Chapter 6: Instincts
Chapter 6: Instincts.
Spike’s feet hit the grass-covered ground with a small dud. Not really the most impressive entrée ever created, but that didn’t matter in the situation at hand. Spike just dashed forward with his wooden weapon in a firm and steady grip. There was no time to think anything anymore. Well, at least he was trying to stop thinking about everything. He had made his decision, even though that decision was taken unconsciously, and he seemed to move toward his objective without a hint of hesitation. At least for the ones that could not hear what was going on in his head:
Spike was trying to banish his doubts about his decision to the back of his mind while he was running. This could be described as the last lesson he Learned from Twilight: If you have a problem or something that could be considered an inconvenience, than banish it as far away as possible.
Spike had to remember that this was important, because in fights like this you have no time to waste, especially if that time is spent arguing with yourself. But that didn’t seem to bother Spike’s nameless inner voice:
“What are you doing? Do not give your life for those miserable ponies. Sure, you are a dragon, but you never fought with five Timberwolves at the same time. Don’t you see that nothing good can come from this all, especially for yourself”
That was one annoying voice, it made Spike wonder if he sounded like that when he was talking.
“Oh, will someone please shut me up”
Spike’s respond came out of nowhere, it even surprised himself, and his nameless voice a bit. He couldn’t even tell if he just thought about it, or if he had said it out loud as well. Was he really talking to himself again, in a time like this? Then again, it wasn’t really surprising considering he was just arguing with himself, but at least the argument took place in his head where nobody could hear him bicker with himself.
Maybe he made his comeback so suddenly because he could not think of a good answer to his inner voice’s questions. Spike had to admit it: even though the voice was annoying, it made a pretty good point. Just a before. But there was no time to think about that now. There were ‘miserable’ ponies who needed to be saved.
Spike now focused on the situation at hand while still moving forward. The Timberwolves hadn’t noticed him yet, thank Luna, and that at least meant that he didn’t talk to himself again. The Timberwolves were just standing there, ready to jump at their struggling prey. The prey in question hadn’t moved an inch from their positions either, standing completely still probably frozen with fear. At least that was what Spike assumed because he still could not see the ponies, and had no idea who they were.
The ponies in question were really lucky that the Timberwolves hadn’t attacked them yet. But a new question, if not important question suddenly came to Spike’s mind:
“How the heck am I supposed to do this?”
Surely, he had made his decision. He was going to help these ponies, no more doubts about that, and no regrets. For now at least.
But with his sudden dash toward heroism, he had abandoned all the strategy he had, or any strategy he could have made to make this fight easier to win for him. Or just a bigger chance of surviving this fight.
For example: Spike now felt the sun shining on his bare scale-covered head, and he had to close one eye because he was walking straight toward the sunlight. If he had had more time, then he would have circled around the clearing instead of running right through it. That way he could attack from behind the Ponies current location without having the sun shining in his eyes
There was another advantage that one of his strategies had. If he attacked from behind the ponies’ location, he would be coming out of the forest with the element of surprise and take out one or two Timberwolves with one attack. Then he could continue his attack while the remaining Timberwolves were still surprised. He had to be really quiet to do that of course, but he was likely to pull it off. He could that get away before the Timberwolves reassembled themselves, with or without the ponies if necessary.
But now he was just running toward his fight like an unprepared idiot, but at least he could be considered as heroic unprepared idiot. And heroic unprepared selfless idiot with a stick in his claws to be precise. It almost looked like of his childhood fantasies. The one that involved him in a Knight’s armour, a small army of Diamond dogs , and a white unicorn in a princesses’ dress. He would then fight-of the small Diamond dog army, easily overpowering them with his muscles. The beautiful white unicorn would of course reward him for his efforts with a kiss
If only fantasies were true, but man did he feel stupid, especially if he remembered that the only reason to jump out of his hiding place was because the Timberwolves seemed to line up for an attack, and were about to jump. But it turned out that the Timberwolves, for some reason, stopped their synchronized attack. They were just standing there, just like before Spike jumped out of his hiding place at the other side of the clearing. Now he could even scratch the wold heroic from his ‘heroic action’. It had all been rendered unnecessary.
But this also opened a few chances for him, if you think about it for a second. Spike was close to his target, but the Timberwolves still had not noticed him . If he continued his straight forward path toward the Timberwolves , then they would surely detect him. Either by smell or by sight. But if he took a right turn into the Forest, then he could still sneak up on the Timberwolves and take action with a surprise attack. It was almost like his original plan. And better yet, he could finally stop thinking and focus on his one-man army counter attack. For a moment everything seemed to come together in favour of Spike the dragon.
Sadly that moment never came. It was almost like the universe wanted him to know that he was still Spike the dragon. The eternal victim of physical comedy and random cruelty and stupidity. It was like back in Manehattan when he was caring luggage for the then ‘pony of his dreams’ with the best of intentions. After he had fulfilled his task he was rewarded with some kind of Hot Dog. That well deserved reward was quickly taken away from him, even before he could properly enjoy it, by a bird who just happened to fly by and grab his food. And that was just on example how the universe seemed to hate him sometimes.
In this case it happened just as Spike turned right to go into the forest when a voice came from the Timberwolves’ position.
“AAAH A DRAGON, He.. !” One of the ponies had noticed Him, as her voice sounded echoed over the clearing. The strange thing was that the voice stopped mid-sentence, maybe it was cut off by one of the other ponies. Unfortunately the damage had already been done, as pony wasn’t the only one that had noticed him now.
“Are you kidding me?!” Spike’s inner voice shouted out frustration
It was the first time Spike and his nameless inner voice agreed on something, because Spike’s hand would probably have connected to his forehead if this was a less serious situation.
“I told you they would react that way, You should have thought about that”
Spike just realized that he had made plans for himself, his surroundings, the Timberwolves, but not the ponies cowering against the tree. That just shows again that all the plans you make mean nothing if the situation at hand turns out differently. The irony that the person you are trying to rescue betrays your location, and endangers the rescuer made it all the more painful.
it all happened so fast, but it couldn’t have been more than a few seconds. But for Spike it seemed like minutes upon minutes, while the growling beast turned away from their cowering prey and started to face their attacker. Spike was nailed to the ground at this point. Petrified if you will. A mixture of fear and helplessness. It was time for a change of plans.
It was almost like the time with the teenage dragons. Heavily outnumbered (at least until the ponies showed up) and in quite a bit of danger. But that was then, and Spike had changed. He was not going to show what ponies could do against jerky dragons, but what a dragon could do against a pack of Timberwolves.
There was an unsettling silence between the two groups during the following seconds, not a single muscle was moved, save for the growling coming from the Timberwolves. Even sounds from the rest of the forest could be heard. The two groups were still sizing each other up before the confrontation
Spike meanwhile, could feel his heart beat inside his chest going fast and faster, until all the heartbeats started to blend together. His muscles started to tense up. The stick in his head started to crack under the strain from his claws. He was ready to go now. It was time to let go of planning, and rely on strength and wit. It was time to let the beast out.
Spike had nothing to lose anymore. No more strategy, no more plans or battle tactics. It was like his body knew that, and acted accordingly as Spike slowly faced the Timberwolves and let out a low sounding growl. The growling from the Timberwolves intensified at the same time, and birds could be heard fleeing from their homes in the trees surrounding the clearing. The fight was set up, and now started the wait. Who would make the first move, the Timberwolves or Spike?
The Timberwolves chose first, and they were the ones that moved. Slowly and steadily four of the five Timberwolves moved forward, not breaking their formation. Only the fifth Timberwolf stayed behind to guard their already secured prey.
Spike’s senses were at their peak, his eyes still sizing up his opponents. He was prepared, he was now ready to fight. His instinct had taken over from his mind, and at the very moment that one of the four opposing Timberwolves got into an attack position. The Timberwolf dashed forward, and broke the formation of his group by advancing alone. Spike was not far behind, and also quickened his pace
The distance between Spike and the Timber wolf was covered in no time. Makes sense if both attacking parties move toward each other. They were now almost face to face, and that is not the most pleasant position. Spike was hit with the full force of their breath at close range. He could get over the smell, but his eyes stared to water.
The Timber wolf was the first one to attack thanks to Spike’s small inconvenience. The wolf jumped in the air, bringing out one of his front claws and swept at spike’s face. But it wasn’t that simple. Spike had planted his feet firmly in the ground at the same time, bringing him to a screeching halt. This gave him the chance to lean back, and bend his back just in time, and dodge the attack. It was a very close call as Spike could follow the Timber wolf’s claw that was sweeping just above his head.
Spike made his counter attack just as the wolf’s claw was on the other side of his head. He did this by grabbing the wolf’s claw with his own left hand. At the same time he jumped, and kicked the Timber wolf back, and in the process the pulled the wolf’s claw off. The timber wolf fell to the ground with a sound reminiscing of stepping on a dog’s tail by accident. Wood scattered everywhere after the wolf hit the ground.
Spike got up, and started moving again. He now had two weapons in his hand, the stick and the still moving claw along with the leg of the timber wolf. He had to move. The other three attacking Timberwolves were coming for him. And to make matters even worse, the other Timberwolf was now advancing toward the ponies.
Spike knew that he had to pass his three attackers to get to the far side of the clearing, but he now had neither the time nor the concentration to think about a solution. He just kept on running until an quick idea formed inside his head. If you yourself cannot think of something original then you copy from others. He had seen this in one of his comic books before. He decided to meet the attacking force head on.
He ran forward, making himself smaller in the process. At the same time, he took note of his enemies’ position in front of him. The Timber wolf in the middle was closest to him. It followed by the Timber wolf on the right, who was sticking close to the one in front. A standard attacking formation. At least that would have been the case if it wasn’t for the Timber wolf on Spike’s left. This one was lagging behind, and there was quite a gap of space between it and the Timber wolf in the middle. And there was another obstacle for him: the body of the now struggling Timber wolf, the one that Spike had kicked back, was lying between it and Spike.
This gave Spike opportunity. While he picked up speed, he used one of his arms to shield his face, and more importantly his eyes. His then used his right claw, the one with the wooden stick, to guard on of his sides. He was now ready for his frontal assault, a tackle. This plan was a bit of a gamble. He was going to tackle the Timber wolf in the middle, and shield himself from the attack from the right. But his left side was now completely open en vulnerable, but it was also the side that had the least chance of being attacked because of the wolfs positions. But it was a risk worth taking, because if he could pull this off, then he had passed four of the five Timberwolves.
There was no more time for doubt, the action was about to begin. The Timber wolf in the middle was ready to jump, but Spike tackled it right in the chest before it could get high in the air. The timber wolf corrected itself before it could fall to the ground, only for spike to kick back one of his paws. As a result the Timberwolf stumbled on the forest floor.
The second Timber wolf joined in, coming swiftly from the right, just as Spike suspected. It happened just as Spike jumped over his previous attacker. This time it was easy to hold the Timber wolf off, and the stick hit its target with full force. The Timber wolf stumbled back while a small ‘yelp’ sound could be heard.
“Well, this isn’t the disaster I expected to be honest, you might even pull this one off” the nameless inner voice commented.
But at the exact same moment Spike’s winning streak was unfortunately broken. Even when things just as things started to look good for him. The third wolf, the one on the left, seemed to have picked up on his speed. And it was apparently not slowed down by the first Timber wolf that Spike knocked down earlier.
The Timber wolf leaped into action, and Spike was too slow to defend himself. He still tried to move himself out of harm’s way but he didn’t seem to be fast enough to do that. Spike had gambled, and he apparently lost.
The wolf slashed with his claw, and it connected to spike’s left shoulder. The talons ripped through his scales all the way to the middle of his back. And Spike could feel every moment of it.
Spike, more like an animal then a civilized being, let out a scream of pain. A sting of pain went through is arm, almost causing him to drop the timber wolf’s claw still present in his left hand. He could feel the scratches on his body, the warm blood that was now dripping from his back and his arm. He could even hear the little blood drops hit the ground with a silent ‘splash’.
“Damn it” was the only thing spike muttered with a gruff sounding voice, while looking at his wounds all the while he continued to run. It was bleeding, and the scratches looked quite deep, but he could still use his arm, and his claw at the end of it. He could only hope that blood loss didn’t become a problem for him.
He had to press on, or else everything would have been for nothing. He was going to save these ponies, even if it was the last thing he would ever do. Not just for their sakes, but also for his own. He was truly angry now.
Spike could move on. He had to, and fortunately for him he could. the Timber wolf that just attacked him had apparently made a desperate attack on him, and smashed itself into pieces before he could land on his four claws. Spike didn’t even see it at this point, but he could hear the satisfying sound of a pile of wood smashing on the ground from behind his back. Four Timberwolves were now temporarily out of commission, there was only one to go now.
Spike’s eyes were locked onto the last remaining Timber wolf, who was still advancing toward the ponies. Even though spike hadn’t stop running, he knew that he couldn’t make it in time. The wolf was too far away to engage in close combat. And to make the situation worse, his left arm was now hanging limp to the left side of his body, barely holding on to the wooden weapon in his hand. Spike didn’t even know if he could survive another close confrontation.
He had to think to come to a suitable solution before it was too late. He could hear the other four Timberwolves reassembling from behind his back. That could become a problem for later, but that is future Spike’s problem. Spike had to focus on the situation at hand now. What did he still have that could help him? What could he use?
Luckily for him, the answer came when he looked at the wooden stick in his right hand.
The answer was so simple, that it surprised Spike that he didn’t think about it earlier. It was like a lightning bolt hit his brain. And what happens when a lightning bolt hits a wooden object, something in terms of a tree. It catches fire. He had almost forgotten that he could breathe fire.
Spike brought the wooden Stick to his mouth, and quickly exhaled a green coloured flame. This part of the plan went smoothly. Now came the painful part. It was kind of unfortunate for him that his wounded left arm was his throwing arm. His face winced from the pain, as he let the Timberwolves claw fall, and readied the ‘burning stick turned spear’ to be thrown
The Timber wolf had his claw in the air and was ready to strike the three ponies, when spike took a stance and threw the burning stick. The stick made its way through the air nicely angled, and made its way to its target when it started to get closer to the ground.
“RUN!” Spike yelled, getting the attention of both the Timber wolf and the three ponies cowering at the tree. The timber wolf turned around to see the source of the scream. Spike still couldn’t see the ponies, but had at least given them a chance to escape from danger.
It all happened so fast after that. The timberwolf was hit right between the eyes, Just when it had fully turned around to see Spike . This caused it to run amok while the flame slowly spread to the rest of its wooden body. The Timberwolf was clearly in pain and the flames caused growls of pain and agony to escape from its mouth. The ponies at this point were nowhere to be seen, and had taken Spike’s advice to flee.
“I told you they would not stick around” Spike’s inner voice said. But that didn’t matter now.
The burning timber wolf tried to aim itself at Spike in one last effort to attack the dragon, but didn’t succeed and fell to the forest floor right in front of Spike’s feet. The body of the apparently dead Timberwolf began to twitch in a most unpleasant fashion, and the smell of burning wood entered Spike’s nose.
Spike sighed, taking the time to collect his thoughts during this moment of silence. It was like standing right in front of a Campfire, and his body seemed to like the warmth coming from the Timberwolf.
But Spike knew that the fight was not over yet. In fact it was far from over. He had fought with five Timberwolves, but had only truly defeated one of them A clear indication that the other Timberwolves were still active was that the Timber wolf’s claw, which Spike had dropped earlier, was now crawling at his feet. It apparently wanted to desperately get away from him, as the talons made their way faster and faster through the sand and grass covered area. It was like the claw had a mind of its own, and wanted to return to something.
That something was pulling itself together behind his back, as the sound of wood hitting another piece of wood intensified behind him.
“Does it ever end?” Spike asked himself right after the Timberwolf’s claw had passed him. With an annoyed sounding sigh, he readied himself to turn around, and face his enemy once again..
To be continued.
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4628662
I also have experience with bullies, and this is what I know:
1) If you don´t fight back the bully, he will interpret your inaction as a sign of weakness to exploit it even further.
2) Telling a teacher or adult will be consider an admission of weakness. The bully will nod his head, accept the reprimand... and look for you after (maybe with his cronies) to give you a beating with the advice of shutting your mouth next time.
3) Ignoring the bully will not make the bully ignore you.
4) Self-defense doesn´t make you a bully, not matter what your teacher may say.
4) Only when everything else fail (and you really fear for your wellbeing) talk with the adults/authorities about your problem.
Zero tolerance rules simply don´t work. Anyone who has been in school can tell you that.
Well, at least now he could just throw the pile of burning wood at the thing while it's pulling itself together.
4650306
4650197 I dealt with bullies. It's agonizing.
I think you did a great job with this chapter. I think it was a good think for Spike to save those ponies. Also great job capturing that the ponies would have screamed dragon and gave away Spike's position.
I DEMAND MOAR
I missed this fic, I waited so much for an update and thank you for finally putting one, please, try to update quickly, of course, if you can't then I'll completely understand it, AMAZING CHAPTER as always, I can't wait for the next one
Oh, boy. Can't wait to see how Twilight will react to the new of Spike saving those ponies. Sadly, I bet, she'll rewact as if Spike attacked them.
4651582
ssh.. Spoilers
weknowmemes.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/yes-moar-of-that-biden.jpg
If you make Spike snap anytime, please make him sound/look like this.
4700492 That wld be awesome.
"WARNING, TERRIBLE GRAMMAR MIGHT BE PRESENT IN THIS STORY" Then why not read through it a few times and correct your mistakes?
4827689
English is not my native language. I make mistakes even if i do not want to. the things that sound right to me can be a mistake. and before you say anything, I know about proofreaders