On the windowsill outside the Golden Oaks Library, a lone robin chirped happily. Mostly because there was no reason not to. It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining bright through the leaves of the old tree. The weather had been perfect for a late-morning fly. Best of all, the windowsill had been covered with its favorite snack: a big pile of fresh seeds. All with no other birds around to lay claim to it.
The lack of other birds wasn't much of a surprise. Most of them were still a bit wary of the dragon that had taken residence in the library. After all, it wasn't often a creature with fangs and claws ever meant well for a small bird. The robin, however, had a difficult time imagining the new, scaly resident was dangerous.
Especially as he pecked at some of the best birdseed available in all of Ponyville.
The robin let out another gleeful chirp as it swallowed its latest beakful of seeds. Granted, the shy pegasus at the town's edge had better. The new dragon, however, always seemed to leave out so much more. Especially when the robin and his feathered friends woke her unicorn roommate with their morning singing.
"A-alright, Spike! K-k-keep it t-together!"
From the sound of things, however, there wouldn't be any extra seed this time. Glancing in the window, the robin could confirm the purple unicorn was already awake. He was standing in front of his mirror, staring at his reflection. Nothing out of the ordinary there.
What was unusual, however, was how hard he was trembling. The robin tilted its head as it looked down at the pony. Something else seemed off about him. He almost seemed... shorter, than normal.
An observation that began to matter slightly less as green light began pouring from the unicorn's horn.
"It... it's just a trick, right? I-I've gotta be seeing things!" The purple pony let out a nervous chuckle as he gathered more magic. "J-just one quick Illusion Ender and..."
Blinding green light suddenly filled the loft. The robin let out a terrified chirp and fluttered away from the window as the harsh scent of ozone filled the air. A ferocious crackle of discharging energy accompanied the stray bolts of green magic that suddenly blasted the window open, scattering birdseed in every direction.
For a moment, the robin remained on its new perch, staring at where its breakfast had once been. A low groan from the now-open window shook the bird from its daze.
"Or... ugh... maybe not..." the unicorn's voice groaned from within the tree.
The robin gave a frustrated click of its beak. His wings ruffled and he leapt from the branch, taking wing to Fluttershy's house.
Whatever strange game the library colt was up to this morning, he could play it by himself.
Chapter 9
Spike had dealt with spells backfiring before.
It was really something to be expected when it came to magic. Nopony was perfect after all. Occasionally every unicorn had to miss the mark, put too much power into a spell, or otherwise just mess up with using their magic. The morning jolts he'd been getting from forgetting about his loft's lack of window shades were among the most recent examples.
Now, with his coat prickling and stray sparks of green falling from his frazzled mane, there wasn't much mystery over what had happened. Just another spell backfiring, only on a much larger scale.
So the backfire, surprisingly, didn't worry Spike. Even if it had left the loft a bit of a mess by flinging papers, quills, and ink all over. And nearly cracked the window when it flung it open. Not even the crumpled remains of Twilight's basket (indicating where he'd crash landed) concerned him.
"Just stay calm, Spike! St-stay calm!"
No, what had Spike bolting down stairs as fast as his legs could carry him was what the backfire implied.
"Illusion Ender failed..." Spike was panting for breath as he ran, his hat bouncing wildly on his head. "That means... that means there's no illusions, which means... which means..."
This is real!
Spike nearly stumbled, almost pitching face-first onto the next stair. He just barely caught his balance and resumed his descent, leaving the ravaged loft above him. His ears lay flat under his fedora, almost as though they could shut out the words echoing with each pound of his hooves.
It's real, it's real, it's real—
The colt flinched as he bit the inside of his cheek. Between trying to silence the voice in his head and ignoring how much longer the staircase suddenly felt, it was a marvel he could keep moving forward. Somehow he managed it, however, forcing his gaze straight down the stairs to his goal.
"It's real. Oh sweet Celestia this is real..." Spike muttered between breaths. "B-but... I live... in a library!"
That lone thought drove him to push his shorter legs faster. A smile broke over his face as the bottom step finally revealed itself. There was nothing between him and the main floor of the Golden Oak's Library. Just him and a room full of books, one of which simply had to contain information on his...
Spike was trying very hard not to think of the word "curse" as he took the stairs two at a time.
"Find the right book, and fix this. Find the right book and fix this." The coaching was becoming a mantra, drowning out the fearful "It's real" still playing in his head. "Find the right—Hey!"
With a clatter of hooves, Spike tried to stumble to a halt as something fell over his eyes. He had a split-second to realize it was his own hat, finally sliding out of position on a head much too small to wear it.
Right before he noticed that this front hooves had only skimmed the edge of the next step.
"Oh noooOOOAAAAARGH!"
BAM
CRACK
WHAM
"... ow..."
At the very least, Spike could tell the hardwood floor under him was flat. That could only mean he had reached his goal. Albeit with a few more lumps than he'd originally intended. A feeble spark of green flickered from his horn, knocking his fedora away from his spinning eyes.
"Urgh..." Spike groaned as his vision slowly swam back into focus. "Well... I made... ow... made it..."
Hooves scrambled against the ground as it lurched unsteadily beneath him. Spike shook his head, sending his hat falling to the ground next to him.
"Pull it together, Spike." The age-regressed unicorn's legs trembled as he lifted his head, eyes sweeping the room. "Gotta find... uh... find..."
This time it wasn't the aches across his body making Spike's voice trail out. His eyes grew wide as he simply stared at the scene before him.
"Books..."
"Books" were guaranteed to be the last thing Spike would have trouble finding. Just not for the reasons he'd originally hoped.
To say the library's main room looked like a tornado had hit it was too kind. Spike couldn't even compare the damage before him to Ditzy Doo's last visit. The contents of the normally well-stocked shelves now lay scattered across the entire library. There were books on the floors, the tables, reading stands, seat cushions... almost every flat surface able to hold them. Most were half-open, as though abandoned in the middle of being read.
Spike's jaw fell slack as he simply stared at the clutter before him.
The confusion immediately fled as a soft whisper reached his ears.
"Oh gosh-snkrt—"
She regretted the snort almost as soon as it left her muzzle. Not that there was a chance to do anything about it.
"Wha—" Spike's head had snapped toward the sound almost as soon as she'd spoken. "Who's there?!"
One hoof covered her mouth, her breath freezing in her lungs. Spike's ears were twitching frantically as his eyes narrowed on one of the larger piles of books in the room. The visitor kept silent, pressing her muzzle firmly shut. Spike couldn't see her where she hid. All she had to do was keep quiet and he would never be the wiser.
A more difficult task, she couldn't imagine as she watched him take a step toward her.
"T-Twi?" The colt's voice was even higher than before, and practically a whisper. "Twilight, is th-that you?"
Of course! Twilight totally would have left a mess like this.
She bit harder on her hoof to keep the sarcastic quote to herself. Even that did little to quell the swelling feeling in her gut. Watching Spike, the great hero of Ponyville- no, of all Equestria- reduced to a trembling colt. Practically half his usual size, his lower lip quivering even as he bit down to try and still it, his breathing growing faster as he tried to figure out just what (if anything) he'd heard...
It was official. She was going to explode from keeping the laughter inside.
"It's g-gotta be Twi, right?"
Spike's voice brought her senses back. The visitor swallowed a yelp of pain as she bit the inside of her cheek. Anything to keep the giggles at bay, especially as the unicorn colt leaned in closer.
"I mean..." She nearly breathed a sigh of relief. It sounded like Spike was just thinking out loud. "It's not like this pl-place is haun... haunt—"
Creeeeeeeak...
Spike's own, startled cry covered the sound of her hoof as it fell back to the ground. Silently the visitor thanked her luck as Spike spun away from her. His eyes were wide, staring towards...
The front door? Why—
Creeeeeak...
It was the visitor's turn to stare as a summer wind blew through the library. The front door of the Golden Oaks swayed in the breezed, opening a little more. It almost looked like it was waving, inviting anypony passing by to enter.
Stupid! You forgot to latch it!
"Crud!" Spike had jumped away from the stairs before the word even left his muzzle.
The visitor could already tell where he was going. To the front door, likely to seal it before anypony else saw him. Which would leave her locked up in the building. Alone. With Spike.
Double crud!
The visitor's eyes darted to the side. Spike was so focused on his own task he didn't seem to pay attention as her hooves beat against the floor. Though the visitor did wince as she felt her flank clip against the table in her rush
That didn't matter, however. There was a window right next to the door. Just a few seconds and she'd be out and away.
Just come back later! After this big baby goes to take a nap or something!
Her hooves scrambled against the wall for a second before finally finding purchase. The visitor smirked as she hooked her forelegs over the windowsill, just as the front door flew shut with a resounding WHAM.
Heh, baby. Nap. Gonna need to remember that one—
"Shoot, the curtains!"
The visitor had just enough time to realize that was Spike's voice.
A split-second later, something the exact size and shape as a colt slammed right into her side.
"OOF!"
That was all Spike had time to grunt out as the wind was knocked out of him. His legs folded, dumping him to a heap on the ground as he stared up at the window he'd been running toward. A window which suddenly had something very solid between him and it.
Something that looked distressingly like empty air.
"OW!"
What few thoughts he had of getting up were quickly laid to rest as the suddenly-solid air shouted. In the voice of a mare no less. Accompanied by a clattering sound, like somepony trying to get back to their hooves.
I was kidding about being haunted! Really!
As much as he wanted to say that, he couldn't. His heart had firmly lodged in his throat and apparently stopped, forming a rather effective block.
"Oooh... you..."
Spike squeezed his eyes shut. Unnecessary seeing as his vision was so hazy he couldn't see anything anyway. And ultimately it did nothing to stop him from picturing the mare as she began yelling.
"You annoying, clumsy little pest!"
Cringing in fear was about all he could do. Whoever the mare was, she was mad. She towered over him, her face a horrifying mask. All but the eyes, burning with fury to rival Nightmare Moon's...
"-Always have to ruin everything—"
Pink eyes, actually. Spike wasn't sure why he hooked onto that detail. Pink eyes with a blue coat. And a white mane.
All topped off with a cape and hat covered in stars.
"-Watch where you're go—"
"Trixie?"
Spike's mouth formed the name before he'd really thought it. The effect, however, was immediate. The voice came to a sudden, awkward halt. Cautiously, Spike opened his eyes.
"Trixie?" he repeated, staring at the talking patch of air.
For a moment, nopony answered. A shuffling of hooves against the ground coupled with the sound of somepony clearing their throat broke the silence.
"Shoo-er, uh... Whoooo's Trixie? I'm a spoooooky spirit from the Everfree—"
In a rush of heat, all of Spike's fear vanished. There was no mistaking that voice. Even through the "scary" rasp and moaning that the speaker was trying to add.
"It is you!" The colt snorted as he rolled himself upright. "I knew it!"
"Oh you did not, you dolt!"
Spike's could feel his cheeks burning at the truth of that.
"Yeah well... shut up!" Spike grimaced at his utter lack of witty retort. He quickly cleared his throat, head turning back up to where Trixie should have been standing. "What are you doing here anyway?"
"Uh... well..."
Whatever Trixie was trying to say didn't matter. Spike had already realized just how pointless his question had been. The facts and images were whirling around in his head, slotting themselves into place in the bigger picture. Particularly the funny look she had fixed on him the night before. Just before she had run off.
This isn't over, Spike.
"Oh... of course..." Spike grumbled before Trixie could even start to answer. "This is another of your dumb pranks!"
"What?!"
Trixie didn't say anything past that. Spike didn't give her the chance to before green light began glowing around his horn again. A small twinge of satisfaction came as he heard the clack of hooves on the floor, backing slowly away from him.
"I wake up like this, you're invisible and in my house—" Spike drew in a shuddering breath as his spell drew in more and more energy. He could feel the warmth of the extra magic becoming an uncomfortable heat. "Whatever you did to me, you're gonna fix it right now!"
"Now hold on—"
"But first, no more tricks!" Small puffs of steam issued from Spike's nostrils as the last of the spell shifted into place. "If you're gonna be in here, I'm gonna keep an eye on you!"
Lines of green light raced around the room. Spike grinned as he felt the magic of his "Illusion Ender" start to release.
"Spike! You really don't want to—"
The harsh scent of ozone hit Spike's nostrils.
CRACK-BOOM
"AAAH—"
WHAM
"... Well, Trixie did try to warn you."
The last of the green light was fading from Spike's vision as he lay flat on his back. He could still feel the unpleasant tingle of the discharged magic running off him, though. As well as the spot where his head (thankfully cushioned by his hat) had hit the wall.
All that, combined with the ringing in his ears, meant he barely noticed the sound of hoofsteps slowly approaching. Even once he had, he couldn't do much to answer other than groan in pain.
"Awww, did little Spikey-wikey fall down?"
"Shut... up..." Spike managed to grunt out.
"Oooh, witty. Now get out of my way."
Something wrapped around the prone colt before he could respond. Spike gasped as some strange, invisible magic suddenly lifted him into the air. Attempts to twist free did no good as he drifted to the side. All his struggles did was let him look around the library again, and cause his eyes to grow wide.
There was nopony else in the library, still. Despite that, a book was lifting itself from the pile Spike had landed on. It had already opened up, almost like it were supported by unicorn magic.
Invisible unicorn magic.
Spike looked down, suddenly realizing what was holding him up. Right before landing with an unceremonious whump atop a nearby seat cushion.
"H-oomph-hang on!" Spike sputtered as he slid on the cushion. "M-my spell didn't work! You're still invisible!"
Somepony snorted from near the floating book.
"Wow, and everypony says Twilight is the smart one..."
It didn't take much effort to avoid growling in response. The general unease creeping back into Spike's gut made sure of that. His eyes were jumping from the floating book, back down to his body, then up to where (he assumed) Trixie stood.
"B-but my spell should've worked!" Spike protested, hopping off his seat and picking his way through the mess on the floor. "How come—"
SNAP
Spike cut off in a yelp and jerked his head back. Just in time to avoid having his nose sandwiched between the pages of the book.
"What makes you think I know?"
Something shoved into Spike, sending him stumbling to the side. He gasped, barely managing to keep from spilling to the floor again. As he righted himself, his ears twitched in every direction. They quickly honed in on a quartet of angry hooves, stomping their way towards another pile of books.
Spike's brow furrowed for a second. Oddly enough, the hooves almost sounded... uneasy. Likely due to the multiple other tomes that were being knocked aside in their wake as though somepony were almost tripping on them. A stumble or two later, and one of the books began lifting itself from the pile just as Spike finally found his voice again.
"You don't—" Spike shook his head before he finished parroting the invisible mare. "Why wouldn't you know? It's your spell, isn't it?!"
The new book froze mid-opening. Spike swallowed hard as it did. For some reason he could just picture the look on Trixie's face, and it was not an overly friendly one.
"My spell, huh?" The book dropped to the ground and hooves were stomping back toward him. "Just like 'my spell' that you ripped apart in front of Snips and Snails yesterday?"
"Uh, well—" Spike didn't have much of a chance to talk as Trixie's voice suddenly cut in again, sounding very much like she was pacing around him.
"If this were one of my spells, do you really think I'd have come here looking for a way to fix this? Do you even know how hard invisibility... let alone age-changing magic is?!"
"Well... do you?" Spike retorted, trying to stand as tall as he could.
The brief silence that followed gave the colt more satisfaction than it probably should have. He still smirked.
"Not my point! The fact is, this one isn't my fault! I woke up like-like-WHOA!"
The hooves stumbled as a book suddenly flipped into the air. Spike jumped aside just in time to avoid having it land on his head. At the same time, a heavy THUD sounded, much like the sort made by a pony hitting the floor.
"Uh... Trixie?" Spike asked, cautiously reaching one hoof forward.
Something smacked his leg away. Spike winced in pain as the scrape of hooves on wooden floor reached his ears. Underscored, he noticed, by the sound of somepony sniffling.
"Argh! Can't even see where I'm stepping like this..."
Spike could feel a giggle starting to bubble up in response. Much to his own surprise, he swallowed it back down.
"Trixie just... just woke up like this! Just like you probably did!"
The hooves were stomping away before Spike could answer. The book floated up once again, hovering in front of what he assumed was Trixie's face.
"Not that I expect you to believe me. Oh no, big mean Trixie couldn't possibly be in the same boat... Hmmph..."
The mare's voice faded, quickly becoming nothing but some grumbles under her breath as the book's pages turned. Spike's mouth started to open.
Just as quickly, he snapped it shut again.
... Maybe she's telling the truth?
Spike blinked and crossed his eyes, trying to stare in bewilderment at the thought. If it wouldn't have made him look completely crazy, he would have talked back to himself. Pointed out that it was, in fact, still Trixie they were talking about. He could still clearly picture every moment of her little "performance" that he'd endured last night.
And you couldn't undo her spell because?
Spike's ears twitched as another sniffle reached them. Glancing up, he could see the book shaking a bit. Almost as though the pony holding it were trying and failing to avoid trembling themselves.
One hoof poked at the spot where Trixie had supposedly tripped. Spike winced a bit. Try as he might, he couldn't help but to remember how much his own various tumbles from earlier had hurt.
"Alright... let's pretend I believe you." Spike grit his teeth at the thought. At the very least, Trixie's grumbling stopped. "If you didn't do this to us then... who did?"
Another page of the book turned. Spike wasn't watching it, though. His gaze was off the side as he tried very hard not to think about what he was saying.
"No. Clue."
Not looking didn't help. Spike still winced at each bit off word as Trixie began speaking again.
"Nopony should be able to do stuff like this! And it's not like Trixie steamed off any evil enchantresses lately—"
An evil enchantress. Plain and simple.
Spike blinked once. In spite of himself, he looked back up to Trixie's book.
She'll curse you if you so much as look at her wrong!
"That's it!" Spike cheered, suddenly jumping to his hooves. "That's... that's... oh boy..."
Trixie's book had fallen back to the floor. Spike wasn't paying attention, however, as he suddenly felt a cold sweat break out over his entire body.
"Hello? You maybe want to clue me in what you're so happy about?"
Spike just swallowed hard. An act which ultimately did very little. He was still picturing the dark hood, striped face, teal eyes glaring at him—
"SPIKE!"
The colt jumped again, and he heard Trixie stumble away from him. A few more books slid haphazardly around as the mare apparently backed into them. Her hooves scrambled, sounding as though they barely kept her upright this time.
"Hey! If you've got an idea then spit it out already!"
"I... I think I know who did this to us," Spike answered, looking toward the nearby window. "But you're not gonna like it..."
"I really, really hate to admit it... but you're right. I don't like this."
Spike rolled his eyes as Trixie repeated the statement for the third time. Not that he could really blame her. Somehow, however, her disdain felt oddly relaxing. If only because of how familiar it was.
At that point, really, anything beat thinking about what he was actually doing. Something that was made harder as Trixie continued to stomp her way down the road. Spike shifted his weight, his forelegs tightening around his invisible carrier to avoid being thrown off.
"It's insane, I'm crazy for going along it, and you've gotta be even crazier to think it up!"
Even if it was strangely comforting, though, the invisible mare's rant still caused Spike to glance about. Thankfully, there was no sign of anypony passing by. A fact which gave Spike some relief. Nopony to get freaked out over hearing an empty patch of air complaining. Or wonder why it was apparently complaining to a smaller lump on its back, hidden beneath its invisible cape.
A cape which, Spike was now uncomfortably aware, turned out to be much warmer than he'd thought. Especially with the sun beating down on the both of them.
"—Don't know what I expected. Not like you'd come up with a good plan, anyway!"
Though it wasn't just the summer weather that was making steam pour from Spike's ears.
"Hey! I didn't hear you come up with any ideas!" he snapped back.
"Well I could have come up with anything better than this!"
Gravity gave a sudden, violent lurch. Spike barely had a chance to shout in surprise as he felt Trixie rear back. His forelegs scrambled for a moment as he felt the fabric of the cape slide along his back. All right before he realized there was no longer anything between him and the ground.
WHUMP
"Mmmmph..." Spike growled a bit and spat out the mouthful of dirt and grass he'd picked up. "What are you doing?!"
"Free ride's over! It's not like anypony else is around anyway."
Even as she said that, Spike was spinning around again. It didn't matter that he'd just checked. He could already feel his cheeks flush at just the thought of anypony else spotting him. The colt didn't even twitch an ear as Trixie cleared her throat somewhere behind him.
"Besides... we're... well, we're here."
That, however, got his attention.
A chill ran down Spike's spine as he turned toward Trixie. Being that she was still invisible, that meant he wound up staring right in the direction they'd been moving.
Right at the edge of the Everfree Forest.
How do I keep coming back here?
Even during the day, the path beyond the trees was dark. No reassuring birdsongs or pleasant breezes could be heard from within. Just a cold, lonely whistle of wind and other things Spike didn't want to think about. All of them darting through the foliage just out of sight.
Just waiting for a juicy little colt to come wandering in...
"So... uh, what are you waiting for?"
Spike blinked once, barely shaking himself back to reality. He slowly turned in the direction Trixie's voice had come from.
"Well?"
"Why am I going in first?" Spike hissed back before he could even think about what he was saying.
Four small depressions in the grass drew closer to him. He figured out they were Trixie's hoofprints just before he felt a frustrated snort on his face.
"Because hunting down Zecora was your brilliant idea, remember?"
Spike winced at those words. Suddenly, he deeply regretted his flash of insight. Especially as he glanced towards the dark forest again. Nervously, he bit down on his lower lip. It had seemed so obvious back in the library. Now his mind was a blur, struggling to dredge up any alternative it could.
But the same thoughts and images just kept whirling up.
"...Evil enchantress..."
"...Curse you if you look at her wrong!"
A pair of teal eyes, glaring at him from a stripe-coated face.
The colt shook his head, trying to dislodge the last picture. No matter how hard he tried, though, the idea from back home still stuck. Only one possible explanation for how he and Trixie had ended up the way they were.
Zecora.
"Besides, this whole mess is your fault anyway."
At the very least, Trixie's words brought an end to Spike's shivering. A sudden rush of angered heat filled him as he did his best to glare at her
"My fault?!" he spat out, stomping one hoof. "I hadn't even met her before!"
"And then you went and kicked her in the head! Or do you introduce yourself to everypony like that?"
Spike nearly gagged as he felt a frustrated snort hit him the face. Still, he pushed forward, heart hammering away in his ears.
"Well what about you?" he countered. "Running around dressed up like her? Bet that didn't make her very happy!"
"Obviously, Trixie meant it as a form of flattery!"
"Guess she didn't like it if you're cursed too." Spike managed to grin even as another blast of hot breath hit him square in the face.
"Listen you—"
CLUNK
Spike nearly bit his tongue as he fell onto his rump. It had been difficult to tell exactly how close Trixie was. Apparently the answer was "close enough to knock heads" based on the bump he could feel under his horn. His vision swam slightly as he heard dark muttering coming from Trixie's direction.
"Hmph. Maybe you should just get your friends to bail you out again."
A snappy comeback was right on the tip of Spike's tongue.
Don't come crying to me!
In a flash of pain, the words vanished. Spike winced as he unclenched his teeth from the inside of his cheek. He gave his head a quick shake; a futile effort to try and force Thunderlane's voice out. All that seemed to do was amplify the admonishment. He could almost hear a other, equally familiar voices chime in. All of them agreeing with the pegasus stallion...
CRACK
A surprised cry sounded from where Trixie stood as Spike's hoof slammed against the ground. He ignored it as he drew in a deep breath. One hoof swiped across his eyes, quickly removing the tears that he could feel beginning to form.
"Ugh, what the hay is up with you?!"
"Nothing." Spike winced as he noticed how hoarse his voice sounded. He slowly drew in a deep breath, trying to force the tight feeling from his chest before speaking again. "Look, we both agreed Zecora had something to do with... well, with this, right?"
Spike tapped his chest for emphasis. Possibly a bit harder than he needed to. The chest thump felt good, however. Almost like it was breaking up the pressure building inside.
"Well..."
"Right?" Spike stressed as he raised one eyebrow, trying to focus on his own voice rather than Thunderlane's.
"... Right."
It was hard to miss the hesitance in Trixie's voice. Given that the Everfree Forest still loomed nearby, however, Spike paid it no mind. He simply drew in a raggedy breath as he tried to gather his thoughts.
"Right," he confirmed, jabbing one hoof towards the woods. "Then in that case, she probably has a way to fix it!"
"So we're going into the Everfree for a 'probably.'"
Spike flinched as he spotted four small depressions in the grass moving closer to him. He figured out they were Trixie's hoofprints just in time to feel her breath on his face again.
"And just what are we gonna do if you are right? Try to steal the cure? Fight her? Apologize?"
"I don't know!"
The words were out of Spike's mouth before he could stop them. He grit his teeth, taking another deep breath while he heard Trixie stumble away from his forelegs as they shot above his head.
"I don't know. But anything has to be better than just sitting around, right?" Slowly, his hooves lowered back to the ground. "So maybe we can try to work together long enough to fix this?"
With that, he firmly clamped his muzzle shut.
The memories from last night were still echoing in his head. Combined with the utter silence coming from Trixie, it was almost unbearable. Spike could feel the ire he wanted to spit out trying to bust loose. Only his own words managed to keep his lips pursed together.
Finally, the silence broke with the sound of stomping hooves. A few shallow depressions appeared in the soil just beyond the edge of the forest.
"Fine. As long as Trixie can go back to hating you afterward!"
Spike let out a long whoosh of breath in relief as he simultaneously rolled his eyes at the remark.
"Fine by me," he agreed as he started after her.
The invisible mare's hoofprints waited just ahead. As he reached the trees, though, Spike could feel his bravado and anger slipping away. He could barely manage one last, shuddering breath as he put one hoof forward.
Don't think about it, don't think about it, don't think about it...
The words kept repeating in his head as he tried to force everything else out. Thunderlane's voice, the Everfree Forest, the very concept of working with Trixie...
All of them seemed to fade as he crossed the threshold of the dark woods.
Not like things can get any worse from here.
Almost like it was reading his mind, something howled in the distance once again. He swallowed hard as a tremble ran down his spine.
I hope.