Spike and Applejack didn’t get very far into the Everfree Forest before the sun was almost entirely blotted out. Tall and twisted trees with thick branches and overlapping leaves coveted its light greedily, leaving the pony and dragon to search the woods in an eerie darkness. Spike ignored all of this, though. Under normal circumstances, he would have dreaded entering the forbidden unknown out of fear for his own safety, but now, he charged over gnarled roots and through the thicket while calling out the name of his friend. “Sparks! Sparks, where are you?!”
Applejack was quick to put a hoof on his tail, stopping him in his tracks. She startled him, and when he turned to face her, he saw a dangerous look in her eyes. “Spike, ya’ gotta listen to me… We’re gonna find her, but we need to do this right.” Then, her tone of voice lowered to that of a whisper. “We’re not alone out here, so I wouldn’t advise stompin’ around and making a racket, ya’ hear me?” He begrudgingly nodded his head, but a part of him knew that she was right. Seeing that he was in agreement, she managed a brave smile. “Dandy… Now, let’s find your friend and bring her home.”
Now moving at a much slower and far quieter pace, they surged on, deeper and deeper into the forest. Spike couldn’t shake Sparks from his thoughts. In all of her past interactions with him, she’d greeted him with a kind and friendly smile, and she was always ready to learn. Remembering the look of terror on her face after the apple tree accident twisted his chest into painful knots. He couldn’t begin to understand how she must have felt after causing so much destruction.
They eventually came to a clearing in the trees. To their left and right, there was a break that separated the tree lines in both directions, and on the ground, wild grass grew unopposed. All around them, the shadows cast by the tall trees seemed to bend ominously.
Spike looked down at the little device in his hands. “She can’t be far…” All he wanted now was to see her and tell her that everything was going to be alright. At this point, nothing else mattered.
Behind them, he heard a twig snap. Applejack heard it too, and they both turned in the direction of the noise. Spike approached the thicket slowly. “Sparks? Sparks, it’s me, your family…” He reached out slowly with one hand, while keeping the core tightly against his chest with the other. “You can come out now, Sparks. No pony’s mad at you. We just want you home safely.”
Then, he heard a low snarl from the brush, and his reach faltered. A pair of glowing, yellow eyes appeared through the darkness, and behind him, Applejack pulled him back slowly. “Hon, I don’t think that’s your friend…” She then yanked him back hard, just as a timberwolf leaped from the bushes and into the clearing. It took a low stance and snarled viciously as sap dripped from its muzzle. “Spike, stay behind me. Now.”
Applejack temporarily held the timberwolf’s attention, but as the core flashed in Spike’s hands, it shifted its yellow eyes towards him and let out a howl. Then it charged, completely ignoring the pony and running straight for him. With gnashing teeth, it dived onto the dragon, knocking him firmly to the ground before bounding away again.
The core flew from his hands, landing somewhere in the grass behind him. Dread set in as he turned to look for it, but the timberwolf was already circling him, looking for another opening through which to strike. Out of sight, Applejack called his name, shouting for him to get up and run. “I can’t! I need the core!”
He saw its orange glow through the grass, but unfortunately the timberwolf was between him and it. It was as though the beast knew what he was after. It let out a groan as he stood back up. Spike couldn’t let anything happen to his friend. He’d promised her that much, and she’d trusted him enough to give her most important piece to him.
Somewhere off to the side, Applejack tried to get the timberwolf’s attention by throwing rocks and sticks, but it had its sights dialed in on the dragon. With its menacing teeth bared, it pounced on him, but as it came down, he rolled out of the way. The timberwolf missed its mark and hit the ground hard.
Spike took the opportunity to make a dash for the core, but the timberwolf was right back on his tail. He found the core in the grass and snatched it up. It still looked intact, but as he turned around, the timberwolf was already in the air, diving straight for him with its claws outstretched and ready to grab its prey. Time seemed to slow down. He could only hear Applejack’s cries of desperation for him to move, but his feet were frozen to the forest floor.
Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw that she had started to charge the timberwolf herself, but unfortunately, it didn’t look like she would reach him in time. Spike could only watch in terror as the terrifying maw of the timberwolf opened up in front of his face. At the last second though, from what seemed like out of nowhere, a black and gray mass blindsided the timberwolf, hitting it in a mid-air collision that knocked it down. When Spike opened his eyes again, Sparks stood with her back to him as she stared down the Everfree monster. “Defense protocols standing by.” She glanced back towards him. “Do you authorize the use of my defense protocols, Spike?” He was speechless, but his heart exploded with excitement and joy. He slowly nodded his head, and Sparks flashed him a grin before turning back to face the timberwolf. “Affirmative, Spike. Lethal force authorized.”
Her eyes began to glow a bright orange hue as she targeted the timberwolf that had threatened Spike. It now appeared to be on the defensive, backing away slowly from the tall and intimidating synthetic mare, where before, it had looked far more aggressive. Sparks let out a cry and reared up on her hind legs. When she brought her hooves down, a powerful wave of orange energy fired out in all directions from the point where she hit the ground.
Spike was knocked off of his feet and fell on his rear, his eyes wide with amazement. The timberwolf too looked shocked at this display of power, and it at last turned tail and ran back into the trees from which it came.
Applejack was on him immediately and helped him back up to his feet. “Spike, are ya’ alright?”
He wasn’t entirely sure, to be honest. The roller coaster of emotions he’d been on left him numb to the terror he’d just experienced. He had a few bumps and scrapes from the timberwolf, but other than that, he was fine physically. The little dragon nodded his head as he looked up at her. “Yeah, I think…” He felt a wave of relief upon seeing Sparks, but the artificial pony didn’t look nearly as happy to see him in return.
She approached him slowly, keeping her head low as she eyed him. “Scanning… Spike, you have suffered injuries…” Her voice was almost inaudible as she mumbled her words. She looked as though she was on the verge of tears now, even though that shouldn’t have been possible. “This… This is all my fault… I am so, so sorry, Spike…”
He shook his head and stepped closer. “No it isn’t, Sparks. Seriously, it’s just a scratch! Please don’t say things like that… You saved me.”
She still didn’t look convinced, and the sad frown on her face deepened. “I cannot process all of this new data, Spike… I lost control of myself, and after seeing the damage had I caused, I ran away to seclusion… Had I not run, you would not have needed to follow me, but…” Sparks sniffled softly. “You came anyway, Spike…” She then looked at Applejack. “You both came, and I put you both in a dangerous situation you never should have been in.”
Applejack managed a weak smile as she put a reassuring hoof on her shoulder. “Sugar, like I was tryin’ to tell ya’ before, Ya’ didn’t do no harm to anypony. No pony is upset with you. We just want ya’ to come back, alright? What ya’ did just then was very brave, and we’re mighty proud of ya’.”
Spike nodded his head as he took a cautious step closer, getting Sparks’ attention. “Everything is alright now, Sparks.” Then, he closed the gap and wrapped his arms around her, stunning the synthetic mare as he pulled her into a tight embrace.
Sparks hesitated before raising a hoof around his back and reciprocating the hug. “Do… you really mean that, Spike?”
He beamed as he nodded his head, breathing deeply into her neck. “Of course, Sparks… You’re family, remember?”
She nodded her head. “I will always remember, Spike…” When they pulled away, she kept her eyes fixed on his. “Given recent events, it would be best to return to the safety of the palace…”
Spike offered her a smile. “You mean you want to go home?” Her subtle nodding confirmed this, and he agreed. “Alright Sparks, let’s go…” Then, together with Applejack, they began the long walk out of the Everfree Forest, back towards civilization.
***Up Next: Updating Software***