//------------------------------// // Revenge // Story: The Dragon's Notebook // by Arby //------------------------------// I'm no longer in charge. Whatever I felt when I dragged Twilight to Canterlot was gone. Now, Twilight was in charge. Her mind is excellent, and because of her smarts, she had her friends, her brother, and even Princess Celestia under her command. She read into everything, pinpointed murder as the topic here, and is now the reason for my paranoia. Equestria was in a tiff because of these murders, and so far, only Twilight and the gang along with Shining Armour and Princess Celestia know that the deaths all involve Rarity. Twilight told me everything the previous day. Why she was gone, why she left during the party at Sugar Cube Corner, everything. What really made it hurt was telling me that she would make sure the one responsible for the murders got what he deserved, and then tell me that she would protect me at all costs, even if she died. That was it. I would be hiding from her the rest of my life, and she would continue hunting me down until I was caught. Getting rid of the Death Note was impossible, because I would never live with myself, and keeping it only provoked me into using it. I couldn't kill the others, especially not Twilight or Rarity. They were everything to me, yet both of them were trying to hunt me down. Twilight never told me she was planning to capture me, no. I learned that later. She just told me she'd be busy the next few days, and lo and behold, I was alone yet again. I understood more and felt comforted that I knew what Twilight was doing, but had a different fear in mind. This one I knew, and knew would be addressed soon. I would have to confront Twilight soon. “Twilight, something has happened!” Rainbow shouted, touching down in the library. Turning, Twilight set down a vacation guide booklet. She saw the exhausted look on Rainbow's face and immediately hid her perky smile. “What is it?” Twilight asked, standing up. “Wait.” She looked around the library. “Spike, are you here?” Twilight and Rainbow looked around the library, hearing nothing. “He's not here. Proceed.” Clearing her throat, Rainbow began. “Two stallions that went to school with Rarity years ago have been discovered dead,” Rainbow said. Gritting her teeth, Twilight walked towards the doors. “I assume they've had a bad relationship?” Rainbow looked at a notebook and nodded. “The two of them had a bad break up with Rarity. One cheated on her, while the other called her a wh-” “Don't need to use the vulgar terms, Rainbow. Just need to know if they had a bad relationship,” Twilight said as they left the library, Rainbow sighed as she floated after. “Anything else?” “Yeah, they died seven days after each other at the same time of each day, and...” Rainbow sighed. Twilight raised an eyebrow as the Carousel Boutique came into view. “There were three boyfriends that went to school with her. All three have had a relationship with Rarity, but the third one has yet to die.” Twilight groaned. “So by that, the third will die seven days from the second. When did the second die?” “Earlier today. Both of the deaths were work-related accidents. The first, Demetri, worked in Manehatten, selling carts. Earth pony, was on a cart when it went out of control down a hill and crashed into a shop. The second, Craven, was a Unicorn working in Neighagra Falls. Fell down the waterfall when a bridge snapped,” Rainbow said. They knocked on the door of the boutique, and waited. Twilight looked down to the welcome mat, thinking. She looked over to Rainbow. “The third?” “Ex-boyfriend number three is named Final Flash. Pegasus pony, works as a photographer for The Archive,” Rainbow said. “The Archive is taking some prominence in this case, Twilight,” Rarity said as she opened the door. “So it seems. How are you holding up, Rarity?” Twilight asked as she and Rainbow entered. “Just fine, dear. As expected, I am shedding some tears,” Rarity said. The three of them sat down at a couch, and Rarity laid her head against the arm. “I may have had some resentment towards them, but they were good friends in the past, and bad breakup or not, we've resolved things since.” Twilight nodded. “It's likely that this Final Flash is the next to die, and if that's the case, we're going to have to change up destiny,” she said. “How so, dear?” Rarity asked. “Work related deaths, meaning that Final Flash is going to die in The Archive offices, or while photographing. We're going to force him not to at any cost, and if he still dies, then we're going to use that to start the plan,” Twilight said, unravelling a scroll on the table. It displayed a huge list of actions, notes, and roles of several ponies. “For the plan, we need Applejack to get her to stop this attitude of hers and pony up.” Rainbow sat up and slapped a hoof on the table, smirking. “Finally! I can knock some sense into that gal!” she exclaimed. Twilight facehoofed. “No, that will make things worse. We need to make her see that she's being selfish, and we need to have her see how much Equestria needs her.” “Saying something like that will only put more weight on her shoulders, Twilight. We need to speak to her calmly, and ask politely for her assistance,” Rarity said, looking at the scroll. “Right. I want to get Applejack to guard the library, without Spike knowing,” Twilight said. “Hey, I thought you said you'd tell him everything?” Rainbow asked. “I did, but this plan requires Spike to be oblivious. We all know that if he knew we were planning to do something as dangerous as this, he'd become involved directly. Everypony in Ponyville knows how far Spike would go to protect Rarity,” she said, looking over to Rarity. She nodded, her expression blank. “And if I died, Spike would go on a manhunt of his own. We've got one shot at this.” Rarity and Rainbow gulped, nodding as they did. They looked down and read the large scroll. Their expressions showed surprise every now and then, and they looked up after finishing. Rainbow shook her head, rubbing her temples. Rarity looked over at Twilight, the lavender mare looking back with a stern expression. “You're serious about all of this?” Rarity asked. “Celestia herself would probably say the same thing,” Twilight responded. “Well, I've learned to listen to you when it comes to insanity on paper,” Rainbow said. “So, who will be going to smarten Applejack up?” Twilight looked up at Rainbow with Rarity doing the same. The pegasus pointed a hoof at herself, raising an eyebrow. The unicorns nodded, and Rainbow smirked. “Alright then! I've got two days to change her mind!” she said, standing up and running for the door. “Good luck, Rainbow. Remember, Thursday is Spa day this week, so make sure Applejack is ready,” Rarity said, waving. Rainbow waved her hoof and ran outside, taking off immediately. Twilight closed the door with her magic, and then lifted the scroll into the air. Rarity sighed. “Twilight, even I could tell something is up. Your plan doesn't mention you or I in it. It relies on Fluttershy, Applejack, Rainbow, Pinkie and Shining Armour. What is it you're not telling me?” Rarity said. “Rarity, Final Flash is going to die regardless of what we do, and as much as I don't want to do this, we're going to have to use Spike for this plan,” Twilight said. Rarity gasped, and looked back down at the scroll. She looked back and forth between it and Twilight. “You mean... Spike is going to be in direct danger?” Twilight nodded. Rarity shook her head. “No! We can't use him! If he dies, I won't... that's why you wanted the library monitored! Why we need Spike oblivious! You're going to use him as bait. Twilight, I can't believe you!” Rarity shouted, standing up. She furrowed her brow and bared her teeth. “Rarity, I don't want to do this, and with what I'm doing, Spike should come to no harm. We all know what's on the line here, and Spike's obliviousness is exactly what we need for this to work,” Twilight responded, standing up. “But what if he dies, Twilight? What am I supposed to do?” Rarity said, holding a hoof on her forehead. “If he dies, I won't stop until his killer dies too,” she responded. “Now, we need to go to the library. You write a letter, and beg Final Flash to come to Ponyville. Use express Pegasi delivery. Mark it as urgent, call it a favour for Princess Celestia, anything to get him down to Ponyville. The plan starts in two days,” Twilight said, rolling up the scroll. Rarity sighed. “Alright, Twilight,” she said, her voice cracking. I sat at the top of the staircase, listening just as Rainbow informed Twilight of the two stallions deaths. Twilight left without much of a reaction to it, but I knew that she'd bring it up somewhere else. She was going to utilize it in some plan, but I didn't know how. I ran up the other staircase and grabbed the Death Note, not giving it so much as a look as I hid it with my flame breath. I ran down the stairs and to Twilight's work desk. I contemplated writing right there, but I stopped. I turned and ran towards the basement door, flinging it open and running down. I turned on the lights and practically tore off the locks, not caring that I broke them. I opened each door, closing when I didn't find what I wanted. I looked over to the machine Twilight modified to detect Pinkie Sense, and I bit my lip, looking frantically around the room before spotting a notebook with a diagram of the machine. I opened it up and spotted all the modifications and additions Twilight has given it. Things for scanning minds for brain-waves, an addition for testing reaction time, something for scanning magic in an object... and that was what I needed. It would scan it and be able to detect the type of magic it had, no matter how small and relate it to the source. Twilight used it once when testing out the effects of my magical flame breath on scrolls, and discovered it had the distinct connection to me. I ran over to the machine and looked at the various lights on it, trying to remember how Twilight set it up. The helmet she slapped on Pinkie previously sat on top, and I remembered what Twilight did. She put the parchment into a slot on the machine and it came out with another machine printing the results. I opened the Death Note after retrieving it, and ripped out a sheet with Blueblood's name on it. I jammed it into the slot, and the machine kicked to life. I flipped the switch on another machine, and it prepared to scan the results. The Death Note sheet slid into the machine, and I sighed. It would print out the general area of the magic's origin, but not an exact area. Twilight sent me to the Carousel Boutique, and the machine pinpointed the flame-sent parchment to the Carousel Boutique, and Celestia's tower in Canterlot. Pretty nifty. Since it was going to take a while, I hid the Death Note once more and ran upstairs, shutting the lights off and closing the doors. I ran out of the library and took a turn for Sugar Cube Corner. I ran nonstop and burst into the front doors of the shop, disregarding the 'Be Back Soon' sign hanging up and ran up stairs to Pinkie Pie's room. Looking back, Pinkie Pie went to school with Rarity as well. She has a yearbook, and I need that yearbook right now. There could have been more than one murder, I thought, running to Pinkie Pie's room. Any guilt that I had before was bubbling furiously in my mind, reminding me of the invasion of privacy at work. I ignored it, realizing that I had to find a way to execute a plan of my own. I knocked on the door once, and got no answer. I knocked again, nonstop for thirty seconds. No answer still, so I opened the door cautiously, finding nopony in Pinkie's room. I looked around for a yearbook or bookshelf, finding nothing of interest. Her shelf had photos, and party favours, and such. I looked near the bottom, finding a small box. Without thinking, I yanked it from under a small pile and opened it up. Inside was what I was looking for, a yearbook. I almost grabbed it before stopping, and I dumped the contents onto the floor. Using the box, I pushed the book out of the pile, and retrieved it using my flame breath. “Hi! Is somepony up there? Somepony who want's to pa~rtay?” Pinkie's voice said from downstairs. Oh shoot! I thought, running for the window. “Ooh! Dashie!?” I threw it open, jumped outside and fell hard into solid ground. I bit my lip trying to suppress the scream of agony, and thanked Celestia that my leg didn’t break from the fall. I stood up, still feeling a tingling in my feet, and quickly ran around the corner, heading towards the Carousel Boutique. I knew where Twilight was, now I just had to go make sure she stayed there. Celestia forbid she touch the sheet of the Death Note, or discover I'm messing with her machine. I saw Rainbow fly overhead in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres, presumably to get Applejack moving. I haven't seen her in weeks, so it made sense. I eventually found myself in front of her door, about to knock on it, stopping on account of the voices. “You mean... Spike is going to be in direct danger?” came Rarity's voice. “No! We can't use him! If he dies, I won't... that's why you wanted the library monitored! Why we need Spike oblivious! You're going to use him as bait. Twilight, I can't believe you!” came her voice again. What? Twilight has the library being monitored!? I thought, feeling panic shoot through my mind. I turned and ran back to the library, just hearing Twilight's words fade. “Rarity, I don't want to do this, and with what I'm...” I kept running and burst through the front doors of the library. Rainbow Dash knocked on the front door of the Apple family house and waited, tapping her hooves impatiently. Soon, Applejack answered, smiling as she saw Rainbow. “Applejack, hi, no time to explain, let us go walk my Earthly, fine filly friend,” Rainbow said, reaching a hoof around Applejack's foreleg and yanking her forward. “What the hay? Rainbow, what're y'all doin'?” Applejack asked, stumbling down the steps. “Applejack, we have to talk, and you're going to listen, even if I have to take your rope and tie you to the moon to keep you still,” Rainbow shouted, yanking Applejack to a bench near the orchards. Applejack grit her teeth, growling obscenities at Rainbow before sitting down at the bench, where Rainbow finally let go of her leg. “You've seen the papers. There are murders in Equestria. Flippin' murders, and the gang as well as myself are in danger. Spike himself is at higher risk, and here you are, hiding at home and ignoring the situation,” Rainbow said. “Argh, Rainbow! Ah've got work t' do here. Ah've gotta buck apples, and such to keep my family secured! Ah would love t' help, bu-” “Then help, Applejack! Stop hiding at home,” Rainbow shouted, glaring at the farmer. Applejack shook her head. “Ah can't, Rainbow. What if Ah die? You... the girls, and my family will 'ave to live with it, and Ah can't do that t' ya,” Applejack replied, resting her head on her forelegs. “Hey, if I die, the others will be sad too. The weather will suffer, you'll have let me down, and I'll have died for the good of Equestria! Now is my death something you want on your conscious because you didn't want to pony up and help? What about the others?” Rainbow replied, her expression softening. “What about Twilight? She jumped in with only Spike's safety in her mind. She doesn't care if she dies, just as long as Spike is safe. She knows he'll get over it sometime, but she also knows that if she doesn't take that risk, he could die.” Applejack lifted her head, staring at the table in front of her. She stared at her forelegs, deep in thought. Rainbow waited a few seconds before speaking again. “Applejack, we need you, and I do too. I can't save Spike and the others without my best friend there with me, and I'll need somepony to argue with me over snagging the bad guy. I need you, Applejack, and Spike needs you too.” Applejack looked up at Rainbow, seeing the pleading, anxious look in her eyes. Furrowed brow, biting her lip, anything to calm herself down. Applejack sighed. “Fine. Ah 'spose Ah can do it if Ah get all these apples bucked before t'morrow's end,” she responded. Rainbow shot up to her hooves and walked around the table, yanking Applejack with her. “What the hay?” Applejack shouted in surprise. “No arguing, cowgirl. We're going to buck the hay out of these apples, execute the hay out of Twilight's plan, and save the hay out of Spike,” Rainbow shouted. “Stop saying hay, you hayseed,” Applejack retorted, yanking her hoof back and cantering towards the orchards. “Then get a move on, apple seed,” Rainbow said, smirking as she took off towards the orchards. I ran into the basement and saw that the machine itself was done faster than before. Either Twilight upgraded it, or time being dragged out by waiting screwed with my head. Either way, I grabbed the Death Note sheet, belched the Death Note out, and slapped the sheet in. Retrieved the notebook again, I ran over to the results printed out by the machine. I took the long parchment with the lines and quickly threw it into a nearby metal bin, setting the data on fire before grabbing another sheet that gave me the location. It pinpointed the source of this notebook's magical presence to be myself, due to the flame breath, and an unknown magic... in the library itself. I froze up, and looked around. Maybe it couldn't determine the location... but no, if it couldn't, it'd leave the space blank. I turned around, spotting nothing behind me. I looked up, seeing nothing on the ceiling. I turned around and shut down the machine, made sure the place looked orderly, and ran upstairs. I incinerated the paper, making sure that it burned safely in my hands, and looked to the window, spotting Twilight, Shining Armour, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie heading to the library. I looked around, feeling my head go into a rush and I ran upstairs, grabbed a feather duster, and proceeded to start dusting the shelves. The door opened downstairs, and I could hear their hoofsteps as the group made their way upstairs. The door opened, and Twilight stepped in, looking around before spotting me. A smile broke out on her face, as did mine, regardless of the situation. My mother was there, and I was happy. I ran over to her, and wrapped my arms around her in a hug. “Hey mom, how are you?” I asked, letting go. “Iffy,” she responded, looking at me strangely. I walked over to the shelf and continued dusting. “Okay, why?” “I just realized, I'm looking up to you, now,” she said, laughing as the others came in. The others looked in surprise before laughing too. “Oh, she's right,” Pinkie exclaimed. I snorted. I was growing, and it was nice. I continued dusting, and the four of them sat down in the room. “So, somepony stole your yearbook?” Twilight asked. I turned my head a bit while dusting. Pinkie nodded. “I went upstairs, and I found my box of stuff all on the floor, and my stuff lacked the most important stuff of all! My precious yearbook!” Pinkie exclaimed. I looked back to the shelf, hoping nopony would notice my expression, and continued dusting. “You had a class with Rarity, so whoever it was, they obviously wanted names. Rarity, have you had any boyfriends other than the three mentioned?” Twilight asked. “There was one, Twilight. He asked not to be in the yearbook, by name or anything. He hated leaving a record of himself,” Rarity responded. There was another? Darn it! I can't let him go unpunished, but the others are on to me. I can't be found out. I don't want them to hate me, I thought. “I see... Spike?” Twilight asked. I swallowed and turned around to see the group staring at me. “Yeah?” “Can you go to Sweet Apple Acres to see how Applejack and Rainbow Dash are doing?” she asked, looking at her notepads again. I raised an eyebrow. “Why are they there? Is Rainbow actually trying to get Applejack to come out of the house?” Twilight nodded, and I shrugged. I tossed the feather duster onto the shelf and promptly left, glad to be rid of this tension. I ran downstairs after waving goodbye and ran out the door to Sweet Apple Acres. I slowed down while walking, noticing how calm the town was in comparison to the tension my life had. I constantly checked around the town to make sure that I wasn't being monitored, and made sure nopony was looking at me suspiciously. I completely forgot that I was the most suspicious due to my shifty attitude, but I ignored it. I pressed on to Sweet Apple Acres to hear various shouts and grunts coming from the orchards. I walked through the acres, following the sounds until I started hearing beats. Eventually, I stumbled across the duo of Applejack and Rainbow Dash, bucking trees at record speeds. “Hey Spike! What brings ya 'round these parts?” Applejack asked, quickly running to the next tree. Looking to Rainbow, who seemed to know I was here, I cleared my throat. “I was told to check up on you and Rainbow... so, check.” “Ah, well, Ah'm doin' jus' dandy,” Applejack responded, not missing a beat. “I'm working my flank off because Applejack will help us only if she has these apples done,” Rainbow said, switching to the next tree. I nodded, and looked over to Applejack. I smiled because she decided to stop being stuck up, but frowned because she would now be chasing me, unwillingly. I sighed, and sat against at tree. “You guys don't mind if I hang here for a while, do ya? I kinda don't wanna go back to the library,” I asked. “Help y'self, Spike. It's nice not havin' somepony who's tryin' t' buck every single apple tree like it's a pinata,” Applejack spat out to Rainbow. I smirked, and sighed. In the shade, watching a friend get better regardless of the scenario, and trying to forget my troubles... because I have to, for these new troubles. I belched out Pinkie's yearbook, and opened it up. The girls didn't notice me at all, too caught up in their headbutting. Whether or not he likes records, the guy will be in the yearbook regardless. He just won't be in the spotlight. He will appear in the class list, rule of all yearbooks, I thought, flipping through the various pages. I came to the end of the book, which listed the class list for each grade. I looked through all of them until I came up to the ones around Rarity's year. The previous year, the same year, and the year before. All I have to do is match up the class list to the photographs and pages for each student. Fortunately, my search was over soon. Only one pony had their names omitted from the class photos and such. A Pegasus by the name of Blue Skies. I had to locate one Pegasus out of many, and it wasn't hard. I recognize him from when Ponyville had to launch the water to Cloudsdale for the weather. The blue coat, the blonde mane, and goofy smile. He wasn't that bad of a pony. He was actually a rather good pony, but work had to be done. Looking up to the bucking mares, they were several trees down, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I belched out the Death Note, poked my underbelly, and began writing in the notebook. BLUE SKIES ACCIDENT I didn't do anything more. I closed the book, and left him to his accident. I retrieved the notebook, retrieved the yearbook, and stood up. I continued watching the girls work for the rest of the afternoon. “I knew it,” Twilight said. “Knew what, Twilight?” Shining Armour asked. “Rarity and Pinkie shared a class, and I remember during one of Rarity's many reminiscences regarding her love life, that she dated Blue Skies in the past. I told Rarity to hide her yearbook after we discovered it was murder, knowing that Pinkie had one as well. I knew that somepony would try to steal it if they really loved Rarity. Pinkie is friends with everypony, that much is known, and it's not hard learning who shard a class with who in Ponyville. Anypony would realize that, and since the one responsible for the murders is obviously Ponyville local, so it's not out of the question to believe the one behind these would steal Pinkie's yearbook. If this murderer really wanted to kill Rarity's dates, they would have done the research. The knowledge that Rarity had another date would have become apparent,” Twilight said, proudly. “So, your plan has already started, Twilight?” Rarity asked. “Yes, now we just need you to get Final Flash to Ponyville. Blue Skies may die soon, and if that happens, then I've failed yet again. I failed to stop the one behind this, and another will die, but the death won't be in vain. You know why?” Twilight asked, looking around. “Don't make us wait, c'mon Twi!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. “Sugar Cube Corner is empty today, so I set up a detection spell. We'll learn who comes to the door today, and we can use that to determine who stole the yearbook. The real plan hasn't even started yet, and we're coming to the end,” Twilight said, standing up. “Fantastic job, Twilight. I am so glad we have you as a friend,” Rarity said, applauding. “I'll say, you're amazing, Twilie,” Shining Armour said. “Thank you, but please, hold your applause until the end of the show!” Twilight said. She walked to the window of her room and looked out at Ponyville, taking in the gentle warmth of the sun as the town bustled regardless of the chaos, or the coming storm. She turned her head to the others, all grinning. Twilight smirked at them, and Rarity stepped forward. “It's about time we stop this nightmare, Twilight,” Rarity said. Two days passed like nothing, and before I knew it, Twilight was asking me if I wanted to go on a vacation when the entire ordeal was over. She handed me a booklet that led out of the country. It toured the Zebra homelands, and Twilight wanted me there with her. She wanted to take some proper notes, her son and assistant with her throughout the ride. I looked at it, smirking like a child. “A vacation? Shed your disguise, Changeling!” I said, tossing the pamphlet at Twilight jokingly. She put a hoof up, smiling as she walked closer to me. “I shall not! Twilight isn't here, but if you want her back, you will go with her to the Zebra homelands, young dragon!” She responded in a deep voice, glaring at me. “Only if she promises to stop with the goofy voice,” I responded, rolling my eyes as I went back to sweeping the floor. “Okay, fine. So anyways, you want to go, Spike? I'd love to go on a vacation for once, enjoy the sites, and even take some notes. If all works well, maybe the others can come with us. Imagine, a whole month living in a tent with Rarity, five feet away from you,” Twilight said, turning her back to me. I spat. “Oh, that is not fair,” I responded. “You're mean, Twilight. Now I have to go,” I responded. “Well, I've been wanting to go for months, but I got held up due to all of this craziness,” she said. I didn't respond, remembering I'm the cause of all of this. I smirked, looking back to Twilight. “Well, this is exactly what we need, mom. A vacation,” I responded. “Alright, Final Flash is at the Carousel Boutique. It's been two days since Blue Skies died, and Twilight has managed to narrow the seventeen names extracted. She immediately scratched out the names of Spike, Pinkie Pie, Mr. Cake, Mrs. Cake, Pound and Pumpkin Cake, as well as herself. They were the only ones alongside three suspects that have infiltrated the boutique at the time of Pinkie's yearbook disappearance.” Shining Armour overlooked three Royal Guards, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Applejack. “A stallion named Filthy Rich, a younger stallion named Joe, and a mare named Flounder. Filthy Rich owns Rich's Barnyard Bargains. Joe owns a Doughnut Shop in Canterlot. Flounder works at a club in Ponyville. The one that stands out the most from these three is Filthy Rich. If her plan works out, we'll be able to ween out the one responsible for this heinous, supernatural crime. Twilight, if you may?” Twilight nodded, stepping up and standing next to Shining Armour. She looked at the group present, taking a deep breath. “Everything points to a murder notebook being the tool behind this all. Out of everything that's happened, we have the word of Spike and Rarity finally going on a date. Tonight, Spike and Rarity are going to the most luxurious restaurant in Ponyville, and we're going to have somepony try and kidnap Rarity. That is the plan,” Twilight said. “Gotcha. Who's gonna do the kidnappin'?” Applejack asked. Twilight shook her head. “Can't say. He's going to be strong enough to overpower Rarity and Spike without hurting them. As for you guys, I want you to stay in the library. Shining Armour and I will watch the restaurant, disguised as two ponies having a dinner.” There was silence, and Twilight shrugged. “What?” “You're going to a fancy restaurant where couples date, with your brother,” Rainbow said. Twilight looked at her with a shocked expression before shuddering. So, Rarity and I dressed up. I was excited as I could ever be, in a tuxedo. I didn't know the plan, I just knew that Twilight included a date between Rarity and I. They didn't know I knew about the plan, but I did. I wasn't prepared for when Rarity invited me, but I knew it was coming anyways. It was 7:38 PM, I had my best clothes on, resisted the urge to use a cologne, and bought some flowers. Without wasting any time, I left the library and headed for the Carousel Boutique. I knocked on the door, exhaling as I prepared myself for the night. Fake or not, I wasn't prepared. The door opened, and Rarity appeared... and holy sweet Celesta, was she gorgeous. She stood in a flowing, silky red dress with her hair done up in a French twist. The dress itself wasn't overly elegant or simple; it's only a Ponyville restaurant after all. Light makeup that doesn't put too much focus on one part of her face... her entire body was a pleasure to the eyes. I stopped gawking and cleared my throat, extending the flowers forward. “For you, m'lady,” I said, bowing. “Oh Spike, these are lovely!” She said, levitating them into a nearby vase. “I'll fill that up with water when we get back tonight.” I didn't care about the flowers, even if I should have. I grabbed whatever was recommended for a fancy night, and took it. I waited patiently as she quickly checked herself in the mirror before shutting the lights off and coming to the door. “Alright, off we go, Spikey-wikey... and I must say, you look rather dashing,” she said. I giggled like a child and quickly stopped myself. “You look beautiful, Rarity. As if to compliment your looks, the moon is out and about tonight, providing a gentle glow to your dress.” I looked over to her, seeing the stylized purple mane, shining in the moonlight. I forgot that I was walking into Twilight's setup, truly believing that Rarity wanted me with her. I decided to enjoy my night. Rarity gently sighed, looking around the elegant restaurant. “I'm so glad we could have this night, Spikey-wikey. The past few months have been chaotic... and today, Final Flash, from The Archive, arrived in Ponyville. He was excited to have a break from all the chaos of the past few months as well, and we will be photographing my new lineup tomorrow. Your help has been gigantic, and I can't thank you enough.” Rarity took a sip from a wineglass, taking in very few liquids. I gazed at her like a drunken fool, sighing. I poked at my... caramelized pears, I think. “No thanks necessary. You deserve only the best, especially after what you've been through,” I responded, taking a bite of the pear. Rarity shook her head, taking a quick bite of her lasagna. I must say, I regret not choosing that myself. Cheesy, tomato-y, and pasta...y. She quickly swallowed, sighing. “You are such a gentledrake, Spike. I'm a fool for not realizing this earlier,” she said. I bit my lip, brought back to my homicidal activities. “You're no fool, you just followed your heart, and your heart decided to place itself in my hands.” I looked up to see a loving gaze from her that almost mesmerized me as well as kill what I was about to say, but I gulped and averted my gaze. “I'm a dangerous creature, and your heart could be another piece of my hoard, Rarity. I'm a dragon, and that alone would complicate your image.” Rarity scoffed. “Now stop right there, Spike. You are one of the most civilized and kind creatures I've had the pleasure to meet. You're not just some run-of-the-mill dragon that should keep to itself. You've literally given your heart to me, and a week before your birthday, no less. I've tampered, toyed, and abused what you've given me, and I'm going to make sure that never happens again.” She took a larger swig of the wine while I gulped down half my glass of water. “Enough with this, let's just enjoy each others' company,” I responded. “Haha, I can't believe you start to get a drunken high from doughnuts, Spike!” Rarity exclaimed, laughing as she did. I scratched the back of my head, sheepishly laughing it off as well. “Yeah, that was why I was scarfing them down at Pony Joe's at the Gala. Took my mind off the terrible night.” “I am so sorry, Spikey. I knew you wanted to give us a tour, but we were being such pigheads about the whole thing with our silly expectations,” she responded, finishing her lasagna. I shook my head. “It's the Grand Galloping Gala, the 'Best Night Ever' of Equestria! You should have expectations, and I had no right debunking them or complaining,” I said, biting into a pear. I looked around, spotting something out of the corner of my eye. I turned my head around and found nothing, so I shrugged and looked back to the dinner table. I looked down, and felt uneasy, as if something was watching me. I shivered quickly, and looked up as Rarity finished her glass of wine. I wiped my claws on the napkin and stood up, pushing the chair back. “Rarity, I don't think I can eat another bite,” I said, stretching my arms. “You and me both,” she said, elegantly standing up. It's as if Rarity can do anything elegantly. Totally not fair for us normal folk. I waived my hand, and the check was brought over. I looked down, frowning at the impossibly high price. I sighed, and left the amount of bits down at the table and escorted Rarity to the door. I felt the nagging feeling in my mind, reminding me why I shouldn't be enjoying this. As I thought earlier, I went on a date, and felt like a selfish prick. I felt like I killed the others just so I could get with her. All thoughts relating to Twilight's plan were gone, and I felt myself resisting the urge to vomit at my disgusting act. I looked up to Luna's sky, just as I heard Rarity calling my name. “Spike, I just want to say... thank you for a splendid night,” she said. I looked over to her, seeing an amazingly warm smile. It made me want to vomit even more, because I didn't deserve it. I still smiled back. “No problem.” She looked down at the ground, kicking gently, before turning and starting a walk down the street. I followed her, and boldly placed an arm around her nape. She responded by leaning in closer, nuzzling my side. I sighed happily, feeling the nagging feeling vanish. I just wanted to enjoy the moment while it lasted. “Spike, why couldn't I have been born a dragon, or you in Ponyville?” she asked quietly. I shook my head again. “Because it would have made falling in love too easy. Love isn't something simple. It requires effort and nurturing to grow.” She stopped walking, and I looked around. We were alone in Town Square, the fountain of Ponyville visible behind us. Rarity stepped away from me and faced me directly. I turned to face her entirely. She smiled at me, and I felt my heart skip a beat. “Spike, regardless of how I've acted in the past, I love you.” I felt as if my heart punched me from the inside. Breathing became hard as I felt myself overcome with bliss and excitement from the declaration. My cheeks burned with fire and my mouth contorted into an uncontrollable smile. I felt myself choking a few laughs out and tears well up in my eyes. All of my guilt was gone, and now I was here. “I've loved you for a long time, and I will never stop, Rarity,” I responded. She leaned her head in closer, and her eyes closed gently and slowly. I gulped, leaning in forward myself. I felt my limbs trembling, and my lips involuntarily puckered up. I leaned in forward, feeling the pressure of the past two years I've known Rarity as well as the tension of the last few months hitting me full force. I felt tears rolling down my face as the guilt and overwhelming feelings hit me, and I leaned in closer. The next few seconds were unexpected entirely. I got a solid object to the side, launched off my feet, and Rarity was shrieking. I groaned, grabbing my sides and turned my head to see a large Earth pony looking at Rarity. Her horn lit up to stop him, and he reached forward, bucking Rarity in the side. I felt my rage swell up to immeasurable levels, and I shot to my feet. The Earth pony looked to me, and his face seemed familiar, but I didn't process it. He attempted to buck me, but I found my newer, tall body working better than my old one. I sidestepped the buck and punched my left fist into the back of the stallion's head. He stumbled forward and I attempted to swing my right fist from a lower angle into his face. He leaned his head towards me, falling into me which threw me off balance. I fell over, feeling the weight of the Earth pony falling into me. He quickly stumbled to his hooves and galloped towards Rarity. I pushed myself up and ran towards the attacker, easily catching up, and leaping into the air. I threw my body forward, body-checking the stallion's hindquarters. “RARITY, GO!” I shouted as she watched the scene unfold. She looked back and took a step, before looking back to me. She kept looking around unsure of what to do, and I grit my teeth as the stallion quickly stood up, pushing me off his back. He prepared to buck me again and I jumped back, feeling the weaker force of the buck hitting me in the gut. In the heat of the fight, I felt my stomach rumbling, and the buck only made it top off. I released a ball of flame, much larger than I could before. Green fire shot out wide, striking the hindquarters of the pony. He let out a yell, and Rarity shrieked in fear as the flames spread across the grounds. My legs were engulfed in flames, protected by my scales. I landed on the ground, coughing and rubbing my gut. The pony growled and walked backwards, bucking me in the face hard. I fell backwards, blacking out. I woke up a minute later feeling groggy. I shook my head and stumbled to my feet. I recognized that pony, and looked around. The stallion was gone, Rarity was gone, and the sign of the fight was gone from the ground. I grit my teeth, grew another inch, and extended my claws, slamming them into the ground. And I roared like a mighty dragon. I didn't sound like a kitten, hissing at passing dogs. I didn't sound like a dog, barking at birds. I didn't sound like a bird, squawking at other birds. I sounded like a dragon, releasing my dragon rage. I roared, spewing fire like a flamethrower, all over the ground, into the sky, anywhere that it could be. I didn't stand up on my hind legs, but I instead ran on all fours, madly dashing towards the library. I ran faster than I could on my hind legs and got to the library in record time. I jumped through the doors, ripping the top door off it's hinges. It shocked the hay out of Twilight, Shining, and the others. They all immediately started acting shifty, but I ignored it, running past them and up the stairs. “Spike, what happened? Did the date go bad?” Twilight asked. I growled as I passed her, running upstairs. As I did, I scratched the library's stairs and sent wood chips all over the room. I heard hoof steps after me, and I ran up faster. I ran through the doors, jumped up to my bed, and quickly retrieved the Death Note and Pinkie Pie's yearbook from under the bed's cushions. I clawed the Death Note, leaving three claw marks on the part where it opens, to which I disregarded. I retrieved the books with my flame breath, and ran over to the window. “Spike, what are you doing? What happened!?” Twilight shouted from the room. I snapped my head into Twilight's direction, seeing the rest of them looking at me with worried expressions. Twilight cared for me then, even if she did plan it. The tension, the undeserved love, Rarity being kidnapped... it hit me. Tears practically flowed like a fire hose, and I grit my teeth yet again. Surely, my teeth-gritting would ruin me later on, but I ignored it. I roared once more, louder than before. It scared the hay out of the girls and Shining, and Fluttershy never looked so scared in her life. I shut it out. “RARITY WAS KIDNAPPED!” I shouted, feeling some sparks fly out of my mouth. I turned and ran to the window, disregarding it's presence, and jumped through it. Twilight called me out, begging me to wait, but I didn't. I fell down the higher height, landed on all fours, and disregarded the numbing sensation in my claws. I dashed towards the one spot where I thought I could find her. I ran to the Carousel Boutique, bust through the doors and looked around the area. Signs of a struggle were apparent; the vase was knocked over, the couch was tipped, mannequins were knocked around, and the staircase had hairpins lying on them. I ran up the stairs and right into Rarity's bedroom. She wasn't there, so I turned and ran into her inspiration room. I saw the window cracked open, a shelf knocked over, and out the window, the stallion carrying Rarity. Something was wrong here, and I looked around the room. I spared it no more thought, and jumped out the window. I ran after the stallion, chasing him with a determination that couldn't be described. It was insane, and I felt fire in my chest. It was intense fire that even burned inside my chest. It was hot, fire-proof scales or not. I felt the tingling of the Death Note and the yearbook inside my chest, but I disregarded it. Too many things to disregard, such as the life of scumbags. I furiously chased him, and I caught up slowly. “Shoot! I didn't take Spike's new body into account! He's quickly ruining the plan!” Twilight shouted, the rest of them chasing. “I'll go after him!” Rainbow said, taking off into the skies. “No! Rainbow, don't!” Twilight shouted. “You need to stay down!” Rainbow growled, dropping back down to the ground and resuming her gallop. Shining Armour ran next to Twilight. “Twilie, I'm going ahead! There are lives at stake, and right now, both Spike and Rarity's old classmate, Blue Star, are going to die!” he shouted. Twilight nodded, and Shining Armour sped up, easily showing off his training. It wasn't long before he took off into the distance. Twilight smiled before straightening her glare. “We're coming, Spike!” I brushed aside bushes, being as careful and quiet as could be. Ahead, I spotted the stallion and Rarity passing through a clearing. Rarity was unconscious on the stallions back, and I belched out the two books. The stallion looked around the area after hearing the sound, and I opened the yearbook. The moonlight illuminated the pages, and I flipped to the page with Rarity's class. I looked to the photo, and found a dead ringer for the stallion. I grit my teeth, flipped the page to a blank sheet, and quickly poked my underbelly. I looked intensely as the blood dripped down my claw. It was worse than before, as it was soaked, but I didn't care. I looked down at the Death Note, and practically scratched the page. BLUE STAR MURDERED “Murdered by a rampaging beast.” I slapped the notebook shut, retrieved it, and walked into the clearing. I left the yearbook, and never realized the loose page where I wrote Blueblood's name had fallen out. I stepped into the clearing, and the stallion looked over to me. His face didn't have any fear, or anger on it. He seemed nervous. He let Rarity slide off his back onto the ground, and stepped away from her. I growled, and I was pretty sure he was scared. He and I both realized my intense height, my rage, and my strength. “You like kidnapping mares? Kidnapping my Rarity?” I asked, stepping forward slowly. His face expressed fear, no doubt. He knew he was outmatched, but I didn't care. I growled, and felt my shoulders tense up. I clenched my hand into a fist, and let out a feral growl. I never processed what happened next. The next thing I realized was the stallion was on the ground, and there was blood on the ground. I never took in the expression on the stallion, the look of his battered body, or Rarity's screaming. I looked down, feeling my entire body violently shaking. I tasted the blood in my mouth. I sunk my teeth into this guy for sure. I tasted it in my mouth. I looked over to Rarity, seeing the tears flowing out of her eyes and her scared expression. I stepped away from Blue Star and moved towards her. “Rarity, it's alright. Everything is going to be fine,” I said, not realizing my voice cracking, or realizing that I was laughing maniacally. I reached an arm out, blood coating my arms. I didn't care, I just wanted to rub my claw across her face. I wanted to move the hair out of her beautiful blue eyes. Her hair looked messy, and it irritated me. This wasn't how Rarity was supposed to be. She was a beautiful mare. She didn't deserve this rugged look. I looked over to her, and almost touched her face. Her eyes shifted to my blood-stained arm, and she looked back at my face. I must have looked terrible, or scary, or... like a monster, because she screamed, swatted my arm away, and attempted to run away, slipping on the ground. I looked over to Rarity, and shook my head. I felt oddly calm, as if all my anger was gone. “Come back to me, Rarity! I was protecting you. I saved you,” I said as calm as possible. I walked after her, jogged, ran, then broke into a mad dash on all fours. I chased Rarity just so I could calm her down. I loved her so much, and I wanted her to be okay. I didn't even consider that I was the reason for her fear. I lost track of her, and ran right by a bush where she dived into. I ran towards the Carousel Boutique. Shining Armour ran into the clearing and stopped just short of the bloodied body of Blue Star. He stopped, gritting his teeth and looked around the area. “RARITY! SPIKE! WHERE ARE YOU?” he shouted, looking around the area. His horn lit up and the area was illuminated. Rarity stumbled out of the bushes and ran down the path to Shining Armour, dropping to the ground. He knelt down and lifted Rarity's chin up with a hoof. He saw the tear-stained eyes and wiped her eyes quickly. She stopped sobbing and attempted to stop crying altogether. “Rarity, where is Spike?” Shining asked calmly. Twilight and the others arrived just then, looking at the bloody corpse. Fluttershy immediately looked away, suppressing screams of her own. Twilight looked at Blue Star and ran over to Rarity. “The entire plan backfired. Rarity, who did...” she stopped as her eyes widened, tears staining them too. “Spike did this,” Rarity said. “He started s-screaming, and y-yelling and I... I couldn't take it. I ran from him! Twilight, I am so sorry!” Rarity cried out. Shining Armour looked around the clearing, and Twilight did the same. She spotted something hidden in the bushes, and stopped panicking. She slowly stepped forward, illuminating her own horn up. She moved the leaves and levitated what she saw. What she did see, made her jaw drop. “Pinkie Pie, it's your yearbook,” Twilight said, levitating it to Pinkie. She snatched it up, and gasped. “But, who would drop my yearbook? Why? There was nopony else here?” Twilight looked at the other object; a sheet with writing on it. She looked at it, and read it out loud. “'Prince Blueblood; accident; he slips on a bar of soap in his royal bathtub in the morning of Saturday, 12th, 1002 After-Nghtmare-Moon's-Sealing, and dies from the fall,'” Twilight read out slowly. She looked up to the others as they turned to her. “It's the killer notebook, but...” Her eyes widened and she looked back down to the paper. She looked at it carefully, and she slowly lifted a hoof to her mouth. Tears began flowing from her eyes now, and she shook her head. “No... no no no. This is... no. This isn't... it can't be,” Twilight stammered. Shining Armour stepped forward. “What is it?” Rarity and the others moved forward, Rarity crouching in front of her. She looked down at the sheet and back to Twilight. “It's the killer notebook for sure, but what is it, Twilight?” she asked, no longer bawling. Twilight looked up and her expression pained the others. She shook her head, grit her teeth, and exhaled coarsely. “This is Spike's handwriting.”