Hello again. I was a little slow getting this updated; got to pick up the pace. This would have been published this morning if it wasn't for the snow.

Shoutouts:

Man, A lot of you were happy to see Amy get sacked… Surprising.

…

What, no sympathy for an overly attached girlfriend? Pth, I'll take one! Least they'll give you all the love and attention you'll ever need.

…

God, I am a very lonely person.

StacheKing: Nah, the last chapter didn't symbolize my life in any way; it was just a breaking point in their relationships. My life… That's another story. Love the feedback, though. If I had more time, I would have been a little more thorough with how the relationships were resolved, but I don't have time for that. There's one more ark and the end, and I only have until May to get it done.

Also, this website decided to take spelling correction out... That's not good for me. I did scan over this, but don't be surprised if you see a spelling error or two.

Alright, trucking along.

---

One day later

It was no secret that Twilight has a personal tech lab underneath her library. Strangely enough, Pinkie and Twilight were the only ponies that has ever set hoof in that place. It wasn't like the unicorn was trying to keep it a secret… No one even bothered check it out! She had technology down there decades in the future and not a single pony cared for so much as a peek. Ever since Twilight tested her machines when studying Pinkie, the large room has been doing nothing more but collecting dust and cobwebs.

This was extremely convenient for Tails.

He was sitting before a large table while holding a pencil and a ruler in his hand, with several sketches and a couple of blue prints stacked on the table. He has never attempted anything like this before, but there was no better option. This was the only way they're going to get back home.

… Home…

They were finally going back home, home to where their friends and families were. Home never even crossed his or anyone elses' minds when they arrived here. It was all about finding the Chaos Emeralds, fighting Eggman, making new friends.

But when it all came to a head; home became a reality… Away from their friends they made here.

Tails shook his head and focused on his work. It was not the time to think on such things, there was a lot of work to be done; no one even checked Eggman's base yet for any clues on how he built the machine. The only thing he's doing is jolting down ideas of how to channel seven chaos emeralds at once without them exploding; he's not even thinking about how to use that energy to travel.

Then there's the problem of getting wrapped to the right place. He chuckled at the thought of walking through the portal and end up in a world in the age of dinosaurs, but that could happen if that energy is not channeled properly.

Sonic may have used the seven emeralds several times, but even he said that he didn't know how to wrap through realities and universes, and he's not going to try if there's a risk of losing the emeralds in the process. Even Shadow said that such a feat with the emeralds was never attempted, and he's not going to try it for the same reasons. He can wrap, but that's by manipulating time itself, not space.

"Tails?"

He needed to remind himself to ask Sonic to check Eggman's destroyed base for any clues. Eggman must have kept documents somewhere in there, even just a fraction of it will help.

"Tails?"

The fox immediately pull this head out of his own thoughts and turned to the voice behind him. Twilight was approaching from behind with a somewhat worried look on her face.

"You okay?"

He nearly flinched when he saw her; instantly reminded of the times she would 'make a move' on him when he's alone or busy.

"Yea, just trying to figure some things out here."

She trotted to his side and glanced down at the blueprints and sketches he drew, "I was about to ask you if you would like to come up for tea… You know, take a break for a little while."

He stretched his arms for a brief second before standing up and stretching his legs, making a couple of popping sounds along the way, "I would like that. To be honest, this is seriously giving me a headache."

"I figured as much when I saw those papers," Twilight chuckled, "I couldn't even understand half of what I saw, and I spent my life reading books!"

"It's a type of technology pioneered by Eggman of manipulating Chaos Energy through electrical pulses," Tails explained, "I used it once to power my Tailspin back home, but nothing on this scale before. I have no idea how he pulled it off."

Twilight pondered on the word 'technology', letting her mind curiously wonder as the two began to walk back upstairs, "What kind of technology do you have back home? Are those robots we fought integrated in your society, or is it just his inventions?"

Tails thought back for a second, "Well, on the terms of technology, uh… All first world countries do have machinery in factories to speed up production, but they can only do simple tasks unless programmed by software, and even with that, they can only do so much. They're nothing compared to what Eggman builds."

"So these countries don't try to… turn animals into robots?"

"There was one point in history where a certain company had a chance to sell it," Tails explained, "Believe it or not, Eggman used to work at a research facility once, and he was the first one to discover how to build very advanced robots. When they discovered how the process was done, however, they immediately turned him down and destroyed all evidence and research involving his machines."

Twilight pondered as they arrived in the kitchen, using her magic to fix two cups of tea, heated by her own spell, and served it on the table as they sat down. While their drinks cooled, the two sat in silence until Twilight spoke.

"You know, I just don't get it."

Tails was just about to pick up his tea until she heard her statement, "About what?"

"You explained a little bit a culture about the human race, like how they destroy forests and cage animals in a factory as babies so they can be killed for food when they become adults… But using animals to power machines is suddenly too much for them?"

"Yea," Tails sighed, "They can be a bit weird sometimes. You already know that robotizing animals puts them in pain while in operation, and they just can't bring themselves to do that."

"I still don't see the logic in that."

Tails chuckled, "Yea, they can be pretty hard to understand."

They grew silent, letting each other enjoy the stillness around them as they sip their drinks. It was a strange feeling for the fox as he glanced towards Twilight direction. He didn't need to worry about getting hit on, or relationships, or anything in that nature. It was a simple morning while two friends enjoy their tea. He was no longer nervous looking at her, and he was able to communicate with her on a level which he wasn't before.

It felt good… Really good.

"How is Amy doing, by the way?" He suddenly asked, with yesterday coming into mind, "Has she ever came out of Fluttershy's cottage?"

Twilight sighed and shook her head, "The last time I asked, she's still in her guess room with the door locked; crying. She becomes hostile if anybody tries to approach her. One of her animals almost got attacked when it snuck inside her room.

"Man," Tails whispered, "… It's too bad we couldn't say anything to make her feel better."

"Have you ever talked to Sonic about it?" She asked, taking a sip, "Maybe go and cheer her up-"

"I did," Tails immediately answered with a frown, "He said he's done with her… Period. His friendship with her is done."

Twilight feel silent after that statement. When they were finished with their tea, Tails began to walk towards the door, "I'm going to visit Knuckles for a bit. Want to come?"

"Sure!" She answered, "I need to look for Spike anyways; I haven't seen him since this morning. He said that he needed some business to take care of and just took off."

He rolled his eyes, "I'm sure it has something to do with Rarity."

"Or he decided to become a secret agent," Twilight chuckled.

Tails chuckled with her, enjoying the walk with her as they began to exit town.

---

Tails and Twilight arrived at the plantation, going straight for the front door of their house. It was strange to not see them somewhere outside working on the apple field.

"Think they're taking a break?" Tails asked.

"What else?" Twilight answered, "I bet the two are having one of their infamous competitions, just like old times."

That earned a chuckle as Tails knocked on the door, "I'm glad those two are back together, but it by one of the oddest circumstances. It was just so weird for Shadow to burst out like that."

Twilight huffed, "He's just a lunatic. He owes the Cakes a couple thousand bits worth of damages from that blast of his," She flustered, "And to think he would dare call Cadence a whorse! I don't see why you or any of you would sympathize with the maniac!"

"That's because you don't understand him," Tails simply answered, "He's not crazy, Twilight." He paused, "… I don't think we'll be having a normal conversation if it wasn't for him. You took his words. Did you not?"

She was about to retort, but couldn't say anything.

"His outburst set us all straight," Tails continues, "He's the most disciplined and controlled team mate that we have. I know he can be a little irrational, but he does have compassion. He put himself on the line to save Ponyville from Cyber X."

She bit her lip, "I heard a couple of ponies talk about him that day. Some of them even dared to call him a hero."

She then shook her head, "But that still didn't excuse for everything he did here. My brother wants nothing more but make him pay."

Tails just sighed. Even though he already knew the circumstances regarding Shadow, he just dropped it. There was nothing he could say to change her opinion of him.

When they didn't hear an answer from the door, Tails was about to knock again until it slowly creaked open. Granny Smith greeted the two as she hobbled in place.

"Good day, Twilight, and er… Who wer' you again?"

"Tails," He answered, "We were wondering if Applejack and Knuckles are here."

"Ah, yes!" She perked, "You wer dat fox who were dancin' with that purple mare a while back, right?"

"Uh… Yea," He cautiously answered, thinking back and fighting to keep his face from glowing red, "That was me."

Granny huffed, "Oh, common, dere's no shame with dancin' with a mare you like! I saw the entir' thing, you were enjoyin' it as much as that mare of yours!"

"ANYWAYS!" Twilight shouted, "Is Applejack and Knuckles here?"

"Uh, nope. Sorry hon," The timed mare finally answered, "Not here. They took off to Fluttershy's… But you two are welcome ta visit! I want to share uh story with you two about this one time where I met this handsome stallion-"

"Bye!"

*slam!*

The two began to scamper off before Granny had a chance to realize what just happened. They began to make their way through town, slowing down to a light jog as they head towards Fluttershy's.

"Thanks," Tails said, "That could have been awkward."

"You have to excuse her, she's a bit slow," Twilight informed, "But you're welcome. It's not like I'm going to let you suffer through that again."

The two eventually slowed down until they were walking again. Tails glanced towards her direction with a small smile.

"I enjoyed that dance, by the way."

The mare was caught off guard by his statement, "Really?"

"Yea, it was awkward," Tails sighed, "But that was just part of the fun… I knew you had a good time, that was what made it worth it."

She returned the smile, "Then I'm glad you did."

---

Tails and Twilight were approaching the cottage when they noticed a large crowd of animals gathered around the yard. They always knew that Fluttershy harbored a lot of animals, but they had no idea that they can blanket a small area with fur with just their sheer numbers. Fluttershy was at the very back of the crowd, along with Knuckles and Applejack standing side by side of her. They were all staring at the second floor window, which was closed and covered by curtains.

"This doesn't look good," Tails mumbled.

The two rushed towards the crowd, startling Fluttershy as they approached while staring at the window with them. It only took a second for the pale mare to recompose herself when she realized with was just her friends.

"Is Amy still up there?" Tails asked.

Fluttershy was hesitant to speak, as if afraid and shamed to answer, so Applejack stood for her, "She's been held up there ever since yesterday. Her cries were so loud that the critters just scampered out ere'. She eventually came out of her room and pretty much took ta whole house to herself."

"She sounded just awful," Fluttershy whimpered, "I never heard such agony from someone before. She's been crying for hours and hours and she refuses to listen to anyone," She hung her head, "she nearly struck me with a vase when I tried to approach her."

Tails gasped, "You're kidding."

Knuckles sighed, with a frown and poster to match his pity, "I knew she would have to face it one day, but," He shook his head, "I never knew she would become this violent."

"… When you base your hopes on an illusion and have it shattered," Fluttershy quietly commented, "You don't know what's been bottled until it spills."

Her words barely met their ears, but it hushed the group for a second as they meditate on those words.

"Then, we can't just have her hoard this house," Twilight said while giving her attention to Knuckles, "Does Sonic know about this? Did you think to bring him-"

"There's no way he's coming here," He blankly answered, "He said that this is something that she needs to get over, and there's nothing he could say to make things better without giving her the impression that she has a chance with him."

"But we have to do something!" Twilight shouted, "We can just stand down here and let her hoard the house!"

Applejack answered by showing her rope resting on her back, "Ah was plannin' on hog-tieing her until she calms down," She shook her head while rolling her eyes, "but Knuckles wouldn't let me do it."

"She's a friend!" He argued, "Besides, you haven't seen her temper. You're a strong fighter with a strength of five stallions, but trust me; you wouldn't last a full minute with her."

"Ah would have her tied up and dragged out of here before she knew whut hit her!"

Knuckles shook his head, "This is coming from a warrior of an extinct clan. When I caught of glimpse of what was happening in there, I took off. Swallow your pride and let this one go, this is a bull that needs to be let alone."

She was about to shout something until she noticed the serious look on his face. This wasn't something that was just fearful of her own safety, this was a calculating and analyzing. He must have sized her up when he went in there, and if he retreated, then he must have been no match for her. By logic, she needed to be out of it too. Against her own will, she backed off; heading his warning.

"I-I can use my magic to hold her down," Twilight continued, "If we work together, we can come out of this with no one getting hurt."

Applejack perked to that suggestion, "Whut about that, Knuckles? She has no counter against magic."

"You want to take that chance?" He asked.

Twilight huffed, "I cradled an usha minor with a water tower full of milk. Trust me, she won't have a chance to stand."

"You can hold her down with your magic wile' I tie her," Applejack continued, "Knuckles and Tails can be there for back up."

"I still don't like this," Knuckles sighed, "So many things can go wrong."

"I'm taking Twilight's side for this one," Tails suddenly said, "The plan is sound. It's not like we can just sit here and do nothing-"

They suddenly heard gasps around them, follow by a shriek from Fluttershy as she flapped her wings and took off towards the house. The group looked around and saw every single animal transfixed in shock on the window, some of them pointing. Their eyes followed those said fingers and found something purple climbing the building and opening the second story window. It only took Twilight a second to recognize who it is.

"SPIKE!?"

The baby dragon slipped inside and closed the window behind him. It took the others a couple of seconds to process what just happened, but Twilight was already running towards the door.

"Mother of-" Knuckles nearly shouted out loud before cutting himself off, "Common, we got to help!"

---

Spike eased himself in the guess room, quickly scanning the room for any signs of Amy. His courage that came with him lost its grip a bit when he saw the damages. The bed torn to shreds, vases and other decorations smashed and littered on the floor, pieces of wood sticking from the walls; he winced when he saw dents as large as his body covering parts of the floor, no doubly smashed by her hammer. The door ahead was missing, as if torn apart like a flimsy playhouse. He felt himself freeze at the sight of the damage, but he forced his legs to move towards that doorway.

Under normal circumstances, he would have fled with his tail tucked between his legs, but he didn't. If he leaves, then this will never get done. He over-heard Amy's obsession from Tails and Twilight sometime back, and when he heard about this incident, he knew he had to act. This was something that only he can solve… Twilight and the others will never understand.

There was no doubt that the spare room was a wreck, but going through the door and observing what was around the stairs was something else. There were chunks steps missing, even some of its foundation was ripped from the base. He had no idea how it was holding itself up.

As he approached those steps, he could hear something beneath him, something so quite that his sharp ears barely picked it up as he glanced down those steps. When he cautiously peeked over the ceiling, he could see even more destruction below. He couldn't recognize the room at this point.

Amy was standing in the mist of this destruction, on her knees covering her face with her hands. Her back was pointing towards the dragon as he very cautiously tiptoed down stairs. Controlling every inch of muscle of his legs, he quietly planted his feet on the floor. He was now standing several feet behind her.

"…Amy?" He cautiously called.

She didn't answer, a full minute passed of a mutual standoff between the two and Spike was about to call her name again until her head slowly turned towards him, slightly lowing her hands. He gasped when he saw two blood shot eyes staring dead at him, with streaming tears soaking down her face while her lips quivered and trembled.

In a blink of an eye, her eyes began slit while her teeth bared down; her fists clutched so tightly that the pops from her knuckles echoed throughout the house. Her low grow became a scream as she spun and sprinted towards him.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!"

She closed the distance between herself and the dragon in a flash, summoning her hammer as she brought it in the air. Spike, nearly caught off guard, dodged rolled while the hammer skimmed along his scales as it came crashing down to the floor; creating a huge hole that could easily fit Spike.

"Wait!" He shouted, "I just want to talk!"

His words fell into deft ears as she charged again with her hammer held high. With Spike now on alert, he sprinted towards her, taking advantage of her reckless charge and spun around her as she crashed her hammer down to the floor. The impact was so great that the house itself shook. Spike took a couple of cautious steps back as he heard her heaving; her breaths became heavier and heavier by each second.

"Please," He shouted, "Just calm down."

With another war cry, she spun around and suddenly hurled her hammer at him. As she released her weapon, Spike was already jumping. He was only a foot in the air, but it was just enough for the hammer to crash harmlessly pass him.

"Okay, I just realized that I can't calm you down," He said as he was panting, "But I'm talking to you anyways."

Spike was already preparing to dodge roll as she charged at him again. When he stood to his feet, she was picking her hammer back up.

"I know that we don't talk much," He shouted, "But we have more in common than you think. I know exactly what it feels to have your heart broken."

He suddenly felt the air around her become thicker as she charged again with her hammer raised. She was shouting to the very top of her lungs as she drew closer towards him.

"You know nothing about me and Sonic! He meant everything to me, EVERYTHING!"

Spike did another dodge roll, but gasped when he realized that Amy brought her hammer to her side and swung at him like a baseball. The hammer made contact with him; it wasn't a direct hit, but it slammed against his side. The impact sent him spinning wildly against a wall, knocking him off his feet as he struck the ground.

He thanked every god he knew for dragon scales, but to feel a very sharp pain, even with his natural armor, she must have packed a wallop.

"It's," He winced as he glanced at his side, "It's going to be okay, Amy. Everything may be a mess right now, but it's not that bad."

"QUIT TALKING!"

While he was still on the floor, she charged again. He knew he couldn't recover in time to dodge her attack; all he could do was watch as she closed the distance between them faster than a second. She raised her hammer up and began to strike the little dragon.

Until a stream of green flames engulfed the hammer as it came down.

She recoiled in surprise, but the little specks of green amber that touched her skin did no harm to her. The hammer, however, has completely vanished.

"You have to listen to me," Spike persisted, taking advantage of the ceasefire, "I cared for someone just as much you cared for Sonic. She didn't return the fe-"

She immediately rushed forward with her hands outreached and grabbed him. Before he knew it, he suddenly found himself pinned to the ground with Amy huffing over him, with her teeth grinding with dry tears shimmering on her cheeks. He felt her hands constricting him, and Spike was struggling to wedge his claws underneath those fingers for breath. With his breath held in, he sucked in his gut and managed to slip his claws to his side, pushing them outward to get in a breath of fresh air. Of course, he could have easily drew blood with those appendages, but he didn't want to hurt her… As tempting as it was.

"You're just like them!" She growled, huffing with every breath, "You're against me, you and the rest of them don't want me and Sonic to be together, and you think that you can just make me forget about him!?" She was on the verge of screaming at this point, "He was my only love! He's the only one that's in my heart!"

She constricted those fingers tighter around the dragon's body, and no matter how much muscle he used, he again found it impossible to breath.

"YOU AND THE REST OF THOSE PIGS WILL NEVER TAKE THAT AWAY!"

With a high pitch war cry that nearly shattered the dragon's ears, she hurled him. His body was sent flying helplessly across the room until he slammed against the wall. The whole house shook, even his rock hard scales could only do so much to absorb the shock. He felt pain jolt all throughout his body. He fumbled to the ground, briefly paralyzed from his aching muscles. He could barely move, but he could see Amy marching right for him. Her hands were clutched into fists, and there was nothing he could do as she began to hover over him… But just one thing, and it was something that he never wanted to do to anyone.

He would have to set her ablaze with his flames.

She was too big for his teleportation ability, and his very life could be on the brink here. He drew real fire only a handful of times when assisting Twilight with spells, but he knew he could breathe something big enough to engulf her. Everyone knows that there was nothing more potent than a dragon's breath, save for the fires of Tartus itself.

She was ready to throw herself onto him, and there was no time to think. He inhaled, being sure to suck in as much air as he could, and held it until she was within the perfect distance. He closed his eyes, shielding himself from the horrific sight that was about to take place, and blew.

His entire body cringed when he heard a high pitch scream along with the crackles of his flames… He was killing someone, he was actually killing someone. As much as he tried to push those thoughts aside and think of his own life at stake, he knew that he was actually taking someone's life right in front of him.

He ran out of breath, and the flames ceased. Even will all the effort he put in, he could still hear her screams. He couldn't tell if those screams were that of pain or anger, but he knew that she must be burning alive at this moment.

He kept his eyes closed, still hearing those screams. When he first engaged her, her screams where that of anger and fury, but her screams were quieting down to the voice of agony, almost like she was crying.

"Let me go! Let me go!"

'Let me go'? Why would she be saying that?

"Spike!?"

That was another voice, a voice he was familiar with. He shot his eyes open, briefly blinded by the smoke until he saw Applejack galloping towards him. Beyond her, though; he immediately see a couple of shadows and a purple aurora surrounding something. Applejack was standing right over him, kneeling down to get a better look at him.

"Are you alright?" She asked, worried, "She didn't cause too much harm. Didn't she?"

When the smoke finally dissipated, he could finally see Amy being tried by the hands and legs with Twilight pinning her down with her magic, whom was standing a couple of feet away from her along with Tails, Knuckles, and Fluttershy. There was a large pack of animals at the front door, cautiously watching.

"How dare you hurt my friends!" Twilight shouted at the girl, her temper clearly shown on her face, "How stupid and selfish are you!? If you weren't a hero to my kind, I would have torn you from limb to limb for this!"

Spike managed to stand up, but he winced when his muscles began to ache. He nearly fell to the floor.

"Easy there, partner," Applejack said as she immediately kneeled beside him, "Ah don't think ya should be movin'."

"I-it's okay," Spike coughed, standing firmly on his two feet.

Twilight's anger suddenly dissipated when she saw Spike wobbling towards her, her joy of seeing him okay was there for only a second until she noticed how badly hurt he was.

"Oh my gosh, are you okay?" She asked, galloping towards him but keeping her magic on Amy firm. Before Spike could answer, he suddenly found himself gently hugged by the unicorn, "You're hurt!"

Spike tried to put on a friendly smile, "You and I both know that I've been through worse than this-"

"Just what were you thinking sneaking in here!?" She suddenly shouted, sternly staring at him, "Did you know how much you could have gotten hurt?"

Just like that, his smile faded, "I-"

"You nearly gave us a heart attack!" Twilight continued, "We were worried sick when you jumped in here!"

Taking in a deep breath, he stood firmly on his two legs and stared directly into Twilight's eyes, "I wanted to talk to Amy about something."

She recoiled in surprise by his sudden shift of poster and attitude, "Talk to her? She was screaming non-stop when she barged in here. Do you have any idea how crazy that girl is?"

Spike looked over her shoulder, towards the still, silent figure. Amy did not make a single move since she was brought down… That may be because of the Twilight's magical grip, but she has become completely quiet, "I understand her. At least let me have a couple of minutes to talk to her alone, you have her pinned anyways."

Twilight thought about it for a second before hesitantly nodding, "Alright, but don't expect her to listen to you."

Spike was walking towards her while Tails, Applejack, and Knuckles approached the unicorn. Their heads were hung low, almost ashamed to look at them.

"I can't even begin to explain how sorry we are for this," Tails quietly said.

"Tell that ta Fluttershy," Applejack gruffed, "This place is trashed now."

The said mare was looming close to her animals in the background, "I-it's okay, Tails… I'm just happy no one got seriously hurt from this. Amy is quiet strong."

"She needs da pay fer these damages, though," Applejack stated while looking around the house.

"We can talk about that later," Tails answering the cowgirl, "It takes Amy a couple of hours to get over her meltdowns, I wouldn't try to bother her with property damages right now."

"Ah can take her back to my place when yawl get ready," Applejack offered, "We can watch ovr' her while she calms down."

"You sure?" Twilight asked.

"It's no trouble," She ensures with a hoof wave, "Ah and the rest of tha family can keep taps on her while she rests at the barn. The cows in ther' can keep her company, they're a friendly bunch."

---

The little dragon gently and cautiously walked forwards as Amy continued to hang her head lifelessly. Her feet were barely touching the ground as Twilight's magic constrained her in mid-air. She almost looked like a possessed body taken over by a ghost. Her head was casted down with her pink hair obscuring her eyes.

Spike faced her. He couldn't see her making eye contact, even with the angle he was in, but he knew she was too deep in despair to lift her head.

"I know you can still hear me," He began, "I know exactly what you're feeling right now. You completely deny it, but you know that Sonic will never see you as you see him. You may be in love with him, but he'll never be in love with you."

He didn't see any reaction from her, but he continued.

"You probably fell in love at first sight, right? After you knew him your heart threw in its lot with him, but no matter what you said to him, no matter what you did for him, you didn't become anymore closer to him. You wanted him to love you so badly, that you did everything you could to make him feel the same."

Again, he saw no reaction.

"I guess at some point, you became so frustrated that you completely discarded what he felt. You knew that he'll never give you the attention you desired so much, no matter how much you begged for it. So you began to take things into your own hands. You tell people that you're dating him, but he just says that you're just a friend, you drag him to dates that he doesn't want to go, and I bet you made unwanted physical contact with him, say like a hug or maybe a friendly arm around his neck."

He drew a long breath when he studied her for some kind of sign of movement, but getting nothing from her. He knew she was listening, though; she couldn't completely shut him off.

"I've… I fell in love with someone too, but she didn't return the feelings."

Again, no reaction, but he kept going.

"She took my breath away when I first lay eyes on her. Her mane, her fur coat, those sparkling blue eyes, she was literary my dream. She wasn't just beautiful, the way she acted and talked had me more memorized to her. Twilight only chuckled when she first noticed it, but she did the most wonderful thing by putting in a good word for me."

"I was happy working for her," He continued, "I wanted to impress her, do things that most stallions would never do, like help her fix dresses, or even wear some of those prissy clothes she likes to invent. Every time I hear her call my name my heart just melts, you know? I bet you know that feeling you get when you see someone you hold very dear smile."

"I waited for the day that she would return those feelings. I continued to do chores for her, being sure to go to her house with nearly every chance I had shown my love and loyalty to her. I was being patient, but I noticed that the more I did work for her, the less she began to take notice of me. There were days I would work for her and she wouldn't even care to give me as so much as a glance."

"I figured out at some point that she knew I had a crush on her," he sighed, "It was just my mind making irrational conclusions, but I imagined that she was just using me. I wouldn't give up, though; when I visit her, I just push those thoughts aside and cling on to the hope that she'll return the feelings. I mean, she was the element of generosity, she can return those feelings, couldn't she?"

He closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath when he felt a sting in his chest.

"Well, a little time passed and my birthday was approaching. I was growing a Ruby, big enough to hold with both hands; not to mention beautiful. It took the shape as a heart when I was growing it for some reason, but just made it more unique nonetheless. I remember licking that thing and it was one of the tastiest gem I have tasted; I had to hold myself back from eating it before my party."

"Rarity dropped by to pick up something. And her eyes just lit up when she saw my ruby; she was founding over the thing the whole time she was over. When she was finished with her business, she was heading towards the door, knowing full well that I was going to make a feast out of my prize," He took in another breath, "Out of my heart, I handed her the ruby. I literary saw her heart melt through her gorgeous eyes," He rubbed his cheek, "She even kissed me."

Spike noticed that her head tilted up slightly. Not enough to reveal her eyes hidden behind her hair, but it was enough to notice.

"To make a long story short," He continued, "I began to take things from ponies using my birthday as an excuse. You've heard tales of greedy dragons that hoard treasures and whatnot? Well, greed makes a dragon grow in this world. I began to take things and my body began to grow… I don't remember what happened when I became as big as Twilight, but from what I've been told, I kept hoarding things until I've turned into a monster and began rampaging through the village, taking buildings and structures as I began to collect a hoard; just like other grown dragons. I even kidnapped the pony I loved."

"I don't remember what exactly happened," He continued, scratching his head as he tried to jog his memory, "But the very next thing I could recall was that ruby I gave her. She was wearing it as a necklace; I guess that I was trying to take it until it reminded me of the generosity I've did for her. As soon as I became conscious, I only had a second to realize that I was a fully grown dragon until my body shrunk back to normal in a second… Leaving me and her suspended in the air."

"We were freefalling at that moment; several free up from our deaths. We saw Rainbow and Fluttershy flying towards us, but just in case that they couldn't reach us, I wanted to let her know what I felt about her. Before I could, though, she put a hoof to my lips and simply smiled, before the two pegasus caught us."

He shook his head, "I guess that she knew what I felt; there was no point of me explaining it if she already knew. Even after everything that happened, she still wouldn't give me the attention that I wanted."

He was pacing while telling his story. These were memories he hated recalling, the day that he realized that even when everypony looks down as an innocent little filly would cause that much destruction. There were injuries, but he was thankful that everyone turned out okay at the end… It could have been much, much worst.

His pacing turned to an approach as he turned back to Amy; nearing the distance until he was a couple of feet away from her.

"But that's okay."

He noticed that after he gave that statement, she began to tilt her head up a bit more. Her blood shot, watery eyes became barely visible.

"Even though that I know that she doesn't feel the same way as I do, she's still my friend, a friend that I hold very close to my heart, even though she may not feel the same way about me."

Even though most of her eyes were still blocked by her hair, Spike could still see a sudden confused look she gave him. What surprised him, though, is that she spoke her first words since her breakdown. Her voice was wisped, cracked because of her dry throat.

"She used you all along."

When he heard her statement, he was quick to answer it.

"She never did. She well knew what I felt, but she also knew I was happy serving her… I still visit her house and help her with her chores, and I still do it because she has a special place in my heart."

"She never returned those feelings," Amy spoke through her cracked voice, "You know perfectly well that she gave Knuckles the attention you wanted for so long. Why go back to her?"

Spike stared her dead in the eye, stern but with a confident smile, "Because of the friendship that we shared. Why would I want to pursue something that would only destroy what we have? You can never force love; heck, you can't even force any kind of friendship. That's something that only comes through the heart."

He took a couple of steps towards her until he was inches from her face, "Even though she would never see me as I see her, she's still special to me… Who knows? I may even find someone, but the mare I admired will always hold a place in my heart that no one can replace. We don't share the same feelings, but she still sees me as a friend. Even though she may see me as a child at times, she treats me with respect. That mare has stood up for me, brags about me, that's more than I can ask from somepony."

He took a couple of steps away from her, backing towards Twilight as they were nearly finished with their conversation, "You're right. Sonic does hold a special place in your heart, but how long are you going to push him away? Have you notice how patient he was, with all those stories about how you force him to date you and stuff like that? How long has that been going?"

She said nothing, only answered with a humble shake of her head.

"It may not seem like it now, but you two do share a bond. It may not be what you want, but for him to have put up with your antics for that long, your friendship with him must be that special."

He noticed that she was floating towards the door. Twilight was letting the others go ahead while letting herself go last. Applejack glanced back, glaring at Amy with the end of the rope in her mouth.

"Yer comin to tha barn with me until ya git yer head straight," She called, "Try anything and ah would have ya tied to uh pole."

Applejack left with Twilight coming right behind her while levitating Amy behind her.

"You coming, Spike?" Twilight called as she left the door.

The party left the wrecked house. It was ashame that she and her friends would have to come back and fix this place. Fluttershy would have to crash at her house until it's fixed. It was still noon, with half the day still left to be spent.

---

Author's notes

Ha! I knew I could sneak in another action scene!

I might have said this before, but let me just go ahead and state that Japan makes the best plushies on this planet. I was just browsing the internet and found the cutest little Sylvion plush on Amazon. After a $20 exchange and a couple of days, she was at my doorstep. My parents just can't stand that thing! XD

And some of you may have already heard this, but there has been a bit of information regarding to season 5 of MLP. The episodes are going to focus on Equestria's land and the world around it. I got a pretty good feeling it's going to be an epic year for us!

As long as Flash keeps his butt out of it. I'm sorry, but I can't stand him! Fans may be becoming more accustomed to him, but I don't want him anywhere near the ponies. Keep his crap in Equestria girls, and let us have the awesomeness that's about to come.

Let's not forget a very special 100th episode about the side characters. That's going to be awesome!

Again, I'm going to try to get the next chapter in by at least three weeks, if by a miracle two.

God bless… and Jesus saves.

Harry