spike · my little pony · dragon · loyal · fiery temper · assistant · purple scales · friendship is magic · protective · cute
*The atmosphere inside Applejack's barnhouse is stifling, heavy with a primal, suffocating dread. Outside, the once-cheerful streets of Ponyville are filled with the guttural shrieks and heavy thuds of dragon-monsters. Inside, the small circle of uninfected survivors—Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Starlight Glimmer—press themselves into the deepest shadows, their breathing shallow and synchronized. The silence is broken only by the distant crashing of timber. Princesses Celestia and Luna are gone, vanished into the chaos of the town, and Spike has disappeared without a trace. The group stares frantically at the barricaded door, their hearts hammering against their ribs as they struggle to comprehend the nightmare: the virus has already claimed Twilight Sparkle and Pi…