Green Eyes in the Night

Chapter 5; Wrath of the Vengeful

Much to his dismay Spike had been right, it had gotten worse. In the weeks following his interactions with Trenderhoof everyone in Ponyville began to look at Spike diffrently. Most sidded with Rarity and Trend and began being openly agressive towards him, like in th a market place where they would charge him at least three times as much or simply refues to sell to him. Others became weary of being near him, thinking even if he hadn't been the one attacking everypony it still wasn't a good idea being anywhere near a dragon being push towards the edge.

Spike found himself back on his castle branch, watching the passing ponies as he sunned himself. As bad as it had been for himself he still couldn't help but feel bad for the few ponies that sidded with him. The Apple family began to have trouble selling their products, gradually at first but growing fast as Applejack stood up for Spike more and more. Twilight hadn't been immune to the backlash either. The Princess of Friendship was dealing with ponies turning her help down and open animosity towards her.

'I kinda wish they would only have gone after me.' Spike thought to himself as he watched Applebloom trying to shy away from the town's glares with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle guarding her as best as they could. 'Poor Bloom, I wish she would just say something, anything, against me; that way the town would leave her alone.' Just then Spike saw Trenderhoof and Rarity walking in their direction, 'Aw hell.'

Rarity was walking on cloud nine, in the last few weeks Trend had been pretty much glued to her side. While much of their time had been invested in belittling and discrediting Spike in between it he had taken her to lunch on more then one occasion and the two had even had a picnic in the park once.

Rarity soon spotted her sister Sweetie walking with her two friends, normally she wouldn't have any problem with this however she knew that so long as she was seen walking with Applebloom her new image was at risk. Rarity was about to speak up when she suddenly felt a wave of heat pass her.

"Leave them alone Rarity." Came Spike's voice from a roof top. Both her and Trend turned up to see Spike on top of one of the near by buildings, glareing sligtly at the two.

"And what buissiness is it of yours what I do and who I talk to lizard, especially when it's my sister?!" Rarity snapped. Trenderhoof looked as though he was about to say something when Spike cut him off.

"Don't you think she has it hard enough trying to stand up for Applebloom? Do you really need to go over and make it worse?" Spike's eyes narrowed from his place on the roof, tail flicking slightly in aggitation. "Please just be a good sister and let her be."

This time when Spike found a hoof heading for his face, suprisingly enough this time it was Rarity's, he pulled back away from the blow. "How dare you..." Rarity snarled as she brought her hoof up for another swing, "What would a sad pathetic little orphan like you know about being a sibling?!"

Spike didn't even try to dodge her blow, he stood stock still with a blank look on his face, eyes wide as the words she had just spoken sank in. Trenderhoof sensed the weakness in Spike's armor and desided to go in for the kill. "I had no idea the monster was an orphan. How sad it must be for you dragon, to know that not only are you not wanted in Equstria but that not even your own kind want you."

Trenderhoof found himself embedded in the wall across the street. Spike growled with tears streamed down his face, his tail still twiching from where it had flicked him. "I don't give a flying pheonix feather who you think you are, but you don't have a right to talk to me like that." He then turned to Rarity, "And you." he snarled again, "while I may not have siblings I know enough to not ruin their lives and friendships just to maintain some stupid statis that doesn't mean jack SHIT!"

As she watched Spike storm away Rarity tried almost in vein to unlock her body. Threw all the indirect attacks and very direct insults she had somehow managed to forget a very important detail... Spike was a dragon; a large, firebreathing, diamond eating, mountain crumbling, could gut a pony with just a pinkie claw dragon.

Rarity walked over and pulled Trenderhoof out of the wall, helping him onto his hooves she spoke to him, "Darling as much fun as this has been I do believe it would be in our best interest to back off for now."

"My flank we will," Trenderhoof growled, "I will not take this injustice lying down. Ms. Rarity I will not ask you to stand with me in this but mark my words I will see that beast driven out of town or worse!"

Many of the towns ponies had heard the interaction between Spike and Trenderhoof, making their job all the easier. Most of the towns ponies had already turned against Spike and with more of his temper showing even more were switching sides. Even Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, two of Spike's closest friends, had started to avoid him like the plague. Twilight had of course called the two out on this but it hurt her heart when they both addmitted to the truth.

Pinkie's reasoning was that even though they weren't her own she had Pound and Pumpkin hanging around her and that maternal instint was making her want to keep the dragon at legs length to keep them safe. As much as she wanted to Twilight couldn't fault her for that, she knew Pinkie only wanted to protect the foals.

Rainbow however had been growing more suspsious of Spike the first time Rarity had started to point her hoof at him, as loyal as she was she wasn't blind and wasn't about to go threw a worse version of Lightning Dust. Twilight did fault her for that.

Applejack was the one Twilight relied on to protect Spike in public, when ever she was free. Even for Twilight it was obvious that the apple farmer had fallen for the dragon and was walking threw Tartarus itself for him, and by the looks he was giving her when she wasn't looking the feeling was quickly becoming mutual.

The truth was that the only one Twilight felt safe talking without bias about the matter was Fluttershy, her attatchment of Spike kept her from pushing him away but her fear of dragons kept her from overlooking the facts.

The two found themselves in the Twilight's private study for a tea time. Fluttershy took a sip of her tea as she asked, "How is Spike doing today?" Fluttershy took this moment to closely looke her friend over. To put it simply, she looked exhausted. It was obvious that Twilight hadn't been sleeping well and with the attacks and damages to the buildings in Ponyville still going on it was only dragging her down all the more.

"I wish I could say he was fine." Twilight sighed, "Everyday more and more ponies turn against him. Add that to so many attacks to the homes around town and no new leads that don't lead back to this being the work of some seriously dangerous creature and we have a serious problem on our hooves."

"Do..." Flutteshy asked hessitantly, "...Do you think... Maybe... Spike..." Twilight stared at Fluttershy with a look that could have melted a steel door in seconds and froze over Tartarus at the same time. "I have to ask."

Twilight held her glare for a few moments before letting loose a small sigh and looking down, "I... don't know..." Placing her head on the table Twilight tried to hold back her tears as she contenued, "As much as I hate Rarity for it she does make a point, he is a dragon, and so far everypony that was killed had just finished getting into a confrontation with him. I don't want to believe it but the more time that passes the I begin to wonder... What about you?"

"I try not to think about it," Fluttershy said,

The two got up and began to walk off with Fluttershy saying, "It's okay, Twilight, we'll figure this out." It they had waited only a few seconds they would have seen the tear drops hit the table. Spike, who had come in after his interaction with Rartiy and her little toy, had been curled up in the rafters and had heard everything they had said. From the shadows a glowing pair of green eyes flashed in rage, it was time to end this.

Trenderhoof and Rarity where laughing as they walked out of the restaurant. Rarity was hopeing to win some "brownie points" by inviting him to lunch, and she had been right. Trend had taken to her and turned their outing into a full on date and for the pasted two hours the two had been swaping storys of their lives before this all started.

"I really don't think you have anything to worry about Rarity," Trend said as he walked with her back to her boutique for the night, "Sweetie Belle is a smart filly, I'm sure she will realised the danger of trying to protect that wickid beast and cut ties, as will the Apple family, it will just take time."

Rarity looked up and sighed, "I know you're right Trend but I still worry, she's my sister and I would hate for something to happen to her because she's too stubborn to see reason." Rarity held in a groan as she recalled the shouting match they had gotten into after Spike had left.

"What is with you Rarity?!" Sweetie screamed at her older sister.

"I'm sorry Sweetie but we simply can't be assosiated with anyone who is trying to defend that horrid beast," Rarity said with a snobby tone before turning to Applebloom, "Please understand darling, I don't have anything against you or most of your family. The fact of the matter is the only one I do have an issue with is Applejack, but so long as she and the rest of your family protects Spike I simply can not allow Sweetie to play with you."

Applebloom look on the verge of tears and was about to yell at the top of her lungs at the prissy unicorn when her little sister beat her to it. "HOW DARE YOU!" Sweetie roared causing everyone to take a sttep or two back. "I don't know or care who you THINK you are but if you think for one second that I'm going to let you stand there and bad mouth my friend and her sister for doing the right thing you have another thing coming!"

Turning on her hooves and cutting off anything else Rarity might try and say, Sweetie turned back to Applebloom and Scootatloo, "Come on girls we have better things to do than stand here and take this bull crap!" As she walked several ponies moved out of their way, none really wanting to cross her raging filly.

Trend and Rarity said they're good nights as she walked up to her front door. "All in all it's been a good day. If things keep going the way they are now, that beast should be gone by-" Rarity's monolog was cut short by a blood curdling scream. Running at top speed she turned the corner following the sounds of ripping and tearing, not liking that the scream quickly devolved into moaning then gurgling.

Before she could find the source of the noise Rarity tripped over something, when she got her bearings she looked and was horrified to find that it was a unicorn horn... a light brown unicorn horn. "No..." she whispered as she looked up, because is was a dim night she couldn't really make out what she was seeing however she could make out a few things; one figure was on the ground, another somewhat jagged figure was hovering over the first, and finally it's glowing neon green eyes were locked on to her.

An ominous growl sounded from the thing as it fully turned to Rarity, a look of absolute hate in it's eyes. Rarity saw her life flash before her eyes as the creature took a set forward, the smell of death and rot following. Before it could lunge at Rarity ponies began to appear and it was force to retreat, just not before glaring at her again and jumping onto a roof and running off.

Rarity dropped to her flank as she began to heavily sweat, she had never been so close to death before in her life. After a few moments to steel her nerve she got up and pushed her way threw the crowd to see who was attacked, and her worse fears were confermed. Laying there, in a pool of his own blood, was Trenderhoof. Hundreds, if not thousands, of thoughts were running threw her head at this moment however only one thing managed to find itself to the forfront of her mind.

Rarity screamed.