> Show, Don't Tell. > by AndromedaNova > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > I: Golden Opportunity > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- |Dear Princess Celestia, Ever since I was a baby, I've enjoyed my life to the fullest, and now that I am a teenager, I hope to have even more good times with you and everypony else! I wanted to thank you and the girls the most, you've helped me become a young adult, and I am proud to have you as Twilight's faithful student, and our princess. I love you all undyingly, nothing will change that! You guys will never change for the worse, and that, I trust you will do! Yours Truely, Spike~.| Years Later A message Spike now dispises, his world was yet to change yet, and if somebody were to tell him this would happen to him then, he would call you an extreme liar. They were all there, the six girls, Discord, Celestia, and a few others. This was one of his most impressive speeches he's ever made. It needed to be done, this whole adventure has gotten to him, making him become a young man. Matured enough to come out with his final resolution."Do you think this is some kind of game?" Spike hollered at the princess and girls," My whole life, you all have taken care of me, made me feel good, and one day you... you.... You all CHANGED!" Fire and smoke was swarming out from his mouth, every bit of his rage was coming out in the form of words. "S-Spike we're telling you how it is.... We've loved you since you were a baby, and the girls cared for you ever since they knew you! Why won't you believe us!?" Twilight was trying her hardest to express herself out, but was overruled by Spike instantaneously. "You DON'T care about me! You are just trying to play me like you've done for years! If you truely cared, here's a lesson in smarts and real life--- SHOW! DON'T TELL!" Months earlier "Next Monday, we and the girls are going to Canterlot for Christmas. Make sure to pack, we are gonna see my parents again, first time in awhile, huh?" This is what Twilight promised Spike a week ago, and honestly, Spike was ecstatic! He loved warming up to the fireplace, eating chestnuts, drinking eggnog, watching old classics, and meeting up with family once more, the true spirit of Christmas was all in that place. This was going to be his favorite time of the year!---- Was. Today on Monday, Spike packed some sweaters, some jewels, and generally, only stuff he wanted to have with him. He ran down to the front door, Spike saw them all, he smiled brightly as he walked up to Twilight. " So, when are we leaving? I'm so excited to go ever since I left last year!" What was expecting, was for him to calm down and that they were going soon, but somehow, they got even more shallow then they were before. "Um.... Spike? Uh... We kinda bought tickets for the train without you..... So... You can't come with us.... I'm sorry...." Once he heard the meat of the sentence, his eyes filled with tears. His face was full of sadness and anger. "What am I to you?! Some... Some kind of pet?!" Twilight immediatly was shocked by this, and got angry with Spike. " That is no way to talk to the person who raised you and taught you right from wrong! You have some nerve to tell me I treat you like some kind of animal!" Spike was completely taken back by this, though he figured the others would come to his rescue, but he was wrong. They were the polor opposite of what he expected. "Spike, you are so selfish!" "If you act like that you don't deserve to come with us!" "Don't be such a party pooper Spike!" "What'n tarnation do you think you are doing talking to her like that?" He was ganged up on with insults and hate comments. This was the final straw. "I hate you......I hate you all....... You don't deserve to represent harmony." Spike then stomped away from the doors, and upstairs to his room. Ever since he became a teenager, they drove further and further away every single day. Would it be being neglected, not cared about, anything. For years. "I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!" Spike screamed, though, his room was so high up nobody would've heard him. Once he said this, he did something that would change his life, would it be for the better or worse. Spike took a giant bag for traveling, and filled it up with gems, clothes, identification, and a handheld game system. This was it, once he went, there was no turning back. With no implication it would happen, Spike spat out a letter from Princess Celestia. It was for Twilight. "How does it feel? To have something that means a lot to you, destroyed? All hope of it ever coming back, with your spirit broken. How does it feel?" Spike said as he breathed fire upon it. " You don't deserve to be Princess of Friendship, a representative element of harmony, or Celestia's faithful student. NOTHING!" As he calmed himself down, he found a map of Equestria. "Just what I needed..." He needed to explore the world, and see the beauties of life. Spike didn't care if he died out there, as long as he died happy. Two Hours Later With his last hours of being in the castle numbered, he fetched as many bits as he could find, finding a good five-thousand bits. This was his final preparation. Spike exited out the front doors, leaving the door unlocked, and started walking. He didn't know where he'd walk to, but he needed to go somewhere that wasn't in Ponyville. He wasn't scared, as far as he was concerned, this was the smartest choice he's ever made in his whole life. The dragon took flight, going east, as that seemed like it'd be his best option away from 'them'. Still unsure of what to do, but he didn't mind at this point. He was completely free, after all. Flying was exhilarating to him, it always will be. The wind pushing against him, fresh air filling his nose, and the speed. Suddenly, he knew where he was going first. Nothing else mattered but his destination at this point, and he managed a smile at the thought of it. > II: Diversion > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 'I actually did it.' Spike thought.' Years worth of misfortune, nopony to run to, and blood, sweat, and tears all into those girls.' This was his life now, he was gonna explore the land, 'til his dying breath, and see the world can really be beautiful..... Hopefully. Spike was soaring swiftly through the air, the wind went against his ears, and his excess scales sticking out whistled quite loudly. Yep, this was his thing. He knew he wasn't the greatest, fastest, or most stamina filled flyer, but he didn't care, when he flew, that is all that mattered. Though his satisfaction was flowing through his brain for the entire trip, it was broken by the sudden gush of wind, pulling him upward and back. "W-What?!" Spike exclaimed, and he finally looked at where he was.... Right in the middle of a damned storm. He knew he had to act fast, but he couldn't think clearly. Every time he tried to formulate a plan in his head, he gets dragged back, and nearly descends out of any way of flying. If his life wasn't hard enough as it was at that point, a funnel cloud submerged out of the nimbus clouds. Trying his hardest to stay away from it, he was still pulled up and away from the cloud. Luckily, he was too far away from the funnel cloud for it to affect him. Even if it did throw him into the ground, he wouldn't die because dragons were created to where they wouldn't die from falling, in case of any debris, storms, or anything of the sort. Suddenly, CRAAAASSSSHHHH. In front of Spike, lightning stuck and blinded his vision, not permanently, but enough to make him not see for about ten minutes, but that didn't matter anyway. Spike was already descending down rapidly, he thought he was falling, but he wasn't sure. 'Certainly I can catch myself up and not cra-' He thought crashing as he said he wouldn't would be too corny to happen, but not with his luck. Fifteen minutes after the crash, the dragon picked up his face in disinterest,"Gosh, what are the odds that the moment I mention crashing, I crash?" Spike grunted lowly, and pushed himself up off the ground. The ground was as black as burnt toast put into the oven, never has he seen so much black and that intensity of it. He looked all over his body, a few cuts, burns, and bruises, however nothing that would really hurt him, he's had much worse. That wasn't the problem on his mind though,'Where am I?' was. Spike, after slowly getting himself out of the crater, walked around the unpopulated area. Trying to spread his wings, he made an," OUUCH!" and put them back into his folded position. Surely enough, he was in no condition to fly, not yet. With how much it hurt, he thought it would take about a day or two to recover, but this was still a bit of a drawback, considering where he was going. Luckily, there was a sign he could just barely see, about a quarter-mile away, and that distance seemed like hiking for five hours from what he saw. Although he had that mentality, he still sucked it up and started limping his way over to the sign. It took about ten minutes, yes no joking there, for him to get it, but when he saw it, he was enthusiastic! The sign was for Baltimare, this relieved him because he thought there wouldn't be any small towns for miles, but what'dya know? A big city, perfect time for dinner too! Getting caught up in this, he didn't expect a letter.... even if he didn't leave, but nontheless, he coughed out a letter. Spike read up to,"Dear Spike...." and ripped it into smithereens, even burning those too. "I won't be needing that where I am going. Out of torture town, and next stop, big city!" He gave a heartfelt smirk, and started walking the way to the city, he knew the way from there, and got there in about thirty minutes. Spike, engrossed with the town at the moment, went venturing out to every free venue he could. Never went to Baltimare, but he knew his way around, and it was he wanted to go for a long time. After about an hour of exploring, he went to eat, getting a jewel smoothie, fancy jewel pizza, and an apple to hold him over for later. Throughout his exploring, he's always noticed some posters up on poles and walls. "Trixie: Most Powerful Magician in Equestria. Performing tonight at 8 PM, in front of the town hall." Though the poster was kinda unprofessional, it was still eye-catching, and was tempted to go to it. He hasn't seen a lot of impressive magic recently, and he has heard she has really became one of the best in history. Spike didn't want to go just in spite of Twilight, he was mad, but not a moron. So, it was around 7:50 PM, and so Spike made his way, taking some time though, to the city hall. There was an entire audience! After Trixie and Twilight encountered a second time, it must've rubbed off on her to act more kind and less self-centered. She still had her third-person gimmick and referring to herself as "great and powerful", but that was about it. Trixie performed many spells on participating audience members, like turning a mare into a stallion, a succubus spell (She quit the spell after a minute or so), advanced teleportation, and even showing she could control clouds without being a pegasus. There was plenty more, but these stuck out in particular to him. At the end of the show, Trixie explained," For all those wanting to me the Great and Powerful Trixe, feel free to come in my trailer at the back! Trixie is open for any discussion, just try not to go over conversations longer than ten minutes!" She gave the crowd a smile, and walked off to her trailer, being left with thirty seconds of applaud, yes, he counted. Throughout the next few hours, he waited. It may seem silly, but he really wanted to talk to her, and Spike had no idea why. Maybe he hadn't had a good talk in awhile, maybe he wanted to vent, he didn't really know why at the time. Before he could even try to figure that out, the last pony walked out of the trailer, and Trixie said," Is there anypony else who wanted to talk to me?" Spike's attention perked up, and he walked inside, to be greeted by a smiling face. "Wow! I haven't seen a dragon in years! Back when I was a bit of a boaster, I saw a purple dragon who looks quite a bit like yourself, only a child." Trixie said with delight, and pointed her hoof to a seat," Take a seat, my dear." Spike grinned, and took a seat," Oh really, huh? Well, was the dragon with a lavender-coated unicorn? Twilight Sparkle?" She was quickly took back, and she uttered,"Are you....... Princess Twilight's assistance? Spike?" Trixie was enthusiastic, and swayed in a happy body language. "Trixie remember you! You were with Twilight when Trixie tried to say she was a better magician than Twilight! How is she by the way? Must be lucky to be with her all day!" Spike slowly sighed,"Not....really..... I don't like her, in fact, I despise her." Trixie was shocked by this, even putting a hoof to her mouth," Why... Why would you say that? Trixie would think she would be a joy to be around almost all times!" "Sadly mistaken, I even wish I were wrong. She and her friends are abusive and uncaring..... Even when I was a baby. When one of the friends had a birthday party in Canterlot, I wasn't invited to it. She is so lazy, that I have to do all the housekeeping and work around the castle, feed her, clean after her, anything!" Spike said sadly and with anger in his tone. Trixie was astonished, how could the Princess of Friendship, of all ponies, be horrible towards him? She wasn't sure of who to believe, but she doubts the dragon would lie, seeing as he isn't in Ponyville at the moment. "Did you...... Run away from them? They aren't with you from what Trixie could tell, and wouldn't think you would be with them considering your.... situation" Spike cracked his fingers, and laid his head back," Is it that obvious? Well, yeah. I did, and don't go around telling that I left her, what I told you is sincere, nothing short of the word." He tried to spread his wings, but quickly yelped, put them back into place, and started rubbing them,"As you can tell, I got in a bit of a predicament with my wings. I was flying high, and some lightning nailed my eyesight, a funnel cloud stirred my movement, so I dropped down on my back. It really sucks, as you may tell, but it'll be over in about a day." Trixie was obviously interested in what he was telling her, as she was leaning in to get better visuals and hearing,"That's quite interesting....... Tell Trixie more about what you've been through, if you don't mind telling her." Then Spike was set in a conversation that went on, and on, and on, for nearly two hours. He told her how at one point the girls basically made Spike their servant on special events, including the Grand Galloping Gala, how they were jerks, saying to be more like ponies and all dragons are bad, and many more of their outrageously greedy and bad examples of how a friend should be. It didn't seem to end, the conversation that is, for what happened and what would've came if he stayed. After those two hours have passed, Trixie took a yawn, and scratched her eyes,"Well, did you want to stay here for the night? You've been through quite a bit, and since you need to rest good for tomorrow, you should probably stay here at least for tonight." She looked as if she were about to pass out, but she didn't because of the conversation that she loved. Spike, through exasperation, gave her a nod, and stood up. Trixie guided him to a guest room, and said," Well... here's you sleeping place for you, I think..." her speech getting all mixed up from fatigue, and slowly walked out of the room, closing the door after. Before she even closed the door, Spike was already on the bed, sleeping. Around 10:00 AM Through the entire night, he enjoyed every single second of sleep, so when he woke, he was a bit irked. The dragon still got up though, knowing he'd have to get some breakfast, catch up with Trixie, and eventually leave later today. Took some strength, but Spike got up to his feet, and grabbed his bag. As he walked out of the room, Spike grasped a big, red jewel right out of the bag, and devoured it near instantly, which made him very energized. To his suprise, Trixe was found in the living room already, wide awake. "Good morning young dragon." She said, not even looking up,"Don't go anywhere yet, I need to tell you something." Trixie got up, and trotted right up to him,"Trixie has a device that can help us communicate, in case you get in a situation and need Trixie's help. Don't take this any different than me wanting to make sure you are safe. Afterall, you are in a bit of a tight problem as it is." She put a button in his hands,"This device contacts me whenever you are in need, I will most likely always answer it, and it will provide a hologram of you and Trixie." Spike was surprised by this advanced technology and magic. He'd never even seen Twilight do that before, maybe she'd gotten lazy. "T-thanks Trixie! I'll keep it in my bag, you know where I am going afterall..." Trixie quickly nodded, and took a bow, "It was quite the pleasure meeting you, and I can't wait to talk to you again!" She said with a smile, and with a bit of enthusiasm in it, but she had just gotten up, so she couldn't be jumping on her hooves happy. Spike also took a bow,"Same for 'The Great and Powerful Trixie'." He said with a smirk, with left Trixie giggling. Spike left the trailer, and quickly took off into the skies once more. It felt great that he could fly after what seemed like an eternity, but he was simply glad the option was back. Finally, he was back on course, nothing would divert him again, at least not this time around.