//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 Enter Mimikyu // Story: Spike meets Mimikyu // by Zephyr Spark //------------------------------// “I hate this place,” Spike said for the twentieth time as a branch cracked under his foot and startled him. The trees of Everfree loomed over him with a dark grimace of foliage. The shadow canopy covered the forest floor in darkness, hiding little twigs and rabbit holes from sight. This place was spooky enough without the low growls and snapping dry twigs. If Twilight did not need him to collect some special blue flower from this place, he would have stayed in his bed with a nice cup of tea and a comic book. But she needed him to and Spike refused to let her down. The naïve Spike of thirty minutes ago must have thought it would be a fun adventure. Spike snorted at his foolishness. She did not order him to go, but he wanted to help her. Even as an alicorn, she had her work limits, but she seldom seemed to acknowledge them. At least I have some timber wolf repellent, he thought, and at least most creatures are asleep during the day. With the shadows cast by the tree canopy, it always looked like night. He tugged on his backpack’s straps, rubbing his shoulders where the weight sagged, and pressed onward through the moss-covered trees. His eyes darted behind his back to see nothing but the path he had come from. Spike narrowed his eyes. Some slight change in the breeze unnerved him. A brief silence in the cricket chirps unsettled him. And he knew better than to trust his eyes. Turning his attention forward, Spike stepped over a rabbit hole when he felt a chill in the air. He gazed down and noticed purple mist gathering beneath his feet. His spine shivered and his palms turned icy as he heard every beat of his heart like a pounding drum. He closed his eyes. The moment he opened them the mist was gone. He no longer felt eyes watching him. He rubbed his head. Was it just his imagination? A deep rumbling echoed from the clearing to his left, like an angry bear. Spike kept still, his heart hammering hard in his chest, his throat dry as a desert. Most creatures here wanted nothing to do with ponies, much less baby dragons. But several could make a meal of him if they were desperate enough. The growling dissipated, melting into the chorus of birds and crickets. Spike released a breath he was holding. “I really hate this place,” he grumbled as he shuffled away. He glanced behind him once more before heading towards Ponyville, failing to see the eyes watching him or the tiny, ragged figure crawling through the darkness. Back in Ponyville, Twilight placed a scarlet lily into a glass jar, slapped a label on the jar, wrote the plant’s scientific name, and then put the jar beside twenty identical jars lined in a row on her desktop. Each jar contained a specimen of plant life and fauna native to Everfree. The Canterlot Botanical Department had yet to identify dozens of Everfree’s unique plant life and this would not do for Twilight. As she set the jar in place, a voice dashed through the hall and yelled, “Twilight?” The alicorn flinched, almost knocking the jar to the floor. Twilight craned her neck to see a rainbow maned pegasus racing towards her. Twilight sighed. Was it too much to ask Rainbow Dash to knock? The last time she had one of these interruptions, she dropped a vial of explosive goo. Her eyebrows took weeks to grow back, even with magic. “I’m in the middle of something,” Twilight began before Dash waved her hoof. “This is important,” Dash said. Twilight exhaled through her nostrils before turning to face the pegasus. “What is it?” “I just got this letter from Daring Do,” Dash shoved an open envelope in Twilight’s face. She took the letter from Dash and examined it closely. The pegasus kept talking, “Daring Do says she thinks there’s a dangerous creature hiding in the Everfree Forest. Something so rare that no pony has ever looked straight at it and lived.” Twilight read Daring Do’s letter but responded, “There are plenty of dangerous creatures in the Everfree Forest, Dash. Why should this one matter?” “Well,” Dash said, “it’s a dragon killer. Do says any dragon it gets close to ends up in serious pain.” Twilight tensed, fur bristling on her neck as her thoughts turned to her favorite dragon in the whole world. She nodded, “Alright, I’ll tell Spike to keep away from the Everfree Forest until we sort this out.” She called out to Spike. When he did not respond, Twilight rolled her eyes with annoyance. This castle’s vacuous halls absorbed all sound. She called again, but this time a white flash sparked front of the study door and Starlight Glimmer materialized. “Why are you calling for Spike?” Starlight asked, “You sent him to go look for a flower half an hour ago. Remember?” “No, I didn’t,” Twilight frowned. “Did I?” Sometimes she could become so enwrapped in her work that all outside noises faded away. If anyone spoke to her, she would just agree with them. Her heart stopped beating, as her eyes widened with realization. Then her heart started pulsing rapidly. “Oh no.” She raced out the door with Starlight and Dash following. “Why didn’t you stop him?” Twilight cried at Starlight. “He said he could handle it,” Starlight exclaimed, “I thought you told him to go. When he asked, you said yes.” “And now I may have lost my best friend,” Twilight felt her heart spiraling through midair. She broke through the castle doors and raced to the forest. Spike yawned, rubbing his red-rimmed eyes. His muscles flared with sharp aches as he took another step. Even though he had only been here for a short while, he felt tired enough to sleep for a week. He soldiered past sharp brambles and stepped over protruding stones in a river. Those flowers had been a pain to collect. They spat eye-irritating pollen in self-defense, making his vision blurry and his head nauseated. When this was over, he was going to have a little talk with Twilight about her flower collecting habits. He chanced a glance behind him. A pale yellow figure darted in the corner of his eyes, but he only saw empty shadows when he looked at the tree trunks. “Hello?” He whispered, “Fluttershy, is that you?” He hoped that was Fluttershy, just wandering through the forest with her animal friends. The odds of that didn’t seem good, but he would prefer it to the monsters of his imagination. He tilted his head and smiled, “Hey, whoever you are, you don’t have to be scared. I’m not going to hurt you, okay? So don’t worry about me. Just go about doing your animal stuff.” Did he see a shadow move? He shook his head and stammered, “Hey, you don’t have to be mean, okay? We can be friends, alright?” Knuckles went white as Spike clenched his fists and took steps backwards. Whatever was watching him seemed interested by his words, for he could hear a faint song on the breeze and long black claw reaching towards him, but retracted in a flash back to the shadows. “Hey,” Spike swallowed, fighting all of his instincts to turn and bolt away. Some creatures lived for thrilling chases. He did not want to set this creature off, especially when he did not know if he could outrun it. He kept blabbering, “Why don’t you come out where I can see you? Th-then we can get to know each other. I bet this place gets pretty lonely on your own, right?” He heard a sound he had never heard in his life. It was an animal sound that reminded him of a mix between a ghost wail and a pixie chanting. Tears filled his eyes, though he could not explain their cause. Something in this creature’s call touched his heart. Without taking another moment to think, he stopped backing away and kneeled onto the ground extending his palms in a gesture of friendship. “You can come out,” he said, “I promise I won’t run.” Rumbling from behind him jolted Spike. He glanced behind, and saw three pairs of glowing green eyes and thorn teeth. Timber wolves glared at him through the underbrush crawling towards him on their oaken bellies. Through sheer willpower, he kept himself from screaming for help. Fluttershy taught him what to do if a pack of timber wolves ever came after him and he had to act now, before they pounced. Spike looked around and saw the nearest tree with a low branch to climb a few meters to his left. He rose to his feet without making a sound, and shuffled across the forest floor. Every step shot waves of pain through his feet as the loudest sound in the forest became his heartbeat. The wolves flexed their haunches. Spike looked at them from the corner of his eyes, hoping not to provoke them further. A branch cracked under his foot, his thudding heart gasped, the wolves charged, bursting through the thickets with baling howls. Spike raced towards the tree, when his foot caught on a rabbit hole. He fell to his chest, and tried to scramble to his feet. But the wolves surrounded him in seconds. He puffed his chest and tried to look big, but his throat could not muster a simple spark. A wolf leapt at his neck with bared fangs. Spike closed his eyes and covered his neck. He heard a loud snap, followed by a dog whimper. He opened an eye and saw why. The timber wolf was flying through the air as a black claw flung it like a rag doll. It collapsed into a heap of branches. Spike and the other wolves turned to see this new intruder. Dark purple clouds fuming with tangible fury poured out from the creature, nauseating Spike. The creature’s tattered yellow body fluttered like a sheet in the breeze. It had a jagged, wooden tail and something dark beneath its coat. Spike guessed it couldn’t have been taller than a foot, yet it faced the wolves unafraid. But what drew his attention was its face, both of them. Two ovals like black peas scowled on its chest. An onion head with crooked, black-tipped rabbit ears, held a crude face. In the center of its head stood two asymmetric dark circles scribbled by a toddler, while two faded orange scribble circles rested on its cheeks. Between those circles, a zigzag line painted an uncanny smile. The timber wolves snarled, and circled the stranger. His legs felt heavier than mountains as his would-be-rescuer was cut off from any escape. His head became an aching rock, bending his neck. He could not look away as the timber wolves snarled, testing the intruder’s defenses with feints. It stood its ground exhaling that violet rage. The wolves charged at the same time, one opening its jaws to snap the bulbous head in half. Again a black claw, thin as a ribbon, surged under the cloak and sliced off the wolf’s branched head from its neck. As the stick body fell to the ground, the second wolf smashed the cloaked figure with its claws, sending it flying through the air. It slammed into a tree trunk, and fell to the ground. Spike cringed at the impact, but it rose up uninjured, its head sagging to the ground. Then it rushed at the wolf who raised a paw to swipe. Before the claw hit, the creature’s figure blurred and split into two, then two became four, and soon sixteen identical creatures raced around the wolf, doubling with each second. The timber wolf turned frantically, slashing and lunging at the afterimages to no avail. Then from behind the wolf, a single figure brandished its thin claw, veiled in purple smoke, and sliced, severing the wolf’s torso with ease. The wolf’s body burned with violet flames where it had been touched, that seemed to spread across its body. It crumpled to the ground in a heap of broken sticks. The creature seemed to calm at the wolf’s demise, as Spike noticed the purple mist surrounding it began to dissipate into the air. He gasped for breath and coughed, spitting out the bile from his throat. The creature turned to look at him with beady eyes, and Spike couldn’t help flinching. He saw how easily that thing dealt with timber wolves. He never knew any other creature could be so powerful. But as Spike took a step back, he stopped. A tear trickled down the creature’s eye. Spike opened his mouth but could not say a word. Behind the creature, a form leapt. A shriek filled the air as the creature now dangled limp between the jaws of a timber wolf. Spike had no idea where the wolf came from, but he did not hesitate. He rushed at the wolf and shot a vermillion flame at its feet, forcing the wolf to leap into the air. “Let him go!” Spike shouted as he continued his fire assault. The wolf stumbled back and released the creature, who fell to the forest floor in a broken heap. Spike planted himself between the wolf and the creature and snarled, embers sparking in his throat. The wolf’s ears bent in submission, its tail tucked between its hind legs. It turned and crashed away into the forest. Spike watched it run, and kept staring until he was sure it had left. He kept panting. One misplaced flame and he could have set this forest on fire. He was lucky the wolf didn’t catch flames. A mewling came from the creature behind him. His head swiveled to see a sad sight. The wolf’s jaws had pierced the yellow tarp and must have punctured the creature within. The eyes on its chest poured tears as its claws traced over its tattered costume and rubbed its bruises. Spike couldn’t help crying. If this thing hadn’t intervened, he would be timber wolf food right now. And now, it got hurt trying to protect him. Spike smiled at it and bent down to look into its eyes, “Hey. Thanks for saving me.” The creature stopped crying and looked at Spike’s smile. Somehow, Spike could feel happiness pouring from under the tattered tarp. Still, it looked disheartened at having its costume broken. He put down his backpack and reached inside, “Come on, I know I have it somewhere in here,” he found what he was looking for and pulled it from the bag. Spike showed the needle and spool to the creature and said, “I work at Carousel Boutique a lot with Rarity, so I know a thing or two about sewing. Would you like me to fix up your costume?” The needle caught the light and the creature shrieked, recoiling from the steel pin. Spike raised his hands and exclaimed, “Wait, it’s alright! I’m not going to hurt you. I promise!” He pressed the flat side of the needle to his face, “Look, see? Friendly needle. It won’t hurt you.” Spike raised the needle to the creature’s face and spoke from the corner of his mouth, “That’s right! I’m Mr. Needle and I love fixing up costumes.” That seemed to calm the creature a bit as it took a nervous step towards Spike. He reached out a hand to touch its cloak. The second his scales touched the cloak Spike’s mind went white with pain. He felt like he touched a stove that burned his entire body. His arm drew back as he let out a yelp, clutching his hand as his needle fell to the ground. The pain in his hand grew in crescendo, burning across his entire arm. He ground his teeth as the pain surged in waves, flaring across his skin before receding. His muscles began to spasm as tears escaped his eyes. As a dragon, he never felt burned. He could touch fire and magma without so much as a sunburn, but now he felt like his entire body was burning with acid. The pain began to recede and flare in slower bursts. Finally, it became a dull ache. Spike looked at the creature, who looked at him with evident concern. Its eyes widened as it saw his arm jerk uncontrollably. He gave a weak smile. “I guess I’m not touching you, huh?” He picked up his spool and needle, wondering what he could do. The creature was in pain. Its breaths came in ragged pants, its onion head bent to the ground, and its body trembled, as though standing was a challenge. Spike pursed his lips. He couldn’t just leave it like this. If more of those timber wolves came around, it wouldn’t stand a chance. But he couldn’t tend to its wounds, not when he couldn’t touch it without getting hurt. He needed an animal expert’s help. He nodded. Fluttershy was just outside the forest. She would know what to do. But he couldn’t carry it to Fluttershy without touching it, and just a single touch seared his body. “What am I going to do?” He scowled, lost in thought, “I need to get you to Fluttershy so she can help you, but I can’t touch you.” Fingers rubbed his chin as he paced, trying to think of a solution. He mumbled to himself, discarding idea after idea. He turned around and saw the creature’s black claw tugging at his backpack. It pointed to itself and then to the pack. Spike grinned, “Good thinking.” He unzipped his backpack and dumped out several flowers, making enough room for his friend. He then laid his backpack on the ground open to the creature, and it stumbled inside. He moved the zipper to the top next to the second zipper and then parted them to leave enough breathing room. “You alright in there?” He asked. Black eyes winked and fell closed. Its body grew rigid. He had to hurry. Spike hoisted up his backpack. To his surprise, the creature weighed almost nothing. He carried books that were heavier than this little guy. It was so light he almost wasn’t sure it was real. Spike shook his head and raced through the forest, ignoring his sore muscles and lightheadedness. He barreled through the trees, trying to be as gentle to his passenger as possible. After several minutes of running, he heard Twilight calling his name. Then, he heard Rainbow Dash and Sunset Glimmer calling out to him. He cupped his mouth, “Twilight, I’m over here!” In a moment, they surrounded him. They all looked frantic but relieved to see him. Twilight grabbed him and squeezed him. “Oh thank goodness,” she exclaimed with watery eyes. “I thought I lost you.” Spike had no idea how to respond to that. He shrugged, “Well, I wasn’t expecting those timber wolves either but I got through.” “What timber wolves?” Starlight gasped, “Spike, were you attacked?” “Yeah, but I’m fine. I got saved by a little angel.” “Um, Spike,” Dash stared at Spike’s backpack, “why did your backpack just move?” “This animal came along and saved me from the wolves, but he got hurt. I don’t know what to do for him so I put him in the bag to take him to Fluttershy. He needs help or he might not make it.” Twilight didn’t even hesitate or ask another question. Her horn sparked violet and all four of them vanished in a white flash. When the light faded, they stood before Fluttershy’s cottage. Spike and the others raced to her door and knocked, calling to their friend. Fluttershy peered out through the door, trying to make sense of their story. She picked up that Spike was carrying an injured animal and ushered him and the others inside. The shy mare faded, replaced with a doctor who took charge. Fluttershy pointed to her table, “Spike put the backpack over there.” As he ran to follow her order, she turned to Angel Bunny who stood in the foyer, “Angel I need you to get all the animals outside.” Her voice left no room for debate and the bunny scurried away as she issued new orders to Twilight and the others. Within seconds, they had her medical kit on the table. Spike opened the backpack and before he could say a word, Fluttershy reached inside. To his surprise, she showed no signs of pain when she touched the creature’s skin. Its eyes were closed and its body looked lifeless. Fluttershy leaned in close and nuzzled it with her nose. It whimpered, making Spike sigh with relief. He wasn’t too late. Twilight and the others tried to look into the bag, but Fluttershy shooed them away. “I don’t want to make her feel too uncomfortable with so many strangers,” she said. “You three wait outside. Spike, you stay right here. She wants you to stay by her side.” Spike nodded, taking a second to register his savior was a “she,” and Twilight, Starlight, and Rainbow Dash left with reluctance. Dash spared Fluttershy a single nod that spoke worlds of her confidence in her friend, before closing the door. Fluttershy reached down, and scooped out the creature like rag doll and laid it on the table. She reached into her kit and pulled out several bandages and ointment. As she rubbed the solution onto the creature’s wounds, Spike kept silent. He handed her a vial of turquoise liquid and a long tube. Fluttershy worked the long tube under the creature’s tarp into what she assumed was the mouth and poured the liquid. “I know it doesn’t taste good, but it will help you feel better,” she said in a gentle voice that could calm a heard of bulls. The creature drank up the liquid without protest. Spike clenched the table top with his claws. “Is she going to make it?” He asked. “I don’t know.” Fluttershy said. “I’ve never treated an animal like this before.” She worked breathing mask over the creature’s mouth as best she could, before hooking it to a machine. Slowly, her cloak-covered chest began to rhythmically rise and fall. Fluttershy grabbed a brush and wiped off dirt from the cloak and straightened out the onion head. “Shouldn’t you take off its costume to take care of it?” Spike asked. “I would,” Fluttershy said, “But she keeps begging me not to. She says anyone who looks at her real form will get hurt.” Spike blinked, a chill running down his back, “Who is she?” The creature mewled a little shrill whimper. Fluttershy turned to Spike, “She says ‘Mimikyu.’” “‘Mimikyu?’ What’s that?” “I’m not sure, but it might be her name.” Spike looked at the little form that rose and fell with each breath and said, “We’ll call you Mimi for short. That okay?” He took its little mew as a yes and Fluttershy confirmed it. So, they named their new friend Mimi. “So what do we do now?” Spike asked. “Now, we let her rest. The rest is up to her.” Outside of the cottage, Twilight leaned against the door. She felt relieved and stressed at the same time; relieved that they found Spike before he ran into the dragon killer and stressed that they were going to lose the friend who saved Spike’s life. As far as she was concerned, anyone who saved Spike was a friend of hers. She hoped Fluttershy could help it pull through. Rainbow Dash paced across the porch restlessly, while Starlight stood by Twilight’s side. She couldn’t help wondering what strange creature had come to Spike’s rescue. When she tried to think of a creature that could scare off several timber wolves and fit into a small backpack, her mind drew a pitiful blank. She tapped her hooves on the planks lost in contemplation. “Hey Twilight,” Rainbow Dash said, “shouldn’t we go into the forest and look for that thing Daring Doo told us about?” Twilight considered it for a moment but shook her head, “Not now. Let’s wait until Fluttershy’s finished. She knows Everfree better than most ponies,” She smiled. “Besides, Spike’s safe with us. As long as he doesn’t go into Everfree, he should be just fine.” “I don’t know,” Starlight murmured to herself. The other two mares turned to look at her quizzically. She looked at them through narrowed eyes, “Spike looked kind of, well,” she gestured with her hoof, “sick. I don’t know, like he was drained.” “Well, he was attacked by a bunch of timber wolves,” Twilight shrugged. “And he was walking through Everfree before we found him.” “I’m more worried about what happened to his hand.” “His hand?” Twilight frowned, “What about his hand?” “Didn’t you notice?” Starlight raised an eyebrow, “It looked like it had singe marks on it. Like he burnt himself.” “Spike’s a dragon. They don’t get burns,” Twilight rose to her hooves. “At least, I’ve never seen him get burned before.” “Maybe I was just seeing things,” Starlight shrugged. “I mean we were all scared, so maybe I just imagined it.” Twilight looked at Dash, “What did Doo say that creature did to dragons exactly?” “I don’t know. Basically that it hurt them if they touched it or if they got too close. I don’t remember.” Dash scowled, “I think I left the letter at the castle.” “Twilight!” Fluttershy’s voice screeched. The alicorn burst through the door to find Fluttershy cradling Spike. His body was still as a stone. His greyed eyes closed behind half lids as his breath came in ragged bursts. Twilight rushed to him and stroked him. His lips moved to speak her name but couldn’t get past “Twi” before the word fell into the air. “I don’t know what happened,” Fluttershy cried. “One second he was fine, the next he fell over and wouldn’t respond.” “Maybe we’re still too close to Everfree,” Starlight suggested. “I’m taking him to the hospital,” Twilight said. She furnished her wings and her horn illuminated before wrapping her in a white light. She rushed into the hospital desk, carrying Spike on her back. Ringing the bell frantically, she exclaimed, “Please, my friend needs help!” Nurse Redheart took one look at Spike and summoned the doctors. They placed Spike onto a stretcher and rushed him into the infirmary, leaving Twilight behind in the main office. Nurse Redheart had a clipboard and a pen in her hooves. “Miss Sparkle, I know you’re worried, but the doctors will do their best. If you could answer a few questions about what happened to him, we might be able to help him.” Twilight nodded, “Yes, of course.” Starlight and Rainbow Dash burst through the doors. Twilight turned to them. She took a deep breath. “Dash, get that letter from the library and bring it back here. Starlight, take Fluttershy and go get Zecora. Maybe she can help Spike somehow. I’m going to stay and help the doctors however I can.” The two nodded and zoomed off. Starlight disappeared in a burst of light and Rainbow Dash broke through the sound barrier as she shred through the clouds towards the castle. Twilight turned to the nurse and hoped they were not too late. Applejack had worked on the farm most of her life and knew apple farming better than most ponies. It was hard work, but she never regretted choosing this life. She considered herself a simple mare. If a tree needed bucking, it got bucked. If the roof had a leak, it got patched. If work needed to be done, it got done. Simple as that. Nothing out of the ordinary usually happened on the farm. Life went on simply as it should. That stopped being the case ever since Twilight and Spike came to Ponyville. Now, she was the element of honesty and a hero of Equestria. Now, if there was a friendship problem, she had to go fix it. Now, if a friend was in trouble, she might have to risk her life for them. That being said, she had no idea what to make of Rainbow Dash flying into Everfree with Twilight and Starlight then poofing back over to Fluttershy’s cottage. She also had no idea why Rainbow Dash and Starlight then ran back into town or why Starlight reappeared in front of Fluttershy’s cottage. She knew the whole mind your own business saying, and in most cases she would follow it. But something in Starlight seemed frantic as she stumbled to the door, so Applejack decided to personally investigate. She couldn’t have a friend going around worried about something. She approached Starlight as she and Fluttershy emerged from the cottage and waved. Starlight passed AJ a glance that revealed desperation. “Why y’all looking so sad?” AJ asked. “Did something happen?” “Spike’s in trouble! He’s sick and we don’t know what to do. We need to get Zecora,” Starlight said, “Twilight said she might know something.” Applejack tensed up before gritting her teeth in determination, “I’m coming with ya. I know the way there as good as any pony.” “Perfect,” Fluttershy said, “then I can stay and look after Mimi.” “Who?” AJ raised an eyebrow. “Spike got attacked by timber wolves but this animal came along and saved him. He brought her to me because she got hurt,” Fluttershy explained. “She kept saying Mimikyu so Spike called her Mimi.” AJ narrowed her right eye skeptically, “I ain’t never heard of a critter like that.” “Look, we can talk about this later,” Starlight interrupted, “we need to get Zecora right now or Spike could die.” AJ looked at her with wide eyes, “Is it that bad? Well, shoot. Let’s get going.” Together they raced off into Everfree, leaving Fluttershy alone. She sighed, “I should’ve asked one of them to get Rarity. She could fix Mimi’s cloak much better than I could.” She frowned, lost in thought. Mimi wanted her cloak to cover all her body. She said it was important so people wouldn’t look at her and get hurt. Fluttershy turned to a robin, nestled on a nearby tree outside her cottage and whistled. The bird twittered back and flew down to Fluttershy, landing on her outstretched hoof. “Mr. Robin, I need you to give Rarity a message. Tell her I need her help to fix a costume for a friend. She needs her costume to make friends,” she said. The bird flew away into town, and Fluttershy went back inside. A second later she remembered that Rarity could not understand birds, but still knew better than to leave her guest alone. She would just have to give Mr. Robin new directions when he returned. She turned her attention back inside to her guest still resting inside her cottage. Mimi seemed to be breathing steadily and napping. Fluttershy moved her into a dark corner of the room so she could enjoy the shade. Light just seemed to unnerve her. Fluttershy had seen countless animals, but she had never seen anything like Mimi. She doubted any pony ever had. Twilight rubbed Spike’s head as he smiled weakly. His bed sheets covered him like a cloud, as a doctor talked to Twilight. “Spike does seem to have improved, Miss Sparkle.” The doctor scratched his head as he stared at a clipboard, “but we have no idea what caused his condition in the first place or if he could go into relapse. Honestly, I’m not even sure if we can treat it.” “I understand. Thank you, doctor.” Twilight nodded as the doctor left the room to tend to other patients, and placed a hoof on Spike’s open hand. “How you feeling, Spike?” “A little better than something Opal dragged in.” “Har dee har har,” Twilight rolled her eyes. “Seriously though, are you feeling any better?” “I guess,” Spike said. “Honestly, I’ve been feeling tired ever since I went into Everfree.” “Oh, that’s right. I meant to tell you. Daring Doo sent Rainbow Dash a letter about a creature hiding out in Everfree, one that could hurt a dragon just by touching it. I was going into the forest to get you out when you ran into me.” Spike narrowed his eyes, “Wait, you’re saying there’s something in Everfree that could hurt any dragon? Not just me? And just by touching us?” Spike clenched his right fist beneath the bed sheet, remnants of the sting lingering on his nerves. “Did she say what it looks like?” “I didn’t ask,” Twilight admitted. “But when we find it, I’ll probably send it somewhere safe so it can’t touch you. I don’t want to go losing my number one assistant,” She nuzzled Spike’s cheek with a giggle. “Where would you send her—I mean it?” “I don’t know. Maybe someplace it could run free, but then again, if the dragons found out about a creature like that they might try to destroy it.” Spike tensed up, “Why would they do that?” “Because it could destroy all dragons just by being close to them. It’s a danger for any one of them to be around.” “But it might not. I mean, what if it’s friendly?” Twilight blinked, “Spike, is there something you’re not telling me?” “Well, I’m just speaking hypothetically. Want to keep an open mind and all.” “I guess. But even if it was friendly, it’ll still hurt them. Just being in Everfree Forest with it made you sick. Imagine what it could do if it touched you or Princess Ember.” “I hadn’t thought about her,” Spike winced as pain shot through his arm. “If we had something like that around Equestria, it could ruin all her work bringing dragons and ponies together,” Twilight said. “So the most logical thing to do is send it to a lab or a zoo. Maybe a nature preserve where it can live in peace away from dragons.” “Yeah, I guess,” Spike mumbled. “But,” he pursed his lips as he tried to think how to word his next sentence, “is that really the right thing to do? Sending it away without getting to know it?” “Well, I suppose it could be worth studying it to understand its biology and how it affects dragons.” “No, I meant you know, getting to know its personality?” “Personality?” Twilight raised an eyebrow, “Spike, this isn’t another pony or a dragon. It’s a creature that could destroy you if given the chance.” But she didn’t, Spike wanted to say. Then, he remembered that intense pain. It was an accident, but that didn’t make it any less painful. Twilight’s gaze fell to Spike’s other hand, hidden beneath the blankets. Starlight mentioned seeing burn marks on his hand. She didn’t think anything could burn Spike, but she wanted to check. “Mind if I look at your hand?” Spike raised his right hand from the bed, waving a sarcastic hello. Twilight rolled her eyes and exhaled. “I meant the other hand, Spike.” Spike pulled his hand out from under the covers. Twilight sighed, seeing the doctors wrapped a white bandage around his hand. She narrowed her eyes in thought. This could mean Spike was hurt, but she had no way of telling how hurt. So much for seeing if Starlight was right. “TWILIGHT! SPIKE’S IN TROUBLE-oh hey, Spike,” Twilight turned around to see Pinkie Pie bouncing over to Spike’s bedside, “Oh mane, my Pinkie senses have been going crazy all day. I knew something was happening to Spike but I couldn’t tell what. I’ve been looking all over for you two.” “Well, you weren’t wrong,” Spike shrugged, “I got attacked by timber wolves.” Pinkie Pie leapt onto Spike and wrapped his head in a hug, nuzzling against his scaly chin. Spike smiled, “I’m fine really. Someone came along and scared the wolves away.” “Really? Who?” Pinkie Pie broke from the hug and tilted her head, perplexed. “Spike got rescued by a creature of Everfree,” Twilight explained. “Fluttershy’s looking after it right now.” “Wowzie,” Pinkie exclaimed, “any friend of Spike is a friend of mine. When you two are back on your feet, I’m throwing you both a party!” “That might be a good idea,” Spike said, “She seemed pretty lonely.” They both looked at him with surprise. Spike realized he might have said too much. “I mean, anyone would be lonely if they lived alone in Everfree without any friends.” “So your friend doesn’t have friends?” Pinkie sniffed, “That’s so sad.” Twilight patted her friend’s shoulder. Pinkie Pie was such a sweetheart. One mention of a face without a smile and she’d go sniffling for days. She hated the idea of miserable, lonely ponies. Pinkie beamed, “Well I’ll be sure to give her a special Pinkie Pie welcome to Ponyville. What’s her name?” “Mimikyu, but Fluttershy and I decided to call her Mimi for short.” Spike grinned, “I think she’ll be happy for some friends.” He glanced to the closed window, recalling the aura of sadness he felt when he first met Mimi in the woods. That sadness seemed to soften, when he mentioned the word friend. “Spike? Why are you crying?” Spike blinked, raising a hand to his eyes. He realized Twilight was right. His eyes were welling with tears from an unknown spring. Rubbing his eyes with his wrist, he smiled and told them he was fine. He just had a lot on his mind. Doctors came and asked Twilight and Pinkie to give Spike some time to rest. They gave him farewell hugs before leaving him in the patient room with his thoughts about a little, lonely figure.