A week before the Games started, Rainbow Dash’s team boarded the train to Baltimare. Twilight naturally insisted on accompanying Spike. He wasn’t going into unfriendly territory without her. Starlight, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie had similar feelings and joined Dash’s party.
As they waited to depart, Bulk Biceps did chest presses with a heavy barbell and Fluttershy resting on it for additional weight. Rarity recoiled from the sweaty stallion, spraying a bottle of perfume on her white fur to combat the smell. Through the crowd, Dash noticed Spike checking his bow for perhaps the fifteenth time today.
“Hey.” She waved to him to get his attention. “What’s up?”
Bulk stopped exercising a moment. “I told you, Dash. Up is relative.”
“I was talking to Spike,” she said with a flat expression. “Anyways, what’re you doing?”
Spike shrugged, “Just thought I’d make sure my bow’s ready for this.”
“You nervous?”
“What? Nah,” Spike shook his head. He pursed his lips and swallowed. “Okay, yes, I’m terrified. My palms are sweaty, I could barely sleep last night, and I think I might barf.”
Everyone around him cringed and edged away. Spike’s face flushed red. “Ugh, can we forget I said that?”
“Forget you said what?” Asked Pinkie Pie with a wink.
Twilight leaned over and patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry about it. You’ve been practicing hard and you’re gonna do great.”
“You think so?”
“I know so.”
“She’s right,” Applejack interjected, “there ain’t a pony can beat ya.”
“Yeah!” Bulk Biceps exclaimed. “If they tried to clobber you, Dash would pummel them.”
Applejack raised an eyebrow. “I mean ‘beat’ as in defeat in archery.”
Bulk shrugged, “It’s not my fault ‘beat’ has two definitions as a verb.”
The rest of the train ride was uneventful until they arrived in Baltimare.
“Alright,” Rainbow Dash gathered her team for a final briefing. “This year we’re staying at the Four Clover Hotel. You all know the drill. Lock up your important stuff in the safe, don’t lose your key, and don’t take anything from fridge.”
When they left the train, a police unicorn approached them.
“Didn’t you hear the news?” He jabbed a pointed hoof at Spike. “Dragons aren’t allowed in Baltimare.”
Twilight’s horn glimmered faintly. A warning. She would not tolerate threats.
Spike showed the police his passport. After explaining why Spike was here, Dash tried to move past the police. He refused to let them pass with Spike.
“The city needs him to register in accordance with the dragon registration law.”
Twilight stepped forward, extending her wings to remind the cop who she was.
“I’m sure Baltimare knows that Princess Celestia forbade any law keeping a creature out of any town on the basis of their species or forcing anyone to register with the government.”
The cop seemed disinterested with her display. “Ma’am, I’ve been doing this job for thirty years, I know the law. Just let me do my job and keep the town safe. Interfering in a police’s job is a felony.”
“Don’t test me.” Twilight’s horn flared with electric sparks. “Princess Celestia’s laws override any of Fillydelphia’s. And as the Princess of Friendship, my authority exceeds yours.”
The police chewed the tips of his moustache.
She glowered, “You will not put Spike or any other creature through unlawful registration. Or I will report Baltimare for insubordination, and I’ll have you fired and imprisoned for harassing dragons.”
“Fine,” the police snorted. He pointed at Spike. “But I’ll be watching you, lizard.”
“Don’t mind him, Spike,” Rainbow Dash said as he marched off. “He’s just a jerk being a jerk.”
“For a jerk, he needs to work on his insults. ‘Lizard,’” Spike rolled his eyes. “How original, I’ve never gotten that before. Anyways, thanks for standing up for me.”
Bulk tilted his head. “But you’re standing up right now. Why’d you need us to do it?”
Rainbow Dash slapped her forehead and groaned.
“Dash, stop hitting yourself. It’s not healthy,” Bulk said with concern.
Twilight frowned, lost in thought. “You all go ahead to the hotel. I’m going to talk to the Mayor to make sure he doesn’t break any more national laws. Then, I think I’ll have a little talk with the chief of police.” With that, she headed towards the Mayor’s building.
As they walked through the streets, Spike noticed several ponies staring at him or going out of their ways to avoid him, more so than any did in Ponyville. Some whispered threats or slurs. Parents scowled at him before leading their children away. Fillies pointed at him like he was a hideous zit. When he came near stores or bakeries, they shut their doors or rolled down the window curtains.
Rainbow Dash made sure every pony could see her walking beside Spike. That discouraged any violence. Starlight and Bulk Biceps also kept close to Spike. If they caught anyone scowling at Spike, Starlight’s horn would shimmer in a warning or Bulk would return their scowl and flex his muscles. Starlight reminded Spike that she, Twilight, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie reserved hotel rooms on the same floor. If he ever felt threatened or scared, he could come visit.
Rainbow Dash kept talking, “There’ll be teams from other cities there who’ll want to scout out the competition. See how you’ve improved in the last few weeks. Don’t let them get too much of an idea how good you are.”
“Are we still training?” Spike asked
“Only from 4 to 6 pm. That’s when I reserved the stadium for us.” She replied.
They reach the tall hotel and Rainbow Dash brought the group to the front desk.
“Hey!” She rang the counter bell. “We’re the Ponyville athletes here for the Equestria Games.”
A clerk rushed to the desk, “Hello, my name is Caramel Breeze. Can I have your names?”
Dash introduced her team. The clerk noticed Spike and froze, her body trembled, as she swallowed a scream.
“Something wrong?” Applejack gave a soft glare
“You didn’t say you were bringing a dragon.”
“Did it matter?” Rainbow Dash deadpanned.
Caramel exchanged a glance with her superior as he entered the other side of the room. She gestured to Spike with her eyes. Her boss looked at Spike as though someone shoved a carton of rotten eggs up his nose. He shook his head, pointed to the dragon and then to the exit.
“Given recent events.” Caramel straightened her glasses. “It does. I’m afraid we can’t serve him here.”
“Excuse me.” Rainbow Dash scowled. “You want to run that by me again?”
“We reserve the right to reject our customers should they pose a threat to safety of hotel personnel or other guests. Please move him along and stop holding up the line.”
“The Games patron already paid for all of our rooms. How do you plan to explain why one of my athletes wasn’t allowed into the room that he paid for?”
“The rooms are doubles. I was under the impression Mr. Biceps was going in the same room. Given that the room will still have an occupant, I see no real issue.”
“No issue? No issue?” Starlight’s fur began to bristle. Air crackled around her. “You’re refusing to serve a citizen of Equestria, my friend, and a national hero. And you think there’s no issue?”
“He’s a dragon.” Caramel half-cried. “We don’t want him here.”
“Tell me,” Rarity snarled, “have you become so empty-headed that your vacuous mind can’t recognize the dragon who saved the Crystal Empire from the tyrant Sombra?”
“Have you forgotten what happened to my brother in Fillydelphia? I can never allow dragons into this establishment.” Angry tears poured down her face. “I can’t trust them again.”
“I’m sorry about your brother,” Fluttershy smiled politely. “But you have to realize that wasn’t our Spike. You can’t blame him for what someone else did. So please, won’t you let him stay?”
“I—I can’t.”
“Oh, so you’ll serve us but you won’t serve the hero of the Crystal Empire?” Pinkie Pie slammed her hooves on the desk and moved eye to eye with the sweating clerk. “Lady, you’re going to stop treating my friend like trash or I’ll just have to tell your customers that your cooks make your famous ‘clover cupcakes’ without washing their bare, dirty hooves.”
“Oh my,” Fluttershy said.
Rarity gagged. A stallion heard Pinkie’s accusation, as he was about to bite into a clover cupcake, before flinging it into a trashcan.
Caramel stuttered, “They do? I didn’t—. How did you—?”
“I work with sweets, lady. I can smell filthy cupcakes a mile away. This is a direct health code violation and I should know. So Spike.” She turned to him, “You’ve worked with Twilight and Princess Celestia so I’m sure you can remind me. What’s the penalty for selling unsanitary food?”
“Wait, you win.” The clerk dropped Spike’s key on the desk
“That’s what I thought.” Pinkie Pie gave Spike his key before turning to the clerk, “And don’t try this again. You’ve got plenty of secrets that could drive away your customers in a minute.”
The clerk swallowed but nodded.
“Thanks.” Spike said to Pinkie, feeling a bit disheartened by his treatment
“Sorry you had to see that,” Pinkie said with a shrug. “I can’t make everyone happy.”
After getting their keys, Rainbow Dash told them to meet up in the lobby in two hours before they headed to the training arena. Rarity and Starlight walked Spike to his room and left him with Bulk.
Spike collapsed onto the bed. He had a feeling it was going to be a long week.
After a minute of silence, Bulk Biceps cleared his throat, getting Spike to look at him.
“I know you like Power Ponies, so I got you this.” Bulk handed Spike a new comic book.
“Thanks.” Spike gave a small smile as he took the book. “I haven’t been keeping up with their adventures as much as I’d like. Just been busy training and stuff.”
Bulk opened a book of his own titled Common Expressions that Even a Filly Should Know.
“That’s an interesting book you’ve got there,” Spike said.
“Dash told me to read it,” Explained Bulk.
“Have you learned anything good?”
“Honestly, it just confuses me. I don’t get how ‘what’s up’ is an expression.” Bulk pointed at a book page. “How do you say ‘what’s up’ with your face? You’d have to be a genius to read that in a pony’s face.”
“It’s a verbal expression not a facial expression.” Spike chuckled. “‘It’s just something ponies say when they want to ask how someone’s doing, how they’re feeling, or to just say hello.”
Bulk blinked and frowned, “Okay, but how do you know which one of those they mean?”
Spike opened his mouth to respond but then closed it. “Actually, I have no clue.”
“Yeah, I know that feeling.” Bulk rubbed the back of his head. “I’ve never been a detective either.”
Spike shrugged, “Yeah. Maybe then I could figure out what happened at Fillydelphia.”
“It wasn’t your fault, I know that much.”
“Thanks.” Spike fell onto his bed and looked at the ceiling. He twiddled his fingers.
“Sorry they’ve been mean to you,” Bulk said. “Ponies used to bully me all the time too.”
“You?” Spike raised an eyebrow.
“I was a chubby colt with moth-sized wings, an irrational fear of butterflies, and a single mom who was a florist,” Bulk said as he lay on his back, looking at the ceiling. “I wasn’t exactly popular.”
“I’m sorry,” Spike said. “I think you’re pretty cool.”
Bulk tilted his head. “I’m cold?”
“Not cool as in temperature. I mean cool as in you’re awesome.”
“Oh. Thanks,” Bulk smiled. “I think you’re pretty ‘cool’ too. And honestly, I think that’s all that matters: that you like yourself and have friends who like you for all your pros and cons. Cause, you know, just one person can make all the difference to your life, like my mom did for me. I never would have gotten stronger if she hadn’t kept telling me to keep training and not to worry about what ponies said.”
Spike never heard Bulk talk about his mom. He felt like he saw a new side to the muscular stallion, one that he identified with. It wasn’t hard for Spike to draw parallels between Bulk’s mom and Twilight. Spike doubted he could have survived without her constant support.
Spike stared at the white, bumpy ceiling.
“You know,” he shrugged, “I was totally willing to leave the hotel so there wouldn’t be any trouble.”
Bulk looked at him, almost offended.
“We’re a team, a family. No one gets left behind.”
Spike couldn’t think of anything to say, so he smiled and turned to his book.
After two days, most of the other teams had arrived. To Spike’s excitement, he got to meet Lightning Star’s team in the lobby and catch up with his mentor. Lightning heard about the ponies mistreating Spike and was obviously upset to hear about it. However, he was less upset to spend spent half an hour with Twilight discussing a recent archeological discovery, much to Dash’s chagrin. Both Fillydelphia teams were not too pleased seeing a dragon out of quarantine. Yellow Bolt actually demanded to know why Spike wasn’t in prison for breaking the quarantine. Before Twilight or Starlight could say a word, the Crystal Empire team rushed to Spike’s defense. Lightning Star reminded the loudmouthed stallion that Spike was a hero to the world and earned the right to be there.
The stallion gave a half-hearted apology and left. The rest of his team followed, but not before giving Spike some nasty looks.
“Don’t mind Yellow Bolt,” Lightning scowled. “He’s just scared of losing cause he knows you’re a better archer than him.”
A silver furred, elderly stallion with Fillydelphia’s second team snorted. “Yellow Bolt may be arrogant and jealous, but he has a point.”
“Silver Shine, don’t,” one of his teammates groaned.
He turned to Twilight, “You shouldn’t have brought a dragon to Fillydelphia’s sister city. That’s just asking for trouble.”
Starlight’s blue magic aura surrounded the stallion.
“Is that a threat?” She glared.
Twilight ordered her to release the stallion, so Starlight did with reluctance.
“It’s a fact.” The stallion steadied himself from the aftereffects of Starlight’s spell. “You’ve angered Fillydelphia, Baltimare, and Manehatten, and ponies tend to do bad things when they’re angry. Whatever happens next is your fault, Ponyville.”
“Leave my friends alone.” Spike balled his fists. “It’s my decision to stay and my decision to compete. You want to blame someone for what hasn’t even happened? Blame me, if it makes you feel better. But you don’t blame my family.”
“They almost cancelled the Games because of you.” Silver Shine scowled. “Did you know that?”
Spike flinched. Lightning Star and Dash went wide-eyed with disbelief.
Silver shook his head, “I guess not. Well, you’re not taking away my last Game from me.”
“Your last?” Lightning’s jaw dropped. “You’re retiring? But why? You’ve been in the Games before I was even born.”
Silver’s eyes became downcast. “Sooner or later, your body stops working like it should. Then, it starts betraying you.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know.” Lightning narrowed his eyes. “That still doesn’t give you any excuse to threaten Spike.”
“It’s not a threat.” Silver Shine rolled his eyes, “Don’t blame me when other ponies lose control and lash out at him.”
“I’m right here,” Spike waved his arms. “You don’t need to talk about me like I’m not here. And I have a name, jerkwad.”
“You know, you remind me of Yellow Bolt.” Silver said to Spike. “You don’t seem to care about anyone but yourself. You rush forward, never mind how your actions could hurt others.”
“Spike isn’t like that at all,” Lightning exclaimed.
Silver glanced at Lightning, “Don’t forget you work on my archery range. I didn’t have to hire you all those years ago, but I did because you said you wanted to turn your life around. Don’t make me regret it by acting foolishly.”
“I’m grateful for the job you gave me,” Lightning said. “But I can’t stand by and watch you talk to Spike like this.”
“Don’t side with them.” Silver looked with a wearied expression, as though he tired of arguing with Lightning. “It’s only going to lead to trouble.”
“Enough,” Twilight stomped her hoof on the ground. “I appreciate your concern and will do my best to protect Spike. Now leave us alone.”
“He’s not the only one who’ll need protection.” Silver Shine shrugged.
“Silver, that’s enough,” Lightning Star raised his voice. “Spike has just as much right to be here as you or me. I don’t want to hear you talking to Spike like that again. You, or your dragon-hating, pony supremacists.”
“You think I’m still one of them?” Silver’s eyes widened. “I left that life behind years ago.”
“You sure don’t act like it.”
“I’ve owned up to my mistakes. I don’t deny the stallion I used to be or how that stallion nearly destroyed my family. But I won’t let my past stop me from living my life or doing what I think is right. Can you say the same, Party Fever?”
Silver Shine turned and left the lobby with his teammates for their practice. His words haunted Lightning Star.
“Um, Lightning?” Dash tilted her head, “Why did that old coot call you Party Fever?”
“I don’t know.” He did not meet their gaze.
“But…” Starlight frowned. “He acted like he knew something about you.”
“He ought to,” Lightning said. “Three years ago I broke his ice archery record. And I teach at one of his archery ranges.”
“Lightning.” Spike touched the white stallion’s leg. “Whoever you were, doesn’t matter to me. You’re my friend.”
“Thanks,” Lightning bumped Spike’s fist. “Would you still be if you knew?” He wondered.
Their afternoon training would have been uneventful, had Starlight not discovered the spy. She recognized the faint outline of a pony in the shadow of the stands and tried to catch them, but they vanished in a flash of light. Rainbow Dash told Starlight not to worry, claiming it was probably a spy from another team checking out the competition. Twilight however, insisted they post guards from now on.
Dinner at the hotel was a more unpleasant affair. Normally, the teams would talk between each other, catch up, and wish each other luck before the Games. This was when they were no longer different teams; they were ponies celebrating the lucky few who made it to the Games. But now, tense silence permeated the room. Ponies were only comfortable sitting beside their own teammates. They cast sidelong glances at Ponyville and Spike when he wasn’t looking, though he knew they were glaring at him. He wasn’t really hungry with all of this tension, and almost wished somepony would say something, anything, and break this awful silence. Unfortunately, somepony did.
“Sure is nice to be eating together,” Yellow Bolt sneered, “or it would be if some pony talked.”
“Bolt, just stop.” One of his teammates sighed, “Nopony wants to talk.”
“I do. I’m sure all of you do,” he gestured to the gathered ponies. “Isn’t that what we’re supposed to do when we eat together? What gives? Come on, Dark Spectre,” he glanced at a dark-gray mare on the Manehatten team. “Even you can’t like all this quiet.”
She did not acknowledge him, and continued eating her meal as though Bolt never spoke.
“The ghost remains silent, huh?” He stuffed lettuce into his mouth. “I guess that’s a lesson to all of us. We can’t go back to the way things used to be, can we?” He glanced at Rainbow Dash, “Thanks for that.”
Dash rose to her hoofs, “If you’ve got something to say about my team then keep it to yourself, Ye old Butt.”
Yellow Bolt’s face reddened with anger.
Twilight lifted a hoof for silence, “Look, we’re all tired and cranky. Let’s just call it a night.”
“What are you thinking letting a dragon compete?” A green mare growled. Twilight clenched her eyes and gritted her teeth, dreading the inevitable argument.
“Finally,” Yellow Bolt exclaimed, rolling his eyes. “Somepony said it.”
“It’s my team.” Dash said, “Mind your own business.”
“But it’s the Equestria Games, not the Ponies and Dragons Games.”
“Yeah,” A griffon added, “this is a ponies and griffons only event.”
“Last I checked it’s called the Equestria Games, as in all of Equestria.” Rarity turned her head in scorn. “Spike is an Equestria citizen.”
“Have you dolts forgotten what happened in Fillydelphia?” Said a blue stallion beside Dark Spectre.
“I didn’t do that,” Spike protested. “I don’t know if you noticed, but I’m small, can’t breathe all that much fire at once. Not to mention, I can’t travel from Fillydelphia to Ponyville on my own. No wings.”
“He’s still a dragon.” The stallion scowled, “How can we trust anything he says?”
“Oh, grow up,” Fleetfoot scoffed. “Being a dragon has nothing to do with how much you lie.”
“What happened in Fillydelphia had nothing to do with him,” Twilight said.
“Are you sure? Maybe he’s friends with those arsonists.”
“Spike was with us all day in Ponyville,” Pinkie said. “He couldn’t have been near Fillydelphia.”
“Unless someone teleported him,” the stallion glared at Twilight and Starlight.
Lightning Star stood up with the rest of his team. “Sky Chaser, you’re out of line. Spike is a hero with as much right to be here as anypony.”
“And these ponies from Ponyville are heroes to Equestria,” Fleetfoot added. “None of us would be standing here if it weren’t for them. Show some respect.”
“We shouldn’t be arguing,” Spitfire’s voice silenced the room. “This is a time for us to wish each other luck before the Games. Not to squabble like children.”
“I agree.” Spitfire raised an eyebrow at Yellow Bolt. She wasn’t expecting the anarchist of the evening to agree with her. He looked at the Wonderbolt and said, “I’ve never been here before today, but even I know what the team dinner should be like. No divides, no arguments, just several teams putting aside their differences for an evening. This is a time for us to come together.” He shook his head. “But we can’t, and we won’t,” Bolt said as though it was a sick joke.
“Enough,” Silver Shine ordered. “Since our teams can’t eat together without being at each other’s throats, I suggest we eat separately.”
“Fine by me,” Sky Chaser huffed as he picked up his plate, “I don’t want to look at those lizard-loving traitors who’d let my daughter get burned.”
The teams split up to different parts of the dining hall. Soon, only Ponyville, the Crystal Empire, and Cloudsdale teams remained at the table, though they still could not speak.
“I hate to say it, but Bolt is right.” Spitfire glanced at Spike and sighed. Then, she turned to Dash with disappointment in her eyes. “You shouldn’t have brought him here.”
With that, Spitfire excused herself and returned to her room, leaving her teammates behind.
“I’m sure she doesn’t mean that,” Fleetfoot tried to console Rainbow Dash and Spike. “She’s just upset seeing us fight. Right, Soarin?”
Soarin left the table without a word, without looking at a single pony or dragon.
“I’m sorry, Spike,” Fleetfoot apologized.
He shrugged, “It’s fine.” The lie hung on his mouth. He turned over his salad with a fork, a glum expression set on his face.
Lightning Star wanted to change the subject, so he asked Twilight’s opinion about the historical accuracy of a movie set in ancient times. The two had a half-hearted discussion for a few minutes that faded into silence.
“So Lightning,” Fleetfoot broke the silence, “how’s Thunder Star?”
“Great, actually.” Lightning smiled. “She’s in town right now. I made enough money to pay for a train ride here.”
“That’s great.” Fleetfoot grinned. “I know she’s always wanted to watch the Games.”
Lightning scratched the back of his neck. “She can’t come to the Games yet, but I’m sure she’ll watch it on TV.”
“Excuse me.” Rarity blinked. “Who is Thunder Star?”
“My little sister,” Lightning explained.
Spike chimed in. “So I take it Fleetfoot knows her?”
“We met a few years ago,” Fleetfoot nodded. “Anyways, I’ll come visit her when I have the time.”
“Me too,” Spike added. “If it’s not any trouble.”
Lightning chuckled, “Oh, believe me, she’d love to meet you. But I’d have to arrange a time and get the doctor’s permission, which might take a while. Thanks for the offer though.”
“Sure thing,” Spike grinned. Twilight’s eyes narrowed at the mention of a doctor, but she decided not to press the issue.
After dinner, Twilight walked Spike and Bulk back to their room on the first floor. She wanted to ensure their safety after that tense evening. They opened the door and turned on the lights. A shiver rushed through Twilight’s heart as her eyes beheld a ghastly sight. The room was trashed. Torn bed sheets, pillow stuffing lined the floor like confetti, the window to the balcony and bathroom mirror smashed to pieces. Across the walls, some malicious creature spray painted threats directed at Spike. A black image of a dragon hung from a noose, threats to his family, and to him.
Go Bak to Drgonlnds.
Leser Being.
MonstRs don’t belng here.
Go die lzard.
Brned ny kids?
Spike and Bulk stared at the chaos in horror. The dragon circled through the room, reading every message. Spike felt splintered fiber brush against his foot. He glanced down and picked up a long, curved fiber piece: his bow broken in half. All of his belongings had been destroyed; the comic Bulk gave him, ripped to shreds, Rarity’s arm guard broken beyond all recognition, even his insignificant toothbrush was snapped in two. He ran a claw over the arm guard that Rarity painstakingly crafted. It looked like something dragged through a shredder and tossed in a fire. The message We Believe in You had been scratched away, meticulously torn apart by a furious knife. Now, he could only read No MonStrs in Gam.
Her friends rushed to Twilight’s side when she screamed and Lightning Star and the Crystal Empire came soon after. Their eyes widened and gasps escaped their mouths.
Lightning turned to his teammates, “Wake up Spitfire and get hotel management. Tell them there’s been a ransacking.”
His friends ran off, and Lightning quickly joined Twilight and her friends around Spike. She pulled him away from the room, out into the hallway.
She didn’t say a word. She couldn’t think of a thing to say.
“Twilight,” Starlight finally said. “We need to move Spike to our room.”
The alicorn nodded.
“I’ve got an inflatable mattress in my room,” Lightning said to Bulk. “You can sleep there if you’d like.”
Bulk managed to say thanks, as Rarity picked up the scraps of the arm guard and bow.
“It’s not so bad,” Rarity tried to comfort Spike. “With a little magic, I can make them good as new.” Despite her optimism, she could already tell the violent message reached Spike.
Spitfire came to the scene in her nightgown. She took one look at the room and scowled, infuriated this crime took place under her watch during what should have been a time of peace. The hotel clerk Caramel Breeze arrived and saw the trashed room.
She looked at Spike, clutching Twilight’s fur in a terrified embrace. Caramel’s throat constricted with sharp pains as his sobs touched her heart. Spitfire turned on her with sharp eyes.
“You, you work for the hotel, right?”
“Y-yes.”
“I need to see security tapes and a list of all personnel in the building.”
Spitfire glanced again at the little dragon, held in Twilight’s hooves and surrounded by his friends. Twilight led him away from the mess. Spitfire’s sad eyes repeated her earlier message to Dash once again: “You shouldn’t have brought him here.” She left Dash and followed Caramel to the security room, bent on finding the culprits.
When she heard about the vandalism, Princess Celestia sent royal guards right away to protect Spike and discover the culprits. Twilight felt reasonably more comfortable with the royal guards posted outside her doors and Spike clenched between her hoofs. She lay on her side, staring into the window, frustrated at her inability to help Spike. On the left bed, Starlight had fallen asleep, having worked with Rarity for five hours repairing Spike’s arm guard and bow. Twilight however, couldn’t sleep. She and Spike stayed awake well into the early morning. It seemed so long ago that Dash asked Spike to join her team. Now, Twilight wondered if saying yes to Dash was the right decision.
Spike stirred in her hooves.
“I shouldn’t have come.”
“Don’t say that,” Twilight whispered as she nuzzled his head. “You have every right to be here.”
He looked up at Twilight, his cheeks still wet with tears. “Why’d they do it?”
“You don’t deserve any of this Spike. If I could, I’d find the ponies who did this and make them pay for hurting you.”
“That wouldn’t change them.”
Twilight closed her eyes and released a hard sigh. “Maybe not, but if someone can’t look past their own hatred, then maybe they’re not worth being friends with.”
“I don’t care about being friends. I just want them to give me a chance.” He buried his face into her chest. Twilight stroked the back of his head. She couldn’t stand seeing Spike so miserable. She wished there was something she could do for him to make all their problems disappear.
“You always taught me that friendship can solve anything.” Spike looked into her violet eyes. “How does it solve this?”
“I don’t know, Spike.” She bowed her head, “I know the answer to every test question I’ve ever taken. But this? I just don’t know.”
She tried to smile. “But you know something? For every one of these jerks, there are a dozen other ponies who love you. You saw how the Crystal Empire team stood up for you, how Dash didn’t give into those ponies’ threats, and how Celestia sent her guards to protect you.” She squeezed him in a hug, “And I might not be able to change any ponies’ mind, but I will protect you until the end. If anyone so much as scratches you, so help me, I’ll revive the elements of harmony and send them to the moon.”
They finally managed to fall asleep, holding on to each other. Purple fur and feathers blended with purple scales. They were one creature, one family against the world.