//------------------------------// // Chapter 10: Trap // Story: The Dragon Sage // by Dragon Sage //------------------------------//         Spike woke up to the sound of hooves walking through the main corridor of the castle. It sounded like a group of ponies were making their way inside. Spike rolled out of bed and carefully glided down to the door of library without making a sound. It was likely that the hooves he heard were just his friends coming to see Twilight, but there was still a slight chance they were somepony else. Spike wanted to make sure. He pressed his ear against the door and listened closely. He could make out quiet chatter, but nothing familiar yet.         “Twilight!” a squeaky voice chirped and the hooves all began hurrying to the other end of the hall, where Twilight’s room was.         “Aw, thank goodness y’all are alright, sugarcube,” he heard.         Spike gave a sigh of relief and pushed open the door to join his friends. He could see Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash, who were all corralled around Twilight expressing their relief of her safety.         “How did you all get here so fast?” Twilight asked returning a few hugs.         “Pinkie pie got the news on the train so she just stayed on it for the return journey, Applejack got some train-runners to help her out, and I flew here as fast as lightning,” Rainbow Dash smirked with a proud hoof on her chest.         “The others are probably on their way as fast as they can too,” Applejack said with a nod. “We all heard that Spike came and got’ya outta that mess. Where is the little hero anyway?”         “Hi guys.” Spike choose this moment to reveal himself from behind the three startled ponies. They shared a mixture of gasps and shouts as they greeted him.         “Woah! You look totally awesome! These wings are bigger than mine!” Rainbow Dash said.         “You’re the biggest most amazing most awesome most incredible most bravest most . . .” Pinkie Pie started to rant. Applejack smiled and let her continue while offering her friend a hug.         “You look as new as a freshly picked zap-apple. We’re so glad you helped Twilight when none of us could. You're a real livin' hero.” she said with a proud smile. Spike smiled and turned back to the still-jabbering Pinkie Pie.         “. . . most regal most fiscally responsible most punctual and most amazing dragon ever!!” she finished and started catching her breath.         “You said most amazing twice,” Spike jested and smiled at his friends. “I’m glad you guys could make it here. I missed you all like crazy.” he said and his eyes fell on Twilight. Her gaze was on him as well, and she had a sorry look in her eyes as if she was reluctant about something.         “So what’s the deal with these ponies? What do they have against Twilight anyway,” Rainbow Dash said menacingly.         “They’re after the Elements of Harmony,” Twilight stated. The other three looked back at her in surprise.         “Let’s wait for the others to get here before we fill them in Twilight. I don’t really feel like explaining this whole mess twice.” Just as he finished speaking, the door opened up from behind him again and he heard a squeal of fright echo in the halls. At the door, cowering on the floor, was Fluttershy. She shook and closed her eyes with her hooves over her head. Spike wondered if there was someone he didn’t see threatening her.         “It’s okay, Fluttershy!” Twilight beckoned. “It’s only Spike!”         Spike reared his head around again at the frightened mare and dropped his head down low. He was the one scaring her. The thought had entered his mind before that he might scare some unexpecting ponies with his new appearance. He did manage to make Shining Armor jump when he saw him in Canterlot. But he never thought it would be that way for his closest friends. He frowned and bowed his head down in shame as the pony who once excitedly greeted him to Ponyville now shook at his sight.         “Aw come on now sugarc--”         “It’s okay, Applejack. Let me talk to her,” he said and slowly began walking towards Fluttershy. She continued to shake on the ground as he approached her slowly. He gave a weak hush and crawled next to her on the floor, trying as best he could to get his face below hers. He spoke softly and sweetly to his friend.         “Fluttershy, it’s me.” She continued to shiver, but slipped one eye open to peek at him. he offered her a weak but friendly smile as he tried to comfort her.         “Remember when we first met and you wanted to hear all about my life? How we spent nearly an hour talking and nearly driving Twilight insane?”         She sniffled, and opened both eyes to observe him more closely. She put a hoof on the end of his snout and carefully prodded and observed his features. So much of him was different, but his eyes were still exactly the same.         “Spike?” she said and stood on her hooves. He smiled at her wider as she stopped shaking and began grinning at him. “You’re so big! Oh my, I’m so sorry for being frightened. I'm still a little nervous of dragons, and I didn’t know it was you.”         “Well who did you think he was, just some random purple dragon that hangs out with ponies?” Rainbow Dash said, fluttering down beside him.         “I guess I’m not as ‘cute’ as I used to be,” he replied, scratching his spines.         “Are you kidding? You look awesome!” she said and gave his shoulder a shove.         “I’ll say!” said a voice from the door behind Fluttershy. Spike looked up and saw his purple-maned crush standing right in front of him.         “Rarity!” he squeaked and immediately began blushing. Her radiant purple mane and sparkling eyes were just how he remembered them. She trotted over to him and eyed him closely.         “My goodness, you look simply ravishing!” she complimented.         “I, uh, thanks!” Spike said standing as tall as he could muster. He tried to compliment her as well but she immediately cantered towards Twilight and began comforting her. Twilight smiled and reassured her that everything was fine and that she was not hurt. Spike sighed as his great welcoming from all of his friends was over much sooner than he anticipated.         “Thank you all for coming back here so quickly. I’m sure you’re all wondering about what happened last night. Let’s all go to the throne room and Spike and I will explain everything.”         The chair that was made for Spike was much too small for him now, so he took a seat on the floor on Twilight’s left side instead. The 5 mares sat quietly listning to Twilight explain all about the Miasma, her three foal-nappers, and their escape in the dark. Occasionally, there were ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ at Spike’s newfound abilities, which made him feel rather tall indeed. But the ponies were left with more questions than answers.         “So if these three ponies are infected with something that could make Princess Luna go nuts, then how do we fight them?” Rainbow Dash asked.         “It’s unlikely that they are as powerful as Princess Luna. She was still an Alicorn after all. But that does not mean they aren’t dangerous,” Twilight replied.         “But if we used the Elements of Harmony to defeat Nightmare Moon, then what can we do now? The Elements are still resting in the Tree of Harmony now,” Rarity objected.         “I thought about that already,” she said, to which Spike turned his head in surprise. She didn’t share this with him yet. Then again, she might not have had the chance to last night since he slammed the door on her.         “The Tree of Harmony uses the elements to survive, so we cannot rely on their power anymore to solve our problems. But the power of friendship that we used to defeat Tirek is the same power that built this very castle. So in other words, the power of the elements lives in this castle,” she explained and gestured to the walls around them.         “So, you’re saying if we bring them here, we can use the elements without our necklaces?” Applejack asked.         “I believe so. After all, this whole place is made from the magic of friendship,” Twilight clarified.         “Wait, hold on,” Spike interrupted. “You want to bring those three creeps here?”         “Yes. We’ll need to lure them here and trap them so we can use our magic to purge the Miasma from their bodies all at once.”         Spike pondered what she was saying. As long as they could use their elemental power in the castle, then fighting them on the home field should be simple enough. But how do they set a trap without them getting suspicious?         “Um, excuse me. Did she, I mean, Princess Luna say that all three of them had the same kind of Miasma? I was just wondering what kind it was,” Fluttershy asked.         Twilight thought hard for a moment about which vice it could be. The glow in each of their eyes was exactly the same, which meant that Miasma was probably just one cloud that affected all 3 ponies. But they seemed to want such different things. Dawn was likely affected by loneliness or desire, from the way he treated her. Milla looked like she was affected by greed or envy the way she desired wealth. But Warmonger’s eyes did not start glowing until he mentioned the Element of Harmony, which made no sense to her. She turned to Spike.         “What do you think?” she asked, and Spike thought for a moment. He scratched his chin in thought for a moment, thinking back to his readings about vices at the observatory.         “I think they’re all affected by greed,” he said flatly.         “Why? From what you told us, only one of ‘em was hungry for gold,” Applejack said.         “Call it dragon’s intuition, but I think they are all influenced by greed. Milla Nare was clearly only interested in becoming rich, so she’s obvious, but the other two are a little more unique. Greed comes in many forms, and it can damage our minds in surprising ways. After all, we all want something. Perhaps we want our friends to be safe, or we want to achieve our wildest dreams and ambitions. If we let those aspirations consume us, it can become even more violent than greed for material wealth.”         Twilight noticed how he spoke with such excellent composure, as if he were reciting a speech written in a manuscript.         “So what are those other two greedy for?” Applejack countered.         “I’d say that Dawn Treader wants Twilight, but not really as a marefriend, but as an accessory. Greed driven by the heart is powerful, so be careful of that one. As for Warmonger, I’d guess that he’s greedy for power,” he suggested.         Twilight silently cursed herself for not seeing that sooner. The news of her achievements and the Elements of Harmony's feats of magic must have spread through Equestria. He likely heard about their power and assumed he could use it for himself. His cutiemark was a coat of arms, a symbol of nobility. Perhaps he was so power-hungry that the Miasma was drawn to him.         “Why does this even matter?” Rainbow Dash chimed in. “If we can smash their Miasma-power or whatever, then it won’t make a difference.”         “It matters because the Miasma won’t be destroyed. Once we separate them from it, the cloud will re-emerge and seek another host elsewhere. We cannot let it escape, so we’re going to need a gemstone that can bind the Miasma and keep it contained.” Twilight looked over at Spike and remembered how he had seen the gemstone that contained the Miasma of envy. In his letter, he described the sensation as horrific, which made her wonder more about what he saw.         “Knowing their motivations will help us spring a better trap. But how do we proceed?” Rarity asked looking over to Twilight from her throne.         “I have an idea, but I’m going to need all of your help to pull it off,” Twilight proposed.         “We’re with you, Twilight,” Applejack confirmed.         “I’ll help however I can,” Fluttershy added.         “Whatchya got for us, Princess?” Rainbow Dash said with a smirk.         “Ok, here’s the plan. We lure them here with replicas of the old elements of harmony. Then once we’ve got them all in the same spot, I’ll catalyze the same magic we used to defeat Nightmare Moon. Once the Miasma is free, I’ll bind it to a gemstone that can contain it,” Twilight said, looking at each of her friends who nodded in approval.         “We’re going to need a good trap,” Rarity said.         “That’s where all of you come in. Applejack? Pinkie? I’m going to need you to work on the actual trap. We’ll need them to stay in the same spot for long enough for the spell to work,” she said shooting her earth pony friends a glance.         “Alright! This will be fun!” Pinkie said with a wink.         “Great. Rainbow Dash? I’m going to need Princess Luna’s help getting a gemstone, so I’ll need you to fly to Canterlot as fast as you can and get one from her.”         “You got it, boss!” she responded proudly.         “Thanks. I’ll send her a letter to let her know you’re coming. Rarity? I’m going to need some convincing replicas of the Elements of Harmony. Do you think you could rush order a few necklaces and a tiara?”         “Why of course, dear! They’ll never suspect a thing,” Rarity answered.         “Fantastic. I’ll work on mastering the spell that will bind the Miasma. Spike? We’re going to need the Night Watch’s help corralling them back to Ponyville. They need to chase them here, but we can’t risk any word about this plan getting out. Do you think you could talk to Knight Wing?” She asked the dragon.         “He’ll probably think it's a ridiculous idea, but I’ll get him on board,” Spike affirmed.         “Um, what about me?” Fluttershy asked softly.         “I’ll talk to you about your part soon. Is everyone else ready?” she asked her friends. They all cheered and shouted their support of Twilight’s plan. Spike smiled at the sight of all his friends in the same place, as if nothing had changed. He worried himself sick during the nights he spent in Canterlot that he would be too different for things to ever feel the same anymore. But his friends were all spirited and caring as always.         “Well then let’s get to work, everypony,” Twilight cheered, and the rest of the ponies left their thrones and began splitting up to accomplish their various tasks. Spike headed for the door when he was stopped by a hoof at his shoulder.         “Do you think we could talk for a second in the library?” Twilight asked. Spike was a little confused as to why, but he nodded and followed her down the hall and into the library. She made her way over to the desk near the window and used her magic to lift a quill and ink out of the drawer. She began scribbling down something on a scroll with her magic while Spike observed the bookshelves. She quickly finished writing her note and looked over at her assistant.         The light through the window behind her seemed to bounce playfully off of Spike’s vibrant scales. His wings were tucked neatly into his sides while his tail curled around his feet where he sat. He was still her assistant, and a good friend, but she could not deny that something was different about him. It wasn’t just his new size and abilities either. He was wiser as well. She could see it in his eyes. He had a thoughtfulness and capacity for analysis that rested in his head, and she found herself oddly drawn to the way he deduced which emotion they were up against. It was a strange sensation for her, and she decided it best to dash it from her mind.         “Is that for Princess Luna?” he said pointing at the scroll in her hoof. She didn’t even notice he was looking at her.         “What? Oh, yes. Would you mind?” she said and floated it over to him. He clasped the letter in his fingertips and blew the letter into a green trail of smoke and flame.         “Spike?” She asked him after he sent it. “The stone that Luna bound the Miasma of envy to, that was the gem she showed you in your test right?”         “. . . yeah,” he said and frowned at the memory. “Why?”         “Well,” she began, trying to carefully address the subject. “What did you see?”         Spike could tell she needed to know. She was going to bind the Miasma of greed to a stone, so she would need to know what it was like to look at one. He felt a little embarrassed by the subject, especially considering their conversation last night.         “It's ok, you can tell me,” she said and walked over to him putting a reassuring hoof on his hand.         “I saw Rarity. She was in love with somepony. Somepony who was not me. They were married and happy with two foals playing in her studio,” he said and looked down at the floor. Twilight covered her mouth with her hoof thinking about how hard it must have been to see.         “That pony was everything I wanted to be. Tall, handsome, rich, and loved by Rarity. I watched as their entire life went by while mine stayed still, watching from afar.” he said and gripped his hands into a fist. Twilight put her hoof back down on his hand to comfort him. "It was as if she dashed me from her life like scrap fabric. I began to feel angry that she was so happy while I was left alone."          “That must have been terrible, Spike,” she consoled.         “It was not the nicest feeling in the world. But I beat it back,” he said and feigned her a smile.         “That’s right,” she said proudly and remembered what he wrote in his letter. “You thought about the rest of your friends and realized that you are loved, right?”         “Well, actually I made that part up,” he confessed and looked away in embarrassment. Twilight cocked her head in confusion. Why would he feel the need to make something up?         “I felt so terrible seeing her in love with somepony else, but then, for some reason, I pictured your face,” he said and smiled at her. “I remembered that no matter what happens, I’ll always be your assistant. I felt like even if I never find a special somepony, you will always be a part of my life. I know it sounds weird, but being your assistant is like being purple, or having scales. It's just part of who I am. Suddenly I started to care less about what I don’t have and more about what I do.”         Twilight’s hoof went back up to her mouth as she gazed back at Spike in shock. Nopony had ever said anything so nice to her in her entire life. She had no idea that she meant so much to him. But now that she thought about it, of course he felt that way. They were always together since they were both young. Trying to imagine life without each other was painful to even think about. Tears began to well up in her eyes as she began to realize that she felt the sa--         “Excuse me, Twilight?” they heard from the door. Rarity cracked open the door and peaked her head in. Twilight subtly wiped her eye with her hoof and looked back at her friend.         “Yes?” she managed to say calmly.         “Do you think I could borrow Spike for the day? I’ll need help cutting the gems to fit the necklaces for the replicas,” she asked politely.         Twilight looked back at Spike, who was blushing at the white-haired mare sheepishly. She looked back at Rarity, and couldn’t figure out why she had the urge to tell her no. She shook her head and tossed the idea from her mind.         “Of course,” she managed to say with a wave. Spike looked back at Twilight with concern in his eyes, but she waved him off and smiled. “Get to work. As soon as those are done, see if you can track down Knight Wing. Got it?”         The dragon nodded and followed Rarity out of the library. The door closed and just like that, Spike was gone again. Twilight’s head rang with reasons why she shouldn’t feel the way she did. He’ll be back soon, he is only helping her out, and he is his own dragon. Despite all of that, she still felt alone with nothing but her books to comfort her. She swallowed another sob that fought its way into her throat. Spike’s face as he told her about his vision was all she could think about. They were the most genuine and kind words anypony had ever told her, and for some reason, they made her feel more alone than she’s ever been.