AJ and the Dragon

by MiraculousDragonMaster

Timberwolf Attack

AJ and the Dragon

Chapter 11

Timberwolf Attack

Applejack ran through the forest, snow flying all around her in the wind. Her long ponytail was whipping around through the wintery breeze. She clutched her jacket tighter around her body, trying to keep warm. She felt her hat about to fly off, so she grabbed it with one hand. Winona was at her heels, barking.

Suddenly, AJ heard a familiar growl. A growl she never wanted to hear again. As she ran, she saw from the corner of her eye a pack of Timberwolves following her and Winona, shaking the snow of their bodies as they gave chase. But before she could run any faster to evade them, two Timberwolves blocked her off, while the other four began to encircle her and Winona.

Seeing now that she had to fight back, Applejack grabbed a nearby branch off a snow-covered tree, shook off the white powder off it, and held it in front of her. "Bring it on, you big piles of sticks!" She challenged.

The Timberwolves then charged at her. But, AJ dodged each muzzle and claw and hit some of them across the face. Winona howled at them, running around some others, evading their jaws. But when Applejack went for another swing, one of the Timberwolves grabbed her branch in its mouth and snapped it in half.

AJ carefully backed away, seeing she was defenseless. The Timberwolf then pinned her to the ground. She could feel the sharp briars of its claws pricking her arms through her red jacket. Out of fear, she let out a short scream.

Suddenly, the Timberwolf was pulled off her and went flying into a tree, smashing itself. Applejack looked up to see who had saved her. It was the Dragon. He roared at the remaining Timberwolves, crouched in front of her on all fours. He took a deep breath and breathed a stream of fire at one, and it yelped as it scampered away, slowly burning.

"Scat, you stinkbags!" He shouted at them, then turned to AJ. "Get away!" He growled, but it didn't sound angry this time. It sounded like he was protecting her. The Dragon then charged at the other Timberwolves, and they wrestled all over him, biting and clawing.

AJ felt her breath hitch as she watched the intense fight. Why would he save her? Why would he go after her? How did he even get into the forest if there was a barrier to keep him back at the castle? Applejack watched in a mix of awe and confusion as the Dragon wrestled with the Timberwolves, roaring in anger and pain.

She then heard Winona sniffing and digging into the snow beside her. She had uncovered some stones. AJ grabbed one and took careful aim. Hopefully, she wouldn't regret this.

When the Timberwolves had an injured Dragon cornered against a huge snow-covered rock wall, ready to pounce, Applejack hurled the rock at one of them, breaking its ear off. "Come and get me, ya big goons!" She shouted at them, holding up another rock. "Run!" She yelled to the Dragon, throwing the stone at the Timberwolf, angering it. It and the other two began chasing AJ, leaving the stunned Dragon behind.

Applejack saw a tree branch up ahead of her, grabbed it, and released it, crashing it into the face of a Timberwolf, smashing it. She then threw a couple of more stones at them, destroying the legs of one of the remaining two, also causing it to smash as well. But, the last Timberwolf was still on her tail.

She then ran into another rock wall, looked back and saw that she was cornered. The Timberwolf growled at her, then charged. Before she could brace herself, the Dragon ran over and pulled her out of the way at the last minute, leading the Timberwolf to smash against the wall.

Applejack and the Dragon were lying in the snow, catching their breath. The Dragon looked over at her, seeing if she was all right. Then, he collapsed into the snow in a faint. AJ cautiously went over to him and gently turned him over. She saw three big claw marks on his arm, slowly turning red, ready to bleed out. She hesitantly placed her hand on his forehead, and it felt very hot. Winona came over to them and started whimpering when she saw the Dragon lying in the snow.

Knowing that she couldn't leave him to die, Applejack carefully stood up with his arm over her shoulders. "Lead the way back, girl." She said to Winona. She barked an affirmative and led the way back to the castle.

Soon, they had arrived through the closing hole in the visible magenta barrier. Once they did, it sealed back up and became invisible again. Everyone came out to see AJ struggling to keep the unconscious Dragon on his feet. Twilight and Pinkie came over and helped. Discord snapped his fingers and teleported everyone into the West Wing.

---

When the Dragon regained consciousness, the first thing he saw was green. Green eyes like emeralds looking at him. As he blinked, he heard her ask him, "You okay?"

He blinked again as he slowly sat up from his bed that now had clean sheets. He looked around and saw that his sleeping quarters had been spruced up a bit, and that everyone was watching him. He then saw that his right arm was bandaged, but blood was slowly starting to leak out.

Applejack gently removed the wraps and grabbed a wet cloth from a nearby bowl of water. "Hold still." She said as she squeezed some of the water out. "This might sting a bit."

She began to gently press the cloth against the wound. But as soon as she did that, the Dragon hissed loudly in pain and pulled his arm away. The loud hiss made everyone jump back in fear, even making Fluttershy, Discord, Rainbow, and Soarin' fly up to the ceiling at lightning speed.

"Be careful, will you?" He hissed.

"It wouldn't hurt as much if you would be still!" AJ yelled back.

"None of this would've happened if you hadn't been in the West Wing and ran off!" The Dragon argued.

"Well, then you shouldn't have scared the hay out of me!" Applejack retorted back. "And you should really learn to control that temper of yours!"

The Dragon was about to respond, but then kept his mouth shut with a frown, knowing she was right.

AJ decided to try again as everyone started to carefully watch. "Now, try to hold still." She gently pressed the wet cloth against his arm. And this time, the Dragon just released a quiet hiss of pain. "But, I suppose a thank you is in order." She said.

The Dragon looked over at her. "For what?" He asked.

"For saving my life." Applejack replied.

He stared at her in surprise, then gave her a soft smile. A real genuine smile. "You're welcome." He whispered.

Everyone looked at each other, smiling. Finally, things were turning around. They soon quietly left to give them some privacy.

---

After a couple of minutes of fixing him up, AJ got ready to leave so that the Dragon could rest. But before she left, he said something to her.

"Spike." He mumbled.

She froze and turned back to him. "What was that?" She asked.

"That's my name." He said. "Spike."

Applejack looked at him, confused, and gave him a soft smile. "Applejack." She introduced herself. "But, my friends call me AJ."

Spike looked at her, stunned for maybe the fourth time today. She may be considering him a friend? If he was honest, that actually sounded nice. He smiled back at her before she closed the door and left him to sleep.

Once she left, AJ looked for Twilight in the library. Just as she thought, she found her reading a book.

"Hey, Twilight?" She asked, getting her friend's attention.

"Applejack." Twilight closed her book. "How is he?"

"He's fine." AJ sat down beside her. "But, I was wondering. How did Spike end up like... that?"

Twilight sighed. "Spike has had a rough life." She began. "He was raised as a prince in the Dragon Lands. But, he was different from other kids his age. The only one who supported him was his adoptive sister, Ember.

"But, after an incident, Spike was convicted of a crime he didn't commit. So, he was banished from the Dragon Lands. After that, he became cold-hearted. He found this place, and kidnapped our friends to help rebuild it. They mostly got it finished because of Discord."

Applejack thought about the story for a few minutes, then remembered about the picture she saw in the West Wing. That girl must have been Ember, and the boy scratched up was most likely Spike. It made much more sense now.

Spike was innocent the whole time, but it wasn't enough to stop him from becoming what he is now. Now, he was cold and hard-hearted. Maybe all he really needs is a friend. She then remembered what Twilight had said earlier about the curse. Only he could find the way to break it, if he gets some help.

"I guess he could use some support." AJ said.

Twilight smiled, and nodded. "I think so, too. From all of us." She then saw Luna's moon getting higher in the sky. "It's almost midnight. Let's get some rest. You go ahead, I'll clean this up."

Applejack stifled a yawn. "All right. 'Night, Twilight."

"'Night, AJ."

As Twilight began to magically organize the library, Applejack walked up to her room.

---

In his chambers, Spike was dreaming. In it, he was back in the Dragon Lands, sitting next to his older sister, Ember. In his dream, he was singing to her.

Young Spike: Days in the sun,
Where my life has barely begun.
Not until my whole life is done
Will I ever leave you.

The dream then vanished as a small tear escaped his eyes.

Meanwhile, in an empty ballroom, Fancy Pants was singing while he was playing the piano. Fluttershy and Discord were singing as they danced to the music, while Rainbow and Soarin' were just circling around each other slowly in the air, and Pinkie and Cheese were slowly dancing.

Fancy Pants: Will I tremble again
To my dear one's gorgeous refrain?

Fluttershy and Discord: Will you now forever remain
Out of reach of my arms?

In the library, Twilight was singing as well while she placed the books on the shelves. She missed Ponyville. She missed her home. And she missed a certain guard friend of hers. She just hoped that soon, she could see him again.

Twilight: All those days in the sun,
What I'd give to relive just one.
Undo what's done,
And bring back the light.

Back in the ballroom, Rarity was singing to the music as she came in and sat next to Fancy.

Rarity: Oh, I could sing
Of the pain these dark days bring,
The spell we're under,
Still, it's the wonder of us we sing of tonight.

Up in her bedroom, Applejack was getting ready for bed, thinking about everything she had learned. She stole a glance at Winona, who was already asleep on the green rug at the foot of her bed. She then heard the music coming from the ballroom as she slowly walked to the huge window, seeing the storm beginning to lessen.

Applejack: No matter of all this sorrow,
So much hope can still endure.
I was innocent and certain.
Now I'm wiser, but unsure.

I can't go back into my cheerful past,
One my friends and I made secure.
I can feel a change in me.
I'm stronger now, but still not free.

Now, everyone was singing as they began to retreat for the night.

Everyone: Days in the sun
Will return, we must believe
As lovers do,
That days in the sun
Will come shining through.

Soon, everyone fell asleep in their sleeping quarters after such a long and eventful day. Hopefully, things between AJ and Spike would continue to get better.

Author's Note:

A/N: Okay, it's official! I think this overwriting is going to be a bad habit if I keep writing long chapters on a Kindle tablet. At least my fingers didn't fall off.

Well, I hope y'all enjoyed this long chapter. The song I used is "Days in the Sun", from the 2017 Beauty and the Beast movie. I love that song, but sadly, I don't own it.

I'll see you guys in Chapter 12! Please let me know what you guys think.

Got to fly! ;)