//------------------------------// // Denial Cycle: Day Two // Story: The Legend of Spike: Discord's Mask // by DiabloGuapo //------------------------------// Dawn of the Second Day- 48 Hours Remaining Spike yawned and stretched as he arose from the bed in “his” room in the inn. The bed wasn’t that great. The mattress was lumpy, the sheets were itchy, and the pillow might as well have been made of stone. Normally this wouldn’t be a problem for a dragon, but Spike wasn’t quite himself at the moment. Dragons were accustomed to sleeping on hard surfaces, such as gems and gold, but Spike’s new pony body was stiff from the uncomfortable bed. Initially, he was thrilled at the idea of having a bed to himself. Back home, he only had a basket at the foot of Twilight’s bed. He didn’t mind it too much. In fact, it was quite cozy and it was still his size. However, it was a little demeaning that he was in fact sleeping in a basket like some pet. He had asked Twilight for a bed a number of times, but she wasn’t willing to spend her money on something that he didn’t need yet. She would say that the basket was still working fine and that he would probably prefer to sleep on a pile of gems when he finally grows out of it. The only time he even slept in a real bed was when he was really little. He would crawl into Twilight’s bed and curl up next to her whenever he had a bad dream. Even though he eventually grew out of that habit, a part of him missed it. Though he was excited to finally have a bed, he was now longing for his basket. The terrible condition of the bed was even making him envious of that earth pony that had to sleep outside. He wasn’t even able to get a decent night’s sleep. He kept tossing and turning every five minutes trying to find a comfortable position. It was dawn before he knew it. Normally he enjoyed sleeping in, but today he was happy to get out of this bed. He walked over to the window and saw that the sky was cloudy today. The clouds were heavy and gray and drops of rain began to land on the glass. Spike looked up further in the sky and saw the moon. The rain clouds were unable to hide the giant piece of rock. He could even still see the image of Nightmare Moon that was imprinted on its surface. What filled Spike with dread was that the moon seemed to be even closer than it was yesterday. Actually, it startled him to see how much closer it was. It was like a giant reminder in the sky that he was running out of time and that he still hasn’t obtained any of the Elements of Harmony yet. “Stop mocking me!” Spike yelled to the dispassionate celestial body. Of course, this did little to change the fact that the moon was still drawing closer with every second. If Spike didn’t know better, he could have sworn that the dark image was actually laughing at his outburst. Frustrated, he turned away from the window and studied his environment. Not only was his bed lousy, but the room wasn’t exactly the one you would find in a five-star hotel. Rarity would freak out if she saw the state of this room. The first thing she would do is probably nearly faint and then go on a redecorating rampage. The place looked like it hadn’t been dusted in months. A bug would scurry across the floor every few seconds. Something was smudged onto the window, and the wallpaper was faded and falling off in places. Spike walked over to the dusty desk and opened the drawer. Inside was a two-hundred bit piece. Spike looked around to see if anypony was watching. He then figured that since it was his room, he could take it. Actually, it was the traveler’s room, but what did it matter? He planned on traveling back in time anyways, and he was going to be leaving Clock Town to tracked down the Elements, so the traveler will get his money soon enough. Taking the money, Spike headed out of the inn. Thinking of what he should do next, Spike looked around to plaza. There were two ponies juggling balls back and forth to one another. “Did you hear the news?” one asked the other. “No, what news?” his companion asked. “The moon is falling,” Spike muttered under his breath as he rolled his eyes. “There was a foalnaping in the southern forest,” reported the first juggler. “No, really?” the second juggler asked, surprised. “Yes, but then the foal woke up!” the first juggler joked. As they both laughed at the joke, Spike got an idea. They had mentioned the forest, and Celestia had told him that one of the Elements was there! He noticed a gate leading outside of the city. Since he wouldn’t be able to get the Element of Honesty until tomorrow night, maybe he could try to find another one. “Hold it right there!” a Pegasus guard barked as he blocked Spike’s path with one of his wings. “It’s dangerous outside and I can’t allow a foal such as yourself to leave without an adult.” “Yes, but…” Spike started to explain. “Now go home to your mother,” the guard ordered as he shoved Spike away with his wing. Spike grumbled was he stormed away from the foul tempered guard. So much for that idea. Looking around, he saw some Summer Sun Celebration game booths, and they seemed to be opened for business. With the two-hundred bits, he decided to kill some time. There were some shooting galleries, some sort of a bowling game, a timed maze, and others. After spending a few hours with games and winning some prizes, it was almost noon. Spike walked out of the maze building and noticed Cadance walking out of the inn. She was carrying an umbrella to shield herself from the rain. Spike figured that he could try and talk to her. After all, Shining Armor has gone missing. He followed her to laundry pool that was on the west part of town. It was empty, because no pony wanted to do their laundry in the rain. Spike saw her sit down at a bench and he walked up to her. “Hi,” he greeted her. “Hello there, little one,” she smiled at him. Even though she gave him a friendly greeting, he could see the sadness in her eyes. “My name is Spike,” he introduced himself. “I am Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, but please, call me Cadance.” “I was hired by Madame Velvet to find Captain Armor.” “You? Aren’t you a little young to be an investigator?” she asked skeptically. “Actually, I’m older than I look,” he replied. “You don’t even have a cutie mark yet,” she said as she raised an eyebrow at his claim. “To be honest, I’m not even a pony.” “Oh, is that so?” she said patronizingly. “I’m actually a dragon.” “Really? You don’t look like a dragon,” she giggled a bit, despite her current dilemma. “I was changed into a Unicorn by the same mare that responsible for that,” he said, pointing to the moon. “Oh,” she said looking up at the moon, starting to believe his claim. “I guess that does make it possible, especially with all that’s been going on.” “So, why are you here sitting on a bench in the rain, all alone?” “I wouldn’t be sitting on a bench in the rain alone if you would sit with me,” she retorted, patting the seat beside her. Obliging, Spike sat down next to her and she cover them both with the umbrella. “Well, I’m here because I got a letter from him yesterday.” “What did the letter say?” “That he was okay and that he was sorry.” “Sorry? Sorry for… you know, running out on you?” “I suppose, but I hope that there is a good reason. Maybe something happened to him. Maybe he has something important to do.” “I’m pretty sure that he has a good explanation. I’m certain he wouldn’t abandon you,” Spike reassured her. If this Shining Armor anything like Spike’s, then there would be no way that he would just run out on her. “That’s what I want to believe, but if something has happened to him, why doesn’t he just come to me?” she began to cry again. “Did the letter say anything else?” “Yes,” she said as she tried to contain her tears. “He said that he wanted to meet me here, but… to be honest… I’m scared to meet him. W-what if he says he wants to leave me for another mare? What if he doesn’t love me anymore?” As she started to cry harder, Spike wrapped a foreleg around her. “I can kind of relate with you.” “Really?” she sniffed. “You see, there’s a mare back home that I really like. Who am I kidding? I love her!” “So what happened?” “Yesterday, I decided that I was finally going to tell her. When I went over to her place, she was preparing to go meet with this other stallion,” he explained. “Oh,” she said knowingly. “Maybe I should have left it at that, but I went ahead and told her, or at least tried to.” “What happened?” “Well, as I began to tell her, she said that she already knew.” “And how did she react to your ‘confession?’” “Actually, I’m not quite sure what to make of it,” Spike shrugged. “You see, she said that she was about to go see this pony.” “Is she in love with this other stallion?” “I doubt it,” Spike sardonically huffed. “She only met him once. I bet she’s only interested in him because he’s a count. You see, she did the same thing with a prince. When she had an opportunity to meet with him at a gala, she was so excited. She always admired the sophistication of the upper class.” “She sounds rather shallow.” “Shallow? Oh no, not even close! She’s one on the most generous ponies I know! She may be dramatic at times or even persnickety, but she always puts others before herself. But, she does get caught up with trying to be as glamorous as possible. You see, she dreams of being a renowned fashionista and being a part of high society. However, the prince turned out to be a real snob.” “He sounds like my cousin,” the pink Alicorn chuckled as she dried her eyes. Unbeknownst to her, Spike was referring to her cousin, or rather the version of him from Equestria. “I bet the same thing is going to happen with this count.” “What makes you say that?” “His name is Count High N’Mighty,” Spike said dryly. Cadance couldn’t help but to see Spike’s point. “Well, what happens if it doesn’t work out with him? Do you think she’ll give you a chance?” “Well… she also said that I was a few years younger than her and that I was a dragon.” “So, you were serious about the dragon thing?” Spiked nodded in response to her question. “What about the age difference?” “It’s complicated. As a dragon, I age differently than ponies. In dragon years, I’m still rather young. Most ponies call me a baby dragon, but in pony years, I’m only a few years younger than her. She was only a little filly when I hatched. I don’t think it’s that big of a deal.” “‘Hatched.’ Wow, it’s strange to hear that coming from a Unicorn colt.” “Yeah, don’t remind me,” Spike groaned. He got up to again look at his reflection. After studying his altered appearance again, hope grew inside him. “Hey, wait a minute! I’m a pony now! I’m sure to win her over now!” “Are you sure, Spike?” Cadance skeptically asked. “Are you sure that she feels the same about you?” “Sure, I am mean, we’re good friends, we do a lot together, she calls me ‘Spikey-Wikey,’ she even kissed my cheek a couple of times!” “But are you sure that she loves you, or does she just think of you as a friend?” “But… I’m a pony now. She’s…” “Spike, would it really make a difference if you were a Unicorn or a dragon? What you are isn’t as important as who you are.” Spike thought about she said. Could it be that Rarity doesn’t love him? They were good friends, and she has always been affectionate towards him. He’s done so much to gain her attention. Could it all be for nothing? Cadance sat on the bench in silence as Spike stood there in the rain with his thoughts. She let him be, for she had clearly gave him much to think about, and returned to her own thoughts of Shining Armor. They remained like that for a while, and then Cadance figured that he wasn’t coming. She gave a melancholy sigh and headed back to the inn. Eventually, Spike also left the laundry pool. Ponyville- Day 1, 2:00 P.M. There was a knock on Zecora’s door, and the mystical zebra opened it to see the worried face of Twilight Sparkle. “Twilight Sparkle, my friend, did you bring the amulet to lend?” asked the zebra. “No, and that’s the problem,” Twilight answered. “I asked Spike to drop it off, but that was this morning.” “As much as I would like, I cannot say that I have seen Spike,” rhymed the zebra. “Oh, where could he be?” Twilight moaned with concern as she ran out the door and headed back to Ponyville. She rushed to Sugercube Corner to see the pink party Earth Pony. Pinkie Pie was pulling a batch of fresh cupcakes out of the oven when the lavender Unicorn arrived. “Pinkie, have you see Spike today?” “Hhhmmm,” Pinkie rubbed her chin as she tried to recall. “No, I don’t think so.” “This is bad,” said Twilight as she anxiously walked in place. “I asked him to deliver something to Zecora, but that was a long time ago. It’s not like him to be gone so long.” “Do you want me to help you find him?” Pinkie offered, concerned. Normally, Pinkie Pie was perpetually happy, but she knew when to be serious. “Oh thank you, Pinkie,” sighed Twilight. The two mares ran out the door to begin their search.