//------------------------------//
// 3. River Rapids 
// Story: Wanderlust 
// by DwarvishPony 
//------------------------------//

	Spike's feet hurt. He'd spent time on his feet, especially when there were chores to be done. Friendship Castle was big, after all. It took a long time to sweep it. But this was different. There was an unfamiliar ache in his feet. He decided that it was a good ache though. Like he'd accomplished something on his first day away from Ponyville.

Now, night had fallen. With it came rain, which forced the young dragon to seek shelter for the night. His shelter came in the form of a hollowed out tree, which he'd made a bit more comfortable with a pile of leaves. He decided that Blue would make a good pillow. As luck would have it, he was right. Spike lay down and, after some length of time, fell into a light sleep.


~~~


Spike was awoken by the roiling sounds of thunder. Lightning split the sky as rain threatened to flood his makeshift shelter. He quickly snatched up his treasured belongings and repacked them in an attempt to save them. Blue the Hedgehog was unfortunate enough to get soaked, so Spike resigned himself to carrying the stuffed toy rather than stowing it with his comic and Hoofball cards.

"Didn't think it was supposed to rain this bad, Blue." Spike commented as he nibbled on a claw in fear. "I guess we'll just have to keep going until we find a new shelter." Spike was ankle deep in water by the time he left is shelter. He made a mental note to make sure his next shelter's flooring wasn't shaped like a bowl (despite how comfortable the shaping was to the dragon).

Out into the storm went Spike. The rain made it tough to see, but Spike had no choice but to bravely venture forward. The lightning turned out to be a blessing as much as a curse, briefly illuminating the woodsy area around Spike, but leaving him nearly blind until either his eyes adjusted again or another crack of lightning tore open the sky.

The weather made travel difficult. More than once Spike was nearly blown over by gusts of wind. It was not a fun experience, and Spike had started contemplating turning back and returning to Ponyville. His legs, however, refused to let him turn around. Spike pressed onward, coming to a river after some indeterminable amount of time.

It wasn't a large river, by any means. A wooden bridge spanned the water, which was threatening to spill over the riverbanks. Up ahead on the other side of the river, Spike thought he could make out the lights of a building. He quickened his pace. Another crack of lightning confirmed the dragon's suspicions, illuminating a small cottage with a sign out front. Spike couldn't make out the words on the sign, but he could care less. He wanted out of this rain!

As he made his way across the bridge, lightning illuminated the world around Spike. Well, blinded Spike really. By sheer bad luck, the lighting had decided to strike the bridge just as Spike was crossing. Now, the end of the bridge was splintered. Spike watched in shock as the chunks of wood that were to guide him to warmth and safety were swept away in the swirling torrents of the river. He turned to make his way back off the bridge.

As he did, the bridge lurched to the side with a mighty groan. Spike took off running, but the river proved to be faster. With one sickeningly disorienting motion, the bridge toppled completely, dumping it's only occupant (two if you counted Blue) into the chilling water below.