Chapter 11: Return to Truth
A cloaked pony poked her head out of the bushes. "Coast is clear, right?"
She stepped out into the open, rain pelting her cloak. Not far in the distance, she could see the buildings of Ponyville.
"It's been eleven months since I've last been here, hasn't it?"
She gave a deep sigh. She could feed anywhere; so why did she choose the most risky place she could?
She kept on moving, sticking by the forest she had come out of. Stay calm... that's all she had to do...
"Excuse me, ma'am?"
She stopped in her tracks upon hearing that voice. It was a voice she had been hoping not to hear...
She did her best not to look at the source of the statement and gave an automatic response. "Yes, baby dragon?"
She cringed as soon as she said it. How could she be so stupid? She couldn't even begin to hope that the dragon hadn't noticed, so she stood static and waited for the inevitable...
"B...baby dragon?"
No way. It couldn't be her.
Spike hopped off of the bench and walked in front of the motionless pony. He leaned in front of her face to see under her hood...
A stormy blue coat. A black mane. Averted slate grey eyes. There were no doubts...
"Dragonfly!" There was a sharp tone in his voice.
"Why did this have to happen...?" Dragonfly muttered to herself, still not meeting Spike's gaze.
Spike felt a flood of emotions washing over him. Joy... relief... but most prominently...
"How dare you show your face here again?!"
Dragonfly took a nervous step back, giving Spike a look of disbelief. "H...how dare I? How dare I?!"
Spike faltered for a moment, but then kept pushing. "You hurt my friends! You hurt my family! You've put the people I love through so much pain!"
Dragonfly grew enraged. "Don't you even start to talk to me about pain, baby dragon! You know nothing of pain!" Tears began to well up in her eyes.
"Are you trying to tell me that you understand it any better?!"
Dragonfly faltered. "F...fine." She turned away from Spike, and, casting away her cloak, she faded into a flash of green, and the figure of Fluttershy took her place. "I have to go feed. Goodbye, Spike." She began to walk towards the town.
"Wh...where do you think you're going!?" Spike yelled desperately.
Dragonfly gave no response.
"Dragonfly!" Spike knew that within moments she would be out of earshot, but she still wasn't responding. He slumped back into the bench.
"Why did I do that?"
Spike sighed. His emotions had gotten the best of him. This wasn't what he had wanted at all.
He had wanted to give her another chance.
He looked up to the grey sky. There had to be a way to fix this.
"Think, Spike, think!" he muttered to himself, unable to organize his thoughts.
Suddenly he shot up. "The letters! I can use those!"
He hopped out of his seat and started into a sprint. He needed to stop her...
His first stop was the library.
Spike slammed the door open. "Twilight! Where are the letter archives?"
Twilight popped her head up from behind a book. "D...downstairs, like always. Is something wrong?"
Spike stalled for a moment. He needed to relax; he didn't want anyone to be suspicious. "There's something I really wanted to check." He closed the door, and ran down into the basement.
"They should be at the end of the archive from five months ago..." He quickly searched the shelves to find a set of boxes marked by month. Ever since the incident with Discord, Twilight had Spike write a copy of every letter they sent, and stored them in these boxes along with every letter they received. He pulled down the box marked as the same month as Cadence and Shining's wedding, and began to leaf through the letters.
Twilight stepped down the stairs. "You're acting a little weird, Spike..."
"A...am I?" Spike stopped at a small gap in the papers. He reached in and pulled out a pair of letters that had been folded in half, to keep them hidden. Grabbing a folder from one of the shelves to keep the letters safe, he put the box back on the shelf, and ran back up the stairs past Twilight.
"Are you going back out?" Twilight followed him back up.
"Yeah. I'll be back soon." Spike opened the door.
"Spike..." Spike turned back to see Twilight's concerned gaze. Suddenly, she seemed to relax. "I don't know what's up, but stay safe, alright?"
Spike nodded, and rushed out.
Spike arrived at Fluttershy's cottage completely out of breath. "This is no time to get exhausted, Spike!" He admonished himself. He took a second to collect himself, then knocked on the door.
The door opened slowly, and Fluttershy poked her head outside. "Oh, hello, Spike! Come in."
Spike stepped inside to see Rarity standing not far from the door. Fluttershy closed the door behind him.
"Hello, Spikey Wikey! I just came over here to see if Fluttershy had any silk I could use, and I was just on my way. Goodbye you two!" Rarity stepped past the dragon and the pegasus, opened the door, and left.
"Goodbye!" Fluttershy said quietly as the door closed. Then she turned to Spike. "So what brings you here, Spike?"
"U...um..." Spike stuttered. "Have you seen anypony acting weird?"
"Not besides you, Spike. Is something wrong?"
"Not really..."
"And what's in that folder?" Fluttershy asked curiously.
"N...nothing!" Spike hid the folder behind his back. "U...um... I just need to check something with you."
"And what is that?"
"What was the name of the creature that attacked the town when Trixie came here?"
"Oh! That's easy, an Ursa Minor."
Spike sighed. "Nevermind, I have to go." He quickly rushed out the door without giving her a chance to respond. But as he closed the door, he noticed a sheet of paper laying on the doorstep, being soaked by the rain.
Spike picked it up, and quickly glanced at the words scrawled over it.
"I've gotten better at acting, haven't I?"
Spike gasped. Then Rarity...
His expression grew fierce. Next stop was Carousel Boutique.
"But just as he was about to take the relic, WOOSH! Daring Do swung in on a vine and snatched it away from him!"
Spike skidded to a stop and looked towards the voice. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were sitting under a tree, sheltered from the rain. "Sounds pretty excitin'."
"Could one of them be...?" Chrysalis could have easily switched disguises between Fluttershy's house and here...
He walked over. "Hi, Applejack, Rainbow Dash."
"Hiya, Sugarcube!"
"What's up, squirt?"
Spike took a deep breath. "Have either of you two noticed anypony acting weird?"
"Not as far as I can tell, Spike." Rainbow Dash was the first to answer.
"Well..." Applejack looked up thoughtfully. "I did see Rarity walkin' past here without anything on to keep her precious mane dry..."
Spike slapped his forehead. "Dang it, she's still hiding as Rarity."
"Something wrong, sugarcube?"
"N...no!" Spike looked down the street. "I...I gotta go. See you later!" With that, he ran off, leaving a confused Applejack and Rainbow Dash in his wake.
He was running for a solid 5 minutes before he finally started to tire and had to stop. "D...dang it. I don't have time for this..."
"Spiiiiiike!"
Spike looked behind himself. He saw Twilight running towards him. "Twilight?"
"Oh, Spike." She slowed to a stop next to him. "I was starting to get worried."
"I...I'm fine..." Spike looked at her, confused. "Why?"
"Because I thought you would be back sooner..." Her eyes wandered to the folder Spike was holding. "By the way, which letters are in that folder?"
"Um!" Spike panicked. "N...no time to explain! I'll tell you later!" He dashed off towards Carousel Boutique.
"Spike!"
He cringed as he heard his name fall into a pathetic whimper. "I'm sorry..."
He ran for another few minutes before he reached the house. Spike skidded to a stop in front of the door, and knocked.
The door opened slightly, and Sweetie Belle's head popped out. "Oh, hello, Spike!"
Spike smiled. "Hello, Sweetie Belle. Is Rarity home?"
Sweetie Belle frowned. "Yes, but she doesn't want to be interrupted. She's been in her room working all day..."
"All day?" Spike frowned. "Okay. Sorry to bother you."
"Oh, It's all right. See you, Spike!" The door closed.
"So then... What do I do now?"
Spike rounded the top of the hill on the way to the bench. He had lost her. There was nothing he could do now...
"You are an idiot, baby dragon."
Spike looked up at the bench, and sitting there was none other than Dragonfly. "I passed you by three times today, and you didn't notice once."
Spike sighed, and walked up to her. "Did you really just lead me around town just to come back here?"
"Quiet, baby dragon." Her expression was incredibly grave. "I was curious about what you have to show me. But first... I have something to show you." She stood up from the bench, and began to march into the forest.
Spike followed her, keeping a distance. "Why should I trust you?"
Dragonfly turned to him. "By all logic and sense, you shouldn't." She then continued walking. "But if you want me to give you a chance to apologize for what you said earlier... you have to understand the pain I've been through."
They stepped into a small clearing. Spike stepped into the center, and Dragonfly walked into the shadows by the edge.
"What's here that you want to show me?"
"Nothing." Dragonfly responded flatly. "What I have to show you will merely be an illusion– try your best to remember that." With that, the spot where her horn would be glowed, and the clearing was suddenly covered in fog, obscuring her from view.
"Wh...what's going on?" Spike glanced around nervously.
Clink!
A metallic sound rang on the ground in front of Spike. He leaned over to see a small coin. He picked it up to examine it.
"A blank side... and a skull and crossbones?"
"Spike, flip that coin, will you?" Spike could hear Dragonfly's voice in the distance.
Spike stalled for a moment, then flipped it. He quickly caught in the palm of his hand, and laid it across his other fist.
"Blank..."
Suddenly, Twilight appeared through the fog.
"Twilight!" Spike started running towards her, but he wasn't moving any closer. It didn't seem that she had heard him, either; this was only a vision.
"What's Dragonfly planning...?" Spike muttered to himself.
"I want you to keep on flipping that coin until it disappears, Spike. And observe the results of your actions."
Spike sighed and flipped the coin again. This time...
"Skull..."
This time, from the fog, Rarity stumbled in, leading with the left side of her body. Spike brightened up, but quickly noticed something wrong. Terribly wrong.
"Why does she look so pained?"
A few more steps, and Rarity collapsed, revealing her right side.
"Oh... Celestia... why..." Spike felt tears welling up in his eyes, and his breathing became quicker and more panicked.
There were horrible gashes in her side, blood spilling out on the ground, forming a quickly growing puddle.
Twilight sprung over to her side. Spike could see her yelling at Rarity, tears streaming down her face, but he could not hear a single word said.
Spike collapsed to his knees. "Why are you doing this!?"
"Keep on going, Spike. I won't end the illusion until you finish."
Spike picked himself back up slowly, and tried to look away from the pair in front of him. He flipped the coin once again.
"Skull again!?"
This time, Fluttershy wobbled through the fog. Suddenly, she started coughing up blood, and collapsed in much the same way as Rarity. As her eyes glazed over, blood started to drip out of her slack mouth.
Spike gave a few dry heaves. This was too much... how many times was he going to have to do this?
He looked in his hand. The coin was still there. He closed his eyes and flipped it again, letting it drop to the ground this time.
Clink!
Spike opened one eye to peer at it.
"...oh, thank Celestia."
Rainbow Dash flew in from the fog. She seemed panicked, glancing around nervously, until her eyes settled on...
"Fluttershy!"
Spike couldn't hear her say it, but it was clear that that was the word that had come from her mouth. She descended next to the crumpled heap, as tears welled up in her eyes. She started nudging Fluttershy, speaking to her at what seemed to be a normal volume. As tears began to drip down her face, she started pushing harder, and speaking louder. Suddenly she closed her eyes, and began to yell. And somehow, Spike was able to read her lips perfectly.
"Celestia damn it, Fluttershy, you can't leave me! We've been friends since we were little! Don't leave me, please, please, please!"
Spike felt tears start to drip down his own face as he watched Rainbow Dash break down and collapse, laying her forehead on Fluttershy's body.
Spike picked up the coin almost mechanically. "Why are you doing this...?" he wondered, as he flipped the coin almost against his own will.
"Blank..."
In a particularly uneventful showing, Applejack walked out of the fog, but didn't seem to notice any of the others around her.
"So... I guess next is Pinkie..." Spike flipped again...
"S...Skull!"
Pinkie stumbled in much the same way that Rarity and Flutter had. But this time, what was wrong was immediately noticeable.
There was a kitchen knife stabbed into her side. Blood was dripping out at a somewhat alarming rate. She fell against Applejack, who, noticing the wound, did her best to support her.
AJ started talking seemingly calmly, but her gestures started to become more and more panicked as tears began to well up.
Suddenly, Pinkie began to talk very calmly, a pained look on her face. And Spike was able to understand their mouth movements once again.
"I'm not gonna make it, am I, Applejack?"
Applejack closed her eyes. "N...no..."
"W... well then... promise me you won't cry. I don't want to leave my friends unhappy..."
Applejack grimaced. "Y...ya know I can't promise that, sugarcube..."
"O...oh..." Pinkie began to slide downward off of Applejack. "I guess... I can't... force..."
She suddenly collapsed and fell silent. Applejack collapsed next to her and began to wail.
Spike clenched his fist as he felt the tears start flowing full force. The coin was still there.
"HOW MANY MORE TIMES?!" He yelled, tossing the coin again.
It landed on the skull. Out of the mist stumbled a small orange pony, with no wings or horn... but...
"S...scootaloo?"
Her wings were gone, bloody stumps in their place. Streams of blood trailed down her sides, and she collapsed, like everypony before her.
Spike flipped again, before he could even react to what lay before him.
It landed on skull, for the third time in a row.
Next from the mist was Sweetie Belle, with no clear injuries. However, just like the pegasus before her, she collapsed, but not before reaching out a hoof to her fellow crusader.
Spike choked back a wail. This was all too much. But... it would never end if he didn't keep on going. He flipped the coin again...
and it landed on the blank side.
Applebloom walked in from the fog, and after a quick look around, her eyes fell on the unicorn and pegasus. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she laid down in front of them.
Spike had to look away. He couldn't stand to watch Applebloom's childhood be destroyed. He turned until his view was free from all of the others. He still had the coin.
Another flip. Another blank.
Next was Cadence, and like Applejack had been, she was oblivious to the carnage around her.
"Then next is..." He flipped again.
Skull.
Shining stumbled in, his horn blackened, gashes covering his body. Cadence noticed him, and caught him before he collapsed to the ground. And this time, Spike could truly hear them.
"Shining!" Cadence's eyes welled up.
"I... guess I'm another casualty, aren't I...? I am a part of the military, after all..."
"N...no!" She began to focus magic into her horn.
"Cadence, don't waste your energy... I'm done for."
Cadence stopped, and looked at her husband in the eyes.
"I love you, Cadence." He gave a weak smile, and then slumped over.
The scene suddenly muted once again. Spike fell to his knees, and screamed.
"Why are you doing this to me!?"
"One more time, Spike. That's all that's left." Dragonfly's voice cut through the fog.
Spike took a deep breath, choking back his tears. He flipped the coin.
It landed on the blank side.
"Oh, sorry, Spike." Dragonfly's voice echoed through the emptiness. "That was your flip. I guess you have to live through the pain of these losses."
Suddenly, the fog dissipated, leaving the forest clearing, a grave looking Dragonfly, and Spike, curled up in a ball in the center. Dragonfly walked up to the dragon.
"Half of my subjects died after we got launched from Canterlot. Do you understand how I feel? And even worse... it's the only emotion I can express now."
Spike, starting to come to terms with the fact that the visions were only illusions, but still horribly shaken by the pain they brought, stood up slowly. "Y...you cast the spell..."
"Very good, baby dragon. Thanks to that spell, the only emotions I express are those towards my subjects... the 'ones I must protect'. Once you manage to get your thoughts back together..."
Spike closed his eyes. "I'm sorry!"
Dragonfly looked at him, confused. "What?"
"I didn't mean to yell at you earlier! Ever since the wedding, I've wanted to see you again! I wanted to give you a second chance!"
Dragonfly glared at him. "I don't believe you."
Spike opened his eyes, pulled a letter from the from the folder, and held it up to Chrysalis. "Then read this! I sent it to Princess Celestia the day after the wedding."
Dragonfly snatched the letter from him, and began to read it.
"Dear Princess Celestia,
I have to tell you something dire. Chrysalis, the one who attacked the wedding– I met her beforehand. Six months ago, in fact. And back then, she was nice. She seemed like a kind pony who simply cared for her subjects. And I think that's why she attacked. Her subjects were probably in danger of starving, so... she had a reason. And it wasn't selfish.
The main reason I'm writing this is that I want your permission on something. If I ever see Chrysalis again... I want to give her a second chance. Because I feel like that if she had the chance to mend relations between ponies and Changelings, she would do it in a heartbeat.
Please, consider this carefully.
Twilight's Number one Assistant, Spike."
Dragonfly peered at Spike from behind the note. "Y...you..."
"Do you want to see the princess's response?"
Dragonfly nodded. Spike handed her the other letter, and she read it quickly.
"Dear Spike,
I personally don't have any reason to believe this would work, but I trust your judgement. I will not interfere with this, under one condition.
I want you to report on her progress, and, if she becomes friends with your friends, I'll consider letting her have a royal audience to discuss foreign relations.
I wish you the best of luck.
Princess Celestia."
Dragonfly lowered the note, her jaw drooping.
"So, will you try it?"
Dragonfly regained her composure, but then shook her head. "With the emotion spell, baby dragon, there's no way this would work."
"Then we'll figure out how to break the spell on the way. Please, Dragonfly!"
Dragonfly opened her mouth, then stalled. She sighed. "Alright. I'll go find an inn to stay at..."
"Thank you, Dragonfly!" Spike smiled. "I promise you, we will do this."
"Baby dragon, I hope you realize how risky this is."
"Friends are always worth the risk."
Dragonfly, for the first time that day, cracked a smile. "I guess you're right..."
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I wonder how the others will take the news.
Wow, nice so that's what I missed out on.
That must have been terrible for Chrysalis watching her subjects die right in front of her. I can't help but feel this is true in real life. Those that feel the most pain when some does or is injured, are the ones either left behind or the one who inflicted the injury. OHHH!! When's the next chapter coming!! I'm so excited!
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So I assume you were going for heart wrenching, gut tearing horror in this one, and I think you captured it quite well. I mean, that particular part was pretty terrifying. The words, "Why would you write this?" came to mind, but it served its purpose. Still, my body was not ready.
Now for the other parts of the chapter: I think a significant amount of things happened in this one, and the way you had Spike running around, and especially the Rarity bait and switch you pulled at Fluttershy's house, were all pretty well written. The whole letter archive thing felt a little contrived, but ah well, the sacrifices we make for plot, right? And it makes sense that Twilight would have one because the letters saved her from Discord.
Dead changelings! I like how you conducted the feels for them through the feels for all of Spike's friends. Of course nopony cares much about Changelings, because they are rather extra, but the way you did this makes it easy to sympathize with Chrysalis.
I think the way Spike acted upon seeing Chrysalis was quite natural, and a justified reaction even if it were a big mistake. It didn't really feel like it was a big misunderstanding or anything wacky like that, but rather like a gap in emotions and intent, a flaw in his plan.
Overall, I liked this chapter. Despite how dark it was, it handled itself well and fits nicely to start the main plot. More chapters like this in the future and you will have yourself a fantastic story.
no! this is too sad! stahp it!