//------------------------------// // Chapter 13 // Story: A Dragon's Heart // by NightShadow-z //------------------------------// "I love you, Spike." Spike stared at Twilight, the feeling of her lips still tingling on his. He wanted to believe her, to believe that he finally found someone who loves him the same way he loves them. But, Twilight's words before she kissed him but a fire in his mind and ice in his heart. "Is this a game to you, Twilight?" he asked her, sounding angry. "You know that most ponies hate the idea of a pony being with a dragon, so you tell me you love me in one of the most crowded parts of Ponyville?" Twilight stared up at Spike in shock. He was right. She was too hasty in telling him how she felt. She should've waited until her friends knew about it before confessing to him in front of them. Tears formed in her eyes as Spike turned away from her. "I thought you would know better, Twilight," he told her, a growl escaping with his words. Spreading his wings, he launched himself into the sky just as the fireworks started. A sudden cry of fear could be heard below him. Taking a look below him, he saw one of the firework rockets racing up to him. All he had to do was widen his eyes before it exploded right in his face, knocking him out. Twilight's eyes widened in fear as she watched the dragon of her heart start to fall out of the sky. "SPIKE!" She cried out, watching as the drake crashed into the Everfree Forest. Even if he was a dragon, some of the creatures there would still try to kill him. If he wasn't already… No, she couldn't think like that, she needed to go and make sure he was alright. "We're right behind ya, Twi." Applejack spoke from behind her. Turning around, Twilight saw her closest friends were standing there, ready to help Spike with her, including Starlight and Trixie. Nodding with a small smile, she turned and ran towards the dark forest, her friends right behind her. “Why did Spike fly off anyway?” Rainbow asked as they ran, flying alongside them. “I…” Twilight started before sighing. “I finally told Spike how I feel about him. How I truly feel.” “What do you mean, Twilight?” Rarity asked, uncharacteristically not complaining about her mane getting messed up from running. “Well, duh,” Pinkie spoke up, the tree line to the forest coming into view. “Twilight’s in love with Sike!” “What?” The rest of the girls gasped in shock, stopping just before the Everfree Forest. Twilight looked back at her friends before sighing as she hung her head. She was afraid of this reaction. But, Spike was her oldest friend. He’d been there for her since he hatched, well before she even knew what friendship was, or how powerful it could be. Whenever she needed help, needed a shoulder to cry on, or an ear to listen to her rant, he was there. And once he hit his first growth spurt, she began to realize why she was starting to get jealous whenever he would talk about Rarity. Twilight was in love with Spike, and had been wanting to tell him for so long. “It’s true,” Twilight told them. “I’m in love with Spike. And I have been for a while now.” She looked back up at her friends, who each had a different expression on their faces, ranging from shock, to supportive. “I realized that I loved him in this way after his first growth spurt.” Rarity stared at Twilight in shock, her mouth hanging open. “But, Twilight,” she stammered, trying to find the right words. “Think of your position, your reputation. Even if you are in love with him, you can’t-” “Can’t what?” Twilight interrupted angrily. “If my reputation is lowered because I’m in love with a dragon, so what? I never cared about ponies treating me like a princess to begin with. Not to mention, Spike is Celestia’s adopted son. By all rights, he is technically a prince.” Rarity’s eyes widened further when she realized that Twilight was right, as usual. Spike was technically a prince. She broke the heart of the one prince that acted more like the prince she wanted than any prince could ever be to her. “Well, Ah for one, fully support ya, Twi.” Applejack told her, placing a hoof on the purple alicorn’s shoulder. “And if anyone disagrees with ya, Ah’ll gladly knock em down a peg er two fer ya.” “Heck yeah!” Rainbow replied, landing next to them. “We’ll show everyone that a pony can love a dragon!” “Thanks, girls,” Twilight told them before looking back toward the Everfree Forest. “Now let’s go save Spike.” They all nodded and ran into the Everfree forest, Twilight leading the charge hoping that her dragon wasn’t hurt. ***** Spike slowly opened his eyes, a loud and painful ringing in his ears. Slowly sitting up, he held his head with a hand as he groaned in pain. “Damn… Gotta remember to watch wear while I’m flying more often.” he muttered under his breath. Once his head had stopped ringing, he looked around at his surroundings to try and figure out where he was. What met his eyes were dark, twisting branches and brambles, the leaves muddled and dark, moving on invisible currents, making strange whispering sounds as they did. Sighing, Spike slowly stood up. “Of course. It would be the Everfree Forest.” Taking quick stock of his situation, he listened closely for any signs of monster or creatures that could attack him. “So…. The little dragon is all alone…” A sinister voice resonated out through the forest. “No…” Spike muttered, his eyes dilating in fear. “You at least have the ability to fly now…” The demonic voice of King Sombra continued. “But, one thing stayed the same…” “And what’s that?” Spike asked, trying to control his fear and to find the source of the voice. “YOU ARE STILL GOING TO DIE!” Sombra roared as his black shadowy mist suddenly swept in from the trees and caught Spike square in his chest, launching him into some of the nearby trees. Groaning, the dragon slowly got to his feet, feeling a bit sore from that, but, not too terribly hurt by the attack. “Ahh…” The dark stallion sighed in delight. “Your dragon scales make you incredibly durable, which will make this all the more enjoyable.” Spike stared at the demonic stallion before him, the curved red horn glowing like luminescent blood, the green mist flowing from the glowing crimson eyes, and the red cloak looked torn near the bottom, the silver armor looking more dull and rusted in spots, giving him the look of a resurrected demon. “Oh, don’t worry, I’m not here to fight you. At least not tonight.” Sombra finally told the dragon. “I want everyone to watch as I snuff the life from your eyes. Until then….” He grinned evilly before disappearing in a cloud of black smoke and red energy. Panting, Spike sat down to relax, only for a groaning wheezing sound to snap him back to attention. To the amazement of the Dragon a blue box suddenly appeared before him, crackling with energy. Once it finally settled and the door squeaked open, he was surprised to see the Doctor, Derpy, and an orange unicorn with deep green eyes, and dark orange, almost red, ginger mane and tail, a pair of goggles around his neck. “Well, Spike, not the birthday you wanted is it?” The doctor asked. “Speaking of which, we were reading signs of high energy that seemed to just vanish right before we got here. I mean, honestly, if another bolt of light comes out of nowhere and swaps me with that grouch of Doctor Clockwork again…” “I doubt that’ll happen, Doctor,” Derpy told him nervously. “After all, that cat isn’t even here.” “I still find it hard to believe that a being like the one you described would actually exist.” The orange unicorn spoke up, adjusting his goggles idly. “The probability of any of that actually happening are astronomically low.” Spike remembered hearing about that one day when he was helping Derpy move some furniture around her house. “I still can’t believe you managed to call Twilight ‘Uptight Snoodle’ for so long.” The drake replied. “And, uh, who is this pony? I don’t think I’ve met him yet.” “Oh, right, I forgot about gingicorn here!” The Doctor exclaimed. “This is Tick Tock. When we first met him, it was during a nasty little war. Not something I should really be repeating, nearly had Miss Whooves here lose her lunch on several occasions.” Spike shuddered at the thought, finding the idea of war almost as sickening as what some of his own race did, and that was saying quite a lot as some dragons still hunted and ate animals raw. “I think we’re getting sidetracked here.” Tick Tock cut in. We should be investigating the source of that power.” “Quite right!” The Doctor replied. “Well now, we best be off. Avan-” “It was King Sombra.” Spike told them, interrupting the Doctor. “Challenging me to a fight in which he claims to kill me.” At the mention of killing Spike, Derpy’s eyes rolled up into her head as she slumped up against the Doctor who looked quite shocked at what Spike had just said. “And I intend to fight him.” The dragon finished. “If he’s challenging me, then I’m going to accept that challenge. I mean, I am the one who delivered the Crystal Heart to Princess Cadence. It makes sense that Sombra would hate me the most.” “Are you sure, Spike?” The Doctor asked, sounding uncharacteristically somber. “I’m positive.” He replied. “And I’m not going to let anypony else get hurt because of me.” As if on cue, the Doctor burst out laughing. “Anypony! That get’s me every time!” Spike just groaned at the Doctor’s antics. What have I gotten myself into? He thought as he watched the Doctor continue to laugh. He should be used to “horse puns” by now.