search was indeed just as vain as her dresses were. She'd been looking for ponies with standards just as high as hers, but who judged things on just a shallow a level as she did. She was right, maybe she was looking for the wrong kind of pony in the wrong kind of places. But what had she meant with looking closer to home? She’d certainly been hinting at something, but what? Her train of thought careened off the tracks and crashed as she was shaken out of her stupor by Pinkie.

“Rarity! Hello! Anypony in there?” Pinkie said, shaking her friend by the shoulders. Rarity finally came back to life and set her friends hooves back on the ground.

“Yes! I’m sorry Pinkie, I’ve just been a bit distracted lately…” Pinkie looked at her friend with a suspicious glare, seemingly deep in thought, which caused Rarity to fidget nervously, unsettled by her friend’s unusual solemnity.

“Pinkie?”

“Did Twilight say something? Did she tell you something about somepony?”

Rarity simply sat in front of Pinkie, staring at her wide-eyed and parted lips, unable to comprehend what she’d just said. Say something? About somepony? Did they know something, and they were keeping it a secret from her?

“What?” Rarity said, the only word she was able to muster. Pinkie however, smiled.

“Oh! Never mind then!” Pinkie said as she looked around the room, suddenly stopping once her gaze settled upon a spot high above Rarity’s head.

“Oops! I gotta go! I’ve got a humongous order to fill! See you tonight Rarity!” Pinkie said as she disappeared in a flash of pink and puffiness, leaving a stammering white unicorn behind.

All that was left was the sound of her own labored breathing and the ticking of a clock somewhere above her. Her head was spinning, all the information she’d gathered up from so many sources in the few hours previous to the evening’s events swarming and invading her every thought. And now, Pinkie’s latest addition to the collection. Whatever the secret was, it was just one more thing that she’d have to take up with Twilight.

Chapter 4

The random chatter of ponies around them going about their daily lives made Spike feel a thousand times more comfortable as he paced through the streets of Ponyville with Twilight at his side. It wasn’t as though he was uncomfortable walking with Twilight, but the silence would have been truly sickening, especially with what he wanted to get off his mind. He’d thought about it a hundred different ways, looked at it from every angle, but in the end, he kept coming to the same conclusion. The same, inevitable, disheartening conclusion.

Twilight was kind enough to deviate the topic of the talk away from what had happened earlier, but he knew he’d have to tell her. He had to tell someone soon. He didn’t really care for anypony else’s opinion, but he wanted to measure the reaction before he went ahead and told Rarity.

Still, simply chatting about the latest book shipment that had arrived the previous Monday, or laughing at memories brought forth by the sight of Ponyville’s various landmarks was pleasant enough. It allowed for him to actually enjoy himself for the first time in quite a while. Lately all that had plagued his mind was how to present his gift to Rarity for her upcoming birthday.

“Spike?” Twilight called out, bringing him back to reality. Spike looked towards her and found that she had stopped a few yards back, and his thoughts had distracted him from their walk. He should have realized, he could easily outlast anypony in Ponyville now, probably even the great AJ, and Twilight was bound to get tired sooner or later. She’d had to practically trot beside him the entire way, and they had made their way across the entire town. A quick glance around confirmed that they had arrived in the park already, towering trees casting a speckled shade across the earth.

“Sorry, didn’t realize…”

“That’s okay… How about we… take a little… break?” Twilight said, practically hyperventilating, her tongue hanging out of her mouth. Spike smiled, remembering days when all her own running and adventures would quickly put him to sleep, and joined her on the park bench.

Twilight sat on the far end, leaving him enough room to get on top of the bench, which creaked and groaned under his weight, and he tucked himself into a tight ball, trying to take up as little space as possible. He thought he probably looked like Winona when she took a nap, but he paid it no mind. His eyelids began to flicker as the sun’s warmth left and his blood returned to its cool state. The rustling leaves above him and Twilight’s steady breathing practically hypnotized him, soothingly lulling him to sleep. A gentle voice soon brought him out of his stupor as Twilight spoke up once again after having caught her breath.

“Spike? Was there something you specifically wanted to talk about?” She asked.

He let out a long sigh, using his claws to scratch at the bench’s wooden planks. He knew that Twilight would’ve probably guessed it by now. She knew him better than anypony. She was smart, kind, considerate, and also the most important pony in his life. They shared everything, and he valued her opinion more than any other pony’s, except when it came to fashion. There was only one pony he could ask about fashion. And that was the pony that had caused this conversation to even come into existence.

“I… I’ve been thinking…” Spike said, not looking up at Twilight. He couldn’t look her in the eyes for some reason, but he could feel their warm gaze staring compassionately towards him.

“About Rarity…”

“Oh Spike…”

Twilight set a hoof upon his shoulder, clearly trying to comfort him, but frankly, it didn’t help at all. Spike felt a bubbling anger in the pits of his stomach. He should have guessed that she’d think it was something like that. That he was moping and drowning in self-pity. She couldn’t be more wrong. Well, she could, but she was plenty wrong as it was.

“No Twi, not like that. I’ve been thinking, and I finally understood.” He lifted his head to look at Twi, and for some reason she looked doubtful, something in her eyes, aside from the fact that they were a bit teary, made him shudder. He couldn’t help but feel that he was responsible for making her feel like that, but he had to get it out. His scales lost their usual glimmer and every part of him simply deflated as he finally confessed.

“I realized I can’t keep living in a fantasy world, hoping that Rarity will ever return my feelings. I’ve… I’ve been really stupid these past few years…”

“No, don’t say that! I think it’s sweet! Why would Rarity…?”

“Why would she ever be with me?” Spike asked sincerely, suddenly feeling misty-eyed himself. Twilight seemed to be at a loss for words, and he honestly couldn’t blame her. There was no reasonable explanation, no solution, nothing.

“I love her Twi, but she can never feel the same way for me…”

“But why not?” Twilight asked, tears beginning to form, her lower lip quivering. He was reminded of the many times they’d read some of the more emotional books in the library. Usually the hero had to make some form of sacrifice to save the world or the ones he loved, or make an impossible choice, and as they read, he could always sense when she began to tear up. He still remembered the time they finished reading The Filly in the Striped Pajamas. Twilight had locked herself up in her room for hours, until he’d finally been able to console her. The fact that it was based on a true story hadn’t helped. Now she had that same expression, as if she was caught in the book, an innocent bystander watching all the drama unfold. Spike had to chuckle at this, and with the same half-hearted smile, answered Twilight’s inevitable question.

“Because she’s looking for her dream stallion, somepony I could never be. Because she deserves a thousand times more than anything I could ever offer her. Because she’s a pony, and I’m a…” He choked up, not able to utter out the last words. Twilight sniffed and filled in the blank.

“Dragon?”

“Well, I was going to say monster, but…”

Twilight lightly punched him on the shoulder with her hoof, perhaps applying a bit more force than necessary. It was more like a flick, his thick scales absorbing the shock, but despite his sarcastic attitude and attempts at lightening the mood, Twilight’s expression was just as solemn as ever, if not more.

“Don’t you ever say that! Don’t even think that!”

Spike just chuckled, lifting his claws in the air submissively.

“Alright, alright, you win!”

A great weight had been lifted off his shoulders, and he finally felt free to simply admire the world for what it was. The setting sun cast an amazing aura upon the tall elms surrounding the park’s winding paths. The clopping noises of young fillies running back home to their parents as the ensuing darkness took away their precious time. Spike closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. Everything seemed to click, the universe suddenly made sense, and nothing had a reason anymore. Everything simply was what it was. But something was still troubling him. He could sense something was off, and looking at Twilight, he quickly made sense of what it was.

She too, was looking away into the distance, lost in thought as she usually got while thinking of some random theory or what she wanted for lunch. Her eyes glazed over as she stared dreamily into space, in such a way that not even a sonic rainboom could snap her out of it. He smiled, admiring her. Rarity was unreachable, but Twilight had always been there for him, when he’d risen higher than ever before, and when he’d fallen in his darkest hour. She truly was a pony like no other, and the mere thought that she’d been eclipsed by Rarity struck a sour note in his mind. How could he have ignored her, all this time, lusting after someone who’d never love him back?

“Twilight?”

She trembled, almost as if surprised by his words.

“What is it, Spike?”

“I’m… I’m sorry for troubling you with this. I mean, I know you had other things to do and all, and I hate getting all sappy…”

“Oh, shut up,” Twilight responded, quickly reaching over and nuzzling the top of his head with her muzzle. Spike accepted the sign of affection, and allowed her warmth to comfort him. The breeze had started picking up, and the temperature had dropped considerably. Spike tried to focus his eyes before he realized the cause of everything.

“Um, Twi?”

“What? Embarrassed by public displays of affection all of a sudden?” She said jokingly.

“No, not that…”

“What is it then?”

“I just… Thanks for listening and all, but…”

“But what?” Twilight fell back to look him in the eye, concern clearly shown on her face. Spike just motioned towards the quickly-growing crowd of ponies that were making their way through the park.

“Park? Picnic? Theater?” He said, only to place his face in his hands as Twilight simply sat there in front of him in confusion, clearly not understanding what he was saying. He might as well have been talking to Derpy. Although that would probably be easier even. One of the few misunderstood residents of Ponyville, Derpy was one of his best friends, and the only other pony he could talk to aside from Twilight and the others. Still, Twilight’s perplexed expression would have made even Derpy laugh, and when realization finally sunk in, all Spike could do not to laugh was hold his breath.

“Oh!”

“There it is!” Spike said, nudging her off the bench with his tail. She propped herself up on all four hooves, looking frantically back and forth between him and the arriving guests. He figured it wouldn’t take long for Rarity and Pinkie to arrive, living closer to the park than the rest.

“Oh no, I forgot! We didn’t bring the basket or a blanket or…”

“Twilight! Calm down.”

“How can I calm down Spike? I can’t run all the way home and back in time! The show’ll be over by then, and…”

“Twilight!”

“What?”

“Teleport?”

“…”

With one last sheepish blush, she disappeared in a flash of blinding white light, stunning him briefly before he could see again. She always seemed to forget to take any precautions before teleporting. The sudden displacement of mass always made the approximate environment iffy, including all bystanders. Despite all the complaints from him, she kept teleporting at less than five meters away from any sentient being. He just knew there would be long-term effects if she kept it up.

Setting those troubled thoughts aside, he relaxed, enjoying the benefit of having the bench all to himself. With a quick twist, he was on his back, his tail hanging from one end of the bench as he placed his hands behind his head and rested on the armrest. Clouds floated lazily by, but none were willing to take his mind off what was coming. He knew the right thing to do now, Twilight’s silent confirmation had been more than enough. That night, when he saw Rarity, he was going to confess.

And then, he was going to say his final goodbyes.

******************T******************

Another crackling snap in the rift of reality, and she stood, a bit shaky, but standing nonetheless, outside the library. It was much safer, as she’d learned rather abruptly, to teleport outdoors instead of indoors. She could still remember all the attention she’d gotten when the fireponies had to cut her out of her front door, and all the explanations about the circle of wood that had appeared where she’d been standing seconds before. All in all, a very embarrassing ordeal.

However, past mistakes were not bothering her as much as something else was, something she still could not make heads nor tails of. Spike had always had a crush on Rarity, she’d always known that, but she never suspected that it could go as far as actual love.

Twilight paced towards the kitchen were Spike had left everything prepared, fighting the blood that was rushing to her cheeks for unknown reasons. She felt flustered, emotional, and if she focused, she thought she could even feel jealousy hidden somewhere deep between her other sentiments. With a shake of her head, she fought back the feelings, trotting into the kitchen.

There, in the middle of the floor, lay a dark twine picnic basket, seemingly full to the brim. Something Twilight knew was impossible thanks to the space amplifying spell she’d cast on it years ago. One of her first successful spells, she remembered Spike constantly playing with it, hiding in the basket back when he could get through the opening. The memories brought a tear to her eye, and she brought up a hoof to wipe it away.

As she lifted the basket, she noticed a small leaflet, a tiny square of parchment, fall from the top of the lid and gently collapse upon the tile. Squinting her eyes, she could barely make out an unintelligible marking on one side. With much haste, she lifted the piece of parchment up to her snout, and tried to make out the writing, clearly Spike’s.

See? Told you I didn’t cut corners!

-Love, Spike

For some reason unbeknownst to her, the note sent a warm feeling into her, spreading across her chest as her heart fluttered. She massaged her temple with a hoof, trying to make sense of what was happening.

“Why? Why do I feel this way?”

Her eyes scanned the note time and time again, rereading the words written by her best friend, her closest friend, her oldest friend, who she’d grown up with. Turning it around, she found more ink etched into the back of the note.

P.S. – Hurry up! You’re going to be late!

Her eyes widened in surprise, and carrying the basket with a magical aura, she ran out the door at all speed, stopping only to cast a quick locking spell on the door and flip the sign on the door from open to closed. Nobody would really care though, they’d all be at the park. Grabbing onto the basket, reminding herself that teleported objects had to be physically attached, she focused on the park, and vanished in a flash of blinding white light.

Chapter 5

One by one, or two by two, ponies had started to arrive in the park more and more frequently. Most carried a basket or two, and Spike had spotted several that had brought along with them lawn chairs and blankets. He’d long ago given up on memorizing Ponyville’s festivities and holidays and events. It truly seemed as if the ponies had something to celebrate or commemorate every day. It just so happened that that specific day, was the annual Summerwind Theater, put together by the Ponyville Actor’s Guild. It was the day that William Summerwind had founded the Actor’s Guild, nearly three hundred years previously. Frankly, Spike was more of a music-dragon himself, preferring an evening listening to his varied record collection.

Still, Twilight never missed an opportunity to delve into Ponyville’s vast culture, and he wasn’t one to disappoint. And it wasn’t all that bad. Bring things like plays and such were more to Twilight and Rarity’s style, even Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash and Applejack, even Pinkie Pie usually detested such events, but as friends, they were more than happy to oblige. Just like Twilight, Rarity and Fluttershy went to all of Dash’s athletic events, and helped AJ around the farm, and simply tolerated Pinkie’s antics. That was what friends were for. He’d just have to sit next to them and hopefully quiet chit-chat would make the evening more digestible. Besides, if he was lucky, AJ would’ve brought some of her “special” cider.

By the time Pinkie showed up, being the one who lived closest to the park, Spike had managed to carve an intricate pattern into the lower parts of the bench, probably to the disapproval of some of Ponyville’s more refined citizens. It didn’t really bother him, nopony ever reprimanded him, other than Twilight, ever since his “growth spurt”. All ponies, even his best friends had changed ever since his own change, but most had at least tried to adapt to the new him. The only pony who never treated him any different had always been Pinkie, which explained the wide smile on his face as her pink, fluffy mane came into view, bouncing down the path without a care in the world.

Her eyes were closed tight, a smile on her face nonetheless, and despite the obvious fact that she could not see where she was going, she kept her trajectory obstacle-free. Within seconds, she had arrived next to where he was sprawled out on the bench, both friends greeting each other with warm, contagious smiles.

“Hi Spikey!”

“Hey Pinkie. Where’s Rarity, I thought she was with you?” Spike said. Pinkie giggled and gave him a playful wink.

“Don’t worry, she’s not far behind. And you’re secret’s still safe!” She whispered rather loudly, probably alerting a few passersby. Still, it took Spike a few seconds for Pinkie’s news to register. As he recalled the promise she’d made when he’d first openly admitted his feelings for Rarity to her and Twilight, his eyes widened in realization.

“What do you mean? How do you know?” He asked, at this point not bothering to even pretend to freak out. Pinkie took no notice of his casual attitude and began her tale.

“I was afraid Twilight might have broken her Pinkie Promise, which would have been very, very bad…” Pinkie darkened a bit as she said this, sending a chill down Spike’s spine, but quickly returned to her cheery attitude, “But when I was talking to Rarity, I asked her if Twilight had said something about somepony, meaning you. She only looked confused, and said ‘What?’, so I’m sure that she has no idea! Then I had to leave and finish up this humongous order for the cakes that I had to finish by this afternoon! It was for the afterparty tonight over in Canterlot! I had to bake like five gazillion cupcakes, and then the icing and…”

“Pinkie!”

“Yeah?”

“I got it.”

“Okie Dokie Lokie!”

“But you don’t have to worry about keeping that promise anymore…” Spike said, albeit somewhat solemnly. Pinkie was once again confused, and seemed to be getting tired of being confused. Her snout scrunched up in her usual ‘I don’t get it’ face.

“What? How come?”

Spike sighed. He didn’t want a repeat of what had happened with Twilight. Number one, even though he hated seeing anypony cry, seeing Pinkie cry was truly heartbreaking, to the point of burying-your-head-in-the-ground depressing. Two, she was much to innocent and cheerful, and such depressing topics would only ruin that for her. And finally, it was a rather long explanation, and he didn’t want to do it over four more times, so he did his best to summarize.

“I’m… I’m giving up.”

No progress.

“Huh? On what?”

“On Rarity, Pinkie, I’m done it.”

“So… You don’t like Rarity anymore?” She asked, almost sadly.

“No, I just… We’re not meant to be together. I’m a dragon, she’s a pony. It was just a silly crush, that’s all. I’m just saying, there’s no secret to keep anymore.”

Pinkie’s ears drooped, and her whole demeanor changed into a slightly gloomier one. Spike didn’t know for sure, but she seemed either saddened or disappointed by the news. Why, he had no clue, but Pinkie was… well, Pinkie.

“Oh… okie dokie then…”

She smiled, but it seemed more forced and kind of a pity smile rather than her trademark Pinkie grins. If such trivial news affected her that much, Spike reasoned that perhaps it was best not to tell her about his plans for the near future.

“So… shall we wait for the others?” Spike ventured, hoping to swiftly change the topic and mood. Pinkie seemed to agree, and a sincere smile played upon her lips.

“Okay!”

Spike curled up as he had before, leaving more than half of the bench free, a feat in itself, and patting the seat next to him for Pinkie to sit on. She leapt up and cuddled up next to him. Her intentions had probably been to comfort him, but her puffy mane managed to distract her objective and tickle him in his more sensitive scales. After a fit of giggles from both parties, they both ended up out of breath and eagerly awaiting the arrival of their friends who would surely not be long. the sun was beginning to descend and become one with the horizon, and it would not be long before nighttime came along and marked the beginning of the play.

Before long however, an abrupt flash of light interrupted the scene before the two occupants of the wooden oak bench, as a lavender unicorn materialized in front of them, holding onto a picnic basket as though it were her lifeline. Her eyes were shut tight, and she looked more like the victim of a spell rather than the caster. Spike guessed she’d probably sneezed or lost focus just as she was casting the spell, hopefully nothing grave. As she blinked and opened her eyes, his worries vanished, and he smiled at the arrival of her with the picnic spread safe and sound. Her eyes were a bit glazed, but as beautiful as always; Deep pools of tranquility, now rippled by the effects of teleportation. As her eyes came into focus, she managed to spot Spike, which made sense, since he technically was a big green and purple blob sitting on a park bench, and not even a blind pony could miss him.

“Spike! I’m back! Has anypony else arrived, or are we still the only ones he… Oh. Hi Pinkie…”

Twilight suddenly turned, well, awkward. For some reason, she seemed unnerved by the fact that Pinkie was sitting right there, yet why, he didn’t understand. Pinkie simply smiled as she always did, and waved a friendly hoof at Twilight.

“Hi again Twi!”

Twilight had set the basket on the floor and was nervously shuffling her hoof on the ground, not making direct eye contact, and doing a perfect Fluttershy impersonation.

“Twi? What’s up with you?” Spike asked, genuinely concerned. Pinkie set a hoof upon his shoulder, and looked up at him.

“Don’t worry about it,” She said to Spike, quickly turning towards Twilight.

“It’s okay Twi, I know you didn’t break your promise! Besides, there’s no promise to keep now, right Spikey?”

Despite her joyful nature and wide grin, Spike still couldn’t help but notice a change of tone near the end of her sentence. He paid it no mind however, as Twilight returned to normal. Or rather, as normal as Twilight can ever get. Twilight normal.

“You know about that?” She asked, a rather stunned expression on her face. Pinkie nodded eagerly, her mane somehow always staying impeccably groomed in the same cottony form.

“Yeppers! Spike told me all about it.” She waved a hoof through the air during the elongated ‘all’ for emphasis, and Twilight put on the same sad smile as before. Spike rolled his eyes and almost gagged. He honestly didn’t mind them knowing, but them pitying him was something he really did mind. With a tired swing of his hand, Spike lifted himself from the bench and motioned towards the area where the stage was being set up.

“Should we get going then?”

“What about the others?” Twilight asked, a bit uneasy at getting started without everypony else.

“I’m sure that they’ll be able to find us without a hitch.” Spike retorted sarcastically, sending a puff of smoke from his nostrils into the clear dusk air. Pinkie giggled at the scene, one of the few ponies Spike had found that appreciated his sarcastic sense of humor.

“Yep! Who could possibly not see Spike! A big purple dragon isn’t exactly easy to miss!”

Twilight still looked reluctant, but at Pinkie’s bubbly outburst she relaxed a bit, and allowed herself to be guided towards an optimum spot a good distance away from the stage, but still within visible range. All in all, a nice, comfy spot beneath a shady elm, even though shade wasn’t a problem nor a necessity at such late hours. Before Twilight could react, Spike grabbed the basket out from her magical grasp and began spreading out the contents, beginning with a rather large checkered blanket. It floated onto the soft grass as Spike used his claws to unfold it in one swift motion.

Once Pinkie and Twilight had settled into their respective spots, they began to chatter away about things Spike didn’t bother, nor find interesting, to listen to. As he removed all the contents of the basket, starting with the tropical punch and several small tumblers, he could sense other ponies nearby beginning to drift towards his area. He couldn’t blame them, seeing as how the smell of a fresh picnic dinner could make anypony’s mouth water, including his friends. He took out the appetizers, a medley of steamed vegetables with a variation of dipping sauces, and set them down around himself on the smooth blanket. He cast a glance towards the two ponies sitting opposite him, and even though they were still trying to continue their idle conversation, he noticed them casting a few glances towards his direction, smacking lips and hungry eyes.

Taking delight in the innocent torture he was causing, Spike gave them a playful smirk, and slowly reached into the basket. No longer bothering to play innocent, both Pinkie and Twilight stood staring at him, jaws gaping, a thin line of drool hanging from Pinkie’s lower lip. His smile widened as his claws met their target, and he clasped the object firmly, smirking at his victims. With a grand gesture, he removed from within the basket a small toothpick dispenser.

Spike rolled on the grass holding his sides, taking delight in the two ponies’ disappointed expressions. After a good laughing fit, he caught his breath and directed himself to the two angry mares still waiting for his justification.

“The… The main course… is for… the intermission…” He explained through ragged breaths. Pinkie and Twilight didn’t seem content, but they set the matter aside as Fluttershy and Applejack appeared from the crowd of ponies now swarming the park. Spike waved them over, and they greeted him with a smile and a wave, Fluttershy’s wave more of a semi-raised hoof than an actual wave.

Applejack shoved through most of the crowd and made pretty good time, reaching their spot and giving Spike a hearty noogie before settling down near the girls. Fluttershy, attempting as always to try and not be a nuisance, took about four times as long to reach them. She smiled at everyone then begun to politely listen to the conversation that had emerged from Applejack’s arrival. It was life, it was simple, it was everyday, it would be something he’d miss for sure. Spike rested his head on his claws and let his eyelids droop, planning out the next few years of his life.

Ponies of all ages and sizes and colors and manestyles gathered around the stage, all conversing eagerly with their friends or partners or family. They all seemed so content with their lives, not a care in the world. They could afford the luxury of attending such social events. They had no problem going outside and mingling with others, enjoying themselves to their fullest. Spike envied them, their liberty, their freedom, their comfort. They were things he lacked, yet wished for.

He was a dragon, a wild, feral beast amongst ponyfolk. Sure he used to be small and adorable, innocent and harmless, but ever since he changed… His claws had grown into deadly blades, his fangs now lined his mouth in rows upon rows of sharp protrusions. His size while standing as was natural for his kind matched that of the princess’s, and his control of fire had developed remarkably. He was a dragon, raised by ponies, but a dragon nonetheless. No matter how everypony treated him, or what they said, no matter how supportive his friends were, he knew the real truth. The whispers behind his back, the shifting glances and awkward silences. The way a room would almost immediately fall silent once its occupants became aware of his presence. Even his best friends, even Fluttershy seemed uncomfortable in his company. And Twilight… Twilight had done her best to try and make everything as normal as possible, and he loved her for that. But coexistence in the same house, between a mature male dragon and a female pony wasn’t easy, or very comfortable.

To be perfectly honest with himself, he’d considered leaving Ponyville quite a few years ago. The princess had spoken to him about discovering more about himself, his roots, dragonhood in general. Little was known about dragons, much less his own species, and that curiosity had always been an itch in the back of his mind. But he’d never actually had the courage to leave, something had always held him back. He thought maybe it’d been his friends. But now that he finally realized that he had absolutely no chance at all to ever be truly happy.

On the outside, he tried not to show it, but within his mind and heart, there was a maelstrom of emotions, tearing him apart. He’d never really comprehended that all he wanted was to be happy, as happy as everypony else seemed to be. But now he understood that he could never be happy here, not in Ponyville, not in Equestria, not when he was the only one like him. A monster, an outcast, a tiny insignificant piece to a different puzzle. He loved his friends, all of them, even his love for Rarity had not subdued, but they could continue their lives after he left, they could find happiness. He, on the other hand, would only grow old, quite possibly live longer than them, and suffer through eternity with the same feeling of remorse and dissatisfaction.

There was really only one reasonable solution. He looked up at the four friends gathered together, smiling happily and reveling in each other’s company. It brought a smile to his face. He could live with himself, with leaving them, if it meant finding himself, his purpose in life, a life of his own. But something told him that they might not see things from his perspective.

Chapter 6

The sun settled into its usual resting place on the horizon as it gave way for the moon and stars to shine bright and conquer the heavens. The resplendent orb brought forth by Princess Luna shone with striking beauty, and mesmerized those who bothered to take notice of it. Rarity had always admired the intricate beauty of the night, although she'd never admit her preference of Luna's creation over Celestia's auroral day.

It wasn't so much the complexity of the design that the princess bothered herself with, but the simplicity in its essence that drew a dreamy sigh from her lips every time she gazed towards the stars. Such a crime it would be, to rob the night of its sparkling inhabitants, to blind the moon and stars and leave a dark cloth draped over the skies above. The moon, the centerpiece in the marvelous visage, cast the gentle reflected light of a sun long-gone, and surrounded by many a-twinkling stars, revealed the world in a different light. A soft, tender light that brought out a silver glow, a shining spirit, from everything, and everypony.

To Rarity, it seemed that no matter who it was, or what it was, under the compassionate gaze of the moon, it shone bright despite whatever faults it held. And maybe, just maybe, that was why she found solace in the silent night. The moonlight entered, even now, only an hour after the sun had fallen to its cradle, through her silky curtains and illuminating her bodouir, perfecting her reflection in the mirror in many ways. Her eyes met her own, and her thoughts once again returned, as uneasy as always, and profoundly troubling as they'd never cease to be.

She was beautiful, that much she, and most any pony, could attest to. The moonlight made it even more so, and she always felt a bit irked at the fact that nopony could ever really appreciate her in such a light. The silver aura made her white coat shine bright like the stars huddled around the moon; the violet waves in her mane and tail seemed to flow almost ethereally around her, and her eyes... Her eyes sparkled with an intensity that rivaled even Fluttershy's stare, and she knew why it was; she could feel the reason for her uneasiness deep within the folds of her anguished spirit.

No matter how brightly the moon shone, no matter how beautiful she made herself look, nothing ever seemed to really bring out the best in her. Despite her looks, her generosity and cultured sense of things, there was something inside of her that longed to be free, yet remained locked in her heart, repressed by a lack of... something.

And that was where the vicious cycle of self-doubting and reflection ended and began. What did she really want? What did she need? Who was she, really, beneath her glamorous surface? She felt that something was missing, a part of her own soul, tarnished and hidden deep within, awaiting the arrival of the catalyst that would jump-start her heart and spirit. And so she justified her quest for beauty, grace, and love. There were no other reasons, and she didn't really need any. Not to go through with things, at least. She'd never be content until her questions were answered, but that didn't mean she'd simply give up on it. She'd try to come up with her own answers, in whatever way possible.

The red waxy substance met her lips, and smoothly ran over them, as an assortment of personal products covered her face and bosom, matching her skin to the outfit she'd set aside. After quite literally years of practice, everything moved in a perfectly synchronized manner, not blotches or errors or clashes of color as she perfected her complexion. It was all second nature to her, and she took advantage of her magic's innate memory of movements, and risked a few glances back towards the clock, beneath which lay her gown.

Even in the dim light, the black fabric shone with the reflection of the moonlight on it's intertwined silver threads, giving it the appearance of an entire galaxy trapped inside its folds. She'd only finished it recently, and so hadn't had the opportunity to show it off quite yet. However, the idea wasn't a new one. A few months back, when Twilight had invited her to go stargazing, something which she hadn't been too keen on doing, due to the whole "outdoors-experience" idea, she'd been able to witness some of the most amazing sight anypony could ever witness. Just outside of Ponyville, where the Southern Plains ended, and the Crescent Valley formed around the placid lake at its center, where the luminous pollution was virtually non-existant, entire galaxies adorned the skies in ways she would've never dreamed possible. It wasn't just mere specks of light, but swirling nebulae and enormous galaxies all meshed together perfectly in the dark fabric of space. Every now and then, a blazing meteor would streak across, leaving a fading ripple of light in its wake.

It truly was a magnificent sight to behold, and she'd tried to thank Twilight for giving her the opportunity to share in the experience. However, she wouldn't have it. Quite literally, in fact. Twilight had spent the entire night with a dreamy stare fixed upon the cosmos, and no matter what she did, she was simply lost in the stars. It had been fun nonetheless, although she'd found it odd that Twilight had invited only her, and when questioned about it, she'd simply said the others hadn't been interested. When Pinkie and Rainbow and AJ and Fluttershy weren't interested in spending quality time with friends, Rarity didn't know, but she'd decided not to probe, and simply enjoy the evening.

As for the dress, it had originally started out as a way to thank Twilight for the opportunity. However, as it developed into something much more than just a simple evening gown, Rarity had decided to dedicate a little more effort to it, as she recognized the potential for the dress. It was so much more than just a dress, it was the incarnation of the universe molded to her form, laced with silver and gold thread, and speckled with diamond dust in strategic cuts. It was a work of art, and she'd give her masterpiece the attention it deserved at the most important event in Ponyville that summer. As for Twilight's gift, she'd have to give that a bit more thought afterwards.

The Summerwind Theatre was the biggest event in Ponyville every summer, especially since the Summer Sun Celebration lost a bit of its dramatic flare after everything that'd happened. Everypony who was old enough, and smart enough, to stay awake, presented themselves in all their glory, and even a few Canterlot ponies bothered themselves with the trip south to watch the spectacle. That, and of course, her friends never missed it for anything. They rarely missed any important or semi-important cultural events, and were always more than happy to simply meet for no reason whatsoever to spend time with each other. It was always the highlight of her day. Her thoughts meandered and contemplated her friends for a bit, and soon, she was capable of thinking of nothing else.

And soon enough, the thoughts turned into troubling reflections on her betrayal, her selfish purposes for breaking a promise to her friends.

But it was justified, wasn't it? Perhaps Twilight and Pinkie didn't agree, or even understand why she would be willing to commit such a heinous act. Perhaps they'd give her a sermon about the importance of keeping a promise, or simply let it go after a few days of their childish silent treatments. Whatever the consequences, she had to do it. It was her chance to find that something that she longed for, that somepony who could make her shine the way the sun made the moon shine bright in the night sky.

As the last of the eyelashes were placed in their respective spots, and the bottle of perfume settled back onto the dresser, there came an abrupt knock of wood from downstairs, perfectly punctual as it should've been.

“Coming!” Rarity exclaimed, keeping her volume in check, but in such a way that whoever was at her door could hear her.

With one fell swoop, she removed her silk robe and allowed for it to float gently down upon her bed, turning towards the stairs and descending to the lower floor of the boutique. As she walked closer to the door, her hoofsteps counted down the precious seconds to double- and even triple-check everything. Her eyes darted to and fro, making sure everything was in its place. The fine china was safely tucked away inside the glass cabinet, the cloths and fabrics draped delicately over their respective stands, the floors were clean and not a dust bunny in sight; everything was perfectly presentable, and she breathed a little easier as she approached to door, already grabbing the handle with a magical aura.

Slowly, the door opened, and in it's wake appeared the image of a dashing stallion, the very same one that had so often graced her boutique for quite a few fittings, the one who truly seemed to match her description of the “perfect stallion”, and had finally asked her out to a romantic dinner in the park. The one who she was hoping would be unlike all the previous suitors, his silver coat shining in the pitch black darkness. Every aspect of him, be it physical or otherwise, only seemed to reinforce her opinion of him.

Still, Twilight's reminder lingered in her mind. Would this turn out to be yet another failure at romance? Was she perhaps cursed with misfortune? Was she destined to spend the rest of her life in somber solitude, never finding a suitor, simply another old mare with her cat, hiding away in Ponyville?

“Wow... You look stunning!”

She was brought back into reality by the deep voice that came from just outside her door, and she blushed madly as she realized she'd been to busy daydreaming to even bother with her date. She clumsily stepped aside, eyes darting from Topline to the floorboards, remaining fixated on the latter for longer periods of time.

“Thank you! P-Please, do come in!”

Rarity allowed herself a content smile as her suitor contemplated her fine establishment under this new light. Even she had to admit everything looked quite different at that time of night, illuminated by a fading candle here and there. Perhaps it was the flickering of the flames, or the permeating moonlight that made the entire boutique look completely different. Or, then again, perhaps it was simply the company, the situation, the atmosphere itself.

Although not too keen on interrupting Topline's appraisal of her home and shop, a quick glance at the clock confirmed her fears. And fashionably late simply didn't exist in theater. Arriving after the curtains had been drawn would be absolutely humiliating, and so her fear or humiliation overpowered her love of compliments for a brief moment.

Rarity let out a polite cough, and immediately won over Topline's undivided attention, giving her the slightest twinge of satisfaction. He turned a smile in her direction, his sleek black mane undulating ever-so slightly before returning to its perfect place. She blinked away her admiring stare and focused on the essence of time once more.

“Give me a few minutes to get ready and we can get going.” She said in the most amicable tone she could possibly muster. She turned towards the stairs, but her gaze remained fixed on Topline, awaiting some sign of approval or dissuasion.

Neither came, and he simply smiled and nodded, quickly turning away to continue admiring her latest works. The apparent lack of attention focused on her was a tad unsettling. But then again, the last thing she wanted was a needy, obsessive male who refused to give her her own space. Still, she was used to males granting her their undivided attention. This newfound attitude was strange, but not entirely unpleasant. Actually, it was quite a bit alluring. She felt the need to get the attention back, whatever it took, and a challenge was always welcome when it came to attraction. Thoughts of future dates and seductive tactics swam in her head while she ascended the staircase towards her bedroom.

It didn't take her ten minutes to get in her dress and triple-check herself in the mirror. She stepped out into the warm light of a nearby candle where Topline stood, silently appreciating the brush strokes of an old painting, her soft hoofsteps gently drawing his attention towards her desired target. Her. The effect was immediate, and one that filled Rarity with hidden pleasure and satisfaction. His jaw almost hit the floorboards, and his eyes absorbed every detail on her, unblinking. A smile broke out across her face that she simply couldn't hold back.

“Wow..... I mean, you look.... Wow....”

“Stunning? You said that once before, dear. Now, shall we get going?” Rarity asked, this time not waiting for a response before turning and heading out the door.

Topline followed silently, remembering to shut his mouth only once the cool nighttime air made its way into his lungs. With a click, Rarity locked the door, and waited patiently for her companion that evening to join her side. However, Topline hesitated for a bit, standing beside the door, and before she could question his behavior, a single red rose emerged from a nearby bush, and floated before her, swaying with the breeze.

With as simple a gesture as the handing of a flower, all of her doubts implanted by Twilight and Pinkie vanished. If she'd known how soon they'd return, she might have reflected on them for a while longer.

******************S******************

The dry earth, although practically nonexistent in the surrounding darkness, was already deeply scarred by Spike's incessant scratching. Ever since his claws had grown dagger sharp, he'd acquired what some would call a bad habit or scratching at hard surfaces. It served him twofold. For one, it kept his claws somewhat blunt, which was difficult since dragon claws were naturally razor-sharp. And it also served as a great distraction for his motor functions as his brain switched into automatic while pondering the more difficult schemes of life.

If someone bothered to look very closely at the seemingly random collection of scratches on the ground, they might find that the scratches actually spelled out several names. Six to be exact, six names of six amazing, wonderful, absolutely unforgettable ponies that were the entire purpose to his life. He couldn't imagine living a life where he couldn't call them his friends, and yet, here he was, contemplating that very thing.

He was older now, smarter, wiser. Sure, he was still a young-adult in pony-year terms, and barely a hatchling in comparison to a common dragon. However, perhaps it had been the scholarly way he'd been brought up, or maybe his species was keen on philosophy, but no matter the reason, thinking was second-nature to him. And now that he'd finally made his decision, finally confronted his feelings for Rarity, there were really only a few plausible outcomes. Most ended the same way, and he'd been thinking about the worst-case scenario all through that evening since her visit to the library.

It wasn't something he was looking forward to; on the contrary, every single fiber of his being hoped that everything would turn out fine, if not magnificently. However, if the odds were true, if her reaction was anything but sheer joy, Spike knew he wouldn't be able to bear living with the shame. Even worse, he wouldn't be able to live in the same town as Rarity, knowing they might bump into each other during the most casual of occasions.

Spike rolled over, the blades of grass tickling his soft skin between the hardened scales on his back. His weary eyes scanned the skies above, the intricately designed ceiling hanging above everypony's heads. It was times like these, although not too often, that he wished he knew whether or not his kind ever developed wings. It would be an enormous relief to be able to soar through the clouds and feel the wind on his scales, letting his worries flow with the currents for a while.

For now however, he was stuck on the ground, where all he could do was release a frustrated puff of smoke into the night air. He could feel scrutinizing stares coming from several ponies nearby, most likely due to fear, or resentment, or both. He tried to do as Twilight had encouraged, and simply ignore their whispers and glances, but he couldn't help but feel the bitter sting of discrimination. It hurt of course, that the ponies he'd grown up to call his friends, would doubt him simply due to his being a dragon.

A leaf from the tree under which his best friends were huddled under, detached from its branch and fluttered down towards him. His emotions got the better of him, and he engulfed it in a brilliant emerald flame, causing quite a clamor around him and earning the attention of Twilight and her friends.

“Spike...” She said in a condescending tone, lifting herself from the picnic blanket and trotting over to him.

“Yeah, yeah, I know... But I'm not sorry.”

Twilight halted in her steps, almost flinching at his tone. With everything on his mind, he didn't really have the heart to care about whether or not some ponies got scared over a little fire. And he most certainly wasn't going to withstand another of Twilight's lectures. Not now, when the show was just a few minutes until curtain.

“Come on Spike, you might as well try to enjoy yourself,” Twilight said, casting a sad glance his way.

Spike matched her expression, allowing his doubts and pains to show through his hard emotional shell as he sat up. His tail instinctively wrapped around his body, trying to protect himself from whatever was causing him such angst. Their eyes met, and they shared in the painful silence for a few seconds before a few gasps and exclamations from their friends drew their attention towards the northeast path.

Spike's eyes widened and he felt his heart skip a few beat more than was healthy as he watched the most beautiful progression in the world walk towards them. Rarity paced herself gracefully, head held high, fully conscious of the attention she was getting as she made her way towards a nearby spot on the grass. Her usual magnificent complexion was highlighted by her choice of dress. A long, flowing gown accentuated her outline while maintaining a mystical aura around it, as it swirled and shone like the very galaxies it was meant to resemble. Her eyes never met his own, but Spike knew, as he'd always known, that they were her most beautiful feature. The way they shone in any light, the intensity they bore, the sheer passion that could be felt from just a lingering glance, always left him speechless.

However, his blood soon began to pump once again, rather agitatedly, as Rarity's companion for the evening, that so called Toprun or whatever, trotted up from behind her. Despite the utter hatred he felt towards this pony that he'd never even met, he had to admit it did seem to make sense at first sight that he and Rarity would be together. He had a certain haughty aura that most Canterlot ponies seemed to share, with a smooth, oily black mane and a shining silver coat, he matched perfectly with Rarity's refined tastes. That, and of course, the custom-tailored suit he bore, no doubt a work of Rarity's based on the stitching on the hems and the signature cuff-links she always provided.

They chose a spot quite a distance away from them, although Rarity had at least bothered to acknowledge them with a half-hearted wave of her hoof. She would probably be feeling a bit guilty over ditching her friends, no doubt, but as Spike cast a glance over to the other five ponies sitting atop the checkered blanket, he could see nor sense no ill-feeling towards her.

The moon was directly overhead by this time, and even the wind seemed to have died down, meaning only one thing. The show was about to start, and the audience would have a few more short minute to prepare for the spectacle. Last chance to find a spot, get settled in, and claim their playbills. For Spike, it only meant one thing.

Chapter 7

The ambiance had changed, signaling the beginning of the play, and soon, all eyes would be on the stage, admiring this year's interpretation of Summerwind's “A Mid-Night Mare's Dream”. Despite it's outdated dialogue, and a few tedious scenes now and again, it remained one of the most popular plays of all time. Still, most of the audience showed up only to cheer on their fellow Ponyvilleans who partook in the play.

Twilight for one, didn't know any of the cast personally, but she still found it heartwarming to support and be a part of Ponyville's social culture, especially in something as neighborly as the play. It was also a great opportunity for her to get together with all of her friends. It seemed that as of late, they'd been seeing less and less of each other. It didn't help that it was harvest season, and tourism was up in Ponyville, making Applejack and Pinkie two of the busiest ponies in Equestria. Twilight had been seeing more of Fluttershy, especially since breeding season was over, and the animals didn't need as much attention. But even so, it had only been at the spa or their favorite café for a casual, rather meaningless conversation. Rarity was impossible to get to during business hours, and Rainbow was always either busy with the weather or enjoying a summer nap in one of AJ's trees.

However, this picnic was the perfect way to rekindle their close friendship, and battle the homogeneity of the past few weeks. A sudden motion drew Twilight's attention to Spike's movements, raising quite a few doubts.

“Where do you think you're going? The play's about to start!” Twilight said in a humored tone, poking fun at Spike with a bit of motherly condescension.

The reception wasn't as bright and cheery as she would've hoped for, and instead, Spike looked at her with a face filled with grief, nervousness, and determination.

“I know, but there's something that I just have to do Twi, and I can't wait until the intermission.”

The young dragon, usually more of a joker at social gatherings, had a certain atmosphere of maturity about him; His eyes shone with intense energy, and reminded Twilight of the time he chose to take part of the Great Dragon Migration, or when he'd decided to try and grow wings. Despite the disastrous endings to both of those situations, she knew when Spike set his mind to something, there was nothing he wouldn't do to achieve his goal, and he'd succeeded just as many times as he'd failed, if not more. Still, in this specific scenario, Twilight just had a really bad feeling about it.

“What are you doing Spike?” She asked, sincere concern seeping from her voice, and Spike's confident frame seemed to deflate, his spikes falling flat, his eyes sadly looking at the dry earth below. Despite his large size and deep voice, Twilight caught a glimpse of the small, insecure baby dragon that had shared many a hard time with her in their youth, not so long ago.

“I don't know... But if I don't do this, I know I'll regret it.”

“But... What? Do what?” Twilight asked, really looking for confirmation, already forming a pretty good idea of what he was planning. And factoring in the possible outcomes, there was fair chance that the night would not be as pleasant as she'd hoped it'd be.

“I'm pretty sure Rarity knows about my crush on her, but I want her to know it was more than that... Even if it's over, I want her to know.” He said, pained and distraught. To Twilight, it only seemed like he was just headed towards even more heartbreak.

“And then what? What happens after all this?”

Twilight leaned forward, unaware of her own movements, driven by sheer emotion. Spike on the other hand, turned away, refusing to speak or look at her, a crystalline tear falling to the grass, like a drop of dew from the morning fog.

“Spike, please! I... I just can't stand to see you hurt like this... but I'm scared that you'll end up hurting even more...”

“Twilight!” A voice called out from behind her, and instinctively, she turned to find the culprit. A Stetson waved through the air in the hoof of a familiar orange pony, quickly joined by two other hooves avidly beckoning for her to join them. As she turned to call out a reply, she heard the quick progression of footsteps that signaled Spike's departure. Looking back, she had time only to spot a familiar purple tail wave through a few clustered groups of ponies. With a sigh of defeat, she trotted back towards her friends.

“What was that all about?” Rainbow said, a half grin forming on her lips as she looked to where Spike had disappeared amongst the crowd.

Pinkie and Fluttershy put a pin in their conversation and turned to listen to the latest bit of gossip provided exclusively by her.

“You all know how Spike...”

Twilight turned towards Pinkie, quite possibly out of habit, as she was technically just about to break a Pinkie Promise. Pinkie just nodded, drawing puzzles expressions from the others, but they dismissed the action as she continued relating her story.

“Well, you all know how Spike had a crush on Rarity, right?”

“Duh,”

“ 'Course, everypony knew,”

“I didn't know...” Fluttershy replied with a whisper so fragile, the flapping wings of a butterfly might have carried it away on a breeze.

Six eyes were now on the timid pegasus, and as expected, she hid behind her mane in fear of her friends' incredulous looks. Rainbow Dash was the first to try and stutter out a comprehensible reply.

“Wha... Bu... How could you... It was so obvious!”

“Yeah. No offense intended Fluttershy,” Applejack chirped in, “But ever since little Spike got to Ponyville he's been drooling over Rarity.”

Pinkie just munched happily on a small bit of celery, apparently ignorant of the ongoing dilemma, while Twilight opted for the easier course of listening to Fluttershy's reasoning. Despite her shyness and withdrawal from the conversation as the disbelief continued, she finally seemed to manage a response, which she uttered softly from behind her protective pink mane.

“Well, lately he's been spending most of his time with you, Twilight...” She said, turning to each of her friends respectively, “And, well, he was always so kind and generous with all of us...”

Dash scratched at the back of her neck as she looked towards some reasonably innocent grass, the same blush on her, as well as everypony else's cheeks. Applejack simply pawed at the ground, and Twilight felt like her stomach had been tied into a knot and used as a maraca. Only Pinkie seemed completely unaffected or happily oblivious to her statement.

“And I never noticed him acting any differently around Rarity in these past few months, so I assumed he was... I... I don't... meep!”

Once again, a pink barrier of long silky hair stood between Fluttershy and the world as everypony processed the information. Despite the awkwardness and tension that filled the air, Pinkie finally finished up nibbling on her celery by taking one giant bite, and swallowing the remainder of the green veggie whole.

“Spikey is the bestest best dragon anypony could ever wish for as a friend! What's wrong with that?' Pinkie asked, jumping to her friend's aid.

Nopony seemed to have an answer to her question, but at least it helped Twilight feel a bit more secure about the whole situation, and both Rainbow Dash and Applejack seemed more comfortable, nodding in agreement. Twilight couldn't tell however, if Fluttershy was nodding her head or shaking from nervousness. Finally, Applejack opted to break the silence and try to rid the atmosphere of the awful tension.

“So, um, you were saying, Twilight?”

“Oh, right! Well, Spike told me...”

“And me!”

“And Pinkie...” Twilight corrected grudgingly, much to the others' amusement, “That he was going to give up on chasing after Rarity.”

“Oh, is that all?” Applejack asked, a tinge of relief adorning her voice, while Rainbow Dash flapped her wings in annoyance.

“But then why has he been such a pill lately?”

“Rainbow Dash, hold your tongue!” Applejack snapped, drawing a childish raspberry from the accused.

“I think Spike still has feelings for Rarity, but he feels like he doesn't even have a chance with her.” Twilight reasoned out loud. In truth, despite the fact that that was basically what she knew, she had to agree with Dash partially. It didn't seem like Spike to become so depressed over something like this, even if it was important to him.

“Doesn't have a chance? Isn't that going a bit far?” Rainbow announced. It came out in a very controversial fashion, as though it were an injustice, and drew snickers from a few of her friends. Applejack nudged her with a teasing hoof as she giggled beneath her hat.

“Don't worry Dash, maybe now that Rarity's out of the race, you might get your chance!”

Rainbow Dash didn't resemble her name much as all the color in her face vanished, leaving behind two burning red splotches. Even Fluttershy stifled a giggle, while Pinkie threw confetti over the group and pranced around, singing.

“Spike and Dashie, sitting in a tree...”

Twilight couldn't help but grin, but something was troubling her; a feeling inside of her that she couldn't quite identify. It wasn't an entirely new feeling though, and she remembered feeling in such a way before. If only she could remember...

Rainbow Dash however seemed about ready to explode. If Twilight hadn't known better, she could've sworn she saw steam rising out from Dash's ears. Her eyes narrowed and her ears flattened against her head as she assumed an offensive position. Twilight almost thought of stopping Rainbow with magic, thinking she might try and tackle Applejack, but instead, the furious weather pony opted for a more effective method of retaliation.

“Oh yeah? Well, I've seen the way you glance over at Spike every now and again when he helps you out on the orchard!”

It was now Applejack's turn to grow pale, her pupils shrinking into almost non-existent dots as she suffered the wrath of her friend's revenge.

“Ah do not! That there's a doggone lie!”

Rainbow Dash rolled on the grass, laughing at AJ's distraught state, relieved to have passed the spotlight over to somepony else. Pinkie and Fluttershy giggled like school fillies at the show their friends seemed to be putting on, and all the commotion had even drawn a few shushes from nearby ponies. They simply went ignored by the rambunctious five laughing and enjoying themselves together for the first time in months.

Applejack chuckled in spite of her embarrassment, and couldn't fool a foal with her cheeks matching her apple cutie marks. But nonetheless, she tried playfulness in an attempt to avoid further humiliation.

“Humph! Yeah? Well, Fluttershy over there's the one givin' 'im googly eyes all the time!”

Fluttershy appeared about ready to faint, and could've passed off as a ghost, becoming paler than the moon. Applejack joined Rainbow's festivities, enjoying the embarrassing game of hot potato as the blame was passed unto the statue that used to be Fluttershy. Twilight set a hoof on her chest as her lungs fought for air, her diaphragm convulsing with laughter. It was all in good fun now, and the accusations had lost all seriousness.

As the fits of maniacal giggling continued, Fluttershy slowly composed herself, trying to join in the laughter, and do her best to remain conscious. The sudden rush of blood to her cheeks and heart hadn't done much good for her state of mind, and she was dangerously close to a self-induced coma.

Her state hadn't gone unnoticed by the group, yet before Twilight could lend a consoling hoof on her friend's shoulder, th ever-so-random pink party pony jumped up to the rescue of her shy friend. It was, of course, unnecessary, their intentions having been a bit of innocent teasing, yet Pinkie Pie never was one to conform to the social norms everypony else went by. However, there was a smile on her face, and she didn't seem to be acting on behalf of justice. Her cheery attitude and playful nature contradicted any seriousness in her message as she stood on her hind legs and put on as serious a face as she could muster. Twilight wasn't impressed, and had to stifle a giggle at her friend's erratic behavior.

“So what if Fluttershy or Dashie or AJ likes Spike? I like Spike just as much as all of you too!”

Recuperating at least slightly from her nervous tittering, Applejack chose to speak up in self-defense, especially since the uproarious weather pegasus convulsing in the grass didn't help the matter at all.

“We know sugarcube, we were just teasin'.”

“B-Besides,” Rainbow said, making an effort to stifle her laughter, “we didn't mean that kind of 'like'”

All seriousness had long ago been forsaken, yet Twilight felt the rush of blood to her cheeks once again, and a familiar tingling of butterflies in her stomach as Pinkie titled her head, urging her friend to clarify with a small, impeccant, “Huh?”

Rainbow Dash mutter a string of unintelligible sounds, clearly trying to find the best way to explain what exactly she'd meant. In another situation, Twilight may have reprimanded her friend's imprudence at the mention of such complex matters in the presence of Pinkie, yet at that moment, her mind was a maelstrom of thoughts an emotions, therefore unable to truly function in the real situation developing before her very eyes. Thankfully, before somepony was forced to put a muzzle on Dash, AJ intervened, providing a more tactful explanation.

“What Rainbow Dash meant honey, was that we were talking about... a different kind of likin'. Romantic-like... Like in a relationship?” Applejack turned her pleading eyes towards Twilight, “Twi, a little help here?”

Before she could utter a syllable of protest, Pinkie sat back on her haunches, a strange clarity expressed on her widened eyes and rounded mouth as she let out an elongated, understanding, “Oh... I get it...”

“But still, what's wrong with that? And besides,” she continued, not giving the others an opportunity to reply, although drawing a thankful sigh from Fluttershy, “if anypony would get together with Spike, it'd probably be...”

At that moment, as Pinkie turned towards the pony whose name she was about to mention, Twilight's mind went completely blank as several things all happened simultaneously, not giving her friend the chance to complete her statement.

As the curtain rose, a roaring cheer emanated from the audience gathered around the stage, muffling Pinkie's speech. Yet despite the spotlight shining brightly on Lyra's bright mint-green coat, all eyes, including those of the performers, were focused on the source of a piercing scream, and explosive commotion nearby. Twilight swung about just in time to see a white unicorn flee from the crowd, and a jet of green flames engulf a portion of the grass from whence several other ponies retreated. Screams of fear and uncertainty filled the air, followed by an even more frightening silence as the source of the disturbance disappeared from the scene behind a cloud of thick smoke, and the only ponies left were those with the same knowledge as Twilight and her friends regarding what had just happened.

However, there was no doubt that it had involved Spike as well as Rarity, and whatever had just happened would undoubtedly change the lives of everypony in Ponyville forever. Nevertheless, it would take a few minuted before Twilight or anypony else came to this conclusion. For the moment, they were all frozen in fear, all thoughts of the play forgotten, and silence dominating the ambiance.

Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

******************T******************

It felt like an arrow had pierced her heart. No, more painful even. It felt as though her heart had been torn from her chest, compressed into a tiny, insignificant ball, lit on fire, and then stampeded on by an out-of-control herd of cattle. And then pierced by an arrow. All she could do was utter out a barely audible,

“Huh?”

“Exactly. I just don’t know what to make of it!” Rarity said. Despite her tone, she looked as though she truly were in some kind of deep stupor. Her eyes seemed to stare at some faraway object, as though perhaps it had a solution to all of this. Twilight, however, had no time for pity, not for her friend, and not for herself either. She’d figure out her feelings later. First, she had to know what Spike had done, before that arrogant colt falsely accused him, and their lives were ruined.

“Rarity, you need to focus… Tell me exactly what happened.”

Twilight’s voice, now deeper and filled with genuine concern, seemed to bring Rarity back to consciousness, and she stammered for a while, looking at her hooves as though they might have been hiding the answers they were all looking for.

“The play was about to start, and Spike came by, saying… Saying something about having to speak with me urgently. I asked him if it could wait, and he insisted.”

Rarity stopped to draw in a shuddering breath, emotions getting the better of her body, and continued, still avoiding direct eye contact with Twilight.

“He started talking about his crush on me, and that’s when Topline…”

Rarity froze mid-sentence and began quietly sobbing again. Twilight had known her for years, and could easily tell the unicorn’s dramatic scenes from her honest shows of emotion. This one was as honest and pure as it could ever get, but she couldn’t spare time. She had to know what Topline had done. Time was running out, and Rarity’s testimony may very well be the only thing that could save Spike at this point.

“What? What did Topline do?”

“He… He laughed…”

Twilight gulped, tasting the bile in the back of her throat, disgust and shame now joining the bitter slew of emotions housed in her heart. Inter-species relations had always been controversial, but there were certain ponies, and she knew the kind well, who lived in a silly dream of Pony “purity”. Ponies loving any other being was simply wrong, sick, and disgusting, and now she realized, Topline thought so too. How could Rarity ever have fallen for such a shallow pony?

“Spike was furious, he tried to ignore him, but Topline kept saying things… awful things… And that’s when Spike said he loved me…”

There it was again, that pain stinging clear in her soul.

“Topline said… he said something about that being the most ridiculous thing he’d ever heard… That’s when I tried to say that he was wrong, but… He said I’d…”

Another long pause, and this time, Twilight allowed it to pass, contemplating her own feelings all the while.

“He said I’d have to be as sick as Spike to even consider such a thing… That’s when Spike attacked him… He was only defending my honor, and now...”

Rarity spoke the last sentence in little more than a faint moan before once again succumbing to the sobs that longed to break free of her heart.

As Rarity’s sobs diminished, little by little, Twilight used the sound of her unsteady breathing, muffled by pillows and fabrics, to distract her mind. However, it was of no use, and Rarity’s words echoed in her head, mixing with everything else she already harbored in her mind, and threatening to set her off.

The combination of all this new information, all the feelings and emotions, the thoughts and ideas, the truth and the lies, it proved too much for her after all. Twilight tasted bile once again, shivering from the discomfort it was causing her, and barely able to hold back her tears.

Spike…

It was all true. He’d done as he’d planned. He’d gone up to Rarity and confessed. He’d exposed all of his feelings, left himself completely open and exposed, no doubt the most vulnerable he’d ever been. And they’d ripped his heart to shreds. At that very moment, Twilight could very well imagine what he could be feeling. Her heart hadn’t fared so well either, much less with this latest batch of news.

“He said he loved me…”

Twilight shook her head, leaving her mane draped haphazardly over her face. It didn’t matter though, as it wasn’t stray hairs what she was trying to accommodate in her head. She simply didn’t understand why she felt the way she did when she thought about those words. Spike loved Rarity. That was nothing new, everypony probably already knew that. So why was it affecting her so?

With her front hooves, she pressed against her eyes, and tried to hold back all the emotion that tried to escape from them, at the same time trying to focus her mind. She had to think. She couldn’t bear once again not having a logical answer to the situation. She couldn’t bear being so useless yet again. Her heart was writhing and screaming in her chest, and all she could do was watch as everything just happened.

And Spike. Poor Spike, after what’d happened back in the park, what pony other than perhaps Celestia would even be willing to listen to his side of the story. From all angles, it truly had seemed like an unprovoked attack on two innocent young ponies enjoying the play. Topline would surely press charges, and nopony in Ponyville would trust him again. Nopony would trust her again! Nothing would ever be the same again…

Nothing would ever be the same again…

She meant that, with her mind and heart. So many things had happened, and yet the entire ordeal seemed so insignificant when compared to its outcomes. A simple emotional outburst, common in any adolescent creature. So why did it feel like the end of the world?

“He said he loved me…”

It haunted her now, even with Rarity practically asleep, in a pitiful heap atop her mattress. Why did she feel the way she did when she thought of that? Her heart seemed to sink, her stomach churned, and she trembled all over. Twilight scrunched up her eyes, trying to think. They were symptoms of something, but of what? It could very well have been a simple cold, but she had no fever, no congestion, and the symptoms had started all of a sudden. She’d heard of other ponies feeling like that when they’d experienced something she herself had never really felt. Something ponies claimed to be an overwhelming sensation, something that drove even the hardest pony mad, and melted even the most frozen of hearts.

Love?

Could it have been…? No, she wasn’t in love. How could she? With Spike? He was her best friend, her oldest friend! He’d been such a big part of her life, ever since Shining Armor had joined the guard and left her so alone…

No, but it couldn’t be love that was causing her such grief. It wasn’t logical, it made no sense… But then again…

She’d felt jealous when Spike talked about loving Rarity, and she couldn’t help feel a twitch of envy as their friends all joked about liking Spike… And now, simply thinking about Spike, heartbroken, running around somewhere in Ponyville, she felt her heart plummet…

Twilight stood, looking to and fro, trying to find some sense in what had now become a crazy, topsy-turvy world, where there was no longer any room for logical thinking. Emotions ran wild, and ruled over the hearts and minds of innocent ponies, victims of love, like herself.

She ran towards the door, her intentions perfectly clear. She had to find Spike, talk to him, figure out just what exactly she was feeling, before it was too late, and she did something that she might later come to regret.

Just as she was about to reach the door, a broken whisper spoke across the room,

“Twilight…? Where are you going?”

Twilight froze, eyes wide with panic. Had Rarity figured it out? Would she now have to face the humiliation of admitting her emotional instability to one of her closest friends?

“I… I was just… I was going to…”

“I thought you were going to keep me company?” Rarity said in an honestly disappointed tone, looking down at her sheets, “I just don’t want to be alone tonight…”

Pity and compassion overtook her, and made her put her crazy thoughts aside, smiling sadly as she slowly walked over to her friend’s aid. Gently, she hopped up onto the bed, large enough for six ponies (literally), and laid down beside her broken friend. As she nuzzled the white unicorn, trying to comfort her, and at the same time comfort herself as well, she couldn’t help but think of the irony of the situation. Two victims of the same dragon, sharing their heartbroken existence with each other, alone through the night.

******************S******************

The hurt clearly expressed in those big, blue eyes tore at Spike’s soul. It was so intense; he looked down towards his claws in a vain attempt of escaping her glare, dumbly staring at the ground in shame.

“What do you mean, leaving? Leaving where?” Pinkie asked. It seemed like such a naïve question, something a foal might have asked. And yet, Spike knew she was as serious as Celestia, and she truly was as pained as her voice seemed to be. Nevertheless, even he didn’t have an answer for that question. He’d made up his mind. He had to leave. He couldn’t face his friends ever again; he couldn’t face the Princess ever again. But most of all, there was no possible way he could ever face Rarity again. Not without wanting to die on the spot.

He looked at Pinkie, and was reminded of all the happy moments he’d shared with the fluffy pink pony that now sat before him, on the verge of tears. From the moment he’d first arrived in Ponyville side by side with Twilight, and Pinkie had thrown them his very first party. To all the crazy adventures she’d managed to get them involved in, be it her strange “Pinkie-Sense” or her cloning madness, even when she herself turned manic-depressive in face of “losing” all her friends. They’d been on some pretty wacky adventures over the year. After his growth spurt, he’d become even more useful in all the quests they’d embarked on. The last disaster had only happened a few weeks earlier, when they set off in search of some ancient relic buried deep in the San Palomino desert. Even so, it all seemed ages ago, and Spike felt an all-too familiar sense of nostalgia. Like when he thought back of when he was just a small baby dragon, and everypony loved him. And nopony feared him.

“I’m leaving Equestria Pinkie, I… I don’t really know where I’m going.” Spike admitted, “I suppose I’ll head Southeast, look for other dragons, spend some time there…”

“But why? Why can’t you stay here?” Pinkie asked, apparently still not understanding.

“Pinkie, I… I can’t stay here, not after what I did. I couldn’t possibly stand the shame.”

Pinkie’s eyes had never been bigger, and despite the mood of the moment, Spike almost D’aaaaaaaaaw’d at what could be considered one of the cutest ponies ever. Spike held back tears that weren’t flowing as Pinkie cried enough for both of them. She closed her eyes and held up a hoof, almost as if trying to hide her face. Spike stepped closer, something he would’ve thought impossible in such tight quarters, and hugged her. She returned the hug, trying in vain to wrap her legs around him, and cried into his chest. Spike stroked her mane, and did the best to calm her, and himself, staring into the darkness of the hollow and imagining his future.

“It’s not so bad… I’ll travel around, see the world. I’ve always wanted to see the ocean… And I’m sure I’ll meet lots of new friends…” He looked down at the pink pony to find she was listening closely, still with the saddest expression he’d ever seen, but listening nonetheless.

“Of course, none of them will ever replace you and the girls.”

“You promise?” Pinkie asked, obviously searching for some sort of comfort.

Spike smiled, a glint in his eyes, as he said, “I Pinkie Promise. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”

Pinkie giggled, and once again rested her head on his chest.

Spike squeezed her tighter, and daydreamt of faraway lands and magnificent landscapes. Maybe leaving wouldn’t be all that bad after all. He honestly had always wanted to find out more about his kind, to travel and see new places, see what was outside of Equestria. He’d heard old pony’s tales, including Granny Smith’s stories, of lands across a stormy ocean, where nature ruled, and magic flowed freely through the air. Supposedly, that was where the first settler ponies had come from. He longed to once again rediscover the ancient lands, find reason for his life once again. He could never replace his friends, but something had to take their place, at least for a while.

“Spike…?” Pinkie’s voice broke through his stupor, and he quickly took notice of the soft daylight streaming through the entrance.

“What is it, Pinkie?”

“How long do you think you’ll be gone?”

Spike froze. He knew the answer to that question. He’d been sure from the very beginning of that one thing. He’d attacked a pony, or at least they’d claim he did, and even Celestia herself wouldn’t be able to save him from standing trial. And a dragon before a jury of 12 ponies didn’t seem very likely to result in a full pardon. More than that, he couldn’t show his face around Ponyville ever again, and he doubted there was room for a dragon his size anywhere else in Equestria.

“Spike?”

“… I… I don’t know… But I’ll come back, I promise…”

Pinkie looked at him with a worried expression, as she called him on his bluff.

“Pinkie Promise?”

Spike hesitated, and that was his downfall. He couldn’t lie to her. Not Pinkie Pie. And he couldn’t bear to break a Pinkie Promise. There was only one option left…

“I can’t…”

Spike felt his heart sink, and expected the worst from what would surely be a distraught Pinkie. However, no outburst came. Instead, she looked down sadly, not hiding her disappointment.

He couldn’t have left under worst circumstances. He’d broken the hearts of too many ponies already, and he’d soon break more with his departure. He figured it was about time to get things over with. The play would’ve been over, and everypony surely in their beds. It was probably almost six in the morning, and that gave him about an hour to sneak out of town.

Slipping from the hug that had lasted all through what seemed like an eternity, Spike began backing towards the entrance as Pinkie dropped back down to four hooves, starting to sniffle once again. With a sad sigh, and beginning to cry once again, Spike looked outside, at the first few rays of sunlight, and sighed.

“Well… I guess I should be off now…”

He heard her gulp back a sob, and scrunched his own eyes shut to try to keep his own emotions under check. He couldn’t afford to break down now. Taking a shivering gulp of air, he stepped outside into the cool morning dew. He emerged slowly, taking one last look around at what he’d once called home. The fringe of the Everfree Forest. It was a bit ironic really. He’d have to trek back through this very same spot after paying his visit to town. He remembered, he’d also have to go through the ruins where Twilight had had her very first adventure with their best friends, where they’d confronted Nightmare Moon, and where they’d concreted their friendship. It brought a faint smile to his lips, but it didn’t last long. Pinkie walked out of the tree slowly, her mane somehow still bright and cheery while the mare below it anything but. He turned to face her, and say his final goodbye.

“Pinkie… I just wanted to-…”

Spike never finished his sentence. Pinkie suddenly darted forward, giving no time for Spike to react, and locked her lips with his. Spike could only look at her with eyes as big as saucers as his best friend kissed him passionately. Despite the shock, and the brevity of the kiss, he managed to enjoy the last few seconds of it.

They finally broke away, Spike giving a faint gasp and Pinkie now crying even harder than before. He looked at her, simply shocked, and opened his mouth to speak, but was immediately cut off.

“Go!” Pinkie said through her sobs, in an almost demanding manner.

“But…”

“Just go! Go!” Pinkie insisted, punching him in the chest to punctuate her command.

He didn’t think about it. He was simply on autopilot after the emotional overload of the past minute. He just turned around and walked, never looking back.

Had he thought of looking back, he would’ve seen the saddest pony in the world wrap her tail around her, and cry herself to sleep beneath the shade of a lonely old oak tree near Everfree forest.

Chapter 10: Part I

Her wings beat tiredly against the night sky. Soft yellow feathers flapped uncertainly towards the edge of the forest. Fluttershy was terrified of the forest for its frightening inhabitants and dangerous customs, but even more so knowing what could very well be sheltered there. The tears flowed freely and impaired her vision, but through the dark blur ahead, she still managed to see where the forest began and harmony lost out to wilderness and freedom. With her heart pounding relentlessly against her chest, she flew on towards the Everfree Forest. Towards an old hollow oak tree that marked the very edge of Ponyville.

As she flew, Applejack’s last few words echoed in her mind. Fluttershy let out a soft sob as she thought of it over and over again. What if she was right? What if Spike had somehow transformed... again? What if he had turned into the very thing she feared most. A sharp-toothed, bloodthirsty, ferocious, dangerous, untameable adult feral dragon? How could she fear someone she’d known for more than ten years? How could she love someone she feared more than anything?

She pressed her eyelids tight and squeezed out a few more tears, trying to choke back sobs and emotions. It didn’t really work. When she opened her eyes again, she found herself too close to the ground for comfort, something she’d never thought possible, and she braced herself for the soft, but still unwanted, impact. She rolled for a rather short distance through a patch of tall grass, and breathless, she simply curled up into a tiny yellow and pink ball, and cried.

She was so confused. So hurt. Everything was so strange, it seemed more like one of her nightmares. Rarity emotionally scarred, maybe even physically scarred. Twilight so distant and strange, like when she came across an equation she simply didn’t understand. And Spike... He’d been so kind, so selfless, so absolutely splendid all the time she’d known him... She simply couldn’t see him as those disgustingly fierce beasts that plagued her torrid dreams. She just... couldn’t...

“Fluttershy...?”

Upon hearing her name, she lifted her head and perked up her ears towards the origin of the voice, only to see the last pony she’d expect to see.

“Pinkie...? What...sniff...What are you doing here?”

As she looked at Pinkie, she noticed the usually upbeat pink pony had a more solemn downcast look. Her trademark grin was gone, replaced by a sorrowful expression of sadness mingled with defeat. Her eyes were puffy and red, and tears still ran down her cheeks, tracing minuscule rivers around bits of grass that stuck to her face. Pinkie slowly brought herself to her hooves, and walked over to where Fluttershy lay. She plopped down beside Fluttershy, resting her chin on her hooves, and with a sad pout, her diamond-blue eyes began to water yet again.

“I came here to say goodbye.”

“Goodbye? What do you mean?” Fluttershy asked, slowly propping herself back up, her friend’s curious mannerisms bringing her back to her former, caring self, bit by bit.

“He said he had to leave... but I made him promise, so he wouldn’t forget us.” Pinkie said, a distant look in her eyes, and her voice cheering up ever so slightly as she finished her sentence. Fluttershy, however, quickly realized what she meant, despite her nonsensical approach to the matter.

“You mean Spike? You found him? Where is he? Where did he go?”

Pinkie replied with a grin, though her eyes were filled with grief. Fluttershy, however, was nearing a panic. Pinkie had seen Spike, and now she was their last hope of finding him and bringing him back, and fixing everything and restoring everything to the way it was. With delicate hooves, Fluttershy grabbed Pinkie and gently shook her, trying to snap her out of her self-induced zombie-state.

“Pinkie Pie, you have to tell me, where is Spike?!”

Pinkie scrunched her nose, almost as if she was somehow trying to remember...

“He said... He said something about... Southeast?”

Fluttershy felt her heart drop all the way down to the pit of her stomach and explode. Southeast. Through the forest. Past Dodge Junction. Through Hayseed Swamp. Beyond the Southern Cliffs at Angel’s Beach. A terrifying journey in itself, that only ended with a suicidal crossing of the stormy ocean just to reach... Dragons.

Realization hitting her like a brutal storm, her mind went blank as her body responded for her, taking her to the only place that might help fix everything once and for all. Surely now that they knew that Spike planned to escape, and where he was going, they could stop him, couldn’t they? They could talk him out of it, and fix things with that other pony, and everything would be okay. Right?

Leaving Pinkie Pie behind in the dust, Fluttershy found new strength in her wings as she raced back towards town. There was only one thought invading her otherwise senseless mind. She had to tell the others. She had to show them the way. She had to help put things right again. She was practically hyperventilating as she flew towards the library, where she hoped to find Twilight, and find a way to get everything back to the way it was.

******************S******************

The sun was rising, long shadows playing fickle games amongst each other. It was the beginning of a new day to any ordinary pony. However, for six mares and a dragon, it was the beginning of a new life. That rising sun marked the end of what had been a wonderful friendship, and would be remembered with bitterness and regret. It was a day none of them would forget, nor want to remember.

The night’s event had tired everypony out, ending almost at three in the morning. It left the streets empty, and allowed ample room for Spike to maneuver through the streets without fear of being spotted. Even if somepony did manage to see him, he doubted they would raise any sort of alarm. Even so, he preferred sticking to the shadows, and taking his time across the cobblestone streets.

His house, or what used to be his house, wasn’t all that far from the Everfree forest. The only problem was traversing the usually crowded central square in front of the Town Hall. Merchants usually set up their stall at dawn, and even if they didn’t make a fuss, he still didn’t want to leave any eyewitnesses.

Spike jumped across the street, quickly hiding behind the walls of the nearby shop. Even though the situation didn’t merit it, he had to admit he felt a bit silly, acting like some sort of spy, sneaking through his own home town.

But no, it wasn’t his home town any longer. He was about to embark on his own quest, without the six ponies that usually accompanied him. Correction. With the six ponies he usually accompanied. Without them, failure was certain, and it simply wouldn’t be an adventure. It would just be a fruitless trip to nowhere.

But he had no time to delve into sad musings. He’d arrived at the main square, and now, the challenge of crossing it. He looked around, trying to spot any ponies setting up stalls, or smell the freshly baked bread from the bakery on the corner.

However, none of these came to pass, and Spike sighed a heavy sigh of relief. Apparently, that play had been a big deal after all. It seemed as though everypony had attended, leaving them all too tired to wake up at such early hours. Slightly pleased with his bit of good luck, he slithered through the empty square sleekly and silently, and made his way to the library, only a block away.

He opened the door without problem, knowing full well Twilight’s locking spell deactivated itself with his or her touch. Quietly, careful not to make a noise, he stepped inside onto the wooden floor, and slowly closed the door, twisting the doorknob to avoid the all-too-familiar click. He turned towards the inside of his home, already thinking of what he’d write on his final letter to Twilight and the Princess, and almost died.

How he hadn’t noticed the orange pony laying on the couch, he had no clue. He’d been so careful the entire way there, so as to not have to give any explanations, and to avoid capture from any self-righteous ponies, and he’d almost blown it all at the last second. Luck, however, seemed to be on his side for now, and Applejack was quite clearly in a deep sleep, her eyelids flickering as she dreamt of apples, no doubt.

The ribbon that usually kept her blond mane and tail neat and tidy in her characteristic ponytail was loose, leaving her long hair wild and natural. Het tail draped casually over her back hooves, her face buried in the armrest, even he had to admit she looked better than usual. Better, even, than when she’d gone to the gala. The curious thought fluttered in his mind as he realized that Applejack possessed a certain, “natural” beauty; she didn’t need makeup or fancy clothes to bring out her best. Spike found himself blushing all of a sudden. He tried to shake it off, thinking that maybe his dragon hormones were riled up or something. Nevertheless, he couldn’t stop to admire her right now. She was, for now, simply another obstacle in his escape.

He kept a close watch on her as he treaded around the main room making use of his memory to avoid bumping into books and chairs and other assorted obstacles. The earth pony, however, remained deep asleep. It lit up Spike’s curiosity; just what would Applejack be doing in Twilight’s house? She almost never slept over at Twilight’s, unless something was wrong, or there was no need to wake up early at the orchard the following day, both rare occasions. It was harvest season, so that only meant…

Spike froze. Applejack was a good friend, and she’d never leave other friends behind. He imagined the state he must’ve left all of his friends in after the… incident. Twilight would’ve been worried sick, so Applejack must have offered to take… her… home…

He immediately shrunk down to as small a size as he could muster and watched the stairs with fearful eyes, trying to perceive any sign of Twilight bursting through her bedroom door and catching him red-clawed.
No such sign came, and a good ten minutes had passed. He might not have been as smart as Twilight, but he did have plenty of common sense. Either Twilight was asleep, or she wasn’t there… But if she wasn’t there, what was AJ doing on their couch?

He almost let out a flame from fright as he heard AJ moan and turn in her sleep. He shuddered, thinking yet again, of how close he’d been. Maybe it was karma? Maybe if things had gone so badly for him recently, things would start to turn around? Maybe Pinkie’s kiss was some sort of good-luck charm? He felt the blood run to his cheeks, burning bright cherry-red. It certainly was unexpected, but he had to admit, she had a heck of a way of saying goodbye.

Progressing slowly through the library, Spike finally reached the desk, and carefully removed a quill and parchment from one of the drawers, and set them on the desktop. He opened the inkwell, dipped the quill, and began scribbling…

******************T******************

The sunlight streaming through the silk curtains lit up the tiny specks of dust that flew around the room, creating a tiny spectacle for those interested enough to watch. It was a red storm, hued by the first rays of the morning sun. The beams seemed to dance around the room in chaotic beauty, and for a young foal or filly, it was like magic. For Twilight, it just served as an early alarm system. As the dust settled on top of her snout, she wasn’t able to withhold the sneeze, and it brought her to a startling awakening.

She propped herself up and sat on her haunches, dazed and dopey, still half-asleep. Twilight looked around the room, getting her bearings, and trying to recall the events that led up to her current situation. She spotted Rarity, who twisted a bit and let out a soft groan, but continued sleeping despite the disturbances. It all suddenly made sense, and she now knew.

“Spike…”

With that one word, she hopped from the bed and ran out of the room, out of the boutique, and unto the streets, leaving a lonely white unicorn to enjoy her last few dreams before the day inevitably brought her into its bright realm.
Twilight arrived in the library in less than five minutes, what would probably have been a new record. She’d made decent time partially thanks to the fact that very few ponies were up at such an early hour. The play had tired everypony out, and now, only the most dedicated shop owners and merchants were beginning to arise, setting up their stalls in the main square before Town Hall, and preparing their wares. A delicious scent of fresh bread and pastries spewed from the bakery on that nearby corner, and despite its beckoning aroma, Twilight simply ran past it. She had only one thing on her mind.

The library door swung open, and as she trotted into the room, looking all around for sign of the purple dragon she’d come looking for, she made no effort to prevent the door from slamming behind her with a hollow thud. What she hadn’t contemplated was the sleeping orange earth pony currently stretched out on her couch.

******************T******************

“Where is he?” Twilight said, knowing full well what the answer would be based on her friend’s distraught expression. Nonetheless, she didn’t want to lose that last flickering spark of hope.

Applejack simply stood there frozen in time, trying to return to her dreams, despite the fact that the harsh reality that she now faced was unavoidable. Twilight would’ve felt pity for her friend in any other situation, helpless as she was. She was practically trembling, on the verge of tears, and unable to let out anything more than an intelligible whimper.

“Applejack...?” Her voice faltered. She took a few hoofsteps towards the center of the library, and Applejack mirrored her movements, backing away.

AJ turned her face towards the wooden floor, a single tear falling towards the ground.

“Ah... Ah’m so sorry Twi... Ahm sorry, Ah don’t know where he is...”

Twilight’s heart sunk. For just about the umpteenth time that day. There was no more hope. No more chance. No more luck. No more Spike. There was no more good.

Everything had gone wrong, and she had nopony to blame but herself. Spike had talked to her, confessed to her, he’d opened himself up to her, and what had she done? She’d closed herself. She had denied the emotions and the feelings that Spike so openly embraced and shared, and she had left him all alone against the world. And now he was gone. And it was all her fault. She should never have let him go. Anywhere. Not to Rarity, not to the play, not anywhere, without first telling him how she really felt.What she felt was right. What she really thought was the perfect right.

But now she’d never get a chance to tell him. Anything. Nothing at all. For the rest of her miserable, lonely, insignificant life.

******************A******************

The sadness in her best friend was evident to even a blind pony, but especially to Applejack. Her heart seemed to be crushed, and despite that being a metaphor, in Twilight’s case, it looked as though that had been exactly what had happened. Her heart, and soul, had both been shattered to pieces. And she was the culprit. She had promised to bring him back, to save him from whatever awaited out there, and most importantly, to reunite them once more. They couldn’t be apart. Never. They weren’t six, as they’d been called so often, they were seven. It just seemed as though everypony forgot about the generous, kindhearted, purple dragon that never ceased to amaze.

Applejack had to admit, she did feel a bit of something warm and fuzzy towards the young gentledrake. They’d emerged over time, as Spike had proven himself time and time again, to be possbily one of the best and purest souls in all of ponyville. What with his eagerness to help, and open heart and mind, was it really any surprise that he’d won the hearts and minds of those closest to him? That he’d produced feelings in her that she couldn’t truly control? Feelings that went beyond the simple friendship they’d all pretended to share. And those same feelings had caused her cheeks to fill with blood at Rainbow’s accusations. And now those same feelings mingled with her guilt over Twilight’s own horrid state of being.

She was the element of honesty, and she could see things for what they were. Twilight was worried sick about her best friend, as were they all. However, there was something more. Something much deeper. Applejack’s heart skipped a beat as realization of what she’d been trying to ignore for so long finally sunk in. She’s tried so hard to ignore it, just to assure the continuation of her own lucid daydreams and fantasies, but it was not worth her friend’s bitter pain. Spike hadn’t captured just her heart. He’d captured Twilight’s as well. And if there was any pony that deserved the sweet dragon’s love, it was her.

There was no choice. There was no doubt. Everything was crystal clear. She’d made a promise to Twilight, and she’d keep it, even if it cost her her own heart’d desires. Taking a step forward towards the frozen, heartbroken uniform before her, Applejack opened her mouth to speak.

“Twi, I...”

She was quickly cut short as a loud banging noise emanated from the door. The ungodly sound was absolutely redundant, and simply didn’t fit in at such an early hour, which led both Applejack and Twilight to come to the same conclusion. Whoever it was, they weren’t there to check out a book.

Applejack lunged forward towards the door, but her path was blocked by Twi as she spun around on her hooves and rushed first, trying to reach whoever was on the other side. Applejack caught herself in good time, and trotted behind her friend. She’d have to get used to simply standing aside. With a defeated and forlorn demeanor, she looked to see just who exactly found it so necessary to bang on a library’s door minutes after dawn.

With a click and a spark from Twilight’s horn, the door burst open, and a yellow and pink ball of fur and feathers rolled into the room, past two slack-jawed ponies, and straight into the nearest pile of books, knocking the last wind out of her. Applejack ran over to her friend’s aid without hesitation. Twilight, however, seemed to stay behind this time, and simply stared at the strange scene before her with observant eyes.

Fluttershy lay amidst a scattered pile of books, parchment, feathers and leaves, panting, and trying desperately to catch her breath. She stared at the ceiling, apparently unable to focus on anything around her, and muttering something inaudible between her ragged breaths. Applejack leaned in to listen, but to no avail. Placing a hoof on her friends rapidly pulsating chest, Applejack spoke to her in as soothing a tone as she could muster.

“Fluttershy, just relax. Calm down, sugarcube. Catch your breath, and then calmly tell us what’s got y’all so worked up?”

Shy tried looking at Applejack with bloodshot eyes, and Aj almsot flinched at the sight of her friend. She was just about as unkempt as Twilight, probably more. And her face seemed to express nothing but fear and panic. Nevertheless, she nodded, and closed her eyes, trying to force her body to relacx. AJ took her hoof off of her chest, and sat patiently beside her friend. Looking around, she quickly spotted a thin hardcover book, and grasped it between her teeth. She flapped the book gently, giving Fluttershy a much needed cool breeze to aid in her recuperation. While all of this had been going on, Twilight had apparently been inching closer to them. Something that had gone unnoticed by both mares. However, she now sat besides AJ, staring at their pegasus friend witha blank expression on her face.

Applejack worried. Twilight wasn’t emotional. She’d known her for years, but it didn’t take a genius or some fancy schmancy psychologist to figure out that she had trouble dealing with emotions. Applejack herself wasn’t all that emotional either, but she definitely knew how to handle herself better than Twilight. Simply based on the empirical evidence supported by her numerous nervous breakdowns in the past ten years. Now, looking at the fragile frame of the librarian siting beside her, with a blank expression on her face, and Celestia-knows-what going on in the turmoil within her mind, she feared the worst. She’d lost someone she clearly cared deeply for, and Fluttershy’s panicky state would lead anypony to believe that she only had bad news to deliver. AJ may not have been a math genius, but she did know how to put two and two together, and that spelled disaster.

After a grueling three minutes of stroking Fluttershy’s mane, and listening to her gradually decreasing breathing, she finally showed signs of sanity. She looked up at Applejack and seemed to see her for the first time, pupils growing wide, and blood returning to her cheeks. Applejack gave her a warm smile in acknowledgement, and kept softly stroking her head as she propped her up. Once Fluttershy was sitting back on her haunches, she spoke in soft, ragged whispers.

“I found... Pinkie...” she said, winded. Clearing her throat softly, as an angel probably would, she continued.

“She said she’d seen him...”

At the word ‘him’, Twilight immediately snapped to attention. Applejack looked at her instinctively as she sat up, looking at Twilight’s sudden change of emotion. She remained silent, but AJ could easily read her face. Worry dominated her expression, but hidden within a tiny spark in the depths of her deep purple eyes, there was hope.

Looking back down at the raggedy pegasus, Applejack whispered soft words of encouragement to try and ease her friend’s mind. She’d do the same for anypony else.

“Go on sugarcube... What else?”

Fluttershy gulped, looking up at her with great big lovely eyes. AJ couldn’t help but blush as she detected something akin to longing in her stare.

“Pinkie said Spike had gone South... Southeast.”

Fluttershy let out a frightened squeak, and shut her eyes tight, Applejack thought perhaps to try and not think about where Spike was going. She knew she wouldn’t get the thoughts out of her mind just by closing her eyes. She looked at Twilight for confirmation. No words were said. They both reflected each other, fear gripping their hearts, and worry claiming their thoughts. Their hearts sped up as they silently agreed on what Spike was planning to do. He was going past the point of no return. Forever.

Author's Note

Phew! I'm back! I never really left, but now that I finally updated, AGAIN, I'm going to once again disappear for a while! I'll still be working on the rest of Chapter Ten (Yes, it's a two-parter!), and what I had planned for the last part of Chapter 10 will probably just be Chapter 11, just to try and not complicate things. Anyways, please disregard anything I've ever said before. MY comments are not canon. I'm bound to change my mind. The only thing that's canon is the show (Up 'Till the season one finale, since this is an alternate story.universe, especially now with the whole Twilicorn dealio coming up... Ooops, did I spoil it for you? Pfffft), and the first nine chapters, and now this chapter! OK? Everything clear? Now, please, go ahead and drop your opinion in the comments. Please, no hatin', and PLEASE, I LOVE reading letters! I know some authors might enjoy simple comments like "I r3llie laike ur storee!" or "PLEASE UPDATE!", and trust me, I enjoy those comments as well. They're better than "Dude, you suck!" or "BURN TROLLFAG!". But I like LONG comments even more! I'll even give you a thumbs up! Maybe... If you thumbs up my story!

As always, a great, big, THANK YOU to SocraticBrony for all of his help with this story, and even though he'll play humble once again, seriously, go check out his stuff. And his music. Seriously. NOW. OR ELSE I NO UPDATE!!!!

Chapter 10: Part II

CHAPTER 10 - PART II

******************F******************

All she saw was Applejack. It was all she was focusing on. She felt her cheeks turning red, her heart beating fast against her chest, but it didn’t worry her. At least, not as much as it usually did. The situation had allowed for her to be close to AJ, to lay in her hooves, and that was all she really cared about. That was all it took for her to relax and let her worries simply melt away. Even if it was for just a few seconds.

Catching her breath, she only focused on AJ’s hooves running through her mane, caressing her, like an odd replica of some of her most private dreams. Just thinking about that sent shivers up and down her spine.

Fluttershy couldn’t quite place an exact date on when she’d started having those strange feelings towards Applejack. In a way, she supposed, she’d always felt that way. Applejack was honest and brave, hard-working, patient, and all-in-all, a true friend. But even more so than any other pony she’d ever met. Ever since the whole ordeal with the smoke-snoring dragon, when Applejack kindly went out of her way to make sure she could get to the top of the mountain, Fluttershy had detected something in the orange farmpony. The way she’d never lost her temper, and always tried her best to make things better without resorting to anger or frustration. She just...

“Fluttershy...?”

Applejack’s voice snapped her out of her daydreams. With a blush that left Applejack’s apple cutie mark pale in comparison, Fluttershy propped herself up, sitting up on her haunches. Still, AJ’s hooves on her chest and flank helping her up made her lose focus. After a few more seconds of trying to stop thinking about Applejack’s hooves, she finally regained enough control to tell them what she’d found out...

“I found... Pinkie...” she said, still struggling to speak in full sentences.

“She said she’d seen him...” After uttering out the last words, she suddenly felt her heart choking her right at the back of her throat, its incessant thumping battering inside her head. Just thinking back on what Pinkie had said, on what Spike was planning to do... It made her forget everything else completely. For a while.

Applejack leaned down close to her, her nuzzle softly rubbing against her sensitive ears, and whispered.

“Go on sugarcube... What else?”

It was just something about her, something about the way she was, the way she felt, the way she spoke... It just seemed to relax her. Looking up at her innocent friend, she gulped, readying herself for the response. A response, that in all fairness, she didn’t expect.

“Pinkie said Spike had gone South... Southeast...”

******************T******************

Southeast. The dreaded direction that everypony feared and for good reason. It was a well-known fact that going Southeast would only guarantee your safety for so long. The Everfree Forest was dangerous enough, and that lay right in the middle of Equestria, adjacent to their own tiny little village. Even if somepony somehow managed to get through the forest alive, Dodge City would unquestionably be the last safe place they’d see, and the last smiling faces of anypony, possibly for the rest of their unnaturally short lives. Haysead Swamp was almost completely uncharted territory, known for the mysterious medley of deadly mythological creatures that called this place their home. And it was through here that Spike would have to travel in order to reach what he had undoubtedly set as his objective. Dragons.

No one knew where dragons came from exactly, and that, for Twilight was completely unacceptable. It aroused her curiosity in insatiable ways, especially since she’d been living with a dragon for well over five years. And throughout all of their time together, she’d learned close to nothing about dragons. And as it turned out, it seemed she had learned nothing about Spike specifically either.

Never, in all of their time together, had he ever mentioned wanting to attempt such a foolish thing. Not after the whole incident during the Great Dragon Migration, which turned out to be just another failed attempt at understanding dragons. But now, here he was, this time having departed on a much more dangerous journey than ever before, and this time, without anypony to watch his back.

Twilight knew only one thing for certain at that precise moment. She had to get him back. She had to bring him back home, no matter what it took. No matter the cost.

Spike was smart. Smarter than her, as a matter of fact. At least, in some ways. If anything was certain, it was that he would not be stupid about his journey. He’d trace out a path. He’d try to take the safest route. Or the fastest. And if he was going to attempt such a feat, he’d have to pack. Although maybe he’d try to travel as lightly as possible...

Twilight brought her hooves up to her temples and applied pressure, trying to alleviate the pressure building up in her head. It wasn’t helping. She simply had too much to think about...

That was it. It suddenly clicked. That was the reason she was suffering so much. She was thinking too much. She was over-analyzing something that was so ridiculously simply, that she would’ve solved it with half as much effort. She simply had to rely on her emotions.

She wouldn’t make the same mistake again.

Spike was going to try to traverse the Everfree forest. Therefore, there was only one destination. The boundary between Ponyville and the forest. She focused hard on the old oak tree that marked the official magical boundary between both mystical places, and began casting the teleportation spell. As she was about to dematerialize from where she sat in the library, she suddenly felt a tremendous weight smash right into her ribs with a brute force. She tried to focus again, she tried to stop the spell, but it was a split second, she lost focus, and everything went dark.

She definitely should’ve thought things out just a little bit more.

******************F******************

There was a flash of blinding light, a sudden shift in the atmosphere, and Fluttershy felt her insides twist, nausea overpowering her. She shut her eyes tight, trying in vain to fight against the massive headache that had presented itself, and curled up into a ball on the library floor.

She didn’t know exactly how long she’d have to lie there. She wasn’t sure how long she had been laying there. All she knew was that she felt awful. Just awful. Sick, nauseated, dizzy, and just. Plain. Awful. But she wondered, was it only because of Twilight’s teleportation spell?

Drowsily rubbing her eyes, Fluttershy tried to sit up, only to fall forwards, with her tail swinging high above her head. With wobbly knees, she finally managed to rise up to her full height, and admire the beautiful mess that used to be Ponyville’s library. Books that used to be in neat little piles atop the several desks around her were now strewn across the floor in a mangled heap of paper, leather, quills and ink. A few leaves of parchment still floated around, being carried about by an unexistent breeze.

Too busy, or rather, too distracted trying to focus her eyes again amidst the blurry chaos before her, she didn’t notice the abrupt entrance of another pony through the Library’s front door. At least, not until she called out her name, and she froze.

Slowly turning her head towards the source of the startling commotion, she squinted, trying to make out the mysterious pony, and finally recognized her good friend.

“Oh. Rainbow Dash. You startled me..."

“Fluttershy, what’s...? What’s going on?” Rainbow asked, struggling to pull herself together. Her tongue hung partly out of her mouth, and she panted heavily. Fluttershy was reminded of how she had run out of breath throughout all this ordeal, but knowing Dash and the exuberant amounts of energy she had, she didn’t even want to imagine how much of an effort she had made to locate their friend. Based on her face, however, her search had been fruitless, and she supposed it would be better to simply not ask.

“Fl-Fluttershy?” Rainbow Dash asked again. It was the second time that she had to be snapped out of a stupor. She just shook her head, her mane flailing madly around her head, before finally coming to rest in perfect place, before she tried to answer to the best of her knowledge.

“Pinkie found Spike.”

Rainbow Dash’s jaw hit the ground. Not literally. That was something only Pinkie had really been able to do efficiently, but it still reminded her of that feat. She was absolutely stunned, and despite her weariness, she seemed to have forgotten how to breathe.

“Um... Dashie...? Are you alright?”

“She... But... How’d she... Wh... How?”

Fluttershy simply shrugged. She had no idea how Pinkie found Spike. She had been too frightened about the news she gave her t even ask. Still, it was Pinkie, so really, she doubted there would even be a logical explanation.

Rainbow snapped out of her own stupor, something Fluttershy would have to learn to do, and became dead serious. She had to admit, Dashie was awfully loyal to her friends, and whenever there was risk, whether it be physical, emotional, or simply a danger to their friendship, next to Applejack, she was undoubtedly the strongest, most persevering pony she knew. Once she’d made up her mind, there was no stopping her.

Her eyes narrowed, a plan already forming in the back of her mind, and she looked straight at her.

“Where is he?”

“Huh?” She answered innocently, not really paying attention to the question.

“Where’s Spike? You said Pinkie found him. Where is he?”

“Yes, Pinkie found Spike, but...”

Rainbow leaned forward with a nerve-wracking intensity, and Fluttershy couldn’t help but cringe a bit. She felt awful having to admit what she was about to admit.

“Spike left. Pinkie didn’t stop him. She just told me he was heading Southeast.”

Cracking open one delicate eyelid, she looked towards Rainbow Dash, and watch her as she slowly shrank back, her eyes now staring blankly into the distance, her entire body growing pale. Even she knew what that meant. Seeing her friend lose her bravado so quickly, giving up in such a rush, it sent a pang of cold pain to her heart. She felt absolutely useless. She shrank down as well, laying down and doing her best to disappear behind her mane.

For a while, they both just sat there, letting all of the past night’s events catch up with them. Finally, after a good ten minutes or so had passed, Rainbow Dash finally spoke up.

“So where is everyone? Do they know about this already?”

Fluttershy thought for a moment, making a mental headcount of all the ponies she had encountered. Other than Pinkie who had been the source of the news, she’d told Applejack and Twilight, who had now disappeared, probably to go look for Spike. That only left Rarity.

“Everypony but Rarity knows. Twilight and AJ have already gone after Spike.”

“WHAT?!”

Rainbow shot up immediately, and the sheer volume of her shout made Fluttershy jump back a good twelve inches. Trembling slightly, shocked by her friend’s sudden outburst, Fluttershy did her best to explain what had happened.

“As soon as I found out I... I came back here, and I found Twi and AJ... They were arguing I think, but when I told them, they teleported. They’re probably somewhere in the Everfree Forest by now...”

Her voice faded with every word as she rushed through that sentence, finishing with a high-pitched whisper that she doubted even Winona could’ve made out.

“AJ’s gone too?”

“Mh-hm” Fluttershy answered meekly, though curiosity took over her as she thought about what Dashie had just asked her.

“What was she thinking? Going out into the middle of the Everfree forest with Twilight? Chasing after a dragon?”

A worried expression shot across Rainbow’s face, but disappeared within a split second, as she once again focused her eyes, and put on her best determined expression.

“I’ve gotta go find them. I have to make sure they’re safe. Besides, they’ll never catch up to Spike on foot.” Rainbow Dash announced, mostly to herself, probably trying to reassure herself. Fluttershy still felt something was a bit off. Just as Rainbow was about to turn to leave, Fluttershy asked,

“Wait, Dashie, what... why are you so worried about Applejack?”

Rainbow Dash froze. Turning back to face her friend, but not meeting her eyes, Rainbow struggled to come up with an answer.

“Well, it’s just, you know... She’s my friend, and I, I don’t want anything to happen to her... Or, you know...”

“Dashie?” Fluttershy asked, worry tugging at her innards. But was it worry for her friend, or worry for her own fictional romance?

Dash sighed, lowering her head in defeat. She looked up at Fluttershy with sad eyes.

“She’s like family to me. I can’t let anything happen to her, not if I can prevent it.”

Fluttershy felt as though she’d just swallowed a rock. Gulping down a sob, she put on a brave little smile, and thought happier thoughts.

“Well, then go get her!” She said in her own, quiet little whisper.

With the same kind of half-hearted smile, Rainbow Dash turned around and ran out the door, quickly taking flight once outside.

Back inside the library, Fluttershy began making plans, and ignoring the pain she felt in her heart. It was simply cruel, how the happiest moments were sometimes buried amidst much darker ones.

******************A******************

It had to be done. She couldn’t let Twilight go off on her own. Despite her respect for her friend, Applejack knew that she tended to be rather rash at times, and not think things through. At least, not in the right way. That was why she couldn’t let her go, much less alone. That was why she tackled her just as she was teleporting.

Big mistake.

AJ just felt a flash of blinding white light, her insides twisting, and her body and mind flung into an entirely different part of space. It was simply too much for the already stressed and tired pony. She soon felt her body hit the ground, or what she assumed was the ground, with a loud thud. A similar sound resounded nearby, but she paid it no mind for now. Opening her eyes, the only thing she saw was a dark blur. Her insides were still twisting within her, and it felt like some parts of her hadn’t finished teleporting. Struggling to lift herself up unto all four hooves, she clambered a few crooked hoofsteps forwards, and emptied the contents of her stomach.

Spontaneous teleportation? Not so much fun after all.

It took her a few minutes of ragged breathing and swallowing the taste of bile before she regained her senses, and remembered what she should have been doing all that time instead of recuperating. Looking around, she quickly spotted her target. Twilight was lying in a clump of tall grass not too far away. As Applejack stepped closer to her friend, she realized that it had been quite an ordeal for the both of them. And it seemed like the unicorn had gotten the worst part of the magical interdimensional beating.

A simple visual check let AJ know that she was alright. Her breathing was steady, there was no visible blood or limbs twisted at awkward angles, or anything that might have pointed to a serious injury. For that, Applejack was grateful. Still, the stench of a vile concoction of bodily fluids near to where Twilight lay, and simply the battered state of her friend, did not let her forget how badly off they were.

“Twi? You alright?” Applejack asked worriedly, although not really expecting much of an answer.

Still, much to her relief, Twilight lifted her head just slightly to meet her gaze, and gave her a small nod. There was no sign of remorse or anger in her face, simply weariness. Applejack exhaled in relief on the inside. The last thing she needed was an emotionally impaired, desperate unicorn, furious with her for ruining her spell and making them crash into...

Into...

Applejack suddenly realized she’d broken one of the most important rules of basic survival. Too worried for her friend, she’d ignored her surroundings, leaving both of them at serious risk. She mentally reprimanded herself for her error, and, still gasping for breath, she turned to all directions, inspecting every inch of the small clearing in which they now lay.

It was dark, darker than it should’ve been, especially since the sun had risen well over an hour ago by then. Towering trees loomed overhead, their sinister canopies blocking out the sunlight, and any sign of life above their heads. Their trunks, as thick as two ponies head to tail, created an almost impenetrable maze in all directions around them. Wild plants and flowers grew haphazardly all around them, and the sounds of feral beasts and critters filled the air in an eerie ambiance.

As much as she wanted to deny it, she knew exactly where they were. For them, it was probably one of the worst places to be. They were deep in the heart of the Everfree forest, a good twenty kilometers from the border with Ponyville. Even the timberwolves didn’t dare delve into such depths of the forest, fearful of the more dangerous creatures that called them prey. And for such creatures, ponies were less like prey, and more like hors d'oeuvres.

And she had just served Twilight and herself up in a silver platter.

Never taking her eyes off the dark breaches in between the trees around her, she whispered,

“Twi!”

No response.

She tried again, daring to speak just a bit louder, even if it meant risking detection by some unfriendly critter.

“Twilight! Come on Twi! Get up!”

The rustling of undergrowth behind her, and the grunting of a tired pony confirmed her friend’s presence, and that she was still safe and sound. For now, at least.

“Wha... What happened...? You...”

“Ah had to.” Applejack interrupted her before she began her lecture. And knowing Twilight, she’d get at least one lecture in before she got a chance to stuff an apple in her mouth and keep her quiet.

Still, she didn’t hear a single peep from behind her. AJ though that perhaps Twilight had realized that now wasn’t the time for making a ruckus. She should’ve thought better.

A quiet sob escaped Twilight, and Applejack had to think quick. She couldn’t let her friend have an emotional meltdown in the middle of a deep, dark forest whose residents would not think twice to gobble them up. Obvious reasons aside, she was her friend, and fighting her best survival instincts, which told her to play statue, she spoke to Twilight in a quiet, caring tone.

“Twilight? Honey, I know you’re achin’, but right now I need you to be strong, ya’ hear?”

The sobbing became quieter, and eventually reduced itself to a mere sniffle. Applejack took this as acknowledgement, and continued, never taking her eyes off of the forest and its tenebrous shadows.

“Ah’m... Ah’m sorry, alright? Ah shouldn’t ave done that, but I couldn’t let you go off and do somethin’ rash like... like this!”

Still no response. Beads of sweat were forming on Applejack’s brow, and she was almost certain that she had heard something moving just a few hoofsteps away, towards her right. She kept trying. She had to get Twilight away if she herself wanted to get away. Twilight wouldn’t be able to catch up to her, and she couldn’t leave her friend behind. She knew that right now, her only chance of catching up to Spike, and saving her own hide, was running.

“Ah know y’all got feelings for Spike.” She said, unintentionally sounding rather disappointed. The sniffling stopped completely, and she was sure she had Twilight’s undivided attention by now.

“Ah saw that look in your eyes Twi, you can’t deny it. Ah can’t blame ya either.”

She wasn’t doing a very good job of masquerading her own feelings, but she didn’t really think much of it. If Twilight figured it out, she’d figure it out. If she didn’t, then she didn’t. Either way, she didn’t really care anymore.

“But you’re not helping by teleporting yourself into the Everfree forest all on you own! You’re just putting yourself in danger.”

“But... But then how...? How will we get him back?” Twilight responded, her first full sentence in quite a while. She sounded like a little filly, asking her mother when she’d be coming back from work.

Applejack knew the answer, but she really didn’t like it. But it was the only way. She sighed, lowering her ears in both shame for not coming up with a better plan, and fear.

“Ah’ll go lookin’ for him. And Ah’ll bring ‘im back, safe and sound, just like Ah promised Twilight... But I can’t do that and take care of both o’ us.”

“So what am I supposed to do then? I can’t just sit around while you risk your life!”

Perfect. She was being stubborn again. AJ had already come to the conclusion that Twilight and Emotions were not good bedfellows. Still, she was partly right. She knew that if their roles were reversed, something Applejack kind of wished right now, she wouldn’t feel right going back home. She’d feel useless. She’d feel like a waste of pony.

“You’re right Twilight, you can’t just sit around.” Applejack said, and if she didn’t know better, she could’ve sworn she’d hear Twilight’s eyebrows raise and her eyes widen. She had to think of something to convince Twilight. They were wasting precious seconds, and no matter what anypony would’ve told her, something was watching her. Suddenly, the epiphany hit, and things just fell into place. With a deep breath, she slowly began relating her plan.

“You’ll have to take care of things back home before I come back with Spike. There’s surely gonna be a whole mess o’ ponies looking for ‘im, and you’re the only one that can calm the waters for Spike to make a smooth comeback. Come on Twi, if anypony can convince ponies that he’s innocent, it’s you.”

Silence. That was all that remained between the two ponies as Twilight considered her proposal, and she herself clenched her jaw, grating her teeth in nervousness.

Finally, after a few grueling seconds which felt like years beneath the scrutinizing gaze of the forest’s shadows, Twilight finally spoke up.

“But... What about you? What...?”

“Ah’ll be fine, but you have to leave. Now.” Applejack said, nothing but the harsh truth in her tone, giving herself goosebumps at the solemnity in her voice.

She though she heard Twilight begin to voice another protest, but she apparently thought better of it, and with a bright white flash, Applejack was suddenly all alone in the deep of the Everfree. She didn’t hesitate for a second. Her hooves left the ground the instant she was sure Twilight had gone, and she set off at full speed through the forest, letting the sun guide her direction.

She ran and weaved between the thick trunks. She had speed and agility on her side, and all she had to do was run. Just keep running. Just keep running. It was all she could think of until she found somewhere relatively safe to take shelter and plot out her next move. Still, running for your life did have its advantages. It cleared her mind, and didn’t allow her to think about her own emotional troubles while she focused on saving her backside. That, at least, was one of the few advantages of running away.

Author's Note

Alright, well, if you've made it here, congratulations, and thank you for reading all of this! I know what most of you are probably thinking. This chapter didn't have a lot going on, and it was pretty long. I know it's probably one of my weakest chapters yet, but that's because this is a crossroads chapter. :wink:. Basically, this chapter is like a stepping stone to the following chapters, but as such, it can seem a bit tedious and rather boring overall. I promise, things will once again start to pick up!

Anywhoo, leave your comments (Lengthy ones appreciated all the more!), and I'll definitely read every single one of them, and who knows? Maybe I'll respond!

Chapter 10: Part III

CHAPTER 10: PART III

Deep within the murky depths of the Everfree Forest, a hollow rumble broke through the ambiance, silencing the varied assortment of musical insects and singing birds. For the residents of the dark forest, it only meant one thing. Forthcoming danger.

For eons, not a single soul in the Southern Everfree Forest had heard a dragon’s roar, and they lived in relative relief. For good reason. When dragons had run amok over what was now known as Equestria, and other parts of the world, there was no living in peace. There was only running and hiding. And praying to your maker you didn’t stumble into the wrong cave.

It was, of course, expected that when the forest sensed the presence of the first dragon in centuries to traverse through its soil, every single creature in the area became alert, and worried. Now, just a few hours after sunrise, the loud rumbling of a dragon’s call swept through the forest, and everything hid. And ran.

For Spike, however, the rumbling only meant one thing. He was hungry. Of course, he should’ve expected it, But with all the drama sparked by last night’s events, and his brain working overtime trying to work out his own emotional turmoil, both the picnic dinner and breakfast were forgotten in favor of running away.

A second growl from his stomach punctuated his last thought. He would have to find something to chew on soon, or else his body would regret it in the near future. Looking around, he could see no potential snack, living or otherwise. He’d never really considered eating anything that breathed before, but with the hunger pangs getting worse by the minute, his dragon instinct suddenly made the aspect of a squirming meal a lot less disgusting that it would’ve been otherwise.

He blinked a few times, trying to clear his head. Eating another living creature? He’d never do that! He was sure of it. But then again, maybe a small one...

No. he wouldn’t. He couldn’t. He was scared now. It was as though something was penetrating his thoughts. Something dark. It was as if something in the shadows was whispering in his ear, telling him to stalk, hunt, maul, and eat some innocent creature.

But he knew better.

Didn’t he?

Spike inadvertently let out a frustrated growl, accidentally giving away his position to everything that moved in the forest. He flinched, quickly realizing his mistake, but allowed himself to relax. He couldn’t quite tell why, but he felt more confident than usual. More at ease with himself. Like he didn’t need to worry about anything staring at him from the shadows, sizing him up. He felt like he owned the forest. In fact, he felt like he owned the world, like nothing could beat him. He had no idea what was giving him that confidence, but it sure felt good.

He continued on his way throughout the forest. He knew he’d have to find something to eat soon enough, or else he’d probably have to do something he may later come to regret.

With a shining bit of luck, as he made his way underneath an uncharacteristically large root, he bumped into a bush filled with dark, black and blue berries. Blue-ish black berries. Well, whatever color they were, they were going to alleviate his pains, for a while at least. He sat back, resting most of his weight on his tail, and began to pick the berries. Once he had a handful of the berries, he stuck them in his mouth all at once, and set to pick another handful while he chewed on the berries contently.

He doubted they were poisonous, and even if they were, he was pretty sure his stomach could handle them. An unnatural resistance to poisonous substances was just another little trick that he’d learned he had after a close encounter with some belladonna tea. Fortunately, he just had a bit of a stomach flu for a few days, and Derpy had stopped hallucinating shortly after she’d gotten her stomach pumped.

He continued munching through his midday brunch, and his hunger finally alleviated, his mind found it easier to wander. His thoughts varied, one minute thinking about how the shadows seemed to dance all around him, and the next wondering what else called this place home. However, for some reason, every now and again, his thoughts seemed to converge on one very specific thing. Pinkie’s farewell.

He thought of how it had caught him completely off-guard, and how he’d never expected somepony as innocent as her to do something like that. Of course, she was Pinkie Pie after all. But still. He thought of the smell of her mane, like cotton candy and lilies, filling his nostrils. The way her lips felt against his own. How the blood had rushed to his cheeks... and some other parts as well.

But above all, he kept thinking about how he felt. Or rather, the lack of how he felt. He simply couldn’t figure it out. She’d been one of his best friends throughout the past years. He knew he loved her as a friend. But was there something more? He wasn’t sure he could say yes, but then again, he didn’t really want to say no either...

The thought of liking Pinkie Pie as more than a friend was confusing. More confusing than solving all the equations in one of Twilight’s advanced calculus books. And that was saying something. Somehow he knew he couldn’t figure it out, but maybe that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Maybe it was for the best that things remain in the unknown. After all, he was headed into the unknown right then, perhaps it would be best to simply think of “What If’s” for now.

He knew he’d always loved Rarity. Or at least, he’d always thought he did. But maybe Twilight was right. Maybe it was just a silly crush. And maybe it was time he got over it. Maybe it was time he just forgot about Rarity. For good.

But no. He knew he could never forget her. He’d never forget her. And he couldn’t live with himself if he swallowed his feelings, ignored his heart, and on top of everything else, he had to see her around Ponyville every holy day. He couldn’t live with that grief. Having to watch her go on with her life. Someday meet another pony who she could share her life with. Get married. Raise her children. All while he rusted away in Twilight’s library, never knowing love, never knowing life, and forever doomed to live his life pretending to be someone mother nature hadn’t intended him to be.

Depression once again sank in, and Spike felt sleepy all of a sudden. His eyelids grew heavier to match the lead in his heart, and little by little, he felt his muscles become unresponsive. As he slowly sank towards the forest ground, and the shadows loomed over him, closing in on him, shrouding his vision, his last thought was of the berries still clutched in his claws. Perhaps it hadn’t been the smartest decision he’d made, eating them without really checking them first. Things were different in the Everfree, raw magic ran wild, and as he fell into a deep sleep, he wondered. And wondered.

Just as unconsciousness was about to sink in, he thought he heard something. Something calling for him.

“Spike.”

The voice was faint, but just barely audible, and distinctly feminine.

“Spike!”

It grew just a bit louder, and Spike knew he’d heard it before. The voice resounded in his head, seemingly getting louder and clearer as he fell asleep.

But with just one blink, everything changed.

Spike felt a magic aura spanning all around him. He recognize the feelings since he was used to Twilight using magic around him all the time. It’s intensity grew exponentially, making him instantly alert, and nauseous all at the same time. In just a few milliseconds’ time, it reached its climax, and with a sharp bang, a blinding white light filled the forest. Everything around him at that moment was probably dreading to think what might have caused such an influx of magic. Spike, on the other hand, could only wonder,

What’s up with all the blinding white light recently?

He felt renewed, as if his stomach had been filled, his thirst quenched, and he’d gotten a full-night’s rest. He didn’t know exactly why, but the relief was welcome nonetheless. Now suddenly alert, and much more wary of his surroundings, Spike turned towards the source of the commotion, and clambered over the uneven ground to try and get a better look. What he found, was as usual, highly unexpected.

There, just a few feet aways from him, two of his best friends, two of the mares he loved with all his heart, emptied the contents of their stomachs and wobbled about pitifully. It made his stomach twist to see them in such a sorry state. Both Twilight and Applejack were hardy ponies, and could withstand just about anything. They’d proved that time and time again. But he guessed that the recent events caused by him were taking quite a toll on them. That, and Twilight had just teleported two fully-grown ponies kilometers into the Everfree Forest. Yeah, that might have been another reason.

He moved some ferns aside and ducked behind a fallen tree trunk to get a better view. Unfortunately, Applejack made sure he got a very detailed view. Spike resisted the sudden urge to throw up, and swallowed the burning bile that surfaced at the back of his throat. Trying to ignore the foul taste in his mouth, he watched the scenario unfold.

Applejack, seemingly feeling a bit better, turned towards Twilight, who lay on her stomach, flung out on top of a soft patch of grass.

“Twi? You Alright?”

At first she seemed to be unresponsive, and Spike’s heart skipped a beat. If she had overexerted herself, she might as well have been dead already. Even the scavengers of the Everfree were a fair match against a pony, let alone the predators. And if Twilight was unconscious, their job was simple. Chew and swallow. But he wouldn’t let them. He was sure of that.

Spike clutched the trunk with his claws, flexing his muscles, ready to spring from behind the ferns to his friends aid. However, movement from Twilight caused him to freeze. She slowly lifted her head, just enough to give a small, but reassuring nod. Spike relaxed. She was tired, that was all. He’d seen Twilight a lot worse. She’d quickly be herself again. Still, Spike maintained a ready position, just in case. It was, after all, the Everfree Forest.

Applejack had gotten nervous. Spike watched as she looked in all directions around her. She was smart. Smarter than he’d been. He ducked down just a bit lower, making sure he wouldn’t be detected by the ever-alert pony.

“Twi!” She whispered, a bit too loud for a proper whisper, but not loud enough for a spoken word. She’d realized the danger they were in. Of course, Spike knew it wasn’t that much of a problem. He was fairly certain he could defend both Twilight and Applejack if some unwanted critter overheard their conversations. At least long enough for them to get away.

“Twilight! Come on Twi! Get up!” she said, a bit louder this time.

Slowly but surely, Twilight obeyed.

‎“Wha... What happened...? You...”

‎ “Ah had to.” Applejack cut her off.

‎ Spike’s curiosity had peaked once again. Had to do what? What had AJ done? Instead of voicing his questions, which would have probably caused quite a ruckus, he decided to simply let the scene before him play out. He sat, watched, and listened.

‎ He watched as Twilight sat up on her haunches and opened her mouth to offer a rebuttal. However, a sudden twist in the drama. Her face became contorted, the corners of her lips wavering, and almost as if involuntarily, she let out a soft sob, and started crying.

‎ Spike’s heart once again suffered the consequences, and melted a bit. It pained him deeply to see the pony he’d loved all of his life, hurting so much, and all because of him. Part of him wanted to reach out and comfort her, but he knew he couldn’t. For her own sake.

‎ Applejack tried to reassure Twilight, not taking her eyes off of the shadows all around them. He ducked down a few more millimeter. He couldn’t help but feel it was only a matter of time before she saw him, and his plans were all ruined.

‎ Little by little, Twilight calmed herself. It didn’t surprise Spike. She was always much too smart to let herself be so easily defeated by sheer emotions. He’d always poke fun at her about her illogical lack of emotions, but she always had a witty rebuttal to his jokes. She was the better part of him that completed one, absolutely priceless, weird, pony-dragon puzzle.

‎ Suddenly, as Twilight’s sobbing diminished to a nearly peaceful silence, Applejack whispered in her general direction, still not making eye-contact.

‎ “Ah’m... Ah’m sorry, alright? Ah shouldn’t have done that, but I couldn’t let you go off and do somethin’ rash like... like this!”

‎ Again with the apologies. What had Applejack done? And Twilight, do something rash? It didn’t sound like her...

‎ Then again, sitting in the middle of the Southern Everfree Forest with Applejack, sobbing like a filly, aslo didn’t sound much like Twilight.

‎ Spike tried to lean in closer, and almost jumped when he heard the noise of a dead branch groaning beneath his weight. He shut his eyes tight, and pictured Applejack and Twilight staring at him with intense stares of shock and anger. His life would undoubtedly be over.

‎ However, much to his great relief, AJ hadn’t heard, or at least, she hadn’t paid the noise any mind. Giving off a silent sigh, Spike continued his observations, careful not to call any more attention to himself.

‎ Drooping her ears, and with an almost disheartened expression, Applejack continued,

‎ “Ah know y’all got feelings for Spike.”

‎ He froze.

‎ What?

Wait...

‎ ...

‎ What?!

‎ No, that, that must have been a mix-up. Maybe Applejack meant another Spike? And what? She also liked that other Spike? Was that why she looked so heartbroken?

‎ What?!

‎ “Ah saw that look in your eyes Twi, you can’t deny it. Ah can’t blame ya either.”

‎ Wow. Way to remain subtle, Applejack...

‎ Spike shook his scales. No. Now wasn’t the time for jokes. His brain still hadn’t caught up to the situation, and he was pretty sure his heart was frozen in place, almost as if afraid to go on beating for fear of what might be said next.

‎ It was obvious they were talking about him. They didn’t know any other Spike that he knew of, and even if they did, what would the chances be that he’d also run away into the Everfree Forest? Slim, he though. Possible, but still, slim.

‎ So if they were talking about him, why did it seem like they were only just now finding out about their own feelings for him? And why had he never considered it? How had he missed it all? It couldn’t have happened overnight, there should’ve been some signs. He couldn’t think of any at that precise moment, his brain curently preoccupied with getting back on track again, but he’d have to make sure to think back carefully.

‎ “But you’re not helping by teleporting yourself into the Everfree forest all on your own! You’re just putting yourself in danger.”

‎ Well, there was one mystery down. It didn’t really surprise him. Twilight could be rather reckless with her teleportation spells. And AJ had probably gotten to her before she could dematerialize completely. That would explain the apologizing and the general expulsion of bodily fluids from the two mares.

‎ Still, there was one overpowering question that haunted him, and would continue to haunt him for much longer than he’d expect. Did Twilight like him? Love him, even? How? Since when?

‎ She‘d always been around, ever since he‘d hatched, and from the very beginning, they‘d been best friends. Always together, relying on each others‘ strengths, and fortifying each others‘ weaknesses. All through his life, they‘d been best friends. But he‘d never considered that she would have such feelings towards him. That wasn‘t to say he hadn‘t let his imagination run a bit wild now and again, especially through a rather turbulent adolescence.

‎ But Twilight, feel something for him? Spike blinked. He wasn‘t sure. He simply didn‘t know. He knew he loved her, but he wasn‘t sure he loved her that way. And after the whole Rarity fiasco...

‎ He felt absolutely horrible. He‘d never considered Twilight‘s feelings all this time. Who knew how long she‘d felt that way, and he‘d been blind.

‎ But still...

‎ He simply didn‘t know what to think.

‎ “But... But then how...? How will we get him back?” Twilight said, breaking the silence. Her helpless tone sent a pang of pity echoing across his heart. Applejack lowered her head, and replied gravely.

‎ “Ah’ll go lookin’ for him...”

‎ He gulped. And swallowed nothing but fear. If AJ went looking for him, she’d find nothing but trouble. Not from him, but from the forest’s other not-so-friendly residents. Now that he knew where she was, and what she was planning to do, avoiding her would be easy. He just had to stay a few paces behind her. And he’d have to look after her. A lone pony in the middle of the Everfree Forest looking for a stray dragon was a pretty easy meal, even if said pony was Applejack.

‎ “So what am I supposed to do then? I can’t just sit around while you risk your life!” Twilight said stubbornly, as usual.

‎ Oh come on! Spike thought with some sadness, For once in your life, don’t make things harder than they need to be!

‎ “You’re right Twilight, you can’t just sit around.”

‎ Huh?

‎ “You’ll have to take care of things back home before I come back with Spike...”

‎ Perfect. Applejack was really intent on going through with this. She really thought she’d bring him back to Ponyville? No. No way. She was stubborn, just like Twilight, Spike knew that. But he couldn’t let her win. Not this time. One way or another, she’d have to return to Ponyville without him. How he’d get her to do that, he’d have to figure it out, and quick.

‎ Yet another bright white flash, much to Spike’s distaste, and now it was just Applejack and him, without a friendly creature for kilometers, surrounded by shadows and claimed by the forest. With that, she ran.

‎ She ran, and she ran fast. Faster than he’d ever seen her run before. Without hesitation, Spike leaped from his hiding spot and chased after her, falling on all four claws and moving with speed that surprised even himself. He lept from tree to tree, hanging on with razor-sharp claws, and gave chase after the panicking orange cowpony beneath him.

‎ He was on automatic pilot. His muscles did all the work, and that left his mind free to work other things out. But no matter what he thought of, he kept coming back to the same thing. Twilight.

‎******************R******************

‎ It wasn’t the sunlight streaming through her curtains that woke her. The same sunlight had been shining into her room, illuminating her surroundings for a good couple of hours, and she still couldn’t see. It wasn’t the sound of ponies bustling through the now-busy streets as the clock hit ten. She couldn’t hear either. Nor was it the smell of freshly baked goods that wafted though the town, or the bitter taste of dry saliva in her mouth. She couldn’t smell or taste. She was dumb, deaf, and blind, caught in a web of dreams, and for the moment, oblivious to the pain that lay dormant in her heart.

‎ She dreamt of good things. Bright things. Colors shining and ponies laughing, and a big blue sky. All in all, many things that she couldn’t really see, or make sense of, but she enjoyed it nonetheless. She wouldn’t remember what she’d been dreaming about, all that abstract nonsense of feelings and memories. But she’d remember other things.

‎ During a particularly green part of her dream, a sudden feeling of emptiness took over her, falling from the backs of her eyes to the pit of her stomach, and filling her with an awfully unpleasant sensation that wracked her body. She twisted and turned in her bedsheets, and her own tumultuous movements shook her from her otherwise pleasant dreams.

‎ All of a sudden, she was transported into a bright, new world, where she lay on her back, panting, and covered haphazardly by white satin sheets. It took her a while to realize where she was, and for her memories to come back to her, piece by bitter piece.

‎ She remembered all of her doubts and worries, her friends skepticism regarding her date. And then the date itself. It had started out wonderfully, just like she’d hoped it would. Or rather, how a true date actually should commence. They’d picked a wonderful spot, just a few meters from her friends, but far enough away so as to avoid akward confrontations. A useless care if ever there was one. The play was about to start, that much she remembered. And as she lay on the blanket next to her fine date, she remembered...

‎ She sat up, her muscles tensing and her heart-rate accelerating. She was almost certain she was starting to sweat. She remembered.

‎ She remembered how Spike had come over, and tried saying something to her. Something sweet. No, not sweet. Bittersweet. It had made her heart flutter and blood rush to her cheeks. It had made her feel something unlike anything she’d ever felt before. But she hadn’t had time to take it all in. He had to interfere.

‎ Topline, the handsome, charming stallion that had seemed like quite a catch, suddenly turned into a vile monster. The way he spoke, with a snobbish superiority that made her fur stand on end. It was more than just disgusting. It was absolutely hideous, sickening, revolting. Ridiculing Spike, her best friend, in front of everypony present, all because of his kind heart. A kind heart that Topline clearly lacked, and for that, she hated him. From that instant on, she hated his guts, and if he ever showed his face before her, she’d be sure to leave that crystal clear.

‎ And that was when it had happened. Spike had said something she’d always heard whispered quietly in her dreams. Something she’d longed to hear ever since she’d first heard it in a fairytale.

‎ “I love you...”

‎ And fear. Something snapped. She wasn’t sure what it was, but all of a sudden, there were green flames all around, and chaos. And she ran. With tears in her eyes, and not truly knowing where she was going, she ran nonetheless, far away from the chaos. Far away from the heartbreak.

‎ But there was something else. Something she was forgetting.

‎ After a few sacred seconds of silence, everything clicked, and Rarity’s heart plummeted into an endless chasm of emptiness.

‎ Spike.

‎ If Spike had attacked Topline, everypony would be after his blood. It was no mystery that many of the ponies in Ponyville, and even Canterlot, were highly skeptical of Spike’s presence, and a tiny little misstep could set hundreds of ponies against him. He’d be chased by the others, and even though she was sure the girls would do their best to protect him, they were still no match for the whole of Ponyville. News would soon reach Canterlot, and by the time it got there, the rumors would be so distorted, things would be blown out of proportion. Celestia would send in the Royal Guard, and then Spike wouldn’t stand a chance!

‎ She had no doubts. The scenario played out in her mind time and time again, and somehow, each repetition was more brutal and more heart-breaking than the last. Rarity didn’t stop to think about anything else for one minute. She had been the only witness that could clear Spike’s name.

‎ If she got there in time.

‎ On any normal day, Rarity woke at what some might call a Discordant hour. Five in the morning was usually when only the most competitive shop owners or dedicated bakers, or in some cases, honest farmers, awoke. Rarity did not fall into any of those categories. Instead, she dedicated the first hour and a half of her day preparing herself. Looks like hers were not easily acquired, and it took a good amount of maintenance to maintain her natural beauty. Her hair was without a doubt the most challenging ordeal, especially after turbulent nights. Last night had indeed been, a turbulent night.

‎ However, going wildly against her own personality, and going on instinct alone, she ran out of her boutique with her mane in a display only Discord would have been proud of. Her tears had made a freak show with the makeup still on her face, and her eyes glowed, puffy and red, and filled to the brim with salty tears.

‎ She was most definitely not a pretty pony at that moment. But her emotions told her to ignore all that. To ignore the plain discomfort she felt from the way her coat was matted, and to simply flick away the hairs that fell on her face. To ignore all those stares from shocked bystanders, as she ran towards the Ponyville Library. She ran as fast as her hooves could carry her. She could’ve given both Applejack and Rainbow Dash a run for their money at that precise instant, but right then, those two ponies were nowhere in her thoughts. There was only one person in her thoughts.

‎ Spike.

‎ Ponyville was busy, as it usually was in mid-summer, and that just added weaving through crowds to her list of
obstacles to overcome. If she had been paying attention, she might have noticed that there were no Royal Guards in sight, and that there were no mobs of angry ponies with torches and pitchforks, and that her suspicions were overly-exaggerated. If she had been paying attention, she also might have noticed the gray pegasus pony with a messanger’s bag across her shoulders as she ran straight into her.

‎ Both unicorn and pegasus collapsed in a muddled mess of eight legs, two tails, and several muffled protests. A mess of letters and flyers were strewn across the street as Derpy was forcefully detached from her bag. After a few seconds of squirming, Rarity finally managed to separate her face from the pegasus’s yellow mane to actually recognize her assailant.

‎ “Derpy?! Oh, why don’t you watch where you’re going!” Rarity snapped at the still-confused mailmare that lay before her.

‎ Derpy slowly regained her footing, and stood to face Rarity, who was also struggling to get up herself.

‎ “Oh, Rarity, I’m so sorry, it’s just... I’m not... I mean... Wh-with all the things...” Derpy struggled to apologize as she ducked down, not making eye contact.

‎ Derpy kept her head lowered, and began picking up her misplaced letters, and Rarity was inclined to ignore her and continue on her way. But she picked up on the saddened tone of her acquaintance, and upon further inspection, she noticed Derpy was also on the verge of tears. Rarity’s brain slowed its revolutions, and she once again returned to her senses. She forget her urgencies, and she forgot Spike for one split second, giving her heart a minute’s rest as she stopped to consider the poor, broken soul before her.

‎ “Darling, I’m sorry, I was the one that wasn’t watching where she was going. You have nothing to apologize for. Here, let me give you a hand...”

‎ Rarity’s horn lit up, and using her magic, she began helping Derpy pick up the scattered pieces of mail that lay on the dirt road. Derpy herself joined the effort, still sniffling, and opened her bag for Rarity to place the letters into. Once everything was once again in its place, Derpy turned towards Rarity with a sad half-smile, and uttered a small, hoarse,

‎ “Thanks.”

‎ As she was about to leave, Rarity realized something was still bothering her, and it wasn’t her reputation as a klutz. That was already well-known, and she wouldn’t be pouting about that all over the place. Finally, the curiosity of why one of Ponyville’s most cheery citizens looked so glum overpowered her.

‎ “Derpy, dear,” Rarity said, causing Derpy to freeze just as she was taking off.

‎ “Is something the matter darling? You seem terribly upset.” Rarity said. If she hadn’t been so concerned for the poor mailmare, she might have laughed at the irony of her saying that, when she was certain she didn’t look all that upbeat either.

‎ Derpy slowly turned around, and even with her, ahem, condition, she seemed to find it difficult to make eye contact, and simply pointed her nose towards the dirt.

‎ “So... you haven’t heard?” She replied meekly.

‎ Rarity leaned forward, now giving Derpy her undivided attention. It didn’t go unnoticed by her, and Derpy quickly spoke up.

‎ “Spike was my friend too, and after last night, well... I’m worried for him. They’re saying he ran off into the Everfree Forest, and that he’s gone off to look for... for others.”

‎ Rarity froze. Spike? Everfree forest? Others? Her brain got caught on that last word, and she asked almost without thinking,

‎ “Ot-Others? Other what?”

‎ Derpy finally looked at her, directing her right eye towards her own, and making known the fear and sadness she herself also carried within.

‎ “Other dragons.”
‎

‎*************************************

‎ She just stood there. She just stood there in the middle of a dirt road, while all around her, her world collapsed. It couldn’t be true. It couldn’t. She just stood there, and denied everything.

‎ She didn’t know how much time went by. Derpy had left a couple of minutes after she stopped responding, muttering something about having letters to deliver. A few ponies stopped and asked her if she felt alright, and she’d simply respond with a quiet, “yes”.

‎ The truth was just the opposite of course, but frozen in the middle of a public intersection, in her conditions, she would have thought it was obvious. Still, no medicine, no doctors, no psychologist, nothing would change that. Nothing would make her, “alright”. Nothing that was possible, in any case. The only thing that might have changed something was Spike. And now he was gone. And it was her fault.

‎ For far too long she had been aware of his childish crush on her, ever since he’d been a hatchling when he’d arrived in Ponyville. She’d thought it cute at the time, and simply allowed it to be, sometimes taking slight advantage of the situation. Nothing to feel guilty about, she’d thought at the time.

‎ She’d also gotten the chance to watch him grow from hatchling into a rather handsome Drake. Forget those repugnant adolescent dragons they’d encountered during the Dragon Migration. Spike was clearly an entirely different species. A much more elegant species. He’s dropped to all fours, and despite his lizard-like appearance, his sharp scales and furnished spikes gave him the appearance of a regal lion. All in all, quite the catch for a dragon.

‎ However, she’d also noticed his crush had grown side by side with his physique and his mentality. He’d become more serious, but more subtle, and even though she appeciated his efforts and his kindness, it had concerned her. He’d send mysterious flowers, do extravagant favors. He’d even carved her name in middle of a priceless diamond just for her. And even though it touched her deeply, she simply couldn’t bring herself to reciprocate his feelings. She couldn’t love him. Not the same way he loved her.

‎ But she could never bring herself to tell him that. She could never confess to him that she really did love him, but that she could never be with him. That they weren’t meant to be. Not in this life.

‎ And now, she had broken his heart and signed his death warrant. Be it at the hooves of the Forest, or by the signing of his sentence for attacking a pony. Whatever happened to him now, she’d be responsible for it. And no matter what, she knew she’d never be able to live with herself if something happened to him. Not after everything they’d been through.

‎ Not now, that she was certain that he truly loved her.

‎ And if something had to happen, he at least deserved to know that all his efforts were not for naught. That he really was that dragon of her dreams. That it had taken all of this for her to finally realize that. And above all else, he needed to know that she’d be there by his side every step of the way, until the very last breath, be it his or her own.

‎ And her mind once again clicked. And automatically, her hooves began to carry her onwards, southwards as she walked, toward the Everfree forest. Towards her death. Towards her love.

Author's Note

Not much to say with this chapter that hasn't already been said. I hope you've enjoyed it nonetheless! Please leave your thoughts in the comment section below.

Fun Fact: Those little asterisks I do when I switch character viewpoints? Counting the character initial, there's always, exactly, 37 of them.

Special thanks to my Storyline and Prose Analyst, SocraticBrony, for all the help and inspiration, as always!

Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

The nauseating sensation. The slightly tangy smell of singed fur. The wave of colors and sensations that washed over her as she landed. She had experienced these symptoms far too often for her liking.

Usually, teleportation was a cinch. A quick spell and she could be miles away. However, lately, her magic had been a bit off. She’d been meaning to contact Princess Celestia about that, but due to recent events most of her plans were drastically delayed. And based on how things were going, they’d probably stay delayed for quite some time.

Once her eyes had readjusted themselves to the lights and colors all around her, she saw that she’d run into a slight miscalculation. She was about a mile away from Ponyville, and almost two miles away from the library.

With a sigh, she walked solemnly towards the inevitable. The certain torment from frightened citizens and angered ponies who surely wouldn’t be of any help at all. Did she deserve it? Probably not. But did she really think that? No. At that precise moment, she felt she deserved the worst of punishments. She felt absolutely horrible. Not only had she lost the one person she’d ever really loved, but she’d condemned her friends, her livelihood, her reputation, her very life to a world of judgmental eyes and harsh words. And why? Because she simply couldn’t stop being Twilight for even one second. Dumb. Emotionless. Logical. Stupid Twilight.

As she walked into town, she was met with a scene that she hadn't expected, nor did she want to expect. Most ponies, her friends and neighbors, kept a safe distance, respecting her. But more than once, they drifted towards her, in groups, or by themselves. They'd offer a sad look, or an insincere smile, accompanied with a few hollow words of comfort.

Nevertheless, in her mind, a whole different scenario played out in her mind. The ponies would come to her to scream vile curses in her ears, and hiss their poisonous threats. They hated her. And they hated her from bringing Spike, and causing all of this.

Though her eyes and ears were witness to quite the opposite, her mind had gone to a darker place. A place filled with fear and paranoia, buried deep within her own soul, where she kept her darkest secrets.

She hurried through the town square, ignoring the hushed whispers and occasional comments.

"Twilight? Are you alright?"

"Hey Twi, how are you? Feeling better? Don't worry, he'll turn up eventually!"

"Chin up, Miss Sparkle! If you need anything, don't hesitate to knock on my door."

Though the words sounded nice on the surface, she could hear their voices twisted, and ugly truths revealed.

“Nice job with that dragon pet, Twilight,”

“What? What’d you bring this time? A hydra? A Chimera perhaps?”

“Hate to say I told you so, but… Wait, no I don’t! I told you so!”

Tears fell carelessly unto an uncaring path below her hooves. She ran towards the library, leaving behind a crowd of confused and somewhat distraught citizens. It wasn't their fault that she felt this way, and she knew that they were being much more supportive than they had to be, but... part of her wished that they’d simply blamed her directly. That they’d thrown things at her, that they’d kicked her out of town and banished her in a dungeon. Actually, most of her felt that way. But…

There was still that tiny little spark of light in her heart. That small, almost insignificant speck of hope, of friendship, of magic, that hid beneath layers of muddled thoughts. A tiny spark, that she now realized, was nothing less than an emotion. An emotion that had been so strange and rare to her until recently. An emotion she’d always found overrated, but that now overtook her, and caused a bittersweet medley of joy and grief within her. An emotion called love.

It was love that drove her forwards. It was love, she realized, that drew everypony forwards. And it was love that made her persevere. She couldn’t give up, even if she had to fight all of Ponyville. Hay, even if she had to fight all of Canterlot! She wouldn’t give up, simply because of love. And it was love that told her that she had to do everything in her power to help Spike. For it was Spike, her best and closest friend and the one she’d shared practically all of her life with, that provoked that love within her. Spike, the noble dragon. It was always Spike, even though she hadn’t known it; at least, not until it was too late.

As she crossed over the threshold into her safe haven, her home, her library, she felt a sudden wave of energy crash over her. Perhaps it was something to do with being in a friendly environment at last, safe from everything going on outside. Whatever the reason, Twilight knew that she’d make full use of her newfound vitality. Locking the doors and windows with a surge of magic, she set her sights on the desk on the opposite side of the main room, and began planning her next steps.

Before she could finish brainstorming the materials she’d need for her checklist, she was ruthlessly pinned to the floor by an unknown assailant. Just as she was about to launch a spell to knock off her attacker, the brutal mugger spoke in an eerily familiar tone.

“Twilight! Thank goodness, you’re finally back! I’ve been waiting here all morning!”

Looking upwards, Twilight spotted the telltale mark of Ponyville’s resident mailpony and klutz.

“Derpy! What are you doing here?”

“I heard about what happened last night, and I was worried about Spike. And this morning I overheard Carrot Top and Lyra talking about how you guys had all gone after Spike into the Everfree forest! And I know it’s really scary in there, so…”

“Derpy!”

“Yes, Twilight?”

“Could you get off of me, and then talk?”

“Oh… Right… Sorry.”

As the deeply embarrassed Pegasus stood back to let her stand, she continued her lengthy tale.

“So I was really worried, and I know if anypony knew how to help it would be you, so here I am! What can I do to help?”

Twilight straightened herself up, and composed herself before replying. But as she thought about it, she found Derpy’s proposal more and more suspicious…

“Wait, why would you want to help Spike?”

“Well, I… Umm…”

“If you heard about what happened last night, why would you want to help get a dangerous feral dragon back to Ponyville?”

Twilight suddenly recoiled as she noticed the hurt expression on Derpy’s face. The gray Pegasus drooped her head and shut her eyes, a single tear dropping onto the hardwood floor. Twilight suddenly felt horrible. She had attacked Derpy when she’d only meant to help. Twilight reached out a hoof to try to apologize, but she froze as Derpy started speaking. Without looking up or opening her eyes, Derpy spoke just loud enough for Twilight to hear.

“Ever since I was a little filly, I was made fun of by the other ponies because my eyes were weird, and I was always bumping into things and making a mess. That hasn’t changed much, but I’ve learned to accept who I am, even if some ponies haven’t.”

Derpy sniffled and paused, wiping her eyes.

“My mother was really the only one who ever really thought of me as equal. And when she died, I… I knew… I knew I’d lost the only pony who’d ever really seen me as something more than just a clumsy, wall-eyed Pegasus.”

Derpy looked up at twilight, her bright yellow eyes glistening with tears, but a sad smile still adorning her face. Twilight couldn’t help but smile, despite the sob stuck in her throat.

“And then,” Derpy continued, “You and Spike came to Ponyville. I didn’t make much of it, but it was the first time I’d ever seen a dragon before. I was curious. And one day, while I was delivering letters, I bumped into Spike. He was running some errands, for you, I guess, but he still stopped to help me pick up the letters I’d dropped. Even though it had been my fault, he was nice enough to apologize and help me.”

Twilight wasn’t even thinking about anything anymore. She was just so caught up in the mailmare’s story that she’d forgotten about all of her own troubles; at least, temporarily. Although, a fleeting thought of how interesting Derpy’s story would be in the form of a book did cross her mind.

“After that, we became good friends. We hung out together occasionally, and he even helped me out with my deliveries sometimes. He never treated me any different, I could tell. And I didn’t treat him any different either. We were friends not because of how we were on the outside, but of how we were on the inside. Truth is, Spike is kind of one of my only friends. I should guess it’s no surprise that I have a hard time making friends.”

Derpy choked back a sob, and began to tear up yet again. Twilight wanted nothing more than to tell her not to cry, but she remained silent out of respect, and curiosity for what she was about to say.

“And now… I… I can’t lose Spike, Twilight. I can’t lose him like I lost my mother. Not again… Please, just tell me there’s something I can do. Anything! I’ll fly into the Everfree Forest if I have to, just…!”

“Derpy, calm down, it’s okay! I’m so sorry Derpy. I had no idea that… I didn’t know that you and Spike were so close.”

Twilight embraced Derpy in a tight hug, not just for comforting Derpy, but herself as well. She thought hard about what she could possibly do. The first challenge was getting Spike back. But Applejack had promised her. Safe and sound. And then there was the matter of defending him against the crowds that would surely want him banished…. Or worse. But how could somepony like Derpy help?

Suddenly, it hit her. Derpy. The Mailmare!

Abandoning the hug, Twilight ran towards the desk, leaving a confused and somewhat disappointed Derpy behind, clutching air. With a whisk, a small jar of ink and several rolls of parchment clambered forth from their hiding places. What surprised Twilight was that several of them already had a wax seal. She paid them no mind, although she’d definitely have to check them out later. They were probably letters that Spike had forgotten to send. Although it was highly unusual for Spike to forget mail duty.

“Twilight?”

Derpy’s innocent mumbling brought her back to reality, and without turning back to acknowledge her, Twilight dipped a quill in ink, and set to writing.

“Derpy, now that Spike’s… absent, I have no way of sending instant letters like I used to. I’m going to need you to deliver an urgent letter to the Princess! I’m going to ask for her help and guidance in this situation. Maybe she’ll know what to do, and help us get Spike back safe and sound!”

Seemingly out of thin air, Derpy appeared besides Twilight, saluting her while neither one of her eyes looked straight at her.

“I’ll get that letter to the Princess in a jiffy!”

Twilight nodded awkwardly, and continued to scribble on the parchment. There was no time to waste on fancy
hoofwriting or punctuation.

Ok, maybe there was time for punctuation. But no fancy hoofwriting.

After a few seconds or splashing ink and scratching quills, Twilight was finally done. She picked up a loose piece of string from one of the drawers and wrapped it hurriedly in a makeshift seal for the message. There was no time for the royal insignia or heating the wax or anything really. As she hoofed the letter over to Derpy, she looked at her solemnly.

“Whatever you do, don't. lose. this. Get it to the princess right away. Tell her its form me, and that it is extremely urgent. If she asks any questions, just tell her all the answers are in the scroll.”

“Got it. Don’t worry Twilight, you can count on me!”

With confidence that actually surprised Twilight a bit, Derpy launched herself out the window. What was really surprising was that she didn’t try flying out of a closed window, or bump into any of the bookshelves. Her exit was worthy of one of Rainbow Dash’s compliments. Twilight just hoped the rest of her journey would be as speedy.

******************A******************

Her eyes shot open, and the blinding sunlight coming in through the narrow passage was more than enough to alert her. Her heart skipped a beat as she realized what she’d done. She'd fallen asleep! Again!

Whether it was the fact that she’d barely gotten a couple hours of sleep the previous night, or simply the fatigue in her bones, Applejack knew that there was no room for excuses. She'd fallen asleep, and let everypony down. Again.

With the head start she´d clumsily given Spike, he could be miles away by now. He'd probably have made it halfway to the southern shores. Of course, everypony knew that the Southern wastes just outside the Southern stretch of the Everfree Forest was one of the most dangerous and unpredictable regions of Equestria. If she was lucky, and if she put hoof to ground right away, she might possibly catch up with Spike before he got there. But she'd have to be very, very fast.

Applejack ran outside of the makeshift shelter only to find her heart stop as she realized her foolish mistake. The blinding sunlight that caught her eye wasn't coming from the eastern sunrise. It was coming from the West. It was sunset. And she'd just strutted out into the open, leaving herself vulnerable to whatever nocturnal predators lurked in the shadows.

Panic struck. Her muscles were unresponsive. She was Applejack. She could take anypony, and any creature on, one on one, anywhere, anytime. But for some reason, she found herself filled with doubt and fear. Lost and alone in the darkest parts of Equestria, surrounded by bloodthirsty fangs and savage claws and jaws yearning to chomp on her hide. All of a sudden, she wasn’t as brave as she’d made herself out to be.

Sweat dripping from her forehead, she looked around, surveying the nearby area with wide, frightened eyes. She couldn’t be sure, but the shadows played tricks on her mind. A snap of a twig and she immediately feared the worst. A high-pitched squeak and the almost jumped up a tree. Suddenly, as she scanned the branched above her, she noticed one of the lower ones had a peculiar foliage. The sun was only a few minutes away from being completely swallowed by the horizon, and so she couldn’t make out many details. Still, the strange thing was that the leaves almost seemed to reflect some of the light from the fading sun. And… Was that a tail hanging down? No… Could it…?

Eeyup. It was. There was no doubt about it. As her eyes focused and adapted to the dimming light, she finally made out her unknown bystander. It was a reptile. A big old, purple-scaled, green-spiked, cupcake-baking lizard.

Applejack crouched down as low as possible, simply out of instinct. If it was Spike, and she had no doubt that it WAS Spike, then she had to make a choice, and quick. She was fairly certain that he was either asleep or that he had not seen her. Otherwise, he would've done something. Right? Unless…

Unless he was toying with her. Which might have made her furious, if she didn’t feel like a mouse being watched by a hungry cat. In any case, he was bound to react eventually, so she had to act fast. Leaving things to chance, and hoping that he actually was asleep, Applejack thought quickly.

First, she’d have to get him down from there, and somehow restrain him. First his mouth, then his claws, then his tail. She’d need a lasso. Which she’d conveniently left at home. She’d have to remember to thank Twilight for the impromptu trip when she got back.

Improvising, as she didn’t have much of a choice, she spotted a rather sturdy vine hanging from a not-too-far-off tree, and promptly tied it into a lasso. Satisfied with her handiwork, she grasped the vine tight in her mouth, and started spinning.

She focused. She only had one shot at this. If she missed, the best that could happen was that she would miss by a mile, and Spike would never know. But if the lasso didn’t wrap around his jaws, she’d wake him up, and she sure as hay wasn’t too keen on seeing his reaction. Aiming carefully, and hoping for the best, she threw the lasso up into the branches… and waited.

The seconds felt like hours, and her heart pounded against her chest. She watched the loop go up… up… up… And hook onto the dragon’s closed mouth. Jackpot! With a silent cheer, Applejack tugged with all her might. A second or two later, she figured that probably hadn’t been the best idea.

Spike fell face first from the branch, which was easily 15 hooves high, into the leaf-padded ground below. Sure, he was a dragon, and that probably hadn’t hurt as much as it looked, but he’d woken up during the fall and with all the fright and flailing…

Applejack ran to the squirming Spike, trying to hold him down. With more vines clutched tightly in her jaw, she jumped on top of the wild dragon, and tried to tie his claws together.

Suddenly, she felt a stabbing pain shoot up her hind leg as Spike’s claw made contact with her soft flesh. She felt the razor sharp claw tear through her hide as though it were butter, and immediately shivered at the sensation of warm blood trickling down her hoof.

She let out a yell of pain that probably frightened every animal in the Everfree Forest, and jumped off Spike. She landed in a slump, her hind leg no longer able to support her weight. Letting out involuntary sobs, she crawled as fast as she could away from Spike, away from the wild dragon. Away from the monster she’d known for so long. From the monster she thought she’d loved. From the dragon that had now betrayed her.

“Applejack?!” She heard Spike say in a frightened tone. “Oh my… Applejack, I didn’t…! How could…?! It was an accident, I didn’t…! Applejack, please, come back!”

She kept on crawling, leaving a bloody trail of dirt and leaves behind. Her tears were not only from the pain in her leg, but from the betrayal she felt in her heart. From the foolishness she felt at ever having hope.

“What for? So you can finish what you started?” She cried out in a hurt tone.

She kept on dragging herself, trying to get into the cover of the trees, but Spike was faster. He easily caught up to her, and with a simple flick of his claws, he turned her belly-side up and pinned her to the ground. No matter how much she screamed and struggled, it was no use. She had lost.

“Applejack please, I… I never meant to hurt you!” Spike said.

As she lay panting, face up on the dirt, she looked into his face and saw him clearly for the first time in what seemed like years. His face seemed so much older and hardened that before. The scales on his face were already battered and muddied, but still maintained the angular shape of his head. And what a noble head it was. With his spikes forming much sharper and fearsome shapes, he seemed so much more… adult. And yet, his eyes. His eyes, filled with tears, spoke nothing but the truth. They called out to her, those swirling pools of green. The begged her for forgiveness. They looked to be more hurt than she was.

Finally, she gave up. She stopped struggling, but she couldn’t bear to look him in the eyes. She turned her face away and began crying once again. Spike sat back, freeing her and leaving her to curl up into a ball, as she tried to find some comfort in the cold, dark place she now found herself in. It was useless though, and the pain in her leg kept her anchored in her cruel reality.

After a few minutes of heartbreaking silence, Spike finally spoke up.

“It’s almost nightfall. We’d better take shelter for the night.”

She didn’t respond. She knew he was right, but she just wasn’t ready to talk to him yet. She couldn’t even look at him.

Suddenly, she felt his claws on her body again, and for a second, she feared the worst. However, before she could mutter a syllable of protest, she found herself cradled in his arms, as he carried her back towards the hollow tree where she’d spent the evening.

As she lay in his arms, she felt a kind of peace and tranquility. She felt that she was suddenly safe from harm. That nothing could ever hurt her. She felt protected. The feeling didn’t last long though. Soon enough, they were in the hollow once again. As he set her down, as gently as he could’ve, her leg brushed up against his chest, and she let out an involuntary squeal of pain as her wound opened slightly again.

“I… Sorry, I didn’t mean to, I’ll be more careful, I… Sorry…”

Once she was safely back on the floor of her den, because that was what she would call it now, her den, she curled up into a ball to try and warm herself up. She never realized that the temperatures could drop so low so quickly with the setting of the sun. As she nestled into a corner of the den, she peeked out from her fur, casting a wary glance towards Spike. He’d taken shelter in the opposite side of the den. Although visibility was at a minimum, she could tell that he’d also curled up into a ball, and she couldn’t help but feel that he was watching her. Although it made her heart flutter a bit, under the circumstances, she wished she could at least see her surroundings. See him.

After a short while, Applejack sensed movement from Spike’s area, and opening her eyes wide to try and see clearer in the darkness, she found that Spike was no longer there. Once again, she felt her body tense up in nervousness. Thankfully, the moment of insecurity was short-lived as Spike quickly returned, bearing with him a huge pile of wood. Trunks and branches of all shapes and sizes.

With a soft puff, he’d lit the thickest of the trunks and set it in the middle of the hollow. He stood, and with his claws, dug out a small opening in-between the roots that made up the “roof” of the den, and then sat back down, and began to add smaller pieces of wood to the fire. Applejack just stayed still, and stared at his handiwork. It hadn’t seemed like much, but now the den was entirely illuminated by the green and red flames, and an inviting sensation of warmth filled the atmosphere.

Now much cozier, Applejack allowed herself to stretch a bit more. She gingerly extended her left right hind leg, and inspected the damage. It was worse than what she’d expected. Spike had torn through the first layer of muscle, and she was still bleeding profusely. He hadn’t hit any major veins or arteries, so she was pretty sure she wouldn’t bleed out, but it was still an issue. Applejack looked up at Spike with a blank expression to find him staring at the wound he'd inflicted.

His face was pale, almost white, and he looked just about ready to throw up. He honestly seemed to regret his mistake, and for that, Applejack was thankful. Although she hated to make him feel that way, partly because it had been her fault, kind of, she was at least relieved that Spike was still Spike. That he hadn’t turned feral yet. His eyes never left her leg, and though she felt blood fill her cheeks, she bent over and began to lick her wound, cleaning it and trying to avoid infection.

“I, umm….”

Applejack lifted her glance, not bothering to stop what she was doing, but as her eyes met his, Spike fell silent once more. She returned to the task at hoof, but there was something tugging at her heart. This certainly wasn’t the rescue she’d planned.

“Why did you come, AJ?” Spike asked, in a cold, uninviting whisper.

“You know why, Spike.” She replied flatly. Applejack went back to the task at hoof, watching Spike out of the corner of her eye. He just curled up into a ball once more.

“I’m not going back.” He responded, seemingly speaking to nopony in particular. “You shouldn’t have come after me.”

Applejack stopped and propped herself up so that she could look him straight in his shining green eyes.

“Ya’ll didn’t leave us much of a choice, Spike. We were all worried sick for ya. You’re the one who shouldn’t have run off I the first place. We would’ve worked something out.”

All she got for a reply was a sarcastic puff of smoke from his nostrils as he rested his head on his claws. Silence dominated the night as Applejack watched him silently ponder about Luna-knew what. She felt pity for him. That wasn’t all she felt for him, of course, she realized that now, but pity was on the list, and at that moment, it was pretty high up there. Poor Spike had been down on his luck since he’d first arrived in Ponyville. It had always seemed that he was destined to be the comic relief of sorts, never catching a break. Of course, it was usually something minor, and easily repaired. This time around, however, it seemed like a greater force had conspired to turn his life into a wreck once and for all. She wanted nothing more than to comfort him. To warm his broken, stone-cold heart once more… But she couldn’t. She knew deep down inside it was wrong. Pleasing her own desires would simply end up hurting more ponies than she cared to count.

Spike’s voice broke her through into her thoughts, and brought her back to that cruel reality.

“Does it still hurt?” he asked, genuinely concerned. He rose to stand on all four legs, and slowly paced over to her side of the den. Her heart fluttered, and she wasn’t sure why. He loomed over her, like a predator casting it’s triumphant shadow over its prey. She’d never admit it, but it was kind of… exciting. Swallowing nothing but dry air, she nodded, and tried stretching her leg, which just made her wince in pain. She watched curiously, as Spike leaned down and inspected her leg. His warm breath tickled her fur, and she let out a tiny moan. Whether it was of pain or pleasure, she wasn’t sure she knew.

What was happening to her? She’d suddenly become so… So… flustered? That made no sense. She’d kept her feelings for Spike a secret for so long… Even from herself! And she’d always kept herself in check and under control. But now, lost, wounded and alone in the middle of a strange dark forest, with only Spike to protect the two of them… It was her favorite fantasy come true. Or her second favorite. The danger, the thrills, the fireplace, and the ragon she’d coveted for so long? But no, she couldn’t let herself be so… well, normal. She’d have to control her urges, and avoid hinting at anything at
all.

Suddenly, Spike lifted one of his hands, and looked up at her. She understood. She gave him a simple gesture to grant him consent, which Spike returned, and she watched him carefully run one of his claws down the side of the wound, and up the other side. It hurt, quite a bit more than she’d ever admit, but she remained silent, unsure of just what exactly Spike was doing. A few quick thoughts filled her mind. Thoughts of a voracious Spike, tasting her blood, and from one minute to the next, tearing her to shreds. But no, he’d never. She’d caught up to him before could become feral. If Spike could actually ever become feral. Slowly, his hand began feeling the area of flesh that remained unharmed around the wound, down her leg on one side, then up toward her flank…

Goshdarnnit girl, snap outta it!!!

In one quick motion, he lifted his other hand, and with one quick downward motion, he slashed. His face was one of pure regret as his claws made contact with flesh. Applejack braced herself for the imminent, yet unexpected pain… but none came. She looked up at him to see a sad smile that seemed to say, “I'm sorry”, and him holding his other hand, which was now bleeding profusely through a deep, self-inflicted gash in the middle of his palm.

“Spike, are you crazy?! What are you doing?! How’s that…?!”

“Relax. Dragon blood has… Wait, what did Twilight call it? Scarring properties or something like that? Well, anyways, it should help. Twi always keeps a bit in case of emergencies… Well, emergencies like this I suppose.”

Applejack just looked up at him dumbfounded. She still wasn’t sure she could believe her eyes.

“May I?” Spike asked innocently.

It took a few seconds before she could react, but she finally gave a simple, hushed, “uh-huh”, at which point Spike began to lower his bloody claw onto her leg.

She shivered, unsure of what to expect. It was somewhat gross, since, after all, it was blood, and she half-expected it to be warm and sticky. However, when Spike’s claw made contact with her leg, she felt something she’d never felt before. It was ice cold, as if someone had just poured a bucket of ice cubes on her leg, and the ice cubes were now dancing around inside of her wound. It stung like Tartarus at first, but after a few minutes, the pain subsided, although the strange sensation remained, accompanied by the constant massaging of her leg. Courtesy of Spike, of course.

“I was acting out on self-defense. You scared me AJ, I thought… I thought I was being trapped”

“What? Who’d trap you in the middle of the Everfree Forest?”

Spike looked at her seriously, a solemn look on his face, yet sad at the same time. Always sad.

“Haven’t you heard the rumors? There’s been word of poachers in the Everfree… And now I’m inclined to believe them. If there are any living creatures in the Everfree Forest, they’re all hiding from something.”

“I’ve heard the stories, but I thought it was nonsense. Who’d go poaching in the middle of the Everfree?”

“I don’t know, but whoever it is, they’re obviously not kidding around.”

Applejack pondered that. She had heard stories of bands of renegade poachers and hunters lurked in the shadows of the Everfree lately, but she honestly thought it was crazy. Nopony would ever dare go into the Everfree after hearing the tales of the dangerous creatures that call the forest their hunting grounds. But if there was someone out there who could actually hunt down these legendary beasts… Well… Then that was a force to be reckoned with.

Suddenly, the odd feeling in her leg began to give way to a new feeling. A blazing heat rose from the depths of her own wound, and it seemed to engulf her entire leg. She felt as though she’d just dipped her leg inside a volcano. Still, the feeling wasn’t entirely, unpleasant. It was actually kind of enjoyable. Like a sauna of sorts. The process continued for about an hour or so, until finally, a pale and tired Spike sat back to admire his work, clutching his wounded, and now surely cramped, hand.

Taking care not to move her leg too much, she bent her body so as to inspect the wound. Much to her amazement, all that was left of that gory opening in her leg was a thin white scar running the length of where the wound used to be. She tried moving her leg, but she found that it was still sore, and it pained her to do so. Still, not as much as it had previously.

“Spike, that’s amazing! How’d you…? Thank you, I…”

“No, don’t thank me. It was my fault. I gave you that scar. You shouldn’t be thanking me, you should hate my guts.”

Applejack was taken aback.

“Spike! How could you say that! Ah could never possibly hate you! You’re my friend, Ah love you…” Her voice diminished considerably as she uttered the last words of her statement, and it hadn’t gone unnoticed by Spike. Now she wished she could go unnoticed by Spike as the blood rushed to her cheeks.

“I saw you guys, when you… When you first teleported here… I overheard the two of you talking.”

Her ears flopped down in embarrassment, and she tilted her head downwards to look up at Spike with the best puppy-dog eyes she could muster.

“Oh… You heard all that…? I…”

“I had no idea Twilight felt that way for me. That she’d be willing to teleport into the middle of the Everfree Forest just to come and find me. To be honest I… I don’t really know what to make of the situation… She’s always been like a big sister to me…”

Spike sniffed and paused his speech as AJ watched hypnotized as a single crystalline tear fell from his eye and soaked the ground below. Pangs of jealousy ran the course of her body, despite her desires to quell them. No matter how much she wanted him, no matter how much he meant to her, no matter how much she wished for that tear to have been meant for her… she couldn’t act. She valued Twilight’s friendship above… above even her own passion.

“You know…” Spike continued, “I saw you the morning before I left.”

“You what? When? How…?”

“At the library, early this morning. You were the last pony I thought I’d ever see. I wasn’t planning on going back. I didn’t think I would ever see any of my friends again. But out of all the ponies I could’ve spotted last… I was glad that it was you.”

At that statement, Applejack blushed profusely, and pawed at the dirt beneath her hooves. She couldn’t look him in the eyes, partly out of embarrassment, and partly because of the sly smile slowly forming on her lips.

“I thought I mentioned that in the letter…”

Now that, of all things, was unexpected.

“Letter? What letter?”

Spike’s turn to act surprised.

“Wha…? But how… Why’d you come after me then, if you didn’t read the letter?”

If her leg hadn’t been killing her, she would’ve stood at full height just to bonk him on his thick skull. She was still sorely tempted to do so despite the pain.

“Ah came after your sorry hide ‘cause that’s what friends do!... Now… About that letter that you mentioned…”

Spike sighed, looking defeated. It was his turn to blush.

“Before I left, I… I wrote a letter to each of my closest friends. I didn’t want to leave without saying goodbye. In your letter, I wrote about how much… How much I’d miss you and your apple pies… especially the pies… Ouch! Fine, I deserved that. I also wrote that whatever you did, you shouldn’t come after me. I emphasized that in your letter because I knew out of all the ponies I knew, you’d probably be the first to try and mount up a search party to bring me back.”

“Then why would you think that I’d read the letter and then come to find you?”

“Because I knew you would come after me, especially if I told you not to.”

“And how’d you figure that?” She asked quietly. She already knew the answer, or at least she knew the answer she wanted to hear. Now she hoped and prayed that his answer was the same as the one she expected.

“Because, AJ…. Because… Because you’re you, Applejack. You’re the most honest, dependable, friendliest, most beautiful, hardworking pony anyone could ever hope to have as a friend. And I knew I could always count on you to try and save a friend…”

She froze. Her heart was beating madly against her chest, trying to escape its bony prison and declare its feelings to Spike. She could’ve sworn that her face was entirely red by now.

“Spike, Ah… Ah don’t know what to say… No, actually Ah do, it’s just… For a while now, Ah’ve… Ah’ve kind of had…”

"Yeah?"

Applejack cursed herself. Why was she being so weak? Was she really going to speak the truth? Even though she knew it could very well her friendship with both Twilight and Spike? Yes. Because despite everything else, she was the holder of the element of truth. And if there was a lie she detested, it was the kind of lie she told herself. She had feelings for Spike, and no matter how much she wanted to deny them, she knew it was wrong of her to do so. She had to speak the truth and face the consequences.

"Spike, there's somethin' Ah've got to confess..."

"What is it, AJ?"

"Come closer..."

Spike leaned closer, his wide innocent eyes beholding her figure. She could see her own reflection in his dark, gentle pupils. She was struggling to contain herself.

"Closer..."

Now she could literally feel his breath, his warm, robust breath on her face and chest. It smelled of fire and magic, something unlike anything she'd encountered, and it produced an effect like no other.

Applejack opened her lips ever so slightly, ready to part with her long-kept secret Yet at the decisive moment, her body betrayed her, and she thrust forward, kissing Spike full on the lips. She was caught in the moment of passion, and only a few seconds later, Spike pulled them apart. Oddly enough, Applejack hadn't been the first to come to her senses.

"AJ, what...?! What are you doing?!"

"Spike, for a long time Ah've wanted nothing more than to do just that..."

She leant forward, her wild desires already gnawing at her heart to finish what she had started, but a claw at her chest paused her just long enough for Spike to protest.

"Applejack, I... I like you too, but, we can't do this! I mean..."

"What? Am I not as pretty as Rarity? Or smart like Twilight? Am I not good enough for you?" She said, without thinking it through. She instantly regretted it, marked by the teardrop that fell to the floor. She wasn't sure if it was the way she'd said it that caused her so much grief, or the amount of unexpected truth in her words. She had said it. She could never measure up to her competition.

"No, not at all... It's just..."

"Please Spike... Ah want this to happen... Nopony will ever have to know... Ah promise."

With a small smile, she leant forward once again to kiss him, and this time, met with no objection. In fact, she found that her gesture was returned, and forgetting the pain in her leg and the thorn in her conscience, she let herself loose in the heated throes of passion.

Regardless of the betrayal she was partaking in, she allowed her emotions to take over her mind and body, and forget the rest. She’d been bottling up her feelings, keeping quiet best as she could for so long… And now, in that one opportunity, she opened the bottle, and allowed herself to partake in one night of passion, to finally satisfy the desire her heart had tried to ignore for so long. There was no longer any silence in the Everfree Forest, and all the darkness seemed to be gone. In it’s place, like a blazing flame, stood only Love and passion, intertwined endlessly, feeding and illuminating the hearts of a young drake and a young mare, caught in the bouts of love.

Author's Note

Not much to say here, except the usual. A million thanks to my good friend and editor SocraticBrony! I'm actually listening to his new song, Darkbringer as I type this author's note, and I'm just... well, just go listen to it. It's left me somewhat speechless, so I'm just gonna cut this author's note off here.

PS - If any of you don't like the direction this may be headed, or my use of Deus Ex Machina in some places, feel free to express yourself politely and concisely below in the comments, and remember, the lengthier, the better! Otherwise, if you simply don't like the story or don't want to read it any longer, nobody's stopping you! This one goes out to all of my faithful readers.

Thanks for all the support, you're what keeps me writing!!!

Best Wishes,
WordSPark37

Chapter 1

DAWNING REALITY

Chapter One

Slowly but steadily, the minute hand on a hanging clock took away precious time to prepare for the night’s festivities as Twilight busily scribbled down everything on a dry piece of parchment. The scratching of the ink-laden quill was enough to alert Spike that manual labor was imminent. And based on the intensity and frequency of the scratching, it would be enough to keep him busy for the rest of the day. However little was left of it.

A single lazy eyelid clicked open, as Spike’s scales clacked and trembled with his after-nap stretch. No matter how old he was, sleeping was still his favorite pasttime. He figured it had something to do with his cold blood, or maybe the fact that he was a dragon. Or maybe he was just sleepy by nature. Whatever the reason, Spike knew that when quills were scratching and checklists were being made, sleep had to be forgone for the greater good of Twilight’s sanity.

Spike dusted himself off, rising from the floor, and standing at full height, let out a trademark yawn, complete with a drowsy flame. Yet another scorch mark was added to the already numerous collection on the ceiling. As expected, the doorknob rattled, surrounded by a purple glow, indicating Twilight would be notifying him of his tasks for the day, and Spike dropped onto all fours, to match Twilight’s height. Everyone, including Spike, found the size difference a bit intimidating, so Spike did what he could to shrink down to pony size.

“Spike, you awake yet?”

As the door rolled open, Spike puffed out a small cloud of smoke to greet her.

“Oh, real mature…”

Twilight coughed, uselessly waving the smoke away with her hoof. Once she could breathe, a familiar scroll floated into the room, smacking Spike on the head before being shoved into his hands. Twilight just smiled slyly, turning around before calling out her final and obvious directions.

“Those are all of today’s chores! And don’t forget about tonight!”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll get right on it…” Spike muttered with playful sarcasm.

The purple dragon sat back on his tail as he used his hands to roll open the scroll and inspect its contents. As usual, the chores were those Twilight herself couldn’t accomplish as easily with magic. First on the list, prepare picnic spread. Spike scoffed. Twilight’s attempts at cooking or baking had always ended in disasters, which he would always have to clean up. Thankfully, she’d given up, but ever since ponies had discovered Spike’s knack for cooking, he’d been stuck in the kitchen more times than he cared to count.

The rest of the chores were the usual. Cleaning, organizing, shelving, etc. Still, those were the easiest, and years of following a routine meant speed and efficiency had been maximized. All that meant was that he’d have to hurry up and get those chores done quickly if he wanted to finish baking any sort of treat before tonight. As he was about to walk out into the library, Spike stopped. Tonight?

He scratched at the scales above his head as he tried to remember. It seemed that every summer night was a special event in Ponyville. This usually just meant that much more work. But try as he may, that night’s event escaped him, and he finally shrugged it off. He’d have time to ask Twilight after he finished everything on the list.

If there was one thing Spike couldn’t complain about, it was a lack of ambiance in the tree during the day, when Twilight’s humming managed to lift even the gloomiest moods. He worked restlessly, multitasking all the while. His growth spurt had come with increased stamina and agility, as well as size, granting him the well-appreciated ability to complete his chores with more ease than when he was a, well, younger dragon. Still, it took nearly four hours to finally get everything set up neatly, just the way Twilight liked it.

He wiped sweat from his brow, and collapsed under the streaming sunlight near a western window. Content that he’d finished all of his chores with a good two hours of sunlight left, Spike admired Twilight’s magic handiwork as she inspected his work. It wasn’t long before she saw his drowsy stare and sauntered over to where he lay.

“Everything good, then?” Spike asked, a mischievous smile forming on his lips. Twilight responded in kind, mirroring his expression with a dash of curiosity, as she tried to analyze his body language.

“So far…why? Did you cut corners?”

“None that you would notice.”

Twilight chuckled, turning away in defeat. Spike propped himself up on his elbow as he watched his older sister walk back towards her precious books.

“How about the spread? Did you get started on that?”

Spike let out a playful puff of smoke and rolled back onto all fours, still trying to remember what big event required food. It was a lost cause, and Spike finally resorted to simply asking Twilight. It left a gaping hole in his pride, and giving Twi the opportunity to show off her greater organization skills was something he abhorred. But once again, she’d played a better game, and he found himself cornered in a devastating checkmate.

“Well, um… what, exactly, was it for?”

Spike shrank down, almost cringing at Twilight’s false look of surprise on her face. Still, she couldn’t have fooled Pinkie, with that smug smile beginning to form on her lips.

“You mean you don’t remember?”

“Come on Twi, what’s the big deal about tonight?”

“Spike!” Twilight said in an elongated, almost whiny tone, disappointment mingling with pride. “Tonight’s the first full summer moon!”

“So we’re going to go watch the moon again? Should I get the telescope then?”

Spike could tell he’d said the wrong thing when Twilight’s head dropped and she let out an exaggerated sigh.

“No, Spike! Tonight is the annual summer play in the park, remember? We had the Hearth Warming’s eve play this year, so the Summer Moon play is being held by the Ponyville Actor’s Guild!”

“There’s an actor’s guild here?”

“Spike!”

“Sorry! How was I supposed to remember? It’s like there’s something happening every day now, I can’t keep track of every date!”

Twilight turned away once again, clearly hoping to return to her studies on Pre-Equestrian history, while simultaneously carrying on the conversation.

“Well, stop your whining and get cooking then, I already told everypony that I’d bring the food.”

“Everypony?”

“Don’t worry, it’ll be just six of us, plus you!”

“Well, gee, thanks!” Spike said in a teasing sarcastic tone, as he crawled towards the kitchen. The doors swung wide open as the adolescent dragon shoved his way inside, putting together a decent midnight meal in his mind.

A/N: Well, this is just a little sneak-peek to my writing style and the intro to this story, which I hope will develop into a multi-chapter story, most likely spanning 5-7 chapters! This is just because I wanted to share SOMETHING with the people here, and see what kind of reception I receive! Any suggestions or criticisms any of you may have, I would REALLY appreciate it!

Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

His mind was blank. He refused to believe what had just happened. He wasn´t even sure what had actually happened. When he saw the two of them there together, huddled close to each other, his mind went blank. He remembered saying something, then the colt said something, and afterwards all he could recall was a scream, a flash, and running away.

He groaned audibly, not minding the growl that escaped him involuntarily. He was roaming smack-dab in the middle of Ponyville, in the middle of the night, with a dangerous appearance. His turbulent state of mind had activated his instinctive defense mechanism, and his scales appeared sharper, his claws clicked against the uneven cobblestone streets. A spark flickered and danced in the back of his throat, ready to turn his breath into a life-consuming emerald flame in the blink of an eye. His pupils were dilated immensely and his ears perked up, sensing everything around him, like an early warning system, ready to sound the alarm and launch a preemptive strike against any potential enemies. If anypony had been around, they would've no doubt have run for their lives, claiming there was a bloodthirsty dragon on the prowl in the middle of the town square.

His appearance notwithstanding, Spike continued his stalk among the shadows, looking for nothing and nowhere in particular, simply a sanctuary for his heart and mind, even a temporary one. Despite everything being impeccably clear in his eyes, his thoughts whirled about withing, fighting for space with his emotions, clouding his judgement, and unwilling to let him think clearly for even a second. He walked past the Cakes' shop and then past Rarity's boutique. Ignoring his own home, he continued past Ponyville's entrance and kept on walking. Beneath the critical gaze of the moon and her companions, he simply kept walking…

******************T******************

“What in the hay just happened?!” A frightened Applejack exclaimed, standing upright on her hind legs to try and catch a glimpse of the epicenter of the wave of ponies that occupied the space where they´d last seen both Spike and Rarity. Everypony, including the actors who’d been left speechless and ignored upon the stage, had made their way to the scene of the crime, clearly trying to find out just what exactly had happened. Twilight simply stood in place, her mind unthinking, useless. Useless.

Her hooves suddenly took a mind of their own, and they raced off towards the mob, her mind racing behind her, closely followed by her friends. Rainbow flew overhead and was the first to arrive. Had Twilight bothered to look up at her, she would´ve seen Dash put her hooves to her mouth, and freeze in shock, somehow hovering overhead. The other four, however, did look up, and exchanged worried glances. For Dash to show any sign of worry was extremely rare, and it only occurred in the worst cases, like when Equestria was on the brink of destruction, or she´d misplaced her Wonderbolts´ tickets.

Twilight muscled through the crowd, using her magic to help ease her way through, parting the ponies much to their discomfort. She´d receive plenty of complaints later on, but she didn't have time to worry about that. Right now, at that precise moment, all that mattered was finding out what had happened. And wishing Spike would be alright.

Twilight arrived at the scene, where next to a splotch of scorched grass and the remains of a burnt picnic blanket, lay a unicorn, his silver mane and coat now soot black, making noises and moaning, seemingly in great pain.

"What happened?" somepony asked him; Twilight didn't bother to check who it had been. With great effort, the colt, who Twilight quickly realized must have been no other than Topline, tried to prop himself up on one of his front hooves, and gave a wheezing cough.

"Wha-What happened?" He asked incredulously, as if surprised that anypony would ask such a thing, "A beastly dragon attacked me and my dat-... Rarity. Where is Rarity? Is she alright? Has anypony seen Rarity?!"

On any other occasion, Twilight might have gagged at his unconvincing performance, and reprimanded him for taking such a situation lightly. The others surely would've agreed thinking that sort of nonsense belonged onstage, not below it. However, her ind was caught on his first statement. Beastly Dragon? Attacked? No. It couldn't be. Not Spike. How dare he?

Her horn began to glow, and everypony, her friend included, took a step back as Topline was suddenly caught in an abnormal purple glow.

"How dare you..." Twilight said, lifting the frightened unicorn several feet above the earth, and bringing him face to face with herself. Everyone fell quiet, and even the crickets seemed to have stopped just to listen to Twilight, who spoke in a barely audible whisper, anger seeping through her tone nonetheless.

“A beastly dragon? Spike attack you? How dare you accuse Spike of such a thing! He’d never do such a thing! ”

“Never do such a thing?” Topline asked, somehow the only pony around not utterly intimidated by the infuriated purple unicorn, who was now dangerously close to enveloping them all in flames. “Just take a look around!”

Despite Twilight’s inner voice, which kept telling her to ignore this spoiled colt, to punish him for insulting her best friend and causing a scene, Twilight looked. And it did not look good. Claw marks were clearly visible on the grass, and there were even a few pieces of dry grass still burning bright red, quickly dying out, as were Twilight’s hopes that Spike was innocent.

“Now can you let me go?” Topline whined, and Twilight obliged, cutting off her magic and letting him drop to the floor, adding to his new collection of marks and bruises on his coat. She paid him no mind, and soon several ponies huddles around him to care for his wounds and take him to the hospital. Twilight’s mind was blank, and she simply walked away slowly, her friends following with their eyes, and soon their hooves. Twilight tried to ignore everything, but between the many mixed murmurings of the ponies nearby, she made out quite a few that stuck in her mind, and would later plague her for years to come.

“That dragon’s always been a menace!”

“It was only a matter of time before something like this happened!”

“This poor bloke was lucky to end up with only a few bruises! He could've very well been a midnight snack for the monster!”

All Twilight could do to avoid bursting into hysterics, or simply explode with emotions, was walk away, through the park path, leading to nowhere I particular. Just blank.

“Twilight…?”

Twilight froze, almost at the edge of the park, looking directly at Ponyville just hoofsteps ahead. The flag atop city hall could be seen just ahead, behind some smaller shops and houses. She suddenly realized she must’ve been walking for a good 10 minutes straight.

“Twilight.”

The voice spoke again, this time a bit louder. Twilight turned around to face her friends, who’d followed her in silence, concern clearly showing in their faces. Applejack stepped forward and put a hoof on her shoulder.

“Go and find Rarity, you need to find out just what exactly happened back there.”

No matter how hard she tried, her eyes could no longer hold off the tears that began streaming down her face.

“But… What about Spike…?”

“We’ll find Spike, and bring him back safe and sound, don’t y’all worry.” Applejack said, a forced, little smile on her face. Despite the worry clearly reflected on AJ’s face, Twilight felt just a dash of hope. Applejack wouldn’t lie, and if she said she’d bring back Spike safe and sound, there was absolutely no doubt in her mind that she’d make good her promise.

“Al-Alright,” Twilight said, and putting on a brave smile of hope, she vanished, teleporting to Rarity’s Boutique, where she’d surely have taken shelter by now.

******************A******************

Applejack shook her head and tapped the ground with a nervous hoof, feeling woozy from Twilight’s sudden magical exit. She’d have to remind her one day, yet again, not to do that while standing so close to her. It made her insides feel all sorts of funny.

Although maybe it wasn’t the spell that caused that nauseous feeling deep within. She turned to face her four remaining friends, all sharing the same somber expression, and each no doubt thinking the same think.

“We’ve gotta split up and look for Spike. He can’t have…”

“I’m on it!!!” Pinkie jumped to attention, somehow with a rather excited attitude, and AJ just couldn’t help but wonder where she got the strength to keep her spirits so bright and hopeful all the time. She’d make sure to ask her someday. It might come in handy for the rough times surely ahead. With a flash of pink, pinkie was gone, Celestia knew where.

AJ simply shook her head again, fighting off the incoming headache, and spoke up once again.

“He can’t have gotten very far. Rainbow,” At this, Dash perked her ears up and looked at her with an intense stare. AJ noticed the tears beginning to form on her lower eyelid, but for her friend’s sake, chose to ignore them.

“Fly overhead and see if you can spot Spike from the air. If you find him, come find us, understood?” Rainbow nodded, but before she could take off, AJ stepped on her tail, anchoring her to the ground. Before she could protest, she told her,

“Do NOT try and approach him alone. We don’t know how he may react if he sees us…”

Rainbow nodded slowly once again, and with a barely audible sniffle, disguised by the sound of her liftoff, took off as quickly as Pinkie had disappeared.

“Applejack…?”

AJ turned towards the origin of that soft whisper, and saw quite possibly the most pitiful sight she’d ever seen. They were all in a state of shock, but it seemed as though Fluttershy might suffer a heart attack in any minute. Her expression was the culmination of all the fears and nightmares they all were hoping would stay mere acts of their imagination. Tears flowed freely, with no foolish pride keeping them away. AJ admired that about her; Fluttershy cared immensely about her friends.

“AJ… Do you think…? Do you think Spike really did…?”

“Ah don’t know… But just in case, you never know how a dragon’s gonna react.”

Fluttershy’s eyes widened in terror, and Applejack knew exactly what she was thinking. She may not have been the most educated pony, but she certainly knew that any critter that’d tasted blood, would always long for blood.

******************S******************

Spike curled up in a ball, as he used to do whenever he felt vulnerable, and cried. The rage and anger had gone, his vision and mind were now impeccably clear, and all that was left was the guilt and regret of what he had done. No matter the inciting incident, no matter his intentions, everything had gone horribly wrong. Worse, even, the his worst-case scenario. There was only one way out.

His claws dug deep into the ground, leaving permanent scars beneath the hollow old tree he used to shelter himself from the outside world. It was his secret place. The old, dead oak served as more than simply a hideout, it had served as his safe haven ever since his maturity and growth had started creating difficult or awkward situations in Ponyville. And this was as difficult a situation as he’d ever been in.

Spike knew he had no choice, and for that he mentally whipped himself, curling up tighter, trying to disappear completely. He’d ruined his relationship with Rarity permanently, and everypony in Ponyville would now surely fear or even hate him. They’d call the guard, and he’d be locked up in Celestia’s dungeons for sure.

There was no turning back. His plan was already in motion. He’d just have to make one last stop before leaving, but it would be dangerous, and he couldn’t risk being seen by anypony, especially not Twilight. She’d refuse to let him go, try to convin-…

“Spike!” A hushed whisper broke through his troubled thoughts, and he lifted his head up in surprise, managing to cut a rather large chunk of wood from above him with the sharp scales atop his head.

Rubbing his head, he carefully took a half-step outside, and looked around for the source of the voice. Still, the forest remained silent and still, unmoving in the night, yet somehow, he was sure he’d heard a whisper.

“In here!” Came the same voice again, this time from behind him. He turned abruptly around only to come face to face with a beaming pink ball of fur that pulled him into an airtight embrace.

“I found you!” Pinkie said through her mane, somehow managing to hug him tighter. He couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle, although it came out more like a small cough, complete with a puff of black smoke.

After several warm seconds, Pinkie released him, and sat back on her haunches, looking at him with a strange expression, something between happiness and worry. It just didn’t look right on her, and he once again hated himself for having brought all of this pain and anguish upon them all. Spike tried to hold back the tears, but there really was no need. He was all cried out for the day. All that left him with was an aching heart and a troubled mind.

“Spike,” Pinkie spoke softly, breaking the silence with a warm, caring voice that lit up a tiny spark of hope deep within him. It was just something about her, she could make the end of the world seem like a fun day out fishing.

“Spike, what are you doing?” The question caught Spike off-guard. He was expecting something more like, “Let’s go back” or “What happened back there?!”

“I…” Spike mumbled incoherently, until finding the words, urged on by Pinkie’s innocent stare. “I’m leaving.”

******************R******************

What had just happened? Rarity lay curled up between her silk sheets, longing for their tender, loving touch. However, no comfort came from them, and they seemed as cold as the night had become. She simply didn`t know what to think anymore. Not about Spike, nor Topline, nor love… Not even life.

It all seemed to empty now. Was she really finished? Was her fragile shell finally broken? Her emotions had seemed to escape from the cracks in her hard outer shell, and now that even that shell was breaking, her mind was blank. She couldn’t even remember the last few hours, nor what had happened that was so awful that she’d felt her heart torn to shreds.
Rarity simply lay on her bed, staring at the fading Prench décor on her walls through thick tears. As one of them trickled past her muzzle, she buried her head in her lace pillows and allowed them to absorb the rest of her sorrows.

Time meant nothing now, and she couldn’t be sure just exactly how much time had actually passed before she felt a knocking below on the front door of her boutique. She ignored it, pretended it was just another figment of her imagination. Of course, it wasn’t.

Soon the knocking returned, this time louder. And again. And the following knock was accompanied by a shout. Rarity thought it might have been her name. She ignored it still. She couldn’t face to see anypony, not for years. She’d spend the following decade cooped up in her home, not leaving for anything.

A flash of blinding light, and a woozy feeling from within quickly made her change her mind, and acknowledge the disturbance. She lifted her face from her pillows and came face to face with Twilight, who had materialized just inches away from her mattress. She noticed there were tears in her eyes, and she bit her quivering lower lip in a childish fashion. Rarity might have laughed, had she not been dong the exact same thing.

“Twilight, wha…?”

“What happened?” Twilight asked, her tone firm, but betraying a surging sob from deep within.

Rarity simply froze in place, not knowing how to respond. She quite honestly didn’t know what to say. Twilight wouldn’t take silence as any kind of response, and once again insisted.

“What happened Rarity? What happened back there? What did Spike do?”

Rarity maintained her gargoyle-like state, her eyes wide and her jaw hanging, words and emotions trying to escape, but finding no appropriate exit. Twilight’s eyes bore into the depths of her soul, anger mixed with worry and sadness, the most dangerous combination in a unicorn. Rarity wanted nothing more than to set her mind at ease. To tell her best friends that nothing had happened, that it was all a misunderstanding. But her memory of the event was hazy at best, and she wasn’t one to lie so bluntly. However, one thing did come back, slowly at first, but then like a deep, resounding echo that beat along with heart, and accompanied it with every painful beat in her chest.

“Spike…? He said… He said he… Loved me…”

A/N: I know I left many of you hanging on to dear life on that last chapter, and that my absence is inexcusable (Unless you count life as an excuse), but now, I'm planning to redeem myself through this new and improved version of Dawning Reality! It's still the same first few chapters, but I've now planned it out with much more than just a romance plot, focusing mainly on Spike as he faces his own harsh reality, and the romance, which of course, also plays an important part in this, is not as defined as it used to be (Meaning, yes, it may not end a Sparity after all, or it might... You'll soon see just how many different endings this could possibly turn out to have). And so, without further ado, I welcome you once again, and ask that you join me on this journey through Spike's own struggles to find himself, as I struggle to find a decent ending to this tale!

Very special mention to SocraticBrony for all his help, and despite him being humble, it was mainly thanks to him that I once again took up FIMFiction once again.