Chapter 11
Alright. Just count to three and open your eyes.
Spike drew in a slow, deep breath and nodded to himself.
One...
Things weren't as bad as they seemed. He'd made it through the forest. He'd found Zecora's house.
Two...
Finding Trixie was still an issue, of course. Still, he'd gone back to where they'd separated. He started walking in the same direction she had gone in.
Two-and-a-half...
Granted, he'd started getting worried upon finding the clearing. The one randomly strewn with rocks, sticks, and logs. He hadn't wanted to think about just what had been responsible for that.
But the muddy hoofprints leading from it were clear as day. There was nopony other than Trixie around to leave them. All Spike had to do was follow them.
And when he finished counting and opened his eyes, Spike was confident that he was just going to find another clearing. He was not going to see the trail of mud continue into something terrifying. Especially not the scariest cave he'd ever seen in his life.
Three!
Spike's eyes snapped open and quickly followed the trail of hoofprints...
And found himself looking straight into the mouth of the scariest cave he'd ever seen in his life.
"... Crud."
Chapter 11
The colt drew in a deep breath as he sat in place, staring into the darkness ahead.
"Is it too much to hope she didn't go in here?" he heard himself ask.
The answer seemed to be a resounding "yes" as he looked back down to the trail of mud he'd followed. A straight line of hoofprints, trekking inexorably forward and past the cave's entrance. He could even see the vague, swept lines as though something like a cape had dragged over them.
Unmistakable Trixie-tracks. Spike suddenly wasn't sure which was worse: The shaking in his legs, or the dull headache he was developing.
"Alright, alright, alright..." Spike muttered to himself as he stood back up. "I just gotta get in, have a quick peek around, and get out again."
With a resigned sigh, the colt began to walk. His brow broke into a cold sweat as he did, however. He couldn't help but notice the row of stalactites hanging just inside the entrance. Nor how they resembled razor sharp teeth. Especially with the way the weak light of the forest played off them. He could almost hear something breathing as a warm breeze rolled out from inside the cavern...
"Uh... H-hello?" He cleared his throat, straining to raise his voice above a hoarse whisper. "T-Trixie? Are you in there?"
No answer. Nothing but more darkness and a steady drip of water from the stalactites. His legs continued to tremble. Even so, Spike pushed himself forward a few more steps.
"Trixie?" he called out again, his voice a bit louder this time.
"Trixie?"
"Trixie?"
"Trixie?"
Spike's ears strained as his voice echoed into the darkness. Still nothing moved inside. Slowly he let out a breath he hadn't even noticed he'd been holding, a sense of overwhelming relief breaking over him.
"Huh, alright then!" Spike's hooves were already moving as he turned back around. "That was a pretty good look, right?"
He paused mid-step. The Everfree Forest seemed even closer than he'd thought. Swallowing hard, he glanced back over his shoulder.
There sat the entrance of the cave. Just as dark and foreboding as before. And several steps away from where he'd been yelling.
"Uh... a good enough look?" he tried to rationalize to himself. "I-I mean, if she were in there she'd have said something—"
CRASH
Spike leapt nearly double his height as an immense noise suddenly rushed from the cave. The rattling of countless falling objects striking hard stone. Almost as though the storm from earlier had suddenly sprung back to life within. Every muscle in his body instantly tensed, ready to run as far as possible without looking back. One thing, however, stopped him.
A high-pitched, and very familiar, shriek that barely carried over the racket.
"AAAAGH!"
"TRIXIE!" Spike's heart was in his throat as he tore into the darkness.
He barreled forward in a blind run, past the patch of cloud-filtered light the entrance let in. The blackness beyond seemed to stretch on forever, swimming with terrible images. Grasping claws reached for him from the shadows as he charged through. Even over his own heartbeat and fading echoes he could hear something crunch horridly under his hooves. All the while he struggled to focus his mind. Straining to force magic through his horn into—
WHAM
"... Ow..." Spike groaned as he slid to the ground.
Small, green sparks were flying around his head. Slowly, those sparks were coming together into a proper light spell. One that finally pushed away the dark around him and giving him a very clear view of the stalagmite he'd just collided with.
Really need to stop doing stuff like this...
Spike could only let out another groan as he pushed himself back up.
"Just gotta-ow..." Spike rubbed at his head as he turned around. "Gotta find Trix-eeeeeee..."
Spike blinked and froze in midstep. He barely noticed his jaw was hanging slack. One hoof reached up and rubbed at his eyes in disbelief.
"Holy. Guac. A-moley."
The cavern was even larger than he'd thought. Big enough to fit twenty of the Golden Oaks Library inside. Spike barely noticed the size, however.
He was far too busy gawking at the mountains of jewels in front of him. From large, uncut gemstones to tiny splinters of crystal, every inch of the chamber was covered in wealth. Each fragment caught and refracted his light, bathing the walls with every color of the rainbow. Slowly, Spike's legs began to move again, gems clattering and crunching beneath his hooves.
"If Twilight could only see this..." Spike muttered, his eyes starting to hurt from staring so much.
"Grrmmph...."
The purple colt froze.
"Gttfff..."
His ears swiveled as the noise sounded again. Unmistakably a voice, heavily muffled and (more importantly) familiar.
"Trixie?" Spike's gaze snapped from one side of the cave to another as he raised his voice. "Trixie? Was that you?"
Something was rattling, the sound of more gems shifting around. Spike turned in place, searching desperately for the source.
His ears fell flat, however, his four extremely venomous words suddenly rose from under his hooves.
"Get. Off of me."
The ground gave a sudden lurch under him. With a yelp of surprise, Spike found himself tumbling backward off a rising mound of treasure. Only the gems were quickly falling away. For a brief moment they formed the outline of a mare before clattering to the ground.
An instant later, something yanked on Spike's tail. Before he could even yelp in pain, that invisible force was hoisting him into the air.
"And just what are you doing here?"
Spike coughed as a frustrated snort hit him full in the face. Suddenly, the colt found himself torn. He couldn't deny feeling some relief at knowing he'd found the invisible mare. On the other hoof, however, he was already starting to get dizzy from hanging upside-down.
"I was—" Spike winced as his head pounded, closing his eyes to try and fight off the nausea. "I was looking for you!"
"Well Trixie told you to wait!"
"Yeah, but—" Spike started to reply
His statement was interrupted by a short bzzt sound. Suddenly, the magical grip around Spike's tail vanished. He barely managed to twist in time, landing on his hooves for once rather than his head. Small comfort as the gems slid under him causing him to drop to his rear. Made even smaller by Trixie's grumbling, and still very angry, voice.
"What, Spike? What was so important that you had to go around yelling for me?"
Zecora!
That one thought pushed Spike to lift his head again.
"Because I—" Spike cut himself off. The news he'd been so desperate to deliver fading as he thought back over what Trixie had just said. "Wait. You heard me looking for you?"
"Uh, yeah? That whiny voice is kind of hard to ignore."
The purple unicorn was silent. Suddenly, he couldn't remember just what he'd wanted to say or why'd he'd been searching for Trixie. All that mattered was the frustrating heat that was building up inside him.
"You heard me shouting," Spike confirmed as he got back to his hooves. "Why didn't you say anything?!"
Trixie was silent, but he could hear the jewels moving as she shuffled her hooves. The stony expression sat harder on his face as he plodded forward a few steps.
"Well?" he pressed.
"I was a bit... distracted, okay?"
"Distracted?" Spike parroted, as he glared through Trixie. "Distracted by wha—"
He didn't need to finish the question. The realization hit as he stared at the answer. The piles upon piles of gems not just behind Trixie but all around them. More than anypony had likely seen in their entire lives.
Clunk
Spike groaned. Small as it was, his hoof meeting his face still hurt.
"Seriously? We're cursed, I was getting soaked to the bone..." Spike didn't care that he was getting louder. He couldn't even think about the words as they rushed to get out. "And you were more worried about gathering treasure!?!"
"Well excuse me! Not everypony gets a cushy life as some big hero!"
Before he could argue back, something shoved hard against Spike. He stumbled to the side, nearly face-planting in another mound of jewels as Trixie's hoofprints marched past him. He started to open his mouth once again—
"It's just... it's hard to make ends meet as a travelling showmare sometimes."
And immediately, his jaw snapped shut again. Spike's ears fell flat, his gaze casting to the side. He wanted to hold onto the seething anger. However, just like before at the library, the sudden shift in Trixie's tone was ebbing it away.
"Besides, who wouldn't get excited over a find like this?"
The colt managed to raise his head to give the invisible mare an incredulous glare. It was barely a surprise to see several gems were hovering around again. No doubt surrounding where Trixie was standing. He could even picture her spreading her hooves to show off the find.
That was almost an apology.
Spike responded with a low groan. Half from frustration, half from the fresh migraine that was starting to form.
"Oh, just give me a few more minutes! Then we can get back to getting ourselves cured."
The colt just shook his head, turning away as more jewels began to float through the air.
"Can't believe I was actually worried about you..." he grumbled, pressing one hoof against his temple. "Stupid, lousy, greedy... uh... greedy..."
He trailed off as he turned back around, looking at the floating gems. This time, it wasn't anger derailing his train of thought, though. For some reason, staring at the mountains of treasure all around him, his heart had suddenly skipped a beat.
"Sorry, did you say something?"
Trixie's condescending tone did nothing to snap the purple unicorn from his thoughts. He barely realized she'd spoken as he tapped one hoof on the ground.
Something's wrong here
Nothing had changed since he'd entered. All the gems were still scattered around. More wealth than anypony short of the princess had ever seen.
Still, the awe from the sight had faded. As had his anger from picturing Trixie lounging amidst the treasure. In its place, a dreadful, uneasy feeling was rising in the pit of his stomach. And for some reason, his first reaction to the chamber was prodding at the back of his mind.
If only Twi could see this...
"Trixie, were all these gems here when you found this place?" he asked.
He could practically hear the mare rolling her eyes in response.
"No. I was hauling them in my invisible gem-cart. Mind piping down if you're going to ask stupid questions?"
The answer did nothing to assuage his unease. In fact, his heart began to race all the faster. His head was buzzing as he tried to figure out why. Just why was he getting so nervous? And why did his thoughts keep floating back to Twilight? He could practically hear her drooling at the sight of so many gems.
Well of course she would.. She's a—
Spike's eyes suddenly flew wide open.
"Put the gems back!" he shouted.
"Excuse me?"
Several of the floating jewels were right in his path. That didn't matter as Spike charged straight through them, scattering them in all directions. Trixie's hoofprints were right in front of him, and he could hear her shocked yelp as he raced forward.
And promptly crashed into another mountain of crystals.
The colt cursed inwardly as he found himself half-buried in the gemstones. His hooves flailed wildly as he struggled to both free himself and breathe. Fortunately, something gave his tail a sudden yank, popping him free of his predicament.
Unfortunately, that same something swiftly hoisted him into the air, leaving him dangling upside-down again.
"Just what is your problem?"
Spike twisted towards the sound of Trixie's voice. By sheer luck, he felt his forehooves manage to grab hold of what he assumed was her face. At the very least her protests were muffled as he pulled himself closer to the invisible mare.
"You have to put those gems back!" He didn't even bother trying to keep his voice down. It was the only way he could hear it over his hammering heartbeat. "You have to do it right now and we have to get out of here!"
"'Hveyu—Blech!" A sudden wave of force sent Spike back, pulling Trixie's muzzle from between his hooves. "Have you lost it?!"
Spike was panting for breath as his magic flickered. A half-formed spell formed around his tail, straining to pry apart Trixie's invisible magic. Neither it or his repeated tugging did any good, however. He continued to float along helplessly as Trixie's hoofprints moved further into the cavern.
"I mean, have you seen all this? There's enough treasure here to last a lifetime!"
"Yeah, there is!" Spike shouted, glaring at his tail and mentally weighing the possibility of cutting it off. "That's the problem!"
He'd stopped moving before he could even remember any cutting spells. A puff of hot breath on his face told Trixie had put him in front of her face again. Judging from her frustrated snorts, she likely wasn't smiling.
"Just what is that supposed to mean?"
Spike swallowed hard. Not due to Trixie. All his previous shouting and building fear just suddenly seemed to dry his mouth. He could barely collect his thoughts enough to open his mouth again.
"Trixie, something put a whole ton of gems in this cave, out here in the middle of the Everfree Forest, where nopony was probably ever supposed to find it." He was almost surprised that he managed to get all the words out coherently. "What kind of creature does something like that?"
"Well if anything that sounds like a—"
Boom
A distant rumble rolled through the cave, cutting Trixie's response off. Spike held his breath, hoping it was merely thunder.
Boom
Boom
Boom
No such luck. The noise was growing louder, and closer. Massive footsteps, echoing off the stone walls and causing the floor and horde around Spike to shake. Yet somehow, over it all, he could hear Trixie's trembling voice.
"A dra... ooohh... that's what you were... uh oh."
"Great, now you're listening." It almost impressed Spike that he could manage sarcasm right then. "Can we just get out of here and—"
Boom!
The magic holding Spike cut out. With a yelp of surprise, he tumbled to the ground again, sending up a spray of gems as he landed. Adrenaline sent him tearing back to his hooves, head turning every direction.
Just in time to see Trixie's hoofprints run out through the cave's mouth.
"Seriously?!" He shouted.
BOOM!
Spike's anger was swiftly replaced with fear. His legs were moving, Trixie's abandonment suddenly far from his mind. The only chance he had was to follow. He had to get out before—
BOOM
Too late.
At first, all Spike could see was green. Not due to his own magic. The creature that had come around the entrance was simply too huge to make out any other details. Slowly, however, the colt was pulling the picture together.
Wickedly sharp claws on the end of muscular limbs.
A tail, thicker around than a tree.
Mouth filled with sword-like teeth, large enough to swallow the colt whole.
But worst of all was the glare in its piercing, yellow eyes as its face twisted into a foul sneer.
"Well, well, well. What do we have here?"
"YOU COULDN'T JUST SAY IT WAS A DRAGON!?!"
It was a wonder Trixie found breath to shout. Her chest felt like it was about to explode as she ran faster than she ever had before. She had to focus on running. She knew that as she barely ducked under another branch.
At the same time, however, she just couldn't hold her voice back.
"Oh no, Trixie! You gotta put the gems back!"
Trixie's hooves slowed a bit. The whiny voice was hurting her throat. Not that she cared.
"No I can't tell you why! I'm too much of a fraidy-cat DOOFUS—"
A sudden coughing fit brought Trixie to a halt.
She stumbled, barely catching herself against a nearby tree. Suddenly she noticed just how badly her chest was burning, along with how dim the edges of her vision had become. Slowly, however, light and color were seeping back in as the pounding in her head faded. The burning was vanishing as she took heavy gulps of air.
"I almost... got stepped on... back there..." Another cough interrupted Trixie as she looked back over her shoulder. "So I hope you're proud of yourself—"
Trixie cut herself off mid-sentence.
"... Spike?"
There was no answer. Likely due to the fact that there was nothing behind the mare. Other than the trees with her lone trail of hoofprints weaving between them. No sign of anypony else, however, and certainly none of the purple colt she'd been expecting.
A soft clunk of hoof on face broke the silence.
"You have got to be kidding me."
Trixie knew which question she should have been asking. She also already knew the answer. She could clearly remember every scale on the massive, green limb that had nearly flattened her. There had barely had enough time to avoid it as she'd raced out of the cave's mouth.
And if I barely made it—
"I get it!"
Trixie's mouth snapped shut, her cheeks burning. Not that she'd particularly wanted an audience, but suddenly she was very glad nopony was around to hear her talking to herself.
"Hmph, stupid little... if he thinks for one second that I'm gonna save him from a dragon..."
I was looking for you!
Clunk!
Trixie winced. She'd rapped the side of her head just a bit harder than she'd meant to. For some reason, though, her stomach was twisting just from the memory of Spike's words.
"Oooooh, no. No! I am not going back there!"
With a snort, she broke into a brisk trot once more. Her head continued to pound even as she did her best to ignore it. Worse than the fresh lump, however, was the purple colt's voice nagging at the back of her mind.
Can't believe I was actually worried about you...
Trixie started marching faster, stomping as hard as she could with each step. The hidden pockets of her cape jingled and clattered with the jewels hidden in them, adding to the noise. Even amidst the racket, however, she still caught herself glancing back over her shoulder.
"It's his own dumb fault anyway—"
Can't believe I was actually worried—
"SHUT IT!"
The branches on the trees trembled slightly. Despite only having moved a few feet, Trixie found herself panting for breath again. Her neck was craning, looking back at her trail once again.
... He was actually worried about me?
Trixie shook her head as hard as she could. A feat which only succeeded in making her dizzy.
"Get serious, Trixie! I mean, he looks like a little colt now, right?"
The forest remained silent. Trixie could barely force out a chuckle to try and break it. Suddenly her treasure-lined cape was feeling much heavier.
"S-seriously... W-what's the worst that could happen?"
He's gonna eat me!
Spike was doing his best to ignore that particular thought.
He's gonna roast me alive then eat me!
Really, Spike was trying to avoid thinking at all. Any worries he'd had about Trixie or curses were a thousand miles away. Somewhere Spike dearly wished he could be at that moment.
"So, let me make sure I have this right."
Those earlier worries had been replaced, quite effectively, by his new ones about the dragon.
Spike swallowed hard as he opened his eyes again. Just as he'd feared, squeezing them shut and hoping had done nothing to remove the scaled behemoth. It still stood indelibly before him, the cavern's exit barely visible behind its massive body.
Not that Spike could really focus on that. He was bit too distracted by the small flames flickering out from its nostrils.
"You were running around in my forest—"
Even as it spoke in a low hiss, the dragon's voice still caused the ground to tremble slightly. Combined with how much his legs were already shaking, Spike was having trouble standing up.
"—Violated the sanctity of my hoard—"
Spike could scarcely breathe. Every instinct he had was telling him to run. What little of his brain that still worked knew there was nowhere to run to.
"—Tell me some fairy story of curses and invisible ponies—"
He wanted to speak. To try telling his story again and convince the dragon it was true. Unfortunately, all Spike managed to get out of his dry mouth was a strangled cough.
"—And then expect me to just let you leave?"
Spike was practically falling backwards as he strained himself to look up at the dragon. Despite its calmer tone the beast's eyes were glowing. Whether with fury or with reflections of the fire licking from its sneering mouth, Spike wasn't sure. Either way, his mind was a blank.
"Uh... uh..." he squeaked out, his mouth straining into a feeble, hopeful smile. "Yes?"
The dragon's eyes narrowed. Spike felt the bottom of his stomach drop away.
I'm toast
The colt's eyes squeezed shut. Every muscle in his body tensed, preparing to be blasted to cinders.
"... Heh..."
One of Spike's ears twitched.
"Aheh... heh heh... heh heh heh!"
Warily, the unicorn cracked one eye open.
Then the other eye opened as well, unable believe what the first was seeing.
Is it... smiling?
Spike waved one hoof, trying to fan away the smoke that was surrounding him. There wasn't any mistake though, even as he struggled to believe it himself. The dragon's mouth was turned up in a smile. Granted one with much sharper teeth and more smoke than Spike was used to.
"Uh..."
That was all Spike could get out. His jaw simply hung open as the ground trembled with the dragon's rumbling laughter.
"Hahahaha... Ha ha-aaaaah... You are bold, little pony. I'll grant you that."
Spike just numbly nodded his head, his thoughts still spinning.
BOOM
The crash of another footfall, however, snapped him from his daze. Spike instinctively began to cringe, only for a growing patch of light to catch his attention. Another massive footstep sounded, the light growing as the dragon shifted its massive bulk aside.
Two more crashes, and Spike found himself staring at a clear path to the exit from the cave.
... Seriously?
"Y-you're letting me go?" he asked, turning his wide-eyed stare to the green giant. "R-really?"
"I've not laughed like that in some time." The dragon had a bemused smirk on its muzzle as it nodded towards the exit. "Besides, dealing with such a young pony would hardly be worth the effort. Or the trouble it would attract."
Spike did his best to dismiss the bitter tone in the last of the dragon's words. As well as the feeling of being vaguely insulted. His hooves felt lighter than air as he began to trot with a broad, and relieved, smile on his face. Even the gloomy clutches of the Everfree Forest seemed warm and inviting as he moved.
"W-wow! Th-thanks, Mister... uh, dragon, sir!" His mouth was just barely moving faster than he was. "G-guess I'll be going then!"
"Indeed you shall—"
BOOM
WHACK
Spike grunted in pain as he fell onto his rear. Something had suddenly crashed to the ground, cutting off his path once more. Far too quickly for him to avoid running right into it. The colt rubbed at his head, staring at the thing that was between him and the exit.
A thick, green, scaly tail.
"As soon as you put back those gems you took."
Even as a puff of warm smoke encircled him from behind, Spike felt a chill run through him. He didn't dare turn around. He couldn't. Not that he had to, since he could feel the dragon's eyes boring into him.
"Uh... g-gems?" Spike could barely talk again. He was too busy trying to remember how to breathe. "W-what ge—"
"Don't try to be cute. The gems that are missing from my hoard."
The dragon's tail twitched, numerous sharp spines extending from under the scales. Spike leaned back as one came dangerously close to him. He could feel the lump in his throat barely brush against its tip as he nervously swallowed.
"Are you s-sure you didn't just... misplace them?" Spike asked, struggling to inch back.
"Yes."
It didn't matter how calm the monster's voice sounded. Spike could feel the malice pouring off every word. Slowly, he turned his head to look over his shoulder.
He almost immediately regretted doing so. The dragon's head was less than a foot away. And it was fixing him with a glare that far surpassed anything Trixie had managed.
Trixie, if I get out of this...
He couldn't finish the thought as another cloud of smoke surrounded him. His brain had frozen, stuck on one word.
If...
"I don't suppose you'd believe that my invisible friend took them," Spike said as he put on what he hoped was an innocent smile. "W-would you?"
For a second, Spike's heart lifted. The dragon's eyes moved up, almost thoughtfully, its sneer dropping for a moment.
"Hmmm... No."
"D-didn't think so," Spike admitted, his eyes darting to the side. "So...."
He didn't finish the sentence.
Before he even knew what he was doing, Spike had jumped back to his hooves. There was a small gap, just past the tip of the dragon's tail. His legs pumped harder than ever as he raced to reach it. He could already picture himself barely squeezing past, making a hard push for the cave's exit, racing for the relative safety of the forest beyond.
Unfortunately, a massive green-clawed hand descended in front of him first. Before he even had time to scream, both he and a countless gems had been swept up by it. Spike's stomach pitched at his rapid ascension, glittering jewels falling away between the claws as he rose higher and higher...
And came to a sudden halt. The unicorn colt stumbled, barely managing to catch himself by wrapping all four legs around the smallest of the dragon's talons. His eyes still followed the flow of the treasure though. His head started to spin as he watched it tumble to the floor far, far below.
"I've been uncharacteristically patient with you, little pony. Do not. Test. Me!"
Spike's head turned before he could stop it. The dragon's face filled his vision once again. Unsurprisingly, "patient" was the last word Spike could think of to describe the look it was giving him.
"Y-you..." Everything was fading, lost in the sound of his racing heartbeat. "Y-you s-said I-I w-wasn't—"
His argument was cut off by a deafening snarl. Small flames crackled from between sharp teeth, splashing against the fireproof scales of the hand. Spike's tail curled up by his flank, barely avoiding being singed by the stray embers.
"I'm hardly about to let some pony get away with stealing from me."
Spike couldn't answer. A few feeble sparks were falling from his horn, trying to form a shield. Not even the flimsiest bubble of light appeared, though. Spike was shaking too hard, his mind spinning to fast to draw up what little magic he had left.
All the while, more flames began to glow in the back of his captor's throat.
"Last chance. Where. Are. My. Gems?!"
"RIGHT HERE, UGLY!"
Spike put one hoof against his throat, wondering why his voice sounded so different.
An instant later, he realized that hadn't been his voice. The dragon's head was snapping around, looking for the speaker.
It came to a halt, however, as a cluster of gems came flying right at its face.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGH!"
That roar was the last thing Spike heard before his ears simply gave out. A dull ringing took the place of his hearing as uncut stones dashed themselves into the dragon's eye. Its claw jerked upward, likely reaching to rub at the offending particles.
Spike couldn't tell for sure. The sudden movement finally caused him to lose his grip. His heart stopped as the cave floor and a fortune's worth of hard, unyielding treasure began to rise very quickly to meet him.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH—"
His hearing had returned. Just in time to realize he was screaming.
"AAAAAAAAH-ACK!"
Spike's scream came to a halt with a strangled croak as he jerked to a halt in midair. Something was tingling all around him, some invisible, familiar cloud holding him aloft.
"Trixie?!" he gasped out.
"You were expecting Princess Celestia? Come on!"
The unseen magic moved, carrying Spike with it. He felt himself land on something warm and soft, right before an invisible cloth draped itself over him.
She's here
Spike's forelegs patted against what he'd landed on as it began to move. It did, indeed, feel like a pony. No doubt over who it was.
THUD
"OW!"
Trixie's shout sent an immense amount of satisfaction through Spike. Even if his feeble blow had likely more surprised her than anything else.
"What was that for?!"
"You stole those gems!" Spike answered.
He had to yell to be heard. The dragon was still roaring in pain, its tail thrashing about sending jewels crashing everywhere in a chaotic storm.
"Yeah, and I'm saving your life!"
"Only because you STOLE THOSE GEMS!" Spike yelled back, prepping another swing.
"SAVING YOUR LIFE! JUST SAYING!"
"YOU LITTLE - WHERE ARE YOU!?!"
Magic suddenly pinned Spike to Trixie's back as she ran, barely dodging the dragon's massive tail. Any further complaints were lost as they broke into the outside light, leaving a din of fire and claws behind them.
Trixie had lost count of how many times in the past two days she'd ended up in her current position. Leaning against a tree, gasping for breath, trying to keep what little breakfast she'd managed to eat down. Not even with enough energy to shrug off the load on her back.
Whump
She let out a relieved sigh as said weight slid off on its own. A rather bedraggled Spike now lay on the ground next to her. Flat on his back, panting almost as hard as the mare herself, one hoof draped over his brow.
Wearily, Trixie turned her head back the way she'd come from. She put on a satisfied smile as she found no telltale sign of hoofprints trailing her this time. With a casual flick of her horn, she dismissed the cushioning spell from around her hooves, feeling them sink into the soft ground of the forest again.
"You came back for me."
Spike's voice drew Trixie's attention. She looked down at the colt as he rolled back over, staring in her general direction with a look of disbelief.
For some reason, the confusion was far less enjoyable than it had been before.
"I..." Spike's mouth gaped for a moment before he shook his head. "I never thought you'd do something like that."
Trixie started to open her mouth to reply.
Just as quickly, she closed it again.
She couldn't deny the truth of it. Even now she still couldn't help clenching her teeth at the sight of the purple colt.
But he cared enough to come looking...
Trixie resisted the urge to shudder. The thought made her both happy and slightly ill at the same time.
Do not start that! He still ruined me!
"Don't make a big deal out of it, Spikey."
She tromped past the colt, doing her best not to look at him. On instinct, her tail gave a rueful flick towards his nose. A pang of frustration hit as she felt the gesture hit nothing but empty air.
What surprised her was how relieved she was that it had.
Dragon treasure, remember? Just lost a fortune saving his flank!
"Besides, I wasn't about to let you get off easy."
She glanced back over her shoulder and finally allowed herself a smile. Spike was staring in her direction, eyes wide.
"Easy?!" he parroted.
"Yeah! If you get eaten by a dragon today, then I don't get to humiliate you in front of your stupid friends tomorrow."
Spike's brow furrowed. Trixie just turned her head away, drawing in a deep breath as she did. The feeling of immense satisfaction over the colt's frustration was finally coming back. Marred only slightly by the guilty twist in her stomach.
He still was looking for me...
"So what was so important, anyway?"
"Huh?" Spike answered.
Trixie grit her teeth. The annoyance, at least, was familiar. She latched onto it, trying to focus on the feeling as she turned in place.
"You were looking for me, remember? What was so darn important?"
Slowly, a thoughtful look came over Spike's face. Followed by that obnoxiously smug grin of his.
After hearing what he had to say next, Trixie wasn't sure whether she wanted to kiss the other unicorn or strangle him.
Once again, Zecora's head snapped up.
This time, at the very least, she was certain she wasn't hearing things. The sound of the distant roar was unmistakable, drawing her attention away from the cauldron bubbling before her. A worried frown creased her muzzle as she carefully leaned the oversized spoon she'd been stirring with against the pot. Cautiously, she made her way to the door.
The roar sounded again as soon as she'd opened it. It didn't take long to find the direction of the noise either. Zecora's gaze quickly narrowed on a narrow column of smoke trailing into the air. One that was barely visible over the treetops.
Still, the zebra focused on it, rubbing her chin as she simply observed the smoke rising.
The dragon is distant, no reason to fear.
She nodded, a solemn little grin on her face as she turned back around.
Besides, it's not as though he’d ever come here—
A sudden, crackling noise cut off her confidence. Spinning back around, Zecora frowned once more.
The smoke was still distant, she was certain. It was harder, however, to dismiss the plume of flame rising into the air near it. Accompanied by another, very agitated, roar. One that sounded as though it were drawing further away, deeper into the woods. That didn't change the fact that many of the bottles on her shelves and the masks hung on the walls were rattling slightly.
With a stern glare, she turned around once more.
Though just in case he is spoiling to fight...
"Some Dragon Sneeze pollen should set that beast right," Zecora finished the thought aloud.
"Oh my gosh there she is!"
"Shhhh!"
Zecora froze mid-step, her ears twitching.
"Well?"
"Well, what?"
Slowly she put her hoof down and closed her eyes. Silently, she hoped that the whispers she was hearing weren't what they sounded like.
"What do you mean, what?! How're we gonna make her fix us?"
"... I hadn't thought of that yet."
Zecora opened her eyes, only to roll them and let out a long sigh.
Even with her hooves suddenly feeling like lead, she turned back around. Her ears gave another twitch, drawn to the rustle of a nearby bush. One very close to her front door and, unfortunately, the same one the pair of voices seemed to be coming from.
"You hadn't—"
"Hey! I was little distracted by the dragon!"
Zecora pushed the various cusses she wanted to grumble aside as she marched right up to the plant. Despite its thick cover, she could just make out glimpses of purple hiding inside.
"Alright, you distract her and—"
"Why do I need to distract her?!"
"Because—"
"Enough of these games, both of you out." Zecora took a deep breath, straining to say the words rather than shout them. "Unless you'd rather I give that dragon a shout."
The bush fell still. A heavy silence filled the air as Zecora just watched it.
"Oh she's bluffing! There's no way she—"
Zecora didn't even bother with a frustrated snort. Her forelegs plunged into the bush, spreading the foliage apart with a cacophony of rustling leaves and snapping twigs.
Revealing, just as she had expected, a purple pony with a spiky green mane. One who only barely peeked out from beneath his forelegs as the noise halted. Oddly, he hardly seemed to notice the zebra. The young pony instead shot a glare to the empty space beside him.
"Bluffing, huh?" he growled out.
Zecora cleared her throat, and his anger immediately seemed to peter out. She could see him visibly beginning to tremble as he turned back toward her.
"Uhh... heh heh, h-hi Miss Zecora..." His eyes were wide as he stared up at her. "I'm not sure if you remember me—"
"The stallion who kicked me, the one known as 'Spike.'" Zecora answered her tone flat as she glared down at the colt. "Though when last I saw you, you weren't such a small tyke."
"Oh good you do remember..." Spike sounded significantly less than happy about the fact.
Zecora's ear twitched as something rustled beside her. With barely a glance, she stuck one foreleg out toward the sound. An instant later, she felt something bump against her limb, followed immediately by a startled shout.
"EEEK!"
Whump
"Owww!"
The zebra shook off her hoof as she looked down at the noise. Even with the ground beginning to dry, she could still make out the faint outline of a mare sprawled beside her.
"Miss Trixie has also visited before," Zecora said, moving her annoyed glare from colt to invisible pony. "Now what brings you troublemakers back to my door?"
The clearing was silent again. Inwardly, Zecora was wishing that for once she wouldn't be used to it all. The silence, the stares, the whispering, the invisible pony trying to get back up and sneak toward her home—
She let out a frustrated snort, stomping on a finely swept line in the dust. Zecora didn't allow herself to smile though. Not even as she heard her very rude guest jerk to a halt thanks to her cape being pinned in place.
The zebra just kept a watchful eye on the colt before her as he nervously rubbed his forehooves together. Just waiting for what manner of excuse he was about to come up with.
"We're here to ask you to remove the curse you put on us!" Spike finally blurted out.
Zecora blinked. Both her ears flopped down and back up as if trying to double-check what he’d just said. Based on the pleading look that Spike was giving her and the sound of Trixie face-hoofing, however, she had not misheard.
"You think I have cursed you, and that's why you're here?"
Seeing Spike nod in confirmation, Zecora did something she thought she'd never do. The situation, however, warranted it.
Her hoof clunked off her own forehead, just like so many disbelieving and foolhardy ponies she'd seen before. For a brief moment, she even forgot just what rhyme she'd been planning.
"Just what in the world gave you that crazy idea!?!" Zecora didn't even try to rein in her voice this time. Even if she did feel guilty as Spike jumped in surprise.
"I... but you... and Snips and Snails..." Spike was stammering. His hooves were all over the place, almost as though he were trying to put together some massive puzzle. "My spell couldn't fix this and... Who else could have done this to us?!"
If Zecora had been surprised by her own shouting, it didn't compare to Spike's. The zebra's eyes darted worryingly about as the distant roar of the dragon sounded again, almost as if in answer. Another puff of smoke was rising above the forest's canopy. Zecora finally breathed again as she noticed it was still further away than the last one.
"Well?!" Spike was starting to raise his voice again. In fact, the colt was stomping out of the bush he'd been hiding in, marching right up to her. "Look, I'm sorry I kicked you and everything, but this weird spell seems a little—"
Zecora's head throbbed at those words. Spike fell silent as she cast him another glare. This time, even she could feel it. The frustration she'd been trying to keep a lid on threatening to boil over. The fact that she could feel Trixie squirming in her cape, likely fumbling for the clasp, was not helping.
"Pay attention, for it's no curse you suffer beneath." Remembering the dragon still rampaging out there was the one thing that kept Zecora from raising her voice again. "Only the consequences of this two-faced thief!"
Oh crud
"Trixie..." Spike grumbled out, his voice flat. "What is she talking about?"
The invisible mare stopped herself mid-sputter. Her hooves ceased their shuffling, along with her squirming as she tried to free her cape. Her heart, however, continued to hammer away in her chest. Not that that kept her from casting a dark glare at Zecora.
"I-I have no idea!"
Her breath was hitching as she looked back and forth from the colt to the enchantress. Zecora still kept one hoof firmly on her cape. Trixie still wasn't sure just how the mare had noticed it so easily. While Spike...
Spike was staring again. This time his eyes full of disbelief rather than fear. And his slack-jawed gaze had moved from Zecora, aiming directly at the invisible mare instead. Trixie could feel her blood boiling under those eyes, even as her hooves were going cold.
"Really! I don't know—"
"Trixie asked me to help with her scheme. To see you humiliated was her only dream."
Zecora's interruption silenced Trixie. Her horn grew warm, her magic starting to reignite to the quiet the zebra, only for another tug on her cape to ruin her concentration. She started to cough, but quickly silenced the reaction as she noticed the glare Zecora was now giving her. The situation was suddenly very clear.
She was not going to able to keep Zecora from revealing the truth.
"I said I would not join her revenge, but—" The zebra was still talking, not even missing a beat with her rhyme. "— When I turned my back, she stole from my hut!"
Trixie grit her teeth as everything went very quiet.
"You did what?!" Spike's voice sounded all the louder, causing Trixie to flatten her ears in pain.
"She's lying!" Trixie's mind was spinning, struggling to come up with something convincing. A story Spike would just have to believe over the zebra's. "O-okay, I did meet with her but—OOF!"
Her grunt of pain was accompanied by a final whump as she toppled forward again, Zecora having finally released her cape. Trixie's eyes raised just enough to see Spike shooting her his most vicious glare yet.
“What did you take?” Spike growled out.
Trixie knew he couldn’t see her. Her eyes still darted to the side, refusing to meet his.
“Trixie, what did you—” he started to yell.
“It was some weird blue plants!”
Trixie was panting, having jumped back to her hooves as she yelled. Her throat burned and her eyes were watering. The only thing she wanted was to shut her mouth and run, as far and as fast as possible.
“Zecora wouldn’t help, so I grabbed them because they looked like they’d do something!”
She couldn’t stop her mouth any longer, however. The truth just kept pouring out as she cast a hateful glare at the zebra that was to blame for that.
“They were in the mud trap, weren’t they?!” Spike was shouting, his face a mixture of realization and anger. “That’s why you panicked so much when you got hit with it too!”
Trixie bit down on her lip. She could still remember struggling to fling off the thick mud and plant detritus she’d set up. Barely able to catch fleeting glimpses of blue through the muck.
And it would be all my—
“NO!”
Trixie stomped one hoof, shaking her head as hard as she could. Spike had jumped back from her, but she barely paid the colt any attention.
“Th-this - I didn’t—”
She could barely speak. Barely even finish thinking. Her head was spinning, trying to find some other rationale. Anything other than the two words her mind kept repeating.
My fault, my fault, my fault
“YOU were supposed to be the only one caught in that!”
Trixie’s chest burned with every breath she took. Spike just snorted in response, scraping one hoof against the ground. His head lowered, ready to charge, and Trixie could feel the warmth of her own magic starting to rise.
“If you hadn’t gone and kicked Zecora—”
“You’re the one that stole from her in the first place!”
“Well who’s the coward that went and set off the trap!”
“Which of us fell in the pit first, huh?”
Both of their voices were rising in volume. Trixie couldn’t even keep track of who was shouting what. All she could focus on was the spell, one that would shut Spike’s mouth.
“ENOUGH!”
The spell vanished with a harsh fizzling sound. Trixie’s head snapped to the side, drawn to the one who had shouted.
Zecora was standing there. Back in the entrance to her home. Simply glaring at the both of them.
“Look at you two, so eager to blame!” Zecora yelled, pointing one hoof accusingly in their direction. “But the both of you chose to continue this game!”
If you’d just helped me I wouldn’t be in this mess!
Those were the words Trixie wanted to say, but couldn’t. Under Zecora’s stern glare, her mouth simply wouldn’t open. Judging by the look on Spike’s face, he was in the same boat. The two of them both just stared silently at the zebra.
“Either one of you could have stopped this, but you did not even try!”
Zecora’s hoof lashed out to the side, and Trixie’s heart leapt to her throat.
The zebra had reached for her front door.
“So we’re done—”
“Hey, wait a second!” Spike finally started to protest.
“—You can fix this yourselves—”
"Zecora, wait!" Trixie's started to run towards the house.
"—Goodbye!"
With a final, loud SLAM, the door shut in Trixie’s face.
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They both had that coming. I like Spike I do... but there was no way that this was going to end well.
Oh no she didn't!
Door to the face!
6701478 Yeah everyone seems to be a big jerk in this. It's refreshing. In a way.
Wow. Nice chapter. I liked the dragon part. This was fun to read.
Spike DID try to end it. Many times.
Trixie would not let him just live his own life.
Time after time Spike turned the other cheek and walked away only for Trixie to come back more violent and angry time and time again.
Spike's only mistake was not bringing his Actual friends with him when he decided to deal with Trixie. Before that he did NOTHING to escalate Trixie.
Her actions were all her own. She is living in her own little world where she is responsible for Nothing and Spike is the reason her whole life is a failure.
next she will try to blame Twilight for not staying around to be her punching bag ...
Okay, WHAT?! Everypony is giving Spike shit about how he can't rise above his bully going out of her way to torment him. This is really getting sick! For freak's sake! Bunch of sanctimonious jackasses! What, Zecora blames Spike for falling into a trap? I suppose that was his fault in the first place, he could have just let her walk over him again, and again, and again. Not like she did it in front of his friends, and they had all the impact of a wet noodle. "Stand up for yourself", says Thunderlane "but don't you dare rise to her challenges."
Why was it important that he prove himself to her? To shut her up, maybe? Nah. Couldn't be. Obviously not. He's always taking her bait, never lettting it go, she never comes back again trying harder to mess with his life, status, happiness.
He's of course equally at fault with the bitch that stole from Zecora. Bully, victim, equal responsibility in whatever happens. If the first brings trouble to the latter, he should take it with grace. Go on, Zecora, let the foal try to cure himself in the Everfree Forest. Look how shiny and holier-than-thou you look from there.
Heck, he went to save her before getting the cure. Zecora might not know that, but she does know that she wanted to humiliate him before. I suppose it's the kick to the face talking... in the Everfree Forest, while being spooked.
Spike was shaking to hard
starting to reignite to the quite the zebra
1. Too.
2. Quiet.
Sudden plot twist, they both are now forced to live their cursed lives together and start travelling with each other... Nah, too contrived. But hey, an alt universe where they secretly fell in love would be fluff as beck though.
6702114
Yeah... I don't even really know where the story is going for what Spike needs to "learn". Trixie maybe in this chapter seemed like she might be remorseful, but only in this chapter did she seem this way, so she definitely was just going to keep trying to get worse and worse before now. And what Spike "should" do is really vague on the first part. Just do nothing? Let her "win"?
These stories really do not seem to be on Spike's side. Everyone else seems to go far out of their way to only see what he does in a bad light...
6706709
6702114
6701955
Thank you, all three of you, for your honest opinions. I've been working on this story for so long and taken so long between updates that it's refreshing to see that some folks can read it and care about it enough to leave comments like these. Sure, getting praise and being told my writing is good feels great and drives me to complete my stories. But it's stuff like what you said that helps me see where my weak points are as a writer and story teller and work on ways to improve.
That being said, I did mention in the author's notes for this chapter that I'm rapidly approaching the end for this story. I've known the major plot points and how I wanted the story to end along with what sort of lesson I wanted to get across since... well, since before I even started this story. Way, way back when I was getting to the end of Flipside for that matter and it became apparent that I'd need to do a Trixie vs Spike story next. Actually putting it all down just wound up taking much more time than I expected or would have liked and what I wanted to write wound up getting a bit garbled in the transition from brain to keyboard.
It's becoming clear I might have vilified both Trixie and Spike in this (through either their own actions or others' reactions to them) a bit too much. But I'm a writer who stands by what he's written, both the good and the bad, so I don't plan on going back and changing things. At this point all I can do is keep heading for the ending I've planned for, hope that it offers at least a little satisfaction, then take everything I've learned writing this and apply it to future stories.
So, once again, thank you very much for your honesty and your assistance. Even if you don't wind up liking this story once it's done, hopefully you'll enjoy my next one better
.
6707014
I applaud you taking this gracefully.
I... overall think you're too hard on Spike, in this series. I get he's not supposed to be a superhero, but some of the time he seems like he can't really handle day-to-day life. I think I've seen other people already raise those kind of objections in detail so I'm just throwing my hat in, so to speak.
But I do want to see him do better anyway. So in that sense I'm still looking forward to the ending of this one.
6707014
Don't mistake me, I still LOVE this story.
Zecora just comes across as .. Ever see kids fighting when suddenly an adult figure shows up and says "I don't care who started what It Ends Now!" casting blame on everyone present without even trying to understand what happened, or why. Or worse she could care less about the truth and happily punishes the innocent with the guilty.
I would Like to see Zecora do better and justify the "wise elder Zebra-Celestia" that most of the fandom thinks of her ... cause you know ... Zecora is Awesome! .. and stuff...
oh yea .. need more Twilight .. Dragon Twilight makes me squee with happiness.
peeked out
rein in
rationale
)
6702114
With this assessment this one agrees
But so many problems come from these ponies. (Dragon roars again)
Selfless and friend Zecora ain't (
She'd require the patience of a saint.
Would they ask for help of hers?
Nay, their decision was to coerce.
Poison joke's trouble she could surely quash
But of Spike and Trixie her
handshooves she'll wash.6707661
Thanks for spotting those typos! This is what I get for porting the whole thing over to Google Docs before uploading I guess...
Feel free to just PM anymore you find, it's my preferred method
.
That last rhyme was boss.
...Unfortunately, the meaning behind it... Not so much.
What part of mortal danger always seems to make people think "Oh, this is a great time to play twenty questions!"?
derpicdn.net/img/view/2014/4/29/612973.png
Lovely bit with the dragon. I do love him deciding to let Spike go because he made him laugh.
Be vewy vewy quiet. I'm hunting Twixies. Huhuhuhuhu.
I called it! Okay, so I predicted that Trixie knew what Poison Joke was. I was wrong about that. But she did take the Poison Joke assuming that it would do something, and that it was in the bucket trap, and that's why Trixie was so insistent on getting the mud off. And this story almost had me convinced that she actually didn't know what she did. But I was partially right all along.
Though this does bring up the question, what was it that Trixie was planning if she didn't know what those plants did? For all she knew, they could've been deadly. What if Trixie's actions could've killed Spike?! As much as she hates Spike, I highly doubt that she's hateful enough to want to kill him.