> Spike and the Stone of lust > by IKnowWhatToDo > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Chapter One > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Celestia’s sun was rising from the east casting a long shadow of the mountains over Ponyville. Never the less with or without the lack of light Spike still awoke on schedule. He lazily got out of bed and started shifting towards the door. He opened the door and proceeded down the steps. Looking around as he reached the bottom of the stairs he noticed that the main room for the library was a total disaster. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes he also noticed that Twilight had fallen asleep on the couch with an open book covering her face. “She doesn’t make this easy on me, does she?” Ever so quietly he started returning books to their rightful place of origin. With the last of the books cleaned up he walked over to Twilight getting prepared to wake her from her slumber. Before he pulled the book from Twilight’s face he looked at the title to see what she was reading. “The Diamond Shrine, hmm…wonder what that is.” He slowly lifted the spine of the hardcover book with his claw trying his hardest to keep it steady. What he saw made his heart skip a few beats and forced him to clutch his heart with his claw dropping the book to the floor. Twilight was lying there on the couch with her eyes wide open. Spike stood up and snapped his claws a few times in front of her face. After she didn’t reply Spike started to get worried, but that worry was soon replaced with relief when he heard her snore. “*phew* scared the crap out of me for a second.” A light soon went off in Spike’s head “oh cool, that means free day today.” Spike was about to open the door to his freedom until he heard Twilight stir. “Spike, is that you?” Twilight shifted till she got a view of her number one assistant. Spike sighed in disappointment knowing that his freedom had been ripped from his grasp once again. “Yeah, it’s me.” “Where are you going?” Now semi awake she stood up and trotted towards him. He looked left and right “just…out.” She paused a moment… then lazily patted him on his tip of his snout “okay, have fun.” Spike’s expression changed from disappointment to confusion “real…” He stopped himself from going any further since he knew Twilight was still to sleepy to understand what she was saying. “Well, I’m going back to bed.” She slowly turned and started to trudge to the stairs stumbling into something every so often. “Wow you really are tiered, aren’t you?” Spike walked over to her and took a hold of her hoof and supported her up the stairs until they reached the edge of her bed. “Thanks Spike.” “No problem.” When Spike was sure that Twilight had fallen asleep he crept his way outside. He held his claw up blocking his eyes from the harmful rays of the sun. Once he got adjusted to the bright light he made his way into town. He aimlessly walked down the roads of Ponyville waving at its occupants. He noticed that he was now as tall as Big Mac and felt very accomplished about it. He did have his growth spurt on his last birthday, this time it was a pleasant growth instead of an impending doom one like the first year he was here. He was walking through the market place looking at all the different stands that the pony folk had set up. Rose, the local florist, was selling flowers, Berry was selling grapes, and Applejack was selling apples. He decided to go over and talk to his friend since he didn’t have any real destination in mind. As he approached the stand a smile made its way onto Applejack’s face. “Why, howdy Spike, what can I do ya for?” “Oh, nothing just a day out on the town, ya know?” “Well, if ya don’t got plans fer today would ya wanna help around the stand?” Spike gave her a skeptical look. “I’ll pay ya.” Spike shrugged. “Yeah, okay why not.” Throughout the day Spike had made a fair amount of bits, but at the price of his own dignity. Applejack had him juggle apples to try to get some passerby’s attention, but every time he would drop an apple the crowds would start throwing stuff at him and boo. They were about to call it a day when Fluttershy approached the stand. “Evening Fluttershy.” “Oh, good evening Applejack.” “Ya look’n to buy some apples?” Applejack sounded a little to egger to Spike. “No, I was actually looking for Spike.” Spike stood up from the chair he was sitting on and walked over to the shy pony. “What do ya need Fluttershy?” “Oh, well, I was wondering…if it weren’t any trouble, if you could take care of my animals tomorrow. You see I’ve got a spa day with Rarity tomorrow and I won’t be able to take care of them.” “Uh, sure Fluttershy, I could watch your animals for a while, but of course I would need to talk with Twilight about it.” Truth was Spike didn’t really want to go and look after a bunch of animals. Especially since they didn’t exactly enjoy his company. “Oh thank you so much Spike.” She zipped up to him and gave him a quick little squeeze. “If you can, be at my cottage by eight.” “A.M?” “Yes.” Spike was walking down stone sidewalk on his way back to the library. It was already dark and he was hoping that Twilight wouldn’t be to mad about him staying out. He was happily tossing the sack of golden coins in the air proud to say he did the work to acquire said coins. He noticed that there was barely a pony on the road because it was dark. One time when Spike was younger he had a horrible nightmare about the dark and Twilight told him a saying that didn’t really help his nerves. She told him ‘don’t be afraid of the dark, be afraid of what’s in it’. But now that he was older his eyes have adjusted to the darkness and he could see what was in the dark and to be honest it wasn’t so scary. He looked up at the moon that illuminated the night sky and ground below his feet. By the position of the moon he could tell that he would get a lecture from Twilight about staying out too late. He knew a way to get the library faster, but he really didn’t want to go home this very second. He passed a very familiar looking structure it was none other than the Carousel Boutique. He stood there for a few seconds thinking about the mare he so desperately wanted to be his, Rarity. He noticed something out of the ordinary; the base floor of the wedding cake shaped building hade a light on. “Wonder why she’s up so late?” Spike made his way to the front of the building now face to face with the door knocker. He hesitated at first thinking if he should disturb her or not. He decided against it and turned to walk away. Before he could take a step away he heard the creak of a door being opened. “Spike, is that you?” He turned and faced the most beautiful being in all of Equestria. “Hey Rarity.” He said a little too enthusiastically. “Whatever are you doing here at this late hour, why you must be freezing, please darling come in.” She stood aside and gestured for the large drake to enter her home/place of business. “Well, thanks” He entered her home and took a look around. Everything seemed to be in order, so why would she be so distraught. “Now, please sit and tell me what you’re doing here.” She lay down on her rug in front of her fire place and patted the area next to her. He accepted her offer and sat crossed legged next to her. “Well, I was out for a walk when I noticed that your light was on and I wanted to know if there was anything wrong.” Spike didn’t notice until now that Rarity had a frown upon her face the entire time. Her frown quickly became a smile. “Oh, yes everything is just fine dear thank you for your concern.” Spike wasn’t buying into the fake happiness that she desperately wanted to emit. “Rarity…” Spike took a more serious tone now “I know when you’re lying.” She looked up into the dragons green eyes and knew that he was right, lying to him was pointless. She let out a sigh signing defeat “well, if you must know I’ve been having…well…um…relationship troubles.” She was now blushing with embarrassment. “Really?” She looked back at his a little angrier than before. “What, I can’t be in a relationship without your consent?” She had a hint of playfulness in her voice which made Spike ease up a little, but not a lot “No that’s not what I meant, I just… you know…thought that you’d be the last person to have those types of problems.” He gave her a sheepish grin and scratched the back of his neck with his claws while giving a nervous chuckle. “Oh, don’t be so nervous dear I was only pulling your leg.” She gave giggle that sent Spike’s heart a flutter. He would do anything for her to stay this happy forever. “I know…” Spike now lay on his belly and held his head up with his claws “now tell me what happened.” Rarity looked at Spike shocked that he offered his time to help her like he used to do. “Are you sure you want to hear the whole story?” Spike didn’t reply, but instead gave a vigor nod of his head. “Well, alright if you insist. It all started when I met him at…” With every passing word that Rarity spoke, Spike’s heart sunk more and more about the stallion that swopped her off her hooves and was the most romantic pony she had ever had the pleasure of meeting. He knew he shouldn’t, but he couldn’t help but feel that it should have been him who swept her off her hooves. After all he loved her from the first time he saw her. Over the years he spent less and less time with Rarity, which he hated by the way, it’s just he had too many responsibilities for Twilight now that he was in his mid-teens. The more he tried to express his feelings for her the harder it got, if only she had let him finish when they were falling towards the river the day of his birthday. He got better at hiding his feelings from her though. He didn’t exactly want to hide his feelings from her, but Twilight told him that it would never work between them due to the species and age boundary and that it was just a stupid little crush, but as time passed he realized it wasn’t a crush but love and he really couldn’t give a lesser damn about the boundaries. All he knew was that he wanted to be with Rarity no matter what till the end of time itself. “And that’s when he proposed.” Spike heard those dreaded words and came back to reality with wide eyes and a broken heart. “W-what did you say?” He swallowed hard trying to get the lump in his throat to go down, but it wouldn’t comply with his wish. “I said no.” That helped the lump go down, but it was still not completely gone. “But know that I think about it…” Spike froze thinking about what she was just about to say. “I believe I need to think again about the proposal after all I do love him.” Those last few words were the words that sent Spike into emotional turmoil. How could she love somepony that wasn’t him? He knew it was selfish, but right now he really didn’t care. “Thank you Spike for helping me realize the mistake I made.” She got up from her place on the rug and walked over to him. She gave him a light peck on the check which really didn’t help his mood that much. He put on a forced smile and blushed “just happy to help” he said rather bluntly. “Well, again thank you, but I must get my beauty sleep.” She ushered him out the front door before he could give his rebuttal. When he heard the door close behind him he felt as though he could burst into tears right then and there. And that’s exactly what he did. He started walking in the direction of the library, he wanted to run and just be rid of all the ponies in this town, but he knew he could never leave them especially Twilight. Before he was halfway home he heard a clap of thunder overhead and looked up. And sure enough there were thunderclouds starting to roll through Ponyville. He collapsed to his knees and started to cry harder than he ever thought he could. He dug his claws into the ground below and started to squeeze the life out of the already non-living soil. He looked up at the clouds above as the rain started to lightly pitter-patter against his face. “Do you enjoy seeing me suffer?!” He yelled at the night sky. “Boy do I ever.” A voice rang through the sky. “Who’s there?” Spike called looking in all directions for the owner of the voice. “Oh dear, Spike, do you not remember me?” The voice sounded sad, but Spike could tell that it was also being sarcastic. “I don’t know what you’re talking about I can’t even see you.” Spike still franticly looking around trying to decipher where the voice was coming from. “Come on, close your eyes and imagine what body goes with this voice.” Spike was still a little scared of the voice that was talking to him, for all he knew the voice could be his own subconscious. Reluctantly he closed his eyes and tried to image the pony that was talking to him. “There, now think of who I am.” Spike kept his eyes closed, but he still couldn’t think of who was talking to him. “I’m sorry I don’t know who you are.” “Oh for the love of…” Spike felt the talons of an eagle and the paw of a lion wrap around the sides his face. Spike opened his eyes and recognized the figure that stood before him. “Do you recognize me now?” Spike fell on back in surprise and in slight fear. “D-discord…what are you doing here…how did you get out?” Spike tried to sound fiercer by the end of his words. “Me, oh I’m simply here to help you as for how I got out that doesn’t concern you.” He sounded as if it was just an innocent visit from an old friend. Spike collected himself and stood up. “I somehow find that hard to believe.” Spike sneered at him. Discord reared away from Spike with his hands in the air. “Hey hey hey hey, what’s with all the hostility?” Spike was not in the mood to deal with Discord after the emotional turmoil he had just gone through, but he had to watch his tone because he knew with a snap of his talons Spike could turn into a duck. “Why are you here?” He said with a slightly less irritated tone. “Like I said before I came to help you; I have a gift.” Spike now started to trudge back to the library. “Keep it, I don’t want it.” Discord scoffed at Spike’s response. “Do you even know what it is?” Discord caught up with Spike and was now floating on his back next to him. “No, but whatever it is I don’t want it; especially if it’s coming from you.” Spike turned his head until he was practically nose to snout with Discord giving him a death glare; which by the looks of it was not having any effect on him. “Oh come on, just take a look at it; I’m almost positive you’ll want it.” Spike looked over at Discord and there, in his hands, he held a shiny diamond gem. Spike eyed the gem taking in its majesty and started to ponder if it tasted as good as it looked. Discord smiled to himself. “Gotcha.” He said to no one in particular. Spike vigorously shook his head. “No! I need to get out of here.” He darted off towards the library leaving a very confused looking Discord in his wake. “Don’t gotcha? Why, that hardly ever happens.” Discord took another quick look at the gem in his hands and shrugged. “Oh well, he’ll come back…they always do.” Discord smiled a smile that the Grinch would have a hard time coping with. He then felt the pitter patter of something heavy hitting the top of his head. He looked up and received a piece of hail to the eye. “Ow!” After rubbing his eye enough to get the ice rock out he scurried into the Everfree forest where he would continue to carry out his plan. Spike was still sprinting through the town streets not giving any attention to the hail. He had forgotten, for the time being, about the incident with Rarity. He needed to tell somepony about this, he needed somepony to confide in, he needed Twilight. Other story is on hold for those who care, I doubt anybody does, but just for those who wonder. > Chapter Two > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Spike continued to run through the rain and hail towards the library, trying to figure out a way to tell Twilight the events of this evening. All he knew was that he had to tell her about Discord, more than anything else. He eventually found himself at the front entrance of the library. He quietly opened the door. “Twilight, you in here?” He said as he poked his head into the main room of the library. “I’m down here Spike.” Spike looked around trying to figure out where Twilight was. Then he noticed that the door to the basement was open and a light could be seen dimly shining. Closing the door behind him he started to make his way towards the cellar door. “What are you up to down here?” He asked as he shuffled down the basement stairs, avoiding the pipeline hanging from the ceiling. “Oh, nothing, just working on a few potions that I read about.” Spike picked up a potion in a clear glass tube. “What does this one do?” He started to swirl the tube in a circular motion, making the liquid form a mini whirlpool. Twilight quickly took hold of the potion. “Careful with that Spike, these potions are no laughing matter.” She put the beaker back in its assigned position on the rack and continued to stir the current potion in front of her. Spike picked up the same beaker again and eyed its contents, more interested than before. “Why, what do they do?” He put the beaker back where he got it from and joined Twilight by her chemistry table. “I’m not sure, exactly.” She looked at Spike and gave him a sheepish smile. She noticed that Spike had a more distracted look in his eye. “Spike, is everything alright?” She placed a hoof on his shoulder. When Spike felt the touch of Twilights hoof he looked up at her. “Actually, everything’s not alright.” He wasn’t even about to hide the fact that Discord was back, he also might have to tell her about how he was feeling towards Rarity at the point. “What happened?” She asked taking on a more motherly tone. Spike proceeded to tell her of the events that occurred that evening, but he rushed through the uneventful ones. He wanted to tell her desperately of the talk with Rarity, just so he could get it off his chest. When the time came for him to tell her about Rarity; he was having problems forming the words. “And then…well…I went to visit Rarity.” Twilight silently mouthed the word oh. “I see what’s going on.” She went up to Spike and wrapped her forearms around his back, pulling him into a comforting hug. Spike forcefully, but gently, pushed her away. “I really don’t think you do.” He looked down again at the potion, finding it suddenly the most interesting thing in the room. “What do you mean, what exactly happened tonight, Spike?” She took a few steps toward Spike so she could look at him in the eyes. “She’s…uh…she’s engaged and what’s worse is that I helped her make the decision,” he said gently rubbing the top of table with his claw, still not removing his eyes from the potion. “Oh my, Spike, I’m so sorry, are you okay?” Twilight put a reassuring hoof on Spikes shoulder and another one under his chin. She lifted his head until they were eye-to-eye. “I’ve felt better, that’s for sure.” He tried not to sound too disappointed, but when the mare of your dreams says that she’s taken, you can only hope not to sulk. “Oh Spike.” Twilight resumed her comforting hug. “You know it’s odd, I haven’t heard of Rarity being in any new relationship.” Spike decided to ignore the last part of the statement and just enjoy the warmth that Twilight was emanating. When Twilight was hugging him Spike felt strange, as if all his worries were washed away and he didn’t have a care in the world. He simply shrugged it off as a thought of being comforted. “But, that’s not exactly why I came to talk to you.” He said taking on a more serious tone. The tone had not gone unnoticed by Twilight and she pulled away. “What else is wrong?” “Well…when I was on my way back I ran into…” Spike stopped abruptly, he felt a heat rising in his chest. It was defiantly a different feeling from when Twilight was hugging him. “Spike, is something wrong?” She asked taking a few steps back. He looked as if he was on the verge of puking. “Yeah I just…” he realized what was coming and immediately turned his head so Twilight would not be hit with it. Spike belched a loud belch and let a stream of fire escape his lips. Letting a brown parchment fall to the ground. After regaining his composer he picked up the parchment in his claws and removed the royal seal that kept the letter together. “Well this is…different. We haven’t received a letter from the princess in quite some time.” Spike unrolled the letter and started reading to himself. Dear Twilight Sparkle, it has come to my attention that our old foe Dis- Spike looked at Twilight and gave her a shy smile. “It’s for you,” he said, holding out the letter for her to grab. Twilight took hold of the piece of paper and started to read aloud. “Dear Twilight Sparkle, it has come to my attention that our old foe Discord has escaped…” Twilight’s eyes grew wide and she allowed a gasp to escape her mouth. “…I do not have the information to how he got free or his whereabouts. But it is of the up most importance that the other elements are informed as quickly as possible. I ask you to stay as vigilant as possible and tell no one of the situation except your friends. Once I learn more information I will tell you immediately.” Twilight dropped the letter on her desk and went to her room closing the door behind her. Spike was shocked at her reaction. He walked up the stairs until he was at the door to Twilight’s room. He knocked, but got no reply. “Twilight, you okay?” He was met with a door slamming into face. He stumbled back until he noticed that he flipped over the railing and hit ground with a thud. Twilight walked down the stairs and over to the front door and looked back at Spike. “Sorry Spike, but I have to tell the other girls right now.” Spike stood up wobbling at first, but managed to stand correctly. “Right now? But Twilight it’s raining…and it’s almost midnight.” “Spike this is Discord we’re talking about, not some missing kitten. This is very important.” She opened the door with her magic. “Wait, what about the last thing I need to talk to you about?” “Again, sorry Spike, but whatever it is it’ll have to wait. I need to tell the girls about Discord.” “ButTwilightthat’sthereason…” Before Spike could finish she sprinted out the door slamming it behind her. “…I need to talk to you.” I guess I’ll just have to wait for her to get back. Spike took a seat in the main room of the library. He took a look at the clock and it read 12:30. Yep, might have to wait awhile. Spike sat there for what seemed like hours. She has to be coming home soon. Spike took another look at the clock, it read… 12:55! You know what; screw this I’ll tell her tomorrow. Spike then walked up the stairs and past Twilight’s bedroom. He reached a door that was colored the same way as his scales and opened the door. The room was your average bedroom; a bed, a dresser, a bookshelf, and a night stand. On the night stand was a picture that made Spike’s heart ache with every beat. In the picture was him and Rarity sitting on top of a hill watching a meteor shower above them. Spike smiled sadly at the beautiful mare in the picture, that he had the pleasure of being beside that night. He saw a liquid fall onto the picture frame. He looked up expecting to see the roof leaking, but instead it was completely dry. He looked back down at the picture and realized it was him, he was crying. He placed the picture back down in its original spot and lie down on his bed facing the ceiling above him. No matter how much he wanted, he could not fall asleep. He kept thinking about what he could have done differently to get Rarity to like him more than a friend. With these thoughts still fresh in his mind he slowly drifted to sleep thinking of a song that he heard the other day on the radio that perfectly described his situation. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOZ0P-wGxfM&feature=fvwrel) The next morning Spike was awoken by the chirping of birds and sunlight seeping through the blinds. He inhaled deeply and looked around the room trying to look for what woke him. He looked out the window and looked at the bird that so rudely interrupted his slumber. But…there was something familiar about this bird. Isn’t that Fluttershy’s bird? Fluttershy’s bird. Fluttershy! Without a second thought he jumped out of bed and raced down stairs. Passing Twilight while she was in the kitchen. She poked her head out of the kitchen and called after Spike. “Spike, where are you going!?” Spike looked back, but refused to slow down. “Bye Twilight,” he said, not actually answering her question. After about a few minutes of running through Ponyville he finally made it to Fluttershy’s cottage. Fluttershy was standing on her front steps sweeping some dust of the steps. Spike approached her still panting from his run through Ponyville. “Hey Fluttershy, sorry I’m late.” Fluttershy turned and looked at Spike. “It’s quite alright Spike,” she said giving him a warm smile. It was nice to know that Fluttershy wasn’t scared of him, even though he had a hoof and a half on her height. “So, who am I taking care of today?” he asked, clasping his claws together. “Oh it’s just Angel, everyone else is outside or…mating.” Fluttershy made a scared face after that one word, which made Spike chuckle a little. “Alright, well I won’t keep you any longer.” “Thanks again, Spike,” she said giving him a small peck on the cheek. With that she took her leave and walked off towards the spa. It was hard to believe but Spike was blushing more than Fluttershy was. “Have a good time,” he called out trying to keep his voice from cracking. He looked down to his side and noticed Angel looking up at him with one eyebrow raised. “What, she kissed me.” Angel said nothing, but started thumping his foot against the floor, as if losing patience with the dragon. “Alright, I didn’t hate it, but trust me there is nothing going on between us.” Satisfied with his answer, Angel turned and started to hop into the cottage followed by Spike. After a few hours Angel got hungry and asked Spike if he could make his favorite dish…not verbally of course. Spike was practically known for his culinary skills. But unfortunately Fluttershy did not have the supplies he needed to prepare the dish. “How about I make you a nice bowl of lettuce?” Angel scowled at Spike. “Carrots?” The scowl deepened. “Fries?” Spike asked growing a sheepish smile. Angel just stood there stomping his foot. Spike sighed. “Well, what do you want me to do?” Before Spike could process what happened, he found himself outside the cottage with a basket and a list of food ingredients. “I am being bullied by a bunny the size of my toe; I have officially lost my masculinity.” After questioning his manhood he went into the market to gather the food needed to make Angel’s meal. An hour later Spike had gotten everything he needed. He was walking along the dirt path back to Fluttershy’s cottage when from the corner of his eye he noticed Twilight walking into the spa. What’s she up to? Curiosity got the better of him, so he decided to follow Twilight into the spa. After walking a few feet he heard giggling that he could only assume was Fluttershy and Rarity. He knew he shouldn’t but he hid behind a wall, were he could hear them but they couldn’t see him. “Hello girls.” Spike could easily tell that that was Twilight. “Good morning Twilight.” The elegant voice told him that was Rarity “Hi.” And the lack of words proved that was Fluttershy. “Did you come to tell us any news of Discord?” Discord? Oh shit, Discord, I completely forgot. Spike was about to go in and tell Twilight about last night’s encounter with him until he heard her say something that caught his attention. “Actually Rarity, with all the fuss over Discord I forgot to congratulate you.” “On what, darling?” “Well, Spike told me that you were getting engaged.” “You’re getting engaged?” Fluttershy squealed with delight. Rarity let out a chuckle. “Oh, that, well I’m actually not getting engaged.” When she said that, Spike started to feel light hearted, like he still had a chance with her. “Then, why would you tell him that?” “I told him that because…I just couldn’t take it any longer.” “What do you mean?” “I told him that so he would give up on me and leave me alone.” What, leave you alone, we barely see each other anymore. “Rarity you act as if he were a bother to you.” “I know, don’t get me wrong I love Spike, just not the way he wants me to.” Spike couldn’t take the words any longer; he stormed out of the building, but made sure he would not be noticed by the girls. Spike reached Fluttershy’s cottage in a furious state. He opened the front door and slammed it behind him. Startling Angel who was sitting on the table waiting for Spikes return. “I can’t believe her! Saying that I need to leave her alone! Do you know how much shit I put up with for her?!” He directed this question towards Angel. Angel shrugged not knowing the answer. “A lot, that’s how much! God she just makes me so…” Spike gave a defeated sigh and slumped down on the couch while dropping the basket on the coffee table in front of him. Angel hopped down from the table and hopped over to Spike, putting a paw on his leg trying to comfort him. “Do you know what’s pathetic…I still love her.” Spike buried his face in his hands trying to keep himself from crying. Angel only started to pat Spike’s leg with his paw trying harder to make him feel better. “Thanks, now I know why Fluttershy likes you so much.” Angel looked up at him with an I-am-not-amused gaze. “Only kidding, well let’s go and make you lunch. After he finished making Angels food, he took a seat at the dining table with Angel sitting across from him. Spike was sitting down eating a familiar round, slim piece of meat. The entire time Spike was eating Angel was giving him a very worried look. “What, it’s only peperoni. You’re totally safe; I have enough control to not go on an eating spree…OUR DO I!” He roared a loud roar that would scare a manticore. Angel was terrified and sprinted out the door. “Wait Angel, come on, I was just kidding.” Spike got up and ran after Angel. Spike chased Angel around the house until they were in the backyard. “Come on Angel I was only joking, I’m not actually going to eat you.” Spike tried to approach Angel, which only scared the little bunny more. Without hesitation, Angel ran into the Everfree forest. “Wait Angel, it’s dangerous in there, you can get hurt!” Spike ran into forest after Angel. He knew if anything happened to Angel, Fluttershy would not forgive him. Spike had been running for five minutes and there was still no sign of Angel. “Angel, where are you!” Something in the bushes then started to rustle. Worried for Angel’s safety he decided to see if it was Angel. “Angel, is that you?” Angel then hopped out of bush and sent Spike stumbling back. “Don’t scare me like that, Angel.” Without stopping, Angel continued to run back to the cottage. Leaving Spike with a confused look on his face. Spike stood up and made his way towards the bush the Angel jumped out of. He separated a few branches and found a little mouse inside. “Aw, now why would Angel be scared of such a cute creature?” He picked up the small mouse and held it in his palms. Something about the mouse changed, which kinda scared Spike. “Hello Spike.” Spike yelped and dropped the mouse. He slowly backed away from it. “Now Spike, is that a way to greet old friends?” “Discord, what do you want now?” The mouse opened in half like it was perfectly symmetric. Letting a swirling wind escape the open mouse, it felt like a hurricane. And out came Discord. “I’m here to simply offer the same thing I did yesterday.” “Yeah, well you can keep it, I still don’t want it,” he said, as he began to walk away. Discord gave a blood chilling chuckle. “Spike, I think we both know that that’s a lie.” Spike stopped dead in his tracks and turned to face Discord, who was giving a devilish smile. “What do you mean?” With a snap of his fingers the same gem from yesterday appeared in his hand. “This can give you what you truly want…that girl Rarity.” Spike didn’t even think about the possible outcome of his decision all he knew was that he wanted Rarity to like him…desperately. Spike quickly took the gem from Discord and threw it in his mouth. With a satisfied crunching sound Spike swallowed the gem and sped off towards the cottage. “He didn’t even give me a chance to explain what happens…that’s boring. Oh well, he will learn his lesson soon enough,” Discord said, growing another disturbing smile. > MESSAGE TO ALL > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- In an attempt to become more viewer friendly I have decided to conduct a voting. I want you to feel like you helped make this story. So leave a comment on who you think Spike should have romantic relations with first. It can be anypony from Applebloom to Princess Celestia, even a background character, but there is one condition. They have to be female. One last item on the agenda, whoever comes in second and third and ect. will not be forgotten, they will go after the pony before them has their turn. So, like I said vote on who you think shoud go first. > Chapter Three > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Spike was running back towards Fluttershy’s cottage, paying little to no attention to the branches that were scraping his face and torso. The entire time he was running he could only think of one question. What the hell did I just do!? A few steps later, Spike was bested by a loose root that jutted out from the ground and tripped over it. Spike face planted in the dirt and mud. He lifted his head and started spitting out twigs, leaves, and mud from his mouth. As he looked back in the direction he was running from and he swore that deep in the darkness he could see Discord’s yellow eyes staring at him, but there was something…off… about these eyes, they seemed…normal. Wait, Discord doesn’t have normal eyes, his are disproportional. Spike squinted, hoping that he could get a better look at whatever was in the darkness. When he stood up and started to walk towards the eyes he heard a faint, but audible growl. Against his better judgment, he decided to step closer to it. With every passing step the growl grew louder and louder. Soon the pair of yellow eyes were joined by another…and another…and another. Eyes continued to appear in the darkness until there were dozens among dozens of eyes. Each pair eyeing every muscle on his body. Spike took one step back while the being before him took one step forward; revealing a long leg made of twigs and vines. Timberwolves. Spike was starting to panic a little. He could take on a few of the beasts, but not a whole pack of them. Fire or not these beasts could be very deadly. Spike took another step back, only this time every other timberwolf took one step forward, creating an audible thud against the forest floor. Taking another look around he thought escape would be worthless. Unless he could create a distraction long enough for him to exit the forest safely. Without further warning a timberwolf leaped from the bushes, mouth prepared to make a meal out of Spike. With his quick wits, Spike lit the wolf on fire and blew a large, but controlled fire at the ground, creating a wall of fire between him and the wolves. Spike turned and dashed through the flora and fauna. Spike was still running when he heard a howl come from behind him. He looked back and saw timberwolf after timberwolf fallowing him. All were panting; they couldn’t wait to sink their teeth into the rare dragon meat. Spike quickly shook his head; he didn’t have time to be thinking about this. Again, turning his head to look at a timberwolf he blew a flame that lit the lead dog of twigs on fire, reducing it to ashes. That only seemed to piss the tiberwolves off even more, watching their comrade fall. If the Timberwolves weren’t sprinting at full speed before, they sure as hell were now. With every step Spike took the timberwolves took two more. Taking the time to snap at his heels and falling over each other was the only thing keeping the wolves at bay. He stopped dead in his tracks and turned to face the timberwolves directly. The site he saw would scare the most ferocious of beasts. The timberwolves were charging at him, fangs dripping with saliva and claws out stretched ready to attack. He had to time this right or else he would be killed here on the spot. He took a deep breath and released it slowly trying to control his nerves. He readied himself, the time was coming. He took in some air for the second time, but held it in. His chest was puffed out, waiting for the correct time to release the flame building in the pit of his stomach. The lead timberwolf leaped at Spike, baring his fangs preparing for its lunch. Spike released the fire he had built up and unleashed it on the timberwolves. Setting fire to each and every one of them; however, Spike did not take into account that he would set a number of trees on fire. He looked around noticing that nothing was green from the vegetation, but instead red from his fire. He ran over to the closest tree and started to try to put out the fire. He heard a crack and snap come from behind him. He turned just in time to see a tree about to collapse on top of him. He quickly side stepped so the tree would not crush his bones. He took another look around and noticed animals, big and small, panicking. He noticed a few birds trying to get their baby birds to fly so they would not get burned. A couple of squirrels climbing down a burnt tree at top speed. And finally a bear and its cub getting trapped behind a wall of fire. The horror of it all was too much for Spike to watch. He closed his eyes and turned around. Spike started sprinting trough the vegetation that was set aflame. He came to a screeching stop when a tree fell down in front of him, blocking his path. He turned to his left and started to run, but before he could take two steps another tree blocked his path. He spun around only to be met by another tree. He faced to his right, but instead of a tree blocking his path it was another form of sticks, three timberwolves emerged from the fire. All three had burns and singes on them, but they continued to approach Spike. He flashed his claws, wishing to frighten the threatening beast. Despite his best attempts to look fierce they continued to stalk their pray. Without warning, one of the timberwolves jumped at Spike. Spike uppercut the dog knocking it to the ground, unconscious. Spike did not notice that a second dog had leapt at him, snapping its jaw shut on his ankle. Spike yelled in agony as he kicked the wolf off of him; he felt his ankle and came to the conclusion that it was broken. The second dog had enough velocity to collide with the first and become nothing but a pile of sticks. That still left one more and Spike was in no condition to fight it. Spike tried to stand, but to no avail he slumped back down to a kneeling stance. Another snap and crack could be heard from behind Spike. Spike looked up and saw a tree falling in his direction. Spike tried to move, but was immobilized due to his broken ankle. Then everything went black… [()][()][()] Fluttershy was on her way back to her cottage to relive Spike of his duty. She thought that a day at the spa would be a way to get away from the drama and stress, but instead it came to her with Twilight. She felt bad for poor Spike; she couldn’t even begin to imagine how Spike must have been felling, from the rejection from Rarity. What made it worse was that he didn’t even know she lied to him. What would Applejack say? She tried to forget the situation of it all and just enjoy the weather that the pegasus ponies had set up for today. She was pulled from her train of thought at the smell of something burning. “Oh my, is somepony having a cook out?” It wasn’t very often that somepony had a cook out, but when they did it would be a lot of fun. The grilled carrots, lettuce, and tomatoes were a joy to all, especially the way Spike made his. The thought of Spike smiling behind the grill, with his kiss the cook apron, made Fluttershy laugh. Every time he wore that apron he would shuffle towards Rarity and try to test his luck with her, once again. Fluttershy’s happy session was soon ended at the thought of Spike and Rarity. How could she do that to him? All that heartbreak for absolutely nothing. Fluttershy looked up to see Angel rushing down the path to meet her. At first Fluttershy was happy to see her favorite bunny, but his expression showed one of horror. “What is it Angel, are you hurt?” Angel reached Fluttershy and started tugging on her leg and pointing in the direction of the forest. Fluttershy looked at the forest and gasped at the sight of trees set to fire and animals running from the forest. “Oh my oh my oh my, what do I do?” She lowered her head and looked Angel in the eye. “You didn’t do that, did you?” Angel quickly shook his head and started to point to something up in the sky. Fluttershy met where he was pointing and noticed a cloud with a rainbow mane peeking over the edge. Fluttershy looked back at Angel and gave him a big smile. “Good thinking, Angel.” She quickly, but gracefully flew up to where the cloud was hovering. She was greeted by the sound of snoring. “Um…Rainbow Dash…um, if you could wake up…that would be nice.” Fluttershy started to gently poke Rainbow Dash with her hoof, but was swatted away by one of Rainbow Dash’s. “What are ya cooking grandma, is it stew,” she said as she turned around, back facing Fluttershy. Fluttershy raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?” Fluttershy went around to look at Rainbow Dash face to face; when she did she realized Rainbow Dash was still asleep. “RAINBOW DASH,” Fluttershy screamed at the top of her lungs. Rainbow Dash’s eyes shot open at the commotion and nearly fell out her cloud. She bolted up and looked at Fluttershy with an angry look. “Fluttershy, what the hell, I’m trying to get some shut eye!” Fluttershy recoiled at Rainbow Dash’s sudden outburst. “Well…um…if you would, could you…please take a look at the Everfree Forest?” Rainbow Dash sighed and looked over the edge of her cloud, and looked at the burning canopy below her. Her eyes grew wide with fear. She quickly shot up and bolted to the nearest weather station. She returned shortly after with a crew prepped and ready to put out the fire. Nearly an hour passed until the entire forest was out, and everypony Fluttershy knew was on the forest floor looking for animals in need of rescuing. They had successfully saved birds, deer, and bears alike. They were about to call of the search until they heard something or somepony groan and a few logs clatter together. “I’ll go see what that was,” Fluttershy said to the other girls. When Fluttershy approached the rubble her heart quickly sank at the sight. There, lying on the ground in front of her was none other than Spike. She shrieked and caught the attention of the others, whom rushed over to see why she screamed. “Spike!” All at once the girls rushed him and started to help. Applejack and Rainbow Dash slammed into the tree repeatedly that lay on top of him. While Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie took hold of his claws and started to tug. Twilight and Rarity were too shocked to do anything; they just stared at the once healthy and happy dragon. “Well don’t just stand there, help us,” Rainbow Dash snapped at them. Twilight shook the daze off and started to tug on Spike’s claw with Pinkie Pie. Applejack and Rainbow Dash got the tree off of Spike with one final slam. They rejoined the others and hoisted him on their backs; I’m not lying when I say it took all five of them to stabilize him. “Ya know that woulda went a lot quicker with yer magic Twilight.” Applejack looked over at Twilight who was staring at the ground. “I’m sure he’ll be fine.” Applejack looked over her shoulder, and around the dragon, to look at Rarity who was still standing there looking at the spot where Spike used to be. “Are ya comin’, sugarcube?” Rarity looked up at Applejack with her mouth still ajar. She closed her mouth and cleared her throat. “Of course, just give a lady a moment to collect herself.” She trotted next to where Applejack was standing and looked at the other girls, who were looking right back at her. “Shall we be on our way?” “We can take him to my cottage…that is if you would rather take him home.” “No, your cottage is closest, thank you.” Twilight looked over her shoulder at the dragon who looked like he had been through hell and back again. Once inside the cottage, they all gathered around the couch and placed Spike, ever so gently, on it. Fluttershy had gathered her first aid kit and other medical supplies she used to treat other animals with. “Excuse me girls…if you wouldn’t mind.” They all parted like the Red Sea to let Fluttershy in. Now That she got a look at Spike without him being moved or having a tree on him, he looked much worse than before. She looked over his wounds and was absolutely horrified at what she saw. He had multiple scratches and bruises that were probably not going to heal instantly; he had a broken arm and a dislocated shoulder. Fluttershy took one last look over him and noticed something that made her sick to her stomach. A gash in his neck that was still bleeding immensely, most defiantly from a timberwolf; how she overlooked something so crucial was beyond her. She reached for the first aid kit and brought out some gauss, and wrapped it around his scrapes and bruises. Next she brought out a strap and put it around his broken/dislocated arm. Lastly she asked if the girls would be so kind to leave the room while she worked on his neck. They didn’t like it, but left none the less. Fluttershy took a sowing needle and some string and started to apply stitches to his neck. Before she could make it to the halfway mark Spike’s eyes shot open and his claw grabbed her hoof. Fluttershy screamed and tried to pry away from Spike but his grip was too strong. The others heard her cry and rushed into the room. Applejack grabbed a hold of Fluttershy and started to pull while Rainbow Dash tried to pry Spike’s claw open. Spike’s eyes finally went closed and he collapsed on the couch. “What was that all that about?” Rainbow Dash looked Fluttershy in the eye wondering if she was okay. “I don’t know he must have had some kind of reaction to the stitches,” she said holding up the needle and thread. “Well, what made him stop?” Fluttershy was struck with realization and rushed to Spike’s side, returning to her stitching. “Where’s the fire, sugarcube?” “Spike’s blood loss.” As realization struck the others as it did Fluttershy, they all gathered around Spike and tried to wake him up. Hoots and hollers could be heard through the cottage, and with the lack of response they started to get louder. “Done,” Fluttershy called when the stitching was completed. They waited a couple of minutes, but Spike had still not woken up yet. “Will… he be okay,” Pinkie Pie asked in a depressed manor. “I don’t know…we’ll just have to wait.” Nopony took into account that Rarity was no longer in the cottage. After a few moments of waiting a gasp came from Spike as he opened his eyes and shot up on the couch. When he was fully upright he felt a searing pain shoot through his arm and neck. “Ow, what the hell happened to me?” Before he got an answer he was tackled by five ponies that were worried he had lost his life. As happy cheers and greeting were established, Spike felt the same pain course its way through his body, but he didn’t care because knowing that they were worried and that they cared was good enough for him. Spike tried to get up off the couch, but was met with pleads of disapproval. “Spike, please don’t move, your wounds are still fresh and can be reopened.” Twilight placed her hooves on his chest and guided him back down to a lying position. She looked over at Fluttershy. “I hate to ask this of you, but Fluttershy would you please keep him here overnight in case his condition changes.” Fluttershy looked down at Spike, who was looking right back, and gave him a friendly smile. “Of course I will.” Alright so if you haven't already guessed the number one contender is Fluttershy. I'm going to tell ya why. A bunch of you are probably going 'what he miss counted', but the thing is...I didn't. I add the votes from FanFiction and Fimfiction, and there you have it. > Chapter Four (full) > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Spike laid there, wide awake on Fluttershy’s couch thinking about recent events. The first thought that crossed his mind, much to his dismay, was where Rarity was when he woke up. Was she ever here, and if she was did she even care? The more Spike thought about this very delicate subject the more he found himself closer to tears. He pushed the thought to the back of his mind and sat up. He looked out the window to his right and stared at the edge of the Everfree forest. Reminiscing about the timberwolf attack was enough to make Spike shutter, which made a pain course through his body. Even though the pain was minor compared to before it was still enough to make him cringe. He stood up and made his way into the kitchen. He opened the cabinet and removed the first aid kit from the top shelf. He opened the kit and took hold of the gauss; he unrolled the fabric and cut the right amount with his claws. He had been instructed that if Fluttershy were not around he would have to replace the bandage himself. He placed the new bandages down on the counter and wrapped his non-broken arm around his neck. Delicately, he removed the slightly torn and blood stained bandage from his neck. He opened the cabinet under the sink to reveal a trashcan. He put the bandage in the garbage and closed the cabinet. Picking up the gauss he reached behind his head and started to pull it around his neck, but every time he pulled the fabric around his neck the beginning would always fall down. “Would you like some help with that?” Spike turned to find Fluttershy standing in the doorway watching him. “Um, yea…I mean, yes please.” Spike gave a nervous chuckle and scratched the back of his head. Fluttershy laughed and walked over to the kitchen table; she pulled out a chair and motioned for Spike to sit down. With one last look at Fluttershy, Spike sat down and handed her the medical material. Fluttershy took the bandage and held the tip with her hooves. “Now, this might hurt a little.” Spike nodded his head and tensed up his muscles, prepared for the worst. Spike felt a pain flood his senses and a hoof pushed down on his neck. “Hold this please,” Fluttershy asked as he took hold of the bandage on his neck, keeping it firmly in place. Fluttershy circled around him with the bandage in her mouth, bobbing and weaving so the bandage covered his whole wound, and not just one spot with multiple layers. Once Fluttershy was done she pulled up another chair and sat next to Spike. “You know, you could’ve asked for some help.” “I didn’t want to wake you.” “I wasn’t asleep to begin with,” she said as a silent giggle escaped her. Spike looked at her and noticed that her tone had gone from playful to serious. “I-is something wrong?” Fluttershy’s eyes pierced his very core and shook the very foundation of his sanity. Fluttershy noticed this and softened her eyes enough to calm him, but keep a very authority figure like stature. “Spike, what were you doing in the Everfree forest?” Spike knew that this question was bound appear sometime, but he never expected it to be so soon. So, he decided to do what all men would do when facing a situation like this, lie. “You know, just out for a walk.” Fluttershy hardened her gaze to try to scare the truth out of him. She didn’t like doing it, but she had to, to try and get her friend to open up. “Spike, I know when you’re lying to me.” Then she gave him a look that broke his heart into a thousand pieces and then those pieces broke into pieces. “Am I not a friend you can trust?” She said in a very depressed tone. “No, no, no it’s just…it’s just, very…complicated right know, ya know.” “What’s so complicated that you can’t speak the truth to a very close friend,” she said, this time in a more empathetic tone. She had once been in the boat of -you can’t tell your friend a secret no matter how much you want to-. “Well the base of the problem is that…I’m weird, different, and sometimes annoying,” he said suddenly finding the tile pattern of the kitchen very interesting. “Spike, look at me,” Spike slowly looked up and met her serious gaze yet again, “You are not weird in any way…yes you may be different, but you’re also very special.” Spike gave her a sad smile and small laugh. “Thanks, but how am I special? Is it because I can breathe fire?” “No, that’s not it at all, those wounds you’ve sustained would have killed a stallion instantly,” she said in a rather proud voice, which was unlike her. “You’re Spike the Dragon, and can do things no other pony or stallion can do.” Spike’s facial expression went from bad to worse as he looked down at the floor. “Yeah, but sometimes I feel like Spike the Nuisance, and there are some things that a stallion can do that I can’t.” “And what’s that.” She asked, getting closer to Spike trying to get him to look at her. Spike took his time trying to form the words that cursed his being. He shot his head up and looked Fluttershy directly in the eyes. Tears flowing down his face, not caring how saw. “Be loved by another!” Fluttershy was taken aback by his sudden outburst. To her it sounded more like a cry for help instead of a complaint. “Spike, what are you talking about, we all love you, and why do you think of yourself as an annoyance?” Spike’s eyes did not show any sign of slowing down the tears. He also kept screaming due to the fact that he wanted to be heard over his sobs. “Because Rarity said I was!” Spike was now starting to let a hint of anger into his tone of voice. “What are you talking…?” Fluttershy never got to finish her sentence since Spike cut her off with his fist slamming down onto the table with a very loud thud. “Don’t play stupid with me! I heard everything you girls were talking about at the spa yesterday!” ‘Good, good give in to the anger, give in to the hate. Let them know the true power of the dragons.’ Spike felt a sharp pain shoot through his skull, causing him to collapse to one knee. He started to cough up blood on the wooden planks below. “Oh my goodness, Spike are you alright!” Fluttershy dashed rushed over to Spike and lifted him until he wasn’t too heavy for her to support. ‘Kill her, kill her now!’ The last thing Spike remembered was him falling and hitting the cold, wooden floor. And Fluttershy running out the door. Spike awoke several hours later, but he wasn’t in Fluttershy’s cottage he wasn’t in the library either. In fact he wasn’t even in Equestria at all. He was surrounded by nothing, but a hazy, grey fog that covered the ground as far as the eye could see. “Hello! Anyone there!?” ‘Hehehehe I’ve waited quite some time for you young dragon.” “W-who are you…where are you?” While Spike was looking around, he neglected to hear the sound of splashing water coming from behind him. Spike continued to survey the world around, which was no world at all, until he turned a full 90 degrees and came face to face with another dragon. This dragon looked no older than Spike, but had a familiar old timey style to him. His scales were a shade of dulled brown and his spines were a bright neon white. Try to get whiter than that. “Who are you?” The dragon walk forward step after step, not returning an answer. “Stay back I-I’m warning you, I’ll roast you like grilled cheese,” Spike said as he blew a flame that couldn’t even burn an ice cream cone. The dragon stopped in his tracks. “That scared ya didn’t it,” Spike said with a fake, smug look. The dragon grew an enormous grin, but the grin was not full of sinister evil more like…entertainment. All of a sudden the dragon erupted into a fit of laughter. Also seeming to grow younger with each hearty chuckle. “Holy crap…t-that was the funniest shit I’ve heard in a long time.” The stranger, dragon crawled to his feet, after collapsing for his laughter, and held his claw out. “Names Michelangelo, friends call me Micky.” Spike hesitated at first, but cautiously grabbed Micky’s claw and shook it. “I’m Spike.” “I know who you are; hell ol’ Discords got me in here trying to figure out a way to help you.” “You know who Discord is?” Spike was strangely felling very uncomfortable standing next to Scales at this new found information. “Well of course I know who he is; I helped him escape as a matter of fact.” “You helped him escape, do you have any idea what great powers you just unleashed!?” “You make it sound as if I wanted to help the bastard escape. Sit down son and let ol’ Scales tell you a story.” Spike looked around him. “There are no chairs.” Scales rolled his eyes sighed. “Just sit the fuck down.” Spike did not want to anger the being and decided that it would be the right thing to do. So, he sat down, but felt no bottom. Spike plummeted down further and further until he came to a screeching halt. Spike quickly looked around for a clue of what just happened. “Where am I,” Spike said with fear and a hint of anger. “Calm down, nothing happened to you, I’m just showing you the last thing I remember,” Micky said as he floated next to Spike. “Why are you doing this to me why don’t you leave me alone?” “Dude, I’m stuck inside your head, I’m not going anywhere, but if you really don’t want to see then we’ll just stop this little field trip and return you to your home.” With a snap of his claws Spike awoke to find himself surrounded by his six friends. They all looked at him with teary eyes and red noses. He was first tackled by Twilight then Fluttershy then Pinkie Pie then Applejack then, surprisingly, Rainbow Dash and finally Rarity. Spike was in extreme pain, but he didn’t mind. “Oh Spike, I was so worried, when Fluttershy called she said that you had stopped breathing completely,” Twilight said, just barely getting it out through the sobs and sniffs. “I’m fine now, but it would be great if you all could get off me.” They all quickly got off of him so he could breathe a little easier. “Thanks.” “Spike, what happened?” “Well, you see I… Aghhhhhhhh!” Spike started to scream in agony. 'You will not reveal my presence!' Spike was still gripping his head, but his breathing started to slow and return to normal. Spike slouched down in his seat. “It’s…It’s nothing.” “Spike you can’t just say that was nothing,” Rainbow Dash said. “I said I’m fine,” Spike said a little more aggressively. “But Spike…” Rarity could not finish her sentence. “I said I’m fine!” Spike looked Rarity in the eyes, but Rarity did not see her young lovable drake; she saw more of a dark, sinister monstrosity. Without another word being spoken, Spike huffed and stormed out of Fluttershy’s cottage and walked into the Everfree Forest. All six of the girls ran out of the cottage and regrouped at the edge of the forest. “We need to go after him,” Rainbow Dash said. “Girls…I would like to, um…talk to Spike by myself.” Fluttershy looked at the girls hoping to find looks of approval, but only found quizzical looks. “Fluttershy, you have got to be crazy to go in there all by yourself and you’re the most terrified of this place, we’ll all go in together.” “I’m sorry girls, but this is something I must do alone.” They all were reluctant, but eventually gave their approval. With a deep breath and a large exhale Fluttershy began her trek into the unforgiving forest. Before she could even make it twenty feet she heard a noise she quickly jumped into a nearby bush. She poked her head back and looked back to find all looking terrified for her except for Pinkie, who had the same goofy smile and waved. With massive hesitation she continued her walk through the dark bitterness that was the Everfree Forest. While she walked she started to remember the state they found Spike in. Wait, Spike’s a six foot ten rock hard dragon while I’m a five foot three soft, squishy pony there’s no way I can pull this off. Fluttershy turned to go back until she heard a sound that was all too familiar. That growling was the sound of a timberwolf about to pounce on its pray and with her luck she would defiantly be the pray. The timberwolf jumped out its hiding space and stared down Fluttershy. For the briefest of moments she forgot she could fly, but soon regained her ability to think and took off. Not without a bit of trouble, the timberwolf had snatched onto her left hind leg. The timberwolf clawed her leg causing her to squeal in pain and plummet to the ground. She and the timberwolf both smacked the ground, hard. She slowly opened her eyes to find the battered and broken timberwolf limping towards her looing to make a meal out of her. She closed her eyes preparing for the worst. “Get away from her!” Fluttershy opened her eyes to fin the timberwolf flying towards a different tree. When the wolf made contact with the tree dozens of sticks flew everywhere. She looked at where the wolf came flying from to see a heavily panting and fairly damaged Spike. She slowly stood up, but winced when she came to stand on her scratched leg. She slowly limped towards Spike. “Oh Spike, thank you…thank you so very much.” She went to put her hoof on his shoulder, but was backhanded to the ground. She looked up at Spike with tears in his eyes only to find his eyes devoid of color and of life. With a gasp of air Spike’s eyes returned to normal as did his breathing. “I…I did this,” Spike started to slowly back away from Fluttershy “Stay away from me Fluttershy; I’m a monster a terrible monster.” Spike turned to run away, but stopped at the sound of her voice. “Spike, please don’t leave me alone, not out here.” Spike stopped dead in his tracks and looked into Fluttershy’s eyes. He saw fear and sadness in her eyes. “I will never leave you alone.” Spike walked towards her and knelt down to level his face with hers. “Spike, what were you talking about before you passed out?” Spike chuckled “you know lets safe that story for another time, but right now I’d like to start a new story.” Spike slowly inched his face closer to hers until he could push no further and their lips met. Fluttershy was extremely tense, but soon let Spike’s lips sooth her feeling. After they both ran out of breath, they parted. “Spike?” “Yes?” “I love you.” 'Good.'