What It Means To Be A Dragon
Chapter 6-Secret Agent Spike
"Think of it like a secret mission, Spike. It'll be fun!" Spike complained, as he waded through the tall grass in the Everfree forest. He sighed. "I don't know why I even bothered. It's not like I was cut out to be a hero! What was I THINKING?"
Princess Celestia had some guards fly him to the edge of the forest, but that was as far as they could go. The Everfree forest was where everypony feared to tread, and a path that was fairly easy to traverse, wound its way through it. It was fairly easy for SOME people to follow, anyway. At some point, Spike wasn't sure when exactly, he had wandered off of the well-beaten path, and now, he found himself chest deep in a sea of grass. He bent a branch back to get past it, and found out that he was now at the edge of the forest that he had been lost in, for what was probably, several hours.
"Hmmm…there should be a valley somewhere, around here. It's probably, over this hill." Spike pulled out a map he had been given, and consulted it. "Well, I'll just have to climb over. After, I eat this sandwich!"
It was high time for a break, and Spike was tired from his trek through the forest, so he began setting up the area for a picnic.
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"Angel bunny, please come back!" Fluttershy called, chasing her pet through the cottage that she shared with various other animals.
She had been distant for the rest of the day, ever since Spike had gone on his journey. Her main thought was of what she had done, before he left. It wasn't until Angel threw his lunch at her, that he was able to get her attention. The carrot fell to the floor, after colliding with her head, and Angel motioned for her to follow him with a paw.
She followed after him, towards a nearby table where a custom earpiece lay. The device was the color of her coat, and it had her cutie mark on it. Angel pointed to it, trying to convey a message to the pegasus mare. Since her talent was dealing with all sorts of animals, she knew how to understand and communicate with them.
"It hasn't even been that long since he left, and I don't want to bother him. He's probably, busy." Angel tugged on her mane, causing her to yelp in pain. "Angel, I told you not to do that!" Angel once again motioned towards the earpiece, knowing that the only way to clear her mind would be talking with Spike in his.
She blushed, as she reached for the device. "Thank you, Angel. Maybe, I'll feel better after talking to him." Angel winked, knowing that she had a crush on the dragon. He had been there every time she poured her soul out to him, talking about her problems.
She continued to blush, as she put on the earpiece. "I DO NOT like him like that, Angel. We're just really good friends."
Angel rolled his eyes, as she turned the device on by pressing a button on the side of it.
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"Those ponies in Canterlot, sure can cook! This is delicious!"
"Um, hi, Spike. I hope, you're still alive."
Spike choked on the daffodil and daisy sandwich he had been eating, littering the ground with breadcrumbs. The voice sounded familiar though, and he knew who it was, since nopony else had as gentle a voice as this mare. "I'm fine, Fluttershy, thank you for checking up on me. It gets really lonely out here, so it's nice to have somepony to talk to." Spike admitted, finally reaching the top of the hill he had been climbing, for the past few minutes.
"I'm glad that I could help. Although, I can't really do as much as the others."
"That's not true, Fluttershy! You're a source of strength when others are scared, you care about everypony, and you're a trustworthy friend. You can do SO much more than you realize, so don't doubt yourself, anymore."
Fluttershy was on the verge of tears at the kindness in his words, and she could tell that he meant them. "Thank you SO much, Spike. I feel much better, now."
"It's no problem at all, Fluttershy."
The view from the hill was breathtaking. It overlooked a valley that had an apple orchard and a town in the distance. It kind of reminded him of Ponyville, almost like he had been there before. Spike hadn't realized that it was already night, and his eyes had yet to adjust. He couldn't see anything very well at the moment, so in trying to go down the hill, he mis-stepped and lost his footing.
"Aaahhh!"
The dragon tumbled down into the apple orchard, falling through the canopy and hitting almost every branch on the way down. The last branch hit his head with a loud 'crack', causing him to see stars, as he landed on the ground.
"Spike! Spike? Please, answer me!" Fluttershy burst into tears, worried when he didn't respond. Through her blurred vision, she did her best to get to Twilight's home.
Spike lay there in pain, and heard a bush rustle. "Wh-Who's there?" A dark shadow moved towards him, now looming over his body. "Some secret agent, I am." He thought, as he passed out.