//------------------------------// // — Chapter Thirty-Seven — // Story: Finding Friendship // by Kamen-Zero //------------------------------// --- The Lost --- Spike's muscles were aching, his heart was racing, and his lungs were burning. Spike didn't dare stop, and he couldn't bring himself to look back. He dashed through the unfamiliar landscape of Ponyville he now found himself stranded in, zig-zagging back and forth between whatever cover he could find to keep himself hidden from the world. He didn't know where he was going, he didn't know what he was doing, all he knew was that he had to keep going. Far more scared and confused than he had ever been before, all he could do was keep moving forward. That was the only thing his adrenaline riddled mind could think to do right now, just keep moving. I'm such an idiot! He kept telling himself, tears rushing down his face almost as quickly as the reptile was running. A stupid, STUPID IDIOT! He was still in shock with his own actions from earlier today, all he could bring himself to do was get away from the situation as fast as he could. The anger, the blind fury, the bite. Spike wished he could just take it all back, even if that wasn't an option anymore. Even if Spike had any intention of turning back, the long dragon had long since lost track of which way he had come from in his haste to flee. Despite his time here, Ponyville wasn't exactly a place he was familiar with. Most of his time had been spent indoors entirely or being ushered from location to location in Twilight's saddlebag. His only time outdoors was over towards Fluttershy's house, if only because of its isolated nature at the edge of town. But Spike couldn't tell you which edge of town it was at. Nor could he be expected to know if he was even going in the right direction. Not that he even wanted to be there right now, all things considered. That was certainly the first place Twilight would go if she was going to try and find him. That house was a safe place once, but it couldn't be called that any longer. Nobody in the world could help Spike right now, except maybe a few select ponies from Canterlot. But just as he couldn't find his way around this town, he had no hope of navigating to a completely different city. He wouldn't even know what direction to go in or how far he'd have to go. The dragon was stuck, plain and simple. And all he could do to try and alleviate this matter was to keep on running. As far as he could, as fast as he could. It was the only thing he could think to do anymore, fearful of what would happen if he was found by Twilight. The young dragon had never once seriously considered the possibility that Twilight would do anything to actively harm him, but he had also never expected himself to lash out and bury his fangs in her leg. Nothing was outside the realm of possibility anymore, and Twilight could respond to this situation in any number of ways. And that's what scared Spike the most, he didn't know what would happen if the two ever ran into each other again. Even though it hurt more than anything to come to that conclusion. So all he could do was keep on running. Making his way through the unfamiliar maze that was this town, dashing from hiding place to hiding place whenever the coast was clear. He couldn't risk being seen right now. Any possible sighting could alert Twilight to his location, and that was the last thing he needed right now. Which is why he nearly screamed when he almost dashed out of his most recent cover straight into the very person he was trying to get away from. Twilight stood there, thankfully oblivious to the long dragon scrambling back into the bushes, in what was very clearly a bad mood. Her head hung low, her hair a twisted and tangled mess. That combined with the singed cloak on her back made the alicorn look absolutely deranged, and it only furthered Spike's resolve to remain hidden. But even still he had to fight years of instinct telling him that Twilight would provide safety and shelter, and it tore him up inside. Somewhere deep down, he wanted to believe that Twilight was the person he had grown up around. But at the same time, he couldn't forget everything that had happened today. Twilight's outburst towards those two strangers, how easily the young dragon had been persuaded into distrusting her, and how quickly he'd been willing to attack her in his rage. It wasn't just fear that was driving Spike to this hasty escape, he suddenly realized, it was also his shame. Shame for what he had done, and how he had turned around and treated Twilight after a lifetime of kindness and care. He had thrown all of that away in a matter of minutes with that tantrum of his, and now he wasn't sure if anything he could do could fix it. If nothing else, he couldn't blame Twilight for hating him now. Holding his breath, he could hear her mutter something to herself in an agitated growl. He couldn't make out what it was, but the angered inflection that she carried gave him a few ideas. He waited in tense silence, watching as Twilight slowly began to walk away from his position. Then, without warning, she took off sprinting. To where Spike couldn't say for sure, but he could at least say one thing. Wherever Twilight was going was where he wasn't. As soon as he was certain that she was gone, he made his move by turning around in the bush and making his getaway, as fast as he could manage in his worn-out state. And just like that, he was back to his elaborate game of running and hiding throughout the town. Though at the very least, this time he was at least able to take some comfort in knowing that he was definitely getting farther away from Twilight, but that comfort was overwhelmed by the stinging realization that he was taking pleasure from that of all things. Time lost most meaning to the young dragon at this point. It could have been minutes, it could have been hours, he truly didn't know anymore. All he knew was that he had spent the better part of the day running like mad, and that he was very tired and very thirsty. He needed rest and sustenance if he had any intention of going on any further, he would need something to replenish his strength. If nothing else, he was at least able to rest in the shade of his newest hiding spot—an old overturned crate nestled between two close-together buildings. It looked to be out of the way enough to where nobody would bother him, so it was as good a place as any to take a load off and regain what strength he could. A deep remorseful sigh was the only sound heard from the dragon as he rested from his long trek, surrounded by the other abandoned debris that had wound up within this alleyway over the years. He couldn't help but feel like he was just another piece of discarded rubbish himself, unloved and unwanted, it was enough to bring the dragon back to silent tears. Understandable feelings of regret began welling up inside of him, and there was a brief moment where he considered trying to find his way back home. Even now, there was still some brief glint of hope that Twilight would forgive him for his trespasses. A thought that was put to the side for the time being to address the sudden and intense growling of his stomach. He grumbled in protest of his body's needs, only now looking down to his claws as one of them rubbed at his underbelly. The distinct crimson color that stained his limbs was enough to remind him of what he did. And now that he was thinking about it, he remembered that the same sticky redness was also smeared all around his mouth, and he could still taste its upsettingly bitter flavor. That's what decided it, he needed to get food in his body. If only to get that horrid taste out of his mouth. It didn't take him very long to pull himself up and slowly begin the search for something to fill his stomach. Although, he wasn't going to find anything here amongst all this trash, nothing particularly appetizing, at the very least. So it was with great hesitation that he began to venture back out into the sunlight, keeping low to the ground to try and stay as discrete as possible. His emerald eyes lit up with joy as he quickly caught sight of something that would very easily solve his current predicament. From what he was able to tell, it looked like he had wound up in some kind of market street. It didn't look very busy at the moment, which wasn't something Spike was about to whine about right now. Especially seeing as his sights weren't set on the ponies walking about, but rather one of the stands itself. Or rather, the goods it was there to sell. A childlike sense of wonderment filled Spike as he took in the sight. What looked to be hundreds of apples, far more then Spike had ever seen in his entire life, were either on display on the booth itself or stored just behind the structure in barrels and crates. Juicy, large, and delicious looking pieces of fruit in every color available just sitting there in broad daylight. Just sitting there, waiting for Spike to fill his belly. Only two ponies stood by the booth to keep track of all of those delicate pieces of food—an orange mare with a really cool-looking hat, and a red titan of a stallion. The two of them looked to be passing the time with idle chit-chat, not really doing much as they were waiting for business to pick back up. They won't miss an apple or two... Drool began to drop from the dragon's maw as he considered just sneaking on over and grabbing a quick bite to eat. It wouldn't be hard, the two sales ponies had enough barrels behind them to conceal Spike's presence. So long as they didn't turn around while he was out in the open, he'd be fine. They have hundreds... a few apples won't make a difference... He surveyed the area one last time to make sure it was safe to venture forward, only moving when he was certain he wouldn't be spotted. There wasn't much cover between the alleyway and the apple stand so he had to move quickly and quietly. He remained close to the ground as he slinked on over, eyes dilating as his prize drew ever closer. Nobody was the wiser while the long dragon wedged himself between a gap between the barrels, practically home free for swiping his snacks. Spike had to fight the urge to celebrate his achievement as to not blow his skillfully maintained cover. For all intents and purposes, he had won, and now all he had to do was grab some grub and be on his way. The hardest part about all of this was picking which flavor of fruit that he wanted to indulge in at this juncture, eventually choosing the tried and true red delicacies to his right. It didn't take much effort for him to prop himself up onto his hind legs to get a better view of his soon-to-be-meal. And right into the line of sight of the red pony, who had chosen this exact moment to wander over to the very same barrel that Spike had chosen to steal from. There was a split second where the two silently stared at one another with wide and shocked eyes, both equally surprised at the sight of the other. And after the longest second that Spike had ever endured, the red stallion screamed. Never in his life had Spike heard such a loud or shrill scream of terror, and never once had he ever expected such a sound to come from such a masculine figure. But that was the reality that he now lived in, and it was only made worse as the titan of a pony kicked at the barrel between the two of them with great force. The wind was knocked from his lungs as the container crashed into him, his reflexes serving him well enough to allow him to twist and turn his way free before he was pinned down by the falling object. He didn't waste any time in scrambling back up and running off as quickly as he possibly could. Adrenalin and fear mixed into a potent fuel to propel him forward with reckless abandon, no longer caring if he was seen or not. And he was seen if the shocked gasps and confused shouts he overheard as he dashed along were anything to go off of, each one of them very telling as to what the people of Ponyville thought of him. "What is THAT?!" "BLOODY SNAKE THING!" "Did it eat someone's cat?!" And just like that, Spike was back on the run. Only now it was the whole of Ponyville he had to try and escape from.