A Dragon's Detour

by Nrdygrl

Kindling Memories

Chapter Thirteen

“Kindling Memories”

Spike hadn’t gotten much sleep ever since the incident in the laundry room. He knew Misty was watching out for him, but fear was still in his heart. Today was Friday, though. He figured he’d have time to sleep tomorrow, unless Sparky and Misty were planning something that night. He figured they would try to find the Comatose sometime during the day. They really weren’t keeping him in the loop, however, until fourth period. He was sitting in English class, his favorite class, (but he was still indifferent to what Miss Prose was teaching,) when Sparky discretely passed him a note.

Misty and I are planning something today. We will tell you about it after class.

Spike nodded to the red dragon and wondered what was going to happen. For now, he was stuck listening to a lecture on the importance of writing grammatically correct sentences. It all went through one ear and out the other. He couldn’t stop thinking about what his friends were going to do. He really didn’t want to find the Comatose today! He knew he wasn’t prepared for it. He never told Sparky and Misty this, but whenever he was in the main lobby, he would get a strange feeling. It was almost like he could feel the energy from the Comatose coming up through the floor. This told him how powerful it was, and frankly, it was beginning to scare him. He had to eat this thing! Spike continued to think about this for the rest of class. Finally, the bell rang. He grabbed his books and scurried into the hallway. He threw the locker door open and tossed the books in, letting them fold the wrong way and their pages bend. He couldn’t help but chuckle under his breath, thinking about what Twilight would say to him. She’d most likely yell at him for ‘mistreating literature.’ However, it was kind of nice to do as he wished with items such as books, instead of always being neat and careful with them like he usually was at home.
At last, he spotted the blue and red dragon coming around the corner to meet him. Spike shut the locker door and waved at them. Misty had her camera with her. She was hanging onto it with gloved hands, almost as if it were a dear friend to her. Spike couldn’t help but smile a little. She was odd, but she was someone who had a rough past. He couldn’t help but feel that underneath that cold, black and blue exterior was a girl who actually had a heart. She was just trying to help, and he knew this now. Sparky was just as laid back as ever. Spike figured there could be nothing wrong with this guy. Sparky was very cool about everything and extremely helpful. However, Spike remembered how the red fire dragon told him that he had a recurring nightmare. What was it about? What could he be hiding? Spike took all this in, with a bit of gratitude in his heart. He was in a way grateful that Princess Celestia chose him to be here with these two noble young dragons. Perhaps he could also help them as they were helping him. He knew he wasn’t alone…that with them on his side, he could handle anything those Treasure Seekers would throw at him.
“Hey, Spike!” said Sparky. “Misty and I have been passing notes all day. Luckily, we haven’t been caught once! Now we should tell you about the plan. Tell him, Misty!”
“Okay,” said Misty, glancing at the stairs to the lobby. She gestured for Spike to come closer to her and Sparky. “Have you noticed that I’ve made the habit of being late for meals and blowing off some classes? Well, I use the time to spy on Head Mistress Haldana. I’ve found out, she leaves for lunch early…about 11:15, while we’re bored out of our minds in Mr. Crescendo’s music class, doing his stupid breathing exercises. Now, to get to the Comatose, we’ll have to go through the basement. Unfortunately, the door leading down there is locked. I tried going down there and I couldn’t ‘cause of the lock. I found out, that because Haldana is head mistress, she has a master key that unlocks every door in the building. So here’s my plan: we blow of Mr. Crescendo’s so-called ‘music class’ and steal that key when ‘Lemon Lady’ leaves so we can go down into that basement and get the Comatose. Sound good?”
“But…wait,” said Spike. “Won’t we get in trouble if Mr. Crescendo knows we’re missing? What if he comes looking for us?”
“We can hide somewhere, then,” Misty responded crossing her arms. “Come on! There goes the bell. This is our chance!” Spike glanced at Sparky. The red dragon shrugged. “We’re going now!” said the blue dragon leading them downstairs.
“Looks like we have no choice,” said Sparky smiling a little. Spike rolled his eyes and reluctantly followed his odd friend. The lobby was completely empty. As the trio walked into the giant room, they could hear their footsteps on the marble floor. They neared the center of the room. All of a sudden, Spike had the same weird feeling. He started to pant and the room looked like it was spinning. He stopped and grabbed Sparky’s arm. “Woah, man. You don’t look so good!”
“I…I can feel it, I think,” said Spike. “I mean. I have the knack for knowing when my sweets are around, but this is different! I feel sick when I feel the energy coming through the floor. I mean…is this thing even a gem?”
“Kind of,” replied Sparky. “It’s something you’d be able to consume. Don’t worry. I know it’s a bit overwhelming. Misty and I felt like you when we first encountered the Comatose. Our clan and parents were in possession of it at one time. It’s power makes people sick at first. Then…” Sparky stopped himself when Misty gave him a look. Spike raised an eyebrow.
“Then…what?” he asked curiously.
“Then…it’s fine. Don’t worry about it,” said Sparky nervously. Spike sighed a little. He knew it wasn’t fine, and it made him mad that they were still keeping things from him. He figured he’d find out sooner or later, though.
“Look…look…there she is,” whispered Misty, pushing them behind the statue that was in the middle of the lobby. Head Mistress Haldana left her office and paused when she neared the statue. She sighed and inhaled deeply.
“I feel you, my treasure. You’re closer than we imagined. I’ll have you…in time,” she said to herself. She then turned and exited the school through the main doors. The dragon trio sighed with relief and walked up to her office.
“So she is after the Comatose!” said Spike. “That’s not good. She’s the head mistress! Who knows how many dragons are on her side here!”
“I know…” said Misty sighing. “Which is why we need to find it soon!” She approached the door to Head Mistress Haldana’s office and turned the handle. “Uh-oh…” she said. “She locked this door! She left with the office key and the master key is inside!”
“How do you think we can get in?” asked Sparky.
“What are you guys up to?” asked a nasally voice from behind Spike. Spike almost jumped a mile high and whirled around. He was met by a pair of giant glasses over brown eyes that were staring him down. Below these was a mouth of braces curled into a smirk.
“Hey! It’s none of your business,” said Misty glaring at the nerdy male dragon. “Now why don’t you stop being nosey and go back to wherever you came from!”
“Sorry, sweetheart, I finished my business in the men’s room. Now…now…what do I find when I come back into the lobby but three dragons trying to break into Head Mistress Haldana’s office. And I wondered…why would you be doing something so unnecessary?”
“Sweetheart?!” shrieked Misty in disgust.
“Hey…aren’t you Trig Tangent, Mr. Tangent’s son?” asked Sparky curiously.
“That is absolutely correct,” the nerdy burgundy dragon replied, pushing his glasses up higher on his face.
“Yeah…the show-off and know-it-all kid in math class,” said Spike rolling his eyes. Trig glared at Spike.
“I can’t help that you are jealous of my superior intellect and undeniably charming good-looks, Mr. purple-dragon-with-a-feminine voice.” Spike glared back.
“I don’t talk like a girl! Do I…?!” he said crossing his arms.
“Would you just shut up and leave us alone?!” asked Misty, getting annoyed at Trig.
“Ah…no can do, cupcake. I can see that deep down, you’re already falling for my charms,” said Trig smirking. Misty glared at him. “It looks to me like you really need something in that room. I can help you get it…but it’s apparent you don’t want me around so…I’ll just go back to class where we all belong…”
“Wait…” said Spike curiously. “How can you help us? The door is locked.” Trig smirked.
“With my intellectual capabilities, I know how to pick locks…professionally, you realize,” said Trig.
“Well, man, that’s cool and all, but why do you want to help us?” Sparky asked. “You don’t know what we’re up to!”
“True…” said the burgundy dragon sighing. “But if my peers need help…I help them…no matter if they’re doing good or bad. However…I do not work for free. I have a price in mind…”
“Oh, great…listen, dude, you aren’t getting my lunch money!” said Misty glaring at him.
“Hey! If you want money, you can take some of my gems,” said Spike shrugging. “I guess I can part with a few…”
“No…money isn’t my object of desire,” said Trig smirking even more and glancing at Misty. “I want a little kiss from this gorgeous gothic damsel.” Misty’s eyes grew wide. Sparky and Spike looked at each other and immediately started laughing. The look on Misty’s face was priceless. She looked as if she were going to vomit.
“Are you crazy?!” she said angrily. “NO, NO, and NO!” Spike was actually enjoying this.
“Come on, Mist,” said Sparky grinning. “You’re the one who wanted to get that key!” Misty’s face turned a bright red from her anger. Sparky was almost on the floor laughing at her. Spike could feel his stomach starting to hurt from laughing.
“I’ll even make it just a kiss on the cheek,” said Trig. “But no kiss…no help.” He pointed to his cheek. “I’m waiting, sweet-lips.” Misty growled under her breath, leaned forward and gave Trig the smallest, quickest kiss on the cheek that the world would ever know of. The nerd blushed and grinned. Just then, Misty grabbed the color to his shirt and shook him with ferocity.
“You were never here…and that never happened. Do I make myself clear?!” she said with clenched teeth.
“Unequivocally clear,” said Trig a little nervously. At that, she let go of him. Trig reached into his pocket and pulled out a paperclip.
“Good…now pick the lock for us,” said Sparky still grinning. Trig stuck the paperclip into the lock on the office door and in only about thirty seconds, he got the door open.
“Uh…thanks,” said Spike.
“No problem…” said Trig sighing. “It’s not like there’s anything fun to do around here when music class is in session. And don’t worry…your secret’s safe with me. I don’t know what you three are up to…and I don’t really want to know.” He shrugged and turned away.
“Good! Now leave!” growled Misty. Trig smiled at her and walked briskly towards the stairs. As soon as he disappeared, Spike and Sparky started laughing again.
“The best part…was just seeing the look on your face, Misty,” said the purple dragon.
“Aw…Misty has a new boyfriend,” Sparky teased, nudging her.
“SHUT UP!” Misty growled glaring at them both as if she were about to murder one or both of them. She sighed and entered the office. “That punk got us in, but we should still keep an eye on him. I doubt he’ll keep his word and not tell someone. He looked shifty.”
“You think everyone looks shifty,” said Spike sighing. “Did you find the key?” He glanced at the door. “I hope she doesn’t come back.”
“I found it!” said Misty holding it high above her head. She exited the room and locked the door. “Good…now we can go down into the basement.”
“Now?” asked Spike, almost whining.
“Yes! Let’s go! We have to find it!” Misty was already walking towards the door that said BASEMENT on it. Spike looked down and sighed.
“I’m not ready for this, Sparky,” he said, feeling nervous.
“It’ll be okay, man,” the red dragon replied. “Misty and I got your back.”
“You do…but she’s just obsessed with finding this thing right now. What if someone catches us off guard?! What’s going to happen if we find it?! Didn’t she tell you about the laundry room incident? I haven’t slept solid for a couple nights now. These dragons are really out to get me, it seems….not you guys!” Spike looked at the floor. His reflection stared back at him. Sparky frowned and looked to the side.
“Spike…I know this is really scary, but nothing happened to you or me or Misty yet…so. Just please don’t worry,” Sparky sounded a bit too calm. Spike could tell his friend knew a lot more about this than he did still. It was beginning to really bug him. What was he hiding? Spike was about to ask, until Misty interrupted him.
“I’ve got the door open! Let’s go!” she said, beckoning them into the room. Spike, reluctantly followed her into the dark basement. There were some stairs leading down into it that he almost tripped on. Soon, all three dragon kids were in a dark room with a small light on the ceiling. Sparky clicked it on, but the room still looked dark and creepy…almost like the laundry room. Spike knew he couldn’t think about that now, however. He jumped a little when Misty stomped her foot on the ground.
“Solid concrete! How will we get to it now?!” She glanced at the corner of the room. “I can feel it! It’s over here…under the school. If we can break this wall, we can get to it.” She glanced over at Sparky.
“No…” said Sparky backing away and shaking his head. “No, Mist…I’m not doing it.”
“Doing what?” asked Spike curiously.
“Come on, Spark…please? I know you can control it. I have no doubt. Just one little fireball. That should take care of it,” Misty begged.
“I made a promise to you and to myself that I would never use my powers again,” said Sparky, his voice shaking a little. “You know very well the damage they did.” Spike hated the hinting they always did about things he didn’t know about.
“That was a long time ago, Spark. We were really young!” Misty said.
“Exactly…” said Sparky looking down. “So it’s gotten a lot worse, now that I’m older, probably. I’m not going to use it.” Misty glared at him. She opened her mouth to come back with something, but then they all heard a sound. It was the sound of voices and footsteps coming closer to the door. The three all looked at each other in shock. Spike felt his heart rate quicken. They had to hide! Misty glanced over at some boxes in the corner of the room and pointed. The trio quickly sprinted over to the boxes and hid behind them, letting the shadows envelop them. Spike could hear the door opening. Two teacher dragons came down the steps. It was Mr. Tangent and Mr. Payne, their gym teacher, who was very mean. They walked into the room, talking to each other.
“We need to get that gym equipment now, Payne?” Mr. Tangent asked a bit annoyed.
“Yes we do! Those little wimps need to start using their powers today, and I need to get that equipment set up in the gym early so they can.” Mr. Payne glanced over at the gym equipment in another corner of the room and walked over to it. “Help me with this box, would ya?!” The two adult dragons lifted the boxes onto their backs. Spike hoped now they would leave. However… “Hey! Why’s the light on, anyway?” Mr. Payne.
“Maybe someone came down here already,” said Mr. Tangent. “The door was unlocked.” All of a sudden, Mr. Tangent’s tail swung around over to the stacked boxes Spike Sparky and Misty were hiding behind and they toppled over to reveal the three startled kids behind them. Spike felt his stomach drop. “Hey! What are you kids doing down here?” asked Mr. Tangent raising his eyebrows. “Shouldn’t you be in class?”
“Uh…s-sorry Mr. Tangent,” said Sparky, thinking quickly. “We…uh…needed to get some supplies for Mr. Crescendo’s music class. The two teachers glanced at each other.
“All right, but you little wimps better get what you need and get your tails back to class,” said Mr. Payne glaring at them.
“We will, sir,” said Spike nervously, hoping they weren’t suspicious.
“Now…which box is it?” said Misty turning around. “They seem to be labeled…” The trio pretended to examine the boxes and even started stacking them back up. Eventually, the two teachers left the room. Spike felt a wave of relief come over him. All three dragons sighed.
“Wow…that was a close one,” said Spike looking at Sparky. “It’s a good thing you came up with an excuse. For a moment there, I thought we were dead meat…especially since Mr. Payne was here.”
“Yeah…you really saved our tails there, Spark,” said Misty, putting her hand on his shoulder. “I owe you one…so…I won’t make you use your powers if you don’t want to. Looks like this will be harder than I thought…but we can find another way underground.” Sparky smiled and hugged her.
“Thanks,” he said sighing. There was the sound of a bell from the main lobby.
“Okay…it’s lunchtime,” said Misty shrugging. “I think we should take a break from this for now. The important thing is…we know where it is now, not them. We can find a way to get to it in time.”
“Wait, though,” said Spike. “I thought you wanted to find the Comatose now. You’re so obsessed with it…”
“Only because I’m doing us all a favor,” Misty replied. “I’m finding it to destroy it. Then...Equestria will be safe. However…I’ve learned we can’t wander down here during school hours. Tomorrow is Saturday. That will be a better time, considering only a few staff members will be here during the day. We need to find something that can break concrete too. For now, though, we just need to chill. I’ve realized this now.”
Spike was very glad Misty was seeing the need for a little break from the conspiracy. He hoped deep down that he would be ready to consume the powerful Comatose the next day. He could feel his detour was taking him down a rather dangerous, bumpy road, but he was ready to tackle it. Unfortunately, this meant having to deal with Mr. Payne’s (needless to say) excruciating gym class for last period. However, he never expected what would take place that day. The class started out as it had the other day they had it. All the dragon kids were made to run ten laps around the gym to warm up. Spike, (much to his embarrassment) was last in the group, which meant all the girls were faster than he was. Mr. Payne then started breathing fire at his tail to get him to run faster, which was also humiliating.
Next, was the actual “game.” Every dragon kid basically had to tell Mr. Payne their special ability and he put them in a group to fight other dragons. Spike thought it was a very stupid “game.” He was terrified when we was put in a group with Blizzard and Sparky. The bully, who was also the beautiful Crystal’s ex-boyfriend seemed to hate him! Spike felt for sure he was going to die. At least Sparky was a fire dragon, which meant he had fire powers much more powerful than the average fire-breather. However, he still refused to use his power.
“Come on, you little punk,” said Blizzard angrily. “I’m ice…you’re fire. It’s the perfect brawl! You better start throwing some fireballs or I’ll freeze you solid…and you’re little femie-voiced buddy who messed with me a couple days back!”
“I don’t sound like a girl!” said Spike angrily. His voice cracked a little, which annoyed him. “And anyways…I did not mess with you on purpose! You just threatened me!” Blizzard glared at him.
“Shut up! Now…fire-boy. You better start fighting!”
“No!” said Sparky crossing his arms. “I’m not going to fight you! I’ve made a promise to never use my powers again.”
“I bet you don’t have any powers,” said Blizzard. “You know something…I see you with that Misty chic a lot. She seems to push you around. You’re too wimpy to stand up to her, aren’t you?!” Sparky looked away.
“I just listen to her. She’s a very close friend, and she likes to lead. I follow,” he said quietly.
“You’re such a wuss,” said Blizzard chuckling at him. “You’re like a robot. You don’t even have a mind of your own. I bet you don’t even have feelings or anything! No wonder she’s your only ‘friend.’” He made quotation marks with fingers over ‘friend.’ “Where are your parents, dude? Huh? Did they just ditch you? Did they think you were garbage like she does? I bet they did. I bet they never loved you! You’re just a loser…a pathetic loser!”
“I know my parents loved me!” said Sparky, with emotion in his voice. He was starting to get really angry. “Don’t talk about things you don’t even know!”
“Yeah!” said Spike angrily. “Quit being such a jerk! And back off!” Blizzard smirked a little.
“Aw…isn’t that just sweet! Maybe you do have one friend…who’s just as much of a loser as you are!” Blizzard taunted. The more insults the ice dragon threw at Sparky, the more Sparky was starting to change in appearance. The fire dragon, who was red to begin with, started turning a brighter red all over.
“Dude…you better stop that right now…” said Sparky quietly, his eyes a little glossy. “You’re really making me mad now. You better stop…or I’ll use my powers in anger and both of us will have regrets! Please…leave me alone.”
“What?! I’m not afraid of a little fire! And….oh…are you going to cry now? Go ahead and cry me a river! I want to see it!” Blizzard approached Sparky. Sparky backed away from him, but Blizzard reached out and pushed him roughly. Sparky flew back and hit the wall behind him.
“Sparky! No!” said Spike running over. “Stop it, Blizzard!” Blizzard turned toward Spike and breathed ice on him, trapping him from the neck down in a block of ice. Spike found he couldn’t move. The ice was numbing his body by the moment. However, he was mostly concentrated on what Blizzard did next. The ice dragon kicked Sparky in the gut, grabbed him, and pick him up off the ground. Spike gasped and shouted at Blizzard again to stop hurting his helpless friend. He wished he could break free from his icy prison, but he tried to no avail. Meanwhile, Sparky, coughing and moaning from the pain in his gut, wriggled free from Blizzard’s grip and fell onto the gym floor. He breathed heavily and started glowing an even brighter red. He struggled to his feet and looked over at Spike. Spike was shocked to see that Sparky’s orange eyes and spikes were also turning a bright red. The heat he was throwing off his body was so intense, Spike realized the ice he was trapped in was starting to melt.
Then, Sparky looked fiercely at Blizzard. Blizzard, who wasn’t very smart tried to reach out and grab Sparky’s arms. All of a sudden, Sparky’s arms started letting off flames that were being secreted from his scales. Blizzard quickly let go and shrieked in pain. He looked at his palms in shock. They had burns on them. Sparky suddenly made fists with his hands and fire emanated from him in great bursts. His eyes, now black and red with fury even appeared to be burning with the vengeance building up inside him. Blizzard backed away from the frightening fire dragon. At this point, Spike didn’t even recognize him as the Sparky he was before. He looked terrifying and filled with sheer, uncontrollable anger. It was almost as if Blizzard had triggered something…had awakened a monster.
“The tears burn…” Sparky said in a voice that was a lot deeper than his normal voice. His voice was monstrous. “They burn inside me. You don’t know what burning means….you monster!” How ironic. Sparky thought Blizzard was a monster at this point. Blizzard had the look of sheer terror on his face. He was so afraid, he fell over backwards on the floor and tried scooting himself away from Sparky.
“Hey, man! Uh…it was just a joke…no…no hard feelings? Come on…man?” Blizzard was shaking in his terror. Spike found he was finally free from the ice block, as it had now melted away because of the fire coming off of Sparky. In fact, looking around, Spike could see the whole gym class was staring in complete shock at Sparky…an underdog…now the most powerful dragon in the room. However…maybe a little too powerful…too dark. Misty ran up to them, terror in her blue eyes. Spike could tell she had never seen Sparky like this before. In a desperate attempt to calm him down, she started forming a film of water around her body. She then tried to shoot the water at Sparky to douse the fire, but it did absolutely nothing. The water just sizzled and evaporated as soon as it came near him. Sparky didn’t even seem to notice it or her, even though she was shouting at him.
“Sparky! Please don’t do anything you’ll regret. This isn’t you! I believe you now…you knew you couldn’t use your powers again. You know it’s too strong! Please stop!” Sparky didn’t listen. It seemed as if his mind was only focused on Blizzard…of what he wanted to do to him. Instead, Sparky lifted his hand. A glowing fireball formed from his palm. It was about the size of a dodge-ball. Sparky, without hesitation threw it at Blizzard with incredible speed and force. It happened so fast, the terrified ice dragon didn’t have any time to react. The flames hit him and he yelled in pain. His scales sizzled and burned away were it hit him. It left his flesh underneath a chard shade of black. It didn’t seem like Sparky was satisfied with merely burning his victim. The look in his eyes showed a plot of slow painful death for the victim. Was he that heartless?! Was this the real Sparky: an evil bloodthirsty beast?! Or was it merely a trance of blistering fury? Spike couldn’t be sure of anything his friend was thinking or feeling at this point. However, just as Sparky raised his hand to throw another bigger fireball, Misty ran over to him and jumped in front of him.
“Sparky! STOP! That’s enough!” she screamed in his face in sheer desperation, her voice trembling with fear and confusion. Sparky’s eyes never left Blizzard for a moment, but at last, instead of throwing the fireball at him, he jumped up and punched the floor with it. Misty jumped back and Blizzard struggled to his feet to get away from it. The fireball made a giant crack in the floor. The crack, which was big enough for one of them to fall down into, started spreading from the point of origin to the rest of the gym beyond it, through the wall and into the main lobby. Like a chain reaction of bombs went off, the wall on that side of the gym exploded out to make a huge gap in the wall as well. The crevice was deep and wide and flames shot out from it.
After this, the gym was silent. Spike stood wide-eyed. He glanced over at Sparky who was just standing still, looking a little surprised himself at what the fireball did. He seemed calmed down now, however. Spike, a bit fearful for his life, cautiously approached Sparky. He glanced at Misty who was staring at Sparky with tears in her eyes. She looked either shocked, hurt, or terrified. Spike couldn’t tell which one, but it was probably all three.
“Sparky?” he said calmly turning to the fiery red dragon. Just then, Sparky looked at Spike and gave him a menacing glare. Spike stepped back a little in fear. His heart dropped like a stone. What was Sparky going to do to him?! At first, Sparky looked like he was going to throw another fire bomb, but then he stopped short as if he just suddenly realized it was Spike looking back at him. Slowly, his eyes and spikes started turning back to their regular shade of orange and he stopped glowing and his flames died. Sparky started panting, as if he had been holding his breath through the whole incident. His eyebrows curved in as an expression of sorrow and regret came over his face. He glanced over at Misty, who was staring back at him in the same terrified expression as before. His eyes started to look glossy. He glanced over at Blizzard, who was still burnt, and the damage he had done to the floor and the wall and tears started overflowing from his eyes. He gave a look at his hands, overcome by shock at what he did. With eyes wide and wet, he turned and started to run away from all the eyes staring at him. However, Mr. Payne stopped him and glared down at him.
“You’re not going anywhere!” he shouted. He pointed at Sparky. “YOU….Counselor’s Office….NOW!”

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It wasn’t until later that evening, about 5:00 when Spike was able to see Sparky again and find out what the adults did about him. Spike was sitting alone in the boy’s dorm room on his bed, when the door opened and Sparky walked in, looking very depressed. Spike had half a mind to be afraid. But he knew that Sparky was his friend. He had to put his fear aside and ask him what happened to him in that gym.
“Hey…Spike…” said Sparky quietly. He walked slowly over to where Spike was sitting.
“Hey, man,” said Spike calmly, trying to think of how to ask the question. “What did Head Mistress Haldana and the teachers decide?”
“Oh…they were going to expel me, but I guess they decided not to. I think they were also thinking about having me arrested even for destruction of school property, but they decided against that too. In the end, the all agreed on detention twice a week for six weeks and a therapy session every day after school. I’ll have to pay for the damages to the gym and lobby though, so I guess I’ll need to get a job,” Sparky replied sitting down beside Spike, but still keeping his distance.
“Oh…” said Spike nodding. There was an awkward silence. Suddenly, Spike couldn’t wait any longer. “Why, Sparky? What happened to you? You weren’t yourself….Misty was scared of you…I mean…she knows you better than anybody! What happened?! Please…I need to know!” Sparky sighed.
“Most fire dragons aren’t like me, Spike,” he said. “I have power that none can touch. I was once called ‘gifted.’…a…prodigy. My parents always knew I was special. They could never dream of such fire powers. But of course, when somebody has a lot of power, it’s dangerous. Like fire…it can just get out of control….” His voice trailed off and bowed his head down, tears starting to fill his eyes. “Well…one day when Misty and I were very young, our parents and the other dragons we were traveling with…(uh…we were kind of like nomads. We never lived in the same place twice, see? And we had a clan of dragons that would keep in contact with the other dragon clans, just in case the Comatose came our way. And it just happened that our clan was in possession of it at this time.)…well uh…these dragons told us not to wonder too far from the campsite. However, Misty and I disobeyed their orders and decided to.”

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“Misty? I don’t think we should be out this far…I mean…the grown-ups said…”
“I don’t care what the stupid grown-ups said!” The blue female dragon turned to look at him and blinked her beautiful blue eyes at him. She crossed her arms. “We can go back as soon as we’re done with our adventure!” Sparky moped a little and reluctantly followed her through the forest. He could feel guilt eating away at him. He looked back nervously…half hoping no one would be following them, half hoping someone would. He really didn’t want to follow Misty up this far away from the camp site, but she was determined to go on an adventure into the woods.
“We’re just kids, Mist,” he said quietly. “Kids shouldn’t go on adventures. That’s grown-up stuff.”
“Do you ever want to be a grown-up, Sparky?” said Misty glaring at him. “You’ve got to take risks and be brave like me! We’re going, now!”
“You bossy…” Sparky murmured annoyed.
“WHAT was that?!” said Misty glaring at him again.
“Uh….nothing…” said Sparky smiling a little at her. Just then, looking ahead, Sparky could see a giant rock in the middle of a clearing.
“We’re here!” said Misty jumping up and down. “It’s perfect!”
“Why’s it perfect?” Sparky asked meekly.
“To practice our powers, silly!” said Misty smiling. “Watch!” Then, she closed her eyes and made fists. A thin film of water started coming from her scales. She threw the water off her body towards the rock. All she did was drench it. She shrugged. “I’d rather go to the lake and breathe under water anyways…” she muttered, a little mad by her power. “Okay…you go! You’re good with fire! I’ve seen you! Everybody says you could be a warrior someday.” Sparky felt himself blush.
“I’m not…that good…” he said smiling a little. “But…I’ll try it.” He took a deep breath and made fists. He could feel his stomach warming up inside. The flames churned inside it. He breathed slowly…just like his dad taught him. Then, he pushed the fire out through his scales, instead of pushing it through his throat like most dragons did. No member of his family could do that. He looked down and saw his red scales glowing with the flames. Misty stared at him in amazement.
“Wow! You’re doing it!” she said happily. “Sparky! You’re amazing! I’ve never seen you do it that good and bright before! You are talented!” Sparky smiled and looked down at his palms. They glowed a bright yellow. He knew Misty would flip when he threw a fireball! He had been practicing that in secret before. He sighed and pushed a large amount of fire into his palm, morphing it into a small sphere. The energy started to weigh heavily on his hand, so he had to throw it. Misty jumped up and down and kept encouraging him. He tossed it with great force at the rock. As soon as it hit the rock, the rock exploded, sending the two dragons flying backwards. Sparky skidded back and looked with surprise at the burnt spot where the rock was before. He and Misty weren’t hurt. They both stood up and looked at each other. “That was awesome!” said Misty excitedly.
Sparky smiled. He really was powerful. He knew he had a lot more in him, though. He could feel it deep down inside him. He had kindled and awakened something great.

___________________________

“Sparky! Stop!”
Sparky heard the voice, but had no idea who was talking. He didn’t understand. What was better than seeing what he had created? The orange light glowed and danced before him. It bowed to him…its master. The flames reached to the dark heavens, trying to grab the stars for more fuel. The warmth of the flames was inside him…around him…in his sight…filling his mind and vision. It was in his soul. How could he stop now? It was his creation…roaming like a beast in the night…glowing just as Celestia’s sun always did. How he loved that sun…its warmth. Even now, when it was resting, the warmth was still here. He loved it. How could he stop?! What was so bad about…..
“Sparky! Please…don’t do this! You don’t know what you’re doing! This isn’t you! Sparky!” Misty? Those blue eyes…staring at him. Were they hers? Fear? They showed fear! Misty?! Her touch…so gentle and comforting. Wait…she was touching him?! How?! Wait…water…no! Water! Water…fire…no fire! Cool water was dousing his fire. For a moment of panic he couldn’t breathe. His fire was gone! Panic and fear filled his heart to replace it. All of a sudden he came to the realization that he didn’t need the fire to live. He was starting to come back to his normal self now. What had happened? He gazed at the fire beyond him, still burning bright. It was burning the ground…the grass…a tent. Tent?! Campsite. NO! Sparky felt his heart beating faster.
“What have I done?!” he whispered. “Misty…I…where are the others?” Misty’s eyes were filling with tears by the moment.
“The fire…led them here…yes…them. They have the Comatose. They…” She started crying uncontrollably. Sparky felt his heart and stomach drop. His knees fell out from beneath him. He stared at his palms in shock. He kneeled there…broken…guilt shattering his heart, facing an image that burned….that burned in his memory forever.

______________________________

Spike didn’t exactly know how to respond to the story. There was some pieces missing still. He wasn’t sure if he dared to ask. Sparky was almost crying now.
“It was my fault…” he whispered swallowing hard. “After that, we contacted another clan about the Comatose. Luckily…they managed to get it back and hide it in what would become Fillydelphia. Misty and I had to grow up so fast after that. We were on our own. That’s when we went to work for Princess Celestia. We promised her to keep it guarded well. However, when the new industrialized town was built over that spot, that made it a lot harder. Sometimes the princess would stop in the town herself to check up on things. But when the school was built over where it was buried, Misty and I knew the Treasure Seekers had an elaborate plan to steal it without arousing too much suspicion. Spike…in reality…I’m the reason why you’re even here. If it wasn’t for my stupid powers…maybe the Treasure Seekers wouldn’t have invaded our campsite that night. They wouldn’t have found us…if it weren’t for my flames.” Sparky started crying.
“It’s okay, man,” said Spike putting his hand on Sparky’s shoulder. Just then, his shoulder started getting hot because fire was just beginning to come out of it. Spike quickly moved his hand away. Sparky sighed and calmed himself down.
“After that…I learned to only let my fire come out when I have emotions like sadness or anger. That’s why I always seem chill about everything, Spike. Most of the time, I’m not really…but I’ve learned to suck it up. It’s not easy being the kid that screwed everything up in life.”
“I don’t think you did…” said Spike calmly. “Sparky…you have amazing power, but you don’t mean to let it go out of control. It just does. I don’t think any of what happened that night is your fault. You said you don’t really remember much of it, anyway. You just know the end result. That doesn’t just automatically make everything your fault. Don’t cry. It’s okay.” Sparky nodded and sighed.
“You’re a good friend, Spike,” he said quietly. “I’m lucky to have dragons like you and Misty who actually understand and don’t see me as….a monster.”
“I don’t, buddy,” said Spike smiling. “No matter what happened, you’re still my friend. But…your fire…is that what you dream about constantly?”
“Yeah…that’s it,” said Sparky sighing. “Misty trusts me with all her heart, but…I don’t trust myself. Every night, just about…I always have a nightmare where something happens and I get mad….and my fire gets out of control and Misty….I…she ends up dying because of it. And…I try to fight it…but…it takes control of me….and I can’t stop it….and….Misty….” He paused, trying to keep from crying again. Spike could tell by the way he swallowed that a giant lump was in his throat. After a moment, Sparky continued. “For me to follow her and trust for so many years…that should tell you how much she means to me. She’s my best friend in the whole world and I love her…but…the way she looked at me earlier…it…it was like the nightmare was coming to life. And…I know I need to talk to her too. But…how can I face her after that, Spike? I just don’t know…”
“Sparky,” said Spike sighing. “If you two are as close as you say you are, she’ll understand. Just tell her exactly what you told me. Just let her know how much you care about her and stuff. She’ll still be friends with you…it won’t change anything. No matter what happens…even if you’re split apart from your friend like how Twilight and I were split apart…friendship isn’t just magic…friendship is forever.” Sparky smiled at him and stood up.
“You’re right, Spike. Thanks for listening. I’m going to go find her and talk to her.”
“Yeah! You go do that,” said Spike smiling and standing up too. “I’ll meet you guys at dinner, okay?” He and Sparky walked to the door and left the room. “Oh! And Sparky…use my gems to pay for the damages, okay? It’s my gift to you….no strings attached.”
“Thank you so much, Spike. I appreciate that. So…I’ll see you later, man…” Sparky looked back at Spike one more time, gratitude in his eyes, and walked down the hall. He disappeared through the door. Spike was glad everything could be ironed out. He thought perhaps it really was destiny he came here. Just then, he was pulled from his thoughts by a voice behind him.
“Hey, Spike…” The purple dragon whirled around and was met by a pair of gorgeous light blue eyes.
“Ohh….h-hey…Crystal,” said Spike stuttering a little. He felt his cheeks turn red. She looked very beautiful….(even more so than usual.) Oh…yes…destiny…for sure.
“Spike…I needed to talk to you,” she said seriously.
“What about?” Spike asked cocking his head.
“I saw what Sparky did in gym class earlier…” she said sighing. “You saw it too…”
“Well yeah…but it’s okay now,” said Spike nodding. “We got everything straightened out.”
“No…Spike…” said Crystal shaking her head. “You don’t understand….I think you’re on the wrong side.”

TO BE CONTINUED…

Comments

[Spikelight42]

NOOOOOOO, I WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED NEXT D:
This is the most interesting fimfic of Spike I have read.
Keep rocking bro