//------------------------------// // The Great Wall of Emotions // Story: The Judas Kiss // by friedlambo //------------------------------// Spike ran as fast as his little legs allowed him to. He didn't care where he would go, or when he would even return home. All he cared about was getting away from Rarity, from Twilight, and from heartache. He just wanted to get away from everything. All he could think and feel was distress as tears slowly trickled and bounced off of his face after every step. He eventually came across the Everfree Forest, and without a moment's hesitation, he ran onwards and inside the dark forest, uncaring as to how late it was, and considerably dangerous at that. After what seemed like ages, Spike slowly came to a halt, and fell to his knees on the ironically rough grass, put his hands on the ground, and continued weeping pathetically. How could all of this happen to him? What in Celestia's name did he do to deserve such hurt? Spike stopped sobbing, and sat on his behind, putting his head in his crossed arms over his knees. He began thinking about Rarity, about how cold and carelessly heartless she was to say those things about him, even if he wasn't meant to hear it. It ached him badly to know the things that she thought of him, yet there was still an aching feeling in his heart. He still felt something that he knew he shouldn't be feeling right now. His heart wouldn't deny it, and even if he had wanted to, he knew that he never could: He was still in love with Rarity. The mare had gone and practically called him a pathetic dragon, yet the poor dragon himself was still hopelessly in love with her, and that's why this whole situation hurt him all the more. Her words stung like alcohol to a wound, and memories that the two spent together slowly began to blur in Spike's mind as he realized that they may just remain that way: simple memories, and nothing more. He mentally slapped himself, knowing that he had wasted all this time to win her heart, but only to gain the opposite effect for himself. He had won heartache, and that was all. She didn't love him, and that was all it took for him to run off. "Dear boy, you look like you're going through some emotional issues." Came a voice behind Spike, causing him to jump up and squeal in surprise. He darted around, but saw nothing, just darkness. This scared Spike, to say the least. "W-who's there?" He asked, hoping that he would get an answer. "Tell me, what's she like?" Came the voice again, but this time, it came from the left of him. Again, Spike snapped his head in the direction of the voice, but found only emptiness. He was beginning to panic. "Ha! You're too easily startled and frightened, boy, but I guess that's why I'm here." Came the voice again. Spike, hearing this voice for a third time, realized that it was now coming from directly in front of him, and his eyes widened as the heir of the voice slowly made its way into the open to reveal themselves. "Discord?!" Spike yelled, both with shock and anger. "How are you-? What do you want?!" "Calm down, kiddo. Why I'm not a statue isn't exactly important right now. What is important, however, is the fact that you seem to be in quite the blue mood. Was I right? Is it because of a mare?" He asked. a devious smile on his face as he leaned his long neck down towards Spike. "W-what's it to you? It's none of your concern! Just wait until Twilight and the others know about you being out here! They'll come and defeat you again!" Spike yelled, hoping to intimidate his enemy. His response, however, was far from what he had expected. Discord raised his head high in the air, and began laughing maniacally. "Hahaha! Boy, what are you talking about? Are you telling me that you're still going to stand for the very ponies who have despised you? You truly are pathetic!" He said, lowering his head back down to Spike's level. Spike, still scowling at his enemy, tried to deny his words, but couldn't. Discord, although he hated to admit it, was right; he was entrusting the very thing that he ran away from. He was hoping that Twilight and the others would come and save him. Spike felt degraded. "W-wait a second, how did you know that-" "That you ran away from your 'friends?' Kid, you're forgetting who the Element of Chaos is. I can smell and see these things from miles away. I feed on other's pain and sorrow, and my friend, you are leaving one hell of a trail of it." Spike, eyes wide, simply fell on his behind, unable to find any other way out of this fiend's horrible tactics at deceiving him. "So, tell me! What's she like? Hmm?" Discord asked, almost tauntingly. Spike felt very hesitant to tell him his problems. Why should he? What did this monster care for his feelings towards another mare? Why did this seem so important to him? Then again, what else could he possibly do? He had nothing to lose. He had already ran away from his friends, who probably deceived him now due to his recent outburst. Not that he cared, though. "She's...her name...her name is...is Rarity.." Spike began. Discord simply nodded slowly, and his grin spread wider. "She's, simply put, the most beautiful mare that I have ever laid my eyes on. Her coat glistens in the moon, her mane flows elegently around her in smooth transitions, and her voice is just...just heavenly. I've loved her ever since I met her, and I know that this one isn't just a silly childhood crush. I knew that this was something more. I could feel it in my heart." Discord let out a silent grunt. "But...but today, I learned that she not only doesn't share the same feelings towards me, but she-" Spike paused. He felt as if he was going to choke out the last remaining words. Discord waved his hand in forward motions, telling Spike to go on. "She thinks that I'm pathetic." "There!" Discord shouted. Spike shook in surprise at his outburst. "W-what?" Spike questioned, confused. "Your emotions. They're getting the best of you, and because of the love that you share for her, you care about what she thinks of you, and now you feel nothing but despair in your heart because of it. Am I right?" Discord asked, grinning mischievously at Spike as he spoke. Spike simply stared at him in confusion, oblivious as to what Discord was trying to say exactly. "Kid, what you need to do in order to live through this is simple; you have to kill your feelings. With feelings, one is able to feel things towards another that makes them feel all jittery and fuzzy inside, and for the most part, if makes you feel good." Discord said, making Spike nod in agreement. Discord simply chuckled at this. "However, when one feels compassion and love for another, then they are just as bound to experience heartbreak and deception. With feelings, one is able to feel the most sorrowful of feelings, and at times, it can take a huge tole on the one that feels such things." At this, Discord turned his head away, and Spike could have sworn he saw his evil smile briefly turn into a sad frown. A quick mental slap to the face, however, quickly changed that back into a mischievous one, and he went on. "Right now, you're experiencing a lot of pain, but in your heart. Have you ever considered or thought that if it wasn't for your love for this mare, that you would never be hurting right now? In order for one to feel pain, they must first experience bliss. Ironically, that very bliss is what brought you here right now. Your heart is basically having an argument with what your mind thinks, and until you rid your feelings, you will always see things with emotional despair." Spike stood up slowly from where he sat on the ground. He raised his claws to his chest level, and looked at them as if he were holding something dear to him. Realization hit him. Although the way that Discord chose to describe it was confusing, Spike understood enough to know that he was making sense; in order to be hurt emotionally, you must first feel. If there was anything that Spike hated, it was emotional distress, and right now was now exception. "Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you, boy?" Discord asked, waiting for the little dragon's reply. Spike remained silent. He was still contemplating on the speech that Discord had given him. Why did feelings have to be so complicated? "I...I understand, but why are you telling me all of this? Why are you trying to make me believe in such things?" Discord looked up into the night sky, his gaze falling upon the bright moon that was illuminating the ground beneath them. Letting out what Spike could have sworn sounded like a sad sigh, he began to speak. "Kid, I don't normally do this, but I see...potential in you. To be honest, you remind me me of how i was whenever i was just a small, incompetent fool, like you are now." Spike scowled at this. "Wait, I remind you of how you used to be? How's that? Are you trying to tell me that you too were in lo-" "Don't think for a second about even finishing that sentence!" Discord growled, dropping his head right down next to Spike's in an attempt to scare him. Successful, of course, as Spike fell down on his back in fear. "S-sorry! I just didn't know what you meant, that's all.." He retaliated. Grunting in annoyance, the large, snake-like behemoth before him rose up to his full height, and looked down upon Spike, as if he were some kind of overlord. Granted, in a way, he was. In a quick, swift motion, Discord waved his right hand just above Spike's head-spikes, causing the dragon to flinch. A large aura of black and red began to swirl around the dragon, and in a panic of not knowing what was going on, SPike began to scream. Soon, the dragon was no longer even visible to Discord, as he was completely covered in the small tornado-like cloud of mystical aura that he had bestowed upon him. Discord simply grinned as he watched on, awaiting his little plan to finally finish. _________________________________________________________________________________________ The innards of the Carousel Boutique had never looked so disorganized in ages. What was once the most top-shape place in Ponyville quickly turned into a pile of mess, as the host couldn't find herself enough time to even care about taking care of it. Orders were piling on, and she was greatly behind in her schedule. Rarity, Ponyville's most generous and caring pony, hadn't come out of her house ever since Spike ran away. It had been five days since that fateful night that the dragon had fled from town, and his screams of anger and heartbreak still stung and lingered in the ivory unicorn's mind. She had been a fool. A fool to ever even have said such horrible things about him to Twilight. What drove her to say such things in the first place? Did she truly mean it? Did she really think Spike was pathetic? Didi she really think he was all that horrible? Did it truly matter that she was a pony, and that he was a dragon? No, no it didn't. None of that mattered. Now that she thought about it, such thoughts were only mere excuses and heartless misconceptions. Spike wasn't the pathetic one, she was. Spike wasn't the horrible one, she was. All the things that she had said about him now ironically described her in her current situation; she was a pathetic, heartless mare who had just thrown away one of her greatest friends thanks to her carelessness. She would never forget the hurtful look that Spike had worn as he screamed at her, just as she deserved. A tear formed in her eye as she thought back to that day. She would never, not even in a thousand lifetimes, forget that day. Rarity sat up in her bed, and looked out the window. Another beautiful day. The sun was shining all around town, and she could hear the laughter of several fillies and other citizens just outside. Another beautiful day for her, however, to stay inside. She couldn't even think about walking outside anymore. All it did was remind her of her mistake, remind her that she would have to see Twilight, and although the two weren't exactly in a quarrel with one another, she still felt guilty. She had, after all, driven her number-one assistant away, and Twilight had every right to be angry with her. But then again, this is what bothered Rarity even more. Why was Twilight not angry with her? Why had she forgiven her so easily? Perhaps the lavender unicorn and her both understood the situation was a complete mistake? An unintended mistake? Or maybe, perhaps, Twilight knew Spike well enough to know that he would simply just return home one day and completely forget about everything? Rarity huffed to herself. She knew it wouldn't be that easy, if that were to be the case. She finally mustered up enough energy to get down from her bed, and lazily walk down the stairs and into her kitchen, where she began to prepare herself some coffee. Getting some water to boil, Rarity sat down on one of her sofas, and planted her face into her hooves. She was the worst pony that she had ever met in her entire life. Hot tears began to well and mash themselves with her hooves, and she slowly began to weep. For the first time in what seemed like years, the mare began to feel a very hurtful feeling that she feared of ever having to feel again. Her heart had broken in two, and a particular purple dragon, who now most likely despised her, had taken a half of it with him. *Author's note*: Don't expect the next chapter to take as long to be published. I have been working on another long one-shot as of late, but have made enough progress with it to continue with this story, so yeah.