Time Stops For No Dragon

by FluttershyLover55

Chapter Twenty-Three:The Basics Of Magical Jackets

Time Stops For No Dragon
Chapter 23-The Basics Of Magical Jackets

"So, why are we standing in this field?" Spike inquired, kicking a small pebble along the ground.

"Well, the powers this jacket gives you are extremely…er, potent, if you don't know how to use them correctly." Thorn explained. Gesturing to the field around them, he continued. "Out here, we are pretty far away from civilization. We'll have less chance of injuring somepony."

Spike nodded, remembering a question that he wanted to ask. "This thing wouldn't happen to be alive, would it?" He pointed to his jacket.

Thorn's eyes widened. "No…It's not supposed to be. Why would you think…" He trailed off, not sure how to voice what he was thinking.

"Well, I noticed that when I was trying to hide it from ponies, it would become invisible or something." Spike added.

Thorn tapped a claw on his chin. "Hmmm…You probably unknowingly activated it, using your thoughts."

"I guess…" Spike agreed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After about an hour of practicing different techniques, Thorn decided that was enough for now and an exhausted Spike agreed.

"You've made good progress, since we started."

"Thanks…" Spike panted, trying to regain his breath.

Thorn sat down in the tall grass and Spike followed suite, grateful for the break. His only complaint was that there were no clouds in the sky to block the sun's relentless assault. A gentle breeze blew through the area for a moment, accompanied by a white glow coming from Thorn's hand. Spike watched him, mouth agape.

"Wha…How are you still using magic? Aren't you tired?"

Thorn chuckled at his surprise. "You need to work on your stamina and endurance. It takes a lot of spell casting for me to even come CLOSE to being tired. With enough practice, you can be just like me."

After a minute or two with no talking, Spike sighed. "Do you think we'll ever fix things back to the way they were?"

"I don't know, maybe." Thorn answered, honestly.

"I…I-I don't have enough time to sit around t-trying to f-figure this out…" Spike slumped forward, clutching his head in pain.

Thorn crawled over to him and pointed his outstretched palm at Spike's forehead, as it emitted a dull, yellow glow. The dragon almost instantly relaxed, sitting back up slowly. The pain had faded now, just a dull ache in the back of his mind.

"Wha-What did you just do?" He asked shakily, relieved to have the pain nearly gone.

"I used a 'slow down', or 'cool off' spell to decrease the rate at which your mind is deteriorating. That should keep you from dying on me, for a while. At least, enough time to fix this mess we caused. Word of advice, though, try not to get too stressed, as that creates more of a strain on your psyche." Thorn stood up, looking down at Spike. "If you're feeling up to it, we can practice some more. We're going to need all the help we can get, if we're going to take down Starswirl and save our evil ex-marefriend!" He extended his hand, offering it to his younger self.

"You're right, I think I can handle it." Spike agreed, taking hold of his hand and allowing the older dragon to help him up.

As soon as Spike was standing, a bright flash erupted in the space between the two dragons, obscuring his vision. When it cleared, Spike's eyes adjusted to its absence, allowing him to see properly again. Surprisingly, there was no trace of Thorn or where he had just been. He just simply wasn't there anymore, despite having been there seconds before. Spike's confusion turned to panic, believing that something terrible had happened.

"Thorn? Where are you, man?" He shouted.