//------------------------------// // Chapter One // Story: A Chance Encounter // by Hendy853 //------------------------------// At the moment, there was only one thing going through Spike’s mind – Breakfast. Or maybe it was lunch; he wasn’t exactly sure what part of the day it was. He didn’t know how long he had just slept since he didn’t have a way to keep time, and he was in a forest where the trees were too thick to see more than a few patches of the sky. For all he knew, it could actually be closer to dinner, though he was pretty sure it wasn’t that late yet. But it didn’t make that much of a difference to him; all he knew was that the most delicious looking emerald he had ever laid eyes on sat in his hands. He had found it in the cave he slept in the night before, just lying there, half covered in dirt but still shining dimly in the darkness. There was nothing in the world Spike loved to eat more than gems. They were so much better than anything else available to him. Unlike rocks, they actually had taste to them, and they were so much more filling than the plants and fruits Zecora used to give him. To be honest, the abundance of gems had been one of the only good things about living in Celestia’s – no – Corona’s palace. But now that he was back to living in the wilderness, gems were rare. The few he had managed to take with him when he ran away had been eaten up within the first two days. Back before Corona had returned, any gem Spike found usually didn’t last longer than a few minutes, and that was how long he expected any future gems to last. In this case, he didn’t eat the emerald immediately because he had eaten half a bush of berries only a little while before and he knew that it was smarter to wait until he was hungrier to eat. So instead of munching on the gem, Spike had simply to sleep in the cave after pulling some leaves inside to make it more comfortable. But now it was morning (or afternoon) and Spike was wide awake, ready to enjoy some tasty emerald. He brought it outside and held it up against a thin ray of sunlight that had managed to slip past the thick foliage. The emerald gleamed brilliantly in the light, practically blinding Spike. The baby dragon closed his eyes and prepared to take a giant bite out of the gem, already savoring its undoubtedly delicious taste. Just as he was about to take the first bite, a mind numbing screech came out of nowhere and he felt the emerald wrench itself out of his hands. Spike’s eyes opened and he turned his head just in time to see a large red bird fly away with the still gleaming emerald in its talons and sparks spreading out behind it. He spent a moment staring after it, not quite believing what had just happened. “Oh come on!” My little pony, My little pony Ahh ahh ahh ahhh... My little pony Friendship never meant that much to me My little pony But you're all here and now I can see Stormy weather;Lots to share A musical bond; With love and care Teaching laughter; It's an easy feat, And magic makes it all complete! You have my little ponies How'd I ever make so many true friends? “Stupid bird,” Spike muttered under his breath. A fair amount of time had passed since the bird (he was pretty sure it was a phoenix) had stolen the emerald, and the young dragon had spent all that time searching for it. He tried chasing it at first, but the phoenix had quickly flown out of sight. Not all that surprising considering that it had wings and all Spike had was a pair of stubby little legs. “This wouldn’t have happened if Z was still around. She would have helped me chase it down,” he said even though he knew it wasn’t true. Spike’s former companion, Zecora the zebra, would probably have laughed if she had been around to see a phoenix swipe the emerald. Then she would have taken the time to explain to Spike – in rhyme – why he should have been keeping a watchful eye on his surroundings, and that his failure to do so was the reason he lost his meal. Then Spike would have said that was stupid, and that it was the bird’s fault, while silently admitting to himself that she was right. But Spike was happier thinking that she would have let him ride her as she chased it down at top speed until he could grab it out of the bird’s talons. The young dragon let out a sigh as he thought of his friend. His time with Zecora had been the best of his life, and not just because he had difficulty remembering anything before meeting her. It wasn’t that he couldn’t remember anything form that time, it was just that there was nothing worth remembering about it. Back then he only ate, slept, and stayed in the caves he was pretty sure he hatched in. It was a boring life. With Z, every day had been an adventure. From the first time they’d met and she cured him of that stupid poison joke to the time those diamond dogs had captured her and he tricked them into letting her go. Or even just the times when they sat around a campfire, and she would tell him countless stories. It was a fun and exciting life. Until Zecora finally achieved what she came to Equestria to do in the first place and successfully freed - her. The annoyed look on Spike’s face morphed into a furious one as he thought of Corona. That insane alicorn had ruined everything! To be honest, Spike had never quite believed that there was an alicorn trapped in the sun, or that her younger sister Luna raised the sun and the moon every day and night. The ides still seemed kind of ridiculous to him. But the way Zecora used to talk about the “great sun spirit,” so full of wonder and excitement, eventually convinced Spike to look forward to her return, if only to have another connection to his first and only friend. Then Corona, or as she preferred to be called, Celestia, had actually shown up and proceeded to almost incinerate Z before forcing Spike to grow into a mindless animal and nearly kill the ponies who were only trying to save their friends and loved ones. It didn’t take Spike long after that to decide that he hated Corona almost as much as he feared her. That… that… horrible… ungrateful… monster that had reduced him to nothing more than a mindless tool. There had been no warning, nothing to indicate what she was going to do to him beyond that terrifying smile she had before changing him. He shivered at the memory. For a brief moment, the little purple dragon wondered why he’d stayed at that creepy palace for so long, why he hadn’t run away months ago. But he already knew the answer. He just hadn’t wanted to lose his only friend; and he wasn’t sure if he had made the right choice, if being completely alone was really better than being stuck with an insane alicorn. Before he could torture himself with more unpleasant thoughts, Spike heard another screech from behind a group of bushes. He quickly broke off into a run and barreled right through the bushes to catch sight of the phoenix just as it flew off into the trees, leaving another wave of sparks in its wake. Spike let out another angry sigh. He didn’t like phoenixes, not since Corona had sent him and Z out to find one and bring it back so she could have a pet. In over a week of searching, they only found one, and it led them on a chase that lasted days. Those darn firebirds just seemed to revel in messing with anything that crossed their path. This phoenix however, seemed to have gotten bored a lot more easily than the last one, because as Spike examined the clearing behind it, he quickly saw that it had left the emerald it had stolen behind nestled cozily into a tree branch. “Yes!” he whispered excitedly to himself as he rushed over to the tree. He quickly dug into the wood with his claws and began climbing up. Climbing trees wasn’t difficult when you had claws, but it was still a tall tree, and Spike’s limbs were very short. It took him awhile to make his way to the branch. When the young dragon was about three quarters of the way to the branch, he suddenly heard a sharp gasp accompanied by the sound of bushes rustling. Spike froze and turned his head away from the tree, trying to see what had made the sound. He eyed every plant he could find. “Is someone there?” he called out. When no one answered, he called out again. “Is that you Z?” Spike wasn’t sure how he would feel if it actually was Zecora. As much as he would like to see his friend again, he knew that she would probably want to take him back to Corona, which he definitely didn’t want. Once again, no one answered him, and Spike decided that it must have been his imagination. He returned to climbing the tree, and before long he found himself balancing on the branch that held his emerald. It wasn’t a particularly wide branch, so Spike had to be careful as he slowly made his way across. As he came to the edge of the branch, he reached out to grab the emerald. At this point it was definitely closer to lunch than it was to breakfast, and Spike was starving. His mouth was watering as he took hold of the emerald and lifted it above his head. The young dragon decided not to waste any time and immediately moved to eat the gem. But before he could take his first bite, he heard the phoenix cry out again. It was surprisingly loud, and the sudden noise surprised Spike and made him lose his balance on the tree branch. He cried out as he fell toward the ground, too caught up in the moment to remember that he was a dragon, and would probably be fine when he hit the ground. A few feet away from crashing into the dirt, Spike abruptly stopped in midair. He continued screaming for a few seconds before he noticed that he wasn’t moving. The young dragon blinked as he realized that he had been enveloped in a glowing purple aura, similar to the one that surrounded him when Corona would grab hold of him. A cold pit formed in his stomach as he struggled against whatever was holding him. But it didn’t do him any good, no matter how hard he kicked and squirmed in the air, he didn’t move an inch. “Okay, seriously, who’s there? This isn’t funny! Let me go!” The purple dragon struggled for a little while longer before he finally gave up. He let out an annoyed huff and crossed his arms, hoping that whoever or whatever had him would eventually decide itself… or herself or himself. Seriously, who had him? His question was answered moments later, just as Spike realized that he had dropped the emerald. A female unicorn walked out of the bushes he’d seen earlier, eyeing him carefully, as if she was trying to figure out where she’d seen him before. Or maybe she was worried that he would break out of her grip and attack her. He probably could breathe fire at her, but instead decided to wait. After all, this pony had saved his life, maybe she would be friendly. But as the purple coated mare circled him, still looking at him with that appraising eye, he realized that he kind of doubted it. Spike kept catching sight of her cutie mark as she passed him, it looked like an exploding purple star, and he wondered what that said about her. Was she about to explode at him? Eventually, she stopped right in front of his face, and looked right into his eyes. Then, slowly, the questioning look on her face morphed into a smug one, and Spike was suddenly reminded of a certain alicorn he had come to know far too well. He did his best to hide his growing unease, but was pretty sure that he failed as the creepy smile spread across her face. “Hello Spike.”