Changing World

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Author's note: So... yeah, it would seem that I've been infected by the very contagious ponymania virus too. No matter how stubbornly I usually try to avoid girly stuff, I just can't help loving this show. I blame it mostly on the lovable characters, the rich universe they live in and the refreshing candor of those heartwarming friendship stories.

As for this fic, it's actually the first time I'm attempting to write in third person, my previous ones consisting mostly of internal monologues. (I'm also breaking my old tradition of the interminable introduction, apparently.) Please tell me if I made mistakes or if you have any kind of advice to help me improve my writing. Constructive reviews are always very welcome. Thank you for your interest in my story!

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters or anything else that belongs to the world of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. They are the property of Hasbro (with the amazing contribution of Lauren Faust), while I am merely an appreciative fan who got inspired to use their work in my spare time for entertainment purposes only. Needless to say, I make no profit out of this and I mean no harm to the rightful owners of the original material. Thank you for your understanding (and tolerance, hehe).

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Chapter 1: Like a Stranger

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The sun was still high above Ponyville, but it was abnormally dark in the streets below. A heavy smoke was rising from the blackened remnants of several wasted buildings, clouding the sky as though a storm was at hand. That did not keep the dragon's greedy eye from noticing the glistening of rainbow-colored gemstones from inside the stylish construction.

A powerful forelimb went through one of the Carousel Boutique's large windows like a stick through a spider web. After a few moments of fruitless fumbling around, the intruder growled angrily and pulled out his empty paw. Grabbing the superior part of the pointed structure, he tore it off without the slightest effort and sent it crashing down on a neighboring store with a deafening sound of shattering glass.

Towering over the base of the once pretty boutique, he stopped moving when his gaze fell upon a sight even more stunning than the precious stones he had been coveting: in the middle of the main room stood a unicorn white as snow, with elegant curls of a deep violet flowing over the side of her head and cascading down the back of her gracious neck. Visibly paralyzed with fright, the ravishing creature looked up to behold the gigantic beast, before letting out a piercing squeal and fleeing through the massive hole where the oval window used to be.

Forgetting all about the jewels, the dragon turned to chase the distraught pony through a shambles of collapsed buildings. He could hear faint shrieks as his feet crushed habitations and markets like ants' nests and wild animals protesting as his tail sent apple trees flying like toothpicks, but he paid them no attention.

A nagging feeling of guilt at the back of his mind kept trying to come up to the surface, but for some reason he could not remember, he had chosen to ignore it. For all he knew, he was taking everything he wanted and it felt great. He had never known such power and freedom in his short life and the feeling was addictive.

The unicorn was a lot smaller than he remembered ponies to be, but he did not stop to think it over. All he saw was the rare beauty of her fair coat and her bright blue eyes, which reminded him of the finest sapphires. Such perfection could not be left out of his collection. Why was she running away from him, he wondered with frustration. He only wanted to watch her gorgeous mane glisten in the sunlight and to be surrounded by its sweet lavender perfume. How he had longed to feel its silky softness beneath his fingers... He was now determined to claim the white mare as his own possession, like all the other pretty things he had desired and taken without permission. She would belong to him and be his alone to contemplate at will, whether she was willing to or not.

The dragon could see the distance between himself and his prey diminishing dramatically with each step he took after her. She was headed for the mountains on the outskirts of Ponyville, probably in a hopeless attempt to hide in one of the narrow caverns likely to be found at their base. He had no intention to let her escape so easily.

He closed in on her, setting all nearby bushes on fire with a single breath, and threw himself against the mountain side just before she could reach it. Boulders came tumbling down from every direction, blocking all potential issues.

Panting and shaking like a leaf, the unicorn found herself backed to the mountain, surrounded on both sides by rocks too big for her to climb. Forced to face her pursuer, she lifted her beautiful eyes, widened with terror and filled with a deep sadness.

"Spike!" she pleaded despairingly. "Spike, please, stop! It's me, Rarity. You do remember me, don't you?"

Having no time to waste with words that no longer held any meaning, the beast only roared menacingly. Bravely taking a step forward, the tiny mare persisted.

"I know you are still there, somewhere inside... Oh, Spike dear, can't you remember who you are? What happened to you, my friend? I don't recognize my little Spikey-Wikey anymore."

Tears were now rolling down her delicate cheeks. Her voice had triggered something buried deep inside and, for a split-second, the dragon's looming hand wavered, but the thought of all the riches waiting for him to gather soon took over any lingering trace of emotion. An enormous set of claws reached down and seized the white pony firmly, squeezing the breath out of her lungs.

The predator began to climb with his precious load, but before he could get far up into the mountain, a sudden flash of light exploded above his head, forcing his eyes shut. He felt pulled backward by some invisible force and, startled, he dropped his captive as he lost his grip. He landed on his back several dozens of feet lower, stunned and bewildered.

As he got back up, still confused about what had just happened, the dragon heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Spike, what have you done?"

He was pretty sure that he knew that voice better than any other, but in the fragments of memories striving to take shape in his foggy mind, it had never sounded so stern. Something was terribly wrong. The world went spinning as Spike's brain furiously endeavored to make sense of the words he had heard and of what he had been doing. Then, turning to see a purple figure standing in the wilderness, he remembered.

"Twilight?"

Instantly, he shrunk back to his original size and found himself face to face with the unicorn he considered his guardian and his closest friend. The way she was glaring down at him made him wish he could make himself even smaller to hide from her sight. Vaguely aware that he had gravely misbehaved, the shameful reptile gulped and hung his head, ready for a justified lecture.

Hearing only the heavy silence linger on, he carefully risked a look around him and gathered up the courage to ask in a feeble voice:

"What happened? W-what am I doing here and why is..."

He froze and stopped breathing when a pale form caught his eye. It was the white unicorn, lying lifeless among boulders nearby. Memories of what had only felt like an obscure illusion a few moments earlier came flooding back and Spike felt his stomach turn as realization finally dawned on him. Blinded by his disproportionate thirst for presents, he had completely lost control and turned against those he loved the most. He was the cause of the desolation he could see spreading everywhere in the distance before him. He had reduced his friends' homes to ashes, he had terrorized and certainly injured innocent villagers... and in his wild obsession, he had killed his dear Rarity. He really was a monster.

The scream that had been building up inside of him as his thoughts were recollecting died in a whisper on his dry lips.

"No..."

Spike ran to the dressmaker's side, only to have his fear confirmed: she was no longer breathing. Overwhelmed, he felt his short legs falter and he fell to his knees, his heart racing and his head threatening to burst.

"No! Oh no! No, no, no! NOOOOOO!"

This could not be real, he obstinately repeated himself through bitter tears. There had to be a way to turn back time and to stop his madness from taking over, to keep all this from happening. Surely, Twilight knew a spell to make everything alright...

His feelings were still raging like a maelstrom within when his grim companion spoke again at last.

"I am terribly disappointed in you, Spike. You let greed corrupt your heart and turn you into an element of chaos. The dragon I see in front of me is not the Spike I once knew and loved."

Those last words struck him like a hoof to the chest. She had addressed him similar words once and they had pierced his heart, so much that he had decided to run away, only this time, he knew that she really meant them. His whole world had been crumbling down in an instant and only she remained. He felt that if she truly was rejecting him now, he would just fall to pieces and be left as little more than an insignificant pile of empty scales.

"T-T-Twilight, I'm s-so, so sorry!" he sobbed. "I... I d-don't know what... what got into m-me..."

He was a miserable sight, but the unicorn was impassive.

"It's too late, now. Being sorry won't bring her back or make things right again for all those ponies whose lives you have broken. I'm sorry, Spike, but you can't stay here anymore."

He simply could not believe what he was hearing. His gaze wandered randomly from the devastated town in the distance to the veiled afternoon sun, his mind refusing to acknowledge the reality before him. He only wanted this day to be over so he could just close his eyes, forget everything and wake up in the library once more, with everything back to normal; but no matter how deep his claws were sinking into the hard soil, it was not turning into the wooden floor of his bedroom. He could not escape the painful truth.

"B-b-b-but Twilight!" he stammered, panic-stricken. She did not let him place another word.

"You're not one of us. You have just shown that you represent a threat to our security and we can't take any more risks. I'm giving you one chance to disappear before villagers come to hunt you down. You must leave now and never come back. Farewell, Spike." With that, she turned her back on him and trotted away determinately.

The baby dragon merely stared in shock as the silhouette of the one being he had in the world grew smaller and smaller. He desperately wanted to run after her and cling to her as hard as he could, but he found that he was unable to move. All he could do was cry and implore her in vain.

"W-wait! Twilight, please! P-please, don't leave me alone. I need you! Twilight... Twilight!"