Hey!… early!… some… you know …hey… are you… common… get up Spi-… island… he's back… fight… he's a… so… happened? When will you kill her?
Spike shot up from his vague dream. Cold sweat began to form throughout his body. He was shaking in horror as the dream slowly and surely revealed itself.
Damn… Not again… Damn it all…
Suddenly, Applejack's gentle snore snapped Spike back together. He looked down at the snoring pony and smiled. The sound of peaceful sleeping slowly washed his dream away until it became what it only was: a dream. With ever so gentle movements, he lifted her up and set her on the couch while he slowly and quietly got off. Then, he silently creeped to the door and attempted to leave the house. With every pace his steps creaked loudly, his ear's senses sharpened, and Applejack would have a small sleep-talk before going back to sleep. Sighing in relief, he continued to the door of freedom. Only inches away, he heard Applejack mumble something. He couldn't make out of what she said, but he was certain he heard his name. Not going to take the chance, he reached for the door and stepped out into Celestia's luminous light. Once outside, his scales tingled at the gentle wind that blew over the horizon. He took a deep breath of the cool air. His body felt stiff after sleeping for so long a time. He looked down at his palm while contracting and retracting it. The memories of the black fire slowly filled his mind to a point of anger. Simply remembering the daunting flame made him hate it even more, even if it was just his past self. He clapped his cheeks for the shock he needed to snap out of his thoughts. He suddenly realized that his arms, if not his whole body, was stiff. He did a few stretches before he decided to try some exercises with his newly obtained weapon.
But first… Where's Angel? I need to talk to her. She should be here. I can still smell a hint of her. So where are you, Little Angel?
He closed his eyes and relaxed. All of his senses sharpened; From his nose that could detect every fragrance within a five kilometer radius, to his scales that could feel every grain of sand and leaves that blew by and his ears that could detect every conversation within the radius. He sensed around until he heard a familiar voice. He followed the voice, and soon he could hear multiple familiar voices. Before long, the voices all lead to the library.
Joy to Equestria, the mares are there. It's time to make my scare!
He slowly bent down to a launching position and vaulted upward. With one vault, he launched himself up to the skies and beyond the clouds. From there, he could see the treehouse and the whole village. With his signature smirk on his face, he lit his palm with his fire and formed a gentle propulsion that kept him levitating in the air. Then, one second he stopped the fire and slowly descended to the ground; the next, he shot bursts of fire that accelerated his fall. He quickly pulled out the scythe, Blissful Death.
He~llo sex~y. Gonna take you out for a joy ride.
He started swinging the scythe opposite to the treehouse. Every swing pushed him closer and closer to the library, but it wasn't enough. He began to "dance" with the Death, sending himself faster and even closer to his destination. At that point, he was falling toward the tree house.
Alright, Lady Death, time for you to go back to sleep.
The scythe reformed itself to the small handle that Spike slid back into his gauntlet. In one grand finale, he shot himself upward as if he had done a double hop. The treehouse was within reach, and his smirk grew slightly more cunning. He crashed through the roof and into his old home, sending dust and debris in the air and causing the mares and Angel to close their eyes and cough. When the debris slowly cleared, they looked around in shock as to who would commit such an act. Finally, it cleared, and all of the girls' attention focused on the purple dragon that was suddenly laying on the couch, nonchalantly reading a book as if nothing happened. They looked at the supposed hole in the ceiling, but there wasn't any. They looked back at him, still casually reading and turning a page from a book. Irritated, Angel grabbed Spike's sword that was next to her and swung down at the stupid dragon. Without even looking or flinching, he lifted the book up and closed it with one hand, stoping the swing midway. The dragoness tried to pull the blade away, but it was stuck due to Spike's grip around the book and sword.
"So Angel," Spike asked in a carefree maner, "Is that any way you introduce a guest, such as myself? For shame, for shame, little girl."
"Oh Spike, I would never do such a thing. It's just that you just suddenly came barging in and sat on the couch in a very rude way," Angel replied calmly and sweetly while still trying to pull out the sword.
"Hey girls, can I borrow Angel for a little while? We need to have a little dragon talk," Spike yawned.
The mares just stood there, not daring to utter a sound. Taking that as a yes, Spike lifted his finger and drew an imaginary circle. At the same time, a small lightning drawing formed on the ground, following Spike's little finger movements. Soon, the circle became the teleportation spell and, in a bright flash, the duo disappeared along with the sword, the book, and the couch. What was left behind, however, was a note. Twilight levitated it towards her and read: "By the way, I'm checking out a book. Write my name, date, and due date on the records. The book's called 'Dragon Tales'." She lowered her ears and made an "Are you serious" face.
***
The duo were teleported near the edge of a cliff, along with the items. Angel blinked twice before letting go of the sword and jumped backward in caution. Spike, on the other hand, simply lowered the book and grabbed the sword. He got up and faced Angel with his ever so familiar grin. Instead of fighting, though, he thrusted the sword to the ground, sat down, legs crossed, book on one hand while the other was resting on the couch's backrest, and continued to read where he left of. Seconds passed; Minutes passed. An hour finally passed, and Angel sat down tiredly and looked over the horizon. Spike looked at Angel's way with an eyebrow raised. Finally finishing the book, he closed it with a loud "thud" and watched over the horizon with Angel.
"So," he called, finally getting her attention, "It's been a while, you ass."
"Ha." Angel replied, "Coming from the dick who got his scales handed to him by a dragoness."
"Hey! It's rude to hit a lady. I have manners."
"Right~. Like you can kick my hot flank."
"Bitch, wanna' go?"
"Bring it-"
Before she could finish, Spike summoned a ring of green fire that surrounded her neck. The edges of the rings were only inches away from her neck, and being a dragon, she shouldn't feel the heat from any fire, but the heat from the flames were very real to her. A sweat dripped from her chin, and before it even touched the ground it evaporated from the immense heat. Angel turned to Spike while he merely sat and continued to stare at the view. He raised his hand and, with a snap, the flames formed blades inside the ring. The tips were centimeters away from her neck. The heat from the flames quickly rose and Angel was only a flinch away from being burnt, if not executed.
"You were saying?" he called in a bored tone.
"Alright, alright," Angel plead, "I get it."
With a disappointed sigh, he shaped his fingers. Angel shut her eyes, fearing that she might've breathed her last breath. Instead, the fire blew itself out. With her eyes still shut, she slowly opened them. The fire wasn't there. The heat vanished.
"Now that we've establish that," Spike said, "I'd like for us to still have that chat."
"W-what about?" Angel fumbled.
A leaf brushed Angel's cheek and flew towards Spike. He gently caught the leaf effortlessly, and his fingers began to play with it. His emerald eyes showed signs of peace, like he wouldn't even hurt a fly. As he continued to fiddle with the leaf, he asked in a relieved tone, "Looks like you extinguished that fire in you?"
Her eyes were fixed on the view as she tried to forget her stupidity for accepting the greedy flame. It changed her drastically, and she was afraid of accepting it again. Earlier, before Angel and Denta exited the cave, she dug into herself, quite literally, and forced the dark fire out of her body and threw it back into the pit. She sat back and replied with a, "Yeah."
Spike finished fiddling with the leaf. The leaf wasn't a leaf anymore, but a bird figurine. He spread his palm out and let the winds carried it somewhere. He proceeded to pick up the book he was reading and gestured it to Angel. She looked at it skeptically, but realize what he was saying. She got up and walked to the couch, sat next to him, and jokingly yanked the book away from him, even though he let go of the book. She read the title cover and, as if on cue, a tear was shed down her cheeks. Her vision was blurry, but she saw and could make out what the title was. Meanwhile, Spike slouched on the couch with a smile, his eyes closed, and his hands resting on his belly while his fingers laced with each other. He could remember a time when Angel was free for the first time.
*Flashback*
Two years ago, Angel was crying under a tree. It was raining at night, and the tree was the only thing keeping her mostly dry. The sounds of pitter patter were the only sounds made until-
"-gel!"
She looked up, hearing something from a distance. She tried to concentrate, but the sad rain made it harder to even form a thought.
"Angel!" came the cry again. This time she knew that she heard it, and the best part: It was Spike's voice. She called out, "Spike!" to see if there would be a response. Soon, a bush next to her rustled, and before long, Spike came out. He was covered in scratches, his sword had some dirt and grime on it, and from his breathing she could tell that he was tired. He slowly walked towards Angel and sat next to her. In one fluid motion, he reach out for her head and settled it on his shoulder. Angel tried to fight more tears, but soon all of her tears began to shed like a flowing stream. The rain covered up the tears, but Spike knew she was crying, and he held her tighter for it. Time passed by, and Angel finally calmed down. Both of them were silent until Spike said, "So, we failed again."
Angel only nodded in reply.
Spike scratched the back of his head in irritation and groaned. "I knew it was a bad idea, you idiot!"
Angel replied by keeping silent.
"But did you listen?" he continued, but then paused because they both knew the answer to that. He took his sword out and scribbled on the soaked dirt. Angel looked over and read, "Dragon Tales."
"This book," he said, "It had a nice story, one you might like."
Angel finally mustered enough courage to ask, "What is it about?"
"Well," he began, "It begins with two dragons. Both of them were the best of friends. Nothing could ever separate them, not even their families. One day, they found the rumored scale that was said to grant wishes. The boy dragon wished for glory while the girl dragon wished for money. Of course, the wishes were granted. The boy had glory and fame, all across Equestria, while the girl dragon was the richest dragon of all the Equestrian nation. Despite having their wishes granted, they were still inseparable. One day, the boy dragon suddenly came over with a disease. The female dragon didn't want her friend to die, so she hired the best doctors of all Equestria to cure him. The fame of the boy dragon brought many supporters to his hospital. Though, despite all of their efforts, the boy finally died. Now, for once, the two were finally separated: one on the world of the living while the other was in the world of the dead."
Angel had been quiet for some time. She was confused as to how she would like that story. Spike, seeing her confusion, got up and ran into the rain. He turned to face Angel, who stood up, and he raised his sword.
"I said this because," he called before being interrupted by claps of thunder and flashes of lightning, "I'm not going to be greedy. I'm not going to see you cry again! I swear on this sword that when I see you again, I will not be greedy!" A bolt of lightning shot down to his sword and onto Spike. He could feel all of his nerves bursting and numbing, but he held on. After the flash of lightning, Angel could see Spike was still standing, but he was unconscious. Angel began to worry and ran towards the burnt dragon. He began to tip slowly, but Angel caught him on time. His sword fell, but not his body. Angel gently rested Spike's head on her lap as she kneeled. Despite his darkened color, she could see his gentle smile illuminating the dark night. Suddenly loving the dragon, she slowly bent down until their lips touched. His taste of emerald, mixed with her ruby, made a kiss she'd never forget. Realizing that she had kissed him, she shot up to see Spike chuckling.
"Hey, Angel?" he asked.
"Yeah?"
"I'm glad you're safe."
*Back to reality*
Spike could hear Angel's cry slowly quieting down. He slowly sat up and leaned forward; his elbows were rested on his thighs. He looked at her for the first time that day. Her red, shining scales glowed under Celestia's sun, her soft, ruby eyes blended in with her scales, and her lips that he kissed. Spike chuckled and continued to look over the horizon. Angel, seeing the opportunity, rested her head on his shoulder. Realizing what she was doing, he sat up straight and rested his back on the back of the couch. He slowly raised his hand and held Angel's head. He rubbed a few times, patted along, and would sometimes just rest his hand on her head. After a long silence, he murmured, "I promised, didn't I?"
Angel only replied with a nod.
He made a "Hmph" sound and continued to pat and rub her head. As he sat with Angel, the dream's daunting echo began to ring in his head: "When will you kill her?"