//------------------------------//
// chapter 4 
// Story: Spike's wings 
// by valkyrie95 
//------------------------------//

	The morning had come, and Apple Jack and Apple Bloom were the first to wake up.  Apple Jack yawned as she walked to the cabin’s window to open the blinds.  Everypony snapped awake at the sudden burst of light.
“Rise and shine Everypony.”  Apple Jack said as the others stretched and yawned to get up.
“Why do we have to get up sooo early?”  Spike asked after letting out a big yawn.
“So we can eat before going on the hike.”  Twilight said.
“Well why do we have to hike so early?  I’m still tired.”  Spike said.
“Come on Spahk, dontcha whant ta see all the awesome things there are ta see?”  Apple Bloom asked Spike.
“Ok, ok I’ll get up.”  Spike said as he stood up stretching his arms, legs, and new wings.
“And maybe I could give ya a quick flying lesson after the hike.”  Rainbow Dash said
“Oooo, what about me Rainbow Dash?”  Scootaloo said egger and excited.
“Hmmm… your wings do seem to have grown some, you might be able to join the lesson.”  Rainbow Dash said as she got a good look at Scootaloo’s wings, which seem to have grown to the point where she could fold them in properly.
Everypony had finished their breakfast and were walking along the hiking trail.  Everypony was enjoying the scenery in silence until spike let out a loud burp.
“Oh Spike, must you do that?”  Rarity said disgusted.
“Sorry but breakfast was good.”  Spike said.
“Well you didn’t have to eat as fast as you did.”  Rarity said.
“Well you didn’t have to eat as slowly as you did.”  Apple Jack said to Rarity
“Sorry for not wanting to be a mess.”  Rarity replied
“We’re campin, ya don’t have ta be all neat and spiffy out here.”  Apple Jack said.  Rarity’s ony response was a huff as she trotted further ahead.
“So Spahk, how did ya sleep last night?”  Apple Bloom asked spike.
“I slept well.  I didn’t snore to much did I?”  Spike asked.
“Not at all actually.”  Apple Bloom replied.
“Really?  I usually snore quite a, WAAA!”  Spike said as he tripped and fell down the side of the hill they were walking along, he rolled down and fell into a bush.
“SPAHk!!”  Apple Bloom yelled chasing after him, despite her loud yell all the other ponies were out of hearing rang.  She ran down the hill and at the bottom was the bush; she pushed the branches and leaves out of the way to see a hole leading to a cave.
“Spahk, ya down there?”  Apple Bloom called.  She put her ear to the hole and listened, but all she got in response was a groan of pain echoing from the hole.  She then leapt down the hole.  When she got to the bottom it was pitch black dark.
“Spahk, spahk, where are ya?”  Apple Bloom called out.
“Over here.”  Spike replied as he breathed some fire to help light the way to where he was.  He had leaned himself against the wall of the cave.  Apple Bloom looked around in the pitch black darkness and could see a faint light down a tunnel.
“Spahk can ya walk?”  Apple Bloom asked.
“A little.”  Spike replied.
“Follow my voice and climb on my back, I’ll carry ya till ya can walk better.”  Apple Bloom said. Spike followed her voice till he got to here; he then climbed on her back.  Apple Bloom then started to walk towards the light at the end of the tunnel.  It took a while but they got close enough to be able to see more clearly.  Spike had turned himself around after seeing he had been sitting on Apple Bloom backwards.
“Let’s take a break I’m getting tired.”  Apple Bloom said sitting down next to where she had laid Spike.
“How long have we been down here?”  Spike said kicking his leg to see if was feeling better.
“Bout an hour ah think.  Should be around twelve now.”  Apple Bloom said panting the exhaustion of carrying Spike for an hour.
“I wonder if the others are looking for us.”  Spike said
“I’m sure they are.  Why wouldn’t they?”  Apple Bloom said.
“I don’t know.  I think im good to walk on my own now.  What about you?”  Spike asked.
“Maybe a bit longer.”  Apple Bloom said leaning her head on Spike’s shoulder.  Spike pulled hid bag off his back, trying not to bother Apple Bloom too much.  He pulled a “Y” shaped ocarina out and proceeded to play a soothing calm song.  Apple Bloom soon dozed off; Spike even lulled himself to sleep after a while.  When Spike woke up it was at least five hours later.  He nudged Apple Bloom to wake her up.
“Hay we fell asleep, we should get moving.”  Spike said.
“How long were we asleep?”  Apple Bloom asked as she got to her hooves, and after yawning.
“I don’t know, but we should get out of this cave, I’m getting hungry.”  Spike said.  The two started walking side by side towards the cave exit the light was coming from.  They came out of the cave to a part of the forest surrounded by tall trees and low bushes.
“Where are we?”  Apple Bloom asked
“I don’t know, I haven’t seen a place like this.”  Spike said.  He reached into his bag and pulled out the camping book he had brought along.
“Oh wait I’ve heard of this place.  These are redwood trees, biggest trees in all of equestrian.”  Spike read from the camping book.
“Can we find our way back from here?”  Apple Bloom asked.
“It says that they’re mainly found in two places on the edge of Fillydelphia, and five miles from Ponyville in the middle of the Everfree forest.”  Spike read.
“Five miles! That’ll take furever.”  Apple Bloom complained.
“Well we better go then before it gets to dark.  But priority one when we get back is a snack, then to learn to use my wings.”  Spike said as he put away the book.  They climbed to the top of the hill the cave exit was popping out from.  They started walking opposite from where the cave exit faced.  They walked for a while, passing tall redwoods and small bushes lining the ground around the trees.  Both their stomachs growled with hunger.  Apple Bloom was staring at bushes like they were delicious cakes from Sugar Cube Corner, and spike stared at rocks like precious gems.
“Spahk does your book say anythin about what plants are edible?”  Apple Bloom asked out of hunger.
“I don’t know, give me a second.”  Spike said taking his bag off and taking out the book.
“It says, there is a wide variety of plant life, most are harmless, and some are poisonous.  There is usually no danger in approaching plants, most are harmless and some are even good to eat, some examples are tall grass and small flowers.”  Spike read.  Apple Bloom looked around till she saw a small patch of tall grass, she rushed over to eat, her eyes widened when she saw that the small patch of grass was bigger than she first thought.  Spike didn’t prefer to eat grass, but he was starving as much as Apple Bloom.  He grabbed a handful of grass and choked it down.  He felt both disgusted and satisfied at the same time.  The two sat there eating until Spike had realized that it was darker.
“We need to find somewhere to sleep for the night.”  Spike said.
“What about there?”  Apple Bloom said pointing at the base of a nearby redwood with a hole in it big enough for them to climb in.  The two of them laid next to each other to stay warm thru the night.  They soon fell asleep to silence of the night.
The sun had risen, and Spike and Apple Bloom had woken up to see that the hollowed out tree base belonged to a family of timberwolves.  Trying not to make a sound they attempted to sneak away, but just before they were out Apple Bloom stepped on a twig.  The sound of the snapping twig was loud enough to wake the timberwolves; the timberwolves stared at them growling.  Spike and Apple Bloom quickly ran off being chased by the timberwolves.  Spike and Apple Bloom ran side by side, spike would use his tail to hit a timberwolve if it got to close every once in a while, and Apple Bloom would hop over tree roots if the got in her way.  They were chased out of the redwoods and back to where the Everfree forest looked like what they were used to seeing.  The timberwolves stoped chasing them at the edge of the redwood tree line.
“What were those?”  Spike said as he fell to the ground out of breath.
“Timberwolves.  They must live in the redwoods when it ain’t zap apple season.”  Apple Bloom said, also out of breath.  Spike who was lying on his back could see that that they had stopped under a wild apple tree.
“Hey look, apples!”  spike said pointing up.
“Ah didn’t think apples grew wild in the ever free forest.”  Apple Bloom said when she looked up into the tree.  Spike used his claws to climb up the tree to knock a few apples down.  Spike was able to knock down five before he lost his footing and fell, he flapped his wings franticly to try and slow the fall, but he still ended up landing face first into the ground.
“You alright Spahk?”  Apple Bloom asked.
“Yea I’m good.”  Spike said as he got up.  Both of them grabbed the closest apple to them and took a big bite.
“Mmmm.  So much better than any grass.”  Apple Bloom said.
“You said it.”  Spike said with a big grin.  They each ate two apples, so they were left with one.  Spike held up the last apple, and they both simultaneously took a bite from each side.  They enjoyed it for a second before they were startled by a voice coming from behind them.
“Awww, how cute.”  The two looked behind them to see that it was Pinkie Pie.
“Hay, over here.  I found them.”  Pinkie Pie yelled in the direction to her right.  Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo came running from behind a bush, Rarity followed slowly trying not to get dirty.
“Where are the others?”  Apple Bloom asked.
“Hay Rarity guess what, they were sharing an apple.”  Pinkie Pie said ignoring Apple Bloom’s question.
“Aww, that sounds just simply adorable.”  Rarity said.
“Really!  I told you they liked each other.”  Sweetie Belle said.
“You knew!  Why didn’t you say anything, you know love some juicy gossip.”  Rarity said.
“Well I didn’t know for certain, but….”  Sweetie Belle said before getting interrupted.
“HAY!  Where is everypony else?”  Apple Bloom said now that she had everyponys attention.
“Oh, they’re searching another part of the forest.”  Pinkie Pie said
“Please don’t say anything to Apple Jack or Big Mac, I don’t know how they’ll react, and I’m kind of scared to find out.”  Apple Bloom begged.
“You can trust me with a secret.”  Pinkie Pie said.
“Fine I won’t say anything, but you’ll have to tell them eventually.”  Rarity said.
“You know you can trust us.”  Scootaloo said for both her and Sweetie Belle.
“Thank you.”  Apple Bloom said relieved.  The group started walking along the trail Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Scootaloo, and Sweetie bell came from.
“So Spike, does Apple Bloom have anything to do with your wings, or did they really just grow?”  Rarity asked.
“Ah sure do, if it weren’t fur me he might not have them right now.”  Apple Bloom said for Spike.  Spikes face turned a little red at the statement.
“Does Twilight know?”  Pinkie Pie asked.
“I’d bet she has figured it out by now, she was there when Zecora told me how to get wings.  So I’m sure she figured it out when she saw me with wings.”  Spike said.
“I’ll go get the others, you go on.”  Pinkie Pie said hopping off as Rarity lead the fillies and Spike back into Ponyville.  Once back in Ponyville Spike and Apple Bloom raced to Sugar Cube Corner, craving food more than grass and apples, and for their first actual date.