9 - The Search For Spike (Part I)
It didn’t take long with Rainbow Dash’s help to gather up the rest of Twilight’s friends to form an impromptu search party at the border of the Everfree Forest. Twilight insisted that Trixie should stay to perform her show, knowing how important it was to her, but Trixie refused.
“The Great and Powerful Trixie has a conscience, you know,” she said. “If she does nothing when she knows a child is lost in such a dangerous place. Besides, Spike is Dashie’s friend, and Dashie is Trixie’s marefriend now. Isn’t it only natural that Trixie should help out with the search?”
“But your show-”
“Can wait,” Trixie interrupted. “Besides, this way the Great and Powerful Trixie will have a more to-date story to tell.”
“Alright, we’re all here now!” Rainbow Dash announced as she flew in towards Twilight, Trixie, and Pinkie Pie. Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy followed after her. “What’s the plan, boss?”
Twilight closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Okay… Here’s what I think we should do. We’ll follow the path to Zecora’s place, and keep an eye out for anything that could tell us where Spike went. If we find nothing, then we’ll split into three groups and search around the forest.”
“Trixie has these fireworks that she was going to use for her show tonight,” Trixie said as she waved her cape about to cover up the air next to her, and then pulled it back to reveal a chest of fireworks. Pinkie Pie applauded the little trick, whilst Twilight gave the showmare a curious look. “If we have to split up, we should take these with us. That way one group can signal the others if they need help, or find Spike.”
“Wait, how did you do that?” Twilight asked. “There wasn’t a flash of light, so it couldn’t have been teleportation, and you didn’t levitate it in from somewhere close by; there wasn’t any hint of it being dropped on the ground.”
“A magician does not reveal their secrets,” Trixie said with a smug grin.
“Is now really the time to be asking such a thing?” Rarity asked, her lip quivering and her legs shaking as she stared off into the Everfree Forest. Applejack grabbed one of Rarity’s forehooves and squeezed it tight, but it did little to calm her down. “Oh, my poor Spikey-wikey must be so scared right now! We have to hurry up and save him!”
Twilight nodded. “You’re right. Good thinking, Trixie. We’ll each take three fireworks. Use one if you find Spike, two if you’re in danger. The third can be used to scare away attacking wildlife.”
“The teams should each contain one pony capable of making a quick escape when necessary,” Trixie said. “Twilight and Trixie are capable of casting teleportation and distraction spells to flee, and Rainbow Dash is capable of carrying one pony as she flies away, so the three of us should be the bases of the three groups.”
“As for the companions…” Twilight said as she put a hoof to her chin.
“Ah ain’t leavin’ Rarity’s side,” Applejack said. “Not when she’s like this.” She motioned her head to the still-shaking Rarity, whose eyes were starting to tear up as she continued to stare into the forest.
“I thought you’d say that,” Twilight said. “You and Rarity will stick with me. I think that Pinkie Pie should stick with Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy should partner with Trixie.”
“Fluttershy?” Trixie asked with a raised eyebrow, turning to face the shivering mare smiling timidly at her and waving a hoof slowly. “Should she even be here? She doesn’t look like the type who would survive in such a dangerous place.”
“That’s where you come in,” Twilight said with a smile. “Her knowledge of wild animals should help keep the two of you safe, but in the event something too big for her to handle comes along, you’ll be there to help her get away.”
“Fluttershy’s an expert on wildlife?” Twilight nodded. “If you say so…” ‘At least I’m not stuck with the pink one. I should thank my lucky stars for that.’
“Let’s go then!” Twilight said. “Spike’s a resourceful dragon, but he’s still only a baby dragon! All alone, he’s easy prey for most of the creatures that live out there.”
Rarity froze up and fainted onto Applejack’s back, her coat turning even paler than its usual colour. “Twi!” Applejack hissed.
Twilight gave a sheepish giggle and then a sigh. “S-Sorry.”
“Spike?!”
“Spiiiiiiiike!”
“Spikey-wikeyyyyyyy!”
The girls called for their missing friend as they trekked the dirt road leading to Zecora’s house, walking slowly and keeping an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. “If he had left his footprints, he would be easier to track,” Trixie muttered to herself as she stared down at the ground. “It doesn’t look like any wild creatures jumped out and attacked him.”
“We’re almost at Zecora’s hut,” Twilight said. “It’s no use. We’ll have to split into our groups and spread out to search the place.”
“Hey,” Rainbow Dash started, “Can’t we have the Princess send him a letter asking him where he is?”
“I considered that,” Twilight said, “But the trains aren’t running right now. We’d have to wait until morning before we can reach Canterlot.”
“Twilight Sparkle.” Twilight turned around to face Trixie. “Are you seriously going to leave Trixie searching blindly through the Everfree Forest with her?” Trixie motioned her head over to Fluttershy, who was hanging around Applejack’s neck on one side, shaking and shivering as she reacted with a gasp to every slight sound around herself.
“Trust me,” Twilight said, “Don’t underestimate her. Out of all of us here, she’s probably the most likely to survive alone in a place like this.”
Trixie did not buy that for a second, but she figured that there must have been something that Twilight wasn’t telling her if she insisted on leaving her with Fluttershy. Either that, or she just wasn’t as smart as she let on. “The Great and Powerful Trixie will trust your judgement then, for now.”
“Be careful guys,” Rainbow Dash said as she approached Trixie. “Especially you,” she whispered.
“What was that?” Trixie asked loudly. “Trixie couldn’t quite hear? You’ll have to speak up.”
A blush crossed Rainbow Dash’s face as she glanced over her shoulder at the ponies giving the two curious looks. She turned back to Trixie. “I said don’t do anything stupid!”
Trixie scoffed. “Coming from you?”
Rainbow Dash rubbed the back of her neck with her hoof and glanced down at the ground, before quickly leaning her head forward and giving Trixie what was possibly the fastest kiss known to ponykind. She then turned around and flew over to Pinkie Pie, who was grinning widely at the Pegasus.
“Trixie and Dash-ie, sittin’ in a tree!” Pinkie Pie sang.
“Shut it,” Rainbow Dash said as she hovered above Pinkie Pie. “C’mon, let’s go.”
“K-I-S-S-I-N-G!” Pinkie continued as she hopped after Rainbow Dash into some nearby trees.
“Pinkie!”
“First comes love! Then comes marriage…”
As the sounds of the two mares singing/shouting faded away, Twilight approached Applejack and Rarity and turned to face Trixie and Fluttershy. “Oh, and Trixie? Be careful of what you say around Spike. Keep in mind he still hasn’t exactly warmed up to you just yet.”
“The Great and Powerful Trixie has handled little ones before. She knows what she is doing,” Trixie assured Twilight.
“You know that he’s a teenager, right?” The look from Trixie confirmed that she did not. “Uh, perhaps you should just let Fluttershy do the talking.”
Trixie sighed as she turned to Fluttershy, who was grabbing onto her cape and still shaking on the spot. “Very well…” She tried to walk into the depths of the forest in the opposite direction to Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, only to stop when she felt her cape snag on something. Looking over her shoulder, Trixie found Fluttershy still holding onto her cape, not moving from her spot. “Come on, let’s go. Before it gets even darker.”
“D-D-D-Darker?” Fluttershy asked, shaking even faster on the spot but still not moving from where she was standing.
With a sigh, Trixie snatched her cape out of Fluttershy’s hold and used her magic to pick up the frightened Pegasus and carry her along. Fluttershy yelped at the sensation of being carried, but didn’t fight it as the two journeyed deeper into the forest.
“Honestly, what possible use could a pony afraid of a rustling in the bushes prove to be in this situation?” Trixie asked herself as she carried Fluttershy through the forest’s trees. “Hey! You alright back there?”
“Y-Y-Yes…” Fluttershy stammered. “Um, I-I think I’ll be able to walk now…”
“Are you sure?” Trixie asked.
“Y-Yes… We have to find Spike, after all.” Trixie stopped and turned to face Fluttershy. “He needs us. I… I’m still a little scared, but I have to be strong…”
Trixie examined the look on Fluttershy’s face. It was clear to the showmare that Fluttershy was more than just ‘a little scared’, but it was equally clear that she had underestimated this mare’s abilities. “Just don’t go running off in a blind panic if we’re attacked,” Trixie said.
“I’ll try,” Fluttershy responded with a nervous smile as she felt her hooves touch the ground. The two continued their search together for the baby dragon, Trixie using her magic to light the area and call out for him, and Fluttershy timidly checking behind every bush and tree for traces of Spike’s presence.
Rainbow Dash shuffled through the thick foliage of to the side of her path in the hopes of finding something that would lead her to Spike. Footprints, paper from the book he was carrying, anything. Of course, the search would probably have been going smoother if a certain pink Earth Pony hadn’t been bombarding her with questions the entire time.
“Are you and Trixie gonna get married?”
Rainbow Dash sighed. “Pinkie Pie! We’re supposed to be searching for Spike!”
“I am!” Pinkie protested as she lifted up a rock and examined the ground beneath it. There was no Spike there, so she dropped the rock back onto the ground and hopped over to a nearby bush. “Are you and Trixie gonna have foals?”
“Pinkie!” Rainbow shouted, her face turning red from the question. “We’ve only been together for a few days! We’ve only had one real date! We’re not even living together yet! Besides, how would we even have foals in the first place?”
“Magic?” Pinkie Pie suggested with a shrug. “That’s how it usually works in these kinds of scenarios.”
“‘These kinds of scenarios’?” Rainbow Dash asked, though she received no answer.
“You’re right, though! You two should totally move in together, first.” Pinkie Pie suddenly gasped as the thought crossed her mind. “You two should totally move in together! I still haven’t thrown Rarity and Applejack their living-together party yet, so if you do it now it’d be like a ‘buy one get one free’!”
“Pinkie, your parties are free anyway,” Rainbow pointed out. “Besides, us two living together would be kinda difficult.”
“Why’s that?” Pinkie asked.
“Well, for one thing, Trixie lives in a trailer. And I live in a cloud house.”
“So?”
“… So, Trixie would fall right through the floor of my house if that spell of hers suddenly wears off, and her trailer is way too small for both of us to live there at the same time! And what would I do when she’s out of town doing her shows?”
“… You’re right,” Pinkie said with a frown. “But can’t you do things to your house to make it so non-Pegasi can walk on it?”
“That costs money, and I’m kinda low on it right now.” Rainbow Dash heard a rustling in some nearby bushes, and galloped quickly towards the source of the noise. “Spike?!” She pushed the bushes aside, only to find two rabbits quickly running away from her. “Darn it…”
“Hey Dash?”
Rainbow Dash sighed. “What is it, Pinkie?”
“What do you see in Trixie, exactly?”
Rainbow turned back to Pinkie with an incredulous look. “Really? At a time like this?”
“But I’m curious. You told us how you two got together, but what do you actually like about her? Is it that she’s a show-off too?”
“… No, it’s not that,” Rainbow said as she turned away from Pinkie and continued to search the area for Spike.
“Is it that she’s smart and good with magic?”
“If it was that, I’d have hooked up with Twilight long ago,” Rainbow Dash said.
“Is iiiiiiiit… her flanks?”
“No! I mean, yeah that helps, but that’s not the reason! It’s… Look, I’m not sure why, I just can’t help but feel… that way around her.”
“‘That way’?” Pinkie asked as she tilted her head.
“Yeah. Like, my chest feels tighter, and I just wanna keep hangin’ out with her all day. I wanna know more about her, and tell her more about me, and… Well, you get what I’m sayin’.”
Pinkie shook her head. “I’ve never felt that way before,” she said. “I like a lot of ponies, but I’ve never like liked another pony, like you like like Trixie, or like Applejack like likes Rarity.”
Rainbow Dash scratched the back of her head as she cast an awkward look to the ground. “Well, it’s… it’s kinda hard to explain. Around you guys, I just wanna have fun until we have to split. Around Trixie, I don’t want us to split. And, I feel this intense need to have her see me in a positive light. Like, I gotta show her the awesome side of me that she can’t resist.”
“But you’re like that anyway,” Pinkie pointed out. “You’re always showing ponies the awesome said of Rainbow Dash!”
“But with Trixie, it’s different. Her opinion means so much more. Her approval means so much more, and I-” A loud bang interrupted Rainbow’s train of thought, and both mares turned to the sky with a start. “Two fireworks… Somepony’s in trouble!”
“Oh no! We’d better hurry!” Pinkie Pie said.
“Yeah! Sorry Pinkie, we’ll talk about this later!”
Pinkie shook her head. “It’s fine. I think I get it anyway. Love is like Discord.” Rainbow raised a confused eyebrow at that. “Makes no sense, but that’s where the fun lies!”
“… Uh…” Rainbow Dash didn’t want to admit that that sounded so right. “Let’s just… go see who needs help…”
“Okey-dokey-lokey!” Rainbow Dash flew through the Everfree Forest, and Pinkie Pie hopped after her, a content smile on her face from the answer she had arrived at.
“T-Trixie, I don’t think you should be-”
“Just stay back, Fluttershy,” Trixie said as she stared down the vicious beast in front of her. “The Great and Powerful Trixie has the situation under control.” ‘Just run you stupid filly! It’s a bucking manticore, why are you not running?!’
“B-But Trixie, I-”
“You may want to go hide. This may get ugly.” ‘Run already, before it attacks!'
“But-”
“And you, manticore! You have just three seconds before the Great and Powerful Trixie makes you wish you had chosen a different path to hunt down tonight!” ‘We are so screwed…’
The manticore reared up onto it hind legs, and then stomped down onto the ground, unleashing a bloodcurdling roar that would have blown Trixie’s hat off of her head had she not pinned it down with a forehoof.
Before Trixie could react, a yellow blur shot in front of her. “Fluttershy, what-”
“Oh, uh, g-good evening, ma’am,” Fluttershy said, giving a court bow to the beast standing before her. “We’re terribly sorry to have interrupted your hunt, we were just looking for a friend of ours who’s lost in the forest.”
The manticore eyes the yellow Pegasus for a few seconds, before waving its paw dismissively and grunting. It then turned around and started walking away, leaving a smiling Fluttershy waving goodbye to the beast, and a stunned and shocked Trixie, her jaw almost hitting the ground.
“W… What was that?” Trixie finally managed to ask after the manticore was out of sight.
“Oh. Um, she was just a little upset that you scared its prey away with all your shouting, but she said it’s okay and she’ll let it slide, but you’ve got to be just a little more quiet from now on.”
“You… understood it?” Trixie asked in a disbelieving tone. “The manticore. You understood what it was saying.”
Fluttershy blushed and turned her head to the side. “I-Is that bad?”
Trixie’s head titled as she stared at the mare before her. “And you didn’t think to mention this ability earlier?”
“W-Well, I-”
“How are you not rich right now?” Trixie asked. “Ponies would good money to see you handle a manticore one-on-one like that, or to save a village of ponies from a timberwolf attack!”
“Oh, no. It doesn’t work like that,” Fluttershy said. “I can’t convince a pack of wolves to leave when they’re just searching for food. And I didn’t ‘handle’ the manticore, I just apologised for all the noise we were making.”
“Even so! If Trixie had apologised, it would have just ignored her and ripped her to shreds! Er, tried to, at least. Obviously Trixie would have totally won.”
“Um, I’m not really that special…”
“The hay you’re not! Trixie knows talent when she sees it!” Trixie wrapped a foreleg around the shy pony. “You know, that ability of your could come in very hand in Trixie’s shows. How about it? Want to join up with Trixie some time to impress the masses?”
Fluttershy slowly shook her head. “I-It’s a nice offer and all, really, but I… I don’t feel comfortable being on a stage in front of so many ponies, and my ability isn’t really all that great…”
Trixie sighed and released the Pegasus. “Fine, suit yourself.” Fluttershy breathed a sigh of relief, though it was short-lived. “The Great and Powerful Trixie shall convince you at a later date, but for now, we have a baby dragon to find.”
Fluttershy nodded. “J-Just lower the volume a little bit, alright?”
“Yeah, yeah…” Trixie wandered over to some nearby bushes and pushed past them. “Spike? Are you he- WAAAAAAAAH!”
“Trixie?!” Fluttershy turned around and ran towards the bushes, yelping as she set one hoof in and found herself at the top of a very steep slope. Using her wings, Fluttershy quickly took to the air and moved back a bit. “Trixie! Are you okay?!”
“Just fine!” Trixie shouted from the bottom of the slop, dusting off her hat before placing it back onto her head. “Don’t come after me! It’s a long fall down!”
“Are you hurt?!”
“Trixie banged her head a little, but nothing serious! Oh no… I can’t find my bag! I must have dropped it as I was falling!”
“Can you teleport back up?!”
A moment of silence passed as Trixie attempted to cast a teleportation spell. “The blow to my horn must have shorted out my magic! I can’t do any spells right now!”
“Don’t go anywhere!” Fluttershy shouted. “I’m going to send the girls a signal for help!”
“Don’t go anywhere?” Trixie muttered as she looked around herself. “Where exactly would Trixie go in a spooky forest like this?” Trixie winced as she felt her head throbbing. She tried to channel some magic into her horn, and found it to be a fruitless endeavour. “Guess I’ll just wait until-”
“Una criatura extraña!” Trixie took a step back as three creatures jumped her from the shadows. She wasn’t sure exactly what they were, but they appeared to be large dog-like creatures wearing orange armour with silver linings. Only, unlike most dogs, these one were standing on their hind legs and were wielding spears.
“Vamos a capturarla,” another one of the dogs said, and suddenly the three creatures began to close in on Trixie.
Trixie considered her chances of survival if she attempted to fight them, and she did not like the odds she came up with. “H-Hold on. Let’s talk about this, shall we?”
The dogs carried Trixie through the Everfree Forest in the most undignified manner the showmare had ever experienced. Her hooves had been tied to a long pole and she was hanging upside-down as her captors carried her tribal style to Celestia only knows where.
Thanks to the blow to her horn, Trixie was still unable to conjure up enough magic to free herself, but thankfully they hadn’t resorted to binding it, so if she could just stall for enough time she could use her magic in… five to ten minutes, the showmare estimated. Of course, she was no doctor, but it was a rough guess based on past experiences of hurting her head as a filly.
“Hey,” she called out to whichever dog was in charge, “Where are you taking the Great and Powerful Trixie? She demands to know!” The dogs ignored her. “Trixie warns you, she will only give you fifty chances before she shows you no mercy!” They still ignored her. “… Your breath smells like macaroni and cheese and I am quite frankly appalled by your lack of noodles.” No reaction from any of the dogs.
Either the Royal Guard had met its match in the art of remaining stoic and statue-like, or these dogs couldn’t understand what she was saying. Since it seemed that further attempts at talking with them would be utterly useless, Trixie decided to simply click her tongue as she waited for her magic to recharge. ‘Hopefully Rainbow Dash will find me after seeing those fireworks.’
“¡Hemos capturado una extraña criatura!” Trixie heard one of the dogs say as they stopped. “¡Nos gustaría ofrecerla a nuestro nuevo jefe!”
“La ceremonia está a punto de comenzar. Tendrá que esperar.”
“Pero lleva el aroma de una deliciosa oferta! Creemos que sería un gran homenaje a los recién casados.”
Trixie heard footsteps approaching her. A dog dressed in green armour stopped by her side and took a whiff of her, much to Trixie’s chagrin. “Excuse you, you uncouth mutt!”
“Es cierto. Adelante, la anciana seguramente estará contenta.”
“Sí.” The dogs carrying Trixie continued to move, and Trixie’s vision became darkened as they entered a cave. After some more walking, the dogs stopped and untied Trixie, before throwing her onto the ground. “¡Hemos traído a esta ofrenda, para honrar el día de la boda de nuestros mayores!”
“Ow! What the buck?!” Trixie shouted as she lifted her head off of the ground, spitting out the dirt that had entered her mouth.
“Trixie?!”
Trixie gasped as she saw a familiar baby dragon sitting before her. The same purple creature she had been searching for when he got caught by these brutes, dressed in a set of dark-blue robes and wearing a strange hat that was easily three times the size of his head. Trixie found it hard not to laugh at Spike’s ridiculous clothing.
“Conoces a esta criatura?” the dog sitting beside Spike – dressed in similar clothes but coloured green instead of blue – asked.
“S-Sí. Es uh, mi asistente. Es totalmente inofensiva,” Spike said.
“You can understand them?” Trixie asked. “What language is that?”
“Espaneighol,” Spike said. “I studied it while Twilight was at school. Since I didn’t get to go, Cadance offered to teach me some things so I could know what going to school felt like.”
“Hirió a tres de nuestros soldados!” one of the dogs behind Trixie shouted. “Casi ‘inofensivo’!”
“Gracias,” the dog sitting next to Spike said. “A gusto. Esta es mi boda.”
“D-Disculpas.” The dogs around Trixie backed away and stood tall and straight, they eyes focussed on the air in front of them as the dog sitting beside Spike motioned with her paw for Trixie to come closer.
Trixie obeyed, if only because the fact that Spike was unharmed helped her feel at ease. “Has interrumpido mi día de la boda,” the dog said.
“Uh…” Trixie turned to Spike for help.
“Maybe I should explain,” Spike said with a blush as she fiddled with his tail. “You see, I was on my way to Zecora’s – that’s this zebra I know who lives in the Everfree Forest – when I heard some sounds in the bushes. I thought it might have been like a manticore or a cockatrice or something, so I hid behind the nearest tree I could find.
“I was captured by this dog tribe that has been living in vast and complex cave systems for centuries. They don’t take kindly to dragons, since it was a dragon that drove them out of their last cave, but the elder here thought I was… kinda handsome…” ‘Or cute, whatever.’ “… She said she would spare my life, if I married her and became chief of this tribe.”
Trixie’s eyes were wide as she looked between the elder and the baby dragon. “You’re… getting married?”
“… I guess so,” Spike said. “Either that or I get killed.”
Trixie knew that there was a time and a place for everything, even laughter. She decided to file this story away for laughter later, and set her gaze on the elder. “Aaaaand, what is their stance on ponies?”
“They’ve never met a pony before. But I can tell you this: she’s not happy that you interrupted her wedding day.”
“Well, it’s not like Trixie meant to. She was ambushed and was just trying to defend herself. Though now that she finds out you’re here, that changes things.”
“One moment,” Spike said before turning to the elder. “Ella no lo sabía. Sólo estaba perdida en el bosque cuando los guardias la subieron. No era su intención interrumpir la boda.”
“Aún así, ha sucedido. ¡Nuestras leyes dictan que debe ser decapitada y su cabeza sirvida a mi novio en una bandeja de plata!”
Spike was silent for a long time. Trixie did not like it. “What did she say?” she asked.
“Uh… You’re… not going to like it,” Spike said. “Basically, because you interrupted our wedding, even though it was an accident, you’ve gotta be killed… and your head served to me as a meal…”
“WHAT?!” Trixie shouted as she jumped back away from the elder. The dogs around her attempted to move but a raised paw from the elder stopped them. “That’s the last time the Great and Powerful Trixie offers her services for your sake!”
“It’s not like I want to eat you!” Spike shouted back. “Besides, why are you even here anyway?! You know I don’t like you!”
“You were lost, and you’re Dashie’s friend! That’s why I came out here searching for you!”
“Yeah right! I bet you were planning to just slack off and then make up some big story of how you fought off a hydra to save me, am I right?!”
“You ungrateful little-”
“Estoy dispuesta a hacer una excepción,” the elder said, cutting off the argument between the two. “Estoy dispuesta a perdonarle la vida a una criatura tan hermosa, si está dispuesta a tomar la pata de mi hijo en matrimonio.”
“Translation?” Trixie asked.
“She’s willing to spare your life,” Spike said, eliciting a sigh of relief from Trixie. “Catch is, you gotta marry her son.”
“What?!” Trixie squeaked. “Tell that bitch the Great and Powerful Trixie is already in a happy relationship!”
“… You’ve only been dating for a few days,” Spike said. “And there’s no need for that language.”
“Just do it!”
“Alright… Ella ya está en una relación.”
“Entonces debe morir. No hay otra opción.”
“Yeah, they’re not going for it. Should I tell them you accept their offer?”
“No!” Trixie shouted, jumping to her hooves and running over to Spike. “Tell them that if they don’t let me go, YOU DIE!” Using her right foreleg, Trixie picked Spike up and held him tight, and using her left forehoof, she pulled out a small switchblade knife and pressed it against Spike’s throat.
Spike, caught off guard by the sudden attack, released a high-pitched scream that caused all of the dogs around him to cover their ears. “U-Uh… Ella me va a matar si no la dejas ir…”
“I’ll do it! I’m crazy!” Trixie shouted.
“You got me convinced,” Spike muttered under his breath.
“¡Guardias! Déjenla pasar! Ella no debe dañar a mi novio!” the elder shouted.
“Uh, you got the all clear,” Spike told Trixie. The showmare nodded, and slowly began backing out of the cave, keeping a close eye on every single dog as she did so.
As she stepped outside the cool night air brushed against her coat, and a chill ran down her spine as her sharpened instincts warned her of danger coming from behind. Turning around, Trixie was just in time to swing her knife and block an attack from one of the guard dogs standing outside. However, the dog proved to physically be more powerful than her, and the knife in Trixie’s hoof was knocked out of her grip and down towards the ground.
“What now?” Spike asked with a worried look on his face.
Trixie focussed her magic, and was delighted to feel a reaction, albeit a weak one. She was close to recovering, but for now, all she could do was grab Spike in a levitation spell and throw him onto her back. “Now… RUUUUUUUN!” she shouted as she turned tail and ran as fast as she could through the dark forest. Behind her, she could hear the footsteps and the cries of the guard dogs behind her.
“¡Atrápenlos!”
“Para mayor!”
Spike had to wrap his arms around Trixie’s neck in order to not fall off of her back. As much as he disliked it, he had to admit that it was better than getting married to some dog and spending the rest of his life in a cave system in the Everfree Forest.
“Hold on!” Trixie shouted. “This is going to be a bumpy ride!”
Rainbow Dash kicked the roaring timberwolf into the nearest tree and continued flying through the Everfree Forest. “Darn it! Where is she?!” she asked out loud as she stared down at the tracks on the ground. “Trixie, you’d better not be-” She was cut off by a scream in the distance. “W-Who was that?!”
Picking up her speed, Rainbow Dash soon spotted a cave in the distance, surrounded by what she recognised as Diamond Dogs dressed in armour. Coming out of the cave was Trixie, and she was carrying… “Spike?!” One of the dogs approached Trixie from behind. “Look out!” she shouted as she dashed forward.
She watched as Trixie deflected the attack and began to run away, carrying Spike on her back as she did so. She quickly gave chase after her and grabbed one of the fireworks from her saddlebag. “Hey, you dumb dogs!” she shouted to the pursuing pack of dogs. “Take this!” Lighting the fuse, Rainbow Dash released the firework and allowed it to go off towards the dogs.
The frightened dogs stopped in their tracks and turned tail in order to retreat. Rainbow Dash blew a raspberry to the fleeing pack of dogs before picking up her speed in order to catch up with Trixie. “You guys okay?!”
“Dash!” Trixie shouted. “How did you find us?!”
“I followed the footprints left by those guys back there! What’s going on?”
“It’s a long story,” Trixie said, “But basically, Spike was about to elope and-”
“I was kidnapped,” Spike corrected.
“And he was about to marry into a pack of dogs-”
“Against my will!”
“So the Great and Powerful Trixie saved him!” Spike opened his mouth to say something, but stopped. “Well? Not got a problem with that?”
“… You didn’t have to threaten me.”
Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “She threatened you?”
“An act,” Trixie said quickly. “To create an opening with which we could escape. And it worked, did it not?”
Spike refused to say anything. He simply folded his arms and turned his head away from the two mares.
“Well, it looks like we lost those guys,” Rainbow said. “Look! A waterfall up ahead!”
“Let’s rest there,” Trixie suggested. “You got any more of those fireworks?”
“Yeah. I’ll send a signal once we stop moving.” As soon as the trio reached the small lake, they stopped to take a breather. Spike was more than happy to lose the ridiculous clothes he had been made to wear, and quickly hopped into the lake to ‘cool down’. “You’re not hurt, are you?” Rainbow Dash asked Trixie, a concerned look on her face.
“Trixie may have banged her head a little bit, but it’s getting better,” Trixie said. She wasn’t expecting Rainbow Dash to lean in and plant a soft kiss on her forehead. “… O-Okay, now it’s a lot better.”
Rainbow Dash pulled back and grinned. “Glad I could help. I’m gonna set these things off to let the others know where we are.”
“Just set one off, so they know we’re here with Spike. Otherwise they might split into two parties, and we may need the other firework if more trouble shows up.”
“You got it,” Rainbow said. She turned to Spike, who was sitting quietly in the lake, his back turned to the two mares. “Hey, you two… didn’t fight earlier, did you?”
“… Let’s just say it’s not looking like our relationship will get better any time soon.”
“Well, I think you should talk to him,” Rainbow said. “At the very least, I think you should at least try to make peace with him.”
“But he’s the one with a grudge against Trixie. What would Trixie say to that?” Trixie asked.
“You’re a clever girl, right?” Rainbow asked, poking Trixie’s forehead playfully with a hoof. “I’m sure you’ll think of something. C’mon, do this for me.”
Trixie gritted her teeth together and kicked the ground. “… Fine. Trixie will speak with him, but she will not guarantee any favourable results.”
Rainbow Dash nodded and walked away, to both set off one of the fireworks, and to give Trixie and Spike some room to talk.
Trixie approached Spike slowly, trying to think of what would be the best way to approach this situation. “Uh… How’s the water?”
“It’s fine…”
“… Look, the Great and Powerful Trixie would like you to know, whatever grudges you may hold against her, whatever fears or malice you may have for Trixie, she is willing to help you work through them.”
Spike sighed and shook his head. “Can’t you just leave me alone? Just… I don’t care if you’re in a relationship with Dash or whatever. Hay, you can be Mayor of Ponyville for all I care. Just stay away from Twilight and me, okay?”
“… Trixie has no intention of taking Twilight Sparkle away from you-”
“I don’t care!” Spike shouted. “I don’t care what you have to say! Twilight’s my… She’s like my big sister! I love her more than anything in the world, and I would do anything for her! And you took her away from me! You can’t fix that with a simple apology!”
Trixie heard the firework launch some distance away, and waited for the explosion before continuing. “You’re not the only one who’s lost somepony important to them,” Trixie muttered.
Spike apparently heard what she had said, though. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“… Never mind. Sorry to have disturbed you,” she said as she turned away. She left the baby dragon to his bathing and was approached by Rainbow Dash. “Well, Trixie tried.”
“No luck?” Rainbow asked after seeing the frown on her marefriend’s face. She leaned in and gave Trixie a light nuzzle. “At least you tried. Don’t worry, I’ll have a word with him later and-”
“Don’t bother,” Trixie said as she sat down on the ground. Rainbow Dash followed suit. “You can’t force friendships, and not all grudges can be resolved. Sometimes, it’s best if two ponies simply stay away from each other.”
“But-”
“Please don’t push it,” Trixie said, her tone shifting from neutral to annoyed. “It’s been a long day. Let’s just have a peaceful respite under the stars.” Trixie leaned over and rested her head on Rainbow’s shoulder.
With a sigh, Rainbow Dash extended her wing and wrapped it around Trixie’s back. “… Alright. For now, I’ll drop it.”
Spike climbed out of the lake and stared at the two mares for a second, before deciding to rest a short distance away from them. As he lay down on the hard ground beneath him and stared up at the night sky, his eyes continued to steal glances at Trixie. ‘… I should thank her for saving me, but…’
An image flashed in Spike’s mind. Twilight, held in a red magical aura, being thrown out of Ponyville and then cut off from him by a see-through barrier. He turned onto his side so that his back was to Trixie, and closed his eyes as he pretended to fall asleep.
Note: The Spanish for this part was provided to me via Google Translate. If anypony has any problems with it, I apologise, and please feel free to PM corrections if you speak both English and Spanish fluently. As I don't speak a word of Spanish, I honestly have no clue whether or not Google Translate has been at all accurate in this situtation.
Thanks to Khao for providing correct translations for the Spanish lines. Here's hoping they're not just screwin' with me, 'cause I honestly have no clue if their translations are any more accurate than Google's :P
For Spike's scream reference, see video:
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I can hear the rage of a thousand TwiDash die hards...
Also, not bad at all. Skillful rescue by Trixie.
~Skeeter The Lurker
Nice use of the Diamond Dogs. its been a while since I read anything about them. Good work
3078252
And yes that was funny and sad at the same time
3078252
Yes, their tears are delicious! Muahahahah!
And now, one language mangled.
I feel a great disturbance in the force. As if a thousand TwiDashers cried out, and then suddenly were silenced.
1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z1yPZLQw6Ro/UWxOnT8AByI/AAAAAAAAJXE/B8OV2MlybOA/s1600/sinking_ship.jpg
H.M.S. TwiDash
groan
Kay, so, I'm not even remotely close to being anything you could call a writer, but Spanish is my native language, so I guess I could help with Spanish stuff a little bit.
“Vamos a capturarla,”
“¡Hemos capturado una extraña criatura!”
“¡Nos gustaría ofrecerla a nuestro nuevo jefe!”
This doesn't make much sense, what exactly are you trying to say here?
“Es cierto. Adelante, la anciana seguramente estará contenta.”
Not wrong, but feels kinda awkward. Wouldn't know what to replace it for, like I said, I'm not exactly a writer. =P
“¡Hemos traído a esta ofrenda, para honrar el día de la boda de nuestros mayores!”
“Conoces a esta criatura?”
“S-Sí. Es uh, mi asistente. Es totalmente inofensiva,”
“Hirió a tres de nuestros soldados!”
“Casi ‘inofensivo’!”
Not sure how to fix one, but it certainly doesn't make sense, English?
I have no idea if this is wrong or not, I'd say "De nada" instead of "A gusto," but it might be used in other countries, dunno.
“Ella no lo sabía. Sólo estaba perdida en el bosque cuando los guardias la subieron. No era su intención interrumpir la boda.”
“Aún así, ha sucedido. ¡Nuestras leyes dictan que debe ser decapitada y su cabeza sirvida a mi novio en una bandeja de plata!”
“Estoy dispuesta a hacer una excepción,”
“Estoy dispuesta a perdonarle la vida a una criatura tan hermosa, si está dispuesta a tomar la pata de mi hijo en matrimonio.”
“Entonces debe morir. No hay otra opción.”
“¡Atrápenlos!”
AAbsolutely no idea what's this supposed to mean. =P
Again, I'm not even close to being a writer, so these are probably still not flawless. Still figured I could give it a shot, 'cause some of those made me cringe a little bit.
Spike should remember that Trixie was kinda-sorta corrupted by the alicorn amulet when she threw Twilight out of Ponyville. Sure, she'd probably do it without it's influence too, but still, that should count for something.
the spanish here is not bad. there are just some part which could use some little checks, but honestly is nothing major.
so good job with your chapter
Mexican diamond dogs. Well, I guess the griffons must be Italian then!
3078974 I'm a "Ship Dash with any and all horned ponies except for Celestia because she sucks" person...
TwiDash, Raridash, LunaDash, TrixDash... Etc...
But TwiDash is my favorite, what makes me cry out then be silenced is AppleDash, FlutterDash, PinkieDash, all of the straight pairings for dash, aside from with Shining, he's shippable... Yep.
I have no idea why I even wrote this
3085087
B-b-but....
Celestia is BEST princess!
I have loved this story from the start, but you made one SERIOUS mistake... THE SPANISH!!!
and im not talking about the translations, im talking about the fact that you included it at all!!! yes, it made the story more... flavorful, shall we say? but it was a pain in the ass to constantly switch back and forth between the story and Google translate for the entire scene. just a tip, you should not have multiple languages in your stories, because it makes the enjoyment of the story extremely difficult for those who only speak one language. i hope you take this into consideration.
On the other hoof, this story has been great so far! it is funny, while also touching, and i check for its updates quite often. looking forward to more!!!
3085289 Nay, thou hast been brainwashed, Luna is best Princess!
3085412
Them's be fightin' words.
3086109 And a glorious battle of logic and headcanons it shall be, one devoid of equicide!
Ugh, my spanish is rusty. I need to work on it.
I would have gone with calling it Castallion, but Espaneigholworks too.
3086421 Oh please, everypony knows Big Mac is best Princess!
3089754 Nay, Shining Armor!
Such a good trixdash fanfic, I bet the next chapter is gonna be good
Can't wait for you to make the next part, really well made.
I just love this fanfic, it's a couple that I always want read about
Another great chapter. And yeah, sometimes people just can't get along. It happens.
I hope it is not a Spike and Twilight pairing, because i like her more as his mother, i mean i see her like this anytime.
In a world where magical, colorful, talking horses speak english. I am perfectly willing to accept that bipedal dog creatures speak Spanish.