> Dimming Flame
>  by Penmore
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Deterioration
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Spike hung by a rope around his neck. He wondered if anything he did was even worth trying. He'd made a decision to try and ease his suffering that night with the help of a sturdy rope. The only problem was that he was a dragon, which meant his neck was far stronger than he realized.

"There really is no point to any of this is there?" he said to himself as he looked up and burned the rope in his emerald flames.

They disappeared in a puff of smoke and he landed on the ground as the smoke landed next to him forming the rope he was using. It was only a passing thought that made him attempt something like this, but thoughts like that were all he had lately. Nothing was changing in his life and Twilight was still as ignorant as ever.

It's as if the world just wants me to suffer. I can't even escape it the way I want to.

"It was a bad idea in the first place; I shouldn't have even tried. I just need to find things to occupy myself." Spike answered the voice in his head.

It was my only path towards being free of all of this. Am I really destined for nothing greater than being a slave?

"I'm not a slave. I'm the Princess of Friendship's number one assistant and family." He said with a slight hiccup towards the end.

Family, again with that word. I can't even say it properly anymore. I can't lie to myself anymore it's never going to change if I don't take action.

"I don't know. Maybe I should just talk to Twilight about all this. I'm sure she'll listen and help me out. If not her than somepony else would... right?"

...

"Right?!" he yelled into the air.

There was no reply, he was only talking to himself and even then the voice had abandoned him to figure out the problem at hand alone. The moon shone through his window landing on his small figure. He was sitting down undoing the knots he had made on the rope and taking it apart bit by bit. His claws were long and dry from lack of maintenance. His scales had grown dull the past week. The bags under his eyes were now visible despite his efforts to keep them hidden. He rarely smiled anymore and was always downcast when left to himself.

Even with all of that, the one major change that occurred was the look in his eyes. He had gone from having eyes full of life to them resembling empty pools of stagnant water. It was the only thing he had actually laughed about when he caught a picture of his younger self with Twilight and her family. He was off to the side while the rest of the family took the center; nothing but a footnote even then. He laughed at his past for having dreams and aspirations; laughed at the notion that he could have done great things. Even if he had saved the Crystal Empire, he didn't deserve the praise. He had only moved due to Twilight's instruction and nothing else. That was always the case, nothing he did was anything less than what she asked or what she expected.

"It's better this way. Who'll cook for her or clean her mess? Who'll carry her things or send her letters?" He tried to force a smile; all the while ripping apart the rope in his hands."If I wasn't around she'd just be hopeless... she needs me... I can't leave her..."

Spike stood up and threw the remains of the rope on the ground next to the tiny pieces he'd ripped off and shredded. He headed towards the door and entered the hall as quietly as he could. He didn't want to wake Twilight up from her well-deserved rest.

I wish I could sleep as well as that bitch.

"Stop it."

Descending a flight of stairs, he walked towards one of the many doors that looked the same as all the others. Visitors always wondered how he'd never get lost and he'd reply that it was a secret. That was what he said, but it wasn't a secret at all. He'd mapped the whole place out the first couple of weeks he couldn't sleep. He'd walk around at night fixing anything and everything he could. He'd wash, dust, sweep, and mop anything that he thought might need it. Every night he'd do the same until he finally knew where everything was kept. Lately, he'd forgone even his nightly cleaning sessions and that's when the thoughts came up.

They'd always come when he was left without anything to do. It was impossible to stop them nowadays. They were getting to be so frequent that, even when he did have work, they'd come to the forefront of his mind. He stepped into the bathroom and got up on the stool that he kept in front of the sink. There was a bathroom on the same floor as his room but that was also the bathroom that Twilight would use as well. Not to mention it was far too close to her room for him to use it at night. He stared at his reflection without much surprise as he already knew what the sleepless nights and daily mental battles were doing to him.

Waste of space. That's all I see anymore. When was it that I stopped caring for myself?

"Please..."

It was probably when I had to take care of her for the first time. It was never really a choice if I remember correctly. She asked for a favor and that turned into more favors. Then eventually she just told me what to do and I'd do it. The favors were never repaid and I stood there and took it with a smile.

"No. I wanted to do those things. She gave me a choice; it wasn't a demand."

Wasn't it? I still remember her calling me a nuisance and stupid when I was younger. She might have thought I forgot, but that stayed. It was the reason I tried harder for her at any given point. It was so she could accept me for who I was. Only, that wasn't who I am at all. I changed and adapted for her; not for myself. It was never a favor and it was never my choice. It was all for her; it always is and always will be.

"Don't you think I know that?! I know that was always the case! I've never had anything work out for me otherwise! If I don't do the things she says, then what good am I in the end?!" He yelled at his reflection as he punched the mirror shattering it to pieces. "I hate cooking! I hate cleaning! I don't care about the proper way to file documents and I loathe the fact that I remember the entirety of the Dewey Decimal System! I just want to be me! Why can't I be myself?!"

He collapsed onto the sink and cried. It had been a long time since he had cried and the tears weren't stopping anytime soon. His hand was bleeding as shards of glass were wedged in between his scales, yet, he didn't care. He welcomed the pain as it was the only thing that felt real. It wasn't until the moon was beginning to set that he'd stopped crying and washed his face. He cleaned the shards and picked the ones out of his hands. He was cleaning again; even if he hated doing so, it was now so engraved into his body that it was a natural reaction.

"I have to stop the blood..." Spike stared at the blood that had pooled in the sink on top of the water. He watched as it slowly dripped from his hand and smiled as it hit the red surface. He grabbed one of the largest shards from the wastebasket and held it with his good hand.

Do it.

"But..."

It felt great, liberating, fresh! It made me feel... For the first time in a long time, it was something other than the type of pain I've been feeling.

Spike turned his hand over and exposed his palm. The scales around the front of his body were a bit softer than the rest but still strong enough to withstand a lot. He knew that he couldn't just jab something into himself. Instead, he took the shard and placed it underneath of his scales and began to dig it out. It was like carving out a chunk of flesh as the scale was never meant to be removed. He dug and lifted as the sickly sound of blood and tearing sinew filled the small room. When he finally removed it, there was a gush of blood which he stopped by cauterizing it with his flames.

Spike dropped the bloody makeshift weapon and lifted the scale which he'd peeled. He stared at his arm and his work with a smile.

"It felt great..." was all that escaped his lips before he passed out.





"Sp... Spike! Spike! Are you in there?" A voice from the other side of the door yelled.

Spike dragged himself up and found that he was floating. He sank for a bit and gagged as he returned to the surface. He looked around and saw the faucet still gushing out water. Diving under he went straight for it and turned it off before going back up top for air.

"Spike?! What's going on in there?!" The voice screamed again.

"Nothing Twilight!" he replied

"What do you mean nothing?! The hall is flooded with water and you sounded like you were drowning."

"Sorry, I probably fell asleep while taking a bath. Hold on for a bit, I'll fix it." He took a deep breath and released the biggest flame he'd ever made.

The water was caught in the flames bit by bit and soon all of it was nothing but a giant puff of smoke. He thought of the lake just outside of town and the smoke pushed through the bottom of the door heading towards its destination. The bathroom was left wet and the evidence of last night was gone; along with the mirror that was broken. All that was left was a wet baby dragon and the scale from last night. He blew fire on it and the smoke headed for his room as he unlocked and opened the door to find a very angry Purple Pony Princess.

"Fixed it!" He said with a slight smile and hiding his arms behind his back.

"Ugh." She threw her head up in exasperation. "We'll talk about this later. Make sure to clean all of this up before breakfast Spike. Got it?"

"Sure thing, Twilight." He replied immediately with a smile on his face. "Anything for you."

He watched her leave taking a flight of stairs down to the dining area. She took one last look behind to see him still smiling. She shook her head and continued downstairs leaving the dragon by himself. When she was out of sight, Spike ran to his room and looked at the scale resting on his pillow. He picked it up and stared at it shining in the sun with a smile.

"She didn't even notice. I'm honestly not surprised. I wonder if she did and just regarded it as unimportant."

We could just kill her.

"What? Who's there?"

Think about it. She may be an alicorn but she's far too trusting. Get the chance to get close enough and tear her throat out. Poison is also pretty effective; there are enough books and tools here to make the perfect poison.

"Who's talking?! What are you trying to do to Twilight?!"

Spike scoured the room to find the location of the voice only for it to end in vain. He couldn't find the source and yet felt he knew from where it came. He turned the scale in his hand over once more and looked at the reflective surface. What he saw was himself only it wasn't the image with a purple tint. It was a clear and vivid image of himself, he wasn't looking into a reflection at all. He was staring at his body moving by itself.

"Wha.."

"Think of it Spike, once she dies you'll be free. No more exhaustion, no more suffering in silence. Just peace, complete and utter peace."

What are you?

"I'm you, Spike. Nothing more and nothing less. The purest version of yourself, the one that wants to see her smile."

No...

"Won't she look happy Spike? Once we carve her corpse with a permanent smile? Won't we be happy?"

"Noo!"

There was a sudden pain and he was hit with a migraine ten times worse in magnitude than he'd ever experienced. Once it subsided he found himself in his room again. Nothing changed other than the scale he dropped once the migraine hit. Picking it up carefully, he turned it to the reflective side with hesitation and found only his reflection copying his movements.

Before he could think of anything else, Twilight's voice rang through the hallway. "Spike! I thought you were going to clean up the mess!"

Throwing the scale onto his pillow he ran out of the room to intercept her from coming inside. "Sorry, I spaced for a bit. I'll get right on it Twilight."

"Fine. I'll be waiting for you downstairs. Let me know when you're done."

"Sure thing, Twilight."

He watched her leave with a smile on his face to assure her that nothing was wrong. Despite living together and knowing each other since his birth. She could never tell when he was truly putting on a mask. It helped in situations when he didn't want her prying into anything.

Just go up and hug her. Once she reciprocates take that moment to snap her neck.

"Stop it... please just stop."

Tears rolled down his face once the alicorn's figure left and his strength gave out. He collapsed onto the closed door behind him and clutched his head in pain. The migraines were getting stronger and with them the voice.
> Conviction
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“I don’t know girls, I’m worried about Spike. He’s been acting pretty weird lately.”

Twilight had brought up the topic during one of the bi-weekly friendship meetings. They would discuss whether or not something significant happened or stay the night in case the map would call for them. It would also give them a chance to catch up in case they were too busy with their personal lives. Today was just another one of those meetings in which the girls got together in lieu of their busy schedules.

“What do you mean darling?”

“Yea, I haven’t noticed anything different. Then again, I haven’t seen the little guy for quite a while.”

“Rarity and Rainbow are right. I haven’t really noticed anything different about Spike. What exactly have you noticed?”

“Are you sure you haven’t AJ? I only ask you specifically because he’s been helping you out on the farm a lot more lately.”

“What are you talking about Twilight? He’s barely been at the farm since he’s helping Rarity”

“Nonsense, much like Rainbow Dash, I haven’t seen him since he’s been helping out Fluttershy this past month.”

“Oh my goodness. He told me that Pinkie has been needing his help with some of her parties lately.”

The group looked towards the hyperactive pink party pony for the next sequence of he said this only to be answered with a shoulder shrug.

“Pinkie, I find it hard to believe that you of all ponies don’t know what Spike is doing. Are you hiding something?” Twilight asked as the rest of the girls looked at pink mare with a questioning glance.

“Sorry girls, I made a Pinkie Promise.”

“So from that we take it that you do know what’s going on?”

“Oh, no. I have no clue as to what Spike is doing. The Pinkie Promise was just to stop keeping tabs on him. I don’t know what he’s doing, where he is, or why.”

“We can ask that?”

“Well, Rainbow, no pony else ever bothered to ask before so I just didn’t bother.”

The rest of the girls pondered on the newly acquired information but decided that it would be best not to ask the same of Pinkie due to the possible new ways she’d find to do what she did. The matter of her eerie knowledge of anyone she’d met aside there was still the matter of Spike’s activities.

“You still haven’t answered what you’ve noticed Twi.”

“Well, aside from the fact that he’s obviously creating multiple alibis, he hasn’t been doing any of his chores during the day. He makes breakfast then goes outside for the whole day only returning for dinner. I’ve also noticed that he seems to be talking to someone when he thinks he’s alone. I’m not sure who it is but he keeps arguing with them nonstop and, if not just hearing things, my name keeps coming up.”

“Wow, that’s kind of creepy.”

“Hush Rainbow, though, I do admit that she has a point. Behavior aside, I am worried about Spikey. Does any pony know anything?”

“Um, I might know something.”

They turned to the yellow Pegasus who spoke up not expecting much from her.

“What do you know Fluttershy?”

"Well, Twilight, I was doing my weekly visit to Mrs. Fluff since it was the second Tuesday of the month and we usually talk about what her children are doing since she has so many. I try to steer clear of her eldest since he’s passed away but she’s always talking about him because of how proud she is about starting his own family.”

“Fluttershy?”

“Hmm?”

“Spike?”

“Oh! Sorry, Twilight.”

“It’s ok.”

“Darling, just for my own sake who is Mrs. Fluff?”

“She’s the Tarantula that lives in the woods near my house.”

“How nice...”

“Can we get back to Spike already?!”

“Eeep.”

“Rainbow! Take your time Fluttershy, but I would appreciate it if you got to the point.”

“Thank you, Twilight. Anyways, she said that the day before she’d heard something close to her web. Usually, she would leave it alone because her web is near the border between the regular forest and the Everfree but it had been terribly close. When she went to investigate she saw Spike going walking through the Everfree.”

“What?!”

The girls all yelled at the new information concerning their friend.

“What in tarnation would he be going in there for?”

“Yea, doesn’t he know how dangerous that place is for a little guy?”

“Just a minute. If Spikey has been seen going through the Everfree, where exactly is he now?”

They looked at each other in realization of what Rarity had said. Within seconds they ran out of the castle and towards the Everfree. Ponies watched as the six sped through the center of town some tried to get their attention but they ignored them as they couldn’t think of anything other than the wellbeing of their friend. As they reached the edge of town and saw the forest come into view they felt anxious knowing the baby dragon might be in there doing Celestia knows what.

“Ok girls, Let’s comb through it as best as we can. Fluttershy and Rainbow search from above for any signs of Spike. Applejack and Pinkie, you two check with Zecora and see if she’s seen him around at any point or noticed anything weird. Rarity and I will go to the Castle of the Two Sisters on the off chance he went there. If you don’t find anything just come back here and wait for the rest us.”

“Got it!” The five mares answered as they started to spread out to their respective groups and began to search according to Twilight’s plan.





They spent the day searching through the forest not finding any leads as to where the baby dragon had gone. Zecora had not seen or heard anything about the dragon and neither Rarity or Twilight found any signs of him searching the castle. During that same time Rainbow and Fluttershy had swept the span of the forest avoiding the dangerous weather twice before landing at meeting point. Unable to stand still the two pegasi decided to join the ground search with the other four mares only to come up just as empty. As the sun was setting they decided to wait until morning to begin their search again and headed back to the castle so they could start early in the morning.

As they reached the towering crystal structure they noticed that lights were on. They rushed inside to find the purple scaled drake putting the finishing touches to dinner for two.

“Spike!” all six mares shouted as they rushed towards him only to stop as he stepped out of the way of their group tackle.

“Whoa. What are you girls trying to do? I’m still carrying food here.”

“Spike, where have you been? We’ve been looking for you all day.” Twilight asked as the relief on her face turned to frustrated anger.

“I’ve been around town all day. I didn’t know I wasn’t allowed to be on my own even in town.”

The girls stood back a bit shocked that the dragon who usually responded positively towards their friend had a touch of scorn in his voice. They watched as he disappeared into the kitchen while Twilight tried to lecture him.

“Spike, that is not the issue here. I know you’ve said a lot of different things to all of us in order to keep whatever it is you’re doing a secret. I also know that whatever it is that you are doing might involve going into the Everfree. Spike what is going on?”

“Are you girls staying the night?” He asked coming out with extra plates for the table.

“Spike! Answer me, what is going on?!” Twilight at this point was the angriest the girls had ever seen her. Her fur was standing and her wings her open making her look bigger which was an act of establishing dominance. Whether she was doing it on purpose or accident it didn’t faze Spike in the slightest as he finished setting the table and sat down in his usual seat.

“Nothing is going on. I just wanted time alone and I couldn’t exactly do that if all of you came asking for something.”

“That’s not an answer Spike!”

“It’s the only one you’ll get. Unless you want to invade my privacy then I suggest you drop the matter Twilight and sit down. All of you sit down.”

“I am not dropping the matter Spike. We’re your friends and we have a right to…”

“Sit down!” Spike yelled as he slammed the table making the plates and food shake.

The outburst caught every one of the girls unaware and caused them to shrink back before taking a seat. Twilight was the only one still standing, however, the bravado she had before had gone and she looked a bit nervous. She didn’t know whether it was because of the sudden shouting or from instincts. It took a minute before she finally decided to sit down and the food was passed around. Dinner was eaten in silence as Rainbow, Rarity, Fluttershy, AJ, and Pinkie kept looking back and forth from Spike and Twilight. The Princess of Friendship kept a stern look on her face as she ate and glared at the dragon across the table. Meanwhile, Spike was treating everything as if nothing had happened. It was an odd sight to see for their friends as the two were known to be the closest out of all of them.

“The food is excellent Spike.”

“Thanks, Rarity. I made a chocolate soufflé for desert. It should be finishing around this time. Let me go get it for every pony.”

They watched him leave for the kitchen and waited until he disappeared beyond the curtain.

“This is getting really uncomfortable. I’ve never seen him acting this way at all. He’s like a completely different Spike from the one we know.”

“I gotta agree with Rainbow on this. I’ve never seen him talk like that to you before and then there was that outburst. Are you sure you have no idea what’s going on with him Twi?”

“I don’t and that’s what makes me worry. He’s never been this way before at all. He’s always so nice and gentle. He never complains about his work and he certainly never yells at me. What could have happened to make him so different?”

“Maybe he’s just been having a bad month? I could try throwing him a Turn That Frown Upside-down party.”

“Darling, I don’t think it’s a party that Spikey needs right now. Frankly, I’m not sure what we could do to help him.”

“Maybe we should just let him be?”

They turned to the yellow mare as she whispered the suggestion. They had huddle together a bit away from the table in order for them to talk without Spike being able to listen and the opinion of leaving their friend be when he was acting strange was something they didn’t expect from the shyest member of their group.

“What makes you think that Fluttershy? This is nothing like the normal Spike at all. Why are you suggesting to leave him like this?”

“Well…”

“Yea, Fluttershy. Twi is right; we can’t just leave the Spike like this. He’s not acting like himself and it seems to be getting worse by the looks of it.”

“It’s just…”

“Shy, we need to help Spike out of this. Who knows what this’ll lead to? Heck, maybe it’ll even lead him to go all greedy again.”

“Perish the thought. I couldn’t stand seeing my Spikey Wikey turn into such a horrible beast again.”

“Stop it!”

The yell, for lack of a better term, had caught them off guard and caused their attention to shift towards Fluttershy. She gasped and covered her mouth before taking a moment to see if Spike was going to come back out.

“Sorry for yelling girls. It’s just, I think we should let him work through this on his own and if he needs help he’ll seek us out. Spike might be a baby dragon and I understand that the behavior isn’t something we’ve seen before but, he’s a male on top of being a dragon. Maybe it’s just part of him growing up?”

“You’re right… I guess that we’ve always just seen him as a baby that thought we needed to do something to get him back to how he was. If this is truly part of him growing up, then we need to step back and wait for him to come to us. I’ve been with him the longest yet I didn’t even realize how little I actually know about dragons growing up.”

“Hope you girls like…”

There was a sudden flash as they appeared in their seats with the help of Twilight and looked towards Spike as he walked out with the dessert he’d prepared for their meal.

“Fresh fruit in your soufflé… what’s going on?” He asked eyeing their obvious looks of nervousness. He’d long since figured out when they were hiding something and knew what signs to look for in case they brushed a subject aside.

“Nothing, it looks delicious Spike.” Twilight said with a smile as the girls nodded in agreement.

“Anything for you, Twilight.”

Those words alone sent chills down everyone’s spines. It was the same words they’d always heard but there was something different about them. Something that made their instincts as prey come alive for the brief moment they were said. They turned to look at the one responsible for such a reaction only to find him smiling and staring straight ahead. He stared straight and  sat undaunted by his surroundings as if full of conviction in the words he’d said. The source of this, as the girls followed his field of vision, was Twilight Sparkle.
> Rainbow Falls Pt. 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"Wha... Where am I? Who turned off the lights?"

"Rainbow? Is that you?"

"Spike? Where are you I can't see any... oomph."

"Rainbow? What's wrong?"

"I can't move! I think my hind legs are broken!"

"Can you fly?"

"I've been trying! Something's wrong with my wings! Spike, where are you?!"

"Rainbow, calm down. You'll only hurt yourself more than you already are if you keep panicking."

She took a minute to breath and stop thrashing around. The darkness around her seemed to amplify her fears as well as impair her vision. She couldn't even see her hooves as she held them in front of her. All she could hear was the sound of water dripping and her wings as she tried to fly.

"Spike are you there?"

"Yea, just hang on I'm trying to find something to light with my fire."

Rainbow could hear the sounds of his claws scraping away in the darkness. The sound of his feet on, what she guessed was stone, echoed slightly through the darkness. It wasn't until she saw a far dim green flame appear and vanish that she guessed was Spike trying to light something. It wasn't until the dim flame stayed visible that it started to move around and she decided it was best to talk once more.

"Spike, I'm over here!"

"I don't know where here is Rainbow."

"I can see the torch or whatever you made in front of me. Now you moved to my right."

"So that means, you're behind me? I'm coming."

The flame grew closer and Rainbow started to feel her fears fade away with each echoing step made by the baby dragon. That was, until it stopped and started to dim.

"Spike? Spike?!"

"I'm here. Sorry, there's a deep chasm between you and me. I don't think I can cross it."

"Where is this anyways? How did we get here?"

"I can't remember. If I knew where we are I could send a letter to Twilight but, I have no clue where this is at all."

"What do you mean you can't send a letter?! Isn't that what you're good at?!"

"I can't do it if I don't know the general distance it needs to travel!"

There was a long silence between them and the dripping of the water grew louder each second. The only other sound was of the makeshift torch crackling as it's fire grew dim. There was a flash of green light as Spike re-lit the light source and Rainbow caught sight of the chasm between them. It was more than either of them could do anything about at the moment. If her wings hadn't sustained whatever damage they had, she could have easily crossed the distance.

"How did we even get here?"

"I don't know Spike. I can't remember anything. I do remember going camping but nothing much after dinner."





"You want to what?"

"I want to take the little guy camping. Maybe getting out of the castle somewhere further out would help him somehow."

"I don't know about this Rainbow. I don't think this is such a good idea. Maybe we should just wait until he's ready to talk to us about whatever it is he's doing."

"Twilight, if we did that then he'll probably just get worse. It's bad enough he's starting to act creepy. Lately, he seems to have this really bad vibe coming from him. It's the same kind of vibe a real dragon gives off."

"He is a real dragon Rainbow."

"You know what I meant! Come on, Twilight."

"Well... I guess it can't hurt but you'll have to ask him yourself. I don't know where he is right now but he's usually back before sunset. Spike!"

"You called?" a voice from behind Rainbow answered.

"Ahhh!" The mares yelled as they were caught off guard from the baby dragon's sudden appearance.

"Sorry about that. Uh, Rainbow here has something she wants to ask you."

"Oh?"

"Yeah... I was wondering if you wanted to go camping with me. Maybe a little fresh air and time away will let relax a bit. You seem stressed about something, more than usual anyways."

"Is that so? Well, I can't really answer unless I get permission first."

"Spike, you don't need my permission to go camping with Rainbow Dash."

"But I need permission to go somewhere on vacation?"

"Pardon?"

"Nothing. I'll go Rainbow, when exactly do you plan to do this?"

"How's next week?"

Spike took a look back towards Twilight only to see her smile awkwardly at him. She motioned with her hoof to go for it and tried to look away.

"Okay. Where are we going camping?"

"Rainbow Falls is a pretty good place."

"Alright, I'll prepare some things for the trip. If you'll excuse me, I have to prepare dinner first. Are you staying to join Rainbow?"

Rainbow looked beyond Spike towards Twilight who nodded her head vigorously and held her hooves together pleading.

"Sure, I could go for some free food. Thanks, Spike."

Rainbow watched as the dragon left the room and both mares heard him descend the stairs close by. Twilight walked up next to Rainbow and once she was sure he was gone began to speak quietly.

"Thank you."

"You were pretty much begging me to join. What's the deal?"

"It's been increasingly awkward to eat with him. The food is as good as ever but, all he does is watch me eat. I don't think I've seen him try eat anything at dinner or at all for some time now. He just sits there and asks if it's good and then stays silent until I'm done."

"Alright, he definitely needs to get out more then. That is downright disturbing. Have you found out about what he does in the Everfree?"

Twilight shook her head "Nothing. I've asked Zecora to keep her eyes and ears open in case she runs into him but she hasn't run into him once."

"Fluttershy can't seem to get anything out of her animals about what he does in there. She said every time she brings up the subject they just run away."

"I'm worried Rainbow. All of this is just getting stranger by the second. Do you remember that strange chill you and the girls had last time you were all here?"

"Remember? I can't forget it. I had nightmares for a good week after that. What about it?"

"I know it's not right but, I think Spike is the reason for it. Something is changing in him and I don't think it'll be good for anyone."

A knock came from the door and Spike stood by the entrance wearing his apron with red spatter.

"Dinner is ready. I made some Tomato Soup with garlic bread and a Daisy Salad. There's red velvet for dessert if you feel up for it. Hurry before it gets cold. I don't like it when ponies ignore my hard work."

The two looked at each other before nodding and watching the drake disappear once more.

"Let's go eat Rainbow. I kind of don't want to let it get cold."

"Yeah. I mean, Spike worked hard on it and all. It'd be rude for us to just let it sit there."

As they left the room and walked down the steps towards the kitchen they heard sounds of a knife hitting something strange. Before they could see what it was Spike came out and directed them to their seats. They ate and talked about their day thus far and asked Spike the usual questions of how his day was spent. He refused to answer and simply sat and watched them eat. The act made them silent for the rest of the meal and left them looking back to one another in hopes of not engaging with the drake again.





The morning hike was silent as Rainbow kept flying ahead in efforts to get rid of her restlessness. Spike followed behind her on the trail with his overly packed bag. In her efforts to try and connect with her assistant once more Twilight had helped him pack for the trip only to have said assistant ignore everything and ready a second bag himself. Knowing what kind of pony Rainbow was, Spike had packed for more than just himself and denied Rainbow coming near the pack due to her lack of common sense.

The path was filled with the sounds of nature and the breeze was gentle. They walked and rested at intervals and night had descended relatively early. Settling at a clearing they divided the work of setting up camp between them. With Spike being the only one that could cook he stayed behind while Rainbow went to collect firewood.

"This is so stupid. We aren't talking at all and that was the whole point of taking him out here," she said, collecting more branches and adding them to a basket provided by Spike. "He said to bring enough for two nights so I guess that means to fill the basket. Still... it sure is kind of creepy out here" 

Surrounded in woods that hid the warm comfort of the moon and let only the bare minimum of it's light shine through the treetops. The wind blowing through caused a chill to go down her spine.

"I better hurry up. I don't want to be..." She stopped at the sound of leaves rustling above her. She looked up and saw a brief shadow lunging from one tree to the next. "Wha..." Rainbow started to back away towards camp only to step on several of the branches that littered the area. The noise was loud enough that whatever was in the tree stirred once more.

Rainbow looked at the tree in question once more to catch blood red eyes staring at her. She stood still as they seemed to captivate her somehow. It wasn't until she made out the sound of twigs crunching that she looked away. Looking around she saw nothing around her. The sound of the twigs became louder but nowhere she looked could she see anyone or anything possible of making the noise.

A resounding sickening thump came from the tree in front of her and she turned to look at the source. "Ahhhhh!" She screamed and flew away towards camp as she saw the corpse of a fox land half eaten. The sound of the twigs was nothing more than the bones of the fox being destroyed in whatever was hiding in the tree.

She weaved through the trees and heard more rustling coming from behind. The creature was after and could keep up with her speed. Fear took over and she started to get disoriented as the trees began to look the same. She didn't know whether she was going in circles or a straight for the camp anymore. She just wanted to get away as fast as possible.

She looked back once more and before getting a look as to whether or not it was still following crashed into a tree. She came to as a claw was reaching for her and screamed. Flailing around she hit something and crawled away only to stop as a moan came from behind.

"Spike?!"

"Yea... Who did you think it was?"

"Sorry, I didn't know. I just... there was something out there in the woods chasing me."

The drake tried to adjust his jaw as the knock to it seemed to cause it pain. "Really? Fuck that hurts." He collected himself and stood up before walking over to his attacker and offering to help her up. "Did you see what it was?"

"No, and I'm sure if I did I'd be dead by now. That thing was eating a fox before it came after me." as she accepted his help and shook the dust off her.

"You're welcome..."

"Huh?"

"Nothing. I take it that it left you alone since I found you here just fine."

"I guess... Where are we?"

Spike pointed behind him and Rainbow saw the fire he had made along with several cooking utensils and a tent.

"Camp? How... but I was sure that I got lost along the way."

"Guess not. Anyways, you're fine and that's what matters. Now come on. I collected some of the branches and leaves nearby so just leave it at that. Let's eat and get some sleep since we still have tomorrow to reach the falls."

"Yeah... but what about the thing that was chasing me?"

"If you're that worried we can take shifts sleeping. I'll take first watch and wake you after a couple hours. Is that fine?"

"Thanks, Spike."

"Yea, no problem." Spike said as Rainbow went towards the pot cooking on the fire. "Anything for you."

"Did you say something Spike?"

"I said, Let's eat. I made a potato and carrot stew along with some grape juice I brought from the castle. I also brought the left over red velvet if you want more."

"Sounds great!"

The meal was once again in silence as Rainbow looked around the area with each new sound coming from the forest. Spike stood by and filled her bowl as she finished and asked for seconds. Strangely enough, Rainbow didn't notice him eating or the fact that the pot only had exactly enough for her to eat. She was too preoccupied with the possible danger stalking the two of them. As the night deepened she turned in for the day and slept with relative ease knowing Spike would inform her if anything happened. Spike sat on a log he dragged from the forest as a makeshift bench. He watched the fire crackle and stoked the embers to keep it alive and well. The pot still hanging on the makeshift stand and the plates still dirty from dinner. The work was once again left to him to take care of instead of anyone offering to help out. It was the same as always and whether it was at the castle or out for a vacation nothing changed.

"Nothing ever changes..."
> Rainbow Falls Pt. 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"...bow!"

"Mmmgmm"

"Rai...ow!"

"Five more minutes..."

"Rainbow! Wake the fuck up!"

"Huh? What?" Rainbow awoke to find herself moving. "What's going on? Spike?"

"Down here."

She looked below her and found the baby dragon carrying her above him as he was running. She took a moment to get her bearing and started to fly next to the drake.

"Spike! What's going on? Why are you running?"

"That thing you said was stalking you came to the camp! I tried to wake you up before it got close but you sleep like a fucking log. I did the only thing I could think of and grabbed you and ran."

Rainbow looked back to see a pair of red orbs following them from above. The leaves dropped en mass as the unknown creature chased them down. Rainbow picked Spike up and started to give it her all. She weaved through trees and into the ravine looking back only once more to see if it still gave chase. Unable to see anything behind them she started to slow down and searched for a place to land.

"Rainbow! Watch out!" Spike yelled too late as a gigantic shadow descended upon the both of them knocking them into the water. "Rainbow!"

Rainbow tried to get her balance back only to have her wings tumbled around as she hit the rushing water. As she was pushed around by the current; she hit a rock and got knocked out.





"I remember! We fell into the river and I got knocked out! But how did we get here?" Rainbow asked as she tried her best to get closer to the chasm between her and Spike.

"We more than likely got pushed in here by the current. There are probably countless caves along the ravine. The falls might be visited by a lot of ponies but that doesn't mean anyone has explored all of the area." 

Rainbow could see the torch moving from one side to the other. She watched in silence until it seemed to get further and further away.

"Spike?! Where are you going?!"

"Calm down. I'm trying to see if there's a way out of this place."

"Don't leave me here alone Spike. What if that thing comes here."

"If it does then I'll be the first to encounter it since you're on that side."

"That doesn't make me feel any better."

"Well, what the fuck do you want me to do then?! I can't help you if you want me to stay here the whole time and you can't do anything since you're hurt! You expect to get out of here by sitting around doing nothing?!"

The echo of his shouting went on for a while. Spike could only stand still as he tried to listen for any response. Unbeknownst to him Rainbow had started to cry silently as the stress of the situation finally hit her.

"I-I'm sorry. I'm just a bit stressed about this. I shouldn't have yelled."

"No. I get it. Sorry for being so unreasonable Spike."

The silence between them seemed to grow as neither of them said any other words. Rainbow heard Spike shuffling after a while and tried to see what he was doing as her eyes were adjusting to the dark. She could barely make out an outline of him holding something new before his flames once again temporarily lit the area. The new torch he made was then thrown and landed to left of Rainbow with it's emerald glow.

"There you go. I can't do much else as that was the last of the papers I carry."

"Thanks. Why do you carry papers with you?"

"Twilight."

"Oh... yeah."

The silence grew once more only to be stopped by Spike speaking once more.

"Listen, Rainbow. I know that this isn't the best situation to be in and I understand if you're feeling scared."

"I'm not scared!"

"Rainbow. This isn't the time for your false bravado."

"..."

"It means your need to impress or intimidate. Listen, I'm going to search around and see if there's a way out of this place. If not that, then maybe I can find out where we are so I can send a something to notify Twilight. Try not to move around much while i'm gone; I don't want you to get hurt anymore than you are now."

"Don't take too long and be careful Spike."

"I won't and don't worry. I'll come back as soon as I can."

Spike's footsteps could be heard echoing through the cavern as Rainbow tried to collect herself. She stared at the torch that was close to her and at the emerald flames that danced on the paper. Time seemed to stop as she stared at the captivating flame. She thought about a lot of things. About her life, her friends, and about Spike.

"I never really took the time to ask him anything. Am I really so selfish as to never ask about his life? He's been around us for so long but I've never made time for the little guy." She turned the torch around as she continued to keep it from going out.

"The last time I ever got to be with him I think I just made fun of him. I never took him seriously at all even when he was having trouble finding out who he was. I'm supposed to be the element of loyalty but I can't even be loyal to a friend who needed me."

Before she could think of anything else a noise echoed from in front of her. It was garbled due to it being the end of an echo but she could barely make it out.

"..ow!"

"Spike?! Spike!!"

There was a loud crash and a massive gust of dust came blowing Rainbow's way. As it dissipated she could hear thunderous footsteps and a bloodcurdling roar. The faint green light of what could only be Spike's torch started to come into view and moving sporadically. It would sometimes be blocked by a moving shadow; all the while heading her way.

"Spike! Lure it over here and put out the torch!"

Spike did as suggested and the beast followed after him. With the light of her torch Rainbow could barely make out the size of the monster as it came close and Spike put out his torch. She saw he creature try to stop as it apparently saw the hole before the torch had been extinguished.

"Spike watch out!" Rainbow shouted as she heard the beast howl once more and claw at anything to keep it from falling.

"Ahhh!"

The scream came as sudden as her warning and was the only indication she had that Spike had been caught. She watched the shadow of the beast drop down into the pit it's scream mixing with Spike's and a sickening echo of two separate thuds. The world was silent as Rainbow tried to wake up from her nightmare. She stayed motionless for the longest time as the torch to her side started to dim. It wasn't until it went out completely that she seemed to regain awareness. It was then that she started to scream; tears rolling down her face as she pounded her hooves nonstop.

"Spike! Spike! I'm sorry! I'm so so sorry! I'm sorry I was a lousy friend! I'm sorry I was never there for you! I'm sorry for always making fun of you! Please! You don't have to forgive me but please be alive! Please, Spike! Don't leave me alone..."





The water continued to drip onto the floor as it had been since the formation of the falls. It was the only other sound besides Rainbow's breathing and occasional attempt to fly.

"How long have I been down here? I can't tell whether or not it's been days or weeks. Twilight must be looking for us by now. She's the only other one that knows where we were going. Is she going to find us though? Find me?"

Rainbow moved closer to the edge of the hole; her eyes had become well adjusted to the dark and could barely make out the massive unmoving creature. It was too far to see what it looked like but she could tell it was still breathing as the body rose with each breath.

"What am I going to tell Twilight? I was supposed to find out what Spike was doing and now I've killed him but, that... that thing... that fucking monster is still alive!" She threw the dead torch down at the beast only to receive a low growl in return.

Hunger and thirst weighed heavily on the prismatic mare at this point and her vision started to blur. She could hardly speak without it hurting her throat and she could barely hear the sound of the water dripping anymore. Just as she was about to pass out she  heard something that made her blood run cold. An echo of claw on stone came from below and the last thing she saw were two large red eyes staring at her as it reached the top.

"Spike, I'm sorry."

The creature climbed out of the chasm and stopped short of the mare front of him and, instead of eating her, lifted the her onto his back. It disappeared deeper into the darkness with the mare in tow.





Spike found himself near the edge of the forest clutching a feather from his cyan friend. As he came closer to where Fluttershy's cottage was located, he could hear the animals start to hide. He connected with the ground as the cottage had come into view and saw the animals running away from him. The commotion had apparently stirred their caretaker's curiosity from inside and the last thing he heard was his name being shouted by a mare.

"Did you find anything?"

"Nothing. Twi, I'm beyond worried. We've all seen how Spike came back and what he was holding. I don't want to think anything bad happened to her but... it doesn't look good."

"We can't know that for sure Applejack. However, it's been three days since Fluttershy found him and he's still out cold. The only thing we can do is wait until he wakes up to find out what happened."

Twilight shared a moment of silence as A.J took a look towards the stairs leading to Spike's room. It had been three days since the shy pegasus had found the baby dragon at the edge of her property bruised, bleeding, and holding a cyan feather. His left leg was broken and the wound was treated with rudimentary first aid Twilight had taught him.

"Twi, I know what I'm going to say might be something you don't want to hear but..."

"What is it Applejack?"

"Don't you think this is somehow related to how Spike has been acting lately?"

"W-What are you trying to say A.J?"

"I'm saying, that Spike might have had something to do with Rainbow disappearing."

"Applejack!" Twilight yelled stomping her hoof and making A.J turn towards her.

"Look, I'm sorry Twi but, the fact that he's been doing things in the Everfree no pony knows anything about and how he had these chilling moments at times isn't helping me not think the worst. Not to mention that, despite being the only pegasus to reach Rainboom speeds, Spike is the only one to come back at all."

"Didn't realize you thought so little of me Applejack. At least, much like your element, you're being honest about what you have to say."

The two mares to see the baby dragon holding onto the rails of the stairs as he descended them. Twilight ran towards him and tried to help him down only for him to refuse it. He reached the bottom and sat down on a couch so as not to overexert himself.

"Spike, A.J didn't mean..."

"Hold on there Twi, I meant what I said and I've still got doubts about him." The farmer walked over to the couch and stood in front of Spike. "Where is Rainbow? What the hay happened out there?"

"I can't remember."

"You... you can't remember?!"

"Yea. The last thing I do remember doing was seeing Fluttershy's animals. I can't remember anything before that other than falling asleep. So stop yelling, I've already got injuries to nurse, I don't need a migraine added to the list."

"Don't you care about what happened to Rainbow?!"

"Can you lower your voice?"

"I'll lower it when you tell us exactly what happened out there. You can't have forgotten everything! You were practically dying when Fluttershy found you! There has to..."

"I said, shut the fuck up!"

Applejack took a step back at the sudden outburst from the injured dragon. His eyes glowing and eerie green.

"I don't know what happened out there at all. I found myself outside the forest and near Fluttershy's that's all I can remember. I don't know where Rainbow is and I have no idea why I'm the way I am right now. Apparently being the element of honesty doesn't mean shit if you can't tell I'm being truthful!"

Anger flashed across A.J's face but before she could say anything Twilight stepped between the two. Her face took on a look of regal intimidation as she visually warned her fellow element to calm down. She looked at Spike who remained stoic despite the look he was being given.

"Spike, I believe you."

"What?! Twi, you can't be serious!"

"Applejack!" Twilight shouted causing the farmer recoil from the use of the Canterlot voice. "I think it's time you go home for the day. I know the searching for Rainbow is important but you haven't taken a break since Spike came back. It won't help any pony, especially Dash, if you end up in poor health due to lack of sleep."

"Fine, but this conversation isn't over. I know you're hiding something Spike and I'm aiming to figure out what." She walked out of the room and down another set of stairs. The last sound they heard from her was the front door slamming.

"Spike... I'm so glad you're alright and I'm sorry about Applejack. We've all been on edge ever since you returned sans Rainbow. Can you really not remember anything?"

"So you're doubting me as well?"

"Spike?"

"I already told you what I know. Believe me, if I could remember what happened I'd tell you immediately."

"Maybe, I can help. If you don't mind."

"Sure thing, Twilight. Anything for you."

"Y-Yea... just try to remain calm." Twilight said with a slight nervousness in her voice. She gathered her magic and a soft aura overcame Spike.

"What are you doing?"

As the aura became stronger her eyes, along with Spike's, turned white. The spell itself was one to look into past memories. As her mind delved deep into Spike's memories she watched as he collapsed onto the ground by Fluttershy's cottage. Like a recording, everything started to rewind. He got up and started to walk backwards from his final destination.

Twilight observed him walking for a while clutching the feather in his hand through the dirt paths leading up to Rainbow Falls. She watched him struggling to walk at times and rest at intervals.

"Twilight? Wha-What's going on?" Spike's voice echoed as he was made to remember everything.

"Just keep calm Spike."

The memories seemed to distort the closer it came to the night. It wasn't until she saw him crawling into a ditch that she started to feel resistance. It was slight at first but the deeper she went the harder it was to keep up the spell.

"Spike, calm down..."

"Twi... light"

When he finally got into the hole she saw him crawling backwards into the dark. The space was only big enough for him crawl so she figured he must have dug his way out. As he was nearing what seemed to be the start of the tunnel everything stopped. The memory was no more and despite how hard she concentrated, nothing seemed to work. It was then that the image of Spike vanished and she found herself isolated. She looked around and tried to conjure her magic once more only to encounter pain.

"Ow! Wait... this can't..." she stopped herself as she felt another presence. Twilight looked around the room to find nothing but the darkness. It was then she looked up and found a pair of bright red eyes looking at her. The blow came swiftly as she was hurled from the space and back into reality. Her magic rebounded and caused her to collapse in place covered in a cold sweat.

"Don't."

Twilight looked up from where she collapsed to see Spike looking down at her. "Spike?"

"Don't ever do that again. Got it?" His eyes glinted green and his face remained stoic.

"I-I'm sorry.. I..."

"Got it?!"

"Yes... I'm sorry Spike."

"Good. Now, I'll get started on dinner." He limped away from her and headed downstairs. Leaving Twilight shaking not only from what she encountered in the memory but from Spike's warning.
> Curiosity
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight tossed and turned in bed unable to even get a hint of falling asleep. The past few weeks were much the same. Her sleeping habits were becoming more erratic than ever before as nightmares plagued her constantly. She knew that Princess Luna would have come to help her during such times but they would come quick and caused her to wake before anything could be done. However, it wasn't entirely true that she wanted to fall asleep. Tonight, she didn't want to fall asleep due to a nightmare she had the night Spike woke up.

More specifically, it pertained to what she encountered while delving into his memories. The force she had encountered and the feeling of pure terror once the pair of crimson eyes had found her was indescribable. It felt close to when she faced down Tirek in a fight for all of Equestria. Though there was a difference between the feeling then and the one now. Back then she felt they still stood a chance against him and she was right. The one she felt now told her that there'd be nothing any of them could do against such a thing as the one she'd encountered.

She threw the sheets off as she went to get a glass of water from the kitchen. Twilight rarely walked the halls of the castle at night in favor of turning in early or sleeping wherever she was studying. She made a note to commission some lanterns to be installed as some of the hallways were covered in pitch darkness where there were no windows available to shine in the moonlight. The soft violet glow coming off the magic from the tip of her horn was all that kept such darkness at bay.

Her steps echoed on the floor louder than usual only to be swallowed as she continued down the darkened path. It wasn't until she reached the stairs that she found some form of light as the floor below had windows to let the moon shine it's soothing light inside. As she passed by the moon she stopped to admire the view the castle provided of Luna's sky. Her quiet contemplation was cut short as a grunt echoed through the corridor from one of the many rooms. She quietly walked towards the source to find light shining through the cracks of the doorway and a shadow going back and forth.

She cast a spell to silence any noise she might have made and cast another on the door to peer inside. The room was one of the many studies she had prepared in case of research emergencies with bookcases lining the walls and a large table with chairs in the middle. There was a lamp on the table illuminating the room but it wasn't done by natural fire at all. It held inside a green flame that was owned by only one of the castle's residents. As she turned her head she saw Spike's figure staring at a picture of her and him only younger.

He didn't move and simply stared at the picture as if waiting for something to happen only to find nothing did. It was a few minutes before he limped to the table and sat down simply staring at the flame as he moved to grab something the lantern itself was hiding. As he set it down Twilight saw it was merely a small hourglass. As the last bits of sand ran past the opening to the bottom he flipped it over instantly never taking his eyes off of the flame.

"What are you doing up Twilight?" his said sternly without moving.

Twilight took a step back at the sudden acknowledgment of her presence. She didn't know whether or not he was being serious or just guessing so she decided to keep quiet. As a minute passed she watched him get up and make his way towards the door stopping in front of it and staring right where her eyes were located. He moved his head as she moved and as he reached for the handle she dropped the spell and knocked.

"Spike?" she asked as she opened the door to find him back in the seat.

"Twilight? What's wrong? Can't sleep?" the concern in his voice felt genuine yet, what she saw using the spell seemed to make her instincts scream out to run.

"Y-yea. I was just getting a glass of water and saw the light. What're you doing up so late?"

"I was just cleaning. I may be hurt but that doesn't mean I can neglect my chores."

"Spike, forget about the chores. You need to rest and recover first and foremost."

"Nonsense, Twilight. I feel fine despite the obvious." he pointed towards the leg still in a cast. "Besides, with how much I've slept I need to walk around for a bit. Not to mention the chores piled up while I was gone." he took a moment to look her in the eyes which caused her sense of danger to flare momentarily. "Did you even clean anything while I was gone?"

"No, I guess I was too preoccupied at the time." She looked away and made her way to the table to sit down only for Spike to blew some smoke towards her which caused her to put a shield up instantly.

"What are you doing?" he asked with a confused look

Twilight opened her eyes and saw that the smoke had gone and in it's place was a glass of water that sat silently in front of her. "S-sorry, I guess I'm just a bit jumpy due to everything that's been going on. Where did you get the water?" she held it in her hooves and stared at it for a moment. She looked up to see Spike staring at her once more with the same look he'd give her when they sat down to eat. She started to sweat but gave him a smile before drinking the contents of the glass.

"I got it here with my fire. It's how I usually transport things anyways and it's far too late to go all the way downstairs for it." he breathed a small jet of flames towards the now empty glass and smoke enveloped it then disappeared beyond the open doorway. "Is that all you needed or is there anything else I can get you?"

"N-no. That was all. Thank you, Spike." Twilight got up to leave and stopped partially out the door as she heard him speak once more.

"Anything for you."

She turned and nodded once more with a smile and teleported when she was far enough away from the doorway back to her room. She jumped in bed and covered herself with the blankets as she cast a shield spell on the entryways of the room. Sleep never came as she sat in the middle of her bed looking between the door and the window expecting something to eventually burst it's way inside.
> Invitation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	It was deafening, the silence that ran through the halls and the room was eerie. Huddled in the blankets and trying to fight off sleep as it crept up. Her head kept bobbing as she tried to keep her vigil but, as the night passed nothing happened. She started to doubt if anything actually would happen in the end.

"What am I doing? This is crazy even for me. Do I really not trust Spike that much?" she sighed taking the cover off her head.

A knock came from the door which caused her to jump and a voice rang that sent chills down her spine.

"Twilight?" Spike called from beyond the door. "Are you awake?"

She kept quiet and the silence grew but as to why she did so, even Twilight didn't know. She wondered why she couldn't just answer like she usually did. Why she couldn't just shout out yes to the young drake. She heard his footsteps echo as they went further and further away. The sound of a door closing resounded through the air which signaled him entering his room. Twilight let out a breath she didn't know she was even holding and flew off the bed. Reaching the door to her room she hesitated a moment before opening it and revealing nothing except the cold dark hallway.

She walked out and down the corridor, to a door she rarely took much notice of; whether it was because she respected his privacy or she didn't really care, not even Twilight knew. She silenced the door in a blanket of magic and opened it slightly to see the room dark with a basket in plain view with it's owner. She closed it and turned back to try once again to sleep only to get knocked down as she failed to notice the obstacle in front of her.

"Ow, I should really move... that... table." she whispered feeling for the object in question only to touch familiar dry, and hard scales.

"Are you alright, Twilight?"

A pair of emerald eyes flashed in the darkness as a claw made its way towards her. Whether it was due to being caught off guard or something more instinctual, she immediately used her magic and released a shockwave that sent the poor drake flying into the wall. The sound of his body suddenly colliding with the crystal wall and floor sparked her back into the present situation with immediate regret.

"Spike!" she rushed towards her young ward only to encounter a flash of red and sharp pain when she reached out. "Ahhh!" she stumbled back clutching her right hoof as blood started to flow from the claw marks left in her skin. "Spike?" her voice full of fear more than concern.

The drake in question was still face down from the blast and unmoving. Whether he was knocked unconscious or not Twilight couldn't tell as her attention was diverted elsewhere. The soft magenta light of her horn cascaded through the area to reveal his shadow towering above the two of them. In any other situation, it would not be much of anything due to the fact that light was what made shadows appear. Unfortunately, this wasn't just any situation at the moment. The shadow of Spike, unlike its owner, was very much standing with an outstretched claw that had something dripping onto the floor.

The figure in question grew into an incredibly massive state as Spike continued to lay unmoving. It seemed to crawl closer and closer to the alicorn who had been frozen in fear. It wasn't until it reached toward her that she enveloped herself in a shield. She watched in horror as it did nothing to stop it's approach and felt a tremendous pressure as it wrapped around her. She struggled to break free and tried to teleport away only for the thing to break off her horn sending waves of magical feedback into her brain.

"Ahhh!" the scream echoed through the empty halls reaching no one as the creature covered them all in its darkness.





Twilight felt herself being shaken gently. She opened her eyes in a panic to find that she was still in her bedroom and on the floor. The sheets that were used to cover herself wrapped around her barrel and sweat covered most of her body. A feeling of nausea overtook everything as she threw up then and there which caused someone to responded in disgust and concern.

"Goodness. Twilight, what is going on?"

The voice echoed through her mind as a headache made it impossible to determine who it was that asked. She turned her head to see Rarity floating a napkin near her muzzle to block the unappealing aroma of her friend's stomach acid.

"R-Rarity?"

The fashion savvy mare helped her up and proceeded to clean the mess Twilight had made despite the disgust that washed over her. That left Twilight to clean herself up while the deed was in progress.

"I'm sorry you had to see that Rarity."

"It's fine dear. Care to explain what happened?"

"It was a nightmare... I think."

"You think?" Rarity watched as her winged friend looked around the room and cast a quick spell which enclosed the whole area. "What are you doing?"

"I just, I had to make sure no one was listening."

"Darling, who would be listening that would cause you to be so cautious?"

Twilight took a moment to look at Rarity which caused the mare to back away slightly as the alicorn approached. "I had a dream about Spike. It was so real, I thought for sure that it really happened. The fear and pain I felt weren't just caused by my psyche. I don't know how but I'm sure that he had something to do with it. I just... I don't know how."

"Twilight, you can't be serious about this. It was just a nightmare; nothing more and nothing less. I'm sure that if you let Princess Luna help you'd see it was just nonsense."

"Yea, I guess you're right. Sorry, I didn't even ask if there was something you needed."

"Oh, yes. I came to see how Spike was doing but I can't find him anywhere. I may just be getting lost in the castle again or we might be missing each other somehow. Do you know where he is?"

"You can't find him? He shouldn't be anywhere else but his room recovering. Have you checked there yet?" She dropped the spells and fixed the covers before heading towards the door with Rarity close behind.

"I've already checked his room but it was completely empty. In fact, the whole castle is eerily silent. I don't know if I could ever live in such a large place with only one other pony around if it means dealing with this kind of atmosphere."

The two moved through the hall towards the dragon's room only to find it empty just as Rarity described.

"It looks as if he hasn't been here in days but that can't be right." Twilight closed the door as Rarity came up next to her. "Spike!" she shouted through the air causing Rarity to fold her ears back from the slight shrill.

"You called?" came a voice immediately behind the pair causing them both to jump away.

"Gracious, Spike. You practically gave us a heart attack. Where have you been? Twilight and I have been trying to find you for quite some time now."

"I was taking out the trash and cleaning the cellar."

"Why in all of Equestria were you cleaning when you've only just regained consciousness? You should be resting Spike. I know that right now is a truly troubling time with Rainbow missing and all but we can't have you collapsing again."

"Y-Yea. Rarity is right, Spike. You should just take a few days off to recov-." Twilight took a moment and looked at the dragon closely as she felt something had been off. "Spike, where's your cast?"

"No can do. I already promised to go help Fluttershy today as thanks for rescuing me. As a matter of fact, I need to get going or I'll be late." He took a look towards the clock that hung above the entryway and walked off without answering.

The two merely watched as the dragon, that had once been so severely injured, was now seemingly fully recovered and showed no signs of his previous injuries disappeared beyond the entryway.

"I wasn't just seeing things right? Please tell me that he wasn't wearing a cast."

"No, you're eyesight is perfectly okay Twilight, Darling. Maybe, he wasn't as injured as we thought he was? Or maybe dragons just heal faster?"

"Nothing can possibly heal that fast Rarity. Even Dragons need more than just three or four days for a bone to set." Panic rose through the alicorn's body as the feeling she had from the night before washed over her again. She turned around only to see nothing beyond the immaculate room that Spike had left behind.

"What is it Twilight? You're sweating rather profusely and look positively pale."

"I- It's nothing. I just haven't been getting enough sleep lately."

"You should really see Luna about this before it grows into something more serious."

"I don't- No, I guess you're right. I can't have this affecting the relationship between Spike and I. I'll go ahead and let her know I'm coming. I should be back before the day ends but if I take longer would you mind looking after Spike?"

"Of course, Darling. Take your time with Luna and don't worry I'll look after him. It'll be the perfect chance for the two of us to spend some time together and for him to get some rest with everything that's been going on."

Rarity waved as her friend left through an open window. The pop of teleportation signaled the alicorn which immediately caused the alabaster unicorn to drop her facade.

"Curse my need for social grace. I didn't really expect her to leave me in charge of Spike like she did. Oh, why did I just immediately agree?"

"So, I'll be staying with you until Twilight gets back?"

Rarity immediately turned around to find the cause of her worry standing by the entrance to the castle. A slight sense of panic immediately ran through her body as it was unknown how long Spike had been standing there. Let alone how much the young dragon had heard.

"Spike!" her voice belted an octave higher than she wanted. "What are you doing back so early?"

Closing the door and walked past her he picked up a pair of gloves only he could wear that were left on a small table.

"I forgot to get the gloves I need to collect the honey Fluttershy wanted. It shouldn't take long but I have other things to attend to afterward. I'll check back here to see if Twilight is back when I'm finished and if not I'll head to your place Rarity."

"Ah, yes. Well, do take your time Darling; I don't want you to feel as if you need to rush through things."

"Oh, don't worry." Spike said stopping a couple steps short of her face. "I'll be sure to take my time with everything today."

The smile on the young dragon's face was beyond anything Rarity could have even begun to imagine as, even with her white and pristine coat, she went visibly pale. She stood motionless as he simply walked past her without another word and collapsed the moment the door's lock clicked.





The road leading to Fluttershy's house was one ponies seemed to love taking for walks. They would, of course, stop before actually reaching the building itself out courtesy of the owner's rather unique social skills. Regardless, it was a much-loved path due to the many varieties of animals that had made their homes near the Element of Kindness. The sweet songs of the birds and the occasional rustling of leaves as adorable animals ran by made for rather picturesque scenery for anypony that strolled through.

Taking this into account it was strange that silence and solitude dominated the path as Spike continued towards his destination. No song echoed through the air. No leaves shook off branches or bushes other than by the wind. No living beings other than the dragon himself was seen walking down that dirt road carrying the gloves he'd forgotten. It was incredibly disturbing as the silence extended even to the areas further down the path itself where he was heading. It wasn't until he reached Fluttershy's house that a sound rang through the air demolishing the silence.

With the way things were, the knocking on the door could have been heard for miles around. Yet, it seemed like the resident of the house itself did not hear it. He was about to knock once more until the door opened and Spike was greeted by a rather stubborn looking orange mare.

"Spike." A.J said stepping aside to let the dragon enter.

"Hello, Applejack."

Walking past her he noticed Fluttershy in the kitchen preparing tea. He took a seat on the couch as A.J took the seat across from him.

"What is it? You've obviously got something to say so just come out with it A.J. I'm too busy today to deal with any of this passive aggressive nonsense going on with you."

"Is something wrong?" Fluttershy asked stepping into the room with a tray of cookies.

"It's nothing Shy. How's the tea coming?" The farmer asked with a smile.

"Oh, it's almost done. I'll be right back with it."

"Can't say anything in front of Fluttershy?"

"Stop it, Spike. You know darn well what I want to say to you."

"I can guess, but it's like I told you before. I can't remember anything that happened."

"So you say, but none of this feels right at all. Rainbow Dash is nowhere near the type of pony to be caught up in something like this."

"So what? You're saying that it should have been me that ended up being missing?"

"What?" The farmer said curtly as their host came back with the tea.

"Oh my, are you sure everything is okay? You seem awfully mad about something A.J."

"It's f... No, you know what? It's not fine. How can you just go about your daily chores like this Shy? Rainbow is out there somewhere and no pony knows what happened except for Spike and he's claiming he doesn't remember. Aren't you worried about her at all?"

"I-"

"Don't take this out on her Applejack. It's me you have a problem with and you know it."

"Yea, I do have a bone to pick with you but that doesn't mean I understand why no one else is even giving this a second thought. You've had to remember something by now Spike. Just give us something, anything to prove me wrong."

"I. DON'T. REMEMBER. Get that through your thick skull you ill-mannered, uneducated mule."

"What did you just call me?"

"You heard me."

"Stop it! Just stop!"

The shout from the pegasus caused A.J to falter back from advancing on the dragon. It also made her look towards her friend to see her visibly shaking and tearing up.

"Fluttershy?"

"How could you?"

"Wha-"

"How could you even ask me if I care or not? Rainbow is my best friend." She shouted causing A.J to take a step back. "She's been there for me far longer than any of you have and you have the nerve to ask if I even care? I've been worried sick ever since I found Spike with one of her feathers and the only reason I haven't done anything is because of what I might find. I'm doing everything I can to keep my mind away from negative thoughts but I have never once stopped thinking about her! Spike has been helping me out by spending time with me around the house despite his injuries. Yet, you not only come here and accuse him of something but you also have the nerve to say I don't care?!"

"Fluttershy, I didn't mea-."

"I think you've said enough." Spike interjected getting off the couch and trying to comfort the distraught yellow mare. "You should leave. Now."

A.J turned and brought her hat down to hid her expression. As she opened the door only the sounds of her friend crying could be heard through the eerie silence that seemed to blanket the area. She took a final look at the pair inside as the door closed to find Spike holding onto the pegasus. The only thing that made her worried more than causing unwanted pain to her emotionally fragile friend was the fact that Spike wore a smile as he watched her leave. It was one she'd never seen him do and hoped right then to never see again for the sheer terror it seemed to spark in her body.

A few minutes passed after A.J left and Fluttershy had finally calmed down enough to wipe away some most of the tears. After a few nose blowing breaks and words of thanks she headed upstairs to clean herself up and came back refreshed.

"I'm sorry you had to see me like that Spike. I don't know what came over me."

"It's fine Fluttershy. It's only natural for you to get angry at A.J for saying something like that. I know how much you want Rainbow to be alright. I'm sorry I can't remember anything about the whole thing."

"Thank you, Spike. Don't worry about it so much, I know you'd let us know if there was anything you did remember. I know A.J didn't really mean it but I guess the stress of it all just got to me in the end. I'll have to go apologize later on today."

"How's about we skip the honey gathering today and take a walk?"

"Oh, I don't know. Harry was really looking forward to it ever since a month ago."

"Come on Fluttershy. One more day can't hurt and I think you need to relax. You said yourself that the stress has been too much lately."

She took a moment to look towards the honey pots left at the table and looked back to Spike who stood there with hopeful eyes.

"Okay. I guess you're right. Where do you want to go?"

"I've found the perfect place for a walk the other day. It's not far from here and the meadow is full of Butterflies."

"Oh, that sounds lovely Spike. I'll prepare a small lunch for us to eat when we get there."

"Alright." Spike said as his happy expression dropped when the mare turned. "Take your time, Fluttershy. Take your time."
> Seeing Red
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"How far did you say the spot was Spike? We've been walking for quite a while." Fluttershy asked ducking under a branch that had passed over the small dragon in front of her.

The path they followed was less a path and more an animal trail. Covered in leaves and shrouded in the shade of the trees that stood vigil all around them. Fluttershy continued after her guide despite the fear surfacing with each step. Though it was only mid-morning, the shadows caused by the vegetation made it seem as if night had fallen. Small pillars of light would pierce through every now and then but not enough to completely light the way.

"Just a little more Fluttershy. I promise you'll like this place when we get there." Spike answered not looking back to check on whether or not she was keeping up.

The path itself seemed made for someone his height as he passed by every obstacle without much of a second glance. Fluttershy, unfortunately, was delayed with each branch, cobweb, shrub, and the occasional hole that she failed to notice due to her field of vision. Soon she found herself a considerable distance from the young drake who kept his steady pace towards the unknown.

"Spike! Spike, please wait for me!" she yelled stumbling past one of the roots that were hidden beneath some leaves.

As she regained her balance she noticed her guide had gone ahead leaving her abandoned. As if to signal this, the sounds that were once missing from the area returned at once as she heard crows and leaves rustle around. Whether that signified that there were indeed animals around her, she didn't really know. Fluttershy had never been through this part of the woods before which meant she didn't know of the animals. Thus, no matter how good of a caretaker she actually was, it meant the dwellers of the forest were not concerned for her in the least.

"Spike?" she squeaked out in a barely audible whisper. "Spike? Please come back." she continued as her steps became more cautious. She kept looking around to catch what was rustling in the bushes or if there was a bird of some kind she would be able to ask for help only to catch slight glimpses of shadows.

A snap of a twig came from behind her which caused her to freeze momentarily. She focused and tried to listen to anything out of the ordinary only to hear the same symphony of sounds from before. Taking a step forward she heard another snap underneath which caused her to fall back in a panic. It took her a bit to realize she had stepped on a twig but the relief was short-lived as the echo that should have been from the twig was not present. Instead, it was the sound of something taking steps toward her position.

"Hello? Is any pony there?" Fluttershy called out from behind a tree trying to see what was coming up behind her. "Spike? Is that you?"

All at once, the cacophony of sounds that seemed to return disappeared once again. With only the sound of whatever was out there coming straight for her. Scrambling to her hooves she ran down the path once more and heard the same from the creature behind her. Fluttershy closed her eyes as low hanging branches scratched her body and small puddles from yesterday's rain caused her her fur to be caked in mud. It seemed like a blur of pain and wet weight as she ran down that dirt path trying to get away from the would-be assailant. She could barely make something out through the sound of her heart beating in her ears.

"Spike! Spike, please where are you?" she yelled or at least tried through the harsh breathing and cold pain of her lungs.

Whether it was by some form of courage or fear she didn't know but something compelled her to look back which caused one of her hooves to get stuck between some roots and sprain it. Having no time to cry out or recognize the pain through the fear she tried to pull it out as the sound of the creature started to get closer. The forest itself seemed darker and scarier as a shadow stepped out from a bush and, for the first time in her life, Fluttershy screamed louder than she'd ever had before.





"Coming!" came the melodic voice from inside the boutique in response to the knock that notified of a visitor. "Spike! What are you doing here?" the filly said with a smile.

"Hi, Sweetie Belle. I'm here to spend the night since Twilight still isn't back from Canterlot. Didn't Rarity tell you about me spending the night?"

"You're spending the night?" she screeched causing him to flinch

"Y-yea, anyways, can I come in?"

"Sure."

"Who's at the door, Sweetie Belle?"

The two at the door turned towards the stairs to see the boutique's owner come down only to halt halfway. The calm in her demeanor seemed to disappear in an instant and an uneasy atmosphere clouded the room.

"Rarity?" Sweetie moved towards her sister in concern "What's wrong?"

"Pardon? Oh, nothing. Nothing's wrong Sweetie, I just suddenly remembered about an order. Shouldn't you be going to Applebloom's for that sleepover?"

"Oh yea! Sorry, Spike. I'll hang out with you next time." The filly dashed past him leaving the pair to their own devices.

"Spike..." Rarity said in a hushed tone as he stepped inside and closed the door only to stand and stare at her. "I take it Twilight still hasn't returned?"

"Yea, I already checked and she still wasn't back. I finished up the chores around the castle and locked it before coming here so there's nothing to worry about until tomorrow."

"Yes, well, would you like something to drink?"

"Don't worry," he said taking a step towards her only to see her take a step back. The room was silent for a few seconds but to Rarity it seemed as if hours had passed. "I know where everything is so I'll just go ahead and make some tea. Have you eaten yet?"

"N-no, I've been busy with my orders all day."

"I'll make something for you then. I'll come get you when it's done."

"That's quite alright Spike. I'm sure you must be tired from helping Fluttershy today. Besides, I've forgotten to go to the market today so the selection isn't as varied as I would have liked."

"It's fine Rarity. I've got no problem making something from whatever is in the fridge. I've done it several times back at the castle."

"You have? I would think that the pantry would always be stocked considering how diligent you are with such things."

"I meant back when I was first learning to cook. Twilight would forget to stock up often when she was studying so I had to make due with a lot less. It's part of the reason I took up cooking in the first place."

The look on Rarity's face was one of shock. She knew that Twilight's studying habits could get quite out of hoof, but to think that they had been so bad as to have Spike learn to cook for both of them due to her lack of care was horrible. It was always a wonder to her how Spike had so much experience in cooking, and yet, while she was curious, she'd never once thought to ask as to how he'd acquired such expertise.

Guilt crept in as the root of Spike’s cooking skills came to light. With it, questions of what other of his many skills were also gained because of neglect. The word itself seemed dirty and Rarity felt disgusted to even have such a word be attached to one of her friends, let alone be the cause of such a thing.

“Well, if you insist Darling. Just know that we just as easily go out to eat.”

“It’s alright. No trouble at all. Anything for you."

Those words sent a chill through her body as flashes of the more disturbing nightmares she’d been having recently came to the forefront of her mind. 





They always started out the same with her working on an order as the light from the candle signaled her work had taken her into the silent hours of the night. The sound of the sewing machine echoed throughout the room as the flame flickered with each passing minute. The constant audio of cloth being sewn together to form something from her own revolutionary mind was all it took for her to feel calm, at least, that was usually the case.

At the moment, the only thing that kept her working was the feeling of eyes on her back. They burrowed deep into her as if waiting for a moment that signaled she had finished her task in order to approach. She felt unable to look behind her to see what exactly was the cause of such a thing only having the shadows made by the flickering flame to guess. Whatever it was that seemed to be holding her hostage had not dared to come into the light. Whether by fear or by choices she didn't know. No other sound other than the sewing machine was heard and she dared not stop for even a second.

The presence itself didn't seem lethal, in fact, it was almost familiar. The fear her body felt, however, told a completely different story. It told her to stop moving, to stop making so much noise. It screamed for her to run and keep running to the ends of Equestria without regard for anything or anyone other than her own survival. It was at the height of those instincts that the single sound that filled the room had changed. She snapped out of her train of thought as her hoof came off the machine’s pedal; leaving her in silence. The silence, however, was cut short as steps echoed through the darkness only to stop short behind her. 

Sweat ran down her body as she sat there; her body shaking without restraint and her eyes closed as she feared whatever came next. To her surprise however, nothing came at all. Whatever was there had found it comfortable to just sit and watch her reactions. It was then she would always regret making the same decision each time she had the nightmare. The one that would cause her to wake up screaming causing Sweetie Belle to rush into her room with concern. The same mistake that made her not be able to sleep peacefully for the last few days. It didn't matter how much she remembered or even if she knew it was only a dream. She would end up doing it over and over again.



Rarity turned around.






There were muffled words far off in the distance as her vision was blurred and her hearing blocked. It took only a quick moment for her to come to but, when she regained her senses, she saw a claw reach towards her.

"No! Stay away!" she screeched as her magic came alive blasting the claw and it's owner away resulting in a cry of agony as he collided with the wall. Rarity simply stood still as her heart tried to calm down and her eyes cleared of the tears she didn't know were streaming down her face. She wiped them away with a hoof and looked towards the damage she dealt her attacker only to have her blood run cold.

The wall in front of held a dent with cracks running from the center of impact and a patch of red trailed down towards the floor notifying her the blast was powerful enough to injure the recipient. Unfortunately, what lay below was not some unknown evil entity. It was simply Spike that lay on the ground; blood coming from somewhere on his back and his right arm twisted bending backward from receiving the brunt of the blast. He wasn't moving and neither was Rarity because of the situation she'd caused.

It wasn't until the clock on her wall signaled the new hour that she rushed towards the seemingly lifeless body. What happened next was muddled due to her panicking through out it all. There was a rush of sound and lights as figures formed around her. She felt the wind at some point yet felt nothing else or saw much else since her eyes would focus solely on Spike. There was darkness once again and she swore there was something being said but nothing came through to her at all. Was she walking? Was she running? Why was Spike not moving? Why did it turn dark? Why were there lights all around them again?

What had she done?
> Questions
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Twilight, it's good to see you again. I received your letter about wanting to meet with Luna." Princess Celestia said as she met her former student at the entrance to the castle itself.

It was at that moment two specific emotions ran through Twilight's body. The first being her usual overactive anxiety due to having her mentor appearing rather unannounced. (It would almost always signal her doing something wrong during her time as a student which conditioned this specific reaction throughout the years.) The second was confusion caused by the fact that Celestia was the one that received the letter she sent ahead of time to Luna.

"P-Princess! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to come without consulting you first and as much as I would love to talk about this rather unbecoming situation. I really have something of utmost importance to discuss with Luna. Though I take it that, with you being the one here instead of her, she's busy?"

The Solar Princess' smile seemed to vanish slightly at the question before a stoic mask washed over her features once more. "I'm afraid that Luna is the very reason I'm here talking to you. I was in the process of readying a letter when yours arrived addressed to my sister."

"What's going on? Is there something wrong with Luna?"

There was a sudden flash which caused Twilight to flinch. As her eyes adjusted once more she found her surroundings changed to that of Luna's chamber with the very pony asleep within the sheets of her bed. She looked pale and her hair had lost much of its celestial wonder. It reminded Twilight of the first time she saw Luna after banishing the darkness residing in her heart.

"Princess Luna... is she alright?"

"I do not know." Celestia answered walking to her sister's side laying a hoof on hers. "She has been in a deep slumber for the past few days and cannot be woken by any spells I know. I fear that something is happening in the world of dreams. Her magic grows weaker by the minute and yet, she does not seem to be in any danger."

"What do you mean? This is obviously not her own doing, as you stated before, something has to be draining her magic."

"No, I don't think that's very accurate. She has not had any signs of aggression within the dream world. If she did then her body would react with slight fits. As for her magic... it's almost as if..." Celestia trailed off trying her best not to break down in front of Twilight.

"Princess? Are you okay?" The paragon of friendship asked out of concern for the pony, not the princess, that had been part of her life for so long.

"I apologize, Twilight. It's just... it seems as if she's letting her magic wither away willingly."





"Rarity, I'm done organizing the materials in the supply closet. I'm about to start dinner. Any requests?”

“Spike, sweetie, thank you so much. I don't know what I would do without you. As for dinner, anything you make will be guaranteed to be delicious. However, right now, I have something to talk to you about; could you come here?” Rarity motioned towards the couch located in her workshop.

Spike took a moment as it was rare for the mare to stop her work for practically anything. Confused, he moved towards the seat as Rarity took hers next to him gracefully. A minute passed as the two sat in silence with a rather awkward atmosphere taking over.

“Uh, Rarity?”

“Spike, I wanted to take the time to bring up something I’ve been avoiding for a long time.”

“What is it?”

“Spike, I know how you feel about me. I’ve known for quite some time.”

“I- I…” he stuttered as his scales started to become dull as he paled slightly. He was in a state of panic as he tried to look around for some form of an exit only to have a pair of hooves direct his sight back towards the cause of his anxiety.

“Spike, it’s okay.” she said pulling him a bit closer. “I didn’t want to say anything because I thought it was cute at first. However, it's been some moons since you and Twilight have come to Ponyville. Do you really still feel the same way about me?”

“I… I do.” He answered in a hushed tone.

“Oh, Spike. I-” Rarity began before being cut off by the young drake.

“It’s just that, I don’t think it’s healthy anymore.”

“Wha- What do you mean?” She watched as he moved away from her grasp and the couch. “Spike?”

“I know that you've known how I felt for quite some time Rarity. I may be young but that doesn't make me stupid.”

“I've never thought that about you at all darling.”

“Maybe not, but that didn't stop you from taking advantage of me did it?”

“I have never-”

“Stop! Don’t you dare say that you've never done it! You had me be a pincushion for Celestia’s sake!”

Silence grew between the two as Rarity could only watch trying to think of something to say. Something that would defuse the situation currently taking hold of the relationship between the two. The relationship that she had thought was perfectly normal between friends.

“I don’t think I should come here anymore. It’s not healthy… for either of us.”

“Spike, please, don’t do this. I’m sorry about everything. Please, just give me one more chance.” She screamed hopelessly as he walked through the entrance of the boutique.

“Spike! Please! Spike!” Her magic sprung to life immediately and caught the dragon mid-step.

“Rarity, what are you doing?” Spike asked trying to break free causing the unicorn to strain her magic.

“Please, Spike. I just want to talk.”

“There’s nothing to talk about.” His words were strained as he struggled in the air to break from the field. “I don’t want to be used anymore. I don’t want to be taken advantage due to my feelings towards someone.”

“I didn't mean to do any of that Spike! I just…”

“You just what?” He yelled before filling the magic field with his fire causing him to transport right before her eyes. “You thought that it was fine to ask for all of that even when we barely knew each other? Did you think nothing of the gifts or attempts I made towards getting you to notice me? Can you honestly say that I did it all out of the goodness of my heart and not because of the feelings you took advantage of?”

Rarity was slightly taken aback as each step towards her caused his body to grow larger and menacing. Her body was trembling as she stared into his eyes steeled by indignation.

“You’re supposed to be the element of generosity but, can you really say that everything you asked of me was fair towards my feelings and not just for your benefit?”

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” The mare cried trying to compose herself as the makeup started to run around her eyes. “I never meant for it to go that far. I didn’t mean to take advantage of you or anyone else for that matter. Please, forgive me.”

“No.”

“Wha-”

“I said no. I can’t forgive you Rarity. I may have done so some point in the past but I’ve spent years being used regardless of my thoughts towards anything.” He raised a claw slowly as Rarity found herself cornered against the wall.

“Spike! Please! I”m sorry!”

“I’m not.”

A scream echoed through the air and was cut short just as quickly as it came leaving only a pool of red and the sound of bones and flesh being crushed. Through the gnashing of teeth one could barely make out words gurgling out.

“I’m… sorry…”





“How is she doc?”

“It’s hard to say.” The unicorn doctor kept looking over some graphs and papers from the scans that they did on the patient earlier. His face confused at the results he was reading. “For all intents and purposes, she's fit as a fiddle. There’s nothing wrong with her, physically at least.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Well, If you look at this graph.” He levitated said object for the both of them to see and took hold of a metal pointer within another field of magic. “ This here shows the brain activity of a normal pony.” He pointed towards a line that had dipped and spiked at random intervals. “It shows how they dream and react to the stimuli of such activities. If it was a nightmare then it would spike rapidly until the patient is woken abruptly.”

“So you’re saying she’s having a nightmare?”

It was a moment before the doctor changed the graph to one that seemed completely blank. “This is the brain activity of your friend.”

“I don’t get it. There’s nothing there.”

“Exactly. It was only until an hour ago that her activity signaled a nightmare but now our instruments and magic show her having no activity whatsoever. I fear… that your friend has become brain dead.”

“How?” The questioned echoed throughout the hospital wing making those nearby halt temporarily. “She only collapsed from what I heard. How in tarnation is this even possible?”

“Applejack, please. We are in a hospital. If you could be so kind as to lower your voice.”

“Sorry about that.”

“It's fine. As for how this happened, we’re not even close to answering that question. The nurse on duty said she was in a daze when she arrived along with Spike.”

“Did you say Spike?” A.J’s ears perked up at the mention of the scaly individual. “What’s he got to do with all this?”

“Nothing other than being a victim of assault. He was brought in with a gash on his back and a dislocated arm. We were able to stop the bleeding so his life is no danger, however, his arm might very well never recover. Whatever blast he took had enough force to burn most of the muscle and fat away leaving him practically paralyzed. I’m afraid only time will tell if he’ll ever regain full motion of it.”

“Can I see him?” Her expression was unreadable but the doctor had seen such looks before and said nothing of it.

They walked down the hallway down towards an isolated wing of the hospital for rather serious patients. They stopped at a door that matched the rest of the ones the hall was littered with and opened it to reveal a sleeping baby dragon. The farmer walked in slowly to his side as the doctor closed the door for privacy that was always appreciated during such times.

The room was silent aside from the beeping of the machines and the breathing of it’s resident. A.J took a moment as the sight as it reminded her of how Fluttershy described finding him. Injured and recovering from an event that was life threatening or close enough to it looking as if death itself had it’s way with him.

“Spike…” a gentle hoof was placed on his cast and the scene would have been heartwarming to any pony that walked in at the moment. That is, if they weren’t paying closer attention to her hoof and noticed that her gentle touch was anything but. The pressure she was applying kept increasing as she came closer which started to cause a reaction from her victim. “What did you do to Fluttershy?”

The question itself more than the pain seemed to snap him wide awake. A red tint to his eyes caused the farmer to flinch but the concern for her friends redoubled her courage as she watched the baby dragon sit up silently staring at her all the while.
> Just a Dream
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The corridor of dreams is a place filled with the glittering jewels of all living being’s nocturnal imaginings. Walking through them was both a privilege and heavy responsibility for the one known as the caretaker of dreams. Each night brought new insight into each of her subject’s innermost psyche. Whether they were populated by peaceful dreams or terrifying nightmares she always kept a watchful eye.

Lately her nightly vigil had her concerned for one particular jewel out the untold plethora. It belonged to someone who she had come to know through the actions of his… caretaker? The relationship between Twilight and her charge was always a mystery as it was never quite clear where the line was drawn between the two. Did the newly crowned royalty consider the boy family or was he a mere servant? During the times she spent with them it seemed to lean more towards that of a slave than having familial bonds.

Putting such matters aside, her interest in the young drake came when she wanted to learn more of her saviors. At first it was merely a whim as he was deemed unimportant compared to the rest but wanting to know more of Twilight Sparkle meant exploring every aspect of her life. The first time she traversed his dreams it was relatively uneventful. The scenario was one she was familiar with foals having even during her time before being imprisoned. The hero saved the damsel and the townsfolk showered him with unending praise. Truth be told it was rather boring to her as she’d seen such things in many other dreams throughout her many years.

Her interest only truly peaked when she realized that, even after the many months she had known her saviors in the waking world, Spike’s dream never changed. It would never deviate from the same scenario she’d seen the very first time traversing it. At first she just pushed the thought aside as the dragon not having much of an imagination. It was only after the incident with the Crystal Empire and Sombra that it was more than just lack of imagination.

The young dragon had experienced terror of which he could barely explain when he opened Sombra’s door. The magic was ancient yet potent and dark enough to rattle anyone’s psyche no matter how mentally sound they considered themselves. She thought that surely even Spike would have nightmares in the aftermath of the situation but, that was not the case. The night after the crisis she ventured inside to help the young drake only to find nothing had changed.

“This is impossible… there cannot be someone this resilient against the dark arts. Even Celestia and I would have something close to a nightmare after experiencing such a force.” She said as the familiar scene of celebration played in front of her.

She watched as the crowd cheered and the hero thanked them alongside his damsel. Nothing wavered about the scene from all the other times she had come to witness it. She actually found herself staying much longer than she usually did due to being lost in thought as to how the dragon could have withstood the trap when something caught her attention.

It seemed insignificant at first. She mainly attributed this new found revelation  over-thinking the situation. No dream lasted long before changing its focus into something else. No dream save for Spike’s whose dream would reach a certain point then cycle once again from the beginning. It was only something she’d notice as she left and revisited the dream within the same night. Though this time with her increased curiosity she stayed much later than her usual point of departure.

She witnessed the crowd disperse along with the rescued maiden and watched as Spike was left alone. He stood there amidst the small hovels simply staring into the sky as a soft drizzle started. Once he started to move Luna followed after to find him traveling outside towards the outskirts of the village and into a forest. It seemed like she had followed him far longer than the dream should have lasted but it was just a strange feeling to begin with as time was never a solid idea in dreams. He reached a small cottage dilapidated by age and walked through the wooden wreckage that could be called a door.

Luna waited in the shadows for a bit before walking closer and looking inside through one of the many holes in the wall. She could see Spike merely sitting down in front of a weathered and dusty table with only one other chair opposite of him. It was quiet, despite the sounds of the wind and rain, the silence surrounding both her and the dragon inside was nerve wracking.

“You’ll catch a cold if you stay out any longer.”

The voice caught her off guard and it showed as she cautiously stepped inside. She looked around and saw the abode was empty save for the table and chairs. She took a seat, never letting the dragon out of her sight, and waited for whatever came next.

“I knew you were watching if that’s what you want to know. I noticed it from the very beginning.” Spike said taking on the vision of his original self. He sat there with a rather blank expression yet the air around him seemed to signify he was in control.

“Is that why your dream kept restarting every time I came to check on you? You’ve just been having lucid dreams this whole time?”

“No, not all the time. It’s just my only way I can deal with everything else around me.”

“What do you mean?”

“Luna, have you ever wondered why you were born?”

“Well, if I’m being completely honest, yes. There are, or should I say, were some instances where I questioned my very existence. However, that was in the past before my return and such thoughts left unchecked can lead a pony down a mental downward spiral.”

There was a bit of silence between the two as Spike tried to process the information. Luna, waiting for him, used her magic to clean the place and some water to the center of the table only to find herself unable.

“Sorry, let me get that for you.” he reached out and pantomimed pouring water. It was a strange sight to see until he set down the invisible glass only for it to appear in front of Luna. Before she could ask, he set down another for himself and had a slight grin. “It’s my dream remember. It goes how I want it.”

It was a surprise, but not unheard of, to Luna for such things to happen. It had just been about a millennium since such a thing happened. Back then there were more ponies that could do such things but none would ever be able to actually block her powers. It was concerning to say the least to find that Spike had such an ability. Though, she didn’t really know why such a thought would cross her mind.

“Thank you, I fear that even in a dream the mind seems to want for such things. Spike, may I ask as to why you’d offer such a question? Is there something troubling you?”

There was an echo of tapping as one of Spike’s claws went against the glass before he took a drink.  “Luna, who am I?”

“I’m afraid I don’t understand the question.”

“In your eyes, how do you see me? What are your impressions?”

“I…” Luna hesitated. It was strange to be asked such a question but she felt his anxiousness in the air. He wanted to know what she really thought and it seemed he wouldn’t take no for an answer.

Yet, what exactly did she think of him? Who was Spike the dragon? What exactly was his role in life? What did he do other than be caretaker for a newly crowned princess?

“I don’t know.”

“You…”

“It’s not to say I don’t think anything of you Spike. It’s just… I don’t know you that well. We rarely interact and it does nothing for whatever opinion I might have of you. What I can say is there are times where it is hard to imagine as to why you aren’t with other dragons.”

“What do you mean?” he stopped from pouring another glass and set the pitcher down slowly.

“There was an instance I recall my sister talking to me of where Twilight told her about the Dragon Migration. I recall her saying that you left to find what it meant to be a dragon.”

“Yea, I didn’t want to be seen as just a child and a false dragon by the others. It started with them just commenting on my lack of acting like a dragon. It felt as if they were denying my existence at the moment. It made me realize that the way I was acting seemed to be just that. An act.”

“Yet, through the journey, you came to realize that you belonged with Twilight and the others. That was why you came back was it not?”

“I think so, but it was so strange. In the back of my mind I wanted nothing more than to keep going. To keep traveling and see for myself who Spike could become if left alone.”

“I see. Then why did you go back?”

“It… I… I wanted to see Twilight smile. It felt wrong for me to do something on my own without her. As if I was going against every fiber of my being.”

Luna watched as the young dragon seemed to wrestle with what he had just said in his mind. The turmoil could be seen plastered across his face and yet something seemed to stop him from coming to a conclusion. What was keeping him from finding the answer? Why did he rely on Twilight so much despite being only such few years apart?

“Luna.”

“I apologize. I was caught up in my own thoughts. Did you say something?” she asked taking a moment to drink.

“I asked if there were ever times where you thought it didn’t matter whether or not you were around.”

“Wh-What do…” she was taken aback from the question coming from one so young. She couldn’t deny feeling such things long ago but they were just feelings being fueled by petty jealousy.

“Twilight… she has me do practically everything as far as housework goes. She’s done so for as long as I can remember. I cook because she couldn’t and gave up once I learned. I clean because there were times I would find myself under an avalanche of books. I shop because of her neglecting to keep stock of anything once she finds a subject to focus on.”

“Spike…”

“I keep thinking that it’s all because she needs me that I had to learn everything. It’s because we’re family that we look out for each other. But, if that was true, why would she let the others leave me trapped in the middle of a lake during winter wrap up? Dragons regulate heat naturally through our flame sacs but during the winter we migrate towards hotter climates due to still having reptilian bodies. Yet, they left me sleeping on top of a sheet of ice only to fall inside a still freezing lake. It could have killed me.”

“By the stars!” An aura of blue magic wrapped around Spike suddenly as he was brought immediately to Luna. She held him for a while as his body shivered. Whether it was due to remembering the feel of the lake or just trauma, she didn’t know. “Why have you not said anything of this before?”

“I didn’t feel the need to bring it up. I felt like I deserved it somehow. Like I had forgotten to do something I was supposed to do or I was getting in the way. I just… I just didn’t want to be a nuisance.”

“Spike, you are not a nuisance.”

There was a sudden flash and Luna found herself thrown hard into the wall knocking some of the dust off the ceiling. She tried to regain her balance and look for the cause onto to see a black smoke enveloping Spike. It seemed to seep from his body and grew in size as if trying to take shape.

“Spike!” Luna shouted only for it fall on deaf ears as she witnessed the young dragon clutch his head. His claws digging in deep enough to draw blood but not actually doing so due to being in a dream. Yet, that didn’t seem to stop whatever pain he was in as the claws dug deeper and deeper. Through all of the screaming there seemed to be a voice echoing through the air.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’msorryimsorryimsorryimsorryimsorryimsorry.” kept repeating as Luna tried to move closer only to have something block her way.

A sense of dread crawled throughout her body as she kept trying to tear down whatever barrier separated the two of them while containing whatever this was to only his dream. It seemed to take every once of magic to try and break through but she didn’t give up. After what seemed an eternity she could feel it giving way but before she could reach Spike everything stopped. The barrier fell which caused her to recoil from her magic dispersing everywhere and the black substance crawled back inside of the dragon as he collapsed.

Luna rushed to his side while in the midst of a massive magical migraine. She picked up the dragon in her hooves and tried to check his pulse. While it was only a dream, it was still a threat if the manifestation of the psyche suffered greatly. It would have unknown consequences towards the actual body outside the dream. While it was normally too much shock from such things as nightmares or false awakenings which caused slightly higher stress or anxiety. This was far from something so minor.

“Spike. Spike. Can you hear me?” Luna called out to the still body in her care. It took a bit more yelling before he began to stir and she conjured a couch for him as his hold on the dream seemed shaken. “Spike, are you alright? Do you know where you are?”

The young drake groaned and sat up holding his head. It was a bit before he opened his eyes and took in his surroundings. His sight came upon Luna and as it did he immediately smiled a familiar yet eerie smile. “I’m alright. Thanks.”

“Do you have any idea what that was?”

“Sorry, I don’t remember what happened. All I remember was you holding me and then I found myself here.”

It was a slight shock that such an event would be stripped from his mind in such a short amount of time but the psyche was a mystery even to her. While it raised more questions than it answered she didn’t have anything else to work with on what had just happened. It would require research and that meant returning to check on the drake regularly. It wasn’t something she was reluctant to do alone but something told her to search for more clues as to the condition before informing anypony else. As if sharing such a thing would lead towards an untold disaster.

“Spike, it will be morning soon. I will be back the following night to check up on you. For now, I’ll leave you to your dream. If there seems to be something different when you awaken contact me immediately.”

“Of course, Princess. Anything for you.”