Everything had been lost. Spike watched helplessly as the fire trucks, police cars and ambulances whirred about the property in front of the house. From where he stood, Spike could hear the men and women talking among one another, and voices crackling from the vehicle's radios.
From the house, there came a medic pushing a gurney. A gurney with the sheet placed all the way over the occupant's face.
Spike did not need to rush over to see who was underneath. In fact, he was too overcome with grief to approach any closer. Instead, he ran away in the opposite direction, hoping in vain to escape the tragedy that had befallen him.
For hours now, Spike walked the streets of Canterlot, without a direction, without a hope, and without a clue about what to do next. His mind kept returning to his burned house and the person on the gurney.
He passed the many alleyways, glancing down each one bringing back another memory. Memories of his time with Garble. Seeing his face. Hearing his words.
"Enjoy your gift..." Spike recalled Garble saying.
"This was it! This was his sick idea of justice!" Spike growled under his breath.
For whatever morbid reason that passed through his head, Garble had burned down Spike's house. It seemed like excatcly the kind of thing that he would do. He had done horrible things before, and this seemed perfectly within Garble's capabilities.
For the third time that day, Spike bumped into someone else from behind.
"Hey! What's the big idea?" asked the teenage boy he bumped into.
Spike didn't say anything. He just stood up and kept walking.
"Where do you think you're going?" asked the teen in the red jacket. "I want you to apologize first."
Spike said nothing, and pushed his way past the teen.
"Got a bit of an attitude problem, huh? How about I fix it for you?"
"Go ahead," Spike blandly answered.
Maybe it was the bland, emotionless tone of Spike's voice. Or maybe it was his stern, yet sad face. But, the boy in the red jacket's will to reprimand Spike started to waver. He couldn't place what it was excatcly, but he got the feeling that what he was holding had the qualities of something that had broken. Something with sharp, terrible edges that would cut deep if handled roughly.
Slowly, the teenaged boy let go of Spike's shirt.
"Hold it, jerk!" said Rainbow Dash, as she suddenly appeared from behind the two boys. She quickly swatted the teen's arm back to his side. What are you trying to prove, picking on little kids!? You want to see how tough you are? Beat up one of those guys behind you! You're at least the same size!"
"I wasn't going to do anything to him," the boy in the red jacket said.
"Like heck you weren't. Come on, Spike,"
Dash said, before leading him away by his arm.
The teenage boy in the red jacket watched as Spike was led away from him, unable fathom what could have happened to the boy he almost attacked.
"Why'd you let him go?" one of the teenage boy's friends asked.
"I don't really know. Something about that kid seems... I don't know. I guess it's just not right to smash something that's already broken," the teenage boy answered, to the confusion of his friends.
Once they walked to the nearest corner, Dash spoke to Spike.
"You shouldn't be walking around town like this. Even Canterlot has it's dark alleys, you know," Dash said.
Spike didn't say anything. He knew about more then his fair share of dark alleys.
"I don't know who that guy was, but I think you should look out for guys like him," Dash continued.
Spike already knew all about that too. All too well, in fact. He could likely have told her all about such a thing.
One more turn, and there was Twilight with two of her other friends.
"Hey, it was Spike you saw turning that way," Twilight said. "Hey Spike. We kind of missed you after you left. What took you away from us?"
Spike didn't answer. He just huffed quitely, fighting back the tears that threatened to escape.
Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Pinkie Pie all looked at the boy's sullen face, and silently came to the unanimous decision that it would be best for Spike to be around people he cared about.
"Well, it looks you had a rough day anyway. Come on. Let's get you home," Twilight said.
" I don't have a home anymore," Spike said, as a single tear formed in the corner of his eye.
"Oh. Well, let's at least get ya to yer parents," Applejack said.
"I don't have a mum anymore either..."
It was a shock to each of the girls. A boy they had just met had some how lost everything that he had in the course of a single day. Their instincts all stirred within them. Something had to be done to help this boy.
"Well...Uh, I guess we're just going to have to find a way to find a way to help however we can," Twilight said. She couldn't think of much to do, but offer what she could. "Why don't you girls go home? I'll take care of Spike for now."
Twilight gently took hold of Spike's hand, and guided him down the street.
After a long walk through the city, they reached what appeared to be an affluent residential area. They came to a two-story house, where Twilight guided Spike up the path in the front lawn
Twilight opened the door, and led Spike inside. There, practically greeting them at the door was a man wearing a black suit.
"Twilight? Back from town already? I thought you were going to be out later than this," the man said.
"Change of plans, dad. Something happened today," Twilight answered.
"Oh. I see. And, who's this with you?"
Spike turned slightly away from the man.
"He's kind of the reason I'm here right now. His name is Spike. And he's...Well, I don't think he has any place to stay, or anyone to stay with."
"Really?" Twilight's dad said. "Well, hello, Spike. My name's Night Light. I'm Twilight's dad, if you didn't guess. Tell me: do you know anyone in the city?"
"Just my mum. And she's dead..." Spike said.
That was not an answer that Night Light expected to hear. He was just as taken aback as his daughter and her friends were.
"I see. Twilight, wait here with Spike a moment," Night Light said, before hastily leaving to the other room.
For only a few minutes, though it seemed like hours, Night Light could be heard speaking with another woman in the next room. Twilight's mum, Spike guessed. After the time had passed, Night Light returned with his wife.
"Spike," Night Light began, "I've been discussing it with my wife, and we think that until we can get your affairs sorted out, it's alright if you can stay here."
For the first time that day, Spike felt a tiny light shine on his mind. It wouldn't bring back his home or his mum, but he still felt touched by the kindness of the strangers.
"Twilight, why don't you show Spike where he'll be staying," Twilight's mum said.
Twilight didn't say anything, but gently guided Spike upstairs to his new room.