Thirteen Moons

by Silent_Witness

IX: The Beast Within

Chapter IX: The Beast Within

“Hurry, hurry!” Rarity shouted. She, Spike, and Trixie ran towards a great spire of rock rising from the dry ground. Rain poured down over the desert in sheets as thick grey clouds rolled overhead. The ground sloshed beneath them, and splattered them with mud, but the rain washed it away as soon as it landed on them.

After a few moments, the three stumbled into the relative dryness of a cave at the base of the rocky spire. Rarity sank to the ground, trying to catch her breath.

Trixie leaned against the cave’s wall, pushing her hair out of her face. “Agh…” she groaned. “Trixie hates the damp.”

Spike looked out from the cave at the rain. “It doesn’t look like this storm will let up any time soon,” he said. “Twilight would hate it if we fell behind schedule, but we don’t have a choice. We’ll have to wait it out.”

After catching her breath, Rarity asked, “Spike, would you be a dear and help me set up my tent?”

He looked over. “We’ve already found shelter. Why would you need your tent?”

She crossed her arm and glared at him. “Are you really expecting Trixie and me to change out of our wet clothes in front of you?”

“…I’ll get started right away.”

It was short work to set up the tent. And as the girls changed, Spike wasted no time in starting a fire for their camp. And once the flames were burning steadily, he took off his armor, piece-by-piece, and laid them next to the fire to dry.

From within the tent, Rarity asked, “Spike, if it’s not too much trouble, could you get a fire started too?” She stepped out, now wearing a set of pajamas. “I’d like to dry off my clothes before…” Her voice trailed off as her eyes fell on Spike. He was still dressed, wearing a black long-sleeved shirt and pants- but they were thoroughly soaked and clung tightly to his body, revealing his physique. Rarity could feel her face burn as she looked at him.

Spike looked back at her. “…What?”

Rarity shook her head. “It… it’s nothing. I’ve just never seen you out of your armor before.” She laid her clothes down by the fire, and sat down next to Spike. “Aren’t you going to change out of those wet clothes, darling? You’ll catch a cold.”

He scooted away from her ever so slightly. “My body temperature’s much higher than a normal human’s. I’ll be fine.” He glanced around, trying to think of some way to continue the conversation. His eyes fell on the clothes Rarity had laid out next to the fire- he noticed her purple boots were missing, replaced by a pair of black low-top shoes. “…What happened to your boots?”

“Hm? Oh, I left them behind while we were in Ponyville. They’re… not exactly cut out for ‘roughing it,’ as Applejack would say.” She looked to him. “You didn’t notice until now?”

At that moment, Trixie emerged from the tent as well. “At ease, minions. Your master is here,” she said, and sat down next to the fire as well. “Now tell me minions: how long will it be before we reach Applewood?”

“We still have quite a ways to go before we reach Applewood, dear…” Rarity replied. “Even if the trains were still running it would be a relatively long trip: two days at the earliest. But we should be coming to a city soon enough.”

“Which city would that be?” Trixie asked.

“The City of Sin itself: Las Pegasus.”

“I’ve heard of that place,” Spike said. “Isn’t that the city with all the casinos?”

Rarity nodded. “That’s the one.”

“How far away is it?” Trixie asked. “Trixie is tired of all this walking.”

Rarity didn’t answer. But Spike pulled out a map and unfolded it on the ground in front of the fire, examining it carefully, after several moments, he said, “…If I had to guess, we’re at Chimney Rock right now, right on the edge of the San Palomino Desert. So Las Pegasus is… just over a hundred miles away.” He looked over at Trixie. “Based on our average speed so far, it would take us another five days to get there.” He brought his hand to his chin. “And the next full moon is in a week. Then we’ll only have eleven…”

Rarity rested a hand on his shoulder. “You shouldn’t worry so much, Spike. We’re making good progress.”

He looked over. “You can’t forget, we have to take the return trip into account, too. And if something were to happen to the others, then we’d have to go to their sites and activate them.”

Trixie perked up upon hearing this. “Sites?” she asked. “You never mentioned anything like that before, minion.”

Spike was just about to begin his explanations… when a hiss sounded from the darkness beyond their campfire.

“What was that?” Trixie asked. But all three knew precisely what it was. And sure enough, a monster slithered from the darkness beyond the edge of their campfire: a serpent drawn back upon itself, with two long limbs growing out from below its head. A single red eye glowed from the center of its forehead. It hissed at them again as it approached.

Spike drew his spear from the ground and readied it. “We should’ve checked the rest of the cave before assuming it was safe. Lesson learned.”

But Trixie suddenly stepped forward. “Stand aside, minions. Allow Trixie the Great to handle this.”

She raised her hand toward the serpent, before suddenly pulling it back- the serpent staggered, and a glowing sphere flew from its body and into Trixie. She staggered and fell to one knee… but after a moment, Trixie took a deep breath, stood once more, and then looked up at the serpent. For a brief moment, her eyes shone red, before a bright beam shot forth from them. It struck the reptile, and in an instant, the beast was turned to stone.

Trixie’s eyes returned to normal, and she flipped her hair. “Trixie prevails again. Was there every any doubt?”

Rarity could only stare in stunned silence. But Spike approached the creature, and examined it, saying to himself, “A petrifying gaze…?” He then suddenly shot up and backed away from the monster. “This is a basilisk.”

“A what?” Trixie asked.

He looked back. “A kind of monster whose gaze can turn living things to stone. We’re lucky it didn’t get the chance to do that to any of us.”

Rarity shuddered. “Goodness. Is there a cure for that? Being turned to stone?”

“There is, thankfully. Certain types of spells and potions can dispel petrification. And, it weakens on its own over time. Of course, you can’t let anything happen to someone if they’re petrified, or else…” He turned to the petrified basilisk, pulled back his arm, and punched with all his strength- the basilisk’s head flew off, and bounced across the stony cave floor.

Rarity stepped back slightly, in disbelief. “Why did you…?”

Spike returned to the campfire. “It would’ve broken out on its own eventually.”

---

The rain stopped late that night. And at the dawn of the next morning, Spike roused Rarity and Trixie, and the three set out down the highway to their new destination: Las Pegasus. Even at that early hour, the air above the asphalt rippled in the heat, and the sun’s rays rapidly erased the puddles left by the rains of the day before.

With a huff, Rarity unzipped her sweater and tied it around her waist. “Trixie thought you were supposed to travel at night when crossing a desert.”

“That’s true, if you’re lost in the desert,” Spike replied. “Not when you’re walking down a desert highway with a convenience store on every off-ramp.” He looked over. “Besides, would you really want to wander around in the dark with a whole bunch of monsters creeping around?”

“Yes, you’ve mentioned that already,” Rarity said. She looked at their surroundings- to the left, a few low mountains rose above the horizon. To the right, drying earth seemed to stretch on forever. Thick brush choked the ground on both sides of the highway, flowering vibrantly thanks to the recent rain. But nothing disturbed them, not even the wind. “…but speaking of monsters, shouldn’t we have run into some by now?”

“Twilight told me that monsters adapt to their environment, like any other creature,” Spike said. “In a desert, they would focus on conserving their energy. Wait for their prey to come to them before…” He trailed off as a strange sound came to their ears. It was not a monster, however, but something else entirely. “Do you hear that?” he asked.

The three stopped, and Rarity listened to the sounds intently. It had been so long since she’d heard it, that she almost didn’t recognize it. “They’re… engines.” She and the others looked back- sure enough, a number of black specks were on the highway behind them, rapidly approaching.

Spike looked for a moment, before he grabbed both girls and began to run to the brush, dragging them in tow. Rarity tried to pull herself free, struggling to stay upright. “Spike, what is the matter with you!” she protested.

His reply was curt: “We need to get off the road. Now.”

“Why?”

But before Spike could answer, there was a squealing of tires, and a man on a motorcycle skidded to a stop in front of them. He leapt off his bike and pointed at them, shouting “Now you just stay right where you are, ya hear!?” He was bald, wearing a faded tan jacket covered by patches.

Three more motorcycles skidded to a halt around them, followed by a dune buggy with a skeletal frame. Their occupants climbed out and surrounded them- eight in total. They looked like a rough bunch, all clad in leather and ragged clothes. Then, of their number in particular stepped forward: a red man, clad in all-black. He wore an eyepatch over his right eye, leaving him with a single red eye.

“Well now…” the red-eyed bandit said. “What do we have here?” He looked back to his posse. “Axel, tell me what we have here.”

“Hmm, I don’t know boss,” the bald man replied- presumably, he was Axel. “…but it looks like a trio of trespassers!”

“Can we cook’em boss?” another man asked- this one had a vibrant blue mohawk, and twitched incessantly. “Can we?”

“Now hold on just a second, Twitch,” the red-eyed bandit said, and began to approach the three. “Lovely young ladies like you shouldn’t be travelling alone.” He stopped in front of Rarity, and touched her face. “Why don’t you… come with us? We can give you anything you-”

Rarity pulled back her fist and sucker punched the bandit in the chest, just under his sternum. He let out a choked cry, and for a moment he was lifted off his feet, before he dropped to the ground and curled up into a ball, choking and gasping for breath at Rarity’s feet.

Rarity glared down at the bandit. “The next time you touch me with those filthy hands of yours, I’ll snap them off.”

The bald man ran up and pulled the red-eyed bandit away, asking, “You okay, boss?” Then he looked back at the three, and drew a blade made from a long, sharpened length of metal. “You’re gonna regret that.”

Rarity punched a fist into her palm. “Oh really? And who’s going to make me regret it?” She cracked her knuckles. “…You?”

Another of the bandits- a brawny man who towered over the others- cracked his knuckles in turn. “Oh I love it when they fight back!”

Spike drew his spear and glanced over to Rarity, asking in a low voice, “Are you sure about this? Fighting people isn’t like fighting monsters.”

Rarity looked up to the others, and cracked her neck. “But these aren’t people. Just monsters wearing human skins.”

The bald man rushed towards Rarity, raising his blade high. But before he could even finish his swing, and without even thinking, Rarity sidestepped behind the bald man, looped her arms around his waist, and bent over backwards, lifting him off his feet and slamming him headfirst into the ground behind her. She quickly slipped out from underneath him, and he fell to the ground. Then, slowly, he tried to push himself to his feet; before he could rise, Rarity pulled her foot back and kicked the side of his head as hard as she could. The blow flipped the man onto his back, and he lay on the asphalt, unmoving.

The other bandits shrank away slightly. Rarity herself could only stare at the bald man, stunned into silence. But a shout brought her back to reality: “You… you bitch!” She looked up to see the giant man charging towards her, fists raised.

But then there was the crack of a whip, and a spray of blood flew from the giant man’s shoulder. He cried out in pain and stumbled, falling to one knee. He strained, but seemingly couldn’t move his right arm. “You should really watch your tongue,” Trixie said as she coiled her whip. “The Powerful Trixie abhors such vulgar language.” She glared, and her eyes flared red; a bright beam shot forth, and in a flash, the bandit was turned to stone. The petrified bandit fell with a thump, but did not shatter.

Terrified cries and gasps rang out among the bandits, and they fell back even more- some seemed to be on the verge of running away. “What the hell do we do now?” one asked.

“Keep it together!” Another shouted in reply. “There’s six of us, and only three of them!” Then, he began to swing a long, thick chain over his head.

The asphalt buckled as Spike launched himself toward the bandit, spear raised. The bandit choked, and his chain flew from his hands as Spike buried his spear deep into his chest. Then Spike gripped his shoulder and forced his spear in deeper, and out through the bandit’s back. “Numbers won’t save you here,” Spike muttered. Then he ripped his spear out of the bandit’s body- the bandit fell to his knees, clutching his wound, before he collapsed, blood rapidly pooling around his body.

The others could only look at their fallen comrade in stunned silence. Rarity’s stomach churned at the sight of so much blood, and she brought a hand to her mouth. But she shook her head, and tried to block it out. The other bandits were distracted, and she had the perfect chance to strike. She looked to the closest bandit and pulled her leg back, preparing a devastating roundhouse kick…

But all of a sudden, a gunshot rang out. A sharp pain lanced through Rarity’s leg. She fell, and saw a trail of blood streaming from her leg. “Rarity!” Spike braced himself, preparing to lunge at the bandits again, but a second gunshot rang out. Sparks flew from the center of his chestplate, and he was knocked onto his back. He did not rise again.

Trixie looked, to see the mohawk man aiming a rifle at Spike. “Yeah you’re fancy armor’s not too good at stopping bullets, is it?” He aimed at Trixie. “Now you! Get on the ground!” Trixie complied.

Rarity struggled to rise, but her leg trembled, and she couldn’t move it. And as if someone had heard her thoughts, a voice said, “I would stay right where you are if I were you.” She looked- the red-eyed bandit with the eyepatch was glaring down at her, clutching his chest. “It’s been a while since we’ve run into someone with as much fire as you. But don’t worry- we’ll crush all that out of you soon enough.”

At that time, the bald man awoke, and rose to his feet, rubbing his head. “Oh… I feel like a truck ran me over.” He soon noticed his leader. “You okay, boss?”

The red-eyed bandit tapped his chest. “This is nothing. Now load the girls into the buggy. Leave the boy.”

Suddenly, the ground shook, making everyone stagger. The red-eyed bandit looked over, to see Spike pulling his fist from a small crater in the asphalt. Slowly, he stood up, tossing away his spear. “Still alive, are you?” the red-eyed bandit asked. He then looked to the bald man. “Axel, please fix that.”

“Sure thing, boss.” Then the bald man charged Spike, swinging his blade.

Spike caught the blade with his hand. His grip tightened around it- the metal groaned, before shattering like glass. He looked up at the bandit, his eyes blazing. “...I’m going to make you regret that.”

Green flames erupted around Spike. The bald man stumbled back, startled by the sudden flare. And Trixie and Rarity looked to the blaze in stunned silence. But as soon as it had come, the green fire was gone.

And so was Spike. In his place stood a beast, with dark purple scales, and a ridge of green spines running down his back, from the top of his head to the tip of his tail. His hands and feet ended with wicked claws, and sharp, glinting fangs filled his massive jaws. The beast stood at least seven feet tall, and its eyes blazed in a brilliant green light.

The bald man stumbled back, before he turned and tried to run away…

But the beast was too fast- he seized the bandit by the leg, before raising up to eye level. He glared at the bandit for a moment, before he whipped him back and threw him at another bandit. The second bandit leapt to the side, just barely avoiding the body of his comrade. The bald man skidded and bounced across the hard desert ground until he slid to a stop some twenty feet away, motionless.

“Twitch!” the red-eyed bandit called. The mohawk man took aim at the beast, and fired.

There was a spark where the bullet struck the beast’s scales… and nothing more. It didn’t even leave a mark. The mohawk man pulled the trigger several more times, but each round simply rebounded from the beast’s scales with a spark. But then, an empty click sounded from his rifle. The mohawk man fumbled with his pockets as he tried to dig up more ammo. “No! No, not now!”

But it was too late. The beast was already upon him.

The beast snatched the rifle from the bandit’s grip, and with ease, snapped it in two. Then he pulled his arm back, and stabbed the rifle barrel into the side of the bandit’s head.

The last two bandits staggered back. Then, the red-eyed bandit turned and ran. The last bandit looked to his leader and called “Boss! Where’re you-” It was the last thing he would ever do. The asphalt buckled as the beast launched himself toward the bandit. He dragged his claws across the ground, leaving deep gouges in his wake, before swinging them at the distracted bandit. His claws tore through the bandit’s flesh with ease, and he collapsed as his blood rained down on him and the beast.

The beast then turned to his last quarry. The red-eyed bandit had abandoned the others, and was running away down the highway. But then, he tripped. And before he could push himself back onto his feet, the beast’s clawed hand seized him by the shoulder and pulled him upright. The red-eyed bandit could only stare paralyzed as the beast growled at him, too terrified to reach for whatever weapon he may have held. Then the beast reared back, and slammed his forehead against the bandit’s own- the bandit flew from his grip and struck the hard ground in a crumpled heap.

Then, slowly, the beast looked over his shoulder, at Rarity and Trixie. Then, he began to walk towards them, the earth trembling slightly with his every footfall. Rarity tried to crawl away, but the pain in her leg kept her pinned in place. But then Trixie stepped forward, placing herself between Rarity and the beast, and cracked her whip with a thunderous crack. “Stay back, beast!” she shouted, and cracked her whip again. The beast stopped at the sound… but only for a moment, and it continued its advance. Trixie began to back away. “Trixie doesn’t suppose you have any ideas, do you?” she asked.

But then, the beast dropped to its knees, and let out a deafening roar. Steam erupted from its body, and through the cloud, Rarity watched as it shrank down to a normal human size. After a moment, the steam faded away, leaving behind a kneeling Spike, sweating profusely and gasping for breath. After a moment, he inhaled deeply and rose to his feet, before looking to Rarity and Trixie. “Are you two alright?”

Rarity didn’t reply. But there was a clatter as Trixie’s whip slipped from her grasp. “What…” she stammered, “…What in the world was that?”

Spike looked down. “…something I’d hoped no one would ever have to see again.” Spike drew in a long breath, before continuing. “In some dragonlings, the dragon blood runs so strongly, they’re basically human-shaped dragons.” He approached, and looked down at Rarity. “…What you just saw is… how I really am.”

“But wait,” she began. “Until just now, you looked like a normal person. How…”

“…Despite what Twilight told you, magic didn’t disappear from the world completely three thousand years ago. It lingers in some things- enchanted artifacts, and in creatures like… me. Because of this magic, I could change my appearance- make myself look more like a normal human being.” He shook his head. “…It didn’t help. Most people back home already knew the truth about me.” He looked at Rarity. “Can you imagine, being born looking like that? Because I don’t have to. I don’t have to imagine what it’s like to be treated like…”

Before he could go on, engines roared from the highway behind them. Trixie looked in the roar’s direction. “There’s more of them coming!”

Spike dashed off to retrieve his spear, before he began searching the bodies of the fallen bandits for something. Rarity sat herself up and looked on at him, but could do no more. “What do you think you’re doing!?”

“We’re not going to outrun them on foot.” Spike pulled something from a dead bandit’s pocket. “And these bandits were kind enough to donate a vehicle.” He threw the object to Trixie, and she caught it- it was a set of keys. “I hope you know how to drive.”

Then, Spike picked up Rarity and carried her to the dune buggy, setting her in the passenger seat- at the same time, Trixie climbed into the driver’s seat. Spike didn’t climb in, but simply held on to the side of the buggy, clutching his spear in the other hand. “Go, go, go!” he ordered.

Trixie jammed the keys into the ignition, and the buggy’s engine roared to life. There was a squeal of tires, and the buggy was speeding down the highway. But before long, the rumbling of the buggy’s engine was joined by others. Spike looked back- sure enough, a trio of motorcycles were rapidly gaining on them.

Spike looked to Trixie. “I’ll be right back.” The buggy rocked as Spike launched himself from its side. He rose high into the air, but did not ready his spear- he had something else in mind. He descended upon one of the bikes- he turned and extended his foot. “What-” the rider began, before Spike’s foot struck him in the chest, knocking him off the bike. But Spike fell into the seat, and grabbed the handlebars with his free hand. The bike wobbled wildly, but Spike managed to keep it upright. Then Spike gunned the throttle, catching up to the other two bikes. One of the bikers saw Spike and aimed a pistol at him.

But he never had the chance to fire. Spike stabbed his spear at the other motorcycle’s tire- it exploded with a deafening bang and pitched forward, throwing its rider against the unforgiving road and tumbled end over end, sending up tremendous showers of sparks with each impact. The bang drew the attention of the last biker- he slowed until he was alongside Spike, and swung a machete at him. Spike blocked with the shaft of his spear and thrust at the bandit, but missed. Spike stabbed again and again, but the biker stayed well out of his reach. In frustration, he swung his spear with all his strength.

But by some stroke of luck, Spike’s attack hit its mark, and the biker fell from his ride- it continued on without him for a moment, before drifting off the road and crashing, throwing up a cloud of dirt and dust. With his foes dispatched, Spike gunned the throttle and sped up until he was alongside the buggy. As he pulled up, Trixie looked to him and shouted over the wind, “Is that all of them!”

“I think so!” Spike called back.

But suddenly, the harsh blare of a horn sounded from behind. They looked back- a black semi-truck cab sped down the highway behind them, blaring its horn and belching black smoke.

Spike could only ask out loud, “…Really?” He then looked to Trixie. “I can handle this, Trixie! Just keep going! Don’t wait up for me!” Trixie complied, and the buggy sped ahead of him. Then, Spike braked, bringing the bike to a screeching halt. He stabbed his spear into the ground and climbed off the motorcycle, but gripped its handlebars tightly. The truck sped towards him, but he held his ground, waiting for the right moment. “Come on…” he muttered. “Work with me.”

The truck’s horn blared again, and it was finally close enough. Spike spun to build momentum, lifting the motorcycle off the ground, before throwing it with all his might at the truck. For a moment, he feared he might miss, but his aim was true, and the bike crashed through the truck’s windshield. Its tires squealed and it swerved back and forth across the highway, before it suddenly tipped onto its side, sending up showers of sparks. Spike stood his ground at first, but as the truck slid across the road, he quickly stepped to the side of the road and out of harm’s way.

For a moment, the truck was still, and the only sound was a faint hiss coming from its engine. But all of a sudden, the truck’s side door flew open and a man clambered out. Spike saw that it was none other than the red-eyed bandit from before. He tried to climb down, but slipped and hit the ground hard. But he rose to his feet, and drew a revolver from within his coat. “You!” he shouted, staggering towards Spike. “Did you really think… you could get away from me?” Spike strode towards the red-eyed bandit, and the bandit aimed his revolver, and fired at Spike.

But the bullets simply bounced off Spike’s armor, and when he was in range, Spike grabbed the red-eyed bandit by the neck, and lifted him into the air. The bandit dropped his gun and grabbed Spike’s arm, but he could not pry himself loose. “I’m going to put this in simple words that even you can understand,” Spike said. “If I see even the briefest glimpse of you anywhere between here and Applewood, I will kill you, and every last member of your worthless gang. Do you understand?”

The red-eyed bandit’s response was but a series of chokes and gasps.

Spike tightened his grip on the bandit’s neck. “Answer me.”

The bandit’s legs kicked wildly as he struggled for breath. But somehow, he managed a nod.

Spike threw the bandit to the ground. “I’m going to count to thirty. When I turn around, you will be gone. And just so you don’t get any ideas about shooting me in the back…” He raised his spear, and stabbed it into the red-eyed bandit’s revolver, cutting it neatly in two. Then he turned away. “One.”

The red-eyed bandit scrambled to his feet and started sprinting down the highway he’d come.

Spike turned. As he did, he saw the buggy stopped on the side of the road up ahead. He hurried over and said to Trixie, “I told you not to wait for me.”

“We can’t leave you behind, Spike,” Rarity replied. “We need you to guide us.”

Spike grabbed the side of the buggy. “Fair enough.”

Trixie watched the red-eyed bandit flee in the buggy’s rear view mirror. “Are you sure it’s a good idea to just let him go?” she asked. “Shouldn’t you… take care of him?”

Spike looked back “I think I’ve made enough of an impression on him. Now let’s get moving.”

---

The sun was sinking towards the horizon in front of Spike, Rarity, and Trixie. The bandits had seemingly given up their pursuit, for none had followed in the hours since their escape. The buggy sat abandoned on the side of the road, its fuel tank empty. Nearby, Spike and Trixie were tending to Rarity’s wounds.

Spike pulled his hands away from Rarity’s leg, putting away his needle and sutures. “I’ve done what I can,” he said. Then he looked to Trixie. “Trixie, do you know any healing spells? The sooner we can get this wound closed, the better.”

Trixie nodded and replied, “Trixie thinks she has something,” before she brought up her hands. She blew across her palms- a white dust was blown from her hands, and settled on the fresh stitches. Slowly, the wound began to close, until it was little more than a dark brown scar.

Spike set Rarity’s leg down, on top of his pack. “Okay Rarity, we’re finished. Try to keep your leg elevated as much as you can, and don’t put any pressure on it. We’ll check on it again in an hour or so.”

“Alright, Rarity replied. “Thank you.”

“Aren’t you going to take out the bullet?” Trixie asked.

Spike shook his head. “No. In this environment, removing the bullet would do more harm than good. There wasn’t that much blood in the wound, so I don’t think it severed any major arteries. For now at least, it’s best to just leave it where it is.”

“Trixie will trust your decision, then.” She stood. “Trixie is going to gather wood for a fire. Watch Rarity until I return, minion.” With that, she headed into the brush.

There was silence between Spike and Rarity for several moments, until Spike looked up and asked, “So… How are you feeling?”

“I can’t exactly say that being shot is a regular occurrence for me,” Rarity replied,” “…but I feel alright, all things considered.”

Spike looked down and sighed. “I’m glad. I like to think I know a lot about treating injuries, but this is the first time I’ve ever worked on a gunshot. I wasn’t sure I could do it.”

Rarity sat up, and reached for him, setting her hand on Spike’s shoulder. “Well with any luck, it’ll also be the last time, darling. I promise to be more careful from now on.”

There was more silence between them.

“Does it…” Rarity began, “…Does it frighten you? Knowing you have something like that inside of you?”

Spike drew in his legs and hugged them against his chest. “Of course it does. Every day I live with the fear that I’ll lose control and end up hurting someone I care about.” He hung his head. “…That I’ll become the monster everyone sees me as.”

Rarity looked to him. “I don’t see you as a monster.”

Spike looked up at Rarity, surprised… before he looked away again. “…You’d only be the second person who didn’t.”

“I’m guessing Twilight was the first.”

He nodded. “Twilight… she said something to me about all this, once. She told me that having the dragon blood didn’t make me evil- that evil isn’t something that’s determined by blood or by heritage. That it’s a choice. She told me… that I’m only as much of a monster as I choose to be.” Then Spike sighed. “It helps at times, but words can only do so much.”

“Twilight must mean a lot to you.”

Spike shook his head. “No. Not a lot.” He looked up to Rarity. “Everything.” He stood up. “If not for her, I’m not sure I’d even be alive right now.” But then, he smiled. “Sometimes she treated me more like a science experiment than a brother. But I didn’t mind- it was enough for me, to not be… you know, hated.”

Spike then looked down at Rarity. “And before you ask: no. I can’t breathe fire. Twilight tried for three years, but she could never get me to do it.”