//------------------------------// // Chapter II- The Outcasts, pt. 2 // Story: My Little Claymare // by Waltzwriter //------------------------------// Spike stumbled up the hill, using his hands to support and drag himself along almost as much as his legs to push. Even though some time had passed, he still couldn't figure out how it had come to this. He hadn't done anything wrong! The tears sprang fresh to his eyes again at the memory: "We're sorry, Spike. Don't hate us." "But we can't take a chance with you possibly being a Changeling also." "Or turning into a Changeling. Your brother was one. How do we know you aren't also?" "But I'm normal!" Spike shouted to the heavens. He realized, to late, what a mistake it was to lean back and scream. Throwing himself off balance, he tumbled down the hill, adding new scratches and bruises to the collection he has from being run out of town. He pitched forward upon reaching the bottom, his snout gouging a track in the dirt as his momentum carried him forward. Spike laid there for a moment with tears of anger, shame, and disappointment falling from his eyes. He picked himself up, snorting the dirt and grass from his nose. The most frustrating thing about his situation, beside being run out of town, was that he didn't know where to go. He had no extended family that he knew of and obviously no money to his name. The closest town was Fillydelphia, but that was a few days walk out. And he hadn't eaten since the morning the Claymare arrived, two days ago. As if in agreement of his thoughts, his stomach rumbled, followed shortly thereafter by stinging cramps. Spike grunted and grit his teeth against the discomfort. He couldn't call it pain. Being beaten thoroughly by a Changeling, that was pain. He held an arm to his stomach all the same and picked himself up from the ground. He looks to the crest of the hill and then to his left, which leads into the forest. He glared at the top, "Buck this hill," and began shambling into the forest. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Spike was beginning to regret going into the forest. Unlike the field leading up to the hill and the area around said hill, the forest was loud. Animals and birds of all kinds were crying, cawing, thumping, and thudding everywhere. Ponyville could be noisy, but this was... discordant. What made it even worse was all the underbrush he was walking through. Even with the tough scales of his feet, they were starting to get a little torn up. Spike had wandered away from the beaten path back when he first left town. With nowhere to go, where did it matter he went? Spike's gaze was cast downward, watching for trip hazards and thorns. His stomach growled again and even though no one was around to hear it, he still blushed a little bit in embarrassment. He stopped and rubbed his sore belly. "Don't worry, buddy," Spike said, more as a comfort to himself than to his bodily organ. "I'll stuff you like a fat pig... when I can." He took a couple steps forward and as he lifted his head to look up, he cracked it on a really low branch. He fell to the ground, eyes scrunched up as he rubbed his head to stop the throbbing. "Owowowowow," he muttered. He blinked back the tears in his eyes and then really started blinking to clear them up. It couldn't be... could it? He forgot the ache in his head and rubbed his eyes, squinting for clarity. It was! It was the Claymare! He found her! Not that he had really been looking for her, but it was still the best thing to happen in the past few days. He got to his feet, vision still swimming a little bit from the bump. He lost focus of her outline, but found it again. "Hey," he called out, picking his pace up from earlier. "Hey!" No reaction at all. He's running now, not caring about the scratches across his face, his feet, his arms... all that mattered was catching up to her. "Hey!" "Wait uuaaaaah-!" His feet struck air. He never noticed the drop-off until he was careening down it. The initial impact wasn't so bad, since there was a decent carpet of fallen leaves & pine needles to slightly cushion him, but then he kept rolling. Even with the sky and ground changing places on him, all Spike could think was, "At least this isn't as bad as the--" *thunk* -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ponies lying dead... Blood everywhere... Thorn transforming before his eyes.... Silver eyes becoming glowing green... A flashing blade... Spike's eyes snapped open, ending the visions before him. He was lying down not in foliage, but a bed. A surprisingly comfortable bed. He sat up and looked around. The room was plain: the bed he was on, a small side table to the left, and a dresser along the right wall. There was a window across from him, showing a decent view of the large village he was in. Squinting from the light coming in, he figured it was about midday. The door opened and a garnet red earth pony, with a white mane and tail walked in carrying a large tray of food and a bottle of some sort of liquid. Spike's mouth immediately started watering at the sight and his stomach agreed by growling its assent. The earth pony chuckled as Spike blushed in embarrassment. "It's good to see you're awake. You've been out of it for a while since you were brought here." He set the tray on the side table, which Spike immediately set into. Grabbing the hunk of bread, he bit off a mouthful and attempted to swallow it after three chews. Having difficulty getting the almost whole piece down, the pony gave him the bottle. Spike knocked it back. Even though it was just water, it was the most wonderful thing he'd ever tasted. His throat clear, he coughed, getting his breathing right. "Easy there, big guy," the earth pony said, a slight look of concern on his face. "Take it slow or you'll make yourself sick." Spike smiled sheepishly and started eating the bread again, taking much smaller bites. Swallowing his latest piece, he asked, "How long have I been out?" The pony leaned against the wall, watching the young dragon eat. "About a day. You came in with a rather nasty goose egg on your head." Spike reached up and tentatively felt around his head. Towards the back, displacing two of his head spikes, was a large bump. Knowing he shouldn't, but doing it anyway, he poked it lightly and winced at the shock it caused. The pony laughed. "Yeah, it's going to be tender a while. Believe it or not, its shrunk considerably. The doctor rubbed a lotion on it to help. The young dragon's smile dropped as he realized something: he was lying in a bed, being fed, and he had been given meds. He looked down, a depressed look coming upon his face. The pony perked up, standing straight. "What's wrong?" Spike looked up at him, "I... don't have any money to pay for any of this." The stallion waved it off, "No need to worry about that, little guy. You were already taken care of: food, board, and medical." He gave the dragon a wink and a smile. "Really? Who would..?" Spike trailed off. "You mentioned someone bringing me in. Must be the same pony who paid for everything. Who was it?" he asked, bringing the water bottle to his lips. The smile left the stallions eyes as he got serious, "It was a silver-eyed witch." Spike choked on his water and started a coughing fit. The stallion walked over and pounded on Spike's back to help clear it up a bit. The dragon, when breathing normally again, looked up at the stallion, a surprised and questioning look in his eyes. "What!?" The stallion nodded, "A Claymare saved you." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Spike had wanted to immediately jump out of the bed and go looking for his personal savior, but the earth pony held him down, again suggesting that he take it easy and at least finish his meal first. Spike had struggled for a brief minute, but conceded when he knew he wouldn't have the energy to mount a full blown search for her. Settling down, he had told the earth pony that he would stay to finish his meal, then head out. Now, Spike was jogging through Fillydelphia, hoping to catch a sight of his purple hero. Having gone through the streets with no success, Spike settled onto the edge of a fountain in the town square, cradling his head in his hands. He let out a sigh of defeat, depressed that his search had been fruitless. He stared at the cobblestones, lost in his own thoughts, when he felt a touch on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw a cream color unicorn male standing over him. "Hmm? Did you say something?" The unicorn nodded. "Yeah, I did. You're the only dragon I'd seen, so you must be the one she was talking about." Spike sat up straight, his interest piqued. "'She'?" The unicorn nodded again, hefting his bag on his back. "Yep. It was a Claymare just outside of town, that way," he said, pointing. Spike was gone in a run before the unicorn looked back. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The purple and green dragon jogged up the lightly worn foot path, keeping his gaze constantly shifting up and down. Given his luck with hills lately and the drop-off on his left, he wasn't taking any chances falling down again. There was a slight bend to the right up ahead. He paused at the elbow and leaned against a tree to rest a moment. He'd only taken a few steps after when he stopped dead. It was her! It was the... wait. No it wasn't. It was a Claymare, but not his. This new one before him was blue and had an orange mane and tail. Everything else about her was the same as his. He sighed lightly in disappointment, but brightened. This was progress! This one could get in contact with someone else who would know where his particular Claymare was OR even better, this mare could know where the other one was! Spike gave a silent cheer, having made a step in the right direction. He began approaching slowly, not wanting to surprise this one or even knowing her general disposition. He closed the gap to her, when the mare turned around. Spike was caught off guard at how pretty she was and saw that she was a unicorn as well. He smiled sheepishly and waved, not knowing what else to do. She smiled and started walking toward him. "You made it," she said silkily. Spike couldn't help by admire the way this mare moved. It was smoother than water. A slight haze took a hold of his thoughts. "Yeah, I... I did," he didn't know what was wrong with him, but he didn't mind it. After the past few days he's had, this was... kinda nice. "Were you... were you the one that sav...saved me?" He was getting deep into the haze now. She was a little less than an arm's reach from him now. The mare bent over and stretched out her hand, cradling the side of Spike's head. His skin tingled at her touch. It was nice. "It was. It's my job as a Claymare to help all those in need." Spike was almost fully consumed in the haze that this mare put off, but like a rainbow in the dark, it cleared with one simple word. He slapped the mare's hand away and backed up a step. "You aren't a Claymare! Real Claymares never call themselves that!" The mare's eyes went wide, then narrowed slightly. "Hmm, I'll have to remember that for next time." The mare's blue fur darkened and crisped over, taking on the appearance of an exoskeleton. Before Spike could comprehend the oddness of glossy black skin and the orange hair, the Changeling blurred before him and appeared behind him, wrapping a large claw around his head. It slid the tips of it other claw under the scales on Spike's neck. "I know you've been looking for me!" the Changeling yelled, seemingly to nothing. Her voice was a combination of the buzz of an insect swarm and the silky voice it was just using. "Come out now or this dragon dies!" Spike was about to comment on the potential state of craziness of the Changeling holding him, when a crunch of the underbrush sounded. He moved his head as much as he could to look over. It was her... again! This time was real. Despite his situation, Spike smiled then winced as the grip on his head tightened and claws pricked his skin just a little bit more. The Changeling cackled. "I knew I was right to get this dragon! When I saw you tenderly carry him into town, he'd be a perfect hostage!" The (real) mare didn't say anything. She just stared blankly at the proceedings before her. "Now," the Changeling continued, putting Spike more in front of her. "Drop your sword!" The mare kept her expression blank, but she did reach up and grip the hilt of her claymore. The Changeling tensed, increasing the pressure of its striking claw against Spike's skin. He felt the tips break the skin and a small, thin trail of blood wound its way down the Changeling's claw. The mare unsheathed her sword. Turning slightly, she whipped the blade down the hill into the underbrush. Spike's eyes widened in shock. "No!" he cried out. Cackling loudly, the Changeling shoved Spike away, no longer needing him as a hostage now that its true target was unarmed. The insectoid pony flew at the mare, intent on devouring her. Screaming a battle cry, it readied its claw to stab through her. It struck, but instead of a satisfying plunge through soft, pony flesh... nothing. The Changeling was confused for a split second before it coughed up blood and began struggling to breathe. The mare, sensing the Changeling's attack, had ducked at the last second. She lost a couple strands of her mane to the clawing strike of the Changeling, but that wasn't a concern for her. "Rarity, on the other hand"... She blinked. That wasn't important right now. What was important was the exposed midsection of the monster that just tried to kill her. Her eyes changed to glowing green and with a vicious uppercut, she took advantage of the opening before her. That caused the Changeling to cough out that first bit of bloody phlegm. The second knocked out what little air was left in its lungs. The third cracked the exoskeleton. The fourth saw the mare's fist penetrate the shell and punch out the back, in a fountain of blood and carapace pieces. Spike looked at the bloody fist poking out the back of the Changeling, mouth open in awe at the sheer physical power on display before him. The Changeling would have been screaming in pain if it had any air left in its lungs. Coincidentally, it wasn't going to be breathing again anytime soon. The mare had ruptured the equivalent of its diaphragm when her fist had gone through. Pulling her arm out with a sucking noise, she stood up and out of the way as the Changeling sank to its knees. She gripped it's horn with one hand and grabbed an edge of the hole she made with the same bloody hand. Spike watched as the mare did a full turn and threw the Changeling down the hill in the same direction that she threw her sword. Before he could ask why, the mare jumped and slid down the hill after her latest kill. "Hey, wait up!" Spike called, not missing the irony that he about to go down another hill, but not in a tumble this time. By the time he made it down to the base, the actions of the Claymare made sense: when she had thrown her blade down, she had calculated its rotation so that it landed blade pointing up. Then she had thrown the body of the Changeling so that it would land skewered upon the point. These Claymares are... "Amazing," Spike whispered. The mare flicked her sword, flinging the blood off before sheathing it. She turned to look at Spike. Much like the gaze of the Changeling-in-disguise, this one also set a haze upon his mind, but the difference being it felt like... sun-bathing. Very similar to the feeling one would get when lying in a grassy field without a care in the world, being warmed by a spring or summer sun. "You..," Spike began, suddenly overcome by emotion. "You saved me again! First from the Changeling that killed my family and... and now this!" Tears started to form in his eyes and he quickly wiped them away. "I remember what you said before, about how your name didn't matter and you'll soon be forgotten? I won't forget you, ever! And I mean it when I say: Thank you!" "Why aren't you at the village?" was her response. Spike opened his mouth to answer, but closed it and looked down instead. "Were you thrown out?" He stayed looking down, fighting back different tears as he nodded. The mare studied the young dragon. He couldn't be more than ten years old, twelve at the most, and he's already experienced more hardship and rejection than a dozen ponies triple his age ever will. She thought back to their first meeting: You aren't scared of me? Nope! You look just like any other pony! Unbidden, her thoughts carried the mare to her own past. Shockingly, this young dragon's current life events paralleled her own quite strongly. She blinked away the past, forming a plan for the present. "You can cook, right?" she asked. Spike looked up, head cocked to the side, not sure if he'd heard her right. "What?" A ghost of a smile played across the mare's lips. "I asked if you can cook. You mentioned that you had to cook dinner back at Ponyville. Can you do it well?" Spike just stared, not quite comprehending what he was hearing. Then Part A slid into Slot B in Spike's mind and clicked together. He felt his spirits rising, a toothy smile spreading across his face. "Yeah. My bro... my family really liked it when I cooked." A true smile was on the mare's lips now. "Good. Then so long as you continue to cook well, you can come with me and be my assistant until you find a place you'll be happy at." Spike didn't care that there were tears falling from his eyes again, for these were ones of happiness. Still, he was a male dragon! He wiped his eyes and smiled again. "Deal!" The mare nodded and began making her way back toward Fillydelphia to report her mission complete. "Hey." The mare turned around and saw that Spike hadn't moved. She raised an eyebrow in question, "Yes?" "You still haven't told me your name." The mare's eyes relaxed, and in her mind, she heard a distant voice say her name. That's the day she considered herself truly alive. She'd have to tell Spike about it sometime... maybe. At that moment, the light of the setting sun broke through the tree-cover and illuminated her. Spike wasn't much for religion or believing in higher powers, but that moment he was sure there was a higher power at work, looking out for him. "Twilight. My name is Twilight Sparkle."