//------------------------------// // Ch.6 Sadness and Sparks // Story: The Origin Chronicles Vol. 2 // by SmokeShadow95 //------------------------------// Spike and the rest of them returned to the inn. Spike was quiet. He kept his head low and said nothing except the fact that they were leaving. It was up to Twilight and Rarity to tell the rest of the ponies. Meanwhile, Spike made his way up to Rainbow Dash's improvised hospital room. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were both in there, draped over her bed, sleeping. They both woke up when he entered. He just moved in and gently scooped up Rainbow Dash. She made some subconscious winces of pain, but other than that no movement. He placed her in a mobile hospital bed and then walked away. Rarity explained what was happening. Every pony watched as Spike led the bed that carried Rainbow Dash out of the building. He moved for the front door and cleared the debris with a wave of his hand. Almost all of the wall went with it, but he no longer cared. The whole town looked like that and worse. On either side of Dash's bed were her friends. Pinkie and Fluttershy to her left and Rarity and Twilight to her right. They walked the bed out. The small amount of ponies that remained all followed. Spike led them through the remains of Appleloosa and to the train station. The one place in town that remained mostly intact. Just in time as well. The train he was on had just pulled in and ponies were getting off. They saw Spike approach and the questions started. The young filly that watched his coat moved to the front of the crowd and and watched for Spike. He ran out to meet him as soon as he saw purple scales. Spike simply stepped over him without even a glance down. The ponies parted ways as he stepped and then they saw it. The bed with the blue pony in it. They all knew who it was. With the four ponies surrounding it it was hard not to know. The remaining ponies of Appleloosa all boarded the train and the rest got back on. The next stop was Canterlot. No pony objected. Spike took the back cabin as he usually did and his friends joined him. The only other ponies allowed in were the doctors to watch over Rainbow Dash. The train arrived in Canterlot later that day. It was afternoon, not that any pony could tell. Dark clouds filled the sky and rain poured down onto the land of Equestria. Spike had called Luna on the Night Calling Mirror and told her what happened. Twilight had to take over the call and she explained the rest. After the call Luna immediately got her sister and Cadance. They all awaited the train at the station. The ponies of Appleloosa were all rounded up and led to a safe place where they could get help. The other ponies just left the train and wandered into Canterlot. The last ones off were Spike and the girls. Dash's hospital bed came off the train and Spike put up a small barrier above it to keep her dry. Reluctantly the ponies let some doctors take her away. They knew it was for the best. That didn't stop both Rarity and Fluttershy from crying. Even in the rain the ponies could tell the tears running down their cheeks. The rest of them all headed for the castle. Even in the pouring rain ponies filled the streets of Canterlot. They watched as the four Princess's all walked to the castle. Twilight did her best to follow Celestia's example and held her head up high, but she could not stop the tears from rolling down her cheeks. She hoped the rain would hide them. Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity walked behind them. All their heads hung low. The ponies in the streets were all whispering and talking amongst themselves. Rumors were already spreading. I thought there were six of them. Why are there only four? I heard one of them is in the hospital. Spike was the last. He brought up the rear. His head hung as low as the others, if not lower. He had gotten his coat back from the filly and was wearing it. That didn't hide the face that he was clenching his fists tightly. Luna looked back at him with worry in her heart and sadness in her eyes. Days passed, and she came to visit Spike. She had just gotten out of the latest briefing. Twilight and Fluttershy and Rarity and Pinkie Pie all told them what they knew about what happened. Spike was supposed to be there but he did not show up. Luna had an idea of where he would be. “How did you find me,” Spike asked her. “Like I told you before: I always know where you are,” Luna said, “Plus you are in my chambers.” “I don't even know why I'm here,” Spike said, “I should be trying to find a way to save Rainbow Dash, or find Applejack, or fix Appleloosa, or something.” Luna walked over to Spike. He was leaning over the railing of the balcony, looking out over the city. Night had fallen by that point, but no pony was sleeping. No pony could. Even now Luna could feel the nightmares forming in their dreams. She stood next to Spike and looked out over the city. For a while she did not say anything. She just stood there. After a while Spike looked over at her. “You silly little dragon,” Luna said. “What? What do you mean,” Spike asked. “You need to stop thinking with your head,” Luna stated, “Listen to your heart Spike. What does that say? What does your heart tell you you should do?” Spike thought about this for a moment. He stared into Luna's big beautiful eyes and a thought came to him. Kiss her. My heart tells me to kiss her. But he did not. Instead he put his head over rail. “I don't know,” He said with frustration, “All this happened. Rainbow Dash is hurt really bad. I don't know where Applejack is. Most of the ponies of Appleloosa are gone. All of that, and I don't know what to do.” Spike pushed himself away from the railing and stepped back into Luna's chambers. He paced around the room a bit before he continued talking. “Twilight broke down in Appleloosa. She didn't know what to do and she asked me for help. I don't know what I'm doing. This is all new to me too. How am I supposed to stop this Madness when I can't even help out my friends?” “Spike. Why do you doubt yourself so much? Look at what you have done. You knew something bad was going to happen in Appleloosa. There was no way you could have stopped it from happening. Not even me or Celestia saw it,” Luna said sincerely, “And when Twilight asked you for help you did the right thing. You found your friends and you got them out. You got them away from danger and here, where you knew they could get help. I don't have all the answers Spike, but I do know one thing. One thing that I believe more than any other.” “And what is that,” Spike asked. “That you will find a way to beat this. I will always be here to help you. So will Twilight and Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie and Rarity. I know Rainbow Dash is doing well and will recover.” “She shouldn't have to,” Spike shouted, “I sent them into that! It is my fault that she got hurt. And she is not the only one. Pinkie Pie has not smiled once since we got back. Fluttershy has barely spoken a word. Twilight's a nervous wreck and then there's me. I don't even know what I am.” Luna was quickly realizing that this was not something a simple talk could fix. She would always be there for Spike. However, this was something that only he could pull himself out of. She left him to his dreaming, but not before leaving him with one last bit of information. “I know Spike,” She said softly, “That you are the one that I love.” Spike awoke from his slumber instantly. What the hay was that? A dream? Luna visiting him in his dream? He had to admit to himself that it was not the first time he had dreams about Luna. That left him confused. He was more and more confused lately than he liked to be. Most of it was centered around Luna. He needed some advice. He was wandering the corridors of the castle in an attempt to find a pony who might be able to help him. But who? Celestia? No! Definitely not. She was Luna's sister. That conversation would just be way to awkward for Spike. Even if she was okay with it she would probably want to make some grand celebration out of it. That was the last thing either him or Luna needed. Twilight? No, not her either. She would just end up giving him countless facts about the relationships between ponies and the changes to their bodies. And then she would point out the obvious fact that he was not a pony. Twilight was his friend, but when it came to matters of the heart she was not the best pony to talk to. And as he was thinking about his matter of the heart the perfect pony to talk to showed up. “Hello Spike,” Cadance said, “I get the feeling you want to talk to me.” “Oh, hello Cadance,” Spike said bashfully, “What makes you say that?” “It's about Luna, isn't it,” Cadance more said than asked. Cadance watched as Spike's purple cheeks turned red. If she didn't know better she would say there was a fire burning behind those scales of his. Maybe there was. She just smiled and started walking with Spike. “Oh please Spike. I am the Princess of Love after all,” Cadance said, “And it is plain for everypony to see. Luna loves you, and you love her. If you just admit it to yours-” “I know I love Luna,” Spike cut her off, “That is the problem. How do I deal with that? Huh?! She is an Alicorn Pony Princess, and I am just a dragon who knows some magic.” “Spike, Spike, Spike,” Cadance said, “You have a fire burning under all those scales. Not the fire of dragon magic, or even the fire of friendship. What burns in you now is the fire of love. The flames of passion. Don't let that flame burn out. Talk to Luna.” They had been walking for a few moments now. Spike saw that they had exited the castle and were now outside. The rain had stopped but the sky was still dark and the air still. Spike sat down on a stone bench and and hung his low. He sighed deeply before responding to Cadance. “Luna loves me. I love Luna. How I wish it were just that simple,” Spike stated, “How am I supposed to tell her that it can't happen. Not yet anyway. There is a darkness coming. Far worse than Galeek, and I don't know what is going to come out of it. How can I fight that and worry about Luna at the same time? Tell me, is there an answer to that?” “There is,” Cadance said, “But you have to find for yourself. I can help show you the way, but that is it.” The next few moments were a blur, but Spike and Cadance ended up at a place that was very familiar to Spike. A large set of double doors, emblazoned with the emblem of the moon. The chambers that lay beyond were that Luna. “This is where it started Spike, all those years ago,” Cadance said. Spike opened the doors just enough for him to slip into the chambers. They closed behind him and left him in the dark room. It never seemed so big from the outside. That always made him wonder if Luna cast some sort of spell. He scanned the room for the familiar shape of the Princess of the Night. Not a single window was open, or a single candle lit. There was barely any light in the room at all. What little there was came in through the cracks. He needed some more light. And he got some. “Oh, hi Spike,” Luna said as she magically lit some candles. About a dozen or so candles around the room lit up. The flames danced wildly for a second before settling down. She was sitting in the middle of the floor with many books covering the floor around her. She looked like she hadn't slept in three days. So was it really her in his dream? Spike stood their awkwardly. He used every ounce of self control to keep himself from blushing like an idiot. He fidgeted with his tail and turned to look away from her. He went so far as to turn his back to her. His heart was beating so fast he thought he was about to collapse. “Spike, is something the matter,” Luna asked, “Are you okay?” Yes. He was. He was okay. His heart slowed and went back to normal. He stood tall and proud. He took a deep breath before turning back to Luna. She had stood up, and was now looking at him. She had a little worry in her eyes. He saw it, and everything that lay beyond. He knew what he needed to do. He crossed the distance between them in two steps. He got so close to Luna she could feel the heat of his body rolling off his scales. She looked up at him. He looked down into her eyes. He placed both hands on her head. His claws gently moved through her mane, and he leaned down to her. In that moment Spike kissed her. His scaled lip met hers. A spark traveled between the two and the moment was forever frozen and preserved in the memories of both of them. That moment, that one precious moment, ended and Spike looked deeply into her eyes. He embraced her in his arms and whispered to her what his heart told him. The thing that he had been wanting to say for a long time now. “You are the pony that I love, Luna,” Spike whispered in her ear, “And I will come back to you. With every spark of life I have in these scales I will return. With all my heart I promise you that.” The doors to the hospital room burst open with a surprising force. It was a great shock to the silence that was still surrounding the ponies. Rainbow Dash was stable, but had still not woken up. The four ponies that were there now rarely left the room. Twilight's royal duties demanded more of her than the others and she still made it in much of the time. But now the silence was broken, and in walked Spike. Spike was very different than he had been the past few days. Ever since Appleloosa he had been quiet, distant, and full of sadness. Something changed in him. Now he stood with his head held high and a new flame of confidence burned in his scales. He was wearing one of his many longcoats when he came into the room. All four ponies stared up at him. “Come on. Get up,” He said, “We have work to do.” “What do you mean 'work',” Rarity asked, “We can't just leave Rainbow Dash like this.” “Yes, we can. Do you think she would want you to just sit around here doing nothing? No! She would want us all out there looking for the thing that did this to her,” Spike firmly stated, “Not to mention that we are still one pony down. We have to find Applejack. We can't leave her alone out there.” “We all agree with you Spike. We do,” Fluttershy said timidly, “But not all of us are cut out to for the hero stuff. That is more for you, isn't it?” “Trust me Fluttershy, I would not be dragging you into this if I had a choice. But I can't do this one by myself. This is too big for even me,” Spike admitted. “And, you gotta pay them all back for what they did to MR. Bear,” Pinkie told Fluttershy, “WITH INTEREST!” Fluttershy thought about what Pinkie had said for a few moments. Then she came to a decision. She took a deep breath and then puffed her chest out and put a serious look on her face. She was in. Fluttershy may not be the bravest pony, but she was most always reliable. After her came Pinkie herself. She pulled out a pink and black camo helmet and nodded to Spike. Rarity sighed and raised a hoof to show her support. Last was Twilight. They all looked at her to see her decision. She was looking down at Rainbow Dash. “Rainbow Dash. You know he is right. You don't want us in here. So we're going to leave, and find the things that did this to you,” Twilight said, “I promise you we will find them, and Applejack too. Everything will be alright. Just wait and see. We'll tell you all about it when you wake up.” Twilight leaned in to her friend and gave a small hug. Fluttershy followed her lead, leaning in to hug her injured friend. Then Pinkie Pie and Rarity did the same. Twilight brought her wings up to cover the five of them, and Fluttershy did the same with hers from the other side. Spike couldn't see it at the time, but the ponies were crying. A few tears dropped from each of them and landed on the bandages covering Rainbow Dash. “Alright now. Let's get going,” Twilight said, “Where to Spike? We'll follow your lead on this one.”