> The Lavender Arrow
>  by DisneyFanatic23
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> The War of the Sun and Moon
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

These were dark times for Equestria.

For centuries, the land had been ruled by two alicorn sisters. The elder, Princess Celestia, was in charge of rising and setting the sun and bringing forth the day. The younger, Princess Luna, was responsible for the moon and watching over the night.

While at one time, the sisters had ruled the land together in harmony, Princess Luna eventually grew jealous of her sister. While the ponies would frolic and play in the daytime, they would sleep through her beautiful night. In addition, Celestia would receive the most attention for their subjects, while Luna felt ignored and underappreciated.

It was for these reasons that Luna one day refused to lower the moon. Celestia tried to reason with her, but Luna declared that she was tired of being overshadowed, that there was no room in Equestria for two princesses. As their first battle raged on, the sky discontinuously shifted from day to night and vice versa for several days. Luna eventually yielded to her sister and lowered her moon, but she was not finished.

Luna left the castle she and Celestia shared, and set up her own in another part of Equestria, where she rallied several ponies and creatures of all sorts who would serve her in her cause to assume complete control of the throne. The country was split in two, half its citizens fighting for Celestia and half for Luna. And so began a raging, thirty-year war that was called the War of the Sun and Moon.

With the land divided, no pony knew who they could trust. If any follower of Luna heard even the mere mention of Celestia, they would slaughter the offender on sight. If one were to speak for Luna while a Celestia devotee was within earshot, the latter would instantly draw their sword. There were no exceptions. Brother fought against brother, sister against sister, second-cousin-twice-removed against great-aunt.

The conflict had as much an effect on nature as it did on its citizens. Whenever the sisters would battle, the sun and moon would fight for control of the sky. Often, because Luna would not relinquish the night so easily, one could not tell what time it was.

Every nobleperson and knight, once serving under a single principality, was also forced to choose a side: Celestia or Luna. But that decision was not always final. One lord in particular changed sides as often as a chameleon changed its colors. This was a centaur named Lord Tirek. It was said that he would go to bed a Lunarian and awake a Celestial. It all depended on which side he had the most to gain from.

The inhabitants of the villages surrounding Midnight Castle, Lord Tirek's estate, knew some terrible business was afoot when the alarm bell was sounded. The villagers raced up to the moated castle, murmuring on what the trouble could be.

"Could it be invaders?" a stallion asked.

"Perhaps Lord Tirek means to tax us again," said another gruffly.

"Are we to battle?" asked a third.

"If we are," a blue earth mare said, "which side would we be fighting for?"

Her husband, a yellow earth pony with a baker's hat and apron, shrugged. "Who knows? Last week we were for Celestia. The week before that we were for Luna. So who knows what side it'll be this week?"

"Whichever side is winning!" another stallion cried out.

The crowd grew silent as the drawbridge was lowered and Lord Tirek's younger brother Sir Scorpan stepped out. Scorpan was a tall brown gargoyle with enormous bat wings and a dark bushy mane surrounding his face. The ponies were slightly relieved that he was giving the news. Out of the two brothers, he was the most tolerable. He had often expressed his concern for his brother's subjects, showing kindness to ponies in need. If only he were their lord instead of Tirek.

Scorpan adjusted the brown, gold-studded belt around his waist as he addressed the crowd. "My fellow ponies." He held up his hands. "I've just received word from my brother, Lord Tirek, that there is expected to be a battle in Trottingham. Therefore, he demands that every male who can carry a bow or wield a sword must bear arms to Trottingham at once."

There were many cries of outrage.

"Every male?!"

"We would fight for a cause we know not of?!"

"Lord Tirek would lead us all to our deaths!"

"And tax us for it!"

"Please, Sir Scorpan," the baker said, dropping to his knees. "I beg of you. I've never wielded a sword in my life. I have a wife and two children!"

Scorpan sighed sadly. "I'm truly sorry, Mr. Cake, but these are my brother's orders. It's out of my hands."

"You can talk to him!" Mr. Cake exclaimed. "Convince him to reconsider!"

The gargoyle put up his hand. "There will be no arguments. We leave at noon."

As he turned back into the castle, the villagers continued to shout at him.

"Spineless monkey!"

"No wonder he's not our lord!"

"Can't even stand up to his own brother!"

Scorpan winced as the drawbridge was raised behind him. Shaking off the insults, he turned to the nearest armored Diamond Dog.

"Where is Master Spike?" he asked.

"The gardens, last I saw him," the Diamond Dog said, pointing. "Practicing his aim."

Scorpan thanked the soldier and began going around the castle into the rear gardens. He found Master Spike armed with his bow, pointing his arrow at a target painted on a bale of hay. Spike was a young purple dragon with tall green spines on his head and bright green reptilian eyes. Although he was sixteen, he was quite short, about half the height of an adult pony. This morning he was dressed in a blue doublet and hat with a large orange feather sticking out the top.

As he aimed his arrow, he squinted at the target, closing one eye. He was about to release the string when he had a second thought. Lowering the bow, he picked up the arrow and raised it to his mouth. Taking in a deep breath, he blew green fire onto the arrowhead, instantly setting it ablaze.

Chuckling, he nocked his arrow again and raised his bow. The flames made it harder for him to see the target, so he tilted his head to see past the arrow. When he figured he had a clear shot, he straightened his head and let the arrow fly. It hit the corner of the hay bale, missing the red circles.

Spike groaned in frustration, throwing his bow to the ground. Then the entire bale erupted into flames, making him yelp.

"Oh no!" he screamed in panic. "Oh no, no, no, no, no!"

The fire was washed away by a bucket of water dumped by Scorpan, who was hovering above. He chuckled as he flew over to Spike.

"Figured I would need this," he said, indicating the bucket, "the minute you set those arrows aflame."

Spike hung his head guiltily. "Sorry, Uncle Scorpan."

Scorpan wasn't really Spike's uncle. Lord Tirek had been a friend of Spike's father, so when the dragon knight had died, Tirek had taken Spike in as his ward. Spike had been just a child then, so Tirek had practically raised him, hence why he called him "Uncle." Scorpan had also been as much a guardian as his brother, so Spike called him the same.

"I just thought," Spike said, kicking the ground, "you know, it'd be cool if…"

Scorpan shook his head, but wore an understanding smile. "Perhaps you should focus on your aim before trying anything…advanced."

"I try, Uncle Scorpan," Spike said as he took another arrow from his quiver. "But no matter what I do, I just can't hit a bullseye."

He nocked the arrow and pulled back the string. Scorpan chuckled as he knelt by the dragon's side.

"For one thing," he said, placing his hand on Spike's head, "it would help to keep both eyes open, especially the dominant one. You have to see the target in order to hit it."

Spike sheepishly opened his right eye.

"Next," Scorpan said, gently tipping the dragon's bow upwards, "you have to be aware of how much wind there is. You can't expect the arrow to always fly straight just because you aim in straight. If there's a lot of wind, aim it at an arc."

Spike felt a breeze on the back of his neck and raised his bow a little higher.

"Don't forget your stance," Scorpan said, tapping the boy's leg. "Feet shoulder-width apart, left foot forward."

"Okay," Spike said repositioning his feet.

"Now," Scorpan said, pointing, "keep your eye on the target, and, when you're ready, let it fly."

Taking a deep breath, Spike released his arrow. He did not hit a bullseye, but the arrow had at least pierced the outer rim of the circle. Despite Scorpan telling him this, Spike slumped his shoulders in disappointment.

"You'll get there, lad," Scorpan said, rising to his feet. "I came to tell you that I've received word from Tirek."

Spike looked up at him excitedly. "Has he called us to battle?"

He nodded. "We are to leave for Trottingham at once."

"Ah, sweet!" The dragon dropped his bow and began hopping up and down. "My first battle! Finally, I'll get to fight with you guys! I'll show those followers of…uh…" He stopped. "Whose side are we on again?"

"Now, now, young one," Scorpan said, putting his hands on his knees as he lowered himself to Spike's eyelevel. "I know you are eager to go into battle, but war is not as glorious as you think it is." He bit his lip as he looked the boy over. "Besides, you are still young."

"I'm sixteen!" Spike said with a scowl. "I'm practically an adult already! Just give me a chance, Uncle Scorpan!" He picked up his bow and waved it around, pretending to shoot it. "I can bring glory to our house, help Uncle Tirek achieve victory! Heck, I can even end this war!" He put his bow to his chest. "And then I'll be knighted by one of the princesses, just like you were!" He gasped. "You think I'll even get my own castle?"

Scorpan sighed as he took the dragon's bow. "Slow down, lad. Let's focus on getting to Trottingham first. Come, let us into the castle so we can gather supplies."

As they entered the side door, they were met with a serving mare. She was a white unicorn with a curly purple mane that matched her purple gown.

"Oh!" she said, stepping back to let her masters pass. "Excuse me, Sir Scorpan, Master Spike."

Spike grinned as he gazed into the unicorn's deep blue eyes. "It's fine, Rarity…"

"Miss Rarity," Scorpan said, "fetch our armor and weapons from the armory. We're set for Trottingham at noon."

"Right away, my lord," Rarity said, curtsying before leaving out the door.

Scorpan noticed how dreamily Spike was looking at the pretty unicorn as she departed. This reminded the gargoyle of another thing mentioned in his brother's letter.

"Err, Spike," he said, placing his hands awkwardly together. "You were right when you said…you're near adulthood and…there comes a time in…every male's life when…he starts seeking companionship and…"

"Huh?" Spike shook out of his trance. "Oh. Uncle Scorpan, if you're trying to tell me about the birds and the bees, I already had that talk with Discord."

"No, no. I wasn't going to…" Scorpan paused. "Discord spoke to you about—never mind." He held up his hands. "What I'm trying to say is…well…" He bit his lip. "Have you given any thought to marriage, lad?"

Spike blinked several times and then let out a huff. "Me? Marriage? Ha!" He waved his claw. "No sir, not me!"

Scorpan glanced at the door where Rarity had exited. "But I thought…"

"What, Rarity?" He scoffed. "Sure she's pretty and all, but I can't marry her!"

"Why not?"

"Because, Uncle Scorpan, marriage makes you a weakling. If I'm going to be a knight someday, I can't waste my time thinking about girls. Just the sight of Rarity every day is distracting enough!"

Scorpan scrunched his nose. "Strange you should think that. Even Discord is married."

"Discord's a perfect example of the problem with marriage! Before he got married, he was ruthless and powerful, showing no mercy to his enemy!" He groaned. "But since he met his wife, he's been all soft and lovey-dovey. Seriously, his wife is all he talks about! But no, not me!" He pounded hard on his chest. "You won't see me getting all mushy over some female! No sir!"

"Goodness, lad! Who put all these awful thoughts into your head?"

"Uncle Tirek."

"Did he, now?" Scorpan twiddled his fingers. "That's, err…funny you should say that, because Tirek has arranged…"

"Oh!" Spike said, swiping his bow from the gargoyle. "I should probably restring this! And restock my quiver! Can't go into my first battle unarmed!"

He rushed off before Scorpan could say anything further. The gargoyle sighed as he took a letter from his belt.

"Well, he's sure to find out sooner or later." He shook his head. "I pity the girl."





In a forest outside of Trottingham, Lord Tirek was leading his troop of Diamond Dog soldiers. It was said that Tirek hardly ever wore armor, and anyone that had the honor to behold his magnificent physique would understand why. He was a rather tall centaur, at least four times the size of a pony. The lower horse half of his body was sturdy and gray, with hard gray hooves and a white, wispy tail. His black chest was broad and rivaled only by his red muscular arms. Surrounding his red ape face was a white beard, long bull horns growing on either side.

His right-hand creature was a draconequus, a tall, dragon-like being with a body made up of all sorts of different animals. His bat and pegasus wings flapped as he hovered beside his master.

"Ugh, are we there yet?" the draconequus whined. "I so wish Princess Celestia hadn't sealed all the teleportation channels throughout the land. It would make these trips so much easier."

"Indeed," Tirek said, still looking ahead. "But at least it means we won't be expecting any uninvited guests."

"But do you have any idea how much walking and flying I've had to do all these thirty years?!" The draconequus pulled down on his eyelids so that they went down to his shoulders. "It's excruciating! My interspecies parts can't take it anymore!"

He pointed to his mismatched bat wings, which seemed to be making tired puff, puff noises.

"Quit your complaining, Discord," Tirek said, rolling his eyes. "You just want to get back to your mare."

Discord scoffed. "She's not my mare, she's my wife, thank you very much!" He crossed his lion and eagle arms. "And so what if I want to get back to her? It's been over a week since we've seen each other! If I were able to pop in and out, here and there like I did in the old days…"

Tirek wasn't paying attention to Discord's ramblings, as he was too distracted by the thrashes and shrieks and whimpers coming from behind him.

Turning around, he shouted, "Keep it down back there, will you?!"

The lead Diamond Dog, Rover, looked up at his lord and said, "But Boss, she won't stop kicking us!"

He pointed to the young earth mare which their party surrounded. Her front hooves were bound with a golden chain, its other end held in Discord's eagle claw; and her mouth was gagged. She was in a silken nightgown that was soiled with dirt and grass, and her long blond mane was in a tangled mess. She tugged hard on the chain and lashed her hooves out at anyone who came near. When she noticed Tirek looking at her, she narrowed her green eyes at him and growled through her gag.

"Apologies, milady," Tirek said, putting his hand to his chest as he feigned politeness. "I had nearly forgotten about you." He smirked. "I say nearly as you keep making so much noise it's hard to forget. Perhaps there's something you'd like to say? By all means, speak your mind. There's no one around to hear you."

He nodded to Discord, who snapped his lion fingers. The gag disappeared from the mare's mouth. She bared her teeth.

"You stinkin', connivin', thievin, son of a…"

Discord scoffed. "How rude!"

With a snap of his fingers, her mouth was gagged again, this time with an apple.

"Any pony up for a luau?" Discord said, a lei and hula skirt suddenly appearing on his body.

The mare spat out the apple. "When my brother gets his hooves on ya, Tirek, you're gonna wish these chains were off right now! Cuz what he's gonna do is far worse than what I'm gonna do!"

She charged for him, but Tirek merely stepped out of the way and allowed the mare to run until the chain pulled her back. He and his soldiers laughed as she continued to tug at the chain, but Discord held onto it effortlessly.

"So it's a game of tug-of-war you want, eh?" he said. "Alrighty, then."

He pulled his claw upwards, jolting the mare forwards, causing her to shriek as she landed in a puddle of mud.

"I win," Discord said.

As the Diamond Dogs laughed further, the mare lifted her face from the mud and growled at her captors.

"You should be thanking me, dear," Tirek said, stepping towards her. "I've arranged the perfect match for you. Soon you'll be wed to a promising young lad. My ward Spike will be a knight some day and you'll be a lady."

She rose to her hooves. "I'm already engaged to be married, and my fiancé's not gonna be too happy about this either!" She rattled her chains again. "And if you think I'm gonna marry your awful ward by force, then you've got another thing comin'!"

"Oh, I think you'll like him," Tirek said with a chuckle. "You're just as stubborn as he is. You'll meet him once we get to Trottingham."

She huffed. "As if I'll follow ya into town quietly! What are ponies gonna think when they see ya haulin' around a chained up mare?" She lifted her hooves to show the chains. "That ain't gonna look too good for ya, ain't it?"

Tirek frowned. "You have a point. Which is why I thought ahead." He turned to the draconequus. "Discord, the clothes."

Discord raised his lion paw. "Hope you like brown."

When he snapped his fingers, the mare was instantly dressed in a brown tunic and mustard yellow breeches. The golden chain vanished, allowing her to bring her hoof to her head. She found that her mane was now tucked beneath an oversized brown hat. Looking herself over, she found that she resembled a young colt.

"W-What is this?" she asked.

"A disguise," Tirek said simply. "Ponies are less likely to question a young page traveling with us than a chained up mare."

She glared up at him. "Nuh-uh! There is no way I'm goin' along with this! When we get to Trottingham, I'll…I'll scream! I'll scream that ya kidnapped me!"

"Oh, tut, tut, milady. You do that and ponies will discover you're a mare. Surely you've not forgotten the penalty for a pony dressing the opposite of her sex?"

She gulped, but did not back down. "I don't care! So long as I get away from y'all!"

Tirek shrugged. "Fine. Scream 'bloody murder' for all I care. Thing is, if you're put to death, I will just have to find some other way of stealing your inheritance." He tapped his chin in thought. "Say, don't you have a younger sister?"

The mare's face fell into an expression of horror.

"What is she? Twelve? Eleven? It won't be long before she's old enough to marry too."

She stepped back. "You…you wouldn't!"

"I won't." He looked smugly at her. "Unless you give me a reason."

She stared up at the centaur a long while before hanging her head in defeat. "Alright, alright. I'll…I'll come quietly."

Tirek smirked as he patted her on the head. "There's a good girl." He chuckled. "Or should I say…boy?"

As the soldiers laughed again, the mare glared up at them without raising her head. Somehow, someway, she was going to find a way out of this mess. They could threaten her and her family all they liked, but she was not going to let herself be traded off like a carpet to some stranger. Whoever this Spike was, she reckoned that he was just as terrible and vile as his guardian.
> Joust Amend-All
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spike hated playing the messenger. It made him feel like a child to be running such a simple errand. As he hiked up to the small farmhouse on the hill, he tried telling himself it would all be worth it once he made it to battle. He knocked on the farmhouse door and an old gray-haired pegasus stallion answered. His proud face was wrinkled and his blue coat was duller than his aged yellow eyes. He looked down at the dragon.

"Ah, young Master Spike," he said with a soft smile. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Sir Wind Rider," Spike said, handing him the scroll. "You didn't answer the alarm bell. Sir Scorpan figured you would need an official summons. You're to report to Midnight Castle within the hour."

Wind Rider read the message with a frown. "We're all to bear arms to Trottingham?" He scrunched up the scroll. "Doesn't Sir Scorpan know I'm retired? I've played my part in this war!"

Spike flinched as the balled up paper was thrown at him. "But Wind Rider, Uncle Tirek asked that every male who can hold a bow or sword must go to Trottingham! There's to be a big battle!" He bit his lip. "Besides, Sir Scorpan said if you didn't answer, he'd come convince you himself."

Wind Rider groaned. "Haven't I done enough for those brothers? For twenty years I've served them and now they want me to come out of retirement? After all that I…"

As he rambled on, neither he nor Spike noticed the hooded figure perched in a tree at the edge of a wood not too far away. Using pink magic from a unicorn horn, the figure levitated a bow loaded with an arrow. The arrow's tip was aimed in the direction of the old knight and the young dragon.

"All I want is a little peace and quiet!" Wind Rider shouted. "Is that too much to ask f—"

The arrow was released and before the fellows below could see it, it struck its target.

Wind Rider gagged as the arrow pierced him straight through his shoulder. Spike gasped as the old knight collapsed to the ground. Another arrow shot through the air, narrowly missing Spike's head. It struck the doorframe of the house. Spike readied his bow and spun around to face the edge of the wood. He pointed his arrow all around as he scanned the trees, but there was no one in sight.

Hearing a strange crackling sound, Spike looked back down at Wind Rider's body. From the hole made by the arrow came a sliver of white. Spike dropped his bow and watched in horror as the whiteness spread across the body. Before long, the dead knight was completely encased in stone. The only thing remaining the same was the arrow impaled through the shoulder.

Spike was frozen as he continued to stare at the awful display.

"Spike!" Sir Scorpan called as he flew up the hill. "Spike!" He threw his arms around the young dragon. "What happened?"

"He…he…" Spike said, his throat closing up. "Arrow…hit…stone…"

Scorpan looked down at the stone body. "Spike. Spike, it's alright." He held him tighter. "It wasn't your fault."

"D-D-Dad…"

Scorpan turned to him. "You should go home. Get out of here."

Spike shook his head. "Who…who could've done this?"

After finally convincing him to sit down, Scorpan went over to examine the stone body. With a mighty tug, he pulled the arrow out of the shoulder. As soon as he did, the hole was magically sealed over with stone.

"Spike," he said, showing the dragon the arrow. "Look at its head. Look at its shaft."

Still slightly shaken up, Spike looked down at the arrow. "They're…purple."

Scorpan shook his head. "Lavender."

The dragon blinked. "Is there a difference?"

"These are special arrows, made with magic. Once the tip pierces you, doesn't matter where, your body is instantly turned to stone." He turned it over in his hand. "The enchantment turns the arrow's head and shaft lavender."

"Uncle Scorpan." Spike glanced at what used to be Wind Rider. "Stone…the arrow…is it?"

"Yes," Scorpan said, nodding. "It is."

Spike curled his legs up to his chest. Scorpan then took the second arrow off the doorframe. Tied to it was a small scroll.

"But this one's not enchanted," he said, untying the scroll from the arrow. "It was only to send a message."

Unrolling the scroll, he began to read. After a minute, Scorpan's face paled.

"What?" Spike asked. "What does it say?"

Scorpan hesitated. "Um…"

The dragon leapt up and snatched the paper so he could read it himself. It was a rhyme.

I had four lavender arrows under my belt,
Four for the griefs that I have felt,
Four for the number of ill beings
That have oppressed me in their dealings.

One is gone; one is well sped;
Old Sir Wind Rider is dead.

One is for Discord, the Chaos Lord,
That burned my home, my room, my board.

One for Sir Scorpan, who had shown
His brother to turn Sir Spikus to stone.

Lord Tirek, I'll save you for last.
You'll rue the day you made me outcast.

Ye shall each have your own part,
A lavender arrow in each heart.
Ye shall suffer like the dragon you slew,
Ye four statues, when I am through.

Joust Amend-All
And the Society of the Lavender Arrow

Once he was finished reading, Spike looked up at the gargoyle. "Uncle…Uncle Scorpan, this note, it…it mentions my father." He glanced at the two arrows in Scorpan's hand. "Is…did you…?"

"Spike," Scorpan said, laying a hand on the dragon's shoulder. "I swear to you that I never harmed your father. Don't believe a word it says." He showed him the arrows. "These are like the one that took your father. For all we know, it might be the same archer, or a friend of the fiend."

Spike stared at the lavender arrows.

"Nevertheless," Scorpan said, taking the note and rolling it up. "We are in danger." He handed the scroll to Spike. "You must go on ahead to Trottingham, give this to my brother. Warn him about this Joust Amend-All."

"By myself?" Spike asked, shivering at the thought of running into the one responsible for this gruesome murder.

"It's not far. Only a few hours' walk. And you won't have to worry about running into those outlaws. They did not name you as their next victim. Though, just in case, you must stay on the path, and if you hear any sign of movement, run!" He placed the scroll in the dragon's claw. "Go swiftly. We'll follow you."

Spike took one last look at Wind Rider before racing down the hill. Scorpan turned to the poor stallion in stone and then glanced down at the lavender arrows in his hand.

"So, you've come back for me," he said, looking out at the edge of the wood. "You think you can play judge and jury?" Growling, he gripped the arrows until they cracked. "You don't know what happened that day."





That afternoon in Trottingham, Lord Tirek and his entourage had taken up lodging in an inn. They were all sitting down to supper and drinking ale. The Diamond Dogs laughed as Discord entertained them by juggling some apples. As the apples went round, they transformed into oranges, but turned back to apples before they landed in his paw.

The young mare whom they had forced into male attire was sitting unwittingly on the table bench, squished between two Diamond Dogs. Every now and then she would send them hateful scowls.

"Come now, Master Applejack," Tirek said mockingly as he swung his pint of ale about his hand. "Surely you must be hungry. The journey was long today."

The mare he called Applejack glared in his direction. "You take me from my home, force me into these clothes and ya expect me to break bread with ya?" She crossed her hooves over her chest. "No, sir!"

Tirek chuckled. "Lighten up, boy. Have a drink."

He slid his tankard across the table, but she did not catch it. She simply watched with disinterest as it slid past her and over to where Discord was standing. He cried out as he tripped over the tankard and landed face-first into a Diamond Dog's stew. The spectacle was so amusing, the Diamond Dog didn't even care that his supper had been spilt. Instead, he laughed and banged his wooden spoon atop Discord's head. Applejack rolled her eyes at their drunken stupor.

The innkeeper approached the table. "Lord Tirek? There's a young dragon here to see you."

"Ah," Tirek said, standing up. "He's early. Discord!"

"Yeah?" the draconequus said, lifting his dripping head up.

He pointed to Applejack. "Keep an eye on our…guest."

Nonchalantly, Discord pulled one of his own eyes out of its socket. "Eye-eye, sir!"

He chuckled as he directed the eye towards Applejack, who recoiled in disgust. Tirek rolled his own eyes as he followed the innkeeper into a private room.

"Hey, boys," Discord said, rising to his goat hoof and dragon foot. "Watch this."

He took out his other eye and started juggling both of them. Soon they multiplied so that he was juggling ten eyes. As the Diamond Dogs laughed and cheered, Applejack glanced at the door where Tirek had gone. Now that he wasn't watching, perhaps this was the time to make her escape.

She looked back at Discord, who had magically removed his head so that he was juggling it. He appeared too drunk to notice anything, though his multiple juggling eyes made her nervous. Glancing at the food on the table, she realized Tirek was right about one thing. The journey was long. She would need her strength.

No one thought twice about her hoof slowly reaching across the table and grabbing an apple and a slice of bread. She slid them into the pockets of her trousers. It wasn't much, but she couldn't let anything slow her down.

Discord cried out as his hoof stepped onto a plate and he fell backward, dropping his head and eyes.

"Whoopsies!" he said as he padded his paw and claw around. "Someone help me find my eyes? And head?"

Some Diamond Dogs scrambled to help while some just laughed further. One dog picked up an eye and held it out of reach of Discord's headless body.

Now's my chance, Applejack thought.

Slowly, she slid herself downward, carefully keeping an eye on the dogs surrounding her. Soon she was under the table and out of sight.





In the other room, Tirek was seated across from Spike at a table, reading the scroll left by Joust Amend-All and keeping a stern expression while doing so. He lowered the paper to look at his ward.

"You've read this?"

Spike nodded. "Uncle Tirek, is…is anything in that letter…true?"

Scowling, Tirek rose from the table. "You would believe the words of a murderer over your own guardian?" He slammed his fist down. "I, who took you in, raised you as my own, taught you everything I know?!"

Spike hung his head. "S-Sorry, Uncle Tirek, but…I was only six years old when my father was…" He winced. "You can understand why I have to…make sure, you know? I mean I know Uncle Scorpan couldn't have…"

"Don't you see, boy? Wind Rider was struck and turned to stone by a lavender arrow. This letter even admits it was a lavender arrow that turned your father to stone." He crumpled the paper in his fist. "And who else wields the power of the lavender arrow?"

Spike looked up at him with wide eyes. "You mean…?"

"Yes," Tirek said, opening up the letter so that he could examine it. "No doubt it is the work of that madmare, Twilight Sparkle."

The dragon gulped. "I…I thought she was dead!"

"As did I, my boy, but it appears your father's murderer is still at large." Tirek cleared his throat. "I will say one thing in this letter is true. I did order Discord to burn down Sparkle's home, but it was an attempt to smoke her out so that we may seize her and bring her to justice for her crimes. We assumed she had perished in the fire." He slammed the paper on the table. "So you see, this was just an attempt of Twilight Sparkle's to throw suspicion off herself for your father's murder."

Spike stood up from his seat. "We have to find her, Uncle Tirek! We have to make her pay for what she did to my father!"

"All in good time, my boy," Tirek said, going to the door and opening it. "Innkeeper! A quill, ink, and some paper!" He shut the door and turned back to Spike. "For now, you must return to Midnight Castle."

"What?" Spike said in anger. "You're not gonna let me fight? Or at least track down this murderer?!"

"This is an important errand, my boy." The innkeeper reopened the door and handed Tirek all he requested. "Besides," the centaur said, returning to the table, "you are far too young for battle." He sat down to write, murmuring, "And you're no use to me dead."

"I am not too young!" Spike exclaimed, stamping his foot. "And I'm not gonna run away like a coward!"

"This isn't cowardice," Tirek said as he blew on the written ink to make it dry faster. "This is strategy." He rolled up the paper and handed it to Spike. "Do not delay. It is most urgent that this gets to Midnight Castle. Just hand it to the Diamond Dog in charge. He'll know what to do. And remember, if you run into any outlaws or Celestials on the way, do not engage. Run as fast as you can."

Spike folded his arms stubbornly. Tirek gave him a stern look.

"I mean it, boy," the centaur said with a growl.

Shrinking under his gaze, Spike took the scroll and tucked it into his belt. He turned to leave, but Tirek stopped him by placing a large hand on his head.

"Before you go," Tirek said with a smirk, "there's some pony I'd like to introduce you to." He opened the door. "Wait here."





Applejack crawled under the table, snaking her way around the enormous, smelly feet of the Diamond Dogs. She had to hold her hoof over her muzzle to keep herself from gagging. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimmer of light. Hanging from a Diamond Dog's belt was a small but sharp dagger.

I'd need something to defend myself, just in case, she thought as she reached for the dagger. Pa told me never to steal, but he also said desperate times call for desperate measures.

She touched the hilt of the dagger and slowly lifted it upwards. She flinched when the dog moved his leg, but did not drop the knife. She bit her lip as she lifted the dagger the rest of the way and then quickly brought it to her chest. The Diamond Dog didn't seem to notice, so she tucked the dagger into her belt and continued to crawl.

She was at the end of the table and could see the door leading outside. She was about to make a run for it when a new thought occurred to her. Even if she made it out of the inn, how was she to find her way home? She didn't have a map and it wasn't like she could ask any of the Diamond Dogs for directions.

Then the door to the other room swung open and Applejack shrank back under the table as Tirek stepped out. He left the door open, allowing her to see what was inside. A young dragon who didn't look any older than twelve was sitting at a table, looking dejected. Seeing that he was holding a scroll, she assumed him to be a page here to bring a message. He had an honest face, and he looked too young to bear any ill intentions.

Well, she thought as she cautiously crawled out from under the table, beats the dogs.

Spike slumped his head on the table, annoyed that he had to deliver yet another message. Meanwhile, his father's killer was out there, ready to strike again. Not to mention he was going to miss the battle.

"Pssst!"

Spike lifted his head and looked around the room.

"Pssst! Boy!"

He turned around and saw the face of a colt in the doorway. He studied the face carefully.

"Why you calling me 'boy?' I may look young, but I'm not much older than you!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Applejack said, glancing hastily behind her. "Listen, I'm in serious need of help here. You wouldn't happen to know the way to Applewood, would ya?"

"Applewood? Sure. You just take the path on the south side of town, go right when you reach a fork in the road, keeping going until you come to a river. There you'll have to hail a ferry. The ferry pony should be able to tell you the rest of the way."

Applejack smiled. "Thank ya, boy. I won't forget this." She started to leave but then turned back. "Oh! And I would really appreciate it if ya didn't tell any pony ya saw me. There are fellas here who mean me harm."

Spike moved his fingers across his lips, pretended to lock his mouth up and throw away the key. After sending him one more smile, Applejack bolted away.

"Strange colt," Spike said, turning back to the table. "Boy? Me? He looked as if he'd just left the schoolroom!"

There was a loud crash in the next room and a shout. "WHERE IS SHE?!"

Spike turned to see what was happening, but a drunken Diamond Dog leaned absentmindedly against the door, shutting it on him. He could hear shouts, but he couldn't make out what his guardian was saying.

"WHERE IS SHE, YOU IDIOT?!" Tirek said, wringing Discord's neck.

Discord nervously popped his last eye into its socket and forced a grin. "She, um…she was right here, I swear!"

Tirek roared and pushed the draconequus onto the table, sending dishes everywhere. He stomped over to the bar where the innkeeper was shivering in fright.

"YOU!" he shouted, pointing. "Did you see a young mare come through here?!"

"You'll have to be more specific," the innkeeper said, indicating a group of frightened mares huddled into a corner.

"An earth mare! Orange coat, blonde mane, green eyes, freckles?!"

"I, um…saw no mare like that, but I did see a young colt fitting that description just leave …"

"IDIOT!" Tirek bellowed, grabbing the front of the innkeeper's shirt. "COULDN'T YOU SEE IT WAS A MARE?! WHICH WAY DID SHE GO?!"

Gulping, the innkeeper pointed out the door. Tirek dropped the stallion and turned to his Diamond Dogs.

"Well, don't just sit there! FIND HER!"

The dogs scrambled onto their feet and hastened out the door. The door to the other room opened and Spike stepped out in confusion.

"Uncle Tirek? What's going on?"

Tirek inhaled deeply. When he exhaled, he put on a smile and turned to the dragon.

"Nothing that concerns you, my dear ward," Tirek said, bending over to pat him on the head. "Just war stuff. You'll understand when you're older."

"But," Spike said, blinking, "who was that she you kept screaming about?"

Tirek frowned. "Like I said, you'll understand when you're older."

"But…"

"Run along now," Tirek said, gently pushing his ward toward the door. "Deliver my message for me like a good boy."

Despite his lingering confusion, Spike obeyed his guardian. "Yes, Uncle Tirek."

And so the young dragon exited the inn. Discord was about to do the same when Tirek caught him by the neck.

"And just where do you think you're going?"

Discord gulped. "I thought you wanted us to go get the girl?"

Tirek released his neck. "I have a special job for you."

He showed Discord the letter from Joust Amend-All. When Discord read it, his eyes literally popped out of their sockets. He had to pick them off the ground and put them back in.

"You know what this means, don't you?" Tirek asked.

Discord lowered the letter. "That Wind Rider is stone?"

The centaur nodded. "And I take it you've already guessed who this Joust Amend-All is."

Biting his lip, Discord said, "Twilight Sparkle?"

"Very good. Now, my memory's not completely perfect, but I seem to recall that the creature I had sent to take care of her was…" Discord choked as Tirek wringed his neck again. "YOU!"

"Hey!" Discord wheezed, flailing his arms about. "I burned her house down! How was I to know she'd escape?!"

Tirek brought him to his face. "You should've counted on it! You call yourself the Lord of Chaos but you couldn't even get rid of one measly little unicorn!" He shoved the letter in Discord's face. "The boy is already starting to ask questions! If he ever learns the truth, all my plans will be ruined, because of you!"

Discord gasped as Tirek squeezed tighter. He was sure he was going to suffocate when Tirek suddenly released him, dropping him to the ground.

"But," Tirek said, taking a calming deep breath, "you still have a chance to make up for your mistake." He threw the letter to the ground beside Discord. "Find Twilight Sparkle and her little secret society. And this time," he said, narrowing his eyes, "finish the job."
> The Two Lads
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spike trudged down the forest path, his sack, bow and quiver on his back. Grunting, he kicked a pebble as he walked.

"'Too young for battle,'" he said, looking back at the way he came. "I'm not too young!" he shouted. "I'll be a knight one day! You'll see!" He continued walking. "They'll all see."

He stopped when he heard a twig snap. Looking around, he saw nothing but trees and shrugs. Slowly, he took a couple steps forward. Then he heard the sound of leaves rustling. He turned sharply to the shrubs and saw some movement within them.

Could it be a thief? Perhaps one of the outlaws who had turned Wind Rider to stone? Spike was about to run, but then he realized this was his chance to prove himself to his guardian.

Carefully, he removed his bow from his shoulder and reached back for an arrow. Before he could touch one, however, something tackled him from behind.

Spike let out a cry as he was tumbled to the ground. He dropped his bow and his arrows spilled out of their quiver. When he looked up, he found himself face to face with the colt from the inn who had asked for directions. Applejack's green eyes were ablaze as she pinned down Spike's shoulder with one hoof and held a knife to his throat with the other.

"Why ya followin' me?" she demanded.

Spike blinked. "What?"

She brought her face closer. "Why are ya followin' me?"

She was so close now he could smell her breath. For a moment, he felt quite soothed, for her breath smelt of apples. Then he remembered that this crazy colt had a knife to his throat.

"L-Look," Spike said, shaking his head. "There's been a misunder—"

"Did he send ya?" Applejack said, moving closer so that their noses were touching. "Was that yerr game? Sendin' me off alone with yerr directions so that you could hunt me down yourself and get a reward from yerr master?!"

"Master? Who are you…?"

"Well I ain't goin' back to that varmint, ya hear?! He ain't forcin' me to marry nobody!"

Spike cringed. "Uh…don't you mean anybody?"

He coughed as the knife pressed down further on his neck, though not yet piercing his skin.

"Ya think you're in any position to be correcting my grammar?"

"Yes! I mean no! I mean…" He looked her in the eye. "Look, I wasn't following you! I was just on my way home! I didn't think you'd be here! I don't know anything about this guy you're running from. I just happened to be walking by!"

She studied him carefully. He appeared truly frightened, and to be telling the truth. Besides, the fact that she was threatening someone so young was making her feel guilty.

"Sorry," she said as she rose and stepped back.

Spike released his breath as he sat up. He put his claw to his neck to make sure it hadn't been cut.

"I've just got some fellas after me that mean me no good," Applejack said, glancing over her shoulder as she tucked the dagger into her belt. "I thought ya might've been one of 'em."

"Sorry I scared ya," Spike said as he rose to his feet.

She smirked. "You scare me?"

He scowled. "I may be small, but I've got a lot of fire in me!" He pounded on his chest. "Literally!"

She put her hoof to her mouth as she giggled. "If ya say so." She started walking past him. "Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but I need to get to Applewood as soon as possible."

Spike turned to her with a raised eyebrow. "Applewood?"

"Yeah, remember? I asked ya the way not an hour ago?"

"I did, but…you know this isn't the path to Applewood, right?"

Applejack froze in her tracks and looked over her shoulder at him. "What?"

"This is the road to Midnight Castle."

She yelped. "Where Lord Tirek lives?"

"Uh-huh. I was just on my way…"

"But," she said, turning to face him fully, "ya told me to go down this way!"

"I told you to take the path on the south side of Trottingham." He pointed down to the ground. "This path starts on the southeast side of Trottingham. Though now that I think about it, the two paths are pretty close to each other."

She narrowed her eyes. "You," she said, stepping towards him, "knew that there were two paths close together," she grabbed him by the shirt, "and you didn't tell me?!"

"Hey, hey, hey!" Spike exclaimed, holding up his claws. "I gave you the right directions! You just took them wrong."

Growling, she dropped him. "Well," she said, smoothing out her tunic, "since you seem to know your way around here so well, the best way to get me to Applewood," she held out her hoof for him to grab, "is for you to take me there yourself."

He scoffed. "Me?"

"Yes, you. After all," she said, glaring again, "you're the one who got me lost! Now ya have to fix it!"

"No way!" He swatted away her hoof. "Do you have any idea how far away Applewood is? Over a day's journey! Maybe more if the princesses get into a fight!"

"Well then, boy," she said, crossing her hooves with a smirk, "we better get goin' then."

"Look," Spike said as he hauled himself to his feet, "I've got a very important message to deliver to Midnight Castle." He knelt down to pick up his scattered arrows. "I don't have time for any detours!" After picking up his bow, he strung it over his shoulder. "And don't call me boy! I happen to be sixteen! An adult!" He stood on his tiptoes to reach her eyelevel. "Hardly any older than you!"

Applejack rolled her eyes. "And I'm seventeen. So?"

He blinked back. "Seventeen?" He looked her over. "What, did you skip puberty or something?"

"Look who's talkin'."

He grunted. "I'm not taking you to Applewood and that's final!"

As he stomped past her, Applejack growled under her breath. It wasn't that she couldn't handle herself, but she had never been in these woods before and needed a guide if she was ever going to get back home. Even if this dragon was a bit of a brat, he wasn't the one chasing her. She had to convince him to take her somehow.

Then she remembered something he had mentioned while she was hiding in the shrubs. Her lips curled into a devious smile as an idea occurred to her.

"Not even if I offered ya knighthood?"

He stopped in his tracks and turned to her curiously. "Say what now?"

"Oh, didn't I mention?" she said, nonchalantly admiring the sole of her hoof. "I happen to have some relatives in high places. Relatives that would be oh so grateful to have me returned, that they might offer a reward to the one who helped me." She looked at him smugly. "Maybe put a good word in with Princess Celestia?"

He blinked in wonderment. "You're…you're bluffing."

"Maybe." She shrugged. "Still, you'd be doin' a heroic act. Aren't knights supposed to be noble?"

Turning around, Spike tapped his chin in thought. Even if this colt was lying about having connections, word might still get out if he performed this heroic task. And who knew? Perhaps he might run into the Society of the Lavender Arrow and have a chance to prove himself to Lord Tirek. Either way, he'd be one step closer to becoming a knight.

Sighing, Spike turned back to face her. "Alright. I'll take you to Applewood."

"Do ya swear it?" she asked, grinning further.

"I swear," he said, raising his claw, "upon my honor as a knight-in-training, that I will see you safely to Applewood." He pointed to her. "If you swear that you'll do what you can to make me a knight!"

"Deal."

She spat on her hoof and held it out to him. He cringed as he spat on his claw and clasped it with her hoof.

"Alright," she said, pointing down the path. "Lead the way."

Spike wiped the spit onto his doublet. "Okay. Since we're on the southeast path and need to go south to Applewood," he said, turning and pointing down the right side of the path, "if we go southwest, we should find ourselves on the Applewood path."

"Great!" Applejack said, moving into the tall grass. "Let's get goin', boy!"

Growling, Spike stomped after her. "Don't call me boy."

"Oh, I'm sorry." She smirked as she turned back to him. "Shall I call ya 'girl' then?"

"No way!" he shouted, trying to catch up. "I'm no weakling!"

She stopped and crossed her hooves. "Excuse me?"

"You know what I mean," he said as he finally came to her side.

"No," she said in a flat tone. "I don't know what ya mean."

"Well there's a reason mares are almost never called to battle." He threw his arms into the air. "Mares are too emotional! Always crying over everything! You forget this whole war started because two mares were overcome with emotion!" He huffed. "And even if they did go to battle, it's not like they'd be able to fight."

She clenched her hooves. "And what makes ya think that?"

"Mares aren't born with the right kind of muscle! Not like we males are!" He looked her over. "Well, with a few exceptions."

She ground her teeth together. "I think you might underestimate us…" She shook her head. "Mares, I mean."

"Whatever," he said, waving his claw as he started walking again. "Just don't call me girl or boy."

"Sorry," she said gruffly, following him. "But ya never mentioned yerr name."

"Neither did you."

Biting her lip, she wondered how much she should tell him. He didn't seem like a snitch, as he hadn't told anyone where she'd gone, but she still wasn't sure how much she should trust him. She could be put to death for wearing these clothes. Not to mention his dislike for mares made her feel less inclined to reveal herself. He was barely tolerating her as it was.

"Um…Applejack," she said, wincing at the name Tirek had chosen for her. "Call me Applejack."

"And what brings you all the way out here, Applejack?" Spike asked. "You said some guys were after you. Who are they and what quarrel do you have with them?"

"I was kidnapped," she said, gritting her teeth, "by that no-good stinkin' varmint Lord Tirek!"

Spike stiffened. "T-T-Tirek? W-Why would he wanna kidnap you?"

She growled. "Let's just say I'm worth a lot of money to him. Last night I was out tendin' my family's orchard—I like to read to the trees at night, ya see—when he and his goons grabbed me from behind, chained me up, dragged me all the way to Trottingham and forced me into these…"

She put her hoof over her mouth before she could say too much. Meanwhile, Spike was biting down hard on his lip.

"That just…doesn't sound like something Uncle Tirek would do."

"Uncle?!" Applejack stopped him by holding out her hoof. Turning to him, she shouted, "He's your uncle?!"

"No!" Spike cried, holding up his claws. "I mean yes. I mean not really. He's my guardian."

Her eyes widened as she took a step back. "Then you're…you're…"

"Yup," he said, removing his hat. "Spike de Dragon, at your service."

She blinked several times as she stared at him. This was the one she was being forced to marry? Of all the creatures she could've run into, it had to have been him?

"But…" she said, stammering. "I…I thought ya'd be…"

"Rugged? Handsome?" Spike said, slicking back his spines. "Did I pass the test?"

She tilted her head. "Taller."

He pouted, and she couldn't help but crack a smile at his disappointment. In truth, she'd expected someone not just taller, but as intimidating and monstrous as Tirek. But this dragon hardly looked his age, and certainly wasn't as ruthless as his guardian, even if a little rude. He didn't look ready to be married.

On the other hoof, his smallness made him look almost…adorable.

Then Applejack remembered that this was still Tirek's charge. She backed up even further.

"Oh no," she said, shaking her head. "This was a mistake. If I'd known ya were his ward…"

"Hey, wait!" he said, snagging her hoof. "This doesn't change anything."

She glanced down at his claw and then at him. "You're…not gonna take me back to yerr guardian?"

He shook his head. "I gave you my oath as a knight-in-training that I would take you to Applewood. I'm not sure what's going on with you and Uncle Tirek, but I intend to keep that oath."

She blinked in surprise. "That…really is noble of ya."

"Hey," he said with a shrug. "It's the knightly thing to do."

She stared at him for a long while before she realized he was still holding her hoof. Clearing her throat, she wrenched her hoof away.

"We, um," she said, "best get a move on then."

They walked for a few minutes in silence, both in deep thought. Spike kept glancing at Applejack, wondering if she was telling the truth about his guardian. What reason would she have to lie? Perhaps she had made a mistake? Then again, how many creatures could be mistaken for Tirek?

Applejack kept glancing at Spike, still shocked that this was the very dragon she'd been dragged here to marry. Did he have any idea who she was? No, he wasn't even aware she was a mare. Still, she wondered just how much he knew about her. Did he know they were betrothed?

"It's, um," she said, rubbing the back of her neck, "strange that ya think so little of mares, cuz I heard you were to be married yourself."

Spike turned to her with wide eyes. "What? Me? Married?!"

She nodded. "Lord Tirek arranged it."

"Well this is the first I've heard of it! Who am I supposed to marry?"

"A young mare named Apple Jewel. Lord Tirek plans to marry ya off to her so that he can have control of her inheritance."

He huffed and crossed his arms. "Well, first thing I do when I see Uncle Tirek is give him a piece of my mind about this marriage. I ain't gonna be saddled with any mare! Or any female for that matter! Not me! No, sir! Only the weak of heart get married!"

Applejack narrowed her eyes. "Just as well then. Cuz I also heard that this Apple Jewel's not so keen on marryin' you either!"

"You know her?"

She bit her lip. "She, uh…lives in my neighborhood."

That wasn't entirely a lie.

"Out of curiosity," Spike said, glancing sideways at her, "what's she like?"

Applejack winced at his question. The last thing she wanted was for him to be interested in her. It would make the situation much more complicated. So she thought of everything that usually scared her other suitors off.

"No, no," she said, shaking her head. "Ya wouldn't like her. She's uh…headstrong! Yeah, headstrong! Always sneakin' outta her home, rollin' in the mud, gettin' herself dirty… Oh, and she has very bad table manners! Always slurpin' and burpin'! She may come from a wealthy family, but she ain't no lady."

"Huh," Spike said, rubbing his chin. "She sounds interesting."

Applejack grunted in frustration.

"But what's she like physically? Is she pretty? Is she plain?"

She sent him a sour look. "Why should that matter?"

"Well, if she were plain, maybe it wouldn't be so bad."

Applejack raised an eyebrow. "Care to explain?"

"See, the biggest problem with most mares is how pretty they are." He hopped onto a log and began walking across. "For example, there's this chambermaid back at Midnight Castle named Rarity." He sighed. "Even I can't help but notice how gorgeous she is." He shook his head. "Which is exactly the problem!" Reaching the end of the log, he hopped off. "Every time she walks by, I get all clammy and weak in the knees! It's especially distracting during target practice! Last time, I nearly shot down the guy on sentry duty!"

He folded his arms. "I find it weird that Uncle Tirek arranged a marriage for me. He was the one who told me marriage was for weaklings."

"Why does that not surprise me?" Applejack murmured.

"But since you tell me this mare is rich, that probably explains it. Maybe if she weren't pretty, she wouldn't be too much of a distraction." He looked at her. "Is she pretty?"

Applejack hesitated. "Uh…yes! She's very pretty! She'd be way too distracting for ya!" She patted him on the back. "You should just tell your mean old uncle you're not interested and forget it ever happened!" She frowned slightly. "But seriously. Is that what ya think of all females? Even your mother?"

Spike shrugged. "I wouldn't know. My mother passed away before I hatched."

She paused in her step. "I…I'm sorry, I…I didn't…I mean I figured you were an orphan if Tirek was your…"

"It's okay," he said, walking ahead. "I never knew her, so there's not much to be sad about."

"Explains a lot," Applejack mumbled as she continued on.

"But in answer to your question, there was…one mare I knew." He smiled softly. "She was a friend of my father's, and she fought in Celestia's army." He slashed his arm about as if he were wielding a sword. "She was fearless, strong, cunning. There was no soldier like her! And if anyone tried to bring her down because of her sex, she would just keep on going! Indeed, she was truly the best mare there ever was!"

Then he sighed sadly. "But…I guess being the best wasn't enough for her."

Applejack frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He hung his head. "It's a long story."

She shrugged. "We've got a long ways to go."

"I just don't wanna talk about it, okay?!" he snapped. "Just…forget I said anything."

Applejack watched in sympathy as he quickened his pace. He didn't actually seem that bad of a dragon, even if a little misogynistic. She wondered what could've happened to make him like that. She blamed his upbringing.

Maybe it was a good thing he wasn't that interested in marrying her. It meant even if they were caught, he might convince Lord Tirek to let her go. If that didn't work, Spike could at least help her escape. Then she could return to her family and marry Sir Trenderhoof as she had promised.

"Hey, slowpoke!" Spike called from ahead. "Did your mother give you weak legs or something?"

She growled as she picked up the pace. She had a feeling this was going to be a long journey.
> The Great River Horse
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It wasn't long before Spike and Applejack came out of the tall grass and onto another path.

"Great," Spike said, shaking the brambles off his legs. "We're on the right path. In a little while we should be reaching the Great River Horse."

Applejack's eyes widened. "There are river horses round here?"

He rolled his eyes. "No. The river is called the Great River Horse. See, it's a river called Horse, but it's big, so it's great."

"Well they shouldn't be callin' it that. It's very misleading."

Sure enough, they soon heard the sound of running water.

"We'll have to take a ferry across," Spike explained. "But don't worry. I'm real tight with the ferry pony who comes through here. He won't charge us mu—oh no!"

"What?" Applejack asked.

He pointed ahead to where the wide river lay. A small boathouse sat on the bank, a wooden rowboat bobbing beside it. Two yellow unicorn stallions were sprawled inside the boat, basking in the sunlight. Applejack figured the two of them were twins, as they had identical faces and wore identical blue-and-white-striped tunics and identical straw hats. Only difference between them was that one brother had a red mustache on his lip.

"Not those two!" Spike said, smacking his forehead.

"Who are they?" Applejack asked.

"Flim and Flam," he said, narrowing his eyes. "Of all days, it had to be them! Usually this guy Silver Shill runs the ferry, but on some days it's these two charlatans."

"What's so bad about 'em?"

"They charge you extra! And what's worse, they make you feel good about being cheated!"

"I see," Applejack said, looking back at the twins. "You know, I've dealt with plenty of salesponies before. I'm sure I can…"

"Just let me do the talking," Spike said, holding up his claw.

As he walked ahead, Applejack sent him a scowl. Meanwhile, the brother with the mustache had opened his eyes and was looking at the approaching customers.

"Well, will you look at that, Flim?" he said to his brother. "I think these two wanna cross the river."

"It would seem so, Flam," Flim said. "Too bad we're not doing any business today."

Spike stopped in surprise. "What? Seriously? You guys aren't gonna try to rob me blind?"

"Listen, Master de Dragon," Flim said, sitting up. "If you want our two cents…"

"For your two cents!" Flam said, also sitting up.

"No!" Spike said sternly.

"Ah, we'll give it to ya anyway," Flim said. "See, there are some…unseemly characters on the other side of this river."

"You'd be better off taking the bridge," Flam said.

"But for a mere five bits, we'll point you in its direction!"

"Even throw in this free map of the White Tail Wood," Flam said, holding up a map.

"Or perhaps you'd be interested in some Great River Horse merchandise?" Flim asked, holding up a tunic that said: My brother went to the Great River Horse and all he got me was this stupid tunic.

"Yeah, no," Spike said. "We'll just find the bridge on our own, thank you."

"How far away is the bridge?" Applejack asked.

"About five miles upstream," he said as he passed her.

"Five miles?!" She looked up at the sky. "But it'll be dark by the time we get there!"

"It may take longer, but at least it's free."

Narrowing her eyes in determination, Applejack turned and stomped over to the twins in the boat.

"Listen here, ya varmints," she said, giving the stallions a start as she tipped the edge of the boat with her hoof. "I've been havin' a really bad day, and I cannot afford to lose time! So, either y'all do your job and take us across this here river, or I show ya what happens when a young fill—colt from Applewood gets mad!"

Flim and Flam stared at her with wide eyes and then nodded, saying, "Yes, ma'am!"

"That's yes, sir!" she shouted.

"Yes, sir!" they said.

Flam scooted next to his brother so that they were both in the middle of the boat. "Welcome aboard!"

Applejack looked over her shoulder and smiled at Spike. "Ya comin'?"

His mouth was also wide open. Shaking his head, he followed her into the boat. Spike sat at the head while Applejack sat in the back. As Flim and Flam got out their oars, the latter whispered to Spike.

"Your marefriend is pretty high-strung."

Spike gawked. "W-What? He's not my…he's not even a mare!"

"Uh-huh. If you say so." Flam looked back at Applejack and then whispered to his brother, "That's gotta be the most unconvincing disguise I've ever seen."

"Who'd have thought young Master de Dragon would end up running off with a lover?" Flim said with a snicker.

"You fillies done gossipin' or am I gonna halfta steer this thing?" Applejack asked.

The brothers cast off the boat and began rowing across. When they reached an island surrounded by a thicket of willows in the middle of the river, sweat began dripping from Flam's brow and Flim kept glancing around anxiously.

"Don't tell me y'all are worried about sea monsters or something," Applejack said, unamused.

"Oh, if only that were so, little lady," Flim said.

"Why do ya guys keep calling him that?" Spike asked.

The brothers ignored his question.

"We weren't supposed to bring you across, you see," Flam said. "Our orders were: no one from Lord Tirek's court is to cross this river, no matter how much they pay you."

"Orders?" Applejack asked. "From whom?"

"Brother, watch out!" Flam cried.

Flim saw the obstacle too late. The boat caught itself in the thicket.

"Oh no," Flim said as he attempted to push his oar against the willows. "We gotta get outta here!"

"Before she finds us!" Flam exclaimed.

"She who?" Spike demanded.

Everyone stiffened as a rustling noise was heard.

"Best get your bow out, boy," Flim said.

"You too, miss," Flam said to Applejack, "if you have any weapons on you."

There was movement in the island's shrubs. Spike prepared his bow while Applejack drew forth her dagger. The boat rocked as the twins tried to push the boat out of the thicket.

Suddenly, a cloaked figure jumped out of the shrubs. Pink magic surrounded the bow that was now aimed at the travelers.

"Who goes?" the figure demanded in a female voice.

"Please, please, don't shoot!" Flim cried, raising his oar in defense.

"That one there threatened us!" Flam shouted, tilting his head towards Applejack.

"Who goes?" the figure asked impatiently.

Spike puffed up his chest. "Spike de Dragon and Applejack…" He turned to her unsurely. "Um…"

"Smith!" Applejack spouted. "Look, we mean ya no harm! We just wanna get to Applewood!"

The mysterious mare stared awhile at Spike and then lowered her bow. "You shall pass, Master de Dragon. No harm shall come to you or your friend upon the road." She turned to the twins. "Back out, Masters Flim and Flam."

The brothers nodded as they hastened to push their boat free. As the cloaked mare turned away, Spike squinted at the floating bow and arrow. Even through the pink magic, he could distinguish the color of the arrow's head and shaft. Gasping, he stood up.

"YOU!"

The mare spun around and the boat wobbled at Spike's sudden movement. The dragon raised his bow, aiming the arrow towards the figure.

"The lavender arrow," he growled in hatred.

"Spike, you don't understand…" she tried to say.

"You won't get away from me this time!" he said as he drew back the bowstring. "I'll avenge the deaths of Sir Wind Rider and my father, Sir Spikus!"

"Spike, what are ya…?" Applejack asked.

"Spike, don't!" the figure cried, backing away.

"Why are you running?" Spike shouted. "Draw your bow, coward!"

She shook her head. "Don't make me hurt you, Spike."

"Then die!"

The second Spike released his arrow, the figure emitted a strong magical pulse from the horn beneath her hood. The arrow bounced off the shield as it surged towards the boat. Everyone cried out as the boat was knocked backwards out of the thicket before capsizing. The cloaked mare ran back into the foliage.

Applejack sprang to the surface and clung to the upside-down boat. Flim and Flam resurfaced shortly afterward. After coughing up some water, Applejack glanced around anxiously.

"Where's Spike?"

The twins looked at each other and then at her.

"He wasn't with you?" they said simultaneously.

"HELP!"

Applejack turned to see Spike's head bobbing above the water. His arms were flailing and splashing all about as he was pulled downstream.

"He's caught in the current!" Flim cried.

"Oh well," Flam said with a shrug. "He'll be fine.

"I can't swim!" Spike yelled.

Applejack gasped when she saw how much he was struggling to keep afloat.

"Well, don't just stand there!" Applejack exclaimed as she gripped the edge of the boat. "We gotta get this boat back up!"

"Now hold on," Flim said, raising his hoof. "Our contract clearly states we're only supposed to take you across the river, not downriver."

She grunted angrily. "Fine! Who needs ya?"

Taking a gulp of air, Applejack dove underwater.

"Hey!" Flam called after her. "You haven't paid us yet!"

She didn't hear him, for the rushing river had filled her ears. Applejack broke her head above the water to look for Spike. She could only see the top of his head. His hat was floating nearby.

"Spike!" Applejack called out as she swam faster. "Your quiver's weighin' ya down! Ya gotta lose it!"

Spike sputtered as he broke the surface again. His eyes were shut tight, and it didn't seem like he had heard her. Applejack's eyes widened when she saw large rocks coming up ahead.

"Spike, watch out!"

Spike struggled to open his eyes. "Wha—?"

He realized the danger too late. His head hit a rock and he slid unconsciously underwater. Applejack gasped and dove in after him. The water was almost pitch black. All she could see were the fish swimming within five inches of her. She beat her legs hard against the water as she searched for Spike.

Then she saw a purple blur and rocketed towards it. Soon Spike's unconscious figure was in sight. He was plummeting fast and Applejack's head throbbed from lack of air.

Throwing her hooves around his neck, Applejack kicked her legs upwards. Soon they broke the surface and Applejack released her breath. Spotting a riverbank to her right, she began dragging Spike towards it, all the while keeping his head above the water.

Panting heavily, she pushed him onto the bank and climbed up to his side.

"Spike?"

She put her ear to his chest. His heartbeat was there, but it was faint, and his chest was not moving.

"Spike, breathe!" she cried, shaking him. "Breathe!"

Her own hooves started shaking. Calm yourself, girl, she thought to herself. Panicking won't help him.

Then she remembered something her Granny Smith had told her: If they ain't got air in 'em, ya gotta give 'em some air, if ya know what I mean.

Applejack blushed as she looked down at Spike. No time to be squeamish, girl. His life is at stake.

Biting her lip, she carefully tilted his head back, causing his mouth to open. Closing her eyes, she leaned towards him with an open mouth.

Spike felt something warm touch his lips. It tasted like apples…and it tasted sweet. He figured he was dreaming, so he did not dare open his eyes. The thing then moved away, much to his disappointment, and then returned, giving him another taste of warm air.

He moaned internally as he raised his claw to prevent the wonderful thing from leaving again. But that made the thing jerk away. He heard a cry and Spike's eyes popped open in confusion.

Applejack was standing over him, her face filled with shock.

Spike then understood what had been touching his lips.

They both cried out as they jumped back. Spike spat on the ground in disgust, while Applejack dipped her hooves in the river so that she may splatter the water onto her tongue.

"Why did…?" Spike said, spitting between words. "What was…?"

"Ya weren't breathing, okay?!" Applejack shouted, her cheeks flushing red. "I was tryin' to get air into your lungs!"

"Well, next time," he said, turning around, "could you ask me permission first?!"

"Excuse me?!" She spun around to face him. "I was just tryin' to save yerr life here! You were the one who made it all…" Her hooves circled each other as she tried to find the right words. "Messy!"

"Well I'm sorry! But it's not every day I wake up to someone…"

He paused and looked out at the river. Then he looked down at his wet clothes and then at Applejack's wet clothes.

"You…" he said, blinking in astonishment, "just…saved my life."

Applejack rolled her eyes. "Glad ya finally figured it out!"

"Thank you."

She sighed. "'Twas nothin'."

"No, really." He walked toward her. "Thank you."

He caught her by surprise by wrapping his arms around her. Applejack blushed fiercely at his sudden touch. She softly pushed him away.

"Really, it was…"

"No, you don't understand," Spike said, placing his claw over his heart. "It's in the Dragon Code that when a dragon's life is saved, he owes a life debt to the one who saves him."

Applejack blinked. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Dropping to his knee, he lowered his head. "Applejack Smith of Applewood," he said, raising his head, "I am at your service. Whatever you ask of me, I shall do until the day I die."

Applejack felt the heat rising to her cheeks again. "Uh…well," she said, holding out her hoof to help him up. "You're already helpin' me plenty by takin' me to Applewood. Which reminds me," she said, walking past him, "we better get goin'."

"Hang on a second." Spike held up his claw as he searched the ground. "My bow." He started running to and fro. "Where's my bow?!"

Applejack looked out at the river. "It…must be floatin' downstream right about now."

"Oh no," he said, putting his claws to his head. "No, no, no, no, no!"

"Hey, it's okay," she said, laying her hoof on his shoulder. "We can make ya a new one. I'm sure we can find a stick and some string some—"

"You don't understand!" He shrugged her off. "My dad gave me that bow! It's all I have left of him!"

She put her hoof to her mouth. "I…I'm sorry."

"Maybe if we follow the river," Spike said as he began running along the water, "we'll catch up to it!"

"Spike!" Applejack shouted, grabbing him. "It's gone." She sighed. "Look, I'm sorry about your dad's bow, but we gotta keep movin'."

Spike sniffed as tears welled up in his eyes. "He gave that to me not long before he…" He hung his head. "Now how am I gonna avenge him?"

Applejack then remembered what had caused the boat to capsize. "Spike, who was…?"

She turned when she heard leaves rustling. What she saw made her gasp.

"Spike, look!"

Spike followed her gaze and also gasped. Sitting by a shrub was his bow! He ran towards it, picked it up and kissed it all over. Then he noticed Applejack staring at him and smiled awkwardly as he slung it over his shoulder. Applejack grinned at how happy he was, then frowned as she glanced around the riverbank.

"Spike," she said slowly, "not that I'm not glad ya got your bow back, but…how did it even get here?"

Spike's face fell too as he looked around. Neither of them noticed the cloaked figure concealing herself in the shrubbery, watching them.
> The Burdens We Carry
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

SPOILER ALERT: If you haven't seen the leaked episode "The Perfect Pear" yet, there are slight references to it in this chapter.





"Well," Spike said after searching through his knapsack, "doesn't look like anything was badly damaged." He looked up at Applejack. "Unless you like soggy bread."

She chuckled. "Better than nothin'. Maybe I should carry that bag from now on."

"No, no," he said, lifting the bag onto his shoulder with his quiver and bow. "I've got it."

She sighed. "Spike, ya almost drowned thanks to all that extra weight. If you're gonna be takin' me home, at least let me carry part of the burden."

"No, no! No need to be doing any favors for me! You saved my life after all!"

He tried to walk away, but she swiped the knapsack off his shoulder before he could get far.

"No arguments," she said, swinging the bag onto her own shoulder. "I'm carryin' this."

Spike groaned. "Fine."

Using his arms, he spread the tall grass aside so he and Applejack could go through. They came onto a dirt road lined with tall trees.

"Yuck," Applejack said, attempting to shake the mud off her hooves. "Not that I mind gettin' a lil' dirty, but we're bound to catch pneumonia if we keep our clothes wet like this."

"We could stop awhile for dinner," Spike said, pointing to a tree, "and we can hang our clothes on those branches to dry while we eat."

Applejack stiffened. "Ya mean…take our clothes off?"

"They'll dry quicker that way."

A lump formed in her throat. It wasn't mere modesty that had her worried, but if she took her clothes off, there were a few things Spike was bound to notice.

"Uh," Applejack said, throwing her hooves around herself. "I'd rather not."

Spike raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you're shy! We're both males here!"

"Far from it," she murmured. "I mean…isn't there another way?"

He stared at her a moment before looking at their surroundings. "I suppose we could build a fire to warm ourselves." He glanced up at the pink sky. "It'll be dark soon. We'll have to make camp anyway."

"Camp? But…shouldn't we keep movin'? I mean not only might your uncle find us, but now there's that hooded lunatic out there! Wouldn't buildin' a fire and makin' camp put us out in the open?"

"It's better than traveling at night," he said, turning to her. "Besides, we've still got a long way to go and we'll need our rest."

Applejack sighed. "Okay. So…where we campin'?"

"Uh," Spike said, putting his finger to his chin as he looked up and down the path. "Give me a sec while I try and figure out where we are."

Her eyes widened. "You don't know where we are?!"

"Hey! Like it's my fault the boat capsized and we ended up further downstream than we were supposed to be!"

"Uh…yeah, it kinda is your fault! Madame Hoodie there was about to let us go when ya went and pointed your arrow at her!"

Spinning around, Spike shouted, "What else was I supposed to do?! Let my father's murderer get away again?!"

Applejack blinked. "Your father's murderer?"

"Yes! That mare wielded a lavender arrow, the same arrow that killed my father ten years ago, and Sir Wind Rider this morning! You think I was gonna just sit there and let crimes like that go unavenged?"

"Shush."

"What kind of dragon would I be if I didn't avenge…?"

"Shush!" Applejack whispered harshly, covering his mouth. "Listen."

Spike went still as he listened. There was a murmuring in the distance. Both of them searched anxiously for a place to hide. Spike grabbed Applejack's hoof and hastened her across the road to a large tree. At the base of the tree was a gaping hole big enough for them both. He pulled her down into it and they sat quietly as they listened.

Spike was thinking about the outlaws. Applejack was thinking about Lord Tirek.

As the muffled voice grew louder, she gripped Spike's claw for courage. He glanced down at it curiously, but he said nothing. Both for the reason of the oncoming stranger and for the reason that her hoof holding his claw made him feel less nervous.

The stranger came closer, and the thought of returning to Lord Tirek made Applejack so overwhelmed that she threw her hooves around Spike. He couldn't help but cling to her too.

Finally, the voice was close enough that they could make out words. "Yoo hoo! Twilight Sparkle? You hiding out here? Olly olly oxen free!"

Spike sighed in relief. He knew the voice well.

"We don't have to worry," he whispered to his companion. "It's just Discord."

Scowling, she gave him a hard shake. "You forget that he helped kidnap me! Did I mention he's the one who chained me up and kept tuggin' on the chain so I'd trip?!"

"Oh," Spike said. "You know, if I talked to him, I'm sure I can…"

"No! He won't listen to reason! None of 'em will!"

"But I just can't believe that…"

"Then don't!" She grabbed his shoulders so that he could face her. "Remember when you said you'd do anythin' for me?"

He nodded.

"Then please, don't let him know I'm here!"

"Hello?" Discord's voice called. "Is someone there?"

Applejack sent Spike a pleading look. He had not forgotten the promise he had made. Sighing, he moved to stand.

"What are ya doin'?" she hissed, pulling him back down.

"He's after you, not me," Spike whispered. "You stay here. I'll lead him away."

He winked at her. Applejack stared at him a moment before slowly releasing him. He sent her a thumbs-up as he crawled out of the hole and rounded the tree. Discord was hovering up the path, his head inside a knothole.

"Hey, Discord!"

Discord cried out as he hit his head inside the hole. Pushing against the tree trunk, he pulled his head out. He held it steady as he got over the dizziness. Then he caught sight of the dragon and gasped.

"Spikey, old chum!" Discord said, flapping over to him. "Didn't expect to see you all the way out here!" He frowned suddenly. "Come to think of it…" He tapped his chin suspiciously. "What are you doing all the way out here? Didn't Lord Tirek send you back to Midnight Castle?"

Spike bit his lip as he tried to come up with an explanation. Then he forced a smile.

"You mean this isn't the path to Midnight Castle?" He slapped himself in the forehead. "Oh, no! You mean to tell me I've been going the wrong way this whole time? Bummer!"

Discord rolled his eyes. "Figures. Can't even shoot an arrow straight, why should you be able to tell where you're going?" He looked the dragon over. "Did you go swimming or something?"

Spike looked down at his dripping clothes. "Not intentionally."

"Alright, hang on a mo."

With a snap of his fingers, a gust of warm air blew through Spike. He held up his hands as he struggled to keep upright. When the wind diminished, Spike's clothes were completely dry.

"Well, thanks for the blow-dry!" Spike said, saluting. "I'll just be on my way now!"

He was about to turn around when Discord said, "Hang on."

Spike winced, worried that his cover had been blown.

"Before you go," Discord said, glancing around, "you wouldn't by any chance have seen a young ma—I mean colt running around, would you?"

The dragon glanced back at the tree where Applejack was concealed. "N-No. Can't say that I have." He folded his claws behind his back. "W-What does this colt look like?"

"Oh, about yay high, orange fur, blond mane, green eyes, freckles, looks kinda marish?"

Spike snorted. "Sounds goofy."

Meanwhile, Applejack was clenching her jaw in annoyance.

"Well, if you see him," Discord said, "give a holler. Lord Tirek wants him taken back to the castle."

"Why?" Spike asked, truly curious. "What's he done?"

"Done? Well, he hasn't…" He quickly stopped himself. "He's a, uh…thief! Yeah, a thief! He stole a lot of money from Lord Tirek and obviously, he wants it back. Oh, wait." He face palmed himself. "I should probably be escorting you back to Midnight Castle now, shouldn't I?"

"No!" Spike said, a little too loudly. "I mean…I can find my way back by myself."

He half expected Discord to protest, to remind him of the outlaws running amuck. But the draconequus simply shrugged.

"Okay, have fun!"

He strolled nonchalantly past the dragon. Then an idea occurred to Spike.

"Discord, wait!"

The draconequus' head turned all the way round, making Spike shiver. "Yeeeeeeeeesssss?"

Shaking off the chills, Spike asked, "Ya think ya could at least give me a map of the forest so I can find my way back?"

Groaning, Discord snapped his fingers and a map appeared in Spike's claws.

"Oh, and one more thing," Discord said, snapping his fingers again. "When you get to the castle, could you give this to my dear sweet Fluttershy?"

An envelope materialized in the dragon's claw. Written in fancy pink cursive was the name "Fluttershy."

"Uh, sure," Spike said, tucking the letter into his pocket. "No problem, Discord."

Discord twisted his head back into place. "I'd deliver it by airmail, but Tirek says the message might get intercepted that way. After all, if I have letters flying around everywhere, someone is bound to catch one, and I'd rather not have anyone reading my love poems. I just hope my little love muffin doesn't miss me too much."

Sighing, he picked up the heart-shaped locket around his neck and opened it. Inside was a portrait of a mare next to a lock of pink hair.

"Fear not, my sweet," he said, gently stroking the pink lock. "I'll be in your delicate little hooves once again."

Spike cringed as Discord kissed the small picture. "Blech! Do ya have to do that in public?"

Rolling his eyes, Discord shut the locket. "When you're married to the love of your life, you'll understand."

"Yeah, right," Spike scoffed. "That ain't happening anytime soon!"

"Sooner than you think," Discord murmured, flapping his wings as he took off.

Spike waited until the draconequus had disappeared into the trees. "It's safe."

Applejack crawled out from behind the tree. "Spike, what he said about me…"

"It's okay," he said.

"No, no. I swear I've never stolen anything in my life! Well, except an apple, some bread and a knife from those Diamond Dogs, but I was desperate! I didn't steal any money!"

"Applejack," Spike said, holding up a claw, "I believe you."

She blinked. "Ya do?"

"Of course. Besides, if you really stole a whole lot of money from Uncle Tirek, you'd be carrying it with you." Spike rubbed his chin. "I just wonder why Discord would lie. Then again, I never really liked that guy."

"So what does the map say? Are we on the right path?"

Spike looked at the map. "According to this, there should be a clearing a little ways up this road. We could make camp there."

They proceeded to walk the trail.

"Did I hear all that right?" Applejack asked. "That there demon has a wife?!"

"Uh-huh," Spike said, not taking his eyes off the map.

She huffed. "She must be either blind or just as ugly as he is."

"Actually, by pony standards, Fluttershy's pretty…pretty, to say the least."

Applejack raised an eyebrow. "Was it an arranged marriage?"

"Believe it or not," Spike said, lowering the map, "those two married for love."

She stopped in her tracks. "You're kiddin'."

"Nope."

"Ya mean some pony married that," she said, pointing in the direction Discord had gone, "out of her own free will?!"

"I know. It's hard for me to believe too." He turned off the path. "The clearing should be this way."

Applejack followed him. "How did that even happen? I mean looks aside, he's not exactly…charmin'."

"All I know," Spike said, looking at her over his shoulder, "is that they're crazy about each other. Seriously, they can't go within five feet of each other without making goo-goo eyes and kissy faces." He gagged. "What did I tell ya? Mares can turn the mightiest warrior into a pile of mush!"

"Even so, ya sure he didn't cast some love spell on her or somethin'?"

"Discord's capable of many things, but I don't think a love spell is one of 'em." He smirked. "If he could do something like that, he would've cast it to prank everyone in the castle years ago. Who knows? Maybe he would've convinced Uncle Tirek to marry."

Applejack scoffed. "Now that's even less imaginable. Who would he even fall in love with?"

"With Discord calling the shots, anything." He pointed to a snail on a tree trunk. "He could even fall in love with that snail!"

Snickering, Applejack pointed to a squirrel in a knothole. "Or that squirrel!"

"Heck, who said it even had to be a female? He could fall in love with me!"

They both burst out laughing.

"Now that's just plain nasty!" Applejack exclaimed.

"I know, it'd be like marrying my own father!"

She patted him on the head. "Not to mention you're way too young and cute for him."

Spike blinked. "Did you just call me cute?"

Red flushed to her cheeks. "Uh…uh…" She pointed ahead. "Hey, look! I think I've found the clearin'!"

Luckily for her, the clearing was right up ahead. It was a small patch of grass canopied by trees. Two logs sat in the center, spread in an obtuse angle around a circle of dirt.

"Great," Spike said, tucking the map into the bag Applejack carried. "You sit down and rest while I get some firewood."

"I can help with the firewood," Applejack said.

"No, no," he said, taking his bag from her, "I can handle it."

After setting his bag, bow and quiver down against one of the logs, he started picking up twigs.

"Shouldn't ya find somethin' a bit…bigger?" Applejack asked.

"You're probably right." He looked around. "There's a big stick over there!"

She shook her head. "Sugar, that one's at least twice your size!" She started walking over. "I can get that one."

"No, no!" Spike said, running in front of her. "I can handle it!"

Sighing, Applejack grabbed him by the head, picked him up and turned him to face her.

"Okay," she said, "an hour ago, you barely put up with me. Now you're doin' everything for me?" She crossed her forelegs. "Is this because I saved your life?"

"Of course it is!" Spike exclaimed. "According to the Dragon Code, I owe you a life debt and must serve you until either I save your life, or I die. Whichever comes first."

Applejack's face paled at the thought of him dying. "That doesn't mean ya have to do all the work." She swiped the twigs out of his claws. "I'll get the wood. You see if ya can whip up a meal from that soggy bread."

Spike watched in astonishment as Applejack picked up the larger sticks lying around. He couldn't help but smile at her taking initiative. Meanwhile, Applejack was stealing glances at him out of the corner of her eye. It was honestly sweet of him to offer to build the fire, but she couldn't let him hurt himself in the process.

They were both thinking of the laughter they'd shared a few minutes earlier, and how neither of them could remember a time they had laughed so hard.

Soon Applejack had gathered enough wood for the fire. Just in time too, for it was getting dark. Before she could light the fire with sticks, Spike blew onto the wood with his fire breath.

"You have to admit," he said with a wink, "this is quicker."

The fire was warm and already Applejack could feel her clothes drying. While the bread Spike had brought was still soggy, he put pieces on the ends of two sticks for them to hold over the fire. They waited for the bread to toast, turning their sticks every few seconds. Spike sat against one log while Applejack lay against the other.

Spike then noticed Applejack had one hoof free. It was fiddling with something around her neck. Squinting, he realized it was a golden locket in the shape of an apple.

"From your sweetheart?" he asked.

Applejack's stick slipped from her hoof. Catching it, she looked at Spike in shock.

"What?"

He glanced downwards. "Your locket."

"Oh," she said, touching the golden apple. "No. This belonged to my parents."

Leaning his stick against his log, he asked, "May I see?"

Reluctantly, she set her stick down and lifted the golden chain above her head. She handed the locket to Spike. Opening it, he saw the painted faces of a stallion and a mare. The stallion on the left had a yellow coat, green eyes and a red mane. The mare on the right was peach-colored with blue eyes and a single yellow buttercup in her curly orange mane.

"You look just like your mother," he observed.

Applejack blushed. "That's what Dad used to say."

He saw her smile, but could sense there was a bit of sadness in that smile.

"Cheer up," he said, handing the locket back to her. "You'll see them again soon."

"No, I won't," she murmured.

"Sure, you will. We're making great time and should be in Applewood before sunset tomorrow."

She hung her head. "They died when I was just a fill—foal."

Spike's face fell. "I…I'm sorry, I didn't…"

"It's okay," she said, placing the locket around her neck again.

He was reminded of when he had told her about his mother. "I lost my father when I was very young too."

She nodded. "I know."

After a thought, he took his piece of bread off his stick and scooted over to her log. "What were their names?"

Clutching the locket, Applejack replied, "Bright Macintosh and Pear Butter." She smirked. "But Daddy always called her Buttercup, cuz puttin' a buttercup under her chin would make it glow."

"Pear Butter, huh?" Spike said, taking a bite out of his toasted bread. "Sounds like an outta place name for your family. I mean Bright Macintosh and Applejack?"

"You guessed right." She took her own bread off her stick. "Ma was born into the Pear family. They owned a pear farm next to our apple farm. Our families got along fine until…" She gazed up at the moon. "The war started."

"Let me guess," Spike said, swallowing. "The families took different sides?"

Applejack nodded. "The Apples were for Celestia, the Pears were for Luna. You wouldn't believe how many battles have broken out tween those two families alone!" She smiled softly as she opened her locket. "Yet somehow, in the midst of all the bloodshed, Ma and Pa managed to find each other.

"My grandfather, Sir Grand Pear, was gonna go to the front of the Lunarian army, and he wanted to get Ma somewhere safe, far away from Pa. But she didn't wanna leave Pa, so Pa surprised her with a proposal and they got married in secret."

"That must've ticked your grandfather off," Spike said as he ate the last of his bread.

She laughed. "Both he and my Granny Smith stumbled upon the weddin', but it was too late to stop it. Ma told Grand Pear that she was part of the Apple family now. She said not even the war could keep her away from the one she loved. Luckily, Granny Smith was able to put her own stubborn pride aside and allow Ma into the family. Grand Pear left for battle and Ma and Pa lived happily as they had me, my brother and sister."

Her smile vanished. "But…that happiness didn't last forever."

Spike frowned. "What happened?"

Pulling her knees to her chest, Applejack wrapped her hooves around her legs. "The Lunarians attacked our home. Dad grabbed his sword and went to defend it." She closed her eyes. "Last time I saw Ma was when she burst into my room and handed me my baby sister. She opened up a secret panel in the wall and told me to get lil' Apple Bloom outta there. She was gonna find my brother and granny and then help Dad."

She closed her eyes. "I made it out okay with my sister. Soon we were joined by my brother and granny. But then the house caught fire and…"

She buried her face in her knees as she tried to hide her tears. Reluctantly, Spike placed his claw on her back.

"My father was murdered too," he said softly.

Applejack lifted her head slightly so that she could look at him.

"Her name was Lady Twilight Sparkle," Spike said. "She was a powerful unicorn, and one of the few female soldiers in Princess Celestia's army." He sighed. "She was also my father's friend. I was very little, but I remember she used to come over and play with me and read me stories." He smiled slightly. "She really loved books."

"She was that strong mare you were talkin' about, wasn't she?" Applejack asked.

He nodded. "Then one day, she struck my father with a lavender arrow. It's a special kind of arrow that turns its victim to stone. He wasn't struck in the heart, so the curse could've been reversed, if she also hadn't," he gulped, "c-crushed his statue to bits."

Her eyes widened as his lip quivered. She could tell he was trying so hard not to cry in front of her.

"Her betrayal had angered Princess Celestia so much," Spike said in a choking voice, "she found it hard to trust another female soldier again, even if she was female herself. Princess Luna, meanwhile, had lost a lot of soldiers thanks to Lady Sparkle, and wanted her head just as much as Princess Celestia. She's the reason any mare usurping a male's role is put to death."

Applejack glanced sideways as she remembered something. "That hooded mare at the river. When ya drew your bow at her, you said something about a lavender arrow. Was that…?"

"It was." As he nodded, his eyes narrowed in a furious glare. "It was her. This morning she did the same thing she did to my father to a knight named Sir Wind Rider" He turned to her. "You should've let me kill her!"

"Clearly, she wasn't gonna let ya." She paused. "At least I understand now."

"Understand what?"

She locked eyes with him. "Why you're not particularly fond of mares."

He said nothing in response. All things considered, she couldn't entirely blame him. She herself hated all Lunarians for what they'd done to her parents. Still, it was kind of sad that one traumatic incident had closed this dragon's heart to all opportunities of romantic love.

He would be just as miserable as me if I ever married him.

She shivered, shocked that she was thinking about that again.

"But what I don't understand," she said, "is if this Twilight Sparkle is such a murderer, why didn't she try and…take care of ya when she had the chance?"

"Because she's a coward, that's why," Spike said gruffly.

She shook her head. "She was gonna let us pass unharmed. It doesn't seem like she wants to hurt ya."

"Might have to do with the fact that I'm not on her list."

"List?"

Spike then repeated the rhyme by Joust Amend-All. "So you see she and her band of outlaws are after Discord, Uncle Tirek, and his brother Scorpan."

Can't really blame her for wanting to put arrows in those bastards, Applejack couldn't help but think. But she didn't dare say this aloud, thinking about Spike's father.

"Guess we really need to keep our eyes open," she said, letting out a yawn. "You wanna take the first watch or shall I?"

"I'll take it," Spike said, moving to the other log.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm…not that sleepy, anyway." He waved his claw. "You get some rest."

Applejack raised an eyebrow. "You are gonna wake me in a few hours, right? You're not just gonna stay awake all night because ya feel like ya owe me for savin' your life, are ya?"

Spike bit his lip. "Noooooooo."

She sighed. "Look. I'm flattered that ya wanna be doin' these things for me, but you're already helpin' plenty by leadin' me home. And one thing you should know about me is that we Apples have a hard time acceptin' help as it is, so ya gotta make me feel like I'm pullin' my weight around here. In a few hours, you're gonna wake me and have me take the second watch while you sleep. Got it?"

Her hard tone made him lean back stiffly and nod.

"Good." She turned over. "'Night."

Spike watched as she folded her hooves together and placed them between her head and the log. The light from the orange flames danced across her freckled face. He couldn't help remarking how attractive this pony he took for a colt was.

He knew the locket belonged to the colt's parents, but he wondered if Applejack had a sweetheart waiting for him back in Applewood. If not, he certainly wouldn't have much trouble getting one. Although his face was marish, he had a strong spirit, and he was at least brave enough to rescue someone who was drowning.

But Spike was also wondering about his guardian, and why he would kidnap this colt. Perhaps Applejack was a prisoner of war? After all, the father had been a knight. Yes, that had to be the reason. Tirek was currently on the Lunarian side, Spike believed, and Applejack had admitted her family to being Celestial. Whatever other reason would there be to capture the child of a powerful Celestial family?

At least to that extent, Spike could understand Applejack's hatred for Tirek, and Tirek's want to get her back. Even so, should Spike really be helping his guardian's prisoner escape? If Tirek found out about this, he would be in a heap of trouble. And why was he helping her?

It's for the knighthood, he told himself, but he also saved my life. Uncle Tirek knows how important a Dragon Code is to a dragon, so he'd understand my disobedience, right?

He was also thinking of the story of Applejack's parents, how the war had almost kept them apart, and how it had also led to their demise. Just as the war had made Twilight turn against my father, he thought.

As Spike gazed up at Luna's night sky, he began to wonder if this war was even worth it.
> The Society of the Lavender Arrow
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back at Midnight Castle, the buttercream-colored face of a lone pegasus mare was looking out a tower window, her sad teal eyes focused on the horizon. She had a lovely head of pink hair that flowed beneath her small, white crocheted cap. In her hooves she held a piece of paper against the bodice of her silk white gown.

The door to the mare's bedchamber opened and in walked the unicorn maid, Rarity.

Rolling her eyes, the maid said, "Really, Fluttershy. Are you going to spend every hour of every day staring out that window?"

Still clutching the paper to her chest, Fluttershy turned her body towards her. "I want to see him the second he returns."

Rarity sighed as she walked towards her mistress. "Darling, it's understandable that a wife should miss her husband," she muttered under her breath, "though your taste in males is questionable," she looked back at Fluttershy, "you simply cannot waste your time waiting. Why don't you go out for a walk in the garden, or at least get some sewing done! Not everything about your life needs to revolve around your husband."

"I know, Rarity, but," she said, looking down at the paper, "he's just been gone so long that I can't help but worry."

Rarity looked at her sympathetically. "Oh, sweetness, I wouldn't worry about him. He has all that magic to protect him."

"But you heard what happened to Sir Wind Rider yesterday. He was turned to stone like Discord had been before Lord Tirek freed him." She looked at the unicorn with concerned eyes. "Wind Rider's killer had named Discord as one of his next victims! Do you have any idea what it had been like for Discord the first time he'd been turned to stone?" Her eyes filled with tears. "What if the killer's caught up with him already?"

Putting an assuring hoof on her shoulder, Rarity said, "There, there, darling. This only happened yesterday. Chances are slim that this Joust Amend-All would've caught up with Discord already." She glanced at the paper in Fluttershy's hooves. "Is that the same letter that messenger had brought along with the summons to Trottingham?"

Nodding, Fluttershy handed the letter to the maid. "Could you read it to me? I…I like to hear his words aloud."

"Oh," Rarity said, clearing her throat. "Of course."

After smoothing out the page, she read the letter aloud:

"My dearest, darlingest, most beautiful wife,

"It has been two-hundred-thirteen hours, twenty-four minutes and thirty-two seconds since I last held you in my mismatched arms, and forty seconds more since I last tasted your sweet lips, and seventy-five seconds less since these ancient eyes have clasped on your beautiful face. This cheap imitation I wear around my neck simply isn't enough, for its lips taste like paint. And the lock of hair that goes with it is too small a piece of the wonderfulness that is you."

Rarity paused a moment to roll her eyes. "Well, if anything, he's at least somewhat romantic."

"Isn't he?" Fluttershy said, blissfully sighing with her eyes closed.

"We have just departed Hoofington and are on our way to Applewood," Rarity continued to read. "Old Tirek has a scheme that can earn him money from both sides of this war. I'm not allowed to go into detail, but let's just say you're gonna be getting a new lady friend to gossip with." The unicorn raised an eyebrow. "Now what do you suppose he means by that?"

"I don't know. But keep reading."

"I swear, the things this old crone makes me do. Then again, I suppose I should be grateful that he gave me the greatest reward anyone could ask for."

Rarity glanced at Fluttershy and saw that she was blushing.

"Oh, my darling, I can't wait to have you in my arms again, to feel you against my chest, to tangle my claw in your mane, and move my paw down to your…" It was Rarity's turn to blush as she wore an expression of horror. "Oh my!"

"Oh!" Fluttershy exclaimed, snatching the paper back in embarrassment. "Sorry. After that it gets a little bit…intimate."

"Ew!" The unicorn held up her hooves. "Ew, ew, ew! No! No! It's hard enough imagining the two of you together at all, but I didn't need to…" She stuck out her tongue as she exited the room. "No! Just…no!"

As Rarity shut the door behind her, Fluttershy giggled to herself as she read the rest of the letter. It is said that absence makes the heart grow fonder, but glancing out the window, Fluttershy couldn't help but wish that Discord could be with her more often.

Since Lord Tirek had been the one to release Discord from stone, the draconequus was indebted to him until Tirek saw it fit. As a consequence, Discord was often away fighting battles for Tirek, leaving Fluttershy alone with no pony but Rarity to talk to. It was a miracle Tirek had let Discord get married at all, for he kept a tight ship at Midnight Castle.

Thinking of the incident with Sir Wind Rider, Fluttershy feared that all these years of service to Tirek had finally taken their toll on Discord.

"Be safe, my love," she whispered as she returned to the window.

Bringing her hoof to her lips, she blew a kiss out towards the horizon.





"Ya sure ya know where you're goin'?" Applejack asked as she pushed a tree branch aside.

"Yup," Spike said, glancing at the map as he walked forward. "According to the map, this way's much quicker than just taking the normal path."

He was about to trip over a log when Applejack quickly grabbed him and carried him over. When she put him down, he seemed too engrossed in the map to notice what had happened.

"Besides," Spike said, "you were the one who insisted we stay off the path so we don't run into anyone else looking for you."

"Still, we could've picked a route less," she redirected Spike to the left before he could fall into a pit, "treacherous."

"Ah, don't be such a girl. There's nothing treacherous about this route."

An enormous Venus flytrap opened up above his head. Gasping, Applejack swiftly used her knife to cut through the plant's vine. It dropped behind the dragon.

"I wouldn't trust a map made by that Discord," she said, sheathing her knife in her belt.

"Hey," Spike said, "he may be a prankster, but he's not diabolical."

"Still, maybe we should find some pony and ask 'em for directions."

He glanced at her over his shoulder. "We don't need directions! We've got the map here!"

She rolled her eyes. "What is it with males and not askin' for directions?"

"Besides, these woods are crawling with outlaws! Who's to say we can trust anyone here?" He grunted. "Of course, I could've asked Discord, but you didn't want him to know where you were going, so…"

"Of course not! Do ya forget he helped kidnap me?!" She plunged her hoof into the map. "Which is why I say this here map he gave us is phony!"

"The map is fine!" Spike said, snatching it away from her. "You're the one distracting me with all your whining!"

She gawked. "You sayin' it's my fault we're lost?!"

"We are not lost!"

"You're right." She folded her hooves across her chest. "We're just stranded in the most dangerous part of the forest!"

"There's no danger here! Quit being a wuss!"

Suddenly, there was a low growling sound. Yelping, Spike jumped into Applejack's hooves.

"What's that? Is it a bear? A Timberwolf? An Ursa Major?!" He gasped. "IS IT ZOMBIES?!"

Rolling her eyes, Applejack set him down. "Relax, Sugar Cube." She put her hoof to her tummy. "It's just my stomach growlin'. As much as I love apples for breakfast, one's not enough to hold me over."

Spike pointed to the bag on her shoulder. "I have some cheese in there, but we might wanna ration our food. We still have a long ways to go, and don't forget I still have to make the trip back."

She shrugged. "I can get ya food once we get to Applewood. But ya got a point there." She turned her head from side to side. "Wonder if there are any berries or mushrooms around here we can eat."

"Careful," Spike said. "We don't know which ones might be poisonous."

Applejack sighed. "Still, it'd be nice if we had somethin' to eat that wasn't soggy."

"Yeah." He took a deep breath. "I'm so hungry, I can almost smell mushroom stew boiling over a fire."

"Hang on a minute." Applejack took a whiff of the air. "That is mushroom stew."

The two of them sniffed all around.

"Someone must be cooking nearby." Spike gasped. "Maybe they can share!"

"Spike, no, wait!"

But he ignored her as he raced in the direction of the smell. Groaning in annoyance, Applejack ran after him. Thankfully, he slowed down when they reached the edge of a clearing.

"Spike," Applejack said, panting, "we don't know who…" She stopped too once she saw what had the dragon so spellbound. "Whoa."

An enormous oak tree stood in the middle of the forest. Or rather, what was left of an enormous oak tree. Its bark was black, and its branches were too burnt to hold any foliage. The base of the tree suggested that the trunk had been at least twenty feet wide, but it was hard to determine how tall it had grown, for the upper part of trunk looked as if a bite had been taken out of it.

It looked as if someone had once lived in the tree, for wedged into the charred base of the trunk was an ashen red door, and a lone shattered window sat not far away from it.

"Whoa," Applejack said again. "Whoever lived here must've really liked their privacy to be all the way out here in the middle of nowhere."

Looking to her side, she saw that Spike was no longer there. She looked back to the burnt oak. Spike was walking towards it, gazing up at it in awe.

"Spike?" she called, following him.

He didn't answer her as he raised his claw to the blackened doorknob. As he pushed the door open, flakes of ash fell from the frame. Inside, tattered and burned books were scattered all over what used to be a floor. Upon seeing a tipped over bookshelf, Applejack concluded that this room had been a library of some sort.

"What is this place?" she asked.

"I've been here before," Spike murmured.

She looked over at him in surprise. "Ya have?"

Nodding, he glanced around at the ruins. "This was Lady Twilight Sparkle's home. Father used to take me here as a kid."

As he walked forward, he stepped on a charred book. Looking down, he saw that it was open to a faded illustration of an armored dragon equipped with a sword. He knelt down to it curiously.

"Twilight read this to me once," he said quietly. "I…I was afraid I wouldn't be a knight like my dad. Ponies didn't really trust him because he was a dragon, and I was afraid they would treat me the same. Then Twilight showed me this book about this dragon knight saving the day, rescuing the damsel in distress, and she said, 'See, Spike? Dragons can be the hero too.'"

A tear fell from his eye. He quickly wiped it away, but not in time to escape Applejack's notice. With an expression of sympathy, she gently laid her hoof on his back. He neither accepted the gesture nor rejected it.

"What happened here?" she asked.

He hung his head. "After my father was…Uncle Tirek ordered Discord to set this place on fire in order to smoke Twilight out."

"Ah," Applejack said, nodding. "That would really explain why she has a grudge against them."

He jerked away from her touch. "They had every right to do it! After what she did to my father!"

She glanced at the open book. "It just doesn't make sense. If this Twilight Sparkle cared enough about ya to read ya a story to cheer ya up, why did she orphan ya?"

Scowling, Spike kicked at the book. "Because mares are liars. That's why."

She sighed. "Whatever makes ya feel b—"

She trailed off upon hearing someone hum in the distance. Putting his finger to his lips, Spike gestured for Applejack to follow him through the ashen pile of books. They crept carefully, trying their best not to make any crunching noises, until they reached the other side of the room.

There stood an oval window with fragments of glass still lodged in the frame. Peering through it, the two traveling companions discovered the source of the mushroom smell.

A pink mare was stirring a pot hanging over a campfire. She wore a brown vest over a light green tunic. Tan tights covered her legs, along with a pair of bright blue boots. If her pink mane hadn't been long and curly, they almost wouldn't have been able to tell she was a mare.

"All you have to do is take a cup of mushroom," the mare sang as she dropped a white mushroom into the pot, "Add it to the mix!" She tossed her spoon into her other hoof.

"Now a little something to spice this lunchroom,
A bit of bark, just a pinch!"

Applejack and Spike gagged as she dropped a piece of bark into the stew. Some pony else gagged as well. Lying at the base of a nearby tree was a cyan pegasus with a long rainbow mane, wearing an outfit similar to the pink mare's. A bow and quiver sat near the pegasus. Spike had to tilt his head as he tried to figure out whether this pegasus was a mare or a stallion.

"That soup smells better than it sounds, Pinkie Pie," the pegasus said with a groan. "Why ya gotta put weird stuff in there? Aren't mushrooms enough?"

Pinkie Pie huffed. "The bark is for the extra flavor! I mean you can't possibly have mushrooms all by themselves! This is a stew! So ya gotta stew something in to make it a stew otherwise it's not a stew!"

There was another groan as a griffon equipped with a bow and quiver swooped down from the sky and landed next to the rainbow-haired pegasus.

"Face it, Rainbow Dash," the griffon said to the pegasus, "the mare makes a better thief than a cook."

The unseen onlookers glanced at each other fearfully upon hearing "thief."

"Excuse me?!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, raising her dripping spoon at the griffon. "I'll have you know, Gilda, that before I was a thief, I was the best baker Equestria had ever seen!" With a huff, she continued to stir. "Not my fault there are so few ingredients in the forest, and not my fault the boss wants us to cut back on stealing!"

The griffon, Gilda, rolled her eyes. "Hate to say it, but Lame Brain has a point. It would be easier if Miss Sparkly just let us steal like we normally do."

"We have to trust her judgement, Gilda," Rainbow Dash said, sitting up. "Remember, she was the one who encouraged me to pursue knighthood, before that Tirek jerk ruined everything, making it impossible for any mare to become a knight! As easy as it would be to steal like we've been doing for the past ten years, I can't doubt my friend."

Gilda sighed. "You and your loyalty, Dash."

The griffon and pegasus jumped as Pinkie started banging loudly on the boiling pot.

"Soup's on, every pony!" she hollered. "Come and g—"

As quick as lightning, Rainbow Dash left a rainbow streak as she zipped over to Pinkie and clasped a hoof over her mouth.

"Why don't ya summon the whole Lunarian army while you're at it?" Rainbow whispered harshly.

Leaves rustled as ponies emerged from all parts of the wood. Some crawled out of shrubbery, others climbed down from trees. Most of them were mares, and they all donned green and brown traveling attire. Some sported swords, some clubs, and many carried bows.

A yellow earth mare with a pink and blue mane approached the cooking pot. A green unicorn mare with white and green hair followed her closely behind.

"What's on the menu for today?" the yellow earth mare asked.

The green unicorn took the spoon with her magic and sipped it.

"Mushroom and bark stew!" Pinkie exclaimed.

As soon as the stew touched her lips, the unicorn spat it out. "What is wrong with you?!"

"Look at what you've done to Lyra," the yellow earth mare said, patting her companion on the back.

"I'm fine, Bon-Bon," the unicorn said as she continued gagging.

"Next time I'm doing the cooking."

"Sheesh," Pinkie said, shaking her head. "Every pony's a critique."

They all turned as a gray pegasus mare with a blond mane and yellow eyes looking in opposite directions began lapping up the contents of the pot. "What ya girls talkin' about? This is delicious!"

As the band of ponies groaned, Applejack turned to Spike. "Who do ya suppose these ponies are?"

"Outlaws, it would seem," Spike said. "I've never seen so many mares dressed like stallions at once. Who do they think they're trying to fool? You can clearly tell they're mares!"

Applejack rolled her eyes and mumbled, "You'd be surprised how many mares can get away with such a disguise."

They returned their attention to the outlaws as they suddenly fell silent. A darkly cloaked figure stepped out of the wood, walking slowly and mysteriously. Applejack and Spike immediately recognized the figure, for she had the bow and quiver of lavender arrows slung over her shoulders. As she approached the outlaws, she swept back her hood with her hoof.

Her coat was as lavender as her arrows. Her mane was a dark indigo, with streaks of purple and pink. Her eyes were a deep purple, and they held a sense of maturity and leadership.

Spike narrowed his eyes at the unicorn. Glancing sideways at him, Applejack saw his fury.

"Twilight Sparkle?" she whispered.

He nodded. "It is her."

He went for his bow, but Applejack quickly stopped his claw.

"No!" she hissed.

"She killed my father!" Spike said.

"You'll give our position away!"

"At least she'll be dead before they can see us!"

"Spike, ya can't!"

He snatched his claw away. "I'm not letting her escape again!"

As he gripped his bow, Applejack gripped onto its other end. He opened his mouth to protest, but the glare from her eyes silenced him.

"Spike, there are at least twenty of 'em. Even if ya get a shot in, we can't take 'em all on our own."

He stared at her, unsure of how to respond. Then he turned his head when Twilight Sparkle cleared her throat.

"My friends," she said, addressing the outlaws. "I bring wonderful news." Using her magic, she levitated a lavender arrow from her quiver. "Sir Wind Rider," she said, hoisting the arrow into the air, "is no more!"

The outlaws cheered excitedly.

"Yes!" Rainbow Dash said, pumping her hooves. "I never liked that guy!"

"Serves him right for telling every pony he had witnessed you killing Sir Spikus!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"Yes," Twilight said with a frown. "I just wish Spike hadn't been there when I did the deed."

Rainbow gasped. "Hang on. You killed Wind Rider in front of Spike?!"

"Unfortunately," Twilight said as she returned the arrow to her quiver. "But he had to see the note. I knew Tirek would've hidden it from him had he not been there."

"Ooh!" Pinkie said, raising her hoof. "Did he like the poem I wrote?"

Gilda rolled her eyes. "Still can't believe you allowed her to turn that death threat into a rhyme. Like anyone's gonna take a wimpy little poem seriously!"

"Its point was still made," Twilight said, setting down her bow and quiver.

"I still think you're taking this whole revenge thing a bit too far," Rainbow said, glancing at the lavender arrows. "I mean I want those jerks gone as much as the next pony, but isn't turning them to stone with the same arrows they used to frame you a bit extreme?"

"It's poetic justice," Twilight said, placing her hoof over her heart, "and I owe it to my old friend, Sir Spikus de Dragon, to see that his murderer and his accomplices are brought to justice."

Applejack's eyes widened upon this declaration. She looked to Spike, who was still scowling in anger.

"Still," Rainbow said, pointing to the arrows, "won't this just convince ponies further that you were the one that killed Sir Spikus?"

Twilight huffed. "They think I'm a murderer? Let them think that." She levitated the quiver to her face. "I'm certainly one now. But it won't matter once Tirek, Scorpan and Discord all get what's coming to them! Speaking of which," she said, putting down the quiver, "Lord Tirek's troops are in the forest right now."

There were several gasps.

"Half of them are headed for the Great River Horse," Twilight continued. "The rest are on their way to Ghastly Gorge, with Sir Scorpan at the lead." She smiled deviously. "We'll have ambushed them before they can make it out of the gorge."

The outlaws clapped their hooves and cheered.

"I get it," Rainbow said. "If we attack them from above, we can trap 'em in the gorge!"

"Half of Lord Tirek's army will be laid to waste!" Gilda exclaimed.

"I care not what you do with the others," Twilight said. "Rob them blind if you so wish." She levitated her quiver. "Leave Sir Scorpan to me."

Spike let out a gasp. "They're gonna kill Uncle Scorpan! We gotta stop 'em!"

He reached for his bow again. Applejack grabbed his arm.

"You crazy?!" she whispered. "Didn't ya hear what they just said?"

"Yeah!" Spike said, scowling. "They're gonna ambush Uncle Scorpan and half our army in Ghastly Gorge!"

"No! I mean about your father!"

He yanked his arm away. "She has the lavender arrows! What more proof do we…?"

"Hey, you guys hear something?" Pinkie asked.

Clasping her hoof over the dragon's mouth, Applejack pulled him below the window. Meanwhile, Twilight signaled to Gilda and Rainbow Dash and pointed towards the burnt oak tree. Nodding, the two of them flew off to investigate.

Applejack and Spike kept their heads low as they crawled across the crisp floor. The dragon's nose wrinkled as ash flew into their faces. There was nothing he could do to hold back the sneeze.

"Ah-CHOO!"

"Hey!" Rainbow Dash called.

Applejack looked up and saw the pegasus and griffon soaring overhead. "Run!"

Their position compromised, Spike and Applejack jumped up and bolted out the front door and towards the trees.

"Intruders!" Rainbow Dash shouted.

"Stay where you are!" Gilda yelled.

Glancing around, Applejack recognized their surroundings.

"This way!" she cried, grabbing Spike's claw.

"What?" Spike asked, seeing that she was taking them down the path they had taken before discovering the oak.

"I got an idea! Trust me!"

They came to the pit where Spike had almost fallen into earlier. Looking around hastily, Applejack spotted a large bolder. She went over to it and pushed it towards the pit. Spike's eyes widened upon seeing how strong she was.

"Wow."

She grunted. "Could use a little help!"

He raced over to her side and helped her push. The rock rolled into the pit. Fortunately, the rock was just small enough to fall through.

"Now scream," she said.

"What?"

Cupping her hooves over her mouth, she hollered, "Aaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

Shrugging, he did the same. "Aaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

"Over there!" Rainbow Dash's voice called in the distance.

Spike cried out as he was suddenly hoisted onto Applejack's back.

"Hang on," she whispered.

Using all the strength in her legs, she leaped onto the trunk of a tree and started climbing. Spike had to keep his claws wrapped around her neck to keep himself from falling off. By the time they had gotten to the top and were concealed by the foliage, the boulder had reached the bottom of the pit with a loud thump!

Applejack and Spike watched from above as their pursuers landed beside the pit.

"You don't think…?" Rainbow said.

Gilda squinted down through the hole. "It's too dark to tell. But I heard 'em falling."

Rainbow sighed. "Real shame if ya think about it."

"Yeah, well," the griffon said with a shrug, "we were probably gonna have to kill 'em anyways. That's life, I guess."

The two outlaws took off, but Applejack and Spike waited a while before releasing their breaths.

"Wow," Spike said, looking at the disguised mare in amazement. "That's twice now you've saved my life!"

She blushed slightly. "Four times, actually, but who's countin'?" She began climbing down the tree. "Looks like we're gonna have to find a way around those outlaws if we're gonna get to Applewood."

"Forget Applewood," Spike said, leaping off her back once they were close to the ground. "We gotta get to Ghastly Gorge before those outlaws do!"

Applejack paused in her climbing. "Say what now?"

"The Society of the Lavender Arrow's gonna ambush Uncle Scorpan and those soldiers in Ghastly Gorge!" He unrolled the map. "We gotta warn 'em!"

Jumping off the tree, she landed in front of him. "They also said that your so-called 'uncles' are responsible for yerr father's death."

Spike huffed. "You think I'm gonna believe the words of thieves and cutthroats?" He crossed his arms. "They were obviously lying!"

"Spike," she said slowly, "I know this might be hard to accept, but what reason would they have to lie? They didn't know we were listening."

"Maybe Twilight fed those thieves those lies just so they would follow her!"

"That still doesn't make sense. If Tirek, Scorpan, Discord and Wind Rider didn't frame Twilight Sparkle for your father's murder, why's she so intent on takin' revenge on 'em?"

He sighed. "You may be swift in a rescue, Applejack, but you're not very bright. Obviously, she wants to get back at them for telling on her and trying to bring her to justice when they burned her house down. Now she's trying to pin my father's murder on them in hopes that no one will object to her killing them.

"Now," he said, raising the map to his eyelevel, "if we head west, we should make it to Ghastly Gorge in less than…"

She lowered the map from his view, scowling at him furiously. "Look, believe what ya will about your father's murder, ya still promised ya'd take me to Applewood. And you're not takin' me anywhere near the goons who abducted me! Besides," she said with a sigh, "if we go, we'd be caught in the middle of a battle and might get hurt in the crossfire. It's just too dangerous."

After staring at her for a long while, he heaved a heavy sigh. "My word is my word. We continue to Applewood."

Applejack smiled. "Shall we then?"

As she walked ahead, Spike looked at the map and focused on the illustration of Ghastly Gorge. That doesn't mean we can't take a detour.





Flim and Flam had their hats over their eyes as they snored soundly in their docked rowboat. At the gruff noise of someone clearing their throat, the twins jolted awake and pulled out matching wooden clubs.

"Stay back, stay back!" Flim shouted, frantically swinging his club about.

"We didn't mean to take those travelers across, madam, we swear!" Flam exclaimed.

"Please don't shoot us with those lavender arrows!"

"Lavender arrows?" said a voice.

The twins yelped and dropped their clubs upon seeing Lord Tirek onshore. Behind him was an entourage of Diamond Dogs and pony soldiers.

"Lord Tirek!" Flim said, forcing a smile. "How nice to see you to—"

He was cut off as Tirek wringed his claws around both the twins' necks.

"What was that about lavender arrows?" he demanded.

Flim and Flam choked as they struggled to breathe.

"Well?!" he said, shaking them hard.

"A mare," Flam wheezed, "in a cloak…paid us…"

"Not to let," Flim gagged, "anyone…cross…"

"Threatened us with…lavender…arrows…"

Tirek growled. "Twilight Sparkle." He glared at the unicorns. "You said you took some travelers across anyway. Why?"

Their faces were blue from lack of air, so Tirek loosened his grip a bit.

"The she-stallion," Flim wheezed, "threatened us too…"

"She-stallion?" Tirek said, raising an eyebrow.

"A mare dressed as a stallion!" Flam exclaimed.

"She thought she could escape with her lover," Flim said.

"But she didn't fool us!" The brothers shook their heads. "No, sir!"

"Lover?" Tirek jerked them closer. "What lover?"

The twins glanced at each other nervously.

"M-Master d-de Dragon, sir," Flim said, wincing.

"Your w-ward, sir," Flam said, closing his eyes.

Tirek stared at them a long time. They yelped as he shook them hard.

"AND YOU JUST LET THEM THROUGH?!" he bellowed. "BECAUSE A MARE THREATENED YOU?!"

He released the stallions and they fell limply to the ground. So, Tirek thought, my two little wards have found each other. Exactly how much did that meddling mare tell the brat?

"No matter," he said, gritting his teeth together. "I'll find them both soon enough."
> Ghastly Gorge
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Ya sure we're goin' the right direction?" Applejack asked.

"Yup," Spike said, the map in front of his face. "We're going right where the map says we're going."

She frowned. "Let me see that for a sec."

He tugged the map away from her. "I know where I'm going!"

"Spike."

"If there's one thing us dragons are equipped with, it's a flawless sense of direction."

"Spike!"

"And I can assure you, we're going exactly where we should be…"

He screamed as his foot fell beneath him. Applejack reached out, caught him and pulled him back onto the ledge.

"Can't ya watch where you're goin' for two seconds?!" she exclaimed. "Ya almost fell into that…gorge."

She paused as she looked out at the vast rocky chasm they had come to. It was at least a thirty-foot-drop and it stretched on for miles. She gave the dragon an angry look.

"Spike," she said slowly, "where did ya lead us?"

He bit his lip. "Ghastly Gorge?"

Gripping the front of his shirt, she pulled him to her face. "You lied to me!"

"I didn't lie!" Spike said, holding up his claws. "I'm still taking you to Applewood! We're just taking a little shortcut."

She scowled. "Don't think I don't know what you're tryin' to do! You're gonna try and warn Lord Tirek's army about the ambush!"

"Well, what do you expect me to do? They could die!"

"Spike, my feelings for Lord Tirek aside, this idea of yours is just plain stupid! See, if you—OW!" She drew back her hoof, releasing him. "Did you just bite me?!"

"Dragon's gotta do what a dragon's gotta do!" Spike said as he raced to the edge of the gorge.

Before Applejack knew it, he was climbing down the rocky wall. Groaning, she went to climb down after him.

And here I thought he was helpin' me, she thought, but here I am doin' all the work!

"Spike, do ya have any idea how long it's gonna take to climb down here?" she asked, retracting her back hoof as a rock gave out from beneath it.

"As long as we're down in time to warn Uncle Scorpan," Spike said as he reached out for a ledge.

He yelped as his other claw slipped. He would've plummeted to his doom had he not managed to grab hold of Applejack's long tail. She gritted her teeth together at the sudden yank.

"Swing me over to that ledge!" Spike said, pointing. "It's big enough for the both of us!"

Sighing, she swung her tail, bringing him close enough to the ledge to grab it. As he hoisted himself up, Applejack carefully made her way over.

"There are a number of ways this can go wrong," she said, placing one back hoof on the ledge.

Spike sat down to catch his breath. "You're just scared that we're gonna fail."

As she set the rest of her hooves down, she shook her head. "I'm just sensible enough to know that we are gonna fail."

He shrugged. "As Uncle Scorpan once told me, it's better to die trying to do the right thing than to never try at all."

She blinked. "That's…actually good advice." She shook her head again. "But that's not the point. The thing is that we are…"

The sound of hundreds of hooves caused her to trail off. The two of them gazed down to see an army of stallions marching through the gorge, all clad in armor, carrying various weapons and flags bearing the image of a mare in the moon, the Lunarian symbol. At the head of the army was Sir Scorpan. Having never seen Lord Tirek's brother before, Applejack cocked her head curiously.

"How the hay is that gargoyle related to that centaur?" she wondered aloud. "They look nothing alike!"

"That's Uncle Scorpan!" Spike exclaimed. He took a deep breath and prepared to shout. "H—"

Applejack's hoof was shoved into his mouth as she pulled him behind a large boulder that was conveniently sitting on the ledge. He was about to bite down on her hoof again when she pointed across the gorge.

On one of the other ledges, there was a flash of lavender behind a shrub. Spike and Applejack looked all around and saw other small specks of color hidden in shrubs and behind large rocks. The army below didn't seem to notice.

"They have the place surrounded," Applejack whispered. "If we try and warn yerr uncle, we'll give our position away to the outlaws. That's what I've been tryin' to tell ya! Look at where ya've got us!" She gestured upwards. "It'll be impossible for us to make a quick getaway! Unless ya want both of us skewered by them arrows, we gotta keep quiet!"

Suddenly, she felt something long and wet run along her hoof. Squeaking, she removed it from Spike's mouth and attempted to shake off the slobber.

"Now you're just bein' gosh darn childish!" she hissed.

"You're the one who's childish!" Spike said. "To be hiding here like a little filly!"

Growling, she said, "A little filly who has more common sense than a little boy who thinks he's all grown up when he isn't! Or did ya forget that I'm older than ya?"

"Stop treating me like I'm a baby! I get enough of that at home!"

"Maybe if ya stopped actin' like one…"

"So you want me to just sit here and do nothing like some coward?"

"At least ya'd be a live coward!"

He stood up. "How dare you call me a…?"

There was a scream from down below. Forgetting their argument, Spike and Applejack peered out from their hiding place. An arrow had shot one of the soldiers down below, right in the shoulder. As the rest of the army looked up, a sea of arrows came raining down on them. The outlaws were shooting from above. Some of the archers from Lord Tirek's army attempted to fire back, but the outlaws were protected by their rocks.

Pegasi, and Gilda the griffon, swooped down on the army, dropping boulders onto them. Soldiers were crushed and pierced.

"Retreat!" Scorpan shouted.

But it was too late. Most of his army had fallen, and were lying either dead or dying on the ground. Scorpan looked down at the soldier who had been shot first.

It was Mr. Cake, the baker. The arrow had gone straight through his shoulder, and he was writhing in pain. With heavy eyelids, he gazed up at the gargoyle.

"T-Tell," he said in a raspy voice, "my wife and…k-kids that I…l-love them."

Shocked at this, Scorpan stared at the baker as his eyes closed. Determined, Scorpan scooped up Mr. Cake and threw him over his shoulder.

"You can tell them yourself," he said, and started carrying the baker through the next attack wave.

Up above, Twilight Sparkle was concealed inside a shrub. Although her hood was over her eyes, she could see the battlefield perfectly. Her lavender arrow was aimed at Sir Scorpan's back. Thinking about how he had betrayed her, she magically pulled back the bowstring.

Then she saw him pick up the baker, along with some other soldiers who were wounded. Stunned at this action, Twilight hesitated.

Applejack had also been watching the gargoyle in stunned silence.

Spike, meanwhile, had spotted the lavender hood of Twilight's cloak poking out of the bush across the way. Narrowing his eyes in determination, he unslung his bow and reached back towards his quiver.

When Applejack turned to him, he had already nocked an arrow.

"Spike, don't!" she shouted.

She tackled him hard, causing him to release the bowstring. The arrow flew across the chasm, but missed Twilight's hooded head by a few inches. It bounced off the rocky wall. Twilight's head turned in the direction of the onlookers, but hers wasn't the only one.

"There!" some pony cried.

Applejack and Spike jumped as arrows began flying towards them.

"We gotta get outta here!" Applejack exclaimed.

"But Uncle Scorpan could be killed!" Spike said.

Grabbing his tail in her mouth, she hoisted him onto her back. "If we stick around any longer, we'll be killed!"

She leaped up onto the rocks and started climbing. Her head and hooves twisted as arrows struck all around them. Spike was unable to fire in return, as he had to keep his arms around his companion's neck. They were nearing the top when one arrow slashed through Applejack's left foreleg.

"Ow!"

"Don't shoot!" a voice cried.

It was Twilight. Rainbow Dash flew over to her.

"What gives, Twilight?" she asked.

"That's Spike," she whispered.

Rainbow's eyes widened. She turned to address the other outlaws. "The intruders are not to be harmed!"

Applejack heard this last order as she got her grip on the final ledge and pulled herself up. Wincing slightly at the pain in her leg, she dashed towards the woods. They were prevented by Gilda the griffon as she dropped from above and aimed her bow at them.

"Stay where you are!" she commanded.

Scowling, Spike leaped off of Applejack's back and towards the griffon, surprising her and his companion. With a mighty yowl, he bared his claws and tackled Gilda to the ground. She cried out as he began clawing at her face.

"Spike, wait!" Applejack shouted, rushing forward. "She doesn't wanna hurt us!"

But the dragon didn't listen as he took in a deep breath. The mare's eyes widened when she realized he was about to breathe fire.

"Spike, no!"

He choked as she grabbed him and carried him into the forest. He writhed and protested in her grasp, but she ignored him. Finally, when they were far from the gorge, he bit down on her hoof, forcing her to drop him.

"What is wrong with you?!" she yelled, cradling her hoof.

"What's wrong with you?!" Spike shouted as he stood. "Those soldiers were under attack, and you chose to run away like a coward!"

She huffed in disbelief. "Call me a coward, will ya? That there griffon would've just let us go peacefully if ya hadn't charged at her with yerr claws! Ya could've killed her with your fire breath and she would've been helpless to stop ya!"

Putting his claws on his hips, he said, "At least she would've died an honorable death in battle, as every soldier should! When someone attacks you, you fight back! That's the knightly way! That's the noble way!"

She shook her head. "All this talk of knightliness and honor and nobility, yet ya would defend the ones who had murdered your father!"

He slapped himself in the forehead. "Not this again!"

"Well, excuse me, but if I ever discovered who had set fire to my house and caused my parents' death, I wouldn't rest until that person was brought to justice!"

"And you forget that these people you think killed my father are also the people who raised me, who played with me, who've made me who I am today!"

"Yeah," she said with a snort. "They've turned ya into a blind, ragin' ninny." She crossed her hooves. "And I bet if your dad were around today, he'd be ashamed to see what you've become."

His eyes widened, then narrowed into a scowl. "How dare you?" He poked her in the chest. "You can insult me all you want, but don't you ever, ever, insult my father!"

"Ya already have!" she shouted, giving him a shove. "By refusin' to avenge him!"

"I would've if you had let me shoot that conniving scoundrel Twilight Sparkle!"

She groaned in fury. "Fine! Believe what ya will about Lord Tirek murderin' your father! Whether or not it's true," she said, pointing to herself, "don't forget that Tirek's still the one who kidnapped me and held me against my will!"

"And how do I even know that's true?!"

Taking a step back, her jaw dropped in appalment. "You callin' me," she said, glaring, "a liar?"

"Well," Spike said, crossing his arms, "how much do I really know about you? I only just met you yesterday! For all I know, Discord could've been right about you being a criminal! You could've stolen something from Uncle Tirek, or done something even worse! Whatever the case, you probably deserve whatever punishment Uncle Tirek has in store for you! Heck, that story about your parents might not even be true!"

Her hoof went to her locket. His words cut through her like a knife, but she did not let her pain show. Her face grew red as her blood boiled in anger.

"I may not have been honest with ya about a few things, Spike," Applejack said, her voice becoming dangerously low, "but never about this. But, if ya really want me to be completely honest with ya, let's start with this." She stepped forward. "You are, by far, the most ignorant, arrogant, selfish, reckless, downright pigheaded person I've ever had the displeasure of meetin'! And I'm sorry I ever asked for yerr help!"

"Well," he said, stomping his foot, "if you despise my company so much, why don't you just go your own way then?!"

"Okay, I will!" she shouted in his face.

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

They glared at each other for a long while before spinning on their heels and walking in opposite directions. They had only taken a few steps before Spike turned back around.

"Midnight Castle is the other way!"

Applejack turned around too. "Then Applewood must be this way!"

"Right!"

"Right!"

Still fuming, they passed each other. A few seconds later, they stomped back towards each other.

"You still have my bag!" Spike shouted, holding out his claw.

"Take it!" Applejack yelled, dropping the knapsack to the ground. "I don't want anything of yours, anyway!"

"Good!" he said, not taking his glare off her as he stooped down to pick up his bag.

"Good!"

They continued on their separate ways. Then Applejack paused for a moment and turned back to him.

"If you're not gonna take me to Applewood," she shouted, "you could at least do me the courtesy of tellin' me the rest of the way!"

"Here!" Crumpling up the map, he tossed it over his shoulder. "Find your own way!"

"Thank you!" she grunted as she picked up the paper ball.

"You're welcome!" he yelled, not looking at her.

As she opened up the map, she kept walking. Then she glanced back at Spike's retreating figure.

"Ya…sure ya won't need it?" she said, her voice softening a bit.

"I'm sure!" he shouted.

She looked nervously at the map. "Midnight Castle's…a lot further from here."

"I'll be fine!" He held up his bow. "I'm armed!"

Gulping, she tried to ignore him. But as she stepped down on her left foreleg, a shooting pain went up it.

"Ow!" she exclaimed, wincing.

Spike stopped and glanced over his shoulder. He saw that she was rubbing her left foreleg along her back one. Upon squinting, he noticed a small trickle of red.

"Are…you okay?" he called to her.

"I'm fine!" she said, her tone sounding forced..

He bit his lip. "You…sure about that?"

"Sure as I'll ever be!" She darted her eyes at him. "I'll be even surer once I'm as far away from ya as possible!"

He scowled. "I…guess I'll just get out of your mane then!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

But as they attempted to get away from each other, their paces became slower with each step. They kept glancing back at each other, and would quickly look away upon making eye contact. Spike tried to keep his eyes on the path ahead while Applejack had her gaze locked on the map. However, despite being out of each other's sights, they were not out of each other's minds.

He's hurt, Spike thought. He'll never make it back with that leg.

He's even further away from home than I am, Applejack thought. He'll never make it back without a map.

Those outlaws are everywhere. He'll never be able to defend himself with that measly little knife.

This forest is dangerous. He'll never be able to defend himself if he can't shoot straight.

He's helpless without me.

He's lost without me.

At the exact same moment, they stopped, unsure of whether or not to press on. Ultimately, it was Spike who decided to run back to Applejack.

"I made you a promise to take you to Applewood," he said, panting, "and I'm going to keep it!"

Applejack tried her best to hide her smile as she faced him. "Sure you're not just doin' it for the knighthood?"

"N-No," he said, circling his foot in the dirt. "I just figured that…since I've taken you this far, it only seems fit that I should take you the rest of the way. And," he said with a slight blush, "you have saved my life on more than one occasion…including just now." He puffed up his chest. "And my Dragon Code dictates that I must repay the favor!"

She could not control her smile anymore. "Maybe ya are a noble dragon after all."

They stood there for the longest while, grinning at each other, both blushing. Spike then frowned when he remembered her leg.

"Did one of those arrows hit you?" he asked.

Glancing down at her injured foreleg, she quickly hid it behind the other. "Just a scratch."

He shook his head. "Don't try to act tough. That's my job." He held out his claw. "Let me see."

Hesitantly, she placed her hoof in his claw. He rolled up her sleeve, making her blush even harder, as he examined the slash across her leg.

"Luckily," he said, "the arrow didn't strike deep enough to hit any bone. We should still bandage it up before it gets any worse."

"There's no need for that," she said, attempting to retract her hoof.

But he held on tight. "Do you trust me?"

She didn't know whether it was the sincere tone of his words, or the soft gaze he was giving her, or the strong but careful way he was clutching her hoof. Either way, despite everything that had occurred between them, only one answer was clear.

"Yes."
> Flashes
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spike had Applejack sitting against a tree stump while he bandaged her foreleg with a torn piece of his tunic. She couldn't help but admire how careful he was as his claw slowly went round and round her hoof.

"Ya done something like this before?" she asked.

He nodded. "Uncle Scorpan taught me. When you go into battle, injury is inevitable. In the case of there being no doctor nearby, you've got to learn to make do with what you've got."

She smiled sadly. "Ya've really learned a lot from this Scorpan, huh?"

"Yeah," he said, also grinning. "Uncle Tirek may be my legal guardian, but it's really Uncle Scorpan I feel the closest to. Tirek mostly taught me about the art of war, while Scorpan taught me…well, pretty much everything else." He tied the end of the bandage. "There."

"Thanks," Applejack said, bringing her hoof to her chest. "This Scorpan fella doesn't sound as bad as…" She trailed off before she said something unpleasant about Tirek. "I mean he wasn't among the ones who kidnapped me, and I saw him durin' that ambush. He had the chance to run away, but instead, he tried to save as many of his soldiers as possible. Like my pa used to say, puttin' the needs of others before yourself is the mark of a great leader."

Spike sat down beside her. "They used to say that about my dad too. Uncle Scorpan told me about this one time Midnight Castle was under siege while a festival was going on in the courtyard, so no one was prepared for battle. But my dad, he sprang right into action!" He used his arms to illustrate. "He swooped himself around the guests and used his impenetrable dragon scales to shield everyone from the arrows!"

Applejack blinked. "Dragon scales are impenetrable?"

"Well, mine are pretty thick, but when dragons become adults, almost nothing can pierce through our hides!" He sighed as he hugged his knees. "I just wish I'd been able to see my father in action for myself."

She stared at him sympathetically as she rubbed her bandaged hoof. His eyes wandered over to it.

"By the way, I'm…sorry for putting you in harm's way," Spike said, hanging his head ashamedly. "You were right. It was a reckless, downright stupid decision."

"Your intentions were noble," Applejack said, placing her good hoof on his shoulder. "Ya just wanted to help your uncle."

He looked up at the sky. "I hope he made it out okay."

"I'm sure he did."

He shrugged off her hoof. "But you heard what Twilight Sparkle said. I don't believe Uncle Scorpan had anything to do with my father's death, but he's still on her list." He pulled his knees closer. "I wasn't able to save my father from being stone. I don't want the same to happen to someone else I care about."

She nodded in understanding. Poor boy, she thought. As much as I despise Tirek, I couldn't bear the thought of losing Granny Smith or Big Mac or Apple Bloom. Scoundrels as they are, Tirek and Scorpan are as much his family as my granny and siblings are mine.

Suddenly, everything became dark. Applejack and Spike looked up to see that the moon was out. A few seconds later, it was light again as the sun came up. Then the moon returned, then the sun. Soon it was flashing from day to night over and over again.

"Looks like the princesses are havin' another tussle," Applejack said casually.

"No telling how light it's gonna be now," Spike said, standing up. "We should probably make camp, just in case night comes early today."

"I'll get some firewood," Applejack said as she attempted to stand.

Laying his claws on her shoulders, he lowered her back down. "You rest your hoof. I'll get the wood."

"But…"

"No buts." He put his finger to her lips. "You're injured. Let me take care of it."

As she watched him gather firewood, she was grateful that he had chosen to pick up smaller sticks rather than humongous branches. At least he had less a chance of hurting himself. He also gathered some stones to put around the bundle of sticks. It kind of hurt to watch with the daylight constantly switching on and off.

"Even though we were outnumbered," Spike said as he finished his rock circle, "we still could've taken some of those outlaws on."

She smirked. "They had the advantage over us. They had flyers."

"Still." Taking in a gulp of air, he breathed fire onto the sticks. "I could've at least shot Twilight Sparkle if you hadn't pushed me down."

"Then we would've been shot ourselves. What would that have accomplished?"

"No, no, I get what you're saying." He shrugged. "Not everyone knows how to fight."

"Now wait just a cotton pickin' minute!" Frowning, she crossed her hooves. "Who said I didn't know how to fight?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Well, it's not like I've seen you do any fighting since I met you."

"I had my knife at yerr throat!"

He waved his claw. "Beginner's luck. Anyone can tackle someone, especially when that someone is smaller than you."

Scowling, she stood up and walked away.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

She bent down, picked up two long sticks and tossed one at Spike. He caught it in confusion.

"Pretend these are swords," she said, holding out her stick.

He blinked down at the stick. "You've got to be kidding me."

"What's the matter?" Applejack said, rising onto her hind legs. "Scared?"

"Of you?" He huffed. "As if!"

"Well then." With a mighty swipe of her rod, she shouted, "En garde!"

It became night again as she charged at him. With a yelp, Spike blocked her blow. The sun came back the minute their sticks touched.

"Hey!" he cried. "What about your injured hoof?"

"That's why I fight with my right hoof."

He gulped.

"Let's see if you're any better with a sword than ya are with a bow," Applejack said, pushing against him as she stepped back.

"Tirek taught me," he said, blocking her next attack, "a little, but," he leaped out of the way as she thrust her stick at him, "I still prefer," he ducked, "the bow." He struck from above, but she easily dodged him. "It helps you fight enemies further away."

"True," Applejack said, swiveling around. "But a bow's completely useless…" She swung her stick, clashing with his. His expression was fearful as he gazed up at her smirking face. "…when you're up close and personal."

She surprised him with a swift series of blows. He had to move his claw rapidly to avoid getting hit.

"In swordplay," Applejack said, scuffling behind him, "ya get the opportunity to study your opponent." He yelped as he spun around to meet her rod. "It's like havin' a conversation." She parried, but he sidestepped out of the way. "A very aggressive one."

With every strike of the sticks, the sky flashed from day to night. It was as if the sticks were alive with lightning. It was almost like a dance, with Applejack taking a lead as she attacked, and Spike following as he defended himself.

"But still personal," Applejack said, thrusting below only to have Spike narrowly block her again. "Cuz when you're this close to your opponent, ya learn their strengths," with a parry, it became day, "their weaknesses," another thrust, and it was night, "their fears…"

When she thrust at him again, he was too slow to stop it. He grunted as he was struck in the stomach and it was light again. Then she tackled him to the ground, her stick pressed up against his throat as the darkness returned.

"…and their passions," she finished with a whisper.

They were both panting from exhaustion as Spike stared up at her in complete awe. After seeing that impressive display, he didn't feel so angry about being beaten. He'd dueled before with his uncles and other soldiers, but never had he experienced something as exhilarating as this.

Then the sun came back out, illuminating Applejack's head like a halo. His eyes widened as her orange face seemed to glow. The sunlight was also gleaming off the sweat on Spike's scales, making them glisten, and in turn causing Applejack's victorious smile to disappear.

When the moon returned, it was positioned directly above Applejack's head, still giving off the halo effect. The orange glow of her face remained thanks to the light from the campfire. Spike's scales also continued to glimmer from the moon and firelight. Day and night came and went many times as the two companions stared at each other, but their respective glows never faded.

When night fell again, Applejack only now started to realize how close the two of them were. Her legs were on either side of his hips, her abdomen pressed to his. As if that wasn't enough to make her blush, their faces were just inches apart. She could feel the heat rising to her cheeks, and the intense throbbing between her legs.

She stiffened upon feeling a second, similar throbbing beneath her.

"Uh…" she said, scampering backward.

"Um…" Spike said, sitting up.

Biting her lip, she pretended to look at the trees. "Err…"

"Uh…" He rubbed the back of his neck, his cheeks as red as hers as he gazed up at the sky. "Looks like Luna won this round."

"Yeah," Applejack said sharply.

"You too I mean!"

"Of course!" She tossed her stick aside. "Good match!"

"Yeah."

There was silence for a long while.

"Hungry?" Spike asked.

"What?" Applejack said, her eyes wide with shock.

"For food!" he said, a little too loudly.

"Oh!" She sighed in relief. "Right, right! Food! I mean…what else would I be hungry for?"

"Yeah!" He forced a laugh. "I mean why would I be…I mean you be…um…what were we talking about?"

"Food!" she said with a squeak.

"Right, food!" he said, pointing. "I'll, uh, go get some! From my knapsack!"

He ran over to the tree trunk where his bag, quiver and bow lay. He didn't see Applejack crawling away from the fire, fanning herself with her hoof.

"Sheesh, that's hot," she said.

"What?" Spike said, stiffening.

"The fire!" she said quickly.

"Oh, yeah! The fire! Yes! It, uh, would be hot for ponies, right?"

She nodded rapidly. "Right."

"Though," he said, tugging on the collar of his shirt, "it must be hot if I am." He squeaked. "The fire, I mean!"

"Yup!"

She buried her face in her hooves, feeling like an idiot.

"Here's some cheese!" Spike said, handing a piece of cheese to her.

"Great!"

They simultaneously stuffed the cheese in their mouths to stop themselves from talking.





Somewhere else in the forest, Lord Tirek and his Diamond Dogs looked up at the sky when they realized the moon would remain for a while.

"Finally!" Rover said, rubbing his eyelids. "I thought I was gonna go blind from all those flashes!"

Tirek smiled. "I knew that Luna had potential."

"He said the same thing last week about Celestia," a Diamond Dog whispered.

"What was that?" Tirek said, snapping his head around.

The Diamond Dog forced a grin. "Err…nothing, my lord!"

Suddenly, there was a low growling noise that sounded close. A few of the Diamond Dogs shrank in fear. Glancing around, Tirek ultimately focused his gaze on a knot in a tree. Crouching down, he peered inside with one eye. A tiny Discord was asleep in a pink hammock, snoring loudly and cuddling a ragdoll that resembled Fluttershy.

With an angry growl, Tirek plunged his hand into the tree and pulled out the shrunken Discord.

"Ow!" Discord cried out as he grew to his full size so that Tirek was now gripping his neck.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Tirek bellowed.

"Getting some shuteye!" Discord replied. "Scouring the forest for a runaway is exhausting work!"

He choked as Tirek's grip became tighter.

"I ask you to find one little mare," the centaur said, bringing him close to his face, "and you waste your time by napping?!"

Tirek was about ready to strangle him when a rustle in the bushes caused him to turn. The Diamond Dogs readied their weapons. Then out of the shrubs came Scorpan, his wings flapping tiredly. In his arms, he carried three wounded soldiers, with two more on his back.

"Brother," Tirek said, dropping Discord to take the gargoyle in his arms. "What's happened?"

Panting, Scorpan carefully set the wounded soldiers down. "We were…attacked…the Lavender…Arrow…"

Tirek gritted his teeth together. "Sparkle." He grabbed Discord by the tail and yanked hard. "See what your incompetence has caused?!"

Discord wailed in pain.

"I tried," Scorpan said, hanging his head, "to save…as many as I could." He shook his head. "We were outnumbered, and they…had the high ground."

Tirek threw his head back as he cried out in fury. "First that bratty little girl gets away, now that confounded Twilight Sparkle takes out half my army?!"

"Girl?" Scorpan said, lifting his head.

Picking up Discord by the neck, Tirek said, "This fool here lost my new ward, Apple Jewel! The mare I was going to wed to Spike!"

"Spike?" The gargoyle gasped. "Spike! I remember! I was only able to get away because our ambushers were distracted by two onlookers climbing the gorge. I could only make out their shapes, but…one of them was small and purple and the other was taller and orange, a pony."

Tirek stiffened. "Spike and Apple Jewel." Discord let out a yelp as he dropped him again. "You sure it was Spike you saw?"

Scorpan nodded. "Positive."

"And where was this?"

"Ghastly Gorge, not an hour ago. Brother, what is Spike doing out here, and with his betrothed?"

"I don't know." Tirek scratched his chin. "But with those outlaws running amuck, it's going to be even harder to find them." After much thought, he turned to his entourage. "Return my brother and these wounded soldiers to Midnight Castle. See that they receive medical attention as soon as possible."

"What about you, my lord?" Rover asked.

Tirek looked out at the path ahead. "I'm going to find those brats myself."





Spike and Applejack leaned back against the tree stump, sitting beside each other in silence as they watched the campfire burn. Every now and then, they would steal glances from each other, but then pretend to look back at the fire or up at the sky.

It was Spike who spoke first. "Where'd ya learn to swordfight?"

Applejack smiled. "My pa taught me. He told me that every m—err, pony, should learn how to defend her—himself."

Spike returned her smile. "Your father sounds like a great guy."

"He was," she murmured. "I think your dad and mine would've gotten along great."

His eyes wandered to her locket. "Do you have a sweetheart at home?"

She hesitated. "No. Not yet, no."

It was sort of the truth, anyway.

"Really?" He tilted his head. "A good-looking young colt like you?"

She blushed. "I'm not that good-looking…"

"You kidding? I bet any young mare would be lucky to have some pony as brave and selfless as you for a husband." He snorted. "Not to mention you're a much better fighter than I am."

"Yeah, well," she said, tucking a stray lock of hair under her cap, "most of the…ponies my brother's introduced me to aren't really…into that sort of thing."

He stared at her for a moment and then shrugged. "Their loss, I guess. So what do you look for in a mate?"

"I don't know," Applejack said, circling her front hoof in the dirt. "I hadn't given it much thought. I mean I'd have to love him—her!" She winced, hoping he hadn't caught that. "But…I don't know, h—she'd have to be…sensitive in some way, but also tough enough to…to do the right thing even when it's dangerous. Ya know, kinda like…"

She locked gaze with him, but then quickly looked away. "But most importantly, she'd have to respect me. Treat me like an equal, not an inferior. And…well, ya know, she'd be easy to talk to, someone I can trust with…with everything. Someone who would be there for me when I need it, who would stand and fight with me when we're in danger, who would risk everything she has worked for just to help…"

She trailed off when she caught Spike's gaze again. Glancing down at her hooves, she said, "I suppose it'd be silly to ask what you look for in a mate, since you've already told me how ya feel about marriage."

"Actually," Spike said, tapping his chin, "I think…if ever I did marry, it would have to be someone pretty special. And I mean really special."

Scooting closer to him, she asked, "How do ya mean?"

"I told you Twilight Sparkle was the best mare I ever knew, right? Well, I'd want someone like that. Not the murdering outlaw part, but someone who's fearless, headstrong, but also have a heart of gold. Ya know, how Twilight was before she…" He quickly stopped himself. "Anyway, if ever I met another female like that, or one even better, I would marry her in a heartbeat."

Her cheeks were even redder than the flames as she smiled. "Can I…have yerr word on that?"

"Why?" he asked, looking at her with an arched eyebrow. "Ya know some pony like that?"

"Err…" She turned away. "No, I…I was just…theoretically speaking, ya know?"

"I…suppose." Spike sighed sadly. "But females like that are very rare. You saw how Twilight Sparkle turned out. Who's to say the next strong female I meet will not turn on me too?"

Looking back at him, she said, "Sometimes…I guess…ya just gotta take a leap of faith. Like my parents did. They knew what they were doing was wrong, that there was a chance of the other leadin' 'em on for the other side, but something inside 'em told 'em it was right. And…they took the leap."

Letting out a yawn, Spike stretched his back against the stump. "It'd be the biggest leap I'd ever make."

He closed his eyes, and Applejack couldn't help but admire how peaceful he looked in that state. Her own words echoed in her head: Sometimes ya just gotta take a leap of faith.

"Spike?"

"Mmm-hmm?" he moaned.

Biting her lip, she stammered, "There's…there's something I've gotta tell ya."

"Mmm-hmm."

She took a deep breath. "For starters, my name's not Applejack. And…I'm not a colt. I'm a mare. Moreover, I'm the mare that was dragged across this country to marry ya." She chuckled. "Ironic, isn't it? That we should run into each other out here."

She frowned. "I didn't mean to lie to ya, it's just…I wasn't sure if I could trust ya yet, but now…" She sighed. "I'm engaged to someone else, Spike. I don't love him, but…I thought he'd be better than the alternative. I thought ya were gonna be as bad as your guardian. But even after I met ya I was…disgusted with the idea of marryin' ya. I mean I didn't like you, you didn't like me, and ya certainly didn't like mares. But now…"

Grunting, she buried her face in her hooves. "I don't know what's happenin' to me right now, but I feel…I feel as if we've really…connected these past couple of days. I…I don't know what it is yet, but…I just like bein' with ya." She huffed. "Most of the time I just can't stand ya, but even then…" Sighing, she lifted her head. "You must think I'm crazy to even consider…"

A loud snore interrupted her. Upon turning, she saw that Spike was fast asleep. Applejack let out a groan of sadness and annoyance.

"How do ya like that? I just poured my heart out to him, and he's been asleep this whole time."

Suddenly, his head fell lightly onto her shoulder. Applejack was about to push him away when his claw snaked around her and pulled her close. He snuggled into her as if she were an enormous ragdoll. His adorableness made Applejack smile.

With much hesitance, she wrapped her foreleg around him to keep him from falling. She'd heard so many stories about dragons being cold to the touch, being cold-blooded and all. But when the scales on Spike's face touched Applejack's foreleg, they felt warm. They were rough, but not sharp enough to hurt her. Just like his personality.

As she watched him sleep, Applejack thought of the fiancé waiting for her back in Applewood.

While Applejack's brother had had no intention of marrying her off to some pony she didn't love, with scoundrels like Lord Tirek fighting for her inheritance, Big Mac had wanted to make certain that his sister was married to the right kind of stallion, a trustworthy one. Sir Trenderhoof was the fourteenth suitor that had come to call. A respectable knight with a decent fortune, he had the characteristics of a worthy husband.

Applejack remembered the first time he had walked into their dining hall. He was a lean brown unicorn with fair hair and spectacles over his purple eyes. When those eyes had locked upon her, they had gone wide with interest. Then he had gone down on his knee to take her hoof.

"Sir Big Mac," he had said, "you did not tell me you had a goddess for a sister."

Then he had kissed her hoof, which had made Applejack cringe in discomfort. She had hardly known the stallion, after all.

Throughout that dinner, he had told her about his many travels and had asked her many questions about the orchard.

"It has always been a dream of mine to own a farm," he had said. "Do you tend to the land yourself or do you let the servants do it?"

"Um," she had said, "I kinda like to help out with some of the tillin' and the harvestin'…"

"Amazing!" he had said, taking her hoof again. "I've always wanted to meet a mare with a love for hard work!"

Applejack had supposed it was nice to have a stallion who was at least interested in what she did. The real problem was that the two of them had nothing in common. Despite being a knight, Sir Trenderhoof was more interested in poetry than swordplay.

"I simply appall violence," he had once said. "The world's problems can be better solved through peaceful, artistic expression!"

As nice a sentiment as it was, it didn't give them much to talk about. Try as she might, Applejack just couldn't find a reason to love him. However, since he didn't seem nearly as bad as the other suitors who were just after her inheritance, and he didn't seem disgusted by her masculine habits (she had burped in front of him many times), Applejack had agreed to the match. Sir Trenderhoof at least seemed nice enough for her to grow to like him.

They would've been married yesterday had Lord Tirek not kidnapped her.

As she gazed at the sleeping dragon, Applejack began to wonder if all this had happened for a reason. Had she not been abducted, she would not have met Spike. Things felt…different with him. Despite her pretense concerning her sex, things felt natural with him, like she didn't have to pretend about anything.

Their pasts were quite similar too, which gave them a lot to talk about. Not to mention he was a fighter like her, though he could use a bit more practice. Maybe she could give him a few pointers on swordplay. And, with his help, she could start learning to shoot an arrow.

This reminded her of something her mother had told her long ago, when Applejack had asked, "When you fell in love with Pa, how did ya know he was the one?"

"You see, pumpkin," her mother had said, "it's not about what you have in common, although that certainly helps sometimes, it's about what you can learn from each other. Your true love not only makes you feel good, but makes you a better pony, and you do the same for him. With time, you grow together in helping each other become the best ponies you can be."

Applejack gazed up at the stars, whispering, "Ma, Pa, if you're up there, do ya…do ya think you could give me a sign? On…what I should do?"

She waited, but the stars were silent, as they should be. Sighing, Applejack looked back down at Spike. She continued to stare at him as her own eyelids became droopy. In no time at all, she was fast asleep too.

Up above, two stars shot across the sky while the mare and dragon down below slept peacefully in each other's embrace.
> Midnight Castle
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"TIMBERWOLF!" Spike and Applejack cried as they ran through the forest.

A Timberwolf the size of three bears was hot on their trail. He was so close they could feel his smelly breath on their necks. Spike glanced over his shoulder to see the monster gnash its terrible wooden teeth.

"What do we do, what do we do?!" Spike shouted.

Applejack reached for the scabbard tied to his waist and pulled out a long, gleaming sword. "We take him on!"

Grinning, Spike slung his bow off his shoulder. "Right!"

With a mighty cry, Applejack swung around and slashed his sword across the Timberwolf's snout. This sent splinters everywhere, and the Timberwolf put his paw over his snout, whimpering in pain. With the Timberwolf distracted, Spike was able to put enough space between them and shoot an arrow. It struck the Timberwolf square in the eye, causing him to howl.

"Gimme a boost!" Applejack exclaimed.

He ran towards Spike, who crouched down with his fingers laced and his palms up. As Applejack stepped onto his hands, Spike pushed him up. Applejack leaped into the air with his sword over his head. As he came down, he slashed it right through the Timberwolf's neck.

With one last howl, both halves of the Timberwolf fell to the ground and burst into a pile of inanimate sticks. Wiping the sweat off his brow, Applejack turned to Spike.

"We make," the colt said, panting, "a pretty good team, don't we?"

"We sure do!" Spike shouted, running up to him. "I mean that was amazing! The way you swooped down on that Timberwolf and then sliced clean through him, it was incredible!" Laughing, he embraced his comrade. "You're incredible, Applejack."

Placing his hoof on the dragon's back, Applejack said, "Even if I'm a colt?"

Confused, Spike moved away to look up at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Applejack smirked. "Isn't it obvious, Spike?"

The colt then closed his eyes and leaned towards him. For some reason, Spike didn't want to pull away. He wanted the lips to just keep coming.

"Oh, Spike," Applejack whispered. "Spike…"

"Spike!"

The dragon awoke from his slumber. Applejack still stood over him, but it was now dark out and she held a look of distress.

Blushing, he said quickly, "I wasn't dreaming about…"

"Shhh!" she whispered, slapping her hoof over his mouth.

Carrying him, she dashed away from the campfire and leaped into the bushes.

Shoving her hoof away from his mouth, Spike said, "What the hay are you…?"

"I'm sorry!" Applejack whispered. "I didn't mean to fall asleep, but I did! A noise woke me up. I think someone's comin'!"

"What noise?"

As soon as he said this, they heard the sound of a small bell ringing in the distance. Raising her hoof to her lips, Applejack quietly brushed some of the leaves away so she could peer out at the campfire, which she had doused. The two of them listened closely as the faint ringing slowly became louder.

Then, out of the trees came a shadowy figure. His face was hidden by the hood of his cloak, and his body was hunched over. The companions could only make out the whiteness of a long beard. Tied around the old pony's neck was a tin bell that rang as he walked. A long staff stuck out from beneath the stranger's cloak, tapping along the ground.

"It's just an old beggar," Spike whispered. "Looks like he might be blind."

"I don't care what he looks like," Applejack said. "We don't know if we can trust him."

"Shhh! He's blind, not deaf!"

The stranger's hooded head shot up and moved swiftly from side to side. Applejack pulled Spike to her chest.

"We better move," she said, lowering her voice further.

He didn't hear her, for he was too busy thinking about how closely their bodies were pressed together. What is wrong with you?! Why are you thinking about him that way?! He's a bloody colt! A male like you!

She started backing away and Spike snapped out of his thoughts to follow her. They were careful not to make a sound as they crawled on their bellies. As Spike was behind Applejack, he had an unfortunate view of her rear, which made him blush, because he was only now noticing its delightfully round shape.

Don't be weird, don't be weird, don't be weird! Spike thought as he steered left so that he may crawl beside her. He's a colt, he's a colt, he's a colt!

"Don't move so fast!" Applejack whispered. "You're makin' too much noise!"

"S-Sorry, I was…" Spike stammered as he tried to come up with an excuse. "I…didn't wanna step on your tail!"

That was partially true, for he had felt her tail brush against him back there and its pleasant softness was overwhelming.

"Whatever!" Applejack hissed. "Just keep quiet or that goon'll…"

There was a sudden wail as the hooded stranger jumped on top of them. Applejack and Spike screamed as they found themselves in a three-way tumble. While Spike tried to avoid the stranger's claws—CLAWS!—Applejack's back hoof searched for his groin. After making a hard kick, she heard a cry and was about to rejoice until she saw Spike wincing in pain.

"That was me you ninny!" he shouted as he pushed the stranger's claw away from his face.

"Oops," Applejack said, blushing as she kneed their attacker in the ribs. "Sorry, Spike."

The stranger paused and said in a raspy voice, "Spike?"

Taking advantage of his distraction, Applejack kicked the stranger off, knocking him onto his back. She leaped on top of him and was about to pin his shoulders down when his reddish claw gripped her neck.

"AJ!" Spike cried, running towards her.

Suddenly, golden light surrounded the stranger as he began to grow and the cloak fell away. Spike stopped as he beheld the creature before him.

"Uncle Tirek?"

"Lemme go, ya big ape!" Applejack shouted as she writhed in Tirek's claw, which was now ten times larger and closed around her middle.

"Spike," Tirek said in a caring tone. "Here you are! I've been searching everywhere for you." He narrowed his eyes at Applejack. "And you as well."

"What are you doing out here?" Spike asked. "Why'd you attack us? And why were you wearing that disguise?"

"There's a bounty on my head," Tirek said, clutching the gold triangular amulet around his neck. "Using this amulet to disguise myself was the only way to escape the outlaws. They wouldn't attack a blind beggar. The bell was meant to scare them off.

"I heard a noise in the bushes and thought you might be the outlaws. Forgive me, my ward, if I harmed or frightened you in any way."

Spike sighed in relief. "I'm just glad it's you and not some maniac."

"How do ya know ya weren't right the first time?" Applejack asked, glaring at Tirek.

The centaur frowned as he glanced between the two of them. "What are you two doing together anyway?"

"Look, Uncle Tirek," Spike said slowly. "I don't know what you want with Applejack, but he saved my life, and I'm bound by my Dragon Code to serve him for the rest of my natural born days." He dropped to his knee. "If I have dishonored you by lending him assistance, please know that it wasn't intentional."

But Tirek appeared more confused than angry. "Applejack? Him?" Then he smirked at the disguised mare in his claw. "So you haven't told him your little secret, hmm?"

Spike looked up at him in bewilderment. "What secret?"

"Oh, nothing much," Tirek said with a shrug. "Just that this lad here has something that belongs to me."

"He's lyin'!"Applejack shouted. "Spike, don't listen to him!"

"You're not gonna hurt him, are you, Uncle Tirek?" Spike asked in worry. "Whatever he stole from you, surely it's not worth that much! He did save my life after all!"

"My dear ward," Tirek said, putting his claw over his heart. "I wouldn't dream of harming this young colt." He cast a sideways glare at his captive. "Assuming he cooperates and comes back to Midnight Castle with us without struggle."

She looked him boldly in the eye. "And if I refuse?"

He pulled her closer to his face so he could whisper, "There are other ways for me to get what I want. I don't think you want anyone else hurt for your disobedience."

At first, Applejack thought he was talking about her sister again, but then his eyes flitted towards Spike. Her eyes widened as she understood immediately.

With a gulp, she said, "I'll…I'll come quietly."

Tirek smirked. "There's a good lad." He turned to Spike. "Come. I sent the others ahead. If we take the path down this way, we should be able to rejoin them."

"Others?" Spike asked.

"My Diamond Dogs, Discord, Scorpan…"

"Uncle Scorpan survived the attack?" Spike's eyes watered in happiness.

"Yes. He thought he had seen you at Ghastly Gorge." He sighed. "Unfortunately, those blasted outlaws had wiped out half my army. It won't be easy finding more recruits."

Applejack huffed. "Yeah. That's what ya care about."

Tirek spun himself away from Spike and scowled hard at the mare.

"Best hold that sharp tongue of yours, boy," the centaur said with a hiss. "Unless," he touched her chest with his free claw, "you'd like to reveal what's under these clothes."

Applejack stiffened as she looked down at the claw pulling on her shirt. "You're not suggestin'…?" She shook her head with a growl. "I'll die before I let ya touch me!"

"Oh, I don't care if you reveal yourself. However, I believe there are others you wouldn't want seeing you without your disguise."

Tirek gestured to Spike who was walking on ahead. Applejack shut her mouth tight.

"Hey, you coming, Uncle Tirek?" Spike called back to him.

"I come." Tirek whispered to Applejack, "Not one word."

She said nothing in response, but continued to hold her chin high in defiance.

It wasn't that Applejack didn't want Spike knowing her true sex. If he knew the truth, however, he would find out that she'd been lying to him all this time and certainly not trust her about anything else she said. Tirek would surely win then.

And from that look Tirek had given Spike, Applejack had the funny feeling that she wasn't the only one Tirek had ill intentions for.

The next few hours were spent in silence. Not just because Applejack had kept to her word, but there were so many questions swimming through Spike's head.

What does Uncle Tirek have against Applejack? What did Applejack steal from him? And have Applejack's eyes always looked like glimmering emeralds?

He tried shaking that last thought out of his head. He was tempted to ask Tirek the other two questions, but the high amount of tension in the air suggested he keep them to himself for the moment.

The silence was finally broken when they heard the sounds of armor clanking. Spike quickly drew his bow while Tirek put his free claw on the hilt of his sword.

Then through the trees they saw a flag with a mare in the moon on it.

"The Lunarian flag!" Spike exclaimed.

"Those are my troops," Tirek said, picking up his pace.

He pushed aside the trees to meet up with the string of Diamond Dogs. Sir Scorpan and Discord flew at the front, the latter causing the wounded soldiers to hover above the ground.

"Brother!" Scorpan said.

"Uncle Scorpan!" Spike called, running towards the gargoyle to embrace him. "I'm so glad to see you're alright! I was sure you'd perished in Ghastly Gorge!"

Scorpan smiled as he hugged the young dragon. "I am unharmed, little one." Then he frowned. "But what in the world were you doing at Ghastly Gorge?"

Spike pulled back. "We came across the Society of the Lavender Arrow and overheard their plans to ambush you in Ghastly Gorge! We came to warn you, but…" He glanced at the floating wounded soldiers. "I guess we were too late."

Sighing, Scorpan said, "It was extremely risky of you to run headfirst into danger, but…the concern is appreciated."

Tirek took a step towards them. "What else did you overhear from those outlaws?"

Spike opened his mouth to reply, but then wondered if he should. He caught Applejack's eye. She was still in Tirek's grasp and appeared extremely tired. Her look was pleading, and she shook her head slightly enough so the others wouldn't notice.

"N-Nothing much," Spike stammered, waving his claw. "Just…radical talk, you know?"

Tirek squinted at him for a moment, but said nothing more to him.

"Discord," Tirek said, holding up Applejack. "Chain up our…guest in case," he scoffed, "he gets any ideas. My claw is getting sweaty."

"You got it!" Discord said, snapping his fingers.

Applejack disappeared and then reappeared on the ground, the same gold chain that had imprisoned her before around her front hooves.

"And no need for the gag this time," Tirek said, taking the other end of the chain. "Applejack has so graciously agreed to cooperate."

"Um, Boss," Discord whispered to him, "why are we still pretending that she's a…?"

Tirek elbowed him hard in the stomach.

"Right, right!" Discord said with a grunt. "He, he, he! Yup! He's a colt, alright!"

Spike stared at the draconequus in confusion as the party pressed on.

"What's he talking about?" he asked Scorpan.

Scorpan glanced back at his brother before answering. "You know Discord. He…likes to fool around."

Spike looked back at Applejack, who was struggling to keep up on two legs. Her eyes were on the ground, appearing defeated. After a few minutes, those emerald eyes rose to meet his. The sadness they held bore deeply into his very soul.

This exchange of looks did not go unnoticed by Scorpan. Putting a hand on the dragon's shoulder, he said, "Your friend will be not be harmed, lad."

"But what does Uncle Tirek want with him?" Spike asked, turning to the gargoyle.

"Him?" Scorpan said with a raised eyebrow. "So you don't…?" He shook his head. "Never mind."

"What has Applejack stolen? Money? Jewels? One of Uncle Tirek's magical talismans?"

After a quick glance at Tirek, Scorpan replied, "You will understand in time, young one. But now is not the time."

Glimpsing back at Applejack, Spike saw that her eyes were still on him. He was about to go to her when Tirek moved between them. Spike gazed up at his guardian's glare. With a gulp, the dragon turned his attention back to the road.

Something weird is going on, he thought. Why won't he let me talk to Applejack? Why isn't anyone answering my questions? He turned back to Tirek's legs, through which he could see Applejack from the neck down. And why can't I stop myself from looking at him?

It was nearly sunset when they reached Midnight Castle. As the drawbridge lowered for the party, Applejack glared up at the Lunarian flag flying from the highest tower.

In the window of another tower was Fluttershy, and she stood up the moment she saw the returning army.

"He's here!" She rushed out her bedroom door, nearly knocking over Rarity and the laundry she was carrying. "Oh, Rarity, he's here!"

When the drawbridge finally reached the platform, Discord clasped his hands together. "Fluttershy, here I come!"

He bolted through the gateway before Tirek could stop him. The centaur groaned, pressing his fingers to the bridge of his nose.

"Rover," he said, tossing the gold chain to the Diamond Dog. "Escort our guest to the North Tower." He leaned down to him. "Make sure he doesn't escape this time."

"Yes, sir!" Rover said, saluting.

"Come, Brother," Tirek said, turning to Scorpan. "There's an important matter I need to discuss with you."

While his two caregivers went ahead across the drawbridge, Spike saw his opportunity. He waited until Rover had passed him and Applejack was at his side.

"Have courage, Applejack," Spike said as he walked closely beside her. "Uncle Scorpan says no one's going to hurt you. I'll find a way to get you out of this."

She smiled slightly. "Nice to see ya bein' optimistic, Spike, but…" She frowned. "I fear this may be the last time you'll see your friend Applejack."

He shook his head. "Don't talk like that. I'm gonna talk things over with Uncle Tirek. He'll let you go!"

"Nothing here is as it seems, Spike." She sighed. "Not even with me."

He blinked. "What are you talking about?"

"Spike," she whispered, leaning closer to him. "Tirek's up to something. I'm not sure what yet, but know that no matter what happens, I'll always…"

"Hey!" Rover said, yanking her chain. "Quit dawdling!"

He pulled her towards the North Tower entrance, but Applejack attempted to stay outside the door as long as she could.

"Don't worry about me, Spike!" she shouted as Rover tugged her inside. "Just find out the truth!"

The door shut tight and Spike was left standing bewildered in the courtyard.

"Truth?" he muttered to himself. "What truth?"

But he already knew the answer. It was the question he'd been asking himself since he had read that letter from the Lavender Arrow.

Who really killed my father?
> Questions With No Answers
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fluttershy and Discord met on the second floor. She held her hooves out to him and he scooped her up in a tight embrace, crushing his lips against hers. Her hooves instantly wrapped around his long neck and his claws entangled in her silky mane.

"I missed you," she said between kisses.

"I miss you too," he said against her lips. "These last two-hundred-forty-eight hours, thirty-six minutes and thirteen seconds have been agony."

"You've been counting?"

"I'm always counting."

He kissed her again and she moaned softly against his lips.

"I heard about the Lavender Arrow," Fluttershy said. "I was so worried they had…"

"Don't you worry about me, my love," he said, cupping her chin. "Nothing, not even a lavender arrow, can stop me from coming home to you."

She whimpered in delight as their lips met again and she felt his paw move down her back and to her thigh.

"Discord!" Tirek's voice boomed.

Discord groaned as he regretfully broke apart from his wife. "What now?!"

He yelped as Tirek grabbed him by the pegasus wing and dragged him towards the map room. "You can fool around later. We have important matters to discuss."

Looking to his wife sadly, Discord said, "I hate to keep you waiting longer, darling, but…"

"I understand," Fluttershy said. "I'll see you tonight then?"

He smirked seductively. "You just wear your best nightgown, darling, and I'll be there!"

He gave a small wave before Tirek shut the door on them. Fluttershy waved back with a smile. Then she noticed the stares from several Diamond Dogs, making her blush. She had quite forgotten they were there.

They'd been watching all that time, she thought in embarrassment. I wonder what they must all think of me.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of rattling chains. Turning to the open door leading to the North Tower, she saw Rover on the spiral staircase, tugging on a golden chain.

"Get moving, you wench!" he hollered to his prisoner.

A young pony in simple male attire came into view. Despite her disguise, Fluttershy could tell that she was a mare, for part of her long mane had fallen out from under her hat.

"I'm comin', okay?!" Applejack shouted. "Walkin' on two legs may seem easy for you Diamond Dogs, but us ponies?! Sheesh!"

As Rover continued to yank on the chain, the two of them disappeared up the steps. The entire scene had made Fluttershy frown and shiver in discomfort.

"Hi, Fluttershy," Spike said, coming up to her.

"Spike!" Fluttershy said, shaking her head. "Hello. It's good to see that you're safe."

"Uh, here." He took out an envelope from his pocket. "Discord told me to give this to you. He thought I'd be back before him so…"

She smiled as she took the letter. "Thank you, Spike." Then her frown returned. "Um…Spike? Who was that pony being taken up the North Tower?"

Spike glanced sadly at the open door to the staircase. "Applejack. He's a colt I met on the way back here."

"Colt?" Fluttershy said, raising an eyebrow.

"He saved my life, and I agreed to take him to Applewood, but…Uncle Tirek found us and…he says Applejack stole something from him, but I'm not sure what." He looked to Fluttershy hopefully. "Do you…do you think he'll be alright?"

Fluttershy didn't know the answer, but she didn't want to disappoint the young dragon. She was fond of him and she sometimes felt like a mother to him.

"I'm sure he will, sweetie," Fluttershy said, laying a hoof on his shoulder.

"Do you know where I can find Uncle Tirek?" he asked.

She pointed to the map room and he quickly thanked her. Running up to the door, he opened it slowly.

"You mean he really has no idea?" he heard Discord say. "How can he not tell after what, two whole days? It's so obvious!"

"But surely he's to know eventually," said Scorpan's voice. "I mean with the wedding…"

"We might have to hold off on that for a while," Tirek said, "until we know just how much…"

He stopped once he noticed Spike in the doorway. The three massive creatures were huddled around a table with a map of Equestria, Tirek in the middle. Discord and Scorpan turned to look down at the dragon.

"S-Sorry," Spike said, closing the door. "I should've knocked first."

"What is it you want, ward?" Tirek asked with a twinge of impatience.

"I just need to know," the dragon said, nervously approaching the table, "what's to become of Applejack?"

Discord snorted, but then stopped upon catching Tirek's glare.

"At this moment," Tirek said, "no harm is to befall," he cleared his throat, "him."

"But what has he done to deserve such imprisonment?" Spike asked. "In our time together, Applejack has saved my life on numerous occasions. Surely he warrants some mercy after that."

Tirek raised his claw. "The only mercy that youth is receiving now is that he isn't receiving a beating for his disobedience." He smoothed out the map on the table. "If that is all you wished to know, we have important matters to discuss."

"Actually, it isn't," Spike said. "I heard this rumor that you have…"

Scorpan's shoulders tensed as he feared the dragon's question.

"…arranged a marriage for me?"

The gargoyle sighed in relief.

"Ah, yes," Tirek said. "I meant to bring it up with you in Trottingham, but there were…complications."

"But I thought you said marriage was for weaklings!"

"Hey!" Discord said, putting his paw and claw on his hips. "I'm married!"

"And you're all the more incompetent for it," Tirek said with a growl. "However, where business is concerned, marriage is sometimes necessary. The mare you are to marry is extremely wealthy, and has connections with both sides of the war." He smirked. "And don't worry about loving her. I'm sure the two of you will at least get along."

Discord chuckled. "You could say she'll be like your brother."

Tirek stepped on his tail, making him yelp. "Besides, once you're of age and Midnight Castle becomes yours, you will need to produce an heir."

Spike rubbed the back of his neck. "It just sounds kind of…detached."

"There will be no arguments. You will do as I say and marry this mare." He looked back down at his map. "You are dismissed."

Seeing that his guardian was in a bad mood, he decided to take his leave. His claw was on the doorknob when he paused. After a few seconds of afterthought, he turned to the centaur.

"Uncle Tirek?"

Tirek groaned. "What?"

Spike gulped. "It's just…when I overheard the Lavender Arrow's conversation, they…well, this isn't the first time this has been brought up and…"
"Out with it."

Taking a deep breath, the dragon slowly asked, "Did you…did any of you…play a role in my father's death?"

He shut his eyes, prepared for an explosion of anger. However, there was only silence. Tirek slammed his hands on the table, startling Spike into opening his eyes.

"You dare ask me that again?" Tirek said, his voice dangerously low. "Have I not already assured you that these accusations are the fabrication of murderers and thieves, that as your late father's friend and your guardian, there is none more loyal to the House of de Dragon than me?"

"It's just…what they said," Spike said. "They didn't know I was listening and…it sounded like…they wanted revenge for…" He straightened up and folded his claws behind his back. "I mean no disrespect, Uncle Tirek, but you did have the most to gain from my father's death. As my guardian, you have control of my estate until I am of age. I…I am not accusing you, but surely you can see why suspicion may be cast on you.

"If I am wrong, then dispel my fears and let me hear it from your mouth that you are not responsible for my father's death, then I can rest easily. If I am right…well, I hope that I am wrong then."

Tirek clenched his fist, but his face remained calm. He took a deep breath and put on a smile.

"You are right to be curious of your father's death, dear boy," he said in a light tone. "But rest assured, none in this room have played a part in that heinous crime." He looked between his comrades. "Am I right?"

"Absolutely!" Discord said, placing his paw over his heart. "I had nothing to do with old Spikus' death!"

Tirek glanced to Scorpan on his right. "Right, brother?"

The gargoyle hesitated, a worried look upon his face. Spike gazed at him curiously.

"Well, speak up, brother," Tirek said, throwing his arm around Scorpan. "Tell him you played no part in Sir Spikus' murder. The lad won't be satisfied until he hears assurance from our lips." He narrowed his eyes at him. "All our lips."

Scorpan glanced uneasily at his brother and then at Spike. The dragon was frowning, afraid of the truth.

"I…" Scorpan said, his lip quivering, "played no part in Sir Spikus' murder."

"Swear it," Tirek said, shaking him sharply.

The gargoyle gulped. "I…I swear it. As a knight, I swear it."

Spike stared at him long and hard.

"There you have it, boy," Tirek said. "Are you satisfied?"

"Y-Yes," the dragon said, turning to the door. "I'm…sorry for doubting you."

"Think not on it, my dear ward. You are forgiven. Leave us."

Spike obeyed him and went out the door. Truthfully, he wasn't satisfied. If Scorpan was as innocent as he claimed to be, why had he been so hesitant?

Once the dragon was gone, Tirek's smile fell. "He suspects too much."

"Goodness, brother," Scorpan said, letting out some air. "It was a cruel thing, making me lie to that boy, and to make me swear on my knighthood as well!"

"Would you rather face execution, brother?" Tirek said, glaring hard at him. "Or worse, have the boy you care so much about see you as a murderer?"

Scorpan's jaw hung open for a long time. Then he shut it and looked away.

"That's what I thought."

"Well I for one had nothing to feel guilty about!" Discord said in a chipper tone. "Because I had nothing to do with all this!"

Tirek wrung his neck. "Your knowledge makes you just as guilty as the rest of us! And you better not go spreading it around either! Especially not to that wife of yours!"

Discord scowled as he slipped out of Tirek's grasp. "As if I would involve her in any of this anyway! You think she'd still want to be married to me if she knew just what you were making me do?!"

The centaur poked him in the chest. "See that she never does."

"But what I don't get is why you didn't tell him that the so-called colt is the mare he's supposed to marry!"

"I agree, brother," Scorpan said. "He clearly cares for her already. Would it not make the arrangement easier if he knew who she was?"

"Perhaps," Tirek said, "but we have other things to worry about at the moment."

Scorpan shook his head. "Holding the mare here against her will, it simply isn't right. I know she has money, but is it really worth all these extremes?"

Tirek slammed his fist on the table. "This isn't just about money!" He pointed to Applewood on the map. "There is a powerful magic on that little farm of hers, magic that can help bring this war to an end." He clenched his claw. "But those confounded Apples refuse to share it! Once the land is mine, they will have no choice but to relinquish that magic to me!"

Just then, Rover burst through the door. "Lord Tirek!"

The centaur rolled his eyes. "Does no one knock in this castle?!"

"S-Sorry," the Diamond Dog said, bowing his head. "It's just…Master Spike has been asking questions. Not just me, but all the Diamond Dogs here. He's asking about…his father's death and…"

"Enough!" Tirek shouted. "Return to you duties, and remember, say nothing!"

Not wanting to make him angrier, Rover bolted out the door.

"He's a persistent young lad," Tirek said under his breath.

"What more do you want us to do?" Scorpan asked. "We've already sworn that we had nothing to do with…"

"Leave us, brother."

Scorpan's mouth shut tight as he left the room.

"Discord," Tirek said, rolling up the map, "come with me. I have a special task for you."



Spike flopped face-first onto his bed. After the past few days, he was more than ready for a good night's sleep. He didn't even care that he was still wearing the same outfit he'd been wearing for days, despite it being soiled with mud and smelling like old cheese.

But as he turned onto his back, he realized there was no possible way he could sleep now. So much was on his mind.

Why had Uncle Scorpan hesitated? Spike thought. Why did he look so scared when I asked him about my father's death?

Now that he was thinking about it, Scorpan had appeared afraid every time Spike had asked anything concerning his father's death, even if it wasn't to accuse him. Scorpan had been Sir Spikus' friend as much as Tirek, so the memory could have been too painful for him to relive.

Still, that didn't explain why Scorpan hadn't immediately denied his involvement in Sir Spikus' murder.

Spike had tried asking the Diamond Dogs, but all that did was make them run to Tirek. They were afraid too, but why?

And why do I get the feeling that everyone's hiding something from me?

He wanted to talk to Applejack. At this point, the colt who had been his traveling companion the past couple of days was the only one Spike felt like he could trust. He wasn't sure why, but there was something about Applejack that seemed genuine, like he could never tell an untruth.

Especially now that Spike was starting to wonder if Applejack had been right…about everything.

A knock came at his bedroom door and Spike sat up. "Come in!"

Rover opened it. "Pack your things. Lord Tirek wants you to sleep in the guest bedroom above the kitchen tonight."

Spike raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Housekeeping, he says," Rover said, waving his paw. "He knows how tired you are and doesn't want you waiting until the room's clean to sleep in."

Looking around, the dragon said, "This room doesn't look too messy to me."

Rolling his eyes, the Diamond Dog said, "Listen. I'm just following orders. Your guardian wants you sleeping in a different room tonight. Now get your things and get going."

Spike was still confused, but he obeyed nonetheless. He picked up his bow and quiver, for he liked falling asleep beside them. Thinking of his father, Spike gripped the bow tightly.

What would you do if you were here, Dad? Who killed you?



Applejack had been ramming herself against the door to her cell for what felt like hours. But no matter how many times she kicked or collided into the door, it wouldn't budge, for it was made from solid oak. The two Diamond Dogs guarding her door must've known this, for they did nothing to stop her.

Finally, after one last weak thud, Applejack collapsed, sliding against the door in exhaustion. She massaged her shoulder, which was incredibly sore.

She gazed at the dark sky through the barred window. She had already ruled that out as an escape route, for she was at least fifty feet up from the ground, and her straw mattress didn't have any sheets to make into a rope. She had considered using her clothes, but even that wouldn't have made a long enough rope.

With a heavy sigh, she pulled her knees to her chest and lowered her head onto them in defeat.

What's the point? There ain't no way I'm gettin' outta this one, she thought. Well, worst case scenario is that Tirek'll marry me to Spike.

She raised her head to look at the stars out the window. Then again, would that be so bad? I mean Spike's nothin' like his guardian. I mean maybe he seemed that way at first, but he's kinda…sweet.

She blushed upon the thought of being Spike's wife. Then she frowned as another thought occurred to her.

Of course, would he wanna be married to me once he finds out I'm a liar? And there's no way he feels that way about me if he thinks I'm a colt.

She buried her face in her hooves. Well, at least if we're together, we can find a way to escape from Tirek, married or not.

"But why put him in another room?"

Applejack stiffened upon hearing Discord's voice outside, accompanied by a series of hoofsteps.

"It'll make things easier," said Tirek's voice.

Applejack pressed her ear against the door so she could hear better.

"Make what easier?" Discord asked.

"How's our guest?" Tirek said, ignoring his question.

"Noisy," said one of the guards, "but secure."

"Good. But perhaps, so we don't have to go on another…excursion, we should take extra precautions. Discord?"

There was a snapping sound and Applejack heard something that sounded like someone blowing into an empty glass jar.

"Done," Discord said. "Even if she does manage to get out of that room, she can't leave the castle."

"Excellent," Tirek said. "That'll make the chase much swifter."

"Anyway, what's with having the boy change rooms? And why that room above the kitchen?"

Boy? Applejack thought. Is he talking about Spike?

"You remember that…I showed you?" Tirek asked.

"The one that has an…?"

The voices were fading away, so Applejack had to move her ear to the keyhole to get better reception. She only got bits and pieces.

"Do…" Tirek's voice said, "should've done to…Sparkle."

"You mean…?" Discord said.

There was silence for a long while.

"Why…" Tirek said. "…never trouble before."

"But he is like your son!" Discord said, his voice becoming louder with surprise.

"His usefulness to me has…"

"…the girl?"

"…not needed…other ways…look like an accident."

Applejack gasped upon hearing these words. There was some more muttering, followed by a yelp from Discord, she presumed. Then came Tirek's voice, this time his words were as clear as a bell.

"How much do you love your wife, Discord?"

For a long while, there was silence.

"Excellent," Tirek said.

Having heard enough, Applejack leaned back against the door and started breathing heavily. Now she understood Tirek's true intentions. Now, more than ever, she was determined to get out of this prison, find Spike and run away with him to Applewood where they would both be safe from Tirek.

Assuming she wasn't too late.



Fluttershy was pacing her bedroom, thinking about the mare she had seen being dragged into the tower. Questions were swimming in her head, and she was afraid of their answers.

"I'm sure there's a good reason behind this, Fluttershy," she told herself. "I mean…Discord would never…I mean I know he wouldn't, but…" She frowned. "Would…would Tirek? Would he involve Discord in…?"

She turned to the door as it opened. Her husband sidestepped in and quickly shut the door. His paw and claw were still on the knob as he sighed heavily.

"D-Discord?" Fluttershy said, attempting to get a view of his face. "Are you alright?"

Taking a deep breath, Discord put on a big smile and faced her. "Perfectly perfect, now that I'm here with you, my love."

"Oh, good." She bit her lip hesitantly. "Discord, I want to talk to you about…"

She squeaked as his large arms suddenly swept her up and she was brought to his eyelevel.

"If you don't mind, darling," he said, smirking seductively, "I'd rather we not be talking right now."

Closing his eyes, he leaned towards her with his lips puckered. Scowling, Fluttershy stopped his lips with her hoof.

"I'm serious, Discord."

He opened his eyes and grinned. "As am I."

He then grabbed her hoof and pressed it further to his lips.

"Discord!"

"Sorry, darling," he said, kissing up her foreleg, "but I'm only here for a short time so we might as well make the most of…"

With an angry grunt, Fluttershy yanked her hoof out of his grasp and pulled away from him. Discord frowned at her reaction.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Fluttershy sighed. "Sorry. I know, believe me I know, we haven't been alone together in a long time, but…" She twaddled her hooves. "Discord, I really must talk to you about something."

Although he clearly regretted it, he took a step back from her and folded his mismatched arms. "Very well then. What is it?"

With her eyes on the floor, she sat down on their bed. "I…saw a mare dressed as a stallion—I could tell she was a mare, yes—chained up and taken to the North Tower." She looked up at her husband. "Who is she, Discord?"

Discord couldn't help but smirk. "You're not jealous, are you?"

"No," she said with a blush. "I just…what does Tirek want with her, Discord?" She bit her lip nervously. "He isn't…I mean she's a chained up mare and…"

"Oh, no, no, no, no!" He held up his paw. "Tirek didn't bring her here for that. He brought her here for Spike."

Fluttershy blinked. "Spike?"

"Yes. She's Spike's betrothed."

"Betrothed?"

"Well…kind of, you see…" He quickly stopped himself. "Never mind. This is what I was talking about in my letters. Having another mare here other than Rarity will be good for you. I mean you have a lot in common. You like gardening, she was raised on a farm. You like embroidery, she likes…" He frowned. "Well, you both like gardening."

Fluttershy's sad expression did not change. "In the letter Spike gave me, she's the 'fickle fugitive' you were talking about, wasn't she?"

"Ah, yes. She gave us the slip, but we managed to catch up with her."

Her eyes closed. "So…you brought this mare here against her will…to be married to someone she doesn't love?"

Discord cringed. "W-Well…not exactly. I mean," he scoffed, "you're gonna laugh at this. But turns out, while that mare was disguised as a boy, she ran into Spike and they really hit it off. He won't stop talking about her. Although, get this, he still thinks she's a boy!" He burst out laughing. "Funny how fate works, eh?"

"Nonetheless," Fluttershy said, turning her head away from him, "that doesn't make the fact that she has no choice in the matter okay."

His shoulders slumped. "Oh, come on, Fluttershy, this is nothing like…"

"Isn't it, though?" Her mane whipped around her head as she faced him. "I almost married some pony I didn't love, Discord, and you saved me from that." She shook her head. "How could you possibly be okay with this?"

His eyes closed. "It doesn't matter if I'm okay with it or not, Fluttershy. You know I'm bound to follow Tirek's orders."

"But until when Discord?" She took his paw. "I know that…you sometimes have to do…unspeakable things, but…surely you have some say in all this, don't you? At least…more than I do, anyway."

Discord then remembered his latest assignment. "And…if I wasn't okay with it, what do you expect me to do?"

She pulled his paw to her chest so that he could feel her heartbeat. "Do you remember when we first met?"

Opening his eyes, he smiled at her. "How could I forget? Three years, two months, thirteen days…"

She giggled. "No need to tell me the exact moment. Anyway, when we met, I was being forced to do something I didn't want to do. My head told me I had to follow my father's orders, but my heart told me…" Her eyes met his. "Well…I chose to follow my heart."

Discord stared into those gorgeous teal orbs of hers. The sight of them always made his heart melt. It still amazed him that someone so sweet and gentle could love someone as…complicated as him.

Winning her hadn't been hard. Keeping her, on the other hoof…

He dreaded the day she'd realize precisely what he had to do to be allowed to keep her. While she suspected, she didn't know the details. She never asked for them.

She was too understanding to ask.

"Do you still want to come to bed?" Fluttershy asked sweetly.

Sighing, he shook his head. "I think the moment's passed for both of us."

She nodded slowly. "What do you want to do then?"

He stroked her beautiful face with his claw. "Just stay with me awhile."

Smiling, Fluttershy gently wrapped her hooves around his middle and cuddled up to his side. Discord grinned as well as he returned her embrace.

"What would I do without you?" he whispered.

Thinking the question was rhetorical, she gave no answer. Little did she know that Discord was being quite literal, for if he didn't do what he was supposed to do tonight, he feared he might receive his answer.
> Escape
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spike was awoken by a sudden crash. Sitting up in bed, he glanced around the small room. After concluding that it was nothing, he shrugged and lay back down.

Then his earholes picked up on the faint sound of hoofsteps, but there was something strange about them. With every step of a hoof, there was a slightly muffled step that didn't sound like it came from a hoof at all. Spike kept his eyes open in alertness.

It was strange that Tirek should have him sleep in this room, for it was rumored to be haunted. Some believed it was the ghost of his father, or mother, or one of Spike's long-departed ancestors. There was no telling who, for the castle was very old.

Spike didn't believe in ghosts, but he couldn't help wondering if his father's spirit had come to haunt him.

"F-Father?" he whispered.

There was another crash and an eerie moan, as if someone were in pain. Spike's eyes opened further, for the sounds seemed to be coming from the walls.

No ghost, he thought, but perhaps a secret passage within the walls? Is someone in that passage now?

That idea was even worse than a ghost, for ghosts could do no real harm. A real person could.

Then he heard a slight click! This was followed by a low creak, as if a door were opening.

Reaching down, Spike felt for his bow.

Then there was another series of clicks! These came from the doorknob, which was shaking and twisting. Something slammed shut while something else creaked open.

Finally getting ahold of his bow, Spike sprang out of his bed and fumbled as he searched in the darkness for an arrow.

"Whoa, whoa, Spike, relax! It's me!"

Looking up, Spike squinted in the darkness. He could make out the faint outline of a pony.

"Applejack?" he said. "Is that you?"

He turned to the candle on his bedside table and blew gently on the wick, setting it aflame. The room instantly lit up and Spike could see his friend standing in the doorway. Applejack grinned at the sight of him.

"You're okay!" she exclaimed, shutting the door behind her.

"So are you!" Spike said, happily running to her.

They threw their hooves and arms around each other.

"I thought I'd never see you again!" Spike said.

"Me too," Applejack whispered, tightening her squeeze. "I was worried you might be dead!"

"Dead?" he asked, pulling away to look at her questioningly. "Why would you think that? You're the one who was locked up. Wait. How did you even escape the tower?"

She shrugged. "'Twas nothin'. When the guards brought me my meal, I grabbed one of their maces and…" She shook her head. "That's not important. Spike, I overheard Tirek talkin' to Discord. I think he means to kill you!"

He blinked. "Kill me?"

"At least…that's what I think he said. They were talkin' about movin' ya to another room so things would be 'easier,' and then Tirek said somethin' about doin' what Discord should've done to Twilight Sparkle, and that you were no longer of use to him and then he made a threat against Discord's wife and…"

Spike glanced around the room as everything clicked into place.

"He did try to kill me," he murmured. "Or someone just did. Before you came, I heard movement in the walls. I think there's a secret passage somewhere in this room, and whoever was in it meant to kill me!" He froze. "That's why…Uncle Tirek…moved me to this room."

Devastated, his head fell onto Applejack's chest, which caught her by surprise. "Oh, AJ, you were right all along! Uncle Tirek is a villain! A horrible villain! He probably murdered my father too! And he sent an assassin after me because I was so close to finding out! I can't believe I didn't trust you before! I'm so sorry, Applejack! Can you ever forgive me?"

Her face had turned as red as an apple from the way his face was buried in her chest. Then she smiled and gently rubbed his back.

"Of course I do, Sugar Cube," she whispered.

He smiled. "You broke out of your cell, risked your life to come and save me." He looked up at her. "I've never had a friend like you, AJ. I owe you so much now, I don't think I'll ever be able to repay the favor at this rate."

She giggled. "You can repay me the favor by helpin' me get outta his castle and then to Applewood like ya promised."

"Right." He gasped. "The murderer! He might still be in the passage! Quick, lock the door!"

She raised an eyebrow as he raced to the key hanging on the wall. "Won't that just lock us in with the killer?"

"More like prevent him from escaping," Spike said as he locked the door. "Got a weapon?"

She pointed to her belt. "Just this mace I grabbed from one of the guards."

"Good." He blew out the candle and whispered, "There's two of us and one of him now. When he comes out of the passage, we'll surprise him and then use the passage to escape."

Applejack placed her hoof on the handle of the mace. "But where does the passage come out?"

"Don't know," Spike said, getting his bow ready. "We'll just have to be on high alert."

Nodding, she drew the mace from her belt.

"Get down," Spike whispered.

They sat on the floor and leaned against the bed so their silhouettes could not be seen. With their weapons in hoof—and claw—they waited in silence.

At the sudden sound of hoofsteps, Applejack felt Spike's claw take her free hoof and give it an assuring squeeze. She resisted the urge to smile, knowing there were more pressing matters to deal with.

"That's strange," Spike whispered. "The hoofsteps seem to be…fading away."

Applejack listened intently. "You're right. Suppose he gave up?"

He shrugged. "Maybe he heard you were in here and got scared."

"Uh-oh." She bit her lip. "If he's workin' for Tirek and he heard I was in here, then…"

A sudden shout made them jump. "WHERE IS SHE?!"

Outside, there was a scuffle of many feet running about, along with many frantic voices.

"The prisoner's escaped!"

"Find that mare!"

"Apple Jewel has escaped!"

Applejack stiffened. "Oh no. We're done for."

"Don't worry, AJ," Spike said, sighing in relief. "They're looking for some pony named Apple Jewel, a mare. They'll be too busy chasing her to pay any attention to us. We could use this as an advantage for our escape! Come on, Applejack! Applejack?"

But when he looked to his friend, he did not see the happy expression he had expected. Even though it was dark, he could still make out her dour face in the moonlight.

Her face. He relit the candle with his breath and brought it to his friend's face. Only now did he realize just how feminine it looked. The muzzle wasn't broad and firm like a stallion's, but round and smooth, like a mare's.

For the second time that night, his mind was blown out of proportion.

"Why," Spike said, his eyes wide in surprise, "you're not an Applejack at all, are you?" He stood up. "You're an Apple Jewel!"

Closing her eyes and letting out a sigh, Apple Jewel removed her cap, releasing a magnificent head of long, yellow hair. Spike watched in awe as the strands of gold fell down her shoulders in a messy, but luscious shower.

"Yes," the mare said. "My name is Apple Jewel of the Apple Clan. And yes, I'm a mare."

Spike then remembered hearing that name somewhere else before. "Y-You're the mare I'm supposed to marry, aren't you?"

Apple Jewel nodded. "That's why Tirek brought me here. I didn't wanna marry someone I didn't love, so I escaped. I thought ya'd be cruel like Tirek but then I ran into ya and…"

She buried her face in her hooves and spoke rapidly. "I wanted to tell ya the truth, I really did, but ya know it's death for any mare who dresses like a stallion and I didn't know if I could trust ya and ya said ya didn't like mares and I thought it was for the best cuz ya didn't wanna marry me anyway and we couldn't stand each other but then we got to know each other and oh, Spike, I'm really sorry for lyin' to ya! I know ya must be really upset with everyone else lyin' to ya and I can understand if ya never wanna talk to me or trust me again but I really don't wanna lose havin' ya as a friend because I…" She sighed. "Well, doesn't matter."

She waited for him to yell at her, to scold her, to break into tears even. Instead, she got silence. Confused, Apple Jewel opened her eyes to look at him. To her surprise, he didn't appear upset at all. Instead he was…grinning.

"Spike?" she said, cocking her head. "You okay?"

In truth, Spike had never felt better.

For a moment, he forgot about all the peril they were in, his heart pounding hard inside his chest as he took in the sight of the mare before him. In the dim candlelight, her freckles glowed against her orange cheeks, and her emerald eyes glistened. Her long hair framed it all perfectly, giving her a semblance of the sun setting against the evening sky.

The realization of her true sex, and all they had been through together, suddenly made her the most beautiful creature Spike had ever laid eyes upon.

"Why are ya lookin' at me like that?" Apple Jewel finally asked.

"Huh?" Spike shook his head. "Sorry, it's just…you're a mare."

She blinked. "You're…not mad at me?"

"Mad? How can I be mad? This is wonderful! I'm not crazy!"

"Huh?"

He blushed fiercely. "I mean…" He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "You're pretty cool, for a mare." He winced. "That's not to say mares can't be cool, I just mean…uh…"

Apple Jewel giggled at his behavior, which made him blush harder. He could not remember a time he'd been more tongue-tied.

"So I take it ya don't mind the fact that these past few days a mare's been savin' yerr behind?" she asked coyly.

"No! On the contrary, it actually…"

A thump on the door caused them to turn towards it.

"SPIKE!" Tirek's voice hollered. "OPEN UP! GIVE US THE MARE! WE KNOW SHE'S IN THERE!"

"Oh, yeah," Spike said. "We're supposed to be escaping. Right." He stood up. "You barricade the door. I'll try to find the passageway."

Apple Jewel went to work without argument. Spike scanned the floor for any loose boards. Finding none, he looked around the room. When he did, he saw that Apple Jewel had already moved the dresser in front of the door.

"Wow," he said with a grin. "You're pretty strong."

She beamed. "Thanks."

They locked gaze for a moment, until another fierce knock reminded them of the situation. Apple Jewel went for the bookcase standing against the wall, but when she gave it a push, it wouldn't budge.

"Give me a hand with this," she said, grunting as she pushed again. "This is heavier than it looks."

Walking under her, Spike helped push the bookcase. Then he noticed something odd about it.

"Hey, look," he said, pointing to the edge of the case. "No wonder it won't budge. It's lodged into the wall." Upon squinting, he noticed a thin line in the wall along the edge of the bookcase. "This has gotta be the entrance! Quick, pull out all these books!"

While Spike began throwing the books off the shelves, Apple Jewel rolled her eyes. "Of course. It's always the bookcase."

As annoyed as she was by this cliché, she joined him. The knocking on the door grew louder.

"OPEN THIS DOOR, SPIKE! OR WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO BREAK IT DOWN!"

"He's not kidding!" Spike whispered. "Hurry!"

"Why ya got so many books in here? I thought this was a guestroom!" Apple Jewel said.

Then Spike's claw pulled out a copy of The Adventures of Robin Hood, but it only tilted forward slightly, making a clicking sound. He and Apple Jewel took a step back as the bookcase swung open, revealing a doorway to a darkened stone tunnel.

"There is a passageway!" Apple Jewel exclaimed.

Just then, Tirek's claw crushed through the top of the door.

"And just in time, too!" Spike whispered, grabbing his bow and quiver. "Quick, grab the candle and let's go!"

Snatching the burning candle from the floor, Apple Jewel raced to the passageway with Spike. The dragon shut the bookcase behind them just as Tirek made another hole in the door.

"It won't be long before he figures out we discovered the passageway," Spike whispered. "Let's move. Quietly."

They hurried their pace, but not fast enough to make too much noise. When the entrance was out of sight, the two of them decided it was safe to slow down a little to catch their breath.

"That was close," Apple Jewel said. "So…any idea where this tunnel lets out?"

"We'll find out soon enough," Spike said, squinting into the vast darkness beyond the dim candlelight. "But it looks like we might have a bit of a way to go."

"At least we've lost Tirek. For now." She sighed. "Just once I'd like us to have a moment where we're not runnin' away from someone or somethin'!"

"Right."

He looked up at her face, admiring how pretty it looked. Had she always looked that way, or was he only noticing now that he knew her true sex? Then again, even when he had thought she was a colt, he had thought her aesthetically pleasing.

"So…since we might have some time," he said, lacing his fingers together nervously, "exactly…how much of what you've told me about yourself is true?"

She locked eyes with him, hers holding a great amount of guilt.

"I know why you lied about being a mare," Spike said assuredly. "Especially the part about you being my betrothed. But now that I know, I think we should be completely honest with each other from now on."

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. "That story I told ya about my parents was true. They were star-crossed lovers, both comin' from powerful families." She snorted. "I know, sounds weird considerin' the Pears and Apples are farmers, but still very rich."

He cocked his head. "How rich?"

With much hesitance, Apple Jewel knelt down and whispered in his ear. His eyes widened upon her answer.

"Wow," he murmured.

"Yup. When apples and pears are high in demand, we get a lotta compensation for 'em."

"No wonder Tirek wanted me to marry you."

She nodded. "Not to mention my brother's a knight loyal to Celestia, and my grandfather, Sir Grand Pear, is loyal to Luna."

"But why, though? I mean…I've never really known which side to take in this war, but…don't farmers need sunlight to grow their crops? Why would he be on Luna's side?"

"Rivalry," Apple Jewel muttered. "As much as the Pears and Apples got along before the war, Grand Pear was secretly jealous of how well the Apples were doin' in business. Luna understood that well. So she promised Grand Pear that she could use her magic to make his pear trees grow bigger and stronger than the apple trees, sunshine or not."

"I see," Spike said with a nod. "Money, plus you come from two families connected to Celestia and Luna."

She shook her head. "This is about more than just money and politics. Tirek wants to get his hands on somethin' else, somethin' much more powerful."

He looked at her intriguingly. "Like what?"

Apple Jewel looked on ahead. "When my parents had their secret weddin', they had it on the border between the Apple farm and the Pear farm. They sealed their vows by plantin' two seeds: an apple seed on the Pear side, a pear one on the Apple side.

"Not long after my older brother was born, a tree sprang out from the ground. Or rather, it was two trees, entwined together, formin' the shape of a heart. What was even more remarkable was that despite the trees comin' from two different seeds, they both grew apples and pears."

"Wow," Spike said in awe. "That is pretty amazing, but…why would Tirek care about a tree that grows two different kinds of fruit?"

"Oh, that's not the only magical thing about it. Ever since the tree came up, all the trees at Sweet Apple Acres, that's the name of my farm, have always been rich with apples. For every apple we picked, another would appear. Even in winter, the apples stayed on the trees and never went rotten. That's how we've made most of our fortune.

"And get this. One time, my little sister fell ill and the doctors said there was no cure for her. But the minute after she had some of the fruit from our parents' tree, she was outta bed and fit as a fiddle! It was a bonafide miracle!"

She turned to Spike. "So ya see that's what Tirek is really after. He believes that tree holds the secret to eternal life. When my parents died, they divided their fortune and land into thirds between me, my brother and sister. My sis and I get control of our inheritance once we're of age, or married, whichever comes first."

"And let me guess," Spike said. "Your third of the land is where the tree is."

She shook her head. "That tree belongs to the Apples and the Pears. Neither of us can really own it, or control its magic. In fact, we're still not even sure how it works. But Tirek thinks that by marryin' me to you…"

"Your inheritance becomes mine," Spike finished for her. "But since Tirek is my guardian, he'll have control of my inheritance until I become of age."

"At least a third of Sweet Apple Acres will be his." She stopped in her tracks. "Unless…he plans to gain control of all the land if he…"

He already knew what she was going to say. "We'll get you back home. We can warn your siblings before Tirek tries anything with them."

She sighed. "I hope you're right."

As they continued to walk, Spike bit his lip nervously. "So, uh…when you were captured, you really must not have wanted to marry me, huh?"

She glanced sideways at him. "Don't take it personally. It was all arranged against my will. Not to mention I was already engaged to some pony else."

He halted. "E-Engaged?"

"To Sir Trenderhoof. I would've been married to him two days ago had Tirek not caught me."

His heart sank upon hearing this information. Despite his sadness, he continued to follow her.

"Well," he said quietly. "Sir Trenderhoof is…very lucky to have you."

She stopped and turned to him. "Ya think so?"

"Yeah. I mean…who wouldn't wanna marry you?"

Apple Jewel's heart fluttered hopefully at what this could mean. However, she tried her best to contain her excitement as she placed a hoof on her hip.

"And exactly what would make someone wanna marry me?" she said, smirking slightly.

"I mean you…that is, you…" Twiddling his fingers, Spike stared down at his feet. "These past few days, we've gone from enemies, to friends, to enemies, to friends again. You've saved my life on countless occasions, shown me how…how brave and smart and caring you are. Applejack…do you mind if I still call you that?"

She chuckled. "Go on. It's kinda grown on me. I never really liked the name Apple Jewel anyway."

"Right. Anyway, Applejack, you've proven to be the best mare…the best pony I've ever met. Even before I…before I knew that…"

She stooped down to his eyelevel, still grinning brightly. "What are ya tryin' to say, Spike?"

He gulped. "I'm saying that…now that I know what you really are…"

"Yes?"

"And…I know we've only known each other for a short while, and I don't want you thinking I'm being too forward with this!"

She leaned closer. "Yes?"

He winced. "All I'm saying is…you're an incredible person, Applejack, and…I think…if ever I was to…to marry, it would be to," his eyes slowly rose to meet hers, "you."

They stared at each other for a long while as tears began forming in Applejack's eyes.

"Oh, Spike," she said through her elated sobs. "I would too!"

He blinked. "You…you would?"

"Yes!" She threw her hooves around him. "Yes, I would marry you!"

"Really?" He wasn't sure whether to be happy or befuddled. "But…what about that Trenderhoof guy?"

She shook her head. "I never loved him, Spike. It was arranged by my brother. I was only runnin' back to him out of hatred for Tirek." She pulled away to look at him. "That was before I met you. Spike, you are the bravest, noblest, sweetest boy…male, I've ever met."

He smiled enormously. "I am?"

She snorted. "Of course, you're still a bit of an idiot, but I love ya all the same!"

Both of them froze the moment she uttered the "l" word. Applejack put her hoof to her mouth. Then Spike grinned again.

"I love you too, Applejack."

Crying out in happiness, Applejack hugged him again and Spike hugged her back. They held each other close, relishing in the feel of each other's warmth.

"If we ever make it out of here alive, Applejack," Spike whispered, no longer able to hold back the tears, "I'll marry you."

She sniffed joyfully. "Then here's hopin' we make it outta this alive, cuz the answer is yes."

A slipping noise startled them, reminding them of their situation. Looking down the dark passage, they saw nothing, but that didn't mean they weren't in danger. Applejack quickly blew out the candle and pulled Spike to the wall, pressing them both against it.

They stood very still, trying hard not to breathe too loudly. They listened as hoofsteps came. They were the same uneven hoofsteps Spike had heard earlier. With every passing second, they grew louder, closer.

Then they stopped. Spike gripped Applejack's hoof, both of them holding their breath.

"BOO!"

Screaming, Spike leapt into Applejack's hooves. There was a hearty laugh.

"Oh, ho, ho, ho!" Discord said, snapping his fingers to light a torch hovering beside him. "So sorry! Couldn't resist!"

Scowling, Spike jumped onto his feet and whipped out his bow. "It was you!"

Applejack drew her mace while Spike nocked an arrow.

"Tirek sent you to kill me!" the dragon shouted.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Discord said, taking a step back. "Relax!" He stroked his beard, as if contemplating something. "Maybe I was sent to kill you. And maybe I should let Lord Tirek know of your whereabouts."

Spike pulled back his bowstring while Applejack raised her mace.

"Which means," Discord said, turning his back to them, "you two lovebirds best not be here when I get back."

The lovers exchanged a confused look.

"I'm…sorry?" Applejack said.

"You heard me," Discord said, crossing his arms. "Tirek really can't say I disobeyed his orders if you gave me the slip."

Applejack and Spike lowered their weapons.

"Huh?" the latter said.

Rolling his eyes, Discord shouted, "Ugh, can't you turtle doves take a hint? Go, already!"

They didn't have to be asked twice. Out of the corner of his eye, Discord saw Spike's claw take Applejack's hoof as they ran swiftly down the tunnel.

He looked down at his own claw, remembering the first time it had held another mare's hoof in the same way.

As they turned a corner, immersing themselves in complete darkness, Applejack glanced back.

"Ya sure we can trust him not to follow us?" she asked her dragon.

"At this point, what have we got to lose?" he replied.

Upon hearing footsteps above them, Applejack quickly shushed him. They listened to the muffled voices.

The only words they could make out were from someone shouting, "We're under attack!"

"Another stroke of luck," Spike whispered. "Now the guards have the attackers to distract them, allowing us to escape."

"Assumin' we ever find the exit," Applejack said, feeling the stone wall. "How much further?"

"Hang on. I think I see light up ahead. Right there, around that corner!"

They raced to the faint blue glow up ahead. When they turned the corner, they quickly stopped in their tracks. There, standing in a doorway to a dimly lit hall, was a Diamond Dog guard, and he was looking in their direction.

As they prepared their weapons, they noticed something off about the guard. Instead of attacking right away, he ran his paw over his helmet and then placed his other on his hip as he thrust that hip to the side. Then he ran both his paws over his hips and wore an expression of discomfort.

"What the hay's he doin'?" Applejack whispered.

"Rags!" a gruff voice called. "Quit admiring yourself and get your butt upstairs! We're under attack!"

The guard jumped and ran off. Confused, Applejack and Spike carefully approached the doorway. Reaching out slowly, Spike's claw made contact with what appeared to be glass.

"This must be one of those trick mirrors," he said. "On one side, it acts as glass you can see through, but on the other, it acts as a mirror. That guard was looking at his reflection, not us."

"Then this must be the way out," Applejack said, touching the glass.

Having the same idea, they pushed forward. The glass opened up like a door. Sticking his head out, Spike glanced up and down the hallway. He recognized it as the West Corridor on the second floor. Seeing that the coast was clear, he gestured for Applejack to come out.

"Now what?" Applejack whispered, closing the mirror. "We can't just take the stairs and walk out the front door."

"We won't need a door," Spike said, eying a window.

She followed his eyes. "Oh no. Didn't ya here? The castle is under attack! Even if the dogs don't spot us, who's to say the attackers won't, hmm? And how do we know they'll be on our side?"

"You got a better idea?"

She tried to think of an argument as he hopped onto the ledge of the window and looked down.

"See? The moat's right below us. We'll have to jump for it."

She shook her head. "You can't swim. It'll be like the river all over again."

"No, it won't." He met her eyes. "Because this time, I know you'll be there to make sure I won't drown."

She beamed at him. A series of battle cries from outside made them jump.

"It's our only chance!" Spike exclaimed, outstretching his claw. "Let's go!"

Taking his claw, Applejack climbed onto the window ledge with him. But as she attempted to lean forward to look downwards, something knocked her back.

"Ow!" she cried out, rubbing her forehead. "What the…?"

She reached out her hoof and touched something solid, like a wall. The outside view of the forest rippled before her eyes.

"What?" Spike said. He reached out his claw, but it touched nothing. "I don't understand."

Groaning, Applejack smacked herself in the forehead. "Discord's spell! I completely forgot! When Tirek asked him to make sure I didn't escape again, Discord must've put a force field around the castle to prevent me from leavin'!" She huffed. "No wonder he let us go so easily."

Spike leaned his head out further, far past where Applejack had gone. "Strange. It doesn't seem to work on me."

"Yeah, looks like…" Her eyes moved slowly towards him. "Spike, I can't get outta here, but you can."

He turned to her. "W-What are you saying?"

Climbing back down to the floor, Applejack said, "Ya need to get to Applewood, find my brother, Sir Big Macintosh."

His eyes widened as he caught her implication. "Applejack, you can't…"

"Tell him I'm Tirek's prisoner. My brother has a lotta friends. He'll find a way to save me."

"No, Applejack," Spike said, shaking his head. "I can't leave you here. Not with him."

"Spike," Applejack said, grabbing his shoulders, "we can't fight Tirek on our own, and only one of us can escape tonight and get help. Besides, if ya stay here, Tirek'll kill ya."

"And what about you?" His eyes filled with worry. "Tirek won't be happy that you tried to escape again."

She shook her head. "I'm too valuable to him. He won't kill me."

He placed his claw over his hoof. "That's not what I'm worried about."

"I'll be fine, Spike. I can handle myself. But right now, you're the only chance either of us got."

Glancing down at the moat, he said, "But I can't swim!"

"Kick yerr legs, push yerr arms against the water, keep yerr head above the surface it's not that hard!" Taking a deep breath, she tried calming herself. "There's no current like in the river. You'll make it."

"Even if I do manage to find your brother, who's to say he'll believe me? I mean I am Lord Tirek's ward. He could think I'm leading him into a trap!"

"Then give him this." Removing the apple-shaped locket containing her parents' portraits, she placed it around his neck. "Then he'll know I sent you."

Touching the locket, he said, "He might think I stole it from you!"

She sighed. "Then tell him this." She whispered in his ear, making his nose scrunch in confusion. "Trust me. He'll know what it means. He'll believe ya."

Still, Spike shook his head. "No. No, no, no. I swore I'd serve and protect you."
"This is the only way you can protect me, Spike!" Applejack said, tightening her grip on his shoulders. "If ya stay here, you'll die, and then I'll have no way of escapin' at all…"

"No!" he shouted. "I can't leave you!"

"Spike, this is no time for your silly Dragon Code…"

"This isn't about the Dragon Code or you saving my life anymore, AJ! I can't leave you here not knowing what's going to happen to you!" He touched her face. "I love you!"

Touched by his declaration, Applejack firmly pressed her lips against his. Shocked at first, Spike kept his eyes open for a moment. Then, as he relaxed into the kiss, they slowly closed.

He recalled the first moment their lips had touched, but this was completely different. Back then, she had just been trying to save his life. This lip-lock was passionate, personal. With one small touch, all the emotions that had been welling up inside them both these past few days were released.

He wanted this kiss to last forever, but sadly, Applejack pulled her lips away.

"I love ya too, Spike."

Then she embraced him, placing her head on his shoulder. She clung to him tightly, which made Spike feel assured, but also concerned, for there was something off about this hug.

Then she whispered in his ear, "That's how I know you'll come and find me."

In a split-second, he realized too late what this was.

A hug and kiss goodbye.

Her hooves were pushing on his chest before he could respond. Spike let out a cry as he fell backward out of the window and plummeted towards the moat.

Up above, he could see the arrows flying back and forth between the castle and the forest, but could not see the shooters. He saw Applejack's face peek out of the window before he hit the water.

Spike instantly shut his mouth as he was suddenly encased in darkness. Trying to remember Applejack's advice, he began kicking his legs and moving his arms about. It seemed to move him a little, but he was still sinking fast.

Looking up at the blur of the moon in the sky, he concentrated on moving towards it. Just keep kicking up, he thought. Keep kicking up.

Then he felt something brush against his leg. Spinning around, he saw nothing. His head ached from lack of oxygen, and he still had a long way to go. Sweeping his arms up and to the side, he attempted to hoist himself upwards. He cheered internally, for the surface was getting closer.

Then something struck him from the side. This time, when he looked, there was a crocodile swimming away from him.

Of course, Spike thought with a mixture of annoyance and fear. Only Discord would fill a moat with crocodiles.

He squeaked inside his throat as the crocodile rounded back towards him. Panicked, Spike kicked his legs and swept his arms faster, but his lack of experience and air was making it difficult.

The crocodile's tail struck his stomach, sending him backwards and forcing his mouth open. Spike quickly closed it, but not before taking in a huge gulp of water. His chest was burning and his vision was becoming blurry. The crocodile was coming for him again, his jaws wide open.

No, no, no, Spike thought. I can't die like this, not while AJ is still in trouble. She needs me.

Suddenly, there was a flood of golden light. The crocodile recoiled in fear and swam away. Spike then felt himself rising towards the surface. The faded moon looked so close.

But his mouth couldn't hold the air in any longer. It opened up and water came flooding down his throat. Spike could hear his slow heart beat as everything went black.

The last thing he remembered was the feel of hooves wrapping around his middle.
> Switching Sides
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Spike? SPIKE!"

Applejack called his name over and over as she watched the water. Almost a minute had gone by and her beloved dragon had not yet resurfaced. She instantly regretted her decision. How could she have pushed him into the moat knowing full well that he couldn't swim?

Her fear increased upon seeing the scaly green back of a crocodile break above the water.

"Spike, watch out!" she shouted.

The crocodile descended close to where Spike had fallen. Her heart became heavy within her chest as tears formed in her eyes.

"What have I done?" she murmured.

A paw grabbed her foreleg and hooked it behind her back, making her cry out in pain.

"You've been a very naughty girl!" Rover whispered in her ear.

Applejack tried to fight, but the Diamond Dog had a strong grip on her. She could hear the footsteps of other guards coming down the hall.

"My lord!" Rover called. "We've got the girl!"

He turned Applejack away from the window, and she found herself face-to-face with Tirek, who was glaring hard at her.

"Where is he?" he asked in a dangerously low voice.

Applejack kept her mouth shut as she scowled defiantly at him.

"WHERE IS SPIKE?!" he bellowed at a volume so loud that he sent her mane flying back.

But she kept her courage and muttered in a broken voice, "Gone."

Tirek stiffened. "What do you mean gone?!"

Applejack's eyes flicked towards the window. Seeing her gaze, Tirek pushed past her and Rover and leaned out the window. There were ripples in the water, and he saw the back of the crocodile swimming away.

"Dear me," Tirek said with a smirk. "What a dreadful tragedy."

"Right," Applejack said with a huff. "You wanted him dead."

Turning to her, he said in an innocent voice, "My dear, whatever do you mean by that?"

She snorted angrily. "I heard ya plottin' with Discord. You meant to murder Spike!"

Tirek stared at her, his face expressionless. Then he grinned as he knelt down to her eyelevel.

"Seems we will have to teach you a lesson not only in obedience," he said, his eyes narrowing, "but also in minding your own business." He straightened up. "Take her to the dungeon. Chain her up." Turning around, he folded his hands behind his back. "I'll deal with her later."

Rover cackled as he jerked Applejack down the hall, forcing her to walk.

"Oh," Tirek said over his shoulder, "and from now on, only I will bring her meals."

Applejack said nothing as she was led towards the dungeon, only kept her gaze to the floor. She wanted to fight, but what was the point? Even if she managed to escape Rover's hold, she could not leave the castle.

And the fear that she had just sent the love of her life to his death made her feel even less inclined to try. She had not seen him emerge from the water, but she had also not seen blood. There was a chance he could have survived the moat and crocodile.

Ma, Pa, she prayed silently, if y'all are listenin', please, please, watch over my Spike. And please, for the love of Celestia, don't let him be dead.





He could hear her voice, calling his name. He could feel her warm hoof upon his forehead. As he struggled to open his eyes, he could see the faint outline of her orange face and blond mane.

"Spike, Spike…"

"AJ," he murmured. "AJ…"

There was a hearty laugh, which was too deep to be Applejack's. "Well, how 'bout that? He lives!"

Spike's eyes popped open. The pony standing over him wasn't Applejack at all. It was a pudgy brown earth stallion with purple eyes, a bushy blond beard and a mane tied straight upwards, held together with a red bandana. He wore a green vest and, around his neck, a simple gold necklace and a brown beaded cord.

"Huh?" Spike said, putting his claw to his forehead, finding a damp cloth there. "W-Who are you? What happened? Where am I?"

The stallion smiled warmly. "Name's Cattail, little buddy. Ya needn't be scared of me. I'm a healer." He touched the blanket draped over Spike and pulled it up further. "Ya nearly drowned. By the time Dash had pulled ya outta the moat, you were out cold."

Looking up, Spike realized he was in a tent, and couldn't tell whether it was day or night. "H-How long?"

"Almost a whole day. We feared for the worst."

"We?"

Suddenly, a bright pink face appeared before him. "Hey look, he's awake!" The owner of the face pinched his cheeks so hard, he thought she was going to rip his face right off. "Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie, resident cook and bandit! But don't think I'm gonna rob you blind because I just wanna be friends because you look so cute and Twilight says you're nothing like your old meanie guardian Tirek and oh my gosh when you fell in the moat and that crocodile came for you we were all like ah! And then Twilight said 'Hold your fire!' and Rainbow Dash dove down into the water to pull you out and you were still breathing but not responding and we all thought you were gonna die cuz you weren't waking up but now you're awake and alive thanks to Cattail and oh my gosh Twilight's gonna be so happy to see you awake!"

"Twilight?" Spike blinked several times as he sat up from the bed of straw he was in. "Then that must mean I'm…?"

"Yup!" The mare, Pinkie Pie, opened the flap of the tent. "Welcome to the Society of the Lavender Arrow!"

Spike covered his eyes at the sudden ray of sunlight. Then his vision adjusted and he caught a glimpse of the camp. Tents were set up in a circle, with a campfire in the middle and trees surrounding them. Ponies of all shapes and sizes were walking to and fro, some carrying weapons, some carrying blankets, some carrying food, some sparring with swords and rods. He recognized some of the ponies from the ruins the other day.

Pinkie poked her head out of the tent and called, "Twilight, come here quick! He's awake, he's awake!"

A short time later, the leader of the Society of the Lavender Arrow entered the tent. Her cape whipped around her body, but her hood remained down. She carried no weapon, not even her bow, as she approached the dragon.

"Do not be afraid, Master Spike," Twilight said, kneeling down to his side. "You are among friends here, friends who were loyal to your father and are, in turn, loyal to you."

Now that he was getting an up-close view of her, his eyes examined her from head to hoof. She hadn't changed much in ten years, at least physically. She still had the same height, the same build, the same eyes and mane as she had when she was a Celestial knight.

However, there was something different about the purple eyes focusing upon him. One look into them, and Spike could find no hint of malice or vengeance. Instead, they were the caring, compassionate eyes of his childhood friend. But gone was the optimism and hope they once held. Their color had been dulled by a new emotion: sorrow.

"You must have so many questions," Twilight said after a minute of silence.

Spike nodded. "You…you saved my life."

"Yes." She glanced at the healer and the bandit. "We were trying to seize Midnight Castle, in hopes that our victory at Ghastly Gorge would weaken Tirek's defenses." She looked to Spike. "But when I saw you fall into the moat, I had one of my pegasi pull you out and then called a retreat."

He tilted his head curiously. "Why?"

"Because," Twilight said, "despite what you may think, what the rest of Equestria may think, I still care about you Spike." She gently laid her hoof over his claw. "I never stopped caring about you."

He glanced down at her hoof, then back into her eyes. "You didn't really kill my father, did you?"

Closing her eyes, Twilight shook her head. "Your father was my friend. He was one of the few male knights who believed in me. I could never betray him."

Spike scooted closer to her. "Then what really happened?"

Twilight sent her comrades a look. Whistling innocently, Cattail and Pinkie walked out of the tent, leaving the unicorn and dragon alone.

"Tirek never had any interest in winning the war for either one of the princesses," Twilight said, turning back to Spike. "Instead, he intended to seize control of Equestria for himself. He still does." She hung her head. "Your father, Sir Spikus, was gaining too much popularity from the common ponies. Tirek wanted him out of the way, so that he would seize control of his land." She smiled slightly. "But, as you know, your father wasn't so easy to get rid of."

Spike smiled too. "Yeah. Dad had scales so thick, nothing could pierce his hide."

"Exactly." Twilight frowned. "Which was why Tirek sought a weapon strong enough to pierce that hide. He consulted every spell book, but it was his brother, Scorpan who had led him to the crypt where the legendary lavender arrow was kept."

Spike's grin also disappeared. "Uncle Scorpan?"

She nodded grimly. "It was said the lavender arrows had been used in the Dragon Wars hundreds of years ago. The unicorn king who had used them was buried with one in his hooves. Scorpan took his brother to where that king was buried.

"I…was there when your father was struck." Her eyes closed at the painful memory. "The two of us were discussing your future of all things, whether or not we should start looking for a wife for you. I told him you were too young, but he also thought you should at least start meeting girls until you found someone you liked."

Spike's heart sank at the thought of Applejack, remembering where he had left her. He also wondered if his father would have approved of his choice.

"Then," Twilight continued, a tear falling from her eye, "out of nowhere, a lavender arrow came flying through the air and struck your father in the arm. He started turning to stone instantly. I…I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what spell to use. Before I knew it, he was a statue."

She sniffed. "Oh, the horrified, frozen expression on his face…"

She wiped the tear away and straightened up. "Then someone screamed 'Murderer! Twilight Sparkle has murdered Sir Spikus!' I turned to the library's door and saw Sir Wind Rider." She scowled. "No doubt Tirek had paid or blackmailed him to put the blame on me.

"Not knowing what to do, I ran from the library. I heard a loud crash from behind me. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Lord Tirek, standing above the rubble that was once your father, smirking."

Spike could see the hatred building up in Twilight's eyes.

"Tirek sent the guards after me. I pleaded my innocence, but no one would believe me." She shook her head. "I had no choice but to fight them off so that I could get away. I've been hiding in the woods ever since, allying myself with bandits in order to survive. Those who believed my story wanted to help. Those who didn't believe me didn't care what I'd done as long as I was willing to steal for them. Sometimes I wonder if anyone in this camp truly believes me."

She looked to Spike. "When I heard that Tirek had taken you under his wing, I feared that he would one day do to you what he did to your father. So I've kept a close eye on you all these years. When I got wind of Tirek's plans to marry you off to a wealthy mare, I knew I had to take action before he got too powerful."

Sighing, she hung her head again. "I'm sorry you had to see what I had to do to Wind Rider."

"I know," Spike said. "You wanted me to learn the truth. I heard."

She caught his eyes, smirking. "I thought it was you who had infiltrated our camp the other day. You and that disguised mare."

Frowning, Spike touched the apple-shaped locket around his neck. "My brave AJ. She sacrificed her freedom so I could get away." He clutched the locket. "There truly is no mare nobler than her."

Twilight noticed how tightly he held the locket and understood. "You will see her again, Spike."

"But who knows what Uncle Tirek is doing to her right now?" He hung his head. "All this time, I thought he had cared about me. I thought Scorpan had cared about me too. But they'd been lying to me, using me." He buried his face in his claws. "Why didn't I see it earlier?"

He felt Twilight's hoof upon her shoulder.

"We'll get her back, Spike. The Society of the Lavender Arrow is at your service." She crossed her chest with her hoof. "You have the word of Joust Amend-All."

He lowered his claws as he remembered something. "Her brother." He stood up. "I gotta find Sir Big Macintosh! He'll know what to do!"

"Spike," Twilight said, sitting him back down, "you nearly drowned last night. You need to rest up before you do something reckless."

"But I'm supposed to give this locket to Applejack's brother," Spike said, showing her the golden apple. "So he'll know that his sister sent me."

Twilight shook her head. "It's too risky, Spike. Once Tirek realizes you're alive, he'll put a bounty on your head and declare you a traitor to the Crowns. At this moment, you're a fugitive like the rest of us. You can't trust that Sir Big Macintosh won't turn you in the minute he sees you."

"But Applejack…"

"Is a strong enough mare to handle Tirek for a short while, from what I've seen of her. Until then, you need to regain your strength." She took his claw. "We are all you have right now, Spike, and we are here for you. Once again, I promise, you will be avenged for your father's death and be reunited with your mare."

Spike smiled a bit, but then frowned upon another thought. "But what if Tirek marries her off to someone else before we get there? He can still gain control of her inheritance if he makes an arrangement with one of his friends, or worse, marries her himself!"

Twilight tapped her chin. "Not if we give him a good scare."





There were no windows or torches in the dungeon to give it light, leaving Applejack to sit in complete darkness. The shackles around her neck and hooves were cold against her skin. She did not fight the chains, nor did she dare to rattle them. Instead, she sat with her hooves curled under her body.

She had never felt so helpless. It wasn't because of the chains.

Her thoughts were on her beloved. She had thought she was saving him when she had pushed him out the window. Instead, she may have doomed them both. If he had drowned or been devoured by that crocodile, so had died with him any hope she had for escape.

And to think, only a short time ago, they had declared their love for each other. Now they were apart, alive or dead.

With the way I'm feelin' now, I might as well be dead.

The dungeon door opened, and the red light of a torch stretched across the floor. Heavy hoofsteps approached her slowly. Applejack did not need to look up, for she already knew to whom they belonged.

A single finger lifted her chin up so that she could look into Tirek's cold, yellow eyes, which gleamed in the light of the torch in his hand.

"You," he said with a sneer, "have caused a lot more trouble than I thought you would."

She refused to break eye contact with him.

"What's this?" he said, releasing her chin. "No protests? No witty comeback?"

She narrowed her gaze. Tirek simply laughed as he shook his head.

"It's deliciously ironic, don't you think?" he asked as he paced the room. "You ran away, because you didn't want to marry my ward. And then, who should you run into? The very boy you were running away from." He huffed. "What's even more delightful is the fact that you planned to run away with him tonight."

He turned back to her, but she did not change her expression. "There's no use denying it. You've grown to care for the lad, haven't you?" He leaned down to her eyelevel. "And to think you refused to marry him."

She tightened her scowl, trying hard not to blink. She wanted him to know that he could not break her.

"Shame, really," he said, straightening up, "that your little star-crossed love story had to end in tragedy." He smirked. "Sort of reminds me of another pair of star-crossed lovers. Perhaps you've heard of them? A mare and a stallion, born from rival families, got married in secret, had three children, before ultimately perishing in a fire?"

That was the last straw. Applejack charged forward, but the chains held her back far enough so that she could not reach the centaur. Tirek laughed, seeing that he had finally struck a nerve.

"I really do like that story," he said. "More importantly, I like what it came out of it. That tree your parents planted truly is a sight to behold. And once I have control of your land, that tree and all the magic it holds will be mine."

Applejack grunted. "You can do what ya like with me, but that tree won't make ya immortal! Its magic cannot be controlled in such a way! If it could, don't ya think us Apples, who have eaten from that tree countless times, would've become immortal by now?"

Her voice cracked upon thinking of her parents.

"I will learn that tree's secrets," Tirek said, waving his hand nonchalantly. "But first, we must find a suitable husband for you to gain possession of that tree."

Gritting her teeth together, she shouted, "Spike is dead!"

She hesitated to believe it, but she knew Tirek did.

"I don't need you married to that ungrateful whelp," the centaur said. "All I have to do is make an arrangement with one of my friends. Now, let's see." He rubbed his chin in thought. "Discord's already married, but my brother could certainly use a wife. Of course…" He looked at Applejack slyly. "I myself am unattached."

Applejack's eyes widened in shock. Then she growled.

"Ya haven't the right to marry me off! Only my legal guardian can do that!"

"Precisely, my dear." Reaching into his belt, he pulled out a scroll. "Which is why I made an arrangement with your former legal guardian."

Applejack blinked in confusion. "What are ya talkin' about? My brother would never sign me away!"

"Oh, I'm not talking about your brother. You see, Equestrian Law dictates that when a foal is recently orphaned, the role of guardianship is automatically awarded to her closest adult male relative."

"I know that!" she spat. "That's why Big Mac…"

"Ah, ah, ah!" Tirek said, wagging his finger. "I wasn't talking about your brother. You see, when your parents died, your brother was still underage and could not be your guardian."

"Yeah," Applejack said, feeling uneasy. "That's why Granny Smith took care of us until Big Mac was of age."

"Ah, but your Granny Smith is a mare, and therefore couldn't be your legal guardian. Therefore, guardianship was awarded to another adult relative, a male." He unrolled the scroll in his hand and held it up to her face. "From your mother's side."

As Applejack read the scroll over, her blood went as cold as her shackles. It was a legal document. Many of the legal terms were difficult to comprehend, but she understood the last paragraph perfectly:

I hereby relinquish my duties as the legal guardian of the maiden Apple Jewel of the Apple Clan and grant them to Lord Tirek.

Then she read the fancy signature at the bottom: Sir Grand Pear.

"My grandfather," she murmured.

"Turns out," Tirek said, rolling up the scroll, "he was more than happy to get rid of his granddaughter, who was nothing more than a reminder of the accursed Celestial knight who had stolen his daughter's heart."

"You're…" She mustered all the courage she could. "You're lyin'! My grandfather may be a lot of things, but he certainly wouldn't sell me like some sow!"

Tirek chuckled. "This contract in my hand says otherwise." He slid the paper into his belt. "So whether you like it or not, you belong to me now, which means you must be a good little girl and do exactly as I say." Scowling, he held his sharp claw out to her. "Or else."

She growled at him. "That paper may say you're my guardian, but ya don't own me! I've pledged my heart to Spike, and I'll marry no other but him!"

Tirek thrust his face towards hers, wearing a look of triumph. "Your lover is dead."

Just then, the dungeon door swung open and Rover came rushing in.

"My Lord Tirek!"

Growling, Tirek spun around. "What is it now?!"

"At the gate!" Rover said, pointing behind him. "A lavender arrow was shot at the gate!"

He stiffened. "What?"

"It hit no one, but it struck the wall!" He showed him a piece of paper. "And this note was attached to it!"

Tirek snatched the paper and read it over. Applejack watched as the centaur caught his breath.

Now what's got him all rattled?

Letting out an angry snarl, Tirek snapped his attention towards Applejack.

"Read it," he said through his teeth, pushing the paper towards Rover. "Our guest will want to hear this."

Shivering, Rover read the paper aloud:

"To the most untrue and cruel centaur, Lord Tirek,

I find that you were untrue and unkind from the very beginning. You have my father's blood upon your hands. Let it be that they will never wash off. Some day you shall perish by either my claw, or the arrow of my friend, Joust Amend-All. And let it be known that if you seek to wed to any other the mare, Mistress Apple Jewel, whom I am bound upon an oath of true love to wed myself, the blow will be very swift.

You made one enemy ten years ago, Tirek. Now you have made another.

Spike de Dragon."

"Spike?" Applejack said, her heart thumping wildly.

Tirek grabbed the paper from Rover and crumpled it into a ball.

"Um, my lord?" Rover asked meekly. "What is it you wish us to do?"

He glared at the dog. "Have a message sent to Princess Luna and all the Lunarian nobles throughout the land. Tell them Spike de Dragon, in a failed attempt to assassinate his guardian, has fled into the woods and joined a band of outlaws. He is not to be trusted and is to be killed on sight."

Applejack gasped while Rover saluted. "Right away, my lord."

As the Diamond Dog left, Tirek turned to the mare. "It seems your lover is tougher than he looks. But be warned my dear," he said, sticking his finger in her face, "if he dares come around here again, I won't show mercy."

Then he turned on his hoof and slammed the door behind him, leaving Applejack in darkness again, this time with new hope and new dread.

"DISCORD!" Tirek shouted once he was outside the dungeon.

In a few seconds, the draconequus was at his side. "Yes, my lord?"

Tirek gripped his neck and brought him to his face. "Failing to kill a powerful unicorn is one thing, but failing to kill a child?!"

"He wasn't alone!" Discord choked. "If I had killed him in front of the mare, she would have tattled!"

He grunted. "Then why didn't you capture her and then kill him?!"

"If I had come out of the passageway, I would've ruined my element of surprise!" He held up his paw and claw. "Then I heard the boy had been eaten by the crocodiles! Of course, I have no idea how he'd gotten out of that one!"

"He had help." Tirek smoothed out the message and showed it to Discord. "That brat has joined forces with the Lavender Arrow! Now we have him and Twilight Sparkle to deal with!" He shook Discord hard. "You should've killed them both when you had the chance!"

Tirek dropped him and Discord panted in exhaustion.

"I'm starting to doubt your competence, Discord," the centaur said, circling him. "If any of my enemies or prisoners escape again under your watch, that includes the girl, then your wife will pay the price. Understood?"

Discord nodded slowly.

"Good." Tirek turned to leave.

"Wait!" the draconequus said, holding up his claw. "I…I know where he's going."

The centaur turned to him. "Oh?"

"Or…at least where he wants to go. In…in the room, I overheard Spike and the girl talking about…running away to Applewood."

"Of course," Tirek said, rubbing his chin. "He'll seek help from the wench's brother." He chuckled darkly. "We'll just have to put out a warning to the Celestial nobles as well. After all, no Lunarian or Celestial would dare assist a traitor to the Crowns."
> Training Grounds
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"How's your lunch?" Twilight asked, lifting the flap of Spike's tent.

The dragon put down his wooden bowl to show his face covered with green sludge. "It's not gemstones, but it's good!"

Twilight smiled. "Be sure to tell Pinkie that. Hardly anyone here likes her cooking. I can't really blame her with our limited choices for ingredients."

"Why? What's in this stuff?"

"Moss and chopped worms."

Spike looked back down at his empty bowl, then used his long tongue to clean his face in a single slurp. "Not bad."

The unicorn chuckled. "I just wanted you to know that your message has been sent."

Setting his bowl to the side, Spike asked, "You sure that was the best idea? I mean wouldn't confirming that I'm alive just make it even harder for us to go up against Tirek? He'll be extra cautious now."

"He may be." She stepped towards him. "But from caution breeds fear. Tirek will be even more hesitant to marry your love off to someone else, knowing that you are coming for him. It will make him uneasy. It's the same reason I sent that rhyme to him. He'll spend his nights thinking about how the two of us might kill him." Her smirk held a twinge of mischief. "His fear will make him all the more vulnerable."

Spike recoiled at her words. "Do you have any idea how scary you sound right now?"

She shook her head. "Sorry. Do you think you're strong enough to walk?"

"I think so." Throwing off the blanket, he slowly stood to his feet.

"Good." She tossed him a pile of lavender cloth. "Put these on. Your training begins today."

"Training?" Spike said, fumbling to keep the clothes in his claws.

"Of course. You didn't expect to be going against Tirek without learning to fight first, did you?"

He scowled. "I can fight just fine."

Twilight scoffed. "You claim the bow to be your weapon, yet I've seen you shoot. You're not ready to face Tirek."

"But what about Applejack? Shouldn't we start planning to rescue her?"

"Leave the planning to me. In the meantime," Twilight said, levitating the flap of the tent, "you must prepare yourself through training."

And so she left him to get dressed.





Applejack didn't know how long she'd been asleep when the sound of the steel door unlocking awoke her. The Diamond Dog, Rover, came in with another guard. She was sure they were here to beat her until they started unlocking her shackles.

"What's goin' on?" she asked.

"Lord Tirek has asked that you be moved to a more…comfortable room," Rover said with a snicker.

Once she was unchained, the guards lifted her by the forelegs. There was no point in fighting. Even though Spike was alive, she couldn't escape this hellhole alone thanks to Discord's spell.

All she could do was take whatever Tirek could throw at her.

They took her up several flights of stairs to an open bedroom. Tirek was waiting inside. He nodded to the guards to release her. Applejack looked around at the chamber. It held a bed with lacy pillows and a gossamer canopy, a fancy ivory vanity, a pink dressing screen, and a pristine ivory wardrobe. There was window which was barred.

"What's all this?" Applejack asked.

With a smirk, Tirek bent down and whispered, "If you're going to be married to a noble, you'll have to start living like one."

She stuck her tongue out in defiance.

"And acting like one," he said, narrowing his eyes.

"And if I refuse?" she said, crossing her hooves.

He straightened up, rubbing his chin. "How about if you do as I say, I might reconsider that bounty on your lover's head?"

She cocked an eyebrow. "How do I know you'll keep your word?"

"You don't," he said, holding out his hands.

She scrutinized him for several minutes before saying, "If he dies, I kill myself."

Tirek and the guards looked at her in surprise.

"I'll find a way," she said, pointing to her chest. "Then ya won't get yerr tree."

The centaur blinked several times and then bowed with a smile. "As you wish, milady."

As he passed by her, he tossed her cap aside. "I've assigned a couple ladies-in-waiting to you. They'll provide you with more…suitable attire."

He shut her in, locking the door. Applejack went to the window and stuck her hoof through the bars. They seemed rather pointless, for her hoof hit the force field as she'd expected. She had a good view of the forest as she looked out. Somewhere out there was her beloved, and she could only hope that he would keep his promise and come back for her.

The sound of the door opening startled her. She spun around to see two mares entering, a white unicorn and a yellow pegasus, which made her relax a little. The unicorn, who wore a maid's attire, was levitating a pile of clothes while the pegasus, whose white dress was more pristine, walked in elegantly.

"Oh, goodness!" the unicorn said, scrunching her muzzle as she looked Applejack over. "Look at the wretchedness they have cursed you to!"

Suddenly, the unicorn was up in her face, making Applejack jump back.

"Oh, but you are lovely," the unicorn said as she began circling her, "in a homely, modest sort of way." She lifted up Applejack's ponytail. "If we put your mane up, you'll look positively stunning!"

Applejack opened her mouth to speak but was prevented when the unicorn thrust a dress in front of her.

"No," the unicorn said bluntly, moving onto the next gown. "No. No. No. Oh, absolutely not!" She went from dress to dress before deciding on an olive green velvet gown with puffed shoulders. "Oh, yes, definitely goes with your eyes!"

Applejack felt a tugging on her shirt and realized it was being levitated off her body.

"Hey!" she cried, pulling her shirt back down. "I can dress myself, ya know!"

"Dress yourself?" The unicorn scoffed in appalment. "A lady in your position?!"

Applejack glanced around her prison. "Yeah, I'm dressin' myself."

The unicorn opened her mouth to protest when the pegasus placed her hoof on her shoulder. "Let her dress herself, Rarity, if that is her wish."

Sighing, Rarity handed Applejack the olive gown and pushed her behind the screen.

"I take it y'all are supposed to be my ladies-in-waitin'," Applejack called as she began undressing herself.

"Yes," the pegasus said with a curtsy, despite Applejack not being able to see her. "I'm Fluttershy, and you've already met Rarity."

"First off," Rarity said, placing the rest of the gowns in the wardrobe, "let me clarify that I do not approve of this horrid situation in the slightest! I mean stealing you away from your home just so you could marry someone against your will?! Honestly! This is simply no way to treat a lady!"

Applejack smiled to herself. At least I got some pony here on my side.

"Oh, but we'll try to make the best of it, I'm sure," Fluttershy said. "If there's anything you wish of us, Miss Apple Jewel, don't hesitate to ask. Rarity and I only want you to feel comfortable."

"Not easy when you're being held here against yerr will," Applejack muttered. "But I appreciate the sentiment."

Once the dress was on, Applejack stepped awkwardly out from behind the screen. Somehow, being back in a dress didn't feel right. She'd forgotten how constricting it could be, especially in the torso. After several days in a tunic and trousers, she'd gotten quite used to moving about freely. Not to mention there hadn't been a long skirt to trip over.

Rarity squealed at the sight of her. "You look positively radiant! Now for your mane!"

Applejack yelped as she was suddenly grabbed by magic and seated at the vanity.

"That's okay," Applejack said, shivering as a brush magically approached her. "You don't need to—"

"Nonsense!" Rarity exclaimed as she began yanking at her yellow mane. "Just because you're imprisoned here, doesn't mean you can't still look your best!"

Applejack snorted, realizing that there was no reasoning with this mare.

"So tell me, darling," Rarity said, not noticing the pain Applejack was in, "is it true that Lord Tirek had intended you for Spike?"

At the mention of Spike, Applejack gazed down at her lap and nodded solemnly.

"Don't move!" Rarity commanded, pulling her head back up. "And is it true that in your attempt to escape, you ran into him in the woods?"

"Yes," Applejack murmured.

"And when you were captured again and brought here, little Spike tried to get you home?"

The earth mare shut her eyes. "I'd rather not talk about it."

"But is Spike really an outlaw now? And has he really threatened Tirek that he'll kill him if you're married off to anyone else but Spike?"

She's not much for listening, is she? "Yes, okay?! Yes!"

Rarity squealed. "Oh, that's so romantic! What I'd give to have a dashing rogue fighting for my honor! You're so lucky!"

"Yeah," Applejack mumbled, standing up. "Lucky."

"Excuse me!" Rarity exclaimed. "I haven't finished!"

Applejack ignored her as she made her way to the window so she could look out at the forest again. Fluttershy sent the unicorn a disapproving look.

"What?" Rarity asked, oblivious.

Shaking her head, Fluttershy approached the mare at the window. "Don't despair, Miss Apple Jewel."

"Applejack," the earth mare murmured.

"Pardon?"

Without looking at her, she said, "Call me Applejack."

"Alright, Applejack," Fluttershy said warmly. "What I was trying to say is that you shouldn't worry about Spike. He's a brave little dragon, and if he really loves you, he'll stop at nothing to see you again."

"How do ya know that?"

"Because that's what my husband does." The pegasus let out a dreamy sigh. "I can't help but worry about him whenever he goes out on one of Lord Tirek's missions, but my Discord always assures me that he'll return, because I'll be waiting for him."

Remembering where she had heard the name Fluttershy before, Applejack turned to face her. "You're Discord's wife?"

"Mmm-hmm," Fluttershy said shamelessly.

Applejack looked her over from head to hoof. "Really?"

Spike said she was pretty, but DANG!

Fluttershy blushed. "I'm assuming you've met my husband."

"You could say that," Applejack said, remembering the creature that had pulled on her chain, causing her to fall into the mud.

"It's okay. I know Discord's not…much to look at, but deep down, he has the heart of a prince."

"I wasn't thinkin' about his looks." Applejack took a step towards her. "How'd he manage to snag a mare like you? I mean you just seem so…nice!"

"Well, it's a long story," Fluttershy said, sitting on the edge of the bed. "You don't want to hear it."

Shrugging, Applejack sat down beside her. "I'm trapped here anyway, so ya might as well tell me."

"Ooh, you're going to love this!" Rarity exclaimed, joining them on the bed. "I mean I'm not really a fan of Discord either, but the story of how he and Fluttershy met is adorable!"

Blushing, Fluttershy began her tale. "I was born a noblemare, the daughter of a count. Three years ago, Lord Tirek came to our estate to discuss business with my father. Father told me to stay in my room during the visit, said that Tirek wasn't the most…trustful of creatures, and rumor had it he was looking for a wife for his ward, and Father didn't want Tirek seeing me. Not wanting to upset my father, I obeyed. Besides, I was already promised to some pony, even though I'd never met him.

"Unfortunately, staying in my room meant complete boredom. My mother was visiting relatives at the time, and my younger brother was traveling around Equestria, so I had no pony to talk to. I tried working on my needlepoint, but I ran out of thread. None of the servants were nearby, so I ventured out to find some more.

"Just as I was rounding a corner, this fearsome creature jumped out at me and cried, 'Boo!' I screamed and fell to the ground while he laughed. He stopped when he saw that I was crying and asked if I was alright. I said I was. Then he held out his paw and helped me up."

Fluttershy's cheeks turned pink. "Now that he wasn't trying to scare me, I got a better look at him. I've spent a lot of time around animals, so seeing that he was made of various animal parts made him more…intriguing than frightening.

"I learned that his name was Discord and that he served Lord Tirek. He'd gotten bored with the meeting and was looking for something to do. I told him I was looking for something to do too. Then we started talking and…he conjured up a flower bouquet for me and made the flowers dance. I'd never smiled or laughed so hard in my life!"

Applejack saw the enormous smile on Fluttershy's face and believed her.

"He had to go back with Tirek," Fluttershy continued, "but we started writing to each other. And every now and then, he would sneak into the garden and fly up to my balcony just to see me." She noticed Applejack's appalled look. "Oh no, he didn't try to seduce me or anything! My husband's a gentlecolt!"

"I'm sure he is," Applejack murmured, not forgetting the mud incident.

"Then my father announced that I would be married soon," Fluttershy said, shaking her head. "I didn't want to, but what else could I do? I wrote the news to Discord. I didn't quite realize his or my feelings yet. I was merely informing him as a friend."

Her grin returned. "Then the night before the wedding, he showed up on my balcony, got down on his knee, took my hoof, and gave the most beautiful speech I'd ever heard."

She closed her eyes and placed her hoof on her heart. "'My dearest Fluttershy, I would offer my congratulations, but I'm afraid I cannot, as I cannot allow you to marry this stallion whom you've never met. I know you don't love him, and he doesn't love you, for he doesn't know you like I do. Before I met you, Fluttershy, all I lived for was making other ponies' miserable with my chaotic powers. When I first looked into your eyes, I saw all the beauty and innocence in the world, a sight that has escaped me all these years.

"'You're the only pony who treats me like an equal, and your soul surpasses your outward beauty tenfold. You've done the impossible and melted this stone cold heart. That's right, Fluttershy, I've fallen truly, deeply, madly in love with you. And, if you would have me, I wouldn't hesitate to whisk you away from here so that we could be together forever, as husband and wife.'"

Rarity let out a sigh along with Fluttershy. Applejack had listened to the speech, impressed that Discord could say something so sentimental, and that Fluttershy had managed to remember it word for word.

"As he said this," Fluttershy continued, opening her eyes, "I realized that I was as much in love with him as he was with me, so he carried me off to Midnight Castle where we were married immediately."

"So," Applejack said thoughtfully, "you were in a situation where ya thought ya had no choice, and when ya met Discord…ya felt ya finally had one?"

Fluttershy nodded. "Think what you will about Discord, but he has the kindest heart I've ever known."

"Yeah, I suppose so." Applejack looked up at the ceiling. "I mean he could've carried out Tirek's orders and killed me and Spike in that passageway if he hadn't let us go."

The pegasus' smile vanished. "What?"

"Oh," the earth mare said, turning to her. "While Spike and I were escapin', Discord caught us, but instead of killin' us or alertin' the guards, he let us go." She sighed. "A lotta good that did me, with that shield up."

Fluttershy stared at her for a long while and then rose to her hooves. "I, um…need to do something."

Without another word, she went out the door.

"I will give Discord this much credit," Rarity said, smoothing out her skirt. "He loves his wife, no matter how…unconventional it may be."

Applejack shrugged. "We don't exactly choose who we fall in love with."

Her thoughts returned to her beloved dragon and the circumstances of their meeting. Seeing her sad expression, Rarity seemed to understand.

"You're really in love with that little dragon, aren't you?"

Applejack nodded, feeling no shame. Rarity placed an assuring hoof on her shoulder.

"I, um, may get in trouble for this, but," the unicorn said with a grin, "once Spike comes for you, I'll help you escape with him."

Applejack looked at her in surprise. "You'd do that? Why? Ya barely even know me."

Rarity shrugged. "I'm a fan of true love, darling."

That made the earth mare smile. "Well…thanks." She looked out the window. "I just hope Spike can get here in time."





Heads turned as Twilight and Spike walked through the camp. The dragon shrank under their gazes.

"Where did you find all these ponies?" he asked his companion.

"They're all here for different reasons," Twilight replied. "Many of them were thieves before I met them and were just interested in causing some mischief. Some of them lost much in the war and were left with no other choice. And some of them," she looked to the side, "fled from the oppression they suffered within their own homes."

Spike followed her gaze to two mares he recognized from the other day, a unicorn and an earth mare called Lyra and Bon-Bon. The latter had a flower in her hoof, which she placed gently into Lyra's mane. They both giggled as they rubbed each other's noses. Spike looked at Twilight, stunned.

"You'll find outlaws to be the least judgmental of people," she said with a sad grin. "Their hooves may not be the cleanest, but they're all loyal to Celestia, and thus loyal to your father."

Spike sighed. "I never knew which side to take in this war. I just took whatever views my uncle held. It was easier that way."

"You don't have to fight for us, but as long as you're here, we'll fight for you. You can learn much from these ponies."

They came to a tent where a familiar multi-colored pegasus was sharpening a sword on a stone wheel.

"This is Rainbow Dash," Twilight said. "She is our resident blacksmith."

"You?!" Spike said in disbelief.

Rainbow smirked. "Never met a female blacksmith, huh?" She waved her sword. "Picked it up from my dad. Of course, what I really wanted to be was a knight."

"I tried to get her training," Twilight said, "but then Tirek betrayed me and…"

She trailed off, but Spike understood.

"So you're Spike, huh?" Rainbow said, looking the dragon over. "Twilight's told us so much about you. I thought you'd be taller."

Spike narrowed his eyes.

"Don't get me wrong," Rainbow said, holding up her hoof. "Size isn't everything."

"Rainbow's an expert archer," Twilight said, "but her specialties are swordplay and hoof-to-hoof combat, both of which she will be teaching to you."

"Are you crazy?" Spike said, turning to her. "I can't fight a mare! It would be undignified!"

"Spike!" Twilight said through her teeth.

"Nah, it's okay, Twilight," Rainbow said, holding her hoof out to Spike. "No hard feelings?"

Smiling, the dragon took her hoof. He realized his mistake immediately when he was suddenly thrown over Rainbow's shoulder. He screamed as he flew through the air and landed in a pile of dirty laundry.

"Lesson Number One, kid," Rainbow said, lifting a soiled tunic off his eyes. "Never let your guard down." She held out her hoof. "Not even for a mare."

Spike slapped her hoof away, which made her laugh.

"See? You're learning already!"

"Why are these woods filled with so many feisty mares?" Spike muttered under his breath as he rose to his feet.

"Because mares have all the more reason to run away from home," Twilight said, coming up to him. "Sadly, living on the edge of the law is the only way most of them can be free to be who they are."

Spike looked between Twilight and Rainbow and sighed. "Now I really wish I'd been able to escape with Applejack. She would've loved all this."

"Who's Applejack?" Rainbow asked.

"The mare Lord Tirek captured," Twilight whispered. "Remember, the mare Spike was traveling with?"

"Oh." Rainbow looked at the sad dragon with wide eyes. "Oh! I get it." She knelt down to him. "Ya want some romantic advice, buddy? It's a common misconception that mares are totally helpless and need rescuing all the time. Truth is we can handle ourselves just fine given the right training and such. However," she leaned in further to whisper, "we still appreciate any male who cares enough to fight for us."

She gave him a wink, causing him to smile.

"But don't think that means I'm gonna go easy on ya just because you're a boy!" Rainbow snapped, straightening up.

Twilight chuckled while Spike's unamused expression returned.

"Come on," Twilight said, wrapping her hoof around him. "Time you met your other tutor."

"You called?"

Spike yelped as Pinkie Pie suddenly appeared hanging upside-down in his face.

"Sorry!" Pinkie giggled as she righted herself up. "Didn't mean to scare you Spikey!"

He looked up to figure out what she was hanging from, but there was nothing but sky. "How did you—?"

"Of course, you've already met Pinkie Pie," Twilight said. "Aside from being the occasional cook, she is also a master of stealth."

"I'll be teaching you all sorts of sneaky things!" Pinkie exclaimed. "Camouflage!" She zipped away and returned with leaves covered all over her. "Disguises!"

She popped her head out of the leaves wearing glasses, an enormous fake nose and mustache. Spike felt a tapping on his shoulder. When he turned around, he saw Pinkie standing there. Yelping, he looked back Pinkie's previous spot, only to find and empty pile of leaves.

"And of course, sneaking up quietly behind people!" Pinkie said cheerfully. "Lord Tirek literally won't see you coming and then you'll get to rescue your damsel! Your first wall-scaling lesson's at five!"

As she bounced away, Spike pointed to her in bewilderment. "But she…how did…what?"

"It's best not to question her," Twilight said, lowering his claw. "I, of course," she said, leading him behind a tent, "will personally tutor you in archery."

Spike gasped when he saw the small archery range. Three bales of hay with targets drawn on them were lined up against some trees. Leaning against the tent was a rack of bows and arrows. Among them were his own bow and quiver. He picked them up and hugged them close to his chest.

"I thought I'd lost this in the moat," Spike said, tracing his fingers along the bowstring.

Twilight smiled. "I know it means a lot to you."

Recalling something, he looked at her in awe. "It was you, wasn't it? You retrieved my bow from the Great River Horse."

She nodded. "I was there when your father gave it to you, remember?" She smirked. "If only there'd been time for me to teach you then. You wouldn't have become such a lousy shot."

"Hey!" Spike said, stomping his foot. "I can shoot just fine!"

She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Okay, so maybe my last few shots weren't the best, but I was under a lot of pressure! Not to mention Applejack kept distracting me which I suppose is a good thing because if she hadn't been I would've shot you and—"

"Spike?"

"What?"

Twilight gestured to the targets. "Just shoot."

He blushed. "Right. Right. I'll show ya."

Taking an arrow from his quiver, he nocked it and aimed his bow at the center target. Twilight leaned against the tent and watched as Spike fired the arrow. It hit the corner of the hay bale.

"T-That was just a warm-up," he said, getting another arrow.

This one was aimed too high and hit the tree behind the target.

"I meant to do that," Spike said, fumbling with his quiver.

His next shot was the most inaccurate. Not only was it aimed high, but it took a thin branch off the tree.

"The wind caught it!" he insisted.

"Spike," Twilight said, "there's no wind."

"I can do it, okay?!" He went for his quiver again, knocking it over. "Just let me get another arrow and—"

"Spike." Twilight spoke sternly as she grasped his shoulders. "You need to relax. You're focusing too much on showing off that you're not focusing on your actual shooting." She massaged his shoulders gently, making them slump. "You're building up all this tension. You need to slow down and take this one step at a time."

"Easy for you to say," Spike said, backing away. "You don't need to use your actual hooves to shoot because you've got that fancy magic to help you!"

She stared at him a while with narrowed eyes. Then, using her hooves, she grabbed a bow and arrow off the rack. Rising onto her hind legs, she nocked the arrow with her front hooves and pulled the bowstring back to her cheek. After taking a moment to aim, she released the arrow.

It did not hit a target, but did something more amazing. It hit the arrow Spike had shot into the tree trunk, splitting it in two.

Spike's jaw dropped as he looked up at the unicorn, who was smirking in triumph.

"Before I mastered levitation," Twilight said, returning to all fours, "I learned to shoot with my hooves. Oh yes, and to do this."

She levitated another arrow onto the bow. Flipping the bow over with her hoof so that it was parallel to the ground, she pulled back the string with her mouth and let the arrow fly. It pierced straight through the first arrow she'd shot, making Spike applaud excitedly.

"Of course," Twilight said, levitating the bow, "my magic makes it less of a hassle now, but learning to shoot without magic is how I developed my aim."

"Wait," Spike said with a frown. "Can't you just enchant the arrow so that it'll reach its target?"

"I could, but if I used magic for everything, I'd never learn anything. Besides," she said with a chuckle, "it's so much more satisfying knowing I can show you up with or without magic."

He scowled. "If you're doing all this just to make fun of me—"

"Alright, alright, I've had my fun." She levitated Spike's bow back into his claws and walked over to him. "Show me how you prepare to shoot."

Sticking his chest out, Spike drew his bow, pulling the string back to his cheek, his feet shoulder-width apart and his elbow up.

"Who taught you?" Twilight asked.

"Tirek," Spike said. "But Uncle Scorpan gave me a few pointers."

She rolled her eyes. "Well, I'll give them this much. They taught you the proper stance." She stood behind him and placed her hooves on his shoulders. "Now, before you shoot, take a deep breath to relieve the tension. Also lower your elbow a bit. You need it up, but it doesn't need to touch the sky."

"Right," Spike said, lowering his elbow an inch.

"Take a breath."

"But what if I don't have time to take a breath in battle?"

"As you get more practice, it'll become easier, but for now, take a breath."

After a sigh, he inhaled deeply and exhaled. He did feel a bit more relaxed.

"Now, imagine that target is Tirek," Twilight whispered, stepping back from him.

With an angry scowl, Spike pictured the center of the target as Tirek's chest. He released the arrow.

It hit the outer rim of the target.

"Better," Twilight said. "You at least hit the target this time."

"That's what Uncle Scorpan said!" Spike said with a groan. "You're just trying to make me feel better!"

"It just takes practice, Spike. It took me years before I could consistently hit a bullseye."

"But I don't have years! Applejack's counting on me! By the time I actually hit a bullseye," he hung his head, "she'll be married off to some pony else."

Twilight knelt down to him. "Listen to me, Spike," she said, taking his face in her hooves. "I never said this was going to be easy. I'm not going to pretend it will be. You can whine about it all you want, but whining is not going to help you get Applejack back. She needs you to be able to fight for her, Spike, but you're not going to become a fighter overnight. However, I and everyone else here will do our best to ensure that you become the fighter your lover needs, no matter how long it takes. Understand?"

Spike took in her words and thought about Applejack. She had saved him on so many occasions, and he'd never been able to repay the favor. He'd already failed in returning her to Applewood and freeing her from Tirek. He couldn't fail her again. If he was going to rescue her, he was going to do it right.

"I understand," he replied quietly.

"Good," Twilight said, handing him an arrow with magic. "Let's try again."





When Fluttershy arrived at the room she and Discord shared, her husband was sitting at her vanity, massaging his neck. Fluttershy gasped when she saw how bruised it was.

"Discord, what happened?!" she exclaimed, shutting the door and flying to his side.

"Nothing," Discord said, attempting to hide his neck with his paw and claw.

She tentatively removed his hands and touched the large blue imprints on his neck.

"Did Lord Tirek do this to you?" she asked shakily.

He turned his face away from her, giving her his answer. She hastened to a small cabinet near her bedside, took out a glass bottle and returned to her husband.

"This oil is made from the comfrey plant," Fluttershy said, pouring some of the oil onto her hoof. "It'll help reduce the swelling."

Discord remained silent as he allowed her to gently rub the oil into his skin. The feel of her tiny, delicate hooves made him close his eyes in bliss.

"I don't deserve you," he murmured.

"Don't say things like that," Fluttershy said, wrapping her hooves around his neck and settling her head on his back once she was finished. "I don't know how you can say things like that, after what you did for Spike and Applejack."

Discord craned his head towards her in surprise. "What?"

"Applejack told me." Closing her eyes, she gently nuzzled the back of his neck. "She told me you were ordered to kill them, and yet when you found them, you let them go."

Discord sighed. "I was ordered to kill Spike. Tirek has no intention of harming the girl."

"But you still didn't do it, even though you were ordered to. Why?"

He laid his claw over one of the hooves around his neck. "When I saw them, the way they were holding each other, it…it reminded me of us, and what you'd said to me the other night." He brought the hoof to his face and rubbed it against his cheek. "I knew you couldn't live with me, knowing I'd done something so cruel."

Fluttershy smiled. "You followed your heart."

"Yes," he muttered sadly. "Unfortunately, I'd forgotten about the spell I'd cast around the castle to prevent the girl from leaving."

She pulled her face away from his back and fluttered around to his side so that she could look at him. "You could always remove the spell."

Discord shook his head. "Tirek's already mad enough at me as it is. He doesn't know I let Spike go intentionally, but if the girl escapes, he'll know it was me who removed the spell and then…" He locked eyes with her. "That'll be it for me."

Fluttershy nodded. "I understand if you can't do anything else." She gave him a loving peck on the cheek. "But it warms my heart knowing you did that for Spike."

As he cupped her beautiful face with his paw and claw, he cursed himself for what he'd done. She was happy he'd let Spike go, but if she had known that he had done it out of risk of losing her, she might not forgive him for choosing to do the right thing over saving her.

Now Discord was at an even greater risk of losing her. If Applejack escaped, Tirek would take his wrath out on Fluttershy. But he wondered how Fluttershy would feel if Discord stood idly by while the other mare was imprisoned.

As he held her, though, Discord knew he couldn't take that risk again. Even if some pony else had to pay the price, Fluttershy was the only source of light he had in this world.

He couldn't let it extinguish.

"Discord?" Fluttershy asked, concerned at how quiet he was being.

Instead of answering, Discord brought her lips to his. Closing her eyes, Fluttershy welcomed the kiss. As she ran her hooves along his circle of bruises, she understood that the time for talking was over. He'd endured Tirek's rage so that another could escape, and she could tell it was hurting him, not just physically.

He needed her tonight more than ever.

So when he carried her to the bed, she had no objections.





"Not bad, kid," Rainbow said as Spike's stick clashed with hers. "Tirek taught you a bit of swordplay, I see." She jumped out of the way from his thrust. "But swordplay's about more than just fancy moves." She swung her stick only for him to parry it. "It's all about strategy. Studying your opponent, learning their strengths," she looked down at his feet, "and weaknesses."

Spike grunted as he blocked the blow coming from above.

"Kind of like a conversation of death."

In a flash, Rainbow's face became orange and her eyes green, making Spike take a step back. Rainbow took advantage of his distraction and swung at his feet, knocking him over. When he was on the ground, she pointed her staff at him.

"You're lucky this wasn't a real fight," Rainbow said, helping him up. "What happened? You were so focused a second ago, and then you just…I don't know. Looked like you were in shock or something."

Spike shook his head. "Sorry, I…I just…" With a sigh, he looked at the stick in his claw. "Last time I was in a duel like this, it was with Applejack."

"Ah," Rainbow said with a nod. "Who won?"

"She did."

She smirked. "So your gal's a hardcore swordfighter, huh? I'd like to meet this Applejack one day." She turned her stick over. "I'm curious to see just how good she is."

Her smirk vanished when she noticed the dragon's head hanging.

"Hey," Rainbow said, placing her hoof on her hip. "Ya gonna stand there and mope like that or do ya wanna actually work on saving the girl you're moping about?"

"Right, right," Spike said, raising his staff. "Should we go again?"

"Of course," Rainbow said, touching her stick with his. "This time, though, it'd be better if you didn't fantasize about your girlfriend while fighting me."

Spike blushed.

"Just imagine you're fighting Tirek, and that Applejack's on the sidelines, cheering you on." She leaned forward to whisper, "Though from what you've told me, I'd imagine she'd be fighting right alongside you."

Spike nodded and swung his stick. Rainbow blocked his surprise attack with a smirk.

"Nice try," she said, pushing his staff away. "But it'll take a lot more than that to catch me off-guard!"





Applejack looked up from the book she'd been reading as the door to her chamber opened. Rarity, who'd been dusting the furniture, also turned to the door as Rover peered in.

"What do you want?" Applejack spat.

"Lord Tirek requests that you join him for dinner," Rover said with a bow.

Narrowing her eyes, she returned to her book. "Tell him I'm not hungry."

The Diamond Dog shook his head. "He thought you might say that. He told me to tell you that if you refuse to dine with him, you will not dine at all."

"Then I'll starve," Applejack said bluntly. "I'd rather do that than give that snivelin' snake the pleasure of my company."

Rover shrugged. "Suit yourself."

After he shut the door, the sound of a lock turning was heard.

"I wouldn't recommend that."

Applejack turned to Rarity. "What?"

Sighing, Rarity walked over to her side. "I realize how cruel these brutes have been to you, and that you have no say in what will happen to you, but as you are already on thin ice with Lord Tirek after attempting to escape twice, it would be unwise to anger him any further."

"Let him get angry. He knows if he kills me, he won't get what he wants."

The earth mare pretended to continue reading. A few seconds later, she felt Rarity sit down beside her on the bed.

"How do you think Spike would feel if he came to your rescue, only to find you covered in bruises?"

Applejack lifted her gaze a bit, but did not look at her.

"If you ask me," Rarity said, shifting her legs into a comfortable sitting position, "I'd say he'd never be able to forgive himself, knowing you got yourself injured because he had left you here to fend for yourself."

She turned to the unicorn in horror. "You…really think that…?"

Rarity nodded. "If you don't want to suffer under Lord Tirek's wrath again, you're going to have to convince him that you're not going to give him any more trouble. In order to that, you'll have to start behaving like a proper lady."

Applejack blinked. "Say what now?"

"Think about it. As long as you act difficult, Lord Tirek will be watching you like a hawk. But if you act obedient, he will not suspect that you'll try to run away again and might be more lenient with you. That way, when Spike does come, it'll be easier for you to slip away."

"Huh," Applejack said. "That actually makes sense. Still," she set down her book, "I may have been born into a wealthy family, but I've never been the most…ladylike of girls."

"I can see that," Rarity said bluntly. "Fortunately, you have me to educate you in the proper etiquette of the nobility."

"You?" The earth mare raised an eyebrow. "What do you know about how the nobility act?"

"Don't be fooled by my current position. I was actually born into nobility. I'm actually related to the princesses, although distantly." Rarity hung her head. "Unfortunately, the war took all my family's wealth and land. We still have our titles, but the only way for us to survive was for each of us to take work. My father works in the Fisherponies' Village, while my mother and little sister work in a dress shop."

"And you work as a maid," Applejack said.

"And seamstress. It pays well," Rarity said, shaking her head. "But I don't approve of Lord Tirek's actions whatsoever. Still, I cannot risk losing my job. Not yet, anyway."

"I understand."

"However," the unicorn said, placing her hooves on Applejack's shoulders, "I will still help you with tricking Tirek into believing that you will not disobey him again."

Applejack considered this. As much as the thought of pretending to be a well-behaved lady for Lord Tirek made her sick, it did seem necessary if she was going to survive until Spike returned.

"Okay," Applejack said. "So what do I have to do?"

"First of all," Rarity said, slapping Applejack hard on the back, enough to make her grunt in pain, "no slouching! A lady must stand and sit up straight at all times! And lift your chin up high to show how proud you are! But not too much so that you appear arrogant! Always keep your gaze slightly downward and do not look a male in the eye, especially if he is above your status! Direct eye contact will make Lord Tirek really furious! Oh, and a lady must brush her hair at least twice a day…"

As Rarity went on, Applejack muttered to herself, "I'm already regrettin' this."
> One Day More
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

When evening fell, the Society of the Lavender Arrow gathered around the campfire for supper. A few of the members, including Twilight and Pinkie, were out on patrol and had not yet returned. Regardless, the outlaws were so ravenous they could not wait, especially Spike after a long day's training. He massaged his aching limbs as he waited for the food to be passed around.

"You'll feel less sore the more you practice," Rainbow Dash said, placing her hooves behind her head as she leaned back against the log. "Your body's not used to so much exercise."

"Did you have to punch so hard though?" Spike asked, rubbing his aching shoulder.

"Hey, if you're gonna be prepared for the real thing, I ain't going easy on ya."

Bon-Bon, who was in charge of the cooking tonight, handed Spike and Rainbow their bowls of mush.

"What's on the menu tonight?" Rainbow asked.

"Mushroom and berry paste," Bon-Bon replied.

"Again?" some pony said with a whine.

"Better than what Pinkie usually makes," Rainbow said with a shrug.

Spike began wolfing down his food, making unflattering slurping sounds.

Rainbow chuckled. "Guess it's true what they say about dragons eating anything, huh?"

"Yup," Spike said, licking the paste off his face with his long tongue.

"He already eats like an outlaw," Bon-Bon said with a giggle.

"Yup," Rainbow said, taking a noisy chomp out of her food. "You'll fit right in here, kid."

As they ate, Spike noticed the griffon, Gilda, sending him a deadly glare through the campfire flames.

"Is she still mad at me for what happened at Ghastly Gorge?" Spike asked, noticing the claw marks on her face.

"Yeah," Rainbow said with a swallow. "But don't take it personally. Gilda gets mad at everybody." She sighed sadly. "Can't really blame her though, what with her entire village being burned to the ground by Lunarian soldiers."

"What was her village?"

"Griffonstone."

She glanced sideways at him and noticed the fearful look on his face.

"What's wrong?"

"Griffonstone," Spike said. "I…I remember my uncle mentioning a battle there a few years back." He turned to Rainbow. "Did…did everyone perish? Even the children?"

The pegasus nodded solemnly. "Only Gilda and a small handful of other griffons made it out."

Spike looked down at his feet in guilt. "I knew Uncle Tirek had to make sacrifices for this war, but I had no idea that…"

"Hey," Rainbow said, putting her hoof around him. "Don't beat yourself up over it, kid. You couldn't have known."

"But I should've. Why do so many people have to die when they're given no choice to fight?"

"You've never really seen battle, have ya, kid?"

Spike blushed. "Is it that obvious?"

She smirked. "I'm teaching ya to fight, and I can tell you've never been in a real one. Well, this is how war is. People get hurt, soldiers and non-soldiers alike. Until the ponies in charge come to a peaceful agreement, all you can do is protect yourself and the ones you love."

At the mention of loved ones, Spike clutched the apple-shaped locket around his neck.

"That from your girl?" Rainbow asked, pointing to the locket.

"It belonged to her parents," Spike said, opening it up to reveal their faces. "Applejack said to give this to her brother, so he'll know she sent me."

"Oh, yeah. Her brother's a knight, right? All the way in Applewood." Rainbow shook her head. "That's a long trip, kid."

He huffed. "Don't I know it."

"Hey, Spike!"

Rainbow and Spike jumped as Pinkie Pie suddenly appeared behind them. She threw off the hooded beggar's robe she'd been donning and thrust a piece of parchment into Spike's face.

"Lookie what I found! You're famous!"

On the parchment was a sketch of Spike's face. He stiffened when he read the text: WANTED: Spike de Dragon, for High Treason and Attempted Murder. Reward.

"Wow," Rainbow said, looking at the bounty. "That's a lot higher than the price on my head." She playfully punched his arm. "You're officially one of us now!"

"But high treason?" Spike said in disbelief. "Attempted murder? It's all lies!"

"Well what'd you think Tirek was gonna write?" Pinkie asked. "WANTED: Spike de Dragon, really nice guy I'm trying to kill because he knows I killed his father and he's trying to steal the mare I've rightfully kidnapped?"

"She's got a point there," Rainbow said.

"Now you see why it would be unwise to make an immediate attack," Twilight said as she approached the campfire. "Even Sir Big Macintosh would be wary if you suddenly popped up at Sweet Apple Acres."

"So what do we do?" Spike asked.

"Just focus on your training, for now." She addressed the crowd. "Spike is not the only one with a bounty on his head. It would be best if we all lay low for a little while, at least until Lord Tirek is vulnerable enough for another attack."

Twilight noticed Spike holding the locket close to his heart.

"We'll be keeping tabs on her, Spike," she said. "If Tirek attempts to marry her off, or tries anything else, we'll know."

As the outlaws cheered, the dragon looked around at all of them and smiled. For the first time in his life, he felt a sense of comradery.





In Applejack's chamber, a small table was set up with a plate of salad, surrounded by an assortment of silverware.

"Alright, darling," Rarity said, sitting across from Applejack. "Fortunately for you, I was able to convince Lord Tirek to bring up some supper when I informed him of my intentions to teach you proper etiquette, and would have to start with dining etiquette. At least this way you won't starve before you're ready to dine with that brute. Now," she pointed to the plate, "show me how you eat salad."

Licking her lips, Applejack crouched down and began crunching on the lettuce. She stopped when she noticed Rarity cringing.

"What?" Applejack asked with her mouth full.

"That's, err, fine," the unicorn said, shaking her head. "However, it is more appropriate for one to eat salad with a fork."

Applejack swallowed. "Right."

She went for the biggest fork on the table.

"No, no, no!" Rarity cried, waving her hooves. "That is the dinner fork! You must use the salad fork!"

Confused, Applejack reached for the small fork above the plate.

"That's the dessert fork!"

"What the hay do I need so many forks for?!" Applejack demanded. "I'm just eatin' one stinkin' meal!"

Rarity put her hoof to her head. "I thought you were raised in a wealthy household! How is it you can't tell a dessert fork from a salad fork?"

"I dunno." The earth mare shrugged. "My parents were simple folk. We would just have a fork, a spoon and a knife and that was it."

Rarity shook her head with a sigh. "This is going to be harder than I thought."





Spike ducked as Rainbow attacked him with a right hook. When he stood back up, she jabbed him in the chin with an upper-cut.

"Don't keep your fists so close to your chest!" Rainbow exclaimed, shifting back on her back hooves. "Keep 'em up, but not too far away! They gotta be ready to block my blows!"

He yelped as he was suddenly kicked in the gut, forcing him to crouch down. He kneed him in the jaw and he fell backward in pain.

"Isn't it kind of unfair that you've got the advantage of size over me?" Spike asked warily.

"Size doesn't matter in a fight," Rainbow said, sitting down on his hips. "All ya gotta do is gain leverage over your opponent. Now," she said, raising her hooves, "suppose ya got somebody on top of you. You wanna prevent them from getting on your chest, otherwise you're gonna have a harder time getting them off. Keep your fists up."

He obeyed her, though his fists were shaking.

"Alright, now buck your hips."

"What my what?" Spike asked, his cheeks turning red.

She rolled her eyes. "Thrust your hips upwards! It'll knock me off-balance!"

He looked down at his hips and the huge haunches putting pressure on them. "How's that gonna work? You're so heavy!"

Rainbow groaned as she climbed off of him. "Alright. I'll show you." She laid herself on the ground and curled up her back legs. "Sit on my hips. And don't get any ideas."

Biting his lip nervously, he did so. Rainbow kept her hooves up so he wouldn't move up to her chest.

"Okay," she said, "now pretend you're punching me in the face."

Still nervous, Spike weakly thrust out his arm. Suddenly, Rainbow bucked her hips upward, causing Spike to yelp as he fell forward. His arms landed on either side of her head. Her back right hoof hooked his left foot while her front hooves clasped around his left elbow and pulled it down to her chest. In a single motion, she rolled them both over to her right until she was right on top of him.

"And use your opponent's knees," Rainbow said, pushing her front hooves against his knees, "to get yourself up." She folded her front hooves proudly. "See? Simple. Now you give it a try."

Spike let his head fall back with a groan.





"What's the point of this again?" Applejack asked as Rarity used her magic to place books on the earth mare's head.

"For posture, of course," Rarity said. "If you can walk while balancing these books, you'll know you've achieved proper poise."

Applejack wobbled as she steadied the books with her hoof. "But surely ladies don't walk like this all the time."

"Of course not!"

"Then how will I know I'm walkin' straight if I don't have these books on my head to tell me?"

"Just imagine they're there!"

"So…should I keep 'em on my head or not?"

Rarity smacked herself in the face. "Just walk towards me and try not to drop any of those books."

Applejack nodded, which, unfortunately caused all the books to fall. Chuckling nervously, she shrugged, not amusing Rarity in the slightest.





In the forest, Pinkie sat on a tree trunk, humming to herself with her eyes closed. Her ears perked up.

"Three," she murmured, rubbing her hoof against her chest, "two," and blowing on her hoof, "one."

With a might war cry, Spike leaped out of the bushes towards her. Without opening her eyes, Pinkie Pie ducked just in time. The dragon soared over her head and tumbled to the ground. As he groaned in pain, Pinkie peered over him.

"Was I really that loud?" Spike asked.

"Yup," Pinkie piped.

"Aw, come on! What'd I do wrong this time?!"

"For one thing," she said, straightening up and circling him, "you were breathing so hard you were practically gasping, you stepped on every pebble that was in your path, and you were moving too quickly that I could hear the brambles whipping against your scales and when you attack your opponent from behind, never cry out no matter how fun it is to make a war cry!"

She held out her hoof to help him up. "Even the slightest sound can alert your enemy to your presence. The trick is to take your time, analyze your surroundings and move slowly. Try breathing through your nose instead of your mouth. Or, if necessary, hold your breath for as long as you can. If you get tired, or you suspect your enemy may have heard you, stay where you are and remain perfectly still! Don't even blink or shiver or scratch your nose no matter how itchy it is!"

"But it's impossible!" Spike shouted. "Look at all these twigs and branches in the way! How can anyone sneak around here without being heard?"

Suddenly, a blindfold was wrapped around his eyes.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"You need to practice using your senses other than sight," he heard Pinkie say. "Who knows? Your enemy might be sneaking up on you in the dark!" She whispered in his ear. "Friendly tip: when listening for enemies, it helps to keep your own sound and movement to a minimum too."

"But I thought they were the ones sneaking up on me." He waited for Pinkie's response. "Pinkie?" He turned his head in all directions. "Pinkie? Where'd you—oomph!"

He was suddenly tackled to the ground, and by the bubbly giggle he could guess the culprit.

"See what I mean?" she said, taking off his blindfold. "You were so busy talking you forgot to listen for me!" She tied the blindfold over her own eyes. "Okay! Now you sneak up on me!"

"But Pinkie—"

He cried out as she grabbed his claw and flung him over her head and to the ground.

"Get your head in the game, Spike!" Pinkie said, pulling him up. "You're getting creamed by a blind mare!"

It's a good thing the Diamond Dogs aren't here to see this, he thought. Otherwise I'd never hear the end of it.





"Repeat after me," Rarity said as she braided Applejack's mane. "Eight gray geese…"

"Eight gray geese…" Applejack repeated.

"…in a green field…"

"…in a green field…"

"…grazing."

"…grazin'."

"Now say it together, slowly at first."

Knowing what a pain it would be on the tongue, Applejack took a deep breath. "Eight gray geese in a green field grazin'."

"No, no, no!" Rarity cried, dropping the blonde braid, letting it unravel. "All wrong!"

"What now?" Applejack asked in exasperation. "I pronounced it right!"

The unicorn huffed. "Elocution isn't only about your pronunciation, but you tone, the elegance of your voice!"

The earth mare scowled. "And what's wrong with my voice?"

"Oh, don't get me wrong. I personally find your country drawl charming. However, your rough speech may give others the wrong impression, always so gruff. You sound like you were raised in a barn."

"And what's wrong with bein' raised in a barn?!"

"Being!" Rarity stressed the second vowel. "You must enunciate the whole word, not slump it all into one vowel! Oh, and you didn't pronounce it right, you pronounced it correctly!"

Applejack grunted in annoyance. "Dagnabbit! Why ya hoity-toities gotta be so gosh darn picky about every last stinkin' detail?!"

Narrowing her eyes, the unicorn said, "While we're on the subject of proper speech, let's discuss your…colorful vernacular."





Spike grunted as he parried Rainbow's rod.

"Good, good," Rainbow said. "Remember to keep your stance wide and your knees slightly bent. But don't take your eyes off me!"

She swung her stick. Spike blocked the blow and retaliated with a thrust. Rainbow jumped out of the way.

"Almost had me there, kid," Rainbow said as she blocked his next attack. "You've gotten much better over these past couple of weeks."

Spike smiled proudly. "Told you I'm a fast learner."

As he was defending himself from her attack, Gilda suddenly swooped down from above with a stick of her own and hit him over the head. Crying out, Spike cradled this head and glared up at her.

"Oh yeah," Rainbow said with a smirk. "Never expect your opponent to be without backup." She called up to the griffon, "Thanks for the demonstration, Gilda!"

"Now we're even, squirt!" Gilda shouted down to the dragon with a laugh.

Spike turned his glare to the pegasus, who merely shrugged.

"Hey, you can't expect the battle to be fair. You gotta stay alert."

She swiped at his feet. Catching the movement out of the corner of his eyes, he jumped as the stick went by. Rainbow nodded proudly.

"Now you're getting it."





Beads of sweat trickled down Applejack's face as she balanced the single book on her head and walked towards Rarity.

"That's it," the unicorn said encouragingly. "Move slowly, keep your gaze forward, but don't make eye contact!"

Applejack stumbled and the book started sliding off. She caught it and carefully pushed it back onto her head.

"Don't think about the book," Rarity said. "Just remember: you're doing this for Spike."

"I'm doin' this for Spike," Applejack muttered to herself. "I'm doin' this for Spike. I'm doin' this for Spike."

"You did it!"

"Huh?" Applejack said, directing her eyes to the unicorn, who was clapping her hooves together.

"You made it all the way across the room without dropping the book!"

Putting her hoof to her head, Applejack discovered the book was still there. "Huh. Whaddya know?" She caught Rarity's glare. "I mean…what do you know?"

Smiling, the unicorn levitated a second book onto her friend's head. "Now try again."

Groaning, Applejack slowly turned around and started her way back across the room, all the while muttering, "I'm doing this for Spike. I'm doing this for Spike."





As the next arrow hit the outer rim of the target, Spike shouted angrily and threw down his bow.

"Don't give up now, Spike," Twilight said.

"But we've been at this for weeks and I still can't get past the outer rim!" he yelled, throwing his arms up in exasperation. "I've followed all your advice! What is it I'm still doing wrong?!"

He picked up a rock and threw it at the center target, only to miss it by a few feet. Twilight rubbed her chin thoughtfully.

"Stick out your thumb."

Spike raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

"Just do it."

Still confused, Spike clutched his right claw into a fist and stuck out his thumb.

"Bring it to your snout," Twilight said.

"What is this, some kind of game?"

Her impatient scowl made him obey.

"Now extend your arm straight out and keep your eyes on your thumb." Twilight waited for him to do so. "Alright. Without moving your thumb, and without looking away from it, close your left eye."

Spike shut his left eye and, to his surprise, his thumb seemed to jump to the right.

"Did your thumb move?" Twilight asked.

"Yes," he replied.

"Okay. Now open your left eye and then close your right one."

He did so. "Huh."

"Did you notice anything?"

"My thumb didn't move at all that time."

Twilight smiled knowingly. "That's your problem. You've been shooting with the wrong claw this whole time!"

"What are you talking about?" Spike asked, facing her in disbelief. "I'm right-clawed!"

"Yes, but you're left-eye dominant. Your vision did not change when you kept your left eye open, which means you see better with your left eye. Hence, the best way for you to aim your arrow from far away is if you shoot from your left side." She shook her head. "Honestly, I would've thought at least Scorpan would've taught you this."

"Because it's ridiculous!" Spike picked up his bow. "I've been shooting with my right claw for years!"

"And have you ever hit a bullseye before?"

He blinked. "Well…no, but—"

She handed him an arrow with her magic. "At least give it a try."

Glancing between Twilight and the arrow, Spike sighed and nocked his arrow, this time on the left side of the bow. Using his left claw, he pulled the string back to his cheek and focused on the center target. Oddly enough, the distance seemed to be a lot clearer. Taking a deep breath, he released the arrow.

It struck the closest inward circle next to the bullseye. Spike's jaw dropped in amazement while Twilight applauded.

"It…it's so much closer now!" Spike exclaimed, looking at his left claw. "I…can't believe that actually worked!"

"We're not done yet," Twilight said, levitating another arrow. "You still want that first bullseye, don't you?"





Weeks turned into months. As Spike progressed in his training, he grew not only in strength, but in height, until he was as tall as his pony companions. Meanwhile, Applejack became thinner from lack of food. Tirek did feed her, but only in small portions. Rarity explained that he probably wanted her to appear presentable for her future husband, which of course meant a tiny waist was necessary.

Once Applejack had mastered carrying books on her head, Rarity took it a step further and taught her to dance while doing so. Applejack had to keep the books afloat through every turn and ever curtsy, which proved to be even more taxing than simply walking.

When it seemed Spike had grasped basic sword fighting techniques, Rainbow decided it was time to replace the rods with actual swords. She'd forged a special lightweight sword with a scaly hilt for the dragon. It cut through the air so smoothly, Spike complimented Rainbow on her work.

One supper, Rarity was thrilled to see Applejack reach for the correct spoon for her soup, and then sip the soup without slurping.

After Spike had hit a few bullseyes, Twilight got the pegasi to carry moving targets in the air. Thanks to the realization that he'd been shooting with the wrong claw, it didn't take long to master that skill too.

Then one day, as Rarity was dancing with Applejack, who had five books on her head all the while, the latter said in an elegant voice, "Eight gray geese in a green field grazing."

Rarity smiled to herself. "I think she's got it."

That same day, Pinkie sat in the middle of the forest blindfolded. She listened for her student, but heard nothing.

"Spike?" she asked, taking the blindfold off after several minutes. "You out there? If you were kidnapped on my watch, Twilight would never hear the end of—GAH!"

The dragon tackled her from behind and pinned her to the ground. Pinkie craned her head around and laughed.

"I think he's got it."

This notion was confirmed later that afternoon in Spike's sparring lesson with Rainbow. Their swords clashed and their shields clanged together. They'd been going at each other for so long that they had attracted a crowd.

"Two bits says Spike takes her," Pinkie whispered to Gilda.

"Get real," the griffon said. "No one can beat Rainbow."

Pinkie grinned slyly. "Think you'll lose then?"

Gilda huffed. "You're on!"

As she said this, Spike blocked Rainbow's blow and pushed hard against her sword. Rainbow took a step back and darted forward. Spike moved to the side and knocked her forward with his shield. Caught off-guard, Rainbow fell to her knees and was about to get up when Spike kicked her down.

Flipping over, she found Spike's sword at her throat, making everyone gasp. Rainbow looked up at the dragon, who was smiling victoriously. She shook her head with a laugh and held out her hoof.

"The day the student surpasses the teacher."

He glanced at her hoof and lowered his sword. "No way am I falling for that."

With a shrug, she stood up on her own. "Taught ya too well, it would seem."

The onlookers cheered while Gilda begrudgingly tossed Pinkie Pie two bits. Twilight watched Spike with her forelegs across her chest, smiling with pride.

"He's ready."





Upon hearing hoofsteps, Lord Tirek looked up from his dinner to see Rarity walk into the dining hall. She cleared her throat.

"My lord," she said in the most respectful tone she could muster, "allow me to present your charming ward, Miss Apple Jewel."

She stepped to the side, revealing the mare behind her. Tirek's eyes widened at the sight, as did the eyes of the Diamond Dogs standing in attendance.

Her once messy blonde mane was brushed and tied neatly into two long braids that fell over her no longer slouching shoulders. She wore a simple, yet stunning pink gown that hugged her now slender curves, its square collar cut modestly below her neck. The sleeves were trimmed with gold and tight enough to show the leanness of her forelegs.

This was definitely not the raggedy wench they'd brought to the castle two months ago.

As she approached the table, her hooves lightly touched the floor. She held her head high on her straight neck, but kept her eyes slightly downward so as to avoid eye contact with anyone. Rover hastily went to the empty chair at the end of the table and pulled it out for her.

"Thank you, good sir," Apple Jewel said softly as she gently lowered herself into the chair.

Her voice had changed as well. While a hint of her country accent remained, it lacked its usual edginess, now sounding smooth like honey, lilting in a way that was almost musical.

"Please accept my apology, my lord," Apple Jewel said, turning her attention to the centaur sitting across from her, keeping her gaze only slightly below his, "for my previous behavior. Seeing as you are now my guardian, I realize how rude it was for me to disobey you. I only hope I can win your forgiveness."

Tirek stared at her for a long while and then grinned approvingly. "I'm impressed, Miss Rarity," he said, addressing the unicorn. "Seems you have done the impossible and molded this arrogant child into a lady."

Rarity curtsied politely. "It is my pleasure to serve my lord in whatever way I can."

Tirek turned to Apple Jewel. "All is forgiven, my dear. Are you hungry?"

"Very much so," Apple Jewel said, glancing at Rarity. "If that does not trouble your lordship."

"Not at all." He waved his hand towards the unicorn. "See that Miss Apple Jewel gets some food from the kitchen."

Rarity curtsied and left the dining hall, but not before sending Applejack a helpful wink, which made her smile slightly.

"Now that I am assured that you will behave yourself," Tirek said, taking a sip of his wine, "we can discuss the matter of your marriage."

The suggestion made Applejack's blood go cold. "My marriage?"

"Yes," Tirek said, setting his goblet down. "Of course, your former lover's threat made it difficult to find a suitor willing to take the risk. However, I received a response from a young lord in Drakeville."

Applejack gulped. "Drakeville? Isn't that…out in the desert?"

"Naturally. We'll have little fear of the Society of the Lavender Arrow out there." He chuckled. "There are no woods for them to hide in." He noticed Applejack's horrified look. "This isn't going to be a problem, is it?"

Blinking, Applejack tried to mask her fear with a humble grin. "If this is what your lordship desires, so be it."

"Good," he said, returning to his meal. "We depart for Drakeville at midnight, to avoid being seen."

As her food was placed in front of her, Applejack glanced out one of the tall windows which overlooked the forest, anxious of the fate that lay in store for her.

Please hurry, Spike, she silently prayed.





There was cause for celebration at the camp of the Society of the Lavender Arrow. A few of the outlaws got out their lutes and harps for the others to dance to around the fire.

"Who's ready to roll out the barrel?" Pinkie called, rolling in on top of a barrel.

"Is that ale?" Rainbow asked hopefully.

Nodding, Pinkie pulled a bunch of tankards out of her mane. "Drink up!"

The outlaws cheered as they reached out to catch the tankards.

"Pinkie," Twilight said, crossing her hooves, "where did you get this ale?"

Hopping off the barrel, she replied innocently, "Does it really matter?"

The unicorn snorted angrily. "I told you to cut back on the thievery!"

"Even if it was from Discord's secret underground stash that only he and of course I know about?"

Smiling, Pinkie handed their leader a tankard. After keeping up her stern look for a few seconds, Twilight smirked and accepted the drink. Then she saw Spike headed towards the barrel with a tankard in his claw.

"Spike!" Twilight shouted. "You're too young to drink!"

"Aw, let him have some fun!" Pinkie said, nudging her in the side. "He completed his training today, he should be celebrating!" Glancing around, she hooked her foreleg in Twilight's and took her aside. "Besides, I found out a few things while I was sneaking around Midnight Castle that you're gonna wanna know about."

As Pinkie whispered, Twilight listened intently, casting the occasional glance at Spike.

"So what are we gonna do?" Pinkie asked.

Twilight tapped her chin. "It won't be an easy task. If something goes wrong, we'll need help."

After much thought, Twilight stood on a log near the campfire and signaled for the musicians to stop.

"My friends!" she called, holding up her hoof to get their attention. "I have news from Midnight Castle! Tonight, Lord Tirek is to depart for Drakeville with Miss Apple Jewel." She caught Spike's eye. "He intends to marry her off to a lord there."

The dragon stood. "We must stop them on the road! Catch them by surprise!"

Twilight shook her head. "Discord will be traveling with them. We won't stand a chance against his magic. Besides, if we attack now, we'll risk injuring Miss Apple Jewel. Tirek will be keeping her close."

Spike's shoulders slumped. "Then what do we do?"

"We follow them to Drakeville."

"But Drakeville's a desert town!" Gilda exclaimed. "Once we leave the forest, there will be nowhere for us to hide!"

"Which is why we won't follow them closely. You'll all leave at dawn and find them in Drakeville."

"You won't be joining us?" Rainbow asked.

"If my plan doesn't work, I have an alternative, but I'll have to go see an old friend first." She turned to the dragon. "Spike, you will be in charge while I'm gone."

Everyone turned to Spike, who appeared more surprised than they were.

"Um, Twilight?" he said, coming up to her. "Can I talk with you alone?"

Nodding, Twilight followed him into his tent.

"Are you crazy?" Spike demanded. "I can't lead these people!"

"You've completed your training," Twilight said matter-of-factly.

"That doesn't mean I can lead! You've all said so yourself, I've never even seen battle! I'm sure I can fight, yes, but I thought when I was gonna fight you were gonna be right there with me and—"

"Spike," Twilight said, gripping his shoulders. "You've come so far these past two months, so much so that there's nothing left for either of us to teach you. You're ready. We all believe it. And even though Applejack hasn't seen what you're able to do, I'm sure she believes it too."

At the mention of his love, Spike sighed in surrender. "Okay. I'll do it. For Applejack."

Her horn illuminated. "Take a few of these, just in case."

Spike's eyes widened at what fell into his claws. "Lavender arrows?"

"Three of them," Twilight said, using her hooves to close his fingers over the arrows. "Use them wisely. I have a few more of my own just in case, but they're not easy to make."

He looked at her in disbelief. "You…you want me to use these? On Tirek, on Discord, on…on Scorpan?"

"Who else?"

He stared down at the arrows for a while and then shook his head. "No. No, no. I can't accept these."

Spike tried to hand them back to Twilight, but she pushed his claws away.

"Why not?" she asked firmly. "They wronged you as much as they wronged me. Not only did they murder your father, but they took your mare."

"Tirek's acts are unforgivable," Spike said, clenching his claws. "But I have no quarrel with Discord, or Scorpan."

Twilight narrowed her eyes. "If it hadn't been for Scorpan, Tirek wouldn't have known where to find the lavender arrow, and while Discord may not have hurt you directly, his silence on Tirek's crimes make him just as guilty."

"But Uncle Scorpan's been good to me, truly! And I wouldn't have escaped had Discord not turned a blind eye! They may not always do the right thing, but they're not evil like Tirek!"

"They ruined me, Spike!" she said, gritting her teeth together. "They took away my home, my title, my life! Everything I'd worked so hard for, gone! They need to pay!"

"With their lives?!"

"Why not?!" she shouted, making him jump back. "They took your father's, and countless others'!"

Spike watched as tears fell from her eyes. He wanted to help her, but the sight of the deadly arrows made him sick to his stomach.

"I love my father," he said, tightening his grip on the arrows. "What Tirek did to him was awful." He held them out to her. "It's too late for Wind Rider, but I wouldn't wish that fate on anyone else."

Twilight appeared disappointed, but she took the arrows back with her magic.

"I won't stop you from taking revenge on Tirek," Spike said carefully, "but…at least reconsider your vendetta against Scorpan and Discord," he took her hoof, "for my sake?"

She sighed. "I can't make any promises."

Nodding, he dropped her hoof. "I understand."

She laid her hoof on his shoulder. "Listen. When you get to whatever house Lord Tirek will be staying at in Drakeville, here's some advice on how you can get past the guards."

Spike listened carefully as she relayed her plan. When she was through, she levitated the flap of the tent to return to the party.

"I think I'll rest," Spike said. "I'll need it for tomorrow morning."

Twilight nodded. "Goodnight then."

As she left, Spike settled down onto his makeshift bed and looked down at the apple-shaped locket around his neck.

"I'm coming for you, AJ," he whispered, and kept the locket close to his heart as he drifted off to sleep.
> New Enemies, New Allies
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Drakeville truly was a desert town, having no patch of green within a fifty-mile radius. If not for the small lake on the outskirts of the city, its citizens would surely perish from heat exhaustion. It also helped that many of its inhabitants were dragons who could withstand such heat. Ponies and creatures of other sorts also walked the streets of rundown, towering buildings.

The Lord of Drakeville's castle was embedded into the nearby mountain, its cliff so steep, one had to fly up to get there. Non-flying guests had the use of a zeppelin, of which the city's port had many. Several feet below the mansion was the gem mine, which had been the main source of Drakeville's income, until about a few years ago when the gems had run out. The city had to rely on the trade of whatever goods they could find, from inexpensive cloth to cactus juice.

In the castle's throne room, Lord Tirek was discussing matters with Lord Garble. He was a tall red dragon with a long jaw filled with sharp teeth. He wasn't particularly large, but he could still tower over ponies, being twice their size. He lay sprawled on his throne as he picked his teeth with a thin emerald shard

"The young lady comes from good family," Tirek said, leaning forward in a bow. "And she's been trained in proper etiquette—"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Lord Garble said, waving his claw boringly. "You said in your letter that this girl has an impressive dowry."

"She does. It'll be yours once you marry her, provided that her land inheritance remains in my possession."

The dragon sat himself up. "Why? There any gems on that land?"

"Oh, no, no, no. It's a mere apple farm."

Garble crossed his arms. "I understand this mare's also captured the interest of a certain group of outlaws."

"Yes," Tirek said, gritting his teeth. "My former ward, Spike de Dragon, has every intention of marrying her himself, so he can claim her inheritance."

"Which would explain why she's still unattached."

The centaur frowned. "Well…my soldiers are doing what they can to arrest him and his criminal comrades—"

Garble held up his claw. "How rich did you say she was again?"

Tirek told him the amount, causing the dragon to grin toothily.

"You're lucky Drakeville's desperate for money, and that we dragons can never resist a challenge from another dragon. I would like to see this mare though." He shrugged. "I have no interest in love or anything, but I'd still like to know what I'm tying myself down to."

With a grin, Tirek bowed further. "Of course." He turned to his soldiers. "Rover, go fetch Miss Apple Jewel, will you?"

Rover saluted and exited the room. Garble stepped down from his throne.

"This mare better be worth it if she's got a boyfriend sending out death threats." He narrowed his eyes at the centaur. "I get the money, but why go through so much trouble just to get her apple farm?"

"My people are desperate for apples," Tirek said with a shrug.

"Must be some apples."

Rover returned with Applejack and Rarity, who both kept their gazes towards the ground.

"Apple Jewel," Tirek said, faking a fatherly tone. "Come say hello to Lord Garble."

Applejack looked up briefly at the tall dragon and held back a nervous gulp. Stepping forward, she curtsied, muttering, "Your lordship."

Rubbing his chin, Garble slowly circled Applejack. Her heart skipped a beat as he suddenly clenched her jaw in his claw, opened her mouth and looked inside. She glanced at Rarity, who gave her an encouraging look.

"Well," he said, stepping away from her, "she's not completely unfortunate-looking. For a pony, anyway."

He then took one of her braids between his fingers, which made Applejack narrow her eyes. This dragon had no sense of decorum, which made her sick. However, the fact that he didn't seem attracted to her made her hopeful that he'd disagree to the match, which would buy her some time. Flitting her gaze towards Tirek, she feared angering him, but if she was subtle in her defiance, she might get away with it.

Decidedly, she slapped his claw away and clutched her braid. "Beg your pardon, your lordship, but it is impolite to pull on a lady's hair."

She then met his astonished gaze for two full seconds before returning hers to the floor. Tirek growled angrily as he clenched his fist. Then, much to everyone's surprise, Garble started laughing.

"She's got spunk," he said, placing his claw on his hips. "I like it." Applejack was stunned as he cupped her chin. "At least you won't be boring."

"Get off me!" she exclaimed, stepping away from him, which only made him chuckle.

"Oh yeah, this'll be fun." He turned to the centaur. "You've got yourself a deal, Lord Tirek."

Applejack's jaw dropped. "B-B-But—"

"You should be grateful, Apple Jewel," Tirek said, laying triumphantly his claw over her shoulder. "I thought you liked dragons."

Applejack shrugged his claw off.

"Oh don't worry," Garble said, grinning toothily as he leaned down to stroke her cheek. "I know ways to make you forget all about that treacherous boyfriend of yours."

She shivered under his touch.

"Show Lord Tirek's guests to their rooms," Garble said to his dragon guards, straightening up, "while he and I discuss the betrothal contract."

Applejack hung her head sadly as the guards led her and Rarity away.

"You should have stuck to my lessons," Rarity whispered.

"You were the one who told me to stand up for myself if he got too touchy," Applejack whispered back.

"Well how was I to know he would actually like your boldness?"

The earth mare groaned. "No way am I gonna spend the rest of my life with that!"

"Oh, I agree, darling. Clearly, not all dragons are as gentile as yours."

"I wouldn't call Spike gentile, but at least he wasn't a…a…"

"Vulgar, inconsiderate beast with no sense of personal boundaries?"

"Exactly!"

The dragon guards were sending them suspicious looks, so Rarity lowered her voice further. "Do not worry. You-know-who might be here before you have to go through with this."

"How? We're in the middle of the desert. He'll be out in the open! He's got wanted posters all over the country! He wouldn't even make it past the city gates!"





At the city gate, a large purple wagon approached. Two stallions pulled it with a stout, blond-bearded stallion at the reins.

"Halt!" one of the two dragon guards said, pointing his spear. "Who goes there?"

"Name's Lilypad," the driver said, tipping his wide-brim hat. "Hear there's a wedding happening, so my band and I have come for entertainment."

The second guard narrowed his eyes at the wagon. "Mind if we take a look back there?"

The driver shrugged. "Be my guest."

The first guard stayed with the driver while the second went around to the back of the wagon. Spear ready, he opened the door.

There was a great cry as several belly dancers covered their half-naked bodies, making the guard blush immensely.

"Do you mind?!" a pink mare screamed.

"Don't you males even bother to knock?!" a rainbow-maned mare demanded.

"The nerve!" a young purple dragon exclaimed in a squeaky voice.

"Shut the door before we pound you!" a griffon shouted, reaching out her claw.

"Sorry!" the guard said, slamming the door.

Too embarrassed to talk, he sent his colleague a thumbs-up.

"Proceed," the other guard said, opening the gate for the wagon.

Once they were through the gate and clear of the guards, Cattail reached behind his head and knocked on the wagon three times. Inside, the Society of the Lavender Arrow released a collective sigh of relief.

"What did I tell ya?" Pinkie said, ripping off her veil. "The old belly-dancer caravan routine gets them every time!"

"Times like this it actually pays to be female," Rainbow said, placing her hooves proudly on her hips.

Spike tugged at his skirt. "I've never felt more ridiculous!"

Rainbow laughed. "You fell in love with a mare while she was dressed as a stallion and this is what you're worried about?"

"Okay, so we made it into the city," Gilda said, crossing her arms. "Now what?"

"Twilight said we must check into an inn and wait until nightfall," Spike said.

"In the meantime," Pinkie said, thrusting her hips into Spike's face, "let's boogie in the streets!"

There were many groans, especially from the stallions in disguise.

"No way am I dancing to satisfy males' disgusting desires!" Gilda exclaimed. "Especially while wearing this!"

Pinkie smirked. "Not even for a few extra coins?"

Gilda stared at her a moment and then sighed. "You're the Devil."





When night fell, the Society of the Lavender Arrow gathered in the cellar of the Duckworth Inn. Spike asked for two flying volunteers to carry out the first part of their plan. Rainbow immediately jumped at the opportunity, while Gilda surprised everyone by raising her claw.

"What?" she said. "I wanna mess with Tirek as much as the rest of you. Besides, if you're gonna do what I think you're gonna do, Dragon, you're gonna need me to carry ya."

She was right. The only way to get up to Lord Garble's castle was to fly, and given how much Spike had grown in the past two months, she was probably the only flyer in the group big enough to carry him on her back.

The party of three was careful enough to stay close to the ground as they flew up the mountain, so as not to be seen. Due to the dragon guards circling the mountain, they made slow progress by hiding in the shrubbery. Eventually, they made it to the castle walls. Fortunately, there was enough rock surrounding the castle to allow Rainbow and Gilda to land and catch their breaths.

"Man, that's a steep mountain!" Rainbow exhaled.

"So now what, Dragon?" Gilda whispered. "We scout the terrain? Look for weak spots in the walls? You can't expect the three of us to take on Tirek's and Garble's troops on our own! And even if there were more of us, Discord probably put up another force field!"

Spike pulled a dagger out of his belt. The curved blade was the color of ivory.

"You're gonna fight them off with a dagger?" Gilda asked.

"It's not for fighting," Spike whispered. "It's for cutting through the force field. Twilight gave it to me." He traced the edge of the blade with his finger. "This is Discord's other fang."

Rainbow's eyes widened. "Where did she get that and how long has she had that?"

"She won it from Discord in a duel, back when they were still sort of friends. It can cut through Discord's magic, as it's a part of him. But only a small hole, and only for a moment. It can't get a whole army through a force field, but it can leave an opening wide enough for one or two."

"I see," Gilda said. "This isn't a sneak attack. This is a breakout."

Spike nodded. "Our first priority is getting Applejack out of there. Then when Twilight rejoins us, we'll launch a full attack on Tirek. I don't want my AJ married off before then. Or worse, she could get caught in the crossfire."

"So we cut through the force field, fly in before the hole closes, get your girl, cut another hole in the force field, then get out before anyone catches us."

"That's Twilight's plan," Spike said, pointing the dagger at the griffon.

"So, if Gilda's here to fly you in," Rainbow said, "what am I supposed to do?"

"You're here to keep a lookout."

Rainbow frowned. "That's it?"

"At least you've got a real job," Gilda grumbled. "I'm stuck playing piggyback. Aren't you dragons supposed to have wings?"

"Yes!" Spike scowled at her. "Mine just…haven't grown in yet!"

"How old are you again?"

"Can we talk about this later?" He turned to Rainbow. "Gilda and I are gonna go look for Applejack's room. If anyone comes our way, caw like a crow, but try to stay out of sight!"

Sighing in defeat, Rainbow saluted.

"What if a real crow starts cawing?" Gilda asked, flapping her wings to launch.

"Then I'll just cry," Rainbow said, "'Hey, guys! Guards coming your way! Get out of there before they see you or hear my really loud shouting!'"

The griffon rolled her eyes. "I was just kidding, Dash."

Gilda slowly rose to top of the wall, low enough so that Spike's eyes were peering over the ledge.

"There are a few Diamond Dog sentries posted about ten feet away from us," he whispered down to Gilda. "I see a light in the tower window. Hand me your spyglass."

"Don't scratch it," Gilda whispered, begrudgingly taking her spyglass from her belt and handing it to him.

Spike looked at the lighted window in the tower though the glass. He could see two mares: one at a vanity, and one at a bed. He recognized the mare at the vanity as the maid, Rarity. The other was an orange earth mare with long, braided blonde…

Gasping, he readjusted the spyglass as he studied the mare more carefully. She looked so…different in a dress, and with her mane braided like that. But there was no mistaking that beautiful, freckled face.

"Applejack," he murmured, his heart beating wildly.

Oh, how good it was to see her after all this time.

"Hey, Romeo!" Gilda whispered harshly. "Save the googly eyes for after the rescue!"

Lowering the spyglass, Spike shook out of his daydream. "Right."

He handed Gilda back her spyglass and took out his dagger.

"Alright," he whispered. "If you just fly up a little higher, I'll—"

A shrill caw-caw cut through the air. Spike and Gilda stiffened as the noise came a second time. They looked down to see Rainbow in the shrubbery below, gesturing for them to come down. Gilda wasted no time flying down into the shrubs. Spike crouched down so that he was pressed against the griffon's back. If they weren't in such a dire situation, she would've yelled at him to back off.

Raising one hoof to her lips, Rainbow pointed out to the far corner of the wall. Coming around it was a trio of ponies clad in armor. Two of them were pegasi, and the one in the middle was a big, burly earth stallion.

"I don't recognize them from my uncle's guard," Spike whispered.

"Must be Garble's," Rainbow replied, "or new recruits."

"So, do we take 'em out or what?" Gilda asked.

Spike was about to answer when the knights' heads turned their way. Quickly, he clamped his claws over the girls' mouths. The burly knight whispered a command to one of the pegasi and the latter flew cautiously towards the bushes. The three outlaws glanced at each other and nodded in silent agreement.

With a collective war cry, the three of them leaped out of the shrubs, surprising the knights as they tackled them. Gilda and Rainbow each went for one of the flyers while Spike jumped the burly leader. Rainbow pinned her pegasus to the ground. His green eyes looked up at her in a mixture of awe and confusion.

"You're…you're a girl," he said.

With a smirk, Rainbow drew her sword. "Mare."

Unfortunately, she had to use her hoof to get her sword, putting less pressure on her opponent's shoulders. Seeing the opportunity, the knight bucked his hips upward, knocking Rainbow forwards. He clasped his hooves around her elbow, brought it down to his chest, hooked his back hoof with hers and rolled her over. He flapped upwards and took out his own sword.

"Hey, no fair!" Rainbow said, springing up. "That's my move!"

Meanwhile, the burly knight only needed to stand on his hind hooves to get Spike to slide off his back. Both drew their swords simultaneously, bringing them together with a mighty clang!

"Oh no, you don't!" Spike said, moving his sword to meet with his opponent's blows. "I'm not letting you brutes get in the way of my AJ!"

The burly knight paused, his sword hanging above his head. "AJ?"

Spike swung at his knees, but his opponent jumped in time. "You're not gonna stop me from saving her!"

"Saving her?" said one of the pegasi, who was being crushed beneath Gilda's hindquarters.

"But aren't you Lord Tirek's guards?" asked the other, who was still clashing swords with Rainbow.

"Please," snorted the mare. "Like that misogynistic pig would actually hire us to guard him."

"And if we were, why would you fight us?" Spike asked, pausing when he realized his opponent wasn't attempting a blow. "Aren't you Tirek's guards?"

The burly knight shook his head. "Nope."

"We're here to rescue Miss Apple Jewel!" cried Rainbow's opponent.

Rainbow stopped swinging. "Wait, what? That's what we're here to do!"

The battle suddenly ceased and all became quiet. The only sound was the second pegasus' grunting as he attempted to get out from under Gilda.

"It appears we have a common goal," Spike said, slowly sheathing his sword.

"Eeyup," the burly knight said with a nod.

The dragon eyed the huge stallion closely. It was so dark, and his armor and helmet hid so much he couldn't make out much of his features.

"Who are you, and what interest do you have in Miss Apple Jewel?"

The burly knight opened his mouth to answer when Rainbow caw-cawed again. They could hear the trudging of Diamond Dog paws.

"They must've heard the fighting," Gilda whispered, finally jumping off the pegasus knight.

"We'll talk later," Spike whispered to the leader. "If you truly also wish to free Apple Jewel, meet us in the cellar of the Duckworth Inn in an hour."

"That's where we're staying!" said the knight who'd been dueling Rainbow.

"Perfect," Spike said, mounting Gilda. "Perhaps we could be of use to each other."

The burly knight nodded as his pegasus companions each grabbed one side of him and flapped their wings. They flew in one direction while the outlaws flew in another, before any of the Diamond Dogs could spot either.





An hour later, the outlaws once again made use of the cellar. They had bribed the innkeeper not to let any pony in. Rainbow was keeping a lookout upstairs for the trio they'd battled earlier.

"Still not sure we can trust these guys," Gilda said. "I mean what if they do work for Tirek and are just pretending to be rescuing your girl just so they can lead Tirek to our hideout?"

"Tirek doesn't care about the rest of you," Spike said. "I'm the one he's after. If they really worked for him, they would've just slaughtered me on the spot. Besides, they were scared of those Diamond Dogs too. We've got to trust them."

The cellar doors opened and the Society of the Lavender Arrow looked up as Rainbow entered with three armored stallions. The pegasi had removed their helmets. One of them was light blue with indigo hair and bright green eyes, likely the one who'd fought Rainbow. The other was black with a white buzzcut and yellow eyes. The burly leader looked down at Spike curiously, his green eyes peering through the slit of his helmet.

"Our captain still has trouble trusting you," said the light blue pegasus. "Before he reveals his identity, he wants to know why you also seek Miss Apple Jewel."

Spike reached into the front of his shirt. Thinking he was going to pull out a weapon, the pegasi knights grabbed the hilts of their swords readily. They relaxed when they realized it was just a locket.

"Well, you see," Spike said, holding the golden apple pendant up to the knights, "she's my sweetheart."

The burly knight's eyes widened as they focused on the locket. He held out his hoof, silently asking to get a closer look. Reluctantly, Spike removed the locket and handed it to him. The burly knight brought it to his eyes and opened it up to reveal the pictures inside.

"W-Where," he croaked, "where did you get this?"

"Applejack—" Spike shook his head. "I mean Apple Jewel gave it to me."

The black pegasus took a step forward. "How do we know you didn't just steal it or buy it in some thieves' market?"

Spike twiddled his fingers unsurely. "Well…I don't know if this means anything, but…she told me to give a message to her brother."

The burly knight's head shot up. "What's the message?"

The dragon cringed. "I'm not sure what it means but…something about an orchard blossom?"

He stiffened a moment, then the burly knight let out a laugh. "That's AJ, alright."

After handing back the locket, he removed his helmet, revealing a red, freckled face framed by a thin, orange mane. Squinting, Spike found something oddly familiar about this stallion. Then, looking back at the picture of Applejack's father, he knew why.

"Are you…?" he said.

The big knight nodded. "I'm Sir Big Macintosh of Applewood, Apple Jewel's brother."