//------------------------------// // Ch.9 Abandonment // Story: The Origin Chronicles Vol. 2 // by SmokeShadow95 //------------------------------// Spike rose. He had finally left the cave. That desolate, barren cave that served as a temporary shelter from the sun and the cold was far behind him now. He knew where he was going now. He was on his way to the Crystal Empire. Cadance had pleaded and begged for his help before, but he was too caught up in his own failures to even bother hearing her out. He deeply regretted that. If only he had not smashed the mirror. He would call her now and apologize. He only had one choice left to him now. Spike climbed up the cliff. The very same cliff that had the cave nestled under it. Spike had set out to climb this sheer drop of a rocky cliff. And he did. With sharp claws, a lot of strength, and just a bit of magic he was able to climb his way up to the top of the cliff. It was just as barren up there as the desert was below him. Spike turned to face the edge of the cliff. The Crystal Palace. That was his destination. It was in that direction. He had to get there as fast as possible. That meant he had to use his wings one more time. Spike groaned as he arced his back. His muscles in that area were stiff and sore. They always were. He didn't use his wings enough to stretch them out and work them in. Well, now was his chance. His wings snapped out in both directions in a flash of movement. He gave a few test flaps that stirred up the sand around him. Good. They were strong. It was time to do as Rainbow Dash taught him. Spike closed his eyes and held his head up toward the sky. He could feel the winds coming. Across his entire body. Across every scale he could feel it. Tiny grains of sand lightly blowing over his scales. More and more as the winds got stronger. Spike could hear the whistling of the winds in his ears. Actually, it was more than that. He heard them in his head and his heart. He could feel the shifting winds stir up the sands. He was tuning into the instinct of flying. Dash always said that any creature with wings, no matter how big or small, had the instinct. It was that instinct that made moving through the air so enjoyable. Spike never fully got what she was saying until now. Now he felt it. For the first time in his life, Spike tapped into his instinct to fly. And when he did he stepped off the cliff. Spike flew for a while, but he was not sure how long exactly. He had passed the boundaries of the desert a while back. He did not feel tired at all. His wings were holding up nicely. He soared through the air like a true dragon of the lands. He was still having to learn some things as he went, however. Like dodging airborne obstacles. Not as easy as Dash made it look. Then again, she did have many years practice before hand. Spike had one, and most of it was spent with his wings tucked close to his back. Spike smiled as he soared through the skies of the Crystal Empire. Then he saw it The Crystal Palace. The city spread out around it. The crystal ponies all bustling about their lives. He was here. He had made it. Unfortunately for him, some of the crystal ponies had also noticed him. Well, a large moving shadow that was getting closer and closer was noticed. A pony notified the guard, and the guard notified Princess Cadance. She and her guards came out of the Crystal Palace and immediately aimed their eyes on the sky. Spike could see them. The sun was behind him, so he was not as visible to them as they were to him. He was here to help. He was late, but he was here. He circled the Palace a few more times before making his final descent. He came back around to the front of the Palace one last time. He tucked in his wings a little and dived for the ground. He gained a lot of speed as he fell through the air like a meteor. As he neared the ground he pulled up and spread his wings back out again. For a moment he hovered in the air like some ethereal being come to make all their problems go away. With a final flap Spike folded in his wings and fell to ground. He landed with a hard thud that almost split the crystal he landed on. He landed in a kneeling position. There he stayed until Cadance walked up to him. “Calm down, all of you,” Cadance said with authority, “And you, Spike. Rise to your feet.” Spike could hear it all behind him. All the ponies from the entire city crowded the streets now. They wanted to know what was going on. Who was this new visitor from the sky? When they heard his name they were shocked. Astonished. Spike. He had come back. Gasps and whispers and nasty comments ran through the crowd like a raging river. Spike was expecting this. He did as Cadance told and rose. He slowly picked himself up off the ground and stood to face the Princess. Although, he did not look at her. He looked down, and away. He could not look her in the eyes. Not after what he had done. Cadance could see it in him. He looked down. He looked away. He looked ashamed. He looked sorry. She was about to start talking to him when another voice broke the silence that was created between the two. “Spike the Dragon.” The comment was more of an announcement. Spike didn't care. What he was too focused on was the voice. He had heard it before. A long time ago. From a young little filly that saved his life once. Spike turned to face the crowd. There she stood. One pony against a thousand more. And Spike recognized her instantly. “Flake,” He said softly, “Flake Frost.” Flake stepped forward from the crowd. She had gotten bigger since he had last seen her. Not quite as big as Twilight and them yet, but she was close. Soon she wouldn't even be a filly anymore. She sure had grown up. She was smiling when Spike saw her. And when she walked up to him she was still smiling. But not for long. The smile was fake. A show to put on so she could get close. And once she did Spike saw how she truly felt. She was just a few paces away from him now. Spike watched as her smile dropped into a frown. Then her frown was twisted into a face of rage and anger. Flake's eyes narrowed as she locked onto the dragon before her. Spike could not react quickly enough to her anger. Quicker than a flash she charged her horn up and fired an icy blast of pure magic at him. Spike took a direct hit to the chest. The sheer force of the blast knocked him back. The Crystal Guard put up a barrier around Cadance. Spike hit it and bounced right off. Spike tried to recover, but Flake was relentless. Her horn was glowing white with a fury. She half yelled as she blasted Spike again. And again. And again. No pony moved to stop her. Not even Cadance, or Shining Armor. When she finally did let Spike up she was still not through with him. He rose to his feet wearily. Flake's horn flashed strongly and Spike felt a rumbled beneath him. He barely got out of the way in time as a massive ice spire shot out of the ground where he just stood. Jeez! Was she trying to kill him? She almost did just that with another ice spire on his other side. That left him with no room to move. No where to go. Spike was stuck with his back to a crystal pillar. Just where Flake wanted him. “Flake. Why,” Spike asked with a heavy breath. “YOU ABANDONED US,” Flake yelled at Spike as she stopped her spell, “You abandoned us! It has been a month Spike, and you left us all here. You left us alone. You left me all alone.” Her eyes were angry. She had rage in her heart now. Spike could see through the single instant that she stopped. Her eyes were full of it. But it was not fiery heat of anger and rage that he thought it was. No, this rage in her was not hot, but cold. The cold of hatred and sorrow gripped her now. Spike saw it. He sensed it in her, but she did not have the Madness. Just the anger. Spike stood up fully with his back against the pillar. He held his head up and looked at Flake. She yelled out and fired another blast from her horn. Spike took the blast directly to his chest. It pressed him back against the pillar. And then he felt it. The cold. A bitter, unyielding cold that spread over his entire chest. He felt the cold as Flake herself must. It was coming from her after all. Spike felt her cold hatred as it spread frost and ice over his body. Until the time came where he felt nothing at all anymore. The clear ice crystal spread over his eyes and completed his ice prison. Flake panted as she cast her ice spell over Spike. His prison of clear ice encased him. Flake's breathing slowly returned to normal. She glared at Spike for several more moments until something took her attention away. Someone. A pony. “Excuse me,” This pony said. A deep voice broke the silence that Flake had created. A very deep voice sounded off. Flake turned around to see the biggest pony she had ever laid eyes on. Strikefire. The Forge Master for the Crystal Palace. He emerged from the seemingly endless crowd of ponies that filled the streets. He was taller than almost all of them. Stronger, too. Flake looked upon this massive pony who had anger of his own in his eyes. Flake thought his anger was targeted at Spike as well, but she was wrong. He emerged from the sea of ponies and locked his eyes on Flake Frost herself. “Excuse me, little missy,” Strikefire said, “Just what in the name of the Crystal Empire do you think you are doing here?” “What do you mean,” Flake said with a shudder. “What do I mean? What do I mean,” Strikefire resounded, “I mean why did you freeze the one being in all of Equestria that could stop this madness?! Huh? I want to know why you did that!” “He abandoned us! He left us here,” Flake said with a fury in her voice, “He deserves it. He wants to just sit by and watch. Well, now he can.” “You stupid, stupid young filly,” Strikefire said, “Do you really think he just left for no good reason?!” Flake cowered before the might of Strikefire's booming voice. It shook the ground and nearly shattered the crystal around him. Flake ducked to the ground until her head were as low as her hooves. Strikefire didn't move as he spoke to her. His loud voice echoed inside her skull as his words left him. “There is a Madness here, Flake Frost. Spike has seen it first hand,” He said as paced around the platform they were both on, “We have all heard the rumors and the stories. Spike has lost a lot. More than most ponies can bear. First it was his Rainbow friend that was nearly killed in Appleloosa. Then the Apple one caught the Madness and ran. Still hasn't been found.” “Wh- why are you t- t- telling me this,” Flake mumbled. “Because you need to hear it! I have heard talk in the Palace, Flake. Two more ponies gone. The timid one who cares for animals, taken away by the Mares of this Madness. And the pink one who makes ponies laugh. She fell into an abyss so dark and deep that Tartarus looks comfortable by comparison. Do you understand now, Flake?” “I get it,” She said. “Do you? Two ponies walked out of that desert. Spike was not with them. He rose from those sands alone and afraid. He didn't know if his friend's were alive or dead. He broke. You would too. Do you any family? A mother? A father?” “And two brothers,” Flake finished. “Now imagine all of them. Gone. One by one, you lost everything. Until you were alone. Then you just might make it close to how Spike felt in the desert,” Strikefire drilled into Flake's head. “He is right. Spike believed us all to dead or gone, Flake Frost.” Both Strikefire and Flake looked up towards the Crystal Palace. A princess stood there. Right alongside Cadance and Shining Armor. Twilight Sparkle. Flake immediately spun to face her, but kept her head low. Strikefire straightened up and lowered his head as well. “Spike is just like you and me, Flake,” Twilight said, “He has emotions, and feelings, and a heart. When I left him in that desert it wasn't just my heart that broke.” Twilight asked that Flake come with her. They needed to talk. She also asked that Spike be freed from his prison of ice. Flake did not look at Twilight after she heard her request. She did not want to. Twilight heard a faint grunt from her. However, Strikefire was able to take over from there. He walked up to the dragon that put him where he was now. Forge Master. Because of his size he was able to almost look Spike in the eyes. Also because of his huge build he was easily able to break the ice. He reared up on his hind legs with a grunt. He cast a large shadow back until he came down again. When he did come back down his hooves hit the ice with a tremendous amount a force. The ice did not shatter, but it did break. Cracks and splits spread out across the ice in a web like pattern from both hooves impact. Strikefire repeated the action twice more. The last hit did it. The ice broke off in giant chunks. Spike was freed. He stood there still for a moment. Then Spike fell. He fell forward and onto the waiting back of a friend. Strikefire carried him into the Crystal Palace just behind Twilight and Flake. Once inside and away from the eyes of the crowd Twilight leads the ponies deeper into the Crystal Palace. Not to the place they were expecting, though. Twilight lead them all to the guest rooms located higher in the castle. Almost all of the rooms were empty. All except a few. And only one had a guard pony stationed outside the door. Twilight's room. All of them went inside. Strikefire set Spike down on a couch under a far window as gently as he could. Spike sat up after a moment, wide eyed and awake. “Thank you Strikefire,” Spike said, “For defending me. It couldn't have been easy.” “It was not,” Strikefire said, “About a week ago my sister was almost taken by those Darkmares. I was able to drive them off before they got to her, though. My only thought then was where in Equestria is the dragon with the power to stop them? What would happen if they came back? It was only two before, but what if they came back with more?” “Lucky you.” Both Spike and Strikefire looked over to Flake. She was slumped in a corner. Her head was down and she was staring at her reflection in the shining crystal floor. She knew they were looking at her, but she did not say any more. “What do you mean by that, Flake,” Twilight asked the question they all had on their minds. “I meant that he is lucky. His sister wasn't taken,” Flake said as she looked up with hatred still in her eyes, “My Mother was! She was snatched away by those things in the middle of town. Where were you Spike?! Huh? Hiding away somewhere getting over the loss of your friends?!” That was it. Spike could take a lot. He knew that he would get this kind of reaction from some ponies. He never expected it to be Flake. Even so, he could take it. But that was too far. Even Twilight was stunned by her words. Before she was able to even utter a sound to Flake, Spike was off that couch and across the room. In a few long stride he was over to Flake. He stood over her and glared down at her angrily. “Flake, you may not consider me a friend now, but I will always consider you a friend of mine. I am sorry about your mother,” Spike said before getting angry, “But if you ever dare to imply that the rest of the girls are dead and gone, or that I am a heartless beast that can simply get over them again, I swear I will give you to the Madness myself. Understand?” Spike glared down at Flake for another moment or so before heading back to sit on the couch. He was still feeling a little weak from Flake's spell. Ice was always doing heavy damage to him. Flake herself wasn't sure what to do now. She wanted to hate Spike. She wanted to be angry at him for leaving. She wanted her mother back. She was still young, after all. And yet, all she could do was cry. Tears streamed from her eyes as she looked over at Spike. Only then did it really hit her about what he lost. She lost her mother. One pony. He has lost four. “I'm sorry,” Flake said with a weak sob, “I'm sorry. I just want my mother back.” “It's okay Flake,” Twilight said as she consoled the filly, “I want Applejack back. And Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie.” “How is Rarity doing,” Spike asked as he thought about the friends that were taken. “See for yourself,” Twilight replied, “She is in the next room. Through those doors.” Spike rose from the couch once again and crossed the room to a set of large double doors. They connected the room they were in to an adjoining room. Rarity was supposed to be inside. Spike hesitated as he reached for the door handles. What was he going to find in there? He knew it was not going to be good. Was it going to be a crying mare that would force him to leave? Would it be an angry pony that used to be his friends? Would she hate him the way Flake did? Would she be a crazy wreck of a pony that cannot be put back together? Whatever it was he had to see her. So he gripped the handles and swung the doors wide open. He stood before the now open doorway, and there was nothing. “She's gone,” Spike said, “Rarity is gone.” Twilight rushed into the room where she believed Rarity to be. She hurriedly searched the room top to bottom. But there was nothing. She became frantic and panicky. She ran out to the hallway to question the guard. Spike slowly entered the room that Rarity was once in. It was a mess. Rarity was not a pony that made messes. She was lady. A pony of class. Or at least, she used to be. Spike could see past the minor mess Twilight made in her search. He was focused on the bigger mess. Clothes were strewn about the room. Hats and dresses alike were littered about the area like Rarity purposely threw them all about. Even more disturbing was the fact that they were all torn and shredded. Not a single piece of clothing was intact. No. The Rarity he knew would never do this. As he thought about it more and more he came to realize something himself. He did not know this Rarity. She was just as he was before. Broken. But not for long. “Twilight! Come here,” Spike yelled aloud, “I need your help. I need something of Rarity's. Something that she held close this past month. Anything.” “Look around Spike. There is nothing,” Twilight said, “Ever since that day in the desert Rarity has not been the same. She doesn't care about anything anymore. Not fashion. Not being a lady, or a pony of class. There is nothing she holds close. I was lucky enough to get her to open up to me the few times she did.” “That's it,” Spike said, “You, Twilight. Rarity cares about you. I need you.” Within the next few moments Spike cleared a spot on the floor of Rarity's room. He used his tail to brush most of it to the side. He sat down in this clear space and crossed his legs. His tail curled up and around one of his legs. Upon each of his legs he placed his arms. With his hands out forward and the palms up. He was ready to begin. Twilight was sitting across from him. She was still a little unsure of what Spike was going to do. All she knew was that this was somehow supposed to find Rarity, wherever she was. She had all four hooves on the floor and was fighting the urge to run around the city as fast as she could to search for Rarity. “Do not break this spell, Twilight,” Spike said seriously and strongly. Twilight's trust in him was well earned and well worth it. Spike did not tell her much before he started this strange spell, but he did tell her one thing. It was going to be dangerous, for the both of them. Spike had closed his eyes at the very beginning of it. His breathing became deep and he took long breaths. An eternity seemed to pass before anything happened. A small, barely perceptible flicker of light flashed. It came from Spike. From deep within him. It happened again, but stronger this time. Finally, after he breathed a deep breath did the light come and stay. A dim light that appeared to be coming from under his scales slowly got bigger and a little brighter. It centered on his upper chest before spreading out to his arms. A similar light appeared in each of his hands. Like a tiny star he had palmed and taken away from sky. The light moved faster to reach this light he held. When the traveling light did finally reach his hands a small flash went off. Around his hands a layer of transparent light appeared and made his hands nearly see through themselves. “Twilight. No matter what happens, do NOT move. This might hurt a little,” Spike gave her one last warning. Twilight nodded. It was the only thing she could do. If she spoke than she would go off on some insane rant about something and end up talking herself out of staying for Spike's spell. She couldn't do that. So she just puffed out her chest and nodded again. Spike could sense her readiness, and her anxiety. He had to keep that one away from his own. He was just as nervous as she was. He opened his eyes and they were glowing. An even more intense green than he was used to. This was a more intense spell than he was used to. Amidst this green glow Twilight saw something she had never before seen. In Spike's eyes were circles. Made of the purest white energy and focused on her. She could feel his gaze piercing her skin and going ever deeper into her. Spike saw Twilight's puffed out chest. A sign to herself that she had to be brave. For Rarity's sake. As well as the other girls' sake. If only it really were that easy to inspire courage in a pony. Spike pushed the thought out of his head. He had to stay absolutely focused. Spike reached out with his spelled hands and reached for Twilight. Twilight closed her eyes like she knew what was coming. Strikefire and Flake watched with wide eyes as Spike reached Twilight chest, and then went further. Spike was reaching into Twilight's chest. Twilight reacted with a look on her face like she just got hit in the chest very hard and was struggling to breath. Her eyes were as wide as the others, but for very different reasons. Spike reached his hands into Twilight. Into her body. Into her soul. He could feel it. It was not physical. It was more like a feeling. A feeling of pride, and joy, and happiness. Everything that made Twilight who she was was literally in his hands right now. He felt the sudden urge to read a books slip through his fingers. He could feel the organization lazily falling over his left hand. He could feel the love in between his hands. That was what he wanted. Spike closed in on that part of her soul. He reached for that bit. It was big. A very big part of Twilight. The love she had. For everything that mattered in her life. A little bit for Celestia, her mentor and guide. A little bit more for Spike himself, who was by her side for a long time and will always be her friend. Then he felt a sudden rush of it. A lot of love. A lot for Shining Armor, her big brother and best friend forever. A lot for Cadance, the pony she had known since she was small and would always hold a place in her heart. A lot for Ponyville, which was her home. Now and forever. Spike closed in even more and was overcome by a massive wave of pure love that was thrown off by Twilight's soul. A massive amount of love. For Applejack, the voice of reason that always kept her on the right path. For Rainbow Dash, for always reminding Twilight to get her head out of a book every once in a while. For Fluttershy, who never ceases to amaze her with the kindness she shows to animals and ponies alike. For Pinkie Pie, the pony who never stays still and can always make her smile, even in the darkest of times. For Rarity, the pony who can seem uptight at times, but always proves herself to be a true friend in the end. That was it. That was what he needed. Spike felt that love in his hands and Twilight felt it all tenfold more than she already did. Spike retracted his hands slowly. He had to leave her soul in the same condition it was when he first touched it. Any change at all could be catastrophic, to both Twilight and him. But that did not happen. Spike pulled his hands from Twilight's body. Both dragon and pony collapsed onto the floor after that. Spike's eyes faded to their normal look. He was breathing heavy due to the sheer exhaustion he was feeling. Twilight lay next to him on the floor. She was panting just as badly as he was. “Spike. What did you just do,” She asked in between breaths. “I tapped directly into your love for Rarity,” Spike said, “And I can use that to find her.” “But how? I don't understand,” Twilight said. Spike managed to roll over to his stomach with a loud groan. He pushed up with his arms until he was able to get his legs underneath him. He stood up slowly, but quickly went to sit on the bed. Twilight was trying to stand. Strikefire was helping her up as Spike explained it to her. “Think of it like a magic compass,” He said, “A compass that is tuned to find only one pony. Throughout all of Equestria it will only guide you to Rarity. As long as the love for her that you have never fades the compass will never fail.” Spike held out his hand to Twilight. It was only then she noticed that he had been holding it closed ever since he ended the spell and pulled his hands out of Twilight's soul. He opened it slowly, but not all the way. Just enough to let some of the light shine through his fingers. He held it out and whispered a few words into his closed hand. “Find Rarity. Find the friend that this pony loves,” Spike said. With that Spike opened his hand and a ball of light shot up and out of his hand. Twilight and them watched as it zoomed around the room for a few moments before darting out into the hallway and down the corridor. All four of them raced after it. Both Spike and Twilight seemed to have a renewed energy as they raced after the light wisp.