• Published 30th Sep 2012
  • 12,769 Views, 649 Comments

Spike's Nameless Brother - Cold Spike



When a strange creature wonders onto Applejack's Farm he gets caught up in the town of Ponyville.

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Chapter 11: Worlds Apart

Twilight awoke that morning feeling more tired than she could ever remember being in her life. An unintended consequence of this was that she noticed nothing out of place. Her slow descent on the stairs and her even slower determination to make her own breakfast was the same as always, same routine. Same owl was waiting to greet his master. Same books waiting in the spot she left them. Same study materials spread out across her desk. Same baby dragon assistant still sleeping upstairs, awaiting his surrogate mother to kick the laziness out of him. And, last but not least, the same note waiting in her usual breakfast spot to be read before eati-

Wait? Note?

She tore it open and began to read.

Dear Twilight,
I'm sorry for leaving, I really am. But I had to, I will be back soon enough.
Love, Spike.

The note was so simple that it left far too many questions. Gears slowly turned in her mind as she tried desperately to place the pieces together through her sleep-induced haze. Spike had left, but where and why? Her first thought was to Rarity's boutique, it made perfect sense. But the way the letter was worded was far too vague, far too dark. Soon enough? Her second conclusion was running away for a day, just to go off by himself, but logic quickly shut down that option. Running away, permanently, was her final conclusion, but it didn't make any sense.

Loud knocks had interrupted her thoughts. They seemed quick and frantic, yet almost gentle. When Twilight opened the door, a cream colored pegasus burst in. It was very unlike her friend's usual mannerisms, but it happened none the less.

"TWILIGHT! Have you seen Shyfrost?!"

Twilight's eyes twitched almost out of her own sockets. He didn't. He couldn't have. But it now all made perfect sense, everything clicked into place in one soul shattering moment. They were both gone, they both left notes, and they both were dragons. Her world came crashing down as the only possible conclusion showed through. The dragon migration. Spike's odd behavior lately. Everything made sense now. She felt only one thing: anger. The worst thing, though, was she wasn't sure who to be angry with. Her first instinct was her number one assistant, Spike. But no, not her innocent Spike. He was obviously the victim in all of this. Shyfrost was her next target. He had gone with Spike, but because she didn't know the reason why, she had assumed it was wanting to meet other dragons, which obviously Spike wanted as well. Finally, there was Fluttershy. She had been entrusted to take care of Shyfrost and now she had lost him. Twilight was about to lash out at her friend when she suddenly realized that she had done the exact same thing.

She took a deep breath to clear her mind. “No,” she said slowly, "but I think I have a very good idea where they are." She levitated her note over to Fluttershy, who read it in horror.

"THE MIGRATION! Twilight, we have to go after them!"

Twilight was now in even more shock. Fluttershy, the last pony she would have expected to want to get close to dragons, was now spearheading the decision to go. Was Fluttershy's logic of going after their children strong enough to overcome her fear? Something still seemed like it was missing. Still, Twilight took a deep breath and agreed.

"We need to gather the girls and send a letter to Celestia, she has direct contact with Spike. She can't track them, but it might help." They both nodded and left to group up with their friends, both silently praying that their two dragons had not gone far.


"So, when do you think they'll put it all together?" Shyfrost asked as both dragons trudged along a winding path that, much to their displeasure, seemed to be leading them uphill.

"I don't know, but when they do know, we'll know," Spike said in a nervous voice.

"Celestia?"

"Celestia."

They had been traveling for several hours, neither saying much. The silence unnerved both of them, and they knew that one of them would need to break it. Spike was just waiting for the letter he knew was coming. His fear was overwhelming his logic. Logically, he knew that no letter could track them or hurt them, but he didn't care. Somewhere in the deep recess of his mind, he knew that somehow Twilight's rage could reach him no matter how far away she was. Shyfrost looked over at his companion and noticed his shuddering while he seemed to be deep in thought. Taking a guess, he spoke up.

"Are you really that afraid of Twilight and her anger?"

Spike stopped walking for a moment and considered the question. Then, without warning, he let out a laugh. "I've known Twilight my whole life. If there's one thing she's bad at, it's keeping calm under stress. Still, I wish she wouldn't lose it so much.” He paused briefly. “Especially at me."

"At you? I did notice her anger when we returned from the Everfree. That was pretty scary."

Spike sighed. "I'm her number one assistant, but when I screw up, she lets me have it. What you saw after the Everfree trip was her remaining calm. So trust me when I say that when she finds us, and she will, it's not going to be pretty,” he finished grimly, something that the orange dragon easily noticed.

"There something you wanna talk about?" Shyfrost tiled his head to the side, betraying his curiosity.

"No, why do you say that?"

"Well, when you were talking about Twilight you were speaking in this sort of dark and creepy sounding voice. So I just figured, maybe you're having problems?"

Spike glared at him for a moment, but then his ears drooped and he sighed in defeat. "Lately Twi has been acting harsh when it comes to giving me chores. This was just before you showed up, so it's been going on for a while. At the castle, we acted like brother and sister, or for the most part, mother and son. But ever since she got to Ponyville and started with those 'friendship lessons',”--here he made derogatory air quotes--“she has been acting less friendly to me, and started treating me more like a servant."

Both of them cringed at the last word. It sounded wrong .

"Have you tried talking to her about it? That sounds kind of bad, dude." Shyfrost gave him a smile at the end, but he still looked at him in concern.

"No, I was just kind of hoping that she would grow out of it. I thought it was just a phase; she was just getting busy making new friends. After all, this is the first time that she has had real friends outside of her family. So I figured it was best to just leave it be and suck it up."

Shyfrost stopped walking and stared at him for a moment. He cocked his head in confusion. "Spike," he said, bringing the other dragon to a stop,"That's just stupid."

"What?!"

"Not talking about your problems doesn't solve them.” Shyfrost laid a gentle claw on Spike's shoulder. “I understand that you don't want to get in the way of her and making new friends, but if she is neglecting her old ones, then you really ought to say something. Even if that old friend is you. It doesn't make you selfish."

Spike nodded, a slow smile spreading across his face. "You're right. When I get that letter, I think I'm going to write one of my own!"

The two started walking again, until Shyfrost spoke again. "You think telling her how you feel will calm her down when she finally catches up?" he asked hopefully.

"Not in the slightest."


"Spike!" Twilight called up to the library, only to facehoof at her own mistake. Her gathered friends all threw questionable looks her way.

"Um, he left, remember? Do you always call Spike like that?" Fluttershy tilted her head to the side, making her look innocent. She was still frowning, but trying very hard to control herself.

"Not always, no. I'm just stressed, okay?" Twilight spat.

Fluttershy simply nodded and thought it best to drop that subject.

"Okay, so what exactly is going on? You said they both just ran for it? What for?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"We don't have much time, so I'll give the short version. Spike has been acting quite odd lately, he keeps losing himself with daydreams. The Dragon Migration was the final straw, and I think he has been longing to be with his own kind. That goes for Shyfrost, too. But right now, we need to focus. Dash, you're the fastest, and I need you to fly a letter to Princess Celestia right away!"

"Why her? Shouldn't we be looking for them?" Rainbow asked, even as she flared her wings and prepared for flight.

"The princess has a direct connection to Spike. We can't track them with it, but she can send letters to him and he can reply. I've already written one out, so please hurry," Twilight said, handing her a letter.

"Can do! Be back soon!" With that, she kicked a window open and flew out so fast that several books fell from their places in the shelves.

Twilight's right eye twitched, but she let it slide. She turned back to the rest of the group. "The rest of you, I can't ask you to come with and risk your lives or anything, but Fluttershy and I will be leaving in twenty minutes to go find them. They will likely be at the dragon migration spot."

Rarity waved a graceful hoof. "Say no more, dear. If my Spikey is out there, scared, I would be happy to help return him home. I can't say the same for Shy-"

"Rarity!" Twilight shouted, gesturing to the shocked expression on Fluttershy's face.

"Oh, I'm sorry, it's just he did freeze over my horn!"

"HE WHAT?!” Twilight yelled in surprise.

Rarity dropped into a slight pout. "Well, I was not going to say much. It wasn't a pleasant day..."

"Shoot, Rarity how'd you unfreeze it?" Applejack wanted to know.

"I waited," she replied, grumbling darkly to herself.

Everypony blinked. Had Rainbow Dash been there, she would probably have snickered; but since she was not, there was merely an awkward silence.

"Let's put that aside for now, but Fluttershy, when this is all over, we are going to have a little talk with Shyfrost."

Fluttershy nodded, doing her best to look stern, but just coming off as neutral.

Applejack raised a hoof. "Ah reckon Ah can come along. Spike's my friend, too, and so is Shyfrost."

Pinkie's eyes lit up brightly. "Oooooo! This will be like an adventure! We're gonna see dragons and other ponies and-"

It fell upon Applejack to rain on her parade. "I don't think any other dragons will be all that excited to see ya, sugarcube."

"Why not?" Pinkie Pie tilted her head to the side, a perfectly innocent expression on her face. As one, her friends shook their heads.

"Pinkie, you've seen other dragons and how they act, what makes you think the ones on the migration will be any better?"

"Oh, those were meanie pants. They can't all be that way, right?" She looked at each of her friends, who were all giving her uneasy looks and nervous smiles. Pinkie's smile wavered briefly. "Right?"

Twilight took control. "We need to hurry. I'll leave a note for Dash, and she can catch up with us later. Are you all in this?"

They all nodded and gathered up their saddlebags. When all were ready, Twilight led the charge. "Okay, let's go get our dragons back!"

"YEAH!"


"Spike, we've been walking for hours. How long until we get to the Drakenridge Mountains?"

Spike gave Shyfrost an annoyed glare and rolled his eyes dramatically. "I don't know, and I didn't know the last time we checked the map, and I probably won't know the next time you ask, either.” Spike paused to take a quick glance at his surroundings. “It should be soon, though. It's getting colder out."

Shyfrost glared up at the sun, it was still midday. He had to admit for a sunny spot in the forest it was getting colder. Not that he minded, of course. "Well, sorry, I guess I'm bored."

"Yeah? Well...” Spike's little rant was interrupted by a terrific *BELCH*, and a large parchment came out of Spikes mouth engulfed in green flames. It landed on the ground between both of them, as if challenging them. Both just stared at it, neither willing to move. Finally, Spike picked it up and nervously began to read.

Dear Spike and Shyfrost,
Although I fully understand Twilight's and Fluttershy's reasoning for trying to find you, I cannot in good conscience aid them in their efforts. I can fully understand wanting to be with your own kind, even if it is only for a while. I knew that, living among ponies your entire life, the day would come when you, Spike, questioned why that was. Wanting to see another dragon is entirely understandable, and the same goes for you, Shyfrost. Keep in mind that dragons can be temperamental, so please exercise caution when attempting to approach any and all, regardless of size.

Although this might seem like good news, I will also not aid you in hiding. As you already know, Twilight and Fluttershy are on their way to find you, and I do not doubt that their friends are with them. If I were you two, I would make haste to the migration, for it will be over soon and Rainbow Dash is one fast pony.
Good luck, you two.
[signed]
Princess Celestia

They looked at each other and let out a huge sigh of relief, which broke into giggling when they realized that Celestia would not be coming after them. After a moment of resting, they thought back to one line they had read about Rainbow Dash.

"Um, how fast is she exactly?" Shyfrost questioned, casting a nervous glance up at the sky.

"She can perform a Sonic Rainboom," Spike answered. He paused when he noticed the confused expression on his friend's face, and translated,"It's close to 700 miles per hour. Twilight calculated."

Shyfrost shook his head. "We can't outrun her. We still have time for the migration, but we need a better way of hiding."

"I got nothing; but once we reach that mountain, it should be far more difficult for her to fly. Snow tends to do that to pegasus ponies."

"Let's just hope that Twilight and her friends are far behind," Shyfrost said. They both nodded and continued onto the path to the mountains.


"Twilight, are you sure I can't just fly up and try and spot em?" Rainbow Dash flew up in front of her friend, giving her a confused and incredibly impatient look.

"I'm sorry, Dash. As much as that would solve the problem, it's getting dark and cold. We can't risk your wings icing up."

Rainbow threw her hooves up in frustration. "Oh, c'mon! That rarely happens to us pegasus ponies, right, Fluttershy?"

"Oh, um, actually, Rainbow, it's quite common for wings to freeze up in these situations. And even if you could generate enough heat, there's still the problem with blizzards and maneuvering through them."

"I knew that! But wait, there's no blizzard! What are you talking about?!"

"Well, not right now, obviously,” Twilight said, “but we're nearing the Drakenridge Mountains, and they're notorious for snowstorms. They're probably already there. Besides, above all, we need to stick together, Dash," Twilight exclaimed.

"Fine,” Rainbow grumbled, dropping back to the ground. “I still think you're making a mistake, though."

Pinkie appeared and gave Rainbow a hug, which the pegasus did not appreciate. "Ahh, c'mon, listen to Twilight. She's super duper smart, and I think she knows what she's talking about."

"I have to agree with Pinkie, and sticking together out in these woods is our best course of action. Celestia knows what is out there!" Rarity shuddered at the thought.

Applejack rolled her eyes. "Ah'm sure whatever's out there is not that much trouble."

The group of mares had been traveling for several hours. The woods they found themselves in were not as unnerving or unnatural looking as the Everfree. However, it was far from any settlement. They were traveling at a brisk pace, Twilight insisting that they do not over exert themselves as to conserve energy.

"Do you think Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle will be okay at your place, Applejack?"

"I'm sure they'll be fine.”

Rarity paused. “My Sweetie Belle is in good hooves with your brother, right?"

Applejack nodded proudly. "Big Mac may be thickheaded every once in a while, but he knows how to foalsit."

"Right, once again I must apologize for dropping her off. Mother insisted that they were going on vacation this week. Did you explain to your sister why you had to leave?"

Applejack started to sweat, which was quite the accomplishment in such cold weather. "Uhh... Ah may have stretched the truth a bit. If'n mah sister knew that her friend had run off, they might try and go after 'em."

"Makes sense to me. Those fillies have guts, but they sure know how to get into trouble," Rainbow Dash giggled.

Twilight broke in. "Speaking of sense, has your Pinkie Sense gone off at all?"

"Mhhhhh," Pinkie Pie paused and checked her body all over. “Nope! Maybe they're too far away?"

"They couldn't've gone that far. I'm sure will find them." Twilight smiled with hope, making them all beam while they continued their journey.


"Big Mac, you said that AJ was off on a business trip, but she never does that! And Sweetie Belle said that her sister had the same excuse! What's going on?" Apple Bloom glared at her brother, who was stammering rapidly, trying to come up with a useful excuse. He looked over at Sweetie Belle who was smiling away but quickly changed to a scowl when she noticed Apple Bloom's expression and attempted to mimic her.

"Well, Ah..."

"And Twilight and Pinkie went missing, did they all go?" Sweetie Belle mentioned, which just added more fuel to Apple Bloom's fire.

"Um..." C'mon, think of something! Wait... "Hey, girls, we've been needin' help on the farm. Since AJ is missin', you two could maybe earn your cutie marks."

"REALLY?!" They both squealed in delight.

Works every time.

"Hey, wait a minute, stop tryin' t' distract us. Now where did they go to?"

Big Mac sighed and decided the truth was his best option. "Look, yesterday those two dragons up and skipped town. They're headed after that dragon migration, so-"

"Twilight and Fluttershy and her friends decided to chase after them?"

"Yeah, but-"

"We have to go after them!" Apple Bloom proclaimed.

Big Mac gave his little sister a menacing look. "NO! It's too dangerous to-"

"But Shyfrost's our friend! Spike too!"

"No, an' that's final." With that, Big Mac left the room, with every intention of returning to ensure his word was, in fact, final.

Sweetie Belle turned to Apple Bloom and spoke in a low whisper. "We're going after them right?"

"'Course we are,” Apple Bloom whispered back. “We just need to go get Scoots and gather some supplies."

"What about your brother?"

"Ah, he's easy to sneak by. Plus, with Scootaloo and her scooter, we should be able to outrun him." Satisfied with their plan, they both nodded and hurried off to find their friend.


"And that's how I tricked that group and took the place of 'their little precious filly'," a snickering voice said to his allies as they trudged along a path in an open forest. A group of five ponies, all earth ponies walking along. Most were laughing along with his friend while one remained silent through out.

"Oh wow, that was a good way to do it. I swear, there are ponies out there that are too submissive, but sometimes you run into a group-

"Family," a voice interrupted which caused them all to stop walking and glare at the stallion in the back.

"What was that?"

"You keep referring to ponies when they are living together as groups, but the correct term is family," the voice said in a matter-of-fact voice.

"Whatever." The first speaker rolled his eyes, but continued, "sometimes you run into families of ponies that are so easy to trick. I swear, sometimes I even wonder why we do it like this."

"What do you mean?" another voice questioned.

"You know exactly what I mean!” the first voice said. “We work in these small groups for the kingdom, biding our time until we strike. We then collect all the magic we need to save up in order to 'play our part' for the royal pain in my flank. We don't need to serve her or our kingdom. If we do this on our own, then we can have more than enough for the five of us. What's she gonna do if we go rogue? NOTHING!"

The group stopped walking again as they pondered his words. Slowly, they all came to the same conclusion, but it was the voice that spoke up that shocked them all.

"I think I agree with you. I-"

"You?! You out of everyone here actually agrees with me?!"

"Well, yes. I-"

"You never agree with me,” the first voice accused. “Like when you stopped us from breaking into that one house."

"Well, I still say that was uncalled for-"

"And you stopped us with our first assignment!"

"It was going over the line!"

"Whatever. I think I'll just take this as a win. Do we all agree to go rogue?"

They all somberly nodded.

"Wonderful, now that..." He trailed off when he heard some voices off in the distance, they all looked at each other to make sure they all still looked presentable.


"So what do gems taste like, anyway?" The duo had been walking for hours, trying to pass the time with whatever they could think of. After all, there's only so many times you can play I Spy in a forest.

"Which gem? Blue ones are my favorite! I guess they kind of taste like a mix of blueberries and cupcakes."

"Green gems?"

"More like grapes, but sort of tingly, like sour candy."

"Red?"

"Spicy cherries."

"My amulet?"

"Oh, that one was nasty!" Spike shuddered.

"I knew it!” Shyfrost said. “I knew somedragon tried to eat this!"

Spike smiled sheepishly at his friend. "I'm sorry, all I did was try and lick it. Sorry."

Shyfrost sighed. "It's fine, just don't do it again!" He replied so sternly that he failed to notice that Spike had stopped in his tracks. He was staring at a group of five earth ponies. Shyfrost finally caught sight of them and froze as well. The group suddenly huddled into one group, causing the dragons to share glances of confusion.

The other five ponies, however, were sharing more than confusion.

"What are two dragons doing this far out?! They're dangerous!"

"They are but baby dragons, how can they be that dangerous?"

"Haven't you heard the legends?! They say that any dragon can suck all the emotion out of you in a heartbeat! We need to leave now!"

"Guys, seriously, I expected this kind of stupidity but this? I mean-" The pony looked around and saw no sign of his traveling companions. He looked behind him and saw them fleeing in terror, he wanted to follow them, but, if he had to be honest, it was for the best. He sighed and turned his attention to the two waiting dragons.

"Um, hi?" he started awkwardly.

The two dragons approached the stallion, hoping to start a conversation. Instead Shyfrost stopped walking as he felt more heat flare from his amulet. He looked down at his chest to examine it. At the same time, the stallion looked back at his flank curiously, as if examining something else.

"Huh?" came two voices, one from Shyfrost and the other from the mysterious stallion.

"Something wrong, dude?" Spike asked, gently nudging his friend in the side.

"Wha-? Oh, I don't think so, but my amulet is acting funny again," he replied, and then turned his attention back to the stallion. "Hi, I'm Shyfrost, and this is my friend Spike." He gestured to his friend and gave a warm smile to the stallion.

"Hello," was his simple reply as he carefully examined the two dragons.

"That's pretty strange. You don't have a cutie mark, and you're all grown up! What the hay?" Spike walked up to the stallion to inspect his flank and, sure enough, it was blank.

"Well, um, young dragons, what do you know about Changelings?"

"Change-lings? Doesn't ring a bell," Shyfrost said, scratching his head.

"I've heard of them. One night Twilight did a study paper on them. But they're supposed to be evil? I think?"

The stallion raised an eyebrow. "Evil is such a strange word. From the changelings' point of view, they see the ponies as evil. From the ponies' point of view, they see us as evil. Both definitions can't be right."

"Wait," Spike paused and looked into the stallion's eyes. "So, you're saying that you are a changeling?"

"Well, yes. Is that a problem?"

"Um, do you plan on stealing our love and hurting ponies?" Spike asked sarcastically.

"No, I don't do anything of the sort." Well, not lately. And I wanted to turn over a new leaf, so there's no need for these boys to know that.

"Then, no, I guess there is no problem. But aren't you supposed to look...well... black colored and all?" Spike waved his claws in the air to gesture all over his body. The changeling took a moment to realize what he meant, having momentarily been confused by the dragon's calm demeanor when dealing with his species. 'Maybe it's a pony thing?' he wondered. 'Always screaming in terror.'

"Oh, right. That." The changeling concentrated and slowly some green flames enveloped his entire body. Spike noticed that while being near him, he felt no burn or even any heat. His body changed from a generic red color to a black one with full insect wings and a horn. They both gawked in awe.

"That was so cool!" Shyfrost ran up to him and started talking excitedly. Spike noticed that he certainly wasn't living up to his name right now. "I mean, wow, can you actually change into anypony? Or just that red one? And you have both magic and you can fly?" Shyfrost's claw found its way onto one of his wings and he gently tried to open it up, completely ignoring the changeling's personal space. The very second his claw came into contact with the wing, his amulet began to glow. Spike looked at his amulet but then his eyes found its way onto the changeling's side. To his astonishment, his right wing was glowing. All Spike could do was wordlessly point, trying to get his attention.

"What?" The changeling looked down at his wing and was amazed to see what was happening. His horn glowed green, and he took out a volcanic chipped glass that was roughly the shape of a heart.

All three looked from the glowing amulet to the volcanic glass, back and forth before the changeling spoke up.

"Ok, I'm confused. Why is that amulet of yours glowing, and why is my lucky charm doing the same?"

"I dunno, maybe your rock thing is another artifact!" Spike gave Shyfrost a quizzical glare, as did the changeling. Shyfrost saw their looks of confusion and explained, "Oh, well, I wanted to find out more about this amulet while we travel to the migration. The book me and the crusaders found said that when my amulet comes into close contact with other 'artifacts', we will know some how that they are connected in a way. It said something about them being warm, but this thing is always warm, but now it's super warm!"

The changeling decided to check his. It, too, was incredibly warm to the touch. "But what do they do?" he wondered.

"I have no idea,” Shyfrost confessed. “It said there were rumors that they were used to fight Discord, but that's probably not true."

"Odd... Well, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Shadow Mirror. It's nice to meet you both."

"Same. Um, do you mind if I see your glass thing?" Shyfrost asked. The changeling nodded and used some of his magic to gently place it down on his claw. Shyfrost slowly moved the piece of glass towards his amulet, pushing them together. Just before they touched, he noticed that both were now pulsating, almost violently. He looked back at his two allies and they shrugged. He continued pushing. They were forcing themselves apart like magnets, but by sheer force, Shyfrost managed to get them to touch. The second they touched, both Shyfrost and Shadow Mirror felt something pulsating inside of them. Shyfrost felt warmer but oddly more determined to carry out his mission of both finding dragons and discovering the secret of amulet. Shadow Mirror however, felt tingly but also well fed, like he had been gorging on the emotion that kept him alive for days.

Just as quickly as the feeling came, it stopped. They both looked at each other and then blinked.

"Wow," was all Shyfrost could say.

The changeling, however, had a million questions. "Okay, time out. Maybe we need to start from the beginning and have a long chat." The two dragons shared a look and slowly nodded. They walked out away from the road to find a clearing. Slowly, they began to share their stories with one another.