//------------------------------// // Chapter 15: Illusions // Story: The Tales Of Spike - Neverland // by Spyro_Story //------------------------------// In the night of the Fairy Forest, the fairies are happily reunited with the others that are imprisoned from the fortress. The Elder fairies offered Tiger Lily, Spike, and Sparx stay for the night to regain their strength. Tinkerbell on the other hoof, is finally to be returned back to the forest from her banishment. Hearing the songs from the fairies is nice and calmly to listen, like everyone's at peace, who knew the fairies can do that so good. Tiger Lily was sitting and listening to their songs while Spike and Sparx were chatting at each other, but something in her mind feels troubling when she looked at Spike. Tinkerbell appears next to her with a bell sound. "You know Tinkerbell, after we obtained the final shard and place them all together, Spike has a chance to return to a world where he belongs." Tiger Lily said to Tinkerbell. "But the part of myself wasn't ready to say goodbye to him when he leaves, but I have to respect his decisions." Tinkerbell understand what she means, although she may not know Spike yet, but when she looked at a baby dragon and dragonfly, they reminded of Peter Pan and herself for a very long time and their adventures. It was a good time for her life to be with him, until moan for his sacrifice. Her tear run down to remember it. In the morning when the sun rises in the horizon, Spike, Tiger Lily, and Sparx are ready to start on their journey. But before they go, the Elder fairies wants to give them something for their quest. One Elder fairy said when Tiger Lily asked Spike to translate. "What did he say?" "He said, 'Before you all go, take this with you on your quest.'" Spike translated while the Elder fairies giving them one bag. "He said, 'within this bag is a pixie dust, use it wisely on your journey if something goes terribly wrong.'" Tiger Lily nodded to them for thanking them for the bag of pixie dust. Suddenly, Tinkerbell appears to them when she circling around, wishes to go with them. "Are you sure you want to come with us?" Tiger Lily asked and Tinkerbell nodded for sure. They now left the Fairy Forest while waving all the fairies. Their next and final destination is two Peaks Mountain where the last Neverstar shard is, luckily it is not far from here for five hours. They've traveled across the land, up and down hills, and through over the river. Spike feeling excited to go home to Equestria and he's gonna tell Twilight and the others about his adventures, but he feels like Twilight's gonna be mad for leaving the castle. However they finally almost made it their destination. "We made it, we actually made it." Spike said while looking at two peaks mountain. But suddenly, he sees there is a strange message written in stone and a baby dragon couldn't understand what it says. "What does the sign say." He asked to them. Tiger Lily walked aside to him to see the message and reading when she speak. "What you see inside the mountain, isn't real from those you have known and unknown. Face your fear or forever be lost." She finished reading. However, Tiger Lily believes it's a riddle but she know what it means. "What do you think it means?" Spike asked. "I... am not quite sure, the message wasn't their when I was arrived to the mountain from the beginning." Tiger Lily answered when she still looked at it. But she can't focus on it, right now they must go to the high up mountain to get the shard when they entered the cave. The inside of the cave was very cold as ice and the wind blew the sound of whistle, everyone beside Tiger Lily and Tinkerbell, feel a bit nervous about this. "Tiger Lily, do you know where we going?" Spike asked. "Hopefully I do." Tiger Lily answered when she looks around. "I barely remembered when I got here." Suddenly, a mist appears below them when they walking up. "This is starting to get very creepy." Spike said when he noticed the mist lifted and Sparx nodded to agree with a baby dragon. However, they stopped when Spike not noticed that Tiger Lily and Tinkerbell were not there with them. "Uuuh... Sparx, where are they?" He asked to his dragonfly friend until he shook his head, meaning he don't know. "Spike... Sparx, Where are you two?" Tiger Lily asked in worry when she shouted while Tinkerbell was flying around to look for those two, but no sight of seeing for the baby dragon and a dragonfly. Until... Tiger Lily spotted a shadow figure standing in front of them, shape like a pony. "Who are you?" She asked to the figure. But suddenly, the shadow figure run away from them. "Wait... wait!" Tiger Lily shouted while she started to chasing the figure and Tinkerbell is catching up with her. Meanwhile, Spike and Sparx were looking for Tiger Lily and Tinkerbell the same way as they do, but still no sight of them. But something makes Spike caught attention when he turned around and spotted a door appears out of nowhere. "What, that wasn't there before." Spike said while he and Sparx walking towards it. Spike knows he shouldn't have to do it, but he's curious when he placed his hand on the handle and twisted to open it. By the time he opened, the flash of light blinded them when they covered their eyes. When the flashes is down, Spike and Sparx ended up to a place that the baby dragon is familiar. "Wait, is this... a castle library?" Spike said in confusion, feeling like he came back. Back to Tiger Lily and Tinkerbell, they were still chasing a shadow figure for a minute. until they've stopped and lost it. "Ugh, it's gone." Tiger Lily said in frustration. "Hello Tiger Lily, it's been awhile." A mysterious male voice said to her but a familiar one to them. Tiger Lily and Tinkerbell slowly turned around and gasping to see who's behind them. It is Peter Pan who stand before them. Back to Spike and Sparx, a baby dragon is very confuse of how he and Sparx ended up here at the castle library. Everywhere and everything looks real but still quite put a finger on. But suddenly, Spike heard the sound of a hoof steps coming from the hallway. "Hello, is anypony there?" Spike said. But there are no response, so Spike and Sparx had to follow the sound of hoof steps. By the time they got here, Spike's eyes widened to who stands in front of them, his sister Twilight Sparkle was standing there to the map room. "Twilight!" Spike shouted while running towards her and gave her a hug. "Twilight, I missed you so much, you're gonna believe when what I've something to say." However Twilight Sparkle didn't respond back to him. "Um... Twilight?" He said, feeling a bit nervous. A baby dragon looked up to see a purple alicorn and seeing she is mad when she glared at him. "Why... why didn't you come back?" Twilight said in aggressive tone while pushing him away. "I... I had to come back." Spike said. "I've only been gone for almost two weeks." "Two weeks, TWO WEEKS?!" She shouted in high voice while opening her wings and stomping hoof. "You've been gone for years, and Equestria is in ruins because of you!" "Ruins?" Spike said in confusion. "What do you mean Equestria is in ruins?" "I'll show you." Twilight said when she use her magic to lift Spike and Sparx. And then throw them hard outside to the front door of the castle. Spike was getting up from ground, just for Sparx if he is hurt. "Sparx, are you okay buddy?" Spike asked and a dragonfly nodded, meaning that he is okay. "Oh thank Celestia." He's relieved, until he look up and his eyes widened to see a horror sight before his very eyes. Equestria became a wasteland. The natures were burned, the buildings were destroyed, even the clouds of ashes falling down from the dark red sky. "Oh no..... no no..... no NO NO!" Spike started to tearing up and his heartbeat pounded really hard to see a horrible sight when he get down on his knee. Back to Tiger Lily and Tinkerbell, a mare is completely speechless to see Peter Pan again. "Are you gonna say something?" He said while waiting for her to say anything. "Peter, is it really you?" Toger Lily asked when she step forward slowly. "What do you think?" Peter Pan said in attitude, causing her to stop taking her step. "You let this happen to me when I destroyed the Neverstar." "It was an mistake." Tiger Lily said when she try to reason with him. "I was tricked by Hook, he is the one who done this." "It doesn't matter now." He said, moving towards her while she took a steps back. "What matters, is I have to give you a choice. Fight me... or perish." He drew his dagger from the handle and going on battle stands. Tinkerbell swoops in front of him to stop him. But the worst part, Peter Pan smack the fairy to move out the way. "Tinkerbell!" Tiger Lily shouted in gasp to see Tinkerbell get hurt, until she reacted to notice Peter Pan swiped his dagger when she dodged his attack. "Peter please, I do not wish to fight you." She said while drew her axe out. "Wrong answer." Peter Pan said when he is flying up and then he flew towards her to strike, until Tiger Lily block his attack. Their weapons push against each other. Back to Spike and Sparx, a baby dragon get up on his feet from ground and wiping tears on his cheek. "How could this happen?" Spike asked in worry while he look around. "The apocalypse happened." Twilight Sparkle said whe she appeared on his right side, looking all messy all over the purple alicorn's body. "Apocalypse?" Spike said in confusion and worry to her. "I don't understand, what do you mean?" Twilight Sparkle moved her hoof to the sky, making Spike to look up the eclipse. Spike was so shock to witness and then Twilight Sparkle disappeared. "Twilight... Twilight where are you?" Suddenly, the sound of roar and the light become from behind them. Slowly turned around and gasping with eyes widened in fear to see the red darkness firing eye, looking at them. "I see you." it said with a demonic voice, causing a baby dragon to collapse backwards in panic and Sparx swoops behind him. "there will be nothing left... but ashes... and apocalypse. Back to Tiger Lily and Tinkerbell, she had try her best to avoid and block his attack with all she can, but It will never last. "Come on Tiger Lily, you've easily defeated those pirates all on your own." He said. "But you couldn't beaten Hook by your self. Do you know why, its because you're afraid of losing anyone who faced Hook alone." For what he said, hits her by the truth she now admitted. Until the time, she remembered about the message from the beginning saying 'face your fear' part, Tiger Lily now know the answer of this riddle. It is illusion of fear. So, she dropped her axe and said to him the truth. "You are right, I am afraid of losing anyone, afraid of facing Hook by myself because of my anger." Peter Pan looked at her in the eye and seeing that she's telling the truth with his serious face. For the moment, he smile and putting the dagger back to the handle and said. "At least you admitted, but for now... you pass." Tinkerbell getting up from the ground and fly back to Tiger Lily. By the time they're together, Peter Pan just dissapeared, It turns out that he is an illusion. "But before you go, you might want to help that little dragon friend of yours, follow his voice." An echoing voice said until it vanished. She nodded and both of them are out to look for Spike and Sparx. Back to Spike and Sparx, they are surrounded by the red flames of darkness, causing them to find no way out if this. Spike's heart beating harder than before, feeling like he'll pass out. Sparx is doing his best to calm him down but it's not working. "Spike." A familiar female voice said to him. "Everything you see, is an illusion to control your fear. Close your eyes, breathe calmly to your mind." So both of them have to do what that voice say, they closed their eyes and breathe in and out to slow down the heart beat. Everywhere went clear and the flames are out, until they've opened their eyes and finally see Tiger Lily and Tinkerbell. "There you both go, feeling better?" "Yeah... we feel much better." Spike nodded along with Sparx while moving his eyes around to see everywhere. "So... everything is not real?" "No it is an illusion." She answered. "Its meant to testing our courage to pass through our fear." "I see, but it felt so... real l." Spike said. "Its like Twilight was there and... oh never mind, where to now?" The answer to his question right there to everyone's side. The hole from the light appears to be an exit. "Please tell me that's another illusion." "I don't believe it is an illusion." She said while raising her hoof out and feel the wind blow. "It is our way out, come on." The group were following her the light and finally made it out from the cave. When the shards are growing from her bag, so does the last one glow from all the way from the top is when they see. "There it is, we are almost there." "Fourth shard, here we come." Spike said while they continue to walk up hill on the mountain. Their quest of obtaining the last shard is almost at it end. To Be Continued...