> The Draft
>  by ThatBronyGuy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Regretable Consequences
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

                Oh no. Oh no! OH NO! Spike anxiously said in his mind as he sprinted past the pedestrians. 
                
This is bad! This is REALLY bad! The thoughts raced through his mind instantaneously as he ran through the streets of Ponyville. He was late. All he could think about were the unimaginable punishments he may endure by the time he makes it home. The burlap sack that hung over his shoulder didn't make it any easier either. It was cumbersome, full of things that weren't of any interest to him. He needed them, of course, but it was not he who desired them. It was weighing him down, tiring him out and making him feel greatly concerned.
        
Unsure about how long he has been away, Spike persisted on making it back as quick as possible. The houses he passed by looked like streams of color at the speed he was moving. His heart pounded like a bass drum from the amount of running he was doing that he began to feel pain inside his chest, the mallet striking harder and harder. He wasn’t sure how long he could keep going until he faints from exhaustion, but the even greater risk was not being present.
                
Up ahead, he caught sight of an immense figure to what appeared to be a tree of about several meters tall, carved into a residential abode that stood out among others. Small, circular windows peppered the tree's trunk. An active beehive stood stationary up at the tallest branch. Next to the tree was a sign that depicted an image of an open book.
                
Home.
                
Spike, filled with excitement, rushed forward towards the red front door, ignoring the stress he had been placing on his muscles. Panting harshly, he wiped the sweat off his forehead with a smile. At last, he made it. Reaching for the doorknob, he was ready to enter until his hand came to a sudden halt. Something had prevented him from opening the door.
                
I don't know about this. he thought. She'll be waiting for me and I just know  she'll be furious about why I was late! His conscience insisted on hindering his return to the residence he had known for so long. It could not help but sense that something was wrong on the other side of the door. After taking a little bit of thought into it, he decided to ignore his inner voice, open the door, and brace himself for the worst. Encompassing the inside of the tree were numerous amounts of stacked pieces of literature; some were scattered all along the ground as well. The place was a dark, eerie environment from the dust that blanketed the windows. The pervasion of old parchment and deteriorating hard-back book covers reeked the whole place. It all seemed quiet except for a strong, ice-cold draft that sent chills up Spike's little spine. An unusual rustling coming from a pile of books had caught his attention. Something was emerging. Rising up from underneath was a dark shadow-like entity. Spike stared in horror and anticipation as it slowly trotted into the dim light. As it ascended from darkness, its uncanny appendages soon revealed to become something rather familiar. Its crooked extremities were exposed as smooth, purple hooves. The creature's countenance and entire body became fully exhibited thereafter. What appeared was a purple unicorn mare with a messy dark-purple mane and a pink, six-pointed star as her cutie mark.
                
It was her.
                
She glared angrily at Spike. Her ears pointed directly upwards in alertness. The front of her body was slanted downwards like a cat about to pounce on its prey. Her fiery rage-filled purple eyes almost seemed as if she was about to blast him out of the tree. Spike was frozen in place, gazing into her dark, empty, merciless eyes in shock. He could run away, the door was not too far, but she would just hold him down with her magic. All he could do was simply just stare into his future of being a homeless baby dragon living in shame for disappointing his master.
                
She was opening her mouth, about to declare his exile for his failure. Spike needed to think fast. He needed to do something that would stop this from happening, to stop his hopeless future from becoming reality. He had to be quick as well, or else it would be too late. Ideas whizzed around his mind, too fast for him to think them through. His teeth chattered as he struggled to find the best excuse. Sweat ran down his head in nervousness. His legs uncontrollably shaking as they remained glued to the wooden floor. Time was running out.
                
"Sorry I’m late, Twilight. I was, uh, helping Rarity at her boutique. Please don't replace me!" Spike shouted as he cringed in fear of Twilight's wrath. Tears ran down his face. He accepted his fate and was awaiting his ultimate demise. Any time now, the next thing he sees would be him out on the outskirts of Ponyville, alone. He would have nothing but the purple, scaly skin on his back. An outcast. But something was not right; he did not feel any change or hear any vicious insults. His body was still intact. It felt like he hadn't moved at all. He wanted to look to ensure his surroundings but was too afraid to open his eyes. Instead of enduring a barrage of pain and misery, he heard something he had never expected to hear from Twilight in this situation. It was a calm yet apprehensive voice.
                
"Spike, why would I replace you?" Twilight asked softly. "You're my number one assistant, remember?"
                
Spike stopped cringing, slowly lowered his arms, and glanced at Twilight. The expression on her face revealed a confused yet concerned look like she actually cared. Her ears were drooped down, her eyes shone ablaze in the dim light like pearls, and her head tilted off to the side. She no longer appeared aggravated and corrupt. It seemed as if she had reverted back to her old, good self.
                
"You're.....not mad?" he asked confusedly. This did not seem right. He had failed to make up for his lost time. He should be punished! Had his plea for mercy really altered her mood? Had it mended the damage that had already been done? The glimmering twinkle in her reflective eyes had revealed to him the answer and it was clear. She was, indeed, sincere.
                
"Of course not," she calmly reassured, "though I was wondering where you were. You really had me worried. Did you get the insulation?"
                
So, the whole time, she was just worried. She was never mad at me at all! Phew! Spike thought as he snapped out of his fearful episode in relief and reached into the burlap sack. What came out were rolls of newspaper and heavy amounts of straw.
                
"Why do we need this stuff anyway?" Spike asked, "Can't you just use your magic to fill in the cracks?"
                
"That would require growing new wood to cover them up," Twilight replied, "I can't just cast an aging spell on the tree, it might end up destroying our home! Besides, it's only temporary until we find better insulation."
                
 Twilight examined the contents but gave a cynical look as if she noticed something was missing.
                
"Hey, what about that fabric I told you to get from Rarity?" she asked.
                
"Oh, uh, well you see, I was going to get the fabric from her but then she asked me to help her with making new dresses and, well, you know the rest," Spike admitted, blushing.
                
"Spike!"
                
"Don't hurt me!"
                
"Stop that! You know we need as much insulation as possible if we're ever gonna keep this draft from coming in!"
                
"I know but when Rarity was in her boutique tryin' on one of her-," Spike paused for a nostalgic moment, "amazing dresses, it just...took me by surprise, you know? Like how it just makes you forget what you're doing and-"
                
"I get it! I get it! *Sigh* Look, let's just use what we have and try to plug up as many holes in the wall as we can, okay?"
                
"Okay," agreed Spike, "Wait, before we start, why is the house all trashed? Before I left, everything looked clean and organized and now look at it. And what were you doing under all those books?"
                
Twilight paused for a moment. "...Researching. Now c'mon! We got work to do!" She handled the straw for the upstairs while Spike took the newspapers for the downstairs. Spike kept tripping over the scattered books while he scanned the area and placed crumpled newspaper wherever there was a hole in the wall. After securing the last gap above the bookshelf, he climbed down the ladder and reunited with Twilight.
                
"Did you get every last little breach?" asked Twilight.
                
"Every last one of them," Spike replied.
                
"Did you double check?"
                
"I quadruple checked!"
                
"Alright, well I guess that's settled then. Let's start putting these books back where they belong, shall we?"
                
While Twilight and Spike were re-shelving the books, Spike felt a sudden gust of wind enter the room. At first, it was a gentle breeze and they both stopped immediately once they had felt it. Another burst of wind. This one was a little stronger to where pages were flipping but not enough to carry Twilight and Spike. They looked at each other for a moment startled. Fwoosh! The strength of the wind was so great that Spike was struggling to keep his little dragon feet on the ground. He and Twilight both watched as it began tearing through the pages and sent the books flying out of their shelves.
                
"Spike, I thought you took care of the draft downstairs!" yelled Twilight.
                
"I don't think it's the draft, Twilight!" Spike retorted, "Look!"
                
Spike pointed at the center of the room. Emitting from it was some sort of blazing white light. It gradually caused the wind to circulate faster, forming a violent wind funnel that took up the entire library. A tornado. Debris soared everywhere around the house. Books turned into ricocheting bullets. Papers were torn out of the books and made the spinning vortex look like a glowing paper twister.
                
Spike clung onto the front door handle for dear life as Twilight struggled to stand her ground. Twilight aimed her horn directly at the tornado and hoped to Celestia that the spell will work . Emitting from the tip of her horn was a purple stream of light; it headed straight in the direction of the violently spinning typhoon. As it got close, the stream of light separated into a gaping mouth, swallowing the vortex up in a large, round bubble. All was silent and still. The vortex was successfully contained. However, a strange sound emitted from the bubble, an unusual cracking sound, like glass breaking. Twilight saw and noticed that the forcefield was about to shatter. She tried to maintain her strength to contain it but it was no good. The funnel managed to escape its prison and resume its destructive reign.
                
It failed.
                
Twilight, now even more frustrated than before, attempted a different spell. This time, she closed her eyes and focused on nothing but the spinning funnel itself. Her horn sparked an electric purple light. The more strength she put into the spell, the larger the spark grew. Sweat was dripping down her coat. Her teeth gritted in determination. All of a sudden, a blinding white light flashed, along with the sound of electrical discharge, and everything became quiet. As the light faded, Twilight and Spike opened their eyes to witness the aftermath of the spell. There was no sign of the tornado. Rugged books and pieces of torn paper slowly fell to the floor like snowflakes. Lecterns were tipped over, books lied in piles up against the walls, and the windows were shattered from the brute force of the wind. They both sighed in relief.
                
Rrruummbble. A brief shake in the ground occurred. Twilight and Spike froze in place and stared at the ground and then each other. A gust of wind blew past them both. Out of nowhere, a blinding flash of light emitted and the vortex returned with a vengeance. Twilight did nothing but just stared in bewilderment with her mouth gaped open. It almost seemed as if her magic was useless against its brutal force.
                
"I don't understand! Why isn't this thing going away!?" she yelled over all the chaos as she held onto a bookshelf. There was no stopping this immovable object, not even magic. The entire tree house was getting torn to shreds. Wood was tearing off the walls. Leaves were blown inside the tree. It was hopeless.
                
Then, the unthinkable happened.
                
The current began to die down. Everything was slowly coming to a halt. The vortex was fading; ceasing into non-existence like a ghost, leaving Twilight and Spike alone in the outcome. The two were dumbfounded from the fact that it just went away by itself. Their actions only hindered the worst. All was now at peace. When Spike and Twilight stood and stared at the light at the center of the room, they noticed that when the light was fading, it revealed an ominous looking figure.
                
It's rectangular shape contained a glass screen that shone both of their reflections. It was poised on a desk with a wooden top and metal legs extending from it. Located on opposite sides of it were two small cubes whose front faces were covered in holes. In front of the screen was some sort of elongated flat rectangle that consisted of small squares, encrypted with letters, numbers, symbols, and unknown commands. Next to it was, what appeared to be, a half egg-shaped object with its flat side facing down, a niche at the top as well as a round object bulging from inside.
                
The last piece of this mysterious contraption was also the most complex looking. Its rectangular prism shape contained many tiny little spectacles. There were several buttons here and there on one side, and a bunch of small ports and ventilation slits on the other side. Its label, engraved in large, capitalized letters, was located on its large face. The letters spelled out "DELL" with the "E" tilted back on a forty-five degree angle.
                
Twilight and Spike both gazed in awe and curiosity as they attempted to figure out what exactly appeared in the middle of the tree house. They both sauntered around it, examining its mysterious components.
                
"What do you think it is, Twilight?" Spike asked.
                
"I'm not sure," retorted Twilight, "It appears to be some sort of machine, but I've never seen anything like it before."
                
"What about that stuff you have in the basement? It kinda looks like one of those."
                
"Yeah, but there's something about this that doesn't seem to fit. It looks much more...advanced."
                
Spike was about to push a button when a swift hoof smacked his scaly hand away.
                
"Ow!" he yelled, "What'd you do that for?"
                
"Spike, you shouldn't be poking around at it!" Twilight replied. "We don't even know what this thing does!"
                
"I was just seeing if it would turn on."
                
Twilight rolled her eyes in dismay. She glanced at the time and her ears immediately went up in alarm. She gasped.
                
"Applejack!" She galloped around the room, scanning for something while muttering to herself.
                
"I can't believe I forgot about the apple harvest!" she complained, "I promised to help her out!" She stopped and looked down to find her light-pink saddlebag. She quickly threw it over her back and raced for the front door.
                
She turned directly towards Spike.
                
"I should be back in an about an hour and a half," she assured. "We'll start looking into this later. Okay?"
                
"Wait, why can't I come?" Spike asked.
                
"Because, well, it's just that you...need to make sure the thing is safe," she replied with a nervous grin.
                
"It's not like anypony's gonna rob us. There hasn't been a robbery since, well, forever."
                
"Yeah, but you never know when it could happen!"
                
"It's because of my size, isn't it?"
                
"Yes."
                
"Okay," Spike sighed.
                
"Good. See ya in about an hour and a half! Oh, and can you please tidy up the place too? I'd be grateful if you do. And don't touch that machine!" Once Twilight closed the door, everything became tranquil. Spike was now alone in the house with ruined books scattered, shredded pieces of paper piled up like a blanket of snow, broken glass from the dusty windows, and the mysterious machine that whispered into his mind to come towards it. He observed the aftermath around him and sighed.
                
"Well, time to get this over with," he mumbled to himself.




*****

                
Sleep. Sleep was the only thought running through Spike's mind as he swept up the last of the debris. He scanned the area for any remaining scraps. Nothing. Everything was spotless. The books were neatly re-shelved, the windows were fixed, the floor was swept; the entirety of the house was immaculate. It was almost as if the vortex never occurred, except for one particular piece of evidence; the present it delivered.
                
Spike glanced at the time. Forty minutes have passed. Immediately, he fell to the floor on his back in debilitation from nonstop work. His arms throbbed from sweeping and re-shelving by hand. His legs were blocks of lead, nearly impossible to move. Finally, I can rest, he thought. He turned his head towards the unknown contraption. It still whispered to him, trying to lure him closer. Ignoring the hissing voices, he closed his eyes and slowly the sound of snakes faded.
                
Thud

Spike woke up to the sound of something being hit. He noticed he was laying on something soft, brushing up against his skin. His opened his eyes, only to realize that something was different. He was not at home. Instead, he found himself laying on tall green grass, surrounded by an innumerable amount of trees. The skies were partly cloudy. The leaves gently rustled with the wind. An ambrosial essence saturated the air. Everything swayed slowly as if time was running at a slow pace. As Spike observed his surroundings, he couldn't help but believe that this place seemed familiar. It was like he had been here before.
                
Thud. 

There it was again. That violent, echoing sound was coming from somewhere near Spike, off to his right. Curious, he followed the noise to discover its source. Thud. He heard it again from his left. Spike continued to brush through the tall grass and small twigs towards the mysterious sound. He stopped right in his tracks to hear it again. No sound was made. Spike insisted on waiting in anticipation but there was still no booming noise. He was about to take a step forward when his foot hit something. He looked down and saw an odd, round-shaped object on the ground. He picked it up and examined it; it was red and about twice the size of his hand. A green stem was present at the top. His eyes sprouted in realization. He knew exactly where he was.
                
Thud! 

The noise came from behind the tree next to Spike and he jumped in shock. His head became pelted by a bombardment of red spectacles coming from the tree as he fell to the ground. The pain Spike felt in his head was acute; like it was pulsating and bumps were beginning to form. He heard a voice. It sounded like a young mare with a Southern accent.
                
"Oh, howdy, Spike! Didn't see ya there!"
                
It sounded familiar. Spike looked up to see a light-orange Earth pony with a blonde mane and a cutie mark in the shape of three apples, looking down at him.
                
"Applejack?" Spike said in confusion.
                
"Heh, them apples must've hit ya pretty hard in the head," she chortled, giving him a noogie.
                
"What am I doing here?"
                
"Oh my, they really did hit ya hard. Don't cha remember? You came with Twilight to help us harvest all these apples."
                
"I did?"
                
"Course you did. We need all the help we can get here at Sweet Apple Acres. Big Mac's not feelin' too good and we need to get as many apples as we can before they go bad." Spike pondered about this for a moment. How's this possible? All I remember was being at home the whole time. Why would I be here when Twilight wouldn't let me come with? Did she change her mind and teleported me to help? It didn't make sense.
                
"Are the others here too?"
                
"Yep. In fact, ah see them hustlin' on over here right now!"
                
Out in the distance was a small group of figures, carrying baskets full of red delectable apples, casually strolling towards them. One of them was bouncing up and down with one on top of its head, a couple of them were flying while carrying some, and another couple were levitating them above their heads. Eventually, as they got close, the figures revealed to be a group of five ponies of various colors. They were Spike's friends.
                
"Hiya, gals!" Applejack welcomed. All of them cheered happily as they set down their baskets. "Thank y'all so much for your help. Couldn't have done this without you. We now have enough apples to replenish our cider supply!"
                
"You're welcome, Applejack," replied Twilight Sparkle.
                
"Yeah, don't mention it!" Rainbow Dash added, "You needed us, we're here for you."
                
"I know what this calls for," said Pinkie Pie, "a party!"
                
"Indeed, darling," retorted Rarity, "But let's not make it too big. Something...subtle. Anything you girls have in mind?"
                
"Ah suppose we can settle this over some fresh mugs of cider. How 'bout that?" Applejack proposed. All of the other ponies nodded in agreement with each other. Spike, on the other hand, had no interest in apple cider; his appetite craved mountains of fresh, succulent, precious jewels made fit for a dragon.
                
"Great! Comin' right up!"
                
Everypony, except Spike, sat around the picnic table in the apple tree forest while enjoying their sweet, fruity beverages. Meanwhile, Spike stood next to the table distraught; still contemplating about how he managed to get to where he is. He saw Twilight, sipping happily from her mug. Why hadn't she questioned his presence? He wasn't supposed to be here. He should be back at the house securing the machine! Hmm. Maybe she knows what's goin' on. Hesitantly, he went up to his mentor.
                
"Uh, Twilight?" Spike said anxiously.
                
"Yes, Spike?" acknowledged Twilight.
                
"I-I was just wondering, did you say I could come with you to help Applejack?"
                
"Of course I did, remember? Otherwise, you wouldn't even be here."
                
"I know, but...you said I couldn't because I was too small."
                
"Too small? Why would I make such a decision? How can I deny my number one assistant?"
                
"But what about the machine back at the house?"
                
"What machine?"
                
"The machine that nearly destroyed our house! Which reminds me; I have to go back and tidy it up like you said!"
                
"Spike, the house is already spotless. We cleaned up after handling the insulation."
                
"Yeah, but that was before..."
                
"Before what, Spike?"
                
Spike could not believe what he was hearing. It was like the whole incident with the mysterious machine had never happened! Could it be true that it didn't happen? It seemed so real at the moment. Could it be all just some delirious hallucination? That the whole time, he was just imagining things that weren't there?
                
"...Nevermind."
                
Spike turned away, leaving Twilight momentarily confused before returning to her beverage. Maybe he was just seeing things. Perhaps there was no destructive vortex nor a mysterious, advanced-looking machine. But, if none of that happened, then what caused him to hallucinate? Why had he become so vexed by this strange phenomenon? Heh, I guess my exhaustion got the best of me. he assumed, supporting his head with his hand in contemplation. Taking in a few deep breaths of relief, he managed to isolate the idea from his mind. Soon, it became all but a speck of dust lying at rest on the windowsill with no intention of being provoked.  Ignoring anything that had to do with the machine, Spike focused on what was happening currently. Deciding to join in the ponies' conversation, he began by speaking to Applejack.
                
"So, what happened to Big Mac?" Spike asked. 
                
"Big Mac happened to Big Mac," replied Applejack, "I come by this morning to get ready to harvest the apples when I see him layin' down on the ground with a bunch of apples in baskets and on the ground around him. Apparently, he was tryin' to see if he could get the harvest done by the end of the night all by himself! He got tired at about a quarter of the way!"
                
"Sheesh, determined much?"
                
"I'll say," agreed Rainbow Dash, "If he had just waited for us, he wouldn't be in the condition he is right now!"
                
"I guess Big Mac has now become a...sleeping giant," snickered Fluttershy. Everyone stared at her for a moment, befuddled. An awkward silence had arisen, making her uncomfortable and cringed to hide her humiliation, whimpering in fear. At the moment of realization, the whole picnic table burst with laughter. Everypony, including Spike, couldn't suppress their satisfaction for Fluttershy's humorous antic. As Spike was enjoying the moment, something had disturbed him. A stifling frigid breeze swept through him, making him shiver uncontrollably.
                
"Bbrrr. Any of you guys feel c-c-cold? I'm f-f-freezing!" Spike complained. There was no answer. All that could be heard at first was the sound of nature slowly moving.
                
"Guys?" Still no answer. Looking up at the picnic table, he saw something unusual. Everypony at the table was laughing but they were moving extremely slow. Their laughter echoed across the farm. Spike sauntered around them, waving his hand in front of some of their faces yet still, no response. It was like everything around him had slowed down except him. Something else had disturbed him. Hissing voices had begun to arise. They sounded familiar, almost like he heard them from somewhere. The voices originated from somewhere in the orchard. Spike looked and saw a glimpse of something in the bushes. As he went closer towards it, the louder the voices were. As soon as he pushed away the bush to see, he couldn't believe what he saw. It contained multiple components, a rectangular screen, a rectangular board with a bunch of encrypted buttons, and an intricate-looking contraption with a symbol that spelled out "DELL" with the "E" tiled backwards on a forty-five degree angle.
                
It was the machine.
                
Spike gasped in shock and stood speechless. So, it did happen. The voices pressured him to press the button, the one that he aimed to press before Twilight smacked his hand away. It contained a symbol that depicted a circle with a line piercing it from above. He had begun to feel an urge, to press the button. Although he was afraid of the unperceived consequences that may arise from doing this, for some reason, he couldn’t help it. Slowly, his hand moved towards the button, despite what his inner-voice was warning him. It was like his hand had a mind of its own. As soon as he pressed it, his vision went black.
                
Spike's eyes opened to the sight of a wooden ceiling. There, he lied on the hardwood floor. As he sat up, he began to wonder what just happened. Looking around the place, he realized he was still inside his house. As soon as he began to move, he felt fully rested. None of his limbs felt like dead weight. Stretching in relief, Spike smiled for a moment until he heard those same sounds of snakes and saw what still remained in the library. The ominous mechanism.
                 
At the sight of it, Spike had become entranced by its sleek appearance. Staring in astonishment, Spike strolled towards the contraption but stopped. The words echoed in his mind: Don't touch that machine! He wanted to see what it did but he couldn't disobey his master. It'd be wrong. He did not want to get in trouble again after being late earlier. But the temptation was irresistible, speaking of its own beauty and elegance to him that he could only imagine what wonders could exist beyond his own imagination. The possibilities that could only be observed by one's own eyes was just one button press away. And so slowly, Spike's feet maneuvered him forward, stopping right in front of the beast's mechanical heart. His hand reached out, index extended, towards the button believed to bring him jovial contentment. A clicking sound was made. Lights flared on around it, thunderous vibrations emitted from the monolithic structure. Spike fell back as soon as he witnessed his doing. He had awoken the beast. He could not comprehend what was going on. The button he pressed flashed a blue light, which caused more lights around it to illuminate, a roaring sound emitted, and the screen began to flash different colors and present strange symbols and small phrases that meant nothing to him.
                
Eventually, the roaring had died down, a small harmonic jingle was made, and the screen had shown a blue background with a small image of an orange flower surrounded by a white rectangle border. Spike gazed in amazement of this discovery. At the same time, he was too afraid to move closer towards the screen, however, he managed to regain control of himself and hesitantly shuffled forward onto a chair. As he observed closely, he noticed a couple of faded italicized words inside the white box. "Enter Username". Spike wondered whether or not to continue exploring what knowledge this machine may hold. It seemed he had gone far enough, but something was driving him to search for more hidden information. He wasn't sure what it meant by "username", however, guessing it asked for a name, he decided to punch his in. Figuring out exactly how to put in his own name in, Spike looked for a solution when he saw the pad covered in buttons in front of him. The letters that were encrypted on its buttons seemed to do the trick as he pushed the ones whose letters corresponded to his name. As he pressed the "Enter" button, the flower and the white box disappeared and a word popped up with a circle rotating clockwise next to it.
                
Welcome.
                
The screen faded to black for a second and shown a new background. It was a mix of light-blue and neon-green lines emerging from the middle of the screen and projecting off the sides in a curve-like fashion. Little images with captions underneath them appeared to the left of the screen. All these things that appeared on screen perplexed Spike. He couldn't believe the amount of possibilities that may lie in this shining jewel just waiting to be explored. He had become so enamored by these magnificent spectacles that he had begun to imagine that perhaps this was something truly mystical. For this was not some sort of freak of nature, this was a goddess that had descended from the heavens above to deliver a message. Her incredibly flawless skin illuminated in the radiance of her face. Her blue and green lines were her lips and they spoke to him. Her voice was like the sound of a river flowing downstream, with its fluid movements as it softly maneuvers its way to Spike's ears, producing seductive melodies that made him tremble in captivation.
                
Spike could not wait. He must explore what lies inside the mind of the mechanized deity to uncover the message it had held deep within its archives. But there was so many places to look - so many paths to take. With the amount of time he had left before Twilight returned, he had to be quick. And so Spike stood up, cracked his knuckles, and began to dwell deep into the eyes of the machine.




*****

                
As time flew by, so did Spike's interest. So far, he had found nothing that seemed to have any significance whatsoever. His eyes were strained and bloodshot from their continuous stare at the bright screen, it became difficult to look at now. The bags that formed underneath his eyes reached down to the end of his nose. His fingers were swelling from the constant clicking and the pressing of buttons. His legs couldn't take much more of standing in one place the whole time. Spike had become so deprived of energy that he had forgotten what he was looking for. What was the point of continuing when you have no idea what it is you are searching for? As Spike asked himself this question, he had come to the realization that there was probably nothing there for him at all. There was no message. There was no more curiosity. Just nothing. What was once thought of as a beautiful oracle had now become a stagnant piece of deception.
                
Sighing in dismay, Spike slowly climbed down the chair and began to saunter upstairs, heartbroken. During the slow journey, he thought back to the contraption he had strongly grown so fond of. He could no longer understand its presence now that he investigated it. I just don't get it, he thought, If there was nothing in that thing then why is it here? This puzzled him until he decided to forget he had ever touched it and continued to drag himself to his bed.
                
Ping!
                
A faint high-pitched ringing was made. Spike paused on the last step and looked back at the machine. Something had appeared on the screen. Shocked and now overly curious, he raced back to see what it was. A white box appeared and there was something peculiar inside its near-empty space. There was something not quite right about it. It appeared beyond belief, never been thought of to be contained in such a device. It questioned its place in Equestria and in other worlds as well. It almost seemed paradoxical. Spike, staring in wonder, questioned how could this possibly exist in his world when the machine came from somewhere far beyond his reality. A chilling breeze crawled up his spine.
                
Perhaps this was the message. This was what Spike was searching for all along. He couldn't explain why he believed such an outlandish idea, it came up as some sort of epiphany. If it was beyond comprehension between realities and the unknown, there must lie a secret. And so Spike, hesitantly hovering the arrow above this mysterious gateway, entered the odd unknown.




*****

                
"Spike! I'm back from Applejack's!" Twilight proclaimed, shutting the door behind her after she entered. "Hey, I see you freshened up the place! Everything looks to be in perfect order! Nice job! And..."
                
As she laid her eyes on the center of the library, there stood Spike facing the lit screen of the machine, motionless. He did not turn around to see Twilight or even say "Hello". He just remained still like a statue. He did not notice that Twilight had returned nor did he even bother to eliminate any evidence of him interacting with the machine. He just stood frozen in place.
                
"Spike?" Twilight acknowledged. "What are you...you turned on the machine? Didn't I tell you not to touch that? I told you, we would look into this when I got back. Spike? Are you even listening to me?"
                
No response.
                
"You know, if this is some sort of act of rebellion against me you know you are going to lose."
                
Still nothing.
                
"This isn't funny, Spike! Say something!"
                
Still, no sound from Spike. Twilight had now begun to worry.
                
"...Spike? ...Are you alright?"
                
Something was wrong. Spike was not saying anything. He did not even move a muscle. Twilight slowly trotted over to him to check on him. She called out his name again but he still remained mute. She was now afraid. As she came up behind him, Twilight placed her hoof on Spike's shoulder. It was cold-very cold...and stiff. When she turned the chair  around to see his face, she gasped in shock. His mouth was gaped open, like he was trying to scream but wasn't able to produce any sound. His eyes were widely exposed with the vanes being dark red and the pupils being dilated. Twilight could see it in his eyes that something had terrified him. The horror he had witnessed had placed him in a petrified condition.
                
"Spike! It's me, Twilight!" she yelled, shaking Spike furiously.
                
"C'mon, Spike! Wake up! Wake up!"
                
It was no use. Spike still remained in his catatonic state. Twilight thought of another way but didn't want to do it to him. She raised her hoof and hesitantly slapped Spike across his face. Nothing. She continued to slap him a couple more times until she realized it wasn't working either. Galloping around the room desperately trying to find a solution, Twilight returned with a bucket of water. Without hesitation, she tossed the water in his face. Immediately, Spike had begun to blink and let out a horrifying shriek. Shivering in shock, he held his knees to his chest and shut his eyes tightly while gritting his teeth and tears dripped down his face.
                
"It's alright, Spike! Calm down!" Twilight assured. "It's okay. It's me, Twilight, remember?"
                
Spike had stopped shaking and slowly opened his eyes. When he saw Twilight, he clung onto one of her hooves without hesitation, holding onto her protective embrace tightly as she returned the favor, fondling him with her muzzle.                

"It’s okay, Spike," Twilight reassured. “I’m here.” They had remained in their comforting grasp for what felt like hours but was really only a few minutes. As Spike began to calm down, he slowly let go of Twilight.
                
"What happened?" she asked. Spike tried to answer but was providing only incomprehensible words, like gibberish. He stuttered on every syllable and couldn't make any sense out of what had occurred.
                
"It's okay, Spike. Just take a deep breath and tell me what happened," ensured Twilight. Spike closed his eyes, took in a huge breath of air and exhaled.
                
"I-I was trying to find anything interesting that could be of some use," Spike explained. "And while I was doing so, I...found something....horrible."
                
"What was it?" Spike didn't answer, however, he pointed his finger directly at the screen. Twilight trotted over to get a closer look. At first, she saw a box with some information here and there, but then she noticed something odd. On screen was a lonely little object with an image of what appeared to be a pony. The strangest part was that it looked familiar. It was a unicorn mare that had turquoise eyes, a blue coat, and a light-blue mane. Her face was positioned facing left, leaving only one of her eyes exposed, and her head was visible, like a bust. However, Twilight knew who this pony was, and she was not an unicorn.
                
"Is that...Princess Luna?" she wondered in disbelief of the sight. This was rather unusual. How would something from an unknown world possess any knowledge of anything in Equestria? What's going on? she thought. Hundreds of questions arose. Many theories have sprouted up. She turned to Spike.
                
"Was this what scared you?" she asked.
                
"No," he replied, "It was what it had."
                
"What do you mean?"
                
Spike hesitantly directed the white arrow on the screen over the image of the princess of the night.
                
"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked.
                
"Well, what did you see?"
                
"I...I can't explain."
                
"In this case, we'll have to find out. Perhaps this might give us answers as to what exactly this thing is."
                
"O...Okay then. Here it goes."
                
Spike tapped a button twice, activating the ominous gateway. An ice-cold draft blew into the room. The screen went black for a split second, then revealed something rather unexpected.
                
The screen unveiled a two-dimensional world. The background was completely night with stars peppered all around. The ground looked like a bunch of green and brown rectangular platforms that were floating in mid-air since there was nothing but the night sky beneath it. There was music as well. It sounded very fast-paced with a catchy beat. The strangest of all, was the little blue alicorn that stood upright in the middle of the screen.
                
Spike was shaking in anticipation. He didn't want to make Twilight experience what he saw. However, she was determined, she insisted it to find out.
                
"What is this?" Twilight pondered. Confused on what was going on, she tried pressing buttons to see what would happen. Apparently, the only buttons that did anything were the ones that had arrows on them. Pressing them seemed to make the character move.
                
"So, this was what you were afraid of, Spike? Some sort of simulation?" she asked.
                
Spike nodded and quickly shut his eyes and covered his ears.
                
"So far, I'm not quite seeing anything wrong with it. In fact, this looks kind of fun!"
                
Spike said nothing. Meanwhile, Twilight continued investigating this creation until she looked at him.
                
"Spike, this is actually not bad at all. I think you were just afraid of the sudden changes that have been going on recently today and you started seeing things. Although I'm still not sure what this thing is, I must say this is-"
                
By the time she looked back at the screen, the whole simulation stopped and presented something different. Its soulless eyes stared deep into Twilight's heart. Its sinister smile told her of unspeakable things. Its face was concealed in darkness. All that was visible was its short, curly red mane and some of its light-yellow mane. The sound of nonstop echoing madness surrounded the room. It sounded like the voices of thousands of tortured souls desperately calling for their salvation when there was none. The ambience of this pandemonium delivered a feeling of hopelessness and endless fear.
                
Twilight shrieked and fell backwards off the chair. Spike was running around the room, screaming with his eyes and ears shut, desperately trying to find the front door but kept running into bookshelves and then tripped over Twilight. Twilight clenched her ears in the painful volume of the screeching noise. She went back to the contraption to find out how to turn it off. She tried pressing buttons on the board but none worked. She tried to get Spike to tell her how he turned it on but he was too busy attempting to escape. There was nothing she could do. There was no way to manually stop this unnerving nightmare. However, after a couple minutes passed, the sound came to an abrupt halt and the frightening image went away.
                
Everyone had stopped when they realized the ordeal was over and took the time to figure out what had just happened. Spike was laying on the ground hyperventilating, while Twilight was staring in obfuscation, pondering about the situation.
                
"What was that thing?" she wondered. "It looked like a filly that I know from somewhere. Short, curly, red mane, yellow coat, rather small in stature....Applebloom? No, it couldn't be..."
                
"What do you think that...machine is now, Twilight?" Spike asked.
                
"I'm not sure anymore, Spike," she retorted. "After seeing this...I don't know what to believe."
                
"Well, what do we do now?"
                
"I'll tell you what we’re not going to do. Nopony is going to see this thing ever again."
                
"What do you mean? You tried destroying it and it just kept coming back."
                
"I'm not going to destroy it. Instead, I'm going to place it where nopony would think to look. That way, it will never be rediscovered and we can all pretend like it never....where's the machine?"
                
They both scanned the room but there was no sign of it. No trace. No evidence. The whole place was now empty.
                
"I don't get it! It was right here a second ago!" claimed Spike. "Where could it have moved?"
                
"There's no way it can move!" replied Twilight. "And it can't just disappear into thin air! Keep looking!"




*****

               
Meanwhile…

“What you do you think it is, Scootaloo?” asked a small, white filly.

“How should I know, Belle? I’m no expert on things that nearly destroy our treehouse.” Scootaloo replied. “What do you think Applebloom?”

        “I say we check it out,” suggested Applebloom. “Let’s see what our visitor has in store for us.”

        “CUTIE MARK CRUSADER INVESTIGATORS!”




*****


Inside a compact, cluttered room, someone sat happily in their office chair, staring at a small screen. The walls were covered with posters of movies, comics, and technicolored ponies. There was a bed in the back corner of the room with bed sheets that contained the cutie-mark of a light-blue pegasus mare with a rainbow-mane. The desk the person worked at was covered with used pens, crumpled pieces of paper, program blueprints, and some empty bags of Cheetos Cheese Puffs. He was average size, average height; wore glasses, jeans, and a gray t-shirt that had a graphic of a silhouetted pony with a word underneath that he was affiliated with. His brown hair was completely shaggy and had dandruff, he had a five o'clock shadow, and his fingers were orange.
                
A knock came on his door.
                
"Yeah?" he replied.
                
In the doorway stood another man that had short-blonde hair, blue eyes, blue t-shirt, and jeans.
                
"Hey, Dave, whatcha doin'?" the visitor asked.
                
"Oh hey, Mike, just testing a program I've been working on for quite a bit." Dave replied.
                
"A bit? I haven't seen you all week! I've been texting you what you were up to and you keep texting me back saying: 'Working on a project.'"
                
"Oh yeah, sorry I haven't been around as much lately. I just got really obsessed with my work."
                
"What are you working on anyway?"
                
"Just a computer simulation with the My Little Pony universe. So far, it's doin' pretty well."
                
"Really? Here let me see."
                
As Mike hustled over to the screen, he saw a purple unicorn mare and a baby dragon desperately running around the house in search of something.
                
"Is that Twilight and Spike?" Mike asked in disbelief.
                
"Yep," replied Dave, "and I've actually managed to get their personalities spot on."
                
"Dude, that is awesome! So, what exactly do you do here?"
                
"Well, it kind of works like The Sims. You create a world featuring people that have their own unique personalities and you, pretty much, play God the whole time."
                
"Dang, this must have really took some time to make. How come they're both running around?"
                
"Well, recently, I placed a computer in their world and inside it was the Luna Game; you know, that creepy game that managed to get on Equestria Daily and scare the crap out of Bronies. I managed to influence Spike to play it first, and then Twilight came by and tried it too. I just took the game out and plan to place it somewhere else; they’re running around looking for it. Right now, I just placed it in the Cutie Mark Crusaders' tree-house to see how they might react to it."
                
"Oh, that's just mean....I want to see this."
                
As Dave mischievously began to move to a different location, the mouse cursor whizzed past Twilight. As it did, a text box popped up. It said: "Sweet Celestia! Where is that draft coming from!"

 


The End