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Spike stopped in front of the boutique and eyed up his reflection in a nearby window, ignoring the closed sign right under his chin. Thankfully the short trek across town hadn't managed to dirty him too badly, and after running a hand across his scalp, knocked on twice on the door. As he waited for a response, the dragon shifted the small bouquet of flowers he held tight in his grip.

Each was a different color, and were by and large darker then the ones Spike had grown up picking in the fields outside his childhood home. They were still beautiful, though it took a bit to get over the knee jerk reaction he felt when looking at something that his instincts told him was poisonous. Despite those urges telling him to avoid contact with the wild flowers, he held on, straightening his back and staring straight ahead.

Focus. The third date is supposed to be important. Spike thought to himself before his mind began to wander. I wonder if she will let me kiss her again.

Just as he was imagining the rather awkward first kiss they had shared and his face was beginning to turn red, the door opened. Revealing one of the strangest pony variants he had ever beheld. At first glance they looked like a thestral, though it quickly became apparent that they werent a run of the mill bat pony.

Her fur was the deepest shade of orange Spike had ever seen, and her mane was an equally dark shade of purple. Her slightly smaller pitch black eyes peered intently at Spike as her leathery wings shifted uncomfortably at her sides. Those same wings bore two extra digits at the top, enabling her to hold things much the way Spike’s own sharper hands did.

The pony was also much thinner then any Spike had seen, with only her ears being larger than average. Well, that and the twin fangs which poked out from either side of her mouth, each one of which was long enough to serve as a chopstick. Overall thestrals looked like a good seventy thirty mix of pegasus and bat while the being standing before him was probably an even fifty fifty split between the two aspects.

“Hello Scootaloo,” Spike croaked awkwardly, tucking the flowers behind his back. “Is Sweetie Belle here?”

“Yeth, why do you want to know?” Demanded the batlike pony.

“We were supposed to go on a date,” Spike replied, waving the flowers in emphasis.

“Well were doing cruthader thtuff now tho go away,” Scootaloo retorted before trying to close the door.

A firm white hoof caught it before it shut completely however, revealing a rather irritated looking Sweetie Belle. “Scootaloo that’s mean. We talked about this,” reprimanded the much taller arachne, who folded her hooves across her chest.

The fanged pony frowned deeply. “We are thuppothed to be training. How can we do that with him around?”

“He can come with us. Besides, I kinda sorta forgot about crusader stuff today so…” Sweetie Belle winced as she looked down on the young drake. “Sorry about that.”

“It's fine,” Spike replied, extending his flower filled hand. “These are for you.”

“Lemme thmell thothe,” Scootaloo declared, swiping the flowers before Sweetie Belle could even move.

The arachne sighed as her friend sniffed each one individually. “They are just some wild flowers, Scootaloo. Relax,” Sweetie Belle implored.

Scootaloo’s nose crinkled, and she reached into the bouquet to pluck out a small fluffy, yellow caterpillar which she flicked off into the distance. “Io moth caterpillar. Very deadly,” Scootaloo deadpanned.

Spike shuddered and frantically began to look where it had landed. “That thing was in there the whole time? Please tell me there aren't more on me.”

“You’re fine Spike,” Sweetie Belle muttered, snatching the flowers from Scootaloo. “I’m going to go put these in some water. Scootaloo would you let Spike inside please?”

“I gueth,” muttered Scootaloo who took a step back. “But I’m watching you.”

Spike chuckled as he hastily stepped through the door. “Err thanks Sweetie Belle.”

The second Spike was on the other side the thestral slammed the exit shut behind him and trotted off towards the back room. Leaving Spike to stand there rather awkwardly by himself as Sweetie Belle had already disappeared into the kitchen. He let out a long sigh, and looked around the room, only now realizing how dark it was in there.

Without the aid of the full moon, the dragon was forced to rely on his own innate dark vision which wasn't the best. Though it did allow him to see that one of the mannequins nearby was a faint yellow color and did not have a rod to hold it up. The blank looking thing stood alone in a thin shaft of moonlight at the forefront of the store, a forehoof raised triumphantly.

“Hey Apple Bloom. Still trying to learn how to change your color huh?” Spike offered.

A pair of glowing yellow eyes emerged on the seemingly inanimate object and looked down on Spike. “Aww it didn't work?”

“Almost, but you’re still a few shades lighter than the others. Plus you don't have the pole thingy,” Spike pointed out.

“Darn,” cursed the plant pony who gave her body a shake, causing red vines to burst from her head and backside.

A second later and the familiar crimson leaves that made up her mane and tail returned.

“So, what are you doing here?” Apple Bloom offered after hopping down from the pedestal.

“Werent you listening to a second ago?” Spike retorted.

Apple Bloom shrugged. “Not really. Once I stay still for a while I start to doze off.”

Spike chuckled. “How very treelike of you.”

“It's kinda nice to be honest,” Apple Bloom murmured before giving herself another shake. “So, are you going to join us in training?”

“Well I was going to go on a date with Sweetie Belle but I guess hanging out with you guys is okay too,” Spike explained.

Apple Bloom winced. “Sorry to hear that. Scootaloo didn't give you a hard time did she?”

“She wasn't much worse then last time,” Spike murmured.

“I heard that!” Shouted Scootaloo from the other room.

“Damn she’s got good hearing,” Spike muttered under his breath.

Apple Bloom chuckled. “Yeah not much gets past Scoots. Unless you mention her habit of not flushing the toilet!”

The room was quiet for a few seconds before Apple Bloom and Spike shared a good hearted laugh. Which lasted right up until Sweetie Belle emerged from the kitchen with a vase full of water and flowers. She then placed it on a small table next to the entrance of the shop before turning it slightly so the flowers would catch the moonlight before taking a step back.

“There we go. Perfect,” she declared.

“It looks nice,” Spike exclaimed.

“Thanks. I think even Rarity will like it. Provided she gets back from the castle sometime this week,” Sweetie Belle remarked.

“I’m sure she’ll be back right quick,” Apple Bloom declared. “The whole gang of them are out there after all.”

“True,” Sweetie Belle admitted before turning to the dragon. “I hope you don't mind if our plans changed a little bit? We can go on our date this weekend if you’d like.”

“Yeah that's fine,” Spike exclaimed in an attempt to look cool. “We can always go out for dinner some other time.”

“Awesome! Does that mean you’ll join us in our quest?” Apple Bloom asked curiously.

“Quest?” Spike questioned.

“Don't tell him about that, ith a thecret!” Scootaloo shouted.

Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes. “Come on. It will be easier to explain in the back.”

Spike raised an eyebrow but did as he was asked, following the pair into the inspiration chamber as Rarity liked to call it. High backed couches sat on either side of a slim, map covered coffee table also flanked by a set of comfortable looking chairs. On one side seated before a recreation of Ponyville and its surrounding area was a rather bitter looking Scootaloo.

“It wath thuppothed to be our thecret!” She hissed.

This time it was Apple Bloom’s turn to roll her eyes. “Oh come on Scootaloo. Were just looking for a clubhouse. It's not like were burying treasure or something.”

“Besides, maybe Spike can help,” Sweetie Belle offered.

Spike sat next to Sweetie Belle. “I might be able to. Though I’m curious as to what's stopping you from building a tree house or something on the farm.”

“I mean that's still possible, but we always used to use that bunker thing and kinda got used to having a cool underground place to chill,” Apple Bloom explained.

“Wait. I thought Twilight was the first to go in there in like, forever,” Spike retorted.

“We are very thneaky,” Scootaloo stated.

“We even figured out how to put the dust back,” Sweetie Belle added with a giggle. “Who knew there was a spell for that?”

“I certainly didn't,” murmured Spike.

“So,” began Apple Bloom who clopped a hoof against the table. “You don't happen to know of any caves around here huh?”

“Oh come on. There ith no way he knowth of any caveth,” hissed Scootaloo bitterly.

“He might. He is like over a thousand years old you know!” Sweetie Belle retorted.

“Well actually. I might have an idea but I’m not even sure if it's even around still,” Spike replied, peering intently at the map.

“What, really? You know of a cave unclaimed by anyone?” Sweetie Belle asked in a hopeful tone.

“There ith no way the nightguard haven't already found it,” Scootaloo dismissively claimed.

“You don't know that,” countered Apple Bloom.

“It was pretty well hidden and I think it was over here,” remarked Spike, who pointed at a spot just south of Ponyville.

Scootaloo smirked. “Thee? There ith no way thomeone hathn’t claimed it yet.”

“It is awful close to the lovegood hive,” Apple Bloom remarked.

Spike blinked. “The what now?”

“The lovegood hive. Its where a bunch of pacifist changelings went after leaving Chrysalis’ hive,” Sweetie Belle explained.

“And that matters…. Why?” asked Spike.

“They are changelingth, duh!” shouted Scootaloo, who threw her forehooves into the air. “They dig their hometh mothtly under ground.”

“Oh yeah,” Spike muttered.

“Hey cheer up! Maybe it's still there!” Sweetie Belle offered.

“Yeah we don't know for sure until we check it out,” added Apple Bloom.

Scootaloo half sighed, half hissed. “Fine, whatever. Leth jutht get thith over with.”

“I sure hope it's still there. It has totally sucked not having a place to meet up anymore,” Apple Bloom exclaimed.

“Hey, Rarity’s inspiration chamber isn't that bad,” retorted Sweetie Belle.

It was at that moment that a roll of fabric fell from the back of a couch and bounced off Scootaloo’s head.

“Letth jutht go already,” she muttered.

“So…” Spike began as the small group walked through the sparsely populated streets of Ponyville. “Why do you guys want to train so bad anyway?”

“I want to be able to defend my home better,” Apple Bloom proudly announced.

“I just want to lose a little weight,” stated Sweetie Belle in a much quieter tone.

“Unlike you guyth I want to become thtrong though I can kill the thun tyrant’s thlaveth and to bring peath to the world,” Scootaloo declared firmly.

“That's a pretty tall order,” Spike remarked.

“Wath that a thort joke?” Scootaloo exclaimed, turning to the dragon and jabbing a hoof into his chest.

“I’m not even that much taller than you,” Spike stated in an exasperated tone.

Scootaloo’s eyes narrowed. “That didn't anther the quethtion.”

Apple Bloom stepped between the two and physically pushed them apart. “Alright chill Scootaloo. He didn't mean anything by that.”

“Yeah, and I’m getting a little tired of all the jabs. I’m trying to be nice here,” Spike exclaimed as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“Whatever,” Scootaloo declared before turning and trotting away.

Sweetie Belle settled a hoof on Spike’s shoulder. “Don't mind Scootaloo. Her family has a long history of joining the guard and being strong is really important to her.”

“Yeah so don't take it personally. Scoots just has a hard time respecting people she doesn't think are tough,” Apple Bloom added.

Spike rolled his eyes. “Thanks for the confidence boost.”

“I mean you are a little well… round,” Apple Bloom stated, poking the dragon in the midsection.

“I’m growing into it!” Spike shouted, a blush covering his cheeks.

“It also makes him super huggable,” Sweetie Belle added in a low tone.

“Would you three hurry up?” Shouted Scootaloo from somewhere ahead of them.

“Right, we better get going,” Apple Bloom offered.

“Sorry Spike,” Sweetie Belle whispered as they began to walk once more.

“It's fine,” Spike murmured, arms crossed over his chest. I’ll show you who's tough around here.

“So where is this place anyway?” Asked Apple Bloom before dropping the rock she had been looking under.

“It should be right around here,” Spike replied after peeking around a bush. “Stay on the lookout for this big white tree sitting on a pile of rocks. From there we can find the secret entrance and some stairs that lead down to some old hideout built around the time of the war in heaven.”

“What was the war in heaven? I’ve never heard of that before,” Sweetie Belle inquired.

“Which is saying something because you’re like a dictionary or something but just for history stuff,” Apple Bloom pointed out.

“That would be an encyclopedia,” Sweetie Belle corrected. “Or a textbook.”

“See? What did I tell ya?” Apple Bloom exclaimed.

“It was the war between the dragons and the alicorns when-” Spike began only to be interrupted.

“Wait. I thee thomething,” Scootaloo whispered, pointing towards a thick bush.

Spike raised a hand and cautiously walked through the thorn filled shrubbery, his scales protecting him from the plant’s spikes. Once on the other side his eyes opened wide as he found himself standing before a towering tree the same color as freshly fallen snow. Though fairly tall, there was a veritable forest of other plants that all towered over it, hiding its alabaster leaves and ivory bark from anyone who might pass overhead.

The white tree’s roots weaved through the cottage sized mound of rocks which it rested atop of like a dragon on its hoard. Its snowy appendages intermingled, and occasionally emerged from the stony hill beneath it, winding their way all the way down to the forest floor. All while wide reaching branches extended from its side, offering a generous amount of shade for anyone who desired it.

“Woah,” muttered Apple Bloom.

“Thats really cool,” murmured Sweetie Belle.

“Ith not that cool,” remarked Scootaloo in a dismissive tone. “Now where ith thith hideout?”

Spike sighed, and trotted up to the base of the hill. “It should be a few boulders up. You just gotta find the one marked with a pentagram.”

Scootaloo’s nose crinkled in disgust. “There ith magic on here?”

“No it's just a symbol meant to mark where the hideout is,” Spike replied.

“It's also the first magical array ever created,” Sweetie Belle added.

“See? What did I tell ya. Total dictionary,” Apple Bloom remarked with a smirk.

Sweetie Belle sighed and ran a hoof down her face. “Lets just find this rock.”

“Right, you three should better stay down there. Opening it usually causes a bunch of air to get sucked down the staircase,” Spike stated.

“I’m coming with you,” Scootaloo declared.

Spike merely sighed, and threw up his hands. “Fine, just stay back a bit okay?”

Scootaloo said nothing, merely standing there as Spike clambered up the boulder sized rocks with great difficulty. After reaching about the halfway point Scootaloo flapped her leathery wings twice and landed next to the sputtering dragon. Who shot the other being a glare before reaching down and brushing off a bit of moss that had grown across a small boulder.

“Ahh there it is, right where I thought it would be,” Spike stated, the dragon spitting in his hands before grabbing the rock. “Alright now step back. You don't wanna get sucked in.”

“I won't,” Scootaloo quickly stated.

“Alright, here we go,” Spike announced before heaving with all of his might. “Hrrrrn!”

“You can do it Spike!” Sweetie Belle shouted.

“Lift with your arms, not with your back!” added Apple Bloom.

Spike continued to heave, veins bulging in his forehead as he strained to lift the enormous rock from its resting spot. Yet try as he might the dragon couldn't seem to move the thing no matter how hard he tried. Not wanting to look weak in front of his girlfriend and the others, Spike put everything he had into the action.

Only to land atop the stone, chest heaving. “It's stuck,” he muttered between gasps.

“Or you’re jutht weak,” spat Scootaloo.

“I’ve done it before!” Spike shouted back.

“Yeah right. You probably got thomeone elthe to do it,” Scootaloo dismissed.

“I did do it, I swear! See?” Spike grabbed it once more, and tried desperately to lift the stone.

“Augh your doing it all wrong. Let me do it,” Scootaloo insisted.

“I got this!” Spike shouted before pulling once again.

Scootaloo grunted, and leaned down, tugging on the rock at the same time as Spike was doing so, completely getting in the dragon’s way. Together the two wrestled half against each other, half against the stone they were both trying to move. Heads were butted, muscles were strained, and egos flared as they collectively tried and failed.

Neither party wanted to give up, and both were trying desperately to remove the offending stone from its resting place. They were so focused that neither noticed their friends cries of alarm, or the ground shaking beneath them. All that existed in their little world was winning, and proving the other was wrong.

That was until the earth under their feet suddenly vanished, the rock plummeting downwards and carrying them along with it. The pair both let go of plummeting stone almost immediately and tried to scramble for a handhold but neither could find anything to hold onto. Worse still, Scootaloo's wingspan was too large for the narrow hole, and she couldn't even glide without her wings clipping the walls.

The pair screamed in a mixture of shock and horror as they tumbled end over end into the abyss. Below them the rock continued to smash through the ancient staircase like a meteor falling from orbit, hardly slowing in the process. Spike was vaguely aware of stairs flying past his vision, but the dragon could do nothing with this information as he continued to tumble ever downwards.

Then, rather abruptly, he stopped, landing face first into a dark green mushroom as tall and as wide as he was. Then he was airborne once again, before landing a moment later, the wind getting knocked clean out of him. For a moment he merely lay there, pulse pounding loudly in his ears while he struggled to gather his bearings.

Other than a few bruises he felt surprisingly fine, and after a few tense moments he let out a long sigh. “Thank the stars,” he murmured.

Scootaloo landed a moment later, the thestral gracefully coming to a stop a few feet to Spike’s right.

“Are you okay?” Scootaloo asked.

Spike nodded, and rolled over onto his back before sitting up, a hand rubbing his scaled head. “What happened anyway?”

“I think that rock broke all the thtairs on the way down,” Scootaloo explained before pointing back where they had both landed. “And that weird bouncy muthroom thaved uth.”

Spike glanced over to where a small grove of fungi grew atop a great mound of shattered stone a few feet behind him. In the middle of it was the rock that had started it all and which had very nearly taken out his fungal savior. Thankfully its trajectory was a few inches off, meaning the spongy mushroom was able to avoid getting smooshed.

A fact Spike was immensely thankful for.

Pushing his way up into a stand, Spike dusted himself off and walked over to the hole. Looking up revealed that the entire top half of the staircase had been utterly destroyed, and from the look of things the bottom had been reduced to rubble centuries earlier. As where there should be a set of spiral steps rising up into the distant ceiling there was nothing save for a mound of stones some mushrooms now called home.

“Well that wath a butht,” Scootaloo murmured.

Spike blinked, trying to get his dark vision to adapt only to find that he couldn't see more than sixty or so feet. Which wasn't anywhere close to long enough to allow the dragon to see the top of the hole or his friends who may be looking down on them right now. Shaking his head, the dragon turned around only to immediately stop when he laid eyes on the set of double doors before him.

“Scootaloo, don't move,” Spike whispered.

“What are…” Scootaloo stopped the second she followed Spike’s gaze to a tall bipedal stone creature standing sentinel a few feet away.

Time had not gone easy on the guardian, and mushrooms grew all across its stoney exterior, though its face suffered the worst of it. Fruiting bodies several inches long sprouted all over its head, functioning almost like hair the golem didn't have before. A little taller than the nine foot tall doors behind it, the inanimate creature didn't move an inch as the pair eyed it carefully.

“Hey Bhok, activate!” Spike shouted.

“What are you doing? Don't turn it on!” Hissed Scootaloo.

“Trust me,” Spike replied simply, stepping forward. “Come on Bhok let us in.”

For a moment the large open room was utterly silent, and then with a resounding clunk, the golem’s head rose slowly. Its entire body struggled to move, while an unpleasant grinding sound filled the space as the guardian’s legs began to rise. Like some dead god waking from a millennia long slumber, the golem took a single titanic step forward before gazing down at the pair.

“Please identify yourselves,” bellowed the golem in an oddly feminine, almost motherly tone of voice.

“I’m Spike and this is my… associate Scootaloo. Please designate her friendly, passcode zero sigma nine,” Spike replied.

“Processing,” stated the golem.

“What are you doing? We thould be looking for a way out!” Scootaloo hissed.

“One, there is no other way out. Two, there are some couches just inside so we might as well wait for a rescue in comfort,” Spike retorted.

“Unable to confirm identity,” shouted the golem. “I apologize but I must subdue you until such time that a registered owner returns to the premises.”

“What?” Spike shouted, waving his arms around. “I’m right here!”

“Auditory confirmation accepted, visual identification not accepted,” bellowed the golem a second before it began to trundle towards them.

“Great job thpike!” Spat the thestral.

“How was I supposed to know that was a thing? We never had to worry about that back when!” Spike exclaimed before leaping out of the way of a clumsy attempt to grab him.

Scootaloo wasted no time and leapt into the air, surging towards the lumbering golem as with all the speed she could muster. Her attempt to tackle the guardian failed spectacularly as it hardly even noticed her slam into its midsection. The young mare reacted quickly though, hopping back and spinning around before bucking the thing in the back of the knee.

An attack which would have dropped a normal creature wasn't even noticed by the golem who was still trying to grab a surprisingly slippery Spike. While Scootaloo winced, and tried to return feeling to her back legs Spike continued to back up while also ducking under a bear hug. Though he knew the golem wouldn't kill him, it would still probably hurt quite a bit to get grabbed by the enormous thing.

Plus it had been quite a while that the golem had received maintenance, so it might not even be able to pull its punches anymore. A frightening thought that Spike didn't want to consider as he rolled to the side of another clumsy grab. He briefly considered trying to counterattack and maybe spit fire at his attacker but it took everything he had to just to stay out of its reach.

It was then that he noticed how thick the mass of mushrooms covering the creature’s head was. Barely an inch of stone was left uncovered by the dark green mass of fruiting bodies which sprouted from the golem’s scalp. In fact it gave the golem a weirdly colored mohawk, but the humour of the situation was lost on Spike at the moment.

“Its eyes get-” Spike lurched backward, the golem immediately leaping at him the second he opened his mouth.

It must be navigating solely using sound. Realized Spike.

Scootaloo hadn't had the same realization however, and was now flying above the guardian’s head, a hunk of stone held in her grip. Though fairly large, the rock did little damage when it was dropped on the golem, though it did seem to disorient their attacker for a second. Using this brief moment to his advantage Spike turned and ran for the mushroom mound that had saved him earlier.

The second the near silent plod of his feet vanished, and he stood upon the squishy mycelium network, the golem looked up. Scootaloo dodged out of the first frantic swipe of the guardian’s hand but a second clipped her back leg and sent her spinning to the ground. Though she reacted quickly, and deftly leapt back up into a stand, the stone sentinel was already upon her an instant later.

“Go for its eyes! Its eyes!” Shouted Spike.

Scootaloo snorted, ignoring the young dragon’s remark.

Ducking beneath the dual handed swipe, Scootaloo delivered a rapid flurry of blows to the golem’s midsection before slipping between its legs. The guardian was slow to react, allowing Scootaloo to try and buck its legs out from under it again. This time it seemed to do at least something as small flecks of stone fell from the joint, causing her attacker to stumble forward.

“Damage sustained, increasing threat designation,” stated the golem.

Scootaloo smirked, while Spike silently gaped, the dragon already in motion.

Rather than turning its entire body all the way around the golem’s torso spun one hundred and eighty degrees. Before Scootaloo even had a chance to realize what was happening an enormous stone fist was flying directly at her face. Caught unaware, and with no time to react she tried to dodge to the left, though she knew this action was a futile one.

Or at least it would have been, had Spike not been there to shove her out of the way, putting himself in the path of its attack. By the time Scootaloo landed and righted herself Spike had already been launched halfway across the room where he landed in a heap near the mound of mushrooms. Her surprise and fear immediately melted away, replaced by righteous anger as well as a good amount of guilt.

“Right, go for the eyeth,” Scootaloo murmured.

The golem advanced backwards, another strike already on the way a second later.

This time Scootaloo was ready, and when the great stone limb neared her she leapt into the air. Wings and hooves moved in tandem as she sprinted up the creature’s arm and to its head, her own counterattack a moment away. The golem was quicker still though, and tried to swat Scootaloo away with its free hand, only to hit empty air.

Leaping off the guardian’s shoulder at the last moment Scootaloo delivered a quick one two punch to its eye sockets. She then followed this up with a swipe that removed the now loose mass of mushrooms which had covered its face. Unfortunately for Scootaloo this left her open to the golem’s own response which came a moment later when it wrapped its arms around her.

She could only a muster a second of resistance before she felt her body begin to be painfully compressed. While her organs felt like they were seconds away from shooting out of her mouth, Scootaloo noticed that a pair of beady red eyes were looking down on her. She just hoped her desperate gambit had not been in vain.

“Designate her friendly, passcode zero sigma nine!” Called a voice from across the room.

The pressure stopped, and the golem turned to where Spike lay on the ground. “Visual and auditory identification accepted. Designating friendly.”

Scootaloo landed with a dull thump a second later, her chest heaving as she desperately filled her lungs with air. Spike groaned, one hand pressed against his stomach as he awkwardly walked over to Scootaloo.

“You alright?” He asked, extended a claw.

Scootaloo nodded. “Y-yeah.”

A firm tug was all it took to pull the thestral back up. “Thanks for listening to me.”

“Thankth for thawing me,” Scootaloo replied as she shakily gathered her bearings.

“It's fine, we cool?” Spike asked.

“Yeah. We’re cool,” Scootaloo replied solemnly.

The golem spun its body back around and fully faced the pair. “Welcome back Spike and nameless friendly. Would you like me to open the door for you?”

“Her name is Scootaloo and sure, but in a second. Gotta catch my breath,” Spike replied.

Scootaloo frowned and eyed him wearily. “Are you thure you’re okay?”

“My scales are really strong,” Spike tapped his chest with a fist. “I’m just going to have a lot of bruises is all.”

Scootaloo smiled, and patted the dragon on the shoulder. “I wath wrong. You are tough.”

“Thanks,” Spike replied before straightening his back. “Now then, wanna see inside?”

“Not without us!” Shouted a voice from above them.

The pair turned back to where a long white ladder fell from the hole, upon which was one terrified looking arachne, and one far from worried plant pony. The second the organic rope ladder hit the ground Apple Bloom leapt off it and helped Sweetie Belle untangle her legs. After they both had all of their limbs on the ground once more, Apple Bloom visibly winced at the pair.

“What happened to you guys?” Asked the pony.

“Just a little misunderstanding with our stone friend here,” Spike replied, jerking a thumb towards the guardian in question.

“Were fine now though,” Scootaloo stated firmly.

Sweetie Belle frowned as she skittered around the pair, eying them closely. “You don't look fine. Are those bruises?”

“We can worry about that later,” dismissed Spike. “Right now open the door Bhok.”

“Affirmative,” stated the golem.

Together the small group watched as the stone guardian turned and walked over to the entrance. Gripping the large iron wrought handles tightly, it then pulled it open in a single well practiced movement. Dust, debris, and a good amount of plant matter immediately came loose and began to rain down over the entrance.

When the dust had cleared, they stood before a rather sizable, if a little decrepit looking living room. Couches which had at one point been surprisingly luxurious were now so rotten that there was little left save for a wooden skeleton. Between them had sat a table which had at one point been piled high with books and games though now it was little more than a mound of glowing mushrooms.

The crystal cluster which had at one point only covered the ceiling now grew all the way down the walls. These same growths seemed to emanate a small amount of light, illuminating the entire space in a soft yellowish glow. Which allowed them all to see that the rest of the furniture left down here had suffered a similar fate as the couches.

The beds which had been put off to one side were now gone save for their metal frames, and the small bookshelf nearby was now almost completely gone. Even the wooden chest Spike had brought down here a thousand years ago was little more than scrap, as was its contents. Only the small pool of faintly bubbling water seemed to be unchanged form Spike’s last visit.

“Sorry girls. I guess it didn't stand up to time as well as I would have liked,” Spike murmured.

“What are you talking about, this is amazing!” Shouted Apple Bloom as she slowly trotted into the room.

“Thith ith really cool,” murmured Scootaloo who had taken wing and was flying around the room.

“Is that spring natural and safe?” Sweetie Belle asked, pointing to the pool of crystal clear water sitting across the room.

“Oh yeah. Or at least it was a thousand years ago,” Spike replied with a shrug. “We should probably check it out fi-”

“Cowabunga!” Shouted Apple Bloom before she cannon balled into the water.

“Or not,” Spike murmured.

The plant pony burst from the water a second later, a wide smile on her face. “Come on in the water’s great!”

Scootaloo joined a second later, the thestral gliding to a stop and gracefully slipping into the water. “Oooh that ith nithe,” she murmured contentedly.

“Thanks for showing us this Spike,” Sweetie Belle whispered.

“It was no biggie,” Spike replied, a blush crossing his face.

“Oh but it was quite big, and that means you deserve an equally large reward,” Sweetie Belle stated.

“Bwuh-” was all the dragon could mutter before the arachne leaned down and kissed him.

A smile crossed Spike’s face as he leaned towards the arachne, his eyes fluttering closed.

I should get punched across a room more often. Spike thought dreamily.