After having accepted a job with Rainbow Dash, Spike realised what he had done. He’d done exactly what he said he wouldn’t do and became friends again with Rainbow Dash.
“Shit!” he said to himself as he wandered around the old town. He passed by the Apple family farm and noticed that everything had recently been repaired.
“Looks like the boss has been trying stunts again.” he mused. Looking beyond the housing, he noticed the enlarged yard, where more apple trees grew, some smaller than the others. They’ve expanded. He thought, walking on before Applejack, Big Mac or worst of all, Applebloom showed up. Thinking he’d heard the familiar sounds of the Crusaders, Spike hurried his pace, finding himself going toward Fluttershy’s home.
“Damn it!” he muttered as he realised this too late. Fluttershy had just stepped out of her front door. She took one look at the dragon, yipped in fear and shot back inside with the slamming of the door. Spike sighed.
“She hasn’t changed.” he was about to proceed away from the area before the familiar voice called out from behind the door.
“Spike? I-is that you?” Fluttershy’s voice was so timid, it was unmistakably her that had spoken. Spike felt trapped. He couldn’t just push Fluttershy away given her gentle nature, but he didn’t want her to become attached to him again. So he did the only thing he could think of. He walked on, pretending not to have heard her.
To Spike’s surprise, Pinkie was nowhere in sight. He half expected her to bounce out of his bowl of gems that morning, or appear out of the shower head, being as weird as she was. Perhaps she mellowed? he thought as he stopped in front of Sugarcube Corner once more. He could feel his stomach rumbling as he’d interrupted his own breakfast that Twilight had made. As he thought back, he realised that he’d made a mistake. But it was no use looking back. He had to keep looking forward; focus on the here and now, and right now, he was hungry. He stepped through the doorway into the shop. To his surprise, Pinkie was nowhere to be seen. He first saw Pound and Pumpkin Cake, chasing each other through the room. Mrs Cake quickly put a stop to their play as she entered the room.
“Oh… Spike? Is that you? My, you’ve grown. We thought you’d left Ponyville. Pinkie was pretty upset about it. She thought she’d done something to upset you. Her exact words were indecipherable, but we could tell she blamed herself.” Spike huffed with amusement.
“I got back last night. It’s only a temporary stay. Thought I’d come and visit for old time’s sake.” he lied. Although he had wandered around the town for nostalgic reasons.
“What can I get for you today, love?” Mrs Cake asked. Spike took out a small handful of bits he’d taken from the pile of treasure his group had formed in a pit beneath the wooden chair he sat upon.
“I think I’ll try… one of Pinkie’s cupcakes. The flavours have always agreed with me.” he replied. Mrs Cake smiled and grabbed a cupcake from the tray. She placed it on top of a napkin and handed it to the young dragon who in turn gave her the bits it cost. With a single motion, he tossed the cupcake in his mouth, closed it, mashed it up with his tongue and swallowed the lot. A smile made its way onto his lips.
“They’re just as good as I remember. Where is Pinkie, anyway?” Mrs Cake smiled and pointed to Twilight’s Library.
“She said she was going to talk to Twilight about something important. She said something about her ‘Pinkie Senses’ tingling.” Spike looked out to the Library and frowned.
“Perhaps I should check it out. Much as it would pain me.”
“Why dearie?” Spike hesitated. He knew that the Cakes could keep a secret, but was it worth telling her?
“Okay, I’m gonna level with you. I made a big mistake leaving in the first place, but I can’t just go back and pretend like nothing’s happened. I left to sort some things out in my head, but it was too late to come back. I’d made some friends and the whole thing got complicated.”
“What did you have to sort through?” Spike looked away. He’d decided to tell her a partial truth behind his leaving, but what the truth was still eluded her.
“It doesn’t matter anymore. It’s all in the past. I have plans for the future, and they’re not a part of it, much as I might wish they were.” Mrs Cake didn’t press any further than that. She could see in his eyes that she wouldn’t get anything more from him. Whatever his secret was, he was determined to keep it. She believed for a moment that he’d break a Pinkie Promise to keep that very secret, and take it to his grave.
“Why don’t you go and see what’s up, dear? You may discover something that will help you decide once and for all what you should do.” She left the room, taking her foals with her. Spike remained where he was, staring out at the tree that was once his home, his sanctuary and refuge.
“The least I can do is to make sure that my problems don’t get them hurt.” he whispered and he made for the door.
“Gosh, Twi. That doesn’t sound at all like the Spike we all used to know an’ love. You sure the dark magic ain’t fried his brain or somethin’?” Applejack removed her hat to rub the top of her head.
“I’m sure, AJ. Spike’s just… he’s outgrown us. Prolonged exposure to his kind’s ways have left him… distant toward ponies. He gave Rarity the cold shoulder, and we all know how he used to feel about her. She was right, that isn’t the same Spike we all knew.” All six ponies were sitting around in a circle, having heard the news from Rainbow Dash about his return.
“I dunno, he seemed fine to me.” said Pegasus replied.
“And the poll isn’t in your favour, Dash.” Spike opened the door, having overheard the conversation.
“Twilight’s right. I’m done playing pony. My stay here is only temporary after all, which I’m sure I’ve repeated to at least three of you more than once. On weekends, I’ll be searching for a new place to stay. Maybe somewhere up North. No, the Crystal Empire is there. West then, beyond Canterlot or Neighagra Falls.” The six ponies looked at the dragon as he walked in. Spike noticed immediately that Twilight’s eyes were puffy, indicating she’d been crying.
“Been chopping onions, have you?” he asked. Twilight rose to her hooves and ran straight into her room, locking the door behind her.
“How can you be so cruel to her?” Applejack demanded.
“Buck you, that’s how.” The purple dragon smiled as the orange farm pony rose to her hooves, ready to charge.
“Why you ungrateful little…” Fluttershy quickly went to Applejack’s side and began to persuade her out of fighting him.
“Please, don’t fight, guys. We’re all friends here.” she replied.
“Yes, you all are. However, I’ve severed my link to you five. We’re not friends, Rainbow Dash knows this.” The rainbow Pegasus avoided eye contact with everypony in the room.
“Yeah…” she replied, sheepishly.
Ah can’t believe you hired this jerk. Ah’m goin’ home.” Applejack stormed out of the Library, dragging Fluttershy along the wooden floor. Spike grinned at the display and called out to the farm pony.
“Eat me, don’t forget to write.” he shut the door just as Applejack was about to charge him. The thud could be heard from inside, followed by the pained cursing of one of his oldest and dearest friends, now just one less pony to care about.
“Now that was very rude, Spike.” Rarity spoke up.
“Quite the keen eye you have there, for such a drama queen. But I wouldn’t expect less from a filly who plays dress-up with live ponies.” He began a sadistic chuckle as he opened the door for Rarity to run crying out of the Library. That just Left Pinkie and Rainbow Dash.
“So, who you gonna attack next, Spike?” Dash asked. The dragon gave the matter some thought.
“Well I can’t very well insult my boss, and Pinkie’s pretty much faultless, aside from the creepy ability she possesses of popping up wherever and whenever she wants…” As Spike searched for a fault Pinkie possessed that he could assault her with, she’d already begun crying and left the Library through the closet door.
“I didn’t even think of anything that would cause her to cry.” he said, holding out his arms in disbelief. Rainbow Dash rose to her hooves and walked right up to Spike, showing no aggression, despite her history and personality.
“I don’t know what’s causing you to forcibly lose your friends, Spike, but I suggest you get over it. You may just end up an addition to the Princesses’ garden right next to Discord.” Spike grinned as she walked past him to the door.
“Are you sure the elements will work with hatred in their hearts?” Rainbow Dash paused and looked back to him. The truth behind his words surprised her.
“More to the point, are you sure Twilight would allow that to happen?” Rainbow Dash closed the door and faced him once again.
“Why wouldn’t she?” she demanded.
“Think, Dash. Use that brain of yours. It needs exercise just as much as the rest of you does. Twilight and I have a history that transcends all the years you girls have known her. Our bond is stronger than the Princesses’ bond with each other. She made me. And while Twilight’s will is unbreakable when it comes to protecting Equestria from danger, if I’m no threat to it or its inhabitants, then Twilight will not be able to go through with sealing me away like Discord. She can’t do that to Family; she doesn’t have that kind of resolve. The worst she can do is send me away, which isn’t that big a deal for me.” Rainbow Dash was speechless. She thought it through and she knew he was right. Either way, he won. The Elements of Harmony were useless against an opponent who isn’t a threat to Equestria.
“But don’t worry. I’ll be out of your manes soon enough.” He then proceeded to grab Rainbow Dash by the head and kiss her forehead. She drew back into the door, shocked by his action. Spike just laughed at her and turned to go and do his own thing.
Twilight heard the whole thing. She herself played Spike’s reasoning out in her head, and judged him correct in every aspect. She couldn’t banish him to a stone prison like Discord. Their bond was deeper than that. Or at least, it was on one side of the bond. She looked at herself in the mirror, her eyes were red and her mane was out of place yet again. She looked how Spike seemed to act: insane. She began to go over her journal entries, mainly the ones involving Spike. She used to write about him a lot when they first met. He was the latest thing when she was a filly.
As she read through every journal entry she’d made regarding Spike, she found herself reading under the moonlight. She looked up at the night sky, wondering where the day went. It felt like only a few hours ago since shed entered the room.
“A night as black as his heart and a moon as empty as mine. I wonder if our bond allows him to feel what I feel? I guess not. I can’t feel what he’s feeling. I feel so… alone.”
Twilight zoned out. Her body moved on its own to the bedside table. It took hold of the mug from last night and threw it on the floor. The smashing sound was loud and it caught the ear of the thing that pained her the most.
“Twilight?” he called out. She didn’t respond. No, it was more like she couldn’t respond. She wanted to, but her body didn’t do what she wanted it to. She watched as she took hold of a broken bit of the mug and began to press it against the area just above the back of her hoof. She could feel the pain, but her body kept forcing the ceramic shard to go in further, further, further. Blood trickled out of her like a pinprick in a plastic bag full of water.
She couldn’t stand the pain, but her body refused to give her control. She heard the casual steps of her dragon and saw the bright light from the fully lit Library as he opened the door.
“HOLY HELL! WHAT IN THE NAME OF CELESTIA ARE YOU DOING?!” he shouted at her, running to her side. He forced her down. Her body squirmed under him as he gently pulled the ceramic shard out of her hoof with his teeth. He activated his dark magic and growled at the roll of bandages that were in the emergency medical box in the drawer beside his bed. The roll came over, covered in a dark aura that flashed purple lightning and bubbled green. He forced it to wrap around her hoof and sealed it with a pin.
“What are you trying to do? Have you gone mad? What the hell was that?” Spike released her from his grip, but she just sat up and crawled into his arms, shaking like a scared little filly. Despite his wariness of the position he had been placed in, he held her. His mind raced with possibilities as to why she’d done this.
“Twilight… are you suicidal?” she didn’t reply, but just let out a whimper. She squeezed him tightly and buried her face into his chest. The poor mare was shivering, just as confused by her actions and her inability to stop herself as he was.
“Don’t tell me I caused this? This is the last thing I want.” He looked down at Twilight, remembering all the times she had smiled at him, all the times shed played the role of big sister. Now it was his turn to play the role of big brother.
Damn, I’m stuck here now. I can’t leave when she’s like this.