//------------------------------// // When Stars Go Out // Story: Here's To You // by Ascension Call //------------------------------// DISCLAIMER: I do not own My Little Pony or any of its characters. ANOTHER NOTE: If you happen to be one of the lovely readers awaiting an update for my other story, it’s coming. I just have to get this nagging idea out of the way. Thank you for your patience! As the afternoon sun began to set, Twilight Sparkle and Spike made their way through the dense, dark woods of the Everfree Forest. Days ago, Zecora had requested that Twilight visit her hut now and then to keep it tidy while she embarked upon a trip back to her homeland, mainly to visit old friends and family, but also to find certain rare ingredients that she needed for some new brews. Twilight, who was eager to have something to do other than poring over books day and night (as much as she loved doing so), readily agreed. However, Spike, who was thoroughly spooked at the idea of entering the forest, even to assist Twilight, his best friend, in doing Zecora a favor, did not, especially since it was sundown. Who knew what horrible creatures could be lurking there in the dark, waiting to pounce upon hapless travelers? The forest was threatening enough in the day. “Come on, Spike! Stop complaining. We’re almost there,” assured Twilight, who had had to put with ceaseless grumbling and groaning from the baby dragon since they had left the library earlier on. “Grr… I’m so hungry! Why did we leave without having dinner first?” asked Spike, whose stomach had growled loudly throughout the trip. It was never a good idea to leave a young dragon hungry, and both he and Twilight knew that. “What about you, Twilight? How are you not hungry?” He continued. His eyes then narrowed in suspicion. “Have you been snacking behind my back?” As if in response, Twilight’s stomach then growled as well, much to the studious mare’s embarrassment. Spike instantly cracked up as he saw her blush. “I- I guess not, then!” he teased. “…Cut it out now, Spike. Unless…” began Twilight, whose embarrassed frown was now replaced with a sly smile. “Uh, unless what?” questioned a now slightly anxious Spike, though her still giggled. “… Unless you don’t want this right here,” finished his friend, as she used her magic to open the backpack that she carried and levitated a gleaming apple-sized sapphire out, which shone gloriously in the light of the setting sun. Instantly, the baby dragon’s laughter ceased as he was shown the beautiful gem. “Wh- where did you get that?” he asked, entranced. “It looks yummy!” He tried to grab it, but Twilight lifted it up so that it was far above his reach. “Hey, what’s the big idea?” whined Spike, as he tried to reach the prize. “Behave yourself the rest of the way and stop complaining, and it’s yours,” decreed Twilight, who now grinned mischievously at her assistant’s indignant expression. “That’s blackmail!” he yelled. “Heh heh, I’m just playing with you, Spike!” she laughed, much to his relief. She then released her hold on the gem. “Here, catch!” she said. As soon as the gift was in his reach, Spike snatched it out of the air and began to devour it rapidly, his voracious hunger getting the best of him. Twilight chuckled at the sight. Mere moments later, Spike had eaten the entire stone. “Mmmm… Now that really hit the spot! Is there any more?” he asked, as he smacked his lips. “Maybe,” Twilight said. She quickly looked away from her hungry assistant and pretended to pay attention to the surrounding woods in an attempt to look dismissive and distracted. “…Or maybe not,” she finished, smirking. She then noticed that indeed, the forest was becoming uncomfortably dark. They had taken much longer than she had hoped in their journey to the hut, and Spike did have a point when he had complained about the possibility of being attacked by all manner of beasts in here. “Please, Twilight?” begged Spike, causing him to regain the mare’s attention. As if on cue, his stomach growled again as well. For good measure, he then hugged Twilight, and whispered, “I’m so very hungry…” as he gazed straight into her eyes. “Hey, Spike!” squealed the mare, as she felt the small dragon wrap his arms around her neck. Any resolve that she had to keep the gem from her assistant instantly dissolved when she saw the pleading, extremely sad look on Spike’s face. For a dragon, he threw on a relatively effective puppy-dog face, she realized. ”Fine. Here,” she sighed, as she retrieved a second sapphire and gave it to Spike, who promptly shoved the entire thing into his mouth. After several seconds of rapid chewing, Spike swallowed down the shards and burped loudly. “Mmmm… Just as good as the last one,” he remarked happily. Twilight rolled her eyes. “Okay, and now that you’ve eaten, we won’t be hearing complaints on the way anymore, will we?” she asked. “Well… I’d say probably not,” answered Spike confidently. He then remembered that Twilight’s stomach hadn’t exactly been silent either. “Well, what about you, Twilight? You must be really hungry too…” Twilight was somewhat taken aback by Spike’s comment. Aside from that time he had given his treasured Fire Ruby to Rarity (who happened to be his crush, no less), Spike wasn’t known for his generosity, and he usually displayed a pettier, more childish form of the greed that dragons were infamous for. She was suddenly reminded of a disastrous incident a few weeks back where Spike grew incredibly possessive of the belongings of others and had used the fact that it was his birthday to obtain those items for himself. Nevertheless, Twilight appreciated Spike’s concern, and grinned sheepishly. “Oh, well… yeah, I am…” she was about to continue when she suddenly spotted a familiar outline in the darkness that now began to envelop the forest as the sunlight disappeared from Ponyville. “But look over there!” she exclaimed, and she gestured towards the shape. “Is that Zecora’s hut? Finally!” cheered Spike. Before Twilight could stop him, he had run off towards the home, intent on finally reaching a safe haven in the forest. “Spike, be careful!” called Twilight, smiling at his enthusiasm. Despite the fact that they would likely be isolated in the forest tonight, Twilight couldn’t help but look forward to the coming evening, specifically the included warm fire, homemade food, friendly conversation, and provided Spike was in the mood, reading for fun. The fire in the middle of Zecora’s room had been lit, which warmed the interior of the hut and relaxed both Spike and Twilight. Both sat near the flames and toasted bread in preparation for sandwich making, though Spike preferred the use of his fire breath, whereas Twilight went with the old-fashioned method of toasting the bread near a fire. “Man, I’m going to add mustard, and mayonnaise, and Thousand Island, and-“ began Spike. “I don’t think that’ll sit very well with your stomach,” opined a frowning Twilight. “Ha! Won’t sit well with my stomach? That’s funny. Twilight, I eat gems. Shiny, hard rocks. If those go down just fine, how could a sandwich not?” he responded, as he began to put daisies, grass, lettuce, and hay on a slice of toast. He then pulled out the bottles of condiments that they had pulled from Zecora’s pantry and squirted them with abandon on to the sandwich, much to Twilight’s disgust. “Ew, Spike! Just what are you trying to achieve by mixing all that?” she complained. “Heh heh heh…” chuckled Spike, as he assembled the sandwich and then brought it to his hungry mouth. “Taste,” He then took a large bite out of the food, as Twilight watched out of disgust and fascination. Nothing happened for a few moments. Then, suddenly, Spike began to retch, and before Twilight could say anything, a rainbow-colored plume of smoke erupted from his mouth as he let out a massive burp. The purple dragon then slumped to the floor, dazed. “Spike! SPIKE! Are you alright?!” asked his guardian, who quickly rushed to his side and attempted to check his vitals. Suddenly, Spike lost his dazed look and was instantly energized and excited, and he jumped into the air. “THAT WAS AWESOME!!!” he yelled, grinning. Twilight stared at him cheering for a bit, utterly dumbfounded, before beginning to chuckle at the randomness and ridiculousness of the event that had just transpired. “I… heh. I guess that was pretty cool. Heh heh heh,” she began. Spike then saw the pricelessly uneasy look on Twilight’s face and began to laugh uproariously, which, given the infectious potential of laughter, caused the purple mare to laugh harder as well. Before long, both were clutching their sides and writhing on the floor, as the laughter slowly died down to giggling, then stopped altogether, though tears of mirth still flowed down both of their eyes. “…Why did we even start laughing again?” questioned Spike, a smile still tugging at his lips. “I don’t know, I honestly don’t know,” responded Twilight, also smiling, as she picked herself back up. She then looked out the window and saw that the night’s darkness had completely shrouded the woods that made up the Everfree Forest. The light from the full moon projected rather eerie shadows across what little clear ground that she could see. “Now we’re definitely not going back through the forest… who knows what’s in there?” thought Twilight out loud. Spike looked out the window as well and shivered at the view. “Yeah… you couldn’t give me enough Fire Rubies to travel through that. Well, actually, maybe you could…” he trailed off as he saw Twilight pace around the room, a thoughtful look on her face. “Something wrong, Twilight?” “Hmm? Oh. I was just thinking…” she said, as she sat down on the floor. “I could teleport us back to the library… or do you want to stay here for the night? I’m sure Zecora won’t mind.” Spike’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. “WHAT?! Twilight, have you lost it for real this time? We’re in the Everfree Forest! At night! There’s a bunch of things out there that want to hurt us, and there’s nopony around here to help us if that does happen!” Twilight grimaced as she realized that Spike made rather valid points, and then reviewed the decisions again. “…You’ve got a point, Spike,” she said finally. I just thought… it could sort of be like a camping trip with, you know, just you and I? Sure there’s nopony around to help us, but we do have each other. Plus, you’re forgetting that I could teleport us out of here in an instant if anything bad happens. Come on, it could be exciting!” she reasoned. Spike saw the eager look on his friend’s face, and after several moments of deliberating, relented. “Okay. You’re right, it could be fun! Eh… though dangerous. But danger is my middle name! Spike Danger…” he stopped when he realized that he didn’t have a last name. “Spike Danger! Yeah!” Twilight grinned happily at her assistant’s consenting decision. “Oh Spike! Thank you so much!” she cheered, and she began to hop around the room excitedly, much to Spike’s amusement. She then stopped, and hugged the baby dragon. “And before you ask, I promise that I’ll keep both of us safe!” she declared. Spike smiled at this, but suddenly found his competitive side taking over. “’Keep both of us safe’? Hey, that should be my job!” he thought. He then looked towards Twilight, who had put him back on the ground and was removing several books from her backpack. “Twilight?” he called, drawing her attention. “Yes, Spike?” she asked, turning towards him. “I’ll take care of that!” said Spike fiercely, confusing Twilight. “Take care of what?” she asked, quirking an eyebrow. “Keeping both of us safe!” he reminded her. “If I’m going to grow up to be a big, strong dragon, I’m going to have to learn to fight, right? So I’ll start here. If anything touches either of us tonight, they’re in big trouble!” Twilight was taken aback by his sudden outburst of confidence, but then realized that this wasn’t took unexpected from the likes of Spike. “Okay! I’ll leave the protecting all up to you then, Spike Danger!” she said, much to his delight. “Awesome! I won’t let you down, Twilight!” he shouted. Twilight smiled. Seeing Spike grow from the tiny, adorable infant that she had hatched to a confident and caring friend really warmed her heart, though she wouldn’t tell him for fear of teasing. “I’ll hold you to that, then. Now…” she trotted over to the small stack of books that she had created, chose one, and then levitated it to Spike, whose eyes widened at the sight of the cover: An image of a determined and grizzled-looking pegasus pony with a mustard-colored coat, grayscale rainbow mane and a pith helmet, with the words Daring Do and the Raiders of the Lost Stable emblazoned across it. He had become a rather avid reader of the Daring Do series since he had checked them out after hearing praise for it from everypony, such as Twilight (no surprise there) and even the hyperactive, literature-hating Rainbow Dash, and had finished every book in the series. He had never heard of this one, though. “I swiped it from the library before Rainbow could come in and check it out. I feel bad, but I just couldn’t resist. It’s the newest addition to the series,” explained Twilight. “And I say we should read it together.” “...” “Uh, Spike?” asked Twilight as she examined her friend. His eyes were locked on to the cover, and his mouth agape. Suddenly, he jumped up. “I CAN’T WAIT!!!!” he shouted happily, startling Twilight. His eyes gleamed with excitement as he settled down next to her in front of the fire, and eagerly flipped to the first page of the novel. “Could I please start us off this time?” begged Spike, which surprised Twilight a bit, as she was always the sole reader during their book sessions. However, she grinned, and nodded eagerly, satisfied by his enthusiasm. Spike, given permission, cleared his throat, and then began to read: “After long months of intense searching and even more intense surviving, Daring Do finally found the entrance to the ancient temple which held the legendary treasure that she so desired: the Golden Idol!” Twilight listened intently, at peace with the world as it was in this moment. “’…We have top ponies working on it right now,’ said the sharply-dressed government pony. Daring Do narrowed her eyes in suspicion at his statement. How could she be sure that she was being told the truth? ‘Who?’ she asked, thirsty for the truths which she knew she would not receive. The suited stallion stared into her eyes, unfazed by her suspicious gaze, and repeated… ‘Top. Ponies.’ Elsewhere, in a dark warehouse hidden away from the eyes of the people, a team of work ponies moved the Stable into a massive crate. As they nailed it shut, the Stable was once again sealed into the darkness that it had known for thousands of years before the efforts of Daring Do allowed it to see the light of the world again. Once they were finished, one of them moved the crate deep into the warehouse. And deep inside were dozens and dozens of other crates, just like the Stable’s. Though the future was uncertain, and was as shrouded in secrecy as the lost treasures that still wait to be found, the world, for now, was safe from evil once again, all thanks to Daring Do!” Spike closed the book and handed it back to Twilight. Both were very tired, as they had been reading for hours on end. “Well, that’s another one down. It was really good! Probably one of my favorites, I think!” said Spike, as he yawned. “Same here,” agreed Twilight, as she got up from the floor and stretched. Sitting for all those hours had made both her and Spike’s bodies stiff. She continued, “My favorite part is… heh heh, when Renhay Belluck pulls a fast one on Daring Do at the beginning.” “Really? I found that kinda lame. Sure she was outnumbered, but I KNOW Daring Do could have gotten away with the Golden Idol if she actually tried,” Spike replied. Twilight frowned. “I don’t know about that, Spike. I think Daring Do would have done so if she knew that she had a shot at escaping,” said the mare. “Oh, and what’s your favorite part?” “That’s an easy one. When Belluck’s head explodes!” laughed Spike, as he fondly recalled the scene. Twilight was slightly disgusted, but not surprised, that that would turn out to be Spike’s favorite scene. “Eh, I figured. I personally don’t like that scene because of the great detail they put into describing the process of a pony’s… head exploding,” she grimaced. “But to each their own. It is, undeniably, a very action-packed scene. No wonder you’d like it.” Spike nodded. “Yup!” he said, cheerfully. He then yawned. “Uh… I’m getting pretty tired, Twilight.” “Unsurprisingly. Hmmm…” Twilight thought for a bit. “I’d rather we not use Zecora’s bed. We’ve already used a lot of her property, so… Wait here.” To Spike’s surprise, she disappeared in a flash of light. “Where’s she teleporting off to?” he asked. After several moments, he realized that he was completely alone, in a hut in the middle of the Everfree Forest. Without Twilight around, he could finally drop his brave, confident façade as the fear began to get to him. “Come on, Twilight, just get back here already!!” he begged. He began to pray to Celestia that nothing monstrous would break through the door and finish him. “How the heck does Zecora do this every night? It’s so scary out here, and plus, she’s all alone…” he questioned inwardly. A few minutes later, Twilight reappeared in the same flash of light, carrying two sleeping bags that she had taken from the library. One sleeping bag was much smaller than the other, and was colored green and purple, while the other larger one had Twilight’s cutie mark emblazoned on it, and matched her coat color. “Problem solved,” Twilight declared, as she dropped the sleeping bags to the warm floor near the fire. She then caught sight of her assistant, who, for some reason, looked deeply relieved. “Spike? Is something wrong?” “Uh… no! Not at all. Just glad to see that you made it in one piece, Twilight,” he explained quickly. Twilight frowned. She wasn’t convinced, but went along with it anyway. “Okay then. Thanks for your concern!” she replied. She then got into her sleeping bag, while Spike did the same. “Get some sleep, Spike. I’m staying up for a bit longer. Can’t wait to finish annotating Myths of Star Swirl the Bearded!” she whispered excitedly, as she pulled out a book with that very title emblazoned upon the cover. She opened the book to the chapter she had left off and began to stick notes on the margins, while horn-writing on them. Spike muttered something under his breath, which wasn’t lost on Twilight. “What was that?” she asked, slightly accusative in her tone. She turned to face her assistant and put the book down. He had a bored expression. “I said, ‘yeah, yeah, a “bit” longer, alright’. Whenever you say that, you end up pulling an all-nighter,” he explained. Twilight smirked. “Yeah, pretty much. I can’t deny that,” she responded. “But reading just… really draws me in. I’m pretty sure you know that already.” Spike sighed. ”Whatever. Just get some sleep, Twilight. Good night.” He then closed his eyes, relaxed, and allowed his mind to drift away. “Good night, Spike,” Twilight whispered to the dragon next to her. “Sweet dreams.” She then patted him on the head, and then picked the book back up, expecting to fall asleep deep in her reading session, and awake the next morning next to Spike, who would likely be very, very unwilling to get up, like he always is. Except Spike couldn’t sleep. He tried counting sheep, imagining a vast, gently flowing river, and just zoning out, but nothing worked. After several minutes of tossing and turning, he discovered that it was because he really, really had to use the bathroom. He turned to his guardian, who was still reading by the light of the warm fire. “Uh… Twilight?” he whispered. “Oh! Spike? You’re not asleep? What’s up?” she asked in response, surprised that he was still awake. “…I need to go, uh…” he trailed off, embarrassed. Twilight looked at him, confused. “You need to go where?” she then saw the urgency in his eyes, and understood. “Oh… ok. Let’s go outside then.” She began to get out of her sleeping bag when she saw the horrified look in his eyes. “What’s the matter? Are you alright?” she asked, concerned. “I- I can go myself! I don’t need you to watch me!” he said quickly, a blush forming on his scaly skin. “What? Oh… I get what you mean. But Spike, like you said there are a lot of dangerous things out there! If something catches you, I’m afraid that you’ll get hurt,” she reasoned. “And besides, it’s not like we haven’t done this before. Remember potty training?” At the mention of that, Spike’s scales completely shifted from a purple color to a tomato red. “Don’t remind me…” he groaned, as he recalled those rather embarrassing days. “Twiligh’?” called a tiny voice. The studious young mare looked away from her copy of Equestrian Cultures of the Past and shifted her attention to the small basket that sat atop the table she was reading on. The wide green eyes belonging to the tiny, young dragon stared at her from under the covers of the towels that served as makeshift blankets, and she smiled at them kindly. She adored the dragon, Spike, as she had named him, since the moment she had hatched him. “Yes, Spike?” she asked, smiling. The infant leaned over the edge of the basket, his small, lizard-like head poking out, and whispered, “I… I need…to go pee.” Instantly, Twilight’s enthusiasm evaporated. She had been potty training Spike for a week now, and as much as she loved him, she couldn’t help but dislike every second of teaching him how to use the toilet. Stuff like that just wasn’t her forte, for now, anyway. She sighed. “Okay. Come on, Spikey,” she said to him. He smiled, and hopped out of the basket. Twilight picked him up in her forehooves and made her way towards the bathroom. “Okay… he’s really, really cute right now,” thought Twilight, as the tiny dragon snuggled against her chest. He smelled like warm hay, and felt so soft and cuddly, even with his scales. Then she remembered what she would be dealing with soon and her grin disappeared. She entered the bathroom, set Spike down on the ground, and grabbed a box of cereal from behind the toilet. “I CANNOT believe I’m doing this,” she thought, as she picked out a few pieces of cereal and tossed them into the toilet bowl, where they floated, making it seem like a sick imitation of a bowl of breakfast cereal in milk. “Okay, Spike…” she picked him up in her forehooves and held him in front of the toilet. “Aim for the cereal.” “Ah, those were the days, weren’t they?” sighed Twilight in mock wistfulness, much to Spike’s further embarrassment. “And you had terrible aim too.” At this, Spike’s embarrassment turned to irritation. “J-just let me go already Twilight!” he shouted. Seeing his indignation, the purple mare immediately felt apologetic. “I’m sorry, Spike. I went overboard…” “That you did, Twilight,” he muttered, as he made his way towards the door. “Wait, Spike!” called his guardian. “I’ll be back in a minute,” he said, and then turned to glare at her. “Do. Not. Watch. Me.” He then walked out and shut the door. Twilight stared at the closed door, wanting to ignore him and rush right out there, wanting to keep him safe, though she knew how furious he would be. “If he doesn’t come back in five minutes, I’m going out there,” she decided. “Whether he likes it or not.” “Why does she have to be so… so… difficult?” Spike wondered out loud, as he shut the door. He was still blushing from Twilight’s comments, and couldn’t help but feel angry at her for them. He sighed, and then spotted a tree that was perfect for his needs. “Ah well… I got to do this quickly if I don’t want to get Miss Worrywart in there to come out…” he thought. He went over to the makeshift bathroom and quickly did his business, then made his way back to the hut. “Maybe I was too hard on her?” he thought. “She was just joking after all…” He stopped abruptly, and looked up into the black expanse that was the night sky. There were plenty of stars out tonight, which gave the sky a similar appearance to Princess Luna’s mane. Unsurprising, given the fact that Luna was the Princess of the night. The moon, however, was what made everything truly beautiful, its glorious light illuminating all of Equestria. Spike couldn’t imagine just how frightening the night would be without the moon’s light. He sighed. “Yeah… I was too hard on her,” he concluded. “I hope she won’t get mad or anything…” He trailed off as he realized that he was being followed; from behind him, in the bushes, he heard footsteps. Light, and cautious, but they were there. He wheeled around quickly and almost screamed. A pair of glowing eyes stared at him from the darkness of the shrubbery. “M- monster…” he whispered, his voice fearful. He began to back away slowly, trying to get some distance from the thing in the bushes. It continued to stare at him, unmoving. Then, suddenly, it jumped out of the shadows and revealed its form to him. Spike looked fearfully at the creature in front of him as he recognized it; it was a timberwolf, a large wolf that was seemingly made of wood and vegetation. He had heard of them from Twilight during one of her many study sessions, and knew what it was capable of doing to its prey. It bared its teeth at him, and Spike saw that wood or not, they were still very, very sharp. He opened his mouth to scream for Twilight’s help when he remembered that timberwolves traveled in packs. If there was one, there was sure to be more, waiting for a chance to strike. As if on cue, another timberwolf jumped out of the bushes and joined the other in circling the frightened baby dragon. “This is bad… real bad…” Spike thought. His breathing became erratic, and his blood seemed to turn white-hot as the desperation clawed at him. He weighed his decisions. He could try to make a run for the hut’s door, but with these two circling him, he was sure that they would catch him first. Same result if he screamed. They would kill him in an instant. He never felt so weak. Sure he was a dragon, but he was only a baby dragon. His underdeveloped talons, size, scales, and fire breath would be no match against them, who were obviously merciless predators with razor sharp claws and teeth. Additionally, Twilight may be excellent at magic, but she needed to get to him to teleport them both out safely. The timberwolves would never let that happen. His breathing calmed as he remembered what he had said to Twilight earlier. “I’ll take care of that!” said Spike fiercely, confusing Twilight. “Take care of what?” she asked, quirking an eyebrow. “Keeping both of us safe!” he reminded her. “If I’m going to grow up to be a big, strong dragon, I’m going to have to learn to fight, right? So I’ll start here. If anything touches either of us tonight, they’re in big trouble!” “Me and my big mouth…” Spike thought. Would both he and Twilight die tonight? Would they both get out safely? Maybe this was all a nightmare? His mind became a tangled mess as thoughts raced about. He saw that the timberwolves were edging closer and closer to him. He didn’t have much time left. He then noticed that neither of the wolves was interested in entering the hut, and no other wolves had appeared to do so either, meaning… “They don’t know Twilight’s here!” He noticed a break in the circle which would allow him to make a run for it into the forest. It was likely suicide, but at least it would draw them away from Twilight. Hopefully, he would be able to lose them in there, make his way back, and quickly teleport away with Twilight, back to safety. With that thought, Spike inhaled a deep breath, and, knowing that he was possibly making the biggest mistake of his life, he suddenly dive-rolled out of the circle, surprising the timberwolves, and then sprinted into the darkness of the forest. He heard the timberwolves pursuing him, but he didn’t dare look back. One slip-up would be all it took for the beasts to finally catch him. He ducked under a very low tree branch, which the monsters behind him hopped over effortlessly. He was sure that he heard at least four more wolves around him, hidden in the bushes, as well. Right now, Spike was scared out of his wits, for both his life and Twilight’s, but he continued sprinting with all of his energy, the physical stress from doing so not registering. Because all he thought of now was keeping Twilight, and with luck, himself, alive. Inside the hut, Twilight was growing increasingly nervous as minutes passed by, and there was still no sign of Spike. She growled, frustrated. “Why is he taking so long! I know I said five minutes, but I figured he’d be back in less than that…” she seethed. She had counted out the seconds since he had left, and, much to her concern, she was nearing the four-minute mark. “I’m probably over thinking this, but still… Spike would scream if something happened right? I’d be able to hear him.” This thought wasn’t much more comforting to her, however, and after a few more moments of intense paranoia, Twilight dashed towards the door. “This is crazy. I’m supposed to make sure he’s safe, no matter what he might think of me.” She slammed the door open with her magic and rushed out into the freezing night air. However, it wasn’t the temperature which caused her blood to run cold as she called for Spike and looked around for him. It was the fact that he was simply nowhere to be found. “No. No no no! Where is he? Where is he!??!” she thought, frantically. “I KNEW that I should have come out here with him!!” She scoured the area desperately for him, and screamed his name loudly, yet still, there was no sign of the purple dragon. She was nearing her breaking point, and was about to give in to the despair and fear, when she noticed that there were markings on the soil. She leaned in for a closer look, hoping that they would shed some light on where Spike had run off to. She saw that they were clawed footprints, which could only belong to Spike, leading out into the woods of the Everfree Forest. “What in Celestia’s name could he possibly be doing?” she thought. Then she noticed the other prints near Spike’s; angular wolf paws with elongated nails. She recognized them as, to her horror, those of timberwolves. “Oh no. Spike’s in trouble? Spike’s in trouble!” she realized. The logical part of her brain prompted her to the situation further, but she ignored it. Now was a time for direct action. She galloped down the trail of prints with all her speed. Her lack of regular exercise wasn’t helping, but that didn’t matter. If anything happened to Spike, she knew that she would never forgive herself. Spike’s legs felt like jelly, and his insides burned with the fire of physical exertion, but he didn’t stop. He couldn’t. He didn’t know how long he had been running, but he did know that he seemed to have lost the timberwolves. He could no longer hear the rustling in the surrounding woods, and the two behind him had gone away at some point. Finally, Spike relaxed, and his pace slowed to a walk. He leaned on a tree to catch his breath, the stress of running finally catching up to him. He quickly quieted his breaths, crouched down against the tree, and looked around, knowing that the sight of glowing eyes staring menacingly at him would mean no less than certain doom. It felt like an eternity passed as Spike watched for any sign of the timberwolves or other danger, though it couldn’t have been more than a few tense minutes. Nothing came. “Did I actually lose them?” Spike wondered, as he waited a few more moments just to be sure. His ears were open to the night, his eyes wider, as he scanned the surrounding bushes for danger. Still, nothing appeared, much to Spike’s relief. He relaxed and stood up. “I did get away!” he cheered inwardly, and a hopeful smile appeared on his face. This successful escape meant at least a few months’ worth in bragging rights to the baby dragon, and hopefully, it would impress even Rarity. Spike then remembered that he was in the middle of the Everfree Forest, and since he was now in familiar territory to the timberwolves, he was now in grave danger, and that wasn’t counting the other dangers that he knew lurked within these bushes. “Okay, I can do this. I just have to be really quiet… Celestia help me,” he thought. If he had anything to write with, he knew that he would be able to get help directly from Celestia. It would be an instant end to this nightmare. “Note to self: carry paper and ink around everywhere you go from now on, no matter what anypony says,” he noted. He decided to take one last rest against the tree before setting out. Hopefully, Twilight hadn’t done anything too drastic. By now, she definitely knew he was missing, and was likely worried sick. Perhaps worried enough to do… Something drastic? His eyes widened as he remembered that he had left behind a very visible trail in the soft dirt of the forest. In the light of the moon, it would be very easy to follow, and in the distance, Spike heard a very familiar galloping coming his way. It was very, very distant, but it was certainly there. So Twilight had come after him. “Oh no. This isn’t good,” Spike groaned as he facepalmed. Twilight’s decision to follow him put them both in danger once again. Suddenly, Spike heard a terrifyingly familiar noise behind him, that of a quiet predator sneaking upon its prey. He wheeled around to find not three timberwolves, but six, emerging from the dark. Spike recognized three of them as the previous ones who had tried to chase him down. He gulped. He backed up slowly as they began to encircle him. One, two, three, four steps backwards, and then something blocked his way. He glanced behind him quickly. A tree. The same tree that he had leaned against for relief earlier. He looked back at the timberwolves, and saw that they had completely surrounded him. No escape. The reality of the situation then hit Spike like a ton of bricks. Of course everything would go wrong! To even think to try to lose the timberwolves on their own turf was a horrible idea. He had let his illusions of heroism get to him, and now, all he could do was panic. He felt pathetic, that a dragon like him would feel so weak and helpless. Again, he cursed himself for being so young and underdeveloped. He would have stood a chance against these creatures if he were older. Would Twilight hear his screams? He hoped not. He hoped that she wouldn’t find what was left of him after the timberwolves were done with him, though he knew that having her living with the fact that he had disappeared in the Everfree Forest as an indirect result of her decision to stay at Zecora’s wasn’t much better. Who knows, maybe if she heard him scream, she’d find him quick enough to be able to teleport them both out safely? Then, the timberwolves were suddenly upon him. Suddenly, a final, yet weak urge to fight bolstered a resolve that he didn’t know existed. Spike blew the strongest flame he could muster into the face of the closest timberwolf, and then scratched it across the eyes with his claws. The beast howled in pain, its left eye visibly damaged, and its wooden face slightly charred, but did not retreat. Spike's last attack had failed. Instead, it, and the others, pounced on to Spike’s little body and held him down as they began to claw and bite him, their hardened nails easily penetrating his tender scales. He cried out in agony as he felt one of them take a deep bite into his exposed flesh. His urge to fight gone, Spike was left with the harshness of reality once again. His body began to bleed freely from the assault upon him by the timberwolves. He began to cry like a baby. He didn’t want to die yet, and his thoughts made their final, fastest journey across his mind as he realized that. He wanted to go back to Ponyville. He wanted to see Canterlot one last time. He wanted to lay in the comfort of his basket, away from the cold forest floor that he was being ravaged on, and sleep-in. He wanted to watch Rainbow Dash soar through the air. He wanted to party with Pinkie Pie. He wanted to watch Applejack buck apples. He wanted to hear Fluttershy sing. He wanted to see Rarity one last time. Tears flowed freely as he remembered the crush he had on the beautiful unicorn, and realized that it was all for nothing. But most of all, he wanted to see Twilight smile that confident, and slightly nerdy smile of hers just one more time. He took a deep breath, as difficult as it was with the timberwolves digging into him, and roared to the dark skies, out of agony, fear, but most of all, love. “Twilight!!!!!!” He suddenly quieted. Maybe she heard him, maybe she didn’t. He didn't really care. “What a beautiful night… to go,” he decided. “So many stars…” And then his world went black. Adrenaline coursed through Twilight’s veins, and she felt as though her heart was trying to beat its way out of her ribcage. Still, she didn’t feel the least bit tired. She knew she had to stay completely alert to follow the trail accurately. “When… I… find him, I’m going to… give him such a talking to!” she muttered, her rapid breaths muddling her speech. “IF you find him, that is…” said something in the back of her head. She ignored it. He was okay. He had to be okay. She would find him, probably hiding behind some rock out of fear of predators that aren't there, she would scold him, and then she would get them both out of here, and never think about doing something as silly as a sleepover in the Everfree Forest ever again. Suddenly, a scream broke the silence of the forest. Twilight recognized it all to well. "No! Spike!" shouted Twilight, as she began to dash in the direction the scream came from. Hearing the scream had thrown her into extreme panic, fueled by the torment that she could hear written into it. "Please be okay please be okay..." begged Twilight, as she sped through the heavily wooded darkness. Again, her panic fooled her perception of time, and what could only have been a few seconds seemed like years. Finally, she saw a bit of movement up ahead, behind a small grove. She pushed through some bushes, and finally found Spike, along with the pack of timberwolves in the middle of brutalizing him. Her eyes widened as she caught sight of her baby dragon's severely injured and bloodied form, with the wooden beasts doing a macabre dance around it. Nothing came out of her mouth, no shouts, no cries, no screams. She could only stare, as the realization that she had failed Spike sunk in. Her nerves registered the feeling of the tears of desperation that finally began to flow from her eyes, but she didn't acknowledge that. Both logic and reason failed Twilight Sparkle, as she felt a familiar feeling begin to rise from deep within her. It was the very same urge that she felt that one time she, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Spike had narrowly escaped a hydra during her attempts to prove that Pinkie Pie's "Pinkie Sense" was nothing but a fabrication, only to be informed that the hydra wasn't the so-called "doozy" that they had been watching for. It was a feeling of tremendous fury and fear, which made her want to explode. Suddenly, Twilight felt as if her entire form was on fire as her mane and tail turned to blazes. Her coat turned to the color of ash as she levitated several feet in the air. The timberwolves, who had not noticed her previously, looked away from Spike and stared with awe and trepidation at Twilight's burning form. "LEAVE HIM ALONE!!!!" roared the flaming unicorn, as the great fury and sadness that she felt at seeing Spike hurt finally poured out of her, and to his tormentors. As if on cue, a burst of white hot flame issued from her form, and incinerated the trees, bushes, and a few timberwolves that were too close to her. All that remained of them all were ashes. Seeing their comrades, as well as nearby wood turned to ash, the remaining timberwolves quickly fled, no longer bothering with their prey. Twilight hyperventilated as her fiery features disappeared and she turned back to her regular self, the magical blast that she had just issued draining much of her energy and leaving her dazed. She quickly shook it off; Spike was seriously hurt, and needed her now more than ever. Keeping her feelings of heavy guilt and sorrow at bay, the mare rushed to her fallen friend's aid. Deep gashes covered his torso, and a good deal of his blood colored the soil. His eyes were closed tightly, and he didn't stir. Twilight found herself speechless as she sat beside Spike, tears threatening to break through as she came to terms with the fact that her number one assistant and one of her greatest friends had been mauled, possibly to death, due to her selfishness. She wanted to do nothing more but break down and cry over his body, and scream his name to the sky, but she didn't. She still had the slightest shred of hope in her heart, and rationality had barely won over panic. She held her breath as she leaned in and placed her ear against his scarred chest, hoping to hear anything that could point to his survival, however unlikely that was. A very, very faint beat. Twilight's eyes widened in shock. He was alive. The corners of her mouth shifted slightly upwards as she felt the euphoria known as relief flow through her. Then, she let the tears fall as she gently put her forehooves around him, embracing him for the briefest of moments. Her mind was a mess of memories, relief, and reasoning, but what stood out was her need to keep Spike alive. "I'm so... so sorry, Spike...." Twilight whispered, as streams of tears flowed from her closed eyes. She listened for the beat, again and again, the faint thump giving her hope each time she heard it. "I'll get us out of here... now." Twilight's horn glowed, and light enveloped the severely hurt dragon and the mare as they escaped from the nightmares of the Everfree Forest, and back to home. TO BE CONTINUED... Note: I don't own Raiders of the Lost Ark. I hope you liked it! Please R&R, dear readers! Oh, and the wedding was a blast. Shining Armor, you lucky bastard, you.