Spike was left behind, by accident, and lost his tag. So he has to find a way home, while overcoming many obstacles, including a pack of hungry wolves.
Inspired by Homeward Bound and A Dog's Way Home.
After a successful performance at a charity fair, the Rainbooms were on their way home. Unfortunately, in their haste, they accidentally left poor Spike behind.
Lost, and a long way from home, Spike must learn to adapt to survive in a harsh world, where survival means everything, if he is to stand a chance to return home.
It all happened so fast and so suddenly. The question is why did it happened? How could it have happened? And how could they have not realized Spike was missing? One moment, Spike was with the Rainbooms, sitting around a campfire, celebrating over their recent successful show at a charity fair to raise money for Camp Everfree and for all the animal shelters in Canterlot. Next thing he knew, the little dog was left behind and was forced to take shelter within a knocked down garbage can as his makeshift den, out in the cold, beneath the heavy rains. But how did it get to that? And will the young pup find his way home? Only time will tell.
A Few Days Ago
It was another one of those days, when the Rainbooms had traveled over long distances to perform another one of their songs at a charity fair, raising the moneys for Camp Everfree, Animal Shelters, and all other kinds of their favorite charities. Spike, of course, came along, for support and to cheer his owner, Twilight Sparkle, and her friends and fellow bandmates on.
"Ooh, there's so many people out there," Fluttershy hyperventilated. "I don't know if I can handle it!"
"C'mon, Fluttershy," Rainbow Dash said, putting a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder. "We got this! I mean, just think about the animals, or that one time where we were facing against the Dazzlings and we came out on top! Or how about those other times where we were facing loose Equestrian Magics and impeding dooms? We came out alright."
"Dash is right," Spike barked. "So what's an audience of people out there like compared to how you girls had foiled Wallflower Blush? Or Juniper Montage when she was possessed by a magic mirror? Or when that internet celebrity Vignette Valencia's phone got enchanted by loose Equestrian Magic and it made her go crazy? Or how about that spring break trip where you girls had to rescue an entire crew off a ship because of an Equestrian enchanted storm?"
"Wow, you certainly know a lot about what we've been doing, Spike," Applejack commented.
"Though how did you even know how it happened?" Rainbow asked. "It's not like you were even there when it all happened."
"Well, Twilight told me about them," Spike said in response. "That way, it'd feel like I was there, even though I wasn't," the dog glanced to the side, while thinking sadly to himself, 'Even though I wanted to be there so badly with you girls.'
"Come on gals," Applejack hollered, getting the girls attention back on track. "The show must go on!"
"Here here!" Rarity said in agreement.
Twilight got down to her knees as she stroked Spike on the ears, "Wish us luck, Spike," Twilight cooed to her little puppy.
"Break a leg girls!" Spike cheered, clapping his paws together for the Rainbooms from the side of the stage, behind the curtain drapes.
Moments before the show was about to begin, the announcer came off and stage and shouted into his microphone, "Hello everybody! Are you all ready to shake your tails for tonight?" as an answer, the crowd all let out a chorus of cheers. "I can't hear you! Are you ready to shake your tails TONIGHT?!" with that, the audience all cheered even louder. "THEN SHAKE YOUR TAILS AND PUT YOURS HANDS TOGETHER FOR THIS ROCK N' ROLL ALL-GIRLS BAND, ALL THE WAY FROM CANTERLOT CITY, THE RAINBOOMS!!!" with that, the curtains drew back, revealing the Rainbooms.
Tapping her drumsticks together, Pinkie Pie started the band, "One, two, three, four!"
From behind the curtains, Spike was shaking both his head and rump as he dances to the upbeat rhythm of the song. Without a doubt, the Rainbooms songs are so good that they could even make a dog like him dance.
We've just got the day to get ready And there's only so much time to lose Because tonight, yeah, we're here to party So let's think of something fun to do
We don't know (we don't know) what's gonna happen We just know (we just know) it's gonna feel right All our friends are here And it's time to ignite the lights!
Shake your tail 'cause we're here to have a party tonight Shake your tail, shake your tail Shake your tail 'cause we're here to have a party tonight Shake your tail, shake your tail
[Twilight Sparkle/Sunset Shimmer]
So what you didn't get it right the first time
[Pinkie Pie]
Laugh it off, no one said it is a crime
[Rarity]
Do your thing, you know you're an original
[Applejack]
Your ideas are so funny that they're criminal
[The Rainbooms]
Ohhh-ahh!
We've just got the day to get ready And there's only so much time to lose Because tonight, yeah, we're here to party So let's think of something fun to do
We don't know (we don't know) what's gonna happen We just know (we just know) it's gonna feel right All our friends are here And it's time to ignite the lights!
"Woo-Hoo!" Spike howled, driven so wildly the song that out of impulse, he came running out to the stage, and dance around, while singing together with the Rainbooms, much to the girls and the audience bewilderment. Nevertheless, they carried on with the show.
Shake your tail 'cause we're here to have a party tonight Shake your tail, shake your tail Shake your tail 'cause we're here to have a party tonight Shake your tail, shake your tail Shake your tail 'cause we're here to have a party tonight Shake your tail, shake your tail Shake your tail 'cause we're here to have a party tonight Shake your tail, shake your tail
Shake your tail 'cause we're here to have a party tonight!
At the end of the song, the audience all clapped their hands and cheered in applause for the Rainbooms.
The announcer was just about to say something in his microphone, when Spike leapt up and took the speaking device and howled, "WE LOVE YOU EVERYBODY!!" with that, the applause came to a sudden halt as the audience looked up in surprise.
"Did that dog just talk?" someone in the crowd asked, and all the people started to exchange glances and chatters amongst themselves.
Realizing what he just did, and looking up, seeing the looks of unease on the Rainbooms face, Spike tried to break up the awkward moment with a simple, "Woof woof?" unfortunately, the audience don't seemed very convinced about that.
Later
"I'm sorry about what I did back there," Spike whimpered as he followed the girls back to their RV. "I was just....lost in the moment there."
"It's okay, Spike," Twilight reassured, kneeling down on one knee to give the dog a gentle stroke behind his ear. "No one's blaming you for anything."
"Still, just be glad we convinced everyone that Spike talking was just another one of Rainbow Dash's 'ventriloquism,'" Pinkie Pie commented. "Because if words got out that we've been keeping a talking dog who was enchanted with Equestrian magics, then it'd be like that movie where some weird men in black come to take Spike away, wouldn't it?" the Rainbooms all exchanged glances with each other and looked at Pinkie Pie in bewilderment. "What? It can happen? These things always happen to us."
"What's wrong with me being able to talk?" Spike asked. "It's not like we've never seen talking dogs before, haven't we?"
"That's because those kinds of dogs only exist on TV," Sunset replied, having anticipated another Scooby-Doo, Martha Speaks, and VR Troopers references.
"But still, they were dogs, and they talk," Spike barked. "And weren't there also one of those talking cat videos that you humans are so fond of?" he barked in disgust at the topic of cats.
"Those are a little...different," Twilight frowned. "Look Spike. It's not that it's wrong for you to talk so...advance and fluently like us, but it's just...it's going to take some people some getting used to having a...gifted dog like you around."
"I'm just getting tired of being left out on a lot things that you girls get to do," the little dog frowned. "I mean, it's not fair I can't go to the malls with you, or Equestria Land, or on that ship, all because they have signs that reads: No Dogs Allowed. And excuse me if fleas just can't get enough of me, or if I like to chase squirrels. But deep down, I'm just like all of you girls, right? We're friends, aren't we?"
"Well of course you're our friend, Sugarcube," Applejack reassured. "Don't take all that the wrong way. It's not like we meant to leave ya behind. There were just some....restrictions."
Spike took in what the country girl had said, before he looked up and asked, "So by restriction, are you suggesting you should put a muzzle over my mouth, or put me on leash, so that I would never talk in public again?"
"Oh goodness, no!" Fluttershy gasped. "Where would you get an idea like that?"
"Well, that's something a lot of us dogs have felt."
Wanting to get out of the awkward moment, Rainbow Dash suggested, "Look. We'll talk about this tomorrow. Right now, who's up for marshmallows?"
"Count me in!" Pinkie Pie said excitedly.
With that, the girls all followed into the RV to set up the campfire for s'mores, while Spike was left, still feeling unsure of himself.
"Why me?" he asked. "Why do I have to speak?"
Later, the girls were sitting around the campfire, roasting marshmallows, and putting them together with graham crackers and bars of chocolates for their delicious s'mores.
"Mmm-mmm, a toast to us, Rainbooms!" Pinking Pie cheered, holding her marshmallow stick to the air, clicking it together with her fellow bandmates.
Spike, meanwhile, was only given a sausage to snack on. However, the little dog remains unsatisfied, "Aw, I still wanted so badly to taste your s'mores!" he whimpered in dismay. "The way Pinkie Pie describes them just makes it too unbearable for me to resist!"
"Sorry Spike, but you know chocolate's not on your diet," Twilight frowned.
"But what if I can eat chocolate?" Spike tried to reason with the girl. "If Equestrian magics can let me talk like you girls, then I could at least have a tiny bite, can't I?"
"Again Spike, I wouldn't want to run the risk of having to take you to the vet, all because of a malnourishment caused from feeding you chocolate," Twilight replied. "Look, just eat your food. It's good for you."
"Yeah, whatever," Spike sighed, as he got up and took his leave.
"Where are you going Spike?" Twilight asked.
"Just....clearing my head," the little dog said solemnly.
Twilight was about to pursue the little pup, when Applejack stopped her, "Let him go, Twi," the country girl insisted. "Maybe some alone time is just what he needs."
"It's not fair!" Spike ranted to himself. "I can talk, yet I'm still just a dog. Or am I even a dog anymore? Either way, it's not fair I can't do anything the girls can do. And what is it with those No Dogs Allowed Signs? What did I ever do? And why can't I even eat chocolates? Why can I talk like humans, but I can't be treated like humans? Isn't the whole point of a dog's life being man's best friend? I'm Twilight's best friend, aren't I?"
Upon looking up, Spike finds himself out in an open meadow, surrounded by fireflies, under the lights of a full moon, far away from where the Rainbooms had set up camp.
"EQUESTRIAN MAGIC, HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?!" Spike shouted to the sky, while knowing it was futile to find the answer that way. "Why am I a talking dog? Can't I be more than just a talking dog? Why do I have to feel so...so...different? Why do I have to be different? Why....am....I...different?"
Exhausted from his ranting, and overcome by the spell of the night, Spike slumped down to the ground and fell asleep.
Next Morning
The next morning, the sun was climbing up to its peak in the sky, and the distant crow of a rooster woke Spike up from his slumber.
Spike let out a yawn, stretching his legs and arching his back, "How long was I asleep?" he asked, looking across the meadow to see blurs of cars, trucks, and vans driving across the street. Among them, he caught sight of an RV with the insignia of the Rainbooms painted on the side.
Spike's eyes widened, stricken with panic and fear as he remembered, "Oh no!" with a kick of his legs, Spike sprinted as fast as his little dog feet could carry him. "Wait, girls! Hold on!" Spike called out, as he desperately runs after the vehicle. "Stop! Wait!" but it was no use. The girls couldn't hear the little puppy's cry, and the little dog watched helplessly as the RV disappeared over the horizon.
Knowing it was futile to catch up to them, and already out of breath to pursue any further, Spike slowed down, panting heavily and collapsed in exhaustion. But with another car blasting its horn in the air, Spike immediately jumped to the side of the road, avoiding the risk of being run over. Knowing it wasn't safe to be out on the busy street, given to the rush hours, Spike made a quick dash into the woods, where there are less roads and less cars.
"Why? Why did this have to happen?" Spike barked as he ran deep, into the woods. "How could they have left without? Why didn't they realized I was gone? Why didn't they wait for me to come back? Why didn't Twilight just call out for me?"
The young dog's mind was so full of questions, he could hardly think right. He was so confused and disoriented that he didn't where he was going, until it was too late. By the time he came to a stop, he looked up to see the woods around him are dark and dense with tall thick trees that stretched high, with little to no ray of sunlight piercing through.
"Oh no." Spike whimpered. "I'm a lost dog! And I'm even more lost, in a dark, dark, scary, wood!" he said in fright, as he looked around him, tucking his tail in between his legs, while darting his head to the left, then to the right, anticipating for something to jump out at any moment.
Spike has only been in the woodlands, at least once before, when he went to Camp Everfree, with Twilight and friends. But since he was left behind, without Twilight or any of the Rainbooms for protections, the young dog feels more vulnerable than lonely. His ears twitched in every directions at the sound of a twig snapping, or leaves rustling. It could be the wind, but in a land that is populated with wild animals, the little dog didn't want to take any chances.
"Who-who!" an owl hooted.
"WHO'S THERE?!" Spike barked in fright, startled by the bird. Then a nearby bush started to shake violently, "WHAT'S THAT?!" after a few moments, the bush finally settled down and became calm again. "Must've been the wind," Spike said to himself in hopeful reassurance, "At least, I hope that's all it was." with that, the little dog resumed his trip through the woods, searching for a way out, or perhaps find his way back the way he came from.
"How do I get out of here?" he asked himself. "All these trees look the same...UGH! And scary!" he said, taken aback by a tree with twisted barks that resembled the face of a vicious monster.
Just then, he heard a growl, followed by a couple of barks in the distance, "Huh? Dogs?" Spike barked, feeling his hope rejuvenated and elated to know that there are some other dogs close by, meaning there might be some people too. He turned his head in the direction of the barkings, and his hope immediately diminished to see a the bulky outlines of several large shadowy dogs on the horizon, with piercing yellow eyes to add the ferocity of their appearances.
Wolves.
Even though they are technically dogs like him, Spike knew better than to confront them. He had heard about wolves from Twilight and Fluttershy, on how they are bigger than an average dog, how they are vicious and territorial, and that they can rip a little dog like Spike to shreds.
Not taking his chances with the wild dogs of the woods, Spike decided to go the opposite direction of them, to avoid running the risk of becoming their next meal. His furs stood on end, with his ears perked up in alarm and fright to the sound of the wolves's haunting howls, which sent chills down his spine to the tip of his tail.
'What is it with wolves and their howlings?' Spike thought in fright. 'I hope that wasn't their call for dinner. And that dinner being me.'
Speaking of dinner, Spike's stomach growled loudly, which beckoned him to find food, or he wouldn't last the night.
The sun's light slowly disappeared over the trees, as large dark clouds covered across the sky, dimming the lights. Thankfully, Spike had found a bush of edible blueberries, which he didn't waste a second to eat. Blueberries are, after all, one of the only foods a dog can eat, which includes raspberries, blackberries, and a few others. Spike remembers how Twilight would often sneak a few foods for him, whenever she was having dinner with her parents and her brother, Shining Armor.
Speaking of which, as Spike continues to eat his meal, he couldn't help but think sadly of Twilight. Nothing would make him more than happy to be back home, with Twilight's loving arms wrapped around him, holding him close to her beating heart, cuddling up close in their nice warm bed.
Once he was done eating the bush clean of blueberries, Spike moved onto the next bush of blueberries, then another, until at least, he was certain he was full to his content. And just in time, when a drop of water came falling from the sky and splashed onto his nose.
It was raining.
The rain started small and light at first, before it started to grow heavier and heavier with every passing seconds, until at last it became a downpour.
"Great," Spike groaned, as he got up on his feet and walked through the woods, looking for shelter from the rain.
Looking at his surroundings, Spike took notice at how most of the woodland animals were already on the move to escape the rain. He looked to the left to see a mother duck leading her ducklings to their nest, hidden somewhere in the thickets, by a river. He turned to the right to see a mother quail leading her own chicks back to their nests, all the while holding her wings out to protect her children from the rain.
The sight of the families made Spike even more sadder, because they all reminded him of Twilight and her care.
A looked and saw a squirrel rushing past him, but Spike wasn't in the mood to chase squirrels. So he watched as the squirrel races across the woods, before climbing up a large tree, and made its way into a little hole, where its home is located. Shaking his furs, Spike hurried through the woods to find shelter for the night. He looked ahead and spotted a large crevice in a stone wall, and made an immediate dash for it. Unfortunately, when he got to the crevice, he found out for himself that it was already occupied, by a family of raccoons.
Sighing in dismay, Spike resumed his search, before coming to the base of a large pine tree, with its branches and leaves stretching out, serving as a makeshift umbrella. Tired, and cold, Spike curled himself up into a ball, ready to sleep for the night, when a cracking of lightning bolt startled him awake when it hit the top of the tree, shaking its whole barks, crackling with electricity.
Never hide under a tree, during a rainstorm.
Scared fully awake, if not half to death, Spike kicked his legs into a sprint, escaping the lightning bolt's shock from the tree.
"YIPE YIPE YIPE YIPE YIPE!" Spike barked in blind panic, as he brushes his way through tall grasses, bushes, splashed in puddles, startling most of the animals awake, before finally coming to a stop, upon crashing into a large garbage can.
"Huh?" Spike looked up, to see a garbage can, sitting on the side of a trail, "A hiking trail!" he exclaimed, looking before him was a clear path that leads him, somewhere outside of the woods. "And if there's a hiking trail, then that means, there's a way out of the wood! I've found the way out!" another crack of lightning startled the young dog into knocking down the garbage can.
With another crack of lightning, Spike didn't waste a second and dived in, successfully finding shelter from the heavy downpour.
"Well, it's cozy," Spike said to himself, as he got comfortable. "And it's a little...ooh! Hamburger!" he licked his lips together, as he dines in on a half-eaten hamburger that was thrown into the can. Most likely from a hiker who had passed by earlier. But it didn't matter for Spike. At least he had found someplace to stay for the night, with something he can eat for dinner.
Just then, there was a rustling sound at the entrance of Spike's makeshift den, beckoning him to look up, seeing a raccoon was intruding in the can, "Hey, get out!" Spike barked, startling the raccoon. "Go get your own place to sleep!" Spike quickly regretted for his sudden outburst, when a wolf suddenly perked its head up, from behind the bushes, having heard the young dog's barks. "Uh oh."
The wolf quickly turned its head in Spike's directions, in which the little dog immediately retreated into the trash can, burying himself further in the rubbish, hoping to hide himself from the wild dog. From beneath the piles of dirty papers, wrappers, and all sorts of garbages thrown in the trash can, Spike looked up in dread as he watched the wolf approaching closer and closer to him, sniffing the ground as if it was picking up his scent. Spike whimpered in fright, as he could her the wolf growling hungrily, baring its fangs to add the ferocity of its appearance. Spike dug himself deeper into the can, until he felt himself backed up against the wall, as the wolf finally puts its nose into the entrance, where Spike could feel a gust of warm air blowing across the top of his head. Taking his chances, Spike whimpered as he took a quick peek, seeing the wolf's eyes were blood red with hunger.
AAA-ROOOOO!!!!
A howl was heard in the distance, to which the wolf immediately ceased what it was doing, pulling its head out from the trash can, and it stared off in the direction the howl was heard from, before it decided to forget about Spike and the trash and headed off in the direction of the howl.
"Phew," Spike breathed a sigh of relief, and he collapsed into his bedding, relieving himself from all the adrenaline and excitement he had experienced.
As the rainstorm continued to pour down through the night, Spike cuddled up in his makeshift shelter and fell fast to sleep. Tomorrow will be a brand new day.
Meanwhile, in Canterlot
After a long drive from the charity fair, the girls had finally arrived back in Canterlot city, just in time to meet Cadence and Shining Armor at the city's hospital, with their new daughter, Flurry Heart.
Afterwards, Applejack drove the RV back to Sweet Apple Acres, where the girls all treated themselves to an Apple Family feast.
"Phew, it's great to be back home again," Applejack said in relief.
"There's no place like home!" Pinkie Pie chirped. "Home sweet home!"
"I hear ya, Pinkie," Rainbow said in agreement as she drank a cup of apple ciders. "I can't wait to see my favorite Tank again!"
Twilight was the last one to leave the RV, when she picked up Spike's kennel, "Hey Spike. Wake up. We're home," she shook the kennel lightly, though she soon became more perplexed upon not getting a response, "Spike? Spike? Hello?" upon a closer look, she was distraught to find, "SPIKE'S GONE!"
With the first ray of sunlight streaking across the horizon, Spike wearily opens his eyes, stretching his legs out as he lets out a yawn, emerging from his garbage can shelter. As he took the moment to bask in the morning sunlight's glow, Spike looks at his surrounding to see the puddles left behind from last night's rain shower. The morning dews on the bright green grasses were all shimmering colorfully in the sun's light, as if they were little specks of beautiful jewels. One of the most astounding features that Spike has from his enchantment was that he can see colors, unlike normal dogs.
*See Reboxing w/Spike where the young dog can see his slippers were encrusted with Amethysts.
The little dog wearily walks over to a puddle of water, where he dips his head down for a drink. Though it's not as clear or refreshing than the clean waters he was given from Twilight, it's better than nothing. A dog needs his refreshment after all. And unlike what others would say, Spike isn't the type of dog who would drink out of the toilet.
After that, he set off to look for his next meal, by following the hiking trail he had found last night.
After what felt like hours, Spike grew tired of walking on the hiking trail, which went on for what seemed like miles ahead.
"Phew, I should've gone to the park more often," Spike panted heavily. "My paws are killing me. WHOA!" he shouted, dodging to the side, as a biker nearly ran him over.
"Get out of the way ya mutt!" the biker said in disgust.
"HEY! I'M WALKING HERE!" Spike barked in irritation, much to the biker's surprise.
The biker was so bewildered at the sudden encounter of a talking dog that he didn't look where he was going, and drove off the trail by accident, and a scream was heard, "Yaaah-hoo-hoo-hoo-hooey!!!"
*SPLASH*
"Ouch," Spike winced, before he looked to the sides and whistled innocently before he was on his way.
However, conscience kicked in as Spike hesitated and stopped to look back at the biker, who was soaking wet, and covered in several bruises he'll be having in the coming days. Without a doubt, he could be terribly hurt. Spike looked up at the way the hiking trail leads, then back at the biker. Instincts tell him to go home, but something was holding him back, as if he was latched onto by an invisible leash, telling him to help the biker. But what can he do? He's just a little dog.
'I have to get back home to Twilight,' Spike thought. 'But...I can't leave this guy behind. Can I?'
The dog didn't have to think for long, when he looked up and saw an incoming biker, a woman in her 30s. Spike almost wanted to call out to her, but after the previous biker's early reaction of a talking dog, Spike decided against it and simply barked like a normal dog, stopping the woman.
"What the–" she exclaimed, screeching her bike to a halt, before she got off. "Hey, what's a dog like you–" before she could finished, however, Spike held a paw up and pointed to the side, directing her gaze to the other downed biker. "Oh my goodness!" she exclaimed as she ran down to help her fellow biker up. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," the man groaned as he got back on his legs, with his arms around her shoulder. "Thanks."
"Don't thank me. Thank that little...dog?" when the two bikers looked up, Spike was nowhere to be seen.
After clearing his conscience with the bikers, Spike resumed his journey on the path. He doesn't know where he'll go, or how long the path is, but for him it didn't matter. Instinct was compelling him to get back home to Twilight. Knowing that he was still in the woods, Spike turns his head to the side, looking from the left to the right, alert and keeping a lookout for any wild animals, especially wolves. That last thing he needed was for a wolf to jump out at him.
For what felt like hours, Spike's feet felt more sore with every steps he took, and his stomach growled louder, reminding him how hungry he is with every passing seconds. Thankfully, his long journey soon paid off, when Spike looked up to see an opening with a beautiful ray of sunlight shining through. With that, the young dog sprinted forward, chasing the sun, leading him through the opening of the forest, which became the exit and he smiled in relief at the sight of a more welcoming area.
Before him is a large RV park, populated by an entire herd of RVs, with families of people and dogs all out and about, enjoying the day. With a smile, the little purple dog happily strolled into the park. After a whole night spent in the forest, populated by wild animals and wolves, Spike was more than happy to be back among people and dogs.
As Spike walk through the park, he looked around him to see many of the people were out for picnics with their friends and families. There were also a lot of other dogs playing with their owners, as well as some other dogs. From playing fetch, tug-of-war, to chasing squirrels, all the dogs were happy. This made Spike very said, because it all reminded him of Twilight and friends.
"How could you leave me, Twilight?" Spike whimpered. "What did I do wrong? Was it something I said? I thought you were my friend. Am I not your friend anymore?" Spike sniffled. All the more reason he has to find his way home. To get the answers to his questions.
Another growl from his stomach reminded Spike of his hunger, and he whimpered from the hungry sensation that beckoned him to beg for food, "Aw, you poor thing," a little girl said in sympathy for the little dog, dropping a half-eaten hot dog for him.
"For me?" Spike wheezed. His hunger and exhaustion has made him too weak to talk louder than normal.
After the girl had left with her family, Spike gladly took the food and dines into it, when he was suddenly surrounded by three large dogs.
The first dog appears to be a large menacing doberman, with coats of moderate red fur with a pattern of vivid gamboge patches on his chest, paws/legs, muzzle, above his eyes, and underneath his short stubby tail, piercing yellow eyes, and wears a black dog collar with white spikes, and a license that has a fire emblem imprinted on the front.
The second dog is a large muddy brown bull dog, with yellow eyes, and wore a spiky red collar around his neck.
The third dog is a dark purple shepherd dog with long messy blonde yellow hairs that covered his face.
"Well lookie what we've got here boys," the red doberman growled. "We've got ourselves a wild dog roaming on our turf!"
"Wild dogs aren't allowed in these parts," the bull dog barked. "So why don't you just turn and go back to the woods where you belong?"
"What?" Spike barked incrediously at the dogs. "Whoa, hang on! I'm not a wild dog. I'm a regular dog, like you guys!"
"Yeah right," the red doberman barked in disgust. "I know the smell of a wild dog when I smell one. And you are definitely a wild dog. You're covered in that woodland smell!"
"Maybe he's a wolf in dog clothings!" the third dog barked.
"No, I'm not!" Spike continued to bark in his defense, but to no avail. None of the big dogs were listening.
"Let's bite this mongrel!" with that, the three dogs were about to gang up on little Spike, only to be stopped by another dog.
"HEY KNOCK IT OFF, WILL YA GAR-GAR!" the female voice of another dog barked ferociously at the big dog. The dogs all turned their attention to see a a medium-sized dog, bigger than Spike but smaller than Garble, running towards them and stood defensively over Spike. She appeared to be a cocker spaniel with a coat of brilliant gamboge furs, long fluffy ears of light gold with matching patches of furs on her chest, and moderate cyan eyes. Around her neck is a light blue collar, with a gold license.
"Seriously? I can't turn my back on you for one minute just to enjoy a quiet meal, without you causing trouble!" the female dog barked, scolding the red doberman, now identified as Gar-Gar. "What's the matter with you guys? Ganging on up a puppy like him?"
"Aw c'mon, Smolder. Give us a break," the big dog whined.
"We were just having some fun with him, that's all," the bull dog added. "Besides, it was Garble's idea," with that, the red doberman snarled dangerously at the bull dog, who whined and cowered in submission, with his tail in between his legs.
Breathing a long incredulous sigh, the gamboge cocker spaniel turned to Spike, "Hey, sorry about Gar-Gar," she apologized to the little dog in a more welcome tone. "He's just a big puppy and he likes to hide it with his whole 'top dog' appearance."
"I am a top dog!" Garble barked in embarrassment.
"Then why are you submitting to your sister then?" the purple shepherd dog snarked, before he was kicked in the snout by the doberman. "Ow."
Shaking her head, the cocker spaniel started, "Let's try this again. Name's Smolder," she greeted with a wag of her tail, before she pointed her snout, "You've already met Garble," she pointed at the doberman, before turning to the bull dog and shepherd dog. "And those guys are Clump and Fume," she introduced them respectfully.
"Hey," the dogs all exchanged agreements.
"Nice to meet you guys, I guess," Spike said. "I'm Spike."
"Pleased to meet ya, Spike," Smolder smiled, before she sniffed him. "Ooh, no offense, but you do smell like a wild dog. You've got a smell that only wolves would like."
"Well, I did just came out of the woods," the little dog admitted. "And it was not a good night in there, with those wolves, let me tell you."
"You spent a whole night in the forest with wolves?" Smolder asked, with the other three dogs exchanging shocking expressions. "No dogs have ever survived a night with wolves before!" Smolder then looked down at Spike, "What were you doing in there to begin with?"
"It's not like I wanted to," Spike barked. "I was left behind, by accident, and–"
"Whoa, whoa, you were left behind?!" Garble barked, as he and his friends surrounded Spike, to which the dog answered by nodding his head. "Oh, I'm...I'm sorry."
"Oh, it's alright."
"No, no, no! We should've known," the red doberman continued to bark in sympathy. "Because we all got left behind, just like you are."
"Whoa, really?" Spike asked.
"Yeah," Clump barked. "My owner was a garbage man who took me in, after he found me in the junkyard when I was just a little puppy. But then he moved out and completely forgot about me. He just left me behind when I started growing up!"
"That's nothing," Fume scoffed. "Before, it was just me and my owner, until he started dating this woman who couldn't stand dogs, especially me! And if that wasn't bad enough, as soon as the baby came, my owner took me further away from the house and left me there to fend for myself! I WAS KICKED OUT!"
"Whoa," Spike barked, taken aback by the two dogs' story, before he turned to Smolder and Garble. "So what about you guys?"
"Eh, our owners moved out," Smolder frowned. "They packed up, moved out, and were gone. So, it's just me and Gar-Gar."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that."
"Don't be," Garble scowled. "I mean, that's life, little guy. As the humans say, it's a-dog-eat-dog-world."
"Uh, that's not one of my favorite expressions, Gar-Gar," Smolder frowned.
"Sorry," shaking his head. "Anyway, forget about owners. I mean, who needs them? We've got each other now. Besides, living the street life isn't so bad, once you get used to it."
"Uh huh," Spike nodded uneasily. "Well, it's been nice knowing you guys, but I think I should be on my way," with that, the little dog turned around and proceeded to take his leave, only to be stopped.
"Oh I wouldn't be caught wandering the streets alone if I were you, Spike," Smolder cautioned. "You ever heard of the dog catchers?" Spike froze in place as Smolder explains, "Once a dog catcher catches a dog, they take 'em to the pound where dogs never come out...ever."
"You don't have to tell me twice," Garble shuddered. "The last unfortunate dog I knew was a strange mutt named Craggle."
"Craggle?" Clump asked. "Never heard of 'em."
"Exactly!"
"Yikes," Spike whimpered.
"Looks like this is your first day on the streets with us," Smolder barked. "Well, you're better off sticking us, Spike."
"Yeah, join us little guy," Garble added. "We'll show ya all the best places to get some food!"
At the mention of food, Spike's stomach growled, indicating he was still starving from hunger, "Well, I do need to eat and fast."
"Great!" Smolder barked happily. "C'mon! Let us show you how it's really done."
Before long, Spike and his new dog friends were moving from RV to RV, and Spike watched as Smolder barked loudly to get the people inside the mobile homes to come out, to see her putting on a pouting expression, with her ears flattened, and her eyes enlarged, to make her look cute.
"AW!" the people cooed, before they gave her some food to share with her fellow dogs.
"Yeah, Smolder!" Garble cheered for his sister as he and his dog friends dine in one their latest catch.
"Now you try it, Spike," Smolder encouraged the young dog.
With that, Spike barked loudly at the next RV, getting a man to open up the door. Looking to Smolder for advice, Spike watched as Smolder repeated the same pouty expression she did before, to which he copied, earning an affectionate adoration from the man.
"Aw, look at that cute little guy!" the man cooed, before he gave Spike a hamburger to eat.
For the next few minutes, or so, Spike and the dogs have been begging and pouting for food from all of the RVs in the park. This kept on going, until the dogs have all had their fill.
"PINKIE PIE!" Twilight yelled in outrage. "What is your alligator plushie doing inside the cage, where SPIKE was supposed to be?!"
"Oh! So that's where you've been!" Pinkie Pie giggled happily as she hugged her "pet" alligator, before she looked up and her smile turned to a sad frown. "Oh... Sorry Twilight."
"Sorry doesn't help the fact that Spike's out there, lost and alone, all because we've left him behind!" Twilight said sternly. "We've got to go back and find him!"
"But we just got back, Twilight!" Applejack frowned sympathetically. "Look, I know you're frantic and all, but we're all tired now from our long drive. We'll look for him tomorrow."
"AJ's right, Twi," Sunset Shimmer added. "Right now, the best we can do is to just put up some lost dog posters, and someone's bound to find him and call us."
Though frantic and unsure at first, Twilight looked at Sunset for a moment, before she reluctantly nodded, "Right, of course," The frantic girl sighed. "That's at least the most logical thing we could do to finding a lost pet."
"Oh, poor Spike," Fluttershy whimpered. "The poor thing must be lost and scared out there!"
Meanwhile, back with Spike...
"Phew, that sausage pizza really hit the spot," Spike said in content, as he and his new dog friends, Smolder, Garble, and their alley dog posse wandered the streets, with the sun about to set over the horizon.
"Didn't I tell ya, or didn't I tell ya?" Smolder asked. "This is the life."
"Two more years on the streets and you'll be in touch with your inner wild dog," Garble smiled.
"That's great and all, but I should really get going now," Spike said, much to the bewilderment of the other dogs.
"Go? Go where?" Smolder asked.
"To Twilight, of course," Spike answered. "She must be worried sick about now."
"But you said she abandoned you," Garble reminded.
"Yeah, but I'm sure it wasn't on purpose," The little dog continued to insist. "Maybe she and the girls were in a rush, and they kinda forgot about me since I didn't came back to them that night. Anyway, it was nice meeting you guys, and I gotta get home."
"But do you even know where home is?" Smolder asked, to which Spike came to a halt and looked hesitant. "For all we know, it could be halfway across the world, and it could even take years to get there."
"And even if you do know how to get back home, how are you going to get pass the wolves?" Fume asked. "Or bears? Or mountain lions?
"Or even the dog catcher?" Clump added. "You're better staying here than out there."
Before Spike could reply, Garble suddenly barked in alarm, "RUN!!" With that, the three large male dogs took off running, with Smolder following behind.
"Run? From what?" Spike asked.
"Spike! Look out behind you!" Smolder barked, as she took off running, following her brother and her friends.
The little purple dog quickly snapped his head behind him, just in time to see a net swinging down at him, nearly catching him by a hair.
"HEY!" Spike yelped, dodging the net. "Get away from me you jerk!" Spike looked up to see the holder of the net is a tall, rugged man, dressed in dark black overcoat, gloves, boots, and hat. Without a doubt, he must be the dogcatcher the dogs all spoke fearful of.
With another sprint of his legs, Spike took off running, yelping in blind terror, as he ran as fast his legs could carry him, desperately trying to get away from the man. He ran into a street where there were crowds of people, ducking and weaving through their legs, desperately hoping to throw the man off. But still, the dogcatcher was undeterred. He chased Spike all through town, during which Clump happened to run out from the side, tripping the dogcatcher.
"Run Spike!" Clump barked to the little dog, before he escaped, just before the dogcatcher could recover.
Spike kept on running, until he ran down into a subway station, right when a subway was about to depart, "Ah-ha! Subway!" With that, Spike makes a quick dive into the subway, just before the doors closes. Once inside, the little dog looked up to see several people staring at him awkwardly. He simply walked over to a seat, grabbed a newspaper to try and act casual. He peeked over the papers to see he was still receiving the awkward glances, "Creepers..." He grumbled.
After he had helped Spike escape from the dogcatcher, Clump ran down an alleyway, where he regrouped with the rest of his street dog friends, "Is everyone here?" Clump asked.
"Yeah. Did you lose him?" Garble panted heavily. "The dogcatcher?"
"I think so," Smolder barked in response, before she realized they were missing someone. "Wait, where's Spike?"
After the subway had came to a stop, the doors slid open, allowing its passengers to depart, including Spike, who walked out of the subway, carrying the newspaper in his mouth, acting like a normal dog, making his way out of the exit and into a different part of town, when his ears perked up to the sound of a voice.
"HELP!" A voice screamed, to which Spike turned his head in the direction of a large warehouse. "IS SOMEBODY OUT THERE?!"
Someone was in trouble. Naturally, Spike's good-nature instinct kicked in as he sprinted into the warehouse to the rescue, as he followed the voice, "Hello?" He barked, answering the call.
"PLEASE! HELP ME!" The voice answered, sounding more frantic than it was before. With another sprint of his legs, Spike took off running into the warehouse, following the sound of the voice.
"Where are you?" He barked.
"UP HERE!" the voice replied. "Inside the cage!"
With that, Spike quickly followed a flight of staircases, climbing onto a large platform as he looked across to see a large room of cages that appeared to be made for animals.
"What happened to you?" Spike asked.
"I was out hunting for food, when some bad men captured me in one of their cages, and took me here!" The voice answered.
Spike's interests piqued, as he climbs on top of some boxes and walks over to the top of a large cage, where the roof was opened up, "So you're an animal then?" He asked, looking into the cage to see that it was pitch black, obscuring the identity of the caged animal.
"Are we really having a conversation right now?" The voice asked.
"Sorry. Just hold on."
"Hang onto what?"
"Just give me your paws, and I'll pull you out!" Spike said, holding his paw out for the creature. "Trust me," Without warning, a gray-white mountain lion burst out from the darkness of the cage, startling poor Spike, "AH!!" Spike screamed, falling into the cage with the lion. "Why didn't you tell me there was a lion in here with you?!" He screamed, throwing several raw meats and bones at the big cat.
"OW! I am the lion, dummy!" In appearance, the mountain lion has a dark gray blue coat, with white spots decorating her face, and judging from the tone of her voice, she is about Spike's age, standing at least above his head.
"Predator! Deceiver! Carnivorous big cat charlatan! AAAAAAHHH!!!" Miffed, the lion pounced on top of Spike, grabbing him by the collar, thrashing him about before she threw the little dog out of the cage. "Y-Y-You saved my life!"
"Yeah, and I kinda expected some rescue payback."
After a moment of collecting himself, Spike looked around for something he could use to rescue the lion. He looked up to see a control large control panel, and hanging above him is a large metal hook, connected to a long wire.
"Okay, just stay where you are," Spike said to the lion. "I'll be right back."
"Hurry it up!" The lion called back. "It's really cramped in here, and I don't like to be in small, dark places!"
Spike hopped up onto a stool and was perplexed to see a mess of buttons, flashing light bulbs, switches, and levers.
"Okay, Spike," The little dog said to himself. "Let's see, this reminds me of the remote control Twilight used to work with the TV and some of her machines back home in her laboratory." Spike turned to look at a large lever on the panel, "Could this be it?" With a push of the lever, the crane suddenly came to life. It moved to the right at a fast speed, accidentally knocking down one of the crates stacked on top of a tower, causing it to fall to the ground, breaking it open into broke pieces of timber, spilling out a content of strange fabrics that are colored and textured like those of an African lion, a tiger, and a bear. "Oh my!" Spike whimpered.
"Hey, what's that?" The voices of men sounded. Without a doubt, they must be the guards of the warehouse and were on their way to investigate the commotion.
"Hey! Are you going to help me out, or not?" The lion called.
"I'm working on it!" Spike replied as he moved the lever, trying to get the hook to hang directly over the lion, knocking more of the crates in the process, until he finally got the claw to where he needed it to be. "Okay, let's see. How to drop it?" Spike turned to a button with a down arrow, which he immediately pressed, lowering the hook down, until it was hanging over the lion. "Okay! Grab the hook!" Spike called, watching as the mountain lion leapt up at a tremendous height and grabbed onto the hook with its strong paws. With that, Spike pressed the button with an up arrow, lifting the lion out of the cage, just as some men arrived.
"What the–" They exclaimed, upon seeing the lion escaping. "The lion's loose!"
"Quickly! Get the tasers!" The other man said, as they ran off to get their equipments to recapture the lion.
After the lion was lifted out of the cage, she lets go of the hook, dropping herself down to the floor and began her escape.
"Hey! The exit's the other way!" Spike called out to the lion, watching as she navigated her way, blindly through the warehouse, until she was surrounded by the men, carrying sticks that cackled with electricity on their end, while one of them carried a long stick with a noose at the end, and another was holding a gun.
The lion let out a roar and swiped her paws at one of the men, to which one of them reacted by swinging his stick at the lion and tightens the noose around her neck.
"Hey!" Spike barked at the men. "Leave her alone you big bullies!"
"Who's there?" One of the men barked, looking around the warehouse, searching for the source of the voice. "Show yourself!" He demanded, searching for a person. Little did he know, however, he was talking to a magically enchanted dog.
Turning the lever, Spike made the crane move, causing it to smash into one of the crates, causing it to fall down on top of the men, causing them to release their hold on the lion, allowing her to pry the noose off of her. One of the men tried to shoot her with his gun, only for him to be jumped on by a dog, causing his aim to be thrown off, and he accidentally fired a tranquilizer dart at one of his colleagues.
"AH!!" The man shouted, upon being hit by the dart, before he passes out.
"What the–" The man who fired his gun looked down, and gasped in horror as he inspects his downed partner. "Freddy?"
Spike ran as fast as his little legs could carry him until he was at last out of the warehouse, and took refuge behind some more larger crates to catch his breath. This is also where he happened to regroup with the mountain lion cub he had rescued.
"YES! You rock little dog!" The lion roared happily, startling the little dog.
"Please don't eat me!" Spike whimpered.
"Are you kidding me? Why would I want to eat you?" The lion asked rhetorically. "After you saved me life and everything? Besides, who would want to eat dogs? Too much fur," The lion turned to Spike, but was perplexed to find the little dog was nowhere to be seen, "Hello?"
"Uh, I believe you," Spike called, while revealing he was hiding behind a trashcan, keeping his distance away from the lion. "But I'm just going to believe you from all the way over here."
"Y'know what? Believe what you want. I'm going home," The lion proceeded to leave, before she stopped. "Now which way would that be?"
Upon realizing that the lion cub was lost, just like him, all of Spike's fear for the big cat melted away and he only felt sympathy for her. A part of him wanted to go home soon and back to Twilight, but some other part of him wanted to help the young lion return home to her family.
Breathing a long deep sigh, Spike muttered, "I just know I'm going to regret this," Walking over to the lion, Spike began talking, "Hey, uh... I couldn't help but notice that you're lost and all. So, would you like some help getting home? Where is it?"
"I...I...I don't know," The lion frowned, with her ears folding back to further emphasize her distress. "I was caught by those bad men and I was put into one of those large machines on wheels, when they took me here. I don't know where I am, and none of these sights or smells are familiar to me. I can't find my way back home."
Spike nodded in understanding before he barked, "Well, I'm lost too. And I'm trying to find my way back home. Why don't you come with me? Maybe we can help each other find our way home."
"You mean it?!" The lion asked hopefully. "That'll be great! It'll be a lot more fun to travel with a friend!" The lion cub's ears suddenly perked up, when she turned to the warehouse to see a commotion was stirring. "Uh, let's get out of here first. I don't want to be put back in that awful cage again."
"Yeah, let's go," With that, Spike proceeded to lead his new lion friend out of the warehouse and into the city. "By the way, name's Spike."
"I'm Gabriella," The lion replied. "But you can just call me Gabby!"
"I can't believe we've lost Spike!" Smolder whimpered as she paced around, back and forth. "And it was his first time as a stray."
"Hey, it's every dogs for himself," Garble said bluntly, earning a growl from his sister. "Oh c'mon, sis. You know as well as I do that it's a dog eat dog world out here. Or survival of the fittest. Remember? Though, not my favorite kind of words, but still. That's how it's been for us, ever since our owners had left us to fend for ourselves."
"But still, we had each other," Smolder barked. "We survived because we're a pack. And for a while, Spike was one of us."
"Uh, newsflash, he'd rather go back to his owner than to join us," The red dog barked. "I'm sure he's probably on his way back to this Twilight owner of his, right now."
"Help!" A familiar barking was heard, to which the street dogs all turned their heads in the direction of the bark. "Hello? Anyone there? Help us!"
"It's Spike!" Clump barked.
"And he's alive!" Fume added.
"And he needs our help!" Smolder turned to Garble, who looked away, pouting. "Well c'mon! Let's go!" With that, Smolder led the charge, barking loudly with Clump and Fume following, with Garble being the last to follow.
Back with Spike
Spike scratched a door at a house and whines pleadingly, while putting on the most cutest face he could muster, "Aw, what a cute little puppy!" The inhabitants cooed, before they gave Spike a steak as a treat. With that, Spike took the piece of meat away, running to a nearby dumpster, where he meets up with his new lion friend, Gabby.
"Here, Gabby," Spike offered the meat to the lion. "Bon appetite!"
The lion chewed at the steak, tearing away at the meat, "Hmmm, tastes a little weird," Gabby commented, not having eaten cooked meat before. "But... it's okay, I guess..."
"Well, Twilight and her people seemed to like them," Spike shrugged.
Just then, some loud barks were heard, to which the two turned to see a familiar pack of dogs running towards them.
"Spike?!" Smolder barked. "Spike! You're alive!" Before Spike could return the greeting, Gabby leapt on all four and growled defensively at the dogs, "AH!!" Smolder screamed.
"IT'S A LION!!!" Garble barked.
"L-L-L-LIOOOOOOONNNN!!!!!" Fume screamed, with Clump, scared of his wits, jumping into the paws of his friend.
"Mama, mama!" Clump whimpered.
“Whoa, Gabby, easy! It’s okay!” Spike reassured to the defensive lion cub. “They’re my friends.”
“They are?” The mountain lion asked.
“Yeah.”
An awkward silence soon followed, before Smolder broke the ice, “Uh, Spike? Who is the lion? And where did she come from?”
“Uh, Gabby, these are Smolder, Fume, Clump, and Garble,” Spike introduced the lion to the stray dogs. “Dogs, meet Gabby."
“Nice to meet you!” Gabby greeted eagerly.
“Uh, hey,” Smolder greeted hesitantly.
"I met her back in a warehouse," Spike explained. "She was stuck in a cage, so I let her out."
"Warehouse?" Smolder asked. "What warehouse?"
Suddenly, the sound of sirens was heard, in the distant and a large dark truck pulled up, along the streets.
“Oh no!” Gabby whimpered. “Not them again!”
Smolder and the dogs turned around to see the truck that filled them with dread.
“Uh oh! It’s animal control!” Smolder frowned with wide eyes.
“They must be after Gabby!” Spike barked.
“You mean...you freed her from their cage?!” Smolder exclaimed with her fellow dogs looking shock and surprised.
"But...no animals have ever escaped from animal control before..." Fume commented.
Before Spike could answer, he was snatched by the back of his collar and carried away by Gabby, who took off running in fright.
"She's dognapped Spike!" Fume barked fearfully.
"More like saving him!" Smolder commented, pointing her head at several animal control officers pursuing both lion and dog on motorcycles. “Come on! After them!" Smolder barked, leading the chase.
Garble, however, stopped them, "Whoa, wait a second! Chasing the animal controls people? Are you dogs out of your mind?"
"Spike needs our help," Smolder argued. "He's one of us. And I'd never leave one of my pack members behind. Go find someplace to hide if you want, Garble. But I'm going."
With that, Smolder and the rest of her dog friends took off running to save their friend, with a reluctant Garble following.
"I just know I'll regret this," Garble sighed, as he followed. "Wait for me!"
With the animal control officers hot on their tails, Gabby kept on running, carrying Spike, by the collar, in her jaws.
"LION!" The people screamed, terrified at the sight of Gabby.
Though Gabby's not a fully grown lion, she was estimated to be as big as a pitbull, and was still big enough to scare several people. Spike tried to make sense of all the madness, but it was hard for him to focus when he was repeatedly bouncing up and down, by the neck, being carried away by the young lion cub.
"Hey!" Spike coughed. "Can't you run any smoother?"
"What?" Gabby asked, before she crashes into a person's leg, causing her to lose her grip on Spike.
Spike was sent rolling across the street, with his collar flying off.
"AH! Oof! Ow!" Spike grunted as he got up and whimpered in fright.
Everywhere he looked, people were all scrambling and running in horror, all around him. None of them paid any notice and some almost trampled him in the chaos.
Just then, a tall shadow loomed over Spike as he turned around, just as a net fell down on him.
"Gotcha!" The dog catcher exclaimed, before his words were eaten.
Out of the blurs, Gabby appeared and leapt at the animal control officer's face, clawing at him, before she leapt to the ground, freeing Spike from his net, and carried him away, by scruff of his fur.
Not too far behind, Spike could hear the officer grunting in frustration before he barked to his fellow officers, "There they go!"
Without a doubt, more animal control officers will soon be upon them. Worse still, ahead are more crowds of panicked people.
"Quick Gabby! Go left!" Spike pointed, helping Gabby navigate between the people. "No! Your other left! Go that way! Hurry! They're gaining on us! Quick! Hide in there!"
"Ok!" Gabby replied through her gritted teeth as she and Spike darted into an alleyway.
Some of the animal control officers screeched to a halt, after having lost sight of their targets.
"Uh...captain?" One of the animal officers moaned, as he talked into a comm, in his ear. "We've lost them," From the comm, his captain spoke up some more orders for his subordinate, who complied, "Understood. Spread out and search for them! They couldn't have gone far..."
With that, the animal control officers proceeded to spread out, searching for the runaway dog and mountain lion cub, within the vicinity.
Meanwhile, Smolder and her fellow street dogs were in pursuit of their new friend and the animal control officers.
"C'mon you guys! Keep up!" Smolder barked as she lead the charge. "Whoa! Get back!" She barked as they darted behind a wall, to avoid being seen by the officers.
"They've got guns!" Fume whimpered. "If they spot us, then it's a one-way ticket to the dog pound...or worse, the long walk..."
"No time for that now, Fume," Smolder barked. "We gotta find Spike and his lion friend, before these guys do."
"But where'd they go?" Clump asked.
Fume looked amidst the chaos, before he sighted both runaway dog and lion.
"There they are!" The shepherd dog pointed, to a nearby open fish market in Chinatown.
In the fish market, a conversation was going on between two fishmongers.
"So my great grandfather was a fishmonger," One of the fishmongers bragged. "And my grandfather was a fishmonger. And my dad...well, he was a dentist. But now I'M a fishmonger too! Family honor restored. SO what brings you to this thrilling line of work pal?"
With a grunt of frustration, the other fishmonger grumbled as she chomped a fish's head off.
"Magic have made a mockery of me!" She grumbled. "They've cost me my job! My dignity! And once...it turned me into a newt..."
The other fishmonger blinked incredulously in response, before he silently asked, "A newt?"
"I got better! Still...if I see those Rainbooms and their talking dog, then so help me, they will rue the day they ever messed with Abacus Cinch..."
"Uh...coffee break! See ya!" With that, the other fishmonger took his leave, while his co-worker, identified to be Abacus Cinch, was left to seethe her anger.
At that very moment, Spike and Gabby had both arrived in the fish markets, to hide out from the animal control officers.
They were hiding behind some crates, before peeking their heads up to see if they were being followed. While keeping a look out, Gabby's nose twitched to the smell of fresh fishes on the ice. Needless to say, she got hungry, with her rumbling tummy to vouch for her.
"Why are they leaving these fishes out in the open like this?" Gabby asked as she climbs up to a booth to steal a fish. "They're catching flies and they're wasting away! Ooh! It's cold!" She exclaimed, when she took the fish, by the tail, wincing from the cold.
"Gabby, no!" Spike barked, as he tries to pull his lion friend back down. "Get back down! You're going to get us–"
"LION!!!"
"–caught..." Spike frowned.
"There's a lion in the fish market!" The panicked fishmonger screamed as he and his colleagues all screamed their heads off, as they ran around in a frenzy.
During the chaos, Abacus Cinch looked down, and her eyes narrowed upon seeing Spike.
"Ugh, dogs!" Abacus scowled. "I'm allergic to dogs! Wait a minute..." Her eyes squinted as she took a closer look at Spike, "I know you...you are the pet of my former pupil, Twilight Sparkle!"
"Gabby," Spike barked to Gabby, who was already biting into the fish she had stolen. "Time to go!"
"In a minute, Spike," Gabby replied, still tearing away at the fish.
"We don't have time for this! Let's go!" Spike barked.
"I said in a minute. I'm hungry!"
"There they are!" Spike and Gabby looked up to see animal control officers, pointing their tranquil guns at both Spike and Gabby.
"Uh...good idea," Gabby changed her mind. "Let's get out of here!"
With that, both Spike and Gabby escaped into the streets, leaving behind the half-eaten fish, barely avoiding the tranquil darts fired at them. Shortly after, the officers resumed their chase, with Abacus Cinch's gaze following them, before she looked back down at the fish.
"What has my former pupil done now?" Abacus pondered. "Surely she'd know better than letting her dog loose, let alone...a lion...hmmm."
Once again, out on the streets, Spike and Gabby ran for dear life, with the animal control officers hot on their tails. Thankfully, with all the pedestrians, the officers put their guns away, taking out only their nets and snares, in their attempts to capture the two runaways.
"I got 'em!" An officer shouted, lunging at Spike and Gabby, only to be stopped by Clump, who bit at the dog catcher's leg, tearing away at his pants. "Why you mangy mutt! Let go, let go of me!" He growled, turning his attention at the bull dog, who barked and took off running.
At that moment, Garble had tripped a dog officer, before he took his hat.
"Hey! Give that back!" The officer demanded the return of his hat, only for Garble and Smolder to play a game of keep away. "That's not funny! Give me my hat back or–Oh, c'mon, that's not fair..." He complained, after Garble had faked a throw, to which Smolder jumped in and snatched it out of the air.
"Well, what are you waiting for, Spike?" Smolder barked at both little dog and lion cub. "Get out of here!"
"But...what about you guys?" Spike asked.
"Don't worry, we got this!" Smolder replied. "We'll hold them off! There's a path to the woods, up ahead! Go! We'll meet you there!"
Spike turned his back, ready to follow Gabby, when he stopped and turned to Smolder, "Thanks Smolder!"
"Thank us later, just go!"
With that, both Spike and Gabby took off running, escaping from the animal control officers, until they found themselves out of the city, and at the edge of a forest. By then, the sun was setting over the horizon, and the sky turned orange.
"I think we've lost them," Spike panted heavily, before he realized something else was missing. "Oh no! I've lost my collar! It's...it's somewhere in the city."
"Oh! Was it that thing you wore around your neck?" Gabby asked. "I'm...I'm sorry."
"...It's fine, don't worry," Spike shook his head. "But...I'm more worried about Smolder and her friends. I hope they're okay."
"I hope so too," Gabby added. "I'm sorry if you and your friends got into trouble, because of me..."
"Oh, don't worry," Spike shook his head. "From what I saw, they can take care of themselves and...I wouldn't last more than a day without them. It's still my first time out on the street."
"Huh? What do you mean, your first time?" Gabby asked. "How long have you been a wild dog?"
"Only a day," Spike explained. "I got left behind, by accident. And now, I have to get back home to Twilight, the sooner the better."
"You too, huh?" Gabby sympathized with the little dog. "We're both a long way from home... Then let's go together!"
"What?"
"Well, it's no fun traveling all by yourself. And who knows? Maybe we can help each other find our way home, together!"
"Hmmm, sounds like a good idea.
Just then, the sound of heavy panting was heard, to which Spike and Gabby turned to see Smolder and her dog packs, following close behind.
"Smolder! You guys are alright!" Spike barked happily.
"Barely," Garble panted. "You owe us big for that!"
"Phew! My legs are sore," Clump panted. "I'm going to feel this in the morning."
"Anyway, now that animal control is taken cared of," Smolder turned her attention towards Gabby. "What are we going to do with her?"
"It's simple," Spike barked. "I'm just going to take her home. And then, I'm going to mine."
"Whoa, whoa, wait. Hold on!" Garble exclaimed. "Am I hearing that right? You seriously going to bring this lion home?"
"Yeah!" Gabby chirped, excitedly.
"Of course I am! You got a problem with that?" Spike asked.
"Spike, how long have you been out in the wild?" Garble barked. "Do you even know where lions like her, even live?"
"In the forest!" Clump added.
"On the mountains!" Fume added.
"With bears and wolves!" Garble added. "And let's not forget, we're talking about a lion, and lions eat dogs like us!"
"Hey! Don't know me? Don't judge me!" Gabby huffed. "And besides, why would I ever eat dogs? Especially my new best friend, Spike here?"
"And besides, Gabby's lost, just like I am," Spike pointed out. "So, in a way, us strays got to stick together."
"That's for dogs, not for wild cats, like her!" Garble barked. "And besides, mountain lions like her are solitary predators! She can fend for herself. Just come back to the pack and stay with us..."
"She's just a cub!"
"She'll get bigger."
"She's lost."
"Not our problem."
"Then I'll help her."
"Look, Spike," Smolder interrupted. "I don't know her. And I know we've just met and all, but are you sure you want to do this? Your owner's abandoned you, and now...you're risking your own neck, for a lion?"
"Twilight didn't abandon me!" Spike barked. "She just made a mistake. And yeah, whether you like it, or not, but Gabby's with me. And I promised I'd help her find her way home."
"Whatever," Garble rolled his eyes. "You do you. But don't think we're coming with you..."
“Then you don’t have to,” Spike replied. “It’s been nice meeting you dogs. But me and Gabby have to go.”
"Well...sure, I guess," Smolder replied, while looking down, more concerned for Spike's well-being.
"Right, well...see ya," Spike barked, before he and Gabby turned for the forest. "Let's go Gabby!"
With that, Spike went off his separate ways from the stray dogs, with Gabby at his side. Garble was the first to take his leave, with Clump and Fume in tow. Smolder, however, was the last to leave, as she took a long glance, watching Spike and Gabby leave, disappearing into the forest.
"Kid's got moxie..." Smolder commented. "I like moxie..."
