//------------------------------// // Moral Support // Story: The Storm Dragon Returns // by ShowShine //------------------------------// Spike paced around his room, nervously picking at his fingers. He nibbled at his lip hard enough that his lip was raw. Questions flowed through his mind. "How am I gonna talk to Cozy?" He asked himself. Her behavior from the day before was...odd. She drugged him for heavens sake! How was he meant to approach that? Spike squeezed his eyes shut, rubbing his palm against his forehead. Now that he was thinking about it, Cozy Glow has always been off. Down to the moment they first met. Deep down, Spike had always known that. He wanted to believe she was a normal kid, he really did, but she was suspicious. How she crept around when she thought no one was looking, or how she changed expressions on a whim. In fact, she reminded Spike of himself. Well, back when he was still Storm King's pawn. Spike gasped. Maybe she was like him! Someone who was under someone else's control! She didn't want to do what she was doing; she just had to! It all made perfect sense; she was just doing all of this to survive, just like he did. Spike frowned, uneasiness forming at the pit of his stomach. How could he judge Cozy Glow like that? He wouldn't have wanted people treating him any differently when he was in a bad place, so why should he do that to her? "I'll help her! I'll give her the support that I needed!" Spike concluded, slamming his fist into his hand. He could give her the life that he wanted. But where would he even start? Spike couldn't just downright ask her who she worked for; from experience, he knew that could end terribly. He had to be smart and calculated. He'll just have to investigate. Spike wandered around the School of Friendship, squeezing through the students. He scanned the halls, searching for Cozy. If he were Cozy Glow, where would he be? Well, if he were in her shoes, he'd be studying his next target. But who would the target be? The dragon paused, tapping his chin. When he was a spy, he usually did research before a big mission. But what exactly was Cozy's mission? The library would be a good start. He took a sharp turn, entering the library. Just as he expected, Cozy Glow was there. She sat at a table, stacks of books surrounding her. She held a pen in between her teeth, gnawing on it. Spike didn't want to approach Cozy just yet. If he could find out who she was working for, he could help her more efficiently. Spike glanced at his wings. Why doesn't he hover above her? It seemed practical enough. He flapped his wings, shooting into the air. He quickly ducked behind a bookshelf, peering over the top. He squinted, trying to figure out what Cozy was reading. He was way too far to see anything. Getting a little closer won't hurt. He had been used to sneaking around; years of training prepared him for moments like this. Spike glided down, attempting to flawlessly glide between two bookshelves. Unfortunately, Spike wasn't that skilled of a flyer, had poor depth perception, and hadn't trained in months. The dragon collided head-first into a shelf, causing books to scatter on the floor. He landed on his back, knocking the wind out of him. This is why he never flies. "Oooow..." Spike groaned, rubbing his aching head. "Oh my, are you okay?" Cozy asked, getting up from her seat. Great, he caught her attention. This was the last thing he wanted right now. Spike scrambled to pick up the fallen books, ignoring his throbbing head. "I'm fine, I'm fine." Spike reassured, sloppily placing the books back on the shelf. He glanced up, catching Cozy Glow's expression quickly change. She pulled Spike onto his feet before quickly taking a step back. Cozy Glow's ears flattened and shamefully kicked the ground. "I'm...I'm so sorry about yesterday. I didn't mean to upset you; I just really wanted to read Storm King's journal. I didn't mean to mess up your room. I hope you can forgive me." The filly apologized, looking at the ground shamefully. Journal? What did she need the journal for? He was as least happy that she was apologizing. It showed that she was like him! "Aw, don't sweat it! You could've just asked." Spike brushed it off. Cozy Glow beamed, letting out a sigh of relief. Spike looked at the books sitting on the table. More research, no doubt. "Whatcha reading?" Spike asked, peering over the pegasus shoulder. Cozy quickly looked back at her studies. She gestured for Spike to follow her, pointing at a page. "I'm studying magical artifacts! I think they're fascinating!" Cozy squealed. Spike looked at the page she had been reading. It was a page about absorption artifacts. Next to the book was a small notebook, filled with notes written by Cozy. Cozy Glow slammed the notebook shut, placing her hoof on the cover. She pressed down hard, almost as if she didn't want anyone to look. "You wouldn't want to read my boring notes." Cozy waved her hoof dismissively. Spike hummed in response, scanning over the article. Whatever Cozy's boss was planning had to be big. They were being very thorough about it; smarter than Storm King had ever been, that's for sure. Spike felt terrible that Cozy had to do all of this. Even he didn't have to this much research. "You know...if you ever need anything, I'll be here to help." Spike reassured. Cozy Glow blinked in surprise, breaking into a wide grin. "That means so much!" Cozy beamed. Spike smiled back. He was glad to positively influence her. Cozy leaned on Spike's shoulder, batting her eyelashes. "We're learning about villains in class, so it would be really helpful if you let me borrow the journal for a few hours." She charmed, rubbing her head against Spike's cheek. "I don't know..." Spike muttered. Cozy Glow pouted, staring at Spike with large puppy dog eyes. Spike frowned. He couldn't say no to that. He sighed. It didn't matter how many times he said no he knows she would never let it go. In fact, she might break into his house to get it. "Fine, I'll bring it over tomorrow." Cozy squealed, wrapping her arms around Spike. "Thank you so much!" She thanked. Spike couldn't help but smile. Even though he knew this was a bad idea, he couldn't help but feel happy. Letting her borrow the journal wouldn't be that bad.