The Origin Chronicles Vol. 1

by SmokeShadow95

Ch.11 Home Again

Spike's train ride was fairly uneventful. He went back to an empty cabin every once in a while to call Smoke Shadow. He had been busy gathering up whatever information he could on Galeek's arrival. He knew it was coming. He knew before Spike had his nightmare, but that just confirmed it. Because of this Spike had not spoken with him in months. It would be nice to catch up with him.

The Night Calling Mirror was used once again. Spike called him up and they talked for a while. Spike told of what happened at the ice farm. The Black Dragon attacked, but Spike fought it to defeat. Shadow was impressed. Spike was using his instincts to adapt to the situation as needed. He learned fast the ways of dragon magic. Then he told Shadow of his plans to meet with the princess's. Shadow did not agree with Spike's plan, at first. Spike was able to convince him. It was logic. The only ones that knew Galeek was coming was them two. Galeek threatened the entire land of Equestria. Therefore, all the princess's of Equestria should be warned about it. Shadow eventually gave in to Spike. There was not talking him out of this. He could be quite stubborn sometimes. A trait that Shadow admired most of the time. Shadow formed a plan with a Spike for whenever the meeting was to take place. After they were done talking, Spike moved back up to his seat in the front of the train. He took a nap. He needed his rest.

Spike woke up from his nap as the train was pulling into Ponyville. He was here. Finally, after all this time. After all his time away, he was back. Spike was back home. He slung his backpack over one shoulder and headed out into town. He didn't get very far when he saw some familiar faces. All his friends were there to greet him. Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie. Twilight was not there. Spike wondered why. He figured that she of all ponies would be there to welcome him home. But he was still very happy to see the others. They were all amazed to see how big he had grown.

“Why, you grew faster than a bushel of apples in Granny Smith's special fertilizer, Spike,” Applejack said.

Spike laughed. He hadn't heard anything like that for a long while. Applejack was always full of little sayings like that. He had missed it. He had also missed all the baked apple goods that she made.

“Yes, and you got a new coat,” Rarity said, “And a dreadful one at that. Just plain black. That was out of season four season's ago. Although you do pull it off, Spike. I will just have to make you another one.”

That was Rarity for you. She insults your outfit, compliments you for wearing it, and then insists on making something better. Spike did not object to that. The coat he was wearing was made for cold weather work. He quickly stripped it off and stashed it in his backpack. He put on his PAD coat instead. It was much more breathable.

“Is that my coat,” Rarity said with shock, “What have you done to it?”

“Nothing,” Spike said as he showed Rarity's coat, “I would never dare to try and change one your creations.”

Spike and Rarity both smiled and he put the small coat back.

“Glad to see my favorite dragon buddy,” Rainbow Dash said, “I haven't had anypony to show off my awesomeness too since you went away.”

Spike doubted that very much. As long as the Cutie Mark Crusaders were around Rainbow Dash would never not have fans to show off too. Those fillies basically worshiped her. Especially Scootaloo.

“I'm so very happy you're back, Spike,” Fluttershy said with her usual soft tone, “Even Angel and all his animal friends missed you.”

Spike always like Fluttershy. She was nice to him from the first day he and Twilight arrived in Ponyville. She barely squeaked at Twilight but burst with joy when she saw Spike the baby dragon. She was always kind in general, too.

“Aaaahhhh! We should so totally throw you a welcome back to Ponyville party,” Pinkie Pie shouted with her normal cheerfulness.

She was always hyper and active. She never stopped smiling. Her smile almost literally infected others with a good mood and a smile. She was always able to get Spike to smile and that day was no different.

“That would be so awesome,” Spike said, “But first I would like to talk to Twilight. Where is she?”

All the other ponies said nothing at first. They nervously fidgeted and played with their hooves. None of them would look at Spike and they even went so far as to avoid looking at each other. Rainbow Dash contemplated flying away. But she didn't. It was finally Applejack who spoke up.

“Twilight hasn't really been the same since you been gone,” She said.

“She seemed fine for the first week or so,” Fluttershy added, “I think.”

“Yes, but then she got all quiet and moody,” Rarity said, “And then she locked herself away in that library like a drama queen.”

“Ain't no pony barely got a look at her since then,” Applejack stated.

“Although, every now and then, some say she could be seen flying off into the Everfree Forest,” Rainbow dash told Spike.

“I better go and talk to her,” Spike said.

“Okey-dokey,” Pinkie Pie replied, “But be careful. Last time I tried knocking on her all I got was the quiet game. At this rate Twilight probably has the highest score of anypony.”

Spike asked if they could watch his backpack for him. Applejack took it and was greatly surprised by how much it weighed. How much stuff did he have in there, and what was it? Rocks? She was able to get it, though and the ponies went to get something to eat. It was nearing lunch time and Sugarcube Corner was close by.

Spike stood in front of Twilight's door. From the outside everything looked fine. There didn't seem to be anything wrong. But that was just the outside. Spike raised a hand and knocked on the door. Nothing. He put his ear to the door. Still nothing. He tried knocking again. Harder this time. Again, he listened. Again, he heard nothing. Where was she? If he knocked any harder then he would break the door down. That would have been really bad. He looked down in disappointment. It seemed he would not be talking to Twilight today. He started sulking off when he heard the sound of hoofsteps above him. Twilight must have been away and just landed on her small balcony. He looked up just in time to see a tail disappear from view.

“Twilight,” He yelled up.

He got no response, but the hoofsteps did stop. With a quick flash and burst of speed, the pony that was there flew away. Spike was able to track where she was headed. The Everfree Forest. Was Rainbow Dashes storylike line true? Spike had to see if this was really Twilight.

Spike ran after the flying pony as fast as he could. Whoever this pony was, they were wearing a cloak so Spike could not see a face. With the way the pony was flying it was almost possible it was Rainbow Dash playing one of her pranks. But Spike had to know for sure. He pushed himself to go faster. He ran by the other ponies at Sugarcube Corner. He was so fast that all they saw was a purple and green blur and the wind rushing after him. It was strong enough to blow Spike's backpack over. As he neared the border to the Everfree Forest he decided it was time for some magic. He focused energy into his claws. As he came up to branches and vines he was able to cut through them ease. It was very hard to keep sight of the pony through the canopy of the trees. All Spike got was a glimpse here and there.

Spike lost sight of her once and stopped. He needed to get a breath. He looked around for a moment. He hadn't been in the Forest in while. Not these parts anyway. But he did recognize where these parts were. He was on his way to Zecora's place. That was a start. Maybe she could give Spike some more answers about Twilight. He stepped in the direction of her hut but stopped short. His leg was caught on something. Or, more specifically, something had caught his leg. A vine had coiled around his leg tightly. He tried to shake it loose and failed. When he tried pry it loose he failed. He even tried breathing fire on it. This was no ordinary vine. When he tried to yank it off his leg another vine shot from the treetops and grabbed his arm. Spike snarled and yanked his arm in all directions to try and break free. He finally grabbed the vine and chomped a bite clean through the vine. That seemed to work. He used the tip of his tail to slice through the vines around his leg. But he was not free. He cut one vine and two more showed up. The more vines he cut the more trouble he was in. At one point he had every limb tangles up in vines. They had him by the feet and legs and were holding him upside down. They had his arm pinned. One was pinned across his chest. The other was pinned to the nearest tree. His tail was still touching the ground, barely. It was being held there by the vines. Spike exploded with anger. An aura of fire burnt all the vines around him to a black crisp. As he settled down he headed back for Ponyville. There was no point in trying to follow that flying pony anymore. He would talk to Zecora tomorrow.

He came out of the Everfree forest more tired than he thought. But he couldn't go to the Library. Where was he going to sleep? He thought maybe one of friends would offer until he saw them outside town. Applejack was in front. She had his backpack on the ground and tipped it over. Out came all the gifts that they had given him when he first left. They were not in the same condition as they were then. He didn't understand why Applejack looked mad. She gave him homemade Apple family treats. Those were gone within a week. Nonetheless, she did not look happy.

“Spike,” She said, “Look at this stuff. We gave you this stuff a long time ago. I'm kinda surprised you still have it.”

“Like the box I gave you,” Pinkie said, “I told you to open it whenever you got sad. Did you never get sad when you were away from Ponyville?”

Pinkie had genuine sadness in her voice. Spike could hear it all to well. It was the same tone he often had. What was he supposed to say. Sorry, but he was too busy? Then he would have to explain doing what.

“And then there is my autographed picture,” Rainbow Dash said, “It's got all this black stuff all over it. You can barely tell that it's me. What's the deal?”

“And my coat. It looks barely worn. Did you even wear it all,” Rarity asked.

“And then there is this,” Applejack said.

She hoofed over a few shards of a broken record. It was the record Fluttershy had made for him. It was shattered in his fall from the train. He never did get a chance to listen to it. He looked up at the ponies. Fluttershy was in the back. She looked really hurt. She had tears forming in her eyes. The sight made Spike want to do the same.

“I'm sorry,” He said finally, “Of course I would keep all these things. Each of them was a gift from one of you. Pinkie, I missed Ponyville every day and the ponies here. If I had opened the box then I would not have a special gift from you. And then what would I have done the next time I was sad? Dash, I am sorry about the picture. I tried my best to keep it safe, but I ran into some unexpected trouble on a train. Rarity, of course I wore that coat. But I grew out of it so quickly that I had to go and get a bigger one. I had it made just like yours, so I would always remember your work.”

Each of the ponies listened heartily as Spike said his apologies. Their looks went from annoyed and angry to sad and sympathetic. Spike reached out to his backpack and collected every piece of the Fluttershy Record.

“Fluttershy, this record was the most precious thing I had while I was away. I never did get the chance to listen to it. That is one of my biggest regrets. The sound of your voice would have helped me a lot when I missed Ponyville.”

Spike had all the pieces of the record on the ground in front of him. He scooped up a few pieces and held them. He was never going to listen to this record. It was impossible, or so he thought. A single tear formed in Spike's eye and dropped to the record pieces in his hand. The pieces began to glow even the pieces on the ground started to glow. Piece by piece, they floated in the air and reassembled. The shattered record took form once more and each and every break fixed itself. The record dropped into Spike's waiting hands. Even he didn't know what just happened.

“I don't rightly know what just happened,” Applejack said, “But you got yourself some explaining to do. You can stay at Sweet Apple Acres tonight.”

“Wait,” Pinkie Pie shouted at Spike, “Before you go, take these.”

From out of nowhere Pinkie Pie produced a dozen more boxes. They were just like the one she had given him months ago. She shoved them in his arms and nearly tipped him over.

“Uh, Pinkie, I don't even know what these boxes do,” Spike said, “I haven't even opened the first one.”

“Oh. That's okay. I will show you,” Pinkie stated cheerfully.

Before anypony could stop her she pulled another box from nowhere and opened it up. The top was barely open when a pop sound and flash of light went off. When Spike opened his eyes, there was confetti raining down from the sky and party favors scattered in all directions. Pinkie pie was still holding the box. Since she was so close her entire front side was plastered with confetti. A party hat slowly drifted down and landed on her head. She opened her eyes smiled.

“Seeeee,” She said, “Its your very own Stop Being Sad party with the traveling convenience of a small box. It is your very own Pinkie Party in a Box. Ooh. I like that. Party in a box.”

“That is just like Pinkie,” Applejack said, “Puttin' a whole party in one teeny box.”

“Not just any party,” Pinkie said, “A Stop Being Sad party. I also have a box for birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, New Years, pet birthdays, special occasions, and of course, National party day. My favorite day of the year, other than my birthday, and National Cake day, and National Cake and Party day, You know I have so many favorite days its hard to choose just one.”

Okay then. Pinkie Pie got over her little issue with Spike rather quickly. She was always like that. The ponies went their separate ways after that. It was getting dark and everypony had homes to get back to.

Spike took Applejack up on her offer. He followed her back to to the orchard. Little Apple Bloom was happy as she could be to see Spike again. She was begging him to tell her a story of his travels. Applejack was going to read her a bedtime story, but she was just as interested in Spike's travels. Granny Smith made some warm apple tarts and they all settled in for Spike to tell his story. But he needed one thing first. He asked for a small rounded bowl. Applejack wasn't sure why he needed it, but she got him one. He sat down with the bowl in front of him and breath a small flame into the bowl. The flame put out a smoke that Spike sent some magic into. The ponies could not tell at all what he was doing. They just thought it was some cool trick he learned while away. Apple Bloom and Applejack watched the smoke closely as Spike told the story of a courageous and heroic young filly by the name of Flake Frost.

The next day Spike woke up early. He had plans he had to get done. First on his to do list though, was breakfast. Since he stayed with Applejack that night, he also got a good, tasty breakfast that morning. After that he headed out to start his day. He saw Applejack was already hard at work bucking apples. She just pulled up a cart full when Spike came out.

“Mornin', Spike,” She said, “Thanks again for that story last night. I don't know where you came up that stuff, but it made for one cool story.”

“I didn't come up with it,” Spike told her, “I lived it.”

“Come again,” Applejack said, “You mean to say that that Frosty Flake filly is real?”

“It's Flake Frost,” Spike said, “And yes, she is real.”

“Well, I'll be,” Applejack started, “You certainly had some exciting times over wherever you were.”

“Yeah, I did. I'll see you later, Applejack. I gotta go see Zecora,” Spike replied.

Applejack went back to work and Spike headed back to town, and then to the Everfree Forest. It was morning still when he got there. He made his way carefully through the Forest. He hadn't been there in quite some time and did not fully remember the way to Zecora's house. He stepped carefully and watched every tree and flower and vine. He didn't to repeat the vine incident from last night. Luckily he did not have to. He made it to Zecora's house without incident. Zecora welcomed him inside happily.

“Last time I saw you, you were a dragon baby,” Zecora said, “But now you have grown, due to magic maybe.”

“You could say that,” Spike said, “But enough about me. I would like to know about Twilight. Everypony says she changed after I left. Is there anything you can tell me?”

“Yes. Young Twilight did indeed change,” Zecora said, “You left her and herbehavior became strange, for your sudden departure left quite a mark. Maybe now what she needs is a close friends spark.”

“I understand that, but what do I do,” Spike asked desperately.

“If you wish to speak then maybe you must force your way,” Zecora said, “Make her listen to the words you have to say. Do not let her run away, or she will not return another day.”

“Okay then,” Spike said, “I think I understand what you are saying. Last question. Do you know where she is right now?”

“I know that she will soon be near,” Zecora told Spike, “She likes to pick flowers that grow close to here. She usually leaves here a little after noon. Speaking of which, she will be here fairly soon.”

“Thank you, Zecora,” Spike said as he left.

“You are welcome, young dragon,” Zecora said lastly, “I just wish to see you and her friends again.”

Spike ran off the same way he came. He made sure to stick to the shadows. Because of his training with Shadow he was nearly invisible. He saw a pony flying over the Forest as he made his way out. It was the same pony he chased the night before. So it was Twilight.

He walked through Ponyville in a bit of a daze. He was too busy thinking about Zecora's words. He passed by the schoolhouse and all the young fillies were outside. Cheerilee was had just finished giving them a lesson and now they were all just playing around. Apple Bloom saw Spike and called him over. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were also there. This was the first he had seen them since he was back. They marveled at the size Spike had grown to. Of course, they couldn't help but brag a little about how they were friends with the one and only Princess Assistance Dragon. Apple Bloom had spent the whole morning telling everypony who would listen about Spike's story. She begged him to tell it again, but he said there was not enough time. Cheerilee came over to get them after a short while. Class was starting again. The three fillies tried to talk he into letting Spike tell his story to the entire class. At first she said no.

“But Miss Cheerilee,” Sweetie Belle said, “He is the only PAD and his story tells of a young filly who learns to be more confident in herself and her magic grows because of it.”

Sweetie Belle made a lot of sense. Her words portrayed more wisdom than her age would show. It did happen every once in a while. Apparently, her words had more power behind them than Spike thought. Miss Cheerilee thought about it for a second and finally agreed to let Spike speak to the class. She admitted that she was curious about his story and wanted to hear it. Plus, any story that can be used to inspire young fillies was okay in her book. Spike thought about it too. Zecora said that Twilight usually left the Everfree forest a little after noon. It was not even mid morning yet. He had some time free. Why not?

Miss Cheerilee welcomed Spike as a surprise quest speaker. All the fillies were glad that didn't have more schoolwork to do. At first Spike was a little nervous. And he didn't have anything to make his smokescreen with. But Apple Bloom did. She pulled out the same dish he used the night before. She had been planning this for the entire morning. She was persistent at least. So Spike took it and moved to the front of the class. There he made a small fire in the dish. Once the smoke rose he started his story. Once again he filled the dark smoke with a green light that moved with his words. And the story of the courageous and heroic young filly Flake Frost was told once more.

Spike ended his story and let the fire in the dish die down. All ponies in the room were wide eyed and silent still. They were all leaning closer and closer as Spike told his story. His words had captured the attention of every pony there and he dazzled them with his Smokelight trick. He was getting better at storytelling. With the Smokelight trick it was easy for him to see how Smoke Shadow made a living as a storyteller before. And the story did not even take as long as he thought it would. It was getting close to the lunch hour, but he still had time to get to Twilight's library. He had a general idea of what he was going to do. Miss Cheerilee heartily led an applause as Spike made his exit.

He got to the library just before noon. Good. There was still time. He moved for the door but was stopped. A magic barrier had been set up. That was Twilight. Her answer to everything was magic. Before, that would have been the end of it, but now Spike had the same answer. He placed a clawed hand on the barrier and flowed energy through them. He forcefully closed his hand over the barrier and it shattered. A small opening was created. It was big enough for Spike to squeeze through before the barrier repaired itself. That was one obstacle overcome. Knowing Twilight there was bound to be more. He tried the door next. Locked of course. He tried a simple spell of unlocking and it did nothing. Upon closer inspection Spike found that Twilight had magically sealed the lock. This spell was much stronger than the barrier spell she used. The only was he was getting past that was to tear the whole door off its hinges. That would not make for the greatest impression. Spike only had one other option. He could use the same entrance that Twilight did now. The balcony. He looked up at it. His only choice was to jump. If he missed he was going head first into the barrier, and then tail first to the ground. Neither sounded pleasant. He took a moment to angle himself just right. He didn't want to hit the bottom of the balcony, but didn't want to overshoot it either. One tall leap later and he was hanging of the edge of the balcony. Not quite enough oomph behind his jump. He was able to use his tail to grab the edge and pull himself up. He came over the railing and crashed into Twilight's telescope. He scrambled to catch it before it hit the floor and broke. In his desperate attempt he nearly sent it over the edge, but caught it just in time. It was almost time for Twilight to be coming back. He quickly rushed and pieced the telescope back together. Then he moved inside and out of sight.

Twilight flew home from the Everfree Forest. She had picked enough flowers for that day. She flew over the library and immediately realized something was not right. She could tell her barrier had been disturbed. Beyond that, she could see her telescoped was bent out of shape. Who could have done that? What pony could have gotten past her barrier spell? She flew down and lightly landed on the balcony. She charged up her horn and entered. Everything was dark and quiet. It was just as she left it. Excerpt for one thing. Someone else was there. She could sense his presence. She slowly, quietly made her way downstairs. Through the dim glow coming from her horn she could see the clutter that she had accumulated around the place. Past that, along the far wall, she saw his silhouette. Tall and thin, but strong. He had his back turned to her. He reached for a book on one of the high shelves and Twilight sent a magic blast at him. She watched as her magic blast met a barrier around the silhouette and do nothing at all to him. He turned around to look at her.

“Hey, Twilight,” Spike said with a smile.

Comments

[Aura Zero]

Finally home Spike, and you're greeted by a blast to the back?

Some friend Twilight is acting right now.

Also it was pretty cool how he fixed Fluttershy's record. I wish I could hear it too...

[Love able chaos]

And now the reunion we've all been waiting for.