Her Knight in Shining Scales Ch. 2

Spike trudged through the snow covered streets of Ponyville. The wind picked up a little, causing the snow to fall faster and obscure Spike's sight. Although he knew where Carousel Boutique was, he could barely tell if he was making any progress. Spike could barely see any of the buildings near him, nor could he really distinguish any landmarks to help guide him to Rarity's shop. Despite all the obstacles, the dragon persevered in hopes of getting an answer from the pony who knew about love the most.

He suddenly saw something in the distance and squinted his eyes. He could barely make out a tall building that had some elegant gold trimming around it and a red door. Spike instantly recognized it was Carousel Boutique and quickly ran over to the door. Before knocking on the door, Spike took a deep breath as he composed himself and what to say. He knew what had to be done and what he had to say, it was just a matter of how to say it. With his thoughts sorted out, the dragon knocked on the door loudly.

"Rarity, open up!"  he shouted. "It's me, Spike! I really need to talk to you now!"  

Spike waited for a minute or two before he heard the door unlock and cracked open.  From behind the door came Rarity, a tall white unicorn with a curly, gorgeous purple mane and tail. She was wearing a majestic purple sweater, a pair of black khakis, and a pair of brown slippers.

"Spike? Whatever are you doing out here in this dreadful weather?"  asked Rarity. "You shouldn't be out here just to see me. I'm not even working on any projects at the moment."

"Please wait a minute!"  shouted Spike. "I really need to talk to you about something important!"

"Darling, I'm sure whatever you need to tell me can wait. Why don't you go talk to Twilight instead?"

"Because that's who I need to talk to you about!"  shouted the dragon. "It's about Twilight!"

Rarity raised an eyebrow upon hearing this and moved out of the way. "Get in then darling,"  she said. "I'll make us some hot cocoa while we talk."

Spike entered the house and took off his mittens, jacket, and boots and put them all near a coatrack. He saw Rarity gesture to follow her and did so without a second thought. She lead him to the kitchen and the table nearby, where a white mug of hot cocoa was placed. Spike sat down and saw Rarity go over to a cabinet to pull out another white mug. She poured another cup of hot cocoa in the mug and went over and handed it to a frantic looking Spike.

"Now what can I do for you Spike?"  asked Rarity. "You seem . . . tense and on the edge of your seat. Is what's going on with Twilight making you so nervous?"

"Um . . . you can say that,"  said Spike in a small voice.

"Well then what seems to be the problem? Is she getting wound up over another letter to Princess Celestia?"

"No."

"Is she getting excited over a sudden appearance by both princesses in town?"

"No."

"Is she going ballistic over another book that has a tiny tear on one of the pages?"

"No, that was last week."

"Then what could be the problem darling?"

Spike looked out the window to make sure he wasn't being watched. "Rarity . . . what I'm about to say can't leave this place, understand?"  he asked in a stern tone.

"I understand perfectly Spike,"  she said.

"I mean it Rarity, you can't say anything to Twilight, or anypony else, about what I'm going to say."

"Spike, you have nothing to worry about. Now what seems to be the problem?"

"Pinkie Promise me then!"  shouted Spike. Rarity looked at him with a bit of an annoyed look on her face. "Sorry, I . . . I'm just a little worried that Twilight may hear this."

"Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye,"  said Rarity while doing the motions. "Now then, can you please recompose yourself and tell me what's wrong?"

The dragon took a deep breath and said, "This morning, while Twilight was out with all of you, I was doing some cleaning around the library and came across something . . . interesting."

"Go on darling,"  she said. "What did you find in there?"

"It was a book actually."

The white unicorn raised an eyebrow. "Spike, you live in a library with Twilight. Finding a book inside of a library is no different than finding a cookie cutter in Sugarcube Corner."  Rarity suddenly felt a thought cross her mind. "Spike, was this book you found a little . . . adultish or something?"

The dragon's face went red with embarrassment. "No way Rarity!"  he shouted quickly. "I'll admit, I've seen a few of those, but Twilight won't let me read them. In fact, I think she said something about getting rid of them so I wouldn't be tempted to do so."

"My apologies then darling. But even if you found such a book, I wouldn't hold any ill will towards you. You are old enough after all to look at such things. Even if they are a little grouterious and slanderous."

"I think we're getting off topic here Rarity,"  said Spike.

"You're right darling, my mistake,"  she said. "Tell me more about this book you found."

"Well believe it or not, it's actually written by Twilight herself."

Rarity was about to sip her hot cocoa, but stopped when she heard who wrote it. "Twilight . . . she's actually writing a book?"  she asked in an incredulous tone. "I never knew she delved into the world of writing. What is she writing anyway? Romance? Comedy? Horror?"

"Actually she's writing a report on studies of dragons,"  said Spike. "Or . . . at least that's what it was originally supposed to be."

"Originally supposed to be? Did she change her mind on what to write, or did she give up?"

"Well you can say she really changed her mind,"  muttered Spike.

"What was that darling?"  asked Rarity.

"Um . . . well she kind of . . ."  his voice tapered off as he felt his nerves getting the best of him. Can . . . can I really say it to her?  he thought to himself. This could change the relationship I have with Twilight and the others forever. But if I don't, I won't know what to do if Twilight decides to one day tell me how she feels. I guess I don't have much of a choice in this matter.

"Spike, are you alright?"  asked Rarity. "Why do you have such a blank expression on your face?"

Here goes nothing.  The dragon sighed and said, "Twilight actually wrote in the back of the book about me. She actually wrote in it how she really felt towards me and she said she . . . she . . . loves me."

Silence filled the room, with the exception of sound of wind blowing against the window, as Rarity took in what Spike said. She placed her mug down and looked at him with a mixture of bewilderment and shock on her face. Spike looked away in shame and waited to hear what Rarity would say to him. He didn't know if she was going to laugh at him like this was a joke, or if she asked him where he got such a ridiculous idea.

Finally, Rarity said in a small voice, "I . . . I had no idea. This is quite a twist if I do say so myself. In fact, I'm not even sure what to make of what you just said."

"Rarity, you have to believe me,"  said Spike in a desperate tone. "Do you really think I would come all the way out here just to tell you something like this as a joke?"

"Spike . . ."

"I mean this is really messed up and has turned everything upside down,"  said the dragon, ignoring Rarity's voice. "This is basically the pony who raised me like her own child and everything. What am I supposed to do with her now that she has some feelings towards me?"

"Spike. . ."  said Rarity in a more stern tone.

"Should I avoid her feelings for the rest of my life or something? I'm really not sure on . . ."

"Spike! Will you please calm down and listen to me!?"  said Rarity in a harsh tone.

The dragon rubbed the back of his head and looked down. "S-sorry about that Rarity,"  he said in a small voice. "I'm just so lost on what to do, or how to handle this whole thing. I figured I'd come to you since you're an expert on romance and relationships. I need to know what I should do with Twilight's hidden feelings for me."

"Darling, before I talk to you about that I need to know one thing. What was the name of that book you found?"

"Um . . . My Dragon. Why do you ask?"

Rarity bit her lower lip and looked away. Spike could've sworn he saw a look of fear in her eyes and muttered something.

"Rarity, you wouldn't happen to know anything about this book, would you?"  asked Spike.

"No of course not darling,"  she said. "I've never even heard of that book."

"Then why did you suddenly act so silent and mutter something?"  He heard no response from the white unicorn. "Rarity, if you know anything about this book, then please tell me."

"Spike, I am telling you the truth about that book,"  said Rarity. "I never had any idea about it up until you told me about it today."

"Well . . . what about when I mentioned the part about Twilight having feelings for me?"  asked Spike. "I mentioned both the title of the book and what was in it at the end and you acted so weird. It's like you knew what was written about Twilight's feelings towards me. Please Rarity, I really have to know what's going on."

Rarity looked down for a couple of minutes and sighed. "Twilight really raised you to be quite the clever drake Spike,"  said Rarity. "I'd say if you were a lawyer, you would make quite a good one with your keen eye for detail."

"So . . . you knew all along then?"  asked Spike in a stern tone. "You knew all along what was written in that book and said nothing to me at all?"

"Hold it there Spike,"  said Rarity. "While I am aware, in some way, about what she wrote about you, I had no idea of the book she was writing it in. All she told me was the book title she had and had a pretty good idea on where to write it. I never knew she wrote it in the same book as her reports on dragons."

"Well if you didn't know about those studies, then tell me this. What do you mean by you were aware, in some way, about what she wrote about me?"

"Darling . . . to tell you the truth, I believe that I am the reason you found that little entry in the back of the book."

"W-WHAT!?"  shouted Spike.

"Spike, there's no need to raise your voice against me!"  scolded Rarity. "No calm yourself down and listen to me."

"S-sorry Rarity,"  he said as he looked down. "I'm just a little surprised is all."  He saw the white unicorn raise an eyebrow at him. "Okay, I was really surprised. So how were you involved with what Twilight wrote?"

"Well darling, it all started back a few weeks after what happened in the Crystal Empire. While I was busy in 'the zone' as 'twere' when Twilight came to see me about something urgent, as she put it. She wanted to talk to me about some dreams and strange feelings for a certain individual. She told me about how she would get rather uncomfortable and nervous around that individual and felt conflicted on what to do. She went into deep detail about how he was handsome and always there for her, but yet she didn't want to say anything since she was very close to him."

"So how did you know it was actually me she was talking about?"  asked Spike.

"She wasn't exactly being so secretive on who she talked about,"  said Rarity. "She went into detail about what you looked like and how she was practically like a little brother to her. It really wasn't too hard to put it all together so quickly. I managed to talk her into telling me more about her hidden feelings towards you. Albeit I needed to calm her down when she went on about how wrong it sounded and being shunned by myself and the others."

"When I managed to calm her down, I consoled her into finding a way to express her feelings for you. She told me that she was afraid to say something to you and feared she would frighten you if she did. So I proposed that she actually write out her feelings in a book in order to find a way to confess to you through the words she wrote. She did tell me she had a book and wanted to call it My Dragon, but I never knew it would be that book you told me about."

"But Rarity, I just can't accept Twilight's feelings,"  said Spike. "She's basically my surrogate mother and treated me like her own child. Do you know how awkward it would be to date somepony who's like your mother?  Besides, I can't accept what she said because . . . because,"  Spike took a deep breath and said, "I . . . I love you Rarity. You're a very kind and special unicorn to me. You're very pretty, very generous, and somepony who will do anything for a friend."

Rarity placed her hand on Spike's and smiled at him. "I know darling . . . I've known for a long time, but I can't accept your feelings for me unfortunately."

"But . . . but why?"  pleaded Spike in a broken voice. "Are you rejecting me for Twilight's sake? Did I not do enough to show how much I care about you?"

Rarity got up and went to hug the dragon. "Darling, I'm not rejecting you off because of Twilight falling for you. You are a very kind gentledrake who knows how to really treat a lady and go quite the distance to help us. To be honest darling, ever since the incident with Prince Blueblood, I haven't been interested in forming any romantic relationships. I learned from that experience that love is something you can't rush and sometimes can be very cold to you. Besides, I'm busy with pursuing my career in dressmaking and taking care of Sweetie Belle. I'm going to be patient and wait to find my special somepony."

"But that doesn't explain why you're rejecting me. I've pretty much been at your beck and call when you needed me. So was all that I did for you and everything that I gave you all for nothing?" asked Spike with anger rising in his voice. "You just used me all this time and manipulated me?"

"Spike, I never intended to use you at all,"  said Rarity. "If anything, I blame myself for letting your crush go this far and not stopping it."

"And yet you never said or did anything to let me know you weren't interested in me!"  spat Spike.

"That may be true Spike, but I never knew your crush would go on for so long,"  said Rarity. "When I knew you weren't going to stop chasing me, I tried to think of a gentle way to break it to you. I just didn't have the heart to turn you down since I knew it would break your heart and possibly hate me."

"Hate you? Why would I hate you?"  he asked.

"Yes darling, I feared you may think I used your crush to help me set up connections in Canterlot and to hunt for gems. I lost control of myself,"  she said. "I did use you unintentionally, and I did nothing to stop your crush on me. I just want you to know Spike that I'm terribly sorry for giving you such a false sense of hope that we could be together. Can you ever forgive me for leading you to believe that."

Spike said nothing for a few minutes as the words sank into him. He nodded slowly and said, "Yeah . . . I guess that's what I get for being so lovestruck by somepony like you. Thinking about it actually, I should've known that it wasn't ever going to happen. I guess I was just so caught up in trying to win you over, it clouded my thinking."

"I want you to understand though Spike that you'll always be a very special drake to me and my friend,"  said Rarity with a smile. "Just because I didn't return your feelings doesn't mean you aren't a very dear friend to me. I'll never forget everything you've done for me over the time we spent together."

"Thanks Rarity, but it still doesn't change the fact that I'm not sure if I want to return Twilight's feelings or not,"  said Spike. "I've always seen her more along the lines of either a mom I never had, or a big sister to me. What am I supposed to do with somepony who's treated me like family and raised me like her own son?"

"Spike, you're being too narrow minded on this whole matter,"  said Rarity. "While you may think Twilight is like a surrogate mother figure to you, I've seen you stare at her from time to time and act a little dazy around her. You may not be aware of it, but I've seen the way you look at her and the glint in your eye shows you care for Twilight as much as she cares for you."

"But . . . but . . . she . . ." argued Spike.

"Don't try and hide it from me Spike,"  said Rarity. "I've seen how far you go to protect and make Twilight happy. You bravely followed her in her quest to find the Crystal Heart and saved the day when she was trapped. You were the one who brought her back from going over the edge over that letter to Princess Celestia. You even told us you were willing to make sure Twilight was given another test after she supposedly failed the one in the Crystal Empire. You may help all of us out, but when it comes to Twilight, you go the extra mile to ensure her happiness and protect her when she needed it."

Spike said nothing and twiddled his fingers around one another.

"Let me ask you something Spike. Who was it that nursed you back to health after you fell into the lake during Winter Wrap Up?"

"Um . . . it was Twilight,"  muttered Spike. "But I'm not seeing how this . . ."

"Let me finish darling,"  said Rarity. "Now who was the one who led the charge to save you from that dragon after running away from home?"

"It was Twilight."

"Who was it that looked after you when your stomach was feeling upset from all the letters Princess Celestia sent through you?"

"Twilight, but what does . . ."

"Darling, it's not nice to interrupt a lady,"  scolded Rarity. "Now let me ask you a few more things. Do you know who it was that came up with the idea to protect you from those beastly teenage dragons during the Great Dragon Migration?"

"I thought it was you, Twilight, and Rainbow."

"That may be true, but it was Twilight who came up with the idea to protect you from those horrible dragons. She was so concerned for your safety and wellbeing that she came up with the idea to follow you and help you out."

"You mean it was her who did that for me?"  asked Spike.

"Yes darling, she wanted nothing more then to keep you out of harm's way. Just as you went above and beyond to do your best for her, she too went to great lengths to help you."

Spike said nothing again and took in what Rarity just said.

"I have only one last question for you darling,"  she said. "Who has always been there for you when you're upset, ill, and lonely?"

"Well it's Twilight of course,"  said Spike. "But even with all of that, I'm still not sure on what to make of how she really feels towards me. It feels kind of awkward to me. That, and I have one last thing that still kind of bothers me with Twilight."

"What is it darling?"  asked Rarity.

"Her birthday in Canterlot, remember? She never told me about it and I missed it as a result. You all just snuck off without telling me anything."

Rarity flinched at the mention of that incident and looked down. "Oh yes . . . you never were a part of her party. She never brought you along to join her birthday."

"Yeah and even though she apologized and gave me a full week off for doing that, it still bugs me,"  said Spike in a bitter tone. "Why didn't she bring me along in the first place? Or at least leave me a note telling me about the change in plans? Did Twilight ever tell you that Rarity?"

The white unicorn closed her eyes and thought back to a couple of months ago. She said nothing for a few moments, but something suddenly crossed her mind that made her gasp in shock.

"W-what's wrong Rarity?"  asked Spike.  He heard no response and saw a nervous look grow on her face. "Rarity, you need to tell me what's going on. What happened that made me miss Twilight's birthday."

"I do darling,"  she said. "I want you to wait here for a couple of minutes. I need to go get something that I feel I wrongfully took from her."  The white unicorn got up and walked out of the kitchen.

Spike rubbed his head and said, "Wrongfully took from her? But Rarity would never steal anything from Twilight, or anypony else for that matter."

The kitchen door opened again, with Rarity carrying something in her hands. "Here it is Spike,"  she said. "I know this gift was meant for a . . . confession, but it's time you had this back at last."  She opened her hands to reveal a large red heart shaped gem surrounded by a golden chain.

Spike let out a gasp as he realized what Rarity was holding. "That . . . that's the Fire Ruby I gave you,"  he stuttered. "But . . . but what does this have anything to do with Twilight and her feelings towards me?"

"It's actually something that slipped my mind until you brought up Twilight's birthday,"  said Rarity. "There's something important I need to ask you again Spike. Do you know where you got that Fire Ruby from anyway?"

The dragon thought back to when he first saw it and felt something cross his mind. "That was after Twilight got back from her birthday in Canterlot. It was an apology gift after she forgot about me on her birthday."

"Well you're partially right on that darling,"  said Rarity. "It was an apology gift, but it was also an early birthday gift to you. However, it was far more then that darling."

"How so?"  asked Spike.

"When Twilight was telling me about how she was feeling, I accidentally left out one small detail. By the time her birthday had arrive, Twilight told me she was practically falling for you. As such, she wanted to find a way to tell you how she felt and came across something in the paper. It was a raw Fire Ruby that was for sale in Canterlot. The price though was very steep and Twilight felt that she wanted to work for those bits."

"She did what!?"  asked Spike in an incredulous voice.

"Spike, I told you to stop interrupting me,"  said Rarity. "Now where was I? Oh yes, Twilight actually did some odd jobs for other ponies around Ponyville. She cleaned gutters, did some work at Carrot Top's farm, and even babysat for many ponies. By the time two weeks had passed, Twilight had earned enough bits to buy the Fire Ruby. As much as it pained her to, she knew she couldn't bring you along in fear that she would say something wrong to you about her crush. She told me she left with the others while you were hanging around with my sister and her friends. When Twilight arrived in Canterlot, she apparently went to the place that sold the Fire Ruby and paid a total of $10,000 bits."  

Spike's jaw dropped to the ground. "Ten thousand bits!?"  he shouted. "Where did she even get that many bits!? She would've had to work for a year before affording it!"

"Princess Celestia sent her some money for Twilight's birthday,"  said Rarity. "It was mostly her way to show thanks for saving Equestria so many times. With all of that settled, she bought that fire Ruby and planned to give it to you as a gift. There was just one problem though with her plan."

"I take it she never thought about confessing to me?"  asked Spike.

The white unicorn nodded and said, "You're correct darling. Twilight told me that she couldn't say anything because she knew how angry you were. She opted to instead hand you the Fire Ruby as an 'apology' gift instead and has since then been silent about it. Even when you handed me it, she didn't say a word or raise an objection towards it. She really wanted to tell you how much you meant to her with this gift and instead only made things harder for herself."

"After what she told me, I wanted to give Twilight the Fire Ruby back, but she refused to take it back. She told me that there was no way she could ever make it up to you again. She hated what she did back then and regretted every bit of it Spike. It's why I'm giving you back this Fire Ruby so you can give it to her. This gem may have been your way to show your love for me, but it was Twilight's way to show how much she cared for you. This gem represents how committed she is towards you and how deeply she loves you."

The dragon was practically speechless from what Rarity told him said to him. He couldn't believe that Twilight went to such lengths to do all of this. It was her, who not only brought him a Fire Ruby, but it was her own way of showing how much she cared for him. Although he thought the tactic sounded rather convoluted he did agree on something, he knew Twilight did this to find a way to confess to him. He felt his resentment melt away and was instead replaced with guilt. He looked down and buried his hands into his face.

"Are you alright there Spike?"  asked Rarity in a concerned tone. "You haven't said a word to me for five minutes."

"I'm such an idiot,"  said Spike. "I can't believe I never saw all the signs. How could I have been so blind? Everything Twilight did was practically screaming she was falling for me and I never considered that at all."

"Spike, I hate to do this, but I need to ask you something again,"  said Rarity.

"Go ahead and ask me anything you want to. I've got nothing to hide."

"What do you truly think about Twilight?"

Spike said nothing for a few minutes and thought about everything Rarity said. What do I really think about Twilight?  he thought to himself. Well I can't deny that's pretty cute looking and has done so much for me. She's pretty much been looking out for me as much as I've looked out for her. But . . . she's still technically like my mother figure since she raised me like her own child.

And yet, I have to admit that despite not always seeing eye to eye, she's been there for me when I've been upset. She may scold me from time to time and get on my nerves a little, but she's probably the best friend I could ever ask for.  Spike began to feel tears build up in his eyes and quickly wiped them away. Friend . . . I'm actually not calling her like a mother or sister figure. That's what she's always been to me, but I've been so close minded that I only saw her as my mom. She vowed to never send me away after I peeked through the door King Sombra placed. She's always been the one there for me and I never even gave it a second thought.

"I'm so stupid,"  said Spike in a broken voice.

"Spike, you are not stupid in the least bit,"  said Rarity in a gentle tone. "You're a very smart and talented dragon. You just never thought about how Twilight felt towards you."

"And that's why I'm so stupid!"  shouted Spike horselly. "I was so caught up in trying to win you over Rarity that I never gave Twilight a second glance! I . . . I can't believe I just threw her away like that and never thought about her. It's always been her who's looked out for me when I was in danger. Her, who was the one who comforted me when I was upset. All this time and I never even considered how deeply Twilight cares for me."  The dragon looked down and felt tears drip down his face.

Rarity went over and hugged him. "Dry those tears Spike,"  she said. "I know you're upset that you weren't considering Twilight or how she felt about you, but there's still time to make things right darling. You can head back to the library and let her know you like her back."

Spike wiped the tears away and said, "Like her? No, I don't like her."

"Spike, I thought that you . . ."  protested Rarity.

"No Rarity, I don't like her . . . I love Twilight. I mean how can I not love her after everything she's done for me? For years I always thought of her as my big sister or mom, but she's far more then that to me. She's always been the one that's stood by me and comforted me when I was feeling down. I need to get back to the library and be there for her as she was there for me all this time."

"Then you better get moving darling,"  said Rarity. "It seems the snow is coming down faster now. I'll clean up while you get dressed and get going back to Twilight. Don't forget to take that Fire Ruby and give it back to her."

"I won't Rarity, but before I leave, there is one thing I want to say."

"What is it?"

The dragon gave her a hug and said, "Thank you . . . thank you for everything you've done. I hope when you finally find a special somepony one day, that they realize how wonderful you are. A pony like you should only have somepony just as great as you are. I hope you find that pony one day."

The white unicorn blushed a little and returned the hug. "Spike, even though I never returned your feelings, I want you to know that you were the kindest and sweetest gentledrake I ever met,"  she said. "I'll never forget everything you've done for me and I wish you and Twilight nothing but the best of luck together."

The dragon waved, grabbed the Fire Ruby, and ran back to the front door of Carousel Boutique. He quickly put back on his mittens, jacket, and boots and went through the door and closed it. He ran back to the library as quickly as possible, but the blinding snow was making it hard for him to see where he was going. Despite the blizzard though, Spike didn't slow down and continued to run.

Twilight, I've made a lot of mistakes in my life,  thought Spike to himself. But there is one that I don't intend to make ever again. You vowed you would never send me away and I vow to never leave you feeling lonely again and abandoned. Just you wait Twilight, your knight is coming back for you.

Spike ran through the snow covered streets until he came across the looming and towering library tree. But as he came closer to it, the dragon noticed something that made him raise an eyebrow. There were no lights on at all, leaving the interior of the library pitch black. Spike put those thoughts behind him though as he finally reached the main entrance, but he noticed something was hanging on it. He approached the door and saw a piece of parchment hanging on a thumbtack. He took the parchment and read it, but with each line he read, his jaw dropped in horror.

Dear Spike,

I now know why you truly wanted to see Rarity when I got back home. I saw near my bed a certain bookmark for a book I've been keeping secretly, or was, from you. I know you most likely read that section and how freaked out you must be about what I wrote. I know now you'll never be mine and that you'll shun me because you think I'm some sort of freak. I know I told Rarity about how I felt towards you, but if you two do get together, I won't hold anything against the both of you. Please take good care of Owlowiscious and Peewee for me Spike and tell the others I'll miss them dearly. You all were some of the best friends ever and I'll never forget any of you. Please don't come looking for me and go on like I never existed at all. You're probably better off without somepony who loved a dragon they raised like their own son.

Goodbye forever,

Twilight Sparkle

Spike felt his stomach do several flips and his heart nearly stopped. He quickly busted into the library. "TWILIGHT! WHERE ARE YOU!?"  he shouted. He heard no response except for his voice echoing.

He ran through every room in the library in hopes of finding the lilac unicorn. He looked in the lobby, but found no sign of her. He looked in the basement, but found her machines she used to experiment on Pinkie were the only things in there. Spike ran back up the steps and headed for the bedroom he shared with her. He opened the door only to find most of Twilight's stuff, including her clothes and several books, were missing.

The dragon began to panic on what to do and thought of only one thing: get help. He put the note he had in his hands into his jacket and ran out the library door. Spike ran as quickly as he could, disregarding the snow and wind, back to Carousel Boutique. Unlike before, Spike found his way back to the shop with no problem due to the footprints he left behind from the trek back to the library. He went to the door and pounded on it very loudly.

The door opened to Rarity, who had an annoyed look on her. "Spike, you know better than to knock so loudly,"  she said in a stern tone.

"Rarity . . . *pant* . . . there's no time for this,"  said Spike in between pants. He pulled the note out and handed it to the white unicorn. "Read . . . *pant* . . . this."

Rarity took the note and read it. Her eyes widened and let the note slip out of her hands. "Run away!? In the middle of such a blizzard!?"  she shouted in horror. "We need to hurry up and find her before it's too late!"

"Alright, here's what we're going to do,"  said Spike in a commanding tone. "Rarity, you go to Sweet Apple Acres and get Applejack. Then you go get Rainbow since she's not too far from there. I'm going to go get Pinkie and Fluttershy, got it?"  The white unicorn nodded. "Good, let's meet back here in 20 minutes. Twilight shouldn't have gotten too far and we need to catch her before something happens to her."

"I'll go get dressed then darling,"  said Rarity. "You get going and I'll see you here in a little bit."

Spike nodded and turned tail towards Sugarcube Corner.

Twilight, please be safe,  he thought to himself. I promise I'll make things right again for you. Wherever you are right now, please stay safe.

---

On the outskirts of Ponyville, Twilight was wearing her winter stuff and carrying a large brown backpack full of her personal belongings. She turned around and looked back at the lit up town that she once called her home. She sniffled a little and looked down as she turn around and walked away.

"I'm sure Spike is trying to win over Rarity now that he read my book,"  she said to herself. "I hope those two will be happy together and have a wonderful life with one another. Now where can I go to live now? I can probably move to Zecora's place and learn more of her magic and potions from her. I just hope she doesn't ask too many questions when she-OOF!"

Twilight fell down as she ran into something. She rubbed her head and looked up to see a tall figure standing above her. Suddenly, two more figures, a rounded one on her left and an extremely skinny one on her right appeared near the first figure.

"Well, well, well . . . if it isn't the Princess' pet,"  a rather deep voice said. "Who would've thought we'd see your pretty face again?"

Twilight felt something cross her mind as she listened. Wait .  . . I know that voice from somewhere,  she thought to herself.

The figures moved closer, allowing Twilight to get a closer look at them. The rounded figure was a short brown dragon with blue horns on his head and small red wings. He was wearing a black leather jacket, a worn out pair of jeans, and a pair of brown boots. The second figure was yet another dragon, but instead was dark purple all over and had a yellow haircut that covered his eyes and had large purple and yellow wings. He too was wearing almost the exact same clothing as the brown dragon, except his jacket was blue. The final figure was a rather muscular red dragon with orange spines and large red and orange wings. The only difference from his clothing from the other two dragons was that his jacket was crimson red and had a pony's head on a stake.

Twilight suddenly recognized the dragon in the middle and gasped. "It's . . . it's you again!"  she shouted. "What are you doing here of all places!?"

"That's no way to talk to some old friends, is it?"  asked the red dragon. "It looks like you forgot our names, so I'll be kind enough to remind you of them. I'm Garble, this guy on my left is Matchstick, and the other one here is Boiler."

"But . . . why are you all here anyway? I thought you were all with the Great Dragon Migration."

"We were part of it until you, your friends, and that traitor, Spike, humiliated us. The dragon clans heard about what we did and weren't too happy about what we did. As a result, we were forced out of our clan and have been exiled from the Dragon Empire. We've been scavenging for food and living in other forests ever since. We were out here to find some food to eat, but it's been a while since we've actually eaten a pony. I wonder how you're going to taste. "

Twilight's heart nearly stopped upon hearing that remark. She sank into the ground and quivered with fear. The three dragons approached her and licked their lips as they surrounded their prey and prepared to finish her off.