"Daddy?" a little girl asked. "Why do you work so late? Why can't you stay longer, and play with me?"
"I'm sorry, sweetie," the dad replied. "But daddy's got to work late. Or else, you, me, and auntie Aqua will be too hungry to play."
"But I want to play!" the daughter pouted.
"Daddy does too," the father pondered for a moment, before he suggested. "I tell you what. This Sunday, you and me, will go to the park, and play. Okay?"
"Pinkie promise?"
"Pinke promise."
In the camp of the hunters, the biker had parked his bike, next to some huge trucks, before he walks toward a tent, where two other hunters were talking.
"What do you mean he just ran off?" Valork asked.
"Look! It's what I told you," Shooter replied, waving his arms exasperatedly. "We were scanning the area to see if there were more harpies. Then Bad Dog suddenly just took off! Weird thing too, it was right before we found that unicorn."
"Er, hey guys," the biker said, deciding to make his presence known. "Hope I'm not interrupting anything."
The older hunter sighed, "No Turbine," he replied, calmly. "You're not."
The young hunter waved his hand to the biker, "Sup Mikey."
"I just got back and notice that almost half our guys are at the medical tent," the biker, named Mikey Turbine, replied. "What happened?"
"A unicorn and two dragons," Valork answered.
"And they were freaking females!" Valork and Turbine both rolled their eyes in annoyance, as Shooter continued, "But we did catch the unicorn though."
"And the dragons?" Turbine asked.
"Escaped," Valork answered grimly.
Shooter could help but snicker, "And who's fault was that?" In response, Valork shot him a death glare. "Shutting up," Shooter said, as he looks away.
"Huh," Ignoring the young hunter, Turbine turned to Valork to report, "Well I also wanted to tell you guys that we caught an earth pony. There were two pegasi with her, but~ let's just say they're swimming with the fishes," Giving Valork a questionable look, Turbine asked, "Think they were all together?"
"Hmmmm," Valork pondered. "I don't believe in coincidences, so it's a strong possibility. There was also a human boy with them from what I heard."
At the mention of another human, Turbine raised an eyebrow, "Why's a human with magical creatures?" he asked.
"Your guess is as good as ours Mikey," Shooter finally spoke. "They're definitely not like those Jack Sparrow wannabes, that's for sure."
"Sooo....should we let Big D know?" the biker asked.
"...No," Valork answered. "At least not yet. I wanna know what we're dealing with first. We'll question those two captured horses in a bit, but for know we stay alert," With that, Valork took his leave, through the tent's opening.
After the two hunters were left alone, Shooter turned to Turbine, "So Mike," the young hunter began. "Check out what our vulture nabbed."
With that, Shooter brought up a birdcage with Peewee inside, struggling to get out, with a strange collar around his neck.
"Well, well, well," Turbine smirked.
Earlier before
-Sword Art Online OST - 01 Swordland-
Spike, still in dragon form, bravely fought off the techno suit clad pit bull, to a stand. Just as the young dragon prepares to breath fire, however, the pit bull intercepted with a well fast strike to the dragon's throat, nearly severing his wind pipes.
"....That's.....smart...." Spike coughed, before he was met with a kick to the head, and got blasted by some missiles.
Seeing the pit bull closing in for the kill, Spike quickly spreads his wings, taking flight, so as to put some distance between him and the dog. But the dog still came at him, as it activated its thrusters and leapt into the air, grabbing onto the dragon's wing, dragging him back down to the ground, bending it in the process, causing Spike to scream in agony, before he was kicked away by the pit bull.
The dog quickly conjured its energy axe, ready to bring it down on the dragon. However, in the nick of time, Spike manages to catch the weapon, mere seconds away before it could touch him, with his claws. With every last ounce of strength he had left in him, Spike was able to force the axe away, before he rolled to the side, and hurled a fire shuriken at the pit bull, who blocked the projectile with one of his robotic arm. Spike quickly used the distraction to his advantage, as he whipped his tail, tripping the dog up, in his suit, and on his back.
Concentrating hard, Spike's eyes started to glow fiery green, as he prepares another blast of fire.
"Boosted Dragon!" Spike roared, firing a huge explosive fireball at the dog, exploding upon impact, which resulted in a cloud of smokes.
Spike stood his ground, anticipating for something to happen. It wasn't long, when the sound of bullets were fired, and Spike didn't hesitate to run for cover. Changing back into a dog, Spike dove behind the trees and bushes, trying to get away from the angry pit bull. The pit bull didn't hesitate to fire some more missiles at Spike, blasting him into a tree.
Spike groaned, as he struggles to get up. The pit bull slowly closes in for the kill, raising an energy ax up, ready to bring it down on the injured dragon. With every last ounce of strength, Spike rolled to the side, breathed fire into the pitfall's face, before shifting himself into a dog, as he retreated into the bushes for cover.
After fully regaining his vision, the pit bull was about to give chase, only to be stopped, when a long chain came flying out of the trees, and ensnared the dog in mecha suit.
Spike was soon hiding behind a tree, having reverted back to human form, as he catches his breath.
"Okay," Spike panted. "Cujo's no bad dog. He's a savage," Wincing as he takes a moment to look at the wounds the pit bull had inflicted on him, Spike looked, before he spotted some plants he's familiar with, nearby. Remembering a survival lesson Scorpan had taught him, during a camping trip they once had, Spike quickly used the plants to treat his wounds, wincing as he did so. Reaching into one of his cape's inner pockets, Spike pulls out roll of cotton wraps, with which he used to wrap around his treated wounds.
"Thank you, Fluttershy," he sighed, as he carefully ties up the wrap.
In the meantime, another adversary had his eyes set on Spike. Spike was just finishing his arm treatment, when his ears perked up, hearing the sound of grasses being stepped on, and his nose twitched at a foul stench of bloods. Then, at the last second, a gunshot was heard, and a bullet came flying out. And it would've struck Spike on the spot, had the young prince not been able to whip his cape up, shielding himself from the ammo, and some more that followed.
"Bloodshot," Spike frowned. "Back already?"
The said meta human bounty hunter stepped out from behind a tree, "Well I did say I'll be back next time, didn't I?" the man asked, with a rifle in hand.
"Yes, and then I said, I'll be ready for ya," Spike replied. "And I am."
"Still won't save you," With that, Bloodshot opened fire on the boy, who quickly held up his magic cape for protection.
Focusing on his magic, Spike conjured up a boomerang of fire. Remembering his time in Australia with Scorpan, and some Australian Indigenous, Spike tossed the weapon, as it spins in the air, flying around some trees, before making a turn, flying towards Bloodshot. Bloodshot however, saw the weapon before it could make an impact, and blocked it with his gun, resulting the boomerang to disperse in flames, and the gun to explode into blood, as it splatters all over him.
Using the distraction, Spike leapt forward, and landed a flying kick to Bloodshot's chest, followed by a sweep kick that tripped Bloodshot, off his feet. Bloodshot quickly spins himself in the air, as he landed on his hands, before he rolled forward, just as Spike swung a fire katana down, nearly burning him.
Reaching into his coat, breaking another vial of blood, Bloodshot produced a shot gun, as he open fires on Spike, who quickly deflected the bullets, all which popped into bloods, as they splattered onto him. Looking around, Bloodshot noticed some thick branches, hanging over Spike's head. With that, the man opened fire on the branches, as they were soon cut off, and fell to the ground, and almost crushed Spike, had the boy not jump out of the way in time.
Grabbing a nearby branch, Spike bent it as far as it can go, before releasing it, causing the branch to be swung towards Bloodshot, who quickly ducked his head down in time, evading the branch, as it swung overhead.
CHOMP!
"OW!" Bloodshot yelped, as he turns to see Spike, in dog form, biting on his butt. "And you kiss girls with that mouth?!"
"Hey!" Spike replied, while keeping his jaws clamped tightly. "I always brush my teeth before I kiss!" It wasn't long, before Spike felt a pair of hands, grabbing him on both sides.
Bloodshot grunted, while wincing in pain, as he struggles to get the dog off, "When I'm through with you!" the man grunted. "You won't be having any teeth left to brush!"
"Then I'll just keep hanging on!" However, Spike could feel his teeth losing grips, as Bloodshot exerted more strength in his arms. With that, Spike resorted to hang onto the man's pants, with his little forepaws.
"OOOOH!" Bloodshot winced in pain.
"Whoa!" Spike said in bewilderment. "You're wearing pinky bear underwear?"
Bloodshot's face was clearly red with embarrassment right about now. Even redder than Big Mac, or any of the apples on Sweet Apple Acres, while Spike couldn't help but explode in a fit of laughter.
Bloodshot's embarrassed expression quickly shifted to anger, as he fixes his pants, and turns to the little dog, who was laughing almost as crazy and loudly as a hyena.
"Alright, kid!" Bloodshot growled, as he conjured another shot gun. "You've had your fun! Now the last laugh is on you!"
Spike, still laughing, ends up having a hiccup, resulting in a blast of fire to blow up in Bloodshot's face.
"Oh great," Spike hiccups. "I'm still *hic* having that *hic* reaction," Spike continues to laugh, and hiccup, as he struggles to pull himself together, and continues his fight with the meta human, narrowly dodging some bullets, while a few grazed some of his furs off.
Struggling to focus his powers, Spike converted his puppy paws into dragon claws, as he quickly burrows into the ground, making a tactical retreat.
"Coward!" Bloodshot said, angrily, as he ran towards the hole. "Get out of there and fight like a-WHOA!!!" the man, quickly fell on his back, as green fires erupted from the hole. Then, another burst of fire erupted from the ground, nearly singing the man, before another erupted directly beneath his butt. "OW!" Bloodshot groaned, as he rubs his scorched butt.
"Go away," Spike said to himself, struggling to get rid of his hiccups. "Go away!" Spike tried holding his own breaths, but it did little good, as fires began to erupt out of his ears, and his butt, randomly, "Dear mother, help me," Spike groaned, as he suddenly rocketed out of the ground, and straight into Bloodshot's crotch, in between his legs.
"OH!!" Bloodshot groaned, as he held area where Spike had unintentionally struck.
"Ow, my head!" Spike groaned, as he reverted back to human, while rubbing his newfound headache.
Bloodshot immediately glared daggers at Spike, as he conjures a huge gatling gun, and open fired on the boy, "Nobody makes a fool out of me!" Bloodshot roared. "NOBODY!!" Spike quickly shielded himself, behind his cape, as deflecting the bullets off. Realizing the protection the cape was giving to Spike, Bloodshot growled impatiently, as he continues to open fire in vain, still unable to puncture a hole through the cape.
"Man, you're on fire today," Spike commented.
"Why don't you face me like a man?" Bloodshot demanded.
"Why don't I do it my way, and you do it your way?" Spike asked. "How about that?"
"What's the matter? Too chicken to fight me?"
"What's the matter? Embarrassed you couldn't capture a fifteen year old for your bosses?"
Irked, Bloodshot puts his gatling gun away, converting it back into its liquid state as it returns into its containment, as he ran up to the prince, and pounced on him. Spike fell on his back, while thrusting his legs into the man's stomach, and launched him straight into a tree.
In the process, the picture of the little girl from before, came flying out of Spike's cape, and started to float gently in the air.
Bloodshot got up, and was about to lunge after Spike again, when he quickly noticed the picture and snatched it, looking even more shocked, especially at the girl in the photo. In appearance, the girl has metallic blue hair and her attires are a purple shirt, gray pants, and pink shoes.
"Where'd you get this?!" Bloodshot asked.
"You dropped it, back in Twilight's castle," Spike answered. "Since then, I've always wondered, why would a bounty hunter like you, keep a picture of a little girl around. Is she someone important to you, by chance?"
"This's my little girl, alright," Bloodshot grumbled.
"You're a dad?"
"....Yeah, so what?"
"Nothing. Just hard to believe that a thug like you, would be a family man."
"Look, it's nothing personal, okay? It's just business! You've got a huge bounty on your head, y'know that? Turning your own skin in, would feed me and my daughter for many years to come! I could retire from all this bounty hunter business!"
"Retire in Tartarus, perhaps!" Spike replied. "Do you even know what would happen, if you did kill me? You'll end up becoming Equestria's public enemy number one, and no one will even care that you had a daughter. Besides, is this what she wants? Knowing that her daddy, all along, was a thug for hire? That he's working for the bad guys?"
Bloodshot stopped, as he paused, getting at what the prince was saying. "Y'know, you're better than this. Rather than using your skills for evil, you could've been a real hero, to us humans, magical creatures, and especially to your daughter. Ever thought about that?"
Eventually, the desire to kill and hunt the prince began to disappear from the man, as the only thing that now comes to mind, is the care of the little girl in the picture.
Suddenly, a loud screeched pierced the air, as a giant metallic bird came swooping from the sky, and attacked both Bloodshot, and Spike. The bird lets out a loud screeched, as it lunged forward, rapidly pecking its long, sharp, pointy beak, trying in vain to capture the two.
Bloodshot popped one of his vials opened, as he tries to open fire on the bird, but it did little good, as he was swatted away by one of its great wings, losing his gun in the process, and vials in the process, as they all splattered all over Spike.
"First, there's Cujo, and now I've become a gender swap version of Carrie, who's facing Deadshot and the Vulture?" Spike asked, rhetorically, while hiding behind a tree.
The metallic bird soon took notice of Spike, cybernetic eyes scanning the boy, before it quickly identified him as a potential target. With that, the bird lets out a screech, as it lunged after the Dragon Prince, who didn't hesitate to jump into the trees, hoping to escape.
"Hey!" Bloodshot shouted at the bird. "That's my dragon!" With that, the man conjured a shot gun, and made a direct hit at one of the bird's eye, resulting in an explosion of sparks. Half-blinded, the bird struggled to locate Spike, who quickly got away.
Enraged that its prey got away, the bird turned to Bloodshot, who didn't hesitate to assume a fighting stance. And the two forces charged at each other.
Meanwhile, back at the hunters' camp
"Consarn it!" Applejack roared, while screaming on Fleur's behalf. "You yellow-bellied humans better let us out, or I'm-a getting' nasty on ya! Let me out! You can't keep me in here!" Applejack's words only fell on deaf ears, as the hunters begrudgingly put their hands over their ears, trying to block out the angry earth pony.
In the meantime, Applejack's fellow prisoners, including Fleur, were more annoyed than the hunters are, "Keep it up, Earth pony," one of the harpies grumbled. "I think they're just about to let you out."
"LET US OUT!!" Applejack continued to roar, while desperately trying to kick her way out of her cage.
"For crying out loud!" another harpy groaned. "Will you please, just let her out? It'll give us all some peace and quiet!" When the harpy's words were ignored, the bird creature turned to Applejack, "Forget about it! They're not gonna release you, if you keep screaming like that! So just shut your traps!"
"I've wasted enough time with you buzzards!" Applejack spatted angrily.
"WHAT?!" the harpy shrieked in outrage. "You've wasted enough time with us? What about us?!" Applejack ignored the harpy, as she went back to screaming, "Hey! Listen for a sec! Hey! Stop it! Stop!" Applejack ceased her screaming, as she turned to the harpy in the cage across her. "This ain't Equestria! Okay? This is our land! You don't get to talk us around like that! And you're closer to getting us all skinned, than you are to getting us out! Okay?!"
Applejack was about to speak again, when Fleur spoke, "Applejack. That's enough," Applejack looked at the unicorn warrior, who was put in another cage, with some more harpies. "She's probably right. We can't get out, just by yelling. We have to think of a plan, or else, we're going nowhere."
Applejack reluctantly complied, as she took a few deep breathes, before she finally calms down.
"That's more like it," a harpy said in satisfaction.
"So who are you ponies exactly?" another harpy asked.
"Name's Applejack," Applejack introduced herself. "And that there is Fleur-De-Lis. Daughter of Sir Lir and Lady Amalthea."
"Amalthea?" a voice sounded, before an anthropomorphic parrot appeared, pushing her way through the crowd. "Well blow me down!" the parrot exclaimed. "Ye be the spitting image of my old friend!"
"You know my mother?!" Fleur exclaimed, as she got up and took a closer look at the parrot.
-[It's Time to Be Awesome - MLP Movie 2017]-
In appearance, the parrot stood just about Fleur's height, with the unicorn's horn surpassing the top of the parrot's head. The parrot's head was covered in white vanilla feathers, topped with lime green plumages that flowed pass her neck into three tails, two bangs that hangs over her scarlet eyes, decorated with matching lime green eyeshadows, and a beauty mark dotted on her left cheek. For attires, the parrot wore a light brown dress, with gold paddings over her shoulder, chest, and knees, with a blue-green ribbon tied at her waist, dark brown pants with her lime green tail feather protruding from the bottom, gold armor paddings on her left leg, and a jade blade, where her right leg used to be. Her only jewelry was a gold hoop earring on her left ear.
"Celaeno?!" Fleur gasped.
"Aye!" the parrot squawked. "Tis I, Captain Celaeno, leader of the Parrot Pirate Crew, scourge of the Storm King, and captain the Scarlet Swashbuckler!" Celaeno declared boldly. "Or at least, I was, until I lost my crew, and my ships, and got captured by those good for nothing hunters!"
"How did you end up in here?" Fleur asked.
"Well, tis be a tale of woe," Celaeno began. "We were just sailing after some ships of the Storm King, when our airship was attacked by some metallic bird. A good captain always goes down with her ship, I say. But the safety of my crew was my main priority. I did the best I could to save my fellow parrots, but there's only so much captain, such as I could do, before our ship crashed, and it was then we found ourselves surrounded by those cowardly hunters! Apparently, those flea bitten landlubbers mistook us for one of these harpies, so they hunted us! We tried to fight them off, but these hunters had weapons my hearty crew and I have never seen before. We went down fighting, and it was the last time I had seen my crew, before I got thrown into these stinking birdcages! And they took away my hat, and my sword!"
"Well," Applejack began. "Sounds like you've had it worse than me and Fleur," Celaeno arched her eyebrow, looking at Applejack. "Um, I mean, me and Fleur are still together, but you got separated from your crew? Sounds awful!"
"Oui," Fleur agreed. "For a pirate captain, you're quite dedicated to the safety of your crew."
"Aye," Celaeno agreed. "They're more than crews, y'know. They're family, just as our ship was our home!" the parrot looked solemnly, out of her cage. "And the only thing that stands between me and my family, are those hunters!"
Applejack and Fleur, both looked at the parrot in sympathy. In truth, they've had their shares of losing a member of their family, or two.
"But enough about me," Celaeno began. "However did ponies like the two of ye, be doing out here in the west? It ain't be a place for landlubbers like ye self."
Applejack and Fleur both began to relate all the events that they've been through for the past few days.
Meanwhile
With her whole face burning, and still dreary from all the swimming, Fluttershy slowly opened her eyes, only to quickly close them, when a blast of Celestia's light blinded her. The yellow pegasus quickly raised her right hoof up to her face, shielding her from the light.
With tears streaming, and burning on her cheeks, Fluttershy slowly turned to her side, and carefully stood up, careful as to not put much weight on her left hoof, which to her surprise, she finds it all patched up with bandages.
Fluttershy quickly looked to her right, and finds Rainbow Dash, sleeping, in a leaf bed, with a thick blanket draped across. Looking around, Fluttershy could see that both she and Rainbow Dash were in a small hut, made of sticks, leaves, tied together with blades of grass.
Just then, the sound of hoof steps filled the hut, as Fluttershy quickly turned to the entrance, and sees a pegasus mare, accompanied by a stallion, wearing a dark fedora.
"Oh," the mare spoke. "I see you're awake."
Fluttershy gasped, "Daring Do!"
"Daring Do?!" Rainbow Dash's ears perked, as her eyes snapped wide open, as she turns to the pegasus mare in question, "Omigosh, omigosh, omigosh, omigosh!" the cyan pegasus fangirled, trying to fly up to her hero, only to find that she was unable to do so. "What the? What's going on? What gives?"
"Take it easy, Dash," Daring Do ushered, walking to the wounded pegasus. "That was a nerve bullet you received from the hunters. It'll take a few more minutes before you can fully move again."
"Nerve bullet?" Dash asked, straining slightly, as she tries her best to look at her inflicted wing. "That's what hit me?"
"Yes," the stallion answered grimly. "Not quite a friendly of Equestria. Nor to any magical creatures in the magical society, for that matter," In a mulberry aura, the stallion levitated the bullet, showing that it looks more like a spiral. "All the more reason to make it, the Cerulean Hunters' best friend. Once deep in your skin, the afflicted limb will go numb in a matter of seconds, and if you're unfortunate enough to pry it out, the numbness will start spreading to the rest of your body, leaving you helpless on the spot."
"Yikes," Rainbow grimaced.
"W-W-Who are you?" Fluttershy asked nervously.
"An acquaintance of your professor, you might say," the stallion answered, keeping his hat over his face.
"You mean, Professor Chimera?" Fluttershy asked. "Is he alright? Where is he? Is he hurt?"
Daring Do looked at Fluttershy, hesitant for a moment, "Newt Chimera?" Daring Do said, to which Fluttershy replied with a nod. "You must be one of his students, then."
"His only student, to be precise," the stallion added. "Chimera was never quite the social type to begin with."
"Don't you talk about Professor Chimera that way!" Fluttershy said boldly to the stallion, who appeared to be unfazed by the pegasus's sudden boldness. "Where is he? Can you tell me?" the pegasus asked again.
"Sorry Fluttershy," Daring Do replied. "We don't know anything about Professor Chimera. We only came here, because he told us you girls were looking for pieces of the Armor of Heroes," the pegasus answered, while directing her eyes to the stallion.
"How did you know about that?" Rainbow asked. "And more importantly, how did you even know we'd be here, let alone, knew we'd be in trouble with those hunters?"
".....Yeah," Daring Do began, as she turns to the stallion. "I'd like to know that as well."
Seeing as how there's no way out of it, the stallion began by tipping his hat up slightly, revealing his face to the mares, who all gasped in surprise, "It's been my orders to watch over you ponies," the stallion said.
Meanwhile
A young Ember find herself, surrounded by three Raptorians. In appearance, the Raptorians have the head of menacing dogs, but the body of huge bird of prey, with razor sharped claws on their wings, and a sickle-shaped claws on the second toe of both feet. And if Ember had to pick, the one that is missing an eye appears to be the most menacing of the three.
Ember tried to breathe fire, to fend off the three monsters, but all she managed was a single spark of violets.
The raptorians all let out a series of maniacal laughters, which sent chills up on Ember's spine. One of the raptorians slashed its claw at Ember, sending a bolt of pain down the dragoness's back, almost feeling as if it had been struck by lightning, snapping Ember awake.
"Ember!" Mina exclaimed, as she quickly came over to the sapphire dragon's side. "You're alright!"
"Of course I'm alright," Ember grumbled. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"Well for one," Mina began. "You did took a heavy beatdown from that hunter," Ember looked away in shame, "Don't feel bad, Hot Head. He's not even human, so I don't blame you, or anything," Ember continued with the silent treatment. "....So, what's the plan now, chief?"
Looking around, seeing they were in a cave, surrounded by a whole army of dragon statues, with only a single Foo Dog statue, resting atop a boulder before them.
Ember couldn't help but frown, before she shifted with a look of determination, "I've got to get it back!" Ember said.
"How?" Mina replied, as Ember walked to the center of the cave, sitting on a stone platform before the foo dog, crisscrossing her legs, before she begins to meditate. "Oh," Mina said in understanding. "I guess I'll wait right here then," With that, Mina walked towards the cave entrance, as she stood guard over her friend. Deciding to pass the time, Mina concentrated in her magic, before she belched up a comic book, titled: Flashfire by Scaley Sue.
As she does this, however, Mina smelled something off, looking off into the distance, and sees some odd shapes moving through the trees.
Spike was running as far as he could, before he collapsed, exhausted from his fights and from the wounds he's been inflicted with. Little did he know, his hands started to glow in a golden aura, and the image of the sun appeared on each of them. At the same time, a blue mist, appeared, before it takes the form of a pony. The apparition walked over to the unconscious boy, before it dipped its head, touching its nose, on the boy's forehead, entering his mind.
In his dream, Spike finds himself floating, in an endless sea of clouds, and the sky was decorated beautifully with stars.
"This dream again?" Spike asked himself. "It's been awhile, I guess...." Looking around, all Spike could see was nothing but clouds, and stars. "Though, the question is, where am I?"
Just then, a voice called out, "A warm welcome to you, dear nephew."
"Who's there?" Spike demanded, getting into a fighting stance as he did so.
Before long, an apparition of a pony made itself known, just faintly, "At ease, nephew," it assured, before it revealed itself before him. "It its only I."
In appearance, the apparition is an alicorn, but much shorter than his mother, somewhere about Neira's height. She has light sapphire blue eyeshadows over her moderate cyan eyes, framed by her very light azure mane, which curls beautifully into a bang on her right, and down to her neck, matching tail, and her coat was colored grayish phthalo blue. For attires, she wore a small black crown, encrusted with sparkling blue jewels, a matching chest plate, with the symbol of a crescent moon imprinted on the front, and sparkling blue shoes.
"AUNTIE LUNA?!" Spike exclaimed, as he tackled the alicorn, into a hug. "No way!"
"Way," Luna smiled, as she returned the embrace. "It is such a great joy for me to finally meet you at last, dear nephew."
"Feeling's mutual auntie," Spike smiled. "There's so many things you and I need to catch up on!" Spike stopped as he started to berate himself. "Wait, what am I saying? This isn't about me! It's about mom! I can't wait to see the look on mom's face, when she finally sees you again! She'll be so happy, even I or Pinkie Pie would never be able to make her smile like that ever again! You've-" Spike stopped his emotional outburst, when he took notice of his adopted aunt's sorrowful look, "What's wrong, auntie? Don't you want to see mom again?"
"Of course I do, nephew," Luna replied. "I've always dreamed for that day to come," Luna closed her eyes, failing to prevent a tear from escaping. "But regrettably, I still can't come home. Not like this," Luna said, looking at herself.
"Why? What's wrong?" Spike asked, looking at his aunt, worryingly. "Are you hurt?"
"Let's just say, I'm still a prisoner of someplace, far away," Luna replied sadly. "I am only a spirit, for now," Luna replied, much to Spike's shock. "I have become detached from my body. But that body still lives."
"Then, where are you, Luna? I'll come and help you as soon as I-"
"No, dear nephew," Luna began, stopping the dragon. "You cannot help me, yet. There are things you must do, first. The Cerulean Hunters have returned! Your friends are in great danger! And so is Equestria! Our kingdom needs its heroes. You must wake up, now!" With that, the world around Spike vanished, as the young dragon begins to wake up. "Friends cannot be neglected."
"Auntie!" Spike called desperately.
"Hurry!" Luna's words echoed, before she disappeared out of sight.
"Aunt Luna?!!" Spike panted, as he woke up with a start.
After a couple of deep breathes, Spike looked around at his new surrounding, seeing that he was in a dank, humid cave, with a small opening in the roof, letting a few bit of his mother's light through. "W-W-Where am I?" he asked himself.
"You're in a cave!" a voice asked, startling Spike. "That's where."
The young boy turned to the source, and was surprised to see, "Sugarcoat?!" he exclaimed, before noticing Indigo Zap, and the other girls surrounding him. "SHADOWBOLTS?! NO!!!!" Spike exclaimed, as he quickly jumps into a fighting stance, dragons up, fire blades conjured, "I WILL NOT BE DELIVERED TO NIGHTMARE MOON LIKE SOME ANIMAL!!" Spike roared, as he slashed his fiery blades at the girls, who quickly dodged to the sides, evading the dragon's attacks.
"Technically, you kinda are an animal," Sugarcoat said bluntly. "With the whole, shape-shifting and stuff," the girl quickly ducked her head down, narrowly avoiding a blast of fire.
"Do you ever keep your mouth shut?" Sunny asked the girl, as they both avoided another blast of fire.
"Wait just a second!" Indigo cried, while parrying some of Spike's blades with her own katanas. "We're not here to hurt you!"
Lemon Zest hurled the ball end of her kusarigama, lassoing Spike's claw, "Yeah!" Lemon tried to reason. "We're here to-HEEEEEELLLLLP!!!" Lemon screamed, when Spike pulled her by the chain, and hurled her into Indigo.
"We're here to help you," Sour Sweet added, before she ducked her head, when Spike fired an explosive green fireball in her way. "Not to hurt you! Or your friends!"
"I'm not falling for any of your lies!" Spike snarled, as he breathes a stream of green fire.
"No! It's the truth!" Lemon insisted. "We're telling you! We come in peace! Look!" With that, the girl threw down her kusarigma, and any other weapons she might have on her. "We're not going to hurt you, alright?"
Soon, the rest of the girls followed Lemon's actions, as they all started to throw their weapons to the ground. Spike, still unconvinced, halted his attacks, while looking at the girls, failing to detect a single hint of betrayal. Applejack had once taught him a few tricks to detect a hint of lie, and apparently, he doesn't seem to be detecting anything from the Shadowbolts girls, right now.
Just then, his whiskers started to twitch, uneasily to the right, as if beckoning to look in the said direction. Doing so, he was shocked to see Luna, slightly visible, shaking her head, as if to say that the girls mean well.
Reluctant, Spike decided to give the girls a chance, "Alright girls," Spike began, fire katanas dispersing, and reverting to human form. "What is this about?"
"Well, we did say just seconds ago that we wanted to help you," Sugarcoat replied. "So it's obvious, we wanted to help."
"I know that," Spike replied. "I meant, why would you want to help me? Just a few weeks ago, weren't you girls trying to kill me?"
"Well, admittedly, yes," Sunny began, looking ashamed. "We've realized what we did back then was wrong. But we've now come to our senses."
"Oh really?" Spike continued to look suspiciously. "When did that happen?"
"After your battle with Nightmare Moon," Indigo began. "When we saw you laying some wicked beatdown on Nightmare Moon!"
"It was right then and there, for the first time, we've finally realized just how magical friendship can be," Sunny added. "Because it was thanks to that magic that saved you from us, and that same magic that aided you in battle, just to save the girls."
"Proving once and for all that Twilight wasn't kidding about how friendship is magic," Indigo added.
"Well, it's kinda obvious to why she's the Princess of Friendship," Spike replied.
"You think we don't know that?" Sunny asked, with her voice slightly cracked. "For a long time, as we've known her, we've told her that she was no good at friendship, but that's not true," Sunny admitted, shamefully. "We weren't. We were terrible at friendship. She's the one who knows how to reach out and be brave and friendly."
"All the reason, why she's the Princess of Friendship," Sugarcoat said.
"So, yeah," Indigo began. "We've realized now how wrong we are about her, the ponies, and the whole concept of friendship is magic."
"Which is why we now want to correct our mistakes," Sour spoke. "And we'll start by helping you, rescue your friends from the Cerulean Hunters."
Spike continues to keep his distance from the girls. After hearing their perspectives on the matter, and not detecting any hints of betrayal, he was beginning to stand down for a moment.
"So what do you say, Spike?" Lemon asked. "Do you trust us?"
"First, tell me what you girls know about the hunters," Spike demanded.
"Well," Sugarcoat began. "First thing you should know, is that the Cerulean Hunters are a band of magical poaching mercenaries," she explains. "Hence the 'mercenary' part, they hunt magical creatures for huge profits."
Meanwhile.....
"Take it easy Dash," Daring Do ushered, rubbing another layer of medical ointment on the rainbow mane pegasus's wing. "Squirming isn't going to make the numbness go away."
"But it stings!" Rainbow hissed, bracing herself for another painful sensation from the medical procedure.
"So, um, Shining Armor?" Fluttershy began to ask. "If you don't mind me asking, how bad are these hunters? Why would they hunt magical creatures like us?"
Shining Armor closed his eyes, looking solemn, before he looked at the pegasus, "The Cerulean Hunters are a band of magical poaching mercenaries," he began to explain. "Hence the 'mercenary' part, they hunt magical creatures for huge profits."
"That's terrible!" Fluttershy gasped.
"It's disgusting," Daring Do added. "Very few magical creatures have ever escaped the hunters, in one piece. You two are lucky."
"Too bad we couldn't say the same thing for Applejack, and possibly, the others, and Spike," Rainbow Dash grumbled, before she slowly moved her legs, so as to get back on her hooves. "That's it! I can't take it anymore! We've got to go back! AJ's in trouble! And so are Spike and the others! The more we wait out here, the longer they are with those hunters! And I'm not waiting around to see what they're going to do with them!"
"Your loyalty is commendable, Rainbow Dash," Shining Armor replied. "But those hunters are nothing like the Shadowbolts. They're organized, lethal, and highly advanced with weapons far beyond our understandings. The sooner you set hoof in their camp, they'll have you in a cage, in a heartbeat."
"Then we need a plan!" Dash replied.
Spirit Realm
After what felt like many hours, Ember succeeded in transcending herself, into the spiritual realm of existence. In truth, Ember had been doing a lot of meditations during her exile, in the Frozen North. However, she has seldom ever been able to meditate her away into the spirit realm, mainly due to the pent up frustration she had been holding inside her.
However, none of that matters now, as Ember is finally in the spirit realm, and her quest for the Bloodstone Scepter can truly begin. Looking at her side, seeing that the Fucanglong Box, too had made the trip with her, the sapphire dragon picked up the magic box, as it finally resumes glowing, and pointing the way.
With that, Ember followed the path of the box, which took her through what appeared to be an endless sea of fogs, before it parted to reveal that she was in a dark, dark forest, surrounded by beady eyes that were just watching her every move. Furthermore, there were strange looking plants that were dispersing some weird powders in the air.
Nevertheless, Ember kept on marching, until she arrives at a rickety looking bridge, suspended over an bottomless pit. Initially, Ember wanted to simply spread her wings, and fly over the pit, rather than taking the bridge. However, her wings don't appear to be cooperating, as if they were being restrained by an invisible force. With a frustrated sigh, Ember reluctantly takes a step on the bridge, before she slowly, and carefully, began her long walk across the bridge.
Halfway across the bridge, however, did it start to wave back and forth, unevenly. Sniffing the air, Ember realized she wasn't alone. A streak of shadow swooped overhead, as the sapphire dragon quickly ducks down, before she looks up, seeing a dark flying object, trailing behind a path of black smokes. Ember's eyes widened, when she suddenly picks up another sound of movements, coming from the left. The dragoness jumped forward, rolling on the bridge, before she looks up to see another shadow flying past, nearly hitting her.
Readying her bow and arrows, Ember stood her ground, preparing her shots. After feeling another shutter from the bridge, Ember quickly turns to the source, and fires an arrow, flying past a creature, cloaked in dark smoky auras.
The creature snarled, showing its pearly white fangs, as it slowly creeps up to Ember, followed by more shadow creatures, all flying, perching on the bridge, while advancing onto the lone dragoness, laughing maniacally as they did so.
Then, one of the creatures made a lightning fast dash, almost tackling Ember, who was fortunately quick enough to catch the creature, and with a karate yell, she flips it away, over the bridge, where it disappears out of sight, within the fogs. No sooner afterwards, another of the creature leaped forward, and tackled Ember to bridge's tiles, causing them to break and fall beneath the fog, disappearing out of sight. With a grunt of strength, exerting all her strength, into her legs, Ember manages to kick the creature off, before she flipped herself in the air, and stood back on her legs, in a fighting stance.
In response, the creatures all flapped their wings, as they flew at the sapphire dragon, snapping their jaws, and clawing their wings at her. Ember spins on her foot, and landed a hook kick to one of the incoming creatures, followed by a tail whip on another. The inflicted creatures disappeared in a puff of smoke, while Ember did some backflips, putting some distance between herself, and the other remaining creatures, as they continue to advance on her.
Ember fired more of her arrows at the creatures, causing some to disperse in puffs of smokes, while the others continue to fly after her. One of the creatures throws a fast punch out, which Ember was able to block with a high cross block, followed by a burst of purple flame from her mouth, the scorched the creature away. The rest of the shadow creatures flew around Ember, and slashed their claws at the sapphire dragon, who retaliated by firing her arrows at the creatures, and blowing streams of fires. However, the bridge was burned in the process, as the two forces kept on fighting. Ember soon realized too late, at the current state of the bridge. Then, with a snap, the bridge broke, and both Ember and the Shadow Creatures fell, into the fogs below.
Luckily, Ember quickly grabbed onto one of the bridge's rope, and swung herself to the other end, landing herself on the side of a mountain. With a grunt of determination, Ember scaled the mountain via the ropes of the bridge, before reaching the top, and came face to face, with a huge cave, in the shape of a dragon's head, completed with lit torches for the eyes.
Bow and arrow at the ready, Ember took several cautious steps into the cave, unfazed at the series of chitters and whispers that were going on in the cavern. After managing to navigate her way out of the cave, Ember soon finds herself, inside a void, surrounded with nothing but stars, and clouds of thunder and lightning. The only thing fortunate Ember has found, was the fact she can now fly, once again, as she flapped her wings, and flies onward, through the stormy void.
"I'm a failure," a voice was heard.
Ember jerked her head, as she looked around, trying to locate the voice.
Before long, the storm began to calm down, as Ember suddenly finds herself, flying over a huge body of water that seemed to go on for a long mile.
"What the-" Ember began, before she was taken by surprise, as the water churned, to reveal moving images.
Within the waters, Ember looked and could see an image of herself, speaking to Mako, 'I remember this!' Ember thought. 'This was before the invasion of Yakyakistan!'
"Ember!" Mako spoke, before the past sapphire Dragon Lord. "Mina had told me what you planned on doing!"
"And what's it to you, old dragon?" past Ember asked, bitterly.
"Do not forget who you are speaking to young lady!" Mako roared. "You may be Dragon Lord, but that's no excuse to be disrespectful to your elders! Especially one who is a past Dragon Lord, and hero to Equestria, and Dracasia!"
"Sorry, Mako," Ember replied, while rolling her eyes. "But this is a matter of honor! And pleasantry isn't an option!"
"You dare to speak of honor?!" Mako asked in outrage. "You're about to dishonor your promise to Prince Spike! Are you not?!"
"I'm not the one dishonoring, Spike!" Ember replied. "The ponies of Equestria have disgraced the honor of dragons! And that includes Spike! I'm just securing our good name!"
"And how do you plan to do that young dragon?" Mako frowned. "Wage war with ponies and yaks? Risk the lives of all magical creatures? Destroy the land which Prince Spike was raised in?" Ember was silent, as Mako shook his head, as he continues to berate the dragoness, "You never think these things through! This is exactly what happened, when you competed for the Dragon Lord title, in the Gauntlet of Fire!"
Ember was shocked, "How did you-"
"Mina had told me, everything!" Mako answered, as he continued. "You deceived your own father, and several other dragons who competed, and then you risk getting yourself killed!"
"I did just fine, during the gauntlet!"
"NO! If Prince Spike, and Mina, hadn't been looking out for you during the gauntlet, you would've drowned! Or be doomed with more than just a scarred back!"
"Whatever!" Ember snarled, still refusing to back down before the black celestial dragon, "I know my own destiny, sensei!"
"And is this your own destiny, now? Or is it a destiny you feel someone else is trying to impose upon you!"
"Enough, sensei!" Ember roared, stomping the Bloodstone Scepter to the floor. "I have to do this!"
"I'm begging you, Dragon Lord Ember! It's time you look inward, and begin asking yourself the big questions: Who are you? And what do you want?"
"RRRAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGHHHH!!!!!" Ember screamed in frustration, as streams of purple fire erupted from her mouth.
Ember winced at the recollection of the memory, ashamed at the way she acted with Mako. She continued to watch as the scene soon shifted to the time when Ember caves into her anger, during her fight with Valork, and in the process, destroyed many forests around her, a nearby village, nearly killing the ponies whom she had sworn to protect, and inflicting several wounds on the royal guards who have come to aid her, resulting in the loss of the Bloodstone Scepter, the petrification of her dragon army, and the title of Dragon Lord.
Ember watched, as her past self dons up an old cloak, as she makes her way, pass the towns of Equestria, with ponies hissing and gossiping of her dishonor, up until she reached the Frozen North, where she climbs her way up to the top of a mountain, and took shelter within the cave at the top.
Ember watched, as her past self decorated the cave, placing Spike's suit of armor on top of a boulder, with the Fucanglong Box resting beside it. Once the task was done, Ember got down on her knees, hood over her head, claws together, bowing her head, as she began to pay her respects.
"I'm sorry, Spike," past Ember cried. "I'm so sorry. I've failed you." After the apologizing was done, Ember bowed her head deeper, as she continues to mourn in regret for her actions.
Meanwhile, present Ember continues to watch the sorrowful scene unfold before her, until it shifted to a later scene.
"I came all the way out here, from my antique store at my niece's urgent request, and I didn't even get a formal greeting from one of my best students?" Mako asked.
"Oh," past Ember grumbled. "Forgive me, sensei."
"Hey!" Ember exclaimed, in realization. "I remember this....but from a different angle."
"So," Mako began. "How is our esteem Dragon Lord? You didn't burn anymore forests in Equestria, or nearly barbecued some ponies, did you?"
"No," past Ember replied, softly. "I guess not."
Stroking his goatee for a moment, Mako began in a calmer tone, "You know. You've been winning a lot of fights, since you took possession of the Bloodstone Scepter, Ember."
"So?"
"So, you don't learn anything when you win," Ember looked up, as the elderly dragon continues, "Losing the Bloodstone Scepter must've been hard on you, hasn't it?"
"Hai," Ember answered. "It felt like Spike was still with me. Even if he's not really there."
"Well young seito," Make began, as he walks out the exit. "You can let that one loss define you from now on, and hide in here, away from the world with your shame, and from Spike, or you can learn from it," With that, Mako took flight, as he slithered away, leaving Ember to ponder on what the wise dragon had spoken.
The whole series of flashbacks soon ended, as Ember suddenly finds herself, back in present time. What's more shocking was the fact that she was standing before a huge tower, made of clouds. Taking out the Fucanglong Box, Ember nearly winced at the burning aura of the box, scorching her claw, indicating the Bloodstone Scepter is waiting for her, at the top.
Looking back, seeing nothing but a sky that has suddenly turned blue, and an endless sea of clouds behind her, Ember was amazed to see how far she had come. Turning back to the tower, with a look of determination, Ember said to herself, "Let's do this!"
Meanwhile, back in the physical plane
Outside of the cave, three raptorians were sniffing the ground.
"Ah hah!" one of them exclaimed, picking up a scent. "That way boys! She's in there!"
"You sure Schrock?" another one asked. "We haven't smelled her in moons! You sure it's really here?"
"As sure as the day she scratched my eye out!" the raptorian snarled, while showing scarred portion of his face, where one of his eye used to be. The others all cringed in fear, and disgust, "She got lucky then. But make no mistakes, we will get her this time!"
"Not so fast, feather brain!" a voice called, which the raptorians quickly turned to see none other but Mina, who wasted no time to assume a fighting stance, as she stared them down. "First, you've got to go through me!"
The raptorians cracked wicked smiles, while letting out a few maniacal chuckles, "Well, well, well," Schrock began. "Look what we have here. It's the ex-Dragon Lord's favorite stooge."
"Like you mongrels would know," Mina scowled. "But I will not let you hurt my friend!"
"Ooh," Schrock growled. "Big talk, little dragon. We'll tear tear you into little shreds! And then we'll take those shreds and tear 'em them into little shreds!"
"Come on then, you mangy cocka-poodle-doo!" Mina replied. "Let's see if you've got the stuff!"
Taken at the dragoness's challenge, Schrock and the raptorians all let out a bloodcurdling howl, as they charged towards the dragoness.
Schrock lunged forward, snapping his jaws at Mina, who manages to take a quick sidestep, evading the attack, before she did an uppercut punch to the lead raptorian's chin, followed by a spinning roundhouse kick, knocking him away, while evading the other two that pounced towards her. Ember quickly breathed a jet of fire from her mouth, at the raptorians, as she puts some distance between herself, and the dog-bird hybrids.
One of the raptorians leapt forward, throwing out several punches, and kicks, all which Mina was able to block, and evade, while making some counterstrikes. Remembering the times when she practiced with her uncle, and a wooden dummy, called the mu ran zhuang, Mina kept on fighting against the three monsters to a stand.
One of the raptorians thrusted his leg out, with his sickle-shaped claw aiming for Mina's throat. Mina quickly anticipated this attack, with a swift high block, catching the raptorian standing on one foot, and the other being raised above. Another raptorian quickly jumped in, throwing a punch at Mina, but ends up hitting his comrade in the crotch.
"Sorry, Scratch!" he apologized, before Mina whipped his legs, with her tail, and set him flying into a tree.
Mina turned to throw a punch at Scratch, "No wait!" Scratch stopped the dragoness, before he punched himself in the face, knocking himself out.
"Amateurs!" Schrock grumbled, before he got ready to face Mina. "Looks like it's just you and me, an eye for an eye."
"Get ready to lose your other eye!" Mina replied.
With a bark, Schrock lunged forward, slashing his claws at Mina, who was able to block them from side to side, while flapping her wings, to provide some quick leaps, before she retaliates with a jet of fire from her mouth. Schrock was able to roll out of the way in time, before he scooped up a pile of dirt, and blew them into Mina's mouth, causing her to cease her fire, and cough up smokes, and dirts that got into her wind pipe. Using the distraction to his advantage, Schrock lunged forward, landing a flying kick into Mina's side, all the while managing to scratch her side with his sickle claw in the process, followed by another, to the shoulder, when he did an aerial spinning back kick. Schrock came at the dragon again, ready to plunge his sickle claw into the dragoness, in another flying kick. However, Mina anticipated this attack, and quickly performed an unblock, resulting Schrock to flip in the air, while Mina spins her whole body and landed a strong side kick that sent Schrock flying back. Schrock quickly caught himself in the air, as he flipped, and landed on his legs, and wings.
The two opponents took a moment to catch their breaths, "Uncle did warned you once, Schrock," Mina panted. "If you ever come near Ember again....it'll be your last! And that's a promise I intend to keep!"
"And I told you," Schrock panted equally. "That we raptorians never let our foods get away. That old dragon of an uncle of yours is not here to save you this time, little dragon," With that, Schrock snaps his jaws wide open, as he lunges towards Mina.
[Pokemon Mystery Dungeon - Sky Tower OST]
Ember walked up the steps of the tower, before she arrived at the gate, guarded by two celestial dragon statues, made of clouds.
On the last step, the statues' eyes quickly flashed blue, as their tails quickly came to life, blocking the gate, "HALT!!" the statues spoke, in deep, ominous voices. "Thou who approaches, does thou wish to seek passage to the top?"
Without a second thought, Ember bowed her head, "Yes."
With that, the statues' tails moved away, as they allowed the gates to open, "Then prove that you are worthy of the Bloodstone Scepter!"
With that, Ember entered the base of the cloudy structure. No sooner had she set foot into the tower, was she set upon, by a band of what appeared to be an army of humanoid guards, all assuming fighting stances, ready to do battle with the sapphire dragon, who did the same.
With that, the guards all charged towards the dragon, surrounding her, before one of them jumps in, throwing a punch, only to be caught by the dragoness, who twisted around, before she landed several flurry of punches at the guard's head, before he dispersed into puffs of clouds.
Another came at her with a long staff, tipped with a huge sharp blade. Only for Ember to evade the attack, before she wrapped her arm around the staff, breaking it with her elbow, before she spins and tossed the blade at the guard, causing him to disperse into puffs of clouds.
More of the guards charged in, slashing their claws, swords, and spears at the sapphire dragon, who moved sides to sides, evading the weapons, while receiving a few scratches on her armor.
"Out of my way!" Ember roared, as she flapped her wings, and became airborne, and breathed a huge stream of purple fire, burning the guards, causing them to disperse in puffs of clouds.
After the guards where defeated, Ember noticed a set of stairs the led to the next floor. With that, she quickly rushed over to the stairs, climbing up to the next four, and was confronted by more cloudy humanoid guards, all who are ready to do battle with the sapphire dragon, just like their fallen comrades below. However, unlike the guards from before, they're much harder, and aren't hesitate to resort to using more powerful moves on Ember. Some she's never seen before.
When Ember tried to flip one of the guards, they skillfully jabbed at her side, very hard, forcing her to release her grip, before she was at the mercy of their kicks, whips, and punches. Nevertheless, Ember refuses to back down.
Eventually, after passing through 24th floors, each with more difficult guards than the last, Ember made it to the 25th floor, which appeared to be a large, single room, with yellow floating orbs pulsing with electricity.
Standing in the center of the room, is what appears to be a tall, anthropomorphic white wolf, covered in blue strips that are in the shape of thunder. For attires, who wore a black, Tosei dou (dō) gusoku, samurai armor, with yellow ornaments in the shape of thunders along the shoulder pads, thigh guards, chestplate, and two large ones on the helmet that made him looked almost like a bug. Without a doubt, he is the guardian of the 25th floor.
"You fight well," the guardian began. "With the lower guardians of this tower."
"It was nothing," Ember replied, smugly, wincing as she tries to shake some of the early blows she received off.
"But your quest is far from over," the guardian replied. "Before I let you pass, and reclaim your Bloodstone Scepter, you must prove yourself to me, Raijū-Guardian of Thunder!"
With that, Ember got into a fighting stance, as she beckoned, "Then bring it on, Raijū!" she challenged.
Sword Art Online OST - We Have To Defeat It
With a bow of his head, followed by a clap of thunder, Raijū summoned a long staff, made of electricity, "Hajime!" Raijū shouted.
With that, both he and Ember charged at each other, as they began to do battle.
Meanwhile in the physical plane
Dark clouds have filled the skies of Equestria, flashing bright lights, followed by sounds of thunders. This raised a lot of questions for the pegasi, "What's going on?" one of them asked. "Is it storm season already?"
"I don't know," another answered. "This doesn't look anything like the ones we've made in the weather factories."
"Storms like these, would mean one thing," another began. "There's a bigger storm brewing. And it ain't in Cloudsdale."
From Canterlot, standing at the top of her balcony, a worried Princess Celestia closed her eyes, while holding her hooves together, "Dear mother," she began. "Hear my prayers, watch over my little ponies, and my little prince."
Back in Dragon Town, in the middle of his meditation, Mako felt the disturbance going on, "Be brave, Mina," he said.
Meanwhile, from Dracasia, resting in the cave, which he had retired to, former Dragon Lord Torch sensed a disturbance in the air, as he too notices the strange weather patterns in the sky, "Please come home," he began. "My daughter."
Mina was still fighting Schrock, when she felt the same disturbance in the air, 'You can do it, Ember,' Mina thought. 'I believe in you.'
With an angry yell, Schrock lunged towards Mina in another tackle, only for Mina catch him in mid-air, flips him, and pinned him to the ground.
"It's over, Schrock," Mina hissed. "Give up now, and I won't roast you for dinner!" In response, Schrock cracked a wicked grin, to which Mina quickly caught on, turning around, to see a whole pack of raptorians, all laughing maniacally, while baring wicked fangs.
"Did you think, I would try to eat your precious ex-Dragon Lord, with only two raptorians?" Schrock asked, before he kicks Mina off. "Let her have it, boys!" With that, the raptorians all charged after the red dragoness.
"Hurry, Ember!" Mina pleaded.
Back in the Spirit Realm
Raijū swung his staff forward, sending out a long wave of electricity in the air, towards Ember, who counters with a burst of purple flames. The sapphire dragon quickly sprinted forward, throwing several punches and kicks at the thunder dog, together with a whip of her tail, while Raijū blocked her punches and kicks, with hight blocks, and low blocks, respectively, while doing a flip, as he avoided her tail. Then, literally as fast as lightning, Raijū flies forward, shapeshifting into a tiger as he did so, and pounced on Ember, before he leaped off, leaving trails of scorch markings behind.
Ember, recovering from her literal shock, got up and watched, as Raijū runs around the room, before he shifted back in anthro form, and spins his staff in one hand, firing several lightning bolts at Ember, who quickly rolled on the floor, avoiding the bolts, before she got struck by one, on the shoulder.
'Is this what it's like for Spike, when he first got hit by lightning?' Ember mentally asked herself, in her thoughts, while rubbing the inflicted spot on her arm.
Ember was snapped back into reality, when she received another lightning bolt, to her arm, again.
"Lightning strikes twice, you know," Raijū said, as he and Ember resumed their fight.
With an angry roar, Ember released a long stream of purple flames at the guardian, who spins his staff, deflecting the flame, before firing some lightning bolts back, in retaliation. Soon, the dog quickly beats his feet, as he ran towards Ember, in a blinding speed that's too fast for the naked eyes, relentlessly beating Ember at every sides.
"ENOUGH!!" Ember roared, as she breathes fire, and furiously spins around, burning the whole room.
Realizing she was once more giving into her rage, Ember stopped, and taking in several deep breathes, "No, not this time," Ember hissed, trying to stay calm. "Not again. I've come too far...to lose....again," With that, Ember slowly grew calmer, closing her eyes, as she began to think. "Clear head," As a crack of thunder was sounded, Ember concentrated hard, as she began to formulate a different strategy. 'Okay, Ember, think. What can you do to defeat a thunder creature, like Raijū?' she asked herself mentally. 'Other than control lightning, he can-Wait a minute!'
Remembering a trick that Spike had once taught her, Ember began moving her arms around in a fluid motion, while taking several deep breathes, as she started to clear her mind, growing calmer as she did so.
Taking some chances, Raijū charged his staff up, before he fired a bolt of lightning towards Ember, who quickly stuck her claw out, absorbing the energy, wincing in pain, as she feels the intensive heat of the energy, flowing through her body, 'Is this what if feels to be struck by lightning?' Ember groaned in her thoughts, moving her other arm out, before she strikes it out, aiming in Raijū's direction, resulting in the lightning to be shot.
With quick thinking, Raijū quickly blocks the lightning, dispersing it into millions of sparks, flying.
"Clever move, little dragon," he began, as his staff suddenly shifted into a huge katana, with the blade pulsing with electricity. "But not clever enough!"
With a spin of his blade, Raijū brought the sword down, sending a strong wave of electricity, heading straight towards Ember, who quickly rolled to the side, before spreading her wings, and took flight around the room, firing several purple fireballs at the thunder dog, who quickly fired several lightning bolts, which collided with the fireballs, exploding upon impact, forming a wall of smokes. Then, without warning, one of the fireballs made it through, burning Raijū at his face. Next thing he knew, he was met with a foot to the face, sending him flying a few feet away, before he landed on his back.
With a loud karate yell, Ember flapped her wings, sticking her foot down, ready to stomp on the guardian. Raijū quickly shapeshifted himself into a small, lightning bug, as he quickly flies away, before he resumes his true form, and fought back.
Raijū conjured a small orb, as he throws it at Ember. With a quick hum, the orb exploded into several electrical sparks, and a flash of blinding lights. Luckily, Ember was quick enough to shield herself from the orb's blast of light, before she fired an explosive arrow at Raijū, who blocked it, with a well aimed slash of his sword, though he still got blasted in the process.
Before long, Ember leapt forward, and throws out a fury of punches and kicks at the guardian, who quickly moved from side to side, dodging the attacks, while blocking a few, but received a majority of hits from the sapphire dragon.
Then, with a loud karate yell, Ember breathed a huge purple fireball, that knocked Raijū off his feet, and sent his helmet flying off. With a few grunts, Raijū got back on his feet, panting heavily, looking at the sapphire dragon, who was still ready for more.
However, the thunder dog bowed, "Most excellent at fighting," he said, as he stood up. "Both with me, and your own aggression. You have earned victories, both against my storm, and the storm within you."
"Well, it's not easy," Ember began. "I mean, you are strong, and I admit, I-" Looking to see the dog firing a deadpanned look on her face, Ember quickly cleared her throat, as she bowed in return. "I mean, thank you, sir. You fight well, as well."
Raijū nodded, as he stood out of the way, showing the stairs to Ember, "You may proceed," He said. "However, your quest is far from finished," Raijū began. "Be warned! More obstacles will stand between you and the scepter. Even more difficult, than myself. Good luck."
Ember bowed in return, "I'll keep that in mind," she said, as she ascends the stairs.
After Ember left, the doors behind her closed. Before the doors shuts tight, completely, Ember could see Raijū shape-shifting into his tiger form.
Meanwhile
Outside of the Cerulean Hunter's camp, Spike and the Shadowbolts girls were the first to arrive, darting behind some trees, scanning the camp from a safe distance.
In appearance, the camp was as big and wide as a baseball field, with trucks on one side and tents on the other, with supply crates scattered all around. They have, what appeared to be, automated turrets around the outside of the camp.
"Okay girls, stay sharp," Indigo began. "This place may be rigged with booby traps."
"Booby?!" Sour exclaimed, as she got in close to Indigo's face, "Why do you look at me, when you say booby?" the girl asked, while giving the athlete girl a dirty look.
"Sorry," Indigo sweated. "It just slipped out," Sour points threateningly at Indigo, as she got back, behind some others.
"She's still mad about that?" Spike whispered to Lemon.
"More than you know," Lemon replied.
Wanting to change the topic, the group got back to surveying the camp, before them, "So how exactly do we get past those things?" Spike asked, pointing to the turrets.
"Well, I'm no Twilight," Sunny began. "But knowing how the hunters work, those turrets have heat sensing abilities. So the best thing we can do, is to cover our selves in mud to hide our body heat," Sunny and the rest of the girls grimaced in disgust at the very idea of such tactic.
"Then let's get to it," Spike replied, as he turns himself into a dog, and rolls around in some muds. "Wow, now I know how most dogs feel about dirts," Spike looked up, and sees the Shadowbolts looking at him, strangely. "Is there a problem?"
The girls snapped out of their trance, "Sorry," Sunny blushed. "It's just that-"
"You're a dog!" Sour Sweet answered sweetly.
"Yeah, so?" Spike asked. "It's not like you haven't seen me as a dog, before," he said, while remembering the first fight they had, back in New York.
"Well, the fact that you turned into a puppy, and then started rolling around like that, is just asking us to rub your belly, or scratch behind your ear," Sugarcoat answered bluntly.
Spike blushed, before he shook the feeling off, "Look, let's just focus on getting in, and saving my friends, okay?" Spike asked, to which the girls reluctantly agreed, as they too got themselves, undercover.
Once the task was done, Spike and the Shadowbolts snuck past the turrets that continued to survey the area, failing to notice the sneaky intruders. Once inside, the girls and dog, who quickly turned back into a human boy, all huddled up, behind a crate.
"Okay, we're in," Spike whispered, while scanning the area. "Now where would those hunters be keeping my friends, and some other magical creatures?"
"Probably in the trucks," Sugarcoat answered. "They're obviously big enough to carry a whole cargo full of magical creatures. Probably around the weight of an ursa minor, give or take a few."
"In other words," Indigo began. "To the truck!"
With that, the six were darting, and rolling, from crates to crates, and other objects in the area, that could provide them some covers, as they made their way towards the trucks. Little did they know, however, the six were already seen, infiltrating, and are secretly being followed.
It didn't take long, before they finally reached one of the big rig trucks, where Spike went to the back of its trailer, and quietly breathed fire, melting the lock on the door, allowing both him and the girls access.
"Hello?" Spike whispered. "Anyone in here?" The response the young prince received was a flurry of feathers being blown in his face, and several screeches from the imprisoned harpies. Not wanting to attract attentions, Spike quickly shuts the door tight, as both he and the girls quickly beaten their chests.
"What were those things?" Spike asked.
"Are you familiar with the harpies from Greek Mythology?" Sugarcoat asked, while catching her breath.
"Well, either way," Sunny began. "It's obvious. Those hunters were hunting harpies in the area! Harpies aren't exactly quite the friendliest of magical creatures, but their talons do have a very high price in the magical black market."
"Well, they're definitely not for sale when we get this over," Spike replied. "Let's just keep searching through these trucks. One of them's got to have my friends in it."
"And how do we do that?" Sour asked. "There's probably about a dozen of them here, and there's only six of us."
"Why don't we just split up?" Sugarcoat asked. "Obviously, it's like the whole concept of divide and conquer."
"No need to be a smart ass, about it," Sour growled, as she got in close to Sugar's face.
"Now's not the time, girls!" Sunny said, as she broke up the fight. "Come on, let's-"
"SHHH!" Spike quickly hushed, as his ears suddenly perked up.
"What is it?" Sunny asked. "Did you hear something?"
Listening carefully to a faint sound he had detected early, which sounded familiar, Spike followed the source, until he and the girls reached the back of a truck, where he melted its lock off, before prying the door open.
"Hello?" he whispered, taking a quick peek through the door, eyes glowing in the dark. "It's okay, I'm here to help! I'm not-"
"Spike?" a familiar, southern accented voice asked.
"AJ?!" Spike exclaimed, as he rushes into the truck, and straight to the cage, holding the supposed pony. And sure enough, standing behind bars, before him, is the apple pony herself.
"Sugarcube!!" Applejack exclaimed happily.
"Mon amore!" Fleur joined, as both mares happily wrapped their arms around the boy, behind bars and all. "However did you find us?"
"It wasn't easy," Spike replied. "But let's just say I-" Turning to the opening of the truck, Spike was surprised to see the Shadowbolts were nowhere to be seen. "Had some help...." Spike said uneasily, before he turned to the girls, when Celaeno walked over.
"Well blow me down," Celaeno exclaimed. "Tis the pony tales be true. The Dragon Prince has returned!"
"And who are you?" Spike asked.
"I be, Celaeno," the anthro parrot introduced herself. "Former captain of the Scarlet Swashbucklers, and an old friend of Lady Amalthea, the unicorn hero who once saved me from a miserable witch, who made the mistake of capturing me, and my hearty crew."
"Well, nice to meet ya," Spike replied, before he went to work. "Stand back girls, and I'll have you out in a sec," With that, Spike got to work, as he breathes fire on the bars, but to no avail.
"Guess we should've known these bars are fire proof," Applejack said glumly.
"Then I'm just gonna have to pick the lock," With that, Spike's hand morphed into dragon claw, as he started picking the object.
Celaeno gasped, "Wait! Don't-"
Too late! An alarm suddenly went off, just as Spike completely picked the lock, unlocking the door. It wasn't long, before the howling sound of a dog was heard, that the young Dragon Prince, and the girls turned their head, to see the pit bull from before.
"Looks like Cujo's back!" Spike grumbled.
It wasn't long, before the mecha suit from before arrived, and the pit bull climbs into it, conjuring an energy ax, ready to do battle.
Turning to Fleur, Applejack, and Celaeno, Spike ordered, "You girls run! I'll hold off Cujo!" With that, Spike dragons up, and cracks his knuckles, "Time for some rematch!"
With that, Spike pounced on the mecha suit clad dog, while the girls got out of their cages.
"What's going on out here?!" Valork asked, as he, Turbine, Shooter, and some other hunters, came out from their tents, and saw the ruckus taking place. It wasn't long, before they saw the pit bull, still in mecha suit, flying into the campsite. "Bad Dog?!" Valork exclaimed, before Spike arrived, still in dragon form, as he and the dog continue to go all out. "A dragon?!"
"Is it one of the two you mentioned earlier?" Turbine asked.
"No," Valork replied. "This one's different. It's purple! It's green! And-"
"It's a boy!" Shooter interrupted.
Annoyed, Valork and Turbine rolled their eyes, "How incredibly observant you are, Shooter," Turbine began. "Do I dare ask, how you know?"
"Because he fights like one!" Shooter answered, smugly, while Valork and Turbine both face faulted to the ground, before they got up, to see the battle unfolding before them.
The pit bull, now identified as simply Bad Dog, managed to pin Spike down, when a long chain whipped out, and ensured him, by the neck of his suit, and pulled him off of the purple dragon. Before the dog even knows it, he was hit in the sides by katanas from Indigo Zap, shuko claws from Sugarcoat, ice arrows and explosive arrows from Sugarcoat, and kunai blades from Sunny Flare.
"Well, you girls certainly took your times on helping out," Spike said.
"Sorry, dearie," Sunny apologized, both on her and the girls' behalf. "We just can't risk being seen, helping you, by your friends," The girl quickly ducked her head, evading another missile, from the dog.
"However, given to the circumstances, and the chaos that is going on," Sugarcoat added. "Now's the perfect time for us to aid you."
With that, Spike resumes his fight with Bad Dog, with the Shadowbolts aiding him this time.
"Oh, c'mon!" Shooter groaned. "More girls?"
"Doesn't matter!" Valork replied, out of annoyance, turning back to the fight. "What I want to know is where that dragon came from! And what's it doing here!"
An idea came to Turbine, as he grinned, "Or perhaps you should ask yourself, how much does his skin cost?" he said to Valork.
"Now you're thinking," Valork agreed, before he turned to some men nearby. "What are you goons waiting for? Hustle! Move! Get that dragon!" With that, the hunters quickly armed themselves with their guns, as they joined in the fray.
Spike was the first to notice the reinforcements coming in, "Look out girls!" he warned.
"Trying to get the drop on us?" Sour Sweet quickly fired several ice arrows at the charging hunters, hitting some of them, freezing their legs, on the spot. "Think again!"
One of the hunters opened fire on Spike, "Spike! Look out!" Sunny shouted.
Hearing a flying projectile coming for him, and his eyes zooming in on a bullet, in the shape of a spiral flying towards him, Spike quickly remembered another trick he once learned from Scorpan, as he skillfully catches the bullet, in mid-air, mere seconds away from hitting him.
"Wow!" Indigo marveled. "Cool trick!"
"Efficient, yes," Sugarcoat began, while avoiding some more bullets from Bad Dog. "But not good enough," she said bluntly, pointing to the rest of the hunters, "They've got about millions of those things! And there's only one of him!" She pointed to Spike at the last part.
Shooter, got out a rifle, and was aiming carefully at Spike.
"Then shields up girls!" Sunny Flare replied, projecting a dark aura, in the shape of shield, on her arm, via gauntlet. "Wow, it worked!" Sunny gasped.
Following Sunny's example, the rest of the Shadowbolts all projected their own shields, protecting themselves, and Spike from the hunters' bullets.
"Wow," Spike marveled. "New tricks up your sleeves?"
"What did you want us to do? Leave you at the mercy of these hunters?" Indigo asked. "You're an important magical creature! You've got the Dragonfire! You'll get killed!"
"Besides, how can we reform ourselves to your friendship circle, if we let something bad happen to you?" Sugarcoat asked.
Not detecting a hint of lie in the two girls' words, a small smile of respects formed on Spike.
"Oh come on!" Shooter whined, incredulous that one of his incredible shots was hindered, by the girls' shield. "That's not fair!"
Just then, Valork heard some commotions, coming from their trucks nearby. He turned to see several harpies, escaping, courtesy of Fleur, who was unlocking their cages, with her horn.
"NO!!" Valork shouted, as he picks up a gun, and ran towards the trucks. "I'm not about to let weeks of catches go up in the air!!"
The man aimed his gun at the harpies, only for a small kunai blade to strike his weapon, causing it to explode in his face. Once the smokes cleared up, he was met with a kick to the face, by Sunny Flare.
"Meddlesome girl!" Valork snarled, as he backslapped Sunny in the face.
"And like Bruce Lee says," Shooter began, as he aims his gun at Sunny's head. "Broads don't hit back!"
"Idiot!" Spike shouted, throwing a fire shuriken that cuts the young hunter's gun, melting its cut ends, before deliver a flurry of kicks, punches, and strikes. "It's 'boards don't hit back!'" the young dragon corrected it, as he landed a strong roundhouse kick to Shooter's stomach, forcing him to the ground. "And I believe that board, will be you!" With that, Spike did a karate chop to the man's back, which emitted a loud crack.
"Ow, my spines!" Shooter screamed in pain, before he crawls away, while Spike and Sunny escaped, to resume battle with Bad Dog.
Some of the other hunters were about to join in the fight, for their injured comrade, when Valork stopped them.
"No! This dragon's mine!" he said. "You and the others will get some of our harpies back, and ready the trucks! We're moving out!"
"Yes sir!" With that, some of the hunters took off, heading for the trucks, while Valork turned to the purple dragon.
"Let's see what you're made of dragon!" Valork said, as he begins observing the boy turned dragon.
Back with Spike, the young dragon continues his fight against Bad Dog, with the Shadowbolts girls at his sides.
Bad Dog jumped forward, and thrusted his leg out in a side kick, which Spike was able to block, with a down block, pushing the dog's kick away, causing him to lose balance, which Spike seizes the opportunity to strike back, with a well executed sweep kick, tripping the dog up.
Indigo then lunged forward, screaming, two of her katanas unsheathed, ready to plunge them into the pit bull, who quickly rolled to the side, before with a growl, he fired some missiles at Indigo.
"Watch out!" Spike said, as he quickly jumped in between the girl and the projectiles, breathing fire, disintegrating the missiles. One of the missiles however, managed to get through, heading straight for Spike, "AYE-YA!!!" the dragon screamed, as he did a spinning back kick, effectively deflecting the missile, sending it flying straight into the other hunters, blasting them in the process.
Bad Dog winced slightly, seeing his owners being burned, before he sees several ice arrows, fired by Sour Sweet and flying his way, and he quickly conjured his energy axe, blocking, and slicing the said arrows away.
"Time for you to go to obedient school!" Sour snarled, as she fired a series of explosive arrows, and ice arrows.
Having enough, Bad Dog held his wrist out, and fired several bullets at the girls, who quickly projected their shields up. Sour was the last one to activate hers, but before she had the chance to activate hers, Bad Dog made a well-aimed shot at the device on her arm guard, malfunctioning her shield, as it blew up in her face.
"Oh no!" Sour stood, wide eyes in fear, as Bad Dog opened fire on her.
"Sour!" Spike screamed, as he leapt towards Sour, shoving her out of the way, all the while shielding himself and the girl, with his wing.
Seeing their friend safe and sound, Indigo and the rest of the girls turned to the dog, "Now you're really going to get it, Bad Dog!" Indigo snarled, as she and the girls all leapt towards him.
Meanwhile, Sour looked up, starred eyes, "You saved me?" she gasped.
"Well it's the least I can do, after all the helps you girls are doing now," Spike replied. 'That, and hopefully it makes up for me punching your girls, before all this,' he thought secretly. "Besides, we already did gave two of your friends, Sunset and Starlight, second chances. Or heck, even a third-fourth-you get the message."
Sour smiled sweetly, before she noticed the position both she and Spike were in, "Um, Spike?" she began in discomfort. "Could you maybe, get off, before I consider skinning you off?" she said grimly, at the last part.
"What?" Looking down, his face flashed red, "Oh! Sorry!" he apologized, as he quickly scrambled to his feet.
Suddenly, his ears perked up, when he hears the humming sound of electricity from behind, that both he and Sour rolled out of the way.
Bad Dog, with his energy axe in mech hands, swung the blade at Spike, sideways. Spike quickly disappears, in a flash of green fire, "Take this!" Lemon shouted, as she ensnare the dog, with her kusarigma, before Indigo jumped on him, and pride the dog out of his suit, with her swords.
"Hey Cujo!" Spike roared, flying up to the pit bull, as a bat. "Meet Bat Dog!" With that, Spike's head turned into a dog, as he bit the dog on the nose, resulting in a painful yelp from the pit bull, as he shakes his head rapidly, trying in vain to shake the bat off, who fully turned himself into a dog, while holding his paw out. "May Stephen King witness the power of my One Inch Punch!" With a thrust of his fist, Spike sent the dog flying, at a surprising distance. "Don't mess with the little guy!"
"Awesome, move!" Indigo marveled.
"But that comeback quote of yours makes it sound like Child's Play is scarier than Stephen King," Sugarcoat criticized.
"Way to kill the joy," Spike replied, shooting a deadpan look.
Just then, the sound of Applejack, and Fleur, screaming, was heard across the camp.
"AJ! Fleur!" Spike gasped.
Before the dragon could sprint away, Bad Dog got back in his suit, and was firing some missiles at the dragon. Luckily, the Indigo and Sugarcoat were able to intercept the missiles, projecting their shields for protection.
"Go on, Spike," Sunny insisted. "Go help your friends! We'll take care of the dog!"
"You sure?" Spike asked.
"Yes, we're sure," Sour replied. "We're not entirely helpless, I assure you," Sour grumbled.
"What?"
"Nothing!" Sour said quickly. "Just go! We'll be fine!"
Taking Sour's words for it, Spike ran off, "Be careful girls," he said.
However, before Spike could get away, he was confronted by Valork himself.
"First! You'll have to go through me!" the hunter said, as he got into a fighting stance.
"Bring it!" Spike said, as he too got into a stance.
"Consarn it!" Applejack grunted, as she bucked one of the hunters away. "Stay down ya no good, flea bitten varmint!" Applejack was acting on the role, as Fleur's temporary bodyguard, while the unicorn was at work, unlocking the cages, freeing the harpies.
"Get off of me!" Fleur grunted, punching some hunters away with her fore hooves.
Suddenly, some ropes were flown, snaring the unicorn by her neck, "I got her!" one of the hunters said, before he was punched away, by Celaeno.
"Oi!" Celaeno exclaimed, as she snatches a pistol away from a nearby hunter's belt. "My pistol!" With that, the parrot bonked the hunter on the head, before she swiped some nerve bullets, and loaded them into her gun. "Let's see how you scallywags like this!" With that, the pirate opened fire on all of the incoming hunters, shooting them at their arms, their hearts, and their legs, stopping them in the tracks.
"Thanks Celaeno!" Fleur smiled. "I don't know what I'd do with you!"
"Don't thank me yet, lass," Celaeno replied. "We ain't out of this yet," One of the hunters tried to get the jump on Celaeno, only for the parrot to hear him coming, and back fisted into his face. Grabbing him by the collar of his shirt, Celaeno demanded, "Okay, you! Talk! What have ye done with me crew?"
The hunter could only laugh in response, "And I thought you were asking me to hand over your doubloons."
"ANSWER ME, HUMAN SCUM!!" Celaeno growled, tightening her grip.
"Look, Tweety," the hunter replied, still holding a smug grin on his face. "You want to find your crew? Go to Earth."
"Why you-"
"If I'm not mistaken," Applejack began. "I think he meant planet Earth."
Before the two could further interrogate the hunter, an iron net came flying out of nowhere, trapping the two.
"Nice one, Burt," the hunter laughed, as he shares high-fives with one of his comrades.
However, the two hunter's celebration was cut short, when a whip came flying, and grabbed one of the hunters by the throat. Before long, he was thrown into an open cage nearby. Then, a blur of rainbow came flying, and kicked the other hunter, into the same cage, before it was closed shut.
Then, a magic blade was conjured, as it cuts Applejack and Celaeno, free.
"What in tarnation?" Applejack exclaimed.
"Yo, AJ!" a familiar raspy voice sounded. "Save some for me!"
Applejack turned around, and sure enough, there stood the cyan, rainbow haired pegasus herself, "Rainbow Dash?!" Applejack gasped, happily.
"The Rainbow Dash to you!" Rainbow boasted.
"And don't forget about me," Fluttershy said timidly, poking her head out from behind a tree.
"Fluttershy! Mon ami!" Fleur smiled, before she noticed their new allies, standing besides them. "Sacrebleu! Daring Do, and Captain Shining Armor?!"
"Hey Flare Heart," Shining Armor greeted. "I see you're in need of some help."
"Oui, mon capitan!" Fleur replied.
Shining Armor then took notice of Celaeno, "Captain Celaeno?!"
"Aye," the parrot squawked in confirmation. "The boldest parrot pirate who once sailed the skies of Equestria, and beyond!"
"Hmm," Rainbow began. "I like ya already, Captain."
"Well, don't just stand there," Daring Do began, as she takes out her whip. "Let's do this!"
"It's payback time!" Rainbow said, as both she, and her fellow, adventurous pegasus took flight, and barreled their way, through the horde of hunters.
One of the hunters tried to shoot some bolas at the pegasus, when a blur of green streaked through the air, and cuts the ropes.
"What the-" Before the hunter could get a reply, his comrades were suddenly struck down, one by one, before he suddenly finds himself, at the mercy of Celaeno, with a blade by his throat.
The hunter tried to shoot, but Celaeno was much quicker, as she whipped out her pistol, and shot his weapon, out of his hand, "I wouldn't be doing that again, if I were ye," Celaeno said.
"Well, you're not me!" the hunter replied. "And I ain't afraid of a harpy, like you!"
"Well that's the thing," Celaeno began. "I ain't a harpy," Celaeno scans around, before she grins, "I'm Captain Celaeno!" With that, Celaeno did a spin, as she swung her sword down, cuts a rope, springing a trap that coincidentally trapped the hunter.
"Hey!" the hunter wailed. "Let me out!"
"How's it feel to be a caged bird for once?" Celaeno asked, before she opens fire, shooting all the nerve bullets at the hunter, paralyzing him completely.
Celaeno soon caught sight of Rainbow Dash, laying a beat down on some hunters, "Take this, you goons!" Rainbow shouted, as she spins a hunter in a rainbow tornado.
The hunter was about to shoot Rainbow Dash, when he got shot in the neck, courtesy of Celaeno.
"Great timing there, Celaeno," Rainbow complimented.
"Creatures of a the sky and weathers, fight together," Celaeno said, giving the pegasus a thumbs up.
"I like the way you think," Rainbow smirked. "C'mon! Let's find some more Cerulean booties to kick!"
"With pleasure!" Celaeno replied, following the pegasus.
Meanwhile, the other hunters were attempting to make their escape via trucks, with the few harpies that remained.
"Activate the teleport!" the hunter in the passenger seat ordered. "We're going back to Earth!"
The driver pressed the button for the said device. However, nothing happened.
"What's the matter?" the hunter in the passenger seat asked.
"Something's wrong! The controls aren't responding!" the driver replied, as he lost control, and steered in the wrong direction.
"MIND THAT TREE!! We're gonna crash!!" one of the hunters shouted, as their truck crashed. Soon, the other trucks crashed, and they all started to fall over, spilling the harpies, out of their cages.
"Way to go, Skipper," Fluttershy smiled, turning to a small pack of gremlins, who saluted to her in respect.
Back with Spike
The young dragon was still at it, with the leader of the Cerulean Hunters, in the area. Valork got out a small grenade, and tossed it at Spike.
Spike, recognizing what the grenade really is, quickly remembers a technique from Scorpan, and quickly catches the grenade, before he tossed it back, at the surprise Valork. The grenade exploded, causing Valork to fly backward.
Concentrating on his Passion Boost spell, Spike's eyes glowed green, 'Boosted dragon!' Spike roared mentally, before firing a huge green fireball at the hunter. Valork quickly rolled out of the way, just as the fireball exploded upon impact from the spot where he used to be, and sent him flying into the bushes.
Before Spike could pursue the old hunter any further, when his whiskers vibrated crazy. Darting his eyes in the directions of his whisker's vibrations, he sees several bullets flying towards him. With quick thinking, and reflexes, Spike dodges the bullets, while conjuring his fire katanas to slice a few. Scanning the area, through the chaos, he quickly caught glimpse of Turbine, driving on his bike across camp, firing his gun at the dragon.
"Prepare to be roadkill!" Turbine smirked, putting the pedal to the medal.
Just as the biker was about to run Spike down, the dragon reaches into his cape and throws down a smoke bomb, disappearing in a puff of smoke.
"Where'd he go?" Turbine asked.
"Right here!" Spike answered, revealing he had transformed into a monkey. With that, he crawled all over Turbine, smacking the man in the face, before he makes a grab for the handle.
"HEY!! LET GO!!!" Turbine shouted, as both he and the dragon turned monkey, fought over control for the bike, while inadvertently knocked some of the hunters down like bowling pins. Before long, the two were heading straight for a tree, where the bike crashed.
Spike was able to jump clear, as he clings onto a convenient tree branch, but Turbine, covered in bruises and burns via crash, got out a gatling gun, "Now you've gone and done it!" the man hissed, pointing his gun at the monkey.
However, before he could pull the trigger, a piece of pipe came falling down, and bonked the biker on the head, "Mommy, he followed me home. Can I keep him?" he moaned, before he passes out.
Spike couldn't help but laugh, before a gun shot was heard. Whiskers sprouting, and vibrating in certain directions, Spike evaded the nerve bullets that narrowly struck him. Turning to the directions they flew in, eyes turning reptilic, and burning, Spike caught sight of Shooter, hiding among the trees, aiming his gun at the monkey.
"Oh no, you don't!" Spike said, turning himself into a dragonfly, as he zipped through the chaos.
Shooter, surprisingly, was able to keep track of the boy, dragonfly and all.
"Hold still, you!" Shooter snarled, before he foolishly looks up into Celestia's sun. "AH! My eyes!"
Spike, turning back to the sun, smiled, "Love you mom!" With that, he flies back down, turning himself back into a wolf, and grabs ahold of the gun, just when Shooter recovered.
"Hey!" the man shouted, as he quickly grabs ahold of the gun. "Let go!"
"You let go!" Spike grunted, holding the gun with all his strength.
Feeling the gun slipping through his teeth, Spike shifted back into a dragon, even up the strength with the hunter, while avoiding the barrel of his rifles.
"Gotta admit you put up a better fight than that unicorn," Shooter grunted. "Then again, she was a girl. So she wasn't much of a fighter."
Spike snorted in fury, as well as feeling his bloods boiling, "Sick sexist!" Spike snarled, as he manages to rip the rifle out of Shooter's, before he lands several fast strikes on the hunter's face, chest, legs, and sides. "Let's see how you like, living as one then!" With that, Spike thrusted his leg out in a front kick, right in Shooter's groins.
"OH!!! MY MEATBALLS!!!!" Shooter wailed in pain, before Spike spins and delivers a strong back kick, that sent him flying.
"You mess with my girls again!" Spike shouted. "You're dead!"
Then suddenly, Valork jumps out of a bush, firing nerve bullets at Spike, who once more, conjured his katanas to deflect them.
"I see you're a ladies' man, dragon," Valork said. "Such a noble characteristic, for a dragon to be that affectionate."
"It beats being a womanizer, or a sexist, by a long shot," Spike replied.
"Well, you should've fly away, when you had the chance!" With that, Valork takes out a machete, as he clashes it with one of Spike's katanas. "Cause now I'll have the pleasure of killing you myself!"
With that, another fight between Spike and Valork broke out. Just then, Applejack arrived, with Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Fleur, Celaeno, Shining Armor, and Daring Do, to watch the fight breaking out.
"Hang on, Spike!" Rainbow was about to fly in, when Applejack stopped her.
"Not so fast, Rainbow!" Applejack said. "This is his fight. We shouldn't get in the way!"
Rainbow groaned, "You know, I hate it when you guys say that!"
"We'll help him, when he needs help," Shining Armor replied.
Turning back, the friends looked to see the battle still going.
Spinning around, just when Valork swung his blade at him, Spike throws a fire shuriken at the hunter's gun, knocking it out.
Valork continues to swing his machete, clashing together with Spike's fire katanas. Flapping his wings, Spike leapt backward, giving himself some distance from the hunter, before he breathed a stream of green fire. In response, Valork spins his blade around, and slices through the stream, deflecting the fires on both sides.
"No way!" Spike exclaimed.
Valork then opens fire, and shoots some nerve bullets at one of Spike's wings, causing it to act up, before the young dragon plummeted to the ground.
"Your powers won't be enough to save you, dragon," Valork sneered. "As you can see, I've hunted many dragons in my days!"
"Then I'll do the honors of avenging them!" Spike replied, as he got up, did a sweep kick, together with his tail, which Valork was able to avoid, only to be struck with a headbutt, from Spike.
In the meantime, the Shadowbolts arrived to watch the scene, all the while, staying hidden.
"Come on, Spike!" Sunny said anxiously. "Get him!"
Valork swung his machete at Spike, who caught it, before he spins, and pries the blade out of the man's hand. In response, Valork kicks the blade out of Spike's hand, before he throws a punch at Spike, who deflected it, with an inside-outside crescent kick, followed by an outside-inside crescent kick, landing the ball of his feet to the side of the man's head, dislocating his chin slightly in the process, followed by a strong back kick, to the man's stomach.
Shaking the blow, slightly, Valork blocked Spike's uppercut, with a down block, only for the dragon to shape his blocked fist into a spear, as he jabs into the hunter's stomach, catching his opponent by surprise, and sent him flying off his feet.
"So!" Valork groaned, clutching himself. "You've been taking karate lessons!"
"Dragon Kata, from where I learned it from," Spike replied, remembering his days as a student of Mako, with Mina, and Ember.
Speaking of whom......
After braving the dangers of the last 75th trials on each floor, Ember finally made it to the top, where her final challenge awaits.
"I've finally made it," Ember panted. "The top of this tower."
Ember panted, as she quickly catches her breath, surveys her new surrounding, seeing the summit to be wide, with a statue of a celestial dragon resting in the center.
Ember walked over to the statue, checking it out, "Okay," Ember began. "I know what's gonna come up. I've seen this kind of stuff lots of time in one of Mina's comic books. I'm going to go stand by this statue, and then it triggers some ghostly voice, who will say something like, 'Halt, who goes there!'" Ember said, doing her impression of a spooky voice at the last part. "And then all of a sudden, a huge monster is going to jump out at me, and then we fight, until at last, I'm either defeated, or I've proven myself worthy enough for the Bloodstone Scepter."
However, there was nothing but silence.
"......Oh, I'm sorry. Did I spoil the ending already?" Ember asked, slightly frustrated. "Look, I'm sorry, alright? It's just that, I've been fighting my way up for the past 99 floors already, risking my neck, and scales, just to get up here! So can't I help it, if I'm tired, and that I want this over already?"
Initially, a long pause of silence has passed, before a voice spoke, "You are a bold to come here, to make such a demand," Ember turned around, and was greeted with the sight of a tall man, with big bushy hair, wearing a gold suit of armor, with black stripes.
"Who are you?" Ember demanded.
"I am Jun-fan!" the man answered. "I am the guardian of this tower's summit! Now, I ask you. Who are you?"
[Sword Art Online OST - Luminous Sword]
"I am Ember," Ember replied. "Daughter of Torch, winner of the Gauntlet of Fire, and lord of all dragons!"
Jun-fan looked at the sapphire dragon, eyeing her suspiciously, "Am I to assume the Bloodstone Scepter belongs to you, Ember?"
"Well, yes," Ember replied. "Who else?"
"Funny," Jun-fan replied, walking around the sapphire dragon. "Cause I heard different. I hear, for example, that the real winner of the Gauntlet of Fire, was some other dragon named, Spike!" Ember's eyes widened, as the man continued. "Yet, at the last moment, he forsake the title, and gave it to you, trusting you with faith that you would protect the ponies from the dragons. Is that right?"
Ember nodded her head, "Yes. That is true."
"However," Jun-fan continued. "During one attempt to overcome the prejudice you faced, from the ponies' discrimination of dragons, you attempted to launch a war against the yaks, in Yakyakistan. And in your defense, you say the yaks have dishonored the dragons, by breaking the sacred bow you had forged moons ago."
"Look, I admit! I made a mistake for launching that attack, instead of talking things through, but I've learned from it, okay?"
"Have you really?" the man asked. "Were you not aware that by attacking the ponies, and the yaks, you also risked breaking the promise you've made for Prince Spike, in his absence? Is the honor of dragons, more sacred than your promise to a friend? Is friendship not a sacred thing for you?"
"That's not true!" Ember replied. "I mean, sure I'm aware I was breaking our promise. But still, at the same time, I was just doing my duty! For the dragons! Counting Spike!"
"And what of Spike?" Jun-fan asked. "How do you suppose he would think, if he were to come home, and find Equestria, destroyed because of you? Did you ever thought about that?"
Ember lowered her head in shame, shaking from side to side, "No," the dragon replied sadly. "I did not."
"And furthermore, there was that great fire in the west of Equestria. Following your last attack on Yakyakistan, you received news of dragon hatchlings being captured, and spirited away by these Cerulean Hunters. Naturally, you answered their call for rescue. But at the same time, you threatened the lives of the ponies in the area."
"Not on purpose! I was-"
"We do not want to hear anymore excuses, Ember," Jun-fan replied, holding his hand up. "We want to hear the facts. And the facts all say that you deliberately betrayed Spike's faith in you, and that you were willing to break the promise the two of you have made, years ago, all with the intention to defend the honor of dragons. As it has shown, you cared more about yourself, and the dragons, more than you do for the ponies, and the friendship between you and Prince Spike. For that, you had dishonored yourself," the words struck Ember, like knives, as Jun-fan continues. "I'm sorry, Ember. I'm afraid, the Bloodstone Scepter cannot be returned to you."
"No! Wait! Please!" Ember pleaded. "Let me say something!"
Jun-fan looked sternly at Ember for a moment, before he nodded.
Taking a deep breath, Ember began, "It's true. I broke the promise I made for Spike, to protect the ponies, from us dragons. And I guess there's no excuse for that act I've made. But still, I wasn't lying when I said I was trying to defend Spike's honor, as well as the dragons. He is, after all, my friend," Ember paused for a moment, as a blush formed on her face. "Or perhaps, maybe more than just friends," Snapping out of her expression, Ember continued, "However, I can admit, I wasn't thinking straight, about the whole launching an attack on Yakyakistan, and that dragon rescue fiasco in the west. When it comes to defending the dragons' honor, I had to do it, whatever it takes," a small tear streamed from Ember's eye, as she continues, "But I could never forget about Spike. I could never forget the kindness, and bravery, he once showed me, decades ago. He's the one who taught me about friendship, even though we dragons knew nothing about it," At this point, the pipes broke, and tears were flooding from her eyes. "And it's not just him, but Mina, and the ponies. They put up with me, and brought me here. And that's saying something, because I thought they would be furious with me," Rubbing one of her eyes, Ember swallowed a lump, as she continued, "Instead, they've forgiven me. I don't know why, but I won't let it be in vain for them, and all the dragons back home."
Jun-fan turned, and looked at Ember for a moment. He walked over to the dragoness, looking deeply into her pink-reddish eyes. Before Ember could react, the man's eyes glowed in a gold aura.
In a flash of light, Ember finds herself, floating in outer space, among the stars, and planets. Floating around, and looking down on her, are what appeared to be millions of dragons, in different shapes and sizes, surrounded in glowing auras.
"For many moons," one of the dragons spoke, telepathically. "We have guarded the Bloodstone Scepter."
"Awaiting the day for its rightful owner to truly obtain it," another spoke, telepathically as well.
"You are that owner," a pearly white dragon finished.
With a glow of their eyes, and their mouths opened wide, multicolored flaming auras flew out of their mouths, forming into flaming apparitions of dragons, as they surround Ember in a tornado of colors. Then, in a flash of blinding lights, Ember finds herself, back in the real world, with the Bloodstone Scepter, in her claws.
Knowing what she has to do now, Ember stamped the scepter to the ground, "AWAKE!!!" the redeemed Dragon Lord roared, as the whole cave shook, and one by one, all of the dragon statues' eyes around her, lit up, followed by cracks in their shells.
Outside of the cave, Mina was pinned down by the Raptorians, as Schrock walks over, ready to deliver the killing blow.
"This ends now!" Schrock barked.
But just as the dog-bird hybrid was about to clamp his jaws down, on the young dragoness's neck, a loud roar was heard, within the cave, followed by a blast of red lights.
Meanwhile, in the camp
"This ends now!" Valork growled, pulling out a grenade. His eyes darting to the right, he looked, seeing Applejack, and the other girls nearby.
Spike, following the direction of the man's eyes, quickly darted to the side, "NOOOOO!!!!" Spike screamed, taking the blast of the grenade, and was blown backward, and into the sides of one of the trucks.
"SUGARCUBE!!" Applejack shouted, as she and the girls all hurried to the blasted dragon, who was surrounded in a surge of dark electricities.
"SPIKE!!" Sour was about to run up, when Sunny and Sugar stopped her, so as to not blow their cover, much to Sour's sorrow.
"That's for my bike!" Turbine growled, as he got a gun out at the ready. "And now, this is-" the biker was interrupted, when an explosive fireball came falling from the sky, and landed on the ground.
"WHAT THE-" Valork exclaimed, as he, the hunters, the ponies, Shadowbolts, and Celaeno looked, to see the sky, darkened.
The dragons have arrived.
[Super Smash Bros. Brawl - Boss Battle 1]
"Dragons?!" Fluttershy yelped, as she quickly ducked under one of the trucks in fear.
"Looks like the calvary is here!" Rainbow smirked, to a dumbfounded Daring Do, who could only nod in agreement.
Flapping their wings before the dragons, were Mina, and the fully redeemed Dragon Lord Ember.
"Dragons!" Ember began, raising the Bloodstone Scepter. "Attack! Show these hunters what we're made of! Aid our fellow dragon, just as he had aided us!"
With that, dragon soldiers of all shapes and sizes charged into the fray. The hunters all opened fire on the incoming dragons, only to their dismay, their guns and weapons aren't doing much to slow down the soldiers, who continued to burn the camp, and the hunters.
"YEAH!!" Rainbow cheered, as she joins into the fray.
Meanwhile, the harpies saw an opportunity, "Come sisters!" a harpy called to her flocks. "Let us strike back! Make the humans pay for our enslavements!" With a screech, the harpies all joined the dragons in their aerial assaults on the hunters.
Meanwhile, Spike was slowly waking up, much to the relief of the girls, and stallion, around him.
"Spike!" Applejack smiled, as she embraced the boy. "Thank Celestia ya alright!"
"You alright there, young prince?" Daring Do asked. "That was some blast you had there."
"Yeah," Spike replied. "I'm okay," Concentrating into his magics, only to produce nothing but small green sparks, "Just what I'm afraid of," Spike frowned. "My power's been negated!"
"Yep," Shining Armor nodded. "That's the price for taking a direct hit from a Magi Pulse Grenade like that. Luckily, the effects only lasts for a couple of days."
"And until then, I'm afraid you're stuck completely human," Daring Do added.
"Doesn't matter," Spike replied. "At least I can still fight," With that, Spike reached into his cape, and pulls out a nunchuck.
"You sure you want to do this, Sugarcube?" Applejack asked in concern. "We wouldn't want ya to get hurt."
"Yeah, I'm sure!" With that, Spike took his cape off, leaving him in just his suit of armor, as he runs into the fray.
"Spike, wait!" Applejack called, as both she and Fleur ran after him.
"Wow, he's got guts," Daring Do commented.
"Guts and moxie," Shining Armor added.
"Oi," Celaeno shouted. "Save me some booties to kick!" With that, the anthropomorphic parrot joined in the fight.
During the fight, the Shadowbolts girls seized the opportunity to join the fray, as they fought off, some of the Cerulean Hunters.
One of the hunters was about to shoot a dragon, when Lemon snatched his gun away, with the ball chain of her kusarigma, right when Indigo came speeding by, and leapt into a flying kick, landing a powerful blow to his face. Two more hunters came, only to be confronted by Sugarcoat, who slashed her shuko claws all over the hunters, slicing and destroying their guns, and clothes, leaving the hunters in just their boxers. The embarrassed hunters quickly covered themselves, before they left the scene, chuckling nervously as they did so.
Meanwhile, Shooter just recovered, and was wearing a crotch pad as he walks out of a tent, "Where's that dragon?" the hunter asked. "Where is he? I'll teach him to make a fool of out me!" However, Sour saw him coming a mile away, and she quickly shot an arrow in his butt. "YOOOOO-" Shooter's scream was interrupted, when Sour fired an ice arrow, freezing his face.
"Now that's what I call a 'face freeze,'" Sour smiled. "I've been hanging out with Lemon, way too much."
"What the hay?" Applejack exclaimed, when she took notice of the Shadowbolts. "What are they doing here?"
"I don't know," Rainbow replied. "Wait, where's Spike?"
Spike was hiding behind a tree, getting a mask put on his face.
"Do I really have to wear a mask?" Spike asked.
"Of course you do, dearie," Sunny replied. "You can't risk letting the hunters know your human identity!" With that, Sunny went back to work, before she concluded. "There! Now you look ready."
In appearance, the mask Spike wore, was that of a masquerade mask, decorated in the theme of a phoenix.
"I don't know, Sunny," Spike replied. "I feel kinda-" Before Spike could continue further, they were found by one of the hunters.
"Well, well, well," the hunter began. "Am I interrupting something?"
In response, Spike lets out a war cry that made the hunter swore, Spike was Bruce Lee's reincarnate. Before he had time to respond, the hunter was struck in the face by the nunchucks, followed by a powerful one inch punch.
"Wow, you're fast!" Sunny commented.
Soon, the two teens joined back in the fight.
During the fight, Ember and Mina caught sight of Spike.
"Hey Spike!" Ember greeted. "About time we see you again."
"Though, what's with the mask?" Mina asked. "Are you cosplaying as a superhero, or something?"
"Let's just say it's to hide my secret identity," Spike replied. "Now let me ask you girls a question. Are you girls ready to make these hunters cry?"
"It's payback time!" Ember smirked.
"Dragon style!" Mina added.
With that, the three dragons all charged into the fray, giving the hunters a fight of their life.
Ember flapped her wings, as she took flight, before diving down, and charged her way through the horde of hunters, knocking them down like bowling pins. Reaching for one of her arrows, and eyes glowing red, Ember focused her powers into her arrows, and shouted, "龍が我が敵を喰らう!" With that, two fiery celestial dragons came flying with her arrows, as they scorched the hunters, who stood no match against her powerful dragon magic.
Mina inhaled, before she exhaled a long stream of orange fire, scorching some of the hunters' butt. Then, her acute hearing picked up the sound of a gunshot, which she quickly evaded, with a flexible bend of her waist, evading a nerve bullet. Then, grabbing a nearby hunter, Mina used him as a human shield, saving herself from the nerve bullets being fired, before she tossed the unfortunate man away. With a flap of her wings, she flew up to the hunter, and landed several fast punches, and kicks.
"Comet dash!" Mina shouted, as her whole body was coated in orange, flame aura, before she head butted the hunter away, emitting a fiery flash upon impact.
Meanwhile, Spike, still trapped in human form, was fighting with the speed, ferocity, and powers, like that of Bruce Lee. One of the hunters tried to grab him from behind, but Spike was quick to elbow him hard, in the stomach, from behind, followed by a back fisted punch to the hunter's nose. More hunters tried to sneak up from behind, but Spike heard them coming, and with a quick back kick, and a swung of his nunchucks, he knocked them away, all the while, making war cries of Bruce Lee.
The three dragons soon joined together, as they fought, sides by sides, fighting the hunters to a stand.
"Where'd that kid come from?" Valork asked, taking notice of Spike's presence.
"I don't know," Turbine groaned. "And I don't care. All I want is for us to get out, now!"
"No way!" Valork replied. "I'm not going back to the boss, empty-handed."
"Which do you prefer?" the biker asked. "To go back empty-handed, or roast handed? There's too many dragons! We won't make it!"
Closing his eyes, while thinking grimly at the situation, Valork made his decision, "LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!!" Valork ordered. "Let's ride!"
With that, the hunters all got away, in some of the trucks that are still working, and teleported in flashes of blue lights.
Everyone all let out cheers over their recent victory.
"Victory is ours!" Rainbow Dash cheered.
"Yay!" Fluttershy joined in the cheer.
"Freedom!" the harpies screeched.
Celaeno smiled, happy for the harpies, "You were awesome, Captain!" Rainbow smiled, as she and the parrot shared a fist bump together.
"Aye, ye be awesome as well, Rainbow Dash,"Celaeno smirked.
Spike took his mask off, as he dons his cape back on, "So," Spike began, while talking to Ember. "How does it feel to be Dragon Lord again?"
"It feels great," Ember smiled. "In fact, better than great. I feel....feel...."
"Gold sun?" Mina finished.
"Yeah," Ember replied. "Something like that."
"Well, either way," Spike placed his hand on Ember's shoulder. "Congratulations, Ember! You earned it!"
Ember smiled, "I couldn't have done it, without you, Spike," she said. Just then, a low grunt was heard, and the dragons looked to see a foo dog running up to Ember, before it tackled her to the ground, showering her with loving kisses, "Okay, okay Fluffy! I missed you too!" Ember groaned.
Spike and Mina both laughed at the sight, when they heard a loud screech, "Hey! Peewee!" Spike smiled, happy to see his beloved phoenix, safe and sound. "Where've you been? I was looking all over for you!"
"Oh, I found him!" Fluttershy answered, as she galloped over. "The poor thing. He was locked in a cage, with a collar around him. Luckily, I was able to get him out, and the collar off, thanks to Skipper and his gremlin squad over here," Fluttershy smiled, pointing to the said gremlins.
"Oh, thanks you guys," Spike said, bending down to shake hands with the little creatures.
"Hey, um, Flutters," Rainbow called. "Think maybe your little gremlin dudes, can get the collars off of our friends here?" she said, on Applejack, and Fleur's behalf.
"We're on it," Fluttershy replied, as she and Skipper got to work.
"Still, what were those Shadowbolts doing here in the first place?" Rainbow asked suspiciously. "We weren't even looking for a piece of the Armor of Heroes, and already they came here, just when we were fighting the hunters."
Spike, trying to cover up for the Shadowbolts, spoke, "Who knows? Maybe it was all just a coincidence the Shadowbolts were in the area," Applejack, obviously, wasn't fooled, as she could tell that Spike knew something they don't. Nevertheless, she lets it slide, as Spike spoke, "But the good news is, I know where your parents are Fleur!"
"You do?!" Fleur asked, hopefully. "Where?!"
"I heard one of them saying something about a Midnight Castle," Spike lied. "No idea, where it is though. Sorry."
"No worries," Ember replied with a confident smile. "Knowing that the Shadowbolts have a piece of the Armor of Heroes, all we gotta do is solve another puzzle of the Fucanglong Box, and it'll point us in the right direction!"
Heroes all cheered in agreement, "But first, let's head back to Ponyville for some well earned rest," Applejack suggested. "After today, we all earned it," With that, the friends all voiced their agreements, as they started to take their leave.
On the way home, Rainbow took notice of the worried expression on Fluttershy's face, "Fluttershy?" Rainbow asked. "You okay? What's wrong?"
Letting out a deep sigh, Fluttershy replied, "I just hope Professor Chimera is okay," Fluttershy replied, worryingly. "Wherever he is."
Elsewhere
In a dark office, a lone figure with red eyes sits in it's chair, smoking a cigar while talking talking on the phone.
"So that's what happened?" the figure asked.
"Yes sir," Valork replied from the other end. "I take full blame for this. I should have contacted you sooner."
"That is quite alright Mr. Valork," the figure replied. "No one would have expected this, especially since you and your men had to fight an army of dragons. We'll just have to find harpies elsewhere and be more careful around the Equestrian border from now on."
From his end of the phone, Valork sighed, "I suppose."
"Besides," the figure blew a gust of smokes out, as he continues, "This hunt wasn't a complete failure," Just then, the sound of screaming was heard, outside of the office,"Ah, that must be my 'guest'," the figure sneered. "We'll talk later Mr. Valork."
"I'll see you soon, boss," With that, the hunter hangs up, when Professor Chimera was thrown in the room.
"Ah, Professor Chimera," the figure gets up and approaches the pony. The figure then blows some smoke in his face, resulting in a fit of cough, from the unicorn, "We have much to discuss," the unicorn could only scowl in defiance, as the figure leans in closer, and asked, "Where's your little zoo?"
"Go to Tartarus," Chimera replied.
Meanwhile
While Spike and the rest of his friends were on their way home, the Shadowbolts girls snuck through the trees, where they met up with Shining Armor.
"I trust you girls were successful with the task?" the stallion asked, in a different voice.
"We did," Sunny answered. "And if I'm not mistaken, they'll be heading to Midnight Castle soon."
"And we'll be waiting for them," Sour added.
Shining Armor looked up, revealing his eyes in a different color, "Good," he replied.