Never Ending Fears

by Faith Everlasting

Untied Ribbons

ONE MONTH LATER

"Mrs. Smith, your payments are long overdue. Now, do you have the money or not?"

"Times are tough, Mr. Trotting, as I'm sure yer aware."

"You've said that almost three times already!"

"Mah grandchild got hurt and she was one of the soul providers of our family-"

"I know, and I'm very sorry to hear about her injury, but you need to pay your loans!"

...

"I'll give you three days."

Granny Smith watched as the despicable stallion left her home.

"Who does he think he is? Comin' into mah house and demandin' money that ah don't have!" Granny Smith walked over to the living room sofa and sat down on the worn cushions. She looked up at the portrait of her only daughter and her husband and sighed. "Ah promised ya I would take care ah them, Gala. But ah don't know what to do..." She placed her head in her hooves and allowed herself to cry for only a few moments.

Applejack watched her from the top of the stairs, but did not shed a tear. She was fresh out of tears left to cry. In fact, she hadn't cried in a month... at all! She didn't cry when somepony hurt her leg, she didn't cry when she watched Big Macintosh working in the fields, and she didn't cry when she woke up from her numerous nightmares.

She had turned to stone, refusing to let anything touch her again.

She didn't even cry when she continued to notice Spike's absence on the farm. She knew where he was going and even sent Apple Bloom to confirm her theories. Every time Apple Bloom returned, she came back with the same report.

"He was with Rarity today, sis. Why does it matter?"

A few times, though not many, Apple Bloom would say that Spike had gone to see Twilight since she had recently returned from Canterlot. Twilight came by to visit, but she didn't stay for long when Pinkie Pie showed up and (literally) dragged her to her 'Welcome Home' party at Sugar Cube Corner. Pinkie Pie had offered to wheel Applejack over, but she had refused each invitation.

Ah can't have any other ponies feelin' sorry fer me. She continued to tell herself when she watched her two good friends walk off towards the party.

Applejack laid her head down on her windowsill and watched the afternoon sunshine slowly creep down towards the horizon. Occasionally, she would glance to the side to see if Spike was taking his normal path 'home', but each time found an empty trail. She felt her heart go heavy when she thought of the dragon calling this farm his 'home'. This wasn't his 'home'! This was his prison!

Which is why Applejack knew that today was going to be one of the worst days of her life.

---

Spike was slowly walking down the dirt road towards his home, kicking a few loose pebbles every now and again to pass the time by. It had been a month now since Rarity had rejected him. He still remembered the sinking feeling in his gut when she had answered 'no' to his dating question.

Obviously, however, he kept trying and trying to win her affection as he went to see her everyday. Unfortunately, he soon found out that she had merely been using him to help her with chores and other related materials. HOW did he find out? He didn't quite know how himself.

Ever since he started growing his wings, he's felt... different. His attraction towards Rarity has lessened (though not by too much) and he no longer fawns over the ground she walks on. He felt... wiser.

Twilight eventually did an IQ test on him to try and determine why he was feeling different. Based on the results, Spike's IQ had gone from an 89 to a 142 in merely a few months!

"How is that possible?!" Spike had asked her as she frantically dug through all of her scrolls.

"I don't know, Spike! None of this makes any sense at all! I don't even know why you're growing!"

"I'm not getting greedy again, am I?"

"I don't think so..."

"Maybe I should go see Zecora. She seems to know a lot about these sort of things."

"Good idea! I'll go-" Twilight winced when she remembered all the work that she had to do and Spike merely shrugged his shoulders.

"Don't worry about it, Twilight, I'll go by myself."

"Sorry, Spike. I've just got SO much work to do!"

"I don't blame you. See you later!"

Spike spread out his wings and quickly flew out the door, leaving Twilight in a gawking stance. She still had not gotten used to the fact that Spike now had wings... and that he could fly!

Anywho, back to Spike!

He dashed through the Everfree forest and straight to Zecora's hut which had a strange red smoke seeping out of the open windows. Spike softly landed on the ground and approached the house, making sure that his nose was plugged so that he couldn't inhale any toxic fumes.

He opened the door slowly so as not to mess up the zebra, but Zecora looked up at him and smiled.

"Why, if it isn't my little Spike: my faithful dragon whom I do like."

"Zecora! It's good to see you!" Spike raced over to the pony and embraced her briefly before she pulled away in shock.

"But goodness me, what news you bring! For now I see that you have wings!"

"Yeah, I was kind of hoping you could explain that."

"And, oh my, you are bigger too! Come, let's see what I can brew."

Zecora walked over to her cauldron and tossed a few green herbs into the red mixture. Spike cautiously approached and looked inside to see what she was making.

"What is this, Zecora?"

"A little concoction for a friend; for him to drink so his leg will mend."

Spike froze and stared at the strange liquid.

"Could it possibly... I don't know..." Spike began.

"I know the question that's on your mind, but the answer you wish you will not find."

Spike hung his head and then got back to the matter at hand.

"So how will you figure out what's wrong with me?"

Zecora walked away from her cauldron and grabbed a stack of papers that she had placed on her shelf. She walked over to Spike and sat down, sorting the papers so that they each faced the same way. Spike sat down as well and waited for her to continue.

However, all Zecora did was hold up a picture of Rarity, then Twilight, then Apple Bloom, and then a few other ponies that Spike already knew. The final paper was a picture of Applejack.

When she had finished, Zecora stood up and sighed contently.

"What? Do you know what's wrong with me?"

"There is nothing for me to cure, for you are only becoming more mature."

"MORE MATURE?!" Spike screamed, looking over his body and wiping sweat from his forehead. "But why aren't I grabbing, stealing, throwing, or maiming anything?!"

"The first time that you started to grow, you only searched for things to stow. That is why you grew no wings for happiness comes not with diamond rings."

"Then what does it come with, Zecora?"

"A happy heart needs warmth and care, patience and a lot of prayer. When you care for somepony so, those effects cause your body to grow."

"So you're saying that I'm maturing because... I care for somepony?"

Zecora nodded her head.

"But who?"

"If you don't know, then I can't tell. On this, your own thoughts need to dwell."

"Could it be Rarity?"

"Is she truly what your heart desires? Does she make your heart catch fire?"

Spike pondered that question. He had never felt that feeling with Rarity... or anypony for that matter. He hit his head repeatedly to try and pound the answer out, but he only succeeded in making Zecora laugh.

"Zecora, I don't know!" The zebra approached the dragon and gave him a small hug before walking back to her cauldron and talking again.

"Thinking this way will only make your stomach ache. Why not go home and rest up, for your sake?"

Spike sighed and slumped to the ground.

"Maybe I should go home... but there are problems there, too."

Zecora walked back over to him and helped him to his feet.

"Perhaps the problems aren't there, but here." She placed her hoof on Spike's chest. "Now run on home to Applejack, dear." Spike nodded and left Zecora's hut with a heavy heart and a foggy head, but the zebra soon closed the door and smiled happily.

"Spike will now very soon see the fulfillment of his destiny."

---

Applejack sat on the farthest hill in her orchard and watched the sun go down. The bright crimson colors of the sunset reflected off of the tree's branches and carried a soft breeze. Her ponytail continued to smack her neck most irritably with each gust of wind, but Applejack didn't bother to mess with it.

"Beautiful day..." She muttered to herself. She sighed for a long time until she had no air left in her lungs, and then she stood to her three hooves and turned to face the opposite direction from the sunset. She already saw the dark sky start to take over and could've sworn that she saw a silhouette of Princess Luna outlined against the silvery moon.

"Applejack!"

She turned back around to see Spike running towards her, panting like an exhausted dog.

"I just went to see Zecora and she knew what was wrong with me!"

Applejack looked away from him and lowered her head.

"Ah know what's wrong with ya, too." Applejack murmured.

"You do?" Spike walked closer to Applejack and placed his hand on her back. She willingly sat down and faced the sunset once more, refusing to look Spike in the eye.

"Ya don't belong here."

Spike seemed to not have heard what she said as he untied Applejack's mane. The wind laced itself through the individual strands and made her mane flow like silk across her back and Spike's hand. He soon found himself stroking her hair and entwining a light pink rose through it as well.

Wait a minute... Spike thought when he glanced back to the rose. Where did that come from?

He merely shrugged his shoulders and continued to watch her mane flutter in the wind.

"Ya don't belong here." She said more loudly. This time, Spike heard.

"What do you mean, Applejack? This is my home!"

Applejack pulled her mane away from his grasp, snatching her untied ribbons along with it. Spike recoiled when she forced the hair bands from his hand and he took a few steps away from her.

"This ain't yer home! Ya belong with Twilight!"

Spike's heart almost stopped beating.

"But... Applejack-"

"Ya don't owe me a life debt, Spike! You've done more than enough!" She felt her eyes start to water, but ignored it.

"But you still need me!" He walked around to look at her, but only succeeded in seeing her eyes for a brief second before she turned the other way.

"You've got yer own problems, Spike. Ah don't want ya to have to deal with mine."

"But you need me!"

"I don't want you here no more!" Applejack stood up quickly and smashed her front hoof into the ground. Spike jumped back even further and shivered in fear. "Go home to Twilight! Go home to yer family!" She sniffled as hard as she could, trying to keep the tears from rolling down her face.

"Go home to Rarity..." Applejack looked over to Spike one final time and noticed that his eyes already had tears escaping from them. She felt a salty drop fall down her face as well, but then she started walking away.

"But..." Spike protested, reaching his hand out to stop her. But it was too late. She was gone.

Spike's heart felt like it was shriveling up and he sat down on the hard grass to cry. He wrapped his wings around his body and slowly rocked back and forth, back and forth.

"A happy heart needs warmth and care, patience and a lot of prayer. When you care for somepony so, those effects cause your body to grow."

Spike looked up from his crying as he remembered the words Zecora had spoken.

"Perhaps the problems aren't there, but HERE. Now run on home to Applejack, dear."

"Home to Applejack..." Spike muttered. He remembered seeing the papers Zecora had held up and feeling his heart jump with each new face he saw. But then he remembered what happened when he saw Applejack's picture: his heart warmed up. He felt... pleasant.

"Home to Applejack... home to Applejack..." Spike gazed off in the direction where Applejack had left. "My home may not be Sweet Apple Acres, but home is where the heart is."

His head shot up at those words and he jumped back onto his feet.

"I've got to go get her back! To tell her..." He sighed in contentment. "... that I love her!"

He quickly raced after Applejack, singing a lovestruck tune as he ran.

Author's Note:

Just to answer all of your questions:

Yes, Spike DID forgive Twilight eventually, but that's not a main focus of this story so I left it out.

No, Spike is not maturing sexually as many of you might think. When a person is in love, they soon begin to feel the effects of it and start to act more responsibly (at least in all of the cases I'm aware of).

Comments

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That moment when the movie your family is watching matches the story perfectly as you read it so it makes you cry even more curse u sad doctor who music