//------------------------------// // Chapter 6, Encounter with a friend, meet Spike // Story: Keep living for Friendship // by alejin //------------------------------// The next morning, all the mane 6 gathered in Twilight library were preparing to start the search for the human, all of them with saddlebags equipped and filled with food and maps of the Everfree. “Ok girls (Twilight started), we really don’t know what we’ll find there but remember, it’s the Everfree Gorest, we don’t get separate and if we have to run away we’ll do it togheter. They all nod, and then everypony started heading to their destination leaving 3 little very angry filles in charge of Twilight number one assistant. “It's not fair, why can’t we have the chance to see the human???” scootalo said. “yeh!!!! Only Sweetie has seen him, ah want to see him too!!!, what you think of all of this Sweetie…. Sweetie bell???” Sweetie didn’t say anything, she was too busy worrying, she loved her sister and friends but she couldn’t helped to feel worried for her new friend, what if they attack him or hurt him or turn him in to the Princesses, and then put him in a cage or a dungeoun. “Girls we have to go” Sweetie said with mixed feeling with worry and determination. Spike answered right away “oh no you don’t, its the Everfree Forest, its so dangerous even for Twilight and the rest” “Oh c'mon Spike don’t tell me you don’t have any desire to see him too??, let's go and find him before them” Scots said “Let’s not” he said, your sisters will kill me if they know I let you go there and even worst if I go with you” Sweetie then proceed to make a deal “ok, how about this, let’s take the safe path to Zecora’s place, if we don’t spot him in some time, we return inmediately, what you say??” Spike wasn’t sure what to do, he indeed wanted to see the human, he sounded really intersting and besides he sounded similar to him. “. . . . . . . ok, but we only will take the Zecora’s house path ok??” “Ok, lets go crussaders, for our cutie marks, THE CUTIE MARK CRUSSADERS HUMAN FINDERS!!!!!” “. . . . . . . . I really doubt there could be a cutie mark for that” Spike thought. A CERTAIN GREEN UNICORN POV I knew it, I knew it, I knew it, I knew they existed!!!! I'm so happy, I'm going to have my own personal human, I will take good care of him, and he will be my friend forever and ever, now I only have to find him, yes yes find him and bring him to his new home, oh oh I can’t wait, but first things first, now I need to buy him the stuff he’s gonna need when he is here, I have to hurry, yes hurry. Then I noticed all the ponies staring at me, judging me, thinking how crazy I am, ha, just wait, when I have my loving human here with me, let see who has the last laught. Then BonBon my friend told me “Lyra!!!! Please stop, it's a little embarassing, yes, I have to admit, maybe you were right after all, Twilight description of this . . . . . Alex match with many things you said about humans, by the way, where are we going now? “Where else BonBon? To the Petshop, I need to buy my future human a confortable hay bed, a bowl with a cute name and a chain with a collar, and some rope too, yes, I have to make sure he will never be able to escape” Bombom answered “Lyra you do realize that according to Twilight description. . . . . he doesn’t seems like a mindless creature or animal, I really doubt you will be able to make a pet of him and I don’t think he will like it either, he even took down a manticore, What do you plan to do againts something like that??” “OH BonBon, That’s what the rope and chain with collar are for, I already know he will be hard to deal at first but with tons of love and affection I will give him, in sometime he will LOVE ME!! (and in that moment again there were thunders even though it was daylight) (At that very moment, a human in the middle of his training in the castle felt his body reaaaaaally cold without a reason) (Bon Bon then was starting to get worried, but not for her friend but the human. . . . . she only thought “Dear Celestia please help this human in case Lyra manage to catch him”) __________________________________________________________________________________________ In a certain Palace in Cartenlot early in the morning, a very tall white alicorn with a colored mane floating by an unexisting breeze and also with a sun in his flank was reading all her letters sent by nobles and some servants and why not even some admirers, (she was really hot by pony standarts) she then noticed a new letter from her most faithfull student. “Oh my, what my student would want to tell me to sende me a letter in the middle of the night?, let see”, she removed the seal, unrolled the scroll ant started reading. Dear Princess Celestia As your most faithfull student, I believe it’s my duty to inform you that by some reliable information, (Rarity sister Sweetie bell) we have reasons to believe that there is a creature that we have never seen in Equestria, according to Sweetie bell, it’s species name themselves “humans”, I tried to find any information about them with no avail, but fear nothing, we the Elements will find him and I will personally study him and keep you informed, we know he is in some place hidding in the everfree forest, please don’t worry, we don’t have reasons to think he could be dangerous anymore since Sweetie bell also told us this human saved her twice from drowing and from a manticore, in any case, please trust us and expect my next letter with good news. Your most Faithfull Student Twilight Sparkle “Hmmmm, a human? It’s all she could think, a. . . . . human??, I know I’ve heard that word before or at least read something about that, hmmmm, oh.. . . . yeah, in the journals of StarSwirl the bearded” Celestia inmediatily oredered her servants to bring her all the journals of that legendary unicorn from the archives, she had a lot to read. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ It had been hours since the Elements of Harmony started their search for the human, but they couldn’t find any sign or trace, even rainbow flying couln’t spot any clue. “Mr Alex, please show yourself, we are not going to hurt you, we only want to talk and thank you for what you did for my sister” Rarity said “Yeah, please pretty please come out, there is a great party waiting for you!!!!, we have snacks, cupcakes, muffins and tons of fun, please ALI come out, please please please!!!”. Ali??? Who is that Pinkie Darling? “It’s his Nick name given for me, well it will be once we become Super Duper Best friends of course”. At that time, Rainbow returned to regroup with everypony. "Yah found anything at the old sister castle rainbow?, any trace of the human?” applejack said. “Well there were signs that somepony was there recently, but whatever it was the human or not, it’s not longer there, at least not now.” “Uhg, ok Rainbow, good job, but please, next time follow the group and stick togheter, remember where we are please”. “I know Twilight but I had to go full speed because maybe if he would been there, he wouldn’t had time to escape or hide.” Ok, ok, I know, well girls, it’s time to go back, we’ll continue tomorrow ok, “OK” all said in unison, and proceeded the long way back to their homes ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ WHAT WAS I THINKING REALLY????, its all what Spike could say while running for his life from a Timberwolf, “I thought it was a good idea, to follow Zecora’s path, the safest Path in this forest, just one problem, they really didn’t know very well which was her path.” How did this happen. . . . let see When spike and the crussaders entered to the forest, thinking they were following the safest path, they kept walking until after an hour, it was obvious they were lost. “Ahhhh, Sweetie bell said, Applebloom you said you knew which path was the right one, what happended?” “Ah don’t know, ah thought ah knew it, sorry, but at leat.. . . well. . . . . we know he is not around here right?” “Really applebloom? Really?” Scootaloo said angry. Ok, ah get it, let’s just return, get a map and try tomorrow again ok?! “ok!!” said everypony and dragon and started their long return home, following their own hoof steps, but after some minutes of walking, they smelled something awfull and spoiled. “Uhg!!, What that’s smell, it smell like Spike when Rarity ask him to take out the trash!! Sweetie said “That was really not necesary Sweetie, but yeah you are right, but I think I know this smell, but. . . . from where? Let me think.” In that moment the answer pop in his head like a balloon. GIRLS!!! WE HAVE TO RUN NOW!!!! The crussaders gasped but trusting Spike started to run with him like there was not tomorrow, one second later, a timberwolf humped from his hideout, the four little ponies and dragon didn’t dare to look back, they just kept runing and runing but it was obvious the timberwolf was coming closer and closer, at that moment Spike knew what he had to do, then he said. “Girls you keep running, and try to bring help, I will try to delay him the longer I can”. “nooooo Spike, dont’ do it” Sweetie said crying. “There is no other way Sweetie, I at least have scales around my body, my chances are better compared to you, trust me, I won’t let my self get caught, now goooo” “But. . . . .” they started “Just go now!!!” “O. . . . Ok, just be carefull ok” Scootalo said. The girls kept runing and Spike then stopped and turned to the timberwolf. “ok, I hope this work” he said to himself, then with all his stregnth he proceeded to fire a little Green fire ball to his persuader, the ball was not very powerfull, but enought flashy to surprise the Wolf and make him put all his attention at the baby dragon, Spike then continued with his escape and trying to atract the Wolf as far as he could from the crussaders, after minutes that appeared like hours of running, Spike noticed that he was heading and getting closer to one of the most terrifying places in all Everfree, the Sisters old castle, he really didn’t want to go there, but in this situation he was out of options. He was almost there, almost “safe”, then as if fate really really hated him, he triped and rolled int the ground, when he stood up, he felt the breath of the Wolf in his head, Spike gulped and turned around, Spike was trapped, he really didn’t believe when somepony told him that when one is about to die, he/she in that very moment in a blink of the eye sees all his/her life passed in seconds, (because he was too young, the flashback was really short), the Wolf opened his mouth to give the fatal bite to the baby dragon. Spike closed his eyes for the soon coming pain,….. but it never came, he opened his eyes, what he could see was unbelieveble, . . . . . the timberwolf was there running in circles and almost covered on fire, but that’s not what caught all his attention, what got it was that. . . just a few metters from him, covered in mud and dust, with a backpack full with maybe rocks or maybe gems (yeah right) and with some kind of torch in his “hooves”, there he was (according to Sweetie story) the human, watching how the wolf was reduced to ashes, Spike only stared at him for a while until the moment his body collapse since he wasn’t full of adrenaline like some minutes ago. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ A FEW MINUTES EARLY ALEX POV Damn!!, I really didn’t think it would take all day, well, guess when you are digging with your hands, it could take a lot of time and its a bitch of a work, at least it was almost a good day, the Oak tree had nothing, it’s just a tree but I don’t know, it gives a sensation, like it’s full of something, magic maybe, any way, I stayed there for a while, even slept there like that night, but when I woke up, I was still here, damn, well I had to try right?, or maybe it only works at night, who knows, I’ll try it some other day, but for now lets focus in the good part of the day, I have berries, some fishes, and the most important thing, my backpack full of gems, damn, I wont say it was easy but compared to how much one has to search for gems at my planet, it was SUPER EASY, I think I have enough for my “proyect” for tonight. END POV At that moment Alex Heard something, it was clearly stomps, he knew it could be a Timberwolf, he already had an encounter with a couple of them early that day, but unlike last time with the Manticore, he was prepared that time, with a stick on fire, he manage to scare them away, he really didn’t know they were that scary to the fire but hey! If it Works why complain he thought. He was thinking about leave him be, it was the Everfree, it was the way of the nature like in any Woods or forest, but when he heard the screams of the prey, he knew the wolf wasn’t chasing a bunny or a squirrel, he. . . .as fast as he could ran to the sound, when he got there, he found the wolf aproaching to kill the dragon, a purple baby dragon, . . . . . Spike? “oh no”, Alex ran again and prayed God to have good aim, he threw the “torch”, almost as if the torch was leaded by the heavens, it hit the wolf and it started to get on fire (it appears they get on fire pretty easy he thought), while the wolf was runing in circles and rolling in the ground desperatily trying to extingish the fire to finally succumb and become ashes, Alex just grabed the torch on the ground in case there were more of them, when no more came after a while, he just heard a STOMP some meters away, then he saw him, the little dragon unconcious on the ground. “damn, are all the younglings around here daredevils????” was all he could say to himself ALMOST AN HOUR LATER Spike was starting to wake up, his legs hurt a little, it was normal considering he ran for his life almost an hour ago, he could feel he was in a soft bed, maybe Twilight and the rest found him and saved him, maybe all was a dream, when he finally opened his eyes, he inmediatily noticed that he was not at his home, he was in an old room, like the bedrooms in princess celestia’s palace but darker and dusty, he proceeded to look around the room, it was obvious for him now, he was in the princess old castle, but this realization became nothing after he looked at the final corner of the room. . . . . , there he was, sitting on a chair, The. . . . human, Alex isn’t, the humas was just there staring at him with a little bag in his "hands?” The human suddendly stood up and proceeded to walk to him, Spike was terrified, his eyes closed, what could he do, he thought about breathing fire to him but he was too scared to do it, what this human planned to do, did he just wait for him to wake up to chasing him down for fun, “Twilight where are you?” he whispered with his eyes tight closed waiting for the worst. Then he felt something falling on the bed, still fearing for his life he opened his eyes, he could not believe what there was in front of him, a bag full with GEMS!!!, emeralds, rubys, saphires, a full feast. “I….. heard dragons like to eat gems, eat them, you’ll need strenght to walk back home” Alex said “. . . . . . ok . . . . . thanks” it’s all what Spike managed to say, then he proceeded to eat.