Her mouth opened wide to yawn but her wings did not falter as Princess Ember made her way over Dodge City, Dragon Lord Staff in her hand. She had been flying most of the morning over the Celestial Sea and fatigue grew on her as she drew closer to Ponyville. The trees below blurred into green and brown patches that extended past her sight and the damp clouds wetted her blue scales. Wind whipped past her ears, and Dodge City faded from sight, but she still kept gliding to the place Spike had told her about.
The Dragon Lord had a few reasons to visit. First, she wanted some time away from the pressures of ruling. She figured a visit to her friends in Ponyville just might do the trick. Spike had asked her to come visit for weeks but she never felt like she had the time. Second, she had not seen Spike in some time. She wanted to catch up with what happened to him and tell him about her life as Dragon Lord. Third, she wanted some advice on ruling. She thought asking Twilight for advice on a certain issue might help her decide how resolve a persistent issue in Dragon Land. But most importantly, she wanted answers.
Several dragons over the world reported feelings of nausea and fainting. Some slipped into comas and had yet to awake. Many of her friends had fallen to what their shamans called the fairy’s flu. Even her father, the mighty Dragon Lord before her, fell victim to the flu. Memories of his grey, dusty eyes gazing with emptiness burned in her mind, and she clutched her staff tighter. Every dragon in Equestria felt some form of discomfort and she was no exception. Even now, she felt weary from a flight that should not have proved any sort of challenge. Normally, flying was a way to relax, to soar above the world and forget her problems. Ever since the past week, stretching her wings felt less comforting. She could only hope for enough strength to reach Ponyville and beg for Twilight’s help. She could only pray Spike was not suffering as her father and countless other dragons. Ember flew faster through the sky, failing to notice that three dragons were following her.
Pinkie stood in the lobby next to Twilight as she filled out some medical paperwork. Most of their friends ended up in the hospital at some point. One of the downsides of saving every pony: expensive medical bills. Her health insurance didn’t include potential wing injuries in the original plan and getting that amendment was a nightmare. The alicorn signed a final paper and the clerk thanked her before turning to other paper work. Rainbow Dash had already returned with the letter in hoof and met them. Before any of them could read the letter, they heard a rumbling like thunder stampeding towards the hospital.
“Twilight, I’m back!” Starlight yelled as she burst through the door, carrying a dazed, confused Zecora in a field of magic, “Please tell me I’m not too late!”
“Put Zecora down. Spike’s fine.”
Starlight sighed with relief and placed Zecora on the floor, apologizing profusely for any rough treatment. The zebra shook her head and dusted off her fur. Applejack burst through the door, huffing and drenched with sweat.
“Yeesh, Starlight,” She gasped, “I think ya ran faster than Dash.” She noticed Rainbow Dash rolling her eyes and bowed her head to hide a small grin behind the rim of her hat. “I heard Spike got hurt. How is he?”
“Better now,” Twilight smiled. “Thanks for coming.”
“Anything for a friend.”
“I too am glad to hear Spike is well. But I’d like to see him so his sickness I can tell,” Zecora said before trotting into the medical wing.
“Wait, you can’t go in there without permission,” Twilight’s voice died as Zecora ignored her and passed through the doors. “Come on girls. We can’t let her get in trouble with the doctors.”
To Twilight’s surprise, no pony tried to stop Zecora. Many moved out of her way with reverence. Several nurses bowed politely and greeted her with a smile. She surmised the doctors might have consulted with her for certain medical advice. A nurse showed her some notes on a clipboard and asked her opinion on an optimal treatment. Zecora took a quill, scribbled some notes, and said a few words without stopping in her path. The nurse said her thanks and walked off. Twilight assumed her hypothesis was correct as Zecora made her way to Spike’s room.
“Back so soon?” Spike asked with a smile. He saw the zebra and his smile faded with surprise, “Oh, hey Zecora. What are you doing here?”
“I asked her to come here,” Twilight explained. “I thought she might know what happened to you.”
Zecora put her hoof under Spike’s left jawbone and covered her left ear with her other hoof. Eager to help, Pinkie came to her side with a clipboard bearing a blank sheet of paper and a quill. Zecora nodded her thanks and wrote in a language Twilight had never seen. It looked foreign and ancient. Pinkie held up the clipboard so Zecora could focus her attention on Spike.
“Open your eyes wide,” she instructed and extended a hoof. Without hesitation, Pinkie dropped a tiny flashlight into her hoof, “Thanks Pinkie Pie.”
Zecora studied Spike’s eyes beneath the light individually, starting with his right eye. For a moment, Spike swore she held back a gasp of shock, but the moment passed as she resumed her cool demeanor. After examining his left eye, she turned back to the clipboard and made a few more notes.
Finally, she grabbed his left arm and pulled it from out of the covers, revealing the white bandages. Starlight stared intensely as Zecora turned Spike’s hand over to study his bandaged palm. She remembered seeing his hand charred black for less than a second, but hoped it was just the shadows of Everfree confusing her mind. Zecora made no move to undo the bandages. She turned Spike’s hand over in her hooves, pressing different parts and asking if it hurt. Her hoof brushed his index finger. Spike arched his back and gritted his teeth beneath his lips, waves of pain intensified. Sensing his pained reaction, Zecora drew back, but then moved to touch his thumb. Spike instinctively jerked his hand back.
She stepped back from Spike and turned towards Twilight, “Spike went out into Everfree and met a little boo. Now he has the fairy’s flu.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Rainbow Dash asked, tilting her head.
“I think she’s saying Spike met something in the woods that made him sick,” Twilight guessed. Zecora nodded.
“A rare dragon killer. If not dealt with, it will make him iller.”
“Okay, that I got,” Rainbow Dash frowned. “When you say deal with, what do you mean?”
“To save our friend’s beating heart, we must keep them far apart.” Dash sighed with relief. She did not want to go hurting anything if she could help it.
“How far?” Twilight asked, “And what are we even dealing with?” She turned to face Rainbow Dash, “Did you get Daring Doo’s letter? What does it say?”
As her attention turned to Dash, Zecora went to a tabletop placed her saddlebag on top. She pulled out a pouch full of dark scarlet fruits that looked like strawberries and a mortar and pestle. Her actions went unnoticed as Dash nodded and handed Twilight the letter, folded into thirds.
The alicorn unfolded Do’s letter with her magic and studied it, as her friends gathered around. Spike gripped his bed sheet nervously; hoping the dragon slayer Daring Do mentioned was not Mimikyu. She risked her life to save him, and now he was not sure if she could recover. He didn’t want to send her back into Everfree or to some laboratory. His throat ached at the thought of timber wolves tearing her apart or scientists probing her with needles. Maybe he could reason with Twilight. If he showed her Mimi was injured, Twilight would never let her come to harm. Then again, would she put someone else’s safety over his life? He knew her better than that.
“She never mentioned the creature’s name,” Twilight said, releasing a frustrated groan. “She just says she thinks there is something in Everfree Forest capable of harming a dragon. And that she’s coming to investigate.”
“What?” Rainbow Dash shouted. She zoomed over to look at the letter, “Does she say when she’s coming?”
“If you’d stop crowding me, I’ll tell you,” Twilight grumbled. Dash backed away with a sheepish smile. “It looks like she’s on her way right now. She says not to make a scene. She’ll work better without attention.”
Pinkie Pie looked disappointed, thinking about the chance of back-to-back parties. At least she still had at least one party. She looked at Spike and recognized a worried expression on his face. Something seemed off. Before she could press the issue, Twilight called every pony to attention.
“We better help her. The sooner we sort out this mess the better. Let’s meet Daring Do outside of Everfree and ask every pony to stay away from the forest and keep inside.” Spike’s chest rose as his arms propped him up, but Twilight pushed him down with a spell, “I’m not letting you anywhere near Everfree. Just stay here and get some rest.”
Spike opened his mouth to retort when the door burst open, and a white unicorn raced to the bedside to crush Spike in a hug. All things considered, Spike thought, this would be a great way to die. Smothered between the hooves of the loveliest mare in Equestria.
“Oh Spikey-wikey,” Rarity said, “Fluttershy told me all about what happened to you in the woods. I’m so glad you’re okay.”
“Careful there Rares,” Applejack touched her friend’s shoulder, “y’all don’t want to go strangling Spike.” Rarity apologized and backed off. She noticed Zecora and most of her friends gathered, and asked what they were all doing here. Twilight filled her in, recounting Daring Doo’s message.
“I see,” Rarity glanced at Spike, “count me in. I’ll help you search Everfree for the fiend that’s been hurting our Spikey-wikey.” As she turned to leave, she paused, “Oh,” she looked back at Spike, “I almost forgot. I fixed Mimi’s cloak for Fluttershy. She says Mimi is doing just fine. She seems worried about you. Fluttershy says she keeps asking how you are doing.”
“Mimi?” Rainbow Dash muttered.
“She’s Spike’s friend,” Starlight explained. “When Spike was attacked by timber wolves in the forest, Mimi came and saved him.”
“Yeah,” Spike recalled Mimi’s ferocious fight, “she took them down like they were nothing.” He bit his tongue, realizing his slip up. He never mentioned that Mimi defeated the wolves; he just said that she saved him. Now, every pony was looking at him with wide eyes.
“Are you saying this Mimi fella beat a pack of timber wolves on her own?” Rainbow Dash blinked before grinning, “That’s so metal! How’d she do it?”
“Well, um she you know,” Spike stammered, “She had these claws that smashed their branches. And they couldn’t pin her down cause she was too fast.”
Twilight studied Spike. Somehow, he knew that she suspected he was not telling her everything. His Twilight-is-on-to-me senses were never wrong. She kept silent for a while, as Rainbow Dash pressured him for more details.
“How fast do you think she was going? What were her claws like? Do you think she’d be my second awesome pet?”
“Goodness,” Rarity said, “I would never have expected that little darling to be so tough.”
“Yeah, me neither,” Spike said. “But I’m just glad she was there. I mean she saw me getting charged by the wolves and she didn’t hesitate before rushing over to help me.” Every pony looked impressed, trying to picture a tiny creature destroying hungry timber wolves with nothing but its claws.
“When she’s back on her feet, I’d like to study her a bit,” Twilight said. “If she’s alright with it. In the mean time, the rest of us need to head to Everfree and meet up with Daring Do.”
A pink cloud emerged from Zecora’s direction as she poured dark red berry juice into a plastic bottle, filling it to the brim. She sealed the bottle with a lid and handed the solution to Spike. He noticed daisies and smiling butterflies all over the bottle and gave Zecora a curious, amused look.
“Sorry, I know just how silly and ridiculous this cup may seem. I have yet to put the dishes in the dish washer to clean” Zecora averted her gaze.
“What’s this?” Spike asked.
“It will make the fairy flu’s effects numb. When you feel ill, take some.”
Spike looked at the concoction with uncertainty. In his experience, medicine never tasted great, especially dark colored medicine that was created right in front of him.
“But what’s in it?”
“Mainly berries from the rarest of trees. The common name for it is the Roseli.”
“Just take some Spike,” Twilight said. He sighed and uncapped the screw-on lid before taking a small gulp. Bitterness hit his tongue, causing his eyes to squint as the medicine went down his throat. He gasped and stuck out his tongue, coated in scarlet, feeling the taste linger in his mouth.
They all left the room, leaving Spike alone. He clenched his bandaged fist, his tensed muscles aching with familiar pain. He should have told Twilight that he knew who they were looking for, but he missed his chance. But he couldn’t rat out Mimi like that, not after she saved him. He sat in the bed of the white hospital room, wondering what to do.
Fluttershy heard more knocking at her door and stifled an annoyed sigh. Was it too much to ask for some alone time? Sure, she appreciated having guests but sometimes she just wanted to spend some quality time relaxing at home with her animals. Sometimes she just wanted to spend some time alone period. This morning had been stressful caring for a creature she had no idea how to help. She just wanted to sit down and practice some crocheting or read a book. But she could never ignore someone knocking at her door.
“One moment please,” she called. Tucking Mimi into her bed, she pulled the covers over the cloaked body and fluffed up the pillow. She kissed the little creature’s forehead, receiving a delighted squeal. She chuckled as Mimi nuzzled against her chin.
“You rest up Mimi. When you’re feeling better, we’ll go visit Spike in the hospital,” she said. At the mention of his name, Mimi clapped its claws with delight. She closed the curtain drapes and the door before heading to the door. She opened the door to see a brown pegasus with a grey mane, green coat and pale hat. She caught her breath, wondering what brought Daring Do to her cottage.
“You’re one of Dash’s friends, right?” Daring Do asked. Fluttershy nodded and invited her inside. Do stepped into her living room and nodded, “Nice place you got here. Very cozy. You’re probably wondering why I’m here. I had an adventure in the Temple of Alterum and long story short, I touched a relic that brought a bunch of creatures from another world. I got most of them home, but one of them slipped past me and I couldn’t find it. I need to search Everfree so I can find it and get it back home.”
“Oh my,” Fluttershy gasped. “What does this creature look like?”
“That’s the thing. I’m not sure,” Do admitted with a shamed face. “There were so many creatures flying around that place that this one got away before I got a look at it. I only knew it was still around when I heard reports of ponies seeing a monster and getting cursed.”
“Cursed?” Fluttershy’s eyes widened. “What do you mean?”
“They’ve been comatose for months.” Fluttershy trembled at the thought of ponies and dragons rendered unconscious just by looking at this creature. “Apparently dragons are the ones most susceptible to this creature. Several dragons have been rendered immobile or sick just being around it. Some have come close to dying when they touched it.”
Fluttershy blinked and opened her mouth, “Spike collapsed soon after he came out of Everfree.”
“Spike?”
“He’s my friend. He’s a baby dragon. Twilight said he was in Everfree for nearly an hour. When he came into my cottage, he collapsed and couldn’t move.”
Daring Do grimaced, “That oracle was right. Where are your friends? I’m going to need every pony’s help to search Everfree.”
“Fluttershy?” Rainbow Dash’s voice came from outside, “Are you in there? We need your help.”
Fluttershy brought them inside and when Dash stopped geeking out in front of Daring Do, she got her friends to sit down so she could explain everything she told Fluttershy.
“So what are you going to do when you catch it?” Twilight asked.
“Well,” Daring Do shrugged, “I suppose I’ll go back to the Temple of Alterum and try to open the portal to get it back home.”
“You think there’s a portal in the temple? That this creature comes from another world?”
“You of all ponies should know there are many worlds connected to ours. The magic mirror in the Temple of Alterum is one of many portals branching our worlds to a world full of,” Daring Do searched for the right word, “full of other animals. This creature belongs there with its kind.”
“She’s right, Twilight,” Starlight said. “We have to get this thing back to its home before it hurts Spike again.”
“I know that,” Twilight responded. “I just,” she sighed, “I just have concerns about where we’re sending it back to. What if it’s a bad place?”
“Twilight,” Starlight looked her mentor in the eyes sadly. She knew the duty before them and her face showed every bit of her determination, “It’s either this creature or Spike.”
Twilight knew which of the two she cared about more. For her friend, she would do anything. Spike was so precious. She couldn’t imagine life without him.
“Alright,” she said. “Let’s get searching right away.”
Fluttershy turned to Angel Bunny, “Angel, please look after our guest, okay? Make sure she’s feeling alright while I’m gone.”
Angel folded his arms expectantly. Fluttershy sighed and went to the kitchen to get a carrot. Rainbow Dash tried not to ask how Fluttershy made that bunny so spoiled or how he learned to manipulate her. Instead, she turned to Daring Do.
“So how do we want to do this? Explore the forest I mean?”
“We’ll split into groups of two, plus one extra zebra” Twilight smiled at Zecora, “that way if one of us gets lost or hurt the other can help.” She flushed and turned to Daring Do, “If that’s alright with you?” She had been so used to taking control of situations that she just instinctively assumed leadership without consulting Daring Do. The brown pegasus nodded with approval and reached into her bag.
“I have some flare guns,” she pulled four small handheld flare guns and put them on the table. “That splits out equally between the eight of us. If you find the creature or are in trouble, then shoot into the sky.”
“Um excuse me?” Fluttershy came back with a carrot, “How will we know when we found it?”
“I’m not sure,” Do admitted, “I have no idea what it looks like. Just give the signal if you see some big monster that looks like it could hurt a dragon, I guess.”
“That doesn’t sound like a perfect plan,” Applejack frowned, “if ya don’t mind me saying.”
“I know. But it’s the best I’ve got right now. Come on. The sooner we get going the better.”
Mimikyu turned in the bed with a fit. She couldn’t sleep. Her mind kept turning to a purple dragon who risked his life to save her, and was now in the hospital. She wanted to see him and make sure he was alright. If those other Pokémon came back, he would need someone to defend him. Sure, he could breath fire but Mimikyu couldn’t stop worrying about Spike. That was his name. She was sure of that. Her name was Mimi. He gave her a nickname. Only partners nicknamed their Pokémon partners. Partners had to look out for each other. Rising out of bed, Mimi sneaked to the window and crawled outside. She had to find her partner.
“I don’t know, Scootaloo,” said Applebloom. “The last time we tried ferret-legging we all ended up in the hospital for weeks.”
Sweetie Belle’s hoof drifted to her hind leg, “I still have bite marks on my legs. What were we even thinking back then? And what kind of psycho puts on pants full of ferrets?”
“Apparently we did,” Scootaloo flipped to the next page, “the things we did for cutie marks.” The friends wanted to find something they could do together that they never did before. Even though they found their cutie marks, they still wanted to try new things. When Rainbow Dash gave Scootaloo a book on obscure sports for her birthday, she had to share it with her friends. Now, they sat together in their clubhouse, wondering what to do.
“Then how about extreme ironing? You could do that Sweetie.”
“Um,” Sweetie Belle took one look at the pictures on the page and paled. “I don’t think I’d be comfortable ironing clothes while skydiving.”
“Well, you wouldn’t have to be skydiving. You could do it underwater or on top of a mountain or—.”
“If we want to do chores, we don’t need to run all the way up a mountain to do them.” Applebloom stretched her hooves on the floor, “Honestly, I’m feeling a bit too sore to do sports. Applejack left us in the middle of work so I had to do her chores.”
“Why’d she do that?” Sweetie Belle asked. She knew Applejack was a hard worker, who never left a job unfinished.
“I don’t know. I think she said Spike was sick and she and Starlight had to get Zecora,” Applebloom shrugged.
“Spike’s sick?” Scootaloo chuckled, “Figures. That dude works himself to death.”
“I wouldn’t laugh about it if I were you,” Applebloom frowned. “She said it was serious, like Spike was close to kicking the bucket.”
“Oh no, is it really that bad?” Sweetie Belle rose to her hooves.
“I think he’s better now,” Applebloom responded. “Apparently something in Everfree really hurt him, so my sister and her friends are going back to Everfree to investigate.”
Sweetie Belle relaxed, glad to hear Spike was fine. She saw Spike at Carousel Boutique all the time, helping out Rarity. He was such a nice helper who went out of his way to help ponies without expecting anything in return. She even saw him let Rarity use him as a pincushion. When she needed a pianist to play a song she wanted to perform, Spike stopped what he was doing and spent the afternoon helping her practice. They never had any long conversations together, but Sweetie considered him a friend. She knew she never wanted to see him in pain.
“Maybe we could go help them,” Sweetie suggested.
“She told me to steer clear of Everfree until they sort this out, and I don’t want to run into another cockatrice.”
“Yeah, but you got to admit,” Scootaloo said, “If they had more ponies, they could search more of the forest.”
“Well, I guess there’s no harm in asking,” Applebloom shrugged. “It's gotta be better than bog snorkeling.”
The three of them set out from their tree house towards Everfree. As they made their way through town, they passed by the town hall and Sugar Cube Corner both apparently empty. In fact, most of the buildings seemed vacant, save for the young filly and parent. Scootaloo gazed at an empty playground, where most fillies would spend the afternoon.
“Where is every pony?” She asked.
“Maybe they evacuated?” Sweetie Belle suggested.
“I don’t think so. Some pony woulda told us,” Applebloom squinted as sunlight reflected from the white building stones. “Maybe they’re all in Everfree, looking for that critter. Or maybe they’re locked up in their homes.”
“Yeesh,” Scootaloo whistled, “Must be some crazy creature for every pony to get so worked up like this.”
Fluttershy’s cottage came in sight, and the trio was halfway up the pavement when Sweetie Belle stopped. She turned to glance behind her, narrowing her scrupulous eyes.
“What’s up, Sweetie?” Scootaloo snapped her to attention, “Why’d you stop?”
“I could’ve sworn I saw something running towards town out of the corner of my eye.” She murmured, “I don’t know what it was but it looked like a tiny, yellow rabbit.”
They exchanged glances before looking back towards the town. Sure enough, they all saw a figure with crooked rabbit ears peaking from the shadows of the building. It melted back into the shadows and raced away, its onion head reeling backwards with the momentum.
“What in the hay was that?” Applebloom’s mouth dropped, “I ain’t ever seen something like that.”
“Maybe one of Fluttershy’s animals?” Scootaloo suggested.
Sweetie Belle trotted after it, “I’m going to check it out.”
Scootaloo groaned and rolled her eyes, “Yes, let’s run towards the creepy creature we know nothing about. It always turns out well for horror movie victims.”
By this point, Sweetie Belle faded out of sight around the corners of a house and Applebloom chased after her. Scootaloo sighed as her words were lost on her friends, and ran to catch up.
Sweetie Belle and Applebloom cornered the rabbit with ease, but stood baffled by its odd face. Its scribbled eyes and zigzag mouth looked like something from a filly’s drawing. Then there was its cloak; it was ragged and worn, covering its entire body. The ovals on its chest blinked, making them recognize the real pair of eyes. They had no idea what to make of the creature in front of them. Scootaloo ran around the corner but slid to a halt when the creature turned to look back at her. Her eyes narrowed and she frowned.
“What is that?”
The rabbit made several unintelligible sounds that reminded Scootaloo of a cat mewing and a dog whining. It bounced up and down with impatience, causing the girls to stagger back. A ribbon claw emerged from beneath its cloak and began making frantic movements.
“Wait,” Applebloom blinked and scratched her chin. The movements looked like gestures and reminded her of an animal’s body language. “I think it’s trying to tell us something. Is that right? Is there something you’re looking for?”
The creature chirped and bowed its onion head. Its brown stick of a tail started wagging like a happy puppy. A second claw emerged from beneath its cloak and touched the other around the wrist. It moved its tiny finger claws in unison, forming the mandibles of a lizard with a bite. The girls frowned, trying to puzzle out this message. It looked as though the creature was imitating a monster with sharp teeth.
“Is that a monster?” Sweetie Belle ventured. The rabbit shook its onion head and made a throaty, disappointed sound. It placed its hands on its onion face and continued the monster gesture, gnashing its fangs and issuing kitten roars.
“Hmm,” Applebloom narrowed her eyes, “is that supposed to be a dragon?” It nodded its bulbous head and chirped. “You’re looking for a dragon?”
“Think he’s talking about Spike?” Scootaloo suggested. At the sound of his name, the rabbit began bouncing and singing with a high-pitched fairy whistle. Scootaloo bent down to look into its oval eyes, “So you are looking for Spike?” The rabbit danced and chirped louder than a forest of robins. So close. She was so close to finding her partner. Just the thought filled her with elation.
The girls exchanged glances, “Well, what should we do?” Scootaloo asked.
“Well, we should take him to Spike,” Sweetie Belle smiled, “Looks like he really wants to see him.”
“Hold on,” Applebloom raised her hoof. “We don’t even know what this is or why it’s looking for him. For all we know, it’s a runaway who should be sleeping in Fluttershy’s house. Or a poisonous creature that could infect the whole town.”
The rabbit’s head sagged, its oval eyes looked sad.
“Come on,” Sweetie Belle put her hoof around the little rabbit, “does this look like the face of a monster to you?”
“No, of course not,” Applebloom said, feeling uncomfortable with how touchy Sweetie Belle was with this strange animal. “I just think we should be careful.”
“Well, I don’t see any harm in bringing him to Spike,” Scootaloo chimed in. “I mean it looks like it couldn’t hurt a fly. Well, as long as those claws aren’t out.” At that, the creature retracted its ribbon claws beneath its cloak and gazed expectantly at Applebloom.
She sighed, “Alright fine. We’ll take him to Spike, but then we should bring him back to Fluttershy.”
In the end, Spike could find only one solution. There was no way around it. He had to tell Twilight. Maybe they could find Mimi a nice home where she could not hurt any dragons. She could think of something. Ignoring the doctor’s warnings, he rose out of bed and headed to the front desk. The aches he once felt were gone, and his body felt much lighter. Keeping the bottle of Zecora’s medicine in his hand, he headed through the medical wing past a few nurses carrying equipment across the hall. No pony tried to stop him. They all knew his reputation as an occasional workaholic and sometimes hero of Equestria, and his relationship to an actual workaholic and always hero of Equestria. If he had to be somewhere, then he had to be there.
“Hello Nurse Redheart,” Spike flashed a smile to the unimpressed nurse. “I was thinking I’m feeling better so I—.”
“Get back in bed. Now.” Her voice chilled everyone in the room. Spike had been face to face with some of the most dangerous beings in Equestria: Sombra, Discord, Nightmare Moon, and Twilight’s paranoia. But this disapproving stare melted his bravado in a flash. He gulped but cleared his throat.
“Listen, I really need to see Twilight. I have to tell her something important. It’s a matter of life and death.”
“It’ll be death if you don’t get back to bed,” Nurse Redheart pulled out a long needle full of a green festering liquid.
Spike bowed his head and nodded, “Could you at least tell Twilight that I have something I need to tell her?”
“Go back to your room. Go back to sleep.” She squeezed the needle, causing vermillion poison to seep from the dagger tip. Spike could have sworn the liquid was melting the surrounding metal.
“But I need to tell Twilight about the creature she’s looking for,” He slammed his hands on the desk. “Just promise me you’ll get someone to tell her and I’ll go back right now.”
“Spike,” Nurse Redheart’s eyes became black holes, consuming his light. She loomed over him, “You have a serious medical condition. Don’t make me put you to sleep.”
“You mean like nap time, right?” Sweat dripped down his neck, “I’m pretty sure hurting patients goes against doctor vows.”
Several doctors shuffled out of the room, and all the patients in the waiting room cowered in the corner. Spike was terrified of this nurse, but he had to tell Twilight. He stood his ground, hoping Nurse Redheart would understand the importance of his mission. After what felt like eternity, her eyes softened and she nodded.
“I’ll tell her.”
Spike sighed with relief and turned to walk back to his room. He did not want to chance a second more. Gripping the medicine in his hand, he trudged back to his room. As he approached the medical wing, the entry doors burst open. He jerked around, startled by the noise. He saw a familiar sloppily drawn face and couldn’t help smiling as Mimi rushed towards him, tears dripping down her face. She touched his scales with her cloaked body. The pain he expected was gone. When she touched him, his body went numb where they touched, but he no longer felt the intense pain that he first felt when touching Mimi.
“I can touch you,” Spike murmured. He looked into those oval eyes and grinned, “Come here, little buddy!” With that, he wrapped Mimi in a hug and lifted her off the ground. Mimi chirped and whistled, her eyes sparkling with joy. He faltered. His body began feeling numb. Mimi felt heavy in his tiny hands. He placed her down and bent over, his hands on his knees. Mimi looked at him with concern.
“I’m okay,” he said. “Just a little tired. I guess we shouldn’t touch too long.”
“Spike?” He looked up at the pony who called his name from the doors. Sweetie Belle stood in front of Applebloom and Scootaloo as their eyes glanced from Mimi to him.
"Oh hey girls," Spike smiled, "nice of you to drop by."
“Do you know him?” Sweetie Belle asked pointing to the yellow rabbit.
“Actually, it’s a her,” Spike said. He gestured to his friend, “This is Mimikyu, but I just call her Mimi for short. She saved me from a pack of timber wolves in Everfree.”
“That little thing beat a pack of timber wolves?” Applebloom gave a doubtful look.
“Oh yeah. She’s tougher than she looks. I was almost done for when she came out of nowhere and destroyed three of them like it was nothing.”
“Whoa,” Scootaloo grinned, “that’s awesome!”
“So what are you three doing here?” Spike frowned, “I thought you were trying cheese rolling or something?”
“Cheese Ball wouldn’t lend us the cheese,” Scootaloo shrugged. The girls walked towards Spike and Mimi, “Anyways, we ran into Mimi here while we were walking to Fluttershy. She really wanted to see you.”
“What?” Spike blinked, surprised.
“We did some charades with her and when Scoots mentioned your name she started singing and dancing,” Applebloom explained. Spike looked down at Mimi. He could have sworn she was smiling behind her cloak.
“Well,” Applebloom pursed her lips, reluctant to say what was on her mind. “We should probably get her back to Fluttershy.”
“Wait a minute,” Spike said without looking away from Mimi. “Fluttershy is going to be out in Everfree for a while. It wouldn’t be nice to leave Mimi on her own.” A smile spread across his face, “Why don’t we show Mimi around Ponyville? I’m sure she’d love to spend time with us.”
The girls started to smile, but then cowered. Their eyes focused on the nurse looming behind Spike with a dark glare. He turned around and wished he had not. She looked scarier than ever.
“Someone has to get back to bed,” she said. Mimi jumped in front of Nurse Redheart. Her oval eyes shimmered with sparkling tears as she gazed at Redheart with the most charming face Spike had ever seen. Nurse Redheart’s scowl softened and she let out a small smile.
“Well, I guess I can let you go for a bit,” she said. “Just don’t push yourself.” With that, she returned to the front desk and pulled out a pile of paper work. Sweetie Belle gawked with amazement.
“What the hay just happened?” She stuttered, “Nurse Redheart never lets patients go like that.”
Spike glanced at Mimi who bounced towards him and scratched his chin, “It must be one of Mimi’s spells.”
“What do you mean?” Applebloom asked.
“When she fought the timber wolves, she did some kind of magic.” He frowned, recollecting her fight. “Well, no. Actually, it wasn’t magic. It was more like a trick or a power. Like she did this blurry thing where it looked liked there were twenty of her and this thing that made her claws have purple fire. ”
Scootaloo grinned with wide eyes, “So what else can you do, Mimi?”
Garble signaled Matchstick and Boiler to land. They all felt the flu spreading through their bodies as Ember drew closer to Everfree, and he would need all of his strength. He was going to take that staff. Then, he was going to pay back a certain purple dragon for all the humiliation he suffered. The trio landed on the grass and watched Ember fly over the Everfree Forest. Her trembling wings betrayed her fatigue as she struggled to glide.
“So what now, Garble?” Matchstick looked at his leader. He had no idea why he felt so exhausted, but it had been getting worse when they got closer to Everfree. He did not want to end up like their previous Dragon Lord, but he did not want to suggest turning back. Garble would destroy him.
Boiler was not so bright as he grumbled, “We can’t keep going. The flu’s getting worse.”
“But why?” Garble scratched his chin. He had never been one for thinking, but being humiliated by a baby dragon had taught him a lesson. To get what he wanted, he had to bide his time and plan. He studied the dark brown trees curving into the misty unknown and a thought came into his head.
“I get it,” he chuckled, “whatever’s causing the flu must be in that forest. That must be why we’re feeling so sick.”
Boiler and Matchstick exchanged nervous glances.
“This is perfect,” Garble clasped his hands together. “Ember’s going in there. If she gets the flu,” he stopped midsentence. He shook his head realizing he could not wrench the staff from her feeble claws, “No, not with that flu going around.”
He folded his arms and frowned. Slowly, that frown twisted into a toothy grin.
“Matchstick, Boiler,” he turned to face them, “tell me, what lies beyond Everfree Forest?”
They both blinked, wondering what this had to do with Princess Ember. Ever since he lost the chance to become Dragon Lord, Garble had been acting unusual. These days, he stopped relying on his brute strength and developed an uncanny craftiness. Neither of them could guess what he was thinking.
“I’m pretty sure a pony village,” Matchstick said, “but what does that have to do with anything?”
Garble shook his head and raised his palms empathetically, “Oh Matchstick. So naïve. Think about it. We get sicker as we get closer to that pony village. What does that mean?”
Matchstick’s eyes flashed with epiphany, “Are you saying whatever’s been hurting us dragons is hiding out in that town?”
“No, it’s much worse than that.” Garble sighed, “This thing that’s been hurting us used to live in Dragon Land until we chased away every living thing around. It must have somehow wandered into Everfree.”
“I don’t understand,” Matchstick frowned. “How is that bad?”
“Who would benefit most,” Garble said, “from a creature that can bring dragons to their knees? Who could use this creature to make sure dragons never came near them?”
“A lot of creatures would,” Boiler shrugged.
“Think about it. Who has been claiming they rule Equestria? Who has been taking our lands and controlling us by moving the sun and moon? Who’s been mocking us for as long as they’ve been on this world?”
Matchstick and Boiler both growled, “Ponies.”
“Exactly,” Garble said. “Now, if a creature with powers to destroy dragons came around, what would ponies do with it?”
Matchstick folded his arms and looked down, “Well, I guess they’d,” he stopped speaking as the realization hit him, “take it in.”
“Ponies have the one thing that could bring us to our knees, and our Dragon Lord Ember is flying straight towards them. Don’t you see? It’s a trap.”
“No,” Boiler howled, “how dare those ponies trick us.”
“It’s worse,” Garble growled, “with a creature like this, they could destroy all of us. And we couldn’t do a thing to stop them. We’ve lost Equestria. Soon, there might not be any more dragons.”
“Not if we stop them,” Matchstick balled his fists. “We can take the fight to them and take them down while the creature is still there.”
“Not on our own,” Garble responded. “If we want to stop this and save all dragons, we need more help.”
“I’ll fly back and get every dragon,” Matchstick said. “With all of us together, we’re sure to take down those ponies.”
Garble nodded, “Good thinking, Matchstick. You get going. Boiler and I will stay here and keep watch in case anything changes.”
Matchstick turned around and began a light jog. His job turned into a sprint as he extended his purple wings and leapt into the air, flying past the clouds and back to Dragon Land. Garble grinned with satisfaction. He never played chess, but when he was Dragon Lord, maybe he would take up the sport. Manipulating pawns like Matchstick was all too easy. Now he could unite the dragons against ponies, wipe out Spike’s pony village, and become Dragon Lord. Patience, he told himself, one step at a time.
He turned to Everfree, “Boiler, what creatures live in that forest?”
Boiler scratched his head, “Um, cockatrices and chimeras and timber wolves. I think.”
“Perfect,” Garble grinned with his shark teeth, “Let’s see if we can find a few.”
“Why?”
“If those ponies are too busy dealing with a bunch of wild animals, they won’t see us coming,” Garble explained. And one of those animals could hurt Ember, he thought, and dragons would need a strong leader in her stead. Thankfully, their hero was here. And soon, he would lead them into a new age.