The Lavender Arrow

by DisneyFanatic23


Flashes

Spike had Applejack sitting against a tree stump while he bandaged her foreleg with a torn piece of his tunic. She couldn't help but admire how careful he was as his claw slowly went round and round her hoof.

"Ya done something like this before?" she asked.

He nodded. "Uncle Scorpan taught me. When you go into battle, injury is inevitable. In the case of there being no doctor nearby, you've got to learn to make do with what you've got."

She smiled sadly. "Ya've really learned a lot from this Scorpan, huh?"

"Yeah," he said, also grinning. "Uncle Tirek may be my legal guardian, but it's really Uncle Scorpan I feel the closest to. Tirek mostly taught me about the art of war, while Scorpan taught me…well, pretty much everything else." He tied the end of the bandage. "There."

"Thanks," Applejack said, bringing her hoof to her chest. "This Scorpan fella doesn't sound as bad as…" She trailed off before she said something unpleasant about Tirek. "I mean he wasn't among the ones who kidnapped me, and I saw him durin' that ambush. He had the chance to run away, but instead, he tried to save as many of his soldiers as possible. Like my pa used to say, puttin' the needs of others before yourself is the mark of a great leader."

Spike sat down beside her. "They used to say that about my dad too. Uncle Scorpan told me about this one time Midnight Castle was under siege while a festival was going on in the courtyard, so no one was prepared for battle. But my dad, he sprang right into action!" He used his arms to illustrate. "He swooped himself around the guests and used his impenetrable dragon scales to shield everyone from the arrows!"

Applejack blinked. "Dragon scales are impenetrable?"

"Well, mine are pretty thick, but when dragons become adults, almost nothing can pierce through our hides!" He sighed as he hugged his knees. "I just wish I'd been able to see my father in action for myself."

She stared at him sympathetically as she rubbed her bandaged hoof. His eyes wandered over to it.

"By the way, I'm…sorry for putting you in harm's way," Spike said, hanging his head ashamedly. "You were right. It was a reckless, downright stupid decision."

"Your intentions were noble," Applejack said, placing her good hoof on his shoulder. "Ya just wanted to help your uncle."

He looked up at the sky. "I hope he made it out okay."

"I'm sure he did."

He shrugged off her hoof. "But you heard what Twilight Sparkle said. I don't believe Uncle Scorpan had anything to do with my father's death, but he's still on her list." He pulled his knees closer. "I wasn't able to save my father from being stone. I don't want the same to happen to someone else I care about."

She nodded in understanding. Poor boy, she thought. As much as I despise Tirek, I couldn't bear the thought of losing Granny Smith or Big Mac or Apple Bloom. Scoundrels as they are, Tirek and Scorpan are as much his family as my granny and siblings are mine.

Suddenly, everything became dark. Applejack and Spike looked up to see that the moon was out. A few seconds later, it was light again as the sun came up. Then the moon returned, then the sun. Soon it was flashing from day to night over and over again.

"Looks like the princesses are havin' another tussle," Applejack said casually.

"No telling how light it's gonna be now," Spike said, standing up. "We should probably make camp, just in case night comes early today."

"I'll get some firewood," Applejack said as she attempted to stand.

Laying his claws on her shoulders, he lowered her back down. "You rest your hoof. I'll get the wood."

"But…"

"No buts." He put his finger to her lips. "You're injured. Let me take care of it."

As she watched him gather firewood, she was grateful that he had chosen to pick up smaller sticks rather than humongous branches. At least he had less a chance of hurting himself. He also gathered some stones to put around the bundle of sticks. It kind of hurt to watch with the daylight constantly switching on and off.

"Even though we were outnumbered," Spike said as he finished his rock circle, "we still could've taken some of those outlaws on."

She smirked. "They had the advantage over us. They had flyers."

"Still." Taking in a gulp of air, he breathed fire onto the sticks. "I could've at least shot Twilight Sparkle if you hadn't pushed me down."

"Then we would've been shot ourselves. What would that have accomplished?"

"No, no, I get what you're saying." He shrugged. "Not everyone knows how to fight."

"Now wait just a cotton pickin' minute!" Frowning, she crossed her hooves. "Who said I didn't know how to fight?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Well, it's not like I've seen you do any fighting since I met you."

"I had my knife at yerr throat!"

He waved his claw. "Beginner's luck. Anyone can tackle someone, especially when that someone is smaller than you."

Scowling, she stood up and walked away.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

She bent down, picked up two long sticks and tossed one at Spike. He caught it in confusion.

"Pretend these are swords," she said, holding out her stick.

He blinked down at the stick. "You've got to be kidding me."

"What's the matter?" Applejack said, rising onto her hind legs. "Scared?"

"Of you?" He huffed. "As if!"

"Well then." With a mighty swipe of her rod, she shouted, "En garde!"

It became night again as she charged at him. With a yelp, Spike blocked her blow. The sun came back the minute their sticks touched.

"Hey!" he cried. "What about your injured hoof?"

"That's why I fight with my right hoof."

He gulped.

"Let's see if you're any better with a sword than ya are with a bow," Applejack said, pushing against him as she stepped back.

"Tirek taught me," he said, blocking her next attack, "a little, but," he leaped out of the way as she thrust her stick at him, "I still prefer," he ducked, "the bow." He struck from above, but she easily dodged him. "It helps you fight enemies further away."

"True," Applejack said, swiveling around. "But a bow's completely useless…" She swung her stick, clashing with his. His expression was fearful as he gazed up at her smirking face. "…when you're up close and personal."

She surprised him with a swift series of blows. He had to move his claw rapidly to avoid getting hit.

"In swordplay," Applejack said, scuffling behind him, "ya get the opportunity to study your opponent." He yelped as he spun around to meet her rod. "It's like havin' a conversation." She parried, but he sidestepped out of the way. "A very aggressive one."

With every strike of the sticks, the sky flashed from day to night. It was as if the sticks were alive with lightning. It was almost like a dance, with Applejack taking a lead as she attacked, and Spike following as he defended himself.

"But still personal," Applejack said, thrusting below only to have Spike narrowly block her again. "Cuz when you're this close to your opponent, ya learn their strengths," with a parry, it became day, "their weaknesses," another thrust, and it was night, "their fears…"

When she thrust at him again, he was too slow to stop it. He grunted as he was struck in the stomach and it was light again. Then she tackled him to the ground, her stick pressed up against his throat as the darkness returned.

"…and their passions," she finished with a whisper.

They were both panting from exhaustion as Spike stared up at her in complete awe. After seeing that impressive display, he didn't feel so angry about being beaten. He'd dueled before with his uncles and other soldiers, but never had he experienced something as exhilarating as this.

Then the sun came back out, illuminating Applejack's head like a halo. His eyes widened as her orange face seemed to glow. The sunlight was also gleaming off the sweat on Spike's scales, making them glisten, and in turn causing Applejack's victorious smile to disappear.

When the moon returned, it was positioned directly above Applejack's head, still giving off the halo effect. The orange glow of her face remained thanks to the light from the campfire. Spike's scales also continued to glimmer from the moon and firelight. Day and night came and went many times as the two companions stared at each other, but their respective glows never faded.

When night fell again, Applejack only now started to realize how close the two of them were. Her legs were on either side of his hips, her abdomen pressed to his. As if that wasn't enough to make her blush, their faces were just inches apart. She could feel the heat rising to her cheeks, and the intense throbbing between her legs.

She stiffened upon feeling a second, similar throbbing beneath her.

"Uh…" she said, scampering backward.

"Um…" Spike said, sitting up.

Biting her lip, she pretended to look at the trees. "Err…"

"Uh…" He rubbed the back of his neck, his cheeks as red as hers as he gazed up at the sky. "Looks like Luna won this round."

"Yeah," Applejack said sharply.

"You too I mean!"

"Of course!" She tossed her stick aside. "Good match!"

"Yeah."

There was silence for a long while.

"Hungry?" Spike asked.

"What?" Applejack said, her eyes wide with shock.

"For food!" he said, a little too loudly.

"Oh!" She sighed in relief. "Right, right! Food! I mean…what else would I be hungry for?"

"Yeah!" He forced a laugh. "I mean why would I be…I mean you be…um…what were we talking about?"

"Food!" she said with a squeak.

"Right, food!" he said, pointing. "I'll, uh, go get some! From my knapsack!"

He ran over to the tree trunk where his bag, quiver and bow lay. He didn't see Applejack crawling away from the fire, fanning herself with her hoof.

"Sheesh, that's hot," she said.

"What?" Spike said, stiffening.

"The fire!" she said quickly.

"Oh, yeah! The fire! Yes! It, uh, would be hot for ponies, right?"

She nodded rapidly. "Right."

"Though," he said, tugging on the collar of his shirt, "it must be hot if I am." He squeaked. "The fire, I mean!"

"Yup!"

She buried her face in her hooves, feeling like an idiot.

"Here's some cheese!" Spike said, handing a piece of cheese to her.

"Great!"

They simultaneously stuffed the cheese in their mouths to stop themselves from talking.


Somewhere else in the forest, Lord Tirek and his Diamond Dogs looked up at the sky when they realized the moon would remain for a while.

"Finally!" Rover said, rubbing his eyelids. "I thought I was gonna go blind from all those flashes!"

Tirek smiled. "I knew that Luna had potential."

"He said the same thing last week about Celestia," a Diamond Dog whispered.

"What was that?" Tirek said, snapping his head around.

The Diamond Dog forced a grin. "Err…nothing, my lord!"

Suddenly, there was a low growling noise that sounded close. A few of the Diamond Dogs shrank in fear. Glancing around, Tirek ultimately focused his gaze on a knot in a tree. Crouching down, he peered inside with one eye. A tiny Discord was asleep in a pink hammock, snoring loudly and cuddling a ragdoll that resembled Fluttershy.

With an angry growl, Tirek plunged his hand into the tree and pulled out the shrunken Discord.

"Ow!" Discord cried out as he grew to his full size so that Tirek was now gripping his neck.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Tirek bellowed.

"Getting some shuteye!" Discord replied. "Scouring the forest for a runaway is exhausting work!"

He choked as Tirek's grip became tighter.

"I ask you to find one little mare," the centaur said, bringing him close to his face, "and you waste your time by napping?!"

Tirek was about ready to strangle him when a rustle in the bushes caused him to turn. The Diamond Dogs readied their weapons. Then out of the shrubs came Scorpan, his wings flapping tiredly. In his arms, he carried three wounded soldiers, with two more on his back.

"Brother," Tirek said, dropping Discord to take the gargoyle in his arms. "What's happened?"

Panting, Scorpan carefully set the wounded soldiers down. "We were…attacked…the Lavender…Arrow…"

Tirek gritted his teeth together. "Sparkle." He grabbed Discord by the tail and yanked hard. "See what your incompetence has caused?!"

Discord wailed in pain.

"I tried," Scorpan said, hanging his head, "to save…as many as I could." He shook his head. "We were outnumbered, and they…had the high ground."

Tirek threw his head back as he cried out in fury. "First that bratty little girl gets away, now that confounded Twilight Sparkle takes out half my army?!"

"Girl?" Scorpan said, lifting his head.

Picking up Discord by the neck, Tirek said, "This fool here lost my new ward, Apple Jewel! The mare I was going to wed to Spike!"

"Spike?" The gargoyle gasped. "Spike! I remember! I was only able to get away because our ambushers were distracted by two onlookers climbing the gorge. I could only make out their shapes, but…one of them was small and purple and the other was taller and orange, a pony."

Tirek stiffened. "Spike and Apple Jewel." Discord let out a yelp as he dropped him again. "You sure it was Spike you saw?"

Scorpan nodded. "Positive."

"And where was this?"

"Ghastly Gorge, not an hour ago. Brother, what is Spike doing out here, and with his betrothed?"

"I don't know." Tirek scratched his chin. "But with those outlaws running amuck, it's going to be even harder to find them." After much thought, he turned to his entourage. "Return my brother and these wounded soldiers to Midnight Castle. See that they receive medical attention as soon as possible."

"What about you, my lord?" Rover asked.

Tirek looked out at the path ahead. "I'm going to find those brats myself."


Spike and Applejack leaned back against the tree stump, sitting beside each other in silence as they watched the campfire burn. Every now and then, they would steal glances from each other, but then pretend to look back at the fire or up at the sky.

It was Spike who spoke first. "Where'd ya learn to swordfight?"

Applejack smiled. "My pa taught me. He told me that every m—err, pony, should learn how to defend her—himself."

Spike returned her smile. "Your father sounds like a great guy."

"He was," she murmured. "I think your dad and mine would've gotten along great."

His eyes wandered to her locket. "Do you have a sweetheart at home?"

She hesitated. "No. Not yet, no."

It was sort of the truth, anyway.

"Really?" He tilted his head. "A good-looking young colt like you?"

She blushed. "I'm not that good-looking…"

"You kidding? I bet any young mare would be lucky to have some pony as brave and selfless as you for a husband." He snorted. "Not to mention you're a much better fighter than I am."

"Yeah, well," she said, tucking a stray lock of hair under her cap, "most of the…ponies my brother's introduced me to aren't really…into that sort of thing."

He stared at her for a moment and then shrugged. "Their loss, I guess. So what do you look for in a mate?"

"I don't know," Applejack said, circling her front hoof in the dirt. "I hadn't given it much thought. I mean I'd have to love him—her!" She winced, hoping he hadn't caught that. "But…I don't know, h—she'd have to be…sensitive in some way, but also tough enough to…to do the right thing even when it's dangerous. Ya know, kinda like…"

She locked gaze with him, but then quickly looked away. "But most importantly, she'd have to respect me. Treat me like an equal, not an inferior. And…well, ya know, she'd be easy to talk to, someone I can trust with…with everything. Someone who would be there for me when I need it, who would stand and fight with me when we're in danger, who would risk everything she has worked for just to help…"

She trailed off when she caught Spike's gaze again. Glancing down at her hooves, she said, "I suppose it'd be silly to ask what you look for in a mate, since you've already told me how ya feel about marriage."

"Actually," Spike said, tapping his chin, "I think…if ever I did marry, it would have to be someone pretty special. And I mean really special."

Scooting closer to him, she asked, "How do ya mean?"

"I told you Twilight Sparkle was the best mare I ever knew, right? Well, I'd want someone like that. Not the murdering outlaw part, but someone who's fearless, headstrong, but also have a heart of gold. Ya know, how Twilight was before she…" He quickly stopped himself. "Anyway, if ever I met another female like that, or one even better, I would marry her in a heartbeat."

Her cheeks were even redder than the flames as she smiled. "Can I…have yerr word on that?"

"Why?" he asked, looking at her with an arched eyebrow. "Ya know some pony like that?"

"Err…" She turned away. "No, I…I was just…theoretically speaking, ya know?"

"I…suppose." Spike sighed sadly. "But females like that are very rare. You saw how Twilight Sparkle turned out. Who's to say the next strong female I meet will not turn on me too?"

Looking back at him, she said, "Sometimes…I guess…ya just gotta take a leap of faith. Like my parents did. They knew what they were doing was wrong, that there was a chance of the other leadin' 'em on for the other side, but something inside 'em told 'em it was right. And…they took the leap."

Letting out a yawn, Spike stretched his back against the stump. "It'd be the biggest leap I'd ever make."

He closed his eyes, and Applejack couldn't help but admire how peaceful he looked in that state. Her own words echoed in her head: Sometimes ya just gotta take a leap of faith.

"Spike?"

"Mmm-hmm?" he moaned.

Biting her lip, she stammered, "There's…there's something I've gotta tell ya."

"Mmm-hmm."

She took a deep breath. "For starters, my name's not Applejack. And…I'm not a colt. I'm a mare. Moreover, I'm the mare that was dragged across this country to marry ya." She chuckled. "Ironic, isn't it? That we should run into each other out here."

She frowned. "I didn't mean to lie to ya, it's just…I wasn't sure if I could trust ya yet, but now…" She sighed. "I'm engaged to someone else, Spike. I don't love him, but…I thought he'd be better than the alternative. I thought ya were gonna be as bad as your guardian. But even after I met ya I was…disgusted with the idea of marryin' ya. I mean I didn't like you, you didn't like me, and ya certainly didn't like mares. But now…"

Grunting, she buried her face in her hooves. "I don't know what's happenin' to me right now, but I feel…I feel as if we've really…connected these past couple of days. I…I don't know what it is yet, but…I just like bein' with ya." She huffed. "Most of the time I just can't stand ya, but even then…" Sighing, she lifted her head. "You must think I'm crazy to even consider…"

A loud snore interrupted her. Upon turning, she saw that Spike was fast asleep. Applejack let out a groan of sadness and annoyance.

"How do ya like that? I just poured my heart out to him, and he's been asleep this whole time."

Suddenly, his head fell lightly onto her shoulder. Applejack was about to push him away when his claw snaked around her and pulled her close. He snuggled into her as if she were an enormous ragdoll. His adorableness made Applejack smile.

With much hesitance, she wrapped her foreleg around him to keep him from falling. She'd heard so many stories about dragons being cold to the touch, being cold-blooded and all. But when the scales on Spike's face touched Applejack's foreleg, they felt warm. They were rough, but not sharp enough to hurt her. Just like his personality.

As she watched him sleep, Applejack thought of the fiancé waiting for her back in Applewood.

While Applejack's brother had had no intention of marrying her off to some pony she didn't love, with scoundrels like Lord Tirek fighting for her inheritance, Big Mac had wanted to make certain that his sister was married to the right kind of stallion, a trustworthy one. Sir Trenderhoof was the fourteenth suitor that had come to call. A respectable knight with a decent fortune, he had the characteristics of a worthy husband.

Applejack remembered the first time he had walked into their dining hall. He was a lean brown unicorn with fair hair and spectacles over his purple eyes. When those eyes had locked upon her, they had gone wide with interest. Then he had gone down on his knee to take her hoof.

"Sir Big Mac," he had said, "you did not tell me you had a goddess for a sister."

Then he had kissed her hoof, which had made Applejack cringe in discomfort. She had hardly known the stallion, after all.

Throughout that dinner, he had told her about his many travels and had asked her many questions about the orchard.

"It has always been a dream of mine to own a farm," he had said. "Do you tend to the land yourself or do you let the servants do it?"

"Um," she had said, "I kinda like to help out with some of the tillin' and the harvestin'…"

"Amazing!" he had said, taking her hoof again. "I've always wanted to meet a mare with a love for hard work!"

Applejack had supposed it was nice to have a stallion who was at least interested in what she did. The real problem was that the two of them had nothing in common. Despite being a knight, Sir Trenderhoof was more interested in poetry than swordplay.

"I simply appall violence," he had once said. "The world's problems can be better solved through peaceful, artistic expression!"

As nice a sentiment as it was, it didn't give them much to talk about. Try as she might, Applejack just couldn't find a reason to love him. However, since he didn't seem nearly as bad as the other suitors who were just after her inheritance, and he didn't seem disgusted by her masculine habits (she had burped in front of him many times), Applejack had agreed to the match. Sir Trenderhoof at least seemed nice enough for her to grow to like him.

They would've been married yesterday had Lord Tirek not kidnapped her.

As she gazed at the sleeping dragon, Applejack began to wonder if all this had happened for a reason. Had she not been abducted, she would not have met Spike. Things felt…different with him. Despite her pretense concerning her sex, things felt natural with him, like she didn't have to pretend about anything.

Their pasts were quite similar too, which gave them a lot to talk about. Not to mention he was a fighter like her, though he could use a bit more practice. Maybe she could give him a few pointers on swordplay. And, with his help, she could start learning to shoot an arrow.

This reminded her of something her mother had told her long ago, when Applejack had asked, "When you fell in love with Pa, how did ya know he was the one?"

"You see, pumpkin," her mother had said, "it's not about what you have in common, although that certainly helps sometimes, it's about what you can learn from each other. Your true love not only makes you feel good, but makes you a better pony, and you do the same for him. With time, you grow together in helping each other become the best ponies you can be."

Applejack gazed up at the stars, whispering, "Ma, Pa, if you're up there, do ya…do ya think you could give me a sign? On…what I should do?"

She waited, but the stars were silent, as they should be. Sighing, Applejack looked back down at Spike. She continued to stare at him as her own eyelids became droopy. In no time at all, she was fast asleep too.

Up above, two stars shot across the sky while the mare and dragon down below slept peacefully in each other's embrace.