//------------------------------// // 21 - Choosing Sides // Story: Limits of the Horizon // by Beware The Carpenter //------------------------------// Spike lounged happily in a kings-suite room of the hotel where Shining Armor where had set up base; feeling very much like a king. Coming on the rescue mission had been important, but when they lost sight of the hostages, Spike had worried that his gem supply might not last if the campaign dragged on for more than a few weeks. Those fears had been revived when they arrived at Timbucktoo: the city was amazing! There were hundreds of sights and smells that Spike had never dreamed of; and with so much trade pouring through, people were so used to strange visitors that even a dragon wandering the streets didn’t attract too much attention. Quartz crystals were the most valuable gemstone, and Spike’s mine had produced about twenty ounces which he had managed to avoid the temptation of eating so far. After they’d set up base, Spike’s nose found him a major retailor that sold gemstones for cosmetics and asked to trade his quartz in for the cheapest form of gemstone, which happened to be emerald. The cashier eagerly accepted his business, but when Spike bit into his first bag of emeralds, he knew something was wrong. Half his mouth exploded with the creamy delight of emerald while the other half stagnated in stale glass that had been dyed green and mixed in with the emerald to build up the bulk. Spike got mad. He got really mad; and the cashier didn’t realize that a really mad dragon wasn’t something he wanted to mess with. He actually pulled out a knife, thinking it would warn Spike to stay away but after Spike ate his knife, the cashier suddenly found himself acting far more friendly, and the two of them negotiated some far more agreeable terms: Spike would let the cashier keep the quartz, Spike would not tell anyone about this, Spike would not eat him, and in return Spike could take one thousand ounces of unpolluted rubies, plus all the emeralds he could carry. The crooked cashier seemed OK with this, seeming to think that Spike wouldn’t be able to carry away more than the usual fine for larceny; and was... rather alarmed to learn that dragons could carry three times their own bodyweight. Spike left that store a very happy dragon; buried in sacks of emeralds that covered him like a giant, tasty suit of armor which was about three feet thick and jiggled when he laughed. He was doing this quite a lot; partially because he had food for the next three or four months, but mostly because of the memory of the zebra cashier’s face which he would cherish for centuries. When Spike got back to his room he set to work right away; there were 2,994 rubies and 135,634 emeralds. He counted out the best one of every ten gemstones into a separate pile to bring to the next migration; and then formed the rest into a very comfortable bed, lay down and slept. That had been about three days ago and he’d hardly moved since then, except to eat. It was now about two o’clock in the afternoon. Spike had reared up to stretch, looked out the window and realized he’d caught the attention of one adorable little zebra filly who’d been sucking on some sugar corn candy, waiting for her mother to finish talking to another mare. Her eyes grew wide as saucers when she saw him. Knowing he was probably the first dragon she seen in her life, Spike tried to make a good impression, giving a friendly, clawed wave, and smiling with an array of razor sharp teeth. The filly gave a small squeal and ran to hide between her mum’s legs; trying to warn her about the “dd-dd-dragion!” only to be hushed as he mother continued on her conversation. Slowly, the filly turned back to him, curiosity winning over fear. She took three tentative steps towards him, peering up at him through the window. Spike peered back. After a moment’s hesitation, the filly began focusing her magic and managed to hold out one of her candy sweets. Spike grinned; he aimed carefully and then shot out his tongue, snatching the treat out of midair from almost ten feet away, sending the filly jumping and then giggling with delight. A few moments later, the filly’s mother had checked a wrist-sundial; cursed slightly at the time and led Spike’s new friend away, who strained to get one last look at the dragon that cheerfully waved goodbye. That was enough activity for the day. Spike settled down for another nap, and had begun dreaming about jasper when the door burst open, shattering the peace of his dreams. Spike groaned, and looked up to see one of Shining Armor’s lieutenants Swift Kick charging into the room, reeking with adrenaline. “What’s happening?” Swift Kick told him everything, in short concise sentences; Twilight was in Timbucktoo, her kid was alive, controlling Twilight, and together they had nearly killed Shining Armor. Swift Kick and Spike needed to regroup with the others, but first, Princess Celestia needed to know what was happening; Spike scribbled out a note and sent it. He and Swift Kick took two steps toward the door before it exploded as a bolt of light tore through it, striking Swift Kick on his armored chest and sending him to the floor. On the other side of the broken door stood two unicorns. Spike checked to make sure Swift Kick was breathing, and then looked up, “Umm… Twilight... most people just knock.” “It’s just a stun spell.” Said Twilight, stepping in. “It was necessary.” Spike eyed the colt still standing in the doorway, his body tensing warily; Twilight stood in front of him smelling cold, holding herself together by willpower alone. “Spike” she said evenly, “Do you love me?” “Yes, of course.” “Then why did you betray me?” “I-I’m not sure what you mean.” “This is Obtrillion; he’s my son. You’ve known this entire time I was a mother, you knew what Celestia did to me, you knew how badly I wanted children, and you never told me where he was. Why?” “It wasn’t my fault. I never had a choice; they forced me to swear never to tell you anything.” Twilight swallowed, smelling angry; “Someone told me that you were there when Shining Armor massacred Zohan and his family; that you helped; is this true?” “No. Well yes, I was there, but I never killed anyone in my life. There was nothing I could do.” She nodded slightly, daring to have faith in him; “Shining Armor wants to kill my son, we need to leave … are you coming with us?” “What? No, Twilight you got this all messed up. Celestia loves you. Shining Armor loves you. None of this was ever meant to happen; it was all a huge mista-Paruap!” A scroll fell out of Spikes mouth and before he could grab it, Obtrillion had snatched it from him, he scanned it in a few seconds and then passed it to Twilight. Light was shining in through the doorway, so Spike could read the message backwards, but he didn’t need to. The reflection through Twilight’s eyes was infinitely more clear. Shining Armor; I prayed this day would never come, but if Twilight and her offspring are together then we must take action. I will send what reinforcements are appropriate and in the meantime I am authorizing you to use any and all measures necessary, save for open war with the Zaharren, to destroy The Nightmare Child and bring Twilight back to Equestria, where we will reform the mindlock. I’m counting on you. Twilight froze and read the message for a third time, struggling to comprehend it; meanwhile Spike bolted toward the open window, but a wall of red telekinesis stopped him and he crashed into his hoard. The scroll caught on fire, though Spike wasn’t sure if it was intentional or a result of Twilight gripping it too tightly. Twilight looked at him, lowered her horn, and charged a spell capable of ripping through his chest. “Are you with me… or against me?” Dear Princess Celestia Today I learned a very important lesson about friendship. I learned that no matter how much you do for your friends, family, mentor, and country; no matter how loyal you are and no matter how much you sacrifice; in the end they will murder your husband, steal your child, and erase your memory of ever having had either of them. They will take your only son and place him in an orphanage on the other side of the world, where he will never know love and be forced to compete in gladiator style fights to the death when he is just nine years old. If by some miracle you are reunited with your son, your friends, family and mentor will simply attempt to kill him, and then erase your memory a second time so that they can continue to exploit you for their own gain. I hate you and never want to see you again in my life. I hereby resign my professorship in your cursed school for gifted unicorns, where I regret every day I spent naively shaping innocent minds into puppets for your future use. I wish you a short life, and an agonizing death. If you ever try to track down me, or my son, I will kill you myself. Your former student Twilight Sparkle