• Published 6th Apr 2012
  • 12,559 Views, 170 Comments

Love Will Set You Free - Ospero



When an ancient evil raises its head, it's up to Spike and the CMC to fight it.

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När jag blundar

"What do you mean, nopony's home?" Spike looked at the dark windows of Carousel Boutique.

Twilight floated the note she'd found attached to the door over to him.

Dear customers,

due to unexpected developments, Carousel Boutique will be closed until next Saturday (August 23rd).

Rarity, proprietress, Carousel Boutique

Spike couldn't believe his eyes. It wasn't like Rarity to simply go off without so much as a goodbye, and the note didn't sound like her either - if he hadn't recognized the handwriting as hers, he'd have had serious doubts about it. As things stood, however, their plan seemed to have hit an unexpected barrier.

He looked at Twilight. "What now?" he asked, the self-confidence that had filled him back at the library nearly gone.

"I'm honestly not sure." Twilight looked as lost as he felt. "I guess we'll have to talk this over with the others tomorrow and see if they have any ideas."

Just then, they heard the sound of whistling approaching from down the street, rather unusual at this late time, one hour after sundown. Spike and Twilight looked around and saw Sweetie Belle heading their way. The unicorn filly raised her head and looked at them in surprise. "Hello Miss Twilight; hello Spike. What are you doing here?"

"We wanted to check on your sister, but it seems she's not here," Spike said.

Sweetie Belle frowned. "That can't be right. I'm supposed to stay at her place tonight. Mom and Dad are out of town for the next three days - this was planned months ago." Spike noticed that Sweetie was carrying a rather large bag with pens and one or two books peeking out of it.

Spike and Twilight exchanged worried glances, then Twilight turned towards Sweetie Belle. "Say, Sweetie, have you heard much from Rarity lately?"

"No, I haven't," Sweetie replied. "Mom and Dad are getting pretty worked up about it, honestly." Then she seemed to notice that the Boutique was dark. "She's really not here, is she?" she asked, now sounding close to tears.

Spike felt a sudden flare of anger. In love or not, you didn't simply leave your sister hanging like that. He turned to Twilight. "Can't she stay with us?"

"Sure." Twilight looked at Sweetie Belle. "If you don't mind, that is?"

"Well ... I need a place for the night, and it's a bit late to go to Sweet Apple Acres now," Sweetie Belle said. "You'd take me in?"

"Of course we will." Spike smiled at the unicorn. "Come along."

***

Spike was lying awake. He could hear the breathing of Twilight and Sweetie, both fast asleep by the sound of them, but he was too wound up to sleep. He didn't know what to make of this whole situation. Rarity had never before been unreliable.

Is she turning away from the others? Was what I saw more than a dream?

The very thought made his blood freeze. Discord turning the Elements against each other had been one thing, but this time, life itself was causing the friends to drift apart, and while there was nothing too unusual about that, these were his friends, and he could not allow that to happen.

Hang on. Spike's eyes shot open. How do I know that? And what does it mean?

He had no answer to those questions, but he knew beyond a doubt that their friendship could not be allowed to fall apart like this. Not now, and perhaps not ever.

He remembered the words he'd heard in his vision. You will need them. They will need you.

Spike suddenly felt very, very small. Why me? I must keep those friendships intact? But I'm just a baby dragon. What can I do by myself?

Just as he felt tears coming to his eyes, he suddenly remembered what else the voice in his vision had said.

And so will I.

***

Again, images started appearing before his mind's eye. He was standing in a dark cave, shivering. Just a few steps in front of him, a circular groove had been cut into the rocky floor, surrounding rainbow-hued threads of light. Two of the end points of those threads looked almost close enough to touch, and where they converged, gemstones floated in the air at eye level - a blue balloon and a pink butterfly. The other points were hard to see through the shadows, but Spike thought he could make out a very familiar purple star on the other side of the cave.

As he watched, something began to shift among the stones. The triplet of blue diamonds started to flicker and fade, and finally went dark. A shudder went through the ground, cracks began to appear in the walls, and the other five gemstones dimmed, their light weakened by the loss of the sixth. The threads of light began to dance and whip around frantically, searching for something to connect to, but to no avail.

The three-coloured bolt of lightning was the next to go dark. One by one, the others followed suit, until finally only the purple star was left. The cave was shaking now, the cracks were widening. Large plates of stone dropped from the ceiling, some barely missing the dragon, yet just as the chunks of rock were descending upon Spike, he felt another presence in the cave.

Harmony isn't everything. You can't reduce friendship to just six elements - it's far too wonderful and complex for that. And when Harmony comes to the end of its wisdom, the void must be filled with something else, or darkness will reign.

It sounded like Apple Bloom, but she would never say something like that.

***

Spike awoke with a start. He noticed that he had his arms raised, as if to protect his head, and he was trembling all over.

What's happening to me? he thought as tears came to his eyes. What's going on here?

He was taken out of his thoughts by a loud knock at the door. Surprised, he looked at the clock. What in Celestia's name? It's half past three in the morning!

"Twilight? Are you there?"

Spike took a moment to recognize the voice. Big Macintosh?

He hurried downstairs and unlatched the door. The big red stallion looked like he'd just run the leaves, more out of breath than Spike had ever seen him. "Hello, Spike. Mighty sorry to disturb you at this hour, but it's urgent."

"Spike?" Twilight must have heard the knocking as well. She was coming downstairs, yawning heavily. "Oh. Good evening, Big Macintosh."

"Twilight. Thank Celestia." Spike had never seen Big Mac this shaken, and it filled him with dread. He didn't want anything to do with something that had this effect on the unflappable stallion. "As I said, sorry, but it's real urgent."

"What's wrong?" Twilight asked, now fully awake.

"It's Apple Bloom." Spike suddenly felt as though somepony had pulled the floor out from under him, and he leaned heavily against one of the bookcases. Big Macintosh looked at him curiously, but continued. "About an hour ago, she screamed something frightful for several minutes and then went back to sleep. We can't get her to wake up, Twilight."

"Oh my goodness." Twilight looked at Big Macintosh in horror. "But why are you here? The hospital ..."

"You don't understand," Big Macintosh interrupted her. "This was more than just a simple nightmare. She's glowing."

"Glowing?" Spike hadn't believed it possible for Twilight's eyes to widen further, but he had been wrong. "What do you mean, glowing?"

"What I said." Big Macintosh cast a curious glance in Spike's direction. "Looks a lot like that, come to think of it, only it's green, not orange."

"What do you ..." Spike broke off as he looked down at his hands, enveloped in a soft orange light.

Twilight had obviously not noticed until now either, and looked at Spike with alarm. "What's happening here?"

"I don't know, Twi." Spike was shaking like a leaf. "But it's got something to do with me and Apple Bloom."

"You and Apple Bloom?" Big Macintosh's gaze now held a little suspicion, and his voice had a vaguely threatening undercurrent that made Spike shiver even more. "I mean, I know she's head over hooves for you and all, but ..."

Spike could feel Twilight's stare even before he turned to face her. For a few seconds, she seemed to be putting the pieces together, then her face went stern. "That was what you wouldn't tell me, wasn't it?"

He took a deep breath. "Yes. I only found out this morning." Not even a day ago? He could hardly believe that. Things were happening so quickly...

Big Macintosh seemed to realize what he'd done. "Oops. Sorry, Spike." His head turned towards Twilight, disbelief creeping into his voice. "You didn't know?"

"No." Twilight grinned sheepishly. "I may be a little slow on the uptake when it comes to things like that."

"Could we talk about this later?" This wasn't the self-confidence he'd felt after his first vision - it was worry for a friend that drove Spike this time, but it seemed to have a similar effect. "We need to get to Sweet Apple Acres now!"

"Right. Let's ..." Twilight broke off. "What about Sweetie Belle?"

Spike's mind raced. "We can't leave her here by herself. Big Mac, could you carry her?"

The red stallion was obviously wondering what Sweetie Belle was doing at the library, but he just nodded. "Eeyup."

A few minutes later, Twilight, Spike, Big Macintosh and a rather drowsy and confused Sweetie Belle were racing towards Sweet Apple Acres. Spike was repeating the same words to himself over and over.

Hang on, Apple Bloom. We'll find out what's wrong, and we'll take care of it. I promise.