//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: Blurred Images // Story: Through Deceiving Eyes // by CowgirlVK //------------------------------// Spike laid on his bed, gazing up at the tall ceiling in his bedroom. The expression on his face was twisted with confusion and concern. The sound had not stopped, nor had the glowing things. Another thing plaguing him was that his mind kept wandering to a particular urge… the urge to… to what? He wasn't sure. The urge had only passed once Twilight had teleported back to the hospital away from him. It was a gnawing feeling, like he had to do something, and something quickly. He shivered as he remembered it. Dread crept into his mind as his hands trembled. He clenched them into fists. What would he have done? His mind wandered back to Fluttershy and her animals. Would he have really done that to Twilight? His stomach revolted at the thought. But in truth, he could not be sure he could have restrained himself had the urge taken any greater hold of him. Why though? Why did he feel the absolute hostility? Crack His head jerked up from the pillow, eyes shooting towards the door. Should he open it? The thing hit again. A painful pang echoed around his room. Could it be it? A rare feeling of terror washed over him and made his blood run cold; his palms clammy as nervous sweat beaded down his forehead. What if the thing outside attacked him? Spike had to be honest here, he wasn’t that big! He was still a baby dragon! The noise suddenly got louder, the bright lights and flashing images filling the room. His rug, bed, tables, chairs... everything started flickering and changing their colors. What could he do? He grit his teeth, bending over to cover his ears with his claws. Clenching his eyes closed, he started reciting anything he could remember. Anything to drown out the sounds around him. He shouted in frustration. “Stop!” He cried in vain as he tried to tune out the unbearable screams that filled the room. He shrieked in agony as he jumped off the bed and ran to the door, throwing it open. His eyes widened as he was met with a faceful of feathers. Owlicious was in full attack mode as he hoo-ed and caught the lights in his talons, crushing them. A crunching noise sounded, along with a squish as slimy, green, transparent liquid dripped onto the floor. Spike winced in pain, ripping the owl’s beak from his body, and turning him around. “NO!” He ordered. It was just one pet, Spike could hold him. The owl thrashed in his grip but was unable to move. Spike didn’t relax, but his fear and unease grew. Whatever the lights were, they were causing Owlicious to go berserk as well. “Owlicious, calm down! it’s me, Spike!” The owl continued to thrash. Spike gulped. “Is it the lights? Do you see the lights?” The owl screeched, a sound Spike had never heard the old pet use before. The young dragon had nowhere to go from here. It wasn’t right, none of this was right, but what did he have? What could he do? If just the sight of these lights made animals act like this, just what were they? What else could they do?... Why were they here? He forced his body to move. The owl had a cage. He had to protect him, Twilight, and Owlicious as well. He, therefore, had to get the old pet into a place where he could be safe from the mind controlling effects of... it. Whatever it was. Spike gulped and cringed. He was scratched from the sheer force of the bird’s attacks, and his body was beginning to wear out. Gritting his teeth, he used his tail to help him stand up, then balanced back upon it as he carried the bird who was almost as large as himself. The birdcage was not even in his immediate area. It was on the floor below. Spike cringed, Owlicious had found a way to dig his beak once more into Spike’s arm. “Let go!” He ordered. Desperate for answers, his mind raced for anything he could use to calm down his friend. Like the flash of light, an idea burst into his head. He reached behind him, grabbing one of his blankets, and then carefully wrapped the bird up in it. In the complete darkness, Owlicious began to calm down. Spike sighed in relief, then winced as the force once more tugged at his mind. The noise was ringing in his ears. He had to get Owlicious to his cage, and therefore to safety. There was no other way. When Angel was sure that no more guards were at Fluttershy’s cottage, he snuck back to bury the many bugs dead in her yard. The bunny hopped over to the piles and began digging holes into the ground. This was something his owner didn’t need to see. As he dug, the unbearable screaming returned. The buck curled up in a ball; wincing at the noise. With his small paws, he grabbed his long floppy ears and pulled them down against his head. The noise wasn’t going away. He looked up and around. His heart sped up, all around him were small fluffy insects. These arthropods were everywhere, but to his knowledge, he’d never seen any in his life. A slight glow emanated off their bodies, illuminating the area. Just as quickly, he saw the whole swarm rise, and fly over his head in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres. Angel bunny was relieved that the insects were gone, yet also frowned as he watched them fly away. He then turned back to the bugs and shook his head. He didn’t have time to worry about those insects right this second. He had to bury the dead wasps and bees before they were noticed. With his current task in mind and the insects gone, for now, he went back to his original task of digging up holes. Each wasp, each bee, had its own little grave. A testament to their short lives cut off so quickly by the strange affair that was affecting him, and all of the animal kind. He could do nothing for Fluttershy. He’d seen the whole thing go down, and somehow, he had been able to restrain the urge to attack her. Despite the urge in his very soul to follow in the example of the others, he’d fought it and instead watched helplessly as Fluttershy was nearly killed. When Dash had appeared, he’d held many of the birds back with seed so they could not continue the attack. Angel winced as a bald patch of fur rubbed against something sharp. He had many of these. No skin had been punctured, but he had bald patches of fur all over his body where the birds continued their relentless attacks on him instead before he’d distracted them with their food. The bunny sighed and slumped to the ground, exhausted. Before he could allow himself the luxury of rest, though, he shook his head and got up once more. No. He couldn’t stop yet. He had to finish the job. He had to do it for Fluttershy. She didn’t deserve this any more than all the arthropods under his paws, but he could do them both a service by making sure they each got a chance to rest in peace. For a moment, he looked to the town worried, if he trusted the urges he was feeling to leave him alone so he could check on her, he would be at her side. But no, even now he felt the pull of aggression. An urge that almost made him tear the wings off the bee in his paws. Quickly, he dropped it into the hole and covered it up before moving on to the next one. In jerky movements he continued to bury the stack one by one. Once he’d finished the tedious task, he turned again towards the town. Though he didn’t want to risk the threats, he had no choice. If anything could fix this right now, it would be in Twilight’s castle. He took a deep breath and began making his way to the town, taking back roads and doing whatever he could to avoid being seen by the oblivious ponies. Spike collapsed in a heap on Twilight’s bed. He looked up at Owlicious who was now resting in his cage. Tears streaked down the young dragon’s cheeks. His body was killing him. Despite the tough scales, he had minor cuts from the owl’s sharp talons. Suddenly, the noise started to echo through the room again. Spike covered his ears and his eyes. “Go away!” He cried. The bird above him echoed his plea, it too being attacked by the shrill sound. He thrashed around in his cage, trying to do anything to escape and attack the bugs. The two wanted nothing more than the sweet feeling of relief that would seemingly never come. The thing that clawed at Spike was that the noise and the lights would blip in and out of his senses, he would be hearing the screams one moment and then nothing would be there the next. “SPIKE?” Spike continued to thrash on the bed, tossing and turning covering his ears as the shrill screams continued buzzing through his mind. Something encased him. “STOP!” Spike cried. “MAKE IT STOP!” As he had done with the owl, he was suddenly swaddled in a blanket, preventing him from moving. “SPIKE!” He slowly stopped thrashing as his mind registered the voice at last. That soothing voice. The one he currently, dreaded hearing. “T-Twilight?...” He didn’t want it to be her. Not after what had happened to Fluttershy. He didn’t want to be responsible for such a monstrosity. “Yes Spike, it’s me, it’s ok…” The alicorn replied calmly as she continued to hold the baby dragon down in the confines of his blanket. “No Twilight! Run, go away! It’s happening to me! I’m-” His body returned to thrashing. He couldn’t control the urges the sound was inflicting on his body. “Please!” Twilight refused to listen and pinned him harder against the bed. “Spike! Nothing is there!” “Can’t you hear it! It’s everywhere! Make it stop!” The baby dragon whined as he clenched his eyes shut, tears streaming down his face. “Hear what, Spike?! There’s nothing to hear!” Twilight gasped as the thrashing stopped almost instantly. Spike was breathing heavily. Couldn't Twilight hear it? Was it even there? Why couldn’t she hear it? Owlicious could. Was it all in his mind to? Was all of this, the screaming, the lights, the urges, the weird colors his friends turned, was it all just in his head? No. No, it couldn’t be. There had to be something. He shook his head. The screaming stopped. Slowly, he peaked out from under his blanket. Twilight still looked normal. His eyes scanned his room. The lights were gone. Twilight gave the baby dragon a reassuring smile as she lifted him out of the blanket and held him close. “There… see? Nothing’s wrong…” She cooed softly. Even still, that gnawing feeling continued to drone in the back of Spike’s mind. He clenched fistfuls of twilight’s mane in his claws and pressed his body to hers as he trembled in fear and confusion. It wasn’t there… ...Right?