Chapter 47-Together We Always Burn
As the clouds finally dissipated, giving little light to his destination, Tony Stark could only stare as the lands below him were burned to cinder, the demon army flooding across Equestria as fast as the deadliest plague Stark knew of: War.
He may have been seeing it, but that sure as hell didn’t mean he could believe it. He just couldn’t.
Behind the mask, his eyes grew wide, a terrifying exhale escaping his being. “Friday…” he muttered in a near whisper, disbelief evident in his tone. He stared straight down into the smoke and fire of the nearest settlement.
Friday responded slowly. Stark had heard an AI sound scared before, just as she had told him about the fate of Sokovia with Ultron’s master plan. But he didn’t know for sure with the tone of her voice, the terror she expelled was almost as captivating as any woman could express.
“Boss… Dodge City…”
Before his mind could even process the events transpiring hundreds of feet below him, Stark paid witness to the entirety of the small town instantly become consumed by the floods of demons and monsters raging through the desert lands. Buildings were instantly demolished, lost within the fire and flame from the wicked beasts.
In less than ten seconds, Dodge City was gone, leaving nothing but the sea of demons stampeding onward.
It really was a flood, a wave of evil that couldn’t be stopped, at least not by himself. Stark slowly brought up his gaze. He stared on, straight into the storm clouds overcoming the skies, the fire and darkness filling the air. Sooner than he would have wished, the desert landscape had completely changed. He flew over a thick forest canopy, the demon army trailing behind him.
“Jesus…” Stark muttered, staring back as the trees he past fell and crumbled under the might of Tartarus’ inmates. The army sure as hell moved fast. He moved faster.
He faced forward once more, hearing Friday’s calming tone reverberate in his eardrums.
“We’re passing over the Everfree Forest. We’ll be in Ponyville in less than a minute if we keep up this pace,” Friday stated. Stark nodded, licking his lips.
“Can’t see the town yet, but it’ll pop up soon,” Tony replied. He could imagine Friday nodding in agreement. “Maybe if we kick it in I’ll have enough time to evacuate the town. What do you think, Friday?”
The wind could barely be heard whistling by his face.
“…Friday?”
No reply. Nothing. Horrible memories resurfaced on a certain Christmas Eve night in Tennessee.
“Friday!” Stark screamed.
“Boss, I got incoming! Twenty feet and approaching fast!”
Tony caught the projectile on his HUD. He spun his neck around, yelled, and dipped downwards. He nearly lost his composure, practically flipping in mid-air until he eventually caught himself. He placed both palms downwards, the thrusters below his feet keeping him afloat.
Hovering to a stand-still, Tony looked up to see the projectile that nearly rammed him.
It was a dragon. Blue flames burned from its scales, a terrible smog radiating from its very breath. With every flap of its mighty wings that scaled the heavens, the trees below it nearly toppled over. Stark watched as the massive beast flew with speeds that could easily rival his own, its destination set forward, straight to…
Stark hovered higher a few feet. Just a few.
His eyes grew wide. He lost his breath.
Ponyville sat in the distance. Princess Twilight’s castle lied dead ahead. The dragon roared.
Okay. He found a reason to believe now.
Kicking in the afterburners, Tony Stark propelled himself right above the Everfree Forest’s treetops. A good portion of the forest below him had felled due to the onward push from the demon army. Tony tightened his jaw. He flew a few feet lower, blasting apart whatever creature he saw.
As he finally reached the front of the flood, Stark sent off a few missiles to a cluster of trees in his way. He shot upwards, not even watching as the trees fell and crushed whatever demon was unlucky enough to be in their way.
“Friday? Evacuation?” Stark asked again, his worrisome eyes landing on the dragon, shifting to Ponyville and back again.
She answered.
“No time, Boss.”
Tony gulped, then nodded. “Right.”
He flew past the dragon and shot off a few flares to distract it. He heard a deafening roar behind him. Stark ignored it and gave it all his suit could take, practically racing the dragon at that point. He saw the forest disappear beneath him and the valley come into focus.
Soon enough, the first houses appeared, and Tony could only watch as several of Ponyville’s populace made their way to the outside world, screaming at the sight of the dragon. Stark could only imagine the looks on their faces, the fear riddled in their eyes, the terror in their expressions.
He didn’t have to imagine it long. The dragon swiped at him with a claw, making contact and sending Iron Man propelling to the dirt road.
Right before he could crush a family consisting of a mare, a stallion, and a colt, Stark placed both of his palms and feet straight down, catching himself just a few feet above them. They flinched at the brightness of his repulsors, shielding their eyes.
Once they looked up, fearfully clutching one another, Stark yelled, “Get everyone out of town! Now!”
And then he was gone. The family turned and watched as his trail of fire jetted directly for the dragon, directly to Princess Twilight’s castle. Directly into the fire and flame.
The moment he heard the roar was the moment Spike dropped what he was doing, scattered his hoofball trading cards across the crystal floor, ran past the mirror he occasionally flexes in front of, and opened the doors leading out onto the balcony.
As the doors were forced open, pushed back only against the fierce, heated wind, Spike ran outwards and reached the end of the balcony.
“W-what’s happening?!” he screamed to no one in particular, eyes gazing up into the blackened skylines. The imagery of the skies already casted a heavy shadow over Spike’s fearful heart. It only worsened when his assumptions turned out to be true.
Big Mac had left no more than thirty or so minutes ago. Just as he had gone over his newly acquired hoofball cards, Spike was ready to put them away and save them for his and Big Mac’s next fun-filled weekend. However, when he heard that roar echoing across the halls and floors of the castle, Spike knew right away what kind of creature was near.
No other monster could make that certain roar…than a dragon.
Just as he assumed. Just as he feared.
Spike clutched the railing, eyes gazing at the dragon covered in flames quickly make its approach over Ponyville. It continued onwards, and to his horror took in a massive breath and released that pent-up power into a torrent of flames.
He stared on, fear overcoming his senses to deny him the truth of what he saw. The dragon released its fire into the ground beneath it, scorching numerous houses, including the road leading directly to—
Spike took a step back. Then another. Then spun around and scrambled as fast as his chubby little legs could push him to the safety of inside Twilight’s castle. Right before he could make it inside, just before, he felt an intense amount of heat impact his backside. Along with the heat, the force of the blast launched the baby dragon forward.
He screamed, the intensity of the heat actually managing to burn him. It wasn’t natural. It was unlike anything Spike had ever felt, and he could only feel and experience the worst of it as the blue flames overcame his body.
A new type of force impacted his back.
It clutched onto his tiny body, held him tight, and tumbled along the crystal floor.
He grunted, yelped, and screamed until he finally came to a halt. Spike rubbed his head, flinched at his newly acquired burns, and leaned forward.
There, kneeling just a foot in front of him, was Tony Stark. His mask slid upwards. A type of terror Spike had never imagined was etched onto his face. It was a type of fear Spike had never once thought someone such as Tony Stark could express. Yet there he was, staring fearfully, out of breath, at the young dragon.
“Tony?” Spike stated in a clear panic, rising to his feet. Stark watched him, gave him a once-over.
“You good?” he asked. Spike rubbed the back of his neck and turned right to stare at the blue flames clutching onto whatever remained of the purple curtains.
“Yeah, but…” he paused, gulping at the sight of the hallway completely burnt to a crisp. “…What just happened? What’s going on out there?”
Their answer came from the horrible roar bellowed from outside the castle walls.
Both Stark and Spike stared at the ceiling, only one of them shaking like an infant child awaking from a recent nightmare. Tony stood up, his eyes gazing back to the young dragon.
“I’ll tell you later, but first,” Tony said, his mask sliding back down. Spike looked up at him, his reptilian eyes shifting over to the hand extended towards him. “We need to make a break for it.”
Spike contemplated for a few moments more, staring at the metal hand offered to him. Another roar shook the foundation of the castle, including the dragon himself. Spike needed no more motivation. He gripped onto Tony’s open palm, watched as the metallic fingers tightened around his claw, and yelped in surprise as Stark flung the dragon onto his back.
“Hang on!” Tony warned. Spike had little time to “hang on”, because before he knew it Stark was already flying. He took off in the middle of the crystal hall, Spike barely gripping onto his backside as they exited from the balcony. Again, the furnace-like wind pierced Spike’s face until he had to blink, nearly making him shed a tear or two from the intensity of the heat.
He looked back, screamed as the dragon came back for another strike, and gripped onto Tony’s back for dear life. He felt that same agonizing heat tear into his scales like no other type of fire had done before. Spike heard Tony scream. He screamed as the flames impacted his lower thrusters, his legs, and nearly tossed the duo off course and result in a deadly crash.
However, thankfully so, Tony managed to keep control of his flight pattern, but only for so long. He stumbled onwards, his suit barely holding together as he carried Spike safely out of the invasion.
Just as they were soon to escape to the safety of the Everfree, Spike turned back for one last glance. He gasped, teary eyes staring down at the swarm of demons and beasts overcome what remained of Ponyville. They took down houses like a tidal wave, spreading their disaster throughout the entire village.
And Spike could only watch as he and Tony Stark fled. As they retreated from the fight. As they turned away from all the horrified screams begging for a savior. A hero.
As the army finally impacted Twilight’s castle, his home, overcoming the burning castle.
He didn’t know why, he didn’t know how, but Spike felt something he hadn’t before. Maybe it was the size and strength of the demon army below, tearing apart the home where he had met so many amazing friends and lived his life. Maybe it was the dragon, its hellish screams ripping the skies apart as it landed at the tip of Twilight’s castle.
No, what he felt was guilt. How he and Tony—a supposed “superhero” on Earth—could just turn and fly away from those who so desperately needed help. To those who were practically dying below them. To those lost in the losing fight.
Spike faced forward and stared at the back of Stark’s head.
He continued to stare, continued until he realized something.
Tony Stark wasn’t a hero. They didn’t need him.
He looked back, back to all the ponies Stark had left behind.
They didn’t need a hero for this massacre.
And the engines of war kicked into gear, as the baby dragon and the Iron Man made their escape to the Everfree Forest. Whatever remained of it. That's when his thrusters died and the two fell into a free fall.
End of Act I
So, yeah, Civil War was awesome. I have zero complaints about the movie. Go see it. Now. 
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This ain't no place for no hero.
This ain't no place for no better man.
This ain't no place for no hero...to call home.
I've seen Civil War (came out a week early in the UK), best MCU film I've seen to date! Black Panther and Spider-Man really stole the spotlight!
... Well.
Unless Spike somehow manages to deliver both himself and Stark, with his armour, to the nearest safe point, those two are pretty much a patch of blood and metal on the ground without Friday miraculously booting up at the last minute and sending them both into a harmless tumble out of a tree.
I'm calling it: later on Spike will give Tony a reality check...or something else will happen that's basically the same kind of deal...
Didn't Spike say that dragons were immune to fire in an episode?
Amazing Ultron did all this when you consider he's less than a week old.
I think we all need a hero....
Because in the end... We're not afraid to die and we will survive!
Iron Man and Spike are so well written here.
Great, we're all dead.
7213199 Definitely the best parts of the film! Can't wait to see their individual movies!
7213294 Like, what are the odds of that happening?
7213606 We'll see.
7213702 That ain't no normal dragon...
7213968 They grow up so fast.
7216042 Thanks!
7217257 I have individual graves dug already.
7221890 You're welcome. :)
All demons are having a crowd surf down there.
And ponyville burns while Tony and spike retreat... that's pretty dark.
There’s a second act?! Well then... let’s hope it ends with sunshine, rainbows, and minimal deaths plz.
If all this was just part of 'one' single act, I hate to imagine what's going to happen in the second given the insane number of chapters there are. Having said that, it's a good thing Iron-Man showed up in time to save Spike before he got seriously hurt. But that doesn't leave him unaccountable for the massacre as a result of Ultron releasing the worst of the worst onto the peaceful nation. Now with demons and sentries working together to cleanse Equestria of the lies supposedly kept hidden by the princesses, punishment for building upon years of wars made to be forgotten, all of Equestria ponies and other creatures alike will soon pay the price. And it seems there is nothing that even the Earth's Mightiest Heroes can do to stop it, leaving the fate of the world they entered under great uncertainty.
This was playing in my head as I reached the end of this chapter:
...so let me get this straight. No one can do anything... And everyone is going to die?
That's dark, man.
Not really a fan of this, because this is basically saying everyone and everything from the Badlands to Ponyville are now dead and destroyed. Including big characters like the CMC.
This is a situation that is forcing a Deus Ex Machina. That’s literally the only possible thing that can fix this. Something that will undo it all.
Man if this is all Act 1 I can’t imagine will 2 and 3 could be like.
Poor Spike, he really suffered here. He is still just a kid here, and he almost died against demons (already scary enough when you realize how hot those flames would need to be to hurt a dragon like him), but he and Iron Man had to flee for their lives and leave Ponyville and the innocents behind to burn. It seems like Spike has lost respect for Iron Man as a hero now, or as Ultron would probably say, “disillusioned”. I wonder if this could potentially mean Spike would side against Tony in Civil War?