Chapter 3

Spike's Journal Entry 15

I thought that Manehatten would be the easiest part of this trip. I was wrong.

…

"OOO-WEE! This train's movin' faster than a cattle herder in a bull run!" Personally, Applejack's analogies never made sense to the baby dragon, but he didn't mind; it was finally happening. Spike, after a lifetime of having no family outside of Twilight Sparkle, was going out to search for his mother and father— maybe even brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles… the little dragon slipped to sleep as he dreamed of his huge welcome party he would find in the dragon' land.

As Spike slept, the 3 ponies, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, and Fluttershy, discussed the journey: their hopes, their fears, and most importantly, how they planned to spend their 2 days at Manehatten.

"I've never been outside of Canterlot when I was a little filly, and the only other place I lived was Ponyville, so I've never been to any big cities. But I've read a lot about Manehatten, and it sounds amazing! I want to go see Broncway and all the performances they do. I heard that this year, there's a group that is praised as the best actors and actresses to preform Roameo and Juliet!"

The other two ponies looked at their overly studious friend, not knowing much about the dramatic arts. Applejack began next. "Well, I don't know if you two evah heard, but I've lived'n Manehatten with my aunt'n'uncle Orange for a time!"

"You did?" Fluttershy's eyes grew wide. "That must have been amazing."

The light orange earth pony looked down for a short time. "Well… no… but I did learn a lot about bein' s'phisticated and all. And besides, there are a few interestin' apple stores there that have been givin' Apple Farms a run for their money." She muttered with some anger "They think they can grow apples in them fancy fact'ries with them fancy machines? I'll show them what real apples taste like!"

"Well, I have always wanted to see how animals lived in such a big noisy city. I want to see the parks, and the veterinary clinics there." Fluttershy's eyes sparkled as she thought of all the little animals she could help take care of. "And Rartiy also told me about this spa—"

"A SPA?" Twilight couldn't remember the last time she went to one, and though it probably wasn't the best idea to get a manicure done right before travelling to the dragon's land, she wouldn't have a chance to go to a spa in Manehatten for a long time; besides, any spa that Rarity recommended would be, in that white unicorn's voice, 'simply divine.'

"Oh, well yes! I was thinking about going today, then seeing the animals the second day."

Twilight beamed. "That works perfectly with my schedule, I'll come with you. What about you, AJ?"

"Oh, uh… you two go ahead with your pretty shenanigans, I need to get to work with this here Apple store."

"But girls, remember, we're here for a purpose." They all turned their attention to the ball of purple scales curled up on the seat next to Twilight.

…..

"Next stop; Manehatten. Next stop; Manehatten. Anypony stopping here gather your bags. We will arrive in 5 minutes." The voice coming from a speaker startled the sleeping dragon with a start. "AHH-are we there yet?"

"Almost, Spike! Just'a few more minutes and then we'll be out a' this here train!" Applejack was determined about something that the dragon didn't know about. He was still too tired though, maybe it was just his eyes playing tricks on him, he thought…

Don't fall asleep Spike!" He felt a muzzle nudging him, and was not surprised to find it was Twilight preventing him from napping for a few more minutes. This is always like her, he thought to himself. But he got up anyway. Today, this stop, they were too important to sleep through. Remembering their purpose for being here gave him the energy to wake up completely, and he jumped from his seat. He fell almost immediately.

"Woah there partner, the train hasn't even stopped yet!" Applejack started to chuckle, then everypony. Even Spike laughed at how eager he was to get started. After sitting down back on his chair, he looked out the window. He had never seen buildings this tall; they were nearly as tall as Celestia's castle, but they were covered in glass and signs with flashy lights. And the streets, he had never seen streets so busy! There were ponies of all kinds: Big ponies, baby ponies, ponies with coats and suits, ponies with dresses, ponies with no clothes, ponies with hair that reminded him of Rarity, ponies that he was sure reeked if he wasn't so far away from them and moving so fast… ponies everywhere!

The four looked out the windows and saw only their adventures to complete in the next two days. Manehatten was sure to be a lot of fun, and they couldn't wait!

…..

When Twilight first read that paper, we should have known something was about to happen, but we were too distracted…

…..

"Hey Twi, look at what I got!" Spike held out a copy of the city newspaper. "That little colt over there gave it to me. He also gave me a weird look as if I smelled, do I really stick?" All the ponies looked over at the young colt. He was light brown and very skinny, with a dark brown tail and mane to match his newsie hat. He also had a scowl on his face. Could he smell me from all the way over there, Spike wondered.

"Well, that's very nice of him. And between you and me Spike, you could always use a bath!" She smiled as she took the paper with her magic. Her face dropped. "What's wrong, Twilight?" came the voice of Fluttershy from behind the dragon. She was looking into a pet store window and missed Spike and Twilight's dialogue.

Twilight looked up from the paper. "Fluttershy, you may want to come see this." As soon as Fluttershy saw the paper, she uttered an "Oh, no…" Now Spike was really curious.

"What does it say?"

"I'll read it out loud for you Spike." Twilight began.

Professor at Local University Assaulted Yesterday

Gang violence is on the rise; latest clash with dragon kind to blame

After giving a seminar at his home college, Professor Logos Rhetoric was found assaulted walking on his way to home. Police are hesitant to give details about the case, but they did confirm that the assumed culprit was a gang that calls themselves "Dragon Blood".

Professor Rhetoric is an acclaimed author and political historian most noted on his work between the pony-dragon relationships we continue to see today. One such book, "The Seventh Element", earned him many prestigious awards, and propelled his fame. The book itself called ponies to be aware of their actions in dealing with dragons; "they too are sentient beings, and their killing 'instinct' is only a survival method we as ponies have triggered with our incessantly driving them from what we claim is pony land" said Prof. Rhetoric in his book. This book came to the attention of Princess Celestia, who immediately assigned the late professor on the Dragon Diplomatic Embassy team as lead Dragon correspondent.

His wife and 2 colts couldn't have been happier. "It was hard not having him at home many days at a time" Mrs. Rhetoric explained in a private interview, "but we knew he was out there changing the world, which made the days he did come home all the more precious. He would even tell the kids about all the adventures he had with the dragons, especially with the dragon's representative, Romian."

Once the Embassy Team was evacuate when relationships between the two parties reached a boiling point, Professor Rhetoric began to tour Equestria, giving lectures at many cities and universities about the points he made in his last book. He urged ponies to treat dragons as friendly, that they were equals and needed to be treated as such.

In the investigation, the gang in question, "Dragon Blood", is not a new one to Manehatten citizens. This large and notorious gang, started over 40 years ago, has been opposed to any relations between ponies and dragons, rallying under the cry "Love and tolerance is no more". Their actions in the town have been small, but numerous, with this being the first recorded attempted killing they have attempted.

Detective Fedora, the police stations' lead gang detective, explains the psyche behind the attack: "They weren't aiming for a death. They try to work in the shadows, prevent anypony from noticing them unless they wanted to be noticed. This was a warning. This was an example they sent everypony to not follow Professor Rhetoric's advice. It's hard to tell what actions they will take next, but it won't be robbing a cupcake shop, that's for sure!"

Prof. Rhetoric was rushed to the hospital with multiple lacerations and 2 broken ribs, but doctors are sure he will make a full recovery soon. As for "Dragon Blood", police advise everypony to keep their doors locked and not to go out at night.

Twilight Sparkle finished reading the article. There was a picture of Professor Rhetoric on it. He seemed like a kind and loving gentlecolt. His coat and mane were a light green color, which offset his purple eyes. There were wrinkles on his face that were magnified by the almost-too-small glasses that rested squarely on his nose. He was wearing a rather nice summer jacket that was a smidge too tight for the slightly overweight pony. The only question Twilight could think right now was why would anypony want to hurt such a caring and sensitive stallion.

"Oh my gosh. I've never heard of an assault case in all of Equestria, have you?"

Fluttershy shook her head briskly. "No, I haven't. I heard that when Princess Celestia came into power, murders and assaulting stopped almost immediately." This was what Twilight heard too. Now she was scared.

And as for Spike, he was panicking. For one, it sounded like ponies and dragons were once again hostile towards one another. Had he endangered his friends by bringing them here? And what about himself? If these ponies were willing to hurt other ponies, what would they be comfortable doing to a baby dragon? Spike cleared his mind of these thoughts; Twilight once told him that if he focused on all the 'what ifs', then he would never get anything done.

He shared a quick glance at his friends, and he could tell that they started thinking the same thing he did. They had to get somewhere safe.

…..

I shouldn't have let her go. But she was always stubborn. My big, stubborn sister.

…..

Twilight was still panicked, but now she was in her organizing mood. "Okay, you two head straight for the apartment. Don't stop anywhere, don't talk to anyone. I'll go look for Applejack." She turned on her hooves.

"Wait, Twilight!" Spike yelled at the unicorn before she started to run. "Are you sure it's safe to go out there alone?" He didn't want to see her get hurt, or disappear, or worse… "We need to stick together."

"No! We need to keep you safe! Fluttershy, you take him back to the hotel room, and lock the door. Wait there for me and AJ."

Fluttershy was shaking, but her voice sounded surprisingly strong to Spike. "Yes mam!" She grabbed the baby dragon and put him on her back like he would with Twilight. As they ran off, he heard Twi yell out "Besides, once I find AJ, I won't be alone, right?"

…..

Fluttershy flew upstairs. Now both her and Spike regretted getting a room at the top of the hotel, it seemed like such a good idea back then. After a few minutes of flying, then running, then crawling, they survived the stair's ordeal and made it to their room. It was very small with only two beds. Both Spike and Applejack were okay with sleeping on the floor, insisting to Twilight that they did not need to get a bigger room. The thing that the 3 ponies and 1 dragon loved most about this room was the view. As they walked in, they were both gazing out the window; the sun was setting over the never-sleeping city, and as it slowly got darker in the shy, more and more lights turned on in the city. The two had never seen anything so wonderful, having never lived in a city like Manehatten. Even with all of this violence, both the pony and the dragon wouldn't have minded living there.

"I wonder where Twilight is now." Spike couldn't hide the sadness in his voice, and Fluttershy noticed.

In her most soothing voice, she replied, "Oh, she's out there looking for Applejack. I bet by now she already found her and is on her way back." She even mustered up a smile, but Spike wasn't buying it.

"She's like a sister to me. I don't know what I'd do if she was hurt."

"Is she really like a sister?" Fluttershy could tell this was another one of those times to be strong for those you care about.

"She's the only family I have."

"Then she will come back. I know a few things about sisters, and if she's your sister, nopony can stop her from coming back to you." Fluttershy's words helped Spike a little, but he still couldn't stop feeling scared.

She had to distract Spike somehow. "How about we play a game? Have you ever played the quiet game?"

After one very long and very boring game of saying nothing, Spike suggested that they play Hangpony. They had a lot of fun, and Fluttershy was glad to see Spike smiling again. They played for about an hour before Fluttershy accidentally put down the word 'sister'. Immediately, the dragon reverted to his previous gloomy state.

"I did this. I should have never let you guys come. You're in danger with me. I'm a mon—"

"Spike, you are not a monster. You are kind, and loving, and loyal and brave. You would never hurt a fly. You aren't like other dragons, and I mean that in a good way. I can see why Ra…" She stopped herself mid-word, but the little dragon caught what she said.

"Why WHAT?" Suddenly his demeanor changed. He went from depressed and gloomy to happy, even a little giddy. Had she said what he thought she said?

"Ra….Ra… rabbits! I can see why my rabbits love you! He he..." Spike didn't buy it, but it would have to wait for a later time, because e at that moment they heard steps outside of the door. Both Spike and Fluttershy ran to the door, threw it open and embraced their friend Twilight.

Only it wasn't Twilight.

"I appreciate the warm welcome 'n all, but why are y'all actin' so friendly all of a sudden?" Applejack asked.

"Applejack! You're safe!" Fluttershy yelled, or rather, she exclaimed slightly louder than her whisper.

"Of course I am. Now can y'all explain what the hay is goin' on here?"

"Yes, of course, come on—"

"Where's Twilight?" Spike was happy that his apple bucking friend was safe, but he was still worried about his sister.

"I thought she was with you guys. Right?" Applejack only just noticed the absence of her lavender friend.

"Here, come inside", Fluttershy said as she motioned towards the door, "we'll explain what happened."

The 3 reentered the room, sat in a triangle on the floor, and began discussing what happened after they split up. Applejack informed them of her reconnaissance work on her city competitors. "I went to every store: Appleoozah, The Shiny Apple, even The Apple store, and I tried a few of their treats. None of them compare to Sweet Apple Acre's!" she said confidently when her stomach growled a funny way. "Oh… I may be a bit under the weather tomorrow, so I'll be staying here if I need to."

"Wow, you sure had a lot more fun than us." Fluttershy started. She proceeded to explain how they wandered the streets for a few minutes before finding that article about the gang that didn't like dragons. During this time, Spike was just looking out the window, and he knew that somewhere out there was his sister. If only he knew she was safe, then he could relax and focus on his task of finding his mom and dad. But if Twilight was in danger, he needed to make sure she was safe. His parents could wait. "After we found that, we split up, I brought Spike here, and Twilight went out to look for you."

"But she didn't find me. That means she's still out there somewhere…"

There was a knock at the door. Everypony hoped it was Twilight.

Fluttershy walked to the door quietly. "Hello?" No answer. "Um… hello? Is anypony there"? Silence. She decided to open the door.

The hallway was absolutely empty. Fluttershy thought she saw something fly around a corner, but she couldn't be sure.

"Who is it, Fluttershy?" Called out Applejack from the floor where she sat.

"Um… it was nopony. Maybe it was just somepony knocking on the wrong door."

"Then what's that there paper on the ground, Sugarcube?"

…

Twilight was running frantically up and down the city streets. It was getting dark, and she still hadn't seen Applejack anywhere. She tried all the ranch pony stores, all the grocery stores; she even found an apple store called Apple of my Eye that she was confident she would find AJ in. But after 2 hours of looking, she had nothing to show for her work.

She looked around. After running around so frantically, she guessed she didn't notice the change in her surroundings. She left the nice part of the city and was now in the poor part. Buildings were dirty, vacant, or completely gone, and trash was all over the street. She wondered how anypony could live here, but they did. All she knew for certain was Applejack was not here. She turned around and ran into another pony.

"Oh, I'm sorry…"

This pony stood very still. There was a dark gleam in his yellow eyes, which popped out from his dark grey coat. He was completely grey, in fact. But this wasn't what intrigued her; both his face and his flank were covered in red cloth. Whoever this pony was, he did not want to be recognized.

Twilight gave the stranger a fake smile. "Umm, excuse me…" As she stepped to his left, he nodded. A cloth sack came over the unicorn's head. After that, she couldn't remember a thing.

"Good work, Fang!" the grey pony muttered, complimenting the mare who had thrown the cloth over Twilight's head.

Good work yourself", the mare named Fang answered with too much sarcasm. Like her friend, she too had red cloth covering her head and flank. Unlike her counterpart, though, she had a black coat with orange eyes. "Now, I'm going to take her body back to headquarters, Slayer wants you to deliver this," Fang handed the grey pony a letter, "to her little friends. The address is on the envelope. Make it snappy." And with that, Fang and the unconscious Twilight were gone.

The grey pony had no problem finding the hotel. He had entered the rich district though, so he needed to remove his disguise. Now he looked like an average pony. The only thing that people could have seen to suspect his involvement with Dragon Blood was his cutie mark; a sneaker that was dripping in blood. Thankfully most people saw it as red paint, so few questions were ever asked. He quickly ran up the stairs in a few minutes without breaking a sweat. Once he reached the top, however, he had to move carefully, to avoid getting noticed. He was to deliver the letter and not be seen. No problem. They didn't call him Runner for nothing, after all.

After dropping off the letter, knocking, and leaving the hotel unnoticed, he decided to go to Appleoozah to get a bottle of apple juice to celebrate.

…..

We have your friend.

We don't want to hurt any ponies; we try not to hurt our own if we can help it.

6 o'clock. Meet us at the warehouse on 6th Street and Hooverton. And bring the dragon.

If you don't, we will make an example of your friend instead.

Love and tolerance is no more.

…..

They want me. Tomorrow, either I or Twilight will be in their hands. What have I done?