Time had always been a symptom of the dangers Spike and his friends had faced, ever since Nightmare Moon. Time always moved forward, like a wave, never turning back unless hit against a wall. But for Spike, a wall was out of the question. His wave had faded out in the vast mass of water that was solitude. No longer could he continue to act so carelessly around Twilight. Or perhaps she was the proverbial wall? Yes, Spike had hit a wall; his oldest friend. The knowledge that she could kill herself if he’d left her again grounded him. And now he had to deal with five very upset mares, not to mention their families and three very vengeful ‘Crusaders’.
Spike sighed as the predicament struck him like a lightning bolt. He’d managed to calm Twilight down with his special brew of hot chocolate, which she’d spilled the first time when she took it with her bad hoof. She wouldn’t be walking or reading books for a while. The two of them were sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace. Spike had leant himself against the couch with Twilight leaning against him. He remembered a time he could do this without the couch sliding along the floor against his mass.
“Every time…” he began, catching her attention. She looked at him with swollen red eyes and a worried expression.
“Every time something seems to go bad for you, you always end up getting what you want. You wanted to find the Elements of Harmony, you became them. You wanted your friends to get over their differences when facing Discord, you made it happen. You tried to cancel your brother’s wedding, the bride was fake and you rescued the real one so he could marry her. You wanted nothing more than to pass the test Celestia gave you in the Crystal Empire, you sacrificed that goal so I could save an empire and you ended up passing your test because of it. The list goes on. If luck was an Element of Life, it’d be you, Twi.”
Twilight smiled at him and nuzzled his chest. She abandoned the hot chocolate and cuddled with him.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me. Spike, you don’t have to stay.” Spike huffed in annoyance.
“Yes, I do. I owe you that much, after everything you’ve done for me.”
“What have I done? I’ve worked you to the bone, acted like a slave driver, used you in magical experiments, like with the moustache.”
“You gave me life, food, a place to sleep, love. You taught me the differences between right and wrong, you taught me how to read and write. And if it weren’t for those experiments, I never would have gained the ability to harness the magic that hatched me. Besides, I liked the moustache.” he chuckled. Twilight giggled as his comment and his scales both tickled her in different ways.
“It’s good to have you home though, Spike.” she said. Spike felt a familiar pang in his heart. One he’d spend the day trying to eliminate.
“Twi…I’m not staying. I’m just going to help you get back on your hooves as it were. When you no longer need me, then I’m gone. Nothing’s changed except for the length of my stay. I’m simply repaying a debt.” Even Spike didn’t believe what he’d said. His voice betrayed the sincerity of his words.
“At least… for now.” he added. Twilight squeezed him tightly and fell asleep. With a heavy but silent sigh, Spike wrapped his arms around her and hoisted her up into the air. He carried her to her room and gently placed her down on her bed. He picked up the small shards of the mug and held them in his hand. He removed a hair from one of them and then proceeded to swallow them all down.
“Not as good as gems, but still high in fibre.” He looked down to Twilight once more and brushed a lock of her mane from her face.
Don’t do anything stupid before I get back. I’d hate to have to explain this to your friends.” he picked up a quill and wrote on a small piece of paper.
I’m going out.
Will be back before
morning. Don’t do
anything stupid.
Spike
He left the note on the bedside table and closed the bedroom door behind him.
“I’ve got more blood on my hands than I care for.” he said, looking at the recently cleaned claws that were his hands.
Applejack paced her room, still steaming over what Spike had said to her.
“Buck me? BUCK ME? That little shit thinks he’s invincible now he’s gone and grown twice my height. Well Ah’ll teach him. Y’all don’t mess with the Apple family and get away with it. Ah don’t care how Twilight feels about it, Ah’m gonna deck him the next time Ah see him. Ah don’t care if he feels it or not, it’ll be a great stress reliever.” She stomped her hoof on the floor, rattling the wood around her. Suddenly, she heard a knock on the door. The orange mare calmed down and descended the stairs from her room to answer it. To her surprise and slight satisfaction, it was Spike.
“Well, well. If it ain’t the Apple bucker, figuratively speakin’.” she said. Spike said nothing to that as he looked at the Library behind him which could just be made out in the distance.
“Let’s not beat around the bush… figuratively speaking.” he said.
“Yeah, let’s not.” Applejack turned around and prepared to buck him with her hind legs. As she went to take a powerful kick at him, she felt two large claws grip her hind hooves.
“Why you-WOAH!” Spike dragged her out of the house and threw her across the front yard. She managed to land on her hooves and prepared to charge the dragon.
“You’re not getting’ away with this, Spike.” she declared.
“Hit me all you want after I’ve said what I came here to say.” he replied, sitting down where he was. This caught Applejack off guard, but she didn’t buy it. She charged him, fully intent to at least give him a lump. She reared her head forward and tried to ram him bull-style, but she heard a sigh before she was grabbed by the head and lifted into the air.
“Woah! Hey, put me down, that’s not fair now!” she yelled at him.
“Not until you agree to listen to me first. Like I said, you can buck me up till I’m black and blue after that.” he said. Applejack growled at him, but ultimately agreed to the terms.
“So what you wanna talk about? Or are you gonna say some fancy stuff that’ll really make me wanna pound ya?” Spike clasped his hand around Applejack’s mouth, sighing in frustration.
“I’m on a deadline here, AJ. Shut up and listen.” Applejack, though annoyed, complied with his request. With the silence eerie between them, Spike prepared his lie.
“As you well know by now, I couldn’t give the furry crack of a rat’s behind about any of you anymore,” he began. Applejack shifted in her place, itching to take a swing at him.
“But I feel I owe a debt to Twilight for bringing me into this world. Which is why I’m going to help her. But I need your help as well.” Applejack rubbed her head in confusion.
“Ah don’t see the… urgency you seem to give this conversation, Spike. Hurry up and gimme the details.” she said. Spike growled at her.
“Fine. I caught Twilight trying to kill herself earlier tonight.” Applejack rose to her hooves and backed away.
“W-what? No, she wouldn’t. Why would she try to kill herself?” Spike looked at her.
“Why do you think? I left her. I abandoned her. She’s obviously been talking herself out of it up until tonight. My coming back has made things worse, especially after I treated her and all of you like shit. I can’t leave until she’s in the right frame of mind. And I’m sure you want me gone as much as I want to go, but in order to do that, we need to work toge–.”
“Ah don’t want you to go Spike… Ah just wanna know what’s gotten you so angry. Why did you leave?” The conversation ended there.
“You’d rather hear why I left than hear the plan I have to save Twilight from herself? Maybe I should have gone to the Element of Loyalty instead.”
“Ah wanna know what caused you to do this to Twilight. Ah think if she knew, she might feel better. Or at the very least, not suicidal.” Spike saw logic in her idea, but he was not going to give up that information. But he could partially sate her thirst for it.
“I left because of my own stupidity. I won’t say more than that. Look, are you gonna help me or not?” Applejack couldn’t refuse this request. If it was to save Twilight, then she’d team up with Discord if she had to.
“Alright. It’s a deal. Now about that other deal we had…” Spike rose to his feet.
“Yeah, later.” he said. Applejack stood there, stunned for a second.
“Hey! You said Ah could beat you senseless when we were done.” she called out. Spike turned around and continued to walk backward with a smile and his arms outstretched.
“You’re the Element of Honesty, not me.” he then proceeded to run away, prompting Applejack to chase after him. To their joint surprise, they both found themselves laughing as they chased each other through Ponyville, waking the neighbourhood.
“Uh-oh. Spike, we’re in trouble now.” she said, abandoning her goal and galloping alongside him.
“So we are. I think I hear one of them saying’ raise your torch and pitchforks’.” he replied, prompting a laugh from the farm pony. She looked back and yelped in surprise.
“Oh boy, they really do have torches and pitchforks.” The two picked up their pace and laughed together as they tried to flee from the tired and angry mob. Spike noticed what he was doing and barked a single laugh.
“What am I thinking?” he yelled out. Using his magic, he grew his wings, their structure reversed like before. He took to the air, hovering above Applejack.
“Don’t get the wrong idea, AJ.” he said, grabbing her from around the stomach. She yelped in surprise as she was lifted into the air. Not far, but their speed doubled.
“You might wanna hold on tight.” Spike said, turning her around. Applejack wrapped her hooves around his neck and her hind legs around just below the wing joints. Spike made a sharp left turn and flew straight for two blocks, then he made another left turn.
“This is like NASCARRIAGE.” Applejack called out above the howl of the wind.
“NAS-what?”
“It’s a race with carriages. But the only direction they go is left.” Spike laughed as he made another left turn. Then he kept true towards the Apple farm, bypassing the angry crowd who were two blocks away, going in the opposite direction. Spike grinned as he felt the wind whip his face.
“You know, I think I get why Dash likes flying so much. It’s a great feeling to have the wind on your face and your body gets cool which cancels out the heat you feel when you exert yourself.” he said. Applejack just bunched herself up closer to him, trying to keep the cold from freezing her mane off.
“Ah don’t know about you, but Ah feel like I’m in the Northern Mountains right now.” Spike slowed his flight and descended upon the farm. He made for a gentle landing and he released Applejack as his wings were absorbed back into his body.
“Y’know, Spike. Ah don’t think your reason for leavin’ us was good enough. And Ah’m not entirely sure you are either. Y’all could up and leave now you’ve told me Twilight’s on the verge of killin’ herself, but you won’t go. You’ll stay because you still care about us. Now, no matter what you say or do, you won’t change my mind. Ah’ll let the others know the situation with Twilight in the mornin’. You’d best get some rest. Ya’ll look like you haven’t slept in days.” Applejack hugged the purple dragon and then gave him a light punch on the shoulder.
“We had our conversation, and that was my beatin’. Wear it with pride.” she then turned around and went back into her home, leaving Spike to return home.
As he approached the front door to the Library, the realisation that he’d just regained his friendship with Applejack and that it was more solid than ever, hit him.
“Shit!”