//------------------------------//
// Chapter 4 
// Story: Dreadwing Bells A'ringing 
// by avatarded01 
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4.


Fluttershy grimaced as Rainbowdash balked and yelled as she rolled across the floor with Spike attempting to wrestle the Sapphire from his hands. Even in his emaciated state the young dragin was still stronger than the athletic pony and despite her swiftness, Spike wrapped an arm around her neck and wrenched her free from the tangle and tossed her spinning through the air. Rainbow Dash crashed into a bookshelf and collapsed to the flor in a heap, feathers from her wings drifting to the ground around her. Twilight and Applejack ran to her side and helped her up but Rainbow staggered and fell again. This time they left her to recover on the floor and turned back to Spike. Three days since Twilight had asked for help from her other friends and they were still no closer to finding a solution to Spike’s obsession, “You’re supposed to be an expert on animals, “Twilight had said desperately, “I thought maybe you might have an idea?” Fluttershy had come down to the library to help to find that Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were already involved, trying to distract Spike from the stone with a handful of Pinkie’s antics. That had only resulted in Spike slashing Pinkie’s hat and clown nose to ribbons with his claws. Fluttershy had barely recognised Spike. Twilight described how he’d been before but in the short time it had taken her to get involved Spike had obviously gotten worse. His scales were flaky and chipped and his eyes were so dark they looked a pair of emeralds twinkling in the back of a deep, dark cave. Not to mention he had gotten thinner. Flutershy was immediately concerned and knew that Twilight must have been feeling ten times worse than she was.
“I admit that I have an interest in Dragons, Twilight, but I only know what I’ve read in te books you’ve leant me. I mean the only Dragons that don’t scare me are baby ones and,” she had glanced at Spike in the corner then and continued, “well, Spike’s certainly not a Baby anymore.” Fluttershy hadn’t realised the implication of what hse had said until she saw Twilight’s face drop even more, “Oh, no! I don’t, I mean I didn’t… Spike doesn’t scare me, I-I… oh dear.” Fluttershy spent some time just watching Spike, trying to see if there was any other explanation to his problem except that stone, but all he did was stare at it all day. Any attempt to get him to eat anything resulted in him lashing out or hissing. Even tempting him with precious stones, which Dragons found to be a delicacy couldn’t dissuade him. Everyone had tried talking to him but he had no interest. Even Apple Bloom and her friends had eventually figured out that something strange was happening had come by to try and help. Spike had scared them away with just a glare. After that Rainbow Dash had lost her patience and tried to wrestle the sapphire away. That had not ended well. Now Spike was hunched in the corner glowering ta the ponies, huffing and panting. He was already weak and even though he’d still managed to overpower Rainbow, it had not done him any favours. He swayed on the spot but quickly regained his composure and renewed his vigil over the stone. Twilight was distraught. It was destroying her to have to watch Spike slowly killing himself over some strange stone and Fluttershy felt for her friend. They all did. Rainbow Dash got slowly to her hooves and shook some sense back into her self,
“Wow,” she spluttered, “He may be a scrawny lookin’ Dragon but he can still kick some serious ass.”
“Isn’t there anything we can do?” Rarity asked, but they all just looked at each other. Everything they’d tried had failed completely and Spike was just getting worse and worse.
“I-I just don’t know what to do. I tried to vanish the stone out of his hands but it just didn’t work. The stone must be enchanted somehow. Then I tried to pull it loose form afar,” She looked over at a scorched bookcase, with nothing but ashes left on it, “but he just blew fire at me!” Saying that caused her eyes to well up again and Fluttershy desperately wanted to do something to help. Rarit piped up again,
“Well maybe he just needs  a good talking to!” She stomped over to Spike, at least as close as she could safely get and looked him right in the eyes, “Spike! Enough is enough! It’s time to give up that stone and stop making everyone worry!” Spike looked at her through thinned eyes. For a moment it almost looked as though he would listen. His grip loosened on the stone and he opened his mouth as if to say something, but then the throbbing of that blck vein intensified and he hissed at her again. Applejack trotted over to Fluttershy and whispered in her ear,
“Fluttershy, you’ve always been good with critters, especially when you take that tone with’em and use that look.” Flutershy considered it for a moment. She definitely had a talent for regular animals but Spike was a Dragon and he had a degree of intelligence that most other animals didn’t have. Then again it was worth a try. She nodded and approached Spike. Rarity retreated deflated and as watery eyed as Twilight was. Fluttershy stood infront of Spike and tried the soft tact first,
“Spike?” He stared off at something no one else could see, “Spike?” His eyes darted around to look at her, “Hi.” She smiled sweetly, but Spike only thinned his eyes more. “Okay, well, um I think you need to listen to everyone and put the, the um stone down and –“ Spike hissed again and recoiled further back into the corner. That clearly wasn’t going to work. It was time to try the look. Fluttershy focussed one eye right at Spike, took a deep breath and said in a tone that brooked no argument, “All right young Dragon, enough is enough! You’re going to ut that stone down, stopping being so rude and mean and come with me to get a bath and something to eat! Do I make myself clear?!”	 The room fell silent. Everypony was watching Spike to see what he would do. For a moment he just stared at her as if she’d said nothing, but his fingers coiled tighter around the stone before he tottered to one side, swayed and collapsed on his side.
“SPIKE!” Twilight cried out, but Rainbow Dash jumped forward and hollered,
“Get the stone, now!!” She dove forward and piled into Spike. Pinkie Pie bounced up to join in, hooting,
“Yay! Pony Pile!” Applejack ran forward to try and wrestle Rainbow Dash away but the struggle had commenced and she was pulled into the tangle. Fluttershy was stunned for a moment before she moved back long side Rarity and Twilight and they watched as three ponies and a dragon wrestled over a singe sapphire. Spike was thrashing like a crazed lizard. His tail whipped out and lashed around smashing shelves and lamp stands to splinters while his dagger like teeth gnashed up and down, trying to find purchase in the flesh of one of his attackers. Applejack’s hoof was planted under his chin, keeping his dangerous jaws away from Rainbow Dash who was trying to pry his claws off of the stone, while Pinkie Pie jumped onto his tail. Pinkie went sailing through the air hanging onto Spike’s tail, whooping and weeing as though she were on a fairground ride and Applejack twisted around, using her hind legs to pin Spikes jaws and while she tangled with his one free hand. His claws were exposed. They were dirty and chipped but still razor sharp and she pulled her head back as he lashed at her, but she was strong and Spike was weak and dealing with two other ponies as well so she managed to keep him at bay. The whole time he was hissing and roaring flames licking from his nostrils. For a moment he gained a grip on the floor with his back legs and pushed himself up off the floor, even with three ponies on top of him, but Pinkie Pie swiped his legs out from under him as she swung by on his tail. As he crashed to the floor Rainbow rolled off of him and apple jack kicked him solidly in the face, but more importantly his hand thumped down on the ground and the sapphire slipped between the tips of his claws. It clattered out of his grasp and onto the floor,
“Grab it!!” Rainbow nearly shrieked. She herself dove for it at the same time Fluttershy and Rarity jumped forward. Spike’s eyes went wide and he bellowed a terrifying roar, the likes of which Twilight had never heard escape his lips before. It was such a shock to hear that kind of sound coming from Spike that Fluttershy froze mid dive. This resulted in Rarity tripping over her outstretched hooves and hse tumbled right into Rainbow Dash slamming her to the ground. Rainbow gasped as the air was knocked out of her and then Pinkie Pie shrieked as she was hurled from Spike’s tail. The young Dragon surged to his feet slamming the back of his hand into Applejacks face, sending her sprawling back across the floor, blood shooting out of her nose. He shot forward on all fours faster than would have been expected in his current state and scooped the stone up into his mouth. Twilight tried to cry out but before she could Spike froze as his tongue slid over the surface of the stone and his starved system told him there was only one thing he could do with such a delicious morsel in his mouth. Spike bit down and crushed the sapphire easily between his diamond hard teeth with the sound of shattered glass.