//------------------------------//
// Damsel In Distress 
// Story: Enter The Dragon (Spike's Story) 
// by Stratocaster 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 7: Damsel In Distress


As darkness fell on the remote island, Spike lay awake in his bed staring up at the ceiling of his suite in deep thought. Yang's words were still ringing in his head, about his potential to be a successful champion. But he wasn't the only one not getting any sleep that night.

"Poor Rarity," moaned Fluttershy, lying on the adjacent bed. "It must be awful being held captive in this temple." She then turned on her side. "What are you thinking about, Spike?"

With a long sigh, Spike replied, still looking upward. "I don't know, Fluttershy. You ever think about the kind of situation we're in right now?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean we have a chance to prove ourselves as martial artists. The whole reason I took up Tail Kwon Do in the first place was to become tougher so I wouldn't look like a coward in front of everypony. I know Yang's tournament is a sham, but now that I have his trust, maybe...maybe I should...wait a little longer."

Fluttershy gasped as she sat up in her bed. "Spike, you're not seriously considering waiting to win the tournament, are you? What if you lose your next fight?"

"You don't get it, Fluttershy," retorted Spike, meeting her level. "I finally have a chance to become a master martial artist. It's my only way of proving myself to Rarity."

"But Rarity is the whole reason we're here!"

Spike was taken aback by her response. He scanned his eyes across the floor, guiltily realizing what he had just heard himself say.

"Look Spike," continued Fluttershy, sympathetically. "I know you still feel insecure. But our friend is in trouble and we might not have another opportunity to save her. If you care about Rarity that much, we can't play foal to Yang's games."

In that moment, Spike quickly regained his determination. The utter thought of Rarity crying out in distress sparked newfound confidence as he narrowed his eyes. After a moment of pondering, he finally got up to the floor and made for the door.

"Wait, where are you going?" asked Fluttershy.

"You're right, Fluttershy," he spoke stoically. "I'm not gonna wait any longer while Rarity is still being imprisoned. I'm going to bust Yang's slave hold wide open!"

"What?!" she stammered. "You're actually going out into the temple now?"

"Well yeah. You said we can't stick around for long."

"Yes, but I meant we should save Rarity when Yang least expects it. Sneaking out in the middle of the night? Spike, there are guards everywhere! If we get caught, Yang might kick us off the island; or worse!"

"But you said it yourself. I don't want to take another beating tomorrow; that big oaf nearly crushed my spine. Besides, do you really want to face another guy like O'Mara?"

Fluttershy whimpered and clutched her pillow at the very thought.

"Listen Fluttershy, Yang is not the problem anymore. This isn't about sneaking into his tournament to complete Master Yin's mission. I'm tired of being a coward, and if I want to look brave in front of the mare I love, then now is the time to do it. If it means being beaten to a pulp by every goon in this temple, then that's a risk I'm willing to sacrifice; for Rarity's sake."

After listening to Spike's revelation, Fluttershy looked upon him with admiration and smiled. "Wow, Spike, that's really noble of you." She got up to join next to him. "I'm sure Master Yin would be very proud."

"Hey yeah. I wonder what he's doing right now."

...

Meanwhile, back in the training gym of Ponyville, Master Yin surveyed his newest potential student.

"So, you wish to master the sacred art of Tail Kwon Do. Well I assure you, this is not an easy accomplishment. You will be put through years of vigorous training and dicipline, and it will not be for the weak of heart. But if you learn to balance mind and might, you will have what it takes to become a true martial artist. So, are you ready to accept the challenges of my class?"

The student ruffled his feathers and responded. "Hoot!"

"Very well then," said Yin. "Your training begins next week."

Just then, the door flew open revealing Twilight entering the office. "There you are, Owlowiscious! What have you been up to?"

Owlowiscious turned his head all the way backward to face her. "Hoot!" he said and gave a wink which seemed to say "I have a score to settle with the dragon."

...

The temple was eerily silent with all the guests and fighters sleeping the night away. Spike and Fluttershy slowly made their way down the paper lined hallway, trying to muffle their every step. Upon rounding a corner, Spike immediately spotted an oblivious guard standing just down the next corridor, and stepped back to press his back against the wall.

"Um, Spike," whispered Fluttershy. "Do you even know where you're going?"

"The mares are being kept somewhere," he replied. "We just need to find a clue to help us get to them."

The two chose a different hallway to continue through, hoping to find less guard activity. As they crept along, Spike's tail just barely brushed a jade vase, causing it to rock on its pedestal. Fluttershy gasped and looked on in fright as the vessel tilted close to falling off; fortunately, it remained still. She let out a quiet sigh of relief and brushed her long mane aside, only to graze the top heavy vase again. This time, the jade artifact leaned over the edge and came plummeting toward the floor. In a split second, Fluttershy supressed a shriek and dove under the falling vase, just in time for it to land on her soft back.

"Oof!" she grunted, as the vase rested in her wings.

Spike spun around to see the comotion and simply gave her a hard shush, before proceeding on. Fluttershy sighed again and replaced the vessel ever so gently.

At one point, the pair came across a door opened a crack and curiously peeked inside. Spike hoped that it would be some kind of entrance to the hoofmaidens' quarters. But his hopes were immediately dashed away as he and Fluttershy both gagged at the sight of Yang soaking in a steaming, bubbling jacuzzi filled with cider.

"Ah, goodbye wrinkles," sighed the pampered crime boss. "And hello chocolate covered dates!" He then began snacking on a box of chocolates.

Spike and Fluttershy quickly turned away. "I don't think I'll ever be able to unsee that." Fluttershy said with a traumatized look.

After snooping around the dimly lit halls for a good while, the two eventually found themselves outside by a zen garden. They kept out of the light from the outdoor lamps upon seeing a few guards patrolling the outer temple wall. Spike sat down on a decorative polished stone.

"This is hopeless," he grumbled. "We must have searched all over this stuffy temple, and we still have no clue where we can find Rarity."

"Don't give up now, Spike," replied Fluttershy. "The mares have to be here somewhere. Maybe we just have to look harder. It just makes sense that Yang would keep his slave hold hidden."

"Agh, I have a feeling his guards will spot us before we even get close." Spike was starting to vent out anger. "That dirty rotten loaf! What does he need guards for anyway? What is he trying to protect himself from? I hate this whole gosh darn island!" He then began kicking up the sand in the garden in frustration.

Fluttershy frowned as the dragon ruined the neatly raked wavy lines. "Spike, no! That's a zen garden. You can't step on it or else you'll disturb the good energy."

"Who cares, Fluttershy?!" he snapped. "There's nothing good about this place. If I want to kick up Yang's precious sand, then that's what I'm going to do!" Spike raised his foot high up to his shoulder and brought it down in a hammering axe kick to the fragile garden.

Suddenly, Spike was caught by surprise as the zen garden began to shake. He darted his head around in confusion while the sand seemed to be collapsing in on itself. Then, a large void opened up in the middle of the garden where the loose grains fell through. Spike gawked in fright as he was swept up with the cascade and fell straight through the ground.

Fluttershy gasped and hurried to the edge of the newly formed hole. "Spike!" she called without alerting the sentries. "Spike, are you alright?"

Peering downward, she saw Spike lying on his back on what appeared to be an underground floor, with the sand raining down over him. Fluttershy stretched out her wings and floated down to her pal who was now completely buried in a thick pile of meditative zen releasing gravel. Upon landing, she looked around in all directions to see that he had landed in a long hallway cut through the earth, with magic lighting illuminating all the way. There was a pillar of arrow signs on the wall, pointing in both directions, which read in order, "LAUNDRY", "FREEZER", "CIDER CELLAR", "OPIUM DEN", "SERVANTS' QUARTERS". The last sign caught Fluttershy's attention and it instantly dawned on her, as a dazed Spike dug himself out from the pile.

"Spike, you did it!" she smiled. "We found the way to the hoofmaidens!"

"Yay." He cheered in a beaten voice as he kncoked sand out of his ears. After shaking off the haze, Spike grinned triumphantly. "Come on, Fluttershy, it's time for a jailbreak!"

With no sign of the patrols throughout the underground corridor, the dragon and the pegasus charged in the direction of Yang's prison. A few minutes of wandering the snaking tunnel later, they finally reached their target and screeched to a halt. Spike and Fluttershy stared in horror.
They had come across a chamber lined with conjoining reinforced glass cells which were secured shut by key locks. But it was the ponies inside them that stuck home. The cells were occupied by young pegasi, unicorn and earth mares of all colors. They appeared frail and weak, due to starvation by the guards who kept them, and their sullen angelic faces showed hardly a sign of spirit. Some of the mares tried to sleep off a hard day's service, while others were culred up in their corners weeping; the rest simply stared at the floor, their eyes void of hope. But that soon changed when they spotted the two strangers at the entrance of the chamber. In a flood of emotion, the hoofmaidens approached the thick glass and cried for help, some of them banging on the glass.

"Help us!" "Please get me out of here!" "Oh thank Celestia you came!" "They've come to save us!" "Please help!"

It pained Spike inside to see their pretty faces in desperation. Several of the young mares did not even respond to the rescue, as they had already given up faith. Deep down, he wanted to help every single one; but there was only one particular mare on his mind, as he guiltily walked down the row of cells. Meanwhile, Fluttershy did her best to ease the servants' minds.

"It's okay." She said to them in a calming tone. "We're going to get you out. Just hang tight."

As Spike searched the cells one by one, he still had not found his dream mare and was beginning to fear the worst. Then, he reached the last occupied cell and sprang to excitement. Inside the glass prison was an alabaster white unicorn lying on her cot in a fetal position and facing the wall. The cutie mark depicting sparkling diamonds was all Spike needed to tap on the glass and speak.

"Rarity!" he called ecstatically. "Rarity, it's me, Spike!"

Just as he hoped, the unicorn lifted her head and sat up in the cot. She turned to face the source of the familiar voice and gasped in astonishment. With a spark of joy in her coral blue eyes, Rarity sprang to her hooves.

"Spike!" she cried out and pressed against the glass. "Spike, what ever in Equestria are you doing here?"

"I'll explain later." He replied. "But how did you get here in the first place?"

"Oh, it was awful!" moaned Rarity. "It all started when I was showing off my work at the fashion show, and I met a stallion who claimed to be a modeling agent. He said he enjoyed my dresses and that he would love to see me in them; so he offered me a chance to model. After I so foolishly accepted, he invited me to a 'private fitting'. But it was a trap! When I got into his carriage, I was immediately bound, gagged, and blindfolded for the next several hours. The next thing I knew, I was thrown into this slave hold and forced to wear a hoofmaiden's dress."

"That's awful." Spike added.

"I know! The fabric was poorly sewn and the color scheme was just ghastly! But ever since, I was made to serve Master Yang and his guests just like the others." She began to tear up. "It's been an absolute nightmare, Spike; I did...horrible things. I don't even remember how long I've been here."

Spike stared longingly at his caged crush. Rarity looked like she hadn't eaten in days and the luster in her silky purple mane and supple white coat was lost. Her eyes sagged from sleepless nights and countless hours of degrading servitude. He couldn't stand to see the mare he loved so broken; Spike gave her an encouraging smile.

"Don't worry, Rarity," he said. "You're safe now. I'm gonna get you out of here."

Rarity wiped her a tear away and returned his smile. "Oh Spike, darling, I missed you so much." She put her hoof on the glass, matching Spike's hand on the other side. They looked into each other's eyes in wanting before Fluttershy's voice was heard.

"Ahem, um, Spike?" she mumbled. "Shouldn't we find a way to open these cells?"

"Fluttershy?!" gawked Rarity. "You're here too?"

"Oh, um, hi Rarity." Fluttershy smiled sheepishly.

"You're right," said Spike. "We got to bust these doors open."

"You need the key from the guards, Spike." Rarity explained. "It's the only way. This glass is too thick to break through, and I don't know any escape spells."

"No problem, Rarity." Spike grinned. "We'll just sneak up on one of those thugs, take him down with a little Tail Kwon Do, and steal his key. You'll be free in no time."

"Oh thank you so much, you two," sighed Rarity. "You're such great friends."

"Well, I guess we should get going if we want that key." Fluttershy shrugged.

"Right, let's see if we can find a nice guard to kick around."

But as the two martial artists turned around, they instantly froze. In front of them stood a whole gaggle of guards staring them down threateningly. There must have been enough to fill the entire temple arena; some of them were even equipped with nunchucks. But standing above them all was their eccentric boss, who parted through the army and approached his two missing competitors with a deep chuckle.

"Leaving so soon?" smiled Yang.