Chapter one: A special night.
The sun was beginning to set on the horizon, everypony was getting ready to get some sleep after one day of work, everypony had a significant somepony to spend the night with, and that makes the nights more special, because you know you're with somepony who knows you very well, and they won't judge you for your mistakes or anything like that, after all, if they aren't special to you on a romantic level, they are family or friends, and you can always count on them, right?
Well, that is not the case for a lonely dragon and a lonely mare, the dragon was called Spike, and he became famous among the citizens of Ponyville because he was the first dragon who came this close to the pony kind without harming anypony, the society of Ponyville was surprised that Twilight Sparkle, the most popular princess, had adopted it instead of abandoned it, anypony else would have hurt it, but she was kind enough to let it enter her life.
But Spike became popular for bad things too, for example, there was one time where he became giant, and he did a lot of damage to almost every building, for some unknown reason, he became normal again, but when he did, a lot of ponies grabbed torches and began to form an angry mob, they wanted to kill him or exile him, but his friends showed up, if they hadn't, Spike would probably be dead by now, but he isn't, so, that's something.
He still remembered their words:
"FREAK!!!"
"LIZARD!!!"
"ABOMINATION!!!"
"MONSTER!!!"
"DESTRUCTOR!!!"
"Everypony, we must run him out of town or do whatever is neccesary to make sure he won't cause any damage ever again!"
The crowd was getting closer to Spike, everypony had guns, torches and sticks to threaten Spike with, but six ponies stood between Spike and the furious mob.
"No. Nopony will lay a hoof on him, he has been my best friend since he was born, and I can assure you that he didn't do this on purpose! We just have to make sure he doesn't become greedy again." Said the purple unicorn known as Twilight Sparkle.
"How can we know this won't happen again?" Asked one of the ponies in the angry mob.
"We just have to keep an eye on him, you don't have to do this, if he begins to change, then we'll take cards on the situation again." Replied Twilight.
"Fine, but if he destroys Ponyville again, nopony will help you out against him!" Replied the pony. "Come on, everypony, let's rebuild our homes." And with that, the ponies gathered began to spread, Spike looked at Twilight, only to see the unicorn glaring at him.
Spike couldn't get past that event so easily, from that day on, everytime he went out to the market or for something Twilight asked for, he was constantly receiving bad looks from everypony except his friends, all the citizens were waiting to see Spike acting abnormally to form an angry mob and finally kill him, and he noticed it, since he noticed the first look, he felt horrible, he felt like nopony could ever love him, he felt ugly, hideous, dangerous, he felt bad.
One day, he awoke to the bells of the cathedral, and he was shocked to his heart, he saw that his body was larger, his spikes were pointier, his legs were bigger, and for some reason his back hurt, he ran to the bathroom to see himself in the mirror, but when he saw himself, he noticed that, besides those changes, his back hurt because now he had wings, everything was overwhelming in those moments.
He went out to get some fresh air and clear his mind, but he didn't expect what came next, opening the door could possibly be the worst possible thing he could have done in those moments, because when he revealed his new body to the citizens of Ponyville, all of them had reactions of fear, someponies ran away, some screamed, some gasped, some mothers hid their foals from the beast, but everypony had something in common in their reactions: They feared the unknown.
When Spike called his friends to the new castle, their reactions were similar to the ones of the ponies of Ponyville, they were shocked, but they didn't run away, they showed that they cared about him, because they knew Spike would never do anything to hurt them.
Since that day, he felt different, he felt like a monster, even if Twilight and the others tried to convince him otherwise, he still felt like an abomination. But he didn't knew somepony else felt out of place too.
This other outcast is a mare who's name is Apple Bloom, and she became famous among the citizens of Ponyville because she was the younger sister of Applejack, and also because she was the leader of the not-so secret group called "The Cutie Mark Crusaders", the CMC were three fillies who didn't have their cutie marks: Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo.
One day, the red maned filly awoke to the shining sun, and she quickly ran off to the "Cutie Mark Crusaders official clubhouse", which she had re-built, only to find her two friends inside with worried looks on their faces and fancy dresses that covered their flanks, Apple Bloom became worried too, but the next conversation shocked her to her core and would change her life forever:
"Girls? What's with the worried looks? Did something happen?" Said Apple Bloom with fear and confusion.
"Well, you can say that." Said a worried-looking Scootaloo.
"What? What happened?" Said Apple Bloom with anxiety on her voice.
"Apple Bloom, before we say what we came here to say, you have to promise that you won't get mad at us and we will still be friends after this." Said Sweetie Belle, with more sadness than anything else in her voice.
"Okay, I guess?" Said Apple Bloom with curiosity.
"No, you have to promise it seriously, you see, this is complicated for Sweetie and for me." Replied Scootaloo.
"Okay, I promise that I won't get mad at you and that I will be your friend no matter what you have to say to me, it's an apple family promise, there, now, would you please stop with the complicated stuff and just say whatever you have to say?". Said Apple Bloom, her patience was starting to melt at this point.
"It's... complicated, okay? I think it's best if we show it to you." Said Sweetie Belle, getting a nod from Scootaloo.
And before Apple Bloom could reply, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo uncovered their flanks, to Apple Bloom's misfortune, her friends earned their cutie marks without her. Sweetie Belle's cutie mark was really pretty, it was a musical note with a spotlight on it, and Scootaloo's cutie mark was awesome too, it was a dancing hat with a spotlight also, their cutie marks were very similar, so, they probably got them together.
"What?!? How did that happen?" Shouted Apple Bloom, things were really confusing her at this moment.
"Well, you see, do you remember the day when Scootaloo and I didn't go to school?" Said Sweetie Belle with a sad expression on her face.
"Yes, it was just yesterday, why? Did that happen yesterday?" Replied Apple Bloom.
"Well, Sweetie Belle and I heard about this contest on stage, if you sang and/or danced better than other ponies on stage, you could earn a thousand bits! Sweetie needed a new microphone and I needed some parts for my scooter; we couldn't resist, we agreed to perform at the same time, and then, we could split the prize so we could get the same reward." Said Scootaloo with sad eyes.
"And why didn't you call me? I could have helped you preparing the stage or something!" Said Apple Bloom with a sadness superior in every way to her friends's.
"Because we couldn't contact you! And when we could, you always took the lead and never let us talk about it! You were always so focused on getting your cutie mark that you didn't listen to us!" Said Scootaloo in a louder tone.
"Well, what am I supposed to do? I live on a farm for Celestia's sake! I had chores to do! and I didn't want to be called 'blank flank' forever, I'm sorry!" Replied Apple Bloom with tears in her eyes.
"Please Scoots, we didn't come here to fight, Apple Bloom, we came here to apologize, we're sorry we didn't earn our cutie marks together, so, please Apple Bloom, we just want to be friends despite all of this." Said Sweetie Belle who stood up and put herself between the two fillies to stop the fight.
"Yes, I can forgive you, but, What about the cutie mark crusaders?" Replied Apple Bloom, the other two fillies stopped when they heard the question, at this, Apple Bloom squeezed herself into a small ball and just said, with tears running down her face: "Oh, okay, I see how it is." Her friends ran towards her and hugged her, letting their own tears run down their faces too.
After that day, everything about Apple Bloom changed, even her family thought that Apple Bloom was like a stranger, it was like the cheerful filly they knew was dead, and in her place, a gloomy version of her took her place. Apple Bloom moved out of her home, now she was living in the treehouse, the reason is still unknown, but her family thinks that it was because Apple Bloom felt bad or ashamed around ponies with cutie marks, and because Apple Bloom is still sad about what happened with her friends.
These two poor souls were outside their homes, mainly because Spike needed some fresh air to rest from the chores Twilight put him to do, and Apple Bloom was outside because she wanted to remember what it was like outside. By now, time had passed and the dragon and the filly were teenegers now, and she was still a blank flank, but the good thing was that Diamond Tiara didn't tease her anymore, she was actually a really great friend of Apple Bloom because they truly understood each other.
Spike was heading to the center of Ponyville, he was trying to go to a lonely street so nopony had to run or hide from him, it was always heartbreaking to him, but with time he learned to live with it, still he didn't want the ponies to get scared.
Apple Bloom was also heading to the center of Ponyville, she tried to smile, but she couldn't, it was the consequence of being the only mare in town without a cutie mark, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo tried to get Apple Bloom out of the clubhouse, but they couldn't, so eventually, they stopped asking her to come out, they still remained friends though.
There they were, Spike and Apple Bloom were heading towards each other without realising it, they were walking forward without looking up, they were really out of reality, both were lost in their own thoughts, until suddenly, they bumped into each other, Spike fell back and Apple Bloom was a little bit stunned., when she recovered, she saw somepony in front of her groaning, so she tried to get them up.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, I should have been looking to where I was going, are you okay?" Asked Apple Bloom, not realising who was in front of her.
"No, I'm sorry, I was really out of it too, it's my fault." Said Spike, getting up.
"Wait, that voice... Spike?" Asked Apple Bloom. Spike was back on his feet again, and when he did, he looked down to see the mare in front of him, he instantly recognized her.
"Apple Bloom? Is that you? What are you doing out here alone?" Asked Spike with concern.
"Me? I was just going out of the clubhouse to remember what it's like to be outside." Replied the pony. "By the way, why are you here too? Don't you have anything to do with Princess Twilight?"
"No, I decided to go out and take some fresh air, but I don't understand why are you here in this lonely street, I mean, you never know who could be lurking in the dark at this time of day." Replied Spike, raising an eyebrow.
"I... I wanted to be alone."
"What? Why?"
"I mean, I'm the only mare in town without a cutie mark! Everypony always is looking at me in a weird way, like I don't belong here!" Said Apple Bloom, raising her voice a little.
"I know that feeling..." Replied Spike in a hushed tone.
"Oh yeah, how so?" Defied the mare.
"Well, do you remember the time when I grew horribly and I became a greedy giant?" Asked Spike.
"Yes, but that was a long time ago, why?"
"Because that's when it started, when I went back to my normal self, everypony wanted to murder me, but my friends didn't let them do it. Even though they don't say it directly, I can sense their hate towards me, I really miss the old times, when I could go around Ponyville without ponies shrieking and hiding their foals everywhere I went to, it's just their way of saying 'I don't want you near my family, and even less of me', but I got used to it with time." Replied Spike, looking down at the floor.
"It sucks to be us, doesn't it?" Said Apple Bloom, coming closer to him.
"Well, not exactly, you still have friends and you have a family that loves you, but for me, I don't have a real family, and I'm pretty sure that my friends don't want to be near me after the whole 'Spikezilla' incident."
"Spike, don't be so hard on yourself, I'm pretty sure that they love you as much as you love them, besides, Twilight is like a mother to you, isn't she?" Said Apple Bloom, putting a hoof in his shoulder.
"Twilight is like a mother to me, but I didn't even know my real mom, and my friends are pretty much scared of me. I think you knew that I had a crush on Rarity when I was younger, I always hoped for it to happen, but after the incident she tries to avoid me, and I also found out about her coltfriend, I lost all of my chances there. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that my friends don't look at me the same way they used to." Said Spike, looking at the mare with sad eyes.
"Well, I'm your friend and I look at you the same way I always did." Said Apple Bloom, hugging him.
"And why is that? I'm surprised that you're not like the other ponies." Replied Spike.
"Well, for one, I get how you feel, second, I know you wouldn't hurt anypony on purpose, and third, you're one of the only ones in this town that don't judge me for my blank flank." Said Apple Bloom, looking at her flank with sadness.
"You know, we should go to Sugarcube Corner, maybe we could talk some more there." Suggested Spike.
"But what if everypony looks at me and makes fun of my flank?" Questioned Apple Bloom, she looked like she was about to cry, but Spike spoke:
"Well, you won't be alone, besides, if I know everypony in this town, they won't mess with you if they see that I'm with you." Assured Spike, Apple Bloom's frown turned into a small smile.
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The walk to Sugarcube Corner was interesting to say the least, the ponies around them didn't know if they should question a mare without a cutie mark or if they should run away from the horrifying dragon. Most of them decided to run away, the minority of ponies that didn't run away just gave the pair odd looks as they walked by, but they didn't care, because they were finally with someone else who really knew how the other felt, and that thought made them arrive at Sugarcube Corner before they noticed it.
When they arrived, they got looks from everypony there, because one anomaly in the place was something to look at, but two anomalies in the same place? that is a true spectacle that should be observed by all of the 'normal' ponies. Spike decided to get a table while AB asked for two milkshakes.
They talked a long amount of time, not minding the attention they got from the ponies in the room, they talked about silly things, funny things, and most importantly, about themselves; they didn't see each other for a while, and it was very nice to catch up. Spike talked about the stuff he learned with Twilight about dragons, and Apple Bloom talked about the lessons she decided to take from Zecora in potion brewing.
Eventually, they ran out of topics to talk about, and Spike decided to cheer up Apple Bloom by talking about her.
"Apple Bloom." Spike began, Apple Bloom looked at him in the eyes. "You're a very special pony, I just want you to know that."
"Why are we talking about this all of a sudden?" Asked Apple Bloom, she was curious about what Spike had to say.
"Because I want you to believe it, let's put on an example, you see the pony in the corner?" Said Spike, motioning Apple Bloom to look at the pony in the corner, it was a mare with a cutie mark that seemed like a cutie mark for sales or something that involved money, probably because it was a bag of money. "Well, I know that you wish to be her, because you want to have that cutie mark, because you admire 'normal' ponies." Said Spike, doing quotation marks with his claws when he said 'normal'. "But you don't have to be her to be special, you are very cute, you try really hard on everything you do, and you are very smart, something that, just judging by her laughter, she is not."
"Aww, thank you, Spike, I really appreciate it." Said Apple Bloom, blushing.
"I don't want you to appreciate it, I want you to believe it, you are really somepony special, and I know that you'll get your cutie mark someday." Reassured Spike, crossing his arms.
"Thank you, Spike, you know, we should go to my place, we can go back to our conversation there." Suggested Apple Bloom.
Spike nodded and they walked out of Sugarcube Corner, now it was night time, everypony was in their homes, which made the walk towards Sweet Apple Acres better, once they were there, Spike saw that Apple Bloom made the clubhouse her home, it was bigger, it had a couple more rooms and furniture, Spike knew that Apple Bloom's cutie mark could be related to potions OR construction, or maybe something to do with tools in general.
Apple Bloom sat on a couch and patted the spot next to her, telling Spike to sit next to her, Spike did it without hesitation. When Spike sat on the couch, Apple Bloom hugged him, he was about to question why, but Apple Bloom spoke:
"Thank you, Spike, this was the greatest day I've had in a while, and is all thanks to you, I know we just talked at Sugarcube Corner, but you listened to me and you didn't judge me for my blank flank, I'm so thankful for that." Said Apple Bloom, starting to tear up.
"Well, you're welcome, but I also have to thank you, Apple Bloom. You were the only pony who was a true friend to me lately, you didn't scream or run away when you saw me, and you comforted me when I needed it." Replied Spike, who was also starting to tear up.
Spike felt Apple Bloom's hoof touch his chest, his scaly chest, if anypony saw his scales in his chest they probably would've ran away, but Apple Bloom didn't, she also touched his face, and felt his tears in his scaly cheek, nopony would even dare to come that close to his face, to those sharp teeth and reptile eyes. But she knew that Spike wouldn't hurt anypony on purpose, but specially Spike wouldn't hurt her, because she listened to him when he needed it, she didn't treat him like a monster, but like a friend, and Spike was okay with that.
Speaking of Spike, he touched Apple Bloom's flank, her fur was really soft, Spike knew that Apple Bloom's cutie mark would have something to do with tools or potions, but he also knew that Apple Bloom would be the owner of her own destiny, and she would always be there for him, because she knew how it was like to be an outcast. Apple Bloom liked Spike's attitude towards her, he didn't treat her like a freak or an anomaly, and he didn't make fun of her either, instead, he treated her like a true friend, Apple Bloom liked the feeling of Spike's claw, even though it was sharp, she could tell that Spike was trying his best to not hurt her by accident.
They shared a little kiss in the darkness, it wasn't a very long one, or a very passionate one, it was a shy and loving little gesture, and it was enough, it was enough to let the other know that they cared for the other, they took a break there, forgetting about the conversation they wanted to continue just by feeling each other's company, and they loved it, they didn't want the good feeling to end.
The duo laid there for some time and had cried themselves to sleep, because they knew that if something happened, they would always be there for each other, they were a special kind of pair, both of them had their own issues with Equestria and its society, but as long as they had each other, then nothing would break them apart, with tears of happiness in their faces, they slept in peace.