>Anon hasn't said a word since you found Trixie.
>Not that you had anything to say, but he's just...sitting now.
>Sitting and staring at the ground.
>You're both sitting outside Zecora's hut.
>Zecora is inside with Trixie.
>When she'd politely asked for privacy you both complied and found spots to sit by the door.
>That was three hours ago.
>Anonymous took his helmet off after the first hour.
>More like threw it against a rock.
>Then back to staring at nothing.
>You actually haven't really ever seen him quite so angry or upset.
>Not even the day that the treaty with the dragons was announced.
>Then he'd just been sad and numb, like everyone else.
>You sit back and rest your claws on the soft grassy floor of the forest.
>Your chest still hurts, but Zecora had done enough to patch it up that you weren't bleeding anymore.
 
>Trying to process the last few hours has been consuming most of your time.
>The blood has dried on both of you, though it is outright staining Anon's silvery armor.
>It's also in his hair, but you don't think you'd get a very pleasant reaction for pointing it out.
>You're trying not to catch his attention, but the distance in his gaze is pretty concerning.
>Though all this worry about Anon is just deflection on your part.
>So you don't have to think about what you'd done.
>The red tinting your vision while staring at all those dogs.
>The all consuming hammer of your heart, louder and louder.
>The animal instincts rushing through your veins.
>Claw. Rip. Tear. Bite. Burn. KILL.
>Just as soon as that stupid, now very dead, dog mentioned what he wanted to do to Rarity.
>Yeah, you didn't know you had those parts inside of you.
>Years of soft living with Twilight couldn't take away what made you a dragon it seemed.
>You'd never killed anything before, not even for food.
>And you'd never been hurt quite so badly as when that lucky spear got up underneath your scales.
>A month ago either event would have probably crippled you emotionally.
>Now it seems like ancient history.
 
>You're actually getting pretty thirsty now.
>All the water is inside the hut.
>This leaves you frustrated, and restlessness is creeping in to replace shock.
>To compromise, you get up and start pacing back and forth.
>Anonymous doesn't so much as lift his head to look at you.
>It's hard not to worry about the guy.
>What happened to Trixie was awful, even if she was sort of a jerk the last two times you saw her.
>But it looks like Anon is taking it really, really hard.
>Maybe you should say something to him.
>Though you're coming up with nothing,
>Some good you're doing as a side kick.
>Just before you decide to open your mouth and ask Anon if he's okay the front door of the hut opens up.
>Zecora was looking at both of you, saving you from almost certain awkwardness.
>Anonymous actually does look up, suddenly alert.
> “The pony named Trixie is now fast asleep. Though I must say that the wounds inflicted are ones that run...deep.”
 
 
>“Stop with the fucking rhymes and talk normally! How bad is she?”
>Anonymous is on his feet, and he's already started yelling.
>Zecora flinches back for a moment, a frown on her face.
> “I did not mean offense...I will cease my rhymes”
> You didn't even know Zecora couldn’t not rhyme, and she's visibly struggling not to.
>Anonymous has his arms over his chest, waiting.
> “Trixie is physically out of danger. I've provided some food and water, she was very malnourished. There were a few scratches, the salve I made I used for patches...sorry.”
>That all sounds pretty encouraging, and you relax enough to even sit down.
>Everything is sore, fighting really takes it out of you.
> “You said she had wounds that were deeper. You're talking about mental damage aren't you? What did those...what did they do to her?”
>Zecora sighs, and looks off to the side for a long moment.
> “I can't really say. She only spoke briefly to me before I put her to sleep with a potion. Diamond Dogs are very possessive and controlling. If Trixie was how I remember her to be before, her...domineering personality may have made things hard for her. The dogs were likely to be too stupid to be intentionally cruel, at first anyway. But if she were to have truly challenged them for dominance. Well, I think it's possible that they broke her.”
 
 
“Broke her?”
>You hadn't said anything in a long time, and the tension is high enough that neither Zecora or Anonymous visibly react other than to spare glances.
>Zecora nods, turning look up at Anonymous.
> “I believe so. She referred to you as the new 'alpha'. That is a term I understand only from books, authority and power is where a dog will look. When one is in charge they prove it often, and slights are not easily forgotten. Trixie also called herself a bitch, not something I believe was a...coincidence.”
>Anonymous is staring at Zecora, and you gulp while thinking about just what those insinuations would mean.
>Anon doesn't yell at Zecora for rhyming again, but instead walks over to his helmet and start putting it on.
> “I'm going to go wash my armor off at the river. Don't follow me.”
>Wait, the river is packed with monsters both in and around the water.
> The one really gay river serpent is about the only exception.
“I should go with you, Anon. It could be dangerous.”
 
> “What part of 'don't follow me' didn't you hear? I'll be fine.”
>Anonymous draws his blood stained sword, his metal gloves audibly creak from the force of how tight his grip is.
>You're not about to argue with him anymore, you're just happy you can't see his eyes.
>The pissed off quality in his voice is enough to convince you it's best to just give him some space.
>Anonymous marches off from the hut and into the woods towards the river.
>Leaving you and Zecora alone.
>Zecora hangs her head and sighs heavily.
>She looks upset herself, but not so upset you can't ask a question.
“Do you have any idea why he's that mad? I mean...you and he are.”
>You aren't exactly a heavy sleeper.
>Considering that Twilight is a professional workaholic and would often need assistance at any hour you really couldn't be.
>And walking in to wake Anonymous up this morning only confirmed what you'd half overheard while trying to sleep.
>You did your best to ignore the sense of betrayal. Twilight had really liked the guy, and he'd told her that his species considered it a taboo to be romantic with any other species.
>It wasn't difficult to push it away, it didn't seem like such a big deal anymore.
>If the fight with the diamond dogs was ancient history, this morning was an eternity ago.
 
>Zecora looks up and shakes her head.
> “Of that I have no clue. The circumstances are simply too new. As for me and he, we are only what you have seen.”
>You're perceptive enough to see a flash of hurt in her eyes, and she slowly wanders back into her hut.
>Him snapping at her about rhyming must have really hurt her feelings. Or something.
>Damn, things just suck at the moment.
>You're caught between staying here at the hut with Zecora and Trixie.
>Or going off after Anonymous.
>You decide to walk back towards Ponyville as a third option.
>Technically you're not suppose to, but it's not like you ever killed a dragon.
>Yet, anyway.
>Your time will probably come.
>And now you know you'd be capable of it.
>Your walk back to Ponyville you spend picking bits of dog hair, flesh and blood out of your claws and scales.
>A very long walk.
 
>It's amazingly only ten in the morning when you are trudging through the streets of Ponyville.
>You'd woken up at the crack of dawn, and all these events had only passed a few hours.
>You pass a number of ponies who stare at you and say very little.
>Either because you're at least three times as tall as you were before, or because you're covered in dried blood.
>You don't overhear the word 'monster', but you imagine it.
>You sit outside a bench right next to Carousel Boutique.
>Rarity would get mad if you tracked blood into her shop, and you really just wanted to sit down and think for a little bit.
>You don't get much of a chance, the door opens and Rarity backs up while levitating a few yards of white linen.
>Which she drops the second she sees you, right onto the ground.
> “S-spike? What happened?!”
 
>In about three seconds you're bundled inside Rarity's shop and being scrubbed at with a damp cloth and fed enormous amounts of water.
>Which is nice and all, but you wince and warn Rarity about your bandaged chest.
>Rarity goes through an even bigger freakout that you're hurt, and is about halfway towards the door to call Twiligh and the hospital.
“Rarity, wait! I'm okay. Really! Zecora took care of it. Don't go get anyone else just yet.”
>To your amazement it actually works, and she turns to look at you.
>You've seen Rarity look concerned before, and occasionally even at you, but this is very different.
>A twist in your stomach remembers some of the whispered, flirty words traded just last week.
>Oh right. You and...you hadn't even been thinking in those terms.
>Maybe your feet had, but you'd just wanted to go somewhere and talk.
> “Spike, what happened?”
>Rarity trots back over and sits next to you, and starts to wash away the remaining bits of grime.
>You actually see more purple than red, which makes you feel better.
>Not just because you can feel the light tingle of Rarity's magic.
>You're not sure how to go about telling her anything.
>Especially because you're worried what she might think about what you've done.
>But she's waiting, and you take a deep breath.
“Well Anon and I went to go meet the Diamond Dogs today...”
 
>You tell Rarity everything you can remember.
>There was a moment where you'd considered avoiding details, especially the parts you played.
>But you knew that Rarity was usually pretty good at knowing when anyone was lying.
>She gasped at the worst details, and looked on the verge of crying when you told her about your struggle in a pile of biting, clawing dogs.
>But in the end she hadn't run out of the room in terror.
>That made you feel a little better, at least.
>Then she kissed you on the cheek.
>That made you feel even better, not to mention surprised.
“Uh, Rarity?”
>You're not exactly sure what you're even asking her about.
> “I think you were very brave, Spike. You really are just like a knight.”
“Really? But I-”
> “You were defending me, and everypony else in Ponyville. Not to mention Trixie. It sounds simply awful what happened.”
>Rarity doesn't bother hiding a shudder, you can imagine it wouldn't take much for her to picture herself in that situation.
>You're certainly not sorry for what you did, just that you felt like a out of control monster.
> “You're not a monster, Spike.”
>Maybe you had said that out loud, or she'd just picked up on what you were feeling.
> “I think you're even more noble than Anonymous, if what you said about what happened after is true. We're all worried for both of you, but I'm confident that you'll be more than alright. Just so long as you're safe.”
>Since you're almost entirely clean, Rarity nuzzles herself up against you.
> “I do not have an answer to your...question a few days ago, just yet. I think it would be best to wait until after your quest and maybe a little more time after that. But I am now very confident that answer is not going to be no. Just don't forget to find a nice gemstone when you're out scouring dragon hoards, hm?”
 
>All in all it was a very nice visit to Rarity's.
>You had considered making your next stop at Twilight's.
>Considered, but decided against it.
>Even though it really sucked to do.
>Twilight would probably have tried to keep you there once she saw you were hurt.
>And really, you should head back to Zecora's to see if there was anything you could do.
>For who exactly you weren't sure.
>It's almost surprising how good it feels to enter back into the Everfree again.
>These last few weeks had made it familiar, like a home.
>The roar of an angry animal isn't something you're use to hearing though.
>You might have ignored it, except you also hear an angry anonymous yelling right back.
>A quick sprint towards both voices leaves you in a clearing and a shocking sight.
 
>Anonymous is fighting a manticore.
>His sword and shield are out, with new dents and even slashes in his armor that weren't there since you last saw him.
>The manticore is frankly injured as tartarus.
>Bright red gashes on its chest and arms.
>It's really angry, it lashes out with its large scorpion tail.
>Anonymous dives and rolls out of the way, the tail planting into the ground where he was standing.
>You'd never really seen Anon move so quickly, especially in his armor.
>He recovers just in time to whirl, his sword coming down on the outstretched tail and severing it.
>The manticore only has enough time to clutch its tail before the sword tip is plunged right in its throat.
>The fight was over before you even showed up, it seemed.
>The dead animal falls over, gurgling.
>Anonymous is breathing hard, and turns to look at you.
>For one brief moment you're convinced he was going to charge.
>But he straightens up, his sword dipping blood.
> “Why aren't you back with Zecora?”
 
Part 7: http://pastebin.com/X0QcUq5g