Spike's Shadow

by DraconequusMaximus


Motel Sticks

Spike and Sombra spent the rest of the train trip talking. More specifically, Spike essentially summed up each of Daring's encounters with her arch nemesis. Or at least the stories told in Daring's books, which as far as Spike knew were all true.

Sombra now vaguely regretted the act of buying the entire Daring Do collection, as he had now heard the stories of all thirty-three volumes currently in print.

After the books had been discussed, Spike told Sombra of some of the other adventures he himself had been on with his mother and the other elements of harmony. Sombra was more interested in those stories, even though he had listened to the others solely for preparedness' sake.

Finally, just before dark, the train made it's final stop. Spike and Sombra quickly gathered their belongings, and once awoken Daring Do put on the guise of A.K. Yearling again. Once everything was in order, Spike opened the cargo-car again, letting the trio get a look at the town of Farrier's Gulch.

However, it seemed that calling it a town was a bit much.

Aside from the train station, there was a small general store, a water tower, and an overly luxurious Inn. Not one house, no post office, or any other sort of business to be seen. There were indicators that there were once more buildings, but it seemed as though it had been some time since then.

The landscape itself was dry and the air was even more so. There were sparsely even any signs of plant life, other than a few yellowed and withered weeds and the occasional tumbleweed. The town's water tower was thankfully much larger than it's few occupants would need, likely from it's earlier days.

There was a small sign between the hotel and the general store, which upon inspection read:

Welcome To Farrier's Gulch!

Population: 3

"Well, this is rather underwhelming." Sombra said aloud.

"Yeah, this is almost sad. The hotel looks alright though." Spike agreed while trying to be optimistic.

"Well then let's move! It's hotter than tartarus out here. How are you two even baring this? I'm a seasoned adventurer and I'm baking."Daring complained.

"I can bathe in lava, and I'm full of fire. Weather isn't often an issue for me." Spike pointed out.

"I have an enchanted scarf that regulates my body temperature. I am relatively unaffected, though it is painfully bright out here." Sombra added.

Spike fanned his wing over Sombra and Daring, blocking the majority of the harsh sunlight. Sombra looked up at Spike, rewarding him with a single nod of thanks.

The trio headed to the inn, which was somewhat humorously known as 'The Sleeping-In Inn'.

It was a three-story building, which was probably a white color originally. Due to the desert sands, it was now a dirty tan color. The front door was unusually large, and the whole place looked rather opulent. Someone seemed keen on trying to make the inn as fancy as possible, despite the tireless onslaught of the desert winds and harsh sunlight.

Not to mention the lack of patrons the inn assuredly suffered from.

Once inside the building, Daring was saved from the desert heat by the wonder of air conditioning. Spike decided to check in first, letting Daring get cool again. Spike walked forward, minding his wings in the somewhat narrow lobby.

The first thing to notice was of course the front desk, which was quite large, made of intricately carved wood. On each panel of the wood was a brilliant representation of a pegasus pony in a gown and nightcap sleeping on a bed of clouds. A truly beautiful carving, each one painstakingly done by hoof.

Sitting behind the desk was a sleeping earth pony of a dark brown color.

His mane was short, dirty-blond, and curly, heavily resembling wood shavings. The stallion almost seemed to be made of wood himself. Looking over the desk, Spike could see that his cutie mark was a tool that looked like it was shaving wood from the stallion himself, a curly shaving depicted right behind the tool.

Spike looked back to the ponies in his company, a somewhat embarrassed look on his face.

"Could one of you two ring the service bell. I don't wanna scare this guy to death. Most ponies don't keep a level head when waking up face-to-face with a predator several times their size" Spike requested.

Daring Do stepped forward, and Spike scooted back toward the entryway a bit.

Daring tapped the bell with her hoof three times in rapid succession, startling the stallion awake. He saw that there was a pony in front of him and rubbed his eyes to be rid of the residual eye-gunk. The stallion then proceeded to grab a nearby shirt-collar, from which a name tag hung at one side, and a tie that looked like floorboards from the middle.

According to the tag, the stallion's name was Woody.

"Good evening, and welcome to The Sleeping-In Inn, Farrier's Gulch's best, and only inn. My name is Woody, and I'm the Inn keeper and sole employee." Woody droned, barely trying to pretend he had any motivation.

"Right. I'd like a room, and the odd couple back there have themselves a reservation." Daring told Woody.

Woody leaned to his left, bypassing Daring. Woody saw Sombra, thinking he was a bit odd. When his eyes traveled to Spike however, Woody began shaking in fear.

Spike was thoroughly used to it by now, and instead of taking offense he tried to persuade Woody of his good intentions.

"I know I'm a little scary, but I promise to behave. The crown reserved a room for us, and I've got ID and everything." Spike told Woody, sounding almost apologetic.

Woody straightened himself up, realizing he was being a bit insensitive. Woody motioned for Spike to come forward, and Spike slowly and carefully placed the royal passport on the desk.

Woody opened it up, comparing his copy of the reservation card with the information he had been given.

Woody handed Spike a receipt, which told him his stay for one night and one day had already been billed to the crown. After returning Spike's passport, Woody stopped Spike for a minute.

"I'm sorry about that less than warm reception sir, but I'm a teensy bit wary of fire. My special talent is carpentry and woodworking, which is very flammable by nature. Additionally, wood is rather hard to come by out here." Woody apologized, going as far as bowing his head in penance.

Spike chuckled a bit at that as he placed his passport back into his bag.

"Most ponies are afraid of the teeth or claws. I don't blame you though, these carvings on the desk are amazing. If you weren't all the way out here in the sticks I'd recommend everyone I know to you, Woody. I happen to know Princess Luna has been looking for a good craftspony that could make her some top quality old-school furniture." Spike revealed.

Woody blinked, and quickly scrounged through his desk. Eventually Woody found what he was looking for, a stack of business cards. He gave the whole stack of around fifteen cards to Spike.

"I'm dying to leave Farrier's Gulch. If I can get steady work elsewhere I can sell the family inn now that it's just me. Tell them I'll cover delivery costs for orders over a hundred bits." Woody told Spike with a glint of hope in his eyes.

Spike decided to held Woody out, removing the top card from the stack.

After taking a pen from a cup on the desk, Spike proceeded to write something on the back of the card.

Spike performed his lighter trick with his free hand and held the business card into it, keeping the flame as small as possible. Woody watched nervously as the card was reduced to sparkling ash, which Spike held aloft in his palm instead of sending off directly.

"This is some dragon magic. I can send letters, messages, etc. to anyone I'm familiar with. I'm sending your business card with a little message straight to Luna. She'll probably get in touch with you within a few days." Spike explained.

Woody's eyes were full of wonder and anticipation as Spike let the ash go. Daring dived out of the way on instinct when the ash zipped past her and underneath the door, off to Canterlot.

"Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy your stay! You're in the princess suite. Our finest room. Help yourself to anything in the suite's complimentary mini-bar and be sure to check out the stars via the moon-roof." Woody informed Spike graciously.

Woody then gave Spike a key, saying 3-1 on the attached fob.

Daring tapped her hoof on the desk, reminding Woody she also existed.

Woody smiled nervously, and took another key from beneath the desk that read 2-2. Daring took the key and hoofed Woody a small sack of bits.

With that, the trio bid Woody good night. Woody informed them breakfast was at nine, and they informed Woody in kind that they would be leaving shortly after.

Daring entered her room on the second floor while Spike and Sombra headed up to the princess suite.

Upon reaching the princess suite, Spike unlocked the door with the key and opened it. Fortunately, there was another large, opulent door on the suite as well. Spike could actually fit through it fairly well if he was careful of his wings.

The room itself was classy, if somewhat reserved.

The white carpeting was lush and comfortable, much like the carpeting in Spike's own home. The walls were spotless white, and there were gold painted trim-boards around the floor and ceiling, with carved suns, moons, and stars patterned across them. Likely more of Woody's handiwork, forcing even Sombra to admire the machine-like precision and quality the earth pony produced.

The bed was even larger than the one in Spike's own bedroom, making Spike think it was also more of Woody's handiwork.

The bed was covered in a deep, navy-blue blanket and pillows in cases of the same color. Directly above the bed was the aforementioned moon-roof, which during the moonlight hours would definitely give the occupants of the bed a fantastic view of the stars. There was a switch beside the bed that allowed for the room's occupant to control the shutters as they saw fit.

To one wall, there was a small adjoining bathroom with a shower stall, toilet, and sink with a large mirror. Opposite the foot of the bed was a mini-bar, though Spike had no intention of raiding it at present.

"Wow. This is a pretty sweet suite. If this place weren't in the middle of nowhere it'd be a really nice little getaway for couples." Spike observed.

"It has some charm, I suppose." Sombra agreed.

Spike placed their few bags in the corner of the room, then removed the dragon saddle again. It was a relief after a full day, causing Spike to give a content sigh.

After placing the saddle and everything else aside, Spike got onto the bed, finding it quite comfortable.

"This is a nice bed, but I miss being able to sleep on my back comfortably. My wings fall asleep, and even when they wake up they're stiff the whole day."

Sombra saw no harm in joining Spike on the bed, though he kept to his own side. He wished he was able to come up with a topic of interest, but only the current events came to mind. Spike had enough on his plate at the moment, and talk of the plan wouldn't help matters any right now. What Sombra wished he could do was talk as casually and effortlessly as Lyra did.

Fortunately Spike could see Sombra trying to be social, but knew he was having a hard time of it.

"Y'know, you can always say what's on your mind Sombra. I'm the last person in the world that's gonna judge you for anything." Spike told Sombra, hoping to break the ice.

Sombra watched Spike's tail move around him, obviously trying to comfort him.

Sombra nodded, but still couldn't come up with what to say. The only course of action he could think to do was to describe what he was feeling.

"Being a regular pony is much harder than I initially thought it would be. For the entirety of my memories, I could always just obtain anything and everything I wanted or needed. Now, I feel as though I've become dependent on you.

"I feel things now, to a degree. The feelings are good, at least they are most often. But at the same time, they confuse me and the hollow resonating feeling muddles my thoughts. You are the only creature on earth I can find myself tolerating for long periods, and I believe I may get... lonely, when you focus your attention on others." Sombra began.

Sombra stopped for a time, though Spike could tell he wasn't through speaking. Sombra's eyes had begun to tear up, but Sombra showed no intentions of hiding it. After a moment Sombra seemed ready to begin again.

"I realize that sounds rather pathetic, but it is the truth. I have doubts about my functionality, at least in the capacity of being a normal pony. I enjoy our escapades, more than I let on. But, I fear that when the world is safe and all is said and done that I will have no purpose. Even if I manage to become whole." Sombra finished.

Sombra felt his emotions of hollowness and unease ebb, having bared his metaphorical soul.

Spike reached out to Sombra, pulling him close. Spike did his best to hug Sombra tightly without hurting him. As a result, Sombra found himself feeling very warm, especially in the face. He decided it must have been his close proximity to Spike who was essentially a living furnace, even if the pounding sensation in his chest would have him think otherwise.

"I feel the same way sometimes. Normal life is hard for a dragon. But it can't be constant adventure, that's why I live in a house instead of a cave. Gotta make time for slow days, enjoy the small things. Like coffee, reading the paper, having company over, and playing chess with a good friend. You know? Normal stuff.

"But if you keep in touch with me, there'll always be some adventure now and then. I've got a boatload of stuff I'm supposed to do in the future, and I'd really appreciate having a friend around.

"And as far as the time thing goes, I'm sorry I'm spread thin a lot of days. You're fun to be around, and I can relate to the not-belonging thing. I like your company, and if we're being totally honest I think I need you just as much as you need me. You make me less stressed out, since I know you're not going to die on me." Spike explained guiltily.

Sombra was rather surprised to see tears run down Spike's face, turning to steam before even starting the second half of their journeys.

"I have bad dreams about my loved ones dying of old age while I get bigger and stronger, but you'll always be the same. I can't help but think about it, but that's not the only reason I like you. You're a good guy, and it's becoming more and more clear each day. You've been dealt a shitty hand in life, but if a fire-breathing monster can become a semi-popular guy I don't doubt you can find a place to be happy." Spike continued, sounding incredibly guilty.

Though Spike hadn't directly addressed it, he had been thinking about his attraction to Sombra. Spike was rather worried that he was only having feelings for Sombra because of their shared longevity.

Now however Spike believed it was more than that, but he still wasn't about to tell Sombra. Sombra almost definitely wasn't ready for that kind of revelation. Emotions were still difficult for him, and love was a ridiculously complex thing to explain or rationalize to begin with. There was no way for Spike to know how Sombra would react to his feelings.

For the foreseeable future Spike would have to keep tight-lipped about his feelings for Sombra.

"I... I would be honored to accompany you on your future endeavors." Sombra stuttered.

Sombra for his part had kept his tears dammed up as much as possible, but eventually the floodgates burst completely open.

After a few more minutes of drying eyes, Spike and Sombra were able to look at one another again without tears. As Sombra blinked in succession in an attempt to return his eyes to their normal state something caught Spike's attention. Sombra was caught off guard as Spike leaned his head in close, staring him dead in the eyes.

"Sombra? Are you alright? Not feeling weird or anything?" Spike asked, his tone heavy with concern.

Sombra back at Spike, a look of confusion clearly painted on his face.

"What on Earth are you talking about?"

"Your eyes were red last you checked, right?" Spike asked, confusing Sombra even more.

"Well of course my eyes are red. Just as they... Have always... Been?" Sombra started, losing confidence as he went.

Sombra hadn't considered that he might used to have looked different before Dootha took control. A curved and dual-toned horn wasn't exactly standard for a unicorn, which should have been obvious to Sombra already. Even upon discovering his carnivore teeth allowed him to enjoy meat Sombra hadn't put much effort into thinking of his past self's appearance.

Needless to say Sombra felt rather stupid.

"What color are they now?" Sombra implored Spike.

"A purple color, somewhere between my scales and mom's coat. They changed once before, the first time you tried smoking joke and got all sappy. I figured it was the joke though. They were blue then, but were red again when you woke up the next morning." Spike admitted somewhat guiltily.

Sombra heard Spike's words, but they seemed to go right over his head. Sombra jumped off the bed, heading into the bathroom. Quickly turning on the light, Sombra rushed over to the mirror.

What Spike had said was true, Sombra's eyes had changed from red to purple.

Combining the change with what Spike had said, it seemed possible, or even likely that Sombra's eyes had been blue at one point in time.

Sombra stared into his own eyes in the mirror, for how long he wasn't certain.

The world suddenly began growing darker, and Sombra felt as though he was falling.

The last thing Sombra heard before losing consciousness was Spike crying out to him.