An eight year old purple dragon with green scales happily ran around a field, sniffing the air for something good to eat. He stopped in his place and got on his hands and knees, starting to dig. After several minutes of digging, he pulled out a shiny emerald. It wasn’t very big but he was beaming with joy.
“Mom look what I found!” He exclaimed, showing a large dragon who was blue with green scales. She smiled at her sons excitement.
“Put it in the pile with the other ones, I bet your father will love them.” She said. Spike nodded his head and placed the emerald in a pile of gems that was laying on a blanket. His mother had found most of them. Spike climbed onto his mother’s back as she picked up the blanket of gems with her teeth. She opened her wings and flew up into the sky.
Spike smiled and closed his eyes, letting the wind blow in his face. His mother looked back at him and did a little spin, tossing Spike into the air. He landed in his mother’s arms and gripped onto her. Soon they approached a cave, landing in front of it. Once they landed, Spike hopped out of his mother’s arms. A large purple dragon with white scales walked out of the cave, stretched out his wings. He looked down at the small dragon.
“Hi dad!” Spike said with a happy wave. His father gave him a stern look, baring his sharp teeth that would make a pony tremble.
“Did you find any gems?” He asked, his voice deep and booming. Spike nodded his head and rummaged through the gem pile. He pulled out a handful of tiny gems to show to his father.
“Great job son, go put them in your hoard.” He commanded. Spike nodded his head and ran off deep into the cave. The male dragon turned around and looked at his wife with a smile.
“Did you find any good gems Scythe?” He asked, giving his wife a kiss on the cheek. She nodded her head and opened the blanket, revealing hundreds of large, shiny gems.
“I found a few Dart.” Scythe stated. Dart licked his lips, drooling a bit.
“You found some rare gems.” Dart said in a matter of fact tone. Scythe playfully rolled her eyes.
“I know what rare gems look like. That’s why I choose that hunting spot, it’s filled with rare gems.” She explained. Dart thought to himself.
“Talking about hunting, why don’t we have fish for dinner. We haven’t had it in a while.” He suggested. Scythe nodded her head.
“That’s a good idea. The river is usually empty because everyone’s too lazy to go there.” Scythe stated. Dart nodded his head and licked his lips.
“And it’s salmon season, the best type of fish.” Dart said, his stomach starting to growl.
“Spike lets go, we’re going fishing!” Scythe shouted. Spike ran over to his mother with shiny blue powder around his mouth.
“Were you eating a sapphire?” His mother asked. Spikes eyes darted around and he started to sweat a bit.
“Uh, no?” Spike said as if it were a question, giving his biggest grin. His teeth had blue powder on them too. Scythe chuckled and picked him up, wiping the powder off of his lips.
“I’ve told you this before, you can’t eat any snacks before dinner.” She scolded. Spike nodded his head and climbed out of his mother’s arms. He climbed onto her back and held on tightly. With that, the family took off to the sky.
Spike stared in awe at the river, watching hundreds of fish swim around. There scales shimmered with the water. The current was rather fast and could easily sweep someone away if they fell in.
“Today I’ll teach you how to catch fish.” Dart stated. Spike looked at his father with wide eyes and a large grin.
“Really?!” He asked in disbelief. Dart nodded his head and reached towards a tree. He pulled down a large set of vines and placed them in front of Spike.
“Since you’re so small, you’ll have to use a net. When you get older you can start using spears and even your teeth.” Dart explained. Spike could barely stand still from all of his excitement. Dart picked up the vines and started to tie them together. “Copy what I’m doing, this is how you make a net.” He explained. Spike nodded his head and started to tie some vines together.
Scythe watched her husband and son make nets when her ears perked up. She heard something rustle in a nearby bush. She peaked her head in to see nothing. On the ground there was a set of hoof prints that were leading away from the bush. That was odd since ponies were usually too scared to get near a dragon. She could also make out the smell of blood but it was very faint. Someone must have killed a deer recently. Scythe shrugged it off and looked back at the river.
“Mom look!” Spike exclaimed happily. He held up a small net with two large salmon flopping around in it. Scythe smiled.
“Great job, lets see if you can catch some more.”
Spike laid in a small hole in the cave, drifting off to sleep. His stomach was filled with smoked salmon and gems. The whole cave was silent and the only noise heard was the crickets chirping from outside. Spikes ears perked up when he heard the sound of hoofsteps entering the cave. He ignored it, assuming that he was dreaming. The hoofsteps continued, making him stir in his sleep a bit. It was starting to bother him a bit.
He sat straight up from his hole and looked around. He could see the faint shadow of two ponies. He held back a gasp and got on all fours, crawling towards his parents. Once he approached his mother, he started to shake her hand a bit.
“Mom, I think someone is in the cave.” Spike whispered. Scythe sleepily opened her eyes and looked at Spike before quickly darting up when she realized what he said. Scythe turned around to see two ponies, one was a unicorn and the other was a pegasus. She gasped when she noticed what they were wearing.
“Darth wake up, Scale Collectors are attacking!” She exclaimed in fear. The unicorn charged at Scythe levitating a rope with sharp spikes on them. He wrapped it around her mouth. Dart sat up and turned around, growling. The pegasus kicked a potion bottle at him which hit him between the eyes. Dart quickly collapsed to the ground.
“Dad!” Spike shouted. Scythe picked Spike up and pushed him outside of the door. She opened her mouth, snapping the rope into tiny bits.
“Go Spike, go run to safety!” She ordered. Spike froze in fear as he watched his mother get ambushed by two violent ponies. He quickly turned around and ran off. The pegasus turned to the unicorn.
“Get him.” She ordered. The unicorn nodded her head and chased after him. Spikes feet pounded on the ground as he ran away. He made his way towards the river, knowing He could follow the stream to safety. He could head hoofsteps behind him, quickly gaining. Tears ran down his cheeks as he struggled to keep running. Spike saw the river a few feet away and he sped up.
“Stop!” The unicorn exclaimed. She shot a beam of magic towards Spike, hitting him into back of the head. His eyes rolled back and he stumbled slightly. He tilted into the river, making a big splash. Before the unicorn could get to him, the rushing current swept him away. The unicorn shook her head.
An eight year old grey griffon walked around a pond, holding a stick in one of her hands. She wore a yellow raincoat and splashed in puddles. She stopped splashing when she saw a frog hop out from a stalk of grass.
“Hello Mr Frog, I’m Gabby.” She greeted. The frog stared at her with blank eyes and let out a loud croak. Gabby picked up the frog, petting it’s head lightly.
“You shouldn’t be out here, there’s a storm coming.” Gabby stated as she placed the frog on a lily pad. The frog hopped in the water and swam away. Gabby smiled and looked at the sky to see storm clouds rolling in. Her eyes widened in realization.
“I’M SUPPOSED TO BE HOME BEFORE DAD GETS THERE!” Gabby shouted in fear. She quickly opened her wings and flew off. She dodged tree branches and large boulders, desperate to get home before her dad did. She did a sharp left turn, taking her shortcut. There were thorny branches and poison ivy scattered all over the place but Gabby didn’t have time to dodge any of them. She flew through prickly branches, cutting up her wings and ripping her raincoat. Gabby stopped flying when she saw a hole made of thorny branches. There was no other way around it. It was as if a bunch of trees had fallen over.
“I can do this.” Gabby encouraged herself. She slowly crawled through the hole, her wings pressed firmly against her back. If she went any faster, she’s permanently damage her flesh and feathers. Gabby gripped onto some vines, pulling herself forward. The thorns scraped against her left leg, cutting it open. Gabby stayed silent, knowing that if she didn’t get home she’d feel pain far worse.
“Almost there.” Gabby grunted out as she saw light at the end of the hole. She reached her hands out and gripped the edge of the hole, pulling herself out. She landed on the hard stone ground with a thud. She quickly stood up and looked around to see a small house in front of her. She was in her backyard. Gabby ran towards the backdoor, which she had left open. Once she got in she slammed the door shut and made her way to the basement. The basement was dark and very cold. The only light source that was there was a small unlit candle and a tiny window that she could squeeze herself through. Gabby took off her raincoat and looked at it.
“He’s not gonna be happy when he found out a ripped this.” Gabby said fearfully. She tossed the raincoat to the corner of the room and faced her bed. Well it wasn’t really a bed, more of a blanket and a dirty pillow. Gabby reached under the pillow and pulled out a first aid kit. She took out an ace bandage and started to wrap it around her rear leg.
“Gabriella!” A male voice exclaimed from upstairs, making Gabby jump in fear. She quickly kicked the first aid kit to the other side of the room and flew upstairs. She was greeted by an angry looking griffon. He was grey like her but had brown legs like any other griffon.
“Yes father?” Gabby asked, trying to look as innocent as possible. Her father looked her up and down, before looking at her hind leg.
“What happened to your leg?” He asked. Gabby thought of an excuse on the spot.
“I tripped going down the stairs.” She lied. He gritted his teeth and raised his hand, slapping Gabby across the face. She let out a loud yell of pain and cowered to the ground.
“WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT LYING TO ME?!” He shouted angrily, getting ready to slap Gabby again.
“I went to the swamp and cut my leg!” Gabby admitted, covering her face. His face turned into a scowl and he slapped Gabby again.
“You’re a pathetic little liar just like your mother!” He shouted, the slaps now turning into punches. Gabby curled up into a ball, trying to shield herself. Once her father finished punching, he looked at his knuckles that were now covered in blood.
“Go to you room.” He commanded. Gabby quickly stood up and limped back towards the basement. She closed the basement door softly and limped down the stairs. The stairs creaked with every step she took. Soon, she made it to the bottom of the stairs. She grabbed the first aid kit she had kicked and started to pull out some bandages, rubbing alcohol, and cotton balls.
“At least he didn’t throw glass at me again.” Gabby muttered, trying to stay optimistic. She took a bandage out of the first aid kit and placed it on her face. She placed more bandages on her arms, legs, and sides. When she was finished, she wrapped her small blanket around her and curled up into a ball. She knew that her father wouldn’t want to see her right now so she might as well sleep until he cooled down.
Gabby awoke to a loud crack of thunder and the sound of rain hitting her flimsy window. She could feel cold water dripping on her head. She looked up to see her window opening and closing rapidly due to the wind. Her stomach growled and she licked her lips.
“I’m hungry.” Gabby said to herself. She got up from his blanket and walked towards the stairs. Once she approached them, she started to flap her wings a little bit. She walked up the stairs, her claws grazing over each step. The stairs didn’t make a sound as Gabby grazed over them. Soon, she made it to the top of the stairs. She placed her hand on the door and slowly pushed the door open, making sure it didn’t creak. Gabby crouched down low and listened for any noise.
“And that was jazz with Griffy, I’ll see you tomorrow.” A faint voice said from the living room. Gabby let out a breath of relief. Her father was listening to the radio which meant he had fallen asleep while drinking. He only listen to the radio while he drank and it put him right to sleep every time. Gabby stayed close to the floor, avoiding every creaky floorboard. She had learned how to move silently around her house without being caught.
Gabby entered the kitchen, which looked very messy. She crawled towards a cabinet and opened it. There were many different sweet snacks that her dad loved to eat. Gabby reached towards the back, getting the ones he liked the least. Without any warning, the shelf broke. It landed on the floor with a loud thud and all of the items fell on the floor, a few jars breaking. Gabby’s heart started to pound in her chest as she heard heavy footsteps make its way to the kitchen. She tried to turn around to rush out of the kitchen but came face to face with her very angry father.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” He practically shouted, his face turning red from anger.
“I-I-I...” Gabby stuttered out, it able to get a complete sentence. Her father grabbed Gabby’s throat and slammed her into the cupboard.
“YOU PIECE OF SHIT!” He shouted. Gabby instinctively clamped her teeth on her father's hand, making him let out a scream of pain. He released his grip on her throat and Gabby flew over his head.
“Get back here!” Her father commanded. Gabby ignored his shouts and ran into the basement, slamming the door shut. She quickly grabbed a old raggedy book bag and started to shove random items in there.
“I need to leave.” Gabby said in a panic. The basement door slammed open and Gabby could see the shadow of her father, who was holding a belt.
“I’m going to beat you until you’re blue!” He shouted. Gabby slung the book bag over her shoulders and started to climb out of the shaking window. She turned around to see her father approaching her quickly, looking angrier by the second. Gabby slipped through the window with ease and cold water started to cover her body.
“Get back here you piece of shit!” Her dad commanded, peaking his head through the window. Gabby ignored his calls and started to run. She didn’t know where she was going but all she knew was that she had to get far away from home. She couldn’t even see due to all of the rain. The ground squished under her claws and her feathers were soon holding dozens of leaves.
“Where am I?” Gabby asked herself as she looked around. She looked down to see that she had managed to get to a cliff. The bottom of the cliff led to an endless forest. She turned back, trying to go in an opposite direction. A large gust of wind pushed her back and her rear legs dangled off of the cliff.
“Help somebody please help!” Gabby exclaimed. Her screams couldn’t be heard over the howling wind. Her claws dug into the mud before she slipped off. Gabby let out a high pitched scream, falling into the forest.
Spike stirred awake, feeling something cold hit his head. He slowly opened his eyes and moved his fingers, feeling something wet and squishy. He brought his hand to his face to see that it was covered in mud. He sat up and looked around to see that he was in a dark forest. It was raining heavily too.
“Where am I?” Spike asked himself. He looked down to see that he was at the end of the river and it had washed him onto land. Spike stood up, his legs shaking a bit. The back of his head pounded and his vision blurred for a few moments. Once his vision regained, he took a few shaky steps. The wind howled loudly, shaking the trees. Spike struggled to stay upright and shivered. If it weren’t for the trees, water would be pouring down on him.
“I want mom and dad.” Spike muttered, tearing up a bit. He wrapped his arms around himself, trying to stay warm. His stomach growled, making him wince in pain. He sniffled, wiping snot from his nose. He was freezing, tired, scared, hungry, and alone. Spike continued walk around, looking for some form of shelter. There was a rumble of thunder, making him jump in fear. A mix of rain and tears dripped down his face, which made it harder for him to see. He stumbled and fell over to his side, letting out a muffled cry.
“M-mom, Dad, please come back.” Spike cried out. Cold rain hit his body and he shivered. He just wanted his parents back. He sniffled again, covering his face. As he sniffled, he smelt something good. He sniffed the air, slowly standing up. It smelled like a mix of gems. He started to follow the smell, determined to get the gems. Spike struggled against the wind, swaying a bit.
“Almost there.” Spike grunted out. His stomach growled loudly. The smell got closer and closer. His mouth started to water. His feet squished in the mud, nearly sinking in. Soon, Spike approached a cave. He sniffed the air again. The gems were definitely in there. He didn’t smell any dragon so everything seemed safe. He got on all fours and slowly entered the cave, making sure that nothing was in there.
“Hello?!” Spike called out. All he heard was his voice echoing around him. He let out a breath of relief. The cave was so much warmer than outside. He looked around to see gems scattered all over the ground, which was very odd. Spike didn’t give it a second thought and picked up a handful, shoveling them into his mouth. He looked around the cave, looking for any signs of anyone living there. He looked on the wall to see a symbol. It was the same symbol that was on the Scale collectors uniforms. Spike swallowed his food and his scales flattened.
“They were here.” He whispered fearfully. Judging by the state of the cave, it seemed like they were there years ago. Spike shivered as a gust of wind blew into the cave. He picked up an armful of gems and walked to the back of the cave. He dropped the gems on the ground and drew in a long breath. He blew out a gust of fire, lighting the gems on fire. Since the gems weren’t flammable, they stated lit.
“I’ll leave when the storm stops.” Spike stated, laying down on the cold ground. He just hopped the storm stopped soon.
Gabby slowly opened her eye to feel something wrapped around her tightly. She looked around to see that she had fallen in a pile of vines. She was suspended from a tree. The vines wrapped around her wings and one of her legs. She opened her beak and bit one of the vines, snapping it. She reached over to another vine and snapped it off of herself. Soon, she dropped to the ground with a loud thud.
“Ow...” Gabby groaned out. She unraveled the vines from her wings and held them in her beak, looking for her red bag. Her bag had landed a few feet away from her and was now covered in mud. She placed the vines in her bag, feeling like they’d be important later. Gabby put her bag on her back and looked around. Her bandages were wet and soggy.
“Okay, don’t be scared, you’re just in a dark forest.” Gabby said with a nervous laugh, trying to calm herself down. She could ere the wind blowing and feel the rain hitting her. Her body felt heavy due to the rain building up in her feathers.
“I need to find somewhere to sleep for the night.” Gabby said to herself. She reached in her bag and pulled out a flashlight. She clicked it on and pointed it in front of her. The trees were tall and loomed over her. The bushes shook with the wind, making Gabby move away from them. She was afraid that something would jump out and attack.
“Okay first thing, I need to find footprints. They’ll most likely need to shelter.” Gabby said to herself. She knew all of this from the times her father had kicked her out of the house for the night. She doubted that she’d find any footsprints because the rain would’ve washed them away. Gabby walked around, shining her flashlight on anything that moved. After several minutes of walking, she stopped and looked around.
“This is hopeless.” Gabby stated, stopping her claw. She saw something move from the side of her eye, making her whip around with her flashlight at it. She let out a breath of relief when she saw it was just a leaf. Next to the leaf, there was a fresh set of footprints. She rushed over to them and inspected them closely. She put her claw on one to feel that it was still warm, despite the cold rain splashing on it.
“I need to go this way.” Gabby said to herself. She followed the footprints, wondering what creature made them. They were too small to be a manticore and too big to be a cockatrice. Gabby had seen different types of footprints but nothing like that. Soon she approached a large cave. She could see something green glowing from the inside. She listened closely to hear soft humming and a crackling fire. Maybe there was someone in there that could help her! Gabby ran into the cave, excited to see an adult that could help her. She stopped running when she saw a small dragon. He sat in front of the green fire with his knees up to his chest.
“Hello.” Gabby greeted. The dragon jumped in surprise, facing her. He gave a small wave.
“H-hello.” He stuttered our awkwardly.
“Can I stay here until the storm ends?” Gabby asked. The dragon nodded his head and Gabby next to him. She loved socializing with new people so she decided to ask a few questions.
“I’m Gabby, what’s your name?” Gabby asked, out stretching her hand.
“Spike.” The dragon answered, shaking her hand. Gabby looked around the cave. It seemed rather big for a small dragon like himself.
“Do you live here by yourself or with your parents?” She asked. Spike tensed up a bit.
“I don’t live here. My parents were taken by Scale Collectors.” Spike explained. Gabby tilted her head.
“What’s a scale collector?” She asked, now very curious.
“They’re a group that catches dragons and puts them in cages. Barely any dragons have gotten out alive and the ones who have are never the same.” Spike explained. His scales started to droop a bit. Gabby frowned and put her hand on his arm.
“Well I won’t let any scale collectors get you!” Gabby said confidently. Spike chuckled.
“Why are you in the forest at this time? Don’t you have a home?” Spike asked.
“I ran away. My dad was a bad person and beat me a lot. Now I’m just looking for a new place to stay.” Gabby explained. Spike thought for a moment.
“Well we’re both alone so why don’t we look out for each other? We can be pals.” Spike suggested. Gabby smiled and nodded her head happily.
“I would love that so much! I’ve never had a friend before I usually scare them off with my rambling, but I promise I’ll look out for you!” Gabby happily rambled, her tail wagging a bit. Spike smiled before shivering again. He had forgotten how cold he was. Gabby reached into her bag and pulled out a blue blanket. She wrapped it around Spike.
“There, now you won’t be cold.” Gabby said happily. Spike smiled.
Gabby stirred awake, feeling the cold stone ground pressed up against her. She opened her eyes and sat up, let out a yawn. She looked around the cave to see that it was empty.
“Spike?” Gabby called out. She looked around to see that he was nowhere in sight. She then noticed that her backpack was gone, along with her blanket.
“He stole my stuff!” Gabby shouted in disbelief. They had promised to stick together and he left her. Gabby started to tear up. She trusted people too way easily and that always led to her getting hurt. She sat on the ground and hid her face in her hands, trying not to cry.
“Gabby?” Spike asked, making her look up. He held a net with four fish in it. On his back was Gabby’s red backpack.
“I thought you left me and stole my stuff.” Gabby stated. Spike shook his head.
“Sorry for taking your bag, I was using it to see if you had anything to catch these.” Spike said, holding up the net with salmon in it. Gabby let out a breath of relief.
“I’m glad you didn’t leave me behind, you’re my only friend.” Gabby said with a smile. Spike grinned happily and took the fish out of the net. He placed them on a flat piece of stone.
“Are we supposed to eat this raw?” Gabby asked, sticking her tongue out in disgust. Spike chuckled and shook his head.
“No, I’m going to cook them.” Spike stated. He let in a deep breath and blew out a large green flame. The fish sizzled, emitting light smoke.
“I found some basil and parsley too.” Spike said, crushing up the basil and sprinkling it on the fish. He reached into the backpack and pulled out a large leave that was bigger than his head. He fanned the two pieces of fish, making the flame go out. The two pieces of fish had been cooked to a golden brown color. Gabby’s mouth started to water.
“That looks delicious!” She exclaimed. Spike sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck.
“My mom taught me how to make fish.” He said. Gabby took a bite of the salmon, humming in satisfaction. Spike smiled and took a bite of his fish. Both children happily ate there food, filling themselves up before there journey. Gabby placed the skeleton of the fish on the flat stone.
“That was great.” Gabby complimented. A small blush appeared on Spikes face and he put the rest of his fish on the stone.
“Are you ready to go?” Spike asked. Gabby nodded her head and picked her bag up from off of the ground.
“Where should we go?” Gabby asked.
“I think I saw a path near the river. The path might lead to a town.” Spike explained. Gabby grinned and did a little leap of joy.
“We can buy stuff out there and find a place to stay for the night.” Gabby stated. She picked up the leftover gems that weren’t burnt and didn’t have any bite marks taken out of them.
“Why are you bringing gems with us? I thought only dragons could eat them.” Spike asked.
“Gems can be used as money too. The cost way more than bits and can buy a lot more things.” Gabby explained. Spike tilted his head in confusion. In The Dragonlands everyone just took what they wanted.
“What are bits?” Spike asked. Gabby gave him a look of surprise. She held his hand and led him out of the cave.
“I have a lot to tell you about money.”
Spike and Gabby walked down the dirt path, which was wet and muddy. Spike kicked a pebble that was in front of him, listening to Gabby speak.
“And bits are made out gold.” Gabby explained. Spike let out a gasp of surprise.
“Gold is rare in the Dragonlands, if you find it you can get robbed.” Spike stated. Gabby gave a confused look.
“In Griffonstone griffons are really protective over anything they have. It doesn’t matter if it’s worth nothing, you can get attacked for trying to steal anything.” She explained. Spike opened his mouth to say something, but his ears perked up when he heard a distant noise.
“Did you here that?” Spike asked. Gabby listened closely, only to hear nothing.
“I don’t hear anything.” Gabby said in confusion. Spike grabbed Gabby’s claw and started to run, pulling her forward.
“I think someone’s in trouble.” Spike stated, leading Gabby to the sound. Gabby’s ears perked up when she heard a crying sound get louder and louder as they approached it.
“Is somebody crying?” Gabby asked. Spike nodded his head, speeding up a bit. They soon approached a wagon that was flipped upside down. Wooden crates were scattered in the dirt and mud. Under the flipped over wagon, there was an orange earth pony stallion. His hind legs were stuck under the cart. He laid on his face, letting out muffled sobs.
“We need to help him!” Gabby exclaimed, rushing over to the wagon. She put her claws under the wagon, lifting it a few inches off of the ground. Spike rushed over to her side, helping her lift up the wagon. Soon, the wagon was tipped over and on its wheels, ready to roll again.
“Are you okay?” Gabby asked. The stallion looked up, his brown hair bouncing a bit.
“I think my leg is sprained.” He said, pointing to his right leg. Spike looked through the pile of rubbish that had fell out of the wagon. He pulled out a roll of ace bandages and walked over to the stallion.
“How did you tip over your wagon?” Spike asked, wrapping up the stallions leg. The stallion tapped his chin, thinking for a moment.
“Well I was going to Sludgetown and I think I was moving too fast. A bunny ran in front of me and when I stopped, my wagon flipped over me and landed on my legs.” The stallion explained.
“That sounds terrible.” Gabby said, petting his poofy hair. He sniffled and wiped the tears from his eyes.
“Done!” Spike stated, letting go of the bandages. The stallion looked at his leg and smiled.
“Thanks for the help kids. My name is Cheese Sandwich.” He greeted with a small wave.
“I’m Gabby and this is my friend Spike. We’re going into town to find a place to stay for the night.” Gabby explained, picking up a few crates and placing them in wagon. Cheese Sandwich put his hoof on his chin, thinking for a moment. He stood up and limped over to one of the turned over crate. He pulled out a small purple pouch that was filled with bits.
“I’ve been to this town a few times. There’s a nice inn there. You two should sleep there for the night.” Cheese Sandwich stated, handing Spike the bag of bits. Gabby and Spike exchanged glances at each other and both broke out into grins.
“Thank you so much!” Gabby exclaimed, hugging Cheese Sandwich tightly. Cheese Sandwich chuckled and hugged her back.
“It’s no problem, I know what it’s like to be on your own at this age. Let’s go, I can take you into town.” Cheese Sandwich said, placing the harness to the wagon on his back. Gabby flew after the wagon and Spike hopped on the back of it. This was all going to be great.
Spike sat on a large queen sized bed, reading a map. He marked out places they shouldn’t go.
“Spike I made us friendship bracelets!” Gabby exclaimed, handing Spike a bracelet. He looked at it to see that it was made out of colorful string. His was grey and light blue. He looked over at Gabby’s that was green and purple.
“It means that we’ll stick together forever.” Gabby said with a smile. Spike put the bracelet on and gave Gabby a big smile.
Gabby sat in bed, watching a female griffon walk around the room and gather items. The griffon was grey just like Gabby and had big purple eyes.
“Where are you going Mom?” Gabby asked, staring up at the griffon. The griffon packed a bag, filling it with food, a map, a tent and a flashlight.
“I’m going far away from here. It’s not safe for us to be here.” She said, pulling Gabby into a tight hug.
“Can I come with you?” Gabby asked. Her mother shook her head.
“I can’t bring you with me, it’s too dangerous. I don’t even know where I’m going to go.” She said. Gabby looked up at her mother with a large frown. Her mother looked down at her and kissed her forehead.
“I promise when I find somewhere safe for us to stay, I’ll come back for you.” Her mother said, giving her a little poke on the beak. Gabby giggled and hugged her mother tightly.
“Now you should be going to sleep, it’s midnight.” She said, stroking Gabby’s head. Gabby let out a yawn and laid down in her hard bed. Her mother gave her one last kiss on the cheek.
“I’ll see you later my butterfly.” Her mother said while stroking her heads. Gabby drifted off to sleep, seeing her mother for the last time.
“Gabby wake up.” Spike said, nudging her awake. Gabby groggily opened her eyes, rubbing her cheeks. Her feathers were wet.
“You were crying in your sleep.” Spike stated. Gabby sat up and looked in a mirror that wasn’t too far from the bed. Her eyes were red and puffy.
“I’m fine, that just happens sometimes.” Gabby reassured, dismissively waving her claw. She looked upset. Spike frowned and reached his hand out to rub Gabby on the back for comfort, but quickly jerked his hand back and reached into his blue backpack that he had gotten the day before. He pulled out a map and showed Gabby.
“I marked down all the places we could go. Where do you want to go first?” He asked. Gabby glanced at the map and pointed to a random spot. Spike looked at the spot and picked up a pencil, crossing it out.
“Rainbow Falls is a good choice. I read in a brochure that it has cool waterfalls. Are you ready to go see it?” Spike asked. Gabby rubbed her eyes again, tearing up.
“I think I saw a train station not to far from here, how about you get some train tickets. I need a little time to myself.” Gabby said. Spike frowned and put on his backpack.
“I’ll be back soon.” Spike stated, hopping off of the bed. He walked over to the door and looked back at Gabby who was sulking sadly. He opened the door and left the room. He shut the door behind him and let out a sigh.
“I wonder why Gabby is sad.” Spike wondered to himself, walking down the hallway. Dragons were never the best with friendship or emotions. Spike walked down the hallway, thinking about how he could cheer Gabby up.
“Maybe I can give her cool shiny rocks? That always cheers me up.” He said to himself. Spike shrugged his shoulders and walked out of the inn. It was worth a shot.
Spike and Gabby sat on the motionless train. Gabby stared out the window, her wings drooping a bit. Spike reached into his bag and pulled out a large, shiny rock. It had light blue stripes all over it.
“Here.” Spike stated, handing Gabby the rock. She looked at the rock in her hand and gave her friend a look of confusion.
“Um, thanks?” Gabby thanked in confusion. She placed the rock in her bag and looked back at out the window, leaning into her hand. Spikes scales flattened against his head.
“It didn’t work.” Spike thought sadly to himself. He looked around, looking for something to cheer Gabby up. The train started to move, rocking the train a bit.
“We should go to the food car, I heard it has really good snacks.” A mare said, passing by. She walked to the end of the train car and opened the door, walking inside. Spike cause a glimpse of booths and food from the inside of the train car. An idea popped into Spikes head and he turned to Gabby.
“Gabby, can I have some bits?” Spike asked. Gabby reached into her bag and pulled out ten bits.
“Don’t spend too much, we need to save.” Gabby stated. Spike got up out of his seat and walked down the isle. He wobbled a bit as the train rocked back and forth. He made his way to the end of the car, opening the door. The smell of various foods made Spike’s stomach growl. He walked into the car and closed the door behind him. He walked up to the counter and sat on a seat, spinning around.
“What can I get for you?” A stallion with a gruff voice asked from behind the counter. Spike hummed to himself, tapping his chin. He wasn’t used to eating pony food.
“What can I get for this?” Spike asked, sliding over ten bits to the stallion. The stallion took the bits and walked into the kitchen. He walked back out with a large chocolate chip cookie the size of Spikes head and a bottle of milk.
“Thank you.” Spike thanked with a smile, grabbing the sweets off of the counter. He hopped off of the swivel chair, walking towards the door. He opened the door and walked back into his car. He walked down the isle and sat down next to Gabby.
“I got you a cookie and some milk.” Spike said, handing Gabby the large cookie. She gave a soft smile and took the cookie from him.
“Thanks.” Gabby said, breaking the cookie in half.
“I can’t eat this whole thing by myself.” Gabby stated as she gave Spike the other half of the cookie. She smiled a bit and took a bite of her cookie before looking back out of the window. This was all going according to plan.
Spike and Gabby got off of the train to Rainbow Falls. It was late in the afternoon and the sun was high in the sky.
“Where should we go first?” Spike asked. Gabby pulled a brochure out of Spikes bag.
“The brochure said that there’s a camping store nearby. We should get a tent and some food, it’ll cost too much money to go to another Inn.” Gabby explained. Spike nodded his head in understanding. They walked into town and marveled at what they saw. Large waterfalls splashed into a pond.
“It’s beautiful.” Spike marveled. Gabby nodded her head in agreement before looking around.
“I can see the store over there, let’s go.” Gabby said, grabbing Spikes hand. A small blush appeared on his face and he followed his friend.
“Gabby still looks sad, I need to find another way to cheer her up.” Spike thought to himself. He looked around, trying to think of another way to cheer his friend up. He looked over at a sign that read Glow Butterfly Migration at 10pm. It was dated for that day. Spikes eyes lit up. That seemed like a perfect thing to cheer her up. He had seen the Glow Butterfly Migration before and it was beautiful.
“After we go get some sleeping bags and a tent, we should go get food that’ll last us a few weeks.” Gabby instructed.
“We should camp out up there.” Spike said, pointing to the ledge on top of the waterfall. It would be the perfect spot to watch the butterflies go overhead.
“That looks like a perfect spot. It doesn’t seem like anyone would go up there.” She said. Spike broke out into a wide grin. She was definitely going to feel better after this.
Spike dropped a pile of sticks to the ground and quickly lit them on fire. He reached into a large duffel bag and pulled out a bag of vegan beef jerky. He looked over at Gabby who was staring at the ground.
“Hey Gabby, you want some?” Spike offered, holding the bag out to her. Gabby glanced up and took a piece of jerky. Spike looked up at the sky to see a glowing green butterfly. Spike beamed happily. It was starting!
“Gabby look!” Spike exclaimed, pointing up at the sky. Gabby looked up to see millions of butterflies that were glowing green. They danced in the night fly, lighting it up beautifully.
“Isn’t it amazing?” Spike marveled. Gabby’s eyes widened and she let out a gasp.
“Mom...” She muttered.
“Mommy mommy look, a pretty butterfly!” A young Gabby exclaimed, pointing to a butterfly that landed on her mother’s head. Her mother chuckled and picked Gabby up.
“That’s a Glow Butterfly, they mean true love. If you see they land on someone, that means they love you.” She said, giving her daughter a kiss on the head. Gabby let out a laugh and hugged her mother.
“I love you Mommy!” Gabby exclaimed. Her mother smiled and hugged her tighter, making the butterfly flutter of of her head.
“I love you too my little butterfly.”
Gabby quickly blinked, snapping out of her daze. She looked over at Spike and smiled. A butterfly landed on Spikes nose, making him blink in surprise.
“Gabby look! A butterfly landed on me! Isn’t it beautiful?” Spike asked happily. Gabby broke out into a grin.
