Spike hustled through the Everfree Forest as fast as his stubby little legs could carry him. His scaly brow was set in determination as he ran along the beaten path. He was a dragon on a mission. In his claws, he carried a brown pouch, the contents of which were for a certain Princess of Friendship back in Ponyville. His reptilian eyes occasionally darted back and forth, scanning the foliage for anything out of the ordinary.
All the while, his mind replayed the events of the previous evening.
= = = Last night = = =
Spike anxiously paced beside Twilight's bed, his wide eyes barely leaving the alicorn's prone form. Every couple minutes, he would climb onto the bed and place his finned ear against her chest, her heartbeat and the feel of her chest rising and falling reassuring him that she had not left him. She hadn't woken up since losing consciousness; the little drake had frantically written a letter to Princess Celestia almost immediately after that, and kept constant vigil while he waited. The intense glow around Twilight's horn had slowly faded over time until it finally snuffed out, but that did little to alleviate Spike's panicked state, as she remained unresponsive.
He was in the process of checking her heartbeat again, when the sound of her balcony doors swinging open caused him to nearly jump out of his skin. He whipped around to see a shadowy silhouette in the open doorway. Instinctively, he clenched his little fists and bared his teeth, ready to fight the intruder to protect his big sister.
“Calm yourself, young Spike, it is only me.”
The calm, familiar voice snapped Spike out of his frantic state. As the dark figure walked into the room, their features slowly became visible. The small dragon's anxiety gave way to elation as he recognized the midnight blue coat and starry mane.
“Princess Luna!” Spike ran toward and practically tackled the alicorn, wrapping his arms around her neck in a fierce hug as he spoke a-mile-a-minute. “I'm so glad to see you! Twilight was thrashing and screaming in pain and her horn was glowing so bright and then she fainted and I couldn't wake her up and I was scared and I didn't know what to do and– ”
“Shhhh, it is all right, Spike,” Luna said soothingly, gently stroking the spines on his head with her hoof to calm him. “Twilight is going to be okay. I am here to help her.”
“Oh, thank you!” Spike replied, the relief in his voice palpable. A couple seconds later, his eyes widened when he realized he still had his arms around the dark alicorn. He quickly unlatched himself from her, a light blush dusting his cheeks. “I-I'm sorry, your Highness,” he apologized, anxiously tucking his claws behind his back and averting his eyes to the floor.
Luna giggled at this, lightly patting him on the head. “There is no need for apologies, Spike,” she assured him. She walked towards Twilight's bed, Spike following a second later. “You are concerned for Twilight. She is fortunate to have such caring friend like you.”
“Aw, shucks, Princess,” Spike said bashfully, the bright red color returning to his cheeks at her praise. He then shook his head, returning to the situation at hand. “So, do you have any idea what's happened to Twilight?”
“Yes,” she answered. She reached the side of the bed and placed her forelegs onto the mattress, putting herself closer to the unconscious alicorn. “I will explain it to you both once I've revived her.”
Luna leaned forward, placing the tip of her horn against Twilight's. She then she closed her eyes and summoned her magic, her horn enveloped in it's blue aura. Spike, meanwhile, climbed up onto mattress to see, staying close to the foot of the bed and trying not to make a sound, so as not to interrupt the princess. He fidgeted nervously, watching as the blue magic from Luna's horn began to funnel into Twilight's horn, bathing it in a gentle glow.
After a few minutes, Luna pulled her head back, the light of her horn fading as the spell ended. She opened her eyes and watched the glow around Twilight's horn dim and eventually fade away. Silence overtook the room, neither the Night Princess or the little dragon saying a word as they waited. For Spike, the silence was almost unbearable; he anxiously wrung his claws, waiting on bated breath for a sign, any kind of sign that Twilight would wake up soon.
Finally, the young alicorn's face scrunched up, a groan escaping her lips. Slowly, purple eyes blinked open, staring up at the ceiling. A couple seconds later, they shifted to the side and locked onto a pair of blue eyes.
“Greetings, Twilight,” Luna spoke, a caring smile on her face. “How are you feeling?”
“Princess Luna?” Twilight croaked, slowly pushing herself into a seated position. She gently rubbed her eyes to clear them. “What's going on?”
“Twilight!”
The lavender alicorn barely caught a glimpse of a purple and green blur before it crashed into her with enough force to nearly knock the air out of her lungs. She looked down to see Spike pressed up against her chest, his arms around her in a crushing hug. Her fur was quickly getting soaked from the tears running down his face.
“You're okay!” he sniffled.
Confused by the trembling drake's behavior, Twilight looked to Luna.
“Spike was most distressed by your condition,” she explained.
Twilight wasn't sure what she was talking about at first, but after a few seconds, a look of realization crossed her face. “I remember now,” she said. “I woke up, feeling the worst pain I've ever felt in my life. It felt like my horn was melting off. I guess I blacked out?”
Luna nodded. “Spike wrote to Celestia for our help when you lost consciousness. I flew here, post haste, to aid you.”
“I-I didn't know what else to do, Twilight,” Spike hiccuped as he clung to her. “I was so... s-scared.”
“Oh, Spike,” whispered Twilight, tenderly taking her little brother into her forelegs, holding him close. “It's okay, Spike. I'm okay, now. Please, don't cry. I'm okay.” She continued to hold him as he quietly sobbed, gently rocking him back and forth, whispering words of comfort to him, while Princess Luna quietly watched.
After a couple minutes, Spike's crying subsided. He pulled back enough to look up at Twilight with misty eyes, a few stray tears running down his cheeks. With a maternal smile, Twilight gently wiped them away with her hoof, before placing a kiss on his forehead.
“You did good, Spike,” she said, nuzzling him affectionately. “You did very good.”
Feeling better with her assurance and her ministrations, Spike smiled as he rubbed his eyes to clear the remaining tears. He then turned to Luna. “Thank you, Princess,” he said gratefully.
“Always happy to help my friends,” replied Luna, giving him a warm smile. She then turned her attention to Twilight. “You are feeling well now, Twilight?” she asked.
Twilight nodded with a grateful smile of her own. “Yes, I am. Thank you, Luna.” She then frowned. “But what exactly happened to me? I've never felt anything so painful before.”
“There was a massive magical anomaly in the Everfree Forest tonight,” Luna explained. “There have been several similar occurrences in Equestria over the centuries; a powerful surge of energy that assaults and overwhelms an alicorn's senses.” She gave Twilight a sympathetic look. “Given your close proximity to the forest, and considering you've only been an alicorn for a short while, it is only natural that you would be greatly affected by the surge.”
Twilight processed what she just heard. “So, you're saying that only alicorns can feel this anomaly.” Her eyes widened, and she looked at Luna with worry. “All alicorns? Does that mean you felt it, too? Are you okay? What about Princess Celestia? Is she-”
“Calm yourself, Twilight,” Luna gently interrupted, holding up her hoof to forestall more questions. “Yes, my sister and I have also felt the surge, but we are fine. In my case, it left me with an intense migraine. Celestia was more or less unharmed by it. She has traveled to the Crystal Empire to check on Cadance. She will come to see you when she is finished there.”
Twilight breathed a sigh of relief after hearing Luna's assurance, but then her eyes widened a bit when her sister-in-law was mentioned. “You mean Cadance could have felt this, even all the way in the Crystal Empire?” she questioned, astonishment evident in her voice. “What could have caused such a powerful surge in the first place?”
“My sister has a theory on that,” answered Luna. She gave both Twilight and Spike a serious look, one that sent a foreboding chill down their spines. “Listen carefully, for it is most likely that you, and your friends, will soon encounter something that neither you, nor Equestria, has ever encountered before.”
Luna proceeded to tell the two of the anomaly that occurred earlier that night. She spoke the thoughts of her sister, of a mysterious new arrival from beyond the stars, and she expressed her concerns for its purpose in Equestria, whether it be for good or bad. Less than an hour later, Celestia appeared in Twilight's bedroom, happy to see her former student doing well before confirming what her younger sister had told them earlier. She informed them that Cadance did feel the surge in the Crystal Empire, but aside from a minor headache, the Princess of Love was fine.
Afterwards, the Sun Princess offered to stay for awhile to keep an eye on Twilight until she returned to sleep, while Luna returned to Canterlot to finish her nightly duties. It took time to coax Twilight into going back to sleep, on account she was now excited by the prospect of getting to do some research on what she had just heard. Eventually, though, with the insistence from her mentor that researching could wait until morning, the younger alicorn nestled under her covers, and sooner than expected, she was once again reclaimed by sleep.
While relieved that his guardian was sleeping peacefully now, Spike was reluctant to return to his slumber, still shaken by what happened before. Like with Twilight, Celestia comforted the young dragon with gentle words of assurance, until finally he relented. However, instead of returning to his room, he crawled under the covers and snuggled up against Twilight chest, which caused the young princess to unconsciously wrap her forelegs around him and pull him closer. After a few minutes of listening to the reassuring sound of her heartbeats, Spike, too, eventually fell asleep.
= = = The Present = = =
Spike shook his head, returning to the here and now. He let his eyes wander to and fro again as he kept running, remembering what the princesses told him. A visitor from outer space. A part of him was excited about the prospect. It reminded him of the aliens he would read about in his comics. Then again, those aliens weren't really the “I come in peace” sort; they were more the “Invade your world/eliminate civilization/dissect and harvest your organs while you're still alive” sort.
He cast another quick, yet cautious glance around without breaking his stride.
Seeing nothing, his mind returned to last night. Specifically, to the uncomfortable feeling he experienced last night. Seeing Twilight in pain like that, and being unable to do anything to help her, besides writing a letter to Celestia, left a hollow feeling in the pit of his stomach.
He felt... helpless.
It was a feeling he wasn't used to, and he didn't like it. From the time he was hatched, Twilight was there for him. She raised him, taught him things, took care of him. As he grew, he was also there for her, helping her out with her studies, cooking, cleaning, always being there for her when she needed him. Last night, she needed help, and he failed to give it.
So, that morning, he intended to do what he could to make up for it. True to her nature, as soon as they woke up, Twilight immediately set to begin researching. And there he was, her Number One Assistant, eagerly preparing her breakfast, fetching the books she asked for, getting her quill, ink and scrolls; whatever she needed, he happily got it for her, no hesitation.
Which brought Spike to currently traversing through the Everfree Forest. Upon discovering that they had run out of her favorite herbal tea, he quickly volunteered to travel to Zecora's to get more. At first, Twilight was reluctant to let him go into the forest, given what the princesses warned them of last night. After the baby dragon insisted he would be careful, and promising to go to Zecora's place and come straight back, the alicorn finally relented. True to his word, Spike speedily made his way down the familiar path to the zebra's hut in record time. After a brief visit between the two, the young drake left, herbs in claw. Almost halfway to Ponyville by now, Spike was imagining the happy look on Twilight's face when he returned in success.
So engrossed in his imagination, he barely noticed when a shadow passed overhead. He did hear the sound of air swooshing. Just as he lifted his head to investigate, something large landed in front of him. Crying out is shock, Spike immediately came to halt, but while his feet stopped, the rest of body continued forward, making him smack face-first into the ground. As he pushed himself up onto his knees, wiping the dirt off his face with one claw while still holding the tea pouch in the other, a voice reached his ears.
“Well, well, look at what we got here.”
Spike opened his eyes and looked up at the owner of the voice. It was a dragon, twice as tall as a pony, covered in red scales, with a yellow underbelly. It had a pair of yellow wings, and an orange crest atop its head. The young drake's eyes widened when he realized that he knew this dragon.
“Check it out, boys,” said Garble, sneering at little dragon. “It's Spike... the little pony.”
As he said this, there were a series of thuds all around Spike. He looked around to find that five more teen dragons had landed. He recognized them as the ones he met when he joined the Great Dragon Migration. And, to his growing dismay, they currently had him surrounded.
“H-hey, Garble, guys, what's up?” Spike said, giving them a nervous smile. “Long time no see. What are you doing here?”
“Oh, just out on a mid-morning dragon raid with the guys.” Garbles eyes narrowed. “You remember those, don't ya? Considering you botched up the last one we took you on.”
“Oh, you remember that,” Spike muttered. He started side-stepping, hoping to reach one of the gaps between the dragons so he could make a break for it. He didn't get far though, the skinny purple dragon with shaggy blond hair covering his eyes leaned down to block his path, baring his sharp teeth with a growl. Spike shuffled back to the center, chuckling weakly as he returned his attention to the leader. “Heh, well, you know how it goes; you win some and lose some.”
“Yeah, but I. Don't. Like. Losing,” Garble snarled, each word laced with venom.
“Oh, come on, Garble,” Spike said, trying desperately to placate the irate dragon. “That was a long time ago. We're all reasonable reptiles here. Surely we can put it behind us; you know, let bygones be bygones?”
The little drake was starting to sweat. The dragons around him were slowly advancing on him, tightening the circle and cutting off any chance of escape. They bared their teeth and flexed their claws, all the while emitting threatening growls and snarls. Things were not looking good.
Suddenly, Garble held his claws up, motioning for the others to stop. He then put a claw to his chin as his face adopted a thoughtful look, confusing his cohorts. Spike was a little confused, too, but at the same time, he felt an inkling of hope that he might just get out of this in one piece. A minute later, Garble looked down at him with a smile.
“Sure, Spike,” he said with a jovial tone. “I guess I can put it behind us.”
Spike released the breath he'd been holding in a relieved sigh. He started to smile when Garble held out his claw to him, palm turned up.
“Just hand over that pouch of yours, and then I'll consider it.”
The little dragon immediately blanched. He instinctively tightened his grip on the pouch while taking a small step away from the teen dragon. He racked his brain, trying to come up with a way to get out of this without handing it over.
“This?” He asked, pointing to the object in question. He then scoffed while waving his free claw dismissively. “Oh, this just a bunch of leaves and things. You know, pony stuff. You wouldn't want it.”
“Actually, I do want it,” replied Garble. “Think of it as a trade for that phoenix egg you took from us. Now, fork it over.”
“No!” Spike snapped angrily, holding the pouch close to his chest as he took another step back from the red dragon. “This is for Twilight. She had a tough time last night, and she's counting on me to bring it to her. And I'm not going to let you have it!”
“What did you say?” asked Garble, narrowing his eyes.
“I said NO!” Spike yelled.
“You know, Spike, I remember you saying something like that to me before,” Garble commented with an almost casual tone. When he spoke again, it came out as a snarl. “Looks like you forgot what I told you back then; no one says “no” to me.” He slowly stomped towards the baby dragon, cracking his knuckles. “Well, this time, I get to pound that lesson into you.”
Consumed by fear, Spike quickly started backing away from teen dragon. He only got a few steps before he bumped into something. He looked up to see the brown-scaled, heavyset dragon, who had a cruel smile on his face. With his path blocked, Spike helplessly turned back to look up at his tormentor, swallowing the lump in his throat with an audible gulp.
Godzilla aimlessly walked through the forest at a leisurely pace. Having no idea where he was, or how he got there, he had no real destination. So, he just walked, keeping his eyes open for anything that might give him some clue to his whereabouts.
On the upside, the endless wandering had given the kaiju time to get used to his new body. He now walked seamlessly, no longer stumbling over himself, nor did he have to consciously think about his movements. It had become second nature to him.
This allowed Godzilla to think about his current situation. He concentrated, trying to remember back to the time of his near death. He recalled his body melting, his last conversation with Miki, the memories she shared with him, and then... nothing.
Godzilla snorted in frustration. No matter how hard he tried, he could not remember what happened when he blacked out. He should be dead, but instead, something, or someone, had saved him from death, altered his body, and brought him to... wherever here was.
But why?
He shook his head, banishing all the troubling thoughts for now. Instead, he decided to take in scenery; he had to admit it was a little disconcerting actually traversing under the treeline, rather than tower over it. Yet, at the same time, it was interesting to see these things, which have been literally beneath his notice, up close. The trees, the bushes, the rocks, even the creatures scurrying around; it all seemed familiar to him.
However, it was also different. It was more than just his diminished size, every sight and sound gave off an unusual sensation that the kaiju could not figure out. Even the air had a strange scent to it.
But what really caught Godzilla's attention was the feeling he got as he continued to take in his surroundings. It was a familiar, yet almost foreign feeling that brought a sense of nostalgia. It brought forth memories from his past, memories of his life before his mutation, of simpler times before his encounter with humanity. More recent memories came to the forefront of his mind; the time he spent with Junior on Birth Island, before he had inadvertently destroyed his home.
It hit Godzilla like a lightning strike. He knew what this feeling was. It was one that he had almost given up on experiencing again. It was–
His musing was interrupted by a new sound that crossed his ears. It was coming from the trees a few meters ahead of him. The kaiju tensed, baring his teeth in a grimace. That wasn't the sound of any small woodland creature. It was the sound of laughter.
Humans, Godzilla thought with contempt. From the memories that Miki had shared with him, he knew that they were the only beings that could make that noise of amusement.
He stood in place, contemplating what to do. From the sound of it, there were quite a few of them ahead of him. If he revealed himself to them, they might either run from him or try to attack him. If the latter happened, then he would fight; he was not, by any means, afraid of humans, nor did he ever back down from battle. But, despite his dislike for humans, he did not attack needlessly. Plus, his body was smaller now. While he was sure he could take them if need be, he might be more susceptible to harm, and he wasn't sure if he still retained any of his abilities.
He turned to go the other way, deciding to play it safe for the time being. He barely took a step before he suddenly stopped. He cast a glance back toward the bushes, gripped by curiosity. He had never actually seen what humans looked like up close. When he was bigger, he couldn't tell the difference between them; they were all insects to him. Now, he was probably around the same size as them. This was a chance to see how they differed from each other, if they did at all.
I suppose I could just peek through the branches, the kaiju reasoned. With his decision made, Godzilla made his way to the thick vegetation, walking slowly to keep from making too much noise. Thankfully, the humans' laughter didn't die down at all, indicating that they remained unaware of his approach. Once he reached the trees, he eased his head through the branches, trying not to rustle the leaves too much. He kept pushing through until his eyes cleared the foliage. There, in the middle of a clearing, he spotted the...
The kaiju blinked in bewilderment.
Instead of a group of humans that he had been expecting, Godzilla saw what looked like a group of dragons. He quickly surmised they were dragons because of their similarities to the three-headed golden dragon he fought several years ago. They had wings, claws, and spikes, but that's where the resemblances ended. Each dragon was a different shape and size, and they were all a mix of different colors.
Godzilla brought his attention to the center of the rough circle they formed. In the middle of them stood a tall red dragon; judging from his build and the way he carried himself, that one must have been the alpha male of the group. He was standing over a smaller dragon that Godzilla's hadn't noticed until now. This one had purple and green scales, but unlike the rest, he didn't have wings. Given the spines on his head and back did not looked fully developed yet, the kaiju surmised that this one was an infant. Upon closer inspection, Godzilla noticed that the little drake had various scratches and bruises all over his body, and he was holding something tightly in his claws.
Suddenly, the red dragon spun around, striking the little one with his tail, sending him tumbling along the ground. Though stunned, he quickly got to his feet and ran from his attacker, trying to get outside of the circle. It didn't get far, however, as a pale white dragon with pink spines grabbed him by his tail and tossed him back into the center, where he received more rough treatment from the alpha.
A frown formed on Godzilla's lips as he watched. This wasn't right. When they were young, members of his species would practice fighting each other to help improve their strength and skills as they grew. This wasn't a fight; the little dragon wasn't really trying to fight back; instead, he was trying to get away. And it wasn't hunting behavior. The leader had plenty of chances to go for the kill and put the small one out of his misery. Instead, he was toying with the poor thing.
The converted kaiju scowled in disgust. These dragons weren't behaving like creatures should; they were abusing one of their own kind for amusement, laughing at his pain.
They were behaving like humans.
Having seen enough, Godzilla decided it was time to move on. While he felt pity for the little dragon, he was not one to go out of his way to help something that was not of his kind. Just as he was about to pull his head out of the branches, he cast one last glance at the young one, who was lying on the ground, his face contorted in pain. This made the kaiju pause; despite having made his decision, something about the little reptile kept him rooted in place.
Suddenly, in his mind's eye, the small drake's visage slowly changed. Purple scales and a green underbelly were replaced with forest green scales and a dull yellow underbelly; the green spines atop his head and down the back became gray in color; the last thing to change were the eyes, from light green to brownish-gold.
Godzilla's eyes widened. The little dragon's appearance became that of his son, the way he looked back when it was still the two of them on Birth Island. The monster king blinked, and in that instant, the image of his son was once again that of the tiny purple dragon.
He didn't leave. Instead, his eyes narrowed and his lips curled back, revealing his fangs as a low growl resonated in his throat.
+ + + + + +
Spike let out a pained groan as he used his free claw to push himself off the ground; the other was still clutched tightly around the bag that he had been protecting throughout the fight. Although, looking back, he couldn't really call it a fight, but rather a one-sided beating. Oh, he did take a couple swings at the larger dragon when he could, but none of them ever landed, and for every one he threw, Garble would answer back with ten shots. Most of the time, the little drake tried to make a break for it, but was always roughly pushed back into the fray by one of the others, and the process would repeat itself.
A yelp escaped Spike's lips when Garble suddenly grabbed him by his back spines and hoisted him off the ground, holding at his eye level. The red dragon just clicked his tongue and shook his head. “Tsk, tsk, tsk. This is just sad, Spike,” he mockingly admonished. “I mean, I figured you'd put up more of fight. But then again, I guess I shouldn't hope for much when you hang around with those weak... namby... pamby... ponies,” he said, putting emphasis on the last few words while jabbing his index claw roughly into Spike's forehead with each word. The other dragons burst into laughter again, shouting words of agreement with their leader's last statement.
“So, I'll be taking that bag now.” While still holding Spike with one claw, he grabbed the pouch with the other. He leisurely pulled it towards himself, when it was suddenly jerked from his grip by Spike, who pulled the bag close to his chest and held it there with both claws. Surprised at first by the action, Garble grabbed the bag again and gave it a harder tug, but it refused to budge. “Come on, runt, let go!” he growled, growing frustrated with the little dragon's stubbornness. With each tug, he started snapping: “Give... it... to... me!”
Spike had his eyes shut tight, gritting his teeth as he maintained his death grip on the bag. He started trembling. He was suddenly feeling angry; angry at the dragons for laughing at his pain, angry at Garble for his insult of Twilight and the others, and angry at himself for letting himself get into this mess. That feeling of helplessness from last night started to creep over him, and that made him even angrier.
Finally, he just snapped.
His eyes shot open, and with a growling scream, he shot his head forward and sank his fangs into Garble's claw.
The red dragon's eyes widened at the small drake's sudden action, and he cried out in pain when felt Spike's teeth actually pierce his scales and puncture the soft flesh underneath. Garble immediately started pulling on Spike's back spines, trying to pull the little dragon off of him, but that only served to sink Spike's fangs even deeper. He then released his hold on Spike's back and swung his arm wildly, trying to fling the baby dragon off. But Spike's jaws were like a steel trap, keeping him latched onto Garble's claw and hanging on for dear life. All the while, he kept both his claws wrapped securely around the pouch. In addition to flinging his arm, Garble started hitting Spike in the head with his fist, eliciting a pained grunt from the purple dragon with each punch. This went on for a moment, until finally, with a roar, Garble flung his arm down hard and successfully freed his claw, sending Spike slamming onto the ground with bounce.
Garble stood there for a moment, panting from the exertion. The rest of the dragons were silent, gaping in shock at what just happened. After catching his breath, the red dragon looked down at his damaged claw; a few scales were missing, and there was a small trail of blood coming from the wound. The bite was mildly painful, but what hurt more was Garble's pride at having been caught by the sneak attack, and being humiliated in front of his gang.
Gnashing his teeth in anger, Garble returned his attention to Spike, who was trying to push himself off the ground. “Why, you little...” he growled, bringing a clawed foot up and slamming it down on the little dragon's head, forcing him back to the ground. “That was a big mistake,” he snarled as he pushed down on Spike's head more forcefully, eliciting painful whimpering from the young drake. “I was going to let you go back to your little pony pals after I took that bag from you. But that little stunt of your just bought an extra beating. You may be purple and green right now, but when I'm through with you, you're gonna be permanently black and blue!” With that, Garble removed his foot from Spike's head. But before the baby dragon could take a breath to sigh in relieve, the teenaged drake used that same foot to deliver a kick that knocked Spike out of the dragons' circle and bouncing along the ground until he stopped several feet away on his back.
Groaning, Spike shakily sat up, holding a claw to his throbbing head, while the other remained clasped tightly around his pouch. At the growing sound of growls and snarls, he looked up to see Garble stomping towards him, giving him a glare that promised more pain. The rest of the dragons fell in behind him, following his lead and giving the little drake menacing stares. The anger that Spike had felt before disappeared without a trace; it was replaced with a growing fear.
The baby dragon crawled backwards, keeping the older drakes in his sight. His legs pushed him along the ground as fast as they could, but, unfortunately, Garble and the others were closing in on him at a quicker pace. Tears started to gather in the corners of his eyes as he saw his impending doom approaching. Spike silently prayed that somepony was going to come to his rescue, that Twilight, and the rest of his friends would appear any second and save the day, just like last time.
He was faintly aware of a rustling of leaves behind him, but he kept his eyes on the dragons, who suddenly stopped, and their looks of murder were replaced with ones of surprise. Spike felt a sliver of hope in his heart. Had his prayer been answered?
THOOM!
Spike froze when he heard, and felt, something heavy impact the ground right behind him. Turning away from the gaping dragons, he looked over his shoulder to see a huge, hoof a few inches behind him. And it was huge; it was almost twice the size of Big Macintosh's! Out of the corner of his eye, Spike saw the leaves on a bush shift, and a second later, the large hoof was soon joined by a second, equally massive hoof, making as much an impact in the dirt as the former. Slowly, the little dragon craned his neck back, lifting his gaze and taking in more of this unusual phenomenon. Both hooves were attached to a pair of charcoal-gray forelegs, which were almost the size of tree trunks, and those, in turn, were connected to a very broad barrel. As his eyes continued their ascent up the thick neck, Spike's jaw started to descend as they got to the head of, undoubtedly, the biggest stallion the young drake had ever seen.
The enormous equine in question, who had been initially looking at Garble and his gang, tilted his head down to look at Spike, giving the little reptile a chance to take in more of his features. Contrast to the dark color of his coat, his mane was light gray, and the hair was slicked back, almost giving it the appearance of rows of spines. He had a short beard of the same color that almost completely encompassed his mouth and ran along his jawline. Protruding from his mouth were a pair of white fangs, which gave Spike pause; ponies weren't supposed to have sharp teeth... right?
The question was quickly forgotten when Spike finally settled on the stallion's golden eyes. While most ponies eyes were bright and vibrant, these eyes seemed to blaze with an inner fire. The young dragon felt a shiver run through him, as if he could feel a tremendous power behind those eyes. Unable to stop himself, Spike uttered two words in awe of this behemoth.
“Holy guacamole.”