Apple Bloom and Spike go on a journey of self-discovery together.
A teenage Apple Bloom feels the need to run away from home in order to find her place in the world. While running away she happens to run into Spike, who is running away as well, so the two eventually decide to go together. Now Apple Bloom has to figure out what is causing Spike to run away and try to help, while Spike had to try and find his own hope.
Gore tag for one bit in Chapter 6 and just to be safe.
It was early in the morning, so early that most of the members of a large farm outside a small town were still asleep. It was so early that the sun not yet peeked over the horizon, leading outside to have a deep shade of magenta. And it was so early that the small sound of trotting within the farmhouse, the careful sound to make sure it doesn’t wake anybody, was unusual.
Within the farmhouse a cream colored earth pony filly with a red mane and a pink bow tied around the back of her mane was walking around a supply room stuffing a few supplies into a cream colored saddle bag with a wooden apple embroidered on the bag. Among those supplies were a saw, a hammer, and some nails. She also grabbed some paper and a pencil and a note from a shelf just to the left of where she was, but she only planned on taking the pencil and paper with her. After making sure that she got everything she needed she walked out of the supply room.
Her next stop within the farmhouse was the kitchen. She didn’t plan on getting much there since she only had one other saddle bag she was taking, but she did grab a couple bottles of water from the fridge, and few apples from the cupboard. She couldn’t fit a lot in her other saddle bag but she hoped it would be enough to get her through until she was able to get more, whenever that would be. After making sure she got what she needed she trotted across the wooden floor to the wooden table in the center of the room, got out the note she got in the supply room and the pencil, and began writing a note.
Dear Applejack: By the time you read this note you’ve probably already noticed that I’m gone. Don’t panic, I’m fine. I left by myself because I wanted to leave. Because I’m running away.
Listen; don’t think this is your fault in any way. I’m not leaving because I don’t like it here, and I’m not leaving because of anything you did sis. I’m running away because I’m out of school, able to help out on the farm, and haven’t been doing anything.
Y’all know I’m good at carpentry. I can fix things up and build a lot of things. But the problem is y’all don’t need somepony who is able to do that. If the fence ever breaks ya usually have Caramel there to fix it and whenever we raise the barn I feel like a third wheel. And that’s all I’m really good at. I can’t applebuck like you or Big Mac, I definitely can’t plow the fields. Y’all have Fluttershy now to take care of the animals and since you brought in Braeburn after Granny Smith died ya have somepony to help out with everything else.
And it ain’t just that. Ponyville itself doesn’t need somepony like me. I asked Mayor Mare and she told me the last large construction project Ponyville had was the creation of the new Cutie Mark Crusader Clubhouse after the town decided since we kept getting members they should keep an eye on us. She also told me there aren’t really any plans right now for any other construction projects. So not only can’t I do anything on the farm, but I can’t do anything in the town.
I know you guys told me to wait until I’m of age and then you’d send me off ta find some job, but I just can’t wait that long. I need to leave. This little Apple needs to find someplace to blossom. I’m going to leave Ponyville and find some town that I can work at. I’m going to be the hard working Apple that you want me to be, that Big Mac wants me to be, and that Mah and Pah wanted me to be. And I need to be somewhere else to do that.
Please don’t try to find me and bring me back here. I need to do this Applejack, and I need to do this now.
Apple Bloom.
After finishing with the note Apple Bloom placed it on the table, where Applejack would most likely see it when she wakes up in a few hours. She then placed the pencil back into her construction supplies saddle bag and sighed. The teenage earth pony took a good last look at the kitchen, reliving all of her memories of the place, before leaving the kitchen behind.
Maybe, maybe Ah should try and write a letter ta Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom thought, but…Ah really don’t know what Ah’d say ta them. They’ll probably hate me for this and Ah really don’t blame them. Ah hope they can forgive me someday.
She walked up to the front porch and looked at the small bit of carpet next to the door. A pang of pain shot through her as she remembered her dog Winona used to sleep there in the mornings before she passed on. She knew that if Winona was here she would wake up at Apple Bloom’s movements, but since Winona wasn’t Apple Bloom passed by without problem. And the earth pony almost wished that she wasn’t able to pass by without any problem.
Apple Bloom trotted out the door and made a beeline for the path outside of the farm that leads to the town. She walked along that path for a few seconds but after those few seconds she felt she was far enough away. So the filly turned around and took one last look at the red farmhouse she grew up in, the one place she could return to at any point in time, the place that she used to call home, before turning around and leaving it all behind. She walked on the path towards town, and as she walked a tear fell down the right side of her face for the first time.
~
Apple Bloom walked through the barren streets of Ponyville her eyes constantly glancing around her. Because of how early it was in the morning there appeared to be nobody out on the streets, which is just what Apple Bloom was hoping for. They would obviously notice the saddlebags at her side and she would rather not have to ask questions. Still she kept her ears perked as she walked, so if somepony happened to be walking around right now she would hear them whether they were on the path or trotting across the wet grass to the sides of the road.
The earth pony filly knew that she could have just walked around Ponyville if she wanted to, and it would have probably been a safer bet for her, but it also would have been a longer walk. Since the sun just reached high enough to be seen, there would soon be a few early risers waking up and if Apple Bloom took the path around one of those early risers could see her. She knew for a fact that her friend Scootaloo liked to wake up early so the pegasus could practice tricks, and Scootaloo was the last pony Apple Bloom wanted to see her.
Eventually Apple Bloom trotted across Ponyville and reached one of the last buildings that she would see of the town, Golden Oaks Library. As Apple Bloom looked at the literal tree house another pang shot through her as she thought of who was probably sleeping in there right now. Somebody who she had a crush on for the longest time. As she looked at the library she felt guilty that she wouldn’t be able to say goodbye to him, but she knew she couldn’t.
Ah wish Ah could tell ya, Apple Bloom thought. Ah wish Ah could tell ya a lot of things. What Ah feel about you, what Ah’m thinking right now. There are a lot of things Ah wish Ah could do. But…Ah can’t. Ah just hope you’re still here when Ah get back…if Ah get back.
Apple Bloom realized she had been looking at the treehouse for a while now and snapped out of her spell with a shake of her head. She took a few steps to the right to get ready to pass around the treehouse and started walking closer to it. She got close to the treehouse and was about to walk around it’s right side when she noticed something. The doorknob on the wooden door was starting to turn. Apple Bloom panicked and immediately and ran to the right side and out of view from the door.
Apple Bloom, as soon as her body was obscured by the treehouse, peeked her head around to see who was walking out of the library. When she managed to put her head in position she saw a purple dragon with green scales and a yellow belly put a note on the library. He then looked around to make sure nobody was looking before grabbing for something outside of Apple Bloom’s view.
What the hay is Spike doin’? Apple Bloom questioned. He shouldn’t be up this early. Spike is usually sleepin at this point in time.
Eventually what Spike was grabbing reached Apple Bloom’s view and she saw that it was a backpack. The same lime green backpack that Twilight gave Spike for his last birthday, modified so that he would actually be able to wear it on his back without his scales ripping it. Spike put the backpack around his back, wrapping the straps around his side while being careful for some limbs he grew a while back, and once again looked around. After looking around Spike started walking to the opposite side of the library from where Apple Bloom was at.
“What do ya think y’all are doin?” Apple Bloom called out before Spike could get very far. Is he…doin what Ah think he’s doin?
Spike literally jumped and his wings snapped out from surprise. He quickly turned around just in time to see Apple Bloom walking up to him, a curious look on her face. Spike’s mind raced, trying to think of a good excuse for what he was doing right now that would break Apple Bloom’s curiosity.
“I uhh…am going for a quick early morning run,” Spike lied. “According to a book I read, it’s really healthy for you.”
“Oh really?” Apple Bloom asked, making it known with her voice that she didn’t believe him one bit. “Well then Ah’ll join ya. Ah’m heading out for a ‘run’ as well.”
“No I…I want to go it alone,” Spike said.
“Why?” Apple Bloom asked. “’According to a book Ah read running with a friend is better than running alone.’ Ah bet we read from the same book.”
“Ah figured just about as much,” Apple Bloom said. “Why are ya runnin away Spike? What happened?”
“It’s…personal,” Spike said. “Yes I have a reason obviously, but I’m not about to tell you what that reason is.”
“Is Twi ok?” Apple Bloom asked. Last she heard Twilight was still in Canterlot on royal duties and if something happened to her then Spike would naturally be the first to know.
“Yes Twilight is ok,” Spike said, his voice showing frustration. “I told you it’s personal! You can stop asking now!”
Apple Bloom took a step back at the harshness in Spike’s voice. She could tell, she could feel, that something was wrong with him. Something happened to Spike and Apple Bloom didn’t know what. So Apple Bloom immediately resolved to figure it out. And the first thing she needed to do in order to do that was…
“Alright fine,” Apple Bloom said, “but Ah’m heading with you. Ah’m…runnin away myself. And since you happen ta be runnin away too we should go together.”
“Apple Bloom, I’m running away alone,” Spike said, to make himself clear. “Where…where I’m going you can’t come with.”
“Oh yeah?” Apple Bloom asked, calling his bluff. “Where exactly are ya goin then?”
“Just…far away from Equestria. I’m going across the border of Equestria and heading far away. Either way I’m still going alone,” Spike said as he turned his back on Apple Bloom. “And you’re not coming with me, got it!”
“Why?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Why do you want to go with me so bad anyways?” Spike asked in an attempt not to explain anything.
“Well…it’s because Ah’m already gonna run away and Ah’m worried about you,” Apple Bloom said, stating the half-truth. “You’re my friend Spike. So since Ah’m leavin and you’re leavin Ah want ta go with you.”
“Do you know where you’re going?” Spike asked. “Have you even thought of that?”
“Well Ah…guess Ah was thinkin…” Apple Bloom had to pause for a few seconds to think. Apple Bloom’s original plans were to go to a place called Los Pegasus. It was not only one of the closest large cities to her, but also Apple Bloom had a few connections there. She hoped that those connections would make her life a little easier there and let her jump start her job.
But by the way Spike was talking, he was heading far away. And Apple Bloom doubted Spike would go with her such a short distance away. So she needed to think of something, and needed to think of something quick, otherwise Spike will leave and she’ll never see him again. So Apple Bloom quickly picked the closest place to the Equestria border she could think of and said it out loud.
“Phoenix,” Apple Bloom lied. “Ya see, I’m looking for a place where Ah can do some carpentry work, which is why Ah’m runnin away since Ponyville has no jobs, and Ah found they need some carpenters there.”
Spike started at her for a few seconds with an unreadable expression. “And how do you think you’re going to get there?” Spike asked. “The train there leads through Appleloosa and I’m pretty sure as soon as you get there Braeburn’s friends will notice you and they will tell Applejack.”
“That’s why Ah’m not goin that direction,” Apple Bloom said. Come on Apple Bloom, Phoenix was south on the map when you looked at Los Pegasus. Think of what was that way as well. “Ah wasn’t gonna take the train anyways because Ah need to conserve my bits for when Ah get there. The way Ah want ta go, Ah’m plannin on goin through the San Palomino Desert. It’ll be faster ta go through there anyways.”
“The San Palomino Desert?” Spike mused. “What do you know about it?”
“Well…admittedly not a lot,” Apple Bloom said with a shrug of her shoulders. If Apple Bloom was really going to go through the desert, she would have done some research on what she can expect from it, but that wasn't part of her plans. “Ah know how ta navigate through it since Ah got a map with me and…Ah know it’s hot and there ain’t much water which is why Ah brought some with me.”
“You…really don’t know what you’re getting into don’t you?” Spike asked.
“Why?” Apple Bloom asked. “What else is there?”
Spike was silent for a few more seconds before sighing. “Alright fine, we’ll go together,” Spike told Apple Bloom.
“You’ll go with me?” Apple Bloom asked, a smile starting to appear on her face.
“Only for a bit though,” Spike noted. “I’m only going to go with you until you get yourself situated in Phoenix. I guess I’m a little worried about you too, especially if you’re going through the desert. But after that I’m going to leave, and you’re not coming with me.”
Spike started walking and Apple Bloom quickly put on a burst of speed to walk by his side. “Alright. Let’s go.”
Spike pointed in a direction and started walking. Apple Bloom continued with him but at first she stayed a little in the back and walked a little hesitantly. She felt a pang of guilt wash over her, and a small bit of disappointment.
Great…Ah had to lie ta Spike, Apple Bloom thought. Ah didn’t want to, but Ah had to. Somethin is wrong with you Spike, and Ah need ta figure out what it is. And Ah’m gonna figure out what it is!
Spike and Apple Bloom both reached a distance from Ponyville. When they both reached far enough to where Ponyville was fully visible on the horizon they both turned back to take one final look at it. And while looking at the town that was once their home, both the drake and the earth pony had to hold back new tears.
“Well this is it,” Spike said. “No turning back now.”
“Yeah…” Apple Bloom said. She turned away from Ponyville and started walking forward feeling the early morning dew on the grass across her hooves as she walked. “Ah recken it’s time ta go.”
“Alright, but I have one question,” Spike said. Apple Bloom stopped to look at him. “I left a note on the library door stating that I ran away and as soon as Twilight finds that note she is going to send the Royal Guard after me. I’m hoping that because she is in Canterlot right now and Rainbow Dash is also with the Wonderbolts in Canterlot that I would be long gone before the message reaches her, but it is possible I’ll be caught. And if you’re with me then they’ll bring you back to Ponyville too. So are you sure you want to come with me? I already said I’d go with you, but do you want to risk that?”
“Spike, why are ya even askin that?” Apple Bloom asked. “Do ya honestly think that Ah didn’t know we might get caught? Ta be honest even before Ah happened ta pass by ya Ah was thinkin that mah sister might ask Twi and Rainbow Dash ta try and find me. So Ah’m ready for that.”
“Alright, I just want to make sure,” Spike said as he started walking himself. He caught up to Apple Bloom a few seconds later at which she started walking. “If you’re still set on heading to the San Palomino Desert I’d rather come with you anyways, but I wanted to make sure you’re fine with it.”
“So the desert really is that bad huh?” Apple Bloom asked. “What do ya know about it?”
“I’ll tell you when we get there,” Spike said. “Don't worry too much about it since obviously ponies have gone through the desert plenty of times. It's just a dangerous place to go alone without knowing what you’re getting into. So I'm traveling with you to make sure your safe. It’s not like I really had someplace to go anyways.”
“Alright, Ah was just wondering,” Apple Bloom said.
Spike nodded. “Anyways ponies are probably starting to get up and I’m pretty sure by now your family have noticed you’re gone. Which means it won’t be long until a search party comes for us.”
Apple Bloom’s head snapped up and she turned it around to look back at Ponyville and the sun that is slowly rising behind it. “Alright we should probably run,” Apple Bloom said. “It’ll help get some distance for us.”
“You sure you can keep up with me?” Spike asked.
“Might Ah remind you who was the fastest when we played chase back when we were kids,” Apple Bloom said with a smile. “Sure you’d win by usin some crafty stuff but Ah was always the fastest. Ah’m more worried about you.”
“Well I might not be faster than you, but I know I have more endurance than you,” Spike said.
“Is that a challenge?” Apple Bloom asked. “Alright, just try ta keep up.”
Apple Bloom got in a quick ready position that looked more like she was ready to pounce, with her forehooves outstretched forwards and her flank held high in the air. Spike unfortunately happened to be on the wrong end when Apple Bloom did that, resulting in his purple face getting a few red spots and him quickly looking away. The earth pony filly took advantage of that and got a quick head start.
“H-hey that isn’t fair!” Spike said as soon as he recovered and started running after her.
“All’s fair in love and war!” Apple Bloom called back.
“But this isn’t either of those!” Spike said.
Apple Bloom just smiled as the two continued to head south across the grassy plane. Spike chased after her, but naturally he wasn’t nearly as fast on his two feet as Apple Bloom was on her four hooves. So the distance between them became larger and larger as they went along.
As they ran across the grassy plane with no landmarks in sight save for Ponyville far off in the distance at nine-o’clock they showed no sign of fatigue. Both Apple Bloom and Spike made it 20 minutes, 30, and continued onwards longer than that without wearing down at all. The only thing that had happened was Apple Bloom knocked the smile off her face and instead had a look of fierce competition.
Apple Bloom was feeling really confident as she knew she was far ahead. Sure her legs were starting to feel a little sore from all the running, but she figured she still had enough in her to run for a while at the pace she was going. She’d pushed herself farther before on one of the rare times she was actually able to help out on the farm.
At least she was confident until some purple suddenly appeared over her head. Spike was flying by a few feet over Apple Bloom’s head, much to her shock and annoyance. The drake of course flashed a smile at Apple Bloom as he passed by. After Spike managed to pass her he slowed down a bit to go at Apple Bloom’s speed just to show off.
“Hey, that isn’t fair!” Apple Bloom said.
“All’s fair in love and war,” Spike said back, mimicking how Apple Bloom responded to the same statement earlier.
Apple Bloom could have responded with what Spike said the third time, but she had better things to do. She knew that if Spike continued flying he would easily beat her. If she picked up the pace she could probably run as fast as Spike was flying, but her endurance was starting to wear thin. So Apple Bloom did something that was admittedly stupid but she didn’t really care. With a powerful kick from her hind hooves she leaped up and aimed for Spike’s back.
Apple Bloom landed her belly on Spike’s back, wincing in pain as her underside hit Spike’s backpack and more importantly his spikes. Spike himself was surprised as suddenly some extra weight landed on his back. His wings started flapping rapidly to compensate but they weren’t strong enough to carry the weight of Spike and Apple Bloom at the same time. So Spike fell down for a few seconds before skidding across the ground until he came to a complete stop. Spike himself was fine from the impact because of his hard scales, but Apple Bloom’s herself wasn’t so lucky.
“Ow!” Apple Bloom called out in pain.
“Well that’s what you get for jumping on my back while I was flying,” Spike said. His face was scrunched up in pain from the impact even though he wasn’t hit very hard. “What gave you the idea to do that anyways?”
“Ah don’t know,” Apple Bloom said. “Ah just figured it would be a way ta get you down. Ah didn’t figure it’d hurt that bad.”
“Well you did land on top of scales on my back, and your hooves did drag across the ground when we landed,” Spike noted. “So yeah, I’d assume that hurt. Are you ok?”
“Yeah, Ah think Ah’ll be fine,” Apple Bloom said. “But Ah bet Ah’ll be feelin the pain on mah stomach for a while.”
“Well good,” Spike said. “Can you get off my back then?”
Apple Bloom felt the heat rise to her face as she realized the position she was in right now. Apple Bloom lifted up her legs, feeling how stiff they were from previously dragging across the ground, and walked backwards to get off Spike. After Apple Bloom got off Spike, the purple drake stood up on his own two feet and brushed himself off.
“You should be glad Twilight made it so nothing can happen to the items inside my backpack,” Spike said as he turned towards Apple Bloom. “Otherwise it would probably be leaking water and trust me, watered down gems taste horrible.”
“It makes a difference?” Apple Bloom asked.
“You’d be surprised,” Spike said. “Sure there are some gems where adding a little water actually makes it taste better, but most of the time the water cleans off some of the salts left on the gem and those salts go amazingly well with the gem.”
“I’ll uhh…take your word for it,” Apple Bloom said. She gave a nervous laugh, really having no idea what he was talking about.
“Sorry,” Spike said, his face falling. “I sometimes forget that I’m the only one who eats gems around here.”
“Well Ah…Ah guess it’s just because our teeth aren’t strong enough,” Apple Bloom said quickly to cheer him up. “Ah’m sure what you’re saying is right.”
“I wouldn’t know,” Spike said in a melancholy tone as looked away. “I’m the only dragon I know. I can’t really tell you whether that’s common opinion or not.”
“Spike…” Apple Bloom said as she tried to find the worlds. “Are…y’all…”
“Yes I’m fine,” Spike said. “We should probably stop for a few seconds to catch our breath and maybe eat.”
“Alright,” Apple Bloom said. “But Spike…if ya need somepony ta talk to, y’all know ya can talk to me right? Ah won’t judge you.”
“Apple Bloom it’s…not something that you can help with,” Spike said. “Just…don’t worry about it. You’ve got your own problems and I have mine. Anyways we don’t have time to talk about this. We haven’t even reached the river in between Ponyville and the desert and it’s already the afternoon. It’d be good if we at least reach the river by nightfall. Then hopefully we can reach the desert within a few days.”
Apple Bloom wanted to stay on the subject and try and get out of Spike exactly what was bugging him, but she knew if she pushed any father Spike would threaten to leave, and possibly actually leave. So as much as she didn’t like it she decided to go on Spike’s change of subject. However the earth pony filly hoped this wasn’t the last time she would be able to bring it up and get it out of him.
“Is it that far away?” Apple Bloom asked. She reached with her head into her right saddle bag and grabbed out a map. With her hooves she spread out the map in front of her and Spike. “The desert doesn’t look that far away.”
“Well that always happens on maps,” Spike explained. “They shrink it down so you can see everything. Like…for an example look here.” Spike pointed to Appleoosa on the map. “Appleoosa looks like it’s really close to Ponyville on the map, but it takes a day for just the train to reach there. The desert is just a bit farther then Appleoosa and we’re on foot. You should have expected it would take a while just to reach it. And of course that’s just reaching it. It’ll take even longer to cross it. You’re not going to reach Phoenix for a while Apple Bloom.”
Ah never knew that it would take this long, Apple Bloom thought. Aw horseapples! Ah was plannin ta go to Los Pegasus in a few days, not Phoenix in a few weeks! This is gonna take way too long! But Ah…guess Ah should count that a bit lucky. Spike said he’d stick with me until Ah get myself situated in Phoenix. Ah don’t really want ta head that far, but that means Ah have that much longer ta get Spike ta talk to me. And then…maybe Ah can help him. And if Ah help him…maybe Ah can get him ta head back to Los Pegasus with me.
Apple Bloom reached into her bag to grab out an apple—just one so she could conserve as much food as she could—and some water, and Spike reached into his bad to do the thing, bar replacing the apple for a gemstone.They both dug in to their respective food in order to regain some of the energy they lost. After a few minutes of eating they both got back up and nodded to each other before starting on the road again.
“Hey uhh…Spike,” Apple Bloom said trying one more thing. “If you…need to talk. Remember, one of the lessons Twilight learned is friends can help ya figure out some of your problems.”
Spike stopped for a few seconds. “Apple Bloom…” Spike said without looking at her. “Twilight is one of my problems.”
The rest of the day was set in silence. There was really nothing Spike wanted to say after that and luckily enough for him Apple Bloom didn’t push him for answers. By the look on her face before they both continued onwards she was probably too shocked for words.
So for the rest of the day the two walked without any sound besides the sound of Apple Bloom’s hooves across the grass. When Spike looked back at Apple Bloom every once in a while he noticed she was walking with her head down so he assumed that she was either thinking or possibly grieving for the drake based on her expression. Spike didn’t want her to be sad for him, since this was all his doing.
The sun was beginning to set, sending the skies into an orange glow when Spike finally noticed the place he wanted to stop for the night. Just appearing in his vision was what looked like a small fissure in the ground, but Spike knew as he got closer to it he would eventually see a river in that crevice. The river, filled with clean pure water was coming up, a landmark for their journey.
It still took a few more minutes before Spike finally reached the river and once he did, after placing his backpack away from the river Spike stopped right in front of it and overlooked the clear river. The river was only a few inches away from the bank and from what Spike could see it was two or three feet deep. The only thing big about the river was how wide it was across, looking like it was about nine or ten feet across. The water itself was flowing slowly and peacefully, not making much noise to Spike’s relief. If he was next to rapids he would have a difficult time sleeping that night.
Spike turned around to walk away from the river but as soon as he did a one-eighty the colors of red and yellow flashed in his vision. And then he felt something push on his stomach, knocking away his balance and causing him to start tripping. He grabbed forward to try and regain his balance, ending up grabbing on some fur. Unfortunately even that wasn’t good enough, since Spike caused both him and whatever he grabbed on to fall into the drink screaming.
With a small splash Spike and whatever he was holding on landed in the cold water. Spike felt the water flow hit his right side, felt his spikes dig into the dirt on his back side, and felt something on his stomach. Spike looked towards his stomach to figure out just what hit him and knocked him down into the river. When he looked into orange eyes rounded by yellow fur topped with red, he figured it out.
“Apple Bloom!” Spike said in an annoyed voice.
“Spike?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Watch where you’re going!” Spike said.
“Sorry Spike,” Apple Bloom said apologetically. “Ah…didn’t notice you stopped.”
“Well I guess I’m sorry for bringing you in with me,” Spike said. He lifted up his right claw which had some yellow colored fur in it. He opened up his claw and the fur started flowing down in the water.
“It’s alright,” Apple Bloom said.
“So can you get off me now?” Spike asked.
Apple Bloom apparently just realized the position she was in after Spike said that which resulted in her cheeks turning red. She quickly got off Spike and jumped back on shore, which splashed some water on Spike’s face. Spike, now no longer have Apple Bloom’s weight on him, got up and climbed out of the water.
Spike was quickly able to dry off due to his scales being water repellent. However when he looked at Apple Bloom he noticed she was soaked on the lower side of her body, including parts of her tail. Water was dripping of the bottom side of her fur and she was shivering. Her saddle bags were also dripping wet at the bottom part.
“Are you ok Apple Bloom?” Spike asked.
“Y-yeah Ah…Ah’m fine,” Apple Bloom said through her chattering teeth.
Spike walked a few feet to where he left his backpack and opened it up. He reached inside his backpack and got out a bunch of rocks, which he placed in a circle. Afterwards he grabbed out a few sticks and twigs and placed those within the rock circle. After finally setting up, Spike breathed fire on it starting a fire.
“Come here,” Spike said. “The fire should help dry you off and warm yourself. It also should dry your bags off.
“A-alright,” Apple Bloom said. She walked up to the fire and placed her bags down close to it. She then walked around to the left of her bags and sat down herself. After she sat down, she put her forehooves up to draw in the warmth to her body.
Spike sat down to Apple Bloom’s left and also looked into the fire. When he sat down he also shivered, but he paid no attention to that and instead let the fire warm him. He felt Apple Bloom shifting to his right and apparently she paid attention to Spike’s shivering.
“Spike are you cold?” Apple Bloom asked concern in her voice.
“Yes I’m cold,” Spike said. “Just because I can breathe fire doesn’t mean I’m never cold. Haven’t you noticed I wear a scarf every winter?”
“No that’s not what I meant,” Apple Bloom said quickly. “Ah was just wonderin if you were cold, not if that is even possible.”
“Sorry,” Spike said. “I’m just so used to ponies questioning whether I can actually get cold just because I can breathe fire. I don’t actually feel the heat from my fire until I start breathing it and even then I only feel it in my throat and mouth. I can still easily get cold and I prefer being in warmer places. It’s one of the reasons I like summer so much.”
“Yeah Ah understand,” Apple Bloom said. Apple Bloom looked into the fire and thought for a few seconds as to how she can keep the conversation going. “Ah…hope Ah’m able ta make it as a carpenter when Ah get ta Lo…Phoenix,” Apple Bloom said. “Ah’ve never actually built anything before. Ah’ve renovated a lot of things, but Ah’ve never had the opportunity to build somethin from scratch.”
“I’m sure you’ll do fine,” Spike said. “And I told you, I’ll help you get yourself ready before I finally go on my own. For now I’d worry about getting there. We still have a long journey ahead.”
“Yeah, your right,” Apple Bloom said. She yawned. “Anyways Ah think Ah’ll try and hit the hay. We got a long walk ahead of us.”
“Did you bring any bedding?” Spike asked.
“Ah well…no,” she admitted. “Ah…guess Ah’ll sleep on the ground?”
“Be careful,” Spike said. “Trust me, it’s not easy sleeping on the ground.”
“Well it’s not like Ah got any better option,” Apple Bloom said. “Ah didn’t bring nothin because…to be honest Ah wanted ta save room for food and water and my construction supplies. Ah figured Ah’d just sleep on the ground until we get there.”
“Well I’d help you, but I didn’t bring much either,” Spike told her.
“Well I guess…” Apple Bloom said as she walked over to a random patch of ground, “Ah just have to get used to it.” Apple Bloom lied down on the ground and tried to get comfortable. “It’s a little hard but Ah think Ah can get used to it.” Apple Bloom closed her eyes and attempted to get used to it.
“Good luck,” Spike said as he turned around to watch her.
Spike could tell that Apple Bloom was having difficulty sleeping because she constantly rolled around, and even changed places where she was lying down, while trying to get comfortable. Apple Bloom squirmed a few hours fruitlessly, until the sun was down below the sky and the moon was beginning to rise. Spike watched as she did that, trying and failing not to laugh. The only other movement he made besides that was to walk towards his backpack.
“Having fun?” Spike asked through his laughter.
“Hey, this ain’t easy!” Apple Bloom said in her defense. She turned around to look at Spike when she noticed he was holding what looked like a picnic blanket in his claws.
“Here you go,” Spike said as he threw the blanket towards Apple Bloom. “You can sleep on this.”
“Spike?” Apple Bloom asked. “What about you?”
“I’ll be fine,” Spike said. “Go ahead and use it.”
“But Spike,” Apple Bloom said to try and make another argument. “It’s your blanket so you should use it.”
“I told you I’ll be fine,” Spike said once again. “I’m more used to sleeping outside than you are. You on the other hand obviously aren’t used to sleeping outside. So I’m giving it to you.”
Apple Bloom looked like she wanted to convince Spike otherwise, but before she could make an argument she let out a loud yawn telling her just how tired she was. “Alright Spike,” Apple Bloom said as laid out the blanket and then laid down on it. “You win. But if ya need it well…Ah’ll give you some room so you can sleep on it too.”
After a few more minutes Spike noticed her chest rose and fell slower suggesting that she finally fell asleep.
Took you long enough, Spike said. But I guess that’s because you’re sleeping on the actual ground. You should have prepared for the fact that you were going to spend a lot of time sleeping outside. But then again, I’m not much better. I’m just more used to sleeping outside and didn’t want to bring some bedding with. But I’m still wondering how prepared you were for this journey.
Spike waited a few more minutes just to make sure Apple Bloom was fully asleep before walking to his left around the campfire to where Apple Bloom placed her bags. He started with the bag closest to him, quickly opening it up. He wanted to get through it as fast as he could, since he was sure that if Apple Bloom happened to wake up she wouldn’t be too happy with Spike going through her stuff.
The first bag Spike looked through was not the one that he was looking for. He opened up her construction supplies bag by accident, and while he was glad to see that they weren’t damaged from the water that hit the bag, it wasn’t what he was looking for. So he quickly closed the bag and went to the next one, the one that carries all her food supplies. He took a quick stock at how much supplies she had before closing the bag as quickly as he opened it.
Yeah I should have guessed as much, Spike thought. She has enough here for about three days at most. Not enough for us to reach Phoenix. Ugg…Apple Bloom. You want to know why I’m coming with you? This is why. You don’t exactly have this planned out very well. Not that I blame you. I wouldn’t really know what I’m doing too if it wasn’t for the fact that I’ve pretty much worked in a library for all my life.
Anyways it looks like we’re going to have to take a detour to get you some more supplies. I brought plenty of bits and you look like you have some so we should be able to get you some food. Tomorrow I’ll have to convince you to take a detour someplace to find some.
Unfortunately that means we’re going to have to take that much longer to get to Phoenix. Which is going to be annoying. I want this to be done and over as soon as possible. Sure it’s nice to have a travel companion for now, so long as she isn’t asking me why I’m leaving. But I want to leave on my own. I want to walk with alone until I find what I’m looking for. Until I find where I belong.
The next morning Apple Bloom was the first to wake up, but her movement to get back up on her hooves disturbed Spike’s sleep causing him to quickly wake up himself. They both got ready without talking by first stretching and then grabbing their respective bags and put them on. After finishing getting ready, they both nodded to each other to make sure the other knows their ready.
“Alright Apple Bloom,” Spike said before they went back to walking. “Last night I thought of something. You’ve really underestimated how long this journey will go for did you?”
“Well…” Apple Bloom kicked her right hoof. “This might be taken a smidge longer than Ah thought it would be. But it doesn’t matter.”
“Yeah, it kinda does Apple Bloom,” Spike said. “The desert is going to drain you when you walk through it. Trust me, it isn’t exactly an easy place to cross. You’re going to feel thirsty and hungry a lot of the time we walk through it. So if you aren’t prepared while walking through you’ll run out of food and water, and there aren’t exactly any good places to find some more.”
“So what are you sayin?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Are you sure you have enough food to make it through the desert?” Spike asked.
Of course Ah don’t, Apple Bloom thought. Ah wasn’t gonna go through a desert when Ah packed. Ah don’t even have any salt with me either. It was then that Apple Bloom realized something. While means we’re gonna hafta buy somethin. Which means we’re gonna hafta go to the nearest town to get some more supplies. And the nearest town to here is…
“No Ah don’t,” Apple Bloom admitted. “So we’re gonna hafta go get some more supplies. Ah know what we should do. If we go along where this river is goin, we’ll reach Los Pegasus. We can head there ta get some more stuff.”
“Do you have enough bits?” Spike asked.
“Yeah Ah brought all mah money Ah’ve gotten over the past year,” Apple Bloom said.
“Well I brought some bits as well with me,” Spike said. “So if we pool our resources together we should be able to get you enough to last you until you reach Phoenix.” Apple Bloom opened her mouth to protest but Spike held one claw up to stop her. “Don’t worry about me. I only brought the bits just in case I’d need something for a huge emergency. I’ve got enough in my bag to last me for a while.”
Apple Bloom gave him a skeptic look. “How much could ya possibly hold in that bag?” she asked.
“Twilight enchanted it so that it has near unlimited space,” Spike said. “How it works is beyond me so don’t ask, Twilight tried to explain it to me but she lost me too quickly. So trust me, I have enough.”
“But Ah…don’t want ta…” Apple Bloom said.
“I told you it’s not a problem,” Spike said. “We need to get you some food if you’re going to make it anyways. It’s either this or you go back home, because I’m not letting you go into the desert unprepared.”
Apple Bloom sighed and lowered her head in defeat. “Alright fine,” Apple Bloom said.
“Good, let’s go,” Spike said.
~
They both walked next to the river together to reach Los Pegasus. It took them both half the day to see the mountains they were looking which was when they crossed the river and the spent the rest of the day reaching Los Pegasus. By the time they were able to see the city on the horizon the city was coming up into view. And when it came to view Apple Bloom was surprised to say the least.
“Are those…clouds?” Apple Bloom asked while they walked towards it.
The city in front of them bathed in the sunset seemed to be a city made of clouds. The entire architecture of the place reminded Apple Bloom of the pictures of Cloudsdale she would see with all the purple and puffy buildings, pillars, and roads. The only problem was the city was ground level instead of in the sky like Cloudsdale was.
Apple Bloom was actually amazed at the sight of it. When she was planning on going there, she saw plenty of pictures of Los Pegasus, but actually seeing it made her realize just how inaccurate those pictures were compared to actually seeing it. The pictures just made it look like the place was cloud themed, but here Apple Bloom could have sworn she saw actual clouds.
“Not exactly,” Spike explained. “Los Pegasus used to only pegasi majority city that’s on the ground. Because of that they gave the place a similar architecture to Cloudsdale. Everything in the city is made to look like their clouds. It’s thanks to the architecture that Los Pegasus it gets a lot of tourists and the city became really populated. It’s the second most populated town in Equestria, with Manehattan being the only town to beat it.”
“So we can walk on it?” Apple Bloom asked.
“On the lower part anyways,” Spike told her. “From what I’ve heard there are plenty of cloud houses here and probably some higher areas that are made of clouds. There are also a few areas where they make rainbows around here and some rainbow falls around with rainbow pools.”
“So it’s sort of like livin in Cloudsdale yet with multiple pony races?” Apple Bloom asked for confirmation. She still held on to her plans of working there, so hearing about this was worth it to her.
“Yeah pretty much,” Spike said. “Anyways, we should stop outside here for tonight. Tomorrow we’ll head into Los Pegasus and buy what we need. Afterwards if we head to the south of the city we’ll immediately reach the desert. So this is really only a one day delay.”
“Alright,” Apple Bloom said.
One they both were about half a mile away from Los Pegasus they both set up for the night once again. The sky was lit up from Los Pegasus and the night wasn’t that cold so they skipped the fire, and instead Apple Bloom just set out the blanket for herself. Spike himself lied down stomach up and wings spread out on the soft grass at the same time this night. He was about to hit the sweet embrace of sleep when a thought flashed through his mind causing his eyes to flash open and him to suddenly sit up.
“Sssspiiiike?” Apple Bloom said sleepily, Spike’s sudden movement disturbing her sleep. She opened one of her eyes to see Spike sitting up looking worried. “What’s goin on?”
“I just thought of something,” Spike said. “We’re running away from the Element of Honesty and a princess of Equestria.”
“Well yeah, Ah guess we are,” Apple Bloom said. “Not that Ah think of her like that. Applejack never cared whether she was the Element of Honesty or a normal pony. So what if we are though?”
“Come on Apple Bloom,” Spike said. “We have to check something quickly.”
Apple Bloom closed her eyes and yawned before opening them back up again. “Can’t this wait until mornin?” she asked.
“No, it can’t,” Spike said. “Come on, it’ll only take us a few minutes and then we can go back to sleep.”
“Ugg,” Apple Bloom groaned. She shakily got on her hooves and looked up at Spike with half open eyes. “Fine,” Apple Bloom said, “but this better be quick.”
They both quickly walked to the west for a bit until they reached the path that leads from Los Pegasus to the train station several miles to the north. After reaching that tar road Spike and Apple Bloom both took a left to walk into Los Pegasus. The walk was quick before the now black buildings started surrounding them and they could see numerous ponies walking across the streets.
“Alright we’re here,” Apple Bloom said. “So what are we doin here?”
“Keep an eye on the walls,” Spike said as he constantly snapped his head from side to side as he walked.
Apple Bloom yawned once again. “Ah can hardly keep my eyes out on what’s in front of me,” Apple Bloom said. She was really not taking what they were doing seriously, whereas Spike was tense as they walked, checking out not only the wall but also the ponies that they passed by. “Ya know, y’all can tell me what we’re lookin for, and that might make things faster.”
Spike sighed and stopped his advance forward. “We’re looking for posters with our faces on them,” Spike said as he turned around to look at Apple Bloom. “Twilight has the entire Royal Guard on her side, so as soon as she learned I was gone I’m sure Twilight sent out guards to find us. We’ll probably also have Runaway Posters plastered in every city in Equestria. That’s what I want to check for. I want to see if our Runaway Posters have reached here yet, and if they have whether they are just of me or of both of us.”
“Do ya think they know we’re travelin together?” Apple Bloom asked.
“I said in my note I was leaving alone, because at the time I was planning on leaving alone,” Spike explained as he started walking again while still facing Apple Bloom. “But knowing Twilight as soon as she heard you left the same day she’s going to piece together that we’re going together.”
“Alright, Ah get it,” Apple Bloom said. She tried to wake up a bit more to keep an eye on things, and for the most part she was successful. For the most part, since the lights of the city weren’t exactly the best around making it somewhat hard for Apple Bloom to see anything on the walls.
“Also I’m worried that if the posters have been put up, ponies will notice us and call the guards on us,” Spike said. He went back to observing everything.
“Well so far so good,” Apple Bloom said. “Nopony is lookin at us funny and Ah haven’t seen any…”
Apple Bloom suddenly became silent as the two passed a three-way intersection leading to the right. She stopped dead in her tracks as she looked into the intersection, but also didn’t say anything when she was looking at it. So it took Spike a few seconds before he realized something was wrong and walked back to Apple Bloom to see what was wrong.
“Apple Bloom what’s going o…” Spike turned his head around as he talked to see just what Apple Bloom was looking at. Just as Spike was worried about two guards, one white and the other dark gray, were just finishing nailing a white poster with Spike’s face on it on the side of a wall at the left side of the road.
“Alright Apple Bloom, listen,” Spike whispered quietly in Apple Bloom’s ear. “I’m getting out of here before they see me. You stay here and try in fit into a crowd or something. If you blend in with the crowd then they might not notice you while chasing me.”
“But Spike…” Apple Bloom whispered, her eyes still on the two guards as they stepped back from their work.
“I’ll meet you back where we made camp, got it?” Spike asked before Apple Bloom felt his presence leave her side in a gust.
Apple Bloom turned around to see where Spike was going but as she looked the purple drake was putting pedal to the metal across the street, and getting a lot of looks from the several ponies on the street. A few seconds later the wing of one of the two guards brushed against Apple Bloom’s side as the guards were in quick pursuit of Spike. They were both running with their wings flapping as they tried to catch up with him.
“Stop!” yelled a deep voice from one of the guards as he ran off.
Apple Bloom watched them until they all ran past her vision. As soon as she could no longer see Spike Apple Bloom quickly turned around to walk away from Los Pegasus. She walked as quickly as she could through the city without gaining any attention to herself, just wanting to leave for the night. As soon as she passed the last two buildings in the city she immediately left the road and went directly towards camp.
Spike, Apple Bloom thought as she walked, please please please be there when Ah wake up tomorrow.
Apple Bloom hardly got any sleep that night with her worry about Spike. So when she awoke the next morning, she didn’t feel refreshed at all. As the morning sun shined into Apple Bloom’s eyes, disturbing her from the very little sleep she managed to get and as the teenage filly opened her eyes she could feel them burning from her tiredness. Everything in her was screaming to fall back asleep, but she ignored that.
Apple Bloom got onto her four hooves and stretched to help wake herself up. Afterwards she shook her head, opened up her eyes, and looked around the grassy plain to see if Spike was sleeping anywhere. She hoped she would, but she knew she wasn’t. It would have been too good if she did see him safe and sound.
But as the earth pony suspected, even after doing a three sixty where she stood she didn’t see any sign of the purple drake, not counting his backpack that he left there last night. Apple Bloom’s heart fell when she learned that, so she looked over towards Los Pegasus. Spike told her that as soon as he got away, he would meet her there but Apple Bloom was wondering whether she should go looking for him instead.
Spike had all night, Apple Bloom thought. He had all night ta come here and he didn’t. That means the guards must be still chasin him around. But fur all night? Would the guards really be chasin him that long? Unless…
And even more worrisome thought crossed Apple Bloom’s mind. Could they have…caught him? If they did then Spike would be on his way ta Canterlot now, if he already ain’t there. But if they did…what am Ah gonna do about it? Ah know Ah have no chance of gettin into Canterlot ta help him, and if Twi get’s to him then he ain’t gettin out any time soon. Twi’ll make sure Spike stay’s where she can keep an eye on him. Ah know Spike would hate that, bein forced ta go back when he wanted ta leave.
Apple Bloom paced back and forth with worry while thinking. No, Ah can’t think about that yet. Y’all don’t know if Spike was caught yet or not so ya shouldn’t jump to conclusions. Ah should check around Los Pegasus first before Ah figure what Ah’m gonna do next.
Apple Bloom stopped her pacing and turned around to face the city. She knew that if she goes in the city, she’ll have to careful for the guards that are looking for her, and she runs the chance of being captured herself. But Apple Bloom felt if she stayed there she would regret it. So after taking a deep breath and grabbing both her and Spike’s bags, Apple Bloom walked her way towards the city of Los Pegasus.
~
Apple Bloom walked past the many tall white building of Los Pegasus for a while… and she was completely lost. Los Pegasus was not a city Apple Bloom has been to before and she was used to smaller towns than larger towns. She found the mentality that everywhere looks the same in large cities and that mentality was not helping here one bit. Every street she walked through, including the crossroads she was at now, had several tall white almost cloud-like buildings on the side, ponies of all colors, genders, and races walking on the sides of the streets, and carriages lining up the middle of the roads.
Apple Bloom feared asking directions because she has seen runaway posters of her plastered on several walls across the city, and while nopony has given her the time of day so far and she has yet to run into any guards, she was worried if somepony got a good look at her face they would turn her in. She figured she only got by so far because she looked like your average pony walking to wherever these ponies go in the morning, even though as a teenager Apple Bloom was a little smaller than most of the mares she passed by.
No Apple Bloom, ya can’t be afraid like this, Apple Bloom thought to pump herself up. Sticken around this city for too long is bound ta get you caught anyways. Might as well get caught tryin ta help a friend.
So Apple Bloom looked around until she saw a vendor to her right that was selling souvenirs. And looking at that road there Apple Bloom could see no posters of herself around there making it as good as any place to ask some questions. Apple Bloom nodded in that direction before she took a right at the curb and walked down that street bound for the vendor.
“Hello, what can I get for you?” the vendor, a teal unicorn mare with the same colored mane, asked with a smile and a very cheerful voice.
“Umm…nothin much. Sorry,” Apple Bloom said. “Ah…need ta ask ya a few questions.”
“Is this for business reasons or personal reasons?” the vendor asked with a laugh. “Because you look a little too young to be working for any statistics and I’ve been getting the strangest feeling from my daughter that schools out.”
“No it’s personal reasons,” Apple Bloom said. “Anyways…”
“Say…are you an Apple?” the vendor asked out of nowhere. “Actually scratch that. I’d bet my saving that you are an Apple. Are you on your way to Applewood?”
“Umm…yeah Ah am,” Apple Bloom said. Technically that was true, but Apple Bloom didn’t actually plan on going there until she got out of Spike what she needed to and convinced him to come with her. “And while Ah was on my way Ah heard somethin about some Royal Guards chasin a dragon. What’s goin on?”
“So you’ve heard about that did you?” the vendor asked. “Well don’t worry too much, it’s not nearly as bad as you think. You see, Princess Twilight Sparkle from what I’ve heard has a dragon in her family. I heard from a friend of mine in Canterlot that the drake is close enough to be her brother, and even her son. Anyways the dragon has ran away from his home so naturally Twilight got worried and sent some Royal Guards members to find him.”
The vendor closed her eyes and thought for a few seconds. “To be honest I don’t blame her. If that dragon is really as close to her as my friend said he is then I can imagine how worried she must be. Whether that drake is safe and unharmed. I know for sure I’d do the same if my daughter ran away. Heck, I probably wouldn’t sleep until I learned she was back safe and sound.”
After hearing that a memory from back when Apple Bloom was a child flooded back to her.
~
Apple Bloom and her two friends Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle wanted to get their Cutie Marks in spelunking back when they were Cutie Mark Crusaders. So they found a cave at the closest mountains to Ponyville and Sweetie Belle, who’s magic was somewhat coming in, lit their way. But while exploring Apple Bloom got separated from the two of them, and with her light source gone she was stuck in darkness.
Apple Bloom panicked and screamed but nopony could hear her. She was lost and alone and would probably stay that way. After figuring nopony would come to her and thinking that she would be lost in the cave forever Apple Bloom crawled up to one of the walls, closed her eyes, and cried. She wept and bawled her heart out and didn’t care, because who would hear her?
The earth pony filly didn’t know how long she stayed like that, to her it felt like days but she knew that was just an exaggeration, but eventually she heard the sound of hooves clopping across the cave ground. Apple Bloom opened her eyes at the sound and looked in the direction of where it was coming from, even though she wasn’t able to see. Apple Bloom screamed once more now that she knew someone was there, and the clopping of hooves became faster.
“Apple Bloom!” called out a voice and Apple Bloom finally found comfort because she knew it was her sister’s.
“Applejack!” Apple Bloom called out once more.
Eventually Apple Bloom saw a light and her sister’s concerned face in front of that light. Applejack had a small lantern wrapped around her neck while she used to illuminate the gray walls of the cave and left her see. What was missing was her Stetson on her head, probably because areas of the cave were too narrow for her to wear it.
Applejack noticed the tears in Apple Bloom’s eyes and quickly ran up to comfort her sister. The orange earth pony wrapped her hooves around the yellow earth pony and used her right forehoof to rub her back right where the neck ends. And as they both embraced each other tears fell from both their faces.
“Apple Bloom, are ya ok sugar?” Applejack asked in a choked voice, getting the important out of the way first.
“Y-yeah Ah’m fine,” Apple Bloom said. “A little hungry, but fine.”
Applejack took a step back to look into Apple Bloom’s eyes. “Alright Apple Bloom, let’s get you out of this cave.”
“B-but…Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle,” Apple Bloom started but Applejack quickly quieted her.
“Already made it out,” Applejack said. “They’re the ones that told us you were still here. Now let’s go.”
Applejack guided Apple Bloom through the cave, stopping every once in a while to make sure that Apple Bloom was still close behind her. After another couple of hours of walking they both finally made it out of the cave. When they got out the skies were showing a brilliant orange as Celestia’s sun made it’s way below the horizon.
Applejack closed her eyes and took a deep breath when they got out, trying to calm her frayed nerves. Apple Bloom could here Applejack mumbling something, but she couldn’t make out what exactly Applejack was mumbling. Eventually Applejack looked at Apple Bloom, tears still in her eyes.
“Listen Apple Bloom,” Applejack said. “Don’t ever scare me like that again, ya hear me? When Rarity and Rainbow Dash came ta me and told me you were still lost in a cave, ya can be glad you didn’t send me to an early grave let alone Granny Smith. Ya could have accidently stumbled on a bear or worse and gotten hurt and even killed. Mah and Pah are already gone, so we don’t need ta be losin you as well.”
Apple Bloom was extremely shocked at that. Applejack hardly ever talked about their parents. It was one thing Apple Bloom knew was never talked about around the house. She had asked both Big Macintosh and Applejack before, but neither of them was able to say anything to her. She was only able to get it from Granny Smith that her parents were gone.
“Am Ah…am Ah in trouble?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Y’all can bet your sweet bridges you are,” Applejack said. “But…let’s get ya home first.”
~
Ah’m sorry Applejack, Apple Bloom thought. Ah’m really sorry. But Ah…Ah just want ta make you proud and Ah can’t do that from here.
“Excuse me, ma’am?” the vendor’s voice came out, snapping Apple Bloom out of her memories.
“Oops, sorry,” Apple Bloom said as she looked back to the unicorn. “Ah…kinda spaced out there for a moment.”
“It’s alright,” the vendor said. “Happens to the best of us.”
“So do ya know where the dragon is?” Apple Bloom asked. “Have ya heard?”
“Are you really still worried about it?” the vendor asked. “Well…I guess that’s fine.” The vendor grabbed a map from her right and folded it out on the stand. “Last I heard the chased him just south of Applewood. Since we’re on the north side of Los Pegasus if you’re just heading to Applewood you shouldn’t have to worry about him. But I don’t think you have much to worry about anyways, since I know that the dragon won’t hurt any ponies.”
“Alright thanks,” Apple Bloom said.
The vendor rolled up the map with her magic and handed it to Apple Bloom. “Here, take this,” she said. “That way you won’t have to worry about getting lost.”
“Are you sure Ah can have this fur free?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Yeah,” the vendor said with a smile. “Go ahead.”
Apple Bloom placed the map of Los Pegasus into her saddlebag. “Thanks,” she said as she turned around to leave.
But while Apple Bloom was walking away she heard the vendor say one more thing. “Back to my daughter, if she did run away I’m sure she would have a reason for it, but I’d wish she would tell it to me. I can’t help her if I don’t know anything.”
Apple Bloom gulped. She walked on without saying anything, but she couldn’t ignore the nagging guilt that she was starting to feel in her stomach. She told Applejack and Big Mac that she wanted to go, and they told her to wait. But as Apple Bloom walked away, she wondered if maybe she could have explained herself better.
Spike placed his right claw on a pillar to rest up for a bit. The drake finally managed to get a second alone after being chased by Royal Guards members and even the local police once they caught wind of him for most of the night. He knew, or at least he figured, that a dragon his age didn’t need as much sleep as the average pony his age but he also knew not getting a lick of sleep all night wouldn’t help him too much.
The problem was while Spike’s wings are stronger than the guards’ they could still outfly him and they were even more mobile leaving Spike to most run across the ground. But even there he knew he could be outrun easily by most trained guards so Spike had to be tricky. For most of the night Spike had been ducking in and out of alleyways or if he reached the occasional park he would use the equipment there in order to help him hide out. One time, much to his embarrassment, he had to hide in the tubes of one of the playgrounds, and to even more of his embarrassment the guards didn’t bother looking there because they didn’t expect a teenage dragon would hide in a play place for young fillies and colts.
After evading the guards Spike would usually attempt to find his way back out of the city so he could join back at camp with Apple Bloom, but before he was able to get very far he would always be seen by either a guard member or some pony who would report him to the police/guards starting the cycle all over again. It’s been this way all night with no sign of changing anytime soon. The guards don’t seem to want to quit anytime soon and Spike of course won’t quit either. He will not under any circumstance go back to Canterlot so long as it was within his power.
After spending a few seconds to catch his breath Spike walked to his right to take a quick peek out of the alleyway he was standing in. As he expected guards were lining the streets asking the few civilians there if they’ve seen him. And since Spike was sure at least one of them saw him run into the alley he knew he didn’t have much more time.
This is working out well, Spike sarcastically thought. An entire night and I’m still nowhere near escaping the guards.
Spike turned around getting ready to run. Alright Spike, time to make a getaway.
The purple drake walked farther into the alley until he reached the back of it, as far as he could go. Of course as far as he could go was until he reached a metal fence but that was no problem for him. He quickly spread his wings and flapped them to give him some lift as he tried to go over the fence separating him from another alleyway. Spike reached the top of the fence and with his claws he grabbed the top, flipped over it, and fell feet first on the other side. Spike landed with a small smack, and after giving himself a few seconds to recover from the fall Spike ran as far as he could across the next alleyway until he got close to the street.
Once Spike reached the street he stopped for a second to look left and right to see if there were any ponies on the street. He saw about five ponies walking the street, but unfortunately for Spike that was five too many. He hoped he would pass by a street without anypony on it, but unfortunately he shouldn’t have thought he would be so lucky with the sun starting to rise.
One of the disadvantages of being the only dragon that lives as an Equestrian citizen was Spike had no way of avoiding attention to himself. Most ponies knew who he was, either because he was the one who saved the Crystal Empire so many years back or because his connections with Twilight, and if they see any sign of him and see him, they know it’s one in the same even without getting a good look at him. And for those that don’t, they’d just run to the police anyways when they see a solitary dragon walking the streets. The only chance Spike had of not being noticed was if they haven’t seen the runaway posters yet knew who he was, but Spike highly doubted that would happen with five ponies on the street.
Alright Spike, just take your time and wait a couple seconds, Spike thought as he kept a careful eye on the ponies walking the streets until he felt he could dash past them. Once Spike thought he had an opening he quickly marked where he wanted to go before going there. He quickly ran through the street like a purple blur and hit the wall on the other side. Once Spike reached the wall he flapped his wings and quickly climbed over it onto the rooftops. After getting over the fact that the roofs look like cloud tops but feels like a normal roof, Spike ran across it until he reached the next alleyway a few yards ahead and dropped in.
Once the teenage dragon jumped down he took a few seconds to recover, catch his breath, and come up with another plan. He realized he has been doing this for way too long, and wanted to find some way of returning back to the campsite without bringing the guards with him so he could get some rest. Of course it was at that moment that Spike realized he had no clue where he was.
“Guess I’m going above again,” Spike said to himself. “Hopefully nopony decides to randomly look into the skies to see me. And maybe if I can get above the clouds and the pegasi aren’t moving them I’ll be able to use them as cover while heading back to where Apple Bloom and I are camping. I’m sure she’s going to wake up soon, and I’ll bet all the bits I have in my bag if she sees I’m not there she’ll come in to find me. And probably get more badly lost then I used to be.”
Spike heard some disturbance from behind him which suggested to him that the guards were catching up to him. So Spike quickly took to the skies and flew higher and higher until he was as high as some of the tallest buildings on the ground. Of course at this height Spike knew he’d be visible by the many pegasi in the cloud homes he was seeing at his altitude but he was less worried about them since they probably didn’t know he was a runaway yet.
Spike also got a little chuckle when he looked below himself. Los Pegasus was always considered to be Canterlot and Cloudsdale collided and Spike could really see why that was from his altitude. While the streets and buildings looked like they were made of clouds they had a similar structure to them that reminded Spike of the place he spent a lot of time in his childhood. There were also plenty of grassy parks around Los Pegasus and didn’t have any look of Cloudsdale at all. The only thing missing was the large castle in the center, but Spike guessed Applewood to his right shining almost as bright as the sun was the closest they were going to get.
Unfortunately Spike didn’t a chance to gawk at the scenery below him for long because he heard the heavy beat of pegasus wings coming closer behind him. Spike put more energy in his right wing to turn counterclockwise and see what was coming after him. Of course instead of being a few pegasi wanting to see a dragon up close, it had to be some royal guard members.
“Hey you!” the royal guard member in the center said. “Twilight Sparkle wants to talk to you in Canterlot. You may either come quietly or we will have to force you. It is your choice.”
“I don’t think so,” Spike told them back. “Go back and tell Twilight that if she wanted to talk she should have listened to me before all of this! She had her chance and she blew it!”
“But she…” the royal guard member to Spike’s left said. He had a deeper voice then the middle one.
“I don’t care!” Spike interrupted. “I don’t care what Twilight has to say anymore. She clearly doesn’t care what I have to say so why should I?”
“Wait!” the royal guard member to Spike’s right said. He had a lighter voice than the middle one. “The princess says this is all just a misunderstanding and…”
“Misunderstanding?” Spike asked. “I don’t think so. She understood me clearly and I understood her clearly. Twilight’s not going to help me, so I have to help myself. Now if you’ll excuse me…”
Spike quickly angled himself downwards and suddenly folded in his wings, causing him to fall rapidly towards the ground. Spike kept his eyes open as he watched the ground rush up, even though the whiplash against them made him really want to close them. As Spike looked at the ground he chuckled a bit, wishing that be brought a scooter or a skateboard with him because the road below him was on a downward hill. Eventually when Spike felt he was close enough to the ground Spike spread his wings back out to close into a quick glide. He still constantly, but Spike didn’t mind because of the downward slope, and either way he was able to glide down the middle of the street where there were luckily no carriages at the time.
Spike continued to glide down the street for a while, confident that his sudden actions allowed him to get away from the guards, until he noticed a carriage closing in fast. Spike knew he had to think fast, so he quickly did a forward somersault in the air until his feet hit the ground at which he started running. Unfortunately Spike underestimated how fast he would be going when he ran because of how fast he was gliding and the fact that it’s a downhill slope, so when he hit the ground he seriously had to move his legs to keep up with the speed he was going which hurt his legs.
The drake had to ignore the stinging pain and overexertion for now though because he was still on a collision course for the carriage. Spike twisted his body to the left where he noticed another alleyway and with his right foot he pushed off to the left hoping that he made it. Spike did, however he underestimated his forward velocity so as soon as Spike flew into the alleyway the right side of his body hit the right wall hard, causing him to cry out in pain. Spike’s body grinded across the wall for a few seconds before he stopped and fell on his belly. When Spike finally stopped he felt all his injuries surge together at once. It was excruciatingly painful for Spike, so much so that he could feel his consciousness slipping away from him.
No…I can’t…get knocked out here, Spike said as he tried to overcome his need to pass out, but Spike just wasn’t strong enough.
The last thing Spike noticed before he lost consciousness was the sound of hooves walking up from behind him.
When Spike regained consciousness he awoke with a start. Spike immediately snapped into a sitting position and took a look around to see where he was. What Spike noticed was he was sitting on a bed in a room somewhere. The bed and room looked similar to Rainbow Dash’s except for instead of Wonderbolt posters lining the walls there was Applewood movies. Spike naturally wondered where he was and how he got there when his injuries once again reminded him of their presence. Spike winced and let out a moan as he grabbed for his right side with his left claw feeling it ache. There he felt some cloth on his side and after trying his best to feel/look around with his left hand Spike realized that his right arm and wing were wrapped close to his side with some cloth going across his chest.
“Spike you’re awake!” exclaimed a voice from Spike’s left that the drake was actually glad he got to hear but still confused him.
“Apple Bloom?” Spike asked, wanting to turn and look at her but finding his body wouldn’t listen to his commands. Apple Bloom made it easy for him though since she walked around to face him.
“Oh thanks Celestia you are awake Spike!” Apple Bloom exclaimed. “Ah was so worried about you. You were sleepin and sleepin for the longest of time and Ah was worried ya might not wake up.”
“Two questions,” Spike said. “One: How long was I out? Two: Where are we?”
“Well you’ve been out most of the day,” Apple Bloom said. “And as for where are we…well…” Apple Bloom seemed very reluctant to answer Spike.
“Apple Bloom,” Spike said in a warning voice, despite the fact that he knew he couldn’t do anything right now if he tried.
“We’re…kinda in Applewood,” Apple Bloom admitted. “Ya see, Ah was walkin down the street tryin ta find you when you suddenly dropped out of nowhere from the sky. Ah saw you goin fast so Ah chased after you but Ah couldn’t catch up with you. Next time Ah saw you, you were passed out in an alleyway. And when Ah saw you there Ah panicked Spike. Ah knew there were guards everywhere and if Ah just left you there ya could get caught. So Ah did what Ah had to do, and Ah took you to the only place Ah felt we could go.”
“The only place you felt we could go?” Spike asked. “We’re in Applewood. How is that the only place you thought we could go?”
“Hey cous’, how’s it going?” asked a male voice in a heavy southern accent that reminded Spike of Apple Bloom’s cousin Braeburn.
The door behind Apple Bloom opened up and an earth pony stallion walked in. He had a golden brown coat with a pure white mane, tainted by random splotches of yellow color. His cutie mark was multicolored apple with a paintbrush resting on it. He was wearing an artist’s smock yet unlike what Spike has seen for most he had no hat on. Spike wasn’t exactly sure but he was guessing that the guy was a painter.
“So Ah reckin you’re Spike?” the earth pony mare said, getting right to the point.
“Yeah and…who are you?” Spike asked.
“Names Apple Crisp,” he said. “And as ya can probably tell, Ah’m a painter. Ah’m in charge of getting the backdrops ya see in most movies.”
“Yeah, I kinda got that already,” Spike said. “By the way, you know if you wore a hat you would get less pain in your mane.”
“Ah’ve got nearly four decades under mah belt,” Apple Crisp pointed out. “Ah think Ah would have figured that out by now. This color has been there since Ah was a colt, from the day Ah got my Cutie Mark.”
Well sorry, Spike thought sarcastically, but he didn’t say it. He knew that whoever he was, he would decide whether they can go free or are sent back home so Spike didn’t want to get on his bad side.
“So Apple Bloom, you have cousins in Applewood?” Spike asked.
Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. “Yeah Spike,” Apple Bloom said. “Ah, the Apple, have cousins in Applewood.”
If it weren’t for the fact that Spike was still gripping his side in pain, Spike would have faceclawed right there for missing that. “Alright, that was a stupid moment on my part,” Spike said. “But you can’t blame me. I haven’t seen an Apple do anything that isn’t farming.”
“That’s why Applewood is here,” Apple Bloom explained. “Applewood was founded by Apple family members whose special talents aren’t very useful on the farm. Because they couldn’t help out they all joined together here and combined their talents and Applewood was born.”
“Well I guess that explains why you brought us here,” Spike said.
“Yeah,” Apple Bloom said with a nod. “Ah ran to Apple Crisp’s house with you on mah back and knocked on his door. After Ah explained the situation to him he brought you in here and helped patch you up. But well…even after Ah explained the situation to him…”
“Ah know you are both runaways,” Apple Crisp said getting to the point. “If it isn’t enough that Ah’ve seen posters of you two around the city, Applejack sent every Apple Family member a letter askin us to keep an eye out for y’all. So you can probably bet Ah ain’t exactly happy with you both right now.”
“So…are you going to turn us in?” Spike asked.
“…Ah haven’t decided yet,” Apple Crisp said. “For now Ah’m lettin you stay here since Ah sure as hay ain’t sendin ya back like that, and y’all don’t hafta worry about the Royal Guard, but whether Ah let you guys go or sent y’all on a one way train ta Ponyville Ah haven’t decided yet.”
With that Apple Crisp walked out of the room leaving Spike and Apple Bloom alone. Spike felt his body shiver with pain once again which caused him to let out another groan. He still wasn’t able to move which was annoying him greatly. Spike wanted to find some way of sneaking out of this house so he didn’t have to worry about whether Apple Crisp decided to send them back or not, but his body just wouldn’t let him even get out of the bed.
“So…you sent us here even though we still could be heading home?” Spike asked.
“Ah’m sorry Spike, but like Ah said before, Ah panicked,” Apple Bloom said. “When Ah saw you, you looked horrible Spike. You were conked out on the ground, your right side was all scraped up, and your wing didn’t look like it was bending naturally. Ah know you’re scales are tough, so seeing ya all scraped up like that worried me so much. Even if Ah could have gotten us out of this city, Ah was worried y’all would have died. So Ah took you to the only place Ah could.
“Don’t forget Spike, Ah’m runnin away too. Ah don’t want to be sent back either. But Ah’d rather have us both be sent back than havin you die.”
Spike sighed. “I get it Apple Bloom. I just…don’t want to be sent back.”
“Why?” Apple Bloom asked, hoping maybe this time she could get an answer from Spike.
“I told you, it’s personal,” Spike snapped.
The door burst open and Apple Crisp came back pushing a cart with some really green looking soup with steam pouring out on it. Apple Bloom took a few steps to Spike’s left to make room for the cart as it was pushed directly in front of Spike’s bed. Apple Crisp walked around the cart, grabbed the soup, and placed it on Spike’s lap.
“Soup’s on,” Apple Crisp said. “Ah don’t know much about dragons and all that, but Apple Bloom told me ya mostly eat the same things ponies eat, ‘sides gemstones which ya ain’t gonna find none of around here. Just warnin ya though, ya won’t like this soup. Get used to it, since it’ll help ya heal.”
“I ate muffins made of dirt, soda, chips, and who knows what else before,” Spike said as he grabbed the soup with his left claw. “I’ll be fine.”
Spike tipped the soup blow towards his mouth and started pouring it in. It didn’t taste as bad as what Apple Crisp made it out to be, but Spike definitely wouldn’t eat this soup normally. It was one of the bitterest things he has ever put in his mouth but Spike still downed it all in one go.
“So cous’,” Apple Crisp said while Spike was chowing down. “Wanna explain why y’all ran away from home. And this better not be somethin stupid.”
“Ah’m headin down ta Phoenix ta get a carpentry job,” Apple Bloom explained with some hesitation in her voice. Spike found it strange and wondered why she was hesitating so much to say it, but in the end he decided it didn’t matter to him. “Ah would have stayed on the farm but Ah felt like Ah wasn’t needed there. All the Apple Family member workin there leaves me with nothin ta do, and Ah don’t want ta have nothin ta do. Ah want ta be a hard worker like the rest of the Apple Family is. Also Ah couldn’t find a job in Ponyville either, and Ah even asked the mayor about it.”
“Alright cous’, Ah get what you’re sayin,” Apple Crisp said. “Ya want ta make our own livin out of life, and are headin to the best place for that. Ah get were you’re comin from, but aren’t ya still a little young ta be worryin about that? When ya hit two decades and are still goin nowhere, then ya can feel free to worry about it, but you’re still a bloomin Apple.”
“Ah know, and Applejack and Big Mac told me the same thing, but Applejack and Big Mac were both workin hard when they were my age,” Apple Bloom said. “They had to since mah parents…left. And Ah just don’t feel right lazin about around the farm all day when Ah know Applejack and Big Mac are hard at work.”
“Ah get ya kind, Ah really do,” Apple Crisp said. “Ah guess Ah really shouldn’t be hinderin ya either, ‘specially with where we are now, but Ah don’t like the timin ya did it at. Ya do realize how worried cous’ Applejack and Big Mac are, don’t ya?”
Apple Bloom turned her head back and looked away. “Yeah Ah…Ah know,” she said. “And Ah…really don’t like it. Knowin Ah’m hurtin them by runnin away. And Ah wish Ah didn’t have to.”
“Well, at least you know,” Apple Crisp said. “To be honest, Ah still want to send you back but at the same time Ah know you would resent me and probably Applejack and Big Mac if we force you to go back.”
“And what about me?” Spike asked, now done with his soup.
Apple Crisp looked at Spike. “Ya ain’t family. The only reasons Ah haven’t turned you in yet is because Apple Bloom was the one who brought you and you’re banged up. So you’re fate is her fate whether you like it or not. If Ah’m lettin her go you’re goin with her, and if Ah’m sendin her back then you’re going back.”
“And your answer is?” Spike asked.
Apple Crisp closed his eyes for a few seconds and had a look of fierce concentration on his face. “Ya want ta find your place and Ah respect that. This place was built on ponies tryin ta find their way. But Ah think ya are still a bit early to be doin this. So Ah’m not gonna force you to go home, since Ah know you’ll hate that anyways, and Ah know you probably aren’t gonna go home, but Ah’d highly recommend ya head home. Trust me, it’d be better for everybody if ya do.”
Apple Bloom breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you so much cous’,” the earth pony filly said.
“No problem,” Apple Crisp said. Apple Bloom left the room this time leaving Apple Crisp and Spike in the room together.
“You know no matter how hard you persuade us we’re not going to turn back right?” Spike asked.
“You guys are that determined huh?” Apple Crisp noted. “You’re willin ta leave behind everything ta find your place.”
“It helps when you know you have nothing to come back to,” Spike said bitterly.
“You’re so sure about that are ya?” Apple Crisp asked. “Sure you’ve exhausted every option? Done all you can?”
“I don’t have any options to begin with,” Spike said.
“Really?” Apple Crisp asked, disbelief evident in his voice. “You have connections to the princess don’t you? And you’re telling me you don’t have any options?”
“You don’t know anything about my situation,” Spike said, with anger lining his voice. “You don’t know what I’ve gone through so don’t act like you do.”
“Well it seems somebody is on his high horse today,” Apple Crisp said. “Well let me remind you, I’m letting you and Apple Bloom go without letting the guards know. And by your own words you both are going to continue going farther away from Ponyville and Canterlot. So you better calm down your anger, especially with Apple Bloom traveling with you.”
Apple Crisp was about to say something else but then he realized something. He walked quickly open to the door and opened it up a crack to see on the other side. After making sure of something he quickly closed the door and walked up close to Spike.
“Listen,” Apple Crisp whispered. “When Apple Bloom brought you to me you were in worse condition than I let on. Your entire side was not only scrapped up but it was entirely red. You didn’t see it on Apple Bloom since I had her take a shower after we sent you to your bed, but her back and a bit of her right side were covered in it too. If you were left out there any longer you would have probably died. That filly saved your life Spike.”
Spike was shocked at that statement. He looked to his right side where the cloth was still covering his entire side. It was white but Spike looked closely and could tell there were a few splotches of pink on it.
“I…didn’t know how serious it was,” Spike said somberly.
“You weren’t just at risk of getting caught,” Apple Crisp said. “You were at risk of dying. And Apple Bloom brought you here, to somebody who could have very easily sent her back home. She selflessly brought you back here instead of spending her time worrying about her journey. So think of that while you’re on your little journey with her.”
After saying that, Apple Crisp left the room leaving Spike stew in his thoughts.
Apple Bloom and Spike had to wait a few days at Apple Crisp’s house while Spike recovered. While they were both there, Apple Crisp made sure to keep them fed without complaint and he even kept the Royal Guard members that showed up at their door away from Apple Bloom and Spike. Spike was still weary around him, but Apple Crisp was being a stallion of his word and not turning them in.
It took Spike a full day before he was able to get out of bed and a few after that before they could finally remove the bandages from Spike. Once they did Spike naturally spent time stretching his right arm and wing after having them be stationary for such a long time. Afterwards, it was agreed that early in the next morning was when they would bring Spike and Apple Bloom out of the city.
In order to do that, everybody sat in the living room the evening before. The living room was bathed in a dark purple, just like how a cloud would look in the evening. Even the furniture, including the couch Apple Bloom and Spike were sitting on, was bathed in a brilliant magenta. The several windows that Apple Bloom and Spike were facing on the other side of the room were showing an orange light making it literally look like they were inside a cloud during sunset.
“So how exactly are we going to get us all out there?” Spike asked. “I’m still a dragon and still suspicious by pretty much the entire town.”
“It ain’t just you,” Apple Crisp said. He was sitting in a chair on the other side of the room. “Apple Bloom’s pretty much just as suspicious as you when she was seen by at least a fourth of the town running like a jackrabbit with you on her back. Luckily nopony saw her bring you in my house, but the definitely saw her run into Applewood and now the entire Royal Guard is here lookin for you here.”
“Twilight wouldn’t seriously send the entire Royal Guard after us,” Spike said. “She probably did send a good number after us, but the entire guard.”
“It’s an exaggeration kid!” Apple Crisp snapped. “Ah meant that Royal Guard members are lining the streets all lookin for you kids. Both of you. So even Apple Bloom can’t walk around inconspicuously around here without being caught.”
“Sorry,” Spike said with an eye roll and in a voice that highly suggested he wasn’t sorry at all.
“Will you both stop fighting?!” Apple Bloom asked.
Both eyes looked at Apple Bloom with surprise after her outburst. Spike looked down at his feet and said “Sorry,” much more sincerely this time. “I’m just not a fan of the situation we’re in,” Spike continued. “And you can probably guess why.”
“Well Ah ain’t exactly too big of a fan of things either,” Apple Crips said. “Ah’m about to help two kids, one of which being my cousin, escape the guard instead of sendin them home where they should go. Ah’m doin this against my better judgment. Ah’d rather just send ya home where Ah know you’re safe.”
“Well you’re the one letting us go,” Spike said smugly.
“And Ah could change mah mind right here too,” Apple Crisp reminded him. “You can just be glad Ah won’t, ‘cause Ah trust you. Well…Ah trust Apple Bloom more than you Spike. And Ah’m gonna trust that you wouldn’t be doin this for no good reason.”
“Well back on subject,” Apple Bloom said to get everybody back on subject.
“Alright back on subject,” Spike agreed. “So we’ve got a bunch of Royal Guards all around here who would catch us immediately after spotting us. Anybody got any idea of what we can do?”
Apple Bloom smirked. “Hmm Spike,” Apple Bloom said. “Ah wonder how a pony and a dragon trapped in a house in Applewood are supposed ta find disguises. It’s not like they’re at a place where ponies disguise themselves for entertainment all the time.”
“Well I know about that,” Spike said, “but the problem is I’m bipedal, not a quadruped. And I’m pretty sure any bipedal creature walking across the streets would be suspicious considering how few bipedal creatures live in Equestria.”
“Well than Ah guess you should get used ta walkin like a pony,” Apple Crisp said. “It’d be better if we try and get you out lookin like a pony than if we try and get you out as a dragon. Sorry if ya don’t like it, but that’s just how it has to be.”
“So I’m stuck walking on four claws anyways?” Spike asked, clearly not liking the prospect.
“Don’t worry,” Apple Crisp said. “Ah’ll get ya a nice pegasus costume so you can fit your wings in. In fact, Ah even know just the costume for ya.”
Spike rolled his eyes. “Alright fine,” he said. “I should probably start practicing then, shouldn’t I?”
“Ah’d recommend it Spike,” Apple Bloom said. “Ah’m sure it’d feel much different walkin on all fours instead of just two.”
Spike gave her one last look before hoping off the couch. He walked to his left towards the door leading to a hallway and staircase. Both Apple Bloom and Apple Crisp gave him a questioning look because they were expecting him to actually practice in that room. Spike noticed their glances and gave them back an unamused look.
“Did you seriously think I was going to practice in front of you?” Spike asked before walking out.
Now that Spike was out of the room and out of listening distance, Apple Crisp looked directly at Apple Bloom. For a few seconds he searched her face with a fierce look of concentration on his face, making Apple Bloom feel uncomfortable and wanting to squirm back in her seat. After a few awkward moments Apple Crisp finally spoke.
“Why Phoenix?” Apple Crisp asked. “Out of all the places you could have chosen to run away to, why Phoenix?”
Apple Bloom looked away. “…Because Ah thought it would be a good idea,” she said unconvincingly.
“Spike ain’t in the room,” Apple Crisp told her. “Ya don’t hafta lie to me. Tell me the truth, what are you really plannin?”
“Well…” Apple Bloom looked at the door Spike just walked out of just to make sure he’s gone. “Ah…wasn’t gonna head ta Phoenix. Ah was actually thinkin of commin here at first but then Ah ran into Spike. And well…” Apple Bloom looked directly at her cousin. “Spike’s runnin away for some reason and Ah want ta know what that is. Ah want ta get it out of Spike why he’s runnin away and maybe…convince him not to.”
“And that convinced you to go to Phoenix because?” Apple Crisp asked.
“Because Ah needed a place where Ah could convince Spike ta come with me,” Apple Bloom told him. “Otherwise Spike would’ve left on his own and Ah couldn’t have helped him. So…Ah lied ta him and told him we were goin to Phoenix hopin it’d get him ta follow me. Ah…don’t really want ta go that far. Ah’m hopin if Ah can help him he’d come with me here.”
Apple Crisp continued to search Apple Bloom’s face. “Y’all really like that dragon, don’t you?” Apple Crisp asked.
Apple Bloom lowered her head to look into the cushions. “…Yeah. Ah like him a lot.”
“More than just as a good friend?” Apple Crips inquired further.
Apple Bloom looked up at him. “Yeah. Much more.”
Apple Crisp finally backed off his fierce look and instead gave her a calm knowing glance. “So love is guidin you on this journey then? Ah figured just as much durin this half week seein you around him, but Ah just wanted ta make sure. Well Ah’m just gonna tell you now, lyin ain’t exactly the way ta start a relationship.”
“Ah know but Ah needed ta do this,” Apple Bloom said in a much stronger voice.
“Ah know, and that’s why Ah’m lettin you two go,” Apple Crisp told her. “Ah can tell your hearts set out on helpin him, and Ah trust you. Just remember all your doin, and all your sacrificin, and who you’re hurtin ta help him.”
~
Early next morning Apple Crisp looked out of his garage door to see if there were any guards lining the streets. He did it casually, just by walking outside and taking a casual look around before going back inside. He only noticed one guard, who was walking along the road to the right, which uplifted him. He was hoping guards weren’t swarming the place yet.
Apple Crisp walked into his garage which didn’t actually have a carriage. It in fact it didn’t have any vehicle. Instead what was inside was a disorganized mess of paintings, portraits, wallpapers, backdrops, paint, paintbrushes, and everything else you could imagine a painter keeping around. He also had plenty of memorabilia that he told Apple Bloom and Spike he gives to a souvenir salespony called Midsummer to sell for him.
It also didn’t have Apple Bloom or Spike in it yet, but that was soon to change, because it was just as Apple Crips walked in when the door to the left opened up. If anybody happened to look into the garage at the time all they would notice walking in was a pegasus with a purple coat and an emerald green mane. He had a cutie mark that depicted a scroll with a pencil on it, and was wearing a pair of goggles.On his back was a long backpack. But of course Apple Crisp knew that it was actually a dragon walking like a quadruped in a pegasus costume, which was why he had such a strong look of concentration on his face.
“So Spike, how’s it goin?” Apple Crisp asked the drake disguised as a pegasus. “Ya walkin ok?”
“Yeah,” Spike grunted. He had to lower his voice a bit so the guards don’t recognize him by voice. “It’s a little difficult but I think I’ve got it down. Enough at least that I can look natural while walking through.”
“Well Ah guess that’s about as good as we’re gonna get it,” Apple Bloom said, her voice raised to a higher pitch than normal.
Apple Bloom, as became evident as she walked into the garage, had her fur colored gold and had her mane dyed bright pink. Her Cutie Mark was also covered by a red dress Apple Bloom was wearing. She had her two saddle bags on her side. She also had eye liner on her eyes, and she looked more ‘gussied up’ than she has ever been and probably ever will be.
“But as for me, Ah ain’t ever gonna get used ta lookin like this,” Apple Bloom continued. “Ah look way too prissy for mah own tastes.”
“No offence, but I agree,” Spike said. “You look much better normally.”
Apple Bloom blushed, which was luckily hidden by the cosmetics she put on her face.
“Alright kids, time for y’all ta head out,” Apple Crisp said.
“You aren’t coming?” Spike asked.
“Do you want me ta come with?” Apple Crisp asked. “‘Cause from what Ah understand you two would rather go on your own. Don’t worry about your costume, y’all can keep it if ya like, or if you’re even in the area you can give it back ta me.”
“Don’t count on that,” Spike mumbled under his breath.
Apple Bloom walked up to Apple Crisp and gave him a hug. “Thanks for the help cous’,” Apple Bloom said. “And thanks for getting us the supplies we need.”
“No problem,” Apple Crisp said. “That’s what family is for.”
Spike walked towards the entrance of the garage. “Come on Apple Bloom,” Spike said. “We’ve spent enough time here already. It’s time to hit the road.”
Apple Bloom walked up to Spike and nodded. After giving one last wave to Apple Crisp both Apple Bloom and Spike walked out of the garage. They went across the driveway, which was darkened even though the sun was out because of the mountains in the background, until they reached the main road.
Once they reached the main road they paused a bit because two members of the Royal Guard were coming towards them from the left. Apple Bloom and Spike nearly held their breath as the Royal Guard came closer to inspect them, hoping that the guards don’t see through their disguises. It was a few moments while the Royal Guards looked at them, a few long minutes that felt like it lasted as long as an hour, before the guard members finally spoke.
“You two, have you seen a purple dragon around anywhere?” the Royal Guard member on the left asked. Apple Bloom felt temporarily insulted that she wasn’t being asked about, but then she decided to count it as a blessing.
“No, we haven’t,” Spike said, adapting to his lower gruff voice. “Why?”
“We are searching for a purple dragon and we have reason to believe that he is somewhere in Applewood,” the guard on the right asked. “If you see anything, be sure to let us know.”
The two guards than walked off to the right allowing Spike and Apple Bloom to take a sigh of relief. “Good, they don’t recognize me,” Spike said.
“Alight then, we should be able ta get out of Los Pegasus soon than,” Apple Bloom said. She gave Spike a nod. “Let’s go Spike. To the San Palomino Desert.”
Spike discarded his pony costume as soon as he hit the sands of the San Palomino. It was quick for him to unzip the zipper and go back to walking on his two feet. Once he did Spike stuffed the dragon costume inside his backpack and stretched his arms as high as he could, feeling the freedom of being back on his feet instead of on his claws and feet. Apple Bloom also got off the robe she was wearing to hide her Cutie Mark, which she placed in Spike’s bag while he was stretching.
“Guess that must be a relief huh?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Like nothing you’ve ever felt before,” Spike said as he rolled his arms around as part of his stretching. “I guess I shouldn’t complain too much, ‘cause in a few hundred years I’ll be stuck walking like a quadruped anyways, but until then I’d rather not be forced to. It doesn’t feel natural.”
“Ah reckin it’d be like if Ah tried walkin on two hooves instead of four,” Apple Bloom said. “Well…if Ah could even keep my balance tryin ta do that.”
“Well so long as you can keep your balance while walking, we’ll be fine,” Spike said.
“Alright,” Apple Bloom said. They were both about to move on further through the desert but then Apple Bloom remembered something. “Wait, just a sec.” Apple Bloom looked around a bit until she found a cactus to the south and a bit to the east.
Apple Bloom walked up to the cactus and then grabbed her bags, dropping them to the floor in front of her. She reached into her right bag and dug for a few seconds until finally she pulled out a saw. Apple Bloom put a smile on her face as she adjusted the saw in her mouth until she was comfortable with it.
“What exactly are you doing Apple Bloom?” Spike asked.
Apple Bloom mumbled incoherently to answer Spike before walking to the left of the cactus with her saw facing out to the right. She began sawing the cactus in half horizontally, taking care not to brush her face against it so as not to get poked by the thousand needles. It took her a few seconds but she finally managed to saw it. Once she was done she put her saw back on the ground and looked towards Spike.
“Hey Spike, would ya mind takin off what Ah sawed, be sure to keep the water in it, and takin off the needles?” Apple Bloom asked.
Spike walked over to the cactus plant Apple Bloom just sawed and grabbed it with his claws. “Well…sure I guess but what exactly are you going to use it for?” Spike asked as he carefully took off the top of the cactus and flipped it over to avoid losing any of the cactus juice. “If you’re going to drink it, I wouldn’t suggest that.”
“Of course Ah’m not gonna drink it,” Apple Bloom said as she watched Spike take the needles from it. “Ah’ve got another idea.”
As soon as Spike was done pulling needles from the cactus top Apple Bloom swiped her tail at it, using her tail to get a good hold on the cactus juice. She used her tail to pour the cactus juice on her backside and then with a flick of her tail she threw the cactus juice back at Spike. Apple Bloom let the water fall down her body, washing off the color on her fur.
“Hey Spike, would ya mind refilling that?” Apple Bloom asked.
“So that’s what you’re doing,” Spike said, obviously impressed. “Nice idea. I didn’t actually expect something like that from you.”
“And what exactly is that supposed ta mean?” Apple Bloom sharply asked.
Spike took a step back. “Well sorry I just…” Spike said, trying to backtrack and failing spectacularly.
“Cactus stems are the only part of cacti that produces photosynthesis,” Apple Bloom said to show off her knowledge. “It’s also the area that cacti that stores water, where it keeps it in order to keep up the vital processes that keep it alive even in places with low levels of moisture like a desert.”
“Alright, I get it,” Spike said. “You don’t have to pound it in. I just…you said you didn’t know anything about the desert…”
“I don’t know a lot about this desert specifically,” Apple Bloom said. “But Ah do know about cacti, including the fact that they’re in deserts. And Ah know a lot about plants, shrubs, and trees and stuff, ‘cause Ah need ta know that if Ah’m going ta be an Apple carpenter.”
Also…Ah know a lot about rocks and gemstones but…Ah got a few other reasons for knowing that, Apple Bloom thought while blushing internally. Ah guess Ah know who Ah can thank for knowin so much.
“Alright I get it,” Spike said. “Don’t underestimate your intelligence.”
“Please don’t,” Apple Bloom said. “Just ‘cause Ah’m a farm filly doesn’t mean Ah don’t know anything.”
“Sorry,” Spike said.
Spike decided rather than dig himself into a bigger hole he’d do what Apple Bloom asked him to. The drake went back over to the cactus and swiped the top of the cactus inside of it to grab some more water. When he finished he looked back at Apple Bloom and saw that she was already done and her backside and tail were back to their original colors.
“Will you need some help?” Spike asked.
“Nah, just keep refilling it and Ah’ll be fine,” Apple Bloom said as she walked over to Spike and grabbed the water with another swipe of the tail. It took a few more refills but Apple Bloom eventually fully cleaned off most of the coloring on her, minus a few splotches here and there.
Finally Apple Bloom reached into one of her bags with her mouth. She grabbed out her pink bow and placed it on to her hoof. She then lowered her head placed her hooves above it, and then wrapped her bow in her hair.
“Alright, we can go now,” Apple Bloom said as she walked closer to Spike.
“Did you have to put your bow back on?” Spike asked.
Apple Bloom nodded. “Yeah,” she said. “And you know why. This bow used to be my Mah’s. Ah couldn’t wear it before ‘cause it’d be a dead giveaway of who Ah am, but Ah ain’t goin on any farther without it on.”
“Ok,” Spike said. “Just be careful you don’t lose it. We’re going to be walking through a hot desert for a while, and we’re both going to be hot and sweaty. It might slip off if you’re not careful.”
“Well than we better get moving if we want ta get as far as we can before Ah get to sweaty,” Apple Bloom said. “Let’s get a move on.”
“Yeah you're right,” Spike said. “Let’s go.”
Both Spike and Apple Bloom walked onwards but as Spike moved forward with a clear head, Apple Bloom had her head full of thoughtful determination.
For today, we’ll get as far as we can, she thought. But tonight is the night. Ah don’t know how, but somehow tonight Ah’m gettin it out of Spike why he’s runnin away tonight. Ah’ve stalled this out long enough. It’s time Ah knew the truth.
~
The walk for the rest of the day was mostly a quiet and uneventful one. At first Spike and Apple Bloom did talk about random subjects that came to their mind to help pass the time, but eventually the sun reached its climax in the sky. And once the sun reached that high and the head of the day settled in, the talking became a minimum and the focus was more on putting one hoof/foot in front of the other.
While on their walk they guzzled down water like it was nothing. They both agreed to try and stick to only one and a half water bottles per day to conserve on water, but it was hard for Apple Bloom to avoid drinking it all. In fact it was so hard that it was agreed that Spike would hold on to the water while they were walking.
The silence while they walk became boring at first, but eventually Apple Bloom didn’t really mind it. It gave her a chance to think of how she was going to get Spike’s secret out of him that night. Several ways passed through her mind, some of which she was sure would work but she didn’t want to use because of how harsh they would be. She put those methods into the back of her head if she really needed to use them, but she would rather not have to.
Those thoughts allowed her to pass the time and before she knew it the sun fell down to their right into a sunset sky. After a long day they were beginning to tire down and they both decided when the sun was almost down and the skies were becoming a deep purple to stop for the night. Spike once again set up the fire while Apple Bloom worked on setting up some cloth for them both to eat on.
This time they both just had sandwiches with some grass and a few flowers, Apple Bloom saving the apples for when she was really thirsty and Spike saving his gemstones for when they aren’t in the middle of the desert. They ate in silence as Apple Bloom was finalizing what she was going to say to Spike. And once she was done all she needed to do was wait for Spike to be done before finally asking the question.
It’s time, Apple Bloom thought. We’re in a desert heading farther and farther away from Ponyville. Farther and farther away from our friends and family who are all worried about us and missin us. Ah know why Ah’m doin it and Ah feel guilty about it. Ah need ta know why Spike is doin it.
“Spike, why did you run away?” Apple Bloom asked, not beating around the bush, not trying to ease into the question, just straight out asking what she wants to know.
“Haven’t we been through this already?” Spike asked though this time in a neutral voice. “It’s personal.”
“Why is it personal?” Apple Bloom asked. “What’s so personal about it? Can ya at least tell me that?”
“Why do you keep asking me?” Spike asked. “Why do you need to know?”
“Haven’t we been through this already?” Apple Bloom asked in an imitation of Spike’s voice. She stopped imitating his voice though when she said “Ah’m worried about you Spike. Ah can tell somethin is wrong, something is hurtin you and Ah want ta help you.”
“And what makes you so sure you can help me?” Spike asked, his voice rising.
“Ah don’t know,” Apple Bloom admitted. “Maybe Ah can’t. But we won’t know that ‘till Ah try. And if Ah can’t help you well you don’t lose anythin from tellin me do ya? All you’ll gain is at least somepony that knows, and maybe even understands.”
Spike closed his eyes and sighed. “Apple Bloom…the reason I don’t want to tell you is I know you’ll try and bring me back. You’ll try and keep me in Equestria. I bet you can’t look me in the eyes and tell me otherwise.” Spike opened his eyes and looked at her expectantly.
“Spike…you’re right,” Apple Bloom admitted hesitantly. “If Ah could, Ah would try and keep ya in Equestria. You bet your golden apples Ah would. But what’s wrong with that? Ya have friends and family here.”
“I don’t exactly have a lot of friends,” Spike told her. “I mean yeah, I have you and Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, and I guess I’m sort of friends with all of Twilight’s friends but I don’t think I have to say what’s missing there.”
“Ya could try askin Rumble and Pipsqueak’s group of friends,” Apple Bloom suggested. “Ah’m sure they wouldn’t mine lettin you join them.”
“Guess that’s true,” Spike said.
“But either way Spike, Ah can’t tell you anything,” Apple Bloom said. “If Ah can Ah would try and get you to stay with me or head home, but if Ah can’t do anything, if it would make your situation worse staying…Ah care about you Spike so if it’d make you unhappy staying than I wouldn’t force you.”
Spike looked to his feet silently, obviously thinking.
“Ya won’t lose anything tellin me,” Apple Bloom prodded some more. “And if ya can’t trust me, who can ya trust?”
“Those two rocks over there,” Spike said as he nodded towards two gray rocks in the sand to his right. Apple Bloom gave him an unamused look which caused Spike to crack a smile. “Alright, I’m kidding,” Spike said. Seriously he asked “Do you really want to know?”
“Of course Ah do,” Apple Bloom said.
“Well fine,” Spike said. “I guess…I’ll tell you then.”
Spike looked at Apple Bloom, who had the fire behind her and the light from the flames dancing across her body, deciding exactly what he wanted to say and how he wanted to say it. He still wondered whether he should be really telling her this since he already had a guess of her reaction, but he said he would so that’s what he’s going to do.
“I guess I’ll start with the elephant in the room,” Spike said. “I’m a dragon.”
Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. “Yes, because so many ponies I know can walk on two legs, breath fire, and fly,” the earth pony filly said. “Twilight can maybe do two out of three but not all of them.”
“Not the point I was trying to make,” Spike said. “I’m a dragon. To anypony that doesn’t know me personally that’s the first thing they’re going to think of me. Now Apple Bloom, without using me as an example, what would most ponies think of when they think of dragons?”
Apple Bloom faced away from Spike with her eyes still trained on the drake. Spike could tell by the look on her face that she knew the answer he was looking but didn’t want to say anything. Spike internally smiled at that, knowing that at least she cared about his feelings.
“You can tell me,” Spike reassured her. “I already know. Hearing it won’t make any difference.”
“…Greedy jerkish hoarders,” Apple Bloom said in a very soft voice, something akin to Fluttershy. But as soon as she said that Apple Bloom quickly turned about and told him, “But Ah don’t think that of you.”
“I know you don’t but that’s not the point,” Spike told her. “The problem is, that’s what most ponies think of when they think of dragons. And while Ponyville knows me well enough to know that isn’t completely true with me, there are still those little things, like that time I started hording and grew huge nearly destroying the town, that ponies remember.”
“So ponies are lookin down on ya?” Apple Bloom asked.
“As far as I know, no,” Spike told her. “Apple Bloom, let me ask you this. You’re hiring somebody new for your business. You have two guys who you don’t really know that well that can do it pretty good both applying. But one is a pony and the other is a dragon. Who are you going to hire?”
Apple Bloom once again looked like she knew the answer to the question but was hesitant to answer, only this time Spike didn’t need to prod her for the answer. “The…pony,” Apple Bloom admitted. Her eyes widened when she realized where Spike was going.
“Wait…you’re lookin for a job?” Apple Bloom asked. “Ain’t ya got the library when Twi is gone? And didn’t ya like workin there?”
“Like working there?” Spike asked. “Well yeah I did. When I was a kid I really did like working as Twilight’s assistant. I wanted to be Twilight’s number one assistant and keep it that way for a long time. ‘Course, I should have figured that wouldn’t last forever.”
“It slowly happened after Twilight became a princess. At first it was fine since Twilight tried to stick around Ponyville as much as she could to stay with her friends but we all knew she couldn’t. Ponyville is an out of the way small town, all the big discussions happen in Canterlot, and even half of her friends ended up going to Canterlot. Plus well…when Twilight ended up finding a coltfriend in Canterlot she had more and more reasons to stay there.”
Spike shivered and immediately noticed how dark it was becoming and how cold the desert air was so he nodded Apple Bloom towards the fire. Apple Bloom figured out what Spike was suggesting so she got up and they both walked to the fire that Spike made. When Spike sat down he grabbed a twig from his bag—which was already close to the fire while the two were talking—and poked it into the fire.
“Anyways,” Spike said. “Since Twilight started going to Canterlot more and leaving me in charge of the library I just…stopped liking it. I don’t like working at the library anymore. I don’t know why but I just don’t. I’m actually kinda glad I the library pretty much runs itself, because I don’t like running it anymore.”
Spike knew why Apple Bloom didn’t ask about the ponies that needed a book. Ponyville library was never a busy library, to the point where it didn’t even have a librarian to keep it up before Twilight moved in there. And he was the one that told the filly that Twilight placed a spell on the library so that anypony who wants to check out a book has to sign it out or they wouldn’t be able to leave the library with said book.
“So ya lost interest in workin at the library and instead of workin there ya want ta find a job?” Apple Bloom asked for confirmation that’s where Spike was going.
“Yeah,” Spike said with a nod. His eyes didn’t leave the fire though. “Mostly so I can make my own money and start my own life. If I’m not going to work at the library I don’t want to use the money I get from that or stay there for free. I want to make my own money and start my own place.”
“And ya also are havin trouble with that ‘cause you’re a dragon,” Apple Bloom said, which got her another nod from Spike.
~
Apple Bloom looked at Spike as her mind tried wrapping around what Spike had told her. Spike may not completely understand what he was going through but Apple Bloom had a few guesses. And from what Spike said Apple Bloom believed those guesses were probably right.
Ever since Apple Bloom gained her crush on Spike she had stared at him from afar and had noticed a few things about him. Spike seemed to be happiest when he was working for somebody he loved. Whether it was doing all of Twilight’s tasks or Rarity’s tasks, heck even one time when he was working for her sister because she saved his life, Spike never complained about his work and seemed happy doing it. And now that Twilight had gone leaving Spike working for himself, it would make sense that he lost interest.
Which reminded Apple Bloom. “So where does Twilight fit into all this?” Apple Bloom asked. “Didn’t ya tell me Twilight was one of the reasons ya left?”
For the first time since they got to the fire pit, Spike actually looked at Apple Bloom with his emerald eyes.
“Well when I first figured out that I was getting brushed off by most jobs since I was a dragon who do you think I turned to?” Spike asked. “The first thing I did was asked Twilight to help me. And that’s where everything went downhill.”
~
“Spike! It’s good to see you again!” Twilight exclaimed at the sight of Spike.
The purple alicorn ran across the red carpet in the throne room to greet Spike. She didn’t go too fast through because she was wearing a purple regal dress with gold trimming on it and Rarity’s trademark jewels. But eventually she reached Spike and gave him a hug.
“So how’s it going?” Twilight asked after her hug. “How are things in Ponyville?”
“That’s actually what I’m wanted to see you about,” Spike told her.
But before he was able to say anything else Twilight was approached on her left by a royal guard member who took Twilight’s attention away from Spike for a moment, much to the drake’s annoyance. The two whispered together for a few seconds while Spike tapped his foot impatiently. After a few seconds of whispering Twilight finally turned her attention back to Spike.
“Sorry about that Spike,” Twilight said. “Today’s a really busy day for me. Celestia is in the Gryphon Kingdom today leaving me in charge here in Equestria.”
“It’s…fine,” Spike said, altogether unconvincingly but Twilight didn’t seem to notice. “Anyways I need your help Twilight.”
“Alright, just ask and I’ll see what I can do,” Twilight said. “Just…I’m sorry Spike, I really am, but can you please make it quick? Today’s been a really stressful day for me, and it’s only late in the morning. I can tell already it’s going to be a long day.”
“Well Twilight…can you help me get a job?” Spike asked. “You see…”
“Is that it?” Twilight asked. “Well don’t worry about it Spike. You can have the job at the library for as long as you want. You don’t have to worry about anybody else taking it.”
Another guard got Twilight’s attention once again turning it away from Spike. After the guard left Twilight quickly told Spike “Sorry but I gotta go. There’s something I need to do and need to do now. If you need anything else just stick around here and I’ll try and get back to you.”
Twilight walked off to the back of the room and Spike mumbled “No, I’m fine,” before walking the other direction.
Twilight continued walking for a few seconds before she realized something. She turned around and yelled “Wait Spike, I have something to tell you!” but it was too late. Spike had already slammed the door before she was able to say anything else to the drake.
~
“Afterwards I just left,” Spike finished. “I left, and blocked off the fire that we use to send letters to each other. And after a few days of preparing you know what happened.”
“Well to me it sounded like Twilight was just really busy,” Apple Bloom said. “Maybe if ya just talked ta her a bit better she could have helped you.”
“I know if I talked to her she could have helped me!” Spike snapped. “That’s not the point!”
Spike looked back into the fire. “The letter I sent to her beforehand told her that I needed to see her about something important. I know she is a princess so she was busy but she should have set some time out for me. I don’t care how busy she was! Equestria isn’t under war! Nopony would have gotten hurt if she just spent a little amount of time actually listening to me! But she didn’t! So if she doesn’t care enough about me to take some time out to listen to my problems then I don’t want to see her again.”
“That’s why I’m leaving Equestria.”
Apple Bloom paused. When Spike started Apple Bloom hoped that whatever she would tell her, she would find some way of helping him and getting him to come back with her. But the way it sounded, Spike had no plans of staying in Equestria and Apple Bloom couldn't think of anything to convince him.
“So where are ya gonna go then?” Apple Bloom asked.
“…I have no clue,” Spike admitted. “I’m not going to find the dragons if that’s what you’re thinking. I already learned that I don’t fit in with them. But I can’t really stay with ponies either. I don’t know where I belong. That’s…kinda why I’m glad I’m at least following you for now. It’s at least given me some direction. But after Phoenix I’m going to keep heading south until I’m where Twilight will never find me again.”
“And you’re sure nothin’s gonna keep ya in Equestria?” Apple Bloom asked. “Even if ya can get a job without Twilight’s help?”
“No, nothing can,” Spike said. “I’m sorry Apple Bloom. I know how much you want me to stay but you have to understand I don’t want to stay.”
“I…” Apple Bloom hesitated but she really had no choice. “I understand Spike.”
I guess Ah have no choice then, Apple Bloom thought miserably as she faced forwards and closed her eyes. Spike’s leavin and if Ah want ta spend the most time with him Ah’m gonna hafta go all the way ta Phoenix.
After Spike’s revelation of why he was leaving they both went away from the fire and went to bed for the night. However, Apple Bloom could not fall asleep at all. Her mind was in turmoil because of a conflict with itself, a conflict that was gaining Apple Bloom no peace for that night. Her practical side and her emotional side started a war with each other and the battle was raging on.
Apple Bloom figured she had no chance of convincing Spike to stay in Equestria. So her original idea of getting Spike to go back with her to Los Pegasus was now thrown out the window. And her logical, practical side was telling her to just go back there and leave Spike since she will gain nothing from continuing on with him. Maybe a job in Phoenix, but she wasn’t sure about that.
But her emotional side didn’t want to abandon Spike, especially since Spike felt betrayed by Twilight. She also knew she would feel bad abandoning Spike, since she would have to admit she was lying to him this entire time. But besides the fact that she gets to spend time with Spike, she couldn’t think of any good reason to do that.
The battle kept her up all night, tossing and turning in her bed. She could only sleep for brief periods of time and each time she had some sort of nightmare that involved Spike disappearing forever or sometimes even him dying, only to wake up screaming a few hours later. Luckily Spike didn’t seem to be affected by Apple Bloom’s cries; otherwise he would have had just as bad of a night as Apple Bloom was having.
Eventually Apple Bloom gave up on sleeping. The moon told her it was sometime past midnight when she just gave up and went to her hooves. Apple Bloom knew she shouldn’t, Spike already gave her a general idea of the creatures that prowl the desert and while they both made sure their camp was safe from such creatures, outside of there they would be out and about, but Apple Bloom needed to walk and think.
Apple Bloom followed the direction of the moon in front of her so that she would be able to get back at any time she needed to. But while she was walking she really didn’t pay much attention to anything but the ground below her. What she was more focused on were her thoughts.
Urrggg….why couldn’t Spike just have waited for Twilight, Apple Bloom thought out of hopelessness. He could have tried explaining himself better! Ah’m sure Twilight could’ve helped him! But nooo, Spike had to be stubborn.
Apple Bloom shook her head. No Ah can’t blame Spike. Ah can understand why he’s so angry. Twi completely ignored him when he even wrote to her telling her it was important. Ah can understand why Spike was feelin so angry. But Ah just wish they communicated better between each other.
Apple Bloom stopped her forward march. Ah guess Ah shouldn’t be the one sayin that. What about me? Could Ah have communicated better? Ah told Applejack and Big Mac mah problem but Ah don’t think Ah made myself clear. Ah could have tried ta explain myself better, Ah know Ah could’ve. We both could’ve.
Apple Bloom started walking forward again. And maybe Ah could have explained myself better ta Spike. Ah lied ta him, Ah lied while he told me the truth. And Ah still haven’t told him how Ah feel about him. Ah haven’t been clear with him either.
Apple Bloom continued walking until she noticed something strange. For the past day she had been walking over sand and had gotten used to the feel of the grains against her hooves. But now her hooves were on something familiar yet strange to her, something silky and wet. When Apple Bloom actually focused on what was directly in front of her she realized she was standing on grass.
Apple Bloom’s head immediately shot up with worry about how she was suddenly in grass and with the small light available she looked at her surroundings. What she noticed was she was in a large grassy area surrounded by the desert, with trees actually growing and even a large pond in front of her. It took her a few seconds, mostly because of how tired she was, but eventually she realized she must have walked into an oasis.
“Not a bad find Apple Bloom,” said Spike’s voice from behind her.
Apple Bloom quickly turned around to face the purple drake. “Spike?” Apple Bloom asked. “What are you doin up?”
“You haven’t exactly helped me get to sleep,” Spike pointed out. “Not with you constantly crying into the night.”
Apple Bloom’s head lowered. “Sorry,” she said. “But Ah didn’t know you noticed. Ya looked ta be asleep whenever Ah looked at you.”
“Yeah I was trying to fall asleep but I didn’t really get a lot,” Spike admitted. “I kept my eyes closed and tried to ignore you, since I thought you were just having a bad nightmare or even a night terror, but when you started walking off I knew something was wrong. So I followed you here.”
“Alright, thanks Spike,” Apple Bloom said.
Apple Bloom watched Spike walk over to the large pond and place his cupped claws into the waters. He lifted his claws back up and splashed the water all over his face to help wake him up. Spike repeated the process only this time when he grabbed the water he kept it cupped in his hands as he walked back to where Apple Bloom was. After a few seconds of walking he got close enough to Apple Bloom to be able to throw the cold water right on her face.
Apple Bloom shrieked as the water hit her face and her tiredness was suddenly replaced with anger. “What was that for?!” She yelled at Spike.
“To wake you up so you can tell me what’s wrong,” Spike said while he attempted not to smile.
Apple Bloom rolled her eyes and sighed, deciding to ignore what Spike just did. She had more important things to worry about. “Yeah Ah…Ah need ta tell you,” Apple Bloom said.
Spike sat down where he was standing and Apple Bloom lied down to become more comfortable while she explained. Apple Bloom closed her eyes for a second before looking into the starry sky and starting.
“Spike…you were honest with me so Ah’m gonna be honest with you,” Apple Bloom said. “Ah’ve…been lyin ta you for a while now.”
“About what?” Spike asked.
“Spike Ah…never planned ta go to Phoenix,” Apple Bloom admitted. “Ah never planned ta go even close ta that far. If Ah did Ah would have had more than enough food for the desert and even have remembered ta bring plenty of salt for when Ah got there.”
“So you lied to me?” Spike asked, obvious hurt and a small bit of anger in his voice. “Let me guess, you weren’t even planning on running away in the first place? You just noticed me running away and decided to try and bring me back didn’t you?”
“Well…kinda,” Apple Bloom said. She felt Spike’s eyes on her but she couldn’t return a look. “Ah was runnin away when Ah found you. Ah was gonna head to Los Pegasus, where Ah knew Ah could work at Applewood. But yeah when Ah found ya…the reason Ah lied was ‘cause Ah wanted ta bring you back. Or if not that at least keep you there with me in Los Pegasus. Ah will admit that.”
Apple Bloom raised her head to look at Spike. “But Spike Ah didn’t know why you were runnin away when Ah saw you. All Ah knew was you were hurt by somethin and Ah wanted ta help you. Ah lied because Ah wanted ta spend more time with you and figure out what’s wrong. Ah thought Ah’d be able ta help you and keep you here.”
“Well…I guess I can’t blame you,” Spike said. “You didn’t know why I was running away and were just worried about me. But now you do know.”
“Yeah,” Apple Bloom said. “And now Ah’m trying to decide whether Ah should continue going with you or go back to Los Pegasus. That’s why Ah’m havin a hard time sleepin.”
“Don’t worry Apple Bloom, you can go back to Los Pegasus,” Spike told her as he turned his gaze away. “I won’t think any less of you. Well…I might feel a little disappointed that you left me as soon as you figured out I won’t be staying in Equestria but I also know that you wanted to be sure I was alright.”
“Ah don’t care,” Apple Bloom said. “Ah’d still be questioning it whether you’d think any less of me or not.”
“Why would you do that?” Spike asked. “If you want to go back then just go. By the sounds of things you’d have it much easier there than in Pheonix.”
“…‘Cause of the second thing Ah’ve been hidin from you,” Apple Bloom said. She looked at Spike, worried about how he was going to react, and was extremely nervous at what she was about to say, but she told herself to tell him everything and she was going to tell him everything.
Apple Bloom stood up and slowly closed the gap between her and Spike, which was completely unnoticed by the drake because he was looking in the other direction. It took him until she was right in front of his face before he noticed she was close. Before Spike was able to ask anything Apple Bloom cupped her lips around his and kissed him. Spike’s eyes widened open in surprise while Apple Bloom’s closed.
To Apple Bloom, this was something she had been waiting for the longest time for. The chance to finally kiss Spike. And it didn’t disappoint her one bit. Sure Spike’s lips were harder than a normal pony’s but she didn’t care one bit. Her heart sped up at the contact and a wave of happiness passed through her.
After a few seconds Apple Bloom broke the contact by taking a few steps back and took a look at Spike’s face. Spike was still just as bewildered as Apple Bloom saw before she closed her eyes. But luckily for her, she didn’t see anger at her forwardness, or anything besides shock. The earth pony filly took that as a good sign.
“Spike, Ah’ve had a crush on you for the longest of times,” Apple Bloom told the drake. “You’ve always been such a hard worker for everypony you love, you’re so sweet and nice, and Ah love hangin around you. You always do so much and never stop tryin, even when ya really should like, when you did stuff for Applejack after she saved your life. Ya don’t know how long Ah’ve been waiting, how long Ah’ve been hopin, ta make you mine.”
“How long?” Spike asked quietly. Apple Bloom couldn’t gauge any emotions because of how quiet he said it.
“Since just a bit after Ah got mah Cutie Mark,” Apple Bloom told him. “And long before you lost your crush on Rarity. Ah still had mah crush on you, even when Ah thought Ah wouldn’t get you. Ah kept on hopin even then. Even then Ah spend mah time learnin as much as Ah could about gemstones and rocks and stuff, hopin maybe Ah could impress you sometime. Ah didn’t think Ah hade a hope, but Ah still did it.”
Spike looked away from Apple Bloom, his face forming a more ponderous expression. Apple Bloom waited patiently for him, worried but at the same time excited for Spike’s reaction. She had finally told him, now it was his turn to speak.
“…I guess you should travel with me then for a little while longer,” Spike finally said. “And while we’re going I guess we can try to think of something that would keep me from leaving Equestria.” Spike looked back up at Apple Bloom. “I still don’t think anything we’re going to find something but I’m open for any suggestions. At least more open than I was before.”
For the first time what felt like a while to her, Apple Bloom smiled. “And…what about…you know?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Your crush?” Spike said. “Well…I don’t know what to tell you. You kinda surprised me with that. Just…ask me later when I’ve had time to think about it.”
Apple Bloom’s head lowered. “Alright fine,” she said.
“Don’t take it the wrong way,” Spike quickly told her. “I’m not rejecting you. I just seriously don’t know what to think. I just need some time to actually think. And anyways…we should head back to the campsite.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” Apple Bloom said. “We should.”
Spike quickly got up with a hop and started walking in the direction of the campsite. But as he passed Apple Bloom’s left side he stopped for a few seconds. Spike put a claw directly on Apple Bloom’s shoulder.
“Hey Apple Bloom, good luck thinking about a way to work this out for the both of us,” Spike said. “I actually kinda want to hear it.”
After saying that Spike went back towards the campsite. Apple Bloom stood there a few seconds in shock before she turned around. She saw Spike was already well on his way back to the campsite, and Apple Bloom followed suit, now with a new hope.
“So Spike, are you sure you won’t stay if Ah can find you a job?” Apple Bloom asked the next morning. Of course as soon as they woke up, ate breakfast, and began packing up camp, Apple Bloom went straight to suggesting ideas to keep Spike in Equestria.
“What are you thinking?” Spike asked while picking up the rocks around the fire, not saying yes or no.
“Well Ah was thinkin we head back ta Applewood,” Apple Bloom suggested. “Ah’m sure Apple Crisp will let us hide out at his house and lay low for a while. Then after they stop lookin for us, Ah’m sure we’ll both be able to find some sort of work. You said you wanted ta find a job didn’t you?”
“Alright say we do that, and say it works,” Spike said. “First off, how long do you think we need to hide for? I doubt the guards will stop looking for me for a while. Maybe you, and that’s a big maybe. And after they do stop looking for me, what do you think they’re going to think when a random purple dragon reappears in Los Pegasus? Dragons aren’t exactly a common creature around Equestria.”
“Well thanks for bein open minded,” Apple Bloom said with hurt in her voice.
“I am open minded, but I want to make sure I know where I’m going before I go there,” Spike told her. He finished up putting rocks in his backpack and got up to face Apple Bloom.
“Yeah, ‘cause you know so much about where you’re goin otherwise,” Apple Bloom told him, obviously mad.
Spike guiltily looked to his feet at Apple Bloom’s accusing gaze. He also kicked his feet nervously but Apple Bloom’s gaze didn’t lesson any more. He eventually gave up.
“Alright fine, I get it,” Spike said, snapping his head back up to look at Apple Bloom. “You have a point. I really don’t know what I’m going to do when I leave Equestria. But I’d rather be outside Equestria, where at least I know Twilight can’t find me, than here.”
Apple Bloom sighed as she lowered her head and picked up her saddle bags from right in front of her. After sliding her bags down her neck and on to her back she looked back at Spike. Since Spike didn’t like that option Apple Bloom decided to give him the only one that she thought up completely and knew would work. The problem was, she knew Spike would hate it.
“Why don’t you try explainin yourself ta Twilight better?” Apple Bloom told him. “Ah’m sure, positive, if you talked to her you’d be able to get right with her. Twi is the only family you have, so you can’t just leave her.”
“Didn’t you leave your family?” Spike pointed out. “You left your family for the same reason I left Twilight. You know how I feel. Didn’t you leave them because they didn’t listen to your problem?”
“Yeah, and Ah still feel guilty about it,” Apple Bloom told him. “Ah feel really guilty about it. Ah’m constantly thinkin, constantly wonderin if there was somethin Ah could have said, somethin Ah could have done, that would’ve made things better. Ah know Ah could have explained myself better and Ah know you could have explained things better ta Twilight.”
“Well I would have if somebody wasn’t so selfish that she didn’t even bother meeting me alone,” Spike told her, his voice rising as he spoke. “I wasn’t even important enough for her to do that! I was treated just like I was another random peasant with a request she had to meet that day! Maybe if she treated me like I was family I would care more!”
Spike’s voice suddenly became much lower. “But nope. I wasn’t even important enough for that. I’m sure if one of her friends or ‘he who must not be named’ told her they had something important to tell her, she would make sure to listen to them. But nope, I’m not that important to her.”
Realization hit Apple Bloom’s face. “Spike…are you feeling left out and replaced?”
“Well…maybe,” Spike said.
“Spike…” Apple Bloom walked over to Spike and put a cream hoof on his shoulder. “Listen. Ah know the feelin’. Remember, Ah have nieces and nephews now. Ah know how it feels ta be replaced. But Ah…”
“It’s not just that I’m replaced,” Spike interrupted. “Twilight literally betrayed me. She didn’t bother listening to me.”
“Then tell her that!” Apple Bloom said. “Twi needs ta know that. You should tell Twi how you feel so she understands what she did to you. Otherwise she won’t ever understand what she did to you.”
Spike was silent as he looked at Apple Bloom, obviously deep in thought. Apple Bloom kept her hoof on Spike’s shoulder and kept looking at him, hoping that she said that right words to Spike, hoping that she finally convinced Spike to come back with her.
“No,” Spike flat out said. “I’m not going to come crawling back to her. I don’t care how much she ‘needs’ to know. I’m going to make sure Twilight doesn’t see my face ever again.”
Apple Bloom lowered her head and gave a frustrated cry.
“Well than what else do you want ta do?” Apple Bloom asked. “What do you think you’re gonna do? Spike, we ain’t got much else we can do. If Ah was Applejack and owned mah own business Ah’d get you a job that way, but Ah’m not. So we’re gonna need somebody’s help ta stay in Equestria. And don’t think you’re gonna do much outside of Equestria. You don’t know anythin about what’s outside there. So what makes you so sure you’ll do anythin there?”
“I don’t know, but whatever it is it has to be better than staying here,” Spike told her.
“No it isn’t!” Apple Bloom said loudly as she stomped her right off to the ground. “Spike, if you go away, you don’t know what you’re gonna do?! You don’t know if you can even find supplies ta stay alive! And Ah ain’t about ta let you go off and die!”
“Die?” Spike asked.
“Yeah die!" Apple Bloom said. "Did ya honesty not think of that! Ah’ve already told you mah feelings. So you know Ah don’t want ta see you leave when Ah know you’re just gonna get hurt from it. And Ah know you feel betrayed with Twi. But do you really think havin you possibly die should be her punishment for that? And what about others who didn’t do anything to you? Like me? Are you gonna punish me for what Twi did?”
“You’re…not going to let up on me talking to Twilight are you?” Spike asked.
"Ah gave you another choice and you ignored it," Apple Bloom said. “Besides, family has always been important ta Apples and it’s important to me. If any members of the Apple Family fight we always reconcile with each other. And Ah think ya should do that too. Please Spike, at least try. For me.”
Apple Bloom gave Spike a look, a long hard look hoping that she could actually get him to agree with her.
“Apple Bloom I…just give me a few seconds,” Spike said. “I’ll…I need to walk and think about it.” Spike took the straps of his backpack off his shoulders and placed them on to the floor. “I’ll leave this here just so you know I’ll come back.”
Spike turned around and walked off in some random direction on his own. The drake was confused and Apple Bloom could tell that from the way he walked, but strangely the filly actually liked that fact. Something Spike thought was so concrete before was now unknown and Apple Bloom hoped that was a start to get him to agree with her.
~
Spike walked across the scorching desert sands with his mind confused. He wasn’t really paying attention to where he was walking, all he cared about was to keep moving forward so later he could reverse his steps and walk backwards. Beyond that he didn’t really care about where he was walking, including one point where he got stung by a scorpion, since the scorpion’s venom had no chance of penetrating his dragon scales. All Spike wanted to do was walk and think.
Apple Bloom…urrg why do you have to use logic on me, Spike thought. That’s unfair. And of course what’s worse is she’s actually worried about me. If she wasn’t I could say nobody would care if I’m gone, but I can’t do that. But I guess she has a good reason for that because she has a crush on me.
She has a crush on me. Apple Bloom has a crush on me. No matter how many times Spike ran those words through his head he could not believe those words. I…after Rarity I didn’t think I’d find somebody else. I didn’t think I’d get anybody to like me. And then Apple Bloom tells me otherwise. And not only does she have a crush on me, but she’s gone this far with me because of it. She cares so much for me. She even saved my life.
But I still don’t want to talk to Twilight. I’d rather do anything than talk to Twilight. She didn’t bother talking to me so why the heck would I want to talk to her? She was too busy to bother with me. After raising me all my life, she betrayed and abandoned me when I needed her.
Spike looked up in the sky where he saw buzzards circling around an area near the edge of his sight. With the amount of buzzards he knew something must have died recently, but Spike couldn’t see exactly what. It probably wasn’t a pony, Spike knew no ponies would come into the desert alone because of the dangers in it, but either way Spike still felt for it. Spike had a few guesses of what happened to that poor creature and none of them good.
I wonder…if I keep going will I end up like that? Spike questioned. Apple Bloom is pretty sure I’m about to head off to my death. And I don’t blame her. If I run out of supplies, which I will in a few weeks, and can’t find anymore then well…I guess Apple Bloom has a point. I don’t really have an idea of what I’m doing here.
Actually I haven’t really had a lot planned thinking about it now. Even when I was asking Twilight about getting a job, I didn’t know what I would actually do. I just figured I’d ask for a job and I’d get one I liked. I didn’t think through which job I should do and why. Guess it doesn’t help that I don’t have a Cutie Mark telling me what I’m good at. Heh, and I was complaining about Apple Bloom not thinking things through. Turns out she had everything more planned out than I ever had.
The buzzards all flew away allowing Spike to continue his walk without worry of seeing the deformed figure of whatever pray the buzzards found. The drake knew he’d been gone for a while and Apple Bloom would probably come looking for him eventually but Spike still wanted to walk for just a bit longer.
No matter what I do I don’t know what will happen. If I leave Equestria to avoid Twilight I won’t know where I’m going or what I’m going to do, but even if I stay in Equestria and talk to Twilight, something I really don't want to do, I still don’t know what I’m going to do. I don’t know where to go. I’m trapped without an idea of what to do now.
Spike sighed but before he was able to think of what to do a shrill scream sounded across the desert. It was a high pitched scream, one that burned into Spike’s mind and made him quickly turn around. It was also a scream that Spike recognized, and one that made his heart pump with fear. It was Apple Boom’s scream.
Spike ran in the direction of Apple Bloom’s screaming as fast as he could. His pulse was racing, and it wasn’t from the running he was doing. Apple Bloom’s loud scream was ringing in his ears and Spike was extremely worried about what fate had befallen her.
Eventually the cream colored earth pony came into Spike’s view, lying motionless on the desert sands with her saddle bags and Spike’s backpack on. Along with Apple Bloom, the same scorpion that stung Spike before, along with half a dozen other scorpions, was surrounding Apple Bloom. Spike realized that he must have passed over a scorpion’s nest when he was walking this way and he made them angry.
Spike greatly picked up the pace while swearing like a sailor in his mind. Once he got to the scorpions nest Spike immediately blew fire into the air to alert the scorpions, and if possible scare them away. He didn’t manage that but at least the scorpions turned their attention away from Apple Bloom and towards Spike.
Spike grabbed the scorpions with his claws, ignoring the stings or pinchs that he got from them, and immediately threw them as far away as he could from Apple Bloom. He threw about half of them away before that half started coming back towards Spike. However, before they were Apple to get that far Spike twisted his head towards them and let out a great fire, burning most of them to a crisp and sending the ones that weren’t packing. Spike then went back to throwing the ones that were close to Apple Bloom away and repeated the process until all the scorpions were either dead or ran away.
Once Spike got rid of them all and after taking a few seconds to catch his breath Spike immediately turned a concerned eye to Apple Bloom. Apple Bloom was still on the floor, her eyes were closed and Spike couldn’t tell if she was even breathing. Near her belly and hooves there were several red splotches where the scorpions attacked. Spike got on his knees in front of her and reached a claw towards her underside to try and find a pulse, worry causing his claws to shake.
“S…Spike?”
Spike’s hand snapped back at Apple Bloom’s voice and took a step back away from Apple Bloom. Apple Bloom’s eyes opened slowly and she looked tried to get up, but she only made it half way there before she fell back onto his belly with a pained look on her face. Spike once again ran up to the teenager.
“S…Spike, are you…ok?” Apple Bloom asked weakly.
“I’m ok,” Spike told her. “Those scorpions aren’t strong enough to pierce my scales. Plus I don’t think my dragon blood would be that affected by the poison. How did they sting you in the first place?! You should have seen that scorpion from a mile away. And you shouldn’t even be here right now! I told you I’d come back!”
“Yeah Ah saw that scorpion,” Apple Bloom said, “but there were ‘bout a dozen Ah didn’t see. And Ah wanted ta make sure you were ok. You were takin a while and Ah was gettin worried.”
Spike sighed, expecting that this would happen but wishing that it didn’t. Spike kneeled down once again in front of Apple Bloom, this time removing his backpack and her saddle bags to give her some comfort and get rid of some of the heat that Apple Bloom was feeling. It wasn’t much but it was something.
“I’d ask how you feel but I think I have a good guess of that,” Spike said.
“Hot. Really…sick. Ah feel like Ah have the flu, only worse,” Apple Bloom said.
Spike grabbed a water bottle from his backpack. With the water bottle in hand he quickly moved towards Apple Bloom’s face, took off the cap, and placed the water bottle at her mouth. Apple Bloom eventually opened her mouth and drank up the entire water bottle within a few seconds.
“T-thanks,” Apple Bloom said. “H-hey Spike since you can’t get hurt by poison can you…”
“No, that doesn’t actually work,” Spike interrupted, feeling time getting away from him. “The poison is in you right now coursing through your veins. Without the right supplies I can’t do anything to stop it. I don’t know how poisonous the scorpions’ venom was but I don’t think you’ll last very long.”
“So…what are ya gonna do?” Apple Bloom asked. “Can ya get me back to Los Pegasus?”
“…Too far away,” Spike said as he realized what he was going to have to do. “And Appleoosa and Phoenix are both a long ways away too. No matter where I try to go I won’t be able to get you there in time.”
“So then what?” Apple Bloom asked. “You’re not…gonna leave me here are ya?”
“…No I’m not,” Spike said. “Apple Bloom, which of your bags has pencils and papers?”
“The one that was on my right,” Apple Bloom told him. “Why?”
Spike walked over to where he placed Apple Bloom’s bags and opened the flap. Reaching in Spike grabbed a pencil and paper and began writing on it. It was fast and not in his best handwriting but Spike didn’t really care.
“Why?” Apple Bloom asked again, not being able to see what Spike was doing behind her.
“You need help now,” Spike said. “So I’m going to get you help. I made my decision. I’m not leaving you here to die, not after all you’ve done for me so…” Spike blew his fire on the paper and it flew off into the desert sky.
Apple Bloom regained consciousness sometime later with no idea of where she was. She quickly looked around when she realized she was no longer in the yellow deserts only to find she was in a white hospital room lying down on a bed. On her left forehoof she had an IV and she was also attached to a monitor showing her heart rate and giving off beeps. In the room with her there were also a few doctors and Spike.
“Spike, where are we?” Apple Bloom asked, shocked that her voice came out softly. She also noticed that the beeps on the heart monitor seemed to be slower than it should be. Or Apple Bloom thought, she felt really groggy and couldn’t focus for some reason. “What happened to the desert?”
Spike looked to his right at one of the doctors, a unicorn who was using his magic to look at a clipboard, until the unicorn noticed the drake’s glare. He moved the clipboard to the table to Apple Bloom’s left before talking.
“The trauma from the poison might have caused some slight amnesia,” the doctor said. “It should clear as the poison starts clearing from her system. As you can tell she is still in a very fragile state.”
“Poison?” Apple Bloom asked and it was as soon as she asked that her memories came back to her. Getting worried about Spike leaving. Walking to try and find him. Seeing the scorpion in her path and trying to maneuver around it. Getting stung. Spike coming to rescue her. It all came back.
“So…where are we?” Apple Bloom asked.
“…Canterlot main hospital,” Spike told her. “You were teleported here when Twilight finally got my message and teleported to the desert to see us. Of course you wouldn’t remember since you fainted just a bit after I sent the letter.”
“You were in critical condition when you were finally brought in,” the doctor interrupted. “Another hour later and you wouldn’t be here right now. But luckily we managed to get anxiolytics in you as fast as possible and you should make a full recovery. And don’t worry, your folks have already been told. I’ll tell them you’re awake now.”
The doctor nodded to his assistant, a pegasus mare, and they both left the room leaving Spike and Apple Bloom alone.
“So…have you and Twilight…talked yet?” Apple Bloom asked.
“No we haven’t,” Spike told her. “We’ve been more worried about you. So Twilight left me here to keep an eye on you after I…sent a letter to Applejack telling her you were here.”
“Has something happened ta you?” Apple Bloom asked.
“No, not yet,” Spike said. “I just…feel weird being back. I never thought I’d be back here.”
“Spike…Ah’m sorry Ah took that choice from you,” Apple Bloom said. “Ya probably hate me now, don’t ya?”
“No I don’t,” Spike said quickly to take away Apple Bloom’s doubt. “If I hated you, you wouldn’t be here right now. I still had a choice. I could have left you there and kept on going on my way. I chose to tell Twilight and I chose to save you.”
“Well thanks Spike, but Ah…”
Spike walked across the right side of the room towards the right side of Apple Bloom’s bed. When he got close enough to Apple Bloom, Spike grabbed her right forehoof with his claws. Apple Bloom naturally blushed from the sudden contact and Spike himself felt heat rise to his cheeks.
“Listen, I’m not going to blame you,” Spike told her. “You already nearly convinced me to come back before you got stung. All getting stung did was push my decision. So don’t blame yourself.”
“Well…Ah just still…”
Apple Bloom closed her eyes for a few seconds to try and think of what she wants to say but before she could think of what to say she felt hard, scaly lips pressing against her own. Apple Bloom snapped open her eyes out of surprise only to see purple scales fill her vision. For a moment all of her thoughts disconnected and she could only fell the beat of her heart quickening. But after a few seconds her thoughts once again fired up. Of course the only thought she could muster was that Spike was kissing her.
Spike’s lips parted from her’s allowing her to ask “Wait does this mean…?”
“With how far you were willing to go for me and how long you waited, sure I’ll give it a chance,” Spike told her. “I wasn’t sure before; mostly because I didn’t want start a relationship with you only to end it when I leave. But now that that’s not happening, I’m going to give it a chance. But I need you to do one more thing for me. Can you help me explain myself to Twilight?”
“Y-yeah,” Apple Bloom said. “So long as you help me with Applejack.”
“You bet,” Spike said.
It was at that moment that the room door opened up and Applejack and Twilight walked into the room. They both walked in with weary, worn expressions, Twilight’s was more somber but Applejack had more of an angry one. And Applejack aimed her furious expression between both of them, though the one she looked at Apple Bloom with was more of disappointment whereas the expression she gave Spike was one of outright malice.
“Apple Bloom, ya don’t know how disappointed Ah am with you!” Applejack said, focusing on Apple Bloom first. “If it weren’t for the fact that you’re recoverin right now Ah’d tan your hide! Ah nearly had a heart attack when Ah learned ya ran off like that!”
“Applejack Ah…” Apple Bloom started but Applejack wouldn’t give her ground.
“No Ah’s fur you!” Applejack interrupted. “Ah’ve been so worried about you! Whether you were safe, unharmed, whether you were still alive! Do you know how Ah’ve felt?!”
“And as for you,” Twilight said, speaking to Spike now her voice almost as angry as Applejack’s. “I can’t believe you just left. I was so worried when I heard you left, I couldn’t do anything. I had to have Celestia cut her trip to the Gryphon Kingdom because I couldn’t focus. I have to help run the kingdom, so I can’t be spending my time worrying about you!”
“Well then maybe you should have listened to him,” Apple Bloom said with as much strength her weak voice could muster. Twilight and Applejack both looked at Apple Bloom.
“That doesn’t concern you!” Applejack said. “You’re in enough trouble as it is without butting into their conversation!”
“It does concern her,” Spike told Apple Bloom. “Because you didn’t listen to her either. It’s both of your fault that we left!”
“Didn’t listen to you?” Twilight asked.
“Applejack, didn’t Apple Bloom tell you that she wanted to go off and find some construction work?” Spike asked, ignoring Twilight.
“Well yeah, but land sakes girl, you’re only fifteen!” Applejack said. “You have plenty of time to worry about that stuff.”
“But Ah want ta worry about it now!” Apple Bloom said desperately. “And it doesn’t help that Ah don’t have nothin ta do at the farm. Ya want ta ask me if Ah know how you feel like? Well do you know what it feels like seein your family all hard at work all day, while you have nothin to do? That’s why Ah wanted ta go and find some work. Because Ah don’t have none here.”
“And speaking of work,” Apple Bloom said, directing her eyes towards Twilight, “did ya know Spike wanted help findin another job? Did ya know he was gettin tired of workin at the library? Do ya even know why he was gettin tired of workin at the library? That’s why he sent the letter to you. Ya know, the one he said was important.”
“Spike…was trying to tell me something?” Twilight asked, guilt written on her face.
“Yeah I was,” Spike said. “But you were too busy with your duties. I know you’re a princess and I know you’re busy, but that doesn’t mean you can just blow of your friends. Or your family.”
“And ya should know something,” Apple Bloom said. “Spike like’s workin when he’s doin something for those he loves. It’s somethin Ah’ve noticed from him over the years. It doesn’t matter what it is, just so long as there’s a reason to it. The reason he stopped likin workin at the library was because it wasn’t for you anymore.”
Twilight and even Spike looked at Apple Bloom with their eyes wide with surprise. Applejack didn’t have much to say but she stopped her tirade against Apple Bloom for just a second to also look at Apple Bloom. Twilight began feeling guilty and she knew she was wrong.
“Applejack…I think I get it now,” Twilight said turning to face Applejack. “We thought we knew right, but we didn’t let them explain themselves. Those two left because they wanted to find their own way without us helping them.”
“Alright Ah get that, but that didn’t mean y’all should’ve ran off,” Applejack said. “Ya should have just waited ta explain to me better Apple Bloom. But Ah…get what you’re gettin at. Since we brought Fluttershy, Caramel, and Braeburn on the farm ya haven’t really had much to do have you?”
“Spike I…I’m sorry,” Twilight said as she walked up closer to Spike. “I’ve just…been so busy lately, with the princess giving me more and more responsibilities now that I’ve been a princess for a while, that I forgot about you in Ponyville. Spike, I’m really really sorry.”
Twilight went up to give Spike a hug, which Spike limply took, before taking a step back to continue talking to him. “Listen Spike, let me try and make it up to you. If you really need my help to find I job, I’ll do all I can to help you. So what do you want me to do?”
“Well…” Spike said. “Since we’ve got here I’ve been thinking and…” Spike looked at Apple Bloom. “I’ve got a few ideas.”
~
Apple Bloom was stuck in the hospital for a few days recovering from the poison. While she was there word was sent out to her family (by Spike’s fire) and most of her family visited her. Some gave her the same rant Applejack previously gave her and some were just glad Apple Bloom was safe.
Spike also sent a letter to Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo and those two came as soon as they were able to. Scootaloo was the first to reach there and she had words for Apple Bloom once she got there.
“Apple Bloom!” the orange pegasus said once she busted into Apple Bloom’s room and proceeded towards Apple Bloom’s bed. “What’s wrong with you? Just running off without telling anybody!”
“Scootaloo Ah…” Apple Bloom said but Scootaloo wasn’t having any of this.
“And not even a letter for us,” Scootaloo said. “What, did you think we’d be fine with the letter you sent to Applejack? You know, I’d smack you if it weren’t for the fact that you’re still weak enough to be here!”
“Don’t listen to her,” Sweetie Belle said. She came through the door slowly just a few seconds after saying that. “Scootaloo’s just trying to hide the fact that she was worried about you by sounding angry.”
“Do you have to be right?” Scootaloo asked Sweetie Belle.
“Hey Sweetie Belle,” Apple Bloom said as the white unicorn walked up closer to where the orange pegasus was.
“Hey Apple Bloom,” Sweetie Belle said. “How are you feeling?”
“Much better than when Ah woke up in this hospital,” Apple Bloom told her. “Ah should be ready ta leave tomorrow according ta the doctors. Not that you’re gonna see me for long.”
“What do you mean?” Scootaloo asked.
“Ah’m gonna be leavin a week after Ah get home,” Apple Bloom told her. “Ah made a deal with Applejack: any year that there isn’t enough farmwork for me, Ah’m gonna head over to mah cousin Apple Crisp’s place in Applewood ta help out there.”
“Well at least that gives us a chance to catch up,” Sweetie Belle said.
“So how long are you guys going to ignore the fact that I’m here?” Spike asked. He had been standing with one leg against the back wall for a while now, waiting to be noticed.
“Sorry Spike, but Apple Bloom’s the one we came here to visit,” Sweetie Belle said. “But it’s nice to see you back too.”
Spike put his foot back down and stood up straight. “Well I didn’t think I’d say it, but it’s nice to be back. And unlike Apple Bloom, I’m going to be gone for about a week but after that I’m going back to Ponyville to start up my new job.”
“You got a job?” Scootaloo asked. “What happened to the library? Got bored of all that egghead work?”
“Nah, just wasn’t the right thing for me,” Spike said. “Now I’ve got a new job. And I’ve already sort of been doing it. I’m now working the post office’s letter sorter and out of town deliverer. I look at where all the letters are going and any letter that’s heading to a different city than Ponyville is going to get my letter transporting fire. That’s why I’m going to be doing some traveling for a week. I’m going to be meeting everybody from the different post offices so I can picture them when using my magic.”
Apple Bloom had a large smile on her face as she listened to Spike talk about it. She enjoyed listening to Spike talk with the same pep in his voice that he used to have, with the same cheer. It told her things were pretty much back to normal for him.
“That sounds pretty cool,” Sweetie Belle said. “That’s actually a great idea for using your magic.”
“Well that and…there’s another reason,” Spike said as he and Apple Bloom exchanged knowing glances.
“What…?” Scootaloo asked.
“Ah’m gonna be doin just a bit of construction work for now but…when Ah get old enough Ah’ve got bigger ideas,” Apple Bloom told them. “When Ah get old enough Ah’m gonna make my own carpentry company, just like most Apples have their own farms. And Spike’s gonna help me with that.”
Spike nodded. “I took this job to make connections,” Spike said. “I’m going to spread Apple Bloom’s name out and I’m going to find some contracts. So as soon as she’s ready Apple Bloom’s going to have plenty of work, and some workers.” “So does that mean…you two are…?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“Yes we are,” Apple Bloom said with joy all over her face.
Sweetie Belle lowered her head and let out a sigh, surprising Apple Bloom. The earth pony filly thought Sweetie Belle would be happy for her. She gave a questioning glance at Sweetie Belle wondering what was wrong.
“Well that’s good for you I guess,” Sweetie Belle said as she quickly left the room.
“What…happened to her?” both Apple Bloom and Spike asked Scootaloo.
“It’s a long story,” Scootaloo said with a smile. “But let’s just say, since you guys left, a certain group of colts in Ponyville managed to get themselves on some short leashes.”
“What happened while Ah was gone?” Apple Bloom asked.
