Later that night
A pair of bright green eyes looked at Spike from the shadows, he looked at them and they looked at him.
The beast head slowly emerged from the shadows, cracking and snapping as it moved ever closer revealing more and more of its body. An amalgam of bark, branches, vines and leaves stood in front of Spike. It moves slowly, sap dripping from between its wooden fangs.
Spike stood in front of it, despite easily fitting the hole inside the creature’s mouth, he remained brave, or just insane.
“I will not move from here.” He shouted at the monstrosity.
Now standing a just a couple of feet away Spike could feel its breath. It smelled of freshly cut grass in the morning with a hint of rot, decay and death.
“I...” Spike said nervously, his voice shaking “I will not run.”
It lunged towards him mouth open, ready to swallow him whole.
Spike screamed in terror and covered his face, he waited for the beast’s fangs to rip him apart and crush his bones, or for him to be covered in sticky sap as it swallowed him whole. For what remained of him to land in a pool of acid and sap that would eventually burn him until nothing remained.
But nothing happened. Spike was still standing there, his head turned, his eyes closed, his hands covering his face, waiting for the beast to reach him. Waiting and waiting but the beast seemed to not reach him.
He slowly opened an eye. Screaming again at the sight of the monster and closing it up again.The second time he took a longer look. In front of him stood the open mouth of the timberwolf, fangs pointed at him, its wooden tongue slightly lifted from its place, green sap was overflowing. Its breath filled the air. The smell was awful and it was coming straight towards his face. But aside from the moving of foul smelling air it was completely still.
Spike took a closer look, it was standing mid leap and all its four legs were in the air. He poked it with one of his claws, it did not react. He let out a sigh of relief before sitting back down.
The markings Zecora made were now glowing again, this time small green pulses of light seemed to travel through the lines.
He stared at them wanting to touch one, his eyes were set on a particular vein of light, his hand drawing closer to it until he felt a dull pain on the top of his head. He pulled his hand back and rubbed the spot on his head where the pain was coming from. Looking up he saw nothing. Nothing except for the frozen timberwolf, Zecora’s staff, the trees and some stars that managed to make themselves visible through the thick canopy above.
He shrugged his shoulders thinking he must have imagined it. He tried again but the pain returned. It was like an invisible force was knocking him on the head every time he tried to touch the symbol.
Once more he tried but ended up with the same result. His head started to hurt from the repeated blows of unknown origin.
“One more time.”
This time he looked up and lowered his hand towards the symbol. This time a sharp pain came.
Something had hit him on the side of his head right behind his bright green fin.
“Oh come on.” he yelled out of frustration.
While Spike looked around for the source of his new pain he noticed something green and shiny in the circle in front of him. He stared at the object and when he realized what it was his eyes widened in amazement.
“You.” he yelled at the inanimate object.
“Do you have any idea how much pain you caused me? You are not even worth the trouble of eating.”
The leaves in brushes were rustling again.
“Who’s there? Come out. Show yourself.”
Two silhouettes appeared.
“What are you?”
“What an odd thing to ask.” The smaller of the two said.
“Apple Bloom?” Spike asked thinking he recognized the little filly’s voice.
“Who did you expect? Rarity?” she looked at the timberwolf, then turned to the other figure.
“Hey Zecora we got another.”
“Huh?” Spike asked confused by her statement.
Zecora came into sight, she walked to Spike, picking up the piece of Jadeite and dropping it down the timberwolf's throat. She erased part of the symbol with her hoof and the beast fell to the ground. It jumped back up and tried to run away. Only taking a few steps until stopping dead in its tracks. Zecora looked at Spike and smiled.
“I must agree,
And I say that I am relief,
To see,
You are no thief.”
Spike looked at her confused at her forced rhyme.
“We are happy you did not eat the gem and stood in your circle.” Apple Bloom translated, as Zecora pushed Spike out of the circle picking up her staff and starting drawing the missing lines again. The timberwolf fell to the forest floor howling in pain coughing and trying to breath, Spike and Apple Bloom were staring at it, while Zecora was busy with her drawing.
“I never get tired looking at that.” Apple Bloom said.
“What did you say?”
“Nothing.”
The wolf finally managed to throw up the little gem before picking it up with his frontal fangs. It walked towards them.
Spike’s courage had run out the moment he left his circle. Like it happened when they came to Zecora’s he was cowering next to Apple Bloom, trying to grab onto something for reassurance.
“If I feel even a single claw in my behind I am going to buck you all the way to Ponyville.”
He let go of the filly.
As the beast got closer his eyes were more visible. Instead of bright glowing green eyes they were now in a dark cyan color, only a spot of green remained, right in the middle of the eye, where the iris should be.
The timberwolf was now just in front of them. It lowered its head slowly opening its mouth, dropping the piece of jadeite next to Apple Blooms front hooves, along with a little green sap.
She picked up the gem and placed it in under her hood, then raised her hoof and gently boops it on the nose. In turn it sticks out its tongue and licks Apple Bloom knocking her over and covering her with sap. The pony giggles, Spikes faints.
He awakes in Zecora’s bed later that night.
Only a few candles lit up the room, it takes him only a minute to adjust to the light. He looks around. In the middle of the room a fire was burning heating the large pot, its contents boiling.
Behind it in a wooden tub Apple Bloom stood grumpy as Zecora was fiercely scrubbing her with a brush, she looked adorable.
The image amused him at the same time and he wanted to laugh, but then remembered the voice in his head calling the filly and her sister cute. He blushed and hid his head under the pillow.
After some protesting from the filly and a good scrub, they took the tub outside and returned without it.
Zecora pushed three bowls towards Apple Bloom and took out a book.
After filling the bowls with ‘soup’ from the pot, she gave one to Spike, one to Zecora and kept one for herself. Spike was the first to finish his food and asked Apple Bloom for another, then another and another.
The ponies each finished their own by the time he finished his fourth. The bowls were left to sink beneath what remained in the pot. Apple Bloom jumped in the bed next to Spike and blew out the nearest candle. Zecora was already asleep using a pile of books like a pillow and covered by her cloak.
“Hey Spike I must go to school tomorrow but Zecora says she wants you to stay another day.”
“Alright.” He answered, Apple Bloom giggled.
“What?”
“Nothing. She also told me to tell you that you gave her such a headache today.”
“Wait what?”
“G'night Spike.” she said yawning.
"What headache?"
“Good night Spike.”
“Night Apple Bloom.”
Spike turned towards her pulling the blanket up and covering the filly before falling asleep.
“Kid what are we going to do with you.”
“Give him time. He’s still young."
“True. And he did manage to grow a little."
“Without eating the gem even.”
“But it was easier with the filly.”
“Yeah. But you remember when you were her age?”
“Yeah...”
“You were such a precious little thing...”
“Good night.”
“With the cutest baby blue eyes...”
“I said good night Sage Sagoma.”
“Good night Shaman.”
“Would the two of you shut up I am trying to sleep.”
“Spike did you say something?” Apple Bloom asked half asleep.
“Sorry, just talking to the voices in my head.”
“That’s nice.” She said before falling asleep.