Green Eyes in the Night
Chapter 4; Eyes of the beholder
Was it so wrong that she just wanted a fairy tale romance? Rarity had been able to greet Trenderhoof at the station after her little talk with Applejack and had even gone out to diner with him. Sure it was nothing fancy but it wasn't a real date anyway so she could let it go, for now. So, of course it had to be ruined by being called to another crime scene.
'Honestly, why do they even call me for these kinds of things?' she thought to herself as she walked to the Ponyville hospital. There had been another attack, a guard that had been stumbling home from the local bar, the main difference had been that he had survived.
Rarity walked into the room, ignoring the glare from Twilight and Spike in general. The pony laying in the bed looked as though he had been put threw a wood chipper. Large chunks of his chest had been ripped away and nearly every inch that hadn't was bruised, both of his for legs were broken as well as several ribs, lastly was his face which was covered in slashes.
Shortly after Rarity's arrival the others walked in, with Applejack trying to glare a hole in the prissy mare and Spike and Fluttershy making sure they stayed separate. Twilight stepped forward and addressed everyone. "Alright, now that everypony is here we can get started."
"Good because I had to call off my practice today," Rainbow said before blanching slightly at Twilight's glare, "Not to say that this isn't just as important, heh... so what do we know?"
"Smooth," Spike deadpanned, earning him a glare and a 'shut it.'.
"Another attack by whatever has been attacking the town." Twilight said as she pointed to the comatose pony in the bed, "Stone Runner, the victim, did however manage to put up a fight as it would seem, he was able to defend himself to the point of survival and judging by the fact that what ever did this didn't take the time to finish him off means either they didn't have the strength to or was injured to much to do so."
"So there might be an injured animal somewhere around Ponyville?" Fluttershy asked before wringing her hooves, "Oh dear, this is not good."
Pinkie cocked her head to the side in confusion, "Why? Isn't that a good thing? It means that they won't be able to attack Ponyville again... right?"
Fluttershy slowly shock her head as she said, "Maybe, but it's much more likely that it'll just be that much more aggressive. A wounded animal will lash out at anything in fear that everything is out to get them." a collective gulp was heard threw out the room. "Was anybody able to get anything out of him before he passed out?"
"...Green eyes..." Twilight said somewhat reluctantly, "when they brought him in, kicking and screaming no less, he was mumbling something about glowing green eyes."
Rarity smirked and was about to say something when Applejack interrupted, "One word and I'll buck ya in the teeth." She turned to Twilight and said, "Anything else?" Twilight shook her head and Applejack sighed, "Figures. I hate to cut this short but I got chores at the farm to deal with."
As she was walking out Spike said, "Same here, that castle is huge and Starlight can only go so far." Turning around all the girls saw the young drake limping, favoring his right foreleg.
"Uh Spike?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Why... Why are you uh... limping?"
Spike sighed as he began to rub his hurt leg, "Long story or just the cliff notes?" Seeing the concerned looks on the girls faces, and the annoyed one on Rarity, Spike continued. "Well for the last year or so some of the foals around town have been throwing rocks, as well as other things, at me when ever they get a chance. After Rarity's little... tirade yesterday, they've been a little more aggressive. Not sure which one but one of them had their parent attack me this morning."
Fluttershy rushed up to Spike and wrapped her forelegs around him, crying slightly as she started looking over his arm and shoulder. Pinkie walked over as well and said, "I don't understand Spike, you're a dragon, you should be able to take on a pony pretty easily, what happened?"
While doing his best to ignore Fluttershy's pulling on his foreleg Spike said, "A couple things actually. Firstly was that who ever it was jumped out of an alley, element of surprise and all that. Secondly... well I don't really want to fight any pony, it's just easier to take a few swings them to have to deal all the trouble it would have brought."
"Right... of course you don't." Rarity said in a sarcastic tone, rolling her eyes. "It just so happened that you happen to get attacked by a random pony on the same day that the guard, who called you out, got attacked and managed to injure the assailant."
While it was a good thing that Applejack had already left Rainbow still had to pin down Twilight to stop her from tearing her apart. Spike rolled his eyes as he said, "Believe what you want, it's a lost cause to try and convince you that I haven't done anything wrong and I don't have the time nor the patience to try." And with that he limped out.
As he did his best to walk threw town Spike did his best not to snarl at the stares he was receiving and the distant giggling of who ever it was that was laughing. When he turned the corner he ran head first into someone and fell and hit the ground. There was a loud and sickening popping sound as Spike fell on his right shoulder and the bone pooped back into place, in doing so slipping into an old habit. "Kli surenta!" he roared in old Equish, a language taught to him by Princess Celestia when he was just a hatchling.
"Why don't you watch where you're going you filthy dragon!" came a snobby and annoying tone.
'Oh please dear Celestia not the egotist.' Spike thought to himself as he looked up to the brown furred unicorn that was glaring daggers at him. "Good to see you too Trend," he said as he got back onto his feet and began to dust himself off, as he did so he noticed that his shoulder no longer hurt, "and thanks for the help. Thought I was going to have to walk around all day with a bad shoulder."
"Humph," Trenderhoof snorted, "As if I'd knowingly help you, a lowly beast like you has no place in a town such as this. Why don't you just go back to your little hoard and move yourself into a mountain like the rest of your kind."
"You mean like the unicorns in Canterlot where he was hatched?" came a soft yet angry southern drawl. Applejack walked up beside Spike and kept her face as calm as she could.
"A dragon in a dragon no matter where they are hatched." Trenderhoof snorted as he glared at Spike. "Honestly miss Applejack, I don't understand why you are so fond of the filthy, useless thing." having said his peace he turned to leave when Applejack began laughing hysterically.
"U... Use... Useless?..." she roared in between laughs, "...You... you actually believe Spike is useless?! Tarnation boy I knew you were thick but I didn't think we could use ya like a wall." Trenderhoof stared incredulously at the mare while Spike chuckled a bit at her joke.
Rarity groaned as she walked threw town. 'of course Twilight would issues a gag order,' Rarity thought to herself, '"To protect the guard and not cause hysteria in the town" my flank, she was just trying to protect Spike!' As she was passing threw down town she heard the familiar sound of Applejack laughing. At seeing the enraged glare Trenderhoof was shooting Applejack, who was laughing her head off, she ran over and growled out, "And what may I ask is just so funny?"
Applejack sobered up quickly at the sound of Rarity's voice but was still fighting back giggles as she transcribed the earlier events. "From what I gathered when I got here, this snob some how managed to hurt Spike, bad enough for him to slip back into that fancy talk of his. When I heard that I rushed over to find him insulting him by saying he should just go and live in a mountain, then had the nerve to call him useless."
"To be fair," Spike interrupted as he rolled his shoulder, "I don't think he actually meant to hurt me. We just ran into one another and when I fell I landed on my shoulder. Good news is that it popped back into place afterward."
"Your shoulder was dislocated?" Applejack asked in worry.
"I'll give you the full story later." he shrugged.
"oh the foul beast didn't hurt you did he?" Rarity asked the other unicorn, much to the aggravation of the other mare. Once she got the confirmation that she wanted Rarity jump on the opportunity presented before her; earn brownie points with Trend, discredit any lingering feelings he might still have for Applejack and get one more pony against Spike.
"You know darling, as uncouth as she is Applejack is right, Spike far from useless." she said drawing confused looks from everyone. "So long as you have something that they want dragon make excellent servants. Why in the many years that I lead on that pathetic creature I had had basically a willing slave, entire hordes of gems and I only had to make him believe that I could ever love such a thing." Rarity began to laugh at the heart broken look in Spike's eyes.
"You sick bitch!" Applejack hissed as she began to advance on the twisted mare. "When I get my hooves on you I'll-" the rest of what she as going to say was cut off my said mare.
"You'll what Applejack, kill me? Kill me like Spike did Spoiled rich and almost did to the Stone Runner fellow?" she asked as she examined her hoof. It was dead silent for just a few minutes. Just like last time this had been calculated, loud enough to be heard by anyone passing but not enough to make it seemed like she was intentionally trying to broadcast it. "With Twilight's gag order I can't say as much as I'd like too, but you and I both know what Stone Runner meant by green eyes."
"There are a lot of creatures with green eyes Rarity," Spike said as calmly as he could.
"How many of them are dangerous?" she countered with a smug grin.
Applejack had finally had enough of Rarity's crap, this time how ever she had opened up a chance for her to turn it around. "Well how about timber wolves for instance," she said, just as smugly as she began to circle the unicorn, "Of course you don't seem to think it was a timber wolf, it would have to be something smaller, like a young dragon or even another pony."
Rarity was speechless for a few moments as she took in what the farm mare had just said, once she did her brow furrowed, "and just what is it you're trying to say, Applejack?"
"Simple Rarity, Spike ain't the only one in this town who has green eyes; hell we don't even know if his even glow, unlike some one else I could name." Rarity paled as she fully grasped what Applejack was saying. Her eyes quickly turned to Trenderhoof who hadn't quite caught on but it was evident that he would if she continued.
"Don't bring that up Applejack," Rarity hissed, "that was a long time ago. I've gotten been cured of that and you know it."
Trenderhoof rubbed his forehead in confusion as he tried to put the pieces together. Spike didn't like the direction this conversation was taking, "Applejack, while I appreciate what you're trying to do but-"
"I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP DRAGON!'" Rarity yelled at Spike after finally having had enough, only to see both Spike and Trenderhoof staring in surprise and Applejack smirking. "W-what? What's wrong?" she asked as she raised her hoof to her face and could she a soft green glow reflecting off her fur.
"And right here we have a green eyed monster." Applejack said.
Rarity began to tremble as she held in her tears. "It was Spike's fault, him and that blasted book! If he hadn't given me that blasted thing then I never would have had this wretched curse!" she turned to Spike as she glared at him, eyes still glowing in rage, "Because of you I have had to spend the last few years trying to learn to fully control this curse. Having to stop myself form changing the world as I see fit, all because you wanted my affection!"
Smoke rose from Spike's nostrils as he growled out, "Not for your affection, to stop you from crying." Taking several steps forward rose to his full height and glared down at her, "You were short sighted and made a puppet stand that couldn't be used proparly and threw fit when you were called out on it. The only thing I was trying to do was-"
Spike's speech was cut off by a hoof slamming against his face, it didn't hurt but it did force his face to the side. Spike turned his head back into place and stared at the one who had struck him, Trenderhoof. "How dare you speak to any pony in such a way, especially a lady like Rarity, you filthy beast!" He turned to Applejack and growled out, "And you, how can you take this thing's side over your own friend?"
"Spike is may friend," Applejack hissed as she got ready to knock his teeth in. "It's Rarity I ain't so sure about these days." Rarity glared and Trenderhoof snorted indignantly.
"Never the less," Trenderhoof said, "I simply can imagine why the Princesses would allow a vulgar creature any where near Equstria but I will see it rectified, first here then Canterlot." This time Applejack didn't even take the time to even try and get ready, she threw her hoof to know his everything off but was stopped but Spike grabbing it and shaking his head. Trenderhoof turned up his nose, turned around and began to walk away. Rarity grinned maliciously and followed.
Spike sighed as he dropped to the ground, Applejack following him. Turning to her with a somewhat defeated look he asked her, "This is going to get worse before it gets better, isn't it?" Her only response was a weak smile.