Keeper of the Forest

by ShowShine

New beginning

”Legend has it that a keeper of the forest will soon appear, protecting the forest and everything in it. They will receive the stone of Amity, signifying their power. A gaurdian will be bestowed upon, protecting them from harm. The forest will provide back. This keeper must be brave, strong, caring, and smart. The keepers name is-

“SPIKE!” Twilight shouted, making Spike jump up from his sleep. Spike let out a few indecipherable mumbles before sitting up and looking around. He saw Twilight standing at the end of his bed, glaring down at him.

“You promised to go outside and get some fresh air, you’ve been inside all week reading comic books.” Twilight said sternly. Spike stared at her with a blank expression.

“I’m going back to sleep.” Spike said as he buried himself under his fluffy blanket. He felt something tug at his blanket harshly.

“You need to go outside and get some sunlight!” Twilight shouted as she forcefully pulled on the blanket.

“I’ll do it tomorrow!” Spike shouted, desperately trying to cover his face with the blanket.

“SPIKE I SWEAR TO CELESTIA I WILL GROUND YOU FOR FIVE FULL MOONS IF YOU DON’T LISTEN TO ME!” Twilight shouted angrily.

“YOU CAN’T MAKE ME!” Spike shouted back.

---

Spike stood at the front door, his scales drooping in annoyance. He couldn’t believe that Twilight was making him go outside. Twilight handed him his backpack.

“I packed a canteen filled with water, some snacks, a flashlight, and a first aid kit to make sure you stay safe.” Twilight said.

“Gee thanks.” Spike said sarcastically. He just wished he could stay in bed.

“I told Zecora that you would be coming over to help her organize some things while she was out of town. And I don’t expect to see you back before sunset.” Twilight said. Spike let out a groan. It was noon which meant he would have to be outside for seven hours. Twilight gave Spike a kiss on the head and pushed him out the door.

“Bye Spike, see you later!” Twilight said. Spike gave a half wave before beginning his journey.

---

Spike stood at the edge of the Everfree Forest, peering into the darkness. He let out a shaky breath.

“It’s just the forest, you’ve been in there plenty of times.” Spike muttered. He took in a deep breath and walked in. The forest was darker and colder than the town. Spike shivered slightly. It was eerily quiet.

“I’m halfway there, then I’ll be...” Spike trailed off when he saw something glowing from the side of his eye. Spike tilted his head.

“I’m sure Twilight won’t mind if I stop for a few minutes.” Spike said as he walked off of the path to approach the glowing object. He crouched down and picked it up, inspecting it closely. It was a small green stone with a blue and black design that resembled to a flower before blooming. It was small enough to fit in the palm of his hand. Spike sniffed it. It smelt very sweet. He gave it a small lick before gagging loudly. It tasted terrible.

“That was a bad idea.” Spike said as he pulled a gem out of his bag to get rid of the taste. He stared at the stone and it seemed like he couldn’t part from it. It was as if the stone was meant for him. Spike put the stone in his bag and got up from a crouching position. Before he could start walking, he had a felt a pair of eyes burning into the back of his skull. Spike slowly turned around to see a Timberwolf standing there, letting out a low growl. Spike held back a scream.

“N-nice Timberwolf.” Spike stutter out, slowly backing away. The Timberwolf lowered its body before pouncing. Spike let out a scream and dropped to the ground, rolling over to the side. The Timberwolf missed him and turned to Spike with sharp, green eyes. Spike opened his wings and flew away. The Timberwolf started to chase him, gaining up on him quickly.

Spike flew a higher as the Timberwolf jumped up. The Timberwolfs nose barely grazed Spikes foot. The Timberwolf landed on the ground, his back leg snapping loudly. It let out a yelp of pain and loud whimpers. Blood came from the wound. Spike landed on the ground and stared at the Timberwolf from a few feet away.

“That was close.” Spike said as he turned around and started to walk away. He paused when he heard the Timberwolf let out a cry of pain. Guilt washed over him. He couldn’t just leave it like that. He turned back around to look at the Timberwolf.

The Timberwolf laid with his front paws covering his face. Spike slowly approached him, causing him to growl.

“It’s okay, I just want to help you.” Spike said. The Timberwolf looked deep into Spikes eyes before flopping over to his side, revealing his injured leg. Spike was actually surprised that worked. He opened his back and pulled out the first aid kit.

“Now this won’t hurt a bit.” Spike said as he lifted its leg slightly. He pulled out a roll of ace bandages and some antibacterial spray. He sprayed the some of the antibacterial spray on the Timberwolves leg, which caused it to yelp in pain. He wrapped the ace bandage around its leg sloppily.

“And done!” Spike said happily. He moved the Timberwolfs leg and stood up.

“I should be going now, bye.” Spike said to the Timberwolf. The Timberwolf stood up and hobbled after Spike. Spike turned around in confusion.

“You should get home now.” Spike said. The Timberwolf came closer until it was inches from his face. Spike stiffened up in fear. The Timberwolf licked his face lovingly and his tail started to wag.

“Ew gross.” Spike said while pushing the Timberwolf away. He wiped the slobber off of his cheek. Spike looked at the Timberwolf who rolled over on his back, exposing his stomach so it could be pet. Spike hesitantly put his hand on the Timberwolfs stomach and started to slowly pet it. The Timberwolf’s tail started to wag faster than before and his leg started to kick. Spike laughed.

“You’re just like a big dog!” Spike exclaimed. The Timberwolf stood up and stared at Spike happily.

“If you’re going to follow me around, then you need a name.” Spike said. He pondered for a moment, his hand on his chin.

“How about Buddy?” Spike asked the Timberwolf. Buddy’s tail wagged at the sound of that. Buddy’s stomach growled. His head snapped around when he heard a bird. A bird sat on a tree branch, it’s back facing Spike and Buddy. Buddy prowled down and slowly approached the bird, making sure to stay quiet.

Buddy try pounce up, but failed when a sharp pain came from his leg. He landed on the ground with a loud thud, causing the bird to fly away. He let out a soft growl of annoyance. Spike gave Buddy a look of sympathy.

“Come on, let’s go find you some food.” Spike said. Buddy stood up and started to follow Spike. Spike really hoped that he didn’t have to kill anything, just thinking about it made him squeamish. He searched around any type of animal, but none were in sight. It seemed that they sensed a timberwolf and dragon nearby. After a few minutes of walking Spike approached a rather large bird which was about the size of his head. It laid there motionless. It seemed to be dead.

Spike picked up a stick and poked the bird. It was definitely dead. It didn’t appear to have any markings to signify an animal killing it.

“Buddy, I found you some food.” Spike said. Buddy’s tail wagged and he limped over to the bird. He opened his mouth, preparing to eat. Spike turned his head, not wanting to see the gruesome show. He heard a squelch and loud chewing. He felt something poke his back. He turned around to see that Buddy had finished. Only a few stray feathers laid on the ground.

“Oh geez I forgot about helping Zecora!” Spike exclaimed. Buddy tilted his head in confusion.

“Now I should really get going now so you stay here.” Spike said. Buddy gave Spike a grumpy look and started to follow him. Spike let out a sigh. This would take a lot of convincing.

---

Spike approached Zecora’s small hut. It hadn’t really changed much since he had last been there. Spike went to go twist the doorknob. It was unlocked. There’s no need to lock your door when you’re the only one in the community. Spike opened the door and walked inside. Buddy tried to follow him but Spike pushed him by the nose.

“No no no no, you can’t come in here, you can barely fit through the door.” Spike said. Buddy let out a whimper.

“Just stay out here and I’ll be out soon.” Spike said. Buddy let out a whine before laying on the ground. Spike smiled.

“Good boy.” He said as he walked inside and closed the door behind him. Books where scattered across the floor and potion bottles laid everywhere.

“Wow this place is a mess.” Spike said. He reached into the first aid kit a pulled out a pair of plastic gloves. Time to get to work.

---

Spike was nearly finished with his work. Just one more bottle to put away and he was done. A loud thump came from the window, making Spike jump. He turned around to see Buddy’s face pressed up against the glass. He let out loud whimpers.

“Oh geez I forgot about Buddy.” Spike muttered to himself. He quickly put the bottle on the shelf and walked outside. Buddy approached him happily, wagging his tail wildly.

“I’m sorry I took so long.” Spike apologized. Buddy responded by licking his cheek. Spike chuckled slightly. He looked at the sky to see that he had at least an hour before the sunset.

“Let’s go Buddy.” Spike said as he started to walk away. Buddy followed him with a limp. The forest seemed a lot more peaceful with a friend.

“We’re almost there.” Spike said. Buddy tilted his head, wondering where ‘there’ was. They approached a field with a small pond and wilting flowers.

“This is where I come to get peace and quiet when Twilight is going crazy.” Spike said. He walked over to one of the wilting flowers and frowned.

“They used to be so pretty.” Spike said sadly as he touched the flower. Suddenly an idea popped into his head. He pulled out his water canteen and started to pour some on the flower. Once the flower looked well watered, he went to the next one. Buddy laid under a tree watching Spike’s every move. Once the canteen was empty, he went over to the pond and filled the canteen up. He continued to do this until every flower was watered.

---

“And done, that didn’t take so long.” Spike said, wiping the sweat off of his forehead. He looked up to see that the sun saw setting. He slipped his bag on his back and started to walk away. Buddy quickly got up a limped after him.

“You can’t come with me, Twilight would freak out if she saw you.” Spike said. Buddy let out a whimper. Spike thought of any excuse in order for him to get home without him following.

“I’ll come back tomorrow, I promise.” Spike said. Buddy looked at him suspiciously before letting out a sigh and walking away. Spike smiled and started to walk back to the castle. Now he could go home and never come back. Spike froze.

“I can’t just abandon him like that, I made a promise and he’s too hurt to go on by himself.” Spike said as he continued walking.

“Guess I’ll come back tomorrow.”

Comments

[ZEclipseZ]

Interesting i like the concept

[beirirangu]

Love the story so far, but that last line:

“Guess I’ll come back tomorrow.”

kinda lacks impact of him changing his decision... maybe

“Guess I will come back tomorrow.”

See how much difference that TINY change makes?

[TheAncientPolitzanian]

I'm intrigued. Not sure if I'm willing to give it a Like just yet, but I'm definitely going to be tracking this.

[Quill Plus Ink]

I'll give it a watch, looks interesting!