//------------------------------// // Weak // Story: I'm so... // by sejox //------------------------------// Weak ‘They aren’t here to protect them this time.’ Spike stared at the abysm within the the entrance of the Everfree forest. Howling sounds echoed from the rotten jungle, making the wind stop abruptly as the wood cracked from the screeching sounds. ‘They are getting close… hopefully, the whole pack will come this way… maybe I ca-’ Spike thoughts were disturbed by the sound of trotting hooves. He turned around to see a mature zebra, her wise and strong attitude reflected in her sparkling eyes and confident smile. “I should have known that you will not listen to me,” Spike said with a snarky tone, turning his view towards the forest with a toothy grin, “Just stay away from my flames and spare some timber-plots for me to kick.” “I promise to be careful around your flames, but the second is something I cannot sell.” “Say what?” Spike arched a brow, “you totally made that up-” a rustling from the woods interrupted the young drake before a lone timberwolf jumped into their view. “Just one?” Spike asked with joy, “this is going to be-” seven wolfs crept out from the depths of the forest “curse Murphy and his stupid law…” The wolves growled at the duo, their wood made coat rustling upwards as they prepared to launch at them. “Remember Spike, those are rogue timberwolves,” Zecora explained while composing her posture. “Yeah, this will be easy, just let me attack first, they will not know what it hit them,” he said before jogging towards the pack, “over here stupid dogs! Who wants some meat!?” The wolves grunted at the little drake’s action, but they didn’t attack him straight away. They were smart, they knew that someone as little as Spike could escape from their fangs if they tried to jump at him without thinking. The timberwolf standing in the middle of the pack smiled, its eyes signaling the others to move forward, the others didn’t need more instruction, their instincts were already telling them what to do. The pack started to move around spike, surrounding the dragon, making sure that there was no way for him to escape. “Oh no! They are smart!” Spike screamed euphorically, his claws piercing through his cheeks, his teeth trembling. The seemingly fear of death showed by the dragon made the leader of the pack puff his chest in victory before opening his drooling muzzle. Spike’s tail went up towards his belly, his hands taking it not a second later before he started shivering, “Oh, poor me!” he shouted again in an overdramatic tone, “Don’t look at this, Zecora!” “Spike, while I like to see your theatric act, I must warn you for your overreacts” Zecora said with a solemn tone, her eyes and mind focused in each wolf of the pack, each movement, any indication that they could attack her, or worse... that they could try to run towards Ponyville. “I tell you, there is something off with your rhymes today!” Spike exclaimed, breaking his act by accident, once he turned to the confused looked wolves was when he noticed his mistake, “Crap… I mean… uh…” The wolves behind Spike turned to the zebra, snarling now at her while the rest kept an eye on the little drake. “Screw it, we’ll have to do this the hard way” spike commented before inhaling deeply, breath becoming green flames as the little drake expulsed a torrent of fire towards the leader of the pack. However, the wood wolf wasn't scorched to ashes, nor burning in flames neither screaming in agony; there was just the constant sound of the flame and bright green color it radiated. After the large pillar of flames disappeared the only thing still present were the prints left behind by the wolf’s paws in the mud. “Wow…” Spike said, before falling to his knees “ta... that took…” he gasped, “I need a breath…” and so breathed again, his left eyes shut, even his strength was drained because of his previous action. His right eye whatsoever was still open and aware of the other four wolves around him. The wolves stood bewildered, their dropped jaws almost dislocated from their muzzle thanks to their unnatural body composition; their tails tucked down between their hind legs as they changed their pose: ears flopped down, trembling, a silent whine that grew in volume every time Spike turned towards a specific member of the group, all signals of submission and fear. Spike watched from left to right while climbing up to his feet, his toothy smile prompting once again to the surface, “Don’t worry, your friend isn’t dead,” he assured, “he will wish to be dead though,” he added quickly, not giving a chance to the timberwolves to ease their doubts, “I sent him Tartarus with a free ticket to the ‘living hell’ suite, you want to follow him?” As if they were coordinated, Zecora threw the wolves that tried to pound her a moment earlier, both of them landing beside Spike, cowering and in pain as they clutched their paws towards their chests. “Or… will you like to go the traditional way?” Spike asked with a cocky tone before breathing out a red fire that shimmered like lava. The wolves whimpered and howled in fear, turning back to the forest from where they came, more than one of them left a green trail while running off to safety. “Yeah, right, and then what?” Discord spat sarcastically, “Celestia arrived and made you the official hero of Poniville?” he joked. Spike rolled his eyes, his claws pushing the door of the map room as they entered. Bigmac was behind the duo carrying all the items and food they’ll need for the day in his saddlebags. “That would’ve been nice, but you know me, humble as I am, I didn’t want to be praised as the hero of the town.” Discord floated to the middle of the map and teleported the content of Bigmac’s saddlebags on top of it. “You? humble? Mister great and glorious Hero of the Crystal Empire?” “I didn’t have a choice that time, and believe me, that position was only helpful for me when I needed to-” Bigmac interrupted with a loud intentional cough, making the other two of the group turn their attention to him, “Spike, is Zecora alright?” Discord crossed his bow in confusion, his eyes glancing back and forth between the pony and the dragon. “Yeah, I went to the hospital, the doc said that her leg is going to recover in a couple of weeks,” Spike said before turning to his crystal couch, “she told me to get her some tools and potions from her hut tomorrow morning.” Discord eyes went wide open as the realization hit him, “Wait, hold up your horses!” he exclaimed before a flick of his fingers made Bigmac levitate, the stallion unamused at the god’s antics,  “Th-that really happened?” “Eeyup.” “Then, why is she hurt? She-” “Another pack of wolves came after we defeated the first one; apparently, the first group of wolves was just the recognition team,” Spike explained, “the second pack was composed by sixteen wolves…”Spike sighed heavily, his eyes turned down as he continued, “I told Zecora to run back so I could put a wall of fire around the wolves and myself… but she didn’t want to leave me. At the end, I wasn’t able to protect her and fight at the same time.” Bigmac frowned at his purple friend, “Spike, don’t you blame yourself for it. It was Zecora who decided to stay, and she is still alive so-” “She decided to stay because I was weak!” Spike shouted, “She knew that the wolves’ fangs and paws were not a match for my scales, but she was afraid that I could get beaten up by the wolves’ strength!” “Spike, you can’t blame anyone for this,” Bigmac responded with a caring yet stern tone, “she is your friend, and that’s what friends do. They protect and care for each other.” … Neither Spike nor Bigmac exchanged words for a second. “You are right,” Spike finally stated, his eyes no longer stuck on the marble floor, “Besides, I have risked my own life for the sake of my friends before...” Discord interrupted the conversation, placing a giant tissue box between the two friends, “Are you done girls?” the god of chaos teased, “May I remind you that A. this is guys night. And B…” The three of them were suited with armor and custom gear, a humongous scorpion now in front of them. The castle interior changed as well, the walls who were clean and shining were now dusty, muddy, and drenched with a green and black goo; the floor was now made of bones and stones, and the previously clear ceiling was now covered with webs, ropes, and chains. Discord opened his arm in joy, his face showing ferocity towards the beast before him, “We were in the middle of a boss fight last time! “Discord exclaimed with open arms. The group of friends was now resting on the ground near a bonfire, part of their bodies covered with silk and gauze. “That was a thought one” Spike exhaled, his hands resting inside the fire, “who would have thought that the scorpion had an affinity with ice magic.” “I did” Discord jolted with pride. “Actually, I was the one that came up with that idea,” Another discord said from above in a godly tone. Bigmac stood dumbfounded for a moment, his gaze going up and down between the Discords, “How does your magic work again?” “Do you think I know?” the god said in a mocking tone, “I just make things happen and they happen, that’s all I know.” Spike chuckled slightly, “It wouldn’t be chaos if you can explain it, right?” Discord nodded. Spike’s turned for a moment to the ceiling of the illusion, the seven cuttie marks were still shimmering atop of the “cave”. He stood there for a while, till their friends started to notice his absence. “Hey, buddy,” Bigmac called, “Spike?” Still no answer from the drake, “Spike!” Spike eyes opened slightly, his view turning to his friend a second later, “Eh? You said something Bigmac?” “You seemed lost at something, little one,” Discord commented, “Is everything alright?” Spike looked unsure to answer that question, his eyes darting down as if he was searching for something to say, but his mind found itself clouded with questions, do they need to know? How should I answer that question? Can I really just say that I’m fine? He rubbed his forehead as the rollercoaster of doubts took a toll on his mind. His friends whatsoever, couldn’t know for sure what was happening inside his troubled mind, and every second that passed just made the situation more unsettling for them. Finally, Big Mac looked up, following the previous actions from the drake, and saw the seven marks hanging atop of the illusion. “Spike, this is about the girls?” he intrigued. Spike eyes went wide open, his thoughts coming to an abrupt stop, “ah, well…” he muttered, before resigning with a heavy sigh, “yeah, it’s about them… It has been four months since they were gone and…” his mouth trembled for a moment, stopping his progress through the conversation. “Come on, Spike, some months without your friends should be nothing for a hero like you,” Discord said with a cheerful tone, trying his best to ease the tension of the group. “They’re more than my friends, Discord,” Spike said bitterly, “They are my family!” Discord got surprised with the little demonstration of the dragon; with a flick of his fingers, he changed his clothes for a formal attire and glasses. “Seems like you need someone to talk,” he made a swift move with his paw, his magic summoning a set of comfy chairs for the trio, “let’s make this a little more comfortable shall we?” he proposed before taking a sit, the other two following suit right after him. “We are all bros here, Spike, you can tell us everything,” Discord said. … Spike was still unsure to talk. He only stood there in silence, searching for a way to express what he felt. Big Mac noticed the drake’s struggling and waved a hoof at him.  “I noticed earlier that something was off with you Spike,”Bigmac confessed, making Spike glance at him, “You seemed to be happy while you worked on the farm, but it always troubled me how you always were trying to find something to do... and when you didn’t find something to occupy your time… your smile faded…” “I like to work because it eases my thoughts… it’s just the job and me. And then there is the reward” he paused, his eyes glancing down once again, “a simple smile, some food, a warm pat on the head… it didn’t matter to me, as long as the one I helped was happy, it was enough for me.” Discord narrowed her eyes at him, “You said that it ease your thoughts… what kind of thoughts exactly?” “That… those thoughts are about…” Spike trailed off again. “Your family, you miss them.” the farmer stated bluntly. A tear trailed Spike’s check, words failed him as he tried to speak, “It’s just that… I feel so useless…” He turned his view towards the marks above him, “I can’t do a thing to help them… I ju-just can wait for them and hope they are s-” “they… are… oh… goddess…” Spike said with a breathless tone. “Spike?” Bigmac asked. Spike jaw started to open slowly, the previous shine of the marks reflecting on his eyes now gone, “Where… where… are the cutie marks?!” he exclaimed in terror, his wide-open eyes turning to the god of chaos, “Discord, break the illusion, I need to see the map!” Discord backed off slightly at the shout, his magic dispelling a second after. The map was empty, a black shade covering its previous shimmering features. Spike looked agape at the map, his breathing becoming ragged as he started to use his mouth to breath. He tried to take slow chunks of airs at first, but it was useless, his trembling body was failing him, “The girls… the map…” he panted, “That’s not the way… no…no, the map,” Spike stammered, his mouth quivering as he tried to assure himself, “it usually beams and then the marks disappear… no, this is not the way he- no” he hugged himself tightly, feeling as if he could explode at any second. Discord hold her paws up to him, signaling to stop and calm down, “Easy now fella, my magic will tell us if ‘shy is fine” he reassured before clenching his fingers, “you don’t have to worry, I’m sure this is just another weird shenanigan from the map,” he added before flicking his fingers. … Nothing happened. “Huh? Let me try that again...” Discord said with an unsure tone. … Spike watched how his friend's magic failed again… the world around him becoming slower and blurry. ‘No… no, not like thi- no, no, no… ’ Spike repeated as he watched in slow motion how Discord tried over and over again to summon his magic; A piercing feeling cursing through his scales each time the spell failed, a  painless void that was somewhat familiar to him. “Discord…” Spike panted, not noticing how his face was now drenched in tears,” please-“ “Wait, does that means that my sister is?!” Big Mac interrupted with a question, his expression agape, “no, that can’t be,” he stammered, “this…” “Come on, this must be some kind of mistake!” Discord exclaimed before turning to the distraught farmer, “Come on Big Mac snap out of it, we need to calm down!” While Discord tried to pull the big stallion back to reality, Spike was clenching his fist  to his chest, the painless void feeling inside him swelling by the second. ‘I need to calm down…’ The pain throbbed again, and with it, his body started to grow as well. Each change made his body felt like rotten needless cursing through his bare skin. ‘I can’t fail them… I must remain strong…’ He grew again, his new shape forced him to rest in four paws. “Spike?” Discord noticed in horror, his tearful eyes glancing back and forth as he searched for a way to calm his friend. “Spike, please listen to us!” “I couldn’t protect them… I was too weak…” “He is not listening…” Big Mac said after the memory of a titanic dragon bringing havoc to Ponyville made itself present on his thoughts, “We need to get him to someplace far away from here.” “Discord,” Spike said, his tone breaking with each word, “take m-me badlands…” The Chaotic god arched a brow at the dragon, “Huh, what do you mean? But they aren’t there, the girls are on the other side of-” “Take me to the badlands!” The dragon demanded, his tone grim and somber. “As you wish my friend,” He said. And with a swirl of his fingers, they teleported out of the castle. Canterlot palace – throne room The sun was narrowing the horizon, signaling the princesses of Equestria that their time to rest from their duties was at hand. And so they took the moment to talk, share a cup of tea and eat some snacks. “Did he really tried to do that?” Luna asked astonished. “Yes, yes he did. He was lucky enough to have me there, otherwise, the Jaks would have changed Blueblood’s name to Redblood…” Her sister explained, still angry at his nephew’s reckless actions. “Good grief… I need to have a talk with that stallion” Luna expressed, her magic pulling her cup of tea slowly to her; unfortunately for her, the ground below them trembled, making the tea fall on her hooves. As the princess winced and growled in pain, a guard entered the room in a blast, “Princess we had a problem, there are reports of a dragon making a havoc in the Badlands! “He reported. “That is weird, why would a dra-” Celestia’s words were interrupted by a thunderous roar that stormed through the whole kingdom with enough power to shatter the windows of the castle and unfurl the wings of a dozen of guards outside the gates of the city. At the same time, the mighty roar gave the the princesses an astonished  expression, their eyes wide open as the familiar sound echoed through the walls. “That is not any dragon…” Luna gasped. A second roar beamed from within the badlands; unlike the previous wrathful one, this roar was cracked and filled with sorrow, like the howling of a distraught beast. “That is…” Celestia swallowed heavily, her worries taking the best of her as she flew outside of the room, a motherly tone compassing her words as she shouted on her way out: “That is my son’s lament!”