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// Chapter 3 
// Story: Dreadwing Bells A'ringing 
// by avatarded01 
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3.


Twilight paced anxiously back and forth across the library floor. She hadn’t said a word for almost an hour. To begin with she hadn’t stopped talking. She’d come up with theory after theory as to Spike’s odd behaviour and some of them had started to sound quite ridiculous. Rarity had to agree with Applejack, perhaps Twilight was just being over-protective. She had to admit that she had missed Spike when he hadn’t shown up at the Boutique to help her out. She had always enjoyed having him around when she was doing her work, he always managed to be helpful but never get underfoot. In fact it was only now that she thought about it that she realised just how much she missed having him around this past week and very suddenly she became impatient for Spike to show up so that they could find out what was going on. Twilight continued to pace. They had already been waiting for two hours but Spike still had not returned from wherever it was he disappeared to and it was getting later and later. Rarity took a sip of the drink Twilight had offered her when she’d arrived and glanced over at Applejack who was sitting next to the coffee table. Her hat was sitting crooked on her strawberry blonde hair and her green eyes were drooping. Applejack had been working hard all morning and now she was struggling to stay awake. If Spike didn’t show up soon the Farm Pony was getting fall asleep where she was sitting. Suddenly Owloysius hooted in through the window landing on his perch and hooting over and over. Twilight stopped suddenly and looked up at the door as it opened. Spike swept into the room low on all fours and almost silently. Rarity almost didn’t realise he was there until she followed Twilights stare to the front door.
“Spike.” She said hesitantly. The Dragons topped and looked up at them. Rarity caught a loud gasp in her throat and stared. She barely recognised the young Dragon. He was stooped but she could easily see that Twilight had not been exaggerating. Spike was indeed thinner, he had dark rings under his eyes and his scales looked dull and dark. He scowled at the Ponies and asked through sharp teeth,
“Hey,” even his voice was raspy and low, nothing like how he should sound, “What are you guys doing still up?” Silence filled the library for a moment the Ponies forgot themselves over Spike’s appearance. Rarity glanced over at Twilight. She was just sitting there with her mouth hanging open, staring at Spike and Applejack was no better. So Rarity piped up first,
“Oh, Spike, we were just…um, well waiting for you actually.”
“Oh, “he looked between the three of them and then moved slowly past them into the room, closing the door behind him with his tail, “You didn’t have to do that.” All three of them watched him walk to the corner of the room where he spent his nights. He was clutching something in his hand as he plodded across the room. Rarity chewed her lip when she saw that it was the Sapphire she’d given him. Twilight looked at her two friends for support. Rarity could tell she was at a loss as to what to say. They watched as Spike sat down with his back to them and he held the Sapphire up to his face and stared at it. They all just watched him for a moment the sound of Twilights clock ticking away up in her room. Rarity felt unusually uncomfortable. She never felt this way around Spike, but something was seriously wrong with their young friend. Applejack approached Spike with a warm smile on her face,
“Uh, hey partner, um…” She looked at the others completely lost for what to actually say. Twilight tried instead,
“Spike, are you alright?” Spike didn’t even look up at her,
“I’m fine, why wouldn’t I be?” Twilight looked at the others for help.
“Well, we’ve just been wondering where you’ve been going all day Spike?” Rarity added moving up beside the other Ponies to stand alongside Spike. The young Dragon shrugged, “No where really, just anywhere I can be…” he trailed off, as though he’d lost his train of thought.
“Anywhere you can what?” Twilight asked anxiously but Spike just stared at the stone. Twilight looked at her friends, her concern growing more evident on her face. Rarity however was looking at the stone. Spike was clutching it in both hands, even stroking it gently with his clawed thumb but it was the black vein in the gen that drew her attention. It was still throbbing like it had been the first time she’d found it, but now it was doing it differently somehow. It was no longer beating in a slow steady rhythm, but throbbing in fits and bursts. Rarity looked at how Spike was staring at the stone. His eyes were completely focussed, he wasn’t even blinking. Quite jealously Rarity realised that the only other time she’d seen Spike stare like that was at her. She stepped closer to Spike and said quietly,
“Um, Spike, darling, maybe it’s time to put that Sapphire away, you know you don’t want I to get scratched or, I don’t know, rub off the finish.” Spike lifted his gaze away from the stone and thinned his eye at Rarity,
“I think it’s fine where it is.” Rarity notice that the black vein was beating faster now. Applejack had apparently picked up on what Rarity had noticed and backed her up,
“You know I think Rarity’s right Spike, maybe it’s time y’all put that stone away…” She reached a hoof out for the Sapphire. Suddenly Spike lunged forward and snapped at Applejack’s hoof. She recoiled and jumped back. Spike hissed menacingly at her until she retreated a few feet away.
“Spike!” Twilight cried out in shock and Rarity squeaked in distress, “Spike what is wrong with you!?” Twilight tried to get closer but Spike directed a low threatening his at her and his dark eyes thinned at her. Twilight froze. Even though Spike had gotten thinner he somehow managed to make himself look bigger, more menacing… more like a dragon. His sharp teeth were bared and his claws scratched furrows in the word floor as he clutched the Sapphire to his chest. The black vein was throbbing faster even as Twilight backed away, her eyes brimming with tears, “Spike…?” She choked but the young dragon just hissed once more before he backed further in to his corner and curled around the throbbing sapphire, his dark eyes staring at the ponies as though they were some sort of intruders in his home.