//------------------------------// // Chapter 8 // Story: Boast Backers // by Bed Head //------------------------------// This isn't happening, this isn't happening, this isn't happening- Spike thoughts stumbled along with his legs. His chest burned as he with the effort of righting himself. The dark forest had already pitched wildly around him, though. With a pained cry, the stallion found his face planted in the dirt. Move! Get up! Come on! Spike's horn sparked fitfully as his body tried to obey. Shadows danced every which way as his limbs tangled. His breath was coming in shallow gulps as he struggled to focus. He had to get back up. Had to keep running. No matter how much he insisted on the fact, his legs refused to accept it. Clack The unicorn's struggles froze. His ears twitched as he silently prayed he hadn't heard— Clack. Clack. "No..." he moaned out, eyes growing wide. Trixie was gone. Vanished. The hooded pony responsible was still coming. Somehow, despite his desperate sprint, her hoofbeats were still approaching. Clack. Clack. Clack. Closer and closer with each passing second. Clack. Probably the last sound Trixie had heard before she screamed. That realization tore through Spike. With a triumphant shout, he twisted himself back to his hooves. The green light shining from his horn shone bright as he prepared to resume his run. "Hello, little pony." Spike's eyes widened in terror. The hooded mare was before him again, just within the circle of his light spell. Her wicked, yellow eyes gleamed as they bored into his. Suddenly his legs were frozen to the ground as she smiled beneath her hood. One hoof rose as she took a single, slow step forward. Clack. Chapter 8 Spike ran. Under her hood, Trixie's cheeks bulged. Even with her jaw clenched tight, a few snorts were slipping between her lips. She could feel her whole body tremble, the restrained laughter threatening to explode out at any moment. It was unbearable to swallow it back down. Somehow, she managed. "Steady... steady..." she whispered to herself. The purple stallion was getting further and further as she watched. Trixie's composure nearly shattered as he nearly crashed into a tree in his blind panic. Still he ran, and still she reminded herself: She couldn't laugh. Yet. Not when the show's just started. A maniacal grin came to Trixie's face as she started after Spike. Her legs tingled with each step, the spell wrapped around them sending out a slow and steady clack as she ran. The yellow glow in her eyes felt brighter as the stallion almost stumbled again at the noise. The showmare could feel laughter building as she opened her mouth, her throat tingling with magic. "Weren't you looking for me?" Her distorted voice's effect was immediate. Spike practically doubled his speed without even trying to look back. It's almost too easy. The glee was getting harder to hold back. Trixie swallowed again, focusing her efforts into running. Her eyes narrowed as Spike continued to pull ahead. Somehow he was faster than expected. The showmare struggled to concentrate, her horn growing warm beneath her hood. Her eyes darted to the brush to Spike's left, a barely perceptible spark flickering there for the briefest moment. WHAM Spike let out another scream as the noise-making spell triggered. Trixie skidded to a halt as the journalist pulled a hard right, crashing through brush and fallen branches. Even over the racket of his escape she could make out two words being repeated over and over. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Trixie's chest heaved in and out. She jammed one hoof over her mouth before so much as a chuckle could escape. The blue unicorn merely sat in place for a moment, taking in the sounds of her quarry. Especially the thuds and cracks as he spilled to the forest floor again. It was going to feel good when she could finally laugh about it all. "Oh... oh this is just too perfect," Trixie gasped out, dismissing her vocal spell. Her cheeks puffed out as an especially loud thwack and a shout of pain sounded from off the trail. She could feel her self-control crack anew as barely stifled sniggers rattled in her muzzle. Focus, Trixie! The unicorn clamped down on her tongue, killing the laughter. Slowly she managed to draw in a deep breath. "Keep it together. Keep it together..." she coached herself as she slowly released the breath. "After all..." Her head turned, looking back the way she'd come. Somehow her smile grew even crueler as she did. "... The best is yet to come," she promised herself. Squinting, she could just make out the edge of the forest. Specifically a spot just a few yards to the side of where she'd lead Spike in. The same spot he's gonna be heading for in just a few minutes. Trixie nodded eagerly. Spike would be running. Panting, near exhaustion... and just when it looked like it was over— Clack. Her thoughts paused as she looked at her own hooves in confusion. "Huh?" she muttered, her horn glowing. The spell still hung around her legs. She could just make out the faint sparkles hovering around her limbs. But she hadn't felt the familiar, tingling sensation of the magic activating. Clack. Trixie's gaze jerked up as another hoofstep echoed around her. "Who's there?" she shouted, turning quickly in place. Silence answered. The showmare frowned, carefully pulling back her hood. A thin beam of pink light shone out, her eyes narrowing as it strained to pierce the darkness. Trixie's breath hitched, her eyes going wide. For just a second she could swear something flickered away from the glow. A briefest glimpse of a striped hoof. Something rustled in the bushes that her light fell over as her head twisted to follow the movement. Trixie swallowed hard, managing a shallow breath as she leaned toward the distant bushes, eyes straining to see if anypony was looking back at her from them— "What-WHOOOOOOOOOA!" Trixie nearly smacked her head against a tree branch as she jumped. Spike's distant howl of fright was quickly followed by a rattle of hoof on stone. Punctuated by the heavy thud of the stallion hitting the forest floor. "Oh right! Spike!" Trixie gasped, quickly pushing her hood back into place. "Can't let that loser get too far ahead." The mare paused only for an instant, tossing a brief glance to the bush before taking off at a gallop. The spell around her hooves went back to work, a slow clack, clack, clack echoing among the trees. As such, Trixie never heard the bush rustle again. Nor did she bother to look back as a stripe-coated mare emerged from it, glaring after her. Spike groaned as he lay in place after his second fall of the night. And the fourth in— "Shut up," he groaned at the nagging thought. His head throbbed as though in retaliation. Spike drew in a sharp breath as the ache extended to all the other fresh bruises across his body. The cool, damp earth that now covered him did unfortunately little to dull the pain. A rather significant portion of the stallion simply wanted to lay there, panting for breath. Unfortunately, something off in the distance had already set his ears twitching. A far-off but distinct clack, clack, clack of hooves. "K-keep going..." he muttered, struggling to open his eyes. "Don't stop. Don't—" His voice cut out as a red and green face filled his vision. The pain from his tumble washed away in a surge of adrenaline. In a heartbeat, Spike had leapt back to his hooves. His horn was already beginning to glow, half-formed spells sparking from its tip. In the next beat, his legs slid on the moist ground. With a startled yelp, Spike landed on his rear, a single flash of light emanating from his horn. Suddenly everything was lost behind a cloud of dancing spots. His breath came in quick, frightened gasps as he blinked to clear his vision. He could hear nothing for his heart pounding in his ears. He could just barely perceive was the face before him. The quiet, motionless, oddly serene... "Huh?" Spike grunted, rubbing at his stinging eyes one more time. The last of the spots faded as Spike stared at the strange visage. Somehow, despite all the light and noise, its eyes were closed. It hadn't even twitched in response to the purple pony's shout. Drawing in a deep breath, Spike cautiously raised one hoof. Slowly, he reached forward, tapping it lightly against the strange thing before him. A soft clunk sounded as he made contact. "Wood?" he muttered, his horn relighting. As the light spell strengthened, the journalist could see the wood-grain texture of the flat face before him. He released his breath in a small chuckle, slowly getting back up once more. "A mask," Spike realized, shaking his head. "Just a dumb old... mask?" One eyebrow raised as he stared at the red and green mask. Even with the relief of it not being some new, pony-devouring monster, one thought as nagging at him. What's a mask doing out here? Tearing his gaze away from the strange object, Spike's eyes widened. "Oh." He swallowed hard as the answer sat before him. For a moment he wondered if he'd wound up back home. Except the tree before him was much smaller, and more twisted than the Golden Oaks Library. The mask hanging above the door only added to the contrast, along with the many colorful bottles that hung from its branches. They clinked gently against one another as they swayed in a breeze that seemed to have started just to send a shiver down Spike's spine. "S-so..." he muttered, taking a step back. "I g-guess this is... Z-Zecora's house?" Clack. Spike froze. His heart was hammering so hard he could barely breathe. Silently, desperately, he wished that he hadn't really heard anything. The unicorn was almost praying that the forest was actually silent as he squeezed his eyes shut. CLACK. The second footstep shattered those hopes. He could practically feel the brush of a cloak against his hind leg. With a sharp gasp, his eyes flew open, and everything was a blur as he spun around to face his pursuer. "Wh-what the..." Spike's voice trailed off helplessly as he saw what waited behind him. Or rather, what didn't wait. The trees, in fact the entire forest was gone. Everything had simply been swallowed into a cloud of thick, white fog. His horn sparked fitfully, its dim light struggling to illuminate the mist. CLACK. CLACK. Spike's eyes shot to the side. His breath came in shallow gulps. The hoofsteps were echoing from every direction. As much as he wanted to just close his eyes again, he forced them open. Slowly he turned in place, searching for the sound's source. "Poor little pony. Lost your way?" His body trembled. The voice was both right next to his ear and far-off at once, somehow. Spike turned faster, his gaze darting in every direction and finding nothing but fog. Even the twisted tree had vanished as he spun, searching for anything, that wasn't white. And then he found it. Shining, yellow eyes coupled with a cruel smile. All looking at him from under a dark hood. "Boo." "AAAAAAAAAAAAHH!" Spike was not ashamed to scream. He was certain that he was already too far away for the mare to have heard anyway. His legs pushed hard as he raced through the fog. The mist around him almost seemed to be shaking, carrying the noise of mocking laughter and hoofsteps as he ran. And yet, in spite of the terror, something else was coursing through his mind. Some nagging sensation, wondering just how and why the whole scenario felt so familiar. Those thoughts quickly fell silent as Spike forced his gaze forward. Just in time to see a thick bush leap from the fog. He had just enough time to close his eyes and lower his head. Right before he crashed through with a horrendous crunch of breaking foliage. "Wait, wha-AAAAAH!" The laughter cut out as Spike impacted with something warm and soft on the other side. With a cry of his own, the unicorn and his crash-mat tumbled over each other. Everything was a blur of white, green, and pink as Spike flipped twice. By some miracle he ended the roll right-side up. His insides, however, still felt like they were doing flip-flops. The fear, the dizziness, the stress, Spike groaned as he felt all of them finally take their toll. His stomach clenched in pain as he swallowed hard, struggling to force the bile down. "Gah! Don't you dare!" a voice, much less distorted than before, grunted from beneath him. "Get off of me!" Somehow, the words pierced through his dizziness. Slowly, Spike released the breath he'd been holding as his nausea faded. Then the familiarity of the voice hit him. His eyes went wide as he looked down at the pony pinned beneath his hooves. "Trixie?!" he shouted. The exclamation was followed by a pained grunt as the mare shoved hard against his chest. Spike barely offered any resistance as he was shoved off, though. He could do little more than stare wide-eyed at Trixie as she got back to her own hooves. All while the words of a certain baby dragon rolled through his mind. "Y-you know she's just trying to make t-trouble!" "Oh thank goodness. That was too close," Trixie breathed out, her magic lifting a tattered cloak from her back. "And you weigh a ton, you know that?" She didn't even seem to care as Spike stared at the cloak. The same one that had been hunting him all night. The stallion's jaw was slack as he looked to either side. The fog was already vanishing as Trixie focused her attention on her outfit. The distressingly familiar fog that he could finally put a name to. The Wandering Mist spell. The realization brought strength back to his jaw as he began to grind his teeth. Trixie's favorite illusion. His shocked stare quickly turned into a baleful glare. "Trixie..." he growled, scraping one hoof against the ground. "Was that you chasing me the whole time?" Trixie looked up from her cloak. Suddenly her eyes went wide as she stared at Spike. As though she'd only just realized who was standing right in front of her. "Oh... uh..." Trixie chuckled, the cloak swiftly stuffing itself into her saddlebags. "Well you see—" The loud CRACK of Spike stomping the ground cut her off. It was getting hard to see the look on Trixie's face, and this time it wasn't due to any spell of hers. Everything in Spike's vision was collapsing into a red haze. He simply had to hope the largest blob of color in sight was Trixie as he fixed the fiercest look he could manage on it. "The whole time. You were... and I..." Spike sputtered out, his body trembling. "I can't believe I almost fell for that!" "What do you mean, 'almost?'" Trixie sarcastically shot back. The sudden, sharp whistling would have worried Spike normally. Thankfully he already knew the source was the steam blowing out of his ears. Though he was reasonably certain his cheeks were about to light on fire if he blushed any harder. "I-I-I figured it out! Eventually!" Spike countered, wishing his face would stop burning. "So was that it? A bunch of spook house illusions and costumes?" Spike's breath rattled in his chest as he waited for Trixie's answer. Silence answered. "Well?" he spat out. Again he waited. Still, nothing but silence. Slowly, his vision began to clear. Trixie was still there, at least. Much to Spike's surprise, however, she wasn't fixing him with the mocking grin he'd expected. She barely even seemed to be looking at him. More like her gaze was boring right through him. "Uh, Trixie?" he asked. Her jaw merely gaped open a little wider. Raising one eyebrow, Spike glanced back over his shoulder. Nothing was there. Nothing new at least. The mask-adorned tree was still present (and closer than Spike had thought) but nopony stood between him and it. Looking back to Trixie, though, Spike could swear there was a tremor running up her legs. "Hey, Trixie?" Spike asked, waving one hoof in front of her face. "Hello? Anypony ho—" "Spook house!" Trixie exclaimed suddenly. Spike stumbled back as the mare sprang back to life. Her face suddenly pulled into a huge, vaguely frightening smile. Before the purple stallion could think of how to respond, she had jumped to his side. "Yeah, a big spook house! You got it figured out, Spikey!" Trixie energetically gushed out. "Ohno, myplan'sruinedtimetogo!" "Huh?" Spike grunted as Trixie disappeared from his side. He'd only just figured out what the mare's word salad had meant when something began shoving against his flank. A startled cry escaped his throat as he dug his hooves into the ground. "Come on, I lose this one!" Trixie grunted as she pushed Spike from behind. "Let's-just-go!" "I-bu-you-Whoa!" Spike struggled to speak as he was forced into a brisk trot. His head was spinning. Partially from the rush of his anger dying out, but mostly from trying to follow the actions of the blue unicorn at his backside. Glancing over his shoulder he was already losing sight of the twisted little tree-hut. Something Trixie seemed almost eager for as she continued shoving him along. "Trix—" Spike faltered as he almost tripped mid-question. "Trixie, what are you doing?" That got a semi-reasonable response as his impromptu walking aid raised her eyes to meet his. Spike almost wished he hadn't at the sight of the frenzied gleam in them. "Doing? I'm getting us back to Ponyville!" Trixie answered, still pushing against Spike's rear. "The Everfree Forest is dangerous after all!" "You're... you're seriously just giving up?" Spike asked, finally getting into the rhythm of his forced march. "Just like that?" "Plan's no good if you figured it out," Trixie answered, her eyes flicking to the path ahead. "I can embarrass you just as easily tomor... tomoroooo..." Spike caught himself just in time as Trixie froze in her tracks. "Oh no..." she squeaked out. "Oh no?" he parroted, looking back ahead. Somepony stood in the road ahead of them. With Trixie's light spell vanishing with a sharp fizzle, Spike was forced to turn up his own. As the green glow spread he could make out more details. The figure wore a brown cloak, the hood of which was pulled over her head. However, in his strengthening light, Spike could make out the odd stripes on her face. Her teal eyes staring unblinkingly into his own. "Oh..." Spike breathed out, trying very hard not to shiver. The journalist looked slowly from the newcomer to the mare behind him. Trixie still quivered in place, silent but for her chattering teeth. Staring at the fearful mare, one sound slowly worked its way to the top of his mind. The thought of which brought a crease to his brow. "Oh." he grunted before letting out a frustrated sigh. One more glance from the trembling Trixie to the hooded mare only cemented the frustration. The sound of the showmare's terrified scream from earlier that evening rang in his ears. The same noise that had already driven him into one trap. With a scowl on his face, Spike began stomping toward the striped pony. "Spike!" Trixie squeaked out. "What are you doing?" His green eyes rolled in response as he drew level with the other pony. The stallion spun around, fixing a sardonic glare on the blue unicorn. "So, this was some kinda back-up?" he guessed, gesturing a hoof to the 'pony' behind him. "Set up a Zecora dummy if I figured you out?" "Spi—" Spike didn't bother to listen as he turned back to the hooded mannequin. Chuckling a bit, he stuck his tongue out at the model. "Please. This thing doesn't even look real!" he taunted, rapping one hoof against its head. "OUCH!" Spike jumped back, eyes wide, as the 'dummy' shouted in pain. Even worse, she was rubbing her head, wincing in pain, her hood falling back to reveal a striped mane... As well as the angry glare she was fixing on him. Spike swallowed hard, barely forcing back the lump in his throat. "Uh... n-not a d-dummy then..." he choked out. The mare in question just continued to glare at him. "S-so... Zecora?" he guessed, taking a trembling step away. The striped pony gave a curt nod in answer. Spike was somewhat surprised he was still standing as the truth slammed into him. He almost didn't notice the rush of motion to his right. More than likely he would have missed it if Trixie hadn't screamed one word as she raced by. "RUN!" Seeing the glare the striped mare was still giving him, Spike decided not to argue for once. Trixie could feel her lungs trying to claw their way to freedom. Not that she could blame them seeing as her chest was on fire. It was taking all her will not to follow their lead and simply collapse. The sound of hooves pounding behind her served as an excellent motivator, however. She didn't look back. She didn't dare. The showmare forced herself to focus on pushing her own legs harder. An effort that did regrettably little to stop her from picturing the reason for her flight. The striped mare was behind her. Those teal eyes were boring into her back. Somehow Trixie managed to gallop even faster. "No no no no no—" she panted out with each impact of her hooves. She wasn't supposed to be here! She wasn't even supposed to notice! Trixie grit her teeth as the thought ran through her head. "Spike..." she growled between panting breaths. For a moment, the fire in her chest gave way to anger. Spike had been the one to fall down the slope. Spike had landed right in front of Zecora's hut. He's why everything is going downhill again! That stupid, plan-wrecking— Her inner-tirade cut out as something crashed through the brush behind her. In an instant her rage was blown out. Likely by the scream that cut through the air, driving her to keep running. Desperately, her gaze flicked upward, away from her hooves. Her heartbeat surged when she saw a glimmer of light in the distance. Forcing another breath into her protesting lungs, Trixie barreled toward it at top speed. A smile broke across her muzzle as she saw the trees thin up ahead. She could spot her wagon, the lights of Ponyville in the distance behind it. Almost there! The showmare's head felt light, a runner's high setting in. The pain in her chest was nothing. Neither were the fading hoofsteps racing behind her, nor the rope strung across her path— Wait, what? Trixie's eyes shrunk to pinpricks as a rush of memory flooded her. Far too late to stop, though. The rope had already caught against her leg, and suddenly the ground was racing up to meet her. "WhyyyAAIEEEEE!" Trixie howled, the ground giving way beneath her as she struck it. WHAM Pain shot through Trixie as she slammed into the plant-strewn bottom of the pit. Pain that she knew she didn't have time for. Despite her body's protests, she kicked out her legs. "Getupgetupgetup!" she frantically urged herself. Laying on her back, at the bottom of the short pit, Trixie's vision was swimming. That didn't keep the memories from coming back to her. Memories of digging the hole. Of tying the rope in place. And, most importantly, the ones of running that same rope up to the branches above. The rope that was tied to a wooden bucket precariously perched in those branches. The container was wobbling, having shifted thanks to the sudden sharp tug on its line. It was already tilting, the very edge of its contents peeking over its lip. Trixie's eyes went wide as a few drops fell and splattered to either side of her head. "No!" she shouted, her horn flaring to life. Adrenaline thundered through her as her magic shot upward. The bucket trembled threateningly, almost flipping as her magic forcefully wrapped around it. Trixie's breath caught in her throat as she struggled to focus. Straining, she could feel the magic lessen, softly pushing against the pail. The trembling of the bucket eased. Ever so carefully, it righted itself. Slowly it eased to the side, nestling back into place. As the levitation spell faded from around it, Trixie finally allowed herself a relieved sigh. "That was too close," she muttered, wiping her brow. "Why did I even make this trap?" "GANGWA-AAAAHHH!" Trixie's eyes grew to saucers. Oh. Right. Something purple barreled over the edge of the pit. Even without the familiar scream, Trixie could tell it was Spike. Spike with a length of rope tangled around his leg. Another scream almost burst Spike's eardrums as something sticky fell across his back. "Get off of me you-you—!" Spike's head spun as a pair of hooves shoved against his chest. Coughing for breath, the stallion was shoved away from Trixie for the second time that night. He could almost feel the mud splattered over his back dry as a fresh rush of anger heated his body. A small sense of triumph grew as he shot a harsh look to the mare, though. He smirked as he saw the same sticky, black muck covering her. Trixie didn't seem to care, or even notice his happiness however. Probably due to the odd dance she was performing, shaking each of her legs in turn as an aura of pink shone over her. "Get off, get off!" she ordered, a glob of mud flying from her leg. Spike lifted his hoof as the substance landed before it with a splat. He scowled as he noticed the leaves and other plant debris sticking out of it. The same stuff layered neatly across his back, he realized. Unfortunately, before he could even start scraping it away, a furious stomp of hooves pulled his gaze back up. Right into the angered eyes of Trixie. "You IDIOT!" she hollered, mud still dripping from her face and neck. "Do you have any idea what you did?!" Spike winced as his ears rang with Trixie's volume. Even with the fresh migraine forming, he managed to put his smirk back on. "Wrecked another of your stupid plans?" he guessed. Trixie's suddenly-scrunched muzzle was the only proof he needed that he'd guessed right. He quickly braced himself as her mouth flew open again, a fresh verbal assault no doubt on the way. CRACK-BOOOOM! A cacophonous clap of thunder cut Trixie off before she could even start. Spike knew that she was looking up along with him, staring at the lone storm cloud that had interrupted them. There was no chance to wonder where it came from, however. An instant after the thunder, the bottom of the cloud burst open. Spike spluttered as a flood of rainwater filled his mouth and nose. Thankfully the storm was over as quickly as it started. Spike spat out a mouthful of water as he shot a disdainful look up to the cloud responsible. His angry gaze turned to shock, however, as dark-coated stallion looked back down at him. "Well," the pegasus said as he kicked the spent storm cloud aside. "That got your attention." "Thunderlane!?" Spike gasped out. Trixie was muttering something he couldn't catch as the pegasus stallion landed by the edge of the pit. Thunderlane simply sat there, his forehooves crossed. A whirlwind of excuses, pleas, and more importantly questions tore through Spike's mind. All of which were forced back down by the hard gaze Thunderlane had focused on him. "What are you doing here?" Spike managed to ask, barely able to avoid stammering. "He... he showed up on his own," a softer voice answered. Glancing toward it, Spike bit down on his lip. Twilight plodded up next to Thunderlane, wringing her tail in her claws. "It was just after you guys went in the forest," she went on. "I don't know who told him—" "Nopony had to," Thunderlane cut in, finally lowering his forehooves. "I could tell Spike wasn't gonna listen to me." Pain filled Spike's mouth as he bit down harder. A blur of blue to his side saved him from needing to say anything. He would have been thankful if that blur hadn't been Trixie. The mare shoved her way in front of him, magic jamming her hat back onto her head. "Wait, where are Snips and Snails?" she snapped. "Back home, where they should be," Thunderlane answered, kicking something over pit's edge. "Oh, but they asked me to give this back to you." Spike raised an eyebrow as a camera splashed down into one of the puddles littering the hole. Trixie cleared her throat, quickly levitating the camera back into her saddlebags. Spike's jaw had already dropped though, his mind already abuzz with guesses of what the device's intended use had been. He didn't have a chance to utter a single word before Trixie hopped out of the pit, slipping a bit on the muddy ground. "Right... well Spike, I guess your friends bailed you out," Trixie said, glancing back at him. "Again." "Why you—" Spike started to answer. A dark hoof shoved itself between them before he could get another word out. Thunderlane was glaring at the blue mare as she slowly took a step back. "Looks like we'll settle this later," she huffed, throwing a scowl to the pegasus. Spike scowled in return. For an instant, though, something bothered him. As Trixie spun away he could swear her neck turned to keep him in sight. Almost as though she were double-checking something. The feeling vanished as Trixie stomped off in a one-mare chorus of angry grumbling. Shaking his head, Spike heaved himself onto the ledge above, his legs scrambling to get him out of the trap. "Well, Spike?" Thunderlane asked. "What did I tell you?" Spike rolled his eyes as he kicked hard, finally pulling himself onto solid ground. "I could have handled things," he grunted, his magic floating his hat aside to shake the water from it. "Yeah, looked that way," Thunderlane sarcastically commented with a roll of his eyes. Spike grit his teeth as he turned to the weather pony. Thunderlane was already answering his glare with one of his own. Before either stallion could speak up, though, something purple forced its way between them. "Guys, come on," Twilight said, spreading her claws to separate the two. "Can't we just go home and forget about this? T-Trixie's gone now, right?" Spike wasn't sure whether the sound he let out was more of a growl or a sigh. Either way, it caused Twilight to lower her arms and look at him with a pleading smile. "Yeah, Trixie's gone," he grumbled. "But she's gonna—" "Be back, yeah. We get it," Thunderlane interrupted, jumping to his hooves. "Spike, would you just wake up!" The dark pony's wings were flared as he scowled at Spike. For a moment, the unicorn found himself struck silent. An opening that Thunderlane seemed to have been waiting for as he began pacing back and forth. "You just went into the Everfree Forest. The Everfree Forest, Spike! By yourself!" Thunderlane was shaking his head as he spoke, almost as though in disbelief. "That was insane! I mean, nopony—" "Hey, we did it before!" Spike butted in, his voice crackling back to life. "Exactly! All of us, together!" Thunderlane countered. "What were you thinking going on your own?!" "Spike, Thunderlane, don't—" The purple stallion could barely hear Twilight trying to break into the argument. He ignored her waving claw as he fixed a glare on Thunderlane. "Hey! Trixie's my problem!" he shouted, his magic planting his hat back atop his head. "I can deal with her myself! Got it?!" His eyes locked with Thunderlane's as a few ragged pants forced their way down his throat. For a second, Spike could swear there was a hint of worry in the other stallion's amber eyes. In the next, the pegasus just shook his head. "Fine," he muttered. Spike's ears perked at that word. "Fine?" he repeated. That was all he got out before he met Thunderlane's withering glare. "Yeah. You wanna be a brat about this? That's fine Spike!" Thunderlane snapped, his wings flaring out. "You just go ahead and 'handle' Trixie yourself then!" A sharp wind nearly bowled Spike over as Thunderlane shot into the sky. As the breeze whipped around the journalist, he could hear one last sentence carry down from the departing pegasus. "And when everything goes south, don't come crying to me!" Nothing but silence was left, broken only by the fading beats of Thunderlane's wings. Spike stood stock still, simply staring after the Element of Honesty as he vanished into the distance. Part of him wanted to shout a retort of his own back. Part of him had gone numb at the sheer anger in Thunderlane's words. And still another part trembled with a sense of foreboding. Because as much as he hated to think it, something in the dark pony's last sentence almost felt prophetic. Slowly, though, all parts were coming to agreement. Spike let out a tired sigh as he looked to the side. Twilight stood there, looking from him to the sky Thunderlane had just vanished into. One claw was lifted, as though to reassure Spike. He clambered to his hooves, a heavy feeling settling into his limbs and stomach as he plodded past the dragon. "Come on, Twi," he muttered, head hanging low. "Let's just go home." "Do you even realize what you did?!" Hooves pounded. Legs pumped. Nothing seemed able to outrun the voices echoing from every direction. Even if it were possible, there was nowhere to run. Twisting masses of black and white fog encroached from every side. They lashed out, tangling themselves around anything within reach. Running was the only, useless, option. "You just go ahead and 'handle' Trixie yourself then!" Ears flattened, both to shut out the voices and protect from the sudden wind. The fogs were separating ahead. Something waited in the path ahead. "And when everything goes south—" A furious teal-eyed glare locked on his own. "Don't come crying to me!" Light burst through Spike's eyelids. The purple pony's heart thundered in his chest even as he lay still. Dazzled as he was by sunlight, he could at least guess the fog was gone. His breathing slowed as he felt the mattress under him, his gaze slowly travelling away from the window across from his bed. Just a dream. Spike breathed out a sigh of relief as he flipped himself over. His body almost felt lighter as he felt the morning sun settle on his back. The only thing that ruined his attempt to slip back into slumber was the feeling of something crinkling under his muzzle. Letting out an annoyed huff, Spike sent a spark from his horn. The paper he'd rolled onto immediately slid loose, floating itself in front of him. His brow raised as he looked over the short message printed on it. Spike, Went to get groceries. Will be back soon. Twilight The unicorn frowned as his eyes fell to the bottom of the note. P.S. Please try to stay out of trouble? Spike grumbled as he glared at the last, hastily scrawled sentence. His magic swiftly crumpled the note, tossing it aside. With another, more frustrated sigh, he yanked his covers over his head. "Thanks, Twi," he muttered to his absent assistant. "Like I'm not getting enough of that." Green eyes squeezed shut as the unicorn tried to will himself back to sleep. A bitter feeling was filling his mouth, though. With a reluctant groan, he slid himself toward the edge of his covers. His limbs ached in protest, apparently unwilling to let him forget last night's run. Water... That one thought forced his legs to move. One last grunt escaped as he slipped loose of his blanket. His eyes widened as he stepped out into empty air. "Whoa!" Spike shouted as gravity grabbed hold before he could react. With a painful thud he found himself dumped to the hardwood floor of his loft. Spike winced as he rubbed at his rump, glaring up at his traitorous bed. And up. And further up. Spike's glare slowly turned to a confused stare. "Did... did my bed... get bigger?" he wondered aloud, scrambling to his hooves. Standing next to it, Spike was somewhat relieved to be eye-level with the mattress. It didn't change the fact that his bed was twice as tall as he recalled from last night. Turning slowly in place, his gaze wandered across the rest of his bedroom. The nightstand seemed taller too, he noticed. So did the hat rack, his fedora and saddlebags now perched well above his hoof reach. Spike's breathing was quickening again as he stumbled away from the bed. I've gotta be imagining this. As much as he wanted to believe the idea, the proof was still piling up. The stairs down to the lower level of the loft seemed further than before. His framed article was hung higher on the wall than ever before. All the while the strange lightness of his body did little to calm him. It did, however, succeed in making his trip to the mirror much faster. His heart thoroughly in his throat, Spike stepped in front of it. "I... wha... my..." Spike stammered. His eyes grew wider. So did the eyes of the purple unicorn colt reflected in the mirror. Spike's jaw dropped in disbelief as he took in the pony. A short, slightly pudgy unicorn colt. One with a green mane, the spikes of which were slightly tangled from his tumble out of bed. A child whose mouth was also gaping wide, and who'd started trembling just like Spike had as he stared at what shouldn't have been staring back. A pony that couldn't have been any older than Snips or Snails. "No way..." Spike whispered, reaching one leg forward. The colt in the mirror did the same. Spike stared in disbelief as he pressed against his reflected hoof. His eyes flicked from the hoof, to his own shocked face, then back to the hoof. Over and over again. His breath getting faster each time. Until finally, something snapped. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"